Disclaimer: Hoshido doesn't give a single care in the world if you, the author, or if any Nohrian scum own Fire Emblem Fates, what they do care about is beating back those Nohr scumbags for the glory of the almighty nation of Hoshido. In liberty and justice for all Hoshidan people. Except for those traitorous siblings who betrayed us. You're not our brothers or sisters anymore!
(Sorry that was harsh. Enjoy the story. Or don't. Nohrian scum.)
Fire Emblem Fates: Takumi's Hoshido Force
Bow slung over his shoulder, his fingers poised to draw an arrow from his quiver at any moment, Prince Takumi of Hoshido strode through the grass of a castle in the middle of nowhere. He stared down at his bow of sorts, the Fujin Yumi, and experimentally strummed the strings as though it were an elegant harp. A cyan light emanated, serving as the string, allowing his fingers to caress the strings, the heavenly light dancing about his fingers. Now, pretending to be an accomplished musician is all well and good, but it really does not get you anywhere.
Under normal circumstances, Takumi would be gearing up for the war, ordering around royal retainers, equipping important items, getting the occasional vulnerary healing flask to heal his wounds, or telling people why he does not like them. That was all fine and good, but right now, he would have to push all of that aside. There was something he needed to take care of, personally.
That was why Takumi was getting ready, brushing off his white vest and several plumes of fur at the ends, adjusting the hair that drooped. Venturing out, slinging his bow over his shoulders, he walked through the castle, past shops scattered throughout the field, until he reached a large tree. One lone ladder extended up from the ground, leading up to the tree. There laid a home on top, suspended on the branches. Walking up to the ladder, Takumi gripped it tightly like the MAN HE WAS. He also received a splinter as a present from the nice ladder, which he slapped off his hand because Takumi hates presents.
Ascending the ladder until he reached the top, Takumi stretched his neck so hard that he could feel it break multiple bones in his body to make the most satisfying sound he could think of, before he slammed the door to the house open, shouting, "Brother!"
The house inside was small, but cozy, with a small table and set of chairs, a bed at the side, and a large wooden bookshelf behind it. A man garbed in thin white and black armor without any boots glanced up at Takumi, sitting by the table, a book clasped in his hands. He looked up, silver hair like that of our protagonist shining in the room, brownish red eyes blinking confusedly.
"What's the matter, Takumi?" He asked curiously, shutting the novel closed.
Suddenly, Takumi gripped something from behind his back, tossing it to him. "Get moving, Corrin. It's time."
The object that was flung smacked the weak book out of Corrin's hands, causing it to slide across the floor, igniting in an instant for some bizarre reason, whether it be the speed of the object or just the sheer Hoshidan pride Takumi had shriveling up the book. Staring at the bonfire that had just been created, Corrin blinked, glancing down at his hands. Instead of an interchangeable novel, there was a thin wooden bow. Before he could ask any questions, a quiver filled to the brim with sharp arrows was tossed to him as well. His eyes widened, and he glared up at Takumi, who had his eyes closed, awaiting him.
"Brother, we've talked about this." He frowned, glaring at Takumi.
His brother frowned at him. "You know what they did. To you! To us! To… Her."
"Takumi, seriously, this is the third time this week. Let it go, it's not worth it." Corrin frowned, turning back to pick up his smoldering book.
Bristling, Takumi stared straight at Corrin, who just blinked a couple of times, stooping down to grab his now charred book. Upon grabbing the ashes, he turned back, Takumi now glaring at him face to face.
Scowling, Corrin brushed past his brother. "No."
Just before he could take a seat in his own home, as soon as he began to sit, he heard a whooshing noise. Scowling, he realized that he held the bow and the quiver Takumi had "gifted" him moments ago in his hands, quite tightly. Looking up towards his brother, he was stared down yet again, and finally, Corrin gave up, getting up to his feet, Takumi nodding in response.
"Alright, just this once, and we're done." He spoke up, shaking his head.
With that said, Takumi gripped his brother's wrist, suddenly pulling him out of the treehouse. "For Hoshido! For mother!"
"For the love of-!" Corrin grunted, before practically getting flung out of his comfortable abode, out into the open air outside.
Landing on his feet, the monochrome armor wearing sibling fumbled with his bow while the Fujin Yumi adjusted comfortably, the string of cyan glowing as Takumi carried his weapon at his side. Taking off with Corrin, dragging behind on the dirt from his free hand, the two sped off, a cloud of dust following the duo as they left the castle interior.
Nearby, a man, an olive bandana wrapped around his forehead, biting on a lollipop glanced at the trail of dust, leaning on the side of a building wall. "...Hmm," He hummed, eyes narrowing.
A crunching noise emanated from his mouth. Spitting the stick out, he stretched his arms, glancing to the side of the building, closing his eyes as if nothing had happened. He simply reached into his clothing, and pulled out yet another piece of candy, popping it in his mouth with a shrug.
"Godspeed, Boss." He muttered between chews, blowing into the air.
Despite the fact that he knew he was not smoking a candy bar, he darn well felt good pretending to do so.
Wandering along a dark castle walkway in the chilly, yet refreshing air, the prince of Nohr, Leo, strode about, adjusting his collar somewhat. He stared down at the shirt material sticking up. It was perfectly straight, without flaw in any way, shape or form. Sighing, he leaned on the side of one of the stone towers rising up on the side, glancing at the waking morning sky, still clothed in shades of black, hues of black, and a palette consisting of monochrome colors. Including black. But nevertheless, this was Leo's home, the dark enshrouded kingdom of Nohr.
All of a sudden, Leo jolted upwards, gawking around the castle area, painstakingly readjusting his headband over his golden hair as he did so. For a moment, he had assumed that he had heard someone scream. Leo frowned, glancing around, looking down towards the portcullis to the tips of the castle towers. Finding that the castle grounds were devoid of anyone for the moment, he continued staring out to the mountainous ranges of Nohr-
"...hr!"
While Leo had the very occasional mishap with his clothing from time to time, he hardly had issues hearing. Glancing around, he looked again, he even leaned over the edge of the castle wall for a moment, finding that there was no one down there either. Blinking, he was definitely starting to become suspicious. Was it a bird or a bug? Perhaps the wind. Although, he had never heard them sound like that in the country of-
"Nohr!"
...Since when did the wind scream Nohr?
Staring down the castle walls once again, he gazed down and out towards the bridge leading towards the castle. The castle Leo abided in had one spectacular bridge leading from the rigid rocky paths of Nohr-
"Nohrians!"
But regardless of geography or lengthy trips, nothing could dissuade prince Takumi, who, for lack of a better word, sprinted forward, dragging a reluctant Corrin behind him. Blinking, Leo was very uncertain of how to act here. Here was the young prince of Hoshido, bow gripped tightly by his side, running across the bridge by himself. Well, Corrin was technically accompanying him, but by no means was he looking for his fight. If anything, Corrin's weapon, his Iron Yumi, was not aimed for anything, the bow just carried along with him just for kicks. Rather, it seemed more like the yumi he carried was bouncing up and down the bridge, Corrin glaring up towards the castle. Leo blinked, noticing his expression. It was somewhat bored, yet it carried a subtle message. And with Takumi ready to fight, the fleeting warning was definitely received.
Leo backed away from the wall, processing for a moment. Hatching a plan in the short moments he witnessed the Hoshidan prince dash and aim, he set off to descending downwards into the castle, entering one of the towers' spiral staircases, making quick time on his feet. Descending down the stairs swiftly, eventually he reached the bottom step and hopped off of the staircase, venturing forward through the castle. Noticing a few troops roaming the halls, he halted to a complete stop by multiple slits in the castle walls. The soldiers upon noticing him stopped and stared at him, holstering their bows at their sides.
"He's back again." Leo spoke in a warning, yet tired tone towards the three archers.
Each and every single one of the foot soldiers with bows at their sides sneaked glances at each other. Turning back towards the prince, everyone slowly nodded solemnly back towards Leo. Glancing towards the arrow slits in the wall, moving towards the holes, they took aim, glaring at the enemy on the other side. Peering out the window, stringing their bows in anticipation of the incoming Hoshidan, the archers strung one arrow to their bowstrings, ready to fire. Which proved to be their first and final mistake in the art of war as Takumi practically flung arrows at them left and right without remorse, cyan spears of light piercing through the poor archers who hit the floor groaning or screaming. Eyes wide open, Leo dashed away, holstering a weapon of his own in his coat.
Outside on the bridge, Takumi was making fantastic time with his sprints. Unfortunately for him, he would earn no gold medals for peace, as he shot barrage after barrage of glowing arrows at the castle, a distressed Corrin dodging any arrows that the enemy did manage to fling at them.
"Hah! Your aim needs improving, Nohrians!" Takumi laughed as groans emanated from the walls.
While the Hoshidan Sniper practically bulldozed over the other soldiers, Leo, now riding atop a horse because somehow units like that need to constantly ride an equestrian, tome in hand, dashed over to the entrance of the gate where a few knights stood, covered from head to toe in armor, standing next to a lever.
"Lower the gate! Quickly!" Leo shouted, turning around and galloping away with the power of his steed.
Giving a quick glance to each other, the knights nodded, one of them reaching for the lever. Before he could push the switch and let down the portcullis, the noise of something whizzing through the air distracted him. However, he was no slouch. As the arrow constructed of light flew directly past him, he smirked, reaching for the lever. As he reached for the lever, however, he did not grip the mechanics needed. Nay, rather it seemed as though his arm was too numb to venture any further in its quest. All of a sudden, the knight felt himself falling to the side unconsciously, possibly due to the fact that his arm was riddled with arrows. Watching his friend go down, the other knight began panicking.
However, there was still hope. His friend had given up the ever useful ability to use his right arm, having sacrificed himself for him and the greater good. Frowning underneath his steel helmet, he psyched himself up, and reached for the lever. Arm stretching out for the steel, appearing to be extremely close to the bar shakily, glancing to the side occasionally to check if Takumi was still closing in, (he still was) the guard finally got to the release lever and pulled straight down with a victorious smirk, watching as the portcullis came crashing down.
Then the soldier discovered just how far the Fujin Yumi's arrows penetrated into armor. Falling backwards with a grunt, he neglected to notice Takumi sliding underneath the extra iron gate. Reappearing with Corrin by his side, who had a newfound scraggly, dusty appearance after that dash, glared across the courtyard. Sitting down on his horse, his book glowing in his hands, he glared back towards Takumi.
"...Leo." Takumi muttered, alongside something else.
"Takumi, Corrin, I see you've made it." Leo announced as he rubbed his horse's head, "You've managed to be just quick enough to enter the castle."
Groaning, Corrin began dusting himself off, stretching arms with somewhat terrifying cracks emanating from them. "...Yeah, I guess."
"You've lost, Nohrian. The glory of Hoshido is too much; for you, for your troops-"
Extra painful sounds sounded off behind them.
"And for you." He finished, narrowing his eyes with his hands on his bow.
Chuckling and shaking his head, Leo shot a glare back towards Takumi. "You might have defeated the less well trained soldiers, but can you defeat me or my retainers?"
As he spoke, he snapped his fingers once, the noise echoing throughout the castle. Nothing but silence followed. Blinking, both Takumi and his brother began glancing around in confusion. A scowl crept up Leo's face. Snapping his fingers again and again, no one answered him.
After an agonizingly awkward silence, the sound of footsteps pounding against stone came from behind the two. Spinning around, the two Hoshidan brothers stared as a menacing figure stepped down from a staircase leading from the castle tops. For a while, all they could make of the figure was that he was enclosed in shadow.
"Hoshidans. You may have bested these men. However, these men lack something, something that sets them apart from I." He spoke in a voice that sounded as if he had a cold.
Clearing his throat all of a sudden, he coughed, confusing the two infiltrators and seemingly causing Leo to stare down at his horse, both he and his steed apparently looking in any other direction that did not relate to the mystery man.
The coughing ceased. "But enough of this. You shall see why they failed. You shall soon understand the gravity of the situation. Attempting to approach Lord Leo was the first and final most grievous mistake you have ever attempted. For you shall soon see why they call me-"
Leaping out from under the shadows, a blur once unknown to them revealed themselves. A yellow and black vest, while flashy, did nothing to contain the figure's bare chest. Posing, his arm draped over his eyes, carrying a magical tome, blonde hair ruffling in the wind, he seemed truly…Eccentric.
Takumi rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Get on with it."
Frowning underneath his arm, the figure simply sighed and began retracting his arm. "Very well! Make no mistake, fiend, for I, Odin Dark, will not go easy on- YIPE!"
Narrowly avoiding a shining projectile, Odin scowled at the enemy Sniper, who simply began drawing another arrow. "Corrin, I'll handle this. You go defeat the other one."
Sneaking a small glare towards his brother, Corrin muttered something, shaking his head. Taking hold of his bow, he stomped towards Leo without even attempting to draw an arrow, much to Leo's amusement. As he did that, Takumi and Odin took a stand, each readying their weapons.
"FOR HOSHIDO!" Takumi yelled, sprinting forward.
"The darkness will swallow you whole!" Odin chanted as he cracked open the book.
With the sound of yells, arrows, and lightning bolts being tossed about in the background, Corrin simply walked over towards Leo, the horse's tail wagging around happily. Stopping right next to the Nohrian prince, he sat on the cobblestone pavement, sighing as he watched his brother duel with the spellcaster.
"Hey Leo." Corrin piped up curiously.
Arching an eyebrow, he answered simply, "Yeah?"
"Do you think we can end this? All of this fighting…" Corrin asked tiredly.
Biting his lip, Leo just continued staring as his retainer flung embers towards the bow-wielding maniac, suppressing a laugh as he watched Takumi's hair catch fire somewhat. "It takes a lot of conviction to end this, I will not lie."
Frowning, Corrin just glanced up towards the sky. "Well, yeah…"
"But I believe if anyone can do it, it's you." Corrin blinked, and turned back towards Leo out of bewilderment, "I'm still sort of uneasy about this, and yet something is telling me that you are the key to getting us out of this mess."
Hearing that, a smile started forming on Corrin's face. Standing up straight, he stretched his arms, the heir of Nohr nobility nodding.
"...Thank you, Leo." He spoke up.
"Don't thank me yet." Leo frowned as he peered back at the fight.
Sprawled out on the ground, an arrow aimed directly at his throat, laid Odin. Takumi stood proudly above him with his foot firmly planted on his chest, as if he were a hunter who had bagged his catch of the day.
"Do you yield, Nohrian?" He asked, pulling back on the string of his Fujin Yumi.
"Alright, alright, ow!" Odin frowned, pushing against Takumi's brown boot, "Jeez, no need to be so harsh."
Now smiling with the pride that came from stepping on someone, Takumi crossed his arms and scoffed. "That's what I thought."
His delusions of grandeur vanished as he noticed the close proximity Corrin had to Leo. Gritting his teeth, the sniper stepped off of the mage, who rubbed his abdomen regretfully. Already set on aiming his yumi weapon at the horseback rider, he charged ahead angrily.
As he watched Takumi dash closer, Corrin glanced back up at Leo. "Wish me luck?"
"I'd say you'd already have it." Leo just shrugged, staring ahead.
Corrin's eyes narrowed. Standing up, he glared back at his brother, stepping in front of Leo defensively, one arm planted behind his back, reaching into his own clothes. Regardless, it seemed that the archer would not at all bother stopping. A few seconds of searching in his clothing granted Corrin a small green sphere, hidden behind him away from Takumi. Watching as Takumi was running closer and closer, closing in the minuscule meters and feet that laid as the only other obstacle, he gripped the stone tighter and tighter. Finally, as Takumi hopped up into the air, finger barely holding the arrow of light back, Corrin clenched the sphere as tight as possible. On that instant, a blinding light emerged, engulfing him and bathing everyone else's sight in nothingness.
As his eyes reopened, Takumi managed to keep his hold on his bow with the arrow still ready for launch. As soon as the light faded, he aimed his bow yet again. But instead of a blonde clad in armor riding a horse, he was greeted by a monochrome dragon.
"Takumi, this stops now." The dragon spoke up, standing on spindly, thin legs, speaking without a discernible mouth, Corrin's voice echoing from the dragon throughout the castle.
Takumi grit his teeth. "Get out of the way, Corrin! The Nohrians need to pay!"
"This has gone far enough. We do not need anymore bloodshed, we do not need to battle, and we do not need to burn anymore books! Stand down, now." Corrin ordered irritably.
"I'd do as I'd say if I were you." Leo shrugged from behind.
"Shut up!" Takumi shouted, attempting to move forward.
Running around Corrin, he prepared himself to shoot once again. Leaping up into the air, he aimed at Leo carefully, swiftly releasing the arrow from its bound state. Foreseeing the attack, the horse leapt out of the way, carrying both its rider and itself to safety. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to fire once more, only to find himself turned one hundred and eighty degrees around, heading back towards the entrance. Grunting, he found himself dangled in the air, kicking to try and escape. The white and black dragon's antlers carried him by the nape of his scarf, dragging him away.
Before he and Corrin left the premises, Takumi spun around and shouted, "I'll be back Nohrians! The glory of Hoshido will not go without a fight!"
As he said that, the miniature monochrome beast shaking its head as it left the premises, the portcullis slammed shut behind them. A somewhat bruised Odin brushed the dust off of him as he stood by the lever, walking over towards a pleased looking Leo.
"Well, milord, what did you think of my skills in the thick of battle?" He asked with a grin.
The Nohrian prince glanced up, blinking in surprise. "Oh! Er, right. It was certainly…Something, Odin."
Odin's mouth laid agape. "Unbelievable! You hadn't caught even the fleeting glimpse of my attacks?! I even had a new one named with the assistance of Niles!"
Frowning, Leo glanced over at the towers. "Where is he, by the way?"
In complete disbelief of what he had just heard, the blonde-haired, theatrical spell-caster stowed away his battle tomes disappointingly. "You really weren't paying attention! Ugh… Well, I suppose there's always next time that sniper and Lord Corrin come waltzing back."
"...I wouldn't be so sure about that, Odin." Leo smirked as he stared out at the dark skies overhead.
"Okay, look, I'm sorry that I got carried away! I won't do it again." Takumi frowned while apologizing, staring down at the ground.
Reentering their castle's grounds, Corrin in his dragon form hoisted Takumi using his exponentially-sized horns protruding out of his head, carrying Takumi in one and holding his Fujin Yumi bow in the other. As they began approaching a nearby building, Corrin switched back into his human form, barefeet touching the ground as Takumi and his bow fell to the ground. Hitting the soft grass, Takumi shook his head, and instinctively started crawling towards his bow. Before he could reach his weapon, Corrin kicked the Fujin Yumi up into his hands and tossed it away towards one of the many different shops built around.
As it spun through the air, a lone hand shot out and gripped the bow, the candy obsessed ninja from earlier smirking as he caught it. "Gotcha covered, Boss."
"Thanks Asugi." Corrin sighed, shaking his head.
With that said, Asugi sprinted off to who knows where, dangling the Fujin Yumi by his side, much to Takumi's dismay. "Hey!"
As he got up to his feet, attempting to steal back his weapon, Corrin stood in front of him, extending his arms as to block his path. "No! This is for your own good!"
"But- The glory of Hoshido!" Takumi frowned, gesturing towards the bow, "How are we supposed to uphold-"
"That's RYOMA'S job." Corrin scowled, "When we go into a battle, an ACTUAL battle not fueled by vengeance, you get it back, got it?!"
For a moment, Takumi wanted to argue, lifting his finger up. Gritting his teeth, he simply threw his fist down towards the ground, pounding the earth once. Blinking, Corrin just glanced around as Takumi's facial expression wavered in intensity.
"...We can read a book or something while we wait." He sighed, patting Takumi on the back.
"...Fine." Takumi sighed, standing up straight, "As long as we still have that one dedicated to swords play."
With that, Corrin smiled, offering a hand to his brother, who took it immediately. As Takumi stood up and sulked next to him, Corrin thought back towards the morning and the novel he was reading. His grin began to vanish once he realized that within the ashes, he could remember the teachings of parrying and slashing among the words to name a few. With a hopeful smile, he just nodded, and together, the two walked towards the ladder leading up towards the treehouse.
Will Takumi ever get his revenge? Will Odin ever perfect his attack names? Will Corrin be able to sweep the ashes of the book under the rug before Takumi can read the scorched title of the book?
(...I dunno, this story isn't getting a sequel.)
Find out next time, on Leo's Nohr Nation!
AN: Takumi, oh Takumi. Even if it seems like he's got a few screws loose in this story, he is seriously my favorite Fates character. There, I said my opinion, it's right there.
But seriously, thanks for reading, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, see you.
