#takukamu

[overtsexting]

Omg the "breath catch" in the camilla/leon support is killing me ajdjwkd HE ACTS SO DIFFERENTLY WITH HER... i was originally drawn to leon because of his frankly inappropriate married convo with kamui at the nohr festival of bonds but it goes so much deeper than that... thank you for answering my question!! <3

oh my god i loVE their festival of bonds convo it's so funny. he's so turned on by the fact that he married his sister without technically marrying his sister. coupled with the fact that kamui is frankly the only s support partner he actually has any chemistry with............. that man is a siscon through and through.

i skimmed through that comic book earlier and there was a little more siscon leon actually (with bonus siscon takumi):

there was quite a bit of other vaguely shipcesty things too lol. like m!kamui being sad that he's not close with takumi, so soleil ropes nina into helping. a looooot of camilla x corrin. its quite fun loool

[robynmizore]

If you want to save me, then come kiss me and bite me

[sexysilverstrider]

reading the japanese and english takukamu S supports im just getting really emotional over the japanese version

when i reread the official english version, i realize they kinda water down how takumi really felt. that explains why i got REALLY emotional reading the japanese version. some of the changes were:

english: there is something else I wanted to talk about… japanese: will you listen to my request?

while this doesnt seem much, the eng version makes takumi sound calmer while jpn version makes him sound nervous. it was a bit odd when takumi says request but then

english: So…does this change anything? About your feelings toward us, I mean. japanese: Hey. Earlier... you said you would listen to my request. So, will you... forgive me for this?

apparently after confessing his feelings n telling the truth, jpn takumi clearly felt disgusted and horrified that he has romantic feelings for someone he was supposed to call sister. eng takumi once again makes him feel calmer and chill as if he had enough time to think and ponder--almost as if the big truth wasnt all that much--while jpn takumi is implied to have rued and suffered through his feelings, fearing that kamui will hate or be disgusted with him. after alls said and done, all takumi ever wanted was for kamui to accept him even if she doesnt love him

english: Avatar: When you said that you liked me, my heart started racing. But I didn't want it to show because I didn't know about Father. Everything is so confusing. Takumi: That's right. But in a confusing world, we must cling to the few fragments of truth we share. And the truth is that I love you, Avatar, and you love me. Let's build a future on that. Avatar: Y-yes. I think you're right. Let's give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen? japanese: Kamui: When you said that you liked me earlier, I was really happy. Because we're siblings, I've avoided saying such a thing... Takumi: Kamui-neesan... Kamui: ... But you came straight out and said you liked me. You showed me that it was okay to love you. Thank you, Takumi. I also want to stay by your side... Takumi: Nee-san...!! For you to have the same feelings as me, I've never been this happy in my life. So... I'll give you this ring. ... I'll protect you with my whole life. Kamui: ... I'm so happy, Takumi! From now on, please take care of me! Takumi: Okay...!

once again this ending!!!! while i do like the eng version the fact that it feels......less emotional than the japanese one. yes takumi is more assured of his feelings now that its reciprocated. i hate that the english version doesnt wanna highlight the 'i cant romantically love you coz i thought we were siblings' like cowards. apply the brocon/siscon themes in this game as its supposed to be. but yeah i still do appreciate takumi being more confident and kamui still being hesitant but they both embraced their feelings nicely

but the japanese one

oooohhh OOOHHH kamui straight up saying she loves takumi too but didnt act out coz she thought they were related. takumi preparing A RING eventho he was 70% sure she wont love him the same way. takumi saying he will protect her with his own life which brings the whole conquest story 10x more painful.

english: If you were aiming for my heart, you've struck true. This was meant to be…

cheesy cute S support dialogue. 10/10. adorable. the last sentence is my otp tag for them after all

japanese: Thank you, sister. I'm so very happy. No matter what people think...these feelings won't change. I love you.

HEARTBREAKING HONEST S SUPPORT. 12/10 MAKING ME CRY. LOVE THAT HE PROMISES NO MATTER WHAT HE WILL ALWAYS LOVE HER. GOOD GOD

and my personal favourite difference of them all?

english: I'm sorry. I struggled with whether or not to tell you any of this. After all, now that you know, we can never go back to being siblings. But I couldn't simply pretend to be your brother for the rest of my life. Especially not with the way I felt about you. It is shameful, I know.

again takumi is being calm and somewhat professional. he knows its weird and tbfh i hate that the localization want to highlight how weird it is. we get it i know. but they make takumi level-headed which when i think back is kind of off for him but i appreciate the maturity of his behaviour here

japanese: I'm sorry... Nee-san. I was really at a loss as to whether I should tell you this or not. Now that I have, we can't go back to being siblings. But I... couldn't have beared living my whole life acting as your brother. I would have rather died...

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK OHHH MY GOOOOD FUCK FUCK FUCK AAAAAAAAAA!!!! i can hear his pain. his sorrow. his guilt. there is no voice acting in the supports but i can HEAR takumis emotions. the very fact that he loves her so so much and he cant bear pretending to be her brother anymore. the very fact that seeing kamui with another man might n will kill him. the very fact that he would rather die than pretending to be someone hes not. this is what im eating. this is what ive been robbed. this very line made me cry THE SECOND I READ IT im about to cry now!!! that very last line is just a big Fuck You to his fate in conquest GOD AAAAAAAAAA

[marshmallowloves]

idk why I'm thinking about this all of a sudden but like... I'm really happy that I can project on Robin (Fire Emblem) as easily as I do. Normally it's really hard for me to project on characters that the fandom pairs with my F/Os, so I kinda just have to do the ship work myself by making a self insert.

but not only is Chrobin one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) Awakening ships, it doesn't have the problem some other fandoms/characters have where there's a hugely disproportionate amount of M/M art to F/M art. People adore pairing F!Robin with Chrom which is excellent for me, a woman, who also adores Chrom and bases her self insert on Robin. And even when it's M!Robin I can just like...copy/paste longer hair on him in my brain fjdhfjg

anyway this is just me tired-rambling about my fictional husband to an empty room. it applies to probably literally nobody else so you can keep scrolling if you want lol

[misskikuwrites]

Fire Emblem Fates: Rebirth

Chapter 52: All That Remains

-

After dying at the hands of a possessed Takumi, Corrin wakes up before Hoshido and Nohr are at war.

Determined to undo all her regrets, Corrin sets out to save Ryoma and Takumi, unaware of their true, hidden enemy.

Spoilers for all routes.

-

Time passed in a blur. Corrin felt numb, her insides cold and heavy, as they made their way back to the library. They were as silent as before. Slow and cautious, Saizo and Kagero led the way, but even their trained movements carried the weight of what they'd seen. Decay. Ruin. Stains which could only be blood, dried and faded.

They were years, perhaps decades, too late to save anyone. The inhabitants of Valla were no more.

Corrin clenched her jaw. She swallowed that down, past the tightening lump in her throat, and pressed on. What she'd seen, what they'd found, she couldn't let it affect her. Not now. She would bury it deep, hold it close, and when the time came, she would mourn.

But now, in the dilapidated corridors of Anankos' castle, she couldn't afford to let her grief take hold.

Despite the supplies they'd managed to retrieve, their expedition into the depths of the castle felt like a mistake to Corrin. They'd come away with materials they could use to strengthen their weapons, to repair their bows and arrows, with medicine, salves and herbs they desperately needed, and yet she regretted stepping a single foot from the library when they returned.

She couldn't forget. The bones. The evidence of the castle's inhabitants' final, futile stand against Anankos' forces. Blood and magic. Broken arrows. Fractured steel. It showed on her face, in the shadows beneath her eyes, when her siblings looked at her.

"You've returned in one piece," Ryoma noted, scanning each of his allies as they filed into the library. "However, from the look on your face, I assume it was for naught?"

Corrin shook her head. "No, actually. We managed to find most of what we were after."

She gestured to the bundle of supplies in Keaton and Kaden's arms, along with the pristine white armour Oboro was currently fussing over. Upon their return, a hum of interest swept through the library. A flicker of hope.

Somehow, it made Corrin feel hollow. The supplies they'd retrieved, the materials salvaged, had been left behind by the dead. The taste of decay lingered on her tongue. Thick and putrid. A stain she couldn't wash away, couldn't swallow down. Even when Takumi saw that she'd returned and began to approach, she didn't have the strength to force a smile.

"Did something happen?" Xander asked. He folded his arms, studied her with concern. "You don't seem to be sharing in the hope that you and your allies have brought us."

Leo echoed his older brother's expression of worry. "Were you spotted?"

"No, it's not that." She brushed them off. Their questions tightened the vice around her throat.

They had been right all along. She'd taken a chance, put their entire quest, their lives, at risk- and it had been for nothing.

It had been a mistake to hope. Not after Anthony, not after everything they'd seen.

"It's nothing, really," Corrin continued. She didn't meet Takumi's eyes when he came up beside Ryoma. "We didn't encounter anyone. No soldiers, no faceless. It's just like you said. This place has been abandoned for years."

She took a breath.

"To me, this feels like the calm before the storm," she said. "Anankos knows we're here- he's pulled back his soldiers, waiting for us to strike. He's waiting for us to come to him."

"And how do you know that?" Xander countered. "For all we know, he could be waiting for us to let our guard down under that very assumption."

"Then we don't let our guard down." Corrin stood taller. "We prepare ourselves for our final battle. To face Anankos."

Ryoma and Xander shared a glance. Leo frowned, cogs turning behind his eyes, while Takumi stared at her in shock.

"We're not prepared to face Anankos," Takumi said. "You told us as much before! We need the Yato to resonate with all four divine weapons before we even have a chance to put a single scratch on Anankos."

He was right.

"I know that, but-"

By pointing that out, the incomplete Yato at her side, Takumi had inadvertently drawn her failings out into the open.

It hurt. Like slivers of ice piercing her heart, her weakness and guilt drove in deep. Her grudges towards Ryoma and Xander, her inability to let go and move on, had sealed their fate.

"We can't afford to wait any longer," Corrin said. "As soon as we're ready, we move out."

Not a suggestion- a command.

"Tell everyone to prepare themselves." She nodded to Ryoma, to Xander, and both understood what the weight in Corrin's voice meant.

They had no choice. It was now or never. Like the citizens of Valla before them, it was time for their final stand. Their final battle.

Even if they were far from ready.

Corrin steadied herself, swallowed the unease building inside her. There was one more thing she needed to say. “If things go south, if it looks like we can’t defeat him-”

“No.” Takumi cut her off.

Corrin shook her head. “Please, listen-”

“I know what you’re trying to say, and you can’t ask us to do that. Not after everything we’ve been through,” Takumi said. He folded his arms, a stubborn fire in his eyes. Stubborn, determined, and hurt.

Hurt that she’d suggest he abandon her.

Ryoma placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder in solidarity. “Takumi is right. We knew what we were signing up for when you asked us to leap into the Bottomless Canyon. It’s all or nothing. We’re with you until the end.”

Leo nodded. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had the odds against us.”

A lump tightened in Corrin’s throat. They were willing to stand with her, to die with her, and it should have bolstered her courage, made her stand taller, hold her head higher. Instead, it made her crumble. Her heart fractured.

After all her efforts, had their fate remained unchanged?

“I can’t-” lose you again, she almost said. She couldn’t doom them to the same fate she’d desperately tried to save them from. Was this all she could do?

Was this where she failed?

With an incomplete Yato in her hands, she was going to lead them all to their deaths.

—--

A newfound energy swept through their makeshift camp in the library. Their final battle on the horizon, everyone swung into action. Bumps and bruises were ignored in favor of repairing armor, sharpening weapons, enjoying a meal.

A meal that would perhaps be their last.

It tasted like ash. Corrin swallowed it down with her tears, hoping it wasn’t obvious that she was avoiding the eyes of each of her allies. How could she face them knowing what the next hour would bring?

She stared numbly down at the Yato in her good arm, willing something, anything, to happen. It hummed almost imperceptibly with the same energy as always, enhanced by Takumi’s Fujin Yumi and Leo’s Brynhildr. Two gems sat in the length of the blade, the first, closest to the hilt, was a deep violet. The second gem shone a soft teal, inset higher along the blade. Two empty spots remained, waiting to be activated by Ryoma’s Raijinto and Xander’s Siegfried. In Corrin’s hand, the golden blade glowed with wisps of teal and violet, spilling from the edges like sunbeams through clouds.

In another time, the Yato had taken a different form. The glow was darker, a heavier mauve, the gemstones bright amethysts. With the power from Xander and Leo’s divine weapons, she had slain King Garon.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

It hadn’t been enough to have Xander and Ryoma fight alongside her. The Blade remained unchanged.

And time was running out.

“Lady Corrin!” Oboro swept in front of Corrin, breaking her out of her thoughts. “The armour is ready for you!”

The armour - a bundle of white trimmed with blue and gold in Oboro’s arms. It had been the last thing on Corrin’s mind.

“Let’s get you into it and see how it fits, shall we?” Oboro urged, grinning excitedly. Azura stood behind her with a warm smile, almost nostalgic. Corrin could almost see the memories flashing behind Azura’s golden eyes.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Corrin asked Azura as they headed behind a curtain strung up for privacy at the back of the library. Nestled between broken and empty bookshelves, it was out of sight, where Corrin could change with the help of Sakura and Oboro without anyone else seeing the rippled scar on her chest.

Azura nodded as they helped Corrin into the Royal Vallite armour. “It deserves to be worn,” she said softly, “by a leader. By you.”

For a second, tears glistened in Azura’s eyes. Tears brought forth by resurfacing memories. The sight made Corrin’s heart catch, and she sucked in a breath to keep herself steady, to stop herself from trembling. An unspoken moment passed between them as Azura buckled the gauntlets on Corrin’s left arm, the slight pressure feeling dull through her damaged nerves. She tried, without a word, to grasp Azura’s hand. Her fingers gave the slightest twitch and nothing more. Barely noticeable.

It was too late to hope for a miracle.

Corrin looked away as they retied the sling keeping her disabled left arm to her chest, the world swimming around her. Vision swaying. Blurring. Conversations a buzz in her ears.

“How’s that?” Oboro asked, as they stepped back to appraise the armour’s fit.

The world shifted back to normal. Corrin rolled her good shoulder, stretched her arm, twisted her torso this way and that, feeling like she could breathe again. The stunning white armour fit like a glove. Oboro’s talent had been put to good use tailoring it to Corrin’s build without damaging a single stitch. It was light-weight and breathable, allowing Corrin to move with ease. She kicked up her leg, morphing it into a monstrous limb, scaled with claws like knives where her foot should’ve been. Oboro and Sakura ducked back a step further, the young princess muffling a startled yelp. With more room available, Corrin plunged the tip of her Yato into the floorboards and swung herself through the air into a backflip, dragging the blade up to follow her as she landed. Her feet landed awkwardly, unbalanced with only one arm, but the surge of adrenaline rushing through Corrin made her grin.

She turned to Oboro, flashed a smile at Sakura and Azura. “It’s perfect.”

—

A flurry of thoughts spun through Corrin’s mind as they broke their makeshift camp in the library and stood ready to leave. Her fingers swept over her Yato’s grip instinctively as nerves built. Within her, within her army. Trepidation, hesitation. A feeling of finality, of wonder, and, deep beneath it all, rage. Corrin felt it burn inside her. A fire of retribution waiting to be unleashed.

She looked over the crowd of her allies, a jumble of different cultures, different armours, different weapons, all standing together side by side. The best of Nohr and Hoshido, all looking to her for guidance.

And she was leading them to their deaths.

Corrin stood taller. “You all know what it means when we step out of this room,” she began, addressing her allies, her friends, for what could be the last time. “This is what everything we’ve gone through, every battle we’ve fought, has been for.”

There was hope in their eyes. Determination shining brighter than ever before. It fueled the icy guilt buried in her chest, spreading through her veins. They looked to her as a hero.

And she was damning them to fail.

“We stand here together, children of Nohr, of Hoshido-” she looked to Azura, who smiled softly, “-and of Valla. This is our final battle, and together, we will triumph.”

A rumble of energy spread through her allies, and her voice caught silently in her throat. Words failed her. They believed in her. Trusted her.

And she was lying to them.

Takumi met her eyes. Understanding flashed between them. He knew her fears, her doubts. He knew that lying to her allies like this was driving a knife into her heart, deeper and deeper with every word.

And he stood with her.

“Today,” Corrin continued, her voice silencing the room, “we put an end to this. We bring justice to those we’ve lost, those we’re fighting for.” She looked to Ryoma. “For Scarlet,” she said.

Ryoma nodded.

“For Flora.” Jakob bowed his head, Gunter beside him standing to attention.

“For King Sumeragi and Queen Mikoto.” Slowly, she met the gazes of each of her siblings from Hoshido.

“For the innocents of Hoshido and Nohr, and the people of Valla.”

And for Anthony, she thought.

Corrin turned towards the library doors, nodded to Kaze for him to swing them open. With a near silent draw of her blade, she held Yato by her side, felt it pulse with energy. She didn’t look back.

“Let’s go,” she said, and stepped forward into the corridor beyond.

—-

The castle was warily silent. Not a soul lingered in the empty halls, the dilapidated rooms they passed, the doors fallen from their hinges or broken inwards. There was no hiding their movements now. A trail of thunderous footsteps, the footsteps of an army, echoed around them as they headed into the heart of the castle.

Corrin kept her gaze focused. Watching the path ahead with a steeled determination to not let the unknowns creep into her mind. It was too late to wonder about them now. The unnatural silence unnerved her, keeping thoughts of the identity of the traitor, of why she couldn’t get the Yato to resonate with Ryoma and Xander’s weapons, of whether or not this was a suicide mission without the Fire Emblem, far away.

Despite the calm, Corrin heightened her guard. Right now, she knew they were in the eye of the storm. The silence before the fall. Even with the quiet, the ease of which they traversed the castle, it was clear to Corrin that this was deliberate. Anankos was staying his hand. Waiting for them.

Somehow, she could feel him, within the depths of the castle. Like a predator lying in wait, salivating at the thought of a meal just out of reach. A snake coiled ready to strike.

A monster. A destroyer of worlds.

Corrin’s father.

That secret remained tucked inside her heart as they approached the heavy wooden doors of the throne room. Azura came up beside Corrin, silver spear in her hands, and met her eyes.

Silently, Corrin nodded to Kaze and Jakob, who readied themselves by the doors. Her siblings, her family, from Hoshido and Nohr rallied behind her. She felt their presence.

With but a glance to her retainers, the doors to the throne room were swung open, and Corrin stormed forward, Yato blazing in her hand.

She drew up short in the centre of the room. The throne was empty. The entity she’d felt looming in the darkness had vanished. There was nothing, no one, for them to fight.

“He’s… not here…?” the words spilled from Corrin in disbelief. She swept her gaze around the room. Once, twice, as her allies filed in behind her, as Azura drew up to her side. “This- This can’t be right. I felt him, he was here-”

Corrin spun on her heels, the force from her turn dizzying. Her allies watched her, studied the room around them, and waited. The air in Corrin’s lungs came up short. She swallowed, mouth dry, heart pounding.

There was no one here.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Corrin said, shaking her head. She headed for the throne, feet thumping on the broken marble tiles. “He has to be here.”

“Unless, he was never going to be here in the first place.”

A gravely voice made Corrin whirl.

“Isn’t that right, Lady Corrin?”

She stared at Gunter, taking in his words. “What do you mean?”

“Do you not think it rather convenient that we could traverse this castle with such ease?” Gunter said. “Ever since we set foot in this place, not a single soldier has attacked us. Now, why would that be?”

“What are you suggesting?” Ryoma asked.

“I didn’t want to consider it myself, not until I learned her true identity - and it all makes sense now.” Gunter hefted his spear, tapping the end onto the tiles as he leveled his gaze onto Corrin. “But the traitor who has been plaguing us from the moment we stepped into Valla is you, Lady Corrin.”

All eyes turned to her.

“What are you saying? Corrin can’t be the traitor!” Azura exclaimed.

The Yato sank in Corrin’s grip. Her eyes widened, but she saw nothing.

No.

“It can’t be her!” Takumi protested. “She was attacked by the traitor!”

“And did anyone else see that actually occur?” Gunter said. He kept his gaze on Corrin, hard and cold. A gaze seeping with rage. “Did she have any wounds to show from that attack?”

Takumi drew up speechless. “But that’s- she wouldn’t-”

“Corrin was almost killed by Anthony,” Leo said. “If she were the traitor, that would make no sense.”

“The key word there being ‘almost,’” Gunter replied. “What better way to absolve her of suspicion? And who was with Scarlet when she was killed?”

He didn’t need to say it. Corrin tasted blood in her mouth. Blood and ash.

I’m not-

“That’s a very serious accusation you’re levelling at my dear Corrin,” Camilla said. She folded her arms, studiously watching Gunter. “Do you have anything more to back it up than circumstantial evidence?”

“Yeah!” Elise echoed. “Corrin’s not a traitor!”

“I know her true identity,” he said.

The world dipped beneath Corrin’s feet.

Takumi stiffened. “Her true identity?”

Gunter nodded. “The daughter of Anankos. A princess of Valla.”

Everything went dark. Silent.

“That’s not true! Corrin is a princess of Nohr. She-” Corrin felt Takumi’s eyes land on her, felt and heard the moment he saw the look on her face. “Corrin…?”

She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.

“I heard it from Corrin herself,” Gunter said. “She admitted to being Anankos’ daughter. Why else would she gather up the strongest from Hoshido and Nohr and lure us down here, if not to our deaths?”

His voice echoed in her mind.

Slowly, Corrin raised her head. “Gunter…”

“Are you going to deny it? Being Anankos’ daughter? The Traitor?”

She stepped forward, down the steps leading up to the throne, and she knew.

She knew who the traitor was.

“How long were you down here?” Corrin asked, her voice a quiet echo. A whisper. A breath of disbelief.

Gunter’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? That has nothing to do with this.”

Air fled between her lips in a silent, but bitter, laugh. Tears washed over her eyes. “I was so happy to see you again, I never thought about it. About you-” She shook her head, shook back a sob before it sounded. “How long you spent down here, before we found you again. And what that would do to you.”

What it had done to Takumi.

Her words had an immediate effect on Takumi. His eyes widened in realisation. He stole his bow off his back, turning to face Gunter.

“Possession,” he hissed.

“It’s you, isn't it?” Corrin said, fighting back tears. “You’re the traitor.”

“Accusing your accuser?” Gunter scoffed. “You couldn’t sound more desperate with your lies.”

“And all this time, I thought…” she couldn’t say anymore. Her heart had broken into pieces.

“That’s why you were so insistent the traitor had to be from Hoshido,” Xander said. “So no suspicion would be cast over you.”

“You’re choosing to believe her? The Daughter of Anankos?” Gunter rebuffed.

“It doesn’t matter who her father is!”

Takumi’s voice was like a jolt of lightning through Corrin. It stole the breath from her lungs.

“Corrin has given more than any of us to be here. She saved us- she saved me!” He looked to her, a stubborn blaze burning in his eyes. “She never turned her back on any of us, and I’m never turning my back on her. Corrin is not the traitor. The only one who would even suggest that would be the traitor themselves.”

Corrin sank in relief. A stiff silence washed over them as everyone turned to face Gunter. He stood tall, unmoving. Not a thread of emotion on his face.

“It’s you?” Jakob took a step back from Gunter, blades drawn. “After what they did to Flora?”

Gunter huffed. “I suppose there’s no need for this charade any longer.” He shrugged, as if unbothered by it all. “You’ve found me out- though that hardly matters anymore. All that remains is for you to perish by my hands. And I’m going to enjoy seeing the look on your face when I kill every last one of your so-called allies right in front of you.”

[illust-sou]

Happy 6th anniversary of FE fates! Takumi & fCorrin

[squiddlyn]

finally drew these new years alts three years later in march

[abripikuunah]

Legendary Kamui and Resplendent Takumi seems to match hmmm🤔🤔🤔

[artpikuuhnah]

It doesn’t matter if I missed father’s day I’m just so happy to be able to draw my bois ToT.

[toki-aah]

New mode is so freakin cute

[overtsexting]

“he has a complex toward corrin”

[robynmizore]

“Your hand is so warm in mine..”

[nightmaregg]

Don't reblog this, just take a screenshot and tag your OTPs

[sexysilverstrider]

just know that takukamu and sakumarx are my sleeper agents the second i got those two idiot men and paired them with their queens itll be like 9 years ago again

[cousinslavellan-archive]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: My Unit | Kamui | Corrin/Takumi, Female My Unit | Avatar/Takumi Characters: My Unit | Kamui | Corrin, Takumi (Fire Emblem), Aqua | Azura Additional Tags: Snippets, Eventual Relationships, Slow Burn, Rating May Change Summary:

Reunited at the worst of times in the worst of ways, you'd think there'd be little attraction between the dragon princess and the silver-haired prince. And yet...

A collection of snippets/oneshots set throughout the game: I've only played Birthright, but plan to work more towards a Revelations story line.

[misskikuwrites]

Fire Emblem Fates: Rebirth

Chapter 53: Do or Die

-

After dying at the hands of a possessed Takumi, Corrin wakes up before Hoshido and Nohr are at war.

Determined to undo all her regrets, Corrin sets out to save Ryoma and Takumi, unaware of their true, hidden enemy.

Spoilers for all routes.

-

It was Gunter.

All along, the traitor had been Gunter. The one who’d killed Scarlet. The one who’d tried to kill Corrin. The one who’d trained her since she was young, who’d comforted her through those long nights, those endless days, alone in the fortress.

Gunter.

She hadn’t seen the signs, and now, everything she’d missed was staring her right in the face, wearing a hideous sneer of malice. Wearing Gunter’s face. His skin, his body.

It was Gunter, but it wasn’t.

A deep, cackling laugh spilled from him as his facade fell away. No longer caring to hide amongst their allies, Gunter raised his arms at his sides, summoning soldiers from the shadows.

“This ends here,” Gunter said, still smiling. Still staring straight at Corrin, his eyes now blazing, burning crimson.

Darkness rippled from every corner of the room, soldiers wreathed in shadows spilling forth to surround them. Corrin’s allies shifted around her, becoming a defensive wall in the centre of the room.

Corrin drew her Yato. Her heart squeezed tight, crushed beneath her ribs. Despite everything she’d fought for, everyone she’d saved, she’d missed this. Missed him.

Like flames from the depths of hell, dark fire billowed off Gunter, and for a moment, Corrin saw someone else. They had the same look in their eyes. Malice, rage, and emptiness.

Gunter had the same hollow weight behind his eyes that Takumi had, in a different time.

Azura’s words from back then echoed in her mind.

“I’m afraid it’s too late to save him…”

Corrin shot a fearful glance towards Azura who gave the slightest shake of her head.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed, and Corrin knew.

The Gunter she’d loved was no more.

Corrin forced her gaze back to him. She gripped her sword tighter and steeled herself, steeled her heart.

Now wasn’t the time to mourn.

“You’ll pay for this, Anankos,” Corrin said, and the one possessing Gunter grinned. He stepped back as veiled soldiers swept in front of him, their weapons raised.

“We’ll see how long that determination of yours lasts,” Gunter said, “when you have to face them.”

As if on cue, the air warped and darkened on either side of Gunter. Two figures stepped out, clad in the clothes of maids, daggers gleaming in their gloved hands. It was the sight of them there that stopped Corrin’s heart. Blood drained from her body, leaving her as cold as the ice crackling beneath Flora’s heels.

“No…” Barely a whisper. A whimper. For a moment, Corrin’s grip on her Yato went limp. She sank where she stood, grief heavy on her shoulders.

“It can’t be…!” Jakob gasped from beside her. His face paled, gaze frozen on the second figure.

It wasn’t just Flora. On the other side of Gunter, looking the very same as she had when she’d turned on her heels and left, stood Felicia.

In that instant, Corrin knew what must have happened to her. Leaving their camp on the edge of the Bottomless Canyon, Felicia had been by herself. She’d been vulnerable.

And Anankos had seized that opportunity.

“Felicia…” Corrin couldn’t swallow the sob that escaped. “I’m so- I’m so sorry…”

I couldn’t save you.

“Corrin!” Ryoma’s voice jolted through Corrin. “We need orders!”

Now wasn’t the time to mourn.

Corrin bit back her tears. She pushed everything down into the depths of her heart and closed that door. It hurt to force it down, to seal off the part of herself that had gotten her this far, but she had to stay strong, she had to stand tall.

Everyone was depending on her.

“Our aim is Gunter,” Corrin said, levelling her Yato at him where he stood protected by an army of shadowed soldiers. “Archers, mages, protect the front lines! We can’t let anyone fall now. Xander, Ryoma, with me - let’s cut a path straight to that bastard.”

“As you wish,” Ryoma said, as Xander called, “at your command.”

“More pests?” Camilla sounded, swinging her axe onto her shoulder with a sweet, yet cold, smile. “I won’t let any of you touch a single hair on my dear Corrin’s head.”

“Stay focused,” Hinoka added. “We can’t let them win!”

Gunter tilted his head, appraising them slowly. “It’s amusing how you still believe you can win. I never did like that about humans - like insects, you never know when to die.”

With those words, all hell broke loose. The throne room was alive around Corrin with bursts of magic, flashes of steel, the screech of metal as blades cut through armour, guttural cries of pain and fury. Her peripheral vision swam with bodies as Ryoma and Xander flanked her, cleaving a path forward.

“Steel yourself!” Ryoma cried. His blade seared with lightning, each cut of his blade precise and clean, not a movement wasted. “I’ve got your back!”

Xander, on the other hand, fought with the strength and poise of a trained soldier, his heavy sword light as a feather in his grip.

She looked from Ryoma to Xander, the courage in her heart, in her bones, bolstered by their presence.

“Jakob - with me!” Corrin called, knowing anyway that her butler was forever at her heels, Kaze not a second behind. “Can you deal with Flora?”

She knew what she was asking. What it meant for him to see Flora again, to know it wasn’t truly her.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my lady,” Jakob replied. “I’ll make it quick.”

Corrin heard the unspoken meaning in his tone, in the depth of his voice.

I’ll ease her suffering. I’ll set her free.

Corrin blocked a strike from a Vallite soldier with her Yato, shifting her left leg into its dragon form and throwing him aside with a swift kick.

“Kaze, I’ll leave Felicia to you-”

“Wait, Corrin!” Azura ducked around Kaze with a dancer’s grace, urgency flashing in her golden eyes. She sidled up to Corrin, spear held tight at the ready. “Felicia- I think Felicia can still be saved!”

Corrin almost staggered in her tracks, her heart faltering. “Is that- is that true?”

In her shock, Corrin didn’t see the soldier advancing on her until the steel of his sword flashed in the corner of her eye. Too close to react. She braced herself for the inevitable pain, preparing her Yato with a twist of her wrist, when a duo of blades met the soldier first. A crack of lightning, a bolt of dark energy, Ryoma and Xander ended the soldier before the strike could land.

“Stay alert,” Ryoma called. “We can’t falter now.”

“Right. Thank you.” Corrin shook herself back into focus, giving a quick nod to Azura. “Are you sure about this?”

The determination in Azura’s eyes was enough of an answer.

“Alright. Kaze, change of plans.” Corrin turned her attention to Felicia, her former maid, her former ally and friend, advancing upon them. “We need to immobilize Felicia long enough for Azura to sing. Try not to hurt her if you can.”

Kaze nodded. “Yes, my lady.”

In the back of her mind, Corrin knew Gunter - Anankos - was watching her.

I’m not giving up yet.

With Ryoma and Xander’s support, they cut their way closer to Gunter, to Flora and Felicia, and when the moment presented itself, Corrin ducked out of their guard towards her former maid.

Sorry Ryoma, sorry Xander, she apologised in her mind. But if there’s the slightest chance this will work, I have to take it. I have to save Felicia.

Whether her older brothers noticed, or protested, her departure from their ranks, she didn’t know. Her focus honed in on Felicia, and everything else fell away. She ducked beneath the first swipe of Felicia’s blades, feeling them sing through the air right above her head. Corrin pivoted on her toes, Dragonstone glowing against her chest, and swung her dragon tail at Felicia’s feet. Felicia daintily leapt above it, throwing her daggers in mid-air. Movement flashed in front of Corrin, The blades clattered to the floor harmlessly. Kaze twirled his kunai in his hands, standing protectively in front of Corrin, his form flawless as if he were merely standing at attention and not in the middle of a battle. Not a hair out of place on his head.

Corrin stood, her tail fading into glistening droplets of water behind her, and met Felicia’s crimson gaze. “Felicia, if you can hear me-”

A dagger flew at Corrin’s face, swept away by the infinitesimal flick of Kaze’s blade.

“I doubt she is in any mood to talk, my lady,” Kaze mused.

Corrin nodded grimly. “I believe you’re right.” She eyed Felicia’s daggers warily. “Disarm her.”

“As you wish.”

Kaze moved like the wind, drawing up to Felicia in a blink, and she struck out with her daggers. Their blades clashed in a frenzied dance of steel. Kaze’s movements were swift and light, twisting his kunai to knock Felicia’s daggers from her grip. With every dagger knocked aside, Felicia drew forth more. In the split second between Kaze striking her dagger from her hand and Felicia reaching for another, Corrin lunged forward. Propelled by the strength of two fierce dragon legs, she slammed into Felicia’s side, throwing them both onto the ground.

“Azura, now!” Corrin cried, grappling with Felicia, pain slashing across her cheek. Warmth dripped down her face, her neck, as she pinned down Felicia’s left with her good arm. Felicia snarled, a roar in her throat, and cut at Corrin with her other arm again.

In that moment, Corrin wished her disabled arm would move. With two arms, she could pin Felicia down with ease. With two arms, she could defend herself from the dagger aimed at her throat. Instead, Corrin refused to budge, her arm refused to move, and she waited for the blade to hit home.

A flash of blue struck the dagger from Felicia’s hand, and in the next second, Kaze had her arm pinned to the ground.

“Azura!” Corrin called again, no time to think about the blazing arrow that saved her life. No time to turn and meet the eyes of the archer who always had her back. Felicia’s snarl turned into a scream. She convulsed and thrashed beneath Corrin as a soothing song began to fill the air.

“You are the ocean’s grey waves…”

“Please, Felicia!” Corrin said, tightening her grip on Felicia’s arm as she tried to wrestle free. “I know you’re still in there…!”

Felicia screamed.

And fell silent. The fire in her eyes faded. Crimson returned to blue. Felicia’s eyes fluttered shut, her arms going limp, and Corrin sobbed in relief.

“It worked…!”

But there was no time to relax. Corrin got to her feet in time to see Ryoma and Xander reach Gunter. Despite being outnumbered, Gunter was clearly holding his own. Dark magic warped around him, his spear switching to a sword, to an axe, each change catching Ryoma and Xander off guard. Gunter’s decades of experience was now honed by Anankos, turning Corrin’s mentor and friend into a weapon that even her older brothers struggled to defend against.

“Kaze, Azura, look after Felicia!” Corrin ordered, reaching over with her right hand to swipe blood from her cheek. She didn’t wait to hear their reply, and rushed to her brothers’ sides.

Exhaustion was beginning to set in on Ryoma and Xander’s faces. Cleaving through numerous soldiers to reach Gunter was difficult enough, but functioning on little sleep, after having marched across Valla to reach the castle, everyone was running on their very last dregs of energy.

Gunter, however, continued smiling. Not a trace of sweat, of discomfort, was on his face. He even had the strength to laugh upon seeing Corrin join the fray.

“Welcome, Corrin!” Gunter cackled. “Do you still believe you can win? Without the Seal of Flames?”

Corrin clenched her jaw, teeth flashing. “Don’t speak to me with his voice,” she hissed. “You’re not Gunter!”

She cut forward between Ryoma and Xander, swinging her blade skyward. Gunter merely leant back on his feet, her blade missing by a thread, and kicked her square in her stomach. She staggered backwards, fighting to not double-over in pain.

“You’re right,” Gunter sneered. “This body belongs to Anankos! I am him and he is me!”

“Then you know why I have to do this,” Corrin said, and readied herself.

She honed her focus through the pain, calling on her Dragonstone, shifting her legs into scaled limbs, into clawed feet. Silver wings spread from her back, a thick tail swishing behind her. Her pupils thinned into dark slivers as scales rippled across her cheeks and jagged horns rose from the top of her head. With the renewed strength of her dragon blood, Corrin gripped her Yato tighter, embracing the wrath burning inside her, the animalistic desire for battle.

“Ryoma, Xander, step aside,” she ordered. Her voice sounded different with the fangs in her mouth. “I don’t want to catch you by accident.”

Her brothers took one look at her and knew what she meant. Giving in to her dragon side, to the blood that longed for carnage, was a risk she had to take. Without the Seal of Flames, it was all she had left.

“Fitting,” Gunter mused, “for you to fight me like this. Hoping my blood will give you an edge?”

Corrin pointed her Yato at him and spat, “this is my blood. You may have played a part in giving me life, but that’s all you are to me - a means to an end. And I’ll rip your heart out in order to prove it.”

Gunter’s smile grew. “Good. Good! Embrace it! Let it take over!”

Corrin snarled, “shut up!” and launched herself at him. She wouldn’t let his voice worm it’s way into her brain. She held on to her sanity, to her human form, with the strength she’d gathered over the course of her journey. With every battle, every loss, every tear shed, Corrin had grown. She’d felt everything and more, and took it into herself, vowing never to forget.

As her Dragonstone blazed across her heart, so too did the scar beneath. She remembered that pain as she struck Gunter’s sword with her own. Ducked beneath his axe, exhaling sharply, knowing how it felt to breathe her last. She moved faster, swung her sword harder, her muscles aching like they had before she’d felt nothing at all.

She knew what failure brought. Her blood sang with it. Her throat burned with it as a cry tore from her chest. She met every swing of Gunter’s weapons with her own. Propelled herself with every leap with her dragon legs, with her newfound wings. Her tail steadied herself with every movement. Exhaustion faded beneath her rage. It was now or never. Do or die.

And Gunter - Anankos - was beginning to falter. His calm facade fractured as she ducked and weaved around his attacks, blocking his strikes with a strength that matched his own. He began to stagger. Confusion, frustration, wearing into his gaze.

Corrin tasted blood. It made her smile.

Some of it was her own. She felt it on her arms. Down her shoulder.

But more - she needed more.

He was bleeding too. Perhaps just as much as she was.

It wasn’t enough.

She struck again, his neck this time. Blood trickled through his fingers as he clutched at the junction between his neck and shoulder.

So close. Not close enough.

He was slowing. She ducked easily beneath his axe, danced to the side out of the way of his spear, knocked his sword to the side.

Not. Enough.

He came at her with a roar. In a flash, it was over. Her sword in his gut. She yanked it free, spilling blood, tearing through his abdominal wall and readied her blade to drive it home again.

Someone stopped her. A hand on her wrist. She snarled. Saw fear in their eyes.

In his eyes.

Takumi.

Everything stopped in an instant. Corrin’s dragon features faded into droplets of water, into mist, and she lowered her sword arm. Her stomach lurched. Fatigue crashed into her, making her stagger, Takumi taking her arm to steady her on her feet.

And Gunter…

Oh, Gunter.

He lay on the ground, blood pooling on the cold marble tiles beneath him from the gaping wound in his stomach. His skin, already pale from the effects of Anankos, began to turn grey. Finally, after all this time, he was dying.

“How… are you… this powerful…?” Gunter said, his voice fading. His eyes focused on nothing. Not on Corrin, not on her allies as they began to cluster around her as the battle ended. He spoke a final name, and nothing more.

“Anankos…”

Corrin closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled herself from Takumi. Silently, she walked up to Gunter, and knelt by his side.

“I’m sorry,” she said, touching his shoulder. Aware of the eyes of her allies on her. “I couldn’t save you…”

Gently, Corrin swept her fingers over Gunter’s face, closing his eyes. He looked as if he always had. If not for the ghastly wounds inflicted upon him, he could have been sleeping.

Now, he would never wake.