Chapter Three: Rescue

This predicament was his own fault.

He had to constantly remind himself of that.

"Shit…!" Kafei gasps for air. His body swayed from side to side before both knees succumb to his own weight. The boy's face smashed into cold hard dirt; he lost all strength to rise again.

Curse this wretched body!

Two Blue Bubbles zip past Kafei's new hiding spot. The sounds of their wings fluttering grew fainter with time. At this point, he should let the monsters in Termina Field feast on him. His fingers claw deeply at the Earth. Kafei forced himself to roll over, panting hard towards the morning sky. He did not make it far. A straw awning saved his fall from the window earlier. Without it there, that nosy forest kid would find his corpse outside as Stock Pot Inn's newest doormat.

Idiot…

His lips released a wince. Kafei did not want to admit it, but he was tired. It was a different type of exhaustion: bone-weary, spent, shattered, helpless…he could sleep for thousands of years. Sweat shined on his skin. There was no doubt the bed he was resting on before felt much better than grass. Each time his eyelids felt heavy, he would snap them open again. Kafei kept his arms splayed over his head. There was nothing he could do. All he wanted was to escape from everything but being outside made him more determined to find his beloved Anju.

There was no chance in succeeding for being weak. Breathing felt like a chore for him. It frustrated the boy further that he hadn't made up his mind yet. His fiancée may not want him anymore. Accepting the truth was too much to bear.

"It hurts…" he sighs to himself, "It…hurts…"

Kafei's eyes glimpsed something approaching. His head lolls backward. Fuzzy…? The boy couldn't make anything out anymore. His flesh screamed for slumber. He reaches out, praying She would carry him in her loving arms.

"A-Anju…?" he goes unconscious.

…

"H-Hurry! Hurry, hurry, hurry, I see him!" Tatl yelped to see two Blue Bubbles circling back around.

"Kafei!" Link immediately throws his shield. The impact it made against one Blue Bubble threw it into brush. He wasted no time sliding himself in center of a following attack. Link raises his sword and catches the jaws of the second beast.

"Kafei?! Kafei!" Tatl hovers over Kafei's head. She nudged and prodded with no luck under the protection of her partner. She looks up towards the Hero's back, "He's burning up, Link!"

"I'm g-getting there…!" He grunts. This Blue Bubble was incredibly stubborn. Link shoved hard against his sword's handle before drawing his blade forcefully back. It was like playing tug-of-war with the damned thing. He slashed the monster when its focus shifted.

"Look out!" she shrieks.

Link turns on his heel taking stance. He needed to be quick on his feet without a shield. A block from his blade sparked flurries with the enemy he knocked earlier. He raises his sword above Tatl and Kafei, and without fail, both Blue Bubbles were disintegrating into dust.

The fairy sighed; her little body dropped to the grass. It was a dangerously close call. She would have preferred to see the boy swallowed up by chuchus.

"You're getting sloppier with your attacks..." She warns, "You'll risk cutting me too."

Link scoffs at her; he goes to the brush and scoops his shield, "It did something, get off my back. How is he?"

"…Shaking. He looks very sick; can you look at him?"

The Hero walks over. He crouches down and felt for a pulse.

"I said he's sick, not dead-!"

"Shh…!"

The two wait silently. Link sheathes his sword and moves his hand gently over Kafei's face. Scorching hot. Tatl was right; he is incredibly ill. His palm could swipe away a whole layer of sweat. It was obvious the brat exerted himself too much; his bandages were starting to spot bright red again.

"Well?" Tatl perks up.

"…He's not going to be able to stand this way." Link's brow furrowed. His thoughts revolved around what he was going to do next. Perhaps tying Kafei to the bed would be his next option. He could imagine him refusing to be seen by a medical professional. The Hero digs for their found healing potion, "He's not going to be able to drink this either. Keep watch."

Tatl nods and his hand tucks itself over the nape of Kafei's neck. Link swiftly sits him up and popped off the bottle's cork; healing potion's contents met with his own tongue.

The fairy immediately flinched to her partner's actions, "Wait, that isn't for-!"

Link ducked his head down. He shares a mouthful of red liquid with the gentle parting of his lips. Tatl falls silent. She stares blankly at what is going on in front of her. Link was well trained in survival and adventuring, but she could have never imagined it like this.

Their pause was an awkward one. Link leans back to examine Kafei's face again. Good. He hadn't aspirated. It looked like he swallowed all of it just fine.

Slowly the boy's eyes began to open. Link could tell its bitter taste fought with Kafei's taste buds, "Waking up?"

Kafei glared at him. A gentle shove was all it took for him to whine in pain.

"Come on, you need to rest." Link persisted, "You had us searching too long for you."

"P…P-Per…v..." Kafei's eyes glaze over. That signature fierce stare was now one of drunkenness. His head and body fall against the Hero's chest. At last, he slept in peace. Link stood with Kafei secure in his hold.

"I'm not going to protect you if he hits you..." Tatl mumbles.

Link shakes his head, "Likewise..."

...