Anju kept staring at Link eat. This young man had a great appetite. The way he was eating her food confused her. Either he had not eaten for the past few days or he simply loved food.
"This is really delicious," Link said with a mouthful of baked potatoes. "I never get to eat like this."
"Thank you,"'Anju smiled. "Did your mother cook like this when you were a boy?"
I was a kid four months ago... "I, uh, I never knew my mother. She died when I was a baby," mumbled Link.
Anju reached and held Link's hand. "Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to pry!"
Link smiled as he chewed. "It's okay. You didn't know."
He concentrated on his meal again. He finished the plate and then he served himself more food. How do I do this? Is this the Link that Sheik spoke about? What if I'm wrong?
"So," Anju said as she cleared her throat. "Are you here on business or pleasure?"
Link stopped chewing. He swallowed his food and looked completely confused. "Business or pleasure? I don't understand."
Anju smiled. She liked the young man. "What I mean is, are you here for work or are you here to enjoy your time in Termina?"
Link shook his head. "Neither of those things." And he continued to eat.
Anju tried again. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"
"Hyrule," Link answered as he chewed on cooked carrots.
"Do you want to start a new life here?"
He raised his shoulders. "Haven't thought about that." He kept on eating.
Come on, kid! Give me something! "Were you a soldier in Hyrule?"
Link blinked several times. "What makes you say that?"
Anju shrugged her shoulders. "That sword and shield that you brought."
Link smiled. "Oh yeah, no, I'm not a soldier." He ate more potatoes.
"So," Anju was starting to get impatient. "What are you doing here in Termina?"
Link drank some water and cleaned his mouth with a napkin. "I'm looking for someone."
Bingo. "Who are you looking for?"
Link just sat there and stared at his plate. He sighed heavily. "I'm looking for my dearest friend. Someone who was with me when I was going through some bad times. Someone who I came to love with all my heart. Still do... I just hope I'm not too late," he said softly.
Now we're getting somewhere. "And who is this person?"
"He's a Sheikah," Link said in a small voice. "His name is Sheik."
Anju gasped. She had all the evidence that she needed. This was Sheik's Link. "Oh my... It is you."
Link frowned. "Sorry?"
She laughed. "Sheik," she began. "Has been living with me and my husband. You see, my husband is a Sheikah as well."
Link's gasped. "Sheik lives here!? More Sheikah?! How?"
"My husband, Kafei, is Sheik's older cousin." She reached out and took his hand. "And you were supposed to be back in time."
Link's eyes went wide. "How do you know?"
Anju smiled gently. "Because Sheik told us everything about you. You're the Hero of Time. Hyrule's savior."
Link blinked as tears fell down. "Where's Sheik?" He asked, his voiced trembled.
"He is at the Great Bay with my husband on vacation," Anju said. "Link, Sheik has been grieving you. He thinks and we all did that you were sent back in time. What happened?"
"I told the princess that I didn't want to go back in time because I lost everything and everyone I knew. Then she told me about Sheik coming here... So, here I am," he smiled.
Anju chuckled. "Oh, Link, tell me everything!"
A few hours went by. Link and Anju sat at the dinning room table. He had her complete attention. Link told her of his life before the quest, how he became the chosen one and his time with Sheik. He teared up when he told her about their last meeting at the Temple of Time, what had happened after defeating Ganondorf and Zelda's secret.
"She wants to apologize to him," Link said as he played with the napkin on the table. "For sending him away. She also said that she has an offer for the two of us, so I'm supposed to take him back to Hyrule when I find him."
Anju frowned and cleared her voice. "Do you know what she's going to offer?"
Link shook his head. "I have no idea. I guess she wants to make peace with him. I don't know," he yawned.
"You poor thing," Anju laughed. "You're tired from all this talking."
Link laughed. "It's okay," he reassured. "It's nice to finally talk about this. I was always told during my quest to keep quiet and not say anything to anyone... Now that it's over, I can tell the story."
Anju clapped her hands once. "I have an idea!" She stood up and started to pace the room. "Kafei and Sheik should be arriving in two days."
Link groaned.
"No, no, hear me out, Link! They will be here in two days, instead of you going there, how about you stay here with me and surprise him when he gets back?"
"Well," he began.
"It will be unforgettable," she insisted. "you will give him the surprise of a lifetime. Just imagine the look of his face when he sees you."
Link rolled his eyes. "Yeah," he snorted. "With his face covered all the time, I can't see that happen."
Anju frowned. "His face covered?"
Link nodded. "Yeah, Sheik wore a cowl that covered most of his face, you could only see his eyes."
"Well," Anju said raising her eyebrows. "He sure doesn't wear a cowl around here."
Link turned his head so quickly that he got dizzy. "What? He doesn't wear... A cowl?"
"No," she said. "He did tell us that he wore one now that I remember, so-"
"You've seen his face," Link interrupted. "His face, you've seen it?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"Oh, Goddesses," Link whispered. "I've never seen his face before. I was always curious but his cowl-"
"Was almost sacred," finished Anju. "I know how it works. Kafei told me about the Sheikah traditions that him and his mother escaped from."
Link stared at Anju as his eyes began to water. "What does he look like?" He asked with his voice trembling.
"He's beautiful," Anju reassured. "He has a long and pointy nose, but it's a fine feature, I believe his best. His lips are plump but thin at the same time; they're pink. He's got a great smile, his teeth are all lined up perfectly like yours and he's got dimples. It's adorable."
Link grinned at the description and closed his eyes. "Not to mention his beautiful red eyes... I can't wait to see him."
"Come," Anju said as she stood up. "You need to go to sleep. Rest as much as you can, Link. Both you and Sheik have gone through some horrendous tragedies. You are welcome to stay as long as you like. I won't even charge you for your stay."
"Anju," Link protested. "I can't do that!"
She put her hands on his broad shoulders. "You can and you will."
Link pouted as he looked down his lap, then he raised his head and looked at Anju. "Okay," he said.
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Sheik and Kafei were having breakfast the following morning on their lanai at the Great Bay. Sheik eyed his cousin curiously.
"Don't you miss Anju?"
Kafei raised his eyebrows in surprise but nodded anyway. "I do. I really do," he smiled. "I hope she's not having any problems at the Inn."
Sheik swallowed his food and put the fork down. "Then, we're going back to Clock Town today," he said.
"Sheik," Kafei gasped. "Are you sure you want to go back?"
"Cousin," he began. "I would have been completely lost if it wasn't for you and Anju. Both of you have been so kind to me, I have been taking advantage, I am so ashamed."
"No, Sheik! You got it all wrong," Kafei said mortified. "I am so happy that you came into our lives! You're my family. Please don't leave if that's what you're implying."
"But," he began confused. "Don't you want a family of your own? I'd be on the way."
Kafei sighed deeply and closed his eyes briefly. "Like I said," he said softly. "You are our family. We can't have children. We've tried but we won't be able to."
Sheik saw the sadness behind Kafei's eyes and saw how truth his words were. "Kafei," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Kafei let out a shaky laugh. "It may not mean anything to you but," he took a deep breath. "You coming into our lives, it has been a blessing. You've kept us busy. It hurts us to see you grieving and we want to take care of you... If you let us."
Sheik gasped. He never imagined someone would care like this for him. In a family sense, a love that he'd been secretly craving for a long time. The love between family. And here was Kafei, his much older cousin, pouring his heart out. Sheik couldn't leave the , not after everything that him and sweet Anju had done for him. Suddenly, Sheik decided: My new home is in Termina with my family.
"I won't go anywhere," Sheik said, voice with raw emotion. "I'm staying."
Both cousins stood up to embrace each other. "Right," Kafei said after the hug. "Let's get our bags. We're going home.
Sheik gave Kafei one of his most sincere smiles ever.
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"She's really nice," Link told Navi. "She's been taking care of Sheik all this time."
"She does sound nice," Navi agreed. "Sheik is still practically a stranger."
Link nodded. "I'm so close, Navi! The only thing is for Sheik to come back and then I'll see him," he said with a dreamy expression.
Navi landed on top of Link's shoulder. "And then back to Hyrule?"
Link's expression fell. "I guess. I don't know!" He stood up from the bed and paced the room. "What if he doesn't want to go back, then what?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Just ask him and see what he says."
"Yeah," Link nodded. "I'll ask him. Well I better get ready for bed, I'm going with Anju tomorrow for the market to help her buy food for the week. She said that she's going to teach me how to cook," he finished with a hint of excitement.
Navi flew in front of Link. "Maybe you can cook Sheik a surprise meal!"
"That's a great idea, Navi!" Link said excitedly. "Me cooking for Sheik! I want to learn to cook lots of things so that he never goes hungry and that he can see how much I love him!"
Navi laughed delightedly. "Oh, Link! You're such a romantic!"
Link laughed too.
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The next day, it was almost noon; Anju and Link were walking all over the market. "This specific market opens once a week, it's called 'Farmer's Market'", she said. "Lots of vegetables, fruits and meat. Also spices and other stuff."
Link kept turning his head all over the place to look at all the unfamiliar things. He was never exposed to this kind of environment. He was actually enjoying himself. He stopped at a fruit stand. Anju stopped and stood by Link.
"Anything you like?" She said with a teasing voice as she bumped her shoulder to his.
Link chuckled and nodded. "The apples. I've never seen them like this." He took one and studied it. "I'm so used to seeing fruits and vegetables in trees and crops that you have to work your way to get them. And these guys already did that for you. It's so weird." He put the apple back.
Anju smiled in sympathy as she patted his back. "You'll get used to it, Link. Just give it time."
Time... "Oh, I have a lot of it," he mumbled with a smile as he walked away.
An hour later, Link was pushing a cart containing lots of food for the Inn. Anju was chatting and laughing at the same time when suddenly...
"HERO!"
Link and Anju stopped on their track and turned around. Link saw two figures, one with purple hair and another one with blonde hair and it was braided. The man in the people hair looked at Link with a shocked expression and the younger one was filled with emotions and his eyes were teary. Link looked closely at them and noted how both men had crimson eyes... Crimson... That meant... Is he? And he called Link "hero", and there is only one person that called him that...
"Sheik?"