AN: Chapter 10! This was supposed to be finished and up a while ago but... sorry! Thanks to everyone who favourited/followed my story and big thanks to IDon'tWantAUserName, princessanime29, GreenFantasy64, Sorceress of Shadows, WolfenAmphithere, Ledd and silverheartlugia2000 for their reviews! They really mean a lot!

Ten:

"Be glad he's gone." Red said from behind me, but I took no notice. I heard movement, the recognisable scrap of metal on leather, but I took no notice. Staying where I knelt I stared at the ground where Dark had been lying, bewilderment and disbelief forcing my thoughts round and round in circles. It was strange how in the span of a few short days I had come to see Dark as all but invincible; stronger than gangs of moblins, able to withstand the Goddesses' magic, more powerful even than the other aspects of himself. But apparently anger beat evil. It did make sense, in a way, because weren't the heroes, the 'good guys', always spurred on some kind of anger provoked by the evil they had to face? It made sense, and wasn't it for the best? He hadn't exactly been the best travelling companion.

Making my decision I forced all other thoughts aside and stood. Brushing down my knees, which were dusty from kneeling on the platform, I paused at the sight of the objects on my feet. The pair of black boots had, for reasons unknown, remained behind when Dark had faded, swamping my feet and clashing horribly with my outfit. At the same time I looked at the cloak still draped over my arm, hanging listlessly without its owner to wear it. My heart clenched a little painfully but even as it did I still couldn't discern exactly what I felt about Dark being gone. I was still having a hard time processing the fact that he was gone, whether I was sad or glad about it would come later. I turned to face Red, who was observing the clenched fist which moments ago had been in Dark's chest.

Focusing as the very same soul-piece had taught me too, I managed to concentrate enough to see the fragment of soul that Red was holding so tightly. A bright but faint white light filtered through the cracks in his fingers, illuminating the bones beneath his skin. Unable to quell my surprise I stared openly, a little dumbfounded by the colour. For the first piece we had found it had been yellow, for the second pinkish-purple, and I had been assuming Dark's would be red or black. I had never for a moment thought it could be white.

"What is it?" Red asked after a moment, a touch of annoyance in his tone. Clearing my throat I averted my gaze, assuming it was my staring that had irked him. I got the feeling that, at least at first, I would have to tiptoe around the young man before me. Having already seen what he was capable of I wondered, with a touch of worry, just what exactly merging with Dark would do to him.

"Nothing. I'm just… a little overwhelmed." I said, brushing my fingers against my lips as I continued to try and sort my thoughts to resemble some kind of order.

"Trust me," Red said, shifting slightly, "it's better this way. That guy was good for no one."

"You're telling me," I said under my breath, thinking of all the things Dark had said and done to make me angry or uncomfortable. I clung to the memories, trying to convince myself that, just as Red said, it was better this way. Something about it didn't sit right, though, and I cast an inconspicuous glance at Red as I wondered just how well we would get along. If he even let me come with him. Watching him observe his clenched fist with a smile bordering on vindictive I considered the possibility that maybe he and Dark really weren't that different. Their smiles and mannerisms certainly seemed similar. Red turned to me.

"So, he-" he shook Dark's soul-piece at me, "-said that you were helping. Can I ask how?" Glad to have something to fix my mind on I readily replied.

"Well, Ganondorf wanted to make it as difficult for you to reassemble yourself as possible so he placed all the fragments of Link's soul in different places and put seals on them. I can perform magic so I've been breaking those seals along the way." Red made an 'ah' noise and nodded slightly, eyebrows raised in an appreciative manner. Then his brow creased slightly.

"Ganondorf?" he queried and I realised that, just because Dark had worked out who Ganondorf was from watching him interact with me it didn't mean any of the other pieces of Link knew who he was.

"He's…" I pursed my lips, trying to phrase it. "Well, for now he's the man who separated you all in the first place." There was no need to mention how he was also trying to usurp the throne and destroy Hyrule because right now we had to focus on putting Link back together again. I also felt no need to explain further when I saw something dark and vengeful flicker to life in Red's eyes as his body tensed at the mention of the person who had, I presumed, chained him to a rock in the middle of a temple. He was as driven as he needed to be at the moment.

"How many pieces have been reassembled?" His next question was easier to answer and I breathed a silent sigh of relief when the fire died from his eyes and he relaxed a little, apparently deciding to focus on something else.

"Three. Four if you count Dark."

"Dark?" Red snorted, glancing at his fist. "Makes sense." I made a soft noise of agreement before moving on to the more serious matter.

"So, are you going to…" Much like I had in the Forest Temple I smushed my hands together. "Merge or whatever it is you do?" Red gave a long, slow hum.

"As much as I'd rather not," he said after a pause, "I suppose so." Silence fell and there was another pause, longer than before and a little more awkward. Red, taking a deep breath, broke through the lull and with one swift movement made to jab his hand into his own chest. It halted mere millimetres from its target. Blinking, surprise fell over me as Red made a frustrated noise that seemed to be ground out from between clenched teeth.

"Stupid…" his voice faded into angry, indistinguishable mutters and I watched with interest for a moment.

"What's wrong?" I asked and received a fierce glare for a moment before he caught himself and his gaze mellowed.

"This stupid…" he trailed off, apparently unable to think of the right word, "just won't give up."

"You mean Dark?" Something about the fact that even after 'death' Dark still wouldn't just submit to the stronger piece of himself forced me to stifle a laugh for fear of angering the red version of Link before me. A struggle ensued, which though relatively quiet was punctuated with several vehement curses, until finally Red, once again, overpowered Dark. Though prepared for it this time, I still winced when Red forcefully merged with Dark (and presumably the two other soul-pieces we had already found). For a moment the image of Dark played over Red's body, turning his hair white and his skin deep grey, before it flickered and vanished. Red staggered but didn't fall, breathing heavily. He grimaced and made slight noise of pain, a hand pressed to his chest.

"Are…" I hesitated, "are you alright?" Red shot me a look that clearly said he thought I was asking a stupid question and I bit back a retort, reminded of the first day of my journey – or perhaps even my entire journey – with Dark. Deciding not to make a scene I let my annoyance go, studying Red who was clearly struggling. He was pale and looked a little faint while his legs seemed barely able to hold him up.

"We should get out of this temple." I said, moving to his side and adjusting the heavy fabric still draped over my arm. I didn't know what to do with it so, for the moment, I was going to keep it. Red made a soft noise of agreement and began staggering towards the edge of the rock. For a moment I watched him struggle before falling into step beside him and placing a hand on his arm to keep him steady. At my touch he twitched slightly, as if about to pull away, and I didn't miss the irritated expression that flitted across his face.

"You'll get nowhere as you are now." I said, feeling my own ire raise its head. "Let me help you." Red looked at me and sighed, a small smile pulling the corners of his mouth upwards. He seemed to be laughing at himself.

"Sorry, I wasn't angry at you. I just hate seeming, and being, weak. I'm usually the person other people rely on." I nodded slightly at this, accepting his feelings, while feeling relieved that he hadn't received Dark's inability to apologise upon absorbing him.

Walking on I felt Red's weight gradually fall more and more on me, until I was practically holding him up. There was no way I was going to be able to get him out of the temple, especially now that he wasn't Dark and therefore couldn't shadow-hop however he pleased. Staggering a little under Red's weight I laboured on, the heat from the lava sapping my strength and making me breathless much sooner than if I had been outside. Murmuring words of encouragement I managed to get Red right to the edge of the platform, where he sank to his knees. Worried I waited for him to recover, wondering what had caused this sudden fatigue. It could have been a number of things.

"It's cooler at the entrance," I said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let's just get there, okay?"

"Don't patronise me." Red mumbled, "Heat doesn't even affect me."

"Huh." I didn't reply, feeling that I should have realised that a being that could manipulate fire wouldn't feel heat as much as regular, non-fire-manipulating beings. Realising that, for the time being, Red wouldn't be going anywhere I slid into a seated position beside him, crossing my legs and leaning back on my hands. Laying Dark's cloak across my lap I glanced around. At least there were no enemies in the room. Apparently Ganondorf had assumed the multitude of monsters elsewhere in the temple would deter any possible interlopers.

"So you're the princess? Princess Zelda?" Red spoke after a little while, sinking into a position akin to mine and staring at me with his burning red eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you."

"I doubt I look very much like a princess." I said, thinking of my flushed, sweaty skin, charred clothing that didn't quite fit and hair that was no doubt a complete, frazzled mess by now. At the very least it had stayed held back in a plait during my escapades. Red smiled slightly, though he looked exhausted.

"Say, if we're going to be travelling together, I need to give you a name." I peered at him, "do you want to be 'Link', or something else?" He seemed to think about it for a moment before he grimaced and raised a hand to his head, gently rubbing his temple.

"Something else?" he said eventually, making it a question instead of a definite statement. I paused, pretending to think about it even though I had already calling him something in my head.

"How about…" Looking at his weakened state I decided to risk it. I needed to know what I was up against. "How about Flamey?" Red's head shot up, and the glare he gave me was so ferocious that it almost killed my teasing mood.

"You mean you don't like it?" I said, keeping my tone innocent. Realising I was only joking Red relaxed a little, sinking back with a sigh and skyward raised eyes. Clicking his tongue his shook his head slightly, only to wince and again raise a hand to it.

"Maybe… Red, then?" I said, ignoring the gesture seeing as he didn't like appearing weak.

"Did you name that other guy too?" Red asked with a weak chuckle, squinting at me as if his head hurt.

"No, he chose 'Dark' for himself. So, what do you think of 'Red'?"

"Well, it fits and it's simple." He nodded once, "alright. From now on my name is Red." As he spoke he forced himself to his feet, swaying dangerously close to the rock's edge. Scrambling to my feet I steadied him; there was no way I was letting him fall in lava after all this. It earned me a look that was half grateful and half annoyed, but neither of us commented.

It took a little time and a lot of effort to get Red out of that room alone, and I couldn't help wondering, again, what was affecting him so badly. As we went he seemed to become increasingly frustrated and I gradually felt him body becoming tenser even as more and more of his weight fell on me. At the very least it seemed to lend him some kind of drive that spurred him on.

Reaching the door I retrieved my bag once it had silently opened and we finally escaped the temple's heart, though the room we left it for posed an even bigger problem. There was no way that Red, in his current state, could cross the platforms that I struggled to cross. All the same, he seemed determined to do it and we made our way to the platform's edge, staring at the gap between it and the next. Red took a deep breath, straightened his back and pulled away from me. I watched anxiously, half expecting him to plummet straight to a fiery death.

I, of course, should have had more faith in the man who was destined to save my country. Or at least, the parts of him that had so far been reassembled. Despite looking like he could collapse at any moment, Red crossed the room faster than I had, and faster than I did when I stopped gawking and made my way across the row of pillars.

Jumping onto the last platform I found Red leaning heavily against the wall beside the door, chest rising and falling rapidly. His face had gone from pale to almost grey in colour and worry gnawed at my stomach, making it clench nervously. I wanted to ask what was wrong but didn't want him to snap at me, though as I approached him I couldn't help thinking that he didn't look like he had the energy to do that. Apparently his escapade over the platforms had taken more from him than he had let on and now he looked like he was on the brink of collapse.

Hurrying to his side I couldn't help but let my worry show in my face; I didn't want him to die – I needed him to save my country! Lifting his head at my approach I saw a weak flare of annoyance flash across his face as he processed the expression I couldn't keep hidden before his neck gave out and he slumped again.

"Just a little further." I said, still hoping the cooler air would do some good. He nodded once, wincing as he did, and I pulled open the door that led to the entrance hall. Ushering him through I remembered the two Keese still fluttering around the ceiling. In a flurry of squeaks they sensed our presence and I darted past Red, drawing the sword I had barely touched on my journey swiftly. The Keese flew low, and I readied myself, only to have them dart upwards at the last minute and, passing over my head, heading straight for Red. Spinning I felt a warning reach my lips as the fiery creatures reached him where he stood swaying, but it was quelled as, in a flurry of movement, Red caught both monsters with his bare hands. Something in his expression darkened. His fists contracted. I heard soft cracks as something broke before, with soft hissing noises, the two Keese vanished in the way monsters tended to when killed.

I couldn't help but stare. Even as he staggered and then collapsed I stood shocked, amazed by the brutality I had witnessed. It was quite possibly worse than when Dark had massacred the moblins during that one night in the forest. Shaking myself I forced my thoughts onto something else. Namely the state Red was currently in. He was breathing heavily, head clutched in his hands as he shifted subtly and constantly in apparent discomfort.

"What's wrong?" I crouched beside him, gently touching his arm with my fingertips. He stilled, slumping against the nearest wall while his grip tightened on his skull.

"My head…" he muttered, "it feels like it's going to explode." Chewing the inside of my cheek I thought back to when Dark had merged with the other two soul-pieces. Furrowing my brow I recalled the memories, thinking about how he had reacted. It had always seemed to be his chest that hurt, never his head, and I wondered what was causing Red's pain.

"Do you know why?" I asked, deciding the quickest way to identify the problem would be to ask the one suffering it. Red jerked his head slightly and then visibly cringed but I got the message. No. I could only think of two possible causes: merging with Dark was taking its toll on him or he was finally feeling the strain of not being a complete soul. A sudden moan from Red jerked me from my thoughts in time to see him curl in on himself, nails digging into his scalp.

"I don't understand." I said slowly, "I thought you couldn't feel pain… or at least not as much." Red didn't reply for a long moment.

"I don't get it either. I just- ahh!" he broke off with a small cry and, for the briefest moment, I could have sworn his hair turned white. Not sure if it was just wishful thinking or something else I gently pulled Red's hands away from his head. Maybe he couldn't feel pain but there was no point in him damaging himself further.

"You just…?" I prompted, scrabbling for ways to distract him.

"My head's splitting in two…!" he gasped, struggling against me in an attempt to bring his hands back to his head. In his current state, however, he was weak enough that I could restrain him. He took a few harsh breaths before he suddenly relaxed, becoming almost boneless as he slumped. Releasing his hands I, for a moment, thought that he had perhaps fallen unconscious, but then he lifted his head and blinked his fiery eyes.

"It's gone." He said, rising to his feet. "I'm fine." Stretching he heaved a sigh and I rose, wincing as my legs cramped from the awkward position I had crouched in.

"Are you sure?" I asked, wondering if he was could be simply putting on a brave face. My concern earned me only a glare.

"Yes." He snapped, "I said I was fine, princess." We both blinked in surprise, him at the unfamiliar tone and me at the familiar one. It had sounded just as though Dark had spoken, from the inflections in his voice to his way of addressing me.

"Why did I…" Red frowned, murmuring to himself as I looked on, thinking. Perhaps, even now, Dark was fighting back. It didn't make any sense, though. If Dark could do it why hadn't either of the others? Was it simply because Dark and Red were more evenly matched? I didn't know, but apparently Red didn't want to find out because a moment later he was headed towards the hallway leading from the temple to the cavern and ordering me to follow. Doing as he asked I trailed after him and halted when he did the same. For the second time I thought I saw his colouring change as he staggered and I immediately went to steady him, his current state doing nothing for my nerves. What was becoming of my country's saviour?

Yanking his arm from my grip Red strode on in silence, hostility rolling off of him in waves. Frowning after him I waited until he was about halfway down the corridor before following, suddenly not wanting to be too close to him. The aura he was exuding gave me goosebumps and twisted my stomach nervously and it reminded me a little of the first time I had met Dark. The similarities between the two were almost overwhelming.

Red vanished in the darkness of the corridor and I quickened my pace, doubting that the current Red would wait for me. When a yell rang out in front of me I broke into a jog, unable to mistake the pain in the cry. As I approached the tall ladder my eyes fell upon the strangest sight. It was so surreal I had to blink and look away before focusing on it again.

Red was knelt a little way from the base of the ladder while a strange, translucent version of Dark clung to its rungs, only his torso in sight. As I watched Dark pulled himself up to the next rung and his left leg slipped free of Red's back. He was… he was pulling them apart! Astonished I watched in silence, my jog faltering and then stopping altogether. Red arched his back, clutching his head in his hands as the strange version of Dark braced his foot on Red's shoulder and pushed himself up. Dark's right leg came into being. There was a bright flash of white light and one or both of them gave a cry of pain.

Flinching back at the sudden burst of energy I blinked spots from my eyes, waiting for my vision to clear. Once it had I found myself looking at a familiar scene. Red and Dark were squaring up to each other, Red still knelt on the floor and Dark clinging to the ladder, hanging half off of it. There was a tense silence before Red cursed the other, clambering to his feet with a grimace. In reply Dark grinned, jumping lightly from the ladder. His form, though shifting and wavering, was steadily solidifying and I had to blink a few times before I could process he was stood there. Dark was back and, from the gleam in his eyes, he wanted vengeance.

Okay. Let me know what you think about Dark's return!

This chapter seems pitifully short after chapter 9, and I was going to draw it out a little more but as I'm writing this (and was finishing chapter 10) I have about 10 minutes before I go on holiday so... if it seems a little rushed then that's why, and I didn't have time to check it so there may well be some mistakes here and there. I apologise! Also, as I'm going away for a while and therefore won't have my laptop Split is, again, going to be on hiatus. I mean, that technically shouldn't effect anything because I'm the queen of procrastination but it may well mean that chapter 11 comes up way, way later than normal! Sorry!

Well, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated etc. Feedback/constructive criticism is really helpful, y'know! Thanks again! :)