A/N: Another note for this chapter to avoid confusion: whenever Anankos is referred to as Ryuurei, it's from Takumi's perspective. Anankos always refers to him as, well, Anankos. This is hard to tell as this is written in third-person, but I try to give an idea of who the paragraph is focusing on. I hope this clears things up!


Nightmares were nothing new to Takumi. For as long as he could remember, sleep would not come easy to him, and whenever he finally found himself in the world of dreams, they were night terrors. Visions of monsters and heartbreak greeted him and silhouettes of people that seemed so familiar with voices without love grated against his ears.

A girl, one so painstakingly familiar, glared down at him, but there was no hatred in her gaze. "Takumi... We can end this war together, it doesn't have to be like this-!"

"Shut up!" He growled, grip tightening around his bow. He felt the anger in his blood, the way it clouded his vision and blurred everything together, and he almost felt like there was something driving him to act. He danced a step back, closer to the edge of the wall, and aimed his arrow at the girl in front of her. "You never loved us! You killed mother! You killed Ryoma! I will never trust you!"

She withdrew her outstretched hand, eyes unreadable as a frown tugged at her lips. "I didn't want this, I didn't want this at all," she nearly cried, her head turned away from him. "I just want to end the war, Takumi. I don't want to lose anyone else..."

Tears were pricking at her eyes but he couldn't help the snarl that came. "You already chose your side. You don't deserve my help, you traitor!"

"Takumi!"

And he was falling.

Fear began to creep into his veins, the anger beginning to die down. In the heat of the moment, this seemed like the only option to take, but the longer he was in free fall, the more he regretted the decision. Something had pushed him to jump, goading him towards whatever the Bottomless Canyon held at the bottom. He hated the way a foreign feeling controlled his body and clouded his thoughts into something he could not even call his anymore.

Something in his chest felt like it was being ripped in half. He nearly screamed out in agony, the way it felt like his insides were bring clawed at, but his voice died in his throat. Instead, a dark chuckle resounded in his head before it began its mantra.

Betrayal. Betrayal. Kill them. Kill her.

Hitting the ground was painless.

In the pitch black, it was difficult to make out the bottom of the canyon. Takumi would have found it ironic that there was a bottom to the Bottomless Canyon, but the numbness in his veins and his body moving on its own accord was the focus of his attention. It walked, somehow finding its way in the darkness, and a purple aura began to surround him.

"Betrayal... Betrayal..."

Takumi felt like vomiting. Having no control over his body and watching it act like a zombie was sickening. Tears began to run down his cheeks, perhaps the only autonomy he had, and he prayed for it to stop.

Suddenly, he fell to his knees, and he could feel phantom arms around him and warmth beginning to spread through his body.

I'm sorry, Taki. I'm so sorry...

What was Ryuurei apologizing for? Takumi's body was writhing under the embrace, still hissing out curses and mantras, and the dragon did his best to calm the boy. Takumi had been reliving a memory - one from the first life and when they first became connected. Feeling the pain firsthand and understanding just what Anankos did all those years ago was beginning to spur guilt.

Once back in control of his body, Takumi was able to speak. "What are you sorry for, Ryu? You didn't do this - you just saved me!"

Whatever the dragon had been preparing to say died in his throat. He hated lying to Takumi, especially when he was still so young and pure, but it might be better to get the truth out of the way. If he told Takumi years later, perhaps the boy would hate him. Anankos could not bare losing the human, not after how accustomed he became to him.

I... He grabbed onto the boy, pulling himself into his partner's shoulder. Anankos had to force the words out, hoping that the boy would not harbor hatred for him. Takumi, this isn't a dream - it's a memory. And this... this was when I bonded us together. I did this to you.

Even though Takumi looked to be sixteen or so in this dreamscape, he had the mind of a seven year old. An intelligent seven year old, but a child nonetheless. There was certainly shock in his eyes, but the boy had not completely grasped the concept. In the first life, Anankos had driven him to suicide and proceeded to use his corpse as a vessel. Now, after growing attached to the soul, he regretted putting the boy through so much pain, but the past could not be changed.

He choked out an 'oh', abruptly ending the silence that hung between them. It was not hard to connect the pain and heartbreak he felt to knowing Ryuurei had caused this. It made Takumi wonder how the maleficent dragon from - what did he call it? The first life? - that time became the kind protector he knew. Distantly, the boy feared being used again, but something told him Ryuurei had no ill intentions this time around.

"Well, you're my friend now. You would have left me to suffer if you didn't care." For such a young boy, his soul testified just how knowledgeable he was. He had a kindness beyond his years, something many peers failed to see, but Anankos knew all to well that the child was an old soul that had gone through too much.

The dragon felt the world around them beginning to dissipate, meaning Takumi was waking up. He began to vanish as well, and the sunlight peering in from his bedroom window tore the two from sleep. Groggily, the boy rubbed his eyes with a yawn, nearly forgetting what had occurred.

Good morning, Taki, he whispered, unsure if the events of the dream were remembered. If Takumi had forgotten, Anankos was not certain if that was the best outcome. If Takumi remembered his confession, there would be no need to give it again. However, if he did not remember, it gave the dragon more time to be with his ignorant partner.

"Morning, Ryu." It was only loud enough to be heard by the dragon, but it still carried the happy note Takumi said it with. Perhaps he would remember the night as being peaceful without the interruption of a nightmare. Anankos figured he would have mentioned the events by now if he recalled them. Maybe it was for the best.

The dragon took a glance to the mirror set on Takumi's desk, pleased to see amber eyes staring back. They seemed to only be red when Takumi was unconscious and Anankos was in complete control. He hummed, taking a mental note for the next time he was confronted by the family. Even in this life, they were oddly perceptive of each other's feelings.

Anankos felt a pain clawing at his stomach before sighing. You didn't eat dinner last night.

Takumi laughed sheepishly, doing his best to untangle his bangs and run his fingers through his hair. "I fell asleep after practice, remember? I'll just eat now, I have some time before school."

Anankos nearly forgot how much he hated school. Sitting through boring lessons for hours a day was annoying but he knew he had no say in whether they went or not. Being a semi-omniscient dragon had its downsides, sadly.

I think I will pass for today. Wake me up if you need anything or want to talk, alright?

Already bounding down the stairs, he hummed an 'okay', leaving Anankos to slip back into slumber. Takumi headed to the table to find a bowl set out for him, filled with rice and what looked to be scrambled eggs. The smell captivated him and, before he knew it, he was gobbling the food down.

"You know," Sumeragi's deep baritone rang out from the head of the table, "a good morning would have been nice."

Takumi's head shot up, an apology already forming on his tongue. He did his best to swallow his mouthful before speaking, "I'm so sorry- good morning, Tou-chan!"

He bowed his head for forgiveness until his father rose from his seat and walked over to his son. "Don't worry about it, boy. I know you're hungry and little boys like you need to eat to grow up big and strong." Sumeragi ruffled the boy's hair, a hearty laugh booming throughout the kitchen.

The way the man shifted from almost happy-go-lucky to stern was anything but predictable. "Where were you last night? I heard from your mother that you weren't acting like yourself."

Truthfully, Takumi could not remember much about the previous night. He had been practicing his archery and gotten upset over his ability... And then there was the lulling voice of Ryuurei and he could not remember anything after that. How had he gotten from the forest to his room?

"I was, um... Practicing my archery?" It was not a total lie, as it was all the boy could remember, but disclosing Ryuurei's existence was taboo. That was his friend and no one else was allowed to know about him, even his family.

Sumeragi's gaze was unrelenting, and Takumi prepared himself for a reprimand about lying. However, after a beat too long, he leaned back and gave the boy his space. "In that case," he began, the smile coming back just as quickly as it disappeared, "I'll have to test your skills; I don't want anything less than the greatest."

The thought of his father critiquing his skills was quite dreadful, but it was inevitable. As much as he loved his father and how cheerful and encouraging he could be, Takumi feared the stern, calculating aspect of the man. He dreaded hearing he was not good enough, that Ryoma was more talented and that he should give up now. Just the thought of it was disheartening.

His father must have noticed the melancholic look he sported. "Don't stress over it, Takumi. It isn't a big deal," he put his hand on his son's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Well, you'd better be heading to school. Wouldn't want you to be late, now would we?"

He nodded out of reflex before pushing away his leftovers and heading upstairs to change. As much as Takumi hated to admit it, the implications of his father judging his skills truly upset him. His bright mood had been dampened and now school was something he was dreading. He should have just kept his mouth shut and given some other lie.

After getting changed, brushing his teeth, and tying up his hair, he grabbed his backpack and headed into the car with Sumeragi, enjoying the quiet car ride and the blurring colors flying by. Before he could even realize it, they were in front of the elementary school. Takumi felt dread grow in the pit of his stomach and he debated waking Ryuurei so he would not have to suffer alone.

Sumeragi walked his son to the entrance before sending him off with another hair-ruffling. Takumi yelped in response before rushing to fix his bangs, his father calling out a goodbye over his shoulder. With no purpose left in being outside, he headed in and made his way to his classroom.

Bright colors littered the room and desks were pushed together in pairs. That was new. Distantly, Takumi wondered which of his classmates he would be paired with. Would he know the person? Would they get along? Maybe he could make a new friend.

He walked along the rows, looking for his name. Towards the front and on the left side of the room, he found his name written on a piece of paper on the desk. Looking over to the one next to him, he saw a name that looked familiar but he could not quite place a face to it.

It was only when a boy that was slightly taller than him made his way over that Takumi recognized the name. It was a boy that moved into town not too long ago, and even though Takumi tried to befriend him, the boy seemed to keep to himself.

"So we're sitting next to each other now," the boy deadpanned, sounding uninterested in Takumi's presence. He put his backpack besides his chair before sitting down, grabbing a book from under his desk with little interest to the boy next to him.

Takumi truly wanted to make as many friends as he could. It would make his family proud of him and maybe they would love him more if they saw he could be social. This could not be too hard. Having a person besides Ryuurei to talk to did not sound too bad.

"I was thinking we could be friends. I mean, now that we're sitting next to each other and we're-"

"Can't you see I'm reading?"

Takumi decided then that a friendship with Leo Windmire was impossible.