((As an apology for not updating in so long HAVE A WHOLE TON OF WRITING AH A))

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The next day, Vio awoke feeling rather unrested. He had the vague sense that it had something to do with a dream he'd had, but the details were foggy at best, and slipping rapidly away from him. Reaching his arms above his head with a loud sigh, stretching, Vio cast his gaze around the room to locate Shadow.

"Morning, Vio." The greeting came from the corner of his room, the darkest area away from the morning sunlight streaming through the window. "How'd you sleep?"

"Well enough," Vio shrugged, rising to his feet and crossing the room to pull the curtains over the window and shut out what light he could. "Remind me tonight not to leave the drapes open." He thought those had been shut...

"It doesn't matter to me, as long as I don't walk into the light too directly," Shadow shook his head. "Don't fret about that." As Vio stood before the mirror to brush his hair back into a semblance of order, Shadow floated up next to him. "I have a really, really, random question for ya."

"Oh? Go ahead." Vio's eyes flicked to Shadow's in the mirror briefly before he continued on fixing his appearance. Shadow lounged against the frame of the mirror, twirling the wispy end of his hat between his fingers.

"What are your thoughts on Red and Blue?"

Vio gave him a bit of a confused look, but answered, "Nothing in particular. Red has a big heart, although as a result it seems sometimes that he lacks a spine. Deep down he's got strength, though. I enjoy his company. Blue, well... I am thankful to count him as an ally. I would not want to be in a battle against him. His personality is somewhat grating, in my opinion, but there are worse people; especially if he's not in one of his foul moods. A rarity, but it has happened on occasion."

Shadow gave a thoughtful nod. "I see. However, that's not quite what I was asking. I was thinking more in a group sense. Like- what do you think of them?"

Vio snorted. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that." He left the mirror, heading to his wardrobe to pick out a fresh set of clothes.

"I dunno how to put it." Shadow kept his back to Vio as the purple Link changed. "Like- on how they interact, on their dynamic, that kinda stuff."

"If you're asking if I think there's something going on between them..." Shadow didn't need to see Vio's face to know he was smirking. "I say that I have nothing to say on the matter. Their actions speak for themselves."

"So it's not just me who's noticed it." Shadow grinned triumphantly.

"They strike a good balance." Vio made no comment on Shadow's observation. "Blue can get a little too heavy and intense for his own good, and Red occasionally needs someone to ground him. The temperance bond is a win-win for both of them."

"So basically they dig each other."

"I said no such thing."

"You're hinting at it, though!" Shadow snickered, smug. "I totally knew it."

"You heard nothing of the sort from me." Vio denied airily. "Besides, it's not as though you can confront either of them about it just yet. I say it's best to remain uninvolved and let events unfold by themselves, in this case."

Shadow decided to refrain from mentioning his little foray into Blue's room last night, as well as seeing Red traveling there as well. "Do what 'cha want." He kicked his feet off the ground, floating lazily on his back two or three feet off the floor. "However- I'm just gonna give you a heads up on a completely unrelated matter. Things are starting to break out of the Rift."

"What?" Vio sounded completely shocked, and a little bit worried. "Shadow, what did you see?"

"Well, I'll give you a summary." Shadow glanced over at Vio, seeing him frozen in the act of pulling his lavender undershirt over his head. "I went downstairs cuz I heard something out of the ordinary, and there was a pack of about six or seven of these creatures I call Bonedogs duking it out in the sitting room. Of course, they weren't able to damage anything, being stuck half and half like I am, but they were making a racket. I scared 'em off, no sweat, but they were here."

"Bonedogs- what did they look like?" Vio listened intently as Shadow described what they looked like, frowning heavily as he pulled on his shirt and his tunic. "I see... I've seen one of those before. Immediately after you disappeared that one night. I looked up and thought it was going to attack me, but it ran right past me and out the door. I lost track of it when it disappeared."

"Oh. Well, this is... interesting news, then." Shadow frowned as well. The fact that things were escaping the Rift with him... Had he opened some sort of portal, inadvertently, and left it wide open for the use of those who could find it? "This raises questions." His mind raced ahead- would it be wise then to even try to bring himself back to a corporeal form? Would that somehow trigger all the other monsters into a physical form as well? He wanted more than anything to become 'real' again, but if it was gonna unleash all of these creatures on the rest of the world, he knew he'd have to give that up for the greater good. Once upon a time he knew he wouldn't have given a damn if others suffered for his actions, as long as he got what he wanted. He knew better now, though.

"This raises many questions, yes," Vio nodded with a sigh. "Luckily, though, we've got a little time to figure this out. We... don't have any sort of time constraint, do we?" Shadow wouldn't be pulled back to the Rift or anything if they took too long, right?

"Not to my knowledge, no," Shadow shook his head. "I don't think there's any risk other than me getting ornery, really." He snorted.

"And that is something to be avoided at all costs. Goddess knows you're unbearable when you're in a bad mood." Vio commented dryly.

"When did you last see me when I was crabby?"

"Do I really need to remind you about the time you put me over a pit of lava?"

"... that wasn't crabby. That was enraged." Shadow pointed out with a sheepish grin. "Still bitter over that one?"

"No, not really- I can understand why you were angered." Vio snorted. Attempts on one's life by one's 'trusted' ally would naturally result in some fury. "It's in the past- I've gotten over it."

"Well good- I have too." Shadow snorted and stood upright again. "Now, though, the game becomes a little dicier. if you bring me to life fully again, we gotta be sure the effect won't spread to the other creatures from the Rift. And.. Do you even have any kind of magical abilities? I never really saw you use 'em during the adventure." Shadow tilted his head.

Vio gave a small shrug. "I've been doing my best to hone what abilities I have," He sighed. "Though as you said, it isn't much. I didn't have any way to utilize magic for the longest time- only in the past couple months have I ever attempted to use magic, and it's been a hit and miss process."

"Hit and miss is better than nothing," Shadow shrugged. "I know a little something about magic- I can teach you what I know if you've got questions." He grinned. "I'll be your magic coach."

"I don't believe you're a qualified teacher," Vio kidded, but gave a small smile in response. "I'll take any help I can get- any magical practitioners I've encountered weren't exactly the best. The most the majority of them were able to do was concoct potions and perform the most basic of spells. Granted, that's useful in its own right, but not what I'm looking to do."

"No joke! Anyone can make a potion if they've got the recipe!" Shadow made a face and wandered aimlessly toward Vio's chest at the foot of his bed, peering in and gazing at his bow. "Well, the basic ones anyway- some of the more powerful stuff does require a little magic here and there in the brewing process."

"Oh indeed?" Vio leaned against the bedpost, raising an eyebrow. "What would an example of those potions be?"

"Oh, ya know..." Shadow turned back, waving his hand dismissively. "Really strong ones and stuff. Super powerful sleeping potions, some of the more complex poisons," he leaned toward Vio with a cheeky grin, "looooove potions, that kind of thing."

Vio grinned and made as though he was yanking Shadow's hat over his eyes. "I get it. Sounds complex."

Shadow stuck his tongue out at Vio and withdrew again, nodding. "It is. That's the kind of stuff you build up to; you gotta have experience before tackling some of those trickier brews."

"You ever make any?"

"Hell no!" Shadow laughed and shook his head. "You think Mast- Vaati would ever let me near anything important like that? The man was paranoid and suspicious, he wouldn't let anyone in there!"

This was the first Vio had heard Shadow talk of Vaati since his return. "I suppose that makes sense; I didn't know much about Vaati," He admitted. "Sometime you'll have to tell me about him."

Shadow frowned at that, glancing away. "Ah... We'll see." He grunted. "I don't like talking about him much."

"Oh... well, whenever you feel up to it, I'd like to learn more about him. Evil though he was, he was a talented sorcerer and I imagine he had quite the history behind him." Vio rationalized. "I don't condone a single evil deed he's done, but learning more about his skills to put the mechanics behind them to good use would be helpful."

"I know, I know," Shadow grumbled, waving his hand. "You don't have to justify yourself to me."

"Ah. Well, I'm sorry." Vio frowned a little. "Forgive me for that."

"Aw, forget it." Shadow sighed and turned away, wandering toward the mirror near Vio's dresser. "Y'know, I really hate mirrors." He switched the subject abruptly.

Vio noticed the rapid subject change, but didn't say anything about it. "I would imagine so; you've got quite the history with them."

Shadow snorted, placing a hand on the mirror's surface. "I've had my fair share of issues with them in the past," He grunted. "It's not something I really like to dwell on."

"Was the mirror an.. actual mirror?" Vio tilted his head a little. "Or was it more of like... solidified darkness or something along those lines?"

"More the latter than the former," Shadow shrugged, gazing at his lack of a reflection. "But, as you saw, you could see yourself pretty well in it." He turned to give Vio a dry smirk. "Why, this mirror ain't good enough for ya?"

"Oh, hush, Shadow," Vio snickered, perching on the side of the bed. "I'm not nearly so vain as to require such a mirror for my personal use. Besides, if my memory serves me correctly then I believe the mirror is broken and destroyed."

"You're right." Shadow admitted. "It's gone for good; with any luck."

"Oh, I don't like the way you said that." Vio frowned at the slightly ominous tone to Shadow's last statement. "Is there a chance the mirror could be reformed?"

"Well, yeah- but only if someone like Ganondorf made a new one." Shadow held up a finger. "Which, y'know, ain't that likely. But if someone with that kind of power and the know-how to accomplish it came along, then yeah, it's entirely possible that a new one could be made."

"What kind of level of power are we talking here?" Vio asked, thoughtful.

"Ganondorf-powerful." Shadow stated flatly. "I know what you're thinking- is Zelda strong enough to do it? Maybe, but she's not experienced enough. Ganondorf was a sorcerer sealed away for who knows how long, and on top of that he was a full-grown man with a whole lifetime of accumulated knowledge and magical experience. Zelda, while she's got a ton of potential, is still pretty young; not to even mention the differing light and shadow magic deal."

"So it's impossible that Zelda could recreate it somehow." Vio summed up.

"More or less, yeah," Shadow confirmed. "Why, you wanted a new one?"

"Mmn... I was more hoping that if one was present, you could have an easier shot at being reborn."

"Well, you're still outta luck." Shadow blew out a loud puff of air. "That worked when I was just sent back to the Dark World after being destroyed or 'dying.' I wasn't sent back there when I died for good, so all that would get you would be a kind of useless portal to a world we don't need to access." The dark-haired boy clarified.

"Oh... I suppose that makes sense" Vio admitted. It was strange being the student for once, not the teacher. He liked learning, however, and so found no fault with it. "It would have been nice if the solution was something we were familiar with already."

Shadow gave an unamused snort at this, shaking his head. "Vi, if the solution were anything close to familiar, we would've had it figured out by now." He scoffed.

"Mm, you have a point."

"More like I had nothing but time to mull it over," Shadow sighed, beginning to wander aimlessly around the room. "This is really off-topic, but you think when I get my body back, you could teach me to use a bow? I really only fought with magic most of the time, and I'm not sure I'll have that when I get back to the physical world; not to mention my skills with a sword are nothing to brag about, either," He admitted sheepishly, playing with the hem of his tunic.

"Well, you'd be better served asking Blue or Green about the blade, but I can certainly offer assistance if you wanna learn the bow and arrow," Vio agreed. "It's not so much learning to use the weapon itself as it is honing your aim with it, the strength of your grip, and the way you manage your ammunition."

"You've clearly had time to mull that over," Shadow commented with a smirk.

Vio laughed at this, shaking his head. "I've clearly had experience on the battlefield, is what. You learn fast how to manage your ammo when you find yourself running out all the time; Blue, having no ammunition but the strength of his limbs that his hammer requires, can use his weapon all he wants. I need to be a little more judicious about how I put my bow to use, and when it would be a better idea to just go with my blade."

"And this is why you're the tactician and he's the brute swinging the hammer around." Shadow snickered, shaking his head in amusement.

"It can certainly be said that there's some symmetry to it," Vio chuckled. "It would definitely account for our differing fighting styles."

"No shit." Shadow smirked. "Y'all are pretty well suited to your own weapons; you and your bow, Blue and his hammer, Red and his magic rod, and Green and his boomerang. I always found it weird that that thing actually worked." Shadow grinned.

"What, that the boomerang actually returned after being thrown?" Vio smiled. "Physics says it should work, but I admit that I'm always surprised it does, too."

"It's a weird piece o'weaponry." Shadow stretched his arms over his head with a loud yawn. "Man, I'm tired. I wish I could sleep."

"Still unable to?" Vio raised an eyebrow.

"Clearly." Shadow snorted, muffling another yawn. "All that happens is I just kinda lie there with my eyes shut. It's torturous." At another confused look from Vio, Shadow went on. "Can you imagine being conscious 24/7? Your mind always going, never being able to get out of your own head.. Always thinking, always worrying."

"Oh." Vio drew up short. "That's... that's somewhat horrifying."

"You're telling me. I haven't been able to shut my mind off for almost a year now. Well.. Sometimes I've passed out, but that wasn't sleep by any means. And it was only five or ten minutes at a time anyway." Shadow shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a nightmare."

"I don't doubt it." Being neverendingly awake to brood on your own half-existence and the possibility of it extending forever was... a frightening concept. "I don't envy you, Shadow."

"Nor should ya." He grimaced. "There are drawbacks to being dead, as ya might imagine."

"I think simply being dead implies a whole slew of other drawbacks in addition to not being able to sleep." Vio snorted. "Namely, being dead."

"Well, ya ain't wrong," Shadow snickered, going to Vio's dresser and perching atop it. "Hope you don't mind me sitting all over your stuff; ain't as though I have any real weight to me."

"Do I look as though I mind?" Vio gave a small smirk. "Go right ahead, you aren't harming anything."

"Couldn't if I tried." Shadow sighed, kicking his feet aimlessly. "So- you're thinking of making the trip to Zelda's on your own, yeah? Think she's back yet?"

"It's been a couple days since we last tried to check," Vio considered. "Perhaps tomorrow I could set out and have a word with her, yes. You're sure you'll be fine here?"

"For the last time, Vio," Shadow rolled his eyes. "I'll be perfectly fine. I got a question, though."

"And that question is...?"

"Think we oughta try to bring Blue on board?" Shadow proposed. "I mean... realistically, I'd rather have him on our side than not. And he could only be a help." Not to mention he sort of already might know.

This caused Vio to frown slightly, crossing his arms. To his knowledge, Blue would be more of a hindrance than a help. "I don't know... Where we are right now, our main struggle is going to be getting to Zelda and figuring out how to decode that spell; neither of which Blue will be of much use for."

"Yeah, but three heads are better than two," Shadow wheedled, trying to change Vio's mind.

"Not when that head is Blue's." Vio remained stubborn. "Until we have a better idea of the nature of your issue, I would rather not bring anybody else on board." He frowned.

Shadow looked somewhat dejected, but reluctantly accepted. "Whatever; you're usually right, anyway," He sighed loudly, taking his cap off to run a hand through his hair. "What do I know?"

"Don't think like that, Shadow, I'm just saying Blue might not be as value-added as some." Vio argued, looking slightly miffed.

"Sure he'd love to hear you say that," Shadow snorted, replacing his hat on his head. "No need to justify yourself to me, s'not like I have any great love for Blue or anything."

"I suppose not, no," Vio conceded. "Well, all the same, forget I said anything." He heaved a sigh, glancing to the window. "So long story short, I ought to venture to see Zelda today?"

"Tomorrow you might stand a better chance." Shadow disagreed. "Gives her more time to get home and get settled and stuff, if she isn't already. Plus you can set out early then."

"You're right." Vio nodded. "Tomorrow it is."