2. Hunter

Many had tried to understand the inner workings of the power suit, the last great gift of the mighty Chozo race. Dr. Light once ran a week-long diagnostic on it, determined to find some flaw, some way to destroy it should she go rogue. He found nothing.

The suit's main feature was its responsiveness. It became an extension of the body, able to contort and expand in ways its owner could never have even dreamed of. It stored a battery of weapons in its arm cannon: plasma shots, ice beams, missiles, electric beams. It could shrink to a small ball for extra maneuverability at no harm to the user; it could spiral into a screw attack, a highly damaging form of temporary air propulsion. It was, in essence, a perfect weapon, and it is the main reason why Samus Aran was the most feared woman in the world.

She thought these things as she walked across the dimly lit marketplace. The suit was safely stowed away, a cloaking device Dr. Light had installed for unused occasions activated. She smiled wryly… those who assumed that the power suit made her powerful missed the point: like any good weapon, it was as good as its user, as flexible and malleable as the one who crafted it on a daily basis. As such, she was perfectly comfortable outside of the suit, her energy sword concealed on a belt she wore around a form-fitting jumpsuit. The suit did not make her strong; she was a living weapon herself.

She walked across Hyrule, listening half-heartedly to the conversations of those around her… innocent men and women, bartering for goods, enjoying the night air, resolving peaceful troubles… they all looked to the man she was fully prepared to kill as an inspiration, as proof positive that evil can be overcome. What would happen to them when he died?

Samus shook her head. To think such things would only distract her. She was a warrior, and as she had just told Link earlier that day, nothing could ever truly stand in the way of a warrior about to do battle.

She arrived at the coliseum at five minutes to midnight. Surprisingly, it was empty – Zelda had stayed true to her word – except for the man she had sworn to kill, the first one on her list, the easiest one to find… alarm bells began to ring in her head, as they had when first she had laid eyes upon him earlier…

"Hunter."

He nodded curtly.

"I suppose it's far too late for an apology."

She narrowed her eyes. "You suppose correctly."

"If I could go back and do it all again," Link said, seemingly unfazed by her response, "I'd do some things a little bit differently. But not most of them. There's a Kokiri proverb, that the bad events in your life make you able to create good ones… I think that's true."

"Are you telling me that what happened four years ago will only lead to good things?"

"I wouldn't presume to tell you that, no. I will say this, though… you deserve what's coming to you."

Link drew the Master Sword and curved it downward in an arc in the traditional Hyrulian salute. Samus drew her energy sword. She did not return the gesture.

"And now…" Link said, smiling sadly. "We duel."

Samus dashed toward Link, her pink blade glowing softly in the moonlit air. Steel met heat and light, and the energy sword buckled slightly under the raw strength of the Master Sword. Samus held her ground and swung it around, but Link parried deftly in an overhead slice.

She let her weapon fall forward, stabbing sharply to Link's side, but Link was ready, and he spun in a circle, letting the sword block the blow. Link ended up facing her, and shoved the energy sword away with a powerful thrust. Samus scowled as her midriff was exposed to the blade, and Link took advantage of the opening, but she quickly ducked under the slash, cutting deep into Link's right leg with the heated blade.

"Gah!" Link fell forward, clearly off-balance and in pain; he landed squarely on the pointed end of the energy sword, which fell through his chest like a knife through butter. His eyes went wide with some kind of emotion… pain? Recognition of death? Samus wasn't sure, but she twisted the blade all the same, watching with satisfaction as Link's face grew flushed.

The two stood there for what felt like hours, Samus pressing down on Link's chest and Link clutching tightly, almost defiantly, to the Master Sword. A cool breeze ruffled through Samus's hair. She did not smile.

"Y-You… deserve…" Link coughed, and slid down the energy sword. His grip relaxed on his own weapon, and the Master Sword fell with a clatter to the stone tiles below them, echoing in the empty coliseum.

She withdrew the blade from Link's chest. There was no visible blood on it; as an energy-based weapon, it instantly burned off whatever it accumulated. She stared down at Link's body, his eyes slowly glazing over, and slowly raised her sword, curving it downward.

"So."

She turned around and saw the figure of Princess Zelda approaching from the stands. The woman was not crying.

"Now, finish the job. Descend Hyrule into endless night." She lowered her head to Samus, as if offering it as a sacrifice.

For a moment the two women simply stood there, unmoving. Finally, Samus swung her sword, the whoosh of the instrument coming within an inch of her neck. Then, abruptly, Samus raised the sword and in one flowing motion drew it to Zelda's face, drawing a quick slice from the bridge of her nose to the top of her forehead.

The princess gasped, clutching her hands to her face as blood flowed freely from the wound. "What are you doing?!"

"Something more powerful than revenge." She deactivated the sword and placed it back in her belt.

Zelda gasped through her hands. "I won't return to my land knowing what has transpired here tonight. I can't!"

"Exactly. You need to live, because simply taking your life wouldn't satisfy me. You need to live, because living is infinitely more painful for you than dying. You need to live, because someone has to let them know."

"I had nothing to do with –"

"I know. And that's why I'm letting you live. Not because of our former friendship, not because of your people, but because my vengeance begins and ends with those responsible. And you still have a purpose left to serve. Tell them everything. Wear this mark of shame I've given you. And know this: from this day on, you belong to me. You are mine, body and spirit. You will rule over your people and teach them that their hero was a fool who preyed upon the weak. You will rule justly, fairly, and equivocally. And you will tell the others that the Hunter is coming for them, and they will all soon be just as dead as Link."

Samus looked coldly at Zelda's disfigured face. "Good-bye, princess. Pray we never meet again."

"…wait."

Zelda slowly rose to her feet, still clutching her bloody face, obviously making a very concerted effort to not look at Link's body. She motioned to the Master Sword.

"This, too, is yours now."

Samus hesitated, then grabbed the mighty blade, which now felt light to the touch, as if she were wielding an old friend. Indeed, thought Samus as she departed, a weapon is only as strong as the one who uses it… the Hunter was a living weapon herself, after all, which made her stronger than anyone else…

Her heart felt strangely heavy as she retrieved her power suit. Had she not done what she'd set out to do and begin the lengthy process of her revenge? Had she not been successful beyond measure, as she had always been when on the prowl?

Regardless of what had come before, regardless of what she was feeling now, regardless of what awaited her in the future… one thing remained certain.

The Hunter was back.