Ganon's POV

This is where the big shots hang out, the ones who wipe their asses with hundred-dollar bills. Actors and singers, politicians and lawyers, CEOs, entrepreneurs, influencers, streamers, you fucking name it. With their private tennis courts, golf courses, and infinity pools that spill over into the kind of view most people would sell their soul for.

The neighborhood is dead quiet too. No shouting, slamming doors, barking dogs, gunshots, or sirens. Not yet at least. All that might change within the next hour.  But for now it's just crickets and the occasional sports car zooming down the curvy streets.

Thanks to the season's dry climate, nobody will suspect that the fire was intentional. It's California's nature to burn, this will be no different. Maybe one of the CEOs tossed his burning cig out of his brand new Lamborghini on his way to town, maybe a hiker didn't put out her campfire. Maybe two idiot teens left an empty beer bottle laying in the dry grass, and under the hot sun, its glass sparked a flame.

"You can wait in the car," Karusa says to me, turning off the headlights. We're in the dark, parked at the side of some narrow sideroad that doesn't have streetlights.

I scoff. "And have you hobble over there on your fucked-up knee all by yourself?"

Karusa parked so far away that Hyrule's mansion is just a glowing dot on the nearby hillside. This is good because it avoids suspicion, but also bad because it's too far for a cripple like him to set the fire, do lookout duty, and run away before someone catches him.

"This isn't your problem to fix, nor your job to get done," Karusa argues.

"Says the one who assaulted Zelda and beat up Link on my behalf. That wasn't your job either."

"I didn't want you and Mal to get punished again," he says.

"And how'd that work out?"

He shrugs it off, too proud to admit to his, or my failures.

After the Yiga mask is on, he pulls the key out of the ignition and opens the car door. "Still... This right here has nothing to do with you. It's my problem. No reason to drag anyone else into it." When I get out of the car anyways, he just raises his hands in surrender. "If you really wanna help, then let's get this over with fast. I've got a bad feeling about this."

We walk up the hill, trying to stay low and avoid attention. Approaching the large fence that circles around the mansion's backyard, I whisper to Karusa, who's staggering through the bushes behind me. "We need to be quick. In and out. No mistakes."

"We're not going in," he speaks through his mask. "You'll just stay watch, I'll set the fire. The grass will take care of the rest."

Just as he's about to move, he stops to check Zelda's phone again. It's like the fifth time since we left his dorm, and I'm getting sick of it.

"The hell you doin'?" I hiss from the side.

"Gimme a sec," he mumbles, scrolling through the notifications.

"This ain't the time to be readin' her texts."

"I need to make sure Zelda and her family are still out."

"Why's it matter?" I glance at the screen. "I thought you said my father got your back no matter what happens tonight."

"So? I can't set the house on fire if there's people inside."

"Why not?"

Karusa rolls his eyes. "'Cause I don't want anyone to die on my behalf."

"You seemed just fine taking Link's life," I remind him.

"Wasn't on my behalf," is his best excuse. "I'll do what I have to, to protect the people on my Trust Fund. But I'm not about to kill some family just to save myself from jail."

"How noble of you." Even though my father would probably praise the hell out of him if he actually ended up killing Zelda's whole family.

Karusa ignores my last comment. He puts the phone away, and nods. "Let's do this."

Moving quick, he spreads dry bush around the back side of the mansion. No gasoline, just using the tinder that's everywhere this time of year. This shit's practically set up to go off with a single spark.

I stay on guard, every nerve firing, ready for anything.

Karusa holds his lighter into the dry brush, his eyes jumpy like he's already regrettin' this.

The flames catch and spread to the grass. It creeps toward the house, slow at first, just a small blaze. But then the fire grows, and just as I spot the propane tank sittin' right there next to the grill like a gift from the devil himself, there's a sudden whoosh, then a low boom!

The fire jumps, explodin' outwards in a blaze, clinging to everything in its path.

"Oh fuck!" Karusa stumbles and falls backwards.

That small explosion was enough to trigger the alarm of one of the cars in the garage. The noise will draw attention, so we better hurry.

While I help Karusa up, the fire's licking the sides of the mansion, climbing higher and higher. Ain't no way they're stoppin' this. This mansion's toast, and everything in it—every last piece of evidence—will burn to a crisp. We just made sure of that.

"Ganon, did you see that?" Karusa points to the house.

I look over my shoulder. The flames go crazy—orange and red, too bright to stare right at it. Sparks shooting off like fireworks. Smoke pouring out so thick you can't see the sky anymore. And the heat's so intense, it's making the air shimmer and twist. Even from behind the fence, it's enough to make me sweat.

"We gotta go," I say.

"No, look!" he nudges me, still aiming his finger at one of the windows upstairs, "There's someone inside!"

My eyes are locked on somethin' else. The garage. Pretty soon, the fire will reach it, and when it does, all hell will break loose. There's already a crash every few seconds—probably windows shattering from the heat, glass popping like gunshots, and I'm sure as hell not sticking around to watch those cars blow up too.

"C'mon," I say, turning my back to the house. My cheeks and forehead already feel sunburned, and the gasoline's sharp in my nose. Can't fucking breathe, the air is too thick and full of that burnt, bitter stench—wood, plastic, all that shit mixed together. Feels like I'm breathin' in straight carbon.

"Did you hear me?" Panic has got Karusa in a chokehold. "Someone's inside the house!"

"Did you hear me? Let's dip before that someone sees us!"

But Karusa's not movin', he's too busy reading notifications on Zelda's phone again! I'm sick of this fool scrolling through her shit, so I snatch it right outta his hand.

Turns out, I was wrong—this dumbass is seriously calling 911.

"You fucking moron," I snap, ending the call. I grab his arm and yank him towards the car. "Are you outta your goddamn mind?"

"I won't say my name," he pants, "they won't know who called them!"

"Don't matter if they know who called! They'll send the fire department and your whole plan fails! We gotta make sure that tape burns, not save the damn place!"

Karusa jerks his arm free. "The job doesn't require any casualties, Ganon! We can get the tape another way. Without fucking murder!"

"Whoever is inside has plenty of time to get out," I say.

Outta nowhere, there's a loud bang and the flames explode through all the windows, sending glass and debris everywhere. The fire must've reached the first car, and I'd put money on there bein' more than one parked in that triple garage, ready to blow up next.

The smoke rolls out mad black, choking us, and the heat's gotten so intense it feels like it's gonna roast us alive.

Karusa's jaw drops and he's freaking out as the blaze tears through the front of the house. "Ganon! This shit's way out of control!"

"Good," I say. "That's what we wanted."

"Can I call 911 now?"

"Holy shit, shut up," I groan. "When did you get so soft?"

The security light snaps on behind us, and sirens wail in the far distance. A guard steps out, flashlight beam sweeping the area, blue and red lights flickering down the road. The heat against our backs, we hurry into the direction of the car.

"Pick up the pace!" I demand, watching Karusa lag behind.

"Fuck off," he barks, clearly pissed off. "I'm going as fast as I can! So get off my back!"

"Damn, someone's cranky." I laugh a little, trying to lighten the mood, but he stays quiet and fully stops in his tracks. "Look, you need a hand or what?"

He swats my hand away. "Don't fucking touch me!"

"Bro, what's your problem?"

"Just want this whole mess to be over."

"Then quit just standing there and get movin' already."

I wait, but nothing happens, like he wants us to get caught. With his head down and shoulders squared, he clenches his fists like he's ready to swing.

"You gonna fight me?" I chuckle. "Right now? Really?"

He don't say anything. Just stands there thinking it over.

"Go ahead," I taunt, taking a step towards him. "Throw a punch. I know you've been waiting for this since the day I met Malice."

"What do you mean?" He asks, even though he knows full well what I'm tryna get at.

"You think she's yours," I give a quick laugh. "The second I put my arm around her, you started acting different."

"Hey fuck you man!"

"I bet you went behind my back already. While I was in jail."

His muscles tighten, jaw tense. "It's nothing like that!"

He's so full of bullshit and I swear if this coward doesn't admit to it soon, I might knock him the fuck out.

"Then what is it?" I press. "Are you a damn coward who can't fucking handle the mess you made?" I point at the fire. "Now you got two choices: either man the fuck up, or keep crying like a lil' pussy and screw it up even more."

Karusa takes a deep breath, and with a serious face, he tells me, "I want out."

I can't help but fucking laugh at this idiot. "You want out?"

"Yeah for real..."

I lean in, no smile, no bullshit. "Need me to remind you what happened to Dorian's wife?"

That name is like a trigger, and caught off guard, the memory of Dorian's wife slices through Karusa's mind. It's been a few years since Dorian left the Clan, but I know that to Karusa, the trauma's still fresh. It's the type of shit that might never stop haunting you.

His fists start shakin', holding onto the last bit of control he's got left. "Don't start with that shit. You have no idea what I went through," he claims.

"I know the whole damn story."

"You don't know jack shit."

"I was there with you, moron." I take another step towards him. He doesn't back away. "It's been, what, three, four years now? We went to the secret Hideout to pick up a new delivery of guns. Inside, we caught Ganondorf—"

Karusa cuts me off, "Don't go there, Ganon. I don't wanna hear it."

That's exactly why I keep going. He needs to get over it already. "Ganondorf came outta Malice's room, pants still half down."

"I said don't go there!"

If I didn't know better, I'd say the memory of Ganondorf with Malice is burned deeper into Karusa's mind than the shit he saw when keeping watch on Dorian's wife.

"You looked at me with that suicidal mix of rage and fear," I go on. "Said we gotta do something about it. I shook my head, but you didn't fucking listen. You stormed down the hall like you were a whole goodman army, and threatened Ganondorf. Told him if he ever touched her again you'd kill him."

"I meant it," Karusa says.

"No you didn't."

"I did," he snaps at me. "I wanted to kill him!"

"But you didn't! So while you made empty threats, Malice was in her room, crying, screaming, probably thinking she could count on you. But then what happened, hm? Next day, you were gone."

"It's not my fault!"

"Yeah, nothing's ever your fault," I chuckle annoyed.

"I got kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped," I laugh.

"Yeah! Some Yigas jumped me! Stuffed me in the back of a car and drove off."

"Yeah I know," I reply coolly. "I was the one driving."

He takes a step back, probably numb with shock. I knew he couldn't handle the truth. That's why I never told him.

"That's right," I say. "I was the one who drove you back to the Hideout. Who pulled you out the trunk and threw you down the basement stairs like trash, and gave you the task to watch Dorian's wife," I pause when Karusa bends over, ill just thinkin' about it. If I keep going, he might throw up in his mask.

"You were in on it?" he rasps.

I nod. "Ganondorf told me to do it. Worse things would've happened to you if I didn't follow his orders. Trust me on that."

"Why..." Karusa shakes his head in disbelief. I bet he's thinkin' I betrayed him, but if it weren't for me, he'd long be dead. I once pulled him outta some drive-by—I pulled the bullet out of his shoulder and patched him up, and kept him breathing. I took care of his enemies in the clan, and had his back when he almost got taken out in a street brawl that one time.

"After the shit you pulled with my father—you know, threatening to kill him—he needed to test you," I explain. "He wanted to see if you'd help some traitor's wife escape, or stay loyal to the Clan."

"Ganon... You have no idea what went down in that basement! That was no test!"

"It was."

"You weren't there! They forced me to... to just stand there and watch while they took turns torturing her! They held her down and burned her eyelids with lighter fluid! Made her eat cockroaches! And that wasn't even the half of it!" His breaths are uncontrolled, his chest's heaving. "She tried making a run for it thirty days in... but got caught... and as punishment, they hung her from a ceiling hook, like a slaughtered pig, and used her as a punching bag!"

"I know," I say, no emotion.

"They left me alone with her for two weeks! Two goddamn weeks! Told me to make sure she doesn't try to escape again, even though she couldn't even get up anymore... She was starving, and she started to smell rotten... Like expired meat..." Karusa shakes his head, aggressively massaging the back of his neck with both hands. "I was with her when she died!" His head snaps in my direction. "Why didn't you do anything to help!?"

"Why didn't you?"

"I couldn't!" he pants, "They said Malice would take her place if I helped Dorian's wife!"

"Yes, I know! Because I went through the same exact shit! You hear me? It's what you get for standing up to my father! 'Get in my way again, and mommy will be next,' is what he told me the first time I was locked in that basement. Second time it was you he threatened to take. And then Malice! Only difference between you and me is, I kept fighting! I thought maybe while I'm in jail, you'll become a man and actually protect Malice for once, but instead you take the opportunity to fuck her? I come back and she's fucking gone?"

Karusa doesn't move. He's completely frozen, gasping for more air than his lungs can fit. "I wanted to protect her! But Ganondorf said he'd kill her if I step out of line!"

"And look at you now! It worked, didn't it? You've been his little bitch ever since! Keepin' quiet, too scared to do a damn thing to help her!"

"What could I have done?! She'd be dead if I tried to stop him!"

"Wake the fuck up, Karusa! She's good as dead! Her blood's on your hands!"

"She's still alive!" Karusa hurls back.

"Yeah? For how long? Face it, you couldn't save her then, and you sure as hell can't save her now."

"Maybe I didn't always stand up for her like I should've, but at least I never fucking hit her! Don't act like you're her goddamn "hero" for stepping in when daddy takes his turn screwing her! Fucking prick! You talk about protecting her, but you and your family are the ones she needs protection of! She needs someone who doesn't hit her, doesn't choke her, and doesn't screw her!"

I narrow my eyes and drop my voice to a deadly calm. "So that's why you've been so pissed at me."

Karusa shakes his head in anger. "You never fucking deserved her," he finally admits after all this time.

"Don't try to shift the blame on me, K. You're the one who dragged Malice into all this in the first place. You ruined her life. And for that, she'll always hate you. And deep down, I bet you do too, but you're too much of a coward to kill yourself. So you OD and drink yourself unconscious, hoping the drugs and alc will do the job for you."

I let that sink in, giving him an unfeeling stare. We've known each other since forever, and I'm done holding back.

"You wanna know the best part of all this?" I say, not waiting for an answer. "While you were stuck in that basement with Dorian's wife, I was Malice's "hero." I did what you couldn't. With you gone, I was the one standing up to Ganondorf. Malice was vulnerable, and I made her feel safe. I held her while she cried over your sorry ass, and told her not to worry about your sudden disappearance." A grim smile crosses my face. "So while you were watching Dorian's wife rot away, I was upstairs. Right above you, screwing your precious little sister."

Instantly, I can tell that something I said crossed a line. It takes me a sec to put one and one together, but once I realize it was the "sister" part, I can't hold back.

"Holy shit," I purposely laugh at the irony, "you lost your first sister in an attic and the second in a basement! That's so fucking funny: your biological sister AND your foster sister! All thanks to your father and mine! Couldn't save at least one of them! You pathetic piece of shit."

Karusa aims for my gut. For a split second, I think I can dodge, but before I know it, his punch lands in my face. I taste blood, I wipe my mouth. Unshaken, I stare him down.

"You done?" I snarl, lifting my head, eyes aimed low. "That all you got? One punch? You gonna protect her like that? No wonder she feels safer with me!"

He throws another one, but I'm ready. I grab his wrist, twist it behind his back, and shove him away, down onto the dry grass. He plops and stays down for a moment while I stand over him, watchin' this pathetic worm flip onto his back. He looks up at me.

"Listen to me, Karusa. The only way you're gonna leave the Clan is in a bodybag. Eyes burned out like Skull Kid. You wanna end up like that?"

"Don't talk about Skull Kid!"

"Point is, the Clan's gonna come after you."

"They won't be able to find me."

Why am I not surprised that the only plan he's got is to run and hide away from his problems like he always does.

"If they can't find ya, they'll go after the people on your Trust Fund," I say, hoping to talk some sense into him. "If you run away, each and every one of your Emergency Contacts will pay for it the way Dorian's wife did."

Karusa sits up, wincing and clutching his messed up knee. "The Clan's already taken everything from me! There's no one left who matters..."

"No one, huh?"

"Got no family," he says. "My sister's dead, my foster family gone, and now Malice..." He trails off, voice full of unnecessary emotion. "I got no one!"

Damn... Good to know this bastard cares more about my girl than the guy who's out here risking his damn neck to help him clean up this mess. But what pisses me off even more is that he can't fucking see that he's had a real family all this time.

"What about your teammates?" I ask. "Or your frat?"

"What about 'em?"

"They are your family."

"Yeah right... Family is supposed to look out for each other."

"Think back, man! Who covered your ass when you got caught with that stash and the cops were breathing down your neck? Garo did. He took the fall for you, kept his mouth shut while you walked free."

I crouch down, elbows resting on my knees, making sure he can't avoid looking at me.

"Who vouched for you when Cia tried to spread those damn rumors about you raping her? Ghirahim, man. He made sure the guys knew that shit was just a lie. And remember that wild weekend after the championship? When you were so messed up on booze and pills you couldn't even see straight, but Zant and Dethl made sure you got home safe and didn't end up in a ditch."

My eyes zero in, making sure he gets the full weight of what I'm saying.

"And who pulled you off the streets when you were running errands for the wrong people just to keep your foster family from getting evicted?"

Karusa hesitates, too fucking embarrassed to admit it. Then he sighs, looking away. "You..."

"Me," I nod. "I got you out of that shithole, pulled you into the Yiga Clan, and showed you a way to make something of yourself. I got you training, taught you how to hustle smarter. I didn't just save your ass from the street—I gave you a real future. Showed you there was more out there than just scrapin' by. So don't act like nobody's ever had your back. I gave you a shot, and now you're out here acting like it was all for nothin'. You think you're alone? Nah, man. Only time you'll be alone is if you run from the Clan."

"Shit..." Karusa's chest falls and his fists unclench. I can see the fight drain out of him, and just like that, all his anger turns into guilt. He looks like he wants to say more, but another car explodes in the background, cutting that shit short. We're reminded that we're in the middle of a crime scene and that we should probably stop bickering.

He gives me an insecure nod, turns his head, one last look at the burning shell of a house. "Let's get the hell out of here."

He tries to get up on his own, stubborn as hell, but he's struggling. Part of me wants to just leave him there, let him crawl if he has to. But fuck, he's my goddamn brother, and I ain't leavin' him behind like that.

I let out a sharp breath and slide my head under his arm, forcing him to lean on me. "We gotta move a little faster. Sirens are getting too close."

He hesitates, then finally grabs onto my shoulder. We pick up the pace, the fire behind us growling louder.

When we hit his car, the flames have claimed the whole building, and threaten to swallow the nearby mansions too. Neighbors are already evacuating, holding onto their most prized possessions.

I yank open the passenger door and shove Karusa inside, slamming it shut after him. Not letting him drive back. For all I know, he might crash us into a tree just to prove to me that he does have the balls to kill himself. He's a coward, but he's also fucking stubborn. Can't risk his emotions getting the better of him tonight.

I stand next to the car for a beat, watching the fire chew up everything we left behind. It's insane how from so far away, I can still feel the heat on my face.

I get in, crank the engine, and we tear off.

Neither of us says a word. But I'm good with that. Nothing more to talk about. All I'm thinking now is how far we can get before the shit we've stirred up finally catches up.

And it always does.