Tonight we Stand Together: Chapter 2~ Kissing Cadavers

Disclaimer: I. DO. NOT. OWN. LEGEND. OF. ZELDA.
Thank you for reading, and bless your face.

When I woke up, I was once again lying on my cot, and Sheik wasn't in the room. I frowned in confusion. Had he left without me?
I replaced my Zora Tunic with my Kokiri Tunic. The Shadow Temple wouldn't have much water or fire, from what I expect.

I walked out onto my porch to find Sheik sitting there, gazing at the yellow-green Kokiri sky. Thankfully, he hadn't left without me. I pondered what to say before speaking.

"Is everything okay, Sheik?" It felt strange to question the emotional behavior of another human. I had never done this before, but it seemed like the right thing to ask.

"Yes, Hero of Time. Everything is fine. I've just been waiting for you to wake up," Sheik replied in an almost monotonous voice.

"I have a name, you know," I had uttered without thinking about it. I immediately resented saying this.

"What?" Sheik sounded slightly confused, surprised.

"I... I have a name. I don't like being called Hero of Time, Sheik. I don't call you Survivor of the Sheikah, I call you Sheik. I am Link. Can you please call me Link?" I tried to make my tone sound less demanding and more pleading. If I continued to be harsh-mannered towards Sheik, he might decide to quit following me.

"... Yes, I understand, Link. I apologize for calling you by your title instead of your name. It is rather disrespectful. Can you forgive me?" Sheik's tone sounded understanding, apologetic.
I felt bad for forcing this upon my companion; I should've just kept my mouth shut.

"Of course I can forgive you. Anyways... Why are you out here?" Changing the subject would hopefully remove the tension hanging in the air.

"I couldn't sleep," Sheik's voice was very quiet now.

"Oh... Well, I suppose we should get going to Kakariko Village, then. I already have the Lens of Truth, if you're wondering. So I should be ready, right?" I felt stupid asking this question. A hero is always ready for anything.

"Right. And I would hope you're ready, Link. Do you feel ready?"

"Of course I'm ready! Stop babying me!" I purposely wined at him and jumped off of the porch onto the ground.

Sheik followed me closely as I ran over the bridge to Hyrule Field. I patted Epona's head and mounted her before Sheik.

As we rode to Kakariko Village, I frowned at the sight of Hyrule Castle Town. Ever since Ganondorf came, the town has been overrun by Re-deads. All of the old residents moved into Kakariko to start a new life.
We dismounted Epona and walked up the steep steps into the village, but what we found shocked us.

The whole Village was on fire.

Sheik and I ran as fast as we could to the well, where the ground was shaking. The wooden supports above the well then blew off.

"Get back, Link!" Sheik looked worried, too. But he probably knew what was happening. Before I could ask why, a black and purple misty figure rose from the well and into the air. It practically picked Sheik up and started whipping his body around in the air before throwing it down.

I ran to help Sheik, but before I could reach him, the figure picked me up, too. I remember screaming and also being thrown around. But after that, everything went black.

"Hero of Time, open your eyes," a soft voice called to me. I didn't recognize the voice, but I opened my eyes anyways. If someone knew who I was, they probably wanted help.

I looked around the unfamiliar house. It was very dark except for the few candles lighting a portion of the room I was in. Sheik was lying next to me.

"You are very strong. I didn't expect you to wake up yet," the voice cut into my thoughts again. I looked forward to see a young teen before me.

He was smaller than me; I would guess he was about 14. His hair was very stick straight, leading to it being very flat against his head. It was jet black, but the peculiar part was the white streaks all around his hair. His eyes were more peculiar, even scary. They were an iridescent gold color, and they were piercing straight into mine. He was dressed in all black; with a tight black mid-sleeved shirt, much like Sheiks, but without the Sheikah symbol and not full length arms. His pants were of a material I had never seen before, tucked into strange black boots. But what really scared me was what was around his neck. I had seen many necklaces, but this boy had a chain around his neck. Why would he want that? Maybe he didn't want it... maybe he was a demon.
Wait, I was just being stupid again.

"Hero, are you feeling okay?" I snapped out of my thoughts and realized he was asking me a question.

"Yes, I'm fine... Is Sheik-"

"-The Sheikah is fine, do not worry." It was as if the boy was reading my thoughts.

"Where-"

"-You are in my home. You are still in Kakariko Village. The villagers, and the rain, put the fire out. As for you, I found you and the Sheikah lying on the ground after the Shadow Beast attacked you. I knew you were the Hero of Time, so I decided to help you and your boyfriend."

The "Boyfriend" part then registered in my mind.
"Boyfriend! What are you talking about!" I looked away, clearly embarrassed. Why did he think Sheik was my lover?

"Oh, you aren't with him? I apologize, I shouldn't assume so quickly."
As if he had heard himself being talked about, Sheik woke up.

"Who are you?" I asked. I wanted to know, and I wanted to know now.

"You sure are very demanding, Hero. It's a pleasure to meet you, Link, the Hero of Time, and Sheik, the Survivor of the Sheikah. My name is Cage, and I am a fugitive under Ganondorf."

"A fugitive? Why is that, Cage?" Sheik sounded very interested.

"Because I was his servant. But one day, I rebelled. I knocked out his guards and ran away. I told him that his ideas are wrong. Now he will give anyone power if they capture me and bring me to him..."

"Why would you tell us this? What if we turned you in?" I did feel demanding right now. Why should I trust this boy?

"Because I know that if you approached the evil king, he would attempt to kill you both also. I know you are both good people. You wouldn't ever let a human suffer under Ganondorf. That is why I respect you," Cage's voice was still quiet, though mine was on edge.

"If you would like the respect to be mutual, tell us your story, Cage. I want to know everything," Sheik suggested. Clearly he was sharing the same thoughts as me.

Cage sighed quietly before beginning.

"I was born in the Spirit Temple 14 years ago. From the day I was born, Ganondorf and the Gerudos planned to use me for evil. They said that when Ganondorf dies as King, they will pass his leadership on to me. The Gerudos trained me to fight and kill, and I lived in Ganon's Castle after it was built until I was 13. That year, I trekked through the Haunted Wasteland to learn my past in the Spirit Temple. There, two witches taught me how to use black magic. Then I met a girl named Nabooru, who was brainwashed by the witches to serve Ganondorf."

Link flinched at the mention of Nabooru. He remembered watching her being taken when he was just a child. He should've helped her, but he stood frozen in fear instead. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

"Nabooru told me that she remembered a girl that looked just like me... My sister, named Zaria, who she witnessed the killing of. Ganondorf killed my sister for saying he would never rule Hyrule. She said she was going to warn the King, and she left to do so, but I never saw her alive again." Cage paused for a moment, swallowing hard out of anger and sadness.

"I was sickened by the thought of what Ganondorf does, killing innocent people. I no longer wanted to be a part of this plan; I didn't want to be Ganondorf's heir. When I returned home I saw my sister just lying there... Ganondorf allowed me to give her one kiss before he burned her body. Then I defied Ganondorf and ran away. Since then I have lived here, doing my best to hold the village together for the Great Impa. She is like a mother to the villagers; it is the least I can do for her. And that brings us to today."

Sheik and I both looked surprised by the information this boy was sharing with us. How could Ganondorf put so much pressure on such a young kid? And he killed his only sister? Cage must be pained by these memories. I immediately felt bad for not trusting him. I knew he would never care for Ganondorf again.

"Cage?" I asked. I had only one more question.

"Yes, Link?"

"What happened to your parents?"

"Oh... I don't really see my parents any more," Cage looked down, as if he was ashamed of something.

"Why?" Sheik and I asked in unison.

"Ganondorf..." Cage's voice trailed off. There was a sad look in his eyes.

"Did Ganondorf do something bad to your parents? Are they dead?" Sheik asked now, concerned, looking like he wanted to comfort Cage in any way possible. At the moment, I felt like I wanted to comfort him, too.

"No... Ganondorf is my father."

A/N: OOOOH! Muahahahahah, epic ending much? So, Review please?
And if you have any ideas about Cage, his past, his actions, etc. Tell me! I love ideas. By the way, the "strange pants and boots" that Cage are wearing that Link doesn't know of are called "jeans" and "combat boots". *facepalm*
And I know, Cage looks kind of like Death the Kid from Soul Eater, but I made Cage before I knew what Soul Eater was. So no copy intended.

Thanks for reading! Bless your face.

(~LFTFwillPrevail~)