A/N: Well, hello! Who's ready for the big reveal?! ME! How about you?! GOOD! :D

Legends Collide

The other swordsman was as good as any Kirito had ever faced- had he been fighting with just one sword, he would have been overwhelmed within a few blows. The Black Spirit's blows struck like lightning from every direction, and they all felt like hammer blows. Not to mention that he barely looked like he was breaking a sweat while he was doing it.

Who is this guy? Kirito wondered as he parried and tried to stab at his opponent's arm. And why does that sword look so familiar?

His enemy simply folded in his wings to drop beneath the attack, then flapped them extra hard to shoot under him, then up behind him. "Still too slow," he said, his voice still completely flat. Kirito whirled around with both swords, seeking to slash into his ribcage and stomach. Any thoughts of restraint were now gone- this kid was infuriating!

The boy calling himself the Black Spirit swooped backwards and sheathed his sword. "I'm bored now," he said dully. He raised a single hand and darkness began to emanate from it. "Let's change the pace."

Aw, crap, Kirito paled as he readied his swords to block the magic.

"Swords will only carry you so far in this world," the other young man said. "When they fail you, it's best to have another trick up your sleeve. Flux." A black-purple orb the side of his fist shot at Kirito, but he used the Dark Repulsor to shred the magic and evade harm.

"That magic won't help you win!" Kirito grinned, confident that he might have found his opponent's weaker point.

"Idiot," the other boy replied just before he shot through the remains of the darkness to smash a fist into Kirito's face, breaking his nose, and robbing him of the concentration needed to fly. "I don't need magic- it's simply a useful tool." He cocked his head as he watched Kirito falling down to the earth below, almost as if interested to see what kind of sound he would make when he hit the ground.

A flash of white and blue caught up Kirito and carried him back above the fighting that was taking place on the ground between the Shepherds and Priam's men. Asuna's chestnut eyes glared lightning bolts at the Black Spirit, who simply raised an eyebrow at her. Splaying her fingers up at him, she shouted, "Thoron!" Lightning crackled on her fingertips, but nothing else happened for a second.

"Ha!" The Black Spirit laughed at her. "So much for the legendary 'Lightning Fla-' OW!" The lightning spell Asuna had cast finally lanced out from her palm and speared the other fighter in his left shoulder. He glared daggers at her and grunted, "Missed my sword arm."

"Trust me, I won't miss the second time," she snapped. "Why do you have it out for Kirito?"

"I don't have it out for him," the other black-garbed shrugged. "I just want to make a point, plain and simple."

"What, that you're a better fighter than him?" Asuna growled.

"No, though that's quite apparent to me now," the boy shrugged. "And disappointing. After all the stories I grew up hearing, I expected better from him. Then again, I don't have a whole lot of faith in second-hand accounts anyways."

"The stories you…" Asuna's eyes widened. "You're from the future, aren't you?"

"Correct," the Black Spirit nodded.

"Are you one of Lucina's friends, then?" Asuna asked hopefully.

"Hah!" he laughed. "Don't you think Lucina would have mentioned a Spriggan boy if she knew him?"

"So then who are you?!" Asuna demanded.

"To simplify things, I'm from a different future than the paradox kids that you're familiar with," the boy answered. "In my future, I am the only one that survives to make it back to this timeline."

"That's horr-"

"Spare me the sap," the Black Spirit snapped. "I'm not here to make friends or gain sympathy. I'm here to see that one person survives Grima's ascent."

"And how were you planning on doing that?" Asuna shot back. "By killing everyone but that person?!"

"No," he snarled. "By showing all of you what you must become in order to take down the Fell Dragon, even if I have to beat it into you. Only then will that person be safe from his wrath."

"So you put on all of this," Asuna said as she jostled Kirito, who was still unconscious, "just to show us what we're up against?"

"More or less," the boy nodded with a locked jaw.

"Why should we believe you?" Asuna demanded.

"Because the alternative is to die alongside everyone here when it comes time to battle the Fell Dragon," he shot back.

"Mama!" Yui cried as she suddenly shot into the picture to hover beside her mother and unconscious father. "What happened to Daddy?!"

"He happened," Asuna said as she pointed at the boy in black.

"You did this to my Daddy?" Yui demanded.

"If he'd been better prepared, it wouldn't have happened," the boy replied, though Asuna noticed that his tone had lost its hostile edge. "He can't always rely on the fact that he has friends to help him."

"That's how the Shepherds work!" Yui shot back. "We rely on one another!"

"Be that as it may, one cannot always count on having someone by their side," the boy replied calmly. "It's easy to become separated by the tide of a battle, and then what? The Shepherds have lost their touch at fighting independently, I see."

"Why do you care how the Shepherds fight?" Yui demanded, within an ace of blasting the arrogant boy with her holy magic.

"He's from the future, Yui," Asuna explained. "Another future, where he was the only survivor."

"Then why is he attacking us?!"

"To see what you are capable of," he replied. "I was always told that Kirito the Black Swordsman was always the mightiest of the Shepherds. If that is so, you will find your strength sorely lack when the time comes to fight the Fell Dragon."

"Hah…" Kirito said thickly. "Shows what you know… I'm not our strongest…" Looking at his enemy through a film of reflex tears, he said, "Yui is our strongest member."

"Are you inviting me to fight your daughter?" the other boy asked slowly.

"Try it," Kirito chuckled weakly. "Your loss."

"Kirito!" Asuna reprimanded him sharply.

"It's okay, Mama," Yui said, her hands glowing white. "He hurt Daddy… That means he pays for it."

"Heh," the Black Spirit grinned faintly. "Let's see your power, then. Come at me, Kirigaya." The last word got Yui to halt for a second.

"How do you know our name?" she asked.

"Beat me and I'll tell you," he said as darkness enveloped his body. "Now come! Darkness fueled by the rage of my heart, come forth and strike down my enemies! Goetia!" A dark sphere erupted around him and flew to strike at the little girl, who was preparing herself.

"Light of life eternal, grant me strength so that I may vanquish the wicked," Yui intoned. "Jaisha!" A beam of pure light flew from her hand to strike the center of her opponent's sphere and hold it in its tracks.

"Now… it's a contest!" the boy grunted. "What is stronger?! Your righteousness, or my ra- ack?!" He looked down to see a pale blue blade protruding from his stomach. Looking over his shoulder, he gaze met the black obsidian color of Kirito's eyes. His very, very angry eyes.

"No one…" he growled as he twisted the sword in his enemy's gut. "Threatens my daughter. Ever." The other boy looked back at Asuna, who looked just as surprised as the others that Kirito wasn't still in her grip.

A wry grin touched the Black Spirit's mouth, even as blood leaked from the corner of it, and his magic ceased flowing while Yui looked on with wide eyes. "Looks like… I underestimated… your tenacity… Kirito."

Kirito yanked the sword out and smashed a fist into his enemy's face, sending him down towards the earth, much like he had done to him only moments ago. Blackness claimed him before he even hit the ground.

He woke up tied down to a cot in the middle of the night. Looking down at his bared torso, he could see that his abdomen was bandaged with bloody linen, indicating that he still had a hole in his stomach. He was in a tent with minimal décor, and he thought he heard two voices talking in low tones outside- guards, he assumed.

Beaten because I assumed he was going to stay down, he thought sourly. Note to self- next time, make sure they stay down!

His thoughts were interrupted when the tent flap suddenly burst open, and in strode four people: Chrom, Robin, Kirito, and Yui. He eyed them all silently, making no movement other than his eyes, which scanned each of them to see that they were unarmed. Even so, he did not relax.

"You sir, have some explaining to do," said Chrom.

"Go jump in the Demon's Ingle," the Black Spirit replied. In response, Chrom grabbed him by the throat and put his face close to the youth's.

"Make no mistake," he growled. "You nearly killed one of my best men, and a personal friend of mine, not to mention threatening his daughter. I don't like you- in fact, the only reason you're still alive is because Yui saved you. But if you want me to go ahead and retract that kindness, by all means, keep insulting me."

"Killing me would be a favor," the boy said in a bored tone. "I don't want to be alive. In fact, the only reason I'm here is because your daughter literally kicked me through a portal to this time."

"Lucina said she had never met you," Robin replied with a frown. "And Asuna said you came from a different future?"

"One where even the combined might of the Shepherds and the Warriors of Aincrad couldn't defeat the Fell Dragon," their prisoner replied. "I was meant to die alongside everyone I knew and loved, but instead, I was stuck with the duty of coming here."

"Why did you try to kill me, then?" Kirito demanded.

"Ha!" the boy chortled, even though it hurt to laugh. "If I had wanted to kill you, I would have stabbed you in the gut instead of punching you when we first met. No, I wanted to see your mettle in combat when faced with a less-than-honest opponent. One-on-one, you suck. In a group, not too shabby."

"Is there a point to this, or should I just throw him in the water?" Chrom asked as he looked over his shoulder at his two tacticians.

"I dunno," Kirito shrugged. "I'm just here because Yui said she wanted to see him again. She wouldn't say why, though."

"I think…" the girl said as she looked closely at their prisoner. "I think he won't hurt us now. And I know why he wouldn't dare kill Daddy."

"Why is that?" Robin asked, even as the boy's eyes widened.

"It's because he's my little brother," she said softly.

All across the Shepherds' camp that night, at that moment, everyone was startled by a combination of shouts, magic explosions, and profanities.

"What do you mean, he's your little brother?!" Kirito asked once he was able to dominate the conversation. "How does that even begin to make sense?!"

"Spriggan wings, for starters," the boy said mildly. "Where else would I have gotten them?"

"You! Shut up!" Kirito shouted. Then he turned back to Yui. "Well?!"

"He's right about his wings," she said softly, not taking her eyes off of the boy. "His sword is another giveaway- it looks like a mix of the Elucidator and the Dark Repulsor."

The boy nodded when everyone looked over at him. "In the future, after Kirito died, Sir Henry combined the two swords into one with magic. I always preferred one blade over two."

"And he shared the same hair color as you, Daddy," Yui added. "Not to mention his skin tone and build- he's just a bit taller than you."

"That doesn't make him my son!" Kirito protested. "There's no way I could…"

"Have a kid that's a total prick?" the boy said with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry to disappoint you, but it's true."

Kirito's eyes widened. "No way."

"Yes way," he nodded. Chrom and Robin were simply looking on in shock at the whole thing. They had seen some of the paradox children reveal their identities in some pretty weird ways, but this definitely topped all of them. "Sorry, not sorry, Black Swordsman, but I'm your son."

"Why did you attack me?!" Kirito demanded.

"We've been over this," his son sighed.

"What's your name?" Yui interrupted before another shouting match could ensue.

"Eh?" Everyone in the tent looked over at her, but she kept her eyes on her brother.

"Your name," she repeated. "What is it?"

"Well, my nickname in the future really was the Black Spirit- survivors seemed to think I was our father reincarnated," he shrugged. "And… Well, just call me Mataras."

"What kind of a name is that?!" Kirito sputtered. "I'd never come up with a weird name like that- nor would Asuna!"

"I know," Mataras shrugged again. "I took the name on myself- it means 'murderer."

"Why…?" Kirito asked slowly.

"Because I'm responsible for a death that I will never stop blaming myself for," Mataras said, a hard light in his eyes. "The name that you gave to me when I was born doesn't belong to a killer like me. So I shed the name as to save your legacy."

"You… are really weird," Kirito said, shoulders sagging in defeat.

"You try growing up in hell on earth," Mataras retorted sharply. "See how you turn out. Aincrad sounds like a picnic compared to what I've been through!"

"Calm down, both of you," Chrom said sharply as Kirito went to yell back. Glaring at Mataras, he said, "I don't know that I can trust you yet, so for right now, you're going to be under twenty-four-hour guard. Until you act in a manner that indicates that we can trust you, you'll not be unattended at any time."

Mataras snorted derisively and said, "The fact that I'll agree to no trouble should be enough to trust me. Ask Kirito- even like this, I could still escape your confines, your highness."

"Watch it, or I'll put Frederick on you during the daytime," Chrom warned.

"That seems a little harsh, even for what he's done," Robin winced.

"Well, I don't have Tharja to threaten with," Chrom replied.

"There's always Henry," Kirito suggested.

"Do you really want your son to be watched by Henry while he's bleeding like that?" Chrom replied. "For all we know, Henry might try to drink it!"

Kirito looked at the youth on the cot coldly and said, "He's not my son." And he walked out without another word. Everyone looked over at Mataras, expecting to see him on the verge of tears, or at least some kind of breakdown.

The black-haired boy shrugged and said, "Meh. I didn't come here to make nice, anyway. Besides, my father died fifteen years ago- this Kirito is just a parallel version of him."

"Why are you here, then?" Robin asked him. "And I want a straight answer this time- don't beat around the bush."

Mataras looked him straight in the eye and said, "I'm here to kill Grima. And I know that the best way to do that is by showing the Shepherds what will be left of them if they don't step up their game."

"You?" Chrom guessed.

"Aye," Mataras said firmly. "A half-insane boy with nothing but a sword on his back and memories of all his dead comrades. So hear me now, Prince Chrom. If you don't complete the Awakening in time, all that will be left of the world will be far worse than whatever Lucina has told you."

"What makes you say that?" Robin asked.

"It's time's way of compensating," Mataras replied as he switched his dark gaze to Robin. "Every time someone comes back in time to stack the odds in humanity's favor, the impending doom becomes worse if they fail."

"Then why come back?" Chrom asked.

"I told you- your daughter kicked me through the portal!" Mataras growled. "I didn't want to come here! But now that I am, I have a job to do, and gods below be damned if I don't!"

"Calm down," Yui said soothingly as she placed a small hand on her brother's stomach. Soft light spilled from her palm, assuaging the pain, and forcing Mataras to relax a bit.

"I think we'll take our leave now," Chrom said with a frown. "Yui, will you join us for dinner?"

"Not tonight," she said as she sat beside Mataras on the cot. "I'm going to stay here to keep an eye on him."

"All right, but be careful," Robin said cautiously. "He's dangerous." And then they left without another word.

"Not to me, he's not," she replied, though they couldn't hear her. Turning back to him, she added, "Are you?"

"No," he shook his head. "Truth be told, I was going to collapse my spell and let you strike me down. It would have been fitting."

"I'm the one that you failed to protect, aren't I?" Yui prodded.

Mataras nodded, knowing that there was no hiding things from Yui- she had always been perceptive and wise, since he had first known her from infancy. "It was a Grimleal ambush," he said quietly. "What we thought was a simple squad quickly turned into a horde. I tried to fight them off, but you teleported me away when I was run through with a spear." He reached up and touched a white scar on his left pectoral muscle. "It just missed my heart, so Lady Lissa was able to save me, but you… You immolated yourself by using all of your holy magic and destroying the entire army. Grima was in quite the rage after that, I'm told…"

"I'm sorry," Yui said as she brushed some of his bangs out of his eyes. "I wish that hadn't happened to you."

"It's in the past- well, my past," Mataras shrugged. "I can't change that, but… For the Mataras of this timeline, I can try."

"But you haven't been born yet," Yui said with a slight frown.

"That doesn't mean I'm not around yet," Mataras said with a wicked grin, his first full smile since Yui had met him.

"Wait, you mean-?"

"You told me in the future that I was conceived shortly before we met Priam," Mataras chortled. "I cannot wait to see how Pops handles the news that he's about to be the father of the kid that kicked him to the curb."

For some reason, Yui found this to be funny, and she began to giggle. Her brother seemed surprised, and he too, began to laugh, though he wasn't entirely sure why. After a little while, they both began to laugh off of each other, and the sound of their merriment echoed through the nighttime camp.

Sinon: What. The heck. Was that?

Mataras: My debut in Fire Emblem. That's right, some of you guessed it! Instead of the Red Swordsman this time around, I am playing the future son of Kirito and Asuna!

Asuna: That's weird- you're weird.

Mataras: Why?

Sinon: In your other stories, you're their best friend, not their kid!

Mataras: And what have I said about keeping surprises up my sleeve?

Asuna: I dunno. What do you say?

Mataras: A lot of things, actually. But in this case, I'll say that I like to go for the unexpected. And the improbable. Not impossible, improbable.

Sinon: You're crazy.

Mataras: Of course I am! I'm a writer!

Asuna: At least he doesn't deny it.

Mataras: Oh, before I forget-I know some of you were wanting to see what happened with the Shepherds and Priam, so that will be covered next chapter. Until then, Ciao!