AN: I couldn't help it. I know I should be writing the fourth chapter, but while I was rereading what I had already written, I was compelled to clean this one up. I know a lot of my writing needs work, and there are several nuisances everywhere, but I can't just go on and update. I get that nagging feeling that I've forgotten something really important. So, here's to getting rid of that!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Zelda

"I overheard this…
They say that the Kokiri are always followed by small fairies."

- Gossip Stone

Chapter2: Emo Hero

'Pause.' At that simple thought, the air itself seemed to freeze in place.

The thought was elicited from a peculiar fifteen year old boy, who looked very much like an overgrown Kokiri without a fairy. His clothing and equipment consisted of a green tunic, leather gauntlets, weathered boots, white tights, and the traditional green cap which sat on his unruly blond hair. His physical appearance gave away signs of adolescent aging: from his sharpening features to his growing sense of maturity which one could observ in the frozen sea of his eyes. His name was Link.

Although Link had provoked the spell, it was apparent he was not allowed mobility amid Pause. His dark eyes stared, unmoving, at a pair of posters in Hyrule Castle Town's usually bustling, but now completely silent, market square.

'Two more chains to my damned fate… why can't somebody else do it?'

'Because you're the Hero of Time,' An annoyingly high-pitched voice answered back, he ignored it and continued his poster staring.

Bounty Reward: 1 million rupees
Name: Sasuke Uchiha
Alias: none
Appearance: male; mid-teens; black eyes and hair; pale complexion; about six feet; typical shinobi attire
Required Condition: captured and unconscious
Reason for Bounty: required for interrogation
Specialties: high ranking shinobi techniques
Whereabouts: unknown
Associates: unknown
Warnings: Extremely dangerous culprit. His specific abilities as a ninja are unknown, but are varied and well practiced. Assume he is not working alone.

'This is the one that's been asking around about the Hero of Time?' It was more of a statement. 'Oh well, can't be any worse than anyone I've faced so far.'

Link took in the second wanted poster in sight:

Bounty Reward: 200 rupees
Name: Unknown
Alias: Black Mage
Appearance: Under five feet; red eyes; 'living shadow;' pointed and tall black hat; black robes; black staff
Required Condition: Dead or Alive
Reason for Bounty: Attacking and killing passerby around Hyrule Field.
Specialties: expert fire magic
Whereabouts: has been spotted randomly throughout Hyrule Field
Associates: The Black Mage does not appear to be in his right state of mind. Possible allies are doubtful.
Warnings: Wide array of destructive, as well as defensive, fire spells. Knowledge of water elemental spells is advisable.

'Dead or Alive, huh? Makes it that much easier. If he really uses his fire spells that much, then I can make quick work of him with my Mirror Shield. Unpause.' With that, Hyrule Castle Town jumped back to life.

'Random attacks throughout Hyrule Field? I think Malon would let me stay at her ranch. If I need to search Hyrule Field, why not start in the middle?' Done gathering information, Link found no more reason to stay in such a lively place.

vvv

Once Link was in Hyrule Field, he equipped his Mirror Shield and his Gilded Sword so that he would be prepared for any possible attack from the 'Black Mage'. The Sun was beginning to set, and Link's destination was a full day's walk from Hyrule Castle Town. So he began to set up camp.

He laid a perimeter of traps that consisted of arrows, string, and well placed bombchus that would alert Link to any intruder's presence and direction. Part of Link's life as a bounty hunter was knowing how to become a target. If the bounty really was proficient in fire magic, than Link's heat sensitive traps would pick up on the intruder quickly. Link drifted off to sleep, hoping he was an all-too-tempting target in the eyes of his unsuspecting prey

ēēēēēēēēēē

Link's eyes fluttered open to reveal he was lying on his back in a cathedral. Not just any cathedral: the Temple of Time. He sat up and surveyed his surroundings. Everything was the way it should be: benches in one piece, red carpet leading up to an alter that held three extremely valuable stones. The Door of Time was open, exposing an empty pedastal, the only out of place object. The Pedestal of Time should have held the legendary 'Blade of Evil's Bane'.

Link walked past the alter, through the Door of Time, and right up to the empty place-holder. As he drew closer a blue light appeared directly in front of the Master Sword's pedestal. A blue light very similar to the one that had appeared right after Link had defeated a Temple Guardian. The only difference about this light, was its dimness. Link could easily see through it. The old light was almost impossible to see past, it was too bright.

Upon closer inspection, Link saw a little boy of about ten, lying on his back within the circle of pale blue light. The hero already knew the boy's identity, but as the light faded, his suspicions were confirmed. There, sleeping on the stone floor, was Link at age ten. Right after he had just done the impossible. Strange enough, Young Link was transparent.

He was wearing the traditional Kokiri tunic, and the only visible portions of his equipment were his Kokiri Shield, Kokiri Sword, and Goron Bracelet. The missing 'Blade of Evil's Bane' could be observed in his firm grip if it were not as transparent as its wielder. Adult Link merely stared at his younger self with a bored expression, as if this wasn't the first time he had watched himself sleep.

Young Link's cap wavered slightly, catching the adult's attention, and not a moment later, a fairy flew out. Adult Link recognized his old friend, Navi, but his bored expression remained firm. She was hovering just over Young Link's face shouting at the top of her lungs in an attempt to wake the Kokiri child.

"Hey! Get up! We're back, Link! You're ten again!"

Hearing the calls of his fairy guardian, Young Link's eyelids slowly forced themselves open, revealing midnight blue eyes with a unique sparkle. They were like the night sky out in the country where billions of stars shine brightly, piercing darkness with every twinkle. He smiled.

"Cut it out, Housefly! I just beat the 'Unstoppable Dark Lord' without so much as breaking a sweat! I think I deserve some rest."

"Damn it, Link! Have some sense! You know damn well we both almost died back there! That 'Dark Lord' shouldn't be spoken of so lightly. He's still alive for Heaven's sake! And stop calling me Housefly!"

Young Link broke out into fits of laughter. He was sure Navi was pouting, with her arms crossed, behind her fairy light. Seeing that he wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Navi hovered back and flew forward as fast as she could into Young Link's skull.

"HAHA- OW! Hey what was that for… 'mother'. "

"Damn it, never mind, you're hopeless!"

Navi was both frustrated and relieved for her young charge. Half irritated that he was acting carelessly, and half glad that he was still his usual, happy self. Yes, he had lost his childlike innocence and began to mature a little earlier than most, but he didn't let his ordeals drive him insane. He was very strong mentally and emotionally, and his courage was matched by no other. It was that same courage that took Navi places no fairy had ever dreamed (or had a nightmare) of. She was very proud of the child that now stood facing her, stupid grin and all.

"Don't call me mother either, it makes me sound old."

"But you're older than Zelda can count! And that's saying something, adding the fact that she has that legendary artifact thingy."

"Hey! That's not the point! We fairies have a much longer lifespan than you Hylians so you should call me something more like… big sister. Yeah, that's better. And have some respect for the power granted to you and Zelda by the Goddesses. At least say their name right, Tri-force!"

"Sure, whatever you say… :cough: granny. :cough:"

"Dammit, Li-!"

Navi was just about to retaliate, but at that moment she started vibrating violently. As quickly as it started, it stopped. Navi, knowing exactly what it meant, became worried.

"Link, I have to go…"

"What! Why?"

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days."

"…" Young Link looked hurt. He had never been without his fairy since she first became his guardian. Navi leaving so suddenly, after all they had been through, was bound to affect the Hero of Time somehow.

"Really! Look, I'll even bring a gift of sorts. Trust me, you'll love this one."

"…Okay okay, but what am I supposed to do?" He didn't want to be alone. Loneliness was Link's one true fear. He was lucky he had Navi since she never left his side.

"Just wait at Hyrule Castle. I'm sure Zelda will allow you to stay there for a while. Even if nobody remembers the second timeline, she should still be waiting to hear word from you."

"Wait. How much time has passed?"

"Just a month since you first lifted the Master Sword from its pedestal. That should be enough time for Zelda to have received word that Ganondorf has 'suddenly' disappeared, and for her to have decided it was safe to return home. I'm pretty sure she's worried about what has happened to you."

"Alright then, hurry up and go already. And you better come back, ya hear!"

Adult Link had been leaning against a wall listening emotionlessly as his memory/dream played on. It was nothing new to him, so why should he care?

"Don't worry! I'll be back, I promise!" The fairy yelled over her 'shoulder' as she flew to a nearby window.

At that last statement, Adult Link's ice cold, sea blue eyes welled up with restrained tears. Young Link, oblivious to the teary-eyed adult version of himself, just walked up to the Pedestal of Time, still gripping the weary Master Sword.

"Time to let you rest." Young Link whispered as he shoved the legendary blade into the pedestal, allowing it to get much needed sleep. As soon as the Master Sword was set in place, its transparency was no more. Adult Link took a moment to observe the solid blade and his younger self (still transparent) before he heard a young woman's voice…

ēēēēēēēēēē

"Hey! Link! Get up sleepy head!"

"What? Na-?" :bop!:

Link's eyes shot open at the slight impact to his head. He surveyed his surroundings to find the sun was up, his traps were still set, there was an apple rolling away from him, and some redhead was waiting at the edge of his camp with their hands on their hips.

"C'mon, Fairy Boy, I could use your help!" Malon.

"Stop calling me that."

"What? You never minded before… What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. What do you want?" By now, Link was fully awake and had started cleaning up.

"Whoa. Attitude problem. Link, tell me the truth, what's the matter?"

Malon had been Link's friend ever since his first visit to her father's ranch five years ago. So it was natural for her to be worried about Link's behavior.

"I said I'm fine, drop it and tell me what you need."

"…" She stood, hands still on hips, biting her lip.

"…" Link was staring back at her with the same bored look he wore in his dream.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Malon…"

"Yes!"

"Do you have a hearing problem?"

Malon crossed her arms and started pouting. Then she got an idea, "You know, a little Lon Lon Milk'll probably fix ya right up!"

'Yep, hearing problems.'

"C'mon, Link! We can go get some right now! I was going to ask you to escort me to the ranch anyway so you can consider the milk as payment."

'Cheapskate too.'

"Hurry up, Fairy Boy, I don't got all day!"

Link's eye twitched slightly at the nickname, but he knew better than to complain.

vvv

Now, Malon's idea of 'escorting' was forcing Link to pull the carriage in place of her horse in order to give it a rest. The carriage contained several crates full of empty Lon Lon Milk bottles from Hyrule Castle. So while Link was pulling the monstrosity, Malon was riding her horse in circles around him, and every time he would complain she would tell him that he should consider it 'hero training.'

'Hero training my ass.'

Fortunately for Link's mood, the ranch came in sight late afternoon. On the other hand, Malon's father, Talon, was awake for once. Although the ranch owner was rarely up and about, it never meant good for our young hero. It was always either teasing or random ranch stories, both of which, Link could do without.

"So what do you think of Malon, Link my boy? No wait, I already know what you're thinking: 'Malon has grown into a fine young woman and she would make a perfect future wife!' BOHAHAHA!" Today would be teasing.

'Shit, need to change the subject, quick. Pause.'

The portly ranch owner laughing heartedly in front of Link suddenly… quit laughing. In fact, he quit moving altogether. Taking advantage of his time, Link scanned the room for something he could use. Their house hadn't changed since Link's last visit. In fact, it hadn't even changed from Link's first visit.

'Not even a new cucco.'

In the past, Link would look toward Ingo and ask if there was anything he could help with, but for some reason the grumpy ranch hand wasn't around.

'Wonder what happened to him? In the alternate timeline he took over the ranch because he was tired of doing all the work. He was only able to do so with Ganondorf's help, though. Now that Ganondorf is out of the picture, maybe he just quit? Unpause.'

"Where's Ingo?"

"Funny thing, really." Malon had just returned from putting the horse in the stables and parking the wagon out front. "He quit."

"…"

"…"

"And?"

"At-ti-tude! Link, ya sure nothing's wrong with ya?"

"You're the one that said it was funny."

"I did?"

"Never mind. So why did he quit?"

"Something about not being able to stand us anymore, imagine that."

'Why did I even ask?'

"Anywayz, our new stable hand is much more fun! You should meet her Link."

"That's alright."

"What!? You love meeting new people! That's it! I'm not gonna stop 'til you're all better! You're going to meet her right now!"

"That's what you think. Fortunately for me, you don't really think much."

"FAIRY BOY! If you don't march your ass to the stables this instant! I'll… I'll… STOP TALKING TO YOU FOREVER AND EVER!"

"So… I'll be going to bed now. Night."

"Oh, no you don't!"

"Oh, yes I will."

"No you won't!"

"Yes I will."

"You will not!"

"Yes… I will."

"…"

'Not good.'

ēēēēēēēēēē

So Link was heading to the stables, completely devoid of any sleep. He would just have to get that later. For now, his attention was focused on meeting this new stable hand to get a certain fiery redhead off his back… literally. Malon forced Link to give her a piggyback ride, by clinging onto him unmercifully, until he was done meeting Lon Lon's newest employee.

ēēēēēēēēēē

'Not good.'

Famous last thoughts? Well famous last thoughts before Miss Lon Lon took the reins (cap) of our little hero and began yelling obscenities such as "Ride the wind, Bullseye! Yeehaa!"

"Hihi! Now try going to bed! Dad will never leave you alone if you sleep with me, fairy boy!"

A quick glance at the hairy ranch owner who was having fits of laughter on the floor and Link was on his way.

'Might as well get it over with. Damn Lon Lons, maybe it's something they put in their milk?'

vvv

:Bop!:

Link shook his head to clear his vision after yet another slight impact to his skull.

"What was that for?"

"Quit stalling and go meet our new stable hand!"

":mumble: Demon child… :mumble:"

"What was that?!"

"Hey, wait out here."

"What?"

"You can only make one first impression, and I don't think I want to start it out with you on my back."

"Oh! Alright, but I'm going to be waiting right out here so don't try anything funny!"

"Yeah, yeah."

vvv

With that, Link opened the stable door and walked in. Something was off, but he wasn't sure what. She wasn't very easy to miss. Among the sea of electric pink that was her hair, there stood out a blue hair band that matched her clear blue eyes perfectly. Other than the eyes and hair band, she was entirely pink. From her short her, through the cotton candy pink tunic, and down to her dark pink boots. Really, if anyone had missed her, they couldn't have been visually capable, let alone called themselves a bounty hunter.

The girl was giving Link an intense sense of déjà vu. Recovering from his slight shock, Link crossed the stables at a slow pace, trying to figure out just where he could have met her.

'Maybe I know her from the alternate timeline?'

The closer Link got, the more he noticed. She was more on the short side, she wore no makeup, and she was humming some happy-go-lucky tune that stirred Link's sense of déjà vu to a frustrating point.

"Hey, farm-girl!"

She obviously hadn't noticed Link's approach, the apparent shock in her azure eyes gave away as much. She must have been shocked even more after finding out who was calling her because, well, people don't really gasp without a reason.

"Link…" She spoke softly, but Link caught it, instantly recognizing the voice even though he wasn't able to pin the name that went along with it.

"Have we met before?"

"Oh no! Malon's just talked about you… a lot."

":sigh: She talks too much. What's your name?"

"I-it's… Sar-Sarah." For some inconceivable reason, the girl had a faint blush lighting her cheeks. Link wasn't blind.

"What has Malon been telling you?" Link asked with a little hostility.

"Oh, a couple of stories about your visits..." 'I probably shouldn't mention that I was the one asking…'

Link gave Sarah a suspicious glare, 'She definitely isn't telling me everything. Whatever, it was probably some embarrassing story Malon made up.' "Well, nice to meet you Sarah." He held out his right hand waiting for her to shake it.

'Okay, what now?' She stared, confused, at his outstretched limb as if she had never seen one before.

"Your new in Hyrule, aren't you?"

'Oh no!' "Uh, yeah…" 'Please don't figure me out…'

"You're supposed to grab my hand and shake it. It's a common Hylian greeting."

"Oh, um… like this?" She took his hand in hers and started waving it violently left and right. The reaction brought back a couple of Link's memories.

'Just like my first visit to Hyrule Castle Town. Then again, I had come from the only place in Hyrule that didn't practice traditional customs: Kokiri Forest.' Link's expression seemed to soften, if only slightly. "No, no. Here." Link corrected her.

At Link's gentle touch, the mysterious Sarah turned a shade that could match her current outfit. The blush effectively singled out her eyes, which looked extremely familiar to our hero. After a second's hesitation, Link not only caught himself staring, he also noticed that they were still holding hands. He quickly pulled back.

"Whatever, I need to get some sleep."

"Oh, okay." She whispered, suddenly a little on the tense side.

Not a second after his departure, Sarah's tunic vibrated and two spheres of white light shot out exerting… frustration? Sarah, like a reprimanded child, suddenly took on a shameful expression, bowing her head.

"Sorry…" She whispered.

vvv

Link was anything but at peace. He knew he was going to need his rest for the next day, but the 'familiar' stable hand was forcing his mind to work overtime. He knew he wasn't going to get sleep until he figured out this little puzzle.

'Damn Malon! Why couldn't I have just met her in the morning?'

'Hello! Because she's stubbornly persistent when she's worried about her friends.' The annoyingly high pitch, little girl's voice reminded Link of an alarm clock going off early.

'Shut up, no one asked you.'

'What? Who else could you be talking to?'

'The question was rhetorical, smartass.'

'Hey! I'm not the one with the sulky attitude!'

'Shut it.'

'...'

'…'

'So, who do you think she is?'

'If I knew that I wouldn't be up, talking to myself.'

'Stop calling me that, it sounds like we're crazy.'

'Then what do I call you?'

'Ivan! I don't know why, but I like that name.'

'Ivan? That's a boy's name isn't it?'

'Well no one asked you! Now, back to the matter at hand: Pinky's HOT!'

'What?! That has nothing to do with anything we've just said!'

'I know, and her melons aren't as big as Malon's, but she has that Apple Booty I've been hearing so much about!'

'Apple Booty?'

'You know, girls with a-'

'NEVER MIND!'

'Well, to be honest, I don't really know what an Apple Booty is, but I have come to certain logical conclusions! I'm pretty sure that the 'Apple' is referring to the shape of the girl's a-!'

As if on queue, a new light was flickering through the only window on the first floor. Ending his conversation with Ivan, Link took a peak outside only to see that a fire had

somehow started in the middle of the range. Common sense told Link that he needed to hurry and prevent it from spreading.

'Pause. Equip. Unpause.'

And just as quickly as Peter Parker switches to his alter ego 'Spider Man', Link was able to change into… well 'Link in a red tunic'! You know, heat resistant? Whatever. Link quickly shot out the front door (waking several cuccos in the process), and hurried toward the range. What he saw there wasn't what he had expected at first, but it didn't really surprise him either.

Standing in the middle of a circle of controlled fire was a short figure carrying a long stick. A black staff to be more precise, with a pointy black hat to match. In fact, that was his only color. Everything from his clothing to his skin was so black, he wouldn't have been visible to the naked eye, at this time of night, were it not for the unnatural fire surrounding him. The only other color were his white eyes that were giving off an eerie glow, adding to the demonic aura the mage was giving off.

He just stood stock still as Link approached, seemingly glaring at the disturbance. Link pulled out his Gilded Swored, and in a show of disinterest, he laid it across his right shoulder.

"What's your name?" Link was just a little curious.

"…" The mage made no motion to appear as if he had even heard.

"Hey! I asked you a question!" Link shouted, pointing his weapon, with his right hand, at the fire mage to make it clear who he was talking to.

"…"

"I don't have time for this, let's just finish this." Link charged toward the center of the range, blade trailing behind him in his right hand.

"…"

vvv

Sarah woke up in the middle of the night. Being a stable hand, she slept in the storage tower at the back of the ranch. It was either that or the stables. So Sarah easily heard the violent noises coming from the range just outside. Curious as anyone, she left the security of the stone building and out to the fence of the corral, where she had a decent vantage point of the fight developing in front of her.

"He's fast!" She whispered in awe.

She saw Link and the mage in a duel of sorts. Link was quick and accurate, and it wasn't helping the mage much with Link's obvious size advantage over him. It looked like Link was going to finish the fight quickly. The only surprising things about the mage were his staff, which seemed to be able to endure the sharp of edge of Link's blade, and the fact that the mage wasn't using any visible spells yet.

Sarah, along with everyone in Hyrule, was able to recognize the mage because of the signature hat. She assumed the hat enhanced a mage's magical properties. Just thinking about it made Sarah worry for Link. Then again, it might be that the mage couldn't use spells because of Link's speed. Still, the feeling stayed and only worsened when she saw the mage split his staff in two… then light it on fire.

No wonder it was so huge! The two flaming sticks the mage now held were each about the size of a knight's sword. Fortunately, Link was no amateur. He was still holding his own in the duel, though they were about even now. It was then she saw it. The sight of it made her smirk. What was it? A simple motion really. Using his signature spin attack to create some space, Link took advantage of the borrowed time and switched hands.

'I can't believe the bastard made me worry like that!'

Link was left-handed. So the mere motion of Link switching his sword from his right to his left was actually rather significant. Sarah could only guess that Link was testing the mage's abilities. That or he was just having fun. As Link charged for a second time, the mage looked slightly confused. Once Link began his assault, however, the mage understood that he was in trouble.

Quickly reconnecting his staff, ceasing the flames, the mage shoved the bottom end into the ground causing a sphere of fire to erupt from the point. The sphere spread quickly engulfing the grass, but leaving the caster unharmed.

vvv

Link knew the spell.

'Din's fire?! How the hell does he know that spell?'

Despite his shock, Link reacted quickly by jumping back several spaces, knowing the fire would dissipate at a certain distance.

'He probably wants a ranged fight, the bastard.'

Pulling out his arrows, Link shot several arrows in quick succession while running a wide circle around his target. The mage reacted by repeating the earlier spell. This time, though, the sphere of fire stopped once its caster was completely surrounded. Once it stopped, the fire intensified to a point that the mage wasn't visible. The mages counter wasn't extremely quick, but the distance between him and Link bought him the required time. Once the arrows reached the mage, they disintegrated into ashes before they could go through.

'How can he control Goddess magic like that?' Link was vexed.

Once the flame-shield was down, the mage immediately began his counter. Pointing his staff at his opponent, the mage quickly shot several balls of flame toward Link in such a way that it would have been impossible to dodge. Even though Link had his Goron tunic on, he doubted it would be able to withstand Goddess magic. Acting upon an earlier thought, Link pulled his Mirror Shield in front of him and blocked the offending projectiles. Unfortunately, the shield rejected the flame instead of absorbing it like Link had been counting on.

In the past, Link was able to absorb elemental magic into his shield to limitless proportions. Once Link was happy with the supply of magic within his shield, he shot back the spell with a multiplied force. It did cost Link a chunk of his magic, but it was usually a one-hit kill.

'I'll just have to come up with another tactic. Pause.'

Link checked his equipment looking for inspiration.

'Boomerang, bombs, bombchus, longshot, magic beans, bottles of water, ice arrows, megaton hammer… Oh!'

Link remembered a neat little trick he had learned on his way home from Termina. He knew it would come in handy in dungeons, but he never really imagined using it in a fight.

'It would be a good defense though. Unpause.'

"Nayru's Love!" It was a costly spell, but he only needed a moment's cover from the mage's continuing assault.

Without missing a beat, Link pulled out a bottle of water and flung the contents in front of him, simultaneously pulling out an arrow and charging it with ice magic. Letting the arrow fly the short distance between him and the water, Link watched, partially amazed as a giant, life-size ice cube formed in front of him. Even if he had done it before, it's still amazing what a little water and Goddess magic can do.

Link was expecting his ice cube to melt, given a few hits, but that's all the time Link needed. Well, that and leverage. Using the ice cube as a stepping stone, Link leaped high into the air simultaneously beginning his aerial assault on the Black Mage.

'Time to fight a little fire with fire.'

vvv

Sarah's first feeling of awe quickly evolved into amazement and suspension as the small war continued in front of her. She was so amazed she didn't even notice a stray fire ball heading her way until a little tinkle in her tunic brought her back to reality. She dodged with rather quick reflexes for a ranch hand and continued watching the battle, undisturbed.

She loved Link's ice cube trick, but her anxiety got the best of her when she saw Link jump into the air unguarded. It didn't help when she saw him casting a fire spell similar to the mage's. The only difference was the shape of the flame. Link's fire barrage was more like fire rain, long narrow strips of fire shooting down at his opponent.

'Link! He's a fire mage! Don't you think he'd be able to defend against that!?' Screaming in her head surely wasn't helping.

She just couldn't watch, but she did anyway. The fire mage raised his left hand into the air and formed a square of fire (not a cube) just above his head, probably attempting to use it like an umbrella. At the same time, the mage began charging a fire attack at his staff's tip, ready to unleash once Link landed. Sarah could only panic as she saw Link's attack fail to break through the mage's barrier, but was surprised to see the mage had cancelled his spell. And she almost went into shock from relief when she saw the mage fall to his knees.

Curious as to how the mage met his demise, she squinted her eyes to get a clearer look. She noticed several thin sticks sticking out of the magician's body: arrows.

vvv

Of course Link knew Goddess fire magic would cancel with Goddess fire magic. He was counting on that fact to support his attack. Once he let his fire arrows fly, he was expecting the fire surrounding his arrows to cancel out whatever fire defense the mage came up with, leaving the arrows a free path to their target.

The next arrow Link pulled out was his favorite. The light arrow's abilities were amazing. Extremely powerful and intensely pure, a light arrow gave the user the ability to determine whether their kill was of a good or evil heart. No matter what happened, if someone were to get hit with that arrow, they'd die, but it would take a minute.

First the arrow would paralyze the victim with light magic, leaving them harmless. If they were of an evil heart, their own darkness would attempt to reject the light from the arrow, causing intense pain to be their last memory. If they were of a pure heart, their soul would accept the light, easing all the pain from their wounds, giving a sense of euphoria for their last memory. Of course, it would also give them that last minute to explain themselves to their noble opponent, or give out their dying wish.

Link loved the light arrow. It relieved him of so much guilt and dealt out the justice whenever necessary. But Link hadn't counted on the pain this one would give him. How could he know that when the arrow pierced its target, it would dispel a shadow spell, revealing a little girl in a mage's robes and long red hair flowing out of an oversized hat. Once her skin was penetrated, the little girl fell on her side, paralyzed for the last minute of her life.

Her pale blue eyes were filled with… relief? But her eyes weren't enough to ease Link's heart. The image in front of Link would never leave him. Even though she wasn't screaming in pain, it only intensified Link's guilt.

Chapter2: Emo Hero Fin

Quote Note: Before anyone asks, no, my quotes will not be entirely Gossip Stone based. There will be several others inputting a quote here and there. And also, if anyone knows a cool quote or two (from Naruto or Zelda), it'd be cool if you'd share it. If I like it or just run out of quotes, I'll put it up. Thanks.

Okay, now to actually get to this chapter's quote, this one is simple. Link doesn't have his fairy, which means a lot to him.

Ok, now I'll get started on that chapter four. Sorry guys, expect it to be up soon!

- Kuso, How Mendokuse -