"You're hurt." He mused as he glanced at her small hands. She must have hurt herself making the mochi for him, they looked raw and blistered.

Corrin glanced down at her hands before letting them rest at her sides. She knew she should have stopped the minute her hands began to bleed.

"Well...it's nothing I can't handle. I'll bandage it and be fine." Corrin explained with a strained smile.

"Mmh."Takumi glanced at her hands once again. Sympathy twinged within his heart. She went through all that effort to do something he liked even after the way he treated her? He couldn't leave her wounds unattended like that...

On the other hand though, her kindness could very well be a clever ploy to break down his walls. If she didn't hesitate to shoot at him once, what would stop her once she got to know him and his weaknesses? For all he knew, she still could be planning something.

He still felt the alliance between the two kingdoms odd at times, as he almost expected Corrin to announce she only wanted to bring Hoshido close to her and betray them for Nohr.

He found it hard to believe anyone could be so pure or good as Corrin. However, in a way, she had proven her loyalty, by as far as he could see, staying true to her word.

Takumi glanced at her hands again and bit his lip. He didn't want Corrin to think that she could be so easily forgiven for nearly taking his life, even if it was in the moment of a decision she didn't quite think through.

But...what good would their commander be if she couldn't use her hands. He supposed the dragon stone could suffice for a time, but still, denying her of her hands would be cruel.

"Um," Corrin glanced up at the sky as if to check the time "I'm sorry about what happened earlier, but I really need to go to bed" She apologized and with that, began to make her way home to her quarters.

"Wait!" He commanded her as he lunged for her wrist. It was like her hands and feet, small and fragile in appearance, but capable and strong in reality, just like her personality. And yet, he felt if he held too tight, he might break it.

"Oh...um,"He sputtered. As soon as she Corrin's eyes had met his, Takumi had realized his forcefulness and dropped her wrist in shame. "As our commander, I can't let you leave with your hands injured like that. You'll be a liability to not only yourself but everyone else." While he informed her of this, he tried to do so as firmly as possible. This was an act of duty not kindness.

"Really Takumi? I'm sure I can manage."She questioned cautiously. She was sure this offer couldn't come for free .

"Yes. Now..."He couldn't believe what he was about to do."Come inside. I don't want anyone to see me with you, and it's getting cold outside." He insisted before marching inside. Corrin followed suit, rushing behind him with her stomach doing somersaults. It had nearly been a year since they met, and this was the first action of willing kindness from Takumi.

His tent was plain inside. A traditional Japanese futon laid on the floor with Fujin Yumi leaning against it. Corrin figured that he must have kept it close for protection in case a raid were to happen at night.

Surprisingly, his room was tidy. Corrin wondered if the cleanliness was a work of Oboro or Takumi, since Corrin thought it unlikely that Hinata would manage the mess after Takumi if he couldn't yet clean up after himself. She wouldn't be surprised if Takumi kept things as neat as possible, judging by his type A personality.

"Sit." He commanded as he fiddled around in his drawer. She did as he said and sat on the futon, curiously watching him. Just like everything else he did, such purpose and grace was brought into his actions, even for something as simple as this.

Did this mean anything? He had to care about her. At least a little bit to have done this.

"I know what you're thinking." Takumi said as he approached Corrin with the salve and bandages.

"I would do this for any comrade. What I said in the arena still stands." He informed her as he sat next to her and took her small hand in his. It was even smaller than he thought. It was strange to think something so small and dainty could be as capable of killing as her hands were.

"I thought you accepted my present though!" She gasped. A side smirk grew on Takumi's face.

"Well...most of what I said still stands. I hardly think an under cooked mochi constitutes as a proper 'I'm sorry.'" He even chuckled, if only to laugh at the thought of eating the monstrosity she tried to give him.

Corrin glanced at the tin he had placed on a dresser in his room as she finally relaxed. She could rest easy now with the assurance of Takumi's careful protection on the battlefield. She needed eyes like his, especially when she used the dragon stone.

It was times like this that reminded Corrin she wasn't quite as invincible as she liked to believe. Yes, she was strong and efficient on the battlefield, but it didn't mean she couldn't be taken down. The stone helped, yes, but the rage she felt while fighting with the stone was like no other at times. With extended power came extended responsibility. Her consciousness didn't slip away easily, but there were times where her fury seemed to totally grab a hold of her. On more than one occasion, Takumi had warded off enemies, something that they silently acknowledged but never spoke about

"Has anyone ever told you that you have small hands?" He asked while blotting her hand with sake and a cotton pad as disinfectant.

"Maybe you have big hands?" Corrin suggested playfully with a wince. It stung.

"Maybe. You must feel like I did with my..."Takumi paused, and glanced at her before gently shaking his head"How I felt with OUR father."

Corrin's heart skipped a beat. Our father? Had he really just said the words she had wanted to hear so badly? It was almost hard to believe. He...accepted her. Kinda. He didn't accept her as he would his other siblings, but he acknowledged her as a sister, and not an enemy.

"Were his hands large?" Corrin pushed. She wanted to know her father. She undoubtedly had a big family, yes, but the ache always lingered in her heart for her mother and father. She wanted to know them, who they are, what kind of people they were.

"I think so. I couldn't really say. When I was younger, everything was big, but when he took my hand in his, it felt enormously huge. And I felt...safe. Like as long as he was there, he nothing could hurt me me." Takumi began to bandage her hand at this point, carefully wrapping it around her hand. His father was a good man and a good father, someone he aspired to be. And yet, someone unreachable. All his life, he had to hear how similar Ryoma was to his father, as if that weren't a larger slap in the face. He could neither be as good as his brother or father.

"Mother's hands were similar to yours as well. Although she didn't have the callouses you'll have after this heals." Takumi concluded before inspecting his Corrin's hand.

Corrin looked away at the topic of her mother. It wasn't for a fear of crying, she had cried all she possibly could long ago but she didn't want Takumi to see just how much it still hurt. He must have felt similarly, if not worse, he had known her longer than Corrin.

"That's the first time I've heard you speak of her since she died." Corrin finally mustered softly as she returned her eyes back to Takumi.

The comment took Takumi aback a bit as the hand he had been inspecting Corrin's with went limp, allowing her's to rest weakly on it for a brief second. He had said before,but he hadn't fully realized until now just how similar it was to Mikoto's. It was almost as if he could feel the same love within her fingers. The love for humanity and her family. The sheer love of just goodness.

"I can't pretend it didn't happen." He admitted stiffly as he abruptly stood up and returned the contents to the drawer. It was a mistake to bring her up. He wasn't able to talk about it. Not yet.

"You know I'm here, right Takumi? I know we haven't been together long, but I'm still your sister." Corrin elucidated as she went to approach Takumi.

The warmth left his eyes as he leaned against the dresser and watched her again with that scrutinizing gaze. Corrin froze in her tracks. How could someone so loving in one second be so cruel the next.

"You can't keep pushing me away like this..."She whispered, her eyes beckoning for the warmth to return to his.

This time, Takumi couldn't meet her eyes as he glanced at the side.

"You don't know me."He nipped coldly, continuing to fail to look at her.

"I don't need to. Not when I can see you the way I do." Corrin's voice boldly intercepted, bringing Takumi to attention.

"Anyone with eyes can see me."Takumi retorted as he continued to avoid Corrin's steady gaze. Corrin shook her head.

"No... They don't need to use their eyes, and even if they did, they wouldn't see what I see."She took steps towards him, retaining eye contact until she met him infront of the dresser.

"And what...do you see?" He seethed.

"I see resilience, and deep down, a good heart. But I also see loneliness and cowardice. I see a man who has fought for power his entire life. A man who could never compare to the sheer legacy of his father"Her voice remained serene as she spoke, never faltering for a second. Even as he avoided looking at her, he could feel her eyes staring right through him.

Takumi's breath hitched as one hand squeezed the dresser for support. She knew. She didn't have to get to know him to know these things, because she could tell right away. He wondered how long she had known these things but had never told him. This wasn't a part of the code. She wasn't supposed to know, no one was supposed to know.

"...Keep that bandage on your hand for a couple days."He managed to strain out.

Corrin unsteadily took a few steps back as she looked at him one final time.

"Thank you...for helping with my hand."She breathed before rushing out of the tent.

So close, and yet so far.

They hadn't spoken since. And they planned to keep it that way. They had reached their mutual understanding and respect of each other, and they were comfortable leaving it like that, or so they had told themselves.

For nights, Corrin's words had plagued his sleep. He was well aware of the qualities that he withheld deep inside himself, but to have someone so boldly recite them to him, shook his very core. She knew him, but as soon as he thought he knew something about her, she would prove him wrong. He thought she was evil, but she couldn't possibly be. Her eyes were kind, she had his mother's eyes. He thought she had no clue what she was doing, that she was unfit to lead an army, but he came to find that she knew exactly what she was doing. She had a plan. She always had a plan. But was her plan for him?

He didn't admire her, or crave her company, but within a couple days, he found his resentment had faded considerably. He hated that she knew those things that she didn't have a right to know, and that she knew them so easily, but it was also nice to no longer have to hide. Someone knew the things he had been hiding since he was a child. It was so much simpler when he didn't like her.

He knew he could never accept her as he would his other siblings, that much made sense. That just didn't sit well with him. It seemed wrong to think of her like that. He accepted their relation, but not the kinship a brother and sister would share.

He couldn't clear the thoughts out of his head, as hard as he tried, although at times, training could provide temporary relief.

Unless she was there...

From the looks of it, she hadn't been there long, judging on how effortlessly she was able to glide and jump without running out of breath, an observation he made from sparring with her. Her energy would come in short small bursts, and then leave as quickly as it came.

It was as if his presence set an alarm off, as she froze in her tracks as soon as Takumi emerged from the entrance.

"Brother." She greeted him and sheathed Yato.

Takumi's eyes searched her face to attempt to gauge how she felt.

"Corrin." He replied curtly.

They each waited for the other one to speak, yet neither had words, until finally Corrin was able to speak if only out of obligation.

"Do you need me to leave?" She inquired, brushing her hair out of her face.

Takumi considered the offer.

"No, I should be fine."He finally replied.

It wasn't like they exactly had lively conversations before what had happened in the tent. But now there was a strange stiffness whenever they spoke, as if they couldn't address what had quite happened between each other. Something had changed.

The code was over. It was broken and there was no way to fix it. The moment she told him what she really saw, it was broken. Neither of them particularly missed it, but at the same time, they wanted it back. It was too strange. Too different. They were forced to take down the wall they had carefully put up around themselves and let each other in. Vulnerability wasn't their strong suit. It never was.

For half an hour, they trained secretly in silence, constantly in a state of discomfort as the awareness of each other never quite left. Ultimately, it was Corrin who decided to leave first, silently tidying up while Takumi watched her from the side of his eye.

"Where are you going?" He asked once she had begun her exit out of the arena.

"To the river," her eyes danced with a challenge, pushing him further "Do you want to come with me?"

Takumi slung his bow across his back and jogged to catch up to her.

He would have never agreed to walk with her beforehand, but the way her eyes challenged him intrigued him.

And so together they walked, continuing to maintain the silence that they were so intent on keeping. While they traveled to the riverside Corrin observed the birds and Takumi kicked a stone.

The river was cool and inticing, in a forest slightly isolated from camp. It was better this way as they lazily kept their feet in the water. Takumi wasn't ashamed of being seen with her, but at the same time, the idea of him and Corrin still remained alien and strange. Something he was unsure if he could get used to.

It was comfortable. In a way, they didn't need to talk. They could feel fine without words. They didn't need them. It was nice. It was a strange comfortable silence neither had been able to experience before in their lives.

After a while of the silence, Corrin turned to look at Takumi. His hair was so pretty in the sun like that. She was so envious of how shiny it was, and how smooth it looked. Her hair was so unlike his, it was peculiar. As siblings, they shared so little to no similarities, which struck her as odd. She liked the difference, it separated them, made them unique, but he seemed to not care for it. Or rather her.

"Takumi," She breathed, lazily rolling her head back to absorb the sun. "Why do you hate me?"

Takumi only glanced at her before chuckling.

"I could see why you think that...but I don't hate you. Not really." He replied simply, leaning back on his elbows. Hate was far too strong of a word.

She stared down into the water, trying to absorb his words. A part of her knew he didn't hate her, if he hated her, at the most, she'd likely be dead. But to hear it from him...it was different. It was what she wanted. Not to be loved, but for him to acknowledge her as anything other than an irritation.

"You know, as much as I hate to admit it, you're talented," He ruminated with a serious look."It didn't take long for you to become accustomed to the bow." He admitted as he closed his eyes.

Corrin's cheeks began to glow as a blush be painted her cheeks. She must have been dreaming.

"Does this mean we're friends?" She eagerly asked.

Takumi had to think about that. Being friends was a little too close for Takumi's taste, and although he could feel himself warming up to her, he wanted to maintain the distance. He knew better than anyone how quickly she could leave his life as quickly as she entered it. Especially in a place like this.

"Not quite. But you're not nearly as much of a nusence to me as before."

She'd take it.

"Takumi?"She hummed

"Hm?" He lazily opened an eye to glance at her speculatively.

"Do you ever think this war will end?" She sighed, putting her weight on her hands as she leaned back.

"You're our leader, aren't you supposed to know that?" He teased. Corrin gleamed.

"I think it will. We need to have hope if we want to get through this together." Corrin gazed up at the sky and took a deep breath. The air felt good, clean.

"I didn't know her that well, but I think Scarlet would have wanted that." She admitted in a hoarse whisper.

"You're such a dreamer." He said.

"Then what does that make you, a pessimist?" She giggled.

"Exactly."

The dreamer and the pessimist. What a pair

"And what will you do after the war?" He pondered as he observed the fish jumping in and out of the river. He considered shooting at one if he had some rope.

It caught her off guard. She had never thought about that just assumed that life would go as it does and she wouldn't have to worry about it until it came.

"I...don't know..."She admitted, bringing her knees to her chest. She thought about it more, where would she live? What would she do? After her life had become such a large adventure, would anything ever compare?

"What will you do Takumi?" She canvassed.

"Well...what a prince is supposed to do. Marry, have children, protect his people." He absentmindedly listed off. He didn't know. Not really. But he knew what his father would have wanted from him. What his people want.

"But is that what you want?" Corrin interrupted.

It wasn't as easy of a matter if Takumi 'wanted' that or not. He was too young to know what he really wanted, and was only able to repeat the expectations that were drilled into him.

"Y-yes of course I'm sure."He trailed off as he furrowed his brow in thought.

"And will you marry Oboro?" She purred, attempting to get a rise out of him.

He felt an intense warmth grow on his face as if he had trained outside for several hours on a hot summer day.

"That's...that's not really any of your business." He snapped, abruptly sitting upright.

"Besides, I've kept my mouth shut about your knight in shining armor." He now looked at Corrin for her own reaction.

She rolled her eyes before throwing her head back with a chuckle.

"Silas is just a friend."She dismissed.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then why does he always stare at you so intently?" He questioned. Had she really not noticed? It was almost touching how much her knight adored her.

Her smile faltered as she considered what he had said. She had suspected that he liked her, but the implication of love was was well known Oboro cared for Takumi, and Takumi returned the feelings, but her and Silas were different. She figured it wasn't long before her brother got married, as everyone saw it coming, but Corrin wasn't ready for the commitment of a marriage. Not yet.

Takumi felt a twinge of guilt. He was only teasing, he didn'texpect her expression to become so dark.

"C'mon," He extended his hand to her."Let's head back to camp."

Incesty lime next chapter.