Again I prove and a lying liar who lies. But I have updated! And I shall update again soon! I really am working non stop on this. I have actually outlined the whole rest of the story the problem is writing it out. College just started up again and... and it's already a pain in the arse. -w- Nonetheless, I am terribly sorry for the delay. Won't happen again.

I'd respond to reviews, but I actually have class int eh morning and should rally get to sleep. But I read them all, because I always read all my reviews, and I thank you guys for your continuing support and I am so glad you guys are enjoying this story! I promise I'll respond to reviews next time, and I love you all! 8D

Dark Link was whistling. Mostly because there was nothing better to do and it seemed to be grating his lighter self's nerves. And it was indeed.

"Would you stop that?" Link asked. And it wasn't the first time he'd ask either. And he didn't know why he kept asking. Dark would pause for only the briefest of moments before looking at him and then proceeding to begin his whistling yet again. The blond never quite realized until then just annoying it could be.

As before, Dark did not acquiesce to Link's request. Mostly because he saw no reason to. They had nothing better to do while they were trapped in this stupid pseudo-Water Temple rip off room, and Dark needed something to occupy his time.

Grating his teeth, Link paced back and forth. The two had been in Saria's make-shift Water Temple room for hours at this point, and Link was none the wiser as to what the way out could be. "Can't you think of anything helpful?" The blond asked, clearly exasperated.

Dark shook his head, still whistling away happily.

Link was at his limit. "Do you or do you now want to get out of here?"

The dark doppelganger's whistles faded, his face contorting as if deep in thought. Then he shrugged. "I can work either way. Outside this place, I'm just in your head but I'm alive sort of. In here, I've got no place to go but I'm solid. Again, either works, mostly because they're about equally sucky."

This was not improving Link's mood in the slightest. "Would you stop being such a pain for just one minute! I know I said I wanted to find my inner maturity, but I hadn't planned on taking forever to do it – and I have to…" He paused, his tone becoming barely audible, "I have to get back to Zelda."

Dark forked an eyebrow. "Goddesses you're flip-flopper. One minute it's 'She doesn't need me,' the next is 'I need to be around her.' Make up your mind already, either stick with her or don't." He said flatly.

He couldn't say anything back to that. Dark was completely right. The mere thought of Zelda had a tendency to make not make any sense at all – or at least think things that made no sense.

But a thought suddenly occurred to Link. Dark knew what he thinking, just as to some degree, Link understood Dark's thoughts. They understood each other's thoughts regarding even the deepest things within Link's mind, like his feelings for Zelda… "How do you know what to think about her? Don't you feel the same way for her that I do?"

Dark shifted uncomfortably where he sat, avoiding eye contact with his better half. He didn't answer.

With the clearest understanding yet of his dark side, Link said, "You do then? So how can you even begin to lecture me on this?" It came out a bit belligerently, but he didn't see why it shouldn't have. Dark always lectured him on Zelda, how come it never once occurred to Link to lecture back?

Again, Dark did not answer.

And then something else hit Link. "… And if you feel the same for Zelda as me… then you feel relatively the same as I do on nearly all accounts."

"I do not!" snapped Dark, standing up and looking absolutely outraged. He marched up to Link angrily, "We share similar feelings, because I am your opposite, but you and I are not the same! Don't even begin to think that." He continued to start forward, causing Link to step back with each step forward. You stand for justice and truth, I stand for dishonor and deceit. We are separate-"

"But we're not!" Link said, finally stepped ahead and causing his dark side to back off. "That's thing, you're my opposite but… only because if I represent the light… then you're the dark. And… and we're all supposed to have dark and light inside of us."

Dark looked absolutely livid. "That," he stepped forward, but Link did not retreat; they were practically nose to nose, "is not true."

"But it is. You and I are the same." The realization was dawning on him now. "We are the same." Link backed away then, pacing back and forth in understanding. "The first time in the Water Temple, I didn't really conquer myself – I just locked you away because the darkness is supposed to be evil. I wanted to be away from that, but it didn't work – I just kind of postponed the inevitable."

"Dark was shaking his head adamantly. "No. Wrong."

"It's not, it's absolutely right!" Link said excitedly. It was like an epiphany. Everything became so much clearer then! "I need to accept myself – both the good and the bad!"

"I AM NOT YOU!" Dark roared.

Link stared.

Dark was panting wildly, every line in his face creased with anger and hatred. "I am not you. I will never be you. I have worked so hard not to be you. I even… I even made a deal with freaking liar of a sorcerer-"

"What?" That was what really alarmed Link.

With a sneer, Dark said, "Yeah, I was so desperate just to get away – to be my own person – I made a deal with Vaati. And yeah, I know it wasn't worth it – a guy like that doesn't keep his promises. But I was simply content with just making your life as difficult as possible. And I've been doing a good job of it."

Link gave his dark side a harsh glare. "Yeah, you have." The words came out firm and harsh. Then Link took a deep breath and said, "But no matter how much you fight it, you're still a part of me."

Dark's sneer turned to a frown of deepest loathing. "No."

"Why is it so terrible?" Link asked in a tone that said he truly didn't understand.

The dark doppelganger gnashed his teeth, "Ever since the Water Temple, being torn out of you… I guess you could say I like my individuality."

"But we were once an individual together." Link pointed out. "Why can't that be so again?"

"Why is it so damned important to you?" Snapped Dark angrily, pacing backwards and forwards, as if looking for something he couldn't quite find.

"It's important because… I think this is what Saria mean for us to find. This is the beginning of me trying to understand ourselves – myself! Dark and light – that's what people are comprised of. Nothing is black or white, not even heroes." Link explained, again in eager excitement. "We need to come to terms with each other!"

"I don't want to come to terms with anything, least of all with you." While his tone was more subdued, the words still came out bitter and harsh.

Link finally frowned, but it was one of thought rather than of frustration. "So you don't want to get back at Vaati for lying to you?"

Dark Link went very still, but only responded with, "I already knew he was a liar."

"But you hoped that he might keep his word, didn't you?" Link said. When Dark gave no response, Link went on to say, "You know what I know, the same should be true the other way around. I'm right, aren't I?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Dark said stiffly.

"Remember how you told me I shouldn't bother lying to you? Maybe you should heed your own advice about lying to me."

Dark's face went stony, but he said nothing.

"We can't stay in here forever, Dark. I'm willing to accept my darkness; this all riding on you. You need to accept that you have light. And the faster you do that – the faster we can punch Vaati's face in."

It was late in the afternoon, with twilight closing in quickly. There had still been no sign of Link… and Zelda had no idea what to make of it. He was just gone. With the events of last night still brewing within her mind, a good chunk of her day had had the princess of Hyrule thinking on how best to make sure that Vaati had no access to the Temple of Time and how best to defeat him; then Mordrid had returned, only to find his brother was dead after already suffering the loss of a grandfather. With all that, Zelda hadn't much time to dwell on Link and what may have happened to him. In the moments of her busy day that her mind had drifted to him, she had simply put it off as him perhaps wandering the castle… but she knew it wasn't true. In fact, she might even go far as to think she was purposefully avoiding looking for him due to Vaati's presence the night before… He had killed Brodrick, who was to say he hadn't…

No, no he did not. She told herself firmly. Link was alive. But the fact that he was missing was still not good. She needed to find him…

She needed to speak with the Sages. One of them might know his whereabouts, and even if they didn't they could be of help in finding him and in finding a way to keep Vaati away from the Triforce of Power.

And that was one thing she still didn't get. How did the wind mage plan to retrieve the final piece of the Triforce? There was no possible way to do so without releasing Ganondorf from the Temple of Time's seal… unless he had found a way she was unaware of.

She sat at her desk within her office. She needed to speak to the Sages…

Her spirit entered the Chamber of Sages and the summons went out to the other sages. Within seconds, their own spirits made it the Chamber, each one upon their own representative pedestal. They were all silent, but their faces all had the same question written on them, "Why the sudden summons?"

"Sages," she'd begun, but as soon as she had said the first word, she'd realized she really had no idea how she was going to explain Vaati to them. They looked at her expectantly, and she somehow managed to explain the bare bones of the situation: that Vaati, wind mage of legend, had been right under everyone's nose in disguise, how he had killed Agahnim, taken Link's Triforce, and then how he had taken her own Triforce and had just killed Brodrick the night before. Then to top things off, how Link had just vanished. At her mention of that, nearly all of the sages showed some sign of alarm… all save for Saria. But the way the girl fidgeted upon her pedestal and laid eyes upon the princess, Zelda had the feeling that the Forest Sage didn't want to speak in front of the other sages. So she figured she would save asking Saria until after the meeting was concluded for the time being.

It seemed none of the sages could work out what she had not already worked out. Even Impa could not see how Vaati could penetrate the Temple of Time without the help of a Sage. However, they still planned for the worst, wondering what the mage's plan was if he did somehow manage to get past the Door of Time and tried to obtain the Triforce of Power. None of the situations they came up with ended well – especially with a missing and handicapped Link. The matter of Link's disappearance was also brought up again, to which Saria remained quiet but the other sages quite clearly baffled. Unable to come up with anything concrete on any subject, they arranged a meeting for the next day. No one really liked the idea, but they all needed time to think everything through it seemed.

One by one, the sages left the Chamber, until only Rauru, Zelda and Saria were left. The green haired girl took a step forward, closing the space between herself and the princess so their words would not stray over to Rauru, and then said quietly, "I know where Link is…"

"I thought as much…" Zelda said, "Is he with you?" The Forest Sage nodded and then Zelda asked, "Did he mention why he'd left? When did he leave?" She had become a bit alarmed, mostly because she remembered Brodrick's last words. How Link seemed unwell and needed her help… and he went instead to Saria…

"He came early this morning; he left the night before, I think… But I don't think I'm in any place to tell you why he left." Saria said. Even when Zelda gave her an almost indignant look, Saria was not phased. "He's conflicted right now, Princess. He needs to work something out; something that's been haunting him for a while now. And he feels he needs to do it on his own. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything more."

The princess merely looked at the girl with a new respect for her. Saria looked as a child, and occasionally even seemed to act it. While she was serious and took her duties as a sage as such, she was never truly outspoken with the Chamber in the presence of the other Sages, coming across as timid. But now, Saria was looking up at Zelda with eyes that did not belong to a seemingly nine year old child.

"Very well…" She finally conceded. "But when you see him, please tell him that I need him right now."

Saria nodded, and very soon the girl had left the Chamber as well.

With her business concluded as well, Zelda attempted to leave the Chamber as well. Her spirit did leave the Chamber… but it did not return to her office within Hyrule Castle.

In fact, she had no idea where her spirit ended up. It was just blackness. Never ending blackness as far as the eye could see. She was nearly about to panic, as she had remembered the horrible night before, how Vaati had described his being sealed… Never ending nothingness as far as the eye could see… But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was seeing that she was not alone. There were things moving in the darkness she could not identify. And she wasn't sure which was worse, being alone in the blackness, or not being alone but having no idea what was out there. Then, an even worse thought came to her mind. That of a certain High Immortal, inviting a princess to its 'lovely Abyss.'

"You're guesses are close, Young Princess," said a voice, clearly feminine.

The voice sent a shiver of the girl's spine. She looked wildly around for its source, still seeing nothing but darkness and even darker masses moving about within it. The voice, she had noted, had a ring almost reminiscent of the Time Spinner's… but it was different. Whoever she was dealing with, she was sure it was not the Time Spinner… but perhaps someone within the same family. Like a sister. A sister whom the Time Spinner wished would visit its Abyss more often.

She did not attempt to hide the groan that came out of her mouth and the remembrance of the Time Spinner's promise of dealing with that very sister. And as if the groan was some sort of summoning, something came out of the blackness.

The first thing Zelda saw was the mass of waved silver hair. The hair belonged to a woman, fantastically beautiful despite having a patch over one eye. The one functioning eye was golden; reminding Zelda of a golden full moon… but it was cold and calculating, not malicious like the gaze of the Time Spinner. This woman was pale and full lipped, and now Zelda was seeing that the woman was clothed in flowing black robes that blended in with the background of blackness near perfectly.

"I… I suppose you are the sister the Time Spinner spoke of…" Zelda's voice came out higher than she would've liked.

The High Immortal raised a thoughtful finger to her chin, apparently examining the princess with her calculating eye. She had such a serious face, Zelda had certainly never expected that the Immortal before her would smile. And it was a smile that reminded Zelda all too much of the Time Spinner. And all of a sudden, Zelda knew that any chance she had of actually liking this particular Immortal were completely dashed.

"I am Selene, called the Reaper of Retribution." The Immortal finally said. She moved slowly in a circle around the princess, leaving the blond girl unsure as to if the Reaper was walking or gliding. "And you, I sense… have stumbled into a situation in which my… services… are available to you." The last word was barely out of her mouth before she seemed to fade into the blackness around her.

Zelda looked around furtively, trying to find where the Immortal had disappeared to. Unable to find her, she shakily asked, "And… and what services would you be talking about…?"

In a fashion all too like her brother/sister, Selene suddenly appeared right behind Zelda. Cold fingers slid along the princess's jaw line and she found herself shuddering yet again. Even though the hands of the Reaper of Retribution had the feel of hands, not something squished into the shape of hands, she was not enjoying the touch of this woman any more so than she had her brother/sister's. "I'm in the revenge business," Selene's voice was right in her ear. But despite the different voice, it was all too much like the haughty, arrogant sing-song of the Time Spinner's.

Just as quickly as the Reaper had been there, however, she was gone; faded into the blackness once again. Disconcerting as her disappearing and reappearing was, however, Zelda's curiosity was piqued. In the revenge business… Again the princess futilely attempted to look around the blackness, trying to find the masses of wavy silver hair and failing. "What do you mean?"

The Reaper's voice rung out from no place in particular, her visage still staying out of sight, "Exactly what it sounds like." She then reappeared, again circling the princess with a near sadistically playful smile. "I help young girls, like yourself, avenge the wrongs done to them by men."

Zelda's brow furrowed. "You're saying you can help me defeat Vaati?"

The Reaper paused, slowly tilting her head so that she was just barely facing the princess. The one delicate eyebrow visible on Selene's face rose. "Defeat is one way of putting it. Utterly destroy is another."

The Reaper did not move, simply staying still and watching the blond girl. Zelda tried not to pay attention the woman's golden gaze. Utterly destroy Vaati… that warranted some thought. And it was not just because she wished to avenge Brodrick. Vaati was roughly in the same caliber as Ganon – he was too powerful to truly be killed. But this Immortal was saying with her help, she could destroy the mage. One evil would be extinguished from the world – an evil that could never return because he was not bonded to any piece of the Force, therefore unable to be a part of the reincarnation cycle. It would be the true end to Vaati…

But as she saw the Reaper's lip curling further, Zelda was yet again reminded of the Immortal's sibling… She trusted the Time Spinner about as far as she could throw it. What would make its sister any more trustworthy? Actually, the trustworthiness of the Immortal wasn't in question. Zelda was absolutely sure that the Reaper could be trusted… the real question was… "What's the catch?"

Despite the fact that the smile remained upon the Reaper's face, Zelda could not get any solid read on her. Then again, she doubted she could get a read on the Time Spinner – any of its brothers and sisters would probably be just as difficult to figure out. "Just one little thing; a trifle, really." Said the Reaper nonchalantly, resuming her motion of circling the princess. "You wouldn't miss it at all."

"Care to tell me what it is?"

Selene did her vanishing act, reappearing directly in front of Zelda. Their faces inches apart for each other's, the Immortal said, "Your soul."

Perhaps the Immortal had expected Zelda to step back in shock or for her to let out a gasp of fright. The princess did neither, simply keeping her expression stony and her eyes focused onto the one eye of the Reaper. Whatever the case, the Immortal eventually backed off and vanished into the blackness yet again. Zelda knew she would not reappear until she had an answer.

To say she had not been expecting something along those lines was a lie, though if she had the option, she found she'd much rather offer a body part than her soul. After the soul was… it was just such an integral part of a person. Zelda's soul defined her, just like Link's soul defined him and so on and so forth. Without it, she'd be nothing more than a shell… however, she had feeling that when Selene meant 'soul,' the package deal was involved. Body, soul… in other words, if she wanted to take a life, she had to give up her own. After all, Selene was an Immortal, and Zelda was quite sure that the term 'death' had a different meaning to her… especially given the fact, if Zelda's memory of Brodrick's first lecture on Immortals was correct, this Immortal's father was Death himself.

She racked her brains. Take the life of one to give up her own to save the people of Hyrule and future generations… or settle for sealing the mage, so he could cause chaos in an unsuspecting generation some indeterminate time later? Vaati had already caused so much damage in the short time he'd been present now; stealing Triforces, killing Brodrick…

The answer seemed so obvious, but at the same time, she hesitated. People and country first… that was what she had been raised to believe, so that she could lead Hyrule with wisdom and integrity… She was taught that if the safety of her people was jeopardized, and the only solution was sacrifice, to take it…

But who would the responsibility fall on once she was gone? She was the last line of the Hyrulean Royal Family. With her death would come even more chaos than if Vaati continued to live. Faruch and Quinn could only handle things for so long before all hell broke loose. The nobility would fight wars to claim the throne; Hyrule's history from that point forward would be written in blood…

Yet despite that rationale, Zelda found that the largest reason she did not wish to hand over her soul in exchange for the life of Vaati, was that she simply didn't want to. It was her soul, and she wasn't going to give up what was rightfully hers. And she had every intention of being stubborn about it. And even if giving up her soul didn't necessarily mean death, she wasn't willing to become a soulless monster in order to beat another soulless monster. No matter which way she looked at this, it was a lose-lose situation. The only winner was the Reaper, who obtained the soul… a soul filled with hatred…

And then she finally stumbled upon the true reason she could not and would not accept the Immortal's offer.

For all her hatred of Vaati… she loved so much more. She loved her people, she loved her country, she loved Brodrick, she loved Link; she loved those she could call her friends; she loved the scent of the earth after rain had just fallen, she loved the taste a strawberry tart; she loved the sound birds singing, the sound of water flowing; she loved the feel of the sun on her skin; she even loved the chill of winter when it came. And when there was so much to love about life, even for all of its hardships, how could she throw away her very being due to hatred of one person?

"I must decline your offer, Reaper."

"That's too bad." Came Selene's voice from behind Zelda. The princess looked behind her and saw the Immortal, smirking, but there was no aura of malice from her. She was not upset. "It is a terrible shame really; a soul like yours is much more valuable to me. But the pure of heart are always the most difficult to persuade…"

But before Zelda could respond in any fashion, she found herself back within her body… within her office. And as she stood up and looked at her window, seeing the orange hues of twilight… she hoped that she would never have to deal with an Immortal again.

The door then burst open. She turned on her heel, prepared for either fight or flight. But she simply blinked in surprise when she saw who was there.

"Link!"

That whole bit with Selene actually went a bit off track from what I originally intended. For example, that whole bit on love was never meant to be in there. But after rereading all seven Harry Potter books, it kind of snuck its way in, and I found it made things flow much better. Either that or its my severe lack of sleep making me delusional. -w-