Disclaimer: I do not own Link, Midna, Zelda, and that other canon stuff

Chapter 14: Revelations

Link felt as if he was floating through a void. The only thing he could hear was the sound of his own breathing, although it sounded…distorted. At least…he was pretty sure it was him breathing. What has just happened to him was hazy in his mind.

I could remember pain…and darkness…but then…a voice…

"Link…"

Link involuntarily twitched at the sound of the voice. Slowly his mouth opened, though he found that he could not speak. He could not move either.

"It is time to awaken, Link…"

Link only coughed weakly in response. Slowly, he could feel warmth seeping into his limbs, starting from his chest. Only moments ago it felt like his chest was going to explode, but now it felt comfortable and relaxing. A deep gasping breath passed through his lips. Slowly, he came to realize that he was leaning against something warm, soft, and furry.

His eyes creaked open. He blinked once as he blearily surveyed his surroundings. Once again, he seemed to have found himself in some sort of mindscape; his mindscape perhaps? Though, what he was taken aback by was the sky.

As usual, the ground appeared to be a layer of fog, but the sky appeared to be that of a cloudless, starry night, far more spectacular than any other night he had seen. Auroras and distant celestial bodies swirled in the heavens, his eyes followed their dance.

Pulling his gaze away from the sky, he glanced at what he was leaning on. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that he was leaning on himself in his beast form. This was not the first time that this had happened; the nightmares featuring the mysterious stranger had a similar thing. But this didn't seem like a dream. Rather than the unpredictable haze that seemed to surround dreams and nightmares, this seemed crystal clear, as if he really was in a place under a spectacular sky, using his beastly self as a pillow.

He now understood exactly why Midna had always insisted that he transform when they were resting. He made a damn good pillow as a wolf. Oh goddess he made a good pillow. He was so warm, soft, and cuddly…and potentially lethal. It also stuck him how weird it was thinking about this. Oh well, it soothes his ego anyway.

The beast stirred and raised his head, craning his head over to look at Link; their matching blue eyes met.

"It's about time you woke up, Link…"

Immediately both man and beast scrambled to their feet at the sound of the voice; they have heard it in their dreams enough times to recognize it. The beast's hackles were raised and a deep growl was reverberating through his throat. Link was frantically looking all around for the mysterious figure.

When suddenly he just…appeared.

Link staggered backwards out of surprise as how close he was; if Link was to reach out, he could touch him. On the other hand, Wolf Link tried lunging at the man. The stranger had a look of amusement pasted on his features as the massive beast closed on him. Wolf Link arced through the air. With a smirk, the stranger merely extended a single hand and stopped the wolf mid-pounce. An amusing yelp passed through the beast's muzzle as he dropped vertically in a heap.

From his place on the ground, Link bit his lip at the sight. What sort of person could stop a charging beast with a simple shove like that? Link shuddered as the stranger's gaze swept over to him.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to attack me," he said.

"Who are you?" Link demanded, trying to put on a brave face, "What have you done with Ashei?"

"Your friend is safe and unharmed hero," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice, the same voice Link had heard before passing out earlier, "I merely pulled her out of harm's way."

"Where is she?" said Link.

The figure's eyes narrowed, "As I said, boy, she is safe," he replied. A moment later he spoke again, "As for who I am…well…I have gone by many names, but you may call me Onigami, or Oni, if you so choose."

Link and Wolf Link stared at the figure, now dubbed Onigami. He seemed to be emitting shadow from practically every part of his body, but no malice. He seemed no less imposing even though they knew his name.

Finally, Link spoke, "And…why are you here? Why have you been haunting my dreams?"

"Dreams?" Oni said, cupping his hand to his chin, "Who said that they were dreams?"

"In just a moment, I'm going to wake up with a major headache or something…" Link grumbled.

"That is unlikely…" said Oni.

Link glared at him whilst the wolf growled, "What do you mean?"

"This place you are in…is essentially the deepest recesses of your soul, it is no dream," he replied, glancing between both the man and the beast, "As for why I am here…well…I have always been here, only dormant. I have awakened only recently."

"Why?"

"As you can probably tell, I am a being of shadow. Under normal circumstances, I would have remained asleep, but then your woman infused you with that shadow crystal…"

"What?" said Link.

"You heard me. The twilight energy in that crystal strengthened me, enough for me to awaken, but only barely…"

Link thought back. As he could recall, Oni didn't start appearing until after Midna gave him that gift. They had thought such a thing would be harmless at the time. Seems like they were a little off with their assessment…

Finally, Link spoke, "You…but…at first, we," he gestured at the wolf, "could barely see you; you were almost invisible the first time…why are you so…solid now?"

Oni smiled, "Well, did you come into contact with anything else related to shadows after that?"

Link racked his thoughts, "Well…there was the mirror…" a sudden realization came to him: he had passed out and seen Oni again when the mirror shattered, "Wait, when Midna broke the mirror…does it have something to do with the mirror?"

Oni nodded, "Yes, very good, hero. Indeed, a powerful burst of shadow energy released when the mirror broke…you absorbed every last bit."

Link's eyebrows furrowed, "But…how did I end up absorbing it? When I…absorbed the crystal that…she gave me, it was specifically prepared so that I could. It just washed over Zelda like water," he briefly recalled his agonizing experience following the mirror breaking…or what little he could.

"Ah, now that's just the thing. You see, the mirror acted as a conduit of shadow energy; it was designed to be able to contain it. When it broke well…" slowly he extended a hand towards Link. Link watched it with apprehension, fidgeting slightly as the hand drew closer, going for his chest. Link gasped as it contacted his heart. Something was shimmering beneath his skin; Link was looking at it with a look of mixed fear and awe on his face. "…let's just say standing next to a exploding large glass object may send razor fragments scattering everywhere at high speed; in short, you have a piece of the mirror inside of you. If you had kept your distance, the shadows would have scattered to the four winds, but instead, they were attracted to the nearest living thing that could hold them: you."

"W-what?" Link said, dumbfounded as Oni withdrew his hand, his own hands shooting up to grope at the place where a fragment of the cursed mirror lay inside him, "I h-have a piece of the mirror in me?"

Oni snorted, "That IS what I said, wasn't it? Well, pieces actually," he said, touching two places near Link's stomach briefly. Once again, they both shone briefly.

Link had never really thought about that unknown white scar he had acquired; at the time he had gotten it, he was too distraught to care. As for the two smaller shards, he hadn't paid attention to those, he just thought that they were scars he had acquired on his adventure.

Midna had once said that the mirror changes people… Link mused to himself.

"Normally, Light Dwellers are not meant to absorb shadows like that which is why it was so painful, sort of like sticking a peg into a hole of the wrong shape," said Oni, "Which is also why it was so traumatic when the Fused Shadows were bonding with you…"

"Wait…Fused Shadows?" said Link, suddenly remembering what had transpired with a bang, "That thing was…broken! How did it just…reawaken like that? What the hell happened?"

"You happened…" said Oni, "Involuntarily, you revived it with the shadows coursing through your veins, didn't you notice how nothing happened until you touched it?"

"Okay, so it's my fault, again, but why did it…attack me?"

"Attack you?" said Oni, "Kid, it was judging you. It has accepted you, it will allow you to use its power."

"W-wha…?" said Link, "That…makes no sense! I'm a light dweller, I shouldn't be able to touch it without going crazy, let alone use it!"

Oni crossed his arms, "Now that is a mystery, isn't it?" he said in a tone that made it obvious that he was withholding information.

Link made direct eye contact with him, "You know something don't you?"

Oni smiled, "Of course I do. I was instrumental of the creation of the Fused Shadows after all!"

"Wait, what?" said Link, "What do you mean?"

He was glanced downward, "That is a story for another time…" he was silent for a moment, "Anyway, don't you have a mission to do? Surely you've got other questions…"

I've got a LOT of questions… Link thought. He thought for a bit, and then remembered what he was doing, "Ok, so…the fog…the undead in the field…the disappearances…was that your doing?"

"No," he said.

"Then why were you stalking people through the fog?" said Link, getting annoyed.

Oni stared deeply at Link to the point that it was even more unsettling. "I was trying to scare people away, it is too dangerous in the fog. They would be swallowed up in no time."

"You did say Ashei was safe…right?" said Link.

"Yes I did. You, on the other hand, I was just giving you a gentle nudge in the right direction, as you can see, it worked. You found the Fused Shadow."

"Okay…" Link scratched his chin, "If you aren't responsible for those problems, then who is? Is it Ganondorf?"

"No."

"Then who?" Link asked.

"An enemy far more dangerous then you have ever faced."

Link rolled his eyes, that didn't answer his question, "That's totally not vague."

"What you are up against is merely an agent of whom I speak. It is currently waiting at the very heart of the fog: the place where you fought the Dark Lord. As you probably know, Ganon has tainted the ground upon which he died with darkness. It is feeding off of his taint, using the power to spread its foul influence throughout the land, which is what is causing these…anomalies. Thankfully, you've gotten here before it could spread out of control. You must find this thing, and kill it."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Link replied, "I'm completely lost in this fog! How am I supposed to find anything?"

Oni laughed, "Need I remind you that you have the power of the Fused Shadows backing you up, kid? They will help you…"

Link snorted, How am I supposed to rely on some artifact that I shouldn't even be able to use?

Oni glanced to the side, as if he sensed something, "Ah, it seems that your mind is finally adjusting to the shadows, you will likely wake up soon…"

"But I still have more questions!" Link shouted. Everything around him was starting to shimmer, going out of focus. The stars, the sky, the wolf and Oni's outlines were rapidly blurring. Link's vision was soon overcome with pitch blackness, and the ground beneath his feet disappeared, and he was suspended in a void.

"Don't worry, Link…we will be seeing each other again soon enough…"

The spirit's…or whatever it was parting words rang in his head and faded to silence. Soon, Link could see a lone light in the distance. It was a stark contrast to the surrounding black. Link felt a jerk and the light was rapidly growing larger. It was a curious sensation, as if he was underwater, and rapidly rising to the surface.

…

Suddenly he felt a cool blast of air in his face, and his eyes snapped open. Glancing around, he found that he had awoken, and was once again in the fog. The completely opaque white stretched in all directions, while the unremarkable terrain disappeared into it. Silence still reigned here.

Link coughed once; his chest still ached. He was covered in a fine sheen of cold sweat. He winced slightly when something stung on his forehead. Curiously, he noticed that half of his vision had a strange tint to it. Slowly, he raised a single hand, intent on rubbing the weariness from his eyes. He was surprised when he felt something cool and metallic to the touch covering one of his eyes.

He abruptly remembered what Oni had said: the Shadows had 'bonded' with him. His hands shot up and blindly groped about his face. He felt more of the metallic material around his forehead. From what he could feel, the fragment of the Fused Shadow had reformed into some kind of circlet, partially obscured by his bangs. He could feel decorative horn-like protrusions running near the corners of his hat.

Simply having that thing on his head gave him the creepy sensation that he was being watched; as if someone was standing right there next time him. But he was alone…or so he thought.

Placing one hand at the tip of his hat, and the other at where the shadow was. Slowly, he removed his hat. Thankfully, the dark artifact had not gotten stuck to his head or something, and the piece of headgear came off. Link's messy hair that was contained under the hat fell about. The moment the hat came off, the strange sensation that he was being watched went away, his vision returned to normal as well. Gingerly, he held it out in front of him and examined it.

Now that he could actually see it, his jaw dropped slightly. It appeared as if the ancient artifact had fused with his hat. A familiar stone eye looked back at him, which was connected to a circlet-like object that looked similar to the decorative headpiece that was a part of his magic armor. From roughly where his temples would be, the horns were protruding. Though, unlike the Fused Shadow he was so familiar with, they appeared to either be flexible, or jointed, and they were running parallel with the curve of his hat.

While he was looking at the hat/shadow…thing, he reached up with a free hand and rubbed the stinging spot on his face. He could feel a shallow cut running from the bridge of his nose, all the way to the middle of his forehead. It seemed to form an odd pattern, though he could not tell what it was.

The eye on the shadow gave him the creeps, as if it was staring into his soul. Truth be told, it always gave him that feeling, though all the other times, that unsettling eye had been accompanied by the energetic red one of his former companion.

Ugh…Midna. What is happening to me?

The blue lines that had appeared when he first touched the shadow were not present, though he could still see decorative indented marks sprawling all across the dark stone…or metal…whatever it was.

Put me on…

Link squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Did it just talk to me?

No, because clearly I am an entirely inconspicuous hat and totally not a possibly sentient ancient artifact. Of COURSE I talked to you!

Link cringed slightly from the berating. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel reminded of Midna. The voice was somewhat familiar?

"…Oni?" he said apprehensively.

Yep! I told you it wouldn't be long!

"How are you…you know?" said Link, assuming Oni knew the question.

I am linked to the Fused Shadows, I can speak through them.

"So…does this mean you spoke to Midna?"

Sometimes…though she needed less motivation…any reason you are still sitting on the ground and not doing your job?

Link snorted, "Well…I…" he was still apprehensive about using this dangerous artifact. The light spirits told him how volatile it was.

Any time now…

Link stared at the eye on the Shadow. It still seemed to be boring into his soul. Screw it…I had it on earlier, and it didn't hurt me… Taking in a deep breath, he put his hat (and the Shadow) back on. In no time at all, the odd feeling that he wasn't alone returned, along with the tinted vision. He wasn't dead yet, so that was a good sign.

He tried rising to his feet, but his aching limbs gave way and he was sprawled out on the ground. He grunted in annoyance. He had a habit of falling down a lot recently. He spat a little bit of dirt out and tried again.

You seem to be a bit tired…how about we fix that?

As he was rising, the shadow on his head grew warm briefly, which spread to his chest. In mere moments, that warmth had spread to all of the parts of his body. Energy blazed through his limbs. He underestimated just how much strength he had, and he sent his whole body upright with a single shove of his arms, he pushed so hard that he almost sent himself tumbling backwards. He almost felt like he did those weeks ago when he had taken the Great Fairy's Tears during his battle with Ganondorf, though much more lucid. He felt like he could do anything.

That's better…

"Um…thanks?" said Link.

Now focus…do you see anything…unusual?

Link closed his uncovered eye and was looking through the one that was being enhanced by the shadow. In the fog, he could see indiscernible dark objects swirling about. But then something caught his eyes. In the distance, however far it was, he could make out a black…anomaly. Compared to the white fog, it looked as if it was sucking in the light around it. He could feel the darkness pulsating off of it.

That must be where I need to go…

An odd feeling he felt from the shadow seemed to be agreeing with him.

With that, he began sprinting in that direction.

"So this 'ancient enemy' you mentioned…could you give me a name?" said Link.

The Shadow/Oni was silent for a moment, and then he finally spoke.

Majora…his name is Majora…

(A/N) There you go! FYI, today was the first day of classes at me school. Don't be surprised if my updates slow.

As you may have noticed, I changed the genre of the story. The romance part between Link and Midna isn't until much later in the story, so I figured I should set it as something else.

Yay, I did some exposition, I hope it wasn't too cliché/crappy/confusing.

As for the shadow changing shape…well, I figured since it's well, a shadow, it would be able to take whatever form it wanted. Besides, Link would look rather silly and not very inconspicuous if he wore the shadow as is in game.

Random writing gripe: Don't write things like "DIS IS GReAt STORY, READ IT DAMMIT!" in your description.