AUTHOR'S NOTES: Fear not, citizens. While there's a lot of essential character building I need to do, I'm not gonna drop it all on individual chapters for each character. Takumi was important because of the opposition he offers, Hinoka was more for the opposite effect. Anyways, this is where things get interesting, because I diverge from the canon events a little bit. So, there's going to be a scene in the very near future that wasn't in the game, and hopefully some good comes from that. Also... to the one who asked about the child characters... yes. I plan to include all of them (and at least one other "guest" character), although there will be none of that "Deeprealm/Babyrealm" nonsense. I've got better plans for how I intend to implement them, and a few of them might start very subtly popping up shortly after Act III commences.
But, I've rambled too much. Happy Reading!
CHAPTER 23: The Invitations
Sing with me a song of Tactics and Strength...
Kamui was mostly absent for the remainder of the evening and much of the following morning, although someone did spot her and Kagero making a brief exchange of some sort. She did not say what the documents she took from Kamui were other than mentioning that they were "manuscripts", but since Kagero's loyalty was unshakable, no one thought much of it. Later in the afternoon, however, both Kamui and Hinoka were outside warming up for their sparring match they had promised one another. Kamui was a bit skeptical about using wooden weapons, which in turn made Hinoka even more skeptical.
"What did you practice with in Nohr?" she tilted her head.
"We used real battle-grade weapons," Kamui shrugged, assuming that was the norm, "and we essentially played to kill. Wrong moves on either side might have been our undoing."
"That…" Hinoka cringed, "well, that explains a lot. We, um… aren't exactly fighting to kill you here, so please don't try and kill us."
"I can step it down," Kamui agreed, "you don't mind getting a little roughed up though, do you?"
"I'm not that weak," Hinoka shook her head, grabbing a wooden spear, "at your ready, sister."
A small audience, mostly consisting of Hinoka's family, had gathered to watch them square off. Even Corrin and Ryoma were among the crowds, and the thoughts of going against them were swimming persistently through Kamui's head.
A gong sounded and Kamui came at Hinoka with a level of ferocity nearly mimicking that which she had come at Xander and Camilla with not too long ago. Hinoka seemed overwhelmed at first, but after getting the hang of Kamui's berserk-like fighting style, she began to adapt to it, using her own wily speed to keep her sister off balance. She did not go easy on Kamui, and odds were she'd definitely leave a bruise or two. Still, Kamui might have been down but she was not out. She sprang back up and launched into a vicious offensive that left Hinoka reeling. She came in for a vicious blow, but Hinoka blocked it and called out.
"Oy! I yield!" she shook her head, "and I'd really not like to get my skull cracked open. Damn, Kamui. You're a lot better at this than I thought. Did you take tips from Rinkah?"
"I should have, although I did spar with her during my brief sojourn at the Flame Tribe before she took me here," Kamui admitted. After the two of them stopped fighting, Sakura raced in to help mend everyone's wounds.
"Big sister!" she gasped as she saw Hinoka's bruises, "a-are you okay!?"
"I'm fine," she ruffled Sakura's hair, "a little roughed up because your sister's stronger than I thought, but nothing I can't handle."
"Oh thank goodness!" Sakura sighed in relief, you two looked like you were hitting each other pretty hard. I… I know it's not real fighting, but I always hate seeing you get hurt."
"I've dealt with worse," Hinoka shrugged, "but I'd still hate to get caught on the business end of Kamui's sword."
"Any more takers?" Kamui held her wooden swords in both hands, as if offering a challenge, "it's just some good clean fun; I know some of you have probably wanted to lay some beat-downage on a Nohrian. Can I interest you, Brother? High Prince of Hoshido and all that?"
"I do not see harming you for personal glory as a worthwhile investment of my time," Ryoma replied. Kamui looked disappointed, but then Ryoma's lip curled upwards on one side.
"However," he continued, "If the stories you say about besting the Crown Prince of Nohr are true, I do wish to test my blade against one so capable."
There were hushed whispers among the other siblings and their retainers as Ryoma approached Kamui in the ring. Kamui could overhear many of them betting on Ryoma destroying her; and while she credited a lot of it to bias, she also figured that Ryoma was just as capable at holding his own as Xander. She was also ready to mentally note any differences. Hinoka had fought similar to Camilla in terms of ability, but she was fiercer, and made up for her lack of power with dizzying speed. It fit her fighting style in Kamui's mind. Camilla's calm and elegant-but-deadly style was a different flavor than Hinoka's fierce, rugged but precise methods.
Kamui cracked her knuckles as she watched Ryoma take up a pair of wooden katana. Her red eyes scanned Ryoma's figure, watching how he stood; how he carried his weapons, and even how he moved. The moment they were given the signal to fight, she raced forward as if about to attack to see if Ryoma would follow-up with a defensive maneuver or a counterattack. He parried her blow almost effortlessly, helping confirm one of Kamui's theories. She sprung back, sidestepping but keeping her gaze on Ryoma. He almost did the same thing to her that she had done to him, but his turned out to be a feint, followed up by a swift attack that made Kamui stagger. Despite this, she managed to stay on her feet and prevent Ryoma from gaining an edge or an offensive. There was a moment where both combatants were frozen, but after a moment, the fight suddenly changed for the better. Both Kamui and Ryoma erupted into a frenzy of fast-paced moves, essentially turning it into a hack-and-slash kind of tournament. Despite his larger stature, Ryoma was swift and light on his feet, his strikes as swift and sudden as the lightning that came from the Raijinto katana he normally wielded. Kamui had admired it from afar, and while she wondered what it would be like to face off against Ryoma wielding that thing, she decided not to push her luck.
The longer the two sparred, the more Kamui was able to conclude. He was much harder to strike than Xander was, but also shrugged off those hits a lot less efficiently. On the other hand, he hit hard and hit fast, which kept Kamui on her toes. After dozens of somersaults, strikes, kicks, flips, dodges, slashes, parries, and swings, Ryoma crossed his blades, signalling a halt to the fight. He looked rather winded, but also seemed pleased.
"I don't know what they teach you in Nohr," he admitted, "but you are a formidable and worthy opponent, Kamui. Thank you for that."
"I'm surprised," Kamui admitted, "I mean, I knew you were powerful; I just kind of wanted to see how you compared to Xander. You and Hinoka are hard to compare to Xander and Camilla because you two fight so differently from them though."
"As long as you're not just trying to size us up for an actual fight," Takumi stepped in with a warning of his own, "we're not about to kneel to Nohrians."
Kamui shook her head. "Takumi… that's… that's really not what I meant at all."
It was mind-blowing to Kamui just how many similarities Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura had with Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise. The only real rift seemed to be between her and Corrin, who she felt like they had nothing in common. Otherwise it was almost like her siblings had all just been given makeovers and Hoshidan personas.
"Although…" she continued, deciding to focus more on the here and now rather than the differences between her and her twin brother, "I'm curious as to how well Corrin fights."
"No!" Sakura exclaimed, "Big sister, I-I can't let you keep fighting! N-not without you letting me heal you, at least… is… it that okay?" Sakura seemed tense just by having the courage to step in and say her part, and it was difficult for even Kamui not to admire it.
"Hey, I won't say no…" she admitted, "and I'm not trying to one-up your brother here or anything either. I just want to see if he's as capable a fighter as he is as a leader."
"A good tactician knows when to fold," Corrin admitted, "you are likely my better in combat, sister. Although I wouldn't mind a game of strategy with you later if you don't mind. Maybe we can actually have a more substantial conversation as opposed to last time we tried to."
"Name a time and a place," Kamui couldn't turn down a challenge either. "I'll be there."
"Later this evening would work well for me." Corrin indicated. "I've got a few things with Mother that I need to sort out regarding the upcoming trip to Izumo, but other than that I should be mostly free later this evening."
"I've heard talk about that," Kamui piped up, "what's that about?"
"That's something you should probably ask Mother about," Corrin indicated, "I'll be there too… just that she wants to explain it better to you."
"Right." Kamui nodded, "I need a bit of time to wind down from the fight though… you might have noticed I'm still a bit jumpy."
She gave Ryoma and Sakura both a smile, before retreating to her room to write some more. She enjoyed what she had seen of Hoshido and its people thus far, although despite the much friendlier conditions here, she still felt a bit homesick. More than anything, she missed her Nohrian siblings, and really wished that she could talk to Camilla and get a few things off of her mind. However, she knew there was no point in complaining about things she could not fix, and so she decided to put her time to use.
Corrin returned to Mikoto's study, finding her still penning out a letter of some sort. On her desk there was an envelope with a foreign seal on it that Corrin knew belonged to Nohr.
"Mother," he softly broke the silence, causing Mikoto to turn towards him.
"Corrin," she whispered, "This troubles me. You obviously know what Nohr is asking me about, and so you surely understand my dilemma."
"They want Kamui back, don't they?"
"They at least want her to decide where she wants to live. Is it selfish for a mother to want to keep her child with her?"
"A child that you wasted 15 years to see the face of again?" Corrin frowned, "if anything, that seems hardly fair for her to be taken away from you so soon. She belongs here with us… but I think she still has her heart in Nohr."
"I want her to remain with us as much as you do, son," Mikoto sighed, "but if she does, I want it to be her choice. She's far too wild to try and force or confine. If she wants to flee, she will find a way. She always will."
"I wasn't able to tell her about this meeting yet." Corrin confessed, "I guess it kind of hurts to think about losing her again. She's trying to bond and we're trying to bond… even Takumi. She's something that none of us are used to dealing with though. I feel like if she knew this early on that her siblings were looking for her and a way to get her back, that she would jump at it."
"They do have the right to reclaim her if Kamui wishes it though," Mikoto insisted, "I will send them a reply tomorrow morning. I will set a date for the peace talks in Izumo, and hopefully also diffuse this dreadful looming war that is hanging over our heads."
"Should I let her know then?" Corrin offered, "she's going to meet me in a couple hours for a game, which means she'll be out of her room."
"It… is for the best that she knows," Mikoto agreed, "she already suspects that Hoshido is keeping secrets from her, and so it's best not to support her claim any further than we already do, intentional or otherwise."
"Got it." Corrin nodded. "Thank you for sharing this, Mother."
"I love you just as I love her, Corrin," Mikoto nodded. "I try to be just in my motions and judgments, but sometimes my feelings for my child try and get the best of me. Do break ti to her nicely though, okay?"
"Of course," Corrin promised. "I want her to stay as much as you do."
As he left Mikoto's study, now the idea of the Izumo peace talks was in his mind. It worried him, because he felt like that was the make-or-break point. Whatever date Mikoto set for them to meet would mark the deadline for Hoshido to get through to Kamui. If they couldn't convince her by then, they would likely just have to accept that she would want to return to Nohr.