Takumi has a minion!

the Charger

Takumi twirled a spare arrow between his fingers, keeping his steady gaze on Leo. He had watched him from a distance all day - watched as he laughed with Corrin, as he spoke ammicably to Hinoka, even as he shook Ryoma's hand in a respectful - if not stiff - manner. The only one he had not approached was Takumi himself. Of course, Takumi had not exactly made himself available.

He huffed and tossed the arrow tip-down into the dirt. He did not regret his decision to follow Corrin (not really), but he was finding it rather hard to play nice with the Nohrians. Something about Leo in particular made his heart race and his blood churn. He had the reputation of the "Perfect Prince", something Takumi had strived for but never seemed to achieve. Was it anger or jealousy that made him hate Leo so?

Consumed in his thoughts, he did not notice that Leo had left his conversation with Ryoma until a black, armor-clad boot stepped on the discarded arrow, breaking it in two. Takumi glanced up and lowered his eyes into the best scowl he could manage.

"Ah," he said, not bothering to muster up any false tone of welcome. "So if it isn't Prince Leo of Nohr!"

Leo seemed to consider him for a minute, his expression hard to read. "And you must be Prince Takumi of Hoshido. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Ha!" Takumi let out a sharp laugh before he could stop himself.

Leo raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Takumi rose to his feet and dusted himself off, squinting in the hot summer son. Finally, Leo cleared his throat and said, "We might as well get this out of the way. You and I are not going to be friends."

Takumi laughed again, a sharp edge on the sound. "What a coincidence! I was just thinking the same thing."

Leo smiled, a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Of course you were. You have such an arrogant attitude and—"

"Me?! I'm not the one going around patronizing everybody! You're the jerk!"

Leo's smile grew, and his dark eyes narrowed. "Is that the best you can do? You sound like a whiny, little brat. Just as expected. Let's make a deal. You stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you. Think you can manage?"

Takumi slung his bow over his shoulder and turned on his heels. "Hmph! I'm not going to let you boss me around like that! Good-bye!"

He stomped towards the castle, refusing to give Leo a second look. Leo muttered "Insufferable. Truly insufferable," under his breath. Takumi decided not to acknowledge he'd heard anything at all.

Autumn

Takumi took a long, slow look out the window to his left. It was a beautiful, chilly fall day. The leaves around the grounds were changing colors, the autumn foliage just as beautiful as it ever was a Castle Shirasagi. The thought created a homesick longing in Takumi, and he walked the window to lean against its sill. What would he be doing today, if he was at home instead of here in the Astral Plane, fighing a war against an invisible enemy? Target practice, he thought, nothing that different from what I'm on my way to do now. Still though, how he longed for home: for the familiarity of the courtyard, the sound of the stream outside the castle, the gentle sound of windchimes blowing in the breeze...

He turned away from the window and clutched his bow tighter in his fist as he made his way to the entrance. There was no point on dwelling what wasn't there -- and in the end, what was left for him back at Shirasagi anyway? His mother was dead, his siblings were still his superior, and--

"I can't believe they said that to me. I have nothing in common with that imbecile! Just because Takumi and I are both royalty doesn't mean we're anything alike. Ugh!"

Takumi had just stepped outside when the mutering, clearly not meant for his ears, snapped him back to the here and now. He caught sight of Leo, out of armor and looking quite chilled, sitting on the steps of the castle. It was clear he was in a mood, and Takumi thought about turning around and marching straight back inside... but it was just too tempting.

"Muttering to yourself, Prince Leo? What's the matter, couldn't find anyone else willing to talk to you?"

Leo jumped up to his feet, and Takumi had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at the look of shock on his face. "You!" He glowered at Takumi, looking quite unattractive, until he seemed to collect himself. He blinked slowly, and his expression was quickly replaced by his usual arrogant smile. "I didn't know you were there. Why were you eavesdropping?"

Takumi paused. There were a hundred responses on the tip of his tongue, all of them quite impolite, but he realized that for once, he did not feel like arguing. "Well," he started slowly, casting his gaze away from Leo and focusing instead on a falling leaf, "it all sounded a bit too familiar. It seems that we'll both be hearing that same joke for a while."

There was a heavy silence between them, and Takumi had a feeling that Leo was thinking the same as him. It seemed to linger on and on, until Leo cleared his throat and let out the scoffing laugh Takumi had heard from him more than once.

"They're calling us "the twins"! We can't let them treat us this way! They're wrong!"

Takumi finally turned his gaze back to Leo and threw his free hand in the air, exasperated. "Of course they are! You and I couldn't be more different!"

Leo seemed extremely animated at his agreement, mirrioring Takumi's expression perfectly. "Exactly! I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot pole."

"Twenty-foot pole!"

"Thirty, even!"

They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, and Takumi slowly slung his bow over his shoulder, desperate for something to do. He finally began to head towards the steps, intending to continue his walk to the archery range, but Leo's voice stopped him right as he passed.

"...Hey, since you're here, may I ask you something? What's your favorite food?"

Takumi stopped and blinked, bewildered. "I'm sorry, but what?!"

Leo cleared his throat. "They say that people with similar personalities like the same things."

Takumi shrugged. "I like miso soup."

"Mee-so soup?"

Takumi ruffled up like an angry bird and turned to face Leo, his eyes narrowed. "Yeah. It's a Hoshidan dish. You got a problem with that?"

He expected an aggressive response, but Leo simply shook his head. "No. My favorite food is beef stew. It's kind of like a soup. Hmm..."

Takumi frowned. He had misjudged Leo once this afternoon. Maybe... "What kind of books do you read?"

Leo twirled a lock of blonde hair around his finger, thinking. "I read all kinds of things, but I have a passion for history."

Takumi placed his hands on his hips, trying to look disinerested but feeling all too curious. "Is it...because you love to study the strategy behind past battles?"

The look of surprise on Leo's face gave him an answer before the actual words did. "Gods, don't tell me... Do you like to read history books too?"

Takumi frowned. "Yes, but I'm sure our hobbies are different."

Leo looked relieved at the thought. "Yes! My favorite game is chess. It's a tactical board game where—"

"In Hoshido, our version is called shogi."

Leo frowned, bewildered. "And do you like to play this "show-gee" thing?"

Takumi glanced around; he wanted to make sure no one else was listening to this incredible exchange. "I'm the best shogi player in my whole family," he said, and his voice did not have any of its usual arrogance.

Leo was quiet, idly rubbing his cold arms, and Takumi averted his gaze. "I can't believe it," Leo finally managed to say. "Who would have guessed we have so much in common?"

"I don't know," Takumi replied, "but I'll tell you—it's hard to hate someone with such excellent taste."

He hadn't meant for that last part to come out, and he hoped Leo could not see his cheeks glowing. Leo, if he did notice, feigned ignorance. "No kidding. I was about to say the exact same thing. Hmm... Maybe we should do this again sometime."

Takumi gripped his bow, feeling hot and flustered. How was he supposed to respond to that invitation? Someone wanted to spend time with him? Someone outside his family and retainers? Someone from Nohr? He cleared his throat to answer, his embarrasment showing itself in anger. "Ahaha! Oh? So now you want to be best friends?"

Leo's eyes lowered and he gave Takumi a dark look. "Ha! Of course not. That will never happen."

Takumi huffed and finally stepped past Leo, tossing his ponytail over his shoulders. "Never!"

Nearly every day over the following months, Leo would sit on the steps of the castle and wait for Takumi to walk by on his way to daily practice. At first, Takumi was annoyed. Leo did not always greet him, and Takumi could only assume he was there to throw Takumi off his game; his aim was not as true as it had been. Sometimes, encounters with his fellow young prince caused his arms to tremble with anger for hours, and it was on these days that more arrows seemed to hit the dirt than the target.

He thought of going out a different entrance, even a window, to avoid Leo, and a few times he did. However, this did nothing to raise his morale, and in the end he resumed his trips through the main front doors. His new approach was to catch Leo off guard first, and for a while, this worked to his advantange. Leo could hardly think of what to say if Takumi greeted him with a "Hello, Leo! Lovely day, isn't it?" and smiled prior to walking away.

What had started off as an annoyance slowly turned into a joke, and then a daily ritual. Sometimes Leo would be waiting on the steps with two mugs of tea, and Takumi would join him. Sometimes Leo would accompany Takumi to his practice, discussing a book he had just read or a tactical move he had discovered in chess. Once, Takumi attempted to teach Leo to shoot a bow; he had never laughed so hard in his life. And once, Leo had handed Takumi his Brynhilde tome, allowing Takumi to turn its yellowed pages gingerly. Leo had chuckled over the bewildered look on Takumi's face as he attempted to decifer the magical text, a sound that lingered with Takumi long after it was gone.

On one particularly chilly winter day, when the grounds were covered in a thick layer of snow and Takumi felt like he was the only one stirring, he found Leo waiting for him with tea, a magically-controlled fire burning warmly at the base of the steps.

"Did you enjoy the book I lent you?" Leo asked as Takumi took a seat beside him and graciously accepted the warm mug.

Takumi took a sip; it was strong tea from Nohr, still unusual to his tastes, deep and slightly sweet. He sighed with content, though he hoped Leo did not notice. "It was fascinating! I started reading it last night and stayed up way too late!"

Leo laughed. "That always happens to me!" He drank deeply from his own cup and then turned to Takumi with a smile. Thank you so much for sharing your mee-so soup recipe with me. It turned out great!"

"Isn't it good? Especially on a day like this. I'm glad you liked it." He glanced at the teacup; it too was from Nohr, made of paper-thin porcelean that felt like it might break in his shaking grip. It felt so delecate compared to the heavy, ceramic cups of Hoshido, but the intricate flower design made him think of Leo at once. "Next time, you can show me how to make stew."

"Of course!"

They were both quiet for a minute, watching he snow. From high above, a hawk shrieked, and Takumi could hear girls' laughter in the distance. He could not tell if it was Elise or Sakura, or perhaps both, having a snowball fight off behind the treeline...

"...Do you think we should finally admit what's going on here? We're friends."

Friends. The word stuck in Takumi's throat, and even another large gulp of tea could not dislodge it. He opened and closed his mouth twice, attempting to speak and unable to say anything at all. Finally, he managed to let out a weak chuckle. "If you'd told me that a while ago, I'd have sworn up and down it wasn't true." He clutched the cup between his fingers. "But you're right. Against all odds, you and I are friends." He almost choked on the word. "Isn't that crazy?"

If Leo noticed Takumi's stutters, he kindly did not acknowledge them. "It's certainly unexpected. But now we have a chance to change things for good. Our friendship may be the beginning of a lasting bond between Hoshido and Nohr."

Takumi laughed again. Against all odds indeed -- he and Leo, the bond that starts to strengthen Hoshido and Nohr! And yet, here they were. He gazed at Leo for a minute, and he realized he'd never noticed how long his eyelashes were. "I hope so. We're proof that citizens from our two countries can get along! You've made me realize that peace between Hoshido and Nohr may be possible after all."

Leo smiled, and Takumi blushed red. "Perhaps. And if things go badly, we can commiserate over soup."

Takumi drained his cup and set it down gently next to Leo before placing his shaking hands in his lap. "I'm not sure how that will help, but it will at least taste good." He glanced at Leo, who was staring at him much more openly, a funny look on his face. Takumi found it hard to turn away, and their eyes met. Leo smiled at him, and Takumi felt as if he might drown in it. "This won't be easy, but we're in it together, Leo," he said at long last, returning the smile.

"That's right. I've got your back, Takumi."

Takumi swore he saw Leo blush a bit himself.

Spring was always lovely at Castle Shirasagi, but this year was undeniably the most beautiful yet. Peace had been declared at long last between Nohr and Hoshido, and both countries were celebrating the joyous occasion. Takumi could hardly remember the country so swept up in celebration; with the cherry trees in bloom and the hanami festival in full swing, there was nothing but smiles to be found on everyone. Well. Everyone except Takumi.

Takumi sat alone on the steps of the castle, his hands folded tightly in his lap. He was feeling frustrated, and even the lovely spring around him could not cheer him up. The latest meeting with his siblings left him feeling more like the outcast than ever. As the newly crowned King of Hoshido, Ryoma's first task had been to assign one of his siblings to be an envoy to Nohr. There was much to learn still from their new ally, and Ryoma and Xander both wanted to be sure they were listening to each other from the beginning. As Ryoma explained his newest mission, Takumi found himself daydreaming of change - of wandering new streets and taking in new sights, of being around Elyse's contagious laugh and Camilla's domestic side (for she had one, he had found out, even if it was hidden behind her other... attributes most of the time). He thought of Xander, who seemed to truly listen to him whenever they talked, and of course... he thought of Leo. Leo would be returning to Nohr to continue with his studies and training, and Takumi was met with the fleeting thought - thoughts of pouring over history books with him, sitting under maple trees rather than plum blossoms, of sharing the rich black tea that he had become quite fond of.

Just as he had raised his hand to volunteer, however, Hinoka had stood and proudly proclaimed that she would be glad to do it, and Sakura and Ryoma had both reacted with glee at the idea. Takumi lowered his arm before it was halfway up, and a dark gloom had filled him since. Hinoka had left that morning on her beloved pegasus, and although he had forced a smile as he bid his older sister goodbye, he couldn't help the resentment he felt in his gut. It was always Ryoma, or Hinoka, or even little Sakura -- never him.

There was not a single place to be alone on such a perfect day. What he wanted was a quiet tree to sit under, a place to sulk... what he wanted, he realized, were the steps outside the castle in the Astral Plane, where he had wasted away so many days with Leo. He hadn't realized how much he would miss them.

He closed his eyes and let out a quiet, low sigh. He had never felt more alone.

"Well, look at how handsome you look. But between us, there's no contest."

That voice snapped Takumi out of his deep, depressing thoughts, and his eyes shot up immediately. Standing in front of him, his arms across his chest and a playful smirk on his face, was Leo. He did look quite handsome, dressed in simple clothing with the backdrop of a Hoshidan spring around him, and Takumi felt himself turning that all-too-familiar shade of red.

It took him several seconds to find his own voice, in which time he and Leo stared at each other openly. At long last, he cleared his throat. "Leo," he managed, "what are you doing here?"

Leo did not answer, but instead held out a hand for Takumi, who took it with only slight hesitation. Leo pulled Takumi to his feet and laced their fingers together. Before Takumi could protest, Leo pulled him away from the steps and headed towards the one single cherry tree on the palace grounds that did not seem to have anyone underneath it. It was a rather small tree with only a few blossoms, but its long branches draped gracefully over the adjacent koi pond, and Takumi realized how lovely it looked… funny that he had not noticed before…

“I thought you were leaving,” Takumi spoke again as they settled under the tree. “King Xander and the others left this morning.” He paused. “My sister was with them,” he added needlessly, a jealous tone in his voice.

“I know,” Leo said casually, “but I can always go back later. I wanted to see you first. You avoided me all week.”

Takumi glanced at their entwined hands and swallowed hard. It felt like he had a lump of overcooked rice stuck in his throat. “I-- I didn’t think you noticed,” he managed, barely above a whisper. “Things have been so busy…”

“Yes, they have.” Leo glanced at Takumi from behind his long lashes. “But that’s not why you’ve been avoiding me.”

Takumi frowned and bit his lip. He didn’t want to answer. He wanted to get up and run far away - away from Leo, away from his family, away from the crowds, with nothing but his bow and his sorrow for company.

Slowly, Leo released his hand, and Takumi flexed his now empty fingers. He thought Leo was going to get up to leave, but instead Leo reached into his pocket and held out its contents for Takumi. Takumi took the offering with confusion: in his hands were the pieces of an arrow, snapped perfectly in half.

“I saved that,” Leo explained, his voice unusually soft and gentle, “the day we first spoke. You threw it at me--”

“Near you,” Takumi corrected softly, still staring at the pieces.

“Fine. Near me,” Leo said with a smirk, “and I’d stepped on it, perhaps not quite by accident. After you stormed off, I intended to do the same, content that we had our one and only conversation. When I saw the broken arrow… I’m not sure why, but I’ve kept it with me ever since. Two broken pieces, like us. The younger princes, always overshadowed by our siblings, never quite feeling like we fully belong…” Leo raised a hand to push a stray hair away from Takumi’s face. “The pieces apart mean nothing, but together -- even if it is a bit damaged, at least it can be complete once more.”

Takumi blinked, and he felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks. “You asked why-- why I avoided you,” he choked out. “I didn’t…I didn’t want you to go. I didn’t want you to say goodbye.”

Leo’s fingers moved from his hair to his face, gently brushing away one of the tears. Takumi took a shaky breath and turned his head slowly, and suddenly Leo’s lips were on his.

It seemed to last for hours, although it was mere moments - Leo kissing him under the cherry tree, with the sound of splashing fish and far off laughter in the background, the warm spring breeze blowing through Takumi’s hair. When they finally broke apart, Takumi could not bring himself to pull further away, and he rested his forehead against Leo’s. He closed his eyes, feeling his heart racing in his chest as Leo continued to gently stroke his cheek.

“I’ve hidden my feelings for so long,” Leo whispered. “I can’t believe you felt the same way all this time. I dreamed, but I didn’t dare think-- well. At least not until today.”

Takumi opened his eyes and smiled at Leo, holding open his hand with the arrow pieces in it. Leo returned the smile and placed his hands over the pieces as well; once again, they wrapped their fingers together, holding tight.

“If you were aiming for my heart, you struck true,” Takumi said softly. “This was meant to be.”