A/N: So I managed to find a ton of free time to dedicate to this, and have done a lot of editing and preparation for posting. I've gotten a lot done today, so get ready for new chapters!

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.

~13~

-The clear water's surface reflects growth...-

Zelda sat up and attempted to wipe the mud from her face, pulling down that insufferable mask to breathe more easily. Sheik screamed inside his mind as she took full control of his mindscape.

No! Don't talk to her! You'll give yourself away! He struggled against the mental manifestation of chains that Zelda placed on him to keep his consciousness close.

"Your own fault for placing me in charge, you coward. Now, you will stay here and listen as I talk to her for YOU. I won't let you run away from this, Sheik, even if you are a bloody idiot." She turned her attention outward as Malon backed away from her, uncertainty and fear clear in her blue eyes. "Hi, Malon. I don't believe we've met. I am Zelda, princess of Hyrule." Only after Zelda said it did she realize how dumb that was. She still sounded a bit like Sheik, so really, it sounded like Sheik had completely lost his mind.

Well, actually, he kinda did, but that was beside the point.

Malon gawked, then laughed nervously. "Sheik, did you hit your head? Princess…Ha!" she said, as if trying to convince herself this wasn't happening.

Zelda stood up, wobbling a bit. "It's true. Remember what Sheik told you last night? How he couldn't risk his life? How he shouldered a burden for all of Hyrule?" Malon sobered and nodded, realizing what she was saying. Zelda said softly "He was referring to me."

Malon rushed forward and grabbed Zelda's hands, only to drop them quickly. "Hold up. I…I don't understand. Where's Sheik? Is he okay?"

Zelda moved to sit in the dry grass. She couldn't control this body very well. Moving at all generally made her very uncomfortable – especially since it was a masculine body. Pointing to her head, she grinned. "He's in here, screaming like mad that I'm talking to you and telling you all of this."

Malon shivered. That was not Sheik's grin. It was not Sheik who sat before her, even if it was his body. It was like a nightmare. "Okay, so…I don't get it." She fell to the grass.

Zelda massaged her head. Sheik was starting to give her a headache, he was yelling so much. She was beginning to regret nagging him so loudly over the years. "Seven years ago, a man named Ganondorf usurped the kingdom. To save me, my nanny took me into hiding. To hide me completely, she put my soul into Sheik's body. His magic conceals me from Ganondorf's detection."

Malon gaped, her mind working a mile a minute and piecing the puzzle together. "Seven years - is this in relation to Link?"

Zelda's lips twitched at the mention of his name. "Yes. He is the Hero of Time that will stop Ganondorf's rule. Sheik and I have been preparing for his return during the seven year wait. That's what he's been doing between visits. Last month, we were in the desert, searching for the Temple there." She leaned forward and smirked. "Sheik missed you a lot during that trip. He felt awful that he couldn't visit you - he knows you look forward to it - and he wouldn't stop humming your songs."

Sheik stopped screaming. Metaphorically, his stomach dropped in dread.

Malon's cheeks grew rosy. "He did?"

Zelda nodded, grinning evilly at Sheik's growing horror. "In fact, he spent a whole day sidetracking into the Gerudo Fortress itself to get your necklace. You wouldn't believe how determined he was to get you the perfect gift. He was possessed, I tell you! Well, maybe not possessed…" She added, thinking about their current predicament.

Zelda, when I'm done dying of embarrassment and you're done saving the world, I'm going to kill you. Multiple times. I'll bring you back with a blasted fairy between deaths, just so I can turn around and kill you again. With a rusty, dull knife.

"Oh, hush, you." Zelda responded out loud. "I know your threats are empty, Sheik."

Wanna bet? Give me a knife. Now.

Malon leaned forward to scan those red eyes she liked so much. "Sheik? You can hear us? Please come out. I want to talk to you."

Zelda felt Sheik's alarm at Malon's closeness and finally managed to break free to run. He hid far into the back of his mind. She frowned. "Oh dear, he got loose. You scared him off, Malon."

Malon backed away, shocked. "I…I didn't…why? How?"

"You sent him into a panic." Zelda looked at her sadly. "He came to see you today, at the ranch. We saw you with Link…" She stopped as Malon's face became white and her eyes plunged into dismay.

"No…" She whispered. "Oh, gosh, Sheik! You saw that? There's nothing going on! Honest! It was an accident!" She said frantically.

Zelda sighed inwardly, relieved for Sheik. "He can't hear you. No, he won't hear you. But I believe you, for what it's worth."

Malon started crying. "Please," she blubbered, "Please bring him back. Please make him understand… I didn't… I didn't want to hurt him. I would never…." She choked on a sob and broke down. Zelda awkwardly put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you love him?"

Malon froze at the question. She thought hard about it before whispering "Yes. I think I do." She touched her cheek and squeezed her eyes shut. "I do."

"Then I've got an idea. Sheik won't listen to me, and if I switch with him, he'll run. So this is what we'll do…"

"Ready, Malon?"

"Yes."

Zelda turned her mind inward. She found Sheik hiding in a corner, ignoring her approach. Grabbing him, she began to haul his consciousness out of the depths of the mindscape. "Come on, Sheik. It's time to stop sulking."

He fought against her will, to no avail. Her spirit was stronger than iron. Let me go Zelda.

She smiled at him. "She's waiting for you. You don't want to let her down again, do you?"

Multiple bright lights – his whirling emotions - flew around the mindscape. Consciousness's eyes wide, he stared at her. Wait a minute…

"Too late!" She flung him forward, laughing at her victory. His consciousness slammed into control and his eyes flew open with a gasp.

Malon's face hung above his, her copper locks falling and tickling his neck, her beautiful blue eyes gazing down at him. He flushed and struggled to get up, noticing with dismay that she had him pinned down perfectly. Her hands and feet were placed on him in the one manner he couldn't escape. Blast you, you taught her the one way hold me down! Zelda giggled and hid, leaving him alone. Terrified, he turned his eyes up to Malon's unusually shy smile.

"Hi there." She said shyly.

He didn't miss a beat. "Get off of me."

"Sheik, will you please listen to me? I just want to say –"

"Get off." He interrupted, red eyes burning with emotional pain.

Malon frowned, eyebrows knitting together. "No, not until I tell you –"

Sheik tried to push her off again. "I need to go! Get off!" he lied.

Irritated, she tried to respond, but her arm slipped off of its careful positioning. Knowing he would push her off in a second, she hastily leaned down and kissed him.

Sheik froze in his struggles. Malon pulled away, crimson with embarrassment, and whispered "I love you."

Had Zelda been paying attention, she would have noted that this was the second time that day Sheik was impulsive. But she was leaving them very much alone. Sheik immediately broke his arms free and pulled Malon's head back down and kissed her again. Surprised, but not unhappily so, the girl melted into his warm, enveloping arms, freeing Sheik.

He broke the kiss to lightly shove her off of him. She yelped and rolled to his side. The Sheikah sat up and laughed at her small pout. "I told you to get off." He said teasingly. Taking her hands, he pulled her up into a warm hug. "I love you too." He murmured into her ear. Malon sighed. This was the warm, low, musical voice that always brightened her day. She nuzzled her head against his chest, her world falling into completion.

Zelda swore as she interrupted the moment. "Sheik, something's happened to Kakariko. I can't sense Impa!" Sheik broke away from Malon abruptly, uneasiness settling in. Impa could handle herself. What was going on?

Malon sat up. "Sheik, what's wrong?"

He pulled his mask up and looked at her. "Something's wrong in Kakariko. I need to go. Now."

Malon jumped up and grabbed Cobalt's reins. Sheik had forgotten the horse was there. She regarded Sheik with determined eyes. "Take Cobalt. He'll get you there faster."

Sheik blanched. "I'm not going to leave you here alone."

"Fine! Then I'll go with you." Sheik was taken aback. "Cobalt is strong and fast. He can take us both in good time."

"I'm not taking you with me: it could be dangerous."

Malon glared at him. He could tell she was determined. He broke first. "Just…be careful, okay?"

Malon smiled as he mounted. "I will. I promise." He helped her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and nodded. With a shout, he kicked Cobalt to a canter. The horse raced across the bridges to the main land and they sped towards Kakariko Village.

A thought came to Zelda. "Oh, gosh. Sheik, I think Impa is our Sage of Shadow." She said, both of them feeling oncoming dread at once.

"That's right, we couldn't figure out who the Shadow Sage was." He whispered, terrified. If Impa was the Sage, they may never get to see her again…

"What?" Malon shouted over the wind.

Sheik shouted back. "Link has to awaken the five sages in Hyrule. We've been determining who was destined to be those sages these past five years. Zelda and I couldn't find out who was the Shadow Sage, though. It might be Impa."

"Who's Impa?"

Sheik tensed. "Zelda's nanny, and my aunt and mentor. She's been raising me since my parents died in the civil war." Malon felt his anxiety and squeezed him lightly. They approached the entrance of the village. Sheik halted Cobalt unexpectedly before entering. "I'm sensing something, and I don't like it. What do you think, Zelda?"

Zelda was just as edgy. "It's a sinister presence. And dangerous, no doubt. Leave Malon here. I have a feeling that she'll be in danger in town."

"That's what I was thinking too." He dismounted and handed the reins to Malon. "Zelda thinks you should stay here. We're both sensing extreme danger up ahead. I'd feel better if you waited."

Malon inspected his gaze and nodded. "Okay. I'll hide. Link said he was planning to come here today, so I'll stay out of his way." She leaned over and kissed his head. "Be careful, my shadow boy." She turned Cobalt around while gazing at him affectionately.

Sheik opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by an explosion. Both of them looked up the path to Kakariko. The sky above the village was black with smoke. Zelda reeled in pain. "That presence is getting stronger. Sheik, hurry." He nodded and turned to Malon.

"I've got to go. Stay away! I'll be back, I promise!" He sprinted into the village.

The village was in chaos. One building was enveloped in an inferno and villagers ran about trying to help extinguish the blaze. Sheik ran into the mess to help with the firefighting.

About twenty hot, sweaty minutes later, Zelda screamed in discomfort. "Sheik, tell the villagers to hide. Leave the house: it's a lost cause anyway. That thing is coming, and it's coming fast."

Sheik wasted no time getting the villagers to flee. They knew he was related to Impa and she was their leader, so they trusted his judgment. Once that last person was locked in their house, Zelda pointed him to the well. "There, it's coming from there." He approached it warily.

He heard footsteps behind him. "Sheik? Is that you? What's happening here?" Without looking, Sheik knew it was Link. Malon was right, it seems.

Sheik began explaining. "There's an evil force here…"

"It's coming!" Zelda interrupted.

Sheik felt the presence rush at him. He barely had time to shout a warning to Link before a force picked him up. He struggled as it held him by the throat and flung him around. The force tossed him upwards, making him fly almost twenty feet into the air. He landed on a roof with a crack and rolled to the edge where he fell to the ground. His vision blurred and grew dark as Link ran over to him…

Well a lot just happened here. Also, I am fully aware of how incredibly fast Link is getting through these temples. No, it's not really possible. I mean, the game stops time while you're in the temple, but if it kept moving, there's nearly no way for Link to get through the Water temple - of all places - in a few hours. It's a bit of a flaw I can't easily amend. I'm kinda assuming Link has really only finished the Forest and Water Temple at this point, and triggered the cutscene for the Nocturne of Shadow. Because this is a fanfic, and anything could happen!
Thanks for reading!