"…And then there was this really creepy talking cloak and I was like BOOSH! And it went down like a little bitch." Young Link posed heroically as he stood on top of his chair. His counterparts were listening along intently along with Zelda, giving him over the top reactions to his tale.

"My," Zelda giggled as she applauded for him. "Even as a child you're ten times stronger than my own hero." She winked at Wolf Link playfully. "This may be a change of subject, but may I ask you what your own version of Zelda is like?"

Young Link grinned and waved a hand. "Why, she's nothing compared to you!" He gazed at her with exaggerated admiration. "You're a hundred times more beautiful than her. It's good to know that in my next life she'll be so pretty. But that won't matter if I don't make a move!" He sent his grandson an obvious glare. Wolf Link sunk back in his chair, a blush beginning to form on his cheeks.

"Well, my Zelda isn't royalty at all," Sky Link explained as Zelda listened intently. "She's my best friend. I've known her for as long as I can remember."

"That's so sweet," Zelda sighed romantically. "Are you two together or…?"

Sky Link blinked stupidly. "What do you… Oh, no! We're just friends." He laughed nervously. "Really."

"But they're the only two people left on the planet," Young Link piped. "So they'll have to have a baby someday!"

"Oh, that's great!" Zelda gasped in delight. "We should pick out baby names. How about Megan? No, too plain."

"She should be named after her mother," Wolf Link pitched in, ignoring the pleading face Sky Link was making.

"Layla."

Everyone paused and slowly looked to Young Link. His expression was uncharacteristically solemn and calm.

"If it's a girl, you'll name her Layla," he said. "And if it's a boy, you'll name him Lae."

While both Wolf Link and Zelda exchanged confused glances, Sky Link overcame his surprise and smiled. "Layla and Lae it is."

Young Link returned the smile gratefully. After a few peaceful seconds, the tender moment was interrupted by Cia striding into the area where they sat.

"If I'm not interrupting anything, I need to speak with Sky," she said bluntly. "It's very urgent."

Sky Link furrowed his eyebrows, perplexed, but still stood up and followed Cia away from the group. He offered them a wave before disappearing into the shadows of the hallway altogether.

"What were you talking about?" Cia asked once out of earshot.

"What Young Link did while he was in Death Mountain," Sky Link explained, his childish grin returning. "He told the story last night too, but we decided to let him tell it again. He was just so into it."

Cia simply nodded in response. "I understand you wanted to catch up, but push that out of your mind. I have something serious to tell you." She stood before her own room and gestured to the open doorway. Sky Link gave Cia a questioning look and hesitantly walked inside. Cia shut the door behind her and locked it with an enchantment. "I know this may seem out of nowhere, but you remember Ghirahim, yes?" She smiled upon noticing Sky Link's disgusted expression. "I'm afraid we would be better off with him on our team."

"Cia, you must be confused," Sky Link said. "Ghirahim is and always will be the bad guy. I don't care what dimension he's from. I won't trust him."

"Speaking of which, he's from my dimension, not yours," Cia explained. "See, in your world, Ghirahim perished along with Demise. However, here he survived. He resides in the past, waiting patiently for your next incarnation. He said he would become loyal and join us, but at a price."

"Price? What price?" Sky Link asked nervously. Cia bit her lip and avoided his accusing gaze. "Cia, answer me. You can tell me."

The sorceress took a deep breath and hesitantly replied, "You."

Sky Link narrowed his gaze. "Me? What does he want with me?"

"By the time Ghirahim came to after the final battle, you had already passed away," Cia spelled out quietly. "And with no demon to serve, he's becoming bored. I know this is a hard decision but if we want the upper hand, we need to outnumber the Hyrulean forces. Yes, this is important, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

Sky Link crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thoughts. When he finally opened them, he asked, "I want to talk to him first to see if we can come to an agreement."

"I was thinking the same thing," Cia nodded. "I can watch you from my crystal ball, and if Ghirahim tries anything, Volga and I will come right away to help. But I would prefer you to go right away if you choose to go."

"…How long will this take?" Sky Link asked without emotion.

"Just a few minutes," Cia promised. "And Volga and I will be watching over you. But I'd rather you'd do this now."

Sky Link was silent for a while longer. "How beneficial will this be?"

"Very," Cia answered. "Please. If it doesn't work out, that's fine, but we have to try."

"Cia, when I knew him, he would betray anyone in a second to get what he wanted," Sky Link huffed in frustration. "He's not trustworthy."

"I know, but he did whatever I asked of him," Cia argued. "I know it sounds impossible, and yet it's true. I understand your hesitation, but you must think of Hyrule's fate."

Sky Link groaned as his eyes flickered up to the ceiling. "Fine. Whatever. But if I don't think he's completely trustworthy, I'm backing out of the deal. Got it?"

"Yes," Cia nodded. "I'm very sorry about this." She sighed and summoned a violet portal. "Ghirahim is right through there." He hesitated for a moment, glaring at it hatefully, before slowly making his way towards it. "And Sky…" He turned to her, quirking an eyebrow. "Please be careful."

"I've kicked his ass at least three times," Sky Link scoffed. Cia blinked, dumbfounded at hearing him use a swear word so casually. "I can handle him just fine. He just doesn't have the most likable personality."

Without another word, he strode through the portal with a downcast expression. Cia gazed at him sympathetically, closing the portal once he was through. Once she did, Volga appeared next to her in a show of flames.

"So he agreed," he said flatly.

"He was resilient about it, but I got him to give it a shot," Cia replied. 'I feel bad for him, but sacrifices must be made."

Volga turned to her, quirking an eyebrow. "What?"

"Honestly, do you really think I expect Ghirahim to give him back once this is over?" Cia scoffed. "I have two Links too many. Tossing one away won't hurt."

"Of course. By the way, have you seen the bug girl? I haven't seen her in a while."

Cia blinked stupidly. "Huh. She was so useless I never noticed she was gone. But if we don't show concern Wolf will get suspicious. Go ask him if he's seen her."

Volga nodded and swiftly made his way towards the room where Wolf and Young Link were still talking with Zelda. They all stopped their conversation and turned to his when he entered.

"Um, excuse me," he said with a hint of disgust, not approving of the politeness he had to show. "But have any of you seen Agitha? It appears she's missing."

"Bug chick's here too?" Young Link moaned, recalling the Insect Princess's name. "Great. Well, she must've left before I came back."

"I know where she is," Wolf Link announced with a collected smile. "She went out at night to catch bugs. She said some insects only come out at night and she wanted to see what species are out. I'm sure she's checking out the daytime ones now. She'll be back in a while."

"Oh, uh, that's good." Volga rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'll leave you all alone, then."

He exited the area, hurrying back to Cia. He didn't care about informing her about Agitha's whereabouts. Rather, he didn't want to miss the show.

Sky Link glared harshly at the middle of the Sealed Grounds. It was the spot where Demise was sealed with the Sealing Spike. Of course, it was now gone, but the hate never left. He spent so much time trying to stop this evil, but then he found out he had to continue doing the same thing over and over in his future lives. And it all started with one demonic being and his stupid sword.

"Oh, is that who I think it is?"

Shit.

Sky Link bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood. That damned laugh echoed across the Sealed Ground. Sadly, it was untraceable, so he was unprepared for something damp slide across the tip of his ear. He yelped in surprise and spun around, being greeted by the vision of a very long tongue attached to...him.

"Why, if it isn't the Sky Child," Ghirahim cooed in mock sweetness. "What brings you here?"

The only response he received was an angry scowl from his rival.

"Don't look at me that way," the Demon Lord huffed, dramatically putting a hand to his chest. "I recall when I first met you. Well, this world's parallel version of you, but I assume you were more or less the same. You were so innocent and adorable. Whatever happened to that?"

"Let's just make this stupid deal," Sky Link said impatiently with a stony expression. "In exchange for your 'help,' what do you want from me?"

"Ah, yes, that." Ghirahim tapped a finger to his chin in thought. "Well, I've thought about making you my slave. And I do quite like that idea. But we need to have some ground rules. Wouldn't you agree? By the way, if you don't, I'll slaughter you and your little reincarnations. Understand?"

Sky Link flinched at his conditions, but nodded.

"First off, you'll be calling me 'Master' from now on," Ghirahim continued, raising his index finger. "I don't want you referring to me so casually. Secondly, you should no longer see yourself as a human of free will, but rather of my dog. No, not even a dog. You're lower than that. You're a slave."

Sky Link was once again silent. This, he thought. Sounds a lot like that nightmare I had while under Cia's healing spell. But now its real life…

"Hey." Ghirahim snapped his fingers several times and broke Sky Link out of his thoughts. "Are you listening to me? Oh, well. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let it pass. You're new to this, after all. And you have to whatever I tell you. And I mean whatever I tell you. Even dying. If I ever tell you your time is up, you reply, 'Would like to kill me yourself for your own pleasure or have me kill myself for your own entertainment?'"

"Is that necessary, Master?" Sky Link asked, adding a hint of distain to the last word.

Ghirahim narrowed his gaze at his new slave. "Indeed it is. Your entire existence is devoted to pleasing me. In return, I shall offer your little army my power and protect you from anyone who tries to harm you. That's my job."

Sky Link sighed impatiently. "Are we done here?"

"Not yet," Ghirahim smiled. "I want you to prove your loyalty to me." He snapped his fingers once more, a dagger appearing in his hand in a flurry of diamonds. "Take off your shirt." Sky Link's mouth became a thin line as he shook his head. "What are you thinking about? I wouldn't do those sorts of things with you. Not at first, anyway. Now do as I say or I'll turn this weapon on your team."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Sky Link hesitantly undid his belt, glaring at the Demon Lord the entire time to make sure he wasn't thinking of anything suggestive. He then lifted his tunic and undershirt over his head, throwing them on the dirt. He folded his arms over his bare chest defiantly, his face beginning to burn.

"Hm. You may have a bratty personality, but at least you're nice to look at." Ghirahim grinned in satisfaction upon seeing Sky Link's repulsed expression. "Now turn around. I won't kill you. I promise."

Sky Link huffed in annoyance and slowly turned his back on the Demon Lord. He heard Ghirahim's footsteps approaching and was tempted to turn around, but he knew that if he disobeyed, his team would pay the price. He bit his tongue harder as he felt Ghirahim's hand touch his back. Sky Link had an inkling about what Ghirahim was about to do, but it didn't cross his mind until it was too late. Just as he was about to look back, the tip of the dagger plunged into the corner of his back.

Ghirahim rolled his eyes as he formed some kind of pattern, grinding his weapon across his servant's back. Sky Link screamed at the top of his lungs in agony, something the Demon Lord would normally wish for, but now it was seeming to annoy him.

"Oh, come off it," he sighed calmly. "This isn't even torture. I'll have to toughen you up, I suppose. You need to get used to this kind of pain in a war."

Sky Link attempted to reply, but found it difficult to stop his cries. He prayed that it would be over soon. His prayers must have been answered because after about two minutes of pure suffering, Ghirahim finally ripped his dagger out of Sky Link's flesh.

"There we are," the Demon Lord smiled, obviously proud of his work. "That was barely a fraction of the fun I have in store for you." His smile slowly turned into a dissatisfied frown. "I seem to have made a bit of a mess. You must feel dizzy from losing all that blood. Stay still for one more minute."

He snapped his fingers yet again, this time replacing the dagger with a towel. He pressed it to Sky Link's back, causing him to stumble forwards a bit, his head swimming from the apparent blood loss Ghirahim mentioned. The Demon Lord grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back into place, continuing to dab the wounds with the towel.

"All finished," the Demon Lord finally said, making the now-red towel disappear. "And that dagger was magic, so what I carved on you will stay your entire life."

Sky Link didn't even have the strength to question him. He held his head in his hands, beginning to fall backwards from his dizziness. Ghirahim caught him in one arm and slung his body over his shoulder. He cocked his head in confusion, not hearing a pained groan like he expected.

"Have you fainted already?" the Demon Lord asked with an entertained smile. "You won't be very fun when I torture you if you go down this quickly. Oh, well. Humans are fragile. It's a price I must pay." He picked up Sky Link's discarded clothes with his free hand and folded them over his arm. "Cia," he called. "I know you're watching us. Now open the portal."

At his words, a violet portal was summoned before him. He grinned contently, walking towards it with Sky Link in tow. He glanced at the Sky Child for a moment, thinking over the fun they would have once the time was right.

*…Hey is that a rainbow I see?

Sky Link: Yeah, it is! :) It's been a while since I've seen one.

Wolf Link: Me too. …But is it floating over someone…?

Yeah, what is that?

TP Zelda: I sense fabulousness!

Ghirahim: *stands under rainbow and does dat laugh*

Young Link: There was no point to this author's note, was there?

Ghirahim: …:(

Congratulations! You have just wasted 15 seconds of your life reading this! Here's your burnt Volga cookie.

K bye.*