Title: Deus ex Machina
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.
Important Note: This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.
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Chapter 5
In which Link assaults a loaf of bread
--
Oh, I woke up in hell today
I woke up depressed and drained
But that's ok cause
I promised not to hurt you again
Our Lady Peace "Middle of Yesterday"
--
Eight hours. That was all Link slept. You would think after what he was put through, that he would at least sleep through the night or something, but no. Link was, after all, rather resilient. He had to be, considering who he was and all. There was also the fact that he still felt guilty about leaving Sheik to do everything, and so that was itching in the back of his mind, reminding him that he couldn't afford to just sleep the entire day and night away.
It was nice, however, to wake up to the sweet melody of a harp he knew so well. He had played alongside those strumming cords quite a few times beforehand, and the fact that he had played music with Sheik in such harmony before was probably one of the reasons he was so attached to him in certain ways. But just as he was attached, in other aspects, they were utterly distant. It was strange.
He let out a soft moan and stirred a bit in the comfy bed, turning over onto his side so that he was facing the one playing the harp, and slowly he let his eyes open to watch him. There was a surprise in seeing that he wasn't in his regular attire, but rather in normal clothing, and upon his closer inspection, he also realized that he had been given an outfit change as well. Now he was in some trousers and tunic that was rather open-necked and light, even showing off the beginnings of his chest. He blinked at his muscled form that was being displayed for all to see, blushed feverishly, and tried to close the neck up a bit.
It didn't really matter, though. Sheik seemed perfectly enraptured with his music, focusing on that rather than on himself. He watched him in awe for a moment, not wanting to acknowledge that he was awake just yet; he just wanted to a chance to observe Sheik without knowing that Sheik was being in ways self-conscious, that he was hiding anything because he knew he had eyes on him, but just to see him as he was normally. It was... nice, and he found a smile touching his lips with this golden opportunity. Just a few more seconds... then he'd say something.
--
It had been a long day. Sheik supposed he really hadn't known what he'd been getting into when he'd offered to help out on the ranch. He didn't get a chance to sit down until they'd had something for supper. Afterwards, Malon had sent Sheik to the guest room, saying the worst was over (he'd certainly hope so, after part of the roof had blown off the stable and they had to repair it in the raging storm) and that he should relax for the rest of the evening.
So he'd taken a very welcome hot bath and then sat in the room he'd ended up sharing with Link, until the usually welcome silence got to him and he'd gotten out his harp, starting to play the first thing that came to mind. It was rather melancholy, but it suited him just fine. He couldn't remember offhand where he had learned it, but it somehow reminded him of the brief glimpses he could remember of his mother.
He was completely unaware that Link had awakened and so he continued playing. Link had rolled over and murmured before and remained asleep, though the first time it had startled him rather badly. So this was nothing new, he thought nothing of it and simply figured that Link would sleep completely through the night.
And so he continued his melancholy song, the pattern his long fingers took distracting him from things he knew he should be thinking about..
--
Well, Link was beginning to feel like he was letting this go too long, knowing quite well himself that Sheik most likely would never have approved of someone watching him so intently when he wasn't aware of it, and so he tried to think of a way to properly break the silence. In a few moments he just settled on, "That's a really nice song..." He actually wondered himself where Sheik had learned it; it was so sad, it made him think of the few troubled times he had had in his life, and then he realized that Sheik had probably been through much worse.
The way he played it was proof enough -- he put all of his being into the music, the plucking of the cords, and the whining of the song, not annoying, but actually nice on the ears, sang its own sad tale. Music could tell you so much, if you just knew how to listen. And that was what Link did -- he was happy just laying there, staring at the ceiling and listening. It was nice, and it almost... almost made him forget that they yet again had a world to save, a queen to see.
"So..." he started, knowing that bringing up the topic was rather depressing and feeling sort of bad for ruining the moment he knew Sheik was in, "do you think we'll be able to leave for Hyrule Castle tomorrow?" Yes, he felt quite able now, and was ready yet again to make his way to Zelda. Not that he really liked the idea, but it was... necessary. He just hoped Sheik didn't decide that he wanted him to stay in bed. He always had a tough time arguing with Sheik about things for some reason...
--
While Sheik was certainly a bit startled to hear Link's voice, he managed not to jump or show his surprise in anything but the abrupt ending to the song. Which showed his surprise well enough. Ah well. He'd pluck one more string, just for good measure, before stopping and turning slightly toward Link.
"My mother taught it to me when I was very young," he said softly, surprised at his own words. He wasn't even sure that was correct.. at least he hadn't been before he had said anything. Now it seemed as though.. something clicked, that this was right. He couldn't remember his mother's face, only her voice.
He was lost in this thought when Link continued to speak, asking if tomorrow they would be able to leave for the castle. He was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and he sent a glance toward the window. It was still raining, though not nearly as hard as it had been. Still, Hyrule field probably somewhat resembled a marsh now, and the only reason the ranch wasn't suffering was probably because it was at the top of a hill.
"Possibly. It's been raining for a few hours, though, and the castle moat might be flooded if the rain reaches that far." He didn't look directly at Link, unable to bring himself to for some reason, and continued to look out the window. "It depends on how you are feeling tomorrow."
Steeling himself, he forced his eyes back to the figure on the bed, silent for a moment. "How /are/ you feeling...?" Concern? A weakness, maybe.. but he couldn't help being worried.
--
Sheik's surprise wasn't noted by the ex-fairy boy, mainly because he was just dense like that, but another good excuse could also be that he /had/ just woken up and all. It did seem like an abrupt stop to the song, but he just figured that was because he wanted to focus on speaking with him, not playing and talking at the same time... he wanted to have full concentration while playing, and if he was busy trying to converse with someone, than he wouldn't be able to put as much of himself into it as he would have liked. But that was just Link's way of thinking. He was so confused about things that he had to make up a lot of his own answers for such things.
His mother... well, that made sense. It seemed like a lullaby, something that could easily hypnotize one into slumber. She probably used it as a way to get him to sleep quicker. It seemed strange to be delving into thoughts of Sheik's past, and once again he felt like he was being horribly invasive for some reason, as if it was just /wrong/ to find out anything about Sheik, that he should always be shrouded in this overwhelming cloud of mystery.
His own mother... he hardly remembered. All he knew was that he owed her his life, would have been dead before he had truly lived had it not been for her courage; the only thing he regretted was that she was forced to flee to the Kokiri forest. It had been rather hard growing up there, knowing that he was different but not knowing why, and even now having to face them without them even remembering who he was, recognizing him. But these small, trifling problems were much better than death, he supposed.
"Hmm. If it's still raining by tomorrow morning, or it it's too flooded around the ranch, we might not be able to go..." This was in a way disappointing. At this point, he just wanted to get the audience over with. The feeling of dread that kept clotting up in his stomach was getting uncomfortable. "And I'll be fine... I'm doing pretty good right now, I think." He was feeling pretty healthy. Yes, he hadn't tried to stand or do anything so daunting yet, but he thought it was better he woke up a bit more and stayed in bed a bit longer before he risked that.
"I'm sure I'll be fine for tomorrow, though..." At least, he hoped. And even if he was weak, he was sure he'd be able to force himself through it by then, be strong enough for that, at least. He was going with Sheik, no matter what he said. Luckily the winds and rain had come up and stopped Sheik from going on today.
--
Link did seem to be doing better, at least judging from the fact that he was fairly coherent, which is a bit more than he could have said before they'd arrived at the ranch. Fine, they'd go on tomorrow, if Link felt up to it in the morning. And if he didn't, Sheik would go alone.
Recalling the events of the day, he wondered if he should anyway.
And really, he wished he could just slip away into the night, head to the castle himself, and let Link recover here for as long as he needed to, and then to go back to whatever he did to keep himself occupied these days. Sheik wished he could be assured that Link would be able to go somewhere safe, and not have to fight...
...but that was idealistic. The threat could very well be Ganondorf. And the only thing that could keep Ganondorf at bay was the Master Sword. And the only one who could wield the Master Sword was Link.
Fate had a funny way of screwing the poor boy over, didn't it?
And somehow, Sheik felt responsible. For the attack earlier, of course, but he somehow felt that it was his fault that Link had to get involved. If he hadn't stayed with Link that night, he would have just figured it out alone and gone to the castle alone... Even though he knew Link would have to be there, it was still his fault that Link was in the bed right then anyway. Sheikahs weren't /supposed/ to feel like this, and this was his punishment for that.
He looked away from Link, studying the wall near the bed. "I...wanted to apologize to you about what happened before. It's my fault She went after you..."
--
The apology seemed rather sudden, but then again, Link hadn't been aware that Sheik had been dwelling over it for the entire day. And it was a surprise for him to call it his fault. Yes, he had known it was Din that had caused him the pain, pain so excruciating that he passed out from it, but he hadn't considered that maybe her anger towards him had been because of something Sheik had done.
And he had to wonder what Sheik had done, or thought... or said... or whatever, to make her take her anger out on him, but he doubted that that was something that Sheik wanted to discuss. After all, he seemed upset enough about it, the guilt shining almost painfully bright in those red eyes, and Link realized how strange it was to see him showing any shred of emotion whatsoever. He was almost always apathetic, and so he even felt privileged to view this; the only downside being the circumstances it was under, the emotion it was that he was seeing.
"Don't worry about it, Sheik," he said reassuringly, shocked at how well he was feeling, good enough to sit up and have a good conversation with him. "Knowing Din, she probably would have done it nevertheless... to get you to hurry up or something else." It may have been dangerous to fling Din's name about so freely, but Link usually didn't think things over... and even so, at this point he didn't care what Din thought. He found he didn't like Her very much, anyways.
He found his eyes trailing to the window Sheik had been staring out of just a little while ago. "The rain's nice..." He had always liked it, the feeling of the droplets cascading on his skin, pasting his hair onto his head. And that made him realize... "Hey, I still need a new hat!" He cursed under his breath -- he wanted another one already, dammit. And Sheik needed his cover thing, too. They both were missing a piece of themselves, naked. "I hope I can get a new one soon..." Being rather childish, yes, but maybe that would lighten the mood...?
--
At one point, Link's abrupt mood switch might not have thrown Sheik off balance, but he'd been being more open lately (a change that Link may have enjoyed, but Sheik certainly didn't) and he found himself blinking in a bit of surprise. Link had gone from serious and forgiving him for something he didn't completely understand, to complaining about not having his hat in about thirty seconds.
It took him a moment to regain that precious balance, a slip up he did not want to repeat. Yes, Link did look different without his hat. He was apparently very fond of the missing article of clothing, still distressing over its loss. Sheik could relate. Not having his face covered was a foreign concept up until yesterday.
Speaking of which, he'd have to get a new one before appearing before the queen. She was familiar with the regulations of the Sheikahs, and while she would not be personally offended if he showed up without it, it might be a way to get on her better side if he had it. It was his fault she'd gotten kidnapped, after all. And she'd be sure to have Sheikah bodyguards.. who wouldn't so much as acknowledge his existence if he had his face dishonorably uncovered.
"We may be able to find one in the market place," he said mildly, half lost in thought. "I'll need a new cowl myself before we get to the palace, or they won't even listen to me..."
He didn't know if he had enough ruppees to cover both the items. Malon had rejected his offer completely, saying the work he had done was more than enough to pay for the boarding which she'd rather have had free anyway. Well, perhaps Link had enough for his hat. Assuming they could find one, of course.
--
Yes, Link had some serious mood swing problems, but usually they went from sad to happy, not from perky to grumpy, as it usually did with other people. So his usually were a lot more bearable. The explanation for his mood swings was pretty simple -- he just didn't like to brood, he was much more content being optimistic. Depression didn't suit him. So when he caught himself acting like Sheik, he quickly transitioned to his normal, lop-sided, clumsy self.
Still, it did cause for a bit of confusion when other people witnessed it, and he for once caught the surprise lingering on Sheik's countenance. He chuckled inwardly at this; it was such a reward to see any sort of emotion emanating from him, and so when he caught it, he felt rather proud of himself.
The market place. That was a good idea... if there was anywhere to go if you were looking for something, that was the place. He wasn't sure how likely it would be that they had a hat similar enough to his old one, was quite positive that the Kokiri, if anyone, would have a perfect replacement for him, but they'd have to try the market. For one, they didn't have the time to go to the forest. And secondly, Link didn't really want to go there. He avoided it whenever he could manage.
"We should be all to find one for you there. It's all right if we don't find my hat. It isn't /that/ important." No, he definitely didn't need his hat in order for people to listen to him. They would hear him out whether or not his head was covered, which was a good thing.
"Umm, I have some money, too, if you're short." He didn't know where they had put his pack, but he knew he had a few ruppees thrown in there. After all, you could find them everywhere these days, hidden in bushes and the like. And he had a huge wallet to put them all in, too.
--
Sheik nodded shortly. He was fairly certain he had enough to get a new scarf.. they weren't that expensive or rare, or even that special, really. He wasn't picky either, he needed to cover his face. It didn't really matter how. But the offer was appreciated regardless.
They'd also need a few other things, like supplies, which they could probably buy here on the ranch. The trip to the castle would take a half a day at most, but it wouldn't hurt to have something slightly more nutritious than whatever edible plants they could find on the way. And it'd probably taste better...
As if on cue, there was a tap on the door, and it swung open to reveal Malon with a tray full of steaming food giving off a delightful aroma. She smiled widely. "Ah, you woke up! How are you feeling? I made some supper for you.. I heard you two talking and so I warmed up what we had and brought it up..."
As she was speaking, Sheik had gotten to his feet to come help her with the tray. She smiled shyly at him, and blushed a bit. "...and, uh... yeah!" She looked back at Link. "I hope you like it!"
--
Well, money troubles shouldn't be an issue. If push came to shove, Link was sure they could borrow some stuff from Malon and he'd pay her back for it later, but he was sure he had a good amount of ruppees in his wallet, since he usually didn't spend them very often, but rather tried to save and make sure he always had a good amount in case of emergency, such as this...
And hungry he was. After all, all he had eaten was some shrubs and the like that they had picked up on the road, and he had hardly been able to shove that down without his stomach threatening to throw it back up. So when Malon walked in with a tray of hot, steaming food he nearly jumped up from the bed, a look of pure happiness, raw in its form, spread over his face, and he grinned at her, about ready to tackle her in thanks.
"Oh, Malon, you're a saint... thank you so much." He continued to grin from ear to ear at her, giving her a nod when she said she hoped they'd enjoy it. "Oh, I will... I could eat Epona, I'm so hungry." He felt a bit bad at the look of horror she gave at that, but she was gone in mere seconds, and then Sheik was bringing over the food. He resembled a wolf with that hungry look on his face, like the food was fresh prey ready to be ripped to shreds. And wolf it down he would.
He grabbed a bowl of soup and a spoon, though the latter wasn't really used as he poured the stuff down his throat, the burning sensation hardly noticed, and after that, grabbed a piece of bread and started ripping at it ferociously. Yes, Link liked his food.
--
Malon giggled at his eagerness, and even Sheik managed a small smirk accompanied by a raised eyebrow. "Hey, hey, slow down!" the redhead laughed, though rather in vain as she seated herself on the edge of Link's bed to wait for him to finish. There seemed to be nothing stopping the hungry Hylian. "I'm glad you like it, but really!"
Sheik made his way back to his chair near the window, seating himself there and occupying himself looking out the window, even as the scattered sunlight still lighting the day slowly dispersed into darkness. Without looking back at the girl, he said, "Is there anything else you needed help with, Malon..?"
She looked over at him. "Oh.. no, you've done more than enough. I already told you that six times! Don't you listen?" A turn towards Link. "Does he listen to you? Tell him he doesn't have to do anything else. He already helped us more than enough! Or is he as stubborn as you are?"
Sheik had to smile a bit at the window. The girl's enthusiasm was almost contagious, but his thoughts were still darkened by the setting sun, and the thoughts of what the next day would hold and how much closer to that day it was.
--
Yes. It wasn't a good idea to eat it so fast, and Link found himself almost choking on the bread, setting the half-finished piece back down and coughing a few times for good measure to make sure he didn't choke. After a small break, in which he grinned at both Sheik and Malon, but didn't spare the time to talk, he then grabbed the food up again and munched on it, a bit slower this time.
Geez, Sheik could be such a stiff. Just sitting in his chair by the window, gazing out of it wistfully... it made Link wanna slap him upside the head sometimes just because it annoyed him. But he understood, in a way. He couldn't expect everyone to be as perky as he and Malon usually were, after all. He had to wonder why he got along better with Sheik, who was easily his polar opposite, and found himself distancing from Malon.
A sigh as he realized he did know the answer. /It's because he's a guy... you don't have to worry about him liking you, you don't have to be scared that he's going to love you and you aren't going to know what to do./ Really. He was so scared of emotions in general, and love was such a strong one... he hardly even knew what it /was/, and to think that someone could harness that towards /him/ of all people... it was plain old scary. Not to mention that he would constantly suspect that it was because he was the Hero of Time...
He grinned deviously as Malon complained about Sheik, finally relenting from his attack upon the bread to speak. "I know... he's only a little less stubborn than me, by the way. And Sheik, calm down. Malon's nice, she'll take care of us." He smiled softly at him, and then resumed his assault of the bread.
He finally finished after a little while, and he let out a sigh of relief, one hand rested upon his now full stomach. "Geez, Malon, that was divine..." It sounded weird to use such a word, but he was trying to broaden his rather childish vocabulary bit by bit. "Thank you so much... I'll come and help with the horses sometime later to pay back my share... though knowing Sheik, he probably did mine plus some already."
--
Ah, if only Link could understand just how wrong he was. While every girl in the nation of Hyrule might have a crush on Link, Sheik's feelings were...rather different. This was proved mostly by the fact that he didn't /want/ to feel this way, while most of the others liked Link for the sake of liking him.
In all honesty, the feelings had disturbed Sheik has much as the prospect of them scared Link. For someone who had been taught to push all emotions aside, that feelings were weaknesses, to feel so strongly... it was strange, and more than a little frightening for him.
"He /did/!" Malon exclaimed, breaking into his thoughts. "You don't have to worry about it. You're always welcome here anyway, you didn't have to worry about it in the first place." As she spoke, she was gathering the dishes on the tray on to a little pile so that she could easily carry it back to the kitchen.
"I'm glad you liked it," she continued, just sort of babbling as she flitted around. "I wasn't sure it was going to be that great, since I had to warm it up for you and all.. but I saved it just for you, in case you woke up yet tonight, and I guess it's a good thing I did. You sure were hungry, huh. Just out of curiosity, how long were you intending to stay?"
Sheik took this as his cue to mention the supplies they might need. "We were hoping to leave tomorrow morning, if Link feels up to it. If not, I'll go myself and come back as soon as I can. Is there any way we could perhaps buy some supplies from you?" "Sure," Malon replied. "You'll have to talk to Dad, but I'm sure he'll give you a good price. I'd love to give it to you for free, but Daddy won't let me." She shrugged apologetically. "If you're going far, you could even rent one of the horses if you want to."
--
The only reason Link hadn't considered Sheik a threat was because he wasn't aware that two males were even capable of feeling love for each other. True, it was rather silly for him to think this way, but he had never been exposed to it, only knew of a guy and a girl getting together, so he made nothing of the strange looks Sheik gave him sometimes, or how he seemed uncomfortable and refused to make eye contact with him. He just thought that was how Sheik was. And as for his feelings in return... he just wrote them off as a close friendship, one he wasn't even sure Sheik returned. What /was/ he to Sheik? He had no idea.
Sheik was a good friend, and also the safe haven amongst everyone else that was about ready to tackle him and force him to return the feelings that they held so strongly. Or at least, that was what he was scared of. Whether or not any of the women that were after him would go so far was questionable. At least Ruto wasn't around to bother him... she definitely would have done such a thing, with all that talk of marriage. He suppressed a shudder at the thought of her. Sure, she was nice and all, but still...
"I'm glad to know I can always come here for help, Malon. You've been such a great help." It was hard to see her so happy, so content in the peace that was actually so short-lived. He couldn't bear to go into the details of what Din's power might actually do... how bad it could be. He didn't want to visibly see the hope leave her entirely. Then again, she was strong-willed. She'd pull through, even if they did have to go through a similar event, possibly even worse, to Ganondorf's rule.
"No, it was perfect!" he assured her. "Better than anything I could do, anyways..." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, remembering the multiple times he had absolutely botched anything he tried to cook, burning it or freezing it or dropping it... he'd done just about everything wrong you could do when it came to food, and more than that... eventually he had just given up on the whole concept. The only thing he /did/ cook well was fish.
He let Sheik and her talk amongst themselves, his companion being the better one to deal with such things as supplies. Link never knew what to take or the proper amount... so it was better he left Sheik to it. "Oh, we have Epona... we can always ride her. I'll probably have to if I want to even make it there tomorrow." He sighed softly; he hated being such a burden, but it was the truth. "And Sheik, you might want to ride on her with me if we want to get there fast... I mean, we really should have been there tonight, but the weather prevented..." He closed his eyes for a moment, the seriousness of things finally sinking in a bit.
"Anyways, thanks for a final time, Malon... I better get rest if I wanna be ready to go in the morning." He watched her leave the room and then settled back down into the bed, watching Sheik for a moment. "...where are you going to sleep?"
--
Link's suggestion that they ride Epona together was met with a slight, if automatic wince, just before he could stop himself. Hopefully Link had either missed it altogether, or wrote it off as nothing. But he wasn't going to argue without a good excuse to offer. A good excuse that didn't seem to want to come to mind at the moment.
Malon left the room, carrying the thoroughly emptied tray and commenting on how there weren't even any /crumbs/ left. Sheik might have smiled at the comment if he had been in a better mood. But as it stood.. well, tomorrow was just looking worse and worse.
Link was looking exhausted, and lay back down in his bed, but kept his eyes on his companion for another moment and asked where Sheik was planning to sleep. The thought hadn't really occurred to him before, and he noticed now that there was no other bed in the room.
A cursory glance about the room told him though that Malon had not forgotten him. There was a cot folded up in the corner of the room. "Ah.. here." He got up and crossed the room to the cot, pulling it away from the wall and opening it up. It seemed pretty nice, and he was used to sleeping in much worse places. He set it up across the room from Link and sat on the edge. It was rather early for sleep, he supposed, but he hadn't slept very much or very well the night prior, so the rest would be very welcome.
"If we leave in the morning, we should make it to the castle by noon," he commented, turning slightly and stretching first one leg and then the other out on the cot.
--
No, the wince wasn't even noticed, Link's usually fairly good vision slightly blurry thanks to how tired he suddenly felt. He wasn't alert enough to have noticed it at this point, and even if he had, he wouldn't have looked into it at all. It was amazing how he usually paid so much attention to detail but couldn't actually pull anything out of the details that he found. Sort of sad, actually. He understood so little...
He smirked for Sheik at the comment that she made, and felt even guiltier that he wasn't more open towards the chipper girl, didn't really show his real self around her, but was just the nice, perfect hero he was supposed to be. /I'm not perfect at all... far from it, actually.../ He gave a mental sigh. Why did everyone think he was so great when he was no different from anyone else? Possibly even inferior. The Goddesses knew he screwed things up enough.
He was slowly losing a hold on his consciousness, felt his eyelids trying harder and harder to close over his vision, cloud it, leave him looking at just darkness and nothing more. But he didn't want to just doze off without saying a proper goodnight... It seemed wrong somehow. He winced at the sight of the cot. It didn't look at all comfortable... then again, Link knew his own woes of bad sleeping places. He had been forced to sleep out on the field, with just Epona as his pillow, on multiple occasions. And the cave the night before wasn't perfect, either. He was sure that Sheik would be fine -- there was no other place for him to sleep, after all, and the Sheikah would /never/ allow Link to give up the bed so he could sleep there, not in Link's condition. "All right..." he mumbled sleepily, watching him through eyes now glazed over. "S... sleep well... I'll see you in the morning. G'night..." And slowly he let his eyes finally close, and in a matter of seconds he was out like a light.
--
Sheik lay back on the cot, resting one hand on his stomach and turning his head to the side, watching as Link quickly slipped into slumber. He watched him for a long while, thoughts churning uncomfortably in his mind. The longer he dwelled on the matter of what might happen tomorrow, the larger the pit in his stomach grew--the pit he'd been trying to ignore that entire day. It was beginning to make him feel ill.
/Stop it. Panicking isn't going to help anything./
He was dreading going back.. having to face the Order again. Something in his mind told him that he wasn't going to get away with just speaking to the Queen. Something was telling him he'd have to appear before them.
But they'd never know. There was no way they could have found out. Unless...
No. Impa would never reveal his secret. That's why he'd gone to her in the first place. She understood that it was something that he'd never asked for, a rule he'd never meant to break, something that he wanted no more than anything to remedy. He just didn't know /how/.
She wouldn't tell them. She wouldn't do that to him.
Still, sleep eluded him. He didn't even know what would happen to him if they found out. He didn't want to know. He told himself firmly that he would never find out, and closed his eyes forcibly. He needed to sleep.. they had a big day tomorrow.
Tomorrow...
-----
Author's Notes
Court: I find it amusing that we could fill a whole chapter with simply Link waking up and eating food faster than humanly possible and then going back to sleep again. With lots of talk and worriment over THE NEXT DAY OMFG!!!1ONE. I'm sorry. It's just. NOTHING HAPPENS. XD It amuses me. The next chapter is great, though. Just you wait. We'll make you. WE'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER.
I'm done. Really.
Rydia: And now for a bit of Sheikah history to explain some things coming up soon. In this fic (and NO OTHER fic I've written), the Sheikah people, rather than a completely separate race, are special Hylians set apart at birth by some sort of birth mark and red eyes and then raised as elite warriors, dedicating their entire lives to their cause. Because they don't have to procreate, love is a taboo. All emotion is considered bad, but strong emotions such as love and hate are considered especially bad, bad enough to be removed from the tribe. Sheik has good reason to be upset.
Oh yes, and the reason Sheik has rounded ears and tan skin is because his mother (in this fic) was a Gerudo. :P What? I couldn't help it--Gerudos and Sheikahs are my two favorite races! XD
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Stay tuned for Chapter 6 : In which Sheik receives some interesting news!
Author: Court ( burningvigor@aol.com ) as Link, Rydia ( chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com ) as Sheik and about everyone else
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is not ours. The characters are not ours. The setting is not ours. We borrowed it to have some fun. We interpreted it in our own way. We make no money off of this so you can't sue us. Neither of us have any money anyway.
Summary: In the year following Ganondorf's defeat, a tentative peace has settled over Hyrule. Now the Goddesses are demanding one more thing from the Hero of Time, but at what cost?
Warning: AU (Sheik and Zelda are different people, and Navi was killed at the end of OoT since no one likes her anyway). Shounen ai/yaoi (YES that means there are GAY PEOPLE OMG NUU :P), Link/Sheik.
Important Note: This entire fanfic has been written in role-play format. That means that there are sections. Court writes one, then Rydia writes one, and so on and so forth. Things are REPEATED. Why? Because when we started, we didn't intend for this to be a fanfic. Now that we're finishing it, we love it to pieces and want to share it with the world. So. All the Link sections were written by Court, and all the Sheik sections were written by Rydia. And Rydia made the chapter titles because she's weird.
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Chapter 5
In which Link assaults a loaf of bread
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Oh, I woke up in hell today
I woke up depressed and drained
But that's ok cause
I promised not to hurt you again
Our Lady Peace "Middle of Yesterday"
--
Eight hours. That was all Link slept. You would think after what he was put through, that he would at least sleep through the night or something, but no. Link was, after all, rather resilient. He had to be, considering who he was and all. There was also the fact that he still felt guilty about leaving Sheik to do everything, and so that was itching in the back of his mind, reminding him that he couldn't afford to just sleep the entire day and night away.
It was nice, however, to wake up to the sweet melody of a harp he knew so well. He had played alongside those strumming cords quite a few times beforehand, and the fact that he had played music with Sheik in such harmony before was probably one of the reasons he was so attached to him in certain ways. But just as he was attached, in other aspects, they were utterly distant. It was strange.
He let out a soft moan and stirred a bit in the comfy bed, turning over onto his side so that he was facing the one playing the harp, and slowly he let his eyes open to watch him. There was a surprise in seeing that he wasn't in his regular attire, but rather in normal clothing, and upon his closer inspection, he also realized that he had been given an outfit change as well. Now he was in some trousers and tunic that was rather open-necked and light, even showing off the beginnings of his chest. He blinked at his muscled form that was being displayed for all to see, blushed feverishly, and tried to close the neck up a bit.
It didn't really matter, though. Sheik seemed perfectly enraptured with his music, focusing on that rather than on himself. He watched him in awe for a moment, not wanting to acknowledge that he was awake just yet; he just wanted to a chance to observe Sheik without knowing that Sheik was being in ways self-conscious, that he was hiding anything because he knew he had eyes on him, but just to see him as he was normally. It was... nice, and he found a smile touching his lips with this golden opportunity. Just a few more seconds... then he'd say something.
--
It had been a long day. Sheik supposed he really hadn't known what he'd been getting into when he'd offered to help out on the ranch. He didn't get a chance to sit down until they'd had something for supper. Afterwards, Malon had sent Sheik to the guest room, saying the worst was over (he'd certainly hope so, after part of the roof had blown off the stable and they had to repair it in the raging storm) and that he should relax for the rest of the evening.
So he'd taken a very welcome hot bath and then sat in the room he'd ended up sharing with Link, until the usually welcome silence got to him and he'd gotten out his harp, starting to play the first thing that came to mind. It was rather melancholy, but it suited him just fine. He couldn't remember offhand where he had learned it, but it somehow reminded him of the brief glimpses he could remember of his mother.
He was completely unaware that Link had awakened and so he continued playing. Link had rolled over and murmured before and remained asleep, though the first time it had startled him rather badly. So this was nothing new, he thought nothing of it and simply figured that Link would sleep completely through the night.
And so he continued his melancholy song, the pattern his long fingers took distracting him from things he knew he should be thinking about..
--
Well, Link was beginning to feel like he was letting this go too long, knowing quite well himself that Sheik most likely would never have approved of someone watching him so intently when he wasn't aware of it, and so he tried to think of a way to properly break the silence. In a few moments he just settled on, "That's a really nice song..." He actually wondered himself where Sheik had learned it; it was so sad, it made him think of the few troubled times he had had in his life, and then he realized that Sheik had probably been through much worse.
The way he played it was proof enough -- he put all of his being into the music, the plucking of the cords, and the whining of the song, not annoying, but actually nice on the ears, sang its own sad tale. Music could tell you so much, if you just knew how to listen. And that was what Link did -- he was happy just laying there, staring at the ceiling and listening. It was nice, and it almost... almost made him forget that they yet again had a world to save, a queen to see.
"So..." he started, knowing that bringing up the topic was rather depressing and feeling sort of bad for ruining the moment he knew Sheik was in, "do you think we'll be able to leave for Hyrule Castle tomorrow?" Yes, he felt quite able now, and was ready yet again to make his way to Zelda. Not that he really liked the idea, but it was... necessary. He just hoped Sheik didn't decide that he wanted him to stay in bed. He always had a tough time arguing with Sheik about things for some reason...
--
While Sheik was certainly a bit startled to hear Link's voice, he managed not to jump or show his surprise in anything but the abrupt ending to the song. Which showed his surprise well enough. Ah well. He'd pluck one more string, just for good measure, before stopping and turning slightly toward Link.
"My mother taught it to me when I was very young," he said softly, surprised at his own words. He wasn't even sure that was correct.. at least he hadn't been before he had said anything. Now it seemed as though.. something clicked, that this was right. He couldn't remember his mother's face, only her voice.
He was lost in this thought when Link continued to speak, asking if tomorrow they would be able to leave for the castle. He was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and he sent a glance toward the window. It was still raining, though not nearly as hard as it had been. Still, Hyrule field probably somewhat resembled a marsh now, and the only reason the ranch wasn't suffering was probably because it was at the top of a hill.
"Possibly. It's been raining for a few hours, though, and the castle moat might be flooded if the rain reaches that far." He didn't look directly at Link, unable to bring himself to for some reason, and continued to look out the window. "It depends on how you are feeling tomorrow."
Steeling himself, he forced his eyes back to the figure on the bed, silent for a moment. "How /are/ you feeling...?" Concern? A weakness, maybe.. but he couldn't help being worried.
--
Sheik's surprise wasn't noted by the ex-fairy boy, mainly because he was just dense like that, but another good excuse could also be that he /had/ just woken up and all. It did seem like an abrupt stop to the song, but he just figured that was because he wanted to focus on speaking with him, not playing and talking at the same time... he wanted to have full concentration while playing, and if he was busy trying to converse with someone, than he wouldn't be able to put as much of himself into it as he would have liked. But that was just Link's way of thinking. He was so confused about things that he had to make up a lot of his own answers for such things.
His mother... well, that made sense. It seemed like a lullaby, something that could easily hypnotize one into slumber. She probably used it as a way to get him to sleep quicker. It seemed strange to be delving into thoughts of Sheik's past, and once again he felt like he was being horribly invasive for some reason, as if it was just /wrong/ to find out anything about Sheik, that he should always be shrouded in this overwhelming cloud of mystery.
His own mother... he hardly remembered. All he knew was that he owed her his life, would have been dead before he had truly lived had it not been for her courage; the only thing he regretted was that she was forced to flee to the Kokiri forest. It had been rather hard growing up there, knowing that he was different but not knowing why, and even now having to face them without them even remembering who he was, recognizing him. But these small, trifling problems were much better than death, he supposed.
"Hmm. If it's still raining by tomorrow morning, or it it's too flooded around the ranch, we might not be able to go..." This was in a way disappointing. At this point, he just wanted to get the audience over with. The feeling of dread that kept clotting up in his stomach was getting uncomfortable. "And I'll be fine... I'm doing pretty good right now, I think." He was feeling pretty healthy. Yes, he hadn't tried to stand or do anything so daunting yet, but he thought it was better he woke up a bit more and stayed in bed a bit longer before he risked that.
"I'm sure I'll be fine for tomorrow, though..." At least, he hoped. And even if he was weak, he was sure he'd be able to force himself through it by then, be strong enough for that, at least. He was going with Sheik, no matter what he said. Luckily the winds and rain had come up and stopped Sheik from going on today.
--
Link did seem to be doing better, at least judging from the fact that he was fairly coherent, which is a bit more than he could have said before they'd arrived at the ranch. Fine, they'd go on tomorrow, if Link felt up to it in the morning. And if he didn't, Sheik would go alone.
Recalling the events of the day, he wondered if he should anyway.
And really, he wished he could just slip away into the night, head to the castle himself, and let Link recover here for as long as he needed to, and then to go back to whatever he did to keep himself occupied these days. Sheik wished he could be assured that Link would be able to go somewhere safe, and not have to fight...
...but that was idealistic. The threat could very well be Ganondorf. And the only thing that could keep Ganondorf at bay was the Master Sword. And the only one who could wield the Master Sword was Link.
Fate had a funny way of screwing the poor boy over, didn't it?
And somehow, Sheik felt responsible. For the attack earlier, of course, but he somehow felt that it was his fault that Link had to get involved. If he hadn't stayed with Link that night, he would have just figured it out alone and gone to the castle alone... Even though he knew Link would have to be there, it was still his fault that Link was in the bed right then anyway. Sheikahs weren't /supposed/ to feel like this, and this was his punishment for that.
He looked away from Link, studying the wall near the bed. "I...wanted to apologize to you about what happened before. It's my fault She went after you..."
--
The apology seemed rather sudden, but then again, Link hadn't been aware that Sheik had been dwelling over it for the entire day. And it was a surprise for him to call it his fault. Yes, he had known it was Din that had caused him the pain, pain so excruciating that he passed out from it, but he hadn't considered that maybe her anger towards him had been because of something Sheik had done.
And he had to wonder what Sheik had done, or thought... or said... or whatever, to make her take her anger out on him, but he doubted that that was something that Sheik wanted to discuss. After all, he seemed upset enough about it, the guilt shining almost painfully bright in those red eyes, and Link realized how strange it was to see him showing any shred of emotion whatsoever. He was almost always apathetic, and so he even felt privileged to view this; the only downside being the circumstances it was under, the emotion it was that he was seeing.
"Don't worry about it, Sheik," he said reassuringly, shocked at how well he was feeling, good enough to sit up and have a good conversation with him. "Knowing Din, she probably would have done it nevertheless... to get you to hurry up or something else." It may have been dangerous to fling Din's name about so freely, but Link usually didn't think things over... and even so, at this point he didn't care what Din thought. He found he didn't like Her very much, anyways.
He found his eyes trailing to the window Sheik had been staring out of just a little while ago. "The rain's nice..." He had always liked it, the feeling of the droplets cascading on his skin, pasting his hair onto his head. And that made him realize... "Hey, I still need a new hat!" He cursed under his breath -- he wanted another one already, dammit. And Sheik needed his cover thing, too. They both were missing a piece of themselves, naked. "I hope I can get a new one soon..." Being rather childish, yes, but maybe that would lighten the mood...?
--
At one point, Link's abrupt mood switch might not have thrown Sheik off balance, but he'd been being more open lately (a change that Link may have enjoyed, but Sheik certainly didn't) and he found himself blinking in a bit of surprise. Link had gone from serious and forgiving him for something he didn't completely understand, to complaining about not having his hat in about thirty seconds.
It took him a moment to regain that precious balance, a slip up he did not want to repeat. Yes, Link did look different without his hat. He was apparently very fond of the missing article of clothing, still distressing over its loss. Sheik could relate. Not having his face covered was a foreign concept up until yesterday.
Speaking of which, he'd have to get a new one before appearing before the queen. She was familiar with the regulations of the Sheikahs, and while she would not be personally offended if he showed up without it, it might be a way to get on her better side if he had it. It was his fault she'd gotten kidnapped, after all. And she'd be sure to have Sheikah bodyguards.. who wouldn't so much as acknowledge his existence if he had his face dishonorably uncovered.
"We may be able to find one in the market place," he said mildly, half lost in thought. "I'll need a new cowl myself before we get to the palace, or they won't even listen to me..."
He didn't know if he had enough ruppees to cover both the items. Malon had rejected his offer completely, saying the work he had done was more than enough to pay for the boarding which she'd rather have had free anyway. Well, perhaps Link had enough for his hat. Assuming they could find one, of course.
--
Yes, Link had some serious mood swing problems, but usually they went from sad to happy, not from perky to grumpy, as it usually did with other people. So his usually were a lot more bearable. The explanation for his mood swings was pretty simple -- he just didn't like to brood, he was much more content being optimistic. Depression didn't suit him. So when he caught himself acting like Sheik, he quickly transitioned to his normal, lop-sided, clumsy self.
Still, it did cause for a bit of confusion when other people witnessed it, and he for once caught the surprise lingering on Sheik's countenance. He chuckled inwardly at this; it was such a reward to see any sort of emotion emanating from him, and so when he caught it, he felt rather proud of himself.
The market place. That was a good idea... if there was anywhere to go if you were looking for something, that was the place. He wasn't sure how likely it would be that they had a hat similar enough to his old one, was quite positive that the Kokiri, if anyone, would have a perfect replacement for him, but they'd have to try the market. For one, they didn't have the time to go to the forest. And secondly, Link didn't really want to go there. He avoided it whenever he could manage.
"We should be all to find one for you there. It's all right if we don't find my hat. It isn't /that/ important." No, he definitely didn't need his hat in order for people to listen to him. They would hear him out whether or not his head was covered, which was a good thing.
"Umm, I have some money, too, if you're short." He didn't know where they had put his pack, but he knew he had a few ruppees thrown in there. After all, you could find them everywhere these days, hidden in bushes and the like. And he had a huge wallet to put them all in, too.
--
Sheik nodded shortly. He was fairly certain he had enough to get a new scarf.. they weren't that expensive or rare, or even that special, really. He wasn't picky either, he needed to cover his face. It didn't really matter how. But the offer was appreciated regardless.
They'd also need a few other things, like supplies, which they could probably buy here on the ranch. The trip to the castle would take a half a day at most, but it wouldn't hurt to have something slightly more nutritious than whatever edible plants they could find on the way. And it'd probably taste better...
As if on cue, there was a tap on the door, and it swung open to reveal Malon with a tray full of steaming food giving off a delightful aroma. She smiled widely. "Ah, you woke up! How are you feeling? I made some supper for you.. I heard you two talking and so I warmed up what we had and brought it up..."
As she was speaking, Sheik had gotten to his feet to come help her with the tray. She smiled shyly at him, and blushed a bit. "...and, uh... yeah!" She looked back at Link. "I hope you like it!"
--
Well, money troubles shouldn't be an issue. If push came to shove, Link was sure they could borrow some stuff from Malon and he'd pay her back for it later, but he was sure he had a good amount of ruppees in his wallet, since he usually didn't spend them very often, but rather tried to save and make sure he always had a good amount in case of emergency, such as this...
And hungry he was. After all, all he had eaten was some shrubs and the like that they had picked up on the road, and he had hardly been able to shove that down without his stomach threatening to throw it back up. So when Malon walked in with a tray of hot, steaming food he nearly jumped up from the bed, a look of pure happiness, raw in its form, spread over his face, and he grinned at her, about ready to tackle her in thanks.
"Oh, Malon, you're a saint... thank you so much." He continued to grin from ear to ear at her, giving her a nod when she said she hoped they'd enjoy it. "Oh, I will... I could eat Epona, I'm so hungry." He felt a bit bad at the look of horror she gave at that, but she was gone in mere seconds, and then Sheik was bringing over the food. He resembled a wolf with that hungry look on his face, like the food was fresh prey ready to be ripped to shreds. And wolf it down he would.
He grabbed a bowl of soup and a spoon, though the latter wasn't really used as he poured the stuff down his throat, the burning sensation hardly noticed, and after that, grabbed a piece of bread and started ripping at it ferociously. Yes, Link liked his food.
--
Malon giggled at his eagerness, and even Sheik managed a small smirk accompanied by a raised eyebrow. "Hey, hey, slow down!" the redhead laughed, though rather in vain as she seated herself on the edge of Link's bed to wait for him to finish. There seemed to be nothing stopping the hungry Hylian. "I'm glad you like it, but really!"
Sheik made his way back to his chair near the window, seating himself there and occupying himself looking out the window, even as the scattered sunlight still lighting the day slowly dispersed into darkness. Without looking back at the girl, he said, "Is there anything else you needed help with, Malon..?"
She looked over at him. "Oh.. no, you've done more than enough. I already told you that six times! Don't you listen?" A turn towards Link. "Does he listen to you? Tell him he doesn't have to do anything else. He already helped us more than enough! Or is he as stubborn as you are?"
Sheik had to smile a bit at the window. The girl's enthusiasm was almost contagious, but his thoughts were still darkened by the setting sun, and the thoughts of what the next day would hold and how much closer to that day it was.
--
Yes. It wasn't a good idea to eat it so fast, and Link found himself almost choking on the bread, setting the half-finished piece back down and coughing a few times for good measure to make sure he didn't choke. After a small break, in which he grinned at both Sheik and Malon, but didn't spare the time to talk, he then grabbed the food up again and munched on it, a bit slower this time.
Geez, Sheik could be such a stiff. Just sitting in his chair by the window, gazing out of it wistfully... it made Link wanna slap him upside the head sometimes just because it annoyed him. But he understood, in a way. He couldn't expect everyone to be as perky as he and Malon usually were, after all. He had to wonder why he got along better with Sheik, who was easily his polar opposite, and found himself distancing from Malon.
A sigh as he realized he did know the answer. /It's because he's a guy... you don't have to worry about him liking you, you don't have to be scared that he's going to love you and you aren't going to know what to do./ Really. He was so scared of emotions in general, and love was such a strong one... he hardly even knew what it /was/, and to think that someone could harness that towards /him/ of all people... it was plain old scary. Not to mention that he would constantly suspect that it was because he was the Hero of Time...
He grinned deviously as Malon complained about Sheik, finally relenting from his attack upon the bread to speak. "I know... he's only a little less stubborn than me, by the way. And Sheik, calm down. Malon's nice, she'll take care of us." He smiled softly at him, and then resumed his assault of the bread.
He finally finished after a little while, and he let out a sigh of relief, one hand rested upon his now full stomach. "Geez, Malon, that was divine..." It sounded weird to use such a word, but he was trying to broaden his rather childish vocabulary bit by bit. "Thank you so much... I'll come and help with the horses sometime later to pay back my share... though knowing Sheik, he probably did mine plus some already."
--
Ah, if only Link could understand just how wrong he was. While every girl in the nation of Hyrule might have a crush on Link, Sheik's feelings were...rather different. This was proved mostly by the fact that he didn't /want/ to feel this way, while most of the others liked Link for the sake of liking him.
In all honesty, the feelings had disturbed Sheik has much as the prospect of them scared Link. For someone who had been taught to push all emotions aside, that feelings were weaknesses, to feel so strongly... it was strange, and more than a little frightening for him.
"He /did/!" Malon exclaimed, breaking into his thoughts. "You don't have to worry about it. You're always welcome here anyway, you didn't have to worry about it in the first place." As she spoke, she was gathering the dishes on the tray on to a little pile so that she could easily carry it back to the kitchen.
"I'm glad you liked it," she continued, just sort of babbling as she flitted around. "I wasn't sure it was going to be that great, since I had to warm it up for you and all.. but I saved it just for you, in case you woke up yet tonight, and I guess it's a good thing I did. You sure were hungry, huh. Just out of curiosity, how long were you intending to stay?"
Sheik took this as his cue to mention the supplies they might need. "We were hoping to leave tomorrow morning, if Link feels up to it. If not, I'll go myself and come back as soon as I can. Is there any way we could perhaps buy some supplies from you?" "Sure," Malon replied. "You'll have to talk to Dad, but I'm sure he'll give you a good price. I'd love to give it to you for free, but Daddy won't let me." She shrugged apologetically. "If you're going far, you could even rent one of the horses if you want to."
--
The only reason Link hadn't considered Sheik a threat was because he wasn't aware that two males were even capable of feeling love for each other. True, it was rather silly for him to think this way, but he had never been exposed to it, only knew of a guy and a girl getting together, so he made nothing of the strange looks Sheik gave him sometimes, or how he seemed uncomfortable and refused to make eye contact with him. He just thought that was how Sheik was. And as for his feelings in return... he just wrote them off as a close friendship, one he wasn't even sure Sheik returned. What /was/ he to Sheik? He had no idea.
Sheik was a good friend, and also the safe haven amongst everyone else that was about ready to tackle him and force him to return the feelings that they held so strongly. Or at least, that was what he was scared of. Whether or not any of the women that were after him would go so far was questionable. At least Ruto wasn't around to bother him... she definitely would have done such a thing, with all that talk of marriage. He suppressed a shudder at the thought of her. Sure, she was nice and all, but still...
"I'm glad to know I can always come here for help, Malon. You've been such a great help." It was hard to see her so happy, so content in the peace that was actually so short-lived. He couldn't bear to go into the details of what Din's power might actually do... how bad it could be. He didn't want to visibly see the hope leave her entirely. Then again, she was strong-willed. She'd pull through, even if they did have to go through a similar event, possibly even worse, to Ganondorf's rule.
"No, it was perfect!" he assured her. "Better than anything I could do, anyways..." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, remembering the multiple times he had absolutely botched anything he tried to cook, burning it or freezing it or dropping it... he'd done just about everything wrong you could do when it came to food, and more than that... eventually he had just given up on the whole concept. The only thing he /did/ cook well was fish.
He let Sheik and her talk amongst themselves, his companion being the better one to deal with such things as supplies. Link never knew what to take or the proper amount... so it was better he left Sheik to it. "Oh, we have Epona... we can always ride her. I'll probably have to if I want to even make it there tomorrow." He sighed softly; he hated being such a burden, but it was the truth. "And Sheik, you might want to ride on her with me if we want to get there fast... I mean, we really should have been there tonight, but the weather prevented..." He closed his eyes for a moment, the seriousness of things finally sinking in a bit.
"Anyways, thanks for a final time, Malon... I better get rest if I wanna be ready to go in the morning." He watched her leave the room and then settled back down into the bed, watching Sheik for a moment. "...where are you going to sleep?"
--
Link's suggestion that they ride Epona together was met with a slight, if automatic wince, just before he could stop himself. Hopefully Link had either missed it altogether, or wrote it off as nothing. But he wasn't going to argue without a good excuse to offer. A good excuse that didn't seem to want to come to mind at the moment.
Malon left the room, carrying the thoroughly emptied tray and commenting on how there weren't even any /crumbs/ left. Sheik might have smiled at the comment if he had been in a better mood. But as it stood.. well, tomorrow was just looking worse and worse.
Link was looking exhausted, and lay back down in his bed, but kept his eyes on his companion for another moment and asked where Sheik was planning to sleep. The thought hadn't really occurred to him before, and he noticed now that there was no other bed in the room.
A cursory glance about the room told him though that Malon had not forgotten him. There was a cot folded up in the corner of the room. "Ah.. here." He got up and crossed the room to the cot, pulling it away from the wall and opening it up. It seemed pretty nice, and he was used to sleeping in much worse places. He set it up across the room from Link and sat on the edge. It was rather early for sleep, he supposed, but he hadn't slept very much or very well the night prior, so the rest would be very welcome.
"If we leave in the morning, we should make it to the castle by noon," he commented, turning slightly and stretching first one leg and then the other out on the cot.
--
No, the wince wasn't even noticed, Link's usually fairly good vision slightly blurry thanks to how tired he suddenly felt. He wasn't alert enough to have noticed it at this point, and even if he had, he wouldn't have looked into it at all. It was amazing how he usually paid so much attention to detail but couldn't actually pull anything out of the details that he found. Sort of sad, actually. He understood so little...
He smirked for Sheik at the comment that she made, and felt even guiltier that he wasn't more open towards the chipper girl, didn't really show his real self around her, but was just the nice, perfect hero he was supposed to be. /I'm not perfect at all... far from it, actually.../ He gave a mental sigh. Why did everyone think he was so great when he was no different from anyone else? Possibly even inferior. The Goddesses knew he screwed things up enough.
He was slowly losing a hold on his consciousness, felt his eyelids trying harder and harder to close over his vision, cloud it, leave him looking at just darkness and nothing more. But he didn't want to just doze off without saying a proper goodnight... It seemed wrong somehow. He winced at the sight of the cot. It didn't look at all comfortable... then again, Link knew his own woes of bad sleeping places. He had been forced to sleep out on the field, with just Epona as his pillow, on multiple occasions. And the cave the night before wasn't perfect, either. He was sure that Sheik would be fine -- there was no other place for him to sleep, after all, and the Sheikah would /never/ allow Link to give up the bed so he could sleep there, not in Link's condition. "All right..." he mumbled sleepily, watching him through eyes now glazed over. "S... sleep well... I'll see you in the morning. G'night..." And slowly he let his eyes finally close, and in a matter of seconds he was out like a light.
--
Sheik lay back on the cot, resting one hand on his stomach and turning his head to the side, watching as Link quickly slipped into slumber. He watched him for a long while, thoughts churning uncomfortably in his mind. The longer he dwelled on the matter of what might happen tomorrow, the larger the pit in his stomach grew--the pit he'd been trying to ignore that entire day. It was beginning to make him feel ill.
/Stop it. Panicking isn't going to help anything./
He was dreading going back.. having to face the Order again. Something in his mind told him that he wasn't going to get away with just speaking to the Queen. Something was telling him he'd have to appear before them.
But they'd never know. There was no way they could have found out. Unless...
No. Impa would never reveal his secret. That's why he'd gone to her in the first place. She understood that it was something that he'd never asked for, a rule he'd never meant to break, something that he wanted no more than anything to remedy. He just didn't know /how/.
She wouldn't tell them. She wouldn't do that to him.
Still, sleep eluded him. He didn't even know what would happen to him if they found out. He didn't want to know. He told himself firmly that he would never find out, and closed his eyes forcibly. He needed to sleep.. they had a big day tomorrow.
Tomorrow...
-----
Author's Notes
Court: I find it amusing that we could fill a whole chapter with simply Link waking up and eating food faster than humanly possible and then going back to sleep again. With lots of talk and worriment over THE NEXT DAY OMFG!!!1ONE. I'm sorry. It's just. NOTHING HAPPENS. XD It amuses me. The next chapter is great, though. Just you wait. We'll make you. WE'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER.
I'm done. Really.
Rydia: And now for a bit of Sheikah history to explain some things coming up soon. In this fic (and NO OTHER fic I've written), the Sheikah people, rather than a completely separate race, are special Hylians set apart at birth by some sort of birth mark and red eyes and then raised as elite warriors, dedicating their entire lives to their cause. Because they don't have to procreate, love is a taboo. All emotion is considered bad, but strong emotions such as love and hate are considered especially bad, bad enough to be removed from the tribe. Sheik has good reason to be upset.
Oh yes, and the reason Sheik has rounded ears and tan skin is because his mother (in this fic) was a Gerudo. :P What? I couldn't help it--Gerudos and Sheikahs are my two favorite races! XD
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Stay tuned for Chapter 6 : In which Sheik receives some interesting news!