A/N: Hello again. Another late update, I know, sorry. This is mainly just a filler chapter but please, do try to enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, blah, blah, except for those mentioned previously, blah, blah, the rest belong to Nintendo.
(Ike)
Ike yawned and stared at his father groggily, his eyelids still heavy. Greil had gathered them for a meeting in the middle of camp. All of them. It was just passed sunrise but you could hardly tell from the overcast clouds that shunned the sky. Greil was saying something about how happy he was to have all the new recruits and it went on. Ike stared past his father, his eyes starting to shut again.
"Wake up!" Soren hissed and flicked him on the temple.
Ike blinked a few times and came back to reality. There had been a lot of commotion lately with all the new men and women. They just seemed to flood in since the Hyruleans began to plunder and ransack the towns and villages. Even the Princess herself had taken notice, in the past couple of days Elincia had sent some soldiers to run them out. This had kept them too busy to attack camp but the question was for how long. Another development over the past few days was Sheik. She had opened up a little more to him, even showing him her soft side, but not her full face. He wasn't complaining but it was strange he had become friends with her but never seen her face.
Ike glanced down and saw Armageddon sleeping soundly at his feet. Even the dog got to sleep but not anyone else. Ike gave Greil a long look as he finished his speech.
"Though, as we are receiving new recruits at such a rapid rate, there is going to be some shuffling of people in cabins."
Whoop. There it is. There was a long pause where there should have been groans but either they were all too tired or it was because of Greil's presence. Either one was an excuse enough not to speak.
"Right, so, Titania and I will be showing you what cabins you belong to," Greil said after clearing his throat.
He ordered them to split up alphabetically by first name, A through M went with Greil and the rest went with Titania. The process was so disorganized and chaotic it would have been better to have just posted who went into what cabin in the mess hall. They would stop at a cabin and Greil would shout a number of names then move on. As they shuffled along Ike noticed Gatrie standing next to him.
"Hey, Gatrie. Who do you think you got stuck with?" Ike said.
"Probably just Shinon and Oscar or someone like that. I hate doing this," Gatrie said with a sigh.
"Me too. I'll probably get some new guys or something. How's Shinon by the way? Last I heard he was recovering from an arrow to the shoulder."
"He's just grouchier than usual."
"Is that possible?"
"I guess so," he said with a chuckle.
"How's Sheik been? I see you two around a lot. Together. Smiling. It's weirding me out."
"She's fine, just adjusting to life here. We just talk I guess. Nothing else really. Why are you feeling weird about it?"
"I don't know. You two hated each other one minute and the next you're walking around smiling with each other. You guys were different. You were quiet and sad and she was quiet and hostile," he shrugged.
They shuffled to a smaller cabin that would only hold two or three, it was one of the few cabins that had a real bed in it.
"Ike," Greil called.
They waited for another name but Greil just started walking away. Ike shrugged and went to his old cabin to grab his things.
(Sheik)
Maybe she liked her small, run down cabin. It suited her just fine. She would move to the woods if it meant that she could be alone. That's how she felt at least, in reality she would put up with whoever she was bunked with but there were no promises of keeping peace in there.
"Hey, Sheik," a voice said.
She turned and saw a green haired man. She smiled, "Hey, Oscar, how have you been?"
"I've been fine if you don't count Boyd torturing Rolf whenever they get together. I have a feeling Titania probably set the three of us in a cabin. Poor kid."
"I don't think I've met Rolf yet."
"You can find him practicing with his bow usually. He's pretty good with it."
"Yeah? I might have to go meet this mysterious kid someday."
"He's shy so it may take a while to actually get a whole sentence out of him."
Before Sheik could respond she heard her name called.
"I'll catch ya later, Sheik," Oscar said with another smile.
She nodded and walked towards a small cabin, noticing she was the only one who did. Guess Titania knew she would want to be alone. Her old cabin was just to the left so it didn't take her long to grab the few items she had. Her old cabin had already been given away, a few men had moved in. They didn't bother her as she grabbed her bag and a few knives she had left lying around. When she turned to leave she nearly crashed into one of them.
"Oh, hey. Sorry about that, I didn't even notice you were here. Hey, is that trunk under the cot over there yours?"
She glanced over the trunk that held all of Sebastian's letters. She said something, subconsciously, not even knowing what.
"Alright, I was just wondering. I'll carry it to your cabin if you want."
She shook her head, "I'll come back for it."
He nodded as she walked past him. By the time she did come back for it one of them had set it outside for her. She felt something lick her hand. She looked down at Armageddon and smiled, petting him.
(Ike)
"Ike?! Long time no see!" Mia shouted as she nearly smothered him with a hug.
"Hey Mia, how have you been?" Ike asked once he could breathe again.
"Pretty good, I haven't seen you weeks! It's like you dropped off the face of the planet or something."
"Haven't you seen him with that new girl, Mia? Leave him be," Jill said with a smirk.
Mia looked at him with excited blue eyes, "You have a girlfriend! Finally!"
"Wow, wow, wait. Girlfriend?" Ike asked.
"Isn't she?" Jill asked.
Ike shook his head, "She's a friend, nothing more. Though I do enjoy her company, I don't think she would ever find herself in love with me."
"Ah, don't beat yourself up like that, Ike. We all know there are some girls who'd go crazy for you here," Jill said.
"Yeah, remember that time they chased for four hours straight?" Mia said as she started to unpack her things.
"How could I forget? That was awful. I wish they would find Gatrie as appealing as me, Gatrie wouldn't mind having girls chase him."
"They don't chase him because he's a man-whore," Jill said as she shook out a blanket.
Mia nodded in agreement, "Who knows how many disease that man has."
Ike chuckled.
"Oh by the way, you're stuff is over in that corner," Mia pointed.
"Thanks," Ike dipped his head.
He strapped Ragnell on and placed the bits of armor he did have into a blanket. He had a few other precious items that he placed with the armor then he gathered that and the rest, thanked Mia and Jill again, and began to walk to his cabin. He remembered the girls that they had spoken about. They had left with a bunch of the mercenaries when the war ended. With all the new recruits they could have made their way in again but he doubted it. He paused at his new cabin. The door was open and Armageddon was lying with his head in his paws at the door. Ike cautiously advanced.
(Sheik)
She laid in her cot, a book in her hand. The pages filled with glyphs that didn't resemble the letters that made up the Hyrulean language or the language that the people of Tellius spoke in the least, yet she still read it with ease.
"Sheik?"
She didn't even glance up from her book as she spoke, "Yeah?"
"Is there any reason you're reading in my cabin?"
"Ike, what are you talking about?" She put her book down and looked at him.
He had all of his stuff in his hands, slowly setting down a blanket of items.
"This is the cabin my father put me in."
"This is the cabin Titania put me in."
"Unless…"
"No. No, Ike, just no."
"They put us-"
"They couldn't have-"
"In the same cabin," Ike finished.
Sheik stood up and shook her head while Ike nodded his head.
"It makes sense. Greil and Titania each have their own lists. This must the cabin that's right in-between their designated areas. I requested a cabin alone but I doubted my father would listen. I guess he thought no one would be in this one," Ike said with a chuckle.
"It looks like he didn't tell Titania. We need to tell them there was a mistake."
"Once they finish placing everyone otherwise they'll snap at us."
"Well. What do we do till then?"
Ike shrugged, "We could make this work."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, you get the bed and I'll take the cot-"
"Oh no. You take the bed, I'm fine with the cot. How do think both you and Armageddon are going to fit on the cot?"
"He can sleep on the floor."
Sheik laughed, "Sure, Ike."
"You really don't want the bed?"
"No. Take it."
Ike let out a sigh, "Okay, fine. I guess we'll try this for a few days and see how it goes?"
"I guess we will," she said as she picked her book up again.
He didn't make much noise as he set up his side of the room, the one that was closest to the door but it was Armageddon who was driving her crazy. She could hear wood splintering as he chewed on something between his paws. Letting out a sigh she closed her book at looked at the dog. He paused, a line of drool from his lip to the object he held glistened in the dim light from the opened door. She half-smiled and walked over to him.
"What are you chewing on?" She asked.
He put in his mouth and dropped it at her feet. She stared at the saliva coated pencil in wonder. She looked back at him, his tongue lolled out to the side. Where'd you get this? She thought, and then shrugged, kicking the pencil back to him. The dog picked it up quickly, his tail wagging. She rolled her eyes and walked back to her cot, hearing Armageddon's claws click as he descended down a set of three steps. She continued reading all for but a few seconds before a blood curdling snarl erupted from their door. Both of them ran to the door, Ike unsheathing Ragnell and she her favorite knife.
"What the hell?!" Greil boomed.
Armageddon snarled at him.
Ike and Sheik glanced at each other, "Do something," Sheik whispered.
"Armageddon! C'mon!" Ike shouted.
Sheik mildly cringed at the volume of his voice; he was definitely his father's son.
Armageddon growled, continuing to stare Greil down. Greil wasn't a man to back down, not even from a Hellhound. He stared back at Armageddon, the air becoming thick with tension. One minute. Two minutes… Ike had tried to get Armageddon to back down several times at this point, all without luck. Armageddon's growl became louder with each passing second until he couldn't get any louder.
"Sheik, I think I'm going to have to grab him before he attacks," Ike whispered.
"What? No, what if he attacks you instead?"
Ike shrugged and started moving towards the dog that had his hackles raised and his teeth bared. Then the growling came to a sudden end, like she had suddenly gone deaf. Armageddon practically fell on his butt and let his tongue loll out again. He still stared at Greil but more like he was asking for something. Greil just stared at the dog in disbelief, the dog scooted closer to him and whined. Greil slowly patted him between the horns and half-smiled.
"He's never done that before," Ike said.
"Huh. Well, I think I like him. Why'd I come here again?" he mumbled to himself, "Oh! Right. I was talking with Titania and I think we put Sheik and you in the same cabin. An accident on my part, I was half asleep when I was writing down who went where. Unfortunately, we're really tightly packed and until I can figure something out you guys are just going to have to manage. Sorry about that by the way," he said.
They watched him walk away, Armageddon trotting happily up to Ike.
"Well then," Sheik said as she disappeared back into their cabin.
(Ike)
Being stuck in a cabin with a girl he had developed small feelings for, a crush if you will, was either a really stupid idea or a brilliant one. Ike sighed and looked down at Armageddon, he stared back.
"What am I going to do?" Ike whispered to him.
He put his tongue back in his mouth, looked at the cabin and then back at Ike, finishing with a snort.
"Or, more importantly, what am I going to do with you?" he asked. Armageddon licked his hand. He sighed, "Stay with Sheik, I'm going to see if Mist needs any help moving," he told the dog. Armageddon ran back to the cabin, his pointed tail wagging. He jogged over to Mist's former cabin that she had shared with Titania and knocked on the door frame since the door was already open.
"Hey, Ike!" Mist called from inside.
Ike walked in and smiled, "Hey, do you need any help?"
"Yeah, just with that trunk over there, I'm going into your old cabin with Jill and Mia. But guess where Titania is going!"
"Where?"
"Well, Titania didn't realize she forgot to put herself on her list, even though she swears she did, and now she has to bunk with Father. Can you believe that?"
"They've been awfully forgetful, Sheik and I ended up in the same cabin too."
"Really? Huh. That can go one of two ways. Did you also hear the Soren refuses to move? He's still staying in that tent near the end of the cabins," she mused as she grabbed some of her stuff and motioned for him to follow her.
One of two ways? What was that supposed to mean? All these women are too cryptic, he thought.
"Back so soon?" Jill said as Ike walked in.
"Nah, just helping Mist. She was telling me about how unfortunate it was that she would end up here with you two," Ike teased with a half-smile.
"Oh, hah hah, so funny," Mia said with a straight face.
Ike set the trunk down, "Geez, Mist, what do you have in there?"
"Just some clothes."
"That's a lot of clothes then. Is that all you needed or is there anything else I can help with?"
"No, you are dismissed, my loyal servant," Mist teased.
Ike nodded, said goodbye to them, and jogged back out. He glanced around, just a bunch of people scurrying like a bunch of busy ants. He walked around, helping people with this and that if they saw him, but mostly just wandering. His thoughts wandered to and fro, until he found himself at his stump. The stump. The source of so many things. Good and bad. It had even found its way into his dreams, once at least. He stared at for a moment.
"That's a pretty serious stare down if I've ever seen one," Sheik said with a light laugh.
Ike turned, "Hmm? Oh. I wasn't…" He trailed off and smiled at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just wondering how you always seem to find me but I can never find you."
She shrugged and leaned against a tree, "It takes true talent to find what you aren't looking for."
Another cryptic line. Great, he thought.
"Sheik, I'm sure you're really beautiful, somewhere under that scarf. It's strange to hear you laugh but not see you smile," Ike said. It took him a full few seconds to realize what he had said, but when he did he felt like running for the hills.
(Sheik)
What.
She stared at him for a minute, unsure what to say, or what to do. She broke his gaze, her cheeks getting warm. She heard him let out a sigh and walk away, the grass slightly muffling his steps. She did feel slightly guilty he hadn't seen her face but there was a reason for that. She wasn't as beautiful as he probably thought. Her face was blemished with a reminder, a reminder that she would never return home.
(Later that night)
(Sheik)
She couldn't move. She was frozen in place in a dark room lit only by the red light of the torches that lined the walls. Chains hung from the ceiling, blood stained the floor in large puddles, and the stench was something so unearthly she tried to keep her eyes from wondering in fear she might discover the cause of the smell. She heard a steel door creek open and then slam shut. A set of heavy footsteps and something resembled a slither but it was long and continuous. The sound of something or someone being dragged.
In front of her was a large, slanted, stone slab. Two metal cuffs were at the top of it to secure the victim. Blood had stained it many times and as a result the slab had been dyed black. A large figure came into view, one she recognized well, Ganondorf. He lifted his victim and slammed him onto the slab, making him grunt. She held her breath when she saw the prisoner's face. His blue hair matted and stuck to his bruised face. She heard the cuffs click close. Ganon leaned close to Ike's face,
"Do you revoke your relationship with Zelda?"
"No," though he looked weak and frail his voice still rang out.
"Then tell me where she ran off to," Ganon growled.
"No."
"This was your last chance, boy. When I find her, the first thing she'll see is your corpse."
*NEXT SCENE IS A BIT GRUESOME. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.*
He removed a dagger from its sheath and slowly sank it into Ike's chest but stopped before it could do much damage. Ike's breathing quickened. He brought the knife down, making a large slit but stopped just above his stomach. Ike squirmed at the pain, his jaw clenched and his breathing now both heavy and fast.
"Maybe I'll even deliver your heart to her on a platter," he said thoughtfully.
He dropped the knife and pushed his hand into the slit he had made, blood flowing rapidly from the wound. Ike yelled in agony, his voice reverberating off the walls, then it came to a sudden stop, like silence had smother any of the unpleasant noises. Ganon looked at her, the exact spot she was standing at, Ike's heart in his hand.
*KAY, YOU MAY READ ON.*
She screamed, with fear, pain, anger, and grief combined into one simple and drawn out noise as they could no longer contain themselves. She immediately put both of her hands over her mouth, trying to muffle her scream. Her eyes focused in on reality, she was in her cabin still. Armageddon was staring at her, whining, his eyes an eerie yellow color in the blackness. Her nightmare left her shaking and her breath heavy. She looked over to Ike's bed, his blanket flipped to the side and the mattress empty.
"Ike?" she whispered.
She felt like a rock had settled in her stomach, she looked down at Armageddon, he scooted closer and whined. She stood up from her cot and reached for a candle, summoning a small flame to her finger, lighting the candle, and then quickly extinguishing it. She walked toward the door, Armageddon following her closely. Opening the door she came face to face with Ike, both of them stumbling back in surprise. Only, Ike was on the stairs and didn't have anywhere to step back. She looked at him as he laid on his back at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled, he was alive.
"Ow, damn it… What are doing up, Sheik?" he asked as he stood up.
"Are you okay?" she asked, running down to help him up, "I'm sorry, I woke up and you weren't there."
He stood and stretched a little, trying to get the throbbing to stop. She had both her hands over her mouth, still feeling guilty that he had fallen because of her.
"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault. I just had to pee that's all," he rubbed his back.
"Oh. Sorry, I thought…" she turned away so he couldn't see her face and dropped her arms.
"What?" he sounded concerned now.
She had said too much. She shook her head and walked back to the cabin, blowing the candle out as she walked.
"Sheik?"
She crawled back into her cot and turned away from him. She wouldn't sleep, but the least she could do was rest her eyes.
(Ike)
He stared at the lump of blankets that was Sheik. She had seemed different in that moment. He couldn't place what or why but he knew something was up. Then he realized something, she had been covering her face again. Even now she had the covers pulled up and was facing away from him. What was she hiding? He sighed and crawled back into bed, Armageddon jumping up and laying on his legs. He closed his eyes and fell into the inky blackness of sleep.
"Ike. Ike, wake up."
He groaned and rolled over. He heard a sigh. Something tickled his ear…
"Okay, okay, okay, I'm up," Ike grumbled and sat up, getting out of bed.
Sheik laughed and took a few steps back. She was already dressed in her usual blue outfit. He wasn't sure what to call it, it all looked like it was just one skin tight piece but in some areas she put wrap around. Her upper torso (he was much too modest to call it anything but her upper torso), her forearms, and her thighs all had wrap around it. Ike put his shirt on and strapped Ragnell on, then started lacing his boots on.
"What's the occasion that I had to get up for?" he asked.
"A walk."
He paused and looked at her.
"Don't stop, you already took long enough to get up."
He tightened the last knot and stood up, she must have grinned because her eyes squinted a little. He smiled back, and turned as Armageddon whined at the door.
"We taking him too?"
Sheik nodded.
He opened the door, letting Armageddon out and letting Sheik take the lead to their, oh so mysterious location.
A/N: Oooo! Where are they going? Because I don't even know... Or do I? *mischievous smile*
Metallica
"All Nightmare Long"
Luck. Runs. Out.
Crawl from the wreckage one more time
Horrific memory twists the mind
Dark, rutted, cold and hard to turn
Path of destruction, feel it burn
Still life
Incarnation
Still life
Infamy
Hallucination
Heresy
Still you run, what's to come?
What's today?
'Cause we hunt you down without mercy
Hunt you down all nightmare long
Feel us breathe upon your face
Feel us shift, every move we trace
Hunt you down without mercy
Hunt you down all nightmare long, yeah
Luck. Runs.
You crawl back in
But your luck runs out
1.2.
Luck. Runs. Out.
The light that is not light is here
To flush you out with your own fear
You hide, you hide, but will be found
Release your grip without a sound
Still life
Immolation
Still life
Infamy
Hallucination
Heresy
Still you run, what's to come?
What's today?
'Cause we hunt you down without mercy
Hunt you down all nightmare long
Feel us breathe upon your face
Feel us shift, every move we trace
Hunt you down without mercy
Hunt you down all nightmare long
Luck. Runs.
You crawl back in
But your luck runs out
Then you crawl back in
Into your obsession
Never to return
This is your confession
Hunt you down without mercy
Hunt you down all nightmare long
Feel us breathe upon your face
Feel us shift, every move we trace
Hunt you down without mercy
Hunt you down all nightmare long, yeah
Luck. Runs.
You crawl back in
But your luck runs out
Your luck runs out