Chapter 23 – Beginning of the End

(Song used in this Chapter: Only Time by Enya – I do not own, as always)

POV: Danika

Ganondorf, finally getting the hint that he needed to fight, lunged at me…but for some reason, it felt like he was running in cement boots. Every step, with my new Sharingan eyes, was telegraphed like I was watching in slow motion. For a moment, I almost had to laugh at him as I leapt over his blade.

"Danika…this isn't funny!" Navi protested. "I can't help you!"

I smiled, taking advantage of the previous chink in his armor to create another with my charged sword. The king of the Gerudo looked at me, stunned…almost as if he finally realized he was no longer playing with a boy in green tights.

"I will admit…you are strong, young woman," he said. "You're not like the arrogant pigs I have stood against. But…can you avoid these?" Then, he hurled dozens of black and white energy balls at me…and again, in the light of a full pair of Sharingan…they were slower than molasses in January. I leapt, flipped, and danced around his increasing volleys of attacks, my anger starting to get the better of me.

"Barrier Style: Reflective Mirror Jutsu!" I finally said, creating a pair of giant-full length mirrors. At first, the energy balls didn't react…but soon, in Ganondorf's disgust at what he must have thought was another cheap trick…he started directing the attacks at them…giving me time to prepare a new jutsu as he was forced to dodge his own attacks.

"I'm disgusted with you, Ganondorf," I said, sick of toying with a man who clearly came unprepared for me. "You're not even putting up a half-decent fight…my boyfriend fights harder than you, and he's beaten me ninety-five times and counting. Do you really want the Triforce…or are you so deep in being Demise's puppet that Jenova is all you crave from me?"

That pulled the trigger I wanted. Suddenly, he switched from warrior to very, very angry…whipping out a longsword, a wide beast about five feet in length. "You, ninja priestess, can never defeat me, even though you are the Vessel of Jenova! You are destined to be the Queen of Demise…so why do you choose to fight against me…and a destiny in luxury, as the immortal God-Queen of Hyrule?"

I smiled. "Because…even though Jenova possesses my body…I chose for it to happen!" I then leapt back into close range, my blade slamming against his – hard. "I chose this destiny for myself…and I'll be damned if someone else is going to choose who my husband is, or where I go, or what I do! Jenova has let me choose…so I will do what I want!"

We crossed blades for a few minutes...but oddly, I sensed something different between Ganondorf and Sephiroth. It was almost as if he didn't want this fight to happen…and the more aggressive he was forced to be, the more reluctant he got. In contrast to Sephiroth's heavily offense-based combat, Ganondorf had spent the vast majority of the fight on defense…almost as though he was either too scared to hurt me…or was scared one wrong move would lose him Jenova, Demise – or both. Sephiroth, for his part, always enjoyed it when I pushed him...wanted me to force him to fight harder, change his strategy, keep him on his toes.

"Danika…despite all the times I defeat you in these sparring matches…I love it that you keep coming back to try again," Sephiroth had once told me somewhere around the seventy-fifth defeat. "I love the way your sword moves-"

"And the ways my hips move with it?"

He laughed at the comment. "Yes, yes, my sweet, sexy siren – I confess you almost beat me because I was too distracted by those swinging hips. But…you've grown more in these past four or five weeks…perhaps than any other ninja would in twenty years."

"Because you are a master swordsman," I replied, finally giving him his proper place. "You've probably been at this for at least thirteen, fourteen years…and it's your craft."

"Come on, Ganondorf…you can do better than that, and I know it!" I yelled after the third dance with him. "Come on, Demise…show me the true power of Chaos Incarnate!"

At that…Ganondorf suddenly froze, collapsing to the ground…and I instantly regretted the choice of words. I fell back, knowing that being too close to him would probably be a one-way morgue ticket.

"Vessel of Jenova…you were wise to deduce my strategy…but you are unwise to defy me."

"It's not me doing the defying, Demise," I replied. "Jenova is officially over you…and has chosen a vessel of her own creation to love. Why should she love you when she was stuck in a two thousand year old rock layer, with no one to save her? Why should she care for someone who abandoned her when the goddesses disfigured her, instead of love her as she was? You should have been there for her, Demise…and you are so damn power-hungry you abandoned the one person who would have helped you attain – and keep – the power you wanted so much?"

"HOW…DARE YOU!?" Demise roared, forcing Ganondorf's possessed body to its feet, his eyes turned to black pits. For an instant…I felt sorry for the Gerudo king now. I knew he'd been a puppet before…but most likely, Demise had snuffed out his life to claim his body…and I would be denied the chance to fight him as I ought to have.

"I dare because we both know how this hamster wheel has gone, Demise – in truth, you're just a sad drug addict," I said, not even bothering to call on Jenova. "You cook up some scheme, you get what you want…then green boys in tights and silly princesses take it from you. Why would you continue an endless cycle of grabbing power and losing it…when it all could have been broken if you leaned on the one person who always loved you?"

Demise roared at me. "HOW DARE…YOU CALL ME A HELPLESS DRUG ADDICT!? I AM THE GOD OF CHAOS…YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME, YOU FOUL WOMAN!"

I would have given him a talking-to…but this so-called god was in no mood for it. "Jenova…as much as I would enjoy a long fight…I can't let this play out." I said. "I know I shouldn't-"

"You're going to use that?"

"My family isn't here…and dragging out this fight is going to lead to casualties," I replied. "Besides…it may be the only thing that can put a dent in Demise…I have no holy weapon to-"

"DANIKA-CHAN!"a voice roared. I turned…just to see Sephiroth standing on a pile of debris, holding a purple-hilted sword – it was probably the Master Sword – in his hand. "CATCH!" He lobbed it…and by the grace of all the deities in the cosmos, I caught it.

"You didn't catch that sword on luck," Jenova said as I sheathed the katana – it would be useless here. "My sisters – the goddesses – may very well have just forgiven me.

"Jenova, I don't care if they forgave you or not," I replied out loud, not caring she wasn't physically in front of me. "It's their duty to protect Hyrule…and with Link and Zelda now gone…I just happened to be the next idiot standing. With them or without them…I will die fighting for this world, power, courage, and wisdom be damned!"

"YOU WILL NEVER WIN!" Demise roared. "So long as my curses remain on this world…my power will never die!"

I looked over the wall, hungry for one more glance at my beloved…but he had gone. Swallowing down tears, I stared down the possessed corpse of Ganondorf, knowing this battle only ended one way.

POV: Talim

"Is everyone okay?" Sephiroth asked, now back from his daring escapade.

"I am…Soren's pretty beat up, though," I said, leaning over to look at my dear friend of a mage, moaning and half-conscious. He wasn't badly injured…mostly lacerations and abrasions…but all his magic use during the battle in the throne room had exhausted him. "Kirby…looks like he's the only smart one here…he's on nap time."

Sephiroth activated his Cure materia…and the rush of magic woke up Soren, who soon pulled himself to his feet. "What'd I miss, Talim?"

"Not much…Sephiroth just used the Sacred Stones to fetch the Master Sword to help Danika."

"But…but what about the Triforce?" Soren asked, almost in a panic.

"Raryu, the Sage of Light…he's guarding it," Sephiroth replied. "That stupid thing is more trouble than its worth."

I listened…and then, I heard Ganondorf speaking of curses, and the wind picked up. "Sephiroth, Soren…I need your help. Danika…she can kill Demise a thousand times…but so long as Hyrule is cursed by Demise's power-"

"He'll just keep doing this every chance he gets – pouring an endless river of blood upon this land," Soren concluded, taking my hand and looking me deep in the eyes. "Talim…I know I haven't known you but two weeks…but know this…I hate evil every bit as much as you do. I just…I wish I had the spirit…and the heart…to love like you love, and give like you give."

"I know it's in you, Soren…perhaps a Sacred Art…will help awaken your heart. Come on…we can't wait."

We joined our hands, and I called upon my limited chakra. "Sacred Art: Healing Hope!" I called, watching with glee as the circle formed beneath our feet…and the words came to our lips as the sound of dripping water filled the air:

"Who can say where the road goes

Where the day flows, only time

And who can say if your love grows

As your heart chose, only time

Who can say why your heart sighs

As your love flies, only time

And who can say why your heart cries

When your love lies, only time

Who can say when the roads meet

That love might be in your heart

And who can say when the day sleeps

If the night keeps all your heart

Night keeps all your heart

Who can say if your love grows

As your heart chose, only time

And who can say where the road goes

Where the day flows, only time

Who knows? Only time

Who knows? Only time."

As the music faded…so did the stormy darkness that had been holding all of Hyrule Field in its sway for the last four or five hours. I felt exhausted…but instead of sinking to my knees, I smiled as the winds began to calm. Hyrule…was about to be completely purged of Demise's evil.

However…an orb of black darkness began to surround the Gerudo warrior…and, almost as if on her shinobi instincts, Danika disappeared…almost knowing what was about to happen next.

"NO…NO…NO!" Demise roared, completely enraged as his stranglehold over Hyrule broke. "I AM DEMISE…THE GOD OF CHAOS!I CURSE YOU…ALL FIVE OF YOU…TO UNENDING SORROW, DEATH, AND DESTRUCTION…NEVER TO KNOW HAPPINESS AGAIN!"

"It's over, Demise!" Danika roared back, reappearing behind the wall next to us. "Your curse can't bind anything anymore…thanks to those four champions, Hyrule is about to be free of you forever. Zelda couldn't do it…and neither could Link, Hylia, or the goddesses…but we, bound by our friendship, and help from the woman you once loved….we can do anything!"

She turned to us, her brown eyes sad. "This…this is probably the last you see of me alive," she said, knowing she didn't have long before the monster appeared in full form – already, Demise was preparing to unleash his final form, turning the sky above him purple and black as he became something akin to a massive, swordwielding boar. "I wanted to say…as your friend – I love all of you guys. Live great lives…have lots-

"JENOVA, YOU WHORE!" Demise screamed. "YOU CAN'T PROTECT THAT WENCH YOU CALL A VESSEL FOREVER!"

Sephiroth shook, ready to grab the Master Sword and kill Demise himself. "Danika…if he kills you…just know he'll have me next."

"Of course he will…Seph," she said, a tear in her eye. "I…I love you…"

"Get rid of him, soldier!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" she responded. Then, she vanished again, and we stared at Sephiroth, wondering if he would join her.

"My sword won't cut it…and besides, this is her fight," he said. "It was all I could do to convince the goddesses to give me the Sword. All I can do now…is wait for her…and if she dies…you can dig another grave for me."