"I'm not your brother!" Revili spat at the Goron who had just addressed her. She was already in a foul mood, as she had been sleeping rather poorly the last few nights. That along with the fact that they'd been forced to leave Fox behind at the previous stable and that the horrible aftertaste of a fireproof elixir was still on her tongue was enough to make her ready to plant an arrow into anything that looked at her the wrong way. Of course, that might have been enough to put Link at the top of the list if she didn't need him to be constantly ready for a fight.

"She'd be a sister."

The Rito Champion quickly reevaluated whether or not she actually needed Link. If he was going to dryly make fun of her, then perhaps he would be more useful as a pincushion. The goddesses knew she could use some form of stress relief and performing acupuncture on Link sounded like it might actually do just that. With her considerable skill, he'd likely survive the process as well, meaning that she could still make use of his less annoying qualities; however, nothing came free. More than likely, she would have to drag him across the rest of Hyrule, tending to his injuries the entire time. It was something she would have to reflect on deeply before deciding whether or not it was something worth committing to.

"Oh, right!" the Goron replied apologetically. "I forgot ya have a whole buncha different words fer each other. Sorry, little Si-"

"I'm not your sister!"

The Goron recoiled slightly, giving Link a pitiful, helpless glance in the process.

"She's not good at meeting new people."

"I liked it better when you were silent!" she snapped at the Hylian. She had no idea what he was playing at, but for the past few days, he had become increasingly irritating. Rather than being his typically quiet and reclusive self, he had felt the need to be more talkative. That alone might have been something of a relief if every other word hadn't had a hidden barb in it. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was purposefully trying to rile her up. Nothing he said was mean or derogatory but his words still ruffled her feathers. "As for you, quit pretending we're related!"

"Uh… of course, we're not related," the Goron replied as he scratched at the stubble on his stony chin. "But that doesn't mean we can't be family."

"We're. Not. Family," Revili stated, enunciating each word clearly and slowly as she closed the gap between them and jutted her beak up into the Goron's face. "Come on!" she snapped as she threw an annoyed glance at Link over her shoulder. "We're wasting time."

Link returned her glare with his typical blank stare, yet it was somehow cooler than was typical of him. She shook the sight off, motioning impatiently for him to follow after her as she left the grimacing Goron behind.

Link caught up to her after several seconds. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She refused to look at anything other than the winding, rocky path ahead. Even so, she could feel his gaze locked on her, eyes boring into her. "I said nothing!" she snapped as she rounded on him.

He did nothing but stare at her in that infuriatingly blank way.

"What do you want from me?!"

"You've been off since we got here."

"Maybe it has something to do with you making fun of me while everyone on this blasted mountain acts like they actually care about me." The Rito Champion turned away haughtily.

"I care."

That gave the irritable Rito pause. Since when had he become comfortable admitting that he cared about her in any capacity. And why was he doing it now, when she was upset? Wasn't that something he should have been doing all the time?

Not that she would have been moved one bit by the admission anyway.

"If somethin-"

"I'm going to fly ahead. Try not to take too long." Without further ado, Revili created a gale and soared upwards, leaving her only companion far below.

Unfortunately, the only benefit of ascending was the quiet. She couldn't escape the heat, the frustration, and most importantly, the sense of foreboding that had hounded her since she had set foot on the mountain. Taking a moment to consider her situation, the Rito Champion could only assume that it had something to do with Daruk. She still couldn't recall a thing about the Goron Champion but there was no other conclusion she could draw.

But, at the end of the day, they couldn't have been that close, right?

The departure of his companion was the first thing that had put a damper on Link's mood that day. The change in scenery, as well as the general attitude of Death Mountain's inhabitants, was a breath of fresh air for Link. While he hadn't been particularly fond of the idea of leaving Fox with someone else, he knew it was for the best. It would have not sat well with him if he and Revili had gone through so much trouble to take care of the animal while it was vulnerable, only to accidentally kill him.

He could only speak from an assumption, but immolation was not a particularly pleasant way to meet one's end.

Even so, his dissatisfaction had been mitigated by the hospitality of the Gorons. The denizens of Death Mountain were among the first to greet him without any form of reservation. They probably were under the impression that there was nothing he and the Rito Champion could do to harm them. Or maybe it was just in their nature to assume that everyone was gentle and genial as they.

Or, maybe there was some other reason he was simply unaware of. Whatever the case, it was a welcome change.

The Hylians he and Revili had encountered thus far had been guarded around him, and the Zora that hadn't actively hated him had been rather unsure of how to speak with him. And while he knew that Impa and the Sheikah were allies (quite possibly his strongest ones), he found that he was far too wary of what Impa was hiding from him to really feel comfortable in her presence.

Thankfully, the Goron's didn't seem to care for mincing words. They apparently said whatever was on their mind (sometimes accidentally). He couldn't even be upset if something they said could be interpreted as insulting. They were just too sincere for him to really be offended.

And it was nice to talk to someone who would be straightforward with him.

Yet none of that was enough to reduce his worry over his companion. Since leaving Zora's Domain behind, she had spent less and less time up in the air. He wasn't sure if it was out of some sense of concern for his mental well-being or she was simply starting to warm up to him. Either way, her current behavior was a regression that concerned him.

It was bothersome to him that something was clearly bothering her yet there was nothing he could do. Admitting that her refusal to communicate with him did little to ease the niggling voice that told him there was something he should be doing.

Of course, that was the illogical voice that insisted it was his fault and his alone that the Great Calamity had happened. When he silenced that voice, he was able to think more clearly about his friend and her mysterious predicament.

Before reaching Zora's Domain, he had felt nearly buried beneath a sea of raging emotions. Now, on the other side of that emotional turmoil, he understood why he had felt so lost, confused, desperate, angry, hopeful, and hurt.

He highly doubted that the Rito Champion had spent ample amounts of time on the mountain, especially since she had expressed nothing but disgust for the surrounding environment. The only other conclusion that made sense to the Hylian then was that she must have had a special bond with the Goron Champion.

He remembered next to nothing about Daruk other than a few impressions and a general feeling of fondness for the Goron Champion. If he were like many of his brothers, then Daruk had likely found a way to whittle down Revili's defenses and genuinely connect with her.

It wasn't much to go off of but that was all he could really think of.

Sighing, the Hylian Champion looked up, searching through the bright sky for a shade of blue that was just a bit darker than the surrounding sky. He couldn't say for sure what was wrong with his companion but she had chosen to support him the best way she had known how after he had learned of his history with Mipha. Now, it was very likely his turn to do the same.

A/N: Hey, this got updated... miracles do happen?

Also, Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate! And Happy Holidays to the rest!