Chapters 5 through 9 were written by Redbrush, not by me. He adopted the story when I abandoned it a while back, but since he has disappeared from ffnet I have taken the reigns again. All other chapters are written by me, with some brainstorming help and suggestions from Kenju.

"So, you're him, huh?" Link felt a little uncomfortable as the slightly older woman looked him up and down- as if to estimate his strength. He remembered what Gelbooru said. About the Gerudo being able to judge the worth of a man. Link couldn't help but feel curious as to what Nabooru was thinking. He had gotten used to the treatment, of course. But getting stared at like that every time he met someone of Gerudo ethnicity was kind of... well, intimidating wasn't the right word. Bottom line was, he didn't enjoy it anymore. Not that he enjoyed it in the first place, but it was getting a bit annoying at this point. He would have to tolerate it nonetheless. "The Hylian ambassador being tested for Gerudo Membership?"

Link nodded at her. She continued to give him that same, judgmental eye. He watched her nod her head at him in return, as if she had come to some kind of conclusion. His curiosity grew. Part of him wanted to know what she thought of him. Though it wasn't really important, he couldn't help but wonder.

"I've heard quite a bit about you, Link." She almost startled him when she called him by his name. "Aside from looks, you don't seem like anything special."

It took Link a second to realize what she had said, upon realizing he felt a weak blush come across his face, even though he did feel a little offended for being judged so poorly after just meeting her. She shrugged before smirking at him impishly.

"But you did make it out here, so you get points for that."

Nabooru seemed mostly the same from last time, maybe a little bit more cheerful. For obvious reasons, of course.

"About that..." Link rested his hand against his hand and leaned on it as he sat with her. "What exactly am I here for? I was sent to be guided here, by Ladina."

"Well, kid, I wasn't exactly given any directions to follow upon your arrival." Link almost smiled at the familiarity of hearing her call him 'kid'. Nabooru shrugged, then redirected her eyes towards the temple's doors. "I was given other orders-"

"Twinrova?"

Link hadn't noticed that he interrupted her, but it didn't seem like she minded.

".Kind of. I'm just scoping out the situation now. I received word of your... 'situation' last night, which included Twinrova's part, as well." Link redirected his gaze from her. She looked back at him. "I'm just here to see how they're dealing with it all. We want them at their weakest, in case we decide to take them out of the picture. This could very well be the chance we use, if we choose to dispose of them."

Link nodded. He really couldn't blame them. Perhaps killing them wouldn't be his course of action, but they needed to be stopped.

"I was notified that you'd be heading for the Temple, however. I'm not going to tell you to go back, though I'd assume that's what Ladina would want."Link raised an eyebrow at the Gerudo thief before him. "I could use your help here. You told Samiyah that you were practiced in stealth, right?"

Link was surprised she knew so much about him. Last he knew, she had left the Gerudo and became a lone thief. At least, that's what she told him when he was a child, last time. Well... considering she left because of Ganondorf, it makes sense she'd come back to her people once he was gone. Though, he didn't see her last night, but she did say she 'received word.' It wouldn't be unreasonable to think she was still a bit independent.

"That's right."

"Think you can get through this temple quietly? We'll have to split up- there's two passageways and I'm not exactly familiar with either. I was told there's an item or two around here that we'll want to use against Twinrova. It'd be best to pick them up while we're here."

"I can handle it." Link had to resist the smirk that tried to play itself on his lips, but he didn't bother hiding the confidence. This would pose little to no challenge; all of the surprises had already been exposed. He could probably remember everything. It would take an hour at most, half hour if he hurried.

"I'll hold you to that." Nabooru's impish grin returned, as she rose and scoped out the room one last time before giving Link the signal to go ahead. "You take the right passage, I'll find a way in through the left."

He nodded. "We should probably meet up outside- later. Two hours sounds appropriate."

She nodded in return. "Be fast, though; the only reason I'm asking for your help is because I want this done quickly. Twinrova could very well put last night aside and strike again. Time is of the essence, Link. Go."

...

A sigh of relief escaped the Hero's lips after he kicked open the wooden treasure chest. Inside it lay the red and silver Mirror Shield. A familiar smile played itself on his lips as he recollected past memories, wielding this shield. Glimpses of magnificent battles would flash in his mind. From fighting against Twinrova, to conquering the inside of Ganon's Castle. Link may not have been so fond of the memories that the shield brought, but it brought him joy nonetheless, to hold something so familiar, for once. It comforted him, in a way. This was the same shield that saved his life from countless monsters and evil beings, and he was privileged enough to wield it one more time. He felt a bit more confident with this by his side.

He'd sling the shield over his blade and tucked his previous Hylian Shield into his magical pouch. Granted, it was likely he wasn't going to be able to keep the Mirror Shield for himself, but it wouldn't hurt to use it on the way back to the temple entrance. For old time's sake.

He felt safe enough- assuming Nabooru had been here and didn't get discovered. He assumed Twinrova wouldn't be able to detect him, seeing as how he cleared the entire temple in his past life and went undetected up until the end. Though perhaps they let him reach them on purpose. He didn't know, nor did he care to stick around long enough to find out. In and out, just like Nabooru told him.

Then again, besides Twinrova, there wasn't much in the temple to worry about. And even if Twinrova found him, he could try the Oni act again. Granted it likely would fail a second time, but there was a chance it could provide enough time for a fast escape. Their stubborn belief in that he was Oni might fool them long enough, maybe.

The thought of the Fierce Deity, Oni, was brought to his mind for at least the third time that day. Except now, he was alone with nobody to distract him from his thoughts. And he'd done it himself that time. Wonderful.

He'd be lying if he told himself that it didn't scare him a little when Twinrova said that they sensed Oni within him. He distinctly remembered placing the mask on his face before facing off with Majora's Mask, but... yeah, he'd been through this. He didn't recall taking it off.

Was it really possible for the Deity to ingrain himself into Link's very being? Was it possible for the two to somehow become one? Oni was a god, after all. He couldn't put it past him. But for what possible reason would that happen? Why would he do that?

Was it a case like Skull Kid and Majora? Or were the two somehow forcibly fused together, the moment Link placed the mask on?

The more Link had found himself thinking about it, the more he'd found himself scared of the inevitable showdown with Twinrova. Part of him didn't want to hear what they would have to say to him.

But then again, part of him wanted to play a role in their end- it would be for the good of everyone. He felt fairly confident in himself, thinking he could handle the duo with the Mirror Shield at his side. And surely, if the Gerudo really did plan to dispose of the two, then they'd have a weapon forged, able to slay the two of them.

He'd done it once before, right?

Then again, what were really the chances of him getting a shot at the two happening? It was practically the Gerudo's duty. Even though they had wronged Hyrule, the two were of the Gerudo, so all he could really ask for was to assist them.

It creeped him out even more, thinking that Twinrova were in the very same temple that he was sneaking around him. Not that he was afraid of them, but moreso he was afraid how they could even further damage his reputation here. Twinrova had already called him out, claiming he was Oni. And that didn't help negotiations any at all. He recalled the awkwardness of last night, staring at the awestruck crowd of Gerudo. The Hylian didn't look forward to returning the Fortress at all, remembering Samiyah's words.

"Only a Gerudo or a God can pass our membership test." The words floated in his head. He hoped she was bluffing, despite having no reason to.

He was certain he had no Gerudo blood in him, but the god part... that might have been another story.

He didn't necessarily accept that fact, nor did he think he believed it yet. It seemed so... sudden, he'd suppose. He shook the thought out of his head for the time being; he had a job to finish and reflecting on this train wreck of a mission wasn't helping. All that was left for him here was to get Nabooru, and go back to the Fortress.

The heat from the desert wind hit him like a sack of bricks to the face whilst exiting the temple's doors and back out into the aggressive, windy wasteland. He regretted not having the Ocarina of Time in this timeline. A simple 6 note song, and he could be out of the heat and relaxing in the cool waters of the Zora River.

He sighed, and wiped the sweat from his brow and dealt with it. He'd been through worse, no doubt.

Link hung his head up and stared up at the sky, and the harsh sun. He had to shield his eyes with a hand as he sluggishly made his way back to the direction from which he came. He and Nabooru had agreed to meet up outside in two hours. He wondered where she was. He retrieved the Mirror Shield in what seemed like half an hour, at least. An hour, at most. She was still in the temple.

A wave of guilt washed over him, realizing he had just left her in the nest of Twinrova. Of course, she was a professional thief. He assumed she had been there for a while before he showed up. She could handle herself.

He tried to put faith in her. She'd likely been in situations like this many times before. She was a lone-thief, she didn't need him to help her. She didn't need for him to worry about her.

They'd agreed to meet up outside soon, anyways. If she didn't show, then he'd go in after her.

Until then... he thought he deserved a rest. He had just rose from bed not four hours ago, but the heat and stress definitely had taken a toll on him and he didn't get much rest last night anyways. A nice, shady spot under a rock and about half an hour of shut-eye would do him some good.

It was all a blur. Everything was blurry in front of him. He couldn't make out anything. A sharp pain appeared in the back of his skull, followed by an involuntary scream of pain. He seemed to have flinched, stumbling backwards and almost falling.

His vision slowly returned. He tried to move and get an update on his surroundings, but found himself unable to move. Unable to control his body.

He recalled this feeling. He recognized it, from his childhood. He remembered the helpless feeling, almost cowering in fear. He realized what it meant.

Link tried to move his body, tried to move a muscle, but again found himself unable to. He was able to at least look at his own body from what seemed like some type of third-person view.

... Even if it didn't seem like it was himself he was observing. The glimpsing tribal, solid, blue and red markings on his skin reminded him of what was happening. The illuminating tunic, aggressive nature... helpless feeling.

This could only mean two things.

He was either having another one of those horrific nightmares from his childhood... or was under the influence of The Fierce Deity's spirit.

These surroundings struck him familiar, as well. He was able to at least acknowledge it, even if it was under rubble and completely destroyed. He was in the middle of a collapsed Hyrule Castle. Glimpses of his experience with his arch nemesis under similar circumstances flashed before his mind before he let loose another ear-piercing howl.

Another piercing pulse of agony flushed through his head, throwing him off enough to collapse on a side. He curled up in pain, his being flashing between himself and the form he undertook against Majora.

Hands clutched his the hair on his head as he rolled onto his back. He felt overwhelmed.

Blotches of black started to cloud his vision, distorting his sight and slowly spreading throughout his eyes, threatening him with unconsciousness. He shook his head in refusal, denial. He felt himself tremble, shaking uncontrollably. He screamed before falling victim to blindness, blacking out.

"Link! Link, stop it! Get a hold of yourself!"

"Link, wake the hell up! Get a hold of yourself already!"

His eyes snapped open. He rose his head immediately, quickly observing his surroundings. It was nearing the evening... He'd overslept. He turned his head to greet his new alarm clock, a slightly bitter glare greeting her.

"You're sweating." She asked. Nabooru put a hand to her chest- almost offended at his sudden change of personality. At least, change in personality from what he was like at the temple.

He didn't respond to her. He stared at his hands. He seemed normal. Normal Link. A small wave of relief washed over him.

"... Bad dream or something?"

He rose a hand to his forehead. A cold sweat greeted the uncovered fingers on his glove. He was panting slightly, voice breathy and barely strained. "Yeah."