fleets: man, i hope i did this chapter justice because it's a pretty important one.

Once again (and I know I'm sounding like a broken record but I mean this so so so much) thank you for your continued support! It really makes my day when I see messages from you guys.

Chapter 22: The Anger that Burns

Sheik groaned, stirring from where he'd been sleeping. His head throbbed, a dull ache from nausea, and there was a slight sting across his cheeks where his skin had been burned by the unforgiving desert sun. His fingers twitched as he woke, and his eyelids slowly blinked open. Where am I? he wondered, looking up at the canvas of the tent. Gradually, he remembered walking in the desert, the sun burning into his back as he walked the sands. He remembered the hours and hours and hours of seeing nothing but the gold horizon, and turning back from time to time to confirm that he had, in fact, made forward progress. He remembered the heat that burned through the sole of his shoes until it was a dull, constant pain, and the dryness of his throat the more he tried to breathe.

He pushed himself up from the bedroll beneath him and took in his surroundings. The last thing he'd remembered was sudden darkness as he lost consciousness, and a heavy thud as his body hit the sand. I'm alive? he wondered. Sheik's eyes adjusted to the dim light of the tent. He recognized the red dyed rug spread on the ground and the simple yet elegantly embroidered cushions to be of Gerudo work. Ah, I must have been lucky for the Gerudo to have found me out there, he thought.

Sheik had to steady himself, then, when memories flooded his head. He remembered the cool mist of clouds spraying his face as he ran through the palace floating in the sky, remembered his breath catching as he forced himself to leave the hundreds of Shadow Links to fight Dethl, and remembered the blood splattering across his face as Shadow Link was stabbed in front of him. He remembered reaching towards the doomed smile of acceptance as the warp rift sent him away.

Sheik tried to get up onto his feet. Shadow Link… I have to go back.

Suddenly, Sheik froze when his eyes caught sight of a person in the tent with him. They'd blended in with the cushions piled on the other side, and he hadn't noticed them at first. He could feel his heartbeat thud faster when he realized that he recognized them.

It was exactly the person he'd been searching for, but he didn't know if he was ready to face them so soon.

"Fu-" he stopped himself when the other's red eyes slowly settled on his, and narrowed. He tried again. "Vaati…?" he asked cautiously.

They stared at each other for a while, though neither of them said anything. After a while, Vaati broke his gaze and continued to remain sitting where he was in silence.

There were so many things Sheik wanted to say since the last time they'd met. He wanted to explain what had happened, why they had happened. He wanted to say the things he'd never had the courage to admit, like how much he relied on him. He wanted to ask him for his help to save Shadow Link, and most of all, he wanted to tell him he was sorry. He was sorry for what he'd said at the Desert Temple, and he was sorry for hiding things from him.

He was sorry for thinking he had the right to change who Vaati was.

All of these things he wanted to say, and yet one look at Vaati's face and Sheik couldn't bring himself to say a single word. They could only sound like excuses and empty words at this point. It was much too late… wasn't it?

He glanced over at the mage a few times, but Vaati pointedly ignored him. Sheik wondered why Vaati hadn't already stood up and left, or why he was here in the first place. Just as he was wondering how long the awkward silence was going to last, someone appeared at the tent's entrance. The deep orange of the setting sun lit up the interior, and the outline of a built, muscular woman appeared.

"Oh," the Gerudo warrior looked between Vaati and Sheik uncertainly, noting the heavy pressure between the two of them. She frowned a little, and then tilted her nose towards Vaati. "Hey, you," she ordered, "Twinrova wants you out of here before nightfall."

At this, Vaati stirred. "Tell them I'm not leaving until I get what I came here for," he growled. His fingers dug into his knees as he spoke.

"Their orders were that they would allow you to stay until evening when you could make sure your friend was okay. The sun's setting now. You have to go."

Sheik watched Vaati's knuckles whiten and the sorcerer's expression darken. Sheik's expression softened when he realized that Vaati had been with him while he'd recovered. Did I worry him, even after everything I'd done? He sighed heavily, reluctantly thinking back on how they had parted and the barbed words that had been exchanged.

Sheik's brows furrowed when he pieced together what Vaati was doing with the Gerudos, and then his eyes steeled when he understood what it was that he had to do. Before Vaati or the Gerudo could say anything more, Sheik pulled himself up to his feet. He tottered slightly, his body still recovering from the ordeal he'd gone through, and then slowly made his way over to Vaati when he'd steadied himself. The other raised his head, his red eyes widening in surprise before they immediately thinned into a glare.

Unfazed, Sheik continued to approach him until he was standing directly in front of the sorcerer. Vaati, still sitting with that almost predatory crouch, glowered at him.

Sheik gave a short nod towards the entrance. "Come with me," he said.

Vaati's shoulders stiffened.

"Let's go talk to Twinrova," Sheik supplied. Vaati's scowl vanished momentarily when he blinked in surprise, and the guard by the entrance echoed his astonishment.

"Hey, you can't do tha-" she began, but she quieted when the Sheikah shot her a cold look. Although she was taller than Sheik, she was forced to take a step back when the Sheikah walked over to her with an imposing aura. Behind him, Vaati stood up and followed him slowly, his head tilted questioningly.

"Take us to the witches," Sheik said out loud. His cool gaze, however, added a silent, "or else."

The Gerudo gulped. She didn't know too much about the Sheikah aside from the various rumors, and the rumors painted them to be rather dangerous and maybe a little crazy. She didn't want to confirm with her own eyes whether or not those rumors were true. "A-all right," she stuttered, and then walked out of the tent with the two Sheikah following closely behind.

They walked all the way across the camp towards Twinrova's tent with stares following them the entire way there. The Gerudo leading them clutched her spear uncomfortably against her shoulder, while Sheik and Vaati stared straight ahead without so much as glancing at the others who were watching them with suspicion, whispering amongst themselves. When they finally reached the tent, the young woman stepped aside with a troubled grimace while the two walked inside.

The two witches were already waiting for them, perched atop their brooms and peering down at them unimpressed. "Still haven't left yet, hmm?" The fire witch Koume huffed. She waved her hand at the two irritably, and little embers glowed from her fingertips as she shooed them away. "We've told you already, we have nothing left to discuss."

At this, Sheik noticed Vaati flare up angrily just behind him. He saw the sorcerer take a step forward, his hands curled like claws and ready to charge some kind of devastating spell. Sheik held out a hand stopping him. Vaati looked as though he were going to strike Sheik down for stopping him, but then he saw that faint glint in the other's eye as though to ask him for one chance. Vaati scowled, but backed down for the moment.

Sheik exhaled, relieved that Vaati wasn't going to lash out at the witches for now, and then turned to the two witches. He couldn't believe what he was about to say, and two weeks ago he would have been convinced that he'd gone completely insane for suggesting such a thing. At the same time, however, he'd never been more sure of anything he'd ever done in his life. "Twinrova," he said sternly, "Give him his memories back."

Sheik's orders caught everyone in the room off guard. Kotake nearly fell off her broom, while Koume's eyebrows slowly arched into one of skeptical confusion. Beside him, Vaati, too, appeared surprised, and his previous expression of mistrust faded.

Koume zipped towards Sheik, shaking a finger at his face. "Do you know what you're even as-"

"Yes. Give them back," the Sheikah interrupted.

Koume spluttered, opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water. Her bulging eyes twitched, and her face flushed red as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Hmph, you youngers have no manners…" she muttered contemptuously. Her voice took on a more serious tone, and for a moment it appeared as though the light in the tent dimmed, the shadows extending like clawed fingers. "We won't do what you ask, Sheikah," she snorted, while her twin sister watched them silently with a similarly chilling gaze, "We're not going to undo everything we've worked for. All of our sacrifices would have been in vain if his memory returns, do you understand?"

Sheik remained stubborn. "I'm not leaving until his memories are rightfully returned."

"He'll destroy us all! You, too, will no doubt be the first of his victims for everything you've done. You'd risk your kingdom and your princess for your selfishness?!"

"I've made myself clear, Twinrova."

Fire flared from around Koume as she zipped towards the Sheikah, pointing a finger threateningly towards his unflinching face. "The Gerudo will declare ourselves enemies to Hyrule if you continue to press this issue, brat!" she roared.

Sheik calmly waited for the fire witch to cool down. He waited until he had their full attention, and it was somehow more intimidating than if he'd said anything at all. Eventually, Koume gave him some space, and waited for his response reluctantly, to which Sheik said solemnly, "I made a promise to a friend that I would tell them everything they deserve to know. I've already failed them once." Behind him, a brief look of surprise appeared on Vaati's face at Sheik's words, but the sorcerer remained silent. Sheik continued, his words carrying contained passion and ferocity. "I would rather bring war on the Gerudos than to fail them again."

A heavy silence settled around them, and the tension was thick like the overbearing desert heat. The witches searched the Sheikah's face for a hint of a bluff, but there wasn't any. Kotake's bottom lip quivered, her hand raised as though to strike Sheik down. However, after some time, the corner of her lips curled upwards and she began to chuckle.

Her sister Kotake, who hadn't said a word during the entire exchange, also smiled at the two Sheikah who were looking at them with suspicion. "Well spoken," she snickered, and she floated down to join the fire witch. "Isn't that right, Koume?"

"True indeed, Kotake," Koume grinned. The darkness that had gathered in the corners of the tent dissipated, along with the dangerous aura that had been present before. The fire witch hopped off of her broom, and hobbled over, giving Sheik a playful punch on his arm. "It's nice to see such honest, raw emotion from you, princess of Hyrule." She cackled when she saw the warrior's eyes widen in panicked surprise. "What, you think we didn't know?"

Instinctively, Sheik's hand trailed to his dagger. He was incredibly protective about his alter ego, and his immediate reaction to someone discovering the truth about his identity was to determine how dangerous they were, and to remove them if need be. However, something about the way the witches were grinning at him suggested that they'd probably known for a long time now. His fingers dropped away from his weapon, and he turned away. He couldn't quite explain it, but he almost felt relieved that they knew the truth.

And, for the first time, it felt like he and the Gerudos were talking. Really talking. The Gerudos traditionally didn't get along very well with the Hylians, and he'd never been able to figure out the reason why. Whenever he, or rather Zelda, had attempted to pursue peaceful negotiations regarding Gerudo conflicts, she'd always left with a fragile compromise where neither party was left satisfied. Talking to the Gerudos had always been like trying to weed bomb plants; the same problems always came back, and discussions always ended explosively.

The witches seemed to notice this change from their usual confrontations, too. "You Hylians rarely ever say what you're really thinking, always afraid to step on other people's toes," Kotake explained, "The Gerudos were never fond of your so-called politics."

Koume followed, "We're a people of strength and passion. We are not afraid to let our opinions known, and to butt heads from time to time. But you? You fear anger and confrontation, because you think that's what leads to war. You think it's better to resolve things alone, and in the shadows, than to have to face anger and disagreements. And do you know what your people call us?"

"A race of Thieves, as though we are the dishonest ones," Kotake scoffed, and her sister continued.

"Your ancestors tricked us to live in this barren desert, and now you go about your lives having forgotten that you exiled us. For the first time, however, you came to confront us like a true ruler should. Perhaps the Gerudos and the Hylians have a future together after all." Koume chuckled to herself, and gave Sheik a small wink. The Sheikah didn't say a word in response and his face was buried further behind the cloth around his neck, but the edges of his eyes were soft and contemplative. He looked up when Kotake also dropped down from her broom, joining them.

She rubbed the side of her crooked nose with a smile. "You weren't bluffing earlier, were you…? You meant to fight all of our warriors here." Her smile widened when Sheik gave a single nod, and she waved her broomstick towards Vaati who'd been watching the entire exchange blankly. "You there," she said, and he looked up. "You pick your friends well."

Vaati opened his mouth to object, shooting a small, half-hearted scowl at Sheik, but Kotake shushed him with a knowing wink. "Fine. I don't think we can stop the two of you even if we wanted to. We'll give you what you want, but promise us this," she walked up to Sheik, bringing her sun darkened face closer to his. "Promise us that when this is over, you'll give us a place where the winds aren't harsh, and the trades are fair."

"I promise," Sheik answered.

The witches smiled in approval, but it was short-lived, for they immediately turned their attention back towards Vaati with a frown. Koume pushed past Sheik and eyed the sorcerer up and down. She shook her head somewhat disapprovingly, before she asked, "Now then. Is this truly what you want? You may remember things that you may later regret."

Vaati's response was immediate and firm. "You know my answer."

She returned a solemn nod, knowing his answer before he'd spoken. She and her sister waved for him to follow towards the back of the tent, near the boxes and crates that were being used as a makeshift desk and the piles of bags and chests filled with odds and ends. The fire witch dug up a wooden totem from one of the chests, carved with the symbol of an eye that was eerily similar to the Sheikah insignia. "Come here," she said.

Vaati's vision began to blur black on the edges even as he looked at the totem. He glanced over at the other Sheikah standing next to him pensively. He was admittedly still upset over Sheik's betrayal, but he no longer glared at him the way he had back at the Desert Temple. It was a brief exchange when Sheik noticed the sorcerer looking at him; apology and gratitude was shared for a fraction of a moment. Both were aware that this could be the last time they looked at each other as friends, broken and barely mended.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was underwhelming.

Or, maybe it really wasn't, but he'd spent so much time thinking about how life-changing and important this was going to be that he'd set himself up for disappointment.

But, what had he expected? Some rush of new insight? New emotions?

Vaati. Who was he? Who am I?

The memories came back, one at a time, somewhat in order from what he could tell but sometimes vague and missing details. For some he thought he could feel that they were truly his, and yet others it felt like he was watching someone else's life play out in front of him, like he was a bystander who was observing someone from behind a window.

One series of memories he didn't understand was, surprisingly, his earlier ones. He remembered that his hands had once been paw-like, and that he'd run around barefooted with his feet that were more like a mouse's than a human's.

His nose wiggled and twitched irritably at another mousey creature who waved a carved cane at him. The other, elderly creature pointed to something in a dusty tome as he brushed away his lengthy whiskers.

Minish, Vaati thought. Ez..lo?

Disgust filled his chest as he remembered the name of his once-mentor, mixed with surprise at learning that the fairytale creatures were, in fact, real. The Minish were a mythical race no taller than a person's thumb, and it was said that they secretly helped the Hylians but could only be seen by children. They were real. He'd been one of them.

A gut reaction. No. That wasn't me. That was never me.

Those memories ended abruptly, as though his mind reflexively shut down all associations of his past as a Minish. They became buried somewhere out of the reach of his thoughts so that he could no longer retrieve details of this part of him. The only thing that remained were the raw emotions of anger. Betrayal. Hate.

He couldn't bring himself to remember what had happened, then, but he could feel the sting of betrayal and the anger that boiled beneath his skin when he thought about the elderly sage. His mentor. Ezlo. You lied to me.

About what? Broken promises.

He remembered something about relying on himself. He could be great. He would be the greatest. And those idiots with their dead end lives would continue to serve the Hylians foolishly, while he alone climbed above them all. Above the Minish. Above the Hylians. Above the Gods.

These were the memories that he could understand, and yet at the same time he could not. They had happened so long ago, thousands of years ago, and he was just now looking at the memories again like they were someone else's. He could rationalize why Vaati may have tried to take over Hyrule, but that was all it was. He was only filling in the holes to the story that he'd already heard from other people, but he still didn't truly understand why he'd gone and done all of the things he'd had.

Maybe Vaati had never really, truly known why he'd wanted to conquer Hyrule. Maybe the only thing that had driven him had been the all-consuming rage which had continued to boil and burn as time went on, an anger that had become so powerful that it superseded any rational reason.

Ah, yes. He remembered the anger. All different kinds of anger. There was anger that was like a roaring hurricane, one that destroyed everything in its path. There was anger that was the slow burn of coals but as hot as glowing steel. There was anger that was like the heavy rain in a thunderstorm.

He remembered the endless white of being trapped. Sealed. He remembered the minutes, hours, years, centuries that had passed in a white, empty void, during which time he'd held on to the anger. It kept him focused. It kept him from going completely insane. Or had it made him insane? He didn't know. He couldn't tell. He just held on to the anger.

And then came the more recent memories. He could still feel that constant anger that had been nurtured and aged like a sophisticated wine, and he remembered that it was something that had driven nearly everything he'd done.

A face. A crooked smirk. Shadow Link. He could see the bright blue eyes look up at him with a mix of adoration, disgust, and fear. He remembered kicking him across the face, and a rush of amusement from feeling the power he held over his servant. Shadow's scowl didn't last long as he summoned a gust that slammed the doppelganger against the cold floor, and the magic choked him until he had Shadow begging for forgiveness.

A face. Or rather, a murky shadow with an eye. Dethl. He remembered the shadow following him around like an eager puppy. He sneered as he taunted the Nightmare that they would never be anything real. He'd beat the Nightmare in their own world. Dethl hadn't been able to handle his anger.

A face. A dainty nose wrinkled into a snarl. Zelda. She had an impressive army behind her, and he felt that thrilled rush again as he thought about how she had brought out her entire force just for him. The sky was painted red from the fire and grey from the ash. His lips pulled back into a wolfish grin as he flicked his cape behind him and the wind began to howl. He remembered seeing a bright flash of light as she summoned her holy bow, and he remembered how she'd pulled back on the string calmly while soldiers fell beside her, trying to protect their princess. Their eyes met. She looked at him with disgust, but also with… pity. Pity, perhaps, that someone like him existed.

Someone who'd been left with nothing but anger.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The darkness left him as Vaati opened his eyes again and his vision returned. He was still in the tent where he'd last remembered before he'd blacked out, but Twinrova was nowhere to be found. Night had fallen completely, suggesting that he'd been out for some time, and someone had laid him down across a blanket.

He curled his fingers into a fist, stretching his muscles. As he did so, he noticed a pair of red eyes looking at him just by his side.

Sheik was sitting next to him, resting his head against his knees with his hands wrapped around his legs. The Sheikah lifted his head when he saw that the sorcerer had woken up.

The edges of Vaati's eyes twitched as red stared into red. The anger he'd forgotten, the anger that had always been with him, surfaced once again. It was the anger that had once driven him to the top, the anger that was truly his, and the anger that defined who Vaati was.

He suddenly pushed himself off the ground, sitting up and launching himself towards Sheik. He slammed the startled Sheikah against the wooden beam of the tent nearby, his left hand digging into Sheik's shoulders, pinning him. His lips were pulled back into a snarl, their faces so close that their noses were almost touching.

A face. A pair of angled red eyes that watched him calmly. Sheik… or was it Zelda? There was that same look of pity he'd seen once before, in a field with blood painted sky. The cloth over Sheik's face hid his small smile. It was without fear, and only acceptance. For a moment, Vaati pulled back a little, caught off guard by the smile. A recent memory surfaced, and the voice of Twinrova echoed in his head. Some things cannot be forgiven, and yet your friend here tried to see past that and trust you.

The anger burned, but it faltered like a flickering flame.

Sheik spoke in a low, barely audible voice. His breath brushed against Vaati's lips. "I meant it when I said that I choose to trust you. I may have been dishonest, but I'll stand by those words until the day I die."

The flame flickered even more. Another memory surfaced, and he remembered sitting against the shade of Hyrule's castle walls with Sheik after a day of training. Sheik had held out his hand, curled into a fist, and had asked Vaati to do the same. Vaati had raised a skeptical brow, but had decided to humor him. Their fists bumped against each other, ending with a handshake. He remembered a warmth, one that was different from the fire that had twisted and shriveled his heart into blackened coals. It means that I choose to trust you. It means that I am sorry.

Sheik continued. "What I did to you was wrong, but… I don't regret it. You're my friend, Vaati, and I can't regret the days that wouldn't have happened without it. It's selfish, isn't it?"

I came here to vent because I couldn't bother anyone else with it. It's selfish, isn't it? Another memory, this time he was sitting on a bed next to a young woman in an elegant dress. The princess had surprised him by showing up at his door in the middle of the night, distressed and in need of company. He remembered how comfortable he'd felt around her even though it had been the first time they'd met, although now he knew that the reason had been because he'd known her all along, although with a different name. He remembered her apologizing through her tears about what she had done, and how she'd cried herself to sleep on his shoulders. The truth had been only a few words away, then.

Boldly, Sheik brought a hand up and gently but firmly curled his fingers around the other's shoulder. "You're one of the only friends I've ever had."

He remembered laughter. The jokes and jabs they exchanged while Impa hurried them along back to the castle after their recent escapade. The sun hit their backs as they hopped from one roof to another, and promised each other that next time they wouldn't be caught by the older Sheikah.

Sheik pulled him closer, and their foreheads touched, forcing Vaati to really look at him. "You can take away my kingdom, but don't take that away from me."

The memories ended, and he was back, crouched over Sheik as he held him against a beam. Vaati blinked. For some time now, his snarl had disappeared. The fire of his anger was still hot, but it was no longer so powerful that it was the only thing that defined him. It flickered, reminding him that it was still there, but there was a different fire that engulfed it.

He pulled away, his eyes narrowed somewhat as he stared at the Sheikah who waited for him, fearless.

Vaati shook his head, a tiny smile on his face. The voice of anger rose for a moment, but he drowned it out. You fool… it had said bitterly. Instead, he dropped his hands to his sides and chuckled. "And that… was the third time you were honest with me."

fleets: erm, I don't know where to start. Oh, the totem that I mention in this chapter was based off of the totem in Twilight Princess that helps Ilia get her memories back :) (it looks suspiciously Sheikah, too).
Umm, what else. Not much else. This chapter was tricky! I might rewrite it at some point. Eventually.

RayHollows: Yesssss that's exactly the feeling! I'm only familiar with the Oracles Koume/Kotake, and in those games I kind of figured that they went a little nuts because they lost their boy Ganondorf. Actually when I initially outlined this story in its very, very rough stages, I had them be extremely evil and conniving, but I ended up preferring them to fit the role they do now much better (also I know Majora's Mask Twinrova is different from OoT Twinrova since Termina is a little wonky, but I read their quotes on the wiki and they were kind of adorable there haha).
YOU HAVE GOOD IDEAS FRIEND

Ai Star: Vaati might be Vaati, but he was Fuu at some point in time ;) He might have a conscience now

AquilaMage: I agree! It was pretty surprising though! Having three favorites though, I don't know if my heart can handle it. Too many feelsing, yeah?
Ahh thank you I'm glad you liked that scene! It really does make an author really happy when they hear that their stories could get an emotional reaction from their readers :)

Lord Siravant: They're tricky witches ;) I might have changed them up quite a bit from canon, especially with this chapter, but they were inspired by WW Ganon and his speech about being envious of Hyrule (man, that was such a great game...). Ah, Vaati. Maybe he's learned that there's more to life than being a rage ball.

fanakatsuki: He's the cutest villain! :D

Cattycheeno: Well to be fair, what Sheik did to him was a low blow. It seems like he's finally able to admit that he'd also been awful to Sheik, too. ;)

Arridu: Hi there! Always nice to see a new face, thank you again for your message! :) And oof you're right, I didn't really talk about Shadow in this chapter, but let's just say that he's not having a great fun time up there...