(A/N) Yeah…. The last one may have been shorter than the others. I'd originally planned on making this all one chapter but it was turning out too long. Needless to say, I had to split it up. Not that it matters since I posted them in such close proximity. Sorry for the long gaps in between updates but you should probably expect that by now.
Three's a Crowd
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ralis shouted before covering his face. This entire temple was nothing but frustrating. He'd just been humiliatingly defeated only to end up back where he'd started. He'd been hoping that it was almost over but had no idea. He wasn't the one holding the map.
He made his way to the central tower, feeling more than frustrated. A tektite tried to block his path only to find that he was in no mood to humor it. He dealt with it by use of a swift kick, sending it flying into the water on its back. He turned and tried to think of what to do. He had no clue of where to go and didn't want to waste time combing through places Link had already been. His eyes scanned the areas around him, looking for anything that would tell him where Link had gone.
"Up here!" A high vice called.
His ears pricked up as he looked toward the source of the noise. It was a fairy. She glowed pink while she danced around a target.
"Up here! Up here! Up here!"
Immediately, Ralis took out his Clawshot and fired it to the indicated spot. The fairy stopped dancing and floated in one spot once he was next to her. "Thank you," He said offering her his hand to stand on.
She touched down and sat in his gloved palm, "Are you okay?"
"More or less," He shrugged, "Did Link ask you to heal me or something?"
"Only if it was necessary. Mostly he wanted me to tell you that he went in there." She pointed to the door behind the target.
"How much time has passed since he went in?"
"Not long. A few minutes," She sighed, "So! Do you need me to fix you up?"
"Please."
She circled him a few times, returning his strength to him, and stopped. "Hmm," She looked in his eyes, "I got rid of your fatigue but you're still ill. You probably need a potion. Got any?"
"None that would be used for that," He frowned. "But it should be alright until I get out of here."
"Well good luck then!" She said before flying away.
Ralis walked though the door and saw three Blade Traps crossing the floor. He made a noise of exasperation and rested his head in his hand momentarily. Brushing his bangs back out of his face, he noticed something strange. Surprised, he put his hand on the back of his head. He felt nothing but his damp hair. "Where's my hat?" He wondered aloud as he looked on the floor behind him. It wasn't there. He couldn't remember where he'd had it last or where it might've been lost. "Oh well, no time for this now," He told himself before he could start retracing his steps. Looking forward, past the traps, he could see a big golden lock on the floor in front of the giant door. Link was already inside.
He ran up the incline, hoping that he'd make it there with both of his feet, and pushed on the door. Nothing happened. It didn't have a knob either. He knelt down and curled his fingers underneath it. It was heavy but it was giving way as Ralis lifted it up. Soon it clicked and rose upward on its own, giving him time to charge inside before it came back down.
He bumped into Link who'd been standing in the doorway. The impact threw Link off balance and almost onto the floor. He waved his arms around to get his footing again and corrected himself in time to grab Ralis, saving the other from falling on his face.
"Where have you been?" Link asked, noting that his companion had failed at keeping himself dry.
"Fighting you," Ralis replied curtly. He looked around and saw the room was empty. Nothing but a pool in the center with four pillars rising out. No sign of a beast anywhere. And that wasn't the only thing missing. "Where's your fiancé?"
Link's eyebrows furrowed but rather than argue he looked. "There!" He pointed to the water.
The Zora princess was in the pool off in a corner. Her eyes were opening but she wasn't moving. Her expression was one of terror; as though something had attacked her. Link jumped out onto a pillar to get a better look. She didn't have any injuries. She appeared to be frozen in suspended animation.
"Link! Look out!" Navi screamed frantically, "We don't know if it's safe!" She followed him out and flitted circles around his head.
Ralis watched the water rise up behind Link, 'Is it the shadow?' He thought. 'Or is it that Morpha thing he talked about?' He watched and waited to see if it took on a human shape but it didn't. It just stayed as a column rising up. It went high above Link's head and then curved down into a spiral around the unsuspecting blonde.
The other felt as though he'd lost his voice. He had to say something but his reaction was too delayed. He shouted in time for Link to turn and look as the thing wrapped itself around him.
Link felt himself be lifted off the floor. He tried to get free from the tentacle gripping him but it had his arms trapped at his sides. All he could do was kick. It coiled up and threw him, sending him into the wall. His body narrowly missed the spikes lining the walls and landed in a heap on the ground. He heard it pursue him and tried to get up.
Ralis drew his sword and lunged at the beast before it got to Link. He jabbed the Master Sword at it only to see the blade pass through it. He fell forward and found himself caught by the creature. It coiled around him and threw him as it did with Link; only this time when he hit the wall it shot a piece of its gelatinous body at him. The substance covered his torso and stuck him there. He glared down as it went for Link again. By this time the blonde had gotten up and was doing his best to dodge its grabs. Ralis struggled against the thing binding him to the wall. He could get his arms to move about five or six inches before the substance behaved elastically and snapped back back, he was getting nowhere fast. He'd have to think of something else.
He saw Link take out his bow and attempt to shoot the creature. The arrow passed through it, just like the sword, and whizzed through the air and stuck in the wall; coming very close to lodging itself in Ralis' arm as it did so. "Hey, watch it!"
"Sorry!" He called, ducking under the creature's arm. "Got any ideas on how to beat this thing?"
"Nothing comes to mind," He muttered while glaring at the thing.
He busied himself with trying to think of a way to get down so that he could be of more help. He'd had some doubts, but this predicament had him in the position of useless sidekick rather than partner. If he was still being affected by the cold, the fairy's magic had made it difficult to tell. Making it only more pressing that they finish this before any ailments could get strong enough to take effect again.
There were several targets on the wall, almost marking the safe areas free of spikes. 'If I can reach my Clawshot…' He pursed his lips while he rummaged for the item. His arm, or rather the gel, didn't want to cooperate. He could feel it trying to snap back into position, the only thing stopping it were his bones. And it felt as though they were going to give if he didn't find the weapon soon. "Broken arm is next on the list I suppose." He grumbled, rolling his eyes he grabbed what he was looking for and let his arm fall back to where the gel wanted it. Now he just had to do his best to aim with the small amount of time given. And if aiming was impossible, he could always keep firing the claws until they latched onto something.
Link had tried most of his arsenal with little success. Everything passed through it. He had Navi working on examining it and she noticed that the gelatinous goop wasn't exactly moving on its own. There was a red sphere swirling around and moving throughout the tentacles. She'd seen it scooting around just below the surface since the battle started. It had to be the thing's brain. Or something close to a brain.
"Link! Use the Hookshot and aim for the nucleus!" The fairy called before going to fly circles around the sphere.
"Huh?" Was all that Link said. He was still too preoccupied with dodging. He had to keep moving in this battle if he wanted to avoid being caught again.
Ralis had finally managed to put his plan into motion and freed himself as Navi had shouted her orders. "What?" He said, looking at where she was flying. It seemed familiar. Very familiar. Every monster he'd fought had a weakness like that; almost always taking the shape of a large yellow eye. In fact, this fight was like the one he'd been through in his own Water Temple. Before the Morpheel had revealed itself, it'd done something exactly like this. "She's right!" He yelled, springing off the wall and landing on his feet. "The nucleus is the weak point! You have to catch it and stab it!"
"If you say so," Link shrugged. He aimed the Hookshot and fired, only to have the sphere move out of the way. With a slight growl, he tried again. Still missed. It was clear to see that this monster wasn't stupid, as the nucleus never stopped moving.
He was so frustrated he didn't see the iron claws from Ralis' side clasp around the thing in the corner Link had forced it into. When the other retracted the chain he simultaneously brought out his blade and sliced it. The force of the blow caused the red ball to fly toward Link, also having unsheathed his sword, who stabbed it.
Rather than die, the creature became enraged. Though it didn't create much trouble. It just made another tentacle as a type of distraction. Nothing the two of them couldn't handle. They kept moving and worked together in trapping the nucleus so the other could catch it. They kept to that strategy and landed several more hits. It made another shrill noise, perhaps even angrier or perhaps clinging to life. Once the nucleus was back in the pool it moved swiftly, creating many more tentacles than any of them thought it was capable.
"What do we do now?" Navi shrieked, a tentacle moving past her.
The two heroes found themselves relieved of their weapons, swords knocked under spikes, Hookshot and Clawshot ripped out of their hands. Then it went after Link.
Their strategy was turned on them as it forced Link into a corner. He was trapped between two sets of spikes. With nowhere to run he found himself caught again. He expected to be tossed and impaled but wasn't. Instead he felt the tentacle begin constricting around his chest.
Ralis ducked down to avoid being captured himself and went for the nearby Clawshot. The monster saw him and grabbed him by the ankle. He'd grabbed the Clawshot, that was something, the only problem was he was suspended upside down and that was making it difficult to aim. To make things worse, the creature started swinging him back and forth. Any chance of aim was impossible with both him and the nucleus moving.
'What am I doing? I don't even have a sword to strike it with!' He grimaced at the sound the joint made after a moment. Once again, he feared he might lose a foot on this endeavor. 'Rrrgh, all the blood is rushing to my head!' He grit his teeth and tried not to show any reaction. Just in case this thing was trying to get any sick thrill off of their pain. He could hear Link gasping for air up above. 'I have to do something…' Ralis bit his bottom lip.
Without warning, the monster dropped him. It wasted no time in hauling him back up, never having released its grip on his ankle. It also wrapped around his arms, running down his left and stealing his Clawshot once more. It didn't discard the weapon right away; it opted to taunt the blonde by holding it just out of reach. The action didn't work in discouraging him, however. Instead he struggled and fought to reach it. He was forced to stop when a tentacle wrapped around his neck and began to slowly crush his windpipe.
The fairy had had enough. She flew at the amoeba, screaming colorful obscenities. It was about all she could do. Her tiny form wouldn't faze the beast at all.
"Need help?"
Ralis did his best to look toward the door. He wasn't expecting to see the shadow standing there. His arms folded across his chest and wearing a cocky smirk. It was strange to think that the one put there to guard the beast was offering to help them defeat it. And if it weren't for the fact that he was seeing darkness emerge from the corners of his eyes he would've been confused. Something that he couldn't afford to waste time on now. Navi had turned her attention to the dark boy and was telling him to leave in the same language she'd just used to speak with the monster. His expression was one of apathy toward her words, obviously not taking her seriously, he was waiting for a real answer.
"…Yes…!" The younger finally managed to choke out.
"Well that's that," The shadow said contentedly. He swatted the fairy away from his ear and began to search from something to use. Plenty of dropped weapons on strewn about. Two of which didn't seem to like him. They gave off a threatening gleam whenever he so much as looked at them. He had a sword of his own but knew better than to try and cut through liquid. He had a visual of where that might lead. "How did you make Morpha so desperate?" He asked. The question directed at no one in particular. But Navi was the only one left who could speak.
"Oh, so now you'll listen to me?"
"I'd drop the attitude and just spill it," He answered, gesturing toward the two heroes in mid-peril.
Navi gulped down her prepared come back. The shadow was right. They needed help and he was the only one around who could do anything. "Fine!" She hissed, "Get Link's Hookshot and remove the nucleus from the gunk. That ought to make it drop them."
"Righto~!" He offered a mock salute before going after the Hookshot in the corner.
Morpha made another angry noise, as though it were yelling at the traitor, and sent several tentacles after him.
The fairy tried to warn him but soon saw it wasn't necessary. Each time a tentacle touched him the isolated area became water that the gel passed through before it reformed back to its original shape. His expression never changed, like he didn't even notice. It couldn't stop him.
Hookshot in hand, he came back to where Navi waited. "So just aim for its ugly mug?"
"Just do it!" She snapped. It sounded like he wasn't taking it seriously even though it was a matter of life and death.
He shrugged and fired the hook straight through the nucleus. Before it could retract, he let it go. With no weight holding it in place the item flew up to the hook and pushed it through the gelatinous material. It soared, with the nucleus stuck on the end, to the other end of the arena.
The blue liquid that had formed Morpha's body flooded back into the pool. Its captives fell, Link landed at the edge of the pool and barely dodged receiving a head injury, their rescuer caught Ralis before he was submerged and carried him to safety. The dark boy looked at the gleam resonating under the spikes and back to Link. Both the blondes were still trying to get air without realizing the monster wasn't quite dead yet. He kicked the sword over to Link, who appeared to be recovering faster, and nodded toward the nucleus.
Link nodded in response before picking up the sword and staggering to his feet. He couldn't stop thinking about how they'd almost died. Even with one companion there, the amoeba had almost bested them. He stepped up to the remains of it on the Hookshot. The thing was still wriggling. He let the tip of the blade hover over it briefly, waiting for the nucleus to pull free. As soon as it got itself off of the hook he loosened his grip on the hilt and the blade fell through it to the floor.
"Thank you for saving us but…" Ralis had finally noticed where he was, "You can put me down now."
"No I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to."
"What? I don't know what you think-"
"Where's the hero?" The shadow asked, looking around and seeing that the pool had been drained. The annoying fairy was even missing. "Did he ditch you?"
"No," The blonde replied as he forced his way out of the other's arms and onto his feet. "Well… I don't think he would," He found his sword and jumped down into the pool to retrieve his Clawshot. There was another one of those blue portals. He'd been too preoccupied when Link had gone into it moments before. Ralis was reluctant to go through it; he was even considering walking back and going out the way they'd come in but a dark clad arm wrapped around his waist.
"Did he go in there?"
The blonde looked at the portal and nodded.
"Don't you think you should go after him?"
"Well yeah but there's time to go back to the entrance," Ralis answered. He was probably taken to the Chamber of Sages like last time and the sages seemed to like to chat. It was reasonable to go back, right? Anything to avoid the spinning.
"Nope!"
The next thing he knew he and the shadow were back outside. Standing on the dais that acted as the warp point. Dark Link had still had his arm around him but let go and ran off toward the edge of the island that housed the entrance of the temple. He'd never thought the world outside would look so different. It was much more spacious. He glanced at a large, yellow, orb rising into the sky that gave off warmth. And the ground was covered in a soft green color. Ralis, who he noticed was wearing a similar color, appeared beside him.
"Why, if you don't mind me asking, did you follow me? Back in there I mean." Ralis pointed down, indicating he meant in the temple.
"Oh!" The shadow reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out something green. "You forgot your hat," He said handing it to Ralis.
The blonde looked at the headpiece in his hands. It'd been given to him after he and Midna had cleared the Faron Wood of twilight. He'd lost it a few times before, always finding it where it'd dropped when he'd gone back through the area. Back then it had always felt strange to be without it. As though it were a symbol or something that other's used to identify him. It was true that some people had had trouble locating him when he'd lost it. It always made him feel terrible when he dropped it too, like it wasn't his to lose. Midna never understood. She'd been very focused on keeping to some sort of schedule and so she'd never let him look for it or go back for it. At one time she'd even taken it and left it somewhere. He'd cared about it so much. And now, though he'd briefly wondered where it'd gotten to, he'd forgotten it until it was back in his hands. What's more, someone who he'd judged to be an enemy had followed him just so they could return it. No one had ever done anything like that before. If he'd ever lost or forgotten anything he'd had to look for it himself or it was simply gone.
It was such a new concept, he didn't know what to do. Luckily, the moment was broken up by a ray of light shooting down from the sky onto the dais. The Hero of Time stepped out, looking as though he wasn't prepared to see the shadow outside.
"What is he doing here?" He asked, irritation relaying heavily through his tone.
Ralis was still slightly in a daze by the simple act of kindness. He didn't know what to say; perhaps because he didn't quite know himself.
"Isn't it obvious?" The dark boy shrugged, "I had nothing better to do so I'm following you."
"Absolutely not," Link replied.
"Hold on," Ralis cut in, "He's a skilled swordsman. It's not a bad idea."
"No, three's a crowd," Link argued, "Besides… he's not that skilled."
"Hey! You cheated!" The shadow growled.
"You ch- Never mind," Ralis shook his head, "He defeated me."
"You were recovering from hypothermia," Link answered, looking unimpressed.
"You were sick?" The shadow gasped, "Man, I feel terrible now." He'd wondered why the second blonde's strength hadn't matched the amount of skill he'd displayed. Not to say that Link was weaker in any way. The younger boy had just seemed more seasoned than the other.
"You should," Link glared, "Taking advantage of a weaker opponent like that."
"You shot me!"
"Enough!" Navi flitted between the two squabbling. "We're not taking one of Ganondorf's minions with us! You'll just have to go somewhere else!"
"Minion?" His red eyes narrowed, "I am not anyone's minion! That pigheaded bastard dropped me in there and left! Did he order me to defeat the Hero? Sure," He said more calmly, "I tried. I lost. Besides, you struck first."
"You're an enemy!" The fairy screamed, getting in the boy's face.
Now both Link and Ralis stood by and watched while the other's argued. Link had been so mad about the shadow's vulgar action that he'd forgotten Navi had forced that battle. She'd pushed his arm. It was all coming back.
"You didn't know if I was an enemy," Said shadow jeered, "I was just standing between you and the door. Not a very honorable act if you ask me." The smirk was back on his face.
The little fairy's blue light dimmed to a furious red, "You are evil!"
"That's a pretty bitchy accusation."
"It's the truth! Why else would you be in the temple?"
"You serious? I just told you that a moment ago," He waited for the red glow to flare up like fire, "Anyway, I was going to let him through the door. If you'd waited anyway. As his lil' buddy over there knows, I could've been reasoned with." He pointed to Ralis who jumped at being acknowledged.
"Reasoned with? Monsters don't know reason!"
"I'm as much a monster as you are a Moblin."
"You can't come with us!"
The fairy flitted away before any retort could be offered. The shadow simply grinned, "Who's gonna stop me? You?"
She flew back so fast all anyone could see was a streak of light, "Link will get rid of you!"
"Navi wait, don't get me involved," Link brought his hands up in front of him. He was still confused on which side to take. Now that the fairy was raging he was thinking more rationally. It didn't seem right to abandon someone without giving them a chance. Then again, he couldn't forget how Dark Link had used such an underhanded tactic. It was a bizarre one too. If Navi hadn't been there it would've worked. But, to be fair, there might not have been a fight if Navi hadn't been there.
He was so lost in thought he began to wander off toward the bridge. The ball of light went screaming after him. Her voice could be heard for quite a ways. Ralis was just glad all the shouting was over. His ears had drooped, disputes like that were always so awkward.
"That went well…" The shadow sighed, "You alright…?" His expression went blank, "What's your name again?" He was behaving as though he'd forgotten but he couldn't forget what he didn't know.
"Call me Ralis," He answered after a moment. Slipping his hat back on, he turned to look at the other young man, "What should I call you?"
"Me?" His expression became one of pondering, "I'd never really thought about it." He didn't have a name as far as he knew. Just the label Dark Link. As though everyone was supposed to see him as nothing more that an evil counterpart to the hero. "Is Dark a name?"
The blonde's first impulse was to say 'no' but Link wasn't a classic name either, "Sounds good to me," He smiled. Watching Dark look around at the lake was amusing, enough to distract him. He'd look at Ralis every now and then but his eyes appeared to spot something new every few moments. It was reminiscent of a child who'd left home for the first time. A sentiment he would've shared if it hadn't been for the events which forced him to leave home with an entirely different mindset.
Some time passed before Ralis decided he'd sat in the sun long enough. He headed toward the bridge, hoping that Link hadn't left the area in his confusion. He'd expected Dark to follow him. Where else was he supposed to go, back to the temple alone? But he wasn't expecting an arm to be put around his shoulders while they walked.
"So," Dark began, "We were all expecting the solo hero bit."
"I'd assumed as much."
"Well then how'd you get mixed up in all of this?"
The boy thought back on it. How it'd all started with Ganondorf showing up earlier than anticipated, the time travel, the gods, the sages, it all sounded pretty crazy. Then again, time travel was something he'd grown to accept. Still, it was a bit much to explain in casual conversation. "I more or less volunteered," He answered, "Not that I've been much help. My luck is terrible lately."
"What's luck got to do with it?"
"I've just been making a lot of stupid mistakes." There was the incident with the ReDead, then getting stuck in the room in the Fire Temple, missing the signal, slipping on the ice…
"Sounds to me like you're being too hard on yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you do all of these things consciously? Because if you didn't then it's what you say it is. Bad luck. And there's nothing you can do about that. Luck is luck. It goes good some days and other days it doesn't. But you shouldn't beat yourself up over it."
Ralis was about to argue when they reached the shore and found Link. He appeared to have talked Navi down. She wasn't screaming anymore. But she wasn't agreeing with them either. Link had figured it was fine to give Dark a chance. She wouldn't allow it.
"I don't want you to get betrayed and regret this," She persisted.
"Navi, you don't know that he'll betray us," The hero replied. He looked as though this was as far as the conversation had gotten; with the fairy making assumptions and him telling her that they were just that.
"But what if he does."
"Then we'll deal with it then," He sighed.
She looked at Dark, "No."
"Well okay then," Dark smirked, "I won't follow you. I'll just walk behind you."
Ralis quickly covered his mouth with his hands in an attempt to stifle his laughter. He noticed Link had also found the remark amusing, though his attempt not to laugh was more successful. Neither of them succeeding in going unnoticed by Navi however. Her light dimmed down to a fuchsia as she growled her displeasure and embarrassment.
"You're laughing? You think he's funny? He's not funny! He's rude! And he's not the type of person either of you should be associating with!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dark furrowed his eyebrows, "Can't you take a joke?"
"Yes I can! But-"
"I don't believe you."
The little fairy looked like she was about to explode. Link ushered her away to try and get her back to a state of calm. "Navi, perhaps you should take a quick break?" He pointed to his hat. Insinuating that she should retreat into it for a while.
"Link… Why don't you see it? He's evil!"
"Well that's just it. I'm not so sure he is," He frowned, "Take some time, relax, then come back and see if he's still the prince of darkness." She glared at him for a moment before taking a breath and disappearing into the hat.
While Link was away talking to the ball of rage, Dark had slipped his arm back around Ralis' waist. The blonde wore a look of confusion. People had clung to him before but not quite like this. Women and children would cling when monsters attacked out on the road, but that was out of fear. The children back in Ordon would hold onto his legs to try and stop him from going to work. But this was different. It was warmer, more affectionate. Of course it ended when Ralis sneezed and Dark jumped away.
"What was that?"
"Nothing to worry about," Ralis sniffed, "Just means I may be getting a cold, could be worse."
"Doesn't a cold mean you're sick?"
"Yes, technically it counts as an illness."
"And it's my fault…"
"What? No! I fell through the ice, it's no one's fault, remember?"
"Yeah, but that caused that hypowhatsit. And you were getting over that, and then I held you down in the cold water. And if that wasn't the cause of it, I'm gonna guess it didn't help."
He went on, though Ralis had tried to stop him. His mood wasn't one of guilt either. He seemed to be curious rather than what the blonde had assumed. It was more like he was trying to figure out the cause and effect of the sneeze, like he'd never encountered it before. It was a strange notion but not too farfetched. Dark had mentioned being trapped in the temple since his creation.
"So… Are you gonna die?" The question came as such a shock that Ralis didn't know how to respond. In order to be killed by something like a cold, the immune system had to be compromised first. But that would only lead to more complex questions.
"No, if this were fatal I wouldn't be so calm," was the response he decided on.
Dark looked like he was going to continue on the questionnaire when Link returned. The fairy was either absent or out of sight, neither of his companions cared to ask with the way that she'd been acting. She didn't do herself any favors when it came down to it. She had her uses, but that meant they all had to deal with her nosy habits and sour attitude. Ralis had seen that she could do many things to get on people's nerves in a very short time, but she'd broken her previous records with Dark. There was instant hatred there. It had yet to be seen whether or not it was mutual, like with himself and Ingo, but Navi had definitely made up her mind about Dark at a glance. And it probably wouldn't be fixed any time soon. Dark didn't appear to care one way or the other. He'd countered her arguments, yes, but in such a way that'd only made it worse; what with his cocky tone and the insults. Ralis hadn't encountered anyone like that since Midna. Both of them had a certain way with talking to people and it was fairly similar, of not the same.
"What's going on over here?" Link asked, "I heard someone shout."
"Your bud's got a cold," Dark answered, pointing as well as being blunt. Link turned to look where the shadow was pointing. Again, Ralis jumped at being noticed.
"Nah!" He'd tried to respond in a more intelligent manner but the way Dark had said it made it sound so accusatory. It took him off guard. And then they were both staring at him. 'Why did you do that?' He asked himself and sighed, attempting to regain some composure. "We don't know that yet, Dark. I told you it was nothing to worry about." The last part came out as more of a grumble that trailed off into silence.
Link raised a brow skeptically but shrugged. "Be that as it may, we should probably go back to Kakariko so you can take care of it."
"Isn't Kakariko a few days away?" Ralis asked. It wasn't so much the distance as it was being outside at night. He was by no means afraid of the dark, but the ReDead…
"It's about a day and a half, maybe two. Depends on how long we stop," Link answered. He was more or less oblivious to the dilemma. But he and Dark could both see there was something making Ralis uncomfortable. "Well, if you don't want to wait that long, we could see if the scientist has any potion."
"Scientist?" Both Ralis and Dark said at once.
"Yes, he lives in that lab right behind you." Link gestured to the nearby house.
"Lab?" Ralis turned on his heel, "I thought that was a boat house or a fishing hut."
"Nope, the fishing hole is across the lake."
A few moments passed in silence while Link's new companions looked between the areas he'd explored seven years before. The world had seemed so much brighter back then; with the absence of the dark cloud on his mind. Ganondorf had taken over Hyrule, and though it wasn't readily noticeable, it took the luster out of the land as well as the people. The Gerudo was being rather selfish compared to the previous king. Of course what could he have expected from someone like Ganondorf? Truth be told, he hadn't really met the man past the one encounter where the older man had demanded the ocarina and Link had refused to comply, it hadn't gone well. Yet, with the way the man had chosen to redecorate certain areas, it was plain to see that he was exactly the type of person everyone thought he was. Nothing to misunderstand about pits of lava and animated corpses, etcetera.
"Either way," Link sighed, "We'll need to head back toward Kakariko soon."
As soon as he'd spoken up Ralis froze. It was obvious that they couldn't stay put forever, and he knew that, he just didn't want to hear it. It made him feel childish and weak minded but he didn't see any way around it. Aside from facing his fear and, at this point, that sounded suicidal. 'Get a hold of yourself!' He thought, 'You've faced things much more frightening than zombies! Like…' He tried to think of what could possibly be more terrifying and was drawing a blank. Sure, a normal person would've run from most things he'd fought but the undead were the only things that could put him in such a state of shock. More specifically, undead monsters with flesh still attached. The Stalfos, or anything closely related to them, had given him a feeling of unease. And when he and Midna had assumed that was the only thing in Arbiter's Grounds it'd been just as bearable as all the other temples. That was until he'd come across the first corpse wrapped in bandages. He didn't know the correct name for it and didn't care to know. The only thing that mattered was that he was afraid of them.
"I'll go see if he has something." Link said before leaving the others. It would only take a minute, and it would give them more time to look around before they had to leave.
Dark rolled his eyes. That was the third or fourth time Link had ditched his comrade. Was it really that he was oblivious or was it that he just didn't know how or want to handle it? It could've been that he was a pro at giving people space but that wasn't always the right thing to do. There was clearly an issue that needed to addressed. Honestly, from what he'd seen, the two blondes were a dysfunctional team. "Problems?" He asked. An immediate response was too much to hope for, but someone had to say something.
"No," Ralis shook his head, "No problems."
"I see, I see," Dark nodded, "So you're sulking over nothing then?"
"I'm not sulking!"
"Then what do you call this?" He asked, gesturing at Ralis and everything he was currently doing.
"Nothing, I'm thinking."
"About what?" Dark pestered. It seemed like a good idea to get the blonde to stop thinking about whatever it was that was bothering him. And the quickest way to do that was to poke him until he refocused his energies. It looked as though his plan was failing, however, since Ralis ignored the question and went straight back to wherever he was in his mind. It was only a minor set back, Dark soon regained the blonde's attention when he started to repeat the question while literally poking him.
"Geh! Knock it off," Ralis mumbled, slapping the hand away from his face.
The persistence from both parties was driving the other crazy. But Dark wasn't going to be defeated so easily. Talking wasn't working, he'd have to try the opposite with a more physical approach. So, without stopping to think, he tackled Ralis. The blonde soon found himself pinned on his back and staring up at the other with wide eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"I'unno," Dark shrugged, "Whatever I feel like mostly." He smirked when he saw his actions had brought on the desired outcome. Or it had appeared to at least. The expression on Ralis' face along with the amount of struggling suggested that his mind had been unable to wander at the time. All Dark had to do was keep it up, which he was more than happy to do.
"Do you plan on stopping any time soon?" Ralis sighed, sounding annoyed. Although his mood quickly snapped back to agitated confusion when he saw Dark shake his head. "This isn't funny! Get off!"
"What're you gonna do about it?"
The blonde stopped for a moment and thought. The question was almost exactly what he'd asked him back in the temple. "Is this another ask you nicely thing?"
"Nope," Dark answered, "Although it's great that you actually thought of that this time." Before it had been such a shock that a hero couldn't think to say 'please.' Wasn't it assumed by most that the protagonist types were well mannered? And yet both the blondes had decided violence was the answer. Of course he couldn't be too harsh on them. Ganondorf's minions weren't intelligent. But, as he'd said, he wasn't really one of Ganondorf's minions. 'I don't feel like one anyway…' He frowned as he thought about it until he felt the blonde's knee hit him in the back.
The force of the blow caused him to fall forward. He had to guess that that was meant as an attempt to get him to move but it only made things worse. Now Dark was laying on top of him; just in time for Link to return to find them in a rather curious position.
(A/N) Well, this one came out shorter too… Ah well. I've been trying to stop them at fourteen pages rather than eighteen. Makes it easier for me to update a little faster. The truth is that I've just given myself way too many projects to do and have a lot of trouble with time management. But I won't quit on any of them! I hate it when others do it to me so why would I do it?