Col got them to Hateno village in record time. The sun was just about to set over the mountain. It would've been disastrous if they hadn't made it there before dark, he'd have monsters to deal with. Usually, the monsters would leave him alone due to his ties with the Yiga, but with Link in tow, they'd most likely attack. Link ended up passing out just as they got there, so Col carried him in his arms and immediately went to the inn. He paid extra for a room with the softer beds and plopped Link down on one of the two.

"I'll be back. I'll get us some good food and cook up some medicine," he said, even though the other was still unconscious.

As he was getting ready to leave, he stared curiously at a tablet looking thing hanging from Link's belt. It had a sheikah insignia on it.

"A..sheikah slate?" he muttered to himself but shook his head. "I need to focus on getting him better."

Col made his way to the nearest shop, hurrying since he wanted to get there before they closed up for the night. He ended up buying a few bird eggs and milk and hurried over to the big cooking pots outside. After getting a good fire going, he cooked up an egg pudding with some spare can sugar he carried with him. He then pulled out some Hylian herb and cooked it with some mushrooms to make some medicinal food. He noticed some strange glances towards him, not that it wasn't something he was used to, but he was more focused on keeping a low profile now more than ever. As quickly as he could, he made his way back to the inn and got to their room.

The smell from the freshly cooked food seemed to rouse Link a bit. Col heard the other groan quietly, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his elbows.

"Oh, good, you're up. I just cooked some food up. You should probably take the medicinal one first. It'll help you feel better, though I'm sure you're probably familiar with it," Col said and handed him a plate with the healing vegetable dish.

Link uttered a small thank you before immediately devouring what was on the plate. Col watched with intrigue as he ate some of the egg pudding. His face seemed to regain some color, and he sat up further. Col couldn't quite explain it, but he felt a sense of relief at seeing Link looking better. He was still on edge on what the right thing to do is, but it made him happy to see the other eating well. Once Link had finished that, he handed him the rest of the egg pudding, insisting that Link needed it more than he did.

"You need to regain your strength. You're the one that's injured after all."

"Thanks, Col. I don't know if I'd be here without you," Link beamed with a wide grin.

"I say we both get some rest now. We could use it," Col said with a nod.

As he slipped off his cloak, he made sure to not let his Yiga bandana show, tucking it away underneath his tunic. Lastly, he slipped his boots off and got into the other bed. It wasn't long until Link was back to being fast asleep, feeling nice and warm with a full stomach. Col smiled warmly as he watched him for a few seconds then blew the lantern out, engulfing the room in darkness besides the pale light from the moon.

In the morning, Col woke up to find the bed next to his to be empty. He felt a twinge of sadness in his chest, feeling rather heavy as he pulled himself out of bed and slipped his boots back on. It was for the best. The legendary hero travelling with someone still loosely tied to the Yiga clan wouldn't work anyway. Besides, Col was used to travelling alone. He'd been doing since he left them to wander around the wilds. Still, he couldn't help but to wear a disappointed frown on his face as he walked down the stairs and towards the door.

"Hey! Your friend is waiting outside for you!" Pura shouted to him from the desk.

"Oh, uh, thanks!"

Just the thought of Link waiting for him instead of just leaving made him smile and his heart flutter slightly, though that was embarrassing to admit. He shouldn't even be associating himself with the hero. It could potentially put him in even more danger, especially if they sent spies after him. Col's eyes went wide once he opened the door and spotted Link waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The morning sunlight made his golden hair practically glimmer. Light blue eyes met Col's deep brown ones, and their gazes locked for a moment. Col kept it for a moment before glancing elsewhere when his embarrassment got the better of him.

"Hey, Col! You're finally up!" Link waved and motioned for him to come closer.

"Oh, uh, hey!" Col waved back and wore a nervous grin, cursing to himself for getting noticed.

Link motioned for him to follow him down the main road that went through Hateno Village, and with a gulp, Col walked next to him.

"I have to thank you for saving me from that lynel. I guess I misjudged its speed. I thought I'd be able to get out of there with ease."

"You should be more careful around those things. I've been all around these lands and have seen a few of them. They show no mercy. I have the scars to prove that," Col sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

He mostly kept his eyes forward, and it took all of his will power to not glance over to the side at Link. He was too embarrassed to admit it, but the hero of legend was rather good looking and around his age too.

"So, you're quite knowledgeable then? That might be helpful. You see, I don't really remember much from one hundred years ago. I'm recovering a few memories bit by bit, but not very much has come back to me unfortunately. Maybe you could serve as a guide to me."

"A guide? I mean..I guess I see no problems with that," Col muttered.

"That is if you want to. You have no obligation to help me since you just saved me from recklessly running into a lynel. I swear I'm much more graceful than that."

"I..think a big decision like that will take some time for me to decide, if that's alright. You see, I've been travelling alone for a while, so travelling with someone is going to be different. It's not that it's bad. I just need a bit of time," Col stammered, stopping himself before he rambled on further.

"Alright. Would you mind helping me with something while you decide?" Link asked as they started walking up the road out of the village.

"Sure, what would that be?"

"A farm in the village is having problems with monsters coming at night and taking their sheep. The girl said the monsters come up from the beach, so that's where we're going. We're going to head down to Hateno Beach."

"Some monsters, huh? That shouldn't be too hard. Sure, I'm game."

Col felt his face instantly heat up at the beaming smile Link gave him and again focused on the road ahead of them.

The road going down towards the beach winded in a zig zag down the steep hill. It was dotted with a few trees, and Col could spot the shadowy figures of deer hiding amongst them. The sea wind brought the smell of the salt of the ocean, and Col enjoyed every minute of it. The air down here was so refreshing, and it seemed that Link thought so too. Now that he thought about it, maybe this was some sort of test. Maybe Link wanted to see what he was capable of when it came to fighting skill. It was probably best to avoid fighting with his sickle for now. It wasn't a problem since he had acquired a few other weapons in his time of wandering. He'd go with the sword he had by his side.

Once they reached the beach, they could hear the monsters well before they could see their little fort. It wasn't really a fort, more like a wooden platform built around a tree. Col and Link peeked over from a rocky outcrop to get a sense of what they were dealing with.

"I can see the sheep," Col whispered and pointed to a corral that the Bokoblins were keeping the sheep in.

"Looks like a few Moblins and Bokoblins," Link said with a nod. "I'll take the ones on the platforms out with my arrows while you rush in for the others. How about that?"

"I should be able to handle that," Col replied, drawing his sword.

Link readied his bow, drawing an arrow onto the string until it was drawn taunt. He gave him a nod soon after he fired the arrows. The two arrows found their targets on the platforms with direct head shots. They dug in deep as the monsters screamed before disappearing into a mist. Col lunged forward as the others looked around in confusion, trying to find the assailant. He took advantage of this to plunge his sword directly into a huge Moblin's chest followed swiftly by the other one. Once he got the bigger ones out of the way, he lunged at the smaller Bokoblins and easily took them out with a few swings of his sword. Link finished off the last one before it had a chance to attack Col. Its screams vanished as fast as the dark mist did. The two of them stood there for a moment, panting and catching their breath. Col smiled as he slid the sword back into its scabbard and quickly ran over to let the captive sheep out. With Link's help, they guided them back to the village and got them back to the farm safe and sound.

"Wow! You're amazing, Col!" Link said, giving him a pat on the back.

The two of them were sitting on a fence and drinking some of the milk that had been their reward for freeing the sheep.

"Oh, th-thanks! It's nothing really. Those monsters were pretty weak."

"So, have you thought about my offer to travel with me?"

Col thought about it for a moment. There was something about Link that simply drew Col to him. He didn't want to admit that it was a crush, but who knows, it might be. The only way to explore this further would be to accept his offer. Besides, travelling with someone had its advantages, and Link would certainly make for some interesting adventures. His only worry was running into someone from the Yiga clan and possibly getting recognized. The last thing he needed was Link finding out he had ties to the Yiga, especially with the obvious Sheikah slate he was carrying.

"You know, I think I will accept that offer. It'll be fun." Col nodded and finished off the rest of his milk.

Link gave him his usual friendly smile that never failed to make Col blush. He braced his hands against the fence to keep himself from falling over.