It's your choice, Link. But I don't think there's anything cowardly about asking for help.
[Akira sits back again, closing his eyes. He's so used to carrying around the sadness of others, what's the harm in taking on a little more, if it will make things easier for someone else? That's how he looks at it.]
[There isn't anything cowardly about asking for help. How many times had he reassured Princess Zelda with precisely the same sentiment?
Link stares into the steaming water. He's going to ask Akira for help. It makes him feel guilty and he's already mourning the downsides, but... he does feel like he could use some help right now.
When he speaks again, his eyes look misty.]
When I first arrived and went to see Zelda, she hugged me. When she did that, I felt... I felt so happy. She was so warm. I still feel a little happy now, too, when I think about it, but...
[But now it's mostly just sadness. This place would be a lot more tolerable if Zelda were still here, still willing to have a real relationship with him for the first time, still anchoring him to his past.]
The quest said someone could take memories, right? I don't know how it works, but it's the only thing that might help me.
[Akira can feel a lump in his throat. He can feel himself getting upset already for Link's sake, and they haven't even followed through on the idea. Still, he nods.]
If taking away some of your memories of her would help, I can do it. [How, on the other hand, is a separate issue.] Maybe just... touch me and focus on the ones you want to give away?
[It can't be too hard to figure out. If the town really wants them to do the quest, it should easily be possible.]
[It's worth a try, at least. He doesn't know how else to get it to work.
He pushes himself through the water to close the space between them. Not wanting to invade his personal space any more than he has to, he lifts his hand out of the water for him to take, instead of attempting to feel around beneath the water.]
Alright. I'll try.
[He closes his eyes and tries to do as Akira suggested. Zelda. Zelda, here in this strange place, for months before Link ever arrived. The way she cried and smiled and hugged him when she saw him for the first time here, the meals together, the awkward looks of longing they'd aim at each other when the other didn't see to be looking, their New Year's wishes.
Getting rid of these memories is so cowardly and he knows it. They're precious memories, even if they're sad. But this allows him to convince himself that he has to get back to Hyrule for Zelda's sake, he'll have a goal again. There will be some purpose to all this borrowed time that he never deserved.]
[Akira takes his hand as Link offers his, and he closes his eyes. Perhaps it's the magic of the town, but almost instantly, Akira is flooded with those memories from Link. Though he did not know Zelda well himself, he knew she was influential in the defence force, and a leader of sorts for the townpeople to look up to, as Guren had been.
But this perspective -- Link's perspective -- it's entirely different. Their bond is so precious, he can see how it's been hurting Link ever since she left. He squeezes his hand, and when he opens his eyes, there are silent tears rolling down his face.
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[Akira sits back again, closing his eyes. He's so used to carrying around the sadness of others, what's the harm in taking on a little more, if it will make things easier for someone else? That's how he looks at it.]
Take time to think it over if you need to.
no subject
Link stares into the steaming water. He's going to ask Akira for help. It makes him feel guilty and he's already mourning the downsides, but... he does feel like he could use some help right now.
When he speaks again, his eyes look misty.]
When I first arrived and went to see Zelda, she hugged me. When she did that, I felt... I felt so happy. She was so warm. I still feel a little happy now, too, when I think about it, but...
[But now it's mostly just sadness. This place would be a lot more tolerable if Zelda were still here, still willing to have a real relationship with him for the first time, still anchoring him to his past.]
The quest said someone could take memories, right? I don't know how it works, but it's the only thing that might help me.
no subject
If taking away some of your memories of her would help, I can do it. [How, on the other hand, is a separate issue.] Maybe just... touch me and focus on the ones you want to give away?
[It can't be too hard to figure out. If the town really wants them to do the quest, it should easily be possible.]
no subject
He pushes himself through the water to close the space between them. Not wanting to invade his personal space any more than he has to, he lifts his hand out of the water for him to take, instead of attempting to feel around beneath the water.]
Alright. I'll try.
[He closes his eyes and tries to do as Akira suggested. Zelda. Zelda, here in this strange place, for months before Link ever arrived. The way she cried and smiled and hugged him when she saw him for the first time here, the meals together, the awkward looks of longing they'd aim at each other when the other didn't see to be looking, their New Year's wishes.
Getting rid of these memories is so cowardly and he knows it. They're precious memories, even if they're sad. But this allows him to convince himself that he has to get back to Hyrule for Zelda's sake, he'll have a goal again. There will be some purpose to all this borrowed time that he never deserved.]
no subject
But this perspective -- Link's perspective -- it's entirely different. Their bond is so precious, he can see how it's been hurting Link ever since she left. He squeezes his hand, and when he opens his eyes, there are silent tears rolling down his face.
It worked.]