Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.

Chapter 8 - What the Heart Wants

"Ow, Ow, AAARGH! P-Please, I beg you to stop with this madness." A very distressed voice filled the air. Its anguish and pain drowning away any other sound close to its source.

"Shut your trap, boy!" The fiery red-haired doctor yelled at the squirming blond laying on the bed. "Who was the one running out there like a lunatic trying to burst the stitches I so patiently put on him, HUH?" She pulled angrily at the thin medical thread, making it tug very tightly at the bleeding skin.

"I-I-I'm so sorry, doctor Rose." Link pleaded with tears in his eyes. "It won't happen again, ma'am."

"MA'AM?!" She pulled the needle very sharply against the side of his wound, making the poor young man yelp very loudly. "Are you calling me old, brat?"

"No, please! I didn't mean it like that. N-NOOO!"

The pain-filled screams of the poor hero echoed far and wide across the now very busy medical tent. As scary as the head doctor and her antics are, the very ridiculous scene of a woman half the blonde's size fiddling with the Hero of Time draws a light-weighted tone to the otherwise somber mood of the patients present.

In the aftermath of the giant monster's attack, almost one-third of Captain's Briar platoon suffered mild to heavy injuries. However, thanks to the medical staff and mainly the very quick and precise orders of doctor Rose, not a single one of them lost their lives.

A small token of good fortune that came out of this most unfortunate event that will plague the poor citizens of this refuge with dreading nightmares for days to come.

Yet, as reaching as the words of this invasion spread across this haven inside Kokiri Wilds; even more spread are the words of a special blond warrior who felled the giant threat all by himself. While a lot of people got to experience the haunting battle with their own eyes, the majority of people living here were far away and safe from it all.

This fact combined with the ever-enlarging gossips of the Hero of Time's feat created a chaotic uproar throughout the free people of Hyrule. Citizens, soldiers, and even some of the high-ranking officers came pouring toward the medical ward, some wandering to the Princess' quarters, all in hopes of seeing or even more to speak with this legendary guardian sent by the Goddesses.

Captain Briar promptly and gladly offered his services and his men to the most urgent task of keeping this mass of faithful Hylians from overwhelming the wounded hero and the wounded soldiers resting inside the large tent.

However, despite the good Captain's best efforts to keep this mess away from the sick, he is unable to stop the overwhelming sounds of voices from pouring in from the curious people outside.

"Jeez… the moon is almost setting and these people won't shut up." Complained one soldier lying on a bed with one of his arms wrapped in heavy bandages.

"Come on now, you can't blame them. Anyone would be ecstatic to meet the hero they waited years for." Said a female soldier with a broken leg resting in a bed next to her companion. "Just try to zone their voices out. It gets easier with time."

"Yeah… don't see that happening." Replied the exasperated man, taking his pillow and pressing it against his ears.

In the now private area at the back of the make-shift hospital, Rose finished her masterful work with the wounds Link managed to open in his earlier fight. Taking out her gloves and wiping away the reaming spots of blood from her hands, she watches as the blond young man curls in his bed with a whimpering voice.

A secret little smile tugging at the side of her lips. "Suck it up, kid. You managed to beat a giant monster pig; you can't easily take a few pokes of a needle at your side."

One very dissatisfied grunt flew from the blond, his blue eyes shooting towards the small red-haired woman in indignation. "Please send two more of those Moblins my way. I totally prefer that to these sessions in here."

Rose let out a hearty and loud laugh. "Go right ahead, brat. After two more of those things and you will be right back here… with… me."

Pressing his face against his pillow, Link let out a muffled cry of panic. Even if the doctor is a miracle worker, she is way too sadistic in her methods for his taste.

"Doctor Rose!" One of the junior medics called out to their superior, one very thick mount of papers in their hands.

"It appears the rest of this place needs my attention," Rose said to Link, giving him a look that he can't decide if it's playful or pure evil. "Lucky you, mister hero-brat."

"Don't let me hold you here then." As soon as Link replied, he deeply regretted his boundless bravery.

Furrowing her eyebrows at the mouthful blond, Rose raised her operating knife in the air and pointed at him. As he squirmed and yelped quietly in panic, she chuckled and waved one hand at him as she walked away.

"She really took a liking to you." One very calm and quiet voice sounded from behind the curtain in the left, the suddenness of it making Link jump startled that someone was standing so close and he hadn't noticed. "Doctor Rose usually never jests with the people she cuts open." The slim silhouette behind the white fabric chuckled quietly. "She isn't a people person, as you may have noticed."

Taking a few steps forward, Sheik stepped away from his cover, dressed fully in his Sheikah attire.

As soon as his eyes landed at the red-eyed blond, Link's lips parted into a warm flourished smile, his blue eyes searching every detail of the lean young Sheikah.

"How are you feeling, Hero?" Sheik asked, his tone gentle but firm.

"Feeling like a giant Moblin tried to squish me." Link jested with a bright grin.

"That's not funny… You almost died that way." Tried as hard as he wanted, Sheik couldn't find in himself to frown or to get mad at the stupid little joke, his uneasiness swiftly melting away in front of those big blue eyes. "Really, how are you feeling?"

Then the spark of playfulness faded from Link's face. Trailing his gaze to the side, he laid down in his bed and sighed. "I'm fine… I guess. Thanks to the painful hour under doctor Rose's care, my wound is closed again. My body feels heavy, slow… as if we are underwater."

Sidestepping the small table with medical tools inside the little booth, Sheik walked right next to Link's bed, taking a seat right at the edge of the mattress. "That ought to be normal. As every person in camp likes to remind everyone, you went toe to toe against a giant creature. Fatigue would be the most expected outcome."

As they shared a modest laugh with each other, the two blond young men fell into a peaceful silence. Blue meets red in their trade of glances. Between the stoic secretive Sheikah and the aloof inexperienced Hero, they shared a lot more in this moment of quietness than any other words ever could.

In this mutual understanding, Sheik felt brave enough to move his right hand on top of the Hero's one lying above the white sheets.

Sheik never opens up to people, with words or emotions. Spare for Zelda and his aunt when he was very young, he has shared very little physical contact with people. For him, to touch another person so casually, so freely. It scares him.

As this thought crosses his mind, he mentally snorts.

'A highly skilled and trained warrior, scared of touching someone's hand. How ridiculous does that sound?'

"Sheik…" Link calls to him. His voice mellow, sweet, and shy.

Those needy blue eyes looking right at him… It broke Sheik's walls on so many levels. But in doing so, made his mind cry ever so loudly in panic. One moment of negligence and his gaze was trailing down to the handsome curves of Link's lips.

One little inch his head leaned forward and Sheik jumped out of the bed with an alarmed look on his face.

'What am I thinking? What am I doing?' His visible red eyes glancing everywhere except to the very disturbed Link staring at him. 'This is wrong… I shouldn't… not for the Hero… not for him…'

Doing a sharp turn to the left, Sheik took a hard step forward, his focus already set in getting away from here as fast as he could. However, before he could take a second step forward, Link grabbed his arm and held him there.

"Sheik?" He asked slightly confused at the sudden change.

"I-It is late…" Sheik stuttered out awkwardly, not daring to look back into those pleading blue eyes. "You should rest, Hero. You'll have a long day before you tomorrow."

"Thank you…"

For everything Sheik expected to hear right now; confusion, accusation, frustration… Nothing came even close to what Link said to him. Instantly the red-eyed blond turned to glance at the blond hero, who is now staring down at his own legs.

"I don't recall doing anything that warrants such words, Hero." Sheik said back with a faint smile. "It is you who deserves our appreciation for saving so many lives."

"And you saved mine." Link's shy comment made the young Sheikah quirk an eyebrow at him. "When the Moblin had me pinned down against the ground. I… A lot was going inside my head. A chaotic mess I couldn't escape. It would take only just one more moment in there and I would've lost… my mind and my life."

Disturbed by the sudden revelation, Sheik felt like a dozen questions popping into his mind. His inquiry, however, disappeared when Link moved his hand lower and wrapped his calloused fingers inside the other boy's hand.

"Right then, when everything looked so dark and twisted. I heard your voice." He looked up once more, a glistering glow in his eyes threatening to turn into a stream of tears. "Your voice brought me back. Hearing you calling out for me. It gave me the strength to fight on. So… Thank you."

Silence…

All that followed Link's declaration was a long and loaded sense of quietness. However, as still and calm as Sheik looks on the outside, his chest is exploding with a rush of feelings he cannot explain.

It took all his self-control and paranoic fear of physical intimacy with others, for him to not jump at Link and pull the other blond into a tight embrace.

Even then, even when his mind screams at him to leave before he can do something harmful to both of them. Sheik's heart yelled even louder for him to step back in and take a chance with something so ridiculously fated to fail.

His left hand wandered forward, taking a gander at the warmth of Link's right cheek. As the other boy leaned to the side, pressing his face even more against the caressing touch of Sheik's bandaged fingers. It felt like true bliss, his heart melting in a way he never felt before.

"L-Link…" The hero's name tasted like honey as they slipped bast Sheik's lips. Lips those that trembled in expectation, in logging.

Staring at the blond standing next to his bed, Link also feels this desperate urge clawing at his chest. It pleads loudly for him to do something, for him to reach up and take on the promise of something beautiful. However, as much as he inches forward and as much as his grip on Sheik's hand tightens, he has no idea how to follow.

The look in the hero's eyes is unmistakable, especially so to Sheik's observing gaze. It frightens him to no end to know that this feeling is mutual, this wanting is consensual and shared between the two of them.

Still, even with all his reservations, Sheik did the unthinkable.

Sitting shyly on Link's lap, he gently tugged the top of his mask with one finger and pulled it down, revealing his face in its entirety to the Hero again.

Link's eyes widened in surprise as a warm sensation prickled at his lips, a sweet taste overflowing his mouth. His eyes closing on their own, the young hero allowed himself to be washed away by the duet of sounds coming from his and Sheik's hearts, beating fast and in unison as if they were the same.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Sheik quickly jumped to his feet, startled by the sudden yell flying from within the tent. In a clumsy hurry, he pulled his mask back on. The furious red tint crossing his cheeks, however, was not as easily hidden away.

In the midst of the sudden commotion, came a flurry of stomping steps. A chubby older woman, with hazy grey hair, appeared from behind the curtains. Her soggy eyes all red from the heavy tears they probably shed.

"O-Oh… Heeeroo!" The small-statured granny launching herself against the southern edge of Link's bed. "I beg of you, Hero. Please, save my boy. You have to save my boy."

A pair of distressed soldiers came right after the woman, they flinching a bit after seeing the other blond that is keeping company to their famous savior.

"Sir, we are so sorry for this inconvenience." The brunet female soldier said in a wobbly salute.

"Come on old bat, you shouldn't bother the hero." Puffed the second soldier, handily grabbing the woman by the arms as she began to flail around desperately.

"Release me, you brute." She spat angrily. "Hero!" She glanced at Link in full desperation. "You are our gift from the Goddesses. Please, help me too."

Very disturbed by the scene in front of him, Link raised one hand to address the woman. But before he could say anything. Sheik raised his voice first.

"The Hero of Time is meant to destroy the evil plaguing Hyrule. He is not here to play errand boy to each distressed citizen he sees."

Infuriated by the remarks of the Sheikah, the old woman struggled even harder just to point one finger at him and then hiss. "I know of your kind, you freak." She spat in full venom. "You Sheikahs are the plague that keeps desolating our people."

As used as he is to this type of baseless accusations, Sheik felt a deep sense of infuriation raising in his chest. He doesn't mind being the target of such scorn, but not in front of Link.

"Enough of that, you." Growled the soldier tugging the woman back. "You better stop this or I will throw you in the bin for the night." Looking at his fellow soldier, he nodded to her to help him restrain the screaming woman.

Even as the soldiers dragged her away, the woman's glare never left Sheik's face. "You stay away from our light, Sheikah demon. Don't you dare corrupt our sacred Hero!"

Slowly her heated voice faded away behind the sea of murmurs coming from outside. Then, rushing right back in, one of the two soldiers popped from behind the curtains and bowed his head in apology.

"Hero! We're deeply sorry for the scene that woman caused." His tongue almost twisted with how fast he spoke. "In a moment of negligence, she managed to slip inside."

"N-No… don't worry about it." Link replied meekly, much to the man's surprise. This humble young man in front of him looking very different from the imposing legend people are making in their minds. "But… She said something about her son. That I should help him."

"Hero..." Sheik said quietly, his gaze stern in its warning.

"Sir…" The soldier glanced from side to side, then sighed. "Her son died years ago. He was a soldier on the field at the battle for Zora's Domain… Like many others, he didn't make back."

A wave of gloom washed over Link's expression as he glanced down to his sheets again. "Then… how could I help him? I can't bring people back from the dead."

Sheik stared at the hero as he curled against his knees and frowned. The Sheikah mentally cursing the audacity of that woman. "People are stupid, Hero." He said coldly. "Takes little to no time for them to start spreading ridiculous gossips, even more so when it is about you. After your battle against such a monstrous enemy, these gossips will only get worse."

"We will try our best to dissuade the crowd away from here. At the very least, we will keep anyone else from barging in." Saluting to the pair of blonds one more time, the soldier turned to the side and marched out to the entrance, leaving Sheik and Link alone in the wake of the previous loud scene.

"Sheik…" Link looked at the other blond, a small glimpse of confusion showing in his big blue eyes.

It is clear the reason for that look. The reason why Link is reaching with one hand towards Sheik yet again. However, after the shock of his interruption, the Sheikah has full control of his emotions once more. His rational side strong and in control, pushing him to walk forward and glance away from the other blond.

"Rest now… tomorrow we leave at the first ray of sunlight." Walking in stride, Sheik felt a real painful tug in his chest for rejecting his hero so firmly, but his mind tells him that this is the right thing to do. "Link…" He stopped next to the white fabric, giving one last glance to Link and his charming azure gaze. "Sleep well…"

Link smiled and nodded, his gaze softening a lot more from the tension they wore before. "You too, Sheik."

Flipping through pages at a leisure pace, Zelda finds herself unable to sleep due to the ongoing chorus of voices singing in a religious lullaby just outside her royal tent. Even if her eyes are heavy and clouded by dark circles, the poor Princes is stuck in her living room with a stack of reports worth a whole week of reading.

However, even if her head aches with a mild migraine, she can't find in her heart to be upset with her subjects. They have now an outlet to vent years of suppressed cries of hope, countless chantings that never had reason to exist before.

Still, she would not mind if they would take at least the night in respite as to not trouble the injured people recovering from the monster's attack.

Letting out a long sigh of exhaustion, she flips through yet more pages. Her eyes barely registering the words written on the brownish paper.

As the Princess laid the stack of papers on the small table in front of her, a long thud echoed from the front door, startling her up to her feet.

"Sheik?" She asked with a bit o caution, slowly stepped toward the entryway. One step past the colorful clothing serving as her walls, she noticed a familiar form curling against the footwear resting area. "Sheik?! What happened?" Abandoning her slow steps, the princess rushed to her little brother's side, surprised to see him looking so sad and defeated. "Talk with me… did someone mistreat you?" She pulled him into a tight embrace, frowning at the sight of his trembling shoulders.

Burying his face even further into his legs, Sheik snorted and shook his head. "Their words do not affect me anymore… They ceased to matter a long time ago."

"Then?!" Zelda asked louder than she intended, her voice making him flinch ever so slightly.

"I-I am so stupid, Zel…" Sheik said with a weak voice, a very rare sob echoing with his words. "So, so stupid! There should be a limit to how foolish someone can be."

Growing more concerned by the second, Zelda reached in with her hands and forced Sheik to look at her. Her heart hurting at the sight of a glistening tear showing in his red eye. "Care to tell your big sister the reason for such words? You're scaring me, Sheik. I've never seen you so distressed before."

Biting his lower lip in frustration, Sheik fought with Zelda's gentle hands to try and look away. "K-Kiss… him…" He muttered very quietly.

"Pardon, I couldn't hear you." Pressing one finger to the bandages protecting his forehead, she gave him a smile with loving care. "Just push the words out. You can do it."

Sheik's eye seemed to glow even more as if tears were ready to slip from his sturdy-hard shell of a personality. Now, using his hands to gently pull her hands away from his face, he glanced down and sighed. "The Hero… I-I kissed him."

His words practically echoed in the silence that followed them. As a few moments passed, he grew worried and glanced upward to see Zelda's reaction. Her face a still image of surprise, her eyes not giving a hint of what is going on inside her head.

"Zel…" He pleaded, the silence killing him.

A stream of good-natured laughter bursted from the Princess's lips, her reaction making the poor Sheikah jump in his spot. "You two kissed?" She asked with a pint of teasing. "My little brother is a charmer, that's for sure. Why are you so gloomy when things couldn't be better? How did that happen? Did he kiss you back? Hurry, hurry, tell me everything."

His pale face turned into a bright shade of pink. 'I should've known this would be her reaction.' Sheik cursed his carelessness in a mental note.

"Everything couldn't be worse, not better." He said with a saddened frown. "Link… he needs all the support he can muster to face Ganondorf. His task is so monumental, so crucial… And I almost jeopardized it all because of my stupid feelings."

"How so?" Zelda asked back. "How being loved by someone can harm his path?"

"Really?" Sheik looked up to the Princess again, one even worse frown on his face. "If the people outside knew of this… they would cast him away. Let's put aside the fact that we are two men, which most Hylian will never accept, they would chastise him for involving himself with a Sheikah… They would hate him, just the way they hate me."

"To hell with those people." Zelda growled very angrily, her blue eyes flaming with ire for how her subjects treat one of the most important persons in her life in such an awful way. "Sheik…" Her voice mellowing down again as she kneeled next to him again, taking both of his hands on hers. "You've given up so much for Hyrule already… You have sacrificed so much for me… No one else in this world deserves to be happy more than you. If your heart feels that Link is your happiness, nothing else should matter."

"Don't do this, Zel… don't make me hope for something that will never work, that should not exist."

"Silly Sheik." Zelda pulled him into a hug again, this time pulling his mask and turban away to look properly at his beautiful face. "I only want what is best for you. Always…"

Feeling protected at the arms of the person he swore to protect, Sheik gave in to the warmth of Zelda's arms. Letting go of the anxiety threatening to rip his chest open, he leaned against her embrace.

"Thank you, Zel… Even if I shouldn't… I mustn't… Your words still mean the world to me."

She smiled and patted his head. "That's what sisters are for." Then pushing him back, Zelda looked at Sheik with a very suspicious grin on her lips. "Now… details!"

Poor Sheik grimaced after recognizing that look in her eyes. 'What in the Goddesses' name have I done?'

There will not be sleep for the Sheikah until he shares every single thing about his little moment with his oblivious, and by now sleeping, Hero.