H.O.P.E. (Skyward Sword Link x Reader)

Chapter 3: Guilt

I stood up, climbing down the vines that led to the ground. After a few minutes, I looked behind me and saw Link. Once again, he had a very stern expression.

"I have to go back to Skyloft, and you're going back too." Link grabbed onto my left wrist, "You're going back and staying put, no exceptions." 

"What?" I get out of his hold, "I just got here, why should I?" My irritation was visible in my tone. "You can't tell me some bullshit excuse of being useless, you literally just saw me take down that behemoth back there!" I glared back at him. "I came down here to help out."

I turned around, walking further down the dirt path that led to the forest. I could hear his footsteps behind me, yet he didn't say anything. I became very distracted from my annoyance by the breathtaking scenery. There were so many giant mushrooms, as well as trees. I was more shocked by the largest tree at the heart of the forest. I wanted to go further in but decided to keep exploring the surrounding area.

I stopped at a pond, taking out a bottle to fill with water. I let my remlit walk around as well. I caught sight of a white building. While walking towards it, Link broke his silence once more.

"Just let me do this." I stopped in my tracks, glancing back at him. "I'll rescue Zelda, just wait at Skyloft." I narrowed my eyes. "She'll need someone to welcome her back once everything settles down."

"She's gonna have plenty of people for that, Link." I walked over to him, pointing a finger to his chest while locking eyes. "Try to understand, I'm not asking to tag along and have you shield my ass, I'm telling you I came here to lend a hand at rescuing our friend." Backed off a bit, not looking away. "You have your reasons for coming down here as do I, so respect it. Do you think I want you down here dealing with the high risks of dying within each passing moment?" My throat tightened, I could feel my frustration from the past month coming back. "You left and never even tried to speak to me for this long. So now that you do, this is one of the first things you tell me?"

"It's my fault that she's gone, I have to bear the burden, alright?" His voice raised. "I can't handle the guilt of letting someone else get hurt for my mistakes!"

"Well, it's too late for that already!" I huffed, clenching my fists at my sides. "Zelda is a close friend of mine, and you were too!" I turned on my heel, walking in the direction from which I came. "If you wanna be such a huge brat about me, forget it! We're not friends anymore, so worry about yourself and I'll do the same."

"(Y/n)!"

"Leave me alone!" I stomped away, furious that he wouldn't trust me. I'm not a child, I know how to take care of myself, hell, whenever that idiot got sick I was the one mothering him!

I felt my remlit hop onto my leg, climbing up until it reached my shoulder. It clung to me tightly as I stomped around the forest. I didn't want to see Link right now, and if he knows better, he needs to let me cool off. It's just so frustrating! He won't listen, he's so stubborn! Why can't he just trust me? I graduated top of the class a year early for heaven's sake! Why can't he try to be considerate of my feelings in this situation? I don't want him to be getting hurt, let alone going through all of this by himself.

I kicked a bush in front of me, immediately deciding to run up to the tree before me to kick it until I suddenly lost my footing. I fell through a hole in the ground, finding myself in a discreet tunnel. Half of it was open, the entrance to the forest being visible. I dusted myself off, walking over to a lone tree at the end. I let out another groan in annoyance as I slid down against it. Having found this new privacy, I felt my eyes well up. A tear slid out from the corner of my eye, I immediately wiped it away but only more followed. I could feel my face get hot, hearing myself sniffling.