Illusions and Lies (A Super Smash Brothers fan fiction)

CHAPTER FORTY NINE: FATHER.

Warnings: Detailed descriptions of blood, gore, and violence. Read this chapter at your own risk.

While Sheik may have been ready to leave in terms of his gear, he certainly wasn't emotionally ready to leave. Corrin wasn't awake yet, and after last night...

Sheik knew that Corrin wasn't the biggest fan of this mission to begin with, but he didn't have much say in the matter. Plus, it was for the sake of their future together that he was leaving. Every scouting mission that he did brought a peaceful future closer to reality. Checking to make sure that the letter was lying on the desk, in plain view should Corrin need to read it, Sheik stood and took a deep breath. Softly, making sure he didn't wake his sleeping boyfriend, he pressed a kiss to Corrin's forehead and whispered "I love you, and I promise I'll be back soon."

As he walked out of their bedroom and exited the apartment the two boys shared, Sheik felt his heart ache. This felt so... final. Like it was the last time that he would do this.

He shook his head and scoffed lightly. Lack of sleep and anxiety must be making him paranoid.

When Sheik arrived in the briefing room, he did a quick headcount to make sure he wasn't missing anyone. Matthew, Leila, Kohga, and Paya were here, but where was Kellam?

Oh, there he was. He just hadn't been visible from where Sheik was standing at the moment.

"Is everybody here?" Chrom asked as he walked into the room. There was literally nobody here at this hour, and the briefing now was just for going over last minute details.

"Yes, sir." Sheik replied. "All six of us are here and ready for action."

"Excellent." Chrom said, though he sounded tired. "As you're all aware, this mission is primarily for scouting. You'll be headed around the perimeter of the Headmaster's main facility in order to get to your real target, so be on your guard. You should map while you go, taking notes of troop movements and such. However, don't stress if you can't risk that while you're close to the man facility. When you're near the Manufacturing Facility, you definitely need to make sure you pay close attention. We need every bit of information about it that we can get."

Sheik and the rest of his team nodded. This was a tough task, but Sheik knew that he and his team could handle it. He was even confident that Kohga couldn't screw this up, even if the eccentric man had messed up in the past. Sure, it had been small mistakes, but mistakes were mistakes.

"Alright. You are dismissed. May Naga protect you all." Chrom stepped back from the briefing table and nodded his head towards the door.

"Behind me. I've got some things I'd like to add while we're en route." Sheik commanded softly. His voice wasn't loud, but it demanded respect. His team members all obeyed without hesitation, as they were used to his leadership by now.

Once they were out of the briefing room, Matthew spoke up. "Okay, I'll bite. What're your special orders, boss?"

At the blond man's remark, Sheik had to suppress a smile. Not that anybody could tell, due to the cloth mask he wore over his face, of course. "No blades showing unless we're in the middle of a fight. We don't want the metal to give our position away. Also, I think we're going to be using the buddy system. Keep an eye on your surroundings and your buddy at all times. If something goes wrong, I want to hear about it. Immediately. Use codenames when necessary." he explained, only glancing back to see the affirmative nods that his team members gave him.

Everything was going fine until the Headmaster's main facility came into view. Sheik had been on scouting missions to this part of enemy territory several times before, but now... something felt different. He couldn't explain it, but some sixth sense was ringing major alarm bells in his head.