A Wolf's Love Howl
Chapter 8
The Room
After what seemed like an eternity, Ike rushed Zelda to his room. Zelda had never seen the mercenary this unhinged. She barely understood what Ike was talking about, he was talking so fast as he was pulling indignantly on her arm. She was able to pick up on Link being severely hurt and changed her tune quickly following behind the large mercenary. "I should have healed everything already. This doesn't make sense." When they came to the open bedroom door Ike dropped to his knees beside the bed that cradled her now death bound looking hero. "The black things have spread since I left. What is this, can you heal this?" Zelda indecisively walked towards Link's body and lightly traced the black streams now going towards his neck. "This is an infection from the Twilight Realm. Not too different from what I was subjected to by Ganon." Her eyes were unwavering as she remembered that horrid night when she was just a passenger in her own body.
Ike took Link's hand against his cheek, kissing it every so often, watching the boy for any signs of life. He was at least rewarded with Link's injured chest going up and down in a safe rhythm. "So how do we fix this?" Ike asked, holding himself together. "Midna saved me with her imbued powers, but this situation is different. As far as I can see, Link isn't being possessed. We should start by inspecting the inside of the wound. Zant was able to keep Link in his twilight wolf form by inserting a fragment of Twilight into his skull, so maybe there's something inside this one too causing the infection." "Wait.. inside as in..?" Zelda started grabbing towels from the bathroom and laid them over Link's chest under and over the wound to soak up the aftermath. "Yes. Now hold him down just in case."
Ike froze not knowing if this was the best idea but the sight of a long needle Zelda materialized from her hand made him jump into action. Ike went to the other side of the bed and joined Link on the mattress and wrapped his arm under the unconscious body, holding him down by his shoulders. The two glanced at each other confirming they were ready. Zelda slid the needle inside of the festering wound and started twisting the assassin tool back and forth. Ike barely had time to grip Link back as Link jolted awake letting at a painful cry. Ike closed his eyes at the scene barely containing himself from pushing Zelda away. Link's anguished cries tortured his soul and mind. His heart screamed at him for being responsible for the other's pain and for forcing Link to go through it by holding the poor boy down.
Ike shushed the Hero and whispered sweet nothings into his ear while keeping his grip firm. "Ike I found something. Make sure you keep him completely still or else I'll lose it and possibly stab his lung." Link let out a low growl and nodded at Ike. Link may have been in a frantic state, but he understood the severity in Zelda's words. Zelda brought forth another needle and slid it under the first, gripping the object like they were chopsticks. All three braced themselves for the action ahead. Quick and steady Zelda ripped the offender out of Link's chest, leaving a spurt of blood over the towels and the sheets underneath him. Zelda placed the foreign object on the side table and immediately turned her bloodied hands to heal Link's wounds. The black veins started to fade and then vanish all together, never leaving a trace they were ever there to begin with.
Link panted on the bed running his hand over the fresh scar as Ike ran his fingers through the sweaty dark blonde locks. "You're alright now. It's okay." Link cracked his azure eyes at Ike and grasped the mercenary's hand lolling off to the dream realm. "So this was the culprit. A broken nail from a Twilight monster. How could this have gotten here?" Zelda looked at the long black piece of cartilage. "When I was first making my way through the Twilight Forest, when I first met Link, he was in his beast form fighting one of those creatures and it cut his chest. I also remember his chest hurting a few days ago in the garden but he brushed it off." Zelda held it closer inspecting it. "I'm going to wash this is the sink. I think there's something on it."
Ike laid back down beside Link, petting him in different spots hopefully comforting him subconsciously. Zelda came back into the room after a minute with the cleaned off nail. "There's etchings on the nail itself of the triforce, but it looks different. This has Ganon written all over it. Literally." Ike's blood boiled at the revelation. "Ganon is somehow able to control the Twilight still and must have sent that creature to attack or infect him with the essence. As for why, I assume it could be to have Link die before arrival or while here. Even if he did pass under this roof there would be nothing Master Hand could do about it since he was afflicted with the Twilight toxin before his arrival ergo out of his own jurisdiction." "So what do we do now?" Zelda cleaned off her needles as she made her way back to the shut door. "We wait for Link. He will be the best one to decide our next move." With that Zelda opened and shut the door quietly leaving Link in Ike's care. "Well I guess at least I have her trust now. That's a start." Ike smiled at himself and turned his attention back to the sleeping Hylian.
Ike brushed Link's hair out of his face and admired him. "Even sleeping you're as beautiful as the radiant dawn." Ike whispered to him and laid a kiss on Link's forehead. Ike removed the bloody towels and cleaned as much of Link's body and the sheets he could while Link laid on them. Ike pulled the blanket over the two of them and pulled Link into his chest as he joined Link in slumber.
~*~
Link awoke with a dull pain deep in his chest. The memories of last night flooding into his mind made him wince again at the feeling of sharp cold steel sliding around his body. Link opened his eyes to a welcoming site, a sleeping mercenary holding him to his chest. Link placed his hand on Ike's broad shoulder trying to gently make Ike's arm let go or make him turn over. Ike instead squeezed Link closer to him, Link's face flush against his chest. "I-Ike! You're crushing me!" Link squeaked out. Ike's eyes shot open and immediately let the smaller man go. Link flopped to his back with a grunt and placed a hand over his chest. Ike leaned over Link, his bandana ends resting on Link's shoulder, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you? Do you need anything?" Link blushed looking up at Ike hovering over him.
"No, that was just a little too tight." Link laughed nervously. Ike let out a sigh and slid back down on his side still facing Link. Ike twisted some of Link's dead ends between his forefinger and thumb, "I'm glad you're fine now. Last night you scared the hell out of me I thought…." Ike stopped twirling the pieces of hair looking lost in his thoughts, "I thought I was gonna lose you." Link took Ike's face in his own hands and laid a sweet kiss on Ike's head and nose, "He can't get rid of me that easily. I'm fine and we're going to stop that traitor. That's all that matters." Ike's lips twisted into an evil grin that made Link's spine shiver. Ike climbed over on top of Link and laid a feather light kisses along Link's jaw.
Link squeaked in surprise receiving a small chuckle from the soldier of fortune. "Since you gave me a kiss back, I take it as I can kiss you whenever I want." Ike whispered in the Hylian's ear causing the latter to quiver underneath him. "That was-! Well I.." Ike laughed and placed another kiss on Link's neck, "I'm just teasing." Link huffed and smacked the head of the man above him. "Let's sneak down to the cafeteria and see if there's any food left. I feel like I haven't ate in days." Link said swiping the blanket off of him and went to the bathroom. Ike got up and rummaged through his luggage for another spare shirt. Finding another one like his he knocked on the bathroom door, "Hey Link?" No answer. Ike leaned his ear to the door to almost fall in when Link swung the door open. Balancing himself again Ike held out the shirt for Link to take,"here's something for you to wear. Your tunic and undershirt is cover in blood and black goo." Link took the fabric and nodded his head.
Link soon emerged from the bathroom with a towel over his head as he dried his hair. Ike had just finished getting ready himself and waltzed over to Link to assist with the drying process, making sure to rub frantically tussling Link's hair in every direction. Link pulled the towel off his head and scowled at the taller man only being gifted with Ike laughing at the sight of his frazzled hair. "Not just his hair", Ike looked at the hero before him. The shirt fell loosely over his shoulders showing off a generous amount of his upper chest and thin collarbones. The blue attire came down as long as his usual tunic. Ike took a deep breath in enjoying Link in his clothes for a moment. Ike placed his hands on Link's hips and gave him a quick peek on the cheek before grabbing his hands and leading him down to the dining hall.
It was roughly around three in the morning so everyone else was asleep in their beds leaving the two by themselves. There was some cold food left, but they didn't mind. They sat down and Link admired the ceiling panels watching storm clouds quickly form in the sky. Halfway through their meal it started pouring down on the glass roof the occasional flash of lighting illuminating the room. Link laid his head on Ike's shoulder listening to the relaxing sound of rain and thunder. "You were right about it looking beautiful when it rained." "I like the rain much better when I'm not traveling in it." Ike smiled and sat his head over Link's and joined in watching the droplets descending from the sky as lighting showed the beauty of the torrent sky as if the heavens were exposing itself just for them. When they had enough of the rain they went back to Ike's room to take a nap before everyone else would start to wake.
~*~
Feeling refreshed, Link went to his room to change into his Ordon village clothes. They were more comfortable, but left the Hero feeling a bit more vulnerable without his tunic. "Well at least I have the Master Sword." Zelda had been kind enough to grab Link's clothes while they were sleeping to clean it for him. "I'll have to repay her kindness with a new pair of needles," Link turned pale as realization struck him, "Oh goddess! What if she saw us cuddling?" Link tugged at his exposed hair at the thought of his princess seeing Link, her hero, the SAVIOR of Hyrule, being the little spoon to a blueberry haired mercenary. The noises escaping Link's lips as he fought a crushing war within sounded like the very screeching monsters he fought. "Am I interrupting something?" Ike held back the laughter from watching Link swipe side to side holding his flushed face and making weird noises.
"Eh?!" The very mercenary that was responsible for his turmoil was watching him from the doorway. "It's nothing. Let's go downstairs." Link marched past Ike when the aforementioned "blueberry" snatched Link's arm bringing the flustered man to him. Link looked up at Ike inquisitively, "what?" Ike's eyes roamed over Link's body taking in the new attire. It was much different from the Hero's battle gear, but it suited him all the same. It was a welcoming insight of who Link was before his adventures and what he will be after. Ike traced his finger along Link's arm that was now free of the sleeves showing the lean muscles from years of swinging a sword. "This looks nice on you." Link didn't pull away and instead described how his garb was a traditional mark from his hometown of Ordon. Ike simpered listening to Link talk about his village and the children he took a fancy to. "Sounds amazing. You'll have to show me around sometime." Link warmly smiled back, "then it's a date."
~*~
A larger trusted party gathered in the garden and Link told everyone about what he found when he "stumbled upon the unlocked door when searching for the wolf". Samus, Roy, and Pit had joined after putting the pieces of the missing persons together too. "Wonder what kind of barrier is on that door?" Marth thought out loud to himself. "Not just that, but now Pikachu, Meta Knight, Fox, and Captain Falcon are missing now too. Some since yesterday evening." Snake grumbled out, now fully aware of the situation being more serious than lunch. They tried to think of ways to break through the door. Samus offered to blow up the wall because after all "you don't need to worry about a door if the wall is gone." Snake dropped his cigarette out of his mouth, "You're the woman of my dreams. Rockets, guns, and great ti- uh ideas." Samus wacked Snake in the back of the head. "What did Master Hand say about the disappearances?" Zelda asked Marth. "I knocked but there was no answer. I couldn't even open the chamber door. It was like he wasn't here." Zelda turned towards her hero, "What do you think we should do now?" "Then we can sneak in without being noticed. Marth, go see if he's still gone. When you give the word we will all go see the room together."
They all waited outside the iron doors waiting on Marth. The broken window let the curtains glide on the breeze. "You know, we never did find that monster last night," Snake said kicking at some glass still glittering in the carpet, "after it jumped it's probably dead now." Ike quickly glanced at Link seeing his expression darken. Ike was about to say something on "the beasts" behalf when Marth opened the door and stepped aside for everyone to enter. Even during the day the darkness was just as pressing and foreboding to Link and the party. When Link showed them the door Zelda held her hand up to it. "This is dark magic. The magic sigils stopping us are derived from the ancient Interlopers. I read about them during my childhood while researching ancient Hyrule history, but how this extinct practice is here in the mansion… not even I truly know." Link clicked his tongue, "Well that means it's definitely Ganondorf, but how would he have known?" Link and Zelda had no answer at the moment so they decided to get back to the current problem less than two feet from them. "Link, try the Master Sword on it. It should work since it excels at banishing shadows.
Link nodded and drew the humming blade. The dark fog that engulfed the corridor dissipated around the sword showing the true light that was supposed to be in the room. Link charged his attack and slammed into the door. Lighting struck out from the door electrocuting the Hero, but he stood his ground and kept pushing forward until he could pierce the sigil on the door, marring the completion of the circle around it. The lightning released and the shadows slowly started to lift, but still left fragments of Twilight in the air. Link slumped to his knees coughing and holding his chest trying to regain his composure. Ike fell down beside him helping Link back to his feet, "Hey, are you alright?" "Y-yeah. It just felt like 1,000 volts went straight through me." Link's hair stood up on its ends which would've been funny if it wasn't for how close of a fatality it was. Link walked to the door and tested it himself to see if the magic was broken. Nothing happened so he turned the doorknob and the entryway gave way with an ominous creak.
The company drew their respective weapons as they filled in the room. The pungent smell and source of the fog was made abundantly clear. There in the room were huge glass capsules filled with some clear liquid and wires with the missing champions slumbering inside. Marth and Mario ran up to the glass tube holding Princess Peach and tried breaking it with his sword hilt only to be thrust back by the same lightning. "That's the source of the lightning!" Samus said, pointing to Pikachu's liquid coffin. When Marth had attempted the rescue the rest of the party noticed the tank light up and the sparks followed the wires to the assaulted capsule. "What the hell is this?" Ike said, placing his hand on Sonic's tube. "It's my collection." Everyone turned back towards the door watching in horror as the tall heavily armored Gerudo came closer to them. "I'd like to welcome you to my new reign!"