...I have to get out of my head... That building was the original catalyst, so.. What would trigger the opposite reaction? ...Fuck... I’m screwed...

Ani ran her hands over her face, though nothing could be felt. It was a mental motion and not all of her sense were in use.

Lirin... wake up... Ani pleaded quietly, but Lirin didn’t budge.

Oi... guess I can’t blame her... She hasn’t slept since God knows when... But I wanna sleep too!

“Naw shoutink... pwease...” Lirin mumbled into the pillow.

...Sorry...

“Ish hokay...”

God, how tired do you have to be to slur ya words like me in the morning?

“I dun...”

No, no, sit up Lirin-chan. Can’t have the olde English girl talkin’ like a redneck American.

Lirin obeyed, looking as disheveled as Ani did when she woke up; frizzy hair all over the place, bags under her eyes, the whole deal.

“Why does your body require... so much slee-“ She was cut off by a yawn.

‘Cause I’m anemic.

“Anemic?

Lack of iron, spontaneous bruises, needs more rest than other people who don’t have anemia.

“I see...” Lirin gave Ani’s cheeks a few quick taps before taking the covers off. “Is there a brush?”

Dresser.

Hair back in order, Lirin flopped Ani back onto the bed in a rag doll fashion. “Must I leave this bed?” Her eyes were closing again.

Yeh... ya do... If we don’t go to breakfast they’ll think something’s wrong... which it is...

“But I cannot act like you.”

I know, it’s cool... just say you don’t feel great if they ask, so... yeh...

“Are you... certain this will work?”

No... I’m not certain, but it’s worth a shot. No matter how much I love to sit on my ass, you know, as well as I that it’s not very productive.

“True... true...” Lirin rose once again with a half-hearted sigh. “I am just not sure this is the best idea... What if they realize that I am not you, and believe me to be a sort of imposter?”

Naw, naw, I seriously doubt that. Even if they do... well... I’m in your head, and... Sheik’s smart, I guess... He’ll prolly realize that you’re not... I think...

“You are not very certain about anything, are you?”

Shhh... Don’t say that so loud... It’s my secret.

Lirin’s eyes rolled jokingly as she changed her clothes before exiting the guest room. “I just do not like this...” She muttered through her teeth, and Ani nodded mentally in response.

Link was the first to greet her with a giddy smile. “Hey, Ani. Hope you’re not thinking about sneaking out again.. It can’t be fun sitting upstairs all the time...”

Lirin gave him a confused look as she sat.

Don’t let anything slip out. Chill. Now, just say ‘Yeh, I’m not. I learn after a few times, I’m not that retarded.’

Lirin bit her lower lip for a few moments before she tried to recite. “Yeh, ...I’m not... I learn after a few times, I’m... not that... retarded.” The words flowed awkwardly from her, making Link look at her in response to her oddness.

“Eh?” Link blinked at her, having picked up the odd confused noise from her after the few days she had been with them.

“Uh.. Um.. Never mind...” She averted her eyes away from Link and looked at the floor.

“Are you alright?” He asked, trying to look at her face.

Just say you don’t feel great... come on...

“I don’t... feel great...”

“Maybe you should go back to bed?

Denied!

“No, that’s alright. I should eat.”

Link nodded as Sheik entered the room. His visible eye wandered between the two as he neared them, landing on Lirin when he sat. “Decided to stay, have you?” His eyebrow rose.

“Yes...” Lirin responded.

Ok, good, I thought he noticed something.

He did.

Fuck!

“Glad to see you’ve learned a bit.”

“Can we not talk about this now? Or would you rather be my target of projectile vomit?”

Ooh... nice ad-lib!

Sheik looked her over for a moment before grimly turning to Link. “Where is Zelda?”

“I don’t know if she’ll even be coming to breakfast. She had a lot of stuff to do last night, so I guess she’s sleeping in.”

Lucky her...

“What are we doing today?” Lirin spoke up, trying to look childish like Ani, but failing miserably.

“Anything that comes up, I guess,” Link shrugged.

“No. Something is going to be done today...” Sheik stood as he spoke, eyes focused on something in the corridor behind them.

The loud sound of clacking metal came to their ears, Link and Lirin turned their heads as one of the castle guards rushed in the room to join them.

“Your highness!” The soldier shouted to the absent Zelda, and turned to Link when he realized she was not present. “There is someone attacking.”

“Who?” Link stood.

“We cannot see his face, covered by a cloak, you see. He has black hair, though... and...crimson eyes...”

What!?

Who is it?

No response came from Ani that time, she waited for more to be said.

“I’ll get my sword,” Link muttered, walking towards the stairs.

“There is one other thing... He is demanding the... eighth sage.”

Link stopped dead and turned to lirin. “...He wants you? What did you talk to him about?”

“I... uh...” Lirin stuttered, taking a step back from the table.

“What did you say to him?!” Link shouted.

“...I don’t remember...” Her gaze fell.

Scoffing, Link turned away and ascended the stairs.

“He is still bent about it...” Sheik spoke as he passed her in the opposite direction. “You may want to get a weapon as well...”

Nodding, she darted up the stairs to the guest room halls.

You’re not gonna fight him, are you?

“Why not?”

Um... no weapon...

“That is not the real reason.”

Shut up! It’s... well...

“You are not going to tell me?”

I... can’t...

“We will speak of this later, but I cannot let him take us with out trying.”

Y-... yeh... but... shouldn’t we just stay here? If he comes up... then we retaliate?

Lirin paused after entering the room, about to pull a drawer open in the dresser. “...Perhaps that
would be smarter...” Her eyes lingered for a few moments on the drawer handle. “But the others will require aid.” She tugged on the drawer, a small dagger in it’s confides beneath a small red cloth.

Eh?! How’d you know that was there?

“Did you not?”

No!

“It is the norm that guests be given, at the very least a dagger with which to defend themselves incase of an enemy attack.”

Oh... well... Yeh! Okay!

She shook her head, picking the dagger up from the drawer by it’s hilt, and swung it once to get the feel.

You know how to use it?

“I can wield a blade.”

Good... I can’t...

“How do you intend on defending yourself?”

I can use guns... bah! Not the time!

“Right.”

Before fleeing the room, Lirin also took out the daggers sheath and placed it in Anis pocket.

Just... you know...

“What if he wounds us?”

I don’t think... he’s supposed to do that.

“What do you mean, supposed to?”

I met up with him before... he hit my leg, that’s why it’s ne... he did attack me, but... wasn’t aiming to kill...

“Do you mean he was stalling?”

No, not stall... I think he was just trying to incapacitate me...

“You had odd logic.”

Her steps echoed loudly against the white marble, speaking all the while as they navigated through the empty halls towards either the library exit or the rusty door; neither of them cared. Ani cursed loudly each time they met a dead end, but Lirin just voiced a small noise of disappointment and turned in another direction.

You’d think there’d be at least a few guards staying inside the castle..

“They are far to preoccupied with Dark Link.”

Must be... Oh, Lirin! There!

Lirin skidded along the marble as she quickly turned down another hall. “Which one would this be?”

Should be that one door...

Sighing, Lirin ran on, dagger jingling in her pocket. A small yelp escaped her and she slid, sneakers squeaking shrilly against the floor as she stopped just before knocking into two guards standing at the door. “Uh... hi?”

“What do you think you’re doing, miss?” One of them asked, leaning down slightly.

“I was ...trying to help outside...”

“No, no women in this battle. All exits have been barricaded until further notice.” The second said.

“What?! No, you don’t understand-“

“We understand our orders, miss. Back to the guest rooms with you.”

Lirin rubbed her eyes, looking around the room for any sort of exit.

There’s a hole... but I seriously don’t think we’re small enough...

...Worth a try.

She nodded at the two guards, and slowly began walking away from them, hands behind her back as if she were an innocent child who had just stolen a cookie.

In a moment, the sound of water around her was all she could hear as she crawled through the small hole in the wall that Link himself had used on occasions. Not even the shouts from the soldiers could reach her ears as the water trickled against the wall, slowed now from her.

Watch out, it’s an immediate dip.

Lirin noted that and managed to get to her feet before leaping across the small mote and landing on the two Lon Lon Milk boxes that were still there. “Do you hear that?”Lirin said, looking towards the front of the castle.

I hear lots of noise... lots of noise that I really don’t like...

“Yes, loud noises are your weakness...” Once steady again, she began walking cautiously towards the corner of the mote, hand on the hilt of the dagger. “Harien no tobane...”

What’s that mean?

“It is a prayer...’Death to the Enemy’.”

Refreshing...

She rolled her eyes, slowly creeping closer, the noise growing with every step.

Swords slicing at clothing, metal, skin. Falling liquid. “Raise shields!” Voices. The swish and flare of flames. Agonized screams. “Pull back!”

“Damn...” Her eyes narrowed, grip on the hilt tightening. “This dagger is not nearly enough...”

Didn’t you know that from the start?!

“Never mind that.” She hissed, gripping it tighter still. Soldiers fell nearly every step they took, there were only so many. Lirin wouldn’t have been surprised if Dark Link came out of this completely unscathed.

This is bad, this is bad... Link needs to go back inside, so does Sheik...

“Too stubborn.”

You don’t know them!

“Still they are.”

Ani fell silent once more.

“I am not trying to be condescending but-” She was cut off by the sight of mangled bodies within their armor, blood pooling all around what was turning into a hill of shredded soldiers.

...Oh my...Christ...

Her bottom lip quivered as she slowly approached, the sounds still whirling around them, blood still flowing freely from the remaining guards. Link and Sheik shouting came to her ears, but still was overpowered by the clang of metal and slosh of blood hitting the ground.


Lirin...

...Yes..?

...I can’t seem them... Her voice was wavering amongst the echoes.

I do not see them either... But I hear them... they are close...

Where...? ...Lirin? A noticeable sob was on the end of her words.

“...Close...”

She turned her head, eyes narrowed. The remainder of the guards had gone towards the gates, having backed Dark Link off enough to have him towards the entrance rather than at the castle drawbridge. Link and Sheik had gone there as well, and from what could be seen, they were wounded.

Lirin unsheathed the dagger and swung it once more, readying herself. She took off down the dirt path, running towards the gate.

...Don’t kill him...

“I will not be able too...” She responded quietly as she ran, leaping over the fence and taking a slash and Dark Link’s shoulder that he dodged easily. Cursing she tried once more, along side the other soldiers, Link and Sheik.

“What the hell are you doing, Ani?!” Link shouted at her, keeping up the onslaught.

Lirin hissed as she attacked, “Nothing I should not be,” and landed a blow on his arm.

Dark Link made no sound, but focused his attacks against Lirin now, knowing who she was.

Stop it... stop it... stop it... Ani continued to mutter in her mind, willing herself not to watch.

Lirin yelled as the cut on Ani’s leg reopened, sending her to the ground, blood leaking through the bandages. Dark Link tried to make another blow, but Link was in the way, sword against his own. “Sheik, get Ani and run!”

Sheik obeyed, but Lirin still pushed him away when he tried to grab her. “I am fighting!”

“You’re losing to much blood, you’ll die if you keep this up!” He snarled.

“Go!” Link shouted once more, trying to push Dark Link back.

Without waiting for a response from Ani, Sheik scooped her up in his arms, against her protests, and led her back to the castle.

Well this is wonderful...

...At least we’re alive...

Lirin responded with silence.

Ooh... right... sorry...

No matter... I do not like this turn-out, however...

Either do I... hey, did you... notice something?

What?

When you hit ... DL... Link started bleeding more, too...

...Did he?

Yeh...

What are you insinuating...?

I dunno... maybe they’re connected, I don’t have a clue! But... what if... one dies, ...the other dies...?

Dammit... that is not good... if you are right, then... there is much that needs to be addressed...

“Don’t think you can fool me.” Sheik spoke, watching where we he stepped instead of looking at her.

“What?” Lirin was jolted out of her connection with Ani and looked up at Sheik.

“You may be able to pull the wool over Link and Zelda’s eyes, but I can see through you. Your aura has gotten stronger; it could not have done that unless something was awakened.”

“...You know a great deal...”

“That I do. I also know that you are not Ani.”

“Indeed...”

“Where is she, then?”

“She is here... just... not in the same room...”

“Don’t speak in riddles.”

“Let us say, ‘I know where she is, would tell you if I could, but all is not as it seems’”

“Again with them...” Sheik groaned silently, stepping through the door and taking her to the infirmary in the right wing. Setting her down on the bed, he looked her in the eye as he sat down in a chair he had pulled up from a nearby desk. “Even your eyes are different than hers... you give off a more... ,” he searched for the right words. “...refined look than Ani.”

“I am much older than she.”

“Perhaps my suspicions were correct...”

“Suspicions?”

“...The Sage of Oblivion... the first, am I wrong?”

“No... you are correct.”

“How have you been awakened?”

“I am not certain.”

“Why, then?”

“Possibly to aid Ani in this venture.”

“Can you speak with her?”

“Aye.”

Sheik paused a moment, running a bare finger over another. “Your power is greater than hers, currently... yes?”

She nodded.

He looked away for a moment out of a window to see all that was happening. Dark Link seemed to be gone, perhaps called back or fleeing from cowardice-he doubted the latter. “Perhaps a test is in order... I am sure the Gerudo’s won’t mind a slight intrusion to the Training Ground?”

“Training Ground?”

It’s got a few things, mostly requires weapons, though... as far as I know...

What if you are wrong?

I don’t doubt that, it’s possible I am wrong, but that’s what I know. If what I know is wrong, so be it.

Lirin nodded inwardly before retorting. “I think... that would be fine.. Practice may awaken the power within her, instead of me being its outlet...”