#/ just kenshin feeling everyone out more and getting situated in the inner circle

[fatewoven]

what did you think was gonna happen?! / riku and ken. their tomfooleries  @eclipsedt​  /  prompt.

From across the room, obvious about his staring, disbelief comes in the form of a slow blink and the slight tilt of his head. “That he’d spit it out.” Or make a displeased face. Yet, as if they hadn’t swapped sugar for salt in the coffee, Toshiro continues to calmly sip at his morning drink while working away at the desk — features composed and sculpted like any other creation of marble. Unflappable, that’s one more word to describe Toshiro as in Kenshin’s books. Leave it to Usagi to set him up so masterfully with a few teasing jibes, and now he’s sure Toshiro will make him eat something sweet as revenge to this failed little prank. “Nothin’ makes him break the act, yeah?”

[writingwhimsey]

My Pirate Lord and Our life Ch. 13

Chapter 13

The arrangements had been made and it was three days later we were meeting with the Uesugi-Takeda for our peace talks. We had chosen a field in neutral territory between Oda and Uesugi lands. Each side came with their inner circle, though everyone had reinforcements waiting not too far from the tent that was set up for the meeting, just in case things went south.

Motonari held my hand in his as we walked with the Oda forces towards the tent. He gave my hand a little squeeze, a silent way of reassuring me he was there for me and that everything would be fine. Yarr, you'll be fine. If you could talk sense into me you can talk sense into anyone. I could hear him saying.

We paused outside the tent a moment and I took my hand away from Motonari for a moment so I could give my cheeks a light smack to help energize myself for the meeting. I looked over at Motonari and noticed him smiling and shaking his head. "You should try it sometime." I teased him.

Motonari grinned at me as he lifted his gloved hands to my cheeks and very lightly tapped them. "Hmm, I don't see how that helps anything."

"Hey you're supposed to smack your own cheeks."

"Yeah, but I like yer cheeks better." He replied, leaning in to kiss each of my cheeks. "Ya got this, flower girl."

"I hope so." I replied.

We were then heading into the tent with everyone else. The Uesugi-Takeda were already in the tent, sitting at a table waiting. We all sat down and I could feel two icy cold gazes on me as we all walked in.

"You brought a woman?" Kenshin asked glaring at Nobunaga.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Motonari asked, ready to fight over me already.

"These kind of talks are really no place for a woman." Another guy who almost seemed like another Kenshin spoke.

"Ava is an integral part of the Oda forces and has already proven a skilled mediator." Nobunaga replied, coolly. "She is the one who brought about our alliance with the Mouri."

"I've no problems with a beautiful goddess acting as mediator." Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome Shingen Takeda spoke. "Perhaps Princess, you and I could get rid of everyone else here and we could work these talks out ourselves."

I rolled my eyes, but before I could speak Motonari was interrupting. "I don't think that's going to happen."

Shingen seemed unmoved by Motonari and just looked at me with those flirtatious grey eyes. "Come my goddess, this must be too boorish for you. I'd love to personally witness your skills for myself."

Motonari's hand was on his sword. I placed my hand over his and looked at Shingen. "Stop with the flirting. I am a happily married woman here. We are here to talk about peace, so let's just stick with that, okay."

"Yes, Lord Shingen, you really should focus." Yukimura scolded him.

"What? The Princess is the only person here worth talking to." Shingen replied. "Much more pleasant on the eyes and ears than some other people." He added this last part glaring at Nobunaga.

Nobunaga for his part just wore a smug grin. "And yet you are the ones who reached out to us asking for peace."

Kennyo spoke next. "Yet we all came prepared to fight once again. In case you cannot accept that you must pay for your crimes Devil King."

"As if you are innocent?" Hideyoshi spat back at Kennyo, ready to defend Nobunaga to the death no matter the situation.

Fighting was already starting and I saw hands resting on swords. I felt a headache coming on at how quickly this was already going downhill and how much work I had cut out for me. "Clearly there is a lot of baggage here. Everyone has issues with pretty much everyone else. I get it. But aren't we here to discuss peace and doing what's right for everyone? Are you grown men or are you a group of children?" I found myself scolding, letting my inner Hideyoshi come out.

That seemed to get their attention. Everyone quieted down. They were all looking at me, almost completely surprised, though Motonari was smirking at me, almost as if to say That's my girl. I took in a deep breath. "No one here is innocent of anything. Everyone has done things that I am certain they regret. Some things pretty much unforgivable, but there is a lot more at stake here. The future and the kind of world everyone wants to create. The only way it can happen is through peace and I know we can get there."

"I don't even know why I agreed to this. I want nothing more than o cut off his head." Kennyo spoke, though there was anger in his voice, there seemed to be no conviction.

"Master Kennyo..." Ranmaru spoke up from his place in the shadows.

"We offered you peace." Nobunaga said. "All the lives lost were just as much your own fault as ours for not accepting our offer."

Kennyo glared at Nobunaga hard. "I never received such an offer! So many innocents were lost...babes were cut in their mothers' arms!"

"It's true." Hideyoshi said. "Kicho was to deliver the message..."

"Kicho?" Motonari asked. "That luoco wouldn't have offered peace, even if that was what he was supposed to do."

"What are you talking about?" Shingen asked. "How would you know?"

"I did team up with the guy against the Oda." Motonari answered. "He don't want peace. He wants the endless wars to continue."

"You're saying Kicho betrayed us even then?" Nobunaga asked.

"Ya got cotton in yer ears? Yeah that's what I said." Motonari answered.

"You're telling me that peace was truly your intention then?" Kennyo asked, looking directly at Nobunaga.

"Yes." Nobunaga answered, meeting his gaze.

"It appears...our real enemy is Kicho." Shingen spoke.

This little tidbit of news turned out to be the ice breaker we needed for these peace talks. It took several more hours of discussion, but terms were hammered out and we were in an alliance with our former enemies.

By the time the talks were over with, it was too late to start traveling again, so we all set up a camp around the negotiation tent. We were now the Oda-Mouri-Uesugi-Takeda-Ikko Alliance. There was also Yoshimoto and the Imigawa clan, but he was the only one who didn't care to be included as a leader in the group nor did he care for his clan name to be in the alliance.

Masamune and Motonari were both standing over stew pots that they had going over fires almost side by side. I was sitting at a fire, Sasuke had come to sit beside me. "It's nice not having to drop in from a ceiling to say hi." He said with a small smile.

I returned the smile. "Yeah, now we can visit with no spying being involved."

"Sasuke, is it?" Nobunaga asked as he came to sit across from us.

"Yes." Sasuke replied.

"How is it you know Ava?" Nobunaga asked.

"We are from the same hometown." Sasuke answered.

Others began to come over to the campfire, Keiji and Kanetsugu sat by each other chatting. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had this feeling that they had known each other already and were actually friends.

I was both surprised and not surprised when Shingen came over to sit beside me. "Hello there beautiful, goddess." He greeted me, smiling what I am sure was a disarming smile to most, but since I was happily taken, it wasn't about to work on me. "Might I enjoy the pleasure of your company this evening? My tent is not far if you'd like to be somewhere more private."

I rolled my eyes. "Did I not already tell you I'm a happily married woman?" I replied.

"Lord Shingen, do I need to break out the ground spikes?" Sasuke asked. "You're bothering Ava."

"Can you not flirt with every woman you see, my lord?" Yukimura asked. "Especially when said woman keeps saying she's happily married."

"What? We have a pearl amongst swine here. I can't just not compliment a goddess as lovely as this one on her beauty."

"If ya don't want yer head separated from yer neck, you just might want to leave my girl alone." Motonari called from his place over at the stew pot.

I looked back at him and the feral look on his face as he looked at Shingen. Damn...why do I find it so hot when he gets jealous? I thought to myself. I gave my cheeks a light smack, bringing myself back to my senses. Now is not the time to get horny. I internally scolded myself. "How about we try not to murder anyone tonight, Motonari? And Shingen seriously, flirting with a new ally's wife is not the best way to keep an alliance healthy, 'kay."

"Still hopeless over women?" Nobunaga asked, looking at Shingen.

"Can you blame me? You yourself went through a lot of trouble to keep this one close." Shingen replied, looking at me.

"She brings much luck." Nobunaga replied with a shrug. "And amusement."

"Ava, that is a lovely kimono and haori you're wearing." Yoshimoto said. "Did you make them?"

"The kimono, yes, but the haori Motonari ordered for me." I replied. "And thank you."

Just then, Motonari and Masamune were walking over to me. Motonari was carrying two bowls of stew with him. He glared at Shingen until the man put his hands up in a gesture of surrender and moved from my side. Motonari took the seat next to me. "Alright, flower girl, time for ya to make yer choice." He declared.

"W-what are you talking about?" I asked. That was when I noticed Masamune looking at me intently with a grin.

"Don't you remember, lass? You've got to taste the stews we made and decide which one is better." Masamune replied.

It was then that I had a flashback to our wedding feast where Motonari and Masamune had pretty much declared a food war over my taste buds. "Really? You guys are doing this now?" I asked.

"You got any reason not to?" Motonari asked, leaning in close to me.

I sighed. "Alright, fine."

"Oh, this will be interesting." Mitsuhide said. "I wager that if she chooses Masamune's cooking, Motonari will be dragging her back to their tent and none of us will be getting a peaceful night."

"I'll take that wager." Keiji spoke up. "I'm also willing to bet that if she picks Motonari's cooking, he will drag her to their tent and we still won't have a peaceful night."

"Will you two knock it off?" I asked, looking at them as my cheeks turned red.

"Alright, just ignore them, lass. We have to find out who's more to your taste." Masamune said.

Motonari grinned. "Think we both know the answer to that already." He was then handing me the first bowl. "Come on, give it a try."

I took the bowl and took a couple of bites of the first stew. It had a bold aroma with a savory mix of flavors. It was filling and definitely delicious. It was also a classic Masamune dish. I took a few sips of water before trying the next stew. The aroma was warm and comforting. The taste was savory with just a hint of sweetness. There was something so oddly comforting about the dish and it really just hit the spot...definitely a Motonari dish.

"So, lass, which one you like better?" Masamune asked.

"Come on m'lady, what's yer choice?" Motonari asked.

I sat there for a moment, thinking. "I can't pick. They're both really good in different ways." I explained.

"That ain't an answer." Motonari replied.

"Yeah, lass come on. One of them had to be your favorite." Masamune agreed.

I'd swear I was stuck between two hungry beasts.

"Just think of it this way, Ava, if you were stuck on an island with only one of these stews to eat for the rest of your life, which one would you pick?" Sasuke asked.

"That's an oddly specific and weird way to put it." Ieyasu said.

Sasuke seemed to have a moment. "I just got called weird by my ultimate childhood hero." He muttered to himself, though I had heard him.

"It's something from our hometown." I explained, since Sasuke was apparently having a fanboy moment. "You come up with really out there scenarios and ask things like that. There's also a game called Would you rather where you give people two choices both of them rather unpleasant in most cases and see which one they would choose."

"Well, that sounds ridiculous." Kenshin muttered, deciding to speak up instead of ignoring everyone from his sake cup.

"It's actually a very fun game, Lord Kenshin." Sasuke spoke up, having recovered from his fanboy moment.

"Alright, so which stew would ya pick?" Motonari asked me.

I sighed. "Well, if I had to pick...I'd go with this one." I replied picking up the second bowl.

Motonari grinned, triumphantly. "That's my girl."

"Why would you pick his stew over mine, lass?" Masamune asked.

"There's just something really warm and comforting about the taste." I answered. "And it just hits the spot."

"Alright, clearly the lass is blinded by love. The rest of you have to taste and be the judge." Masamune said, not one to accept defeat.

"Hey, you can't say that!" I challenged. "You guys didn't tell me which one was which."

"Still you've had both of our cooking enough, you probably knew." Masamune replied.

Okay, that was true, but still. I thought.

"My girl just has good taste. She knows what she likes." Motonari replied as he put his arm around my waist and pulled me in close.

Soon everyone else was getting some stew and sitting back down around the campfire. "So, Ava, Sasuke, how does this would you rather game work?" Nobunaga asked.

"Yes, it might help pass the time." Shingen agreed.

"It's pretty simple." I replied. "You pick someone and come up with two different scenarios that that person is likely to find unpleasant and then ask them out of those two options, which would they rather do."

"I believe don't young girls play this at slumber parties often in our hometown?" Sasuke asked. "Usually involving guys they equally like or don't like?"

"They can." I agreed.

"What the hell's a slumber party?" Motonari asked me.

"Usually a group of friends...most often girls get together at one person's house to spend the night. It's called a slumber party, but there's usually not much slumbering involved. We eat snacks, stay up late talking and playing games...that kind of thing." I explained.

"Then why is it called a slumber party if there is no sleeping?" Nobunaga asked.

"I have never really thought about it." I answered. "Guys will have slumber parties, too, but it's more of a girl thing."

"And when guys have slumber parties we tend to stay up late playing games and trying to sneak in on any girls slumber parties." Sasuke added. "Envisioning pillow fights."

"A pillow fight?" Kenshin asked, seeming to perk up at the word fight.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. You fight each other by hitting each other with pillows." I answered. "And for some reason guys in our hometown really like to fantasize about girl slumber parties and pillow fights."

"That doesn't sound like much of a fight." Kenshin replied.

"Is that the God of War backing down from a challenge?" Masamune said, goading Kenshin.

Kenshin's blue and green eyes of steal, met Masamune's one blue eye. "I'd never back down from a challenge. I just prefer cold steal."

"Guys, can we not? We just formed an alliance." I spoke up. "Don't make me deploy the ninja and his ground spikes."

"Already on it." Sasuke said.

"What the..." Masamune and Kenshin were both looking down to see that the ground around them was covered in ground spikes.

"Sasuke, when did you even..." I began but Sasuke just smiled at me.

"Nin, Nin." He said.

"I understood that reference." I said with a laugh.

"Perhaps we should try that other game? The Would you rather game?" Yoshimoto suggested.

"Alright." I agreed. I thought for a moment.

"I've got one, Ava. If you'd like for me to start." Sasuke replied.

I nodded. "Okay, go ahead."

"Lord Kenshin, would you rather run out of sake or pickled plums?" Sasuke said, looking at his boss.

"What kind of question is that, Sasuke?" Kenshin asked. "I can't have one without the other. And I would simply just go get more."

"That is not the point of the game, Lord Kenshin." Sasuke explained. "You have to pick one. Would you rather run out of sake or pickled plums?"

Kenshin drew his sword. "Neither." He answered, holding the tip of his blade to Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke looked at him, expressionless. "Fine. Clearly you win this round my lord."

"Of course, he wins. What kind of nonsense would it be if he lost?" Konetsugu said.

"Can you please put your sword away Lord Kenshin?" Sasuke asked.

Kenshin sighed and sheathed his sword then went back to drinking his sake.

"Oh, I've got one." I said. "Nobunaga, would you rather never eat konpeito again or..."

"Whatever your second option is." Nobunaga answered, not even hesitating.

"But I didn't even..."

"It doesn't matter any hell is preferable to not eating konpeito again." Nobunaga replied.

"I think I see how this game is played." Shingen said. He turned those flirtatious eyes at me. "Tell me princess, would you rather spend an evening tryst in my tent or yours?"

"In my tent with my husband." I answered.

Motonari was grinning beside me as he tightened his arm around my waist. "You should give up on my girl." He said, looking at Shingen.

"Someone has to try and tempt the goddess away." Shingen replied, smiling.

I rolled my eyes.

"I have one for you, Lord Shingen. Would you rather never eat sweets again or have to remain one hundred paces from any woman?" Yukimura quipped.

Shingen gasped. "Why...why would you make me make that kind of choice, Yuki?"

The evening went on like this for quite some time. There were several times a fight almost broke out, only to be stopped somehow by myself or by Sasuke and his ground spikes. By the time it was over, I was feeling completely exhausted.

I walked with Motonari back to our tent, he kept his arm around my waist and I leaned into him. "Yer lookin' tired m'lady." He observed.

"A little bit." I answered.

We were just a few feet away from our tent, when Motonari scooped me up into his arms. "What?" I asked, surprised to be swept off my feet.

He smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "Just taking care of my girl." He answered me.

"I'm not that tired that I can't walk you know?"

"Will you ever just stop yer complainin' and let me be sweet to you?" He replied.

"You know I'm not complaining..."

Motonari gave me a gentle peck on the lips as we entered our tent. "I know, flower girl...ya just can't admit when ya need a little help." He was then setting me down on the bed roll before laying down and pulling me to his chest.

I rested comfortably there, wrapping my own arms around him and listening to his heartbeat. His hands were in my hair, gently stroking. I nuzzled the exposed part pf his chest as I closed my eyes. "I love you, pirate boy."

I heard him chuckle as he continued to stroke my hair. "I love you, flower girl."

Motonari looked down at his treasure as she quickly fell asleep in his arms. He held her tightly for a while before placing a gentle kiss on top of her head. He gingerly untangled himself from her and then pulled the cover up over her before exiting the tent.

He made his way through the camp until he found the bespectacled ninja he had been looking for. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up at Motonari. "Is there something you need from me, Lord Motonari?" He asked.

"Yeah, I need to have a little chat with ya." Motonari answered.

Sasuke nodded. "Alright."

The pair made their way to a quieter area of camp. "So, yer really from the same place as Ava, right?" Motonari asked, once they were alone.

Sasuke was looking at the pirate, trying to gauge where this was headed. "Yes."

"So yer from the future, too?"

"She told you?" Sasuke asked.

Motonari nodded. "Yeah...a while ago. I didn't believe her at first, but then things happened...and it made more sense...and Kicho confirmed that he'd been there as well."

"Wait? Kicho has been to the future?" Sasuke asked.

Motonari nodded. "Yeah and he didn't like what he saw...he wants to destroy that future you two came from."

"That's an unsettling development." Sasuke mused.

"When things were bad, Ava got sick...she couldn't say words that had to do with yer future...you had that same sickness didn't you?" Motonari asked.

"Yes, I was suffering the same thing." Sasuke answered.

"And you ain't had any problems recently right?" Motonari asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "Nope, I am perfectly fine...dank memes, internet, phone...yeah all good."

Motonari nodded. "But...you haven't had anything else happening? You been extra tired or anything else?"

"Why are you asking me this, Motonari?" Sasuke asked.

"Ava's been sleepin' a lot more lately and she's tired more often now..."

Sasuke's facial features moved almost imperceptibly as understanding hit him. "You're worried that she's getting sick again? That Kicho has started a new plan to mess with the future?"

Motonari nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I haven't had anything else. Maybe Ava is just getting ready to come down with a seasonal cold." Sasuke supplied.

"Maybe." Motonari agreed. "Just...let me know if you feel anything else?"

Sasuke nodded. "Of course."

Kicho...

Kicho sat in the room of his safe house. He was looking over a report his assistant had just brought him.

"So, Nobunaga is yet another step closer to unifying this country." He said, as he looked at the letter. "The Uesugi-Takeda and even the Ikko have all agreed to peace talks."

"The talks are set to happen today. I am still waiting on reports as to how the talks are going. I apologize that I didn't get this information to you sooner." His assistant spoke. "Perhaps we could have stopped the talks."

Kicho shook his head. "No. We must think of something new." He was then reaching into a pocket and pulling out a modern notebook and pen. He checked some notes and then nodded to himself. "And I think I know just the plan."

Chapter 14 below!

https://writingwhimsey.tumblr.com/post/666074959006810112/my-pirate-lord-and-our-life-ch-14