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Look away, they had always told Kamui. Look away while the children of King Garon slaughter innocents simply because their father ordained it so. Kamui was always such an innocent one. Leo hated that, how hopeful they were for the future. Of course, the peace they held would never remain so.
Two families and Kamui had to choose. It was hard and for a moment Leo feared that Kamui would leave them for the Hoshidans that they had been born to, abandoning the four siblings in Nohr. He knew it would crush the hearts of Camilla and Elise. It was why Leo fought to keep Kamui as safe and happy as possible for his sisters' sakes and well beings.
Look away, two words that the siblings could no longer tell Kamui. Kamui was the bearer of Ganglari, a dark and wicked sword, if only for a few days at most, shattering and killing the queen of Hoshido, Mikoto. A tragedy if Leo had ever heard of one. Of course, Kamui was welcomed back to his family in Nohr with open arms, although their Father's permanent scowl was now affixed on them, waiting for them to slip and mess up.
There was no room for Kamui's kind heart in Garon's rule. Leo was sure to help nudge them in the right direction, nudging them under the radar of the King so they could try and keep their soul. It was hard to believe any of the older siblings had still managed to cling to humanity, Xander being the worst of them. But, Leo was no better. He had poisoned siblings without any one of them being the wiser, simply to stay alive. It was a dog eat dog world for the Nohrian family. Nohrian scum indeed.
Keeping Kamui's head on their shoulders was difficult, a task that was harder the further they progressed in their conquest of Hoshido. When he encountered Takumi for the first time, there was a stirring of something, clenching him tight in a way he had never felt for anyone before; save Niles but no one should ever utter that to the outlaw; and he knew it wasn't safe. As fast as it came, the ice he learned to freeze his heart with took hold once again. It was the last of it. He would fall in love with a woman, and he would bear a child with her. That was certain.
If only he knew.
Kamui's wedding was quick to arrive, marrying Niles with a surprise to the whole army, far too fast for even Leo's deft mind to pick up on the romantic developments between the two, but love bloomed quickly in war it seemed. Niles remained his lewd self, as expected. Eyes turned to the other royals, wonder who would marry next, or if they would marry in war time at all. It was a quiet night, Leo slipping away from celebrations, not wanting to be near them and brushing up on tactics and politics that he could help his siblings end the war and help lead Nohr into a new life after. The archer graced his thoughts, heat sweeping his body, and once he gave in, his hand wiped clean on a cloth. He promised to never entertain the thoughts of what could be with the Hoshidan prince again.
Look away. The mantra he would tell Kamui again and again echoed in his own mind, but he could not look away. He had to revel in the spilt blood of the High Prince Ryouma. The prince was hunched over, his blade pierced through his abdomen and out the other side. If the burns did not kill him, the rapid internal bleeding would have. The wounds that he had gained in his duel with Kamui did not make his death last longer than a few moments. His last words to Kamui made little sense to Leo, unable to figure out what he meant to the Nohrian noble. It was a victory that was so bittersweet. It was over, the war was done and they could breathe. It was only a handful of years that they would have to continue the facade under their father's reign. He did have doubts that there was little left of the father he once knew.
There were two more battles to be held. Dispatching the wretch Iago by his spell, and the death of their father, even if he was no more than a mess of goo and mud, a facade of the man that once was so proud. They were lucky to come out with no more additional casualties than needed. They finally thought that they were free, until a blue arrow caught itself in Kamui's armor, shedding several pieces.
Leo's heart sank, Takumi's arrow catching Kamui in the chest and knocking him unconscious. His heart's ice was fracturing, tears prickling at his eyes and he did not want to lose any more of his family than he could. Even if it meant that they had to put Takumi down for good and destroy his body.
He was right. He could no longer entertain thoughts of what could have been. Takumi was gone and had been gone for a long time according to Kamui.
The coronation for Hinoka felt wrong. It shouldn't be the princess there. Xander had been crowned king.
Leo closed the chapter of his life, steeling himself forward and burying what feelings could bloom between himself and another man. He wouldn't harm himself more than he already had. He had too much death of loved ones for a lifetime.