Commentary and Responses keep me writing. Criticism keeps me humble. Praise keeps me sane.

     Link searched the Water Temple carefully, wandering through the rooms now devoid of danger until he found the room of reflections. He was there, looking right at himself. His darkness. Every hidden desire, deed and wish that he'd so carefully placed away from his consciousness. It was all there. All right before him in an evilly grinning package.

     "Link. You know me. You 'are' me Link. There is no escape from who you are. You know you've got darkness in you. So much darkness inside."

     "No! You're lying! You don't know me!"

     "Of course I do." The dark Link grinned, "We are the same person."

     "No!"

     "I know Link. I know your secret."

     "Shut up!"

     "I know about Sheik."

     "I don't want to hear this!"

     "I know about how badly you hurt when you found out it was Zelda all along." He grinned, "You don't like her very well, do you."

     "I'm marrying her aren't I?!"

     "Ooh. Big bad Hero of Time, riding off into the sunset with his rescued damsel. That's completely and truly sick."

     "You have no right to judge!"

     "Oh no? Who better to judge you than 'you'."

     "I killed you once, I can do it again!"

     "You're so naive Link. You can't kill me. I'm inside of you."

     "No!"

     The dark elf laughed.

     "Shut up!"

     And laughed.

     "SHUT . . . "
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     "UP!" Link sat bolt upright in his bed and shrieked.

     "Link! What's wrong?! What is it?" Navi darted toward him.

     "That dream. The same dream since Ganon died."

     "Link that was ten years ago."

     "He's right." He sobbed and hid his face, "He's inside of me. I'll never get away from him."

     "The Dark Link was just a doppleganger. A mirror image."

     "No." Link turned bleary eyes to the little fairy, "I can still hear him."

     "That isn't good Link. Have you told Zelda?"

     "No."

     "You're under a lot of stress, with the wedding coming soon and everything, why don't you take Eponia for a run. Lose yourself for a few days. You'll feel better."

     Link bit his lip, "You know, I just might."

     "Well get going!"

     "What about you?"

     "I'll watch over everything for you. I'll call if you're needed."

     "All right." Link gathered his gear and jumped to the ground from his tree house. "I'll come back soon Navi."

     The fairy watched him go sadly, "Am I doing the right thing?"

     Navi, he needs to discover who he is for himself.

     "But Great Doku, can't I at least tell him the Zelda isn't. . ."

     Let him learn Navi. It is part of his journey.

     "I worry."

     That is what a guardian does.

     "Hai. I obey my lord. I only wish there was another way to travel."

     The most rocky paths lead to the most precious treasures.

     Navi blinked back tears, "Well he'd better get one hell of a gift for all he's been through!"

     The Doku spirit didn't answer and Navi frowned and watched the green clad figure walk further and further away until he was gone from site.

     "Peaceful be your journey Link."
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     Link's journey might have been peaceful, since the fall of Ganondorf the monsters were scarce and Hyrule and their planet was a peaceful place. But though the journey was full of peace, Link's thoughts were not sharing the land's serenity.

     He kept seeing the dark, shadowy man who wore his face and bared his deepest desires to the world. The mocking man glaring in menace at him and whispering the name that tore at his heart, "Sheka Sheik. You need him, want him, Feel him in your soul.

     //But he isn't real!//

     "Link?"

     His eyes shot up in fear and his drew his sword quickly.

     "Touch the calm my friend." The tall woman smiled.

     "Impa." Link sheathed his sword and hugged the woman with a smile, "I missed you! Where have you been?"

     "My nephew has been very ill. For many years in fact."

     Link blinked in shock. Illness that lasted that long couldn't be natural. "What happened to him?"

     "He was protecting his beloved from Ganon's poisoned strike and was thrown by it himself. It nearly killed him."

     "Where is his beloved?"

     She smiled sadly, "He did not 'know' that he was beloved of my nephew."

     "He?"

     "This bothers you?"

     Link blushed, "I. . . ah. . . no. It definitely doesn't bother me."

     "Oh." A motherly smile rose through her face, "Ah! I see. Have you a love?"

     "He. . . wasn't who I thought he was."  Link said it with finality. Dropping the subject.

     Impa understood, "Come with me Hero of Time. Perhaps you could share his pain and yours."

     "I was . . ."

     "Searching." She smiled, "But why not search in the village."

     He could offer no argument to that. "Right, lead the way."

     "Thank you Link." She offered as she opened the door of her home, "It will mean a lot to Sheik."

     "Sheik." The elvish Hyrulian gasped, eyes wide. "The Gods. Sheik?"

     Red eyes flashed and a smile brighter than all of the sunsets and sunrises of the planet combined for a thousand years graced the soft lips. "Link. You came!"

     The shorter boy was across the room in an instant and had Sheik firmly wrapped in his arms, "You're real! I thought. . . Zelda. . ."

     Sheik nodded, "When I was injured outside of the well I could not continue. My aunt offered my cloak and cowl to Zelda so that she could finish aiding you. She was supposed to tell you why I didn't continue at your side."

     "She lied to me."

     "I know."

     "Impa said. . . your beloved. . ."

     "My aunt has a big mouth."

     "Me?!"

     "Since I first saw you."

     "I. . ." Link leaned forward but a mocking face stopped him. The Dark Link. His own evil. His hate and lust and pride would destroy the beautiful Sheka before him. "I can't."

     "Link?"

     The hurt in those eyes tore him apart. "I'm not what you know. I'm not. . . I have these dreams, horrible dreams. Evil thoughts, I'm not who I was."

     "I know who you are as well as who you were. You're Link. You're the Hero of Time even if you lose faith in yourself at moments. And you're special Link. To me."

    "I'm nothing. There's so much darkness inside of me!"  He shook his head, "I've killed. Enjoyed it! I'm so confused!" He buried himself in Sheik's embrace. "Who AM I?!"

    "Link." Sheik breath his name like a sonnet. "You're Link."

    "I'm not sure anymore." He frowned sadly.

    "I am sure Link." Sheik was hit by a sudden coughing fit and Impa quickly lay him back to rest.

    "Sheik?!"

    "Shh." His aunt smiled sadly. "He hung on so long to say good bye to you. He is dying Link."

    "No!"

    "Ganon's evil soaked into him and has been killing him little by little each year."

    "But. . . no!"

    Impa nodded, "All that can save him is a tear from a being of pure evil. Innocence in evil." She shook her head, "But there is no such thing anymore. Not now that Ganon has been killed."

    Link bit his lip until it bled. There 'was' a being of pure evil. He could save Sheik! He would!, "I'll return Impa. Tell Sheik to wait for me. I'm coming back."

    "But Link. . .!"

    "Trust me!" He vaulted onto his horse and sped of toward the lake. //For Sheik. I can do this if it will save Sheik.//
__________________

    "That's right Link. Come to me. Become one with me. We are brothers you and I. Of the same soul. So come to me Link. And complete us both."
 
 

~tbc~