Ack. I logged on to earlier, and realized that I hadn't updated this fic in over a month. Sorry! All I can say is that the past few weeks have been so hectic for me it's not even funny. Seriously. So I sat down and wrote this chapter in, like, three days. I'm sorry for being late!

Anyway, I was so excited to write the last chapter, and I hope that everyone liked it as much as I did! Response was a little lackluster, but that's okay. At least I got a response, right? So, HUGE THANKS to ultima-owner, GirlAnimePrincess, ocarina921, and TempestJewel for reviewing!

To ultima-owner: I will post that story eventually, but after I finish Honor Among Thieves. Sorry, but you won't see it for a while yet!

Disclaimer: Don't own LoZ. Hey, I just realized- this is one of the shortest Author's Notes in this story. Yay!


"So… Picori. And Wind Mage. And just Mage in general."

"Yes."

"And you're literally the living shadow of the Four Sword Links."

"Yup."

"And I'm supposed to be the evil counterpart to a different Link, the current one's great-grandfather."

"Sounds about right."

"Well, d***."

"Uh-huh. Just what I was thinking."

"Well, d***."

"Mm hm."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So… what now?"

Vaati leaned back and shrugged. "We keep doing what we've been doing, I guess. Help Link, live our lives, and take advantage of the fact that we're no longer dead."

Dark let out a short bark of laughter. "Yeah. Man, that whole 'come-back-to-life' thing just feels so… weird. Though, at least I know why I hate water that's less than skin-deep now. And why I used to hate fire."

I winced. "Heh, I'm really not sure what's the worst way to go- burned to ash by holy fire, dissolved into literally nothing, or suicide by smashed mirror."

Vaati laughed. "Personally, I think it would be burning. Disintegrating actually felt just a bit more painful than Midna's twilit warping- it was the feeling of betrayal that hurt the most."

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" I protested. "I think I'm the luckiest, though. Sounds like I'm the only one who actually felt at peace when I died."

"That's because you got what you wanted, though. Acceptance," Dark pointed out in a wistful tone. "You managed to get free from that b****** Ganondorf."

"That's true," Vaati said. Then he smiled coldly, teeth bared in a malicious fashion like the predator his beast form embodied. "But now that I think about it, that barrier around the castle fairly reeked of his magic. And that means he's still around, meaning I have an opportunity for revenge."

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Really? Huh. Who knew the guy would still be alive, even all these years later." He bared his fangs, and red eyes flashed angrily. "Then… he's probably the mastermind behind Zant, eh?"

"Probably," I agreed. "Goin' after Zelda, again. You'd think he woulda learned from last time. And I bet Link will kick his a**, again."

The three of us lapsed into silence. Then, the room shook as a massive roar sounded from outside.

Dark jerked up, eyes wide. "What was that?"

Vaati cursed under his breath. "Oh, Goddesses. I can't believe I forgot about him!"

"Him?" I asked nervously, trying to figure out why that roar sounded so familiar. "Who's 'him'?"

"Argorok," Vaati replied grimly. "The dragon."

"Wait, he's still alive?!" I gasped. I remembered him from when I had invaded Hyrule Castle, all those years ago. He had been the dragon I'd ridden at the head of the monster army. He had been young, then, just coming out of his juvenile years. But to think that he was still around… I knew that dragons were long-lived, but I hadn't quite realized how long-lived. But he would be old, now. Old, and far past the peak of his power.

Dark frowned in confusion. "Argorok the dragon. Why do I get the feeling that I'm missing something here?" he asked.

I quickly explained. "I knew Argorok, during my first life," I told him. "He was the one that I rode on when I led the siege on Hyrule Castle. We talked sometimes. He was smart, for a monster, and had a wicked sense of humor."

"I later enlisted him in guarding this stronghold, as well as the race I created- the Oocca," Vaati added. "He sounds angry, though. I don't know why."

Dark blinked slowly. "Okay," he replied. Then he seemed to realize something. "Wait- you created the Oocca?!"

The Wind Mage laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Eheheh… I was bored, okay? And keep in mind, I was insane at the time. I didn't expect the species to actually survive, much less multiply and become intelligent!"

"Well, that may have been because they actually had no predators whatsoever until now," I muttered. "Ugh, I remember the day you showed up with the first one in your arms. I wasn't sure whether I should've screamed and ran or killed it on the spot. I think I settled for complimenting you on managing to create such a unique life-form."

Dark closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he buried his head in his hands. "This is getting too weird," I heard him mutter. "This is getting way, way too weird."

Vaati coughed nervously. "Then, perhaps I should save the story about the deku baba and the fire keese for later."

I winced at the memory. "Yeah, probably a good idea," I agreed. That… had been one of Vaati's less successful experiments. To say the least.

Our older brother opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. "I don't want to know. I definitely don't want to know."

Vaati and I shared fanged grins. We'd actually had a surprising amount of free time in our previous lives, and when you add in an insane Mage who loved to experiment with a mischievous Shadow- well, as they say, "idle hands are the Devil's workshop."

Then another ground-shaking roar sounded, and we were brought back to the present. "Like I said earlier, Argorok sounds mad," Vaati said. "And I'm pretty sure I saw burn marks on some of the buildings earlier. Do you think-?"

"Maybe," I said grimly. "Though, whether it's time taking its toll on his mind or the Twilit Mirror Shard, I don't know. I'd like to think it would be the Mirror Shard, but, well…"

"It has been several hundred years," Dark finished, catching on to our line of thought. "Then again, we've seen that the Shards have the power to corrupt. Remember Yeta?" he reminded. We all shuddered in unison. I'd almost had a heart-attack when her face just swiveled around like the rotating backdrops of a puppet theater. To think she had gone from such a sweet, kind woman to, well, that…

"Corrupt, indeed," I muttered grimly. "Though, if he's really gone insane, then I suppose we're lucky he hasn't descended to earth and started flaming the kingdom."

Vaati coughed awkwardly. "Ah, well, that would probably be because of the wards I set up," he said. "They're tied to his blood, so he can't actually get down to the surface. The closest would probably be about a mile above sea level, at the least. I didn't want him to go around burning villages, since there was no point in ruling a kingdom with nobody in it and it would have probably led to his eventual death by some brave hero. Then I would have been without my guard."

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Well, even if it maybe wasn't for the best of reasons, I suppose we should be grateful for that much," he mused. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "Sounds like you, though. Helping others, not out of the goodness of your heart, but because it benefits you."

The purple-haired Mage just rolled his eyes. "Well, we are all reincarnated villains," he pointed out dryly. "Even in this life, we are, technically, the 'bad guys'. Well, as far as the Castle Town Guards are concerned, anyway."

Another roar echoed, muffled slightly as though from a farther distance.

"He's moving away," I stated. "We should take the opportunity to get back down to the main city. Link and Midna are still down there."

Vaati winced guiltily. "Um… would it be mean if I said that I kinda forgot about them?"

Dark leaned back, pointed fangs bared in an amused grin. "Oh, Goddesses," he laughed, "Link. Imagine his face when we tell him about this…"

I let out an amused snort. "And Midna's. Think we'll finally get her speechless?"

"Without a doubt," Vaati agreed, crimson eyes flashing in the light. "At the very least, I can guarantee she'll be surprised."


Upon exiting the castle, the first thing we had to do was dodge one of Link's arrows. It zipped right between Dark and I before hitting the wards and bouncing off, falling all the way back down to earth. I looked in the direction that the arrow had come from and saw Link, battling an aeralfos. He was standing on a small grassy area shooting up at the monster, who seemed to actually be taunting him.

"Oh, yes. I forgot; there are probably still the descendants of the original monster army here," Vaati muttered to himself. "Whoops. Well, let's take care of that, shall we?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What'cha gonna do from this distance?" I asked curiously, mentally sorting through what I knew of Vaati's long-range attacks. With the remembrance of our past lives, his arsenal had now expanded considerably, and included much more than simple Wind manipulation.

Vaati smirked, then cracked his knuckles. "Oh, just a little something that I haven't done for a long, long time," he replied slyly.

The Mage then put both palms together and chanted several words under his breath, infusing them with a red glow. Then he pulled them apart, which created a thin beam of red light that stretched between each hand. Another beam lanced out from the very center of the first, perpendicular to the original as it focused on the back of the aeralfos' head like the bullseye of a target.

"Burn beneath the Crimson Flames," Vaati murmured softly. A bolt of bright-red, blood-red flames leapt from between his hands. It flew down the path of the beam in an instant, hungrily devouring the air around it, and hit the aeraflos dead-on. There was a slight hissing sound, like melting steel. Then both fire and light extinguished, leaving nothing but a smoking hole in the back of the monster's head.

For one long moment it held still, motionless, suspended in the air at the very millisecond of its death. If I had been able to see the exit point, I knew that there would be a corresponding hole right between the eyes, which would have been wide and shocked before extinguishing in death. Then it fell to earth, body crumpling to the ground like a broken doll, and exploded into black dust. The entire process, from incantation to execution, had taken less than thirty seconds.

Dark let out a low whistle. "Well, d***."

Vaati made a show of brushing off his hands satisfyingly. "Still got it," he smirked as fangs bared in a malicious grin. "Could work on accuracy and casting speed a bit, but still, not bad for my first try in almost half a millenium."

My brow furrowed slightly. Something about that attack… "Wait," I realized, "if you had an attack like that, why didn't you kill the Links with it the first time?"

Vaati shrugged. "I was insane, remember? I clearly wasn't thinking straight at all. I think I used something similar, shooting lasers from my eye, but… oh! I think the hylian shield can deflect any attack, so it wouldn't have worked anyway."

Dark grimaced. "Ugh, I remember that. I hated that shield. Had to attack fast enough before he blocks, otherwise the only way to get past is to just push him back with brute force."

Link, who seemed extremely confused, chose that moment to look up and see us. His face broke out into a wide grin, and he cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting up, "Dark! Shadow! Vaati!"

I couldn't help but feel my heart skip a beat as I looked down at his grinning face. An image of Red, who had always been so bubbly and cheerful, superimposed itself over Link. His outfit (Green!) didn't help either, and his voice… it was just like how the grown-up version of the Four Sword Links must have sounded once he became of age.

I swallowed hard, and pushed down the sudden bout of nervousness that blossomed in my stomach. Well, looked like it was time to face the music. I just really hoped we could all still be friends after this. I wouldn't have admitted it in a million years, but I was afraid of rejection. Of anger, fear, hate. I hoped that he wouldn't hold our past lives against us. I hoped-

Gah! Stop acting so wimpy and man up! I told myself sternly. No point in hoping for something that may not happen. It was better to think realistically, have a contingency plan for every possible outcome. And be prepared for the worst. Still, something in me said that he wouldn't care. This Link was a lot like the one I had known way back when, and if that one had accepted me in the end, I thought this one would too.

Now, as for Vaati and Dark… well, I was sure that they'd be fine.


Utter silence. The pocket watch Vaati had picked up from parts unknown ticked on. Seconds drew into minutes, and I resisted the urge to fidget uncomfortably. Neither Link or Midna had said a single word since we'd dropped the metaphorical bomb on them, and the lack of response was starting to worry me.

Midna was the first to break the silence. "Oh, my goodness. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting that," she stated in a rather shell-shocked voice. "But luckily for me, it just means that Zant is going to get his butt kicked even more so!" she suddenly grinned, and proceeded to do her creepy giggle. I almost rolled my eyes, but stopped myself. Of course she'd be happy; since it was benefiting her as well.

"I…" Link blinked, then shook his head. "Oh, dear sweet Goddesses, I don't even know what to say. Sheesh, you guys never do anything by halves, huh?"

"No, we don't," Dark agreed glibly. "Hm. It seems that you're both taking his pretty well."

Link opened his mouth, closed it again, then pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. "At this point, I've learned to just take it and move on. Fewer headaches that way." The Hero seemed tired, and now that I looked closer, I saw that he was bloodied and disheveled- probably from trying to fight through the dungeon without us, in a terrain even more unfavorable to him than any other dungeon so far. Well, except, perhaps, for Death Mountain.

Midna just shrugged and grinned again. "You three seem like pretty nice guys in this life, and I think if you were going to backstab us you would have done so already. Only real difference now is that you're stronger than before."

"That's true," Vaati agreed. "If I was going to get rid of you, the best place probably would have been way back at Death Mountain. A little push into the lava- and not even a body to leave any evidence."

"Would have to make sure you take Midna by surprise so she doesn't just fly out, though," I pointed out. "A subtle twist of wind to make him trip when jumping across platforms, and neither of them would ever see it coming."

"Or that bit with the lava geysers. 'Accidentally' mess up his timing and boom, instant incineration," Dark interjected.

Link raised one dirty-blond eyebrow. "I'm not sure whether I should be amused or worried that you're discussing possible ways to murder me in a volcano," he said dryly. "You do realize that I'm right here, right?"

Midna just snickered.


That night, we bunked in Vaati's flying castle. The four of us, and Midna, sat around the fireplace in what used to be Vaati's private quarters.

"Okay," Link said. "I'm insanely curious. What were the previous Heroes- my ancestors -like?"

The three of us exchanged looks. We all had no trouble remembering his previous incarnations. Noble, slightly gullible, courageous to a fault- they all had pretty similar personality traits, and, when it came down to it, the same pure heart that made them such good Heroes.

Vaati was the one to start, since, according to date of birth, he was technically the oldest. "I fought two Links in my time," he said. "The first, the I call the Minish Cap Link, was the youngest to date, I think- only ten years old. He was- he was a lot like Red, actually." He shot me a look. "Optimistic, cheerful, compassionate… but with a core of steel when need be. I remember he was always wearing Ezlo as a hat- my old teacher," he added when Link looked confused. "I had cursed into the form of a hat-shaped green bird. So that was what that Link wore him as, though he also double as the boy's partner. Much like Midna, right down to the attitude."

Link's face was twitching like he was holding back a grin. "A talking green bird-hat with an attitude like Midna," he said. "Sounds interesting. So a kid like that defeated you?"

"Yeah," the Wind Mage nodded. "I was young, stupid, and thought that I was invincible. But Link was more mature than I ever was, and in the end, he sealed me. I honestly didn't get much personal experience with him, though. Just reports of how he defeated my minions and conquered dungeons, and then the final battle- which ended with me getting sealed, and I'm not sure what happened after that."

"The second Link I fought," he turned to me now, "was called the Four Sword Link. Shadow, though, has much more of a history with him than I do."

I took over. "The Four Sword Link was the son of a knight, who was a captain of the Royal Guard. They were much more competent than the ones we have now," I added quickly. "In the beginning, I think, he was rather arrogant. As an accomplished swordsman, by age 15 he had already gained the nickname, 'the Left-Handed Hero'. And, in my opinion, he was one of the most unique Heroes in history.

"Y'see, he's called the Four Sword Link because he wielded the Four Sword, a precursor to the Master Sword that, when drawn, split the bearer into four copies of themselves. These copies represented different aspects of the bearer's personality. I don't know how it would work for anyone else, but for Link, it was four of him with differently colored outfits. They called each other by those colors, instead of going by Link," I explained.

The current Link nodded in comprehension, and I continued. "Green, the first, was the leader. He was focused and motivated, using a boomerang in addition to his sword. D*** good with it too," I grumbled that last bit quietly. For weapons taken out of a giant toy box, those things had hurt.

"Blue, who used a hammer, was hotheaded and aggressive. He didn't think before jumping in, and liked to solve everything with raw power. It didn't always work, and he was really easy to trick. Kind of like an angry bull.

"Red, who was sort of like Blue's balance point, was cheerful and optimistic. He would always get into trouble, and Blue would have to bail him out. It was really funny, actually." For some reason, I felt a flash of nostalgia and a twinge of regret. Granted, most of the situations Red had gotten himself stuck in had been caused (or at least helped along) by me…

I coughed slightly and got back on track. "Anyway, even though he looked the least intimidating, he arguably had one of the deadliest weapons. A Fire Rod that double as an Ice Rod. Frikin' annoying to fight," I grimaced.

"Vio was the last. He was their calm, cool, collected strategist. Always carried around a little book in his pocket and seemed to know everything. Used a bow and arrow, but a bit of a loner. He and I- well, we're the ones that have the most history with each other." My voice became slightly distant as I lost myself in memories. "Our relationship was… complicated, to say the least. More so than with the other Links. I think, in way… he was my first real friend."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Your first friend? Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But like I said… it was complicated."

Vaati snorted. "I'll say," he muttered under his breath.

"How so?" Link questioned.

I sighed. "Well, as you know, I was the villain for most of my first life. Consequently, the Links and I clashed many times. But then, in Death Mountain… Vio defected. He pretended to join me, in order to learn the source of my power and destroy it.

"I made him fight Green in a death match, on a rock floating in a pool of lava. And I watched, and I laughed. I thought it was so ironic, that one of the Links would turn on his own. But Vio faked everything. He won, but didn't kill Green- only knocked him out. I didn't realize.

"Vio was a good actor. Over the next few days, we became friends. We were very much alike, actually, more so than we had previously realized. Perhaps because we were both copies of the same person." I let out a hollow laugh. "Then, one night, I was careless. I let slip about the object that had brought both Vaati and I into the world- the Dark Mirror. Later, I caught him standing in front of it, about the smash the thing with- ironically -a chair."

"How was it ironic?" Link asked.

I grinned. "Later, when I finally snapped out of it to do the right thing, I threw a chair through the Dark Mirror and then pushed it off the top of a tower."

Blue eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "Was't that suicide?"

I just shrugged. "It was worth it. Anyway, when I caught Vio about to smash it, I was pissed. In my mind, he had betrayed me. So I was about to kill him, until he was rescued by the rest of the Links. I went berserk. S*** happened, and it ended with me realizing that all I had ever wanted was to be one of them. So I sacrificed myself to kill Vaati, who was insane at the time, and died happy. I forgave him, in the end. Vio was only trying to do what was best for everyone else. And that's it. Next thing I know, it's hundreds of years later and everyone I knew are long dead."

Dark flowed in seamlessly, the last to talk. "I only knew the previous Hero- who was the one right before you, actually -for about an hour. I was stationed at the Water Temple, and he had to defeat me in order to continue. Not much to say, actually. He was pretty much a more immature version of you, except with magic. And a little blue fairy that followed him around, shouting advice. Stupid thing was frikin' annoying," he added bluntly. "He had one attack that I really remember, called Din's Fire. It pretty much made a dome of flames, and that was what killed me."

Link leaned back in his seat, eyes wide as he processed all this information. "I- wow. Just… wow."

Midna, who had been silent the entire time, chose that moment to speak up. "Well," she said, "that was interesting. I suppose it really does run in the family, eeheehee!"

Vaati groaned dramatically. "And again with the annoying giggle. D***it, I thought you were done with that."

Dark laughed, and the tension in the air dissipated. Link smiled, a soft, warm smile that was truly happy. "Thanks for telling me, guys," he said quietly. "Even if I'll never know my parents, I'll at least know about my ancestors."

"They would be proud," Dark said. "You've turned out pretty well, considering that you've got us for friends."

We grinned at each other, relaxed and content. And somehow, at that moment, I knew that everything would turn out alright.


OMAKE: A Better Place

The Four Sword Links lay on a grassy hill, a day before they were due to replace the Four Sword and become one again. A gentle breeze rustled their clothes and made the grass bend in thick green waves.

"Ne, Vio," Red asked softly, "do think that Shadow's happy now? Wherever he is?"

The violet-garbed Link blinked slowly, languidly, as a small smile made its way onto his face. "Shadow's in a better place now," he replied. "I'm sure he's happy, wherever he is." An image of the purple-haired teen, smirking as tiny fangs glinted in the light flashed through his mind's eye.

Blue snorted. "Probably causing trouble in the afterlife, knowing him," he said dismissively. "I could imagine him doing that. Kicked out heaven because he blew up a building or something."

Green laughed at the thought. "Heh, he would, too. Don't worry, Red. Shadow's probably happy and as snarky as ever."

Vio smiled, eyes misting over as his thoughts brought him far, far away from the grassy hill outside Hyrule Castle. Shadow… wherever you are, I hope you're happy now. You deserve it, he thought.

And... I'm sorry. For everything.