A/n: Sorry this one took so long, but as you can see, it is a rather long chapter. I'm so glad you guys have liked this story, I'm having so much fun writing it. Thank you all for your reviews, and I'm glad you found the drunk Link amusing, we did too, and it gave a nice intro into the guards new character. I'm so glad, after this chapter All six main characters will Finally all be together! Well, I hope you like it, and I'm sorry it took so long.

Chapter 16: In the Moonlight

Arian and Link slept peacefully on the wooden beds while Navi and Tatl were curled up in the Hylian's hat that lay on the floor with his boots, gauntlets, bags, and the sword.

The moonlight streamed in, but it only cast misleading shadows that danced on the walls. There were red embers glowing in the fireplace, and if you squinted, you could see a light blue and yellow glow coming from Link's hat.

It was so peaceful, that neither boys nor fairies noticed the window glide open and the dark figure of the guard step in.

The guard's chest rose and fell quickly, but no breath could be heard. He had been trained to be completely silent when need be, even if he were out of breath.

Arian sighed, and rolled over. The guard was frozen, while he stared at his escape window, but Arian was still in deep sleep. He relaxed, and wiped the sweat from his brow as his eyes drifted over to Arian's bed.

The moonlight struck the wolf boy's fangs. The guard was stunned and nearly gasped, but instead he swallowed, and crept to the other side of the room.

He was fairly sure that this was Link's room, because he was positive that none of the others were. So he desperately searched for the Black Sword. His heart leapt when he saw what seemed to be a scabbard lying on the floor. The guard immediately pulled out his ancient device, to confirm his suspicions. He quickly cursed his decision.

The glow within the stone had become so bright that it illuminated the entire room. Arian was the first to wake.

He snarled. A deep-throated bark caused the guard to stumble back as he quickly returned the ancient device to his pocket. Link awoke as Arian growled, Navi and Tatl had also arisen, and were now lighting the room with their fairy radiance.

The guard panicked as he reached for his sword, but Link was already upon him. The Black Sword was pointed at his throat.

"You again?" Link growled. Arian stood behind him, sniffing the air. A worried expression crossed his face.

"She's coming." He said quickly to Link. The Hylian became annoyed.

"Great." He said in a sarcastic tone as Arian pulled out some rope.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him, before we open the door." The wolf boy growled. Link continued to hold the guard at the point of his sword.

"You try anything funny…" Link stopped, he didn't know how to finish. Sure he had heard threats, but he had never really given them. Only one more word could escape his mouth. "Yeah…" The guard looked around awkwardly as Arian bound his hands and feet. Link replaced his sword and they both pulled the guard into a chair, tying him to it just as three girls began pounding on their door.

"Link? Arian?" Aura called.

"Is anything wrong?" Came Naomi's fretful voice.

Arian worriedly looked to Link and shrugged. They both began looking about the room.

"Pretend you're asleep." Link queried. Arian laughed at the idea.

"Of course, I didn't even notice the loud noises that were somehow heard three rooms down!"

"Okay, bad idea." Link sighed. The guard looked back and forth between them. His expression at first reflected great contempt for being caught, and failing so miserably, but this humorous and rather odd affair made his mood soften to bewilderment.

"You could climb out the window." The captive suddenly said. Arian and Link were both stunned.

"Well um…" Arian coughed as he looked towards the window. "Thanks. That's actually a good idea…" He walked across the window and judged the distance to the ground. There was a cleft right below his window, and if he jumped from that, it wouldn't be a long distance to drop.

"Keep my secret, okay?" He told Link again as he jumped to the cleft, and then to the ground, running away from the inn to find a good hideaway for the remainder of the night.

An eager fist pounded the door. Link cringed as he heard Amy's voice.

"Link you drunkard! Your noises have woken up the whole place!" She shouted. He sighed as he looked at the guard.

"She sounds nice." He said with amusement despite his recent failure. Link shook his head as he went to open the door.

Just outside stood the worrying Naomi, the curious Aura, and the most annoyed Amy, irritable from being awoken at such a strange hour.

"What's going on?" Naomi asked in her soft, but tired voice. "I heard growling, and…" She looked about, un-phased by the man tied to the chair. "Where's Arian?"

"He um…" Link found that there were only two things he was really bad at: threatening people, and lying. "He had to go to the bathroom again."

All three girls stared at him with disbelief. The guard rolled his eyes.

"This is pathetic…" He sighed, somehow forgetting that he was a captive of Link. "I saw him going to the bar!"

"What?… Arian?" Naomi stepped past Link towards the guard, allowing for Aura and Amy to see him; a look of surprise crossed their faces.

"Hey, why is that guy tied to a chair?" Aura wondered worriedly. Amy was too baffled for words, but Naomi didn't seem to care. The guard continued speaking.

"Yeah, the guy with black hair and the fang--" He started but Link quickly stepped on his foot. "Ow! Fang-- fan-ciful good looks."

"Well… I never really thought of it that way." Naomi looked at Aura, they both shrugged. "But, he does have black hair."

"Yeah, I saw him going to the bar on my way in here."

"When did you get in here?" Amy stepped in behind Aura.

"Arian went to a bar to drink, and he didn't tell anyone? " Naomi began to grow annoyed. "What an inconsiderate jerk!" Link gulped nervously.

"What he… uh…" Link pointed to the guard, and then to Naomi. "No he's not." Naomi and Amy began asking Link questions simultaneously.

"Stop!" Aura shouted, all became silent. "First things first. Who is he?" She pointed to the guard.

Link said nothing, and a slightly perplexed expression came upon his face. The guard couldn't help but snort.

"I am Damien, protector of the great door!" He said arrogantly, "I am the guardian meant to keep a great evil locked away." Link looked at the scabbard.

"Was this sword the key to the door?" Link asked, remembering the old man's words.

"Yes." Came the shamefaced reply.

"Good Job." Aura butted in. Damien craned his neck to look at her.

"I'll have you know that this was prophesized to happen!" He exclaimed. "I knew I was meant to awaken from my 1000 year slumber when some idiot pulls the sword." He then looked back to Link. "It's a good thing you just stole it."

"I did not steal it!" Link said indignantly. Amy smiled.

"So you are the idiot." She laughed.

"What?" Link sighed heavily as Navi snickered. Tatl just nodded knowingly.

"You can't be the one, only a descendent of the key bearers may remove the sword. You don't even bear their mark." Damien stared at Link skeptically.

"Key bearers?" Naomi asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Must I explain this whole thing?" Damien sighed exasperatedly. Tatl flew around him.

"Well, you are the one tied to the chair." Damien grew a scowl on his face again.

"You must untie me, and give me the sword, if I don't get it and return him to his prison, then… then… You must trust me." Damien ended with a plea, but the group was not moved.

"How can we trust you when you don't trust us?" Naomi asked softly.

"Yeah, we just got finished talking about our trust issues." Aura interrupted. She wrinkled her nose. "And we don't need any more issues!" She added. Naomi looked to the floor sheepishly while Amy flushed angrily.

"Well then , just give me the sword, and you won't have anymore issues." Damien cut in. The girls stopped to think.

"Well." Naomi began, "I suppose, if we don't want anymore trouble…"

"Hold on!" Navi squeaked. "Link, you promised to protect the good of the people, didn't you?"

"Must you always throw that in my face." Link sighed. "Yes, but this is getting ridiculous."

"Link." Navi whined, "How do we know that he isn't working for the bad guys. It has happened before."

"That's right Link. I thought the skull kid was good, but he was just possessed." Tatl added. The guard began grinding his teeth.

"When did men begin listening to silly fairies?" He hissed. Tatl and Navi flew behind Link.

"Since they helped us protect the forest, and save the world… though they are irritating beyond belief." Link said with a sigh. Naomi began to shake her head and rub her eyes.

"I do not believe that we will be able to make such a heavy decision with such little sleep. Whatever this sword is, it is direly important, and giving it to the wrong person may have dire consequences." The group listened to her voice of reason. "Let us just go back to bed for now, and decide this tomorrow when we have more reason."

"And what about me?" Damien jumped in his chair.

"Are you hungry?" Naomi asked with a yawn. Damien lost his angered expression.

"Um, err… yes actually." Naomi nodded and started towards the door.

"You girls go on back to bed, I'll just get him some food and join you later." She said wearily. Amy and Aura seemed happy to comply. They left with a stretch and a tired wave.

"Good night." Amy said absentmindedly.

"Good… uh… night?" Link watched her as she left. He shook his head.

"That's an odd one. A dragon one minute, a deku the next." Damien uttered. Link hung his head between his knees as he sat down on the bed.

"I'm getting a headache."

"That's the hangover kicking in. Go ahead and take my medicine. It will help you sleep." Naomi said with an eerily mechanical reply. Link reached his hand over the side of the bed and grabbed the bottle. She looked wearily to Damien. "I have some bread, cheese, and some water. Is that good enough?"

"Yes…?" Damien replied, scared to say anything else.

"Open." Naomi ordered as she tore of a piece of bread and stuffed it in his mouth. "Here's the water to wash it down."

"Give me time to chew." He said as he swallowed the bread whole.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little, preoccupied." She handed the food to Link. "Could you take over, I might choke him." Naomi pulled her arms across her chest and slowly walked out.

She sulked into the girls bedroom and let herself fall onto her bunk.

"You okay?" Aura asked as she peeked her head from her top bunk. Naomi shrugged, her arms were still crossed.

"I guess. It just bugs me. I don't know what Arian could possibly be hiding, and why would Link cover for him?"

"I told you." Came a sassy, but drowsy reply from a dark corner. "They are in cahoots to kill us all." Snoring could soon be heard. Naomi and Aura exchanged sardonic looks. Aura then jumped from her top bunk to blow out the lit candle on the table.

"Are you going to sleep?" She asked Naomi. She shrugged apathetically.

"I don't think I can. I'm tired, but…"

"But?" Aura arched a brow skeptically.

"I think I'm going to take a walk. The night air should do me good." Naomi began to pull off her nightgown to dress into more durable clothes.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine. You should get some sleep. I should be back in thirty minutes or so." Naomi waited until Aura had climbed back onto her bunk bed to blow out the candle, and leave.

Arian ducked from the sight of two civilians. He jumped into a small alley, stumbling forward when he found what appeared to be a straight ground was actually slanted downward.

"What was that?" He heard someone say. Footsteps began to scurry in his direction. Arian turned to run deeper into the dark enclosure.

His yellow eyes pierced the darkness; he barely needed a glow to see through night as if it were day. He was quick but silent, like a wolf.

Arian stopped when he came to water. There was an underground aqueduct that ran before him, and there were several stone platforms that rose just above the water's surface. He listened to the footsteps of the people who were still following him. He jumped, landing as quietly as he could on the raised block of stone. The running water drowned out most of the noise, including the sound of the footsteps. Arian stood straight, craned his neck and sniffed the air. A confused expression crossed his face.

"Skull kid?" He asked himself, remembering the pungent straw-like scent he could smell on Link when he had been blown out of Clock Tower by the little devil.

He followed the scent, jumping from platform to platform until he reached the other side. The sound of the water subsided as he crept around the corner of one of the halls. His keen ears could now pick up the soft sound of voices. They were hushed and mumbled due to the layers of rock that were between himself and the speakers. Arian pressed his ear against the rock, trying his best to make out the words.

He withdrew momentarily, the pungent smell of the fungus growing on the stone walls had surprised him. Now he breathed through his mouth as he listened to the secret conversation.

"It won't be easy to get… sword… master." The words were jumbled, but Arian was able to make out that much. The answering voice was much easier to follow.

"I know that Vereor!" He sounded outraged. "Nothing is easy, but we mustn't simply focus on the sword, I believe it would be wise to destroy the key-bearer as well."

"His friends?" Another voice sounded. It was slightly garbled as well, but Arian was getting better at filling in the blanks.

"If we have to, we'll destroy them too." Answered the clear voice. The voices suddenly stopped. Arian suddenly felt nervous, as if they had somehow discovered his presence.

"Bad wolfie!" The childish voice of the skull kid rang out. Arian pulled his ear from the wall. How could he have let the skull kid sneak up on him like that?

"Now I have to tell on you." The little misfit rattled his arms and legs as he laughed, and then took off down the hall. Arian growled and began to chase after the little kid.

His chase brought him to a dark, square room. A stone door dropped behind him. The torches suddenly became lit. Arian gasped.

"Link?" A most unexpected, and familiar face appeared behind his supposed friend.

"That is him!" Jabono yelled. "He is the one my daughter was after. She was meant to kill him!" Arian's heart sank to his gut when he realized what he had gotten himself into.

"He has already seen too much." The dark figure of Link said. His monotone voice was unlike that of the Hylian Arian knew.

"He heard too much too." The skull kid interred. Arian snarled at him.

The Link character turned to one of the other men that stood beside him. The man stood tall with dark hair, his eyes were now bloodshot.

"Why don't you try out your new form?" He suggested as he and the others turned to leave. Before he disappeared into the darkness, he uttered his last order. "Kill him." The man turned to Arian with a devious smile.

Jabono couldn't help but laugh.

"I told you that you would pay for what you have done!" The evil Link grabbed the old man by the arm.

"Come, we have much to do." Another stone door closed behind the group. Arian looked back to the man in charge of disposing of him.

"I am General Gaft." He said with much poise. Gaft jumped from the platform he stood on, disappearing from the eye until he landed on the ground two feet in front of Arian. "Say goodbye."

Arian snarled, pulling out his claws, he lashed at Gaft. His attempt was thwarted when the general forced a punch into his gut, sending him hurtling into the stone wall behind them. It cracked from his impact.

Gaft bent low to ram his shoulder in his chest. The stone wall behind them shattered. Arian curled up in pain among a pile of rubble.

"What? This is no fun." Gaft mocked him. "I suppose I'll let you catch your breath, and throw some punches before you die. Besides, I do need to work on my defense, even though I won't really need to use it, now will I?"

Naomi was on her way back to the inn when she bumped into a strange man.

"I'm sorry." She said in her quiet voice. He looked her up and down, smiling.

"Why it's all right. You can make it up to me, by giving me the honor of your accompaniment to the bar."

"The bar?" Naomi smirked. "Why I would gladly go with you."

"It is just around this corner." Naomi laughed when she found that the bar was just across from the Stock Pot Inn. She looked at the door, and then back to the man who had suddenly donned a cow mask. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

A little latch opened on the door. An eye peered out through it.

"Ah, you are a member, please come in." A voice said. The door opened, the man holding it stood as a butler would.

"My this is a fancy bar." Naomi smiled as she looked at all of the cow pictures that were hung across the walls as they went down the stairs. Everyone in there wore a similar cow mask. The bartender was rubbing a glass behind the counter.

"What'll it be Norm?" He asked when he saw the man with Naomi.

"I'll have a Château de Romani, and a regular for the little lady." The bartender turned behind him and filled up two glasses from the barrels behind the counter. "Put it on my tab." He added.

Naomi took the glass of white liquid skeptically. She glanced around, looking for Arian.

"This is the strangest beer I have ever seen." All who heard her began laughing.

"Beer?" the bartender laughed. "This is a milk bar, we have none of those other kinds of bars here."

"Milk?" Naomi sipped on her cup. "Milk…" She laughed as she shook her head. Naomi looked for Arian, but he was no where in sight. She turned to the man.

"I'm sorry Norm, but I have to go." She sat down her glass and scampered out the door.

The door closed behind her as a low crash resounded in the distance. A night wind blew on her face, something inside her stirred in worry. She could hear some sort of struggle commence. Naomi's curiosity got the best of her, and she began searching for where the battle was taking place. The noises of a fight became louder when she neared a dark passageway in the courtyard behind the milk bar.

Naomi quickly crept into it, down an incline into the underground aqueduct. After lighting a torch from one of the walls, Naomi began working her way across the stone platforms in the water. She could hear a voice echo about the walls.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The deep and mocking voice said. "Did I rip your stitches? My that looks like it hurts." The false sympathy was followed by another loud crash. Naomi gasped and began running to where she assumed the sound was coming from.

She didn't need to run far; the wall of the corridor before her caved. A strange creature was laying on the ground amid the stone. Naomi reached for the staff she still had on her belt.

Gaft stepped through the hole in the wall.

"Aren't you going to get up and try again?" He asked mockingly. Gaft bent down and picked the wolf boy up by his neck. "I was just having fun." His victim let out a garbled moan, he reached for his neck, trying desperately to pull Gaft's hands from him.

"Stop it!" Naomi screamed, catching them both by surprise. "Extend!" She added just as Gaft turned to her. Her staff beat against his face, forcing his neck to turn farther than normality would allow. He winced, continuing to stand tall, and cracked his neck back into place. Naomi gasped, stepping back in timid fear. Gaft laughed.

"Well, what do we have here?" He threw the boy to the ground, taking a step towards Naomi. "What is such a beauty like you, doing down here?" Naomi held her staff in front of her, shaking. He grabbed it's edge and placed a hand under her chin. "You have come all the way here just to be with me, haven't you?"

He screamed in pain when the wolf boy ripped some skin from his back. Naomi shrieked as Gaft turned around and threw him to the stone walls once more. The wolf boy grimaced, but he seemed to be getting used to it. Gaft bent his shoulder as if he were going to charge again.

Naomi shook her head, and took a firmer grip on her staff.

"I told you to stop!" She hit the back of his leg, just behind the knee. Gaft broke from his stance and fell to the ground. His face hit the other end of the staff as Naomi kicked the back of his head. He lay unconscious.

"Come on." Naomi pulled the wolf boy up by his arm. She gasped. "You're bleeding." He pulled himself from her grip before she could see the stitches. "We don't have time to be daring, lets just get out of here." The two had barely started out before Gaft was slowly rising back to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gaft reached for Naomi, a clawed hand knocked him away. Arian growled.

"Do you really think you can take me in your pathetic state? I have already beaten you." Gaft tried to punch him again. "So now you have learned how to dodge? Okay." He tried to pick him up as Naomi attacked with her staff. Gaft grabbed the edge and pulled it from her grip, pushing her back.

"No more of that." He said as if talking to children. Naomi and Arian exchanged glances. They both turned to Gaft. Arian moved as if he were to attack, Gaft retaliated as Naomi jumped onto his back and began clawing at his eyes. Gaft reached for her as Arian beat him in the stomach.

Gaft was able to grab her arm and throw her at the wolf boy. Arian caught Naomi and sat her upright, they faced Gaft back to back.

"So what? Now you are both going to attack me?"

"Why not?" Naomi answered with a laugh. Her confidence worried Gaft. He lashed out angrily. Arian grabbed his wrist as Naomi elbowed his nose. She then grabbed his other arm, and together they threw him to the ground.

Gaft stood, looking even angrier than before. Another charge, and he found himself on the ground again. He brought himself to his feet, his face seemed livid with fury.

"That is enough!" He yelled. He whipped his hand towards Naomi; a black slime shot out at her. She pulled her arms up in defense as the black slime pulled her hands to her face, wrapping around her body down to her feet, and forcing her into the water.

"Naomi!" Arian reached for her, but he recoiled when he felt a sharp pain in his gut.

"Naomi is it? I'll be sure to put that on her tomb for you." Gaft mocked him.

Arian snarled ferociously; an intense anger pulsated throughout his entire body.

Gaft overestimated his own strength and power, boldly grabbing the wolf boy by the neck. Arian continued to growl low. In one enraged thrash, he threw himself at Gaft. Arian cut a deep gash into the General's neck.

Beneath the water, Naomi struggled against her unnatural bonds. The markings on her back began to alight as her heart raced, worrying about the battling beast. As the glow grew, the hold of the strange slime weakened. It retreated from her until she was able to grab a hold on it.

Naomi pushed herself from the water, and flung the thing from her. Arian jumped out of the way, letting it land at Gaft's feet. The general was hunched over in pain, holding his neck, when he realized that his own slime was beginning to crawl up his foot.

"No!" He exclaimed in a gargled and hoarse voice. "Stop!" He ordered it, but the slime did not obey its inexperienced master.

It oozed up his foot, binding his legs together. The more Gaft struggled, the more it grew. He tried to pull it off, but it only swallowed his hand, and commenced in crawling up his arm. The slime stopped growing after it had completely enveloped the general.

Naomi lay on the ground at Arian's feet; they both stared, mouth agape, at the defeated general. This silence was not disturbed until the wolf boy smelled the stench of the skull kid nearing them.

"You should get out of here." He pulled Naomi to her feet. She seemed rather insulted.

"As should you." She picked up her staff and placed it back on her belt. "You ought to come back to the Inn with me. I can tend to your wounds there." Arian wrinkled his nose.

"You can't see me can you?" His voice was hoarse and rough.

"Well, somewhat." Naomi replied, slightly bewildered. "I can see enough to know you are hurt." Arian bowed his head.

"Then I should be going, before we are cursed with any more light." He quickly jumped onto the platforms in the water. Naomi crossed her arms as she watched the mysterious shadow turn away from her, exiting from the dark chambers.

"Your curse may be my blessing." She muttered under her breath as she hopped away from the bound Gaft and towards the exit.

Naomi momentarily sat in silence, until she heard the footsteps coming towards her. She gasped and quickly ran to the streets of clock town, and back into Stock Pot Inn. After washing her hair, and cleaning her wounds, she slipped into bed without waking Amy or Aura. There was no use in waking them when she didn't know what she could tell them.

She knew there was something odd about that boy in the sewers and something even stranger about their attacker, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

A/n: Please R&R!