A/N: This fanfic is kind of a split between the pairings Female!BlazingSwordTacticianXSain and Female!AwakeningStrategistXInigo. The name is really lame. I apologize for that, and it could have been something a bit more obvious. But maybe a less-obvious name is good, too...? Unfortunately, Fanfiction only allows me to put it under two character tags... But that's not important, either~.

The important things are that Fire Emblem does not belong to me (if it did, I wouldn't have to save up to get my hands on it...), and that the tactician/strategist is named after my own tactician/strategist. Although maybe that last bit isn't important. But maybe it'll make this a bit more understandable...?

Okay, I'll just shut up now. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy this really stu - I mean, okay piece of writing.

Oh. I should put up that there's a slight spoiler warning for Awakening. Tread with caution.

It was too crowded.

All around him, there were people. It was hard to breathe. All around him, there was the smell of noblewomen's perfumes mingling as they socialized. The drunken laughter of nobles combined with the drunken laughter of his former men-in-arms.

Odd.

It was odd, for such a party to take place at Caelin. Lady Lyndis didn't like things like this. In fact, as far as he knew, she planned a small party. No stuck-up nobles; just Caelin's guard and servants, and perhaps a few close friends. He had no idea how it turned out like this.

Lady Lyndis probably didn't, either.

It had been... A little more than a year since such a party had taken place. The last one was in Ostia, when Lord Hector was deemed the new Marquess.

She had still been here that night.

She had left the next morning.

No one had seen her since.

Sain smiled stiffly as he slipped past another stiff-necked noble, trying not to gag on the stench of her over-applied perfume. He glanced back at her, taking in her over-the-top gown and overly-fussed-over hair. Another Ostian noble.

There were many of them at this party - probably due to the fact that it was "celebrating" Lady Lyndis handing Caelin over to Ostian rule. So it was only natural for the greedy dogs to flood the place, ogling their new space. Sain let a small sigh fall from his lips - anyone who saw it would think of it as a content one, that he must be enjoying the party.

She would know better.

Sain fell obligated towards women. He wanted to protect them, to make them feel safe, warm, and welcome. That was the reason he became a knight, after all. Knights protect women. That was simply common knowledge.

She, however, wanted to protect him. At least, that's what she had said.

Sain chuckled slightly, side-stepping another unrecognizable noble - a male, this time around. As he moved to avoid the man, however, his shoulder collided with another party guest. He turned, ready to apologize, and came face-to-face with Kent.

Caelin's head knight smiled stiffly, nodding somewhat to his comrade. Sain's eyes immediately darted toward Kent's side - as he assumed, there stood Lady Lyndis herself.

The rightful heir to Caelin was always stunningly beautiful. She was also not raised with knowledge of her nobility - perhaps that's what made Sain prefer her to the other stuck-up Lycian noblewomen. But even the sight of Lady Lyndis did not send Sain's heart riveting as it once had.

No... That was a reaction that only belonged to her, now.

"Milady Lyndis," Sain forced himself to say, greeting her with his usual smile. "Are you enjoying your celebration?"

Lyn sighed, closing her eyes in exasperation. "Not exactly... Please don't be concerned though, Sain. I am at least comforted by the thought of returning to home after this is all over."

Sain nodded, returning his gaze to Kent. He tried to refrain from smiling slyly as he asked, "I assume you'll be joining her, Sir Kent?"

The orange-haired knight reddened, and Sain's eyes caught movement as Kent clenched Lyn's hand. "I... Yes. I will, Sain."

Sain hummed in approval, before replying, "I'm sure not a soul could think of a better pair."

The three of them remained silent for a moment, taking in the busy hum of the party. Finally, Lyn whispered, "It's too bad Emi couldn't be here."

Sain said nothing.

"She would probably feel terribly awkward, anyways. She's... Not good with nobles," Kent murmured, trying to assure his princess in some way.

Sain wasn't good with nobles, either.

... How come it's only now - now that she's gone - that he realizes just how much he and the young tactician had in common?

Perhaps it's because before, Lady Lyndis had always outshone her. After all, Emi was just a kid. Well, not really - she was supposedly sixteen, although Eliwood did have a theory about her being a dragon, which would kind of change things.

But that was besides the point. Lyndis, Fiora, or Priscilla... All three always captured Sain's attention more than Emi ever had. And besides, nearly everyone in the army was aware of the tactician's crush on Lucius. She just...

Never seemed to be an option.

Besides, she never needed Sain's protection. She was hardly on the battlefield, and even if she was, one of the Lords would always be her escorts. Sain hardly had the opportunity to focus on only her without there being some other, stunning woman accompanying her.

But now Lady Lyndis was with Kent. And Sain had heard rumors that Priscilla had been wed to Erk a few months back. And Fiora... Well, Sain rarely had the opportunity to speak with Fiora. Even if she was beautiful, she always seemed to care more for her sisters than she would any man.

And now, Emi had confessed.

Sain sighed, his eyes flicking towards his friends and comrades. Both Lyn and Kent's gazes were riveted toward him, Lyn's brow creased with some sort of concern while Kent merely... Stared at him. The Sacaen woman turned towards her most trusted vassal, whispering something to him before turning back to Sain.

"Sain... May I speak with you for a moment?"

Sain grinned, trying to mask his current mental distress. "Anything for you, milady~." Lyn nodded stiffly before turning away from him, moving through the crowd. Sain followed her, trying to block out the stench of alcohol mingling with the noblewomen's perfumes. Bile was beginning to rise at the back of his throat when he and Lady Lyndis finally reached the back doors, which the Lady of Caelin pushed open without hesitance.

Sain stumbled out behind her, his mind numbed by the shocking change in volume level. Lyndis was merciless, though - much to Sain's dismay, she continued walking until they reached the Royal Garden. Sain let out a low sigh of content; out here, it was completely silent, and the fresh air was a nice change from the party's stench. Lyn turned to face her subcommanding knight, giving him a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Sain, she really cared about you." She was blunt. Lady Lyndis was always blunt.

So there was no point in beating around the bush.

"I know," Sain replied, his cheery tone masking the gravity of his words.

"Because she told you."

"Milady?"

Lyn was silent, her forest green eyes regarding the knight before her. Finally, she continued, "When did she...?"

Sain closed his eyes, trying his best to hold off the images his mind had recorded from the event. "The Dragon's Gate. Before we went in to battle Nergal..."

"And?"

Sain blinked. "And?"

"Did you want her to be here? At this party?"

"Milady, I -"

"Sain..." Lyndis sighed, and Sain felt a jab of guilt for making such a gorgeous woman look so defeated. "Please."

"I..." Sain, for the first time in ages, was unsure of how to express his feelings for a woman.

But did Emi even count as a woman?

"She will come back, Sain."

Sain tried not to snort in disbelief. "Lord Hector had already sent many people to look for her, mila -"

"For her skills, Sain! Emi doesn't want that. She'll come when she's needed. When she is needed, not her work. Sain..." Lyn allowed a small smile, although it seemed to sting with some sort of regret, "Emi... Emi loved you. That's why she left... Because she wanted to be able to protect you. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Sain didn't think before admitting, "But it's my job to protect her -"

"Emi appreciates that. But she wants to be able to return the favour. She wants to protect you from being harmed, both emotionally and physically. But if you ever are... She wants you to know she's there. That you mean so much to her..."

Sain said nothing.

Lyn sighed, taking a step back as though she intended to leave. "Sain... She will come back." She turned and left, leaving Sain in the garden on his own.

She was never coming back.

Sain knew...

This was where they ended.

For some reason, he seemed familiar to her.

Emi knew it had to be impossible. She couldn't know him - after all, he was from the future. And she was sure that it wasn't his parents that she thought of whenever she laid eyes upon him. But she had no memories. How would she recognize him?

Although she had recognized Lyn. But then again, she and Lyn always had had some sort of special bond, back then.

It made no sense to her - Lyn was apparently an ancient hero. Yet Emi remembered being with her distinctively... Was Emi a manakete like Nowi? Was she summoned from the past? Perhaps she had fallen through some time gap... Or maybe she was the reincarnation of Lyn's old friend. That could be possible... Couldn't it?

Maybe he was a reincarnation from back then, too.

Emi couldn't put her finger on it... But his smile, his drive to protect women, her feelings for him... It all felt too familiar. It was weird and indescribable.

Perhaps they were lovers in a past life, back when Emi guided Lyn in battle.

Yes... That would be her theory. For now, at least.

"Emi~," Inigo hummed, intertwining his fingers with those belonging to the young woman sitting cross-legged in front of him. "Have you got something on your mind?"

Emi smiled, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his. Despite it being intentional, the strategist blushed at the contact. Her gaze flicked to the mercenary's, her heart melting as she was soaked in the warmth the chocolate almonds enveloped her in.

"Just thinking," she noted evasively. Inigo's smile didn't falter as he slipped his hands away from hers in order to wrap his arms around her in a gentle embrace. "Inigo... This is really, really embarrassing, but I'll do whatever I can to protect you, okay...?"

Inigo chuckled, tightening the hug slightly. "Okay, but remember, it's my job to protect all women~."

Emi fought against the temptation to scold him for his womanizing ways. After all, after losing her memories, it's always been a struggle for anything to seem familiar to the strategist.

And while it was annoying...

His treatment of women was one of the things about Inigo Emi recognized.

And by recognizing things - about Inigo, in particular - Emi felt safe, warm, welcome...

But most of all, she felt protected.