As much as she hated to admit it, Rhajat was a lonely person. Her parents feeling distant for a large portion of her life didn't help. She knew it wasn't out of malice, but that didn't change how it affected her. Her mother not making it to her departure wasn't helping either, even if she did love her. She hoped that she could at least make it to her graduation, along with the rest of her family.
She was a mixture of surprised and elated that she received a letter from them. One from her grandfather, one from her father, and one from her mother. She placed all three letters on her bed and stared at them. She wasn't entirely sure which one to read first. She hadn't heard from her Mom in a bit, but she was also interested in what Hayato and Fuga had to say. She had been gone for a few months by this point. She smirked a bit, wondering if her father had cried at all since she had been gone. She had no room to talk, but she still was amused by the thought. After mulling it over, she decided to start with her Mother, Way.
"Hello Rhajat. I'm so sorry I missed your departure. I wanted to send you a letter earlier, but honestly I just felt bad. This is an important next step for you, and I missed it. Once again, I'm sorry. But that's enough of that. I hope things are going well at Garreg Mach. Hayato has told me that you got to be house leader! I'm sure you're doing great. You've always been an independent person. You're strong too, they're lucky to have someone like you to follow. Keep doing your best, not that I have to tell you that. Love, Mom."
Rhajat read the letter a few times with a smile. She never really understood why her Mom was always so busy. She would always say it was "post war affairs" but it ended so long ago. She knew a war didn't just "end" once the last body hit the floor, but the war was completed before she was born. She had no idea what could be taking so long. However, she continued to trust that she genuinely was busy with something. She highly doubted her mom was lying to her. Regardless, she decided to pick up Hayato's letter next.
"Rhajat, my beloved daughter. How are you holding up? I'm sure you're doing fine, but you know I can't help but worry. I hope you're learning a lot too! Staying in one place isn't going to help you mature. You grow through new experiences and challenging yourself. Believe me, I used to be pretty immature too. I wanted to be an adult so badly, but now I realize how foolish I was being. I'm glad you managed to avoid the same pitfalls I fell into. You've grown into such a remarkable woman. I know you'll continue to grow and grow. Love, Dad."
Rhajat also read his letter a few times before putting it down. Her parents meant a lot to her. Not just because they brought her into the world, but because she felt they were genuinely good parents. Neither of them were perfect, but no parent was. She knew she was loved, and that was what was the most important thing to her. Her father taught her so much, such as how to cast magic and many concepts about it, as well as about life. There was still one letter left, the one from Fuga. She picked it up and began to read.
"Young Rhajat, I hope you're doing well. I'm sure your house is prospering under your leadership. You may even lead the wind tribe one day. There is no doubt in my mind that you can pull it off. Things are going well over here. Your parents sometimes sleep in your room. I doubt they mentioned that in their letters, they don't know I'm saying it here. They miss you a lot, as do I. But we all have faith in you. We know it won't be misplaced, as it has never been before. You have proven time and time again that you can do anything you set your mind to. Best of luck, we know you're going to accomplish great things. Love, Grandpa."
Rhajat didn't notice she was crying until a tear drop hit one of the letters. She was just thankful no one else was in her room. She hoped she was doing a good job as leader. She didn't want to let her family down. It had only been a few months, but a decent amount of things had taken place. She wasn't sure if she should tell her family everything, such as her dragon form being revealed or Azura. But she did know that she had to write back to them. She picked up the letters and placed the three into her desk, so she could see them whenever she wanted. She then pulled out a pen and paper, and got to writing.
"Hello Mother, Father, and Grandfather. It's good to hear from you all. I'm doing fine. I've managed to bond with SOME of my classmates at least. Regardless, they all follow my lead well enough. It's not just me though, our Professor has done well at keeping us safe too. There have been low points and lots of stress. However, I do think I made the right choice coming here. I've... formed relationships, learned new things about life and myself. I can only go higher. I've made enemies too, but I'm not letting that slow me down. Nothing will. I hope I can continue to make you three proud. No, I know I will. I refuse to let you three down. Over my dead body, not to say I'll die. You all know me. Thank you. Love, Rhajat."
Rhajat stared at it for a bit longer, just to make sure there wasn't any more she wanted to add. Once she was sure, she folded her letter and placed it in an envelope. She wasn't sure when she would hear from her family again, but she knew she was looking forward to it already.
With the letter sent off, Rhajat was on her way to return to her room. On the way, she saw Shiro carrying flowers. Considering that it wasn't something she saw often, she had to admit her curiosity was piqued. She walked over to him, which he noticed. He grinned at her and waved.
"What's with the flowers?" She asked, pointing at them.
"Oh these? Professor Byleth gave them to me for my birthday."
Rhajat looked a bit surprised. "It's your birthday? Well... happy birthday."
Shiro blushed a bit but smiled. "Heh, thanks!"
"Hm..." Rhajat mumbled. An idea had just crossed her mind. "We should do something."
"Oh, there's no need to." Shiro reassured. He didn't want to burden anyone. "It's just a birthday."
"I guess." Rhajat said with a shrug. "But... you've always been a good friend to me. So I feel I should just pay you back." Rhajat had a hard time forgetting when Shiro was concerned about her, to the point that he kept practically shoving meat in her face. It was annoying to her, but also sweet in a weird way.
"Well... if you insist." Shiro relented. His face then turned a bit dark. "Just... don't invite Corrin."
Rhajat lifted an eyebrow. "Why's that? She's a part of our house too."
"You know we don't get along." Shiro replied.
Something about that annoyed Rhajat, but she couldn't put her finger on why. "You mean, you don't get along with her? I'm sure she'd love to be your friend."
"Yeah well the feeling a'int mutual..." Shiro couldn't forgive the kid of his father's killer. Everytime he looked at her, it just reminded him that his family wasn't here anymore.
Rhajat growled. She wasn't sure why, but she was getting frustrated. "Look. It's war. Your father, the crown prince, probably killed a bunch of Nohrians. There were so many people who are like you, because of him. Plenty of kids out there who had to grow up without mothers and fathers! Let's push that aside for a moment though. Even if Corrin's Mom was some evil witch, that's not Corrin's fault. I get you're hurting, but stop taking that out on her you meathead! She's been nothing but nice to you, but you keep pushing her away over pettiness! Over something that wasn't her fault! You're a grown man, you need to grow up!" Rhajat took a deep breath. Suddenly, she felt bad. She knew it was his birthday, and she was spending it yelling at him. "...Sorry, that wa-"
"No... no you have a point. It's NOT Corrin's fault. What her Mom did... I don't think I can even forgive her. I don't care if she felt bad about it, or didn't want to, without her he'd still be alive. He'd have been able to be there for me, and so would Mom. But... you're right that at some point, I need to let go of this resentment. I... I can't forgive her... I can't forgive Corrin. But I can at least be civil with her." Shiro looked up at Rhajat and smiled.
Rhajat was a bit surprised. She then began to smirk. "Maybe you're not as thick headed as I thought." She teased.
"Ha, maybe not. Anyway, why don't you go ahead and get everything together. Surprise me."
"Not much of a surprise when you know it's coming, but whatever." Rhajat turned around. "Thank you, Shiro."
"Hey, no problem. I should be thanking you though." Shiro replied.
Rhajat looked back at him and smiled before walking off.
"...You care about Corrin a lot huh?" Azura said.
"Yeah, I guess that's why I got so upset. I told myself I'd... protect Corrin's smile when I comforted her that day. I'd do anything for her, she's my friend after all." Rhajat started blushing a bit. "She's... important to me."
"That's great to hear but..." Azura wasn't sure if she wanted to say it directly. She wasn't sure how Rhajat would react. "Uh, never mind."
Rhajat looked a bit confused, but shrugged it off. She needed to focus on telling everyone about Shiro's birthday. It was a bit too short notice for presents, but she could probably at least get some sort of food from the cafeteria. As well as letting the rest of her house know what was going on.
"I didn't know you could bake Corrin."
Corrin continued to spread the icing on the cake, to spell out "Happy Birthday." "Yeah, Camilla taught me. She taught me a lot honestly."
Rhajat nodded. She wasn't sure herself how to bake, but she was learning a lot watching Corrin. She doubted she'd ever need the information, but she guessed it wouldn't hurt to know. She was a bit surprised how much effort Corrin was putting into helping someone who had been nothing but mean to her, and with no ulterior motive. Rhajat knew she couldn't have done that. At the very least she'd probably put something in it to make her sick, but Corrin wasn't like that as far as Rhajat could tell.
"You're... too kind." She mumbled.
"Hm?" Corrin replied not exactly hearing what Rhajat said. She was rather focused on what she was doing.
"Oh uh, nothing." Rhajat had to admit, she was a bit worried about how kind she was. She felt that she was the type of person who could be taken advantage of rather easily. She supposed protecting her from that just fell under what she already promised herself.
"Well anyway, the cake is just about done." Corrin said. She then started giggling. "I almost hate that we can't eat it yet. It looks so good if I do say so myself. Thanks for all your help Rhajat."
Rhajat blushed. Something about the way Corrin laughed was adorable. She thought Corrin was adorable in general. "I didn't do much. Just passed you some ingredients." She admitted. She did appreciate the comment though.
"It still made it easier." Corrin replied with a smile. She gestured for Rhajat to come over to her. When Rhajat came to her side, they both looked down at the cake. In addition to saying happy birthday, there was a picture of a gray dragon and a lance. The frosting was mostly white, but there was a black border.
"Damn, you really went all out." Rhajat complimented.
"Yeah I mean... I know he doesn't like me... but he's still family you know?"
"Hm, so you consider him family?" Rhajat asked.
"Yeah..." Corrin looked a bit sad. "I wish he felt the same but... I can't force him. Oh sorry, didn't mean to bring the mood down."
"No, I'd feel the same in your shoes." Rhajat agreed. "I know it must hurt..." She almost asked if she wanted her to hex him, but considering how she reacted last time, and given her personality, she figured she'd decline. So she chose not to waste her time.
"It... does to be honest." Corrin admitted. She took a deep breath. "I'm not particularly short on family. I've got my aunts, uncles, cousins, so maybe I'm being greedy. But after losing Mother and Father, I don't want to lose anyone else..."
"Fair enough..."
There was a bit of silence in the room. Neither girl was sure how to follow that up, until Rhajat broke it. "If it means anything, I did talk to Shiro about it..."
Corrin looked a bit surprised. She guessed she should've expected it, but even still. "What did you say? Or... do?" She was a bit tense. She really hoped Rhajat didn't do anything too bad to him.
"Nothing bad just kinda... yelled at him." Rhajat explained. "It kinda just slipped out, but he got the message."
"He... got the message?" Corrin said with a tilt of the head.
"Yeah... I don't know if he'll ever forgive you necessarily, but he may not avoid you as much. He says he'll try to be cordial at the very least."
Corrin stared at Rhajat with a blank expression. She then started smiling and practically leapt onto Rhajat. Rhajat almost fell over, but hugged her back. If anyone else did that, she'd probably be annoyed. Yet she felt warm when Corrin did it. She supposed Corrin was just special like that. She was special to her at the very least.
"Thank you Rhajat just... thank you..."
Corrin finally stepped back after a while, still beaming. She noticed that Corrin was blushing, but wasn't sure why. Regardless, she couldn't help but smile a bit too. Something about Corrin's smile was so infectious to her. It was beautiful even. As far as Rhajat was concerned, Corrin was the cutest, and most beautiful person she knew. If Corrin wasn't so special to her, she may have found herself feeling jealous of her. But instead, she found herself basking in her light.
"I'm... glad that this made you so happy." Rhajat said.
Corrin grabbed Rhajat's hands and looked into her eyes. "Of course it did! I know this doesn't make Shiro and I friends but... it's at the very least a good first step. Even if it ends here, it's still way better than it was before."
Rhajat blushed again, even more deeply. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, both red as a tomato. They then both looked away. There was a bit of an awkward mood in the air, but neither of them minded it.
"O-oh!" Corrin exclaimed. "We should get this cake to the party huh...?"
"Right..." Rhajat agreed. Rhajat quickly walked over to the cake and picked it up. "Do we have everything we need?"
"Uh..." Corrin looked around. "Oh, we should grab some plates too." She walked into a cabinet, bent down, and grabbed some.
Rhajat looked towards Corrin who seemed to be ready. "A-alright. We should go."
"M-mhm..." Corrin agreed a bit nervously. "Um, where is it again?"
"I think we're all meeting up in the classroom."
"Gotcha, let's go."
The duo left the cafeteria and started to make their way to the classroom. Rhajat hoped that the others did what they were asked as well. She did her best to take her mind off of what just happened. Her brain was filled with thoughts of Corrin, as well as what just happened between them. She wasn't sure why, but it was filling her with a very strange emotion that she couldn't pinpoint. She went back to the idea of being under a hex. She knew that the idea was ludicrous, but wasn't sure what else it could be. She sighed gently, figuring that she'd think about it another time.
Corrin on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on and wasn't sure how to feel about it. She knew she had a crush on Rhajat, but had no idea if she reciprocated. She knew that Rhajat thought highly of her, and felt special because of it. She hoped that she'd always hold a special place in her heart. She just wasn't sure how deep that feeling went. She sighed gently as well. She at least was happy to be friends with a person like Rhajat. A person who'd do anything for her. A person who always seemed to have her back. A person she'd love to make her girlfriend.
"Um... Rhajat?"
"Hm?"
"Uh..." Corrin blushed again. "Never mind."
However, she wasn't sure how to go about it. She wasn't sure if she should tell her, at risk of messing up their friendship. She wasn't sure what she'd do if that were to happen. She knows she'd be heartbroken if Rhajat hated her, or was disgusted by her. So she figured it'd be best to just keep it to herself, at least for the time being.
Meanwhile, Azura watched in agony, hoping that the two would realize at some point.
"This cake is so cute Corrin!" Selkie said. "Can we eat yet?"
Corrin giggled. "Almost. Rhajat should be back with Shiro any second."
"I hope so. I'm starving..." Velouria complained.
The gray dragons as well as Byleth waited in the classroom. They had hung up banners, and had food aside from Corrin's cake such as a chicken and various drinks. They figured Shiro would be happy with what they were able to come up with on short notice, though some of them still felt bad for the lack of presents.
Rhajat walked in with Shiro not too far behind her. He stared wide-eyed at the display, and Rhajat turned to face him. "Here you go."
"Wow... damn..." Shiro said, stumbling over himself. "This is... really cool of you guys."
"Well hey, it was Rhajat's idea after all. She deserves the credit!" Asugi said with pride for his friend.
Rhajat could only blush in response. "Whatever, it's not that big a deal..."
"Can we eat now?" Selkie asked, practically drooling.
"I think that's up to Shiro really." Caeldori suggested.
"Well come on everyone, let's dig in!"
Selkie didn't need to be told twice. She immediately ran over to the cake and started cutting it. Velouria wasn't too far behind her, and neither was Asugi. Byleth decided to start with some chicken, as did Shiro. Forrest got one of the drinks, as did Rhajat.
"Say... there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Rhajat began. She put her drink down and folded her arms. "Just how did you know my exact size for the dress?"
"Oh that? I've got a great eye for that kinda thing." Forrest replied. "Been making dresses and other clothes since I was a kid."
"Hm..." Rhajat wondered if that meant Forrest had been checking her out, but decided to let it go given that they were at a party, and Forrest had never done anything wrong to her before. "Well, thanks again for that dress. It was gorgeous. Actually... can I ask you a favor?"
"Of course." Forrest saw making clothes as its own reward. So he wasn't going to even ask for payment, he was just happy to help a friend.
"Can you do anything about my outfit?" She looked down at her uniform. Comparing it to the other house leaders, and even her classmates, it seemed rather plain. "I didn't realize we could customize our outfits to the extent that the others have. Can you make it look a bit... more me I guess?"
"Sure." Forrest said with pride. "Just give me a bit more detail and I'll start on it as soon as I can."
"Right, thank you." Rhajat said with a smile. She looked at the rest of her class having fun. Her eyes soon drifted to Corrin, who was talking to Caeldori. Corrin was smiling and giggling a lot, which made Rhajat smile a bit too.
While she wasn't a social person, she found herself enjoying being at this party. Not to mention, she was happy seeing Shiro so happy. However, she got a bit nervous when she noticed that he was walking towards Corrin. Corrin's smile faded as she noticed too. Despite knowing what Rhajat said, she was still nervous.
Shiro took a deep breath. "Look Corrin I... I'm sorry. You, yourself, haven't given me a reason to be so hostile. I don't know if I'm ready to be friends but... I shouldn't be such a jerk. Sorry."
Corrin couldn't help but smile again. "No, it's no worry at all. I'm just glad that we won't be at odds."
"Yeah..." Shiro replied. He was still feeling a bit bad for how he treated her, but he was hoping this could be a new beginning for them.
Asugi, seemingly out of nowhere, hit Shiro on the back. "Atta boy!"
"I'm proud of you Shiro." Byleth added. She was never sure what to do about their tension, but figured that they'd have to solve it themselves.
Shiro blushed at all the praise he was getting, but still grinned. "Say, we should do this more often. When's everyone's birthday? Any other one's coming up?"
Caeldori raised her hand. "Mine has already passed."
"Wha!? Why didn't you tell anyone?" Selkie exclaimed.
"I... didn't think it was that big a deal." Caeldori admitted.
"Should we throw her a party too?" Byleth asked. She didn't want Caeldori to feel left out.
She shook her head in response. "Nah, we can do it next year."
"Hm. Do you think we'll still be talking by then though?" Velouria asked.
"I think so." Corrin answered. "I'm sure we won't talk as much when we graduate, but we can still all be friends."
"Yeah!" Selkie agreed as she jumped for joy. "I'm sure we'll always be friends!"
Rhajat wasn't going to vocalize it, but she didn't mind the idea. She could get used to having so many people in her life. She smiled softly as her classmates continued to converse. She was glad that things seemed to go so well. Though she still needed to get everyone's birthday, including her professor's. She didn't want any of them to feel like she didn't care for them. Even Caeldori, despite how at odds they can be from time to time. She hoped that everyone was right that the nine of them would always at least be close. The thought actually made her a bit sad, that they'd only be here for a year. However, she chose to have faith in everyone, which wasn't something she gave out often. In all of her friends, especially Corrin.
Even Azura had turned out well, considering the two of them got along. She didn't know everything about her quite yet, but she felt comfortable in trusting her. She had never steered her wrong before, and she helped her on multiple occasions. Shiro and Corrin were working on repairing their relationship. She had to admit, it had been a pretty good day for her, and she hoped she was going to have many more to come.