Author's note: Guess who almost had a stroke when Castlevania was announced for Smash. I'm living. So much. Yeah Chrom got in too and that's great because Sm4sh hinted at it but holy hell. Castlevania. Richter still sounds like a total goofball, and Alucard has his Symphony of the Night design. I'm sad he's not a playable character, but at least he's in as an assist trophy! Also I'm double amazed because I was telling my brother how Simon or Trevor could make a great Smash addition and explaining how he could use an axe and holy water and so on like the day before the direct was announced and then boom. On another note happy belated birthday to Laslow (and me). Sorry I couldn't get this out on time, but whatever. Anyway that's enough talk of Castlevania and the past! So time to move on, and without further ado, enjoy.


When Takumi woke in the morning, he appeared to be totally fine. He was neither pale nor flushed, he was coherent and full of energy, and he kept insisting nothing was wrong. If it weren't for the fact that he'd seen Takumi collapse in a heap of pain the day prior, Robin would have trouble believing someone who told him of the incident. Takumi just looked and acted too healthy for someone who'd been in extreme pain the night before.

And because he felt fine, he insisted that he be allowed to march with them to their next location, and that they get started right away. Since he felt "perfectly normal," he didn't want to be stuck to his bed all day. He'd gotten his bedrest the night before, and didn't need to laze about any longer.

Corrin wasn't too happy with Takumi's pleas, though.

"No!" She told him, after he once again asked her to give him the Fujin Yumi back (which she'd stolen from their room last night while Robin and Jakob were out getting supplies for tea. She'd offered to look after Takumi while they were out, and used the event as an opportunity to sneak away Takumi's weapon while no one realized it. Clever.)

"Oh come on!" he groaned back, clearly upset with Corrin's stubbornness. "Look at me and tell me I'm not in tip top shape. Do it! You're not one to lie, right? So if it's the truth, then just tell it to me. Then I'll think about sitting this one out."

Corrin spluttered. "Uh, well…" She looked away.

The two had been going at it for about fifteen minutes. At this point they were attracting the attention of some of the other people in the dining hall, and if they didn't quiet down soon things could go south. Already Robin had seen several groups of people whispering to each other and throwing glances at where the pair sat, which did nothing to help keep their presence secret. Not that the group had made a particularly large attempt at hiding who they were, nor would it be even remotely easy given they were a large group of foreigners who'd shown up armed to an island to challenge the fortress there. But shouting at each other and angering the locals or the other tourists was no good thing.

What if they took the stories back to their homelands, and alerted the Nohrian or Hoshidan militaries to Corrin's presence on the island? Even if the group left before troops arrived, it would cause trouble for the people who lived in Notre Sagesse and Robin wasn't in favor of that at all. The best thing would be to stay relatively quiet and avoid bothering people, so those people wouldn't get many interesting stories they would want to carry home with them.

"What good is hiding the Fujin Yumi anyway? I have money, and there's a weapons shop here. Sure they only sell Nohrian style bows, but I can use one, and I will go buy one if you don't give me Fujin Yumi back. I'm not going to turn into some helpless burden just because I got a little bit sick for a few minutes. I'm fine. So just give it back!" The volume of Takumi's voice went on a bit of a rollercoaster, quieting and increasing at different points, and Robin had had enough. They'd been arguing for a good ten minutes at that point.

"Look you two. I know tensions are a bit high after what happened last night and we all have our own ways with dealing with someone being sick, but now is not the time, nor is here the place, to be arguing like this. I don't think there's a single person in this room that doesn't know that Corrin has the Fujin Yumi. Which means everyone here knows that someone with something called the Fujin Yumi is here. And while the Nohrian guests, and possibly any locals who happen to be working here, may not understand how important that information is, I can bet you every Hoshidan in the room is freaking out over the fact that their prince, who has been declared missing and presumed kidnapped or turned traitor, is right in front of them. And that last part is very important, because being a missing prince, if you were to be found and brought home the person who found you would be very handsomely rewarded. Which means there is a very good incentive for someone to actually kidnap you and bring you back to Hoshido. And if that happened, then you wouldn't get the Fujin Yumi back at all because it would be stuck with Corrin while you'd be stuck with some band of strangers getting dragged all the way back to Castle Shirasagi. Do you really want that to happen?"

That shut Takumi and Corrin up. He had a point, and they both knew it. They were being childish, and while they were both only teenagers, they should've known better. Robin wasn't that much older, and he knew how to restrain himself. For the most part. Jakob had gotten on him a little the night before too actually. But that was more acceptable. Right?

"Ah, uh, sorry Robin," Corrin responded, a bit shy. "I guess we got a little too excited there."

"What's done is done. Let's just move on to the next thing. And probably return to our rooms. No need to make it unnecessarily easy for people to eavesdrop on us."

Corrin nodded. "Good point."

"Any objections, Takumi?" Robin asked, looking over to the prince.

He didn't respond, and instead turned his head to the side, mumbling under his breath. He was blushing. Probably embarrassed, if Robin had to guess.

The three got up and returned to Robin's room, where they found Jakob and Oboro working together on repairing some of the clothes that had gotten damaged in the last battle.

"Lord Takumi!" "Lady Corrin!" the two said simultaneously, jumping to their feet and abandoning their work. They appeared to be pretty far along in making their repairs, based off the large pile of what Robin thought was finished garments. He was glad to see they could work well together when it came to it. Jakob didn't seem too happy with Oboro the night before, and Oboro had a thing against Nohrians. The two were working well together though, so that was a good sign their relationship was going along nicely.

Corrin sighed. "Jakob, I already told you…"

"Ah, yes, my apologies... Corrin," The butler replied, looking a little down.

Robin frowned for a moment, unsure of what had just taken place. Then he remembered when Corrin had asked Jakob to drop formalities, and it made a bit more sense. Jakob didn't need to sound so crushed by it though. She wasn't doing it because she didn't want him to help her. She just asked for him to call her by her name and her name alone because she wanted the two of them to be on an equal level.

"Is there something you need, Lord Takumi?" Oboro was still on the level of using titles, and Robin doubted that would be changing.

Corrin had grown up as a prisoner, and though she was technical royalty, she never had to deal with anything her title would get her. Thus, there was no issue with her having Jakob drop it. Sure, he probably did her laundry and stuff back in that tower, but from what Robin understood the two also played together and would eat together as friends did. If Jakob addressed her without a title, there wouldn't be many repercussions. Perhaps a scolding from Gunter, but that'd be about it.

In Takumi and Oboro's case, she'd been brought in as a retainer, and had been treated such by Takumi, the royal family, and countless others they dealt with. It was seen as terribly informal and almost insulting for a servant to not address their master with a title, so Oboro couldn't get away with dropping it like Jakob had been ordered to. They were constantly in public, and there were several people to monitor their relationship and make sure all the proper procedures were being followed. So was the way of royals. The Hoshidans had a great appreciation for ceremony, and getting so casual with one's superiors as to call them by their first name alone wasn't acceptable.

Not that Oboro and Takumi weren't close friends. They got along marvelously, and Robin had seen Takumi rely on Oboro for more than just standard retainer tasks, so he knew there was a good friendship going on. There was just also the fact that Oboro idolized Takumi to an extent. She modeled her hair after his, would often eat the same meal as he did, and took what he said to heart without really thinking it over sometimes. Which was, he had to admit, a little dangerous.

As a retainer, it was her job to do what Takumi said and support his endeavors, but from Robin's dealings with Frederick and Cherche he knew there was also a thought component that was supposed to go in there. A 'Should I really do this for them? Will doing this help my liege, or will it bring them harm in the future? Is what they're saying reasonable? Do they seem misinformed, or as though they're making a judgement with missing or incorrect information?' that Oboro, and sometimes Jakob, seemed to lack. In Frederick's words, 'a servant exists to aid their lord in every way possible. If they don't think their actions through, and follow an order that brings their lord harm, then they are not doing their job. It is essential that a servant or retainer considers both why their lord is giving an order, and what outcome it will produce. Not to say that I should verbally question every single order or request Lord Chrom gives to me, but I should still consider the circumstances and consequences of the request for at least a second, if not more when it comes to larger issues. It is my duty to Lord Chrom to make sure what he is doing is for the best and will not ultimately bring him harm, and it is in those moments of questioning that I fulfill a large part of that duty.'

So while it was good Oboro had such heavy trust in Takumi, it was a bit dangerous as well. Confidence was good, but so was momentary analysis.

Oboro's voice drew Robi's attention. "Of course, Lord Takumi! Just give me a moment to collect your things. Then I'll be out of your way. Just remember: if you need me I'll be in my room. So please! If I can help you in any way just call for me and I'll be right over."

Apparently Takumi had asked Oboro to leave while Robin had been caught up in his memories. That was sort of nice. But he felt bad making Oboro leave. The could just as easily gone to Oboro's room instead, so she wouldn't have had to pack everything up. But it was too late for that- she'd already started putting things away, and making her pack, then unpack again to stay where she was wasn't something Robin particularly wanted to do either.

"Should I go as well, L- Corrin?" Jakob asked, putting down his clothes as well.

"If it isn't too much of a bother. Not that we're saying anything I don't want you to hear! It would just probably be distracting if you had to listen to us jabber on while you tried to get work done. I don't want to mess you up while you're holding a needle. You might jab yourself, and then I would feel bad," Corrin replied. She then looked around, a puzzled expression on her face. "Where's Felicia, by the way? She knows how to sew too. Did she not want to help? That's not like her."

Both Oboro and Jakob's expressions darkened. Jakob's face twisted more into an expression of annoyance, while Oboro one of guilt or pity. That didn't bode too well.

Corrin caught on to the negative air. "Oh no. Please don't tell me she hurt herself again."

Jakob sighed, and began to pack up. He glanced over to Oboro, as if to offer up the spot for explanation. Oboro paused in her packing.

"She was here earlier, and tried to help. But then she ended up sewing two shirts together, and started trying to use this weird stain-cleaning method on one of Hana's shirts that may work for Nohrian clothes, but doesn't on Hoshidan ones. It ended up burning a hole through the fabric."

Oof, that wasn't good. They each only had so many clothes with them. Hana probably wouldn't be too happy with Felicia. And that girl could hold a grudge.

"After that, I asked Felicia if she would just leave the sewing and cleaning to me, since her previous attempts at helping hadn't gone so well. She didn't want to sit around and do nothing though, so she asked if there was anything else to do. I didn't want to completely turn her away, though Jakob did and I probably should've listened, so I told her she could help bring me my supplies when I needed them. Needles for some projects, patches for others, different color threads, and so on. Well, I have several different needles, and normally I keep them all in this little box. I'd moved around a little bit to catch the light as the sun rose and the light source moved, and gradually went away from the box. So when I got to a point I needed it again, I asked Felicia to bring it to me."

"Oh no," Corrin breathed.

"Oh no indeed…" Robin added.

Takumi didn't seem to understand. "What's so bad about her walking two feet with a box?"

Jakob scoffed. "I take it you've never seen her try to bring tea or dishes before?"

Takumi shook his head.

Corrin grimaced. "Felicia can be pretty…clumsy...at times."

"All the time," Jakob corrected.

Then Takumi seemed to get it. "Oh. Then did she…?"

"Tripped over the pile of clothes we had yet to get to, threw the pin box, and had it land on her head," Oboro responded.

"Which then made all the pins and needles fall out, and when Felicia tried to grab them she just ended up poking herself far more times than any person should have. Really, you would think she'd stop after the sixth prick, but no. We sent her back to sit with Mozu and heal up. Pinpricks and a head bump aren't worth the staff use," Jakob finished.

That was something Robin could understand. That sounded exactly like Felicia. And Sumia. She was pretty clumsy too. Those two would probably get along, actually. If there was ever some way to cross to Ylisse and back, Robin would like to introduce the women to each other. Both were great on the battlefield, but unbelievably clumsy in a domestic setting. Was Felicia able to make good tea, even if she couldn't serve it? If she could, then maybe she and Sumia could open up a little cafe, with Sumia making pies and little pastries, and Felicia making tea and other drinks. They would have to get a third person to serve their creations, since Robin didn't trust either of them with a tray full of food, but it could work.

"I might as well check on her, as long as I'm getting up to move rooms. I'll knock when I return, but if you need more time then you may send me away. I've other things to do, so don't cut yourself off or leave things unsaid because you're worried about me." Jakob bowed, then picked up the pile of clothes and a box full of supplies and followed Oboro out the door.

As they exited, Azura entered. She gave a quick hello to Jakob and Oboro as they passed by, and shut the door behind her, greeting Corrin, Takumi, and Robin as well.

"Have you begun planning our next move?" she asked.

"I've thought about a few things, but I haven't written anything down yet. Have we heard anything back from Reina yet?" Robin responded.

Azura responded in the negative. "No, but if she's sent a letter it's probably still on its way. Her kinshi is no slow animal, and if she's caught some other transportation service, while it may not be as fast as a letter-carrier, she's probably still far enough away that any message she sent back wouldn't arrive before the end of today."

Robin nodded. "Yeah, good point. These things take time, but waiting's just no fun. Not that we have much longer. There's a ferry set to depart for Port Dia tomorrow afternoon, so we would arrive in the evening or night three days from now and start our march the following morning. It should take us about a week and a half to reach the Bottomless Canyon from there, giving us a day or two of leeway before the skies change and our entrance to that place is cut off."

"Are you certain Reina will get there in time?" Azura asked back.

Robin hummed. "Certain? No. Fairly sure? Yes. I don't know how fast the Hoshidans can travel, but based off how fast we went with a normal travelling company, which had to be inferior to whatever royals have, they should arrive around the same time we do, provided Reina convinces them within a day and arrives when we planned."

"Uh, pardon the interruption," Takumi butted in, "but what are you two talking about?"

"I have the same question," Corrin added.

Robin supposed it was as good a time as any to let them in on what he and Azura were talking about. He'd forgotten he hadn't openly declared it yet.

"When was the last time you saw Reina?" He began.

Corrin and Takumi looked at each other, then back to Robin and Azura.

"Dinner when Elise joined us?" Corrin offered, looking unsure of her response. Or perhaps feeling a little bad about not noticing Reina was missing. They weren't the absolute closest pair, but they still got along, and it wasn't fun being forgotten or realizing you were forgetting someone.

Robin nodded. "Yep. She left right after, hopping on a late ship to Notre Sagesse. Some special vessel that one was set to make the trip in only a day, rather than the day and a half it took us when we left the day after."

Takumi was the next to voice a question "What did she leave for?"

"Sending a message to your brother," Robin responded.

He then went on to summarize the situation.

Back in Cyrkensia, when they'd met with Xander and Ryoma, Azura had meant to tell the two men to meet up with Corrin in the Bottomless Canyon the day the skies were to change. Ryoma had left before she managed to deliver the message though, which meant that he and the Hoshidans wouldn't be meeting up with them in time unless someone went to them and delivered a message. Robin and Azura had almost forgotten it in all the commotion that went on, so they didn't have enough time to travel to Hoshido and inform the royals as a group. Instead, they decided to send a single messenger - Reina.

Not only was Reina Hoshidan and thus familiar with the land and the fastest ways to get around, but she'd been a respected member of the royal guard. Old enough to retire, but not so old no one knew who she was or would question her flying around for the sake of a mission. She was one of Lady Mikoto's personal retainers, and thus held high status in the country. It was unlikely that she would have been publicly denounced as a traitor, given her connection to Mikoto, who the people were still grieving over, and the fact that it would hurt the people to know that someone they had looked up to for decades had turned on them. Ryoma, Yukimura, and other members of the top brass had to know she'd sided with Corrin, but it wouldn't be common knowledge. That meant that people knew and admired Reina, and would help her if she met up with them. She would be able to use her status both to ask for help, and to get past checkpoints or guards stationed around Hoshido. If she said she was on a mission she couldn't give details on, she wouldn't be detained and questioned, as she also held a special seal given to her by Mikoto that granted her free and unburdened travel. And official business often had to be done as swiftly as possible, so seeing her rush to accomplish her goals wouldn't be nearly as suspicious as if someone else were to do the same thing - running or flying from place to place as fast as they could without answering any questions.

And most importantly… She knew Yukimura. The two were good friends, based on how she'd spoke of him to Robin. If anyone could help convince the man to allow Ryoma to leave for the Canyon, it would be Reina. Though they were royalty and of higher standing, Takumi or Sakura's pleas he could push aside as based off inexperience and youthful misunderstanding. Reina, however, was older, and had dealt with her share of conflicts. Her voice would be stronger, her suggestions and concerns harder to ignore.

Based off their current schedule, Reina would be about a week, perhaps a little more, ahead of them. That would hopefully give enough time for her to meet up with Ryoma, convince him to join her, and turn back for the Bottomless Canyon in time to meet up with Corrin. Whether that would work out though… Well, like Robin had said. That remained to be seen, and frankly relied on luck. He wasn't as sure as he'd pretended to be.

As for convincing Xander to join them at the Canyon, he'd received the message back in Cyrkensia. It was up to Laslow and Odin to convince him and Leo to follow it. Robin knew that sending one of their own, even if it was Elise or Camilla, wouldn't be any more effective than relying on the two retainers. Sending the princesses would probably be counter productive, even. Though Xander might have called Camilla a traitor back in Cyrkensia, Robin knew he still cared deeply for Camilla and his other sisters. He still wanted to take them back. So as long as Camilla and Elise stayed with Robin, they were bait, in a way. Or maybe not bait. That was a bit harsh. Robin would call it… motivation. Yes, they were additional motivation to convince Xander to meet them at the Bottomless Canyon. If he wanted to see them again, he would have to make the journey to meet htme. They wouldn't be returning to him anytime soon.

Which was a little cruel, when he thought about it. But there were some things Robin considered to be for the best and that was one of them. If they truly wanted to go back… Robin probably wouldn't stop them. He wasn't going to physically prevent them from leaving, but he would try to convince them otherwise, of course. They were their own women, though, and it was their decision.

That decision was just one Robin was really hoping they weren't going to try to make.

"What are we going to do when we get there?" Takumi asked once Robin was done with his explanation. "There isn't much going on by the Canyon. Are we meeting up with some fourth party to explain something new, or what?"

Azura was the one to respond. "We're going to jump in."

Takumi's jaw dropped. "We're going to what!? Are you insane!? We'll die! It's known as the Bottomless Canyon for a reason. Because it's so huge no one's ever gotten too the bottom, meaning if we jump in there's no chance we're going to survive the impact of the fall!"

"Perhaps that's the reason you've heard, but it isn't true." Azura corrected Takumi in a rather kind voice, but he still looked upset at someone telling him he wasn't right. "When we jump into the canyon, provided we do not hit ourselves on its walls, there will be no fatal impact upon reaching the bottom. This is because its bottom does not exist in a physical form - at least, not during certain points in the year.

"Instead, the bottom serves as a portal to another land. One where many truths I have been unable to reveal to you all will finally be able to come to light.

"Unfortunately, the window we have to enter this land through the canyon is almost over. The night the skies between Hoshido and Nohr change will be the last night the Canyon's portal is open for a long while. Time is not on our side, and if we do not get your siblings and the other Nohrian royals to join us before the change happens, then it will be too long before our next opportunity arises and we will meet our defeat at the hands of the one in control of the invisible soldiers we fought back in Cyrkensia."

"But why go to the Canyon? If the portal is closing, how are we supposed to get back from wherever it leads us to?"

Azura took a breath. "Technically the Bottomless Canyon is not the only place that leads to the land we wish to visit. And there will still be ways to exit the place that don't involve the Canyon. It is just the most convenient way for us to get there. It is in the middle of Hoshido and Nohr, and large enough to transport many people at once, which is exactly what we need. Xander and your brother both have countries to lead, and cannot leave for especially long periods of time. Though Garon still sits on the throne, Xander's an important piece to maintaining stability in Nohr, and with the turmoil Hoshido has gone through recently I doubt your people would be very comfortable with Ryoma disappearing for long enough to travel all the way to one of the other portals, then go inside, then travel back. Especially with the disappearing act he pulled not too long ago. We are also running on a time limit, and using the place most central to all the parties we want to meet with it the smartest and fasted move."

Takumi still wasn't satisfied. "That only answers half my question. Why go to the canyon? Why can't you explain what's going on here and now? Why couldn't you tell my brother and Prince Xander the details of what is going on when you met with them?"

Corrin chose to respond for Azura.

"Because we can't," she said. "I might not have been clear enough when I explained the first time, but I'll say it again. The land at the bottom of the canyon has some sort of hex or curse placed upon it that means we can't give the details. To explain what it is would hurt or possibly kill us. The only place it's safe to talk about it is in that place."

"Hm…"

Robin thought Takumi's questions were pretty reasonable. Azura hadn't really explained much about that place to him, either. Robin knew that the leader of the invisible soldiers lived there, and that they needed to go to said land to defeat them and stop the invasion. There was just the question of who the leader was, and why they wanted to destroy Hoshido and Nohr. And of why they had destroyed their own land in the process.

If Robin had to guess… he'd say the enemy was some sort of dragon. The Rainbow Sage created the Yato and the other divine weapons to assist him in the war of dragons, and now the Yato and other divine weapons were what he believed to be the key to defeating their enemy. A dragon slayer and its companions were perfectly suited to defeating a dragon. Archduke Izana's prophecy had to do with dragons as well. Maybe they had met with a dragon when they met the Rainbow Sage, but there was nothing that said that he had to be the only one.

If this dragon was still around from whatever age the war of dragons occurred, then it had to be pretty old. Just looking at the Rainbow Sage gave Robin an idea of how old. And of course there was the fact that many of the dragons from the war such as the Dawn and Dusk dragons had come to be revered as gods for generations. The Rainbow Sage was a powerful magic user, and assumed a human form, so he seemed well in control of himself. But Robin knew what happened when dragons aged and retained their original bodies. They went insane, and they wreaked havoc and mass destruction on the lands and people before them. Just as the leader of the invisible soldiers was doing.

Furthermore, if he went back to the odd Fire Emblem coincidence, it would only make more sense. The Fire Emblem of Robin's world assisted in the defeat of dragons. If the Yato was this world's Fire Emblem, and the Sage said it would assist them in defeating their ultimate enemy, it would fit into the Fire Emblem-Dragon Slayer/Stopper thing if said enemy was a dragon[1] .

Then there was the Hydra comment Flora had made when Corrin had asked her if the ice tribe had any information on dragons. She'd said she didn't know whether that was the name of a dragon or not, but Robin had researched the name later on and found references to some sort of winged serpent, which matched well enough with a dragon. But like with the Rainbow Sage turning out to likely be the dragon Izana had referenced them to, there was the possibility that Hydra was some other dragon entirely.

Robin needed to talk to Azura about it. She had some control over water, if what happened when she sang was any indication. She was also from the other land. So it would be fitting if Hydra, who Robin assumed to be a water dragon from the "serpent" and "hydro" connections, was based there as well. And the thing lived in her home. Whether or not she knew its name, she had to at least know whether it was human or not, right?

Regardless of its species, there was something living in that place that was looking to destroy Hoshido and Nohr. Given the mass destruction seen in that place, Robin had no doubts their enemy was a formidable foe, and there was no way that Corrin' current forces alone could defeat them. To win, they would need more troops. If they could get Xander, Leo, Ryoma, and Hinoka and their retainers to join them… Well, it was still an extremely small group of people, but it was better than what they had.

"Takumi," Robin began, drawing the Prince's attention. "Being able to fully explain the details of this hidden land and the invisible soldiers is one perk of going through the Canyon's portal, yes, but there's more. Earlier Azura mentioned that if we didn't do the whole portal business, we would be defeated by the invisible soldiers we fought in Cyrkensia. Well, in addition to this other land being their homeland, it's also the base of the one controlling them. Someone who has it out for both Hoshido and Nohr, as we mentioned during the battle.

"The invisible soldiers clearly aren't fully human. They're translucent for one, and don't seem fully aware for another. All they can do is fight, not speak, and injuries mean nothing to them until they are killed. Now, whether they each have what was once a human at their base, or are simply creations by our enemy we don't know, but the fact of the matter is that unless we stop their leader, they will likely endlessly come into our land, driving a war between Hoshido and Nohr that will lead to mass or possibly even total destruction. From what we can tell, the leader isn't sending in his soldiers to conquer and rule, but to destroy. Which means if we want life in Hoshido and Nohr to improve or even continue as it is, we need to get rid of the soldiers and the one who controls them. To do this we need to go through the portal so we can fight the leader. Otherwise we'll be stuck here, trying to end both the Hoshido-Nohr war, and the war against the invisible soldiers, which would be a draining battle I doubt our side would win.

"So basically there's an evil guy living in the other side of the portal we need to defeat, hence why we need to go through it. Does that make sense?" Robin concluded his explanation, waiting for a response.

Takumi nodded slowly. "I guess so. But how did you find out about all this?"

"That land was my homeland," Azura responded. "You remember what I said in Cyrkensia, don't you?"

Takumi responded with a yes.

"Any more questions?" Robin asked the prince.

"No. I think that's enough to take in for now. It's a lot of information. But it makes sense. Sort of. Why someone would want to totally destroy everything, even a land that doesn't really interact with his own sounds crazy to me. But if that's how it is, then I guess we don't have much of an option. Fight it is," Takumi said.

Robin agreed.

When he thought about it, maybe Robin should have invited Camilla in for his explanation. As it was, Jakob was the only Nohrian who knew what was going on with that place and the invisible soldiers. He'd been there for the first trip to the canyon, after all. But Jakob wasn't the best Nohrian representative of the group, since he was just a servant. Camilla probably would have been a good choice. Or Selena. She already knew what dealing with an unreal enemy was because of Grima, and she could hook in Laslow and Odin fairly easily. He'd probably just explain it to them at the Canyon, once Ryoma and Xander joined them. If they joined them. Hopefully.

Oh, and Robin supposed Gunter probably knew too, so Jakob wasn't the only Nohrian. But Gunter didn't count. Robin just didn't like the guy.

Corrin then cleared her throat, and addressed Takumi. "Now that you're finished asking questions, I have some for you."

"What's up?"

"What were you doing outside our room last night? And how long were you there?"

Takumi's breath hitched, and he looked to the side. He wasn't very comfortable with the question.

But, just as Takumi's questions had been well justified earlier, it was a good one. Jakob had said that Takumi had been gone for a while before he collapsed. And that the prince wanted to talk about something, but that something was a mystery.

Was the desire to talk just an excuse to eavesdrop? Or was it a legitimate reason that got swept away as Takumi grew curious about what Robin was telling Corrin and Azura? While Robin preferred to just have the two girls know for a little while, it wasn't as though he specifically didn't want Takumi to hear. Though, Takumi was someone he was a little on the edge about. Takumi was smart and capable, yes, but he could also snap to anger sometimes, or be overly suspicious. He had trust issues, Robin felt.

So, he had only invited Corrin and Azura to talk. Jakob was another candidate for that talk, but he also had the questionable-trust thing going on. Not that Robin felt either Jakob or Takumi would outright betray him, but he could see the two distancing themselves from him after learning some of the details, and possibly growing suspicious of his simple actions. That wouldn't be very good for his strategies or their teamwork, so they'd been left out for the moment. Robin wanted to see Corrin and Azura's reactions first. They were the most likely to recover and accept, and if they didn't then he knew he couldn't tell anyone else. But they were fine with it, so he'd likely get to telling a few other trustworthy people some details of his life too. Not everyone in the army, since they didn't really question it and he didn't think it would be too great to be spreading tales of his origin, but maybe Xander and/or Ryoma, once they joined, and possibly Camilla. Sometimes a mystery man was cool and exciting. Details optional.

Takumi then began to answer Corrin's question. "I left my room last night because I wanted to ask you what you were planning to do about Ryoma and Hinoka. If we were going to fightt hem, if we were going to avoid them… that stuff. Now that you've explained what you're planning with Reina I don't need to ask again. So that's fine."

Corrin kept silent, as if waiting for Takumi to continue. He didn't.

So, Robin decided to help a bit.

"And you were listening to our conversation for how long…?"

Takumi frowned. "I never said I was eavesdropping!"

Robin grinned, "No, you didn't, but you had to have been out there for a while, and the door isn't so thick it blocks out all sound. I think it would be fairly easy to listen in on us talking."

Maybe that wasn't the kindest way to go about getting information, but Robin wanted to hear the truth, and he didn't particularly feel like waiting for Takumi to edge around the subject until he finally got to the point.

Takumi's frown turned into a scowl. "Look, I didn't go to your room with the intention of eavesdropping. I just leaned against the door for a second so I could see if you guys were talking, since I didn't want to interrupt. I was planning on walking away if you were, and entering if you weren't."

"Then why didn't you walk away when you heard we were in the middle of a conversation?" Corrin asked.

"...I heard you guys talking about a war that I didn't recognize. I was confused for a second, because I didn't recognize the names. I thought that it was some war you thought was coming between the tribes, until I realized the names were too foreign, and you were using past tense. I probably should have walked in to ask, but I was engrossed in the story and didn't think about it." Takumi paused, and then mumbled a bit. "I was also kinda worried you'd stop talking if you knew I was there because you didn't want to tell me so I…"

Takumi bit his lip, and resumed speaking like he had before. "After that, when you got to the dragons, I sort of blanked out. Like I was still listening, but I wasn't really there. I don't know how to describe it. You stole the Fire Emblem or something, and your friend's daughter from the future was there, and you were worried you were evil. You said you were some sort of vessel…" Takumi then trailed off again, his gaze shifting from the side to the ground.

"And?" Robin asked.

"And what?" Takumi replied.

"You don't care about what I said after that?"

"What you said after that? That's the last thing I heard. Next thing I knew I was on the ground and you guys were all freaking out over me. I mean, you went on for a couple more sentences after the vessel thing, but I don't really remember them much. Why? ...What are you guys looking at me like that for?"

Sure enough, Robin could see Corrin and Azura both had worried expressions on their faces, and he could feel the shock showing on his own. He'd gone on for quite a while after he got to the vessel thing. Maybe it wasn't for a long as he's been talking before that, but it was more than just a few sentences. Something fishy was going on.

But, Takumi seemed genuine when he said the vessel topic was the last thing he'd heard. And Robin believed him.

It just didn't make sense. Takumi didn't make that pained noise until well after that. And then there was the mysterious cause of his collapse. The foreign energy that had surrounded Takumi then was gone, so whatever it was didn't seem to be affecting him anymore.

Was… was he being used then? Some sort of spell that was meant to let the caster listen in on what Takumi heard, that ended up overwhelming him when it went into effect? Something that had dispelled once it was used up? But who would do that? Robin thought that sort of magic was more a Nohrian than Hoshidan thing, and Takumi hadn't ever been in Nohr unaccompanied. Robin supposed he could ask Orochi if magic like that existed anywhere in Hoshido, but he didn't think Takumi would be happy with him revealing something had happened to the prince. Or that Takumi would be happy when confronted with the idea that he was possibly being used by someone else.

For the moment, Robin would just have to do his own research. If that was even possible. They were on the move, and it would be hard to look up that sort of stuff. Their group didn't have many mages. Though… maybe Nyx knew something. Robin hadn't spoken to her much, so he needed to talk a little more to get a good grasp on her personality, but from what he could tell she seemed trustworthy and well versed in curses and the like. She didn't have many or any friends in the group yet, and he didn't see her telling strangers personal business. So she could be a good resource for Robin. Hm.

"Are you guys going to answer me?!" Takumi's voice was much more frantic, and Robin could see him starting to panic.

"Y-yeah! Of course!" Corrin replied. "Don't worry, everything's fine!"

Takumi scoffed. "Oh? It's fine? Really? Because your faces don't say it's fine. You guys are hiding something from me and I know it. So what is it!? What are you not telling me?!" He balled his hands into fists, knuckles white. Clearly stressed.

"Takumi, calm down," Azura instructed him in an even voice. "We were a bit surprised because our conversation continued for a little while after what you last said. We thought you would've heard and continued. But you went through some trauma when you collapsed, and it's likely that whatever illness struck you, or perhaps simply your falling into unconsciousness, made you forget the last few things you heard. There's no need to worry. You've heard stories of soldiers stumbling back to camp after battle, and not remembering how they made it back, have you not? I imagine it's akin to that."

Ah, there was good old Azura, helping deescalate a situation as she was so good at doing. A calm head where they truly needed one. There had been a few people able to do similar things back in the Shepherds, but Azura was good at it in a way nobody other than Emmeryn had been able to match.

It probably wasn't akin to that though. Azura didn't seem to believe her own statement.

"..." Takumi loosened his fist, and took a deep breath.

"Do you want some water or something…?" Corrin asked her brother.

"...no." he replied. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a little while."

"Are you sure? I can-"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Could you just...give me a little while?"

"Ah…" Corrin looked to Azura, who nodded. "Yeah. We'll be in our room if you need us."

With that the two girls left, and Takumi lay down on the bed. Robin was still in the room, but looked toward the door for a moment.

"Would you like me to leave too, or am I fine here?" he asked.

Takumi stayed quiet for a good thirty seconds, and Robin thought he wasn't going to respond. But, Takumi did deliver a reply.

"...You can stay. I-" Takumi stopped abruptly, before whispering quietly enough Robin figured Takumi probably didn't intend for him to hear. "I don't want to be alone again."

Well, that made Robin feel bad. Did he think he was being abandoned?

"Would you prefer I get Hinata or Oboro? They know you better, so-"

Takumi had originally faced the wall when he got on the bed, but turned to face Robin for his reply. "No. If they find out they're not going to stop pestering me about it. They'll tell me I have to lie down and will probably blab to Sakura or Ryoma when we see him again, and then I won't be allowed to go back into battle at all.

"I'm okay. I mean, I feel fine. Sure maybe I passed out yesterday for a little while, but Azura said that happens. And while I still don't one hundred percent trust her… she's right. She had to be. I was exhausted from travel and battle and I passed out so of course I don't remember something. It's simple. So I'm perfectly fine. Those soldiers get better, and so will I. There's nothing wrong with me, isn't that right?"

The last bit might've been said as a rhetorical question. But Robin answered anyway. "I hope not."

Takumi shot up. "You hope not? Don't you mean 'yes, there is not'!?"

Ah, there was that panic again. That wasn't something Robin was particularly happy to see, but it made sense. Takumi was a bit defensive, and he was clearly dealing with a touchy subject. He was being a little more skittish than usual though, which wasn't the best sign.

"Yes. I hope not. I can't say there isn't anything wrong at all though, as much as I would like to."

Now Takumi was starting to shake. With anger or fright or some mix of it, most likely. "Why not…? Azura said nothing was wrong with me. And maybe I don't completely trust her, but I've known her longer than I've known you. Why should I believe you? She said I'm fine. So I have to be!"

Robin hummed. "Mmm, it's more like you want to be than you have to be. And I know if I was in your situation I'd want to be fine too. After all, when I was confronted with the possibility that there was something dreadfully wrong with me I tried to convince myself that it wasn't true either at first. That the people around me who said I was fine, hoping I was fine, were right."

Takumi's shaking died down a little. "And when was that?"

"I don't remember the exact order I said things in last night, so you may or may not have heard this, but my memory goes back farther than the moment I met Corrin. You heard me talk about war, and my encounters. Being a 'vessel' of some sort, yes?"

A nod.

"Well that's what I am. What I was born to be. How happy would you be to find out that your life isn't your life - that you were created to be a tool for others? That you were made only to serve a being who was meant to slaughter your friends and destroy the land you called home? If that was you, you would try to deny it as well, wouldn't you?

"There were signs something was up before I found out about the vessel thing, too. A voice in my head, visions of things that weren't there to anyone else. Strange dreams that seemed like memories, except they were of places and times I couldn't have been. It was so obvious that something was wrong. But I was in the middle of a war, and I was important. I had friends and comrades in arms, and I didn't want to disappoint them. I thought that if they knew something was wrong with me they would force me to sit out and move on without me. I would be useless, and I would fall behind.

"So, I said nothing. And eventually I was used as a tool to deliver our most prized possession to our enemy, because I had been so in denial I couldn't see the signs right in front of me that I wasn't stable, and that that enemy was right at the center of that instability.

"Well, I could tell I was unstable to a point. But I would chalk it up to not getting enough sleep, or having a stressful position. My instability was, in my mind, a result of my environment, not something that lay within me. And we suffered for it. I still feel guilty over what I did, even though my friends have forgiven me for it. I still look back and think, 'if only.'

"So what I'm saying is this: There used to be something very, very wrong with me. There still is, really, but I've learned to manage it. Or it has become less aggressive. It's a bit complicated. But when it was still strong, I didn't want to acknowledge there was something wrong, and it hurt me and many others. I don't want the same thing to happen with you. We don't know what's wrong with you, and chances are it's not as severe as what was wrong with me," because that would be pretty damn impressive if that was the case, "but regardless of the severity, we should still treat it as a problem and work to solve it. You shouldn't have to suffer in silence because you're worried you'll lose your friends or fall behind because of some mysterious illness or issue. I want to help you before you're saddled with regret or guilt or anything of the sort."

And that was that.

"..." Takumi broke eye contact once again, staring at the floor. He'd calmed down once again, which was good. He'dd likely spent several hours before talking to Corrin thinking about what was wrong with him and what it meant, and worked himself up over it. Add in his argument with Corrin, and he had to be almost overwhelmingly stressed. And when he was confronted with it all, no wonder he was so close to just snapping. No wonder he had lashed out.

It hurt, to be told there was something wrong with you, or even that the possibility existed. That was why Robin had existed in denial for so long. Why it took until the Dragon's Table to figure out the true connection between him and Validar. Maybe he wouldn't have connected the dots to make 'fell dragon's vessel' without the information provided that day, but he probably could've figured out 'Validar's tool' or 'somehow possessed/possessing a split personality/mentally unstable' beforehand. He might have been able to stop himself from doing some of the things he did.

Back then, he had a great relationship with the Shepherds. He could make a fairly good show of confidence when he needed to. There was much less of that staring-at-the-ground, yelling-when-confronted stuff that Takumi was prone to. But Robin still occasionally felt crushed by the idea of being left behind, and if he - who was older and around more people he had a solid relationship with - felt that bad, then Takumi had to feel a million times worse. Takumi already had an unhealthy desire to prove himself to others. Such a setback wouldn't be good for the teen.

And teen he was. What was he, seventeen? Maybe eighteen, but Robin doubted it. And he grew up in a family he looked nothing like, as the third child behind an overwhelmingly powerful brother who looked just like their father, and an intensely outgoing older sister who inspired thousands of people with her strength and drive. Add in a sweet younger sister who was beloved by the whole nation… Takumi already had a lot of doubt and insecurity at his core. Robin was lucky enough that, even though he was unsure of his past, he had nothing directly negative to drag him down with. And his doubts only ran back a few years, not a lifetime. So he started off on more stable ground than Takumi did, but even then had troubles.

"So there is something wrong with me then?" Takumi said in a quiet voice.

"I'm not absolutely certain, but… most likely."

"Damn it…!" Takumi bit his lip again, this time hard enough to draw blood.

"H-hey!" Robin stuttered, jumping up and grabbing a handkerchief Jakob had left on the table. He handed it to Takumi pointing to the prince's lip. Takumi accepted it sullenly, but kept his eyes away from Robin. He seemed tired.

"Look," Robin continued, "just because there might be something wrong with you doesn't mean you're a bad person, or that you're useless or have to sit out. You don't have to tell everyone that something's up. Nag-"

Ah. Probably not a good idea to say that. Can't have myself collapsing on him while trying to give this of all talks. I have to confront Grima about this when he wakes up.

"Er, heck, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. This can be between you and me. Corrin and Azura are pretty good. If I tell them to drop the issue, they won't bring it up. We can tell Oboro and Jakob that it was just exhaustion and a missed wound that we hadn't noticed before that caused you to collapse, and they should leave you alone."

"Jakob healed me, didn't he? How could we convince him there was a wound if he saw none, and there was no blood?"

"We'll say it was internal. I'll make up a story about someone I knew in my old group who had a similar thing happen to him. That he'd been pierced through the gut in battle that day, and while he'd been healed on scene, it turns out he'd only been healed on the surface, and that he'd continued to bleed internally for a little bit. We didn't realize what was wrong until he collapsed later that day, clutching his abdomen. It gave him slight discomfort for a while and he knew something was wrong, but just assumed it was an ache from the wound, until suddenly the pain was overwhelming. So when we went to heal him again, we couldn't see any surface differences, but the internal wound was healed and he got better."

"Does it really work like that?"

"I'm not totally sure, but I think I can convince Jakob. Let's not worry about that for now."

"Thanks."

"No big deal! Like I said, I just want to help you. I won't tell anyone else about this. It's up to you."

Takumi nodded.

Robin then asked a question: "Would it be alright with you if I looked into this, though? Possibly asking one of our recent recruits? I wouldn't mention you by name. Or your illness directly. I just want to see if there's anything I can do."

He wasn't totally sure whether he wanted to question Nyx on the matter yet, but Robin at least wanted to know if the option was open. There was no guarantee she knew anything of use, but there was the possibility she did. And with how upset Takumi was, asking her without his consent wouldn't make anything better.

"Sure. Just… make sure they don't tell anyone else anything. And please be careful. I don't want anyone to find out. Especially not Ryoma. Not him."

This time it was Robin's turn to nod. "Of course."

"One last question," Takumi said. "What happened with you? The thing you didn't see; the thing you regret? What was the cause of it? You didn't really explain that part."

"Ah, that…"

He hadn't really wanted to answer that question. Talking about it wasn't particularly fun, and he'd already spent a while the night before telling the tale. But Takumi had blanked out when he got to that part, apparently, so Robin explained the Grima situation again.

Takumi stayed silent throughout the entire explanation. He didn't have a single question either. All he said was a single "oh."

The two went silent after that.

Robin then spoke. "If you want to take a nap, I'll wake you up in an hour or two. We're leaving for Port Dia tomorrow, but I'm planning on telling everyone tonight. I'm going to gather everyone to explain some things to them, but you've already heard the most important things so you don't have to come again. Do you want me to wake you in time for that, or should I come for you after?"

"Before. I don't want people to wonder why I'm not there and get all nosy."

"Got it. I'm going to go walk around for a bit. See you later!"

"See you later, Robin."

Robin walked to the door.

"...and thanks."

He smiled. "You're welcome, Takumi."


Author's note:

You know what. Outlining is a really good thing. If I want to boost wordcounts or something because seriously whenever I make a good outline I end up not covering half the stuff I planned and having to make two chapters. By the way this chapter originally had a stupid pun for the name but I didn't cover that stuff in this chapter so it's saved for the next one. If I don't convince myself not to put the stupid pun in. We'll see. Other than that... I spent over 120 orbs on the banner with Flier Olivia, but she never came home either. I did get another 2 or 3 regular Olivias though. now she's 5* 40+8. I've decided that I'm going to start hoarding orbs until Zeke or Tatiana shows up. No exceptions. Unless something amazing happens. Which sucks because I really want to pull on this dancer banner but oh well. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Takumi? Because I do. That's all. I can't believe I wrote 9,600 words (exactly!) in 6 days. It's been so long since I've done that. It would have been 4 or 5 but I hurt my hand pretty badly and couldn't really use it for 2 days. I considered waiting to post this just in case I take forever to post the next chapter, but oh well. I leave for college in just over a week. Maybe I'll write during my flights. Thanks for reading.

Originally posted August 10th, 2018. Word count: 9,600 without my excessively long Author's notes.

Mariyekos (man that's weird to write. But I finally changed my name! No longer Eruran.) out.