Living With Myself

Chapter 3

Link walked into the kitchen and Dark Link gave him his sharpest smirk. Even though Link didn't move, Dark saw him flinch in the depths of his eyes. They couldn't hide anything from one another.

"Hungry?" he asked, and dropped a bowl of something in front of Link, this time the hero visibly recoiled. "There wasn't much in the house, so I went out and killed something. Dun' know what it was, but it smells tasty"

Link sighed and got up.

"I'm not hungry" he said, in the soft, hoarse voice of someone who isn't used to speakin aloud. Not even with himself. "I'll go fish something for dinner."

"Pfft, fishing's boring. Let's go hunting. The people at the village nearby looked meaty," said Dark

Link blinked, squinted, and looked down at the bowl in front of him.

"No, that was some kind of animal," said Dark with a shrug. "I didn't want to walk all the way to the village to get breakfast, and the horse won't let me get on it. I need a horse of my own. A black one...A male one. Or move to the city."

"We're not going to move anywhere if you keep spending all the money on booze," complained Link

Dark Link pouted. "'s better than spending it on arrows"

Link could barely believe him. "We need arrows," he said, as if talking to a child.

"And we need booze, I refuse to live on tea!"

Someone knocked on the door.

Both warriors fell silent

"Hide" whispered Link, turning towards the door.

"Where?" asked Dark, looking around and finding nowhere to hide. The kitchen was tiny enough, and in plain view from the entrance.

"Can't you hide in the shadows or something?" said Link, growing more desperate by the second. He could hear upbeat voices from the other side of the door. Voices he knew too well.

"Do I really have to?" whined Dark.

They heard giggles from the other side of the door and more knocking, then the soft voice of princess Zelda said "Link? Are you there? I brought a present to celebrate you getting a new house!"

"I'm going!" said Link, and Dark hit him on the head

"You idiot! Why did you answer?! She would have left!" whispered Dark.

Link realized what he had done, and facepalmed. "Hide somewhere!"

Dark gritted his teeth and jumped into Link's shadow. He didn't mind the darkness. He was darkness. But the thing that made him edgy was the comfortable feeling of being in Link's shadow. He felt that if he stayed there too long, in the soft ebb and flow of their thoughts and the welcoming darkness, he would lose himself to it.

Link opened the door and found Zelda, Saria and Malon, who gave him three brightly decorated packages. He smiled softly and let them come inside.

"How cute!" said Saria, then sniffed "is something on the stove?"

"Yes" whispered Dark, and Link ran to the kitchen.

Dark jumped to the shadow of the table at the center of the living room. The uncomfortable new shadow felt like he was being pressed between stone walls, but the pain and discomfort made him more aware of himself, unlike the comfortable space of Link's shadow, which felt like home; because it was.

Link came back, and indicated for them to sit down.

"I'll bring tea" he said in a voice like a whisper.