Please be extremely cognizant of the angst tag for this chapter. It gets dark, so please be aware. However, I am not pure evil, so there is a sweet resolution at the end, I promise.

Please see end notes for more detailed warnings without spoilers.

CW: blood, graphic violence, derogatory language (specifically towards women)

Link

Link didn't sleep, nor did he attempt to. After hours of trying to convince himself that the right thing to do was to stay where he was and to let Kira go, the anguish of worry finally won over everything else. As he'd hurriedly made his way toward the canyon stable, he wracked his brain for all the places that she might've thought to go, where he needed to look first to ensure that he found her before she did anything drastic. The most obvious place was back home to Akkala, but that seemed unlikely after what had happened earlier that evening.

He didn't know how to feel about what they had learned. Though undeniably angry for Kira, he was unsure of where to direct said anger. He'd felt it building as he stood silently beside her, holding her hand while she'd listened to the story of her mother's demise with empty eyes. Link had recounted the whole thing to himself many times over, struggling to decide whose, if anyone's actions, had truly been in Kira's best interest. He'd concluded that it didn't matter; she would've suffered regardless of the outcome.

Trudging through the shifting sand, he began to wonder if the growing ire he was feeling was solely because of Kira's predicament, or if he was finally succumbing to that of his own. Witnessing her unravel in front of him as she contended with her newfound grief had wrenched open wounds that he thought had long since healed. Though he had experienced tremendous loss, rarely did he let it affect him—the pain and guilt were suffocating. The last time he had mourned his nameless family and forgotten friends was years ago; while he'd wept for them, he started to feel as though he'd not allowed himself to sufficiently grieve.

And now he would lose Kira, too, he thought. He had let the one person who had made him begin to consider a life beyond this one, a future, slip away from him just as everyone else had. Standing opposite her in the brisk night, he had thought it selfish to divulge his feelings for her during such a moment. However, as dim lantern light from the stable glowed in the distance, he damned himself for his foolish decision. If he failed to find her, he would have no choice but to continue on to face Ganon before it was too late. His heart felt like nothing more than a hollow ache in his chest at the thought of dying before having the chance to tell her what she meant to him.

That he was in love with her.

The first time he had felt it, it had terrified him to the point that all he could do was try and suppress it, to bury it beneath the façade of friendship. Now, he was overcome by it; stricken with it, like he'd come down with a fever that refused to break. As he began to pick up speed, the memory of her bloodied lip and tear-stained face flashed into his mind. The way she smiled when she spoke to Rush or to Eros wouldn't leave him even when he broke into a run. He could think of nothing but her eyes gazing into his as he started to sprint.

The stable and the surrounding area was quiet and empty, save for a couple of weary travelers making their early morning departures. Link made a beeline for the sleepy-eyed stable master as soon as he rounded the corner into the canyon.

"Is she here?"

Piaffe, given no time to react, jumped at Link's sudden appearance at his counter.

"Does no one say hello these days?"

"Is she here?" He asked again, patience withering.

"It would help if I knew who you were talking about, pal."

Link inhaled sharply.

"The woman that I came here with. She has reddish hair, she's about my height—"

"Oh! The one with the attitude and the cranky mare."

"Yes," he said through his teeth, "that's the one. Have you seen her? Is she still here?" Link scanned the paddock for Rush, panic twinging in his gut when he couldn't find her amongst the other horses.

Piaffe shook his head."You missed her, I'm afraid. She's long gone—went speeding out of here hours ago."

Fuck. Not only could she have gone anywhere in Hyrule, Link knew the amount of ground that a horse like Rush could cover in just a couple of hours. Finding her without any kind of lead would be nearly impossible, if not altogether pointless.

"Did she mention where she was headed? Anything at all about where she might be going? Please," he asked, fighting to quell the tremor threatening to enter his voice, "anything that you can remember. It's important."

The other man frowned as he pondered the query. With a wrinkled brow he shook his head again, a regretful expression on his face. "She didn't say anything of note. All I remember is that she sure got herself in a real hurry to leave. I'm sorry, fella. I really wish I knew mo—" Piaffe's eyes suddenly darted away from Link and toward something behind him, widening in terror as though he'd seen a Lynel.

Hand flying to the hilt of his sword, Link spun on his heel. Smiling up at him was Riju, a stone-faced Buliara accompanying her. Riju peered around Link to grin at the petrified stable master.

"My lady Riju," he stammered, "what a most unexpected surprise."

"Sav'otta to you, Piaffe," she chimed, her tone one of amusement. "I see that you've chosen to be in the employ of a very noble profession. No more illegal bartering for you, hm?"

The man chuckled nervously as he shook his head just a bit too hard, his focus trained on Buliara. The Gerudo said nothing as she eyed him with evident disdain.

"Ah, no ma'am, certainly not. I no longer do business with rabble. I've been on the straight and narrow ever since I started here."

"That's good news, indeed. I suppose that means that you wouldn't know how our mutual friend here came to be in possession of the clothing that got him into town, then. Would you?"

The color drained from the man's face as he stared down at the chief, still smirking impishly."Um, ah—I actually don't, uh…You know, it's really time for me to feed the horses. We're on a very strict schedule here, so if you'll just, um…excuse me."With a sudden, unintelligible apology, Piaffe scurried off in the direction of the paddock and was gone.

Riju chuckled as Buliara made a noise of displeasure and shook her head while muttering in Gerudo. The younger of the two women stood with her arms akimbo, looking after the skittery stable master with a smirk.

Taking a step back, Link bowed in greeting."My lady, I…" he floundered with his words, unsure of what to make of Riju's presence at the stable.

His confusion must've shown on his face as the Gerudo raised her hand in assurance, acknowledging his unspoken question."I'm surprised to find myself here, as well," she said, "but I believe that we're both here for the same reason. She's already gone, hasn't she?"

Riju's face fell when he gave a solemn nod.

"I heard everything that was said in the courtyard," she confessed. Link's attention shifted to Buliara, who wore a troubled expression as she turned away from them.

"I was hoping to speak to her," Riju continued, "though I haven't a clue what I would have said. I suppose there isn't anything one can say. As chief, however, I can't help but feel that I shoulder inherited responsibility for what happened to her. It didn't feel right to let her leave without an attempt at atoning for my mother's actions."

Link opened his mouth to protest, to dissuade her from feeling such unearned guilt, but she silenced him with another wave of her hand. "My mother was a kind person and a just leader, but she made a mistake. While I understand her intention, I simply cannot agree with the course of action that she chose to take. I believe in my heart that she would have seen the error of her ways were she with us tonight. I need Kira to know that."

Link stared at her, wordless with awe. This young woman before him, this child, was far wiser and more articulate than someone three times her age. She had been forced to give up her childhood because of her duty and diplomacy, he realized. While Riju's fortitude reminded him of Kira, her predicament reminded him of someone else; someone who still waited for him in a blighted prison of her own making.

He could not allow himself to fail any of them.

"My lady Riju," came Buliara's voice from behind them, "I must insist that we return to the city as soon as possible. The Yiga have been especially restless as of late; it's unsafe for you here, even attended."

"She's right," Link said, "I've seen Yiga agents in numbers like never before—their ranks are fast growing."

Buliara stepped forward, humming in agreement as she set her hands on the hilt of her claymore."The reclamation of the Divine Beasts has sent the clan into a panic. Their master knows that his reign is coming to an end, and it is imperative that he be eradicated before the Yiga become any more powerful. Our top priority now must be retrieving the Thunder Helm. Without it, Naboris will not fall, and therefore Ganon will not fall." The Gerudo's tiger-like gaze then shifted toward Link.

"Champion or not, my warriors and I are at your disposal. Whatever you may need to avenge our Lady Urbosa and all of our fallen sisters, name it and it is yours."

Link's brows shot up as he turned toward Riju in surprise; the young woman's mouth hung open slightly, gaping at her warden. Buliara grudgingly narrowed her eyes. "Do not look at me that way, either of you," she grumbled, "It is a vai's prerogative to change her mind, is it not?"

Riju beamed at the woman, whose face began to redden as she attempted to suppress a smile of her own.

"What about Kira?" Riju asked, consternation coloring her voice, "She could be in danger. She left completely unarmed."

She was right. Though he was no stranger to Kira's ability to defend herself, he worried for her; incessantly, and all of the time, be it warranted or not. There was an excellent chance that it had nothing to do with her competence in combat and everything to do with how he felt about her.

"I will send Kotta and Liana to search for her, but only to assure that she is safe and well-supplied for her journey, wherever she may be headed. I do not wish to interfere any further," said Buliara. "She may choose to return here someday, but it must be her decision alone."

As Link processed her words, he felt like he might cave in on himself and crumple to the earth. Difficult though it was to hear, Buliara spoke the truth. Kira's autonomous spirit was the very reason that their paths had crossed and was not something that could be discounted. While he was far from ready to be parted from her, he knew that asking her to come back would be unfair. He nodded.

"Buliara is right," Link concurred, "She made the choice to leave here for a reason, and we have no right to ask her to come back."

Riju's mouth twisted into a frown, her full brows knitted."Don't you want to tell her that you love her?"

The Hylian nearly choked on his own tongue while Riju blinked at him curiously, entirely oblivious to what she'd just done. Buliara's head whipped toward him, her brow approaching her hairline. Link froze, mentally coming to the conclusion that all women were born telepathic, a long-hypothesized theory of his for which he had plenty of evidence.

"Oh," Riju said, glancing between the two adults, "It would seem I wrongfully assumed that we were all…aware of that."

Buliara's mouth was set in a tight, pensive line. "He is in love with Kira?"

"Of course, but it's painfully clear that she doesn't know it."

"Are these affections mutual?"

"Oh, certainly, but Link doesn't kn—"

"Alright, just a minute," Link snapped, causing both women to fall silent. "My feelings for Kira are not the issue at hand here, and we—" the end of whatever he had planned to say disappeared as he realized the implication of what Riju had said. He turned to look at her and the same girlish grin that he'd witnessed before crept onto her face. The sudden uptick in his heart rate was accompanied by an unfamiliarly giddy sensation that made him lightheaded.

"She…feels the same?"

Riju nodded.

"You're sure?"

"What do you need, credentials? I was right about you, wasn't I?"

"Yes," he murmured, "you definitely were." After a brief moment, knelt in front of her, bringing his eyes level with hers. "My lady—"

"Riju," she insisted, earning a disapproving hum from Buliara.

"Riju," he said, "I need you to do something for me; make me a promise. I don't know if I'll see Kira again before I leave for Hyrule Castle—I fear that I won't. I also don't know if I'll make it out alive. There's a very real possibility that I will fail. Please, just…make sure that she knows. I need you to tell her for me. Please."

A lonely wind whined through the canyon as the Gerudo placed a lithe hand on his shoulder."I can make no such promise, champion, for you will prevail. When you return triumphant, you will tell her yourself. Now, come. I have something for you."

The chill of the desert night nipped at Link's nearly bare chest as he crouched atop Sapphia's Table, a large mesa that overlooked the trench that was Karusa Valley. He'd been there for over an hour, silently observing the unsuspecting Yiga agents below. He watched them come and go, mapping their movements and making note of their conversations in his mind—though most of it was nothing but banal chatter and pleasantries exchanged in passing. While his eavesdropping had gained him no valuable information, there was one thing that he was sure of: he was grossly outnumbered.

Absentmindedly, he ran his hand over the ornate spaulder that covered his left shoulder, the hammered bronze cool beneath his fingers. Riju had gifted him the traditional Gerudo armor before he had set off to reclaim the Thunder Helm, insisting that he would need it for their eventual assault on Naboris. To Buliara's horror, the young chief had whisked him back into town and quickly ushered him into a rather suspect shop hidden behind the tailor. He was swiftly outfitted in a set of men's armor, the likes of which he hadn't known existed.

"Despite it being illegal to sell voe clothing in town, there is high demand for such things," Greta, the woman behind the counter, had told him. "We both have something to hide, I suppose," she'd drawled with a knowing smirk, "Let's put that aside and move on to business."

While the armor was finely made with the scalding desert heat in mind, it was a bit less functional in terms of staying warm in the peculiar cold of evening and early morning. The sun would rise soon, though, and he would be grateful that he had not opted for his Snowquill tunic instead. Rising from his haunches, he peered once again into the mouth of the canyon to find it empty. It was time to move.

The paraglider fluttered gently as Link landed with a soft thud in the middle of the canyon. Treading as lightly as he could, he began to make his way toward what appeared to be the craggy mouth of a narrow cave, a sliver of amber light in the canyon wall. A feeling of unease settled in the further he went; it had been far too long since he'd been ambushed by any kind of enemy. Slipping into the entrance of the cave, he found himself in a strange, sanctum-like rotunda hiding in the hollowed-out rock. Towering stone statues of ancient warriors encircled a torchlit platform, each wielding a blade embellished with Gerudo markings. Each had intricate, unique features, but were blinded by banners bearing the Eye of The Yiga.

Tapestries adorned with the same symbol hung between each statue, but where there might have been an entryway that would lead deeper into the mountain, Link found none. He stood in the center of the platform and listened to the sound of his own breathing mingling with the crackling torches. A gust of wind fought its way into the sanctum then, causing one of the tapestries to shudder violently as it was sucked backwards. Nocking an arrow, Link held the arrow tip to one of the torches and let it ignite before loosing it into the tapestry.

Just as he had suspected, a steep staircase revealed itself as the fire ate at the tapestry. As the charred fabric fell away, he dashed up and into the unseen corridor, stilling when he approached the top. He had come to a raised landing that sat above what appeared to be a labyrinth of massive stone blocks, Yiga sentries patrolling amidst them. A frantic whisper made him startle, and he reached for his bow as he swiveled toward the noise.

"Hey, put that thing down! You'll alert the sentry."

The voice had come from behind wooden bars. A Gerudo woman sat on the dirt floor of the makeshift cell, peering at him in the dim light. He hurried to her, crouching so as not to be spotted. Just from her armor, Link immediately surmised that she had to be one of Buliara's warriors.

"Have they hurt you? Are you alright?" He whispered.

She nodded. "I'm fine. What are you doing here? And what are you wearing?"

"Never mind that. What's your name?"

"Barta," the woman replied, "but the bastards around here have taken to calling me bitch. Or whore, occasionally."

Link cringed at the words, not even daring to think about what they might be planning to do to this woman. Wrapping his hands around the log stakes imprisoning Barta, he attempted to heft them forward, only for the wood to make a sad creaking sound in response to his efforts. Barta swatted at his hands, chastising him under her breath.

"Don't you think I've tried that already?" she hissed, "It's no use."

"We've got to get you out of here somehow," he said.

"No, you need to get out of here. This place is dangerous, go while you still can. I can take care of myself."

Link craned his neck toward the winding maze of stone to ensure that no one was near. He would need to find a way to distract the sentries if he was going to look for the Helm, a feat that was beginning to feel next to impossible. He ran his hand over his face.

"Look, I'm not leaving here without you," he said firmly, "but I am here on behalf of your chief to retrieve the Thunder Helm. Do you have any idea where they might be keeping it? What have you seen?"

Barta cocked a brow at him before shrugging and shaking her head with a sigh. "Nothing, really. They don't do much except keep watch and take prisoners. I haven't heard anything that might help either, I'm afraid. I'm sorry."

"There are other prisoners?"

"No," she said, a dark expression marring her features, "not anymore."

His stomach dropped, her comment causing him to harken back to Buliara's chilling account of the night that Kira's mother had died. The Yiga had been born of the Sheikah, but had mutated into a perverted cult operating under the guise of vigilante justice, fueled by deep-rooted conspiracies about the Royal Family of Hyrule. It was rumored that by swearing their allegiance to Ganon, they had also signed away their very souls. The more Link learned of them, the more he was inclined to believe the whispers.

"As soon as I retrieve the helm, I'm coming back and we're going to get you out," he told Barta, "We're leaving here together. You have my word."

The woman gave him a sad smile. "You're a very noble voe-you would have to be for the chief to trust you with such a task. I appreciate the sentiment, but I've made peace with my fate. I made the foolish decision to come here alone and now I'm paying for it. Go and get the helm, but if I'm not here when you return, don't come looking for me. Do you understand?"

He hesitated before nodding in agreement, though he had no intention of obeying her command; he had already been the catalyst for far too many innocents' deaths. He refused to leave her there to be murdered by sadistic acolytes of a false prophet. With one last reassurance, he was gone, dropping down from the platform and into the labyrinth.

He landed as soundlessly as possible, being careful to evenly distribute his weight between his toes and the fingers of his right hand; a technique he had learned from Impa. The Yiga were Sheikah traitors, which meant that they, too, had once been trained in stealth and the art of deception. Link began to mentally amass everything he remembered of what Impa had told him about her people to the best of his ability, knowing that it may be his only advantage. All of the wisdom that she had imparted to him had saved his life on multiple occasions. He hoped that it would now.

Link moved furtively through the first two rooms of the hideout, swiftly slinking around corners and slipping into shadows. He used the strange haze that filled the air to his advantage, maneuvering so nimbly that even if a sentry did catch a glimpse of him, they would have questioned their own eyes. Other than the occasional echo of low voices from somewhere unseen, it was eerily quiet. Finally ducking into a tight passageway, Link let the tension leave his body as he released a weighty exhale.

He carefully ascended a rickety ladder that ran up the length of the wall and arrived on an empty, elevated passageway that allowed him an aerial view of the rest of the compound. Surveying the lower floor from his new vantage point, Link zeroed in on a wide archway in the very back of the room with an intimidatingly large guard manning the entrance. A network of suspended wooden planks hung over the room, creating a direct pathway to the opposite side, ending just above the arch. He would need to move quickly-and silently-but he could make it without being seen.

As he began his cautious crossing, his mind again wandered to thoughts of Kira and where she might be. He prayed to the Goddess that she was unharmed, that she had safely made it to a stable or a nearby town; anyplace that posed no threat. Perhaps she had even gone back to the onsen, the place where he had first realized that merely being her friend would never be enough. He dared to hope that she was sleeping now, as soundly as she could be.

Now directly above the archway, he studied the massive guard barring his way in. Just as he realized that he had no idea what to do next, a wide shelf situated on the wall caught his eye. It sagged under the weight of shipping crates and earthenware pots, supported only by a single wooden beam. Raising his bow, he closed his eyes for a split second as he inhaled through his nose. On the exhale, the fletching sliced at his cheek as the arrow went flying into the weak beam. The arrow hit its mark with just enough force to reduce the wood to splinters, sending the shelf's contents toppling to the ground with a deafening smash.

Link leapt down from the plank amidst the chaos that ensued and sprinted into the vacant archway, leaving the guards and sentries to hunt down an intruder they wouldn't find. He hadn't even had time to register his new surroundings when an unfamiliar voice made him stop short.

"Well, here you are! It's about time."

Before him loomed a slender, menacingly tall man with a voice like shards of glass, standing in the middle of a raised platform in the center of the room. While resembling the other Yiga in most respects, his elaborate armor indicated that he was more than a mere footsoldier. A grandiose collar embellished with gold covered his shoulders while cuffs of a similar fashion adorned his wrists. He wore an ornately decorated mask, by far more intricate than any Link had seen. A windcleaver blade sat on his hip, sheathed in a golden scabbard.

At his feet knelt what appeared to be a bound Gerudo woman; doubled over in a crumpled heap, her bloodied hair obstructed her face. Link felt sick.

"She said you'd come," the man drawled, giving the woman a slight kick, "but I told her not to get her hopes up. We were starting to think that you wouldn't show, weren't we?" The Yiga suddenly grabbed a fistful of the woman's hair, wresting her from the floor. Link's blood turned to ice in his veins.

Staring up at him with frantic eyes was Kira, a gag between her teeth.

Ligatures had been wound tightly around her wrists and ankles, the rope visibly biting into her skin. The white cloth in her mouth pulled at her cheeks, twisting them into a corrupted smile. Copper irises boring into him, she softly shook her head. Her expression was one that he had seen before; one that had broken him.

I'm sorry, it said. I'm so sorry.

"Little miss got herself lost in the desert earlier this evening and, luckily, several of my agents were kind enough to escort her here. When she let it slip that you were on your way, well," he paused, letting out a low chuckle, "I thought we'd make sure that you received a proper welcome." He yanked back on the gag, tilting Kira's face upwards as she emitted a muffled snarl.

"Don't be rude," he barked at her, "Say hello."

Bile rose in Link's throat as he wielded his bow with trembling hands and nocked an arrow, aiming directly at the Yiga's face.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," the stranger warned, "you make one more move and I snap her pretty neck. You don't want that."

Tentatively, Link lowered his bow, his gaze trained on Kira. He felt his mouth go dry as he looked at her, practically unrecognizable in the state that she was in. He could conjure no words, could not form a coherent thought while he took stock of the countless bruises that littered her arms and legs. The worst of it was not that he had allowed this to happen, but that he had no idea how he was going to save her.

Finally releasing his grip on Kira, the man clasped his hands together. "Very good," he said cheerily, "Now we can move onto introductions. I am Master Khoga, esteemed leader of the Yiga Clan. You've heard of me, I'm sure." He took a couple of steps down. "I have certainly heard of you, Link. You know that you've been causing me quite a bit of trouble here lately, don't you?" As he continued to get closer, Link instinctively moved back. Khoga cocked his head to peer at Link's belt, presumably to inspect the slate.

"Unbelievable, really. Princess Zelda's resurrected champion in the flesh. What's even more unbelievable is that you waltzed right in here of your own accord! I wouldn't have wasted my time on hunting you if I'd known what an idiot you are. Nevertheless, everything worked out in my favor. Not to mention the added leverage," he sneered, nodding his head toward Kira.

"Just tell me what you want," Link managed.

"Well, champion," Khoga replied, the title slithering off of his tongue, "it's simple. The desert rat goes free if you hand over the Sheikah Slate-"

"Done," Link heard himself say, the words leaving his mouth before he had time to consider the implications of the agreement.

Khoga clucked his tongue. "Not so fast! I'm not quite finished explaining the terms. You should know better than to agree to a deal so quickly, young man. It's bad business."

"Fine," Link spat back, "What else?"

Had Khoga not been hidden behind a mask, Link would have seen his mouth curl into a devious smirk. "A life for a life. You take her place, she leaves here without another scratch on her."

Kira began vigorously shaking her head, her teary eyes wide with terror as she wailed incoherently. He tried desperately to meet her gaze, to try and signal to her that it would be alright; that it was all a ploy. It's going to be okay, he longed to tell her, we're going to be just fine. Instead, there was nothing he could do but feign valor and watch her as she sobbed.

Khoga meandered back up the steps of the platform to crouch next to Kira, seizing her chin with his hand. "Aw, what's the matter? Surely you didn't think that I was just going to let you both walk out of here." The man laughed as Kira glowered at him, failing to wriggle out of his grip. His hands twitched with the urge to unsheathe his sword and run it straight through Khoga's stomach.

"You have a deal," Link seethed.

"Excellent. I'll take the relic from yo-"

"I have one condition."

The Yiga groaned. "Of course, you do. Very well, then. Let's hear it."

"I watch her leave," he said, "nothing happens until she's out of sight. You get nothing until I know that she's safe."

Link's skin crawled as Khoga ran his spindly fingers through Kira's hair, gingerly brushing it from her face."That's a reasonable request, I suppose," he crooned, "It's a deal." She shuddered beneath his touch when he caressed her jawline with his index finger.

"Untie her."

"One moment, hero. There's still one lesson that you've yet to learn." He positioned his hands on either side of Kira's face.

No.

"You really shouldn't be so trusting."

Snap.

The nauseating sound hung in the air as though suspended in time; a splintering crack that reverberated endlessly, etching itself permanently into Link's memory. Over and over again he heard it until he could recall nothing in his life that had happened before that moment. A numbness born of his heart spread throughout his entire body like tendrils of malice infecting him one cell at a time. Anguish tore into him, vile and vicious, and he drew his sword.

In a blur of blades and bloodshed, Link cleaved his sword at Khoga. The man howled as Link ripped the weapon from his shoulder, the fresh wound gushing red. The Yiga's windcleaver clashed against the Master Sword, the much larger man thrusting him back with the sheer force of the blow. Driven by the searing rage pulsing through him, Link charged at him again, gripping the hilt with both hands. Curving upwards, he plunged the blade into the man's torso, carving into the flesh just below his ribcage. Khoga collapsed as Link removed his sword, discarding it in the process. Blood seeped from the lifeless body, painting swirls of scarlet on the earth.

Link fell to his knees next to Kira's limp figure, gathering her into his arms and cradling her head against his chest. She slumped against him, dead weight in his embrace. He dared not look directly at her face, for he could not bear to see her vacant eyes staring back at him. Though she could not hear him, he begged her for forgiveness, whispering his repentance against her skin. Another life lost at his hands, right before his eyes. Clinging to her as though she might vanish any moment, he cried for her.

Please, he prayed to no one, please.

He then found himself breathless, weightlessness replacing the relentless pain. A restorative wave of energy crashed over him like long-awaited waves upon a barren shore. While not an unfamiliar feeling, it was one that he had experienced only several times before. Feeling another presence, he pulled away from Kira to see her aglow with gentle light. The luminescent light sank into her, her color slowly returning as it inched its way throughout her body. Pink filled her cheeks as her eyes fluttered open. Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath.

Kira's hand was at his cheek; a thing more precious than the warmth of her touch he could not imagine. Pulling her to his chest once more, he buried his face in her shoulder, emitting an odd combination of a sob and a laugh. An eternity passed as he held her, cherishing the feeling of her heart beating with his.

"I'm so sorry," he heard her say, "I came looking for you, and-"

"You found me," he murmured, for he could manage nothing else. Kira's eyes again brimmed with tears. She wound her arms around his neck.

"I'll always find you."

Relief coursed through him as they sank into one another, existing in a universe separate from any other for one fleeting, intoxicating moment. There was nothing but her fingers in his hair and his lips on hers. Silvery-white parks of light danced behind his eyelids as he kissed her, his hands clutching tightly at her back. He wanted to remain there for as long as he could, relishing in the second chance that he had been given.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

As though he'd spoken his thoughts aloud, a faint voice echoed in his ear.

"It was my pleasure."

CW continued: death, bondage (not the sexy kind, unfortunately), kidnapping

Hello, here I am! I know it's been a month BUT that's earlier than I anticipated so I'm pretty pleased. This chapter has been living in my brain for so long and I can't tell you how good it felt to get it out. An enormous thank you to my beta, snidgetwidgeon, who lets me bother her all hours of the day even though we live in separate countries and are like 12+ hours apart.

Thank you for sticking with me this far. We're so close to the end, and I can't wait to share it with you all. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading. Come visit me on Tumblr cyraclove for some extra stuff in between postings, if you'd like. Stay safe, be kind. Love you.