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

Far More Or Far Less

Another chapter for you guys. I'm mighty proud of this one, with how Link is portrayed and the action sequences. Enjoy!
-Jooostan

A Terminian and the Twilight of Danger
Chapter 8: Far More or Far Less

Dusk fell on Hyrule once again, but this time, there was no looming threat of the Thunderbird. Everything was alright for the time being, at least for most. No one was aware of any other creature that challenged the freedom of the kingdom.

A certain Terminian woman, however, didn't feel so at ease. She managed to hide her unsteady breathing from her son for most of the night, but now that he was asleep, her hands wouldn't stop fidgeting. She couldn't shake the image she saw back in Kakariko. It was like looking in a mirror, but the person she saw, she didn't recognize. Not in the slightest.

"Anju?" Kafei asked, standing in the doorway.

"Hmm?" Anju replied, not turning her head. Kafei just sighed. For almost an hour, his wife had been gazing out the window, towards Kakariko Village. He knew exactly what was on her mind.

"Honey, please don't keep thinking about that woman." Kafei pleaded. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"How can I not, Kafei?" Anju's voice rose slightly. "I can't get the feeling out of my head!"

"What do you mean?"

"About... if I'm just..." Anju stopped. She refrained from letting herself choke up in front of her husband. The existentialism she felt was unimaginable. "If I'm just a copy of someone else. If that's all I am."

"Honey, come here." Kafei rose and took Anju's hand. She reluctantly stood from the stool she had placed herself on and followed him back to the bed. "You remember what we taught Link, right? About how your story is about who you choose to be?"

Anju nodded hesitantly. That night Link came home, and she confronted him in the kitchen of the Stock Pot Inn. How could she forget that night? It was when she truly felt like she earned being Link's mother. It always held a special place in her heart, right alongside her husband and her surrogate son.

"It doesn't matter if you're a version of that woman in the village. What does matter is your story." Anju looked into Kafei's eyes, and he got lost in them. Something like that happened often. "You've done so much for a lot of people. It's what you chose to do."

Anju didn't say anything. She just kissed Kafei on the cheek and nuzzled close to him. "Thank you, dear. I'm sorry, it was just so much to think about..."

"At least you don't have to worry about this feeling." Anju smiled weakly.

Kafei chuckled. He didn't want to admit it, but it had been all he thought about for the past few hours. But it wasn't his copy. It was the lack of one. His mood lowered significantly in a matter if moments.

"Well, I don't know. The fact that- I don't have one... makes me feel..." Kafei's words halted and his mind grew clouded.

Anju grew worried immediately.

"Like I don't matter-"

"Oh, Kafei..."

"A-Am... I not worthy? Am I too different?" Kafei started to stare out into space, almost losing his grip on reality for a moment. Luckily, Anju brought him back down to earth.

"Now you look at me." Kafei did as he was told. "Don't you dare go getting me out of a bad mood and then go into one yourself. I think you're just too special to have a version in Hyrule."

Anju's playful smirk brought him fully out of his brief funk. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

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