CHAPTER 3 – Fade Away (12 Stones)

Woah, it's been quite some time. University work. So very busy, so little time. And I just got my muse back for this. Since a few people wanted me to continue it, here we go. I'm working on chapter 4 tonight, so hopefully that'll get uploaded soon too. This one will be more feels than smut. But also a lot of smut. Be prepared.

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the surrounding forest, golden eyes wild as the younger male leapt and spun around the open field. His partner let out a light laugh almost like birdsong as she dodged his attack with ease, twirling out of the way before bringing her twin blades down. Each sword caught a silver gauntlet, brushing them aside before she raised her booted foot, kicking the raven-haired male in the stomach.

He went sprawling back onto the grass, digging his claws into the ground to stop himself sliding further back. Grunting in begrudging approval, he got to his knees and lifted his head up. Recognition flashed into his eyes once he saw the pair standing by the edge of the field, letting his gauntlets vanish.

The instant he had disarmed, the woman lashed out at him. Her boot connected with his ribs, knocking him down to the ground once more. Judging from the exasperation on his face, that wasn't the first time he'd lost.

But Zero simply sheathed her swords and sat down. On the boy's chest. Folding her arms over her chest, she looked up at their guests and smiled. "Hello boys."

Ghirahim tilted his head to the side as they approached. "Unfortunately for you, this isn't a social visit." he said simply. "Do you know why we're here?"

The boy beneath her lifted his head a little, trying to buck her off for a moment before he sank back to the ground in frustration. "You want to know if we'll help protect this land from the demons, if they choose to invade." he muttered, his voice a little breathless.

Zero didn't even glance at him as she got to her feet, pulling him up with her. "Even if I am a demon, this place is now my home. If any demon crosses through the portal, you can rest assured that we will fight back. And if it comes down to it... I will make more weapons and armor, for anyone willing to join us in the coming battle."

The blonde – standing a little behind the Demon Lord – finally stepped forward. The weariness that had lined his face was still present, but he moved as if awoken from a dream. But before he could speak, Ghirahim interrupted him.

"How do you know what's happening in the demon realm? You haven't been through the portal in decades." he narrowed his eyes slightly, and Link began to sense suspicion through the bond they shared.

Link touched the faint corner of his mind, directing his thoughts towards the demon. "Is she to be trusted? She is a demon, after all. How do we know that she'll actually help us?" he demanded, resisting the urge to reach up and grasp the hilt of his sword. "For all we know, she could be plotting to kill us both."

The demon didn't even look at the boy as he responded. "It wouldn't surprise me if she was planning on killing us. Stranger things have happened. But expecting betrayal, simply because she is a demon... You've placed your life in my hands several times though I have tried to kill you several times. I am a thousand times more likely to betray you than she is."

"Was."

"Pardon, sky child?"

Zero was speaking, saying that if they needed weapons or armor, they would know where to find her. Then she was retreating back inside the carefully constructed building she called home. The boy looked at them almost apologetically, but seemed to sense they were talking privately, so he averted his eyes.

"You were a thousand times more likely to betray me. But you've changed. You're not the same Demon Lord I first fought with. Just as I'm not the same hero of the Goddess." his tone turned mocking. "I tried to be good, and I lost the approval of my friends and my Goddess. You tried to be bad, and ended up saving me more times than you tried killing me. What a pair we are."

His eyes hard, the pale-haired demon leaned down and grasped the boy's chin. "Do not forget, if I wished to harm you, you would already be lying at my feet, begging for my mercy. It would be like old times. You, at my mercy. Me, merciless. Don't you miss those days, sky child? Things were much more simple then. You and I were enemies, to tear at each other like starving dogs until one of us falls. Boy, once this mess has been cleaned up, I will delight in breaking you apart."

A shudder ran through down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck rising at the demon's cold words. But he wrapped his fingers around the man's hand, meeting his gaze calmly. "There..." he exhaled, finally speaking out loud. "I was wondering where you had hidden the real Ghirahim. I've known you for a long time now. First as enemies, now as something more. I suppose I've learned how to read you. You can't lie to me any more."

"I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't lie to you, sky child. Not when the truth hurts more than any lie I could construct."

The demon almost sounded defensive.

"I know. But I think you're lying to yourself as well."

"Lying to myself? That's absurd."

"You don't want to admit that you've got a soft spot for me. I mean... when we first fought, I knew you wanted to hurt me. You were my enemy, it was to be expected. Most of my enemies either want to hurt me or eat me." the boy shrugged. "But over time, I found that you and I are actually pretty similar. Not the same, but close enough that we're no longer enemies."

The raven-haired male was standing off to he side, one hand raised. Every few seconds, he would form the silver gauntlet around his hand, study it, then let it fade once more. He was patient enough to wait for them, even if he did glance their way once in a while.

But Ghirahim let out a sigh, holding up a gloved hand to stop his companion. "Silence, boy. We'll speak more of this... later. For now, we have a land to save." he said wryly, before he began to speak loud enough for Icarus to speak. "Icarus, tell Zero we'll send fighters here as soon as we reach them. There won't be many, but they'll be strong enough."

The boy nodded, tilting his head to the side. "Ghirahim, Zero wants to speak to you. Privately." After the demon had left, he spoke up again. "Link... I want to thank you. After what you said, the last time you were here... it really helped. I let my light dim. Take my advice, you don't want to let that happen to you. It feels good, to let it fade. Like you're setting down a burden. But it's not good at all. The darker you get, the harder it is to return to the light."

Link seemed taken aback at his words; he hadn't expected that at all. But before he could respond, the boy spoke again.

"As you're naturally part of the light, it will be easier for you to be good than, say, a demon. Ghirahim's light will never be able to become as bright as yours. If he tries, it will warp and twist him in terrible ways." his eyes were sad. "The easiest thing for you to do would be to kill him before he comes too close to the light, or..."

The blonde's eyes had narrowed faintly. For a reason he didn't quite understand, he was defending the demon. "I refuse to kill him. You talk about light and dark, as if the two are completely separate. Zero's a demon, and yet she's been here – and good – longer than Ghirahim." he pointed out.

Icarus grimaced, lowering his gaze. "She's.. not dangerously bright yet. But she will be soon. And I will be forced to kill her... it's either that, or I put her in a position where she chooses the darkness over the light." his voice was almost a whisper, sounding incredibly heartbroken.

Link was silent this time, trying to understand what the other meant. But before he could ask him outright, Ghirahim appeared beside them. "Boy, we need to leave."

The raven-haired male sank into a slight bow, then turned and walked back inside.

As they began to walk again, Link found his mind occupied with what Icarus had said.

Forcing Ghirahim to choose the darkness over the light. He didn't know what it meant, or how he was supposed to go about it. He'd never been good at riddles. Navigating traps and puzzles in a dungeon was one thing – deciphering a cryptic message was another. He mostly relied on blind luck and instinct to get by.

He doubted he could kill the demon. Not now, anyway. Maybe a few months ago, when the blood in his veins was still boiling over Zelda's disappearance. Now, he couldn't even work up enough anger to get mad at Icarus for giving him such a confusing message.

Yet strangely enough, he could get angry enough to defend Ghirahim. If someone had told him, before he left Skyloft, that he'd spend weeks hunting down Zelda and constantly battling the Demon Lord, only to become friends with him...

Why, he would've hit them. Or laughed, depending on his mood and how early it was in the morning.

But now he refused to even think of killing the demon. Link was no coward, or a traitor. The only way he would kill the demon is if the demon betrayed him first, and tried to kill him. Only then would he go that far.

As for forcing him to choose the darkness over the light...

He frowned, thinking backwards.

If he needed to make Ghirahim willingly choose to turn his back on the light, he'd have to make him go back to being the violent and sadistic demon he'd first encountered. And to do that, he had to find what had made him change, and reverse it.

His thoughts soured instantly.

The only thing that had changed – at least, the only obvious change – was that the Demon Lord had developed a soft spot for him. As for reversing that...

He had an idea.

By the time they stopped for the night (Link was all but stumbling along, eyes half closed), his thoughts had settled. The demon was silent as he threw his red cloak down beneath a tree, turning to look at the boy.

Now that he had a closer look at the man, there was a single black line crossing his cheek. For what seemed the hundredth time that day, he was interrupted. It was becoming a bad habit.

The man wrapped a hand around his throat, his pale lips twisting into the smirk he knew too well. He didn't say anything as he forced the boy to his knees, looking at him expectantly.

Link glanced up at him, somewhat baffled. Then his eyes drifted lower, the tips of his ears burning. Shame the Fireshield earrings didn't protect him from that kind of burning.

Ghirahim had invaded every one of his senses. He could taste the demon on his tongue, feel the demon's hands on his bare skin, nails digging into the most sensitive parts of his body. The musky scent of the demon was all he could smell, that cruel smirk below him whenever he opened his eyes, his own ragged moans alongside the demon's soft noises of pleasure.

His body was burning.

Light gashes littered his chest, some of them weeping blood, some not. Every time he leaned down to press his lips against the demon's, he could taste his own blood. He was losing himself already.

Every rough movement of the demon's hips had his vision fading, leaving him blinded by sparks of white and moving against him, hands splayed across Ghirahim's chest for balance. It hurt, but it was bliss. As his release swept through him, he sank down into the demon's embrace, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to regain his breathing.

Link was content, for once. Actually content. Spent and exhausted, he was warm against the demon's chest. The cool night air soothed his aches and pains, though his body was being stubborn and refusing to heal quickly – one of the consequences of being outside the demon realm.

The Demon Lord gave a short laugh. "You know, I just had the most intriguing idea..." he began, his voice playful. "There's a type of spider in the demon realm, whose venom is rather... special. Rather than killing its victims, the venom causes the prey to feel intense pleasure, in every inch of their body." he chuckled again, stroking his fingertips down the boy's spine. "By the time the venom spreads throughout the blood, the victim will be nearly begging to be eaten. When we return, I'll have to introduce you to it... up close. I know how you like gathering bugs."

The once-hero barely nodded his response, too tired to move any more than that. But his lips slowly twitched into a frown. "How do you know that?" he asked sluggishly, not even bothering to glance up at him.

Ghirahim tilted his head to the side, surprised by the question. "You carry a bug net with you... besides, when I was tracking the Spirit Maiden, I once saw you chase a butterfly almost halfway across Faron Woods." he laughed softly, his chest rumbling a little.

"You noticed that?"

"Of course I did. I watched almost every move you made on the surface. You spent a considerable amount of time chasing bugs and tumbleweeds, considering you had a Spirit Maiden to rescue."

"I have my priorities straight, Ghirahim." he said wryly, his voice muffled as he nuzzled into the demon's chest.

They were silent again, at least until the demon felt the need to speak up again. "I like hearing you say my name, sk– Link." he smiled crookedly, leaning his head back against the cloak as he held the boy close, drifting into the sleep he didn't need.

"Goodnight, Ghirahim." he whispered, his hand sliding up to rest on the diamond-shaped protrusion on the demon's chest. "Sleep well."

With that, the once-hero of the Goddess slid into a dream-filled sleep.