fleets: I can't think of good chapter titles right now blahh

Thank you for reading the story up to now! :D I didn't proof this really well, which is bad, but I got really impatient :((( (hopefully there aren't too many errors)

Chapter 10: Deception and Lies

It was about an hour later that they started making their way back to Hyrule castle. Shadow Link had gone back to the temple to find Fuu again, since his ability to move across walls made it less likely that he would encounter traps. That wasn't to say that he managed to avoid every trap in the temple: by the time Shadow Link had dragged Fuu back out of the temple, he'd had a flesh-eating bonefish nibbling his hat and some jellyfish stings across his legs. Fuu, on the other hand, came back with two bags full of rupees and a peculiar magnifying glass with the Sheikah symbol, along with the Dark Shard.

"And Sheik here thought you'd be absolutely worried about us," Shadow Link complained irritably, waving a hand at Fuu's new finds, "but apparently you were happily raiding the place for treasures instead." He rubbed the spot on his hat where the bone fish had punched a hole through it. He had decided, to Sheik's surprise, to follow the two of them back to Hyrule castle after he'd returned with Fuu. Sheik still wasn't sure how much he could believe Shadow Link's words, but the doppelganger claimed that he was merely following Fuu and it had nothing to do with being helpful to Hyrule in general. He'd considered locking the shadow's hands together to keep him under control during the trip back to the castle, but considering how Shadow Link was under good behavior for now, treating him like a captive would be more trouble than it was worth.

Fuu rolled his eyes, ignoring Shadow when the Link lookalike showed him his ruined hat for the hundredth time. "I wouldn't have run through practically every single room in the temple if I'd known you guys had made it outside," he waved a hand at the magnifying glass that he'd found, which was now in Sheik's possession. The blond warrior was examining it closely as they walked back to the castle, looking through the lens at different objects they passed along the way. "At least some good came of my search."

"Indeed," Sheik agreed, pointing the lens at Shadow Link who took a step back uneasily. Through the lens, Shadow Link no longer appeared as Link's doppelganger but a shade-like creature with no discernible form. "You somehow found the Lens of Truth, an old Sheikah artifact that had been lost to us for hundreds of years."

Shadow Link leaned away from the magical glass. "You still haven't told us what it does yet." He added, mumbling, "and y'all can stop pointing that at me, thanks."

They were almost at the main gates leading into Castle Town from Hyrule Field. Sheik stopped, and with a faint grin he twirled the Lens of Truth between his fingers. "How about I show you what it does?" he asked with what Fuu thought was an unusually mischievous tone for Sheik.

"How about not."

Sheik tapped the glass with the back of his hand as though he'd seen something important. "Ah. According to the lens, you haven't been very truthful to us."

"Obviously! Everyone has secrets they keep that aren't for nosy gossip seekers like you," Shadow retorted.

"You're not going to help Hyrule,"

"Of course not! I already explained why I'm here and I've been pretty upfront with you about it!"

"You're only here to help Fuu."

Shadow Link crossed his arms and nodded towards the castle. "You're just repeating things I've already told you. Can we go now?"

"That's not everything the lens is showing," Sheik continued, and at this, he watched Shadow Link's reactions carefully. "It says you're planning to betray not only Hyrule, but Fuu, too."

Shadow Link's cheeks flushed crimson, and he stared incredulously at Sheik and the lens in his hands. He glanced briefly at Fuu who had his gaze towards Sheik questioningly, before he shook his hands defensively. "T-that's nonsense!" he cried. "You're making that up! I'm going on ahead!"

With that, he ran off ahead through the gates and vanished, quite literally, into the shadows. Fuu raised an eyebrow when he noticed the brief glimpse of a smirk on Sheik's face. He'd gotten pretty good at reading the other Sheikah's fairly stoic facial expressions. "Did you just…" he trailed off, and then started again, "That's not what the Lens of Truth really does, is it," he said flatly.

"Nope," the grin on Sheik's face became a little more noticeable, and he placed the lens safely into one of the bags hanging from his hip. "I just wanted to see him squirm."

"To be honest you were pretty convincing," Fuu shrugged as they made their way after Shadow Link. "If I hadn't seen that little grin of yours I might have been fooled." Then he said with a laugh, "You're an evil bastard yourself, you know that?"

"He deserved it," Sheik replied huffily.

"Can't argue with that," Fuu agreed with a smirk. The two Sheikah caught a few curious stares their way as they made their way through the bustling Castle Town. Up ahead, they could occasionally see Shadow Link running towards the castle. "Do you think he'll betray us?" He asked, his voice thoughtful. The way he asked the question suggested that he'd been thinking about the question for some time himself. His hand absentmindedly drifted towards the pouch on his waist that contained the mysterious Dusk Shard.

Sheik wasn't sure of the answer. He couldn't put together a full picture of what he knew of Shadow Link. What he knew so far, or as much as he could actually 'know' of Shadow Link, was that the doppelganger had no intention of helping Hyrule. He was apparently loyal, for the time being, to Fuu, and he knew that Fuu was his old master. It was unclear whether or not he actually liked Vaati, but he did seem to respect him to a certain degree. The real question now was whether or not Shadow Link had a new master, and if he liked Vaati enough that he wouldn't betray him. Unfortunately, the answer for that question wasn't easy to determine. "I think he is hiding something. Everything he says is too… convenient," Sheik said after some time. "He's lying."

"But what if he isn't?"

There was a hesitation in Sheik's steps when he heard Fuu's words. He was surprised when he saw that Fuu was being completely serious about his question. Sheik doubted that Vaati had ever been as willing to trust people as much as Fuu: perhaps it was because Fuu didn't have any memory of experiencing the consequences of trusting too openly. In this way, Sheik had noticed, Fuu was almost like a child. Whether big lies or small lies, most adults have been disappointed at some point in their life by the time they pass childhood. Without these experiences in memory, Fuu could be naively trusting at times.

At this, Sheik couldn't help but feel guilt creep up on him as he thought about how Fuu had no idea about the greatest lie in his life. If he ever did find out, what would happen? To Fuu it would be one of the most shocking of betrayals… "As a shadow warrior, the cost of doubting all is much less than the cost of doubting none."

"But I can trust you, right?"

It had meant to be a jovial question, a small joke to Sheik's suggestion to trust no one when it was obvious that they could trust each other. Sheik had to quickly turn away to hide his almost pained expression, because what was obvious to Fuu was not the real truth. The brutal scene from his nightmare echoed again in his head; the scene where, just before he killed Fuu with his own arrow, the pale youth had said confidently the most naïve of words. I trust you, Sheik. Because you trust me, too. Sheik lowered his eyes, and he also remembered Shadow Link's accusations. Friends don't lie the way you do.

"You weren't listening to a thing I just said, were you?" he said eventually, brushing the question aside jokingly.

As they laughed together, making their way back to the castle, Fuu never caught the fact that Sheik had meant every word of what he'd just said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Impa was, as Sheik and Fuu had both anticipated correctly, not very happy with them when they arrived back at the castle. It wasn't that she yelled at them or threatened them angrily for causing trouble, no it was much worse than that. Instead, she gave them what Sheik liked to call the "Final Impa" which involved being exposed to the most disappointing of stares until it was so uncomfortable that you ended up apologizing in a dozen different ways to make her stop.

What was worse was that Shadow Link had, in his distracted state from Sheik's earlier accusations, gone straight to the castle gates without thinking about his own position; namely that he was, according to Impa, an ally to Vaati and Dethl and therefore an enemy. They were now in one of the meeting halls of the castle, and Impa was silently watching the two Sheikah students with the Final Impa, with Shadow Link sitting on the floor next to her sullenly, like a stray dog that had been caught for the pounds.

Shadow Link looked up at them hopefully when he saw Sheik and Fuu. "Hiya," he brought a hand up to wave, but then shrunk backwards when Impa shot him a warning glare. "Uh… help me out here before she kills me?" he suggested. "I already told her how I helped y'all get the thing that will beat Dethl, and how we made it through the Water Temple with amazing teamwork, and that I'm committed to helping Fuu in any way I can. She doesn't seem to believe me, though, so I would really appreciate your help?"

Sheik and Fuu glanced at Shadow Link, then at Impa, and then back at each other at least so they could avoid Final Impa. The older Sheikah, with her arms crossed over her chest, had tapped a single finger on her elbow in a way that had been so intimidating that it put moblins to shame.

Sheik was a little more used to the damning stare, so Fuu broke before he did. "We're sorry we didn't tell you, but we didn't have a choice," Fuu attempted to make peace. He was able to meet her stare for two whole seconds before he looked away awkwardly. "For what it's worth, what Shadow Link told you is true. For now," he added lamely.

Only moving her eyes, Impa looked at Fuu, and then at Sheik who was nodding in agreement. Eventually, she said slowly, "Even the part about how you promised he would be a Sheikah in oath?"

"What? No!" Fuu exclaimed, while Sheik covered his face with his hands tiredly.

Shadow frowned indignantly when Fuu rounded on him. "What? How else was I supposed to keep her from killing me on sight?"

"Maybe if you weren't such a liar," Sheik mumbled.

"I heard that! And you're one to talk!"

"Enough!"

They all fell to quiet attention at the sound of Impa's voice. Impa sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sheik, Fuu, I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am to learn that you went after an extremely dangerous individual without consulting with me first. Especially you, Sheik," she turned towards Sheik, who hung his head in shame, "you should know better than to blindly follow someone in what could be a potential trap."

"I'm sorry," Sheik said quietly. He knew that what Impa really meant was 'know your position.' He was Princess Zelda after all.

Impa shook her head. "Never mind. I'm relieved that both of you came back in one piece." There was a noticeable release of tension from the three teenagers in the room when it was clear that they were finally going to move on to other matters. "Now, about the Dusk Shards…"

Fuu, who had anticipated the question, already had the shard in his hands and he passed it towards Impa. "Here." Zelda's guardian took the shard, about the size of a small plate, and turned it over in the light. As Fuu had already noted in the Water Temple, the shard was dark and murky as though it absorbed the light that hit its surface.

"That's it!" Shadow exclaimed, eager to prove that he was being helpful, "That's what you'll need to beat Dethl. See? I told you I'm helpful!"

Fuu scoffed, voicing everyone's opinion. "I still don't understand why you're suddenly helping us."

"I'm not," Shadow Link objected, taking offense, "Like I've said a dozen times by now, I only want to help you, not them."

Fuu shook his head with a pitying tone. "Yeah, I don't understand that either."

Shadow grumbled, "I found you when I thought you were Master Vaati, but it turns out that Master Vaati is dead. That means I'm not aligned to anyone, and I can do whatever I want."

Fuu raised an eyebrow. "And you've decided to use your new freedom to… follow a complete stranger who just so happens to remind you of your dead Master?"

At this, Shadow Link's frown vanished, and was replaced by a faint smile. He sat up a little with a slight tilt of his head. "You do remind me of him, it's true. Surely you can't be surprised by that by now?" he chuckled when Fuu made a face. "I'm just a lost little duckling, yeah? I'll follow anyone who fills role of my dead, dead Master Vaati." He stretched his arms, appearing emboldened now that he didn't seem to be in any immediate danger of being harmed. He disappeared momentarily into a shadow cast by one of the pillars nearby and popped up again into the air a few feet away. "Besides, maybe I also happen to want Dethl dead, too." He said, reclining lazily in the air. He was chewing the tip of his pointed hat with a knowing grin, observing the others' reactions. "Did you know that it was Dethl who betrayed Master Vaati in the climactic battle? Dethl realized that you Hylians had prepared a trap before Master Vaati did, but it never let Master Vaati know. It wanted to steal Master Vaati's throne for a while now, but it knew it couldn't defeat him in a fair fight."

Shadow Link let the incredulous silence settle in. All three Sheikah was staring at him, stunned. They were all familiar with how some mysterious black shadow had attacked Vaati, granting them a chance at victory in the final, decisive battle. Impa was the first to speak, though her normally level voice was faint. "That shadow that attacked Vaati during the fight…" she said, her arms uncrossing a little. "That was Dethl."

Shadow Link nodded, winking. "I didn't think much of it at first, since I thought Master Vaati hadn't actually died in that fight, and he would punish Dethl himself. But now I find out that Dethl was responsible for Master Vaati's death." He jumped back down onto the floor and then strutted over to Fuu, leaning on his shoulder. "As Master Vaati's most capable servant, it's only fitting that I help ruin the one who betrayed him, don't you think?" he asked, and then steadied himself when Fuu pulled away, annoyed that his shoulder was being used as an uninvited armrest.

"Let's pretend for a moment that I believe you." Impa brought out the Dusk Shard again, holding it out towards Shadow Link. "What are the Dusk Shards that you speak of and how can they defeat Dethl?" She narrowed her eyes when the doppelganger's answer wasn't very specific.

"I don't know what they are," Shadow admitted. "I just know that if you make them whole again, then they can send Dark World creatures away from this world and back into theirs."

"So what you're saying is that even with the Dusk Shards, we can't defeat Dethl for good. It's only going to be sent back to where it came from?" Fuu asked.

At this, Shadow Link's grin widened deviously. "Sounds like y'all don't even know what Dethl is," he snickered, wagging a finger tauntingly.

Sheik's brows furrowed a bit, annoyed. It was true, they knew very little of Dethl, and the only reason they knew it existed was because of its one attack on Link when it had revealed its name. Other than that, they didn't know anything about it, much less what it looked like. They knew that it was no ordinary monster and therefore quite powerful, but until its recent attacks in succession after Vaati's defeat, they hadn't known how far its influence extended. Even with the recent attacks, however, its appearance still eluded them and no one knew what it was like.

Shadow Link enjoyed their ignorance for a bit before he explained, babbling on hurriedly in what seemed like a determined effort to appear helpful, "Dethl is Nightmare incarnate. All of those bad dreams you have that make you wake up in a cold sweat? Most of the time that's Dethl's influence. It's infinite, and it doesn't die. It doesn't even have a physical form that you can stab a sword through. Well, I guess that's only partially true. Master Vaati summoned it to this world first, letting it kind of have a body of sorts. Dethl and I, we're both shadow creatures, in that our physical forms are a little… flimsy? Like I can't keep up this appearance for too long without needing to go back into the floor to be a… a shadow for a while." He noted Impa's expression of surprise. "Yeah, I don't just disappear into walls because it's fun, although that's a part of it. Anyway, you can't kill Dethl. You can try, but it'll just come back over and over again. Your best bet is to send it back home with the Dusk Shards."

A monster that can't be truly defeated, Sheik thought, turning over the new information about Dethl in his head. What a troublesome creature you've unleashed upon us, Vaati. He glanced over towards Impa who also seemed to be weighing their options. "What do you think, Impa?" he asked.

Realizing that they were going to come to some kind of conclusion on what to do about him soon, Shadow Link made one last ditch effort to demonstrate goodwill. "Let me help, yeah?" he interjected, approaching the three Sheikah imploringly, "I'm trying to do a good thing here. I'll tell you exactly which of the dungeons you need to go to in order to find the last two pieces. I know exactly where you have to look in these dungeons to find the shards. Without me you'll waste months bumbling around the dozens of dungeons throughout Hyrule, and then even more months trying to find the right chamber that hides the shards. Y'all need me. You're running out of time."

Impa glanced back at Sheik as well, and for a moment Fuu thought there was some kind of unspoken understanding between them. "Where are the last two shards?" Impa asked Shadow.

"Well maybe I'll tell you if you promise not to kill me first?" Shadow returned. He backed away slightly when Impa walked over. Impa was a fairly tall individual, and it was intimidating when she leaned over towards Shadow.

"I don't think you understand your position," she said, her voice laced with a warning. "Where are the last two shards?"

Shadow stared back into her eyes, and he almost wavered but he held his ground. He gave one last sneer of determination. "Hmph. I'm not gonna just tell you."

"Tell us where the shards are, Shadow."

The voice cut through the air like a whip, and everyone turned to look at Fuu who had spoken. It had been impatient, and cold like steel. Shadow Link, who had managed to hold his composure even under Impa's scrutiny, betrayed something like fear as his grin broke and vanished. For a brief second it almost looked like he was going to get down on one knee like a servant before his lord, but he stopped, remembering himself. Sheik didn't blame him: the way Fuu said those words just now was eerily like Vaati's tone. Of course it couldn't be helped since Fuu actually was Vaati. Shadow Link turned away, speaking in a low voice, "… The Fire Temple in the Goron Mountains. The last one is the Desert Temple by the Gerudo village."

"The Desert Temple?" Sheik asked, "We were just there days ago. We didn't see any shards then."

"To the left when you first enter the temple is a wall with a carving of an eye, similar to what Fuu should have seen at the Water Temple," Shadow replied, his voice still quiet, "The shard is beyond that wall."

Impa nodded. "I see. Then it's decided. We make our way to both temples immediately. Sheik," she gave a nod towards the blond. No sooner had she done so, Sheik dashed forward on signal, his hands flashing with white magic. Shadow Link fell backwards in surprise by the sudden attack, and he fell hard on his back as his hands were bound together with Sheik's magic.

"Wh-?" Shadow began, but he couldn't finish his sentence when he saw the gleam of a dagger arching through the air towards his head.

Shing!

A bead of sweat rolled off of Shadow Link's nose, and he dared to blink. Twice. He brought a hand to his neck to make sure his head hadn't been lopped off. It wasn't. His blue eyes raised slowly upwards, and they widened when he saw Fuu holding off Sheik's dagger with a dagger of his own.

The daggers shook as they pressed against each other. Fuu glared behind their silver gleam. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, his eyes narrowing.

The metal clanged as Sheik jumped back to disengage. He spun his dagger once to readjust his hold, and then pointed it again at Shadow Link who was hiding behind Fuu. "He told us everything we need to know. The fact still stands that he's a danger. We can't keep him here."

"There's no need to kill him!" Fuu shot angrily. "If you really needed to, you can keep him in the dungeons-"

"We cannot, unfortunately," Impa interrupted. "Sheik's magical binds is one of the few things that can trap a shadow, but he cannot keep it up for more than a day."

"His dealings so far have been honest. To deceive him like that-"

"We promised him nothing. No deceit was involved," Sheik cut him off this time. His voice was stern, but it contained hints of sympathy. "I take no pleasure in what I have to do," he said quietly, "but we are still at war." He looked back at the other's burning red eyes, and thought about the irony of the situation. Princess Zelda of all people was being confronted by the former Sorcerer of Winds, a notoriously merciless individual in his past life, for trying to eliminate a potential threat. Sheik bit his cheek; it was shameful, really. But it has to be done.

"If you go through with this, I will never forgive you," Fuu snarled.

"Then what would you have us do?" Sheik demanded. "By the time he betrays us it will be too late."

"I'll take responsibility for his actions. If he tries anything," Fuu said, his expression contorted into one of terrible determination, "then I will kill him myself, and Hyrule can do with me what it wills for reparation."

The tension was stifling, and neither of them moved for a while with their daggers pointed at each other. Behind Fuu, Shadow Link was looking at him with a sort of dazed awe. "Master Vaati…" he mouthed quietly, forgetting that it was Fuu who stood between him and Sheik.

For a few moments it looked as though Impa would have to intervene to force a conclusion to the situation, but Sheik finally lowered his dagger. There was a collective sigh as everyone visibly relaxed, their shoulders lowering and the edges of their eyes softening. Sheik put his weapon away and glanced towards Impa for a confirmation. When Impa nodded solemnly, he turned back towards Fuu. "Here," he said, and extended a fist towards the former sorcerer. It took Fuu a few seconds to understand what it meant, and he, too, sheathed his weapon. Their secret handshake.

"You remember what I told you, yes?" Sheik asked as they clasped each other's hands firmly. Fuu nodded silently. He remembered Sheik telling him about the handshake on top of the roofs of castle town a few days ago. It means I choose to trust you, he remembered Sheik saying, It means that I am sorry. "I wonder where your faith in him will take us?"

"Our victory," Fuu replied, without any hint of doubt. So confident was he that it sounded like there was no other possible outcome. He turned on his heel towards Shadow Link who was still sitting on the floor, his hands cuffed together and a blank, incredulous look on his face. "Release him," he commanded, and Sheik complied hesitantly. Then, he extended a hand towards the dark haired teen, who took it timidly as he stood up. "Don't disappoint me," Fuu warned Shadow with a chilling glare. Shadow Link nodded earnestly, still dumbfounded by what had happened, and then scuffled after Fuu who left the room with a nod and a brief "I'm tired. It's still my day off, right?"

Sheik and Impa watched the door creak closed. Sheik sighed, and then scratched his head. He hadn't expected Fuu to passionately stop his attack like that, but he was also more surprised by how suddenly obedient Shadow Link had become the moment Fuu had become assertive. Maybe they could keep some control over Shadow Link after all. "Thoughts, Impa?" he asked.

"Admittedly I am relieved that no blood was shed today, especially by your hand," Impa replied heavily, "Unfortunately our task has now doubled."

Sheik nodded. Not only did they have to keep an eye on Fuu, but on Shadow Link as well. Fuu was more manageable since he was at least predictable, but the same could not be said of Shadow Link. At the very least, what occurred just now demonstrated that Shadow Link did seem to be more willing to listen to Fuu. Maybe there was some truth to what Shadow Link claimed after all. Sheik's hand touched the hilt of his dagger. "Impa, do you think I did the right thing?" he asked quietly. "Did I just endanger us all?"

Impa walked over placed a hand over Sheik's. "Even if you're disguised, you are still Princess Zelda to me, Sheik. At times you have no choice, but your hand is not meant to end lives." When Sheik raised his head, she smiled encouragingly, "You placed friendship over wrath. There is no shame in that."

Sheik tried to smile, but it was somewhat bitter. He couldn't help but be reminded for the second time within the last hour of what Shadow Link had said at the Water Temple. Friends don't lie the way you do. "Thank you, Impa," he finally said, "I hope you are right."

fleets: Ahh, the explanatory chapter. For any story I write, I always kind of hate writing them, but I haven't really found a way around them. I don't really have much else to say. My hope is that the chapter can speak for itself.

Flufux: No problem! :)
I liked writing that part too! I usually 'see' scenes before I write them out (apparently I space out a lot when I do this haha) and I actually had a similar vision of sorts like Vaati/Fuu did (the tricky bit was putting it all down on paper... er, screen).
As for Dethl, my biggest fear right now is that I'm going to build it up so much that it's entrance is going to be a disappointment from the overhype :O

AquilaMage: I noted you already, but I just want to say again thank you so much for the advice! It really helps to hear what readers are picking up on :D

Serpent Tailed Angel: I cracked up and lol'd so hard when I read your message. lmao I didn't even realize that could be taken in that way XD (pfffftsnort)

Cattycheeno: This whole story is about trust and betrayal so those two themes are going to get hammered down quite a bit. And hurray! I wasn't sure how many people would catch that, and I was planning on noting it if no one figured it out before then :D The title 'demonbound' does indeed apply to both Fuu and Sheik :3
Yup, that's a Vaati memory, though a distorted one at that :)

Vesperupus: Good catch! I actually discussed this a bit in chapter 6 when Sheik and Fuu run away to Castle Town. Twinrova had assumed that he wouldn't remember how to cast any spells, but Sheik deduced that Fuu's abilities are ingrained, just like how magic is intuitive to demons (while most Hylians have to learn/memorize it). I don't go into detail, but my idea here is that the Wishing Cap gave Vaati the ability to cast spells instinctively.
He can't cast all of his spells yet, though, because he still needs some kind of idea that he has that ability (here I'll cite my pet birds, who sometimes forget that they know how to fly since they're so used to waddling around the house). He just needs a bit of a push, or a trigger, to get him to remember his less obvious spells.
And yeah, Twinrova messed up his memory pretty badly. You can assume that they did a really great job getting rid of anything related to his old life (which is part of why what Zelda/Impa agreed to is so horrifying). Aspects related to something like temperament, though, remains unchanged.

Fullmoon-senpie: Haha and I didn't realize I would actually come back to writing. Welcome back! Thank you so so so much for your support it makes me so happy ;u;