Fantiality

Waterdrops

His hands were curling up through my loose hair. I felt his fingers fiddling for my bandage about my head as he pulled away from my lips to kiss along my cheek. I was trembling with the unfamiliar heat and passions. The bandage slipped off and he kissed my sore forehead carefully, once more murmuring my name.

My mind was racing. No. I couldn't do this as well. I didn't want this, and yet wanted it so much my whole body ached with the want for it. But I just couldn't with so much uncertainty. He may die—I may die—I may return home. Nothing in this story could give me sufficient hope that we could be together. And the pain of having to lose something so wonderful, now that the gate was open, might destroy me forever. Besides, this made no sense. Why would Link love me? Me! The girl from the barbaric world who could do so little. No, he never said that he loved me, he was just kissing me, but how could he not love me and be breathing my name like that, with so much tenderness? But how could he all a sudden love me after being so...so...

I shoved him away. The sudden movement threw him off and for a moment he was left frozen in the crossfire of his confused emotions, crouched half above me with my hands to his chest.

"Stop," I gasped, "I can't—I can't do this."

"Can't...can't do what?" he asked breathlessly. "I'm...I'm sorry, Kara, do you—that was too sudden of me, I just—oh goddesses." His voice filled with agony, "Goddesses, Kara, please forgive me. I don't know what came over me, I just, you were there, and I...I..."

"Link," I whispered to him, feeling as though every bit of me were tearing at itself and burning, "you're probably just tired. Please, go to bed."

"No, Kara, I'm sorry. Please forgive me?"

Strange, that he was asking me for forgiveness. Even though my arms would rather hold to him tightly, I pushed him off my bed. I couldn't think of what to say to him, nor was I sure I could speak anything at all. There was a shuffle, a snap, and the whole room was filled with a fluttering yellow light. I could see Link's face and my insides crumpled at the sight of it, so scared and yet filled with that same heartbreaking tenderness. He looked behind him right as I looked past him to see Shadow, standing there in his black undershirt and leggings and holding up a lamp. He was scowling.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing," said Link, his expression dropping all previous emotions and turning mask-like. "I just tripped."

"Tripped? Never thought you were much for sleep walking."

"We were both awake. We were just coming down from the top room."

"And what were you doing up there?"

Link snarled, standing. "Is it even any of your business? I'm sorry for waking you up, now butt out."

Shadow searched him then looked to me. Then he stepped up to Link.

"Then why does the girl look like that?"

I felt for my face, wondering what the heck he was seeing. Some of my pain must've made it through without me noticing. Link paled and turned back to me.

"What's going on?"

Amanda had just woken up. Her blond hair was everywhere and she had the thick, bleary look of still being half asleep. She rubbed her eyes and stared unseeingly at the light.

"Are we being attacked? Someone die?"

I couldn't help but chuckle, awkwardly hoping that Amanda really had just been woken up by Shadow and Link's raised voices. "Nah, Link just tripped and woke up Shadow."

"Oh," she blinked hard at Shadow, "you a light sleeper."

"Uh, yeah."

Amanda yawned. "I had a dream I was riding with a bunch of Gerudo. It was kinda fun, though I don't know if they noticed it was me. I mean, if they did," she cuddled back into her bed, too tired to finish the sentence.