Thanks so much to primadonnalouise (That's sweet of you to say, thank you!), MexicAmerichick6 (You'll see! ;), and Luine Mercury LWG (Haha, maybe so XD) for reviewing! I hope you'll all continue to enjoy!

Now, on with the chapter!

~ Chapter 5 ~

When Link awoke for a second time, it was to the realization that his mind was far less foggy than it had been earlier. In addition, when he opened his eyes (as far as he could manage with the bruises on his face, that is), he found that the room was no longer flooded with blinding sunlight, and was instead comfortably blanketed in the moon's silver glow. For the first time, he could properly see his surroundings.

He blinked.

So he really was home. Quite literally, even. He was actually in his own bed, in his own house, in Hateno Village, far away from the Gerudo Desert. Far away from his cell. Far away from the Yiga Clan.

Zelda was right. He was safe.

His eyes widened slightly. Zelda.

Suddenly, he became aware of a warm, familiar presence beside him. Link slowly turned his head to see that, sure enough, she was there, lying right next to him, fast asleep, one of her hands intertwined with his.

Though he wasn't entirely sure why, his aching eyes began to well up with tears. A soft whimper escaped his throat as he looked at her, staring as though he feared that she'd vanish if he so much as blinked.

"Zelda," he whispered. Though a part of him was reluctant to disturb her, the need to hear her voice won out over his hesitance. "Z-Zelda…"

Her lashes fluttered briefly before her eyelids, clearly heavy from sleep, slowly lifted. Suddenly, her familiar, emerald green eyes were blearily peering back at him. "Link…?" she mumbled softly, suppressing a yawn. "You're awake…?"

Though he had woken her up to speak to her, he suddenly didn't know what to say. "Y...Yes…" he murmured in return before falling silent again. She was real. She was there. He was safe with her.

A tear escaped from his eye, streaking down his bruised face.

Zelda's eyebrows creased as she looked at him, frowning. "Are you alright…?" she asked quietly. "Or...well...that's a silly question, I suppose...what I mean is...how are you feeling…?"

For a few long moments, all he could do was look at her. Then, finally, he whispered, "...I'm...I'm home...and you're here…"

He had never been all that great at expressing himself.

And yet, she seemed to understand perfectly. A shadow of a smile touched her lips as she squeezed his hand gently, careful not to touch his wounded fingers. "Yes," she agreed. "I'm here...we've brought you home. You're safe, Link...it's over."

He let out a slow, rattling sigh as the burn behind his eyes threatened to push out more tears. "R-Right…" he whispered, trying to organize his swirling thoughts enough to turn them into spoken word. "Right...you saved me…"

Zelda nodded slightly, though there was a strange sadness in her eyes. "Mhm...the Zora, the Rito, and the Gerudo rallied their warriors the moment they had heard that you had been taken," she told him. "The Gorons couldn't get to the southwest swiftly enough, without the aid of flight or the rivers, but they too promised to provide any support necessary upon your return. In addition, the Sheikah are guarding the house as we speak." She smiled. "You helped a lot of people on your journey, Link. There were so many people across so many races that were ready to spring to action in an instant to help you in return. It...it was amazing, truly."

Link remained silent, mulling over her words. He conceded that practically everyone in Hyrule likely knew his name and face by this point. Not only because he was the "Chosen Hero" either - throughout his journey, he had ended up making a habit of helping various random people with any problems they may have had, so he'd ended up forming a near-staggering amount of connections over time.

Still...did that really warrant the response that Zelda had described? He hardly felt as though his inability to say no to anyone was something to be celebrated. And even taking into account his battles against Calamity Ganon and its Blights...technically speaking, that was all just part of his job.

It didn't feel like he truly deserved the praise that his actions seemed to frequently garner.

Zelda let out a soft sigh beside him, gently pulling Link from his thoughts. He looked into her eyes curiously, though she seemed reluctant to meet his gaze.

He frowned. "...something's bothering you," he said simply, eyebrows creased slightly in concern.

She forced a half-hearted smile back onto her face. "I can't hide anything from you, can I? It's...it's nothing, really, I just...I'm sorry, Link."

The young man blinked, confused. "...sorry for what?"

"For not finding you sooner. For taking a few days to get there in the first place, for taking another week to clear out the Yiga and finally find the trapdoor that led to your cell, for allowing them to hurt you for so long, for letting them take you at all - !"

She was rambling now, as she so often did when she was nervous. For a time, he simply remained still and listened to her voice - a voice he had previously been certain he would never hear again.

However, when her voice began to raise in pitch with her nerves, he lifted one of his heavily bandaged hands to softly touch the side of her face, causing her to trail off with a mixture of confusion and anxiety.

"L-Link…?" Zelda questioned softly, her emerald eyes finally focusing in on him.

"If they didn't take me, they would have taken you," he told her quietly. "And I would rather have died there than let that happen."

Tears began to well in Zelda's eyes as she stared at him, unsurprised but still apparently frustrated. "C-Can't...can't you just be selfish, for once in your life?" she whispered.

For the first time in a long while, he fully smiled. "Nope," he replied matter-of-factly. He leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips against her forehead. "Though…" he pulled back and smirked. "If you command it, Your Highness, I suppose I could try to be a bit more careful."

A deep blush blossomed on Zelda's face. "W-Well, I suppose you're feeling better then, i-if you're willing to tease me like that!" she exclaimed, flustered and stammering. "Y-You know I'm hardly much of a princess anymore anyway...b-but...but you know what!? You should be more careful! No more of this self-sacrificing nonsense! You hear me!?"

Link laughed softly, lightly running his thumb over her cheek. He couldn't actually feel anything through the thick bandages that mostly held his fingers in place, but he quietly enjoyed the way the princess blushed and tried as hard as she could not to smile.

"I...can try," he conceded quietly. His eyebrows lifted slightly as he gazed at the dark circles around Zelda's eyes. "...though if I do, then you have to promise me to take better care of yourself."

She blinked in surprise, briefly taken aback, before exhaling heavily and shaking her head. "...it's that obvious, is it?" she mumbled.

"You haven't been sleeping," he stated.

"Don't look at me like that," she sighed, though her annoyance was only half-hearted. "I've lost count of the amount of times you've stayed awake all night to guard me. It's only fair that I do the same for you. Especially when…" She trailed off, looking away.

Link frowned. "Especially when...what?" he prompted.

Zelda was silent for a long moment, anxiously chewing on her lower lip. When she finally responded, her voice was little more than a wavering whisper. "W-When...when it was my fault that you were captured in the first place."

The sadness in her tone was so thick that he almost thought he could feel his heart physically shattering in his chest.

"Zelda…" he breathed, leaning his head closer to hers. "I told you before...if you spent so much as ten minutes in my position in that cell, it would hurt me more than if I'd spent a lifetime in there myself. None of this was your fault...I gave myself up willingly. And...I'm here now, aren't I?"

"But you're hurt - "

"But I can heal," Link cut in. Ignoring the soreness in his battered body, he moved just a bit closer to Zelda, tilting his head so that it lightly touched hers. "Thanks to you. Zel...you saved me."

"It...it wasn't just me…" she argued quietly. "Sidon, Teba, Riju...really, they contributed far more than I did…"

"And I'll thank them when I see them," Link replied. "But...you need to give yourself more credit."

Zelda shot him a dull look, her mouth set in a thin frown. "How do you know I deserve more credit? For all you know, I could've done nothing at all."

The young man chuckled lightly. "That's impossible," he pointed out. "When have you ever been the type to sit around and do nothing?"

"I…" she faltered, then pouted. "...fair enough. But Link - "

Link quickly shook his head, stopping her. "You're not going to convince me that this was your fault," he said firmly. "Or that you didn't do everything in your power to come save me, because I know you did. I know you, Zelda."

For several seconds, all she did was stare at him, studying his face carefully, perhaps for any signs that he might be lying. Finally, though, Zelda sighed heavily and leaned in close to him, carefully wrapping one of her arms around his aching frame. "...I'm glad you're back," she whispered, resting her head right by his shoulder.

Link smiled. For the first time in a while, the overwhelming sensations of anxiety and discomfort that had plagued him since the Yiga's torture seemed to have dissipated. He wasn't naive enough to believe that they were gone forever, but simply lying there at Zelda's side made those feelings seem unfathomably distant.

For now, he was okay.

He shifted a bit, as gingerly as he could, and lightly kissed the top of Zelda's head. "I'm glad too," he replied softly.

It wasn't long before the two of them had fallen asleep once again.