A/N: Wow, yet another really late update. I have no excuses anymore-I've all but abandoned you guys here, and I'm insanely sorry for that. But I want you to know I haven't discontinued anything, and I WILL keep trying to get these updates here. Mentions were done in the last chapter, so they will not be done for a bit.

Enjoy! And again, I apologize.

Blood. He could taste it on his lips and tongue, the beautiful crimson shades staining his clothing and the thick veil of hair hanging over his left eye. His body ached, scarlet ribbons swirling out from his chest and dancing their way down his body into the grass. Idly, his fingers wandered up to the wound, his eyes fluttering slightly as he gingerly touched the gaping hole in his center.

"M…as…ter…?" he rasped out, his gaze wandering over his surroundings, chocolate optics trying desperately to keep everything in focus. He spoke again, trying to bring his volume up so he could be heard, but he couldn't accomplish any more than a whisper. "Mas…ter… I… need help…"

He coughed harshly, his hand falling back to his side as an unfamiliar feeling began to worm its way into his mind. It made his heart speed up, blood pouring from his body faster than before. It made him feel cornered—like he wanted to lash out or run away. It made him feel helpless and frail. He couldn't remember ever feeling these sensations before, but if his knowledge of human emotions was correct, he was experiencing…

…fear.

He didn't know what to do. He had no one to help him, and his own strength was useless to him. He was in pain, he was alone, and he was weak. And it scared him. It scared him more than anything he had ever experienced before.

"Master?" he called, his voice broken and raspy but stronger than it had been a few moments ago. "M-Master? Can… you h-hear me?" He coughed, warm liquid splashing over his lips. Was that… more blood? He was coughing up blood?

"H-hello?" His voice cracked from the strain, his vocal chords wanting nothing to do with any sort of volume. "Somebody? A…anybody?" Quivering, he took a deep breath and tried once more to shout. "H-help! H—"

He broke off into a coughing fit, unable to complete the plea for assistance. He lay on the ground, shaking both from pain and anxiety, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Somebody… anybody… help me… please… please…

His ears filled up with cotton, and his eyes finally closed entirely.

Please…

A cry burst through the young demon's lips, his upper body flying off of the mattress as the images and sensations faded away into oblivion, revealing themselves to be nothing but a nightmare. A sheen of sweat had formed over his body, chest rising and falling sporadically as he gasped for air in an attempt to calm himself.

Just a dream… it was just a dream…

He looked down at himself, fingers ghosting over his chest, neck, and stomach, as if he thought he might actually find the warm, sticky, red substance somewhere on his body. His hands came back clean, though, and he tried again to talk himself down from the state of panic he had been in just a few moments prior.

Only a nightmare… it's all in your head… you're here, you're safe, this is reality, that was just… just pictures.

A shudder tore through his body, his torso slowly lowering back down to the mattress and sinking into the sheets. Chocolate optics riveted themselves to the ceiling, his chest swelling once more as he dragged air down into his lungs, holding it for a few moments before letting it all back out.

Just… a bad dream…

He pulled the blankets over himself though he was already burning up and rolled over, facing the wall and closing his eyes.

Only a nightmare…

He sighed, frustrated tears formed as he struggled to burn the pictures from his mind fade off to sleep.

If it was only a nightmare… why did it seem so real?

Link yawned, sitting up in bed and stretching his arms over his head. Reaching behind himself, he scratched his back and looked around slowly, a sleepy haze still clouding his mind. He did, however, manage to deduct that it was far too early in the morning for him to wake up on his own. So what was he doing in the realm of the conscious?

His question was answered not a moment later when he heard a singsong voice coming down the hall.

"Breakfast is ready!"

He barely noticed that Zelda was not the one who was calling out, but he did notice that the smell in the air was all wrong for breakfast. It smelled like… vegetable soup, maybe? Or some sort of stew with similar ingredients.

I guess… I should check it out…

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he forced himself to stand and pressed his hands to his lower back with a grunt. He shuffled over to the door, not bothering to get in his usual chainmail, tunic, pants, and boots. It was too early for any of that.

Yawning again, he made his way down the hall and into the kitchen, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the table set and ready with a pot of boiling hot soup on the stove. So it was soup, but… soup for breakfast?

"Good morning, Link!"

The hero blinked in surprise, turning his head a few times before finally spotting the young demon standing off to the side, Zelda's apron tied tightly around his waist. He was holding a ladle and had a few bandages on his fingers, a dirt smudge coloring his right cheek.

"Good… morning?" The hero rubbed his eyes, finding himself unable to remove the dopey, lost expression from his face.

Ghirahim didn't seem to mind, though, and gestured to the table with a smile. "I made breakfast! I know it's a bit early… but I thought maybe you could take me out and teach me some of your fighting skills now that I taught you some magic."

Link looked at the table and nodded dumbly, barely registering the other's request. "Sure… why not…? This… is real nice, Ghirahim… I'm…" He yawned again, shoulders slumping and eyes returning to their half-lidded state. "I'm sorry I'm not very awake right now…"

A giggle came from Ghirahim's direction, and he pranced around the other, giving him a little push towards the table. "That's alright! Just, um… just take a seat. I'll get you your breakfast."

Link nodded and trudged over to the table, grabbing the seat closest to him and plopping into it rather unceremoniously. No sooner had his bum hit the wood than Groose and Zelda came through the door, the two of them considerably more awake than he was.

"Huh?" Groose looked around, confusion contorting his features. "What's all this?"

Zelda's fatigue faded almost immediately, a sweet smile turning her lips. "Oh, Ghirahim… did you make all of this?"

The boy nodded his head, smiling widely at them before holding his hands out towards the table. "I did! Here, take a seat, and I'll get you some."

Zelda couldn't seem to get the smile off of her face, and she sat down at the table with a cheerful little giggle. Groose sat down next to her, also smiling though not as much, and Ghirahim quickly grabbed up their bowls, going over to the stove and scooping in copious amounts of the stew.

The three of them exchanged glances, but none of them had the heart to tell him vegetable soup wasn't for breakfast. Not after he had put so much energy and effort into a random act of kindness.

"This is great, Ghirahim." Groose rubbed his hands together with a big grin as a bowl was placed in front of him.

Ghirahim smiled a little and handed Zelda her dish before returning to grab Link's bowl from the counter. "Thank you… b-but you might want to make sure it tastes okay before you say that!"

Zelda waved it off. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Ghirahim."

The demon bit his lip and said nothing, putting Link's bowl down in the proper place and clasping his hands together in front of himself. He waited, watching as the trio began to eat, his chocolate eyes flickering between their expressions as he tried to get a read on whether or not they liked it.

"Mmm!" Link swallowed and immediately scooped more into his mouth, giving a thumbs up.

Zelda waved a hand in front of her mouth, eyes watering slightly. "Whew! It's kinda spicy, but in a good way. It'll be great to eat in winter. It's really good, Ghirahim!"

Groose nodded, eating the stew hungrily. "Yeah!" And more stew was immediately shoved down his throat.

The little demon child beamed with pride, making his way back over to the stove and getting a bowl for himself before returning to the table and sitting down to eat with the others. Receiving such approval from the group had put him in a very good mood, and it made him feel a little more comfortable around them.

"Did you all sleep well last night?" Zelda asked, reaching across the table to grab a napkin, wiping her mouth before continuing to eat.

Link offered up a shrug of the shoulders, his chin coming to rest in his hand as he swirled his spoon idly in the soup. "I guess. I had some weird dreams and then thought I heard someone sneaking around outside, but it was just a kikwi."

Groose frowned slightly, taking another big bite. "Weird. I slept pretty good last night but woke up with a headache… other than that, I can't complain."

All eyes turned to Ghirahim.

"How about you, Ghirahim?" Zelda questioned softly.

Ghirahim offered up a cheerful smile, folding his hands in his lap and trying not to fidget. "I had a pretty good night! I think I heard the same kikwi Link did, but I just rolled over and put a pillow over my head. Can't complain!"

He hoped it didn't sound as forced to them as it did to him, but after a second of thought, they accepted the story as truth, and he breathed an inward sigh of relief. Guilt, however, wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily, the horrid sensation churning in the pit of his stomach.

Oh! Oh, hush you! It's not like I… don't trust them, I just… it was strange. Too strange. And I don't want to think about it! I'll just… ask Master when I return to him.

"Ghirahim, aren't you hungry?"

He jumped slightly, quickly grabbing his spoon and shoveling some more breakfast into his mouth. "Just thinking," he spoke around the stew, his hand hovering in front of his mouth to keep them from seeing the unnecessary sight of his chewed food. Swallowing, he went for a change of subject, smiling at Zelda. "Link said he would teach me how to use a sword!"

The hero's head snapped up, blue eyes wide and confused. "I did?"

Ghirahim giggled. "Yes, you did! When you first came to the table, I asked you about it, and you said yes."

Groose smirked, lifting his bowl to his mouth in preparation to slurp. "That's definitely the way to get Link to say yes to anything—do it before he's really awake!"

There was laughter around the table, but Link only continued to stare, jaw slack and expression befuddled.

"I still don't get it."

And they laughed some more.

"Alright, Ghirahim!" Link held his sword in one hand, swinging his arm in a relaxed yet controlled manner, the hilt flipping, twirling, and turning in his grasp. "We're going to start with the basics. How to hold it, and getting used to the weight of it. A sword is heavier than you might think, and not only do you have to carry it around with you, but you have to be able to aim and hit your mark with speed and precision."

Ghirahim nodded enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling with the delight of a boy who was absorbing and treasuring every word spoken to him.

"Your sword is a bit smaller than mine, but that's just because you're younger and we're only training. It doesn't make it any less powerful of a weapon, and you have to remember that's what you're holding—a weapon."

Ever since Link had realized he had agreed to train Ghirahim in the ways of a sword—even if it was thanks to an early morning stupor—he had been thinking hard about how to do this right. He was training one of his greatest enemies how to use a weapon, and even if Ghirahim was just a child, if Faron was right then these memories would stick with him. If that was the case, Link was at a serious risk of accidentally teaching Ghirahim his weaknesses and how to take advantage of them. But he couldn't just refuse to teach him or treat him like a villain either. He had to find and maintain a perfect balance, which was by no means an easy task.

"Alright, Ghirahim, go ahead and pick up your sword. You'll be handling it with one hand, but if you need two hands to start with, we'll try and work around it." Link gave him a warm smile and gestured to the weapon lying in the grass. "Go on."

Ghirahim nodded again, biting his lip and visually appraising the blade for a moment before taking a few steps towards it and picking it up. He turned back to Link immediately. "What now?"

"Just bring it over here. Leave it in its sheath and start to swing it around a bit. Get a feel for it, for the weight, the momentum, the control… just… mess around with it."

Ghirahim nodded, sticking his tongue out slightly and biting down on it, a concentrated expression contorting his features as he started to move it around a bit. He swung it one way and then the other, ran into a little trouble trying to swing it upward, and then tried to jab it a few times. His form was sloppy and inexperienced, of course, but Link's face lit up with a smile regardless.

"You're doing good. Feel how heavy the steel is? It's heavier than the hilt, so try and compensate when you swing. It's going to want to fall point first—don't let it."

Ghirahim nodded, signaling that he heard and understood, his hand still moving endlessly. He swung upwards, and then back down, stumbling a bit and using his free hand to help him slow the blade to a stop.

"Oops!"

Link gave another smile. "That's alright, Ghirahim, just try again."

The albino looked at him, biting his lip before offering yet another nod. "A… alright…"

Up and down he swung, and then he started swinging back and forth. He swung side to side as well, slowly getting a vague idea of how to handle the blade.

"Good… good!"

Ghirahim kept moving it, up and down, back and forth, side to side, repeat, repeat, repeat. Then suddenly, he broke from the pattern and when he swung back, he tried to do what Link had done earlier when he twirled the blade by shifting the hilt through his fingers. He did not have even a quarter of Link's ability, though, and the sword flipped right out of his hands and fell to the ground with a hefty thud.

"I-I'm sorry!" Ghirahim rushed over and grabbed it up, a fierce blush coloring his cheeks. "I-I shouldn't have tried that, I—I promise I'll only follow instructions from now on!"

Link laughed softly and approached the warrior to be, tousling his hair affectionately. "Ghirahim, what have I told you about taking training so seriously? It's alright. I'm glad you're getting comfortable with it and trying new things."

Ghirahim blinked and then gave a reluctant nod, gripping the sword tightly and staring down at the ground.

"Why don't you keep working on that? And then I want to show you some exercises you can do to get your fingers and wrists nice and strong."

Ghirahim gave a sharp nod and allowed himself to smile a little, returning the hilt to his hand and continuing to practice. Link watched on, sadness darkening his normally bright blue hues.

I have to wonder… did you put this desire to be perfect in your head, or did someone else put it there for you? A soft sigh escaped him. Well… time will tell, I guess.

"Good! Very good. Try that one again."

"Alright!"