I hate procrastination. Well, here's chapter 1 of two that I'm uploading today.

Corrin had been trying to avoid talking to the Hoshidans for the past three days, despite the middle prince trying to get her to say more than one or two words to him in a response. She found herself training a lot, because apparently that was the only time when she didn't need to be around Xander to have some time without them. Yet even then, either Kamui would sit and wait for her to be done or one of the ninjas, most often the green-haired one, would be keeping an eye on her. It was annoying. At least Prince Ryoma gave her space and Prince Takumi was avoiding her as much as she was him, though with Kamui she was getting a little frustrated.

However, Xander quickly caught on to what she was trying to do and had the bright idea to send her on a patrol with Prince Kamui and their retainers. She loved her older brother and respected him greatly, but at times she just wanted to punch him. He knew that she wanted nothing to do with them! She was going to have a word with him when she got back.

"So… what's Nohr like?" There was also the fact that Kamui was still trying to instigate small talk while they were out. The green-haired ninja was also eyeing her warily, trying to read her. Sighing audibly, she glanced at Kamui out of the corner of her eye. He seemed pretty nervous.

"It's home." she murmured. That was the simplest and shortest way she could describe it. She was making a sort of game out of using the least amount of words she could in an answer. They continued walking the patrol rout, only humming at the attempts at conversation generated by the prince. Still, nothing had come up about the past. That was one blessing. Then that blessing was taken away as well.

"You know, we missed you a lot when you were kidnapped. I'm glad that you're alright."

Corrin just clenched her fists and ignored him then. Or at least she tried to, but when he started talking to Jacob, she listened a bit.

"Is there something wrong with her? It's like Kairi blames us for her kidnapping!" he asked. Jacob turned towards the Hoshidan prince and simply shook his head.

"Princess Corrin doesn't blame you for her kidnapping. She never did. What she blames your family for is the failure to retrieve her." he calmly explained. That's why Corrin loved having Jacob around when she was dealing with those emotions. He could keep his head and help others keep theirs.

"We didn't know that she was still alive! Father always told that she was dead and wouldn't let us go look for her!" he raised his voice a little. "If we knew where she was, we would have-oh!" Before he finished that sentence, he walked into Corrin's back, who had stopped still. "I'm sorry – Kairi?" Kamui was given pause when he saw her face. It was pure disbelief. Half of those present were confused, but Corrin just closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Let's go. I want to finish this as soon as possible." she said sadly before she started walking again. The three men following her each noted a strange tone in her voice, one that Jacob recognized well. It meant that they should stop talking about the topic unless-

"Listen, Kairi," Kamui tried to talk to her again. Jacob knew where that was going to go, and it wasn't good. "If Father knew you were alive, I'm sure he would have sent someone to get you! We would have-"

"SHUT UP!" Corrin screamed, whipping around with a barely controlled fury. Time seemed to pause for the group of four in that moment. Then Corrin spoke again, voice shaky with rage.

"Don't talk about that as if you know what happened. You know NOTHING about what he did to me!" she growled. "He had the PERFECT opportunity to come for me! He was ASKED to go meet with King Garon so I could be returned PERSONALLY! He could have even sent someone else to get me and he TURNED HIS BACK ON ME!" She was nearly crying at that point, but her eyes had a strange red glow within the irises, making her look even more furious. A strange sound, akin to a distant roaring was starting to grow in her head, though still far away. "You say he would have sent someone for me if he knew? He knew and he never sent ANYONE for me!"

At that point, Jacob decided that was enough. He walked up to Corrin and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it.

"Do you need a moment, Lady Corrin?" he asked. He knew how this usually went. You don't go years being around someone without learning some of their tells. Whenever she got like that, she usually needed a little time to collect herself.

Unfortunately, they didn't have that moment. A monstrous growl was heard a bit away. Corrin just took a breath and turned to the source of the sound.

"I think, for the moment, having something to direct my emotions at will help." she murmured, gripping her sword a bit. Despite the tenseness of the situation, the four prepared to fight. Corrin was incredibly vicious that battle. It was a little hard to look at her as they returned to the city.

"And after that fight, she just ignored me." Kamui relayed to his brothers. They had just got back from the patrol, but he was a bit distressed from it. "I tried to speak to her again, but Jacob told me to give her space. She didn't say a single word from then until we parted ways." He looked down, dejected. "I think I just made it harder to get her to talk to us."

"Kamui, you didn't know. We'll find a way." Ryoma reassured him. He looked towards the place that the soldiers were training with Corrin. "We've been separated from her for a long time. Of course she feels abandoned. We should give her some space, some time to get used to us. After all, if she heard something other than what we did, there will be some anger and confusion."

As they observed from a distance, it was clear to see that Corrin was still in a bit of an unpleasant mood. Still, perhaps they had a chance. They did have some time, and they would use it as best they could.