Important author's note: I changed the Chrom and Lucina interaction from chapter 5. Robin doesn't catch them in a cozy moment, she just sees that they have moved close to each other while she was gone in the kitchen. If you want to reread the scene, feel free, but otherwise just know that I've changed what happened there so it wouldn't so clearly exemplify weak storytelling. I apologize for confusion. Learn from me, fellow authors, and don't post things that don't feel right, or you may have to change them later.

Also, this chapter is a tad violent. I reveal Robi's method of extracting information from Robin (she is not harmed), and there is a scene with Chrom after last night with Robi's gang. You have been warned. I don't think that any of that should move this rating to M, but if you disagree, please let me know in a review or PM.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story.


Lucina saw Marth come to the door of the lounge to look for her. He caught sight of her and smiled. Her heart sank. The smile was hesitant, nervous, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

She entered the lounge and he led her to a table with a cup of Starbucks coffee on it. She sat in the chair he pulled out for her, staring at the coffee. He hated coffee. He only drank coffee if he desperately needed energy. She watched his hand close around the cup and reluctantly lifted her gaze to his face across the table from her.

"What's wrong?" She felt her heart sink lower as she asked this. Marth was always the one to initiate things, but she had started this conversation.

He blinked. "We've had a misunderstanding. And considering the seriousness of what's been going on here, that's serious."

She felt sick and signaled to him to continue with the muteness of her gaze.

"I...I. Um, you were right when you said that I didn't know what had been going on. You were more right than you know." He paused and lifted the coffee to his lips. His hand was trembling a little. He put the cup back down and met her gaze again with the troubled sea that was his eyes. "What I heard from Robin was really shocking. I knew- everyone knows that Robi's got serious issues, but I never expected anything like that. And, well, I wasn't planning to help Chrom, because I thought he was an avatar." He stopped speaking, and watched her face for a reaction to these words. She didn't give him any, merely indicated with a tight nod that he should continue.

"Robin told me everything. She said even you didn't know all that was going on." He stopped again, shaking his head slowly as he stared at the shiny, dark wood of the table. "Do you know that Robi tears apart little animals to get Robin to tell him anything he wants to know? She's got a lot of trauma from that, but she can't seek psychiatric treatment or everything will come out. Chrom's been her psychiatrist of sorts, and according to her, he's helped a lot..." Marth trailed off. "Of course that doesn't quite cut it. And it's also been a severe trial to have him be tortured by Robi and his gang. I can't imagine what it must be like to live with that hanging over your head. Your loved one is getting the spirit squeezed out of him, and you're doomed if you stop it and doomed if you don't. Of course then there's the additional pain of your loved one not returning your feelings after all you've been through for them." There was a sharp bitterness in his tone as he said those words that made Lucina look more closely into his face. "Call me selfish, and you're probably right, but the thing that hurt the most was that you've let me pursue you all these weeks, and never let on that you had someone else that you preferred. If I wasn't clear enough during our talks in the stadium, at least you should have gotten the hint last night. I care about you, Lucina, and you never told me, or even slightly indicated, that you didn't return my feelings."

Lucina's eyes widened, "Okay, Marth, that's rather judgmental of you-"

"How is telling you how I feel 'judgmental'?" His voice had risen a notch. "And the way Chrom behaved wasn't very considerate either. I'll give him that Robin said he hadn't really given her anything to go on besides plain niceness, but he could have left romancing with you for a better time and place."

Lucina had half risen from her seat. "First of all, there really isn't 'a better time and place,' Marth," she hissed. "You're not in Chrom's position at all, so saying that he needs to behave in a certain way is just unfair. And second of all, a hug is not romancing-"

"That's what I thought," he shot back, "but Robin said that he's never touched her in any sort of affectionate manner, not even non-romantically. Given the situation, that makes sense, and I would commend him for it, but then the first night you show up..." His eyes were blazing at her now.

"I don't want to have this conversation anymore," Lucina snapped. "I was wrong about your plan. Back to square one." She turned away, almost knocking over the chair, and walked quickly toward the door.

"Lucina," she heard him call after her, weakly. She walked faster, drowning out the sound of his voice with the roaring of her disappointment and anger.

Safe in her room again, she lay down on her bed and cried until she finally found escape in sleep.

She was awakened by the telephone ringing. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Peach! We found a couple cute outfits-"

"Marth and I are done, Peach."

"What did he do?"

"I...don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay." Peach was sympathetic. "Let me know if you need anything."

She decided to make her own breakfast that Monday. Except that she didn't feel like making anything, anymore than she felt like going down to dining hall and eating with a ruined Link, an angry Marth, a crushed Zelda, a disappointed Robin, and a cruel Robi, reveling in all their misery.

She had Grape Nuts, the most drab cereal she could think of, and burnt toast with nothing on top. While she ate, she watched the matchup channel to see what her schedule was to be for that day. This is peaceful, she thought. I should do this more often. Shoot. I have a brawl against Marth and Link. And I'm teamed with Robi.

"How is this even happening?" she asked the silence. "Did Master Hand do this on purpose? Does he think this is funny? Well I'm not laughing." She shoved a spoonful of Grape Nuts into her mouth. What almost did make her laugh was that Peach and Link were on the same team in one of the set brawls. I need to call Link, she reminded herself. She didn't want to call Link. She wanted to avoid Link. She wanted to avoid everyone.

The brawl against Marth and Link ended with her and Robi clapping. They were clapping because Marth and Link had been vicious, Marth never giving a moment's respite to Robi, and Link shooting and slashing at Lucina in furious desperation, since Marth wouldn't come near her. The fact that her first two friends were now her bitter enemies was a pill that she could only swallow because Robi was steaming next to her. Marth had humiliated him.

Lucina smiled bitterly, and returned to her white closet. She had a half hour before her next brawl with Donkey Kong.

Her phone was ringing. She let it ring. The caller tried again, and Lucina picked up with a sigh.

"It's Lucina."

"Lucina, it's Robin. I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting Marth to help Chrom."

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'?"

"I didn't know..." Lucina felt a little dizzy.

"But he went to talk with you right after he met with me. I assumed he told you. He couldn't have meant it to be a surprise."

"I don't think that I gave him a chance to tell me," Lucina whispered.

There was silence from the other end. Robin wasn't one to pry. "Well," she said finally, "Marth has a really good plan, and I was going to tell Chrom about it tonight. Do you want to come?"

"Sure," Lucina replied absentmindedly. Her thoughts were all on Marth. He had called her name as she left, and she had ignored him. She heard Robin hang up, but she still held the phone. She had to apologize, thank him, explain everything. She dialed Marth's number.

No answer.

He's probably got another brawl going, she reminded herself. I'll see him tonight.

She entered the dining hall that evening to look for Robin. She instantly noticed that Marth wasn't there. Looking around, she saw with a pang that Link, Peach, Zelda, and Samus were also missing. Take one problem at a time, Lucina. Once she straightened things out with Marth, she could face Link. Once she had Marth by her side again...

She couldn't believe she'd gone almost a full day without seeing Marth at all. Without exchanging a single sentence. An ache akin to homesickness filled her.

Robin saw her and motioned with her head towards Robi, who was listening eagerly to Captain Falcon. Lucina got the message and ducked out of the hall before the tactician could catch sight of her. Robin joined her a minute later.

"Let's go now. I overheard Robi chatting with Wario. He said since they..." Robin paused on an unpleasant word and Lucina could see her looking for a replacement, "had Chrom last night, they won't summon him tonight. Conserve smash balls, you know?"

"Is Marth coming?"

"He said he would, but he wants to start on his plan already. He'll explain it when he comes. I imagine he'll be late."

"Okay." Lucina was planning her apologies and explanations as she followed Robin down the hall.

In Robin's room, Lucina took a seat at the table while Robin took a smash ball from the carton, leaving one remaining.

"Chrom."

"On my mark!" The light came shooting through the room. Chrom flew through Robin, came to stop with his back to her as usual, and collapsed on the carpet.

Lucina sprang from her chair and ran towards the crumpled form. Robin was already on her knees beside the warrior, tugging at him, turning him over onto his back.

"Chrom, Chrom," she begged. "Speak to me. Say something."

"I'm okay, Robin." His voice cracked.

That was a lie. His face and bare right arm were bruised. There was a cut healing on his forehead, and one on his lower lip.

"Lucina, I have medical supplies in the cabinet under the bathroom sink." Robin's anxious tone was not needed to spur Lucina along. She was back with the first aid kit as Robin was undoing Chrom's cape. The tactician handed her Chrom's sword and Lucina put it on the bed, taking a pillow and giving it to Robin to be put under Chrom's head.

"Robin," he groaned. "I'm fine."

"Chrom." Robin's voice broke and she avoided his gaze as she deftly undid the numerous buttons of his shirt. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault." She was crying.

"It's not your fault," he contradicted gently. "No one would expect you to hold out under that kind of mental..."

"Mental torture. Just say it," she swiped at her tears with the back of her hand. "But you don't understand, I could've held out longer, maybe until help came. But I..." She sobbed harder and pulled open his shirt in a place where the normally white trimming had been stained brown. There was a gash on his ribcage, and numerous purple bruises were discoloring his muscular chest and stomach. "Chrom, forgive me," Robin gasped. "I did this to you."

"Robin," he snapped in weak anger, "stop it. It's not your fault. I don't want you to try to 'hold out' against Robi. I'll take his brutality rather than have you experience it."

"But I wanted to tell him," Robin moaned through her tears. "That's what's so awful. I was mad at you, and...and..." She gave in to her sobs, let them shake her as she prepared a pad of alcohol.

"Mad because of Lucina?" the swordsman asked tentatively, struggling to sit up and inch away from the alcohol.

Robin nodded wordlessly, halting the hand with the alcohol pad. "Chrom, I know it stings, but you have to let me," she pleaded.

"Deal with my left ankle first," he begged. "I don't know what they did to it, but I can't walk on it, and landing when I'm summoned is agony."

Lucina took a roll of bandages and started to undo it while Robin let flow a fresh flood of tears.

"I'm so sorry. I've been so selfish. I wanted you for myself, and I didn't want to let you choose who you love. I'll never let it happen again." She turned her tear-streaked face to Lucina, "Lucina, I'm-"

"Robin." Chrom interrupted, reaching out and gently turning her face towards him before letting his hand drop back to his side. "Please listen to me. In the other world, Lucina is my daughter." He paused as Robin's eyes widened. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew that Robi would get it out of you, but I don't think it can get much worse than this."

"I was mad at you, and it wasn't even true?" Robin broke down again, covering her face with her hands.

With an effort, Chrom moved himself closer to the sobbing woman. He managed to get on his knees beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Robin, please don't cry. It hurts me to see you cry."

She cried harder.

"Robin, Robin, please." He put an arm around her. "Robin," he repeated helplessly.

She trembled with the force of her emotion, and he put his other arm around her, encircling her shoulders. They stayed like that for a moment, he holding her while she cried, then he leaned forward and spoke quietly, pleadingly, "Robin, please listen, I love you. Know this, I don't want you to be hurt. I don't want you to cry. I love you." He had pulled her close to him, and her sobs slowly subsided as she rested in his arms, her head on his shoulder.

Chrom looked over the top of Robin's pale hair at Lucina and smiled a little, seeming stunned that in a moment of desperate love he ripped through all his barriers to comfort the woman in his arms. Lucina smiled back. Nothing had gone according to plan, but she knew that none of them cared right then.

A knock on the door tore them from the moment. Chrom let go of Robin and she got to her feet, pushing her hair back and fanning her face. "I'm a mess," she laughed weakly. "Lucina?"

Lucina nodded and went to the door. Her heart rate had quickened a little at the thought that her confrontation with Marth was just around the corner. She tried to rehearse what she wanted to say in the seconds before she turned the knob, but her mind was in a muddle from the scene she had just witnessed.

She opened the door and was ever after sure that the same automatic reflex that would cause her to pull away from a hot stove before knowing that she was burned, caused her to slam the door again before she fully realized that Robi was standing out there holding a smash ball.


Shortish and late. But it felt like a good place to stop. Please review! And if you're confused about Robin's guilt, it will be fully explained in the next chapter. If you can't wait, you should be able to pick up clues from Robi's past confrontation of Lucina.