Hey all! How was your day/new year? I hope it was fantastic. :D

As you can tell, this isn't Smile. I gave myself a deadline and well, I didn't meet it. I hope no one is mad..

Shoutout to serratoroceanic for favoriting it and firemike1234 for following it and ScourageFanatic101 and KraziReader for doing both on Fanfiction and Anime_lover_book100 and RebelRocker15 for liking it on Wattpad. (Tell me if I missed you!)

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it greatly. And again, thank you all for your patience! :)

I'm 100% sure I missed the point of the theme towards the end, but.. Enjoy!

Two figures danced on an open field. They were each exchanging blows. The sounds of swords clashing could be heard in the distance, but they paid no heed to it. Their focus was on each other and never wavered even for a moment. This was not the first time they clashed. They were sworn enemies and had been fighting for a long time. The smaller of the two unleashed quick attacks and used a small dagger. The larger figure carried a giant sword and had powerful attacks. They went back and forth, constantly trying to weaken the other. Neither was willing to surrender.

I blocked another one of Sheik's attacks. Damn, this girl's strong and fast. I don't know if I can keep this up much longer. He looked back up at Sheik who was staring at him.

The blonde warrior didn't seem tired, let alone injured. She was agile and yet powerful enough to push me back. At this rate, I might need to use Great Aether to finish this battle. I stared at my blade before looking up. I blinked and Sheik appeared in front of me. I quickly brought my sword up and blocked her dagger.

Neither of us budged and we continued to stare at each other, our blades locked together. Her crimson eyes wanted blood.

I shoved her using my shoulder, catching her off guard. Just when she was about to fall flat on her back, she did a handstand and flipped backwards, landing on her feet.

"Ike Greil. You will die here," Sheik growled under her cowl.

"Not happening. I'm not dying today," I said, wiping the sweat off my forehead.

"We'll see about that."

Sheik reached into her side pocket and threw needles. I dodged most of them, but only two managed to hit me in the shoulder. My armor stopped them from becoming serious wounds. I could feel that they punctured my skin though. I quickly tore them out and cast them aside. While I was doing that, Sheik managed to pull her chain out and get closer to me. I ducked as the chain swung near my head. Seeing the electricity flowing through that chain was enough for me to make sure I didn't get hit with it. She relentlessly swung the whip around and I had no choice but to dance around it. Her red eyes were full of fury as she concentrated. I noticed a pattern in the way she was swinging it. Left, down, up, left again. I grabbed her hand, getting a shocked gasp from Sheik. I threw her to the side, thinking of a way to follow with another attack. With little effort, she wraped her chain around my sword. The sword flew out of my hand as it was pulled by Sheik's entire body. She landed gracefully and flung the sword behind her before retracting her whip. The sword landed in the ground a good distance behind her.

Shit. I stared at the distance between myself, Sheik, and my sword. She could easily catch me if I tried to make a run for it. But, without my sword, I can't fight her or perform Great Aether.

"Looks like it's the end of the line," she panted.

"Don't underestimate me," I breathed. Think Ike. You need your sword.

I wasn't given another second as Sheik dashed towards me. It became a hand to hand battle. She swung left, I dodged, swinging for her face. She grabbed my hand and kneed me in the gut. I doubled over and she uppercutted me. I stumbled backwards, clutching my chin. Quickly shaking out of it, I turned to see Sheik pulling out the short blade from her back again and lunging at me. I quickly gripped her wrist and stopped it, twisting her hand. Somehow, I managed to pull the blade out of her hand and without hesitating, I stabbed her right in the side.

Her body lurched to a stop as we both stood there. I could feel the warm liquid soak my hand. Her blood red eyes showed her true pain as her mouth refused to make a sound. I pulled the blade out and she sank to the floor, clutching her wound. She groaned a little and brought her blood soaked hand to her face, showing the true nature of her wound. Sheik quickly returned it to her side, trying to stop the blood.

I stood towered over her, the wet blade still in my hand. I looked down at it, realizing that she will most likely survive from the wound. But, if I stabbed her again, straight in her heart, I would surely kill her and the war would be over.

Thunder rolled in the distance as I returned my gaze to Sheik. There was a small pool of blood next to her side. She made no attempt to move or to look at me. I knew that she was waiting for me to make my next move. I swallowed hard. She was defenseless and vulnerable right now. It would be an easy kill and I would be victorious. I looked closely at her face. Although her bangs and cowl covered most of her face, I saw something I know she didn't want me to see.

Tears.

Sheik was trying her hardest not to show weakness, not to cry out in pain because of the agonizing wound she just received. She wanted to show me that she was a strong warrior right to the very end. Her body shook, and I knew her defenses were breaking as I heard her take a deep breath. I clenched my teeth. There was a brief moment of silence but I had made up my mind.

I dropped the knife.

I couldn't do it.

Nothing inside me could bring me to do it. It just wasn't right. She was broken and defeated. There was no purpose in killing her if she no longer could fight back. I turned and walked towards my own sword.

"Aren't you going to finish me off?" she mumbled weakly.

I pulled my sword out of the ground. "No. There's no point in striking an already defeated opponent."

"I don't want your pity. I'm your enemy. You're supposed to kill me." Her voice faltered.

"I'm not going to hurt someone who can't defend themselves."

Sheik grunted but said nothing more. I turned to leave, walking slowly. I was completely drained of energy but I had to make it back to camp. I looked over my shoulder, making sure Sheik wasn't planning a counter strike.

She wasn't. She was dragging herself, one hand clutching her open wound, back towards her own camp. Her breathing was ragged and her body was trembling with the effort. Suddenly, she collapsed and made no effort to move.

Raindrops slowly began to fall. I clenched my teeth. I can't just leave her out here. I took a step towards her and then stopped. But she is the enemy.

I strapped my sword to my back.

But she's also a human being.

I made my way over to her, checking to make sure she was unconscious before I picked her up. She was surprisingly light for someone who could pack a punch. This was also my first time ever seeing her face, as her cowl was hanging from her neck. I brushed back her bangs. She looked very similar to Zelda. Well, that's kinda obvious because they technically are the same person.. I quickly shook the thought out of my head. Not going to try to understand that again.

I looked towards the direction of camp. I'll hopefully make it by nightfall. I'll be lucky if Sheik stays asleep the whole time. I began walking, sending a silent prayer to the gods that she stayed unconscious for a good while.

I had reached the camp shortly before the sun set. Thankfully, Sheik didn't wake up. Her wound was no longer bleeding. Upon arriving at camp, I was questioned by practically everyone.

"Who is she?"

"Isn't she the enemy?"

"Why are you bringing her to camp?"

"Is she your new wife?"

I sighed, ignoring all their questions. I knew coming into camp wasn't exactly the best option. The medic wouldn't heal an enemy and I'm sure she would've been tied to a tree because she would be classified as a prisoner of war. But I needed to get a horse and take her somewhere else. The only place I could think of was my own home, which wouldn't take that long to get to.

The full moon hung directly overhead by the time my manor came into view. I somehow managed to balance Sheik on my lap as we rode, the horse going rather slow. But, we made it and she was still out. She'll probably sleep through the rest of the night.

I went behind my house to the stable and ungracefully got off the horse. Even after passing through the loud camp and riding horseback, I thought that she'd wake up at least once. She must be exhausted. Or maybe she lost a lot of blood. At the thought, I quickly hurried inside.

The warm house greeted me and made me feel rather tired. I quickly shook off the feeling. I had to make sure Sheik's wound was taken care of before I go to sleep. I headed past the kitchen and into the living room where I found my maid, Claire, dusting off the top of the fire place. Luckily for me, she was also a nurse.

"Claire! Come with me," I breathed as I walked by her.

"Master Ike? Aren't you supposed to be back next week?" she said, startled at my sudden appearance.

"I'll explain everything shortly. I need your help immediately. Follow me into the guest room."

Without waiting for her response, I ran up the stairs and I heard her soft footsteps follow. I opened the guest room with my foot and gently placed Sheik on the bed.

"Who is she and what happened to her?" Claire asked, quickly appearing next to me.

I contemplated if I should fabricate a story or tell her the whole truth. "You can't tell anyone she's here, okay? She's from Hyrule. We were battling and I defeated her, but I couldn't just leave her there to bleed after she collapsed. And since no one was around to take her back to her own camp, I had to take her with me. Please close her wound and give her something for the pain."

"As you wish. No one will know of her stay here. I will get my equipment and immediately help her," Claire said, quickly leaving.

I sighed in relief. I'm glad she's very understanding. If it was anyone else, they would have gone straight to the police and reported me for treason. Housing an enemy during a war is a capital offence after all. It's extremely easy now to simply accuse someone of treason and the police wouldn't need any proof to put you behind bars or even hang you. This bloody war has put everyone on edge. Although, I wouldn't blame them. They're all just afraid to lose and have their utopia under enemy control.

Claire returned with a small brief case and a bowl with a towel in it, soaking in water. She placed the bowl on the floor and the case on the night stand, opening it to reveal a variety of medical equipment. Pulling out a pair of scissors, she began cutting away at Sheik's clothing.

"Uh, is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

She nodded. "Perhaps you should go clean yourself up and rest. You look exhausted."

Claire had a point. I probably looked like a street hobo and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Not only that, but all hell will break loose once Sheik wakes up.

"You're right. I'll be going to my room. Wake me up when she does."

I turned and left, gently closing the door behind me. Heading down the hall, I entered my room, pulling the sword off my back along with my shirt. I placed the sword against the wall and threw the shirt on the floor. Kicking off my shoes, I took off my pants as well. I was too tired to go and bathe so I just put on a clean pair of pants before climbing into bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

I woke up, feeling a strange pressure on my chest. I stretched, trying to shift it off. It wouldn't budge so I opened my eyes to see what it was.

There sat Sheik on my chest. She wore a blue gown that went to her knees. The straps were extremely thin and showed more skin than Sheik would've wanted. There were no bindings around her chest, making her look more like a woman. Her golden hair fell behind her. Sheik's face was also uncovered, making her seem gentler and feminine. Although her red eyes were glaring swords of death, when her mouth wasn't covered, they didn't look as frightening.

More importantly then her appearance, she held a knife to my throat.

"Where am I?" she spat.

"How long were you sitting here?" I asked.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'll answer yours if you answer mine?"

Sheik brought the knife closer to my throat.

I swallowed. "Well, you happen to be in my bedroom in my manor, sitting on top of me."

Sheik narrowed her eyes before pulling the knife back a bit. "Why did you spare me?"

"I already told you, I wouldn't hurt someone who couldn't fight back," I stated.

"And what a mistake that turned out to be," Sheik muttered.

"Why is that?"

"Well, you just brought your enemy into your own house. That's an extremely dangerous move, considering that I have a knife," she said, bringing it back into view.

"I was just doing what anyone would've done. I don't think that was dangerous."

"Your life is in danger, idiot. I have a weapon and you're at my mercy." She held the knife over my heart.

I grabbed her wrist and punched Sheik straight in her wound, getting a sharp cry before she doubled over, her head resting on my bare chest.

"See? I'm not at your mercy," I said, grinning.

Sheik didn't respond. After a few more seconds, I stopped smiling.

"Hey? Are you okay?" I lifted up her head to find her unconscious. "Shit, I hit her too hard."

I gently pulled the knife out of her hand before I placed her on one side of the bed. The knife stayed on the nightstand on the other side, in case she woke up and decided to actually kill me instead of watching me sleep. I pulled the covers up, making sure to cover her as well.

Well, this is awkward. Sharing a bed with Sheik. Never thought that would ever happen.

I woke up and was blinded by the morning light that was seeping through my window. Yawning, I looked over at Sheik, who was still sleeping peacefully beside me. Her hand rested on my forearm and she seemed relaxed.

She looks so innocent when she's sleeping I thought to myself. Her eye lids fluttered and before I knew it, they shot open.

Oh shit. I'm dead.

Sheik had several emotions and her face changed accordingly. Shock. Confusion. Horror. Anger. There was even a slight blush on her face. It's like she didn't know how to react to the current situation.

She backed away from me, nearly falling off the bed. Sheik threw off the covers and began feeling around. "The knife," she whispered to herself.

"It's some place you'll never find-"

She sat up and instantly saw it, making a dive over my body to reach it. I grabbed Sheik around her waist and stopped her, using my whole body to hold her back. She desperately tried to pull herself out of my hold. She started punching my arms, thrashing wildly.

"Let go!" she screamed.

"No way!" I pulled her back and threw her onto the bed, getting on top of her and holding her arms down. Sheik twisted and tried to free herself but she couldn't get out from my hold. I looked at the knife, wondering how I can get it out of her reach while still holding her down.

"Master Ike, please do not be rough with her. I just stitched her wound yesterday."

I was relieved to see my maid standing in the doorway. "Claire! Take that knife and put it away somewhere!"

She stood there for a moment. "I ship it," Claire whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"There's a ship in the harbor," Claire said, pointing towards the window.

"Who the hell cares? Get the knife!"

"Yes, Master Ike."

Claire casually walked over to the other side of the bed and grabbed the knife. Sheik continued to squirm under me even after Claire left the room.

"Get off me!"

"If you're going to try and kill me, I'm more than willing to stay like this."

Sheik let out a frustrated cry and desperately tried to free herself, but she couldn't get out of my iron grip. Eventually, she gave up and sat glaring at me. She was also breathing heavily. That wound must be affecting her more than I thought.

"Are you done?"

Sheik didn't answer.

"Really?"

Still no answer.

"You're giving me the silent treatment?"

Sheik blinked.

"Fine. Two can play it that way."

I stared at her and she glared right back. It was hard to stare into her red eyes. They were equally frightening and majestic.

Sheik tilted her head back. I gave her a questioning look.

I wasn't prepared for when she spit into my left eye.

"Damn it. That's low," I mumbled, rubbing my eye against my shoulder.

Sheik took advantage of the distraction and managed to flip us over. She landed on top of me. I still gripped her hands. "I didn't actually think that would work," she said.

"It didn't," I wrapped my legs around her, making sure she still couldn't move. "You're still trapped."

"I have a better chance of getting out now than I did before. And once I do get free, I'm going to find the longest sword you own and-"

"And kill me? Then what?" I asked, cutting her off.

"Then I escape and return home."

I let go of her. "Go look outside that window."

Sheik narrowed her eyes but did as she was told. She rolled off of me and got off the bed, heading towards the window. I heard a slight gasp escape her lips.

"The Capital?"

"Yep. You're at the heart of enemy territory. To your left, you'll find where most of the army is stationed. Straight ahead are some battleships," I told her. Luckily, she doesn't seem to notice that we are actually near the outskirts of the Capital.

Sheik continued to stare out the window. I saw her swallow and grip the window sill until her knuckles were white. "How could I have been so careless and let myself be captured?" she whispered to herself.

I got up and joined her at the window. "So, you see, killing me won't really get you anywhere. You're surrounded by soldiers. But, don't consider yourself a prisoner when you're in my house. You are free to leave my house whenever you please."

"Then what do you want with me? Why have you brought me here?"

"I don't want anything from you. You were severely injured after our battle and I couldn't just leave you laying there. So I took you here because I knew that the camp medic wouldn't help an enemy," I explained. I pointed at my chest. "That heart that you were about to stab saved your life."

She turned her head away from me. "I didn't ask to be saved. Don't try to play the hero."

"I'm not playing the hero. I was just helping-"

"Why help your enemy?" she said, turning her face towards me. "We were going to kill each other in that battle. I was going to kill you just now."

"Would you have left someone, friend or enemy, bleeding on a battlefield? I'm sure that somewhere inside your scary and tough shell, even you have a heart."

Sheik's eyes widened in shock. Her lips parted slightly, as if to say something, but no words escaped. This was the first time I've ever seen Sheik at a loss of words. She always had a witty or sarcastic comment waiting on the edge of her tongue.

But she quickly closed her mouth and looked away, continuing to stare out the window. I turned away from her and went to go make my bed. Why couldn't she just thank me? I did save her life. I sighed as I straightened out the covers. The least she could do is not give me a hard time. I heard a thud behind me and quickly turned to see Sheik kneeling on the floor.

"Sheik? Is something wrong?"

"No. Stay away from me," she managed to say.

I did the exact opposite and walked towards her. "You look like you're in pain. Are you okay?"

"I said to stay away from me," she growled.

I ignored her, realizing she was clutching her stomach. The pieces of the puzzle quickly fell into place. "It's your wound. Let me see it."

"No, I'm fine," she breathed between her teeth.

"Just let me see! I need to make sure."

"I said its fine."

"It's not fine. I see blood on your clothes. Just let me see and make sure the wound didn't completely open."

Sheik let out an angry sigh. "Fine!"

Very slowly and hesitantly, Sheik lifted up her dress. She slowly revealed her toned thighs and I tried not to stare. There was a faint blush on Sheik's face as she pulled it up to further expose herself. More importantly, she revealed a large bandage that was soaked in blood. We both stared it with wide eyes.

"Oh no. We have to stop the bleeding quickly!" I said, pulling up the dress to show all of the wrapping.

Sheik was flustered. "H-hey! What are you doing!?"

"I'm going to remove the wrapping and apply some pressure." I started to unwind the soaked cloth, lifting up her body occasionally to get it around her waist. I put it to the side, revealing a stitched, bleeding wound. I instantly put my hand to cover it and applied pressure.

Her face contorted in pain. "No, Ike. That hurts a lot!" she said, trying to pull my hand off.

"I'm sorry, but I need to stop the bleeding!" I said, applying a little bit more pressure. My hand was covered in her blood in a matter of seconds.

Sheik gasped in pain. "Stop! You're hurting me!"

"It's only for a little! Just try to bear with it for a bit."

"Ike, no! Please stop! It hurts a lot!" she squirmed under my hands.

"Well it wouldn't hurt as much if you weren't moving-"

"Master Ike, I apologize for interrupting, but breakfast-"

I was relieved to hear my maid's voice and completely forgot that she could close Sheik's wound. "Claire! Hurry and get your equipment! She's bleeding!" I said, lifting my head towards the doorway.

"Well, that's to be expected if it's her first time," Claire mumbled shyly.

"W-what!?" I said, flustered. I looked down to see our position and my eyes widened. "T-that's not what we-"

Sheik kicked me, cutting me off. "Your maid has a very wild imagination."

"J-just get the stuff. Her wound is open," I muttered, feeling my face burn.

"Yes, Master Ike."

I'm sorry there's a lot of time skips. I hope this doesn't make it feel sloppy.

By the way, this will be getting a sequel. I'll tell you all more about it once I get the next 2 themes out.

Next Theme: Smile (for real this time!)

Hope you have a great day. :)