A/N:
Posted: July 26th, 2016
Last Updated: February 17th, 2019
Views as of Posting: 1 885
Chapters before AU begins: 1
We resume the Faceless Battle with Chapter 4!
You may have already noticed with Tsubaki's/Subaki's names, but characters' mentioned names depend on the chapter's POV. Since this chapter is from Takumi's / Sakura's POV, Corrin's name would be Kamui. Nothing too complicated; this happens with very few characters.
Chapter 1 Updates:
- Changed conversation from in-game dialogue to original dialogue
Paralogue 1 Updates:
- Grammatical corrections
All changes are purely stylistic and do not impact the story. Efforts will be made to minimize these types of updates in the future.
Now, onto the story…
"If a warrior is not unattached to life and death, he will be of no use whatsoever."
-Tsunetomo Yamamoto, Hagakure
Chapter 4: First Battle of Fort Jinya (Takumi, Sakura)
[An hour prior]
Early evening greeted Sakura as she stepped outside Fort Jinya. The alluring smell of beef offal filled the air outside. Most of her patients had fallen asleep and the rest of the medical staff were excusing themselves to eat. Omozu himself has recovered enough to start scribbling down his battle report with his quill.
Hinoka finished eating earlier, and was tending to the mounts in the stables. Everything would have been serene, if it were not for Hana's training in the field. The shrine maiden watched as her retainer sparred with a samurai. Hana drew her blade and waited for the first strike. Her opponent grunted and took a riposting stance. A small crowd gathered around them to observe.
She lowered her posture. "Prepare yourself!"
The retainer sprinted forward at lightning speed and leapt high into the air. Her opponent gazed upwards as she prepared to slash downward with her practice katana. The swordsman hopped out of her way to the left, preparing to retaliate.
As Hana landed, her face hid a mischievous grin. She nimbly landed on her feet, just barely skidding on the dirt below. Using her foot as a pivot, she swiveled around to catch her foe. The swordsman was catatonic when he turned around as well, only to see her already ready for a second strike.
Hana quickly stabbed forward towards his chest. With a tap on his chest armor, the battle resulted in her victory. Her opponent withdrew his practice weapon and got down on one knee in exhaustion. The crowd around them applauded.
"Hah, victory!" Hana said, "You put up a good fight!" She extended her hand.
The swordsman took a second before standing up. For a fight lasting only a few blows, he was quickly tired out. Sakura continued observing the fight from afar in admiration. Her retainer's agility was always a marvel to watch.
"Don't get too full of yourself." The swordsman grunted.
"Excuse me?" Hana said.
"You challenged someone who just came back from fighting at the border." He spat, "Does defeating an already exhausted foe really help you improve?"
The audience looked at Hana in silence. Most of them had also been in Omozu's patrol and nodded in agreement. The female samurai backed up and stood her ground under the many pairs of judgmental eyes.
"You could have refused." Hana said grudgingly.
"And surrender my honor as a Hoshidan?" The soldier countered.
"Well, I-"
"I fought and bled for your masters," He pointed at Sakura, "yet I return to their retainer pointing her katana towards me. Does this please you?"
Sakura broke into a cold sweat at her mention. The warriors in Omozu's patrol gawked with disgust at her retainer. Hana didn't know how to respond. A few of the crowd looked angry enough to lash out at her.
"H-hey guys." Sakura called out, "Um, we're all pretty worn out here, so perhaps we just need some time to r-relax?" She struggled to think of a way to intervene.
"What'll you do to correct her?" One of the soldiers demanded.
"Sorry?"
She tried to play dumb despite knowing exactly what they meant. The crowd found it disgraceful to pick a fight with someone who just returned from a battle, and they demanded reprimand. The female samurai dipped her head in disgrace.
Sakura and Hana were friends since they were little, the shrine maid thought. To punish her would be something she never thought of, but to defend her would make everyone upset. There was no way out of this one.
"I… I…" Her lips froze.
The man sighed in disappointment. He already guessed her response.
"That's enough, soldier. Stand down."
The familiar voice caught Sakura off guard. The crowd looked in its direction. Omozu was slowly walking towards Hana and his soldiers, his leg limping behind him. Hana and the samurai turned towards him and stood at attention.
"Everyone, get back to the mess hall and fill up." Omozu barked, "Once Takumi's reinforcements arrive, there is no guarantee there'll be enough for all of us."
(He's not supposed to leave his room!)
"Yes, sir!" The crowd quickly broke off into groups and headed towards the gates.
"Sore loser." Hana gritted her teeth as she joined them.
"Omozu! What are you doing here?" Sakura exclaimed, "You can't leave your bed in this condition." She rushed towards her important patient.
"Enjoying the scenery." The commander said, "This was the first place I was stationed during my training. It hasn't changed a bit after all these years…"
The shrine maiden ignored his ramblings as she stepped forward to his side. Omozu reluctantly cooperated, throwing his arm across her shoulder for support. They made a few steps towards the mess hall, before Hana pointed at the sky.
"Lady Sakura, look!" she squinted her eyes.
The maiden turned her head. A Pegasus knight was descending from the skies and achieved a touchdown next to them. As the steed slowed its landing run into a halt, the resulting gust blew hair into Sakura's face.
"Message!" The sky knight panted, "For Lady Hinoka!"
"Y-yes, one second!" Sakura replied.
She signaled Hana to hurry, and call forward her sister. The samurai nodded and withdrew into the fortress. Omozu refused to move, leaving the both of them standing in the middle of the field. Hana returned with Hinoka within seconds.
"Report?" Hinoka asked with a grimace.
"The Faceless horde is rapidly approaching Fort Jinya!" He panted, "We thought they were far away, but they are less than an hour out!"
"An hour?" She exclaimed, "How's that possible?"
The two princesses listened in horror. After Tsubaki returned to report on the reinforcements, they sent him back to return to Takumi. They didn't expect the Faceless to appear so close, so they did not post another scout for past hours.
"The horde wasn't wandering around aimlessly like you told me." The knight replied, "They're running all in the same direction towards us!"
"Tsubaki!" Hana hissed, "When he came back, he led them straight to us."
"He probably panicked and rushed back here, not knowing they would follow." Hinoka lamented, "This isn't good." No one spoke after the her assessment. Sakura felt her should get pushed aside as Omozu stepped forward.
"I can help fight." He said, "Just give me control of all the…"
He was cut off by another coughing fit. Sakura straightened her back to help support him. The commander's weight bore down on her smaller frame.
"O-out of the question!" She objected defiantly, "You are in no condition to lead! We need you to r-recover."
"I think you should listen to my sister." Hinoka agreed, "We won't let Fort Jinya fall."
"Fuh, fine." Omozu coughed heavily. "I want those dastards wiped out myself."
Sakura helped him back into his room. Her sister and Hana stood outside, visualizing the battlefield, and the direction the Faceless would approach from. The shrine maiden turned away. Samurai around her muttered as she and Omozu stumbled back to his private room.
(This c-can't be happening…)
[…]
Within minutes, Hinoka had assembled the remaining soldiers into formation. It was far from the ideal fighting force, but they had to adapt. Sakura requested most of the healers to keep a close eye on supplies, and to remain inside the fortress.
In the field were three platoons of samurai in a triangular formation, looking at the horizon. In the triangle's center were the archers, whispering nervously upon themselves. Finally, two groups of Pegasus knights flew in a circular path above the field - these were the only forces seperating Fort Jinya from the Faceless.
They have been standing in formation for close to a half-hour. The sunny skies turned cloudy as everyone waited in suspense. Hinoka, who was scouting about the outermost perimeter of the fields, finally made herself visible as she veered towards the Hoshidan defenders.
"Get ready! They'll be here in ten minutes!" She yelled.
Sakura stepped back into the fortress and reported the news alongside Hana. The most experienced of the maidens formed an ad-hoc medical team at the fortresses's gate, holding their staves and festal rods. The less experienced healers continued tending to the remaining sick.
As she returned to survey the field, the samurai and bowmen had brandished their weapon. The lead samurai pointed her iron katana in the air. Hinoka led the Pegasus knights to the ground, shouting some last-minute directives.
"Please hurry with those reinforcements, Takumi…" Sakura whimpered.
"Hey, Lady Sakura." Hana nudged her master, "What were you going to do back then? Were you going to punish me?"
"I don't know…" The maiden admitted, "I'm sort of glad Omozu came out."
They both observed the back of the samurai and archers positioned. Their clothes were filthy and torn at the rear. Sakura had never been this close to a battlefield before. The atmosphere felt surreal.
"Next, time you should." Hana said, "I messed up. You don't need to stand up for me. I hate when others do that, you know?"
"Um, won't that embarrass you?" Sakura stated the obvious.
"Hey, it's fine." Her retainer winked, "He was a sore loser. I was immature, maybe. But then again, I serve you, not the other way around. Don't forget that!"
"Thank you Hana." The shrine maiden smiled weakly, "I knew choosing you as my first retainer was a good choice."
"And your best choice, right?" Hana beckoned. For once, Tsubaki was not present to defend himself.
"O-okay." Sakura grinned. Nothing could get rid of Hana's competitive spirit.
Her attention returned to the grounds. Many of the troops were under Omozu's command. It would be tragic to have them return from battle, just to die on their way home. Sakura sat down and looked forward as her retainer run towards the vanguard. A few healers bowed their heads, whispering quiet prayers.
They needed all the help they could get.
"Let's do this!"
Takumi clenched Fujin Yumi as his new partner stepped to his side. Despite giving his instructions with confidence, the Hoshidan Prince hid his fear inside. Kamui thrusted his peculiar longsword forward. Purple specks fell from its edge.
The dire situation developed in front of them. There existed only one way to reach the fort: first holding the hill, then crossing the field. A large group of Faceless slowly slugged their way up the sloped terrain, towards the archers. The rest continued their onslaught, moving to surround the fortress walls.
Archers spread out into a firing line and shot point-blank into the crowd. The monsters closed the distance to Takumi's army. The pain of being pierced by arrows did not hamper their movement.
"Listen well." The Prince said to Kamui, "Fight at my front and don't let them come near me. I'll pick the ones on the flanks off."
"Sounds good!"
The Nohrian jumped in front of him. After getting two more shots off with his sacred bow, Takumi found himself dangerously close to the Faceless. If they had retreated, they would catch up too easily.
"Fill their skulls with iron!" Takumi ordered.
Being the ones closest to the bottom of the hill, the two princes found themselves within range of the monsters first. Kamui aimed to slash the chest of the closest fiend. The Faceless roared a distorted cry and tumbled backwards down the hill.
Two more Faceless caught attention of his sword and directed themselves towards Kamui. Takumi quickly concentrated on the leftmost one and shot a shining arrow. The projectile cut straight into the monster's head and out the other end. The Faceless fell forward instantaneously, narrowly missing Kamui.
"Thanks for that!" He called as he moved to attack the second Faceless.
"Move closer forward, fool!" Takumi cursed, "You're supposed to keep them off me. I can't concentrate when they're right in my face!"
"Fine, fine! I'll drive them back…" The Nohrian recomposed himself and charged, driving his targets back.
The remaining Faceless ignored Takumi as his partner bolted into the maelstrom. The Hoshidan Prince glanced around frantically at his army. The rest of the creatures reached the pairs of archers. Their fists bore chains that flailed across the air as they swung heavy punches.
The pair-up tactic Takumi demanded was designed to hold the line. On paper, each archer pair would focus on one target. The forward archer would always be prepared to dodge their foe's move, while the other had enough time to draw an arrow for the counterattack.
On the field however, the results were completely off.
The initial wave was relatively small. Each team had efficiently beat back the enemies they fought. Dodge, counterattack. Dodge, counterattack. Their movements were monotonous; but soon after, the bulk of the Faceless finally arrived.
"There's too many of them!" An archer reported, "There's no space!"
"My partner's down!" Another shouted. "Help!"
Takumi grimaced. Ryoma and Yukimura never trained him to launch such a risky attack without a proper frontline. It was never a good idea to rush into a fight against a bigger force but the reinforcements had little other choice.
The samurai abandoned most of the field, and were nearly pushed back to the gates. The Hoshidan found it hard to tell how close the garrison was to annihilation. Perhaps he acted too hastily, Takumi thought. Perhaps the prince charged in without thinking the plan out in full.
(No! I'm better than that!)
"Abandon your pairs!" Takumi exclaimed, "Return to the formation. Everyone, just shoot with everything you got!"
Hearing his agitated command, the teams reformed the old firing line with fear coursing through their hearts. Kamui found himself overwhelmed from fighting the monsters alone in front. After narrowing evading two strong swings towards his head, he retreated to Takumi's side.
"I held them back for as long as possible." he huffed. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "I need some help with the rest."
"Very well." Takumi gripped his yumi. "Then we'll clear them out together."
More Faceless began making their way towards the two princes. Kamui lunged forward and stabbed one of them in the chest. His blade plunged to the other side, but once he pulled it out, the creature continued crawling forward.
"Why are these things so hard to kill?" Kamui yelled as he hopped back in surprise.
Takumi calmly primed an arrow and shot at the Faceless's mask. An accurate hit. The blue arrow dazed the creature.
The Hoshidan Prince narrowed his eyes. "Aim for the head, now!"
Kamui quickly slashed above its chin. Warm, black blood splattered onto the field as the Faceless fell backwards. The other monsters around them stopped for a bit in confusion before running forward in rage.
"You could have told me their weak point earlier!" The Nohrian prince complained.
Takumi retorted, "I thought you would have seen these in Nohr before!"
The Hoshidan Prince continued to stun the Faceless as his partner methodically cut them down. As much as he hated to admit it, the suspicious Nohrian was certainly skilled with the blade. The strange weapon cut as sharply as steel katana.
From the handiwork of the duo, seven bodies of the abominations fell around them. Takumi surmised it would have been more, if Kamui had not been moving around so much. One of the arrows almost took off the Nohrian's sword hand. The Hoshidan paused to assess the rest of his forces.
"Up the path!" One of the soldiers cried. "We cannot hold this position!"
"Step back a bit! Don't turn your back!" Takumi yelled.
Despite fighting vigorously at the front, the rest of the Hoshidans were collapsing into chaos and breaking rank. The firing line curved inward with the bowmen at the very ends pulling back. Isolated arrows continued flying into the wave.
One of the archers did not fall back in time with the rest of the line. The young woman turned her back on the beasts, making a dash for Takumi.
"Grugh!" A Faceless cried as it threw a devastating punch.
The poor soul did not see the attack coming and was hit square in the stomach. Her body propelled into the air at such a height, that she almost flew above the entire firing line. She fell on her back with a painful thump. The archer tried to stumble forward on her legs feebly.
Nevertheless, she failed to pick herself up amid the gasps of her comrades. A Faceless loomed over the female and punched her stomach into the ground with devastating force. Dust rose from the ground as her core was compressed into the dirt.
"No!" Her partner cried and broke away from the formation. The young archer tried to reach his friend, but the Faceless growled at the newcomer, forcing him away.
"Keep firing!" Takumi demanded, frenzy consuming his concentration.
He and Kamui were forced higher and higher up the hill. They could feel the curvature of the ground change underneath them. Retreating downhill meant the Faceless would have an easier time catching up. In spite of Takumi's plans, only about a third of the wave fell from the barrage of arrows. Hoshidan casualties were beginning to rise. The healers in Fort Jinya were nowhere to be seen.
(If we continue this strategy, we'll all die here!)
"Follow and cover my run!" Takumi said, "I'm heading to their rear!"
"What?" Kamui exclaimed, "You're insane!"
"I need to be! Just follow up and cover me!"
Takumi charged downhill towards the field. Thanks to everyone spreading out from the firing line, the Faceless were dispersed as well. Takumi slipped through the holes of the wave and sprinted. Long, slippery grass threatened his balance.
"Watch-it!" Kamui called.
A few Faceless had caught attention of his maneuver. One of them jumped towards him, throwing its chains forward in a daring assault. Just in time, Takumi's partner raced from behind him to parry the attack.
"Nice move!" Takumi exclaimed.
"I got your back!"
The remaining Faceless turned away from them and continued their assault against the Hoshidans. The two Princes reached the very back of the wave. The rest of their army had completed broken their formation and ran towards each other in terror.
The archers clustered together and communication broke down. The Faceless converged on them from all sides. The soldiers at the front were preventing the archers at the back from shooting properly.
"Run, now!" One of them demanded. Takumi's forces were in full withdrawal. The groans of the Faceless deepened as they pursued.
"What do we do?" Kamui panted, "We'll be routed if they leave us behind!"
"Allow me!" Takumi spat.
(We didn't run here for nothing.)
The Archer Prince focused all of his concentration upon Fujin Yumi. With blinding speed, He pulled out blue arrows of light from his hand and shot them into the crowd of monsters blindly. He sprayed the entire crowd, disregarding accuracy.
Only a minority of arrows hit the Faceless, but they were enough to create a diversion. The beasts turned around, livid at the attack. Kamui realized his partner's plan and dropped his longsword to throw stones at the Faceless as well.
The Faceless looked back and forth, not knowing which Hoshidan force to target. Takumi's forced stopped in their retreat and watched their disoriented foes in awe.
"Now's our chance!" Takumi shouted, his hand red in pain. "Eradicate them!"
The Hoshidans grouped back their line again- this time with more cohesion. They resumed raining a barrage of arrows down on their foes.
Takumi started picking down individual targets while Kamui dropped his rocks and picked up his sword. After a few more Faceless fell to the onslaught of arrows from both sides, they too fell into panic. The beasts fled towards the field, into the path of the two Princes.
"Cut them down." Takumi grunted.
"With pleasure." The Nohrian Prince replied, gripping his longsword.
The monsters were in such disarray that they ran completely past the two without throwing out a single punch. Kamui took the liberty to cut down as many of them as he could. Takumi returned to the firing line only after the last Faceless was dead.
A feeling of guilt rose within the Archer Prince for leaving his forces behind. After pondering about it, Takumi believed his absence was what caused the firing line to collapse. For a brief moment, they were safe. The archers crouched in the grass, inspecting their quivers.
"That… actually worked." Kamui breathed.
"As expected." Takumi smirked. His confident demeanor masked a sigh of relief.
He really thought they were going to perish there for a moment. The Prince assessed their damages. He counted twenty-one wounded- most of them unable to continue fighting. On the hill laid the bodies of several Faceless.
Their own reinforcements had taken a considerable blow. Kamui's weapon dripped with thick, black blood. The Nohrian bent down, trying to help the wounded female archer. She showed signs of many bruises and broken ribs.
"Leave her." Takumi ordered.
"Excuse me?" Kamui paused and turned around.
"I said leave her." He repeated with a firmer tone.
"We can't just leave her!" The outsider defied, "She's hurt!"
"She's too wounded to fight." Takumi said with a heavy tone, "We don't have any more concoctions or anyone to..."
The reality of the situation had set in after their small victory. A third of his forces hurt; some of them were beginning to bleed out on the hillside. The only healers were stuck in the fort, and the samurai were being pushed back.
Their late arrival and horrible position might have doomed them all. Takumi put his hand to his forehead and winced. Stress and hopelessness culminated into a dizzying headache.
(It's impossible. Hinoka. Sakura. How are we going to…)
"So." Kamui stood up defiantly, "You're going to just give up then?"
"Give up? Never!" Takumi tightened his fist, "You've got some nerve to suggest that."
A new sureness seized his temper. If an apprehensive newcomer who just came to their family claiming to be his brother did not lose hope, neither would he. Nothing of Nohrian blood would outcompete him.
"Are we ready to advance?" He called into the crowd.
"Aye, sir!" One called. The Hoshidans finished stocking their quivers and stood up.
It felt horrible leaving the wounded behind, but they needed to liberate Fort Jinya. Only then could they get the healers and supplies to care for them. The disturbed field of carnage laid before Takumi's forces.
"All who can march, move out!"
The Archer Prince ran forward down the hill towards the fortress. Kamui followed closely behind along with the remaining soldiers. The samurai were pushed back, still out of view. The second Faceless horde pushed the garrison from the gates.
The monsters seeped into the fortress grounds. Once Takumi reached the hill's bottom, the Prince noticed scattered groups of Faceless still remaining in the field.
"Great Anankos, That's a lot left!" Kamui exclaimed.
"Are you scared?" Takumi accused.
"Of course not."
Within the walls of Fort Jinya, the buildings were tightly compacted. The halls were too narrow for firing lines and they could not launch barrages, or else they would hit their own samurai. Playing it safe meant waiting in the field, Takumi surmised.
(But what about everyone in the fortress, dammit?)
"Incoming!" One of the archers called.
The Prince looked into the sky. A Pegasus knight had appeared from the back of the fortress and was heading towards them. The gracious red-haired rider waved his iron naginata in the air as he approached.
"Subaki!" Kamui called.
"Glad you made it!" The Pegasus knight exclaimed as he landed beside the two.
"What's the situation inside Fort Jinya?" Takumi demanded.
"We found ourselves surrounded in the fields so we retreated through the walls." The Pegasus knight replied, "We're making a final stand in front of the main building's entrance."
"Then we should come through the gates and hit them from the back." Kamui said.
Kamui believing he could understand archer tactics struck Takumi as extremely naïve. It was painfully obvious he never fought with bows on his side before - they would be slaughtered the moment they entered the fort.
"It's not that simple." Takumi scratched his hair, "There isn't enough space for our archers to dodge and shoot."
"Then I'll go in myself and help the garrison." The Nohrian prince suggested, "The rest of your army can help clearing the field."
"Out of the question."
Kamui was the only one equipped to fight within Fort Jinya, and he proved his swordsmanship was skilled enough. The archers could easily pick off the stragglers on the field. However, Takumi had trouble pinpointing the Nohrian's intention.
"I know you don't trust me." He continued, "You sent me here so you can keep a close eye on me, but…" Kamui looked at the ground and sighed.
"But what?" Takumi raised an eyebrow.
"…but, please, give me a chance to earn that trust!"
"Huh." The Hoshidan Prince looked back at the gates.
Once the Faceless around Fort Jinya were defeated, Kamui might be able to clear the entrance. The reinforcements could have an easier time getting in without being surrounded. Hinoka and Sakura only needed to wait a little bit longer.
"Milord?" Tsubaki beckoned for an answer.
"Alright, fine." He gritted his teeth, "I'll give you your chance. If any of my sisters get hurt, I won't forgive you."
"Of course!" The prince said.
"Then Kamui, Tsubaki, get your asses moving and clear the gate!"
The Pegasus knight pulled on the reins for takeoff as the Nohrian Prince ran toward the fortress. Takumi prompted his remaining archers to ready their arrows. The sooner they cleared the field, the sooner they could finish the battle, and the sooner he could become a hero. He was not going to be outdone by his brother.
"Everybody!" He barked, "Let's save our people!"
"Ghaah!"
A powerful Faceless punch propelled another samurai backwards. The monster's chains flailed in the air and clanged against the ground. An archer dragged him behind the front lines to Sakura's group. The healers were waiting with their rods
When the beasts first showed up a half-hour ago, the field was quickly lost as the healers were dispositioned. The Pegasus knights were ordered to demount and fight on-ground with everyone else, but they too were pushed back to the gates.
The defenses there slowly fell apart. The archers' bows were completely useless at the chokepoints, as they risked hitting their own allies. The samurai tried to regroup but ended up becoming swarmed and outpaced. There they were, defending the large doorway that separated the Faceless from Omozu's wounded.
"Die, you monster!" Hana shouted at the top of her lungs.
The retainer was at the very front of the guard, cutting down every monster she fought. Her agile legs prevented her from being hit even once as she seemingly danced in front of the garrison.
"Switch lines, now!" Hinoka commanded from the side.
The most worn out of the garrison retreated from the doorway while the Pegasus knights, turned into mere lancers, replaced them. Sakura took an inventory check of the healers as the horrific yells and beastly moans echoed into the room.
"I'm almost out." One of them said, sweating.
Indeed, the healer's rod grew weakly, dimming every time it was used. In a few minutes, they would be unable to heal the wounded anymore.
"N-no…" Sakura whimpered in despair.
"Don't give up yet!" Hinoka urged, "I'm sure there's not many left."
She could not believe her sister words. The only reason the building doorway was not piling with Faceless was because the fiends were surrounding the entire structure, just like they tried with Fort Jinya's walls. They could hear thumping on the walls from all around. Sakura's healers stood warily, preparing for more injuries.
"It's all me!" Hana cried as she gracefully sliced upward into her opponent's chest.
"Gruruu…" The Faceless moaned in pain.
The samurai continued blocking as much as they could while the knights stabbed with their long naginata lances from behind. The garrison held their position as best as they could. Black and red blood painted the grounds in front of them.
Then came the slip-up.
"Hra-ah?" Hana's cry turned into a confused gasp.
Sakura looked into the samurai line and gasped with fear. Hana had been dealing with their enemies so efficiently that she did not pay attention to their corpses on the ground. While landing, her foot slipped on an arm of a Faceless. She fell backwards awkwardly in front of her foe.
"H-Hana, No!" Sakura reached out her hand helplessly.
Two more Faceless slowly loomed on her left and right, preventing the Hoshidans from dragging her back to the healers. The garrison conceded and backed up slowly, leaving their comrade behind.
Hana scampered on the floor as a third Faceless stood above her. Her face scrunched in fury, cursing her luck. The largest beast wound up its fist without pause. The retainer closed her eyes and awaited its impact.
"Not so fast!"
The punch never came. The Faceless let out a loud, chilling moan before falling forward. Hana quickly crawled back as the falling body narrowly missed her legs. The wounded beast had a javelin sticking out from the back of its head.
A white-haired soldier appeared behind it, gasping for breath. Thick black blood dripped from his sword. Perspiration rolled down his face and pointed ears. Tsubaki was behind the young man on his steed. Several Faceless paused to face the duo.
(Tsubaki is with- who's that?)
"You wandoughts!" Tsubaki exclaimed, "Over here!"
"See you on the other side!" The other soldier called.
The two then leapt off in the opposite direction, with Tsubaki riding away on his Pegasus. Some of the Faceless followed, easing the burden of the garrison. Hana took the opportunity to stand up and return to the chokepoint.
"Hey, doesn't that person look familiar?" A tall, long-haired samurai called.
"Tsubaki?" Hana replied, "Or that other guy?"
The tide of the battle eventually started to turn. The garrison took on the offensive, taking advantage of their divided foe. Hana and Hinoka led the charge, cutting down the monsters and clearing the large doorway.
"They're on the run!" A soldier yelled.
"Don't pursue!" Hinoka replied, "We don't know the situation outside."
As she finished talking, the strange white-haired man returned. He huffed and held the wall, wiping his forehead. Hana sheathed her katana and ran to his side. Sakura gave her festal to the closest healer as she moved to inspect the newly wounded.
"Where is Tsubaki?" Hana asked in a panicked voice.
"He's… flying to the stable…" The stranger took long breaths in between his words, "He's trying… to lure as many… away."
"What's your name, soldier?" Hinoka asked, "That isn't a Hoshidan swo-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the tall samurai lashed out from behind her. The stranger blocked his strike with his longsword and backed up.
Hana frowned and prepared to draw her katana. "What's the meaning of this?" She demanded.
"Him!" The tall samurai pointed, "We fought him at the Bottomless Canyon!"
"Hey now, I think you… got me mistaken." The stranger broke out in a sweat. The grizzly soldier did not look persuaded.
"We'll settle this matter later." Hinoka intervened, "We're still being invaded. Your name?"
Hana lowered her sword but she still regarded the white-haired swordsman in suspicion. The retainer was not the type of person who appreciated being rescued, especially by brigands or by people she did not know.
"Lord Kamui, at your service."
Hinoka folded her arms, "You must be in Takumi's reinforceme- wait Kamui? Are you my-"
(Kamui? It couldn't be. He was kidnapped by Nohr years ago!)
"Maybe. Not important right now." Kamui interrupted, "We need to clear out this fort immediately. Takumi's regiment is fighting in the field as we speak."
Hinoka's face went blank. The archers finished dragging back the wounded samurai at the front. Sakura also stared in disbelief. Her older brother, who she thought she would never see again, was standing right in from of her eyes.
"Tsubaki has lured part of the Faceless to the stables." Kamui continued, "The rest are surrounding this building, trying to find another way in."
"Then we strike while they're distracted." Hinoka concluded, snapping out of her trance. This was no time for a family reunion. "Samurai, prepare to move out!"
"Great idea." Kamui nodded, "I'm willing to fight with you."
Sakura finished healing the last soldier and hurried back to Hinoka's side. Her last festal was beginning to fail. If they were going to push out of the building, the maiden thought, they need a small detachment staying behind to guard the doors.
"Join Hana's column." Hinoka ordered Kamui, "We need to create some space. Hopefully, Tsubaki's ride can outpace them."
"Only thing I hope, is for you can keep up." Hana sneered. She unsheathed her katana and signaled her samurai to begin leaving the doorway. Kamui followed at the end in annoyance. Sakura nudged at her older sister timidly.
"Everyone is h-healed." She whispered, "But can you have some guard the door?"
"Of course." Hinoka nodded, "I'll place some guards at the door. Go back to Omozu and tell him we're on the attack."
"Y-yes!"
The healers returned to the makeshift hospital and inspected the frightened patients. Sakura ran off to the commander's room in the back and opened the door. As she ran, she pondered about the mysterious stranger.
(Is that person really my brother?)
The sickened man was staring at the ceiling, sitting up after seeing her arrive "Those damn Faceless are loud." He complained, "What's going on out there?"
"We p-pushed them from the building doors." Sakura explained, "We are now clearing them o-out of Fort Jinya."
"Ah, good." Omozu closed his eyes and laid down, "I miss the fighting."
Nothing could describe the disbelief in Sakura's mind. She saw samurai punched into the walls, and metal chains slammed into their faces. Some of the wounds were so grotesque, they needed two spells to fully heal.
(How could anyone miss that… terror?)
The maiden dismissed her thinking and checked on her patient. The injuries were still recovering - much slower than expected. Still no signs of infection, however. If the fortress, is saved, Omozu would be out before next week.
"Is it just me, or is it getting louder in here?" The commander slowly got up again.
"Eh?" The maiden looked around for the source of the sound.
A small crack formed on the wall plaster. It slowly grew with each large pound from the outside. Sakura's mouth opened. The Faceless pounding on the walls were beginning to breach the room.
"Hey, what's going on?" Omozu asked in alarm.
"Ah…"
Before she could reply, a mighty boom rocked the room. The crack blew open, causing large chunks of wall to fall into the private room. The sheer force threw Sakura onto the ground; dust fell onto the floor around her.
Omozu coughed heavily from the debris and rolled over on the bed, protecting his face. From the hole of the wall peered several Faceless. One jumped into the room and gazed at the shrine maiden, its chains and metal plates rattling.
"A-ahhh! N-n-nooo!"
She screamed while standing up. The samurai at the gate were too far to save them. The fiend approached forward- drool dripping from its mask and a musky, foul scent condemned her nose. The only door out was cut off.
Powder and tiny bits of wood were not settling down. Sakura tripped as she backed up, falling into the corner. Shards and unknown fragments dug into her back as she put her arm in front of her face. She pictured her impending demise.
"Hrah!"
Omozu yelled. The creature stopped approaching Sakura and turned around. She dropped her arm to see iron shuriken stuck from its back. The ninja commander was standing up, leaning against his bed with his limped leg.
"Hey… get out of here." He coughed.
"Omozu!"
The three Faceless changed course and headed towards her patient. The fiend hit with the shuriken pounded its fists together in wrath. They were going to kill him, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it, Sakura thought.
"Run now! Please…" Omozu coughed hoarsely, "Get the hell out of here!"
Instinct took over her mind from despair. The shrine maiden dashed towards the door as more Faceless jumped in from the hole. The fiends cut off Omozu from the exit, who simply kneeled in front of them and shut his eyes.
The last thing Sakura heard before scream for the door guards was his final, bloodcurdling scream as his body was torn apart.
Takumi's archers ran through the gates. They had cleared the field with ease and were ready to fight within the Fort. The Hoshidan Prince looked around in worry. Kamui and Tsubaki were nowhere to be found.
"What's the situation inside?" He whispered to himself.
The doorway did not have any Faceless in front of it, as Tsubaki reported. Other than a few guards at the door, the rest of the samurai were in small groups distributed throughout the fortress grounds, fighting viciously with the enemy.
"Alright, the battle conditions have changed." Takumi demanded, "Join up with the garrison and help clearing out the remaining enemies. Have fun out there."
"Yes, sir!"
The Hoshidan reinforcements went off in all directions. Fresh Faceless corpses littered the grounds, giving off a pungent smell. In the corner of his eye, Takumi caught sight of Kamui and retainer Hana running together besides the building.
"Hey, Takumi!" Kamui called, "We're over here!"
"Yeah, I see that." The Hoshidan prince responded, "Where is Tsubaki?"
"He's at the stable." Hana answered, "He and Kamui divided them up so we could defend the doorway."
"So you stole my strategy then." Takumi rubbed his chin, "Nice work, Kamui."
As they spoke, a guard from the main building sprinted towards them in fright. His expression showed that, despite defending the door, something had gone terribly wrong. Takumi raised Fujin Yumi up again.
"Lord Takumi, Hana!" The guard said, "The back wall has been breached!"
"What?" Hana gasped, "Lady Sakura is back there!"
"She got out in time." The soldier replied, "But we need help, before they reach the room with all the patients!"
"You got it." Takumi said gruffly. The Princes and the retainer rushed inside the building. They still had one last fight to finish.
[…]
The three made quick work of the Faceless inside of the building. Hana and Kamui simply blocked the door while another group of soldiers came in through the back and finished off the stragglers in the room.
Takumi's younger sister, Sakura, was weeping in the corner. The patients and healers kept remarkably calm for the entire ordeal. They stayed in place silently as they listened to the beasts being slain.
"I think that's the last group!" Hana called.
"We won? Takumi breathed.
(We finally won!)
"No…"
Kamui stood trembling, his hand in his face. The Nohrian prince dropped his sword; the blade hit the ground and laid at his feet without barely a sound. Takumi ran to his side to figure out what he was staring at on the floor. A mangled body laid among the bodies of the Faceless. Its torso was beat senselessly and blood dripped from its chest. Within a heartbeat, he recognized who it was.
Commander Omozu was dead.
"No!" Kamui fell to his knees, "Why did you have to die? It's my fault…"
"No it's not." Hana patted him on the back, "We saved most of his detachment. He was an honorable servant to the very end." The Nohrian's body shook as he shook his head profusely.
"Soldiers of Hoshido!" He heard Hinoka call outside, "Fort Jinya has been secured! Our country stands victorious!"
"We did it." A member of the garrison said, holding his beating chest.
"We did it!"
Her announcement was followed by the cheers of ecstatic men and women. The patients heard the call as well and some cried tears of joy. Sakura's healers got back to work immediately, opening up the medicine closets. The Hoshidan flag would proudly look over these rugged plains once more.
"Thank the Dawn Dragon…" Takumi shook his head.
The jubilant atmosphere was only missing the happiness of two people. Kamui punched the ground and stood up, biting his lower lip. Sakura stepped out of the corner, still quivering. Takumi, on the other hand, had never felt more alive in a while. The battle was finally over, and they could finally return as heroes.
Thus concluded the battle at Fort Jinya. Takumi volunteered himself to rally all of the remaining defenders. Of the hundred soldiers and forty patients, about half were wounded, or wounded again. Twenty more were hurt in Takumi's detachment.
In Sakura's eyes, the next hour went by in a blur as she picked herself up and aided in the aftermath. Tsubaki returned from his ordeal at the stable and flew off to the nearest village to request supplies. The sunset shone brilliantly in the distance, ruined by the rotting corpses in the field. A soldier whispered a prayer before covering Omozu's body with a thin white tarp.
"Hmm." The tall samurai confronted Kamui as he walked towards the door.
The white-haired Prince stood in silence and they gazed at each other face to face. They shared some sort of history that the shrine maiden could not decipher. The samurai was the first to offer his hand. Kamui shook it with a nod of his head. Whatever rivalry or spite they had in the past, it was dismissed. The Prince appeared comforted, as if an ancient wrong was corrected.
"Kamui…" Sakura heard Hinoka murmur at her side.
As the samurai walked away, Kamui spun around to see the redhead princess rush towards him and giving him a strong hug. The noble stepped back slightly, attempting to keep his balance.
"Are… you really my brother?" Hinoka said, digging her face into his midsection.
"I, I think so?" Kamui replied, not knowing what to do.
"Finally, you-!" She cried, "I thought I lost you forever!"
Sakura felt a smudge of second-hand embarrassment as she witnessed the gaffe.
"Ah, yeah," Kamui scratched his hair, "I… missed you too."
"I just can't believe it!" Hinoka continued to sob, "Hah, Nohrian scum! We finally brought our brother home."
"Neither can I...?" The Prince blushed. He tugged at his collar anxiously.
Given all that happened, Sakura found herself bewildered. Everything about Kamui was a mystery. If this was really their brother, how did he return from Nohr?
She would also be expressing her happiness just like Hinoka, but her shyness blocked any efforts to join in the conversation. It looked like her brother had enough in his hands for the time being.
"Hey, Sakura," Hana poked, "Oops, I mean, hello Lady Sakura."
"It's fine. No need to be so formal with me." The shrine maiden said, "I prefer the times in the past when we were just friends and equals."
"As you wish, Lady Sakura!" The samurai tilted her head, "Er, I mean sure Sakura!" The maiden let out a small snicker. "I guess I'll try to get used to that. It just kind of feels off when you always talk to me in such a proper tone."
"I've been raised this way." Sakura replied, "Just an old habit."
She just wanted to leave the world to return to the past, even for a single conversation. She wanted to forget about the responsibilities she had as a princess and about Hana as her retainer. Omozu gave himself up to give her a chance to live despite knowing nothing about her. If Hana ever did the same…
"'Course! Just like old friends then!" Hana smiled.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Sakura asked.
"Whatever you want to talk about."
"Whatever I want?"
Hana shuffled her feet. Any free time she had, Sakura's retainer was usually honing her skills or challenging Tsubaki to some crazy bet over "who the better retainer was". Rarely did they ever talk freely with each other.
"Yeah." She said, "These past few days here in Fort Jinya was crazy work for both of us. Why not have some time to have a chat?"
"I guess…" Sakura agreed.
"I'm all ears! What's on your mind?"
Sakura motioned the retainer to walk to follow her to the warehouse. It was the only building the Faceless did not get close to, so it felt the most peaceful. They found themselves a table to sit and rest their tired legs.
"I wanted to continue our conversation earlier." She mused, "Remember when we first met…"
Hana frowned, "Before I became your retainer? It wasn't too long ago."
"Yes, we were pretty stubborn back then." Sakura said.
Stubborn was an understatement. Hana caused a headache for the Hoshidan army, sneaking in on their training as often as possible. Of course, not many of the other trainees minded. She dashed off whenever the instructor noticed her prescence.
Sakura watched in bemusement at the side every time that happened. One day, she pushed herself too hard, and scraped her leg pretty bad. That was the moment the shrine maiden got the self-assurance to approach her and offer to help. That was the day they met and became close friends.
"Stubborn?" Hana was taken aback, "Well, that wasn't my biggest problem back then. My form was atrocious. Couldn't even beat that Hinata chump back then..."
"I guess I was pretty stubborn was well." Sakura admitted.
"How? You were nothing but help back then."
"When Queen Mikoto gave me my first retainer, I chose you." The maiden stared outside the large warehouse opening, "After seeing you train for so long, I had to choose you. The instructors weren't happy, but I kept on insisting."
"And in the end, you won out." Hana finished, "I never knew..."
"And here we are today."
(We've changed a lot, haven't we?)
"Gee, now I'm starting to miss the past as well!" Her retainer exclaimed, "I want formal Sakura back, not the elderly one!"
"Hehe…"
Sakura was the youngest member of her family, and Hana was one of the youngest retainers in the entire army and had an entire world to explore. Recently, they found themselves busy at work, all the time.
"Well, we still have a lot in front of us." Hana said, "Come on, you didn't bring me all the way here for a story, right?"
"Yes. I just wanted to thank you for helping me leave my sheltered life." The Princess admitted, "All the places you brought me to while you trained, I would have never gone if you didn't become my friend."
"Hey, it's no problem!" the samurai grinned, "I should thank you for tending to all those cuts and bruises back then too."
Before they could continue their conversation, Takumi walked into the building and joined them. The two looked up at him from the table.
"Hey." Takumi greeted. "Tsubaki has returned after giving news to the villagers. They're willing to help. We can probably start heading back to Mother."
"Yes!" Hana cheered, "About time! I haven't had good mochi in days."
"Thanks Takumi." Sakura nodded "We'll be out shortly."
Her older brother exited briefly.
"We'll, we're going home." Hana said, "Thanks for the chat! Let's continue it some other time."
"Y-yeah." Sakura said.
She and her retainer stood up from the table and rejoined the rest of the patrol. Takumi, Kamui, and Hinoka were already waiting for her.
Never has it felt better to start returning home.
"To victory!"
Takumi raised his glass in the air. The whole royal family was assembled at the dining room. Hinoka, Kamui, and Mikoto sat at the far side of the table. Sakura was at the other side, beside dancer Azura and Lord Takumi.
The two sisters and two Princes returned to the capital yesterday after marching all night, exhausted. They were woken up close to midday, where lunch was already made for them. Tsubaki volunteered to stay behind, supervising the wall's reconstruction to, in his words, "immaculate perfection". Kamui spent most of his time walking beside Hinoka, who could not stop talking to him.
"Dig in!" Mikoto announced. The table was never this full before.
Mouthwatering cuisine greeted them in the middle. Mochi, fish, and kaki was in the middle of the display. Veggies and other favorites lined the outer ring. The aroma seeped into Sakura's nose, triggering a small rumble in her stomach.
"Thanks for the food." Kamui swallowed.
"Hey, did those Nohrian scum feed you properly?" Hinoka asked concernedly, "Here, fill up!" She grabbed the spoons of each dish and started filling his plate.
"Hey, I was fed pretty well." The white-haired Prince protested, "That's too much!"
"That's to make up for the time I wasn't feeding you when you were little." The Princess grinned, "I took up naginata training instead!"
"Oh, thanks then." Kamui sat back down, "I'm grateful for all this food…"
Ryoma and Takumi were busy digging into the tuna. Azura was watching everyone else before deciding what to eat. Queen Mikoto smiled at the sight of all her children. The table had never looked livelier.
"Hey Kamui, can you pass over the bok choy?" Takumi asked.
"Sure."
The Prince reached over to him to bring over the dish.
"Oh, you're finally acknowledging each other." Azura commented, prodding her bowl of rice with her chopsticks.
"Yeah." Takumi said, "We're good pals now. I was just being cautious before."
"Aha…" Kamui rubbed his nose, "I'm just glad we're eating together."
"I'm proud of you all." Mikoto laughed, "I'm blessed with so many, lovely children."
"Yup! This is great!" Hinoka beamed as she passed over more fish to her brother, "Welcome back, Kamui!"
It became quickly obvious why Kamui was so against Hinoka stacking his plate- the Prince had difficulty picking up the smaller portions with his chopsticks. The measly attempt to grab the shrimp led to an inelegant battle with his food.
"Oh yeah." Takumi spoke up, "Did anything come out of Omozu's written report?"
(Omozu)
The name hurt every time it was spoken. Sakura looked up at her brothers in alarm. Kamui did his best not to look up from his plate.
"Nothing much." Hinoka shook her head, "He hasn't finished it. All he said was a border skirmish after one of the Nohrians attacked a guard."
"Do we know who launched the attack?" Takumi pressed angrily.
Hinoka shook her head. "He didn't get down to writing the name."
"Hey, Hinoka can you teach me how to use these?" Kamui interrupted. His sister happily obliged as she gave a quick demonstration. Azura looked on at both of them in curiosity.
The rest of the gathering progressed uneventfully. Takumi bragged about how his strategy saved everyone at Fort Jinya as Kamui nodded in what looked like forced agreement. Hinoka and Azura listened intently as they talked about how they divided the enemy, and charged forward to save the fort. Sakura stared at her bowl of rice and ate quietly. The events of yesterday's battle have not yet left her mind.
[…]
The shrine maiden was the first to leave the table, followed by Azura. Their appetites were the smallest of the bunch. As the reserved songstress returned to the main hall to practice her singing, Sakura made her way towards her room before being interrupted.
"Hey! Sakura!"
She turned around and saw Kamui jogging towards her.
"Y-yes?" Sakura paused.
"You're my sister aren't you?" The prince said, "I didn't have a chance to talk to you like Hinoka and the others."
"Oh, um, h-hi." Her words stumbled out, "B-brother."
"Am I frightening you?" Kamui asked, taking a small step back.
"N-no!" Sakura waved her hands, "You're not scary, I-I'm just a bit nervous."
"Oh alright, good!" He said, "I was wondering if you were avoiding me."
Sakura inspected her brother closely. What stood out most about him was his slightly red eyes and pointy ears. In battle, his face was fierce with determination. In front of her however, his friendly smile gave off a calming demeanor.
Kamui looked nice enough.
"What do you n-need?" Sakura asked, "You looked like you weren't done with your food."
"Wasn't hungry." Kamui shrugged, "The Faceless made me lose my appetite."
Sakura paused. If that was the only thing Kamui lost to the Faceless, he was lucky. The Prince's expression turned sorrowful.
"Anyways, I want to ask you about Omozu." He continued, "Do you know him well?"
"N-no." Sakura winced at the name, "I was h-his caretaker. I'm not too familiar…"
"I see." Kamui sighed, "I'm sorry. You were so distraught by his loss. I shouldn't have said anything."
"It's f-fine." Sakura said, "We helped save as many of h-his people as possible."
(But, why do you want to know about him?)
"He was a courageous ninja." Kamui nodded, "I can't believe he's gone now."
"Yeah…"
"So what about you?" The Prince's eyes lightened, "Tell me about yourself."
Sakura blinked. She wanted to tell him she only talks with family or retainers. Her eyes drooped downwards until the shrine maiden was looking at her feet. Kamui looked trustworthy, but not enough to make her comfortable in the conversation.
"I'm a shrine maiden." Sakura explained at last. "I help h-heal the wounded and the sick."
"And why did you become one?" Kamui asked, "Did you think you weren't strong enough to become a soldier?"
"That was one of the r-reasons…"
As the talking continued, she found herself at increasing unease. Sakura thought she should be happy her brother wanted to know her better. At the same time, he was a total stranger. The anxiety grew in her stomach.
"I-I'm s-sorry Kamui." Her speech deteriorated further, "I'm terrible at c-conversation, can we t-talk later?"
"Uh, sure!" He responded, "We'll try again another time!"
And as she heard his reply, the shrine maiden quickly made her way to the quarters. The white-haired Prince was left behind in confusion, wondering what happened. Sakura did not turn around to say goodbye.
Takumi closed his eyes and concentrated. The blue light returned to his hand and extended as he pulled back from the Fujin Yumi. He released the projectile, hitting the target in the distance with ease. A bulls-eye.
"Nice shot!" Kamui called from the side.
In the afternoon, Takumi had called him out to train together at the outdoor shooting range. Kamui clumsily carried around a practice bow and shot at a closer target. The arrow hit the outermost edge of the wooden cutout.
(That form needs improvement)
"Hey Takumi, I have a question about your sister, Sakura." He said suddenly.
"Sure, what do you need to know?" Takumi lowered his bow.
"She's hard to talk to." Kamui complained, "Is she like this to everyone?"
"To strangers," The Hoshidan prince answered, raising his weapon again.
It was an especially bad time to talk to her right now, he thought. Fort Jinya was the first time she was healing people close to a raging battle. She was clearly hungry at lunch, but she couldn't stomach any of the food.
"I want to know more about her." Kamui said, "Why did she become a healer?"
Takumi concentrated again and the familiar blue light appeared. "Oh, that. She stutters a lot, doesn't she?"
"Yes?" The Nohrian prince replied, "How's that relevant?"
"That's your answer right there." Takumi said after shooting at the target. Another precise hit. "Sakura had a speech disorder when she was little. She didn't have many friends since she couldn't talk properly."
"Oh?" Kamui raised his practice bow as well.
He took a shot against the target. This time, it went completely wide. The Hoshidan Prince put his Fujin Yumi to the side and observed his form. Kamui gulped and reached for arrows from his quiver.
Takumi continued. "Sakura didn't want to be alone, so she studied healing and tried to correct her condition. She did quite a good job. The only time she stammers is when she gets nervous, but her speech is totally fine once she gets relaxed."
"Wow. That's amazing!" Kamui exclaimed, "That's- ouch!"
He whipped his hand to his mouth. An arrow had jabbed him on the finger drew some blood. The Hoshidan Prince rolled his eyes in disbelief and reached for a cloth on the chair next to them. His brother was clearly not meant to be an archer.
"Hey Kamui." Takumi sighed, "I'm sorry for doubting you before. We had different pasts and I was a bit suspicious. Now I can see you're dedicated to Hoshido."
"Ah, no need to apologize." Kamui shrugged, "I was given the opportunity to prove myself by you bringing me along. Brothers?"
"Brothers."
The two shook hands as they looked at each other in the face. It was the beginning of a new camaraderie. They decided to take a break as Kamui sat down together on the bench. Takumi walked towards the targets to pull out his brother's arrows.
"So she recovered her speech, but not her shyness." Kamui noted, "I see..."
"Hey, take that back!"
A higher pitched voice came from a bush behind them. Kamui was so startled, he slipped off his seat and onto the floor. Takumi swiveled around to see what was happening. From the push popped out Hana with a bit of greenery stuck in her hair.
"Lady Sakura has lots of friends!" She hissed, "Once you get to know her, she is an absolutely wonderful person to talk to!"
"Hana, huh?" Takumi folded his arms. "Sneaking in on people's training again. You never change, do you?"
"That doesn't matter." Hana retorted "Not to him, anyways."
She stepped out of the bush and onto the range. Kamui picked himself up in shame and ruffled his pants. Her personality on the field was usually feisty, but at that time the animosity she gave off towards Takumi's brother was unusually intense.
"Hey, did I offend you somehow?" Kamui said carefully. Hana was still wearing her samurai armor, raising his alarm.
Hana frowned, "Yes you did. Lady Sakura spent years being sad at your disappearance. She cried and tried to hide her tears. Whoever makes my best friend cry is my enemy!"
"… I'm sorry for being kidnapped?" Kamui tried to apologize, completely baffled.
"That's not enough!" Hana declared, "Lord Kamui, I challenge you to a duel!"
"Ok, stop right there." Takumi intervened, having enough of the back and forth, "That's ridiculous. You just wanted an excuse to duel him, right?"
Hana growled inaudibly, verifying his suspicions. She reached for her katana and held it out in front of her. Takumi looked to his brother, wondering how he would respond. Kamui sighed.
"You want a duel?" He said, "You could have just said so. Just give me a second to go get my stuff."
"…Yeah," Hana said, "It's because I got in trouble for challenging people in duels before, so... are you sure you want to go through with it?"
"I just wonder why you really want to fight me." He mused.
"You seemed to be a good fighter" The retainer answered, "When we fought together, your swordsmanship with your ugly longsword was impressive."
"Ugly longsword?" Kamui looked offended, "That's it, prepare for your defeat!"
"That's my line!" Hana gritted her teeth in a smirk.
Kamui abandoned his bow, sprinting towards the armory. Hana brandished her blade and warmed herself up. The afternoon clouds drifted in the sky along with a gentle breeze as Takumi sat back down.
He stared into the horizon, deep in thought. He spent years at home with his family, without Kamui, but having him around didn't seem to change. After all, they were truly brothers and a powerful team. It was as if- it was always meant to be.
Omozu
2 Battles, 0 Victories
Retired: Chapter 4
A/N: Thanks for reading!
How did the battle go? I hope it was enjoyable. I tried writing it in a way that emulates Fire Emblem strategies. Damn destructible walls... Please tell me how I did!
The Arthur Pairing Poll has closed. Congratulations, Arthur x Effie! Poll results are available at my profile page.
Special thanks to Cormag Ravenstaff for beta-reading this chapter!
Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.