Well here we are again. Sorry for the increasingly long waits for chapters. But my math class is making me want to stab myself. And some things, like my upgrading to Windows Vista have delayed my writings. Regardless I have no intentions of stopping this fic at the moment.

Also I wrote this chapter myself for anyone who's curious. I'm sorry if this one get's a little confusing

Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned in this topic as I am much too poor/uncreative to do so. All custom made characters and the plot-line are used with the permissions of their creators.

---

Chapter 12

Vaati

My eyes opened slowly... I was lying on the ground on my stomach. I ached. Mostly near my knee, where my wound still remained. Slowly, I picked myself up from the dirt, and looked at my surroundings. I was on a plain...A large open one. It was day-time. Cloudy, but the sun was shining bright. I looked around, and saw nothing except for more grassland. Yet they looked...oddly familiar. (Whatever...I just need to hurry up and get this over with so I can my immortality) I thought, as I finally began walking.

It wasn't long until I came to a few small walls, protecting a few buildings. That didn't concern me...What did however was what was a little ways beyond them. A large, fortress-like wall, with an open drawbridge... And a large castle a ways behind it up on a hill. Almost immediately I collapsed on my knees, in shock. I stared at the wall for minutes, not believing my eyes.

"No...No...It can't be..." I said to myself.

I simply stared...Hoping the wall, was some sort of sick mirage...But it never vanished. I was back in Hyrule...Hyrule Field to be exact...Right in front of Hyrule Castle. (But...That bastard old man said he was gonna send in the past...Maybe...Maybe Link and Zelda haven't even been born yet...) I thought, as I finally collected myself. I decided. I had to investigate... Besides, I had to find out what was wrong here anyway... Hyrule Market was a good place to start. So I threw my cloak over myself and walked over to the drawbridge.

There were guards on the other side. I started walking slightly faster, as they stared at me, as I walked across the drawbridge. I suppose I did look suspicious... But they never stopped me. I stepped forward into the Market Square. There were people all over the place, some walking around various shops, others just standing around talking to other people. Cautiously, I walked around. Looking around for something, anything that could tell me what the date was. I couldn't walk up to someone and ask as it would look too suspicious. My eyes darted from shop, to shop. One shop in particular had a huge banner over it that said "Opening Sale, Today Only!" Near the bottom-right was the date I'd been looking for. For the second time today, my heart almost stopped. Immediately, I dashed into an alleyway, and ran to the end, lying against a wall of a building. My eyes, were bulging out from shock. I could still see the date clear in my mind. 6/9...Of this year. I'd been sent a mere 2 days into the past.

3:30 P.M. 6/9

(What kind of prank does that bastard old man think he's playing?!?!?!) I yelled inside my head. This couldn't be right. If anything went wrong here, that damn hero would take care of it. So then why was I here? It just made no sense. Link has always taken care of every single threat that dared to stand before him. Out of nowhere my thoughts drifted to another subject, as I remembered on very important fact. This was the day where the seal had weakened...This was the day where I had made my escape yet again from the hell that was the Four Sword. (Could that be it?!?!... Could I be the threat, that's supposed to be exterminated?!?!) I thought.

"Umm...Are you ok Sir?" I heard a voice say from down the alleyway.

I glanced back down, to see who spoke. Apparently some civilian had seen me run here and got curious.

"Err...Yes...I am fine..." I said back to the person, as I walked back towards the Market Square.

"Umm...Ok... If you insist." The person said walking away.

"Well this is just great... In a few hours, the seal of the Four Sword will crumble..." I muttered under my breath to myself.

"Wait, what?!?!" The same voice from before said.

The person from before stepped back out and stared at me.

"The Four Sword is weakening?!?! I'm not sure how you know that Sir, but Link must be informed at once!" The person said.

(Oh fuck... I thought HE WAS GONE!!!) I yelled to myself in my mind.

"You look tired Sir...Please find somewhere to rest, while I attend to this matter." The person said running off.

(DAMN IT!) I thought to myself. This was bad. I had just unknowingly revealed, that I would be breaking out of the Four Sword soon. If Link found it, he would have time to get a unit together, and surround the Four Sword. The second I escaped I would be re-sealed...And then what would happen to the current me? I suppose I'd end up back in the Four Sword as well. Trapped in my own personnel Hell for the rest of eternity, to do nothing but go insane. There was only one option. I had to kill the person who'd just run off before he could get word to Link.

I nodded to myself and dashed out of the alleyway, back into the Market Square. I looked all around for the person whom I'd just conversed with. It was no good; I'd already lost him in the crowd. Regardless, it was very likely he was heading to Hyrule castle, so without wasting any time, I dashed in the direction of the castle. I ran through the gateway, to the path to the castle, and stopped as I heard a clanking sound. I bent down and cautiously turned my head around the corner, to see some guards escorting the man I'd been chasing. It was no good... If I attacked him now, I'd be captured in an instant. The good news was that he apparently hadn't recognized me. Probably due to my cloak. If he knew what the Four Sword was, it was likely he knew who I was. So for the moment I was safe... But I doubted that would last long. For the moment, all I could do was walk back to Market Square, and wait for something to happen.

So I did just that, I turned around and walked back, to the same alleyway I'd been standing at before and sat down against a wall, staring out into the Square. I merely laid there...Waiting for something, anything to happen.

5:30 P.M. 6/9

A couple of hours later, the town finally began to take action. Link, rode out from the gateway leading to the castle on Epona, with several castle guards behind him. The guards almost immediately began putting flyers up along the walls, and Link stayed on the opposite side of the square from me. People would read the flyers, and then some would go up to Link and speak with him. After that they would be pointed towards where the guards were standing, and they stood with them.

Curious at these odd actions, I stood back up and walked out into the Square to one of the flyers. The flier was advertising, for people to volunteer for the re-sealing of the Wind Demon. A sum of money was being offered to anyone who decided to help out, but warned that there was no guarantee of their safety.

(Humph...So they're gathering peasants to stand against ME?) I thought, as I looked at the current number of my soon-to-be hunters. Again, I was in shock...I recognized them. I recognized every one of them. This was the same group of people who were chasing me, when I fled to the Smash Bros. Mansion. I looked all their faces over. Sure enough, yep, they were the same people. (Something isn't right here...) I thought. (If, I came back in time and accidentally gave my escape away, then the forces should have been waiting for me as I escaped. But they weren't, I was able to get a decent distance before I encountered them. ...It doesn't make any sense.) I was going to have to investigate further. And I didn't have any other options left regardless, besides to wait around for my eternal punishment to bite me in the ass. There was only one thing left to do. I reluctantly walked, cloak over my entire body, right up to Link.

I tried to speak, but my throat went extremely dry.

"Yes? ...Can I...Help you with something?" Link said staring at me.

"I-...I'd like to...to join... the peasant militia..." I finally managed to stutter out.

Link looked me over several times suspiciously and said "Oh...Ok...Well I suppose your good...Just walk over there where the rest of the civilians are standing."

I stood there for a few seconds, and slowly nodded my head. I walked over where Link had pointed me too, and turned around again. Link was staring at me...Hard. But eventually he shrugged, and turned back. I sighed, one of the biggest sighs of my life. I had done it. I had infiltrated the very army that would soon be seeking to destroy me. This had good and bad consequences to it...On the positive side, now I could keep a close watch on Link and make sure nothing happened that would affect me in the future. On the negative side...Well...I was trapped, right next to my sworn enemy. If he found out the truth of who I really was, things would get dirty. But for the moment, it appeared that I was safe. More and more people, mostly men, came and joined alongside the guards, and after a little while the group set out onto Hyrule Field.

We walked towards the Shrine of the Four Sword, slowly. It was a good ways away from town, so it would take a while to get there. I was nervous the whole way. I didn't say a word to anyone, and I tried to blend in with the other townspeople. But whenever I got too far, a guard would always call to me, and ask me to stand in a certain spot. Usually near one of them. Link was on Epona, but most of the rest of us were on foot.

7:30 P.M. 6/9

A couple of hours later, we were almost halfway to the shrine, when everyone was ordered to stop walking.

"Alright everyone, we'll be getting close to the Shrine shortly. For now, we'll take a small break for food and rest. Prepare yourselves." Link said to the entire group.

The townspeople who were with us cheered, and a small camp was set up. It wasn't dark yet, but it would be soon, and some people constructed a bonfire to keep everyone warm. The guards passed out food, from supplies they had brought, and everyone sat around the fire and talked...Well everyone but me. I just sat there, still not saying anything. Whenever someone tried, to say something to me, I would either nod my head or just remain quiet. Link was sitting directly across me, talking and laughing occasionally. I, on the other hand, was screaming inside my head. Spending this much time, right next to my stalker, was going to my head. Scenes would play in my head every so often. Scenes of Link stabbing me, sealing me back for eternity, and laughing alongside Ganondorf and Zelda at my failure. Scenes of Link in an executioner's robe, bringing the Four Sword down upon my head. And yet there were also scenes of slaughter. Me, rising up from the ground and killing every single person here. Throwing their blood upon myself and laughing in victory and satisfaction.

"Err...Are you alright?" I heard a guard ask me.

Keeping to myself again, I merely nodded my head.

"You've been awfully quiet ever since we left town Sir..." The guard said again.

"Is that a problem?" I finally said back to him quietly.

"I suppose not..." The guard said turning back.

The group continued conversing amongst its self for a little while longer until finally Link announced that we would be continuing the trip in a little while. Before, the group left, and the bonfire put out however a man asked Link a question.

"Why don't you tell us about your adventure to stop the Wind Demon, Link?" The man said.

"Umm...Why not I suppose" Link replied chuckling.

Link motioned for everyone to take their seats by the fire again, and they complied. Then Link began to recite an all too familiar tale...

"Well you see, it all started a few years back at the annual Picori Festival. Zelda and I were walking around together, enjoying the games and shops and such, when Zelda was called to the winners' ceremony of the annual fighting tournament. As most of you know, whoever wins the tournament gets to touch the Picori Blade. But the winner that year wasn't interested in that. The man's name was Vaati, and he was searching for a certain power in Hyrule. He quickly disposed of any guards that tried to stop him, and managed to petrify Zelda. So, later after many days of adventuring I acquired a weapon known as the Four Sword, capable of defeating Vaati. And I soon did just that, although Zelda at one point came very close to death."

Link finished his story, and all the townspeople cheered for him.

"So then why do we have to go after him again if you defeated him?" A townsperson asked.

"Well, he didn't actually die really...He was sealed up inside of the Four Sword. We thought the seal would last forever, but it quickly faded and Vaati escaped, and I had to go on another quest to re-seal him. Apparently, the seal is again weakening, so we must be ready to strengthen it! After all, if we let the Wind Demon escape, there's no telling what he might do." Link replied.

"And how do you know for sure he would do more bad things, once he's escaped?" I said speaking up.

This was too much. I couldn't sit here and be insulted like this.

"Because he's done unforgivable things to Hyrule. Why in the world wouldn't he continue his torturing streak, if he were released?" Link said back to me,

looking me over questionably again.

"Perhaps not...You shouldn't be so quick to judge, Hero..." I said to Link spitefully.

"Why do you defend the Demon so much? He shouldn't be trusted and that's that." Link said back glaring at me.

"Oh? Was what I did really THAT bad Hero..." I said spitefully again, as I threw my cloak off.

I'd had enough of this heresy. I would end Link here, once and for all, and then even when I got back to my real time he would be dead. There would be no one left to stand in my way, and I could finally take over this pitiful excuse for a country.

"Vaati! ...I should have known...I knew there was something bad about you... I can't believe I didn't see it before!" Link said.

All the townspeople and guards shrieked and dashed away from me behind Link.

"Well, with stupidity as big as yours it doesn't surprise me." I sneered back at Link.

The castle guards that had come with us brought spears forward and aimed them at me, while Link himself drew the Master Sword.

"If I'm stupid, then what are you? After all I've outsmarted you in combat how many times? 2? 3?" Link said back.

"Our battle history doesn't matter. You die here Hero." I said back to him, drawing my katana.

Link turned, to one of the guards and said "Take Epona to the Shrine, and get the Four Sword. Bring it back here to me as quickly as you can!"

The guard nodded and complied. I let him go. It wouldn't matter, I would have finished this fool by the time he got back, and the Four Sword in the hands of an amateur would be nothing to worry about. And if memory served correctly, the past me should have made his escape by now. There was nothing holding me back from finishing fairy boy once and for all.

The castle guards charged me first, although they were quickly pushed back by a wave of wind I conjured up. All the guards lying on their backs, Link charged forth, and the two of us clashed blades. We swung at each other, a couple of times before I managed to get an advantage and shoved him back. He recovered quickly however, and responded by pulling his bow and firing arrows at me. I dodged as quickly as I could, and sent a sharp blast of wind at him. He rolled to the side and continued the barrage of arrows. I charged him, side-stepping arrows constantly, until finally I slammed my blade on top of the bow. Link shoved forward and threw me of my balance. He then followed up with a kick to my stomach, knocking me onto my back.

Getting back up, the guards whom I'd previously knocked down charged for a second time. I lunged to the side as a spear flew by me, and sent a slice into the guard holding it with my katana. He stumbled forward, and I grabbed his body and tossed it onto another guard quickly. Clashing weapons with several more guards, I was forced backwards as I blocked incoming slashes, and stabs. But I dispatched them quickly, sending slashes through their necks and stomachs and other vital areas. They were too unskilled to handle me. After killing four of them or so, the rest backed off taking defensive positions in front of the townspeople, who were cowering in fear this entire time. I couldn't wait to kill them all...But that would have to wait as Link once again stepped forward.

We clashed yet again, the clanging of our swords echoing loudly, as we swiped at each other. We were interrupted however by the sound of...galloping? I glanced in the direction of the noise, to see a guard riding on Epona...The Four Sword in his hand. (Are we THAT close to the shrine?!?!?!) I yelled in my head. Shoving Link aside, I sent a wave of wind and knocked Epona on her side, sending the guard and the Four Sword toppling. In a flash, Link pulled out his grappling hook, and fired it. It snagged the Four Sword in mid-air and brought it back to Link. Link brandished it a few times before turning back to me.

"Ready to finish this, Demon?" Link said.

I merely stared at the weapon in his hand. This was it...I had been too careless. Link charged towards me, and I blocked, only to be shoved to the ground. I stared up in fear as Link raised the Four Sword over his head, and began to bring it down. I closed my eyes and screamed, waiting on my personal hell to embrace me once more. I waited...But nothing ever happened. I opened my eyes, to see old man Bestivous standing over me.

8:30 P.M. 6/11

"Come on get up. Up and at em! Sheez, is that weapon really so scary?..."

Bestivous said, kicking me in the side.

I looked around...I was back in the Mansion attic...It was night-time and it was raining outside. Regardless I stood back up.

"You have no idea..." I said, getting calmer.

"Ah well...If you insist...Anyways congratulations, you completed your quest!" Bestivous said to me.

"I did?...But I didn't do anything...I never even bothered to find out what it was I needed to know" I said back to Bestivous confused.

"Yes, yes I know... You see, your mission was to protect your past self. Had you not intervened you would have been immediately recaptured upon your escape and you never would have came here, and none of this would have ever happened." Bestivous explained.

"So by battling Link's group I... accomplished the goal?..." I asked, still confused.

"Yep, you distracted them long enough, for the past you, to escape and eventually make it to the Mansion, to hide-out... And well I suppose you know the rest.." Bestivous replied.

It was a tad bit confusing, but I didn't care. All that mattered was that I was back in my real time, and that technically my end of the deal had been held up.

"Well then? I expect my reward now..." I said, to Bestivous impatiently.

"I know I know...impatient little mortals... Here, swallow this." Bestivous said, pulling out two stones.

He handed the stones to me.

"Swallow these?...But their rocks..." I said glaring at Bestivous.

"Really? Well, congratulations, you can observe at a 1st grade level...Yes their rocks. But they're special rocks. If you eat one it will grant you immortality." Bestivous snapped at me.

I looked the stones over again...They looked like normal rocks, save for a few strange symbols I'd never seen before on the sides. Still very unsure about the reliability of a rock granting me immortality, I opened my mouth and dropped one of them in. I strained to swallow it, and eventually succeeded. I fell to my knees and coughed, as the stone slid down my throat. A few seconds later I sensed an overwhelming power, just kind of surge through my body.

"Congratulations Vaati, from now on you can never die nor will you ever age past your current state. There is a catch though...Even though you can't die, you can still feel pain." Bestivous said.

"Regardless, It feels great" I said back to Bestivous.

I put the last stone in my pocket, so I could give it to Raveness later, but for now I had other plans. I drew my katana and stepped over to the closed attic stairs, intent on shoving them open.

"And where do you think your going?" Bestivous said to me.

"I plan on killing every single person in this damn mansion. That's where I'm going" I said turning back to him.

"I'm afraid not...After all I told your lady friend I'd teleport you back when you returned...And I never go back on my word... So good-bye Vaati! I'll be seeing you again sooner then you think." Bestivous said with a grin.

"Oh you littl-" I started to say, but in an instant I was in the woods instead of the Mansion.

"Damn it!" I said, punching a near-by tree.

Then I noticed something...Odd about the rain. It was warm...Really warm. The puddles on the ground were red...and thick. This was no rain...It was blood.

"Vaati!" I heard a voice say from behind me.

I turned around to see Raveness, standing under a tree. There was blood all over her. I dashed quickly under the tree, which protected from the blood somewhat.

"Raveness!...What's with the blood rain?" I asked her.

"I don't know... It started about an hour ago..." Raveness replied.

"Come on...We should seek shelter...I sense something foul about it..." I said back to her.

She nodded, and the two of us dashed off, in a random direction. Bestivous had done as he said he would, and teleported us, to the spot where we had been when he first spoke with us, so we somewhat knew the layout of the woods in this area. We looked all over the place, until I finally spotted a cave that appeared safe enough for us to hide in for the night. I pointed it out to Raveness and we took shelter inside, after looking around to make sure it really was safe. We dried the blood off of ourselves with our cloaks, and sat down near the entrance of the cave.

"Oh, I forgot. Here swallow this." I said to Raveness, pulling out the second stone I had received from Bestivous and handing it to Raveness.

"A rock?..." Raveness asked questionably.

"It will give you immortality...I know it sounds strange, but it works. I can feel it." I replied to her.

Looking unsure, she too swallowed the rock and began coughing violently before finally standing back up.

"It...Worked...I can feel it..." She said to me.

"See?...I told you... Anyways, I suppose we may as well lay down for the night...We can't go back out into that hell rain." I said to Raveness.

Raveness nodded.

"But it is rather cold...Maybe we should lay down...Together?" She said.

I couldn't help but go red a little, and merely nodded my head. The two of laid down on the floor of the cave, next to each other and closed our eyes. But something was bothering me... As much as I enjoyed her company, Raveness couldn't stay with me. If she did...She would be hunted down, as I was, for the rest of her life. I couldn't put her through that... I tapped her on the shoulder and she opened her eyes.

"Raveness...After this storm stops...I think we should part ways..." I said to her sadly.

"Why?" Raveness replied also sadly, in what sounded like a shocked tone of voice.

'Well you see...I can't hide this from you anymore... I'm a demon... I tried to take over my home country. I killed my own parents. I constantly have psychotic thoughts, and people like the blue knight from before constantly plague me. Staying with me, would mean being hunt down the rest of your life and despised by every person that learns your identity...And you don't deserve that..." I said woefully.

She stayed quiet for a long time before muttering "Va-...Vaati..."

She looked like she had something on her mind...But she merely turned around, and didn't say another word. Yet she never moved away. We continued lying next to each other, as the thundered crackled and the storm continued.

I closed my eyes again, and tried to drift off to sleep...But more thoughts plagued my head. This time it was not Raveness's well-being, but the old coot Bestivous. Some things didn't make any sense... When Raveness and I first met Bestivous he explained that, the jobs he sent people on were quests into the past to save the current present from changing. Yet my quest was to insure that I successfully made it to the Mansion. Had I not completed it, I'd be back in the Four Sword right now...And that wouldn't negatively affect the future at all. Hell in most people's eyes it would make it better...So then why was it so important that I made to the Mansion? And for that matter what did the old man mean when he said I would be seeing him again sooner then I thought.

One thing was obvious. The old guy knew something he hadn't told me. But for now all I could do was ponder. So I shrugged my thoughts off, and finally drifted off to sleep...

10:30 P.M. 6/11

---

Well the plot has thickened. Meta Knight has his power. Vaati is incapable of dying. And a mysterious old man knows more then he lets on. What will happen? Find out soon... Now leave a review please My self-esteem depends on it.