To See The Sun Smile - Part 1

[zeffyface]

DISCLAIMER: All of The Legend Of Zelda Characters and Places belong to Nintendo, and maybe some other equally important organizations/people. They are not, nor have ever been mine. I just write silly fics.

Title: To See The Sun Smile - Part 1
Author: Zeffyface
Rating: Dunno, Probably PG
Warnings: AU Male Sheik, Mild Boy/Boy Later
Pairing: Link/Shiek
Note: Looking back, chapter one is STILL uneventful. My bad.

Part One

Lullaby

The autumn leaves and branches cut through the setting sunlight, creating fragmented patches of golden light and shadow across the forest floor. From the edge of the wood one could see the rolling hills of Hyrule caught in a momentary blaze, a last brush of warmth before the air cooled to night. It was a picture of life and glory, and for that piece of time it seemed nothing impure could touch the blessed earth.

But the moment never lasted, the second the sun finally dipped below the horizon the stalchildren would come to prey on the naïve.

At least, Sheik mused as he watched the passing light from his seat against a sturdy trunk, he could not be considered naïve. He had stopped trusting the sunset long ago.

He dipped his head, bandaged fingers strumming the strings of his lyre in no particular melody. It had become a nervous habit to play; something in the feel of the chords and the soft notes allowed him to think – or, he considered, not think. For the past half hour he had valiantly attempted to battle all thought from his head with some success, were it not for the persistent pulling throb in his back and left shin. The two combined made for constant reminders of just what his mind was trying to avoid. Beneath the white cowl flashed a hint of a scowl as crimson eyes attempted to glare the pain in his leg away, but after a few futile seconds Sheik gave up, sitting carefully back against the bark with a resigned sigh.

He wondered if Link could still enjoy the sunset.

*

In that moment, it had taken every ounce of training he had received not to panic. Awakening to the smell of wet dirt and smoke in Kakariko village, the blue-clad Sheikah had rolled over and found the crumpled form of the Hero of Time facedown five yards away. His sword had proved useless against the spirit locked within the well – he had most likely known as much before he drew them to stand between the spirit and his fallen comrade. With a shuddering groan and a string of silent curses in four languages, Sheik crawled over and slid a hand under the green-clad chest, rolling the limp body as gently as he could manage. His other hand found the pulse point at Link’s neck, waiting. At the soft beat he let out a breath, realizing from his aching lungs that he must have held it for near a minute.

Link’s eyelids stirred and cracked open then, sweeping Sheik with a dazed azure gaze. A bruise had already begun to form across the hero’s jaw line, and a trickle of red mixed with the mud over his left eyebrow. Sheik removed his hand from the other’s neck, searching the pale orbs for recognition. “Hero?”

At the sound of the voice Link blinked, lifting from the haze. “Sheik?” The low tenor hitting his ears made Sheik exhale again in relief before he nodded. Link moved to sit up, and Sheik quickly increased the pressure on his chest, pushing him back to the ground.

“Stay still – I don’t know the extent of your injuries, and you may have a concussion.”

Link lifted his head to observe his position and let out a sheepish chuckle. “That’s okay, I have a hard head.” He cut a look back up to the other and his grin faded, eyebrows drawing together in an unreadable expression. Before Sheik could open his mouth, a gauntleted hand came up, brushing the cloth of his mask just below his ear. Sheik froze, the concerned question plunging down to his stomach at the soft pressure. The fingers followed some unseen line, and Sheik suddenly felt the other’s hand brush against bare skin. His eyes widened in surprise, aware of a slight draft and twinge of pain, signifying a cut through the cloth along his jaw.

Suddenly and inexplicably Sheik become conscious of his proximity, as well as his hand that had at some point moved to rest on the toned muscles of Link’s abdomen. Link stared at the revealed section of skin as if transfixed, his thumb tracing idly below the cut. Sheik had never before come this close to the Hero of Time, preferring to watch from a safe distance. Up close the hero’s features proved even more perfectly chiseled, the dirty blond hair somehow graceful even mussed and covering the deep pools of blue.

The strands looked soft…

The shock of that stray thought snapped the Sheikah out of his daze. He quickly swallowed; attempting to quell the blood going to his cheeks as he discretely removed his hand from the other man’s stomach. Whatever these thoughts were, he could sort them out later, when Link was not suffering head trauma or cradling his face. “Can you feel anything broken?”

Link stopped for a confused second, seemingly realizing what he had been doing, and brought his hand back to flex experimentally. “Nah, just a little banged up.” He slowly sat up again and flashed an apologetic grin. “Sorry about back there; guess I showed up at the worst time.”

Sheik shook his head. “I should not have been distracted.” He pushed himself to a standing position, wincing as weight hit his left leg but quickly shifting to hide it. Luckily Link had turned away, retrieving his sword before a slightly hysterical bright blue ball of light zipped in front of his face. Despite himself, Sheik felt his lips twitch to a smile as he watched the Hero of Time console a gibbering Navi, only managing to calm the fairy down by taking a mouthful of red potion.

Sheik took a breath, clearing his mind for the upcoming explanation and speech. He certainly was not going to think about how, when the hero turned his face before, he could swear he saw the hint of a blush.

*

It was raining in Kakariko village again, blending the already gray surroundings until they ran together in the background. The solitary figure standing in the graveyard could have easily been a statue if not for the drenched green fabric clinging to the frozen frame. He had stood there for the better part of an hour, hands clenched so tight they would be drawing blood if not for the gloves, simply staring at the ledge on the far end. When a voice finally broke the silence, it wavered slightly, almost as the voice of a child.

“I don’t want to go back in, Navi…”

The sound carried a haunted plea, soft, but so piercing Sheik felt it hit someplace in his chest. It was the bleak, empty void in Link’s eyes, however, that made his intestines twist to the point of physical pain. Somewhere deep in those pools of blue a sparkle that had always existed disappeared, replaced by something hollow and fearful. The rain trickled down the pale contours of the hero’s cheeks unheeded, the blond locks dripping onto his unblinking lashes. He continued to simply stare at his memory, and suddenly Sheik wished nothing more than to leap down and wrap his arms around the soaked form until whatever daemons surrounding him disappeared. Navi stopped her usually haphazard flight to float next to Link’s shoulder, attempting encouragement. “But, you’re big now Link, it won’t be so bad, we can do it…”

Sheik watched Link’s shoulders slump and his head bow. It was when the Hero’s arms began shaking that his stomach stopped twisting knots. Now it seemed to have turned to lead.

Link had always done what was asked of him, never even expecting so much as a thank you in return. He allowed himself to be ripped back and forth through time, shoved into battles against unbeatable opponents, and given directions with little to no explanation save a speech and a song. It was only now, watching the hero near agony and knowing he would have to walk in anyway, that Sheik realized just how much sacrifice the Triforce of courage could mean. He was not without fear. He just didn’t have the luxury of giving into it.

Pulling out his lyre, the Sheikah pulled the highest string. To his ears it made no sound, but from the cease in Navi’s speech he knew it was heard. The little blue fairy turned slightly, her keen eyes picking up on the otherwise unnoticed figure. Sheik fixed her with a meaningful crimson gaze, making a tiny nod and wave. The blue wings beat once before turning back to the figure still before the temple entrance.

“Link, why don’t we get some rest before we try again, and restock your potions? Or we could get a fairy or two, there’s no point in going in exhausted. Um…I bet Saria’d be glad to hear from you, and there’s a fairy fountain in the woods, why don’t we go see how the village is?”

At the sudden change in conversation Link blinked and gave the fairy a suspicious look, but thankfully a much less empty one. When the little light continued going on about anything and everything other than the temple in front of them with no sign of stopping the blond finally cracked a small lopsided smile.

“All right Navi, we’ll go see about some fairies first.”

“Good! Cause you know, I could use a nap anyway, and I think you need a bath…” Link’s soft laugh echoed back as he walked down the path to the village.

Leaping nimbly from his perch, Sheik stowed his lyre beneath the tabard on his back and faced the looming entrance. He could not defeat the shadow temple’s host without the master sword, but that meant nothing when it came to the other obstacles. His hands went to the wrapped guards on his wrists, automatically checking the concealed knives between the bandages and thick fabric as well as the comforting pressure of the dirks in his boots. With a mental note to thank Navi later he straightened, the eyes beneath his blond bangs steeled.

No, he could not finish the task for him, but he could at least clear the way.

Giving no sign of his favored ankle, the masked warrior walked purposefully into the darkness.

*

Beneath the shelter of branches, Sheik felt a tired happiness tug the corners of his mouth. It was two days later when Link stepped out of the teleporting light of the purified temple, battered, but triumphant. Navi had danced around him, gibbering praises, admonishments, and opinions in no particular order. Sheik had simply tried to memorize that smile - the way the left side came just a little higher than the right, how his cheek muscles lifted, the softness that showed at the corners of the Hero’s eyes. Somehow it always reminded him of sunshine.

The hand gliding over the harp strings halted as a wince crossed the masked face; from the feel of it a muscle in his back had shifted and tore open a healing laceration. He groaned mentally and gently placed the lyre on the earth beside him. For some reason the potions he carried could not help the wounds, and he grimaced at the feel of warm blood seeping through the bandages. Not good. Blinking to a fairy fountain was an option, but in his current state it was possible he would lose concentration halfway through and end up in a lava pit. He had surprised himself by making it here from Kakariko. He glanced ruefully at the instrument next to him, playing with the highest string. No answer would come this far from a fountain, he knew. If only fairies could really appear that easily.

The last rays of sun were slowly disappearing, and Sheik reluctantly began easing to his feet, careful not to jar his back or put too much weight on his ankle but feeling both protest nonetheless. This section of land was relatively safe, but he still could not risk sleeping here. He would simply have to try and walk to a safer refuge. He had just finished standing when a blue ball of light flew in front of his face, making him jerk back, knives in hand before he identified the target.

“Sheik! Are you okay?” A familiar, high-pitched voice rang out from the blue haze. Sheik’s eyes adjusted, revealing a tiny blue figure staring at him with concern.

“Navi?” Sheik relaxed, and then winced as he felt something tear a little more. “What are you doing here – where is the hero?” The fairy dropped her eyes, looking, Sheik realized with some surprise, rather guilty.

“I… kinda left him in the village.” She started talking faster, as if afraid of being interrupted. “I mean, he was really tired and I figured since you hadn’t showed up yet he could use some rest and he didn’t have anywhere to go just then so I snuck out when he was sleeping –“

“…Navi.”

“ – and then I heard your harp and I figured you wanted to be alone but you played that one note that you did last time so I thought maybe you had something important –“

“Navi…”

“ – and it’s not like he can’t look after himself for one night, right? I know he won’t go do anything stupid until I get back anyway –”

“Navi!” Sheik was leaning heavily against the tree trunk now, his breathing slightly shaky from trying to maintain an upright position. The fairy froze in midair.

“Woah, Sheik, you’re really hurt, I’m sorry! Here, stay there and I’ll get Link –“

“No!” Sheik raised a hand, stopping the little fairy from darting off. “I… would rather the Hero not know about this.”

“But you’re bleeding! I’m sure he’s got some potions left…”

Sheik shook his head, blond bangs illuminated in the fading light. “Potions don’t work, anyway. I just need some time to heal.”

The little fairy simply watched him a moment. When she spoke again, it was softer, almost mellow. “You got those in the Shadow temple, didn’t you?” Sheik’s uncovered eye flicked back up to stare at her. “Link’s wounds didn’t heal right either – we had to use fairies for the really bad ones. You went into the temple before him, and you don’t want him to know about it.” Despite himself, Sheik was impressed at this rather intuitive side of the seemingly shallow fairy. He nodded again.

Navi’s wings had stopped sending her in her usual bobbing circles, opting to simply hover in front of the other’s face. She gave a high-pitched sigh. “All right, I won’t tell him.”

Sheik smiled, a tired twitch of his cheekbones. “Thank you, Navi.” His knees quaked a little in exhaustion, and his arms felt unusually heavy. “I need to sleep before I pass out, so I’m afraid I must cut our conversation short.”

Navi crossed her tiny arms, apparently deciding something. “I’ll stay here, then.”

Sheik stared in hazed confusion. “Hm?”

“Well, you probably should have someone keep watch, right? It’s not like you can move anywhere like that, and it’s dangerous out here.”

…That, made sense? Sheik attempted to blink away the fog hitting his brain in order to figure out why he should refuse such an offer.

“Look, I’ll just sit here, okay? Link owes you one anyway, so we can say he’s lending me without knowing it.” Navi had moved to stand on the white cloth covering his shoulder, and appeared to be trying to push him down. Strangely enough, it was working, as he was soon stretched out on the soft earth beneath the tree, pillowing his head on his arms. Navi looked at the uncovered section of face; brow still furrowed slightly in discomfort, and sighed. Sheik mumbled something that got swallowed by his cowl. “What was that?”

“Thanks for making him smile.” The blond burrowed a little farther into the thick fabric on his forearms, his breathing evening out.

The fairy’s wings flickered in amusement as she floated up to a few feet above the sleeping form. “Anytime.”