A/N: Okay, just so you know, Vio and Shadow filled each other in on what happened when the other was unconscious, and/or in Vio's case, a giant snake, on their way back to the surface. Just didn't feel like repeating myself several times... Okay, I decided to try a new format for the disclaimer and thanking other authors/authoresses on here, hope you all like it! Enjoy the story~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: Dea Letum, i-wish-a7x, and LittlePidgey~!

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, and that dagger of his.

Chapter 12: Moonlit Promise

Shadow and Vio seem to have recovered from their shock, and begin to discuss what they were just shown.

"(Vio) I wonder why we saw Vaati, and not Green..."

"(Shadow) Well, maybe it's because he has part of Green's piece of the Triforce, I guess. You saw that glow coming from his palm, right? Plus, when it showed me where you were, I saw the entrance to the cave system here on Death Mountain, not the cavern I fought you in."

Vio looks thoughtful for a moment, then grins a bit and snaps his fingers.

"(Vio) I think I've got it. We're being shown these locations in a way that we'll recognize them, like a landmark or guidepost."

Shadow nods, Vio's words making perfect sense to him.

"(Shadow) Wow, it really does make a lot more sense when ya look at it that way! Well, we don't have any way to get to the Palace of Winds right now, so let's see if we can find Red!"

"(Vio) Ri- *yaaaawn...* Uhh, heheh... Mind waiting 'til morning? Dunno 'bout you, but I'm bushed... *yawns again*"

"(Shadow) Haha, yeah, let's... *yawn* ...do that. Dangit, Vio, your yawns are... *yawns again* ...contagious!"

They both burst into a mutual giggle fit for a minute or two, then settle down to sleep under the light of the full moon, too exhausted to even set up a camp or fire.

~Meanwhile, at Zora's domain... (Ruto and Rutela's house)~

The two Zora princesses are fast asleep in their beds, which are basically water-filled bathtub-like structures with sturdy yet soft waterproof cushions, and a small, dry cushioned bed has been set up for the kitten, who has been fed, given some milk as well as water, and treated for exhaustion and a myriad of scratches all over its tiny little body from being knocked head-over-heels across the rough sand and small pebbles of Lake Hylia's shoreline so many times. Said little kitten wakes up, swishing its tail and looking dazed. Now that it's not soaking wet, more details of its appearance are apparent. It's fur is the color of flames, not just red, and its bushy, almost fox-like tail splits in two about a tenth of the way down its length from the kitten's body. A pair of blank, colorless eyes blink sleepily as the kitten looks around and notices its surroundings. It lets out a quiet, despairing meow when it realizes that this definitely isn't Lake Hylia, and curls back up dejectedly in its little bed, fast asleep again in moments.

'...B...l...u...e...'

~A little while later, at Death Mountain...~

"(Shadow) ...Nnnn..."

*rustle, rustle*

Shadow is moving in his sleep, and his eyelids are twitching slightly. He seems to be having a dream...

~Shadow's Dream(?)~

It's evening, and the sun is setting over a small town nestled in a valley. There's a large building near the river that flows past the town, with a sign saying that it's an orphanage. A bell starts ringing from the orphanage, signaling that it's dinner time, and children begin running in from the town and surrounding fields. A certain pair of boys comes into view, and Shadow's suddenly seeing through the eyes of one of them, the one being pulled behind a blonde boy by the hand. Both of them are wearing clothes that are old and patched up, but not ratty or filthy, and they're barefoot, but don't seem to mind.

"(blonde boy) Come on, Shadow, pick up your feet! We're gonna be late for dinner at this rate!"

"(young Shadow) I know, I know! Haha, quit pulling so hard, Vio! I'm coming, I'm coming!"

They run inside...

~later that night... (he's still dreaming)~

The moon is rising over the town. It's a full moon, and its silver light shines brightly over the landscape. Suddenly, dark clouds slip over the horizon, blotting out the sky, and a horde of monsters descends on the town from seemingly out of nowhere. Chaos reigns, and people are panicking, running away and screaming. Pretty much everyone is overcome by fear... Everyone, that is, except for the two boys.

"(young Shadow) Run, Vio! I'll hold them off so you and everyone else can get the heck outta here!"

"(young Vio) Are you crazy?! That little dagger of yours is your only weapon, you won't stand a chance!"

"(young Shadow) It's not like I'll be fighting all of them! I'm gonna go after the leader, that guy on the horse who went into the town square! I get this really bad feeling when I look at him, so he's gotta be the one leading the monsters!"

"(young Vio) But-!"

"(young Shadow) It's what Aezehl would do, and what I'm gonna do, too! And if I don't come back, don't worry about me! Even if everyone says I went off to join the monsters, I don't care! You know the truth, and that's all I need!"

"(young Vio) Come on, they don't hate you that much, Shadow!"

"(young Shadow) Aw, you don't have to lie to me, Vio. I hear all the whispers about me, too."

"Look at his red eyes, and that pale skin! Even his hair's not normal!"

"He looks so scary, like a monster! And he acts like one, too!"

"What kinda name is Shadow? Sounds evil, don'tcha think?"

"I heard he chose the name himself! How weird!"

"Sounds suspicious, if you ask me..."

"(young Vio) ...Okay. And no matter what, we'll always, always be friends!"

"(young Shadow) Yeah. Best friends forever, right?" (A/N: Tee hee. He said that in the manga, so now I turned it into some subconscious memory or something... XD)

"(young Vio) Right!"

They give each other a high five, then Shadow runs off, little dagger in hand. Vio stares after him, worried, but trusting in his friend. The young boy runs through the streets and back alleys of town, avoiding the monsters with surprising ease, his red eyes lit up with adrenaline and determination to succeed no matter what, to protect his friend. He comes into an alley that opens up into the town square and stops, carefully peeking around the corner to see if his target is here.

'...! There he is! The man on the horse!'

A Gerudo man with blazing red hair sits astride a black stallion in the center of the square. A Darknut is reporting to him at the moment.

"(Darknut) Milord, the fools barely put up a struggle. We will soon find the two you desire, I believe."

"(Gerudo man) Good. See to it, then. I sense the Triforce of Courage here, in two locations. One is close, the other fleeing. Make sure that one does not get away. As for the other... Time to come out of hiding, you little rat."

He sends a surge of dark power at the alley, destroying the entrance. Shadow gets back just in time to avoid being killed by the explosion, and uses it as cover to try to attack.

"(young Shadow) You won't get Vio, EVER!! Get out of our town!!!"

He runs at the man, dagger at the ready. The Gerudo simply laughs at the sight, and knocks Shadow head over heels with a (relatively) weak blast of magic. He then grabs the struggling boy's left hand. The back of Shadow's hand is glowing brightly, with the Triforce symbol emblazoned clearly on his skin.

"(young Shadow) L-let me go!!"

He attempts to stab the Gerudo with his dagger, but fails miserably.

"(Gerudo) Very brave, aren't you? Just as I expected... But this time, you 'heroes' won't be stopping me. This time, you'll be destroying yourselves instead of destroying me! And you, little rat, are exactly what I need. You'll make the perfect Shadow Hero..."

"(young Shadow) Wh-what?! What in Farore's name are you talking about?!"

The Gerudo, Ganondorf of course, laughs insanely and strikes Shadow with a strong surge of dark energy. The boy screams in pain, and his consciousness begins to fade, along with the Triforce symbol on his hand.

"(young Shadow) ...u-unnnh..."

"(Ganondorf) Hahahahaha... Ahahahahahaha!!!"

One last thought slips through the boy's mind as his consciousness fades into the darkness...

'...I hope he... got away... ...Vi...o...'

~...~

*rustle*

Shadow sits up in his bedroll, wide awake and confused by the dream(?) he just had.

"(Shadow) ...What... What was that...? A dream, or..."

He shakes his head and looks up at the full moon, his eyes slightly unfocused.

"(Shadow) Nah, it couldn't be... Could it...?"

'That dream... It felt too real to be a dream... It was more like... a memory... But... I knew Vio as a kid? We were both kids in the first place? ...Agh, I just don't get it... ...I guess I'll just go back to sleep.'

Shadow gives up on trying to figure out what just happened and simply lays back down in his bedroll, thoughts drifting around through his mind. He turns his head and looks at Vio for a moment. The purple-clad Hylian is fast asleep. Shadow sighs and rubs his forehead, then closes his eyes.

'But... If that was real, then... "Best friends forever..." That was... our promise...? That's why... I said that... Back then, when I was still on the side of the Darkness, and Vio pretended to be allied to it as well... ...That's why I said that... Now I finally know... Deep inside... I must've wanted to remember... And wanted him to remember, too... That... promise we made... ...It... still hasn't been broken, after all... I... I won't ever let myself... break that... promise...'

With that last thought, a solemn vow made to himself, Shadow slips back into slumber...

A/N: Tee hee... Is Shadow being too sappy? I sure hope not! Please review, and no flames unless I really deserve it!