A/N -
Plot belongs to Flaming_SaiiboAce who requested I write this. Thank you!

This takes place in the Ocarina of Time era.
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Dark's PoV -

"In the name of the goddess Hylia and under to order of the royal family I condemn you to death for your crimes against Hyrule," I recite before decapitating a criminal that plotted to murder the royal family.

His head falls to the blood stained floor of the shadow temple. I sigh before cleaning up the mess by dragging the body to a cliff and discarding the remains into a seemingly never ending void. Once the deed was done I bow before a statue of the goddess and ask for forgiveness for the bloody act I had just committed. I stand and quietly exit the room. I easily navigate the traps of the shadow temple having worked and worshiped here for years. I join the congregation of Sheikah in the main hall. Nearly 50 Sheikah crowd into the large room where we end the day by giving praise to the goddess. A Sheikah monk leads the ritual. Halfway through the ritual a black mist covers the floor. The others seemingly deep in trance do not seem to notice. The black mist rises. The lead monk is the only other Sheikah seemingly aware of what's going on. He glares at me with now bright red eyes. Suddenly the chanting changes. All the other Sheikah begin to faint. I check one for a pulse and am horrified to find none. More and more Sheikah fall dead. I grab my sword ready to fight the now evil monk to save my friends. I take a running start but the few remaining Sheikah collapse. It is now just me and the evil monk. I'm still prepared to take his life but he conjures a force field preventing me from getting closer. He stops chanting. "So you are the chosen one, the puppet of the great Ganondorf..." the monk speaks in a deep eerie voice.

The black mist grows more and more till it consumes me. My muscles feel tired and my mind grows foggy. I colapse to the ground. A horrible pain shoots through my chest. In my disoriented haze I can see the evil monk standing above me with a sword plunged into my chest. He smirks at me, "Don't worry, this isn't the end for you, Ganondorf will resurrect you in the embodiment of evil."

     I shiver at his words. I can tell I'm dying. My vision begins to fade. I feel cold as I lay in a puddle of my own blood. I can't let this evil be unleashed onto Hyrule. With the last bit of energy I can muster I pry the sword from my own chest and embed it into the evil monks neck. A black blood oozes from his wound before he falls to the ground. He lays motionless and dead but his evil smirk is still plastered to his face. Finally, I allow myself to relax as I sink into the peace of death. As I fade away I contemplate the words of the monk. Will I end up a puppet of evil like him? That's the last terrifying thought that crosses my mind before everything goes blank.

I feel dizzy. My chest aches. Despite the pain I managed to sit up. I'm sitting in a pool of cold water. A small island stands in the middle of the room. With as much energy as I can muster I limp over to the island using the single tree as support. From here I take in my surroundings. On either end of the room is a barred door. Perhaps I can open it. I slowly make my way over to one of the door. I tug at the bars. The energy makes my chest hurt but I continue anyway feeling trapped.

You are trapped. You're my minion resurrected in the face of evil. You were made to end the life of the Hero of Time.

A sharp pain echos through my skull. I grab my head and fall to the ground in both shock and pain. From inside my skull I can here evil laughter chuckling at my pitiful state. "Who are you!" I scream.

I am your master. The great Ganadorf. I think that I shall name you Dark Link.

I shiver at his words still scared how they echo in my mind. However, despite my fear something inside me makes me want to please this voice. I want to listen to his words and do as I'm told but another part of me fears his evil and tells me to resist.

You can't resist. You are my puppet. Now, you know escape is impossible. Craw to that island.

I listen to his words. Only when I'm halfway there do I wonder why I'm crawling through cold water instead of having the dignity to walk.

Because I told you to.

I don't even flinch at the voice this time. I crawl the rest of the way to the small island. I collapse into the sandy ground exhausted. Pain consumes my chest again and I hesitantly lift my shirt to see if I have a wound. I have no open wound other than a scar of a seemingly nasty wound directly through my heart. An image flashes through my head.

I'm laying in a pool of blood. I know I am going to die. A sword was just imbedded in my chest. Beside me lays the haunting smirking face of a monk.

I crawl over to the edge of the water to look at my reflection. My skin is grey and my hair is a raven black. I wear a black tunic and pants. However, my eyes contrast the dark colors. Sharp red eyes stare back at me. My eyes are just red orbs with no other defining features.

I created you in this image. Do you like it?

Part of my mind is horrified at my appearance. I look terrifying. Another part of me is proud that my appearance is shaped in the way Ganondorf wants me.

I lay back down on the sand. As I fall into a sleep my master fills my head with the goals of what I am to be.

You will remain here for 7 years. You must train both you body and your mind. A hero in green will walk through those doors in 7 years. He wants nothing more than to murder you and me. You must put a stop to that. Take the life of that murderer before he can do the same to you...

I fall asleep to the words of Ganondorf.

Young Link's PoV -

Zelda and I are playing in Kakariko village. I run into the graveyard trying to outrun Zelda who is trying to tag me. Maybe girls are too afraid to go into graveyards. This is not the case for Zelda at least. I'm trapped by two large grave stones. The only means of escape would be to climb up. As Zelda closes in on me I take the risk. I quickly scale the wall. "Bet you can't catch me up here," I taunt Zelda.

     "Wanna bet," Zelda calls back before scaling the wall much to my surprise.

     Rain begins to fall but I don't care. I rush into a cavernous opening hoping to hide from Zelda. Oddly enough a ring of torches are lit. This looks like some interesting old architecture but there's too much light here. Zelda would find me. I rush farther into the cave. "Link, I don't like this, let's go back," I hear Zelda call but I know she would just tag me if I exited.

     I run further into the dark. A pungent stench overcome me. I pull my tunic up over my nose to block out some of the smell. I grab a small torch from off the wall and continue my exploration. Inside roughly 50 people lay on the ground. "Hello?" I question.

     No one wakes up. I walk over to the nearest person. The look kinda like Impa. Maybe these are Sheikah people. I lean over one of the Sheikah. He's not breathing. I shake the person hoping to wake them but to no avail. Is he dead? Fear sets in. I stumble over to the next Sheikah and check to see if she is breathing. No. I check one after the other. Tears begin to stream down my face. Why are so many people dead?! A large sword lays in the chest of an older looking Sheikah. A creepy smirk is plastered on his face. He glares at a Sheikah next to him. This Sheikah is laying in a large blood stain. He looks younger than most of the other Sheikah. Maybe 7 years older than myself. A large gash on his chest must have been his cause of death. I feel an odd connection to him. I take his body into my arms. His skin in pale and his hair is white. He wears the same black uniform as all the other Sheikah. He looks terrified even after death. The other Sheikah looked at peace but he was an exception. I'm broken from my thought by Zelda's voice, "Link, what are you doing? What is this place?"

     Tears still fall from my eyes. Especially as I hold this poor Sheikah. "They're all dead, Zelda!" I cry.

     A horrified look crosses the princess' face. She hurries over to me. "Link you shouldn't touch the dead, what if they wake up to hurt us!" she seems scared.

     "This one is younger than the others and he died a more painful death, can't we give him a proper burial?" I ask.

     "Fine but let's get out of here," Zelda complies.

     I try to carry the young Sheikah but my arms are too weak. Zelda notice and helps me to lift the poor Sheikah. As were exiting the temple we hear footsteps. I find a small crevices to hide us. "I know you're there," a familiar voice echos.

Zelda recognizes the voice first, "Impa!"

She runs to hug her protector. I come out of hiding still carrying the Sheikah's body. "I've always feared that the two of you would find this place," Impa states.

"Why? What is this place?" Zelda asks.

"This is the Shadow Temple. For years the Sheikah used this place to worship. Then the royal family hired us to imprison and kill any enemy of the royal family. For generations we did this without fail. The crime rates in Hyrule dropped. This land became safer for everyone. However, one day Ganondorf corrupted one of our monks and he killed everyone in worship that day. However, Ganon's main target was a young Sheikah boy that he planned to resurrect one day to be a puppet to serve him. I see you've already meet him," Impa states motioning to the body I'm carrying, "Link, it is very likely that the soul from the body you carry might one day try to kill you."

I hold the body tighter as if my caring for it could change the outcome of the future, "Why would he do that?"

I glance down at the Sheikah's body. I feel bad for the young man. He looks so scared. So in pain. Why would he try to kill me?

"As the story goes this boy has become possessed by Ganon and Ganon's main goal is to kill the hero and take over Hyrule," Impa informs.

Impa offers to carry the body and I accept. Together we walk out of the Shadow Temple. "What I am about to tell you must stay between us, okay?" Impa asks as she stops at the entrance.

Zelda and I both nod our heads. "After Ganon's masacre of the Sheikah in this temple the royal family began to fear us. They thought the Sheikah had some connection to evil. So the royal family sent guards to murder us one by one. Thousands of Sheikah were killed. Supposedly, some Sheikah fled and went into hiding but that is just a rumor. Now I am the only Sheikah left in Hyrule. They left me to mourn my people and as a statement to what the royal family is capable of."

We both look at Impa in shock. "I'm sorry you two had to see that, no one your age should have to see that evil," Impa states, "Now, let's find this young man a proper burial."

With that we pay Dampe to dig us a grave for the Sheikah boy. He finishes his work in no time and Impa allows me to place the boy inside. I can't explain the connection I feel towards him but I am happy to see that he gets a proper burial. Dampe covers the grave and we mark it with a small grave stone. Before we head home Impa warns us once again to never speak of the story she had told us. Apparently, she could get in bad trouble if we told the royal family.

———

     Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Link a certain dark counterpart was enjoying the ghostly warm embrace as Link carried his former body. Somehow Dark could feel the warm caring love of the hero and being deprived of care for so long, he very much enjoyed the feeling. Still in his prison the dark hero curled up on the sand and fell asleep to the care of the young hero. Even after his former self was buried he still felt a little more cared for and overall felt his soul become a tiny bit more at ease.

———

A year passed. Impa's story still haunts me. I still feel a connection to the young Sheikah boy. Sometimes I go to visit his grave. Now, I just witnessed my childhood friend, Zelda, being taken away under the protection of Impa. Ganondorf himself chased behind them. Now I must save Zelda and all of Hyrule by taking up the master sword. I stand in the Temple of Time contemplating my future. I guess I really am the chosen hero. I place my hands on the sword and an uncontrollable deep sleep overcomes me.

Dark's PoV -

     Years pass. Sometime master Ganon visits me in my prison. I hate his visits. He always makes me practice my fighting techniques and these training sessions usually end in me in pain or unconscious. When I am not able to beat Ganon he punishes me by starving me for days after. I hate my master yet I hear his voice in my head constantly telling me what to do and what to believe. Something in me still wants to please him but another part of me just want to be free of this curse. As the years have passed I've learned to ignore Ganon's words which usually leads to me getting punished but at least I know I have the willpower to counteract his wishes.

     The day begins normally but I can sense something is different. I feel the hero's presence getting closer and closer. This will be the day of our battle.

If you kill the hero I will set you free.

     Ganon's voice echos in my head. All I want is to be free. Anxious hours pass. I feel the hero getting closer and closer to my prison. Then the door opens and a handsome blond haired hero runs in. The door slams shut again trapping the both of us. The hero unsheathes his sword. I do the same. Here is my chance to gain my freedom. The hero tries to attack me and I quickly dodge. I attack back only managing to make a small scratch on his shield. I jump onto his blade preventing him from attacking. I take the opportunity to slash his chest. He grunts in pain and manages to throw me off his sword. He takes that moment to attack me. A large bloody wound appears on my side where his blade cut me. It hurts to move but I'm tough and won't let this stop me. I attack again gaining a nice sized gash to the hero's abdomen. He retaliated by penetrating my chest with his blade. I colapse to my knees. That area has always been my weak spot. I hold the sword not wanting the hero to take out the blade as that was the only thing keeping me from bleeding out. To my dismay the hero yanks the blade free also gaining gashes on my hands where I held the sword. I cry out in pain but the hero doesn't do much as glance back at me as he leaves the room that I know as my prison. "Master Ganon, help me please!" I pray.

Evil laughter echos through my mind. Ganon himself appears in front of me.

"Pitiful slave. I now release you Dark Link but you shall no longer have my protection from the monsters of Hyrule."

With that Ganon disappears. The door is still open so I crawl over to it and leave for the first time in seven years. Not far out of the door the pain in my chest overcomes me and I colapse into unconsciousness.

I'm in a dark temple. Weapons and chains litter the wall. The floors are blood stained. The words 'Sheikah' and 'temple' come to my mind but I don't know their meaning. I'm dressed in black and purple colored skin tight clothes. A symbol of an eye decorates the chest of my clothes. I hear chanting from down the hall so I approach the voices. Others dressed similarly to me stand in a main hall. Praying and chanting. These people feel like my family.

I wake from my dream partially sad that it wasn't true. I wish I had a family or a friend. Someone who cared for me. I manage to make my way out of this temple mostly flooded by water. When I surface I find an island and take a moment to relax and get my energy back. My chest aches but I know as long as the hero lives I will too. As Ganon told me, I am his evil counterpart. After a short rest I decided to explore the rest of Hyrule since I've been trapped for 7 years.

The land is beautiful. The clear waters of lake Hylia sparkle in the sun. I can see the far away peak of Death Mountain and over the horizon rests Hyrule castle now in disarray due to Ganon's takeover. I casually stroll the land till a large Peahat spots me. The evil plant begins chasing after me. Already being injured I knew I could not fight back. I run as fast as I can my injuries opening more with the effort. Then I hear the neigh of a horse from behind me and several slashes of a sword. I turn around in shock to find that the hero had defeated the Peahat.

I collapse to the ground panting from the effort of running while injured. "What the hell are you doing here, demon?!" The hero questions me.

I should have expected this.

It's not too late to kill him and regain your honor.

I can't take it anymore. The voice in my head and the angry word's of the hero along with my injuries cause me to pass out. In my dream like state memory after memory passes over me. I completely recall my past life up until the point I became Ganondorf's servant. It feels like I'm out for a long time.

Link's PoV -

I had just accidentally saved my dark self's life. If only I could have recognized him sooner I could have left him for dead and left Ganon with one less minion. I quietly approach my now passed out dark self. I guess I could still end him. It wouldn't be a fair fight but does that really matter when I comes to Ganon's creations?

     His face looks familiar besides simply looking similar to me. His black clothes help remind me. He looks just like that young Sheikah that Zelda and I found in the Shadow Temple. It can't be, can it? I buried his body but what if Ganon used his evil magic to reincarnate the Sheikah boy as his own personal puppet. After all Impa did warn me of this all those years ago. Maybe that's why Dark attacked me in the Water Temple. I pick up the unconscious Dark Link and carry him to the nearest town, Kakariko village, to get some rest.

     I pay for an inn to give Dark a place to rest. I lay his sleeping form down on the bed. Very carefully I tend to his wounds now feeling awful about giving him such painful scars. I tuck Dark into bed. He looks peaceful, maybe even cute. I ignore the urge to lay down next to him in bed so instead I create a small pallet on the floor. I lay down and sleep welcomes me.

     I wake to the sound of crying. The sun shines in through the window across the room. I sit up to find Dark curled into the fetal position in bed with tears streaming down his face. "Dark, what's wrong?" I sit down on the edge of his bed and gently rub his back.

     He flinches and yelps at my touch but doesn't try to remove my hand. He's having a panic attack so I bring him into my lap and gently rub his back. "You're okay, I'll protect you," I whisper to him.

     A loud sob escapes his lips, "L-link why are y-you...helping me?" Dark manages to say.

    "When I was younger Zelda and I were exploring an old temple and I found a body of a Sheikah boy that reminds me of you. I believe Ganon used your soul to make you a puppet to him. It's not your fault that happened to you and I want to help you escape Ganon's control," I explain while still rubbing Dark's back.

     Dark hugs me, "You found my body?"

     "Yeah," I hug him back, he seems to be calming down.

     "Can we go see my old temple?" Dark asks.

     "Of course but we need to treat your wounds first," I smile to him.

     Now that Dark is not crying anymore I help to treat his wounds. I can't help but to find it adorable how he flinches as I apply a natural paste to help his wounds heal. I wrap his wounds with fresh bandages. "Are you sure you feel okay enough to make the trip?" I question.

     Dark nods his head, "Of course."

     With that we leave the inn and make our way to the graveyard. Dark seems hesitant. I don't blame him. It would be traumatic to see your grave and the place you were murdered. We pass large extravagant tombs and graves of members of the royal family or their close friends. Finally, at the edge of the graveyard I find the familiar small tombstone of the Sheikah boy I once felt a connection to. Dark seems to sense that this is his grave, "Is this where my body is?"

     I simply nod, too many emotions overwhelm me. Dark kneels next to his grave and traces the words on the stone 'Here rests the body of a brave young Sheikah'. I kneel down next to him. "Thank you for giving me a proper burial," Dark speaks his words coming out barely above a whisper.

     I rub his back, "I wish I could have gave you a better burial, I didn't even know your name."

     We stay there for awhile till Dark clears his tears and stands, "Can we go to the Shadow Temple now?"

     "Of course," I smile trying to dry the few tears that fell from my eyes.

     We enter the grand stone entrance with a circle of torches in front. Inside is the gloomy cold blood stained stone floors. We make several turns till we come to the main room. Corpses of Sheikah still rest where they made their last stand. Dark walks amongst them till he comes to a stop where I found his body seven years ago. "This is where I died."

    Dark appears to hear something. "Get out of my head!" He cries before collapsing to the ground.

     I rush over to him. He lays in the same spot I found his body all those years ago. I pick him up and carry his unconscious body bridal style. I carry him out of the Shadow Temple and through the grave yard. Finally, I find a secluded spot on the top of a hill. I lay Dark in the grass. Oh, Hylia, he is gorgeous. I lay next to him in the grass. I can't help but to pull him close to me. He smells of pine and I fall asleep to the steady beat of his heart.

Dark's PoV -

     Ganon spoke to me in the Shadow Temple. I wish he would leave me alone. I don't serve him anymore. Yet he keeps trying to convince me to murder Link. Link is the one who gave me a proper burial, he tended to my wounds, and gave me a place to rest. I could never hurt him. I feel horrible for attacking him in my prison.

     I wake from my thought to find Link cuddled next to me. His head rests on my chest. I smile at this. He's beautiful.

He wants nothing more than to kill you, kill him first.

     I growl at Ganon's words. Sadly this awakes the sleeping hero. "Dark," Link smiles up at me and gently nuzzles his head against my chest.

     He must see my worry. "What's wrong?" He asks.

     "I can still hear Ganon's words in my head, I wish he would leave me alone," I sigh.

     "I'm going to defeat Ganon and then he won't be able to harm you," Link hugs me.

     "Link, do you love me?" I ask confused by his actions.

     "Do you love me?" He asks.

     "Would you be mad if I said I do love you?" I question.

     "That would make me very happy," Link cuddle closer to me.

     "Let me make you happy then," I pull Link forward into a kiss.

     We break the kiss for air. "I love you, Link."

     "I love you too, Dark!" Link kisses me again.