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1.
Sooga gritted his teeth as he sank onto his knees on the cold, hard floor. The whole room was deadly silent, the tenseness of the air palpable. The two footmen remained perfectly still, heads bowed.
It was punishment time. Sooga, as head blademaster of the two footclan members was the one in charge of the mission. The mission had started relatively simple: Kill the visiting diplomat and pin it on the Hyrulian guards to sow chaos. It had escalated very quickly, with the visiting diplomat having his own guard retinue on top of the Hylian one. At that point, even killing them all would not of been able to salvage the mission, but the orders came back to do so anyways.
With one blade master, one archer, and one foot soldier, it was impossible. They’d fought for as long as they could, before Sooga had made the call to pull out before they all died. That was why-
“Fifty lashes, for your insubordination. Make sure to count each one out loud, okay?” There was a cruel note of pleasure in the man’s voice, of someone who truly adored torture. He didn’t flinch, as he remained kneeling, head bowed.
This was the way of the Yiga clan, after-all. Cruel to both outsiders, and each other. It was how he’d grown up these past twenty five years, and he suspected it would go on for quite some time as well.
So he steeled his heart, and counted. Every stinging blow, every taunt dripping from the current Master Kohga lips. One day, he thought to himself, he was going to betray the Yiga clan, and stab the man. Once he’d gotten strong and fleet enough to wind his way through Master Kohga’s cunning magic.
His own pride of keeping those around him alive to fight another day burned within him. He didn’t care about ancient grudges. “There, fifty lashes. Now tell me, faceless one. What is our purpose?”
“… To serve Lord Ganon and bring the downfall of the Hyrule Royal family.”
“Very well then, dismissed.”
He got up, had bowed in respect as the Yiga members edged through the doorway out into the caverns. Immediately, a hand grabbed his elbow, tugging him towards the medical room. “There were three more deserters.” The whisper hovered in the air- they didn’t dare talk too loud. “The Blademaster took their charges and left.”
“More are abandoning the clan very quickly.”
While previous owners were cruel, and the penalty for getting caught was death, this particular Master Kohga had pushed the clan to its breaking point. The previous one was inching closer to death, but seemed less then likely to interfere. And Sooga knew, he wasn’t a loyal person at all, otherwise thoughts of betrayal would never cross his mind. “Shhhh, keep it down.” The Yiga foot-soldier glanced around, “We don’t know where the loyalists are.”
Sooga shook off the guiding hand, staring down at his two charges. “Both of you get to bed. We’ll meet tomorrow morning for some more training.”
The two nodded, and padded off silently in separate directions. Sooga slowly proceeded down the hallway, not quite daring to lean against the walls for support. He couldn’t show weakness- there was no telling who would back-stab him in the darkness to become a Blademaster. So he gritted his teeth, and kept walking. In these caverns, many didn’t roam the hallways willy-nilly.
A small figure came bouncing out of the side tunnels- towards Master Kohga’s quarters, where the ancient tomes and texts few could read were being held. The figure, shorter then him and even the normal foot-soldiers appeared, holding ancient tomes in one hand, and Mighty Bananas in the other. They collided, but the other didn’t fall as Sooga’s arm reached out to grab them, and pull them up. “Are you alright?” The question fell from his mouth automatically, before he realized the other’s mask was askew, revealing just a sliver of skin, and a mouth beginning to curve into a smile.
It took a moment for his brain to catch up. The only one who would hold those books would be-
“Master. My apologies for bumping into you.”
Sooga let go as if burned, and retreated a few steps. He bowed low, resigning himself to another lashing. What he got instead was a quiet hmmm, and then, a small laugh. “Well, you sure recovered quick! I’ve never seen a Yiga member as tall as you are- you’re taller then most Blade masters huh?”
Sooga didn’t quite dare glance up yet, until a friendly hand patted his arm. He kept his wince to himself, but the other seemed to notice. Hands adjusting a slightly more ornate mask paused as Sooga straightened, touching his own askew mask. “What happened to you?”
“I failed my mission, so I was punished.” Sooga said calmly. He wondered if he dared excuse himself. It hurt, and he was tired. This one-day head would be good to be kept an eye on, but he doubted that they’d do anything. Why would they upset being born on top?
“Ahhh, I see. Well then, you might as well go rest. Don’t want you to fail your next one eh?” The other flashed him a wide grin before their mask came down. Sooga bowed one last time, before leaving. Fury licked at his heart, twisting and angry. It wasn’t anyone's fault that the mission was failed, except fate. Would that statement wipe the man’s grin off of his face?
Sooga stopped, and took a deep breath. He doubted he’d ever see the man or his bright grin ever again. So Sooga shoved the thoughts down, burying them where all his wishes were buried to be forgotten.
2.
The entire cavern system was buzzing with terrified energy. Sooga carried the dead bodies of his foot-soldiers as he stepped through the entrance, glancing around. Master Kohga had done something- the only thing to see was what that thing would be.
“Blademaster, you should come to the center caverns.” The guard at the entrance said, quietly. The stones were rolling- sealing the entrance shut. It had to be something big.
“My charges-”
“You should go.” The Yiga’s voice lowered, “The title of Master Kohga is being fought over.”
What- who – when- Sooga nodded shortly, and rushed to put his companion’s dead bodies to rest in the darkened infirmary empty of everyone. Then, he mingled with the others flowing out to the main amphitheater.
All Master Kohga’s were tossed into the pit, when they died. To prevent anyone from gathering secrets from the body. There were two figures, standing at each other across the pit that claimed to have no bottom. Yiga members lined the walls, using old techniques to cling to the rough stone walls to watch quietly.
“I can’t believe you’d challenge me to the title so soon.” Master Kohga didn’t sound like he was smiling, and many Yiga flinched at the cold tone. The tiniest ripple among the red and black clad warriors.
In contrast, his child was casually stretching, as if without a care in the world. “Well, what can I say. I’m absolutely infallible at coming in at the worst possible time and coming up on top.”
The man flashed a casual V sign, as if signifying he was already victorious. The murmurs weren’t stopping now, as they stared down at the two men. Master Kohga was staring directly at his opponent, while the other was glancing around- “Eh? Isn’t he looking our way?” A foot member whispered in front of Sooga.
Sooga doubted that either of the two really noticed them. They had to be nothing really, to these two figures.
Master Kohga struck first, entire stance shifting as he shot forward at an incredible speed even the Blademasters envied. He closed the gap above the pit in a heartbeat, sword coming crashing down to-
A blue shield spun into being, blocking Master Kohga from attacking. “Now, now.” The Other's voice was so casual, as Master Kohga flicked away, going over the top. Except the shield moved with him, still keeping him from attacking the back. The Other took a step forward, above the pit, floating impressively in midair.
To use two techniques at the same time was almost unheard of. The Yiga members were getting more excited by the moment, as the Other crossed his legs in midair, sitting above the endless hole. Whatever else, the Other was showing off. Casually, as a giant boulder spun into being over his head. It spun in a lazy circle around the Other’s head, as if taunting Master Kohga. The barrier in the front, the floating preventing him from getting hit from below, and the giant boulder for attacking-
No Master Kohga before, as far as they knew, in the Yiga Clan had ever been able to master so much.
Master Kohga wasn’t one to waste his breath. He came charging in, using the shield as a point to jump off of, sword swinging down to chop at his child's head. Sooga held his breath, fingers tightening on the blade hung at his side. But he couldn’t interfere. The other dropped his shields, bouncing back like a ball to the edge of the pit. They could see him spin, small sword in his hand to block if Master Kohga came back.
Master Kohga didn’t, carried by his own momentum to the edge of the pit. He landed, skidding- to a boulder in the face, as the Other didn’t hesitate on the chance. The Yiga could hear bones cracking, breaking. Master Kohga didn’t scream, merely starting the climb to his feet.
But the Other was faster, Sooga thought, joy and trepidation warring for their place in his heart. It didn’t take long for the Other to float across the pit, using the short sword to skewer through muscle and sinew to disable a arm. There were no screams, just pants of pain as Master Kohga struggled to roll over to pluck it out. They echoed off across the rocks, like music to the ears. The Other pinned his father down with a well placed foot on his chest. Master Kohga couldn’t rise as a boulder spun to life over his head. “Well, I think this is my win, don’t you?”
“… Very well then, I will yield. Let me up.”
Oh. Sooga’s shoulders went stiff as he realized that the previous Master could indeed be left alive. The Other hummed, reaching down to pluck off the mask. This was the first time, any of them had seen the Master unmasked, even for the briefest second.
The New Master Kohga’s shit eating grin as he put on the mask burned itself into Sooga’s brain. The tired, dead looking eyes were a stark contrast to the new Lord Kohga’s rubber-like elasticity. The Yiga clan members were doing their best not to slouch at the idea of the old Lord living. The fear of what would happen, if nothing changed. All was silent.
Master Kohga bent over, and Sooga frowned as the new Lord whispered something to his father. Then, before all of the Yiga’s disbelieving eyes, he kicked his father into the hole. “YOU BASTARD! JUST FOR THAT YOU’LL KILL ME! MARK MY WORDS! ONE DAY YOU’LL DIE DOWN THIS HOLE FOR THE EXACT SAME REASON! A CURSE UPON YOU!”
The words run ominously in the air for a moment, as the Yiga clan looked to their new master. Would he be good? Bad? Sooga was uncertain, and more then a little on edge. He would not accept a new master so easily. Things could always get worse.
“Now then everyone, who’s your boss?” Master Kohga’s voice was light, almost laughing as he called out to them.
The Yiga reply was much more muted, as they replied, “You are, Master Kohga.”
All their masters, had always been Master Kohga. Always, and forever. From now, into the future. Sooga remained impassive, arms crossed, staring down at the man that had become their new master. “Alright! that’s right, I am. Now then, I guess my first order for now should be- We’re all gonna eat and rest tonight! And tomorrow we’ll decide something new! I don’t expect you lot to trust me quite yet, but who knows, maybe you’ll be happier with the change in management then you ever thought.”
Sooga doubted it.
That hard, bright smile haunted his dreams for many nights.
3.
Sooga would begrudgingly admit, that so far, Lord Kohga’s orders had been very much for the better.
Be it the suspension of whipping for failures of missions, to allowing Blademasters to choose who they were going to train, to letting the Yiga Clan members decide and choose how they would approach missions. Certainly, they kept to mostly the same plans as always- strike and then vanish. Their jobs still aimed at causing upheaval in the Royal Family one way or another. Still-
He was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The feeling that this couldn’t last forever was hard to get rid of. Everyone was still on edge- it had only been a few months since the previous Lord Kohga had passed. And eventually, this Lord Kohga would get tired of their incompetence as well, and punishments would begin again.
His charge followed in his wake, shifting from foot to foot. It wasn’t his charge’s fault that the mission today to find a way into the Zora’s Domain without alerting the guards had failed. Nobody could quite understand when swimming up waterfalls had started to become popular. But- well- it had.
Together, they walked past the Blademaster Guard.
“Ey, It’s Teppei right? And… wait a sec, I know it- wait- say a line for me.”
Sooga stared down at Master Kohga, mind blanking out as his charge’s name rolled easily off the Master’s tongue like it was normal to know the names of your workers. “Hello? Did I break him?”
“My apologies Master Koh-”
“Aha! This one is Sooga!”
There were immediate groans of defeat. The Blademaster guard sulked, “How do you know all these people? You haven’t gotten a single one wrong yet.”
“Mmm? I did promise that we were gonna have some fun if nobody died on a mission for three months, so I better know so you guys don’t lie to me.” Kohga was bouncing on the heels of his feet, as he abruptly whirled, “Also- any luck on the mission?”
Sooga took a deep breath, bracing himself. “It was a failure.”
“Is that so. Ah well, another time then. Now we know that way is no good.” Kohga shrugged, so entirely unconcerned that despite himself, Sooga sighed in relief.
The moment was short-lived, as Kohga’s head craned around him, singing out three more names as three more people appeared. Teppei bowed to Sooga, and proceeded further in, in hopes of getting food. Sooga stepped to the side, allowing the flow to pick back up unheeded. He wanted to see what was going on for a moment longer.
The Yiga members flowing in, some of them were surprised by the new Master, and the fact that the New Master knew their names. Others, those who were happy enough to work on smaller, close to home missions, happily waved to Master Kohga as they left.
This felt a little odd. Like he’d had the rug pulled out from under his feet, except it was more relief then pain. “Eh, Sooga, you want to make a bet? Right now the odds are a hundred to one on Master Kohga knowing everyone’s name. In Master Kohga’s favor at this point.”
Things had changed in the month that he had been scouting the Zora Domain. Sooga shook his head, “No, I’ll pass. I don’t have any rupees on me anyways.”
The previous Master Kohga had told them they weren’t allowed to take anything from the massive storerooms to make traveling easier. “What? You didn’t get anything from the store room?” Master Kohga questioned, head tilting back so his masks impassive eye stared right at him. “I don’t think you left before I gave out the option to raid the storehouse for rupees for travel.”
Ah. He had thought Teppei had just been suggesting it, not that Master Kohga had actually meant it. “My apologies. I did not think it was...”
He struggled with the next work. Master Kohga sighed, waving a hand, “Well, I’m sure you’ll get it eventually. Ah, that’s right- Sooga- I know you’re one of the strongest blademasters. Can you grab me five of the other strongest and have them meet me in the meeting room at about-” Kohga glanced outside- “Sunset? After dinner? I got a mission for you all.”
A mission? So soon?
“Relax, relax big guy. It’s nothing dangerous. You lot shouldn’t even have to draw swords. It’ll just be some heavy carrying.”
Oh? Sooga considered the issue- “I will gather the appropriate people at sunset.”
“Now that’s what I like to hear!” Kohga laughed, before abruptly whirling back to the entrance to rattle off ten names for those coming back from patrol. The Yiga members shyly waved back, before scurrying off into the depths with a small bounce in their step.
The entire air of the Yiga’s had changed in just a single month. It was honestly pleasing to be in the middle of it. Sooga quietly excused himself, before heading deeper into the caverns. Yellow and red lanterns lit up the hallways- a stark contrast to the generally cheerful and upbeat mood. Despite the previous master’s harshness, it seemed like the new Master was becoming quickly beloved. But Sooga could not think he would be so easily bought and moved.
That’s what he told himself as Master Kohga came bouncing in, full of energy, and giant bags of rupees that he put on the table before him and his fellow Blademasters. That’s what Sooga told himself, as Kohga plopped down in his seat, propping his feet on the table to announce, “The party time is a go. This will probably be one of your hardest missions~ Buy and bring back enough Mighty Bananas that everyone can get five.”
He could be bought, Sooga thought, visions of Might Bananas dancing in his head with glee. Wait, he had to remain strong. He couldn’t be suckered in yet. Not- “I can trust you guys to get it, can’t I? This is one mission you can’t fail~ I heard a mighty big shipment came in nearby the Gerudo town, and we should be able to buy them all.”
“Master Kohga, we will return with Mighty Bananas.”
At night, the sands of the desert weren’t too hot. The air flowed freely, as they ran at full speed ahead. They didn’t need words, other then a quick statement on the order they’d go, and the amount of Banana’s to buy. It would be an amount that would make coming back burdensome but-
Sooga tiredly collapsed on the cold hard stone of the main cavern as he heard the rousing cheers of Yiga members waking up to the greatest treats they could ever ask for. Well, came the tired but content thought, I don’t mind this at all. It wasn’t like he was completely convinced, or bribed, and he refused to be bought. But, this feeling of contentment wasn’t bad.
His head tilted, back- to Master Kohga’s face. The Master had probably noticed him, but dismissed it. Master Kohga was lying on the pagoda on his stomach, hands propping his head up, feet kicking the air. His mask was askew, not by much but just enough to reveal his smile. It was… a very soft, gentle smile as hoots and hollers of joy rose from within the Yiga caverns.
Sooga wasn’t in the habit of lying to himself, but as he watched Master Kohga soft smile, he could feel something shift. The smile… wasn’t for him, a large difference from the flint hard smile of Kohga killing his father, and the easy going grin when they had met in the caverns the first time. But even if it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t mind following Master Kohga to the ends of Hyrule to see it one more time.
4.
Twenty years came and went in an eyes-blink. The Yiga’s devotion to The Master Kohga grew deeper with each and every decade. Be it Master Kohga enacting games once a year to let the Blademasters and foot soldiers compete for a portion of the jewels and rupees that they had gathered that year, to the extremely popular offer of some special one-on-one training. Alright, so that was the most popular of the offers, and it didn’t come around all that often. Master Kohga’s mastery of magic far outstripped any- even many magicians.
But that wasn’t here or now. Now was a cold, cold, night, where Gerudo and Yiga alike hunkered down to wait for the warm morning. Sooga remained calmly standing as Master Kohga wrapped the Rito down-feather blanket around himself. He looked wonderfully plump, warm and cozy.
“Sooga~ You sure you don’t want in?”
“I am not bothered by the cold, Master Kohga.” Sooga demurred. If he could say his internal thoughts, he would also admit that if he got in, then he would probably wrap around Master Kohga like he was a big pillow which wouldn’t be a good thing.
“Mmmhmmmm.” Master Kohga’s tone was particularly flat, but he didn’t say anything more. Instead he switched subjects, “So, I heard Teppei became a Blademaster?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then, to celebrate we should get him a present. Lesse- he really enjoys Rito items, right? He’s always looking at the feathers and stuff.”
“Yes. When not in his disguise, he does enjoy wearing the Snowquill armor set the most.”
Kohga gestured him closer, and without thinking, he obeyed. “I heard that there was one Rito in particular that was pretty good at sewing?”
These late night chats with Master Kohga to think of promotion gifts for new Blademasters were always the best part of night time. Sooga leaned forward, seriously, “The price may be a bit high however, and the last gift was on the cheaper side.”
“Ah. Hmmm. Hmmm.” Kohga leaned back- “Would it be too cheap to just give him half?”
“I do not think so, if we get the highest quality.” Sooga remained still, as Kohga scooted closer.
“Okay, then it’s decided!” Kohga shivered, and without thinking about it, Sooga dumped another blanket on top. It was rare that Master Kohga didn’t wear his usual uniform, but the door was shut. There were no ways in. Master Kohga could relax, if only it weren’t so cold. “So that takes care of Teppei, but what about you?”
“Me?”
“Yes you. Most of the other Blademasters that climbed the ranks when my father was still alive have gotten at least a token of congratulations. So what would you like?”
Sooga considered it carefully. As second in the command, he really wanted for nothing. Master Kohga’s generousness was deep and vast, letting him do as he pleased with treasury, kitchen, and everything else. “I want for nothing, Master Kohga.”
“Just because you’re the second, doesn’t mean you get access to everything you know.” He could imagine that cheeky little grin under the mask. “Secret techniques, the kind that we don’t normally teach Blademasters, a vacation, you do already have a room all to yourself, so no need to worry there- lesse- me I guess-”
Sooga thought about it, as Kohga continued rambling. He was scared, of loosing his position, but- Master Kohga was always generous, and quite firm in his likes and dislikes. If it displeased him, then he would let Sooga know. And any ills were quickly forgiven on Master Kohga’s side. He had no doubt even if he had misread all signs, Master Kohga would forgive him. Right now it was private, and calm. If he acted now, then-
Kohga’s head turned to him, “Hey, you listening Sooga?”
“My apologies. I was simply thinking about a reward. You did… say it was okay if it was you, correct?” Worry and doubt was starting to war within him, but- Master Kohga floated up and back down to properly face him.
“You think you could do anything to me that I dislike?”
“No.” The response was immediate, and firm. Master Kohga was strong, handsome and brilliant, and the greatest in every way.
So Sooga reached out, fingertips brushing the mask that separated them. It didn’t take much to push it up, revealing the permanently exhausted face. He couldn’t feel the soft skin under his gloves, but Kohga’s slight smile didn’t waver as he leaned in closer and closer.
His mask bumped against Lord Kogha’s nose, and he pulled back. Sooga grabbed his own mask, face so hot and red he was certain it was burning the painted wood. How could he forget about his own mask. Oh goddess, oh lord Ganon, just let him bury himself into the ground to forget.
“Eh, Sooga, I’m waiting here. Do you need some help pulling that thing off?”
Sooga pulled his own mask back, aware of just how red he was. But Kohga’s smile didn’t waver, or change, as Sooga leaned in close again. This time, with nothing in-between, his kiss landed- On Lord Kohga’s cheek.
Kohga remained still for a moment longer, eyes on him like a fox on a rat. Sooga pulled back a bit, long hair dragging across his face. “May… I go further?” He questioned, carefully, desire beginning to burn as Lord Kohga didn’t seem displeased.
Lord Kohga reached out, fingers tangling in his hair. Tugging him closer until foreheads bumped. “For you, and you alone, you can go as far as you like.”
It was an invitation, Sooga could not, and would not, refuse. So he closed his eyes, and savored the faint taste of dinner, and the softest impression of a gentle smile that was only for him.
5.
The monsters were growing restless.
The special technology of the Yiga clan meant that monster stirring didn’t mean much- the monsters would never notice them. Whether as a traveler, or as a Yiga member. But, that was still a bad sign, Sooga thought, as he pulled more records from the storehouse.
Most of Lord Kohga’s knowledge was passed down orally, from Lord Kohga to Lord Kohga. Due to the sudden, and well deserved death of the last Master, there were gaps in the current Master Kohga’s knowledge. Which meant that ancient scrolls and tablets were being dug up out of storage where they had been hidden were coming into play.
Lord Kohga had them scattered about on the meeting room table in a whirlwind that only he could make sense of, scowling fiercely as he trudged through the ancient scrolls language. The previous Yiga members were loyal to Lord Ganon, but Sooga knew that at a single word from Master Kohga, they’d go anywhere with him. Be it back to the Royal family, or following Lord Ganon’s orders.
Sooga set the stack down, and leaned over Master Kohga worrying over the writings. Master Kohga took a lot to move, but once he did, he didn’t cut corners. “Master Kohga-”
“I want something sweet.”
Mighty Bananas and honey balls immediately slammed down onto the table. Blademasters and Foot soldiers worriedly hovered in the wings, down about Master Kohga’s less then sunny mood. They knew it wouldn’t be directed towards them, other then more demands for food, but it was worrying. Sooga glanced around at the chaos, and asked, “Anything I can do Master Kohga?”
“Stand right there.” Sooga stood still as Kohga pushed his chair to the side, and leaned his head against Sooga’s stomach. Sooga’s mouth under the mask twitched into a smile.
He remained calmly standing, but his eyes grew sharper as he could hear a hubub growing outside. Master Kohga didn’t seem to notice, still intent on ancient manuscripts from ten thousand years ago. “Master Kohga, Master Sooga.” A Blademaster peeked into the room, clearly unhappy but still intruding.
“What is it now?” Kohga grumbled, unhappy about being interrupted. He didn’t look up as he was wont to do.
“The… The Advisor Astor is requesting to talk to you about Lord Ganon’s revival.”
That was enough to catch Master Kohga’s attention. He finally peeled himself from his books, looking up at the Blademaster. “Is that so?”
“Yes. I told him that Master Kohga wasn’t one to be summoned, but he was rather insistent, and since he did speak of Lord Ganon...”
Master Kohga grumbled as he climbed to his feet. Sooga leaned over, “Master Kohga, I can go in your stead.”
“No, no, it’s fine, it’s fine. Let’s listen to this so-called Advisor together. At the entrance- I don’t want him coming into the caverns without a good reason.”
Sooga could barely contain his fury. Anger and rage bristled along every line of his body as Astor insulted Lord Kohga. A number of the Yiga in waiting, hidden, had bows drawn taunt, waiting for a signal. But Master Kohga didn’t move, simply listening to the lies coming out of his mouth.
“M’kay. And do you have anything to backup your claims big guy?” Master Kohga questioned, at the end.
Astor went red, emotions showing on his face all to clearly. Fool should've worn a mask. Sooga didn’t need any urging or even a gesture to toss the man out of the caverns entrance, head over heels. He would’ve been happy enough to eliminate him but held back at Master Kohga’s head shake.
“Master Kohga, should we have the guards take care of him and make it look like the visitors from across the sea?” Sooga spoke loud enough that Astor could hear it. Astor fled the area.
“No.” Kohga was scowling beneath his mask, they could feel it radiating off of him. “While he didn’t have any proof, he’s not wrong in that Lord Ganon is waking up.”
None of the Yiga moved, eyes on their Master that they would follow to the bitter end. “We’re going to throw a few of our dice in the ring as well. I want scouts on the lookout for the new Princess Zelda. Spies in every major city monitoring what’s going on. The stuff handed down to me mentioned something about the Thunderhelm, so keep a careful eye on that.”
Yiga members were coming and going in a flurry already, as the orders started to roll out. Astor was fading, almost forgotten except for a few whispers of getting him fired. “We’re not targeting the Princess unless she’s alone, got it? I’m sure she’ll be surrounded by guards all the time, but let’s keep it careful.”
“Yessir.”
The Yiga members flowed out, silent and intent on their tasks. Sooga remained by Master Kohga’s side, lingering as the last of the Blademasters flowed out. “Master Kohga.”
“Yes Sooga?”
“I do want you to know, that we will follow you to the bitter end.”
Kohga immediately shook his head. “We’re not going to do a one-to-one actual war against Hyrule unless we have a whole lot more backup and promise of Lord Ganon’s coming then an Advisor and a princess that’s only three years old. For one we ain’t got the numbers. If he could actually command monsters, then it’d be different. But hey! I think we can pretty much consider this being a sign that Lord Ganon is coming back.”
“Indeed. Shall we get the ancient scrolls cleaned up?”
“Mmm-” Kohga hesitated, thinking over the scrolls he had been studying quite ponderously. “Leave them for now. There’s a few I want to finish because they had some interesting new techniques.”
Sooga nodded calmly. Master Kohga’s mood was brightening up by the second, now that they were pretty certain Lord Ganon was indeed reviving. They passed by a small troop of soldiers sharpening blades in preparation for heading out. “Remember guys, no matter what, if the going looks dangerous, come back immediately to get healed up. We can always try again.”
The Yiga members waved cheerfully to Lord Kohga as they continued working.
Master Kohga reentered the meeting room, stopping at the sight of the piles of scrolls scattered around. Sooga could pretty much see the wheels and balances in Master Kohga’s mind as he weighed scrambling through the ancient scrolls and going back to other duties. “Sooga, I’ve changed my mind. Get all of this outta here.”
“Very well then, Master Kohga.”
Sooga reached out to gather up the mess as Master Kohga gracefully flung himself into his seat. “Hey Sooga?”
“Yes Master Kohga?”
“There’s one scroll under the table here, think you could grab it first?”
Sooga carefully put the scrolls back down. He walked over, sliding between the chairs over to the gap Master Kohga gestured too, and bent over. Master Kohga made a noise, as he stared at the perfectly clean surface under the table. “Master Kohga?” He questioned, beginning to straighten, “I don’t see anything.”
Kohga’s grin could be heard in his voice as he said, “Well, no matter, no matter.” He sounded suspiciously to the side, where he could get a nice view.
Ah, so that was his game. Sooga turned, carefully pushing up the impassive mask to kiss Master Kohga gently on the cheek. He pulled back, surveying Master Kohga’s sly grin half tucked under his mask. “Master Kohga.” This was the closest he could get to scolding him, and Master Kohga knew it by how his grin widened.
“C’mon Sooga, we got some good news today. We should celebrate.”
“Very well then Master Kohga. We shall.”
6. And the one time Sooga didn’t.
Kohga knew when he’d been beaten. Hoisted by his own petard even, though not by much. A hundred years of slacking off to only do bare minimum training had left him weakened. And well- Link was pretty terrifying. He wasn’t sure how Link had gotten through the caverns to him without alerting the guards. Hopefully, it was just by sneaking, and not murdering everyone. But it was too late either way.
Kohga was exhausted. Fending off the Stasis magi-tech, zeroing out the Guardian arrows so they wouldn’t actually activate and send him to the void like they otherwise would do, floating in midair- He wasn’t twenty anymore. Or fifty when the Princess and Lord Ganon had clashed. At well over a hundred fifty years old, he felt like he deserved to be able to slack off a little. A lot actually.
“Coward! I shall be remembered! The Yiga Clan will track you to the ends of Hyruuuule!”
He fell, a million thoughts going across his brain. His father was right.
A smile rose unbidden at the remembrance his father’s pure shock and anger. He had always been a greedy child. More food, more techniques, more naps, more of others doing his bidding. He saw something that looked nice, and he wanted it. Like Sooga.
He had only seen Sooga once, and decided he wanted him. It’d taken decades. Literal decades. And yeah, killing off his father for the sake of love too. But the worst part had been the decades of the in-between as Sooga’s wariness had softened, and changed. And he was no patient man-
The breath in Kohga’s lungs was driven out as the metal ball came crashing into his side, crushing him against the wall. Yep. He was going to die. Bleed out pretty quickly. A hole in his stomach, gaping and yawning like a void. One he could no longer fill with Mighty Bananas. His eyes were dimming behind his mask, as he stared at the ghost of his father.
“Finally here are you boy?”
“Soon, soon.” Kohga admitted, to both his father and himself. His body was far too old to survive such rough handling.
“So, how does it feel to be killed for the same reason you killed me?” His father’s tone was sharp and mocking. The same reason huh?
Falling in love, and being willing to kill anyone who was between them- Kohga grinned, with the last bit of his strength. “I’d of preferred to die in Sooga’s arms.”
Sooga, Sooga- he had to be safe. Kohga had sent him across the sea to scout out new hide outs in case Lord Ganon betrayed them. Tried to eat them. Sooga had protested, desperately begging to stay by his side. Kohga was glad though, that he sent Sooga off. Sooga would never see his wheezes of pain, his faltering hands as the pain began to grow. That was good. He didn’t want to hear Sooga’s voice. At the very least, one of them would live to a ripe old age.
The Yiga clan… would be okay. Link wouldn’t chase them, it’d be the other way around. And they could vanish quickly.
They had Sooga, and he’d be back before long. He had to of seen Lord Ganon form as it spat fire into the air as Link revived. The ocean trip would be the longest part of coming back. The Yiga members would fill him in once he arrived.
Certainly, nobody would be as wonderfully stupendous as him at everything, but the Yiga Clan could survive for another day. “Foolish boy.” His fathers voice floated in his head, distant and near at the same time. “You betrayed the Yiga Clan’s entire reason for forming.”
That wasn’t true, Kohga thought, because the entire reason the Yiga clan had formed was because of one desire and one desire only-
To live.
It was desperately written in all the tomes, the ancient writings, the magitech they had made. They- and he – wanted to live. They just couldn’t under the King, so chose Lord Ganon instead. Still, he didn't have the strength to refuse his fathers line of thinking.
He couldn’t hear anything now, or feel anything now. The only thing Master Kohga had left, were his thoughts. So, he dreamed of Sooga, wondering if he’d chosen to betray Lord Ganon what would’ve happened. After a hundred years, would the two of them stand shoulder to shoulder as they watched the cherry blossoms fall?
It was a nice dream, he thought, the two of them sitting on a cliff edge watching the petals fall.
Perhaps, if someone could find his body, at the bottom of the endless hole, and sift through the other bodies of previous Master Kohga’s, they would find one with just the slightest smile.
Only perhaps.