A/N: I can't believe I went over a year without updating. I lost inspiration and fandom hopped a bunch... BUT I'M BACK. Of course, no one's gonna read Fates fic with Three Houses out so... thanks for sticking around with my irregular posting schedule if you're still here. On the upside, I updated the summary to better fit the fic.

Recap because it's been so long: Garon is the thief. Ryoma was able to end their duel in a draw so Garon gets away. Leo finds out that his father is the thief and his mother is his accomplice, so he heads towards Takumi's house. Ryoma is the only one that knows that Garon has Siegfried, but seeing as he's unconscious, he can't share that information. Mikoto told Anankos and Azura that the Yato is buried in the backyard of her old house from before she and Kamui moved in with the Shirasagi's. Anankos (the "human" one) forms a truce with his dragon half and Takumi to find the divine weapons before the thief does.

Takumi opened his eyes and found himself seated in one of the living room chairs. How had he gotten here? After pushing past the haze of waking up, he realized that Anankos had been stepping in for him today. Right; he had been extremely tired and all but shoved Anankos into control of his body. Maybe he would apologize for that later.

"Takumi?" came a gentle voice from across the room, "is that you?"

Azura was here? Takumi gathered his bearings and fully took in his surroundings. He was in the living room and Azura sat in a seat across from him. On the sofa was... Ryoma? Gods, he didn't look good. Had something happened?

He finally found his voice. "Azura... what's going on?" He felt terribly out of the loop, and equally as disoriented. Nothing seemed right after spending gods know how long in his head. "What happened to Ryoma-niisan?"

The girl locked her fingers together in her lap and brought her gaze to the man in question. "Ryoma was attacked by the same person that took Brynhildr from Leo," she explained delicately. Takumi was sure to be mad about not being able to do anything and - not to mention - declare vengeance on whoever hurt his brother. "He still has Raijinto, but I found him unconscious and brought him back here. Anankos helped me treat his wounds."

Well, that explained why the air reeked with the smell of chemicals. Azura must have had to instruct Anankos on how to treat all of those wounds because Takumi sure as hell didn't have any idea how to do any of that medical stuff. He usually left that to his mom; she was a nurse, after all.

Takumi eyed the Raijinto and brought his fingers to his chin in thought. "That must mean the thief is on the hunt again."

It had been four years since the thief had stolen Brynhildr. For the immediate months after that, everyone had been on guard for subsequent attacks... but they never came. It still didn't make sense. Why had the thief waited four years before attempting to steal another one of the divine weapons? If anything, that was delaying whatever goal the thief had in mind.

Azura seemed to have picked up on his train of thought. "Maybe there's a reason why they've waited so long to try again? It's been four years since their last attack."

"Hm," Takumi hummed. "Maybe it was just to lay low and get their plan in order before stealing another?" He seemed to reconsider the thought with a dismissive shake of his head. "No, that doesn't make sense. They would have done that before going after Brynhildr."

So why would they wait this long to try again? The question hung silently in the air between them.

He sighed. "It doesn't matter now," he resolved, "what matters is that they're on the hunt again and that we don't know where the remaining divine weapons are-"

"Actually," Azura interrupted, "your mother told us where the Yato was." She withheld the hint that Mikoto gave about Takumi and the whereabouts of the Fujin Yumi. They should worry about the Yato first, especially when they knew its exact location.

Takumi ignored the "us"; he knew Azura must have been referring to herself and Anankos. That would take some getting used to. "So?" he prodded, a hint of anxiety growing in his chest at the prospect of them wasting time. "Where is it?"

He hoped that the thief didn't know the Yato's whereabouts. The sooner he and Azura could retrieve the sword, the less stress he would have. Who knew how many divine weapons the thief had at this point? Maybe there wasn't a four year period between the stealing of the weapons.

"She said that she buried the Yato in her old backyard, at the house she lived in before moving in with your family," Azura ran her fingers over her pendant absently, ocean blue glimmering beneath her skin. "I think you should call Kamui before you go, though."

Takumi held back a confused 'Why Kamui-nee?'before his jumbled-up memories of the first life reassorted themselves in his mind. Right. Kamui had been the wielder of the Yato. It would make sense if she could be the only one to use it.

"That's a good idea," he nodded, pushing himself to his feet. "I'll call her now-"

He reached into his pocket for his phone. Of course it wasn't there. Why would he expect it to be where he last put it. "Great," he sighed, mostly to himself. "I think Anankos lost my phone."

Azura held back a chuckle. "I'll call her, then - you go on ahead." She took the nearest house phone and searched through the contact list. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Ryoma. We don't know if the thief might come here looking for him."

"Thanks, Azura," he smiled gratefully. "I'm going to search my room for my phone before I leave. Just in case there's an emergency and I need to get in contact with you."

She nodded, affirming that she had heard him, but Kamui had picked up and Azura began to fill her in on what was going on. Takumi took that as his cue to leave for upstairs and search for his phone.

Once he reached his room, he shut the door behind him so Azura wouldn't overhear him. "Alright. What the hell happened while I was gone?"

Doesn't matter. You're wasting time. The voice sounded passive-aggressive. Yep, that was definitely the Silent Dragon speaking. And your phone is in your pocket, why did you lie about it?

Takumi allowed himself a smile. "What, am I not allowed an alibi?" He held his eyes shut, giving off a pretentious air. "Besides, I needed an excuse to get away for a moment. I wanted a recap on what I missed."

I talked to Mikoto, the other Anankos intervened, tone more neutral than his maddened counterpart. She told me the same thing that Azura informed you of.

"I feel like I'm still missing out on something." He frowned, but he figured that was all the knowledge that they had at the moment.

Dragon-Anankos gave him a mental push. For giving a whole speech on not wanting to waste time in finding the Yato, you're doing a damn terrible job of actually moving.

I hate to admit it, but he's right. The other Anankos agreed, and Takumi realized that two voices in his head were two too many.

"I get it, I'm going..." He opened his bedroom door and headed back downstairs. Azura was still on the phone with Kamui, so Takumi gave her a quick wave before exiting the house.

As soon as he opened the front door, a body fell on top of him, sending them both onto the floor. Takumi yelped, both Anankos buzzing in surprise, and glanced down at the unconscious person currently on top of him.

"LEO?" Takumi's eyes widened, and he pulled himself out from under Leo, carefully flipping the other boy onto his back.

Azura, who must have gotten off the phone with Kamui during the panic, rushed over to his side, kneeling beside her brother. She put two fingers to the side of his neck, nodding shakily. "He's still breathing, just... very shallowly."

Taking a closer look, Takumi realized that Leo was covered in dirt, his hair had leaves intermingled into it, and there was dry blood sprouting from his forehead. He had some cuts and scratches on him, but the blood stood out the most, caking most of his skin. Had he been attacked?

"We need to deal with his wounds," he breathed, brushing Leo's bangs out of the way to inspect the gash in his forehead. Blood smeared itself onto Takumi's thumb, leaving a small trail across Leo's skin.

What we need, Dragon-Anankos hissed, is to get the Yato.

Takumi squeezed his eyes shut with a huff. "After," he muttered, ignoring Azura's golden gaze flicking over to him before returning to Leo's unconscious body. "Let's... erm..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know I'm not good at this kind of stuff."

Azura gave him a small smile, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "That's how I could tell it was Anankos earlier," she stood, looking down at him. "He helped me cauterize Ryoma's stomach. You would have fainted as soon as I mentioned cauterization in the first place."

Takumi pouted. "I would not."

You would.

"Oh, not you too," he grumbled, turning back to Leo to inspect his wounds. "The first aid kit is-"

"Right here," Azura brandished it in front of her, having grabbed it from the kitchen counter. "We put it over here after taking care of Ryoma's injuries."

"Oh, right..." He adjusted Leo's arms so he had a clear view of all the scrapes and cuts. "Let's disinfect these and then patch him up."

Azura smiled at him, making her way back through the living room to sit next to the boys. "I'm glad you learned from earlier."

Takumi frowned. Anankos' memories from earlier had come to him like it was nothing. This was due to the fusion, wasn't it? He moved on instinct, supporting Leo's body and allowing Azura to tend to his wounds. She worked like she was a lifelong nurse, moving from cut to cut as if it were a practiced dance. Takumi found himself mesmerized in the motions, flinching when she held gauze in front of his face.

"You're going to wrap this around his head after I clean out the gash on his forehead," she explained, her light voice stern. "Here."

He took the roll from her and watched as she went back to work. She cleaned out the wound and placed some kind of cotton-tissue on Leo's forehead. Distantly, Takumi wondered where Azura learned how to care for wounds of this caliber. He got goosebumps just thinking about cauterization.

"Start at the back of his head," she instructed, catching him off guard. Takumi nearly dropped the roll, and the ruder Anankos barked a laugh at his plunder. "I'll hold his bangs back."

Takumi did as he was told, starting the end of the roll at the back of Leo's head and worked his way around and around. Leo's eyes began to twitch, his face scrunching in pain, but he didn't wake up. Takumi ripped off the end and tucked it under some of the other layers, securing it in place. Azura let his bangs go, letting the locks fall over the bandages.

Azura leaned back, admiring her handiwork. "Two brothers in one day," She laughed lightly, turning towards Takumi. "You don't happen to have another sofa, do you?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "No, I don't think so."

They couldn't just leave him on the living room floor, and a chair wouldn't really be the best option for his body to rest on. The only other option would be...

Takumi sighed. "Let's lay him down on my bed."

Azura smiled, but with the look in her eyes, a smirk would have been more fitting. "He's pretty light, actually. You could lift him by yourself," she leaned forward, fiddling with the first-aid kit. "Besides, I need to start cleaning up. I hope we can put this away and last a few hours before another injured sibling shows up at the door."

"Yeah, okay," he grumbled, sliding his arms under Leo's shoulders and knees, lifting him up bridal style. "Be a little more discreet, matchmaker."

Azura hummed to herself and Takumi knew the conversation was over. Whatever. He got to his feet, Leo in his arms, and made his way across the living room, through the hallway, and up the stairs. Leo was so light, it hardly felt like a chore at all.

But when he fell on us, it was like getting hit with a sack of bricks, Ryuurei - yeah, Takumi would think of him as his old nickname so his thoughts weren't so confusing - mused.

"Maybe it was the surprise factor," he mumbled, turning his body so he could use his shoulder to push open the door. "And he's not wearing his prince armor, so I'm sure that takes off a good twenty pounds."

Takumi made his way across his bedroom, lowering Leo onto his bed and pulling his arms out from under him. Should he put the blanket over him? He didn't look cold, so... Takumi decided he would leave it off for the time being. Leo could always pull it on top of himself if he were to wake up and want it.

He frowned, taking in all of the bandages and gauze covering Leo's body. Ryoma was hurt as well, and both of them were unconscious. Ryoma had gotten injured in his fight with the thief, so who's to say Leo didn't stumble upon a similar fate?

Sighing, Takumi turned around to leave the room. There were too many things to consider right now, and he needed to get to the Yato before the thief did. He closed his door behind him, taking the steps two at a time, and found himself back in the living room. Azura was in the kitchen at the moment, wringing a washcloth.

Takumi made his way towards the door but stopped as he was passing the sofa. His eyes caught on Ryoma, unconscious and more patched up than Leo had been. Takumi's breath caught in his throat upon seeing the Raijinto clutched in his brother's hand, fingers gripping the blade like a lifeline. Considering how detrimental Brynhildr being stolen from Leo was for his health, it made Takumi wonder: were the divine weapons so intricately connected to their souls?

Ryuurei and Anankos stayed silent, static filling Takumi's thoughts. Right. Finding the Yato was what was important right now. Ryoma and Leo were safe.

"I'm going now," he said, loud enough for Azura to hear in the kitchen. "I'll call if I need anything."

Azura's lips pulled into a small, almost unnoticeable frown. "Stay safe, alright? I was joking about patching up anyone else today."

We'll be fine, Ryuurei reassured, placating Takumi's worries. Anankos seemed to hum in response.

He nodded, offering Azura a smile. "I think I'm more than capable of fighting off any assailants."

She tilted her head slightly, golden eyes brightening. "I'll hold you to it, then."

He opened the front door, waited a second to ensure no more unconscious teenage boys fell on him, and then took a step. He closed the door behind him with a small chuckle. He stood on his front steps, eyes roving over the forest before him. The Yato was buried in his mother's old backyard. How was he going to explain digging through the dirt to whoever owned the house now? Ugh. That would be a problem that he would tackle when he got there. He could ask Kamui to meet up with him, worse comes to worst.

Wait. Takumi took in a long breath, trying to fight down his anxiety. He had no idea where Mikoto's old house was. Fuck.

Search for a Dragon Vein, Ryuurei suggested. Maybe her old house would be close to one.

"I don't think that's how those work, but I don't really have any other plan in mind," he submitted, beginning to walk toward the forest and feeling for any energy tugging at him. "I'll just-"

Why not call your sister?

Takumi reached his hand into his hoodie pocket, fingers wrapping around his phone. Anankos was right. And instead of bothering Mikoto again with another phone call, he could just ask Kamui.

Halfway through finding her contact and ringing her, his thoughts stalled, his lips tugging into a frown. It was starting to worry him how much his thoughts were beginning to blend with Ryuurei and Anankos'. "Don't worry about that now," he muttered to himself, calling Kamui and putting the phone to his ear, "Yato first, fusion woes later..."

Kamui picked up two rings later. "Takumi? What's up?"

He crossed one arm over his chest, putting his fingers on his forearm. "I know you were just talking to Azura, but, um," he scuffed his shoe on the granite, his voice taking on a sheepish tone, "can you give me your old address? I realized I don't know where you used to live."

He could hear voices in the background of the call. Kamui was hanging out with her friends today, just like he had been earlier. His time with Hinata and Oboro felt like a lifetime ago. "Oh! Azura did mention that you were going to head over there. The address is-" she gave the name of the street, and to his dismay, it was across town. "A-Are you going there on foot?"

'What other choice do I have?' he wanted to retort. He bit back his frustration, knowing that his sister was not the target for it in the least bit. "I can't drive."

Kamui laughed on the other end. "Why don't you borrow Hinoka-nee's bike?"

Oh. He had forgotten that Hinoka had a bike. He ran down the front stairs, turned to the side of the house, and spotted it leaning against the garage. "Great idea. Can you meet me there?"

There was rustling on the other end. "I'm with Silas and Felicia right now. It might be better to just meet you back at home. I'm about an hour away right now..."

Of course she isn't here when you need her, Anankos hissed. Takumi brushed the intrusive thought away, walking towards the bike. "I'll see you back at home, then. Azura is here to watch over Ryoma-nii and Leo."

"Leo too?" she asked, concern lacing her voice. "Stay safe, alright?"

"You're the second person to tell me that within the last five minutes," he grumbled, but he appreciated the sentiment. "Look, I'll see you later. I need to get there as fast as possible."

"I won't hold you, then. I'll see you when you get back, alright?"

They bid each other goodbye, Takumi promptly sliding his phone back into his pocket. With both hands on the handles, he began to walk the bike to the end of the driveway.

... You don't know how to ride a bike.

Takumi shut his eyes with a grimace. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, Ryu."

He half-sat on the bike, one foot on a pedal and the other still on the ground. He didn't have time for doubts - he needed to get across town as fast as possible.

He took in a deep breath, pushing down his fears and putting on a brave face. "Alright, let's go."

Garon was not the kind of man to show his emotions, but he had the strong desire to punch a wall. Arete watched him warily, afraid of her husband's wrath, but continued her stride beside him. Besides, they were almost back to their house where they could lick their wounds and revamp their game plan. Not retrieving the Raijinto was a huge step back, and while Arete was secretly glad that their plan had failed, she knew her husband felt the opposite.

Arete had no desire to gather the divine weapons. And once upon a time, Garon didn't either. He had stumbled upon Siegfried four years ago on a hiking trip, and once he had arrived home, he had been a changed man. Before that incident, Garon had been a wonderful and caring father, even if he didn't always show it. After he had wielded the divine blade, his memories of the first life clouded his thoughts and near-completely overtook his personality. Once he had gotten Siegfried, he had become obsessed with collecting the divine weapons. Why? Arete was too scared to find out.

Truthfully, all Arete wanted was her husband back. She wanted the man who loved their children and worked overtime to support their family, not this revenge-obsessed husk. All she could do for right now was follow Garon and stall his plans for as long as possible.

Her golden eyes caught on her reddened hand, wincing as the crack from Garon smacking her earlier echoed in her ears. She had been offering him a hand to stand up, and seeing it as a sign of pity, he had smacked her hand away. She cradled it with her other hand, her lips pulling into a frown at the dull ache in her bones.

Her husband was still somewhere beneath all of the hatred. He had to be. If he wasn't, then these last four years had been a waste.

Sometimes, Arete did not think she would have survived this long. Garon's temper was short and he lashed out against her constantly. She could take a beating, especially if it meant their children were spared from his wrath. She knew that Leo had been in poor health since Garon had stolen Brynhildr, but… what else could she do? Stalling Garon from stealing the other divine weapons was currently all she was capable of.

And if Garon found it in himself to slay her… her only solace was that she had given Azura her pendant. If Arete couldn't be around to fulfill her duties as Anankos' keeper, Azura would do it in her place.

Arete closed her eyes, slightly tilting her head forward in shame. She was an awful mother, burdening her daughter with her family's duty at such a young age. To make it even worse, Leo was in constant pain because she was unable to stop her husband. Her only consolation was that Xander, Camilla, and Elise were left out of the conflict.

Her frown deepened. If only Xander had found Siegfried instead of Garon, none of this would even be happening.

"Make yourself useful and tend to my wounds," Garon demanded in a low growl, opening the door and stomping into their house. He was trailing blood and dirt into the house, and she resolved herself to cleaning it after.

Arete would do anything to get her husband back and protect her children. Even if she was abused, manipulated, and made inferior, she would swallow her pride and do what she must.

"Of course."

Azura stood in front of the door, hand hovering over the doorknob. Ryoma was in a stable condition on the sofa, but she had yet to check on Leo. Takumi had carried the blond to his bedroom after they had treated his wounds, and knowing that Ryoma was safe, she found her feet carrying her to check on her brother.

Gently, she pushed the door open, revealing Takumi's bedroom. It was furnished with a bed pushed into a corner, and next to it was a nightstand with a digital clock and an empty mason jar. Across from the foot of the bed was a medium-sized dresser with a mirror attached to the wall above it. On the opposite side of the room was a desk, textbooks and an open notebook sprawled on top of the wood surface.

She approached the bed, taking in the sight of her younger brother, bandaged and body trembling minutely. His face was pinched in pain, eyes twitching beneath their lids like he was dreaming. Very lightly, she put a hand on his head and ran her fingers through his blond locks.

"Father…"

Azura blinked in surprise, taking a small step back. Leo must have been dreaming about their father. He was never one to sleep talk - well. She could remember the boy talking in his sleep as a child, but that had been years ago. Maybe it was being caused by the pain he was in.

Suddenly, Leo choked a sob and tears began to roll down his cheek. "Father," he whimpered, and Azura snapped herself into action, using her thumb to wipe his tears away. "Father, why...?"

She began to hum a lullaby, her pendant glowing in reaction to her voice. Leo seemed to stiffen, and before she knew it, he melted into her touch. His body ceased its shaking and his face was no longer contorted in pain. Finally, he looked as if he were at peace.

Azura smiled sadly, returning her hand to his hair. They were all so young, teenagers yet to break into adulthood, and it felt like the weight of the world was pressing against their shoulders. Leo and Takumi were sixteen. No sixteen year old's deserved this fate. No one deserved this fate.

Her free hand found her pendant, wrapping her fingers around the stone embedded within. How could fates so cruel be their destiny?