[Sooga POV]

Sooga sat at his desk the next morning, frowning as Seiji briefed him on the unsuccessful search for Nobu and Shin. He steepled his hands, frowning behind his mask. The young trainees had disappeared without a trace and still had not turned up. "You're telling me there's no sign of them? No tracks? Akari reported that they'd been sighted near the Highlands."

Seiji straightened. "If there were any tracks, they're long gone. It's possible they tried to join the battle and didn't return-"

"Unlikely. Unless they learned to transport themselves while they were up there, then they couldn't have reached the desert in time. Once the unit has rested, keep looking – broaden the scope. Trainees don't just disappear." Nor did they often desert. The longer they were missing, the higher the likelihood they would only find bodies – if they found anything at all. Winter would soon be upon them, rendering the Highlands treacherous and nigh impassible.

"Understood, Master Sooga." Seiji bowed. "And while I'm here, Ryo heard the healer has come to aid us; is that true?"

"It is. Are you or your soldiers injured?"

He shook his head. "No, but I she helped Ryo and I once. We owe her our lives and I'd like to thank her properly."

Sooga leaned back in his chair. Seiji was one of his best blademasters in both skill and dependability; to think, Izuna had not only saved his life but the life of his lover as well... Their immense good fortune at having her as an ally was not lost on him. Once again, he was reminded of how much they owed her. Yet she said there was nothing they Yiga clan could offer her. How could he possibly repay Izuna for all she'd done?

Seiji turned to leave but paused at the door. "May I speak freely?" Sooga gestured for him to continue. "I don't mean to be impertinent, but is there any truth to the rumors?"

His stomach dropped. "What rumors?" The same ones Astor had alluded to?

"That you've taken the healer as your lover. Someone saw you carry her into your room last night, and others saw the two of you leave this morning. Together."

Sooga swallowed. How careless. He should have known there were eyes everywhere but instead, he'd been too absorbed with her rather than paying attention to how it would look to his soldiers. "I have not."

"Huh, really? Then I'm sure that'll make someone's day," Seji said drily.

"Who?"

"Toki's been going on about how pretty she is, among other things." He snorted. "Not sure how he saw her naked, but if I have to hear him describe the shape of her-"

Sooga held up a hand and Seiji fell silent. "That's enough. You're dismissed." Seiji bowed and let the door shut behind him. Had something happened between the time he'd left Izuna in the desert and when he carried her out of the infirmary? She didn't strike him as the type who was easily charmed... Unless Toki's openness was something she was looking for in a partner? The possibility left a bitter taste in his mouth.

[Izuna POV]

A full night's rest had done Izuna a world of good and had restored enough of her energy to heal the remaining soldiers in the infirmary. After sending off the last one with strict instructions to take it easy, the infirmary was empty at last and she could finally take a breather-

The door opened a scant few moments later, revealing a footsoldier with a cut on their arm. Or so she'd hoped. Izuna sprang out of her seat and approached them. "What happened here?"

"None of your concern, dog."

Akari, then. Izuna pressed her lips into a straight line. True to his word, Sooga had taken Akari off infirmary duty, and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the hostile footsoldier, until now. "I know we didn't meet under the best circumstances, but I mean you no harm. Won't you let me see to your injury?"

"Tch, you actually think you could hurt me?" Akari muttered under her breath. Louder, she added, "I don't need your help." The footsoldier shouldered past her to rummage through the bandages and salves Izuna had yet to organize.

Izuna sighed and pulled her shawl tighter around herself, mentally begging the gods for patience. She glanced at Akari out of the corner of her eye; she'd grabbed a roll of bandages but remained on the other side of the room, as physically far from her as she could muster. That didn't bother Izuna one bit. Even so, she didn't allow herself to relax. Letting her guard down in front of the hostile warrior was asking for trouble. However, there were still tasks to be completed and she set to work straightening out the room to establish a sense of order and normalcy. Linens would need to be washed and supplies restocked and assessed – routine tasks she usually handled back home that filled her spare time. How easy it was to fall into familiar patterns-

The door creaked open, and in walked a blademaster and another footsoldier. The taller of the two had a striking jawline, dark eyes, and tanned skin; the other stood in sharp contrast with pale skin, full cheeks, and bright blue eyes. Both wore matching sets of gold bands around their wrists. Marriage bands. Akari crossed her arms; the crumpled white bandage standing out starkly against her crimson uniform. "What are you two doing in here? Toki didn't send you, did he?"

"No way," the footsoldier snorted. Their voice was vaguely familiar, but Izuna couldn't place it. "We wanted to see the healer for ourselves. What brings you here, Akari? Weren't you kicked off infirmary duty?"

She scoffed. "I was training, unlike some people around here."

"Way to get hurt in training-"

"Still don't have an assignment?" the blademaster remarked lightly, cutting his partner off. Akari clenched her fists but didn't reply and the blademaster turned to Izuna, offering a bow. "It's good to see you well, healer."

Izuna furrowed her brow. "Forgive me, you sound familiar, but I can't remember your names..."

"That's understandable; it has been over a year since we met. I am Seiji and this," he gestured to the footsoldier, "is Ryo."

Her lips parted and Izuna returned his bow at once. "I'm glad to see you both together and in good health." She couldn't recall the gold bands when she first healed them, so it must have been a newer development since then. Warmth bloomed in her heart. No matter what it cost her, those bands served as a reminder of what she'd saved.

"You don't need to bow to us, healer," Ryo said, holding their hands in front of them. "We're eternally grateful for your kindness in our time of need-"

"Is her little trick really that great?" came Akari's snide question. "It came in handy recently, but that doesn't mean you should prostrate yourselves like she's the master."

Ryo let out an obnoxious sigh. "Us feeble mortals need a little help now and again, and if not for her, Seiji and I would be dead."

Izuna rubbed the back of her neck, averting her eyes. "There's nothing feeble about either of you."

Akari snorted. "Apparently, there is if they need your help. Have some dignity."

Ryo's eyes narrowed and they clenched their fists. "Is your mask strapped on too tight? Where was your dignity when you abandoned your mission and left Mito and the healer for dead, huh?"

"Oh give me a break, Ryo! I was trying to keep my squad safe! He chose to stay behind and risk his life for one of them."

Seiji folded his arms. "Your blatant disrespect is shameful. She proves herself every time our comrades sought her help, and she asks for nothing in return."

"You don't think that's suspicious?"

Izuna stared at her like she'd grown a second head, opening her mouth to speak, but Seiji beat him to it. "I understand why you're wary of trusting a Sheikah, but that's no excuse for disobeying orders."

"Whatever," she muttered. "All I'm saying is that we're on one side and those rats are on the other. Don't forget that."

She'd been demoted from a dog to a rat. "I'll remember your wishes when it's your life on the line."

Akari was all fire when she spat, "I don't need your help, and I never will."

"Suit yourself." Izuna shrugged. "But you should work on your first aid. Your bandage is going to fall off within the hour."

Akari moved into her personal space, grabbing her bicep and jerking her closer. "Do you think being Sooga's plaything will save you from the wrath of the Calamity?" she asked, voice a low murmur. She squeezed tighter, digging her fingers into Izuna's flesh. "You may have his favor for now, but when he tires of you, and he will, you'll be exterminated like the vermin you are."

"Akari! Stand down – that's an order!" Seiji bellowed.

"I am no one's plaything." Izuna levelled the other woman with a frigid glare. "And if you don't release me, I'll break every bone in your hand."

"You little bitch-"

Ryo pulled Izuna out of her grasp. "You need to apologize-"

"She doesn't need to do anything," Izuna snapped. "I'm not interested in falsity, even if she could choke out the words. Excuse me." Turning on her heel, Izuna stalked out of the infirmary. She needed some fresh air.

Izuna squinted in the dim light of the corridor; shoulders slumping. She'd traipsed about quite a bit during training the previous day, but it was clear she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere along the line. She pulled her shawl tighter around herself; the Yiga she passed gave her a wide berth, unlike the day before when she'd slipped by unnoticed. Perhaps she ought to have worn the uniform again; back in her navy and cream clothes, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Izuna turned the corner, hesitating in the unfamiliar, deserted corridor. The darkness lurking in the corners was deeper, as if light was too afraid to go near. "So," a silky voice murmured from the shadows, causing Izuna to jump in surprise, "you're the healer I've heard so much about."

"Who are you?" She cursed the tremor in her voice. "Show yourself!"

A thin hooded Hylian stepped into the dimness. A dark braid looped over the side of his ashen face and his golden eyes were sunken and shadowed. He held a strange device resembling some of the guardian parts Purah and Robbie often tinkered with. "I am the seer who foretold the return of Calamity Ganon."

Her eyes widened. She'd heard a passing comment from the elders that the fortune teller had disappeared from the castle as mysteriously as he'd arrived, leaving no trace he'd ever been there at all. In light of the grave news he bore, no one had thought much of it at the time since there were serious matters to attend to. But for him to be in a place like this... "You've sided with the demon?"

A mocking smile stretched across his thin lips. "This world will kneel before the might of Calamity Ganon; it is written in the stars."

Stars. If that was how he explained the coming doom to King Rhoam, then the Hylians were more gullible than she thought. "If you say so."

He cocked his head to the side. "Do you doubt the prophecy?"

Izuna shook her head. The great fairies were too certain of the calamity's return for her to doubt that aspect. "No, but it didn't say much about who'd emerge victorious, did it?" It only said that the beast was sure to return and that the power to oppose it laid dormant beneath the ground. Nothing about Hyrule falling. "We have the divine beasts-"

"Look at you," he mocked, "clinging to the false hope that broken relics from the ancient past will save you. Your race has fallen so far from the might it once wielded. Even these fools, for all their bluster, are nothing. Ignorant, and fighting against their own." Astor shook his head in disgust. "It's almost too easy."

Izuna clenched her fists, shaking in rage. Sheikah or Yiga, it didn't matter; though divided, they were heirs to a noble and strong heritage that Hylian oppression had stolen from them. How dare he stand there and insult them. "If we're nothing, as you put it, then why are you hiding here?"

"A means to an end, nothing more. I would not be amongst the rabble otherwise. Once the Calamity returns, I will be free of your kind."

"I wouldn't celebrate a victory that hasn't yet occurred, if I were you," Izuna sneered.

His smile was replaced with an ugly scowl. "Without the princess's sealing power and the chosen knight, our victory is assured. Hyrule will fall, and your wretched people with it." He held out the strange device in his hands and violet light expanded from it, casting them in a sphere of moving constellations. "It is written. And you-" He furrowed his brow, staring closer at the device. "You're not going to live to see it... Your thread grows ever shorter – far too short for a Sheikah. But you already knew this, didn't you?"

Izuna stilled, a chill she couldn't explain enveloping her body. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh but you do. Yes, you're the sacrificing type, aren't you?" He looked at her again, wearing a cruel smile. "What a fool. I hope you live long enough to see the fire – when the fruits of your labor are ashes on the ground."

She took a step back, heart thundering in her chest. Then another. And before Izuna knew it, she was running down the corridor as fast as her legs could carry her. Even after she was out of breath, she pushed on, unable to shake the image of his knowing eyes. It was one thing to use the gift, but another to have her diminishing life force confirmed. Izuna hadn't told anyone about that – not even Impa.

She looked behind her, just to make sure he hadn't followed, only to yelp as she smacked headlong into something solid, sending her careening to the floor. Izuna braced herself for the impact, but it never came. A hand wrapped around her wrist instead, pulling upright. Her chest rose and fell rapidly while she gasped for breath as wide eyes met the mask of the Yiga general.

"What happened?" he asked sharply. "Why are you running?" She glanced behind fearfully. There was no one there, but her heart refused to accept the danger had passed. "You shouldn't be here, Izuna-"

"Afraid she might run into me?" came the same silky voice Izuna thought she'd escaped. "Why, we're already acquainted, though she was rather rude and didn't introduce herself. Izuna, was it?"

Sooga tensed, pulling her behind him and shielding her from view. Her heartbeat hammered against her chest, and she buried her face in his back. "What do you want, seer?"

"Nothing much. I noticed your little pet wandering too close to my domain. You should keep better track of your things, lest someone breaks them," he sneered. "This is enemy territory for her, is it not?"

"Mind your tongue, Astor," he spat. "She's under my protection."

Astor smirked and sauntered away from them, voice echoing through the hallway. "For now." Izuna peered around Sooga, refusing to let go of his uniform until Astor was swallowed once more into the bowels of that deep darkness. Somehow, he knew the secret she'd carried her whole life – and he was not friend to her. Though, judging by his caustic remarks about the Yiga, Astor wasn't a friend to them either.

A hand rested on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Izuna bit her lip, nodding. "He didn't hurt me, but what's he doing here?"

"He is the chosen mouthpiece of Calamity Ganon. Supposedly, his knowledge of the future will bring us our victory."

"Supposedly? Do you doubt him?" A tendril of hope unfurled within her; if there was dissent between them and the seer, perhaps the Yiga clan could be saved...

Izuna suppressed a shiver as Sooga leaned close to her ear, murmuring quiet enough only for her to hear, "I don't trust his intentions. You're better off staying far away from him."

If she never saw that shriveled string bean again, she'd die happy. "You don't have to tell me twice."

[Sooga POV]

It was only when he shut the door of his workroom behind them that Sooga allowed himself to relax a fraction. He took a seat at his desk, gesturing for her to do the same. He frowned at her pale face and the trembling hands she tried hiding in her lap. "You're safe now, Izuna."

"I know. I-um," her ears turned pink, "I'm glad you came when you did."

"As am I. How did you find yourself in that part of the hideout?"

"I must've taken a wrong turn when I left the infirmary." More like several wrong turns.

"You should be careful where you go in the hideout, especially alone." Astor aside, there were too many traps to count that someone who wasn't Yiga could run afoul of.

"I'm sorry – I didn't mean to cause trouble for you," she said, bowing her head.

"Keeping you safe is no trouble, I assure you. Although, this is probably as good an opportunity as any to teach you to transport yourself in case you're in a dangerous situation." He'd rest easier knowing she always had an escape, no matter where she was.

Izuna glanced at him with furrowed brows. "I told you, I'm not good with that technique-"

"Maybe you need the right teacher."

"Good luck." Her lips quirked, and even though she doubted him, the return of her smile was a relief.

He got up and made his way to the center of the room, gesturing for her to stand in front of him. "Place your hands like so," he demonstrated the correct seal, "and spread the energy throughout your body." She repeated his movements, glancing up at him for the next direction. His mouth went dry; the soft candlelight leant her an almost ethereal glow. Sooga cleared his throat. "You need to straighten your fingers more."

Izuna frowned. "Does that matter though? Seals are just a tool to help focus your energy, but I already know how to do that," she said, lifting a blue-glowing hand as proof.

"Considering you can't perform the technique, I'd say it does," he countered. "Now, try again." She rolled her eyes with a huff, but replicated the seal, though her finger was pointed at an angle rather than parallel with her body. He reached for her hands but stopped just short of touching her. "May I?" She nodded, and Sooga carefully took her hand, gently angling her wrist and straightening her finger. "Now, picture yourself in the hall outside this room," he murmured. "The key is intent; you have to want to be where you're trying to go, or it's unlikely to work."

Her lips parted as if to speak but no words escaped. Sooga dropped his hands and stepped away, but the door flew open, and she jumped, reaching towards him. Reflexively, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close into his protective embrace, trying not to think about how soft and pliant her body was against his.

"Master Sooga we can't find-!" Ryo's jaw dropped before they recovered and smirked. "Oh my, are we interrupting?"

"It's not what it looks like," Izuna stammered. "He was just teaching me how to-"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, healer," Ryo said with a laugh. "By all means, carry on-"

"What are you-? Oh." Seiji peered over his spouse's head, brows rising in question. Reluctantly, Sooga let Izuna go. "Pardon the intrusion Master Sooga; we got worried when the healer didn't return to the infirmary, but I see she's in your capable hands. We'll take our leave." His hand fell onto Ryo's shoulder, and he steered the footsoldier out of the doorway, shutting it behind them.

Izuna put her head in her hands. "I'm so sorry. They startled me – I didn't mean to make it look like we were-"

"The fault is mine. I shouldn't have grabbed you-"

"It's not that." She put her hands down but didn't look at him, fingering the hem of her shawl instead, but even in the candlelight, an enticing pink hue was slowly spreading across her neck and ears. "I don't want to damage your reputation among your soldiers."

He blinked. "You don't."

"Right... uh. Good." Izuna cleared her throat and formed the transportation seal – correctly this time. "So, intent right?"

Sooga accepted her abrupt change in subject, better to return to the task at hand before he said something foolish. "Yes. Focus your energy and picture where you want to be-"

She disappeared in a poof of smoke and tags, only to stumble as she reappeared right in front of him. He placed his hands on her arms to steady her and chuckled. "Not quite."

Izuna looked up at him, wide-eyed, face flaming like a spicy pepper. "I... I should get back - to the infirmary! Someone could be injured." She turned and fled, the sound of the door echoing in her wake.

What in Calamity Ganon's name just happened? Surely, she wasn't so embarrassed by her failed attempt, right? That didn't seem right given that she'd said many times before that she couldn't perform the transportation technique. Had he said or done something to upset her? He considered seeking her out at the infirmary, but he didn't want to corner her in case he truly had done something wrong. What if he had made her uncomfortable? That left only one other person he could go to.

If there was anyone Sooga trusted enough to speak to about personal matters, it was Master Kohga. Along with the Top Banana's naturally friendly nature, he had a way of seeing to the heart of interpersonal matters, and always made time for those who came to him in confidence. Sooga wasted no time and headed directly to Kohga's private banana stash; he should have woken from his nap by now, which meant it was about time for a mid-afternoon snack.

Sooga knocked on the door, stepping inside when Kohga invited him in. As he'd predicted, Kohga was lounging on several pillows with a pile of banana peels at his side, and a half-eaten one in his hand. "Sooga! What can I do for you? Banana?" He gestured to an untouched bunch, but Sooga shook his head.

"No thank you, Master Kohga. I've come regarding a... personal matter, if you have the time."

Kohga leaned forward, an intrigued gleam in his red eyes. "Oh ho? Take a seat," he tossed a pillow in front of him and patted it, "and tell me everything!"

Sooga removed his mask and sat on his knees on the proffered seat. "It's about Izuna-"

"How long I have waited for this day! Did you make a move yet? Everybody has been wondering when and I've got a sizeable wager on you taking the initiative, ya know!"

Sooga's mouth went slack. "I... you what?"

"Word in the hideout is you've been staring at her with googly eyes-"

"I'm always masked in front of the soldiers."

Kohga stopped short, sending him a baleful look. "You know what I mean – and don't try to deny it! Juicy intel never gets past me! Apparently, she's got a nice tush, though I'm not sure how Toki of all people would've known that before you had her parade around in that cute trainee uniform."

There was also that. Had she taken a liking to Toki? Could that be why she excused herself so abruptly? Sooga pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing the puckered scar tissue. "...Indeed."

"You only have yourself to blame for that last part," Kohga pointed out. "So what's eatin' you?"

"I take it you are aware of the rumors going around about her and me?"

"You betcha!"

He grunted; at times, the Yiga were an elite force to be reckoned with but among their own, they were little better than gossiping teenagers. "Seiji and Ryo barged in looking for her at an inopportune time."

Kohga's eyes widened. "No way... you weren't... were you? Sooga! I knew you had it in you!"

"No! That's not what I – I was only holding her for her protection!"

"Is that what they call it nowadays?" Kohga asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Sooga sighed deeply. His uniform was getting far too hot. He did not need images of what he could only dream of doing with her sticking in his mind. "You misunderstand me. I was showing her the transportation technique and they startled her. That's all."

"Tch, should've known," he pouted. "You two are so boring."

"...Be that as it may, Izuna was very embarrassed afterward and I fear the rumors will only worsen due to this incident. We can't afford such foolishness when we rely on her healing-"

Kohga took the last bite of his banana, tossing the peel on the pile. "If anything alienates her, it'll be Akari."

"...I've taken measures to mitigate their encounters. But if Izuna knew what our people were saying about her-"

"Sounds to me like you're the one who's bothered about what's being said," Kohga pointed out. "I don't think you need to worry about how she'll react though, at least to the rumor about the two of you."

"Why not? She may have taken an interest in Toki and these rumors will only hinder them."

Kohga sent him a look. "Toki has no chance at all, trust me. I've seen the way she looks at you. You got nothing to worry about."

"You can't be sure of that..."

"Ugh you just wanna whine! Don't be a wuss or I'll have to find a better lackey."

"I thought I was your best 'lackey,'" Sooga deadpanned.

His friend laughed. "That was before I realized how bad you are with women." Sobering, he added, "Look, if you ask me, I think you should make a move, and not just because I have several months-worth of rupees on the line. I want you to be happy and she seems like a good woman. Nice ass too-"

Sooga put his face in his hands. "Not you too."

Kohga holds his hands up in surrender. "Alright-alright. Why don't we get your mind off it for a while. How about a spar to let off some steam?"

He perked up. Master Kohga didn't always feel like sparring – something about how it took too long and interrupted his napping schedule – but facing him was always a challenge Sooga readily embraced. And if nothing else, the exercise would get his mind off her for a while. "Terms?"

"No weapons, secret techniques are fair game-"

"No big glowy blast." He learned his lesson long ago when Kohga took out an entire wall. Sooga didn't fancy managing the inevitable reconstruction.

"Bastard," Kohga muttered. "How about a little wager then to make things more interesting? If you win, you can have an entire day off. No work, no training, nothing! And if I win," he smirked, "you have to reorganize the ancient texts."

Sooga scowled. "You told me you took care of that months ago."

"Did I? Details." Kohga waved him off, grinning. "Do we have a deal?"

The prospect of taking inventory of that mess was dreadful, but a whole day off to spend how he pleased? The temptation far outweighed his trepidation. And what was life without a challenge?

"Deal."

[Izuna POV]

Izuna put the last of the supplies back into the infirmary storage cabinet and stretched, sighing as her back gave a satisfying pop. In the past few hours, during which she most certainly was not hiding, she had managed not only to sort all the supplies but also to take inventory of the available medicines and salves. What they really had going for them was the number of painkillers they had on hand, although they likely needed every last one of them due to the sheer bulk of their warriors. However, while their stock of bandages, splints, wraps, and slings wasn't terrible, the quality and quantity of their medicines was severely deficient. The lack of a doctor coupled with insufficient supplies painted a dismal outlook for the wounded. There were a number of areas needing improvement that she ought to discuss with Sooga but...

She buried her burning face in her hands. Sooga said she needed to want to be where she was trying to go, to picture where she wanted to be. And he was right. His explanation made sense in a way Impa's technical lessons had not and she ought to have been overjoyed she transported herself for the first time in her life. But why did her heart have to betray her by practically throwing her directly into his arms? Izuna could only pray to the goddesses that he didn't connect the dots and simply assumed it was accidental. He probably had since he'd laughed, but she set herself to work in the infirmary just in case he had caught on. Better safe than sorry; there was no sense in making a bigger fool of herself-

Excited voices and hurried footsteps outside the infirmary pulled Izuna from her rumination and she moved to the door, peering outside. Blademasters, footsoldiers, trainees, and other Yiga of unidentified specialty hastened down the halls, chattering and laughing as they went.

"-so long since the last one!"

"-betting on Master Sooga!"

"No way! Master Kohga is leader for a reason!"

"I hope he doesn't use the big glowy blast-"

"You're telling me!"

"It's so impressive but I was on that cleanup crew-"

"-think they'll get hurt?"

"Lucky we have the healer-"

Izuna could only pick up snippets, but she could get the gist of it: Master Kohga and Sooga were up to something potentially dangerous. Training was the most likely scenario, but that didn't explain the betting among the soldiers. A contest of strength, perhaps? It wouldn't hurt to take a gander at what they were up to; for medical reasons only, of course. If she was fast enough, she could escape to her room afterwards without him any wiser. Squeezing through the door and into the crowd, Izuna followed the herd to a part of the hideout she'd never been to, taking note of the twists and turns. A few Yiga noticed her and whispered, but since no one tried to engage her directly, she paid them no mind.

They all filed through a wide doorway into a large training room adorned with various weapon racks and equipment lining the walls. On a wide circular platform in the center of the training hall, Kohga and Sooga were trading heavy blows. Neither wielded any weapons and for once, Sooga's trusty dual blades were set aside. Izuna shuffled through the crowd, finding a good spot closer toward the back where she could sit on a ledge to see the action. All around her, the Yiga cheered and chanted for their chosen fighter. Rupees and sometimes bananas exchanged hands, and there was an infectious sense of excitement and energy in the air. She spotted Seiji and Ryo across the room, the shorter of whom was cupping his hands around his mouth and bellowing for Master Kohga to show him who was boss.

For a man of his bulk, Sooga was surprising agile, able to dodge Kohga's strikes or backflip to safety. And Master Kohga was no slouch either, giving it as good as he got and then some. Despite his outward softness and cheery personality, he was a force to be reckoned with, even in a friendly fight. Every solid hit he landed on Sooga had her wincing, but the general wasn't backing down. He knocked Kohga off his feet and pinned him, eliciting gasps and cheers from the crowd. Both were masked leaving their expressions a mystery, but judging by Sooga's shaking grasp, he was struggling to hold his leader down. Kohga wrested his arms free to form a hand sign and disappeared in a puff of smoke and tags, reappearing right behind Sooga, and they began their violent dance all over again.

"You know, Master Sooga has gotten a lot stronger," a footsoldier in front of her remarked to their comrade beside them.

"I know what you mean. He's really giving Master Kohga a run for his rupees this time. Think he'll win?"

"I think he's really got a shot this time!"

"What a fanboy."

"Don't say it like that! How could I not be? I mean, have you seen him?"

Their friend shook their head with a laugh. "Have you seen Master Kohga? That cute soft belly-"

"But Master Sooga is so... bulky. He's built like a fortress. I'd give up a month's supply of bananas if he'd squeeze me in those big arms-"

Izuna tuned the rest out, half amused, half mortified for eavesdropping on their brazen conversation. The Yiga were far more open with their attraction than the Sheikah back home. That wasn't to say Kakariko didn't have its own brand of lovestruck or lustful fools, but everyone was more subdued under the watchful eye of the king. Izuna returned her attention to the fight. Sooga's uniform did little to disguise the strength of his form; his physique truly was impressive. There was something about the bulk of him as well as the way he carried himself that instilled a sense of immovability, like the Great Plateau towering over Hyrule Field. Perhaps she might have felt some shame ogling him the way she was, but safe and mostly anonymous among the clamoring Yiga soldiers, Izuna allowed herself the rare indulgence. The Yiga in front of her weren't wrong in their assessment of him, after all. How would it feel for him to embrace her, not out of a sense of protective instinct, but rather borne of passion-?

A particularly loud explosion of smoke ripped her from her fantasy and Izuna's eyes widened as Master Kohga posed victoriously over his general who'd fallen into a pile of banana peels. Where had those come from?

"And that's why I'm the Top Banana!" Kohga boomed, turning and striking another pose. The Yiga cheered. "C'mon Sooga, don't just sit there, get – oh, are you hurt?" His body language changed at once and he kneeled at the bigger man's side. Sooga said something too low for her to hear, and Kohga yelled, "Someone fetch the healer!"

A couple footsoldiers poofed out of the room, presumably to the infirmary while others looked around, whispering. Hopping down from her seat, Izuna squeezed past the footsoldiers she'd eavesdropped on, the crowd parting easily for her as soon as she was spotted. Not a difficult feat considering she was the only one in blue.

As she reached the arena, Izuna nodded politely to Master Kohga before kneeling beside Sooga and pushing aside her residual embarrassment from earlier to focus on the task at hand. Sooga was injured and she was there to help. "I'm afraid I missed the conclusion to your spar; what seems to be the matter?" she asked softly, keeping her eyes to the left of his mask.

Sooga rubbed the back of his neck. "...I slipped on a banana peel Master Kohga summoned."

She pressed her lips together. "Mhm," was all she could get out, not trusting herself not to laugh.

No need to add insult to his likely wounded pride; to lose because of such a ridiculous maneuver, and in front of a crowd of his subordinates to boot was injurious enough. Instead, she pulled her energy into her hands until they emitted a blue glow and set them over his ankle. There was a murmur among the crowd, but she ignored them. His bones were fine, no breakage or fractures, but he had a nasty sprain. She soothed the torn ligaments, restoring the damaged tissue and decreasing inflammation. Sooga relaxed as she finished her work, letting out a sigh.

"Feel better?"

"Much, you have my thanks," he murmured. She risked a glance at him but quickly averted her eyes, finding the inverted eye staring right at her.

Kohga groaned from behind her. "So boring," he muttered to himself. "Ahem! Anyway, since you lost, Sooga, say goodbye to that day off and hello to the archives!"

Sooga pulled himself up and bowed to the shorter man. "Understood, Master Kohga. I will not fail this task."

Nodding emphatically, Kohga rubbed his chin. "I know I can count on you! Although," his mask swiveled toward her, "now that I think about it, that's a lot of work for one person. Since things have slowed down in the infirmary, why don't you help out, eh Izuna?"

She blinked, pointing to herself in question. "Me?"

Kohga made a show of looking around the room. "I don't see anyone else around here named Izuna, so yeah, you. It's nothing dangerous – just organizing the scrolls and books in the archive room. I'd hate to leave Sooga all alone down there with only dusty old stuff to keep him company."

Bokoblins had more subtlety than Master Kohga. Her brow rose. "Surely you wouldn't trust a Sheikah around your clan's sacred texts and techniques."

He leaned in close. "I highly doubt you could steal something under my best lackey's nose, even if you wanted to."

He had a point. "Very well. If... As long as Sooga has no objections," Izuna murmured, glancing at the general. Her face flamed; he was watching her.

"I do not. We will begin after the celebration."

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Alone together for an undetermined amount of time. The goddesses had to be conspiring to make her suffer eternal mortification. What had she gotten herself into?