Hey guys,

Yeesh, I nearly scared myself while writing this chapter, and I've read, watched, and written a lot of creepypasta on the internet O.o A lot of you wanted an extra peek into the life of Uzuki, so most of this chapter is about her, and her life in the house that people deem to be 'haunted'. I hope I don't keep anybody else up all night with this kind of horror . . . after reading this kind of creepypasta already, I can definitely say that I couldn't go to sleep for 6 months without some kind of light source (which usually involved the television).

-Shinigami-Zelda-sama

The Legend of Zelda: Only Chosen Love

Chapter 25: Preparation and Freedom

When Tuesday rolled around, Link and the rest of the guitar club met in the music room to play through their two songs for the Christmas dance. The dance was on Saturday, at seven, and would run until eleven. Link and the guitar club were scheduled to play around eight. Since Sheik had called Zelda on the phone, Link hadn't been practicing the guitar as much as he was. After what had happened over the phone, there didn't seem to be any way for Link to keep his mind of Zelda and what she was thinking. Even when he saw her at guitar club, he found it strangely impossible to read what she was feeling. It was like she was purposely burying herself in a million different emotions so Link couldn't find out the truth.

The guitar club played through their two songs, and identified what needed to be polished up before the concert on Saturday. It was mostly just Mikau's guitar riffs, but he knew he would have it down by the time Saturday rolled around. Link had to actually stop playing through the meeting halfway because his fingers were sore. Because he hadn't been practicing as much, his fingers had extra time to heal, but that meant more blisters and more scabs, making it hard for him to play.

"That'll teach you to be an overachiever!" Mikau exclaimed as they watched Link run for the tissues again to clean the blood from his fingers.

"Gah . . ." Link hissed as he wiped the blood from his skin. "I'll just pick up some skin tape or something before the concert . . . I can't afford to drop out just because of a little flesh wound."

"Saying the word 'flesh wound' doesn't make you sound any more badass," Japas pointed out.

"Oh, you caught on to that, huh?" Link laughed. He wiped the rest of the blood from his fingers, and threw the bloody tissue into the compost. "Sorry guys, but I think I'm going to have to call it a day. I'll pick up some band-aids and skin tape before Thursday so I won't be complete deadweight for our next meeting. We'll have to give it our all then; it'll be our last practice before the concert." He caught Zelda giving him a painful look; so at least she still had pity for him. But he didn't want pity from her – he wanted forgiveness, and he wanted them to make up again.

"See you later, Link," Mikau said. "Lay off the guitar until next practice, you hear?"

"You got it," Link obeyed him. He started sucking on his fingers to make the pain go away. "See you guys again on Thursday." Then he left the music room, taking his guitar with him.

Zelda sighed when he was gone, and began to practice singing "Decode" again. The boys watched her intently as she sang.

"So, how are things going between you and Link?" Mikau finally asked for the rest of the group.

Zelda stopped singing immediately. "Fine, I guess," she answered. "We're still not back together though."

"But you wish you were," Mikau snickered.

Zelda didn't reply.

"Come on, Zel, you two had a good thing going," Mikau continued. "Did you really want to end it like that?"

"Why do people keep asking me that?" Zelda muttered angrily. "Can I go a day without you people asking me about my relationship life?"

"Snappy," Japas sighed. "We were just wondering. We're all worried about you two. You got along so well; you seemed great for each other."

"Well, I guess you guys guessed wrong about us," Zelda said. "I haven't decided what to do yet. I don't need you helping me make my decisions."

"Can't argue with that," Tijo sighed. "But just remember, Zelda, Ren and Ruto are taken care of now. They won't be harassing you or Link anymore; at least not when it comes to your relationship."

Zelda nodded. She looked at the clock, and realized that lunch was almost over.

"I'm going to head out now guys," she said. "Lunch is going to end soon, and I have to get to my locker."

"Good luck, Zel," Mikau said. "And remember, no matter what happens, we're all your friends here."

On the outside, Zelda nodded at them, and left the room without saying anything else. But on the inside, she was screaming, and tearing herself apart from the inside. Even if she left Link, she would still feel the loneliness whenever she saw his – who also counted as hers – friends.

Link finished his set of twenty push-ups, and then sat back down next to the rest of the guys who had finished their sets as well.

"Darmani's not that bad," Kafei said, stretching his arms out. "I still like Darunia better, but it's a nice change of pace. You just have to make sure you don't get on Darmani's bad side, that's all."

"Agreed," Link sighed. The horrific events that had occurred the first day Darmani showed up were still fresh in Link's mind; even his muscles throbbed with pain whenever the thought arose.

"How are you even able to do push-ups when your fingers are like that?" Kafei asked in wonder, staring at Link's beat and battered fingertips. There were a few layers of skin tape applied to each finger, but he could still see a bit of the blood.

"It's a numb feeling, really," Link said, pinching his fingertips one by one.

"Well, don't work them too hard, otherwise they'll scar and you'll have ugly fingertips for the rest of your life."

Laughing at his joke, Link continued to pick at his fingertips. It was a bad habit that was beginning to form, and he knew that if he didn't stop Kafei's premonition would probably come true.

"So, how are things going between you and Zel?" Kafei asked.

Link immediately dropped the piece of skin tape from his teeth that was still attached to his skin. "Fine, I guess," he growled. He didn't really want to be reminded of Zelda right now; his bloody fingers were just one example of how hard he had been trying to keep her mind off her.

"Mikau and Sheik have been trying their hardest to help you out, you know," Kafei said.

"I know, and I can't thank them enough for everything they've done," Link sighed happily. "Now I have even a slight chance to win Zelda back – I have a lot of faith that things are going to work out well."

"And if they don't?"

Link stared up at the ceiling. "If they don't . . . I don't know. I know that if Zelda and I are no longer together, we'll both eventually move on, but . . . I don't know if anybody else I date will be as perfect as Zelda."

"Well, we're all crossing our fingers for you two," Kafei said with a warm smile. "And we're behind you every step of the way if things don't work out."

Link smiled at Kafei. "Thanks."

"Sorry if I wasn't able to help out at all either, Link," Kafei continued.

"Nah, just talking to you is a big help," Link said. "I'll be sure to let you know what happens whenever I meet up with Zelda again."

"Okay."

"Uzuki?"

Zant continued to call Uzuki's name as he knocked on her door. He didn't want to barge in, but he knew that Uzuki didn't sleep during the day, and her motorcycle was still in her garage – not to mention the thought of her going out for a walk was just idiotic.

"Where is she . . ." Zant muttered to himself. He backed away from the door so that he could see the window on the second-floor window. "Uzuki!" he called. "Are you home?"

There was no answer.

Zant sighed, and decided it would be best just to let himself inside. He figured the door was going to be locked anyway. But when he went up to the door and grabbed the doorknob, he was shocked to see that it was unlocked.

She must be home . . . Zant thought. She only locks the door when she leaves.

Zant slowly opened the screen door, and then the wood door that followed right after it, letting himself inside the two-story house.

"Uzuki?" Zant called again as he walked inside. He looked around, when he noticed a trail of blood on the floor. His heart immediately began to race, and he started to fear the worst. He swallowed down his fear, and started to follow the trail of blood. It started to lead up the stairs, so he followed the trial up to the second floor. The house was quiet, in a disturbing sort of way. Even the wood barely made a sound as he went up the stairs.

"Uzuki?" Zant called for a third time. "Are you up here?" Zant stepped off of the stairs, facing the wall. To his right was a bedroom, but the blood didn't lead in there. To his left was another door, but the blood passed it. He turned, circling the banister pole halfway, and started down the upstairs hallway. He took only a few steps before he came to another fork. When he looked to his right, he saw the second door that lead into the second bedroom. Ahead of him was the upstairs bathroom. The trail of blood lead to the bedroom to his left – he was getting a little disturbed by how many bedrooms there were – which was closed over with a wooden door, but not closed all the way.

Zant nervously walked to the door, and placed the palm of his hand on the worn-out wood. He pushed the door open and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Uzuki lying motionless on the floor, her back facing him. The trail of blood led to a pool that was growing underneath Uzuki's body.

"Uzuki!" Zant exclaimed, running to her aid. He wanted to roll her over, but he was afraid that it would cause her to bleed even more. He gently touched her shoulder. "Uzuki, wake up . . ." Zant whispered. He looked down at the pool of blood that was now soaking into the knees of his pants. He got off the floor, and ran to the bathroom, grabbing the first towel he saw and soaking it in water from the sink. He brought it back to the bedroom, and began to soak up the blood with the damp towel as best as he could.

The next thing he did was call his house. His step-mother picked up the phone.

"Hey, honey," she greeted. "What is it?"

"Clara, I found Uzuki in her house completely unconscious!" he yelled into the phone.

"What?" Clara exclaimed. "What happened? Where is she?"

"She's in the upstairs bedroom, and there's blood everywhere!" Zant explained, his voice rising in pure hysteria.

"Alright, calm down," Clara instructed him. "First, check her wrist and neck for a pulse."

He was lucky that his step-mother used to be a nurse. He leaned down and pressed two fingers against her neck. He didn't feel anything, no matter how hard he pressed.

"Nothing," Zant whispered in fear. Then he got louder, his voice cracking from all the hysteria. "There's no pulse . . . !"

Clara went silent for a moment, but then began to speak again.

"Okay. Zant, I'm going to hang up now so I can call an ambulance. I want you to do your best to keep her comfortable. Where are her wounds?"

"Uh . . ." Zant checked around Uzuki's body, and noticed that most of the blood was coming from her nose and mouth. Then he noticed the deep cuts in her belly. "She's bleeding from her nose, her mouth, and . . . she's got three huge gashes in her belly." Zant examined the wounds closer – they almost looked like they had been made by some kind of wild animal. "Clara, I have no clue what could have caused this . . . they look like somebody dragged swords through her skin."

"Stay there, Zant, and make sure she doesn't lose any more blood," Clara ordered him. "There could be a chance of saving her. I'll call an ambulance, and then I'll come over there to give you a hand."

"O-Okay," Zant stammered nervously.

"Just remember to stay calm," Clara said before hanging up.

Zant closed his phone, and put it back into his pocket. He took the towel and laid it out like a rug to soak up the blood that was beginning to be absorbed by the carpet. Then he grabbed more towels from the bathroom, and after rolling Uzuki onto her back, he took the towels and tied them around her tightly to keep pressure on the wounds she had.

"Don't you dare die on me, Uzuki," Zant growled to her as he tied the towels tightly around her wounded body. "I'll never forgive you!" He reached forward with his hand, and started to feel her neck again for a pulse, in case he had just missed it earlier. He started to whisper prayers to himself, praying to the gods that he barely believed in that Uzuki would live.

Suddenly, Uzuki's eyes burst open, revealing her deep red pupils. They immediately locked on to Zant, and before he could anticipate it, a burst of energy exploded from her body, knocking him back into the wall behind him.

Glaring at Zant with her demon-red eyes, Uzuki got to her feet, lumbering around like a wounded animal. She brought her hand down to her chest where the towels were tied around her; when she brought her hand back up, it was slightly stained with blood.

Uzuki started to laugh. It was a cruel, disturbing laugh.

"This game just never ends . . ." she snickered to herself as she stared at her bloody fingertips. "I've told him time and time again . . . I don't like to lose . . ."

"U-Uzuki?" Zant said quietly, getting up from the floor. Small bits of rubble and dust fell off his shoulders from where he had put a huge crater in the wall.

Uzuki's snapped back up to Zelda's step-brother. She smiled, revealing sharp, threatening teeth.

"Oh, Zant, you came to visit me?" she asked him with her still disturbing voice. "I'm sorry for the horrible hospitality, but you caught me in the middle of an important matter. I'm still in the middle of our game, you see."

"Y-Your . . . your game?" Zant asked. He was completely confused, but most of all, he was terrified out of his mind. "What are you talking about, Uzuki?"

Uzuki raised her foot and stomped it down into the floorboards. Zant could suddenly feel the atmosphere in the room change; it made him feel lighter, like he was in zero-gravity. As quick as it happened, the atmosphere changed again, making the room feel a lot heavier. Zant could hear the sound of shattering glass from downstairs.

Uzuki's face suddenly went pale, and she collapsed onto the ground, unconscious once again.

Zant sat there on the floor for a long while, staring at her and wondering what would happen next. Then he heard Uzuki start to speak again – she was still awake.

"Listen to the wind blow . . ." she sang. "Watch the sun rise . . ." Her singing was so quiet that if it weren't for the deadly silence, Zant wouldn't have been able to hear it.

"W-What?"

"Running in the shadows . . . damn your love, damn your lies . . ."

Zant got up from the floor, and watched her as she lay on the floor, staring at the wall while she sang to herself in a very disturbing way.

"Uzuki . . . what's happening to you?" Zant asked her. He was a little afraid to talk to her, but he had a hunch that things couldn't get any worse than they already were.

A tear ran from Uzuki's eye. A tear of blood.

Zant sidled his way around the room, trying not to get near Uzuki as she sang to herself on the floor.

He ran down the stairs as fast as he could, praying for his life that Clara would be at the house so he could get more help from her. Although, he wasn't sure how much help Clara would be at this point, considering Uzuki was clearly possessed by some kind of demon – if not, she was just mentally insane, but Zant already knew that.

When he made it downstairs, he headed straight for the door, but when he grabbed the doorknob, it wouldn't budge. He checked the locks and saw that they weren't locked; but the door still wouldn't move.

Then he suddenly got the feeling somebody was watching him. He spun around to see two people – a strange man at the end of the hall, and a possessed Uzuki standing at the top of the staircase. The man was definitely not human – he didn't even have a face – and Uzuki was just standing at the top of the stairs like a demon out of a horror movie, her head tilted to the side and her arms hanging lifelessly by her sides.

Zant took a left into the dining room, trying to escape from the horror that was Uzuki and her house. He slid under the table and began to whisper more prayers to himself, hoping that he was just having a horrible nightmare and everything was just a twisted trick of his imagination.

When he looked up, he saw that the table was gone, and had been flung to the other side of the kitchen. Plates and chairs started to fly around the room without anybody touching them, like they were being thrown by ghosts. He ran out of the kitchen and back out into the hall – thankfully, the man was gone, but Uzuki was waiting for him in the living room, standing just a few meters away. He noticed another door, so he opened it and ran inside. He realized after going inside that it wasn't the best choice – first of all, he had no idea what room he was in; and second, the room was pitch black.

The last thing he needed was to be in the dark when he had two demonic beings chasing after him.

Zant felt around with his hands and feet, and realized he was on a staircase. He pulled out his cellphone and opened it, using the light from the screen to illuminate his path. He didn't know why, but he started to walk down the staircase, occasionally opening and closing the cellphone to turn the light back on whenever it automatically turned off. He went down the stairs, more and more, until he realized that he was travelling in a circle and the spiralling stairs were going nowhere.

When he turned around, he saw that the door he had come in through was just a few steps away.

This isn't happening . . . Zant thought, his hands beginning to sweat. Please, tell me this is all just a horrible nightmare . . .

Zant finally realized that it would be smart to call Clara again and check to see if she was coming to the house. If she was, he felt it best to warn her about the horrors that lay inside. He sat down on the step, and opened his phone. He started to type in his mother's number. As he was typing it in, he happened to notice the odd change his wallpaper had made on its own. What used to be a picture of him taken on a school field trip had been changed into a strange black-and-white picture that had been morphed and distorted so much that he could barely tell what it was.

He clicked the TALK button on his phone, and waited for his mother to pick up. The dial tone played only once . . . but the sound that followed was not his step-mother's voice.

Instead, there was a loud screeching noise filled with a background of static that was so surprising and so terrifying that it caused Zant to panic, and he threw his phone away. He listened as it bounced down the stairs; eventually, the silence continued again.

Still sitting on the steps, Zant curled up into his arms and knees and closed his eyes.

He waited, and waited – waited for somebody to come to the house, waited for Uzuki and the strange man to leave, waited for a freedom that he would never be given.