Navi sat perched on the sign leading to the Gerudo Village, staring off in the direction Epona ran off. Her hands rang the hat, eyes fixed on the folds of the green cloth. "I wonder where that horse ran off to. She sure was in a hurry." She closed her eyes, knocking her heels against the wooden sign. "Fine. Everyone just abandon me. I don't care if I ever see any of them again."

She sat in silence for a short while, until a familiar sound caught her ears. She knew the sound of those hooves. Epona rode into sight, and there seemed to be something on her back. It couldn't be… but it was. She was carrying Link right to her. He was really alive.

Navi flew down from the sign, frantically flittering towards the approaching horse. She plastered herself to Link's face as Epona crossed the bridge. "You're alive, you're alive. I don't believe it, you're actually alive."

Link laughed, plucking the little faerie off his cheek. "Yes, I'm alive. And, I'd say it's a safe bet to say you missed me?"

She started crying, clamping onto his face again. "You're damn right I missed you, you big idiot."

Link was so preoccupied with the hysterical faerie that he missed Knil slipping off the back of Epona, just as they entered the village. It was only a matter of time until the scary women realized their home-coming, and he didn't want to be thrown back in that cell. He just wanted to find Ivan, and his sword and get out of here.

Sure enough, the Gerudo warriors heard the hoof-steps too, and came out to investigate. They were excited to see their only male member was still alive. Link jumped down from Epona to greet them. He looked around the small gaggle of girls, searching for their leader. "Where's Samira?"

"She's in her room, trying to think of our next plan of attack."

"I can go retrieve her, and let her know you've returned to us." A white haired Gerudo ran off into their base.

Navi took her normal perch on Link's newly restored hat. "So, what happened to you two?" She looked around. "And where's Knil?"

Link glanced up at Epona, before searching around for his dark counter-part. "I don't know. He was right here a second ago."

"YOU." One of the girls shouted, pointed behind Link to the obviously non-sneaky Knil. He froze once he was spotted. "Get him." Knil tried to run, but was surrounded and seized by a group of scary women.

"Hey. Let him go." Link ran over to them, grabbing one of their arms to try and pull them off. "You can't lock him up again. Knil saved my life. Twice. I'm not going to let you."

"We can't just let him go."

"Release him, girls." Samira walked out of the hideout, making her way to the struggling Hylians. "If brother trusts him, then we can allow him some freedom." She shot a scathing look to Knil. "At least for now. But he better not give any reason to betray that trust."

Knil tried to hide the chill running down his spine from the women still clamped onto his arms.

"Now, find him somewhere to stay. We might need his help."

"Of course." The girls reluctantly let go of the confused Knil, racing off into the hideout.

Knil rubbed his arms, Link clamping a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

He swatted the hand away. "Yea fine."

"MASTER!" A violet streak zipped from the sky, slamming directly into Knil. If Ivan had been any bigger she probably would've knocked him flat on his back. She clamped to him, a lot like Navi had, crying about how happy she was that he had returned to her safe and sound.

"Ivan, come on." He plucked the little faerie off his chest, his face flushing. "Get a hold of yourself. It doesn't make sense for you to cry if I'm not dead."

She fluttered in front of him, wiping her face. "I'm just happy to see you're ok."

Samira made her way over to Link, clamping a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad to see you're alive, Brother. And, if you're up to it, we can try and find a way past that monster."

Link exchanged a look with his counter-part before turning back to Samira. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something first. Alone."

She seemed taken aback, by the look in his eyes, but agreed, leading Link off into the hideout.

xXx

They entered her chamber to see a large circular table, with maps and other such findings scattered across it. The maps had different routes routed out through the desert. Obviously different ways she was trying to figure to sneak into the oasis. Samira made her way to the other side of the table, but Link didn't even give her a chance to speak. "So,I just want to know one thing. What exactly do you want with the Spirit Oasis?"

Samira was startled by the sudden question. "What do you mean?"

Link folded his arms, eyes narrowed on her. "Why are you so desperate to get into the Spirit Oasis? If it's just a dispute over property, then I want no part of it."

Navi looked to her partner, a bit concerned by his attitude.

Samira settled down in a nearby chair, unsure of how to answer his question. "It's not just over property. Even though the Oasis is supposed to be under our rule."

"Then what is it?"

She sighed, steep ling her fingers over the table. "There's a jewel hidden deep within it's depths. A jewel called the Gerudo Diamond."

"A jewel?"

"Yes." She stood, moving around some of the papers to show him a diagram of the Gerudo Diamond. It was a clear white stone, shaped like a pyramid, with a golden trim that formed a square spiral up to the point. "It's an ancient treasure that was lost to us long ago."

Link sighed, leaning over the table for a better look. "So, you want me to help you find this diamond. And here I thought it was something important. I can't waste my time with some treasure hunt. If you want my help, then you have to convince me."

Samira's eyes narrowed in anger at his impertinence. "Our ancestors have searched for centuries to locate this treasure, but none were able to locate it. There were rumors of it's whereabouts, but no luck in actually finding it. At least, not until you came along." Her lips curled into a smile, that bordered on mischievous. "So, it must be some kind of fate that you joined us."

Link's eye twitched at the mention of fate. His hands curled into fists. "I'm not a Gerudo. Why should I care about this jewel?"

"Link?"

"But Brother, we need your help."

Link slammed his hands against the table. "I almost got myself killed for a diamond. I thought it was something important, but no. You dragged me into a treasure hunt. How could you possibly think I would go along with something like this?"

"You may not have been born a Gerudo, but you've proven yourself worthy of being one of us. This jewel should be just as important to you as it is to us."

"I'm not a thief. I'm not going to help you steal from Luith."

Samira slammed her hands on the table as well, leaning into Link's face. "The Gerudo Diamond is rightfully ours, dammit! That monster stole it from us in the first place."

"Then you'll have to do it without me."

Her eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"I've already led you to the Spirit Oasis. You should have plenty of capable warriors. You don't need me." With that, Link turned, and started out of the room.

Samira slumped back in the chair, her mouth agape. She couldn't quite comprehend what she was hearing. In a fit of rage, she bolted upright again, nearly knocking the chair backwards in her haste. "You can't just turn your back on us. If you choose to fight against us, then you are an enemy, brother."

Link stopped in the doorway, hand resting against the curtain. The final statement hung in the air for a few moments, until Link finally spoke. "At the moment, I have no intention of hindering your case." He looked back at her, the gaze in his eyes securing that this was the final word on the subject. "But I have yet to find a reason to assist in your selfish endeavors."

Navi followed her partner with growing concern. "Link?" She fluttered around him, a bit unsure of what to do. "Are you ok?"

Link just smiled up at her. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

She sighed in relief at seeing his normal attitude shine through again. "Well, that's good to hear. But what was that all about? Why'd you suddenly decide not to help them?"

"I'm not a treasure hunter, Navi. I don't need to get involved with these kinds of affairs."

Navi started to feel concerned again with how her partner's attitude seemed to change as he spoke. She settled down on Link's shoulder, unsure if she really wanted to ask, "What happened out there?"

At first glance it seemed as if the thought made Link sad, but it soon became apparent that his face had taken on an almost nostalgic smile. "We bonded."

Navi could've fallen off in shock. "You what?"

"Well, actually, I'm not quite sure if Knil would call it that, but that's how it seemed to me. Sure it was a little rough at first, but I found out something interesting about him." This time, his smile actually faded. "Then I just broke down."

Navi's concern sparked again. "Broke down? What do you mean?"

Link was quiet for a short while, as if trying to register the memory. "I can't quite explain it myself." He gave a small laugh that almost seemed like some kind of morbid amusement at the circumstances. "I just felt like something snapped. I mean, I screamed. I even cried. I told him things I've never even told you."

Navi was a bit saddened by that comment. She wanted Link to be able to tell her anything. "Why?"

Link shrugged. "I dunno. For some reason I just felt like it was something he should know. In that moment, it seemed like he was the only one who could really understand." He smiled up at her again. "In a sense, he taught me how to say 'no.'"

"It was a bit unnerving. I'd never seen him like that before." Knil rubbed his eyes, before turning back to watch the sun set over the desert, from his perch on top of the fortress. "All this time I've been led to believe he was some kind of infallible being that didn't think foul about anything. But now, I'm not so sure. In that one moment everything I always thought I knew about him was completely turned upside down. Yet now…" He paused briefly and nearly felt like he wanted to smile. "It seems like I finally understand him."

Ivan sat on the hilt of his sword, (which he was holding onto, the tip twisting trough the dirt), kicking her legs carelessly. "Does that mean you don't want to kill him anymore?"

When he didn't answer right away, Ivan glanced back at him. There seemed to be an almost pained glint in his eyes. He groaned, dropping the sword, and fell back against the wall, rubbing his forehead. "I'm starting to get a headache."

Ivan smiled, flittering up to him. She hovered in front of his face, pushing the hand down to see him. "Am I to take that as a no?"

She half expected Knil to swat her away, but instead he just laughed. A sound that seemed to be getting softer with each day. "I guess so."

Ivan swatted herself away in disbelief. "Whoa, really?"

He took his hand away from his face, resting it across his knee. "Ivan, do you even remember why I wanted to kill him in the first place?"

The little faerie folded her arms across her chest, contemplating the question. "To take his place."
"And get out of the Water Temple."

"Yea, that's it." She flitted forward, landing on his knee. "So, what's your point?"

"Well, I'm out. And now, thanks to that Bozo, I've gotten so used to the name Knil, that I doubt I would even respond to Link. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what my motivation is now."

"What about you nightmares? Didn't that have something to do with it?"

Knil's shoulders drooped, contemplating the question. "Is that really good enough anymore?"

"What?" Ivan stood up, fists planted on her hips. "But he's the whole reason for them anyway, isn't he?" They both stopped to think about what she'd said. "Isn't he? I mean, he almost killed you."

"I almost killed him."

"But you had a legitimate reason back then. What did he have?"

"Self defense."

"Knil." She wined, flittering up a few inches in her frustration.

The hand that had been on Knil's chin, trying to search for a reason, finally came down. "Ivan, do you really want me to kill him?"

The violet faerie opened her mouth to retaliate, but couldn't really think of anything. She was growing just as confused as her partner on the desired fate of Link. Slowly, she settled back to sit on his knee again.

Knil rubbed his eyes, still trying to push down the ache in his brain. "I'm starting to wonder if I'm not just searching for reasons to kill him now. First I just wanted freedom, but now that I have that, I feel like I'm forcing myself to hate him in the acts of some sort of revenge. The more I think about it, the more I just feel stupid." He closed his eyes, hitting his head back against the wall. "Sure he still annoys the hell outta me, but it's not enough to warrant his death." Knil opened his eyes to watch the reddened sky slowly fade to blue. His eyes stung, almost wanted to cry from frustration. And the stubborn headache that just didn't want to go away. "Ganondorf brought me into this world believing that Link was my enemy. That he needed to be destroyed, and I never questioned it. Why did I have to be such a fool?"

"He's a manipulative jerk, that led you astray. It doesn't make you a fool."

Knil's head snapped up to see the source of his confusion walking towards him. "How much did you hear?"

Link shrugged, settling next to him. "I came in just in time to find out how much I annoy you."

Knil shook his head, rubbing his eyes to hide the impending tears under the guise of frustration. "So, how'd it go?"

"Well, I think I'm kicked out of the Gerudo."

The dark Hylian froze from the news, slowly turning to look at his counter-part. He wanted to laugh at the circumstances, not quite sure why he found it so funny, but managed to restrain himself. "What did you say to her?"

"I just asked what she wanted with the Spirit Oasis… apparently there's some rare jewel in there somewhere."

Knil's ears perked up at the sound of a jewel. "Is there now? Do you think that's what that giant dude was trying to protect."

Link slumped to lay on the ground, resting his arms behind his head. "Not sure. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to just protect treasure. I'm wondering if there's more to it."

"Uh huh… sure. So, you told her off, then?"

Link chuckled, propping his leg up on his knee. "More or less."

This time Knil did laugh. "Gotta say, I'm kinda proud of you. How'd it feel?"

Link quirked his lips, trying to remember what he was feeling at the time. "Rather liberating, actually."

"Haha. That's right, Link. Embrace your dark side."

Link had to stop for a sec, cocking a brow up at his dark side, forcing him to think about what he'd just said. When Knil face palmed, they both started laughing.

The two faeries just watched their partner's with confusion, eying each other skeptically. This was getting a little too weird for them. "What the heck happened out there?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

After a short while, Link sat up. "Even though I'm not helping the Gerudo anymore, I still feel like there's more to this. I'm still going back out to the Oasis to get Luith's story about this Gerudo Diamond." He looked back at his counter-part, smiling softly. "I'd like it if you came along. Y'know, in case something goes wrong. Like it or not, we make a good team."

Knil was struck silent for a few seconds, before waving the offer off. "What're you crazy? There's no way you're getting me back there."

Link slumped slightly, before something seemed to click in his mind. "Oh, that reminds me. I have something for you." He stood, wiping dust off his clothes.

Knil just stared up at him, dumbstruck. "Something… for me?"

"Yea. Come on, I'll show you." Link offered a hand down to help him stand.

Even standing before him now, he still couldn't believe it. Link was holding himself with the pride of the hero. The way he did before they first went out into the desert, but it was so clear to him now. A small glimpse of weakness reflected in his eyes. It was that vulnerable child he had witnessed yesterday.

Knil ignored the hand and stood himself, letting his lighter-side lead the way.

How did he do it? Why was this boy able to hide his fears so thoroughly from the outside world? That kind of courage was almost enough to make one jealous.

xXx

Link lead him into the chamber he had been staying in during their visit. It was a fairly small clay colored room, with two beds lined up against the wall. Link looked down at one of the beds and laughed. "Apparently they decided to stick you in here with me."

"They must really be mad at you then."

"Probably." He moved to the far bed, pulling a knapsack from the other side, and started rummaging through it. "Oh, where'd it go."

Knil sat down on the other bed, taking in the rest of the room. There seemed to be a light source, but no windows. He looked up to see what appeared to be a light bulb encased in a dome against the ceiling. There were tubes running out of the dome, into the walls. How the heck did this place have electricity?

"Aha." Link diverted his attention, to look over as he pulled some kind of blue cloth from the sack. "Here it is?" He handed the blue cloth to Knil, who held it up to get a better look, eying Link a bit unsure.

"It's called the Zora Tunic. If you wear it, you'll be able to breathe underwater.

"What?" Knil stared up at him in shock. "How does it do that?"

"I dunno."

"Link?" Navi flitted in front of his face, wagging her finger at him like a disciplining mother. "What do you think you're doing? You can't give him something like that?"

"Oh please, Navi." Link sat down next to Knil, on the bed. "It's not like I really need it anymore. And besides, if I ever do, I can always get another one."

"But that was a gift from King Zora."

"And this was a gift from Saria." He held up another ocarina, which looked to be made out of wood or something, and held it out to Knil. "Here. I want you to have this too."

Navi looked as if her head was going to explode. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! How can you just give away something so valuable!"

"Saria?" Knil took the small instrument, staring at it in fixed awe. "Why?"

Link folded the blue ocarina into his hands. "I have this one now. And as close as I was to Saria, I can't take care of it the way I would like to. I just think it'd be better kept in your hands."

Knil stared at the gifts, trying to comprehend what this act could possibly mean.

"Link." One of the guards was standing in the doorway. "Samira wishes to speak with you."

Link didn't seem too keen on the thought of talking to her again, but accepted the invitation anyway. He had just pulled back the curtains in the doorway, when Knil finally spoke. "Just because you gave these to me, doesn't mean I'm going back to that oasis with you."

Link glanced back at him. "I didn't expect you to." His eyes narrowed slightly, almost saddened. "But I'm not intending to leave until tomorrow. At least think about it." He exited the room, Navi following in suit.

Knil stared down at the tunic, his eyes narrowing. "What's he trying to pull?"