Legend of Zelda: Divine Vessel

- XI -

Nova wasn't waking up.

Link and Midna were sent into a frantic worried state, kneeling beside her bloodied body.  Halo had even escaped the Divine Blade and had a worried expression in her golden eyes.  She had propped her white, feathery body under the girl's head, allowing red to seep into her pure feathers.

Link had torn pieces of fabric to try to soak the blood from the gaping hole in her stomach, but has been unsuccessful as the blood was flowing too quickly.  At the same fast rate, the brunette's labored breathing increased and became more raspy as blood curdled in her throat.

"Link..." Midna whimpered, stroking the injured adventurer's hair, sticky with blood.  "She'll be okay, right?"  Tears were already streaming down her multi-toned face.

"Y-yes..." He struggled to assure the imp.  "I-I'm trying my b-best." He stuttered as an overflow of worry was obvious in both his tone and eyes, which grew even more watery every minute.

"But all of the blood... it's coming too quickly." The imp cried. "And she's not breathing right." She stated the obvious, falling to her stubby knees.

"We'll save her... we have to." The end of his sentence was clipped as tears threatened to fall from his blue eyes.

It was true, though.  Nova's chest wasn't rising and falling in normal breaths anymore.  Her body was hardly moving as blood stained the majority of it.

Link pressed onto the wound even harder, trying to raise any hope that might remain within the group.

"Link." Midna's voice wavered, her tiny fingers on Nova's reddened neck.  He looked at her with panic, her fiery eyes equally as startled.  "She's not breathing."  Her words were raspy.

"She's not breathing, Link!" She exclaimed as she squeezed her exposed eyes shut, sobbing uncontrollably.

Link was horrified.

Desperately, he placed a hand on her cheek, caressing her blood-spattered face.  Halo had raised her delicate head, staring directly at the triangle below her closed eye.  The fact that the dragon was not spewing intelligent comments was worrisome, as well as the absence of her white glow.

The blonde boy cursed, looking for signs of life.  However, he hadn't found anything.

"Nova..." His usually strong words wavered, as unconscious tears streamed down his face, also painted with the girl's blood.  "Nova, you can't leave us.  Do you understand? You can't go anywhere!" His entire expression was tense and panicked.

Defeated, he clutched his face to try to hide the tears he was shedding, cursing himself as well.  "It's all my fault.  She shouldn't have -" The boy sobbed. "You shouldn't have let yourself trust me." He was hardly able to finish before failing to restrain his sorrow.

"We still need you.  The Goddesses need you.  I need you." Link uncovered his face, a painful expression plastered onto it.

"The Vessel has failed in her mission..." Halo even seemed to be mourning.

"She hasn't failed in anything!" Midna suddenly spat.  "Nova has been the most wonderful girl to ever cross paths with me, and I think it's the same for Link!" The imp exclaimed as she returned to crying.

But Link wasn't finished with his surprising gestures.

The boy leaned forward, letting his honest tears fall onto his friend's cold cheeks.  He then, acting off of a whim, pressed his lips to her cold ones, kissing her passionately.

When he pulled away he whispered a few words in her ear that neither Midna nor Halo would be able to hear.

"You can't leave." He whispered, choking on his words.  "Because I love you." Link sobbed, resting his forehead on Nova's cold one.