I have to say this chapter was hard to write…because I wanted it to be perfect D: and still…ugh.

…in the end it became an emotional mess…thanks Dark Link, really! Your mind is pure hell for any author out there. Run my fellows who want to write a fanfics with him. Run.

And I had a discussion with my dad about how to describe a heartbeat in English with flat words…next to 'thump' 'bam, bam' 'lub-dub' and many other weird phrases we found in the internet we chose 'ba-dump' to be the best one xD because the Japanese 'dokidoki' didn't settle it…it just didn't fit.

I hope you'll enjoy anyway…I hope I won't disappoint you. D:

Again, if you have any ideas, suggestions or opinions concerning something – please do not hesitate and tell me :D I like to hear what you think!

To the reviews!

candacepaige – Aw thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope that you'll like – DL's 'game' – and won't be disappointed because again…there will be no kiss D: but soon! Really! The fluff will increase now because I finally have the characters at stages where it's possible :D
Avril555 – You make me so happy! Thank you for the nice review!
KurayamiAkuma – And there is fluff in this chapter! Kinda…uh…in DL style :D'' from now on there will be more! I promise!
random hyper person – Aaww…thank you! I'm so happy that you look forward to updates from this story :D and I really like DL as well then he is evil and hateful. It's fun to write even if it's sometimes hard to grasp xD
YoYo360 – Thank you :D! I'm happy that you like it!
- NoName - - Oh gosh thanks! It is my first priority to portray the characters as realistic as possible concerning emotions. I don't like the whole suddenly head over heels and lovey-dovey. D: I always think 'Yeah right.' If I see that suddenly 'evil' characters get along with others and stuff. It can't be that easy now, right xD?

Chapter 14 – A game of Ice and Fire

A game?

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

That word echoed in her mind from left to right. Forward and backward. At first she tried to associate it with old things she knew - silly things like 'tag' and 'hide and seek'. Games she knew from back then, the good old days in Kokiri Village. Days filled with innocence and fun, bright and sweet. But then. But then the word, spoken by his voice reminded her of the very beginning. Where he chased her back and forth through the temple she had to protect. Dark and horrifying. The fear she felt back then before their behavior towards each other changed ever so slightly bloomed inside of her weakly.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

And now he had that smile again. That uncomfortable mad smile which alerted her just like that time…

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

The carriage jerked suddenly as they drove over an uneven passage. Her heartbeat stopped for a second and her widened eyes stared at her companion attentively to make sure he won't make a sudden move. She didn't fear him, she didn't – that's what her mind told her stubbornly. He promised her that as long as she aided his quest, he wouldn't hurt her. And after all that time she naively believed that maybe that pledge wasn't even needed anymore. Because they were…something else than strangers…not friends but…

She could hear her heart beating painfully loud. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

The shadow chuckled silently and his grin widened; he couldn't believe just how much a few words could change in her eyes. The emotions of curiosity and bravery were shrinking into nothing more than alarm and caution. The dark swirl of blue twisted once more and he could witness how she probably debated in her mind how to act. He just loved her reaction with his entire empty and soulless core. It reminded him of the feeling he had as he caged her with his arms. This dominating control.

This little weak light had no chance to escape. She could only stare at him and wait for what was coming next. She was clueless about the power which hid deep in her small body. She was the prey and he was the heartless hunter.

It was nearly as alluring as the blood thirst he carried with him. The spark in his non-existent guts was there; numb and drugged. However still existent just because of the tension between them. The shadow had to restrain himself since they searched for the stone. He couldn't kill, he couldn't torture, and he couldn't cherish the sight of this crimson color which filled his nostrils with a metallic bittersweet scent.

It felt like he was even forbidden to curse. Every single thing would blow his cover. And his fingertips craved after this dry desert-like road for something to touch badly, a victim – which trembled in fear and pain. His ears yearned for a gasp and cry – to know that this spark was still there and could be lit. The one he was acquainted with.

The shadow didn't know what exactly it was, but in his numb guts was this thin and weak glimmer similar to his desire after destruction and blood. A need of control, domination and touch and this all was caused by this girl. She tempted him without knowing. A fragile life so easy to cease but still impossible to crush…because he couldn't kill her as 'Christo' because she was the 'companion' of the messenger sent by the Shiekah, because she was something which had crawled beneath his skin desperately forcing his eyes to follow her little form wherever she went. His sense of hearing became sensitive to her voice and his bloody red eyes snapped towards her every movement.

He would dreadfully admit that she became a bad habit hard to get rid of.

She was a nuisance for a shadow like him. Representing everything he should despise with passion and maybe that was the very reason why his mad mind couldn't let her go easily. His fingers twitched by this thought; his head was a turmoil trying to put pieces of a horrible and complex puzzle together bit by bit. The spark was there again, tingling inside of him suddenly by the sheer imagination of touching her flawless skin.

Her round childish face; free from any scratch or disturbance - untouched.

She wanted to invade his mind, didn't she? She was silly enough to challenge someone like him. He was a maze filled with traps and secret passages, dead ends and a deep hole you could fall into if you weren't careful enough. A being born from sin and darkness, breathing and moving in a world which resembled a pure playground. So many games to play, so many victims who could suffer. She couldn't understand him, she would never be able to and if she really pushed herself into his inner mind she would get lost and never get out.

The shadow wanted to watch this swirl in her eyes turn and twist once more – and with a swift movement – he succeeded. He did nothing but sat up properly, his upper body leaning towards her so lightly that it was hard to recognize by one's eyes. The wind whistled behind the curtains harshly to remind them they were still part of this world. The blanket which had been covering him slid to the ground soundlessly and exposed the black tunic he wore. A thin scent of leather and metal mixed with a deep moist forest aroma, just by their close proximity in this narrow room.

How much time had been lost already?

By only staring at the other?

"Scared?" The word left his grinning lips slowly and he literally felt her muscles tense. Finally, it was a game they played he knew very well. A game where he was superior and she was the poor child who went astray in his web of madness, slowly but surely…

Terror was a game he knew well…

The mess behind his mind was still working and tried to find order in its own way. However the shadow couldn't let this opportunity slip away. He found the long lost spark once more, he needed more, he craved more. He wanted the fire to light it. And one thing he knew was – Saria had it. The tingling in his fingertips worsened and his crimson eyes stared at her so intently that the Kokiri couldn't break the eye contact. The excitement was numb, still deaf inside his guts – his inner voice whispered him to finally touch her. Make her jump, shriek, fear, cry or hope; he wanted her just to react to all his small actions.

He needed it. He needed the high the spark offered him and his rotten non-existent guts. Badly.

Saria shook her head so weakly it was amusing to say at least; to answer the single question he spoke not even a minute ago. Or had it been longer? He wasn't sure. It interested him more that she wasn't scared. Or at least she attempted to deny it. She wasn't afraid of him? The shadow wouldn't believe that. She had to be scared of him; her body was tense and alarmed her nerves on the edge and her cheeks suddenly flushed and rosy-red because of the wonderful blood which rushed through her veins in hurry.

It looked warm. Like fire. Red. Like blood.

He needed to touch it.

Finally, it was an eternity for him as he lifted his right hand into her direction. The sage however still refused to look somewhere else than his bloody eyes while his hand closed in on her face. His mind reminded him of his inner monolog which had irritated and angered him to say at least. He had called her his tormented toy; he denied it at first but now in this situation. In this game, in this tenseness he begged to differ. What for a nice title for something as annoying as her.

Her left cheek was extremely soft and warm beneath his cold and rough hand. Even through his leather glove he could feel the burning sensation of a body filled with blood. He was as cold as ice next to her and her heat melted his hand and fingers, he believed. He should have withdrawn his hand out of sudden reflex because it was so hot against his ghost-like skin but instead he held it there to observe her widened eyes. So deep blue like the lake back from Hyrule; filled to the brim with emotions of any sort. Her mind was obviously confused and debating how to handle his actions it was amusing.

A pit full of nervousness, fear, confusion and so much more. No one but he caused it so easily.

And the spark, oh the spark lit up.

By the sheer innocent touch it rumbled deep inside of him; it wasn't comparable to the lust after blood and destruction. However still close to satisfying him for now…how long had it been since he could follow his pure desires? How many days were wasted with nothing but talking? A touch like this wasn't enough.

More.

"Scared?" He repeated the same words once more; the grin had shrunken into a lopsided sinister smirk.

He craved for more.

The green haired girl opened her small pink lips though nothing but air escaped them as she took a deep shaky breath. Was she scared? The question haunted her like a beast. To her dismay neither the child nor the sage in her knew the answer. Was she scared? She didn't feel the angst clung at her heart like as if a Wolfos or Deku Baba was about to attack her. But she still could hear her heart beat furiously in her chest ready to burst out of her any minute.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Saria was flustered, her face felt hot and her hands cramped achingly and held onto her green shorts to be occupied. His hand felt like an ice block which was pressed against the left side of her face. His palm was big, a detail she never paid attention to, and the leather of his glove scratched her skin uncomfortably though she couldn't tell him to take it away. She wasn't able to utter anything but shaky breaths. Her sense of smell was filled with the scent of leather and strangely metal because he was so close and she was aware of everything he did. Every movement of his face, eyelashes, lips, arms, chest…

Had her companion always been so tall? Had his fierce eyes always this intimidating glare? Had her own skin always been burning like this? The Kokiri bet he could feel her frantic heartbeat through his hand because her whole body pulsed to this unknown sensation. Was she scared? She wondered once more. She wasn't, was she? It was something else but the tension felt the same. The wariness, the excitement of what was to come next, Saria couldn't name it.

All she knew was that all her senses were on the edge.

The place where he touched her was numb, cold and hot at the same time. She couldn't feel it exactly; she could only imagine it weakly. Her tongue was tied and her throat dry. Every single breath scratched her bitterly on the inside and left her speechless. How? The sage in her stuttered. The wise knowledge. How did it happen? How did it end up like this? Since when, just since when, she wondered, had he been this tall?

"I…" Saria squeaked so quietly that even she wasn't sure if that word had really slipped from her lips.

Suddenly the carriage jerked violently and with that their eye contact broke. The sound of neighing horses reached their pointy ears, and they could feel how their transportation suddenly hurried over the uneven ground. The noise destroyed the quiet atmosphere shamelessly while the narrow room jumped and rumbled. The animals panicked obviously, but why was still a mystery. Until a single loud ear piercing howl confessed the reason. They were chased by a pack of Wolfos it seemed.

"Sir Christo!" The soldier called out. "I must apologize for disturbing – but we got a problem!"

"Stupid fucked up little bastards…" The shadow cursed hatefully as his crimson eyes stared at the little girl in front of him once more. He could feel the spark in him, begging for more, it needed more fire, more touch. However that hindrance was not something to be ignored easily. It could even ease his wrecked nerves instead. It allowed him to kill. Finally after all this useless talk…

Saria held onto the seat beneath her to not lose her balance whilst she whipped her head away from her companion to regain her breath. The room still jerked violently because the horses raced down the path in fear. And the tension snapped into half which relieved her poor heart by miles. The sage wasn't sure what had been happening right now and why her face felt like a burned Deku Nut you had forgotten in the campfire on festivals but it was strange and new, that even the wise mind in her head was confused.

The young man next to her pushed the curtains away and leaned out of the narrow window to get a better look at the situation they were confronted with. The night sky above them was graced by grey clouds and hid the starry sky nearly completely. Rain couldn't be far anymore, the air was heavy and moist. But next to that fact a group of Wolfos, five of them to be exact, were running after them eagerly that it made the shadow wonder why that things were so aggressive. However it only let a thin grin tug at his lips. They couldn't scream and suffer like humans did, but still it would help to ease his nerves. A bit blood.

"Stop the carriage." The shadow called out loudly and he could hear the hesitation from the soldier.

"Are you sure, Sir Christo? I could not-"

"Just calm the horses and let me take care of them." He interrupted the other one loudly, already annoyed that he dared to question his commands.

"Sir Christo-"

"Do it!" The pale young man barked and a few dark grey hair strands whipped against his cheekbones as the wind rushed past them.

The moon shined weakly through the cloud barrier and hit his face, the light felt cool and smooth. The howl of the Wolfos reached them once more, and he was sure to forget his new identity if this stupid two goody shoes of a soldier didn't obey him immediately as finally the horses neighed alarmed. Their escort forced the animals to inhibit their pace, the carriage jumped again roughly and for the young girl it became more difficult to not lose her grip.

The 'messenger of the column' didn't wait for it to completely stop as he already opened the door and jumped out of it. The door fell in shakily and Saria stared after him in shock before her small body stumbled to the narrow window. He couldn't really think of fighting a handful of Wolfos all alone! Now could he? The horses panicked in front the carriage and the soldier had a lot to do with only calming the poor animals all by himself – the sage was the only one left behind to stare after the shadow man.

"C…Christo!" She called out weakly as the carriage finally came to a halt.

His form walked towards the pack of Wolfos casually, ignoring her call smoothly. Only as he was satisfied with the short distance between him and the enemies he lifted his right hand in the air. The Kokiri could only stare at him in utter surprise as the young man drew a complete sword out of the palm of his bare hand. A faint smoke rose towards the sky, but the most of it was glued to the sudden new black blade. Was that magic? She could only wonder. He had pulled a whole sword out of his hand! The shadow pointed with his weapon at the closest Wolfos and glanced at his right arm where now more and more smoke seemed to seek out of his skin. A black cloud engulfed his limb before it suddenly hardened and reflected the moonlight with the surface of a new shield.

"Just come and get me, mutts."

He felt the satisfaction set in as the first of them lunged at him aggressively. With full force he hit its neck and the skin beneath its grey dirty fur broke with a bone together. It yelped in sudden pain and fell to the ground like a rock. As if he never had done something else he blocked the other one from the right smoothly and listened to the sound of the Wolfos's head which crashed into the metal full force.

Saria who stayed back and observed the fight from the window could only gasp in terror as her companion whipped his weapon to the side; it caused the blood of his victims to taint the ground beneath him in a clear line before he already lifted his arm for another attack. She knew that this was probably needed, even if she didn't like violence at all. But it was so obvious that he enjoyed it with every experienced movement. Skillfully dodging and attacking. A true swordsman you could say, but one with a sinister mind who literally enjoyed the bloodshed.

This side of him was terrifying …

The soldier behind her was still worried about the horses and tried to calm them with soothing words and hushed hectic movements. He didn't witness what happened not far from him, which was better anyway, because how should they explain the sudden equipment which they didn't have before this event? But their escort failed miserably at comforting the animals that still panicked at the dangerous sounds of hunters behind them. Saria could hear how one of the horses kicked out and neighed loudly at which the soldier cursed and tried to use other methods to reassure it of its safety.

It wouldn't have been an issue to remark if it wouldn't have caught the attention of one of the wild Wolfos who now stared at the carriage with a sudden pierce and determined glare. It growled hatefully at the swordsman who was still occupied with his fellows as it suddenly dashed towards Saria and the soldier who still didn't know what was going on exactly behind his back. The sage stared at it in fear whilst she barely noticed the brief crimson glance of the shadow who stared at the escaped prey.

If it wouldn't attack her, it would try to hurt the horses and their royal escort for sure. The Kokiri bit her trembling lip and shook her head wildly at this thought. She had to protect the poor animals and the man; she couldn't just wait uselessly with nothing to do but hoping that everything would end safely. She was a sage after all, an immortal being who protected a whole kingdom with her fellow allies and sealed the lord of the evil in a realm far away from here. She had magic; she had used it once already. She could do it again to protect not only herself but others as well.

Determined the little girl pushed the door open and stumbled out of the carriage on rather wobbling legs. The Wolfos fixed his hungry glare on her and run even faster she believed whilst she lifted both of her hands towards it. Saria breathed in harshly and searched for the flame she awoke not long ago. Deep, deep somewhere there was it, her source of magic she never touched out of fear of what could happen. She needed something, an attack, a blast, some magic. Even without control, it should work.

Finally the sage found her desired caged energy and grasped after it desperately as the crazed Wolfos prepared his own attack with its firm and sharp teeth and growl. She yelped and closed her eyes as a light pale green energy escaped her small hands in form of a beam. It hit the fiend with full force and with a mere low whimper it fell onto the ground. Lifelessly. Dead.

Saria stared at it with wide eyes. Panic clung to her poor heart as she realized what exactly she had done. She had killed. She had really killed something which was not meant to serve as food in order to survive. She had killed it without having a great propose. No, no. Her wise mind lulled her quietly. She had to do it in order to survive, something she never had to do. She didn't do it because she wanted to but because she had to. She had to protect the soldier and the horses and herself as well. But still…

"I'm so sorry…" The girl whispered; both hands pressed against her chest. "I…"

Monsters were frightening, not only because they could hurt you but because they forced you to use violence. How could her companion enjoy such things, she asked herself. Even though the Wolfos attacked she would never think that it was some kind of fun to kill it at all.

Some things…just differ between people…Saria tried to conclude. And he, the Kokiri looked up to see the shadow return. Sword and shield were slowly fading, as if they were nothing but loose sand which got carried away by the wind. Smoke so black like the attire he wore ascended towards the clouded sky. His eyes found hers even from the distance between them easily; he was a unique person anyway. Difficult to understand, searching for humanity in his own way. And an existence who confronted her with so many different emotions that she was unsure about her innocent life she had before this journey.

So many things she still had to discover.

"What happened…?" The soldier called out as he finally looked around the corner of the carriage in disbelieve, he could only stare at the dead corpses of the Wolfos and a calm dark figure who returned to them as if nothing happened.

The Shiekah were truly amazing, the royal escort thought naively. And the weird sound, which resembled the noise he heard from the academy in Castle Town every day must have been magic which the young companion of the messenger had used seconds ago. The green haired girl looked so young in his eyes, what was she? Thirteen? Fourteen at most, he guessed. It was no wonder that she accompanied Sir Christo being a lot more experienced than she appeared to be…he only hoped that this unpleasant event wouldn't pull down the mood of them.

The pale young man on the other hand finally reached Saria and patted her head way too roughly as if it could be considered a real praise.

"Nice magic trick." He grunted while he was smearing any traces of blood from his left cheek with his other hand away. "You aren't that useless after all."

The girl wasn't sure how she should feel but nevertheless – to hear such words from someone like him made her a bit proud after all. If it shouldn't be.

"Were you scared?" He was mocking her now with his hoarse voice now.

Saria knew that, because that word reminded her of the tension not long ago. That feeling of his icy skin against her burning face…as if on cue the blush returned and her big eyes stared at him suddenly nervous. He was so close, he was so tall. And now where he stood right in front of her he was even taller. It became more and more difficult for her to understand his way of acting and with such things he only made it worse for her. Her heart skipped a beat by the memory and she wasn't sure anymore if she dreaded the return into the narrow room with him or if she actually was curious enough to look what would happen next.

"A bit." She confessed finally. "But…I handled the situation…didn't I?"

"Is everything alright, Sir Christo?" The solider interrupted their conversation with a worried expression beneath the helmet.

"Fine." The shadow answered; his crimson eyes snapped towards the other male. "We can continue."

The escort nodded slightly to acknowledge his words without hesitation this time. "Not far away is the Leaky Kettle; an Inn. Would you like to spend your night there? A warm meal and maybe a…bath? Before we reach Castle Town that is…" The young male stared at the dried blood on 'Christo's' face and was uncertain how the residents of their capital would take in the sight. The royal family nonetheless…

Saria glanced at her attire and blinked slowly; a bath certainly sounded nice after all this time. The shadow glared at the young girl for a second before he fixed his gaze on the soldier ones more.

"Take us there." He responded coldly while the soldier nodded and grabbed after the straps.

The Kokiri was relieved to hear that because the promise of a warm meal soothed her hunger already. Even as the pale young man walked past her to return to the carriage she did not hesitate to follow his steps. She was told that she wasn't useless and though his attitude was always changing and sometimes frightening; she didn't want to believe that she was in danger. He was only playing with her mind, she thought. She tried to tell herself that maybe; just maybe he didn't know how to handle himself.

He said it himself more than once. He was born from a dark mirror; a world filled the nothing but darkness, madness and hate. He sometimes did things she couldn't understand; but there were moments where he even didn't understand himself, she thought. Just like as he pulled her away from Vincent, and told her to shut up with such a strained voice. He wished to be human, he wished to walk though the sun filled day. And the sage still believed it was a wonderful wish.

And not only that, she could still feel her frantic heartbeat in her head. Her burning red face, the excitement and maybe even a bit fear – she didn't know why or how or what her heart was feeling and her mind was a mess because it couldn't comprehend his doing. Saria suddenly wished that Thelma was here whilst she climbed back into the narrow room. The nice redhead from Lanar Village, who knew so much and was such a bright woman…the young girl suddenly bet that Thelma would probably, knew what to do and would laugh and grin because she was happy to explain and tell.

Finally she sat down next to the shadow and stared at her leather boots who suddenly felt a bit tighter and smaller than she remembered them to be. Now where she was back and door was closed, she could smell again the scent of leather and metal mixed with the bitter aroma of dried blood her companion carried with him. The carriage jerked as the horses started to move again, and behind her eyes her brain forced her to remember every single eye contact and touch she and the shadow exchanged.

Saria's rather calm posture tensed slightly. And she didn't understand why she had to remember and why her cheek was tingling. Suddenly tired she pressed her head against the wall to her left; she ignored her short hair which tickled her face a bit and closed her eyes in hope to comfort her nerves and mind. To her surprise the shadow next to her did nothing and was quiet. Maybe he had enough for now, enough of this thing he called game. It was a slight disappointment, she thought for a second before her mind hushed her for such silly and incomprehensible feelings.

But the curious side in her couldn't help but sense this childish need of trying to understand the things she didn't know. Just like the tension back then. His cold skin. His icy cold pale skin against her face which was burning as if she had a fever…

She sighed and felt suddenly tired and sleepy.

Saria didn't know that the very shadow she thought of was staring at his right hand as if it something interesting. At his rough leather gloves and bare fingers, and that his mind, his head, which still was a worse chaos than at other times was remembering the hot touch. The fire like skin of hers…

He considered this new kind of game of ice and fire, to be a lot more interesting than he expected.