Happenstance (Fire Emblem Fates)

Mend

A/N: So the last chapter had Ryoma sensing a dragon vein in front of that hill, and the dragon vein is how it turned into that cave with the Raijinto in it. This chapter has uh... medical things? Like blood and disinfecting wounds and stuff, so fair warning for that.

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Anankos stared at his hands and blinked. And blinked. And blinked.

Where was Takumi? It felt horribly wrong to be in his body with Takumi no where to be found, and his mind was racing at a mile a minute. Where was Takumi?

The last that he heard from Takumi was in the morning, where the teen had been too tired to fulfill his plans with Hinata and Oboro. Anankos had just assumed that he had been sleeping, but for the boy's consciousness to not be there? The dragon was beginning to panic.

His fear over the entire situation made him think. Before this lifetime, he had only cared for himself. He had connected their souls in the first place so that he could use Takumi's body as a resting place of sorts. He cared about his goal of revenge, his desire to reek havoc on humanity... but now?

He cared for the human - the replaceable human - that he had manipulated and used as a vessel. His bond with Takumi had given him the strength to rein in his draconic side and finally return to his original self. He was the same Anankos that had loved Ryuurei and the people of Valla, all those years ago.

He cared for Takumi. His dragon half - were they truly halves when they were essentially the same being? - may not have shared his sentiment, but this Anankos knew that he cared for the human. His vessel. His partner.

He ran his hand through his hair, running through every possibility he could think of for what could have caused Takumi's disappearance. There was his other half's interference, or perhaps Takumi had somehow suppressed his consciousness and now Anankos could not find it.

He sighed. This was going to get him nowhere. What-if's were not going to help him in this situation. But what would get him out of this situation?

His musings were stopped by a burst of emotions bustling downstairs. He winced against the sudden occurrence, but he found himself on his feet. Why was somebody home? From what he could remember, no one was supposed to be around until the evening.

Of course, he was supposed to be out of the house with Hinata and Oboro until later as well, but plans change, he mused.

Bringing himself to his senses, he left Takumi's bedroom, shutting the door behind him, and took careful steps down the stairs. He had no idea who was down there, just what emotions they were feeling. It was a flawed ability, sure, but it gave him the notion that there even were people in the house.

As stealthily as he could manage, he peeked around the corner of the staircase to get a look at who was downstairs. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of Azura, exhausted and out of breath, with a beaten and bloody Ryoma leaning on her.

"Ryoma!" He cried, and his mouth seemed to move faster than his brain. He ran towards the pair, ignoring Azura's surprise about him being there, and his vision tunneled on Ryoma. His brother - no, Takumi's brother - was barely holding on to consciousness, and blood oozed from countless cuts. The elder brother's eyes slipped shut, and Anankos nearly cried out again.

"Takumi?" Azura asked tentatively. She knelt down, bringing the unconscious Ryoma onto his knees so that his weight was no longer on her, and watched as Takumi clung to his brother like a lifeline.

Azura's voice snapped him out of his haze. He pulled away from Ryoma and leaned back. What was he doing? Why had seeing Ryoma injured elicit such a childish response? Even in this life, Anankos had not been close with Ryoma, so why was he being so clingy now?