Leokumi Week

Takumi wasn’t gonna lie. For being from a world where they don’t use weapons, solve almost all of their problems with battling and working together with these admittedly mysterious and fascinating creatures, not big fans of war and conflict, AND being more of a non-violent tactical commander role. These ‘Pokemon Trainers’ as they’re called…

They can be pretty darn intimidating when they want to be.

The black haired girl called Astral in particular was glaring at him with a mix of ‘should I trust you’ and ‘what do to do with you’ while stroking a foot tall yellow mouse with a lightning bolt shaped tail and puffy red cheeks, who was too distracted by the pets to even look intimidating. His smaller counterpart on Astral’s shoulder, a smaller paler yellow mouse with triangular shaped black tipped ears and pink cheeks, was trying and failing to mimic Astral’s glare for both of them. He just looked plain cute.

The other two girls, Dawn and Serena, weren’t quite so severe with their gazes as they held or petted their adorable companions. A foot tall blue bird Takumi later learned was called a ‘penguin’ being held by Dawn and a small fluffy dog, or was it a cat, like fox with brown and cream colored fur and big brown eyes having its fur brushed by Serena.

The girls, sans Astral, were there when they sought Takumi out for answers during the whole Wraith incident, but they were still suspicious of Takumi’s motives for seeking them out about the Pokémon specifically. Up until now, he never even showed interest in learning about Pokémon so what changed? Astral decided to take the initiative after Takumi expressed his desire.

“Prince Takumi Shirasagi.”

“Y-Yes?!”

“I have considered your request, but I wanted to make sure you understand the importance of accepting this task. The mission I’m giving you is just as incredibly difficult as it is rewarding. Not just in terms of earning trust with the Pokémon and Trainers living in this mansion, but also in obtaining your own partner Pokémon per your request. Are you prepared?”

Takumi gulped, mostly because of the intense gaze and the seriousness of the situation. But he wanted to do this. He’s not entirely sure there is another way to gain their trust in any way other than working together with them in battle. That method was pretty slow and he wasn’t sure if it was working or not. So he had to change tactics and as Rira quoted, ‘put himself in their shoes and see things from their perspective’.

He couldn’t really blame them for being cautious though. When he and Prince Leo had accepted to go back to the mansion and help the Smash Brothers rescue Corrin, his older siblings and younger sister, along with Prince Xander, Princess Camilla, Princess Elise, and Princess Azura had followed them to the Smash Brothers world and tried to pick a fight with everyone in the mansion thinking the Smash Brothers had kidnapped both of the younger princes, hence why he’s so nervous about this endeavor.

While the misunderstanding was cleared up and Azura and the youngest princesses welcomed with open arms, the unexpected invasion had made some Smashers, including the Trainers and Pokémon, wary of both groups of elder royals. A dilemma that Takumi feels incredibly embarrassed and guilty for, and wanted to take responsibility on behalf of all the royals involved.

Takumi looked Astral in the eye, still nervous but determined to earn their trust even with a bunch of admittedly adorable creatures trying to be intimidating being kinda funny and cute at the same time. He replied.

“I am. Whatever I must do to earn your trust after what the people of my world had committed against the Pokémon your people covet.”

Astral stopped petting her mouse, taking a moment to look into Takumi’s eyes, searching for any hints of dishonesty or ulterior motives. After a tense moment, she took a deep breath, adjusted her hold on her mouse friend, and stood up from the chair she was sitting in. She then gestured with her head.

“Very well. Follow me.”

Takumi nodded, shrugging to the bewildered Trainers, and left the room. He followed Astral out to a building in one of the courtyards of the mansion, passing by lots of different small and large but docile Pokémon as they walked. Entering the building, Takumi recognized it as the Smash Bros Pokémon Center, a facility that the Trainers often go to when their partners needed to rest and relax, especially after a rough match.

The small mouse leapt from Astral’s shoulder and scampered over to a blue and black furred bipedal canine, chirping in its ‘language’ about the situation. It just sounded like it was just saying its name. The canine named Lucario, looked at the humans and nodded. He then motioned for the mouse, Takumi, and Astral to follow.

He led them to another room, where one of the tables was covered by a large tarp. Takumi stopped a foot away from it, confused by what could be hiding under the tarp. Astral however, reached forward and grabbed the tarp. She didn’t lift it yet, but did motion for Takumi to come closer. The Wild Card took a deep breath and stepped forward. Astral then spoke up.

“The others and I have kept these covered up until everything could settle down between the royals of your world. Especially since that ninja Saizo is such a hothead.”

“Y-Yes, I can’t apologize enough for what he almost committed.”

“It’s okay. You, Leo, Corrin, Kamui, Azura, and your younger sisters, Sakura and Elise amongst the others, are probably the best people from your world to start off with teaching about Pokémon. And I need to be a little more trusting in the Smash Bros and with you and your family without being forceful and guarded.”

“You were just protecting the Pokémon though. You shouldn’t feel guilty for protecting what you love. And I did things I’m not proud of either. So I have a lot of things I need to improve about me as well.”

Astral looked at Takumi and smiled gratefully seeing the genuine sincerity in the archer’s eyes.

“Thanks Takumi. Now as for what we’re here for.”

She gestured to the tarp, getting ready to remove it.

“The mission I mentioned is probably the most significant part of a Pokémon Trainer’s job in raising Pokémon. Though catching a Pokémon is one way, this is another. And one that is the most difficult but rewarding task of an entire Trainer’s career.”

Astral then slowly removes the tarp, revealing what was underneath. Takumi’s eyes widened as he gasped, his mouth opened in a little ‘o’.

One timeskip later…

“And she just let you have one, just like that?!”

Leo’s eyes were wide open as Takumi finished his explanation. The Wild Card now had a very large white egg with a pale blue flower pattern wrapped in a sling, keeping it close to his body as he gently rubbed the shell.

“Yeah. I still can’t believe it either. She actually allowed me to have one of these. It sucks that I can’t go into battle without endangering the egg, but it’s been moving around quite a bit, so it should be hatching any day now.”

A cute little ‘Ralts’ chirped up from a small white creature with a green ball cut hairdo and pink horns peeking out of the hair, currently sitting in Leo’s lap. It was looking at the egg Takumi was holding, its head cocked to one side in a curious and very adorable manner. It looked up at Leo and seemed to be having a mental conversation with Leo before he smiled and let Ralts approach the egg.

It crawled over to Takumi and started to gently pet the egg, smiling cutely as the egg wiggled a bit, making both boys surprised and Takumi smile. Leo looked at Takumi’s expression and smiled softly. Seeing Takumi smiling at the egg made Leo feel happy. Takumi had a lot of guilt for the whole invasion during the Wraith incident so seeing him happy and smiling made him happy too. Especially since his new little friend helped out.

A furry feeling on Takumi’s other side made the archer notice and look at a very long cute creature with little green eyes and tan and brown colored fur. Takumi chuckled and petted the creature’s head, making it snuggle up to him more. Leo sees this and chuckles.

“Hmhm. That little Furret is really attached to you.”

“Yeah, I think I might be its favorite client.”

Leo nodded in agreement. The Furret that Takumi was petting didn’t belong to any one person, but it’s comfortable enough to be around humans. This was because this Furret was being trained by humans to be what Serena called an ‘emotional support’ partner, a Pokémon who was trained by humans to help other humans with mental issues like depression and anxiety.

However, right after Furret finished up its training, it was ripped from its home before it could start doing the job it was training for. But, even when it was found by the Trainers and brought to the Smash Mansion, it didn’t stop Furret from seeking out patients to help.

Takumi actually ended up being one of Furret’s regular patients before Corrin was rescued from the Wraith, since he has been known to have some incredibly bad dreams that keep him up at night. Since Furret’s inclusion into his life, Takumi was feeling a lot better.

A cry from Leo’s Ralts alerted the boys back to the present moment. At the same time, Takumi noticed a bright light coming from his peripheral vision and when he turned his head to see what it was, his jaw dropped.

The egg he had been entrusted with and meticulously took care of for weeks was glowing with a bright light. The sign that the egg was finally going to hatch!

Ralts immediately used its psychic abilities to undo the sling and allow Takumi to hold the glowing egg in his arms, which he wasted no time in doing and could only stare as the glow got brighter. Leo was similarly surprised and in awe of a Pokémon egg actually hatching. As was Furret and a few others in the courtyard who noticed the glowing egg.

Finally, the shell of the egg dissolved into light and Takumi found himself holding something warm, alive, and fuzzy instead of a smooth oval shape. The new creature was still curled up in Takumi’s arms though he can see that it had four legs.

The creature then shifted, causing a floofy fanlike tail to fluff out. Followed by a pair of ears with a floofy cloud like tuft on its head. The creature then finally woke up fully, letting the boys see that it is a little fox with fur as white as snow with pale blue accents in the head fur, paws, and tail. It let out a cute little yawn as it opened its big ice blue eyes and looked at Takumi.

“I-Incredible! Your egg hatched Takumi!”

“I saw Leo! Wow…”

Furret lifted its paws up and cheered, congratulating Takumi and celebrating the white fox’s birth. Ralts also cheered and waved over the others in the courtyard, causing a small crowd to form. Sakura and Elise, both holding their Eevees, smiled at the little fox as their Eevees chirped a hello. Bonnie gave a big smile and introduced her Dedenne to the fox who squeaked out in greetings. Serena and Dawn smiled and cooed over how cute it was as Astral looked on with folded arms and an impressed expression on her face.

“An Alolan Vulpix, who knew? All your hard work paid off Takumi!”

Takumi looked at her and blinked, then smiled with a small blush. Though the Vulpix on the other hand didn’t seem so thrilled with all the attention, shrinking back and curling up again trying to make itself look small. Furret chirped to it, asking what was wrong and getting Takumi’s attention.

He figured out what was making his new little friend so nervous and started to pet the Vulpix, making it blink and look up at the softly smiling Wild Card.

“It’s okay, Shiron. They’re your friends. Just like I am.”

The Vulpix, now dubbed Shiron, took another look at the crowd again. Seeing nothing but friendly faces and kind smiles made the newly hatched Pokémon smile too, mewling out a shy hello. The assembled Pokémon all replied kindly in turn. Ralts also crawled over from Leo’s side and said hello as well, giving Shiron a pat on its floofy head and making it smile.

Astral smiled in approval, then told the crowd to part and give Shiron space to play with the other Pokémon. The Eevees, Dedenne, Furret, Ralts, Pikachu, and Pichu, all grouped up on the ground and invited Shiron to play too. Takumi gave Shiron a smile and set it down on the ground.

“Go ahead, Shiron. I’m going to ask Astral about food so I can make us a meal to eat later.”

Ralts also reassured Shiron it would be fine, then the two joined the other Pokémon in playing together, with the older partners watching on and Bonnie and Elise dragging Sakura by the arm to join in. Takumi couldn’t help but laugh a little, watching them all play. Leo’s musings interrupted his train of thought.

“You know Takumi? Despite everything that happened to get us here today, I’m glad that we came along and stayed.”

Takumi looked at Leo and smiled. He looked back to the playing Pokémon and leaned against the Sorcerous Prince, making said Prince stiffen then smiled and relaxed as he allowed the Wild Card to lean on him.

“Yeah, but we had a lot of drama getting here. And it won’t be the last time it happens.”

“Yes, but I think we’re going to be okay. As long as we rely on each other when things get rough.”

“Hmm, true. Though getting back to the present moment…”

“Hmm?”

Takumi straightened up and looked at Leo quizzically with a blank face.

“Who’s going to be making our partners lunch this time?”

Leo stared at Takumi, then burst out laughing at the way he delivered that question.

“Hahaha! Oh gods! Did Joker teach you how to make that face?!”

“If he did, his lessons paid off. But seriously, I know I cooked last time and most of the rice is being saved for dinner tonight.”

Leo calmed down from his laughing fit, and held out his arms for Ralts to jump into. Shiron also ran up and waited for Takumi, who also bent down and picked it up, gently cradling his new partner in his arms. They came running up at the mention of food, having worked up an appetite while playing.

“Well, we still have some bread. There should be enough to make sandwiches. Or there’s always leftovers. You do need to figure out what to feed Shiron after all.”

“Yeah, I know. I see Astral going inside, so let’s catch up before she disappears.”

“Indeed. Hehe.”

Takumi

“You’ve come quite a ways since learning the Fire spell, Prince Takumi.”

“T-Thanks Leo, but that’s only because you’re a great teacher.”

Takumi still couldn’t believe that they’ve known each other for a year and yet, the time that they knew each other as enemies felt so much longer. More like a completely different life that he reincarnated from like in one of those ‘other world’ novels he read once. The differences couldn’t be any more clear and honestly despite everything he experienced, he was glad he met Leo.

They had quite a lot in common and some of the same tastes in reading, foods, and even games they enjoy playing. Sure there was a lot of denial of them ever being friends or even more than that when they first started talking to each other, but as they kept running into each other, their relationship gradually warmed up until it bloomed into the bond they have now.

Heck, Takumi never even considered having any magical potential until he asked Leo for magic lessons one day. He told Leo that it would help wield his Fujin Yumi better, but it was actually an excuse to hang out with him more and maybe a little bit worried that their routine was getting stale at the time.

Now, he was learning his third element of the five known elements of their world, Wind, and probably the element that Takumi probably might have the best affinity for according to Leo. His Fujin Yumi practically uses arrows made out of wind magic or something similar. But he needed to learn how to use magic in general before thinking of experimenting with Wind.

He got off to a great start with learning Fire, though it didn’t take quite as long to learn Thunder as it did with the first element. Light and Dark though, he felt like he needed more practice with the other elements before attempting those two.

Today he was in the training area suited for practicing magic. Leo had explained it was the best place to practice without breaking anything important because he admitted with an embarrassed blush that he had accidentally made a mess when he first learned Wind and wanted Takumi’s first time practicing the element to go much smoother than his first time did.

Takumi had a hard time believing it, let alone imagining Leo of all people making a mess, but he did appreciate Leo’s assistance in this endeavor. He admitted he was a little bit curious as to how much wind affinity he had. Guess they’ll find out.

“Okay, you remember how you manifested the Fire spell by imagining burning flames bursting from your fingertips, correct?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Well, with the Wind element, beginners have better luck with imagining wind swirling around their fingers or sharpening wind into blades that they can swing around or launch towards their opponents similar to summoning a fireball with Fire magic. Does it make sense so far?”

Takumi nodded, remembering the explanation from his first magic lesson. It took a while to figure out how to use his untapped magic potential and bring out the power in a tome, but it all paid off in spades. He listened as Leo continued his explanation. Unlike with Fire which can only be summoned in the form of a ball, Takumi has a bit more versatility with shaping the Wind magic like a blade or chain so the only thing Takumi had to worry about was the shape of the spell he wanted to use.

But he decided that summoning the Wind spell into a ball was a safer choice than a blade or twister as it would make less of a mess. With the go ahead from Leo, Takumi opened up the tome and started to cast the spell, closing his eyes in concentration. He started to move his free hand, imagining the air currents forming into a ball.

Though Takumi was trying to use as little power as possible, he could hear Leo frantically trying to get his attention, that the wind ball was getting too big! Takumi wasn’t using that much power, right?

Takumi opened his eyes and saw the wind ball was indeed as large as his head and he felt it was a lot stronger than what he intended. Without thinking, he throws the wind ball at the target at the other end of the arena…

And it exploded halfway into a huge twister that knocked both princes down!

The winds lasted for a few seconds before dying down, allowing both boys to move around again. Takumi and Leo groaned as they recovered from the ‘Wind Bomb’ that Takumi had accidentally summoned. Leo managed to sit up first, shaking his head as he asked the Wild Card if he was okay. Though Takumi was also getting up at the same time with a groan, and when the two princes made eye contact…

Their gazes immediately went up to each other’s hair.

Leo’s hair was sticking up every which way like one of those ‘mad sorcerer’ comics that Takumi read once as a kid. While Takumi’s own hair was all floofed up and poofy like clouds, while still being in his signature ponytail somehow.

Both princes stared at each other and their funky new hairstyles blankly for a few seconds…before their cheeks puffed up and they burst into laughter. They had a hard time forming words as their appearances are apparently that funny. With Leo trying to smooth down his crazy hairdo and only laughing more when it sticks up again.

Takumi simply held his sides as he laughed at his and Leo’s hair. While this lesson was kind of a flop, Takumi actually wasn’t deterred by this little surprise and looked forward to resuming his Wind spell lessons.

After the boys get their hair fixed.

Leo

Oboro and Hinata bicker and frantically clear Leo’s path to the Hoshidan archery area where Takumi usually goes to practice every day, or at least every chance he takes to train. Leo couldn’t help but smile fondly at the two carrying the extra arrows from the market Hinata bought and the extra fabric Oboro needed to complete an archery outfit for Leo to wear during archery training or any sort of ranged weapon training.

As he walked, Leo flashbacks to when he asked Takumi for archery lessons, humorously mirroring the time Takumi had asked him for magic lessons a year ago…

*Flashback*

(Huh? M-Me? Teach you archery? N-Not that I’m offended but just curious? Why the sudden interest?

*smile*(Well, I distinctly remember you asking me specifically for magic lessons a while back and calling me the best mage Nohr had to offer. So, I figured I could return the favor and learn from Hoshido’s best in archery.)

*blush*(I-I-I’m flattered Leo, and you have a point, I asked you first. But before I could commit, why didn’t you ask the best archer Nohr has to offer?)

(Ah. That would be my retainer Niles, at least to my knowledge. And I did think about asking him. But I’m sure you interacted with him long enough to know what he’s like on a regular basis.)

(Ugh. Yeeaah. I have. I wouldn’t really ask him solely for his dirty mind.)*shiver*

*chuckle*(I had a feeling. Also, if there was a best Nohrian archer other than Niles, I'd never have met them. There aren’t really that many noticeable archers that would be a suitable tutor. But that’s another reason why I asked you. You’re my friend and I trust you with my life.)

*blush*(O-Oh. Um. T-Thank you. You said you have some time off soon to visit Hoshido right? We can start your lessons then since I have to return to Hoshido tomorrow.)

*smile softly*(Of course that works out perfectly. And Takumi?)

(Yeah?)

(Thank you for agreeing to teach me.)

*BLUSH*(N-N-No problem.)

*Flashback end*

Leo smiled fondly at the blushing expression Takumi made at the conclusion of his visit to Nohr. Maybe Takumi teaching him archery would give him a confidence boost in his own skills. A loud crash snapped him out of his musings and he sees the two Hoshidans tangled up on the floor after running into Felicia, who was carrying clean laundry.

Leo bent down to help clean up the mess, but the trio, sorry quartet because Jacob came running, immediately told him he shouldn’t keep Takumi waiting any longer. The fabric Oboro bought was for a cloak to match the actual outfit he would be wearing.

The tailor then escorted the Nohrian prince down the hall so he can get changed and be on time for his lesson, also adding that Hinata will bring the extra arrows he bought from the market later. Unfortunately unable to argue with Oboro, Leo agreed and followed the tailor’s daughter.

An hour later…

After changing into the new outfit, Leo finally arrived at the archery area to find he was early for the lesson because Takumi wasn’t there. Oboro remembered that Takumi had been on a mission with Hinoka and Corrin, but he would be back soon. He was told he can wait and read until Takumi arrived before heading off to her own project, but Leo figured he can get some practice in before the actual lesson.

He chose a bow from the weapon rack and took a stance at least fifteen feet in front of the target, before taking an arrow from the quiver next to him. He loaded it and took aim, then noticed how much his hand was shaking. He took deep breaths to try and calm himself, trying to focus on steadying himself and strike the target as close to the center as possible.

When he was ready, he released the arrow…

And completely missed the target.

Leo blaunched in shock. How could he have missed?! He was positioned correctly and he kept himself calm enough to not let go of the arrow or the string or both. He even made sure not to let go of the bow and keep his eyes on the target! Frustrated, he grabbed another arrow and tried again. And again. And again. And again. And at least five more times, all ending with similar results.

The sound of muffled laughter at the tenth attempt finally caught Leo’s attention as his tutor finally arrived.

“You could’ve waited for me until I came. That way we still have ten more arrows to work with.”

*blush* “I-I’m sorry, Takumi. I didn’t know how long you would be so I tried to get some practice in with what I’ve read about. Obviously, the real thing is a lot more difficult than it looks.”

*snrk* “Heh heh. Yeah, Corrin said something similar when they wanted to learn archery too. Luckily I’m here now, so let’s start by firing another arrow so I can see what can be improved.”

Leo nodded, then turned back to the other ten or so arrows he had left. He grabbed one and then loaded it. He stuck out his tongue in concentration and fired, but the arrow was aimed too low and the ground in front of the target. He scowled in frustration, and heard Takumi chuckle and approached.

“Ok ok. You had the right idea to line your position up with the target so you can narrow down where your arrows fly, but you also weren’t paying attention to where your arms were angled when you were aiming. You also keep looking at your hands and not solely focused on what you were targeting at.”

“Sorry, my hands kept shaking so I thought I wasn’t calm enough to hold the bow right. Deep breathing helped little with that. I don’t want the bow slipping out of my hands because of shaking hands.”

“You’ll be able to steady yourself with enough practice as your body gets used to it. That’s normal, believe me. If you’ll let me touch you, go ahead and get another arrow and take your stance again.”

Leo was a little confused, but nodded his consent and did as instructed, getting another arrow and took his stance again. This time, he stood still as Takumi carefully nudged his limbs and his hands ghosted his shoulders, with Leo’s eyes trying to follow what the archer was doing.

“Okay, you’re keeping yourself too stiff which is uncomfortable, so relax yourself a little bit, but not too much or you can’t pull the string tight enough.”

“Mind how your arms are angled. You’re using both of your entire arms to use the bow and arrow so every part of your limbs can drastically change your aim no matter how lined up you are with your target.”

“Also, keep your eyes on your target, not your hands. Don’t stress too much about your hands. If they aren’t cramping or injured, then you’re fine to keep going.”

“And deep breathing actually does help with calm and focus. You were calming down a little, but you need to stay focused on your target. Like when you’re casting a spell right?”

Leo nodded without looking. It did make sense.

“Ok, elbow down just a bit so the thumb on the hand holding the string and arrow is level with your mouth. Then, touch your mouth with that hand.”

Leo nodded, making the recommended corrections to his stance. Then he feels one of Takumi’s hands on left, the one holding the bow and the other on his right shoulder, as if to steady him.

“Grip firm but relaxed.”

Leo nodded, looking at Takumi’s hand before it gently tilted his chin up to the target.

“Eyes on your target.”

Another nod, steadying his breathing as he focused on the target in front of him, waiting for Takumi to give the call.

“Breathe in…”

Another breath in…

“Release.”

Leo barely registered the arrow leaving his hand until he heard the *thunk* of it hitting the target, almost dead center! His eyes widened in awe and surprise.

“Well, that made a-oof!”

Leo was so overjoyed and relieved by his first successful shot that he had wrapped Takumi up in a hug and happily spun him around, only registering his action when he saw the surprised blushing look on the Hoshidan prince’s face. He blushed as well and let go, laughing awkwardly.

“Hehe, a-apologies. I got carried away…”

“H-Hey it was fine. It took me a few years to finally get my first bullseye so I know the feeling.”

“Hehe, yes. My earlier and very embarrassing performance still shows that I have a lot of work to do, though.”

“Don’t worry, practicing often enough will help you improve yourself, so I’ll help as many times as you need until you can shoot bullseyes on your own, okay?”

Leo looked back at Takumi, then gratefully smiled.

“Thank you, Takumi. I’d like that.”

I heard most games, be it hide and seek or chess, are diminution of war or survival strategies. It make sense in the context of FE on a meta level (game about war) so I want to take the theme of game/war on a spin.

Outside the light have real weapons or representation of military tactics/history. Rapier, bow, scrolls… you get the point.

Things that are spotlighted within the light are games. Chess, shogi, maps, cards… basically fun pastime stuff.

Takumi groaned as he came to, feeling a pounding headache he definitely almost doesn’t remember receiving. He reached up to feel his head, slowly lifting himself up to a sitting position as he carefully rubbed his tender wound.

He tried to recall what happened. Takumi had been leading a squad to capture and kill a notorious serial killer. A vile Hoshidan mage named Akuzetsu, who had been responsible for killing many people from both kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr. Which irked the Wild Card greatly because Akuzetsu used to be the Head Mage for Hoshido before his treachery.

Akuzetsu had been secretly kidnapping people from both nations and using them as experiments for something. Takumi didn’t know the motive, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. It was bad enough with the war going on, especially when the war participants were ignoring a common enemy. So when sightings of Akuzetsu and his monsters targeting the eldest princes of both nations, Corrin and Azura led the charge to stop him at one of his strongholds so Ryoma and Xander could avoid the fate that Akuzetsu had subjected so many others too.

Takumi himself was especially invested in this endeavor, because he was kidnapped by Akuzetsu earlier in Izumo and taken to a labyrinthine prison lab place, where the traitorous mage was going to do, well something, to the younger Hoshidan prince. Thankfully, he never got the chance to find out because Leo had found him and busted him out of the lab he found him in.

The two princes escaped the labyrinth, but even after completing a treacherous game set by Takumi’s captor, Akuzetsu wasn’t so keen to let them live. Until Corrin and his ragtag army appeared and chased him off. The Archduke then told the two princes that it would be much safer for them to go with Corrin as they would be very important for the battles ahead, especially if Akuzetsu were to appear again.

He heard a groan next to him, a very familiar one. Takumi looked up towards the sound and sees Leo, also sporting a pretty bad headache if the bruise on his head was any indication. The other prince rubbed his head, wincing as he gingerly tended to his head wound as best he could.

“Leo?”

The Nohrian prince turned around and met Takumi’s gaze at the tentative call. His eyes widened in recognition.

“Takumi? What happened?!”

“Don’t know, woke up with a bad headache like you did a bit ago. I was hoping you would know, but I’ve got a feeling we’re both in the same situation.”

“I was leading my squad to the target location and we managed to complete our mission, but we were ambushed by enemy forces hiding in wait and they tried to bring the building down on us. I was the last one to escape the collapse after ensuring an escape route for my team but then I felt an attack from behind and I must’ve passed out.”

He winced at the memory and still nursing his head wound, bringing out Brynhildr to use healing magic on himself. Takumi listened intently, trying to ignore the pain he was feeling in his own head injury. But what Leo had said sounded familiar, and made his eyes widened as he realized it.

“Wait a minute! That sounds exactly like something that happened to me! I was leading my team and when we accomplished what we needed to do, enemies started coming out of the woodwork! I cleared a path for my teammates to escape and was about to follow them, but I was struck from behind and I-!”

“You were knocked unconscious as well?!”

“It sounds that way. Ngh.”

Takumi winced at his head, then started to feel the pain ebbing away. He looked to see Leo casting healing magic on him, having healed his own wounds as well. Takumi got a sheepish look on his face, his cheeks turning a little red as he lowered his hand.

“U-Um, thanks.”

“Don’t feel so embarrassed, Prince Takumi. I’d imagine that injury is a pain in the neck, especially since we don’t have any more vulneraries on our person.”

“Really?”

After Leo was done healing him, Takumi rummaged around in his pockets and found his companion to be right. Another reason to be so careless.

“Rats! I gave some of mine to my retainers because Elise couldn’t get to them in time and I used up the rest.”

“Same here. Sakura was healing Camilla and couldn’t get to Odin in time, so I gave him my last one.”

Takumi groaned as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to focus on one thing at a time. He took a look around them. The floor and walls were stone with a few rotted furniture pieces that have seen better days and a single locked window. The only other way out was the door which had some kind of glyph on it that pulsed with an eerie light. Takumi pointed to the door.

“Leo? That weird, glowing, chained lock symbol on that door isn’t what I’m thinking and might have been casted by who I’m also thinking could have cast it in the first place, right?”

Leo stared hard at the door, then slowly stood up and walked towards it, Brynhildr in hand. As Takumi slowly got up off the cold stone floor himself, Leo carefully waved a scanning spell he summoned into his hand in front of the door, trying to get a read on what the glyph’s purpose is.

But as he did so, the glyph reacted by violently blasting Leo back with a harmless yet rough shock that knocked the Nohrian Prince off his feet and to the floor! Takumi was surprised and immediately went to Leo’s side, checking on the other prince like a worried mother hen.

“LEO! Are you okay?! What was that?!”

Leo groaned, irritated by the glyph and its intended use. But he does accept the Hoshidan Prince’s help and takes his hand, letting Takumi pull him back up onto his feet, picking up his precious tome with his other hand.

“I’m alright. Apparently that glyph is for imprisonment purposes, but unfortunately this one is much stronger than previous ones because this one can rebound any kind of magic, including that harmless ‘Scan’ spell that I was using. But thankfully it’s restricted to the door only, so there’s nothing to worry about in using the window without any sort of knockback from the spell.”

Takumi sighed in relief, both from Leo’s confirmation of his safety and from the explanation. It means that there’s still hope for the duo to escape from this prison located, wherever the heck they were. He turned to the window with narrowed eyes.

“Then let’s open that window and see where we are and what our options are in escaping back to the others.”

“Agreed.”

The two princes approached the window, with both of them able to hear the faintest noises of battle taking place outside their current position. They looked at each other hearing this, then they began to carefully open the window and, once the lock fell from its chain, they allowed it to swing open revealing the outside world.

What they saw made them both gasp and step back.

The castle itself in which the princes are imprisoned inside was in need of repairs quite badly. Chunks of some of the castle walls were broken off and halls were completely caved in. The battlefield they were at a few hours ago was sprawled out before them from at least an hour long horse ride away, the sounds of the battle raging on echoing across the vast area of the fortress the castle was barely standing in.

Surrounding the castle was a large battalion of additional heavy duty artillery, including cannons, catapults, and turrets. The stone house-like structures that dotted the ground near the castle and battlefield and castle all sported a glyph similar to the one keeping the door locked up tight.

Except the glyphs on the structures were ones that the princes have seen before and were responsible for the current towering titans that were now surrounding their friends and allies.

Massive lumbering monoliths of grotesque flesh and bony protrusions at least thirty feet tall stomped across the ground, leaving destruction in their wake. There were a few of the beasts that lay dead on the ground, but from the number of the structures that the princes have seen, there were still at least ten of them remaining that haven’t been slaughtered.

A flash of color suddenly blurred from one spot to the next before stopping in front of a burning pile of debris. Creamy white colored hair, silver and black armor hugging a slender male body, and red eyes glancing around looking for something with a worried look on his face. It was Corrin, probably searching the battlefield for the missing younger brothers currently held captive miles away.

And about to be surrounded by the monstrous behemoths still hunting the battlefield for new victims.

“Corrin!”

Takumi’s voice snapped Leo out of his horrified trance just in time to stop the Wild Card from jumping out of the window, pointing out the 50 foot drop that neither of them would be able to survive. The Hoshidan prince’s face looked frustrated, but he did abandon the far too risky plan.

“It looks like Akuzetsu was far more prepared than what we originally thought. He wanted us out of the way in order to take out the others. Weaken our forces by abducting some of our army’s best warriors and killing off the rest. I can’t believe we can’t even provide ranged support from this far away.”

Takumi couldn’t help but bitterly agree, but what Leo said struck a chord in his memory. He reached into his pocket again, this time knowing for sure that he possessed the item he needed in order for this to work. Leo looked at his fellow royal confused as the archer pulled out a gleaming gemstone, one that seemed to pulse with power.

“Takumi is that -?”

“Yeah. Corrin’s Dragonstone. I found it a while back after he threw it away and I was going to give it back to Corrin. But then all of this happened and now if we don’t survive this, he might not get it back ever.”

He then turned to the Sorcerous Prince, holding out the gem as he explained his plan to the genius Mage Knight.

“We may not be able to get back to them on our own, but we can at least get this out to Corrin by warping it to him.”

Leo examined the stone, digesting his companion’s words and realizing what he had in mind and started rummaging through his own pockets, eventually pulling out a Warp staff. He then opened up Brynhildr again, starting to wordlessly weave a spell. He turned back to Takumi.

“This sounds crazy, but we don’t necessarily have very many options available. If I use this staff along with my ‘Targeting’ and ‘Advanced Item Enhancement’ spells, it can reach Corrin in time for him to turn the tables on the monsters!”

“That can work! But we gotta do it fast!”

Leo nodded, determined to make this work if it’s the last thing they were going to do. Takumi kept his arms outstretched in front of him, Dragonstone in his spread out palms as Leo got to work. The magic swirled around the Dragonstone as Brynhildr and the Warp staff glowed brilliantly in unison. Both princes can only hope that this last minute idea works and brings their army victory.

With a flash and a pop, the Dragonstone suddenly disappears. The princes waited with baited breath as they turned back to look at their brother on the battlefield, now panting with ragged breaths as a behemoth approached his position. They almost blinked as after feeling like an eternity, but only lasted a few seconds, the Dragonstone reappeared in front of his face and gently floated into his hands.

The Fateful Prince looked surprised to the see the Dragonstone to Hoshidan and Nohrian royal’s position, but a look of realization and hope bloomed on the three sibling’s faces and in the case of the former on the battlefield, along with anger and determination, he turned to the behemoth and pressed the stone to his chest.

It all happened all at once. An explosion of power and light exploded where Corrin was standing. A shockwave burst across the ground that can be felt from the ruined tower, making the princes inside stumble a bit. And a shape within the tower of light started to rise up and grow in size as the behemoth, and everyone else on and off the field, stopped to stare and marvel as the transformation finished.

The light faded away and standing much larger than the behemoths on the battlefield was Corrin. Now in a massive weredragon Kaiju form.

The results afterwards most definitely turned the tables on the enemy with Corrin viciously ripping and tearing through the monsters and gently aiding their friends and family still on the battlefield. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt and a good chunk of the enemy forces laid dead on the ground, including most of the massive monsters that were hopelessly outmatched by Corrin’s incredible strength.

The Draconic shapeshifter himself stood tall and proud in the center of the battlefield after the carnage, his towering stature illuminated by the burning debris scattered across the field. His form was as awesome as it was terrifying, his red eyes gleaming like two ruby red stars in the night sky.

Takumi and Leo only looked on the whole time during the whole very much one sided victory, secretly glad he was on their side and still shocked and relieved that their plan had worked out so smoothly.

Now however, the giant slowly exhaled through his nose and started to carefully look around the wrecked battlefield, resuming his search. It hit the brothers like a rampaging wyvern. He was still looking for them!

Every few times they could see him, he had found a dead horse and Kinshi amongst the dead animals on the battlefield, making the Fateful Prince look extremely saddened by their deaths. He was an animal lover, but the Kinshi was the key clue to Corrin’s behavior because it was still wearing a saddle! And Takumi very clearly remembered that his mount was killed by enemy forces before he was captured!

Leo flipped the pages of Brynhildr again, the Warp staff having crumbled to dust after its one time use, and started to cast a spell that will allow their voices to reach the giant across the field. He gets Takumi’s attention, tapping his shoulder.

Takumi looks confused for a second, before realizing what Leo had in mind and nods. He then steps in front of the windows as Leo uses his magic on his friend, as Takumi takes a deep breath. He lifts his hands up to his face, frames his mouth, and calls out in a briefly amplified voice.

“CORRIN!!! OVER HERE!!!”

Takumi wasn’t sure for a split second if it worked, but then he saw the horns on the giant’s head twitch and straighten up and the giant whipped around and met Takumi’s gaze. Corrin’s eyes widened slightly as he realized where Takumi and Leo were.

A blue figure soon ran up to Corrin’s huge foot and called up to him. Corrin looked down at them and knelt down. Neither captive prince could hear what was going on due to the distance from Corrin, but Corrin pointed to the castle and seemed to convince the tiny person, whom Takumi and Leo realize was Azura, to head back to the others while Corrin investigated the castle.

She nodded and ran off, leaving the giant Corrin alone to get up and face the castle again. The two princes then see their huge sibling take off in a light jog, making the ground quake until he got closer to the wall separating the Fateful Prince from his precious little brothers. He then vaulted over the wall and landed perfectly on the ground on the other side, briefly shaking the ground and almost making the duo in the tower tumble.

Takumi felt his breath catch in his throat. The few times he interacted with Corrin, he had secretly seen his shifting power firsthand, but he had admitted that the Dragon Prince never shifted up this big before.

The huge royal, panting from the previous battle, jog, and vaulting, met the Wild Card’s eyes again. The massive red eyes looked a little watery, like he was going to cry at any moment. Corrin held his hands to his chest and slowly approached the ruined castle, not even bothering with the canons and catapults that he was completely crushing under his clawed feet.

Takumi and Leo craned their heads up at the giant when he stopped in front of the castle, the tower only coming up to Corrin’s chest. The shifter’s eyes widened even further, tears forming as he slowly brought one hand up to his mouth and the other one laying carefully on the windowsill as he quietly rumbled out.

“T-Takumi? Leo?”

The two princes inside the tower smiled at the giant and approached the window again, with Takumi reaching out to gently touch the huge clawed finger. He looks up to the giant’s teary face.

“We’re glad you got our gift.”

It was meant to provide a little levity, and it actually worked as Corrin laughed a little and smiled for a bit. He slowly lifted the claw from the window and carefully cups his huge hands around it, wordlessly offering. One that Takumi and Leo don’t hesitate to accept. Takumi went first, stepping onto the windowsill and then after a few seconds, stepped onto the soft, smooth surface of Corrin’s gentle hands.

Leo, more unused to the fact that his adopted brother was a huge and powerful Kaiju for one moment and now a still huge, powerful, but incredibly gentle Kaiju for another. He was also pretty tired from using up so much of his magic, his hands trembling with waning energy. Takumi noticed this and helped him onto Corrin’s huge hands, letting Leo sit down as the fingers carefully curl around them, blocking them from the window as Corrin lifted them up to his gigantic and weepy face.

Corrin slowly, finally broke down into sobs as he gently held his brothers to his face. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he cried and purred softly at his tiny siblings, gently nuzzling them with his nose as he tried to quietly speak.

“Y-You’re ok. *sniffle* E-E-Every-Everyone-. *hic* W-When-. *hic* I-I- w-was-.”

“Corrin, shh. Shhhh shhhh. Deep breaths.”

The giant slowly breathed in at Leo’s urging, the smaller prince gently petting the larger’s cheek alongside Takumi, who was rubbing the tip of their weeping sibling’s nose. A few breaths later, Corrin calmed enough to speak again.

“W-When your squads returned w-without you, I got s-scared that something horrible happened, so I s-split off from Azura to find you only I f-found your mounts dead! I-I didn’t want to g-give up on you! T-Then my D-Dragonstone appeared and I r-realized that the m-monsters k-kidnapped you a-and I-. I-. I’m sorry!”

“Corrin, it’s okay. It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. That jerk Akuzetsu was responsible for the monsters. HE’S the one who was playing mind games with everyone and exploited our weaknesses to HIS benefit.”

“Takumi’s right. He’s the one who played everyone for a fool, not you. Besides, you used your Dragonstone to fight back and found us so it’s going to be alright.”

They see Corrin’s eyes well up with a fresh wave of tears, and were gently moved to his chest, the larger being able to do nothing more than cry as he hugged them close. Takumi and Leo were a little confused by the sudden change of position, but they were still gently held by their Kaijufied sibling so they just leaned into Corrin’s soft chest, letting him get the tears out of his system.

The two princes eventually heard Corrin’s crying subside after a few minutes, still holding them in a gentle embrace. Takumi was still getting over the fact that Corrin once used these massive, gentle clawed hands to shred a bunch of monsters to pieces a short time ago, and that his scaly harder than diamond armored body was now so soft Takumi could just sleep on Corrin’s chest and listen to the soothing sound of his sibling’s huge heartbeat and breathing.

However, a noise from afar made Corrin’s horns and pointy ears twitch, making the giant look up at movement coming from the battlefield. Takumi and Leo see this and inquired as to what was happening. Corrin turned back to his brothers in his hands.

“The monsters! Some of them must’ve survived and are heading this way! I thought I took care of them all!”

“Akuzetsu must’ve had some Revival Stones on some of them, to give his forces a second wind!”

“What’s worse, those monsters can sense if any prisoners of that treasonous mage broke out so they can hunt them down and kill them! We gotta get out of here!”

Leo was about to say something to Corrin, but he saw the Dragon Prince had closed his eyes and his horns were glowing. This lasted for a few seconds before the glowing stopped and Corrin opened his eyes, looking down at his siblings again.

“I sent a message to Azura. She got the last of the prisoners out and is currently transporting them to the Astral Plane. The monsters can’t follow us there so they’ll be safe.”

“Good, we just need to get out of here.”

“But how?! Those monsters will be targeting us and will try to get us away from Corrin! He can’t stay big like this and protect us from the monsters outside the Astral Plane forever!”

“Takumi’s right. I can stay this big long enough to destroy the monsters, but even if you guys stay here, there’s too many of them for me to fend off by myself. If only you guys could hide somewhere safe where the monsters can’t see you…”

That actually struck an idea in Leo’s mind when Corrin said that. This idea he admitted was even crazier than with the Dragonstone, but if what Takumi had told him a few days ago was true, then this could work. He spoke up, getting the attention of the other two princes.

“There is somewhere Corrin can hide us. Where the monsters can’t see or even smell me and Takumi, and it’ll keep us very close to Corrin at all times.”

From the look on his face, Takumi was seeing that Corrin wasn’t liking where Leo was talking about.

“Where?”

Leo looked Corrin in the eyes, well as best as he could from his position hugged against the giant’s chest.

“You’ll have to hide us inside you.”

Corrin’s face went blank as his brain processed what was told…and his face bloomed into a bright blushing red hue that spread to his neck along with the giant sporting a mortified expression, like Leo had told him to do something incredibly indecent. Takumi couldn’t help but laugh out loud at his giant brother’s reaction and tried to salvage the situation.

“Hahahahaha! Gods Corrin, relax! Let Leo explain! Hahahaha!”

“B-b-b-b-b-bu-but. WHAT?!?!”

Leo also snorted and laughed at Corrin’s reaction before speaking.

“I-I’m sorry for springing that on you, but it’s true. The monsters won’t be able to get to us while we’re in your stomach and we’ll stay safe and close to you while you rip and tear them apart.”

Takumi saw that Corrin wanted to protest, but the more the giant thought about it, the more this option seemed like the best choice. The giant gently pulled the two smaller princes from his chest and lifted them up to his face again, looking very serious and unsure.

“Are you guys sure? You’ll be stuck inside of me for hours. Maybe even a day. I don’t want to force this on you if this ends up freaking you out.”

“It does sound crazy I’ll admit, but you also held a bunch of bandits in your stomach for a day once and when you finally spat them out, they were completely fine. You can’t digest people when you're giant sized, that’s the drawback to gaining all this size and strength. Besides, unlike the monsters, you’re using this power to protect us. We’ll be fine.”

The two younger brothers waited for Corrin’s response to Takumi’s reassurance. Finally, the giant took a deep breath and nodded. He didn’t like it, but now it was their best shot.

“You’re right, Takumi. I’ll do it.”

The smaller two princes smiled at Corrin before Leo turned to look at Takumi, not noticing that Corrin was starting to open his mouth wide.

“Now that it’s settled, I suppose we should decide who’s going-AAAHHHmmph!!”

Takumi probably would’ve missed it if he blinked as he fell onto his rear in surprise. Corrin had tipped the hand with Leo on it and sent the Sorcerous Prince tumbling into the giant’s wide open mouth. The hand pulled away, letting Takumi see Leo’s legs sticking out from between his larger brother’s lips before they were gently slurped in, the Nohrian royal fighting inside the whole time.

The Wild Card briefly looked up at Corrin’s huge face to see his reaction. The giant blinked in surprise, his pupils narrowing into slits, then started to slowly lick the little morsel in his mouth, gently rolling Leo around but making sure that he was nowhere near his teeth. Takumi realized that Leo had triggered Corrin’s more predatory behavior as he heard Corrin starting to purr and moan, enjoying the tasty little treat in his mouth.

But Leo wasn’t going down without a fight however, as he managed to force his head and shoulders out from between the giant’s lips, making Corrin groan irritably. Takumi couldn’t help but smirk at Leo’s cranky expression as he chuckled.

“Hehe. I think he likes you.”

“Oh very funny Takum-eepmh!”

Leo didn’t get to finish as he was slurped right back into Corrin’s mouth, the giant gently rolling and sucking on his squirming prey again. Takumi then watched as Corrin tilted his head back and with a slow *GULP* swallowed Leo down whole, a struggling bulge forming in the Kaiju’s throat as the Nohrian was sent down to his huge sibling’s stomach.

Takumi couldn’t help but feel nervous about the fact that he’ll be next as Corrin exhaled a giddy sigh. Leo must’ve entered the stomach, making Corrin look very relaxed. The giant then looked at Takumi still in his hand as the Hoshidan Prince nervously laughed.

“Um, hehe, I’m next huh?”

He jumped when he felt a large object gently stroking his head. Takumi looked up at Corrin, smiling softly as the Kaiju continued to pet his tiny little brother with a gentle clawed finger.

“Don’t worry little brother. I’ll be gentle. I only swallowed Leo first because it was his idea.”

The giant blinked then rubbed his middle as a muffled voice irritably made itself known from Corrin’s gurgling stomach.

“(Dang it, Corrin! I wasn’t ready yet!)”

Takumi and Corrin both chuckled at this. It brought a little levity to the situation even with the roars of the monsters creeping closer to them. Corrin brought his hand a little closer to his face, softly smiling at Takumi again. Takumi smiled back, wordlessly expressing his trust to his huge brother, even as the hand around him shifted to carefully being held by two fingers and being placed gently inside the open mouth.

As he lays on his back on the slimy wet tongue, Takumi sees the whole mouth go dark as he hears the jaws close with a click an inch away from his head. Immediately, the giant started to lick the Wild Card, completely soaking him from his head to his boots in drool. Takumi groaned at this as he was pressed against Corrin’s palate, feeling the vibrations of the giant’s purring and moaning.

Takumi noticed that Corrin was far more ‘eager’? Excited? Whatever it was, he noticed that Corrin was drooling more than usual and being rolled around and sucked on like candy. He squirmed a little, making Corrin giggle and moan. That made Takumi groan, realizing that Corrin was that kind of gentle predator that still absolutely loves squirming prey.

Before Takumi could think any of anything else, Corrin had apparently been satisfied with Takumi’s taste and started to tilt his head back, sending the Hoshidan sliding to the back of the throat. Takumi squeaked a bit as he slides into the throat and then…

*GULP*

Is sent down with a gentle and slow swallow.

Takumi feels the throat muscles gently constrict and squeeze his body as he slides down further to the giant’s stomach. He squirms as he tries to stay calm all the while slipping deeper into Corrin’s body, making his gigantic brother moan giddily. Takumi moaned as he started to feel the waves of flesh getting to his head, his body becoming more relaxed as he descended.

After what felt like forever, Takumi gasped as he felt the intense pressure suddenly leave his body and dropped into a larger, warmer chamber, startling the other occupant inside. He squirmed a little as he found himself squished by walls of flesh on his right side and the body of the other person on his left side.

Takumi finally turned to his left…and found himself staring at Leo, who had just stretched an arm out to press against the stomach wall behind him. The stomach was either small enough to hold them or the stomach walls were closing in enough to keep them so close together. Both boys yelped as the stomach walls suddenly squeezed them both, making them blush as they heard a soft voice echo all around them.

“Mmmmm..you two ok?”

Takumi blinked, then recovered from his surprise and awkwardly reached past Leo to rub the fleshy wall behind the Nohrian prince.

“Y-Yeah, w-we’re ok. Just trying to take it all in.”

Leo shook his head and voiced his own reply.

“It’s rather warm in your stomach, but it’s a good comforting warm.”

They hear another purr from Corrin as a result of Takumi rubbing the stomach wall, and also feel the giant’s hand gently rubbing the two princes from the outside. Takumi and Leo both blush as they were gently massaged from all sides as they looked at each other, and realized how close they are to kissing each other. Corrin spoke up again, as his younger brothers were trying to ignore the awkwardness between them.

“Mmm…I’m going to check on Azura and the others and see if they need help so you guys make yourselves comfortable. I let you out when we return to the Astral Plane. And Takumi? Leo?”

“Y-Yeah?” “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Takumi smiled and rubbed the stomach wall again. He figured that, even without any predatory instincts, Corrin would be incredibly uncomfortable with swallowing people whole, even though the person would be completely fine. He and Leo probably greatly helped with their giant brother’s own discomfort with the situation.

They hear Corrin purr one more time, then feels the giant brother starting to walk, probably to reunite with the others. Takumi looked at Leo, the awkwardness coming back with a vengeance as they continued to lay there close together in the warm fleshy chamber. The Wild Card finally broke the silence and laughed awkwardly.

“Hehe. I guess we’re going to be in here for a while.”

“Y-Yes, I suppose so. Although…”

“What?”

Leo smiled, then wrapped his arms around Takumi and pulled him to his chest, making him squeak. The Hoshidan blushed and squirmed a bit at the sudden hug as the Nohrian chuckled.

“Relax. Corrin gave us some alone time to rest. We might as well enjoy it.”

Takumi pouted a bit, but he had a point. Today was insane and a nap sounded good right now. He then wrapped his arms around Leo and the two carefully shifted around till they were comfortable enough in each other’s arms.

It wasn’t all that hard either. The stomach walls were so soft and squishy that they easily bent and formed around their frames, providing the perfect balance of support and comfort. Warmth from the massive body they were being held in enveloped them like a cozy blanket, and surprisingly breathable as well. As Leo said, a good warmth, not the kind of heat that strangles you. The lack of harmful stomach acids was a major relief as well, making the stomach mostly empty with the exception of themselves and the drool that soaked their clothes.

What made it easier was the sounds. The soft gurgling of Corrin’s stomach and other bodily organs were worrying at first, but the sleepy princes slowly grew used to them. Corrin’s breath whooshing in and out of a pair of huge lungs stood out enough for both boys to even out their breathing. But the most comforting of all was the tranquil heartbeat, pulsing in a soothing lullaby. Both Takumi and Leo agreed they liked that sound the most.