Extremely Quick Translations:
Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante: Circus of the Black Diamonds
Robyn: "Circus of the Black Diamonds. No....Circus of Black. Circus of the
black and cold. Green one! Depart already! I understand Circus of the Black
Diamonds! What will they do? What are they? Ah, I understand. Depart
already. Quickly!"
Link: "I don't understand the Circus of the Black Diamonds. I don't know
the Circus of the Black Diamonds."
Chapter One: A Nightmare Come True
The red road. The white sky. The still, pale grass. The tall, red brick wall. There was something wrong. The pad of boots sounded, though it was outside; the sky and distances and beyond echoed with the sound of footsteps. The road under the boots rippled angrily with each step they took. Two fists shook with anger, apprehension, and fear as they swung from side to side. Sweat dripped from the roots of golden hair, to the red road, rippling with anger at their contact. Blood slid from the corner of a thin mouth, to fall from the chin to the red road, which accepted their connection. Two eyes peered straight ahead. Link's eyes. Link. A piercing scream. A booming laugh. It wouldn't end. Link looked up at the brick wall. A black demon shadow, standing above the tall brick barrier twice as high, held a writhing little girl in his dark hand. A little girl, who looked to be no more than four or five and with dark brown hair, screamed horribly at the top of her lungs. She was held by her neck, high above the bricks and the demon itself. The demon laughed and looked from the little girl to Link. "Kill, think, don't want me to, her, Link. What, show me, power, your own, what power on so small of you like someone." The demon laughed endlessly. The little girl screamed. Link, although not understanding any of this talk, had a concept ringing throughout his mind, and acted upon it. He pulled out his sword wordlessly. The demon stopped laughing and stared, wordlessly, as well. The little girl had stopped screaming and squirming. She simply hung in the black hand, staring at Link. And then she simply pushed the monster's fingers aside, and floated down to where he stood. "Tshiko no da Diamante," she said. Link was surprised. The little girl knew another language. "Iie...Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante," she continued slowly, cruelly. "Tshiko, kuro de samui." She laughed loudly. "Ichi Midori! Shuppatsu shimasu mo! Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante yoku wakarimasu! Doshite, do suru? Nan desu ka?! A, wakarimashita. Kudasai, ikimasu. Shuppatsu shimasu! Hayaku!!!" In his confusion, Link could hardly find his voice. But finding it just made things even more difficult. "Wakarimasu iie Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante," he responded. "Shirimasen Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante," The little girl started laughing again. Then what she said next sent shivers up his spine. "You will now." And then Link remembered what Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante was. And then Zelda appeared. The surrounding grey world turned to white smoke when she appeared. Link gasped. A tear coursed down her cheek. "How could you betray me, Link?" She asked. "How could you let me down seven years ago?" "How could you do that, Link?" asked the little girl. After she asked him the question, she collapsed onto the ground. She stared at him, and then died, her eyes going blank, her mouth falling lifelessly open, her body still. Zelda still stared at him, her eyes unblinking, shining with tears. She gestured to the small body within the hand, not looking at where it had fallen. "That young girl was named Robyn. She was about six years of age, and lived in Kakariko Village. She was loved by her parents and her sisters, her relatives and friends and neighbors," She paused. "And you killed her, Link. Yes, you. That was your doing, Link. You killed her, another Hylian, just like you killed so many people, so many Hylians. But does that matter to you? I am afraid that, for once, I cannot tell if it does. I don't know if you care any more, Link, and the pain of that very thought grieves me. "You are the legendary Hero of Time, or at least you were. But that day, seven years ago, you disappeared behind the folds of a dark cloth tower. You were forgotten there by most. But I never forgot you. I never lost hope that you would return. But still you remained there, becoming one of...one of them," Zelda emphasized the word. "Now you kill your fellow Hylians just to protect them, to feed them, to allow them to grow and gain power. You kill the people of Hyrule to let the Tskikans thrive, when you once protected the land you were born in, the land you once loved, the land of Hyrule! Not the people of evil, the people of the black mystiques, those damn circus monsters!" She almost screamed at him. But then her voice was quiet, woeful. "And then...you forgot me." "Zelda!" Link wailed. He didn't know if he could bear any more of these truths. "Zelda, I didn't- I couldn't- if I had- please, let me explain!" But Zelda looked at him miserably, and then looked away. "I can't be with you anymore, Link." she responded quietly. She started to back away from him. "Zelda, no! Please! Wait!" Link grabbed for Zelda, but got only an unreliable grip. Zelda started to walk backward, at a fast pace, but her eyes never wavered away from his own. Link tried to keep up with her, his grip slipping and sliding. "Zelda, please!" And then Link finally lost his grip. He collapsed to the ground, the murky, liquid ground, and lay there. His eyes grew dark, and he felt thick tears run down his cheeks. Zelda had stopped walking. She looked upon Link with a feeling of sadness flickering upon her face. Link pushed himself half off of the ground and looked up at her. "Give me a second chance, Zelda..." "Link," she said quietly, "I did give you a second chance. But I know that in your heart you feel a need to join them again." "I won't though," Link said, quietly, smiling. "I won't join." "Link, why must you lie to me? You lied to me when you said you wouldn't join, seven years ago. And I know you will again. You won't be able to help yourself. Too much of your heart has blackened with Tshikan evil; the flames rise too high, roar too loudly, burn too hot." She knelt by him, and picked up his hand. Carefully, she took his finger and rubbed it slowly across his cheek. Then she showed it to him. He gasped. The finger was covered in a liquid red. "Blood tears, Link. Bloodshed. This is from your own poisoned heart, Link. Unless you free your heart of Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante, you will bleed to death. Blood represents evil, pain is torturous, but passions of evil kill." And then she was gone. Link stood up and looked around, but there was no one. At least, no one alive. Except him. For now, at least. More blood poured from Link's eyes. He wiped at them with his fingers, and his fingers were drenched. His heart started to pump faster, his pulse quickened. More blood leaked from his worried eyes, gushed through his pupils in a never ending torrent. He wiped them with his arms. His shirt and gauntlets were soaked. He started to scrape at his eyes and cheeks and face obsessively as though he were being attacked by fire ants, crawling all over his face. But in spite of his frantic worry, his poisoned heart pumped faster and faster and faster, and blood was now flooded from his eyes. It flowed off of his face, all over his body, so he was soaked from head to toe in his own blood. He screamed, and felt faint. Someone giggled. Link looked up. Robyn was more than alive now, standing and watching him with amusement upon her face. "Goddesses, but you're stupid," she said happily, watching him suffer in his own blood and horror. Link choked. Blood was flowing down his throat and into his lungs. "Robyn..." he managed to mumble before collapsing back to the ground backward. Instead of seeming worried, Robyn seemed just the opposite. She trotted over, sat on his chest, and stared happily into his face. Link looked at her wearily. "Robyn...please...go get your mother...someone....anyone...." But Robyn only giggled. She blew on her fingers, one by one, and then stroked his hair. "Robyn, please....go get.....someone.....help....me..." Link begged the little girl, but then was silenced. He breathed uneasily for a second, and then closed his eyes. Blood swirled with the pearly liquid of the ground underneath him. His breathing stopped. Robyn laughed. The sound of her giggles was what echoed throughout Link's mind when he woke again. But he was engulfed in lush grass, which was almost a perfect blanket, laying under an oak tree with particularly big branches and leaves, a perfect, thick barrier from anything in the sky. The sky was dark, and a steady rain was falling. Link quickly rubbed at his cheeks, but they were dry. He looked down on himself, but the only tears represented were the few raindrops that had made their way past the leaves of the tree. He sighed, and then sat up against the tree, listening the rain fall. The dark green grass and the smell of rainwater was refreshing. And then he remembered his fairy partner. "Hey Yo- wake up, c'mon." He asked, unfolding a patch of grass to reveal an fairy, with an orange glow and white-yellow-tipped wings. The fairy was named Yobi (Japanese for Day) after his colors and, ironically, his love of the night. He gave a squeaky fairy yawn and stretched his wings. "S'time 'lready?" He asked sleepily. "Yeah, nap time's over. C'mon, we're gonna go see Princess Zelda!" "Cool." The fairy wearily started his wings and lifted himself from the ground. "Alright, are you ready?" "Yep." "Okay, lets go."
It took a couple hours of walking through dense rain to reach Hyrule Castle, in which he was soaked to the bone. Yobi straggled behind Link. "Link, this water's keeping me down! I can't keep up! They're like...like...like crystal arrows!" "But it's just rain!" "This rain is too heavy!" So Link tucked Yobi under his shield, where although it wouldn't by any means be dry, at least it protected the fairy from the "crystal arrows" that he couldn't stand. Yobi muttered from under the worked metal that they should have stayed under that tree, where it was dry and comfortable. Link stood at the gate to Hyrule Town Market. Mopping his wet hair above his face, he peered in at what was usually a maze of bustling, busy streets. But as the dark grey clouds drifted slowly with their weight, and as black, shining droplets plummeted to the ground, there was not a soul to be seen within any part of the street. No shopkeepers. No children. No passers by. Even the dogs were gone, to go and hide under empty stands and stalls to hide from the softly whispering, softly cursing rain. But there was usually someone out in the streets at all times, even in rain and snow! At least one person...but not one. How odd. "I don't like this, Link," Yobi whispered from under Link's shield. "I don't either, Yobi. Something's not right." Link nevertheless walked into the town, towards the square. After about then minutes, he was there, taking in the pictures. Dark, cold, empty. It was silent. Except for the whispers of the rain. The whispers of the rain. Whisper...whisper.....whisper........ Funny how the rain.....the rain pulsed, almost. As if it were...... .....Alive? "Ah!" Something grabbed Link! He whipped out the Master Sword and swung it at whatever was on him- but the sword just swung right through, as though there was nothing. Link held up the blade to see that there was no blood or entrails- it sparkled as the sword looked when it was clean. But there was something there- he knew that something was still there! He looked down to see what held him in it's grip- but there was nothing! Nothing at all- not even an invisible or clear-skinned creature! But he was trapped- he couldn't move, couldn't escape. But as quickly as that hit him, so did the creature release him. He fell to the muddy ground. Pulling himself to his feet, twisting strands of hair from his face, he turned to look at his wretched opponent. But there was nothing there- no ghomas, no wallwalkers, no redeads, no nothing. Link fumbled to bring out his eye of truth, but there was still nothing that the lens could show. There was nothing- nothing hiding, nothing lurking, nothing growling. Just the darkened houses, the wet stones of the road, the empty stalls, the sky above. Yet Link could feel something there. He had felt a sensation like this before, it seemed so familiar, but- when? The thing- whatever it was- was there, he knew. It was evil and had an evil feel radiating from it. Yet a small speck of the light's power was there, within it, though deeply covered and almost hidden. Yet Link felt it- a sensation of light, Hylian light. He knew that it was there, deeply hidden in this evil, and it was farther inside this- this nothing that was there. The sensation reached forward and swirled around Link, enveloping him in trust. He felt lightheaded, but he did not move to stop the evil. His eyes closed. Someone called his name, but he did not answer. He dropped the Master Sword. It clattered to the grey stones, still mighty in itself but abandoned. Link fell. The thing caught him, resting him on its billowing dark skirts. Black surrounded him. It murmured in his ears. Strange languages of those who had been misplaced in a forbidden world...... And then someone spoke to him, someone who was so familiar, yet so new. "You'll find me again, won't you?" "I'll get you..." "We still need you, hero." "We'll swallow you again, you can't run." "You can't run this time, you traitor." "But you'll come back, right? We're friends." "You promised you would." "Right?" Link tried to open his eyes, but it was a near impossible task. He let them sink back down over his eyes and dropped his head once more. The black surrounded him again. The something washed over him. He could feel it leaving him, soaring, whispering- he knew it was of a Hylian tongue, but he couldn't decipher just what it was saying. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, followed by a liquid. Something cold was behind him. The crystal arrows fell through his head and crashed into his mind. The ground grew softer. He was falling, sinking. He couldn't move, had no control. Was this dying? No, it couldn't be. The whisperings of the thing became more audible, more under- standable. There was now a warmth- somewhere, in this dark labyrinth of black. It was all still now. The crystal arrows fled from him- or what was there, at least. He felt his mind come from hiding within him. He started to clear his head. And then he could see light. He opened his eyes. It was easy to do. But what he saw was blurry, agitated. Something moved. He pushed himself up from the ground's bricks and looked around. All was like it was when he arrived: cold, desolate, blank. His mind began to race. The town was smaller- Light- Three figures- What- Where?- The creature!- But- What happened now? Where was it? Where was- But suddenly his train of thought crashed from the track. He was attacked with a splitting migraine that spread like a hatchet lodged into his skull. He grabbed his head and gritted his teeth. "Don't do that. Lie back down, I mean. You're gonna hurt yourself if you do that." Yobi zoomed forward and pushed gently on Link's forehead, forcing his head back onto the ground. "What just happened? You were just walking, and then you suddenly pulled out your sword and started fighting an imaginary creature or something. Then you just- collapsed." Link wasn't paying attention. He just kept holding his head, moaning. "Oh no....oh no... no..." Cringing, a new wave of pain came over him, though his headache was gone. "It'll go away," Yobi predicted. "Just try not to think about it." "No....this won't go away," Link contradicted. "This will never go away. And it won't let me stop thinking about it. It wants me back. It had me- and now it wants me back." "What? What wants you back?" Yobi inquired, alarmed. Link got up and started to walk out of the empty, cold market, shaking his head no. "Aw, come on," Yobi pressed. "Tell me. What happened to you?" Link looked at the fairy. "It's not so much as what happened to me," he said, "as what I let happen so much." "Please tell me?" "No," "Pleeeease? Please please please pleeeeeeeease?" Link looked around to see if someone or something was listening, but the place was deserted. He sighed. "Alright....but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone else. Anyone."
"Who is there to tell?" " PROMISE!" "Alright alright! Geez." Link stopped. A cold wind blew at his back. He shuddered, knowing that someone could still hear him. He crossed his arms and gripped his elbows tightly. He paused, then took a breath, and started to speak.
"It all started after I came back from Termina, when I was about thirteen. Zelda and I were just running in the field, Hyrule Field....."
Chapter Two: The Show Commences
"C'mon Zelda! Hurry up!" "Hold your horses, Link. I'm coming!" Link ran up a hill in Hyrule Field, panting slightly from running but smiling nonetheless. He looked down to see Zelda sprinting up to join him. As Zelda's nanny, Impa, had to take her role as the Sage of Shadows, the castle had been extra wary of its princess and her safety, and it was amazing that she was actually out at all. "It's about time! I got bored!" "It's not proper to run," Zelda mocked the rules of the royal court. "As Her Royal Highness, the Princess, I must uphold every law." "Today you're not the princess! Today you're my guest!" "Only because you made me run away from the castle for a day! Wearing this, I might add." Zelda looked down at the plain dress that she had worn when she stole from the castle. "Only because you suggested it! And you chose to wear that on your own." Link grabbed Zelda's hand. "We gotta go! Otherwise we're going to miss it!" "Where are we going? Miss what???" "You'll see." Link and Zelda continued to climb the great hill. Finally, puffing with their effort, they reached the peak and looked downward. "See, that's what we're going to!" Link said, indicating the last preparations of a great show below. A circus, to be exact. "Oh COOL!" Zelda exclaimed, and Link laughed at her excitement. And what a circus! People scurried everywhere, most of them as spectators trying to buy good seats, but a lot of them were in costumes. The costumes themselves were something else. They sparkled and shone, and everyone had antennae and little red fuzzies at the tips of their ears. Each costume was individual, and each one fit the character so well, it was almost like their skin. Creatures of all types ran from tent to tent trying to prepare themselves for the event. A crown of onlookers watched as a girl with antennae and purple hair juggled while she sang. A smaller version of herself danced around her in circles, singing and clapping to keep the beat of the song. Suddenly, a gong rang out. It was time to start the show. Both children raced down the hill toward the crowds and the colorful tents. Laughing happily, they bought their tickets and, like water poured into a vase, the spectators filed into the tent.
Link took his seat in the dark row. Waiting patiently, Link suddenly heard a whimper. He looked over to see his friend holding her hand to her forehead, a pained look on her face. "Zelda, what's wrong?" "I have a terrible headache," Zelda mumbled. "I....I don't know why." "Really?" Link was concerned. "Do you want to leave?" "Link-" Zelda saw Link's look of worry spread across his face like wildfire. "No way. Honestly, I'm fine. It-It's even going away as we speak!" Zelda drew her hand away from her head. Her hand looked reluctant. She looked back at Link, and to her dismay, saw that his look of concern hadn't changed. "You really want to stay-" "Yes," Zelda said firmly. Then, a little bit softer, "Yes, I'm sure." "Alright, but remember, if you feel any pai-" "Yes, Link." Link drew his face away from Zelda's and faced the stage, but he couldn't help glancing at her once or twice to see if she was telling the truth or not. Zelda, knowing that Link was secretly watching her, tried hard to imitate a look of deep enthusiasm, excitement, and anticipation. Suddenly, the millions of candles scattered around the tent dimmed to a low ball of light, and somewhere a lonely violin played a nostalgic tune. A blue light shone, lonely, down upon the stage. A violin was seen to float onto the stage, in midair, and seemed to dance as it played. Slowly, as though deep blue ribbons were sweeping through the air and wrapping around the air around the violin, a figure appeared, entirely in blue and with antennae (but not a zora), was seen to have been playing the flying violin. It did a lonely, graceful dance around the stage, and then went to the side and sat down, still playing the mysterious melody. Suddenly, a little girl walked onto the stage. She had white locks tied into long braids that swept behind her like a levitating train, and what seemed like a very sheer nightdress with a white body leotard underneath. She had antennae, and eyes so clear you could swear that she saw right through you, and a voice that was so lovely, so graceful and flowing and deep, so rich and creamy, so sweet and strong, it seemed almost comical that she had a voice like that, and one would think that someone was singing her tune backstage, while she mouthed the beautiful lyrics. She went to the side and sat down next to the violin player, and continued on with her tune. All the lights flicked on above the stage, all of them a deep blue tint. A band of figures, just like the violin player, walked onto the stage. They carried what looked like a silk purple bundle. They laid the bundle onto the ground, and then ran backstage, save one. The figure slowly reached forward, grabbed the edge of the silk from behind, and then.........pulled it away with a flash and ran! All of the lights flashed aquamarine now as what was under the silk was revealed. It was a person, a girl with antennae and orange-blonde hair that had three spikes of hair protruding from the sides backward, as though glued to her head and the sticking out in back where there was no head to be glued to. The rest of the hair was long and fell against the back or the floor or wherever gravity intended it to. She wore a purple leotard with sparkles that shone in the white-green light, and green eyes that seemed to luminate, almost radiated shine. Slowly she uncrumpled herself and looked around. Then she pulled herself up, balanced herself on her arms, and circled her legs vertically to the ceiling. She fell out of that position after a few seconds, pulled herself to her feet and started to do a dance around the stage. As she did so, the different members of the circus took turns doing an introduction dance on stage. The clown girls from outfront did a few flips over each other. A child in a long robe and large ears did rolls and a flip. A girl with a sparkling green and darker green leotard and diamonds in her hard did a short ballet number, with lots of leaps and twirls. Monkeys and Deku scrubs did a quick, very advanced game of leapfrog while an unnaturally tall Deku girl twirled around them. Link noticed that most of them had antennae and at least one diamond somewhere on their persons. In fact, they all did. Well, hence the name, Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante. After all of the members of the extraordinarily large circus made their introduction, the figures in blue came back with articles of clothing. Slowly, dancing to the spinning song, they slowly clothed the girl with green eyes; a pair of white pants, a very large red coat, boots and a hat, a large bowtie, and a gold topped, tied with a purple ribbon cane. Suddenly, the figures dropped to the floor and sat, as though paralized. The violin stopped in its track, and the young singer's voice came to a dead halt. The green eyed girl walked to the center of the stage and looked up at the audience. All was silent. Then she raised her arms and smiled the biggest, grandest smile of all of the circus artists. "Hello to you all, big and small, young and old, ladies and gentlemen! I am Enne, your ringmastress, and all of us performing under this tent today wish to welcome you to this year's edition of Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante!!!" The cheer that came from the great many stands could have been heard for miles.
Chapter One: A Nightmare Come True
The red road. The white sky. The still, pale grass. The tall, red brick wall. There was something wrong. The pad of boots sounded, though it was outside; the sky and distances and beyond echoed with the sound of footsteps. The road under the boots rippled angrily with each step they took. Two fists shook with anger, apprehension, and fear as they swung from side to side. Sweat dripped from the roots of golden hair, to the red road, rippling with anger at their contact. Blood slid from the corner of a thin mouth, to fall from the chin to the red road, which accepted their connection. Two eyes peered straight ahead. Link's eyes. Link. A piercing scream. A booming laugh. It wouldn't end. Link looked up at the brick wall. A black demon shadow, standing above the tall brick barrier twice as high, held a writhing little girl in his dark hand. A little girl, who looked to be no more than four or five and with dark brown hair, screamed horribly at the top of her lungs. She was held by her neck, high above the bricks and the demon itself. The demon laughed and looked from the little girl to Link. "Kill, think, don't want me to, her, Link. What, show me, power, your own, what power on so small of you like someone." The demon laughed endlessly. The little girl screamed. Link, although not understanding any of this talk, had a concept ringing throughout his mind, and acted upon it. He pulled out his sword wordlessly. The demon stopped laughing and stared, wordlessly, as well. The little girl had stopped screaming and squirming. She simply hung in the black hand, staring at Link. And then she simply pushed the monster's fingers aside, and floated down to where he stood. "Tshiko no da Diamante," she said. Link was surprised. The little girl knew another language. "Iie...Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante," she continued slowly, cruelly. "Tshiko, kuro de samui." She laughed loudly. "Ichi Midori! Shuppatsu shimasu mo! Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante yoku wakarimasu! Doshite, do suru? Nan desu ka?! A, wakarimashita. Kudasai, ikimasu. Shuppatsu shimasu! Hayaku!!!" In his confusion, Link could hardly find his voice. But finding it just made things even more difficult. "Wakarimasu iie Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante," he responded. "Shirimasen Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante," The little girl started laughing again. Then what she said next sent shivers up his spine. "You will now." And then Link remembered what Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante was. And then Zelda appeared. The surrounding grey world turned to white smoke when she appeared. Link gasped. A tear coursed down her cheek. "How could you betray me, Link?" She asked. "How could you let me down seven years ago?" "How could you do that, Link?" asked the little girl. After she asked him the question, she collapsed onto the ground. She stared at him, and then died, her eyes going blank, her mouth falling lifelessly open, her body still. Zelda still stared at him, her eyes unblinking, shining with tears. She gestured to the small body within the hand, not looking at where it had fallen. "That young girl was named Robyn. She was about six years of age, and lived in Kakariko Village. She was loved by her parents and her sisters, her relatives and friends and neighbors," She paused. "And you killed her, Link. Yes, you. That was your doing, Link. You killed her, another Hylian, just like you killed so many people, so many Hylians. But does that matter to you? I am afraid that, for once, I cannot tell if it does. I don't know if you care any more, Link, and the pain of that very thought grieves me. "You are the legendary Hero of Time, or at least you were. But that day, seven years ago, you disappeared behind the folds of a dark cloth tower. You were forgotten there by most. But I never forgot you. I never lost hope that you would return. But still you remained there, becoming one of...one of them," Zelda emphasized the word. "Now you kill your fellow Hylians just to protect them, to feed them, to allow them to grow and gain power. You kill the people of Hyrule to let the Tskikans thrive, when you once protected the land you were born in, the land you once loved, the land of Hyrule! Not the people of evil, the people of the black mystiques, those damn circus monsters!" She almost screamed at him. But then her voice was quiet, woeful. "And then...you forgot me." "Zelda!" Link wailed. He didn't know if he could bear any more of these truths. "Zelda, I didn't- I couldn't- if I had- please, let me explain!" But Zelda looked at him miserably, and then looked away. "I can't be with you anymore, Link." she responded quietly. She started to back away from him. "Zelda, no! Please! Wait!" Link grabbed for Zelda, but got only an unreliable grip. Zelda started to walk backward, at a fast pace, but her eyes never wavered away from his own. Link tried to keep up with her, his grip slipping and sliding. "Zelda, please!" And then Link finally lost his grip. He collapsed to the ground, the murky, liquid ground, and lay there. His eyes grew dark, and he felt thick tears run down his cheeks. Zelda had stopped walking. She looked upon Link with a feeling of sadness flickering upon her face. Link pushed himself half off of the ground and looked up at her. "Give me a second chance, Zelda..." "Link," she said quietly, "I did give you a second chance. But I know that in your heart you feel a need to join them again." "I won't though," Link said, quietly, smiling. "I won't join." "Link, why must you lie to me? You lied to me when you said you wouldn't join, seven years ago. And I know you will again. You won't be able to help yourself. Too much of your heart has blackened with Tshikan evil; the flames rise too high, roar too loudly, burn too hot." She knelt by him, and picked up his hand. Carefully, she took his finger and rubbed it slowly across his cheek. Then she showed it to him. He gasped. The finger was covered in a liquid red. "Blood tears, Link. Bloodshed. This is from your own poisoned heart, Link. Unless you free your heart of Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante, you will bleed to death. Blood represents evil, pain is torturous, but passions of evil kill." And then she was gone. Link stood up and looked around, but there was no one. At least, no one alive. Except him. For now, at least. More blood poured from Link's eyes. He wiped at them with his fingers, and his fingers were drenched. His heart started to pump faster, his pulse quickened. More blood leaked from his worried eyes, gushed through his pupils in a never ending torrent. He wiped them with his arms. His shirt and gauntlets were soaked. He started to scrape at his eyes and cheeks and face obsessively as though he were being attacked by fire ants, crawling all over his face. But in spite of his frantic worry, his poisoned heart pumped faster and faster and faster, and blood was now flooded from his eyes. It flowed off of his face, all over his body, so he was soaked from head to toe in his own blood. He screamed, and felt faint. Someone giggled. Link looked up. Robyn was more than alive now, standing and watching him with amusement upon her face. "Goddesses, but you're stupid," she said happily, watching him suffer in his own blood and horror. Link choked. Blood was flowing down his throat and into his lungs. "Robyn..." he managed to mumble before collapsing back to the ground backward. Instead of seeming worried, Robyn seemed just the opposite. She trotted over, sat on his chest, and stared happily into his face. Link looked at her wearily. "Robyn...please...go get your mother...someone....anyone...." But Robyn only giggled. She blew on her fingers, one by one, and then stroked his hair. "Robyn, please....go get.....someone.....help....me..." Link begged the little girl, but then was silenced. He breathed uneasily for a second, and then closed his eyes. Blood swirled with the pearly liquid of the ground underneath him. His breathing stopped. Robyn laughed. The sound of her giggles was what echoed throughout Link's mind when he woke again. But he was engulfed in lush grass, which was almost a perfect blanket, laying under an oak tree with particularly big branches and leaves, a perfect, thick barrier from anything in the sky. The sky was dark, and a steady rain was falling. Link quickly rubbed at his cheeks, but they were dry. He looked down on himself, but the only tears represented were the few raindrops that had made their way past the leaves of the tree. He sighed, and then sat up against the tree, listening the rain fall. The dark green grass and the smell of rainwater was refreshing. And then he remembered his fairy partner. "Hey Yo- wake up, c'mon." He asked, unfolding a patch of grass to reveal an fairy, with an orange glow and white-yellow-tipped wings. The fairy was named Yobi (Japanese for Day) after his colors and, ironically, his love of the night. He gave a squeaky fairy yawn and stretched his wings. "S'time 'lready?" He asked sleepily. "Yeah, nap time's over. C'mon, we're gonna go see Princess Zelda!" "Cool." The fairy wearily started his wings and lifted himself from the ground. "Alright, are you ready?" "Yep." "Okay, lets go."
It took a couple hours of walking through dense rain to reach Hyrule Castle, in which he was soaked to the bone. Yobi straggled behind Link. "Link, this water's keeping me down! I can't keep up! They're like...like...like crystal arrows!" "But it's just rain!" "This rain is too heavy!" So Link tucked Yobi under his shield, where although it wouldn't by any means be dry, at least it protected the fairy from the "crystal arrows" that he couldn't stand. Yobi muttered from under the worked metal that they should have stayed under that tree, where it was dry and comfortable. Link stood at the gate to Hyrule Town Market. Mopping his wet hair above his face, he peered in at what was usually a maze of bustling, busy streets. But as the dark grey clouds drifted slowly with their weight, and as black, shining droplets plummeted to the ground, there was not a soul to be seen within any part of the street. No shopkeepers. No children. No passers by. Even the dogs were gone, to go and hide under empty stands and stalls to hide from the softly whispering, softly cursing rain. But there was usually someone out in the streets at all times, even in rain and snow! At least one person...but not one. How odd. "I don't like this, Link," Yobi whispered from under Link's shield. "I don't either, Yobi. Something's not right." Link nevertheless walked into the town, towards the square. After about then minutes, he was there, taking in the pictures. Dark, cold, empty. It was silent. Except for the whispers of the rain. The whispers of the rain. Whisper...whisper.....whisper........ Funny how the rain.....the rain pulsed, almost. As if it were...... .....Alive? "Ah!" Something grabbed Link! He whipped out the Master Sword and swung it at whatever was on him- but the sword just swung right through, as though there was nothing. Link held up the blade to see that there was no blood or entrails- it sparkled as the sword looked when it was clean. But there was something there- he knew that something was still there! He looked down to see what held him in it's grip- but there was nothing! Nothing at all- not even an invisible or clear-skinned creature! But he was trapped- he couldn't move, couldn't escape. But as quickly as that hit him, so did the creature release him. He fell to the muddy ground. Pulling himself to his feet, twisting strands of hair from his face, he turned to look at his wretched opponent. But there was nothing there- no ghomas, no wallwalkers, no redeads, no nothing. Link fumbled to bring out his eye of truth, but there was still nothing that the lens could show. There was nothing- nothing hiding, nothing lurking, nothing growling. Just the darkened houses, the wet stones of the road, the empty stalls, the sky above. Yet Link could feel something there. He had felt a sensation like this before, it seemed so familiar, but- when? The thing- whatever it was- was there, he knew. It was evil and had an evil feel radiating from it. Yet a small speck of the light's power was there, within it, though deeply covered and almost hidden. Yet Link felt it- a sensation of light, Hylian light. He knew that it was there, deeply hidden in this evil, and it was farther inside this- this nothing that was there. The sensation reached forward and swirled around Link, enveloping him in trust. He felt lightheaded, but he did not move to stop the evil. His eyes closed. Someone called his name, but he did not answer. He dropped the Master Sword. It clattered to the grey stones, still mighty in itself but abandoned. Link fell. The thing caught him, resting him on its billowing dark skirts. Black surrounded him. It murmured in his ears. Strange languages of those who had been misplaced in a forbidden world...... And then someone spoke to him, someone who was so familiar, yet so new. "You'll find me again, won't you?" "I'll get you..." "We still need you, hero." "We'll swallow you again, you can't run." "You can't run this time, you traitor." "But you'll come back, right? We're friends." "You promised you would." "Right?" Link tried to open his eyes, but it was a near impossible task. He let them sink back down over his eyes and dropped his head once more. The black surrounded him again. The something washed over him. He could feel it leaving him, soaring, whispering- he knew it was of a Hylian tongue, but he couldn't decipher just what it was saying. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, followed by a liquid. Something cold was behind him. The crystal arrows fell through his head and crashed into his mind. The ground grew softer. He was falling, sinking. He couldn't move, had no control. Was this dying? No, it couldn't be. The whisperings of the thing became more audible, more under- standable. There was now a warmth- somewhere, in this dark labyrinth of black. It was all still now. The crystal arrows fled from him- or what was there, at least. He felt his mind come from hiding within him. He started to clear his head. And then he could see light. He opened his eyes. It was easy to do. But what he saw was blurry, agitated. Something moved. He pushed himself up from the ground's bricks and looked around. All was like it was when he arrived: cold, desolate, blank. His mind began to race. The town was smaller- Light- Three figures- What- Where?- The creature!- But- What happened now? Where was it? Where was- But suddenly his train of thought crashed from the track. He was attacked with a splitting migraine that spread like a hatchet lodged into his skull. He grabbed his head and gritted his teeth. "Don't do that. Lie back down, I mean. You're gonna hurt yourself if you do that." Yobi zoomed forward and pushed gently on Link's forehead, forcing his head back onto the ground. "What just happened? You were just walking, and then you suddenly pulled out your sword and started fighting an imaginary creature or something. Then you just- collapsed." Link wasn't paying attention. He just kept holding his head, moaning. "Oh no....oh no... no..." Cringing, a new wave of pain came over him, though his headache was gone. "It'll go away," Yobi predicted. "Just try not to think about it." "No....this won't go away," Link contradicted. "This will never go away. And it won't let me stop thinking about it. It wants me back. It had me- and now it wants me back." "What? What wants you back?" Yobi inquired, alarmed. Link got up and started to walk out of the empty, cold market, shaking his head no. "Aw, come on," Yobi pressed. "Tell me. What happened to you?" Link looked at the fairy. "It's not so much as what happened to me," he said, "as what I let happen so much." "Please tell me?" "No," "Pleeeease? Please please please pleeeeeeeease?" Link looked around to see if someone or something was listening, but the place was deserted. He sighed. "Alright....but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone else. Anyone."
"Who is there to tell?" " PROMISE!" "Alright alright! Geez." Link stopped. A cold wind blew at his back. He shuddered, knowing that someone could still hear him. He crossed his arms and gripped his elbows tightly. He paused, then took a breath, and started to speak.
"It all started after I came back from Termina, when I was about thirteen. Zelda and I were just running in the field, Hyrule Field....."
Chapter Two: The Show Commences
"C'mon Zelda! Hurry up!" "Hold your horses, Link. I'm coming!" Link ran up a hill in Hyrule Field, panting slightly from running but smiling nonetheless. He looked down to see Zelda sprinting up to join him. As Zelda's nanny, Impa, had to take her role as the Sage of Shadows, the castle had been extra wary of its princess and her safety, and it was amazing that she was actually out at all. "It's about time! I got bored!" "It's not proper to run," Zelda mocked the rules of the royal court. "As Her Royal Highness, the Princess, I must uphold every law." "Today you're not the princess! Today you're my guest!" "Only because you made me run away from the castle for a day! Wearing this, I might add." Zelda looked down at the plain dress that she had worn when she stole from the castle. "Only because you suggested it! And you chose to wear that on your own." Link grabbed Zelda's hand. "We gotta go! Otherwise we're going to miss it!" "Where are we going? Miss what???" "You'll see." Link and Zelda continued to climb the great hill. Finally, puffing with their effort, they reached the peak and looked downward. "See, that's what we're going to!" Link said, indicating the last preparations of a great show below. A circus, to be exact. "Oh COOL!" Zelda exclaimed, and Link laughed at her excitement. And what a circus! People scurried everywhere, most of them as spectators trying to buy good seats, but a lot of them were in costumes. The costumes themselves were something else. They sparkled and shone, and everyone had antennae and little red fuzzies at the tips of their ears. Each costume was individual, and each one fit the character so well, it was almost like their skin. Creatures of all types ran from tent to tent trying to prepare themselves for the event. A crown of onlookers watched as a girl with antennae and purple hair juggled while she sang. A smaller version of herself danced around her in circles, singing and clapping to keep the beat of the song. Suddenly, a gong rang out. It was time to start the show. Both children raced down the hill toward the crowds and the colorful tents. Laughing happily, they bought their tickets and, like water poured into a vase, the spectators filed into the tent.
Link took his seat in the dark row. Waiting patiently, Link suddenly heard a whimper. He looked over to see his friend holding her hand to her forehead, a pained look on her face. "Zelda, what's wrong?" "I have a terrible headache," Zelda mumbled. "I....I don't know why." "Really?" Link was concerned. "Do you want to leave?" "Link-" Zelda saw Link's look of worry spread across his face like wildfire. "No way. Honestly, I'm fine. It-It's even going away as we speak!" Zelda drew her hand away from her head. Her hand looked reluctant. She looked back at Link, and to her dismay, saw that his look of concern hadn't changed. "You really want to stay-" "Yes," Zelda said firmly. Then, a little bit softer, "Yes, I'm sure." "Alright, but remember, if you feel any pai-" "Yes, Link." Link drew his face away from Zelda's and faced the stage, but he couldn't help glancing at her once or twice to see if she was telling the truth or not. Zelda, knowing that Link was secretly watching her, tried hard to imitate a look of deep enthusiasm, excitement, and anticipation. Suddenly, the millions of candles scattered around the tent dimmed to a low ball of light, and somewhere a lonely violin played a nostalgic tune. A blue light shone, lonely, down upon the stage. A violin was seen to float onto the stage, in midair, and seemed to dance as it played. Slowly, as though deep blue ribbons were sweeping through the air and wrapping around the air around the violin, a figure appeared, entirely in blue and with antennae (but not a zora), was seen to have been playing the flying violin. It did a lonely, graceful dance around the stage, and then went to the side and sat down, still playing the mysterious melody. Suddenly, a little girl walked onto the stage. She had white locks tied into long braids that swept behind her like a levitating train, and what seemed like a very sheer nightdress with a white body leotard underneath. She had antennae, and eyes so clear you could swear that she saw right through you, and a voice that was so lovely, so graceful and flowing and deep, so rich and creamy, so sweet and strong, it seemed almost comical that she had a voice like that, and one would think that someone was singing her tune backstage, while she mouthed the beautiful lyrics. She went to the side and sat down next to the violin player, and continued on with her tune. All the lights flicked on above the stage, all of them a deep blue tint. A band of figures, just like the violin player, walked onto the stage. They carried what looked like a silk purple bundle. They laid the bundle onto the ground, and then ran backstage, save one. The figure slowly reached forward, grabbed the edge of the silk from behind, and then.........pulled it away with a flash and ran! All of the lights flashed aquamarine now as what was under the silk was revealed. It was a person, a girl with antennae and orange-blonde hair that had three spikes of hair protruding from the sides backward, as though glued to her head and the sticking out in back where there was no head to be glued to. The rest of the hair was long and fell against the back or the floor or wherever gravity intended it to. She wore a purple leotard with sparkles that shone in the white-green light, and green eyes that seemed to luminate, almost radiated shine. Slowly she uncrumpled herself and looked around. Then she pulled herself up, balanced herself on her arms, and circled her legs vertically to the ceiling. She fell out of that position after a few seconds, pulled herself to her feet and started to do a dance around the stage. As she did so, the different members of the circus took turns doing an introduction dance on stage. The clown girls from outfront did a few flips over each other. A child in a long robe and large ears did rolls and a flip. A girl with a sparkling green and darker green leotard and diamonds in her hard did a short ballet number, with lots of leaps and twirls. Monkeys and Deku scrubs did a quick, very advanced game of leapfrog while an unnaturally tall Deku girl twirled around them. Link noticed that most of them had antennae and at least one diamond somewhere on their persons. In fact, they all did. Well, hence the name, Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante. After all of the members of the extraordinarily large circus made their introduction, the figures in blue came back with articles of clothing. Slowly, dancing to the spinning song, they slowly clothed the girl with green eyes; a pair of white pants, a very large red coat, boots and a hat, a large bowtie, and a gold topped, tied with a purple ribbon cane. Suddenly, the figures dropped to the floor and sat, as though paralized. The violin stopped in its track, and the young singer's voice came to a dead halt. The green eyed girl walked to the center of the stage and looked up at the audience. All was silent. Then she raised her arms and smiled the biggest, grandest smile of all of the circus artists. "Hello to you all, big and small, young and old, ladies and gentlemen! I am Enne, your ringmastress, and all of us performing under this tent today wish to welcome you to this year's edition of Tshiko no da Kuro Diamante!!!" The cheer that came from the great many stands could have been heard for miles.