Destined to Fight (GhiraLink)

The Masked Dead

"It's gotten worse," Ghirahim muttered, his dark eyes glued to the sword he inhabited. He looked tired, especially after what happened earlier when Ni threw a fit as they were about to leave, wanting to stay with Ghirahim; his dark eyes appearing to be unable to reflect any light. His movements were slower than usual, almost as if he was in that shiny, steel form and gravely injured again.

Link knew what he was talking about. The space between his brows creased with worry. "How much worse?" he asked.

"It's barely noticeable. But it will build up over time." He sighed, looking up at the orange sky. In the east, dark clouds loomed over the land. Lightning flashed within their deep, dark forms. "I don't know what else to do, although perhaps you could try actually using the sword."

Link was silent, but he nodded. He wasn't sure that he would be able to use the sword the way that it was intended, but at the moment he didn't think that mattered. He had promised to do everything he could to keep Ghirahim alive-this bond wasn't about to be created only for one of them to die a couple of days later.

An hour of silence passed. Link was bored, extremely bored, which didn't help with his pained feet. The others traveling with them, mostly Sheikah, didn't appear bothered, so he refused to complain. Ghirahim had grown bored as well, resorting to doing everything in his power to annoy Link. Link could be certain that the others were furtively watching in pure amusement; he'd already caught Zelda snickering. However, after so long of being ignored almost impossibly well, Ghirahim grew bored and started a rather one-sided conversation.

Link still didn't pay him any attention, zoning out until Ghirahim gasped and unintentionally struck Link in the back. Hard, hard enough for him to stumble and nearly fall.

"Ow! Fuck!!" Link yelled out as he rubbed his back where Ghirahim had hit him. It would surely bruise.

"The scabbard!" Ghirahim exclaimed, seemingly unaware that he'd just given Link a bruise. "That might fix it!"

Link looked up at him, shooting him a glare though his curiosity was piqued. "How?"

Ghirahim wore a wide grin. "The scabbard might be able to fix the sword, since it's sort of connected to it. It shouldn't be too far from here." As those last words came out of his mouth, he glanced at the other Sheikah. "I know where it is. We can probably get it within twenty minutes."

Once the one with Impa's cape stopped, all of them stopped. She turned to Link and Ghirahim, her expression that of a rock. "Twenty minutes?"

"Twenty minutes."

The Sheikah woman frowned, but nodded. "Then go."

Ghirahim looked at Link, who shrugged and said, "Lead the way."

The two males broke off from the group, the shorter jogging to keep up with the taller. There seemed to be nothing for miles and miles save for a small bump in the earth, barely noticeable until you walked on it. Why was Ghirahim going this way? What could possibly be here that could hold a sheath for a sword. Ghirahim, glanced back, grinning when he saw that Link was frowning.

"It's well hidden, isn't it?" Ghirahim said as he stepped near the bump and a hole opened, revealing a staircase that spiraled down into whatever hell that lay below the earth.

He followed Ghirahim down the steps in silence. The climb was quite long, and it took them six minutes to reach the bottom.

The room they stepped into was large. There were bits of rock lying around from where they had fallen from the ceiling, but other than that it was mostly empty. Torches that burned with purple fire were lined up perfectly along the wall, illuminating the room.