DISCLAIMER: Same as before. D'oh!

The first thing he knew he was lying in water. The images of a torture chamber flashed across his mind and he jerked wildly out of haunting nightmares that encapsulated him in nothing, and dragged him back into nothing; where was he? Was he going to be…?

He shouted raggedly and thrashed out with both arms, but hit nothing.

And a light brushed gently across his face. He opened his eyes, sat up straight to discover he wasn't bound at all. He was entirely free, and his clothes—ah, Sheikah clothes!—were back as they had been before. No sign of the filthy guard clothing remained, nor of the bloody scabs on his back and arms when he twisted to see. Whoever had mended him had done a good job… but where were they?

He was in some kind of chamber. Triforces lined the walls, moving slowly and languidly up until they reached the black abyss that was the ceiling. He seemed to be lying in a shallow pool of warm water, about five inches deep, and made of marble. Small lights passed around him: stray fairies. This was a fairy fountain.

"Hee… you're awaaaaake!" came a cheerful voice, and he felt two hands on his shoulders. He craned his neck around to see a crimson-haired lady, smaller than him by a foot or two, with a skimpy little outfit on. How odd.

"…Where is this?" he asked.

"This? This is my fountain. Duh! It's right next to the Zora altar, only now the altar's all frozen over and everyone calls it the Ice Caverns and Jabu Jabu's gone so I get lonely." She pouted. "Until I found you! You were hurt pretty badly, you know. Might even have died. Why were you wearing a pendant of Farore's wind? That's my name, you know. Farore."

Sheik stared. She'd spoken very quickly and in a very high-pitched, though melodious, voice. It was hard to understand, but after a moment he replied. "Someone gave it to me."

"Oh! That's a good gift. They must like you. Well, you're the second Sheikah I've seen this week. And you're handsome, too. Can I see what's behind your covering?" she made a pouty face and leaned her head coyly onto his shoulder, another hand coming around from behind and pulling at the cloth teasingly.

Sheik started and moved away from her to the side, hand pressing on the white fabric. "No," he said firmly. "It's a Sheikah tradition."

She frowned. "Weeeeell. I guess if they all do that. But the last one didn't cover her face."

Only one Sheikah in all of Hyrule left their face uncovered. "Did she give her name?" Sheik asked, his heart leaping.

"Impa. She was all pretty, with white hair and red eyes just like yours! You're lucky, you know. Your looks are wasted on a young man—hey, are you listening to me?"

Sheik wasn't. He was thinking. Impa… then she was nearby! He needed to speak with her so badly, needed to tell her all that had happened. He needed her to give him a watch protection sigil so Ganon wouldn't find him. Ganon… Ganon would be looking for him. His old adversary wasn't one to quit on the drop of a hat.

"The Dark King is looking for me," Sheik said, rising off the floor (or pool, rather, though there was floor underneath. What was in this water, anyways?). "I must go."

"I know. I felt it," Farore replied. "'Cause you know, we fairies can feel that sort of magic. But you know, he must not be very good at finding people 'cause he still hasn't found this place and it's already been three days."

Sheik bolted to his feet. "Three days! Goddesses!" he turned to make for the doorway, but a grasp at his arm made him turn. The fairy had both her arms twined around his upper torso, eyes looking at him pleadingly, her legs and lower half completely floating in the air. Little sparkles surrounded them both.

"Pleeease don't go before you've had breakfast at least! You won't find anything good to eat anytime soon that's better than fairy cooking, I promise!" She looked so forlorn that all Sheik could do was nod his head.

In a few moments she returned with something: a plate of cuckoo eggs and toast, and Lon Lon milk. Where'd she gotten all this? Lon Lon Ranch hardly put out exports anymore since Ingo had taken over. Maybe she'd just conjured it up. Who knew what kinds of magic faeries had? He began to eat, pondering his situation quietly.

"You don't talk very much," Farore noted. His eyes slid sideways to meet hers. "I thank you for your hospitality, and also for healing me," he said then, to console her. "I thank you because I may have died if you had not. Is that what you want to hear?"

"No. I wanna hear about you and the Hero of Time. Everyone's calling you the Sacred Acolyte, you know, 'cause you two are saving Hyrule all by yourselves."

"I never chose to save Hyrule. I never chose to be his acolyte."

And what else could he have done? What other choice would he have?

"Well, are you two friends? You must be, if you're doing all this salvation business by yourselves."

"…I don't know," Sheik said, scratching his head. "I don't get to see him much. I can't go into the temples with him—I'd be torn apart. I'm not a sage. But I help out when I can." He looked up to see that Farore was watching him intently, a small, secretive smile on her face. "What?" he asked, feeling a bit irritated, though he didn't know why.

"Hee, you—" she shook her head. "Nothing."

Sheik stood just inside the entrance to Lake Hylia, his arms folded in anticipation. Would Link be finished? Would he be outside the temple now? He didn't know. He couldn't wait to see him, couldn't wait to speak with him…

But he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to go to the center island and see for himself just yet. What if Link was dead?

There was a noise that sounded like groaning. Sheik shielded his eyes against the morning sun, staring out at the empty expanse that had been the lake, once upon a time. It began with a shivering that spread throughout the earth, trembling under his feet, and then bursting through in a hideous kind of shriek. Now it was growing…It sounded as if an enormous roaring was gathering, and with it a swirling and slushing sound that could only be…

…water. Tons of water. The water was returning to Hylia!

Link had won! Sheik grinned underneath his mask and sprinted over the two bridges to the center island, but paused halfway across the second bridge. Link was there, all-right, but so was Ruto. Gah. Where had she come from? Oh, right… she was the water sage, wasn't she? Wasn't that what Impa had said?

"Darling, you made me wait seven years. I won't forgive you anytime soon if you don't kiss me," Ruto sang, one hand around Link's neck and the other grasping the water medallion, blue and sparkling in the morning sun. Link tried to edge away sideways, but her grip was tight, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Ruto. I am not. Going. To marry you. Get that through your head, will you?" he replied in a steady voice. She looked first shocked, then angry; her hands curled and she chucked the medallion at his head. It connected with a metallic thwang. "HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT TO ME! ME, YOUR BRIDE?" she put a hand to her throat as if she'd been disgraced. "AFTER I'VE LOVED Y—Oh, it's you." She turned her head suddenly, her voice quieting, and stared at Sheik as he stood there. "Bastard Sheikah."

"No, go on ahead. I was enjoying the spectacle," Sheik said, smiling behind his face mask. She fumed—he could almost see the warning lights flashing in her eyes. "What are you doing, trespassing on me and my husband?"

"You're going to get him to marry you? Eugh, think of the children," Sheik said.

"Are you ever going to return that jewelry you stole from me, Sheikah?" she demanded. Change of topic, eh? Maybe she hadn't figured out the matter of children yet.

"No," Sheik replied. "It's Impa's now. I think she likes it. And I've got the nifty scars for myself."

"Hmph. I hope Myzo whipped you until you bled," she said with a sneer.

"Oh, he did. I think they look rather dashing, though." Sheik flashed her another grin.

"My, a sense of humor? When did you come by one of those?"

"Right after I noticed you trying to woo the Hero of Time into marrying your ugly amphibious personage," Sheik said with a flourish, and then bowed mockingly. "Now begone."

Ruto clenched her hands. "You disgusting… you… AUGH!" she screamed and then dove into the water, pectoral fins flapping before she hit the surface. In a moment she'd disappeared entirely, but then broke the surface again, her head bobbing back up. "I'm the water sage, you know! I deserve respect!"

"You're looking in the wrong place," Sheik countered. "I didn't like you before you were the sage and I sure as hell don't like you now."

She dove back under the water and splashed both Link and Sheik with a wave of cold water. Both of them stumbled back to avoid most of it, but Sheik was still doused when it had passed. "I hate her," he grumbled under his breath.

"Sheik!" he was mildly surprised to find arms wrapping around his shoulders. Link was shorter by an inch or two, but not by much, and the effect was still startling. "Ah, I didn't think I'd see you again! That last creature was harder than ever… and I had to fight myself."

Sheik stiffened. "What?"

"It was… it was me, but it wasn't. It was like a dark version, you see. I don't even know where it came from." Link unwrapped his arms and looked up at the Sheikah.

"Ganon's creation," Sheik replied solemnly. "You've already fought his shadow image, so he tried to make one of you, no doubt. I'm glad you won." He turned his red eyes off to the side, feeling himself grow warm and his face burn at the sudden realization that Link was, in fact, standing not three inches away from him. "I'm glad you made it out alive."

"So you do care if I die or not." Link grinned, folding his arms. "Does this mean we are friends, after all?"

The same question that Farore had asked him. Was Link his friend?

"…Yes," Sheik said, and without quite knowing why took Link's hand in his own. "We're friends. More than that."

Link squeezed his hand back, smiling. "Glad to hear it."

Sheik suddenly felt an overwhelming willingness to tell him. To tell him about his crazy, mismatched feelings, so out of place in the businesslike way they were supposed to behave. Nothing ever made sense with Link around, did it? Was that what love did? Sheik blinked and released his hand. "Look out there," he said, motioning to the lake. "It's all filled."

Link took his eyes off Sheik for the first time. "Is that what happened? Did I… did I do that?" Link stepped forward, staring out at the expanse of water. Sheik chose now to make his escape; he leapt straight up and into the nearby tree, crouching amongst its branches, pulling his facemask up higher out of sheer habit and nothing more. Well, he had Farore's healing to praise for that. All his muscle tone had returned, it seemed, and he was good as new. During the daytime, at least.

"Sheik, how did all of this hap—" he turned around. "Sheik?"

He looked around, a distraught expression on his face. Never thought to look up. He was so battle hardened, so tall and strong, but there were some parts of him that were still childish. A young boy trapped in a young man's body; yes, that was what he was. After all, he had only been ten when Rauru had locked him away. Really, he'd seen more than many soldiers had in those short ten years, but still…

"I know you're still here somewhere," Link said flatly. "I don't know why you disappear every time I want to talk with you. You're the only person I really care about, y'know. Saria's a sage, Malon's being forced to work for Ingo…" he paused. "I'll see you around, Sheik."

With that he started away. Sheik sighed and crouched further into the branches.