Hana couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy. Corrin had promised they would go on their first date when they returned to Hoshido, and with the Ghost Festival coming up, she couldn't wait to show him through one of Hoshido's most famous holidays.
To top it all off, she'd managed to sneak away with his cloak, which she hugged tightly to her chest as she navigated her way to the deck for her morning training.
"I see you forgot to return my cloak," a familiar voice chuckled as she climbed the steps. She pouted, jutting out her lower lip in a way she hadn't since she was a child.
I feel like a child again, she thought for a moment.
"I was cold! You wouldn't want a girl freezing, would you?"
"No, I wouldn't, especially not my girlfriend." Hana felt her face steaming at the word.
"A-ah…" Her brain worked furiously to form a response but failed, so she settled for an embrace. "Then can I keep the cloak?"
"Hm...we can duel for it. Winner keeps it; we need a rubber match anyways."
"No, I'm winning, 1-0. That second one still doesn't count."
"Fine, best out of three."
"Deal. I'm not letting you win this time!"
They drew their wooden blades and began to hack away. Hana noticed that Corrin's defenses were lax today, although she was aware that hers were also due to, well, distractions.
"You know, Corrin, I could have won like ten times already."
"Oh? Then why didn't you?" He stuck his tongue out, and she punished his momentary lapse with a quick slap to the side with the flat of her blade.
"Hehe."
"Why, you little cheater!" He dropped the sword and tapped the stone on his chest, transforming into a dragon.
"W-what! You can't-ack!" The dragon swept her up in his feet, carefully placing her away from the sharp end of his claws before pinning her against a wall. "Okay! Okay! You win!"
The dragon quickly morphed back into a smirking prince.
"If you say so," he said, shrugging. "Now, are we still going with loser has to get food?" Hana crossed her arms and turned away.
"Fine."
"Thanks a ton," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind her and squeezing. She leaned back into his chest and covered her arms with hers. She was just about to turn in his arms to face him when she noticed an odd shimmer on the other side of the deck.
"Hang on, did you see that?" Corrin nodded and retracted his arms, drawing the Yato as Hana did the same with her katana.
"Right there," he said, pointing towards another flicker. It seemed to be a dark purple tinge, and it was getting closer. The two stood back to back, wary of what it could be.
Suddenly it materialized in front of Hana, who deftly shifted her blade and blocked the shadow's blade. She got a good look at it and was terrified.
It looked like a Hoshidan soldier, but its "skin" was a deep purple, and its eyes blood red and soulless. It flickered in and out of existence, leaving only a violet outline for her to track.
After the moment's shock, Hana regained her senses, fighting off the odd invader. She managed to land a slash deep into its shoulder, and it disintegrated without a sound into purple smoke. Panting, she glanced back at Corrin, who was dispatching another similar enemy. They looked at each other with the same question.
"What was that?"
"Anyone have an idea?" The whole crew was assembled at the shore, having just disembarked. Hana and Corrin had decided it would be best to alert everyone of what they had seen as soon as possible, and Corrin led the discussion. Everyone shook their heads, which didn't surprise Hana.
The things seemed to be something out of a nightmare.
"Well, keep an eye out; they're difficult to spot, and much more skilled than anything we've fought before." Corrin said, ending the discussion. "I did try," he said to Hana.
"Yeah, I didn't expect anyone to know anything about them," she said. "Oh well," she said. "We'll just have to keep an eye out; maybe Yukimura will know something?"
"Perhaps; I'll have to ask him when we all meet. I hope Hoshido hasn't fared too badly in our absence. Oh, you should attend our meeting as well; you were the only other one who saw the invaders, too."
Hana nodded.
"Of course. Are you sure you're not just inviting me there because you'll miss me," she said, eyes twinkling.
"Hmm…" Corrin stroked his chin. "Just a tiny bit," he grinned as he wrapped her into a brief hug. She squeezed him tightly back. There was a retching sound behind them and they both turned, surprised, to see a pair of redheaded girls watching them.
"Ugh, watching you guys flirt is disgusting," Hinoka said, shaking her head. "C'mon, Sakura. Let's get out of here, before I puke." Sakura shook her head at them before following her sister, who had dashed away.
Hana turned back and leaned her face against Corrin's chest.
"Now everyone's going to know…" she looked up, meeting his eyes. "You don't mind, right?"
He gently ran his fingers through her hair, something Hana was beginning to love.
"Why wouldn't I want people to know I have a beautiful girlfriend?"
Hana was slightly worried her burning face would singe a hole through Corrin's shirt.
Yukimura pushed his glasses up his nose, deep in thought.
"Are you absolutely sure they appeared Hoshidan," he asked. Hana nodded.
"The one I battled was dressed in Hoshidan samurai robes," she said.
"Hm...never have I come across anything that sounds remotely similar in our volumes, but I-"
"Excuse me, Yukimura." Everyone's attention turned to Azura, who had interrupted. "I believe...I know who the intruders are."
"Ah, excellent. Would you care to explain, Lady Azura?" Hana eagerly waited for her to respond, being quite curious herself.
An enemy no one's heard of...that's going to be something interesting to train for tomorrow morning.
"I would like to...but I cannot." A murmur of surprise from the table was everyone's reply.
"What do you mean, you can't?" Hinoka asked.
"I simply cannot. In order to prove myself, I request that we all be present at the Bottomless Canyon when the skies shift."
"...And we are to head straight back to battle? We've had nary a day to rest; to get to the Bottomless Canyon by the time the skies shift, we must leave tomorrow." Takumi's arms were folded and he leered at Azura. "Even better, you can't give us any proof." He snorted.
Hana ran the events in her head. She herself had no reason to distrust Azura; the songstress had fought valiantly alongside them and had always been there to rally the troops' spirits. Although, she had to admit, this was awfully suspicious.
"I say we should go," Corrin said, standing abruptly. Takumi leapt out of his chair, snarling.
"Of course you would; you and Azura are the outsiders here, of course you'd agree on a plan," he hissed.
"Takumi! Calm yourself," Ryoma said sternly. "We can rest as much as we want when this war is over. For now, these new...enemies...pose a great challenge. Any chance to learn more about them, I believe we should take." Before Takumi could protest, Ryoma held up a hand. "We will not go unprepared. Hinoka can lead a group of scouts who can make sure the Canyon is not a trap, and we will be armed to the teeth."
Takumi dropped back into his chair with a grunt, and a round of assent greeted Ryoma's words.
"Are you sure about this," Hana asked as she adjusted her headband. "Something just...doesn't seem right."
"I trust Azura completely," Corrin said without hesitation. "She has made great sacrifices for Hoshido already; I have no reason to believe she is a traitor."
"If you're sure," Hana said, resigning her attempt to reason with him. She knew better than to argue with him when his mind was made up, especially when it came to trusting others.
Oh well. That's why it's my job to protect him, she thought with a satisfied grin.
They leaned back against a tree, drinking in the night sky and enjoying the rare respite. Hana leaned her head against his shoulder and exhaled deeply. "You know...while I love training and all, I might like this even more."
He leaned his head against hers in lieu of a reply, and they gently dozed off together.
Sorry for the long delay; life's been super busy, what with thanksgiving and all the holidays coming up. This one's a bit short as I wanted to get an update out for you guys! You can kind of see how I'm going to make my way into the revelations timeline, but I'm not sure which parts of it I want to put in and I'm still working on the best way to tie in the Nohrians w/o dragging the story out.
GENERAL PSA TO THOSE UNSATISFIED WITH THE FACT THAT HANA BEAT SEVERA: I want you guys to realize that Hana is perhaps the finest samurai in the region bar Ryoma; it's not completely outlandish that she can beat Severa in a 1v1 duel. Yes, Severa survived the apocalypse and has fought in countless wars; does that really make her a better fighter? Cordelia was the prodigy, not Severa, although Severa is an incredibly capable swordswoman in her own right. But Hana has been so good that Hoshido (which is based on feudal Japan, a patriarchal society) has been forced to acknowledge the skills of a female samurai (in feudal Japan, women could become samurai but men were still able to give them orders regardless). Essentially, we have two incredibly skilled swordswomen and the ensuing duel could go either way. I thought I made the fight seem fair, and didn't expect that much pushback, but these are my reasons. Please stop acting like Severa is some sort of godlike swordswoman against whom Hana should have no chance; that just isn't realistic at all. Could Severa have won? Sure, but it's not like she would have just wiped the floor with Hana.
Guest 1: ^please refer to statement above. Experience alone does not a good swordsman make.
Guest 2: I definitely agree that a lot of the story potential was wasted, but I think a large part of that is due to having almost too many characters introduced too quickly. A smaller, more focused cast would have definitely worked out really well. Also the children were...completely out of place.
Part 1: If you really do feel that way, I can change the rating. I based my rating on whether or not I could see this story happening in a show on Cartoon Network or one of those TV channels I watched as a child, and I haven't seen anything that would be inappropriate.
Aquawaves: Glad to have you back! I have also taken a mini-hiatus...but I am back now! Glad I could get you through that flight with this story :) I actually didn't even remember that line, had to go back and look for it..but I totally agree with you! Yeah, Hana's pretty sarcastic...I think I ended up making her a little more sassy than I initially planned, oops! A little bit of my own personality in her I guess. I definitely think Corrin is malleable, almost...too much. He has no real personality in the game IMO...but I guess that works because we can see him as an extension of ourselves in the games?
Mega Sodarayg: Yeah, I could have had people eavesdropping, but that's so typical and standard, and Hana and Corrin have been through a lot, so they deserved this little moment alone :) of course, knowing people, someone probably was peeking in on them.
yup: refer to the statement above. you don't have any points defending Severa's objective skill with a sword other than the fact that she survived an apocalypse. She also didn't get "werked", it was a fair, extended fight where both fought to the extent of their abilities.
The Zubatman: Yeah, but I've always like a guy who can cook. Sue me. :P Well, he probably thought he could help provide her with closure; she just had a battle at his dying place which they won, almost like taking revenge for what happened there the last time, so it'd be cathartic for her to go to his site afterwards.
Aust Sakura Kyzor: Oh dear. No, they did not do things. That comes later ;)
Guest 3: So I'm actually working on a way where no one would have to die (although people would be close to/possibly crippled). We'll see! True, she'd find it very weird. I'll tackle that when I get there...
As always, please R&R and enjoy!