Quicksilver scales flashed in front of his eyes, arms thrown up to shield his body from the enemy's sword, but the draconic figure managed it first, roaring as the sword glanced off of the scales. Kaze darted around the huge mass, shuriken flying from his hands and sinking into the armored figure ahead of him. Kamui in front of him roared her approval, wheeling around to lunge at another Vallan, outstretched talons shredding through the armor as if it were paper.
He admired the form for a short moment, the sleek body regal and destructive, rending a path through the enemy's army without stopping for breath. He trailed her, picking off any enemy that dared draw near, watching as she would whip her head around to catch him in whatever sight she had (considering the ninja was unable to see her eyes). Just the sight of the draconic Princess was enough to send the less sturdy soldiers running for cover, cowering in the glory of her before them.
He wasn't surprised when a short while into the battle they began to hear the calls for retreat, Kamui raising her head and spreading her wings, drawing to her full height before letting out a long roar. Kaze admired the sight of the enemies running, moving to retrieve the shuriken he had loosed on the soldiers. His head only perked up when he heard the tell-tale crunch of dead grass beneath her talons, the dragon stopping before him before the whirl of flashing water drew her form nearer to the ground.
Her arms slowly retracted, wings following suit, before the antler-like horns seemed to burst into a pale blue flame, smoldering out as she stood. Kaze lowered his gaze, shuffling his position of his knees to kneel before her. "My Lady." He acknowledged, placing his hand over his chest. His heart lurched in his chest as he heard the small trilling laughter that came from her.
"Is that truly necessary, Kaze?" She questioned, plucking his weapon from the body in front of him, handing it off with a small smile. The ninja was about to protest her words, blinking at the brandishing of his weapon before taking it from her. Her smile grew broader before offering him a hand, which he graciously took. "Thank you for watching my back, Kaze."
"It is my honor, Lady Kamui." He murmured, having expected the woman to protest the title, having often been told of her disdain for it, and he imagined the way that she opened her lips was in fact to do so before she turned, taking in their lack of allies.
"Did… Did we wander that far from others?" She asked, turning in every direction and noticing the fire signal to regroup lit to the west.
"You get a bit… Overzealous, in your dragon form, Milady." He chuckled, taking in the slightly bashful laugh that left her lips.
"I-I suppose I do." She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck guiltily. "Then I should thank you doubly so for following after me."
"There's no need. I would lay down my life for the royal family." He said simply, trying to hide his ulterior motive—the fact that he loved the Princess so. But, the words brought a small frown to her face and she shook her head, laying her hands on his shoulders. His eyes glanced to the pale hands, taking note of the Princess' ease of contact with others, having been only one of the many she would touch when invited to her room. Of course, it was nothing lecherous; only platonic touches, the other talking about his day while she rubbed tight knots out of her back, or listening to her sing while he relaxed against her.
He would give everything he had to bottle up one of those moments and live in it forever, considering it was one of the few moments he could spare to be selfish. He was allowed to spend time with the one his heart sought after, casual enough that he could convince himself that it was only friendly, but intimate enough to make him hope, and wish, for more.
Her firm gaze levelled on him brought him out of his thoughts, the man averting his eyes as he was chastised. "Don't say things like that… I would never want for you to do such a thing." She murmured, shaking her head at him. He hung his head, nodding to the Princess.
"I'll refrain from saying such things in front of you again, My Lady… Just know that it is still my duty, regardless of what you say." Kaze's eyes stayed downcast, not wanting to meet the pained look he knew would be evident on her face, knowing it would only hurt his heart so. They had this discussion every battle, Kamui rebuking the thought that he life was worth more than anyone else's, especially a ninja who had been raised for that soul duty—to give his life in service to his Master.
Not that he had one… But Kamui was the closest he would ever get, so he settled for protecting her. He knew that her retainers were already capable, but he felt a sort of ease that he was there—as well as a crushing guilt. It was his atonement for what had happened, the night she had been stolen. Her voice drew him out of his thoughts, the Princess pulling away.
"We should get back to the Army. They'll be wondering where we're at. Don't want to cause a panic, do we?" She tried, giving a small laugh at the last part. He shook his head.
"I would say not." He hummed, letting the same small quirk of his lips fall into place, turning to leave with Kamui. She turned to face him, mouth open to let out another glib remark before the shuffling of brush behind her drew his attention, the glittering tip of an arrow barely visible against the dark foliage. It was just enough for him to grab Kamui, the woman crying out as he shoved her away, just as the arrow flew.
He wondered for a moment if it missed, gaze on the woman in front of him. Time seemed to slow down, confusion slowly being replaced by horror on her face until agony raced up his spine, and he yelled out, collapsing onto his knees. The movement wrenched the arrow in his side, his eyes racing to where it protruded out of his side, then to the Princess as her transformation rumbled the ground. Her roar seemed muffled, the man watching as she drug the archer out of the bush, shredding his skin to ribbons and roaring against the man's screams.
Blood splattered against her silver scales, chest heaving as she whipped around to him, the sound coming from her maw sounding pained as she paced, letting out another cry lilted in alarm.
"Kaze! Stay with me, I'm getting you back to camp!" She yelled into his mind, the telepathic communication ringing out in his head, but the dual agony and shock was quickly dragging him under. He thrashed against her when she picked him up in one of her huge paws, feeling her curl the sharp talons around him before she turned towards base camp, the long gallop barely shaking him as he was clutched against her chest.
The last thing he remembers before losing consciousness was the sound of her breathing, the pounding of her heart racing in his ears, lulling him into a sleep he wasn't sure he would wake from.
They all knew something was wrong when Kamui raced into camp, gallop lagging and offbeat, and chaos erupted around the camp when they saw the unconscious ninja in her grasp. She raced over to the healing tent, stamping her feet and lashing her tail in panic as she reluctantly handed over the man to the healers, Elise and Sakura rushing around to try and save him.
Her siblings all tried to calm her down, but she was inconsolable, pacing and pacing until she had worn a divot in the ground, slamming down into it and laying down, placing her huge head on her legs. Camilla had come by, stroking her head and trying to croon to her, but it did little to soothe her. She saw Saizo lingering by, and she couldn't meet his gaze.
Even Xander came by, trying to reassure her before ordering her to stop moping around and make herself useful to the healers—a sentiment that was met with gnashing and wailing from the Princess, not wanting to leave her little perch. She eventually conceded, running back and forth with vulneraries and mends as they worked to heal the man.
Eventually, she returned to her spot, finding that there was very little more to do other than wait and trust the healers, so she just watched, bags forming under her eyes from worry and the lack of sleep that she was denying herself.
"Kamui…? Big sister!"
The Princess jolted awake, tiredly looking up at Sakura, imagining that the exhausted look on her face was shared by herself. Kamui leaned forward, trying to stretch out her stiff limbs, looking up at Sakura, feeling her heart skip a beat.
"How is he?"
"He's awake."
She said, and the Princess jolted up, about to run in before her younger sister stopped her, placing a hand on her arm. "Calm down, he's still recovering."
"Ah… Right." Kamui said, reigning in herself before giving a small smile to Sakura, turning to head inside the tent. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light, just able to spot the green locks in the dim tent. She tried to control her pace, walk-running to his side, falling to her knees beside the cot.
Kaze's head turned slowly towards her, and she wanted to cry at the pallid skin, the slight gauntness to his features. His face softened, a small smile on his lips.
"Thank goodness… You're alright, My Lady…" He murmured, and she nearly burst into tears right there, reaching out to cup his face, barely able to keep them in check.
"You nearly die saving my sorry ass and the first thing you can think of is me?!" She berated, her chest tightening to the point of being painful. His hand trailed up to cup hers, jumping slightly when it turned to grab his and hold it. "You could've died…" She hiccupped, beginning to blubber.
"I'd be shot by a thousand arrows if it meant saving you…" He croaked out, really making the woman begin to cry.
"Why…?" She sobbed, squeezing his hand. "I'd never forgive myself if you died for me…" Kaze winced, lightly squeezing her hand in turn.
"I have to atone for what I did—protecting you is the only way." He said simply, drawing her confused gaze to him.
"A-Atone?" She questioned, shuffling up on her knees to properly look at his face, and he let out a soft sigh, looking from her face to her hand.
"The night you were kidnapped… I noticed the Nohrian soldiers… The very same ones that would slaughter King Sumeragi and take you… But, I didn't know what their presence meant, so I remained quiet. I allowed you to be stolen from your family." Kaze explained, feeling the shame bearing down on his shoulders, and he wondered how much the Princess would hate him, knowing that he was the one who could have prevented her kidnapping, and hadn't.
But, when he opened his eyes, he didn't find anger, nor reproach—he found a woman whose eyes seemed to leak rivers of tears, and he found sorrow, genuine empathy in her gaze. She used her free hand to wipe at the tears before holding onto his hand tightly, hiccupping and squeezing it.
"How long…?" She asked, and he cocked his head, unsure of what she meant. "H-How long have you punished yourself for?" She asked, sobbing as her head fell against their hands. The man was stunned, unable to speak, only reaching out to try and cup her cheek, wiping away her tears.
"For… Forever, I suppose. How could I forgive myself for something so heinous?" He murmured, and the Princess rose her head, kissing at his hand as she cried.
"Kaze… Don't punish yourself for this—I couldn't hate you for it. It allowed me to learn of Valla and try and protect everyone… I can stop this war because of that… Please, don't beat yourself up anymore." She hiccupped, staring at him as he stared back, silent as he hung his head, tears rising up in his eyes at the prospect of her forgiveness. He imagined that she would hate him for what he hadn't done, but now, here she was forgiving him. He truly loved her, her kindness, the way she could look past a person's failings…
"Kamui?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"If you would allow it, instead of punishing myself—allow myself to become your retainer. I want to protect you, your forgiveness, and your kindness…" He said, squeezing her hand.
The woman stared at him before nodding, letting her forehead fall against their hands.
"I would be honored, Kaze."
A prequel of sorts to Ivory Kisses and Keys, requested by Exprimia over on Ao3! Make sure to check out my tumblr: grimlegate. tumblr. com and leave your requests!