A/N: Looking over this, I think I can confirm… this is a Pre-War Support! "But how? They barely spent any time together?" Well, as you will see… this version of Hinoka is a bit more… dedicated to her previously missing little sister.

Consort: Whoops.

Oh yes, I'm making it quite clear in this fic, that someone who is trained in a 'Hoshidan' weapon can't just swap over to the 'Nohrian' equivalent and be just as good. There are more to these weapons besides one having higher raw damage and the other giving a stat boost.

Honor is as much of a Samurai as their own Katana, so of course someone who's raised Nohrian with a Sword is going to have a differing opinion! Still, Yasei is a Royal, a Princess, she can't go and disregard a Samurai's ways, it wouldn't look good on her in the future.

Soon.

Antex: Hinoka and Yasei are going to have a lengthy and secured sisterly bonding experience, but I can't guarantee that specific topic will be crossed...

But yes, I do have to agree. Honor is good to have, but just like anything else… too much can be lethal. Practice honor when it is safe to do so, but when you have so many lives on the line? War is no place for honor.

Keeping pace with my big sister, I followed Hinoka through the castle, outside of it, a bit into the city itself, before ending up at the stables. The first thing she does is lead me into the stable proper, and goes to a beautifully groomed Pegasus with… a streak of red feathers on either side of its body. "I told you I'd be back soon… how's it going, Firechaser?" Hinoka softly speaks to, what I assume is, her Pegasus. She then proceeds to pat the feathers down and give it a good rub. "You haven't seen her yet, huh? Firechaser, this is my little sister, Corrin!" She then turns to me. "Corrin, this is my Pegasus, Firechaser! C'mere, he'll let you pet him." Firechaser lets out a huff, holding his head high, as if he knows he's the best out of the rest.

Well, I see no reason to refuse, especially since I do pretty well with animals overall. So, I calmly approach him and pet his head, then his neck. "Aw, you're so beautiful!" Firechaser then neighs at me, and even pulls away. "Huh? But…"

"He can understand you… Firechaser, she isn't aware of your preference… you are a handsome mare, aren't you?" Hinoka follows up, and upon hearing 'handsome', he easily settles back into that more regal pose and lets her pet him.

Oh… so, he likes the masculine terms, hm? "He is handsome, isn't he? Built tough and all muscular, I bet the females would crowd to have you…" My cheeks flush a bit at the blunt wording, but… Hinoka doesn't seem to mind and Firechaser definitely approves, as I'm allowed the 'privilege' of petting him.

Hinoka and I spent about twenty minutes feeding Firechaser's manly ego… then another ten minutes actually feeding him, during this whole time we got to discuss whatever came to mind. After that half-hour spent, which I barely even noticed, Hinoka finally got his saddle on, which has fire accents across the leather, she dresses into her Sky Knight garb, which is more reinforced than the training version of it, and a naginata with a sort of… shield on it? She then begins to guide him out of the stable. "Alright, I know this place, it isn't too far from the city." She saddles on top, then extends a hand to me.

Wait, hold on! "Out of the city? Big sister, are you sure? There's a war starting soon and…"

"I've had it scouted out completely, and there will be guards posted around the area. My retainers will also be out there. I'm confident we will be safe for the few hours we'll be there." Hinoka assures me. "Would you feel better if I got Kaze up there, too?" She pats my shoulder, smiling at me.

Is it, really? "I would, but just one question… we're leaving before the sun sets, right? I'll be content with guards out in the daytime, but staying out past then is out of the question."

"Sister? I didn't train this much and work so hard to lose anybody else from an oversight. We'll be leaving before the sun starts to pass the horizon." Hinoka sounds a lot firmer right now.

"Will Firechaser be alright with two on top?" I ask, and I swear to the gods… Firechaser turned his head, looked at me, and rolled his eyes, before going to focus forward again. "Did… did he just roll his eyes at me?!" I point out.

Hinoka chuckles, sounding a lot rougher than any female's laugh. "He's got his allure to him, doesn't he? Toughest one of the lot, took me a year for him to see me as good enough." She pats his head. "He's also the only one who can carry two people in medium-weight armor." She then pats the saddle, which has just enough room for another… if we squished our bodies as close as they can, "...had to make sure there was room for two, y'know? Firechaser was to be the one that I flew back to Hoshido with… after I rescued you." Her tone becomes a lot more serious and somber, though there is still a smile on her face. "C'mon, we've got a lot of daylight left, and I'm wanting to spend it all with ya."

I quickly nod, "You bet!" With that, I finally get onto Firechaser's saddle, which… after pressing up my front to Hinoka's back, am able to squeeze in, with a bit of room to spare. I then wrap my arms around her front, just as I did whenever I got to ride with Camilla and her Wyvern! "Ready when you are!" I exclaim, taking a moment to just… exist within this closeness of Hinoka. Her vivid perfume, muscular body, well-crafted armor… and I take a second breath, this one to calm me.

Pre-flight nerves.

"It's alright, dear Corrin. You won't fall." Camilla had spent over an hour coaxing me from my room, and an additional half-hour every floor we went from the Northern Castle to the Stables. "Skythrasher has more than enough room on her for two, and there's me for support! Aaaaaand, I also have an extra grip for a second person, and I won't be performing anything extreme or flying too fast or high, and would you please let go of that pillar!" Camilla huffed, getting to the end of her rope with how persistent I was with not flying.

"I would rather study magic with Leo again, please! I don't like the idea of going really high! There's a reason I keep part of my window blacked out!" I did end up letting go of that pillar.

"You aren't afraid of flying, you are afraid of falling, which I will not ever let happen!" Yep, Camilla got it right… she always knew. "Come now, when have I ever lead you wrong?"

"...When you snuck in asparagus in that meal of steak and potatoes, claiming it was parsley?" I bluntly pointed out with a huff.

"I still can't believe you figured it out so quickly… I can usually cook something to where you will like whatever I put in there." Camilla acknowledged, "I even got Elise to eat her peas, because I convinced her she was eating…"

"Buds of life!" I cut her off, giggling at the thought. "You told her that if she ate these 'rare' buds, that she would become a better healer!"

"Ah, but was I wrong? Elise had been lacking in nutrients only found in vegetables, and she did end up becoming a better healer." Camilla pointed out, "See? I would never lie to my precious family's detriment."

"Oh, fine… you got me." I completely give in and just follow her. "I trust you, big sister…"

"I trust you, big sister…" I whisper into Hinoka's back. Though, I don't think she heard me, since my voice was just so low.

"Let's go, Firechaser!" That, and before I even finished, she already had her mount take off into the skies! I let out a small yelp at the sudden rise, but no less than a minute later I managed to regain my nerves and look down below.

Oh, wow… being up in the sky never fails to amaze me with how much there is down below. The castle, city, the surrounding plains and trees and forests and even a few lakes… the ocean in the distance. A clear sky and a lovely sun. I take a breath, getting a huge dose of, well… still primarily just Hinoka, since I am clenching onto her front, not that she seems to mind. Strangely enough, I'm associating her perfume or shampoo or whatever is her smell is to be like a pepper… powerful and spicy.

Cinnamon, a bit of… Peppermint? I'm actually really glad we're alone up here right now, lest someone seeing a younger sister sniffing her older sister. Scents aside, there's one thing that's drawing me in more than anything, and that is safety!

I look around and past Hinoka and Firechaser, and in the 'short' distance ahead of us, I can see a lake, on the top of a relatively small mountain… with the very top of it having a sudden incline which would mean someone would either need to bring in some serious climbing gear… or have a flying mount. Huh. "Down, Firechaser, that's the spot!" Hinoka exclaims, rearing down her mount and having us land gently in this serene area. "So, sister… did you enjoy the trip?" Hinoka turns around and smiles at me, before proceeding to both dismount and offer a hand for me.

I mean, I can get on and off myself, but… with my height? I need to sorta hop to get those extra few inches. So, I take the offered hand and get down. "I did! Being really high like that is so fun and freeing and… I just wish I didn't have those pre-flight nerves." And maybe it's just me finally noticing, but gods…

Hinoka is nearly an entire head taller than me! I'm just barely breaching her shoulder height! "Heh, it is, isn't it? And uh, don't worry about those, I swear I won't let anything harm you, okay?" After that brief bit of reassurance, she guides us to the lake itself, where… there's already a small area set up? It's close to the trees, and there's a real small canopy, just large enough for Firechaser, who proudly trots over to that spot. There's two bedrolls, a decently-sized cloth covering the ground, which is being held down by stones on each of the corners, and…

"A picnic?" I recognize, looking up to Hinoka.

"Well, yeah… I wasn't sure what would be nice, since…" I cut her off, but not with words…

But a hug. "It's perfect." I whisper to her. "So, what's first? Can't really cloud-gaze without any clouds… want to go swimming?"

"I, uh… not sure if I brought any swimming clothes?" Hinoka walks over to a spot near the canopy. "I got some food, uh… 'things', but…" She rustles through the bags, making sure her body covers the gasp so I can't see from here, well… not that I'm trying to see, I can wait.

"It's alright, swimming is better without clothes, anyway!" In turn, I go over to the lake. I look back over to Hinoka, who… for a Royal and as family, seems surprisingly alright with my idea. She's… a lot like Camilla, though Camilla would've been near-smothering me with kisses and hugs, but… I actually really like how Hinoka just assures me, some breathing room is always nice. Well that, and I do actually prefer whatever perfume she uses, I should get around to asking that. "So, if you don't mind…?" I reach to take off my dress…

Hinoka shrugs, "I'm more glad you aren't really, uh… 'Princessy' Princess. Only Takumi can get behind not wanting to do all of that Royal stuff, but… y'know, he's a guy." She begins the process of unbuckling her armor.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." But, to be fair, I've been cooped up in a castle for many years. So, I'm naked… Hinoka is mostly done with her armor. And I really want to swim! Sorry, Hinoka, I can't wait! I leap into the water, relishing in the feeling and, hm…

I take in a small breath, and I find myself able to breathe that in like air. Wait, I think I get it… I used some Vallite magic to snap the Practice Katana, so… my 'power source' for the Vallite magic is… water? Huh. Still, in one breath, I manage to swim across from end to end in the lake, before surfacing.

Hinoka has just gotten off the rest of her armor, though she does show more reserve than me and keeps on her bra and undergarments. Oh, wow… her armor has been obviously hiding it, but she's really muscular. Especially her arms and legs, because… wow. I place my arms on the edge. "Coming in? It's a bit cold." I smile.

"Uh-huh, and a little temperature isn't going to stop me!" With that said, she sprints in, and jumps… easily clearing twice the distance past me and landing with a huge splash. I'd be mistaken if she just did a belly-flop. Less than twenty seconds later, she's back up, and next to me. "Up for a race?"

I nod, "I bet I can do more laps than you."

"Pfft, as if. Swimming was a regular part of my training." She counters.

And water is my element… "I think I may just surprise you." We shift around to face the other end. "I'm pretty good at holding my breath…"

"Uh-huh, and you're using a lot of it to talk." Oh, so she's going to be like that, huh? "On go?"

Keeping things completely fair, I start off with, "Three, t-go!" I take my breath and start swimming, trying to contain the ensuing giggles.

"Hey! Th-that's…" Hinoka says, but I soon hear her dive in, anyway, and even with about a two-second head start, she's soon catching up to me! In fact, by the time we are returning from the shallow end on the other side, Hinoka has already passed me! "Ah-ha! I win!" She exclaims as she surfaces, with me coming in nearly five seconds behind.

When I surface, I decide to congratulate her! By splashing some water in her direction. "Got you!" I giggle…

Then I receive a splash of water in my face. "Oh, you're gonna be like that, huh?" Hinoka cups some water…

I get my own water ready, "Uh-huh, I mean, we are al… pfft." I am cut off by her throwing water at my face as I was talking!

"Serves you…" And I treat her in kind, nailing some pond water right into her mouth! She spits the water back out, frowns… then smirks. Keeping her mouth closed, she splashes back. And so the water-throwing battle has begun! However, it is a battle that only lasts about 10 minutes, as Hinoka leaves the lake to grab the towels. "Heh, trust me, I'd love to continue, but we can't afford to be here too long." She says as she is drying herself off.

I leave the lake, and I grab the offered towel. "Right, there is a war starting soon…" I mutter, going unnoticed by her, "Hey, about the war…"

She raises her hand and shakes her head, "Not right now… because right now? This is about making up some lost time." She smiles, but it seems pained. I have been gone for nearly sixteen-something years.

"Sure thing, so… what else do you have planned, while the sun still shines?" I could've asked where the guards and her retainers are, but I'm pretty certain where they are.

"Are you hungry right now?"

Hrm... "I could probably wait a bit longer."

Her eyes light up, "Presents?"

"You got presents here?" I quickly ask, earning a small chuckle from her.

"One for every birthday that I wasn't able to give." Her mood is light, but I can still catch a hint of hurt behind it all. Once we're both dried off, Hinoka puts her Sky Knight armor back on, and I slip back into my dress. She then leads me over to where Firechaser is humbly resting, having drunk over half of his water and devoured nearly every last apple and haystack that was near him. "Right here." A stack of fifteen presents, in piles of five, rest in the corner... just far enough to be hidden without having to actually look. Hinoka easily hefts up two of the piles. "I'll get the third." She declares.

"I can help..." And I do. Or at least, I try. Upon attempting to lift that third pile, I find that it is heavy. "Woah, that's a lot of weight!"

Firechaser does some sort of snickering neigh at me, huffing out some air and raising his head for a bit. "Heh, yeah... I said I'd get it." Hinoka returns, arms empty, she then stoops down and places both hands under the pile, and with a 'huff' of her own, lifts it up. "C'mon, we got some years to catch up on." Following her back out into the clearing, there are now fifteen presents in store. "And... this one first." She goes to one of the other piles, after setting the third one down. She grabs the small box that she mentioned, bringing it to me.

This one is marked as 'Siiis, two year'. Well, daylight is a-wasting, and I got sixteen presents to go through! I easily shred through the wrapping and go to open the box, oblivious to the wide smile now present on Hinoka's face. "And what do I have... oh, it's beautiful!" I bring out what is none other than a hairpin! It's based off of a white lily, though the material itself is some sort of lightweight metal alloy, rather than the flower itself. I proceed to clip it onto the left side of my long hair. "I'll save the *thank you* when we're done, if that's okay?"

"Yeah..." Hinoka gets the next one for me, as I sit there... eager and wide-eyed. "Here you go!"

'Lil sis, year three'. This must be labeled for my age, rather than the years I've been gone. Anyway, opening it as quickly as the first. "Oh my..." I nearly dropped them from surprise, considering how spot on this one is. It's a bouquet of purple lilacs! "Big sister..."

"I-is something wrong with it?" While her question briefly confused me, I suppose it was only a fair assumption... considering it was enough to bring some tears to my eyes. "You aren't allergic to lilacs, are you?"

"No, it's... perfect!" I run some fingers through my purple-dyed hair, "Purple is my favorite color." I very gently place the small vase down.

And to think, there are still fourteen more to go! 'Sister, four years old'. Another set of wrapping, another box... ooo, this time there's a collection of... nail polish? Huh. "Uh, mother suggested getting something really girly..." Hinoka shyly adds.

"I'll be sure to use them, maybe I can paint some of yours?" I suggest, causing her to... flush? "Are you... really embarrassed about it?"

"A bit, already told ya, being a 'Princess' really isn't what I like to do..." She hurriedly gives me the next present.

I'll let it go, for now, but I do like the Princess part... at least a bit. As long as I'm not having to spend five hours on getting a 'perfect' and matching combination of colors and clothing. Uh... "Five years... Comn?" I look up to her.

"I was... rushing out to finish writing that, and I kinda merged the two 'r' and 'i'..." She rubs the back of her head.

Ah well, mistakes happen. Begin the processing of tearing and opening and... A set of pins, one is a Pegasus, one is a Naginata, and the third is the word 'Family', but in Hoshidan. "Aw, how pretty..."

From the start of the first pile, to the end of the second pile were all 'small' presents like those three, and while I will always cherish them... I have to wonder. What caused her to switch from lightweight and relatively cheap to something so heavy? I begin that exploration upon receiving... 'My sister, 13th year'. This box is actually much taller than the others, and by the gods it is the heaviest. I rip off the wrapping as any other, and what greets my eyes?

An entire suit of armor, forged in the tell-tale signs of Hoshidan Royalty. Red and white, and despite the nearly five year gap between this present and my actual age, the size of the armor practically matches my body. How? "Did you get this forged after I came back?" I ask her.

"Heh, nope. I worked quite a while with Yukimaru and Orochi, getting an estimate for you. I'd say we pretty much nailed it."

"Well, there's one way to find out..." Shamelessly, I slip out of my dress and I begin transferring the armor from the display and onto my body. Buckles, latches, metal, it's all quite familiar to me, but it does feel a bit weird, knowing this was forged years ago and yet... fits perfectly.

Almost.

The leggings are a tad bit too long, just scraping up against the top of the greaves, and the bottom of the chest-guard covers part of my waist. Other than that? It's actually a lot more lightweight than I had assumed, almost like... I glance over to Hinoka's armor. "It's a variation of the Sky Knight armor." She confirms, before I can even ask. "It's sort of a mix between a Spear Fighter and a Sky Knight, but I wanted it to be more sturdy. Yukimaru actually recommended an armor set that a Mercenary, as in the Nohrian type of fighter, would use. So, I did that, and I had the shoulder-guards' size lessened." Unlike all of the other presents so far, Hinoka sounds pretty proud and confident of this one. "Looks like we'll have to have the ends trimmed some... y'know you are actually shorter than Takumi?"

"Modeled it after what you trained as, huh? I swear... if one of these is a Naginata..." I trail off, but I also happen to notice her flinch a bit and nervously chuckle.

"Yeah, that'd be something, huh?"

... She got me a Naginata, too. I nod, "Yeah, it would." Thankfully, I manage to shrug it off as 'just a joke'. "At least I can wear this right now." I shift around a bit, "It might take a bit to get used to it, but it's wonderful!" Next up... '14th year, gods... it still hurts so much'. I feel a pang in my chest from reading that. As I open this gift, I do it with a bit more tenderness. Now, while the armor gift was taller, this one is longer. The armor is also giving me a bit of an issue, but I'm willing to deal with a bit of discomfort. I'll change back to my dress before we leave. Anyway, after I open up the gift… "Ah-ha! A Naginata!" I proudly exclaim. I was right!

"Yeah, but… that one ain't like any other Naginata." She counters. Really? I nab the Naginata out of the box and, oof. It's a bit heavier than I expected, but strangely… more of the weight seems to be in the shaft, rather than the blade. I take a moment to look the shaft over, which seems to have… small bits of metal? "The handle has a small inlay of steel alloy worked into it, it'll be really hard to break it. The blade itself has some steel mixed in with a mostly iron base, and it has been dipped in a silver-finish."

Oh, wow. "Seems like more than any apprentice could wield." I'll need some serious training in Naginatas to make full use of this. "Thank you!" Alright, that's two out of five for these presents. '15th year, I still love you, lil sis'. Well, it seems like she's in a 'gearing' phase, so after armor and a weapon, what else could she gift? The answer I get comes in the form of a… oh, that looks really expensive. Inside of this box lies an intricate design of the Hoshidan Royal Crest, made with so many gems. "Big… sister?" I gasp, oh, it's beautiful! "You didn't… have to get me anything this… expensive."

"Only the best for ya. C'mon, there's still two more, and we aren't gonna have much longer before the sun drops." She nudges me on.

'Year 16, how I wish I could hold you…' Alright, so… in here. Well, considering how Hinoka is and all the other 'mature' gifts… I surely wasn't expecting a dress. Fiery-red, with actual flame accents near the bottom and sleeves. The chest sports a design of the Dawn Dragon, and the back has the Hoshidan Royal symbol, no gems this time. The fabric is unbelievably soft. "Oh, Hinoka…" I hold it close and sniff it… mmm, I can smell the scent of cherries and… peppermint? Huh. Alright, '17 years'. Except that the '17' is preceded by the number '7-16' which have all been crossed out. The last gift only has one small thing inside, it's an envelope. Inside of that envelope is not a letter, but a map…

Which details this exact area. "This is the final present, where I've been wanting to take you for almost ten years now… welcome home, sister." Putting the map down, I go to embrace my big sister.

"I'm glad to be home…" I feel her arms wrap around me, holding… no, pinning me to her. We spend a few minutes in that sweet embrace. "Speaking of, we should be getting back…" I bring up.

"Yeah, I'll get things packed up." We break the hug, and…

I look over to Firechaser, "And surely he'll be fine with the luggage, right?" And I swear by the gods… Firechaser stares me down, huffs out while nodding, and kicks his front legs up. "Oh, aren't you a strong and powerful mare, huh?" I walk over and pet his mane, then feel his legs and… whew. Despite being a flying beast, I think Firechaser could outrun some of the horses over in Nohr! "Hey, Hinoka? How did you get Firechaser's name?" In response to my question… Firechaser puffs up his chest.

"Don't worry, it isn't literal." She starts off with, "But… well, you know how people can talk about one's 'inner fire'? Their will to get something done? That's how I was described a lot of times when I started training with a Naginata. I kept getting up, even when I probably should've rested…" She pauses, "And that extended to training with a Pegasus. As a Princess, I get to choose from the Royal breeds, which are shown by their streaks of red feathers. And me, being the hard-headed and determined big sister that I was, chose the absolute toughest of the current Pegasi… him. I was told that I was in over my head, I was told that I'd never be able to ride him successfully… well, look who is riding that Pegasus."

"Oh, wow." I tilt my head at him, "but… that's you, what did he do to earn it?"

"Little sister? You are already aware of how smart he is. I went down a list of names that I liked, and every one that he didn't like… he kicked some dirt at me. In fact, I went through so many names that I had to take a long bath after I was done. It wasn't until I called him 'Firechaser' that he held his hoof in place, then proceeded to puff up his chest." She points at his still-puffed chest, "Like that."

"So, in other words…" I smirk at Firechaser, "You still haven't completely tamed him, huh? I mean, it sounds like he did choose his name." Now, while Firechaser finds that amusing…

Hinoka frowns. "We're partners, not a master and a pet, I never sought to tame him in the first place, only to have him see me trustworthy enough so that I might command him into battle, but I also make sure that every last wound is tended to, by me. I make sure his feathers are properly groomed, that he isn't getting anything on him that shouldn't be… and that he has a name he likes." That frown turns upside down, "He's more than a mount, he's my best friend, the one I talk to when I don't got anyone else near me." She now has most of my stuff packed up, "So… ready to go back?"

I look at Firechaser, then my big sister, "Sure!" I still need to do some preparing, after all. I also need to get into some serious training again, as well as hone my Vallite magic… hopefully the Shrine Maiden leader will have my improved ointment ready by tomorrow, I know I'm going to need it."