#Mitsuhide not Monday
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Chapter 42: Mitsuhide POV Chapter - Other Half - Catching up with the Kitsune, as Hideyoshi attempts an intervention of sorts.
Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)
All Chapters Archived on Ao3
Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?
As soon as the guard captain ordered their unit to the top of the castle wall, he knew. Something had gone wrong for Katsuko. Although Mitsuhide was certain his encounter with her in the courtyard had remained undetected, he had not been able to watch out for her as she returned to the castle.
Whatever just happened had resulted in Motonari and Iekane having a low-voiced conversation while the rest of them waited at attention, hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to draw them upon command.
Mitsuhide stayed at the edge of the line, keeping his posture at attention, with his helmet low on his head. It would do her no good if he were to be identified before he could even determine the extent of the problem. So he stood still. Even though every muscle in his body was alert for an opportunity to take control of the situation. Even though his mind was already racing through a number of scenarios – none of which reached a positive conclusion.
In a few moments, another contingent of Kanamori vassals marched Katsuko and Yoshimoto onto the wall. She was still wearing that fur cloak, while Yoshimoto, on the other hand, was dressed in an informal kimono, and as usual, unarmed. Mitsuhide doubted that the man would be much help in this, but perhaps he was counting on the gloss that came from being an Imagawa. Indeed, he was already puffing up into the parody of an annoyed high-caste Prince. "Master Iekane, what is the meaning of this insult?"
"This doesn't concern you, Lord Imagawa." Iekane’s voice was a few degrees short of the groveling that Yoshimoto seemed to expect. Since this man was not yet familiar, Mitsuhide kept his attention on him, hoping to learn as much about Katsuko’s enemy as possible. From what she’d revealed of him, Mitsuhide knew that Iekane was a good liar with the patience of spider; able to spin a web and lie in wait for it to snare an unwary victim. "Motonari has a problem with a member of your household."
"I don't see how. My page has devoted his attention to me since the moment we arrived. Any insult would have come about because he was merely doing my bidding." Thus far, Yoshimoto’s approach was to throw around his status to protect Katsuko.
Unfortunately, what would work against the Kanamori vassals was unlikely to work against Motonari and that man’s distain for the current societal structure (a philosophy that Mitsuhide somewhat sympathized with, though he disagreed with a ‘burn it all down’ solution). Indeed just as expected, Motonari focused his ire on Katsuko, having apparently recognized her from their prior encounters. "Lord Imagawa, yer page is a spy who works for Mitsuhide."
Yoshimoto whipped out his fan and yawned. "Of course she's a spy. But she works for my cousin, not Mitsuhide."
For one very short moment, Mitsuhide wondered if that was in fact true. Was Katsuko one of the mitsumono? Had she always been so? He glanced over at her, and noticed a quickly concealed flash of surprise, that was then followed by a straightening of her posture, as if she was mimicking what she believed a Takeda spy would look like.
It seemed that Imagawa was improvising.
Keep talking. It would give him an opportunity to figure out how to defuse this situation without giving up his mission.
Rescue her first. Hang the mission.
No. Now was not the time for indecision.
Iekane started to speak, but Motonari took control. "Shut up." He turned to Katsuko and asked, "Yer one of the Mitsumono? Why’d ya help Mitsuhide?"
“The best way to gain his trust was to help him. And of course once he pulled us off your ship, I figured the only way I was going to get back to Kasaguyama was to work with him."
Good girl. That sounded plausible.
“By burning down my camp." Motonari’s words came out as a growl, but there was a different kind of light in his eyes.
"Next time tell your men not to store, the gunpowder so close to open flame.” She shrugged. "Hell of a fire though."
For a moment, Mitsuhide worried that she had pushed Motonari too far, but then the man started laughing. ”Hell of a fire."
The guards near Mitsuhide shifted uneasily, apparently not used to this type of volatility. Iekane looked around and seemed to be preparing to try and re-take control, but Katsuko spoke up first. "Lord Iekane knows this, because he and I were both originally trained by the same spymaster." She addressed the rest of the Kanamori guardsmen. "Just a suggestion, but you might want to get a food taster in for Mozumi's meals and drink."
Iekane put his hand to his heart. "Are you accusing me of harming my dear father? The man took me in, saved my life. I'm devoted to his health."
Hmmm. From that response, it was possible that Katsuko had hit a nerve. Mitsuhide continued to study him, watching his face for reactions, looking for any opening that would allow him to subtly help matters. As always, in the back of his head, help Katsuko warred with stop Yoshiaki.
But thus far, Yoshimoto appeared to have a slight edge of control. "Yes, of course you must be. A poor orphan is always grateful to the rich man, especially if he has no other living offspring."
The difficulty of this whole situation was threading the needle in such a way to get both the Kanamori vassals and Motonari on their side. Katsu and Yoshimoto had yet to manage that task, for Motonari simply shrugged away all hints of that accusation. "Heh. This is all very interesting. I don’t care if Iekane is offing his Pap, it all ends up the same in the end. Imagawa ya in for destroying Nobunaga and getting this party started or not?"
"The desire of my vassals is clear." Yoshimoto snapped his fan shut. "That said, I do not agree that Sakai is a worthwhile target." Did that translate into ‘not interested in wanting to stop Yoshiaki’? Or could Mitsuhide count on Yoshimoto’s aid?
"Iekane when you caused the cart accident, was your target me... or was it Hiko?" Katsuko sent her former friend a lethal looking glare.
Iekane caused that accident? Why hadn’t she told him that? As far as Mitsuhide knew, Iekane had not been to Sakai. Or was this something she’d only recently discovered and not had time to share with him?
"Accident?" Iekane laughed, and turned to look at the guardsmen, sending them a ‘do you believe this nonsense?’ look. "Kaya, you've always been clumsy. And little boys, well, they can get into so much mischief."
Interesting. It seemed that Katsuko had just led Iekane into a trap.
"Lord Motonari… Has Iekane ever met Hiko?" Her posture was triumphant as she snapped that trap closed. Mitsuhide felt a quick shot of pride in her interrogation skills.
Motonari frowned. "No. He ain’t been to Sakai. Do you have a point, spy? Or are ya wasting time waiting for reinforcements?"
"How does Iekane know Hiko is a little boy?" She took a deep breath, and spoke faster. "Hiko is in danger, from Iekane. Before my former master disappeared, he sent me a letter, asking me to find Hiko and protect him from Iekane."
Akihira’s letter… if only he’d let her have it back earlier… could this have been prevented? What did Hiko have to do with Iekane and Akihira?
"Why, why would I care about some street kid?" Mitsuhide was looking at Katsuko’s face when Iekane asked, and he caught her hesitation. She doesn’t know.
"Because," Yoshimoto must have noticed her panic as well, and began spinning a tale. "Hiko is actually Mozumi's son. His blood son. Hiko's mother was one of Mozumi's concubines. But Mozumi's second wife Osumi was jealous of Niwa, and arranged for an attempt on her life. Frightened for her safety and realizing she was carrying a baby, Niwa decided to fake her death, at least until the child was born. Unfortunately, during childbirth, poor Niwa’s death became a reality. This was when her sister decided to raise Hiko as her own. She already had a daughter, Sho, and the children were devoted to each other."
It was a wild tale, full of the Imagawa’s flair for the dramatic. Mitsuhide noted it was partially striking sympathy from the Kanamori guards and vassals, and was gaining a little ground on Motonari as well.
"And that is why Iekane plans to attack Sakai. It would be easy enough to kill one small boy in the confusion and make it look like an accident of war." Katsuko seemed more confident in this answer, an answer that Mitsuhide internally agreed might be effective on Motonari, whom he knew was not convinced that Sakai was an appropriate target for the shogun’s forces.
"That's ridiculous." Iekane addressed Motonari, "Lord Imagawa has spent so much time on the arts that it’s rotted his brain. No true warrior would believe such a fanciful tale."
But the Kanamori were on the edge of believing it, and Mitsuhide added in his part to tilt the balance in Katsuko’s direction. “Mozumi did have a concubine by name of Niwa.”
Iekane looked hesitantly over his shoulder but Mitsuhide was already hiding his face. He placed his hand in front of his mouth and directed his voice so that it appeared to be coming from the vassals. A stage trick, but a useful one. “Lady Osumi was the jealous type.”
“Are you really believing this nonsense?” Iekane’s voice was shaking. A cornered beast is a dangerous one. As he spoke, fumbled for something he had in his kimono. Something that made Katsuko turn pale, her fear visible even in this deepening night. Was he armed with one of those Nanban pistols?
It was only a split second of hesitation while he tried to calculate whether he could stop Iekane from shooting without jeopardizing his own mission. Failure in either could spell disaster for not only Katsuko but also Nobunaga. How could he weigh one against the other?
How could he weigh his head against his heart?
Before he could determine the best course of action, Katsuko gave him one last look, then before he could stop her, she jumped on Iekane. Mitsuhide leaped after, this time knowing he could use the excuse of protecting the Kanamori to grab her, but for some reason, Iekane pulled her close, and let the motion carry both over the side of the castle.
Mitsuhide put on a burst of speed and lunged for her, his hands only reaching empty air.
It wasn’t that far to the ground, a ground covered in soft snow… a fall from that distance would have been survivable. Even so, Mitsuhide would have forgiven if he had shut his eyes to the sight of her body hitting the earth.
But he didn’t.
Which was how he was able to witness Katsuko and Iekane vanishing into a shimmer of thin air.
“What happened to… ah…” Yoshimoto trailed off, but Mitsuhide caught his tone of voice. It was the voice of someone who had made a realization. Yoshimoto looked at him, and his eyes widened. Hm, it seemed that he had not been informed of Mitsuhide’s presence here.
“You know something.” It was only his disguise that stopped him from grabbing Yoshimoto by the neck and dangling him over the edge.
“I promise to explain… later. If you will back me up now.” Without giving Mitsuhide a chance to respond, Yoshimoto whipped around and addressed the vassals. “Witchcraft! The Kanamori imposter has escaped into the spirit realm and stolen my personal guard in the process.”
“Master Iekane was Yokai! Before they vanished, he revealed his true form is that of a Tengu.” Mitsuhide turned to the Kanamori guards. “We have been misled by a demon.”
“Yer not a Kana-“ Motonari scowled in his direction, then apparently decided he had had enough of the Kanamori and Yoshiaki in general. “Never should have trusted that the shogun had the brains to pull this off.” He made a mocking bow toward Mitsuhide. “Until later.”
Then he stalked away.
Mitsuhide debated stopping him, but Goro was still outside the castle, and was smart enough to follow Motonari back to his lair, back to where Kennyo was holed up as well. At the moment, Yoshiaki was still the more dangerous of the two, and stopping the shogun was his primary mission.
And at least in this, he could keep an eye on Yoshimoto, ready to question him about Katsuko’s mysterious disappearance.
It was well into mid-morning before Yoshimoto and Mitsuhide were able to have their promised talk. With a bit of prompting from Mitsuhide, Mozumi had tottered up from his sickbed, and in no uncertain terms, told his vassals he was honoring an alliance with Nobunaga. Generally disgusted by the attitude of both the shogun and the too-proud Imagawa vassals, the Kanamori vassals and guards evicted their former allies.
Yoshimoto seemed to have exhausted his supply of diplomacy and was unable to convince his vassals to return to Kasugayama. Therefore, when Mitsuhide had finally followed the man back to his quarters, it was to watch him pack his things in order to journey with Yoshiaki. This was a journey that the Imagawa Prince was clearly dreading. “However, if I am with the shogun, I may be able to distract him from his plans, at least until he meets with an unfortunate accident.”
Mitsuhide raised his eyebrow but did not comment. In truth, whatever Yoshimoto was going to have to do to “distract” the shogun sounded even less pleasant than any plans to assassinate him.
“Yoshiaki is not good for this country.” Yoshimoto’s voice was quiet but full of conviction. “I am uncertain if Nobunaga is the answer, and certainly my cousin does not believe so. But Yoshiaki’s use of my vassals is a mess of my making, and I see now that I must do what I can to unsnarl it. In any case, even with what is left of the Imagawa clan, the shogun does not currently have the resources to make trouble.”
Though this was indisputable Mitsuhide resolved to keep an eye on the situation, well aware that even with a small force, the shogun was capable of plotting revenge. But he had a more urgent question to be answered. “Do you know where Katsuko is?”
“I expect she has returned to her original time.” Yoshimoto rummaged in the shelf and pulled out a familiar pack. Katsuko’s. “She is from the future. About four hundred and fifty years forward in time. And… if you think such a thing is impossible, I suggest you discuss the matter with Mai.” He plopped the pack in Mitsuhide’s hands.
He hadn’t realized he was even reaching for it.
It sounded less plausible than Yoshimoto’s tale of Hiko’s origins. If Mitushide hadn’t seen Katsuko and Iekane disappear between the castle walls and the ground, he would have accused Yoshimoto of telling more folk tales. But the explanation of time-travelling explained so much, not just about Katsuko, but also Mai. “She told you of this?”
Yet another bit of Katsuko that Yoshimoto knew and Mitsuhide did not. It… hurt that she had never confided this in him.
“She did not originally, though we have discussed it. I have been aware of the existence of time travel for several years, and Kenshin’s ninja is from the future as well.” Yoshimoto kept his focus on packing up his own belongings. Even though the man took care to neatly fold his clothing, his hands were shaking. “If I must spend the next few months with Yoshiaki, I will be unable to give Katsuko her things, not to mention her horse… if she returns. I am given to understand that she comes from a time of peace. Perhaps she has had enough of these troubled times and the people in it.”
Perhaps. Perhaps she is safer where she is now….
"I'm not going to Azuchi. There’s no place for me."
"You undervalue yourself. If we don’t find Akihira, you have plenty of skills to make yourself valuable at Azuchi. Your language facility alone would be enough for Nobunaga to employ you as a translator."
“I know. Actually he offered me a job the first time I met him. But that wasn't what I meant." She had then put her hand on his heart. "There's no room for me here."
Mitsuhide rubbed his chest, as if he could still feel that touch of her hand as she reached for something he had no business giving away. Something he was no longer certain he had.
“Shall I unpack this?” Kyubei’s voice was full of impatience.
Mitsuhide looked up from the pile of reports on his desk, to find his vassal uncharacteristically out of sorts. He was holding the pack of Katsu’s things that Mitsuhide had brought back from Genba. Though he had turned the horse over to Ieyasu, who appeared to get along very well with the temperamental beast, Mitsuhide had kept control over the rest. Control… but he had yet to look through them. (He had of course, taken the time to decode his handmade copy of Akihira’s letter – however it did not contain anything beyond what he had already learned from Yoshimoto).
Her personal items… though it was unlikely she would ever return for them, it now seemed… impolite… to search them. However, to refuse Kyubei’s request would only make the man overly suspicious. “Dear me, I had forgotten I had that. Yes, of course.”
He bent his head over the correspondence. As expected, Goro had managed to track Motonari to the Chugoku region, which was still home to the Mouri clan. Unfortunately, he had not yet located where Motonari had stashed Kennyo, as it seemed they were indeed lying low until Spring. Meanwhile the Imagawa and Yoshimoto had not even bothered to keep their escort of Yoshiaki secret, and had blazed an easy to follow trail to the port city of Tsuruga. Thus far, the Shogun was simply throwing his weight around the city without managing to increase his meager forces. And…
A flash of turquoise silk caught his attention. The yukata he had had made for Katsuko. It seemed that she had kept it. Or at least tried to before she’d been pulled back to her original time. He watched Kyubei shake out the wrinkles, and then a scroll of paper fell out of the garment.
It rolled within Mitsuhide’s reach. Without thinking, he opened it, and was surprised to see a drawing of a young man. What was she doing with this? The drawing was old… creased… the paper thinning as if she had taken it out and looked at it many many times. The subject … was a familiar face.
“Katsu’s brother.” Kyubei answered a question he had not asked. “She has been searching for him for as long as I have known her. Apparently they were attacked by bandits and he was carried away, possibly sold to the Nanban.”
No he was not. Katsu’s brother was currently living in Sakai, working as a healer. Toshiie.
“Will you return to check on her?”
The man backed further away from the bed, glancing down at his stained clothing. “No… I can’t. Not like this.” With that, he fled from the room.
Only after it was clear the healer had left the building did Shojumaru speak into the silence. “Toshiie is a strange one, but he’s saved many considered too injured to survive.”
If only he had thought to ask her brother’s name when she mentioned he’d disappeared. Or asked even one question about him. Of course she would have devoted her life to finding him… and of course she transferred that obsession to Aki when he disappeared as well. Having already lost her home, her mother, and her brother, she would be fixed upon finding the one person left to her.
The one person who could be left for her.
“Kyubei.”
“I am standing right in front of you, Lord Mitshide.” It was said with touch of dry humor.
“So you are.” He tapped the drawing. “This man is living in Sakai as a healer. He should be easy for you to find.”
Kyubei nodded. “And bring him to Azuchi?”
He considered for a moment. It had been clear that Toshiie had not wanted to be recognized by Katsu, had not wanted her to see him. “Not yet. Not unless he seems to be preparing to leave the city. Simply… watch the man, and report on his well-being.” If Toshiie needed help, Mitsuhide would provide it. If he wanted to return to the future to be with his sister, Mitsuhide would figure out how to make it happen. She deserved that much, at least.
“I will do so.” He laid Katsu’s belongings on Mitsuhide’s desk, bowed, and took himself out of the room.
Never happy with a task half-done, Mitsuhide finished unpacking her things, and finding a place for them amongst his own. Though he deemed her return unlikely, there was at least some comfort in placing her small shogi set on the shelf, putting her clothing next to his in the closet, and setting aside a place on his desk for her brush and ink. At the bottom of her pack, he found another letter, this one from the ninja Sasuke, though it simply named two places, Honno-jo and Togakushi, each followed by a series of dates. He suspected that this might be an item more easily decoded by Mai, so he set it aside.
Then, he returned to his report, making plans for his next journey, whether it be to Chugoku to root out Kennyo, or to Tsuruga to help bring about Yoshiaki’s “unfortunate accident.” Wherever his lord needed him to go.
He had work to do. Work that no one else could accomplish.
That no one else should be asked to accomplish.
It was to be Tsuruga, it seemed. A secret trip, so secret that Nobunaga would not even be aware of it until after Mitsuhide had left.
Instead of outright telling Mitsuhide to go to Chugoku, Nobunaga had surprisingly assigned that task to Keiji, who… Mitsuhide supposed was capable enough to avoid getting kidnapped by Motonari, but didn’t quite seem terribly skilled in… as Katsu would describe it, ‘the art of being invisible in plain sight.’ Nor had his lord believed that sending Mitsuhide to Tsuruga was necessary. “To make any move upon Yoshiaki while the man is not actively rebelling would be considered an insult to Emperor Ōgimachi. In your own words, the shogun is not keeping his activities in Tsuruga a secret. A few spies placed in the city will be sufficient for the winter months. We will lay a trap for him in spring, should he attempt another attack.”
With the rest of Nobunaga’s council as witness, Mitsuhide could do nothing but publically agree to Nobunaga’s plan. In private… well, Nobunaga hadn’t specifically said that Mitsuhide couldn’t be one of those spies.
And so, it was under the cover of darkness that Mitsuhide stepped out of the entry of his manor.
Whoosh.
Clang.
The telltale sound of a sword whistling through the air gave him enough warning to meet that sword with his own, easily diverting the strike… although his attacker hadn’t been aiming to kill. “My dear Hideyoshi, if you wished to pay me a visit, you had only to knock upon the door.”
Hideyoshi gestured to the door in question with his weapon. “After you.”
“As you can see my friend, I am on my way out. Perhaps tomorrow.” Or in a few weeks, when I have returned. When Hideyoshi lifted his sword again, Mitsuhide sighed. “I’d prefer not to take arms against you.” He could, if he put his mind to it, best Hideyoshi in battle, but that would defeat the purpose of leaving Azuchi undetected. More than likely they’d just send Masamune after him. Another who could not master the art of invisibility.
“I insist.” Hideyoshi normal manner of speaking was one of gentle bossiness, however in certain instances, he could become as immobile as a statue. This, clearly, was one of those instances.
Stubborn ass.
Bowing to the inevitable, Mitsuhide went back inside, into his office, with Hideyoshi close at his heels, so close that if he stopped suddenly, he was certain that the man would slam into him. “Do you not trust me? I am wounded to the core.”
“Of course I don’t trust you. Not in this at least.” Hideyoshi waited until Mitsuhide was seated before settling down between the desk and the door. “I would trust you with my life. I would not trust you with your own.”
“Perhaps I was simply on my way out for a late night stroll.” He brought out a bottle of sake, and two cups. He would not need to fight his way out… he could simply drink his way out, as Hideyoshi had a lower tolerance for alcohol.
“You were not. You plan to set yourself up as a traitor, offer aid to Yoshiaki, while the rest of us wonder how much is an act.” Hideyoshi took the offered sake cup, but set it in front of him untouched. “Much as you did this summer, when you pretended to support Kennyo. Such an act won’t work a second time.”
“On the contrary, most still believe I am a traitor, and those who don’t would not expect me to repeat myself.” He drank his own portion of sake, hoping that Hideyoshi would join automatically out of politeness. When Hideyoshi simply continued to look at him, Mitsuhide poured himself another. It seemed he would not be leaving tonight after all. “You and Mai are exceptions, not the rule.”
For the first time in months, speaking Mai’s name did not cause that internal twist of pain. Apparently what was needed to get past that was to inflect a far deeper wound upon himself.
“You are not required to take on the burdens of all of the unsavory tasks.” If Hideyoshi settled back on his heels, looking as if he intended to spend the night if necessary. This was confirmed when the man gestured to Katsu’s shogi set. “Up for a game?”
“I didn’t realize you played. No… not that one.” Mitsuhide pulled his larger shogi table out from the corner, and withdrew the tiles from the drawer hidden inside.
“I know how to play, but as you are aware, Nobunaga prefers Go. There’s not been any time to play for my own entertainment.” Hideyoshi began setting up the tiles in the wrong order, immediately disproving the ‘know how to play,’ claim. “What is wrong with the other set?”
“Nothing is wrong. It simply does not belong to me.” He considered resetting the tiles in the correct order – or at the very least, flipping the ones that were wrong side up over - before deciding that it might be an interesting experiment to start from this unusual pattern. He therefore set out his own pieces mirroring Hideyoshi’s.
“How did it come to be in your possession?” Again ignoring the conventions of the game, Hideyoshi moved his tile first.
“Katsu… er, Kaya, was not able to take it with her when …” Mitsuhide paused, then figured that Katusko’s origins would not be a surprise to Hideyoshi. “… when she returned to her own time.”
“Did you simply let her go, or did you drive her away?” Hideyoshi moved his rook in a direction that the piece was not legally able to make.
“Are you certain you know the rules of this game?” When Hideyoshi simply answered the question with an ashamed smile, Mitsuhide gave up and began building a fortress with his tiles. “In this particular case, her return was somewhat of an accident of fate.” Or something involved with Iekane’s strange device.
Hideyoshi reached out a finger and knocked over Mitsuhide’s fort. “Was it? And the circumstances that led to this accident? Also fate? Granted, my information is third hand, as I am only aware of what Kyubei told Mai.”
“Kyubei is too loyal to gossip.” He thought a moment. “Mai charmed the information out of him.”
“While I’m certain she could do just that, in this case, your vassal is worried about you. You have jumped from one dangerous escapade to another without stopping to rest.” Hideyoshi nodded at the pack that Mitsuhide had brought back inside. “That seems rather a large bag if you were simply going for a midnight stroll.”
“Oh my, you do have a rather liberal definition of escapades. I prefer the word missions, and they are vital to the health of Nobunaga’s cause.” Although as honest as Hideyoshi was, maybe he would never understand the necessity of having one person willing to crawl through the muck for the good of the whole.
“Must it be you? Must it be now?” The question was posed philosophically. There was no anger in Hideyoshi’s tone. He began picking up the tiles and rearranging them again, this time in the correct formation on the board.
“It absolutely cannot be you. Not only it is essential that there be one person on the Devil King’s side with an unblemished reputation… you could not do that to Mai.” Hadn’t the entire experience with Motonari convinced Hideyoshi of that?
“Ah.”
“’Ah?’” Mitsuhide put his hands in his lap in an attitude of peaceful silence. After a long moment, he said, “You must be aware that I am well versed in the art of interrogation. Dropping a one syllable ah and waiting only works if you target feels he has something he must say. Therefore. Ah?”
“You believed, perhaps still believe, that you are in love with Mai.” Hideyoshi professionally tossed five pawns in the air, and counted the results. “I win first move.”
“Setting aside the issue of the truth of that statement, you can’t possibly think I would attempt to take her from you. I’ve known from the start that you and Mai are two halves of one.” He watched as Hideyoshi play an advanced opening. Apparently during the first ‘game’ Hideyoshi had been teasing him. Interesting. He hadn’t thought the man had it in him.
“Yes, we are.” Hideyoshi smiled. “I suspect, however, that you also believe that we,” he gestured to himself then to Mitsuhide, “are also two halves of one. I am the light half and you are the dark half.”
“Interesting theory.” Mitsuhide studied the game board, and realized that he would have to work to win this match.
“There’s more.”
“Oh do enlighten me.”
“I suspect that you were less in love with Mai, than with the idea of sacrificing a chance of happiness, as penance for the things you believe you must do.” Without even a shred of reluctance, Hideyoshi advanced the knight. Demon killer opening.
It was also, one of Mitsuhide’s favorite openings. He knew how to counteract it. He moved a pawn to protect the bishop.
Hideyoshi wasn’t finished with lecture. “Do you think that because I’m the right hand and you’re the left, that if I am happy, you must be miserable? You are permitted happiness, my friend… you only need to reach for it.”
“My happiness, as it were, is about four hundred and fifty years in the future. That is a bit of a reach.” Instead, he reached for his sake cup, and finding it empty, refilled it. “Even if there weren’t some rather pressing issues to take care of here. Kennyo. Motonari. Yoshiaki. Not to mention Kenshin and Shingen.” Although from what Yoshimoto had said, it appeared that Shingen had also travelled to the future. He and Katsuko might even be in the same place.
And… that was something he didn’t want to contemplate.
“Mitsunari has analyzed the situation and does not believe any of them will make a move until Spring. That gives us five months to plan. That also gives you some time to determine how to make amends to your Kaya. Time that will be available to you if you give up on these suicide missions.” Hideyoshi’s silver general ruthlessly tore a hole in Mitsuhide’s line of pawns.
“She is … not mine.” Even discounting the rest of Hideyoshi’s words, discounting the issue of time travel, or the necessity of the missions at hand, even if he could believe that the Gods would permit one such as himself to have a love… “My life is dangerous, and she would never be safe.”
“No one is safe anywhere, and would you not rather keep her at your side, than wonder what sort of danger she has gotten herself is into alone?” Perhaps thinking he had gotten the final word, Hideyoshi was silent for a while, as they moved from the opening of the game, until… “Check.”
Mitsuhide blinked as he searched the board for options. How had this happened? He never lost.
“I cheated when your back was turned to get more sake,” Hideyoshi said, unprompted. “No one is purely good or purely evil.”
Message received.
Be honest. Can you live without her?
No. He could not.
For that matter, he supposed he was curious to see if Hideyoshi could handle it if Katsuko went full on chaos goblin in Azuchi. It would serve him right if she did.
Mitsuhide picked up the piece of paper with the mysterious numbers and dates. “I suppose I should ask Mai what she knows about time travel.”
“Oh Good!” Without warning, Mai suddenly bounded into the room. At Mitsuhide’s raised eyebrow, she added, “Kyubei let me in after you guys. I was the back-up plan if Hideyoshi couldn’t change your mind.”
She plopped down in Hideyoshi’s lap. “Now… let me tell you about a modern concept we call the Grand Romantic Gesture. It’s got to be big, not just flowers, but something meaningful. Oh, and when you get settled we need to go on a double date…”
Hideyoshi met Mitsuhide’s gaze. “I believe I will have another drink now.”
@lorei-writes @selenacosmic @bestbryn @lyds323 @tele86 @akitsuneswife
#10things#10 things I hate about Mitsuhide#Mitsuhide not Monday#surprise gacha chapter#ikemen sengoku#ikemen sengoku fanfic#mitsuhide akechi#ikesen mitushide#ikesen hideyoshi#ikesen yoshimoto#ikesen mai#ikesen fanfic#ao3 link#oc: katsuko#katsuverse
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Snow White With The Red Hair Volume 16
#snow white with the red hair#Sorata Akizuki#akagami no shiraukihime#fantasy#romance#manga#manga(visual)monday#Mitsuhide Lowen#Kiki Seiran
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Entwined Ch. 4
Part 4 of a multipart series. Mai has been reborn in the modern age after a full life in the Sengoku. The warlords as spirit animals find her again after 500 years of searching for her soul. Approx. 3500 words.
Part 1
Previous: Chapter 3
Kaiya was covered in fabric and notions. Bits of thread stuck to her clothes and dotted the floor around her. Mai knew she probably looked just as ridiculous about now. A pile of throw pillows lay beside her, made up of odds and ends, waiting to be stuffed. Her friend opted to make some aprons, and they’d been hand stitching the details on for the last hour.
This was Mai’s favorite part. Trying to figure out how to use buttons or trim to create interesting patterns that would look nice once the pillow was fluffed, but she wasn’t making much progress.
“So this guy takes you out to like, a romantic ruin by the lake and then tells you he’s not interested?” Kaiya laughed. “You don’t buy that, right? I mean . . . he’s clearly trying to play hard to get.”
Mai shook her head. “No! It’s really not like that. He’s just a client.” She put a stitch through the buttonhole, refusing to look up at her friend because if she did, she was sure Kaiya would see through her flimsy denial. She did like Mitsuhide. But it would never work out.
“Girl! Look, he’s hot and he’s obviously into you. What is the problem? So what if you’re also his costume designer? If anything,” Kaiya leaned forward, her smile going even wider, “that just makes it easier to get his clothes off. Please please tell me you’ve done a fitting for him.”
“No! I mean, not yet. I’m supposed to meet him on Monday.” For a moment, Mai’s imagination got away with her. Thinking of what he must look like under the fabric. How close she would need to be to measure and pin. Her cheeks grew hot.
Kaiya fell back, laughing so hard her body shook. “You’re practically drooling!”
“I’m not!” Mai stood. “Look, ok, yes. He’s hot and flirty and how could I not like him? But Kai, he’s an actor! I’d get a reputation. And even if I didn’t, you know how actors are. I’d be his flavor of the week and then he’d move on to the next girl that caught his eye.” She sighed. “Anyway, you want a snack? I picked up those crackers you like.”
“Mmm. Yeah. Ok.” Kaiya watched her intently. “So, I get you. No actors. Even really cute flirty ones. So . . . what about grocery-guy?”
“Hideyoshi? He’s really nice.” Mai came back with food and tossed Kaiya her crackers. “I should text him.”
Her friend gaped. “You’re telling me you went on a date with the guy and then ghosted him?”
“No! I mean, I wrote him a thank you the next day so I didn’t ghost him. I just haven’t had time to - to write him back yet.”
“Back? Are you telling me he texted you and you left him on read?!” Kaiya snatched Mai’s phone from the floor and held it out to her. “You need to tell that cute boy you’re sorry. Now. You cannot ruin this just because you’re busy with work.”
Mai nodded and took the proffered phone. “I know. I just don’t know what to say.” She opened her messages to the one Hideyoshi sent her. “It’s only been a couple of days. It’s not like I’m ignoring him.”
Kaiya leaned over to read the message aloud. “No need to thank me. I am lucky to have a beautiful girl enjoy a good meal with me. We should meet again soon. Whatever you like, my treat. And hey! Don’t work too hard! Smiley face. Is that the one with blushy cheeks? It is!” She pushed Mai’s shoulder. “What are you thinking? That’s the sweetest post-date text ever.”
“Probably not . . . ever.” Mai giggled. It was ridiculously sweet. “Ok. Let’s see. Mmmm, what about -” She started to type. “Hey Hideyoshi! How’s your weekend going?”
“Oh my god, Mai. That’s the best you can manage?”
Mai threw a button at Kaiya. “Shut up! It’s fine. It sounds normal.”
The reply was immediate. Both girls hovered over the phone, reading. “It’s fine. Would be better if I had another date with a pretty girl to look forward to. Smiley face. What about you?”
“Ok, ok. We’re packing up here and you are going to tell him you’re free right now. Invite him to the movies or something.”
“I’m not telling him that. It sounds desperate!” Mai wrote back. “Working on some side projects at the office. Would definitely be better with something fun to look forward to.”
Kaiya gave the text a nod of approval. “Alright, that one at least sounds interested and a little mysterious. Still boring though. Tell him to send nudes!”
Mai felt her whole face go hot. “Kai! What the hell? I’ve never ever asked a guy for nudes!”
“Pffft. And that is why your dating life is dead. All work, no play . . .”
“So what? You asked a guy for nudes? You have got to be kidding.”
Kaiya laughed. “Well yeah, because cute guys don’t drop into my life from nowhere. If they did, I’d be starting an art gallery on my phone.”
“You wouldn’t! Gross!”
“The body is beautiful, Mai. And I appreciate beauty. Besides, if I don’t have at least a shirtless pic, how am I supposed to imagine licking ice cream off his -”
The office door opened. “Ah, hello?”
Hideyoshi poked his head in and looked around until he spotted Mai and Kaiya. Then he smiled and ducked his head, a little embarrassed. “Sorry to pop in like this. You look busy. Is it ok if I come in?”
“Um. Yes?” Mai scrambled to her feet as Kaiya stood up beside her. Both girls flushed to the tips of their ears.
Kaiya nudged her.
“Oh, ah. Hideyoshi. This is my friend Kaiya. Kaiya, this is my, um, my new . . . friend? Hideyoshi.” Mai wanted to sink into the floor right then. Why was her brain so stupid? My new friend.
Kaiya gave her a look that promised much teasing later, but she smoothly stepped forward. “It is so nice to finally meet you! Mai has told me so much about you.”
“All good things, I hope.” Hideyoshi grinned. “Anyway, I didn’t want to interrupt your work. I was just in the neighborhood when I got your text and I, I wanted to drop this off for you.” He held out a little decorative bag tied with a pretty ribbon.
Mai took the bag. “What? Hideyoshi, did you get me a present?”
He chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a little presumptuous. I know. It’s just, I saw it the day after our dinner out and . . . I don’t know. I thought you might like it. I’ll take it back if you don’t want it.”
Kaiya gave Mai a look that said her friend was not about to let her turn the gift down.
“I’m sure it’s lovely. It’s just a surprise.” As in, Mai was pretty sure no guy she ever dated bought her something after the first time they went out. But Hideyoshi seemed pretty genuine. She peeked into the bag and nearly dropped it. Her eyes went wide as she looked back up at him. “This is . . . these are . . . no. No, that’s too expensive. Hideyoshi.”
She tried to hand him back the bag but Kaiya snagged it and untied the bow. “Oh. My. God. These shears are to die for! Mai, did you tell him you wanted these?”
“So it’s a good gift?” Hideyoshi’s eyes were wide and earnest.
“Good? It’s perfect. These have the comfort grip and the blades can be sharpened. Every seamstress wants a set of these.” Kaiya excitedly took the shears from the bag.
Hideyoshi wasn’t paying any attention to Kaiya. His warm gaze held Mai’s. “I knew you liked sewing. Not just for work. I - I thought you might like these. More than a box of candy, anyway.”
“I do. Thank you.” Mai normally refused expensive gifts because it always seemed like there were strings attached. Men often thought they bought a ticket to your pantyline when they paid for dinner. So what would a pair of pricey sewing shears get them? But Hideyoshi didn’t give off that vibe at all. In fact, he was beaming now and there wasn’t anything inappropriate in his smile.
Not like the mischief and sensuality that always played at the edges of Mitsuhide’s sharp grin.
Mai pushed that comparison out of her head. It didn’t matter, because Hideyoshi was perfectly sweet and very dateable and Mitsuhide was just a client. Even he said so. She cleared her throat. “Would you like a drink? Why don’t you sit down and I’ll grab a soda.”
Hideyoshi’s eyes crinkled. “I’d love to, but you look busy. And I’ve got places to be. I really did just want to drop that off for you.” He reached out and took Mai’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Thank you for accepting my gift.”
“Thank you for getting me something so thoughtful.” Mai couldn’t help but feel a warmth wash over her from his gentle grasp. She felt small and delicate in his hands. She caught Kaiya pretending to vomit just out of Hideyoshi’s line of sight.
“Have a good evening. To both of you.” He let go and gave Kaiya a wave goodbye.
When he was gone, Mai sagged back to the floor, staring at the shears.
“He was gorgeous! What are you doing, Mai? He’s so nice and so so into you. He was looking at you like you’re tonight’s dessert. And you let him just walk out!”
“I mean, yeah? What was I supposed to do?” Mai rolled her eyes.
Kaiya laughed. “Look, if it was me, I would have kicked you out and jumped him right here.” She noisily kissed the air. “He’s tall and his ass is so perfect. And those shoulders . . . what the hell, Mai? This is the guy you ghosted for days? What is wrong with you?”
“I told you, I didn’t ghost him. I just . . . I’ve been really busy.” Mai shrugged. Her friend was right, of course. She was getting so wrapped up in work and Akechi’s teasing mixed signals. “You’re right though.” Mai came to a decision. “I’ll ask him if he wants to go out next week. Take a day and just go do something fun.”
“Yes!” Kaiya grinned. “And then come back and tell me all about it. You know I live for your dating life.”
Mai laughed. “Hey! No - what about that guy from the coffee shop? The barista?”
“Pffft. A load of nothing. He puts hearts in everybody’s foam.” Kaiya rolled her eyes. “All the good ones are taken or fictional.” She poked Mai’s arm. “You’re the only one finding the exceptions. Two hot guys.” She sighed.
“Three actually. Did I tell you about the chef?”
Kaiya threw a pillow at her. “What? Now you’re just getting greedy!”
Mai giggled. “Hey, it’s not like he was hitting on me. He was just really friendly. You’d love him. And . . .” She paused, remembering how familiar his company felt. As if he already knew her. “He said I should drop by again sometime. We could go together. Me and you, Asami, if she wants to go.”
“Yes” Kaiya grinned. “I like a man who can cook.”
***
Monday came too soon. Mai woke up before her alarm went off. She stared at her ceiling wondering if it was worth it to try to fall back asleep for another twenty minutes. Her eyes felt dry and itchy, and there was a steady pulse of pressure in her temples. After a moment, she forced herself out of bed and shuffled to the cabinet for eye drops and pain killer.
Every step made her head hurt more. Little colored lights flickered and floated at the edges of her vision. Not good, she thought. There was too much to do today to get a headache like this. She had to drop off a wedding dress commission and then meet Mitsuhide for final fittings on the first act’s costume set. Thinking about it just made her head hurt worse. Focus, Mai told herself. Medicate first. Worry about the day later.
On the way back to her bed, she stumbled and lost her balance. The pills she’d just taken threatened to come up. Mai swallowed, doing her best to keep them down. Her head spun as she tried to right herself and the pain welled up so strongly that she almost cried. She sat down on the floor and rested her head in her hands.
“Ok, breathe,” she whispered. “Just sit here and wait for the painkillers to kick in. Yeah.”
Ten minutes later, Mai felt good enough to crawl back into bed. Her head hurt too much to fall back asleep, but she lay there with her eyes closed trying to relax. She promised herself she would go to bed earlier, drink more water, take more walks - anything not to get another headache like this.
It was clear an hour later that today was not going to happen as planned. Her head didn’t feel any better. If anything, it felt worse the second she tried to sit up. Mai used her phone to turn on her office closed message, and sent an apology text to her wedding customers with a promise to bring the dress by tomorrow. She texted Mitsuhide too, telling him she wasn’t feeling well and asking if they could reschedule fittings during the next rehearsal.
Mai felt a little guilty about both, but there was no way she could work like this. She could barely see straight. Hopefully no one would be too upset. Word of mouth in this business was important. Tomorrow, she thought, she would pick up flowers or chocolate or something as an extra apology when she met with her clients.
The bride texted her back almost immediately with a smiley emoji. ‘We were going to call you,’ the text said, ‘to cancel anyway. We need to meet with the caterers today so it works out. See you tomorrow, same time!’ That was a relief.
Mitsuhide didn’t respond back at all, which bothered her. She hoped he got the text and wasn’t just waiting for her with his crew at the theater this afternoon. That would be so embarrassing. Mai resolved to call in a little while, once her pulse stopped hammering at the inside of her skull.
She drifted in and out of a miserable half-sleep where dreams followed her into her dark apartment and back beneath her eyelids again. A squirrel kept showing up, perched on the side of her dream-bed, blinking at her from her very real windowsill, ducking into her dream-kitchen, and disappearing again. It was really cute, and in her half-sleep it didn’t seem strange at all to have a flying squirrel running around the apartment. She wasn’t sure if it was really there or not, and didn’t care.
In fact, when a click-clunk sounded from the front of the apartment, part of her brain dismissed it as that naughty dream-squirrel. Mai’s eyes squinted open and she rolled over, peering into the front of the apartment, unsure if the noise was real or imagined. A dark silhouette stood in front of the door, back to her.
Mai sat up with a shriek, going into full panic. The sudden movement made clouds of color burst in her vision and her stomach heaved. Everything spun as if she were falling. Her legs tangled in the blankets and she knocked her phone to the floor.
The intruder took a step toward her. He had a bag in one hand, the other raised in the air as if to shush her.
Mai threw her pillow. It was the only thing she could get ahold of and she didn’t know what else to do. The motion sent bright spots of pain spilling into her head and exploding behind her eyes.
“Ow! Hey! Calm down little mouse. I was trying not to wake you.”
“Little . . . mouse?” The nickname settled on her like a cloak of calm. “Mitsuhide?”
He closed the distance between them and now she could make out his distinct golden eyes and white hair. He wasn’t smiling though. A crease marred his forehead and his lips were pressed together in a pale line. “I brought you some soup and medicine. I wasn’t sure what to get so . . .”
The squirrel from her dream leapt out of the bag with a bottle in its paws. It hopped onto her bed and held the bottle out.
“Is this your pet?” The squirrel was so cute that for a moment she didn’t question why he was there or how he got in. It was the one from her dream, only she was sure now it was real.
Mitsuhide chuckled. “More yours than mine, I think.”
Mai took the bottle from the squirrel. It was a stronger painkiller than she usually took. “Hm. Smart squirrel. Thank you.” She petted the squirrel and then watched as it leapt and soared off the bed and onto the counter.
“Let me get you some water, little one.” Mitsuhide set the bag down and brought back a glass. He watched as Mai took a pill from the bottle. “I brought you some soup too. I would have been here sooner if Masamune hadn’t been determined to get fresh ginger for it.”
“Ginger?” She tried to keep her eyes open, to look at him, but even the low light made them ache.
Mitsuhide nodded. “It’s good for nausea, inflammation . . . anyway, I thought some soup would make you feel better.”
“So. You came here because of my text? How did you know where I live? And how did you get in?” She realized she suddenly had a lot of questions, but as they bubbled out another wave of agony pulsed through her head. She shut her eyes and tried to breathe through it.
“Let’s worry about that when you’re feeling better. Suffice to say, I can’t let my favorite costume designer suffer.” He smoothed her hair back from her face. The light pressure of his cool touch eased the pain just a bit, and Mai felt some of her tension leak away.
When Mitsuhide’s hand lifted, she wanted to call him back. But that would be weird. It was strange enough that he was here at all. Seeing her in her pajamas, hair messy, no makeup . . . Mai let out a sigh.
“What was that, little mouse?” It sounded like he was in the kitchen.
“Just thinking this is the worst possible way for you to see me.”
Mitsuhide’s laugh was gentle. “I admit, you aren’t at your best. But even sick, you’re a beautiful girl. I didn’t come over expecting you to look nice. I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”
Mai’s lips curled up in a small smile. “Well, I think you’re only the third person to see me like this. Mom, Asami, and now you. So, welcome to the messy-Mai club?”
“I’m a lucky man.” He sounded closer now. “Don’t throw another pillow at me, ok? I’m just bringing your soup.”
“If you didn’t want to get hit with something, you should have announced yourself or knocked at least.”
The spoon lightly scraped the bowl. “That wouldn’t have been as much fun.” She could hear his smile as he added, “Your face in that moment was adorable. I don’t think your eyes have ever gone so wide.”
Mai wanted to glare at him, but opening her eyes right now seemed like a lot of work. “You’re a bastard.”
“Mhmm. Now open wide. Soup incoming.”
“Wha-” The spoon slipped past her lips and deposited warm, savory soup across her tongue. She nearly sputtered, caught mid-word, but managed to swallow. “Hey, I can feed myself.”
“Sure you can. Why don’t you open your eyes and show me, hm?”
Mai sighed. “Ok, point. But I can always eat it later. You can stick it in the fridge and go.”
“I could.” The spoon gently bumped against her bottom lip.
She took the bite. The soup was really good. Sharp tang of ginger, the slight sweet taste of beets and carrots, and just the right consistency to go down easy and settle lightly in her stomach. Mai wanted to complain, but she was finding it harder to bother. Easier to just let this, whatever it was, happen.
Mitsuhide fed her a few more spoonfuls, but stopped as she began to nod off. She didn’t need to say anything for him to notice the change in her posture, the way her shoulders relaxed into the bed. Mai couldn’t see the tender smile on his face as he adjusted the blankets around her. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and then paused. His gaze clouded.
“I shouldn’t have come. I know.” His words were quiet as a breath. “It isn’t fair to you.” A glimmer lit deep in his eyes as he stroked her hair, barely touching the strands with his fingertips. “But I’ve never fought honorably. Honor is for those willing to lose.” Then he finished the movement, pressing his lips to her forehead.
The squirrel gave him a knowing look from where it sat on the countertop.
Next: Chapter 5
#ikemen sengoku au#ikesen mitsuhide#ikesen hideyoshi#squirrel sasuke#mitsuhide akechi#hideyoshi toyotomi#fanfiction#fanfic#otome#otome guys#fluff
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Mitsuhide: Murder was not on todays agenda.
Masamune: it’s never on anyone’s agenda.
Ieyasu: 👀 it is on mine, but it wasn’t supposed to happen till Monday but thanks Mitsuhide for taking my fun.
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Masterlist
Under a cut because it may get long. I’ve noted the NSFW fics, but please read any warnings before the fic :)
I’ve also tried to note where the reader or OC has a specific gender, but there may be some mistakes. I’m going through to re-tag/label when I can, but if you spot anything let me know
SMAU
Red Flags and Long Nights (Haikyuu, F!reader x Terushima)
Sins of the Past (BNHA, Shigaraki x F!Reader x Dabi)
Undercaffinated (Haikyuu, F!reader poly)
Cybird Ikemen Series
- And What If I Bite You Back? (Motonari x F!MC) NSFW
- Summer Shorts: Heat (Loki)
- Summer Shorts: Cold (IkeSen Modern AU)
- Summer Shorts: Party (IkeVamp)
- Summer Shorts: Fireflies (Sasuke)
- Summer Shorts: Beach (IkeRev)
- Summer Shorts: Vacation (Shingen)
- Summer Shorts: Fireworks (Fenrir)
- Winter Mornings (Fenrir)
- Indulge Me A Little (Motonari x F!MC) NSFW
- Ikesen at the beach
Obey Me
Featuring my F!MC Kore:
Spirit Week Series
- Interrogation (Mitsuhide x F!MC) NSFW
Prologue
Monday: Wedding Day
Tuesday: Hawaiian
Wednesday: Pajamas
Thursday: Pink Insanity
Friday: Beach Day
Epilogue
Bonus: Photographs
- Texting Ban (crack)
- Compassion (TW: self harm, depression)
- Two Weeks (Belphie)
- Convention Escapades (Leviathan) NSFW
- A Birthday Letter (Mammon)
- Demons in my Head (TW: Self harm, depression, ED)
- Happy New Year
- Devildom Easter Egg Hunt
- Five times Kore went drinking with the Devildom
- The Jack-O Pose Challenge
- Happy Birthday Lord Diavolo
- Devildom Christmas
General
-Sleeping Beauty (Mammon x f!MC)
- Six Month RADiversary
- “I like that you make me laugh so much my cheeks hurt” (Mammon)
- “Your eyes are so pretty” (Mammon)
- “My on my, you are such a beautiful creature” (Solomon)
- Demon Brothers & Festive Decorations (Headcanons)
- How they comfort you (Demon Brothers, Headcanons)
- Kisses under the Mistletoe: (formerly) Undateables (Headcanons)
- Birthday Bash Part 1 (Mammon, Levi, Belphie)
- Devildom Valentines (Everyone)
- Hugging Them & Not Letting Go (formerly Undateables) (Headcanons)
- Hugging Them & Not Letting Go (7 Brothers) (Headcanons)
- Levi & F!MC in game wedding
- Morning kisses (Belphie)
- Their favourite positions (Headcanons, NSFW)
Haikyuu
- Kisses under the Mistletoe: Captain Squad Pt.1 (Daichi, Oikawa, Kuroo, Bokuto)
- Kisses under the Mistletoe: Captain Squad Pt.2 (Ushijima, Daishou, Terushima, Kita)
- Shiratorizawa Snowball War (Tendou feat. the Shiratorizawa Volleyball Team)
- Shiratorizawa Snowball War Part 2: The Confession (Tendou)
- Comfort HCs for Insecurities (Tendou, Bokuto)
- Dom!Akaashi Thirst Drabble NSFW
- Bokuto Size Kink Drabble NSFW
- Birthday Bash Part 2 (BKAT poly, Tendou, Yaku)
- Accidental Confession (Yaku)
- Only One Bed (Atsumu)
- Love Notes: Bokuto & Akaashi (BokuAka poly)
- First Date Headcanons: Setters (Akaashi, Suga, Kenma, Atsumu, Semi)
- Love Notes: Tendou
- Soft Tendou Comfort (chubby f!reader)
- Hairstylist Terushima
- How You’re Saved in Their Phone (headcanons)
- First Dates With Middle Blockers (headcanons)
- Carrying This Imagination, I’ll Go (Kita x F!Reader, Inarizaki & F!Reader)
- In Vino Veritas (Daishou x Reader) NSFW
- Horny Tendou & Daishou thoughts NSFW
- “I never wanted to fuck you more than I do now” (Kuroo x F!reader, NSFW)
- Sneaking away to kiss and getting caught (Yaku)
BNHA
- Other Side (Dabi) Songfic
- Christmas Markets with Villains (League of Villains, Shigaraki x Reader)
- Walking on Ice Headcanons (Bakugo, Todoroki, Midoriya)
- Dating Dabi Headcanons NSFW
- Dating Shigaraki Headcanons NSFW
- Birthday Bash Part 3 (DabiHawks poly)
- Fake Dating (Hawks, Celebrity!AU)
- Love Notes: Dabi
- Pro-Heroes First Date Headcanons
- Caring for You (Class 1-A)
- Aladdin! AU (Yagi Toshinori | All Might)
- Mine (Shigaraki, NSFW, TW: dubcon, omegaverse)
- Hawks Drabble
- Shinsou NSFW Drabble
- Kisses while one is sat in the others lap (Shigaraki)
- Soaking wet kisses (Bakugo)
Other
- Cabin in the Snow (Vanderwood - Mystic Messenger)
- Birthday Bash Part 4 (Chuuya)
- No Longer Lost Part 1 Part 2 (Vanderwood, NSFW)
- Kiss to distract someone (707 - Mystic Messenger)
- Kiss to the top of the head (Strife, Darksiders)
- Laying a gentle kiss to the back of the others hand (Lancer Diarmuid, Fate)
- throwing their arms around the other person and kissing them (Sasuke, SLBP)
- Kissing in a stairwell (Chuuya)
- Accidental brush of the lips followed by going back for more (Tengen Uzui)
Kinktober Masterlist (all NSFW)
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for the fanfic ask, Monday july and november annnnd december
Fanfic Questions Themed Around Time
• Monday: do you struggle with the ‘boring’ parts of writing?
Define 'boring parts.'
If it's the lull/slow parts of the story, I mostly write one shots so I usually get right to the goods right away, no boring waiting on that part.
If it's about the writing process part itself, I tend to feel more frustrated than bored when the ideas aren't flowing as I would like them to. I get excited when I get to the editing part of a story where I can search for things to fix or interact with betas so we can find things to fix together.
• July: what’s the hottest fic you have written and/or posted if you write smut at all?
The Experiment, featuring Mitsunari and my OC Houki. Basic premise is that Houki wanted to see how much she could get away with when Mitsunari is in one of his reading trances. Sexy ensues.
• November: do you have any rituals or requirements for getting in the mood for writing?
Grab the writing binder, number and date the page, and just thought dump until the thoughts stop coming. Preferable to have music going in the background, but not necessary. Usually something I've listened to at least one million times so I tune it out and focus on the writing more than paying attention to the music. People voices and songs I haven't heard before, those I have to pay attention to because it's new information so my brain goes 👀 and focuses on that rather than on what I'm supposed to be doing.
• December: have you ever gifted a fic to someone?
Yep, twice in fact (to two different people, of course). Rub My Belly was a gift fic featuring future Dad Mitsuhide and the second was a Christmas Exchange called Blankets where Mitsunari refuses to go to bed alone while the reader stays up to finish work.
#meme thingys#krys's adventures in fanfiction#I still have yet to figure out how the Mitsus became my go-tos when I want to write something
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Because “drawing” your imaginary self is fun
And because it’s Monday
And this is the closest I’ll be toshort wavy hair that doesn’t puff out like lion’s mane.
Anyway, try it here. Have fun. Monday, too, shall pass.
@ikemenfics @snow--blanket @tsundere-mitsuhide @lulidrafts @ythmir-writes @pseudofaux @ikesenhell @forallyourikemensengokuneeds and anyone who wanna play.
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Master List
Updated: June 18
New Updates will be marked with a ***
You can find my old master list HERE. I am not deleting it because it has older fics on it that are not included on this one.
OC Masterlist
Ikerev OC Picrew Collection
EVENT MASTER LISTS:
50 Types of Kisses
2 Yr. Ann. AU Flash Fics
Spooktober 2020
Spooktober 2019
25 Days of Christmas 2020
25 Days of Christmas 2019
25 Days of Christmas 2018
Murder Monday
Angels and Devils Valentine’s Event 2019
Ikemen Revolution
Series: Suitor/OC
○ For Crimson Glory: Iris Adley / Edgar Bright
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch 4 || Ch. 5 || Ch. 6 ||
Crimson Shorts: Iris and Edgar One-Shots: Investigation ||
○ Visions of Red: Colette Marston
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch.3 ||
○ Shattered Glass: Nova Clemence
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
○ Etched in Blood: Sophia Emerson/Fenrir Godspeed
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch.4 || Ch. 5 ||
Sophia and Fenrir One-Shots: Edibles || Glimpse of You || The Night Before ||
○ Behind the Times: Aspen Lancaster/Jonah Clemence
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
○ Tale as Old as Time: Greer Atlas/Lancelot Kingsley:
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || ***
○ Ghost in the Starlight: Aster
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || ***
○ Star Crossed: Wren Blackwell/Jonah Clemence
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
○ For My Master: Edgar Bright/Shae Durham/Luka Clemence 18+
Part 1|| Part 2 ||
○ The Jack of My Heart: Joanna Clemence/Edgar Bright
Ch. 1 ||
Drabble 1 || Midnight Escapades (nsfw) ||
○ Red Fever: Edgar Bright/Naomi Kaiser/Jonah Clemence 18+
Ch. 1 ||
○ Clever Little Fox: Clarissa Bright/Loki Genetta
Ch. 1 ||
○ Kyle Ash Mental Health Series
An Off Day ||The Human Heart || In Her Mind || Tomorrow ||
Series: Suitor/Children
Kid’s Information:
Red Army Kids Older Gen as Toddlers
Red Army:
Lancelot Kingsley:
○ Chaotic Kingsley: Atticus
Ch. 1 ||
Jonah Clemence:
○ A Queen in the Making: Caroline
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
Edgar Bright:
○ Red Army Princess: Eden
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch. 4 ||
Eden Shorts: Fireworks ||
Kyle Ash:
○ Ashes to Ashes: Beckett and Sadie
Ch. 1 ||
Black Army:
Luka Clemence:
○ Twin Collision: Ezra and Valarie
Ch. 1 ||
Seth Hyde:
○ Devils in Disguise: Sasha
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
Fenrir Godspeed:
○ Black Army Mischief Maker: Finley
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch. 4 ||
Finley Shorts: Turning Five || Godspeed Family Birthday HC ||
Au w/ @plumpblueberry Noah Blackwell - “After the Rain” ||
Neutrals:
Loki Genetta:
○ Caged Magic: Lux and Leif
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
Mousse Atlas:
○ The Atlas Puzzle: Khepri
Ch. 1 ||
Suitor x Suitor Kids:
Edgar and Luka:
○ A Pair of Jacks: Evie
Pt. 1 ||
One Shots: Silver-Lining || Confession
Lancelot and Jonah:
○ Crowned Royalty: Ivy and Rose
Pt. 1 ||
Mini- Series:
○ What Once Was: Emery Hayes
Telling Luka || Telling Jonah || Black Army ||
One-Shots:
Black Army:
Sirius Oswald
Birthday Game (IDW)
Luka Clemence
I’m Here || Made a Maid
Fenrir Godspeed -
Tomato War || Main Assest
Red Army
Lancelot Kingsley
Sweet Temptation (nsfw)||
Jonah Clemence -
Despacito || It Matters (nsfw) || Family Sins || Stay Strong ||
Edgar Bright -
Light of My Life (IDW || One sided || Drunk on You (nsfw IDW) ||
Analysis of Edgar’s Trial ||
Kyle Ash
Under the Desk (nsfw) || Ghosts in the Night (IDW)
Neutrals:
Harr Silver
A Wish
Loki Genetta
Birthday Mess
Mousse Atlas
Sleeping Mouse||
Oliver Knight
Hideout||
Amon
The Mad King (IDW) ||
Suitor x Mc x Suitor:
Kyle/MC/Edgar
Sugar Rush (nsfw)
Edgar/MC/Luka
Lost Love (IDW)
Kyle/ Mousse/ Mc
Three’s a Set (nsfw IDW)
Suitor x Suitor
Jonah/Mousse
Take It Off (IDW)
**Headcannons: **
Angles and Demons AU
Angel HC || Demon HC ||
Ikemen Vampire
Series: Suitor/OC
○ At Your Service: Ophelia/Everyone 18+
Ch. 1 ||
○ And So They Met: Alara Bayar
Pt 1. || Pt. 2 || Pt. 3 || Pt. 4 || Part 5 ||
○ Alara One-Shots:
Birthday Morning (Alara and Mozart) ||
○ Twisted Games: Vira 18+
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 ||
○ The Essence of Music: Coralie Van Alst & Mozart
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
○ The Sight of Stars: Arthur /Mina Van Gogh/Charles
Ch. 1 ||
○ Immortal Souls: Nyx/Comte
Ch. 1 ||
Suitor x Suitor with Kid:
Theo and Arthur:
○ Truth in Simplicity: Elaine Odette Doyle x Isaac Newton
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
Suitor One-Shots:
Theo Van Gogh
Stop Being Cute ||
Arthur Conan Doyle
Bound (nsfw)
Arthur Birthday Event 2020:
Bickering Buds || Distractions || Control (nsfw) || Rainy Days || Alcohol and Women || Playtime (nsfw) || The Best Detective || Things to Come || Drunken Pleasures (nsfw) || A Memorable Birthday ||
All Headcannons:
Parents dropping off their kid
Ikemen Sengoku
Series:
○ The Art of Love and War: Warlord Children (Multi POV)
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch. 4 || Ch. 5 || Ch. 6 || Ch. 7 || Ch. 8 || Ch. 9 || Ch. 10|| Ch. 11
○ The Ties that Bind Us: Rena Tokugawa / Ieyasu Tokugawa
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch. 4 || Ch.5 || Ch. 6 || ***
Ieyasu/Rena Birthday Special
○ Clever Canary: Miki / Nobunaga Oda
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 ||Ch. 4 ||Ch. 5 ||
○ Solitary Confinement: Katria Petrov / Masamune Date
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||Ch. 3 ||
One-Shots:
Ieyasu Tokugawa
Injury || Snow Storm || For Her (IDW) || Alone with You ||
Sasuke Sarutobi
Till Next Time (nsfw) || Nerdling ||
Nobunaga Oda
The Cost of War (IDW) || Konpeito
Yukimura Sanada
Pregnancy ||
Mitsuhide Akechi
A Day Out||
Kennyo -
Tryst in the Forest ||
Obey Me
NSFW HC:
Lucifer ||
○ Chaos Reigns (Dark Lilith)
Ch. 0 ||
Lilith One Shot - In Another Life
○ The Little Vampire: Levi and Nell
Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||
○ Sheep Among the Wolves: Karina & Diavolo
Ch. 1 || ***
○ Love and Lust: Verena/Asmo 18+
Ch. 1 || ***
Next Gen:
Profiles can be found here
#new master list#master list#masterlist#ikemen revolution#ikerev#ikemen sengoku#ikesen#ikemen vampire#ikevamp#obey me#shall we date obey me#swd obey me#voltage games#ikemen revolution fanfiction#ikemen vampire fanfiction#ikemen sengoku fanfiction#obey me fanfiction#obey me headcanons#otome fanfiction
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Not much of a merch update because my shipment was very Twisted Wonderland themed. I basically replaced two items I had previously sold, and added Nobu’s 4th anniversary plate and Mitsuhide’s onsen acrylic stand.
That said, I’m very impressed with FedEx shipping. The weekend got in my way again, but this box shipped on Monday and I received it by Tuesday afternoon. Not to mention, it’s much cheaper than DHL.
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Eeeep Nemo darling❤❤❤☺☺☺! Eeeeep it is i Justin! //snorts 🤣🤣😂😂😂 awww dammit i forgot u turned anon off pfffft🤣🤣 hehhe could i pretty please with ice cream ontop ask 2 + 33 + 24+ 4 for the cool ask thingy🥺🥺🥺🥰🥰 love ya lots sweetheart nemo! Hope ya having a good day❤❤❤ sending ya a catbus hug😳😳🌻🌈
Haha, yes, it is Monday (unfortunately) and that means the anon function is off! And otherwise you’re much too recognisable even on anon. 😂😂😂
-- I just realised I have been ranting against a wall after reading up on a particularly infuriating case instead of writing down the analysis so... that’s my Monday so far. Might as well spend it by answering some random questions! 😂😂😂
2. Who’s your least favourite warlord?
Hands down, Sasuke Sarutobi. I thought we were cool, but after his route we’re not cool.
4. How would you survive the Sengoku Era?
By asking Shingen to adopt me. I’m super cute and a good kid, and I come with corny pick-up lines that he can use on his ‘conquests’. He can’t refuse, fool proof plan!
24. Least favorite thing about the IkeSen fandom?
Is Zeta-dearest trying to stir something here? 😂😂😂 I generally dislike the single-minded focus on fandom-favourite: Mitsuhide and how he can get away with some really questionable actions and performances but still remain everyone's sweetheart (and even get celebrated for his shit) whilst if anyone less beloved pulled the same trick (which has happened) they get condemned and hated upon. Double standards much? 🤨🤨🤨
-- Though, in part, Cybird is also to blame for the way they write it. They definitely downplay it a lot when Mitsuhide is involved and try to make it seem more ‘justified’ but that is an entire other gripe.
33. Which warlord would you want as a brother?
Ranmaru! As an older sibling I want this little cutie to be my younger sibling! 10/10 would still troll him, but also not leave him on read whenever he texts me. 😂😂😂
Ikesen Question Meme
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Chapter 15: Mitsuhide POV - Mistake Compounded: (Surprise) Gacha Chapter - Mitsuhide's take on recent events.
All Chapters Archived on Ao3
Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?
“The usual place?” Goro slung the unconscious priest over his shoulders as easily as if he were carrying a sack of rice from the fields. The man had been a farmer once, before the wars displaced his clan. Eventually, he found his way into Mitsuhide’s service, where his combination of brawn and quick intelligence made him a valuable operative, one willing to do tasks that Mitshide would hesitate to ask of Kyubei.
“No.” Mitsuhide found a handkerchief and swiped at a smear of blood on his knuckles. Normally, he preferred to use less physical methods when interrogating a prisoner. Emotional pressure – at least the sort that was his expertise - was generally more effective than torture. But the priest was creature of anger, who only understood violence, one whose family had condemned him to his church in the hopes that their God would do what a strict upbringing could not. “Arrange for him to be found outside a brothel. His more religious brethren will take care of him from there.”
The Nanban missionaries would be horrified; and eager to send him back west, or at the very least, to the Funai diocese in Nagasaki, where they could keep a closer eye on him. Such a man was counter with their evangelical mission.
“As you wish.” With that, the priest was hauled away, leaving only a puddle of urine where he had soiled himself during Mitsuhide’s interrogation.
Mitsuhide cleaned the mess himself – it would not do for the machiya’s storerooms to contain anything but the very best in spices and lacquerware. Blood and excrement would ruin the atmosphere.
As you wish. Odd how Goro’s respectful acceptance of Mitsuhide’s orders echoed uncomfortably with Kaya’s defiant use of the same phrase. Certainly, he would prefer her to be obedient – their task would be far easier – but he was finding her little rebellions and protests entertaining… at least until this evening when he had discovered that underneath her defiance was very real fear.
What was behind that terror (for it had indeed been terror)? What would it take for her to confide in him? Certainly, he did not require her to trust him, for that was not a thing offered even as easily as obedience (and Kaya was anything but that). However, if she ever did grant him her confidence, he would feel honored.
Mai had trusted him… Mai trusted too quickly.
It was with the spector of Mai in his head that he went to scrub the stains of this night off his body. After that… perhaps he had earned the indulgence of enough wine to scrub his memories for a few hours.
Neither would be removed as easily as the stains from the floor.
Respite had not been earned, nor given. The sliver of the moon was still in the sky when he heard the light tapping of feet, as Kaya crept down the stairs. Annoyed at the interruption to his solitude, he offered a challenge that ought to have sent her scurrying back to her room. “Couldn’t sleep? Or… were you interested in renegotiation?”
Even in the dim light of the staircase, he could see her scowl at him. Or perhaps he knew her enough to know that would be her automatic response to that suggestion. “Never mind. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow when you’re sober.”
Oddly, her statement made him want her company after all. The sake wasn’t working to ease his soul. Arguing with Kaya would at least be a distraction. He placed his cup on the desk, as much to prove to her that he was indeed sober, as to prove to himself the same. “I could drink twice this much and remain unaffected.”
She still seemed hesitant, and now that his eyes had adjusted more to the dimness on the stairs, he noticed she was shaking. “What is it?” He beckoned her closer. “I presume this is important.”
“I think it might be.” She threw herself onto the cushion, even at this hour a picture of vitality. Her hair was poking out of her ponytail in all directions – there was even a piece stuck to her cheek. Had she been crying? He pushed away the urge to brush it off her face and instead offered to share his drink.
She shook her head. “I can’t. It gives me nightmares. Waking nightmares too. And, I already just had a sleeping one that woke me up.”
Ah. It was not a surprise that the events of this evening had affected her. Though trained by Akihira, it was clear that the man had not utilized her in any darker ventures. Mitsuhide imagined that if he had a daughter of his own, he would be much the same, and do his best to keep the girl in the light.
As for the priest, at least Mitsuhide could reassure Kaya that he would not trouble her in the future. “A nightmare about the priest? He will no longer be a factor.” The man had acted on impulse – spotting ‘Kyubei’ and Kaya at the shrine, he had taken a chance to be revenged upon the events of the auction. There was no connection between the priest and the disappearances of Hideyoshi, Mai and Aki. Of that, he was now certain.
“A different nightmare.” Three words. Words that made Kaya look small… and cold.
He noticed that she had fled her room without putting on her shoes… or even a yukata. He could see a vague outline of her body through the thin material of her night kimono. The latter observation had him speaking more honestly than intended. “If you’ve come to me to be soothed, I’m flattered.” But the only comfort he had the right to offer was…. He took off his socks and passed them to her. “Don’t protest. I never feel extreme heat or cold.”
“Alright.” She slipped the socks onto her her feet. “I guess to explain the nightmare, I have to go back and explain why I don’t like boxes.”
Interesting. He would finally learn the reason for her terror of … “The palanquin.” This could potentially be a long conversation, so he poured himself another drink – an action he had cause to be grateful for when he heard her next words.
“Yes. Well. About five years ago, someone tried to kill me, or maybe just get rid of me – by locking me in a crate and leaving it in a warehouse.” Her hands were clenched into fists, knuckles white with tension.
The thought of someone locking a child - and five years ago, Kaya… no, she was Katsu… would hardly be past childhood - into a crate and abandoning her made him wish the culprit were before him right now. There would be no mercy, no attempt at emotional pressure. But that… was for another time. At the moment, he could offer the comfort of quiet logic. “The warehouse that currently belongs to Shojumaru.”
“Yes – that one. I don’t know if he owned it then though. The crate I was in got hidden under a heavy shipment of western muskets. I couldn’t get enough leverage to move the lid.” She faltered in her story as the rest of her became as pale as her knuckles.
Before she fainted, Mitsuhide took hold of those trembling hands, willing to transfer a measure of detachment to her. “Katsu. Look at me. Breathe.”
She breathed.
He watched the rise and fall of her chest, until the breathing became easy, until her grip relaxed, until …
She pulled away.
Now Mitsuhide’s hands felt cold. He wrapped them around the sake bottle.
She took one last deep breath and continued. “While I was in there – before I realized I was trapped - I overheard a conversation between a foreign merchant and a man he called Motonari.”
Motonari?
It was the last name he’d expected to hear. The man was dead. Had been so for a long time. Too long ago to make that possible. “Five years ago? The only Motonari I can think of who would have been interested in and able to acquire a large shipment of weapons is Mouri Motonari, and he’s been dead for longer than that.”
Katsu shrugged, and the edge of her kimono slipped lower on her shoulder. “So were Kenshin and Shingen, and they’re still alive.”
“You’re suggesting Mouri Motonari is not dead. That’s… possible. The Mouri clan has been rather active of late. However…” It was an interesting avenue to pursue, but she could have told him this in the morning. Perhaps she had come out here indeed seeking comfort… seeking hi-
“The thing is - I think he’s Shojumaru. His voice. It’s been bothering me about him since we met.” Her words knocked the other avenue of thought out of his head. “Shojumaru was the man in the warehouse back then. The one that they called Motonari.”
Shojumaru is Motonari? It… should have come as more of a shock. After all, he had been certain that Shojumaru was hiding something… even the man’s name. Shojumaru. It was a child’s name. Many men discarded their childhood name when they came into leadership. Or repurposed it as he was even now with his own childhood name of ‘Juubei.’ “You are certain about this?” When she bristled in protest, of his questioning, he added, “I do not doubt your story, only what time does to the memory. As you say, it has been five years.”
“Five years of a memory that regularly appears in my nightmares. He could not have been aware that I was trapped in there. That was just a coincidence on his side.” Her voice was calmer, clear with certainty, and he found himself inclined to accept the story.
Inclined to accept it, and curious to know how she had been freed. “How did you escape?” She looked surprised at that – but the Shojumaru revelation could keep for a little while longer. What he needed to know now was how she had escaped that ordeal, and if anything from that escape was likely to interfere with their current task. Interfere more than need to avoid palanquins in the future. “It’s not such an unusual question – someone must have found you, for here you are, sitting with your feet in my socks.”
She glanced at her hands, a sure tell that she was considering lying to him… or avoiding the question somehow. “A person heard me yelling later and rescued me.”
A ‘person.’
“A random passerby to a warehouse that was used by weapons smugglers.” He had a suspicion as to the identity of that ‘person.’ Would she finally tell him? Or even now would she hold back information that at this point was useless. “For if you had been rescued by Aki, you would have mentioned it. And let me digress to remind you that it’s as important to take note of what a person does not say, as it is to listen to what they do. Therefore, the name of your rescuer…?”
“I don’t actually know if those weapons were smuggled. It could have been a legal shipment….” He stared at her until her rambling prevarication reached a truthful response. “It was Kennyo.”
Finally. The truth was too late, far too late, and Kennyo was dead now. Even so, Mitsuhide was glad to have the gift of her honesty. “Ah. The reason for your stubbornness at the beginning of the summer is now revealed. Were you working or him?”
“What? Oh. No.” She sounded surprised enough at the question for him to accept her denial. “But I felt like I owed him for saving me, and that life debt weighed. And at the time you questioned me, I had no idea that he was anything but a travelling monk.”
That… he doubted, but it was also unlikely that Kennyo had told her what he was doing, or what he had planned. She might not have had direct knowledge, but she likely had had her suspicions. “Katsuko, you are far too smart to believe that.”
He noticed she had turned her attention to the teapot he had neglected to dump out earlier. Were this a true interrogation, he might have denied her a drink, or even taunted her with it. “It’s from this morning.”
She shrugged, so he poured poured her a cup, then laughed inwardly at the look on her face when she got a taste of it. I did warn you. If he had been willing to stop the flow of her story, he might have put a kettle on the irori and boiled more water for fresh tea. “Kennyo.”
“He found me, pulled me out, and Aki caught up to us a little while later. Anyway, he took us back to his encampment, found some clothes for me, and… well, he hinted that he might some day come to ask me to repay him, or ask it of Aki.” She coughed, sipped more tea, and coughed again. “Forgetting that I had not seen him when I briefly crossed his path that night seemed like a harmless way to repay him.”
“Harmless. Did it occur to you that if we had been able to capture him at that point, then he would not be able to return and ask a favor?” The expression on her face did not change, but clearly, she hadn’t thought of that. It spoke of a sense of honor. Misplaced in this particular instance, but honor just the same. “Never mind. Sometimes I forget how young you truly are.”
“Besides, there were so many people in the woods that night. I figured someone else must have seen him too, and if so, you were bound to figure things out without me.” That was an interesting statement, and suggested there might have been other people that she hadn’t mentioned seeing. Before he could call that out, she changed the direction of the conversation. “What do you plan to do about Shojumaru? Motonari.”
Until he could determine if Motonari had taken Hideyoshi and Mai and where he was likely to have taken them, there wasn’t much he could do. Yet. With the access to the Mouri fleet, as well as merchant ships, he could be hiding them anywhere. He presumed that at some point the man planned to make a move – the task was to move there first. “Watch him. See if he makes a mistake. Find out if he has any weaknesses and exploit them. For the moment, de Sousa still seems to be a key here. Hideyoshi met with de Sousa. If I can prove a stronger connection between him and Motonari, it would give me a lever to press. If Motonari is involved, it makes the situation political. They could be hostages instead of slaves. If Motonari had… executed them… he would have taunted Nobunaga about that.”
And if Motonari has executed them, whatever hell he has been through in the past is nothing like he will face in the future. He wouldn’t wait for Nobunaga to determine a punishment. The Oda could have whatever was left of Motonari’s body.
“What are they like? Lord Hideyoshi and Lady Mai. What are they like?” Katsu’s voice startled him. He’d nearly forgotten she was in the room.
He poured himself another drink, allowing every drop of the sake to fall into the cup. “Hideyoshi is Nobunaga’s right hand man. He’s a good man… idealistic… devoted… passionate… honest. An all around pain in the ass.”
He didn’t know what Katsuko was expecting him to say, but it clearly hadn’t been that, for she suddenly laughed. He realized that he had never seen her smile before (true, he had not given her any reason to… not that that had ever stopped Mai). “You don’t smile very often.”
It was like getting a glimpse of a completely different person, one that he wanted to know as much as he wanted to know the Katsu who was capable of passionately arguing with him and the one who was terrified of boxes. That thought was rather terrifying in itself. He didn’t want to like her.
He couldn’t afford to.
Katsu covered her mouth. “Um… what? Should I?”
Nor could he afford for her to become self-conscious about her expressions. Her customary ‘neutral face’ was helpful in this line of work. “Dear me, no. Not if you don’t feel like it. It wasn’t meant as a criticism. For what is needed, your face is completely appropriate.”
“I don’t trust smilers. The man who tried to kill me was like that.” She rubbed her arms, and though he was aware that she had done so to comfort herself, the action again caused her kimono to slip, revealing more shoulder.
To avoid being further distracted, he pealed off his own outer robe and passed it to her. He didn’t need it, especially not now, while he warmed by her presence.
Katsu accepted the robe, and curled into it. She looked like a small child wearing her father’s clothing. “And… Lady Mai?”
What about Mai? His greatest weakness… his greatest regret. His greatest victory – one over himself, and his desires – for Mai and Hideyoshi were each half of the same. Light goes to light. “Completely devoted to Hideyoshi and his dreams. At a look, the two of them can enter a world where they are the only two inhabitants.” He lifted his cup, then noticed it was empty. “Hand me that bottle.”
She slid the bottle toward him. “It’s nice that they found each other.”
“He tried not to want her… but with Mai, that’s not possible.” That… was not something he should have revealed to Katsuko, but with any luck she would not think too deeply on the implications of that. Especially if he directed equal praise toward Hideyoshi. “He believed that Nobunaga wanted her for himself, and Hideyoshi is nothing if not self-sacrificing. The man would work himself until he dropped from exhaustion if no one stopped him. And then he would still find time to scold everyone else.”
He watched her burrow deeper into his kimono, feeling gratified that she found it a comfort. And… did she just sniff the sleeve and smile? He filed that away for future teasing. “Does he scold Mai too?”
“Sometimes. If she works too hard. He can’t help it. It’s in his nature to mother everyone. Though Mai at least can get him to rest.” A few weeks prior to their disappearance, Mai had organized something that she had called a ‘dinner party.’ She’d worked closely with Masamune to choose the foods, had decorated Hideyoshi’s manor for the occasion, and then over the course of the meal, had proceed to gently fuss so much over the guests (which had only been himself, Masamune, and Mitsunari) until Hideyoshi sat her down and made her eat too. She’d told him she didn’t need to relax, but that everyone else did, because she knew they were all working hard to build a better world. “Mai is the most idealistic person you will ever meet. Yet, as she much as passionately despises war, she’ll leap into any fight to defend her friends or an innocent bystander, or… even me.”
“I’m having trouble imagining that you ever needed to be defended.” She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands, as if waiting for the whole story. “Who dared?”
“I dared, in fact. I needed to appear to be working for Kennyo, and I carefully constructed matters to make myself look like a traitor. But Mai cut through the entire charade by refusing to believe I was guilty.” He’d never forget the sight of her, defiantly facing him in the dungeon, threatening to reveal his innocence to everyone unless he confided in Hideyoshi. “And the evidence of my guilt was overwhelming – I ought to know, I manufactured it myself. With my reputation, it would have been more than enough to condemn me. But she and Hideyoshi never doubted my innocence.”
There was a long moment of silence, while she appeared to think that over, her lips pursed in concentration. He directed his senses to the feel of the wine in his mouth, for he was becoming far too curious about how her mouth would feel under his. He’d almost banished that odd urge, only to be surprised when she did finally speak. “Well, to be honest, I would have a hard time accepting your guilt too. I mean, ok, I don’t like you, but anyone with eyes and a logically functioning brain can tell you’re loyal to the Oda.”
It was … not that same as Mai’s blind faith in him. Katsu was a creature of logic, and he was certain that were he to ask her what evidence she had used to reach that conclusion, she would tell him in detail. It was still gratifying that she had been able to put aside whatever resentment and rebellion she felt toward him to give him a fair trial in her mind. The, personal dislike, on the other hand…. “What a pity. I believe I have treated you perfectly well. I am a very likeable fellow. Although I suppose it’s flattering that you too would defend my innocence. Flattering. But foolish.” He tapped her on the nose… a gesture that he would give to a foolish child, to remind her who had the power in this room. To remind himself of that as well. “Have you forgotten that you’re my prisoner?”
Absently she rubbed her nose. Brushing away his touch? Or memorizing it? “Don’t worry. I think you’re capable of a great many morally grey things. But in service to a Nobunaga’s cause… not for personal gain.”
His thoughts returned to the blood and urine stains he’d cleaned out of the storeroom. “For this cause there must be someone willing to take on the burden of evil. And someone must be the light to my dark. That has always been Hideyoshi. It’s a delicate balance we make up – Nobunaga needs him, his honesty, as much he needs someone to carry out the missions that no one speaks about. Someone to interrogate--”
Interrogate… perhaps Katsu was more skilled at this than he had imagined. Had tonight been a ploy to discover his weaknesses? He took hold of her chin and looked directly in to a pair of defiant eyes. “Is that what this has been? An interrogation? Looking for a weakness in your captor?”
Her eyes stayed on his. “Always.”Then she shrugged. “Making conversation. Trying to chase away my own nightmares.”
Which had been the truth? Her defiance? Or the need for comfort? For the first time in a very long time, Mitsuhide couldn’t read someone. Maybe both had been true. Maybe neither. Either way, it was a signal to end this conversation. And a signal to return their … association to its prior transactional level. He did not need a friend. He did not need to drag another person into darkness with him. “Have they been chased? For I know that if Hideyoshi were here at this moment, he would tell us both to go to bed now. And to clean our teeth first.”
Understanding his unspoken message, Katsu stood up.
Good. He would stay here, alone, in the dim light where he belonged.
But Kats-Kaya would not leave him even that. “He would be correct… in both. You should go to sleep… Lord Mitsuhide.”
Once again, time to remind her of her precarious position. Of her options. “Will you escort me to my bed? It’s not too late to renegotiate.”
She would refuse him, of course. She must. The other alternative was not thinkable.
“To your door.” Her voice, her posture echoed Kyubei’s. Kyubei, who was obedient, but was confident enough to speak his mind.
“Planning to take on Kyubei’s role?” That would be a workable compromise – a vassal whom he could count on to follow directives. He would be responsible for her, naturally, but there was no need to encourage a friendship.
With that in mind, he took her arm… and the feeling of her skin under his fingertips was like a drug in the blood, more potent than sake.
Over the course of the journey up the stairs, to the door to his room he concentrated only on putting one foot before the other, his own breathing, and not on her warm presence beside him. By the time he stepped inside his own room, where she, as planned, halted at the threshold, he had his pulse in check once again. He could return to thinking of her as Kaya.
He lightly pulled on her hair, then turned his back on her, even as she slid shut the door.
As he heard her footsteps fade away, heard her own door open and shut, he decided to spend as little time with her as possible. It ought to be simple enough to make her hate him again.
Tomorrow… he would ride to Azuchi, and discuss with Nobunaga what they had learned.
Perhaps he would even stay there for an extra day or two.
@selenacosmic @bestbryn @lyds323 @akitsuneswife @tele86 @lorei-writes
#ikemen sengoku#fanfic#ikesen mitsuhide#ao3 link#ocfairygodmother#ten things#ten things I hate about mitsuhide#surprise gacha chapter#mitsuhide not monday
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Snow White With The Red Hair Volume 8
#manga(visual)monday#snow white with the red hair#akagami no shirayukihime#Sorata Akizuki#Shirayuki#Zen Wisteria#Mitsuhide Lowen#Kiki Seiran#Obi#fantasy#romance#manga
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Heeelo ! Just wanted to ask a little question Is the next chapter of mitsuhide coming soon ? Ps: Love ur writing
Yep! Thanks for checking in!
This week is mostly going to be asks but the next Mitsuhide chapter will be up next Monday ^_^ I try to bounce between the ask box and my projects so everything gets posted in good time. I am also almost done with the last chapter for Leonardo.
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#Ikemen Playlist Ikesen Editon
I made a play list on Youtube but I will link the video of each song to each suitor as well.
For those that don’t want to you can click on the song by the suitor to listen.
Okay So I gave Kennyo two songs because I honestly couldn’t pick.
Playlist
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
┊ ┊ ┊ ✫
┊ ┊ ☪⋆
┊ ⊹
✯ ⋆ ┊ . ˚
˚✩
Nobunaga Oda: Fake It - Seether
Masamune Date: Wild Ones - Flo Rida
Yukimura Sanda: What Was I Thinking - Dierks Bentley
Ieyasu Tokugawa: All of Me - John Legend
Hideyoshi Toyotomi: Monday Mr. Mom - Lonestar
Shingen Takeda: Where Them Girls At - David Guetta
Kenshin Uesugi: Little Bit Off- Five Finger Death Punch
Mitsunari Ishida: Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Sasuke Sarutobi: Partners In Crime - Set It Off
Mitsuhide Akechi: Fall For You - Secondhand
Kennyo: Unsteady - X Ambassadors, or Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson (Japanese Version)
#cybird#ikemen series#ikesen#ikemen sengoku#nobunaga oda#masamune date#yukimura sanada#ieyasu tokugawa#hideyoshi toyotomi#shingen takeda#kenshin usugi#mitsunari ishida#sasuke sarutobi#mitsuhide akechi#kennyo#challenge#ikemen playlist
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Playing in the Alpha’s World - Pt 7
The private German lessons had been helpful, even when Hideyoshi had baulked at the cost for three of us to be tutored. Then his eyes had threatened to bug out of his head when I insisted that our tutor would be moving with us for a few months to Berlin to ensure that we could manage to continue managing to converse in a fit business etiquette properly. Mitsuhide just signed the cheque to authorise it and passed it to Nobunaga for the second signature.
Kenshin had passed the bar officially over to Kagekatsu to manage now he had graduated from university. He listed the Berlin office as to where to get hold of him for future correspondence, and it meant he could open a bar with the same name since he kept himself still down as the owner. A Japanese theme dive bar would have its own merits and also something different to offer.
We couldn’t seem to open the office fast enough, we had a demand to manage the accounts of so many businesses that we were getting Shingen to do our recruiting. I never felt like I was going home at any point aside from to sleep and shower, and the amount of times I’d been woken up by Mitsuhide after falling asleep looking over resumes or someone else’s request for us to manage them.
“Kayda,” Mitsuhide’s voice was something I heard more than Kenshin the past couple of months, as I looked up at him. “You’re exhausted. Don’t come in tomorrow. In fact, make it a four day weekend. I already know Kenshin has a bar manager and he’d rather close the bar than leave you be. You need to relax.”
“It must be bad if you’re the one telling me to do that,” I sighed, tidying up the executive desk I’d taken over with potential clients requests. “And before you say a word, no one will be ever able to find anything if I don’t organise this all before I go home.”
Mitsuhide didn’t trust me to get wrapped up in a new task, he lingered, waiting for me to finish filing everything away before I was escorted out to the street. He smirked as I flipped him off and said I’d see him next week, shifting my bag on my shoulder.
Berlin was like most capital cities. People came here to make their mark and way in the country, it was constantly busy. It wasn’t uncommon for us to arrange dinners to take place at eight pm at night, and then clients would go back to their offices afterwards. Not that we hadn’t had plenty of times of ordering in take away because it was so late and we couldn’t let problems sit overnight. The time zone difference was killing everyone. Nobunaga and Ieyasu had landed a few days ago in New York, and I was getting calls at all hours when people weren’t able to work out that I was GMT+1, making me eight hours behind Kyoto, and then six hours ahead of New York. We didn't keep very regular hours at the moment, and I suspected that may become the standard case for myself and Mitsuhide for the immediate future. One of us would need to take over the contact with New York and the other to focus on Kyoto with enough of a crossover to touch base. I was silent and focused on my thoughts as I walked home. I had insisted that the flat we had would be close enough of a range that I didn't have more than a ten-minute walk in heels to go. I never fancied needing to get transport home when I could walk.
Kenshin was stuck on the news when I opened the door.
“Things must be bad if you’re being sent home for a four day weekend,” he smiled from the couch.
"I knew you and Mitsuhide exchanging phone numbers would be bad for me," I shook my head, locking the door behind me before I took my shoes off. "Well, I've fallen asleep at my desk every day this week, and I've been in for the past forty-three days on the trot as well," I shrugged. "I'm surprised I haven't had a heat," I sighed, sinking down onto the sofa next to him. I breathed his scent in deeply, snuggling into his chest as my head was resting on his shoulder.
Kenshin didn't give me a chance to settle, though. "Your heat may not have started yet," he grunted. I was flat on my back on the sofa, and under him, my eyes wide open as the smell hit me and made me cream my panties immediately. "But my rut has," he murmured against my throat, kissing and nipping alternately as my skirt was pushed up around my waist to allow him unrestricted access with the removal of my tights and panties. "So I told Mitsuhide you would likely come into heat since my rut has started. Hence his instructions,” he mumbled, nuzzling into my neck as I felt the pleasure of his mark starting to bloom on my skin. “So, be a good girl and please your alpha,” he purred.
***
True to form, it was several days later as we fucked our way through the mutual heat and rut before I was back in the office. I saw a few of our workers giving each other looks, Kenshin had left a few markings more than a little visible given my office wear of open-collar shirts. I didn't have the energy to deal with it as Mitsuhide smirked to see the state I was in on my return.
“It was hell without me, then?” I asked, looking through the post on my desk. It was starting to look like I was as much an equal partner in this branch as Mitsuhide was, instead of the secretarial role I had inhabited before.
“Yup. But you needed that, as did Kenshin,” he shrugged. “Nature is a fun thing,” he smirked.
“Tell me about it," I sighed, my computer taking its time in opening my inbox. "Shingen is on for getting us more employees at least, and he's offered to come over for a week too," I read off the top email with a nod, already bringing up a calendar to synchronise all three of us. "Also, have you put out for a secretary for us yet?" I sighed, peering around to look at Mitsuhide.
“I was going to ask how you’d feel about it,” he replied. “Half of the things I am looking at I feel like I should be delegating, but I don’t have the staff to delegate to yet.”
“I know that feeling," I agreed, blocking us all out for the following Monday, Shingen would get the first flight in and land around 9.30am. He would stay with Kenshin and me to save on some costs, and there were enough restaurants to eat at around here where we could break and then work again. I was literally watching Shingen populate my diary with him as interviews were already being proposed for times at the office.
Our reputation had preceded us. Everyone knew we could deliver the services, it was just mostly getting the staff. The late nights and early mornings continued, though not without the majority of people knowing that we were practically living at the offices to get things established. It wasn't uncommon for us to get messages or employees sticking their heads into our joint office, asking if they could help with anything. It was then we put the internal memo out that we were going to hire a secretary to assist with the management of our workload with the instruction to send a resume and cover letter to Shingen via email.
Both of us had been busy working through some potential new clients when my phone line went dead, and Mitsuhide was glaring at his screen. Then I looked up to find a smiling Shiori holding my phone line and power cable in one hand and then pointed to one of her co-workers holding the power and phone line for Mitsuhide. She smiled and waved as Shingen was chuckling to himself in the background, while Kenshin was glaring at the office in general. He must have been feeling a little territorial before being shown in as Shiori was already picking up the phone to call back the potentials with a cheery smile.
“I didn’t realise it was this bad,” Shingen frowned, looking over our desks. “I’ve got a lot of interviews starting at 9am tomorrow, and last for the whole week from 9am to 7pm, with an hour for lunch. But I feel like I should be making them for that scale for next week as well.”
“You’re all making it worse than it is,” I waved my hand dismissively. “We have interviews for four days, we can see who will fit in the company. They are all aware that just because they’re interviewing for one role, doesn’t mean that they won’t be offered another role, correct?”
“Yes, I’ve emphasised that it’s a booming company, and anyone who has done their research will be aware that it’s not a startup, just a new location,” Shingen nodded. “You sound like you aren’t talking to an experienced recruiter.”
His tone was a little rap on the back of the knuckles before my handbag was picked up, and then my backpack and Mitsuhide's.
“What are you doing?” I asked, glaring at Kenshin and Shingen accusingly.
“You two need to catch up with me over lunch and then go through the resumes,” Shingen shrugged. “And we’re doing it at your two’s ‘flat’,” the way he used the air quotes made me frown. “It’s huge,” he laughed. “And you’re living in downtown Berlin, so I know it’s not cheap-”
“Someone’s grandmother sent us a down payment for buying property after the news of us being in a relationship was shared,” I explained. “We used it.”
“I did wonder,” Mitsuhide smirked, reluctantly joining us in the elevator to get going.
***
Going through resumes while perched on Kenshin's lap on our stupidly comfortable sofas was heaven. I had been forced to shower and get into one of Kenshin's sweaters and a pair of leggings on getting out before I was allowed back out to work. The coffee was made en mass, while we were doing individual evaluations and even some of the ones that Shingen had been on the fence about but not offered an interview were dragged out for potentially being brought in the following week.
One order of Chinese takeaway later and we had enough extras to bring in for two more days of interviews. Now, we glanced up at the clock in time to realise that it was time to get some sleep. Shingen smiled at Kenshin and me before showing Mitsuhide out, making him promise to get some sleep before letting him have his backpack back.
“Will I get some sleep tonight?” He teased.
“The place was soundproofed already,” I yawned, before realising what I had implied, and blushed.
“Just checking, since Kenshin had never bothered,” he laughed, waving before taking himself off to bed.
Kenshin picked me up, refusing to let me get off him.
“Kenshin,” I whined.
“I want you to have the staff so that I know I can come home to you, and have you to myself for a while, but I don’t want you to be gone like you will be for interviews to ensure that,” he sulked.
“Mm, soon,” I murmured, nuzzling into his neck as I enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me.
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motonari masterlist
for @ginshoujo, who asked for a masterlist of fics and headcanons! <3 i haven’t gotten around to doing this yet. i’m pleasantly surprised that someone wants to see them all!
edit: if you want to see my art, check out my art tag! i draw motonari a lot as well as my ocs <3
FICS
Sun & Sea -- longfic; ao3; updates biweekly on monday - tuesday (school got me last time! >m<)
Sun & Sea: Asides -- short fics based on the Sun & Sea universe; ao3
(the next ones are a bit dated, and might not be entirely accurate to his character. keep in mind i made this blog in 2017!)
the captain’s troubles -- motonari’s mildly tsundere side
afternoon kabedon -- mildly spicy kabedon minific
HEADCANONS
blog tag: lou makes headcanons -- this is where all my motonari headcanons go! these get updated pretty frequently!
motonari playlist -- songs that make me want to destroy the world
(and, once again, the rest will be a bit dated.)
motonari’s alcohol tolerance -- this was based on the alcohol tolerance pyramid with the uesugi-takeda and oda forces. ... now we know he hates it.
motonari vs mitsuhide in a shoot-off -- what’s their accuracy? their aim? who would win? ... the answer is they both have their strengths. i think mitsuhide is the clean killer, though. motonari, uh, likes expressions of grandeur...
ASK PROMPTS
(i haven’t done these in a long, long time. these are quite old!)
kings of the seas -- pirate au
sengoku furballs -- kitten au
pocket heart -- pocket-sized mc au
#ikesen motonari#lou is a pirate#ginshoujo#ikemen sengoku#ikesen#ikesen fanfic#ikesen fanfiction#ikesen headcanon#lou masterlist
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I'm trying my best.