A/N: I was originally just going to post this on tumblr, but the formatting got really funky and hard to read, so I'm posting it here for y'all's enjoyment. (Insert standard disclaimer here.)
"If there were another world in which I raised a hand against you… at that time, kill me to stop me. Promise me that you will definitely do that."
Kamui had paused at those words, ready to give Takumi an angry retort about how she would never kill him and that he wouldn't ever hurt her in the first place. But the sheer earnestness in her husband's voice and the slight furrowing of his brow stopped her. He was completely serious, and so Kamui had merely nodded. It felt like such an odd promise to make, but seeing all the tension leave his body as a small smile tugged at his lips reminded her that he needed that reassurance. Takumi had been so hostile towards her right after she had been rescued from Nohr; maybe he was worried that his love might waver in a moment of doubt, and he would try to harm her.
Whatever his reasons, they didn't speak of it the rest of the night. It wasn't really something they needed to discuss at length, anyway.
That didn't mean Kamui didn't think about it.
During archery practice, she would wonder what would happen if he pointed his bow at her. When she trained with her sword, as she neared exhaustion, Kamui would see Takumi instead of the training dummy. Whenever it happened, she would quickly shake off those thoughts and do something else. Hinata was usually up for a game of shogi, at least.
No, these thoughts didn't weigh on her mind like the all too real possibility that she would have to fight her Nohrian family at some point. It was more of just a passing thought one might have when other thoughts fled.
That's what Kamui believed.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She was approaching the Hoshidan throne. Empty. Something important had just happened, but she couldn't think of what it was. Regardless, it didn't matter now. All that mattered was-
Something in the world shifted, and she looked back just in time to see someone loose an arrow at her. If she were any slower, then it would've hit her right between her eyes. This was a surprise; somehow, she knew that. But what was more surprising was the man who shot the arrow in the first place.
Takumi.
But, not really. It couldn't be. A dark aura surrounded his body, clinging like some kind of pestilence. And his eyes… They were wrong. His eyes were no longer a soft, honey brown but a harsh, blood red color and more full of pain and hate than he had ever shown her before.
He leveled his bow at her, ready to fire again. His stance was off, and he was leaning too far back for his shots to be accurate, but Kamui wasn't there to offer criticism. She was there to… do… something. Whatever it was, she first had to deal with her "little brother."
The next moments were a blur. There was a skirmish, and it was difficult, but they won. Caught up in the joy of victory, she was only brought back to herself when she looked down at her blade, Yato. It was still lodged inside an opponent's chest, dripping with blood, and when she looked up – and realized who she had just condemned to death –
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"TAKUMI!"
Kamui bolted awake, sitting up so suddenly the entire bed frame shook. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for enemies or… something. Clenching her fist, the dragon princess realized that the Yato was no longer in her hand but resting safely on the back of her chair, all the way on the other side of the room.
Her room. Not the Hoshidan throne room.
She was wearing simple nightclothes. Not her armor.
Everything was normal. Everything was right. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Then… why does it feel like I just…?
Kamui reached out to her sides, desperate to banish that… nightmare from her mind. A hand found her sleeping husband's chest, and she immediately flung her arms around him.
"Mm… Wha…? Kamui…?" Takumi slurred, her sudden affection dragging him from whatever dream he'd been having. "I's still dark. Something wrong?"
Kamui opened her mouth to answer but a strangled sob escaped her lips before she could get any words out. Tears she hadn't even noticed were threatening to fall from her eyes, and she had no idea what expression she was making but Takumi's face paled when he saw it. He pulled the dragon princess into an embrace, gently rubbing her shoulders.
"It's alright. It's alright," he kept whispering into her ear. He could've been cursing her existence for all she cared at that moment; Kamui was just so glad to hear his voice. She cried softly against his shoulder, and they just… stayed like that. For a little bit, at least.
She didn't know how much time had passed since she'd woken them both up, but Kamui's tears finally ran out and she was able to speak again. "Ta… kumi…" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, but in the stillness of the night, it was enough. "I… I… was… Gods, it… it felt so… real…"
"Nightmare?"
Kamui nodded. She felt Takumi shift one of his arms so he stroked her hair instead, and she let out a shaky sigh. "Y-you… had a bow… at me… and I… I…" The dragon princess couldn't even finish that sentence. She buried her face in her husband's chest, not sure if she could meet his gaze right then. Not with the memory of that dream so vivid in her mind. "I… killed… you… It hurt so much. P-please, Takumi… love, don't make me keep that promise. I don't know if I could-"
Takumi cut her off by tilting her head and kissing her. It wasn't forceful at all – more like just putting his lips against hers – so she could've kept talking if she wanted to. But she really didn't want to. Kamui closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss until he pulled back just a bit. "I'll… try," he gulped. It wasn't usually like this; Kamui was normally the one comforting Takumi when he had such a bad dream that he couldn't fall back asleep. He wasn't used to her being so distraught. "I-I mean, I will. No, wait, I won't. I won't hurt you. That's what I mean…" He looked off to the side as he let his forehead touch hers. "I'm… really bad at this… aren't I?"
Kamui couldn't help but giggle a bit at her husband's attempts at calming her down. No, he really wasn't good at reassuring her, but she knew he meant every word he said. Sighing, she simply said, "Maybe… you could try… talking about something else? It's… what I do… right?"
Takumi gave her a sheepish smile before tucking her head against the crook of his neck. "O-okay… Let me think… Well, this morning, while I was hunting, I saw a fox with white fur. Not like Nishiki; just a normal fox. I'd never seen one before, so I followed it…"
By the time Kamui was calm enough to sleep again, Takumi was very nearly hoarse, and the sky was beginning to turn a lighter shade of blue.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In another world… Kamui opened her eyes. For the briefest of moments, she thought she had seen something else: Takumi, with his arms wrapped around her, whispering some nonsense in her ear as they fell asleep. It was odd to think of her little brother in that way, but somehow, it also felt so very nice.
Not like reality. No, instead of a lovers' embrace, Kamui was huddled on the floor, cradling the dead body of her younger, Hoshidan brother. She could barely see through her tears, although they did nothing to dampen her hearing.
"Kamui," Xander said softly as he knelt beside his wife. "It's over."
The dragon princess nodded but didn't budge. It was several long moments before she felt his hand on her shoulder. She knew he would try to pull her away, to try and shield her from the pain, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stop him. So Kamui finally spoke, her voice scratchy from so much crying. "I know. I just… please, let me pretend. Just for a little while longer…"
Xander didn't do anything, and so, she pretended, for just a little longer, that everything was fine.