Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts…

Rated: PG for angst, small language, and whatever my mind thinks of…

Pairing: Only Shounen ai for now. Dark Link/Link. Pending whether or not something will happen in later chapters.

Chapter Three: The World So Big

"I can't believe it."

"Believe it."

Onyx shrugged, smiling to himself and shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, I lost. So-"

"By seven pounds, no doubt!" the Hylian said while he beamed with pride as the boys stood in front of the weighing counter.

The owner was currently mumbling as he replaced the old record with the new. "Hey, kid," said the man, leaning over the counter and peering at Link. "What your name? Need your name, or else you no get credit. Give me your name."

The blonde nodded, used to the accent and trained in the short time by Onyx to hold in his laughter. "Link."

"That funny name. Very funny. Ink."

"No, Link. L-i-n-k."

"Whateva, you kids today. No manners," the owner thought aloud, erasing an old name from the chalkboard with some effort. The writing was old enough that the chalk had actually sunk into the board, implanting the small outline of the last record's fisherman.

Narrowing his eyes, the blonde tried to make out the old name. "Sh…Shadow?" Link whispered to himself.

Next to him, Onyx had a faint blush on his cheeks. "The name's stuck with me for while. Longer than you thought probably," the brunette shrugged. "Guess I had forgotten what I put. I used to call myself tons of things, but none of them ever really fit." His gaze dropped to the floor and his expression saddened a bit. "Plus, I had no one to call me a name. Heh, pretty weird, eh?" A chuckle escaped as he tried to lighten up the situation again.

Link patted his shoulder and smiled, causing the ebony haired youth to smile back on reflex. "But now ya got a name, right? Onyx Shadow, and it'll stick with ya."

"Own-ex Shadow? What kind of name is that? That name weirder than Ink, here."

"My name is Link! Link! There's an L!"

"And it's On-ix, not Own-ex! And I like my name! So don't make fun of it!" Onyx nearly growled, lifting his arms up at his sides.

"Whateva. Whateva. You two very weird. You had your fun. Go now! Bother somebody else! Go!" The owner snatched the rods away, swatted the two boys out of the building, and slammed the door behind him.

"Jerk," Onyx muttered as Link and him walked down the side and over to what looked like a small vegetable garden. "I swear, if he didn't run the place, I'd hit that guy square on the hair with a rod," he chuckled, as if picturing the scene. "That'll make 'em go bald for sure."

They went on with detail how the both of them could trick the owner, and soon wondered into a conversation of how they would run the game site. Onyx had reclaimed Link's hand with his own, aimlessly leading the Hylian past a dancing scarecrow, next to a large building, and currently over a rickety bridge. Link held onto the rope offered that held the bridge up, and his companion's arm as they slowly ventured towards a small island in the middle.

"The forest is nice, but dusk is always prettier around water," Onyx murmured dreamily.

"But it definitely is colder around the water," Link said as his teeth chattered. The boys had settled on the shore, huddled together and silently wishing they had kept their caps on. The Hylian, at the moment, was trying to warm his arms up, rubbing them quietly and pulling his knees up to his chest. Yet he stopped suddenly when an arm armed around his shoulders. Startled a bit at first, a smile soon edged onto Link's face as his shivering ceased.

They sat like that for a bit, breathing in deeply the calming, moist air and gazed into the sky that slowly changed its colors. When night had covered the land with shadows, the two remembered how much more comfortable a dry bed was than a damp, sandy shore. Again, the blonde clung to Onyx's sleeve as they crossed the bridge. Once they neared the submerged gate that led to the Lost Woods, Link gripped the brunette's tunic and edged towards the water. However, Onyx hadn't moved. In fact, he stood peering into the water under where they were sitting minutes ago. "Hey…" he whispered as if he didn't want anyone else to hear. "Do ya see that? It's…the temple! It's the temple!" His expression brightened as the ebony haired youth shook Link's shoulder and pointed into the water. Underneath the little island, the bottom of the lake seemed to sink even deeper in one area. Practically invisible was a metal door, while over it was a large diamond. Onyx beamed and walked over to the edge of the shore, leaned onto his knees, and stared over at the temple entrance. "Who would've thought after all this searching, I'd find it when I wasn't even looking for it." He laughed and looked up at Link's puzzled expression. The brunette motioned for the blonde to bend down, and then moved the other's position so that he was staring right at the diamond. "There…ya see? No, to the right of that. Yeah! That's the Water Temple! I've been looking for it for it forever!"

"That's a temple?" Link asked, standing up slowly, yet still keeping eye contact on the diamond and the oversized, metal door. "But it's underwater!"

"Yeah, it's the Water Temple. Zoras built it."

"Don't you mean zolas?"

"…Noooo, what'er you, nuts? They're called Zoras. They're like…like fish people!"

"…Oh…" Link nodded, envisioning something between a Hylian and a shark with a big bass head. "So why were ya looking for that?"

Onyx grinned, and cocked his head, shrugging. "Dunno, just for the excitement, that's all. I've been inside the Forest Temple. It's pretty interestin', but I couldn't get into half of the place. I think I need somethin'."

"Where is it?"

"In the forest!"

Link held himself from smacking Onyx over the head. "No, where is it in the forest?"

"I think the…Sacred Meadow…yeah."

"Oh…never seen it."

Onyx shrugged and turned back to the water. "I dunno how I'm gonna get in there. It's not like I can flood the lake or anything."

A hand landed on his shoulder, causing Onyx to look up. "Don't worry," Link said, with a cocky grin. "We'll think of something. Just promise you won't go without me." The Hylian laughed. "I can't dive as deep as you."

Onyx chuckled with him and nodded. "'Course. Let's make a deal: No matter what, when we finally explore that temple, we'll do it together."

"Deal," the blonde said, shaking his hand with Onyx's so the deal was official. "But let's go home now. I'm sick of this squishy feeling between my toes. And I'm cold."

"Same here. C'mon!" Onyx chirped as he jumped into the water, his arm wrapped around Link's waist.

xXxXx

"I hope nothin' crawled into my boots while we were gone," Link muttered, quietly going through his boots and cap in fear that a small skulltula had sneaked into them without his knowing. Onyx shrugged and dug his head deeper into the pillow, having already taken off most of his clothes and sunk into the comfort of Link's bed.

Earlier, the Hylian was overexcited with the thought of someone spending the night with him. Of course, this would be his first time, so he had no idea what to expect besides someone would be sleeping in the same room with him. A small bit of disappointment hit him when Onyx had gone straight to the bed and only muttered lazy responses into a few conversations through a drowsy atmosphere. The brunette, upon seeing this, had gotten up, walked over to the blonde calmly with the bed blanket still wrapped around his little frame, and tackled him. Thus, a gleeful and meaningless game of wrestling commenced. Once Onyx had let Link pin him after pinning Link several times in a row, they both returned to their prior positions, tired, yet childishly satisfied.

"Onyx?"

"…Yeah?" the ebony haired youth grunted, lifting his head from what would have been a peaceful slumber if left a few seconds more.

"Did ya really mean what ya said? About tomorrow?" Link fiddled with his cap, even though he had thoroughly checked it to the point of turning it inside out and ironing the cap over with his palms.

"Huh?" Onyx yawned. He blinked once, then again, and finally shook his head and nodded. "'Course I did. We're goin' out tomorrow. First through the fields, then to the market, and maybe I can sneak ya into the castle's garden."

Link's face brightened as he suddenly forgot about his cap and rushed to the side of the bed. "You're kidding. A castle? Like the ones for royalty? You've been in one?" he asked, having only heard bits and pieces about kings and princesses over the stories told by the Great Deku Tree, also known as Grandpa Story Tree to the young ones. "How'd ya get in?"

"Kinda easy…The guards ain't too alert anymore. They'll regret it, I tell you. Anywho, get into bed," Onyx said, pulling on the blonde's old, white undershirt and covering Link's body with the wrinkled blanket. "Just remember somethin'."

"Eh?" Link hummed, nuzzling himself into his side of the pillow.

"Stick by me, okay?"

The Hylian smiled warmly and nodded.

"Besides," Onyx continued, "as your guardian, I gotta make sure your safe at all times."

xXxXx

Link, the once lonely and depressed child, woke pleasantly after what was, in his opinion, one of the best sleeps of his life. His eyelids lazily opened, and the Hylian found himself staring into Onyx's neck. Around him were the brunette's arms, and on his head rested the chin of his close companion. Link froze, feeling Onyx's chest against his, slowly moving in a peaceful rhythm.

"Onyx…" he whispered, nudging his head against the other's shoulder. "Onyx, wake up."

"Mmmmmm," the brunette groan and tightened his hold on the Hylian.

"Ug, Onyx!" Link yelped. "Wake up! C'mon!"

"Huh? I'm up…" he swallowed, and slowly opened his eyes halfway, meeting Link's embarrassed gaze. "Oh. Good morning, there! Sleep well?" The blonde motioned he wanted out of the intimate hold and, reluctantly, Onyx let go and rose up onto his elbows.

"Well," Link said, "I did, actually. I slept real well. You?"

"Very. Now," Onyx yawned and stretched out his arms, "let's get ready. It takes awhile on foot and that's really all we have for transportation, so let's hurry."

"What's trens-portation?"

"Oh, transportation? It's -oh, how do I say this? -it's anyway you can travel. Like horses and carts and chariots and anything else used to go from once place to another." Onyx shrugged and lightly pushed at Link to get out of the bed.

As they dressed and pressed down their hair as best they could with their palms, Onyx did his best with explaining what horses and chariots were to Link. He chuckled quietly at the how little the blonde knew from being raised in the secluded woods as a Kokiri. He started repeating that he'd show Link soon enough when the topic got onto cuckoos and coachmen.

Onyx had already started down the ladder of the treehouse while Link was still fitting on his cap, muttering about how it was impossible to tell the difference between a cat and a dog. To him, they simply were both four-legged creatures that were covered in fur. Apparently, there was a difference between them, but Link finally dropped the matter as he flung the curtain away and walked out of his house. He squeezed the railing as he gawked at the scene below. In the short time he was wondering about the furry creatures, Onyx and Mido had collided fists and were currently clashing for each other's head.

"Ony-"

"And that's for when ya pushed me into the stream, ya freak!" yelled the brunette as he completely knocked the wind out of the freckled Kokiri. However, before Mido could hit the ground, a hand wrenched around his collar and pulled him back up. "Don't think faintin' on me is gonna get you out of all the payback I owe ya! Cause that was only for the first set of pranks ya played on me!" Most of the gathering Kokiri were more than enough happy that some excitement had erupted so early in the day, while the others just stood and watched nervously. Some partly wondered how Link had finally got the guts to go against Mido, and some partly wondered why Link dyed his hair black and got a new tunic. Being the childish and less informed race they were, they accepted what they saw without too much thought and went on cheering.

"Okay! Please! Stop it! Please," cried Mido. The boss of the Kokiri had finally lost a fight, and quite badly at that. A few boys broke out of the crowd to help Mido to his feet and get him as far away as possible from 'Link'.

Onyx's expression was much different than Link remembered. Far more frightening and darker. Even from his view crouched between the railings, shivers went down his spine when he saw his companion give a show like that.

"Well?" Onyx yelled, cracking his knuckles and eyeing the crowed. "Anybody else wanna go? If not, ya better keep your damn mouths shut and keep your half-ass comments to yourselves. I'm freaking sick and tired of hearing you call me names, when you stupid and idiotic morons don't even have the guts to come up to me one at a time and say it right to my goddessdamned face!" Link was stunned. Onyx was pretending to be him and setting a whole new reputation right in front of his eyes. He sank down lower, and leaned back. If this act was going to work, being seen from the railing would ruin it all, whether or not this show was the right thing to do or not. Although, even Link winced every time the brunette cursed, as did all the Kokiri children. He silently wished that Onyx would tone that down a bit, but stayed quiet and watched. To be honest, he and the other Kokiri had no idea what a lot of the words meant. They only knew that the words, especially with the way Onyx used them, were bad and not to be spoken lightly.

In only a few short minutes of aftershock, the green clad kids ran in all different directions to hide or carry on with errands that all curiously were taken place far away from wherever Onyx was. If he was trying to scare the Kokiri, which he whole-heartedly was trying to do, he accomplished his task and proudly walked down the dirt path to a large, hollow tree. The boy who usually stood guard was now helping Mido patch up a nasty cut on his knee, thus, enabling Onyx to walk through without any interruption.

Without another though, Link jumped from the back of his house, bracing himself and mentally yelling when a shock went through his knees. A moment later, he was trudging behind the small houses. Onyx was out of sight, much to Link's displeasure, so all that he could do was make a final dash the rest of the way and, not for the first time, leave the woods and the Kokiri behind.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?"

"Would you rather that I had just yelled at him?" Onyx asked with his hands behind his head as they both walked across the bridge and out of the forest entirely. "He deserved what he got, you know that better than I do."

Link faintly nodded. A few steps further and he lifted his arms to block the sun pouring in from all directions. "Ug, it's bright!"

"'Course it is. Not enough trees in the field to block the light like in the woods," Onyx chuckled. "Link, let me show ya what you've been missing." He made for Link's hand, but only caught air.

The Hylian had backed away a few steps and was staring at Onyx worriedly. "Before," he said, "you were different. I've never seen you like that."

The brunette sighed and walked over to the reluctant blonde. "Link, listen to me," Onyx said calmly. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Link's shoulders and pulled him in warmly. "When I see you get hurt, or when I see others trying to hurt you, something inside of me just…goes off. Snaps." Hesitantly, a pair of arms made their way around Onyx's stomach, and clamped together tightly.

"Control it more, alright? You scared me," Link uttered through the fabric of Onyx's dark tunic. The brunette smiled and patted the other's back gently. They stood like that for a moment, enjoying each other's company.

Finally, they leaned apart and started walking into the field. "You wouldn't happen to have any other sides that I should know about, do ya?" Link asked, eyeing a bee overcoming a small flower. "Just incase?"

Onyx laughed and shook his head. "Not that I know of at the moment. But I'll warn ya if I feel somethin' about to sprout up. Okay?"

"Okay, thanks," Link said, relieved and willing to let the brunette get a hold of his hand. "Is there anything dangerous in the fields?"

"Why, ya scared?" Onyx teased, narrowing his eyes and smirking as he tugged Link into the open.

"No. Just want to be prepared, that's all." The Hylian gazed around him with a mix between awe and curiosity. He only gave a glance at Onyx, taking in how familiar the other boy seemed to be with these surroundings. With that, the blonde moved closer to the ebony haired youth and moved his hold to the other's upper arm securely. "Onyx?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you show me what a horse is?" Link said, looking up into the other's eyes hopefully.

Onyx's grin seemed to have reflected off of his fiery eyes as he lifted his free arm up and squeezed Link's knuckle affectionately. "I'll show ya more than that. I haven't even told you about cows yet. Those are weird looking things, I tell ya!" The brunette went on about the different wonders of the outside world, from colorful masks to merchants who would sell anything at the right price. The Hylian nodded from time to time, let his eyes wander while the other was talking, and questioned whether the Royal Guards were blind or not. Onyx shook his head. "Naw, they just ain't very aware. It's almost no fun anymore to try and sneak by 'em," he said, looking around as they passed a stream. "That there leads to where the Zora's live. Keep that in mind. And look-" he yelled, pointing up at a large mountain that covered much of the northeast of Hyrule. "-that's a volcano. I think it's called Dead Mountain, no…death. Yeah, Death Mountain. I hear there's a dragon up there!"

"A dragon!" Link exclaimed, jumping back and staring up at the mountain in awe. "A real one?"

Onyx shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, pretty sure. But he ain't too friendly. In fact, he's locked up cause of that. Terrorizin' and eating people and stuff…" he said, drifting off and tapping his heel on the ground.

"Onyx?" the blonde asked, poking the other on the shoulder. "How do you know so much about this stuff?"

Immediately, Onyx blushed, started fake laughing and rubbed the back of his head. "Who, me?" he asked for no apparent reason. "I just…er…you know, I know some people who know some people who know…stuff." He grinned and walked on a little faster. "That's all! Really!"

Link raised an eyebrow and followed after him. "Alright…whatever you say."

They stayed a small distance from each other as they trudged up the dirt road. Onyx stretched his fingers around at his side, silently wishing that Link's fingers were clamped between them. He sighed and looked off to the side. "Hey…" he muttered, catching the blonde's attention. "Link! Look! There!" He shouted and grabbed Link's wrist, pulling the other into a run. Ahead of them was a large carriage, surrounded by well armored men on horses. It was beautifully designed, red with gold edges that shimmered in the day's sun. Onyx stopped, keeping a good distance between themselves and the party. The Hylian pounded into the brunette's back, having lost his balance and tripped over the uneven ground. "That! There, see it? The big thing pulling the carriage and the things the knights are riding!" The ebony haired youth grinned, shoving Link in front of him, and pointed at the royal party. "Those are horses!"

Link's eyes widened as his expression changed completely. "They're…they're huge!"

"In order to handle all those jobs, they gotta be. Never go near one though when it's mad. Really stupid thing to do."

Link smirked and raised an eyebrow again. "Let me guess, you went near one."

"Ha," Onyx said cheerfully. "Curiosity killed the cat, but let me off with just a bruising." He chuckled until he saw the complete confusion stretched over Link's features. "It's a saying. Cats are curious so they go off and…oh nevermind. Forget it."

Link shrugged, watching the horses proudly walk trot down the road. "Wow…" he said, "Wonder if there are any miniature horses. Ya know, for Kokiri."

Onyx gave him an odd look. "What are ya talking about? In a couple of years you'll be big enough for a horse. Maybe not those, but a pony at least," he said, putting a hand on his hip. "Kokiri are too scared of dogs, let alone horses."

"Hey," Link yelled, giving Onyx a small shove. "Don't make fun of me like that just cause you've seen more of the world than I have."

Onyx blinked.

"What about all that stuff about you can't take when others make fun of me? While you're doing it now!"

The other boy cocked his head. "Hmm?" A moment passed of Link looking rather upset, while the brunette just stared, puzzled. It finally hit him when the blonde was about to walk away. "Oh! No, no! Wait! No, that's not what I meant! You're not a Ko-darn it…Link, what I meant was…" Onyx trailed off, rushing after Link and catching his wrist. "Here, listen to me. What I meant was that I consider you to be so different from those Kokiri, that I consider you a…um…completely different…I didn't mean you! That's all. I meant them, not you. You're different. You see?" The boy held on to Link's wrist desperately, biting his lip in fear he might let another important detail slip out.

Luckily, Link sighed, accepting the apology and giving Onyx's hand a squeeze. "Alright, fine," he said, turning to get a last look at the carriage. "Hey, that symbol!" He pointed to the back at three bright gold, reflective, triangular plates. "That symbol is in the forest!"

"Oh, that's the Tri-eh!-I mean. Yeah, I think it's just to tell people they're royals. Nothin' else." The brunette chuckled again, and Link just let it pass. "Anywho, let's hurry already! It's almost noon and you've barely seen…" Onyx's voice grew to a whisper as he suddenly froze.

"Onyx?" the blonde asked, tugging on his companion's tunic. "Onyx, what's wrong? What is it?" Link felt a shiver run through the other's body and tightened his hold on the tunic, giving it a tough yank. "Onyx! C'mon! Wake up and talk to me!" he cried desperately.

"Link, hurry!" Onyx shouted, giving the Hylian no time to realize what was going on before the brunette had taken hold of his arm and was already dashing through the field. He ran up to a bush and shot down behind it, dragging Link with him. "Do you see that man?"

"What?"

"There! Look, the one on the black horse! This is important, Link. Do you see him or not?" Onyx hissed, narrowing his eyes and glaring towards the company of horsemen.

"I do! Sheesh, I see him! Onyx, tell me what's going on!"

"Stay away from him. If you see that man, run. I don't care what you're doing, you run. You promise me that, Link."

"What? Why?"

"Promise me!" Onyx whispered roughly, grabbing Link's shoulders and forcing the blonde to look into his eyes.

"Okay, I promise. I swear. Just please, what's going on? You're scaring me!" Link cried, getting a 'shhh' from the brunette. "Onyx…" The Hylian's ears drooped as his hand clung onto Onyx's tunic.

The brunette's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I just…I didn't expect to see him here so soon. Link, I can't tell you anything now. No, I'm sorry, but I can't. You'll learn about him soon enough," he said, taking Link into his arms. "I'm sorry I spoke like that. I didn't mean to scare you."

Link stayed quiet and pushed away, nodding his head. The pair watched as the carriage, the horsemen, and the man in black armor went through the gates. A minute passed until Onyx gently took Link's hand and stood up.

"Maybe it's better if I show you the village first. This way," he said, lightly tugging for Link to follow.

A/N:

Another chapter done, so off you go to the next one!

Little kids are so stupid that it's cute. :D