Blessed

Chapter Eight: Departure

A/N: Thank the Goddesses! The weekend has arrived!

Jaden reacted better than Link thought he would, but that was probably because Ghirahim warned him not to panic ahead of time. Besides, seven years was nothing compared to seventeen - Link didn't even want to think about what Kiara and her parents would do.

"We have to leave for Hyrule once Kiara and your parents get back," Link stated, pulling a pair of scissors from a drawer and grabbing a comb. Jaden needed his hair cut - it was getting overly long. "We have things that we have to figure out, and we can't do that here. Sit over there."

Jaden did as he was told, sitting on the tall stool in front of the table and turning away. Link started to comb deftly through his long, dark brown locks as the boy spoke. "Hyrule? Like the place that your parents were going when they passed away?"

Ghirahim looked on in concern as Link bit his lip, then replied, "Yes. That place." He carefully snipped off some hair and let it fall to the floor, combing through. Although Jaden continued to ask pointless questions, Link stopped answering, and the boy eventually understood that he didn't want to talk anymore.

After another hour, Jaden's hair was successfully short again, and Link seemed to have come out of his gloomy state. He swept up the hair and threw it away, then got started on breakfast.

The next few days passed with Ghirahim complaining at every turn and Link quickly discovering that Jaden was suddenly a lot more talkative now that he had someone who could talk back to him.

Other than that, not much happened.

Kiara and her parents got home eventually, and explaining who Ghirahim was and where they were going proved easier than expected. Nobody fainted when Link spoke, and they all found it okay that he had to go.

Thus began his journey with Ghirahim. He tucked away his cloak for the colder days that approached and strapped Fate's sheath to his back. The demon teleported them outside the walls, but seemed tired afterwards, so Link rolled his eyes and rented a horse from a village nearby.

A feisty stallion blacker than black, he was more than sturdy enough to carry both of them, especially considering that neither of them weighed much. Link hopped on and offered Ghirahim a hand up. The demon accepted graciously, and they were on their way.

~*~

A day of travel passed without event, and another, until they neared the border between the countries. Link saw his old hometown in the distance and almost felt as though he should visit, but he looked away, towards the distant land that he knew was Hyrule.

They had just come within fifty meters of the border when Link felt queasy, and as though sensing his discomfort, the stallion stopped and backed up a little. The blonde buried his face into the horse's neck, taking deep breaths as Ghirahim reached for his shoulder and asked what was wrong.

"Are you alright, Link?"

"Yes, I just - I feel like - " He cut off, covering his mouth with a hand, convulsing slightly as he tried to swallow down bile. He felt Ghirahim hug him around the waist, and he leaned back into the warm, comforting body behind him, holding onto the reins tightly but still covering his mouth for fear he may vomit everywhere. He shut his eyes, shaking his head softly and managing to squeak, "Not alright."

Ghirahim moved one hand to cover his on the reins and tugged the stallion's head the other way, then lightly smacked its side to propel it forward, away from the border. After just a few feet, color returned to Link's face and his quaking stopped. He relaxed, letting the horse slow to a stop safely away from the border between the countries and taking control of the reins once again.