When I Fall

Chapter 1: The Moment Everything Went Wrong

A/N
It's the first time I've done one of these, huh? Before this story begins, I want to thank everyone who liked my previous story and followed it through to the end, even though the ending was terrible. I'm still sorry about that. I didn't know what I was doing back then and didn't really plan ahead much, so the ending suffered. But I've learned a lot since then, and I promise this one will be a lot better. Hopefully, everyone enjoys it!

If I said waking to an itch telling me my home was going to fall from the sky was the strangest thing that'd happened today, I'd be lying. Because the scene in front of me was far more absurd—impossible, even—than some unreliable inkling. It was the worst thing any good-hearted person would never hope to see. If they'd been in my shoes and given up on life right about now, I wouldn't blame them. Because what in the name of Hylia was I supposed to do with the sword of my sworn enemy? Its—his?—blade protruded from the ground in the center of the clearing, as if someone had used the earth as a pedestal. There wasn't any sign of life coming from it; not that I could see. No ominous glow, nor any weird I-could-pop-out-and-make-your-life-miserable movement. It just sat there like a normal blade, like your everyday average rock.
I took a step back and reached over my shoulder, gripping my sword's hilt in case Ghirahim was planning to try something. A sneak attack maybe? But what was Demise's sword doing here? It should've been a pile of shards in the dirt somewhere. Not here, whole and intact.
My heart felt like it'd been injected with ice water. I swallowed what spit had collected in my mouth, and tried to steady my muscles. There was nothing to be afraid of. But something was wrong. Just knowing that made my body jittery and unstable. If he did come out, there's no way I'd survive—
An upwards shower of black diamonds erupted around the sword. I flinched and jumped back just in time for them to disperse, revealing a familiar figure. He was crouched low, facing the opposite direction with his head bowed.
For what felt like the longest time, neither of us moved. Not until my hand twitched, pulling my sword an inch. A noise of metal against sheath shrieked over the forest's quiet. Ghirahim bolted for me at lightning speed. I had only a moment to think before he buried his fist into my face, sending me careening into the ground.
"You!" He growled, continuing to clench his fists as I pried my face from the ground. Even without my body at his feet, he would've towered over me. But now, from this angle, he was taller than the goddess statue itself with an expression darker than I'd ever seen. "How dare you show your wretchedly putrid face to me again, and at the moment I've revived, no less! You couldn't give me a moment of peace now, could you? Always have to be the hero," he grabbed my throat and pulled me to eye level, "don't you?"
My throat was going to split with the pain of being crushed. I clawed at his fingers to no avail. They didn't loosen in the slightest. In a harsh attempt to speak, my voice came sounding strained. "Not like I came expecting you! How are you even back?"
Ghirahim opened his fingers and dropped me. I cried out as my head hit the dirt hard.
"Like I'd know. Perhaps it was my undying hatred for you, boy, yearning to see you again to witness my sword through your corpse. Oh, how my heart is still seething."
Rising to a stand, I narrowed my eyes. "Still as melodramatic as ever."
His eyes widened at that, only to narrow again in a fresh pissed off expression. "Still got that tongue of yours, I see. Too foul for its own good."
I opened my mouth to respond, but before even a syllable could escape, he delivered his fist to my stomach again, forcing the wind from my lungs. I collapsed at his feet for the second time, coughing and gasping to regain what oxygen I'd lost.
"That," he said, "was for killing my master. You don't know the half of what I'd been through to break the seal holding my Master prisoner. All that effort, gone to waste, and to what? A weak little human sent on a preposterous mission."
My voice came wheezy again. "Well, sorry. It was either my beloved friend, or your giant hunk of scales. I wasn't about to choose the deformed reptile over someone dear to me."
Maybe that wasn't the brightest thing to say. No, it definitely wasn't. Ghirahim's eyes glinted with anger, his lips pressed thin. He raised a fist again, only this time, I was ready. I leapt to my feet and grabbed my sword. Only, my fingers closed around... nothing. Nothing but the crisp forest air.