June, 2020: Warning: Unedited. Low quality.

COUNTING STARS

Chapter 12: Hunter

Monday, October 30

"Dark," I drawl out slowly, eyebrows raising at him. He tilts his head to one side questioningly. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Before he has the chance to answer, I stand up from our corner booth at the lounge and grasp his shoulder, walking him toward the doorway.

"What's the big deal?" Dark asks, throwing his arms out in either direction.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I demand once out earshot. I can still feel their eyes lingering on the two of us, however.

"Um, staying by your side," he replies firmly, "as a true partner should."

"Ugh," I groan, "not at my school, Dark!"

"Whoa, this is your school?"

"It's part of it."

"This is dope."

"Don't say 'dope,' Dark. People will think you're a stoner. Especially with that outfit." I gesture toward his all-black attire—jeans, a pair of Vans, and a tee.

Dark scoffs, muttering, "Humans."

"Ground rules," I say abruptly, narrowing my eyes at him. "Ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Your name is Dark Nyton. You have no relation to me whatsoever, but you hang around me because it's insanely rare to come into contact with your doppelganger—make sure you insist that everyone has one. You will not tell my friends anything about our outside identities, and you will definitely not try to make any moves on them." I glare at him pointedly. "Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" he says again.

"Then I guess you can stay."

He claps his hands together, hope and excitement shining in his eyes.

"But don't make a habit out of it," I add hastily.

"Can we have more sleepovers?"

"Don't push it."

He pouts subtly, but follows me back to the booth anyway.

"Um, guys," I begin somewhat nervously, "this is Dark."

"Hey," Zelda, Malon, Midna, and Mido all say slowly, suspiciously.

"This'll be interesting," Pipit mutters with a delighted smirk.

"You two have met?" Mido asks, turning to Pipit.

Dark grins. "Of course I've met Tidbit!"

"That's not my—"

"We've met him too," Sheik says, gesturing toward himself and Mikau.

"Link," Midna cuts in, squinting quizzically, "care to explain?"

"Allow me!" Dark exclaims. "My name is Dark Nyton, and I am—" He looks at me. "—seventeen?"

I nod subtly.

"Seventeen. And I am Link's doppelganger."

Malon squints skeptically. "…You aren't related to him?"

He shakes his head. "Nope."

Zelda looks at me, appearing lost. "…And you aren't brothers?"

"Nope," he assures her, "doppelgangers."

She doesn't look convinced. "I'm pretty sure those don't exist…"

Dark scoffs, turning to me. "Blondes."

I smack his arm. "Shut it."

My double scowls at me, plasters on a fake polite smile, and twirls back around to meet Zelda's blue eyes. "They do exist, my dear—you happen to be looking at a pair right now." He claps a hand on my shoulder and nods. "Everyone has one, even you."

Zelda eyes him, unconvinced, then flicks her gaze to meet mine. I give her a pleading look that says just go with it.

For a brief moment there is silence. I shift uncomfortably on the balls of my feet, looking downward.

"Wow, you were right, Link, maybe I shouldn't have come here," Dark announces abruptly with a light laugh. "This is insanely awkward."

Tuesday, October 31

As I sift through the bookshelf, I notice Pipit through my peripheral vision, storming over to me with a pissed off look on his face.

I turn to look at him. "Hey, bro."

"Don't change the subject!" he snaps.

I raise a brow quizzically.

"What are we doing at the Castle Town Public Library?" he asks angrily. "It's freaking Halloween! You told me we were going to the bar so we can party!"

Mikau, Sheik, and Dark, who sit at the nearest table, all turn to face me. "You told me we were going to a music expo!" whines Mikau.

Sheik's maroon eyes narrow dangerously. "You told me we were going to Burger King!"

"You told me something but I wasn't listening!" says Dark.

"Look," I sigh, "I need to pick up one book that isn't available at school. It's for my uncle's case, okay?"

"What book would help you with that?" asks Sheik.

"It's about the M.O.D."

"They don't strike me as the type of people to become authors."

"M.O.D.—Men of Demise. It's a mythology book about that dude named Demise," I explain, turning back to the bookshelf. "Aha! Found it." I pull out a lengthy book and study its cover page.

'Chronicles of Demise,' reads its title.

"Okay, we can go now," I announce.

Sheik and Mikau exhale "Finally" at the same time, coming to join me and Pipit.

Dark, meanwhile, sits at the table, nose buried in a book.

"Dark," Pipit calls.

He looks up, nods at us, then returns to reading. "Aw, thanks a lot," he moans, scowling, "I lost my place! Alright, where was I…" He squints down at the text. "Ah, here we go… 'The end'." He stands up with a wide grin, leaving the book on the table. "Done. Let's go."

After I check out the book, the five of us emerge from the library on Halloween night.

"So, boss," Mikau says to me, "what are our actual Halloween plans?"

"I don't really know. I've never celebrated it," I admit with a shrug. "I don't know what it's all about."

Pipit chuckles. "Well, Link…"

"Oh boy," groans Sheik.

"Legend—and Wikipedia—have it," he says with an ominous tone, "that Halloween is the night all the monsters who lurk in the sewers below Castle Town emerge and wreak havoc on the city. If you come into contact with one of these monsters, it will hunt you down and take you to its lair to feed you to its offspring."

"And where is your proof for this?" asks Sheik.

"Every year, ten or so kids go missing. What else can it be?"

Mikau shrugs. "Pedophiles, maybe?"

He shakes his head. "Uh-uh. I've seen one with my own eyes."

"Then why weren't you hunted down, taken to its lair, and fed to its offspring?" I ask him, eyebrows raising.

He exhales lightly, shaking his head. "…For some unknown reason, I was spared."

I turn to the others, smirking. "It was a costume." They nod in agreement.

"I was spared!" Pipit shouts. "Which is why I value my life and live it as if I'd die tomorrow." He looks at each of us. "So, I say… we go find one and kill it!"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" exclaims Dark, pumping a fist in the air.

"Dark," I say, "sidebar." I drag him out of earshot from the others, giving him a frustrated glare as he stands before me with an innocent look on his face. "Monster hunting? Really? That's only what you and I do! What about not revealing our outside identities?"

"We don't have to," he assures me. "Think about it. If we do find a monster, we'll have a chance to kill it without your friends being suspicious. They would think it's just a Halloween legend."

I blink. "That's actually pretty smart."

He flashes that trademark innocent grin of his. "You underestimate me."

"And I have a reason to. Now let's go."

Once we join them, Pipit asks, "You're both in, right?"

I shrug. "I could either watch you tackle an innocent dude in a costume, or do homework… Hmm. I'm in."

"Same," Dark states, nodding.

Pipit turns to Sheik and Mikau, eyebrows raised. "Majority rules, three against two. You guys are coming with."

"Dammit," grunts Sheik. "Link, you're supposed to be the sensible one in this group."

"I just think it'd be fun to see Pipit get the cops called on him."

"I'm not going to attack anyone human," Pipit assures, although I'm sure everyone assumes the opposite.

"We're going to want to avoid the residential area," recommends Dark, "so we don't get anyone in a costume. We should head east."

"How are you so familiar with the city?" Mikau asks. "Are you from here?"

Dark chuckles. "I belong in the city."

"You belong in an asylum," I retort sharply.

"Guys," Pipit interrupts, "think about it. We want to find the monsters. The monsters are gonna want to find people. People are in the residential area." He taps his forefinger to his temple. "Sometimes you gotta think like me."

Sheik blinks. "And look where that got you."

Pipit lifts his chin. "Exactly."

"That was sarcasm." He shakes his head in exasperation. "Dude, you believe in fairy-tales."

"Just you wait," answers Pipit. "We'll see one. I'll bet you fifteen rupees."

"Heh, okay. Deal."

I sigh, hating the fact that Pipit's actually going to win this bet.

But I get an idea. "Pipit," I say, "I'll bet you those fifteen rupees that if we do see a monster, you'll wet your pants."

"I'm not going to wet my pants."

"Is that a bet, then?"

"Sure."

I smirk, remembering the Super Big Gulp that Pipit had chugged on our trip to the library. This might actually turn out to be a fun night, I muse, fighting a smile.

Nearly twenty minutes later we arrive at a neighborhood of apartments. Parents keep a close eye on their dressed-up children as they weave between the complexes, proceeding to knock on every door inside to ask for some candy. On the contrary, teens in skimpy costumes prance through the neighborhood, practically begging attention of the entire street. Young, troublemaking boys prowl around with baskets of eggs to throw, and with air horns to scare the smaller children.

"Ah," Pipit murmurs with a smile. "This brings back memories."

I quirk an eyebrow, but remain unsurprised that Pipit had been a rascal as a kid. His nature is, more or less, quite the same.

We settle behind a row of bushes lining the residential street, waiting rather impatiently for a monster to reveal itself. As Pipit peeks through the branches, flinching every time a dressed-up person walks by our hiding spot, Dark and I share equally-bored looks. He and I know that our chances of finding a timid, just-born-into-this-world monster are slim. And pretty shady.

But Pipit doesn't know that. How could he? You can't blame him—except for ironically still believing in monsters.

Despite Dark's reassurance, I still hope that we do not encounter a monster. My friends have already seen enough of my secret life, with the fight against Agahnim outside that drag bar. It truly is a crazy life, and I'd like it to be kept to myself for now. There are some things that people can't handle.

After roughly twenty minutes of absolute nothing, Sheik grumbles, "Come on, guys, I say we call it a night."

"Hey!" snaps Pipt accusingly. "You're just saying that to win the bet!"

The blonde sighs. "If we go home right now, I'll call it off. I'm tired."

Pipit puts a hand to his face. "…Okay, guys, I have a confession to make." He closes his eyes and tilts his head up. "I don't… actually believe in monsters. I just wanted to hang out with you all for a while longer… and see if we could make an awesome memory out of tonight."

A pause. "…That's the dumbest reasoning I've ever heard," Mikau snorts. "We could've just gone to the lounge!"

"But think about it. Our best moments happened out here in the city. The city is alive, guys! It's amazing!"

I've never wanted to agree and disagree with someone so much at one time.

"Did you mistake a pack of weed for a salad again?" Sheik asks.

Pipit groans. "I thought 'Kush' was a type of lettuce back then, okay?" He looks at us now. "I guess we can go. There's no point in staying anymore."

"Thank you," exhales Sheik, mid-yawn.

As we walk back, Mikau nudges my side and smiles lazily. "Don't worry. Halloween is always kind of a let-down."

With a shrug, I reply, "At our age, yeah."

Mikau gestures toward Pipit at the front of our group. "If you haven't noticed, Pipit can get a little clingy."

"I guess I never thought of it that way."

He nods, observing Pipit as he leads the way, staring at his footsteps. "He will just call it 'loyal'," Mikau explains, "but he tries his hardest to keep all of us together." His gaze falls. "Although he can get a little extreme, I don't blame him, you know. Partly 'cause we've lost close friends to other people in the past."

"Like who?" I question.

"Darmani mostly, and then Fledge."

"Oh. That makes sense, I guess. I've noticed that they don't really hang out with us."

Mikau nods solemnly. "Darmani and Pipit used to be best friends as little kids. They're roommates now, and he and Fledge sit with us at lunch, but it's different. Darmani has the football team, and Fledge has his book club or whatever those smart kids do, so they spend most of their time without us."

I look at Pipit. "That explains a lot."

"Right," Mikau agrees. "It didn't sit too well with Pip, so we try our best to stick around with him. We've developed a high tolerance to his antics, too." He grins to lighten the mood of the conversation.

Five minutes later, we find ourselves in a dark street near the market. Its flickering street lights, cracked pavement, and ominous fog creeping between the alleys send chills down my spine and invoke an uneasy feeling among our whole group. Even Dark, typically incapable of keeping his mouth closed, is hushed to silence.

"Uh, Pip?" Sheik murmurs quietly. "Did you take a wrong turn?"

The boy runs a hand through his hair, biting his lip nervously. "I, uh… I must've…"

"Let's turn around," I suggest. Lacking other options, they follow my lead and turn around—only to freeze in place.

About five fathoms away stands a maroon-skinned behemoth, an otherworldly creature standing nearly eight feet tall and weighing roughly half a ton. Its bedraggled clothing consists of a mere brown tarp hanging loosely at the waist. What strikes me the most is how extremely and almost comically fat the creature is. Its belly protrudes from its upper body and sags below the waist, and the creature's stubby legs wobble under the massive weight they carry. In its chubby arms, it drags an uprooted stop sign and swings it around as a weapon a few times.

"A moblin," whispers Dark.

"W-what?" stammers Pipit, quivering in fear.

Dark fixes him with an obvious look. "It's a moblin. A type of monster."

Without taking his eyes off the creature, Sheik reaches into his pocket, pulls his hand out, and offers its contents to Pipit. Inside lies fifteen rupees.

Pipit takes the money and immediately delivers it to me; I smirk, taking note of his other hand covering his crotch area.

Mikau, meanwhile, just silently observes the monster from afar with disbelieving eyes.

"Dark?" I begin slowly.

"Yeah?" he answers, the both of us keeping our eyes locked on the moblin.

"You got your sack?"

"Yeah, between my legs, as always."

"The burlap sack," I snap. "With all your tools."

"…No. Not today."

I turn to Pipit. "I guess you were right in the first place, huh, Pip?"

"This has to be a dream…" he muses, eyes wide as golf balls. "It's someone in a costume, isn't it…?"

"Let's go check," asserts Dark, leaning down to pick up a stray nail. He shows the item to each of us. "Find something. Just in case."

Mikau finds a steel trash can lid, Pipit picks up a wooden plank, Sheik withdraws a pocketknife and flips it open, and with nothing else to choose from I am forced to take a discarded sneaker as my weapon. Look out, moblin.

Pathetically armed, the four of us follow Dark as he cautiously approaches the creature. My doppelganger stops about fifteen feet away, lifts his chin, and calls, "Greetings!"

"Are you an idiot?!" Pipit demands in a hushed voice.

"I'm checking if it's a costume."

The moblin tilts its head to one side and grunts, confused.

"That'd be one elaborate costume," Mikau comments, still awestruck.

I raise a hand to get the group's attention. "Okay… here's the plan," I say slowly, quietly. "We sneak around it through that alley." I point to my left. "But everyone needs to stay calm, and stay quiet—"

"AAAHHH!" Pipit abruptly screams out of panic, sprinting toward the alley.

"Dammit, Pipit!"

The moblin bellows, points its stop sign at Pipit, and charges toward him with insane speed for its weight. Our friend is quick, but no match for the moblin's long and thunderous strides.

With no other choice, we sprint after Pipit, terrified for our lives. Me less than the others, of course, but I'm not willing to reveal my powers yet.

We duck into the alley, only to be stopped short by a dead end. The creature's thunderous footsteps are growing increasingly nearer.

"Ladder!" Sheik shouts. We all whip our heads in the direction he points to. Sure enough, a rickety, rusted ladder is there, leading up to the rooftop.

"Come on!" Mikau orders, leading the way there. One by one, we climb up—myself and then Dark trailng the pack.

The moblin grunts upon rediscovering our location, breaking into a full sprint toward the five of us. We instinctively climb faster, until a yelp from behind alerts us.

The monster had yanked Dark down to the ground where he now lay with wide eyes, looking directly into the yellow irises of the corpulent beast. It lifts the uprooted stop sign up, threatening to bear it down upon its captured prey. As a last-second action for his life, Dark thrusts the nail into the belly of the moblin.

Rearing its ugly head back, the beast bellows in pain, giving Dark the perfect opportunity to scramble to his feet and dash back up the ladder. We ascend to the rooftop once he safely joins us.

As my friends stand there, breathing heavily out of their ultimate relief, they stare wide-eyed at Pipit. Though none will say it, they are all thinking: You were right.

"Okay…" begins Pipit, fixing each of us with a bewildered expression. "Who put weed in my salad again?"

Wednesday, November 1

"So." Zelda squints her eyes thoughtfully. "He's actually your doppelganger."

"Yep," I answer truthfully.

"And not your brother."

"Right."

She bites her lip, avoiding my eyes. "…I feel like you're leaving something out."

"I'm telling the truth," I assure her.

However, I decide to leave out the relatively-big part about Dark being an inhuman creature summoned from the dark world by Ganondorf, and how he copied my entire physical form. I do so since I haven't yet informed her of the existence of dark world monsters, of course. Not that Dark is a monster—although, that's something I'm repeatedly unsure of.

"Gaiden," Mr. Masca calls from the other end of the classroom, glaring his yellow eyes at me.

"What?"

He narrows his eyes even further. "Zip it."

Like the true smart-ass I am, I take hold of the zipper at the end of my open jacket and promptly pull it upward, a bemused smile skirting across my lips.

"Not. Your. Jacket," he drawls out, fists clenching in frustration.

Zelda suppresses her giggles as I flash him the OK-sign. He returns to his work, grading papers—obviously, if mine is being graded currently, I'd be receiving a zero.

"My dad would never approve," Zelda begins in a quite voice, "but I like how you handle these jerks."

"You don't have to talk quietly, you know," I tell her with a grin. "You've got him wrapped around your finger. You could get away with anything."

"I guess so," she muses. "But word would get back to my dad. It's hard having a parent working at school."

I suppress thoughts of saying that I'd rather have a parent at school than not have any at all. Instead I nod and offer her a sympathetic smile—since it's easier for me to give sympathy than to receive it.

"By the way," Zelda begins, "um, Malon and Sheik invited me to go with them to Lakeside this weekend… Do you, maybe, wanna come along so I'm not third-wheeling the whole time?"

Sweet Din—is she asking me to spend a weekend with her? Granted, also with Sheik and Malon, but still.

Then again… can I leave the city for a whole weekend? Can I trust CTPD to hold it down while I'm away?

But hey, is it really worth it—romance over the safety of innocent civilians?

"I might have something," I say nervously after a moment of pondering, "but I would love to—if that's okay with Sheik and Malon."

Zelda nods. "Well, um, they already told me to invite you…"

Wow, Sheik—I live with you, but you force Zelda to ask me. You totally planned that.

"Oh," I say. "Well… I'll text you when I find out if I can."

Zelda smiles brightly, excitedly. "Great."

Thursday, November 2

"Gaiden," he says, maroon eyes staring intensely, unblinking, at me.

Even in my full Hero attire, he recognizes me. And I have to admit, I'm a little confused. "Anemoi."

The tiniest hint of a smirk brushes across his lavender lips. "You remember my name, even after putting me through the slammer. How thoughtful," he cooes with that smooth voice of his, words dripping with sarcasm.

I nod shortly. "And you know mine, despite my disguise."

"I've known your true identity since Dragmire put a bounty on your head." That tiny smirk is gone, now. "No one can push open the academy doors as hard as you did—and no one can beat up Groose as easily as you did." He turns to look down from where we stand, atop a roof in central Castle Town. We watch cars buzz by, yellow headlights tearing through the night sky and giving the streets a warm glow. "Plus," he says without meeting my eyes, "that Hyrule Academy sweatshirt was very obvious."

I nod, unable to disagree.

"Do you remember the last words I said to you, Gaiden?"

I squint at him, confused. "I don't."

Vaati intakes a steady breath of the damp city air, then releases. He seems oddly calm—and, oddly, so do I. "I told you that Ganondorf's gang needs to be taken down." He looks over at me. "As I'm sure you've figured out, I was never loyal to him. I am a trusted member of the Y.U.G.A."

"I happened to meet Cia," I answer with a nod.

"She told me about your meeting, and about your deal."

"Do you approve of it?"

His head swivels back to view the city lights below. "Despite our previous verbal and physical disagreements, I do approve of the deal. I feel that it's logical and resourceful for both ends."

I nod slowly. "Truthfully… I've never imagined you to possess such composure—especially with me, an old enemy."

"And this is coming from the reckless, hormonal boy who risks revealing his superhuman identity in order to impress a girl."

I freeze, taken aback, biting my tongue from coming back with a derogatory retort. "Well—she's attractive."

Vaati scoffs, without a change in his facial expression. "Such a weakness of yours. Love is more dangerous than you can imagine, Gaiden." He pauses. "I'd be willing to guess that you have already revealed your identity to this girl."

I blink once, twice. "…Well—"

"—she's attractive," he finishes for me, finally showing remote signs of a sense of humor.

"On the subject of my identity," I begin, "I'd prefer that you don't call me by my real name."

"What do you go by?"

"Hero."

He fixes me with the same blank expression. "…I refuse to call you that."

"Fine. Just not 'Link' or 'Gaiden,' please."

"How about 'dumbass'?" he asks blandly.

I glare at him. "Very funny."

"I wasn't joking."

Big surprise, there.

Rolling my eyes, I decide to move on from the topic. "I've got a question for you," I begin. "When Sakon broke you and Ghirahim out, how were you not taken back to Ganondorf?"

Vaati turns to face me, reaching a hand up to his face, rubbing his thumb along his left cheek. The pale color of his skin is smeared off to reveal a tattoo of a gray triangle, upside-down so it points toward the ground. "See this. The Y.U.G.A. emblem." He taps the triangle with a pale forefinger. "A triangle. Each corner represents one thing: strategy, strength, and stealth."

"Your point?"

"Because we have these values in our gang, we pride ourselves on thinking of multiple possible outcomes. We are never outsmarted. We are always one step ahead." He nods with determination set firmly in his eyes. "You have chosen wisely to work with us."

Once again, I can't disagree.

"Now. The reason I am truly here." Vaati turns and extends his hand.

I hesitate, looking down at the white-gloved hand and then at Vaati's maroon eyes. Finally I take his hand, and Vaati gives it a surprisingly-weak shake.

"Until your deal with Cia is complete, I pledge my loyalty to you," he asserts with a dutiful nod.

"And I to you." I nod back.

We retract our hands.

"Farwell, dumbass." With that, Vaati leaps over the edge of the roof. I look down frantically to see as he extends his limbs in all directions, the lavender cape he wore morphing into a wingsuit. He glides through the street until weaving through a pair of buildings, disappearing from my sight.

Dumbass. I hope he meets the tail end of a flick of pigeons.

I stroll down the southern streets of Castle Town. As I continue along I notice that I'm receiving more looks of recognition on the faces of the civilians; in the future I may have to consider traveling in stealth.

A bearded man shoulders past me, reaching into my pocket as he does so. Normally—as in, before my Triforce had awakened—I would never notice such a subtle action. But this pickpocketer happened to pick the wrong victim.

Without looking at the man, I discreetly snatch his arm and forcefully rip it out of my pocket—all the while silently walking forward. He yelps, flailing under my strong grip before I release him, prompting him to scram, stumbling over his feet as he does so.

I stifle a chuckle. How pathetic, it must be, to resort to a life of crime. It has never occurred to me that one can "run out of other options," as criminals so often claim. My heart goes out to the general public, non Triforce-bearers that is, who would not notice the man's greedy hand slipping into their pockets. They are not as lucky as I am, in that case.

Good for me; I can avoid thieves. I still don't have a family though.

I blink in surprise—where had that come from? What has my mind come to, thinking such remarkably pessimistic thoughts? Looking upward, I see the stars twinkle in the night sky. There, I muse, are your good fortunes. Ignore that inner demon.

I blink several times to clear my mind, proceeding forward.

I notice someone's presence to my left, walking stride for stride beside me. Thinking nothing of it, I pick up my pace, but the person does too. Finally, I whirl to my left to face the creep, only to be met with a bright grin.

"What up, Link?"

My eyes widen. "What the hell—don't say my name!"

Dark hits himself in the head. "Aw, dammit. Sorry, Link."

"Dude!"

"Sorry!" he groans. "Gods, it's hard! I just got used to calling you Li—er, by your name. 'Cause, you know, I'm hanging around your squad now."

"Yeah, um, what's with you following me around so much nowadays?"

He pouts. "…Do you not want me around?"

"You know that's not what I mean."

"Well I don't have any other place to go."

I squint at him. "Where'd you sleep the last two nights?"

With a shrug, he answers, "Behind your dorm building."

I scoff. "Dark, you can't do that!"

"Don't say my name!" he scolds with mimicked enthusiasm, wagging a finger at me, but the smirk on his face gives up his act. "See, it is hard."

"Okay, sure. But dude, you can't sleep on our school property. You could get arrested."

"Pfft. I'm not on any records."

"Then they'll think you're an illegal immigrant. They'll deport you to Termina or somewhere." I shake my head as he just nods along, unfamiliar with this age's law system. "What happened to that dumpster of yours, anyway?"

"Oh, um… I left it."

I squint suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because it's unsanitary."

"Imagine that," I mumble. "But it wasn't an issue for you before. So what made you leave it?"

He shrugs. "Some mean dude came to the alley a couple days ago and made me leave."

"Was he an officer?"

Dark shakes his head. "No. He told me to leave. I had just woken up, so I was naked, so I was all like 'We can share,' which didn't necessarily mean what it seemed like to him." He points to his groin area for emphasis, shrugging helplessly.

"And what did he say?"

"That if I ever went near that alley again he would—" He uses air quotes: "—'cut that thing off and shove it down my throat.'"

I stifle a laugh. "And you believed him?"

"He had a scary knife!"

Squinting suspiciously, I ask, "What did he look like?"

"Pale skin, died white hair, weird outfit. Looked like an emo."

"Oh, Gods," I say, recognizing that description anywhere. "That's Ghirahim!"

He doesn't mirror the enthusiasm. "So?" he asks blandly.

"He's in the M.O.D."

Dark's eyes widen. "Thank Gods he didn't recognize me, or I would've been dead meat."

I nod. "That's because he was in jail. You weren't summoned till after he was brought in. He didn't know you're wanted."

"I'm sure he knows you are."

"I'd agree, being the one who got him arrested."

"Yep. That'd do it."

As the two of us walk, I realize now how ridiculous we must look to the outside eye. Two teenage boys, presumably twins, walking down the street side-by-side in matching costumes, one green and one black. Maybe they think we're just a couple of amine freaks leaving some lame convention.

"Are you scared of him?" I ask Dark after a bit.

"Who?"

I look at him. "Is your memory that short? Ghirahim. The guy we were just talking about."

"Oh. Um, at that time, yeah."

I shake my head. "You shouldn't be. You're a monster slayer. Some wannabe thug shouldn't scare you."

"I know, but I don't necessarily have superpowers like you."

"You can see perfectly in the dark, you told me. And I've noticed you're significantly more agile than a typical human."

"…I can't shoot lightning," he pouts, crossing his arms.

"It's overrated."

"Overrated? You never have to microwave your popcorn again! Just shoot the damn thing and you're set for the night!"

I grin. "Okay, you're right."

With a sigh, Dark looks at the ground. "If I had lightning, I would've zapped that freak till he was cooked."

An idea comes to mind suddenly. "Hey, Dark, you wanna get some revenge?"

Dark looks at me. "What are you planning?"

"To put Ghirahim back in jail," I reply, a smirk brushing across my lips, "with force."

Dark's face lights up. "Count me in!"

The alley is ominously black, but Dark proceeds into it with confidence, due to his enhanced sight. I've noticed that in dark places, his scarlet eyes mysteriously begin to glow. Perhaps it is another quirk to dark world beings, but I personally think it's rather cool.

We step forward cautiously, Dark deciding it wise to bring an actual weapon this time—his trademark lead pipe with a sharp metal end jutting out of it—instead of settling for a mere nail as a defense mechanism. I, meanwhile, carry nothing, finding my own abilities sufficient. While I strut forward confidently, unbeknownst to what dangers lurk ahead, Dark meekly and cautiously trails behind me.

"What is it?" I ask in a hushed tone. "Do you see something I don't?"

He nods simply, then points.

I turn around. Ghirahim's there.

"Gaiden."

I narrow my eyes, clenching my fists tightly. "Daemon."

I look him square in the eye through my disguise. Aside from the bruises skirting his cheekbones, his appearance has remained quite the same: pissed-off expression, long white hair, pale skin tone, silver lipstick.

From behind him comes another figure, a woman, taking slow, delicate strides in her tall black boots. She steps into the light, revealing pale skin that takes a bluish hue. Her eyes are made up to resemble a cat's, and her navy hair is tied back into a long and voluminous ponytail, with a bright orange streak running through. She flashes a wicked smile before speaking in a smooth and entrancing tone: "Could this be the boy who was at the concert the other day?"

My eyes widen. "You're the assassin."

She nods, extending a black-gloved hand. "Veran Black. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Gaiden."

So she's also the supposed "lawyer" who broke out Ghirahim and Vaati.

Instead of leaving the hand to hover, I take it, sending a jolt of electricity into her.

She yanks her hand back, shooting me a pouty glare. "Ow! That is no way to treat a lady."

Ghirahim steps forward. "Why are you here?"

"To take you back to prison."

Ghirahim smirks. "I see. You're afraid that I'm gonna tell Mr. Dragmire who you really are—where you live, who your friends are, where you attend school."

"Too bad he's away right now," Veran says with a shrug.

Ghirahim nods, sneering. "Luckily, you have some time."

"And you don't." I thrust my arm forward, landing an electric hit right in the middle of Ghirahim's abdomen. He is sent backward and collapses on the pavement.

Dark dashes forward, rearing his weapon back in preparation to swing. "No!" I shout in protest, running to him and yanking the weapon away.

"Weakling," chastises Veran's voice, but neither of us are looking in her direction.

Dark breathes heavily, looking down at Ghirahim as he rolls on the ground and clutches his stomach.

"Veran's gone," he exhales.

He's right.

I drop Dark's weapon, then storm over to Ghirahim. "Go get me that," I instruct, pointing to a discarded coil of rope. He does so, and I proceed to drag Ghirahim over to a gutter pipe. I take the rope and bind his hands to the pipe, secure it tightly, then stand up.

Turning to address Dark, I stop upon catching sight of a graffiti can resting just below a freshly-sprayed design of the M.O.D.'s crescent moon symbol on the opposite wall. I take it, spray an X-shape over the symbol, and scribe next to it: HERO.

Withdrawing my cell, I dial up Shad.

"Link?"

"Tell the chief that Hero has a present for him. West Twenty-Second Street. The alley between the laundromat and the closed-down barber."

And I hang up without waiting for a reply.

"Can we forget about my temper tantrum?"

"The one that almost caused you to murder somebody?"

"That's the one."

"Sure. Just learn to control yourself."

He sighs. "Will do. Sorry."

"Can I ask a big favor of you?"

"Sure, you can ask it. I don't know if I'll do it."

I glare at him. "I was invited to go on vacation for the weekend with someone. I need you to control the city for me while I'm gone."

His eyes narrow accusingly. "This is for a girl, isn't it?"

I sigh. "Yeah, it is."

Dark nods. "Okay, I'll do it. But," he adds, raising a finger and smirking slyly, "on one condition…"

"Hey," I type, proceeding to hit the send button. Then, I wait, pondering.

"Link, why are you texting me at midnight?" comes the reply.

"I was with friends for awhile," I explain, "and I was just thinking about your invite."

"And?"

"I'm free."

"Great! :)"

I grin, typing, "See you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yep! Goodnight Link," she replies.

"Night," I reply, then set my FiPhone down on my nightstand. With a huff, I lay back on my bed, yanking the sheets over my body as I do so.

"Who were you texting?" Sheik asks me curiously from his own bed.

"Zelda," I answer.

"Ooh. Asking for some late-night pics?"

"You're hilarious," I grunt in a bland tone. "I was replying to her invite to Lakeside—which I'm surprised why you didn't invite me to it in the first place."

"Because it's funny how flustered Zelda gets around you!"

"You weren't even there to see it!"

He shrugs. "Malon was. Eavesdropping, at least."

I lift my head off my pillow to shoot him an irked glare. "If you know how flustered she gets around me, then why did you make it hard on her and not just invite me yourself?"

"Because—observe." He raises a finger, then proceeds to prop himself up on his elbows. "When Zelda invited you, did she blush?"

I squint. "I guess, but none more than usual."

"Wait, so you're saying she usually blushes around you?"

"I guess."

He fixes me with an obvious look. "Dude, she is totally into you."

"Because of blushing?" I shake my head. "That doesn't prove anything. Some people just get embarrassed easily."

He shrugs. "Whatever, bro. I'm pretty certain about this."

Just then, a figure bursts through the door giddily, slamming it shut once inside the dorm. "Guys! That giant food box thing is so awesome!" gushes Dark, arms overflowing with packages of Pop-Tarts.

"Dark," I grunt, "it's called a vending machine. Whose money did you use?"

"The floor's," comes the typical clueless response.

Sheik puts a hand to his face. "Dude. That was my money."

"Then why did you give it to the floor?"

"I put it there."

Dark looks down at his stash of Pop-Tarts, then back up at Sheik. "So I guess these are yours, then."

He rolls his eyes, sighing, "You keep 'em."

Dark's face lights up, flashing a bright, toothy grin. "Thanks. I like you, Zeke."

"It's Sheik," grumbles the blonde, lying back on his bed.

Still smiling, Dark drops the processed pastries down on the table before leaping onto the couch, pulling a blanket over him. "Gods, indoor living," he muses, looking up at the ceiling dreamily. "This is amazing."

"You've never lived indoors before?" Sheik asks.

"Nah," he admits with a shrug. "I've spent nights indoors before, but that's about it."

Sheik pauses. "…I'm sorry, man."

"What? No! Don't give me sympathy," says my doppelganger. "I love my life. I'm just happy to be here."

Sheik looks at me from the other side of the room, and I just shrug in response. Then, I address Dark: "Well, don't get too happy; there's a chance that the staff will come around the dorms. Since you aren't enrolled in the school, you'd get kicked out."

Dark turns to offer me a mischievous smirk. "Trust me, Link. I can hide really well."

"I'm sure you can."

With closed eyes, Sheik says, "Hey, uh, do you guys think somethin' weird's going on around here lately?"

"What do you mean?" I inquire.

He props himself up on his side, fixing me with a peculiar look. "That… thing. The moblin. It just ain't normal."

"Agreed," says Dark. "It isn't."

"So what's going on?"

I gulp nervously, having previously dreaded a situation in which my friends become suspicious. "I don't know."

Sheik stares pensively up at the ceiling. "Something's going on. I know it."

Without a goodnight, he rolls over, turning his back to me as he settles into sleep.

I lay my head back, glancing out the window between our beds, allowing the comforting light of the stars to lull me to a contented slumber.