Link woke to the smell of burning grass and the sound of maniacal laughter. Confused and somewhat concerned for his life, he dragged himself to his feet and looked around for the source of these disturbances.

A host of dead, smoking bugs was piled around the weapon. Occasionally, a live one would skitter by, triggering a beam of sunlight to reflect from the obsidian facet of the blade onto the beetle's shiny surface. Seconds later, the insect would succumb to the heat of the directed rays and die, evoking a round of laughter from the blade's mind.

About time you woke up, the sword said, fading amusement ringing in its tone. It replaced the mirrored rays of sunshine on its surface with the image of those dark brown eyes again, although today they seemed more debonaire than somber. Shall we continue on towards Kakariko, or do you have another destination in mind?

Link shook his head in response. "No, just Kakariko Village."

The eyes bounced up and down once, as if the owner were nodding along with his words. I suppose here is as good a place as any to begin, then.

Begin what? Link wondered. He was about to ask when he felt a slight built-up of pressure, although he couldn't decide whether it felt as if the air was heavy with moisture or like there was something pressing on his brain. Maybe both.

When he next glanced at the weapon, he gave a slight gasp; the thing was pulsing with shadows. It could almost be described as glowing, but the exact opposite, as if it were sucking all the light from the area and releasing it in darkness-charged waves. A weak wind seemed to be coming from it as well, and Link had to squint to see the blade against the rising shades. At one point, he blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, the sword was gone, and in its place was naught but a seemingly random display of multicolored diamonds.

Despite how much the sword had terrified him, he felt sad that it was gone, and definitely upset that it had just left him there. He waited for a few more moments, staring at the spot the weapon used to be, before ,shifting to pick up his pack and go.

"Boo," said a voice, right next to his ear, and he jumped, shivers running up and down his spine as he turned to face... whatever this was. "What, did you think I would just leave you here? You've been so nice to me, helping me leave that awful place after so long, and taking me with you to the nearest town... It would be rude of me not to repay you for your valiant efforts."

The stranger was tall and pale, a section of his hair covering the left side of his face. Despite the whiteness of his hair, he appeared to be in his late twenties, and the deep brown eyes that stared at Link twinkled with familiarity, and his white lips twisted into a smile. His clothing had rhombus patterns cut out of it at regular intervals, and a few pieces of jewelry here and there, plus the splashes of purple around his eyes, made it so that he wasn't just a form of white and gray.

Link sucked in a breath, recognition flaring in his visage. He didn't know how, but he knew this person, even though they'd never met a day in his life. "Ghirahim."

The figure's features snapped from pleasurable teasing into what appeared to be rage, insanity flaring in his eyes. Suddenly, he was right up in the boy's face. "Where did you hear that name?"

At the abrupt change of attitude, Link flinched, cringing away from the taller being. "I- I don't know."

And then the man was gone, leaving behind what looked like diamonds in his wake. Link whirled around, desperate to catch sight of the strange individual, and spotted him, now several feet away, his chin in his hand and his eyes narrowed in thought. His head was tilted to one side, revealing the black diamond below his left eye and a shortened ear. "This makes things... difficult, Link. How did you know my name when I did not?" He didn't wait for a reply, instead flicking his wrist in a get-over-here gesture. "Come."

Hesitantly, Link followed after, every two of his steps matching the man's – Ghirahim's – one. Emotions and thoughts clashed against one another inside him, leaving him feeling dizzy and confused. "Where did the sword go? Where did you come from?" he managed to ask, voicing one of the many inquiries that fought for his attention.

"I am the sword," Ghirahim said shortly, not even glancing sideways at the boy. He seemed focused on something in the distance.

"How did I know your name?... Hey, where are we going?" Link questioned, his words a forced staccato from the bounce of his jogging as he attempted to keep up with the sword spirit.

"Kakariko Village. Now, hush," the former-sword said, sending Link an annoyed glare.

The boy stopped trying to keep up and stood stalk-still, watching Ghirahim continue forward in the lithe pace of an advancing panther upon its prey. When he noticed that the human wasn't following, the sword spirit pivoted to face the human, his eyes narrowed into an irritated countenance, and sighed impatiently. "What is it?"

Utter bewilderment coated Link's features, and when he next spoke, his voice was an octave higher than normal, betraying his distress. "You were the sword.. and now you're not... and then you did that... and went there... and I said that... and I have no idea what's going on right now! Could you please just let me in on what the hell's going on?" Frustration tinged his last comment. Ever since he had encountered the sword, he'd felt like he was losing his mind. The fact that the sword spoke into his mind frightened him, and made him wonder if it could tell what he was thinking; luckily, the weapon didn't give any indication of that kind of power. And how was it possible that he recognized Ghirahim if he'd never met him before? He was certain that, if he'd ever met anyone like the sword spirit, he surely would have remembered the experience. And Ghirahim's erratic behaviors weren't helping him sort all this out at all.

After his outcry of vexation, he noticed a change in expression on Ghirahim's face. It was something akin to sympathy, but he doubted it was as kind. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't know what's going on, either," Ghirahim said, for once his voice lacking the haughty tone of one speaking to an imbecile.

They stood like that for several moments, Link staring at the sword spirit, and Ghirahim staring at the ground between them. He seemed ashamed that he couldn't remember anything, at least not things that were helpful.

Link broke the silence at last, offering a slight smile. "I don't think just standing here's going to help. Maybe someone in the village knows something."

Ghirahim nodded, but muttered something under his breath that sounded very much like, "I doubt it."

Ghirahim wasn't completely positive as to how he had returned to his human-like form, although he could tell he was definitely not human. By some miracle, his magic had cooperated and not turned him into a pile of mush. But it had been a very close call. He couldn't tell what it was, but something was keeping him from accessing his full power; every time he tried, he felt as if he were ramming into wall of demonsbane. Pain would lance through his mind, tainting his remaining strength until he felt he could no longer twitch even a finger.

The mention of his name had uprooted him, and he had very nearly killed Link in the chaos that had taken over his mind. It was only the terrified look on the boy's face that had held him back; he hadn't seen or felt such a strong emotion in such a long time...

He felt empty, as if his memories hadn't just faded, but had been taken from him. And he knew with a certainty that he would obliterate whoever had done this to him.

Please review!

How did Link know Ghirahim's name if Ghirahim's been absent for a couple thousand years? Will their relationship go beyond just aquaintances and into something... weirder?

Maybe. XD We'll see.

-Seascape Mural