Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or any of the concepts from Inuyasha that I have put in this ficcie!

Ocarina of Time: The Three Goddesses Reincarnated

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Across the Desert

"It's hot out here." Tessa groaned as she followed a few footsteps behind Link. Link quirked an eyebrow at the comment.

"It's a desert, of course it's going to be hot. Besides, I thought you said you hated the cold." Link pointed out.

"I didn't say I didn't like the hot, but it makes me want to just collapse on the ground and sleep. Of course, cold does something of the same thing, but at least I don't want to curl up into a ball in the heat." Tessa complained. "Is it possible for me to go back to the fortress?"

Link didn't answer for a while, and Tessa became irritated. However, before she got a chance to say anything, Link spoke first. "I would really like your help with this last temple, Tessa." Link stated.

"Umm…I was kind of kidding…but of course I'll help! What, did you think I'd really head back after coming this far with you?" Tessa asked. Link stopped in mid-step.

"Well, I was just making sure." Link sighed. Tessa quirked an eyebrow at the statement. "I thought…maybe you were uncomfortable around me after what happened." A long pause followed after that.

"Oh…you mean…the kiss…right?" Tessa murmured. Lucky for them, the wind was dead for now, otherwise talking wouldn't have had too good of a result. Link blushed slightly, and little did he know that Tessa blushed as well.

"Yes…I'm sorry about that, I don't know what came over me. I promise you it won't happen again, and I'm sorry for…disrespecting you like that." Link then began to walk again. Tessa blinked, confused, but ran to stop him by stopping in front of him and turning around.

"Did you…not want to?" Tessa asked, eyes curious. Link was silent for a moment.

"Umm…" He blushed. "Well…I'm not going to lie about this." A slight wind started to pick up, which began to blow Link's hat and Tessa's hair slightly. "I honestly did want to, but I feel like I violated you for not making sure you wanted to as well."

Tessa smiled, although the blush on her face increased a bit more.

"Well…to be honest…" Tessa looked down at the sand as her blush grew deeper. "I…I…"

"I understand if you don't see me in that way." Link sighed dejectedly, and began to walk again.

"I…I…I believe I've seen you in that way at least since the Water Temple, maybe even before that. There's something about you that…" Tessa's words stopped Link. "I don't know, something about you makes me feel like everything will be all right. You've been there for me ever since the day I met you, and I really like the other feelings I get when I'm around you. Although, I've lost the nerve to say anything after Ruto…"

"She's not my fiancée, I didn't even know what that was when I agreed to it. Navi explained it to me after Ruto left to check in with her father. It was all a complete misunderstanding, and although Ruto is a powerful being, I'm not interested in her at all. It doesn't help that she's a Zora either, I'm just not naturally attracted to her like I am…you." Link's blushed deepened as well. "And besides, what about Tom?"

Tessa quirked an eyebrow. "That jerk? Ah, he's like a brother to me. To be honest, I hated him to start out with, but I got cool with him later. He's a bit too much of a whiner for my taste…not that I don't whine but he just does it too much." Tessa smiled up at him, her blush beginning to die down a bit. "To be honest, you're the only one who has caught my interest at all…"

Once again, a long silence followed, and the wind began to blow even more, though not at a rate to which the sand blew up and stung them, only lightly dusted their ankles.

Then, Link grabbed Tessa's wrist and pulled her into his embrace. She was stiff at first, but then relaxed and hugged him back. For some reason, she felt whole in his arms. She didn't quite understand it, but it seemed to work out just fine in her mind. Then she looked up into Link's eyes and they kissed softly.

"Hi." Tessa stated after they broke apart, and Link let out a quiet laugh.

"Hi." Link answered back. Tessa giggled slightly. "I'm glad that it's out in the open now."

"Me too." Tessa sighed, and leaned her head against Link's chest. "Although, we should probably get on with your destiny, and then we can enjoy this all we want." The murmur escaped from Tessa a little reluctantly, but Link nodded all the same.

"After Ganondorf is defeated and Hyrule turned back to its glory, we'll get used to this feeling." Link agreed. After a moment, they let go of each other.

"So, I guess we go now…to the Spirit Temple." Tessa stated. Once again, Link nodded. He grabbed her hand, and led her forward into the desert, as the wind picked up even more.

It didn't take too long before the wind began to be so strong that they ended up using blankets as cover against the sand. Korinu had lent them the blankets and explained what they were for. She also said it was the cheapest way to be protected, so it wasn't always the best way to do it. It didn't help that Tessa was still in her Gerudo outfit as well. The exposed skin now felt dry, burnt, and painful.

At night, the wind died down slightly, but the tent helped to escape the violent sand that still whipped around. This time, the blankets were used as their original creators intended, as blankets. The desert turned out to be really cold at night, and Tessa couldn't stop her teeth from chattering, so she just clenched her jaw. Then, her body started to shiver, which she hid with her blanket.

Link was dead asleep on the ground. Tessa wondered as to how anybody could sleep in the cold weather, but she just shrugged it off. Maybe it was a male thing. Navi had made herself her own bed with Link's hat, which was off to a corner of the tent. Her wings fluttered every time she breathed out.

Tessa drew her legs in closer to her body. She hated the cold.

"Are you cold?" Link's voice sounded sleepy, and Tessa looked at him.

"Yeah…" Tessa murmured. "It's fine though, I'll deal with it at some point."

Link looked a bit skeptical before he smiled. "Why don't you rest with me? It'll probably add a bit more warmth."

Tessa blushed a bit, but nodded. She remembered that whenever she was cold when she was little, she'd cuddle with her mom and it always seemed warmer. So, Tessa crawled under Link's blanket, popped hers on top of his, and Link hugged her close. The shivering stopped after a few minutes, and then she was asleep. Link smiled sleepily before he nodded off as well.

Navi giggled silently to herself in the background.

The next day the wind stopped completely, and they came upon an oasis. It was such a relief to see so much water that they almost dove into it, but thought better of the idea. After all, they'd prefer to drink from clean water than dirty water. As they ate their lunch by the oasis, Link looked around for any sign of the Spirit Temple. He wasn't even sure they were headed in the right direction or if they were pretty much on a wild goose chase.

Then, something in the distance caught his eye. It was a tower of some sort. It had to be the Spirit Temple, but how long would it take to get there? More importantly, how big was the temple in the first place?

He pointed the temple out to Tessa, who sighed in relief. "I hope it doesn't take too long to get there." Tessa groaned. "Personally, I just want to get this temple over with."

"I know. It'll be a relief to be done with the Sages but…" Link frowned. "The battle against Ganondorf will be the hardest of all. I can't even guarantee I'll make it out alive."

"You mean we, and you better not die." Tessa grumbled.

"No, I mean I. You are not going to die, I'll make sure of it myself." Link stated.

"Oh, if you plan on dying for my sake, you better think again. That's my job." Tessa smirked. "The goddesses told me so!"

Link and Navi stared at her. "You're joking." Navi gasped.

"…Maybe. Maybe not." Tessa said with a giggle. "You'll have to deliberate that yourselves."

Link and Navi looked at each other, and shrugged. After their lunch, they headed off towards the Spirit Temple, ready for whatever lied ahead for them.

End of Chappie

Hahaha! Another Chappie! Can you tell I want this story over with already? I hope so…hehe.