The days wore on, turning to weeks and months, still with no word of the Yiga Clan. But Dorian and his men kept up their patrols around Faron, and whether it was from simply working so closely with Rusl or the fact that he decided to make the best of a crappy situation, Dorian felt his presence not quite so annoying. When their patrols took them overnight, and often for several days, more often than not, they resorted to casual conversation to pass the time. Despite his earlier trepidations, Dorian found himself telling Rusl about Cottla and Koko and their latest misadventures as toddlers.

Rusl found these antidotes amusing. He never knew what normal kids were like, when they weren't running from the law, or getting passed from foster family to foster family. The kids he knew, well, were complete assholes. But Dorian's kids - normal kids - they seemed rather entertaining. Fulfilling, either. And still, his mind wandered to his future. Could hero kids be just as normal? Could his children live normal lives?

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

Rusl turned his attention to Dorian. He felt his brows relax, not realizing how tightly they had furrowed together. He settled back against the old, rock wall and sighed through his nose. It had been a particularly long patrol and he was exhausted.

"Nothing," he said simply. He leaned his head back and peered at the stars between the branches. A light breeze blew, and his ears twitched. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he had heard her voice once more. It had been a long time since she spoke to him, though it was usually in his dreams.

"What does she say?"

Rusl turned his gaze to Dorian, but Dorian was looking at the ground.

"What?"

"Hylia," he said as if it were obvious. "She speaks to you. What does she say?"

Rusl's nose wrinkled. "Have you been eating those shrooms?"

Dorian regarded him with an annoyed look. "Why are you ignoring her?"

Rusl hesitated, then pulled his gaze away. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Give it a rest," Dorian muttered. "I know when you hear her." He was quiet for a moment. "What does she say?"

"I don't know," Rusl said slowly. "It's not words."

"Because you're not listening."

Rusl glanced at him again.

"How long have you heard her?"

Rusl held his gaze on Dorian for a moment. "I dunno," he said with a shrug. "As long as I can remember." He paused to think back on his life for a moment. "More frequently after…"

Dorian nodded. He understood that Rusl was referring to the time when he accidentally killed two men with his power. "She's been trying to guide you," he said. Rusl snorted, and Dorian turned a disapproving gaze to him.

"What do you care?" Rusl muttered. "She doesn't say anything."

"Because Impa stuck me with you," he growled. "And whether I like it or not, I have to keep your damn ass alive so you can give Hyrule the hero it needs. And if you don't start listening to her, you'll never know how to protect your son."

Rusl chewed on his lower lip for a moment.

"You hear her, but you still don't believe it." Dorian narrowed his gaze on Rusl.

Rusl shrugged one shoulder and shifted himself on the ground, stretching his legs out. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Killing three people; is that just a regular occurrence, then? Is that not proof enough?"

"Look, D." Rusl met his gaze and grinned. "Can I call you D? I've decided to call you D."

"No," Dorian said simply.

But Rusl ignored him. "You see, D; I've decided to just live my life. Whatever happens, happens. I won't question it, but you won't find my preaching to some Goddess, either. As far as I'm concerned, she's just as shitty as everyone else in this world, using me for her own petty war games. I'm not going to sit here and make myself crazy wondering if it's all true or not. For fuck's sake, how could anyone live like that? There's too much I don't know. Too much I can't possibly know. Not yet, anyway. And if I figure those things out, then so be it. But until then, why the fuck would I drive myself mad over it?"

Dorian pulled his gaze away. He knew there was no getting through to him. Not yet, anyway. Still, it didn't make his job any easier. The sooner Rusl saw the truth for himself, the better off they would all be. And perhaps, then, he wouldn't be so damn careless all the time. He was good at his job, Dorian could give him that. But, despite it all, there was still carelessness behind his actions. In the end, it came down to how willing he was to throw his life away. For his friends, for his comrades. He didn't particularly care about his future. In his mind, he was still convinced he had no future, simply assuming he was just cursed to be Hylian.

"Stop it," Rusl sneered. "Stop trying to analyze me."

A smile tugged at the corner of Dorian's lips. But his attention was turned to something else. He peered through the trees where a single light bobbed up and down the dirt path. From the corner of his eye, Rusl leaned forward, taking his rifle in his arms.

"Hold on," Dorian warned him in a low voice. One Yiga was hardly a threat, but where there was one, he was sure there were more. And he and Rusl alone didn't stand a chance if they were ambushed. But the rest of his men were resting further down the path, completely unaware of any potential danger. They had to analyze the situation quickly and then plan their move to either attack, or make their way back to camp to alert the soldiers.

Rusl, however, was practically chomping on the bit. He was resting on the balls of his feet, his weapon up to his face as he looked down the sight.

As Dorian suspected, there was a handful of Yiga soldiers walking through the forest, a single light between them. After a moment, they stopped about a few yards away. Though they spoke low, Dorian and Rusl could easily make out their conversation.

"It's only a matter of time before the hero manifests," one of the soldiers said. "Kohga senses traces of the hero's spirit here in Faron. Stay sharp. Report any traces to me right away and detain anyone who carries traces of the spirit. Do not kill anyone." His voice growled at the last part. "We cannot raise suspicions and reveal who we are. Understand?"

Rusl shifted, his heart racing. His foot moved back slightly, snapping a twig beneath his boot. He was sure Dorian would have been glaring angrily at him if his attention wasn't focused on the Yiga, now alerted to their position within the trees.

"Move," Dorian snapped, but the Yiga were already on top of them, lunging at them with their blades.

Dorian promptly blocked their attack, but his shield was shattered when they resorted to using their powers instead. They leapt into the air, disappearing in five simultaneous snaps, and when they appeared again, they were in the air above them, their palms thrust downwards.

Dorian and Rusl threw themselves in opposite directions, avoiding the deadly blast that ripped up the ground where they stood, causing a deep crater. The Yiga had returned to their feet just as Dorian thrust his palm out towards three of them, and they were sent flying backwards with tremendous force. They each crashed into a tree, snapping not only their bones, but the trees themselves, which came crashing down around them.

The other two Yiga, however, had their attention turned to Rusl, their lips twisted in angry snarls. Rusl pulled his blade from his hip as they lunged at him. He narrowly dodged the attack of one but only to find himself face to face with the second, a unified assault. Before he had a chance to react, however, the Yiga slashed his blad across his body, sending Rusl stumbling backwards and clutching at the wound in his gut.

He fell to his knees as the two Yiga closed in, but before they had a chance to end his life, they were promptly thrust off their feet once more. They were quick to regain themselves, however, turning their attention to Dorian as he threw himself in front of Rusl. His arms crossed to block their next attack, and as soon as it shattered his defenses, he thrust his palm out again. The ground erupted at their feet, sending them back once more, and he lunged after them with a blade in each hand, promptly ending their lives.

Rusl gasped and winced at the pain as Dorian quickly dropped to his knees beside him. His brows were furrowed together as he pulled Rusl's hands away.

"Let me fix it," he hissed when Rusl groaned in complaint. His hands hovered over him for a moment, and Rusl could practically feel the wound closing. His skin pulled as if being stitched together, and within a few minutes, all that remained of the wound was the fresh blood that still coated his skin and fingers.

"Fuck," Rusl breathed out. He stared at his healed skin. "You have got to teach me that."

Dorian got up and looked around them quickly. "I guess we're even, now," he said.

Rusl looked up at him and grinned. He wiped his hands against his pants in an attempt to clear them of his blood and stood. "Shit. I guess we are."

"Let's go," Dorian said simply, leading the way through the forest.

Rusl followed closely behind, gathering his weapon when they passed it. "I feel like we had a moment there," he said. "You saved my life, man. And don't tell me it's your job. I think you did it because you like me."

"I do not."

"I think we're friends," Rusl said. "This is the start of something beautiful. We should appreciate this moment."

"I will kill you."

"It's okay, D. You don't have to play the tough guy act with me."

Dorian spun on his heels, his arm thrust toward Rusl, and sneered at him.

Rusl promptly stopped walking, stiffening as he regarded Dorian for a moment. His gaze narrowed, and he grinned. "You won't."

Dorian held his gaze for a moment, then dropped his arm. "Don't test me. You're the damn reason they found us in the first place."

Rusl frowned, recalling the conversation they overheard. "They're looking for me." It wasn't a question.

Dorian hesitated. "Seems like it," he said.

Rusl's brows furrowed. He looked down at the ground. After a moment, he shrugged and stepped passed Dorian, continuing back to their camp. "I guess you'll have to work extra hard to keep my ass alive," he said. "And here I thought we had something special."

Dorian followed Rusl through the forest. "You're going to keep making this difficult for me."

"I'm just following orders, man," Rusl said. "It's not my fault the Yiga want my ass." He glanced at Dorian over his shoulder. "You're not gonna fire me or something, are you?"

"Can't exactly have you running around on patrols with the Yiga are hunting you."

Rusl stopped walking and frowned. "And you think sitting around in one place and waiting for them to find me is a better option?" He turned and started walking again.

"Better than you being in the front lines every day."

"Nuh-uh," Rusl started. "This is the only thing I've got going for me. You're not taking that away."

"Doesn't matter," Dorian muttered. "It's Impa's call, not mine."

"Are you at least on my side?" Rusl asked. He glanced at Dorian and grinned. "Come on. We're a team. Can't break us up."

"Oh, we can break up," Dorian said. "In fact, it's better if we do."

"Fate brought us together, D," Rusl continued on teasingly. "You can't run from fate."

"Neither can you."

To his relief, this shut Rusl up, leaving him to ponder once more at his future. Dorian didn't feel particularly good about it; he knew Rusl was still struggling to accept his destiny. But for the love of Hylia, he just wanted him to stop talking for five damn minutes.