Hey, long time no see! I ran out of ideas, and I just couldn't bring myself to write anymore. Then I played Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (again), and I really felt the need to write a GhiraLink fic. Seriously. There just aren't enough fics on this pairing. I'm a little awkward when writing pure smut, so I'm not sure if I will, but there will be some, later on, maybe. If you haven't played the game, you probably shouldn't read this. MAJOR SPOILERS. Bold text means a flashback/memory, italics means thoughts, and normal text is the story. I hope you enjoy! xoxo Mattykins

A pair of blue eyes slid open, blinking a few times in the dim light. He could feel his shoulders pulled up behind him and twisted in a position that was hardly comfortable, even with his flexible body. Strange. The boy frowned, trying to remember where he was.

He dashed towards the door that separated the rooms, pressed the odd key-carving-thing into the indentation in the center, his lips almost twitching into a smile as the door swung open with a heavy grating sound. He had fought his way through the whole of Skyview Temple to find Zelda and he was so close-

Even in his hazy state of mind, his thoughts soured as he remembered the strange figure inside the room. It was a man – at least he thought it was a man – and an eccentric one at that. He grimaced at the memory of the man clad in red and white, his unnaturally large eyes boring holes into the boy as he began to toy with him, stealing the Goddess Sword from him with only two fingers and throwing it at him. Why was I even thinking of the demon at this time? Although I wouldn't put it past him to kidnap me.

The boy threw himself to the side to dodge the blow, rolling across the floor and quickly getting to his feet beside the man. With a cry of victory, he swung his blade at his opponent, watching the annoyance bloom in his eyes as he was forced to jump back to avoid the hero's blade. "Good-bye, sky child. Run and play this time... Get in my way again, though, and you're dead." The demon slowly twirled his blade in a circle, vanishing the moment his sword pointed upwards.

The hero shuddered and tried to force the image from his mind. The battle hadn't gone in his favor, but he'd managed to beat the demon. He lifted his head after a moment to study his surroundings, his eyes widening.

He swore under his breath as the giant rock-spider-lava-thing rolled past him, missing his legs by mere inches. He could feel the heat fading as the thing rolled back down the ramp. The demon had summoned this creature in the hopes of watching the boy become 'charred to a crisp.'

The dark room was bare and almost the size of Skyloft, solid stone walls forming a dome high above his head. There was no door in sight and no discernible exit, but a small part of his mind rationalized that there had to be some way in and out, otherwise it would be impossible for him to be here.

The blonde snatched up one of the bomb flowers nearby and began to dash down the ramp, towards the gaping maw of the monster. He raised his arm before throwing the bomb towards the thing, backing away as the spider-thing inhaled. It seemed to pause for a moment, and he knew that if it had a face, it would be looking very confused. He clenched his jaw against the heat as he ran forward again, driving the point of his blade into its unguarded eye.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when a slight shimmering began at the far side of the dome. His shoulders began to ache as he struggled to lift his head up higher to see. Ah... So my arms are chained above my head, the chain hanging from the top of the dome. That would explain the pain. His mind provided, prompting him to glance down at himself.

The Demon Lord snarled his frustration and turned his piercing glare upon the boy, vowing that when they next meet, he'll make the boy suffer so badly that the hero will deafen himself with the sound of his screams. Then he disappeared, leaving a worn and exhausted Link collapsed on the ground.

His armor was gone along with his sword and shield as well as his pouch. There goes any chance I have of escaping. He thought wryly, still trying to twist himself against the chains binding his wrists. Unless I can find a way to trick my enemy... whoever it is.

Within a strange shower of diamonds, a figure began to form. The boy cursed internally as the red cloak materialized, followed by the rest of the shape. The Demon Lord smirked at him coolly before slowly walking towards him.

"Fancy meeting you here. Looks like you've gotten yourself into a bind." the man almost purred, his voice easily carrying across the room. "What was your name again, sky child?" only a few steps away from the hero, he could easily see the dangerous amusement burning in those strange eyes.

"Link. You really should know that by now." he said shortly, keeping any and all emotion out of his voice. He would give nothing away until he was sure of his enemy's intentions. Even then, he wouldn't give anything to the demonic man before him.

"Oh, so you do have a tongue in your head!" the man seemed quite pleased at that, his pale lips twisting into a grin.

"Your hair still looks ridiculous." he murmured, barely able to stop himself from smiling, even a little. The demon – the so called 'Demon Lord Ghirahim', as he had introduced himself before their first battle – let his grin fade for a brief second, his eyes narrowing slowly. Despite just wanting to provoke the demon, it was true: his hair was pushed out of his face, except for the left side. His hair hung down over his eye on that side, the white of his hair even paler than his skin.

And like most preening fools, Ghirahim was not fond of being ridiculed for his appearance. Of course, he could minimize the amount of ridicule if he cut his hair and stopped wearing that strange white garment with diamond-shaped cut-outs that reveal way too much.

Ghirahim took a breath and let it out slowly before smiling at the hero again. "Link, come now. That's hardly the proper way to speak to me. After all, you're at a disadvantage with your arms twisted like that. It's almost a wonder how you still have the strength to gaze up at me with all that strain."

The blonde shook his head slowly but didn't make any move to lower his head, preferring to endure the ache of keeping himself upright than look away from the demon. Even after their two brief fights, where the Demon Lord was just toying with him rather than actually fighting, he was wary of the power this creature possessed and the mercy he didn't.

"Not talking to me now, sky child? What a shame." he said, feigning being hurt. "Here, let me ease the strain on your back." with that, he leaned forward and placed his gloved hand on the boy's head, grinning as he forced his head down. "There we go. Wasn't that easy?"

Link hissed through his teeth and tried to raise his head, almost gasping in pain when the chains restraining his arms tightened and forced his shoulders to rotate. Wait... my legs aren't chained at all. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling in satisfaction as he brought his knee upwards between the demon's legs.

Ghirahim cursed and let out a snarl as he quickly stepped back, a mix of surprise and rage filling his eyes. Maybe that was a bad move... Link tensed slightly as the Demon Lord vanished into a sea of diamonds, expecting a blow.

He was almost relieved when nothing happened. Then he remembered that the man that currently held him prisoner had a few screws loose and had also managed to deal him several wounds him in their fight. He didn't defeat me though, he thought crossly, I beat him. He just used that teleportation trick to appear behind me and stab me with two of those daggers. He cheated.

Chuckling softly at his unusual behaviour, he was startled when he heard a snap behind him. He stiffened and tried to twist around, hearing a cold laugh that made his blood run cold.

"See, I was planning on going easy on you. I was only playing with you in our earlier battles and I was going to leave you be for the most part, despite my annoyance at the girl for evading me three separate times, but you provoked me." the demon murmured, footsteps sounding as he advanced towards the shackled hero.

Tap. Tap.

"You shouldn't have provoked me, sky child. It irritated me."

Tap. Tap.

Tap.

"Unfortunately for you, your fate now lies within my hands, and as a demon who is now quite annoyed, I happen to be lacking something right now."

Tap. Tap.

The footsteps stopped directly behind the boy.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked softly, startling the hero with his proximity. He was leaning over the boy's form, his face against his ear. "I'll give you three guesses. Each time you get it wrong..."

Ghirahim held his hand in front of the hero and snapped his fingers once, a long blade appearing in his grip. "If you get it wrong, you will gain yourself a cut. Get all three guesses wrong and... well, we'll see how I feel then." he purred, running the tip of the sword down the other's leg.

A sharp pain startled Link, making him groan softly as he received a gash across his thigh. It wasn't deep enough to cause him worry, but it hurt and already blood was soaking his leg. I didn't even guess... I should have known that he won't play fair.

"That was for the pain you caused me earlier." he smirked, lifting the blade and running his tongue over the bloodied metal. "Hmm... Make your first guess, sky child." he whispered. "I'm growing impatient."

The youth let out a shaky breath before steadying himself, trying to ignore the new pain in his thigh as well as the demon leaning over his shoulder. "Do I get a hint?" he muttered, his eyes flicking down to the wound on his leg. It was at least four inches long and half an inch wide, blood still flowing.

"No." the demon frowned slightly, the hero's blood smeared on his lips from where he had brought the blade to his mouth. Pain and discomfort aside, that was still gross. Surely his blood wasn't the only blood that had ever stained that blade. Said blade that was currently moving towards his chest. Crap.

"A soul?" he tried, still tense from having Ghirahim pressed against his shoulder. You can stop touching me now. A laugh and a cut across his chest was his only response. Dammit. Not good... He smells like... Karane's perfume. Huh. He ignored his snarky thoughts and bit his lip, keeping his breathing even against the pain.

"Fashion sense?" Screw it; even if I guess correctly, I know he's not just going to unchain me and share some lunch with me. He'll probably just torture me. While he had gained greater and more painful injuries in battle, the idea of the demon torturing him sent chills down his spine. He didn't want to even think about it.

"Wrong again, sky child." Ghirahim chuckled and pulled back, this time making a larger cut across his ribs. "All this blood... it suits you. If you get your last guess wrong, you may lose too much of it." he walked around him slowly, his eyes studying him from every angle.

Link was beginning to feel light-headed, his hands feeling numb from being suspended above his head for so long. "A sense of humor?" he let out a small laugh before the blade sliced across his collarbone, his eyes closing for a moment as he struggled to fight off the nausea the pain was causing him.

The white-haired Demon Lord gave a cold chuckle as he took a step forward and rammed the pommel of his sword into the boy's sternum, winding him. "How very witty." he whispered to the hero. "It's a shame that no one will be coming to save you. I have some exciting plans for you, boy."

"Do they involve setting me free?" the hero gasped breathlessly, still trying to get his lungs to work properly. The cuts across his flesh were growing warmer as blood continued to stain his clothes, a few drops landing on the stone floor.

"Not really... but if you can get your hands out of those manacles, I won't bind them again." Ghirahim raised his hand up and gestured above him, the chains loosening enough to let his arms hang at right angles to his torso. "Go ahead. I won't even try to stop you."

Link straightened his back and glanced at the black metal encircling his wrists, twisting his hands to see if he could squeeze them past the shackles. They're too tight for my hands to just slip out... I suppose I could just scrape the skin raw, coat my hand in blood... he grimaced at the notion, swallowing past the hard lump in his throat. If that's what it takes to get out of here...

He clenched his jaw and began to rotate his left hand against the manacle, glaring at the demon the whole time. He made sure to keep the pain from clouding his expression; the only emotion in his gaze pure hatred and determination, even as the skin began to blister and weep.

The demon simply folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side, studying him like a meal laid out before him. Only when blood began to drip down from the manacle did he step forward, his face inches from the hero and a smile on his lips. "When we first met, I honestly couldn't care whether you lived or died, but now... well, now I want you to stay alive. You won't be as much fun when you're dead." he purred. "Here, let me help you again."

The Demon Lord met Link's gaze before reaching out to the side, lightly wrapping his gloved fingers around the boy's hand. The hero let out a pained cry as the bones in his hand were crushed beneath the humanoid's grip and then forced through the cuff.

Ghirahim frowned as the boy slumped forward, his right arm suspended by the remaining chain and his damaged hand hanging limply by his side. "Oh." the man's scowl deepened. "I thought you'd be able to handle that. Get it? Hand-le?" he laughed, suddenly grinning at him. "That was terrible, I'm truly sorry."

He kneeled down in front of the unconscious boy and lightly slapped him across the face. "Wake up. I'm not done with you yet." he smirked, slapping him again even though the boy had opened his eyes. "There we go! Couldn't have you sleeping through all the fun, now could we?" he taunted.

Damn... I can't even think straight... Link lifted his head and looked at him silently, the ache in his shoulder increasing from bearing his weight for so long. His feet were resting on the ground, but not enough for him to sit or even kneel; the chain was a few inches too short to allow him that small comfort.

The demon reached towards his bound hand, noticing the boy flinch as the cool fingers wrap around his wrist. "Feel free to scream. You don't have to restrain that beautiful voice for my sake, you know." he murmured, his voice sickly sweet.

Link had opened his mouth to utter a biting retort when the man suddenly slid his fingers up and crushed the bones in his hand. A piercing scream filled the room, echoing back and forth across the empty air. He wondered for a moment who had uttered the scream before realizing the cry had come from his own mouth.

Now with both hands broken and freed of the manacles, the boy blinked as his vision wavered and slowly went black, his consciousness abandoning him as quickly as it had come. He almost believed he felt Zelda's arms around him as his mind slipped into the void of inky blackness.

The Demon Lord of the surface had caught the boy in his arms as he had collapsed, his large eyes studying the pained expression etched onto the younger male's fine features. He was good looking, even in pain, but nowhere near as stunning as the demon himself, of course. A distant screech from a bokoblin reminded him that it was almost time to go.

He grumbled and shifted the unconscious child in his arms so that he could carry him easier before he stood up, glancing towards the bloodied manacles and the corpse of the monster that lay behind it. Hopefully he would have enough time to explain his situation to the boy before the hero attacked him – but that would have to wait until they were out of there.

Another screech reached the chamber, but there was no one there to hear it.