Something happens in this chapter, gasp! Getting closer to the pairing, one more person to boot! This has taken up almost all of my time now, when I should be focusing on my serious fanfiction and my original. Feh. Enjoy;D PS: Some swearing, and I don't own!

I start to pace. Dark Link's and Vaati's voices have been silenced for about ten minutes, and still no sign of Vaati.

"Li, stop it. I already told you, he's gone his own way. If he wanted to be near us, he would have found us." Gail pesters, trying to calm me down. I must say, it's not helping.

"He's troubled, Gail." I say simply, glancing at her. "We should go look for him."

"No, Li, we shouldn't."

"And why is that?" I question. I know that Gail doesn't like Vaati very much, hell he's annoying to both her and me, I just don't show it because I pity him. This pity was mostly in the beginning, such as when I asked him to come along with me. But it's grown into a friendship, I'd even go so far as to call him my brother in a way. Which is why I can't just let him be pissed off and get himself into trouble.

"Because..." Gail hesitates.

"You can't come up with anything, can you?" I smirk faintly, something I've picked up from Vaati.

Gail lifts her chin stubbornly. "I can, it's just that *he* said he would make my life a living hell should I say it."

I laugh slightly. "Vaati wouldn't do that. He's my friend, and since you're my girlfriend, he's your friend too." I smile at Gail.

Her eyebrows raise and she mutters, "I'm glad you've got your sense straight." Her voice raises, "He's the Wind Mage, Li. He turned Princess Zelda to stone!"

My eyes widen. "What? When? Why haven't I heard of this?"

Gail sighs, her patience wasted. "Not recently, in another life. And in one of your pasts, you sealed him away. For a thousand years at least."

"So? If I'm a different Link, then he's a different Vaati."

"No, he didn't age in his prison. Vaati is over a thousand years old! He's the same; he's still evil!" Gail seems close to hysterics now.

"Gail," I say calmly, "He must be a different person now, he's been nothing but a friend to me. You would do well to learn from him."

Gail shakes her head at me. "They say love blinds us. And I believe love has blinded me."

A terrible feeling begins to form in my stomach. "What are you saying, Gail?"

"I'm saying that you're a different person now, Li. I've been noticing it for a while. You take his side more than mine, and seem to be able to spare a glance at him, even when you're with me. If you weren't straight, I'd say you were in love with him."

"Gail..." I say, thinking. I have been paying more attention to Vaati than to Gail, but that's only because he seems like he needs the attention more.

"No, no more 'Gail', Li. You've changed too much. You're not the same person I fell in love with. And I don't think I can lie to myself anymore and lead you on. I'm sorry." Gail looks away from me.

I shake my head and smile faintly, sadly. "Don't be sorry, Gail. I know you don't like Vaati, and right now more of my attention is toward him. In truth, I'm not used to having you around." I smile sheepishly as Gail looks back up at me. "We've just grown apart, Gail. That's all there is to it..."

"I think I'll be going home. Leal has been dragging me back anyways. I hope to see you again someday, Link... You're still my favourite character." Gail steps to me and kisses the corner of my mouth.

"I'll see you around, Gail..." Though I feel weird for leaving first, I turn and walk into the trees.

It takes a while, a few days actually, before I catch up to Vaati. Silently, I walk up behind him as he's sitting on a tree stump. "Vaati," I murmur, "I..." Pausing, I knit my brows. I'm not sure what to say to him. "Vaati..."

"You don't have to say anything..." Vaati whispers, so low that I can barely even pick it up. "I understand that you'd rather be with your girlfriend than with a fuck up like me."

I sigh softly and place my hand lightly on Vaati's shoulder. "Vai, it's not li–" (A/N: it's said vay, like vein without the n)

"Just leave me me the fuck alone!" Vaati screams, standing and tearing his shoulder from my grip. He turns and glares so fiercely at me that I almost do as he says.

"You've not been sleeping... You don't know what you're saying." I try to reason with him. There's no sense in losing both Gail and him almost at once.

"I know exactly what I'm saying, Link!" he snarls, "You lied to me, and I trusted you! Hell, I trusted Shakra, too! Why the fuck do I trust people if they're just going to fuck me over?"

I flinch; I've never heard Vaati swear so much in a rant, not even when he was telling me about Shakra. "Vaati please, I'm so–" but my apology is cut short by a dart hitting me in the neck. My vision blurs and I sway, my breathing shallowing. In a slow blink, I'm on the ground, slowly losing consciousness. The last thing I see is Vaati slumping down near me, equally subdued.