Chapter Seven

So much for the quick update. Eh heh…It's been a very busy break, and classes start up again tomorrow, so I wouldn't hold your breaths for an update anytime soon. School on my birthday again. Booooo. College spoiled me.

As always, this was written with a lot of input (and some shameless plugging for) the wonderful Rococospade. Want to know what Vio's reading in here? Go check out her new story, The Thief Azazel.

Warning: More poop


Temperance was waiting for him when he descended from the darkness back into the dim light of the library. Dark raised a hand to greet him, but Vio gasped and threw himself back and away, his eyes wide with fright and breath coming in quick gasps, a rabbit who'd only realized too late that he'd wandered into the lion's den.

"Tempy?" Dark asked, concerned. He moved towards his other half, but Temperance shook his head violently, backing away.

"N-No, g-get, g-get away from me, Shadow Link!" Temperance stammered, trying to sound strong, but unable to hide his terror.

Dark stopped, a look of confusion crossing his face until he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a mirror nearby. Ah. . . so that's what it was. His foray into the darkness above had stripped away his cover and revealed his Truth. He was taller than his Temperance now; his face, which had before reflected the same gauntness of starvation and torture as his Temperance, appeared softer. Light used to call him "baby-faced," much to his annoyance, (but it wasn't his FAULT, dammit! His other half never stopped looking like a damn kid!), and it was easy to see why. Black and gray replaced violet, his tunic set apart from other shadow's only by the red Sheikah eye stitched into his chest. His fingers traced it; yes, yes he remembered the day his caretakers had sewn that there for him, after he'd begged and begged to be like them. . .

His eyes now gleamed as red as the thread, but they retained that cold calculation that defined Vio, for he still WAS Vio; he retained that identity as surely as his Temperance did.

"Tempy," he started softly, "I'm afraid I haven't been entirely forthcoming with you. . ."

"You're damn right you haven't!" Temperance shouted, sounding close to hysterics. His head whipped around this way and that, and Dark knew that he was searching for a weapon to defend himself, having forgotten for a moment that he could summon one at will. Spotting nothing, Temperance let out a scream of frustration, of fear, and anger.

"Temperance, calm down! I won't hurt you!" Dark snapped, but as soon as the words were out he knew that they were the wrong choice.

"I know you won't, because I won't let you! Not again, not again!" There was a sound of crashing waves and breaking glass, and the ocean they'd run so far to avoid was flooding through windows and doors, rushing towards them. Temperance glared at him defiantly, ready and willing to let it carry him away.

"NO!" Dark sprinted down the rest of the steps, grabbed Temperance by the arm and yanked him into the library. Temperance screamed and fought against him, but Dark held fast, unwilling to lose him again. Answering Dark's call, the walls shifting and solidifying into seamless stone the water couldn't breach.

Once assured of Vio's relative safety, Dark let him go.

Temperance ran to the other side of the room to escape him, but lost his footing and fell near the stacks. And Dark was there when he hadn't been, catching Temperance and lifting him to set him in a chair. He pulled another chair closer so he could sit instead of looming over Temperance, exhaling a shaky breath.

"I am not Shadow Link. At least, not the one you know. Now, while I am pleased that you're so willing to defy him- though your methods SUCK- let me explain, please? The truth this time, as best I can tell it."

Temperance pressed himself into the back of the chair, shaking. Whether from fear or elation or sheer adrenaline, he couldn't say. "You lied to me," he said finally. "You're not me. You're-"

"No, no not lied at all. No, I never lied. Not on purpose." Dark stood, and offered his hand. "Come with me, I'll show you."

Temperance hesitated, uncertainty in his eyes. But now that he'd calmed, he could see that Dark was not Shadow, and Shadow was not Dark. Dark had a softer face, and his eyes looked just a little more like blood, and a little less cold than Shadow's. Temperance accepted Dark's offered hand.

Dark led Temperance past the rows of books that defined their life as one, and Link's life before the Four Sword. They passed into the deeper reaches of the stacks, and through a door into another part of the library far larger than the one they'd just left. Temperance could not believe that all of these books could cover a single lifetime; there must have been hundreds of thousands of stories stretching wall to wall, high above their heads.

"I'm old, Temperance. Not quite as old as Belial, but old. But that doesn't mean I'm not Vio. I am, just as much as you are." He reached up to pluck a book off a shelf, and flipped it open to an image of four Links. One of them, dressed in green, stood poised as a leader before the other three, his face set with determination. The other three looked simply blank, nothing like Vio, Red, and Blue. "This is the tale of the first time a Link- the heroes are always called Link- wielded the Four Sword. Do you notice anything?"

"They look. . . like dolls," Temperance said slowly.

Dark nodded. "And they were. See, you can't create four souls from one. A quarter of a soul isn't nearly enough to let a body function, and trust me, I've spent a lot of time dealing with souls. To circumvent this problem, the Four Sword originally created three soulless copies of the original. They had no thought, and no will. They could only do exactly as the original did." He snapped the book shut and put it away.

"Obviously, it doesn't work that way anymore. Why do you suppose that is, Temperance?" Dark asked as he ascended a ladder to fetch the next book he wanted.

Temperance mulled the question over in his mind. "The sword had more than a fourth of a soul available for each copy."

Dark hopped to another shelf, still searching. "Good. Now, where do you suppose the rest came from?"

That had Temperance stumped. "I- I don't know. The sword became stronger, so it gained the ability to create whole beings from parts of one?"

Dark laughed outright. "No, no. I'm not just some creation of the sword, Temperance." He climbed up on top of the stack, eyes searching. Ah. He darted off. Beneath him, Temperance stared. What the? Dark ran like a Sheikah! Temperance hurried after him, forgetting for a moment the dulled aches and pains that plagued him even here.

"But you're not me?"

"Well, no and yes. I'm not you, Temperance, because you're part of Link. But I am Vio. We are Vio. The two parts that created Vio were never meant to separate as we did." Dark said, leaping from stack to stack with the agility of a cat (Or a Sheikah, but saying so again felt redundant to Temperance). Temperance panted as he tried to keep up.

"But where did you come from?"

Dark stopped, and leapt from the top of the stack, landing lightly on his feet. He handed Temperance a leather-bound book, its title burned across the front in ink as red as blood.

The Thief Azazel

"Read that, when you have a chance," Dark said. "That will explain everything. But the short version is that I am the shade of the first-er, well, second (but the first didn't HAVE a shadow, and NO ONE knows how the hell he managed that, unless Hylia had something to do with it)- Hero, the one who fought against Demon Lord Ghirahim and the Demon King Demise. I was raised by a Sheikah who called himself Sheik, the last Prince of the Sheikah." Dark's lips twitched, but he looked bitter.

"Sheik?" Temperance asked, the surprise and confusion evident. "…But…if the Heroes were all Link?..."

A pleased expression spread over Dark's face. "You're catching on! Yes, Sheik's spirit tends to follow the Hero. They don't always end up loving each other. Sometimes they hate each other with the passion of a thousand dying suns," he said brightly, then paused. "Often both. But, more often than not. . ." He trailed off, head tilted back, with a faraway stare towards another stack. He sighed a long, heavy sigh.

"Being sealed within a sword, even by choice, does funny things to your mind. You begin to forget. And I- I forgot Sheik- Talib- my caretaker." He turned back to Temperance and placed a hand on Temperance's shoulder. His red eyes, so much older than Shadow's, stared into Temperance's, imploring. "He should never be forgotten, and Vio did not know him. His story must be told; I must share it, so I know it won't be forgotten again. I've carried it with me for centuries, so I could pass it on to others when Light- Belial- did or could not. Please, read it. Remember, because so few others do."

Temperance placed his hand over Dark's, and clutched the book to his chest. "I will read it, and I will not forget. I swear it," Temperance promised.

Dark bowed his head in thanks. After a moment, he broke away and started walking again. Temperance followed. "I didn't mean to lie to you, you know. When I woke from my sleep, I wasn't quite all there at first. It took a while for all of this to come back to me. My birth, my life, my caretakers…" His eyes closed in pain, and he exhaled a shuddering breath, his back to Temperance. His voice cracked. "I forgot Sheik, Temperance. I forgot what I promised I never would."

Temperance didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to reassure him. He placed a hand on Dark's shoulder, and abruptly found himself caught in Dark's embrace. Dark was shuddering, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Temperance rubbed his back to soothe him, and held him that much tighter.

When Dark could, he continued. "Compared to some of the others, I really haven't been in the Four Sword long, just since the life of the last Hero. His shade, Beat, helped me find it."

Temperance paused. "A shadow cannot live without its reflection, Belial told me that. How did you survive for so long?..."

Dark laughed. "I never said I was still alive," he said, sweeping his arms towards the area beyond the stacks. A single statue stood there of two men, or, perhaps, the same man both with the bright hair and tan skin of the living, and the black and gray of the dead. He was perhaps twice as tall as they were, with a gaunt, but kindly face and crow's wings.

"I know him. . . " Temperance whispered.

"Lord Iblis, patron god of the Sheikah, the Dark World, and Death. I expect you've met him. You came very close to death, Temperance, and Lord Iblis is fond of the Heroes. He tends to pick them up himself," Dark strolled towards the statue, and bowed to it, muttering a prayer. Temperance followed suit, feeling awkward. When he looked up again, Dark was grinning and WAVING at it. Cheeky bastard.

Dark left the statue, strolling to another stack. Here lay story after story that wasn't his, stories where the only role he played was in the ending (usually. Sometimes he interfered for the fun of it). "You see, most spirits, when their bodies die, are reborn. Simple as that. But some spirits are different, and for these, when they want it, Iblis makes an exception. Even as Link your spirit isn't a singular spirit, not really. There's that part of you that is the Hero; that came from the first Link, and is what allows you to wield the Master Sword if you must. There is also the part of you that makes you you. The part of you who loves and regrets, is happy, sad, and fearful. The part of you that is human."

He moved from shelf to shelf, fingers caressing tales of wind and wave, time and fire, loyal birds and horses, stubborn Sheikah mages, and searches for a place to call home. "The Hero's spirit always awakens in the new Hero, but the human, well, he's created with every life, unique to each Link. Course, sometimes he's reborn later. Sometimes he heads off to some other plane, usually with his Sheik. Sometimes, in his regrets, he becomes a shade. And sometimes, in his anger and restlessness, he confines himself to Hell." He plucked one of the books down and opened it, pointing to the author's page and image.

"That's you…but this was written…"

"Almost five hundred years after my other half's death, yep. I worked for Lord Iblis for a while, collecting souls." Dark shelved the book again.

Temperance looked down at The Thief Azazel, and back to Dark. "Then, how did you end up here? Why aren't you there?"

Dark snorted and moved to a nearby armchair to flop down. He motioned for Temperance to sit with him. Temperance still hesitated, and Dark didn't push it. "At that point, two other consciousnesses and soul fragments, not counting Gufuu, had touched the Four Sword, and been stored within it. One was the original Link who wielded it, the other an idiot from when I was alive, called Groose. They became Green and Blue, respectively. I'd been around a while at that point; and I knew I couldn't leave saving the world up to THOSE idiots. Tch."

"You wanted to save the world?" Temperance asked slowly, "But you're a shadow?"

Dark gave Temperance a dull look. "A reflection isn't supposed to act like this one does. A reflection is supposed to protect their original, like Dark Zelda protects Zelda and Light- Belial- protects Sheik. Well, more or less. Belial pretty much does whatever the hell he wants, the stupid Ifrit. He really lives up to his name this time," Dark snorted again, his irritation rising. "I don't FUCKING understand him! I don't! If Sheik- if my caretaker even had an INKLING of the SHIT Belial let fucking happen, he would- FUCKING-" He broke off with a yell of irritation, and Temperance flinched, backing away.

Dark stopped and looked at him. "Ah, Temperance, I'm sorry. I'm not angry with you, I promise. Here, come on," he held his arms open in invitation.

Temperance hesitated, looking uncertain, but Dark's expression was pleading, and his hands held out in supplication. After a moment more, Temperance sat down beside Dark, turning all he had been told over in his mind. Dark curled closer to him, giving and receiving comfort.

Temperance didn't know what to think. He wrapped his arm around Dark, cracked open The Thief Azazel, and began to read.

'The warrior returns alive, but only to the darkness and peace of the temple, and so he knew it must have been that his masters had failed…

The bracelet gleamed so prettily as it fell back into Hylia's hands. There were tears and sorrow in the court below, but there was also joy. He couldn't reach out and grasp it – it wasn't his to obtain.

He perched in the darkness, gazing down at blurred nothing. In the end he supposed he had always known, wrapped up though he had been in carrying food, offering drink. But the guardian would only fast in waiting for her hero, the fair goddess Hylia. The goddess his masters were trying to undermine. The enemy… 'his' enemy. It hadn't at all felt personal until memory had taken her. Taking his beloved Impa away…'

A thought snapped Temperance from his reading. "Dark?"

"Hm?"

"If Green is another Hero, and Blue this. . . Groose, then who is Red?" Temperance asked, setting his book down.

Dark grinned. "Red? Openly innocent, secretly cunning and terrifyingly vindictive Red?"

"What?! He is not!" Temperance yelped. Were they talking about the same Red, here?

"Oh, he is. I pity Shadow when Red gets hold of him." Dark cackled. "Well, no I don't, but you get the idea. That's a Zelda. Oh, is that ever a Zelda.~ And it's WONDERFUL!" Dark laughed a maniacal laugh, and Temperance rubbed his forehead with one hand. THIS was a part of him? . . .


Pancakes sizzled, and Kers flipped them. "Vixen, Vindice, would you please go tell our guests breakfast is ready?"

"Yes, Mom," they chorused, hopping up and heading off down the hall. They went to Sheik's room first, creeping inside as quietly as they could. Sheik lay curled in a lump of blankets, and they dropped to crouches, crawling towards it, fearless hunters ready to pounce on their unwitting prey-

"BOO!" Sheik sprang out from beneath the sheets, arms held out like a hungry Redead.

The twins shrieked and ran from the room, leaving a laughing Sheik in their wake.

They ran past Red and Blue's room, still screaming. A bed-headed, shirtless Red poked his head out to see what was going on.

"Pancakes," said Sheik, strolling past them towards the kitchen. Blue, upon hearing that, hopped up to follow him with remarkable speed. Red yawned and pulled on his tunic before following.

The twins bolted down several hallways, shrieking all the way, coming to a stop in front of Green's door. They wrinkled their noses in disgust.

"Ew."

"Stinky!"

"SANGUINE!" They yelled together. They waited for their father, noses plugged, and pointed at the door accusingly.

"Your fault."

"You fed him."

"YOU DEAL WITH IT!" They ran off.

Sanguine took a breath to brace himself, and opened the door. The stench of ass-fire excrement and putrid vomit hit him with a physical force, like diving head-first into Dante's eighth circle of hell. (He'd done it once, on a dare. Never. Again.) Pulling his shirt up over his nose, Sanguine walked in.

Green was sitting on the nearly-overflowing chamber pot, hunched over the trashcan. He'd kicked off his tights at some point; they lay on the floor near the bed in a filthy pile. Green's skin looked sweaty and pale, and as Sanguine watched he hunched over the trashcan to dry heave again while unpleasant sounds came from his other end.

Sanguine gagged. He'd expected this outcome, of course, but he had never met someone with a back-end stench so FOUL. Well, except maybe Majora that one time he'd shown up with a bag of food he called 'burritos.'

Green groaned, letting out a whimpering plea for help. Sanguine dug a bottle from his pocket and offered it to Green. "Drink that; it'll settle your insides."

Green looked wary, but given how miserable he was, he decided to take the risk. He grabbed the bottle and downed it in one gulp, holding his head as he slowly started to recover.

"What did I eat last night?" He asked, voice weak and raspy.

"My cooking instead of Sheik's," Sanguine said, flat tone muffled by the cloth of his shirt. Nevertheless, Green could hear the icy edge. "When you're feeling better, clean this up. There' s a bathroom down the hall." With that, he made a quick escape, hurrying to bury his face in Kers's hair to get the smell out of his nostrils. Kers swatted at him with the spatula, ducking around him to bring a plate of pancakes to the table for their hungry children and guests.

"Will you wake Vio today, Kers?" Sheik asked, carrying syrup and a pitcher of milk to the table.

"I plan to try," Kers assured him, knife and fork in hand as he cut up Vindice's pancakes into small pieces. Sanguine insisted that was spoiling them, but Kers tended to flip him off when this was pointed out.

"Vio?" Red asked hopefully. "Can we help? We can be there when he wakes up, right?"

Kers frowned. "It's not some simple spell to cast; waking someone from a sleep like this is complex magic. That's why your Princess Zelda sent him to me. I'll need Sheik to help me, but everyone else has to stay out."

Blue, more awake now, looked ready to protest, 'bullshit!' but Sheik cut him off, "Kers is right, Red. Magic of this variety can be dangerous. We'll come get you as soon as he's awake, I promise." He stood between the twins, cutting up Vixen's pancakes for him.

Vindice peered past his mother's arm. "If he wanted to wake up, he would have already, wouldn't he? I think he wants to stay asleep."

Blue slammed his fist on the table. "Don't be stupid, brat!" he yelled, "Vio would NEVER want that!"

Kers's gaze cut to Blue, fur bristling. "Vindice, we've talked about this. Don't say things like that."

Sheik gripped the knife that much tighter, jaw set. "Vindice, please."

"Sorry, Shishi," to his credit, Vindice DID sound contrite.

Kers sat to eat, and Sheik prepared tea to calm his raw nerves.

Green slipped into the kitchen a short time later. Sheik offered Green a cup of tea, which was reluctantly accepted under Sanguine's warning glare. Sheik sighed. Well, it was an improvement, he supposed. He waited for Kers to finish eating, and together they headed towards the temple's center.


Darkness, amber, and the depths of the universe of the mind swirled around him as he chanted his spell. Blue fire tails lashed and metal sang with every movement of his most powerful form, free only here, in the center of his temple. The sleeping crystal glowed with the power of it, shimmering like the moon on a clear, cloudless night until Kers plunged his arms elbow deep into the light, seizing Vio's body and traveling far into his mind.

A layer of darkness and shadows greeted him, in that level where the consciousness would otherwise dwell. The barrier had been laid there to protect the breaking psyche. It was strong as stone, but fluid and resistant to his force. He changed his tactic, soothing and caressing it, assuring it he meant no harm to those who lay within its protection. He reached for Sheik's consciousness, channeling that feeling of familiarity and safety into the shield.

It worked. The shield gave and he slipped beneath it. He found himself on a staircase of nothingness, and he set off down them on a jog, following his ears towards the sound of rushing water.

Ah. The smell of salt filled his nostrils and a gray and blue ocean lapped at his feet when he reached the bottom, inviting him to a place the water's summoner thought to mean rest and peace. He didn't like it, and its proximity to the location of the dual awakened consciousnesses worried him. Like hell he was doing all this work only to have his charges float away! Fuck that!

He looked this way and that for another entrance, darting back up the stairs to look for a better path. The darkness swallowed him again, and he ran through the inky black, following nothing more than his instincts and the faintest smell of fresh, living water.


Dark paused, head tilted. "Tempy," he called

Temperance looked up from The Thief Azazel. Dark was behind one of the stacks, out of his line of sight. "Yes, Dark?"

"Put that down and come here, would you please?" Dark called.

Temperance marked his place and closed the book, setting it aside. He stood slowly, shuffling over towards Dark. "Yes?"

Dark gestured Temperance over. He was standing with a hand on his hip, looking down at something on the floor.

Was that? No!

The Dark Mirror's surface shone like the still waters of a black ice lake, exactly as Temperance remembered it. Its gilded frame gleamed dully in the flickering torchlight of the library, ominous, eerie, and- laying on the floor?

Dark grinned at him, fangs razor-sharp and an odd gleam in his red eyes. "Kaeko is calling to us. Can't you hear him, Temperance? It's time."

"Time for what?" Temperance asked, wary.

Dark's grin widened into something that might have been a little unhinged, and then he was behind Temperance with an arm around his waist. "To wake up."

"Dark- NO!" Temperance shouted, but Dark kept his grip and leapt into the mirror's surface, dragging Temperance down with him.

Temperance braced himself for the hard impact and sting of shattered glass, but instead the surface rippled and parted as though it were the beginning of an endless pool instead of a mirror, engulfing them whole.

The frigid water stole Temperance's breath away, filling his mouth and nose. He couldn't breathe, and panicked, but Dark's face and touch was there, calming him. 'Don't be afraid.' Temperance found that he didn't even need to breathe. Blood red eyes gleamed in the darkness that surrounded them, and Temperance found himself wondering how he had ever mistaken Dark for Shadow. Dark's crimson gaze held none of Shadow's cruelty. There was warmth, love, perhaps a spark of insanity, and encouragement. "Come on, Temperance. We are Vio. We can do this. Swim. Live."

Temperance kicked his feet and paddled his arms, and those eyes glowed with approval. They swam together until the darkness around them began to shift, taking on a tinge of ethereal blue, and growing warm against their skin.

Hands so pale they nearly glowed like a Shadow Caster's in the lack of light reached down into the water, grabbed hold of them, and pulled them from its depths. Temperance was reminded of when Dark had pulled him out, but this time was different; this time, he wanted to leave the water. This time, he wanted to return to the others.

The pale hands brushed their wet bangs back out of their faces, and rubbed their backs when they coughed. Furry tails made of smoke and blue fire solidified wrapped around them to keep them warm. When Temperance looked up, Dark was already grinning at this new person, whose burning appearance left Temperance more than a little unsettled.

"Hey, Kers," Dark said, standing and brushing off his tunic, "find the other path a little wet for you?"

Kers returned Dark's grin, then each of them offered Temperance a hand. "They're waiting for you, Vio," Kers said, looking to each of them in turn.

Temperance took a shuddering breath, hesitating. "It's…going to hurt, isn't it? Waking up?"

Kers nodded slowly, never breaking Vio's gaze. "It is. I've done the best I can, but we all have our limits. Are you prepared for that?"

Temperance nodded, though he had begun to tremble. "And the mark? Will it burn?"

"No," Dark said firmly. "Tempy, you might be bound to. . . him . . . but I'm not. I'll keep it back." He squeezed Temperance's hand gently. "I promise."

Temperance took a shuddering breath. "Will you wake with me, Dark?"

Dark shook his head slowly. "Not quite. We've separated. I'll be there for you, but we can't both speak at once."

Kers looked between them, head cocked as he considered their predicament. "This separation does concern me, but for the moment I suppose it's a functional adaptation, and trying to fix it will do more harm than good." He reached out to pat Temperance's head, but withdrew his hand when Temperance flinched. "You need Dark to be your voice of reason, and-"

"Wait a minute," Dark interrupted, and Kers shot him an annoyed look. He was trying to teach his CHILDREN not to do that, dammit! "Why am I the voice of reason? I entertained delusions of taking over the world!" He struck a dramatic pose, for no obvious reason that Kers or Temperance could discern.

"Delusions?" Kers repeated, amused, "so you admit it, then?"

Dark let out a squawk that Kafei would have compared to an angry Rito. "WHAT?! Oh- bloody son of a COCK!" Temperance winced at the yelling.

"You did say it," Kers pointed out, tails and lips twitching.

"Fuck you!"

Temperance waved to get their attention, nursing his poor ears. "I'm ready," he said, forcing the words out before he could take them back again.

"Then let's GO!" Kers's tails flashed and expanded in a wave of flame too bright to look at. Temperance and Dark lifted their arms to shield their faces and Kers laughed. His power wrapped around them like the sacred flames of old, Temperance bracing himself against Dark as the fires burned too hot.

To Temperance, it felt as though they were trying to melt something from within him, molten rock coating his skin and filling his mouth and nose and searing his eyes, forcing him to close them. The light behind his shut lids burned brighter than the sun, but he couldn't lift his hands to cover them. He could hear faint sounds, but they were muffled, as though he were trying to listen from the other side of a thick door.

Something cracked and shattered, and the light burned brighter a moment before fading away. The voices came clearer, and a hand reached out to hold his, another brushing back his bangs and stroking his forehead.

"Vio? Can you hear me? Vio, please, answer me?" Sheik's worried voice filled his ears.

Temperance felt Dark's comforting presence in his mind, encouraging him. Though his eyelids felt weighted with lead, he forced them open, blinking up into the worried red gaze of his friend. He opened his mouth to speak, but only managed a weak rasp.

"Vio, I've missed you," Sheik murmured, leaning close. He pulled Vio into his arms for an embrace, whining a little when he felt Vio tense. "Sorry," he murmured, moving to pull away with shoulders slumped. He looked so morose and lonely that Vio scolded himself and forced his weak arms up to return the hug. Sheik hugged him close and pressed their cheeks together, seeking comfort in Vio's presence and the slow, steady beat of his heart.

Vio felt wetness on his face, his own tears mingled with Sheik's. "I missed you too," Vio whispered.

When he'd calmed, and assured himself that yes, Vio was there, and not just a dream, Sheik gave one more nuzzle and pulled back. He helped Vio sit up, supporting him with an arm behind his back to offer him some water. Vio sipped at it gratefully, keeping his gaze locked on his friend. Sheik looked as though he hadn't been sleeping well, but otherwise appeared healthy. Vio felt relieved.

"Come on," Sheik murmured, "Let's get you upstairs. I can't imagine Kers's altar is very comfortable."

Oh. He was lying on stone, wasn't he? He'd barely noticed.

"One moment, Sheik. Let me look him over," Kers moved into Vio's field of vision, holding a blanket. He moved slowly, avoiding any sudden movements as though Vio were an anxious bird. He moved his hands over Vio's body, murmuring to himself and scowling. "Most of your injuries are healed. You won't die, but your body is still weak. You were starved for too long; your heart has suffered, so you can't strain it for a while. No exercise, and we have to minimize stress as much as possible. The nerve damage and dislocated shoulder. . . I can FIX those if it's a new injury, but short of re-damaging everything to heal it, there is little I can do NOW." His voice carried a hard edge of irritation.

VIo looked up at Kers and flinched in fear. Kers's tails lashed back and forth behind him, his ears lay flat against his head, and his lips were pulled back in a snarl. He looked like an irate panther about to pounce, glaring at some spot on the wall beyond Vio's head.

Spotting the flinch and smelling Vio's fear, Kers forced himself to calm. He picked up the blanket he'd brought and wrapped it around Vio to cover him. "Let's get him to bed," he said softly, stepping away. Vio did feel so very tired. . .

Sheik placed an arm behind Vio's back and another under his knees, lifting Vio gently and cradling him carefully against his chest. Vio was reminded of the times Shadow carried him around, after the incident with the Hinox. . .

'No, Tempy. Forget that. It's over now,' Dark's voice murmured in his mind.

Vio nodded, eyes drifting shut. He felt so tired, and Sheik was so warm. He'd been cold before; he hadn't realized. Sheik started to hum, a soothing sound, as they left the cold dungeon room and headed up a flight of stairs.

The brilliant light that filled Kers started to fade as they ascended, and by the time they reached the top the blue fire was only fur, and one tail of the nine remained. Blue, Red, Green, Mai, and the twins were crowded around the top of the staircase.

"Vio!" Red sobbed, reaching out to take Vio's hands carefully in his.

Vio's eyes opened and he gave Red a weak smile. "Hey, Red. Don't cry. I'm all right now. Everything will be all right."

Red wiped his eyes, sniffling, and Vio let his gaze wander over the others. Green was behaving strangely, being very careful not to touch Sheik. Blue was comforting Red, if a bit awkwardly.

"It's good to have you back, bookworm," Blue said gruffly. "Even if you do look like shit."

"Thanks, Blue. Missed you, too," Vio replied dryly.

He thought Green said something as well, but he was so tired he barely heard. Red opened a door, and Sheik slid carefully through and brought Vio to the bed. Red pulled back the covers and Sheik laid Vio down and tucked him in, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Sleep, Vio," Sheik murmured. "You look exhausted."

"Don't leave me. . ." Vio mumbled. "Please."

Sheik stroked his cheek and took a seat in a chair by the bed, clasping Vio's hand in his. "We won't leave you alone, Vio. Someone will always be in here with you," he promised. Green went to stand in a corner, Red sat at the foot of the bed, and Blue stood just behind Red.

"Thank you. . ." Vio said with a sigh.

The weight on the bed shifted, and Vixen scrambled up onto the bed, flopping down beside him like a teddy bear for snuggling.

"Vixen, honey, no, don't smother him," Kers chastened, reaching over Sheik to fetch his spawn. But Vixen wasn't having it.

"No! Mom! I wanna stay! Moooom, please!" he whined, wrapping his little arms around Vio.

"Vixen!"

Vio lifted a hand to pet Vixen's head. "It's all right. He can stay," he said softly.

Kers sighed, but agreed. "All right. As long as he doesn't bother you."

Vindice, not wanting to be away from Vixen, climbed Sheik like a monkey. He perched on Sheik's should and jumped, aiming to land beside Vixen on the bed. Kers caught him in midair and gave him a warning glare. 'Do. Not. Hurt. My. Patient!' Kers put Vindice down gently next to Vixen to let the twins settled in together.

For a while, Vio drifted in and out of sleep. He heard the others whispering around him, then Kers's voice quietly shooing them out. 'We need to apply more medicine. I can't work with so many people in here. Shoo! Keep the children busy!' He felt comforting, warm hands soothing him, wiping down his skin with a sweet-smelling cloth.

"Sanguine, could you hand me the ointment, please? And Sheik, the take these? Thank you-" Kers whispered. The ointment smelled of Nayru's Lace, mushrooms, and something unpleasant that Vio couldn't quite place. He wrinkled his nose and blinked open his eyes.

"Sorry," Kers murmured, "I know it doesn't smell very good, but it will help." He started to rub the ointment into Vio's skin, but, awake now, Vio flinched. Kers hummed and motioned for Sheik, handing him the jar.

Sheik took Kers's place. "Are you all right if I apply it, Vio?" he whispered. Vio managed a weak nod.

Someone snorted, and Vio's gaze flicked to the back of the room. Leaning against the wall next to an array of bottles filled with concoctions of all colors stood a red-headed man who towered over the rest of the room. He looked familiar, and Vio wracked his brain to remember. . .

Uncaring purple eyes, red hair, tall. . . yes, there was no mistake.

The beings around the long table began to jeer when Shadow hauled Vio to his feet and threw him on the banquet table.

Drunk and half-delirious , Vio's gaze wandered down the length of the table, seeing so many foreign and familiar faces. His alcohol-dulled blue eyes met indifferent purple for a moment, before their owner snorted and turned his face away, taking another bite of his dinner. He hadn't watched, but he hadn't helped.

In his mind, Dark hissed. 'Fucking fuck fuck fuck, what the FUCK Sanguine! I KNEW he could be a cold-hearted asshole, but FUCK!"

"What did you expect, Kers?" Sanguine drawled. "He woke up and he doesn't know you." He picked up another bottle filled with a sky blue, gooey-looking paste, and tossed it to Sheik, who caught it without looking. "Apply that to his chest. It will help his breathing."

Sheik did as he was told, and the powerful smell lulled Vio back to sleep, even Dark's angry rants quieting in his mind.

When he woke again, it was to a bright light glowing behind his closed eyelids. He blinked them open slowly, and unable to look directly at the brightness, looked instead towards a corner of the room. Blue and Red lay curled up on a chair together, asleep. Sheik stood against another wall, half-hidden in shadows, conversing quietly with Kers. Green sat as far from Sheik as he could get, asleep in a ball on the floor.

Someone near the door made a noise, and the garish light dimmed to a soft lantern-glow. Vio opened his eyes to look over into Belial's glowing green. Belial looked as irritated as he always did with him, and Vio flinched, an apology already on his lips.

Dark, however, wasn't having any of that shit. No, Dark was angry.

Temperance had the strangest sensation of sliding out of his body, to a little box buried deep within his mind. He could see and hear, but he had no control over the words that spilled from his mouth, or the actions of his tired muscles.

Dark Vio's eyes burned with an odd fire, and he forced his aching body up by sheer force of will, pointing an accusing finger at Belial. "You!" he snarled.

Belial made a face, pointing at himself. "Me?"

Dark Vio stumbled from the bed, caught for a moment in the sensation of needles and FIRE that shot through his feet with every step. He shrugged them off, determined not to be distracted from his goal. He staggered towards Belial like a Redead, winding up for a good punch.

The others must have been too stunned to stop him, because his fist swung at Belial's face. Belial reached up to catch it and Dark Vio slipped off-balance, crashing into Belial with his face pressed into Belial's jacket and his arm held at a strange angle that REALLY HURT-

"Belial! Let go of his arm right this goddamn minute! If I have to fix it again, I SWEAR-" Kers snapped, fully in mother fox mode as he sprang from Sheik to Belial, intending to separate the two and put Vio back to bed.

Belial, however, had other plans. He let go of Vio's arm and scooped him up, ignoring the resulting irritated hissing. "Seems the little hero would prefer a private chat. Shouldn't deny an injured man. Well! Carry on!" And then he disappeared, angry Vio in his grasp, before the now-awakened Blue could get him by the ponytail.

"BELIAL!" Kers darted out after him. "BELIAL! GET BACK HERE WITH MY PATIENT!"

Blue looked ready to go after them, but Red pulled him back down, shaking his head. They would only get in Kers's way.

Sheik looked torn between chasing them and letting Kers handle it.

Green blinked, looking around blearily. "Vio?...VIO! SHEIK! What did you-" Green stopped, visibly forcing himself to appear calm. "What happened?" He ground out.

Sheik paused, surprised that Green had managed to both sleep through the ruckus and speak to him in something approaching a civil tone. "I. . .I am not certain," he admitted after a moment. "But Kers is with them, and as you can see, he's quite protective of his patients. No harm will come to Vio so long as Kers is present."

"I'm following them anyway!" Green announced, heading for the door. Sanguine stood outside, arms crossed. He gave Green a Look, and Green retreated back into the room to wait quietly with the others. ". . . On second thought, maybe I'll just wait."


Thank you to the chapter six reviewers:

Freya the Mistwolf: Yes I am! Just a medical student. So.

Aeterni7as: Oh dear, I hope you re-read things… (It's okay, I have to do it too, sometimes. And I'm the AUTHOR!)

PotatoBuns: All for nothing? You wound me! *falls over* Being a hypocrite is the LEAST of Shadow's problems…

The john johnson: oh CRAP! *plays song of time* Whew, three more days!

RoxSor: *dances *

DatLittleStar: I hope you like the relationship development in this chapter, then!

Fourswordlover: dun dun dun…

ObscureNavyDusk: HI! Sanguine will do much worse than just Kill him… Here you go, more cuteness and interesting stuff!

Kaoru-chibimaster: I DON'T KNOW WHY! But I hope you keep reading~