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Kamui was strong. That's what they all said. That's what everyone saw. That's what she wanted everyone to see.
Takumi wondered how anyone could be this strong. Maybe she was just playing a role. Or maybe these things really didn't affect her in any way.
After their mother died, after that ear-piercing scream, he never saw her grief again. It was as if it never happened. Did death really just have no effect on her? The death of her own mother?
He kept a close eye on her at all times. He knew Saizou was doing the same but he needed to make sure for himself that she wasn't doing anything shady.
It annoyed him how much fun she had, despite what happened to their mother. Despite what she did to their mother. She laughed with Felicia, made flower crowns with Elise and Sakura, helped Silas with kitchen duty. Was that her plan all along? To kill Queen Mikoto? Were him and his siblings next? He didn't trust her one bit, so why did he join her army anyway? Why didn't she go back to Nohr? Or even better: why didn't she stay in Hoshido to gain their trust to eventually betray and kill them all? Instead she sided with neither of the two kingdoms.
Maybe she was much smarter than that. Maybe she was smarter than he thought. So he continued keeping an eye on her.
---
After Kamui managed to convince both Ryoma and Xander to join her, she brought up this very bright idea to jump into the Bottomless Canyon. But why is it that Takumi believed he could trust her with this? He did protest at first but... maybe this wasn't the strangest thing that happened since he joined her army. Had this been earlier in their journey he would've called her insane and gone his own way, but a lot happened since then. He could trust her. He wanted to. So he jumped.
What kind of spell was he under? There was no other way, this had to be some kind of dark hex.
When he was on the other side, everything was green and there were ruins everywhere, remnants of what once was, floating islands. Was this the afterlife? Did Kamui finally kill them all? Was he actually stupid enough to believe that woman? Takumi shook that thought off. It just couldn't be.
After taking care of an enemy ambush with the rest of the army, he noticed Kamui who quietly approached Ryoma.
"Kamui? Where is Scarlet?" Takumi watched as his brother scanned the area for the blonde woman.
Kamui bowed slightly in front of Ryoma, her eyes tightly shut. "I'm sorry, Ryoma. W-we jumped together and..." She took a deep breath. "There was this... thing that attacked us. It wanted to kill me."
The sister he loathed so much stood straight now, tears in her eyes. "Ryoma, she died protecting me." Kamui hiccuped and covered her mouth with her hand.
There was a firm touch of a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't even meet his eye. Ryoma didn’t say anything at first, he looked deep in thought until he hugged her. "It's not your fault, Kamui. Just make sure her sacrifice was not in vain." She returned the hug and nodded.
It was strange to see her like this. It must have been the first time Takumi actually felt bad for her. Somehow he wanted to hold her. He wanted to be the one to console her.
Why was he suddenly growing fond of her? She may be his sister but she has caused so much suffering to him and his family.
But she too was suffering. As he kept watching her, it became clearer and clearer that she was just pretending to be okay. He thought about how things must be like for her. She was raised with the Nohrians, so obviously she would grow to love them. They were supposedly a family. The man she had grown to call father sent her off on a suicide mission that would also kill her mother by birth.
And his attitude towards her wasn't making anything easier for her. He had his reasons and he didn't regret not trusting her but maybe she deserved a chance.
So he gave her one. He decided to be less hostile towards her, even smiled at her every now and then. He was taking baby steps but he didn't want it to be forced. He wasn't quite ready to forgive her yet.
But they were suddenly getting quite close. Kamui had asked him to give her archery lessons and, after some nagging from her side, he gave in. She made progress quickly in the shortest time and he couldn't deny that he was proud of her. Though he would never tell her that.
---
"There's just no way...", Takumi mumbled to himself.
"Lady Kamui, you've deceived us, haven't you?" The young prince watched the scene that was unfolding in front of him despite the pain he was in.
No. There was no doubt in his mind. Kamui wouldn't betray them at this point. And neither would Azura.
The look on her face went from an amused one to a mix of anger, sadness and surprise. She must have thought Gunter was joking at first. But when his intentions became clearer, Takumi noticed that Kamui could barely hold the sadness inside. She always believed in the good in other people, he knew it would eventually bite her in the butt. However, she didn't deserve this. He wanted to shield her from these feelings. She was too good of a person to have to feel this way.
Worry etched his face, his brow was knit in concern. But he couldn't do anything to help. He felt weak. All he could do was watch Gunter try to convince everyone of his nonsensical theories.
"That's not true! Gunter, stop!" Kamui was practically begging him to snap out of it now.
"It was all a Vallite ploy! Lady Kamui has betrayed us!" He spat her name as if it were venom.
"No! I haven't!" She was panicking. Kamui came so far, gaining everyone's trust, bringing two families together that have previously been at war with each other. Were all of her accomplishments crumbling in front of her very eyes now?
"The sight of her with that flower pinned to Scarlet's chest just before the jump..."
Kamui's head shot up at that, as Gunter kept babbling on. She furrowed her brow in thought and shook her head.
"Ryoma, I know who killed Scarlet," she exclaimed suddenly.
Kamui explained that she and Scarlet were the last ones to jump and that she pinned on the flower just seconds before the jump.
Takumi felt so relieved when he thought back and realized she was right. How would Gunter know then? Everyone else was making sense of this as well now. He was genuinely glad that they believed Kamui. Takumi let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"I've known you my whole life, Gunter... This betrayal is unbelievable." She was calmer again now, but a hint of sadness was still left in her voice.
"The look on your face, Kamui. The look of someone without hope. Can you still say that you believe in everyone, Kamui? After this betrayal, can you still really believe that?"
"Yes. Even now, I can find it in myself to believe in you, Gunter."
Takumi wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised by that statement. She was naive. She was so unbelievably naive, but somehow that was part of her charm.
Kamui's army collectively got up from the ground, the effects of the attack disappearing. There was no way around it, they had to fight Gunter.
--
"You helped me practice my swordsmanship... You taught me discipline and control but also taught me to laugh and let go. I cherish all of these memories, Gunter. So, please! Come back to us! Break free and come back!"
Kamui held her sword low, as if to show him she doesn't actually want to hurt him.
She was way too close to him, if she didn't move back he might--
"No!" Takumi said.
Gunter reared up to attack.
"What?! Look out!"
"Kamui!! Move!"
He heard Ryoma and Xander yell. Takumi shut his eyes for a split second out of fear. He didn't want to lose his sister again.
When he opened them again Gunter was impaled by a golden sword in the gut.
Kamui looked at him with wide eyes. She was kneeling above him, the only thing supporting her upper body was her hold on the handle of her sword. Her face was covered by her hair. Blood was everywhere.
She eventually got off his corpse, kneeling beside him and just looking at Gunter's lifeless body.
Xander and Ryoma ran up to her, looking her over for any wounds. She must have been fine because they smiled at her and gave her reassuring pats on her shoulders, probably telling her she did the only right thing.
She kept her head low the entire time, not once looking anyone in the eyes.
--
Back in the Astral Plane everyone was gathering in smaller groups, discussing the events of the last battle. Kamui's name was a common word he overheard. None of them seemed mad at their leader though.
Takumi was looking around for her but there was no sign of his sister. He knocked on the door of her tree house but there was no answer. She wasn't in the Mess Hall either. He doubted she was in any of the shops or the Bath House right now.
He decided to go to his own tent but stopped in his tracks when he heard a silent noise that resembled a sob from behind the castle wall.
When he went past the walls, he could finally see who it belonged to. Kamui was standing there, clinging onto herself for dear life. She was shaking, blood still on her face and in her hair. She hadn't even noticed Takumi yet.
"K-Kamui..." A shy hand reached out to touch her shoulder, but she flinched, finally realizing his presence. She looked at him but only for a brief second before embracing herself tighter.
He recognized this behavior. Instead of touching her shoulder he brought her into a tight hug. His hold on her was so strong. They have never been this close before and it would have been awkward if it weren't for the current situation. Kamui's entire body shook for a little longer before finally calming down.
Kamui then hugged him back, her grip on him was strong but he didn't mind at all. It was nice.
"There, that's better," his voice was quiet and warm.
He broke the embrace for a moment to give her a reassuring smile. She looked at him with such a sadness until she finally broke down sobbing endlessly. She kept sniffing and tears fell down her face uncontrollably. Her legs felt weak and gave out. Takumi safely brought both of them to the ground, so she could keep clinging onto him.
He started rubbing slow circles on her back. Nothing he could say right now could make her feel better and she wasn't going to talk about her feelings. Takumi was the same. He would let his emotions take over him instead of talking about it. Sometimes letting it all out helped, but he would never do that in front of others. But Kamui probably didn't want to be seen either. They were the same.
Eventually her sobs quieted down. Takumi went on to pet her hair with one hand, the other holding her close to his chest. She was clinging onto the fabric of clothes on his back, kneeling between his legs. She looked up at him.
He looked at her with a small smile on his face but she could see the concern his eyes held. It warmed her heart.
"Should I get Sakura or Hinoka to help clean the blood off?"
She shook her head, her face was expressionless now. Kamui slowly got up and left. She must have felt dizzy and almost fell but Takumi supported her.
"Come on, I'll help you."
She didn't protest.
When they reached the tree house, Takumi got the shower ready. She was too dizzy on her feet so helped wash the blood off by using a sponge and even massaging her scalp with shampoo. The rest of her body was covered in armor, so Felicia would most likely take care of these stains.
Takumi had to admit, it felt very strange to be so close to the sister he once despised so much, but he wanted to be there for her now, make up for lost time. She was a mess right now and he knew exactly how that felt.
Kamui didn't talk for most of the time.
--
"Please don't go."
Takumi was about to leave her alone but Kamui insisted he stays with her.
"It's already late, sis."
"Can't you... stay the night?"
Takumi blushed. He glanced at the chairs in her room and sighed.
"Alright, do you have a blanket for me?"
She shook her head.
"We can share the bed. We're siblings after all, aren't we?"
"Kamui, about that..."
"Please?"
He sighed again, there was no arguing with this woman.
Takumi didn't remember much of his childhood, especially of the time spent with Kamui, but he recalled that they would share a bed whenever one of the two had a nightmare.
After getting in bed, Kamui's forehead was touching his upper back. It felt oddly nice to be close to her now. He almost wanted to turn around and take her into his arms again.
And that was exactly how he woke up. Takumi had an arm around her waist, Kamui's head resting against his chest. She was breathing peacefully. He realized that, for the first time in a long while, he didn't wake up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. Takumi smiled and slowly caressed her back with his hand.
Kamui felt much smaller, much softer, in his arms than he imagined she would. On the battlefield she was a strong woman, but in his arms she was a small, dainty woman. He wasn't sure what it was that made him open his eyes, but he was glad he decided to snap out of his delusions. Takumi could finally see that Kamui was a genuinely good person.
The only problem was that he couldn't see her as a sister even now.
Realizing how wrong his feelings were, he decided to leave her tree house. He carefully removed his arms from around her, already missing the feeling of how her soft breath would tickle his neck. The young prince watched her stretch out in her sleep and then quickly but quietly tiptoed out of her chambers.
Fortunately for him it was still rather early in the morning, so he managed to sneak out without being seen. Not even Ryoma and his retainers were around. Usually they would start training as soon as the sun started rising.
After such a good night's rest he decided to do some hunting in the nearby forest.
--
Takumi was pacing up and down in his tent with a piece of paper in his hands. Should he tell her? Would that be okay? She'd certainly call him a freak.
No. He will tell her.
It's not just for his own sake. She deserves to know this.... right?
Things were going so well between them. It felt like he just got his long lost sister back even though she had been back for a little longer now. Takumi finally opened up to her and he was so glad.
He wanted to see her. He wanted to make sure she was fine, so he went out to see her. The young prince totally forgot about the piece of paper that was still in his hand in that moment.
His heart skipped a beat out of nervousness when he remembered it. He felt a rush of anxiety but shook it off as best as he could.
Takumi spotted Kamui, who was just about to leave her tree house. She greeted him with a smile.
"I was just about to come see you!" Kamui was back to her usual, energetic self. "I wanted to thank you for sticking with me through all that. I really appreciate it."
She hugged him tightly and Takumi couldn't help but to return the embrace. She felt so soft, but not as fragile as she did the day before. He realized that he had fallen in love with the way hugging her felt. How her head fit perfectly underneath his so he could rest his chin on it, how her sweet scent filled his nose, the way she would hold onto his clothes, the way she breathed so much more peacefully and most importantly how he could feel her soft and steady heartbeat against his own chest.
"You're the best brother I could ask for."
Takumi smiled at that, one of his hands retreating from her to stuff the letter from his mother into his pocket.