A/N: Sorry I made you guys wait so long! I was pretty busy over the weekend but I'm back and ready to finish 'A Dark Truth'. Um, well I'm almost positive this story is going to be 30 chapters long. So there will be 7 more chapters to come. I start school on Wednesday… *sigh* bummer… so I will probably finish it this weekend? Hopefully! So yeah, here is chapter 24, I hope you enjoy. It makes me so sad to know this story is coming to an end. DX Maybe that's why I'm secretly stalling… By the way! I noticed Navi was really quite in that last chapter… oops. :D

I don't own Legend of Zelda or any of its characters.

Chapter 24: Separate Ways

"One more temple." Link muttered softly.

"Yep. Then you're done being a hero. Are you excited?" Dark asked enthusiastically. He knew that Link was upset and worried about what would happen between the two of them when their journey finally came to an end; however, he was trying to maintain a cheerful attitude. If Dark was happy, Link was happy.

"I guess it will have its perks…" Link said thoughtfully, then his lips began to curl into a smile, "No more sleeping outside!"

"No more monsters!" Dark shouted with joy.

"Finally… No more redeads infesting Hyrule town." Link grumbled shuddering in disgust.

"You'll get to sleep in!"

"We'll get to eat every day!"

"We don't have to worry about dying on a regular basis!"

Link's grin turned upside down instantly.

"Why do you have to think of something morbid while I'm happy about normal things…" Link grumbled crossing his arms.

"It's because he's a freak of nature!" Navi hissed.

"Shut up, bug! And what do you mean? That's going to be the best part! Waking up in the morning and not fearing that you or I could possibly die." Dark explained, "We'll be normal people… people who don't have to worry about getting mauled by a monster or starving to death in a temple."

"I guess. I just don't like to think about it." Link replied then jumped off the ledge of the top of the fortress. He could hear Dark jump down after him and then a loud 'ripping' sound.

"Hey!" Dark shouted in frustration, "This stupid brick building ripped my pants."

Link turned around to see Dark bent over, trying to show him the hole in the seat of his new pants Sheik had given him. Link blushed instantly and scolded Dark, "Dark, quit bending over like that! I can see a lot more than the rip!" He shouted turning away from him and then bursting into laughter.

"It's not funny!" Dark cried out while feeling the tear to see how big it was, "Now all of these sexy Gerudo's are going to see my butt! And worse! I'm going to get so much sand in my ass when we walk across that desert." He muttered, "These were nice pants too…"

"Maybe if you would wear underpants that wouldn't happen…" Link teased trying to suppress his giggles as he thought about their embarrassing conversation they had back at the Kakariko inn. Dark's face went completely red and he narrowed his eyes.

"Whatever!" He shouted incapable of coming up with a better comeback, "Maybe I'll just ask one of these ladies to sew it up for me.." He continued with a grin and a raised eyebrow. He walked to the nearest Gerudo and tapped on her shoulder. When she turned to face him he jumped back in shock.

"You!" She shouted angrily pointing her spear in his direction, "You're the boy who choked me out!"

"Uh… um… no! That wasn't me!" He stammered as he backed away from the sharp weapon, "It was him!" Dark accused pointing at Link with a shaky finger. Link's jaw dropped and he raised his hands in surrender.

"N-no it wasn't!" Link said quickly and taking a few steps back.

"You think you can take me for a fool?" She asked Dark, continuing to walk towards him.

"Well… you're definitely smarter than you look…" He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Link! Let's get out of here!" He shouted, grabbing Link's arm and running away from the feisty Gerudo. Once they were at a safe distance and made sure the woman hadn't come running after them for revenge, they made their way towards the gate that closed off the fortress from the desert. Link walked up to the guard standing in front of the gate dressed in white harem pants and sporting short red hair. He recognized her as the woman that wouldn't let him cross the bridge as a child.

"Hey rookie!" She called to him, "I'll open this gate for you but…"

"But what?" Dark shouted from behind him, "What else do we have to do?"

"You can't cross the desert unless you pass the two trials…" She finished scowling in Dark's direction, "The first trial is the river of sand. You can't walk across this river. After you crossed it, follow the flags we placed there."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Shut up Dark!" Link yelled then continued to listen to the Gerudo woman.

"The second trial is the phantom guide." She added, "Those without the eyes that can see the truth will never make it across. You are going to go anyways, aren't you? I won't stop you. Go ahead!"

"Thanks for your concern darling!" Dark called out to her. Link rolled his eyes and grabbed Dark's hand and led him underneath the opening gate.

Upon entering the Haunted Wasteland the two boys were bombarded with strong gusts of sand. The annoying grit was getting into their eyes and their boots, making for an exceptionally uncomfortable journey. Dark groaned as he tried to cover the rip in his pants with one of his hands but eventually gave up. He'd just have to strip later and shake out all the built up dirt. The desert seemed as though it went on for miles and Link realized why the Gerudo's were so cautious about warning them. It would be extremely easy to get lost out here.

The two men eventually walked upon two wooden posts jutting from the ground with long pieces of red fabric tied to the tops. Beyond the markers was a shift in the landscape. There was a long horizontal area where the sand didn't look stable as if it were flowing across the ground just like a river. This must have been what the Gerudo was talking about. Dark walked out to the barrier to try and touch it but Link quickly shouted for him to stop.

"It's quicksand Dark. Don't touch it."

"Quicksand?"

"Yes, it will pull you in and I don't know if I would be able to get you out." Link replied trying to gaze through the haze of dirt that was making it extremely difficult to see. He spotted a few wooden crates and more flags in the distance and pulled out his longshot. He looked worriedly over to Dark knowing for sure that his other hookshot wouldn't reach.

"What is it?" Dark shouted over the whistling wind. He could see the concerned look in his eyes.

"I don't know how to get both of us across." Link admitted while shaking his head sadly.

"Just hold on to me before you hook the chain to one of those posts." Dark replied simply.

"I'm worried that it won't be able to carry both of our weights." Link answered.

"It will."

"How do you know?"

"Link, I guarded that weapon for 7 years. I know what it's capable of. Also, your wimpy hookshot got both of us across the gap in Death Mountain when you passed out. If that puny thing could do it, that one surely can!"

"I'm worried…" Link said uneasily, "What happens if it busts and we end up sinking into that river?"

"If we go down, at least we're going together sweetheart!" Dark purred with a wink. Navi twitched in irritation and flew down into Link's collar to shield herself from the sandstorm. Link forced a smile and waved Dark over. He wrapped his arms around him tightly and Dark held onto Link's belt for extra support.

"You ready?" He asked Link staring intently into his sapphire eyes to make sure he was certain. If Link was uncomfortable, Dark would have stayed behind gladly and done everything in his power to find another way across. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Ready." Link choked out with a nod. Dark smiled and kissed his forehead gently.

"It'll be fine." He assured him.

"I saw that!" Navi squealed from Link's collar. Link couldn't help but laugh and pointed his longshot towards one of the distant posts and took a deep breath. He pressed the trigger releasing the chain and prayed to the goddesses they wouldn't be swept to the sandy demise below. Link closed his eyes tight the entire 10 seconds it took for them to get across. Once they were on the other side he opened his left eye to see Dark grinning from ear to ear.

"See!" He shouted excitedly with a hand on his hip. Link sighed with relief and began looking for the trail of red flags that would lead them to the phantom guide. It was difficult to see through the gusts of dirt and nightfall was also approaching.

"Dark, I can't see anything! It's too dark and I can't see through all of this sand!" Link cried out angrily. Dark was having just as hard of a time seeing through these complications as well but suddenly he got any idea.

"Link, pull out your ocarina!" Dark said frantically patting at his sides to look for the item.

"What! Why?"

"Play the Song of Storms!" He urged him while shaking his shoulders.

"No! Sand plus wet equals wet sand!" Link said stupidly, "We'll be trudging around in mud!"

"Not if we run fast. Just do it."

Link really didn't want to oblige with Dark's command but he'd never been wrong before with any of his crazy ideas so he decided it wouldn't hurt to try… oh wait, it would. After he played the mysterious melody the two boys witnessed Dark clouds barreling towards them and shortly after they heard a crack of thunder.

"What's this all about, Dark?" Link asked annoyed with their predicament.

"Be patient. It's coming. What comes after thunder?" He asked quizzically.

"Lightening?" Link replied and as if on cue they saw a spark of electricity shoot across the sky. Instantly the desert lit up and they could see the next flags clear as day.

"I told you I'm not stupid!" Dark said with a grin. Then the two boys took off running to the next flags as fast as possible so they wouldn't begin to sink into the wet sand. Eventually they found themselves approaching a small hut-like structure in the midst of the desert. There was a spiral stair set that led to the top of the building and an entrance on the side. The two men instantly ran inside the safety of the shelter and flopped to the stone floor.

"Thanks Dark… now we're soaked." Link muttered as he rested on the cold ground.

"Hey, you have to admit that was a good idea. We can stay here until it stops raining." He replied then sat up cross legged and pulled a paper sack from his pouch, "Besides I'm starving."

"Is that the food Malon gave you?" Link asked scooting closer to the boy with food.

"Yes, and you can't have any!" Dark teased while sticking out his tongue. Link snatched the bag from him and Dark only laughed in return. He dug his hand through the sack and pulled out a piece of bread and began to furiously munch on it, "I see you were starving too." Dark observed then pulled out an apple and took a bit out of its side.

"Okay… I admit it was a smart idea… it just had some petty consequences." Link finally stated still chewing on his food. He pulled off one of his boots and pounded it on the ground to get off the wet sand that was caked on the bottom.

"Meh…" Dark muttered in return and peaked his head out the opening to see if it had stopped raining. Once the coast was the clear, the pair began to walk up the stair set on the outside that led to the top of the building. There was a stone placed here and Link bent down to read its inscription.

"One with the eye of truth shall be guided to the Spirit Temple by an inviting ghost…" Link said aloud as he read the writing. He whipped out his lens of truth and Dark immediately grasped it out of his hands.

"I want to hold the magnifying glass." He stated quickly and held the object up above the stone.

"We've been over this…" Link hissed with his arms crossed, "Lens of truth!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Dark muttered, "Check this out!"

Link looked through the purple glass and saw a poe with a lantern hovering just beyond the building.

"I'll be your guide on your way, but coming back I won't play. I'll show you the only way to go. So follow me and don't be slow!" The ghost rhymed then began to float off in the direction of the temple.

"I guess his poetry is what makes him inviting…" Dark muttered while rolling his eyes then leaped off the building to chase after the poe. Link followed close behind, leaving it up to Dark to track down the ghost with his lens.

"Dark, we're going in circles!" Link shouted after a few minutes.

"I'm just following this guy!" Dark answered defensively.

Eventually, they came to a single wooden post with a red flag signaling that they'd made it to the Desert Colossus. The poe seemingly disappeared without so much of a goodbye but the men were too distracted by the monstrosity of a temple that laid before them. The colossus was surrounded by many large rock walls that protected it from the harsh winds and sandy gusts. Link and Dark began to take their first deep breaths since they'd entered the desert, for they'd be sucking in sand otherwise.

"Finally!" Dark shouted falling to his knees and raising his fists in the air in triumph, "We've conquered the desert!"

Link just laughed and smacked him in the back of the head, "Not yet."

They approached the building with caution and walked in slowly, taking in all of the aesthetic details from the ancient carvings in the stone walls to the sheer massive size of the structure all together. Upon entering, they met two large cobra statues on either side of a small staircase leading to two different areas. On the left there was a small hole in the wall that made Link feel very uncomfortable. Small holes such as those always meant that he'd have to be a child to fit through. On the right there was a hallway blocked off by a large stone, larger than any he's seen before. He knew he wouldn't be able to push it as he was now.

"What the hell?" Dark shouted as he looked at both entry ways that had some sort of barrier keeping them from entering, "All this way for nothing!"

Link remained silent. He knew all of these clues meant that he was going to have to go back in time but he didn't want to let Dark know until he was sure. Dark got on all fours and scooted across the beautiful red carpet and then peered through the small hole.

"Maybe we shouldn't have eaten lunch…" He joked as he stood to his feet and brushed himself off, "We'll never be able to fit through there."

"Let's go look around outside… maybe there's another way in." Link suggested and began to retreat towards the door. Dark followed after him and as soon as they were back outside he could feel piercing eyes watching them. He drew his sword and began to scan their surroundings. Suddenly there was a break in the sun beating down on them and the two men looked up to see a shadowy figure leaping from a stone pillar down to the ground below. Dark sighed and sheathed his weapon.

"We meet again, Sheik." He called out to the mysterious warrior who approached them slowly.

"That we do, Dark Link." Sheik replied coldly. The two men stared at each other for what seemed like hours before Dark nodded his head ever so slightly, signaling to the man that they were on civil terms. Sheik then turned his attention to Link.

"Past. Present. Future," The Sheikah stated while approaching the hero, "The master sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river… The port for that ship is in the Temple of Time. To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time's flow…"

Link's heart sank to the pit of his stomach and he sighed heavily.

"Listen to this Requiem of Spirit. This melody will lead a child back to the desert." Sheik stated trying to ignore the sadness which suddenly overcame the hero. Link immediately pulled out his ocarina and Sheik, his harp. Dark sat on the ground and perked his ears in interest as he awaited the beautiful music that was to come. Sheik began elegantly plucking at the strings on his instrument creating a lovely tune that started with lower notes and gracefully led into slightly higher notes. The melody sent chills up Dark's spine, it was beautiful yet haunting and for some reason it reminded him of the relationship between him and the lonely Sheikah standing only a few feet away.

Dark noticed a large shadow on the ground and looked up to the sky to see an owl flying high above them and into the distance. He felt as if he should tell Link later but for some reason ended up shrugging it off. Link being the talented musician he was, learned the song in a matter of minutes. Once the two were done practicing they continued to stare at each other for a few moments in utter silence. Dark glanced between the both of them to try and figure out what the other way thinking and once he looked once more over to Sheik he met his crimson gaze. He gulped at the warrior suddenly staring so intently at him and he had to admit, it made him a bit nervous. However, Sheik didn't say a word and Dark could see him tilt his head slightly in a nod just as he had and then with a quick wave of his arm a sandy haze blocked their view and the two men covered their face in order to protect their eyes from the grit. And once the gust had ceased Sheik had vanished yet again.

Link looked over to Dark who continued to stare in the direction the Sheikah had just been standing.

"Dark?" Link called to him. Dark blinked his eyes a few times then turned to Link with a smile, "You know this means we are going to split ways for a while…" He muttered sadly. Dark nodded with understanding and stood to his feet to approach the hero.

"Are you going to make it without me?" Dark teased but was surprised when Link took his statement seriously.

"I hope so."

Dark frowned and furrowed his brow, "Of course you will." Was all he could think to say.

"Before I leave… I want to give you something." Link said softly, "But we need to return to my house to get it." Dark only nodded in return and waited for Link to pull out his ocarina to transport them to the lost woods.

Once, they arrived back in Kokiri forest Link began fumbling through a drawer searching frantically for a specific item. Dark sat patiently on the bed and took a sip of water from a bottle. The desert had him extremely parched and he looked down to his reddened skin from the sun's heat. He was far too pale to be spending that much time underneath the sun's deadly rays. Finally, Link turned around with a faint smile. He had a small tan object in his hands and he walked over to sit next to Dark.

"Take this." Link stated while handing him the item.

"An ocarina?" He questioned curiously taking the object into his hands and looking it over. It was made of wood instead of metal like Link's. It had a green band at the mouth piece and looked pretty old.

"My friend Saria gave it to me to remember her by. Now I'm giving it to you, for you to remember me by." Link explained while looking at the instrument as well as if he was having a hard time letting it go.

"Why do I need to remember you?" Dark laughed, "You're coming back!"

Link remained silent for a few moments before answering, "It's for if… I don't come back…"

"Don't say that!" Dark shrieked and stood to his feet, "Why are you thinking such things?"

"You said yourself that there is always a chance that one of us could die."

"Yeah but…"

The two boys continued to stare at each other, sapphire to crimson.

"I want to teach you two songs, one to the Temple of Time where I want you to meet me later for when I return." Link said a bit more cheerfully, "And the other… is to the Spirit Temple… in case I don't. You must promise me that if I don't come back you will find a way to enter the temple and defeat Ganondorf. Do you promise me?" Link pleaded, taking one of Dark's hands into his own. Dark just looked at him in shock.

"I'm not the Hero of Time." Dark replied finally.

"Yes you are." Link answered, "The other half, that is. You can do it. Sheik will help you if I fail."

"Link! You aren't going to die!" Dark shouted back almost angrily.

"I don't plan on it Dark, but if something should happen I need your word." Link responded calmly. Dark looked hesitant but nodded his head.

"You… have my word." Dark choked out finally and cradled the ocarina in his hands. Dark was a bit slow at first with learning the songs, seeing as how he'd never played an ocarina before except when he failed miserably in Death Mountain. Eventually though, he got the hang of it and could play both melodies with a few flat notes. Dark wanted to say goodbye to Link at the Temple so he teleported with him there and would walk back to wherever he decided to waste time later.

The two boys gazed sadly at each other, Link standing on the pedestal and Dark on the tiled ground. Link tried to give Dark a faint smile but Dark was too overcome with worry from the duty Link had given him that he couldn't find a smile in his heart if he tried. However, Dark was the first to approach the other and walked hastily up the stairs and roughly pulled Link into his arms, embracing him tight. Link gently hugged him back and lightly rested his hands on his back rubbing soothing circles.

"Show no mercy, hero." Dark muttered into the crook of Link's neck, "I'll see you when you return." Link nodded and gently pulled away before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. Dark turned away and walked back down the stairs and off of the platform, then turned once more to watch Link go.

"I'll miss you." Link called to him with a genuine smile. Dark only returned the grin showing him that he would feel the same. Navi huffed with distaste but didn't ruin the touching moment. She knew how much Link cared about Dark and how much he wanted this moment to be sincere. Link turned around and raised his sword high above his head, preparing to return it to its stone sheath when Dark called to him one last time as the blue portal started to form.

"Link!" He yelled as he watched him turn to face him just as he was being engulfed in the magical light, "I… i…"

But before he could finish, Link was gone and all that remained was the master sword jutting from the pedestal. He sighed and smacked his hand to his forehead while looking towards the legendary blade which reminded him of Link's smiling face.

"I love you…"

A/N: Awww how sappy! Oh by the way… the song of storm thing works! Legit! It's so much easier to see the markers and um… um um um… what was I gonna say. I don't remember… sorry again for the wait! Love you guys! WAIT I remember! Okay, so I called Link's ocarina metal… um I know in real life they're like ceramic? But, the one in the game looks metal? Does it not? OH one more thing! Just pretend that they got the ice arrows. -_- I really didn't want to waste time writing that part. I apologize for my laziness!