A Terminian and the Twilight of Danger (MM/OoT Fanfic)

If No One Can Change You

Bit of a shorter chapter here. Enjoy!
-Joostan

A Terminian and the Twilight of Danger
Chapter 6: If No One Can Change You

The front door opened slowly, and Link, Romani, Jim, and Skull Kid slowly walked inside. All four of them slumped on the couch. They hadn't let Zelda, or the soldiers see it, but they were beyond exhausted after their battle against the Thunderbird. Finally letting their guards down, they caught their breath and sat in silence.

Even Navi and Tatl, usually never even going close to each other, leaned against the back of the other, exhausted. Their wings ached, just barely having the energy to get to the house. As soon as they got to a place to sit, they gave out.

For a while, no one said a word. They were finally able to take in what they had to fight, and everything started to become a blur. It had been so long since they last had to fight anything, albeit except for Romani. Missions on the Clock Town guard were plentiful.

"Link!" Anju exclaimed as she came down the stairs. Hearing the front door open, she could only assume they had returned at last. The sudden words made everyone jump.

Link waved with a small grunt, not bothering to turn around to face his mother. After he had taken a moment to think about what he'd just been through, he had gone almost mute. Memories of his fights against Ganon, Majora, and the Garo Master swarmed his mind. He was only broken from his trance when Anju wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"I'm so glad you're alright. All of you." Anju said sweetly. She received small smiles from the teens in front of her. Then she began to inspect the condition they were all in. Link's soot-ridden tunic, dirty hair, blood dribbling from his mouth, scrapes and bruises made her go into nurse mode.

"What on earth did that thing do to you?" Anju asked as she looked over at Romani, Skull Kid and Jim.

The ranch woman's dress was layered in dust, and small bits of rubble were stuck to her shoulders. Jim's bandana was crooked, and grass covered nearly half of his shirt. Worst of all, Skull Kid's wooden body showed some small gashes. While he didn't feel any pain from them, the idea that his entire body could be chipped away like a plank of wood shook Anju to the core.

"Come on, we need to get you all cleaned up." Anju took Link's hand and helped him stand up and followed suit with the others. Slowly, they all made their way upstairs.

"I'll clean up Romani first. Link, you can fix yourself up in your own bathroom, alright?" Anju stated before leading Romani to the bathroom in the hall. Jim and Skull Kid waited on the floor next to each other as Link walked to his room and into his bathroom.

Finally alone, Link immediately got his sword and shield off his person and threw them to the floor. He panted heavily and couldn't take his eyes off the trace amounts of blood along the blade of the Gilded Sword. For a long time he stared at them, thinking about how he had no choice but to draw blood from the Thunderbird. He flinched when he heard the hallway bathroom's door open and the faint words of Anju, calling for Jim to get fixed up.

Tearing his gaze from his weapon, Link stood in front of the mirror. Going into the loomer pose, gazing at the sink while he still panted; feeling the sweat slowly roll down his cheek. He turned on the faucet and splashed his face with some water to fight the heat his own body made. Then he lifted his eyes to look at his reflection. He closed his eyelids to ward off the memories of all the battles he'd been through.

Cupping his hands, he drank some water and swished it around in his mouth to get rid of the horrid taste of metal that was stuck in it. Spitting the liquid out, he wasn't surprised to see it was now a deep red color. Cupping his hands again, he repeatedly washed his mouth until the water he spat out was clear.