Chapter Twelve
Corrin should have expected it.
Yukimura and Orochi are still in denial. He expects that. They were Mikoto's retainers, and her death must hurt them hard.
Corrin does wonder why everyone seems to be more offended in his choice not to side with anyone. He would have thought there would be some leniency, seeing as he chose neither side. Everyone he has talked to in Fort Jinya acts as though he is the devil incarnate.
It could be because he is in Hoshido. While everyone in Nohr has some extreme quirk, they are pretty relaxed about possible murderous tendencies or strange occurrences. In Hoshido, especially in his first path, Corrin had always wanted to tell his allies in to calm down.
After he has defeated the warriors of the fortress, Corrin really should have expected Saizo to try and blow them all up.
He has never been happier to see Kaze and Sakura come to the rescue.
After a lot of convincing done by the new arrivals, Saizo finally defuses and allows Corrin to talk. The white haired man hears and watches like he is having an out of body experience. Inwardly, he cringes at every word that spills out from his mouth. If he had more control over the script, he never would have taken such a blunt approach to explaining how there is a hidden force controlling the war, like someone playing chess.
"Sounds like the work of an active imagination," Saizo says, not holding back his disdain. "Nothing more."
If Corrin could speak for himself at the moment, he would have agreed. He also would have told Saizo to jump off the bridge in the Bottomless Canyon. It really would answer everything, even though it sounds like an insult.
Corrin reminds himself that antagonising the strongest ninja in Hoshido is a bad idea.
Too bad the script doesn't feel the same way. The words coming from Corrin's mouth are irritatingly vague, and Saizo and Yukimura grow more and more impatient with him.
Corrin turns to leave, following the rest of his small party as they head to the forest to recover. He stops when someone shouts after him, a quick patter of feet coming closer. "Wait, Brother! Please!" Corrin turns, blinking in surprise as Sakura stops a little in front of him.
She shakes and looks ready to either hug him or cry. Feeling all eyes on him, Corrin tries to look less frightening as he softly calls to her. "Sakura?"
"Um…" Sakura swallows hard. She jerks her head up to meet his gaze. "Please… t-take me with you!"
Corrin blinks, stunned. Small warmth builds in his chest. He has to stop from reaching out and shuffling her hair. His hands go together behind his back.
"I'm not very good at fighting," Sakura says, avoiding his gaze now. Her hands clench around her staff, "but I'm sure I can find a way to help!"
Yukimura snaps at her, "Lady Sakura, why are you-"
"I'm sorry, Yukimura," Sakura says softly, eyes on the ground. Corrin's heart swells, seeing her stand up for herself like this. "I believe Corrin is telling the truth." She risks a glance at her older brother, and smiles when she looks back at the ground. "We haven't spent much time together, but I can tell… I can tell by the look in his eyes… He isn't trying to trick us."
A barrage of emotions hits Corrin, leaving his silently gasping. He's forgotten what it's like when someone sees through the script, and sees him struggling. Sakura hears him, but she can see the emotions he tries to convey when the script takes over. She is one of four.
If only she looked up from the ground more often.
"Lady Sakura," Yukimura inhales and closes his eyes. Corrin stands protectively beside his little sister as Yukimura tries to calm down. Corrin is pretty sure no one is used to Sakura stating her convections like this. "I didn't expect this. I don't know what to say right now… I've been by your side since you were born. I can tell that your mind is made up. I won't try to stop you. Just… promise me that you'll be careful."
"Th-thank you, Yukimura," Sakura says, smiling and glancing up at the man.
And then Kaze expresses his desire to come with Corrin as well, and Corrin feels the warmth in his chest expand.
Gaining two allies after receiving such hate and anger in battle, Corrin starts to think that maybe this path will eventually become easier.
It's a small hope, but with his friends the hope in his heart can stay for a while yet.
;;;
Subaki and Hana, Sakura's retainers, meet up with them. Corrin's heart feels a bit lighter, hearing that Hinoka is safe, dealing with the small Nohrian armies still in Hoshido. No one has information about Takumi, but they will keep searching for him, Corrin promises Sakura.
Subaki and Hana are calm, though slightly disbelieving, about the story Corrin feeds them about trying to unite Hoshido and Nohr and stop the war. With Sakura backing him, believing in him, they easily agree to join the group.
Corrin can't stop the small smile on his face as they finish trekking through the woods for the day and teleport back into their Deeprealm.
He will invest in a horse soon.
Sakura has worse stamina then Azura.
;;;
"Lilith has rooms set up for you down here," Corrin says, waving down the left, 'bedrooms only' hall in his fortress, in the Deeprealm. This one is specifically for Hoshido raised allies. His smile is dim, because there is no right-wing hallway, which he had when he sided with Nohr. "Kaze, if you wouldn't mind following me, you'll have a room down the same hallway as Felicia, Gunter, Azura, and I."
"Of course, Lord Corrin," Kaze says.
Corrin nods to Sakura, Subaki, and Hana. "Please, rest and get settled. If you need anything, ask any one of us. Our rooms our down the middle corridor, and you can always come to me for anything. My room is at the very end of the hall."
"Th-thank you, big brother," Sakura says with a small bow. Her retainers smile, all teeth, and look excited to see their new rooms.
Corrin nods again, smiling softly at them. "I hope to see you all at dinner tonight."
;;;
Corrin stops at his friend's temple, bringing with him the leftover of the night's dinner. "Hello, Lilith. How have you been?"
"Hello, Lord Corrin," Lilith chirps, swirling in her excitement. Corrin sits on the ledge of her pedestal and places his plate beside him. Lilith floats down and rests beside him, arms holding her ball to her chest while hands reach for the food. "How was dinner tonight?"
Corrin's smile reaches his eyes. "It was absolutely wonderful."
;;;
Lilith explains that dawn will come in the other world just before noon the next day.
Corrin thanks her, leaving her to have a good night's rest.
He exits her temple, and turns grimly to the tree house in the far corner of the fortress' yard. The tree house is the one place he loathes to visit, mainly because it grants him unlimited privacy while time stands still outside of it. He doesn't need privacy, now. He will, much later. If he goes in there now, and thinks about all the memories and conversations he's had with others in it, he will probably have a panic attack.
Corrin turns back to his fortress. He retires to bed, the last one to fall asleep in this Deeprealm.
;;;
A few hours later, Corrin wakes when his door cracks open. Red eyes meet brown, and Sakura blushes and ducks her head.
"What's wrong?" Corrin says, sitting up and alert. He pushes off his covers and goes to get up.
"No!" Sakura squeaks. Corrin pauses, watching as she tries to duck out of the room. "It's nothing, I'm s-so sorry to bother you."
"Sakura," Corrin says soothingly. "It's alright. You know you can come to me for anything, right?"
Sakura pauses, half covered by his door. She shakes, glances towards his, and then ducks her head. "I had a nightmare."
Corrin reads her lips. He relaxes and nods, shuffling back to the edge of the bed away from her. He pats the empty spot. "Come here, Sakura."
Sakura shakes harder and practically runs to the bed. She curls up into a ball on her side, staring at her brother. Corrin brings the covers around them, and moves slightly closer to her. She stares into his eyes, and he grabs her hand in his, rubbing comforting circles to warm her while asking, "Do you wish to talk about it?"
"I saw Takumi disappear," Sakura whispers, fear lining her eyes. "H-he wouldn't come back. I f-felt as though he w-would never come b-back."
Corrin places a small kiss on her hand and releases her. "We will find him," Corrin swears to his sister. "We will get him back. If he does disappear again, we will find him again and put a bell on him."
Sakura giggles and snuggles under the covers. "Thank you, big brother." She stares sleepily into his eyes. "C-can you promise… that you will n-never leave?"
Corrin gives her a small smile. "I promise." He ruffles her hair, earning another giggle. "Get some sleep, Sakura. I will keep the nightmares away, always."
"Th-thank you," Sakura slurs sleepily. She closes her eyes and passes out soon after.
Corrin moves closer, wrapping an arm around his most innocent sibling and keeping her safe from the world. He falls into a light doze for the rest of the night, constantly alert for danger and keeping his own nightmares from scaring Sakura.
;;;
In the early hours of the morning, with the light barely shining in through the windows, four people sit in the common room.
"Izumo?" Kaze asks, faintly surprised.
Corrin nods, sipping his tea as he stares at the green haired ninja. Felicia sits nervously in a chair at the head of the small coffee table, between Kaze and Corrin. Gunter sits at the other end, quietly observing the three with tea of his own.
"Azura insists we should go there because it's neutral," Corrin says, face taunt. He turns his eyes to the map and points a finger from one location to another diagonal to it, on the other side of the ocean. "I would rather us go to Cyrkensia for supplies, as it is neutral as well, and then make our way to the Ice Village, Felicia's home village."
"Will Lady Azura be joining us this morning?" Kaze asks, face of the perfect gentleman.
Corrin is silent as he stares at him. The white haired man puts down his mug and shakes his head. "These morning meetings are between us. You," Corrin pauses and glances at the three people in the room, "all of you are who I trust with my life." Corrin pauses and shows a strained smile to the green haired ninja. "Azura is not very accepting with opinions that conflict with hers. Until we have a better grasp on the situation, we shall follow her requests. Though, I believe in the opinions of you three more than I do hers. So please, speak up if the plan sound horrible, and slap me if I am not making sense."
Kaze looks horrified at the last sentence, while Felicia covers her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles.
Gunter speaks up. "We should proceed to Izumo." Everyone turns to him. "There are rumors of a Lord that is able to speak to the Gods and tell fortunes. If we were to convince him, he may be able to point us in the correct direction."
Corrin nods and looks towards the ninja and maid. "Any objections?"
"No, milord," Felicia says, staring at the map as she shakes her head. She holds back a yawn.
"No, Lord Corrin," Kaze says softly.
Corrin nods. "Thank you for your time. Please, go prepare for the journey today. We will have a long road to travel."
Kaze bows and disappears without another word. Felicia stands up and gathers Corrin's mug from the table, walking towards the kitchen. Gunter stays behind.
"What convinced you of the Hoshidian's loyalty, Lord Corrin?" Gunter asks gruffly, yet with only curiosity.
Corrin looks down at the map, eyes lingering on the name of a small, rebellious village. "I had Leo help me spare Kaze's life and, when I showed him his room yesterday, the ninja swore loyalty to me because of it." Corrin looks up seriously yet impassively at his mentor. "I trust him as much as I trust Felicia and Jakob."
Gunter grunts. "If he betrays you?"
"He won't," Corrin says with so much certainty that Gunter leans back in his seat.
"… Then I shall believe in him as well," Gunter says thoughtfully.
Crash!
The men wince as they hear Felicia start to apologize to Hana over dropping the mugs in front of her.
Corrin smiles and closes his eyes.
Some things never change.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
Thank you, That one Asshole, for your review! I'll be sure to look it up! I'm always looking for more SI/Earth-to-new-world stories to read. That Corrin moment may just happen soon… Not quite off-leash, but something like that. Thank you again for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!