Happenstance (Fire Emblem Fates)

Blue Forest

Takumi shifted in his seat, elbow propped onto his desk and cheek in his palm. His teacher was discussing something about basic arithmetic but he had finished his work awhile ago, now finding himself bored out of his mind. He glanced to his right, observing Leo reading and equally unfocused on the teacher.

The boy's amber eyes rolled over the rest of the classroom but nothing seemed to catch his attention. Why could he not just skip a grade? It seemed like everyday he would finish his work early and zone out. His thoughts would trail back to the nights spent practicing his archery and coming home to read under the luminescence of fireflies, his conversations with Ryuurei when he could not sleep and during his dreams.

Takumi frowned, remembering that his father was going to test his archery after he got home from school. He may have been skilled for his age, but only hitting a bulls-eye 46 times out of 50 was atrocious. His father would surely think him a disgrace and send him off. Ryoma could probably do better, even if it was his first time picking up a bow.

As much as he loved his siblings, there was envy that undermined his thoughts. Ryoma was a freshman in high school and already seen as a star-to-be on the football team. He was excelling in his classes and was easily in the top ten of his year. Hinoka was in middle school but was the star of the girl's volleyball team. She may not have been as smart as her older brother but she certainly matched him in brawn and will power. Kamui was only a year older than him but was more promising than he could ever hope to be: everybody was her friend and she was a natural leader. Even little five-year-old Sakura had a kindness that shined beyond her years and was a beacon of happiness.

And himself? Takumi scowled under his breath. There was nothing about him that made him special, nothing that separated him from his siblings. Anything he did, he was outdone by one of them, left in their shadows. He wasn't good enough to be a Shirasagi. He never was.

Anankos stirred from his sleep. He was instantly bombarded by pessimistic thoughts and negative emotions seeping into his consciousness. He could feel tears pricking at his partner's eyes and fingernails digging into his leg to hold them back. If it had been the first life, before they had bonded, the dragon would have taken pleasure in seeing the boy suffer with his own inner demons; now, it pained him equally.

He knew he could not leave his partner like this. Exerting some control over the body, he repressed the negative thoughts and brought happier memories to Takumi's conscious. Feeling the boy slowly relax and stop stabbing his leg was already a step in the right direction. It made Anankos wonder why he had ever intentionally caused this child pain.

Blinking away his tears, Takumi was unable to recall what had caused them in the first place. His thigh had nail markings on them and he had to question if he had done them or not. For some reason, memories of spending time with his family and laughs shared together flashed in his vision and he could not help himself from smiling with nostalgia.

"Takumi," the teacher's voice drew him from his thoughts and his arm fell onto his desk in surprise. He decided to ignore Leo's quiet snickering as the woman continued. "Would you like to explain your answer for number eight?"

Sliding his paper towards him from the corner of his desk, his eyes rolled over to the problem. It was a simple addition problem followed by using division. "Well, you have to add four, and that gives you twelve. Then, you divide by two and get six."

He slumped back into his chair after a praise from his teacher. At least the day was nearly over.

He was caught off guard by the mutter from his neighbor. "Are you bored out of your mind too?"

As much as Takumi wanted to instantly agree, he felt the urge to give the blond a snarky reply. "Wow, I didn't know you could read and talk. You made it seem like you couldn't multitask the other day."