Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make exellent games for the rest of his days. What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Katakina.

Chapter 26

"Midna's right, it's for the best if we leave him behind... Things will be far more dangerous and... I don't want him to get hurt." That was also an honest answer. As much as she was angry at SK at the moment, she would prefer that he avoided getting himself killed.

"Listen, about the danger. You know that we don't have to face it either. In fact, I think it's time for us to return to our world."

Cleo looked up at him. "What?"

"We should stay out of this fight and go straight back home."

"Why?"

"Because," Finn said a little impatiently. "If we continue toward the final fight, we could die. This could very well be our last chance to be with our dad, our new house and our own lives, and I don't want to put you through anymore danger or suffering." He stroked his hand over her hair. "Waddya say?"

Once again, she thought it over. "I would love to go home... but I'm not going to."

"Cleo-" Finn started, but she cut him off.

"Finn, do you want to know why we're here right now? Because we screwed up, both of us. And when we make a mistake, the best thing to do is to do all that we can to make up for it."

"I don't think you understand. This isn't a video game anymore! There are no extra lives, no 1-ups, no heart pieces or containers, no restarting or cheats or hacks or anything! We could really die!"

"I know that, Finn! I do understand! But don't forget that once Ganondorf, puts on the Majora's Mask, he will wipe out all worlds, including ours!... Even if we go home, we'll die anyway, all of us. And if I do die, then I'd rather die fighting! I'd rather fight for my life, for all our lives, than run away! And I will, because I'm not scared... I'm not scared anymore."

After her oration, Finn knew that she was completely sincere and final. Not only had she made up her mind, but she also managed to out-argue him, once more. When he looked into her eyes, he could see a fire in them that refused to go out, burning strong. Finn couldn't help but smile.

"You're just like mom. She too was brave, and stubborn... All right, if you're staying, then I'm staying too. And I'll do everything I can to help."

Cleo smiled back. "Thank you. You're a good brother."

SK was standing in a soothing mist, with bubbles flying everywhere. He looked around and saw something, a huge shadowed silhouette looming in the distance. There was something familiar about it, something he hadn't seen in a long long time. Then three more figures appeared right next to each other and when SK strained his eyes to see more clearly, he suddenly remembered who these beings were, with a joyous leap of his little heart. "It's you!" he laughed. "I'm so happy to see you again!... Wha- What is it?" He heard soft roaring coming from them, but it wasn't any random sound. There was a distinct pattern that he learned to understand long ago. "'Help... your...f-r-i-e-n-d...' Huh? What friend?" The moment he asked that, SK realized what they meant, his eyes widening. "...Cleo."

Everything vanished in an instant. The skull kid woke up with a jerk and found himself in the log he was hiding in. He crawled out and looked around, then he ran to the village to find Cleo and the team. But he couldn't see them anywhere. He looked everywhere and called out their names until he had to assume they had left without him. But why? Did Cleo tell the others what he had done last night? Had they decided they don't like him anymore? Is it possible that Cleo hated him now?

As he let himself fall on his rear in disappointment, he felt something hard with a soft chink. He looked back at his bag and pulled out the bottle, with the fairy still inside, fluttering and glowing pleasantly. SK stared hard at it, thinking back to the words Cleo had said. "You are a very interesting skull kid." "Oh, well I thought I'd give you a nickname." "I really enjoyed hanging out with you." "Thank you, you're sweet." "Run SK, run!" "I knew you'd come back." "I can't help but feel that there's something... more than friendship between us." "I'm such an idiot... to think that you could be my friend." His grip on the bottle tightened, knuckles white and he looked ahead with new determination.

They were once again facing the dark tower at the wasteland. There was no warp point available there so they had to travel on horseback. It took them until noon, but when they got there, the sky was so thick with black clouds that it was dark regardless of the time.

"Well, this is it... No turning back," Link said, looking onwards to their goal.

"We let Ganondorf have his way for too long. But now it's time to turn the tables," said Sheik.

"He has no right to wield the power of the Interlopers, especially the forbidden power of Majora," said Midna.

"Now that we have the Maku Seed, we have a chance to win," said Finn.

"And I'll finally be able to avenge Katakina... I wonder if she's watching," said Syrilla.

"I'm sure she is, and my mom too..." said Cleo.

They couldn't help but expect another teammate to say his word, only he wasn't here. There was instead, a silence in it's place, making some of the team quite sad. But they couldn't just stand there and become upset over SK not being here with them. They must go in and finish it once and for all.

"Let's go," Link commanded.

They entered the final dungeon and went up the tower. Link, Midna and Syrilla knew the path up already and so led the way. The rooms were repopulated by the toughest of monsters and it took them hours to fight their way through them, despite having six fighters. Then they encountered Phantom Ganon again, ready for another rematch.

"I'm really getting sick and tired of that abomination!" Syrilla scowled. "But I'm ready for it now!"

"I won't let you fight alone this time!" Finn said, coming next to Syrilla. "I'll help you! I've got your back!"

She smiled at him. "There's no need to be chivalrous. But it's... always nice to have a partner."

Finn blushed before he could stop himself, but then he shook it off and readied himself. Both he and Syrilla used melee weapons while the others used ranged. The phantom showed the same trickery as before, but the duo didn't fall for it twice. It was just a matter of time before it was defeated for good and it burst into green flames, letting out an agonizing cry.

"You fight really well," Syrilla said, encouragingly. "When this is over, I'd like to make you an honorary Gerudo. You and your sister both."

"Me too?" Cleo asked.

"I hope you can forgive me for eavesdropping, but I overheard your conversation this morning. You spoke like a true warrior." They beamed at each other.

"We can't stop now! We're almost to Ganondorf!" Midna reminded. "Just one more floor to go."

After leaving the room, they went up a long flight of spiraling stairs. Up and up and up they went, the silence becoming more and more suspenseful, until they came to very huge double doors. "It's time," Link said. They didn't think it was possible, but the quiet became even denser, they could now hear their own racing heartbeats. Link pushed the doors open.

They stepped through it into the throne room and there, on the other side, expectantly waiting, was the King of Evil. He was sitting there rather lazily and stared at them as though they were quite amusing. "So... you finally came," he said silkily. "I was growing tired of waiting on you. But now that you're here, we can pull back the curtain and start the third and final act."

Cleo wasn't paying any attention to her enemy, instead she was focusing on something that was laying on a small table next to him while he talked. She lightly slapped Finn's arm to get his attention and jerked her head toward the object. Finn saw it and nodded, it was the mask.

Ganon seemed to know what the siblings were looking at and he smirked more broadly. "Ah, yes. You're here for this, aren't you?" He got up. "You want to get this so desperately, don't you? The mask has got terrifying, dark powers. You fear the darkness within, but only because you don't know what lies beyond that darkness... I don't blame you. It's only human nature to be afraid of the unknown, and so you seek to destroy it." He made a grunt of disapproval. "Pathetic! You fail to understand that the unknown is not something to turn against, especially the spirit of the mask! You have no idea what truly lies within!"

"You're WRONG!" Cleo shouted firmly at him. "Although, it's true that we really shouldn't fear the unknown, the mask's spirit is a different matter entirely! I do know what's in there, believe me, I've looked! I was in there! And it is something to be afraid of! That's why we have to destroy it!"

"The only reason you fear is because you cannot control the mask... But I can." He looked at the Majora's Mask. "Even though I'm not wearing it, I can hear it's voice, calling me... talking to me... telling me stories... It has been waiting for a worthy owner, someone who can master it's power. It knew of my existence and so it bided it's time, waiting for the opportunity to land itself into my hands! It knew you wouldn't deliver it to me, so it resided itself in you until you could give yourself to me instead in order to form a ransom. To make sure you were taken, it used it's magic to separate you from your brother and bind you down, preventing you from running. After I captured you, it waited until I received it's old vessel through that ransom. And once I did, it would finish off what was left of you down to your soul and then rejoin the mask that's now in my possession. But as weak as you were, you somehow managed to exorcise it, not that it makes much difference though... It planned it all out, so it can finally join me! It chose me! I was destined to wear that mask, to be it's true master!"