Author's Note: I've decided to take this in a slightly darker direction. I might up the rating, but for those of you patiently waiting for war… it's not in this chapter. It's in the next chapter. Now, I'm not going to withhold chapters due to lack of reviews, but do realize that Anonymous review are accepted, and feedback is always welcome. If you don't like it, tell me what's wrong. Of course, I have a pretty set idea of where this is going, so there probably won't be much change. But it can't hurt to try, right?

Now, here's some vaugue action for those of you who've been waiting patiently.

I looked out over Hyrule, my lips pressed into a thin line.

Most of the others had returned. Juna had returned from the Kokori forest, bringing with her many shadow forest children, who appeared to be unaffected by leaving the forest. I recognized them all from my counterpart's memories. Mido, the twins, the shopkeeper, the Know-It-All brothers… All of them small, shadowed children, whose own sins and prejudices gave them barely enough darkness to form a shadow. In the right light you could see right through them.

Gornam and Daruru had not gone far. They had traversed into the Fire Temple in search of the Gorons captured there by Gannon. I had, in a full attempt to avoid any paradoxes, made sure they understood not to release any of them, although I needn't have worried. Darunia's shadow held none of the care or brotherly feeling toward his former people that the original had. This seemed, in a way, to transfer over to us. All of us were shadows, despite any differences in form or original race, and it seemed that the pride of race held true to us, the evils of the sentient races of Hyrule.

Acantha had traveled successfully to the Gerudo desert, and brought back with her several Gerudo women. I did not see Nabooru among them, and could only assume that she was either unable to be copied, highly unlikely, or already a slave to the two witches of the spirit temple.

Farare had stayed with me at the mountain, awaiting the newcomers. We had not spoken to one another, our disdain for each other clear and unbridled. He was inside the cave now, with the newcomers while I awaited the return of Etnad and Vicor.

Etnad had gone in search of horses, while Vicor had chosen to hunt out any living Zora. They had been gone for two weeks now, without news from either of them.

I shaded my eyes and scanned the surroundings again. Kakariko Village was in plain sight from where I stood, as was part of Hyrule field. Just beyond the village I could see a small splotch of what appeared to be moving darkness. I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn't quite make out who it was, but it was relieving to know that at least one of them was still alive.

I made my way down to the cave, and waited there for either of the shadows' return.

By the time he arrived, the sky had darkened and half of a moon had begun its arduous trip above us. "Who's there?" I challenged.

"It's me." Was the tired response. "Vicor."

Juna had brought me a light nearly an hour ago. I held the torch up, allowing the light to shed itself upon my comrade. He stood limply, as though he were exhausted. His soldierly training attempted to kick in, and he stood straighter for a few moments, before his body rebelled and he slumped back into his dejected stance.

In his hand he held the reins of four dark horses, which all seemed to bee irritable and unhappy with their current situation.

"I found them… wandering in the field." He said slowly.

My heart leapt through my throat. "And Etnad?"

Vicor was silent for a moment. "He's dead. I think…" He took a sharp breath. "I think they killed him."

"They?"

"The Hylians at Lon Lon ranch. They must have. I saw…" he gulped then, and shifted his eyes away from mine. "I saw you burying him just a few days ago."

I looked at him sharply. "Not you you, but… the other you." He hastily corrected.

"Me…" I said to myself. It made sense. Me. My other. Link. The "Hero of Time." He would, wouldn't he? Just kill a shadow. There would be no thought behind it, just the cold reflex of murder that he… that we… had developed once before. After all, hadn't he tried to kill me once? Himself, his other half? I snarled. Din damn him. Din damn him below.

I looked at the horses. I recognized Epona. I took her reigns, and Vicor relinquished them to me. She seemed to recognize me as well, and nudged me with her nose. "You will need a new name." I said to her.

"Sir?" Vicor hesitated.

I looked back to him and smiled. It felt fake and cold. "I think I'll go for a ride."

"I don't know if that's a good ide-"

I hoisted myself onto her back. "Don't worry. We know each other."

"Sir, with Etnad dead, I don't think you should lea-"

I clenched the reigns. Of course. If it weren't for Link it would be Etnad bringing me horses. And Vicor would have come with-

"Vicor, did you find any of the Zora people?"

He shook his head. "No sir. I did not."

I turned the horse, getting a feel for her once more. "Vicor, I want you to tell them, tell everyone that Etnad is dead. I need to clear my head. I will be back soon."

"Yes, sir!" He snapped a quick salute, managing to pull himself into a soldierly position, and, this time without regressing back into a slouch, marched back into the cave to deliver the painful news.

I instead turned down the path, and nudged the horse along. I had thinking to do.

Etnad's form had been young. Very young. Fifteen, sixteen at most. True, I wasn't much older myself, but Etnad was so much more childlike.

I glanced at my surroundings. I had made my way to Kakariko Village. The sky was bleaching itself in the distance, becoming lighter as time passed. No one was about, and that made the town deathly quiet.

I paused the horse by the well. I was taking no specific direction, although it seemed I was headed toward the cemetery. I wanted to be nowhere near the dead at the moment, and changed my direction. I trotted the horse down the steps, heading her toward Hyrule Field.

I turned my thoughts to my horse. I was loath to call her Epona, as that was her Original's name. No, she would need another name, one she could call her own. Absorbed in my thoughts, it wasn't until the screaming began that I became aware of my surroundings.

Every light in Kakariko was lit. Candles, lanterns, torches, they all burned in the windows and hands of the people, staring and screaming at me. I clenched the horse's reigns in my fist. The screaming. The incomprehensibly loud sentences, words I only half understood, none of them pleasant. They swore and shouted and hissed and screamed at me. They swore and shouted and hissed and screamed at themselves.

I was them.

I am them.

Suddenly, he was standing before me. I didn't know him. Whoever he was, he stood in my way. I could feel my fury rising. My horse stirred below me, unnerved by the noises and flames. The man was shouting. I could hear the words, but the meaning escaped me.

"What

"Are

"You

"Doing

"Here?

"Damn

"You,

"Leave

"Us

"Alone

"You damned demon!"

The last phrase I understood. I slammed my heels into my horse, who reared to her hind legs and thrashed her forelegs before her, driving the man back. I saw his eyes widen in shock. In his hand I saw a flaming torch. I didn't recall it being there when he shouted at me, but I didn't have much time to contemplate it, when the fire was thrust into my horse's chest.

She screamed in pain and I was tossed to the ground. I rolled and quickly returned to my feet, going no higher than a crouch. I turned carefully while my horse writhed on the ground near me. We were trapped in a ring of fire and accusing words. I drew my sword, swinging it so that it sang in the air.

The man stepped forward again. "Leave our village."

"I don't take orders from the likes of you." I spat.

"You've done enough damage. My cousin… she's not the same." His face tangled into a sneer. "I don't know what you did you her, but she's not the same! And the others in this town… We've had enough of your plague, and demand that you and your kind leave. Do not return."

I straightened. "Do not return." I smiled. He stepped back. I knew I looked demented. I felt demented. "Do not return. Do you know what I am? Do you?" I stepped closer, the tip of my sword tracing a line in the dirt. I brought myself face to face with this man. I pressed my finger into his chest, causing him to wince. "I'm you. Not you, you. But I'm a part of you. I'm every dark thought, every evil whim. I'm every lie you have ever told, and ever will tell. I'm your every sin. I'm your shadow."

"Not my shadow." He hissed.

"No." I smiled again. "Not yours. But I could be. I could have been. In fact," I took a step back, sweeping my arms out, taking in the whole crowd. "I could be all of yours, any of yours. All of you Hylians. So High-and-Mighty, do you truly believe you're so pure and good? You," I pointed. "you," I pointed again, "you, you you, you?!" I shot my accusing finger at them in succession. "All of you! Look at the ground! Look! Look! See those shadows? They're yours too! You cast them! Look at your own evil, and stop categorizing everyone you see into these, these, black-and-white boxes like it's so easy!"

"Shut UP!" Something hard slammed into the back of my head, forcing me to my knees.

I turned on the ground, glaring at the man, standing above me. "Shut up, shadow. You have no right to judge us. You don't even have a right to exist!"

"No right?!" I rose again to my feet. "No right? Look at me! I live, I breath, I survive just like you, and I have no right to live?"

"No." he seethed. "You don't."

I swung my sword. He flattened himself below me and the steel blade sang over him. My horse had risen, and I swung myself onto her. She immediately bolted, and the circle parted to let her pass. I heard screams again, wordless cries of terror and distress, and below me, pain.

My horse had trampled over the man.

I didn't look back. I didn't slow down. The horse tore up the mountain, fleeing in terror from the village.

We didn't make it far. Partway up I had to halt and dismount. With Link she had always been nigh on invincible, and as a shadow she still retained this. But the burns were still terrible, and I didn't dare to ride her any further.

We made our way slowly up the mountain, giving me time to think on the deeds done in the village below.