I can't help it! I'm really stuck with Sleeping Under Ashes at the moment.

I want to make it to the end though, of SUA, I have to finish it.

In the meantime, another chapter for this. I changed it to a "few weeks' time."

Made more sense :P

Pithy

Agony was no longer a fiend, no; she no longer made his blood curdle. She had long silenced his screams and since coaxed him into her insufferable arms. He had soon found comfort in being apart from his self so he may stare down where his frayed body lie. Consciousness had often whipped and massaged his torn mind before agony could whisk him away once more; oh, how she loved him. The "training" sessions, as Dark liked to call them, were finally over. Hours, days, minutes, how much had he lost? A month, he was told, a whole month. He had not slept beyond him blacking out which only ensued an abruptly crude smack to awaken him. The stars above him twinkled. There was a door that seemed securely locked on his far right; he wished he could escape. Did anyone look for him? Did anyone care? He realized not that he had vocalized his concerns. His voice was raspy and barely audible; if he had undergone anymore torture, he was sure he would have lost his voice.

"They have but I've snuffed any interference, as far as everyone is concerned, you're on vacation," Cagney casually rolled a silver band between his fingers in his left hand. "I cannot afford interception of my mission."

"Why do you have that ring?" Link spoke coarsely, sour from his excruciating experience. "... Are you married?"

"None of that is your concern... unless, would you be jealous?" he twirled his flaxen hair, simpering down at the still restrained blonde. "You must feel dazed from the excessive doses of tonic I've given you. Your voice, it was immensely… robust, you know? I'm astonished you still have one. It was probably the potions that had saved your angelic vocals."

The hero bit back a vicious retort and closed his eyes. Thankfully, his body was not in pain. He was physically at his peak but his skull hammered his eyes. He closed them and heaved a sigh. Images of the horrors he had witnessed flashed in the darkness. Link could not even bring his self to cry; his ducts were more barren than the Gerudo Mesa. His cerulean orbs were dull, his extremities tingled. Ingesting red potion for an entire month was, surely, not healthy. The hero's back ached as he adjusted himself on the metal chair that was turned into a table of sorts. He had not left these chains.

"… He… strong," Lon, the hoary wolfos, growled; he referred to Link.

"I… it… spoke?" the blonde sputtered in confusion, his speech a bit hoarse.

"He, love, and yes, well…" Dark mused, putting the ring into his pocket. "They barely speak the Hylian language; they have the competency, verbally, of a human toddler but only these two wolfos. However, their comprehension of the Hylian language is remarkable. They understand every word we speak; their vocals are not made like ours. They speak with guttural growls and howls. Of course, they speak properly in their own tongue. Do you recall the eccentric scientist at Lake Hylia in Hyrule? His name escapes me..."

"I… do," Link stared oddly at the two wolfos that sat on their hind legs with backs hunched. Their large claws scraped the floor. Their arms hung loosely at their sides while their jaws hung open. The wolfos' long, sharp teeth were pearly as their tongues sidled pass their lips. They looked like your standard wolfos; overgrown dogs. The piercing gaze of Anya, her eyes crimson, and Lon, his orbs golden, disturbed him. "… What did he do?"

"You know how he loved to… experiment. He desired mindless creatures to have knowledge, he sought communication with beasts and very few survived his trials. Aside from Anya and Lon, two of which I saved from that man," his leg jittered as he leaned against Link's confines. "I had him arrested. He was committing cruel acts against nature; it was unnatural. Some queries of nature are best not trifled with… I kept these two at my side. They have become my companions."

The two wolfos made no move to concur or refute this statement. They spoke to one another, more so with their eyes than with their vocals. Link bit his cheek and groaned as he felt his restraints loosen. Dark tenderly stroked the hero's cheek as he heaved a relieved sigh. He sat up and stretched. Link cracked his back and stretched his arms in every which way possible. He went to stand but immediately fell to the colorful tiles. Cagney lifted him up and helped the blonde stretch and receive feeling back in his limbs. Link was back to his normal state in no time. Dark occasionally looked through his telescope.

"The time is nigh..."

"What?"

"I expect that you will fulfill your promise, hero," the detective smiled charmingly. "Your life belongs to me; dedicate yourself wholly. This is where your "training" will come to fruition. It will all commence shortly."

"I don't understand," Link said, dread filling his belly.

"You'll see…"

The hero was about to badger the detective but the lights suddenly went out. It was pitch black and the entirety of the room quaked as an explosion had rattled the astronomical structure from outside. The lights flickered as they came on again and dust fell from the ceiling. Dark and the wolfos were nowhere in sight. Panic filled him as he couldn't comprehend what was happening. Rough metal rammed the door as armored men filed up in swarms from the stairs. The door busted open as billows of smoke filled the air and surrounded him. The blonde coughed and covered his eyes, the dust and arid smoke stinging his lungs and orifices.

"Well, I would have never expected this," a familiar voice hummed. "The Hero of Time; you have a lot of explaining to do."

Link struggled to view his offender. His eyes widened as he realized who was about to become his new captor. The familiar leathery, spandex exoskeleton that fit his form perfectly gave way to him. The tabard held that well-known symbol which did nothing but irk him when it had, in the past, brought comfort. His cowl did little to ease the intimidation of his gaze. His golden hair was long and tied back into a braid while his bangs were split side to side, just barely covering his left eye while his right eye remained visible; they were bloody red. Bandages covered his body and only one word could escape the hero's lips.

"Sheik…" Link spoke with utter disbelief; his voice was just barely above a whisper.

There was an indomitable silence that did nothing but raise his trepidation. The smoke cleared and the armor clad men stood in position, weapons in hand. They seemed to sweat, tremble slightly. They were ready to attack without a moments hesitation. Were these men afraid of him? Link looked around. These were probably men he had known, men that had respected him and now here they were. They had their swords ready to jab him should they be told. The hero frowned as the smoke cleared. He considered his title would hold sway as he stepped toward the Sheikah but the crimson eyed blonde raised his hand and pointed his index finger at Link, halting him.

"Seize him!"

Well, R&R if you like xP

I have to do homework now… these chapters will probably be forever short :I

Actually, if you enjoyed, please review. The morale goes a long way, haha