"Wait," Zelda gasped as she leaned down with hands on her knees, "I need a breather." Ike halted, keeping the irritated expression on his face. He didn't want to stop- he just wanted this whole fiasco to end as soon as possible- but he knew that there would be no way to successfully emerge from the course if Zelda was weak.

"Are you done?" Ike asked sharply as he grew more impatient the longer they just stayed there not moving. Zelda shot him a look. He still had the nerve to be rude even after she had been dragged down to the depths of watery darkness. But then again, he did save her from it…

Zelda straightened up and tied up her wet hair to keep it form falling over her face. She was tired, very tired, but they had to get a move on, "Yes. Let's go." They both ran down the path to the next square and paused at the entrance, aware that the invisible barrier would keep them safe enough to observe what was on the other side before jumping into the danger.

But it didn't matter. The inside of the square was pitch black. It was as if the darkness was contained in the a box... with no way to know what was inside. The two looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Zelda reached out to the darkness but was stopped by the thin invisible glass.

"Should we just jump through?" Ike said, looking like he was ready to pounce. Zelda shook her head.

"No, we do not know what is on the other side and we can't afford to dive into the unknown with our small number of crystals," she said. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers as an idea miraculously popped into her head.

"Stand as close to the barrier as you can," Zelda quickly said, already taking her stance right in front of the barrier, "I am going to cast a Din's Fire spell to illuminate the inside of the box. When you're able to see what's there, go through. The stalfos inside are going to charge once the barrier is broken." Ike looked at her for a moment before taking a stance beside her, a hand on the barrier.

"I will try to keep casting Din's Fire for light. But we hastily need to get to the exit because I won't be able to cast spells forever," she added. Ike nodded, itching to just jump in. This has been dragging on way too long.

"Alright, let's do this."

The second Zelda casted the spell, the barrier broke and the ball of fire's light quickly lit up the some of darkness in the square as it traveled further in. Both their eyes quickly scanned what they were able to see before Zelda couldn't hold the spell anymore. They both saw numerous stone platforms slowly moving in many rings around a single square platform at the center of the square. The platforms were protruding from more darkness below with the skeletons perched on half of them.

Ike felt a surge of excitement go through him as they saw stalfos already jumping their way towards them, weapons at the ready.

Before the fire ball exploded, they immediately jumped on to the nearest platform, not realizing how actually small they were. They landed just as the light from Zelda's spell disappeared and were almost knocked off by each other's mass on the small space.

"Watch it!," Ike yelled as they both grabbed on to each other for balance before either fell into the darkness. Zelda let go of his arms and immediately casted another Din's Fire straight ahead of them to attack the nearest stalfo she had seen and also providing them a split second of light.

"No time to argue!" Zelda yelled as she jumped to the next platform over before the light disappeared again, "Stay close to me and only move when we have light!" Ike growled with frustration as he punched a stalfo's skull in the darkness. They were not as hard to detect as he guessed for the rattling of their bones and weapons were audible enough but still, the light gave them the majority of the help.

"Watch for the stealthy ones!" Ike grunted as he kicked two stalfo off the platform he was standing on, "And we've got to find the exit!" Zelda was too occupied casting spells to both keep the stalfso at bay and provide light to yell back a reply but she also knew. They weren't timed for this task, but she knew that their time in this square was limited. Like she said, she couldn't blast spells forever. She was already expended of much of her energy from the previous obstacle.

It seemed like an eternity, for they made slow progress trying to find the exit. It was hard to keep themselves from falling while they jumped from platform to platform, especially since they moved in many opposite rotating rings... and even more especially since they had to fight with almost no light. It was frustrating and exhausting for Zelda: casting spells, dodging the stalfos she couldn't destroy from focusing too much on making light, and protecting her crystals. It was a piss off for Ike: fighting off the stalfo that Zelda couldn't destroy, following the princess because he would be dead without her light, and protecting his own crystals. It felt like there would be no end to the barrage of these skeletons coming at them.

And Zelda was beginning to grow too tired.

Suddenly, she heard a foot slide on crumbled stone and a yelp from Ike behind her. The last spell she casted illuminated the room for a few seconds before it exploded, enough for her to see that Ike had slipped and was hanging on to the edge of the platform for dear life. The skeletons were making their way towards him- he was now an easy target. She had to get to him fast.

Zelda sent another spell flying at the skeletons while also jumping a few platforms back to reach Ike, who was trying to climb back up himself with no avail. He, too, was growing tired.

"HOLD ON, IDIOT!" Zelda yelled while she fired more spells and another Din's Fire. Ike rolled his eyes as if he had a choice. Looking up, two stalfos landed right above him with a big thud, their feet so close to his fingertips that they could just stomp on his fingers and he'd be on his way to oblivion. Ike tensed, bracing for the worst. Zelda was still three platforms over, firing spells to maintain the disappearing light and to fight off the skeletons to make it to him.

Then suddenly, the two stalfos grabbed Ike's arms and violently hoisted him up from the edge and plopped him down carelessly. Everything was happening too fast for Ike for him perceive what was happening, especially with the light shining and fading in second intervals.

"Argh!" The next thing he knew, he felt his arms being painfully held apart by bony hands in the short seconds darkness, their grips tight. In the next second, he felt their grip completely disappear and when light shined from another spell, Ike saw the two stalfo following a stealthy one, apparently successful in their mission to steal one of his crystals.

"NO!" Ike yelled angrily, starting to gain after them but then the light disappeared. This time the darkness stayed. It was too late to gain after them; he couldn't risk trying to chase them in the darkness- he would fall for sure.

His mind still raced: where did all the light go? Had something happened to Zelda? He couldn't move without light but stalfos were still coming; he couldn't just stand there. Ike closed his eyes and breathed, trying to rely on hearing to detect where the skeletons were coming from. "When one of your senses is obsolete, rely on the others," he could hear his father distantly say in his head. However, it was still hard to keep his balance on the moving platform with his vision blocked.

The rattling of the skeletons' armor and weapons that were coming closer from all directions seemed louder in his ears. It was no problem taking them out one by one as they came into the range of his punches and kicks, the crackling of their bones filling the air. When he could hear no more coming his way, he could hear the explosions of Zelda's spells again with relieving light. He could see that the Hylian was a few platforms away from him before the light vanished again.

When she casted another spell, Ike caught sight of a protruding, unlit wooden torch from above them on a wall of the square. On either side of the torch's was what looked like a stone shelf that ran around the square perimeter. What was sitting atop the shelf, strewn all over, he couldn't tell by his eyes but in his head he knew.

"PRINCESS!" He yelled, jumping platforms as fast as he could towards her as the light continued to flicker. He had to get to her before the platforms moved too far from the torch and they had to go around again. Zelda turned her head to see Ike coming towards her right before she blasted a stalfo that was right at her face.

"What?" she yelled back, ducking and dodging a knife that was thrown at her then casting another spell. Her strength was slowly dying; she had expended too much casting spells. They had to find the exit... and fast. Ike came up to the platform next to her and kicked two stalfos that pursued him.

"There's a torch up to your left on the wall. Don't ask, JUST FIRE AT IT! I'LL COVER YOU!" Ike's voice raised as he kneed a skeleton in the torso and heading of to fend off more stalfos to buy Zelda time. Zelda frantically looked up around her in the last seconds of her last spell. She spotted the piece of wood and with a big surge of relief, shot a Din's Fire with no hesitation. She let the spell go just a few feet away from the torch, far enough so that the explosion wouldn't destroy the wood but close enough for the flame to engulf it.

The fire quickly spread on either side of the torch, the fire rushing on the powder that was strewn on the stone and illuminating the whole square. Ike and Zelda let out a big heave of relief for they were finally able to see much of the square in light besides the top and bottom of the square which was still in darkness. To their left was what looked like the exit: a platform right across the entrance from which they came that had two doors sitting atop.

"The exit!" Zelda pointed.

"I see it," Ike growled as he took out more stalfos that pounced at him. There were still a good number of the skeletons remaining and their strength was down to the end, we need to go!"

"Wait! What if the exit won't open unless we defeat all of them?" Zelda asked.

"Are you nuts? I'm not sticking around, I'm gonna get out of here!" Ike yelled irritably back at her, already jumping from platform to platform towards the exit with some of the stalfo already pursuing him. She hesitated a bit before following him but the next thing she knew, the rest of the remaining stalfos were already coming towards her. She spotted a stealthy one from the corner of her eye as they landed on the platforms surrounding her before she could even move.

She was cornered. Zelda barely had any strength left and she was outnumbered. Ike landed on the platform of the exit, expecting for the doors to open themselves for they had no knobs. They didn't.

Zelda was right.

Suddenly, he heard her yell for help. He turned in time to see that she had been immobilized, too weak to effectively fight back, and two stealthy stalfos grabbing her last two crystals.

"Shit!" Those were her last and if the stalfos got away with it, they would fail the first task. Ike moved to go back and beat the living hell out of the skeletons but they had already disappeared in a black smoke. All of them; even the ones that were about to jump on him. Zelda was left sitting on her bottom and hands weakly supporting herself up.

That was it.

Game Over.

They stared at each other for a few moments from a distance, heaving from exhaustion. Then their stares turned to piercing glares.

"You-!" Zelda began to yell but was interrupted by the sudden change of their surroundings. The darkness suddenly disappeared, the platforms stopped moving and the whole square was lit up. What was revealed before them was ridiculous. The platforms were only 20 feet up from the bottom of the square and were evidently moved mechanically. The ceiling of the whole course was visible above them.

"You have failed the second task," Master Hand's voice boomed out of nowhere, "I am very disappointed; you two came very close. You actually worked very well for the majority... but when it came to splitting your intuitions- that's where you failed in team work and communication." Zelda and Ike glared at each other again, their daggers pointing the blame at the other.

"For this failure, the next task will consequently be more difficult," Master Hand continued. At the center platform, a mini Transporter appeared in a flash, "Now, go back and rest. Think about and discuss your mistakes."

Ike and Zelda irritably made their way towards the Transporter, and stepped on not wanting to meet each other's eyes. Both of them were furious. They failed the first task and now they've failed the second. At this rate, they'll surely fail the third.

The light engulfed the Transporter and sent them back up to the house.

-XoxOxoX-

"I told you the door would NOT open if all of them weren't defeated," Zelda hissed as they heatedly barged into their room. They were both exhausted, in pain and angry.

"How in the hell was I supposed to know that?" Ike hissed back at her, rummaging through his pack for a fresh towel. Zelda went to the closet and grabbed her night gown and towel and turned back at the mercenary.

"Does the old human saying of better safe than sorry not ring a bell to you? Godddesses, if you would have stayed, we would have probably finished the task!" She made her way towards the bathroom, picking up her brush on the way.

"Well, Princess, if you wouldn't have debated with me in that little dinky head of yours, you would have followed me and even though what you said was true, you wouldn't have to go against those stalfo-shit things alone." Ike also made his way towards the bathroom with his towel over his shoulder, not about to let her get it first. They angrily faced each other at the door.

"Are you insinuating that this is MY fault?" Zelda slapped Ike's chest with the back of her hand. Ike glowered over her, "You were the one that was wrong!"

"Yes, I'm insinuating that it's your fault," Ike growled, "I may have been wrong but I wasn't the one playing-damsel-in-distress-because-I-was-too-stubborn-to- actually-go-with-a-better-plan." He entered the bathroom before Zelda could even reply.

"Go fu- oh I'm sorry, please excuse my peasant language Your Damn Highness," Ike mockingly said then locked his eyes with hers, "Go fornicate yourself." And with that, he slammed the door closed and left a dumbfounded and extremely offended Zelda standing there speechless. She let out a frustrated, exasperated sigh as she turned, threw her gown and towel on her bed and stomped outside before she could tear the door down and strangle Ike in his underwear.

This was not going well.

-XoxOxoX-

Zelda sat outside on the porch that night just like the night before. The evening breeze calmed her a bit, even more after she had finished her shower after Ike finally left the bathroom after an hour. Still, she was heated on the inside.

She was right about the doors not opening and he still had the audacity to blame it on her? Goddesses... to Oblivion with this man. It was the worst idea to send them out here on a week long "retreat"; it was just making things between them more heated than cooled and they were only on the second day. There were still five more days left.

'Goddesses,' Zelda sighed and thought, 'I don't think I'll last.'

She slowly got up from the porch and went back inside to go to bed. She was still exhausted from the task today and they had gotten a message earlier from Master Hand about their task tomorrow at 9 o'clock in the morning. Zelda needed all the rest she could get.

-XoxOxoX-

"I can't believe they failed again!" Roy exclaimed. The other smashers with him that were also watching nodded and murmured to each other in agreement. It seemed to them that Master Hand's punishment wasn't working the least bit.

"If I was the one there with Ike," Samus said angrily, "I would have thrown his ass into that valley." Link beside her merely sighed, more at the situation with Zelda and Ike than her comment. He wasn't enjoying this.

"Why is it so hard for them to get along anyway?" Sonic asked, "I don't know why Ike would even think about hating her guts. She's hot." Link was suddenly behind him with fiery eyes and blood lust radiating off of his very being.

"Master Hand, if I may ask out of curiosity, what was the last obstacle even?" Marth inquired, ignoring the fact that Link was strangling Sonic half to death while the other smashers were frantically trying to pry the poor hedgehog from the Hylian's maniacal grip. Snake, Fox and other collected smashers closest to Marth overheard the question and turned to hear the answer, also curious. A laugh escaped from Master Hand at the far back of the room where he watched.

"An all-you-can-eat buffet."

-XoxOxoX-

Sorry for taking so long to update! But here's the last chapter of Day 2 :) I hope you guys all enjoyed it. If you have any comments, suggestions, critiques or anything don't be shy, leave me a review!

And also, if you're a fan of the Legend of Korra, be sure to check out my stories for that series too! Thanks for reading. Until next time :)