The Reason He Fights

Chapter 2

The night had long fallen down when Renado finally came out of the hut. He breathed in deeply the fresh air, stretching his sore shoulders, trying to clear his head for a moment. He looked sideways as he heard someone clear its throat and meet the red gaze of the small strange creature. In the heat of things, he had totally forgotten about it and took sometime to observe it, concluding that it certainly didn't come from their realm. One could only hope it would understand what he was about to say:

"Are you all right?" he asked, although the creature didn't look hurt. It nodded slowly, before silently returning a question of its own. Renado looked back at the closed door of the hut:

"...You came in just in time to save his life..." the Shaman said, turning his head in time to see the creature's eye lit with relief. He sighed: "...but not all is won. He has a fever, and this night will be crucial for him. All depends now on his will to live..."

Midna's heart skipped a beat. The human had just confirmed her greatest fear. Link's will to survive had been why they were here in the first place. The Twili knew the young man had the strength and the courage to defeat Gannondorf. But along the way to the final battle, Hyrule's Hero had lost sight of the reason he had been fighting for since the beginning. Perhaps it was time for him to be reminded, she thought. Midna looked straight in the eyes of Renado and for the first time spoke to another human besides the Triforce's holders:

"I have a favour to ask of you. Please let the young woman inside tend to my friend at all times..."

Renado nodded; the request not hard to fulfill since Ilia had already asked to help in any ways she could the young man that selfishly helped her when no one wanted to. The Shaman wondered for a moment why the creature asked for such favour since Ilia's memory was still lost. Wasn't it hard enough on the young man to be around her and act as they were total strangers when it was oblivious that he cared deeply for the young woman? But knowing the Goddesses sometimes worked in strange ways, he decided to trust the creature's instincts for the moment.

"I will be in the hot springs if you need me. Ilia already knows." Renado said as he started to walk away. A good bath, a good meal and some hours of sleep were in store for him. If Link's condition was to worsen, the Shaman would need all of his strength.

The rest of the night had been strangely quiet for Ilia. The young man's steady breathing had been the only noise filling the air. She kept cooling down Link's body with a cloth dipped in chilled water, washing away the small beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Now alone with him, Ilia took the time to look at him more closely. She brought the cloth to his forehead and over his eyes. She remembered how blue they were and how they reminded her of the sky by a clear sunny day, how honest they were and how they seem to be an open window to Link's soul. Next was the refined nose, the high cheekbones, the full lips. Oh how the young woman wished they would curl up again in that soft smile she had often seen him with. She swallowed hard; for some reason she would have given anything right now and then to have him smile at her again. Now the cloth was past down the defined jaw line and on the top of broad shoulders and toned chest muscles that spoke of long days of training. Colin had once told her that Link was a herder in his village. Looking at the strong biceps and calloused hands, she had no trouble seeing him pile stacks of hay and bring down rowdy goats. Carefully evading the bandaged areas, Ilia couldn't help but trail her fingertips over Link's hard stomach, amazed by how soft his skin was. She muffled a startled cry as the young man hand clasped around her wrist. She looked up and meet his glassy gaze: the fever was still raging his body, but at least he had come out of his coma.

"Ilia..." he rasped.

"Don't talk." she scolded him with a gentle smile before she reached for a cup that she dipped into the hot water coming from the springs. Slowly helping him to sit up slightly by sliding an arm around his upper back, she brought the cup to his lips and held it there, pouring the water in his open mouth in small sips. It didn't take long before he brought one hand up, lifting the cup higher, drinking the water too fast and choking on it. He coughed for a moment, moaning as needles of pain pierced his body because of the effort, causing him to drop the cup on the bed, spilling the rest of the water on the mattress.

"Be careful! You'll reopen your wounds!" Ilia said with a frown, traces of concerns sipping through her voice tone. Once Link's fit of coughs calmed down, the young woman started to slowly bring him back down, but he stopped her by passing an arm around her waist.

"Link...you need to rest. Please..." she begged him, looking up to meet his gaze. She gasped as she realized that the blue eyes were clearer than before, a soft glint dancing in it. The hold around her waist became stronger and the young man sat up on his own.

"Ilia..." he softly smiled before lowering his head, covering her lips with his. Ilia's eyes shot wide open, her heart beat suddenly ringing in her ears. The kiss was gentle and soft, exactly like him. She closed her green eyes slowly as she started to kiss him back despite herself. To her surprise, the kiss grew more demanding as he brought her closer to him with the arm around her waist, the other sneaking up to cup her head, a calloused thumb drawing circles on the soft spot below her earlobe. In the back of her mind, she noticed that Link had actually drawn her onto the bed, and she was half-kneeling, half-sitting over his lap. Their proximity caused her to moan softly and her hands close into fists on his chest as the young man deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth, massaging hers with it.

They broke the kiss for need of air, and as she gasped for it, feeling light headed and dizzy, Link kissed his way to her earlobe, licking and nibbling where his thumb was previously. Biting her lips to keep her from moaning again and opening her eyes to look at the ceiling, Ilia tried to regain some composure for a moment:

"Link...please...I...you...shouldn't...Oooh..."

In her moment of inattention, Link had slipped one hand underneath her shirt to gently cup her right breast, his thumb teasing her nipple, sending prickling waves of pleasure that caused Ilia to moan louder than she would have wished, closing her eyes as she slipped her hands into the man's soft blond locks. Boldly, she tugged his hair slightly and as he left the crook of her neck she caught his lips with hers, kissing him with a passion she had no idea she was capable of. Her gesture made him moan, and the noise ignited a fire in her lower abdomen, something she had never felt before. Her knees felt weak and she was about to fall when Link moved one leg over his thigh and she brought the other on the other side so that she would finally sit directly in his lap. It seems to her that their clothes offered a very thin layer between their skin now, and she could definitely feel the effects she had on him. Slightly embarrassed, Ilia tried to wiggle out of her position, but only to cause more friction between their thighs. She moaned, overwhelmed by the new sensation, and she instinctively rocked her hips again, her movement rewarded by a growl from Link. She groaned as his hand left her breast and she froze slightly as she realized that he was tugging her shirt upward. She stopped kissing him, opening her eyes to lock her gaze with his. What she saw in it left her breathless, and she lifted her arms over her head. Link took the hem of her shirt and slowly raised it up nearly past her shoulders. But he stopped with a groan, frowning deeply, biting his lower lip almost hard enough to draw blood. His eyes started to glaze over again and that's when Ilia realized they had totally forgotten about his injured shoulder. She brought her arms back down in time to catch him as he slipped into unconsciousness again.

His head resting against her chest, she tried to calm down her erratic heartbeat by breathing deeply. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire and no doubt her lips were rosy and swollen. She lowered Link back to the bed and slide down from it, suddenly feeling cold without his soft skin against her. She closed her arms around her chest, trying to retain some of Link's warmth for a moment and jumped as she heard the hut's door open and close. She tore her gaze from the young man to meet Renado's concern look.

"Ilia...are you all right, child? You look flushed..."

She nodded: "I...I just...need some fresh air..." she said, fighting against tears as she ran outside, leaving the Shaman with Link.

Once outside the hut, she ran to the empty bed in the hot springs Inn, and threw herself on it, muffling her cries with the pillow. She didn't understand why she needed to cry, but she did so until her eyes were dry and until she fell asleep, exhausted.

Reviews and constructive feedback is very much welcome.

Beta-read by the wonderful Melanie. Thanks again sweetie