Disclaimer:
I am most certainly not affiliated with Nintendo or any of the "Legend of Zelda" games including but not limited to "Ocarina of Time", which this story takes place in. I do not own any of the characters in this story other than any original characters which may appear. All parts of the story that align with the game perfectly are also not mine, they belong to Nintendo and I do not claim them to be of my creation. I make no money nor do I get any kind of monetary like gain from this story, merely the simple pleasure of writing and sharing it(for free).

Special Note:
Some liberties have been taken with the original storyline. In this story Sheik is his own person and not Zelda. I do realize that Sheik in game canon is actually Zelda and I have no problem with that canon. However, for this story Sheik is a man and his own person. It includes or will include sexual themes between two men, cross-dressing, death, violence, angst and possibly more. If either the themes of this story or the fact that Sheik is not Zelda and a man bothers you, don't read it. You've been warned and I really don't care if you get pissed off for reading something you don't like and were warned about in the first place.

Sheik stretched as he walked out of the Inn, Link was at his side while Navi lounged on his shoulder. The trio moved lazily through the slowly awakening, but not yet bustling, village in silence. After a short time, Sheik felt Link slip a thumb through a loop of material at the waist of his breeches. The soft weight of Link's hand pulling at the material that laid against his hips was oddly comforting. He swallowed hard as he was struck by the innocent intimacy of the Hero's action, but found that he could not hold back the lazy smile it evoked.

It was strange to Sheik, that he could be so incredibly happy so soon after the mornings events. Being honest, he knew that after everything his sister had done to give him a chance at life it wasn't entirely unexpected. If she had been in his place, his only wish would be for Sheia to live her life. In the end, he had to do in his life as he'd want her to do in hers. He would wallow in his life, all of it. The good, the bad and the mediocre because it truly was a gift and it had come at a ridiculously high price. He shook his head, pulling himself from his thoughts and glanced at Link's face as they walked, "So, Pretty Boy, today is a day of relaxation and fun, what would you like to do?"

"I dunno." Link said softly, eyes wide from the term of endearment, a faint blush staining his cheeks as he shrugged, the movement of his arm causing the thumb that was hooked on a loop at Sheik's hips to pull at the breeches. He cleared his throat, trying to will the blood from his cheeks, as he gazed about the village idly, not really seeing until his eyes fell upon a fenced in area filled with targets. He turned his eyes to Sheik's and used his unoccupied hand to point to the area, "Is that an archery range?"

Sheik turned his gaze, nodding, "Yes, although I must admit few people actually use bows here."

Link frowned in confusion, his brow knitting together as he tilted his head, "Whaddya mean?"

Sheik looked back to Link, his lips quirking into a smirk at the look of confusion on the Hero's face, "A number of Hylian's do live here, but it's still mostly Sheikah and few of my people are archers. Honestly, mostly just the assassins amongst us. Typically, it's used for practice with various throwing weapons rather than a bow."

"Hm, so does that mean Arathal is an archer?" Navi asked as she lounged on the Sheikah's shoulder.

"Mhmm." Sheik intoned with a nod.

"There're assassins here?" Link asked, blinking and shaking his head in amazement. "W-wait, Arathal's an assassin?"

Sheik pursed his lips at Link's frenzied questions, giving the teen a tight nod, "Yes, he is an assassin. But his skills have been used for subterfuge and spying rather than cloak and dagger assassinations." At Link's nod, Sheik relaxed a bit before continuing, "My people are the servants of the Royal Family, we simply don't run about the castle cleaning, fetching and cooking. When we are born we, well our parents I suppose, are given our role in life. A role in which we train for when we grow older. Sometimes it changes, and typically the fact that we're trained in one thing doesn't mean we cannot do other things as well. We have healers, assassins, warriors... there are even thieves, and honestly, that's just a small part of the whole."

Link nodded his head slowly before closing his eyes tight and shaking his head with a rueful laugh, "Not t'be rude but, that sounds awful. Y'should be able t'choose what y'wanna do on your own." He sighed and smiled softly as his eyes slid open once again, focusing on Sheik's face, "What were y'trained t'be? Y'weren't made to be bein' my guide and all that until y'were older right?"

"Good or bad, that's just the way it is for me and the rest of the Sheikah. We have no more say in the matter than you do." Sheik shrugged, smiling faintly, "But, I was fourteen when I found out about 'all that'," Sheik began with a laugh, bringing his hands up to make quotes in the air, "you had been in the Sacred Realm for almost a year I believe."

Link furrowed his brow, bringing a hand up count on his fingers. Tilting his head back, he looked at Sheik, "So, you're twenty then? You don't look that old..."

Sheik laughed heartily, shaking his head, "First: twenty's only three years older than your seventeen, thank you very much. Second: yes, I am twenty albeit only just. Now, may I answer your first question?"

Blushing again Link nodded and cleared his throat, "M'sorry, I just thought y'were the same age as me. I-I didn't mean... I mean, it...it's not bad..." Twirling the tip of his hat in his fingers, Link chewed on the inside of his lip. Clearing his throat he glanced up at Sheik, "Go on..."

"As you wish," Sheik began with a smile, "Sheia and I were being trained as warriors, though that was in no way all we were taught. We were part of the village guard. We still were, in a way, even after the training to follow you around began. And, I suppose I still am."

Link snickered softly, "I like that way of puttin' it, trainin' t'follow me around. At least y'were trainin' t'be a warrior before, that had t'make it easier." Link frowned in thought and tilted his head, "Where're y'from anyway?"

Sheik slapped his hand against his forehead and cursed lightly, frowning as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Ah, well...that is...you see, I..." Clearing his throat he glanced away, "I sort of lied to you before, in a way, well it was more a lie of omission really but..." He sighed and rolled his eyes, "When I first brought you to Kakariko I asked if you'd been before, you said yes and proceeded to ask the same of me. I said most Sheikah left the village and that I had been there, but in recent times it was a secret. That was both true and false, I was born and raised in Kakariko. My mother and father still live there and I with them, but as Sheia, my being Sheik was and is a secret... obviously."

Eyes wide Link shook his head and laughed at Sheik's explanation, "So that's why y'were so jumpy when that girl came t'the door after y'bathed."

Sheik felt the flush crawl up his neck and cheeks as he nodded, "Yeah. If Tana had been a Sheikah, it would have been fine for her to see me, but she is quite obviously not and well... seeing me looking like a man would have caused a whole mess of confusion. The questions that would have been raised were not among the things Lady Impa trained me to answer."

Navi fluttered off Sheik's shoulder to hover in front of his face, "Speaking of, there's something I've been curious about. You lived as a woman for two years and no one questioned it? How in the seven hells is that even possible? Not to mention, why would the girl being Hylian cause confusion?"

Link furrowed his brow, chewing his lip in thought, "I'm curious too..."

Sheik sighed, glancing around to make sure the few residents of the village who were out and about weren't in hearing range before answering softly, "I lived as a woman for two years and wasn't questioned because I literally lived as a woman. Well, that's not entirely true, most of the time I just had the breasts of a woman. But, those times when I saw a healer or was in close quarters with others I was physically a complete woman. Breasts, genitals, internal organs... my body was entirely female."

"Bu-but how?" Link asked, eyes wide.

Sheik laughed, smiling at the teen, "Very ancient magic passed down by the elders of my people. Most of the time only assassins learn and use it, but even that's exceedingly rare. A Hylian can learn the magic as well, but it isn't something my people share. The magic can be used to completely change ones body, give a different gender, a completely different appearance. I was lucky that Sheia and I were so alike in our appearance that I really needed only change my gender. I suppose if both Sheia and I had died, that is how Zelda would have taken my place."

"So," Navi began, a mischievous grin forming on her tiny lips as she looked Sheik over, head to toe, "you can make yourself a literal female? Down to the smallest detail?"

"Y-yes, why?" Sheik asked, frowning faintly, brow furrowed as he took in the look on the fairy's face.

"No reason darling, just curious." Navi said with a bright smile as she fluttered to rest herself on Link's shoulder.

"This's what y'really look like... right?" Link asked softly.

Sheik nodded, smiling softly, "Yes, you've seen the spirit of my sister with the Eye, my father always said if it weren't for the obvious gender differences we'd have been identical. We had the same height, shape, musculature... even our marks were tattooed in the same spots."

"That...this's...wow." Link said lamely, shaking his head.

Sheik nodded his head, grinning as he motioned toward the range with a flick of his wrist, a breathy laugh escaping his lips, "Well, feel like having a bit of fun with the range?"

Blinking as he brought himself into the here and now rather than the shock of the past few minutes, Link nodded and smiled, pulling out his bow. "Sure, it'd be nice t'have some practice. S'not very comfortable usin' this most o'the time, bit hard really... but s'like that with lots of m'weapons though."

Sheik frowned and once more slapped his forehead with the flat of his palm, though with quite a bit more force, cursing harshly at himself under his breath, "I am so sorry, I... Din, I am so damned stupid, I could have gotten you killed. I should have had you training as soon as you were fed and rested after coming from the Sacred Realm, not going off to the Temples. I just... I thought about the fact that you were taught things there and completely ignored the fact that it's was your mind that was taught, not your body."

Navi frowned and jingled angrily, stomping her foot against Link's shoulder, "Hey, look, now you listen here, are you saying that he didn't get the knowledge he needed? Hello, he trained for seven years!"

A breathy and forced chuckle escaped Sheik's lips and he shook his head weakly at the fairy, "No, I'm saying that while his mind may have learned these things, his body didn't. Our bodies have their own knowledge, their own memory. That's why I can throw a dagger where I want it without pausing to think about it. Link hasn't been able to bring his physical knowledge and response up to speed with his mental and, for goddesses sake, it's my damned fault! If he..." He stopped staring at the fairy and instead moved his eyes to look into Link's, letting out a weak and shaky breath, "If you get used to using your weapons like this, in a way that is uncomfortable for you, not only will you be less accurate and dealing less damage, you'll be working that much harder to deal said damage. While that could be excusable, you won't be protecting yourself nearly as well as you could be and that is not excusable."

Link smiled softly and took a step forward, placing a comforting hand on Sheik's forearm, squeezing gently, "Calm down, please. S'alright Sheik, m'fine and y'realized it." His smile grew wider, humor shining brightly in his eyes, "You'll teach little ol' me... right?"

Sheik let out a strangled laugh, closing his eyes as he felt the weight of his anger with himself lessen with Link's question, "Yeah, you know it, of course I'll teach you Pretty Boy." Letting out a long breath, he opened his eyes and smiled at Link, "By the time I'm through with you, any enemy you come up against will be shaking in their boots and begging for mercy. Let's get started, shall we?"

Link nodded, smiling softly when Sheik placed a hand on the blonde teen's shoulder before he began to guide him, teaching the Hero to use each and every one of his weapons with ease and comfort. Hours passed with the two laughing and enjoying themselves amidst the training. The rest of the village faded into the background, and the young men never noticed the looks villagers gave them, they paid them no mind. When at last, so many hours later, the Hylian Hero and his Sheikah Guide stopped, breathing heavy and laughing, bodies covered with a coat of sweat.

Link smiled at the older man, panting as he slowly steadied his breathing, "If I ever had a doubt about why y'were trained t'be my Guide, which I didn't, now I know why. Y'really know how t'fight."

Sheik lightly slapped Link's back, his own breath still coming in pants, and winked at the younger man, "I really know how to do a lot of things." Smiling he squeezed Link's shoulder, "But you. You are amazing. You were great when you showed me what you could do before, but now that you're comfortable, at ease with it, you... you are superb."

Link smiled brightly, happy that the flush of his skin from the prior exertion hid the blush that lit up his neck and face. He looked around the village idly, the happiness draining from his face, a frown replacing his easy smile when he took in how the villagers stared at them, some appearing angry and they all seemed to be uncomfortable. Looking at Sheik once more as he spoke softly, feeling self-conscious, "Why...why're they lookin' at us like that?"

Sheik looked away, a look of pain and sadness gracing his features for a brief moment before he returned his eyes to Link's, a false smile plastered on his face, and shrugged, "Don't worry, they're looking at me like that, not you. Every person here knows who you are, Link and every one of them cares about you. You're literally their Hero, you're their savior, facing death and worse for them. The villagers believe I'm Sheia and think I'm lying to you about who I am, that I'm setting you up for pain." Sighing, shrugging his shoulders once again Sheik smirked, puffing out a rueful laugh, "They hate me for it, Pretty Boy."

Link frowned, turning to take Sheik's hands squeezing them tight, blushing and easing up when the older man winced, "But s'not true, I know who y'are. I know the truth." He leaned forward, pressing his lips to Sheik's own in a simple kiss, cheeks burning bright when the Sheikah pulled him flush to his chest and deepened the kiss. When he finally pulled back, Link stammered softly, the blush on his cheeks growing brighter, "So, uhm, why're y'callin' me 'Pretty Boy' all of a sudden?"

Sheik kissed Link's forehead quickly before standing back, "You do know the truth and for that, I am so very thankful." He smiled, laughing quietly, "I call you Pretty Boy because that's what you are. Well, you're actually beautiful, not just pretty and you're actually a man not just a boy, but to be honest, 'Pretty Boy' sounds much better than 'Beautiful Man' for a nickname. But I can stop if you'd prefer."

Link smiled brightly at Sheik, hugging the man tightly before pressing a quick kiss to the Sheikah's lips, "I don't mind." Pulling back, Link looked up, staring at the sky, watching the colors shift and change while the sun set, "Guess we should go t'bed. Busy day tomorrow."

Sheik nodded at Link, looking at the sky for a moment as well before the two, and their fairy friend, made their way back to their room in the inn. Within the hour, the duo had bathed and made themselves ready for bed, falling asleep quickly, the Hero snuggled with his Guide, his head on the Sheikah's chest.

When Sheik awoke, hours later relaxed and well rested it felt as though only moments had passed. Looking at the window it was easy to see the town was still dark, but the glow was that of a predawn morning rather than a moon filled night. He let his eyes slide down to watch Link snuggle against his chest in his sleep, curling up more within his separate blanket. Holding back a laugh, he glanced at Navi hearing her snore ever so softly as she lay sprawled on the teen's shoulder, drool pouring from her tiny mouth, opened wide.

Finally, knowing that he had to get up Sheik held back a sigh as he carefully removed himself from the bed, sliding his pillow under Link to replace his body. He stretched and silently gathered his things before making short work of getting ready for the day, donning each article of clothing and every weapon with a practiced hand. When he was dressed, armed and ready he moved to the exit, stopping when he placed his hand upon the door handle. Glancing back over his shoulder, he took in Link's sleeping form once more, drinking it in before squaring his shoulder's, soundlessly slipping from the room.

Upon closing the door to his shared room behind him, Sheik quickly made his way out of both the Inn and the village. When the stone of the entrance sealed itself behind him, leaving no trace of its existence, he closed his eyes and let his body relax, his breathing calm. He emptied his mind of everything, all thought and emotion slipped away before he brought up the image of the Water Temple in his mind's eye. He searched it, never moving nor tensing, his breath still calm when he found what he looked for. There. Third floor, left arm. The Moldrue had to be there.

Eyes still closed he pulled himself rigid, readying himself for the battle he would face. He squeezed his hands into fists and allowed shadows to overwhelm him, pull him and transport him. To move him right where he needed to be. When his feet pressed against firm ground once more he frowned. Was that a... splash? Were his feet and legs... wet? What in Din's name was going on? Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as he took in the sight of the room around him. The floor, ground? It was covered by at least a foot of water, the air was filled with mist and no matter how hard Sheik tried, he couldn't see more than twenty feet away.

It was as though the room went on forever and Sheik could see no end, no exit. In fact, the only thing he could see was a tree, dead and barren. He frowned deeply, this was false, nothing he saw before him was real. It was an illusion. An illusion he could hear and feel but it was still an illusion. There was no endless room of water and mist, no trees, however dead, in the Water Temple. And, he realized belatedly, whatever was in this room was no Moldrue. The being in this room, that made this illusion was powerful, strong and more in tune with the magic of darkness and shadow than he would ever be.

Sheik growled and knew he had to get out, to regroup and though he could see no exit he had his magic, but when he tried, he found that something blocked him. With an exasperated sigh he stamped a foot on the ground, muttering at the false splash of water that seemed all too real. He took a deep breath, calming himself. Shaking his head, Sheik lifted his foot to begin walking towards the tree, when he heard the sound of splashing water behind him. Turning quickly, the Sheikah frowned when he saw nothing. Before he could turn once more, pain bloomed, enveloping his head as he fell to the floor. A thought passed through his mind, as a black boot moved along his fading line of vision, as his consciousness ebbed away and a damp coldness filled him, "Cold water...for...an illusion...very...strong..."