A/N: Two chapters, so quickly! Tee hee, I'm on a roll! It's time for Vaati's big reveal! Many thanks to Dea Letum, i-wish-a7x, and littlepidgeyas always! Disclaimer time... I don't own, so there! I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, though. Enjoy!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield.

Chapter 7: Shadows, Masks, and Double-Crossing

"(Shadow) You're... short. And purple." (A/N: Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't resist! It's very in-character for Shadow, though, isn't it?)

Vaati's only visibly, demonic ruby-red eye twitches in irritation. He is indeed purple, with pale purple skin, silvery lavender hair that hangs down to cover one eye and sways as if in a breeze even though he's underground, and a deep purple magic user's outfit, as well as being a good inch or three shorter than Shadow. Below his eye is a tattoo of some kind, looking a bit like a 'y' turned backwards, then flipped 90 degrees clockwise. A mirror image of that one is below his other eye, too, but Shadow obviously can't see it due to Vaati's long hair. All in all, he looks like a child and a monster at the same time, yet still somehow manages to be pleasing to the eye. (A/N:Okay fangirls, insert your squees here! I know I am!)

"(Vaati) And you're stupid."

The two glare at each other, and Vaati's long cap suddenly slips down over his eyes, surreptitiously yanked on by a small shadowy tendril courtesy of the Gray Hero. Shadow laughs as the annoyed sorceror scowls and straightens his hat. It is almost as long as Vaati's hair, with a sinister-looking ruby set into the brim, and radiates a mysterious power that even Shadow can sense due to its immense strength.

"(Vaati) Enough fooling around, "Hero's Shadow" *annoyed, but didn't notice Shadow's trick* Complete your end of the deal."

"(Shadow) Quit calling me that, you cocky little brat! I'm not inferior to any of the others! ...?! ugh..."

He doubles over suddenly, holding his chest, his skin somehow getting even paler than usual.

'Wh-what the...?! I don't feel so good... Why did a simple trick like that take so much out of me...?!'

Vaati actually seems to be confused by this outburst, oddly enough.

"(Vaati) What's with you? Finally realized that you hurt yourself? Anyway, who ever said that shadows were inferior? A "shadow" is, in my eyes, at least, a hidden guardian, because it is one of the names by which the legendary Sheikah of old were known."

He sees Shadow's confused look and decides to elaborate.

"(Vaati) The Sheikah were a tribe of red-eyed warriors who possessed the ability to see the truth, their eyes capable of seeing through most if not all illusions. They were sworn to protect the Hyrulian Royal Family, but as far as I know, they are long gone by now, wiped out by some ancient event. You look like one with those eyes of yours, hence the name."

"(Shadow) ..."

'Annoying as he is, he actually wasn't trying to be insulting...? Didn't expect that... ...I should avoid using any of my old abilities, especially since that little trick I played took such a huge toll on me... I refuse to be linked to the Darkness any more. I won't become evil again, so I don't need it!'

"(Vaati) As I was saying before, the time has come for you to fulfil your side of the deal. Or don't you want him back?"

"(Shadow) *gritting his teeth* Let him go, and I'll hand it over."

The boy is doing his best to hold back his rage, but looks ready to snap at any moment. Vaati rolls his eyes.

"(Vaati) I think not. I want to be sure you'll give it to me and not just flee. What's the matter, nervous?"

His expression becomes thoughtful as he picks up on something, then a flicker of pure mischief flits through his eyes.

"(Vaati) Or perhaps you have feelings for him? *evil grin*"

Shadow's face turns a bright, blazing red and he quickly pulls a Blue, letting out a loud huff and turning away slightly with his arms crossed to hide his flaming cheeks.

"(Shadow) Sh-shut up! You don't know a thing about me!"

"(Vaati) Hihihi! I was right! *glee* And judging by that little outburst of yours just now, you're too scared to admit it to him!"

"(Shadow) ...!"

Shadow stares at the triumphant sorceror with his mouth hanging open. His expression is stuck somewhere between an indignant 'how DARE you act like you know me?!' glare and a bright red, extremely embarrassed 'was it really THAT obvious?!' blush, and he seems to be stunned speechless. Vaati simply stares at the boy for a few moments. Shadow's pointed ears are slowly turning bright pink at the tips with every passing second.

"(Shadow) Wh-why you, you bratty, infuriating little jerk! *bright red and angry* J-just let him go already!"

Shadow rushes at Vaati, sword drawn.

"(Vaati) Ah-ah-ah! Behaving like that will get you nowhere! *moving his finger back and forth while making the 'shameful, shameful' expression*"

"(Shadow) Wagh!!"

Vaati chuckles and, with a wave of his hand, Shadow is violently knocked backwards by a strong blast of wind. The annoyed and frustrated boy slowly picks himself up off the floor, his wounded chest aching in protest of this rough treatment.

'Huh...? Before, when I passed out, I was bleeding... I had broken ribs, and one was sticking out, wasn't it...?'

Shadow looks confused. He quickly peeks under his tunic, and somehow manages to turn an even brighter shade of red than before if that's even possible.

'I'm all bandaged up... Vio must have done it. ...Wait. To bandage my chest, he must have had to take my shirt off! ...And... I remember drinking something... It had a strong mint flavor... Everything else is fuzzy, except for that, and that dream... ...Agh, I give up! This is too much! I'm just surprised this jerk hasn't said something else to bug me yet! I guess I have no choice but to give him what he wants, much as I don't want to. Something about this whole situation seems... off, somehow. As if that cheerful, infuriatingly confident and sarcastic attitude of his is just a mask... One that I really want to rip off, but a mask nonetheless. What is he hiding? Well, there's only one way to find out. ...I get the feeling I'm going to regret this. I don't really pray or anything; heck, this'll be my first time; but this feeling just won't go away. Goddesses, I'm guessing you probably don't like me all that much, but one small favor is all I ask. If something bad happens because of this, please make it happen to me, and me alone. I deserve it anyway for the things I've done. But... He doesn't. ...Protect Vio. Please.'

Shadow's blush slowly fades back to his normal pale complexion as he simply stands there, deep in thought. The tip of his hat is twitching slightly, defying the laws of physics as usual. As the silence stretches out, Vaati drops his carefree mask, his expression becoming serious and extremely worried. His arms are loosely crossed, and his right hand taps rhythmically againxt his left elbow in an absentminded fashion. This seems to be a quirk of his... Shadow looks up and sees that the purple-skinned magic user has become absorbed in his own thoughts as well.

(A/N: A quirk is a trait or habit somewhat specific to a person that other people tend to notice and/or remember about or attribute to that person. I decided to define it here just in case, since it's not a very commonly used word and I didn't want to confuse anyone.)

"(Shadow) ...Fine, you win."

"(Vaati) Hm? *brought out of his thoughts by Shadow's voice*"

"(Shadow) Take it, before I change my mind."

Shadow closes his eyes and silently asks the Triforce of Courage to release one fourth of its middle segment. It complies and said piece appears in a flash of light, floating above his left hand.

"(Shadow) Here."

He tosses it to Vaati, who catches it in his right hand.

"(Vaati) ...!"

The sorceror bites back a scream and lets out a low pained hiss as the Triforce fragment immediately begins to burn his palm. He stubbornly refuses to cry out, forcing his fingers to curl themselves around it through sheer willpower, grimacing in pain the entire time as his skin blisters and burns.

"(Shadow) *wide-eyed* By Farore! Your- your hand!!"

Vaati smiles bitterly.

"(Vaati) This is nothing compared to what was done to the four Heroes... A mere gentle tap on the shoulder's worth of pain compared to that torture... That torture that I had no choice but to watch happen and do nothing to prevent."

Vaati raises his left hand, showing his palm to the now-extremely-confused Gray Hero. He sees, just as Vio did, a set of four small crescent-shaped scars, and instantly realizes the source.

"(Shadow) That wound... When were you clenching your fist so hard that it bled? And why? ...Hmph, first you come off as an annoying, overpowered brat with a superiority complex, and now this. It makes me wonder; which is the real you, and which is the mask?"

"(Vaati) I have these scars on both hands. They are the permanent mark of my shame. *wincing* And this should leave a scar, too. A record of my attempt to set this right... No hard feelings, "Hero's Shadow." I have no choice but to double-cross you now, or I'll be killed before I can deliver this."

He lets out a bitter laugh, and continues.

"(Vaati) Unlike your former situation, though I do in fact serve the forces of evil, *purposely does NOT say "Darkness"* I do not do so willingly. Good luck, "Hero's Shadow." And farewell, for now, at least."

"(Shadow) What?!"

"(Vaati) Magic is a mysterious thing. Everyone has the potential to wield it, though some are of course stronger than others, and yet so few manage it because they cannot see their true selves, cannot find their element where it sleeps within them. Can you guess which element you are aligned most closely to, "Hero's Shadow?" I have no doubt that you already know, actually. But what you need to consider is this: is any element truly 'good' or 'evil'? Or is it simply a matter of how it is used?"

After making his little 'magic lesson' speech for the second time, Vaati hits Shadow with the same spell he used on Vio, and the gray-clad boy screams in pain as a clear crystal forms, trapping him inside.

"(Vaati) ...I'm sorry..."

'What...? Did he just...? Heheh... So that's the mask... This brat... isn't that much of a brat after all...'

Shadow sees blood dripping from Vaati's right hand as the crystal encasing him begins to change color from clear to gray. His vision dims and blurs as his consciousness begins to slip away. His eyes slide shut as the crystal turns a shimmering, oddly alluring pitch black...

A/N: Tee hee~! Please review, and no flames, unless I really deserve it!