Part 9 is FINNNNNAALLLLLYYY here ya'll! So sorry about the wait...this week has been a busy one!
Soooo, I wouldn't exactly call this chapter a filler, but I must say that it isn't all that exciting. BUT, it DOES lead up to more EXCITING stuff! It's only going to get more intense from here! Ok? Ok! I'm done blabbing
Enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! I really like this chapter but I'd still like to know what the reader thinks
Ghirahim, Link, Skyward Sword (c) Nintendo
As time passed after that forbidden yet fateful night on the Eldin summit, the demon lord would often interrupt Link's endless quest by making sudden appearances out of thin air, sending a flurry of diamonds in colorful bursts of orange, yellow, and red; before the warrior could even think to react, Ghirahim would whisper, "surprise, skychild", into a very shocked Link's ear, wrap his cold arms around him, and teleport them both to a secluded area located deep within the surface. One time they teleported to the dry lake bed of the Sand Sea, a forgotten wasteland in Lanayru, where the sun beat down on their bodies without mercy and the sand crept into their clothing, rubbing their skin raw. However, on account of Link's past experiences within the desert, they were quick to discover a time-shift stone embedded into the baked earth near their whereabouts. With a single swipe of the warrior's goddess sword, the power of the time altering stone turned the dead land of Lanayru into a thriving place filled with a vast body of shimmering water, luscious blue and red plants that drifted delicately in the current, and vibrantly colorful water creatures that splashed at the pair playfully with their flowing tails. Another time the demon lord took Link deep into the Faron Woods where the trees were so tall and overgrown that they could not see the sky; and yet, even without sunlight, life flourished underneath the over-bearing trees in the forms of purple and yellow flowers, lush green ferns, and the chirps and chimes of the forest birds that fluttered by occasionally.
And though teleporting two people seemed to decrease the demon lord's energy levels considerably, he never let on; on the contrary, as soon as the teleportation process was complete, Ghirahim would attack the sky child with such uninhibited passion that it sent Link's head spinning. Often Link would fight back in an attempt to gain dominance and win the upper-hand, but it was the demon lord that always ended up prevailing. The result of him becoming the reluctant submissive one always put Link in a bad mood, but he found that he couldn't stay angry at the over-powering demon lord for long; if, at the end of their lustful endeavors, Ghirahim didn't attempt to woo him with both endearing words and intimate embraces in order to weaken the warrior's anger, he allowed Link to take out his frustration in other ways. Sometimes he sparred with the sky child, while other times he simply allowed Link to push him around until the demon lord grew bored and fought back. He'd never really try to wound the boy, but the aches and pains that Link did unintentionally develop during their sparring sessions were quickly healed with the dark energy that flowed from the gentle caress of Ghirahim's hand. The demon lord would often goad the sky child about his inability to handle pain well anymore, while the boy would simply retort that Ghirahim had begun to slack off with his sadistic ways in terms of pain and torture. The demon lord would simply smile and shrug, saying that, "it would all happen in good time, slave."
At the end of their meetings, Ghirahim would take Link back to where he was before the demon lord appeared and interrupted his journey. With a soft kiss and one last embrace, Ghirahim would bid the warrior farewell and leave with a single snap from his fingers. But the more often the demon lord visited, the harder it was for him to leave; hours would come and go, sending the day into the late hours of the night, before either Link or Ghirahim would realize the massive deviation they encountered. But, even with Ghirahim gone, the sky child could hardly focus on his mission afterwards; each meeting with the demon lord sent his heart pounding and his breath fleeting. His once exhausted body was energized with adrenaline, making him jittery and nearly hyperactive. His mind tumbled in clumsy circles as he fought to stay focused and gain control of his dangerous and yearning thoughts. But with every minute that passed through the day, Link's thoughts always managed to turn back to the demon lord and their little detours together. The lust that raced through his heart like a wild fire was incredibly overwhelming, and it made the warrior dizzy with desire towards Ghirahim.
As time continued to flow in its endless circle, Link realized that passion and desire were not the only feelings that accompanied the sky child's heart and mind each time he thought of the demon lord. A sense of being complete, of being whole, captivated his heart so strongly that, at first, Link didn't understand what was taking place within his guarded soul. But with each visit that Ghirahim provided the tired warrior, day by day, little by little, the walls that Link so desperately tried to keep up began to grow weak. They began to develop holes that seeped his emotions and once safely-guarded secrets, and before he could patch up the holes, more were made. And then the walls began to crumble, completely exposing the warrior's vulnerable state to the world that he hid from. But the idea of showing Ghirahim his secret hidden side was intriguing, exciting even. It was a side that no one had ever seen, not even his dear friend Zelda. The idea of admitting his fears, his flaws, and his weaknesses to the demon lord nearly made Link delirious with delight; to rid himself of the pent up burdens that rested on his shoulders, to become free without the presence of guilt, the endless thoughts were intoxicating. And though Link wasn't exactly sure just how to explain these confusing yet personal feelings to Ghirahim, he knew that the right words would enter his mind when the time called for it.
The Sealed Grounds were vibrant with life when Link entered the wooded glen; all living creatures in the woods sang together in skillful harmony, creating a small hum that reverberated through the air. The plants seemed to glow with the rays of the sun, glimmering with the morning dew. Smells of earth mixed with the light fragrances of both ripe fruit and colorful flowers wafted in the breeze, producing an invigorating scent that filled the warrior's senses. Link couldn't help but feel alive and energized along with the woods. Having finally collected all sacred flames, his goddess sword now had enough power in order to awaken the sleeping Gate of Time. In a matter of mere hours, he'd unlock the powerful time traveling machine and discover the hiding place of Zelda. Link gave a small smile as he trudged through the woods as the Sealed Grounds temple, the resting area of the second Gate of Time, came into view. 'Maybe if I'm lucky, Zelda will actually be able to come home with me this time.' He thought ruefully. The warrior placed a hand on the large stone door that led to the temple and shook his head, letting out a small chuckle. "I highly doubt that though." He muttered with a hint of mockery.
"What, pray tell, do you highly doubt?" A voice purred with curiosity from behind Link, causing the boy to tense with surprise.
The sudden addition of another voice in the woods caught him off guard, but the fact that the voice belonged to Ghirahim made the sky child smile. Hand sliding off the door, Link looked over his shoulder to see the demon lord perched on a large boulder that lay half-embedded into the earth wall that circled around the pair. Ghirahim's legs were crossed with an air of nonchalance, and he had one elbow resting lightly on them in order to support his head as he gazed down at Link. Though half of his face was completely covered with his flawlessly styled hair, the warrior could see a small smile adorning the demon lord's mouth as he watched the sky child walk slowly towards the boulder.
"I think I prefer this entrance to your other ones, Ghirahim." Link smirked as he took off his hat and tossed it to the ground.
The demon lord chuckled quietly as he peered down from his perch. "You don't like my surprise visits? That's hurtful, skychild."
Link shook his head, causing his blond locks to tangle together. "I don't like surprises in general." He cocked his head to the side and gave a crooked grin. "I don't mind what usually comes after your surprise visits though." Without giving a second glance to the temple door, the warrior stretched out his hands for the demon lord to grab in order to pull him onto the boulder. "Where are we going today?"
Ghirahim's eyes clouded over slightly and flickered towards the stone door before returning to Link's face. "Are you sure I'm not interrupting anything?" His voice came out in a low tone, and for a moment the sky child wondered if he heard the hint of anger.
Link stared hard into Ghirahim's face, his smile etching into a scowl. 'Does he know that Zelda's nearby? Did he come here to find her, and instead…found me?' Unwilling to believe his own thoughts, the boy shook his head again. "No…it can wait a moment longer." He gave his hands a little shake, demanding the demon lord's attention. "Where are we going today?" The warrior asked again.
The demon lord shook his head as well, giving a small smirk from his white lips. His black eyes gazed back down at Link, all signs of anger completely diminished and replaced with eagerness. Uncrossing his legs, Ghirahim bent down and lowered one hand for Link to grab onto. "Take my hand and you'll soon find out." He whispered, his words laced with both intrigue and excitement.
Link stared at the demon lord for a moment before offering a small smile and grasping the hand that was offered to him. But as soon as Ghirahim's hand gripped his, a searing pain overwhelmed Link's senses with such an intensity that he let out a cry of shock and immediately fought against the demon lord's iron grip; the warrior's fingers pushed wildly against Ghirahim's hand, trying to break the hold that sent jolts of unrelenting pain through his body. Before the demon lord managed to pull him even half way up the boulder, Link broke free from the painful grasp and tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud. His body shuddered uncontrollably as the torturous waves of agony continued to rake through him, his breath coming out in heavy gasps as he willed air back into his lungs; the fall onto his back had taken all air from his body, making him cough and gag in an attempt to get more. After a moment passed and he was no longer fighting to catch his breath, the warrior let out a low groan as he waited for the torrents of agony to ebb into a dull throb, trying to discern where the pain was coming from. He slowly raised his head from the earth to peer at his shaking hands; blisters covered every inch of his skin, tracing the places where Ghirahim's hands had made contact. A mixture of pus and blood oozed from the sores, causing Link to growl in discomfort as the liquid seeped from his open flesh and onto the ground. Making a sound that was a mixture of both disgust and horror, the warrior rested his head back onto the cold ground, his anxious blue eyes immediately finding the demon lord that remained sitting on the boulder.
Ghirahim spared one moment to remain on top of the boulder with his eyes and mouth wide in shock before he leapt down and landed next to Link with very little grace. All calm composure gone, the demon lord clutched Link's shoulders and tried to sit him up and pull him into his chest. The endearing act only caused the warrior to cry out in further pain, and he used one of his wounded hands to push against Ghirahim's chest, forcing him away. Sliding back to the ground, Link writhed at the new found discomfort that shot up his arms; the place where the demon lord had gripped began to sizzle as pieces of Link's tunic singed off, leaving holes that exposed even more red and blistering skin. The sky child groaned and rolled to his side so that his back was facing the demon lord, gritting his teeth to prevent the screams of pain that threatened to come out. The pain was unfathomable, a mixture of fire and ice, stabbing agony and blunt aches. The demon lord let out a sound of both frustration and alarm, running his hands through his hair to sort out his thoughts. He didn't attempt to turn Link over, but remained sitting next to him; he peered over the warrior's side to gaze at the boy's pained face. "Link…skychild! What's wrong?" He asked, his voice filled with concern.
Link cringed and clamped his eyes shut, hugging his sides defensively. "I don't…I can't think…." He managed to bite out through clenched teeth.
Ghirahim growled protectively and pulled the boy around to face him once more. He winced apologetically when Link bit back another cry of misery and tensed from under his touch. "Link, let me heal you, please!" He barked out hoarsely.
Before the warrior could reply, the demon lord ripped off the white gloves that stuck to his limbs, revealing strong arms that, instead of matching his normally pale complexion, were completely covered in sleek black markings; black ink raced up Ghirahim's forceps until they separated into jagged lines that zigzagged sporadically until they eventually faded into the skin of his neck and back. But Link couldn't even focus on the sudden abnormality that donned Ghirahim's body; the demon lord's hands were back on his already damaged skin, sending wave after wave of agony that rushed through the sky child's body without ceasing. Link didn't bother biting back that howl that escaped from his ragged throat. His back arched and twisted, trying to get away from the hands that were pressed hard against his aching chest and abdomen. But Ghirahim's hands simply moved nimbly from one area to another, ignoring the fact that Link was trying to squirm from his reach. His hands raced along the boy's arms, chest, legs, anywhere that had not broken out into severe blisters. But before the dark healing energy could begin to glow at the end of the demon lord's fingertips, blisters were able to form faster, leaving Link in more agony than before. The warrior cringed as a wave of nausea overcame him, building up from the pit of his stomach and burning up to his throat, threatening to violently release with his next wave of pain.
The sudden absence of Ghirahim's hands on his body made Link open his eyes with weak caution. The sight of the demon lord staring down at him with clouded eyes and a sadistic grin, a malicious grin, made Link's skin crawl and his heart pound with unexplained fear. It was the look of hunger in the cold eyes of Ghirahim that immediately made the warrior tense. 'The hunger for weakness…my weakness….' Link thought as his breath hitched in his throat uncomfortably, making him gasp lightly.
Without warning, the demon lord lunged forward, pinning Link to the ground with his hands tightly gripping the warrior's neck. Link choked out whatever air was left in his lungs and immediately tried to pull Ghirahim's hands from his throat, trying to forget the sick sizzling sounds his skin was making from underneath his enemy's fingertips. The demon lord was unrelenting, squeezing harder and harder, allowing his fingernails to cut into the tender flesh, adding more blood to the ooze that already flowed freely from the open sores. With a deep groan in a voice that did not entirely belong to him, Ghirahim pulled Link up by his neck and slammed him back into the hard earth, reveling in the cry of pain that left the boy's lips as his head connected with the ground in a sickening crack. A twisted grin adorned Ghirahim's face as he watched the life slowly drain from Link's body, his feverish eyes filling with malice. But as the warrior's body grew weak, his voice, however choked, however quiet, came out strong. "Ghirahim, stop this now!" He gave the demon lord's hands one last squeeze, but offered no further attempt of fighting back; if Ghirahim, his Ghirahim, truly snapped out of the daze that possessed him, he didn't have to worry about being choked to death. If the demon lord failed to return to his former self, he didn't have enough energy to fight back anyways.
The grip on Link immediately lessened as the demon lord ceased trying to choke him. The dim fog that loomed within his black eyes vanished with a single blink, and the sadistic smile that had originally contorted his face faded into a look of confusion. His gaze slowly fell down to the hero's pained state, and upon seeing his inked hands resting on Link's blistered neck, he let out a hiss and threw his hands back with fury.
Link's chest heaved and his heart thundered loudly against his ribcage as he tried to push the pain to the back of his mind as a mere afterthought. But the task proved to be difficult; his entire body screamed for attention, his limbs threatening to lose function if help wasn't sought quickly. The amount of pain that washed over his body had dramatically increased to the point where it was nearly too much to bear. The endless torrents of agony caused Link to become dizzy, and he was immediately reminded of the threat of nausea he had encountered earlier. 'Stop being so weak! You're better than all of this, Link.' The sky child ordered himself mentally.
So, instead of retching, Link opened his eyes slightly and peered cautiously at the worried demon lord that remained sitting tensely at his side. 'Can I trust him again? Will he still try to attack me while I'm defenseless?' Link wondered with slight fear, but one single look at the demon lord confirmed that he was safe; Ghirahim clutched his hands to his chest in order to prevent further pain, but it was clear that he wanted to do something, anything to help the hurt boy. His face was completely over-ridden with worry for the sky child's well-being, and he watched helplessly as Link struggled through another wave of pain. The warrior's body trembled with pain as it tensed up his muscles, his eyes squeezed shut once more and his mouth set in a grimace. After two more waves of misery passed, Link whispered through clenched teeth, "What did you do to me? Why…why is this happening?"
Ghirahim let out a sound of sadness and clutched his hands more tightly together. "I…I don't know, sky child." He gazed down at his sleek black hands for a moment before looking back at Link with concern. "I cannot truthfully say why this is happening to both you and I. But surely there must be something I can do to help you. Please…there has to be something that I can do…."
The warrior bit his lip to prevent further moans from coming out. Instead, he let out a strained sigh and looked at the demon lord's troubled face. "In my pouch I have a vial filled with red liquid. Do you think you could grab it?"
Ghirahim nodded fervently and began to reach out tentatively, his hands shaking slightly. Link let out another little sigh. "And try to not strangle me by accident again." He spoke sarcastically, allowing a small smile to don his face as Ghirahim shot a glare in his direction.
The demon lord yanked his hand back once, re-prepared himself, and attempted to perform the task at hand once more with a determined stare. With eyebrows furrowed in concentration, Ghirahim's hand shot out and unclasped the pouch's button. The material immediately began to sizzle and burn from underneath the demon lord's touch, presenting a foul odor of burning material. Ignoring the sounds and smells of the damage being done, Ghirahim's hand dove into the pouch with swiftness and quickly pulled out its contents. Careful to not so much as graze Link's skin, the demon lord repeated the process of going in and out of the pouch quickly, pouring out all of the sky child's supplies, until he held a small glass vial in his hand. The red fluid inside swished hazardously along the sides as Ghirahim unscrewed the lid and brought the vial to Link's lips, motioning for him to drink. The vesicant liquid entered the warrior's mouth and he quickly began to swallow until the the vial was completely empty. The healing potion coursed through his body, moving swiftly to his tense muscles and damaged limbs. Pinpointing the blistered areas, Link's wounds began to burn as the blisters popped and congregated with new skin cells, ending the spurts of pus and blood that continued to come out. He let out a low hiss as the healing potion raced along his veins, pumping through his heart in order to reach all areas of his body faster. And in a matter of moments, all signs of the immense pain he was just in, all symptoms of open sores, everything was gone, leaving only his singed clothing as a sign of the occurrence. Slowly the heat to the boy's limbs faded into a steady throb that pulsed along with his heart.
Link let out a sigh of relief and gazed down his hands and limbs, happy to see nothing but healed skin. The originally damaged areas were warm, red and terribly tender, but that was far more manageable than the pain he was experiencing before. Flexing his hands several more times, Link rose from the ground and rested his back against the cold boulder, still feeling light headed and dizzy. Ghirahim cautiously moved to sit next to the warrior, clearly wanting to sit closer but afraid to make any form of contact. His eyes darted nervously to the ground and to his black hands, unsure of what to say. "Link, I…." The demon lord's sentence broke off into silence, and he let out a sad sigh.
With hard eyes looking straight ahead, Link spoke. "What happened, Ghirahim? You have to know something about this." He rolled his head and watched the demon lord clench and unclench his sleek hands. "I don't want you to apologize for this, but I want you to tell me what you know."
"But I don't know anythin—"
The warrior made a sound of annoyance and gripped the demon lord's chin with his hand, forcing his attention. "Yes, you do!" Link let out a frustrated sigh when Ghirahim's eyes failed to meet his, and he removed his hand. "You are acting so strange, Ghirahim…not at all like the confident, narcissistic demon lord I've come to know. Whatever's happened to you has left you weak, confused, and unsure of yourself. You get this look in your eyes, as though you are possessed and are no longer in control of your actions." Link's hand reached up and touched his throat subconsciously, rubbing the places where Ghirahim's hands had previously been. "Surely you must see that you look different as well." The warrior gestured to the black ink that raced up Ghirahim's arms to his shoulders.
With a growl, the demon lord stood up and began pacing in front of the boy, hands folded tightly against his chest as if to hide himself from Link's watchful stare. Finally after several long moments of silence, he paused in front of the hero, dropping his arms with a shrug from his shoulders. "My arms…they are not the only things that have changed, sky child." Ghirahim placed a hand on his left leg where, through his white jumpsuit, it was clearly visible that black ink had enveloped the demon lord's limb up to the knee before it began to form jagged lines that crisscrossed up to his chest and neck.
But the intricate markings did not stop there. Shaking with nerves, Ghirahim lifted a hand to his face and pushed his hair out of the way. The site made Link gasp: instead of the single diamond scar that originally rested on his cheek, the entire left side of his face was covered in the same black zigzag pattern that adorned the rest of his body. Ending at the top of his forehead, the black marks seemed to burn into the demon lord's face, and he winced as Link continued to stare in shock. With a groan, he allowed his hair to fall back over his face. "I didn't realize that a single touch from me would hurt you, Link." Ghirahim's shoulders drooped in a submissive manner and he turned away from the boy. "I'm so very sorry."
Link shook his head. "You can't apologize for something you didn't realize what was going to happen."
The demon lord whirled around to face Link, his face in an angry snarl. "Don't you understand, sky child? I should have known something was amiss! The moment these…these markings appeared, I should have known something terrible was happening. But I didn't! And I hurt you!"
Link, even amidst Ghirahim's outburst, let out a morbid chuckle. His hand rubbed the leg that the demon lord had stabbed all those months ago. "You never seemed to mind hurting me before."
Ghirahim let out a sound of fury and clutched the sides of his head, shaking violently as he tried to gain control of his anger. "But I can't…I can't control this, Link! I'm not in control of myself!" The demon lord hid his face in his hands, hunching over in defeat. "The feelings deep within me…they call to me, they race within my mind. They force me to do things, and I have no power to say no. I can't say no!"
As Ghirahim spoke, Link's hand searched around in his pouch until it encircled another vial. Taking the guardian potion to his lips and downing the entire vial in a single swallow, the warrior waited until the warm sensations drifted equally along his limbs, momentarily giving him immunity. With as much strength as he could muster, Link pushed himself from the ground and wrapped his arms around the panicking demon lord, holding him tightly as his enemy immediately tensed. Ghirahim let out a hiss and tried to pull away from the boy, shaking his head frantically. "No, no!" His voice came out in a mixture of fear and empty threats.
Link let out a growl and leaned forward, forcing his lips onto the demon lord's. Twice Ghirahim attempted to pull away, but his struggles only made Link kiss him harder and with more conviction. By no means was the kiss passionate or romantic. But it did what Link wanted it to do; within moments, the demon lord's body released its pent up tension, and he melted into the warrior's arms and kissed him back gently. Holding the kiss for a moment longer, Link eventually pulled away and stared deeply into Ghirahim's black eyes. "Whatever demons you have within you, whatever is forcing you to act out against your will…you have to fight it, Ghirahim. Fight against the evil that is trying to plague you." Tentatively, Link raised a hand up and stroked the hair out of the demon lord's face, exposing the left side once more. "I know you can do it…I know you have the will to fight. But you must believe in yourself that you are capable of overcoming whatever possesses you."
Ghirahim offered a sad smile. "Well, there is one way to fight it, I suppose." He rested his lips gently against Link's own, offering a light kiss. When he pulled away reluctantly, the demon lord placed another kiss on the warrior's forehead. "But, I'll need your help to fight it." He whispered into Link's skin, his words sending light vibrations throughout the boy's face.
Link nodded, eyes set with determination. "Yes, anything…I'll do anything I can to help."
The demon lord gently rested his forehead on the warrior's own and let out a small sigh. Link could feel Ghirahim's brow furrow in deep concentration, but chose to remain silent as the troubled demon organized his thoughts. The boy felt a cool hand caress his cheek in an intimate manner, and he hesitantly lifted his own calloused hand until it rested upon the demon lord's in an act of comfort. He could feel the effects of the guardian potion wearing off, but he ignored the pain that began to throb within his cheek. Finally, with eyes still closed, Ghirahim spoke into the quiet. "Link…my dear, dear sky child…" with a sudden intensity, the demon lord's eyes shot open and pierced Link's blue ones in a determined glare, and his hand gripped the warrior's cheek painfully. "I…I want you to kill me."
I apologize if this one hurt your eyes! But, just the same, I really hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! :D
I'm done with school so I should have oodles of time to finish off another chapter in the next couple of days...hopefully procrastination doesn't strike with a vengeance!
