A/N: Okay, so I'm really starting to love this story. I was considering turning it into a comic/manga type deal once it's finished and posting it on another website. I still haven't decided if I'm going to do it because it would take a really long time to complete because I would want it to be perfect, but that way you could see the scenery and emotions of the characters from a better standpoint It's just a thought, tell me if you guys would be interested in that. Some people like to picture the story in their own mind and interpret it how they want to and others like to see pictures. Everyone is different. So, let me know if any of you would even go check it out if I were to do it and if so I probably will. And if not… I probably will still do it anyways because… I want to. ^.^ or I may do an original story instead so I don't cause any conflict with this one. We'll see! But enough of this, on with chapter… 6? Yes 6!
I don't own Legend of Zelda or any of its characters.
Chapter 6: Feelings
"It's big…" Dark muttered with his eyes wide.
"Of course she's big, she's a horsey." Link grinned childishly putting a hand on his hip, "Now help me out here." Dark walked cautiously over to Link and Epona careful to maintain enough distance from the horse's mouth. Link used Dark's shoulder to push himself onto his horse and held out his hand to help Dark up as well.
"I don't know… what if she doesn't like me?" Dark asked.
"She won't…" Navi muttered under her breath. Dark scowled and Link frowned flicking her with his finger. She squeaked in pain and shut her mouth.
"Come on Dark! She's perfectly tame, it's not like we're dealing with a wild animal here." Link assured him continuing to hold out his hand.
"Erm… okay." Dark finally stated then began to take a few steps closer. Epona snorted then swung her head, hitting Dark and knocking him on his bottom.
"Liiiink!" Dark shouted from the ground. At first Link was speechless, but then he busted into a fit of laughter, "What is so funny? Your tame horse just violently knocked me on my ass."
"Oh yes, what an act of raging brutality." Link chuckled, "Epona, that was very rude. Now Dark is going to ride you whether you like it or not…" He trailed off raising an eyebrow at how awkward that last sentence sounded. It almost seemed as if the horse sighed and Dark tried again, this time successfully. She did slightly buck him into the air once he was on board but Link assured him that she was only teasing him.
"Okay, Dark hold on tight." Link demanded pulling his arms around his waist. Dark grew tense and couldn't help but blush being so close to the hero. Link didn't seem to notice and slightly kicked Epona's sides to get her galloping at a steady stride. Dark relaxed and let his arms fall loosely into Link's lap as he rested his head on the back of his shoulder. This is pretty nice… he thought to himself.
"See I told you she's not so bad!" Link exclaimed. Dark's eye's widened thinking he had actually said that aloud but then realized Link was only referring to earlier when he was desperately trying to convince Dark that Epona wasn't going to kill him.
"But look at its feet…" Dark observed, "It doesn't have toes… just weird… thingies."
"They're called hooves Dark…" Link sighed, "She needs them because she's always walking on the hard ground. If she had regular feet like us, she would get blisters. Think of them like shoes." Link explained smiling.
"Well… okay. At least it has pretty hair…" Dark stated reaching out to touch Epona's luscious mane but quickly pulled his hand back when Epona snapped her large jaws at him. Dark looked to Link in horror and Navi laughed menacingly.
"Epona! No biting!" Link scolded wagging his finger, "And Navi, cut the attitude. I swear, all my girls are jealous of you!"
Dark frowned at how unintelligent he felt. This new world was all so new to him and he was embarrassed of not knowing a lot of things. He sighed; grateful that at least he had Link to show him everything he's been missing out on his whole life. They soon arrived at a familiar looking entrance surrounded by hundreds of oak trees. They dismounted the horse and Dark quickly ran far away from her. Link pet Epona goodbye and gave her an apple to feed on that Malon had given him last night. He walked weakly over to Dark who snaked an arm around his frail body to help him into the forest.
Once they had entered, the two girls Dark had met before came running up to the both of them squealing and grinning from ear to ear.
"Look, it's Mr. Link's handsome friend!" One of the girls shouted excitedly, "We missed you, already!" They said in unison.
"Hey, what about me?" Link pouted then crossed his arms.
"Yeah, yeah you too…" One of the girls muttered then grabbed Dark's hand, "Why don't you come play with us?" They asked smiling. Link's jaw dropped. Dark noticed and laughed but declined the request of the Kokiri girls.
"No thanks, I have to tend to the hero over here." Dark stated smugly, "Maybe later." They frowned but walked away.
"Well… I see you've become very popular the past couple of days." Link grumbled.
"Oh chill out Link. I just met them earlier… plus they're only children, they move on fast. It's like getting a new toy." Dark said while they entered Link's home. Link frowned and then flopped on his bed. Dark sat in a tiny chair on the other side of the room and yawned.
"Are you tired, Dark?" Link asked, "Didn't you sleep the whole time you were here?"
"Not really. I slept for a couple of hours the first night… and a small nap the next day. It was kind of hard, being in a new place and all. I was a little uncomfortable." He replied shrugging, "By the way Link ever since I was revived, I've felt this burning sensation in my stomach. And it sounds like it's… growling at me?" Link cocked his head and then realized what he was talking about and let out a laugh.
"Dark, you're hungry!" Link replied reaching for his sack of food Malon had given him.
"What is hungry? I don't remember every being hungry before…" Dark asked confused.
"Well it's… it's when your body wants food." Link tried to explain, "Maybe when the fairies healed you it had some kind of effect on your body… like made you more human-like." He guessed, "Here try some of this!" Link handed Dark a piece of bread. Dark eyed it suspiciously, looking it over in his palm. Then after a quick sniff and small lick he shoved it in his mouth and grinned with his cheeks full.
"Ivs delipshufs," He said with his mouth full. Link just raised an eyebrow then realized he was trying to say 'it's delicious' and cracked up.
"There's more where that came from!" Link said excitedly handing him a piece of dried beef. Dark scarfed it down then his eyes grew wide.
"I think I just died." He muttered, "In a good way."
"Don't joke," Link frowned and began to eat his own food. He washed it down with some milk and handed it to Dark for him to drink from as well. He lay back down and patted the space beside him.
"Want to take a nap?" Link asked innocently. Dark hesitated then responded.
"That bed is too tiny. It's too small for you alone."
"You're right." Link answered then began to pull quilts out from a nearby drawer. He laid them neatly on the floor making a comfortable makeshift mattress. He tossed a few pillows down as well and grabbed a thin blanket for warmth, "Is this good enough for you?" He asked making himself comfy on one side of the home-made bed. Dark sighed then slowly walked over towards him feeling quite awkward. He lay down stiffly and scooted as far away from Link without getting off of the quilts.
"Oh don't be such a stranger!" Link said smiling then grabbed him. He tugged on him forcing him to come closer, "I don't bite… Like Epona." He added with a laugh then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep within minutes. Dark chuckled quietly at how fast the hero had fallen asleep. He watched him lying there with a childlike innocence, a stream of drool coming from his mouth and letting out a light snore.
Dark took the blanket and wiped his mouth and stared at Link's limp arm draped over his torso. He lifted his arm and moved it off of him; however, this only caused Link to stir in his sleep and he grabbed Dark hugging him like a teddy bear. Dark sighed realizing he had only made things worse for himself. He to, closed his eyes and surprisingly felt very relaxed and comfortable with the situation he was in at the moment. He felt warm. He slowly dozed off, not even minding the hero's embrace.
A couple of hours later, Link woke up to see Dark sleeping contently next to him. He even had a smile spread across his face and was mumbling gibberish in his slumber. Link grinned and leaned closer to try and make out what he was saying.
"Mm… Link…," Dark muttered, "Your hair… it's pretty… like… a sunflower."
Link began to giggle immensely and poked Dark in the cheek. Dark didn't move and Link kept poking him until the smile on his face started to fade with each poke until it turned into a frown. He swatted at Link's hand and grumbled a faint, "Go away…" Link just laughed and grabbed his sides tickling him.
"Link! Stoooooooop!" Dark whined tossing and turning away from him.
Link frowned, "I thought you wanted a tour of Hyrule?"
"And I thought you were resting… weren't you the one who got slammed into a brick wall by an evil shadow of darkness…" Dark mumbled still resisting. As he remembered this he turned to Link, "Hey turn around." Link obeyed the request and turned his back to him, "Now take off your shirt." He ordered. Link turned his head around and gave Dark a look of confusion.
"I want to see the damage." Dark replied lifting it up himself. Link pulled it over his head and asked, "Well, how does it look?" Dark was speechless and Link grew impatient, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Goddesses Link, it looks awful…" Dark replied sadly. Link's back was covered in blotches of dark purple and blue. His skin was irritated and puffy and covered in a film of dried blood. Where Link's back bone protruded from his skin due to him being so thin, each vertebrae was especially swollen covered in scrapes and small cuts, "Doesn't it hurt?" Dark asked surprised that Link wasn't in agonizing pain. He also checked the back of his head and felt a large knot and his blonde locks were slightly stained a dark crimson but he hadn't seriously injured it.
"Well… I've felt worse." Link replied casually, "Like the time, I had to defeat the monster in Lord Jabu Jabu's belly, remember Navi?"
"Yes, that was probably the worst off he's been… he was electrocuted so many times his hair started to burn off…" Navi replied with a solemn look on her face. Dark grimaced thinking about how many times the hero had been seriously wounded. He'd probably had more life-threatening injuries in his young life than anybody in the land… and it was all to save them. This thought infuriated Dark.
"That milk we've been drinking also acts a lot like a pain reliever. It makes you feel a lot better but it's not as good as a potion. I have to get that from the store. Which reminds me… I forgot to go restock on supplies in Kakariko." Link frowned.
"Can't we go to that fairy fountain where I was revived and they can heal you?" Dark asked concerned not even paying attention to Link's last comment.
"Well… we could. But I'd feel like I would be wasting the fairy's magic. They should really only be used for lethal injuries or death. This will heal on its own and if I get a potion, that'll do the trick." He answered with a grin, "Let's go Dark, we can make a quick shopping trip and then I'll show you all of Hyrule!"
"Link, why don't you make me a list and I'll go get your things for you…" Dark replied, "You need to rest up before you go to the shadow temple… you can show me around anytime."
"No," Link answered standing to his feet, "I can't anytime, you might not be around later!"
Dark stood up as well, "What are you talking about?"
"You said so yourself! You told me that you don't feel obligated to stay with me and that you plan on leaving and that I shouldn't be surprised whenever you suddenly disappear." Link said defensively. Dark was surprised at how well Link had remembered his words, "I'm not taking that chance. I want to enjoy the time we still have together. I'm not going to let a sore back keep me from spending time with you." He added. Dark was speechless, he didn't know what to say. He had no idea that Link had favored him this much. Link seemed to pick up on his darker half's emotions and responded.
"I've never had a friend like you, Dark." He glanced at Navi to make sure she wouldn't say a word, "I feel like we share something special that nobody else has. I can't really explain it right now… but maybe I'll figure it out later. Please just let me do this, I'm fine really!" Link begged. Dark couldn't help but smile, he loved this new feeling of being appreciated.
"I'm not going anywhere…" Dark whispered pulling Link into a gentle hug. Not yet, anyway…
A/N: Stinkin' Dark, sending everybody mixed signals! What the hay! Anyways, I know this one is kind of sappy… it probably will be until they get to the Shadow Temple because it is oh so serious… and creepy. -.- Thank you for your reviews, I enjoy reading them. :P I'll probably submit Chapter 7 later tonight because I've been nocturnal lately and I can't sleep at night… so yeah look forward to that tomorrow. :D
