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by an awesome blossom

Sometimes the difference between real and imaginary is just perception.



Violence and unnecessary language again. P.S. yaoi, or not.



March 18 Edit: I didn't realize I uploaded the less explicit FFNet version instead of the true version. There's not much difference except I write "cock" instead of "member", haha...



III.



Despite the rain, he couldn't erase the scent of burning in his mind. Fire. Kakariko aflame.



You know, you could have died back there and never have known.



Link shook his head and stared up at the dark entrance of what he knew to be the Shadow Temple Sheik spoke of when the rainfall had just begun.



It's a place covered top to bottom with ancient Sheikah magic, he said. Are you sure you can handle it?



Letting loose a breath he didn't even know he was holding, Link nodded his head and set to climbing the steep and crumbling rock steps to the temple entrance. "Sheik thinks I can, so I can."



Sheik didn't seem so sure, if you ask me.



His boot hit a slippery portion of a step and he lost his footing, sliding down a few steps before plodding forward again. Link knew the cynical voice was right; Sheik hadn't seemed so sure of the Hero of Time's abilities to cleanse the temple shrouded within the graveyard and awaken the Sage who he knew to be Impa. But while disconcerting, it did nothing to weaken his resolve to cleanse the temple of evil and awaken Impa. It's what he had to do, whether he wanted to or not, and besides...



He knew it was the last one. This last temple was the only thing between him and... And he'd see her as well - at last. ...So no, there was no way he would let Sheik's insecure tone get to him; despite all odds, he was going to awaken Impa as the Sage of Shadow. He had to.



Without thinking much, Link cradled the tip of his hat heavy with dead weight in his hand as he carefully made his way up. A few steps and he was at the entrance to the temple; its dark and foreboding atmosphere made his heart beat faster but he was still determined.



Are you afraid of the dark?



The question was asked tentatively, the speaker aware perhaps of its cliché yet unaware of the response. Link picked up hints of nervous excitation with his sensitive ears and that made his heart beat all the faster. "Yes," he answered finally - honestly.



Are you afraid of that which you cannot see?



"Yes," Link answered again.



He only heard a dull chuckling in response.



"My fears are nothing, though."



Compared to what?



"This incredible duty I am bound to," Link answered and even he was surprised by the heroic edge that crept into his words; he had never thought of himself as a hero, after all - and certainly not the Hero of Time. He was simply a boy forced to become a man so that he could serve... He wanted to think it was for his country - the Kingdom - and the Goddesses, but in reality he knew it was just for one reason: Ze--



The infamous Shadow Temple was no place for a clouded mind.



"Do you really feel the need to ask those questions? I thought you would already know the answers by now."



I did already know. But did you?



Link crossed the threshold to the temple and into the welcoming chamber, his actions their own response. Ancient markings took up the dark chamber floor like a circular rug and in the center was a small altar. Cautiously he approached the altar, occasionally bumping into torch stands - always skeletons or ReDead in his mind - in the near dark.



The only way darkness can exist is if you bring it light.



"I'm not afraid."



I never said you were, darling.



A pained and sheepish look visited Link's face as he noted the patronizing edge in the voice as well as the fact that in announcing he was unafraid he was only trying to reassure himself. Within the chamber echoed a deadened silence despite his noise.



What's wrong? Has your light gone out...like her's?



Link ignored the silence, ignored the noise, as he thought of Navi shining brightly in a ball of fire. She hovered a foot above his hands and her flaming light expanded so that Link felt enveloped in her warmth. Navi bobbed up and down as dead torches gradually became as alive with fire as her. With all the torches lit, the chamber was animate and dancing but the ball of fire was gone. Almost guiltily and with embarrassment, Link realized that the light hadn't been Navi after all...only Din. Still, the warmth was comforting and he didn't feel as alone.



An ominous carving of the Sheikah emblem marked the passage to the shadows, and he, unabashedly, followed within.



Stop, stop!



"What?" Link asked as he felt along the rough walls of the dimly lit passage.



I said stop! Stop!



The Hylian looked around in confusion and growing frustration. "What? What did I do wrong?"



Step back some. You're making me nervous...



Rolling his eyes, he obeyed. "What? Don't tell me, after all your talk, you're the one afraid of this temple?"



I'm afraid of you falling to your death since it will hardly benefit me.



"...What do you mean falling to my death?"



There's a rather long pit not even a foot ahead of you, or is that something your idiot Hylian eyes fail to see?



It wasn't often that an overwhelming sense of mortality and vulnerability struck Link, but it did so at that second. "How is it that you can see the things I can't...?"



I don't know, but there's ledging, albeit not much, to the side of the wall on your left. Hug it; there's little room. Don't worry about me, I'll follow. Just don't get yourself killed.



Link's heart beat fiercely in his ears as he spread his arms wide to cover the wall, gripping slightly at bits of protruding stone as he sidled along the narrow ledging he could only imagine.



You're good.



"I-I am good," Link said with a small smile as he attempted confidence and a joke, but only wry words fell upon his ears.



That we have yet to determine.



A soft chuckle escaped Link's uncertain lips as he proceeded down the passageway that only seemed to get darker and darker. At one nervous point it seemed as if he was cast in perfect darkness. "Dear Goddesses, please tell me that the rest of the temple isn't like this," Link murmured in a sinking voice that struggled to stay afloat.



Without light we may as well not even exist.



"I guess that's why they call this the Shadow Temple..."



Wrong. Even shadows cannot exist without light.



"So what exists in absolute darkness?"



Nothing.



"Huh," Link said simply and as he continued to walk, he slid his hand along the jagged stone wall, grounding him he felt. It was exceptionally cold. This continued for a few good minutes until he began to notice that the passage was gradually getting lighter. "Hey, I think there are torches in that room up there..."



Half a minute later, Link found himself in an open area divided by a gaping chasm on one end. "Whoa," he murmured as he took in a large pillar with a ring of smaller pillars surrounding it, each with skeletal heads at the top. "This place is definitely creepy. ...Hey, it looks like one of those turning switches attached to the center column. Do you think it'll bridge the chasm so we can get across?"



Don't touch it.



"It's a trap, then? Then there must be another way to get across..."



Don't worry about that now. Over here.



Link was about to ask where when an odd noise reached his ears, seven or eight snaps in succession. Immediately he scanned his surroundings and went on the defensive, sword swiftly drawn and waiting for an attack.



Then a corner of the room laughed.



Easy there, Moblin. It's only me. I was hoping you'd get the hint and follow the noise. Cross the room to the corner in front of you.



A nasty chill crept up Link's spine as he took note of the voice's unusual distance. "You're...not in my head anymore, are you," he stated with trepidation as he reluctantly crossed the room..



No. I'm not.



In the several seconds that Link took to arrive at the corner there was a full silence.



To your left now. I'm guessing it looks like a wall or something to you, right?



"Yeah... Listen, how can you see these things? How are you..." the last question was left in midair as Link reached out to feel the wall the other talked of, uncomfortable when his hand passed through it.



Come, the voice coaxed as Link felt an icy stillness pull on his fingertips, let's take a look at the gallery.



Link shut his eyes as he passed through the wall, fully expecting it to take mass at any second and crush his particles. When he opened them he was greeted to the sight of what looked like an art gallery of skeletal portraits, dimly lit by eternal torches. His memory instantly made the connection with his final experience at the Forest Temple and put him on the defensive. "There's something here, isn't there?"



Of course there is. But nothing that will harm you, dear.



"...Are you sure?"



What's with you? Losing your courage already? You who was chosen by Farore! It's only an art gallery for Goddesses' sake. Don't you trust me?



Link didn't immediately answer.



I can't believe this! I never steered you wrong in the Spirit Temple, did I? In fact, if I recall correctly, I saved your life on quite a few occasions.



"You were..."



What was I, Link?



His mouth worked as if he were to explain himself away, but instead he only looked into the empty space before him in confusion. After a few moments he simply cocked his head pointed to his temple. His body language read as if he was unsure how to word his thoughts but in reality it was only out of embarrassment; he knew perfectly well how his words would have sounded and that triggered a resounding fear within himself.

Link's actions were rewarded with an eerie chuckle.

I get you. No, it wasn't always like this, but I guess since we're in the infamous Shadow Temple... There's something about this place. I don't know why it is, but I'm not confined to you anymore. What do you think about that, Link?

"I'm afraid," he answered honestly, "because I can't see you. And I'm afraid of this temple because of, well, things like that pit from before and the wall. ...But I'm glad you're here because you put me more at ease with this place. Even if I can't see even you."

It's those idiot Hylian eyes of yours, dear.

"Perhaps," Link murmured as he cast his eyes aside, sounding more sheepish than he would have liked. "So, what do you...I mean, well, are you, uh, are you on your own?"

Physically?

"Yes."

Isn't it obvious?

"I mean, can you...move things? Touch things? Are you like the pit - physically there and taking up space although I can't see you?"

I don't know, Link heard as he felt a prick of ice trace from the tip of his ear to his jaw line. It traced an oval around his open mouth before a larger expanse of ice sensation covered the side of his face as he felt a cold thumb trace his lips. ...Am I?

Then it slapped.

Standing there with your mouth open like that! Something could have snuck up on you and killed you. Or at the very least found something else to occupy your mouth with.

Link stared at the negative space before him, almost in shock from the icy sensation, slap, and laced words the other gave. "What?" he elegantly managed.

You're lucky you have me, you know. I shudder to think where you'd be if I wasn't. But come on - this way - down the hall. There's more to this wing you know.

Unsheathing his sword and shield just in case as he silently stewed over the events, Link made his way down a long corridor with skeletal portraits arranged in a perfectly spaced line down the side of either wall.

"You know," he began, "you're not so dissimilar from Navi."

Oh? And how is that?

"You're both annoying in your own right. Except Navi was hardly suggestive."

Well she was a fairy - what the hell could she have done with you?

What Link was expecting out of his unseen companion he didn't know, but it certainly wasn't that. "What do you mean?"

What don't I mean?

"Now you're being difficult."

And you're being naive. Don't tell me you were actually...interested in her.

Link stopped and stood firmly. "She's the closest friend I've ever had, and I love her dearly. It's not something I appreciate you twisting."

Fine, fine, I get it. You love her but not like that. How boring, though.

"Well I guess I'm just boring then. Got enough excitement in my life as it is right now."

Oh really? I find this corridor rather boring...

Link simply scoffed and continued ahead. "Tell me if there's anything you think I don't see." To Link's inner dismay the gallery was rather bland and uneventful as it seemed to stretch on forever with few twists and bends. At the end, though, they reached a metal door. He was about to ask something when the voice beat him to it - albeit with a very different question:

So what about Sheik?

"What about Sheik? You know, this type of talk is best over tea or ale, not while we're exploring a very dangerous temple."

Rather, I think you're just avoiding answering. After all, it isn't as boring as it was with Navi, is it?

"You've got no basis for that."

I seem to recall a certain Hero trying to bait my jealousy with talk of a certain Sheikah.

"I think talk of anyone would bait your jealousy."

It's not my fault you're so handsome and endearing.

Link rolled his eyes and placed a hand on the metal door handle.

Oh don't tell me you don't swing that way.

Something snapped. "What does that have to do with anything?" he said loudly over his shoulder, his annoyance echoing throughout the corridor.

I was talking about the door.

"Like hell you were!"

You know, I think whatever's in that other room knows you're here by now.

Choosing to ignore his companion as he tried to regain a clear head, Link cautiously pulled the door open with a rusted squeak, armed with his basic but deadly weapons. He stepped inside the compact room, and when the door closed after him with a soft click, Link, still facing the room, tried to open it back up with his sword hand.

It's locked from the outside.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath as he watched a circle of dead hands wave as if they were daisies in a breeze. "They're just hands, right?"

You ought to know, darling, that nothing is as it seems here.

"Am I going to die if you don't tell me something vital I need to know right now?"

I should hope not.

"Then do peter out for a bit."

If you say so...

Link turned his concentration back to the stalks of hands, shield ready for an unexpected attack as his sword hung rather loosely in his hand. After a few moments of watching and planning, he began to feel impatience and boredom radiate from beside him. He mistook it at first for an unseen enemy and nearly did an upwards thrust with his sword before something in his mind connected the feeling to his invisible partner. In a way, it was comforting that they were still joined but Link still would have rather it not be so.

Mind in resolution after his previous false start, Link slowly approached the ring of dead hand daisies with his sword held behind him in position for a spinning attack. Experience had taught him that things like that needed to die all at once, so why should now be any different? He crept into the ring through a gap in the stalks and his arm twitched in anticipation. A sense of alarm from the far edge of the room prevented him from carrying out his attack and instead he looked over his shoulder.

A body like an indulged corpse reared its long neck back and at once a transvestite face shot out to tear Link's shoulder with its gnarled teeth.

Quick reflexes ensured that the teeth met the metal shield with a cringe-worthy scrape and Link rolled back to give some distance between the creature and him. He pulled his arm back for a quick forward thrust when he felt a hand - dead daisy hand - clutch his wrist. The indulged corpse shot out for him again, but Link blocked it with his shield as he struggled to break free from the hand stalk. Denied again, the monstrosity burrowed deep within the dirt floor, spraying brown everywhere and leaving Link with an increased sense of paranoia.

He finally had to kick the pale arm before he was able to twist free, and then he rolled to the edge of the room to escape another hand that reached out so tenderly for him. Rubbing his bruised and aching wrist, he realized that the hands were the least of his worries. The body was still nowhere in sight, and Link had the intense fear that at any moment it would strike up between his legs with those wicked teeth.

Right about then he wished he hadn't told his companion to "peter out".

Any further thoughts stood no chance as the ground before him erupted and out rose the monstrous corpse, rearing its neck back for another attack. Instinct kicked in and Link slashed forward with his sword, again and again and again, releasing a putrid oil that oozed from the injured body and coated his blade. It retreated back into the dirt with a strangled cry that might have reminded Link of a wild cat in another situation.

The thought of those teeth tearing into him made Link's heart beat fast and hard well into his ears, but he crept around the ring of hands cautiously as if he could somehow detect and sneak up on his adversary. Loath to wipe the foul liquid from his sword on his clothing, Link tried to soak it into the dirt when he heard an almost rubbery sound behind him. He didn't even have to look back to know what was there. Instead he blindly spun around and lashed out with the legendary sword, fate allowing him to connect with the slender neck of the still upright corpse and severing it entirely. The indulged body fell apart, its body melting into the earth as if returning to dust, leaving behind an object glimmering in oil.



Link glanced back to the center of the room, confirming the creature's redeath with the sight of wilting hand stalks, before going in for the treasure. He was reluctant to touch it since it was coated in that putrid oil, but it glimmered as if it was made of gold.



Don't act like such a princess, Hero.



With only his thumb and index finger, Link picked the object up by its handle with a disgusted sigh, noting its foul stench before realizing that it was a magnifying glass of sorts. "All that for this?" he wondered aloud.



You obviously have no idea what that is, do you?



"No," Link answered with an arched eyebrow, "I really don't, and it smells so disgusting that I don't want to."



Ever hear of the Lens of Truth? A Sheikah artifact that allows even a Hylian as yourself to see the truth?



"...See the truth?"



Why don't you look for yourself? Hold it up to your eye.



"Up to my eye?"



You very well can't see with your hands, can you? Of course your eye!



"No really, this is disgusting. I don't want it anywhere near my face."



Link...



"You can't smell it, can you? Otherwise you'd completely understand."



Then wipe it off!



Link rolled his eyes and bent down to the dirt, burying the handle to soak up some of the oil before taking it back out and wiping what remained off on his tunic. Then he carefully cleaned the lens. He held it to his eye experimentally and looked through it at the center wall. "Whoa!" he exclaimed with excitement as he rose up and ran off to examine his new discovery like a curiosity-stricken child. "Check it out! It's some kind of plaque or something. This must be something in the Sheikah language. Maybe we can try to get Sheik to--"



I'm sure there are other things of interest in this room.



"Huh, oh really?" he murmured as he held the once-offensive object to his eye and looked to his right.



Other side.



Link pointed the lens to his left.



Left still.



Obeying, Link turned slightly.



More left. Left...left...



The color drained from his face and he nearly dropped the lens.



There.



Words seemed as if they would form on Link's tongue but in the end they slid back into his lungs as he took steps back until he was flush against the wall. The Lens of Truth was still fixed in place.



You shouldn't look so surprised, you know. I thought all this time you knew, the voice - now a physical manifestation just like the plaque behind him - said smoothly and closed the distance between them, the lens backing up until it was inches from Link's eye.



Whether or not he knew of his companion's identity, Link couldn't remember. "You..." he said weakly as his voice trailed off before it had hardly even begun.



Right. It's been a while hasn't it, Hero? Since...



"...That room with the strange reflection," Link murmured, and though he looked at his own strange reflection through the glass it was as if he saw nothing at all.



Strange reflection indeed.



"It's your fault, then, isn't it?"



That you're here and alive? his strange reflection asked wryly.



"No," Link said starkly, "that Navi's gone."



The face that Link refused to see took on a serious expression. I'll take the blame for a lot of things I've done with glee, but I will not admit to your own actions.



Color returned to Link's face in the form of an angry pink on his cheeks and the tip of his nose. "You don't know anything about what happened back there."



And you do?



"I won, didn't I? I'm here - whole - and what are you?"



About to become very irked at you. Link's reflection leaned in so that they were nose to nose, like a real and distorted mirror was the only thing between them. Of course, as they say, history is written by the victors, is it not?



"There's nothing subjective about it," Link defended as he unconsciously touched the tip of his hat, "I saw what happened. You merely vanished like a coward running."



You only saw what you deluded yourself to see, Hero! he said, spitting out the title like it was some form of an ancient curse. But you of all people must know that it does no good to piss off your own shadow.



With that the distance between them was closed as Dark Link pressed his lips harshly against Link's for several seconds as he took advantage of his shock before violently kneeing his host in the groin.



Link toppled forward with a cry against his shadow as the shocked trance shattered, but the embrace was shortlived as he soon regained his senses and reached for his sword. Dark Link only shoved him aside, nearly causing him to crash against the Lens of Truth.



Quick to spring back and parry with his shadow, Link soon found it difficult to attack and defend with a sword in one hand and a magnifying glass in another if the increasing amount of cuts on his body was any indication. Dark Link ducked out of his view and Link felt the stinging sensation of a sword slicing deeply in his side. As he managed to knock him off balance with a wild swing, Link knew the other was only just playing. He knew he'd be dead by now otherwise.



Link landed an impulsive kick to his opponent's side and used that spare moment he had gained to think quickly of Din's flaming warmth in his hands full with offense and sight. Her warmth burned brightly in his mind and brought true light to the room - no, not just the room, the entire Temple.



And then She crushed into his throat.



You ought to know, Dark Link said with a smirk as he removed his hands from where they had pushed Link's upwards, that with true light there comes true darkness.



Link neither saw nor heard any of this as it felt like his whole body was on fire, as if he had consumed the sun itself and gotten it lodged in his throat. He was of course not a creature of evil so both he and his darker shadow knew Din's Fire would not kill him.



But it still hurt like hell.



He was rather glad Dark Link hadn't taken the opportunity to kill him once the ringing in his ears, flames before his eyes, and burning in his skin faded; but when he looked into the Lens of Truth with slight disorientation to search out and defend against his opponent he realized it came with a certain price.



Only vaguely in the back of his mind was he aware of why he could no longer see the Truth anymore. Sheikah plaque, Dark Link...all gone. His breathing and heart beat quickened considerably.



Suddenly he was knocked over by an attack against his skull with what felt like the butt of a sword. Out of ingrained experience his tightest grip was on his sword while the Lens of Truth fell from his fingers. He only briefly acknowledged that his hat had dislodged from his head before he hit the ground. From then on things became spotty, in both his vision and awareness.



Link felt as if he should get back up, no matter how bad of shape he might be in, and attack his unseen enemy with fervor despite the invisibility factor. He would have done so almost immediately after the thought crossed his mind if it hadn't been for the fact that he knew Dark Link's intentions weren't for his death - yet, at least.



A movement to his left caught Link's eye. It was his hat - the one he barely knew was missing - hovering in the air, tilted roughly. Navi's dull form tumbled out and for a second Link feared she would hit the ground; his fears were unfounded though and she only landed in Dark Link's unseen hand. Briefly Link wondered which was worse.



I'm surprised this is the first time your hat's come off. Goddesses know you've been knocked around enough.



Navi hovered, suspended in midair it seemed, though she still rested in a shadow hand. Link saw her turn over slightly, and he was disappointed it hadn't been her own doing. She rose up slightly, held by one wing - Link winced and struggled to get up - and then shortly after by two.



You know, he began, you're right.



"Huh?" Link murmured and he was pleasantly surprised that any sound at all had come from his lips.



I wouldn't keep her in a bottle either.



Link stared intently at the spot where he knew his brief ally to be and instantly his thoughts and affections were stupidly disarmed. "So you...understand, then?"



Yeah, Dark Link answered sympathetically, I wouldn't want some dead fairy wasting space in a valuable container. He slowly pulled the two wings in opposite directions, and blood formed where they tore from her body.



The blood of a fairy wasn't something Link even knew existed, nor something he wanted to find out about, but it was enough to send him barrelling towards his shadow, sword drawn and blind in anger.



Dark Link's knee immediately met with Link's stomach and the Hylian hunched over with the wind knocked out of him. His shadow's icy arms enveloped him as the Master Sword was cast from his hands, and out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Navi drop.



That's your trouble, darling. You're too passionate to think things through, properly, Dark Link murmured, holding his host in his arms as he guided them both down to the ground. Of course, were you a logical type I don't think I'd be so enamoured with you.



"You're enamoured with me?" Link whispered in pain as he tried to regain control of his breath. "That's sick."



Oh? I seemed to have it in my head that you thought otherwise...



"Aren't you," he murmured hoarsely, "supposed to be my twin or something?" He heard chuckling by his ear.



I suppose you're right in a sense. Opposite sides of the same coin, perhaps, but practically the same person...



"Wrong," Link said firmly as he cast his gaze to where the voice was last, "I will never be you."



True, he conceded, you don't have my brains.



"And you don't have my body."



I suppose it's because we're so similar that you know exactly how to irritate me. However, you'd do well to remember that darkness cannot exist without light and the unseen cannot exist without the seen.



"Are you trying to tell me that it's my own fault that you exist? Because I am good and whole?"



The brighter the object the greater the shadow, after all, Dark Link murmured centimeters from Link's lips. Though it's an insult to your character that I'm limited to such a narrow realm of existence.



Link felt another's lips upon his once more, moving against him ever so slightly. He wasn't sure how he felt about his shadow kissing him, but he knew it sent sparks through his body in all the places that counted. The lips took his lower lip between them and there was the sensation of it being sucked. Pleasant on its own but strange and disturbing since he knew exactly who was doing the sucking; the fact that he couldn't see him didn't help things.



There were hands down his back, bringing him flush against an unseen body who bit down on Link's lip roughly before licking it in a soothing manner. Link sharply inhaled at the unexpectedness of it but he liked it since it took away from all the pounding and swimming in his head. He closed his eyes and parted his lips, not needing to see anymore.



Dark Link took the opportunity roughly and crushed his mouth against Link's, elliciting a soft moan from the other. His tongue slid between his teeth and explored, probing and caressing, until Link reached an arm up and held on to what felt like his shadow's elbow. Dark Link removed one of his hands from his host's back and instead placed it on Link's inner thigh, creeping forward underneath the tunic until he reached the bulge in his tights.



At first touch Link's eyes snapped open and a hint of panic ran through him as he, in his haze, began to grasp what his strange reflection was doing to him. All thoughts of physical rebellion died in their infancy and a soft moan escaped his lips as Dark Link cupped and caressed his bulging cock. His twin removed his lips and Link later felt something wet and probing slide along his ear, spiraling inward.



He was only vaguely aware of what was happening, but he knew that he shouldn't want from the man what he did.



How do you suppose we get you out of these clothes? Shall we do it the slow and right way...or shall I slice them from your skin?



Link didn't hear the question and he didn't particularly care. Craving further sensation he pulled Dark Link closer and kissed where he felt his face to be. It was his good fortune that he managed to reach lips instead of air. Suddenly he felt the skin on his arms slice open and throb with blood seeping out - again on his chest, legs, back. Link didn't resist because somehow it didn't hurt; it felt natural, almost, that his body should throb and ooze as his cock did. If anything it only helped his hard-on.



With his hands Dark Link guided Link to sit in his lap and spread his legs to either side of his waist; already he began to rub himself against him with his host draped over his invisible form like a warm and bleeding blanket. He disengaged himself from the kiss and instead latched his lips onto Link's pale neck.



Thoughts of
temples, sages, Goddesses, and other would-be lovers all swam around rapidly in a disorienting echo in Link's head but they were all insignificant to the very real and physical needs of his throbbing cock. He let out a low moan as he felt hands stroke him.



This continued on as Link's breaths became increasingly shallow until all activity abruptly ceased.



Shit.



Link was roughly thrown aside as his force displaced the dirt he landed on, and to his muted horror he found himself staring directly at a wilted and dead hand. His actual recognition of what he faced was gradual and delayed; in that time he missed the metal door open and a shadow join its breathren.



"Link!"



It wasn't until he found himself staring at a panic-stricken Sheikah later that night that he realized his name had been said.