Link yelled and immediately let go of the rope, drawing his sailcloth just before he hit the ground. He looked around frantically, but the swarm of cursed bokoblins and Asuriel were no where to be seen. If only he had payed more attention to her when they were climbing, or even listened when she didn't want to approach the silver thread.

No, he couldn't blame himself. He would have had to take Asuriel with him or she would have been left alone. Guilt gnawed away at Link, but he tried to push the feeling away. The only way to go was forward, so he had to hope that he could find her somewhere within the expanse of the temple.

The rest of his journey through the temple was passed in silence, another reminder to the hero that he failed to protect Asuriel. As awkward as it was, he missed the feeling of butterflies in his stomach when he would swing from platform to platform with the girl at his side.

Finally, he arrived at the mechanism at the top of the statue. He struggled a bit to fit the key in, trying to recall how Asuriel solved those puzzles so quickly. After a few minutes, he slid the key in and heard and familiar sound of the lock clicking before the flowers on it sunk in and the lily pad turned clockwise.

The top of the statue opened and Link pulled up the smaller mechanisms with his whip. The structure shook and the head rose into the ceiling. Link ran up the last flight of stairs, hoping against hope that Asuriel would somehow be at the top.

There was certainly someone in the room, but it was not the person for whom Link wanted to see. Sitting atop a golden statue was Ghirahim, who chuckled when bars fell across the door that closed behind the boy. The demon sighed.

"Well, you certainly are persistent...

I'm terribly busy trying to find the clues that will help me revive the demon king. Your incessant buzzing around my head like some irksome gadfly when I'm THIS busy... well it's making me very disagreeable."

Suddenly, his expression changed from one of annoyance to one of glee.

"Tell me, Skychild, where is your little friend? I know I saw the two of you together earlier."

Link growled and drew his sword. Not only did he have to bear the guilt of his own thoughts, he would also be taunted by his enemy.

"Good point. Why ask when I already know the answer?"

Link's eyes widened. He knew where she was?

"Don't look so surprised. I thought you would have figured it out, those creatures are still under my command, even if they are dead."

Ghirahim turned away from Link, looking at the opposite wall.

"Where is she?!" Link shouted.

The demon smiled and again focused on the hero.

"Oh, so you do speak after all."

"Stop mocking me and tell me what you did to Asuriel"

Ghirahim gasped theatrically.

"Me?! I haven't done a thing to her. Although she makes the most delicious expressions when she is terrified, I wouldn't dream of harming her."

"Just tell me where she is."

"Hm, now where would be the fun in that?"

With a distinctive snap, the demon vanished in the flurry of diamonds.

Asuriel woke up to a sharp pain in her ankle. She drew a sharp breath as she tried to move it, only to have pain shoot through her leg. The room she was in was dimly lit, the only light came from the outside of a loosely woven wall. The shape of the enclosure was circular and there appeared to be an open doorway a couple feet from where she lay on her side.

How had she gotten here?

Right, those bokoblins had grabbed her and dragged her to their camp. To Asuriel's surprise, none of her limbs seemed to be restrained. Had they not expected her to wake up? No matter what they thought, she was sure of one thing: she had to get out of there and find Link. The cursed bokoblins could walk through the opening any minute, and Asuriel had no idea what they would do to her.

She carefully sat up and winced at the pain in her ankle. One of the creatures had accidentally stepped on her while they were dragging her away, it must have broke her ankle. The way it broke didn't matter, it was the most painful thing she had ever experienced. The girl struggled to pull herself to her feet, relying mostly on the wall for support. Slowly, she took a tentative step forward, testing how much weight one foot could hold. She took another step, wincing as her injured leg protested, but she kept moving. Finally she made it to the door. Looking out, it looked like the bokoblin camp she had briefly seen in Eldin, just in a much darker environment that happened to be situated underground and inhabited by undead monsters.

As quietly as she could, Asuriel limped out of the structure and around a few buildings. She could see the silhouetted outlines of the creatures against the faint torchlight, so she carefully avoided the places she saw them. Unfortunately everything was incredibly dark, so Asuriel was forced to skirt along the outside of the building to maintain the advantage of sight.

She walked around for only a few minutes when she got distracted by making sure one bokoblin didn't notice her, and ran right into another. It slowly turned its head to look at her with sunken eyes. Asuriel tried to back up, but she tripped over her own feet. She fell to the ground, stressing her already hurt ankle. More bokoblins were surrounding her and were only beginning to pick her back up when one of them delivered a blow to the back of her head with a club, and the world around her went black.

When Asuriel opened her eyes, she saw she was in the same structure as before. She immediately felt the iron ring they had clasped around her neck as it rubbed uncomfortably around her skin. A crudely made chain ran from the collar to the ceiling, out of her reach. Outside, she could hear a few voice, mostly bokoblins, but she could not distunguish much beyond that. When Asuriel lifted her head off the ground, the room spun and she closed her eyes to block out the sensation. No matter that she had been caught, she had to get back to Link. Shaking slightly, the girl rose to her feet and leaned heavily against the wall. The end of the chain had a small loop on the end and that was connected by a hook to the ceiling. If she could somehow pull it off, she could be free. She would have to reach it without magic because she barely had enough concentration to use her power, and she doubted that she had enough strength to do anything signifiant.

Asuriel knew that she could jump relatively high, but between her ankle and her half conscious condition, she would likely only have one shot to grab it. Adjusting her position, she moved a little further from the wall and braced herself to jump. She counted down under her breath, preparing to make this one effort.

"Three, two, one."

The girl jumped as high as she could manage and grabbed onto the hook in the ceiling. However, the end of the hook dug into her palm, causing blood to smear on the rusty metal, making it slippery. Asuriel's arms shook with the task of holding all her weight as she attempted to slide the ring of the chain off the end of the hook. In an instant, her hand slipped and she fell back onto the ground with a loud cry.

The voices outside stopped talking in an instant and there was a shuffle of feet accompanied by the familiar shriek of a bokoblin. The sound of footsteps stopped outside the opening of the structure. Asuriel couldn't move from the place she had fallen, but she was facing the entrance. Slowly, she cracked an eye open, but she did not see the crude, brown shoes of a regular bokoblin or the pink flesh of a cursed one. Instead, she saw two feet covered in a thin, white material, with diamond cutouts beginning by the ankles.

Asuriel propped herself up on an elbow and watched the demon lord, who returned her silent gaze. The girl focused the best she could and summoned her remaining strength, creating a weak barrier between them. The demon smirked and confidently walked toward the shield. Raising a hand, he lazily flicked the barrier with a single finger, causing it to shatter. Asuriel closed her eyes as he knelt before her.

"Bold of you to try to escape, again."

Ghirahim fingered the chain that connect Asuriel to the ceiling.

"Still, I can't say that I'm not surprised, I thought you were stronger than this. I barely had to lift a finger to take down your last defense..."

He gently tucked a piece of hair behind Asuriel's ear and combed his hand through the rest of her locks.

"Although I don't blame you- what's this?"

When he withdrew his hand from the girl's hair, his gloved was stained red. He stared at it for a moment before looking back at the girl and probing the back of her head. It only took seconds for him to find the gash when the bokoblins had struck her. When he touched the wound, Asuriel flinched and tried to move away, but ended up jarring her ankle against they ground, drawing the demon's attention to it.

He moved slightly and held her foot in his hand, carefully feeling around the severely swollen skin. The moment he applied pressure to it, Asuriel tried to pull her foot out of his hands. He released her and stood up. His expression was one of... what?

Fury? Outrage? Sickness induced anger?

He turned and walked out of the hut. That action was followed by a series of screeches and screams from the bokoblins. The loud noises combined with a growing headache began to make her dizzy as the edges of her vision blurred. She saw Ghirahim walk back into the hut and kneel beside her. Her eyes felt heavy and she closed them as the metal ring around her neck disappeared. The demon lord's arms reached underneath her as he lifted her off the ground. He looked down at her with an expression that could be considered pity. Of course, he hadn't meant for her to get hurt, that was the bokoblins' fault. The Ancient Cistern was no place for something as fragile as her, Faron was a fool for allowing her to enter it. And, even in the light of his threats and warnings, those ridiculous bokoblins simply could not be gentle enough to handle her.

Despite the injuries, Ghirahim was glad Asuriel was in his hands now. He could barely stand to see her talking with that Skychild earlier, the sight made his blood boil. The girl shifted in his arms, bringing him back to reality. Ghirahim toyed with the idea of giving the girl back to the boy and watching as that old woman in the Sealed Temple panic at seeing her precious child in such a state

He didn't have much experience taking care of humans, but he would have to manage. Obviously his bokoblins could be of no use. Ghirahim considered where he could take Asuriel while she recovered. Skychild was certain to come after her, and his attempts would become more desperate the longer they were separated. Fortunately, there was a secret castle hidden in the Faron woods that not even the goddess' guard dog was aware of. Perfect.

It was all too easy to teleport himself and the girl to one of the rooms. His room, specifically. The location was remote, yet he had no shortages of guards patrolling the halls and grounds to keep out any unwanted... visitors. But, no one would dare to enter his room without permission, which made it a perfect haven for Asuriel. Taking care of her would just put more responsibility on him, but it would all be worth it to witness that pathetic hero panicking when he couldn't find his friend. Ghirahim was grinning already.

He layed the girl down on a velvet crimson chaise and began to clean the wound on the back of her head. She was mostly unconscious, but would occasionally move when Ghirahim moved to dab away more blood. He easily set her ankle with a snap of his fingers. When that task was done, he examined Asuriel's dress. It was quite stunning before, but it had lost its charm when it got covered with dirt and whatever else was on the floor of the Ancient Cistern. Speaking of dirt, the girl was practically covered in the stuff. It simply would not do.

But, Ghirahim was not one to strip people of their clothes on a whim, how ungentlemanly.

With a snap of his fingers, the filth on Asuriel's body disappeared. The next part was a little trickier. He could probably guess what size dress would fit her, but he wanted to make sure that it did her justice, so it had to fit perfectly. Maybe he would take a few measurements.

A few measurements later, Ghirahim had come up with the perfect design. He snapped his fingers and the old dress was removed and draped across the back of a chair at a desk while the new one instantly appeared on Asuriel.

The demon lord was practically clapping for himself at how well he had done. The dress fit her perfectly and looked beautiful on her. It was a white silk nightgown with a close fitting top and a loose, flowing skirt.

The only thing left to do was brush her hair. He gently shifted her into a sitting position and summoned an ornate brush. This proved to be more of a difficulty because her hair was so long, reaching down to her fingertips. Not to mention the tangles left by exploring an entire temple and then being passed out for so long. Asuriel was all but asleep, which made it easy for him to move her from the couch and tuck her under the covers of his four poster bed. The sheets were a pure white, but there was a blood red canopy enveloping the bed. Her small frame was dwarfed by the massive bed in which she lay. She looked so peaceful, surrounded by soft pillows and covered in spotless sheets. As much as Ghirahim would have liked to stay a while, he had other responsibilities.

First, he adjusted the curtains of the canopy so that they completely surrounded the bed. Next, he placed an enchantment on the door to lock it. The spell would also notify him if someone tried to open the door. Asuriel was such a curious little thing, and she would undoubtedly find trouble if she exited the bedroom. Ghirahim also checked around his room for anything the girl could hurt herself on or anything he didn't want her finding. His quarters were always clean, but there was the rare occasion that he left out one of his daggers or even a sword. The large bathroom was also inspected to make sure there were clean towels in case the girl woke and tried to take a bath. As much as Ghirahim had a distaste for serving others, a human no less, he would not stand for being seen as inhospitable, excluding locking his guest in his room, but that was for safety purposes.

Once his living area was to his satisfaction, the demon took one last glance at the bed before teleporting out of his room. He would return that night, but he would spend the majority of the day looking for clues to find the spirit maiden. After all, he was very busy.

Asuriel woke from a deep sleep, afraid to open her eyes. She didn't want to find herself in another camp of bokoblins, or in the company of some other monster. If anything, she wanted to go home, back to her comfortable room in the Sealed Temple. She wanted to see Impa again and spend time with the kikwis. Why did everything have to change?

After a moment, she cracked open an eye, then the other. It occurred to her that she was lying down on a bed. It was not hers, unfortunately, because she didn't remember it being so large, or the blankets being so soft. She was also changed into a silk nightgown that fitted her perfectly. Was she dreaming?

The bed was covered in a canopy, and Asuriel was curious to know what the rest of the room looked like. She crawled to the foot of the bed, which was a good eight feet (Ghirahim is about six feet tall in his humanoid form, so he barely fits on a king sized bed) and peered through the curtains. Even though the room was dark, she could tell that it was very grand. It was furnished lavishly with elegant couches, a writing desk, a few low tables, and other things. The carpet covering the floor looked more like a giant, intricately woven rug, as diamond patterns crisscrossed its expanse.

Cautiously, Asuriel set a foot down on the ground, before fully standing up, testing how her injured foot held weight. To her surprise, it felt much better, and the bandages around it provided enough support so walking was almost painless. Did she mention how huge the room was? She felt tiny in comparison and almost anxious at the prospect of exploring the place. Looking for a place to begin, the girl spotted a beautiful crimson chaise and walked towards it. The material was unlike anything she had ever felt, much like the rest of the room. Everything was so refined.

Asuriel would have thought everything was so very expensive, but she had no concept of money.

There was a large door in the front of the room, but when Asuriel tried the handle, she found it locked. A strange arrangment of panels caught her eye. From the outside, it looked like a tall box in the shape of an octagon in the corner of the room. As she looked around the perimeter, she found that one of the panels slid to the side, revealing a room of nothing but mirrors. Asuriel stepped inside and found that she could see herself from all angles just by looking forward. That must be quite convenient for anyone who wants to know what they look like.

Next, Asuriel looked at the writing desk, the surface of which was currently vacant. Beside it was a shelf filled with enormous books. Asuriel carefully pulled one down and examined it. She could immediately tell that these books were very old, centries, possibly eons old, and all perfectly preserved. She set the book down on the desk and flipped through the pages. She couldn't read much of it because it was in a language that hadn't been spoken since Hylia still resided over the surface. Impa had taught her some of the words of this language called 'Old Hylian' but Asuriel's vocabulary only gave her pieces to the story.

Asuriel closed the book and set it back in the place she found it. Among the old books, she saw some that looked newer. Selecting one, she set it down at the desk and opened it. This time, the language was one that she could fluently read. Still not the same as the one she spoke and just as old as the one in the other books, but it was something with which she was more familiar. The actual language was exclusive to deities and those closest to them, very few were familiar with it, but Impa made sure Asuriel could speak it just as fluently as Hylian.

Seeing that she could read it, she sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

This book seemed to be more like a journal, it was handwritten and the pages were a bit more worn, as if it had been gone through many times. The subject was one of magic, or it seemed someone's record of magical abilities. The content was very interesting to Asuriel, who could only do a fraction of those subjects. Creating barriers, blocking attacks, advanced telekinesis, all were divided into their own sections by a page that described the next section's contents. The girl skimmed through the pages, but noticed how detailed the instructions were. If she studied them, she may be able to do some of what was listed.

One particular page before a section caught her eye: Offensive spells.

Pages upon pages of knowledge about how to fight using magic lay just at the turn of a page, but it was not any kind of magic. Not using the power of Hylia, but of Demise. If Impa was there, the book would have been whisked away immediately, but she wasn't there. Asuriel knew she shouldn't continue on, Impa said she shouldn't be learning spells like that, everything that originated from the Demon King was downright dangerous. Still, her curiosity nagged at her and she turned the page.

Suddenly, a gloved hand reached from behind her and closed the book, remaining pressed against the cover to keep it from being reopened.

"I think that's enough."

Well, another cliffhanger. What a surprise. Anyways, there is a reason for this author's note, so I shall cut to the chase. Since I have been able to keep up fairly well with this story, I am considering starting another one. I will be very careful so I do not overwhelm myself, but I enjoy writing very much and there can never be enough fanfiction, especially when it is about Ghirahim.

The reason I am bringing this up is because I would like my readers to help me figure out what kind of story I will be doing. I will be inserting an outside character being brought I to Skyward Sword and I would like to do romance. Considering that, here are some questions.

1. Original character or reader insert?

2. Who is the lucky character to be matched.

3. What trope should I do? Forbidden love, enemies to lovers, ect. Yandere is always an option.

4. Where do they start in the story. For example, Asuriel is introduced when she is living with Impa in the Sealed Temple.

I would really appreciate ideas, or if I should just wait.

Thank you for all of your support and I will see you with the update next week.