A/N: Hello again, faithful readers! Hope you are enjoying the story. This one's very Zelda and Link-centric. And just two new characters this week…so, here's the story!

Hero – Name Here (Nintendo character)

Hank – Olimar (same)

Lisa – Katt Monroe (same)

Yes, I'm totally destroying canon by these relationships. But, author's privilege! (ducks behind table)

Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes, NBC, Nintendo, Sega, Super Smash Brothers, or anything herein.

oOoOoOoOoOoO

(Pan up from the floor of Douglas's studio. Passing over the painting of the explosion, we see the title card: "Chapter Six: Better Halves.")

Evolution is an imperfect and often violent process. A battle between what exists and what is yet to be born.

(Keep panning up to Mario and Douglas, on the phone.)

In the midst of these birth pains, morality loses its meaning, the question of good and evil reduced to one simple choice: survive or perish.

Mario: My name is Mario Petrelli. I have a message for you.

Roy: (over phone) What message?

Mario: …Save the princess, save the world.

(Cut to Hyrule, as Roy looks at Marth in confusion.)

Roy (translated): He said "Save the princess, save the world."

Marth (translated): (confused) What princess?

Roy: (into phone) …What princess?

(Cut back to Mushroom Kingdom.)

Mario: We…don't know.

Roy: Well, where is she?

Mario: We don't know that, either.

Douglas: (to Mario) Tell him about the guy from the future!

Mario: (to him) He IS the guy from the future!! (into phone) I was visited by someone named Marth Nakamura, saying he was from the future. He had a sword and told me that I had to save the princess.

(Cut back to Hyrule.)

Roy (translated): He said you came from the future. You had a sword and told him to save the princess. (Marth looks impressed.)

Mario: (over phone) Just get here to the Mushroom Kingdom as soon as you can. (hangs up)

Marth (translated): (smugly) I had a sword.

(Cut back to the Mushroom Kingdom.)

Mario: We should try to arrange these paintings, maybe we'll figure out who or where these people are. (starts moving them) Like I said, it's almost like panels in a comic book, except… (points at a gap in the paintings)…this one's missing.

Douglas: Well, I think I painted one about that size a few weeks ago, but…Joanna took it to sell.

Mario: What was it a painting of?

Douglas: (smirking) You know I don't know that…I was high when I did it.

Mario: (going back to get phone) Well, Joanna will know.

Douglas: Tell her a guy from the future said you needed it. She should love that.

(Cut to Corneria. Vivian and Peach make cupcakes: Vivian holding Yoshi in her left arm and frosting with her right, and Peach standing behind her by the oven.)

Vivian: Yes, the other owner wants to breed Yoshi here with her poodle. But I don't know, I mean, does anyone really want a dino-poo? Or a poo-nosaur?? (shakes her head) Yoshi doesn't want anything to do with a breed that has "poo" in its name.

(Peach opens the oven and takes out the cupcake tin with her bare hands. She winces and tosses it down on the counter. She looks at her hands, badly burned, but they quickly heal over.)

Vivian: (not turning) We might have left the cupcakes in too long, smells like something's burning!

Peach: (brightly) They look great, mom!

Vivian: Speaking of dogs, I'm still worried about the other day when we went to the dog park. I thought that big dog was going to chew your hand off, which would have put a quick end to your cheerleading career.

Peach: It's OK, mom. The bite looked worse than it was. And my cheerleading career is scissor-kicking off the field as we speak anyway. (starts to frost a cupcake) Still, I'm glad to help with the bake sale.

Bennet: (hanging up phone as he enters) Hey, honey. Hello, Peachy.

Peach: Hi, Dad. Want to buy a cupcake?? It's for a good cause.

Bennet: I don't think right now, sweetie.

Vivian: You were on the phone for a while there, honey. Who were you talking to for so long?

Bennet: (sighs heavily) It was Peach's biological parents. (The other two look up at him, shocked) They want to meet her.

Vivian: (slightly angry) And you didn't talk to me about it first? We can't just drop everything for them, you know.

Bennet: (patiently) I didn't say yes just yet…that's for Peach to decide.

(He turns to look at her. Vivian does too, looking stricken.)

Peach: (confidently) …I'm ready.

(Cut to Hyrule. Zelda sleeps, but a loud noise startles her awake. She looks into Pit's room, but he's still asleep. In the living room, she looks out the front window, and confirms the cop car is still there. She's opening the door to go back in her room when Link suddenly appears behind her.)

Link: Zelda. You look beautiful.

Zelda: (without turning around) How did you get in here? (He doesn't answer, and she starts to move away, but he grabs her waist and pulls her towards him) If I scream, the cops will be in here in two seconds.

Link: Then I hope you don't scream. (He turns her around and takes her hand) You're not wearing your wedding ring.

Zelda: You better leave. Why would you come here? You're just going to confuse Pit.

Link: Pit needs his father. This is still my home.

(There's a loud knock at the front door and they both jump.)

Link: I'm not going anywhere. You can either believe me or not. I'm going to check on our boy. Get the door.

(Zelda goes to the front door and opens it to find a young cop.)

Young cop: We thought we heard something inside. Is everything all right?

Zelda: I was talking to my son.

Young cop: Well, if you need anything, we're right out front.

(Zelda gives him kind of a glare, which he notices.)

Young cop: (quietly) If you want us to come inside, just nod your head.

(Zelda looks a bit madder, but then relaxes.)

Zelda: No, I'm just tired. Don't worry about it.

Young cop: Well, have a good night, ma'am.

(She closes the door and turns around, running into Link, who is standing right behind her.)

Zelda: Link! (She goes and shuts Pit's bedroom door.) Look, what happened before you got arrested?

Link: I didn't do it, I can tell you that. I had planned the job –

Zelda: (annoyed) I know that you planned the job. "It's gonna solve all our problems."

Link: It would have gotten us 2 million dollars – enough to get out of Hyrule.

Zelda: Money that you would have stolen from Ganondorf.

Link: That's why I couldn't do it, babe, he would have killed all of us. So I stepped out. But someone else stepped in, knowing the whole plan, and killed my crew.

Zelda: And made off with all the money? (He nods) You have no idea who it was though?

Link: I know it was a woman.

Zelda: (confused) A woman?

Link: Yeah, I know a guy who cleans money. I heard he just cleaned 2 million for some woman, so I'm going to see him tomorrow and find out who it was.

(Zelda nods but still looks angry. Cut to Corneria. Waluigi and Peach walk home from school.)

Peach: I mean, how am I supposed to ask someone if they're a freak when they're probably just going to lie about it like I do?

Waluigi: (brightly) Well, you could ask them what happens when they cut themselves. Or you could just cut them yourself and find out.

Peach: (chuckling) If I did, it'd probably just make them think that I'm bitter that they gave me away.

Waluigi: Well, sure, you can be a little bitchy, but you're not bitter…about the adoption thing, anyway.

Peach: No. I'm curious about it, and it's a little weird and maybe a little sad, but I'm not mad. I mean, I love my parents.

Waluigi: Still, your life sure would be different if your biological parents had raised you, huh?

Peach: (stopping in her driveway) What if they can do what I can do? What if they're like me?

Waluigi: I hope they're not. I mean, your power makes you special. You're…unique. It's cool.

Peach: (grinning) Are you flirting with me?

Waluigi: No! Believe me, no. (She drops her head a little, but he doesn't notice) So are you planning on "coming out" to your non-bio parents any time soon?

Peach: No way. My dad is a really simple guy. He'd never be able to wrap his mind around something like that.

(Waluigi laughs in agreement as they walk up to the house. Cut to Hyrule. Roy gets into the driver's seat of the Altima while Marth sits in the passenger side, miming a swordfight with lightsaber sound effects.)

Roy (translated): (worried) What happens if we get to the Mushroom Kingdom and then it explodes??

Marth (translated): (sure of himself) If we get to the Mushroom Kingdom, it won't explode. It's a heroic journey.

Roy: (sadly) It's your heroic journey.

Marth (translated): It's our heroic journey. (grins) You don't need superpowers to be a hero.

(Roy grins and starts the car.)

Roy (translated): Why didn't the future you deliver the message to us instead of Mario?

Marth (translated): (shrugging) I don't know. Maybe he was worried about causing a rift in the space-time continuum.

Roy (translated): You're talking out of your ass.

(Roy backs the car up but an SUV pulls up behind them, blocking them in. In the passenger seat is the guy in the cowboy hat that they played poker against in the casino, who tips his hat at them.)

Roy (translated): Marth! Get us out of here!!

(The cowboy walks up to Marth's window and taps on it.)

Cowboy: I just want to talk to you fellas.

(Marth cracks the window a tiny bit.)

Roy: (defiantly) We didn't cheat!!

Cowboy: Oh, I know you did. I just don't know how. Now it's time for a little payback.

(Cut to the Bennet residence. The doorbell rings as Vivian rushes up to it.)

Vivian: Peach! Your guests are here!!

(She opens the door as we cut over to the kitchen. Waluigi grabs a pink box of cupcakes as Peach looks on.)

Waluigi: I can shove them into something on my way out, if you want.

Peach: (rolling her eyes) Ha ha. We'll be fine.

Waluigi: (nods) Well, see ya!

(Peach looks worried. Cut to the house in Hyrule.)

Link: So, how are we going to do this?

Zelda: (simply) We don't.

Link: (incredulous) You're couching me?

Zelda: Look, you were gone for six months, Link.

Link: I didn't want to be! Believe me, Zelda.

Zelda: This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for your big plan. We were making it.

Link: (scoffing) Thirty grand a year doing construction.

Zelda: Exactly. It just wasn't enough for you.

Link: "Just enough" isn't enough when you have a family.

Zelda: (stepping towards him) When you left, I became another person.

Link: Look, I don't care that you took off your clothes on the Internet. You did what you had to.

Zelda: (wearily) You can stay here tonight. But you have to leave in the morning.

Link: (nodding) If that's what you want.

(He steps forward and tries to kiss her, but she turns to the side. Cut to sometime later. Link lies on the couch, looking at his wedding ring. Zelda lies in bed, but finally sighs and opens her nightstand. She puts her ring back on and walks out to him.)

Zelda: (quietly) Come to bed, Link.

(He nods, standing up. Cut to a seedy backroom in Hyrule. Roy, the cowboy, a guy in a navy blue track suit, and another guy with slicked back blonde hair in a suit all sit around a table, playing poker. Marth sits behind Roy.)

Marth (translated): (whispering) We need to get back to the mission.

Roy (translated): (whispering) I'll just win him the money back, like he said, and we'll be fine. Give them good cards, just not too good.

Blonde: (while dealing) So, what exactly is your system? Some ancient Oriental voodoo?

Roy: No system. Japanese people very lucky.

Blonde: Japanese people better run out of luck soon. I'm starting to think I'm getting hustled.

Cowboy: It's only a friendly game.

Roy: (nodding) Yes. No hustle. Only good fortune.

(Everyone has their cards, so Marth grimaces and stops time. He shuffles everybody's cards around and resumes time. Roy looks at his cards, a 10-high straight flush.)

Roy: (putting chips in) Two thousand.

(Marth looks amazed and falls out of his chair, knocking over a table with bottles on it.)

Marth: (popping his head up) Sorry! Beg pardon!!

(Roy rolls his eyes and bends down to help him pick the bottles up. Glancing under the table, he sees the dealer has a gun lying on his briefcase, pointing at him. Roy looks frightened and stands up.)

Roy: Uh, we must use bathroom.

Guy in tracksuit: Now? We're in the middle of a hand!

Roy: Too much beer. Must go!

Blonde: (suspicious) You guys go to the bathroom together?

Roy: Yes. It is how we roll.

(Cut to inside the bathroom. Roy shoves Marth inside.)

Marth (translated): But I don't have to go!

Roy (translated): Marth! That guy has a gun!

(They pause as they hear a voice outside.)

Male voice: Hey, who invited her?

Roy (translated): Look, we have to get out of here –

(They stop as now a scream is heard, followed by a loud tearing sound, several gunshots, and more screams and ripping sounds. The two pause and look at the door to the room, amazed. Marth shuts his eyes, trying to stop time, but nothing happens. Something large is thrown into the door and blood starts seeping in through the crack.)

Roy: Ssshh!

(They pause as they hear high heels walk through the room. A door opens, and then shuts.)

Marth (translated): (sadly) I couldn't save them. I just hid in here. A hero doesn't hide.

Roy (translated): He does if he wants to live.

(Roy starts pushing Marth towards the window on the far wall. Cut to the house in Hyrule. Zelda wakes up to see Link looking at her.)

Zelda: (smiling) Morning.

Link: Morning. (He kisses her.) You should try to get some more sleep. You didn't get much last night.

Zelda: (laying back down) I got as much as you did.

Link: No, I heard you getting up, trying to be all quiet.

Zelda: (suddenly sitting up) I did? When?

(She looks across the room at her mirrored closet, which shows her and Link sitting where they are, but the "other" Zelda there too, on Link's other side with her arm on his chest.)

Link: Zelda? What's wrong?

(He looks at the closet doors too, seeing only him and Zelda.)

Zelda: I don't know, I –

(She's cut off as the door opens and Pit enters.)

Pit: Dad? It is you!

(He runs and jumps into his father's arms. Cut to the Mushroom Kingdom. Jigglypuff watches Diddy the frog in his terrarium while Diddy packs.)

Diddy: …and I guess he was just crazy after all.

Jigglypuff: So you're just going to up and leave? Go back to Kong Isle?

Diddy: (nods) I have to spread my father's ashes. Thanks for everything you've done for me and my father.

Jigglypuff: (grinning) Oh, I think you'll be back. (She walks up to him.) You're not done here. That's why I'm not even going to say goodbye.

Diddy: But I will. Goodbye, Jigglypuff.

(He goes to kiss her cheek, but she leans in and they kiss on the lips. After a few seconds, they break, looking longingly at each other. Diddy slowly walks towards the door.)

Jigglypuff: (softly) Goodbye, Diddy.

(Cut to Hyrule. Link and Pit sit at a patio table outside.)

Link: I'm sorry for not being there for you, Pit. How's your mom? Are you looking after her?

Pit: (sighs) Yeah, I'm trying. She's doing OK though. (pause) Dad, how did you get out of jail?

Link: (whispering) Between you and me…I walked out.

Pit: (impressed) How'd you do it?

Link: There's no jail that can hold your old man. I've got a secret.

Pit: Like Superman?

Link: (grinning) Just like Superman.

Zelda: (entering with coffee pot) More coffee?

Link: That'd be great, honey.

Pit: I'm gonna find more comic books. (He runs off.)

Zelda: It's going to crush him when you run again.

Link: There won't be any more running. Not after today. (Takes her hand) Look, can I hide out in the back seat of your when we go see the guy? I don't want the cops to see me.

Zelda: And you want me to take that risk?

Link: I just want you to be there when he says I was set up. (stands up and moves close to her) I know you're starting to believe me, but once I'm gone you'll doubt me. And I don't want you to doubt me again.

(She nods and they stare at each other. Cut to Corneria. Peach's biological parents – her father, a man with a large nose and short hair, and her mother, a tall brown and beige fox – are led into the living room by Mr. Bennet.)

Bennet: This is Olimar and Katt. (They both nod and shake Peach's hand) Well, why don't we all have a seat? (They sit, Olimar and Katt on a loveseat and Peach in the middle of the couch facing them, her parents on either side.)

Olimar: Well, it's obvious she got the ears from me, but she's got your face.

Peach: I wonder what else of yours I have.

(There's an awkward silence for a while, until Bennet stands up and shoots a look at Vivian.)

Vivian: (standing up, stuttering) Oh, yes! Um, drinks. What does everyone want? We have water, milk, orange juice, lemonade, soda. Or if you're not thirsty, maybe you want a cupcake. Just made 'em last night, the two of us – sort of a thing we do! (She leans into Peach for support)

Katt: Um, lemonade would be great.

Olimar: Yeah, make it two.

Vivian: Great! And, Peach…?

Peach: Oh, no thanks, mom. I'm OK.

(Another awkward pause, and the Bennets leave the room.)

Olimar: Well…what can we tell you about ourselves?

(Peach nervously bites on a fingernail. Cut to Hyrule. Zelda drives into a parking lot behind a run-down building.)

Zelda: (looking around, then nodding) It's clear.

(Link pops up out of the back seat and jumps clear of the car. They walk down some steps to the door of the building, a large metal door. Link tries the handle, but it's locked. A loud siren goes wailing past them and they turn to look. Suddenly, the door swings open.)

Zelda: Wasn't that locked?

Link: Guess not.

(He walks in and it's the backroom Marth and Roy were playing poker in before. The table's overturned and there are things everywhere, including bodies ripped apart. Zelda starts to walk in behind him.)

Link: Zelda. Go back to the car. Now.

Zelda: What? Why? Shouldn't we –

(She stops as she steps into the room and sees everything.)

Zelda: Oh my god, oh my god, oh –

(Link grabs her and pushes her out the door. Cut to the couch in Corneria.)

Olimar: We're not together any more. When Katt found out she was pregnant, I wanted to keep you, but…she didn't.

Katt: (nodding) It was work and stuff… You probably think I'm a bad person for giving you up.

(We pull back a small closet with blinds looking in on the living room. Bennet hides in here, eavesdropping as Peach says "No, not really" outside.)

Vivian: (sneaking in) Oh, this is so awkward. I have lip sweat!! (looks at Bennet) Should you be eavesdropping?

Bennet: (matter-of-fact) Yes.

Vivian: Oh. I guess.

(Cut back to the living room. Peach wrings her hands.)

Peach: Is there anything I should know? Like, medically? Anything weird, out of the ordinary?

Katt: Well...there is something. (Peach looks tense) It's just…I have diabetes. (Peach deflates.)

Olimar: (jokingly) All you've got to worry about from my side is a history of cancer and heart disease.

(Cut back to the closet. Bennet's cell phone rings and the three in the living room turn to look at it.)

Bennet: Oops. (Calling out) Sorry! Sorry. (Vivian hides her face in her hands and then waves, fake-smiling. They both turn to walk out as Bennet answers.) Hello. Oh, hi…What? (Covers mouthpiece) It's work. (Vivian nods and leaves and he closes the door) Then stop him.

(Cut to Jigglypuff in Diddy's apartment, on the phone.)

Jigglypuff: I've tried.

Bennet: (over phone) I think we both know that you can try harder.

Jigglypuff: (sadly) I don't…think so.

Bennet: (sighs) Well, what have you found out?

Jigglypuff: (all business) Mario Petrelli: no confirmation that he actually can fly, although he claims to have had an encounter with someone who can stop time.

(Cut back to the closet in Corneria. Bennet looks impressed.)

Bennet: Really? (smiles) ...That's cool.

Jigglypuff: (over phone) The time travel told Mario to "save the cheerleader." (Bennet freezes and looks grim) …Are you there?

Bennet: (hoarse) Yeah, fine. Thanks for the update.

Jigglypuff: What should I do with the precog?

Bennet: Bring him in.

(He hangs up. Cut to the living room in Hyrule. Link paces while Zelda stands with her arms crossed.)

Link: Have you ever seen anything like that before?

Zelda: (simply) Yeah, in the garage. (He turns on her, shocked) When I borrowed thirty thousand from Ganondorf and his thugs came to get it back. They ended up torn apart in our garage. (losing it) I have gone over it a thousand times in my head. I didn't see anything. Anyone. I was the only person there. It was me!

Link: (taking her face in his hands) No, you couldn't have done it.

Zelda: What if I did!? What if I got up in the middle of the night and I went –

Link: Baby, you are being played! Whoever set me up before is doing it to you now.

(She looks desperate to believe him. Pit walks in.)

Pit: Mom, have you seen my backpack?

Zelda: I'll help you in just a second, sweetie. (He nods and walks off) Link, we have to go to the police.

Link: They'll never believe us. The only way I can clear my name is to find the person who did this myself. OK?

(She nods, conceding the point. She walks to her bedroom and finds Pit's backpack. As she turns to leave, she looks into the mirror and sees her other self, smirking at her. She pauses.

Suddenly she's sitting on the couch in the living room. Zelda looks confused and goes into Pit's room. He's throwing clothes into the backpack.)

Zelda: (worried) Where did you get that?

Pit: You just gave it to me, mom.

Zelda: Huh??

Pit: You just came in here, telling me to pack some clothes because we're going to grandma's? (She just looks at him, lost.) Mom, are you OK?

Zelda: I'm not feeling well, honey. I need to go lie down.

(She staggers into her room, closing the door and walking over to the mirrored closet door.)

Zelda: (near tears) What's wrong with me?

(She turns and slides down the door. She sits on the floor, sobbing quietly, when she hears a voice.)

Other Zelda: (calmly) Pull yourself together.

(Zelda jumps and turns and sees the other self sitting next to her, with her hair pulled up to make it appear shorter.)

Zelda: You're not real.

Other Zelda: Oh, I'm as real as you are.

Zelda: (to herself) I just have a brain tumor or something. This is –

Other Zelda: (teasing fondly) Poor little crazy girl.

Zelda: – a hallucination.

Other Zelda: We're a lot of things, Zelda. But we're not crazy.

(Cut to Pit's room. Link enters.)

Link: Where's your mom?

Pit: (sadly) She went to lie down.

Link: (sighing) Yeah, she's had a hard day.

(Cut to Zelda's room.)

Other Zelda: What do you think Link will do when he finds out what we've done?

Zelda: "What we've done"?

(Cut back to Pit's room.)

Pit: Are you and mom going to get back together?

Link: I don't know, kiddo. I mean there was jail and everything…

(Pit looks crestfallen as we cut back to Zelda's room.)

Other Zelda: We framed Link. We killed his crew, stole 2 million dollars. We killed those thugs in the garage, killed those little bitches at the poker game. We've been very busy.

Zelda: Those men were ripped apart!

Other Zelda: (shrugging) Yeah, well, what can I say?

Zelda: (crying a bit) But, the guys at the poker game didn't do anything.

Other Zelda: Leaving witnesses would be sloppy. I did what had to be done, like I always do.

(Cut back to Pit's room.)

Pit: Are you getting back together or not?

Link: I don't know…I hope so.

(Cut back to Zelda's room.)

Other Zelda: Here's what we're going to do now. You're going to get the money, and you're going to take Pit as far away from Link as you can.

Zelda: Link can take care of me.

Other Zelda: Link will think you're crazy if you tell him the truth. And when he finally figures out what you did, he'll take Pit away from us. The only question will be whether he kills you before he does.

(Zelda kind of nods in agreement. Cut back to Pit's room.)

Pit: You know how you have a secret? (Link nods) …Mom has a secret too.

(Cut back to Zelda's room.)

Other Zelda: So, you can either let Link leave with Pit, or, do what I tell you.

Zelda: (after pausing to consider) Where's the money?

Other Zelda: (smirking) Good choice.

(Cut to elsewhere in Hyrule. Marth and Roy approach their car.)

Marth (translated): I still can't believe I just hid and didn't do anything to save them.

Roy (translated): But you would have been killed too!

Marth (translated): Still, I should have done something.

Roy (translated): Every hero is on a journey to find his place in the world. But it's a journey. You don't start at the end. (jokingly) Otherwise, they can't make a movie about it later.

Marth (translated): But what if I'm on the wrong path? What if I was supposed to save those people?

Roy (translated): You can bend time and space. Maybe when you can do it better, you can come back here and fix things.

Marth (translated): (hopeful) Like a do-over?

Roy (translated): (nodding and smiling, opening the driver's door) Exactly.

Marth (translated): (placated) A do-over. I like that.

(He smiles as he opens the passenger door. Cut to Corneria. Peach clears glasses from the living room as Vivian walks in.)

Vivian: Where's your father? (still nervous) I mean, not your biological father, but, you know…your dad.

Peach: He's walking out the bio-parents.

Vivian: Is that what you're calling them, "the bio-parents"? Oh, that's so cold and impersonal. (smiling) And fitting.

(Cut to outside. Bennet walks the parents to their car.)

Bennet: Thanks again for coming. I know how much your visit meant to Peach.

Katt: When I was her age, I had enough weighing on my head. I'm glad I could help.

(Bennet shakes both their hands.)

Olimar: (exhaling) Well, I think that went well.

Bennet: Yeah, think so.

Olimar: If there's anything else you need...

Bennet: (grinning) I'll keep you posted.

(Cut back to inside. Vivian and Peach clean up in the kitchen.)

Vivian: Was it everything you had hoped for?

Peach: (wistful) Not really. I mean, I guess. (sighs) I don't really know what I was hoping for. I guess I just wanted them to tell me who I am. They don't know any better than I do.

Vivian: Well, everyone has to figure out their identity for themselves.

Peach: (grinning) I know that I want more of those cupcakes. You better hide them before I eat them all.

Vivian: (taking the cupcakes into the pantry) Well, you should still thank your father. This isn't the first time we've tried to find these bio-parents. When you were a baby, we thought you had something wrong with your chromosomes – some disease. (Peach tenses at this) We needed to screen your parents to see if they were carriers. (She comes back into the kitchen) I was scared to death, and they were nowhere to be found.

Peach: (worried) What kind of disease? How did you know there was something wrong with me?

Vivian: Nothing was wrong with you, you were fine!

Peach: Was I doing anything abnormal?

Vivian: You just had a cough, Peach. (Walks past her) Don't turn hypochondriac on me! Your brother's bad enough.

(Bennet comes back in as she walks out.)

Bennet: (fondly) Was that as scary for you as it was for me?

Peach: (hugging him) You're a very brave man, Dad.

(He kisses the top of her head as she looks worried.

Cut to the attic of the house in Hyrule. Zelda crawls in and finds a briefcase with a small handgun next to it. She grabs both and goes back the way she came. She drops down into their bedroom.)

Link: All this time…

(She spins around and sees Link standing right there.)

Link: It was you…all along…

Zelda: (losing it) Link, look, there's…some other person –

Link: (walking to her) I trusted you, Zelda. I loved you.

Zelda: No, Link, I didn't do it. I don't know –

Link: (grabs the briefcase) I'm leaving, I'm taking the money, and I'm taking our son. Goodbye, Zelda.

(A look passes over Zelda's face and suddenly she smirks.)

Zelda: You're not taking anything.

(She punches Link and he flies across the room, breaking a shelf. Pit appears in the doorway.)

Pit: Is everything OK, mom?

Zelda: (turning to him) We're just moving furniture, sweetie. You should go to your room.

(He nods and leaves. Zelda shuts the door and subconsciously pulls her hair up into a ponytail, snapping a hair tie off her wrist to keep it up. She walks over to the other side of the bed, but Link is gone. Zelda grabs the briefcase and looks around for him, backing towards the wall.

Suddenly, hands shoot through the wall and grab onto her as Link walks through the wall.)

Zelda: (smiling) So that's how you got out of jail.

(She drops the briefcase, grabs his wrist, and throws him onto the bed, breaking the frame. She jumps on top of him, trying to choke him. He grabs at her shirt, revealing for one second a tattoo of the circular symbol on her shoulder. The door opens as Pit comes in, terrified. Zelda looks up at him and suddenly Link shoots his hand through her chest and up to her throat, choking her. She gasps and falls unconscious as Link phases his arm back. Pit runs toward her, crying, but Link picks him up and leaves.

As Zelda lies on the floor, we cut to a painting of the scene in Douglas's loft. He smudges the paint on the right shoulder blade, revealing the symbol tattoo. There's a knock at his door, which he answers.)

Douglas: Can I help you? (Jigglypuff walks in)

Jigglypuff: Douglas Mendez? (He nods) Jigglypuff McCain. I'm a big fan of your work. (He looks amazed)

Evolution is an imperfect and often violent process. Morality loses its meaning.

(Pan over Zelda's body, still lying on the bed in Hyrule.)

The question of good and evil reduced to one simple choice: survive or perish.

(Slam to black.)

oOoOoOoOoOoO

A/N: That's it! Phew! These take a while, but they are fun to do. Hope you are enjoying the story and everything. We'll get some new Smash Brothers next time, as well as a death, a revelation of powers, a chance encounter leading to a changing of heart, another revelation, and a discovery of another evolved character. R/R if you please!