Title: Snowflakes in Sunlight
Author: Rapis-Razuri
Beta: LovelyLori
Word Count: 1606
Game: Fates – Revelation
Characters/Pairing: Flora/Hinata. (Yes, really. No, I don't know what I was smoking either.)

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"You look down today Miss Flora, if I may say so."

It was him again, the samurai who served as Prince Takumi's retainer. Flora only turned because she didn't have a reason not to and perhaps it was just her maid training to not keep her back turned to someone addressing her. "As you told me yesterday," she said, "And the day before. I always seem to look down to you, Hinata."

Still smiling that ever present smile of his, Hinata laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. She noticed that before. Unlike his sour-tempered master and his partner, he didn't seem to care too much about the fact that she hailed from the Nohrian side of the land. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's okay," Flora replied, picking up the next knife. With every battle, the stakes were increasing. She couldn't do much for Lord Corrin and Lady Azura, but she at least could work on making herself more useful in battle. Her proficiency with knives was still sub-par, hence her practicing away from prying eyes.

At least, that was what she had been doing before he came along. Twack. This one landed on the x she carved into the wood, but not in the centre. It was her last one too. Suppressing a sigh, Flora strode about, her heels kicking leaves and rock out of her path, to retrieve her weapons. She was determined to not look at Hinata as she did. She didn't really know what he thought of her combat prowess. Flora liked to think that she was good enough, but she knew she still wasn't as good as Felicia, let alone him.

Hinata usually had one sword, sometimes he wielded two, but either way he used his weapons like they were an extension of his arm. She would never admit to him, but she has noticed. It wasn't her intent, but she did. Helping her carry a couple of heavy boxes and a little comment about how she seemed upset when he caught her thinking about her tribe wasn't much, but it was enough to make Flora take note of him more often.

She just didn't notice how he seemed to have been doing the same in regards to her until now.

Her last dagger was embedded in the tree next to him. Hinata followed her line of sight and realized it too. Flora didn't have any chance of reaching it before he did, but she still stiffened as he pulled it out for her. The blade gleamed, sharp even after having been thrown into wood. Hinata easily flipped the weapon over in his hand, so the hilt was pointing towards Flora. "You're pretty good at this."

Their hands brushed as she took it from him. "Thank you," she said, for both the knife and his compliment. The latter Flora tried not to dwell on too much. Your days of dreaming that Jakob will notice you and love you back are over. He loves another, but that doesn't mean you can just turn around and start swooning over the next person to give you any scrap of praise. "Not as good as… some people," she admitted.

"Hm. If you're comparing yourself to the ninjas, stop it. I'm pretty sure those guys have been training with weapons before they could even walk."

Not the ninjas, but the presence of Kaze and Prince Ryoma's retainers weren't helping anything. "Be that as it may, I can't afford to be a burden in battle."

Hinata let out a breath of laughter at that. Flora raised her eyebrow at him. "Is something the matter?"

"No, no! Nothing's the matter!" Hinata replied quickly, "I was just wondering, have you ever tried practicing with someone?" Flora's gaze darted down. He seemed to have misinterpreted this action. "Hey! Uh… I didn't mean anything by it," he hastily explained, "It's just… I noticed you're on your own a lot and you never know when those 'invisible soldiers' will attack, so I was just worried about your safety."

"I'll be fine," she said, trying to sound blunt despite the way her chest warmed, "If I am ambushed, I will use the signal flare Saizo handed out to us earlier."

"That signal will warn the rest of us, but there's no guarantee that we'll reach you in time to help, if at all." Hinata countered. When Flora didn't reply to that, he continued, "Look, Flora… what you said about not wanting to be a burden? You'd be surprised at how many people in this camp that think the way you do. You're not alone in doubting themselves, trust me. It doesn't make you any less important. You matter, okay?"

And just like that, he was doing it again. Having that effect on her again. "Why are being so kind to me?" It was the most candid she's ever been with him. Because little kindnesses like that tended to stay with her. Hinata seemed to be made of little kindnesses.

"Why?" Hinata repeated, "Well… honestly, I hate seeing pretty girls looking so sad all the time," - Flora's stomach did a somersault - "But reaching out and helping… isn't that what friends do?"

Friend. How naturally that word slipped out of his mouth and how easily he used it in context with her. Flora didn't have many friends, just those from her tribe she hasn't seen in many years. Even in the Northern Fortress, there had been a divide between friend, father, colleague and master. "You think me as a friend?"

"Why not? We are fighting together for a common cause aren't we?" Hinata paused, "Well… then again, I don't have that same kind of, um, baggage Lord Takumi and Oboro do, so…" He made a helpless sort of gesture with his arms. "You know what I mean?"

"Yes, I do," Flora murmured. Prince Takumi made his distrust of anyone not from Hoshido clear from the very beginning. She had to give him credit for his caution, despite being annoyed that he clearly considered her Nohrian as well. I am Flora of the Ice Tribe, kidnapped and forced into servitude…

She didn't think Hinata didn't know about the latter part though. Even if he did, he didn't have anything to do with the circumstances that surrounding the danger her tribe was in. He was Hoshidan and for the time being, Hoshido and the Ice Tribe's interests were aligned. Neither were safe so long as King Garon lived and sat on the throne. "Hinata?"

His arms dropped back to his sides. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for your kind words," She tried to muster up a smile for him, one that wasn't burdened by hidden resentment. "And you're right. I'll never improve if I never go beyond hitting trees."

Hinata stood there for a moment, looking utterly astonished. "Damn," he said at least, "I knew you'd look prettier smiling, but wow."

Oh, she couldn't stop the blush this time. "You're just saying that," she mumbled.

"No, I'm not!" He countered, but he seemed to be quite flustered as well. They just stood for a moment before Hinata cleared his throat and unsheathed a short knife from his belt. Flipping it once, he drew his arm back and tossed it into the tree across.

THWACK.

It was even more off centre than Flora's, but more deeply embedded. "You… You don't throw many weapons in your line of work do you?"

"That's an emergency weapon," he explained, on the defensive, "It's not supposed to be thrown like a shuriken."

But you threw it anyway. Flora had to do everything to stop herself from giggling. How strange that was. In the Northern Fortress, she'd always had to maintain an image of professional dignity. Small smiles and little laughs, anything else would break that mask. She took a dagger - the one he retrieved for her - and tossed it. There was the sound of metal in wood. Her aim was better than his, but she wasn't as strong. Her next knife she handed to him. "It might just be the weapon."

His next throw was more accurate than his last, but still off center. This time, Flora saw what the problem was, other than the lack of skill that came with irregular practice.

"Your stance is off."

"Huh?"

"Try stepping back a little."

He did as she suggested. "Like this?"

"Yes, exactly."

Another knife traded hands and this time Hinata was very close to the target point. Instead of feeling jealous as she did when she watched Felicia, Flora was quite happy for him. It was impossible not to smile back at the way he looked back towards her as if asking, Did you see that?!

Not to be outdone - this was supposed to be about helping her improve after all - she flung the next knife - and it landed perfectly on the point where two carved lines intersected.

"See? That wasn't bad at all."

No, it wasn't. If only she would be able to recreate this shot on the battlefield. Without preamble, Flora took another knife out and tossed it again, just in case that perfect hit had been a fluke.

This one knocked the first knife aside. Had the target not been occupied, this one might've hit as well.

Hinata gave a whoop. That sound was a knife to her heart. Not one that hurt, but one that made Flora want to add her cheer to his.

Little moments, little kindnesses. They stayed with her.