Archive of Our Own

Sooga couldn't remember the last time he had felt so exposed. He stood with his back to the small opening, barely wide enough for a person to fit through. He could see the rough, jagged edges of the rock, worn smooth by the elements. The darkness inside the niche contrasted with the bright sunlight outside, making it difficult to see further. 

With one hand, he held the large woven hat on top of his head as the wind whipped through the crack dividing the Dueling Peaks. 

He'd never realized how bulky Sheikah garb was until he had put it on. The hat, the oversized coat, baggy pants. It all felt so loose, like it would fall off of him if it wasn't for the carefully cinched belts and wraps. 

The illusion sigils had to be conserved for their faces. Recreating an authentic Sheikah appearance was a tricky disguise––white hair, pale-ish skin, and brown eyes with slight hints of red. Besides that, some of his facial features were changed for propriety's sake whenever Master Kohga emerged from the hole in the wall: straightening out his broken nose, making his left eye seem functional, and giving himself a typical Sheikah beard, which he hated most of all. At least he didn't have to worry about it prickling against his mask, a sensation worse than sand getting in his suit. 

"Alright, Sooga, you almost ready to jump in?"

Sooga startled when he heard his master's voice and turned to see an unfamiliar Sheikah woman standing behind him. However, after a moment, he relaxed. 

"Your abilities of disguise never fail to astound me, master," he said, bowing to Master Kohga. 

However, he looked up when Master Kohga clicked his tongue at him, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder. "Nu-uh, none of that Master business until we're out of Kakariko, ya here?"

"O-Of course." Sooga straightened, looking again as Master Kohga's disguise. 

Despite it being so masterfully done, the more he looked, the more he realized Kohga didn't have to change much. Of course, there was the obvious change of taking the form of a woman, but his natural physique lent quite well with his small shoulders and prominent hips, so he hadn't changed his body shape at all. His new white hair was tied into a massive but neat bun on top of his head, crowning a sweetly round and surprisingly gentle face with delicate features.

"What, admiring my handiwork?"

Sooga startled again at the female voice coming from Master Kohga's lips, but he relaxed when he heard his master's familiar gravelly chuckle.

He sat down atop a rock, raising his shoulders and looking at Sooga demurely, "Go on, admire. It's been a while since I've gotten to make a good disguise."

Sooga cleared his throat, glancing away. "I-I was merely trying to think of our cover story, M…" he forced himself to pause and looked at Master Kohga expectantly.

Huffing, Kohga slid off the rock and began walking toward the stable leading to Kakariko village. "We're on a pilgrimage to Kakariko Village. It is the Sheikah's ancestral home, after all, and they're about to throw their yearly festival about some trees or whatever. It makes sense. I doubt we'll have to come up with more than that. Sheikah are naturally suspicious people, but they at least know the virtue of minding their own business."

Sooga stared at his master for a long moment before nodding slowly. “...I…am impressed by your creativity…” He stayed silent for a moment longer before taking a deep breath. "Alright… I'm ready."

—

The inn was small, smaller than the two Yiga had anticipated, especially with the festival being that evening. Sooga stood awkwardly at the counter, using his years of carefully trained self-control to resist the urge to scratch at his beard. He glanced over his shoulder out the window at Master Kohga, who was already chatting up some of the Kakariko women. It looked like he was playfully haggling one of them for a bracelet.

If Master Kohga was in here with him, surely he could have bartered his way into getting them a room that night. But without his usual choice of intimidation as an option, Sooga was going to be forced to return to his master empty-handed. He turned again to glance at Master Kohga at the sound of his familiar but altered boisterous laughter.

"I'm sure if you hurry, the Dueling Peaks stable will have room for you and your wife. 

Sooga looked up in surprise. "What?"

The innkeeper nodded to where Master Kohga sat with the other Kakariko women, watching the fire under the cooking pot. "Your wife. She looks like quite the lady––sounds like it, too." 

Clearing his throat, all Sooga could do in response was nod before fleeing out the door. At the sound of the door closing, the small group of women, including Master Kohga, looked up like a herd of startled Mountain Does in a forest. However, it just took one moment for them all to start giggling. As he approached, Sooga could see the faint blush dusting the disguised Master Kohga's pale cheeks. 

"Is everything alright?" Sooga asked quietly, fitting himself into the comfortably familiar place at Master Kohga's side to avoid the watching gaze of the Sheikah. 

The woman sitting next to where Kohga leaned against a tree and chuckled warmly. "Well, look at that. Your husband is just as protective as you said he was, Koko." 

Kohga leaned onto Sooga's shoulder, and the pair exchanged a look that said, "So they thought it, too?"

Sooga's gaze must have betrayed the worry behind his eyes because Master Kohga only seemed to relax and rubbed Sooga's arm in an attempt to get him to do the same. "Always has been, always will be. Ladies, this is my––" he glanced at Sooga, who nodded, "––my husband, Sook." 

"It's nice to meet you, Sook," the woman sitting beside Kohga said, smiling up at them. "I'm Nurah. I run the general store across the way from the inn you two are staying at tonight." 

"About that…they… don't have any more room. The Plum Tree Festival is larger than anticipated." 

This time, Master Kohga seemed to have been taken entirely off guard. "What?" A bit of gravel escaped his disguised voice from his surprise, but he quickly cleared his throat and continued in his softer, feminine voice, "Excuse us," he said, leading Sooga away with a firm grip. 

Lowering his voice to talk in his authentic tone, he hissed, "What do you mean there's no room? We just need to stay one night to scope the place out, and then we can hightail it outta here. If we stay for too long, the runes will break and––"

"Excuse me."

Immediately, Sooga looked up, though he struggled a bit with Kohga weighing him down, having grabbed his collar for their secret powwow. However, he stood up a little straighter as Kohga let him go to whirl around. 

Behind them, Nurah stood, smiling a little awkwardly, "You two are welcome to stay in our home," she offered. "We have a spare room, and I'm sure my husband won't mind boarding some kinfolk for a night or two." 

The disguised Yiga shared another glance. Kohga raised an eyebrow. Sooga merely stared back, willing his master to speak. 

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Nurah." 

It wasn't long before Nurah motioned for the pair to follow her as she carried the huge cast iron pot up the hill to her house. They exchanged another pair of glances as they slowed their gait so as not to pass the shorter Sheikah woman, who began to huff and puff under the weight of the pot. 

After a moment, Kohga shook his head and reached for one of the handles on the side of the pot, but she pulled out of reach. "No, no, I got it. You shouldn't strain yourself." 

"Well, if you won't let me, then let Sook do it. That's what he's good for, anyway." 

Nurah gave a winded laugh and glanced at Sooga before finally letting him take the pot. She wiped her forehead despite the chilly air of early spring. "Thank you…"

Now that their guide was no longer burdened by the pot, they climbed the hill at a more reasonable pace. Sooga paused for a moment when he heard Kohga tap on the pot and leaned down slightly to listen to his hushed tone.

"Is it just me," Kohga said, "Or do all the women in this village keep staring at me?"

Sooga glanced around. "I…think it may just be you, master."

"Alright, alright…" Kohga muttered. "As long as it stays that way. Can't help but feel a little antsy in Kakariko…"

Sooga straightened up as Nurah opened the door to the house. "I'll watch over you," he said quietly before ducking under the doorframe to enter the house. 

–––

"And that's how Nurah ended up finding out that the Cuccos had this entire little cave all to themselves and had been laying there for who knows how long! I'd say it was a blessing, but we were eating scrambled eggs for weeks."

Kohga chuckled and nudged Sooga. He nodded attentively as they listened to Taro, Nurah's husband, as he worked away in their small kitchen, preparing another dish for that night's festival. 

Sooga's head perked up at the sound of someone coming down the stairs, and Nurah appeared, gracefully using the railing to spin herself toward the kitchen.

"Is everything almost ready? The feast is going to start soon."

"I wasn't aware there was a feast…" Sooga murmured. 

Despite him speaking under his breath, Nurah laughed. "This must be your first time in Kakariko, then. We throw a huge feast for the Plum Festival right outside the garden where the trees grow."

"Mm…" Sooga crossed his arms. "Will there be…many people?"

Kohga elbowed him. "I don't care how many people are there, as long as there's food!"

At that, Nurah and Taro both laughed spiritedly. 

The plum trees, thankfully, were not far from Nurah and Taro's house. The pair of Sheikah linked arms as they carried their offerings down to where the long wooden tables were set up and adorned with decor and plenty of food. As they walked, Kohga paused, realizing Sooga was offering him his arm in the same way Taro had his arm held for Nurah. 

Without a word, Kohga slipped his arm around Sooga's, tucking his cold fingers into Sooga's warm sleeve. 

The pair squeezed in at the end of the table with Nurah and Taro. As Kohga chatted with Nurah's neighbors, Sooga carefully served Kohga and himself plates of roasted goat meat and pumpkin. He quietly touched Kohga's leg, distracting him from his conversation, though Kohga eagerly tapped the table in delight. Sooga fought a smile. 

"So, Koko, are you and Sook planning on moving to Kakariko soon?" the old woman sitting across from Nurah asked, leaning over her bowl of carrot soup with a wide grin. 

Kohga shook his head as he took a moment to swallow before replying, "No, no. We're just here for the festival, that's all." 

"Oh," the woman sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "Are you sure? It's so much better for little ones to grow up in Kakariko village. And there haven't been any born in the past few years… Well, nonetheless, congratulations."

Pausing mid-bite, Kohga dropped his chopsticks onto his plate. "Wait…Do you think—"

"Thank you. We truly appreciate Kakariko's hospitality to us, especially after such a long journey."

Mouth still open in shock, Kohga turned with a glare at Sooga, who was now looking at the older woman. 

"I can only imagine how difficult it's been." As the woman spoke, Sooga glanced at Kohga, giving him a barely perceptible shake of the head. 

"Play along," his wide, desperate eyes said. 

Kohga slowly closed his mouth around another bite of food, but he jumped when the woman, who had still been talking the entire time, placed a hand on his. 

"You must be exhausted," she said with great sympathy. "Is your husband taking good care of you both?"

Casting an angry sideways glance at Sooga, Kohga replied, "Oh, he's doing his best. I'm a lot to handle." 

"Yes," Sooga said, more smoothly than Kohga would have liked, as he sipped the plum wine that Taro offered him. "Though the past few months have been more challenging than usual."

Kohga flushed red and gestured a stabbing motion at Sooga with a chopstick.

"Wait, you're pregnant?" Taro asked in shock. 

His wife looked appalled. "Sweetheart, are you going blind ?"

Quietly, Kohga coughed a little, covering his red face with his hand. "...could I have a sip of that?" he murmured to Sooga.

"You may have tea," Sooga replied, standing to fetch him the drink. "You can't have that, remember?"

Kohga glared at Sooga as long as he could still see the towering man in the crowd. He attempted somewhat unsuccessfully to ignore the women's discussion of his supposed pregnancy as he waited for Sooga to return, making sure to give him another death stare as he approached with a cup of tea. However, Sooga didn't say a word as he set the cup in front of Kohga and sipped his drink. 

In defiance, Kohga chugged the tea and said, "Nurah, I think I'd like to go back to the house and get some rest. I think I'm more tired than I thought."

"Oh," Nurah glanced between Kohga and Sooga. "Of course." 

–––

"I prepared a little space for you two up here while Taro was finishing up with the food," Nurah said as the pair ducked upstairs. "Hopefully, it won't be too cold, but I brought blankets just in case." 

Kohga was only half-listening to her as he rubbed his face. He was already tired from traveling, and Sooga suddenly playing into the Sheikah's antics wasn't helping his oncoming migraine. He barely had time to look around during the festival, but at least he could count on Sooga getting some recon. Or at least, he hoped. Sooga suddenly going against his plan was unnerving to say the least. Usually, Kohga was the one to "yes and" his way through disguises, but he felt this one took it a bit too far for his comfort. 

Pausing in the doorway, Kohga glanced around. The room was small, yes, but it wasn't the shabby attic he expected. Despite himself, Kohga looked curiously at Nurah with a slightly turned head. Nurah and Taro weren't poor, but they certainly weren't wealthy. Not wealthy enough for a guest bedroom. 

But it wasn't a guest bedroom. The bed on the floor was just a nest of cushions, pillows, and blankets. What was this room meant to be, then?

"Koko? Everything alright?"

Kohga shook himself a little, realizing the little Sheikah woman was looking at him with concern. 

"Whuh––yeah, all good. Spacious place. Very nice, thank you."

"It's my pleasure, really." Nurah looked at Kohga for a moment, anxiously chewing her lip, then abruptly sat on the makeshift bed she'd prepared. "Please tell me everything." The words almost burst out as she clasped her hands together, staring up at Kohga with big brown eyes. 

Kohga glanced around, wondering if his disguise had suddenly dropped. But, no, it hadn't. He could feel the runes still had some time before they would break and have to be repaired. 

"Whaddyou mean?"

Nurah just chuckled. "Tell me about the baby. When did you find out? When will it be coming?" She gasped. "Will it be coming soon? Should I make sure there's someone who can help while you're here?"

"Nurah––" Kohga groaned a little as he sat on the futon beside her, and she listened eagerly. "First off, I'm fine. Don't...don't worry about it." 

He took a deep breath. Just roll with it, Kohga, he told himself. You're the best damn liar in the whole Yiga Clan. Prove it.

"Seriously, don't," he said. "This baby isn't coming for a while."

"Oh..." her disappointed expression didn't do much to reassure him. "I suppose that's a good thing. It'd be hard to travel home with an infant."

"What, were you hoping for it to happen?" he chuckled in surprise, and Nurah blushed, covering her face. 

"No! Well...maybe a little." She smiled as she hugged herself. "I just adore babies. They're so precious and cuddly, and..." she trailed off, her smile fading with her words. 

Kohga squinted at her. He knew that look. Even in a tribe where everyone's faces were masked, he knew that look. Footsoldiers had it the most often. Sooga had had it before. Hell, even he had it once himself.

He nudged her arm. "You alright?"

Nurah rubbed her arm, smiling weakly. "Yeah... I'm... Don't get me wrong. I'm so happy for you and Sook. I guess I just...wish it could be me, too. Taro and I have been trying for years to...and it's just never worked out...so..."

Kohga looked at her, wanting more and more to sink between the bed cushions and disappear. Still, he steeled his resolve. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture her as a footsoldier, not a despondent Sheikah girl with a dwindling hope he was actively bloodletting. 

Easy, right...? Whenever he found one of the little guys moping by themselves, he just had to turn the conversation around. Somehow.

"Hey, you wanna know a secret?"

She looked up at him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Mhm...?"

Kohga glanced over his shoulder out the window. He could see Sooga standing near a bonfire up on one of the more distant hills with a few other men. Despite nodding like he was listening, Sooga's eyes were clearly elsewhere, scanning the houses and keeping a mental count on the number of guards. 

Sooga'd kill him if he knew what he was going to say. But then again, Kohga was Sooga's master, not the other way around. 

"Sook and I...aren't really married." 

This technically true falsehood of a revelation snapped Nurah out of her cloud, and she gasped, covering her mouth. "Koko!" she exclaimed. 

Her reaction alone was enough to get a grin on his face, and it only grew into a cackle as she grabbed his arms and shook him a little. "Wait, this changes everything! Are you planning to get married then?" the Sheikah's eyes widened, and in the candlelight, Kohga saw a slight glimmer of red in her eyes. "I swear if he doesn't marry you after he got you pregnant––"

Kohga patted her shoulder as he got over his laughing fit. "Relax, Sook's a good fella." 

He glanced out the window again. Sooga was still up on that hill by the fire, now more engaged in the conversation. This time, however, he was looking right back at the window, as if he could see Kohga even from that distance.

"You have to promise to keep my secret, though," he said. "You can't even tell Sook that you know. I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone, but...since you told me your secret, I give you your quid pro quo."

"But I didn't––"

"Ah-ah! Quid pro quo. The lip is locked, and the key is thrown away. No more secrets from either of us. At least for the night."

This only made Nurah laugh again, and she leaned against the wall next to Kohga, looking up at him with a fond, sleepy smile. "I see why Sook fell in love with you..."

Kohga looked at her over his shoulder. "In love with me?" he echoed. "Sook?"

"Yeah... I mean, I'm sure things are more complicated than they seem with the baby and everything... But I can tell that, no matter what, he loves you."

Kohga cleared his throat, glancing away from her and then back again. "You look tired, Nurah. You've been working all day; you should get some sleep." 

Nurah rubbed her eyes again. "Yeah, you're probably right... You should sleep, too, crazy lady." She smiled and staggered to her feet. "Do you have enough blankets? It does get cold up here at night..."

"I'm fine, Nurah," he said with amusement. "Go to bed."

Nurah kept talking as she shuffled towards the door. "Are you sure? Do you need anything to drink before bed...? I can bring you something..."

"For Hylia's sake, stop looking after me and go rest," Kohga laughed, heaving himself up and shooing her out of the room. "You'd better be asleep by the time the menfolk get home!" 

"Mmkay..." 

He watched the woman go down the hall and into her and Taro's bedroom, shutting the door behind her with a sleepy wave. As soon as Nurah's door was closed, Kohga shut his, bolted it, and hurried to the window. He pulled the heavy curtain shut before collapsing face-first onto the bed, releasing his disguise as he did so. 

"Calamity's tits and teeth," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his forehead. "She's just some Sheikah kid. Don't think about it..."

Slowly, he sat up, pulling his hair out of its bun and shaking it out to release the tension of the headache he knew was already there. He didn't want to bother changing out of the Sheikah garb just to put it back on again the next morning, so he dug around in his bag and pulled out his mask. He looked at it for a moment before turning it upside down to the mark of the Sheikah and putting it on.

Although he wasn't sure exactly when he fell asleep, Kohga jerked awake when he felt something gently brush his back. Instinctively, he jolted for the blade in his bag, but the voice made him pause. 

"It's me," Sooga whispered before continuing to the other side of the futon. 

"Ganon's gales, Sooga," Kohga hissed as he relaxed and rolled over onto his back. "Warn a fella next time you wanna brush the small of their back, alright?"

"Apologies, sir," Sooga grunted. 

He bent over his bag with his back facing Kohga, taking off his hat and jacket. Kohga propped himself up on his elbows, watching Sooga's hair fade from white to black, falling over his shoulders like dark water. Blinking, Kohga rolled over onto his side, facing away. 

"Reconnaissance was successful, sir," Sooga said once his mask was on and he had settled himself on top of the blankets. "Kakariko Village is much less defended than we initially thought. It would be an easy target."

"We'll talk about it on our way back to Gerudo..." Kohga muttered, resting his head on the crook of his elbow as he tried vainly to get more comfortable.

"Is the bed not to your liking, master?"

"No! The bed's fine!" Kohga jackknifed up, startling the usually stoic Sooga so badly that he almost tumbled off the nest. Groaning, Kohga tugged slightly at the roots of his hair, trying to help his headache. "I don't know what I want. Taking Kakariko would be a huge step for the Yiga in terms of our rivalry with the Sheikah, but is it worth this?" he gestured to the hall where Nurah and Taro slept, unaware of the enemies they were harboring. "Nurah's just a sweet kid who wants to have a kid. She hasn't done anything wrong to anybody." 

Sooga looked at him from where he lay, the eye of his mask staring expressionlessly.

"Your mask is upside down." 

"I know that! I did that on purpose in case someone bumbled in, but it was just you! Ugh!" Kohga threw a pillow at him and flopped back onto his side, his chest heaving in anger.

The restless crickets hummed their song outside, filling the silence punctuated only by Kohga's breaths huffing noisily against the clay mask.

The blankets shuffled, and Kohga heard Sooga's voice near his ear. 

"...I...will tell the Blademasters that it would be unwise to try and sack Kakariko at this point in time and to wait for my assent if they are to attack it."

Kohga's shoulders relaxed, and he muttered a half-baked thanks before rolling over onto his back, jolting back a little when he saw Sooga hadn't moved away. 

"Is it...fine if I stay here, or should I sleep downstairs?" he asked as Kohga stared at Sooga's bare, muscled arm planted into the pillows to prop himself up. 

Kohga swiftly turned back to Sooga. "Put your jacket back on," he snapped. "Then we'll talk." 

Sooga sat up, his slow movements reflecting his palpable confusion. Still, he put on the tan jacket, sufficiently covering his arms. "Is that better?"

Kohga wrinkled his nose, thankful that Sooga couldn't see his sour face. It wasn't better. But it'd help Kohga sleep. "Yes." 

"Alright, then. I reiterate my question."

"Eh?"

"Should I sleep downstairs?"

"Would you rather sleep downstairs?" Kohga asked. 

Sooga was silent, which was a common occurrence. However, it wasn't common for him to hesitate, like he was doing now. 

"I...believe..." he began at last, "that it would be better for our disguise...and thus the mission overall...if we were to sleep up here. Both of us." 

"Shoot, can't argue with that logic," Kohga said contentedly, rolling over onto his side. "Hope you don't snore, big guy." 

He heard a single, short breath of laughter from Sooga's side of the nest and nothing more. 

–––

"...Master Kohga."

"Mmm? What?" Kohga peeled open his eyes, slowly getting enough consciousness together to see Sooga's scarred mask in front of his own. "Eh? Huh?" 

"You fell asleep and rolled on top of me." 

"Oh..." Kohga looked up at the window. "Well, it's not even daylight yet. We can squeeze in a few more hours..."

"Sir...please, I can't breathe..." 

With a groan, Kohga shuffled onto his knees off of Sooga's chest and stretched, reaching his arms up as Sooga sat up, smoothing his slightly frizzy hair. 

Kohga shook his head a little, realizing as he stretched that Sooga was back in his Yiga Clan uniform. 

"How did you–– What the hell're you wearing that for?" he asked, his words slurring together as he continued to fight to stay awake. 

"I think it would be best if we left before dawn. I already wrote Nurah and Taro a note telling them that we got an early start back," Sooga said, putting their few belongings back into their bags. "That way, there's no chance of anything going...wrong." He looked up from tying the bag closed. "I...apologize if that's disappointing. Did you have another plan in mind, master?"

"Hm? No, no," Kohga shook his head, his arms crossed at his chest. "It'd be best to go back. No doubt the clan is in shambles, and the hideout's on fire without us there." 

"Yes, master." Sooga offered Kohga an arm up, a smile in his voice. 

Moving through the Sheikah couple's house as their true selves felt odd––wrong, even. Kohga looked around at the tranquil, slightly dusty furniture, the dishes piled high in the sink, and the half-constructed crib in the back of the living room covered by a sheet.

The feeling of standing in a Sheikah house as an undisguised Yiga was getting eerie. It was like trying to put a bloody sword into a kitchen drawer with other knives. It doesn't fit. And it sure as hell doesn't belong there. 

"We should go, Master Kohga," Sooga said quietly, making the other Yiga look up at him in surprise. 

Kohga crossed the room, approaching the crib. "Gimme a second." He pulled the sheet off, shaking the dust out of it before laying it inside the crib and returning to Sooga's side. "Done. Let's make like bananas and split."

Sooga nodded as they exited and quietly shut the door behind them. "Kakariko will be none the wiser."

"Good." Kohga looked up at the window leading to Nurah and Taro's bedroom. "The less they know, the better."