I do not own Legend of Zelda and -insert other disclaimer stuff here-

Thank you all for your support. Now that i'm actually doing a story, i see that reviews are very important; i look forward to everyones thoughts and will get more chapters up ASAP.

As a warrior, Link had a kind of internal clock that allowed him to wake up more or less at whatever time he desired. He'd told Dark that they would leave at moonrise and sure enough, right as the moon was coming up Link's eyes flicked open then slowly looked around for Dark. He wasn't hard to find. In fact, he was lightly snoring with his left arm slung across Link's chest. He watched the sleeping boy for several minutes trying to determine how to deal with this. He finally settled on shaking him awake.

"Come Dark, it's time for us to leave." Link didn't know why he whispered. It just seemed appropriate at night. Dark sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. As soon as they'd gathered all their gear together they headed down the road through the mountains, for Dark, about to step into the world for the first time.

Walking down the wide dirt path that led away from the lake, Link watched in slight amusement as Dark ran out ahead, slashing at plants and chasing crickets around, trying to figure out their chirping. He ran far out ahead until he came to a large iron gate going across the entire road built into a stone wall running right alongside the cliff. Link walked right up to the short end of the wall and climbed a ladder set against the side. Dark of course was not paying attention, so Link sat, letting his legs hang off the side of the wall about ten feet above the road. Watching down over Dark hunched by the side of the road, Link couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips. That boy…he was so confusing. Down there laughing and playing with crickets, Dark had an almost childlike innocence. It was endearing in its own way but other times…the smouldering looks and suggestive comments were anything but. Like Dark had two different personalities. A Dark Dark as it were.

A movement down below snapped the blonde out of his reverie. Dark was looking around in confusion. To him, it must look as if Link had vanished. The idea made him grin but he was feeling merciful so he flicked a pebble to get Dark's attention, then pointed to the side where the ladder was. Of course, only the lake side had a ladder so once they passed the gate Link leapt off the top of the wall, rolling as he hit the ground and using the momentum to get back to his feet all in one smooth motion. He almost felt smug knowing that he must have looked very impressive doing that, so naturally he was a bit irritated when he turned around to see Dark mimic the maneuver. Dark simply copied what Link had just showed him.

"What?" the black haired boy asked as he rolled to his feet to see Link scowling at him. The Hero said nothing as he turned around to keep walking, but Dark didn't notice as he was sightseeing again. Right beyond the gate the mountain road ended, opening onto a wide open field that stretched for miles into the distance. Far off ahead, he could see random disconnected stretches of road that might have all been connected at some point. The ground had a very shallow rise to it, almost unnoticeable in the short term but off in the distance the ground was definitely higher as it became a ridge that prevented Dark from seeing any farther.

So this was it…the world.

The sheer enormity of it all blew Dark's mind, but Link barely paid it any mind. Instead, he pulled out his Ocarina: a small, wooden, crescent-shaped instrument painted in pale blue. Link brought it to his lips, playing a soft slow song that would call his horse. Staring off into the distance, Link listened for the sound of hoof beats, also hearing Dark suppressing a yawn somewhere behind him.

They waited around by the gate for several minutes before Dark let our a groan. "Liiiink, come on. I'm bored," he whined, then frowned when he received no acknowledgement at all. Instead, Link was staring off at…

"There she is…" the blond whispered. He was actually smiling. Dark thought back, trying to think if he'd ever seen that before. The answer was no.

Galloping over the ridge toward the pair was a light brown horse with a white mane wearing an ornate custom-made saddle. That was Epona, Link's pride and joy. She skidded to a halt in front of him, whinnying softly as the boy laid his head on her flank, murmuring quiet encouragement to the horse. Dark just stared. The animal was interesting yes, but for some reason he felt the urge to watch it from a distance.

The urge to get moving again hit the dark haired boy like a hammer. He wanted Link up and moving, though it certainly wasn't because then the Hero wouldn't be practically flirting with his horse. That would make Dark jealous for attention. Nope, definitely not it. But….

"Uh, Link? It's nice and all but…what's it for?" Dark asked, still hesitant to approach the shaggy brown beast,. Link vaulted up into the saddle and held a hand out.

"Epona is the fastest horse in the country and one of my close friends. Riding is also much faster then walking. I'm in a hurry to get back to town to re-supply. Come."

Dark stared at the gloved hand for a minute, still hesitant. Link wanted to ride that thing? He knew he really didn't have any choice but still…

Sighing, he took the hand and let Link haul him up into the saddle. It was a bit of an awkward move and Epona skittered around nervously but after some struggling they managed to get Dark up into the saddle behind Link.

"It's rather awkward riding a horse for the first time so just grip with your legs, lean forward and hold onto me."

A mischievous grin spread across Dark's face as he thought that maybe this riding thing wouldn't be so bad but clearly the other boy knew exactly what was going through his head.

"Don't even think about it," Link muttered, turning to give a flat stare that killed Dark's growing smirk and without a second thought he kicked his heels lightly into Epona's sides and the horse immediately jumped into a gallop. Startled, and suddenly worried about falling off, Dark lurched forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy in front of him and squeezing his eyes shut, but that only made things worse.

Without sight, Dark's other senses grew more pronounced, or at least got a greater portion of his attention. Sitting there, leaning into the dark green tunic in front of him, all Dark could see, feel, and smell was Link. All he wanted right then was Link and with the rolling motion of the horse beneath him, it was like it was pushing him forward, rubbing against the blonde. And the heat of the friction had something growing between his legs.

No! Link said not to. C'mon…focus! Dark mentally screamed at himself, biting back a whine. It wasn't so much that Link would disapprove that put the boy off as much as the fact that pissing Link off could result in his getting kicked off the back of a speeding horse. Definitely not a fun way to end the day, and yet in spite of the very real danger his body refused to cooperate, and with the saddle he had no choice but to sit with his hips pressed right up against the rider. He tried bringing all the force of his mind to bear, concentrating hard on anything else he could think of, determined to force his bodies cooperation through sheer force of will.

It didn't work.

Within less then a minute he felt Link tense up, undoubtedly from whatever was jamming him in the back and Epona slowed to a halt.

"Dark. What are you doing?" came the tense growl from in front of him. Definitely not a friendly sound. His failure to maintain his self-control had Dark squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"I- I'm sorry! Its not my fault! I'm trying not to but I really can't help it!" the boy whined, renewing his grip on Link's waist. A minute later, he'd hear a low snort as Link nudged his horse back into movement, though he wouldn't see the pale blush spreading across the Hero's face. Unlike Dark, Link was able to enforce his will over himself at least enough to stop the blush from growing. As for the hard point pressed into his back, he ignored it and it went away eventually. He almost stopped again later when he felt Dark lean forward and lay on his shoulder. Link was about to go off on him again when he realized the black-haired boy had fallen asleep.

They rode on through the night and into morning when Dark woke up, yawning and stretching and almost falling off the horse. A yelp and a frantic grab at Link's shoulders are all that saved him from and uncomfortable five foot drop. Link just sighed, patting Epona's neck as thanks for her patient long-suffering attitude in putting up with Dark.

Once back solidly in place, Dark glanced around, taking in his surroundings. They moved along with a shallow stream to the right, flowing along the base of the mountains. To the left, the plains continued to stretch farther then he could see. There was the occasional stand of trees or an odd looking plant that he wouldn't mind having the chance to explore, but if he did run off exploring he was liable to get left behind, so he sighed and tried to enjoy the scenery.

"Link, where're we going?" Dark asked as he rubbed his eyes

"I told you, I need to get some more supplies."

"No, I mean after that. Where's the next temple? What are we gonna be doing?"

Silence. Dark frowned as the minute stretched on and he received no answer, though he could feel the boy shifting in front of him.

"I…don't know."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes as Epona trotted down the river, crossing at a bridge and heading towards a set of stairs going up into the mountains. Dark stared for several minutes as Epona cantered closer. Yup, it was a set of stairs leading up into the mountains and around a corner. Link hopped to the ground and up the stairs. Dark was surprised to see an entire village tucked back in the mountains and even though the sun was still showing itself at early morning, people still milled about their business. Ahead, a well sat in front of a large windmill, slowly turning in the nonexistent breeze.

Pausing at the gates, which actually was just a wooden arch proclaiming the name "Kakariko Village," Link turned to Dark and gripped his shoulder. "I will be shopping for several hours. Since I know you're liable to get bored, feel free to look around but please try to stay out of trouble," he said, almost pleading to his black counterpart. After seeing Dark give a nod, the two turned and set off into the village.

They walked together until the first split; Link headed to the left towards a small cluster of shops while Dark continued forward.

As soon as Link was out of sight, Dark took off running up a short flight of low wide stairs to examine the well. Dark grey, slimy, weathered stone arranged in a circle. What caught Dark's eye was a ladder of rusted iron descending into the dark depths of the well. Posted right next to the well, a conveniently placed sign explained as much:

Dark, Narrow, Scary. Well of Three Features!

Smirking a little to himself, Dark left the well to continue exploring. He was a little curious about what could be down there but then he remembered the Marine Research Lab and wisely left it alone. Next, a set of stairs curved off to the right in a small spiral to a red brick building. Eh, looks interesting.

In Dark's book, interesting basically was a shorter way of saying 'I want to go check it out', and so he did. The building ended up being a shooting gallery, or so he gathered from the giant bullseye hanging over the door, and as he headed inside, he didn't notice the pair of dark blue eyes watching him curiously.

Link wasn't purposely being sneaky. After all, it wasn't his fault that Dark never happened to look behind. It was a sudden impulse to follow Dark and see what he did and how he would react to a new environment. Naturally, he was a bit surprised to see his partner head straight for the shooting gallery.

The Shooting Gallery had a nice little machine off in the corner that played a cheery, yet competitive music and to the right, a large shirtless man with puffy ape-lips manned the counter. "Do you want to play a game? It's 20 rupees to play."

Dark nearly gasped. The Monkey could speak? Living proof that the Goddesses had a sense of humor!

Of course, he didn't want to be caught gaping like an idiot, but he honestly had no idea how to respond other than, "Uh…how do I play?"

Snorting, the primate pointed down to a little sign hanging from the front desk. "Uh huh, uh huh… fifteen shots, ten targets… prize for hitting them all. Please supply your own bow? Damn."

Engrossed in reading, he didn't hear the door open behind him, didn't hear Link walk in, but he did hear Link say to the shop owner, "I'd like to play," just as he heard the sound of rupees hitting the counter.

"Alright! This is a game for grown ups! You-"

"I already know the rules. Begin please."

Just the tone make Dark stop and take a second look. This person, he had the same goofy green hat as Link and the same long blonde hair, the same dark blue eyes and the same holy blade strapped to his back, but his demeanor was completely different as he drew his bow, nocked an arrow and pulled the string back against his cheek. This Link was confident, intense, focused. This Link could well be the Hero of Time, and it made Dark feel even more inadequate, especially when the first target appeared. It took the form of a giant blue rupee and Dark watched from the side as Link swung his bow to the side and released his arrow and pulling another from the quiver on his back and drawing it back almost in the time it took for his first arrow to hit.

The rupee exploded into thousands of colorful glass shards that the Hero completely ignored. He was waiting for the next target. Aim. Release. Draw. Aim. Release. Never a moment's hesitation. Ten shots fired. Ten targets hit. So, just two minutes later, the two walked out of the Shooting Gallery; Link with a new quiver and Dark with a new respect for the Hero. He watched the blond sit down on the stairs and transfer all his arrows to the new quiver.

"It's a nice quiver, it seems a shame to throw it away." Link said as he handed the old quiver to Dark who stared at it questioningly once the transfer was completed.

"You think…you could teach me to shoot like you do?"

"I suppose. We can talk about it later. Meet me in front of the well in an hour, please."

Dark agreed and returned to what he'd been doing; ambling around and observing life outside his cage. One of the stranger things he observed was a woman trying to corner a chicken, though she seemed hesitant to get too close, as though the fluffy white bird were dangerous. "Uh… Something wrong?" Dark asked when the woman jumped back away from the chicken when it took a step towards her.

"Haa! Oh…I'm sorry." The woman tucked a few loose stands of damp hair back into place. "You see, my pet Cuccoos got out of their pen, but I'm allergic so I can't pick them up and put them back."

Allergic? To a chicken? That sounded pretty ridiculous but he also couldn't help be feel bad for her, so he reached down and grabbed the chicken and held the struggling bird above his head. "Where do you want it?" Dark asked through gritted teeth. The woman gratefully pointed him in the direction of a wooden pen, showering him in thanks. He just busy focusing on keeping a hold of the thing as it squirmed and squawked and flapped its wings in a desperate attempt to escape. "Oh no you don't!" he snarled at the chicken and chucked it into the pen. As soon as it hit the ground, the bird was docile once more, pecking around the ground without a care in the world.

"Thank you very much sir, but there are still four more Cuccoos out there. I don't know what I'll do about the rest…" The woman trailed off, eyes downcast and looking very helpless. Rolling his eyes, Dark set off to find the other chickens.

Link walked out of the shop with a full stock of arrows, bombs and other paraphernalia that carried a Hero through the day. That shop done, he headed down the stairs towards the other side of town to see a different shop for more supplies. "I wonder what Dark is doing…" he wondered aloud, and oddly, his question was answered.

CUUUUUCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"What in the name of…feathers?" Sure enough, after the ear-splitting cry, it began to rain feathers. Looking up, sure enough there was Dark gliding through the sky, hanging from the feet of a furiously flapping chicken. Jaw agape, Link just stared for a minute before sighing and continuing on towards the next shop, muttering, "don't ask, I don't want to know."

Finally Dark managed to round up all the chickens from around the village. How one of them managed to get itself inside a sealed wooden crate was beyond him. Either way, once all the chickens had been returned to the pen, Anju, which he found was the chicken lady's name, decided to reward him with a finely crafted empty glass bottle. "That's a very precious bottle. Please take good care of it."

Dark promised he would and let Anju go on her way. It wasn't quite time to meet Link yet, so he decided to check some shops on his own, and was disappointed to discover that many of the things he couldn't use. Slingshot pellets, useless without a slingshot. Bombs couldn't be safely carried without a bomb bag. He had a quiver for arrows, but no bow, though he ended up buying arrows simply because he could, and this store also had a back door. Interesting. He window shopped around till the man's back was turned then slipped out the door.

In the back was an enclosed fenced in area. with a short flight of stairs down and an odd-looking hole in the ground. The was also the front door of an entirely different shop. Inside this shop felt oddly familiar with acrid oddly-colored smoke, strange tribal music and the old-as-dirt shopkeeper that seemed to materialize out of the walls. Now what did it remind him of…?

Suddenly the memory of the tepid, death soaked waters of the Marine Research Laboratory flooded Dark's mind, leaving him pale and shaking as the raspy voice of the ancient crone behind the front counter spoke, "Are you alright dear? Did you come for some potion? Because you look like you could use it."

Dark would have answered but his mouth had suddenly gone dry. Tsking about young people and how they don't take good care of themselves anymore, the old woman hobbled out and handed the boy an wooden cup filled with dark red liquid. He was hesitant to drink something that looked so much like blood, but a cautious sniff told him it wasn't blood. The pungent, floral scent was unlike anything Dark had ever smelled before so he took a small sip. It tasted…surprisingly good. He stared down into the red waters for a second before downing the cup. Seconds later, tendrils of warmth spread though his body, and restored what little color his skin originally held.

"Wow…that stuff really packs a punch," Dark said with appreciation as he handed the cup back.

The old woman returned to her place behind the counter, eyeing him with a smug smile. "Would you like some to take with you? It's sixty rupees a bottle."

Ridiculously expensive, but Dark just shrugged and handed over the rupees and bottle. He didn't have the frugality of his counterpart nor the inclination to try and argue the price down. He just paid up, waved and ran outside, eager to be out in fresh air again.

Come to think of it, the other shop guy probably didn't notice Dark slip out the back door. He realized this when the back door was suddenly locked. Grumbling irritably, he glanced around. Most of the walls looked a bit high to climb and the fence had a spiked top. Not the sort of thing he fancied trying to climb over, but on further investigation he noticed a small gap in the bottom corner of the heavy wooden fence, concealed on the other side by some bushes that just might be big enough to squeeze through. It wasn't really but that didn't stop him from breaking chunks off the hole to make it bigger. After a bit of work, it was large enough to fit though, and the shrubs in front of the hole would help insure that no one noticed.

Even more conveniently, his secret little tunnel came out right by the well, and who would be sitting against the well waiting for him other then Link who was impatiently looking around, presumably for Dark.

Better yet, Link was unaware of Dark's presence, so Dark leaned himself casually up against a wall and, after stifling a chuckle, yelled , "Hey, Link! C'mon, where've you been? You kept me waiting!" Dark says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Ah, how nice it was to see the Hero jump like that, looking all bewildered. He must be wondering how he missed the very person he was watching out. Dark could see it in the Hero's eyes, the question he wanted to ask, but wouldn't. Stubborn, too stubborn by far. He'd probably never figure out that Dark managed to amaze by cheap parlor tricks…and the thought made him a little sad.

Remembering the Shooting Gallery, he knew Link possessed skills that he couldn't begin to hope to match…

"So where are we off to?" Dark asked with a false cheer, mostly to disguise the way his hand was clenched in his glove. Damn it all, he wanted to be useful.

He also wanted to hit something out of frustration of not being useful, but that would require explaining his turbulent feelings; feelings he himself didn't fully understand and Farore forbid he get himself into that mess.

Link shrugged, apparently not worried as he stood and headed towards the village gates but Dark couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't just putting on a brave face. "Sheik gave me general locations. I have already been to the Temple in the deep forest, on the high mountain and under the lake. There will still be a temple in a desert colossus and in the house of the dead."

"So…do you know where either of those are?" Dark asked after receiving no further elaboration.

"No. Perhaps Sheik could have said more but I didn't see him after the Water Temple. I wonder what happened to him…"

Dark snorted, trying to sound casual, "That's the blond guy right? Eye on his clothes, kinda hot looking?"

Link blinked, nodding slowly though he was blushing a little. It got Dark wondering if Link actually secretly liked the guy or if he would respond the same way whenever he heard Dark discussing whether someone was attractive or not.

"He didn't say anything about other temples. He said you did good, that it was you and Ruto working together, he already knew she wanted to thank him and that they'd be continuing to count on you."

Though it did help his image, he could tell Link wasn't happy, with his jaw set like that, eyeing Dark with a flat stare. " And why did you not tell me this?"

Pissing Link off…leaving the village…to go horseback riding again. Dark realized his mistake a minute too late. "You didn't ask," Dark pointed out…well, he thought it was reasonably.

"That still does not give you the right to keep things from me," Link snapped. The two walked another few minutes in stony silence. Sighing, Dark realized he was doing this entirely wrong. He shouldn't be sacrificing his partner's good will just to seem more then he was. It made him feel dishonest…and he didn't like the feeling.

"Hey Link? I'm sorry. I didn't think it was important. Didn't really think about it at all so…"

"I will teach you archery if you help me improve my swordsmanship. Is that acceptable?" Link interjected. Seemed that was Link's way of accepting his apology. Typical. Of course he couldn't just say it…but then again, the Hero of Time had to be stubborn like that and honestly, Dark was grateful for whatever would keep him in his partner's good graces.

"Yup, I can do that. Together, we'll be unstoppable!" Dark shouted enthusiastically. He really wanted to enjoy it while it could because Epona was waiting at the foot of the mountains right where they'd left her.

As much as Dark didn't really like riding, it was at least tolerable with Link to hold onto, and it made conversation convenient. A few miles out into the field, he felt Link clear his throat nervously. "Dark? I was thinking…back in Kakariko Village, you said you think Sheik is attractive. Does that mean… he took his mask off for you?" Link asked, somehow managing to get it all out without a single stutter.

Dark couldn't help but grin. "Why? Is my Hero jealous?" he teased.

"N-no! I was merely curious…"

Dark could feel the boy tensing nervously. "Tch, yeah. Then why is your heart beating so fast? You like him or something? It's alright, you can tell me. You wanna know if he's cute?" Dark couldn't help teasing him. Leaning forward to rest his head on Link's shoulder only made the boy blush more and look away from the ruby eyes and amused smile.

"No, its n-not like that at all! F-for one thing, I am in no position for a relationship and-"

"I call your bluff. If it's true then look me in the eyes and say it," Dark cut in with that taunting grin.

"Stop Dark, that isn't fair!"

"Liar. You like him, just admit it," Dark purred, getting the Hero even more flustered.

"No, its not true!"

"Liar."

"No!"