AUTHOR'S NOTES: And here we meet Hinoka. This admittedly means that this is another Kamui-chapter, but for those wondering about what's up with Corrin, fear not. His time will come. Since we're dealing primarily with the Hoshidans right now, I'm focusing on how they react to Kamui, rather than showing their everyday life playing house. What this also means, however, is that after the Nohrian siblings join the party, I will make the same efforts to see how they and Corrin react to one another, especially since I'd actually consider Corrin more of the "leader" than Kamui. But I won't spoil too much about that yet. The good news is that the next chapter will deal a lot with Corrin and we'll get to see more of him. The only reason it's taken so long is because I've got a lot of characters I want to flesh out. Ryoma's only had a few lines, Sakura's barely appeared at all, and Azura is still as of yet, completely absent. It doesn't mean that they're not going to appear in the story by any means; it just means I need a couple of chapters to get around to everyone. So in summary: fear not. Corrin's time will come. So by all means, keep those reviews and comments coming. :)
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 21: The Warrior Princesses

Sing with me a song of Sisters and Spars…

Incidentally, it did not actually take very long for Kamui to find one of the people she was looking for, and based on what she was carrying, it looked she'd be able to help her with the question she had. The towel in Hinoka's arms was a giveaway of where she might be going, and thus Kamui decided to pop her question.

"I'm surprised to see you out and about," Hinoka commented, "What were you up to in your room all morning?"

"Mostly just writing," Kamui shrugged, "but then I got up and did some things and now I'm all tense. I was actually going to ask you something: you know of any hot springs around here? Bathhouses? Anything like that?"

"There's one right here in Hoshido, if that's what you mean," Hinoka explained, although her head tilted slightly as if she was curious as to what Kamui was on about. "Did you need to borrow a bathing suit?" Her words coupled with her actions made it clear that that had been where she was going before she had run into Kamui anyways.

"That'd be great, actually." She hoped that they weren't too different from what she had in Nohr, and thus was pleasantly surprised when they weren't. There were a few changing rooms surrounding the main bath, and for the moment, Hinoka and Kamui were alone.

By the time Kamui had finished changing, she found Hinoka waiting for her. Similar to Kamui, she was very athletically built; perhaps even moreso than Kamui even. It was a stark contrast to the curvaceous figure Camilla had, which Kamui had seen dozens of times. She was only snapped out of checking out Hinoka when the red-haired woman spoke. Kamui had not realized that she was being checked out in turn, primarily for the dazzling array of scars on her body.

"What did those Nohrians do to you?" She looked both intrigued and slightly horrified.

"I just didn't really use much in the way of scar-removing magic," Kamui shrugged, "they're battle-scars, and both Xander and Camilla are formidable enemies."

"You let them abuse you like that?"

"I wouldn't call it abuse. Tough love, maybe, but not abuse. It was consensual. You look like someone who has seen their share of fighting though, haven't you?"

"Well yeah… but haven't you ever heard of this thing called healing?"

"I may or may not have declined it a few times for… various reasons." Kamui tapped her toes against the ground as she looked down at them.

"Kamui…" Hinoka sighed, "you're an idiot."

"Hmm?" Kamui squinted, her head tilting to one side.

"Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way of putting it. I guess I'm just irked by knowing that Nohr took you from us, and then when we finally get you back they've carved you up like some sort of meat at dinnertime. Who else has seen you like that?"

"Other than you? Just my sister Camilla. The others know about them but haven't seen as many of them considering I usually wear a little more than on a daily basis."

"Is that how they teach people fighting skills in Nohr?" Hinoka started walking towards the water before sliding in with grace.

"That's how I was taught, but I don't think they're all that bad." Kamui shrugged, sinking into the water as well before popping her head back out, "My younger siblings Leo and Elise are proficient magicians and neither one of them is very scarred."

"So they're harder on you?"

"No, I'm just an idiot and didn't want them to remove my scars. To me they were a reminder that I needed to grow stronger. Did you ever have anything like that?"

"I… did, actually." This seemed to click with Hinoka more than Kamui had expected, much to her surprise. "You were my inspiration, Kamui. Every time I passed by your empty room, or every time I went to visit Father's grave… I was reminded about that fateful day when the Nohrians took you from us. So I trained. I learned to fight, and I learned to fight hard. I can nearly take down Ryoma myself now. I was determined to get you back. I might not have thought things through as well as I should have… but I finally have you back now… and I never want to lose you again."

She pulled Kamui into an embrace, which Kamui somewhat awkwardly returned. The relationship here was not one-sided, but it was clear one side was more affectionate than the other—at least for the time being.

"I understand…" Kamui spoke softly as they separated, "And I'm trying. I really am. I've hardly been here 48 hours though. I can't just erase the last 15 years of my life, let alone that quickly… and parts of it are things I don't really want to erase.

"You like them, don't you? Those… Nohrians…"

"Well yeah… I mean, they treated me like family. I'm not really a fan of Garon at all, but Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise loved me the same way that you do. That's why this is hard, Hinoka. I might not have the same bonds with you and Hoshido that you have with me, but please understand that I don't want it to stay that way. I want to get to know you. I want to be able to bond with you and the others the way I have with Camilla and my siblings back in Nohr."

"I don't know how sheltered or not you were," Hinoka frowned, "but you do realize that they and we are enemies, right?"

"Of course I do." Kamui sighed, "And that just makes this that much harder for me. If I try to choose one side over the other, there is going to be a great deal of hurt feelings and probably even vented anger from whichever side I leave behind."

"We can keep you safe though." Hinoka looked Kamui right in the eyes, "Those Nohrians wouldn't be able to lay a finger on you."

"I have no doubt that I would remain safe in Hoshido," Kamui nodded, "but I don't want to hide from my former family any more than I'd want to hide behind Xander and Camilla to protect me from the wrath of you and Ryoma. Surely you can understand my reasoning, right?"

"I…" Hinoka's arms softened, as if she was unclenching fists under the water out of Kamui's sight, "I can understand it. I really hate the idea, and the notion of seeing you get taken by Nohrians again makes me seethe… but I can kind of see where you're coming from. I just want to make sure you're giving Hoshido a fair chance."

"That's exactly what I want to do!" Kamui reasoned, "I don't want a love of Nohr and a love of Hoshido to be mutually exclusive. Don't get me wrong—trying to be happy and make friends with everyone is not exactly something I do… but family, whether by blood or by adoption… is family. And those are the most important kinds of bonds out there to me. That's why I'm so fixated on giving you and your brothers and sister a fair chance."

"...Forgive me for my misconception then," Hinoka leaned against Kamui. She detected an obvious sense of affection very similar to Camilla's except less motherly and more sisterly. She liked it, and frankly, hoped she could foster a solid relationship with Hinoka as well as all of the others in due time. Time was what she needed more than anything at this point, she felt.

"You gotta understand how much losing you devastated us though… particularly me." Hinoka continued, "usually I'm not this clingy. It's just that I'm so happy to have you back with us… I get so excited that sometimes it's hard for me to know how to react."

"I'm no socialite," Kamui chuckled, "your guesses are as good as mine."

Hinoka smiled, looking Kamui in the eyes again.

"You really are Corrin's sister." she pointed out, "you've got the same facial structure… the same eyes. You should talk to him if you haven't already. I'm sure he'll be a lot nicer than some of us were… and hopefully a little less awkward."

"Hinoka, it's fine." Kamui smiled. "You don't need to worry about gaining my approval. I just kind of need some time to sort my thoughts out. Although… I've been meaning to ask."

"Hmm?" Hinoka raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a reason we look so different?" she asked, "I mean, the hair color is explainable, kind of like how you have red hair while Takumi's is grey, Sakura's is pink, and Ryoma's dark brown, but what about my eyes and ears?"

"I've got red eyes," Hinoka shrugged, "I don't know what's up with your ears though. But if it's any consolation, no, this isn't some elaborate scheme from Hoshido."

"Well, I can't really imagine it being so with Corrin here," Kamui pointed out, "really, I'm more curious than anything. I'm also curious about you."

"Me?" Hinoka seemed suddenly like she had just been put on the spot. "What about me?"

"You look strong; like a warrior. I dunno if Corrin's into that sort of thing, but I am. I want to see how well you hold your own against me."

"You better not just be looking for more scars," Hinoka frowned.

"No; I genuinely want to test your strength against mine," Kamui asserted, "I want to challenge Ryoma too if I can. Have you guys never sparred with one another?"

"We have, a few times…" Hinoka mused, "but your wording makes it sound more violent."

"Well, it's not a good fight without a little blood loss," Kamui chuckled, wetting her hair again, "but it's not like we try to kill each other." In truth, that was exactly what Xander and Camilla had done, however, and if Kamui had been careless she likely would have been killed. However, she didn't want to give any of the Hoshidans more fuel against her Nohrian kin.

"I can't turn down the offer of a challenge," Hinoka asserted, "name a time and a place."

"Tomorrow afternoon, perhaps?" Kamui offered, "We just got cleaned up, so there's no need to get dirty… and maybe we can throw in a bit of pre-match training between now and then."

"I like that." Hinoka nodded approvingly, "Keep your wits about you, sister. I don't know what they taught you in Nohr, but just because it's a more peaceful place here doesn't mean we're weak."

"Never thought otherwise," Kamui smirked. "I look forward to it."

The two sisters felt that it was a suitable place to end the conversation for the time being, and so both of them leaned back and relaxed as they soaked in the hotspring bath. Hinoka closed her eyes, and Kamui followed suit, although she was deep in thought. In contrast to Takumi, Hinoka seemed a bit more receptive to her. She knew she would definitely want to train hard between now and tomorrow for her spar against Hinoka, but in the meantime, perhaps the fiery-haired woman had a point: perhaps it was time to talk to Corrin.