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Jago started, trembling, as Shadow moved forward, voice dropping to a sinister chuckle. The thief raised his sword and stood his ground, though, to his credit. He didn't want to lose the respect of his men, most of whom were backing away even though the shade was still several feet from them. Shadow's malicious grin widened as red pooled in eyes that hinted no mercy.

"Demon!" a few of the bandits muttered or shouted, among other things.

Shadow ignored them and paused in his advance, keeping a hand on Blue's shoulder to keep from stumbling, though he tried to make it appear as if he were waiting for Jago to attack first.

Jago timidly moved forward and Shadow's grin grew, only serving to frighten the bandit more. He was leaning more heavily on Blue now. He hadn't much time.

"I'll give you the chance to live if you forfeit now and leave your rupees." Shadow muttered darkly, trembling slightly in the full view of the sunlight. .

The other bandits murmured amongst themselves. "Just do it, boss. We can get more money."

Jago didn't take his eyes off Shadow, voice shaking. "And if I don't?" The leader was close to cracking, Shadow could sense it, but he could also feel himself draining of all his strength, his knees shaking.

"You and your friends' chances of making it out of here alive are slim." So close to winning, but his voice wavered.

He spat "I accept your terms." and his men began tossing all the rupees at Shadow's unstable feet as the shade laughed, completing his act.

Jago glared at Green. "You've smeared the name of the Hyrulian knights by enlisting a demon!" he yelled before mounting his horse and riding away swiftly, followed by his terrified men. Shadow watched them go, throwing everything into his most manic laugh until they were out of sight.

Green made careful note of where they were riding, vowing to come back and stop them for good. Red ran to Shadow to congratulate him but the purple-haired link's vision was blurring. The black-handled sword fell to the ground and dematerialised, the magic sustaining it having been drained up. Still, Shadow's pale skin and purple hair remained, though he had no energy to turn back his teeth, eyes, and hands. For a single, terrible moment Shadow believed he was dying and would never wake again from the pain he was in, casting a final, desperate look at Vio before crumpling completely, unconscious. Blue the wolfos whined as he fell, nosing the unresponsive face.

"Shadow!" Red cried and knelt beside the shadow,reaching for his neck. Shadow wasn't moving and hadn't since he'd fallen.

Vio was there in an instant and pushed Red to the side. "There won't be a pulse. I think he only breathes to speak as well." With a grunt he shifted Shadow's minimal weight from the ground to his shoulder and snatched a bag of rupees from the ground. He mounted his horse. "He needs to be out of the sun. I'll be in the first inn in town." Without another word he kicked his horse to a gallop, holding the reins in one hand and Shadow in place, draped across his lap, with the other. Red mounted Epona and immediately followed, shouting a rushed apology and worried both for Shadow and about the two being alone after their fight. Blue the wolfos ran beside him as well. Blue and Green gathered all the rupees quickly and followed.

The town was deep in celebration and Green recognised it instantly as they entered. The town was known for its milk and its celebrations. The villagers were known to pull up a glass of whole milk at the slightest provocation and the celebrations sweeping the whole of Hyrule were no exception. Green again felt a rush of anger that he seemed the only person to realise Zelda was gone and the land was in incredible danger as people in the streets moved lazily in front of them and meandered, chatting happily as music drifted from nearby as well.

Blue and Green found the inn easily enough (Blue the wolfos was pacing and whining sadly outside) and asked for the room of those who had just rented it, taking their supplies up and setting them down quietly in the room when they entered. The curtains were drawn over the last bits of the setting sun and a single candle was lit, keeping the room in mostly darkness. Red watched the bed carefully and Vio waited by the candle, which stood on a table across the room from the bed.

Green raised an eyebrow at him and Vio stared back passively, almost challenging him to ask.

"He okay?" the leader asked, choosing to go over to Red instead of Vio.

Red nodded. "I think so. He made a weird noise."

"Shadow?" Green spoke softly. Shadow's eyes fluttered open into glowing red slits. They'd not gone back to normal after he'd collapsed.

"Hey, Green." He smiled slightly.

Red gently pushed Green aside and started talking to Shadow, whose eyes slowly faded back to grey. Green turned when he heard the sound of a chair and saw Vio walk to the door past a semi-curious Blue. He left the room and was quickly followed by Green.

"Vio?"

The purple Link turned at his name. "What?"

"You're… distance from Shadow," Green sighed "it's better not to isolate him. He's been an asset and a trustworthy friend to us so far, I don't want to give him the impression he is unwelcome. Blue does that more than enough."

"He knows the reason for my distance, as you put it, has nothing to do with his efforts to help us." Vio dismissively turned his back.

"Is he truly aware? How can you be certain?" Green's voice crept towards a slightly more impressive tone and he spoke more formally as well, subconsciously contesting with Vio's passive aggressive lingual grace.

Vio narrowed his eyes a bit. "Perhaps I cannot be certain, but it's hardly my job to to be. I never consented to be his keeper."

"He's not in need of a keeper," Green glared "he's in need of a welcoming companion."

"I'm in need of some peace and time to myself. How many rupees did we acquire from the thieves?"

"425, I think it was. Why?" Green snapped, frustrated with Vio's blatant disregard of his authority and unwillingness to even discuss his issues.

"Added to 55… 96 rupees between the five of us."

Green's eyes widened. "You want us to split them?"

Vio nodded. "As Red said, it may well be our last night as five."

"He also said it may be our last night together."

Vio folded his arms. "I'd prefer spending it alone."

"Even without Shadow?"

Blue eyes narrowed at him and Green sensed he'd touched a nerve he shouldn't have. "Yes, without Shadow." Vio snapped tersely

"What's your problem, Vio?" Green growled, losing what little patience he had.

Vio scoffed, a bit of his emotionless demeanor crumbling away into a snarl. "Mine? What's yours? Some leader you are!"

"In order to lead properly, I need to have the trust of those I lead!" Green sighed in exasperation. "I need to know what's bothering you!"

"It's not just me who takes issue." Vio spoke calmly again, but his voice quivered with underlying spite. "Red is so happy to be five again. Remember he actually cried when we returned the sword to the sanctuary the first time? Blue had more than one problem with Link once he was separated again, and It's pretty obvious you're set on joining as Link!"

"What about you?" Green asked after a tense moment, the anger drained from his voice and replaced with a forced monotone and folded arms. Vio said nothing, but he didn't need to when Green caught his eyes flickering to the door of their room.

The leader frowned, a weight filling his chest. "What about Zelda? What about Father? And all of Hyrule! It's not our choice to kill Link."

Vio replied in a dispassionate tone through scathingly smiling lips and with eyes that only hinted at the malice burning beneath his skin, sending a chill down Green's spine at his words. "No. It's your choice to kill us."

Silence followed for several long seconds until finally, head bowed, Green muttered. "96 rupees, right?"

The others didn't question Green grabbing the money and bringing it back out to Vio, assuming both had their own reasons. Blue was sulking at the table Vio had occupied, burning little bits of things in the candle flame or accidentally dropping the things into the melted wax around the wic. Red was sitting on the bed talking with Shadow, who was sitting up now that enough of his strength had returned. He kept looking around the room and glancing out the window, as if he'd lost something.

"Vio's gone out, I'm not sure where." Green announced, watching Shadow.

The shade's eyes snapped to him, but it was Red who asked "Why?"

Green shrugged and sat down across from Blue at the little table, his shoulders slightly slumped. "Wanted some time to himself, I guess."

"He'd be a hermit if we all were separate people." Blue huffed, straightening himself. Green looked up at him, frowning. "And if he gets to go out, we do to!" Blue paused. "Right?"

Green looked around at Blue, Red, and Shadow, smiling slightly at their attentive eagerness. "I suppose."

"All right! This place has the best milk!" Blue jumped out of his seat, the chair clattering loudly to the floor, causing all four of them to wince.

Shadow grimaced. "Easy, Blue."

"Screw easy, I'm out of here!" The look in his eyes scared Green a bit, but he gestured to the open rupee bag on the table. "We get 96 each. Have fun."

"Yay!" Red hopped off the bed and ran over to Blue, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the table and starting to count out rupees. Blue looked startled, staring at Red as he pulled enough rupees for the both of them out.

Shadow stretched his arms over his head, yawning. "Well, if all of you are leaving I don't wanna stay here alone!" He stumbled a bit standing, but recovered quickly and made his way over.

"I was going to stay." Green shrugged. "And you're not fully healed yet, is it smart to go out?"

Shadow paused, getting an idea. He grinned. "Come with me!"

"What? No!" Green responded reactively. "I mean, maybe. Why go with me?"

Shadow frowned for half a second before a broad grin lit up his features. "Some party it'd be alone! Come on, Green!"

"I'm not in the mood for a 'party,' Shadow." Green smiled kindly. "You go have fun though."

Shadow smiled back, though it seemed more polite than anything. "You sure you don't wanna come?"

"No, thank you. I have something to think about… Shadow?"

The shade paused in his move towards the rupees. "Yes?" His silver eyes gleamed orange, catching the candlelight.

"You and Vio…" Green muttered awkwardly, looking Shadow in the eye.

The shade cringed, looking down at the floor. "What about us?"

Green sighed, Vio's words still burning in his mind. "Vio said…" Shadow's eyes peeked at him from beneath his violet hair. "Vio said that Red and Blue would probably prefer remaining separate when this whole thing is over." Green knew he'd lost when Shadow's focus became fully on him, the grey eyes glinting with hope. He didn't think he could face actually speaking to Shadow about it, who evidently had much more invested in the possibility than Green had guessed. "Nevermind."

"Oh." Shadow's lips twitched into a sad smile and he nodded. "okay." He bowed his head again, this time to start pulling out rupees and neither of them spoke until he'd gathered his allotted number. "Bye, Green. See you soon."

Green stood and stretched to help break a little of the tension. "Have fun, Shadow."

Shadow flashed a grin. "Sure thing. Looks like I'll have to for the both of us."

Outside, the shade was relieved to see the sun was gone completely and the festivities were lit by torchlight. He'd heard about this town before somewhere. It was famous for its milk bars, 17 in just the small town. Shadow wandered the street, vowing to have fun on what might well be his last night alive, depending on how the confrontation tomorrow went. He looked at the signs of the bars he passed, grinning as he saw one that caught his eye: a very much too-happy-looking cow with wings. He decided the chuckle the sign gave him had earned at least a little business.

Perhaps he'd attempt a milk bar crawl. If he conserved his rupees he just might make it…

"Look, Blue!" Red pointed to a large bonfire on the outskirts of town. "Dancing!"

Blue's eyes were pulled away from yet another bar sign and he sighed, nearly certain Red was doing that on purpose. "So?" He grumbled, reluctantly moving along with Red's firm grip on his arm guiding him in the crowd. "So, dancing!" Red grinned and Blue sighed.

"Okay. Dancing, What about it?" He knew Red was going to pull him over, but he pretended not to know and hoped Red would distract himself before they made it. He knew he was not going to dance no matter what, but standing awkwardly at the edge of the crowd as dumb women stared expectantly(as he knew they would) would not be very entertaining for him.

Red's frowned when he saw Blue's scowl and the way he folded his arms. "Come on, Blue!"

"Nope."

"Please?'"

"No."

"Blueeee!"

"NO."

Red sighed and folded his own arms, pouting more than anything. He looked at the people streaming down the streets to any of various groups of merrymakers. Eventually his gaze shifted upwards to a sign across the street. "Okay. Let's go in there!" He pointed to one of the smaller bars of the town excitedly.

Blue looked at him skeptically, but hey, they were of age and this was what he'd been waiting for all night anyway. Not looking at flags and stalls and dancing. Something seemed a bit off about Red, he seemed too willing to go into a bar, but Blue shrugged it off and followed as he led him towards the bar.

Oh dear. Don't worry, my pets. The adventure shall pick up again soon, though next chapter shall be shenanigans galore! Maybe...