Sky paced around the hallway patiently. Cia had told him not to eavesdrop, but it was getting hard to resist. After all, she was going to make Wolf loyal to them, or something of that nature, and Sky was excited to finally have more company. Maybe then that imp creature he had would come to their side too? She seemed fun to annoy, to say the least.

He was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of a door opening. Cia emerged from the cell, a now completely healed Wolf peeking out from behind her. His clothes were still ripped in several places, but something told Sky Cia left them like that on purpose…

"All finished!" she announced happily. "That wasn't so difficult, wasn't it?"

"Not really…" Wolf replied timidly.

"Aw, don't be so shy," Cia coaxed, patting him on the head. "Maybe you're just a little lightheaded from the spell. It'll wear off, darling, don't worry about it." She then turned to Sky with a graceful smile. "Will you be a dear and show him some of the things we've been working on?"

"Huh?" Sky didn't understand what she meant at first, but her subtle nod to a distant door jogged his memory. "O-Oh, that! Yeah, of course."

She placed her hand on his cheek briefly and hurried down the hall to other business. An awkward silence was shared between the two Links, each waiting for the other to say something.

"Uh, she wanted me to show you something," Sky spoke up hesitantly. He wasn't sure why this was so stressful… Did their personalities change with the spell? "It's right down the hall; follow me."

Wolf responded with a slight nod, walking with Sky to the back wall. The door blended in with all the others, making it hard to point out sometimes.

"Here it is," Sky said, placing a hand on the knob. "We're going to peek in, but just for a split second, okay? The guys in here are dangerous in a big group."

"Ah…" Wolf knit his eyebrows, though it wasn't clear if it was out of nerves or suspicion.

Sky turned the knob and opened the door no more than an inch. He bent down to look through the crack, a gasp from Wolf coming from below him. In the room, as far as the eye could see were monsters: Bokoblins, Stalfos, even a King Dodongo or two… All roamed aimlessly around the infinite space provided to them. Once he was sure Wolf registered what was inside, Sky shut the door.

"Cia summoned them all," he explained. "There's an enchantment on the door so they can't get out. She says she's saving them for a special occasion, but I don't know what it is."

"But to summon so many…" Wolf said in shock.

"Yeah, it's taken a toll on her," Sky frowned. "She's been changing a lot, you know? Dark magic and her don't mix too well, even though she'll tell you otherwise. She's not the same anymore. Actually, she was going to let me go back to my own time, but she decided she didn't want me to leave. It's the corruption of dark magic. If she doesn't stop soon, I don't know what it'll do next…"

Wolf didn't have an answer. He simply stared down at the floor with a torn expression. "I don't want to go against her, though."

"Me neither." Sky turned to him and offered his best attempt at a smile. "But it's alright. As long as we're together, everything will be fine, right?"

After another moment of silence, Wolf nodded hesitantly. "I guess. I just don't want Cia to get hurt."

"I know. Me too." Sky placed a hand on his counterpart's shoulder. "For now though, let's just try not to get separated again, okay?"

Wolf finally showed a ghost of a smile. "…Okay."

"Hey, Ghirahim?"

The Demon Lord rolled his eyes. Were all human girls like this? Annoying and punchable? "Yes, Agitha?" he replied begrudgingly.

"Was Beetle really different when you first met him?" she asked, innocent of the torture she was putting her companion through.

However, this particular question brought a nostalgic smile to Ghirahim's face. "Oh, he was very different. Everyone makes him out to be some hero, but he was really just a child. A random boy who was picked for this adventure out of all the others on his island. There was nothing special about him, nothing at all… Well, he was very fun to harass, but that's about all he had going."

Agitha tilted her head curiously. "Harass?"

"Indeed. I'd suddenly pop out from behind him and lean over his shoulder. His expressions were priceless! Of course, this was a hero from a different dimension, but I'd assume they were about the same."

He was obviously leaving out a few details not…appropriate for young girls, but she'd likely get the idea from that.

"I feel sorta bad for him," Agitha frowned. "What can you do after you save the universe? His life must seem so bland now…"

"Hmph. That's what he choice, so let him be." Ghirahim shrugged off her words without a second thought. "I've offered to let him come to my master's side several times, but he refused for a foolish child. I suppose I'm supposed to say how selfless he is, but I'd rather call it stupidity."

"No, no, he did it for more than just Zelda!" Agitha defended hotly. "He had all of Skyloft too, and the creatures on the earth, and the bugs!"

Ghirahim shook his head in disbelief. "Are you another fool who believes he did it out of his heroic nature? No, he's not a hero at all. None of the Links are. Here, let me put it into perspective." He ceased his walking and stared Agitha in the eye. "If Zelda, for whatever reason, decided to become evil and join forces with Link's enemy, do you think he would fight her or join her?"

He found a small bit of triumph in Agitha's stumped expression. These humans – or any ignorant creature, for that matter – didn't seem to notice what Link really was: a pawn. Nothing more than a toy created exclusively for serving his little Goddess. He wasn't allowed to question his destiny or bring himself to go against her… How could no one else see it? Ghirahim and Link were much more alike than anyone else realized…

After all, they were both just pawns serving a master. The only difference was that Ghirahim was smart enough to realize it.

Now that Zelda was put in a room with all the women, she was able to study them better. They all had the same features: bright red hair, tanned skin, and amber eyes. The only ways to tell them apart were their ages and body types, not that those were varied anyway.

The Gerudo – or so they called themselves – had sat Zelda on the floor of a clay home, directly in front of a throne. The women were gathered around it, staring her down with icy gazes, something that obviously made her uncomfortable.

"Don't show your fear," the blond man advised from beside her. "They'll single you out even more if you do. These women are fighters, relying on no man for protection. The only one among them is the king, but he isn't usually trained to fight. The last king's fighting abilities brought…negative consequences, so the ruler isn't allowed to learn anymore."

That's a little sad in a way, Zelda thought sympathetically. What would happen if he was left alone somehow?

"Don't worry about any of that," her companion said, reading her mind. "I can hear him coming. Show utmost respect to him, got it? If you don't the women will put your head on a pike."

Zelda couldn't help but gulp at the words. However, she didn't have time to ask for more advice. A small group of Gerudo, all clustered together, were steadily approaching the throne. They surrounded it and broke apart, allowing a figure to sit down. This person was obviously the king, something Zelda knew even when he was obscured, but his appearance made her do several double takes.

She was expecting an older adult, but instead there was a young boy no older than she was. While he was by no means frail, he wasn't very strong looking at all. Instead, the king appeared to be like a decorative doll: dressed in lavish clothing and jewels, complete with a circlet of sorts set in his red hair. His gaze was set far in the distance, as if he were focusing on nothing at all.

"My king…" A fragile old woman hobbled in front of his throne. "This young girl has snuck into our base. She claims to be a messenger on behalf of the gods."

His eyes snapped up at Zelda. He now had his sight set squarely on her, though his expression didn't change from a neutral one. "What is your name?"

Zelda was a bit taken back by the simple question. Was this some sort of trick? "Um, my name is Zelda."

"I see…" The king tilted his head a bit. "My name is Naie. Who is the man with you?"

She blinked stupidly as the Gerudo women muttered amongst themselves curiously.

"Oh, you can see me," Zelda's companion smirked. "Well, I don't really have a name you can call me. I guess you could say I'm this girl's guide in the human world. Don't mind me."

"Ah… I'm sorry for asking," Naie apologized with an empty voice. He went back to Zelda. "Did you have some sort of news to bring us?"

"Err, I actually had a question to ask," Zelda corrected him. "If you don't mind."

"The gods ask something of me?" Naie tilted his head in the opposite direction. "How odd… Even so, I don't mind. I am suspicious, however, so tread carefully."

Zelda bit her lip fearfully. She wasn't even sure why she was here in the first place, much less what she had to ask. She had assumed that the blond man would tell her, but now that they knew Naie could see him…

"I, uh," she stuttered, racking her brain for a question. "I'm searching for the Hero of Time. Do you know where he is?"

"What are you searching for?" Naie countered emotionlessly. "We do not have his body. You must ask Hyrule's officials for that. Or perhaps you search for his ghost? We lack that as well."

"Actually," Zelda's companion spoke up, causing her to let out a sigh of relief. "I heard your tribe knew him quite well. You see, the hero appears to have traveled forward in time and became lost."

"Ah, I see…" Naie nodded slightly in understanding. "Why did you not just say that first?"

The man smirked, "She's in training. Not very good at talking to humans yet."

"Understandable." Naie fell into silence for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "I did not know the Hero of Time personally. He passed before my birth. However, I know about his ability to time travel well. The hero was an ally of my tribe, the only outsider, especially a man, they've ever trusted. He came to us an unarmed child, telling tales of his adventures. Somehow my people believed him and he lived with us for quite some time. The outside world was one he despised, but he found comfort with us. Still, he eventually started leaving periodically to visit a woman. And one day, he simply didn't return. But the Gerudo women were grateful he had finally found happiness. Then, years later, word of his death arrived. Yes, you could say we are indeed close to him."

"So that's his story," the man said. Zelda had the feeling he already knew it, but was putting on an ignorant façade. Whether Naie believed it or not was another thing altogether. "But do you have any pointers?"

"Perhaps," Naie replied flatly. "I do have a fortune teller who will be able to track him. Do you have any items of his she can use?"

"Items?" Zelda repeated.

"A piece of clothing, his weapon, a lock of hair… Anything belonging to him," Naie explained.

Zelda was about to deny having anything, but the man stepped forward and pulled out several strands from his bangs. "This'll do. Just be sure to have an image of him in your head or you might get the wrong guy."

He held them out to Naie, who gave them a long thoughtful stare. "I understand… Avka, use this however you can." The same old woman as before grabbed the hair with shaky hands and limped to an unseen room. "That is all, everyone. Now, I would like to speak with this girl alone."

The women around him let out a collective gasp. "But my king, you can't!" a young warrior begged. "If she has ill intent we won't be able to-"

"I have no need to be protected," Naie assured them. "This girl is pure as a human can be. I'm no fool. Ill intent is something I am skilled at detecting."

The Gerudo exchanged wary glances before finally standing and exiting the building. Some were able to shoot Zelda some warning glares before leaving.

"So, um…" Zelda began nervously once everyone was gone. (Except the man, of course, but he seemed unable to leave her side.) "What did you want to speak with me about?"

"Oh, nothing much," Naie said. "I just wanted to ask you some things while we wait…"

*Le gasp! Another chapter so soon?! Huzzah! :D I hope you guys liked Naie. I have a soft spot for empty headed characters. :P (Hopefully no one gets the wrong idea that he's evil or anything… 0_0')

Young Link: Well, maybe if you didn't play so much Dangan Ronpa the chapters would be out sooner… =_=

Quiet, I have to protect Sonia! She'd be perfect for Hinata. I don't care if no one else ships it, I do! D':

K bye.*