Disclaimer: The legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo, I'm merely borrowing them (Though Ayla, Kaiza, Anaruteir, Terra, Vorpheus and Doctor Kaura are mine)
Warning: This story contains slash, yaoi, shounen-ai, whatever you call two guys falling in love.
Soul Mates
Chapter 54
"No, no and no, you are not allowed to spar with the soldiers!" Malon exclaimed as she did her best to push Link back into his bed, much to the Hero's dismay.
"But I'll rot away if I just stay in bed!" the Hero tried to argue, his eyes pleading. "And my strength is fading!"
Sheik was observing this with a smile on his face from his bed, which he was allowed to leave anytime he wanted provided he stayed close to the tent. He had to admit, Link had a point. The time in bed had not been kind to the Hero's physique, and the fact that Malon, who was rather thin, was able to keep him down was a testament to this. But, Kaura had been adamant about the Hero not leaving the bed before she came back that day, and Malon intended to follow her superior's order to the letter.
"Sheik!" Link all but shouted. "Help me!"
Grinning, Sheik shook his head, glad that his cowl was currently hiding his mirth. It was good to finally see the Hero put in his place. "Sorry, Hero, but the doctor insists…and I have no intention of going up against her. It is not a wise idea according to Malon."
"The last person who disobeyed her ended up with both arms in slings," said Malon, grateful for the slight reprieve in Link's struggles. "And he was just brought in for a small cut on his arm."
Link's eyes widened, and he ceased struggling altogether, making Malon sigh in relief. "Is that true?" the Hero asked, his voice trembling. It was joined by his bottom lip when Malon nodded, making him look like a little child who had just been denied dessert.
"Calm down, Hero," Sheik said, taking pity on the older teen. "You'll be allowed out of bed today, and then we must continue on the quest. You should be grateful for any time you can spend resting." As if to illustrate his point, Sheik straightened out in his bed, stretching his slightly sore limbs.
It had been a good day. He and Link had, after much covert snuggling, decided not to talk about any troubling subjects until they were both well enough to continue on their way, as it was obvious they were both made uncomfortable by something. Sheik knew exactly why he was troubled, but what Link knew was beyond him. But, they would cross that bridge after Kaura had cleared them for release, not a second before.
While Link anguished in his bed, Sheik had been out and about, talking to messengers and trying to get a general idea of what was happening in the outside world. Small snippets of which village had fallen or which officers had been killed was all he could garner as Zelda wanted to keep all vital information under wraps in case of spies. After the initial disappointment, he had gone to the quartermaster. He had been surprised that the field hospital even had such an officer, but he supposed that someone had to keep tabs on which weapons and armours belonged to whom. The aging soldier—a sergeant by the look of his uniform—had first eyed him with distrust and refused to release his equipment, but Kaura had happened to walk past at that point.
After half a minute of glaring from the scary woman, the sergeant had relented and given Sheik back his weapons and clothes. His exoskeleton had been put aside by his bed as he did not feel like changing into the tight clothing just yet. He had also left Terra the sword and Kazuya behind with the quartermaster since he didn't want them in the tent. What he had truly wanted back were his daggers. He needed practice, especially since his newly acquired ocular handicap was ruining his depth perception.
The first half hour had been frustrating. He had not been able to hit a single bullseye, and had in most cases missed the targets completely. At one point, he had almost been in tears as the annoyance had built up. He had just about been ready to give up when an aging archer had noticed him and approached, asking if he needed help. At first, Sheik was going to tell him to shove off, that a Sheikah didn't need help with something as simple as throwing a dagger, but then he had noticed that the archer had the exact same injury as he. After an hour of tips and instructions, Sheik had finally been able to hit a target in approximately the same way he had been able to before the events in Twilight.
After thanking the old man, Sheik had returned to the tent, exhausted and confident that he would be able to fight again, where he had collapsed on the bed. Link had asked him where he had been, and, upon hearing what Sheik had been up to, insisted that he too should train and make sure he hadn't gone rusty. Malon had entered the tent, and then this spectacle had ensued.
The day after, Link was on his feet, walking around. His recovery was speedy, and he was already well enough to wear his weapons and armour that evening. Of course, this was probably due to the ungodly amount of red potion he had forced down his throat after realising that the longer he was bedridden and unable to fend for himself, the longer he was under the influence of Kaura.
Sheik had to admit, it was good to see the Hero back in his green tunic again, although a pair of proper pants would have been preferred instead of the white leggings. After casually mentioning this to Link, the Hero had laughed and pranced around in said leggings—and nothing else—for an hour. Thankfully, his sense of decency had kept him from doing outside the tent, but it had still made Sheik blush like a tomato.
Embarrassing episodes aside, the pair were now both standing in their usual outfits, studying each other in silence. It felt…good to have the Hero's gaze raking up and down his body again, Sheik realised and blushed.
"I'm not so sure about me, but you look great," Link finally said, grinning at his lover.
"Well, apart from…those—"Sheik pointed at the leggings"—you look fine as well," the Sheikah answered.
"Just fine?" asked Link, raising an eyebrow as he tried to mimic Sheik's usual questioning expression. "You look great, and I look fine? Isn't that close to comparing an apple to chopped liver?"
"Chopped liver?" asked Sheik, doing his best to stop his own eyebrow from mirroring Link's. "That has to be the worst analogy I have ever heard, Hero."
Wrinkling his nose, Link turned away and started to strap on his bandoleer. "Not everyone can be a smartass Sheikah," he mumbled.
And thank the goddesses for that, thought Sheik and pulled his hair up and tied his turban. It had been so long since he had last worn it that his hair felt unnaturally constricted. Shaking his head to check if it held, he tied the bandages around his hands, careful not to cut himself on the hidden daggers. He then unpacked the bundle that contained his swords, kindly fetched for him by Malon. Terra and Kazuya were so alike, yet so different. Kazuya's dominant colour scheme was dark blue, similar to Sheik's exoskeleton, while Terra's was green, reminiscent of the other Sheikah's suit.
"When did you get that?" Link asked from behind him. Sheik turned around and saw that the Hero had finished putting on his equipment surprisingly quick and was looking at Terra.
"I had it when I returned to this realm," said Sheik and strapped Terra to his back. "It was…a gift from someone." He looked at Link as he then strapped Kazuya to his back as well, arranging them in an X-shape on his back. He had not fought with dual swords for some time, but he hoped to relearn some of the things he had forgotten as he went.
"It looks vicious," said Link and smiled. "Just like you."
Sheik looked up. "Vicious? I thought you said I was beautiful?" He noticed that Link's eyes seemed to be drawn to his eyes these days.
"You are," said Link moved closer, stroking Sheik's cheek with the back of his hand. "But that scar, along with the swords, makes you look like a ferocious warrior." He leaned in close and kissed Sheik lightly.
After parting, Sheik stared at him with what he hoped was a sly expression. "So I didn't look like a warrior before?" he asked. "I don't know if I should feel vaguely offended or take it as compliment."
"I hope the latter," said Link and started to rustle around in his pack, which Malon had practically broken under the weight of. Sheik hoped Link wouldn't do the same. The Hero had lost a lot of weight, and his strength was still not back to the point it had been before they entered the Spirit Temple. "By the way," the Hero said, making the Sheikah look back up. "You forgot something back in the desert."
"And what would that be?" asked Sheik with his back to Link as he tried to get used to the weight of two swords on his back. The Hero remained silent, forcing Sheik to turn around and look at what he was holding in his hands. The Sheikah's eyes widened. "You…took care of it?" he asked, his eye roaming the delicate wooden object.
"Of course," said Link and scoffed. "I know how much this means to you, and, let's be honest; this is a pretty big part of who you are." He held the object out to Sheik, who took it with a trembling hand.
Not noticing the surprisingly eloquent sentence Link had just uttered, Sheik let his fingers lightly roam along the strings of his lyre, playing a small warm-up melody. It had been so long since he saw the instrument, and it felt right to have it back in his hands. He noticed Link looking at him expectantly and smiled under his cowl. Slowly, he moved his fingers, playing the melody that he had played the first time he and Link had met in the Temple of Time. Link smiled as he recognised the notes.
"There's the Sheik I know," the Hero said after the last of the strings' vibrations died out. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted as the younger teen embraced him, burying his face in Link's chest.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Sheik kept repeating, his words muffled by the fabric of Link's tunic.
Smiling gently, Link wrapped his own arms around Sheik and hugged him back. "You're welcome, Sheik…"
"Does Zelda even know we're here?" asked Link.
They were standing close to the makeshift gate of the field hospital. Dawn was breaking, and they were going back to the main camp, where the princess and main part of the army waited. The Kokiri village had been vacated when it became apparent that there would not be room for the amount of people who were flocking to it. Zelda's war camp had now been set up at the Sacred Forest Meadow, close to the Forest Temple. The area was probably the safest in the entire Lost Woods after the soldiers had cleared out the Moblin infestation. The only problem was the Skullkids, but they were mostly pulling pranks rather than causing trouble.
"Apart from our admittance here, I do not believe so," answered Sheik. One of the gate guards was looking at them strangely, and Sheik was trying to stare her down. "Especially since you all but knocked me down in order to prevent me from sending a message to her via Kaiza."
Sheik couldn't see it, but Link scratched his neck embarrassedly anyway. "Hey, you wouldn't yield to me."
Kaiza had appeared the day before during a particularly tiresome final check-up by Kaura. At first, Sheik had thought Zelda was demanding a mission report, but the falcon did not carry a message on her leg. Sheik had then figured that it would have been a good idea to write to tell Zelda that they were both fine. Link, however, did not agree, and had tried to take Sheik's writing supplies away from him. The Sheikah would have none of that, though, and a play-fight had turned into an earnest struggle of dominance which Link, with his more powerful frame and ample strength, had easily won.
"You could not honestly expect me to yield to an opponent who threatened with, and I quote, 'tearing out my remaining eye and feeding it to the crows', did you?" asked Sheik, smirking when the female soldier finally relented and looked away. He looked at Link. "Also, kicking someone between the legs, no matter the situation, will always be a cowardly move."
"Cowardly, but effective," said Link and grinned. The grin faltered, however, when Sheik's expression did not change. "Does it still hurt?" the Hero asked apprehensively.
"…the pain comes and goes, Hero," said Sheik. "I will make you pay for it some time, though, and I live by the eye for an eye-rule."
Link gulped and looked back at the many tents and small shacks that made up the field hospital. They were waiting for Malon, who had asked them to bring some medical supplies back to the main camp, which was running out of medicine.
As the silence stretched on, Sheik thought it appropriate to fill it with something and pulled out his lyre. It was not until he finally got it back that he realised just how much he had missed the instrument. It was like being reunited with an old friend after years of separation and still be able to remember every single detail about him. He started to play, not an established melody, but just random notes that somehow seemed to flow together and form an unknown song. As he continued playing, he noticed that Link had closed his eyes and was swaying back and forth to the music. Suddenly, the Hero opened his eyes, looked at Sheik, smiled and stuck a hand down one of the innumerable pockets on his tunic. Out came the Ocarina of Time, and then they were both playing.
It surprised Sheik to see Link pick up on the unknown melody so quickly. He hadn't expected the Hero to be so musical.
But that's what I get for only truly listening to him when I was teaching him the warp songs, he thought.
They both lost track of time while they played, the strings and flute intermingling and producing harmonies that would make a composer weep for the beauty of it all. The notes echoed in the forest, waking many of the dwellers within. Somewhere, wolves howled, doing their best to answer the call of the music. Why any wolves were awake or willing to answer was a mystery.
As the music faded, they both heard someone clapping. They opened their eyes (which none of them had noticed closing), and saw both Malon and Kaura standing there, smiling and applauding their improvised performance.
"That was beautiful," said Malon.
"Indeed," said Kaura. She was wearing night robes, indicating that she had just gotten out of bed, most likely because of Malon. Three heavy-looking packs lay at their feet. "Have you been practicing that piece for long?" the doctor asked.
"Actually, we've never played it before now," said Link and grinned. "It just kinda…happened."
"You were improvising?" asked Malon, her eyes widening. She looked to Sheik for confirmation.
The Sheikah nodded. "Yes, we were improvising. I was testing my instrument, and the Hero joined in."
"Impressive," said Kaura and pushed her spectacles further up her nose. Her hair had still not been arranged into the usual tight bun and hung freely, like it had done when she and Sheik had talked.
She should keep it that way…it makes her look less threatening, he thought. He pointed at the packs. "Are those the supplies?" he asked.
Kaura nodded. "Yes. These packs contain enough red potion and bandages to last them the week it takes to organise a larger convoy. They're heavy, though, so I'm not sure if you should be carrying them by yourselves…" She trailed off, looking purposefully at the two boys. "In fact, I forbid it," she suddenly said. "I have just discharged you from the hospital, and I will not have all my hard work undone by something like this. I shall find someone else to—"
"That's not necessary," said Link, shaking his head. "We've got transportation." Without pausing, he put the ocarina to his lips and played that all-too-familiar song. Malon recognised it immediately and smiled.
"You've been taking good care of her?" she asked, directing the question to Sheik, who nodded.
The morning silence was disturbed by a distant whinny, and the fast-approaching thundering of hooves. As they approached, Sheik could hear that there were more than four hooves involved in the noise, and he smirked.
Those two sure are close, he thought as both Epona and Maladict burst out from the trees, tore across the field and into the small valley where the hospital was located.
"Where did those two come from?" asked Kaura, wondering if the horses had been waiting in the forest all this time.
"The main camp, obviously," said Link in a matter-of-factly voice.
"The main…camp?" said Kaura, her left eyebrow twitching slightly. "Which is several miles away?"
"I find it best not to ask when it comes to this horse," said Sheik in what he hoped was a kind voice. Epona snorted at him and pushed her muzzle against his arm, as if acknowledging that he had been gone and that it was good to see him again. Maladict took it one step further and chomped down on his turban, tearing it off. Sheik narrowed his eyes at the stud, which actually managed to look quite innocent as it let go of the fabric of Sheik's headwear. "You are being quite unruly, you know that?" Sheik asked Maladict, who snorted.
"He's just upholding our agreement," said Link and pointed to both their heads. "No cap, no turban, remember?" he asked and laughed.
"That was an agreement?" asked Sheik. "I thought I was giving and receiving a compliment."
"I think you are the victim of a verbal contract," said Kaura and handed Link the first of the packs. The Hero tied the pack to Epona's saddle—where exactly the saddle had come from; he didn't want to know—and petted her neck.
"That's right!" exclaimed Link. "Verbal contract."
Sheik took a long, hard look at Link's back. The Hero seemed to notice as he froze mid-motion. "Do you even know what those words mean?" asked the Sheikah.
"I know there's a contract involved," said Link and continued to load Epona, doing his best to avoid Sheik's piercing stare.
Sheik sighed slapped his forehead. "Unbelievable."
"Good grief, you two bicker like children," said Kaura and unceremoniously tossed the remaining pack to Sheik, who barely caught it and was almost thrown to the ground by the weight.
"I thought you wanted us to be careful," said Sheik and did his best to attach the pack to Maladict's saddle, but the stud's height and playful cantankerousness did not help him.
"Eh," the doctor simply said as she watched her ex-patients almost work themselves to death with the medical supplies. "If you're well enough to argue, you're well enough to lift something."
Eventually, Malon took pity on Sheik and helped him. After making sure the supplies were carefully fastened and wouldn't fall off, Sheik and Link turned to Malon and Kaura. Both sides were unsure of what to say.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye…for now, anyway," said Link. He smiled at them both. "Thank you both."
"We are in your debts for all you have done for us," said Sheik, bowing.
Malon blushed and giggled at the sudden formality. "Please, it was nothing, really."
"She's right," said Kaura. "You two must have been the easiest patients we've had this entire damnable war. A bit of bed rest and potion and you were good to go."
"We are still grateful," said Sheik and jumped up into Maladict's saddle. "And we will be at your service if you ever need help."
"That's right," said Link and climbed onto Epona. The height difference between the two equines suddenly became even more apparent with riders.
Malon couldn't suppress a giggle, and Kaura raised a thin eyebrow. "Why is it that the Hero of Time has the smallest horse?" she asked.
"Luck of the draw, I suppose," said Sheik and smiled. He looked at Link. "If we want to reach the camp before dark, we must leave now." He nodded to Malon and Kaura. "Again, thank you. Thank you for everything." As he said this, he focused his gaze on Kaura, who seemed to take the hint and gave a small nod herself.
Sheik spurred Maladict on, trotting off. Link smiled and thanked them again as well, and quickly caught up with Sheik. The sun was already creeping over the trees as the pair finally continued on the path to Ganondorf's destruction…and Hyrule's salvation.
To be continued…
I don't think sorry is going to cut it at this point…I'm sorry for the delay. The chapter is slightly longer this time, so hopefully it was satisfactory.
Review replies:
Aeri – Well, Sheik does seem a bit masochistic at times, so maybe he just likes Speil's forcefulness more… I saw the Sim-me…and I am adorable, if I do say so myself :D
I gave Sheik a glomp from you, though he stared daggers at me afterwards…I guess I'm not on his friend-list yet…
Yuffie – IMMA CHARGIN' MAH LAZER!!! I still find that meme so wrongly humorous. Yup, feelings suck when they cause trouble like that, and I think Sheik is nodding furiously as I write this, hee! Maybe I should give the poor kid an eyepatch…Pirate-Sheik! Arrrrr, matey!
Gabe – Then thou shalt be known as Gabe henceforth. I'm glad you like the personalities. For a while, I thought about making Sheik completely serious all the time, but that would probably make the story boring, right? Again, thank you :)
Lone Keaton – Look, a new chapter for thou. Happy now? And in case you didn't get my message, happy Easter to you too. Hope you had a good break. Sheik and Kaura friends? Bah, perish the thought. Maybe a mutual respect, but never friendship. They simply are not compatible. I have heard of and played a bit of WoW, actually, but I never really caught the MMORPG-bug as I find them quite boring when I play them at length. Also, I'm not too fond of the pay-per-month aspect of it.
Spiritual Stone – Six months? Wow…when I spend that much time on a chapter, I usually end up putting the story on indefinite hiatus. Kaura did not say or do much this chapter, but I hope she didn't fall down your like-list, hee!
Foolish Chimera – Glad you like her and the conversation. I did my best to make her seem sympathetic without being too…you know, motherly.
Lost Poe – I'm continuing! I'm glad you like the story :D
Lady Linwe – You do? Aw, poor you. *hug* But what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? There's always sunny behind the clouds, after all.
BlueIrish – Thank you. I struggled a bit with that chapter, but it seems it turned out alright. To be honest, I feel so guilty when so much time passes between my updates…and I bloody did it again this week…grrrr, stupid me. As for writing from personal experience…well, not really. I have yet to fall in love with two people at the same time…in fact; I have yet to fall in love with someone, period. Does this make me a hack? Hm…*goes to do research*
MiniDork – Whoooooo! Spring Break! Whooooo! Party! …isn't that what you guys do during spring break? Glad you liked the previous chapter and I hope this one didn't disappoint.
Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Please leave one if you like the story!
