Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for this rather large box of cookies... ehehe.


Gods. Not the well. Sheik sprinted over to where the Shadow Spirit was supposed to be contained, dodging villagers and flaming timber. Suddenly, he paused for a second, hearing the familiar whinny of a horse in the distance. Shaking his head, he ran the last few meters over to the well, peering down it to see if the ancient protections were still there.
Link was in a minor state of shock as he entered Kakariko, the sight of the village he had called home in ruins and smoke. Scrambling off Epona, he unsheathed his sword and scanned the area quickly, seeing Sheik looking over the well. Link started, but was stopped by a loud rumbling underground. He half-expected what was coming next, but wasn't quick enough to stop it.

"SHEIK!" He shouted, just as the Shadow Spirit jetted out of the well and smacked the Sheik away, spiralling up into the sky. Doing a U-Turn, it slingshot back straight at Link. Quickly, he jumped out of the way, sword raised. The spirit was a visible form of all the pain, misery and suffering in the world... a sort of tangible void. He heard a rustle on his head and Navi poked out.

"LINK! LOOK OU-"She was cut off by the large creature smacking Link in the back of his legs and sending him flying, completely off guard. The last thing he remembered was making a rather friendly acquaintance with a cliff-face.

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Link forced his eyes open. His side was on fire, the pain turning him pale. He saw... people putting fires out, Sheik, Navi... wait... Navi? Sitting up quickly, he soon regretted it as the pain sent the world into a spin.

"Link! You're awake," Sheik whispered from his place next to the elf. Link turned his head to look the Sheikah in the eyes.

"What...what happened?" Link croaked, his throat caked with dust and smoke. Sheik looked away for a second, then back at Link.

"A terrible thing. The shadow spirit was released. Impa, the head of Kakariko had sealed it in that well over there, but its power grew too much and it broke the bonds set by her."

"Where's she now?" Link said, looking at Navi, who was flitting around worriedly.

"At the Shadow Temple, I presume, trying to seal it up again... Link, she's not strong enough to handle it, even if she –is- one of the Six Sages. Without any help, her life will be in danger. We have to go help her." Link grunted as he fought to stand up, losing his balance and falling against Sheik. Of course, he was caught.

"Gods... I must've gotten hit pretty hard. Sheik, you're not coming with me." He said, fumbling with his belt and removing his water flask from it, taking a drink. Coughing a few times, he regained his voice completely and tied it back.

"And why not?" Sheik asked quietly, still supporting Link.

"Because it's too damn dangerous!"

"And it's not for you?"

"That's different. Sheik, just... take care of the village. Make sure nothing else bad happens. The rest is up to me."

Sheik just shook his head, regarding the elf. So much had to rest on his shoulders...

"Not entirely. Before you go, you have to learn the Nocturne of Shadow, which will take you to the temple." Link scoffed, half chuckling.

"It's not really an appropriate time for a song." Link said, drawing out his ocarina.

"It's never an appropriate time for anything," Sheik replied, plucking the first few notes on his harp.

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Link wandered around the room of the Shadow Temple, the eerie light giving him the jitters. Sitting down for a minute, he leaned against the wall, Navi floating next to him.

"So Navi, where were you when the village was attacked?" Link asked quietly, remembering the events of the past few hours. The village, the monster and the song. Navi was silent for a while.

"I was looking for you. Both you and Sheik had gone, and I didn't know where either of you were..." Link sighed and looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Navi... I should've told you I was going." The little fairy seemed to sigh.

"It's all right, it wasn't your fault." Link nodded slightly, then shivered. He had been hearing the spooky voices for some time now and he just wished they would go away. Those shivers that he got were like the ones people said you got when someone walked over your grave... well, Link supposed that his grave had just become part of a fun run, the way he was feeling. Well, there was only one thing for it...

"Come on, Navi. We still have a while to go yet."

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"Gah!" Link barely dodged the freaky eye intent on killing him and having him for elevenses. Shining the Lens of Truth at it, he rolled away as he saw it hurtling at him again. Rolling over, he slashed at it with his Master Sword and it wailed so high pitched Link had to cover his ears.

"He's weak, Link!" Navi advised, hovering nearby.

'I know,' Muttered the Hero of Time under his breath, swinging his blade up in an arc as the eye tried to slice him again. This time it hit full on, cutting the thing in two. It let out one more screech, before it disappeared from all existence. Link just fell over in exhaustion. He had forgotten how long he'd been in there, fighting battle after battle, his only conversation source Navi. Goddess knows anyone would kill themselves under those kinds of circumstances. A dazzling light flicked on near him and he could faintly hear Navi urging him on.

"Come on Link, we have to go see Impa!" He vaguely remembered getting up and meeting the lady Sheikah, who looked like a well-read and intelligible person. After receiving the Shadow Medallion, he was warped to Hyrule Field and was greeted by Epona, who was looking in high spirits. Sliding onto her, Link nudged her gently in the direction of Kakariko, and then fell asleep.

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Sheik was the epitome of worry. Things, what-ifs and maybes ran through his mind. He had tried not to think about it by helping the locals repair their buildings and tending to the injured from the disaster, but his imagination couldn't help but wander. Probably not a good thing, at his height. He was sitting on the inn's roof and repairing the slats that had been damaged in the fire. He actually found it quite relaxing, hammering nails into the thick boarding. Taking a quick break, his crimson eyes surveyed the clean up. People were fixing thatching on rooves, replacing boards and window frames, settling the animals and building the pens again... his train of thought was interrupted by someone poking their head up the ladder he had come up, and clearing their throat.

"Yes?" Sheik asked, turning to the villager. He was about the same height as the Sheikah, with wild chestnut hair and dreamy hazel eyes to match.

"Excus' me, but Milly wanted you in' the infirmary." Sheik raised his eyebrows sceptically. The youth cowered a little, intimidated by the older boy.

"I'll be down straight away." The boy nodded and scarpered, leaving Sheik one last minute to look across the Kakariko landscape before he followed the boy's trail down the ladder. Jumping the last few rungs and landing neatly on the ground, he walked towards the infirmary-used-to-be-inn. Nearing it, he saw a familiar bay mare whickering at the people near her and snapping at them. Epona? If Epona was here, then surely... Sheik broke into a sprint and nearly slammed into the door. Twisting the knob, he saw Milly and a few other villagers wandering around, tending to five or six other people who were injured, or mixing herbs for anointments. The older woman looked very tired, grey hairs straggling out of her normally neat bun. With a silent order to follow her, she walked out of the room with Sheik in tow. Walking into their normal room, Link lay on the bed looking very pale. Navi was a small blue glow on the pillow next to his head, shivering a bit. Sheik just stared, then turned to Milly.

"Could I please have a minute?" He asked, a little shakily. Milly gave a weary smile and nodded.

"Of course." And with that, she was out of the room and gently closing the door with a soft click. Sheik walked over quietly to Link's bedside, kneeling next to him. Placing a soft hand on the younger blonde's cheek, Sheik was shocked to feel how thin he was. His skin was cold and clammy, almost white he was so pale. As the Sheikah shifted onto the bed and drew Link instinctively into his arms, he felt the overwhelming urge to cry... after all... he had told him to go there hadn't he? So many conflicting emotions caused a lone tear to trickle down his cheek. Drawing the elf closer to himself, he barely managed to hear...

"You know, it wasn't your fault." Link croaked, giving a weak smile. This slightly startled the Sheikah.

"You shouldn't be awake. You're very ill." Sheik stated sagely, looking down at Link.

"Not at all, just a little exhaustion. Anyway, I think I'd like to be awake for this." The elf continued and he lay back in Sheik's arms. The Sheikah blushed a little, though it went un-noticed between the two as they both fell into the grabbing clutches of sleep.


Yay, another chapter finished. This one was particularly hard to write, as I'm pretty crap at writing in temples and stuff... but yeah, this story should be going for a while yet! Thanks AGAIN to all my wonderful reviewers! You make my day worthwhile ; Well, I'm off to study for an exam that's on tomorrow... wish me luck ;-;