Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming ownership over the Legend of Zelda franchise or making money with this story. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: Here it is! This is a fun chapter, and I hope you love it!


"If you could only love enough, you could be the most powerful person in the world." - Emmet Fox


Link barely contained his anger as he walked to his dorm. What gave Karane the right to lie to him about Pipit and Keet. Why hadn't she told him as soon as she'd found out? They had been friends for years. How could that friendship have shattered over the course of two weeks?

His anger boiling inside of him, he reached Pipit's room in no time at all. He slammed the door with his fist. "Pipit, I know you're in there!" There was no noise from inside. Link tried the doorknob, but it was locked.

"Pipit, you come let me into this room right now, or so help me I'll break the door down!"

From within the room came the sound of Pipit rising from his bed, and a moment later the lock clicked and the door swung open. Link gasped. Pipit looked awful. He was wearing only underwear, he had enormous bags under eyes that were bloodshot, and his hair was at once matted and frizzy, so that he looked like an unkempt clown. From what Link could see, his room was worse. There was garbage littering the floor and desk. It was dark, the only light coming from a nearly finished candle that burned hesitantly on his dresser.

"Hi Link. I'm surprised you wanted to see me."

As angry as he was, he couldn't help but feel bad for Pipit. "Pipit, we need to talk. I've just come back from talking to Keet about this whole mess."

Pipit looked horrified. "What did he say?" Only then did he seem to realize that he was almost naked. Link noticed too, and had to restrain himself from reaching out and running his hands along the other boy's muscle, until he realized that he was openly staring at Pipit's stomach. He blushed, looking around awkwardly to avoid Pipit's eyes. "Why don't you come in, Link?"

Link followed him into the darkened room. Pipit nervously pulled on a pair of trousers while he tried to shove some of the tissues and wrappers beneath his bed with his foot. "Sorry about the mess," he said, chuckling weakly.

He sat down heavily on the bed, and Link sat down next to him. "Pipit… I'm sorry about the mess we're in. I went to talk to Keet because I needed to know his side of the story. He doesn't want you back."

"I don't want him back," Pipit said bravely.

"He told me it would be easiest if I took you back." They held eye contact for a full minute in silence, and then Pipit bowed his head.

"You aren't going to do it, though, are you?"

Link sighed, trying to keep the tears from his eyes. "I don't see how I can, Pipit. How can I trust you again? I mean, it wasn't as though you were getting bored of me, were you? Why didn't you break it off with Keet after you and Karane split up? I guess I just don't understand why you did what you did."

"I promise that I can explain, Link. Will you let me?"

Link settled onto the bed. He considered for a few moments before nodding tentatively.

"Okay." Pipit took a deep calming breath. "Let me start at the beginning. I was introduced to Keet at the end-of-exams party we had last year. I'd seen him around before, but never spoken to him. That was when I was beginning to question my relationship with Karane and my own sexuality, and Keet seemed like a perfect way to explore. By the end of the night, he was telling me about all the times he'd hooked up. We were drunk, and so I asked him if maybe we could hook up sometime.

"A few days later, I came home to find Keet in my room. He gave me booze, and I didn't question what was happening. Before long, we were both naked and he was on top of me. I don't remember what happened next, and from then on we were meeting almost every night. As I learned, I became more sure of my sexuality, and my new confidence brought me dominance.

"During the time we were meeting, I know that he hooked up with plenty of other men, but I felt so trapped by Karane that it felt as though there was nowhere else to turn. Karane started to become suspicious, so I tried to break things off with Keet, but he threatened to out me in front of Karane.

"Eventually I received my invitation to attend the seminar, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to clear my head and come up with a way to make everyone happy. I knew that if I broke up with Karane, Keet would practically force me to make our relationship public, so I had to get her to break up with me. Making her think I was cheating on her with Orielle was part of a plan I came up with to turn her against me, and it worked beautifully. I used the trauma of the breakup to delay coming out with Keet, but that's when you come in."

"Me?" Link was transfixed by his story. "What did I do?"

"You made me fall in love with you. I was going to start a relationship with you, let Keet find out, and hope that he broke up with me so –"

"Wait, what? You – you used me?"

"No, let me finish."

"Hold on, Pipit! You just told me that you were planning on using me to make Keet break up with you!"

"I know, Link, and I'm so sorry! But then I fell in love with you! I didn't think I would be able to, because we've been friends for so long, but you made me realize that there's more to being gay than sex. You were my first real relationship with a man, and I was happier than I've ever been with any girl.

Link bit his tongue to let Pipit continue.

"The thing is, Link… I'm not really comfortable breaking up with people. I tried to summon the courage to tell him that we were in a relationship, but I just couldn't do it. I made as many excuses as I could, and eventually we had a huge argument about it. That's what you overheard. From then on, he became more and more demanding. He would try to catch me off my guard, and it became harder and harder to spend time with you.

"I don't know what I thought would happen. I guess I hoped that it would eventually resolve itself. I thought that maybe Keet would get bored with me, or maybe I would finally work up the courage to stand up to Keet. Anyway, Link, I want you to know that I chose you. I know what I did was wrong, and there were so many things that I could have done better to end this without the drama, but I really want you to know that I chose you at the end of it all. I still choose you. Keet and I are over, and that's the way it's going to stay. If you'll take me back, then you'll be the only man for me."

Pipit took Link's hand with both of his, and a single tear fell from his eye.

They sat there for years, or maybe it was just seconds. Link felt as though they were suspended in time, and that what he said next was a decision that would affect both of them more than they realized. He struggled with himself more in that one moment than he ever had before in his life. What did he do? As much as he wanted to kiss Pipit and hold him and never leave him again, Link knew he shouldn't be so quick to forgive.

Tears were in his eyes, but he forced himself to hold them back. He stood up and looked out of the window. He didn't want to, but he spoke. "I – I don't think – I don't think I can answer that right now." He pulled his hand out of Pipit's and walked to the door.

"Link, I…"

Pipit was at a loss for words, and Link could hear the desperation and heartbreak in his words. "Goodbye, Pipit." He knew it sounded both melodramatic and uncomfortably final, but he couldn't manage anything else.

As Link walked away from Pipit's room, he felt as though he was leaving some inexplicable part of their relationship. Whatever they became after this – friends, enemies, or lovers – they had lost something today.

Link's feet beat the worn path to Zelda's dorm, and she was waiting for him when he arrived. "I knew you'd be here eventually." He didn't say a word, but wrapped her into a tight embrace and let his tears flow. There were more tears than he'd ever shed before, and as he stood there, burying his face into Zelda's sweater, it was as though he could release the woes of the world through his grief.

Eventually, she pulled away from him and led him to her bed. He gasped and moaned through his tears, sitting beside her and holding her closer than ever. "Link, tell me what happened."

His lip quivered for a moment, and then it was like a spark hit a dry hay bale. "This morning I ran into Fledge when he was almost naked and dripping wet after having just gotten out of the shower. It was unbearably awkward and I almost chickened out, but I turned and apologized for being such a dick to him last night. Then he went and told me all this shit about how hard it was for him to come out, and that he didn't want things to be weird because he had a crush on me, so now he's all cute and feel even worse for fucking around with him.

"Anyway, after I went to see Fledge, I decided that I needed to talk to Pipit so that I could get his side of the story. You told me last night that he was victim too, and it turns out you were right, because he was totally pissed at Pipit and he told me that he was totally cool with me taking him back. Oh, and guess what! He lives in total squalor! He has this fucking shed that he lives in with at least his mom and grandma, who thinks he's the devil because he's gay. Honestly, if you're grandma hates you because you're gay maybe you should stop sucking dick so much and do something that isn't totally whore. She thought I was Pipit and tried to attack me, and then Keet was a total asshole so I tried to attack him, and then he tried to make out with me!"

"What?"

"Yeah! He said that he thought I went to see him so that we could hook up or some shit like that! Anyway, after I told him that that wasn't what I was looking for, he made me feel guilty about how bad his house is and then I ended up on his side somehow. Then he started hitting on me, and I sort of accidentally told him about Fledge, so now I have to take Fledge to the Lumpy Pumpkin after school tomorrow to introduce the two of them."

Zelda bit her lip. "Link, I don't know if Keet is the best –"

"I know. Keet is an awful person. I know, Zelda. Anyway, apparently we're friends now for some fucking reason. Speaking of friends, I saw Piper, and then I fucking saw that bitch Karane. Guess what, Zelda? Karane knew that Pipit was cheating on me! Yeah! She found out five days ago, and then she came up to me the day before the party and acted all friendly and shit, and secretly she was just waiting for me to find out that Pipit was cheating! She could have said something, like a friend would have done. But I should have known. I should have known she couldn't forgive me for stealing Pipit from her!

"So we got into a fistfight in the middle of the bazaar, but I got the fuck out of there because I'm not wasting another second of my life on that bitch. Then I went to Pipit's which was a mistake because I was pissed as fuck. I slammed on the door and forced him to come out. He's a total mess, Zelda! I don't know what he's been doing, but there's garbage all over his floor, his hair is a wreck, and he only had pants on when he opened the door. Holy shit he is so fucking attractive."

Link sighed, gazing at the wall absentmindedly for a moment. Zelda cleared her throat.

"Anyway, I gave him the chance to explain himself, and he basically told me that he tried to use me to try to break it off with Keet."

"Oh my Goddess, Link, I'm sorry!"

His eyes watered. "Yeah, but he sort of made up for it by saying that he didn't have the balls to tell Keet."

Zelda narrowed her eyes, confused. "What? That doesn't make any sense."

Link sighed again dreamily. "No, it just means that he loved me too much to hurt me."

"No. No, no, Link. I think you may have diffused too much of your anger telling me about what happened before you talked to Pipit. You're still supposed to be angry with him. From the sound of it, he was a total asshole and used you to get what he wanted! That's not romantic!"

"Zelda, what are you talking about? Are you listening to me?"

"No, Link! You need to listen to me! What the hell is wrong with you? You need to be angry with Pipit!"

Link started to cry. "Okay Zelda! I'm just trying to forget about this whole fucking day, alright? It's too fucking much, okay? I'm sick of it. I want to go back to before the stupid fucking festival! Before all this shit happened!"

He curled up against her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She stroked his hair softly after a moments' hesitation. "I know, Link, and I'm sorry. You've gone through so much in the last few days, and you deserve a break. Let's get you back to your room, alright? Get a good night's sleep, and I'll wake you up before school tomorrow."

Zelda pulled him up off of her bed, and the two walked slowly back to Link's dorm in companionable silence. She pulled him into another hug at the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sleeping Beauty." He sighed into her hair, not wanting to let her go. Zelda broke the hug and ensured Link was comfortably sitting on his bed before closing the door behind her.

His mind was exhausted, and he felt as though his thoughts were coming to him through a heavy fog. He slowly took his clothes off and absentmindedly tidied his room for a while until he could hardly keep his eyes open any longer. After turning out the light, he curled beneath his sheets and was asleep in an instant.

When he woke up the next morning, he knew he was very late for class. In fact, he found out a moment later when he lurched upright and checked the clock, it was past lunchtime. He sat for a moment, forcing his mind to work as he wrestled with the decision to skip class, and eventually decided that the day was shot already and he might as well make the most of it.

He felt strangely calm after the events of the previous day, and he took his time showering, choosing a good outfit, and doing his hair. After thoroughly brushing his teeth, Link stood in front of the mirror admiring himself. He hadn't been this ready on the first day of school. The trouble was, he didn't know what he was ready for.

Making his way out of the dorm, he saw a person he usually liked to avoid coming down the hall.

Groose was lumbering along the hallway, looking as arrogantly at ease as usual. He froze when he saw Link, and Link got the feeling he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

"What're you doing there, Groose?" he called jauntily.

"None of your business," he grunted.

"Surely you should be in class. You are on probation, after all."

"I said shut up!" Groose growled menacingly.

"What are you going to do, beat me up?" Link narrowed his eyes. "Or have you played that card already? Couldn't slide in another excuse like last time? Should have saved your fists of fury for someone more deserving, like me?"

Groose scoffed. "If you're talking about Fledge, he deserved what he got. You can't be a fucking queer like that and expect to get away with it. Someone has to take action eventually. This time, that was me. I did what anyone else would do."

"What?!" Link trembled with rage, spitting through his teeth. "Is that how you've justified this to yourself? That you did your duty? You're sick, Groose, and twisted. Oh, and you deserve this." With that, Link stepped forward and punched Groose squarely in the nose with all of his might, feeling a satisfying crunch. Groose screamed, clutching his nose with both hands as blood gushed from it. Link wasn't finished. He planted his foot squarely between the other boy's legs, causing Groose to heave and fall to the ground. Link spat on him.

At barely more than a whisper, he hissed, "If you ever touch any of my friends again I will kill you."

He left Groose curled there pathetically clutching his balls, blood spurting from his broken nose. He knew he faced at best detention and at worst expulsion, but he didn't care. It felt good to vent some of his anger at Karane and Pipit, not to mention Groose himself.

It was a beautiful day, and as Link strode out into the breezy afternoon air he filled his lungs with the sweet scent of autumn. The trees of Skyloft were a spectacular display of brown and orange, and as he walked the leaves crinkled beneath his feet. He made his way along the edge of the island, still buzzing with anger from his encounter with Groose, but he was able to relax as the open air whipped around him. Standing there at the edge of the island, looking into the empty void of the sky, Link felt free.

After enjoying himself for a time, Link walked alongside the river towards the Plaza. As he crossed a small stone bridge the spanned the waters below, he saw Peatrice walked towards him, looking distraught and angry.

"I hope you know what you've done to Karane, Link!" she cried.

"What I've done?" Link asked with the absentminded air of one talking to a child.

"She's a total wreck! She's in love with Pipit, Link! Why can't you see that? Why are you insisting on keeping them apart like this?"

Link laughed. "Peatrice, I don't know what Karane has been telling you, but I'm not keeping them apart. In case you haven't noticed, Pipit and I aren't exactly together at the moment. I sort of caught him cheating on me."

"You tore them apart to begin with, and you keep leading him on and toying with him! Why, Link? Just stop, and we can all be friends again."

Link was losing his good mood and anger-fueled buzz. "Peatrice, you don't know what you're talking about. Right now, it's time for you to make a choice. You can either continue to hang out with Karane, eat the bullshit she feeds you, and live a lonely, unfulfilling life, or you can see sense and hang out with us again."

He flashed his brightest, broadest, and most fake smile before walking past her into the Plaza. However, she called to his back as he walked away, "This isn't over, Link! Karane isn't happy!"

Link stopped, irritated, and turned on heel. "Peatrice, honey, read my lips. I…don't…give…a…fuck."

As he said those words, a bell rang from the Knight Academy. He turned back around and strode towards the sound. It was time for him to pick up Fledge.


Author's Note: WOO! So, tell me what you thought in a review, please! I love all you guys, and your support makes me smile whenever I think about it. Be sure to favorite and follow if you like the story! Thank you so much for reading!