-CHAPTER 2-

So this was where Menroc was from. Sora recalled what he had told her about Hyrule, but not even his recollections rivaled the true beauty of the place. She didn't see at all how this land could be threatened by evil.
"Where were we supposed to go, again?" Sora asked D, not taking her eyes away from the landscape.
"Hyrule Castle. It's just north of here. Like Nabooru said: I'm a little famous here, so we shall not receive any ill feelings from the people here."
"Don't you get a good reputation from everywhere you go?" D fell silent after she asked that, and Sora shut up, recalling what he had told her about his childhood, how he was discriminated against, and how he had to feed off of animals to survive, but let them live, unlike Alucard who fed off of humans and killed them, saying that if they lived, they could find them and they would suffer the same fate, if not worse, than their beloved mother.
"Sorry," she said quickly, nudging Orion in the northern direction. D rode up alongside her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright."
Sora leaned her head over to nuzzle D's hand, then sat back up and D took hold of the DL-4's reins again. Sora looked around at the landscape, having enough time since they were going at a slow pace. "You said this place was like a fantasy land. how so?"
"Think of any faerie-tale creature, and it's here. Faeries, witches, mermaids, and the natives are even a relative of elves. There are also demons here, however, which include more adapted and evolved vampires, ghosts, zombies, and dragons," D replied calmly.
Adapted and evolved vampires? Sora didn't like the sound of that. D also said the gods were real. Did that include the evil gods? Duh, of course it did. "How long should it take us to get to the castle?"
"Less than an hour," was the only response Sora got. She sighed heavily in exasperation at D's lack of information and leaned back in the saddle, letting Orion follow the DL-4. They could get there faster, Sora figured, if the horses would run, but she didn't know if D liked the idea.
"What kind of problem do you think might force an entire kingdom to seek outside help?" Sora asked. "Must be a pretty big demon problem."
D gave a single nod. "They could have asked others, but I doubt it. Hyrule hardly ever makes contact with outsiders unless it's to unite with other kingdoms, or if a very serious crisis occurs, but even then they don't call on that much help. It's a very private place, and hardly anyone leaves."
"You must have helped a lot to have them ask for you."
"I don't think so. but I have a very dear friend that lives here that may have had something to do with it."
Sora would have asked more on the subject, but she had learned over the years not to ask too many questions. Besides, D had seemed sadly reluctant to say that last sentence. They both stayed quiet for the rest of the trip, and sure enough, in just under an hour, they came up to a market surrounding Hyrule Castle. The place seemed barren; no one was in the streets, and the windows and doors were closed. Not even a stray cat roamed the cobblestone roads.
"Yeesh. must be pretty bad," D's left hand said aloud. Sora nodded slowly, taking Orion's reins and riding close to D. By the time they reached the castle gates, guards seemed over-posted, with two at every corner, five at each of the gates leading from the market, and at the gates that lead directly into the castle. Around the castle, a wall of guards was posted.
D dismounted and walked up to the guard at the gate leading in the castle. "We're here to speak with the Queen. The Spirit Sage Nabooru sent us."
The guard firmly grasped his spear, eyeing both D and Sora. "State your names."
"I am Morian Tepes and this is my student, Sora Tonitrus. She's quite trained, you can trust her skills."
"Sir Morian?" The guard's eyes widened in surprise, but kept his composure. "Although the guard has high respect for you under the Queen's orders, I have not received word of your permission into the castle. I'm afraid I'll have to turn you away, but I will tell Her Majesty that you-"
"That won't be necessary."
All three of them turned to see the green-clad man ride up to the gates, a dark-haired woman on her own steed following behind him. The man dismounted as he came up, saluting the head guard. "Vanessa and I were just heading back from the Spirit Temple with Nabooru's word. These two are allowed into the castle to speak with Zelda."
"Yes, Sir Link," the guard said, and bowed his head to D and Sora, "Forgive my earlier actions. It's just. with the current situation and all."
"Eh, don't worry. Just open the gates," Vanessa told him, and he did so without second thought. Link led his horse in front of D and Sora. "Morian, good to see you again."
"Hello, Link. Vanessa," D said, nodding his head to the two. Vanessa just scoffed and kicked her horse's flanks, riding off towards the castle. Sora just stared blankly in the direction she went off in, and then looked towards D. "What's with her?"
"Long story. You should see Zelda now." Link mounted his horse, and rode off after Vanessa. D looked towards Sora, and nudged his head in their direction. "Let's go."
Sora nodded, following D as he rode the DL-4 to the castle, and tied up Orion while D simply put his horse on dormant mode.
"It's amazing you've learned technology," Sora said dryly. D just glanced at her, and brushed against her arm gently with his hand, in a beckoning notion. She nodded and followed him, staying close. Two guards opened the huge, ornately carved doors for them, and D took off his fedora hat as they came in, and another guard came to lead them to where the Queen of Hyrule was, which was the huge castle library. When Sora saw her, she certainly looked like a queen, although maybe a little young. Her blonde hair was neatly tied back in a braid with a white ribbon, and she was clad in a white dress with pink trim. Even more guards were stationed in the library, especially at the windows and exits. Link and Vanessa were already there, talking to her.
"Your Majesty," the guard that led them there interrupted. "I'm sorry, Miss, but the foreigners are here. The ones that the Sheikah Sage summoned."
Zelda turned to them, a faint smile lighting her features. She motioned a delicately gloved hand for them to come closer. "Please, come in and have a seat. I'm sorry my husband cannot be here to see you; he's had to stay at his temple ever since this incident occurred."
Both D and Sora turned down chairs as they were offered, preferring to stand. Vanessa eyed both of them and scoffed. "Morian looks like he hasn't changed much, but the new kid could loosen up on the sharp objects. They won't work against phantoms."
"Then they'll be used for self-defense," Sora retorted. "And I have spiritual as well as physical shields for unearthly battles." She didn't reveal Sekhmet as her spiritual shield, but as long as the goddess possessed her, no other kind of phantom could enter her body and take over.
"Yes, well, as far as the current situation is concerned." Zelda began, "Morian, you're familiar with our deities, yes? The goddesses?"
D nodded. "Yes, I remember. The three heavenly ones and the one goddess that resides in Hell."
Zelda smiled, looking down at the floor and folding her hands together. "Yes. Din, Nayru, and Farore, for your student, Miss."
"Tonitrus. Sora Tonitrus," Sora replied.
"Ah. Well, those three goddesses are the ones that protect Hyrule, and the ones that created it. However, the fourth goddess was once among the heavenly ones, but was banished to Hell after she tried to rule Hyrule. Her name is Lilu. I won't bother talking about her background, as it is both disturbing and lengthy, but our problem is with her.
"Nabooru, the one who led you to Hyrule, is of a race known as Gerudos. They're humans from your world that have invaded Hyrule and live to the west in the desert. The desert is where Lilu was imprisoned, and that is why no lush forests, grass, or peaceful animals live in that region. Although the Desert Colossus was not where her prison is, the Parapa Desert is, which is further to the west. All you'll find in Parapa is a single fortress where her followers live, and a huge spot of unholy ground where no magic at all is allowed.
"Just last week, a young Gerudo girl who was just an amateur in the ways of magic stumbled upon Parapa by accident. She came upon the place of Lilu's imprisonment. Now, she didn't use any magic, but somehow, she triggered something that fed Lilu and made her stronger. The goddess escaped and possessed the girl. We caught her just three days ago, but Lilu was no longer inside of her. We've discovered that she can pass on from one person to the other by just making physical contact. She is not in a solid form, only a phantom, but we have a feeling that she's heading for the Shadow Temple. It used to be a torture chamber that Dis, Din's twin brother, used to torment the Shadow Folk known as Sheikahs. There is also a hidden shrine to Lilu hidden there, where, should by any absurd chance, her spirit comes there, her body will be summoned. My Sheikahn attendant, Impa, is the sage of the Shadow Temple, and is guarding it fiercely right now. The other temples are safe havens from Lilu's reach, especially the ancient temples which include the Light Temple, the Myth Temple, and the Wind Temple. There is a catch, however, to Lilu getting into her shrine. That is, she must possess one who is very strong both physically and magically. They must also have some sort of tie to any dark creature. She cannot possess children, full-blooded demons or vampires, and, in some cases, cannot possess half-demons. We fear that the only way to rid anyone of Lilu's possession is to either kill them or call her soul out, but no one here in Hyrule has powers that strong. Morian, the parasite on your left hand. you said it devoured souls, right? Do you think it may be possible for it to consume Lilu?"
D looked down at his left hand as it answered, "I don't know. I might be able to, but I highly doubt it. There ARE soul-devouring demons for stuff like this."
"There's only one strong enough to do it though, and we haven't heard from him in 76 years," Sora murmured, referring to the incubus Markus. She turned to Zelda. "What if Lilu gets her body back? Won't she be able to be killed or re-banished back to hell then?"
"We've thought about that," Link jutted in, "but we can't be terribly sure. You see it took all three of the goddesses to banish Lilu. Their power is inside three individuals in all of Hyrule who possess one piece of their power known as the Triforce. Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom, and I of Courage, but Ganondorf, the one who held the Triforce of Power, died a year ago. The anniversary of his death is coming up soon where a new holder for the Triforce of Power will be chosen, but until then, we can't do anything else. It'll take all three of us to send her back."
"In other words, we're screwed. That's why we called you," Vanessa said with a sneer. "Also, the place where Lilu escaped? It opened. We sealed it back up with magic, but if it breaks, all hell breaks loose before Lilu gets to the Shadow Temple. Literally. And there's two major problems we really wanna keep in Hell, but if Lilu gets strong enough before reaching the temple, she can summon them."
Sora rubbed the bridge of her nose, finally accepting the chair that was offered to her. Zelda said that some half-demons were immune to Lilu, but she didn't say half-vampires. Did that put D at a risk? "Where should we go now?"
"Nabooru will come over soon to take you to the Desert Colossus. You'll rest there before going to Parapa to see the place where Lilu escaped. The girl who she first possessed is dead, and whomever she uses to get to the Shadow Temple will be devoured by her as soon as her body is complete," Zelda replied.
"Then, she'll break the seal that we put over the big hole in Parapa and let all of hell loose. Doesn't that sound fun?" Vanessa smiled as she spoke. Link just sighed heavily and shook his head slowly.
The sound of footsteps running echoed through the hall leading up to the library, and soon Nabooru came through the door. "I came as fast as I could. Just had to tell Ganiox that I was bringing Sora and Morian to the desert so the Gerudos would know not to attack Morian."
"Why would they do that?" Sora asked, blinking slowly.
"Gerudos are a race of women, and the only man they accept is their king, who right now, is Ganiox since his father died. If I didn't tell them, Morian would be locked up the moment we get there."
Sora's eyes widened at that, and she nodded. "O-kay then. When do we go?"
"As soon as you're ready. Personally, late in the day and sunset are the best times to go in my opinion, because midday is too hot and at night, the desert's too cold."
The younger Dunpeal grinned. "Hey, I grew up in a desert. I know how to survive."
Nabooru stared blankly at Sora. "You hardly look like it."
"The first twelve years of my life I did. But I still remember."
D stayed silent as they talked about moving through the desert. He hated anything and everything about heat, sunlight, and anything related to them. Dunpeals all had personal weaknesses. Like his brother was weakened by water, D was weakened by too much sunlight.
"Would you be ready to go now?" Nabooru asked them. D looked up, and reluctantly nodded. Sora nodded as well, turning to Zelda. "What should we do once we get there? I know, rest and then go to Parapa, but do we need to make any side trips?"
"You may need to speak with the Gerudo King about the subject. I recommend it, at least," the Hylian Queen said.
"Oh, and watch out for Leevers and Guays. They can be a pain," Vanessa warned.
Sora glanced back at Vanessa; somehow, she reminded Sora of herself in a way. At least the smartass attitude that she had. Recalling that D said she was a warrior that had come to Hyrule from a distant land, Sora hoped she didn't have a huge grudge towards half-vampires. Surely if D was really well known, most of the people in Hyrule should know that he was a Dunpeal. They accepted him, but what about her?
"So, what? Are you gonna open another portal or something?" Sora asked, fearing the feeling of portal travel again, but to her luck, the sage shook her head. "No. Lately, portal travel through the desert has been unsuccessful. The travel runs into sand dunes, and even a few portals have been lost in sand storms. We'll have to go on foot."
Sora could have sworn she heard a groan of protest from D, but could have been hearing things. She herself was happy; it had been ages since she'd been in a desert. She thought it more a vacation than a sea cruise with D. She knew that D couldn't handle deserts though. he couldn't stand being in direct sunlight for too long, and the heat wouldn't help either.
"Don't say I didn't warn you that it's a long trip. Gerudo Valley is a good journey away. Sunset's coming and it'll take until just after sunrise to get there, and the trek across the Haunted Wasteland is on foot, which takes another half a day, not counting if you stop to rest at the small shrine in the middle of it."
"Joy. D, think you can handle it?" Sora asked, turning to him. He just stared at her, not answering.
"He's done it before. Let's go. Lilu won't wait for us to come up with a carefully-planned strategy."
Zelda smirked. "Unless you use the simple go in, attack, then when everyone's dead ask questions."
"Yeah, that's me," Sora replied, winking at the Hylian queen, earning a good chuckle or two from everyone in the room, except D.
"Good luck," Link said encouragingly. Vanessa just waved and leaned against a wall.

=-=-=-=-=-

"Sora, you know D can't stand heat. He hates the heat. He hates the sun. He hates the desert. I don't want to end up dying slowly and painfully," the parasite whined as D grasped the reins of the DL-4. It was the only one of the horses able to take the journey through the Haunted Wasteland. Sora had to tie up Orion at the Gerudo Fortress.
"You'd be a lot better off if you didn't wear all the dark clothing," Sora muttered, tugging on one of D's gauntlets. He hadn't talked ever since they entered Gerudo Valley, but Sora seemed perkier than usual. It was hard to believe she and D were an item with their differences rivaling their similarities. The wind carrying bits of sand didn't seem to bother Sora, yet D had to tilt his head to where his hat shielded his face, holding one rein while Sora led the DL-4 with the other.
One thing bothered Sora about the Gerudo race. She hadn't seen any men at all. She only saw women. They all eyed D as he entered with her and Nabooru, and a few made catcalls.
"You okay?" Sora asked him, a look of concern on her face. D glanced at her, but said nothing.
"We're almost at the safe house. We can rest there and let Morian regain his strength," Nabooru shouted over the roaring winds. Sora nodded, and squinted through the sand, seeing the faint silhouette of the small shrine that had to have been the safe house.
"D, we're almost there- D!!!" Sora cried as D fell limp in the saddle and fell off the DL-4. She quickly ran to him, lifting him up so the sand wouldn't bury him. "Oh, God. D!!!"