Chapter 6: A Mother's Love
"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That is how far the world is from where I am."
Kamui brushed Hinoka's hair as she continued to hug him. The cool air softly blew and, with the fighting over, the snow field was peaceful now. Kamui looked down to the girl hugging him. She was his sister, older or younger he couldn't tell, but from the way how calm she was it seemed like she was at peace…
I wonder what she's been through…
"Hinoka…" Kamui whispered, "Are you feeling better now?"
Hinoka broke off and wiped her eyes, "Y-Yeah… Better than I have in a long time actually."
"That's good!" Kamui chuckled, "I can't stand seeing my siblings sad anyways."
"Siblings…" Hinoka murmured, "I should be the one saying something like that not you."
"Hm? Why's that?"
Hinoka shot a look, "Because I'm your older sister!"
"H-Hey!" Kamui stuttered, "I didn't know! I couldn't tell if you were my older sister or younger…"
"You couldn't tell?" Hinoka repeated, shock in her eyes, "Don't you remember…"
"Sorry, but I've lost any memories of my Hoshido family," Kamui interrupted, before seeing Hinoka was getting tense again, "B-But! I plan to make up for that lost time… so don't worry."
Reassured, Hinoka relaxed a little, "No it's not your fault. What matters is that you've come back."
The sound of footsteps interrupted his conversation with Hinoka. Turning around, Kamui could see Ryoma, Suzukaze, and Rinka walking towards them. They were a little scratched up, but nothing a good night's rest couldn't fix. Taking a closer look, Kamui saw a girl hiding behind Ryoma. She was wearing white robes with red outlining and carried a staff.
"Kamui!" Ryoma called out, a smile on his face, "I see you've met Hinoka. I'm glad you two are safe."
"I have Hinoka to thank for that," Kamui grinned, nodding to Hinoka, "I see you guys found Sakura all right."
Ryoma stepped to the side to reveal Sakura, "We found her safe and sound. It was smart to let your allies assist me."
"Hehe yeah that was the plan," Kamui muttered before walking up to Sakura, "You must be Sakura. I'm Kamui."
Sakura panicked a little, looking around frantically, before looking up to Kamui, "It's… it's nice to meet you Brother. I-I hope I can look to you for guidance…"
Kamui was taken back by her words. Sure she was shy but her words were sincere. Smiling, Kamui put his hand on Sakura's shoulder, "That's what big brothers are for right? I look forward to getting to know you Sakura."
"Of course!" Sakura answered back with a determined look.
Ryoma gave a nod, "It's about time we head back to Mother. It will be dark soon."
Nodding in agreement, Kamui began the trek back to the Hoshido palace, two sisters at his side.
"You'll be sleeping here Kamui," Mikoto began as she slid open the door, "I hope it will suit your needs."
Kamui examined the room. It was the same room he had woken up in when he first met Mikoto, Rinka, and Suzukaze, "This room again? This isn't where you keep prisoners…right?"
Mikoto chuckled, "Of course not Kamui. This is your room. This is exactly how you left it before… before the incident."
Surprised, Kamui observed the room a bit closer. There were drawings of what seemed to be his Hoshido family. There were toys scattered and other objects fit for a child.
"You've left this room alone ever since my disappearance?"
"Well if we cleaned up and replaced your things it would be like we had given up on you," Mikoto admitted, "I couldn't stand such a thought, so I always hoped you would come back… and you did!"
Mikoto smiled and Kamui understood a little what the Empress had gone through. A mother losing her child not knowing if he was dead or worse… holding onto that sliver of hope for so long was inspiring.
"I-In any case, thank you for your kindness Empress Mikoto. I am in your debt." Kamui thanked with a bow.
"Will you not call me Mother?" Mikoto questioned with a slightly hurt expression.
"Gah! F-Forgive me!" Kamui said, panicking, "I mean no disrespect. I just-"
Mikoto interrupted Kamui's panic attack with a laugh, "Don't worry my son. I know it'll take time before it settles in. Just get a good night's rest. I love you." Mikoto smiled before retiring from Kamui's room.
I love you…
A woman
A woman was standing in front of him. Kamui was on his knees, hands to the ground, but he couldn't move. For some reason he was locked onto the woman in front of him. She wore white robes, yet that was all Kamui could see clearly. He tried to reach out to her. He wanted to call out to her.
"Mmm…M-" Kamui couldn't finish the word before purple shards tore through the woman in front of him. Kamui tried to move but he couldn't. All he could do was watch the figure fade into darkness.
Kamui opened his eyes. He had expected the nightmares to continue, but he wished they wouldn't be so sadistic. Sitting up, Kamui wiped his eyes before looking around his room… his room. He wondered how it must have been in here in his childhood.
"Good Morning."
"WHAT!" Kamui frantically got up to his feet and turned around to see Aqua sitting on her knees a few feet away from him.
"A-Aqua!" Kamui blurted out, "Wha-What a pleasant surprise! How…um… how long have you been watching me?"
"Hm?" Aqua tilted her head slightly, "I came a while ago to wake you up. However, seeing that you were having some sort of nightmare, I thought it best that I wait."
At least she had good intentions…
"If you're ready," Aqua continued, "Empress Mikoto is waiting for you in the throne room. We should hurry."
"R-Right…" Kamui answered as he grabbed Ganglari off the floor and followed Aqua out of his room.
"Ah, good morning," Mikoto greeted as Kamui and Aqua entered the room, "Kamui, this may sound strange, but I have a request for you."
"Hmm? What is it?" Kamui asked
Mikoto placed a hand on the throne, "Will you sit on this throne?"
"What for?" Kamui answered back, surprised.
Mikoto took a breath, "This throne carries a divine dragon's blessing that releases a person's true heart and memories if something is ailing them. I believe this is the best way to regain your memories."
"A person's true heart…" Kamui muttered as flashbacks of him choking Jax came back. All the anger that he felt… a crying Elise as she looked at her brother… "I-I don't really think that's necessary Empress Mikoto. Do you believe that King Garon has cast a spell on me?"
"Oh no of course not," Mikoto answered, "I simply wanted to try something that could help you remember."
"With a due respect Empress, I would rather form new memories with our family then remember past ones. At least then I could experience them." Kamui said in an attempt to reassure the Empress.
Mikoto beamed a smile, "That was well said Kamui. You've grown to be a wise young man."
"Well said indeed," Ryoma commented as he entered the room with Sakura, "Mother, we have come to tell you that the preparations are complete. The festival has already begun."
"Ah I see. Thank you Ryoma and you too Sakura," Mikoto acknowledged, "Come Kamui, I must introduce you to our people."
"W-Would that be safe Mother?" Sakura commented as she looked at the two with a worried expression.
Ryoma stepped forward, "I would agree with Sakura Mother. I think it is too early to expose Kamui."
"We'll be fine," Kamui said, "I'll bring Rinka and Suzukaze to watch us. Will that help Sakura?"
Sakura nodded in agreement, "We-We'll just have to watch you Brother. You'll be safe for sure."
As Mikoto nodded at Sakura's words, they left the room with Kamui and Aqua leading them.
"I still have a bad feeling…" Ryoma grunted as he followed.
"LOOK AT ALL THE FOOD AQUA!"
Kamui ran stall to stall observing the various types of food. It was nothing like the food in Nohr. The kingdom always kept the "higher" quality food for the royal family. However, the fact that all these delicacies were available to the entire people of Hoshido was incredible.
"You need to slow down Kamui…" Aqua panted as she caught up to Kamui in front of a stand.
"Hm? What for?
"What for?!" Aqua exclaimed, "You're rushing ahead and we've lost track of everyone!"
"So… it's just the two of use?"
"Is that really all you got from.."
Kamui laughed, "Take a breath Aqua. It's ok to have some fun."
Aqua blushed nervously, "I-I know how to have fun!"
"Really now? From our first encounter you didn't seem to know."
"That was under entirely difference circumstances! I'll show you! I'll…I'll eat five of whatever this stand is selling!"
Kamui examined the stand. It was a fried potato stand that was run by an old lady. The potatoes were served on a stick and they showed off a golden-brown skin. The potatoes themselves were decently sized.
"Fried potatoes huh? Didn't know you were a fan Aqua."
"Fri-Fri-Fried… potatoes." Aqua stuttered with eyes of defeat.
Kamui chuckled, "Come on. We'll only get two."
Before Aqua could argue, Kamui turned to the old lady running the stand, "Two potatoes please."
"Here you are," the old lady said as she handed him the treats, "It's so refreshing to see the youth partake in festivals."
"It would be a shame to miss something like this," Kamui commented, "How much do I owe you?"
"Oh nonsense they're on the house. You just go have a sweet time with your girlfriend."
"GIRLFRIEND?!" Kamui and Aqua exclaimed in unison.
Aqua was the first to respond, "Oh nonononono. You're mistaken ma'am. We barely even know each other."
"Y-Yeah. We've only known each other for a day at least."
"Oh the young stages of love. The youth are truly wonderful." The old lady laughed as she retired to the back of her stand.
"On the bright side," Kamui began after a brief moment of silence," We got these for free. Let's find a place to sit and enjoy them."
"R-Right," Aqua replied, still bewildered by the old lady's comments.
After some time of moving through the crowds, Kamui and Aqua found an isolated bench under a tree.
"Ahhhh," Kamui sighed in relief as he sat down, "There's so many people here that walking has become a hassle."
"Agreed, but it is nice to see the people happy and peaceful," Aqua said as she sat next to Kamui.
Kamui handed Aqua her fried potato as he took a bite out of his. The potato was crispy and a little soft on the inside and surprisingly it was still hot.
Aqua took a bite out of her potato, "Mhm… with Nohr using those monsters to weaken our borders and with King Garon not willing to negotiate, you can imagine the stress that it's putting on the kingdom."
"Hmm… I can imagine. You seem pretty knowledgeable of the situation between Hoshido and Nohr. Mikoto doesn't worry?"
"Why would she? I have no contacts in the Nohr Kingdom. I'm no spy, so I assist Empress Mikoto and Lady Sakura when I can."
"That's entirely different from my time in Nohr. The only way I even found out about the conflict with Hoshido was through the castle's servants."
"Understandable. I'd wager our experiences with our "families" are different fhrom one another."
Kamui gave off a chuckle, "So we're like the two sides of the same coin?"
Aqua smiled, "It would seem so."
Heavy footsteps interrupted their conversation as a light-brown haired man walked up to them. He had a ponytail and wore attire of an archer. There was a bow at his back, but it didn't have a string… strange.
Aqua got up, finishing her treat, "Ah Takumi, what can we-"
"Mother requires your presence at the dragon shrine," Takumi interrupted with a cold stare.
Aqua was taken back, "Oh, then we'll head there straight away. Let's go Kamui."
Before Kamui could take a step forward, Takumi blocked his path. Takumi looked straight into Kamui's eyes, "You might think that you've fooled everyone, but I won't believe it. I don't trust you Kamui."
Before Kamui could respond Aqua stepped in, "We should hurry Kamui. Thank you for getting us Takumi."
Kamui followed Aqua. Looking back, Takumi was looking at the ground.
Aqua and Kamui pushed through the crowd of people around the shrine until they were at the opened center with Ryoma and Sakura. Mikoto was rallying the people and when she saw Kamui she gave off a smile.
"Come here Kamui." Mikoto said with a gesture of her hand.
With a nod from Ryoma, Kamui walked to the front of the shrine. He could feel the gaze of the crowd as he walked…
"My people…" Mikoto began as she held Kamui's hand, "Today we welcome back a long lost prince. A prince taken away from us by the Kingdom of Nohr. A prince we believed we would never see again. But I believed and kept hoping that he would return, and after long last he has. As the Empress of Hoshido, I welcome back Kamui, Prince of Hoshido… and my beloved son." Mikoto stood in front of Kamui and smiled as she finished.
If there was any time for applause, any time for an uproar, it was not given as Kamui's Ganglari began to give off a red mist. Kamui looked down to see that the eye lid had opened, but before Kamui could grab his sword, it broke away from his waist and zoomed past Mikoto to someone in the crowd.
It was a cloaked man that grabbed the sword. Once he grabbed it, he thrusted the sword into the ground causing a purple explosion. All the people around him seemed to be swallowed by it. Suddenly, the sword burst into multiple purple shards… and they shot themselves straight towards Kamui.
Shit!
Kamui gasped as the shards closed in. He barely got his hand up before someone stepped in front of him, the shards piercing their body.
NO!
There was the gasp as Mikoto fell, but Kamui caught her before she hit the ground. The shards had disappeared so maybe…
"A-Are you ok?" Mikoto moaned, "Y-You… You aren't hurt… anywhere."
"I'm-I'm fine!" Kamui blurted out as he looked into Mikoto's painful eyes.
"Thank goodness…" Mikoto whispered with her dying breath.
"MOTHER!"
It was the first time he called her that… but he called her too late.
"Mother please…" Kamui whimpered as he looked down on her body.
Sakura called out to her mother. Ryoma attacked the assassin, but he must've failed. There was no sound of pain, no blood spilt, and no corpse. Just a slash of air and a dead mother in front of Kamui.
The worst thing… the worst thing was that he couldn't remember anything. No memory to reminisce over… to remember her by. In his heart Kamui knew his mother was someone special to him, but in his mind she was just another stranger… a damn stranger.
Kamui clenched his fists and yelled to the sky. Purple flames erupted around him as his hands turned to talons, his cape turned into wings, his scream into a roar.
MAKE THEM PAY.