The sun rose well over the horizon, but neither of them moved just yet. The air was cold from the previous night, and they could see their breath in the space between their faces. Link's blankets were still drying, so they had shared Zelda's.

She woke first, and stared at him for an hour before he stirred. He sighed and wrapped the blankets tighter over his shoulders, accidently pulling a few inches off of Zelda. She was too tired to complain, and instead, she followed the blanket's course of action and scooted closer against Link.

The Hero woke then, a bit startled and anxious as he always was in the morning, before settling down. He closed his eyes and groaned, before pulling Zelda all the way against his chest.

"Warm…" He murmured above her head. Zelda was much more awake now, staring at his white undershirt from a very close proximity. They seemed to take turns being startled at the others' attempts to further their relationship. Zelda always acted first, surprising Link, and then he would find the confidence to make a move as well, somehow always catching Zelda off guard.

This time, it was because he had spoken in his morning voice. It sounded like warm milk and honey, and when it said such a nice word, like waaaarm, her heart melted just like a cube of sugar dropped into that very mug of hot milk.

Zelda closed her eyes and kissed his chest. He readjusted himself so they were face-to-face.

"Morning." He whispered, his stormy blue eyes only halfway open.

She loved them.

She loved his voice.

"Morning." She echoed. She gently fingered his side, where she had wrapped a gauze bandaged just to be safe, but he swiftly moved her hand away with a wince.

"Still a little sore. I'm fine though." She wore a worried expression, but he leaned forward and brushed the lines away with his lips. Her entire body tingled from the sensation.

She loved it.

He looked at her again and smiled. She rubbed her face against the pillow, smiling back.

He loved that smile.

When her mouth curled up at the sides, pulling her full, rosy lips thinner, with just a small show of teeth.

He propped himself up on his elbow and leaned towards her again. Then his side throbbed, and he sunk back onto the blanket in defeat.

"Take it easy." She reminded him playfully. "Don't do anything too…strenuous yet." He scratched his hand through his bangs, trying to hide his blush. He had gotten ahead of himself. He hadn't been awake enough to realize how bold he was being. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling instead of Zelda's tempting lips.

He casually fished his hand under his shirt and under the bandage, and felt the soreness. The skin was closed over, but it felt slightly sunken in, like a very bad bruise. It was like the wound was peeling back to reveal itself again. How resilient was it? He sighed silently and looked up at the leaky surface of the temple.


Link finally suggested it.

"Stitches?" Zelda echoed.

"I don't think the healing is permanent." Link explained. All day he'd been feeling the wound slowly stretching back open. "Do you…remember how your powers work?" Her face instantly clouded over, and she looked to the left as she brought a finger to her lips.

"Not very well. Even after awakening, I still feel more like Zelda." Link kept it to himself that he was glad for it. She wrung her hands in her dress. "I…during the war, many died. I only joined the fighting when I saw that your people were losing."

Link shifted uncomfortably as she recounted the events, describing his people, rather than theirs. Impersonally, yet so detailed. Just like a Goddess.

There were many memories. Each one had its own backstory to it, and shifting through them would be as difficult as searching for one grain of sand in a desert. She remembered history.

Zelda swayed, and Link's quick reflexes still allowed him to reach her before her face cracked on the stone floor. Link groaned, the sudden movement sending a sharp pain down his side, but he rolled Zelda over in his arms. She blinked awake, startled and confused.

"I…" he helped her sit back up, and she brought a hand to her head. "Sorry…there's so much." He shook his head.

"Take it easy. Nothing too strenuous yet, right?" She nodded, a hesitant smile. It faded.

"I don't remember ever healing anyone though. I was there to seal away the darkness, not save lives." Her eyes lowered, and became hollow. "I couldn't…I wanted to, but I couldn't."

"Couldn't what?" Link asked, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She looked up, startled.

"What?" He frowned.

"Are you all right?" She nodded.

"Yes…Yes, I think so." She nodded, then stood. "Where were we…stitches, right?" Link nodded. "Okay, give me a minute and I'll get ready." She hurried off to her bags, and Link watched her carefully, for any sign of unease. But she was steady on her feet, and Link finally relaxed back onto his bed roll.

"Do you want pink, or green?" She asked.

Link opened his eyes, and the peaceful image he had been trying to conjure faded, replaced with the unfavorable sight of Zelda holding a needle. He saw that in her other hand, there were two rolls of thread. One was a leafy green, a similar shade of his clean tunic, and the other was a soft pink. She'd come prepared for certain situations, it seemed.

"For...the stitches?" He clarified. Zelda permitted a quick laugh.

"I didn't think to bring much first aid things. I'll go back to Skyloft and get some later, but for now, these will have to do." He sighed.

"We can't go back to Skyloft every time we think we need to." He said. "And...green, I suppose." Zelda nodded, and weaved the thread into the needle. He was thankful at least that she was good at sewing. After all, she had made the sailcloth from scratch, and there wasn't a seam out of place.

"I didn't think you would get hurt so quickly...We only brought some heart potions. In fact..." She put down the thread and took a bottle filled to the brim with red liquid. "When I finish, you should drink this last one." He shook his head.

"No. I've already gone through two. It's just a flesh wound now. Stitch it up and I'll be fine." She tapped the cork.

"You're trying to save it for me, aren't you?" He smiled sheepishly. Zelda wiped a clean cloth over the few inches of cut, and Link's hand twitched into fists. He quickly looked away and focused on his breathing.

She took a quick breath, and held it to steady her hands, then swiped the needle through his skin, quickly pulling it the other side. She pulled the thread, now more of a violet than green, then repeated. Link closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds of the forest outside, though the image was disrupted each time the thread tugged at his skin until it was a rippling mess.

But it was over in seconds. Zelda had even taken her time, but her expert fingers weaved the wound shut before he could break a sweat.

"Thank you." He said weakly. Zelda wiped his forehead with her sleeve, and helped him sit up when he tried to on his own. He gave a heavy sigh, and Zelda pushed the bottle into his hands. He tapped the sides, making the potion echo.

"I'll compromise. Just half." She said. He still hesitated, until she uncapped it for him. "Please." She forced it back into his hands. He couldn't refuse her. Ever. Even as children, he'd only ever said no when it was something dangerous. But even then, he would still agree if that meant he could look out for her. Usually, that please broke him.

Besides, he knew that the potion would get rid of the fresh stinging sensation. He quickly put it to his lips and took a large swallow, before leveling it out again and sighing. The pain was gone for now.

Zelda had been washing his undershirts daily, each time she dressed his wounds, so there was always a clean one. She unfolded it for him, and he put it on. What now?

Link didn't like to be stationary anymore. He used to like to relax, but now he just felt anxious if he were still. He told Zelda that he wanted to walk, and she didn't protest.

But she did hover beside him as he struggled to move his legs so they were under him, then slowly rose into a standing position. He hadn't supported himself for two days, and his legs felt numb. His feet began to tingle as they adjusted to the sensation.

He hated how Zelda was staring. He couldn't blame her, but he knew that he was about to fall. He could fall, that was no problem...just…falling in front of Zelda was another thing.

"I'll be fine." He said, trying to casually send her off. "Why don't you get more water?" Zelda frowned.

"I've got some already." He swallowed, shifting his weight, sending a stabbing sensation up his leg. "Are you okay?" She gasped. He closed his eyes tightly.

"Yes." He held his breath and took a short step. The moment he lifted his other leg off the ground, he crumbled to the floor, and landed awkwardly on his ankle. Zelda hurried to his side.

"Take it easy. We're in no rush-"

"I am." He said sternly. His sharp tone quieted her for a moment, then she put her hands on his arm.

"Let me help you back up." He tried to shake his arm free.

"No. I can do it."

"Link, you- you're bleeding!" He stomped his foot.

"I need to do this myself!" He suddenly shouted. Zelda flinched, pulling her hands away like she'd been bitten. "I..." He was breathing heavily, from both the strain and frustration. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Zel, I'm sorry." He quickly apologized. "I..." Dizziness. He shouldn't have shouted. He sat down so she wouldn't have to see him faint. "I hate...I don't want you to see me like this." He admitted weakly. And that was exactly how he felt.

Weak.

"It's okay." She quickly said, but it was obvious in her voice that she was hurt. He never lost his temper, so of course it startled her. She stood, and started to leave, then pulled the blankets closer. "If you have to fall, try not to land on the stone. I'll get the water."

He watched Zelda go, and he hung his head when she was out of sight. He made a fist and punched the floor weakly.

"You're so stupid." He mumbled to himself.


Zelda found the river, and stared at it. She felt her eyes tear up, and desperately wanted to cry. She wasn't just upset that he had yelled at her- she was upset that he didn't want her help. All he had ever done was help her. Sure, she defended him against Groose when they were younger, but Link had actually resolved their conflict- something she had never been able to do. Maybe she hadn't helped at all. Maybe Groose hated him because she had been defending him so loyally. It made him jealous, and fueled his desire to ruin Link.

That was all she'd ever done for him.

She finally sniffled, and wiped her arm past her face angrily.


Link wasn't making much progress. There wasn't anything to hold on to close by, so there was nothing to support himself with. He was able to take a few steps, before losing control and falling heavily onto his knees. The impact jarred his body, shocking his freshly sewn wound. His hand flew to the spot, and he rolled onto his side. He stared at the door with a glare. He didn't want Zelda to see him...but he wanted Zelda to come back through those doors. He scrambled to his feet and stomped his foot with each step. It hurt, but he felt like he deserved it now.

'Walk.' He said to himself. 'Walk.' The sooner he could, the sooner he could run to Zelda and apologize.

But hours passed.

The sun was going down, and Link had given up. He could walk far enough to pass it off, but he couldn't run, swing from vines, and he wouldn't dare jump from any heights that would require opening the sailcloth. That meant he couldn't go into the woods after Zelda. She had been gone for hours, and Link hated himself for it. He stared at the doors.

Zelda had rarely gotten mad at him in Skyloft, but it happened. And she always ran off. That was her way of dealing with things. He just hoped that she wasn't waiting for him to find her this time…


Zelda easily made her way through the woods. The sun was high, and the few monsters that plagued the forest were easy to avoid. If she needed to, she could shoot them down from a distance with the Goddess Bow. She took the high road, walking along the thick branches of the great tree, and reached the entrance of Skyview Temple within half an hour. She ran when she cleared the first flight of stairs, rushing past the keese before they could take notice of her and follow. Then, she deftly leapt onto an overhanging ledge and squirmed through the broken pieces of plywood that had been placed there in some attempt to block the shortcut into the bowels of the temple.

She knew all the shortcuts. This was one of her temples, after all. She had contructed it ages ago, in preperation for this life. She had been able to open the locks with a key that Impa had given her the first time they met. But she had been carefully instructed to replace the locks upon her leave.

Zelda felt guilty for it now. She had not been aware that it would be Link trying to reach her through the maze of locked passageways.

The chains hung loose at the doors sides now, slightly overgrown with vines as nature once again took its course. Link's hard work. She couldn't imagine the effort it took him to reach the final room. And how many times had he gone through the tedious process? Skyview temple, and the Earth Temple…then finally the Desert Temple…and then to find each of the three flames.

She lost count. She didn't have enough fingers for all the trials he'd been put through. And so many of them could have been unnecessary.

Though Impa had told her over and over again that he needed to get stronger, and that it was the only way, she still felt guilty. Because of her time asleep in the crystal, she was unaware as to how long Link had been on his quest, but it had been long.

She stopped in front of the large golden dome that stood in the middle of the massive courtyard. Keese and deku babas lines the path around it, but the babas were rooted to the ground, and the bats were stupid.

She came to a halt before the purification chamber. Once, there had been a sturdy bridge, but now, only a rope remained connecting the two sides above the chasm. Had Link been forced to cross this way also? She leaned over the edge, and swallowed hard. She could not even view the bottom.

She looked around the room for another way across. Was it a trap? But there were only vines, none of which were long enough to reach the other side. But she couldn't turn back now, and return empty handed! She'd gone to the temple, through the forest and all of its hazards, for a reason. She was giving Link the space he desired, and proving to him that she could handle herself!

Through cracks on the ceiling, she saw the violet sky and gasped. How late was it?

She faced the rope again, tightening the belt of her pouch. Now, time was an issue.

She placed her foot on the rope, testing its durability. It molded against her heel and toes, so she let it take her full weight. Now that she was standing on it, she could feel that it was wider than it appeared. Enough for her to walk, one foot at a time, across.

She held out her arms and took her other foot away from solid ground. The rope creaked, but held fast as she began to cross. Her breathing was shallow and strained, like the amount of air she breathed could off balance her.

How hard had this been for Link, who was weighed down by chain mail and weapons? He couldn't have been evenly balanced.

Her back foot suddenly slipped, her drifting thoughts weighing her to one side. The rope sprung upwards into her shin, and she caught it with her hands, before tipping over the side. Her hair fell backwards as she flipped upside down. Nearly screaming, she wound her ankles and arms around the rope, screwing her eyes tight.

How had he been so brave? No monsters came near her, but each task in itself was terrifying! Had he ever asked for help? Of course not. He was the Goddess' Chosen Hero. She had picked him herself. That's why she had been drawn to him through their childhood. She always knew that their friendship would be valuable one day-

She snapped open her eyes, silencing Hylia's logic.

"He became my friend, not the other way around." She said. "I didn't pick him- he just presented himself to me." He is my friend. That is why. I didn't force him.

She reached forward with a shaking hand and grasped the rope further along, and slowly pulled herself down it.

"He is not a tool for me to use…He knows that." But what have I ever done for him?

Her ankle slipped, and she yelled as the rest of her body followed until she only held herself up by her arms.

"Link!" His name escaped her lips without a thought. Memories surged through her. The image of a handsome man, with worn features and scarred wrists. A man from a time passed. That was Hylia's Link. The man she had cried out for.

She forced her eyes open again, steadying her breathing despite the position she was in. That was the man she had chosen…not the Link that was waiting for her return in the temple.

The man that she had been unable to save with her pretend magic.

She slowly walked her hands across the rope until the ground was within reach. She swung her legs back and forth until there was enough momentum to fling herself once again above the rope. She landed heavily on the ground, and quickly rolled away from the edge.

Her memories as the Goddess were rarely as vivid as when she remembered the imprisoned man. But she desperately wanted to connect those memories from the past to now. Into Zelda's life.

She shook her head.

"Stop…Stop thinking…" And she did. The distant, violent memories slowly receded back into the age they belonged, though the feeling of guilt and regret remained. These were feelings for the man in the temple. She shouldn't have left him alone.

She passed through the open doors and entered into the cleansing grounds. The courtyard was dimly lit, only by the sunset.

She skipped from stone to stone, avoiding the water that flowed between them until she reached the last one. Then she took a step back, and jumped. The water splashed outwards, then closed back over her feet and legs up to her knees. Weighed down by the liquid, she trudged through it until she reached the series of waterfalls.

She tested the water of one, before shaking her hand clean and testing the next. She found it on the second try. The calm waterfall with the exact temperature, the exact feel to it…

She uncapped the three bottles and filled them with the flowing water. As her arms were doused with the sacred water, she felt like her skin was being washed away with the sweat and grime of her climb across the rope. She pulled away, and hastily backed out of the water.

Yes, it was the sacred water she had used for her first purification. It was meant to cleanse her mind of the mortal self that she had taken the form of, and allow more of her old, true self through.

It frightened her. She wrung the water out of the hem of her dress and hurried back through the temple, leaving a trail of shining footprints.


Link was eying the remaining heart potion. Would it give him enough strength back to go search for her? What if she needed it though?

A horrible image of Zelda, trapped between the maw of a golden deku baba tore through his mind, and he hit himself in the forehead to clear it away. The image was made up, but the scream that his mind had accompanied with it was real. When her spirit had been violently sucked from her body at Ghirahim's will…it was a sound that would remain with him forever, echoing until it was replaced with a newer sound. One he hoped never to heard.

Finally, he heard the door open, and he held his breath until Zelda's figure appeared. She walked back inside, no limp or blood. Maybe sweat, some dirt…

"Zelda!" He jumped to his feet, but waited for her to approach him. What if she was still mad at him? What could he say? Oh no…his tongue was dissolving in his mouth. Not now, please not now.

Zelda looked him up and down. He was wearing his Skyloft clothing. No chain mail.

"Are you okay?"

"Are you okay?"

They both clamped their mouths shut in embarrassment.

Zelda took a step forward, and spun in a circle. Link noticed her dress was damp, slightly muddy and sweaty like he thought, but there were no cuts along the fabric. Zelda stopped, and the hem hugged her legs before settling out evenly at her knees.

Then Link spun in a circle as well, lifting his arms overhead to demonstrate the lack of pain coming from the healing wound. He'd replaced the bandages while she was out, so there was no blood in sight.

Zelda walked forward, taking out the bottles of healing water as she did. She outstretched her arm, and Link took the bottle…then her wrist, and pulled her until she was inches away.

"Thank you." He said, his voice was forceful.

Was it Hylia's love, or Zelda's, she wondered.

She turned her face upwards to explain, but Link drowned her words out by pushing his lips against hers. His hand trembled where he held Zelda's wrist, and his other arm reached up and cupped her face with his hand. Finally, Link broke the kiss, and Zelda could feel that the trembling had spread through his whole body.

"Don't ever do that again, please…I'm sorry I yelled. Don't do that again." Maybe it was the kiss. Yes, it was the kiss. The sudden, passionate connection of lips, and gentle touch of his hand…the desperation in his voice, that had left her disoriented. She had no idea what he was begging her never to do again.

"Kiss you?" She said, as it was the first and only thing that came to mind.

"No…!" His wild eyes met hers. "Don't…run away from me. Please." His fingers stretched into her hairline. She released a quaking breath.

"That's what you thought I was doing…?" She freed her other arm, and wound it around his back until she felt his own neck. "No- never. I…I wanted to do something for you. You've done so much for me and…you've done so much on your own. I want to help you."

"I don't need help." He whispered.

"No…you may not. But it would be easier if we did it together." She protested weakly. He shook his head, rubbing his bangs across her forehead.

"You're right...I'm too used to it." She leaned against him, mixing her yellow bangs with his sandy ones. They formed a lovely blend.

"I won't go, Link. I'm sorry…I won't again." Link lowered his head to the side, and once again took Zelda with a kiss. His fingers gently dug into her scalp, cupping the back of her head easily. Zelda mimicked the motion, drawing her free hand into his own hair.

The water bottle clattered to the floor, so they finally had both arms free to embrace each other with.

She would not leave him. Zelda would not leave him.


A/N~ Well, I got a request that there needed to be more kissing X)

I really liked this chapter, it was originally way smaller. I hope Link was still in character when he got mad. He's too nice, but if anything could upset him, it would be not being able to perform in front of Zelda.

Also, I'm referencing the Skyward Sword Manga Prequel this chap. It came out in Hyrule Historia, and tells the story of the war on the ground, and how Skyloft was created…with some GoddessxLink in it.

Let me know what you think! :)