A/N: Last chapter featured Corrin over Kamui, and now it's the other way around. However, you'll also get to see another side of Kamui.
Guest (Ch. 3): First off, I apologize for not getting to this comment on the last chapter. It's not so much on being dramatic as it is this: Kamui has adopted the 'shell' for so long, that she doesn't know how to act as her 'old' self. The canon 'Kamui/Corrin' behavior is lost to her. If you wear a mask for too long, it might end up becoming your face.
On that, she's affected by emotional distress, not sexual tension.
...I usually pair my F!MU with Kaden, Keaton, Keaton: Birthright, Conquest, Revelations. While my M!MU gets Felicia.
Guest (Ch. 4): Since this is on the same page, I'm going to say refer to Guest (Ch.3) for Kamui's behavior. I'm going under the assumption that both of these Guests' reviews are from different people.
Xander, Leo, Camilla, and Kamui are in this state of denial, they refuse to accept the guilt of what has happened, and instead choose to live in a glass bubble. If they continue acting as if things are normal then things should remain normal. Elise and Kaze are the only two that have come to terms to what has happened, so they are able to move beyond the past and make changes to themselves.
Temporal King: Like I said, I just gave you the general breakdown of what's happening, so now here's all of it! Also, the last five paragraphs were an 'in the moment' decision, so I hope that part came out well enough.
Kamui was pushing her luck, as Corrin can no longer simply ask his family to stay back, not after coming so close to having both of their families clashing. In order to ease their concern, he won't be confronting Kamui alone, and he has to bring Noble Yato. Corrin racked his mind to think of another approach.
He found himself unable to sleep that night. Sighing, he gets up from bed and walks out in an attempt to clear his mind. "Brother?" Hinoka asked. "...about today."
"I'll take over this watch. I just have a lot on my mind."
"I'm not going to stand by and watch you suffer. Tell me, what's going on?"
"Kamui, honestly, what else could be wrong?" He moves to stand by the Pegasus Knight.
Her small smile turns into a frown, "She's a lost cause, brother."
Yet, he shakes his head, "I don't think so." A short pause, "I promised Kana that I can get her to smile."
"We shouldn't bother them, they obviously deserve whatever's happening to them."
"Sister!" Corrin's head snaps to face her, "Nobody deserves to suffer like that!"
"Hans? Iago?" She counters.
"...they never showed any kindness. Sister, please trust me, I can see something in her, I just need some time to figure out how to bring that side of her out." A tense moment follows.
She sighs, "You've done a lot of things, you've gotten us out of a lot of situations, but I don't think Kamui is one you're going to be able to fix." There is it… she put her foot down, "Don't misunderstand me, I trust you, but I don't trust that she can change."
"I understand." He responds. "But that doesn't mean I won't stop trying."
And with that, she smiles, "I wouldn't expect you to act any other way. Just… be careful, okay?"
"I will." A quick hug passes by and he returns to his tent to think things over once more. There has to be a way.
Another night… a cold lonely night. Kamui sits up in her bed, still devoid of her husband. He's probably right outside the tent flap. For a moment, she wants to call him, to have him by her side, but… but what? Her eyes simply stare in front of her, her body unwilling to move, her blanket falls down her body, showing off the many scars she earned, with most of them being old. ...Most of them. There are three sets that are, in fact, relatively recent. A stab of pain accompanies the memories. Tracing her body, her fingers run across a scar that was a gash on her right arm. The second and third scar are on her right shoulder and abdomen, both of those are in the shape of a small circle. The last is darkened and it still burns, this one is a slash from her left shoulder to her right breast. And in that order, Hinoka, Takumi, and Ryoma.
Her eyes glisten as she remembers each of them, and how differently they fought. Not just weapon techniques, but how that attacked her specifically. Hinoka held back, even as they fought she was adamant about 'bringing Kamui back', it wasn't until her retainers died that she found her resolve, a strike that almost split Kamui's arm in half longways. Takumi was next, he held no reserves, he even had Hinata equipped with a Wyrmslayer, the wound on her right shoulder came from his Fujin Yumi, and the one in her midsection nearly killed her. Sakura…
Sakura faltered. She heard the news that Kamui killed Hinoka, that Takumi jumped off the wall. The Priestess fought just fine against the other Nohrians, but Kamui? Her shots missed, and when she charged her? She gave in. She offered no resistance, she laid her Spellbane Yumi down and just stood there, tears running down her eyes, unwilling to fight her own big sister. Kamui nearly broke on the spot, why did she have to give in like that? But she pushed through it, she ran Sakura through, and could only watch as she crumpled, whimpering about 'big sister'.
Ryoma was understandably furious. He challenged Kamui to a duel, and for the first time, she fought him without him holding back. It was clear that there was a level of skill between them, and Kamui was on the bottom. If Kaze didn't come… She was told that Kaze doubled the efforts to get to her, but Ryoma made sure that no-one could interrupt, so he had assigned his retainers to guard the levers. And the side that Kaze happened to be on?
In order to get to his wife, he fought his own brother, he killed him for her. The lever was pulled and it pulled back a layer of the wall, lowering the defenses enough to where Xander and Camilla could simply bash the doors open. Kaze was there when Ryoma landed that one vicious blow, he nearly sliced her open. He gave her some sort of rare medicinal herb as he grabbed her while Xander and Camilla kept Ryoma on the defensive. And when he was on the ropes? She killed him.
Once she gave the order to kill, her own army's injuries dropped down. From that one order, people like Peri and Beruka had their efficiency doubled at the least. That order freed up a lot of the healers' time, it saved them gold. Staves were used less, weapons didn't have to be used as long, time didn't need to be spent maintaining the army as much. She saw why Garon had people killed, rather than incapacitated.
So why did it feel so wrong? Nohr needed to win, to survive, and the Hoshidans were preventing that. Nohr has access to all of Hoshido's resources now, her people can thrive… She's Nohrian, not Hoshidan! For a moment, she grips her head, trying to banish the images of Corrin proudly walking in that sickening Hoshidan armor, and of how happy they look. There's no way he made it through the war with so little dying. There had to be more deaths, he's just hiding it behind a carefree smile. How many secrets is he harboring… and how many are lies?
She refuses to believe her little sister would jump between Xander and Corrin, regardless of which 'version' of Elise it is. Hoshidans are the enemies of Nohr, no one should stand up for them… even Kaze? She's married to a Hoshidan. Her heart aches again, Kaze… Kaze. She shoves her head into her hands, her shell dropping as a wave of tears threaten to leave her. She's… alone right now, it's okay to look vulnerable. Nobody is watching, after all.
At least, that's what she thought, "My love?" She looks up to see Kaze, but what is he doing here? "You called for me." He answers, like he could read her mind. The Master Ninja takes a spot by her bed, pulling her into a hug…
Always by her side. "K-Kaze." She whimpers. An emotional supporter. "I missed you." Someone to lean on, "I'm scared." One of the few she'll open up to.
She feels him rub her head, while the other hand rubs her back, "I'm here for you." He assures her. "I'll do what I can, whatever you need." ...What does she need, though? She couldn't answer that question, she doesn't know what she needs anymore. Why are things so hard? Her eyes dart around, trying to find something she can reply with. "Do you want me to spend the night with you?" There's hurt in his voice, subtle but there.
But it's a hurt she placed on him. He's in a position to where he has to ask to sleep with her. She did this to him. A man who would give his everything, and if not with his love for her as a husband, than his honor for her as a retainer. Her eyes are still looking anywhere but at him. A minute passes by without a response, a one-sided hug from him, like she forgot how to embrace someone else. Kaze slightly shifts, patiently waiting for permission. "I…" She starts, but bites her lip, a sudden lump in her throat.
Then she feels his hand, wiping away tears she didn't realize were flowing down. "I'm here for you." He repeats in a hushed tone, like any sudden noise will cause her to flee. "Don't be afraid to cry." Is she afraid to cry? There's no one else here. "Please, can I see your beautiful smile again?"
Her eyes finally meet his, she shrinks back, ashamed of her current condition. He cares, it's okay to be cared about… It's okay to be loved. Love, a feeling she locked away because… because. Her eyes widen and she pulls back. He isn't with Corrin! This is her Kaze, her husband! He is trying to care for her, so she can be happy. She faces him again, still in the same spot, his eyes showing hurt again. "You haven't been talking to them, have you?" Her eyes narrow.
He flinches at the accusation, "No. I swear on my love for you as your husband, my oath to you as your retainer, and my honor as a Ninja, that I have not spoken to the 'other' side."
That's right, why would he? She scoots closer again, her suspicion sated with his frank reply. "Kaze?" She finally asks, before taking a breath. He patiently waits for her, "Would you keep me company for the night?" It's always the same dance, though with different steps. She pulls him in, then pushes him out, like the waves in an ocean. She wants him, but doesn't want him. She needs the support, then she doesn't need the support.
It's the dance that he always does, regardless of how long it goes, "It would be my pleasure." With his garb still on, he lies down beside her, pulling her into that safe, warm embrace again. "I love you, Kamui." She buries her head onto his chest, as another wave of tears leave.
However, she never replied with the same. And why would she? They both know, by tomorrow morning, she'll just want distance again. She always drops her shell long enough to let out enough to keep herself from breaking, then it goes right back on. Her fingers unconsciously go over those scars again. There may only be four that can been seen, but she knows there's a fifth. The scar present on her heart, or maybe it hasn't even become a scar yet? Maybe it's still a wound, something she keeps placing simple cloth over in an attempt to get it to heal.
Big sister, big sister. She flinches as the form of her world's Sakura comes into her mind's eye. Her Spellbane Yumi is gently placed to the side, her body collapsed on the ground, still alive but slowly dying. Her eyes showing betrayal and hurt, love and pain. Sakura wanted peace more than any other, even with her homeland at stake, the Priestess couldn't bring herself to fight Kamui.
Big sister, big sister. Sakura voiced her sorrow, tears leaving her eyes while blood escapes both her midsection and mouth. Hinoka, Takumi, and Ryoma died quickly, while the loving little sister took the longest. The other three fought back, so it made it easier to kill them, but Sakura just stood there. Even as Kamui made it clear she would kill her, she stood, accepting whatever fate came her way.
Big sister, big sister. Sakura whimpered continuously, and Kamui found herself unable to walk away. She was morbidly entranced in her final moments. Perhaps she was waiting for Sakura to spit out that she hated Kamui, that she was a lost cause? Hinoka voiced her anger, Takumi called for her death, and Ryoma challenged her to a duel to the death. Sakura still expressed her love, her love for all. There was death all around them, but all Sakura could do is remain peaceful. Kamui saw the life leave her, and it took several minutes before she composed herself enough to leave, her shell had never been harder to keep together.
Big sister, big sister. Kamui gripped Kaze's garb tighter, trying to push the images away. And now there she is, another 'version' of Sakura. Still as loving as her world's. Was she married? Was she able to find love? Did she also have children? Were these children as loving as her? And the others? Was Hinoka able to lay down her spear and take a husband? Did Takumi pass down his archery skills to his child? How would Ryoma's act as the next in line?
All questions she would never know the answer to. She killed her family. Xander hadn't even wedded yet, as busy as he is with Nohr and Hoshido. Leo pursues the path of knowledge above all, he has access to any book or tome he could ever want. Camilla spends her time doting on Kamui, there is room for no other person in her life. Elise hadn't even tried to find a husband, she spends her days trying to lighten an atmosphere that is permanently darkened. Finally, there is Kamui, who is too busy with that dance to have a child. Push him out, pull him in, never too close, never too far.
Exhaustion finally came in, and Kamui fell asleep shortly after.
A/N: Yes, Sakura's part was reiterated a few times, that was intentional. Also, I did mention that Elise and Kaze were able to move on and change. So why is he still with Kamui? Well, like Elise, he's holding out on the chance that maybe the 'old' Kamui can come back, and Corrin seems like the best chance.