Alas, sweet readers, Blood's Shadow has come to its end. So step off the ride, don't forget any personal belongings, and perhaps put me on Author Alert so you know when this story's sequel comes out. If you're going to look out for it, it's going to be called Love's Shadow.

I cannot thank you all enough for the wonderful support. Not once have I received a flame or "WTF" review, except for complaints about my cliff-hangers...well, you get the picture. YOU GUYS ROCK! -hug hug hug-

So, go on. Go read the last chapter.

"I hate you," I told him, opening the cell door. He grinned.

"Of course you do, but I think I'm quite charming."

"Let me guess: in your head, it's one's got the brawn, the other's got the brain."

It wasn't dawn yet, but a gray sky with glowing streaks of color in it. It was a hard time to say goodbye to Hyrule, the town in its waking glory. I knew that after I left, merchants would still come out. That girl who sold me those nice soaps would still come here and sell them. The cafe owners would still serve food. Malo Mart would still be tacky. Life would go on. It was a pleasant thought to know that Link had this town to escape to. I'm sure Ilia and the kids would be back to Ordon--that would keep him busy for a while. It was summer, just barely now. It was humid and dewy--I could feel it. Link would have liked me to go swimming with him and the kids. Maybe Ilia could take my place. Maybe even Zelda. I didn't care. I just wanted to save my spot for someone that wouldn't hurt him like this.

I hadn't said a formal goodbye to Link. I had woken up before he did, ate a quiet breakfast of dried meats and fruits, and then wrote him a little note. Gotta go now. Talk to Zelda, please. I've got to go...goodbye.

And then I had left.

"To the Mirror Chamber?" Dark asked, as if that wasn't perfectly obvious. It wasn't like I could go anywhere else without earning twelve different stairs. I was wearing my only outfit, the "scrap" one that seemed to be all the rage in my realm and so not the rage in this one. Prudes.

I didn't feel anything when I was warping the the mirror chamber. My anguish had left me long ago, I had left it in Zelda's room. My sadness had left me when I left Link's house hours ago. And my rage had numbed me over.

We touched down onto the sandstone texture that the Mirror Chamber was made of. There it was--the Mirror of Twilight. Golden sunlight fell in rays like eyelashes onto the chamber. Some areas were in shadow, some in light. Like my life. Memories surfaced to my eyes--lying on the rooftop next to Link, fighting along his side, injecting the shadow Magic, being thrown into the light by Zant, being carried on Link's back to safety, embracing Link when I was in my true form and when it was all over, fighting Dark, talking to Zelda last night, leaving that note...those memories were dark and light.

"Hey, Midna," Someone weakly spoke from the shadows. I gasped and turned on my heel. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you."

"L-link!" I choked. Oh, Din.

"Just came to say goodbye, and thank you," Link explained. He walked towards me, bringing me into an embrace. I smiled, tears pooling and trickling down my face.

"Hey, I never said I was going forever. You're talking like I am," I laughed, voice breaking.

"At least a year, I'm betting," Dark drawled. He was in the shadow of the mirror, looking quite bored. "You take too long with petty things."

I rolled my eyes and hugged Link again, mentally cursing. I hadn't mentioned that Dark was going to be coming with me! Din! Now I looked like some back-stabbing bimbo.

"Well, I guess I've gotta go. If you give up my space in the loft, I will kill you," I joked. My mind was screaming at me, the anguish returning. DON'T GO! DON'T GO! DON'T! I was broken, just a pile of bones and skin and hair, nothing more anymore. I was wailing and thrashing and drowning but none of that would save me. "Goodbye," I kissed Link on the cheek. "See you soon. I have a bet to win. Count the days. I'll be back in less than a year."

Link stood at the base of the mirror as I pressed my hand to the warm glass. It glowed to life, and so did that transparent staircase leading into the golden portal. I walked up it with Dark, waiting for the transport process to start drawing me in.

"Bye," Link called. I smiled, just too broken to do anything else.

"Polish that mir--" I cut myself off with a sharp gasp. I was dissolving into the warp, slowly but surely, and Dark was readying a beam of Twili Magic. I was frozen, too...

He shot the beam at the Mirror. I wailed, but the shrieking noise it made was too loud for my own to be heard. Two pieces of the mirror shot out, somewhere in Hyrule--I wouldn't know--and two shot through the warp.

"NO!" I screamed, a sob breaking loose of my lips. I leaned from the pull of the mirror, extending my hand towards Link's. I had to fight now. I had to. I had drawn my body out of the warp. Dark cursed behind me, grabbing my other arm. This humiliating, crushing sadness and desperation took over me as Dark yanked me towards the portal. My empty hand flailed, begging Link to help me.

Link grabbed my hand, opening his mouth to speak. The mirror's pull was trying to drag me in. "No!" I cried out again. "Link, link! LINK!"

Dark pulled once too hard. Link's hand slipped from my grasp and the portal took me under.

Well, that's it for Blood's Shadow...in about a week, look for the first part of Love's Shadow. I have a few people to thank...

1. My reviewers. OHMYDIN! You guys are a life line! Thank you all so, so, SO much.

2. Alex for introducing me to the song "Whispers In The Dark", THE official song of Blood's Shadow. (And Skillet for making that song...)

3. Umm, Nintendo?

Tell me what you thought of the story--any ideas for the sequel, or vent for leaving it off with a mega-cliffy. I suppose I'm done now...let the curtain close, put me on Author Alert and perhaps leave a little review.

Thanks again, hope you've enjoyed and I hope you look out for the sequel...

~~Lish