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.

Soul Remnants
Chapter 37

The first thing he became aware of was the fact that he was hot. Almost suffocating, really. The second thing was the dull, throbbing pain at the base of his neck. The third thing—and the most unpleasant one by far—was the sensation of akin to someone having poured glue in his eyes and forced them shut afterwards.

It took Sheik a good five tries before he was finally able to force his eyelids to move, and even then the discomfort of it almost made him want to stop. They were in a tent, probably the twins'. That much he could tell, but little else was revealed by staring at the ceiling. His whole body ached, and the very idea of forcing himself to move was discouraging.

It wasn't until Link moved slightly in his sleep, nuzzling his face into the crook of Sheik's neck that he realised that the Hero of Time had, quite impressively, wrapped himself completely around his lover. Well, that explained the heat, he supposed. In darkness that would leave any person pretty much blind, Sheik could clearly see the features of the Hero's face...or at least the ones that weren't hidden against Sheik's neck.

It was an impossibly endearing sight, the slight smile on his lips, the completely relaxed brow... Contrary to what the Hero either liked or wanted to believe, Sheik wasn't the only one who felt haunted by the war. Link just hid it better, but Sheik could always see it on the slight tightness that manifested itself around his eyes when he was reliving it in his mind.

It was good to see Link again. The real Link. The real Link also needed a shave, Sheik noted. The ghost of a beard and accompanying moustache was starting to show on his face.

The fifth thing Sheik noticed was that they weren't alone in the tent. He heard at least three separate breathing patterns that didn't match his or Link's. Turning his head, which wasn't easy because of Link's death-grip on him, Sheik noticed Jeryd sleeping a few feet away. He looked rather haggard, like he hadn't eaten or slept well in a while.

How long was I gone? Sheik wondered.

Close to Jeryd, curled closely around some sort of heater, a young Gerudo woman slept. Sheik had no idea who she was, but it felt surprisingly nice to see a member of the desert folk again. It reminded him of home. No matter how much he craned his neck, however, he couldn't spot the third person. It was definitely a male, though, based on the slight vocalisations he made with every exhale. Whoever he and the mystery Gerudo were, Link and Jeryd trusted them enough to sleep so close to them, and that was all Sheik needed to relax.

He yawned and was surprised by the fatigue he was feeling. Surely sleeping for...Goddesses knew how long would leave him a bit more rested than this? Then again, the time had been spent with the shadow, whose very presence was draining, not to mention interacting with him, which was the biggest source of frustration and annoyance Sheik knew of. Frustration, annoyance...and fascination.

He groaned quietly. Not this again, he thought. No, he is nothing more than a distraction and annoyance, that's it!

Link stirred in his sleep, and Sheik cursed himself inwardly. The Hero looked just as tired as Jeryd, and the last thing Sheik had wanted was to wake him up from his probably more than deserved slumber. When a sky-blue eye opened up and stared right into his, though, all annoyance and stress melted away, however, and when a huge smile broke out across Link's mouth, so did everything else.

Neither of them spoke or moved. They just looked at each other, silently declaring their feelings and thoughts. Finally, Link moved his head from Sheik's neck—revealing a large bruise around his right eye—and placed a chaste kiss on his lover's lips.

"I've missed you," he whispered, smiling.

"I missed you too," Sheik whispered back.

Sheik stared into one of the pit traps. The bodies in it were already frozen from the biting cold of the Luminan winter. It was an undignified way to be disposed of, but when the victors didn't have the time to dig proper, individual graves...well, what else could they do?

"I cannot believe I slept through a battle," Sheik muttered and turned away from the grisly sight, looking out over the camp. Link had spent the last hour or so regaling him with what had happened while he was out. Sheik felt awful when the Hero told him about Erd's death. Ard must have been devastated...

The snow covering the ground was full of red spots, the only reminder of what had happened here. Well, except for the big holes in ground behind him, of course.

"It wasn't one you wanted to see," Link said sadly as they walked away from the awful sight, getting close to the tree line. "It was just...a big mess."

"I could tell from you alone," Sheik replied, looking pointedly at his bruise. "Looks like you took a pretty bad hit."

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Link said, touching the tender skin around the bruise. "I'd rather have this than a broken nose, you know? Was this close to getting one, too. Only stopped bleeding a few hours before I went to sleep."

"You're lucky, then," Sheik said, smiling a little. That was Link for you—shrugging off injuries like they were nothing. He looked around. "How many men did Riveth lose?"

"Haven't heard the final body count," Link said. "But last I heard was a hundred or so. They took all three hundred of Agon's with them, though."

"Including Agon himself, like you said."

"That was Rial. He went berserk after Agon killed Erd...there was almost nothing left of him...well, apart from the important bit, of course." He looked in the direction of the command tent, outside of which the dead general's head had been placed on a pike. "Kinda grisly if you ask me..."

"It's a good way to preserve morale, though," Sheik pointed out. "Just a gory way of saying 'Look what we did', really. And for an army of this size to beat a force of three-hundred well-rested enemy soldiers...it's impressive."

"That's the end of road, though. The officers have been arguing loudly all day about what they're going to do now. Most want to go back to Æsir and hide there while others want to surrender. Doesn't really matter what happens, this army is finished."

"I suppose that's true," Sheik agreed. He had a feeling of being watched, for some reason. He brushed it off, however. They were in a friendly camp, the enemy had been vanquished and he had no enemies here...as far as he knew, anyway.

Neither spoke for a while; enjoying each other's presence, both awake for bloody once. Then Sheik spoke, "Who are the people in the tent?"

Link hesitated. "Ah, you...saw them, did you?"

Noting the Hero's nervousness, Sheik nodded. "Heard them at first. Neither of them are quiet sleepers."

"They were both dead drunk when they passed out," Link said, shaking his head in disapproval.

"You didn't answer my question, Link," Sheik said slowly. He stared at the Hero until his face fell.

"The girl's name is Elenwe," Link explained. "She's a Gerudo from Termina."

The name Termina triggered something in Sheik's head, and he felt his insides clench as he waited for the next words out of Link's mouth. It fit together far too well to be a coincidence. "And...the other one?"

Link clearly didn't want to say, only shaking his head as he spoke. "He's been really helpful, Sheik, and it's not what you think it is—"

"Who is it, Link?"

The Hero's mouth opened and closed several times, making an incredible impression of a fish. "I...I..."

"It's okay, Link, you can tell him," said a voice from behind Sheik, who whirled around and dropped into a fighting stance. Fatigue and slight dizziness be damned, he wasn't going to let that stop him from terminating the intruder with extreme prejudice.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

"Tch, you were always the smart one, Sheik," the newcomer said. He was standing under a large tree, a hood covering his face. "I'd be disappointed if you haven't figured out who I am, yet. Though, if you have and you intend to shout it out loud, I'd appreciate it if you didn't—I have one hell of a hangover at the moment."

"Why don't you show your face and we'll see if my suspicions are correct," Sheik growled. His insides were tying themselves into knots now.

"You haven't changed at all," the newcomer said and stepped into the moonlight, pulling back his hood at the same time. Sheik's breath hitched in his throat. He had been expecting this. All the signs were there, every clue and bit of information turned right back to this point, but it still didn't stop the shock, the surprise...and the anger. Kafei's grin only served to make it stronger. "Hello, cousin," he said.

Sheik was only able to stare at the other Sheikah for a few seconds. "Y...you..." he was able to force out.

"Like I said, you had to have figured this out by now," Kafei repeated. "Don't act so surprised."

"You!"

"Me."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sheik all but screamed, making Kafei visibly wince.

"What did I say about my hangover?" he asked, rubbing his temples. "I say, your voice still carries that cherub-like tone...the one that can break glass." He shook his head. "As for what I'm doing here...well, that's a long story, but I suppose I can start with the night I framed you for poisoning the king of Lumin—"

Sheik crashed into him before he could finish, sending them both sprawling on the ground. Kafei's surprised cry was cut short as his cousin's fist slammed into his jaw several times.

He couldn't control himself, his body didn't obey any rational thought, only the red-hot rage that boiling within him. The bitterness and animosity that had built up over the years, ever since the one person he had looked up to more than Impa had left him bleeding out on the castle floor all those years ago, had finally found a release: the endeavour to hurt the miserable bastard as much as he possibly could. Years of training and restraint went flying out the window, all the time spent learning proper manners for all situations, and every single lesson about finesse and fine manoeuvres in combat...all of it went missing. All he could think about was the scarred face below him and the resigned expression on it.

Then the face disappeared and all he saw was the moon. Link's arms were around his waist, pulling him away from the prone Kafei, who groaned loudly.

"Sheik, stop it!" Link yelled.

"Let me go!" Sheik screamed back. "Let me go! I have to...I have to!"

"Have to what? Kill him?" Link twisted away from Kafei and shoved Sheik forwards, placing himself between the two Sheikah, holding his arms out wide. "I know you're angry, Sheik, but this is not the way!"

"It's the only way!" Sheik growled. "He's a traitor, and traitors must die!" He made to lunge past Link, but the Hero was faster and tried to grab him in an arm-lock, but it was Sheik who had taught him that particular trick and he knew exactly how to get out of it. He slid out of the Hero's grip and slipped past him, heading right for Kafei, who was sitting up, staring sadly at Sheik as he approached.

He was just about to reach him when a crossbow bolt thudded into the ground right in front of him, causing him to come to a dead stop. The Gerudo girl stepped out from the shadows, an oddly shaped crossbow in her hands, aiming straight at him. How she had reloaded it so quickly was beyond anyone's guess.

"Easy there, blondie," Elenwe said, her voice steady. "Can't let you hurt him, even though he clearly deserves it."

Sheik glared at her, panting heavily. The anger was fuelling him right now, but he knew that fatigue was going to catch up to him very quickly. "Get out of my way," he said, trying to stop his voice from shaking.

Elenwe shook her head. The action clearly caused her discomfort. "Sorry. Can't."

"This is none of your business!"

"I hardly think you wanting to hurt the man I love isn't any of my business," she growled, aiming the crossbow a little higher. "I've got nothing against you, Sheik, but I will shoot if you try to attack him again."

It was so frustrating. The person he hated most in the whole world, even more than he had hated Ganondorf, was lying right there, in the snow, not fighting back. But this...this thief was standing in his way. It was so unfair! It made him want to howl with rage.

"Sheik..."

Link's voice snapped him out of it, and he looked at the Hero, who was slowly circling him, most likely intending to turn himself into a shield for Kafei again.

"Even you?" Sheik choked out.

"Sheik, I'm not taking anyone's side here," Link said carefully. "Please, just hear us out. There are things you don't know, things that happened—"

"The only thing that's happened here is that I finally have him within reach, and you're stopping me from performing my duty!" Sheik snapped, his whole body shaking. In the periphery of his vision, Jeryd was racing towards them, shouting something indistinct at them. "For the last time, get out of my way!"

He felt...betrayed...

"Sheik...you know I can't let you do it," Link said pleadingly. "Please, just hear his side of things. You'll see that it was all a misunderstanding—"

"You...you've turned him against me," Sheik said in disbelief, staring at Kafei, who stared sadly back without saying a single word.

"Hey, what the hell is going?" Jeryd finally reached them, looking between them. "You're awake? Since when?" he demanded from Sheik.

Sheik didn't even notice the human, for he was busy looking at Link, shaking his head in denial. "No...no..." How could he? How could he? He started to back away; it felt like his entire world was crumbling. "No!" He turned and fled, running into the forest, ignoring the yells and pleas for him to come back.

They stared after him, all of them shocked...perhaps with the exception of Kafei, who sighed dismally. "I knew this would happen," he muttered.

"Sheik!" Link called and went to run after his lover, but Elenwe's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Don't," she said, a frown on her mouth. "It's not going to help."

"But—"

"She's right," Kafei said, finally standing up and brushing snow from his clothes. He moved his lower jaw, groaning as it clicked loudly. "You heard him—he thinks I've turned you against him. Going after him now is only going to make things worse."

"You! Why didn't you say anything?" Link demanded. "You could have helped—"

"You saw him, Hero," Kafei interrupted him. "He was practically hysterical, he wouldn't have listened anyway."

"But..."

"Be that as it may, he can't be allowed to go out there on his own," Elenwe said. "He's in no condition to be alone right not."

"I'll go," Jeryd said, already jogging in the direction Sheik had gone. "I didn't have anything to do with this, so he'll listen to me!"

"Thanks, Jeryd!" Elenwe shouted after him. Then she walked over to Kafei, inspecting his face. "You all right?" she asked.

"Headache's about ten times worse, and my jaw feels like it's five times bigger," the Sheikah said humourlessly. "He always had a strong right hook. Even as a kid. Damn..."

"If you knew he was going to react like this, why the hell did you do it?" Link marched up to Kafei and stood inches away, glaring at him. "Why couldn't you let him have one moment, huh?"

Kafei's eyes hardened ever so slightly. "Do you really think I could have picked a better time? Sheik was going to react like this no matter where or when I decided to reveal myself. Can you imagine what he'd do if he saw me when he woke up? He'd have slit my throat without a moment's hesitation. A bruised jaw is a hell of a lot better than an open neck, don't you agree?"

"But...why anger him on purpose?" Link backed away, covering his eyes with a hand. "This wasn't how I wanted him to wake up..."

"The sooner it's done and over with the better," Kafei said. "We're in a dire situation and we need to gather our wits about us as fast as we can to get out of it."

"But—"

"If you know him as well as I do, Link, you'll know that while Sheik can hold a grudge for a long time, he's also quick to anger and quick to cool down. His anger will run out of steam soon enough, and then we can have a civilised conversation about everything, and then we can finally settle this matter." Kafei smiled slightly. "And if it doesn't work, you can distract him with a romp in the hay while I make my quick escape." When Link stared at him like he had just grown a second head, he laughed. "That was a joke, Hero."

Link groaned and turned towards the spot Sheik had disappeared. "Maybe I should—"

"No, you're not going after them. Jeryd will bring him back, don't worry. Just go back to the tent and wait there."

"What about you?"

"We'll be there in a second," Kafei said, fixing his stare on Elenwe. "My...partner and I have something to discuss."

Elenwe visibly flinched at that, and Link gave her a supporting nod before heading back to their tent. Curious soldiers were peeking out from tents and tarpaulin shelters all the way back. Link didn't even look at them. They could find their gossip elsewhere.

Elenwe looked nervously at Kafei, swallowing. The Sheikah looked back at her for a long time before opening his mouth.

"The man you love, huh?"

That bastard! That son of a bitch! How could he do that? How could he?

Sheik had kept running for several minutes after storming away from the others before finally sitting down on a relatively snow-free log in a sheltered patch of woodland. He'd punched the ground several times, only stopping when he realised he had cut his knuckle on something. He breathed deeply, trying to regain control of himself, but every time he did, either Kafei or Link's face flashed before his mind's eye and set him off again.

Stop it! You're a Sheikah and Earl of Hyrule! Control yourself!

It didn't work. If anything, it only made things worse as he found tears of frustration and betrayal running down his cheeks. Link had turned against him! Kafei had fooled him into believing...what had he made him believe, anyway? The facts were right there! Kafei had almost stabbed Sheik to death! He remembered it clearly—he was bloody there when it happened!

He was torn away from his thoughts when he became aware of someone behind him. He didn't turn his head, however. If it were either Kafei or Link...he wouldn't know what to do.

"Hey," Jeryd said carefully, stepping in front of Sheik and looking at him. "Are...are you okay?" He sounded nervous.

"Go away, Jeryd," Sheik said quietly, trying not to explode at the human. He hadn't done anything to betray him...as far as he knew.

"Sorry, can't," Jeryd replied, crouching in front of him and inspecting his hands. "You're hurt," he said and pulled out a bandage from his pocket. Sheik didn't resist as the human carefully wrapped it around his bleeding knuckle, tying it off tightly.

"Do you always carry those things around?" Sheik asked, anger quickly dying as he watched Jeryd work.

"Not really, but I grabbed some from my bag when I heard the commotion," Jeryd explained. "By the way, it hurt when I realised that everyone was told that you had woken up...except me." He looked up at Sheik, frowning. "Not really sure what I did to deserve it..."

"It's not...we didn't tell anyone," Sheik said. "I woke up a few hours ago, Link noticed and we went outside to talk...that bastard and his friend must have heard us and planned an ambush..." The anger started boiling again. "I can't believe they fooled Link like this..."

"Fooled him?" Jeryd asked, ensuring that the bandage wouldn't fall off when he let go of it. "What do you mean?"

"You know the story," Sheik said, looking away and trying to reign in the fire within him. "You know what he did and what I have to do. Now he's fooled Link into stopping me..."

Jeryd stood up and silently motioned for Sheik to move aside so he could sit as well, which he did. "I know you won't like me saying this...but I don't think Kafei has fooled Link into anything."

"What?"

"Well, you know, he's been doing a lot to help...both Link and you."

"Help? Me?" Sheik asked incredulously. "He had me framed for an assassination I didn't commit, he got me imprisoned...he's the reason I was tortured, Jeryd!"

"From what I've heard, he meant to free you long before that happened, but...the guards got overzealous." Jeryd paused, looking thoughtful. "He did free you, though. Elenwe was the one who gave you clothes and the way to escape from the castle. She even killed the guards for you."

"Then I owe Elenwe my thanks," Sheik spat. "So far, Kafei hasn't done anything!"

"That's where you're wrong," Jeryd said, putting a hand on Sheik's shoulder. It was warm. As he did so, the throbbing at his neck got worse, but the Sheikah ignored it. "He has done a lot to help...not to mention the fact that he got you and Link reunited. I mean, he has worked arse off to get Link from Urne to here."

Sheik paused. "What was Link doing in Urne?"

"He was a prisoner there, didn't he tell you?" Jeryd asked, surprised.

"No, we...we haven't talked about that, we...just talked about the battle..."

"Ah...well, the next time you see Link, ask him about the lengths to which Kafei went to bust him out of Marlotta's hands and into your sleeping but awaiting arms." He grinned. "It's quite a story."

"More lies, I bet," Sheik replied sourly.

Jeryd sighed. "Listen, it's been an...overwhelming night. And day, to be honest. None of us are in a proper mental state for making sense. For heaven's sake, Kafei and Elenwe got horribly drunk before going to bed, I can't imagine what they must feel like right now."

"I hope his head feels like it's exploding."

"There's the badly hidden antagonism I've been missing," the human said, patting Sheik's shoulder again. "Listen, Sheik, whatever happens, I'm on your side, all right? You can count on me."

"I know," Sheik replied. "And I appreciate it." And he honestly did. The human had a knack for calming him down with his innocuous comments and pleasant conversations. He was a good ally to have, too, if it came to blows. He had a pleasant smile, as well.

Sheik's neck continued to throb.

To be continued...

Right...the December 13th date is just bollocks to me, apparently. So, let's just ignore it for now, eh? Short chapter this time, I'm afraid, but I hope it didn't disappoint anyway. Thanks for the reviews, everyone!

Also, I have a question for you people. As you know, the story is rated PG-13, which means I can't go too overboard with the yaoiness and such (while blood and gore is, apparently, not a goddamn problem). In the past, I've worked around this problem with Link and Sheik by making a separate story containing their first time together. However, since there will be...uh, how to put this delicately, lots and lots of lovin' in this story in the future...should I raise the rating to M so that I can actually put it in the story in a semi-graphic way, or is that unacceptable? Let me know, 'kay? :3

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