Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo, I'm merely borrowing them.

Warning: This story contains yaoi, shounen-ai, slash, whatever you call two guys falling in love.


Soul Mates

Chapter 14


It was comforting to have an ally at his back for once. Usually, when the situation called for open combat, Sheik had been alone. He had been lucky those times, as his missions had usually been of the assassination-type where all he had to do was to slit someone's throat in their sleep. But the targets sometimes woke up, and immediately called to arms, forcing Sheik to hold his own against an entire room full of enemies. He wondered how many scars he'd have if such a thing as the red potion did not exist. He had always completed his missions in the end.

He had never fought Gerudo before, only observed them from a distance when he had been spying in the region two years before Link woke up in the Temple of Time. He knew they were fierce warriors, skilled in fighting with both spears and those wicked curved blades of theirs. And they were fast. Sheik was sure most of them could rival him in agility and sheer ability to dodge and dip their way out of harm's way.

And now they were surrounded by at least a dozen of the desert thieves. And he was feeling sick. The encounter with the Shadow had drained him of any additional stamina his bout of sleep had granted.

But, the Hero was with him, and that's all he needed.

The first of the fierce desert folk appeared above them, looking down at them from a small outcrop. She was wearing considerably lighter clothing than the scout they had encountered during the day, a mere tight-fitting purple robe-like garment with a patch of cloth covering the lower half of her face. She was wielding a length of wood with a wicked-looking blade at the tip, much larger than a typical spear. Her eyes widened, and called out to her comrades. She was silenced by a rock thrown by the Hero. She tumbled out of sight, out cold.

But it was too late. The others knew where they were now. Link drew his sword and shield, getting into his usual combat stance. Sheik held his dagger in a reverse grip in his left hand and Kazuya in his right. He bent his legs, ready to spring upon the next attacker.

"We're screwed," said Link quietly, his gaze fixed on one of two possible entrances to their campsite.

"Not until we both lie bleeding, Hero," said Sheik. "They will come at us in two and twos. One will distract, one will attack. Ignore the distracting one and defend against the attacking one until you find and opening." He had no idea if the strategy would work since he had developed it on observation alone, but it was worth a shot.

We might just be able to win…if those scimitar-wielding ones don't show up…

In retrospect, he realised he should have known not to trust his luck. He cursed inwardly when two Gerudos appeared on the path before him, both wielding the wicked-looking swords…dual wielding, even.

Link was luckier in that regard, as his two opponents just had those spears. His Hylian shield provided good protection against the long weapons, allowing the Hero time to think.

The first blow Sheik blocked was so strong that it almost numbed his arm. Kazuya vibrated violently, almost making its wielder do it as well. He jumped backwards, away from the two grinning women. The ones with the scimitars were not wearing the facial coverings, to Sheik's surprise.

Mistake… he thought as he felt something approach from his left. The other swordswoman had snuck past him and were hurtling toward him with frightening speed, her blades held high and ready to strike. Deciding not to risk it, he rolled out of the way. Somewhere behind him, Link fought with his two opponents. He heard the sounds of steel against steel, the grunts from the Hero as dodged a spear blade.

He turned his attention back to his opponents. They were both circling him now, biding their time. Sheik realised he had no idea of how to beat them. If he attacked one, he would be far too preoccupied to dodge an attack from the other one. This had never been a problem before…but then, his opponents in the past had usually been incompetent buffoons hired by Ganondorf to bolster his army's ranks. These women lived for battle.

Movement to his right. He brought Kazuya up just in time to block a vicious strike. His dagger came up a second later, blocking the other scimitar. And they both pushed, neither side relenting. Sheik gritted his teeth, sweat running down his forehead. The one behind him didn't do anything, he realised. She was…watching? Waiting for an opportunity. This was as good as any moment to stick him in the back, he knew. But the blow never came.

The Gerudo in front of him was still grinning, her golden eyes shining in the moonlight. An idea suddenly came to Sheik, and he drew his head back, launching it forward to collide with the Gerudo's, his forehead hitting her right above her nose. She shrieked, falling backwards, holding her bleeding nose. Feeling slightly dizzy from the blow, Sheik whirled around, facing the other Gerudo, who was now looking nervous. She had waited too long, she seemed to think.

Sheikah and Gerudo had clashed in battle before, many decades before Sheik was born, and both sides had passed down stories about the other's viciousness and skill in battle. His remaining opponent seemed to have been told these stories, and her face settled into a grim mask of determination as she raised one scimitar above her head and lowered one to level with her knee, both points toward Sheik.

Sheik readied himself, knowing that this one would not go as easily down as the first. By chance, he happened to glance up, and saw that many more Gerudo were standing on the cliff where the first had been knocked out by Link's rock. They were following the fights intently, most likely gauging the partners' strength.

Shit!

His opponent had drawn slightly back, legs preparing to jump. When she leaped, she spun in the air, her blades a whirling tornado of steel. Kazuya was unable to stand against it and was ripped away from his hand, Sheik barely getting away from the desert warrior. His sword clanged to the ground, and his dagger switched hands. He wondered what to do now.

Surrender, apparently, he thought when he felt the ice-cold edge of a scimitar lightly grazing against his throat, his first opponent having recovered from the blow to her nose.

"Give up," she said, pushing her scimitar slightly harder against Sheik's throat. Seeing no other way, the Sheikah dropped his dagger.

"Hero of Time," called one of the Gerudo from the cliff. "There is no use in struggling any more. Surrender now or your Sheikah partner dies."

Sheik turned his head to look at Link, who was looked up from his fight, staring at Sheik with wide eyes. Seemingly without thinking, the Master Sword and Hylian shield fell to the ground. The Gerudo whose nose Sheik had broken kicked Sheik in the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel. The same was done to Link. Sheik looked regretfully at Link.

"I'm sorry, Hero…"

"Don't be," replied Link, smiling sadly. "We never had a chance."

"That is true," said the Gerudo from the cliff. She, apparently the leader of the party, jumped down into the campsite, striding toward them. "Though I must say you fought well." She was wearing green lipstick, and her uniform was the same colour. Her hair was cut shorter than the others'.

"What shall we do with them?" asked the one who had captured Sheik.

The leader paused and seemed to think deeply. "We will take them back to the fortress," she said and nodded to them, making a fist and hitting her other hand's palm with it.

Sheik felt a blow to the back of his head, and only darkness followed…

He could feel the shackles even before he woke up. Sheik groaned, his head aching and opened his eyes slowly. The room was completely dark save for the weak light from a small torch on the wall. His hands were locked to the wall behind him, over his head, making for quite an uncomfortable position. A chain had been attached to his right ankle. He tried to follow it with his eyes, finding it stuck in the wall.

"Quite a predicament you've gotten yourselves in," said the dreaded voice of Link's Shadow, coming from somewhere to his left. Sheik turned to look at him, spotting the Shadow standing over Link's unconscious form, the Hero left in the exact same position as his partner.

"Stay away from him!" Sheik growled

"Oh, that I shall," laughed the Shadow and stalked over to Sheik, leaning down and stroking his cheek. "I've yet to fully make you mine…and I want him to know about it before I end his pathetic existence." Sheik tried to turn his head away from the hand, the Shadow slapped him before grabbing his chin, forcing his head place. "Hm…that struggling of yours need to end. It's not good for a pet to fight its master…"

Sheik spat him in the face, receiving yet another slap from the Hero's mirror image. It was about to repeat the blow, but a groan from Link made it stop. It observed the mumbling Hero, leaning close to Sheik's ear.

"I'll be back."

Then it stepped back, disappearing into the shadows.

"Wh…where are we?" asked Link, looking dazedly around.

"Gerudo Fortress," answered Sheik, trying his best to ignore his stinging cheek. How on earth did the Shadow continually stalk him like this without being seen?

"Oh." Link tried to move his hands, finding them locked in place above his head. "I guess we really sucked in that fight."

Not really, Hero, Sheik thought. You were holding your own quite well…it was I who foolishly lost focus. He didn't say it out loud; for he had a feeling the Hero would not accept that Sheik had screwed up.

"My head hurts," complained the Hero.

"Mine too, Link," said Sheik, feeling the dull ache. He was sure he had a bump on the back of his head. He tried to shake it a bit, to get the wooziness away, but was only rewarded with a sting and a curtain of hair covering his vision.

"What do you think will happen now?" Link asked, looking down at the rough stone floor.

"If we're lucky…they will kill us," replied Sheik, knowing that it was not the answer the Hero was looking for. At his partner's shocked expression, he rolled his eyes. "Believe me, it would be better. If they send you to Ganondorf…" He didn't even want to finish the sentence and settled for shuddering.

Their talk was interrupted by the door in front of them being opened, the heavy wood crashing into the wall. In the doorway, the Gerudo that had been the leader of the group that captured them stood, now wearing an exotic, red outfit that surely would have set a few hearts pumping.

"Ah, you're awake. Good," she said and used the lone torch to light the other ones around the room. "I apologise for the accommodations, but—"

"Spare us the fake politeness, Gerudo," interrupted Sheik.

She seemed taken slightly aback, but smoothly covered it up with a calm smile. "Ah, Sheikah, always feisty." She sat down on a chair that stood in front of them. "My name is Aveil, I am second in command of the Gerudo Fortress and Exalted Nabooru's aide."

"How interesting," drawled Sheik.

Aveil laughed. "There is no need to be rude, boy."

"Then tell us why you're here," said Link, joining in. "What are you going to do with us?"

"So, no time for idle chat?" said Aveil and looked disappointed. "Very well." She stood up, pacing back and forth in front of them. "I have a bit of a dilemma. You see, the Great Ganondorf, our king, ordered me to let him know when you two showed up in our valley. However, Nabooru, before she went to the Desert Colossus ordered me to disobey our king at every turn, for neither she nor I agree to what he has done."

Hope was rekindled in Sheik's heart. Does this mean…?

Aveil sighed. "However, he is my king, and I cannot disobey."

The hope was gone as quick as it had appeared.

"Unless, of course, you're willing to make a little wager." They both looked at her, confused. She smiled. "It has been years since we seen a fight like the one you challenged my girls to last night. Ganondorf—"she spat the name now—"has not ordered us into battle, preferring to use men in his armies."

Sheik held in a snort. Had Ganondorf known any better, he would have deployed the Gerudo right away. The Evil King sure was short-sighted.

"So, instead of letting him know you're here right away," said Aveil and clapped her hands together, her golden eyes surveying the two teens, "I want to arrange another battle with my strongest warrior."

Sheik wanted to groan. Surely the Hero had been through enough?

"Alright," said Link. "I'll do it—"

"Not you, Hero of Time," said Aveil, dismissing him with a hand. "I want to see what the Sheikah can do in a fair fight." She eyed Sheik with an analyzing gaze. "What say you?"

"What happens if I win?" asked Sheik, noticing Link violently shaking his head in the corner of his vision.

"You both go free, of course," said Aveil, smiling. "And you'll both become honorary members of the Gerudo tribe. No one has ever been able to sneak so far into our valley before. Your thieving skills are phenomenal!"

"And if I lose?"

Now her smile fell. "Then I will be forced to send the Hero of Time to the king. Nabooru and I may not be as loyal to him, but many of our girls are. They do not know any better, the poor dears."

"What about Sheik?" interrupted Link. "What will you do to him?"

"We will keep him for…entertainment," said Aveil. "We have not seen a Sheikah in years…and many of the girls are anxious to see him."

Sheik knew exactly what she meant and shuddered at the thought. Link seemed to get the general idea as well, and his look told Sheik all he needed.

"And…if I refuse to fight?" he asked.

"Then we will do the same that would have happened if you lost," said Aveil sadly. "I am sorry, Sheikah, Hero, but this is the best I can do for you. If you prove yourself in the fight, the rest of the tribe will not question my judgement. I will let you discu—"

"No need," said Sheik. "I'll fight."

"Excellent," smiled Aveil and clapped her hands again. "I will make the arrangements, it won't take long. Someone will down for you soon. Do you require a potion?" To Sheik's shaking head, she nodded and strode out. Before disappearing beyond the edge, she turned to look at the two. "I'm truly sorry about this." Then she was gone.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Link asked immediately. "You heard what they were going to do to you if you lost!"

Sheik fixed him with a penetrating gaze. Is he truly that stupid? Can he not see that we have no choice? If I win, we will go free, but if I refuse, we will lose anyway… "Did you not hear her? I have to, or all will be lost."

"What if it's a trick?"

"The Gerudo are honourable, Hero. Vicious, but honourable. They do not use petty tricks. If anything, you should be relieved there is dissent among the ranks. Also, Hero, you should be more worried about what will happen to yourself rather than me. If Ganondorf gets to you…"

"I still don't like it," Link said, pouting. "I don't want to see you hurt…"

"Nor I you," replied Sheik. "But this is our only chance. If I win, we not only win our freedom, but we also gain valuable allies against the Evil King."

"If you say so…" Link said.

The sun stung in his eyes as he and Link were led to the training grounds, where it seemed at least half of the Gerudo population had gathered. The Fortress was much bigger than it seemed, the entire mountain it rested against having been carved out to house the clan. Old, young, middle-aged…women of all ages had come to see the fight.

They cheered when Sheik entered the fenced circle in the middle of the grounds. It was quite large, obviously being a major proving ground. He fixed Kazuya's sheath to his back, glad that they recovered his sword. If he lost it, he didn't know what he'd do. Link kept giving him worrying looks that he tried to ignore. He needed to concentrate.

He was suddenly spun around and found his lips claimed by the Hero of Time, feeling the love and passion that was poured into it. The crowd cheered even louder.

Perverts, Sheik thought, closing his eyes and leaning into Link's chest. When they broke it, Link smiled at him, stroking his cheek lightly.

"Be careful," he whispered, barely audible in the roaring noise from the crowd. "And good luck. I know you'll win." He then walked out of the circle, stopping just outside to watch.

"Thank you," Sheik said to himself and drew Kazuya, swinging it experimentally around, trying to get a feel for it.

Aveil suddenly stepped into the circle, much to the crowd's delight, raising her hands to quiet them. "Ladies, ladies, please," she shouted. When the roar had died down, she smiled. "This is a great moment. We have a Sheikah in our midst, and he will challenge our strongest warrior!" The crowd cheered. "If he wins, he and his partner will have earned their place amongst us as honorary rookie thieves!"

"Now," she continued. "Will our strongest warrior please step forward? Come, Ayla!"

Ayla emerged from the crowd, slowly walking into the circle. She was young, not much older than the Hero, Sheik assumed. She was quite beautiful, having a regal face, and her eyes seemed much more brilliant than the other Gerudo's. She wore clothes similar to Aveil's, although a bit less revealing. Two scimitars were slung on her back, one of which she stuck in the ground.

"This will be a fair fight," reminded Aveil. "One sword per fighter. You may draw blood, but you will not kill each other, understood." Both Ayla and Sheik nodded. "Good. Then I wish you both luck, please do your best." She stepped out of the circle, holding an arm up. "Ready? Begin!"

The two fighters immediately dropped into fighting stances, circling each other. Sheik tried to read her body language, looking for any revealing twitches or sudden movements, but this girl was a master in concealing them. She smirked, like the two warriors he had fought the night before, revealing pearly white teeth.

The crowd continued to cheer, many calling Ayla's victory. Sheik clenched his jaw, vowing not to lose to this girl.

Eventually, he was forced to make the first move. Quickly, he stepped forward and swung Kazuya toward Ayla's stomach, a blow which the Gerudo easily dodged. She answered with an overhead swing. Sheik spun out of the way, using the momentum to aim a kick at Ayla's knee. This too she dodged.

"Is that the best you can do?" she asked mockingly.

"I haven't even started yet," said Sheik and attacked, going through a combo Impa had taught him that usually disarmed the enemy. Ayla knew exactly how to counter it, though, and the fighters found themselves in a lock, much like the one Sheik had been in the night before. He tried to use the same move, using his head as a battering ram, but Ayla stepped back suddenly, causing Sheik to lose his balance and fall to the ground. The crowd laughed and cheered.

"I saw you use that move yesterday," she said, once again circling the Sheikah as he picked himself up. "Simple tricks like that will not work on me, Sheikah." Her tone was surprisingly jolly, as if she wasn't in a fight at all.

"Try this one, then!" yelled Sheik and launched another attack, attaining the same speed he had used against the Stalfos in the Shadow Temple. Infuriatingly, Ayla blocked every blow, sidestepped every punch and kick. He overbalanced at the end of the flurry, and he felt the stinging pain as Ayla's scimitar neatly sliced the side of his thigh.

"And we have first blood!" shouted Aveil, to the crowd's exuberance.

Now Ayla was the one who attacked. She tried to use the spinning swing her comrade had used against Sheik, but without the two scimitars knocking into Kazuya simultaneously, he was able to hold on to it. His arm still lost a bit of feeling, however, and he knew he was in for the most difficult fight of his life.

The opponents seemed to be equally skilled. After a couple of minutes, Sheik too had been able to cut Ayla, cutting into her left bicep.

Neither of them was able to damage the other enough, though, and as the fight stretched on, blood drops were splashing in the sandy ring, Sheik and Ayla covered in minor wounds.

The two stepped back from each other, surveying. They were both getting exhausted, both from the heat and the intensity at which they attacked each other. Sheik could no longer feel his right arm, and he tasted blood in his mouth. His knees were shaking, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. Ayla wasn't much better off, he saw.

Now or never, he thought as he launched his final attack, running toward Ayla, Kazuya drawn to he left, aiming for her side. Ayla smiled triumphantly as she moved to block, but Sheik's plan did not include a blow to the left. When he was two steps away from the Gerudo, he used every last bit of strength he had left to suddenly twist the right, slamming Kazuya's hilt to Ayla's temple.

Ayla hit the ground, out cold. The crowd fell completely silent. Aveil stepped back into the ring, making sure Ayla was okay. She smiled and bowed to Sheik. "Congratulations, Sheikah," she said and turned to the crowd. "We have a winner!"

The crowd went wild.

To be continued…


Hey, everyone. I hope the fight scene wasn't too bad. So, now the pair has been accepted into the clan of thieves…I'm pretty sure they're wondering how the hell it happened, hehe.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They mean very much to me.

Please leave a review if you like the story!