Content warnings for this chapter: blood and gore depictions (to an extent), partial nudity, strong language, alcohol use, and FEELS.

Also some knowledge of the Awakening locales may be a bit rusty, I apologize. It's been forever since I played it.

Title based on "Scared to be Lonely" by Martin Garrix feat. Dua Lipa

Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within

Chapter 10 - Scared to be Lonely

"I'm...home..." Lucina panted, soaking wet as she staggered through Ylisse's gates - her father's Ylisse - and entered the town.

I figure...if I should have to head home soon and leave Smash City...I might as well get used to it now.

She felt like she had walked a thousand miles. As she entered the town, which was mostly quiet and asleep as it was nighttime, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Lucina? Is that...you?"

Slowly lifting her gaze, she saw Lissa, the youngest child of the current Ylissean royal family and her aunt. In the back of her mind, Lucina found it a bit strange to call Lissa "Aunt Lissa" when Lissa was several years younger than Lucina, even though this was only due to the fact that Lucina had traveled back in time to when her father was still alive, so Lissa would of course be her younger self.

"Li...ssa?" She murmured weakly.

"You okay there, Lucina?" Chrom's younger sister asked her. "You don't look too good...what are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were in Smash City."

"I just..." Lucina began before letting out a cough. She could feel her world becoming distorted again, her vision blurring. Feebly, she continued, "...wanted...to come home..." Before she could say another word, she felt her body give way as the ground rushed up to meet her.

As her consciousness faded, she saw Lissa rush to her out of the corner of her eye and cry, "Lucina?!...Shepherds! Someone, help!"

"3...2...1...GO!"

The race began like any other, with the Blue Falcon speeding off into the distance and maneuvering along the track. Just as the race was almost halfway into its second lap, though, Captain Falcon could hear screams of agony in the distance.

"What...?" He murmured, confused as the scene before him seemed clear, but he could not react in time to prevent what happened next.

Almost as if in a flash of light, the scene transformed into a hellish nightmare scape of twisted metal, flames, and injured racers lying on the racetrack, writhing in agony from their wounds. The Blue Falcon's windshield was damaged, and he could feel the scorching heat of the flames through the cracks.

This is...it can't be... He thought, looking out of the windshield of his vehicle and seeing the man who would eventually become Mighty Gazelle lying a distance from his vehicle, lacerations covering up to ninety percent of his body, bleeding profusely.

"I...have to..." He murmured weakly, trying to stand, but ultimately failing. "What? Why...?" He asked himself before examining his body. He realized that his upper torso and arms had several bleeding gashes on it, and almost immediately he felt a piercing pain on his head, close to his left eye. He lifted his hand to that area and felt a glass shard protruding from the area close to his left eyebrow. It wasn't in deep enough to cause brain damage, but had it struck him any lower, it may well have taken his eye. It was only then he realized a large piece of his helmet was broken off, precisely the piece that would have covered where the wound was. Moving his hand away from the wound, he saw the yellow glove tainted with a crimson smear.

"Ah...ah...n-no..." He muttered weakly, trembling in fear as his senses began to distort. His body felt weak as he slumped back into the pilot's seat, his breath shallow, his vision blurring, the sounds around him starting to sound muffled. For the first time in his life, he felt terror paralyze him as he stared his own mortality in the face. Just before he lost consciousness, he could see a paramedic affiliated with the Federation prying open the Blue Falcon's cockpit out of the corner of his eye. Even though the paramedic's speech was mostly muffled due to the Captain's senses blurring, he could barely make out the following:

"Captain...everything's...okay...we'll need...surgery..."

When he came to, he was in the hospital, clad in the customary hospital gown, with an intravenous drip attached to his arm. Standing before him was a familiar face: a tall, slender man with chestnut brown hair and eyes that looked perpetually closed. Sunlight faintly filtered through the window, glowing a dusky champagne color from the sunset.

"Dr...Stewart...?"

"Ah, I see you've come to, Captain," Dr. Stewart answered him. "Don't worry. You're safe now. You just need a few days to rest."

"What...happened...?" Falcon murmured groggily, holding his left hand to the spot on his forehead that once bled, feeling a thick gauze pad there covered by bandages wrapping around his head.

"We don't know how it started, but we can only be thankful nobody died, all thanks to my surgical skills," Dr. Stewart answered him. "I only had to use forceps to remove the glass shard on your forehead, and I sutured up the wounds on your arms and torso. You should be glad that was a relatively small glass shard...if it were any larger, or cut any deeper or lower, you'd probably lose an eye or have some brain damage...or worse."

"I see..."

"Unfortunately, even though the torso and arm wounds should heal with little to no scarring, I can't say the same for the wound on your forehead," Dr. Stewart told him. "I disinfected and closed the wound after extracting the glass shard the best I possibly could, but it was just too large to suture together, so I've had to settle for the old gauze and bandages trick. You lost a fair amount of blood and had a bit of a concussion...you should count yourself lucky, especially since one other racer had it worse than you."

"Really...?" Falcon still found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that this was no ordinary accident.

"Yes. I've had to transfer his brain into an experimental cybernetic body. It's the first time we've ever had to do something like this... He should be waking up soon."

"Wow..." The Captain sighed, trying to take in the whole situation. "I got off easy, didn't I..."

"You can say that again," Dr. Stewart agreed. "Although, there is something that bugs me..."

"Yes?" The Captain couldn't help but worry at the doctor's statement.

"After we were done with you on the operating table and sent you to this hospital room, I came back to find the glass shard I removed from your cranium missing..."

"That...is strange..." The Captain said.

I know exactly why that happened now... He thought.

"Either way, I have no idea why they decided to steal a shard with your DNA on it. I mean, what are they gonna do, clone you?" Dr. Stewart chuckled at his last statement.

I know you were joking then, Robert, but...that's what actually happened...

"Something the matter?" Dr. Stewart asked his patient.

"...Nothing," Captain Falcon tried to reassure the Doctor. "Is...Jody okay, at least?"

"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "She wasn't hurt at all. I'm sure she's dying to see you again."

"I...want to see her again too," the Captain said.

But...for different reasons... He thought. If she was there, she could have been hurt, or worse...I had no choice but to...

"You sure you're alright?" Dr. Stewart asked, apprehensively. "You seem worried about something."

"...Maybe I just...need some rest." Looking up at the ceiling, Falcon said, "I was in a horrific accident, after all."

"Heh, that makes sense," Dr. Stewart admitted. "Well, I'd better get going...have to check on my next patient."

"Okay."

"Just know that none of this was your fault... Get some rest, okay, Captain?" Were the last words the Captain heard before sinking into a deep slumber.

"...Captain?"

After a few moments, he heard a female's voice calling out to him softly but solemnly.

That voice...Jody?

"Captain...I'm sorry..." It was then he recognized who that voice belonged to.

No...it can't be...she wasn't here when it happened...

He cautiously opened his eyes and could not believe what he saw. Standing before him was none other than Lucina.

Why...? Why are you here...? This is not how it happened at all...!

"Lu...cina...?" He muttered weakly, his vision slowly focusing.

The Ylissean bore an expression of grief and guilt on her face, tears softly streaming down her cheeks. "You got hurt...because of me..." She uttered sorrowfully, looking to the side.

Reality seemed to distort around the Captain. The fact she was there, that she seemed so contrite over something that wasn't her fault, all of it...

This...can't be real.

"Please, Lucina..." Falcon urged her, feebly reaching his hand out to touch her face. "None of this was your fault..."

Backing away slowly, Lucina let out a bitter sigh before saying, "I couldn't protect you...I couldn't put the strength I gained to the test...what use is it, then? Besides...I might not be allowed to stay in Smash City for much longer." She started walking to the door. "It's better that you never see me again...you, or anyone from Smash City. I'm so sorry..."

"Lucina?!"

Turning to Captain Falcon one last time, Lucina's face was soaked in shimmering tears.

"Goodbye... Captain Falcon..."

"W-wait...!" The Captain tried to sit up and reach for her, but it was futile and she disappeared within seconds.

"N-no...!" He forced himself onto his feet, weakly staggering toward her direction before collapsing, the ground shattering like glass as he hit the floor.

"G-Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Captain Falcon awoke with a shout, sitting up abruptly and panting. His heart was pounding and his face and bare torso covered in sweat, the pupils of his eyes contracted in terror as his hands gripped the sheets tightly. He swiftly looked around and saw that he was in his bed in his own private quarters in Mute City, accessible only to him.

"What...was with that nightmare...?" He mumbled. Feeling a pounding pain in his head, he held his left hand to his forehead, his digit finger unconsciously tracing the scar left there from the accident those four years ago.

"It's been a long time...since I had those flashbacks. Why now...?" Glancing at the holographic clock on the dresser next to his bed, he saw that it was 10:20 AM.

Overslept again... he thought. It seems whenever something heavy happens, I find myself just wanting to sleep in, as if staying awake would be worse...as if sleep would be a solace to me. And yet, it wasn't...

Getting out of bed, he thought, Heh...I can't even bring myself to return to Smash City now...just what the hell am I gonna tell them all? I can't imagine even telling her mother, Robyn, or...her father... Samus must be worried about me, but...I can't say anything to her yet. And I just hope Shulk and Fiora made it to Smash City safely... Sighing, he slowly shook his head. No use thinking too much about it now...I should at least take a shower. That always calms me...

Walking over to the shower, he stripped himself of the only garments he wore, which were his silky blue pajama pants and undergarments, and stepped into the shower, closing the glass door behind him. With the technology his world had, his shower had buttons set to specific temperature and pressure presets instead of adjusting everything manually with valves. He knew which preset he wanted, so he pressed the appropriate button and a stream of warm water at just the right pressure descended upon his body from the shower head.

Tilting his head back, he sighed deeply as the water doused every inch of him, the water's warmth and the steam that billowed calming his nerves.

"Mmm...this is nice..." he moaned, sighing afterward. For a few moments he just stood there, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling.

It feels like all my worries are melting away...

He reached for the sponge and shower gel. Squeezing a fair amount of the gel onto the sponge, he began softly scrubbing his body, the lather that covered him sliding off his skin under the shower stream.

I feel so calm...I don't think anything can ruin this for me - It was then as he scrubbed around his upper abdomen with his right arm as his left was folded across his chest and gripping his right shoulder, that a thought crept into his mind.

This position...and this warmth I feel...it's almost like an...embrace? He stopped, feeling his heart beat a touch faster, holding both arms to his chest as if he were embracing something. Or rather, someone. They say lonely people enjoy warm showers because it feels like the warmth of someone holding them in their arms... he thought, feeling the water pool a little in the gaps in his arms and hands. Heh...what a load of bullcrap -

Within a few seconds, her face flashed into his mind. He imagined himself holding Lucina in his arms at that moment, feeling the tender heat of her body as she embraced him back in his mind.

What...? He released his arms from around his torso. Why can't I stop thinking about her...? Shaking his head, he thought, This isn't like you, Captain Falcon. Remember, this is the reason you broke up with Jody...why you isolate yourself when you're not racing. You're a bounty hunter, and that's a life fraught with danger. Why haven't you accepted it already?

"Just getting close to me is asking for trouble..." he murmured remorsefully. "It's why...she ran away..." Sighing, he said, "I guess...as painful as it is to admit it, what's done is done," and resumed washing his body. Once he was done, he turned off the water flow with the off button, leaning his arm against the wall next to the panel as he sighed deeply and looked down slightly with a melancholy expression, his hair and body dripping wet, steam still billowing softly off his skin.

It's why...nobody can know the real me.

After a few moments, he stepped out, dried himself off with the towel, and put on his usual uniform. Looking at himself in the mirror briefly, he hesitated to don his helmet at first.

Look at me... I have to keep hiding my true self now... Even though I want to do nothing but stay in all day... After a few moments, he put it on anyway. But then... I'd just be wallowing in self-pity. I refuse to do that.

"I should at least do something to take my mind off all this..."

As he headed back to the master bedroom, he decided to boot up his personal computer. The holographic screen turned on, and once everything loaded, he opened up the browser and logged in to his Smash City e-mail account.

"I didn't bring my phone, but I guess I may as well check in on everyone this way..." He muttered. The first new e-mail he saw in his inbox was from Shulk. It read,

"Hey there Captain,

I know it's been a while. When Fiora and I met up with you and Lucina at Mute City, there's...something I failed to mention. We've already had several new faces join us, and we rebooted the fourth Smash tournament, which was a success. I didn't make it very far, but one of our new faces, Bayonetta, was the winner, and Samus ranked pretty high, as did another newcomer, one Cloud Strife from the world of Gaia. I told Master Hand of your situations though, and he was understanding when it came to your absences. He would like to see you and Lucina back sometime soon.

Unfortunately, Snake didn't return this time around. However, I do know Master Hand does want to bring him back, along with several others. Oh, and the interview Fiora mentioned? Master Hand decided to extend the interview program to the next upcoming tournament. I don't know the full details, but it sounds like he really wants to make this tournament one to remember. If I hear any more I'll let you know.

I hope you and Lucina are doing alright, at least. Fiora had her interview two weeks ago. We should hear the results soon.

Take care,

Shulk"

"Two...weeks? It's only been three days here." The Captain murmured, confused, until he remembered that time passed faster in Smash City than it did off world, so a week off world would translate to several months in Smash City. "Oh...right." Re-reading the message, he thought, So...Snake didn't return, I expected as much. But it seems he is wanted back at Smash City, so hopefully when the next tournament starts, I might see him there...I just hope Samus is taking this okay. I definitely can't tell her anything yet. Holding his left hand to his mouth to think for a moment, he then pondered, I can at least reply to Shulk. He should reply within a day or two in my time.

He was about to start typing his response when he hesitated. But...he's still asking about Lucina...? I...don't have the heart to tell anyone right now...what should I do...?

"I should at least get some breakfast first."

After a few minutes, he returned with a chicken biscuit sandwich heated up from the microwave, and, interestingly enough, a glass of red wine.

"Heh, I guess it's one of those days I have wine with my breakfast," he said to himself. "If anyone else knew about this, they'd be judging me so hard..." He chuckled slightly. "Not that I do it often in the first place." Setting the food and wine on the computer table, he began to type after taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Hey, Shulk.

Indeed it has. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to welcome any new faces. Cloud Strife, though...that name does sound familiar. I've heard about him."

He paused typing to think of what to write next, before continuing, "I am dismayed that Snake didn't come back, but I know Ryu told me it might be difficult for him. However, I am curious about this next upcoming tournament. You say Master Hand wants to make it one to remember? I would appreciate if you could give me more details as they arise. If it means Snake could come back, it would be great. I just hope Samus is taking this all okay.

As for"

He stopped there, feeling a bit nervous as to how to continue. Should I lie...? Tell Shulk I'm still training with Lucina? ...It'll be found out anyway when they see she's in a different world than I am. But...how can I break the truth...?

Reaching for the wine glass, he took a sip of wine. He could feel the liquor calming his nerves and warming his insides without completely loosening his inhibitions. It was because he had already had food in his stomach that the wine had a slightly lessened effect, which in reality was all he needed. After taking in a deep breath, he resumed typing.

"As for Lucina... Shulk, I'm gonna have to ask you to keep this a secret for now, alright? I'm afraid...we're currently not traveling together. After I rescued her from Black Shadow, something...got into her head. Feelings of inadequacy, I guess? It was ever since she spoke with Young Link, a former Smasher when we were in Clock Town, that it's possible any one of us may have to leave Smash at any time, that it gave her some insecurities. I guess Mario, Luigi, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Kirby and Link would be safe, but... It made her really worried, combined with the fact that she felt her training wasn't enough to prevent that situation."

Pausing for a moment, he sighed before saying to himself, "I can't possibly tell him that...I'm in a way responsible. If I hadn't told her that she wasn't ready to face Black Shadow... She only wanted to feel useful, that she was making a difference, and I only fueled her insecurity and sent her confidence crashing down after building it up with those words... Just like how I shattered her father's dreams... I'm amazed she didn't reject me at the hospital that day with that in mind." He reached for the wine glass, but knew another hit without nursing it with food wouldn't be good for how he composed himself afterwards, so he took another bite of the biscuit sandwich and then another sip of wine. Once the wine soothed his nerves enough, he resumed typing.

"So, Shulk... I don't know what to do know. I just hope she's safe...whenever you can, can you check the off world teleporter's logs in Smash City and see where she is? I need time to think about my next course of action. I'll be back soon though, and I promise I'll bring her back. Just please...not a word of this to anyone else. Not even Samus. I don't want her to worry about my absence too at this point in time...

See you around.

- Captain Falcon"

After he was done typing, he hit send, and the message on screen disappeared. After a few seconds, a notification box with the word "Sent!" appeared in the inbox.

"I...guess that's that," he said, finishing his sandwich afterward and immediately downing what was left of his wine, which was more than a few sips. The food in his stomach wasn't enough to offset the effects of such a large amount of booze in a short time. Of course, since this was all a stressful situation for him, he wanted nothing more than to numb the anxiety just for this moment. Within seconds, he felt a pleasantly intense heat in the pit of his stomach as his vision became slightly blurry and every muscle in his body relaxed as he slumped against his chair, tilting it slightly back with a relaxed sigh.

"Whoa..." he muttered with a chuckle, his cheeks turning pink. "This is one hell of a buzz...I probably shouldn't have...poured that much." Tilting his head up to face the ceiling, he slurred, "But man...did I ever...need to take the edge off..." He could feel his eyelids start to become heavy as he sighed in a slightly melancholy manner. "Heh...I feel so...numb...to everything..." Before he knew it, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep in the chair.

"Mmmm..." Lucina slowly opened her eyes, which for some reason felt heavy still. She could make out the fact that she was in one of the royal bedrooms in Ylisse Castle, and was tucked into such a bed, her body no longer dripping wet and having been changed into a silken nightgown. It was almost afternoon, judging by the intensity of the sunlight shining through the curtains. Most importantly, however, she felt something amiss about herself.

To be fair, "amiss" was an understatement. Her whole body felt like it was burning up inside, sapping her energy. She could feel tears consistently welling up in her eyes, and it was a little hard for her to breathe as she found herself panting almost automatically. She could feel a damp, slightly cool towel folded on top of her forehead, probably to help reduce her body temperature.

"What...happened...?" She called out, weakly.

"So you're awake," a wise-sounding woman's voice answered. Too weak to move her head, Lucina only waited there until the woman walked to her bedside. Moving her eyes to the right, she murmured, "Mi...riel...?"

"My respiratory functions ceased for a split second when Frederick brought you up here," Miriel said in a slightly chastising tone. "What ever were you doing that caused you to come down with such a case of pyrexia...?"

"Py...what...?" Lucina could barely focus.

"Oh, right, I seem to have forgotten you weren't one for 'big words'," Miriel answered her in her usual monotone voice, making air quotation marks with her fingers at the "big words". "Simply put: you have a fever."

"I... see..." Lucina shifted her gaze away momentarily before coughing, feeling something thick and sticky crackle in her throat and chest as she coughed.

"...and a bit of nasopharyngitis with it." Noticing Lucina glare at her in a feeble yet irritated manner, Miriel clarified, "Or as you call it, the common cold."

"How long...until I get...better...?" the future Exalt asked, straining as she spoke, her facial expression becoming solemn.

"Probably seven days at least," Miriel answered her. "Which, I've come to administer your medicine." Lucina could hear Miriel walking to the side and setting a glass bottle on the table before returning to her within a few seconds with a spoonful of medicine.

"Please open your mouth," Miriel instructed Lucina rather bluntly. The blue-haired Ylissean obliged, and the red haired mage put the spoon in her patient's mouth, pulling it out once she heard Lucina swallow the medicine. "It's no wonder I wasn't chosen to take care of the younger you...they said I lacked that 'motherly touch'." Putting the spoon away, Miriel asked, "...Are you not going to quip back at me or something for that comment?"

"N-no..." Lucina mumbled weakly, clearly sounding ill. "I'm just...thankful you're doing this for me...and...I'm sure you must... have a lot of questions for-" She was cut off by another cough.

Sighing and shaking her head, Miriel then softly smiled. "You can tell us some other time. For now...I would advise against exerting yourself. Just rest, Exalt."

"Okay..." As Miriel left the room and closed the door behind her, Lucina began to feel drowsy, probably a side effect of the medicine. As her eyes slowly closed and her breathing settled into a steady, calm rhythm, she thought, She still...helped me...? Just like...

For a brief moment, his face flashed into her mind.

I...I'm so sorry, Captain. I... Her eyes began to tear up, this time as a response to the deep regret she felt, as opposed to being a reaction from the fever. ...No. I don't...want to think about... anything right now... I'm so... tired... Within seconds, her eyes closed as her senses sank into darkness and she drifted off to sleep.

"Ugh..." Captain Falcon groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was a pounding, throbbing pain in his head.

"It...hurts..." he strained. The light of the computer screen stung his eyes. "Ngh..." He covered his eyes as he slowly looked away and noticed the wine glass on the computer table completely empty.

"So...I drank the whole glass...? Holy shit... I remember... pouring a lot..." He slowly got up out of the chair and walked over to the wine glass before...

"W-what?" He could feel his whole world spinning as he struggled to maintain his balance, ultimately failing as he collapsed to the ground onto his knees.

"F-fuck...!" He cried as his motor functions failed him. "Why...isn't my body...cooperating...?!"

Look at me... He thought. It's only when I get this drunk that I'm reduced to a clumsy, loud, swearing mess... This is not what I intended to happen. I always try to avoid getting to this point... this time, I got...careless...

"I should..." He uttered wearily as he slowly reached out his right hand to try to grab the empty wine glass, "G-get...some water..." That effort proved futile as his arm collapsed and he fell to the side onto the floor.

"Hah...ahahaha..." He let out a hollow, pitiful laugh. "I'm...useless..."

Useless...?

Just then, he recalled what Lucina told him before she ran away.

"And that's why...I feel like my efforts are futile. I really am weak. I'm...useless."

Lu...cina...?

"It's better that I disappear...that everyone, even you, forget about me. This is for the best..."

"No..." He murmured weakly, feeling despair and heartbreak grip him. "Don't...leave me..."

Why am I even saying that? She's gone anyway... Before he knew it, he could feel tears coming to his eyes. Just then, he saw both her tear-soaked face before she ran away into the rain, and her crying face from the nightmare he had a while ago in his mind. Both images he saw in his mind said the same thing.

"Goodbye... Captain Falcon."

"I'm sorry..." he wept, tears streaming down his face. "I crushed your father's dreams, and now your own... perhaps... this is what I deserve..." He clenched one of his free hands into a fist. "I should have... noticed your pain and tried to talk you through it... how could I be so blind...?"

Might as well add "crying" to the list of what kind of mess I am... Why am I even...?

Of course, his rational side was betrayed by the primal urge to vent his frustrations and sorrow the only way he knew how: by crying his heart out. There was nobody else around, just him, so he didn't need to hide how he really felt.

"Lucina... please, forgive me..."

Just stop it, Falcon. You said you wouldn't wallow in self-pity. She accepted your offer to train her... she even confided in you back at the hospital and clung to you. She saw you as the source of her strength...and I know she still needs you. You can fix this... Only you can make this situation better.

"I... I can..." The Captain said, hiccuping slightly after shedding all the tears he could. "I have to... make this right..." His motor functions were working a bit better, as he was able to stand up without much problems. His head, however, was still pounding.

"But first...I need some water."

After he limped to the kitchen and got himself a glass of water, he slowly sat down at the table and drank the water sip by sip, the clean liquid purging his system of any remaining liquor. He could feel his head become a bit clearer.

"So... I think for the next few days... I should try to think about my next course of action. I don't know how much time passed while I was out, but..." He glanced at the holographic clock on the top of the kitchen wall. "It's 9 PM? Wow, day's almost over. Note to self: never do that again."

I don't think Shulk will reply to my email just yet, anyway.

"Even so..." He said to himself. "I definitely can't keep going like this. Without Snake around... I should do something to take my mind off my troubles for a bit. And then...maybe I'll pay the good doctor a visit for old times' sake..."

Although... He pondered. I just wonder... why I was reacting so deeply to her leaving... like she meant something to me? He looked up at the ceiling as he continued in his thoughts, It's not the first time, either...the dream I had back at Gaur Plain...what could it all mean...?

"Wakey-waaaaakeeeeyyyy..." A somewhat ominous female voice said.

Opening her eyes, Lucina saw Tharja, a Plegian Dark Mage who joined the Shepherds, sitting close to her on the bed. "T-Tharja?!" She cried, alarmed. She knew that Tharja was infamous among the Shepherds for hexes and curses, as well as seeming to have no personal concept of boundaries.

"Relax, princess," Tharja tried to calm Lucina down in her usual creepy tone. "Miriel and I have been taking care of you the past four days. You were in and out of consciousness for a while, but she was able to give you your medicine and food, and after a while, the old wet towel trick didn't really do it for your fever, so I cast a hex - "

"You WHAT?!" Lucina cried in outrage.

"My, such energy. You might be better already," Tharja teased. "But rest assured, I did no harm. The hex I cast on you was only to reduce your fever. Surely you've noticed how well you've been sleeping, yes?"

"I... now that you mention it, yeah..." Lucina raised her right arm to scratch the back of her head, surprised she even had the strength to do so. Her fever was completely gone, too. "I do feel really rested..."

"Why don't you try walking, then...?" Tharja suggested, smirking slightly.

"Okay..." Lucina slowly climbed out of bed, feeling the carpeted floor under her sock-covered feet. She tried to walk to the door, but only made it a short distance before collapsing to the floor, her legs failing her.

"Oof!"

"Lucina?!" Miriel called out as she stormed into the room, having heard Lucina fall to the floor. Gently helping the future Exalt up, Miriel glared at Tharja angrily and interrogated, "Have you been pushing her?!"

"Ohohoho, of course not," Tharja replied. "She wanted to see if she if she was strong enough...right, Lucina?"

"She's right..." Lucina admitted. "I have been feeling a bit better anyway, so - " She was interrupted by a cough, which was still a bit wet and crackly, but not as much as it was four days ago.

"Even so, you're still sick, and you can't even walk much in your state," Miriel told Lucina. "I'll have Cordelia carry you to the bath. Cherche and Lon'qu will be preparing lunch, so Cordelia will help you bathe in the meantime." Standing up, Miriel continued, "I just have to ensure Stahl doesn't try to eat everything... Just stay put. Cordelia should be here shortly."

"Thanks, everyone..." Lucina said with a sigh, trying to hide her melancholy expression from the two Shepherds.

...

Within a few minutes, Cordelia arrived and carried Lucina to the indoor baths. Cordelia and Sully helped Lucina disrobe, and Sully carried the future Exalt to a tub filled with water heated to body temperature.

"How's the water?" Sully asked.

Sighing deeply as her body was submerged up to her shoulders, Lucina answered her, "Just...perfect." A slightly content smile graced her face.

"Need any help washing yourself?"

"I'm good, thanks," Lucina said.

"Okay, then," Sully replied. "Let me or Cordy know if ya need anything."

"H-hey!" Cordelia called out from the changing room, sounding irritated. "You know how I feel about that nickname, Sully!"

"What's wrong with it?" Sully teased, walking out of the tub room and into the changing room. "It doesn't sound at all like the name of a parasitic plant..."

"Sul-lyyyyyyyy!" Cordelia cried in frustration.

"Heehee..." Lucina giggled. Taking the bar of soap nearby, she gently scrubbed as much of her body as she could, from her chest all the way down to her legs, rinsing herself off by briefly immersing herself completely in the water.

Holding her breath, she relaxed as the soothing, serene sound of being completely submerged underwater filled her ears and she felt herself weightless as her hair floated around her. She then let her body float a little, still remaining submerged in the warm water.

This is really nice... She thought as she slowly closed her eyes. How I've missed such comfort... It feels like I'm one with everything, and nothing at the same time. It's just...me. Me, and nothing else. Floating freely, without a care in the world...

Within a few seconds, however, she envisioned the moment Captain Falcon embraced her in the hospital, feeling the warmth of his strong but tender embrace again.

"You're not weak...I assure you."

Ah?! Immediately, Lucina surfaced, holding her arms to her chest as she shivered softly from the sudden change in temperature. Why... why can't I stop thinking about him...? I thought I had let him go.

Looking down, she noticed some peculiar discolorations on the skin of her right hand. Holding it closer to her vision, she recognized what kind of mark it was. A mark with what looked like six eyes, three on two twisting branches across from each other.

The Mark of Grima.

Haha...how ironic, she thought, beginning to feel sorrow weigh on her. I was upset at Falcon for keeping secrets from me and not telling me about Blood Falcon, who claims to be his clone...but I kept a secret from him, too... Nobody except Zelda and everyone from my home world know.

"That Grima...Robyn...is my mother." She sighed, tears starting to stream down her face. "I have both blessed and cursed blood inside me... When I was growing up, my father warned me that he was told he would be killed by someone close to him, but he wasn't sure who it could be..." She leaned back against the walls of the tub and looked up. "When I was 14, he began training me in sword combat... and then he was killed a month before my sixteenth birthday, when Grima awoke and plunged the lands into darkness. Grima had killed so many... it was only years later that I found out my own mother was the avatar of the Fell Dragon, and my father's killer...but... back then, I just couldn't bring myself to kill her... she's my mother...!" She buried her face into her hands as she sobbed. "And...even though Grima was defeated... It was my father who dealt the final blow, because he didn't want to lose my mother. All it did was put Grima into another slumber. The brand is still on my hand. And... Grima is only in a slumber in this timeline, not the one I came from. I'm afraid that Grima may be reborn through me or my brother Morgan..."

Now you see why, Captain. Why I had to leave you... I love you. And that's why I felt a need to protect you... from myself.

"Hey, is everything okay...?" Cordelia asked Lucina from afar.

"I-I'm fine," Lucina stammered, wiping away her tears as Cordelia approached her. "Can I...ask you something?"

"Yes...?" Cordelia was a bit perplexed.

"I know that... you once had feelings for my father, but were too afraid to tell him. Why?"

"Severa told you, huh?" Cordelia giggled. "It's true... I loved him. But I always felt I was out of his league...that I wasn't 'good enough' for him."

"Did you...feel jealous of my mother...?"

"Only a little," Cordelia confessed. "I knew nothing I did would change the fact he only had eyes for her. She was more special and important to him than I could ever hope to be."

"I see..." Lucina replied, looking to the side in a forlorn manner. "I guess you could say... I've known that feeling lately."

"Really?"

"Yes..." Looking down at her reflection in the water, Lucina continued, "It's... a man from Smash City, who comes from an entirely different world. At first, I wasn't on such good terms with him because he barred my father from entering the fourth Smash Bros. tournament, but... within a year of my time in Smash City, my relationship with that man changed...for the better. He saved me when I needed saving the most... reassured me that I wasn't weak and that I shouldn't try to shoulder my burdens all alone... He made me feel stronger when I was with him. And..."

"And...?"

Closing her eyes, Lucina began with a sigh, "The more we traveled together...the closer I felt to him. It blossomed into a wonderful feeling... like I was floating and sinking at the same time, just wanting to be close to him, to make him happy... I... loved him. I really did. But..." She opened her eyes, the sadness evident in them. "I just couldn't tell him... He had an ex-girlfriend he wanted to see again, even though he insisted they were just friends... Is it wrong of me to hope that they are still friends? I wish I had more courage to tell him how I felt..."

Not only that... I feel I failed him...failed everyone at Smash City when...

"Heehee, I can't help but see myself in you when you describe it like that," Cordelia answered Lucina earnestly. "But still... I know you're no quitter. You had the determination to travel back in time to save your father. You're even a fighter in Smash City! You have so much to be proud of... you can ask him about it the next time you see him, and if he is still friends with his ex, you can probably confess your feelings then and there."

"Maybe..." Lucina looked down as she contemplated, Easier said than done... I still don't think I can return to Smash City... I don't even know if I'll be called for the next tournament, or if I'll see him again. And if I do tell him... what if he rejects me...?

"You alright there, Lucina?" Cordelia asked.

"I... I'm fine," Lucina answered her, slowly looking at her. "I'm... a bit hungry. Is lunch almost ready?"

"Should be," Cordelia answered her. "If you want, I'll get you dressed and bring you back to your room. While you eat, you can tell me why you decided to come back here after so long."

"That would be nice," Lucina replied. "I really do appreciate you all caring for me while my parents and baby brother are in Smash City."

I wonder if my family over there is worried about me... She thought. I just still feel so terrible about all this... maybe spending some time in some familiar scenery will put me at ease. I might as well get used to it... Just then, she coughed.

"Guess I'd better get you dressed anyway before you get any sicker," Cordelia said. "I'll get you dressed into some nice, warm, clean clothes. You can tell me all you need to when you're in your room, ok? You're gonna love lunch. Just be glad Sully isn't cooking it..."

"I heard that!" Sully called out from afar.

"Thanks, guys..." Lucina looked to the ceiling once more.

I really want to believe that there is hope on the horizon. But why... why is it so hard...?

After Cordelia dressed Lucina and carried her back to her quarters, Lucina was lost in thought, a solemn expression on her face. Most of all... I've been feeling lately like I don't deserve any of this. I feel like I'm just a burden to everyone around me... It's a terrible feeling, but I've come to accept it...

Yeah so I'm ending this chapter here to pace things better

Anyway, Captain Falcon's accident is canon to F-Zero X/GX (and GP Legend, but I'm not counting GPL here). I remember when Brawl and Smash 4 had descriptions with their trophies, and reading the description on Blood Falcon's trophy got me really curious about the lore of the series and the characters. (Also, raise your hand if Lucas's Brawl trophy spoiled you on Mother 3.) I'm a bit disappointed Ultimate's Spirits didn't come with little lore blurbs, I loved reading those.

As for Lucina... she, Chrom, and Robyn (and Morgan) come from the timeline where Chrom dealt the final blow to Grima, which only sealed the Fell Dragon away into another slumber. In that timeline also, Lucina didn't return to the future right away. Robin (male Robin) in my Smash fics comes from the timeline where he dealt the final blow to Grima, destroying the dragon once and for all. He knows the Lucina in Smash is a different one from the one he met, but they're still close friends. I might explore that either in a future chapter or in a series of side fics. I dunno right now.

And...writing this fic means a lot to me. Not just for what it is, but how cathartic it is for me. I've been going through a rough time the past several months, and now I'm worried I might lose a few long time friends, and my health isn't doing so great either, among other things. In a way, projecting my worries and fears through the two main characters helps me to cope. Falcon clearly suffers from some trauma and anxiety, and Lucina is intended to have a bit of depression. I hope I am portraying them realistically and my hope by the endgame is that they're not at all "cured", but they help each other brave the challenges they face and heal one day at a time. You'll see when I get there.

Speaking of...the next chapter will be HEAVILY Lucina-centric. In the earlier chapters I focused more on the Captain. His "character development arc" if you can call it that is for the most part coming to an end soon, save for a somewhat major development a little later on. I haven't been focusing on Lucina enough, so these next few chapters will hopefully rectify that.

Also, I think I know where to take the rest of the story when it comes to cameos. I'll explain probably next chapter or the chapter after that, but rest assured, there will be a buttload of surprises... :D

Hope you guys enjoyed, as usual.