#i probably will never use this verse ever but goddammit. the yiga r so fucking cool

[scarredsands]

BOTW - Misc Headcanons

Saya has had many mixed feelings upon learning of Kohga's death in the Yiga Clan Hideout. She's not sure whether she should feel upset, angry, or relieved over it, and generally cycles between those emotions as she still tries to process it. Kohga's death, however, certainly has not made her life any easier. Saya was expected to take over the mantle for Kohga either if something happened to him, or if he were to ever step down from his position as leader for whatever reason. It has only made a divide in the remaining clan members. Some wish to kill her still for her betrayal, while others aim to hunt her down and bring her back to the clan by whatever means necessary to put her in her rightful role.

The Yiga were just as fanatical and devoted to Saya as they were to Kohga, hence why some go to such great lengths to track her down, while others want nothing more than her death after her backstabbing. Before she defected, however, most Yiga were wholly devoted to her just as they were to Kohga. When needed, Saya (despite her age) would take on the leadership role if Kohga was away. People listened to her, and their obsession in her skill and prowess was very clear. They clung onto her every word and action, but it was always just that. In her time in the Yiga Clan, Saya was still a lone wolf - confiding in a very select few.

After wandering Gerudo Desert for some time following her defection and recovery, Saya found a lone baby Molduga that was clearly abandoned, and baking in the hot desert sun. She felt a sort of kinship immediately with him, having been abandoned and left to die in a similar vein, so she took him in despite knowing the risks. She named him Mojave, and since that day, they've formed a close bond. While many in Gerudo Desert use Sand Seals and ride on the back of shields to get across the dunes, Saya uses Mojave. Due to the nature of Molduga, Saya has various ways of tapping on the sand to communicate with him, and Mojave can differentiate Saya's footsteps on the earth from other people's. He's able to know when Yiga are coming for her before she's even aware, and it makes sleeping under the stars a lot more safe and easy for her thanks to Mojave's presence. He primarily feeds on Lizalfos that roam the sands, though he enjoys fruits such as Hydromelons and Voltfruits as well.

She has yet to leave Gerudo Desert since her time in the Yiga. They would frequently send her to Kakariko or Hateno to take out high-profile targets, people that defected from the Yiga, remnants of the royal family, or anyone that simply knew too much about the clan. Saya was extremely skilled in assassinations and excelled far beyond what others in the clan were capable of. She was Kohga's best assassin, his executioner and harbinger. She did what she was told without question, and was conditioned over time in her teenage years to become his emotionless killing machine. To ever think of potentially disappointing him was a punch to the gut and a stab to the heart, akin to disappointing a parent in a way. This is why she's so conflicted on how she should feel over his death. She wasn't totally brainwashed and indoctrinated since she wasn't in the clan her whole life, but the clan had given her so much opportunity to grow in power; it gave her a solid place to stay instead of having to drift between whoever was willing to give her a place to sleep in Gerudo Town. She could reach her ambitions and goals for herself, but at the same time, joining the Yiga cost her much more than she'll ever realize. Eventually, she'll branch out beyond the desert, but not yet. There's too much she still needs to do there still.