SessKag; Breath of the Wild

FIFTEEN

Link woke up with a pounding headache and a bleeding nose. Also, Kagome was staring at him with a worried and guilty look on her face. She had heard Link screaming, his already sore voice breaking at its highest before cutting short and she turned to see Rhoam worrying over an unconscious Link. He looked up to see her pale face as she realized that they were watching her feeding Sesshoumaru her blood.

She had promised to tell Rhoam what was going on between her and Sesshoumaru after Link wake up. Also, Sesshoumaru had woken up in middle of feeding due to Link's scream and he was far from happy. Especially since this time there were two witnesses that he has no knowledge of watching a moment of his weakness. Also, he was glaring at Rhoam with open distrust, upper lip lifting in a silent snarl of warning whenever the elder moved a little too close to them. He had even flexed his claws threateningly at Rhoam, acid eating into the table he sat by.

So now that Link has woken up, she sighed, "Alright, I promised,"

Sesshoumaru growled at her, "Do you think this is wise, girl?"

Kagome winced, Sesshoumaru's mad enough to revert back to Japanese which he had sworn to not speak unless necessary to practice his still broken Hylian. She sighed and replied, "They saw and besides, there's no one else on this Goddess forsaken plateau!"

Sesshoumaru huffed unhappily but leave any social interaction decision in her hand. But he will guard her whether she like it or not. He knew what she had done and perhaps she did not realize just how great the meaning behind her actions was to him. She had pledged her life to him, putting her trust in him in ways that only close family members would. Not even his mother placed that much faith in his sire and they were mates! Honestly, he does not know how to treat this situation.

On one hand, he had pledged to himself to discard his cultural honor to accept aid from a human so that he will survive. He had discarded his pride and his own common sense so he could return home. And she too must have done the same but so far from their interaction, she treated him as if he was not only her equal but also trust that one would only give to someone whom they can trust after a great many trials. The kind of trust he once saw between his mother and sire when he was just a pup, the trust that he will protect and provide; a mark of pride for a male of his clan.

Now though...she trusted him with not just protecting her. She trusted him with her very well being! It went against everything that he had planned to deal with her. He can't use her anymore like he would use Jaken. He cannot discard her once her use to him expires. That would dishonor him and his ancestor. Even now, the idea of using her for his survival left bitter bile in the back of his throat.

So now he listened as Kagome explained to that ghost and the boy about her and his situation as simply as she could without going into obscure details that they themselves do not comprehend. Yes, he knew a ghost when he sees one. He had always has the ability to pierce his sight beyond the veil that separate the living from the departed. It was an ability that marked his direct bloodline to that of his Great Ancestor. The ghost may be able to fool Kagome and the boy, but he cannot fool a fully trained Divine Dog like Sesshoumaru. They are Heaven's hunting dog for the spirits of the dead.

Link had woken up just as the sun break through the horizon and by the time Kagome finished explaining everything she could, his stomach felt hollow with hunger that he ignored in favor of listening to her plight. Now that the story has ended, the pang of hunger consumed him and he whimpered voicelessly as he stared at the green mushroom hungrily.

An apple landed on his lap and Link barely grabbed it before it roll to the floor. He looked at the direction it flew from and warily thanked the scary silver man voicelessly who only narrowed his strange golden gaze at him. A little spooked, he timidly ate his apple.

Kagome blinked at the exchange and smiled her thanks at the grumpy dog, pun intended. She sighed, "Well! I'm going to start on lunch!" She looked to Sesshoumaru, "Want anything, Sesshoumaru?"

He rumbled, "Meat..." He said this as he stared at Link who wondered if the man was thinking of eating him. He gulped his apple thickly in silent fear before offering to lend a hand to Kagome, gesturing frantically as he followed her outside.

Once the two left, Sesshoumaru snarled at Rhoam, "Do not think that you can fool me, ghost!" He hissed at the shock man. He spoke in the language of spirits, a language that does not use the tongue of man and language that Rhoam can understand. Rhoam did not expect to be found out but then again Kagome explained that this Sesshoumaru character's not a human and was born a beast of the heavens. It would certainly make sense for him to recognize Rhoam's truth.

The ghost quickly placated the beast, "I mean no harm in my deception. I am here due to an unfinished duty to the land with permission from the Goddesses,"

Sesshoumaru glared at the ghostly man and narrowed his gaze to further certain the truth of his existence in the plane of the living. Certainly the man lacked the signs of a ghost who lingered illegally. Whatever divinity in charge of this land has given the man permission to linger in a solid form. The proof was in how he could interact with the physical realm while lacking a body to possess. There was no scent of decay from Rhoam. In fact, Sesshoumaru could discern that the man has become a spirit tied to the fate of the land.

Rhoam looked outside as he heard Link whooping in joy before coughing painfully, "I am here for that child. He has a great destiny wrought with pain and tragedy. Yet he must carve his way forward or all that I know will end in horror," He looked to Sesshoumaru, "You must have seen it on the way here, how the land is slowly dying. You have felt it and even now it is slowly poisoning you just as it poisons this continent. Link is the only cure this land has,"

Sesshoumaru stared at him like an uninterested beast, like a proud mountain lion waiting to see the worth of the life before it. Rhoam continued, "You have also witnessed the effect of his memory suddenly returning. His mind is still fragile. I cannot possibly in good conscience send that boy out into a world where he knew no one and every path lead him to an enemy in such fragile condition,"

Sesshoumaru answered, "You need him to be the warrior he once was,"

Rhoam blinked, "You can tell?"

He huffed, "Hn. I have trained soldiers most of my youth. I can tell one apart from a commoner even if he has been out of service for long," Sesshoumaru narrowed his gaze, "If you wish for this Sesshoumaru to give aid, then what is in this quest that will benefit both I and that clumsy priestess?"

Rhoam chuckled breathlessly, relieved that the beast have been placated and nervous that his thought has been seen through, "Kagome speak of you as a warrior without equal. I am hoping that you will help Link recover his once unparalleled skill as a knight,"

Sesshoumaru grumbled, "That priestess is already a handful to train,"

Rhoam added, "Link need only remember the basic and his body will guide him through the rest. Though his mind not recall a thing from the past, his body recall the movement he once made," He gestured at the hungry Hylian boy, "The boy has lost his memory, but with each interaction with his surrounding he recall little information that's vital for him to survive in the wild. The memory is there but locked away. He only needs a key to unlock it all," Rhoam turn to Sesshoumaru, "I am hoping that you will help forge that key to those that time has locked away,"

Sesshoumaru stared at him, "And the boon for this quest you set before us?"

Rhoam smiled, "My daughter is the brightest in this land and I do not brag that as a father. I am ashamed to admit that I often time had to push aside my pride for her brilliance in favor of forcing her to unlock her power for the sake of the kingdom. Save the Princess locked in the castle with that beast Ganon and you will have her skills and knowledge at your service," Rhoam pressed again, "Help Link reach his full potential and lend him aid in this quest, save my daughter Zelda and you will be given assistance to return home,"

Sesshoumaru stared at Rhoam as the man stared back at him, neither backing down from the other. Finally, Kagome's call for them to join for lunch broke the staring down. Sesshoumaru nodded, "Better this than running across the whole continent chasing ghost stories,"

Rhoam laughed at that before bowing his head, "Thank you,"