"What the hell?"
Takumi stared at the dried ink covering his palm and wrist. The sloppy brushwork was unmistakably Robin's, and the ink had smeared, making the words almost impossible to read. He squinted and managed to decipher the message using the letters that weren't smudged beyond recognition.
'I'm here for you'? Why in the world would she write this on my hand? The ink got all over my sheets, too! I swear, that girl is far more trouble than she's worth!
He grumbled as he washed his hands in a clear stream. He'd have to tell Oboro to keep ink brushes far out of Robin's reach. Once his hands were clean, he returned to his tent in order to dress and see what other mischief Robin had gotten into.
He found a letter tucked in with his clothes and opened it up. He expected to see more of Robin's disastrous handwriting but was surprised to see Oboro's calligraphy instead. His retainer had transcribed Robin's words into a format that was much easier for him to read, not to mention that far fewer people would be able to understand it.
When he finished reading, he growled and crumpled the paper up. "By the gods, I'm going to kill her!"
He kept his composure long enough to hand his ink stained sheets to Oboro, but once he reached the archery range, he showed no mercy. He fired arrow after arrow in such rapid succession that his targets kept breaking. Thankfully, Lilith's magic created a new target each time he destroyed one, but his anger and frustration continued to boil even as his fingers began to ache.
Damn that Robin, and damn this stupid body-switching curse! What did I ever do to deserve this?
"Well, you're training early this morning."
Takumi bristled at the irritatingly familiar voice. He turned around and sure enough, Prince Leo had intruded.
"YOU!" Takumi roared. "What are you doing here?!"
"In case you forgot, these grounds are neutral territory. I have as much right to be here as you."
Prince Leo was right, of course, but that didn't mean Takumi had to like it. "Well, you shouldn't interrupt me while I'm practicing. I can't guarantee I won't mistake you for a target. That bruise on your nose looks an awful lot like a bullseye."
The Nohrian prince scowled, and Takumi gloated. Robin did some really stupid things while in his body, but at least she agreed that Prince Leo was an insufferable prick. He wished he could have seen her chuck that book at the scum's face.
"You're as insufferable as ever," Prince Leo growled.
"Really? I was about to say the same thing," Takumi countered as he twirled an arrow between his fingers.
"Enough! I didn't come here to argue with you, Prince Takumi."
"Then why the hell are you here?"
"You weren't acting like yourself yesterday, and now I know why. Why haven't you told anyone that you've been switching bodies with a stranger?"
Takumi froze and dropped his arrow. "Wha… What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me," Prince Leo groused. "I know your little secret. In fact, I'm amazed the rest of the army hasn't figured it out. That Robin is a terrible actor."
Takumi lunged towards the other prince and yanked him by his stupid collar. "Who told you about her?! Answer me!"
"'Her', huh? That explains the shrill voice," Prince Leo mused. His flippant tone incensed Takumi more.
"Who. Told. You?" he snarled.
"If you really must know, I had my retainer spy on her. She let her guard down far too easily. Niles learned her name in no time."
"Did you tell anyone else?" Takumi spat, venom dripping from every syllable. "Because if you did, I swear―"
"Not yet," Prince Leo said quickly. "But I want to know why you're so desperate to keep this secret. You're the most distrustful person I've met, and yet you're going through all this trouble to protect a stranger."
"That's not it at all! I can't be holding everyone back with my problems! I'm weak enough as is!"
Takumi blanched when he realized what he had blurted. He released his grip on Prince Leo's collar and covered his mouth in horror.
"You are a fool of the highest regard," Prince Leo scoffed, shaking his head. "Very well. I'm probably going to regret this, but I'll keep quiet about your little problem."
"Wha… Really?"
"It's not for your sake, of course," the Nohrian prince added. "I am, of course, familiar with body-swapping magic, but I've never seen a case like this. To think that it works despite the astral plain's isolated nature… I want to keep observing this phenomenon without being impeded by your siblings."
"Are you seriously treating me like some sort of experiment?!" Takumi seethed.
"If I can determine the cause, then I should be able to find a way to stop the switches from happening," Prince Leo explained. "Surely you'd like that."
Takumi had to admit he had a point. "Fine. But you'd better not try anything funny while Robin's in my body, or more than just your nose will wind up bruised."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Prince Leo sneered. He then left, enabling Takumi to finish training in peace. The Hoshidan prince destroyed a few more targets for good measure―pretending the bullseyes were Prince Leo's smug face motivated him significantly.
Yet, his troubles with the other prince were far from over. Sakura finally deemed Takumi well enough to march, and Corrin, in all her infinite wisdom, thought pairing her two younger brothers together in battle was a wonderful idea. If that weren't enough, she opted to trust a stranger to guide them through this bizarre place where chunks of land floated in the air.
Azura filled him in after they left the astral plain. She said that the reason she and Corrin had been so tight-lipped about their goal was because this kingdom, Valla, was cursed. Any mention of the kingdom outside its borders would invoke the curse and dissolve the speaker. Azura claimed her mother died from this very curse.
The cause of the curse, Valla's devastation, and the current trouble between Hoshido and Nohr was the Silent Dragon, Anankos. He possessed King Garon and sent his invisible soldiers to attack the two kingdoms in order to invoke war between them. Once the Hoshidan and Nohrian armies were weakened from all the fighting, they would be easy pickings for Anankos's army. With the two greatest powers gone, Anankos could conquer the entire continent with little effort.
It was a fantastical tale, but after all he'd seen, Takumi believed it. He had battled those invisible soldiers in the ruins of Cyrkensia and saw their bodies evaporate when they were killed. Plus, he had heard countless tales of how powerful the First Dragons were. It did present a slight problem, though: Robin would have to learn all of this the next time they switched. At least both of his retainers knew about her now thanks to her bumbling, so they could fill her in when the time came.
Speaking of Robin, wasn't her group also aiming to stop a crazed dragon? Like before, his memories from his time in her body were fuzzy, but he faintly remembered having a conversation about that. Takumi suspected Robin's experiences were similar, and that brought forth another potential issue. If she failed to recall Valla was cursed and foolishly mentioned the kingdom to someone, then she would dissolve and doom her entire army.
Wait, why should I worry about that? It's not my problem!
Even so, the idea of Robin dying because of the effects of the switching didn't sit well with him. Even though she had embarrassed him to the point where he couldn't look anyone but his retainers in the eye anymore, she didn't deserve to die because of it. He decided to figure out what to do about that the next time they switched places. He really didn't like resigning himself to the fact that these switches were unlikely to stop anytime soon, but at this point he had no choice. He would have to anticipate potentially waking up in Robin's body every time he went to sleep.
Back to the main matter at hand, Corrin had enlisted a Vallite native named Anthony to serve as their guide to Castle Gyges, where Anankos resided. Something about that boy didn't sit well with Takumi, and he made sure to keep a close eye on him. Prince Leo had similar concerns, so the two princes agreed to a temporary truce.
That truce was put to the test a few days later when Takumi nearly plummeted to his doom. Considering his recent run of bad luck, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that the rickety bridge decided to collapse precisely when he was in the middle of crossing it. If Prince Leo hadn't grabbed his hand at the last second, he would have died.
After that, Takumi held a grudging respect for Prince Leo. He still loathed his Nohrian counterpart, but he was grateful that Prince Leo saved his life, even if it was only for Corrin's sake. He also had to admit that Prince Leo was a strong fighter in his own right, even though he wore his collar inside out on almost a daily basis.
The other members of the army weren't making things any easier for Takumi. Corrin and Orochi kept teasing him about how he and Prince Leo could pass as twins. Even Azura made a few remarks on the subject, which left him fuming. How could he have anything in common with that Nohrian scum?
He felt quite sheepish after learning the truth from Prince Leo himself. The Nohrian prince had been enduring similar teasing from Corrin and Princess Camilla and questioned Takumi about his interests in hopes of putting a stop to it. As it turned out, the two of them had almost identical tastes in food, books, and hobbies. Takumi still wasn't keen on the idea of getting along with the other prince, but he couldn't bring himself to hate him as much anymore.
It also helped that Prince Leo was researching possible causes for the switches Takumi and Robin were experiencing. Robin had done some investigating during their last switch, but Prince Leo had better knowledge of the subject matter. Takumi didn't like the Nohrian prince's fascination with the switching, but he supposed he would have to deal with it if he wanted to get out of this mess.
Come to think of it, at least five days had passed since the last switch. Takumi was grateful to stay in his own skin, but he began to wonder if something happened to Robin. He kept telling himself that she wasn't someone he should be concerned with in the first place, but the thought continued to pester him.
Stupid woman. If she got herself into trouble, then she deserves it.
He continued stewing even as he tried to get his mind off Robin by polishing the Fujin Yumi underneath one of the astral plain's cherry trees. Her condition was a needless distraction when he had other problems to worry about. He was in a foul enough mood since Anthony unsurprisingly betrayed their group.
"My, I've never seen anyone polish a weapon so forcefully."
Takumi groaned. "Go away, Prince Leo."
"Are you sure all that rubbing won't damage it?"
"I know my own weapon's limits," Takumi growled. "Look, I know you didn't come to make small talk, so either get to the point or get lost."
"So temperamental," said Prince Leo. "Are you perhaps thinking about your little bird?"
"Little bird? What―NO! Why would I think about that?!"
"You know, the louder you deny it, the less convincing you sound."
"Shut up," Takumi snarled.
Prince Leo continued as if he hadn't heard him. "I am curious as to why she hasn't shown up again. Perhaps something happened."
"I'm sure it's nothing," said Takumi. "Or maybe our little problem just stopped on its own."
"I highly doubt that. This sort of issue doesn't start or stop for no reason."
"Speaking of which, have you made any progress?"
"Not much. I was hoping to learn more about your little bird so I could have more clues to work with, but she's being surprisingly elusive."
Takumi glared at the other prince. "You'd better not be planning anything shady."
"Aren't you protective?" Prince Leo asked, grinning.
"It's my body!" Takumi snapped. "I won't tolerate you messing with it!"
The Nohrian prince scoffed and shook his head. "Keep deluding yourself."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"You already know. In any case, I'd better get going. Unlike you, I have a lot of work to do."
"Then get lost already!"
Thankfully, Prince Leo did just that, but Takumi's temper refused to cool. It really bothered him that the other prince got under his skin so easily. Of course, he always hated being teased, but the fact that Prince Leo was the instigator this time made it all the worse. Not to mention that it again brought forth the nagging feeling he had been trying to avoid.
She's not my concern, he firmly told himself.
But she made you her concern, a little voice in the back of his head reminded him.
He recalled the words Robin painted on his left palm. I'm here for you. The fact that she would write such a thing to someone she hadn't even properly met was ridiculous, but he would be lying if he said he didn't find the sentiment a little touching. Not that he would ever admit that out loud, of course. Plus, he still didn't appreciate the ink stains.
He set down his lacquer-soaked cloth with a sigh. The Fujin Yumi sparkled to the point where he could almost see his reflection in it. He then reclined against the tree, placing his beloved yumi on the ground beside him.
He couldn't deny it anymore; he was a little worried about Robin. She had caused him a lot of trouble, but in hindsight, he couldn't really fault her since he had made numerous mistakes of his own while using her body. Besides, they were in this mess together. He didn't have to get along with her, but he wasn't heartless, either.
Still, there was no way to know what was going on with Robin until they switched places again. In the meantime, Takumi supposed the least he could do was try to make things a little easier for her. He smuggled a pen, some paper, and a few Hoshidan children's books into his tent. Sakura and Azura had used those same books to teach Corrin how to read Hoshidan. Thankfully, his sister had moved on to more advanced material, so he could now use them to teach Robin his native tongue.
For the rest of the day, he hunkered down in his tent and wrote a series of instructions for Robin. First, he made a list of rules to follow while using his body. Then he translated the children's books into Nohrian and pointed out key characters to remember. She wouldn't be fluent, but Robin would have to know at least some Hoshidan if she hoped to masquerade as him. He only stopped to join the army for dinner and resumed his work once he had eaten.
By the time he finished, the hour had grown late. He set his pen down with a sigh. He had never written so much Nohrian in his life, and it left him exhausted. He hoped Robin would find it useful and not bungle everything again. Only one problem remained: even if Robin learned archery overnight, she still couldn't use the Fujin Yumi. She'd have to avoid combat altogether in order to keep up the charade, but how could she do that without looking suspicious?
Takumi's exhausted mind couldn't conjure any viable solutions. He decided to sleep on the matter and figure something out tomorrow. If he and Robin switched again beforehand, he would just have to hope the tactician thought of something on her own. Thinking on the fly was her job anyway.
You owe me big time, Robin. You better not have made me do all this for nothing. If you died on me, I'll never forgive you, you hear me?!
Grumpy but secretly concerned Takumi is really fun to write. I also enjoyed writing his banter with Leo. I hope I got their characters down well. And the wait wasn't as long this time! I'm still amazed at how productive I've been despite working full time and playing stuff like Sacred Stones. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been a lot of fun!
