Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.

The Hunt
Chapter 36

Zelda's vision continued to blur as she tried to stay awake, determined to at least finish her breakfast before succumbing to the beckoning darkness of sleep. Her movements as she tried to shovel more of the oatmeal into her mouth were slow and unsteady, her body betraying her in a most vexing manner. Every now and then, she found that her eyes had slid shut, and it took nearly all her willpower to force them back open. A glance around her showed that the good doctor had yet to come down, meaning she was still busy with the injured Gerudo. How long ago was it the surgery had ended, now? An hour? Two? She wasn't sure...

Next to her, Link didn't seem any better off, though his fatigue seemed to have come from something other than never-ending surgery in the night. His eyes were bloodshot, and was engaging in a strange ritual. Every time he shoved the spoon into his mouth, his eyes glazed over as he continued to stare into nothingness for a minute or so, after which he shuddered and ate some more.

"Long night, too?" she asked, not even bothering with checking the grammar before uttering the words. She was just that tired.

"Couldn't sleep," Link muttered in return. "Kept...imagining things."

"What things?"

Link shuddered again, giving her a look of desperation as a massive blush came to his cheeks. "If Lor offers to tell you something about...about...bedroom activities, for the love of the Goddesses, don't accept!"

Zelda, her sense of composure and noble bearing having taken a leave of absence, snorted into her bowl and giggled loudly, momentarily drawing the attention of the hunters around them before they returned to their own meals. She could imagine the horrified look on Link's face as Lor surely told him of more than just the "regular" things that took place in an establishment like the Temple. She only wished she could have been there to see it. She'd gotten more than her fill from Sheik, in the past...

Link gave her a look of hurt before focusing on his meal again, and she half-heartedly patted his shoulder in a show of comfort. She'd say something, but her throat had clamped firmly shut at the thought of Sheik.

Was he still angry? She hadn't seen him at all after he'd gone into his workshop the day before, and after...well, she'd been busy, but she'd assumed they'd run into each other at some point. So far, however, he had not shown his face at all. Link didn't seem bothered, but then again he must have had far more traumatising things on his mind right then.

Had she known the trouble they'd end up in, she likely wouldn't have insisted on going to The Studio...or, at least, not without a proper escort. Not that she doubted Sheik's ability to keep her safe, but it was, she'd decided, too much of a burden to be putting on his shoulders, on top of his other duties. If only she'd realised that before they'd set out... She didn't know what she'd do if her little brother resented her to the point where he'd actively avoid her. The winters here were long, apparently, and the thought of spending months here without his company...

No sooner had she begun to wallow in her own misery did someone plop down at the table, opposite of her seat. She glanced up, and blinked when she saw the boy in question digging into his own bowl of oatmeal (sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and sugar, just the way he'd always liked it), his gaze looking just as tired as hers and Link's. Another sleepless companion, then?

She opened her mouth to speak, but Sheik beat her to it, fixing her with a burning look that conveyed the utter seriousness of his words.

"Lie to me like that again, and we are through."

She gulped, hesitated a little, and the nodded. "I promise I will never lie to you again."

He held her gaze for a few seconds, as if trying to gauge the truthfulness of her statement. Then he smiled weakly at her, nodding, and continued to eat. "Good," he said around a mouthful. "Clanmates shouldn't fight. How is Elenwe?"

It took her a moment to find her voice again. It was one thing to be forgiven, but...clanmates? To a Sheikah, their clan was everything. It was their family, their culture, their identity. To call an outsider such a thing...well, it was tantamount to adopting said outsider into their ranks. Into their family. True, Zelda had considered Sheik a little brother for years, and she was sure he considered her, if not a sister, then at the very least some sort of relation beyond "friend", but...this was...

"She's...alive. Stable," she managed to force out, taking a big swig of water as she tried not to let the revelation rock her foundations entirely. "She...er...we lost her for a moment or two, but Kaura brought her back. Managed to stop the bleeding, though it was a close call. Kaura said as long as she made it through the night, she'd make it through...barring any infections, of course, but we'll be keeping a close eye on her to prevent that."

Sheik seemed to relax a little, his shoulders lowering a fraction. "That's good to hear. Kafei would...I'd rather not imagine what he'd do if he lost her. They're married, you know."

"Kafei...your cousin, yes?"

"Mhm," Sheik confirmed. "Idiot got massively drunk last night, blaming himself for what happened. I'll tell him she's all right when he wakes up...and stand guard to stop him from rushing the infirmary and jumping into her bed."

"Eugh, bed," Link muttered, blush returning to his cheeks. Zelda tried not to smirk.

"What's the matter with you?" Sheik asked, looking at the Hylian. "Are you feeling sick?" He reached over the table in an attempt to feel Link's forehead, but Link turned away. Zelda couldn't contain her snicker at that.

"Lor gave him a little...lecture," she revealed. "On matters most intimate." Sheik raised an eyebrow at this, clearly wanting her to go on, but she only continued snickering. "Ask him if you're so curious."

"Link?" Sheik said, turning back to him. "What did Lor tell you about?"

"Nothing!" Link half-shouted, shovelling the last of his breakfast into his mouth and taking off in a flurry, barely remembering to bring his bowl back to the kitchen area. "Sorrygottagotrainseeyoulaterbye!"

Sheik stared after him, his raised hand slowly lowering when the events caught up with his brain. "What did I just witness?"

"That, brother dear, is something only he can answer," Zelda said, relishing in being able to call him that again. She wondered what had made him change his mind so quickly, especially after his outburst the day before. He had been so angry... "Hey," she said, dropping her voice. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" he asked, frowning.

"The...bit about clanmates? Did you really mean that?"

A faint hope that Impa hadn't just spoken the words for her comfort had started to grow within her, and she could only hope Sheik wouldn't stomp it out again.

He bit his lip, which caused the burn on his cheek to stretch slightly. He twitched a little-the pain was still there, then. "I did," he said. "I'd love to be able to say I came to the conclusion on my own, but...it had to be pointed out to me. I've...lost enough family as it is, and I cannot lose more. I will not lose more, especially not when I can do something about it. So yes, I meant it. There's usually some sort of ceremony, but as far as I'm concerned, you're Half Sun, my kin, and anyone who disagrees will have to take it up with me!"

The last words were spoken at a volume, his tone firm and challenging. It drew the attention of the other hunters in the hall. The Sheikah hunters gave them a once-over before nodding and resuming their meals, while the non-Sheikah simply gave each other bewildered looks before doing the same.

She gave him—her clanmate—the biggest grin she could muster. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice failing her.

"We'll have to get you an earring," Sheik said, his grin suddenly a little too wide for comfort. "To make it official. And a tattoo, of course."

"Wait, what?"

To be continued…

Short chapter of the idiot siblings reuniting after a fight...and an apology for the loooooong delay since the last update. I have no excuses other than a massive writer's block, and how having to work full-time all summer tends to kill your creativity.

Also, there might a little time-skip in the next chapter, as I got a little too bogged down in their first days at the Studio. Gotta move dat plot along, right?

Till next time!

-Andy