Author's Note

Think this was dead? Yeah, me too. But I suddenly came across the barely started chapter and found the urge to continue it.

I realized that I wanted some more Link x Midna, and so here we are.

I updated the cover art, and yeah, made Midna cute. I'm not going back on that...

LEGEND BELOW

"Well aren't you adorable." = Normal speech.

''I wonder what he really looks like.'' Normal thoughts.

"Oh Hero, chooses by the goddess." = Higher beings speech/faeries.

Chapter 5

The Forest Temple

The crunching of leaves under his boots echoed throughout the forest, the sound becoming lost through the trees. He'd been walking for almost an hour now, but he knew that he was getting close. The only source of light emanated from the lantern hanging from his belt. He'd forgone holding onto the lantern by hooking it to a notch on his belt.

Midna was worried about traversing the forest at night, and demanded that Link have both his hands free to combat anything that dared get too close. He understood where she was coming from, and agreed with her sentiment. At the very least, he had his shield out already, for the off chance he was attacked.

An hour after he left Ordon the sun had still yet to rise, covering the forest in a harsh darkness. Midna didn't say it, but she was afraid of what might lurk out there. After that terrifying encounter with the shadow beasts, she wasn't going to so easily leave Link's side anytime soon. The little shadow Imp was floating behind him as he walked, her hands clenched onto the hem of his tunic. Link didn't mind her closeness, and instead focused his attention on traversing the forest.

In the darkness of night Link saw movement, hidden by the thicket and the shrubs, but he saw it. The tensing of his muscles and the small head notion he made alerted Midna of this as well. They were being watched, but by what, they did not know. The grip on his sword tightened, as if to reaffirm to himself that he still held the weapon, ready to defend him and his partner should the need arise.

But as they continued forward, nothing took the chance to attack. Whatever it was that was watching them, had apparently decided that it wasn't worth it to even attempt anything. But Link kept his guard up non the less.

Soon enough they stumbled into a large open grove marked by a path that lead up into what he assumed was the Forest Temple the light spirit spoke of. There was a bridge made of the massive tree branches itself that connected to the ground. Out around the temple was nothing but a massive gorge, with fog so thick that you couldn't see the bottom.

"That must be it.." Midna's voice was unnaturally soft, lacking the usual spunk she seemed to always carry around. Link put on a smile that he hoped would convey to her that he was the shield that would protect her. It didn't ease her worries, but it was comforting nonetheless. They still had an hour or so until sunrise, but like Midna wanted, they were to continue their quest even during the night.

The walk up to the entrance was unnerving. When they left the ground, and started maneuvering over the tree root bridge, it felt for a moment as if they were floating in the air. A heavy fog permeated throughout the massive empty expanse around them, making it seem that a fall from there could last forever. Link didn't want to dwell on it any longer then he had to, and hastened his pace. That, and the fog was making him uncomfortable.

The duo approached the entrance, a gateway locked off by a massive spider's web. Link gave it a little shove, revealing that it was in fact quite durable. Midna edged away from it as if it had struck her. Link turned back to her questioningly, an eye brow raised.

"I hate spiders..." The imp muttered, an annoyed look on her face. He nodded, he could relate. Turning away from her, he turned his sights back on the web. His eyes narrowed as he hummed in thought, before unclamping his lantern from his belt and placing it just a bit too close to the web. Within moments the entire thing caught fire and burnt to ashes. He turned back to her with a smile, and she couldn't help but crack a smile back. Hooking the lantern back to his belt, he re-equipped his shield.

With the entrance opened, they could see inside. It was pitch black, with the only source of light coming from his own lantern. There was an overwhelming scent of death emitting from it as well, it put him on edge. He hesitated for a moment, before moving in. Midna's small hands clenched tightly onto the hem of his tunic, her small plump body clinging to his shoulder for safety.

There was a long dark tunnel made of wood that extended for a short distance before it opened to a more open room, an area framed with multiple large ceremonial pillars and strangely enough, lit torches. From the massive spider web covering the entrance, he was under the assumption that he was the first one here in a long time. Apparently looks could be deceiving. On the farthest end of the room was a door, and the only way to reach it was via a vine covered ledge that had large spiders crawling all over.

He didn't hesitate to dispatch of them with the slingshot he had in his pack, before quickly moving on. Once he made his way through the door he realized that obtaining the fused shadow wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. Because if this first room was any indication, this temple was laid out like a massive puzzle.

That was too bad, honestly…

He hated puzzles…

"Link…" The shadow's voice complained. "You're lost. Don't even try and hide it…"

They had been wandering around the temple for over an hour now, and after clearing at least ten separate rooms filled with annoying Deku Baba's, Link had wandered back into another dead end.

The Hero had stumbled across a map very early on, and it had made the journey somewhat easier. Of course, getting turned around in a dark and dank moldy tree temple had definitely set the little plump imp on edge, and her irritation had begun to reach a boiling point.

"Don't try and ignore me either…" She stated, eyes narrowed. He coughed, a tint of red dusting his cheeks.

"Not lost…" He muttered, spinning the map around in his hands for what had to have been the third time in a row. Midna stared him down, her expression clearly displaying her disbelief.

"I'll punish you if you lie to me…" She whispered, crossing her arms underneath her little breasts in annoyance. When he continued to appear lost, she took it upon herself to lead the way.

"Give me that!" She exclaimed, ripping the map out of his clawed bluish hands. She took a moment to look it over, and he decided to leave her be while she did so.

They had stumbled into a large open empty room, in the middle of which was a large pulsating flower. Midna had forbid he go anywhere near that, so he had resorted to looking at his map to see if there was another door or room he was missing.

That of course, led to their current situation. He'd led them back to a dead end.

He blamed the person that made the map for making it so confusing.

"You dolt! The main chamber is on the other side of the temple. How did we end up on this side!?" She squeaked indignantly. Link had the decency to blush.

It wasn't his fault!

He swore to Hylia!

The map was bad…

"I'm directing us from now on…" She stated matter of factly, floating haughtily in the opposite direction. "You can't read the map properly. You've lost your map reading privileges…"

He supposed it wasn't all bad. At least she was helping do some of the adventuring now…

"Link… It says that there is a treasure on the other side of this room…" Midna deadpanned. Link felt his pride melt away at the statement.

How did he miss that?

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go get it!" She snapped, floating in the air impatiently. He sighed, rubbing at a sore spot in his neck. She didn't need to be so upset about it…

Midna decided to stay by the door where it was safe, while he made his way across the room. There was no telling what could be in here, and she wanted no part in it.

Link carefully skirted around the large flower thing, moving for the cage located in the back of the room. It seems that the map wasn't wrong, and just behind the bars was a treasure chest.

However…

Hanging on the cage door was a large metallic lock, and the Hero most certainly did not posses the key required to open it. He heard a shifting behind him, but paid it no mind. It was probably the strange flower thing moving around aga-

"Link! Behind you!" The Hero dropped to the ground, just narrowly avoiding the large Deku Baba that swung at him. He spun around, eyeing the large plant beast that seemed to appear out of thin air.

"Link!" Midna cried out. "What are you doing?! Don't just stare at it!" She waved about frantically. If she didn't say anything she was sure he would've been hit.

The Hero locked his sights with the plant, raising his shield up to block. He'd fought many Deku Baba's before. This would be no different.

The beast plant grinned at him, lunging forward for another attack. It apparently wasn't very smart, as ramming it's face into his solid wooden shield wasn't the smartest thing it could've done.

Dazed, it couldn't fight back when he came down upon it with a volley of vicious sword strikes.

"Yes! Kill it Link! You've got this!" Midna cheered from the sides. She hated to give the halfbreed credit, but he knew his way around a sword.

Second time around it resorted to spitting purple poison at him, just like the one back in the dark Faron Woods had done. He wasn't going to sit around and see if his shield held up against that, and deftly side stepped it.

"Hyah!" He shouted, jumping into the air. With the power of a vengeful warrior, he cut the beasts head clean off. The Deku Baba landed heavily upon the ground, mouth open in shock.

With it dead, the flower it came from quickly dried up black, before exploding in a purple mist. Laying in the middle of the plant beast's dead body was a sparkling metal key.

The Hero took hold of it, suddenly flashing Midna a grin. The small shadow imp looked away, her cheeks tinted red. She couldn't be caught admiring his skill, she'd die of embarrassment.

Not waiting around any longer, Link ran back to the cage. The key fit like a glove, the lock slamming into the dirt below. He took a moment to admire the fancy looking treasure chest. He didn't give too much thought into who must have taken the time to lock this away.

When his fingers brushed against it, the lid slowly opening, a bright golden light shining from within. Laying inside was a boomerang.

Although, as he carefully lifted it out of the chest, the simple term boomerang didn't quite do it justice. It was very elegant, looking almost if it was made out of the wing of an angel, bent in the middle, with one end capped off with a golden handle.

And as he held it aloft, a powerful wind began to pick up around him.

"H-Hey! What's it doing?!" Midna balked, keeping her distance as a small tornado seemed to appear, surrounding her Hero in a wind.

Link stood there amazed, watching as the boomerang suddenly lifted into the air, spinning around and glowing.

"To you who freed me from confinement…. I am the fairy of the winds…" Link's jaw hung open in surprise as a soft feminine voice seemed to echo around him.

Midna quickly motioned closer, grasping onto the halfbreed's shoulder for support.

"For granting me my freedom… I shall offer you the power of the winds…. Take me with you, and I shall aid you in your journey…" The voice suddenly trailed off, the winds dying down until the item rested calmly in the Hero's hands once more.

The Hero stared at the item in his hands, before glancing up to the imp hanging over his shoulder. Midna was staring wide eyed at the seemingly enchanted item. When she came into the forest temple, she wasn't expecting to find anything besides a piece of the forbidden power she was searching for.

But this was going to definitely help.

"Alright, come on then! We can't just stand around all day, we haven't found the piece yet!" Midna suddenly exclaimed, dragging the Hero back out of the room.

No time for rest apparently…

Link took a moment to bag the new item before following the imp out. Despite being a bit tired from all this exploring and what not, he did agree with her.

If he was ever going to see the Ordona children again, he wasn't going to accomplish that just standing around. He had to listen to his cute little master if he was to get anywhere it seemed…

The imp suddenly stopped by the exit door, her face suddenly heating up in embarrassment. "W-What're you looking at?" She squeaked. The Hero tilted his head to the side, looking her over a few more times, seemingly deep in thought.

"Nothing…" He finally responded, before getting a head start on his search. The imp took a moment to calm herself down. Perhaps he wasn't aware of it, but the look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

She shook her head, quickly flying after him. "Hey, don't you run off! I'm the one with the map!" She called out.

"I don't need a map…" He stated from around a corner…

"You're lucky I kept the map…" She muttered, peaking over his shoulder as he leered over a massive cliff side. "It says that there supposed to be a bridge here…" She muttered, eyes twitching as she stared at the bridge-less drop off.

They had managed to make it relatively close to the main chamber of the temple, but were stopped by a massive open expanse separating them from the door. The fact that the Hero couldn't see where the ground was from his position did little to calm his worries.

There were a few bridges spread across the gap, but they were all rotated in the wrong direction. If he could somehow manage to turn them, then they might be able to get over.

"How do you expect to get across? Those stupid bridges aren't even pointed the right way…" Midna pointed out crossly, crossing her arms. Link just grinned up at her, with his stupid handsome smile.

She knew that stupid smile. It meant that he had a stupid idea.

He reached into his adventure pouch on his rear, pulling out the Gale Boomerang he acquired earlier.

"What do you plan to do with that? Have a tornado carry you across?" She quipped, eyebrow raised.

"Not… exactly…" He muttered, tongue stuck out in concentration as he carefully aimed the item. Midna seemed completely nonplused, but decided to let him have his way. If he wanted to be responsible for throwing the newest magic item he literally just got off a ledge, then she wasn't going to be the one responsible for getting it back…

His sights were set on a large unmoving fan built into the center of the bridge. And, if his hunch was correct…

"Hyah!" With a grunt of assertion, he flung the boomerang through the air. The white winglike object soared, taking with it a small tornado that kicked up anything that had settled over the years the temple had sat abandoned.

The Hero's aim was true, and the boomerang passed just over the fan. But the tornado that the item carried with it seemed to become magnetized to the fan, and it's powerful winds quickly had the fan spinning. Link deftly caught the boomerang a moment later.

"Happy now? It didn't even do anything…" The imp deadpanned. But the Hero didn't take his eyes off the spinning fan, and his actions were rewarded. Not a moment later the bridge started to rotate, eventually stopping once it made a path across the chasm.

He ran forward, jumping off the cliff and landing on the wooden frame that made up the bridge. He turned back around, extending a hand to the flabbergasted floating imp. She humphed, before floating across the divide and taking his strong hand with her own.

"I knew that was your plan all along. I was just pretending not to know…" She muttered, annoyed by his victorious grin. Why did he have to get all excited every time he figured out a puzzle?

He would always have that stupid look on his face, his lips pulled up into a grin, his red and blue eyes shining as he looked back at her for silent approval. And his smile despite how she looked away, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"S-Stop smiling at me!" She squeaked indignantly, floating past him. She couldn't handle staring at his stupid face. It kept making her heart jump in her little chest, her stomach doing flip flops whenever he would smile at her. The look of someone who was pleased that he was being useful to her.

She quickly flew through the door that took her out of the canyon, and back into the temple. The Hero shook his head, before running in after her. After a short jog through a few dark and dank halls, he stumbled into the little imp who was once again staring at her map.

He took a moment to catch his breath, looking over her shoulder to eye the map. He brushed her long wild flowing orange hair out of the way, leaning in over her shoulder.

"Are we close?" He breathed over her neck, focused solely on the ancient map in her shivering hands. If he was correct, then they had managed to make it into the deepest chamber of the temple.

Well…

At least the room before the deepest chamber anyway…

She cleared her throat, turning to face the halfbreed.

"Well, at least you're useful for something. This is definitely the door we wanted." She stated, pointing at the massive intricate door behind her.

He rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to upset her more then she seemed to already be. He wasn't fully sure what he did to make her face that red. Was it something he said?

He shrugged. If she wasn't going to tell him then he wasn't going to pry.

While she was distracted going over the map one last time, he moved for the large lock on the door. He had found a large key earlier on in the temple, and it had yet to fit any door he stumbled across. But if his gut was correct, then this door was definitely the one it was made for.

He hefted the big metal key out of his pouch, shoving it into the lock. He went to turn it, but-

"L-Link! Wait!" Midna cried out. The Hero stopped just short of opening the door. He turned to her, noticing her nervous expression. "We don't know what's behind that door. I just… I want you to be prepared." She muttered, averting her eyes.

The Hero's expression softened, and Midna jumped when she felt both his strong hands firmly grip her small shoulders. "Don't worry. I will protect you." He smiled.

The imp felt her face catch fire, but her eyes locked with his. She searched his eyes, looking for something, before she nodded. And in a quiet voice she said. "Ok…"

He turned back to the imposing door, and with only a moment of hesitation, he turned the key. The very moment it was unlocked, the lock began to rotate, slowly disabling the locking mechanism that made up the door.

They both backed off as the lock came crashing down with a mighty thud. The giant door rolled to the side, opening the way to the innermost chamber.

The Hero drew his sword and shield, ready to battle anything that might lie in wait. He felt Midna nervously grasp onto his shoulder for support, and he smiled reassuringly to her. He would protect her, just as he was supposed to do.

With one last breath, the Hero stepped forward…

There was a thick purple mist filling the air, reducing visibility. It was humid, much more so then any other room in the temple.

The halfbreed tugged on the neck of his tunic, the feeling of the garb uncomfortable in the dank air. It was already annoying to breathe in the muggy forest, but this room definitely made it worse.

The room was large, made seemingly out of nothing but living wood. Placed near the back of the room was a large and very deep purple pond, out of which a large rotting tree grew.

The Hero cautiously approached the water's edge, peering down into the depths. There was total silence. Nothing, no sound besides his and Midna's quiet breathing.

Link glanced around the room, quickly taking notice of the explosive bomb flowers growing on a few logs flowing in the water.

And yet, nowhere to be seen was the shard of darkness that they came here to find…

"It isn't here…" He stated, turning away from the poisoned water. There was no point in staying any longer. The Fused Shadow must have been somewhere else in the temple…

But…

As he approached the exit, the giant door suddenly rolled to a close, locking them both in.

"H-Hey! You stupid door! Let us out!" The imp hissed, slamming her hands into the massive door. The Hero's breathing suddenly went quiet, his ears straining to hear something.

There was a small splash of water behind him. Then another. His eyes widened when a massive shadow was suddenly cast over his shoulders. Not hesitating in the slightest, he grasped the little imp close to his chest and dove off to the side.

"H-Hey! What're you d-… Hwah!?!" The imp shouted, only to scream as an unbelievably massive Deku Baba slammed into the wall where they just were. To her horror, two Deku Baba's rose from the poisoned depths, their size easily putting the last one Link killed to shame.

Link suddenly thrust himself in front of the imp, shield up to defend. "Stay behind me!" The imp's little hands clenched tightly to the back of his tunic.

The Hero deftly hopped to the side, avoiding a dangerous strike from the second Dia Baba. Both plant monsters reared back, taunting him from a distance. They knew better then to stay too close to him for too long, lest they lose their heads.

They were fast too.

"Link!" Midna cried out. The Hero threw his shield up once more, the beast slamming headfirst into it. The force of the blow sent Link sliding back, but he kept his footing. His strength seemed to surprise the twin beasts, but that only seemed to make them more aggressive.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Midna cried out from his back, her head of magical orange hair raising up. "Let him rush you again! I'll grab him!" Link eyed her from the corner of his vision, and nodded.

The twin beasts continued to taunt him, neither one willing to rush him. They took turns lunging at him, only to pull away before they got close enough.

"They're trying to trick you! Don't fall for it!" The imp reassured in his ear. The Hero's eyes narrowed dangerously, his sights set on the smirking faces of the Dia Baba's. They'd slip up eventually.

One suddenly lunged at him, and he was forced to jump to the side to escape it. But the second one was already coming right for him, and he again threw up his shield to block. The Hero felt like his arm was about to break under the stress put on it, but he powered through it. He wouldn't let scum like this hurt her.

Midna grinned viciously from behind him, and the moment the beast slammed into his shield she grabbed its face with her giant orange hand.

"Die!" Her shout was accompanied by the sound of the ground shaking as she slammed the plant face first into the ground. Wasting no time, Link cut the beast down while it was stunned.

"Yes! You did it!" She exclaimed, throwing up a hand victoriously.

Perhaps, however, their celebration was made a bit too soon.

"Link! Look out!" The imp's cry of warning came too late, and the remaining Dia Baba they seemed to forget about momentarily took that moment to strike.

"Wh-!?" He only got a short gasp of surprise out, before the monster nearly swallowed him whole, only his legs sticking out of its disgusting maw. She saw blood as it crunched down.

The imp's eye went wide, her soul shocked.

Did…

Did Link just…?

Die..?

Just like that…?

It was all too fast, it couldn't be real…

She felt tears start to fall down her cheeks, unable to tear her gaze away from the beast as it pulled its ugly head back up into the air. As if mocking her it glared down at her with a wicked grin, taunting her to do something about it…

But…

The moment where she felt all of her hopes die, she saw her Hero's legs kicking around in the beasts jaw.

He wasn't dead!

Her eyes widened, and a snarl split her cute little lips. "Link! You can't die here!! Don't let that stupid disgusting beast stop you from saving your friends!!" She screamed out, probably the hardest she ever had in her entire life.

The monster's grin suddenly vanished, and it began thrashing around, shaking the halfbreed it held captive in its mouth. Midna watched on in awe, unable to do anything, or even understand just what was happening.

The monster looked like it was in horrible agony, screaming and thrashing about. And suddenly that's when she saw it!

A gloved hand shot out of its mouth, grabbing its bloody lips and prying its mouth open. Her eyes widened in stunned awe, as her Hero who she thought had just been eaten alive, wrenched the beasts mouth open.

With a mighty cry the Hero tore his way right out of the jaws of death, and with his free hand, stabbed his sword hilt deep into the dying beast's head. With the monster's dying breath it attempted to pull the Hero back into the poisoned waters, but he was done playing around.

"Rah!" With a roar he ripped his sword from its head, and leapt from its mouth. "Guh!" He hit the dirt with a thud, falling to one knee.

Midna felt the tear return with a vengeance.

"Link! Oh Goddesses, you're alive!" She rushed him, throwing her head into his chest. She didn't care at this point what he saw, she was just glad he was alive. "I thought.. I thought you were.." She cried, grasping tightly onto his tunic for support.

With one eye closed in pain, and a strained cough, he grinned down victoriously at her. She looked up, his handsome grin shining through all that pain he had suffered through. He was grinning for her, to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"H-Heh.." He laughed, despite himself. "You can't get rid of me that easily…" He joked, staring her right in the eyes, waiting. That was when she realized that he, for the first time since knowing her, made a joke.

But…

Instead of laughing she just started crying, her eyes red. "D-Don't you joke with me! I almost lost you!"

He grinned easily, slowly wrapping his free arm around her, pulling her in close. "Yeah… I know…" He breathed. She felt her face heat up, her cheeks puffed up in a pout. She probably didn't know just how adorable she looked to him.

He suddenly bet over in a fitful cough, blood falling from his lips. He brushed a hand against his legs, bringing back red fingers. That beast had done a number on him before he took it down.

"…Come on… Let's get-" He stopped suddenly, eyes going wide as a thunderous splash echoed behind them, a massive shadow lunging for them both. He didn't have time to think, and barely had time to react. He threw Midna out of harms way, spinning around and throwing up his shield to block.

"Gwah!" He was thrown off his feet, landing harshly against the door that locked them in. He looked up, and the maw of a gargantuan sized Deku Baba met his gaze. It was different then the two he just killed, and only vaguely resembled a Deku Baba whatsoever.

"Link! Get up!" Midna cried out, as the beast suddenly reared its ugly head back, preparing for an attack.

Ignoring his pain, the Hero stumbled to his feet, raising his shield to block. And not a second late, as a moment later the beast fired a continuous blast of poison breath at him.

He was pressed back underneath the force of the attack, but he held true! But he wasn't going to be able to hold out like this forever. Either his arm would give out, or his shield would crumble underneath the strain.

Think! He had to think! If he didn't, he was going to die! If he died, he would never find the children. And if he died, Midna would…

Her screams of horror echoed throughout his mind, reminding him of a fate that would befall her if he lost here…

(!)

The thought suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks, and he focused his gaze. He knew what he had to do. Still holding back the attack, he sheathed his sword, instead pulling out the Gale Boomerang. Taking aim, he let the item go with a burst of wind.

"Link, be careful! It's not done!" The imp warned. True to her statement, the monster's attack doubled in power. The Hero was forced to a knee, the ground cracking underneath his feet from the pressure.

But, despite this, he was able to grin in the face of death. He wasn't dying here today! He wouldn't allow it!

The Gale Boomerang he threw moments ago had managed to gather up the bomb flowers he spotted before the fight, and bring them hurdling back into the beasts gaping maw. The explosion rocked the entire room, and with a mighty thud, the monster came crashing down inches from the Hero.

Out of the monster's gaping maw was a large exposed eye, and from his position on the ground Link could feel the evil aura that surrounded it. It had to be the beasts source of power. The monster stared up helplessly as the Hero shakily took a stand, throwing his shield to the side as he grasped his sword with two hands.

Link stepped forward, sword aimed down, and without waiting another painful moment, he thrust his weapon deep into the beast's vile eye. The monster thrashed in place, trying desperately to escape its doom. But with its mouth eye pinned, it wasn't going anywhere…

Link let the sword go, stumbling back from the dying beast. He and Midna watched as it slowly stopped moving, before it rapidly dried out, turning black as the night sky. Then, finally, it died.

Out of the black mist that remained came a dark shape, slowly floating down to the surface. Link reached out, the object slowing until it rested floating mere inches above his hands. With a smile he turned around, displaying his victory to the imp resting on the ground.

"Y-You did it…" She breathed, stunned.

When she was thrown away, abandoned and left to die as the twilight covered the land, she honestly had little hope that she would ever get her revenge on the man responsible. But, as she sat there in awe, watching as her Hero held aloft the first piece that she so desperately needed, she felt that her hopes would actually come true.

"Oh goddess! You did it!" She cheered, flying up to him in glee. He grinned back at her, setting her face on fire. She coughed, looking away suddenly. "I-I mean! I knew you would kill that thing, obviously!" She choked out, trying to save face.

His smile remained. "S-Stupid! Don't look at me like that! Whatever! Give me that, you shouldn't touch it!" She huffed, taking the Fused Shadow with her giant orange hand. The item vanished to wherever she stored everything she hid.

Link's arms dropped to his side, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion. That was probably the hardest he'd ever fought in his entire life. But as he stood there, he knew that their would definitely be more encounters like this one in the near future.

"Link.. Look." The Hero's gaze rose at the sound of Midna's voice, turning behind him. Resting against the sword he left stabbed into the ground was a massive ornate red heart, surrounded and decorated with a glowing golden trim. Just from where he stood he could feel it's power.

He stepped forward, drawn to it for some reason he couldn't quite comprehend.

"That's… That's a Heart Container. Only powerful monsters contain those…" The imp breathed out. "I never thought I'd see one." Her head snapped over to him. "Link! Take it! It's power will definitely help you!" She urged, frantically.

Seeing no reason to deny her request, the Hero slowly bent down on one knee, the action sending a spike of pain up his body. He carefully took hold of the massive object, and held it aloft. Then, without warning it suddenly fused into his chest.

"Wha-?" He stumbled back, searching his hands for a sign. "What just… happened?" He muttered. His body suddenly lit up, a bright golden light surrounding him. In an instant all his wounds were completely healed, and the leftover poison from previous battles was purged from his system.

The golden light suddenly condensed around his right ear, and in place of his old blue earring was the Heart Container, shrunken down to the size of a marble and hung on a golden chain. He felt a power fill his body, giving him extra resilience. He turned back to the stunned imp, the small earring jingling from the movement.

He grinned.

This…

He could do this.

He gathered his gear that had been abandoned during the fight, and stepped towards the imp. Despite her attitude, she couldn't help but see the young man in a new light after that battle. She knew he was strong, but this was something else.

She needed to stop thinking about it, she wasn't allowed to fall for a stupid halfbreed. Stupid handsome, strong, muscly halfbreed…

"Midna? Are you ill? Your cheeks are red again…" Her eyes shot wide, the blush spreading across her face.

Oh goddess! She'd been caught thinking about him again. She cleared her throat, the sound coming out in a pitch higher then she wanted it to.

"O-Of course not. I'm perfectly fine." She waved him off, turning away so that he wouldn't see her face. He shrugged behind her, before moving to leave. Their journey was only just beginning…