AUTHOR'S NOTES: And here we touch briefly on the 4th chapter of the game. I know that Corrin and the Hoshidan scene have been absent a long time, but that's mainly because we're about to enter a long story arc with them in Hoshido. I aim to develop Mikoto more while I'm there and we'll go from there. Just know that Nohr is not necessarily idle during all this extra time. In the meantime, here's another chapter to give a little bit more life to the Flame Tribe than what Rinkah was able to in the game. She is not as open with everyone as she is with Kamui-it's a special case and we'll see more of it in the chapter.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 16: Village of the Red Flame

Sing with me a song of Rebels and Flames...

Stars and voids were still swimming through Kamui's vision when she returned to consciousness, not entirely sure where she was. She groaned, feeling around as she got to her hands and knees and made a few realizations: First, the Ganglari was gone, and she was thus disarmed; second, while she couldn't feel a welt on her head, touching it was sensitive, and her right ear was bleeding; and third, she had no idea where the hell she was. She sniffed around, smelling flames and the smell of broth—someone was cooking a stew or soup of sorts.

"Oh hey… you're awake." a low voice muttered from her left. Kamui groaned, rolling over to see who spoke. She could barely make out shades of red, white, and brown, before blinking to try and clear her vision.

"Huh… R-Rinkah?" Kamui swore she remembered that voice from Castle Krakenburg where she had nearly had to put this young woman to death.
"That's me." she shrugged, "normally I'd be a bit more hostile right around now, but I've got a special kind of respect for someone as durable as you."
"Durable?" Kamui groaned, "Does that have something to do with why my entire head hurts?"
"It does, actually," Rinkah tended to her stew, "I tried knocking you out with one clean swing, but you didn't go down until the 4th strike."

"You whacked me on the head FOUR times?!" Kamui hissed.
"Hitting you once just made you mad, and so I hit you a 2nd time." Rinkah explained, "That just made you angrier, and so I hit you a 3rd time. Thankfully you staggered at that point, because you were pretty pissed off, and so I whacked you a 4th time and you dropped like a sack of rocks. I think I smacked you on the back just to make sure you were down and out."

"Well why in the name of the nine fucking hells did you want to beat me to a pulp?!" Kamui growled, "No wonder it hurts to move!"
"Well, your eyes started glowing, so I figured my life and the lives of the surrounding Hoshidans were in danger. It was merely a preventative measure, but still… sorry anyways."
"Hoshidans… so that's where I am?"

"Technically you're in a Flame Tribe camp in Hoshidan territory, but for all intents and purposes, aye; you're in Hoshido. I had to make sure you weren't about to run away again and I was out of rope, so I had to hit you a couple times."

"Where are you taking me?"
"The authorities of Hoshido; they'll do the rest."
"I guess I should start writing my last will and testaments then."
"Why? You gonna commit seppaku?"

"Not unless I can borrow your club; I'm more just assuming that the Hoshidans are gonna have that arranged for me after what I did… an unprovoked attack, a guilty party, and a jaded Nohr Princess with pointy ears who is suddenly out of place."
"Heh…" Rinkah chortled, "I highly doubt they'll do that, but believe what you want."

Kamui sat up, rubbing her head. "Are you this abrasive to everyone?"
"I don't beat most kids over the head, if that's what you're asking."
"You're still an ass."
"I never said I wasn't. Count your lucky crows though, 'cuz the fact that I'm wasting more than few seconds of my time to speak to you puts you above about 93% of the people that try to waste my time with meaningless conversation."

"Maybe I shouldn't have spared your life…" Kamui mumbled."
"Actually, that's part of the reason I like you more than the average rabble." Rinkah noted, "you fought me in an unfair situation, and so I merely did the same."
"You and I should duke it out after I've recovered, then." Kamui suggested, "I'd like to see how I fare against the Scion of the Flame Tribe when she's not cheap-shotting me from behind."

"Hey, I was just following orders. If I wanted to kill you, perhaps I would have."
"Good to know that you weren't too swift to kill the woman that saved your life, Oni."
"Don't tempt me, Princess." These words rang through Kamui's pointed ears like a taunt; a call to action. It nearly revitalized Kamui as she sat up straight and locked eyes with Rinkah. Both pairs of red eyes glared daggers at one another in a fierce staring contest that was only broken by Kamui blinking.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Rinkah elbowed her. "But honestly...you're not half bad, kid. You've got a decent sense of skepticism to you, and don't just wantonly trust people. I like that."
"You're glad I don't trust you?"
"I'm glad you don't trust me without a reason. You might not even have much of a reason to trust me now. If you wanna leave, feel free to get the hell out of here. There's no telling what someone else might do to ya, or whose hands you'll fall into, but stick around here and the Flame Tribe will put in at least a half-decent word for you."

"I'm curious about you, Oni," Kamui's sharp eyes narrowed, "I'm not one for smalltalk, but yours is a character that intrigues me."
"And why's that?" Rinkah stirred her small cauldron again, not looking up, "not used to facing someone that doesn't bend her knee and lick your boots?"

"I don't think I've ever even worn boots, or even shoes," Kamui mused aloud, "but no, that's not at all. I think I'm more surprised to find someone that appreciates solitude without getting all in my face over it. Tell me something…"
"No." Rinkah almost sounded like she had been waiting to fire that response.
"Does the Flame Tribe value solitude and introversion?"

This question caught Rinkah off guard for a moment. It was rare that an outsider asked her anything about her own culture without being dismissive and claiming she was too "uncivilized" and "barbaric".
"Good eye, kid." A smile crept up on the side of her face away from Kamui.
"I take it that's why there hasn't been many people from this village bothering me then."
"Also correct." Rinkah muttered, dishing herself some of her soup. "We're not antisocial. We just need a good reason to talk. Ideally, we'd rather just let our clubs and flames to the talking for us."
"What would it take for me to borrow a club or two for some practice?" Kamui asked.
"My approval," Rinkah actually put her meal on hold a moment. "Let's get you geared up."

After a few minutes, Kamui found herself decked out in red pants and guards around her wrists and ankles, her hands, forearms, and shins also wrapped. She remained barefoot from her own developed distaste for shoes, and other than the guards and wrappings around her arms, the only thing covering her upper body was a binding across her chest and war paint over parts of her face. Other than her lighter skin color and dark purple hair, her appearance nearly made her fit in with the rest of the white-haired warriors.

"You'll definitely need one of these," Rinkah smirked, roughly helping Kamui don a similar-looking red-haired demon mask similar to the one she had herself. "we've got a few practice clubs a couple tents this way. Don't get mad if I beat the shit out of you though."
"Alright, Monferno… you're on." Kamui quipped.

The two of them gathered a few practice clubs to beat each other with. The weapons would sting and leave a bruise or two, but it was nothing that the oni and the dragon couldn't handle already.
Kamui and Rinkah clashed rather vigorously. Rinkah was briefly surprised because Kamui turned out to be much stronger than she thought, but she quickly corrected her actions and evened the field only moments after this discovery.

Kamui proved to have a rather powerful swinging arm that kept her on par with Rinkah, and while she was used to swinging swords more than axes or clubs, she adjusted to using the weapon much easier as time went by.

Unfortunately for her, Rinkah had a home-field advantage, and eventually managed to knock Kamui off her feet, defeating her.
"I'm impressed," Rinkah admitted, helping a battered Kamui to her feet, "I guess those scars on your back and arms aren't just Nohrian decorations."
"Haha, no," Kamui nodded in agreement, dusting herself off, "It's tough love."

"Well, that almost sounds like the Flame Tribe then. Maybe I'll have to bash a few heads in on my next trip to Nohr to see what it's like over there." Rinkah shrugged, "who knows?"
"So why do you want to take me to Hoshido?" Kamui had to ask.
"I'm not at liberty to say," Rinkah admitted, "suffice to say there's someone who wants you alive over there, and so my buddy Saizo came up with an idea to bring you back while separating you from your siblings."

"Did you kill them!?" Kamui seemed shaken by this remark. The idea that Leo, Elise, or Xander might have been dead at Hoshido's hands was a blow to her pride, but more importantly, a blow to her mental and emotional well-being. More than that though, if someone actually managed to best and slay Camilla in battle, Kamui would challenge them to the death. Kamui loved all of her siblings, but the idea of not having Camilla in her life any longer wrenched at her heartstrings and made her want to swear vengeance upon anyone who dared wrong her family.

"Can't say we'd have minded, but they were long gone after we got you," Rinkah shrugged a shoulder, "One of my girls led them back towards Windmire before doubling back. That's the last I heard of 'em, so they're probably around."
Kamui was a little less comfortable at this point, but held her resolve. Surely they would be tough enough to survive a battle that even she had done decently at.

"In the meantime, make yourself comfortable—within reason of course," Rinkah muttered, "we move out tomorrow, so if there's anything you need, speak now or forever hold your peace. Odds are none of the others will have much to say. And don't worry about that gear; keep it. It looks good enough on you."
"Right," Kamui nodded, "And thanks."

Kamui didn't do much socializing after that, and surprisingly, neither did Rinkah. The Flame Tribe (or what little Kamui saw of it) didn't seem to be much of the people for words. A few observations around the camp revealed that this encampment was likely temporary. Perhaps these were the women Rinkah had brought with her to help in fighting off the Nohrians and capturing her. This was definitely not all of them, for Kamui didn't see a single male tribesperson her entire night with the tribe. She still felt uncomfortable, both as an outsider and for not having full clarity on what became of her family in Nohr, and so she decided to retire early, knowing that she would have a rough night ahead of her.

She curled up in the tent she had been loaned, and closed her eyes. Her head was still spinning, although maybe that was from Rinkah's club. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but when she did, her mind was flowing with thoughts and concerns about what tomorrow would entail. All she knew at this point was that she was bound for Hoshido, whether she liked it or not.