Chapter 20: Bringing Back the Past

"Holy… Dark!"

Loud clattering accompanied rushing footsteps towards Gale's voice by the doorway, the morning sun framing their silhouettes. The albino himself had quickly lent a hand towards a stricken looking Dark who had tottered inside. A barrage of questions hounded the Link lookalike as they made their way to somewhere where the teen could sit down.

"Where were you? And those bandages, what happened? Are you ok?" Link asked.

"We were worried sick about you," Zelda added. "You were gone all night, and you'd also left that message…"

Dark returned a blank, exhausted expression. Tiredly, he waved them all away. "I'm fine." He plopped down on the tatami, and covered his face with his good arm. "Tired. Saw Harrier, the creep." There was an exclamation, and more questions were asked. Dark rolled over irritably.

"Look, chill out. He tried to kill me, but he's dead now."

There was shocked silence. Someone, probably Zelda, whispered "Oh my goddess."

Dark flinched from his injuries, and rubbed them with an annoyed frown. He wasn't happy that he was hurt, and he was becoming more irked that three people he had just met yesterday were depriving him of rest. In a matter-of-fact tone, he quickly began to summarize what had happened in hopes that they would leave him alone.

"Basically, you guys left, Harrier's goons caught me, the psycho tried to kill me, and he ended up dying. One of the guys from Talon Three helped me when I was about to be stabbed in the face, and his boss picked both of us up and took care of our injuries until this morning. I didn't trust Talon Three either, so I left, called a cab, and came back home."

Gale's cheek twitched at the sound of Talon Three. He crossed his arms over his chest. "We should have expected it, but I don't like the fact Talon Three managed to follow us this far. I'm sure we're the only reason why they're here in the first place."

"Yeah I talked to Dugal, and it seemed like you guys were the reason why those mother f –" Dark paused, and then he sat up abruptly, which caused him to wince again. He resisted their efforts to sit him back down, pushing them away angrily. "Shit, we have to get you guys out of here." He went over to the kitchen to take a quick drink of water, and then tossed the three's belongings towards the door. "Those guys are in this town and they're out to get you. Dugal probably knows where you guys are, so you have to keep moving before he makes his move."

"Whoa whoa, slow down there buddy." Gale grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "If Dugal wanted to catch us earlier, I'm sure he could have done so a long time ago. I say we don't have anything to worry about in the immediate moment."

Link agreed. "Gale's right. Dugal makes me nervous, but for some reason he let me go earlier when he could have caught me. He's waiting for something – we just have to be careful when he decides to act."

"You guys have to move!"

"Hey, Dark, you're still freaking out from whatever happened with you and Harrier. Just relax and breathe for now – "

"And I'm saying you guys are underestimating Talon Three!" Dark snapped. He sighed, and then started over more gently, "Look, you can't make plans thinking you're ahead of their game. You might think you have them figured out, but you don't. You just don't have the same experience as they do." He showed them his several cuts that had been wrapped. "I thought Harrier would be harmless after he'd been paralyzed, but look what he managed to do to me. He'd set up his house so that the roof would rain blades, and even as he was about to die he nearly managed to gas me to death. Now think about how hard it would be to win against not just one, but three of them plus their boss! Do you see why we have to keep you guys moving?" He hung his head. "I don't want you making the same mistake I did that cost me my dad…"

Gale gently but forcefully made Dark sit back down. "It's exactly that reason we can't just start running around like mad. We're not saying we can outwit these guys, but if we act carefully we might stand some chance of avoiding them." He turned to Link and Zelda. "Still, I'm pretty sure all of us here agree with you that it's disconcerting to see how capable a crippled Talon Three guy was."

Zelda nodded. "Right. Let's not waste time. Link," Link looked up. "Do you want to try looking for the temple again, or do you have another plan?"

Dark frowned. "Huh? You guys couldn't find it?"

"No. Not a trace of it." Link shook his head. "I'm not really sure why, either. I was so convinced I would be able to find it."

"…That's weird. It should be easy to find." Dark rested his chin on his hands. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's up?" Zelda asked. The dark haired boy's eyes darted towards her for a split second before they went back to staring at his toes. He clutched his head, sighing heavily.

"All right. I give up."

Link walked over and sat next to him. "Hm?"

Dark picked at his bandage, preoccupied. It was obvious he didn't like the words that were coming out of his mouth. "I'll accompany you guys today. I think I'll be able to find the temple."

"Really?" Link brightened.

Dark gave him a flat look. "I'll help you just this once. After that, I'm through with this heroic business of trying to save the world, okay?"

Gale smirked. "Welcome to our miserable group. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Link's counterpart stood up and began to get ready. "Because I think I was doomed to get involved in this messy business ever since I tried to be a stupid hero."

"That's always the case," Gale nodded knowingly. He gave a cheeky smile at Link. "Isn't that right, Link? You always have to read the fine print before signing up for these kinds of things, or you might end up stuck with something you didn't mean to get stuck with." Gale laughed, highly amused at himself, while everyone else blinked. Noticing the way everyone was looking at him, he smiled with fake innocence. "Oops, sorry, I shouldn't make light about this, should I?"

"…Stop being weird."

Gale grinned. That startling glint was back in his blood red eyes, and he rounded on Link. Link took a step back as Gale practically purred. "Why, are you scared of me?" Snickering, Gale turned and began to make his way out the door before the frozen Link could answer. "Ahaha, you guys are too funny."

Link, Dark, and Zelda stared after him. Zelda was the first to speak.

"… So, have you ever wondered if bringing Vaati back is still a good idea?"

Link scratched his head. "I'm not sure we have much of a choice though. We'll just hope I can handle him when he comes around." He shrugged. "At the moment, I don't even know if he'll be all that different from the way Gale is acting now."

XXXXXXX

They had returned to the Sea of Trees once again, this time under the lead of Dark. Both Links looked very determined as they walked off, almost in synch with each other. Gale and Zelda trailed slightly behind, both of them taking nervous and uncomfortable peeks around the thickening trees as the place became increasingly darker. The woods thickened as they progressed, and eventually it became difficult to move forward from the sheer density of vegetation.

Zelda had a funny feeling about this place. She hadn't liked it one bit when they had explored it yesterday, and she didn't like it any better today. She wasn't really sure if it was all the stories of suicides and disappearances in the forest or if it was something else. Gale had claimed it was the stagnant air, and she supposed it had something to do with it.

"Can you feel it? There's no wind here," Gale said, stepping over some gnarled roots that blocked his way. "This place is stagnant."

They had come to speaking in hushed whispers because their voices sounded too loud to their ears in the eerily quiet forest. Zelda had expected to run into some wildlife, but this forest was a dead one. She hadn't seen even a single squirrel during their trek through the woods.

Up ahead, Link ducked his head under some rogue branches. He sounded puzzled, following Dark. "Hey Dark, I think we tried going this way yesterday. We didn't find anything."

"Do you want my help or not?" Dark asked, still in a sour mood from having to take part in the three's adventure. "I'm just going by feel, and I'm pretty sure this is the way I took the last time I was here."

Zelda shivered. "Why did you decide to come here the first time? Surely you had a good reason to come to such a creepy place like this." Following behind her, Gale uttered something in agreement. He grumbled when brambles caught the hood of his sweatshirt, and yanked himself free.

Dark remained quiet for some time. His pace slowed, and then came to a full stop in front of a scrawny tree. Link, Gale, and Zelda tilted their heads, wondering, when he suddenly knelt down and gently put his hand on the ground towards something they couldn't see. The three moved closer when Dark posed them a question.

"Well, think about it for a little bit. Why do people come to the famous Sea of Trees?"

Zelda took a sharp step back when she came into view of the thing piled past the tree by Dark's feet. It was the crumpled skeleton with the sword through its heart that they had encountered yesterday.

Gale sounded slightly disgusted, and he wrinkled his nose. "You came here to die?"

Dark stood up. "Hey, I know now that even considering suicide was a dumb thing to do. When I came here I was pretty messed up, alright?"

"Hmph. At least you came around. I don't understand people who are so pathetic they would rather kill themselves."

"No, you wouldn't understand," Dark said, his voice rising from anger. "You wouldn't know how guilty I felt when my dad died. How I came to hate everyone who looked up to me because I didn't deserve it. You wouldn't know anything at all!"

"Are you suggesting we have a pity party now? Because I don't have fucking balloons for you!" Gale snapped.

"Cut it out!"

Link grabbed Dark by his arm and dragged him away from Gale, while Zelda snatched the albino's hood and pulled him away by the neck. She quickly berated him for being so insensitive, but also had a word with Dark. "I hope you're not considering that anymore."

Dark whipped his arm away from Link's grip. He nodded as calmly as he could, trying his best not to explode at Gale. "I'm not."

Giving a respectful bow to the resting skeleton, he turned his back and began to walk forward again. Link gave Gale a disapproving look. "I think you should apologize."

Gale glowered. "For what?"

"For being a total ass-hat."

Gale didn't reply, instead choosing silence over admitting he had been out of hand. Huffing, he quickened his pace so as to stomp on ahead and to catch up to Dark, leaving Link and Zelda behind.

"It's this place," Zelda observed, walking next to Link. "There's something about this place that's making everyone on edge." She looked over her shoulder at Link who was nodding his head in agreement. "Hurry, before we lose sight of them."

They hopped over rotting logs and ducked under branches to catch up to Dark and Gale. Preoccupied by their problems, neither of them heard the soft clattering that followed them. If they had cared to listen, it would have sounded like the chatter of falling bones.

XXXXXXXXX

Skull Kid stared blankly at the off-white walls of his "play-room." He yawned, and then sighed, fiddling with the Ocarina of Time in his hands. At first this place had been interesting because everyone had paid attention to him. The skinny doctor had always brought him something to play with to satiate his curiosity, but now things had become incredibly boring. There was only so much fun one could have with toys without any friends to join the fun, and Skull Kid didn't consider Dr. Skinny to be much of a friend. Dr. Skinny was an adult, anyway, and he had always been of the opinion that adults were boring, uptight individuals with no sense of humor.

He watched a researcher walk past his securely locked room. Skull Kid grinned and waved, trying to beckon the researcher when he glanced briefly in his direction, but all he got was a small smile back. The doors remained tightly shut and he remained stuck in his room all by himself.

"This sucks," he said aloud. He kicked a stuffed bear and giggled lightly when it plopped against the wall on the other side. He continued his impish giggles in the hopes that he would be able to fool himself into thinking this whole situation were fun.

For as long as he could remember, Skull Kid had always been hiding behind his Cheshire cat grin. The random people who walked through the Lost Woods always believed he was happy and cheerful behind his smiles that extended widely over his face. They would get upset at him for his various pranks and he would laugh, convincing everyone, including himself, that he was getting a kick out of playing tricks.

Skull Kid's giggles died down until he was back to sitting in his room quietly, the ocarina in his hands.

Deep down he knew all too well that his smiles and laughs were just there to hide the fact that he was really lonely. To get people to notice him, he would do anything.

Skull Kid noticed how somber he was becoming, and broke into amused snickers. "Ahaha, I'm acting funny." He tossed the instrument into the air and then snatched it back with a swoop, blowing a note as loud as he could. He let the noise blare around the room, going into another fit of giggles for no reason.

Then, once the echoes of the din died down, he closed his eyes and began to play the melody he had become obsessed with. It was the one Dr. Skinny would praise him for playing, as well as the one that gave him a sense of warmth. It was a feeling that he assumed would be the feeling he would have if he had a best friend. Over the past few months, he had become fond of this particular melody.

Four six-winged fire fairies appeared and fluttered around Skull Kid in time to the tune. Their wings were almost as long as his arms now, where before they had been no longer than his palm. As he played, he could hear a faint, slightly condescending voice in his head.

You're trying again? Then let me criticize you. That segment sounds too flat, and it needs to be more interesting.

Skull Kid stopped playing. "You're never happy with what I play." He then started from the beginning again. "Like that?" he asked one of the fairies that had circled closer.

Eh. Not really. The voice was childish, and if it had a face it would have been pouting. And I'm never happy with what you play because you're not playing it RIGHT.

"Then what about this?" He tried again. The four fairies flashed, and in a flare of light they merged and became three. Their wings were even larger than before.

That's perfect! The trill was a nice touch. The voice giggled in a way that was similar to Skull Kid's. You're almost finished with this piece.

"Aww, I'm not done yet?"

Not until I'm satisfied. But I have faith in you – you have real talent.

"Really? Gee, thanks." Skull Kid opened his eyes and watched the fairies slowly disappear after the music stopped. "The big people say they like my music too. Well, not that I care too much about their opinions."

I do not care about them either.

Skull Kid played a segment of the Adagio again to rekindle the fire fairies, and to keep the voice he was talking to alive, since he had figured out the voice would disappear some time after the end of his songs. He smiled, pausing in the middle of the song. "So, when will I be able to meet you, huh?"

The childish voice laughed along. I already told you, silly. You have to finish my song.

"But you're so picky."

I want it to be perfect like a goddess. I want it perfect like me.

Skull Kid held out a hand to allow one of the fairies to hover over it. "You know, when I finally get to see you, you'll be my friend, right?"

Friend?

"Yeah, like, we'll have fun together right? You won't leave me?"

Hmm. I suppose. That's not a concept I'm too familiar with.

"Me neither. But I heard it's fun to have friends."

Fun.

"Yeah."

Then yes, I will be your friend.

Skull kid giggled and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!"

But first, finish the song and free me.

XXXXXXXXX

When Link and Zelda caught up to the other two, they were standing in a small clearing in the forest that was different from the vegetation-thick trail they had been in earlier. The sky was still barely visible from the various trees that branched out over the clearing, but at least now the sunlight could reach down more boldly. In the middle of the clearing was the moss-ridden rubble of some temple from long ago. Zelda could hardly recognize its structure anymore since it had all crumbled to pieces, but certain features such as a set of stairs and an elaborate crest on a fallen pillar hinted at what it might have looked like in its former glory.

Dark was standing with his back to them, while Gale had his arms crossed next to him with an irritated expression. Zelda assumed those two were still upset at each other from before. Gale grumbled. "Is this rock pile your temple, Link? This doesn't look like much."

"How did this… this wasn't here yesterday," Link said, half to himself. He watched Dark move over to one of the crumpled walls and trace over a faded symbol of a bird with the Triforce over it; the symbol of the Hylian royal crest. The bird boded an ominous sign for them now, since they associated it with the fourth part of the Triforce that was going to give them a ton of trouble.

Dark smiled somewhat sadly. "I stumbled across this thing when I was looking for, you know, a quiet place…" he trailed off. It was now a general consensus that the reason for Dark's visit to the Sea of Trees was not something anyone wanted to talk about. Dark continued. "For some reason, I changed my mind when I came here. I don't know how to describe it, but I think I was able to think more clearly after coming here. I realized my dad wouldn't have wanted me to do it." He waved his arms towards the rubble. "So you guys really couldn't find this yesterday, huh?"

"No." Link walked slowly over to the ruins. "I also didn't expect to see the temple in such a sorry state. This could be a prob – "

Before he could finish, the air around the temple shimmered and he felt a burning sensation on the back of his left hand. He looked down, and noticed that the outline of the Triforce was glowing faintly. A surprised yelp from Dark's direction caused his head to snap up, and he realized his counterpart also had a glowing triangle on his hand, albeit dimmer. There was a sickening rip across the air above the rubble, and before they knew it they were standing before a magnificent temple of white stone. The Temple of Time had returned.

Gale gaped at the change in scenery. "What was that?" He turned towards Link, his face searching for an explanation. Then, he saw something else that was shocking right behind Link. "What is that?" He pointed at the wobbling thing that had appeared from out of the trees.

Zelda gasped, and Link jumped back at the sight of the thing that had followed them. It was the skeleton they had passed earlier, except this time it was somehow standing on its legs and had an ominous green glow emanating from its eye sockets. The skeleton swayed its head with every step, its permanent grin lolling from side to side. It stopped when it noticed a dagger pointed in its direction. Dark had stepped up bravely to stop it. Link joined next to him.

"That's a Stalfos. They say people who couldn't escape the Lost Woods turn into these monsters."

Dark scowled. "I see. I'm beginning to believe your crazy story about magic and monsters."

The Stalfos crouched, leering at the two. It brought up its hand and gripped the sword that was still stuck through its chest and pulled it out.

"Alright, so how do we kill something that's already dead?" Dark asked, putting away his dagger since it was no match for a sword.

"We just have to pull it apart enough so that it can't walk anymore. Take out your slingshot and aim for the head – it stuns them for a little while." Link rolled up his sleeves.

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry," Link grinned, "I'm used to situations like this."

XXXXXXX

Zelda and Gale moved off to the side to let the two Links handle the fighting. Zelda shook her head. "This is so unreal. How do you explain something like that? And why hasn't anyone in our time ever seen one before?"

Instead of watching bored like the jaded teenager that he was, Gale sat up with interest and stared intently at Link and Dark who were talking about strategy against the Stalfos. Tapping his chin, his eyes occasionally darted towards the Temple of Time. "If I were to venture a guess, Link's Triforce had an influence in restoring the magic back to this part of the Lost Woods." He waved his arm at the clearing. "Remember how Link was saying he was one of the few people who knew how to navigate the Lost Woods? I think it's because the Temple of Time and the Triforce are drawn to each other. Since you also have the Triforce, he thought you would be able to find it as well."

Gale rambled on. "What he didn't realize was that because he's not from this time, he wouldn't be the one that could find the Temple of Time. It would have had to be Dark. At the same time, Dark's Triforce was 'inactivated,' because in this era there should be no conflict between the Triforce bearers and therefore there should be no hero. That's why when we first found the clearing, all we saw was a pile of rubble." He sounded excited now, proud of his explanation. "But when Link and Dark were in the same place at the same time, Link's Triforce brought back the magic to this place. The two combined has the effect of bringing out the Triforce's real power. The Stalfos appeared because of that as well."

"If that's true, then why couldn't I find the temple ruins?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know. Your mind might have had something to do with it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zelda asked, slightly offended.

"A part of getting magic to work relies on getting rid of any skepticism that will prevent you from doing the unbelievable; because that's what magic really is – the unbelievable. When Dark first found this place, he probably didn't care about anything anymore. His mind was on other things, so it had no room for skepticism. You, on the other hand," he smiled knowingly, "didn't really believe this would exist, did you?"

"No…" she admitted. An odd expression was beginning to form on her face, and she regarded Gale with suspicion.

Gale grinned. "Exactly. That's the same problem I have at the moment – I know I'm fully capable of sorcery, but an idiotic part of me refuses to believe it."

"Right…"

"Soon, though, this problem will disappear. All it takes is a little time and a little nudge to be able to embrace everything without inhibitions." Gale's eyes glinted. "You can tell, can't you, how my attitude has changed? You're wondering why I know about magic?"

Slightly taken aback by how direct his question was, Zelda nodded. He laughed.

"Hahaha, right now I'm having so much fun making you all stumble over yourselves in trying to figure out if I'm Vaati or Gale." He tutted. "I'm still Gale, I'll have you know. That hasn't changed. What has changed is how much I've come to terms with Link's story. Oh the irony!" he laughed. "Of all of us here, I actually might be the person who believes him the most."

XXXXXXXX

Link and Dark kept a cautious distance from the monster. Link nodded towards Dark. "Now."

Dark released his hold on the slingshot, sending a rock towards the Stalfos's head. It knocked the Stalfos backwards, and it tottered to regain its balance. Before it could stabilize itself, Link ran behind it and jumped on its back, grabbing its neck in a guillotine choke.

"Nice one!" Dark picked up a sturdy branch from the ground and lunged forward, attempting to shatter some of the skeleton's bones.

Whack!

"OW!"

"Ahahahaha! That's priceless!"

Instead of hitting bones, Dark's branch had made a sturdy hit with Link's side. The blond tumbled to the ground, clutching his ribs where they'd been hit. In the distance, Gale was dying from laughter. Dark took in a sharp breath, sympathetic of the pain. "Uh, man I'm sorry…" There was a pile of bones by his feet where the Stalfos had voluntarily scattered right before it had been hit. The skull's eye sockets were still glowing a dull green, and that gave Dark the chills. "Sneaky little sucker." He reached over to take the sword away from the monster.

"Yikes!" Dark stumbled away from the skeleton pile when the sword he had attempted to take nearly slashed his arm off. He glanced at his sleeve where there was a nice, clean cut where the sword had gone through. "You're almost as bad as Harrier," Dark said flatly at the Stalfos' arm that was waving around the ground with the sword. In a few seconds, the rest of the body attached itself to the arm and the Stalfos was complete again.

"These things… can put themselves… back together…" Link groaned, crawling away. "Jeez, you really got me good there, Dark."

"Well how was I supposed to know he was going to disassemble?"

Link gripped the grass and pulled himself forward. Upon doing so, he ended up pulling a bulbous root that was a dark blue in color. He stared at the odd root for some time, and then barked sharply, "Dark, stay away from the Stalfos!"

"Easier said than done!" Dark cried, dancing around the sword-swinging Stalfos. He retreated behind some trees, but made a misstep and tripped over a gnarled root that was snaking over the ground. "Crap." Dark brought his hands up in a pointless effort to protect himself from the monster's sword. Before the sword was able to swing down, however, a startling blast sent him toppling head over heels into the tree behind him. Dazed, he brushed away bits and pieces of bones that had rained down on him.

"I didn't think I'd find bomb flowers here." Link stepped over the scattered pieces of bones, waving away the dust and dirt that had flown up into the air. He coughed, frantically kicking away the leaves in the area. "We have to find the skull and crush it, or it'll just keep coming back."

Dark blinked. "Bomb flowers? Are you telling me there are bombs just growing out of the ground now?"

"Pretty much. They used to be everywhere in my era. Hurry up and help me find that skull."

"Dang. I can only imagine all the problems you would have had with bombers."

Link shrugged. "Eh. Bomb flowers usually blow up within a few seconds of pulling it out of the ground, so we never really had any bomber threats."

"…That sounds even worse. What if you were trying to pull out weeds and one of them turned out to be a bomb?"

"Oh, that happened all the time. You get used to it."

"…"

Dark brushed himself off and began to help Link look for the Stalfos skull. It didn't take him very long to see it lying next to a pile of rocks with its glowing eyes casting strange shadows around it. Jumping over bushes, Dark made his way over to the skull. Picking up a rock, he brought it over his head to swing it down on top of it to crush it.

"Rest in peace, poor fellow."

Without warning, the skull chattered towards him, making Dark step away in surprise. It rolled along the ground until a small hill made it stop with its glowing green eyes fixed on Dark. It clattered its teeth together, and it attempted to speak in response to Dark's voice.

"Click click… Curse Harrier… click click… Avilux must fall… click click… evil."

Dark brought his stone up higher. "So Harrier got you, huh? I feel sorry you had to go through this, whoever you are. I promise to make it quick."

The skull stopped chattering. Dark could have sworn the small green supernovas in the middle of its eye sockets swiveled towards him. It regarded him for a few seconds, and looking back, Dark didn't know why he couldn't crush it right then and there. The skull clattered again, slowly. "Click… Link?"

Dark froze in petrified stupor. His eyes widened, and the hands that held the stone above his head began to shake. He tried to bring the stone down onto the skull like Link had told him to, but he found himself unable to do it. Could it be…? Was this monster actually what was left of him?

"No. No, you can't be. That's impossible."

"Click click… Link… click."

"No no no! What did they do to you?"

Just then, Link walked around the shade of a tree and into view. He saw Dark clutching a sturdy stone tightly, shaking his head and appearing sufficiently disturbed. "Dark? Did you find that skull yet?" Link halted mid-step when he felt the air swirling around him. He started walking faster towards Dark. "It's the Stalfos! Dark, he's nearby!"

"No… you're not… I can't…" the stone fell with a loud "thunk" between Dark's feet. The dark haired Link moved his hands in small circles, unsure of what to do in his distraught state.

"Dark!" Link made a dive for the other boy and the two flew to the ground, narrowly missing the swing of a sword where their necks used to be. Link looked at Dark with a troubled gaze. Discerning that Dark was in no state to fight, Link took a deep breath and faced the Stalfos that was stalking towards them. "Wait here."

Slowly luring the monster away from Dark, Link crouched to the ground and reached for a leafy patch with a dark blue root poking out of the ground. He waited for the skeleton to swing its sword again. "Hyaaa!"

BOOM

The bomb flower exploded as it connected with the skeleton's torso. The bones flew in all directions, and Link shielded himself behind a bush. Poking his head up once the dust had settled, he began his search for the skull once more.

A rustling noise startled Link from his search. He relaxed when he saw that it was Dark. "Hey. You feeling all right? I'm looking for the… hey, is that - ?" He pointed at the yellowed object in Dark's hands. The other teen held up a hand.

"Wait." A pained expression was etched into Dark's face. He carefully set the skull down onto the ground, and he sat in front of it with his knees hugged tightly. Link thought he almost looked like a little boy.

"Click… Link…" The skull chattered again.

Link gasped in surprise. "It recognizes you."

Thin creases appearing on Dark's forehead, he dropped his chin on his knees. He wasn't paying attention to Link. Dark tugged at the plants growing by his feet, yanking them out in a repetitive motion. "You're not there anymore, are you?" he said to the skull quietly.

The skull chattered. "Click click"

"You're just a shred of what you were. Now you're as good as dead, or maybe even worse."

"Click click… Link…"

"I don't want to see you like this. That's why," Dark buried his head in his arms, and he tried to hide how his shoulders were heaving, "that's why I have to let you go."

Terrible understanding dawning on Link, he stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Dark. "Here, I can handle this for you."

Dark pushed Link away. Biting his lip so hard that they bled, he shakily stood up and picked up another stone in his hands. "It has to be me."

"Click click"

Smash!

"I was the one who caused this. I need to be the one to end it." Dark turned away and began to walk in the direction back to the clearing where Gale and Zelda were waiting. He stopped after five steps, his back shaking uncontrollably. Link walked over and stood next to him – he knew Dark didn't want sympathy right now, and all he wanted was to lose himself in his own misery. A lonely tear rolled down Dark's cheek. "Dad, I'm so sorry," he whispered hoarsely.

Putting his hand around Dark's shoulder, Link slowly led him away from the remains of the Stalfos.

Travel Log: N/A

fleets: I admit I might have rushed some bits of this chapter, and I know exactly why: it's because the next chapter is going to be the chapter I have been DYING to write. I know, it's not a good excuse. I was also going to add more to this chapter, but decided against it since it already had a lot going on. For instance, we see more of Skull Kid and a new "friend," and the Stalfos. I couldn't have those important segments being consumed and forgotten by what I'm going to save for the next chapter.

Midna Hytwilian: Huh. You're right, I never noticed this story was a little darker than my other stories when it comes to the main villains. Actually, I don't think BC had any real villains like this one.

Reily96: I honestly don't know who the main baddie is anymore, since I put in so many baddies in this story. And so many baddies who aren't really on the same side. O.o;

Astral S. Kepeire: And you actually got the 200th review :) ...oh wow... I can't believe I got 200 reviews. And once upon a time I thought I'd never reach more than 50 for any story I'd write. Half-arsed review? Nonsense! i always enjoy your reviews because they give me good pointers that i'd never noticed.

Sapphiet: I might consider writing a chapter like that for my own personal amusement of Dugal torture (insert evil laugh here). Nope, it wasn't this chapter, unfortunately. But it's coming soon. I can see it looming already.

xBlackDragoonx: Yeah, if Dark had to do that he probably would have died before he succeeded (plus where the heck would he have found a boomerang? lol, Dark would have been screwed majorly).

henslight: I was missing Skull Kid too, so I felt it was time we saw how he was doing again... and it seems he's got a troublesome "friend." Wow, I really respect non-native English speakers, having had to go through that myself at one point in time when I didn't know any English at all. Rigged rooms = rooms equipped with traps and tricks. So Harrier had set up a special room that would shoot knives from the roof with a number combination from his remote.

i-wish-799: Yep, people like the guys from Talon Three can't really be pinned down as good or bad. They're mostly bad from a socially acceptable view, but from their vantage point they might claim they're not bad at all. Dark is too important to leave this story just yet ;)

LinkxDarkLink: And the story keeps getting twistier. Untangling it is going to be rough, but I will try my best :D

fanfictionweirdo: Aw, thank you! And I do try to make things as twisty as possible :)

Ephriokko: Yes, yes he is a psycho and he scares me. Good riddance he's dead. Actually, Dugal already knew that Dark was with Link - he was just playing dumb to fool with poor Dark (Hawk kept him informed in the previous chapters). Dark is Link's counterpart after all - they have the same things happen to them lol :P