A/N: Sorry about the long awaited wait, but I have been really busy since the last time I updated. My younger brother has been sick, and we didn't really know what was wrong with him. Soccer season took up all of my time as well.

Chapter Twelve

Kaige concentrated hard on Ryo's life force, pushing at the key to get to her. He didn't care that the key loved her freedom. The key lashed out at him, not wanting him to get to Ryo. Kaige sighed, knowing that he was going to have to battle the key in Ryo's mind to win Ryo again.

Kaige's form appeared in Ryo's mind, and the key appeared in front of him, "You will not win her back!"

Kaige twirled his spear, "Just watch me! I am destined to wake her up and so I shall!" He smiled as he seemed to sense a warmness around him.

The key gasped as she saw fire armor appear on Kaige, not believing that Ryo was on the side of him rather than her. She changed her gasp to a growl as a helmet appeared on Kaige's head, "You will not beat me!"

Without him realizing it, a visor appeared over his eyes. As he stared at the key, the visor seemed to pinpoint every weakness her body had. "This is the work of Ryo's father. His one experiment that he let no one see! Ryo must have helped him on it! This is amazing!" He smirked, "I can see every weakness she has, and it even plans out moves I should do against her!"

~Use it well Kaige!~

"Ryo!" Kaige yelled, hearing Ryo's voice in his head, "Ryo, where are you?"

~Look at the key once again. Look at her heart.~ Kaige did as he was told, and saw a red dot appear there. ~This is where you must hit her. Strike her through the heart and I will have full control again.~

Kaige bowed slightly, "As you wish, lady Ryo." He ran at the key, his spear pointed in front of him. As he struck the key, he yelled, "For Ryo!"

~Thank you my friend! I am now free!~

Kaige watched as the key fell to the floor, holding at the spear in her heart. She then started to disappear. Kaige closed his eyes, relaxing his heart somewhat. He opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his cheek.

"Thank you Kaige," Kaige smiled as Ryo kissed his cheek, "I would have died if it wasn't for you."

"She was killing you?" Kaige asked, not believing what he heard.

"The key didn't like the fact that I fought back. She was slowly but surely killing me, suffocating me in the back of my mind, in total darkness." Ryo smiled, "You have done your job, and I have a feeling you still will."

Kaige took a step back from Ryo and bowed deep, "My lady. . ."

Ryo took his chin in her hand and brought his face up, "You were not alone in that battle, you had someone in your heart, who was it?"

A smile played at Kaige's lips, "Why my lady, why do you wish to know?"

"So I may thank her the next time I see her," Ryo answered.

"You know her fairly well as she knows you," Kaige smiled openly now, "It was no other but Rachel."

"But Jordan. . ." Ryo stated.

"Jordan threw her away. He didn't want her anymore. I picked her up from her downed state and helped her. She has become very dear to me as I have become very dear to her." Kaige closed his eyes, thinking of Rachel.

Ryo backed away from him and tilted her head up, closing her eyes. Kaige opened his eyes in time to watch as Ryo absorbed the key's energy. After she was done, she shown brightly. She smiled, "My guardian, I think it is about time that we went back to the real world. You need rest as I do, and we can not stay here for very long."

~*With Follis*~

Follis quietly opened the door to Ryo's room, hoping not to disturb Kaige from his concentration. What he saw made him quickly shut the door behind him. Ryo was shining unlike she ever did and Kaige was fitted in armor that was on fire yet didn't burn anything. He called Kaige's name quietly, seeing that Ryo was asleep, "Kaige, my friend!"

The armor disappeared as Kaige turned to his friend, "It is done, she is herself again. . ."

"Why is she glowing?" Follis asked.

"The key's magic. She has absorbed her. She will always be in control again, the key is dead." Kaige sighed, exhausted. He laid back in his chair, "That takes more out of you than I thought."

Follis put a hand of Kaige's shoulder, "Rest my friend, I will watch over my sister." He wiped the hair out of her face and quickly pulled his hand back as they reached her ears.

Kaige jumped at the quick action, "What is wrong?"

"Her ears!" Follis almost yelled, "They are like mine! That shouldn't be! They should still be like those of Earth. . ."

Kaige shook his head, clearly tired, "No, she is now like you. Half Hylian. She has those ears because she has finally beaten the key." He thought for a moment, "You know Follis, your father was a genius. The work that he did, the technology he made. Ryo showed me some of it in her mind. It is what helped beat the key. She really understood your father, she must have helped him a lot."

Follis sighed, "She did, I have watched her since she was little." He smiled, "Well I guess she will stay in Hyrule now. She seems to be here for good. A family and a love, all in the last place she would have suspected it."

Kaige yawned, "Follis, she will be different when she wakes up, not much, but she will be different. She has gone through a lot when she was imprisoned in her mind. She didn't yell at me when I called her my lady. She just took the compliment and continued."

"That is to be expected, I wouldn't blame her for being like that." Follis sighed, "Now get some rest, I will bring lunch and dinner to you two later."

~*With Link and Rachel*~

Link shook his head, trying to clear the headache that had started a while ago. He looked over at Rachel and saw her paler than what she usually was. He quickly went to her side, "Rachel, what is wrong?"

"Link, I feel so tired, like I haven't rested in weeks!" Rachel stated, rubbing her hands over her face.

Link nodded, rubbing his temples, "Yes, I have had a headache that I can't get rid of."

Both looked up as two cups of tea were handed to them. They smiled as they saw that Sara was the one who was giving it to them. "Thank you Sara." Rachel nodded. She looked over at Chris's still unconscious form, "How is Chris?"

"He is doing better, but he is still unconscious." Sara sighed, trying to relax, "Do you think Ryo is alright?"

Link smiled, "She is fine. I am living proof of that."

Jordan rolled his eyes, "So who cares? She always does this! She gets captured and makes everyone worry! She doesn't care about anyone but herself!"

Rachel snapped from a sitting position to a standing one. Her eyes burned with anger, "How dare you say that about my cousin! How dare you say that about Link's love! How dare you even think that she wouldn't think about us! She has saved your life more times than I can count! Not once has she let you get captured by those scientists that want us so badly!"

Jordan growled at her, "I don't care anymore! It is pointless to hope! Hope is only something that dies in the end from overuse!"

Rachel was on the verge of drawing her sword against him, "I should kill you! I shouldn't think twice about you, but because my cousin sees something in you I won't!"

Kalinoc growled at the behavior of both of them. Sara went to his side, trying to soothe him, "It is alright Kalinoc, I am sure they will stop soon. . ."

Fridge roared and thudded over to Rachel's side. Rachel looked smugly at him, "Well, what can you do against an icy blast? Huh, Lightning?"

Jordan growled, "I want you to know that Lightning could crack ice so easily!" Lightning Strike screeched from his position on Jordan's shoulder.

Tilo sat beside Link, 'This is pointless! They will never solve anything this way!'

"I will stop them, go watch over Chris with Sara." Link nodded, standing to stop Rachel and Jordan's argument. He walked over to Rachel, putting his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it tight, "Rachel, stop this, this isn't getting us anywhere!"

Rachel sighed, "Yes, you are right, it is getting us nowhere!" She quickly glared at Jordan, "We should be keeping our eyes out for anything that could harm us or help us."

Link sighed, relieved that the tenseness was wearing down just a little bit. He looked into the fire, hoping Ryo was safe and that Kaige was by her side.

~*With Ryo*~

Ryo tossed in the bed, nightmares plaguing her mind. With a quick scream, she bolted up in bed, shaking uncontrollably. Kaige fell out of his chair that he had fallen asleep on. He quickly looked at Ryo, worry filled in his eyes, "My lady, are you alright?" Ryo didn't answer but continued to shake. "My lady?"

She was talking, her voice distant, "I saw Link's dead body, my guardian's as well. Both stained in blood. When I looked down at myself I saw that I was drenched in blood as well. I looked up and then I saw my brother run to my side, yelling something I couldn't hear. Rachel cried over Kaige's body. The last thing I saw was Chris running at Roeticus, trying to avenge all of us. The I heard Follis crying don't leave me. Then everything went black. . ."

Kaige sat up and took her hand in his, "It was only a dream, my lady, it was only a dream."

Ryo started to cry, "Kaige, that is the thing, it didn't feel like it was just a dream, it felt real!"

Kaige heard a knock at the door and growled, "I told Follis that no one was supposed to disturb us!" He walked to the door and opened it up a crack. Standing there was Ivy and Follis. He let them in, "Why didn't you just come in?"

Follis motioned to Ivy, "Ivy thought it would be too rude to just 'waltz in' as she put it."

"I have respect for my lord's sister, I do not wish to be rude towards her!" Ivy protested, "Besides, she could have been asleep!"

Kaige chuckled, "Well, as you can see, she is awake and I think it would be good if you talked to her Follis." He looked back at Ryo who was still crying, "She just had a very disturbing dream."

Follis ran to Ryo's side, "Ryo, what is wrong?"

Ryo turned to Follis, and grabbed him in a hug, "Don't leave me!" She continued to cry, "I don't want to die!"

Follis stared at his sister, "What are you talking about, you aren't going to die, I will make sure of that!" He patted her back, "I would never let you die, that is a promise!"

Kaige smiled, "You are safe my lady, I will always make sure of that."

~*With Link and Rachel*~

Link smiled as he saw Rachel sleeping, "I am glad she is finally asleep."

Chris yawned and sat down beside Link, "I should thank you, if it wasn't for you then I would probably be dead."

Link shook his head, "It wasn't me, it was Sara. Sara was the one that took care of you." He then chuckled, "Well, I can tell you that Ryo is back to her old self again."

Chris nodded, "That is good, maybe she will return to us now."

"I have a feeling that the next time Telan and Josh attack with Ryo, Kaige, and Follis; Ryo is going to attack them, not giving any mercy to them." Link smiled.

Jordan rolled onto his side away from them, "Who cares? I can tell you that I don't!"

Link glared at Jordan, "What has gotten into you?"

"I just want to go home. Unlike Ryo and Rachel, I have family waiting for me at home. I miss my mother." Jordan huffed, not rolling back over to look at Link.

"Well, your family wasn't killed like theirs was. You wouldn't know what it is like to be alone!" Link almost growled, "They have had no one since two years ago."

Jordan shrugged, "Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore, just as long as we finish this, then I can go home!"

~*With Kaige*~

"I don't think this is smart, Follis, Ryo is still quite weak. We may not be able to defeat them when we attack Link." Kaige shook his head, looking at Ryo who was getting out of bed.

"We have no choice. It is an order from Roeticus himself. We have to obey it." Follis sighed.

Ryo stumbled as she stood, her legs a little wobbly. She then looked at Kaige and Follis, "Alright, I am ready to go."

~*With Link*~

Rachel awoke to Link holding his head as if someone was talking to him. She started laughing as he would nod his head.

"Yes, alright. I understand, my love," Link nodded.

"Hey, Link, why are you talking to yourself?" Rachel laughed.

~He isn't, Rachel.~

"Kaige?" Rachel asked.

~In a sense, yes. I am talking to you from my mind to yours.~

"Oh, Kaige, it is so good to hear from you!" Rachel cried.

~We are coming to attack you, but we have plans on attacking Telan and Josh with your help. . . Rachel. . .~

"Yes," Rachel prompted.

~I love you.~

"I love you as well!" Rachel smiled, "I love you with all my heart!"

~We should be there in a few minutes. Make sure you are ready for us.~

Five minutes later, Josh and Telan appeared with Follis, Ryo and Kaige. Josh laughed as he looked into Rachel's determined eyes, "You will die!"

Rachel stood, very calmly, "Are you so sure?" She took a step towards them, "I may be alone, but I can fight just as well!"

Ryo nodded to Rachel, "This is one not to mess with. She is stronger than what you think!"

"But!" Telan yelled.

Ryo waved a hand at him, "Silence!" She then turned to Kaige, nodding her head, "Well, here goes nothing!"

She closed her eyes in concentration and Kaige was swallowed in his armor from Ryo's mind. He smirked, "It seems that this will be easier than I thought!"

Ryo slumped to the ground, exhausted from her concentration and use of her energy, "Follis, help him, he will not be able to do this alone!"

Follis nodded, "Yes, I understand!" He unsheathed his sword, glaring at Telan and Josh, "It is about time that I got rid of you!"

Link came to his side, his sword unsheathed as well, "You will not haunt us anymore!"

Rachel looked down at Fridge, "Well, I think it is about time that we started to get this party started!" She held her hands up in the air, "Hey, Ryo, I have mastered a new move!"

"Charge of the winter's blast!" Rachel yelled. Fridge roared and charged at the two. Rachel closed her eyes and concentrated. A blast of ice shot out of her hands and came down on Fridge. He roared again, becoming ten feet tall.

Fridge then opened his mouth, a blast of ice shooting from it. The ice slammed into Telan. Telan froze completely, and Rachel smiled deviously, "One down, one to go!" She turned to Josh, "Now what to do with you?"

Follis shook his head, "Let me take care of this one." He started to walk towards Josh, "You have harmed my sister too much! You shall pay for you insolence!"

Josh turned to Ryo, "You act like this now, but what would happen if I were to do this!" He sent a force at her, causing her to slam into the ground, digging into it. Ryo screamed in agony, her body under too much strain at once.

Kaige froze as his armor disappeared. He ran towards Ryo, "My lady! You cannot give up! Not now, not when we are so close to accomplishing our goal!"

Ryo closed her eyes, her voice soft, "Just let me be. Let me have my long deserved rest."

She didn't react as she heard Sara's voice, "Get him, Kalinoc!" Kalinoc lunged on Josh, causing him to loose control over Ryo. Sara laughed, "Good job!"

Kalinoc growled at Josh as he stood on his back, not letting him get up. Sara glared at him, "How does it feel to be on the receiving end of the force?"

Everyone turned to Ryo as they heard her chanting. She had her arms out in front of her, palms up. Kalinoc quickly jumped off of Josh and roared. Ryo closed her eyes as fire spread towards Josh, "Encircle him on eternal flames! Rest him with his brother!" Josh had no chance to run or get out of the way. The fire burned him, making him scream in agony.

When the fire cleared, there was nothing left but ash on the ground. Rachel laughed and ran over to Ryo, hugging her tightly, "Oh, Ryo, we did it! They are gone!"

Ryo smiled weakly, "Yes, they are gone, and now all that is left is Roeticus!"