Happenstance (Fire Emblem Fates)

Alight

A/N: Sorry this update took so long! I've either been busy or I had no motivation to write. This chapter was hard to plot out and even harder to write, so I hope you all enjoy it!

Note: there's a four year time skip between this chapter and the last chapter.

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He was going to die.

He wanted to cry out, to insult the person, to do anything, but the sound died on his lips. The hands were tight against his throat and he could hardly take in any air. He was being strangled; he would run out of oxygen soon and that would be the end.

His body was searing with pain and he let out ragged gasps, lungs burning for air. He was going to die. Strangled to death, held by his throat with feet barely touching the ground, he was going to die.

The person suffocating him said something, but with his ears ringing, he couldn't make the sound out. It was probably something about giving up, to stop resisting, and for a moment, he considered it.

Fingers dug deeper into his neck and he let out a gasp, feeling a sensation not too different from drowning. This was it. He was going to die. He was going to die, and just when he had finally gotten it back.

The edges of his vision darkened, a feeling of weightlessness overtook him, and-

Takumi bolted upright with a scream, hands flying to his neck. He was on the floor of his bedroom, tangled in a mess of blankets after he must have fallen off of his bed. Sweat ran down his forehead and he panted, shutting his eyes.

It was just a nightmare. He wasn't dying; it was just a nightmare.

He steadied his breathing, the dream already fading from his mind, leaving a lingering feeling of terror. Silently, he chastised himself for allowing himself to be scared by it. He was sixteen now and still shaken by the machinations of his own mind as if he were still a seven year old scared of his own shadow. He sighed and ran his hand through his bangs.

Four years had passed with little to no interruptions. He and Leo had been unable to track down Brynhildr with the latter's bond with the tome weakening as time went on. To make matters worse, the thief covered their tracks, leaving no clues to their whereabouts. The boys had been forced to put their hunt for the divine weapon on hold and could only hope that the thief had yet to do anything malicious with it.

Takumi rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and got to his feet. Azura had done her best to comfort the two, especially her brother with his weak state following the loss of Brynhildr. Leo had recovered for the most part; he was left with a dull, almost unnoticeable pain that always stung in his chest. It was unmistakable that Brynhildr was part of his soul and the absence of it would leave its toll on the blond, no matter how much Azura sang for him.

He reached behind his head to gather his hair into a ponytail and his hand closed on air. Right. He had cut it earlier this week without truly thinking about it in his rage. He had been made fun of for his long hair at school, called vulgar names that he would rather not repeat, and even bullied for it. Before he had truly realized what he was doing, half of his hair was pooled around his feet and he reluctantly cut the rest so it would be symmetrical. Now, it ended slightly past his ears and the back of his neck felt odd without the familiar weight against it.

He made his way to the bathroom, doing his best to block out the image of his hair clumped on the floor, and went through his morning routine. Looking at his face in the mirror, he couldn't help but notice how obvious his lack of sleep was getting. The bags under his eyes were becoming more evident, his skin was paler than usual, and he almost looked sickly. He hadn't had nightmares in years, but they had started again regularly a few days ago, leaving him looking like a walking corpse.