Chapter 11: Nightmare

Friday, noon

Saria Park, Hyrule Royal Academy

It felt as though Vaati had walked onto a giant chess board in the middle of the game, and he couldn't tell who was winning and if he was a playing piece or not. What the end game was, the prize they were fighting for… He wasn't even quite sure who the players were. That was how the current situation with Tiv and Link appeared to him.

Usually, he would be at the library at this hour, but today the violet-haired Hylian felt the need to take a walk to get his thoughts sorted out. The October air was brisk and fallen leaves crunched under his feet. There weren't many other students out, likely keeping indoors where there was no chilly breeze. Vaati halted in the middle of the park, debating whether to keep walking or sit down for a bit, then turned towards the wooden bench on the side of the park path. With a sigh, he dropped onto the bench and glared at the orange trees across the way.

He was in the dark, and he hated it. Something told him even Link knew more than he was letting on. He didn't buy his story about why he'd been attacked at the pawnshop. Vaati suddenly remembered that time his roommate had randomly brought back an arrow; he had dismissed Link's story about how it suddenly shot in front of his face and stuck in the wall, believing it to be just another of the blonde's fake tales. Now, though, he felt certain that it had been a threat from Tiv.

But why? From what Vaati could tell, Link was essentially harmless. Annoying as a fly, but he couldn't imagine what would cause him to be a target of attack. And to top it off, Link was clearly hiding this from Vaati. Something was going on behind the scenes. If only he had a clue as to what.

Do something—he needed to do something. Link was a dead end at the moment. Time to confront the other party, then. Vaati pulled out his tablet and typed up a quick message to the annoying girl Tiv.

Meet me in Saria Park.

Her reply took about ten minutes. right now?

Vaati: Now.

Tiv: ok~!

While he waited, Vaati paced up and down the park path, formulating his list of questions that he would throw at her. She came trotting up after five minutes, smiling in that confident, carefree way of her. "What's up, Vaati? Did you make a decision about our deal?" she greeted him.

"I went to that pawnshop with Link yesterday," he started.

Tiv frowned just a little. "Uh, isn't that kind of violating the deal?"

"No, it's called doing your own research. I went to see if they actually had any of the relics you were talking about, and I didn't tell Link anything. While I was there, some friends of yours attacked him." Vaati watched Tiv with narrowed eyes, on the lookout for any change in her expression that might give away something.

She opened her mouth and eyes wide in an expression of surprise. "My friends? None of my friends know Link, so that's a bit of a stretch, don't you think? But that's really horrible! Is he okay?"

"Don't bother lying to me," he scowled. "I can already tell you don't want Link around, so don't pretend to be worried about him. Why did they attack him? And who threatened him with that arrow?"

There—her eyes narrowed in confusion for a split second. "I think maybe you're being overdramatic? Sure, I don't like the guy and he's not invited to our magic club, but it's not like I want him dead or anything. I just want him, y'know, out of the way."

"Giving him a concussion is a pretty effective way of doing that," Vaati said dryly. It seemed that Tiv wasn't willing to reveal the true nature of the conflict between her and Link, either. He ground his teeth and tried a different question. "Why do you want to help me get my magic? What's in it for you?"

Tiv slowly smiled, too calm and confident. She took a few steps in a circle before answering. "Maybe I'm hoping you'll do me a favor in return. See, there's something I want, but I need magic—a lot of magic—in order to get it, and I've got, like, zero magic ability. It's kinda like a trade—I help you; you help me. That's honest, isn't it?" She fixed her smile on him.

It was probably the most honest she'd ever been, and it gave Vaati some satisfaction to know a little more about what she was thinking. But ultimately, this deal was not one he was willing to take. Sure, he'd been tempted at first, and that was why he'd gone to Karusa Pawn, hoping to find something that would ignite his interest further. Ultimately, however…

"I don't like to be in others' debt," he told the girl. "Solve your problem yourself." He turned and began to walk away.

"Are you sure you won't regret it?" Tiv called after him. "It's not like Link can help you like I can!"

He cast a brief glare over his shoulder. "Who said I needed anyone's help? I'll find my magic with my own power."


6:27pm

Link and Vaati's room

Vaati avoided going back to the dorms until the evening. If he wanted to seem nice, he'd say it was so Link could rest, but in reality, he was irked with his roommate. Though Vaati may have declined Tiv's deal, it didn't mean he was doing it to keep Link around. The blonde was hiding something. He'd gotten used to Link being so open and honest that this sudden suspicious behavior bothered him.

He couldn't really find much more of an excuse to stay away for the day, however. The library was closed, he'd already grabbed dinner, and he didn't have his laptop, so he couldn't work on his homework in the common room. Sighing, Vaati pushed open the door, hoping that Link was at least asleep.

His wish was granted—Link was sprawled out on his bed, the steady rise and fall of his chest indicating he was in deep sleep. He wasn't alone, though; a woman with bright red hair tied up in a thick ponytail was sitting at Link's desk. She turned her head when Vaati opened the door, and he saw that her skin was a warm brown, her eyes golden amber; a Gerudo, middle-aged, he would guess.

Before he could get a word of surprise out, she smiled at him and said, "You must be Vaati." She chuckled a little. "Sorry to surprise you—my name is Aveil. I'm Link's unofficial aunt if you will. I came over to check on him and that nasty concussion of his."

"Oh. Nice to meet you." He was more wary than usual of this unknown person and he kept his red eyes fixed on her as he took off his shoes. While it was true that Link was adopted and had no blood relatives, his adoptive family was Sheikah, so he questioned why a Gerudo would be part of Link's family. Aveil calmly returned his gaze with a smile. "Are you staying long?" Vaati queried. He hoped not.

"I could leave now that you're here. I was just watching over Link while he slept; it can be dangerous to fall asleep when you have a concussion, after all. I don't think his is that severe, though." Aveil uncrossed her long legs and stood, grabbing her big red purse from the desk. Then she gave the sleeping Link a pat on the head. It did seem like she was familiar with Link, and Vaati couldn't imagine that she had just somehow gotten into their room; Link must have let her in. Grudgingly he accepted her story that she was Link's 'unofficial aunt.'

The Gerudo turned to Vaati next, giving him that same calm smile. He felt suddenly that she was looking at him like he was a cute child. "Link told me that you were quite attractive, and I see he wasn't wrong," Aveil commented in a tone of approval.

Vaati's mouth pulled into a frown, and he squinted at her in confusion. First, why had she said that out of nowhere—there was no way she was flirting with him, was she? No, there was that way she looked at him like a parent admired a child. Second, Link had said Vaati was attractive? And third, why did she sound so… satisfied about that? Not wanting to give Aveil the satisfaction of seeing him flustered, Vaati finally scowled and said, "Link says strange things that are rarely true."

The reply he got to that was a barely concealed laugh. "You'll find that most of the things he says are actually quite true. It's just up to you whether you believe him or not. Of course, he has his secrets like everyone else, but in general, he tends to be an honest person." Aveil walked past Vaati to the door and gave a small wave with her fingers. "It was nice meeting you, Vaati. I'm sure we'll see each other again sometime." She shut the door behind her, leaving Vaati vaguely confused.

He sighed and cast a glare at Link, even though its effect was totally lost on the sleeping youth. Did he have to go and say such weird things to people? Even though he was pretty sure Link wasn't gay—he'd heard something about a girlfriend once—he wasn't exactly making a great case for himself in that area. Vaati sighed again. When he thought about it, though, Link treated everyone with that same friendly closeness, and the way he teased Vaati was purely to get a reaction out of him. Vaati was not the best at detecting the feelings of others—he'd never cared what others felt so he never bothered to figure their feelings out—but when he took into account Link's personality, it seemed to him that Link considered Vaati as a close friend. Such comments had no true meaning behind them. He reminded himself of that. Over the past few weeks, he'd gotten better at dealing with Link's teasing by thinking that same thing: they had no true meaning.

So, he let Aveil's comment go, pulling out his chair and opening up his laptop. There were still a few hours before bedtime, time best spent doing homework and research, not worrying about his roommate.


He'd forgotten about this dream. It was strange because it was a dream he'd always had, ever since he could remember. It didn't come every night, just often enough that he could never quite forget it. When had it stopped coming to him? Why had it stopped was a better question, now that he thought about it. Vaati's consciousness and his questions faded away into the familiarity of the dream.

It began with emptiness. A void. Complete and utter darkness, so deep that he couldn't see anything of his surroundings, couldn't see himself. He tried to reach out, wanting to touch something so that he could sense what was around him, but there was nothing. No walls surrounding him. No ground beneath his feet. Not even air brushed his fingers when he moved them.

He tried to speak, to call out, but though he was sure his mouth moved, no sound came out. Perhaps it was swallowed by the nothingness. Or perhaps he no longer had a voice. Again, and again he forced himself to make sound, any sound, until he was screaming—yet still utterly silent.

GET ME OUT OF THIS HELL!

The emptiness around him threatened to swallow his very existence. There was nothing, nothing at all, and he began to doubt if he perhaps was only darkness, too.

Suddenly, it wasn't empty anymore.

He could feel solid ground and see blue sky and breathe fresh air and hear trees rustling. And he was no longer alone, either. There was a child, staring at him with an expression of complete shock. A child with wide, blue eyes and blonde hair. The same child he saw every time. Except that this time, he knew who the child was.

"Link…"

Slowly, the child Link's surprise faded, to be replaced with hardened eyes and a deep frown. Determination, perhaps. He'd seen it before when Link faced those men in the pawnshop. A look that said he was ready to fight. The fierceness in his eyes was so different from his usual childlike happiness.

He wondered, as always, why the child looked at him that way.

And as always, his surroundings suddenly grew black again, fading away into darkness, returning him to that prison of emptiness which only felt twice as tortuous now after he had tasted the real world for that brief moment.

He wanted out. He needed out. He could not endure the void, could not endure the emptiness any longer. He was going to lose himself if he stayed. Already he had forgotten what he looked like, could not remember the sound of his own voice, even his name was fading from his mind.

I must get out, I must get out, I must find a way, I cannot lose myself here, I refuse to lose myself here, I refuse to vanish, I must not vanish, I must—

He felt something touch him.


Vaati jolted awake, breathing heavily, heart pounding in his throat and in his ears. It was the dead of night, but light snuck in through the gaps in the curtains, and he was barely able to make out the ceiling. The fact that he could see something helped him to quell his panic just a little. It was only a dream, a bad dream, but the fear he always felt when he woke up was real.

He was slowly able to calm down, though he was left with an uneasy feeling. Why had that dream come now, of all times? Link was in it, too. He'd forgotten that part; Link had always been in that dream, but now Vaati knew his name. The end of the dream was different this time, however. Something had touched him, in the midst of all that emptiness. Usually, he would remain in the darkness until he faded deeper into sleep or woke up in a cold sweat. He was always alone in that part of the dream.

Too worn out to wonder about it now, Vaati closed his eyes, hoping sleep would quickly come. He was nearly asleep when he suddenly felt something heavy come to rest on his shoulder and across his chest. His eyes snapped open and he turned his head to the left just enough to see—

Link's head resting on his shoulder, mere inches from his face.

"Din!" Vaati hissed, shooting up into a sitting position to glare at his unwelcome visitor. "Link, for the love of—what are you—" he sputtered in a whisper. Link just shifted slightly, nestling his head on his arm, apparently unperturbed by being thrown off of Vaati's shoulder and the hissed curses following it. The violet haired man swallowed the many angry things he wanted to shout into Link's ear at that moment.

Roughly he shook his roommate's shoulder. Link just curled up more and mumbled something. Scowling, Vaati shook harder. "Wake up and get out of my bed!" he hissed

But Link's ability to sleep through anything was proving strong; he totally ignored Vaati's attacks, instead reaching out and grabbing a pillow, holding it to his chest. A small smile tugged at the blonde's lips. So unlike that fierce look, Vaati thought.

He shook his head. He'd have time later to wonder about why he was dreaming about Link. For now, he had to get his annoying roommate out of his bed. Vaati grabbed Link by both shoulders and shook him hard, leaning down so he could whisper-shout into the blonde's ear. "Link. Wake. Up. Or I'm pushing you off the bed."

Link made a slight whining sound and his eyes cracked open just a slit. "Vaati…?" he mumbled. "Why're you so close?" He blinked several times as though trying to see him better. "And why're you in my bed?"

"You're in my bed!" Vaati snapped. "Now get out!"

His roommate blinked a few more times, not understanding. Then his eyes widened. "Oh, crap, my bad! I was half-asleep, and the concussion—sorry, I'll just go now!" Link scrambled out of the blankets and moved to swing out of the bed, but his foot caught in the blanket and he was instead sent tumbling to the floor with a yelp. He just lay there.

Vaati huffed and got up, stepping over Link and switching the light on. Then he walked over to Link's still form and crossed his arms. His roommate was lying face down in apparent defeat; he turned his face slightly to glance up at Vaati. He was pleased to see that Link at least had the decency to blush.

"Uh, I didn't do anything, did I?" Link asked uncertainly.

Vaati narrowed his eyes and looked to the side. "You just woke me up."

The blonde let out a relieved sigh and rolled onto his back. "Heh, sorry." A smile spread over his face, and he began laughing. Vaati glared at him. "Sorry, it's just—it's kinda funny, how embarrassed we both are. Your face is all pink."

"Wha—yours is, too!" Vaati sputtered.

"I know," replied Link with a grin. "But it's funny because there's nothing to be so embarrassed about, right? We're both guys so it's not like, you know, anything was going to happen." He gradually sobered, though a ghost of a smile remained on his face.

Vaati opened his mouth to retort, then stopped. Link was right—what was he getting embarrassed for? He frowned and knit his brow. It occurred to him that there had never been any legitimate reason for him to get embarrassed whenever Link invaded his space. Annoyed, yes, but flustered…

"Anyways," his roommate spoke up, "Sorry again. I got mixed up and thought your bed was mine. Just a side effect of this annoying concussion." Link sat up and rubbed the back of his head, giving Vaati an apologetic smile.

He looked away and muttered, "Whatever. Just go back to your own bed." Turning his attention away from Link, Vaati shut the light off and crawled into his bed. After a few moments he heard Link stand and walk over to his side of the room, and the rustling of blankets as he slipped into his own bed, followed by a quiet sigh.

Sleep didn't return to Vaati for what felt like hours. He was worn out by both his dream and the incident with Link, perplexed about the strange connection between the two of them, still pondering about how fierce the young Link was in his dream and how Link in real life had smiled and blushed and laughed—his wandering mind realized that he'd never seen Link flustered. An honest person, Aveil had said, but still a person with secrets. Did his dream have anything to do with Link's secrets?

Vaati hated how many questions kept coming. Normally he did not mind having more questions when he was researching—it was a necessary part of research—but now all his questions were about a person. He didn't have the time to focus on Link. He needed to find his magic, and Link was just a distraction. That was all that mattered, wasn't it?

"You have to have a good reason for using magic. A purpose…" Vaati scowled as Zelda's words came back to him. He had no answer to that, and he didn't need one.

It also made him remember what he'd promised himself after that conversation with her: he was going to end any relationship with Link if it proved to be a hindrance. So why hadn't he done that yet? Was it because he felt that he was responsible for getting Link injured? Or maybe his curiosity to learn more about Link had prevented him…

Since when had so much of his attention turned to Link?

Vaati buried his face into his pillow, wishing he could cast a spell to make himself fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.