Leedle leedle leedle... Guess who just got a brand spankin' new laptop! This chick, right here. This will hopefully make writing a whole lot easier, which means more updates and stuff! Yay!

So read on, iffen you please. This chapter contains more strong language, so again, caution if you don't like that sort of thing. Midna has a bit of a potty mouth.

I don't own Zelda.


Link's eyes snapped open abruptly, the details of the dream flying from his mind and only leaving an imprint of terror, pain, and silvery hair. He laid there for a moment, staring out the open window, his cheek pressed into his hand and his body twisted uncomfortably, a result of horrified thrashing. His head throbbed when he started to lift it, so he stayed stone still, trying to process the hellish nightmare he had just experienced.

Sometimes Link had dreams where all his teeth dropped out one by one, or where he fell and slammed against the bottom of a pit. Those were terrifying in that he wasn't panicky at all while he was sleeping; the horror had hit him when he woke up, startled and covered in sweat.

But this was completely different. He wasn't the one experiencing the pain and then just feeling numbness. He was watching it happen, but while it was taking place, it all seemed so real… Link's sides had seemed to ache in sympathy when the woman's skin and bone caved to steel-toed boots, and his knees felt weak when he saw the damage done to the tendons that should have held her legs upright. The awkward angle of her head on her broken neck was the final image that had flashed through his mind before he woke, and now Link saw it every time he closed his smarting eyes.

He tried his hardest to stay focused on the single streetlight outside his window, watching as a large, shaggy dog darted into the yellow pool of light, then sprinted away, snuffling at the ground and whining faintly. His head ached, and there was a nasty taste in his mouth. He turned his head and looked at the clock. Three am. He had slept the rest of the day and most of the night away as well. He picked himself up off the bed, then flipped over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to clear his mind. It refused to wipe itself clean, his thoughts still chugging gently along, not frantic yet, but still racing fast enough that they couldn't be slowed.

Every time Link closed his eyes, he either saw Zelda or the silver haired woman. They seemed to take turns tormenting him, staring at him lifelessly with either a twisted neck or a slit throat, the similarities ending after their crystal clear blue eyes. The silver haired woman simply looked confused and afraid; Zelda looked enraged and grief-stricken, her face covered in blood.

Link rubbed his own with curled fists as if he could wipe the grisly images away, but they wouldn't leave. He kicked off his shoes, took off most of his clothes until he was just in a t-shirt and boxers, and changed positions multiple times, drawing the blinds shut until he was in complete darkness except for the digital numbers on the clock. He shot a glance at the clock.

Five after three.

"Fuck," he muttered, drawing a hand over his face. Link waited a couple more minutes, then stumbled out of bed, navigating seamlessly around the piles of stuff in his room. He slid out into the hallway, then headed straight for the fridge. He got himself a glass of water, which helped with the disgusting taste in his mouth, then made his way to the couch in front of the TV. He flopped down without a second thought, then spilled icy water all over himself when a muffled, angry grunt and a kick came from the strangely lumpy couch. He stood up jerkily, shivering at the feeling of water trickling down his legs and stomach.

"Fucking moron! Who is that?" Midna's hoarse voice came from the other end. "Whoever you are, you're a fat ass. You nearly broke my legs!"

"It's just me. Calm down." Her voice seemed softer now.

"Oh. Hi. Sorry. What are you doing up? More specifically, what are you doing waking me up?" Link held up his hands, surrendering even though she couldn't see him.

"You got me. I woke up at three am just to sit on you and piss you off," he said flatly. A sigh and a shift.

"Well, since you went to all the effort, sit with me. That's your punishment." She breathed out. Link did as Midna said and sat down heavily, groaning. He slouched against the arm of the couch, groping for the remote. The TV flicked on with a small snapping noise, and an old soap started to play, the characters grainy and overacting, their movements large and their voices louder. Link turned down the volume, then looked at Midna. In the pinkish light the TV was giving off, she looked almost healthy if you ignored the massive bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her shoulders and face were covered in sweat, but the rest of her wasn't visible under several thick blankets. Link thought he recognized one from Sheik's bed. She curled up into a small ball and turned towards the light like a flower spinning towards the sun, pulling the blankets up to her chin after studying him for a moment with narrowed, dilated eyes. Link turned to the TV too, and they sat in awkward silence for a moment before Midna spoke again.

"Thanks for bringing me here," she said quietly.

"It's no problem."

"Like, I don't think I could have stayed by myself," Midna added in a whispery soft voice, curling further in on herself. Link shot a glance at her, but she didn't look at him, her eyes glued to the glowing screen. They watched a count die and then get magically revived, several people cheat on someone they were apparently soul mates with, and then a fight for someone's honor which ended with said resurrected count falling off a balcony.

"I think this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen," Midna said when the credits finally started rolling. Link shook himself out of the daze he had fallen into.

"What?" Midna rolled her eyes.

"Nothing. Just turn on the news... It's four, it should be on by now." Link pulled out the remote and did as she said, then stiffened when a picture of Zelda flashed onto the screen along with a booming anchor voice.

"… Mystery surrounding the murder of a young Hylian woman in her own home. More of the latest, and what police are saying about the possible connection this has to the death of Fi Masters in this half hour." Link's heart nearly stopped when a smaller picture of the same silver haired woman he had seen in his dream popped up on the screen.

"Holy shit…" he gasped out.

"What's wrong? Should we turn it off?" Midna said hurriedly, picking herself up a little bit and staring at her friend.

"No! No!" he said, his hands fluttering in his lap as he leaned a little bit forward unconsciously. Midna shook her head.

"Link, I don't think this is a good idea." She sat up with difficulty, her head spinning, and tried to grab his arm, but he shifted away, shrinking into the corner of the couch. The first thought that hit Midna was that he looked like some sort of panicked animal, his eyes glued to the screen which was now showing the five-day forecast.

"I need to see!" he repeated insistently. Midna's face tightened, and she shivered, huddling back down under the blankets and crossing her arms over her chest. Link leaned forward and was silent, his clasped fists shaking and pressed to his mouth. The two were silent as the weather and the traffic reports were run through with seemingly no haste, the smiles on the weatherman's face as fake and slow as they were before. Link only continued to tremble, his thoughts racing even faster than they had back in his bedroom.

He stiffened, bowed forward so his elbows rested on his knees when one of the main anchors came back on screen, a somber look on her powdered, tanned face.

"More reports and tips continue to pour into the station about the murder of Miss Zelda Nohansen, a twenty year old university student who was found murdered in her home early yesterday morning. Police say that she was attacked by an intruder who broke the lock on her door late Friday night, and that she was then tortured over the span of several hours until her assailant finally killed her." Link hid his face with splayed fingers as footage of her house with fluttering yellow police tape still crisscrossing over the door was displayed. "Police are not releasing the identity of the person who discovered her body, but they are saying that it was a friend who declined to comment at this time. They are also claiming that Miss Nohansen did not call police, but she did call the friend, which was how he knew to come over-"

"Bullshit!" Midna almost immediately spat, pointing a shaking, accusing finger at the TV as if the anchorwoman could hear her. "Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!" she shrieked, her hoarse voice growing in volume until she was howling at the screen. "Those dirty, fucking liars!" She spun towards Link, her eyes delirious with anger and fever. "She told you she called the cops, right?!" Link could only nod, his hands clenched into fists so tight his fingernails cut into his palm. Sheik walked in, rubbing his blood red eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Why are you screaming… Too early for screaming…" he muttered sleepily. Midna rounded on him, hushing him and pointing harshly at the screen. Now, an image of Zelda and the silver haired woman shared the screen, one brunette and smiling, the other smooth faced, pale, and impassive.

"… However, police are also questioning whether or not there is a chance that these two deaths are connected. Both young women lived alone, had similar blue eyes, and were murdered in the early hours of the morning within a couple of weeks of each other. The sheer brutality of these crimes is also striking, and is indicative that whoever this perpetrator is, he or she is very violent and very dangerous. If you have information, please contact our anonymous tipline-" Midna pushed herself off the couch with apparent effort, then staggered over and turned off the TV, breathing so hard it was like she was sighing continuously. Her face was livid and bright red when she turned around.

"Those… bastards!" she sputtered. "They fucked up, and they won't admit it!" She stumbled over to Link, dropping to one knee so hard that the glass he had left on the on the floor rattled against wood. She grabbed his wrists and pulled them in front of her face, framing her pale skin with tan, calloused hands.

"When you go and talk to those detectives, give them hell from me. They can't do that! They can't do that!" Tears shone feverishly in her eyes as she continued to babble, furious and disgusted words spilling out of her mouth so fast they tripped over themselves and lost all meaning. Sheik came behind her and pulled her off of Link, who still looked slightly shocked, and her arms dropped to her side, elbows limp and fingers twitching. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she muttered incoherently as Sheik whispered to her and pushed her back onto the couch. Link stood up when she tried to struggle her way back to a sitting position, gnashing her teeth and breathing heavily. Link came over to the side and felt her forehead. She was blistering hot, her skin papery under a thin veil of perspiration. Her sunset eyes flicked erratically back and forth between Link and Sheik.

"They can't do that…" she repeated, moaning as she uselessly flexed her arms in an attempt to get Sheik to let her go. "They just can't…"

"Do we have a thermometer anywhere?" Link asked Sheik. His housemate pointed wordlessly to a cabinet next to the refrigerator, and Link found what he was looking for after a solid ten minutes of searching. After they forced Midna to keep it under her tongue for the amount of time required, Sheik took a single look at the display and swore loudly.

"We're going to need to take her to a hospital," he told Link, his face screwed up in some indescribable emotion.

"No… No hospital…" Midna groaned, then let out a long string of expletives and gibberish. Sheik looked at Link, and he thought for a moment, then leaned down closer to Midna's face.

"Hey Midna, are you hot?" She nodded fervently. "Well, Sheik's going to take you to go get ice cream, okay?" Her face brightened, and Link cheered a little bit internally.

"What the hell…" Sheik muttered, and Link looked at him.

"She's got a really severe sweet tooth." Understanding dawned on his housemate's face.

"I want chocolate…" Midna slurred out. "Sheik, get me chocolate, 'kay…." Her hands reached up and grabbed Sheik's wrists. He motioned towards Link.

"Erm, Link's going to take you to the hos- I mean, the ice cream store, right, Link?" Sheik looked at his housemate pleadingly. Link was just about to open his mouth to say something, but Midna cut him off.

"But… You're so cold… and you said you'd get me chocolate…" she whined out. Link shrugged and smirked at his friend as he tried to tug his hands out of Midna's clutches.

"You did promise…" he sang in a mocking voice. Sheik swore under his breath again, then scooped Midna up, the blankets falling off her as she reached up and hugged his neck, snuggling into his chest. Link thought he saw his friend's face turn bright red even in the darkness as he walked out the door and to the car without another word.

With a final slam, the door closed, and Link was alone with his thoughts which continued to race in a turbulent swirl.

He tried to think of why he dreamed of someone he didn't even know existed.

Why the police said that Zelda didn't call them, when he had clear proof that she did?

And what could Zelda and this Fi have that was worth so much that they would die for it?

Link sat, and he wondered until the sun came up, but the new light brought no answers miraculously with it, like he had hoped. He looked at the clock, sighed when he saw it was now seven in the morning, and then went to go get ready to go over to the police station.


Ta. Da. Slightly rushed ending is slightly rushed.

A couple things:

1. I'm aware that Maple from the last chapter is a lot younger in the OoX games, but I just found the name, thought it was a perfect old lady name, and used it. Sorry for the confusion, if there was any,

2. I'm going to shoot for shorter chapters, but quicker update times with this story. Expect to see a chapter once every week or so, but it'll only be around 5-7 pages, unless I just end up getting really inspired and stuff needs to happen.

So anyway - it's late. Gotta get to bed. Toodles, hope I didn't lose you, and pretty please, leave a review! You;ve all left so many nice words, it just motivates me to churn out another chapter!

Love,

~Eva