Coming Home

by skywolf666

Morgan's mind raced uncertainly as she watched her father turn out of the tent, barely hearing him when he reassured her he would fetch the woman who shared her hair colour and her dragonkin blood. She let him go, knowing it was what she wanted, but frightened all the same. Alone in the tent, she whispered her mother's name, tasting the strangeness of the word wistfully, "Tiki..."

"Just wait here, Morgan. I'll go get Tiki."

Morgan bit down on her lower lip as she wrung her hands nervously, not sure what to think or how to act as Cail vanished from her sight with the soft message ringing in her ears. Though she knew he didn't want to leave her just yet, that he still had so much to talk to her about, she had insisted and he'd given in as the logic of her request worked into his brain. So he'd gone, leaving her alone in the tent as he went to fetch the woman she didn't know but yet was her mother. Now her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, making it difficult to organize her thoughts, which already were a mess from everything she had learned earlier that day when she'd been found in the ruins by her father and his army.

Not one of the children from the future recognized her, proving that she did not hail from the same time as they did. The lack of recognition in their eyes however did soothe her somewhat, as after she had heard that the future they had come from was in ruins and war, she was glad to know it wasn't where she had travelled from. Yet, as she ran her hand almost thoughtlessly along the hilt of the sword she wore at her waist, she knew that something must have happened in her time to have made her such a keen fighter at her young age. Her instincts were sharp, and though she'd had no idea what was happening the first time she had fought, her body had known what to do and had proven she must have had years of experiencing fighting if she could defend herself without her memories to guide her.

Still, her lack of memories troubled her deeply as she examined the inside of her father's tent. His possessions were all piled away neatly, and by instinct more than anything else, she knew exactly what was his and what wasn't. He'd left his cloak hanging off the edge of the cot, and she touched it absently as she mused that the one she wore was its mirror image. She remembered trying it on when she had been much too young to wear it, and her father laughing at her as he indulged her childish fancy and did up the clasps for her. Her arms only had reached the elbow of the sleeves, and it pooled around her legs and made her look nothing short of ridiculous, but Cail had suffused her with pride and joy when he'd told her it fit her perfectly. He'd promised to give it to her when she was old enough, but until that time, she was welcome to borrow it whenever she wanted to test her growth.

Now as she fingered the clasp at her throat, Morgan mused that it was still too long in the sleeve and dragged down to the ground. She hadn't grown into it at all yet. Sighing, Morgan dropped her hand only to feel her fingertips brush a stone she had forgotten she had been wearing around her neck. Puzzled that she had never realized she was wearing a necklace, Morgan unfastened the silver chain deftly and removed it so she could examine it closely.

A small stone carved into a perfect ball hung off of the chain, and it glittered in the fading light from the lamp that was resting on her father's desk. The stone's colour was a bright and joyous emerald, and it would have been the most beautiful jewel Morgan had ever seen save for the large and ugly crack that cleaved deep into it. Narrowing her eyes, Morgan turned the jewel in her hands as she felt the deep gouge with her fingertips, and she mused softly to herself, "It looks... like my dragonstone..."

Impulsively she reached into her pocket, pulling out the item that allowed her to tap into her sleeping manakete blood. Her dragonstone was almost of the same shade, only being different by two degrees in darkness. She held the two stones close together, examining them with honest puzzlement as she murmured inwardly, 'This wasn't... mine, though... Why do I have it? Did I... maybe get it from Mother? She's dragonkin too... A gift, perhaps? But then why the crack? They don't shatter when their power fades away... They just grow dull. And from its lustre, it seems like it could still even work. Huh... So many questions...'

"No, it's alright. I can speak with her on my own, if she doesn't mind that."

Morgan froze at the gentle voice she didn't recognize speaking just outside of the tent's doors, and she was seized with two sudden, violent and very different urges. The first was to flee, to hide herself so when the owner of that voice came seeking her she wouldn't be seen and wouldn't have to look upon them. The second was to fling herself into the owner's arms and never let go, to embrace them so fiercely that maybe this time when she finally did release them, she wouldn't have to lose them again.

The force of those urges almost brought her to her knees, and she dropped the dragonstone and necklace as she pressed a hand to her suddenly throbbing chest. She didn't recognize the voice, and she knew she didn't know that tone, but her heart hurt all the same and made her want to laugh and cry. It was a strange twisting pain, and she struggled to right her breathing and quell her upset so she wouldn't look mad when the tent doors opened.

Rubbing at her eyes, which had begun to tear, Morgan hastily stooped to gather the items she had dropped. She pocketed her dragonstone thoughtlessly, but the necklace seemed to suddenly triple in weight as she made to do the same to it. For whatever reason she couldn't hide it, and obeying that impulse, Morgan reached to fasten it around her neck once more.

As her hands dropped back to her side the tent doors opened slightly, and Morgan bit down hard on her lower lip again as she was joined by the woman she had been fearing and yet desperately waiting to meet.

Tiki looked exactly as her father had described her, something that both amused and pained the aspiring tactician as she took her mother in with a quick and keen eye. She stood a taller than her daughter, but Morgan saw no other similarities beyond the colour of their hair. She wore it long but bound, allowing it to sweep down her back and curve around her face, somehow providing her with an impossibly gentle air. Her body was svelte and young despite her impossible to count years, and to Morgan she looked almost as if she was in the prime of her life. From her very limited knowledge of the dragonkin she wasn't far from the truth, though it was strange to think so.

Morgan felt a bolt of fear go through her as she found almost nothing remotely tying her in physical likeness to this woman standing in front of her. 'Is she... really my mother? How could I be related to someone like her...? She's breathtaking... How could I ever forget someone who looked like her? She's so...'

"Beautiful."

For a brief moment, Morgan thought she had actually spoken her thoughts aloud, but she quickly understood she hadn't been the one to speak as she saw tenderness flickering like a flame in Tiki's emerald eyes. She was smiling, ever so gently as she tilted her head just a little to the side and held her arms against her stomach. That smile broadened just a little as Morgan felt heat rushing into her cheeks at the compliment, and she continued softly when Morgan couldn't find any words to speak, "You're so beautiful, and there is so much strength and wisdom in your eyes. Already you've become such a capable young woman... And I see so much of your father in you. You favour him strongly."

Morgan wished she could find her words, but they continued to escape her. She hadn't expected such kindness, hadn't expected to feel such unconditional warmth, and it left her floundering for sense. Tiki was completely new to her, and yet she seemed to be speaking to her as if she had known her forever. The intimacy touched her, yet also brought forth a new round of terror that some grave mistake had been made. There was no way she could be related to such a creature like this, it was almost like a cosmic joke. She shared none of this woman's grace or kindness or beauty. There was no way she could be her daughter.

If Tiki was aware of her mounting fear and ridiculousness, she did not let on at all. Instead she simply stood where she had stopped her advance into the tent, watching her with a mixture of raging curiosity, familiarity and a striking look of loneliness that Morgan didn't understand. Her voice had suddenly become much quieter as she questioned almost hesitantly, "Your name is Morgan, yes?"

Swallowing back the lump in her throat that the expression and change of tone had suddenly brought there, Morgan nodded as she took a moment to find her voice. That look of loneliness in Tiki's eyes just seemed wrong to her, and wanted to dispel it even if it just meant speaking to her, and so she forced out her answer in an awkward mumble that made her want to kick herself savagely for suddenly being so ridiculously shy, "Y-Yes. M-M-My name is Morgan."

"It suits you."

As with Tiki's out of the blue compliment on her looks, Morgan felt a blush once more rising to her cheeks. She wasn't sure how to respond to such words, and she wondered if she always had been shy when people showered her with kindness. She certainly could not remember such things, and she fiddled with her sleeves as she glanced down at her feet. Just looking at Tiki made her heart ache with fresh confusion and torn emotions, and she murmured awkwardly in thanks, her voice catching as she spoke without thinking, "Th-Thank you, milady."

She heard a quiet exhale from Tiki, and for a moment, Morgan wondered if she had erred with her automatic call. She couldn't in good faith call this woman her mother, not when she felt so outlandishly different standing in front of her and seeing no similarities between them. She was greatly surprised then when Tiki shook her head and told her softly, almost sadly, "I will not ask you to call me 'Mother' if that troubles you... Though I would ask you not to address me so formally. Just Tiki will do, if you must use my name. I'd rather lessen the distance between us than create more."

Her eyes widening, Morgan felt a sudden weight lift from her shoulders as a realization took its place instead. Her voice was breathless, almost disbelieving as she asked for confirmation, "W-Wait... You don't... You don't mind me calling you Mother?"

"Mind? Why would I..." Tiki began in honest bafflement, and then she stopped as she took note of the fear, of the worry Morgan had been trying so hard to hide rising up in her eyes. She sighed again, partly with exasperation and partly with pain that she hadn't understood what was creating such awkwardness between them. They both had been too afraid to really meet each other fully until that moment. "Ah, I see. That's why you tremble so. You were afraid I would reject you."

"It crossed my mind." Morgan admitted with a painful shake of her head as she unconsciously mirrored her mother and wrapped her arms around herself. She forced herself to meet those emerald eyes that seemed to see within her as she explained herself softly and hesitantly, "I don't... I don't remember you. Even with you standing so close... hearing your voice and seeing you move... I can't recall you at all. I thought... I thought maybe it was a mistake. I look nothing like you... I don't act like you... How could I possibly be your daughter? I... I didn't... want to disappoint you."

"You could never disappoint me." Tiki scolded her gently, and the warmth had returned to her eyes and softened her expression beyond measure as she shook her head and relaxed her posture. "It's true, I do not recognize you either, and you are as much a stranger to me as I am to you... But part of me does know you, even if there is no reason for it to be so. I know you to be my daughter, just as I know what it is to hurt and what it is to smile. It's ingrained so deeply within me that I couldn't argue with it even if I wanted to. You are my child, and I already love you."

Her heart hurt so fiercely Morgan couldn't suppress a little groan as she pressed her hand to her chest. Her mind remained confused, blank of memory and recognition, but the small organ in her chest responsible for her emotion worked overtime to do the mind's forgotten duty. Her fears and insecurities suddenly seemed so meaningless, so insignificant. Bowing her head, Morgan brushed at the welling tears in her eyes with a mixture of shame and relief as soft sobs threatened to break through her so carefully composed exterior.

She heard Tiki's feet whispering across the ground, and then felt a gentle hand stroking the shape of her cheek before raising her chin. Her mother's eyes were gentle but burning with emotion as she held her daughter's face and lovingly brushed away a tear Morgan hadn't caught. "The bonds we share are stronger than your lost memories. I know it hurts, but it's only because your heart understands what your mind has forgotten. Why else would you worry so for what a stranger thinks of you? You knew who I was the moment you saw me, just as I knew who you were in that same instant." She dropped her hands to her shoulders, meeting her gaze as an equal as she asked with a hint of a smile, "I will do whatever I can to help you get back your lost past... but in the meantime, shall we make new memories together?"

Nodding weakly, Morgan smiled through her tears as the pain in her chest became strangely sweet and familiar. The hands holding her were warm, and she felt that same sensation of contentment and safety whenever she was near her father. Closing her eyes as Tiki drew her close into an embrace, Morgan wrapped her arms tightly around her as she murmured against her shoulder, "Mm... I-I'd like that... Mother."

"Heh... It sounds so strange to be called that... Yet quite pleasant." Tiki mused quietly as she gently ran a hand down her daughter's hair while she held her close with her other arm. It felt right to embrace her, to touch her and love her, and Tiki felt a sense of completion she had thought only Cail could bring to her. A fierce surge of maternal instincts she didn't know she had possessed washed through her, making her feel strangely satisfied to be holding Morgan close and knowing she was safe as long as she remained in her arms. 'So this is what it feels like to be a mother... I could easily get used to such a feeling, odd as the circumstances may be...'

Without letting her mother go, Morgan tilted her head a bit to the side to catch a glimpse of Tiki's face as she asked with curiosity brimming in her eyes, "Were you talking to Father before you came in?"

"Ah, yes." Tiki answered with a hint of shyness making its way into her eyes as she continued absently stroking Morgan's hair back. Her daughter had inherited Cail's thick and unmanageable curls, and Tiki hid a little smile as she mused she would likely have a very hard time trying to straighten either of them out now. She was surprised Morgan had heard her conversation with Cail though, but it did prove her daughter had the heightened senses most manaketes enjoyed, so she answered honestly. "He was concerned that I was nervous."

A little puzzled to think of this confident and graceful manakete as the type to grow nervous, Morgan pursed her lips in disbelief as she questioned further,"He thought you were nervous? Why? Were you?"

Tiki felt a hint of a blush warming her cheeks at the honest answer she had, and she mused that there was no point in lying just to cover her shame at her feelings. Morgan had already admitted her own, and it was only fair that she repaid her daughter's bravery. "Yes... I was. I had not seen you in that battle, and had only heard of you from the others, and of course from Cail. He told me how worried you were to meet me due to your lack of memory, and in turn I was concerned that... Well, that you would not take to me once you saw me."

"You were worried I wouldn't like you?!" Morgan's eyes widened in shock, and the idea was so absolutely ludicrous to her that it took her a few long moments before she could actually think properly enough to scold her mother for being concerned over such things. "Why would you think that I wouldn't like you?! Father, he said such amazing things when I asked him about you...! I already half-loved you before I even saw you! You're so amazing that I was scared I couldn't be strong enough or pretty enough to actually be your daughter!"

"I-I'm not truly that impressive... I'm simply another woman at the end of the day." Tiki stammered in surprised embarrassment at her daughter's earnestness, and she was now aware her blush had spread across her cheeks and all the way to the pointed tips of her ears. Morgan's praise was pleasant even if it did seem like too much, though it brought forth a whole new edge to her embarrassment as she asked almost in a sheepish murmur, "W-Wait a moment... C-Cail said amazing things about me?"

Morgan grinned as she understood the reason why her mother suddenly was smiling even though she was blushing like a tomato, and she nodded long and hard as she explained with a growing mix of amusement and pleasure to see her parents so in love, "Of course. Since I couldn't remember you, I asked Father to describe you to me. I hoped maybe hearing about you would spark something in my memory, but it didn't really... But I did get a good picture of you regardless because of what he said. And it was all true, too. Everything he said I could see in you the second you walked through the door."

Unsure of what to say to that, Tiki could only glance down awkwardly at the floor as she tried to imagine what praises Cail had sung to their daughter. He never was remiss in complimenting her, and she cherished those kind words, but it never failed to make her blush and smile in a giddy sort of happiness. She didn't want to know what Cail had told their child, but at the same time she was full of painful curiosity. "Wh-What... sort of things did he...? N-No, never mind, I don't think I want to know."

"Are you sure?" Morgan grinned impishly at her mother's awkwardness, and she wondered if it had always been this easy to tease her. She had heard the love in Tiki's voice when she had gently dismissed Cail's worried question, and she could see it now shining in her eyes even as she blushed and dropped her gaze to the ground. "I don't mind telling you."

"I'm sure. It's embarrassing enough as it is just imagining..." Tiki tried not to laugh, having a feeling that if she did she would only encourage her daughter's mischief. She rather liked that gleam in the aspiring tactician's eye, as it reminded her greatly of Cail when he was scheming something pleasant for his comrades. Both of them had a kind if somewhat playful air to them, and Tiki mused that while their happiness was likely short before the painful war broke out, it probably had been full of grand chaos.

"Aw, it's not embarrassing!" Morgan waved away the explanation with an errant flap of her hand, and she laughed as she playfully gave her mother's shoulder a teasing push, "You two are married, it should be normal! Every husband is supposed to flatter his wife!"

"Y-Your Father and I are anything but normal..." Tiki had to point out even if the thought soured her good mood a little. The words were true even if she wished they weren't, and she mused that nothing about what she had leapt headlong into could really fit the definition of normalcy. She was a manakete well over three thousand years of age who had fallen in love with an amnesiac tactician of shocking power and charisma, and now was holding a conversation with a child who was unquestionably her own even though she hadn't given birth to her yet. 'Yes, we definitely are anything but normal...'

Pursing her lips, Morgan had to admit that her mother had a very valid point, and she admitted it with a nod as she sighed, "All right, I'll give you that..." Then her eyes sparkled a little as she added on with a hint of a challenge, "But you're happy together all the same."

"Yes, that is true." Tiki agreed with a nod of her own, and her smile was wide as she instinctively stroked the ring she had been presented with when Cail had asked her to marry him. Her fingertips lingered on the shards of her broken dragonstone that he had painstakingly collected and fitted into the golden metal, and she mused softly, "Normalcy of our situation aside... The war aside... We are happy together."

"I'm glad that you are. It really makes me happy seeing you two in love like this. It's familiar, somehow... and it makes me feel... complete. I think that's the word I want to use, anyway. I may not remember talking with you like this, or seeing the two of you interacting... but I know I must have enjoyed seeing it, because it warms my heart. Maybe it's a security thing..." Morgan mused with a thoughtful nod of her head that was perfectly synced to the tapping of her right foot. She seemed to notice Tiki's caressing of the ring for the first time, and her eyes widened as she took in the sparkling object curling around her mother's finger as she exclaimed in delight, "Ooh, is that the ring he gave you when he proposed? Father talked about that!"

"He did?"

"Uh huh! He said it took forever to get it right, but he wanted it to be perfect. He also wanted to know if I had it, from the future, I mean. Apparently all of the other kids had their mother's rings, for proof or as a memento, but I didn't have yours." Morgan's lips pursed once more into a little frown, and she shook her head as if she was disappointed that she hadn't followed the standard set by all of the other children who had been found before her. She raised her hand to her throat, drawing her mother's gaze to the stone hanging around her neck as she finished with an intensely noticeable drop in her good cheer, "I do... have this. But, I'm not sure if it was yours or not. It certainly doesn't look like my dragonstone at least, so I guessed maybe you'd given it to me."

Narrowing her eyes, Tiki wasn't sure how to respond as she reached forward unconsciously to touch the gem Morgan was identifying. A bolt of unease went through her the moment her fingertips came into contact with the large crack that seemed ready to cleave the stone in half, and her teeth grit together as several facts hit her all at once.

Cail had admitted he hadn't seen Morgan tap into her dragonkin abilities during the battle, and though she knew it wrong to wish, Tiki had to wonder if maybe her father's human blood had diluted hers enough to grant their daughter a normal human lifespan. She already knew Nah, as the only half-blooded manakete before her daughter, had fully accepted her mother's gift and could use it freely and with great talent. She had hoped maybe Morgan would not have this gift, if only so she could be spared the pain of having to watch those she loved die, but Morgan's admission of possessing a dragonstone of her own dashed those hopes.

The stone she wore about her neck Tiki also knew was without a doubt hers, as she recognized the lustre and colour with ease. The stone she had been carrying with her had served her well in this war so far, and she always had taken great care of the stones she had collected over the years. Yet the crack boded ill, as no dragonstone shattered when the power inside of them faded away.

'Only a rebound of power causes the stone to crack... An interrupted transformation, or... the death of the holder during the use of it. So I have died in Morgan's future... Blast...' Frowning deeply at the painful thought, Tiki unthinkingly dropped her hand back to her side as she tried to imagine how death found her, had found her husband and left their daughter alone. 'And she is still so young... still has so many years left ahead of her, and we've left her to walk them alone...'

Morgan watched the myriad of emotions flickering through her mother's face as she gazed at the dragonstone, and she mused that she at least knew one reason for her frown. Folding an arm around herself under her cloak, Morgan spoke quietly as she brushed her hair back with her free hand to show her mother her human-shaped ears, "Not a lot of the physical signs of my holding manakete blood have manifested... My ears are normal, and as far as I can tell I've grown as a human... but I can use the dragonstone I woke up with, and I know my instincts are sharper than a normal human's... I'm sorry, Mother. I think I possess more of your blood than you'd want for me."

"I did not want to share my fate with you." Tiki admitted quietly and with a slow and painful shake of her head as she tried to digest the facts she'd been hoping were lies. It hurt to think of this beautiful young girl being chained down to the near-endless life as a manakete, and Tiki knew from experience she would not come out of such long years untainted. Her voice was pinched as she sighed, "More than anything, I hoped you would have enough of Cail in you to stymie that... but it appears my blood is too strong. Do not misinterpret me when I say that though, as part of me is glad and proud to hear that you are such a strong and beautiful manakete... but I am also sorry for what I have bound you to. I would do anything to spare you from the pain your long life will bring you."

"At least now... at least here..." Morgan began hesitantly, and she bit down on her lower lip as she faltered and wondered if she could dare to presume such a thing of this woman she had just come to accept as her mother. Still, the way Tiki gazed at her, with so much love and acceptance gave her courage, and she pushed on valiantly and with rising strength in her voice, "I won't have to live it by myself, right? You're here... and you can stay with me this time... can't you?"

"Ah, Morgan... Of course." Tiki answered softly, and she drew the slightly trembling girl fiercely into her arms and held her tight. She could sense her fear and worry, and she reacted immediately to quell her daughter's negative emotion. Nuzzling lovingly into her hair, Tiki gave her a gentle squeeze as she murmured with every ounce of her conviction, "I will always be here for you. Always. You will never be alone as long as your father and I live... and I will not abandon you and make you walk the centuries ahead by yourself. We can take the road together... Step by step... as mother and daughter."

"Nn..." Morgan bit down on her lower lip to stifle the grateful sob that rose into her throat at the claim Tiki made so passionately on her, and she returned the hug with everything she had. She felt completely grounded for the first time since she'd woken up in this strange world, and even without her memories she finally felt home. "It's a promise..."

"Yes. Yes, it is." Tiki answered positively, and without really thinking about it, she drew back a little when she felt a trickle of wetness on her bare neck. Knowing Morgan to be crying, Tiki brushed away the remaining tears staining her reddening cheeks, and it gave her another fierce surge of possessiveness when Morgan sniffled and hung on tight to her shoulders. This was her child, and all confusion and logic be damned, she was going to keep her.

Rubbing sheepishly at her eyes, Morgan sniffled as the whirlwind of emotion that had blown through the tent began to settle. Tiki was still holding her, gently but firmly, and the feeling only made her more and more at ease. It gave her courage again, and cemented the feelings she had been to afraid to accept when she'd first heard Tiki's voice. Unable to look at her mother head-on, Morgan stared with embarrassment at her feet as she called quietly, "Mother...?"

"Yes?"

"I..." Stumbling over herself, Morgan wondered at her own inability to make a sentence. She laughed softly, shaking her head as she mused that she would have to eventually adjust, but for now she allowed herself that awkwardness that still clung to the both of them despite their fierce embrace and sense of belonging. "I love you."

Tiki smiled, and her heart ached with the force of her answer even before she spoke. It was exactly what she felt too, the second she'd seen the timid girl standing so awkwardly, so fearfully in the tent. This girl easily made a new part of her heart her own, nestling in deep beside her father and cementing her place as her child. There was no doubt to it anymore, just a feeling of complete and utter rightness that Tiki accepted wholeheartedly. Giving Morgan another firm hug, Tiki pulled back to meet her eyes as she answered with a gentle murmur, "I love you too, Morgan. With all my heart."

Morgan's smile was brilliant, showing the sharpness of her emotion that made her happiness just as intense as her fear. Her father had accepted her, and her mother had done the same. This time wasn't hers, but she had a difficult time caring about what world she had come from or what had happened to drive her to this world. As far as she was concerned, as she held her mother happily, she was where she belonged.

Sensing her feelings, and sharing them fiercely, Tiki stroked Morgan's cheek and wondered at the strangeness and the familiarity. It was odd, it was baffling, but it was also wonderful and dizzying. Words didn't seem to do her feelings justice, didn't seem to capture what she wanted to say, but as she met the dark chocolate brown eyes that Morgan had inherited from her father... Tiki found she did have one last thing to say.

"Welcome home."

AN:

-sighs- This was... shockingly painful to write. Not sure why, but it didn't want to come out easily... it shows a little, but hopefully not enough to ruin the integrity of the story... XD I tried my best to capture the potential awkwardness, the potential terror, the potential delight that could be felt between Tiki and Morgan... and I like to think I did an okay job. :3

I did however mess with canon. Maybe. Probably. Most likely. BUT I DON'T CARE. It made me happy to write it, and that's all that matters!

If it isn't obvious... Ho yeah, I fricken love Tiki. XD Which I find really funny, because I never could get into Shadow Dragon so much... (Which is the only Marth-centric game I ever played. Probably why. XD) But as it is, Tiki is probably one of my favourite Fire Emblem characters series-wise. She's just so... Hngggg.

Of course, that means I have so many fanfiction ideas to play with now... -sigh- I will never be free, it seems... I just love this game and all the fun and stuff that comes with it. IT'S ADDICTING!

Oh well.

PS: Anybody interested in seeing more FE:A fanfiction from me? Yes? No? Shut up with the author's note already?

Mood: Hyper

Listening To: "All You Did Was Save My Life" - Our Lady Peace

~ Sky