A/N: I guess I'm a terrible person for not mentioning that I DO NOT OWN LEGEND OF ZELDA OR ITS LOVELY CHARACTERS. I also do not own any of the songs used. Ok, enjoy chapter 3!

Each day, the five boys would meet after school in Ganon's basement, work on audition pieces for a few hours, and then- just to let out the stress- play a Paramore song or two. And sometimes it wasn't Paramore.

And then Dark would give Link a lift back home.

And so, they fell into routine. Coming, going. Smoother than the waves falling upon the shore. The closer the band got to auditions, the more confident they all felt.

Except for Link.

(Link's POV)

"Do you guys think I should pick a new piece?"

"What? Link, of course not," Dark immediately said. "When you sing 'Circle of Life', it's like you're transforming the entire room into a savannah."

"But it's not really about a savannah!"

"Oh. Well, when you sing it, it's like we're hearing your soul vibrate. No matter what song you choose, Link, you'll be great, as long as you feel it. Just the fact that you notice that 'Circle of Life' has another meaning proves how much you love and feel that piece. I trust your decision, but I would stick with 'Circle of Life'. Unless your gut tells you otherwise."

I was taken aback. Dark really seemed to know me. And he clearly knew what he was talking about, as the other boys nodded in agreement.

Also, I should mention, we never brought up my kiss on his cheek ever again.

"Literally, the audition is in four days," Ganon added. "I don't think that's enough time to learn and perfect a new piece."

"Ganon's right," Mido pitched in. "You don't have the time or the reason to switch."

"I agree with these three. I'm not quite as wise as Dark or Mido-" Kafei began.

"Hey!" Ganon exclaimed in protest.

"-but I also think that you should trust your gut feeling, which I think is 'Circle of Life'. Judging by how into it you get when you sing it, I think that's your gut feeling."

When I thought about it, I realized they were right. Yes, I was having some doubts about how it sounded, but these guys had convinced me that I was doing the right thing. It felt right to sing 'Circle of Life'; I just hoped it sounded pretty good too.

On the way out, Dark took my hand (eek!) and pulled me gently in the direction opposite from his car.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

(Dark's POV)

Link said nothing. I said nothing.

We just stared at my 'peaceful place'.

It was a clearing in the thick forest, the grass springy and wild, a little brook prattling happily down the center. The clearing was not big, but it was a secluded place where I often went to read and play guitar. I'd hidden an acoustic guitar in its case beneath a bush so that I could play it when I came here and not have to carry it. This place was somewhere my dad had shown me... before my mom died. This place was my solace; the only thing that could comfort me after losing her. I was okay now, all thanks to my peaceful place.

"Dark, this is beautiful," Link whispered.

I smiled at him. "Hang on."

I trotted over to the bush where my acoustic guitar was hidden and retrieved it, then beckoned to Link. He followed me and we sat side by side on my favorite rock; a large, flat one on the riverbank that I'd named 'Platform 9 and 3/4' (I was a Harry Potter geek when I was ten, okay? Six years later and I still cry when I watch Dobby die... I've said too much).

I strummed the guitar a couple times. "Any requests?"

"Hold up. Before you play anything, why'd you bring me here?"

I sighed and explained to him everything (well, almost everything. I left out the embarrassing parts). "... so yeah. I thought that the peace I feel here may affect you so you'll be less nervous and skeptical about the audition." I placed my hand on top of his. "Don't you worry about it for a second. This place'll do you good, and from now until Monday, if you start to feel discouraged again, which you won't, come talk to me, okay? Because we're friends now."

"Okay. Thank you. Now play."

"What song?"

"Anything."

"'Home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope-'"

I laughed when Link elbowed me. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I'll play something for real."

It took me less than a second to think of what to play.

"'Anything is what she is, anywhere is where she's from...'" This was 'Dig Up Her Bones', a dark and slightly messed up but rather romantic song by The Misfits (but I was playing the Michael Graves acoustic version). Since I really liked the song, I'd learned it on guitar and had even learned the words, so now I could sing it (even though I couldn't really sing very well.)

Link seemed to like it though. He swayed back and forth to the rhythm, a dazed expression on his face as if he had been put in a trance from my music.

"'... point me to the sky above, I can't get there on my own... walk me through the graveyard, dig up her bones..."

Link's eyes were closed now as the confidence in my music poured into his soul, giving him the strength to audition in four days without any doubts.

"... dig up her bones, oh..."

I let the 'oh' trail off, the song fading out.

Neither of us spoke. The only sounds were the babble of the brook, the twitter of birds in the trees, the gentle hum of bees around the pink and yellow wildflowers, and my own thundering heartbeat.

"Dark," Link finally spoke. "Dark, that was absolutely beautiful." He looked me right in the eyes. "You have a great voice. Why don't you ever sing?"

I blushed. "I'm not as good as you. I'm definitely better at playing guitar than singing, so I don't broadcast my failure of a voice often."

"Oh, stop!" Link, grinning, hit my arm. "You're great. You should really sing more. I think you're amazing."

"Well, how about we sing together, and you'll see how much better you are than me."

"Okay. Let's do... 'Heart-Shaped Box'. You sound like a baritone, so... you sing the melody. I'll sing the higher harmony, because I'm a tenor who can sing some baritone notes."

"I understood probably five words you just said."

Link, laughing raucously, almost fell off Platform 9 and three-quarters.

"Let's do it."

Knowing the Nirvana song full well, I started to play the intro. Then we both started to sing- me and Link, in perfect harmony.

"'She eyes me like a pisces when I am weak; I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks...'"

Not going to lie, Link and I sounded really great together. Our voices melted together into a flawless and haunting sound, melodious and warm.

"'Hey! Wait! I've got a new complaint; forever in debt to your priceless advice...'"

The golden threads of our beings wound together in a beautiful braid of connection as we sang together. We were one body, one mind.

I was actually a little sad when the song was over. I think I'd enjoyed that too much.

"Awesome! You're awesome!" Link, overly excited, gave me a hug.

I was shocked to suddenly feel him pressed against me, his arms around my neck, but I wasn't uncomfortable. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him tight, close to my heart. I didn't want to let our oneness fade so quickly.

(Link's POV)

Dark and I spent all evening in that clearing, him playing guitar, both of us (but mostly me) singing. I was having so much fun with this slightly new friend of mine, that I didn't even notice the sky starting to grow dark.

Moonlight and starlight had lit the clearing in a bluish rally by the time I checked my watch. Oh, crap. It was already almost eleven.

"Um, Dark?" I showed him the time, and he gasped.

"Omigosh! I'm sorry, Link. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not sorry for that. It was fun! We sounded pretty damn good."

"Damn good!" I echoed in agreement, and we high-fived.

Dark returned his guitar to its hiding place, then took my hand and led me towards the shadowy forest. "I'll protect you."

"And I'll protect you." I squeezed his hand even harder.

Before we left, I flicked my gaze over my shoulder, casting one last look at Dark's peaceful place. The silvery moon and stars seemed to be working in a harmony as perfect as that of me and Dark.

I didn't mention it, though. My little secret.

We stole through the forest, almost silent, just an occasional grunt to acknowledge that we were still there, and a grunt of response.

A stick snapped behind me, and I jumped, gasping and knocking into Dark, who grunted and tried to catch himself before falling flat on his face in the leaf litter. He failed.

Something silky brushed against my arm, and, thoroughly freaked out, I screamed as I collapsed on top of Dark.

We lay still for a few moments, breathing deeply, trying to calm our runaway heartbeats. Then Dark started to chuckle.

"You are an idiot. That was a deer."

"I was scared, okay? I thought it was-"

"A ghost?"

"No!" I poked him between his shoulder blades. "I actually don't know what I thought it was."

"Whatever. Please get off me so we can-"

His voice trailed off as we both looked up and realized that getting home in time wasn't our top priority right now.

A wolf, regal and gray, stood before us, giving us a hungry gaze that reminded me of a shark homing in on food. My first thought was of how beautiful a creature it was; my next was 'well, I'm going to die.'

Dark and I lay very still, not making one sound, one movement.

I'm going to die, I'm going to to die, I'm going to die-

The wolf seemed to nod to us, then it turned tail and scampered away with a languid grace not unlike Dark's casual saunter.

Neither of us moved until the wolf was fully out of sight.

(Dark's POV)

Link and I, still in shock from our encounter with the wolf, said nothing on the walk back to my car. No words needed to be said, really. We'd both shared how special- though terrifying- that moment had been. Something magical, almost supernatural, had been at work there. The wolf seemed to acknowledge something inside of us that told it not to hurt us.

"See you tomorrow." I got out to open the door for Link and help him out like an old-timey footman.

"Thank you. For this night. All of it." Link wrapped his arms around me for a final hug, his chin buried in my shoulder, his face nuzzling into my hair. I gripped him tightly, still not wanting to let him go.

"You should sleep over sometime," Link suggested as I was getting back in the car.

"Count on it."

With a wave, I left Link standing there and continued on the way to my house. I thought about what that moment in the woods meant; coming face-to-face with a wolf, only for it to regard us a moment and then clear out. It had to have some sort of meaning. But what sort of meaning?

(Link's POV)

I thought I was going to be awake all night, thinking about Dark and our singing and the wolf, but instead, I fell asleep right away.

I dreamed that I was floating down a brook, lounging atop a guitar, while wolves looked on from both sides. My dream brook ended in a little pond, which reflected the serene glow of the blue moon and silvery stars, displayed on a background of midnight velvet.

And there was Dark, floating on a guitar of his own, in the middle of the lake. We said nothing, but he opened his arms, and I drifted into them. He held me for what felt like forever before our lips touched-

And then I woke up.