Hi again only the story is mine!

A Shadow's Fire

Chapter 4:Anywhere but Here

"Lin! Wake up!" Malon said, shaking him fiercely. "There's someone outside wanting to see you!"

"Uh?" He sat up in bed. "Whazzat?" He asked groggily.

She giggled at his expression. "I said there's someone outside to see you!"

"Oh!" He was shocked. He couldn't imagine who would want to see him. "Who is it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

He climbed out of bed, quickly tied his hair back and straightened his tunic before following her downstairs where Talon and Ingo were eating breakfast, and then out the front door.

A man Lin didn't recognize stood by the Ranch gate. He had narrow brown eyes, black hair and brown skin. He wore armor bearing Ganondorf's mark. "Hello, Dark Link."

"Dark Link?" Malon asked.

"Who are you?" Lin asked.

"You don't know him?" Malon asked.

"You're Malon, right?" The stranger asked.

"How do you know who I am?" She asked, a touch of fear marked her voice.

"Ganondorf told me to look for a pathetic redhead with an attractive figure."

She blushed and unconsciously stepped closer to Lin. "Ganondorf? You work for him?" Her voice was shaking.

"Obviously, since he talked to me about you."

"What does Malon have to do with anything?" Lin asked angrily.

"Oh, she has everything to do with it. You know Ganondorf, use your imagination."

"I don't know Ganondorf." Lin lied.

The man laughed. "Don't be shy, Dark Link, go ahead and tell firey over there all about Ganondorf and his plan to-"

"SHUT UP!" Lin shouted.

"What plan?" Malon asked. "Are you working for Ganondorf?"

"No!" He exclaimed desperately.

The man laughed again. "You are so naïve and foolish, Dark Link. You know as much as a newborn. Haven't you had to explain practically everything to him, Malon?"

"Well…N-not everything, but I've had to explain some stuff to him."

"Do you know what a snail is, Dark Link?"

Lin shook his head mutely. The stranger continued. "Do you know what a pupil is?"

Lin blushed and shook his head again. The man started walking towards him. "Do you know what love is?"

Lin didn't bother to answer this time. "I didn't think so." The stranger said slyly. He looked oddly at Malon. Then he stepped closer to Dark Link and whispered in his ear: "I'm going to help increase your knowledge and show you the proper way to catch a girl off guard." Then he backed away and sniffed the air. "Mmm. What's that smell?" He stepped close to Malon and sniffed her. Malon stiffened. "Your perfume smells nice." He said.

"Um…I-I don't wear perfume."

It happened in a flash. The man grabbed her and forced onto her stomach on the ground so that she was beneath him. Malon screamed. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could, Lin grabbed him by his shirt and threw him against the side of the house. Then he stood over him threateningly and growled: "Don't you ever touch her again! Now get out of here!"

The man stood up and headed for the entrance. "My job is done for now. Don't forget that Ganondorf is always watching you, Dark Link."

That made Lin shiver. Was Ganondorf really watching his every move? Is that why Malon was now a target? He looked at her. She was getting to her feet. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She was shaking. "Yes. Thank you, Lin."

"No problem."

Talon and Ingo came outside. "What in tarnation is going on?" Talon asked.

"Nothing." Lin replied before Malon could say anything.

"What was that thud we heard? What about the visitor?"

"The visitor tripped over that rock on the ground and his head on the side of the house. He just came to talk to me, but I wasn't who he was looking for. He had come to the wrong place." Lin continued.

Malon eyed him oddly but said nothing.

"Well, let's go get to work then."

Lin managed to avoid Malon until that evening before bed when she had to clean his wound again. "Lin?" She asked. "Who was that man earlier?"

"I've never seen him before."

"Oh. Well, why did he call you Dark Link?"

Lin had been expecting this question, but now that he was faced with it, he didn't know what to say. "I-I don't know."

She stared into his eyes so fiercely that he looked away. "You're lying" She said.

"What? No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are. Is Dark Link your real name?"

"Wha-Malon! My name is Lin! I'm not a shadow!" He shouted.

She took her hands off of him in fear. "Shadow? I never said shadow."

"I am Lin! I'm not evil! I'm not a shadow!" He stood up so that the window was at his back.

"Lin, calm down." The setting sun cast long shadows of Malon and furniture in the room. For the first time, Lin realized he didn't have a shadow. Malon, watching his eye movement, realized what he was realizing. "You don't have a shadow." She whispered. Then she eyed him oddly. "I can see through you. I-I can see the sun setting even though you're blocking my view of the window."

Lin looked at himself. She was right, he'd accidently changed to his shadow form. He looked by at her. She was confused but her eyes showed only concern for him. He shook his head and stepped back, only to trip over his own boot and bang his head on the bed as he fell. "Ow!"

She stood up and reached a hand out to him. "Lin?"

"Don't touch me!" He screamed. He threw his tunic on over his head and pulled on his boots, all the while glaring at her simply to keep her away.

She looked like she might cry. "Lin."

"No! Get away!" It hurt him to do it, but he slapped her face with enough force to knock her backwards to floor. She slowly stood back up, trembling and crying, one side of her face was red.

"Lin." She held a hand out to him. "Let me help you."

"Malon," He said. "I don't care how good of a healer you are, you can't fix this. I was created to be the Hero of Time's shadow, and that's all I am. I am Dark Link. Ganondorf made me for the soul purpose to hate the Hero. There is nothing you can do." Then he turned and dashed for the window, slipping through the glass as a shadow and landing gracefully on the ground. Then he ran as fast as he could to get anywhere but here.