'Kay, I had to put this up because I'm in a writing mood and I have some time.

listens to Flyleaf and prepares self to write a gory scene

Oh, right, warning. Gore at the end of this chapter. If you've read this far, then congrats, you get the medal of 'being able to read weird fanfics and come out with intact sanity'. So a little blood shouldn't bother you, right? ;)

To NJ: Nasuerah's not an OC, she's just a plot device. You'll see in this chapter.

He came to his awareness quite suddenly, via a ruthless slap to the face.

And his first thought was, more bruises? My face will turn black.

And his second thought was that Ganon was back.

Both thoughts were correct. The King loomed over him, and his Sheikah pride refused to let him cower, no matter how much he felt like just letting his body be used again. He shoved himself to his feet and retained eye contact, even though it hurt, it hurt so much, everything in his body hurt. Why was his mind so fuzzy…?

He couldn't remember how to speak.

A hand shot out, followed by another, and both pressed his shoulders to the wall. He didn't allow himself to wince or make a noise, as usual, and took this physical abuse like before: he went numb inside. Dead. His body, he realized, was doing this out of defense for itself, and for his sanity.

Sinister eyes poured into his own, forcing him to look back. He couldn't help himself.

And then Ganon said: "Eyes are the portals to the soul, they say." He felt an icy fear trickle down his back before a probing sensation seized his mind again, gripping it, trying to drag out memories from his head. Well, he could deal with that. He conjured images of monsters and corpses and wars and horrifying things, filling his mind with these images like a safety wall.

Ganon laughed.

The probing grew to where it actually hurt his head and gave him a feeling akin to a strong hangover, only about eight times worse. He gritted his teeth against the invader. "Get… out… of… my head…" he coughed, drawing ragged breaths from the air around him.

The Dark King ignored him, obviously. The pain grew to the point of nausea.

He was going to… collapse… right here…

And then something inside him just snapped.

An outpouring floor of images came forth.

His first mission, sitting in Impa's house by the fire on one of the rare occasions she came by, looking into the mirror in the castle, picking plants out of Zelda's personal garden just to tick her off, getting a good look at the Ocarina of Time and asking what was so special about it, buying a decent horse in Lon Lon Ranch, building a fire just outside the Kokiri forest, throwing rocks at poes in Kakariko graveyard…

…meeting Link, studying his harp, talking to the Kokiri, grinning and laughing and talking and actually holding a conversation with someone after such a long time…

…running up the hillside in Kakariko, changing tunics with Link, yelling at him to just get to the graveyard and wait…

…fighting off Lizalfos, climbing the tower…

…Back after the Fire Temple. Ganon was flicking through his memories like leaves of paper in a book. Flip, flip, flip…

…the Ice Cavern, his escape from the castle, waking up in the Fairy Fountain…

Anything but that, anything but that you sick bastard, don't you dare pull that up

He fought this part with his hands balled into white fists, his eyes shot with violent gold streaks, every muscle in his body tensed to snapping point.

Don't you dare do this that's not for you to look at get the hell out of my mind

But it was as if his mental defenses had dissolved. He threw up every ward and spell he knew, every illusion, everything he could do against Ganon. He even cast a suicide spell; even death would be better than this, this betrayal.

But Ganon deflected them all.

…Link and Sheik in Impa's bed, wrapped in each other's arms, bodies entwined and lips touching and skin pressing and warmth exchanging and air shimmering with delight…

…feelings of pleasure like never before…

This was worse than vile. This was worse than anything. He wanted to die right now. He just wanted to break himself in two, because maybe that would stop him having to see this over and over and over and over…

Ganon found what he'd needed. He pulled up the next parts in rapid succession.

..Sheik talking to Nasuerah, eating the prepared food…

…smiling, exchanging words with her…

…the amulet. Now this was another thing. He fought this with a weak mind, less than he fought the memory of Link, because he had no strength left to fight with.

And then the Spirit Temple. The link between them broke and Sheik sagged to the floor, entirely consumed with grief and guilt. He was a broken man, he knew. He was gone mentally, and he knew his sanity was fading. But Link was safe. That was all that mattered now.

Ganon appraised the top of Sheik's head with a cold, unforgiving eye, and snatched up his wrist, wrenching the bandage off of it and the amulet with it. Sheik gave a strained yell then, because he wasn't expecting this, and clutched at his wrist as it was released, bringing it closer to his body and protecting it viciously.

"More fun than I've had in days," Ganon said, and Sheik could hear the scorn in his voice, the uncovered grin that was certainly there.

"Never thought I'd see the old thorn in my side brought quite so low. This is fantastic!" his voice boomed.

Sheik did not reply. If he did, all remaining sanity would be lost.

"Do you still hate me? Are you scared, boy? Would you kill me if you could?"

Sheik didn't speak.

Ganon rounded on him as if he would hit him, but Sheik didn't shrink away or even look at the fist that was about to strike. His eyes rose slowly, slowly, and met Ganon's.

The King suddenly laughed. "Let's greaten the fun." And he swept off to another room.

Sheik thought he had left. But he hadn't. In ten seconds he returned, carrying a screaming girl against him: Nasuerah. She looked at Sheik as she beat against the arm that held her with small fists, her red hair tangled from sleep, her golden eyes begging him to do something. "Sheik, Sheik!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Sheik lunged at Ganon. "No!"

But he couldn't do it. He couldn't manage to wrench her out of his arms. Ganon drew a knife—from where he did not know—and in a sweep Nasuerah's head was severed halfway through the post of her neck, leaving it to swing back and expose a half-chopped spinal column. Vertebrae stuck through the flesh and her golden eyes were left wide-open, tinged at the corners with blood. Blood burbled up in her throat and out of her mouth, dripping down her chin as her limp body fell to the floor, and her hair was matted with more crimson than it contained.

And the last thing she had said was his name. She had begged him for help and he couldn't give it to her.

He lost it. He flew at the Gerudo King in a rage. Hands, feet, teeth, anything. Even his snapped wrist was a weapon. He was beyond pain. The Sheikah had become a creature of habit, an animal, a dead thing walking with the power of movement still intact, completely run by emotion and not by reason.

Ganon laughed this off and threw Sheik away from him. "You… you lunatic, you insane bastard!" Sheik screamed as he started to stand from his knees. But they gave out, unable to carry his weight anymore, and when he slipped and fell it was in a pool of Nasuerah's blood. He crawled to her body.

He cradled her head in his arms, and all he saw was Link's face, over and over.

"I'll kill him, too. It's a matter of time." Ganon stood over him once more.

Sheik heaved a sob.

"You think I won't? You've been conspiring against me with Zelda since you were children. But that's all you are… children. This is what I will do to anyone who stands against me."

No reply.

"One last thing: That memory of you and Link is touching, I'll admit. It could almost drive me to tears. Almost." Sarcasm, dry and thorough. "Such tender love. When I kill him, I'll bring you his head, as a present."

Nasuerah's face stared up at him, face contorted into shock. He pressed his fingers into her face, and without knowing what he was doing habit took over. It was another one of those Sheikah tricks: when on a mission, sometimes your fellow Sheikah died, and it was your job to arrange their face before rigor mortis made it a mask of their final moments. In a few seconds she looked almost as if she were sleeping, her lips closed, her eyes shut forever.

He cradled her small body in his arms, like a doll, not caring how much blood he had on him or what he was covered in, or how much his wrist hurt.

He saw Link's face again, pasted onto hers, like a ghost image.

"I hate you with everything I have," Sheik whispered.

"And what do you have?"

A pause.

"That's right," Ganon said. "Nothing."