1. When he took her hand with the blood of her father still on it, she was shaking. He pulled her to her feet, bare and cold against the stone of the Chevois street, and said to her, “Let us go home.” He barked something at his men and took off his cape. He wrapped it around her shoulders – she remembers it being very heavy on her small frame – and picked her up. Carrying her like a babe, he rocked her gently as she whimpered and sniveled. “Do not cry, child,” he rumbled. A clawed finger wiped a tear from her cheek. “This may be difficult for you now, but you will grow and learn. And you will be stronger than a god.” He peered down at her, and she could see something in his eyes that she couldn’t place until much later in her life.
2. Ganglari quivered in her hand as her father ordered her to kill the Hoshidan captives. She shook her head. “I will not. I cannot. What glory is there in killing innocents?” Perhaps her fearlessness came from her isolation; she did not know the truth of her father’s wrath.“You dare defy me, girl?!” he roared. His voice made her siblings wince, even Xander, the strongest person she knew. It made her angry that he could treat his own flesh and blood this way. She grit her teeth.“Father, please forgive Kamui, she does not yet understand–”“Silence! If Kamui will not kill them, then you must. And if she gets in your way… kill her too.”For many nights she wondered. How could the man who called her daughter have no qualms ordering her killed? Was this the cruelness that her siblings wished to protect her from?“No,” she murmured, unclipping her armour. “There is no need for them to protect me from anything. I am strong enough to face Father’s wrath on my own.”
3. She watched as her Father’s form melted away, turned into a hideous monster. Shaking her head, she looked at Azura, wanting answers. “How?! How is this possible? The man I call Father–”“The man you call father does not exist any longer,” Azura said quietly. “I suspected it when we were in Cyrkensia, which is why I performed my song… but it did not have the desired effect.”“What are you talking about?” Kamui asked, voice quiet. She could no longer look at the songstress, her gaze fixed on the grass, her fists shaking at her sides.“It is a song meant to purify. But… it did not do anything beyond anger King Garon. He is not the man he was… and he is beyond saving. If you wish to end this war, you must–”“No.” She met Azura’s gaze steadily. “I cannot kill my Father. He is… My siblings. What will they say?”“You cannot tell them, nor anyone else. And we must not speak of it when we are near others. It could prove fatal.”Kamui chuckled darkly. “I am responsible for the death of my mother and my father… must I kill my adoptive father, as well?”Azura nodded. “I am sorry, Kamui. But… if you truly desire the peace you speak of…”“… it must be done.” Kamui nodded. “I know, Azura. Thank you.”
4. Bubbles poured off of him, his black ooze giving way to his human form. He wheezed, stumbling forward. He used Bölverk for support, leaning on it heavily. “Children…” he managed to say. He fell to his knees. The siblings did not move, though Kamui heard their breath hitch in their throats. She stepped closer to him.“Father…” It hurt her to say it, but… it would be unfair to address him as Garon now.He chuckled. “Kamui… you are a lot stronger… than the day I met you.”“I have done what I promised to do,” she responded, kneeling to be at eye level. “I have set you free. Perhaps… now you can be at peace.”“I only wish…” He was beginning to shimmer now, barely clinging to the fabric of their world. “… that I had not brought upon you this suffering.” He looked at his children, and Kamui saw a tear roll down his cheek. “My children… forgive me. I was not the father you deserved. I… love all of you.” His form dissipated in a swirl of bubbles and Kamui rose to her feet, watching them vanish into the air.“Goodbye, Father,” she whispered. “I wish… I could have known the real you.”
5. Takumi’s arrow burned her flesh, and she screamed. Seeing white, she felt the ground under her knees. No, I must… go on. I cannot fall here… Another searing blow to her chest and she was on her back, writhing in agony. No!The white gave way to black, and she heard her mother’s voice, beckoning her to awaken.Opening her eyes to see Mikoto standing over her, she sat up, cheerful. “Good morning, Mother! Did I sleep in again?”Her mother laughed lightly. “Yes, starshine. And you’ve kept your brother waiting.” She paused, turning her head as Ryoma entered the room.“Did you sleep in again, Kamui?” he joked, coming in and crossing his arms. “We were going to practice your defensive skills today, and you can hardly do that if you’re in here sleeping.”Kamui laughed. “I’m sorry, Ryoma. But… I had the strangest dream.” She furrowed her brow, trying to remember.Mikoto and Ryoma nodded.“I… couldn’t find either of you. I searched and searched… but… “ She gasped, hurrying to her feet. “Wait–”“So you remember,” Ryoma said.The room peeled away in a flurry of cherry blossoms. It revealed a wide, open field. Startled, Kamui reached for the hilt of Yato, but it was gone.“What’s going on? Where am I?” Kamui asked.“Do not be frightened, my child,” Mikoto said. “You have been brought to a safe place, so that your spirit can be safe.”Ryoma turned, looking behind him. “There are those who wish to speak with you.”She peered around him to see two figures approaching.Takumi, with the Fuujin Yumi at his side. He was the shorter of the two figures, a fact that was evidently bothering him, judging by the frown on his face. The other…“Just as I commend you for your strength, you fall,” Garon rumbled. He looked younger than she remembered, the sallow skin of his face replaced with vibrant flesh. His hair, which had been white, was now the colour of straw, and he had a twinkle in his eyes she’d never seen before.“Father, Takumi!” she called. She rushed to meet them. “Am I…?”“Dead, yeah,” Takumi scoffed. He took a step closer, holding out the Fuujin Yumi. “But we’ve come to help you out.”“Takumi… you’re out there. How can you be here?”“He has become as I was… a shell, controlled by a darker power,” Garon replied. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “But do not fear, child. You still have hope.”“How? How can I hope?” Kamui felt the sting of tears. “The Yato… has been destroyed. I fear my dragon form… and my comrades… my friends…”“Don’t cry,” Takumi said, not unkindly. “Why do you think I’m here?” Before she could answer, he said, “To help out, obviously. You can’t do anything without help, can you?”Garon laughed, a sound Kamui had never heard in this way before. “You are a prickly one, aren’t you?”“Shut up, old man,” Takumi grumbled. “I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking… to my sister.”Kamui looked up, grateful. “Takumi…”“Don’t make me say it again,” he said, gesturing with his other hand to the Fuujin Yumi. “Take my Fuujin Yumi. I’m sure it will help you find your Yato.”“Your friends need you, starshine,” Mikoto said, coming to stand with them, Ryoma close behind. She gave her daughter a hug. “We believe in you.”“Remember what I said, Kamui?” Ryoma smiled. “I’m counting on you. You can bring a peace to our world… but not from here!”Kamui wiped her tears away. That’s right… they were counting on her. “Mother, Father… Ryoma, Takumi… I promise to end this. For all of you.”She took hold of Fuujin’s shaft, hands firm. “I will see that your sacrifices were not in vain… I swear it!”
