Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo, I'm merely borrowing them. (Though Ayla is mine)

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


Soul Mates

Chapter 25


He had been told stories of this place, an ancient temple where the Gerudo once worshipped the heathen goddess, whose name was no longer allowed to be spoken. Sheik had done his best to find her name out, but all effort had been in vain. It was as if her name had simply been stricken from history, the only evidence of her "existence" being the gigantic mountain carved in her likeness and the Gerudo's fierce protection of the place.

The stories truly could not compare to seeing the place with his own eyes, Sheik decided. He and Link were standing some distance away from the entrance, looking at the Colossus' face. She looked oddly benevolent; quite a contrast to what the stories had depicted her as. Years upon years of sandstorms had, of course, withered away the once solid stone and removed quite a large part of her face, but there was still a distinctive quirk in her lips.

They were both panting. Link had done his best to catch up with Sheik, but had to yield to the younger boy's speed, agility and the fact that he was not carrying the heavy pack containing most of their equipment and supplies. Upon stopping, Sheik had turned around and given Link a smug smile, which the Hero had scowled at and then continued to trudge past Sheik, stopping in front of a miniature oasis.

It was amazing how clear the water was, and its sheer presence in this particular area of the desert tipped Sheik off about the inherent magical qualities the Colossus possessed. None of the sand at the bottom of the pond swirled up when their hands brushed against it, and the water itself was exactly like the water you could find at the top of a glacier.

Just to be sure, they refilled their empty bottles with the sparkling water. Magic was highly unpredictable unless wielded by someone who had studied it for years (The Hero of Time was, naturally, an exception. Sheik found it highly unfair), and this oasis could very well disappear in thin air the next day. Ironically, the water in their bottles would probably evaporate as well, but it was worth a shot, Link had decided.

The sun was dipping below the horizon now, and already the temperature was falling quite fast. Redoing his ponytail, Sheik looked at Link's pack, which the Hero had dropped noisily on the sand.

"We should probably set up the tent," said Sheik. "And make a start on the temple tomorrow."

Link nodded. "Yeah. There's no way I'm going in there—"he jerked a thumb at the Colossus"—tonight."

"We," said Sheik. "'We' aren't going in there tonight."

"Yeah, yeah," said Link and pulled out the heavy cloth. It was hard to identify the fabric. It seemed to be similar to Sheik's exoskeleton, but much coarser and sturdier, if that was even possible. The setting up was something neither of the boys ever wanted to do again. Link, having grown accustomed to sleeping underneath the stars by a fire, had never had any experience with setting up a tent, and Sheik, while having shared quite a few tents with the princess' soldiers now and then, had never taken part in the actual construction.

The biggest problem was the pegs. The sand around the oasis was the kind that was especially dry, which was just a plain oxymoron according to Sheik considering the amount of moisture barely a couple of feet away. In any case, the pegs had difficulty in finding grip in the brittle sand. It wasn't until Link suggested pouring water on the places they wanted to pegs to go that they actually made somewhat progress.

"It's just a temporary measure, though," said Sheik, but smiled as the peg finally stayed where it was supposed to after he rammed it into the ground. "The sand will dry again, and then the pegs will loosen."

"Hopefully, by the time the sand dries, we'll be long gone," replied Link. He rammed the final peg home and adjusted it so the line was completely rigid. He seemed to remember something and turned to Sheik with a grave expression previously unseen on the young warrior's face. "I am not walking backthrough the desert when we leave, you hear me?"

Surprised, and just a bit frightened by the smouldering look, Sheik nodded. "Do not worry. We will teleport." Then something flashed across his memory.

The song…I need to find the song! he thought. He looked around, trying to find the dais every temple possessed. He turned to Link. "We need to find the teleport spot."

Link looked confused. "Can't that wait until tomorrow? It's not like we're gonna use it…"

"Perhaps not, but I still need to find the song and teach it to you," said Sheik and drew his lyre from his pack. "It's…necessary."

Link sighed and nodded, picking up his sword and shield. "Let's find it, then. Though I think it's kind of strange that you're going to teach me a song not even you know."

Sheik blinked. There had been a lot of emphasising in that sentence, and the tone had not been particularly friendly.

He's tired from the journey, he reminded himself. And so are you, don't let it get to you. He smiled gently at Link. "Well, I'm the only one who can read notes, ne?"

"I can read some of them," said Link. "Saria taught me…that's how I was able to learn The Sun's Song."

"Then how about we see who can learn it first? And whoever wins can teach the other?" Sheik suggested. He was feeling a bit giddy.

He suspected it was the magical ambience that was cheering him up. Back in Kakariko, the Shadow Temple had always leaked traces of magic, which often manifested in sudden mood swings in the people who lived there. Contradictory enough, most of these mood swings were toward the happier end of the emotional spectrum, and people paid them no heed anymore. But Sheik had been away from Kakariko for a long time, and just the feeling of a strong magical presence was comforting.

Link seemed to take quite well to the idea and smiled. "Another competition, eh? Trying to give your lover another chance to prove his mettle and manliness?"

"I wouldn't call a musical competition especially manly, but yes, that is what I'm attempting," answered Sheik. He looked around at the open space in front of the Colossus. "Considering the storm, I suppose the dais has been buried in the sand. Let's just hope it's not buried too deep." And off they went.

Night had fallen by the time they found it, and the moon had risen high in the sky. The dais was a little ways to the right of the temple entrance. To say that they found it would be a lie. To say that Link tripped over it and fell on his face would be accurate. After a heavy bout of cursing, some of which Sheik was horrified to find that Link knew, the pair had uncovered the marble platform. The symbol of the Spirit Temple, three dots intersected by lines, glowed eerily in the moonlight.

"So…" said Link, rubbing his nose, which had gotten scraped in his encounter with the sand, "What now?"

Sheik felt around the stone. "Impa told me that the notes have been carved into the marble itself, close to the symbol." He found a nook, which felt suspiciously like a note, and then another. "I think I've got it," he said. "I need some more light, though."

"Not a problem," said Link. He held out a hand, and glowing ember appeared in his palm. He looked around for something he could use. Regrettable, the only thing that could be helpful at this time was a dry-looking palm tree. "Damn," he whispered and threw the ember at the palm, the dry plant quickly catching fire. It cast a red glow over the area. It was useful, but having been raised as a Kokiri, hurting trees was something he never wanted to do. Or could, for fear of being ostracised by the rest of the forest children…

"Thank you," said Sheik without looking up. He blew the remaining grains of sand out of the nooks, and there it was, the Requiem of Spirit, transcribed in the marble. "Hm…it's not very complex," he said and fingered the strings on his lyre. He was roughly pushed aside by an eager-looking Link, Ocarina of Time in hand. The Hero studied the notes for quite some time, blowing experimentally in the flute, trying to figure out how it went.

He's cute when he's so focused, thought Sheik. He shook his head. After the quest, after the quest.

"Ah-hah!" exclaimed the Hero of Time and stood up triumphantly, holding the ocarina high. "I know how to play it now. How about you?"

Sheik couldn't bring himself to tell Link that he had learnt the song right after seeing the notes, being quite proficient at the musical art. He shook his head in what he hoped was a sad way.

"I am afraid not, Link." He held his lyre closer to his body. "Can you teach me?"

Link beamed. "Of course!"

He's actually quite a good teacher, Sheik reflected as they headed back to the tent, paying the temple entrance no heed. They were having the evening off, and that was final. Of course, it helps knowing the subject beforehand, but still…good teacher.

He smiled as he felt the Hero's fingers interlink with his. A faint breeze was blowing across the area, just faint enough to be noticeable, not strong enough to be annoying. But it was cold, though.

The campsite was not a proper campsite unless it had a roaring fire, Link had decided, and as soon as the tent came into sight, began to gather anything flammable close by, except living plants. Sheik noticed that he kept a respectful distance to them.

Must be something about being a Kokiri, he thought. While Link gathered firewood, he decided to organise their packs and get everything inside the tent before anything was stolen by mischievous desert creatures. He knew for a fact that there were foxes nearby, as he had seen a pair of ears appearing over a dune, and he would not stand for theft by the furry little animals.

The tent was, in his opinion, far bigger than they needed it to be. It was clearly designed for at least eight to ten occupants, and the space inside was enormous. The packs barely occupied a small portion of a corner, for the goddesses' sake! But still, it had been useful when they were camping out in the old watchtower, so Sheik was grateful for it. But there was a bit of a problem. The floor was still the sandy ground, and neither of them had thought of taking futons with them. At worst, they could use their cloaks for mattresses, but then they would have nothing to protect themselves from the cold.

Sheik voiced this concern to Link, who had gotten a surprisingly large fire going. The Hero looked deep in thought for a second, and had then smiled at Sheik in the way someone with a secret usually did. He said nothing, but kept that little smile on his face all evening as the two sat and ate another broth, courtesy of Sheik's extraordinary culinary skills. Sipping at the flavoured water, Sheik looked suspiciously at the Hero.

He's not thinking about…is he?

What do you think, pet?

Sheik was barely able to keep the groan back. The bite mark had started to itch as he had stuffed their packs into the tent, but had ignored it in the hope that Speil had been leaving, not coming back.

Where have you been? Out killing someone?

And there we have it again. Just because I am a creature created specifically to kill someone, you think that I cannot control myself. I would like you to stop that, pet. And you need not worry about the Gerudo female…she is unharmed.

She had better be, or else—

Or else what? You will 'end' me, as you so theatrically told me when we first met? I amused myself endlessly with that line as I slowly drank the fairy's blood, and—

SHUT UP! Sheik mentally shouted, dropping his bowl in the process. The broth spilled out on the sand, where it was quickly swallowed up by the grains. The pieces of meat and vegetables, although unharmed, were covered in sand and now inedible.

Link's hand was on his immediately, and the Sheikah looked up into the worried gaze of the Hero.

"Is something wrong?"

Think fast, pet… said Speil and chuckled, his voice fading away.

"Eh…ankle twitched," Sheik lied, feeling absolutely pathetic. He, a trained spy, a master of deception and subterfuge, unable to keep an "Eh" out of his lies.

"Let me see," said Link and started to unroll the bandage around Sheik's ankle. The Sheikah sighed as the still tender area was slowly massaged by Link.

All things considered, excluding the malevolent spirit in his head, Sheik was enjoying himself immensely.

To be continued…


Sheik likes to be massaged, apparently. Heh, if only Link knew the argument-defusing weapon he now possesses…

Review replies:

Yuffie – Internet being a butthead sucks. And yeah, the music in the Forest Temple can be a little grating at first, but I kinda like it now.

Pineapple – Why thank you. There's more awesomesauce to come very soon!

Neji (Actually, Neji is mine!) – Yeah, I liked the Forest Temple. I simply can't stand the Fire Temple or the Water Temple, though. Carpet Dude simply had to appear, or else the desert part wouldn't be complete, eh?

Kiki – Thank you!

Please leave a review if you like the story!