the tropey plot nobody asked for

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"Damn it, where is it?"

Hinoka dug through the cupboards, searching for a mixing bowl. She swore there was one in the pantry, yet it yielded nothing. There was some flour and a nearly empty bag of sugar, at least, which Hinoka needed anyhow. The rest of the ingredients were already out and ready; the mixing bowl was the only thing missing.

With a sigh, Hinoka closed the cupboard and wandered over to the table at the end of the kitchen. She lifted the tablecloth up and looked underneath the table.

"What the— why is it under here?" Hinoka groaned as she reached over and grabbed the bowl. Bringing it over to the counter, she looked over at the basket of eggs. "Let's see…I need two, right?" She took an egg and cracked it against the side of the counter. Some of its innards spilled onto the floor, though most of it remained intact. So far, so good. After putting the yolk in the bowl, she threw the eggshells to the side and took another egg.

"Since when did you have any interest in baking?"

Hinoka cringed and dropped the egg, causing it to shatter all over the floor. She turned around and grimaced. How did she not hear the approaching footsteps?

"Takumi! Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, but it really is surprising." Takumi wandered over and stood next to Hinoka. He examined the counter and picked up the bag of sugar. "What's this for?"

"It's— it's for one of our visitors later today," said Hinoka. She took another egg and cracked it, letting the yolk ooze into the bowl. The blood rushed to her face. "I felt like I should bake them a cake. To show some hospitality."

Takumi put the sugar down and nodded.

"Not something I expected to hear, but I guess that makes sense. But…" He picked up the baking pan. "…First of all, I can't remember when you last baked, if at all. Second, why is it for only one person?"

"S-So what? It can't be that difficult. If you haven't noticed, I'm beingcareful. And that's none of your business," said Hinoka. She grabbed a carton of milk and began to pour it into the bowl.

Takumi lightly shook his head and sat at the table.

"Given the amount of bonding time you've spent with Princess Camilla, I'm surprised she hasn't taught you how to bake. She's certainly better at being lady-like, isn't she?"

The sound of Camilla's name made Hinoka cringe again, accidentally pouring in more milk than she wanted to. Half of what spilled out landed next to the bowl.

"Hey, I've gotten better! I'm still learning. I got the hang of simple sewing eventually," said Hinoka. She put some butter and vanilla extract into the bowl.

"I guess so. Regardless, if you can pull this off, I'm sure Princess Camilla will be impressed."

Hinoka let a chuckle out as she felt her chest warm. Impressing Camilla was something she often found herself wanting to do. It was natural, she supposed, to want to do that kind of thing for someone who invoked rather…pleasant feelings.

She poured a heap of sugar into the bowl.

"I think that's true."

"You two have gotten close, haven't you?"

"Y-Yeah." I wish we could be even closer, though, she wanted to say.

"Who'd have thought that the two of you would've become friends after all those arguments and name-calling," said Takumi.

Hinoka started to laugh so hard that she dropped the sugar bag on the floor.

"W-What's so funny?!" Takumi looked away and blushed.

"Sorry. It's just that you and Prince Leo did the exact same thing," said Hinoka.

"B-Be quiet! Pick that sugar bag up!"

Hinoka snickered as she reached down and picked the bag up. She looked inside and her eyes widened.

"I…I think there's enough left in here for another if I screw up."

"Is there anything else you need to put in?"

Hinoka looked into the bowl. Milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, butter—

"Oh! I can't forget the flour and baking powder." She poured a heap of flour and a pinch of baking soda into the bowl. Taking an egg beater, Hinoka quickly swirled the bowl's contents. Several drops flew out and landed all over the counter and floor. The mix looked chunky as it was poured into the baking pan. She put the pan in the oven and closed it.

"Now we wait."

"It didn't rise a whole lot, did it…"

Hinoka stared at the cake. It rose only slightly, causing it to look incomplete. It was almost breast-like in appearance; there was a particularly large bump in the middle, which rose higher than the rest of the cake.

"That's weird." Hinoka lightly poked the bump. "But It doesn't look too bad…right?"

Takumi forced a smile.

"Well…the important thing here is that you tried. As long as it tastes good, I doubt it'll matter that much. It's already got a weird part sticking out, so let's cut it off and give it a test-taste." He took a knife and sliced the bump off. Cutting it in half, he handed one half to Hinoka.

Takumi took the first bite. He spat what was in his mouth into the sink and grimaced.

"Eugh! That tastes horrible!"

"I doubt it's that bad…" Hinoka took a bite. The cake was simultaneously pasty, doughy, and far, far too sweet. She brought a hand to her lips.

Takumi nudged Hinoka's shoulder.

"See? You don't like it either!"

"It's…pretty disgusting." Hinoka spat into the sink and threw the rest of her piece into the garbage. "Well, like I said, there's enough sugar to try baking one more…"

"I feel useless, just sitting here. Could I help in some way?"

"No, I need to make this on my own."

Takumi crossed his arms and frowned.

"Why? You're the one who's always telling me to not handle a load on my own. Shouldn't you listen to your own advice?"

"This is different!" snapped Hinoka. As Takumi's eyes widened, she put a hand over her mouth. "Sorry. If you help, then I can't improve. And I'd really like to make her happy…"

Takumi looked Hinoka in the eye and grinned.

"'Her'…So this cake really is for Princess Camilla, huh?"

Hinoka gazed at the floor.

"W-Who said anything about it being for Princess Camilla…?" So what if it was? It wasn't any of Takumi's damn business, anyhow. "Just let me handle it myself."

"If you insist, then," said Takumi. "I think it needs less flour and sugar, and more baking soda. It needs to bake longer, too. That's all I'll say."

"A-Alright then…" Hinoka took a spatula and scraped the rest of the cake out of the pan and into the garbage can. She quickly created another mix, completely emptying the bag of sugar in the process. Pouring it into the pan and putting it into the oven, Hinoka leaned against the counter and sighed. "I hope this works well. I'm not sure if there's any more sugar in here, and I don't want to disturb the servants in the other kitchen. Just how long should I leave it in there?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Half an hour or longer, maybe?"

"Sounds like a good time to me," said Hinoka. "Do you want to take a walk with me while I wait? It's kind of boring to just wait, especially after that first cake."

Takumi shrugged.

"You should never leave something you're cooking alone."

"Oh."

"Then again," said Takumi as he walked over to the door, "this isn't soup. I'd say the cake is pretty contained. As long as we aren't gone too long or go too far, it should be fine."

"Yeah, okay." Hinoka walked past Takumi and out the door. "Let's go, then!"

The two chatted as they wandered aimlessly down the hall.

"And that's why I feel like a horrible father. I'm pathetic," said Takumi.

"Don't say that!" said Hinoka. "You tried the best you could, right? He turned out to be a good kid, after all."

"But I wasn't there for him. I'm too young for this."

Hinoka pat Takumi's shoulder.

"What's done is done, Takumi."

Takumi shook his head.

"You'd understand if you had a child."

Hinoka sighed and looked away.

"Fine. You've got me there. I can't imagine what it'd be like to have a child, and I'll probably never have one."

"What makes you think that?" asked Takumi.

"Well, I, um…" Hinoka felt her palms grow sweaty. Suddenly she realised how bold it was to say that she would never have a child. To say something like that was akin to admitting homosexuality, though Hinoka wasn't entirely sure if she was only interested in women. She'd discussed Camilla with Takumi in the past, though Hinoka had never told him that she was beginning to desire more than Camilla's friendship. Just how was she supposed to tell Takumi about these deepening feelings? Though being together with another woman wasn't totally condemned in Hoshidan society, the truth of the matter was that Hinoka was infatuated with not just a woman, but Nohr's eldest princess.

"Hey, are you gonna say something or not?"

Takumi's voice snapped Hinoka back to reality.

"…There's no man I'm interested in. Besides, what man would want me? I'm not feminine enough. In a few years I'll be too old for any good man."

"Quit making excuses. I don't believe you," said Takumi. He cocked his head. "You seem to get excited whenever we're around Nohr's royal family. I thought you might be interested in one of their retainers."

"A-As if I'd be interested in one of their retainers!"

Takumi smirked.

"Then perhaps you're interested in a member of the royal family itself?"

"I…" Hinoka turned away from her brother.

"So you are," said Takumi. "Who is it? Prince Leo?"

"N-No! I have no interest in him!"

"I was just guessing," said Takumi. "Could it be…" He leaned in close. "…Prince Xander?"

"What? No!"

"Then who? You never talk with Princess Elise, and she's a woman anyhow. And Princess Camilla's also a woman, so I doubt—" Takumi's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a minute…"

Hinoka said nothing as she stepped away from Takumi.

"…You certainly do spend a lot of time with her. And you said you'd probably never have a kid. Am I to believe that your relationship isn't as innocent as it looks?"

Hinoka continued to find herself speechless. Crap, am I really that obvious?

"Then again, I doubt anything is truly innocent when it involves Princess Camilla."

Hinoka looked to the ground as her heat began to beat faster.

"W-Well, you see, the thing about that is—" Hinoka suddenly felt her stomach drop. "My cake!"

"Hey, don't try to avoid—oh, shit! How long have we been walking around?!"

Hinoka bolted down the hall, Takumi in tow. Reaching the door, she hesitated before opening it and going inside. The thick stench of smoke greeted her.

"I'm afraid to look," said Takumi. He ran into the kitchen and opened the window.

Hands shaking as she put some oven mittens on, Hinoka opened the oven. She coughed as the smoke billowed into her face.

"Okay, I'm never leaving anything I'm cooking alone again."

"Me neither," said Takumi. He stood next to Hinoka and looked at the pan. "…Yikes."

Hinoka pulled the pan out and stared at it. The cake –if it could be called that– was completely charred.

"God damn it!" Taking a spatula, Hinoka scraped the cake into the almost-full trash. She tossed the spatula aside and groaned. "I hate this. I was really hoping I could make a good cake for—"

"You don't need to say anything else. The cake's for Princess Camilla, I know it is."

Hinoka sighed. There was no escaping it now.

"…Yes. You're right. I'm sorry, Takumi. I hoped to tell you how I felt about her at some point, but…" She felt her heart quicken. "You're not upset about my feelings...are you?"

Takumi's tilted his head up scratched his chin.

"It's a bit hard to grasp. Though I think I should've expected this, given just how decidedly unfeminine you really are."

"B-Being unfeminine doesn't mean a woman isn't interested in men!" cried Hinoka.

Takumi looked back at his sister.

"Have you kissed her? Have you…gone further?"

"…No. I haven't even told her how I feel yet," said Hinoka. She felt a tingling in her groin at the suggestion of having 'gone further'.

"Well, I guess I can't stop you if you feel that way about her. I mean, I'm surprised you haven't even confessed yet. I didn't want to say anything, but I've noticed how she acts around you."

"You—what?"

"Don't you realise how dilated her pupils are when she looks you in the eye?"

"I—"

"Or the way she touches you? How you're always the first person she asks to see? Don't tell me you've been oblivious all this time."

"Y-Yes, Takumi. I've seen it all," said Hinoka. "I just…I just wasn't sure of my own feelings for a while. And given how she acts with everyone else, I'm…"

"I know what you mean." Takumi wrapped his arm around Hinoka's shoulder. "Look, it's weird, but I can handle it. If Princess Camilla's the one you want, then...what happens is between the two of you and nobody else."

Hinoka felt a deep relief spread throughout her body. Knowing that at least one of her family members would support her, despite the deviance of her interests...it was enough. She resisted the urge to hug her brother.

"T-thank you, Takumi..."

"D-Don't mention it," said Takumi. He smiled weakly. "So. This cake. Are you using it to confess your feelings? Or is there some other reason?"

"I-It's her birthday today. I wanted to write 'Happy birthday, Camilla!' in icing on it, but that's it. If I can make her happy, I'm satisfied."

"…Oh. I see," said Takumi. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Honestly, Hinoka. If you wanted to give her a gift, couldn't you have just sewn her something?"

"No, I couldn't! I've given her sewn things in the past, and I feel like that's all I've given." She remembered the scarf, slumped over the chair in her room. "Besides, I've already made her something small to go along with it."

Takumi chuckled.

"You've got this all figured out, haven't you?"

"I did," said Hinoka. Her lip trembled. "T-That is, until I completely ruined the cake. There's no more sugar, so I can't make another one. I-I'm done."

"Hey, hold on for a few minutes." Takumi removed his arm from Hinoka and walked over to the trash. He took the garbage bag and swung it over his shoulder. "This thing's kind of full, so I'm going to run it down to the garbage area. I'll check to see if there's any sugar and grab some icing from the other kitchen, if you want. I-I'm passing by it, after all."

Hinoka stared at Takumi for a moment. No longer could she hold back; she tackled him into a hug.

"Y-You idiot! You never throw out the trash!"

"B-But I really am just going by it! Don't worry, I'll get it for you!" Takumi wrapped his free arm around Hinoka for a moment, then let go. "I'll be back soon." He left the kitchen.

I didn't realise I was missing icing. I should check to see if there's any more sugar in here, just in case there's none in the other kitchen, thought Hinoka. Glancing around, she noticed a small shaker filled with something white next to the oven. Oh! She took the shaker, her eye skipping over the shaker sitting conveniently next to it. It was full of something black.

Quickly whipping together a new mix, Hinoka poured a reasonable amount of the ingredient into the bowl. She closed the shaker and began to beat the mix.

"I'm back," said Takumi. He dropped three tubes of icing in front of Hinoka. "I tried to get some sugar, but the cooks were busy using it."

Hinoka nodded.

"That's okay, I happened to find some more. Thanks for getting the icing."

"Well? How does it look?"

Hinoka and Takumi examined the cake. It was shaped relatively evenly, save for a small dip in one of the corners. Having run out of dark brown icing, Hinoka covered the last third in sky-blue icing. "HAPPY BIRTH" was written in bright red icing; all of the letters were crooked, the 'B' especially so.

"For you? It's excellent," said Takumi. "I hope she won't mind the missing 'Day'."

"I hope so," said Hinoka. "Anyhow, I think I'll go hide this in my room and give it to her after dinner."

"Better do it fast, I think they're almost here," said Takumi.

"Huh? How do you know that?" Hinoka raised an eyebrow.

"Look." Takumi pointed out the window. Prince Xander was approaching on horseback.

Hinoka's heart stopped as she noticed a wyvern flying close to the castle.

"Shit!" She grabbed the cake and raced out of the kitchen.

"It's a pleasure to have you dining with us tonight."

Hinoka found herself inattentive as Ryoma spoke. Hoshido and Nohr's royal families sat together at a long table, along with their retainers. Hinoka sat between Takumi and Asama, both chatting with their other neighbours.

Camilla sat directly across from her. She smiled.

"You're looking quite cute today."

"T-Thanks," said Hinoka. She rubbed her arm and looked away.

Reaching her arm out, Camilla touched Hinoka's hand.

"Then again, you're always looking cute and pretty."

Hinoka felt herself blush.

"T-That's…t-thanks again."

"Someone left a rather big mess in the small kitchen. I've never seen anything quite like it, really," said Asama.

Hinoka looked at Camilla and laughed. "I-I wonder who could've done that!"

"Listening in to other people's conversations now, are we?" Asama chuckled. "Well, I only know one person who could make a mess that bad…"

"O-Oh, come on!" Hinoka looked down at her feet.

Camilla ran her fingers across Hinoka's hand.

"I didn't know you cooked."

"I-I don't," said Hinoka. "B-But, um…I wanted to try."

"Really? I'm impressed," said Camilla. She flipped Hinoka's hand over and rubbed her palm.

"Get a room, you two," said Takumi.

"T-Takumi!" Hinoka nudged his shoulder.

Camilla giggled.

Hinoka stroked the scarf in her hand. It'd taken her weeks to make it perfect, to simply get a hold of the materials she wanted. Oboro had lent her equipment to Hinoka, though she often had to take it back to finish her own projects. The violet and scarlet striped scarf had finally been completed the day before.

A knock sounded on the door. Hinoka put the scarf down and wandered over, opening it.

She was greeted by a warm smile.

"Hello, Hinoka," said Camilla.

"H-Hello, Princess Camilla," said Hinoka. "I…I forgot to say while we were at dinner. Happy birthday."

"Why, thank you." Camilla leaned against the doorframe. "I must say, it's been quite a lovely evening."

Hinoka looked away. "I-I'm glad you think so. Say, um…I have a gift for you." She wandered over to the bed and picked the scarf up. She went back and quickly handed it to Camilla.

Taking the scarf, Camilla rubbed it against her cheek. She closed her eyes and grinned.

"Purple and red. Our colours."

"W-Well," Hinoka stammered. "I want you to think of me when you look at it, Princess Camilla."

Camilla giggled.

"I told you, you don't need to refer to me as 'Princess'."

"R-Right. Sorry…"

Camilla wrapped the scarf around her neck. She put a hand on Hinoka's shoulder.

"I love it, Hinoka."

"Ah…I'm g-glad you like it," said Hinoka. "I have something else for you, too."

"Oh?"

"Just a sec." Hinoka went and opened her cabinet. Looking the same as it did before, she brought the cake out and stood back in front of Camilla. "I…I wanted to try baking for you. I haven't done it in a long time, so I'm sorry if it's no good…"

Camilla swiped her finger across the icing and stuck it in her mouth. She grinned.

"Oh my. I'm flattered that you would make something like this for me. Thank you, Hinoka." She pulled a pocket knife out from between her breasts.

"A-Aha…it's no trouble." Hinoka clasped her hands together as Camilla cut a piece.

Elise came running down the hall.

"Oh, cake! Can I have some?"

"Of course. Why would my cute little sister not be allowed?" She cut another slice and handed it to Elise.

"I-I hope the two of you enjoy it!" said Hinoka.

Elise took the first bite. Her face crumpled and her eyes widened.

"Ewww! This tastes really salty!" She put her piece back on the plate and ran off.

Camilla stared at her piece, then put it back.

Hinoka felt her heart sink.

"Oh…oh no…I'm s-sorry. I-I must've mistaken salt for sugar…"

Camilla took the plate from Hinoka's hands and placed it on the floor, saying nothing.

Hinoka felt the tears coming on.

"F-Forgive me. I just…I just wanted to make you happy."

"Please, don't worry about it." Camilla smiled gently. "I am happy."

"B-But…it was awful."

Camilla smiled again as she wrapped her arms around Hinoka. That smile always made Hinoka's heart beat faster. It was odd to think of the many different meanings it conveyed throughout their history of knowing each other. Originally, it held nothing but contempt for Hinoka, Corrin's supposedly real older sister. Then, after she'd taught Hinoka how to sew, the bloodthirst seemingly vanished. It was difficult to tell at first, but Hinoka knew at this point that Camilla's smiled was indicative of genuine affection.

"So? I'm happy that you would try so hard to please me." She leaned in close to Hinoka, brushing her breast against Hinoka's shoulder. "Very happy."

Hinoka felt like she would melt away. Sure, Camilla would touch her, stroke her hair, wrap her arms around her body and pull her close. But that was something she did to most of her so-called strong women…right? Camilla's breath was hot and moist on her face; it invoked a certain feeling that, months ago, would've been mortifying. But now…

"You know, Hinoka," said Camilla. Her pupils dilated as her eyes closed halfway. "I've been thinking a lot lately. Thinking…about us."

Those words. Those eyes. That passionate smile. Shit. Was this really happening? Hinoka felt the urge to run her fingers though Camilla's hair.

"W-What about us…?"

"I've been thinking…you're not satisfied with the relationship we have right now, are you?"

It was happening, all right.

"W-What are you suggesting…?"

"Oh, nothing much." Camilla stroked Hinoka's hair. "It's just...the last few times we've met, you've had this interesting look in your eye. Something like large pupils, I'd say."

Hinoka felt a familiar feeling in her groin. She wanted to pull Camilla closer, wanted to touch her face...

"Y-Yeah? What about them?"

"You see, dilated pupils are indicative of hatred…" Camilla flipped her scarf. "…Or intense attraction. After the time we've spent together and receiving these wonderful gifts, I highly doubt you hate me."

"I-Is that all?" Hinoka found herself leaning closer in. She touched her forehead against Camilla's. This was it. "W-Well…I can't exactly deny that I like you more than a friend."

"So the truth comes out." Camilla removed her forehead and grinned with half-lidded eyes. "This is an exceptional birthday gift."

"H-Huh?! I haven't even properly confessed yet!" cried Hinoka. She put her hand over her mouth. Damn it. "I, um…I guess that's my confession. I really, really like you, Camilla. Far more than a friend should like a friend. Um..."

Camilla giggled as she leaned in once more.

Hinoka took Camilla's face in both hands and slammed their lips together, hurting her teeth in the process.

"Ouch!" Hinoka let go of Camilla. She pressed her fist against her mouth, trying to ease the pain.

Camilla rubbed her own mouth.

"…You've never kissed anyone before, have you?"

"Um...no. I haven't." Hinoka felt a hand lightly touch her cheek. The hand turned her head to face Camilla. Hinoka felt a shiver run down her spine as she looked Camilla in the eye.

Camilla smiled. "Allow me to demonstrate."

As their lips touched, Hinoka felt her body warm all over. Camilla's soft lips and hot breath were the only things on her mind. She leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Camilla.

She was disappointed when Camilla removed her lips.

Camilla rested her head on top of Hinoka's as she took Hinoka into her arms.

"I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that, my princess."

"R-Really...?" Hinoka rubbed Camilla's back with one hand, stroking her hair with the other. "W-would you like another?"

Camilla let go, then put her hands on Hinoka's shoulders.

"Of course."

Hinoka kissed Camilla again, this time far less forcefully. Camilla's breasts against her body made her want to kiss her more and more; as she repeatedly moved her lips against her partner's, Hinoka found herself tolerant of the saliva dripping down both of their faces. She touched her tongue against Camilla's, causing her partner to squeal loudly.

Drawing her face away, Camilla gasped for breath. She wiped the saliva away from her own mouth, then rubbed her hand against Hinoka's mouth.

"You learn faster when you're properly interested, don't you?"

Hinoka let out a small laugh.

"Well...what can I say? I have the perfect teacher."

"And I have the perfect student."

Hinoka took Camilla's hand in hers.

"W-Would you...like to go for a walk?"

Camilla kissed Hinoka's cheek.

"I'd love to."