The entire group sat in the main room of the temple happily. Well, everyone except Zelda, that is. She had a stiff smile plastered on her face, but she was still haunted by what she saw. Who was that little boy – "Young Link," they called him – and why did he turn into such a demon? Who was he talking to? The poor thing. He seemed a bit off his rocker, but there wasn't much Zelda could do. She didn't even know where he was. About half a day had passed since she used her magic to see him. The moon was now high in the sky, but the team stayed wide awake. That slu- err, woman, Cia, was extremely happy to see "Link" back in sound mind.

There was also a fire warrior named Volga, a very stoic man with an unreadable face. He almost always had his arms crossed and wore a frown. From what Zelda could tell, he was Cia's right-hand-man. He also had an ugly goatee, but the queen kept her mouth shut.

The only other one was the one they called Sky Link. He sat right next to Zelda on their bench at an uncomfortable distance, but his beaming face was enough to know he was the only decent person in the room. He spend at least three hours telling Link, whom he referred to as "Wolf," that he was glad Link was okay. Sky Link continued to stare at his lookalike excitedly.

"Hey," he blurted out on a whim, drawing attention from the conversation Cia was having about battle plans of some kind. "Um, can I talk to you in private, Wolf?"

Zelda blinked in surprise. "Uh, sure. Where do you wanna go?"

"Let's go in my room." Sky Link grabbed her hand, sending an apologetic smile at Cia while he did. He dragged Zelda down the halls to a modest little bedroom. It didn't have anything other than a bed, but Sky Link didn't seem to be upset with his accommodations. Zelda took a seat on the mattress as Sky Link shut the door quietly, leaning with back against it. A sheepish grin crossed his lips.

"So, what did you need?" Zelda asked. By the timid yet determined smile Sky Link was wearing, she thought she would be rewarded by a love confession, followed by some Link-on-Link action. Sadly, she was not so lucky.

"I know this might be a little bit awkward," Sky Link laughed nervously, his blush deepening. "But there's something I've been holding inside for a while…"

…Or was she?

"I'm listening," Zelda grinned, all ears now.

"You see, I just wanted to say how much you mean to me," Sky Link said with the same dumb smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're like a brother to me, you know? I don't know what it was. When I saw you in pain like that during your nightmare, I felt so worried. I just wanted to make sure you got better. It was the only thing I could think of. I don't know what came over me. I don't know…" He laughed again. "It's probably just because we're the same person."

Zelda's eyes widened. "The…same person?"

Sky Link blinked stupidly. "Yeah. I mean, I know it's hard to accept, but since you're me reborn, we have the same soul. So…" He gazed down at the floor, his smile fading. "Sorry. I probably shouldn't have said anything."

The queen didn't even think about how much like a love confession this sounded. Her demeanor was calm thanks to practice she had keeping up royal appearances, but her head was spinning inside. There was nothing mentioned before about rebirth. She met his eyes, managing to copy the adorably nervous expression he wore.

"Of course I think the same about you," she lied, trying to make this sound like a love confession for her own entertainment. "You're me, right? And even if you weren't you're still one of the best people I've ever met." She averted his gaze dramatically. "My princess is the only one who's ever seen me as a person and not some sell sword created simply for their personal use."

Sky Link offered an empathetic smile. "I can't say I relate, but just know I'll always be here for you whenever you need me. And..." His smile vanished. "I want to be there for Young Link too."

"I can't do it anymore!"

"Just put the mask back on," Hylia's Hero pleaded, a rare show of panic in his tone. "You'll die if you don't."

"I don't care!" Young Link shouted, his voice raspy from thirst. "It's driving me nuts! I've had it on for too long… I've never been in that form for so long. I don't want to!" He pulled at his bright blond hair crazily. "Leave me alone!"

"Calm down," the Hero said gently. "It'll be alright. We're very close to the temple. Just another half-hour away. And when you get there, Cia will make all the food you want and you'll get to see your grandson again."

"Bullshit! It took us longer than you thought to get to this point, even in Fierce Deity form. What makes you think we can get to that fucking temple in a 'half-hour?!'"

Hylia's Hero sighed worriedly. "If I could contact someone to come get you, I would. But I can't get too far away from your body without being pulled back. You have to get back. Just think about your grandson. He's your descendant. He won't exist if you don't have any kids. So if you die now, you'll cause a paradox and he'll be wiped out of history altogether and replaced with another hero."

Young Link's eyes widened in realization. "And I'll be responsible…" Tears began to roll down his cheeks. For the first time he could remember, he didn't try to hold back his tears. If he was embarrassed about crying over the one important person in his life he could really be considered inhuman. Then the Mask would…

He shook his head. "No. I have to go back. Being around him keeps me sane. For a while, anyway…" He untucked his hat from his belt, which he had taken off in the heat of Death Mountain, and set it firmly on his head. He gazed off into the distance, noticing a very distant building on the horizon. It was the temple, obviously, but he didn't feel very elated. In fact, he was more worried than ever.

His hand wandered to the mask still hooked on his belt. Why, he mentally asked. Aren't you bothering me?

Zelda locked the door to what was apparently Link's room. Without a key, she had to do so with magic. If someone tried to open the door, it would seem suspicious, so she prayed no one would make an attempt. She inhaled and began the incantation that would separate her mind from Link's body. The transition was smooth and quick as this was something she'd done a number of times. Before she knew it, she was standing firmly on the floor, back in her normal feminine body. Link had not been so lucky. He had fallen over and hit his head hard on the ground. The queen cringed sympathetically. She dragged his body to the bed and laid him under the covers, making it look like he had been in that position for some time.

"Link," she whispered, gingerly shaking his arm. "Link, wake up." All she got was a small groan. "Link, its noon already," she tried. No reaction. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Link, its noon already and Ilia's gonna get mad if you don't get up right now."

He bolted into a sitting position with a panicked expression. Zelda quirked an eyebrow at his sudden alertness, but this trick usually worked and she wasn't about to question its usefulness.

"Princess?" Link gasped. "What are you doing here? How did…?"

"No questions," Zelda ordered his playfully. "I just got worried about you. You didn't tell me in person you were leaving."

"Oh…" Link looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

Though a little distracted by his cuteness, the queen nodded in understanding. "I understand. It must've been urgent. But we're together again and that's all that matters."

"Yeah." Link smiled shyly. "I'm sorry. I should've told you."

"It's alright." Zelda ran a hand through his hair affectionately. "I just didn't want anything to happen to you."

Link hung his head in embarrassment, much to Zelda's delight. However, their quiet moment alone was halted by someone jiggling the doorknob.

"Wolf!" Sky Link's voice shouted desperately. "Young Link's back! There's something wrong with him."

"Wrong?" Wolf Link repeated. As he rushed towards the door, Zelda silently undid the enchantment she cast to lock it, allowing him to open it easily. Sky Link stared back at him in a clear panic. Wolf Link, upon seeing his counterpart's expression, also became noticeably worried. "Where is he?"

"He's in the central room," Sky Link answered quickly. "He…" His voice trailed off as he noticed Zelda. "Uh, who's that?"

"Does it matter right now?" Wolf Link pushed past him. "Come on, Princess."

The queen followed him at a brisk pace, a smile forming on her lips. "How many times have I told you just to call me Zelda?"

"Zelda?!" Sky Link repeated, dumbfounded. Zelda offered him a small curtsey, confused at his shock, and continued on with Wolf Link. The trio rushed to the main room of the temple where Young Link sat at a large table Cia conjured up. It was filled with food of all kinds, from turkey to rice to pudding. Young Link was stuffing his face with whatever he grabbed first, not even bothering to examine what it was. He looked up abruptly when he saw his counterparts walk in the room. He gulped down what he had in his mouth, tears beginning to fill his eyes.

Wolf Link opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by Young Link bolting towards him and tacking him to the ground with a hug. Wolf Link stared down at his ancestor incredulously as he sobbed into his chest. Wolf Link finally allowed happiness to conquer his shock and patted his grandfather's head.

Zelda put a hand to her chest, smiling at the embrace the two were now sharing. She was even able to ignore the bitchy glare Cia was shooting her. She looked to Sky Link. He was simply looking at the spectacle with an elated expression. Zelda coughed nonchalantly, briefly catching his attention, and nodded towards his counterparts. He winced, his cheeks turning red. He shook his head, deciding not to intervene. However, Young Link looked up from sobbing into his grandson's chest and saw Sky Link's hesitation.

"What are you just standing there for, you stupid bastard?" Young Link asked through his tears. "Get over here!"

He jumped to his feet and grabbed Sky Link by his collar, pulling him to the ground. Young Link wrapped his arms around him tightly lest he get away while Wolf Link did the same with a laugh. Sky Link made a joking attempt to get away, but his lookalikes just tackled him to the ground again.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Zelda asked, taking a place next to Volga. "They look a lot like brothers. It's so sweet. Even a tough guy like you must have some shred of emotions running through you."

Though his eyes weren't visible under his helmet, it was clear Volga was giving her a questioning stare. "…Who are you again?"

"Oh! How rude of me. I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule." She curtsied politely. "And that over there…" She pointed a delicate finger at Wolf Link, who was currently ruffling Sky Link's hair playfully. "Is my loyal slave."

Volga's frown deepened. "Ah." He took a few silent steps towards Cia while Zelda continued to watch her "slave" contently. "Uh, Cia? How did Zelda get here?"

"I don't know," Cia growled, her eyes full of hate. "You were supposed to keep her out. She must've teleported or something. But we have to let her stay now. If we try to get rid of her the Links will get suspicious. So be as grateful as possible. And keep her away from me!"

Volga nodded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You know, I could get rid of her quickly and quietly. We could say it was the other Zelda's fault."

Cia shook her head. "No. They'd find out. They're clever things. Lay low for a while. We'll see how things play out. By the way..." She lowered her voice more when she said her next line. "Where are Ghirahim and Zant? I haven't heard from them since their defeats at Lake Hylia and the Sealed Grounds. Just because the Gate of Souls have closed doesn't mean we have lost."

"Yes, them," Volga groaned at the sounds of their names. "Ghirahim has returned to his own dimension and so has Zant. After you sent me to speak to both of them in their own worlds, Zant said no. Ghirahim said he might at a small price."

"Price?" Cia scoffed. "Oh, fine. What did he ask for?"

Volga turned to the wrestling Links and nodded specifically at Sky Link. Cia's eyes widened as she realized what he meant.

"What? No!" she replied a bit too loudly. Noticing she caught a portion of Zelda attention, she lowered her voice once more. "Okay, okay. Let's think about this. What exactly does he want to do with Sky?"

Volga bit the inside of his cheek. "Don't make me answer that." Seeing Cia's horrified expression, he added, "Look, I don't know exactly what Ghirahim wants, but I think it would be worth it. Sky Link doesn't have the magic and skills this Demon Lord does. And if Ghirahim comes to our side, wouldn't that mean Sky can continue to fight with us?"

Cia gazed at the tiled floor in thought, weighing her options. "I know. We'll send Sky over to Ghirahim alone to make an agreement. I'll be watching from my crystal ball, so if that Demon Lord tries anything, I'll quickly cross time to save Sky."

Volga nodded. "Alright. I'll assist you if its needed."

Cia smirked in response. "Good. We'll give them today to get reacquainted. It's been a while since they've been together. But once the sun rises, Sky belongs to Ghirahim. After all, I only really need Wolf, don't I?"

*Oh, Cia, you evil! D: Poor Sky is gonna get thrown away. Just like that. I always thought Cia would be someone who just tosses away what's not needed, so this was coming. So, who's excited to see the world's most fabulous sadist?!

Ghirahim: *sexy hair flip* They all are. Who wouldn't be? *poses*

Sky Link: …Somebody kill me. D':

K bye.*