"Big Brother, that was reckless."

"Not you too, Sakura…"

Takumi grimaced as his sister finished binding the gash in his leg. The wound was deep, and he likely wouldn't be able to walk properly for a day or two, even with Sakura's care.

I'm still too weak.

He had been eager to rejoin the army after his day-long absence, but on their trek through a deep forest, they were attacked by Azura's mother, Arete. Anankos had resurrected her and used her as his puppet. In the battle with her troops, Takumi had charged off on his own, hoping to prove himself. However, an enemy ninja ambushed and wounded him, and Hinoka ended up coming to his rescue. She had followed him the second she got the chance and chewed him out afterwards.

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn?!" she had yelled. "Stop trying to take everything on by yourself! We're your family! We can help you!"

"You don't have to pretend that you care!" he snapped back. "Just go on without me. I can find my way back on my own."

"What?! How could you say such a thing?!" Hinoka screeched. "Wait, where are you going?! You shouldn't move with a wound like that!"

The two of them managed to get back to the astral plane with the help of some of the other sky knights, but it left a bitter taste in Takumi's mouth. He held the army back yet again. All he ever did was drag everyone else down.

They're better off without me. I know they all feel that way.

Unwittingly, he brushed his left arm with his thumb. The ink was long gone, but he felt like the words were still engraved on his skin. He could not fathom why Robin would write such a strong feeling of gratitude on his arm, and using his language at that.

If she thinks she can win me over with cheap words, she's got another thing coming.

"Big Brother, are you thinking about Robin?" asked Sakura.

"What? No! Of course not!" he shouted.

Learning that his family had known about the switching all this time was embarrassing, to say the least. All his efforts to keep Robin a secret had been pointless. At the same time, though, he wasn't that surprised considering how Robin always caused some disaster whenever she used his body. Like yesterday, when she pitched his belongings at Prince Leo and messed with his hair without permission. Luckily, no one saw him with the braid aside from his retainers and Prince Leo, but at this rate the whole army would discover his secret.

"You shouldn't be so hard on her," said Sakura. "She really was sorry about everything."

He merely grumbled, not wanting to acknowledge that his sister saw right through him. Truthfully, Robin had been on his mind more often than he would admit to anyone. They really needed to stop the switching soon. He couldn't afford to be distracted by such idle thoughts.

Hinoka visited him next, and she was still furious. "What were you thinking?!"

"This again?" Takumi sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter anymore. We're both fine, aren't we?"

"That's not the point!" Hinoka snapped. "I can't believe you said such a horrible thing! Do you really think I don't care about you?!"

"It's always Corrin, Corrin, Corrin when it comes to you and Big Brother! I might as well not exist to you guys!"

Hinoka took a step back, eyes wide with shock. "Is that what you really think?"

Takumi huffed and pointedly stared at the wall of the tent. He hadn't intended to blurt all that, but the words spilled out with his frustration. He heard his sister call his name, and a moment later, she pulled him into her arms. Takumi stiffened with surprise. Hinoka was seldom this openly affectionate.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. "I never realized you felt that way. I'm a terrible big sister."

"H-Hinoka…"

"That day at the Bottomless Canyon, when you―I mean, when Robin got you hurt, I was devastated. We all were. I was so scared that I was going to lose you. I remember what I felt when Corrin was kidnapped and when Mother died, and I… I can't go through that again! If I lose you too, I don't know if I'd be able to go on!"

Takumi remained motionless, stunned by Hinoka's confession. For once, he had no retorts.

"Of course Corrin is dear to me, but you are too," she continued. "Ryoma feels the same, even if he doesn't show it much. There's no need for you to prove yourself to us. We know you're strong. But don't you realize that we're so much stronger when we're together?"

"Big Sister…" Takumi relaxed and gently hugged her back. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's partially my fault for not making enough effort to show just how much you mean to me. Just promise me that you'll never say such a terrible thing again, okay?"

"Okay. I promise."

"Good." Hinoka pulled away and flashed him a smile. "Now take it easy and focus on getting better. I don't want to find out you worsened your injury because you snuck off to train or something!"

"Yes, Sister," Takumi drawled, rolling his eyes.

"That's the little brother I know and love!" exclaimed Hinoka. "I'll see you again later, okay?"

After she left, Takumi realized that something good actually came out of Robin's blunders. He chastised himself for thinking about that woman again and quickly focused on the Nohrian history books he hadn't finished reading. In his current state, there wasn't much else he could do.

His retainers and his other siblings all took their turns visiting him and scolded him for being reckless again. Even Princess Camilla and Princess Elise gave him an earful, with the former asking him to let her take care of him and the latter calling him a "big dummy". His mood had turned foul by the time Prince Leo came around.

"Did you come to chew me out, too?" Takumi grumbled.

"No, although it is tempting," Prince Leo replied.

"Shut up."

"In any case," Prince Leo began. "I was able to speak with Robin yesterday."

"I heard she nailed you again."

The other prince bristled. "I handled the situation just fine, thank you very much."

"I have a hard time believing that," Takumi snorted.

"Gods, the both of you are absolutely insufferable," groaned Prince Leo. "I wonder how that prince who hired her puts up with her."

"From what I understand, they're very close friends," explained Takumi. "I guess he's used to her."

"Whatever the case, that woman needs to stop throwing everything she finds in arm's reach. It's absurd."

"That's something we can agree on. I'm just glad she hasn't made the Fujin Yumi a projectile yet."

"She certainly is a feisty one. Much like someone else I know."

"Excuse me?"

"My point exactly."

Takumi growled and balled his fists. "Gods, I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual," Prince Leo quipped. "Anyway, what I was going to say earlier is that Robin provided some interesting information."

"Like what?"

"She's a lot like you, actually."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Takumi snapped. "I'm nothing like her!"

Prince Leo ignored him. "For one, you're both reckless fools. Did you realize she wasn't sleeping for your sake?"

"I-I knew that!" Takumi exclaimed. "And she won't dare try that again unless she wants more insults scribbled on her skin!"

"Both petty and temperamental as well," Prince Leo noted.

"Will you stop that?!" Takumi snapped. "And I am not reckless! It's not like I was the one avoiding sleep!"

"And who charged off on his own in battle today without sparing a thought for his own safety?"

Takumi sputtered, his tongue tied by embarrassment. The longer he struggled, the wider Prince Leo's smirk grew.

"I rest my case," he concluded.

Takumi could only seethe while the other prince gloated. Why did he have to be so damned insufferable?

"It is quite interesting, though," Prince Leo continued. "I need more evidence to prove it, of course, but I suspect that these similarities have something to do with why you're switching places."

"You couldn't have told me that right from the start?!"

"I could have if you weren't always so antagonistic. Besides, I love watching you squirm."

"That's it!" Takumi snapped. "As soon as I can walk again, you're dead!"

"I'd like to see you try," Prince Leo countered.

They both knew the threat was hollow, but Takumi wished he could follow through just to wipe that stupid smirk off the other prince's face. Prince Leo always seemed to know exactly how to get under his skin. At this point, he wasn't sure if the Nohrian prince or Robin angered him more, and he was stuck with both of them until they figured out how to stop the switches.

The gods clearly enjoyed tormenting him.

Each hour dragged by as Takumi's wound slowly healed. The army continued its advance on Castle Gyges without him, and their progress was steady. Corrin informed him that they would likely reach Anankos's doorstep in less than a week's time. It was great news, but his heart sank nonetheless. The army really was better off without him.

By the next morning, Takumi was well enough to walk, but not enough to fight. He could only watch as everyone left him behind again. He hated being so useless.

The only thing he could do right now was gather more Hoshidan books for Robin. He was surprised at how enthusiastic she was about learning his language. His candle had melted down to a stub, so she must have stayed up reading well into the night. Thankfully, no one questioned him when he requested a new candle since he had done the same thing on numerous occasions.

He didn't like to admit it, but Prince Leo was right. Robin was a lot like him. Of course, they had their differences, but he never imagined he would have so much in common with a girl from a far-off land. He also never imagined he would learn so much about someone he had never met.

That reminded him that Robin wanted to see him after their respective wars were over, and since one of her future sons sported distinctly Hoshidan features, she would eventually succeed. That meant that it was even more important for her to have a good grasp of Hoshidan. Hoshidan royals and their retainers were required to learn Nohrian as part of their education, but most of the populace was fluent in only one language. Mozu, for instance, knew very little Nohrian at first. If it weren't for Corrin and Azura being constant mediators, translators, and teachers, their army would have collapsed long ago.

Takumi wondered who would eventually capture Robin's heart. She was headstrong, with a mind as sharp as a katana and a temper to match. She would easily overwhelm most men. Her future husband had to be someone extraordinary. Someone far stronger than him.

His mood worsened again at the reminder of his own weakness. He only had himself to blame for being stuck here. A prince shouldn't act blindly on emotion, but he did it anyway, over and over. He was a disgrace to his title and his country. Why would anyone want him when they already had a perfect prince in Ryoma?

Robin didn't seem to care about any of that, though. In fact, she included things she admired about him in her reports, such as his skill with the bow or the fact that he was bilingual. It was pointless flattery, but he couldn't deny that being complimented felt nice.

She also wrote that she felt terrible about causing him so much trouble and that she would do everything in her power to make things up to him. She vowed to learn as much Hoshidan as she could so she could help him more, and she said she would try to get along with Prince Leo even though he was "a pompous, nosy jerk", as she put it.

Takumi knew that if Robin was putting so much effort into this for his sake, then he had to answer in kind. No matter how insecure he felt about leading Robin's army, he would have to be strong for them. He couldn't give in until they figured out how to stop the switching for good. And then…

And then what?

He initially wanted to put all this behind him and forget any of it happened, but he wasn't sure he could do that anymore. Now that he knew Robin would visit Hoshido in the future, the last thing he wanted was her causing a huge scene again. Someone had to keep her in line, and he couldn't count on that idiotic Prince Chrom to do it. No, this was something he had to do himself. He would watch over her until she met her future husband, and then they would go their separate ways.

That made the fact that Robin kept invading his thoughts concerning. With each switch he inadvertently learned more about her and she became harder to ignore. How long could he go on before he found himself in too deep?

Robin at least made things easier for him with her constant bumbling. If he stayed angry with her, then he could keep distance between them. After all, their paths never should have crossed in the first place. It didn't matter how much they had in common. They had their own duties to attend to in their respective countries and lived too far apart to make visiting plausible. This was how it was meant to be.

No stupid "invisible ties" could change that.

Well, life happened and it took me a long time to write the next chapter. I have been trying to write a little bit on most days when I have some spare time, but it isn't easy, and my pace is very slow. Some days I don't get out more than a sentence or two. As a result, I don't know how regular my updates will be from now on. Still, I'm gonna keep on pushing forward a little at a time. Slow and steady wins the race!