Running (FOUR SWORDS FANFICTION!)

Red's Point of View

"Oh...hi, Red."

"Shadow Link?" I looked around before I finally found him. It looked like we were in a forest. 

"Hi." His arms were crossed like he was uncomfortable, I knew Vio did that when he felt uncomfortable too. They were a match made in heaven.

"Oh, wow, it's nice to see you! Vio said he saw you in a dream. Is this real?"

"Yep." he paused. "You guys are actually going to help me?"

I nodded. "Why wouldn't we? You smashed the Dark Mirror and helped us defeat Vaati, after all!"

He straightened and looked around like he thought someone was going to jump out. "Look, you had no way  of knowing, but...don't mention anything about that here, someone might overhear."

"Don't mention what? The Dark Mirror?" 

He flinched as if my words hurt him and I felt guilty. "Sorry," I whispered. 

"How do you know about it anyways?"

"Vio told us everything he knew, he also...explained your guys' relationship a bit better."

He frowned. I looked around a bit more. It was dark. The trees around us were so close together, the leaves formed a canopy over us that blocked out the sunlight. The perfect place for someone who can't step into the light, I realized. I remembered what Vio said after he watched Shadow die. "When a shadow steps into the light, he disappears. Shadow Link was never really evil. he made trouble so he would be noticed. he was sick of being ignored. He only wanted to be with us." The realization that Vio had watched someone he loved die in front of him as he watched helplessly hit me. He hadn't been able to do anything for Shadow, at some point, he had realized his connection to the Dark Mirror. And then it broke, and he knew he couldn't even try to help him.

I hoped that once we helped Shadow, nothing like that ever happened again, I wanted him and Vio to be happy. I had talked so much with Vio about him, more than the others had, and...they must have really been close, really been in love. Vio was smart, he wouldn't love him if he was actually bad.

"I gotta admit, I'm glad you guys are coming, but...you need to be careful, be really careful, I'm not worth you guys getting injured or worse."

"Don't worry; it can't be any harder than our last adventure, right?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, I really don't know. I don't...you should..."

"Don't what? Should what?"

"You should not do this," he said.

"But you just said you were glad we were coming!"

"Yeah, but...I'm not worth it, can't you talk them out of it?"

"But..." I stared at him for a minute. "Vio said he loves you." His breath hitched. "He misses you, he just...hasn't been the same since you died."

He shook his head. "No, no, no...of course he misses me, he watched me die, it's okay for him to grieve, let him grieve, but don't let him do this! One of these days he's gonna get himself killed."

"He's careful," I said. "He really wants you back. I don't think there's anything I can say that'll talk him out of it."

"Find something then!" He snapped. "Lie to him, do whatever it takes to discourage him from trying to find me! Tell him...Tell him I threatened you...tell him, I'm still angry with him and will kill him the moment I see him...tell him I don't want to live anymore."

"But you haven't said or done any of those things!"

"Exactly, lie to him, I can't actually threaten you, it's like punching a kitten...and I don't even like kittens."

"But...would you kill him on sight? Do you not want to live anymore?"

He opened his mouth to say something, closed it and then finally said, "Yes. I'll slit his throat if I ever see that traitor's face again. Just leave me alone, Red."

I gasped for breath. 

"Red? Red?" I looked at Blue.

"Jeez, what happened?" he asked. His hand moved and I felt it on my cheek. It was warm, I felt cold. He couldn't have meant that, could he? "What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare," I said. It wasn't a lie.

"Let's just go back to sleep, everything's okay," he said, pulling me close. 

"Okay." I tried to calm down. 

I'll tell Vio tomorrow.