Back again...I'm "supposed" to be doing my summer reading essays, but who gives a crap? I certainly don't, even if my parents hate me and all. Anywho, my main purpose right now is finishing this story for you guys...man, I'll miss it when I'm done! I really will...I've got the ending already written down (I was impatient for it). I'm saying there's aaaabooout...four chapters left? Maybe? Who knows...

Anyway, I hope you like the ending (it made me cry...but I'm not saying anything!). I don't own The Legend of Zelda, but I DO own this story! That's what counts, my friends! enjoy!

-LOZ-

Ch. 32: Secret, Hidden Power

"Ganon!" Airaen yelled as she sprinted faster, the wind roaring in her ears. The first bow-man she came upon barely had time to raise his bow before she came down upon him like one who brings death. He went down, life-blood spilling from his slashed throat.

She pressed on as more of the men around Ganon came at her.

"You...can't hold back anymore..."

Fueled with a rage and bitter hatred, she barreled into them, swinging her sword in a blur with a brilliant, new energy that surged through her body like wildfire. She was Death as she jumped and spun with lightning speed, the men barely having time to cry out before they, too, succumbed to the Death she had brought.

As the last man sank to the ground, she leapt forward and stopped, breathing hard as she tried to calm herself. Slowly, she stood and stared ahead, grinning at Ganon's rather shocked face.

"Impressive, girl-child," he said after a time, staring past her at the ten men who had fallen behind her. "Very much so...but do you really think you stand a chance against me?"

I won't hold back anything...I can't hold it back anymore.

"There's no doubt in my mind," she said with a smile. "And I have a secret."

-LOZ-

"Ahrima...is...dead," Fash said slowly, his eyes widening. "He...he can't..."

"He's gone. Poor child's fightin' the guy on her own, ya?" Ith said grimly. "Ha, she's got more potential th'n even I saw in her..."

Link came up behind them, Zelda in tow. "What the hell is she thinking? She can't...she can't fight him on her own again!"

"Ah, young master Hero, how art thee?" Fash said, quickly fighting tears. Zelda moved forward.

"Ah, ah, no, you best be not doin' that," Ith said, grabbing Zelda's arm and pulling her rather strongly back. "You best not be interferin' at all."

"But..." Zelda protested, blue eyes brimming with tears. "She...she's just...just a child..."

"Not anymore, she ain't," Ith replied with a shrug. "We've seen her fight, haven't we, Fash, ya? And there's still be stuff she han't shown yet, ya."

-LOZ-

"Now, now, girl-child, I don't like your lies. I've been watching you fight...you don't stand a chance!" Ganon laughed, crossing his arms. "I can just kill you now, nice and quick, if you really want. But, I'm gonna have to take my Triforce pieces from you, so, if you don't mind...hand them over!"

"You're just an idiot," Airaen said through gritted teeth. She clenched her fist. "You don't know anything about me at all, do you?"

"I've fought you once before, and you only won because I was blind in my assumption of you last time. There's nothing you could've learned these past two years to save you now," Ganon replied smugly.

Airaen narrowed her eyes, glancing quickly at Ahrima's dead body.

He died to save me...and I did nothing!

"I did nothing!" she yelled, letting her power escape from her in a blinding aura of light. "Ganon! I won't hold anything back! You're dead!"

She pushed forward and leapt in the air, the aura swirling around her and she made to swing her sword down. Ganon put his own sword up to block it when she disappeared suddenly.

"What...? Where....where did you go?" he whispered, glancing around.

"Here's one for Master!" she yelled, appearing in front of him and driving her fist into his gut. Ganon staggered back, clutching his stomach, then stared up helplessly as Airaen, jumping in the air, landed a solid kick to his side, sending him crashing to the ground some twenty feet away.

"Yeah-ha!" Fash yelled, jumping up and down and slapping his knee. "That'll teach the bastard! Go get him, kid!"

Link's eyes widened. "Wow...I guess...she doesn't need any...help...."

Ith clapped him on the shoulder, chuckling. "See? Didn't I tell ya? And there's a lot more where that came from, lemme say! And there she goes again! You be getting' him good, ya hear!"

Airaen looked as if she was sailing along the ground as she came upon Ganon, who was staggering to get up, and kicked him under his chin. He flipped backwards. Before he even hit the ground, she kicked him on the side again, then tore off after him at blinding speed.

Hitting the ground, he jumped up, ready to block her attack. She pushed through his arms and punched his stomach a few times before she threw her arms back, gathering energy. "Bastard!" she yelled, then pushed the spell forward. It hit him head on and pushed him flying back.

As he flew through the air, she pointed her right hand at him and yelled, "Finesa Miyo!"

The spell hit him and exploded.

Breathing hard, sweat trickling down her face, she lowered her hand, her eyes narrowed, glimmering fiercely. As the smoke cleared, she murmured, "Come on...you're still there...I can feel it..."

"Stupid...girl-child!" Ganon roared as he appeared next to her, driving his knee to her gut. She winced and bit her lip. He grabbed her by the hair and forced her up. "I'll kill you for that!"

He raised his sword up to strike her down, when she grabbed his wrist and flipped back, kicking him along the jaw. Unsheathing her sword again, she swung down. He parried it, and steel met with steel in a loud clang. Snarling, he swung his sword, and she answered with another parry. Their movements were swift, but Airaen seemed to dance upon the ground as she swung her sword.

Attack, parry...attack...parry...attack, parry, attack, parry...

"Goddess," Zelda murmured as she watched them. "It's...unbelievable..."

Airaen twirled on her feet, then crouched low and lunged her sword forwards, her eyes narrowed. Ganon leapt to the side, his eyes wide with shock. He jumped back, breathing hard, watching as she stood up, her fierce, purple eyes never leaving his face.

"It's not...possible..." he murmured. "You can't be this fast! Two years ago you had trouble just keeping up with me! It's impossible...you've achieved something really great, I'll admit."

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't care," she said, her voice strong and resonating. "Why should I care at all? My main purpose in living is to kill you, isn't it? All the rest..."

I'm just fooling myself, trying to avoid this task, aren't I?

She stared at the ground and bit her lip.

"All that power...and you don't even care? You could rule this place!" Ganon mused with a chuckle.

"I don't care, and I don't want it!" she yelled, running forward. The aura had returned, and flashed in her eyes as well as she leaped into the air.

"Bad move..." Ganon grinned. Defenseless in the air. "Are you trying to get killed, girl-child?"

He slashed his sword at her...but met only air. Surprised, he stared at the place she should have been, his mouth open. "Where the...?"

Ganon turned, and met nearly face to face with Airaen standing right behind him. He trembled. "How...how did you...?"

He couldn't finish as she barreled her fist into his stomach. Ganon spat out blood, then sank to his knees in agony. It doesn't...make any sense...

He stared up at her impassive face. "Get up," she said quickly, narrowing her eyes. "You should be fine after such a simple attack like that. Get up."

"What...what are you?" he hissed as he staggered to his feet.

She sighed. "What I am doesn't matter anymore. I have one purpose, and that's to kill...especially you. And I guess I'm lucky since I really hate you. Pick your sword up and wipe that blood from your face. It's embarrassing, and you call yourself a fighter? Enough with the act, Ganon. You're faking this whole thing, not even fighting at half your real strength. All you're trying to do is seeing what I'm capable of, but you're only wasting energy." She watched as he picked his sword up and gripped it with both hands, a smile on his ugly lump of a face. "You have no idea what I'm capable of...nor could you ever know."

"What a nice monologue. And you hate me, eh? And a killer, too, is it? Then we really aren't that different from each other, then. How ironic. And if you want more irony, you better think twice about hating me, because you wouldn't even exist without me!"

She started, her eyes widening. "What...?"

Ganon laughed. "Haven't you realized it, yet? Without me, your loving parents would have never even met, let alone birth something like you. But, then again, you never had a real, normal childhood, did you?"

"Shut up," she hissed, clenching her fist.

"What's the matter? You may have the power to see into the future, but I can see into the past...you were quite the odd child, weren't you? Weird occurrences, no mother to help you understand, a father who lied to you, no friends, and a strange understanding of what you were supposed to do. Not to mention all those dreams. You dreamt about this moment when you were six years old, didn't you? Ha, you frightened yourself then, didn't you? Even now, what you've become...it frightens you, doesn't it?" he chuckled.

"I said shut up!"

"Ah, and here's your 'I'm so tough' attitude again. But you've always used this attitude, to look strong and capable to handle anything. And to think the world believes it. But you know it's not true, because deep down inside you're just a scared little girl who just wants to die," he mused, still smiling. He enjoyed how she trembled with rage and a sudden fear and hesitation. "Don't you understand? We're connected. You and I, we're different from anyone else, even your pathetic excuses for parents! They didn't understand it all, but you and I, we understand it fully. You are exceptionally different because you realized this from day one, didn't you? You exist because I existed. Accept it, girl-child. You wouldn't have been born without me."

We're connected...it's...it's true...

He was in the air, swinging his fist at her before she even realized it. His struck home with her face, sending her flying. Landing on his feet, he pointed his right hand at the girl as she struck the ground some few feet away. As the energy gathered, he yelled, "See? You should've been my daughter...I could've helped you reach your full potential, not try to hide it from you like your worthless father!"

The spell erupted from his hand and came roaring towards Airaen.

Ganon smiled. I should've drugged Zelda before I tried to rape her...but how was I supposed to know she had such spunk in her? If I hadn't been so worried about Link coming to rescue her from my castle, I probably would've succeeded...and then Airaen would've been my daughter. Such wonderful potential...and a killer, too.

He grinned as he watched Airaen dodge the spell effectively, flipping in the air and landing expertly on her feet, drawing her sword. There was a rage in her eyes that enticed him.

If I beat her, but don't kill her...I'll take her prisoner and rape her instead, drugged or not. Ha, I'll even have her mother watch it, too. See how that'll make that bitch Zelda feel.

He stole a glance at Zelda and licked his lips. She was staring hatefully at him, tears falling down her face. She still remembers how I took her out of that glass and tried to take her clothes off...that bitch has a good uppercut, I'll give her that. All that beauty going to waste on that stupid boy...

He rubbed at the tiny scar below his chin she had given him. "You're next after this, Zelda," he yelled over to her. "I swear it. This child should've been mine, Zelda, not his."

"Pay attention to your opponent, idiot!" Airean yelled as she kicked him in the jaw. He flinched and staggered back, even as she crouched low and kicked his feet out from under him. Ganon fell to his back with a gurgle, eyes wide in shock. Yelling, Airaen brought her elbow down to his gut, her eyes flashing.

"Gaaa..." Ganon breathed, a trickle of blood slinking down his mouth.

Stepping back, Airaen kicked him at his side. He rolled over, grunting with pain, then pushed himself to his knees. "Why not go ahead and finish me, then, girl-child? I'm on my knees...pretty helpless. That should've been a sword, not your elbow just then." He grinned. "You're still holding back...you really are afraid of yourself, aren't you?"

"You don't know anything about me, Ganon," she replied, forcing calm into her body. "Besides, no matter how much I hate you, there's no honor in killing a man when he's down."

Ganon chuckled. "You and your honor...I guess that idiot old man had it, too."

Airaen bared her teeth. "That man was the greatest person I ever had the honor of meeting and training with! How dare you even speak of him!"

She barreled into him, then kicked him on the side. As he flipped back, she drew her sword and swung parallel. He answered with another parry and pressed his blade against hers, forcing her back a step. As he gazed into her hateful eyes, he grinned. "You really should have been my child, you know. But I'll still have my heir, I guess. I can use you," he breathed.

"I would rather die," she spat, then pushed back against him. He lost his footing and stumbled backwards. Seeing her chance, she cut him along his chest. The tunic ripped, revealing bare flesh underneath. A red line formed from the cut. "You're...not even wearing armor?"

Wincing at the cut, he answered, "Neither are you. I don't fear you...and you don't fear me. My, my, aren't we similar to each other?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not like you!" she cried, firing a spell at his face. He dodged it and caught her by the arm, twisting it behind her back as he pressed his chest against her back. She winced.

"You're forgetting what we just talked about, girl-child," Ganon whispered in her ear. "My precious Sunset, just accept it! Besides, you should've been my heir. I should've been your father."

"I have a father, and he cares about me," she answered, then rammed her free elbow into his gut again and again and again. He quickly released his hold on her arm and clutched his stomach. She spun around and landed a kick to his head, then leapt into the air to send him crashing to the ground with her fist. As she landed on the ground, she winced and wrung her hand.

"Why...am I still holding back?" she murmured to herself. I'm using every thing I've got...but I hesitate at the last second. Even now I'm waiting for him to get up. Do I truly...want this to continue?

Airaen watched him stand and wipe blood from his mouth. "Goddess, you almost killed me there," he laughed, crossing his arms. "You've still got a long way to go if you're not going to accept yourself. I've always wanted a great fight, but what's the point if your opponent always holds back? Your father never did..."

"I'm not...my father," she replied, gripping her sword. "And I'm not holding back!"

She ran forward, her sword held to one side. "Pity," he murmured, the sidestepped her and kicked her squarely around the back, sending her sprawling. He knelt beside her as she struggled to get up. "Hurt, I hope? Now you're just in denial." He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her up and close to his face. "If you're going to do that, I might as well have my fun."

He threw her down on her back and leaned his foot against her ribcage. She cried out in agony, gripping his foot.

"Stop it!" Zelda screamed, trying to run forward.

Ith held her back. "You can't interfere!" he hissed.

"He's going to kill her! I can't just..."

"I be sorry, your Highness, but I promised Ahrima I not be lettin' anyone interfere, ya, that I did. Swore it to the crazy ol' man, ya," Ith replied solemnly.

Zelda looked helplessly to Link and Fash, who stood with their fists clenched but saying nothing. "You mean we have to just...sit here and watch? What about the Ganon's fighters?"

"I be thinkin' Ganon wants us to watch," Ith whispered. "Notice how none of 'em have even been touching the likes of us, ya?"

"I can't just let her die...I've got to..."

Ith gripped her arm a little tighter. "You be doin' no such thing, m'Lady. She'll just have to get out of this on her own, ya..."

Airaen cried out again as Ganon pressed harder against her chest. "Is this boring you, girl-child? I hope not, since I'm having fun. But I am a decent host. Here, I'll make it more fun for you!"

He stepped off her and drove his fist into her gut. She arched her back, spitting blood.

"Oh, did that hurt? Come on, where's all that spunk that you had before? Ah, I get it, you've given up!" he laughed.

She closed her eyes, her breath short. "I'm...not finished...with you yet..."

Ganon laughed and kicked her side. "Come on, girl-child, my precious sunset! You're boring me!"

Her face in the dirt, she coughed. Clenching her teeth, she pushed herself to her feet, wiping the blood from her mouth.

"Now that's a hate stare!" Ganon mused, a smile on his face. "You look just like your mother, you know that? But you're nothing like her in spirit...spunk, yes. But you're just a worthless piece of shit. I'll enjoy it when you die!"

"So what?" she answered, a grin on her face.

"What's that?"

"You're just all talk, but you can't beat me...not while I'm living," she replied, her smile fading. "Whether I live or not doesn't matter at all. I don't mean anything, I'm just the messenger. But I swear it, Ganon, you're the last person I'll ever kill."

She tossed her sword to the ground, then undid the clasp that held the scabbard at her back. "I guess I have to go blind from here..."

"What...what do you think you're doing? What are you...talking about?" Ganon said, his eyes widening.

Airaen grinned, enjoying his sudden hesitation. "Afraid, are you? See, that's what's so odd about being prescient. Sometimes you reach a point where the visions just stop and you've got to just go with your gut. And even if you know the future doesn't mean you can't change it. It's what makes me a very dangerous person, though. See, you may think we're the same, but we're different in one aspect. You're always looking into the past because you fear the unknown of the future...it frightens you."

"I'm not afraid!" he cried, his eyes flashing.

Airaen laughed. "You're a fool...I'm going to win."

"Then you'll die. You don't have enough power to overcome me," he answered.

"If I die, so be it. I've seen death before. I don't fear it at all anymore," she said with a smile as she released her power again. He stepped back. "I hope you're willing to die, though."

-END OF CHAPPIE!-

Dun, dun, dun. Some deep stuff going on here, huh? Sorry it was all talk at the end. Please review!