#Ikemen Sengoku x Reader

[whatever-fanfics]

WAIT DO YOU HAVE A CONDOM?!?!!!

Has anybody ever thought about when MC and their respective suitor started getting intimate, and MC's brain goes straight to "wait-do you have a condom?" and they're just like "....wut???" Like you went from 21st century to the 16th or 19th century, so you have to stop them and explain to them the uses of condoms and what it's for. Like:

~~~

MC: Wait!

Nobunaga: ?

MC: *automatically* did you bring a condom?

Nobunaga: ?????

~~~

MC: Wait!

Leonardo: ?

MC: *automatically* Do you have a condom?

Leonardo: .....a wut?

~~~

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Behind The Veil - Oda Nobunaga (Ikemen Sengoku) ~ On Going

Summary:

A young woman, silent, yet extremely observant, finds herself in the middle of a carnage, along with her boyfriend, and ends up rescuing one of the most famous warlords in the History of Japan. They stare at each other, frowning at how weirdly they are dressed, but a single question makes the sky fall, and it shatters the reality and all the laws of physics and ration known to human-kind. Time-traveling exists.

Chapter 1 - A Demure Smile Chapter 2 - Unwritten Laws Chapter 3 - Tug of War Chapter 4 - Sutures Chapter 5 - Wabbit Season Chapter 6 - The Onsen Murder Chapter 7 - The Tiger's Invitation Chapter 8 - Starlight Sky Chapter 9 - Protecting You Chapter 10 - Smallpox Chapter 11 - Out Of Touch Chapter 12 - Poison Kiss

[mariposa666haruka]

Most of the times I am like:

"DUDE WTH?! YOU ARE IN THIS MAGNIFICENT MAGICAL WORLD FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL AND HANDSOME PEOPLE. WHY DO YOU WANNA GO BACK HOME??!!!"

To MCs in most games.

And then I remember.... Not everyone hates their family.... There actually are people...that cannot live a day without seeing their parents.....sorry that's just hard to fully believe for me.

I'd rather stay in an unknown world without any place to call home and people who might disrespect me at the beginning.... If it means to never see these two again. This thing about MCs is what bothers me the most in the games.

[archetype-earth]

Housewife!Mitsuhide who watches over the house while you go to your boring 9-to-5. Housewife!Mitsuhide who vacuums the carpets, makes the bed after you leave, makes sure the kitchen is in perfect shape. He cooks as well, and... honestly sometimes it does turn out bad. But if he sticks to the recipe, it's quite amazing, especially after a hard day. He never really cared for food before, but he makes sure to pick out recipes that have plenty of nutrients that is both healthy and delicious. Housewife!Mitsuhide who, while his background is unknown, is on good terms with everybody in the neighborhood. He's called a charmer by the old ladies, gets along well in their circle. (Probably also knits for you, with help from them.) He's such good friends with the other housewives that they'll occasionally give up the groceries that are sale to him. The local police are extremely wary of him (especially the veteran officers), but they're nice and polite to him all the same, if not on edge. Any yakuza or ne'er-do-wells actively stay away. Housewife!Mitsuhide who busts out that very cliche line of "Dinner, a bath, or me?" (It's him. Let's be real it's always him.) Housewife!Mitsuhide who has already prepared a warm bath to soothe away your daily stress, rose petals and nice scents littering the bathroom. He's also not opposed to getting in with you and washing you himself! What a good husband. Housewife!Mitsuhide who feeds you spoonfuls of dinner, and has you feed him in return. Housewife!Mitsuhide who will carry you into the bathroom and gently set you down. Who gives you the best massage of your life... whose massage turns into a little something more. Housewife!Mitsuhide who works so hard to upkeep your house, couldn't you just mess up him at the end of your day as his reward, pretty please?

[blueberri-bois]

Warlord's Concubinus

Part 1 | Part 2

When you saved a sleeping man from a burning building; you certainly didn't expect this outcome.

Dressed up in a seemingly very luxurious deep sea green yukata with a pale peach peony pattern made of fine silks; you were laid out on the man's futon. By dressed up, I mean that after he had taken you back to Azuchi Castle, you were whisked away into another room where they bathed, beautified, and clothed you. It was strange, given that you were a man in all this. Truthfully, you've never felt this pampered in your life and while it certainly does feel nice you're a bit nervous about what your new role entails.

As you remember it, Oda Nobunaga, the man whom you saved from that burning building had expressed his gratitude for you by offering to have you be trained by the many teachers at his disposal in the art of war. He expressed that he would be happy to have you fight with him on the battlefield as a fellow soldier. You, however, were not built for something as physically taxing as combat, nor did you have any interest in it; the bloodshed seemed unnecessary as you preferred to solve issues with words instead of violence and you told him as such.

He was amused by your response but thought on it for a while and suggested that you either become his servant or enter into a concubinage under him. To you, both alternatives were pretty similar but one was just slightly better than the other and the only reason that you're even considering these options is because the warlord didn't seem like he'd be letting you go any time soon.

Thus, you chose the role of a concubinus.

Why? Well, a concubine's/nus' job isn't simply to please their lord sensually; they are also entertainers. Being adept in many different things like games, playing instruments, singing, dancing and even painting, but that's only a handful of things. The true job is to entertain. A concubine/us is also treated quite nicely compared to a soldier and a servant and they have servants of their own.

Not that you'd ever like the idea of waiting on someone hand and foot or following their whims without the ability to say no anyway; that's why being a servant was swiftly crossed off the list. You weren't exactly the subservient type either.

So here you were, relaxing on the futon of a man you quite literally just met 5 hours ago; waiting for him to get out of whatever meeting that he started when he got back to the castle. And though you were starting to become impatient, you were also becoming drowsy from the low lighting of the small candle-lit paper lamp that sat on the tea table across the room and the surprisingly soft futon underneath you.

Resting your head on one of the pillows; you let your heavy lids begin to shut. The quiet sound of the door sliding open was unable to coax you into glancing its way; nor the husky chuckle that followed shortly after.

It seems that he's returned you thought as you drifted off to sleep.

This work has some serious divergence from canon. This is most likely going to become a series instead of just a random oneshot, but that depends tbh.

[writtenbyrinnie]

kenshin | crimson˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

★彡kenshin x fem!reader

★彡word count: 1,431!

★彡unhealthy relationship, knife injury, eroguro, kenshin being his usual posessive self ٩( ᐛ )و and lots of blood lol

★彡 you 🫵🏻 try to go back to ur village after breaking up with kenshin (for plot #trusttt) but things dont go as planned...>:3

kenshin's normally stoic demeanor breaks completely at your words. his hand grasping your chin squeezes it slightly, enough to cause you to wince.

".. think i may have misheard you, my love. what did you say?" he says, his voice low and snarky.

"i...i-.." you grit your teeth, feeling uneasy from the start.

"i have to return to my village..."

his brows knitted at your words as his grip on you tightened further. despite the pain he was causing you, he was unable to control himself.

"..no, you dont. tell me why you're lying." he hissed, eyes narrowing as he took in your expression.

"im not lying. i need to return, and i won't be back once i do so." you replied, unable to meet his icy glare. 

he shook his head at your words. you could feel the anger building in his tone as he spoke, his voice cold and cruel.

"no. i forbid it. you aren't leaving."

"kenshin... please don't make this harder than it has to be... i already told you, we're done..." sighing with discomfort, you felt a familiar anxiety creeping up your back again. your words weren't getting to him at all.

"i don't think you understand. we're never done... you belong to me. and i don't permit you to leave. if you even attempt to leave, i will hunt you down. there's nowhere in this world you can go where i won't find you." he growled, forcing you to meet his gaze.

it was no use trying to reason with a madman. whatever this 'relationship' of yours was, it was nowhere near healthy or stable. this kind of love was destined to destroy you both. were you going to let it? after building up the courage to go against him, were you going to go back to those arms?

hesitantly, you pulled out the small knife carefully hidden in your sleeve; it was the one sasuke gave as a last resort. the same one you hoped you wouldn't have to use.

he looked down at the knife, utterly unbothered by the threat. instead of taking a step back, he stepped forward, pressing himself against the tip and letting it pierce the fabric and his skin slightly.

"..is that meant to scare me?" he says, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a wicked smirk.

"k-kenshin..." you stared with your eyes wide, unable to move as he practically trapped you against the wall with how close he had gotten.

barely noticing the tiny prick of pain it made in his skin, he looked up at your scared expression, his eyes burning angrily.

"what? you're having second thoughts?"

kenshin laughed at your fear. 

"you were so bold a minute ago. if you're going to threaten me, do it properly, woman. or are you not able to follow through?"

a few drops of blood stained his kimono.

"just let me go...i dont want this-..."

he brought a hand up and gripped the knife in your hands, his hand bleeding due to the sharp edge of the knife cutting into his palm. he dared to lean even closer to your face, his voice a low, dangerous growl.

"do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to break this pretty little wrist of yours? it seems you've forgotten... im your lord, you belong to me. there's no way ill let you go anywhere."

the sleeves of kenshins kimono stained crimson as he hissed, the slit in his hand and chest deepening as you continued to struggle against his powerful grip.

ignoring the pain, his eyes burned with anger. even you could see the crazed look in them.

"drop the knife."

he commanded. his tone hard like steel.

with a scowl, he grabbed the weapon from your hand, tossing it aside. pulling your hand up to his chest and using it to press against his wound. he brought his face even closer to yours, his eyes burning as he looked at you.

"...the more you struggle, the worse it will be for you. stop it."

the warm, coppery liquid trickled down onto your hands as you flinched with a mix of fear and disgust. 

his eyes narrowed as he looked down at your frightened expression. seeing your hands stained with his blood and your trembling form ignited something within him. gripping tight around your waist and pulling your body flush against his, his lips crashed down against yours in a desperate, possessive kiss.

he pressed you harder into the wall, molding his body against yours, his blood staining your clothes. he broke the kiss long enough to speak, his hot breath fanning against your skin. "you... aren't going anywhere..."

kenshin's eyelids had begun to feel a tad bit heavier as time passed, due to his blood loss. staring at your crimson stained clothes in fear, you yelled.

"this is so much blood...kenshin! we need to-.." 

you tried reaching over to the bandages, only to get stopped by kenshin himself. he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you back against himself and refusing to let you go. his grip tight around your body as he buried his face into your shoulder.

his voice was low and pained, as he spoke.

"i don't care."

he mumbled into your neck.

"stay. don't leave me."

you looked down, upset and worried sick for him, but also touched by his words. your resolve broke down as you gently placed a hand on his cheek, smearing the blood around as you caressed it.

"i won't leave...just...let me patch you up, please..?" you added, your voice barely above a whisper.

leaning into your touch against his cheek, he closed his eyes at the feeling. nodding slowly as he struggled to steady his breathing.

"...fine, just don't leave my sight."

he let out a low, pained huff as he reluctantly let go of you with one arm, allowing you some room to move.

as you went about your work, bandaging up his hand and putting pressure on his chest, he kept his body pressed tight against yours, his breath hot on your shoulder as he leaned his head down, nuzzling his face against you as he tried to control his need to pull you even closer.

"i can't let you go. please don't ask me to..." he muttered, his voice tight and gravelly.

the slit on his chest was pretty deep, making the subcutaneous fat layer underneath visible to you. crimson gushed out continuously as you helplessly kept applying pressure to slow it down.

kenshin grunted in pain, gripping your shoulders tightly. he took a few deep breaths, trying to stay calm. 

despite the pain, the close proximity of your body, combined with the sight of you covered in his blood, was doing things to him...

he leaned his head back against the wall, hissing between clenched teeth. his hands, gripping your shoulders, moved down to your hips, grasping tight enough to leave bruises on your soft skin. the pain and feeling of your hands touching his wound was almost more pleasurable than it was painful.

despite the fact that it was his blood staining your skin and clothes, he couldn't help but find the sight quite pleasant. all he could focus on was your hands on his skin, touching his body, and pressing into his wound. the pain... and the pleasure...were mixing together.

soon enough, his breathing slowly returned to normal as he glanced down at his chest. the bleeding had stopped, thanks to you. he looked up at you, examining your face and taking in the sight of you covered in blood. he pulled you closer against his body, completely ignoring the fact that both of you were covered in his blood.

"..you look beautiful."

that wicked smile of his, accompanied by a compliment, had your heart speeding up again. "youre sick in the head..."

kenshin laughed at your words, his eyes still roaming all over your face and body. pulling you even closer to him, he let his lips graze along your neck, tasting his own blood on your delicate skin.

he brought a hand up and grasped your chin, tilting your head up to look him directly in the eye. "i may be sick... but so are you, my love. you think I didn't notice?"

he pressed his body against yours, holding you captive.

"you love the feeling of my blood on you, don't you? you get excited just thinking of how it proves my body belongs to you."

he leaned in closer, his lips next to your ears.

"admit it."

really enjoyed writing this hehe :33333 i was looking forward to writing a eroguro-y? piece after seeing the love on my most recent drawing (tysm!!🌷) and kenshin seemed like a fitting character!

[nuttytani]

Random Mitsuhide headcanons

Hold your hands whenever he has the chance to, the feeling of your warmth seeping into his hand makes him happy

Pinches your cheeks when he senses that you are sad, plus your annoyed face is much interesting to look at

Falls asleep on your lap. He has some fascination with your thighs, they feel too comfy.

Secretly enjoys it whenever you play with his hair, very therapeutic 

He feels an overwhelming amount of emotions, threatening to burst out of his chest when you trace the many constellations of moles on his arms (don’t fight me, I hc my bby to have BEAUTY MARKS EVERYWHERE)

[soraarchives]

yukimura x reader

you find him cooking

0.7k words

You know how Yukimura is. He and tact never go along together. What can be expected of Yukimura is bare minimum in everyday life, lots of training and strong survival instincts. Yet when you found him in the kitchen it came across as a shock to you.

"You made this?"

"What, you don't believe me?" The evidence spoke for itself. Vegetable scraps, a knife on the countertop, some pots which he also cleaned after using and no one else in sight. It's clear as day he was the one who made it.

"No, it's just that... You and cooking isn't something I can imagine."

"Feel free not to have it then," he takes on a sulky tone at your hopelessness of him. He starts walking with a food tray in his hand, his dish sitting on top.

"No, wait. I want to have it." There's a hurry in your voice, afraid he may take his dish away because you're sceptical of his cooking. You start following him and end up at your shared room where he has set up the tray and is ready to have his meal. You settle down beside him taking a good look at him and then his creation.

It isn't gourmet-style cooking. Doesn't seem basic as well. Home cook level? Yeah, that's the way to put it.

You take the chopsticks and pick up the first bite slowly lifting it towards your mouth, your eyes analyzing the bite. Yukimura's gaze, too, is on you. Though you notice neither his stare nor the intensity with which he's staring.

He had made houtou nabe. Various vegetables sat along with flat noodles in a miso flavoured broth. If it were anyone else, they would've taken the effort to plate the vegetables in a more presentable or appetizing way, placed the spring onions in the centre, and the radishes, carrots and such in an array. It seemed as if he added the cooked vegetables blindly to the soup and noodles.

Enough with how it looks. A better job could've been done with the plating but it didn't look so bad. It looked as if someone had made it in a hurry, or without a care in Yuki's case, and that is fine.

With the first bite came the aroma of the stewed vegetables, the broth, and other condiments which he had used for flavouring. You take the first bite and immediately acknowledge how good it is. A hum escapes you along with a nod and Yuki knows that you love it.

"Not that bad, is it now?" He says with a smirk now but you know he was anxious about what would you say of his skills.

"How did you manage to cook something so good?" Not only are you surprised he made something you're more so surprised it tastes so good. It isn't as good as something Masamune would make but it is delicious.

"Don't talk as if it was a fluke I made something tasty." He heaved a sigh. "I know how to cook."

"You indeed do." You take another bite of his nabe smiling at how good it is.

"I've never seen you cook though. When did you learn to cook?" Your curiosity tumbles out of you.

"It was long back. It's a necessary skill to have during wars. You have to look out for yourself and all that." That's a typical Yukimura answer you're satisfied with it.

You almost spoke while the bite was still in your mouth. "And how did you decide on making something today?"

"Figured we could have something special once in a while."

Your face lights up at that. "Does that mean you'll cook often?"

"Look at you so impressed by my cooking. And here I thought you were sceptical of me being in the kitchen. Want me to cook for you from now on?" He has a smirk playing along on his lips. He is getting back to you for all your questions from before.

"I'm not impressed or anything." You suppress the blush on your face. The idea of him cooking for you has butterflies flying in your stomach.

He swiftly takes your chopsticks from you before diving in for a bite of his own. His actions catch you off guard. "Is that the reason why half of this bowl is empty?"

Damn him for noticing. You think he's gonna take the next bite for himself but he ends up feeding it you. That suppressed blush has furiously made its way back now. He sees his victory in that and offers his smile.

"No need to be shy. I won't mind cooking for you."

a/n: it was a spur of the moment kind of thing that i started writing this. i don't remember whether it was someone's route or a bonus story where yuki and mitsunari are cooking together and yuki gets in charge because mitsunari is clumsy. it was mentioned then that yuki can cook and personally i was surprised at that. i'm happy with how this turned out

[syneilesis]

[fic] a quiet glow

a quiet glow

Ikemen Sengoku | Naoe Kanetsugu x Main Character!Reader | G | 1.3k words ao3 link

Making no sound Yet burning with love, Fireflies far More than chirping insects, Move me. —Minamoto no Shigeyuki

A/N: For @aquagirl1978 and @violettduchess's Summer Days Sultry Nights event. It's my first time participating in an event! :D The prompt I chose is fireflies and it's a Kanetsugu fluff fic. Dividers by saradika. Forgive the slightly anachronistic prose lol

I haven’t seen fireflies since I was a child.

It had been a passing remark, a slide of fingers across the textured roll of fabric patterned with glowing fireflies. In your gaze an odd sheen flickered and faded – blinked away – that Kanetsugu caught, stole his steps and his attention. But you’d already moved on to the next item.

He lingered, however, arrested by this seemingly negligible thing, eyes falling upon the object in question – a column of benighted forest hue, spattered with yellow-green dots that counted as lights, nostalgic in a way that invited a quiet contemplation.

You hadn’t seen fireflies since you were a child.

Later, as he’d lay with you on the futon, your warmth seeping into his skin, Kanetsugu would dream of floating orbs amidst a beautiful night, playfully dancing, up and up and up.

“Summer is upon us,” Sasuke said, falling into step beside him.

Kanetsugu ignored the man. He had just finished meeting with Lord Kenshin for an update about his territories and was on his way to the library when the ninja suddenly appeared.

It didn’t deter Sasuke at least. “Make sure your face is UV-protected.”

Not knowing what that meant, Kanetsugu continued walking.

But Sasuke kept on, unbothered by the lack of conversational reciprocation, “You’ve already done well with your body – covered and all that.” He glanced at Kanetsugu’s clothes, then hummed in thought. “I suppose it’s not that difficult to invent sunscreen …”

Kanetsugu let Sasuke talk some more.

��That reminds me – according to my calculations, it’s approximately three weeks from now that the Nigami Firefly Festival will begin.”

That rendered Kanetsugu pause.

He turned to Sasuke, felt his brows dip low. “What?”

“I once took my niece to a firefly viewing in Joetsu – which, by the way, is the future name of –”

“I see,” Kanetsugu interrupted. He pivoted to another hallway and left the ninja blinking, confused.

He’d forgo the library today, it seemed.

Lord Kenshin ordered Kanetsugu to quell a minor rebellion three towns away. That required him to travel a week or two, depending on the size of the men and the number of horses his lord would allow him.

On the way to his destination, he and his men stopped by a village at the foot of a mountain to spend the night. The villagers were welcoming of them, having met Kanetsugu a year before in another mission. He was a familiar and memorable face, one that brought a delighted smile upon the village leader – and a score of young women.

“Lord Kanetsugu,” the leader greeted him warmly, “it is an honor to have you rest for the night in our humble village.”

They made him and his men a sumptuous dinner – rather, a feast – which he tried to refuse at first. But his companions stared at the offerings with great eagerness, so Kanetsugu relented with a condition or two.

In the middle of the meal a girl came up to him with large, trusting eyes and an enthusiastic smile, and told him, “There are pretty dancing lights outside!”

Food set aside, Kanetsugu permitted the child to lead him to the forest right outside the village. They walked for a while, the child never breaking pace, and before Kanetsugu questioned the girl’s knowledge of the area she skidded to a halt, spun around to grab Kanetsugu’s hand, and with a vibrating grin she proclaimed, “We’re here!”

Kanetsugu blinked and looked around, and found what the girl was talking about. He heard himself take a sharp inhale, his body frozen taut with a memory.

Moments later he patted the girl’s hand on his and murmured, “Thank you.”

As they stood there, an idea formed within Kanetsugu’s mind.

“Clear your schedule for a week,” Kanetsugu announced right after coming back from his mission, opening the sliding door of his office with solid intent. “We will go somewhere.”

Perched at the center of the room, you paused from your work, wide-eyed surprise melting into excitement. The garment you’d been commissioned splayed on your lap like fishtail. “Oh! Is it a date?”

A barbed denial spiked through his mouth, but you’re blooming like an eager flower facing the sun, so he swallowed that reflex. Instead he answered, “Yes.”

Your smile rivaled the sun, your hands curling to form a heart. Kanetsugu squinted, and shifted his stance. “Then I’m looking forward to it!”

Kanetsugu exhaled, tamped down the rush of heat in his veins, and went back to work.

The journey back to the village went faster than last time. The residents welcomed them again cordially, and you and Kanetsugu stayed there for a while before he took your hand and led you outside.

He remembered the directions the little girl took the first time. Night had arrived, the full moon illumining the leaves with its silver light. It was also a good time for stargazing, but Kanetsugu had another plan in mind.

“Where are we going?” you asked, your voice inquisitive, your hand kept warm in his.

When Kanetsugu peered at your expression, shafts of moonlight sliced through the canopy and grazed parts of your face, one iris aglow – a tenebrist diptych of curiosity. It made you seem ethereal, a part of the forest night’s wonder. Something translucent and could easily slip through fingers. Kanetsugu let out a quiet breath, returned his attention to the front, quelled the nervous pace of his heart.

He stopped all of a sudden, which elicited a sound from you, almost colliding with him. Still holding your hand, Kanetsugu whirled around, and the spill of moonlight shifted to illuminate your whole face.

“Watch,” he said.

And you studied your surroundings, waiting for anything. Then: one by one, in the near-complete darkness, they sprung to life. Fireflies. Little yellow-gold lights playfully whirling and twirling in the air. One brushed past Kanetsugu's nose and then flickered away, and your silverbell laughter filled the spattered night.

“They’re beautiful,” you tell Kanetsugu, the curve of your mouth soft and warm. You extended a hand, palm up, and one hovered for a couple of seconds then moved on. The look you gave him afterwards arrested him. “Thank you for taking me here.”

“After what you’d said before, I had to do something at the very least.”

There’s a puzzled silence, your head tilting in question.

“You haven’t seen fireflies since you were a child,” he elaborated.

It wasn’t immediate when you put the pieces together. But when you did, surprise rippled throughout your body, and Kanetsugu was tempted to push closed your gaping mouth.

“Did I say that?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

Kanetsugu sighed. “When you were perusing some fabrics in the market. There was one designed with fireflies, and you commented upon it.”

“Oh,” you said, dazed. “You remembered that? I didn’t!”

“Of course I remembered,” he said, tone almost offended. But then – a whisper: “I remember everything when it comes to you.”

It sounded like a confession, but you knew the depth of Kanetsugu’s love and devotion. Still – it felt embarrassing. Vulnerable, even.

Still.

“Kanetsugu,” you breathed. Like a prayer. Like a marvel. Like the hundreds of fireflies dancing around them.

Kanetsugu swallowed.

“I love you,” you said, impeccably, implacably, an arrow hitting dead center. “I love you so much, Kanetsugu.”

He exhaled a long breath. “I know. And I you.”

You smiled, and it was more radiant and more beautiful than the fireflies and the moon and the star-filled sky tonight. You stepped closer to Kanetsugu, wrapped your arms around him tight, and sighed happily. He reciprocated the act, his arms molding snugly across your back.

Around you the fireflies continued dancing, their lights burning brightly.

[natimiles]

Do you guys have fanfics with Kanetsugu to recommend me?

It's so hard to find content for him, and I'm craving more Kanetsugu in my life now I'm replaying his route :')

[whatever-fanfics]

No one humbles them like their toddlers

~~~

Imagine Nobunaga with a mini him

Like he's in a meeting with the other warlords holding his toddler who was playing with a toy and becomes entranced by their papa who is speaking. 

And everyone’s faces turn to shock as their lord was dealt a serious blow to his face. 

Headline: Lord Nobunaga taken quick and strong by wooden toy! The blow was dealt by none other than his own child!!!

And further all the warlords look on in astonished surprise as this man has a full on conversation with his babbling baby as to why you can't hit daddy in the face.

OR

Alternatively, he raises his sons challenge, in the middle of war council...

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Fawn Princess~ Tokugawa Ieyasu x Reader

Summary: Having reached a certain age, Ieyasu, as a Lord, is pressured into taking a wife. He absolutely despises the duties of nobles, though he begrudgingly has to accept. Little does he know, he was going to meet a woman like no other; A woman so special, that you had to be born under a lucky star to have the privilege of meeting her.

“Lord Tokugawa, the Princesses have arrived.” Ieyasu’s most trusted servant came by to his study, meekly announcing him that the beautiful young maidens have all came at his castle. “Make sure they are comfortable and all the pleasantries. I don’t feel like coming yet.” the man grumbled, not even bothering to raise his eyes up from his medicine study.

Without another word, the servant exited the study and went to do everything as instructed. He was old and weary, but he was the one to know Lord Tokugawa since he was young - A little anti-social and introverted, and perhaps his social skills would be in need of a little honeying, but his heart was golden, and in the right place - After all, an innocent baby fawn would never stay around so willingly around an evil man, yes?

Ieyasu was never truly interested in women, and he despised his duty as a noble; having to marry, to continue to bloodline lineage and so on - He didn’t have time for all this! Medicine was ever developing at such a rapid pace, how was he supposed to keep up with it, if all he is supposed to do is to exchange meaningless pleasantries with mindless, shallow women?

It wasn’t necessarily that he blamed the maidens, it wasn’t as though they had any say in it. In fact, Ieyasu felt pity for them, like he pitied caged animals. They had no free will of their own, and if they dared rebel or stray away from the path already dictated to them, they were reprimanded, or worse, punished, to the point of receiving corporeal scoldings. It was cruel, the fate of a woman, and he never did wish to be a lady - Petite, slender, frail and forced to do nothing more than to be a beauty and please her lord husband, seducing him into sleeping with them and creating heirs.

That was not a life. It was less than a half-life. In fact, it was often that Ieyasu thought even slaves had better lives than these noble women.  Still, he had to choose a bride to marry very soon - Whether he liked her or not, it mattered little, at least she would have the privilege of liberty and freedom to do as she wishes. He couldn’t care less - As long as she wasn’t betraying him, she could do as she pleased. Whoever that may be, was of no interest to him.

He didn’t even realise that three more hours passed, but the servant came by again to remind him of the feast, and that it was already over, and the ladies were all but settled in their own rooms. It was perfect, he thought, happy that he unintentionally managed to avoid his responsibilities for one more day. Just one more free day as a bachelor, who has time to do whatever he wants without as much as a second thought.

That night, Ieyasu went for a walk in the gardens; he always found a little walk before sleeping to be the best way to rest and get himself physically tired enough to fall asleep instantaneously. He was supposed to go by the lotus pond that perfectly mirrored the silver moon zircons on its sheen, and it had fireflies flickering everywhere, and about this season, the wisteria trees would be gently swaying with the gentle breeze.

Instead, things went different. As Ieyasu made his way to the pond, sitting at the base a great, old tree, there stood a beauty, playing a tragic tune on her flute. He was never one to care for arts, as much as he did for his science and war studies, but even he couldn’t deny that the sorrow of her melody was able to move even him. He wasn’t sure whether it was her song, or her beauty, or perhaps it was that she was able to somehow lure in various little critters from the forest, including Wasabi, but one thing was certain - Whatever she did, even if it was a highly calculated scheme of hers to attract his attention and marry him, it seemed to have a positive effect regardless.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” the man didn’t realise how harsh and cold his voice sounded, but as soon as the edge in his tone was heard, the beauty gasped and all the animals started running away - Save for Wasabi, of course, who happily trotted over to him. The lady, however, hid her face with the long sleeve of her kimono and attempted to run away. “Don’t run away like that. It’s rude to have such behaviour with the lord of the castle you’re at.” the woman painfully stopped moving at once, seemingly frozen in space. Ieyasu frowned - Did he scare her away, he wondered? How foolish. He wasn’t scary, nor did he believe himself to have an intimidating exterior. In fact, he often heard women call him - Angelic, even. “You are one of the maiden candidates, are you not?” she nodded her head timidly, though she hadn’t turned her face to be seen. “Tell me your name.” the woman shook her head. “Are you refusing to abide the order of the lord? How brave. Why?” he almost felt amused by her stubbornness. “I did not think anyone would find me here. Forgive me, My Lord, though I do not wish to create any impartiality amongst myself and the other ladies that have come for the same reason.” he did expect a beautiful voice, however, he didn’t expect it to be so low, yet so soft and gentle, like touching the petal of a flower wet with the morning dew. “Most women would jump at the opportunity of marrying a wealthy lord with direct ties to the Emperor’s bloodline. Do you claim to be different?” he asked, crossing his arms to his chest and smirking to himself, wishing to see how far could he push her boundaries. “Forgive me, My Lord, I did not wish any disrespect, and if I did, however, offend you, you may punish me however you see fit.” the girl, despite her politeness and well chosen words, seemed so awkward and shy, even just with another person. Was it because of his status, or because he was a man, and maidens were never allowed to be alone with a man? “No harm done. Just answer my question.” he urged her further, watching her head raise with a nod. “I have abused my parents love for oneself for far too long, My Lord. I wish not to profit over their pampering of me any longer.” she explained. “I have never been punished by them for indulging in... Rather unlady-like activities, as some may call them. My grandmother even taught me how to read, and taught me various skills. My father encouraged me to be curious and venture further to quench my thirst for the unknown. But for how long can a woman remain but a little girl, still holding on precious the long lost years of her childhood, before she realises that her duty is not to herself, but to everyone else?” as suspected, a tragic answer, for a tragic woman, though still slightly above many others in terms of happiness. This one seemed to have blended her duty and her passions rather well. He felt like a tyrant, stopping her from pursuing her dreams and aspirations, if she were a diligent and bright scholar like himself. Even so, they were not married - Perhaps there would be another that would catch his eye far more, that would pique his interest like one never before.  “Being a woman in a man’s world cannot be easy, can it. First, being the property of thy father, then, being sold of to another man to be his own precious little thing. How pitiful.” the man scoffed, though he earned no reaction from the woman. “You may return to your chambers.” “I wish you sweet dreams, My Lord. To your fawn also.” her wishes bewildered him with their peculiarity, though he couldn’t help but watch the maiden’s silhouette, all the way until she entered the castle, her long, shiny hair swaying with every step she so gracefully took.  “Even animals are treated better than women - Don’t you agree, Wasabi?” Ieyasu felt the sweet little fawn licking his hand, as they returned to his dormitory.

However, the young Lord was unable to sleep well for the night, thoughts and theories of the lady plaguing him without rest. He wanted so dearly to know more about her, like a medical riddle that he wishes to solve faster, to find the antidote to a fatal poison, and that was what he did best - Researching and solving things. He was a revolutionary man, brilliant in all domains, be them academic or warmongering.

The next morning, after their breakfast, a grand festivity took place, for the Lord to inspect the ladies - He was supposed to choose a wife and as many concubines as he wished to; Such a notion irked him endlessly - He could barely get used to the idea of having a duty for a single woman, let alone more. There were a total of thirty women that have arrived, all of them, Princesses from highly respected warlords that are fighting for the Oda forces.

In rows of five, they were supposed to appear before him, and he was to choose - But would he even like any of them, he wondered. No - Of course he would, there was that mysterious lady from the previous night who evaded his sight so well. Ieyasu smirked, getting comfortable in his chair, realising that this might become a little game of cat and mouse, whether he would be able to pick her out from so many other women or not; He always valued his perfect intuition, and he was confident that he will succeed with his own makeshift idea of mischief regardless.

The first row of five ladies came forward, and they bowed before him, said a little pleasantry and what not. The servant spoke out their names and their families, but he cared little about their status. He was above that - He was stubborn, and he refused to submit to the pressures of the noble people.

At the fifth row, Ieyasu’s eyes opened wide, and he smirked, jolting to his feet in front of a woman with agate earrings and rich, gold and jade accessories in her hair. His hand reached up to touch her earring, looking down at her. “I wonder how can someone who is too poor to afford a rich dress was able to not only afford the most expensive jade hair pins, but also, agate earrings.” “Forgive me, my lord, I dare not contradict you, though they are carnelian, not agate, and the jade pin is a family heirloom.” Ieyasu couldn’t help but scoff at her. “Give them to me. They do not belong to you, do they? You cannot lie to me. Not only they do not fit your outfit, but they look dreadful on you.” the woman whimpered, fear pooling in her eyes, and with a few swift movements, she placed the accessories on his hand; Tokugawa swished his arm for the women to disappear out of the court, and the last row of ladies to appear.

As he suspected, there was one of the ladies that stood out from the others like an anomaly - Not because she wore the most expensive things, but rather the opposite. She wore peonies in her hair, which was humbly braided, and coincidentally, a butterfly landed on it. She wore no earrings, and her dress, though simple, looked gorgeous on her. “You - Come forward.” the man flapped his hand, gesturing her to come forward.  The mysterious woman elegantly nodded her head, and after a few careful steps, she did a courtesy kowtow. Her face had no expression, rather, it seemed to radiate a dead cold royal grace that only a real Princess could do even in her sleep. “Look up at me and tell me your name.”

Unlike the timidness of the previous night, the woman before him looked him straight in the eyes, hypnotising him with her beauty. “I am Y/N, daughter of Lord Niwa.” her voice, also, was different from the soft-spoken and delicate one from previously - Now, it was low and soothing, like the gentle lullaby of a wise woman. Most of the other women tried so hard to make their voice pitched and feminine, as light as possible; she didn’t. She wasn’t changing herself. She was just like him. “Do you know how to read?” the man asked, and though he was sure she would feel offended - She sketched not a single emotion whatsoever. “I would be unable to live up to mine own expectations, were I not able to proficiently read - And, of course, much more than that.” her answer, though as beautifully sounding as before, had a back-handed connotation. Intriguing. “You are a bold woman, to speak to me like that. You are sharp and intelligent. Many would envy your position, while others would brand you an embarrassment to women-kind.” Ieyasu spoke, though once again, she didn’t even move an inch. “What would you do, should you be caged like a songbird, unable to do anything but sing the melodies taught to you forevermore?” “Then I would sing away my voice, until I have exhausted my use, and await my ultimate death. There is far more at stake than my own life, that is, my family’s reputation and honour. Without them, I would be a songbird incapable of singing any tune whatsoever.” she replied, and though her tone was mild, it almost felt to Ieyasu that she was provoking him. “And if you were allowed to roam free and pursue any activity that you wished for? What, then, would you be doing?” he continued his line of questioning. “There is forever more information to be learnt, and all skills have infinite proficiency levels, many of them that I wish to acquire, not only for mine own curiosity, but for the betterment of my people’s lives, and of those who would be in need of aid, yet cannot afford. I have plenty wealth, though have not what to spend it on. What better than charity and helping the people live a better life that I can do with such wealth that is not even of my property?” Tokugawa Ieyasu felt his heart beating for the first time, and he felt inclined to raise the edge of his apricot coloured scarf up to his mouth, in hopes of hiding away the warmth of his pale, cold cheeks. “Are you telling me that you are interested in arts that only men are allowed to dabble in? Such as medicine, calculus, physics, alchemy and what not?” he asked, wanting to learn more and more about the woman. She gave a curt, affirmative answer, which garnered a choir of gasps and murmurs of disbelief. “Quiet, all of you.” Ieyasu’s harsh bark tensed up the atmosphere, though none dared speak any more. “Why is it that you think you can approach successfully such difficult areas that even the most educated of maesters cannot achieve oftimes?” “Most people tell the gender of a rabbit by its movement - The male runs quickly, while the female often keeps her eyes shut; But when the two rabbits run side by side, can you really discern whether I am a he or a she?” Ieyasu’s brilliant jade-like eyes widened, and he felt breathless, hearing the woman perfectly quote a stanza from the Ballad of Mulan, so boldly as if she herself were the warrior-woman. “Men are unable to comprehend the true pains of a woman, and as all healers are men, and they are strictly forbidden from touching a woman’s skin, especially of a higher status, then how are women supposed to survive more threatening diseases and ailments? Seeing such a tragic deficit in our healthcare system, I have decided that, given my mental capacity, I should be able to take on the burden myself. I have been successful thus far.” the small yet so very smug smile that she offered made his mind go crazy. “If I am to take you as my wife, I have to know that I can rely on you. I am a warlord, and we are in the midsts of war. Brilliance and ambition you have plenty, as well as boldness - But what if you waver in front of danger?” at once, the man gestured to her to get up, as he stepped backwards a few feet. “Do not break eye contact with me.”

A servant came over, throwing a bucket of water at her feet, yet Princess Y/N nonchalantly stepped over it without a second thought. The loud noises behind her, from the other ladies, or the claps purposely made close to her ear to startle her still had no effect on her, as she was completely captivated by Ieyasu’s softening gaze - She’d even dare go as far as to say - Timidness seemed to be overtaking him, the more they kept looking at each other. The test continued so until Ieyasu pranced forward and drew his sword, touching her flawless skin and raising her chin delicately. The silence created tension for everyone, especially all the envious ladies whose hearts stopped at once, yet the two became deeper and deeper enchanted by one another. 

It wasn’t until another one of the servants, possibly an older chatelaine holding a cat, stepped next to them, throwing the animal violently to the ground. Instead of letting the animal suffer, the Princess swiftly slapped the blade away and threw herself to the ground, catching with perfect reflexes the terrified feline, before rising back again. She was gently petting the animal and whispering tender words in the same magical tone that she used the previous night, before returning her gaze up at the blond Lord.

“You lost my challenge.” though his voice was deadpan, the mischief was evident in his glittering green eyes. “Life is above all else - Their lives also.” she pointed out, stepping closer to the Lord, as though to show that, no matter what he threw her way, she was not afraid of braving any of his trials. “You lost the challenge, though managed to impress me.” he nodded his head as he sheathed his sword. “I would be honoured if you would be my wife.” at once, he took off the jade tassel that he kept tied subtly to his sash, and shyly reached to tie it to her own obi. “By all means, the honour is all mine, Lord Tokugawa.” with the way she inclined her gaze down as soon as she addressed him by his lordly title, it felt as though a cold barrier of ice was placed between them, and Ieyasu, for a second, resented his noble status. This woman was capable of intriguing him with her cheek and shrewdness, so of course, he wanted to get to know her better, to unveil the mystery behind those gorgeous eyes of hers that sparkled with cleverness and kindness.

He wondered if she gave away her accessories to that poorer Princess on purpose, to play coy with him, or simply, because she tried to sabotage her own chances of success. She did voice her love for her home and her parents, and now, she will be taken away from them for quite a long time. Not that he wouldn’t allow her to visit, of course he would, why wouldn’t he? It wasn’t like it was going to do him any harm, after all. She could do whatever she wanted, as long as she wasn’t getting in his way.

Their wedding was simple yet beautiful, and though Ieyasu was visibly uncomfortable and awkward, outright unable to look at his wife, Y/N seemed to have perfect control over each and every one of her actions. The man almost felt pity for her, realising that it, no doubt, she wasn’t overthinking anything she was doing, preferring to act like the marionette that noble ladies were forced to become for their husbands. It irked him, to no end, that his wife had to be some mindless doll, when she so evidently expressed heaps of brightness that wanted desperately to come out and manifest into the world.

Every move she made, even the slightest twitch of her finger joints, was perfectly calculated to ensure the maximum amount of flawless grace that a Princess must have. He won’t allow her to torture herself like that in his own home. There is no way for one to go about their normal studying when in constant need to control the amount of time they blink or breath whilst around him.

“A woman must always count the amount of words her husband speaks, so that, if she is ever spoken to, and has to reply, she will not use more words than him. It would be disrespectful for him, and thus, proves that I am an unruly wife and in dire need of disciplining.” she told him the evening before the wedding. Ieyasu almost felt like pulling out his hair from frustration. Who in the world came up with such ridiculously rigid and prohibitory rules for women to begin with? Their country, not so long ago, was known to prefer a rather matriachal societal ruling, which, with the rise of Confucianism and men’s desire to be more powerful than anything, including the Gods themselves, women became nothing more than breedingstocks with pretty faces. How ridiculous.

“As long as you are in the province I rule - And I mean all of it, not only the castle - You don’t need to ask for permission to speak. Do whatever you please, I don’t care, I’m not forbidding you from doing anything at all. Alright?” Ieyasu made sure to put forth his rule, and hopefully, she will take it to heart. “You are most gracious and kind, my Lord Husband.” Ieyasu was very close to dragging his nails across his face out of annoyance with all these unnecessary pleasantries. He was her husband, not some kind of Lord she had to make a war alliance with. She wasn’t a Geisha, nor a courtesan, she needn’t flatter him any longer. “Stop talking like that. You’re so troublesome.” he grumbled softly. “No more pleasantries and any of the excess words you’re ironically forced to use with strangers. We are family, and that is boring me to death.” Ieyasu flipped his hand dismissively, not bothering to look the lady in the eyes, though he was rather curious if she reacted at all. “Am I allowed to become your chatelaine, then? To study under your maesters and physicians too?” the man nodded his head simply. “Stop asking me for permission I’ve already given. Go around, explore, go out, buy whatever you want - I don’t care. Just stay out of my way. I don’t have time for idle talks or disturbances.” with that, the Lord of Mikawa left the hall and went about his business. Y/N’s maid looked at the Princess and smiled cheerfully. “My Lady, your Lord Husband is truly an enlightened man! I told you, you were born under a lucky star! You feared marriage so much, yet you were chosen by such a lovely man!” the Princess said nothing at all, instead, she offered her maid a gentle smile before walking away towards her assigned room. 

Y/N has always been proud of how hard-working and diligent she was, and she was determined to show that Ieyasu hadn’t been wrong in choosing her, out of so many other gorgeous ladies that passed before his beautiful green eyes. In a month, the Castle of Ozaki was already in such a flawless state, that even Lord Tokugawa was shocked that it was possible. He always thought he had the most efficient servants, but apparently, even he could be wrong in some regards. He was impressed with the cleanliness of the whole place, and he could even appreciate how great the flowers surrounding the castle looked. The gardens were well taken care of, and even the food seemed to be more delicious. He couldn’t understand how that could happen, but he was glad that it happened.

And what he loved the most, though he would never admit it out loud, but Y/N would come by his study with hot, aromatic tea and some snacks for him, and she would remain silent for the remainder of her visit, whilst she would pour him tea in his cup whenever it emptied, and would grind his ink to help him out whenever he needed to write loads. It was such a simple thing to do, and his servants always did these things for him, but somehow, with Y/N, it felt so intimate, that it sometimes distracted him from work, as his eyes would linger to her delicate hands, or the serene smile that graced her features. He never felt his way before, why was his heart beating so much faster, as though he was running into battle, when he was safest there?

When he was working on a new antidote also, she would be creeping nearby, organising and arranging all the ingredients and tomes on the shelves, and though it made things easier for Ieyasu, that wasn’t what he felt most appealing, but how she would walk slower whenever next to him, just to steal a peek at the scribblings and doodles he’d make on the many thrown around papers on the desk whilst attempting to come up with a new revolutionary medicine - Only for her to place some plants or root that he hadn’t even thought about in front of him, and she would gently explain the reasoning behind suggesting it. Be it that it would enhance the effect of one of the ingredients he wanted to use, or that it counters some kind of poison - Somehow, anything that Ieyasu created with the aid of Y/N, seemed to have miraculous effects, and he loved this kind of success.

Many more months flew by so fast, yet for Ieyasu, the time spent together with his Princess definitely felt like a dream come true. His mind seemed to have calmed, though it remained hyper focused on his work - Work that became so much easier to complete and perfect further; and when he’d go sleep, he would rest his head on her lap and fall asleep to the sound of a soft melody hum and the soothing caress of her fingers playing with his hair. If he wished to relax, he would go for a walk by the pond as usual, followed by his sweet Wasabi, yet now, Y/N would be right by his side; be it simply for her tender presence, or to play a tune on the flute - There was something so tranquil about her being there with him, without any need to actually engage in small talk, or to interact meaninglessly. It felt like a reverie, and for the first time in his life, Ieyasu thought that life was actually exquisite.

But there was still one thing that Ieyasu was completely oblivious to, and that was the pains of his wife. Never once did she display any kind of negative emotion, nor did she tell him that there was something bothering her at all - Neither would he have found out from her, of course, she never complained, but the gossiping maids became far too loud and even if he wanted to, there was no way to pass it off only to idle, meaningless chattering.

“Princess Y/N has gotten thinner, hadn’t she? How is she going to birth an heir for Lord Tokugawa if her hips and chest are as small as her waist?” one of them spoke. “How can she birth an heir, if Lord Tokugawa doesn’t even want to spend the night with her? Not that I blame him - Have you ever seen her smile? I didn’t. She looks stone cold. Even the Lord isn’t as strict and inapproachable as she is.” the other one’s reply made his blood boil with anger.   “Right? I’m always so afraid of messing something up. It feels like she’s everywhere, watching me like a hawk. It’s almost like she wants to see me fail, just to punish me.” Ieyasu leaned back on the wall, making himself comfortable whilst assessing the gossip. “Has she punished servants before?” as she gasped in shock, Y/N rushed by, only to stop abruptly as soon as she noticed her husband. He raised a shushing finger to his mouth and motioned for her to get by quietly. “Well... No, not really, but you can’t disagree with me that she is quite scary. I mean - It has been half a year already, a virtuous lady would have already been heavily burdened with child.” for the first time, Ieyasu noticed Y/N rolling her eyes in evident impatience and annoyance. “I feel the same! This summer has seen a draught like never before - If the Princess behaved as a admirable and charitable as a virtuous noble lady is supposed to behave, none of this would have happened!” Y/N crossed her arms to her chest, her sight going up in the sky, as she gritted her teeth in boredom. It was clear she already knew of these talks, which only irked the Lord further. “Lord Tokugawa should take a few concubines already, otherwise there’s no way for the bloodline to continue. Don’t you know? My grandmother always said that, if the province becomes barren as soon as the Lord marries, it is because the wife is barren also. How can she conceive if she is useless?” Ieyasu was about to leap at them, but Y/N grabbed him by the clothes and kept him back, shaking her head. He could only look at her in shock and confusion, yet she didn’t answer. “Lord Tokugawa’s own father divorced his first lady wife, to take another. He should do the same.” he could only watch quizzically as the Princess quickly composed herself and stepped behind the gossiping maids, clearing her throat. The two squeaked pathetically and started trembling in fear as they bowed courteously. “Instead of chattering idly, you should return to your work. Heavens forbid my Lord husband hearing you speaking about him behind his back.” Ieyasu was bewildered - Y/N tone didn’t sound angry, nor did it hold any lingering of annoyance - Instead, it was calm and graceful as it always was. The maids fell to the ground, bowing pathetically, before running away to whatever their job was. “You should have let me punish them. They deserve it.” finally, he stepped by her side, disgusted by the awful gossips he heard. “The snake does not lose sleep over the chattering of mice.” his eyes widened, flabbergast at the comparison. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” he asked, unable to find a viable answer. “Why would I have? I don’t see any relevance to their words. They cannot hurt me. If they are so simple and allowed themselves to fall to the muddle-headed platitude of gossiping and spreading rumours, then, by all means, let them. As long as they do what they are told, and do it well, then there is nothing to be concerned about.” she explained, only to quickly add another short line. “Unless, of course, you have noticed a downgrading in the way the castle works - Then, I would have to take immediate action to remediate that temporary flaw.” Ieyasu shook his head, sighing. “Nothing of the sort - In fact, things have never went better than now, and that is thanks to your hard work.�� he muttered lightly. “I am happy to hear that, then.” the Princess nodded her head, a small smile of appreciation appearing on her face. “Well then, if that is all, then I would like to ask you to please erase all of this from your memory. It is not worth losing precious seconds of your time thinking about it. I, too, have to return to my work. If you will excuse me --” Ieyasu rose his hand instantaneously, gently grabbing her chin and tilting it up to make her look at him. “I... Deeply appreciate you, Y/N. I would never think about letting you go, or taking other women.” it took all of his self-control not to cover his whole face with the scarf, as his eyes, no matter how much they tried to remain fixed on Y/N’s angelic visage, kept darting away in shyness.

Instead, he heard Y/N’s lovely giggle for the first time ever, and her sweet lips planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “I am truly lucky to have met you, Ieyasu. You are a wonderful man. Thank you for choosing me.” with a tender smile, Y/N left Ieyasu behind, flustered and almost faint from the unexpected interaction he had with his wife. Half a year passed, and he was forced to admit to himself, that he was truly and irredeemably in love with Y/N Niwa.

At home, or during war meetings, Ieyasu was thinking about Y/N constantly, and unfortunately for him, he even let her name slip at some point - It was a perfectly casual conversation, he just off-handly mentioned her name - Perhaps he mentioned she helped him out with some medicine, or she gave him some brilliant idea; Regardless, not only Masamune, but Mitsuhide and even Lord Nobunaga started teasing him actively, to the point of almost wanting to decapitate them.

Though he was able to keep their mouth shut since then, whenever he’d mentioned her name, attached to a rather brilliant strategic idea that she came with, to the point of impressing the lords. It was his time to feel smug, and of course, since then, he shared all of his papers and plans with her, asking for her insight and brainstorming. She picked up on important details so easily, and she could find loopholes in places where perhaps even Mitsunari had difficulty. It was then that realised what a vital member of the Oda forces Y/N was, and he started bringing her to the council whenever he went. He didn’t realise how he felt so dependent on her, how at ease he felt around her, and how proud he was of her, whenever she expressed her insight and presented her point of view.

“My lord, I understand that the Princess has some good points, politically speaking, but she is a woman, what would she know of war, except for what Ieyasu tells her?” Hideyoshi once complained, during one of the meetings, and though Ieyasu felt irked at the blatant disrespect his wife received, it was Nobunaga himself who allowed her to defend herself. “I believe Princess Y/N has proved she is worthy of her seat at my council, just like all of you present here. Do you have anything to say in your defense, Y/N?” Nobunaga’s smug smirk made Hideyoshi depressed, seeing that his opinion was in the minority, even shut down by his most beloved Lord. “The lion does not concern itself with the opinions of sheep, Lord Nobunaga.” the comment garnered a few laughing outbursts, along with some sniggerings. “Ashigaru.” it was the first time that Ieyasu ever saw such an ice-cold smirk, and a blatantly poisonous insult escaping her pretty mouth. He was so proud of her, yet so amused at how angry Hideyoshi got - It was his fault, after all. His wife simply defended herself.

If only Ieyasu wasn’t so timid, he would cling onto her, melting in her loving embrace, kissing her all over her face, and never letting go of her. He loved her so much, so - so much, that it was unreal. How could a woman hold such domain over him? How can she have such power, to keep him captive in her tender clutches, mentally, emotionally, even physically? What was she doing to him, that all he could think about the whole day was her?

He trusted her so whole-heartedly, that on more vulnerable night, he would tell her about his childhood, about how he was abducted by Nobunaga’s father at only five years old, used as hostage, only to be sent away for an alliance at the Imagawa clan. He spoke of his childhood, though he could hardly call it that - His childhood was robbed from him. It was traumatic, yet, but he didn’t linger on it. Instead, he preferred to hear and perhaps vicariously live through Y/N’s own childhood. Somehow, she only ever told him the good things, as if to make him smile. A perfect childhood, for a perfect girl, living in a perfect world, with the perfect family.

Whether it was learning how to play the flute and the zither, or some poems that she loved to read, perhaps the medicine and concoctions she learnt how to prepare, or playing around with weapons with her elder brother and being a better horse-rider and archer than him. 

He loved all of it, and sometimes, he would find himself day-dreaming about what would it be like, should he be a child now, with a serene life, just playing around through the gardens and what now. They were the complete opposite, with Ieyasu only sharing the bad parts of his life, whilst Y/N only spoke of the positive. There was no way that he could have known of any horrible memory, or fear that she might have. 

So of course, it was nothing less than shocking when he witnessed his wife, covered in blood splattered all over her, running away towards the stream. His first thought was to run back to the castle and see what happened - Did someone attack the place, and she escaped? But she wasn’t crying, nor was she screaming or in distress - Did she get frustrated with a failed experiment? Perhaps it wasn’t even blood, just some pomegranate or tomato juice that exploded? Much was his surprise when he was met with the ever loud chattering from the gossiping maids, involuntarily informing him of what had happened. “It is already the fifth woman in Mikawa that Y/N killed, you know? Do you think she’s doing it intentionally? Killing pregnant women because she is unable to conceive?” Y/N? Killing someone? That couldn’t be. “It wouldn’t surprise me. You know how it is, especially with noble women. If you’re unable to give birth to an heir in the first year of marriage, the lord is going to throw you out, or, at the very least, lose all favoured. Perhaps she is afraid Lord Tokugawa is going to divorce her... Or maybe her parents won’t accept her back.” another one spoke more rubbish. “Or both, who knows? Still, it is doing her no good, her reputation is tarnishing very swiftly. A woman should never meddle in the arts of men. She should just stay put, play cards with other noble women, do her make up and embroider. She’s doing it to herself, you know? The elders keep scolding her, but she doesn’t even listen! She goes about her day all the same!” Ieyasu was getting rapidly fed up with the slander. “Guards! Take these two maids and cut their tongues off. Perhaps, this way, they will know that slander and gossip is forbidden.” the two women fell to the ground, bowing and weeping pitifully, begging for mercy. “You dared speak ill of the Princess, who is benevolent and never punished you. I am a man, I have no patience for the silly past times of some evil, incompetent maids.” with a dismissive hand from the Lord, the guards dragged them away, as Ieyasu went in the room, trailing the blood left in large blots to the ground.

Once he arrived to the chamber, he noticed the old mid-wife that delivered him years ago. She looked sorrowful, wetting a towel and cleaning the dead body of a butchered woman. He slowly stepped by her side, and though she attempted to raise and bow, he immediately stopped him. She was old, and had done him enough services - She needn’t do anything so humbly. Not for him. He urged her to explain to him what happened, only to see her sigh, even sadder.

“Oh, Young Lord, if only you knew the misfortunes that follow women of this realm, you would think it one of the pitiful stories that I used to tell you when you were but a tiny, little babe.” she sighed once again before continuing. “The Princess... Ah, what a wonderful, pure soul. She tries so hard to ease the pains of the less fortunate... But she is no God, and people, especially her, fail to understand that. If one is fated to die young, no amount of intervention can save them.” “I don’t understand. What happened to this woman? And what is with all this blood?” the man asked, removing the blanket from her lower part, revealing her large belly and the large, horizontal gash. “Did Y/N do this?” The old woman nodded her head. “There have been a string of dystocic pregnancies for these young women... Ah, Heavens, they were not women, they were barely fourteen... A child, killed by a child...” despite the exclamations typical of an old woman, Ieyasu began to piece together the bits she was telling him. “Seeing all these complications, the Princess started learning about the Way of the Blade on dead animals, and then, dead bodies, hoping to learn how to properly perform such an act on a poor girl, struggling and wailing in agony... But no matter what she did... With a cut like that, how can a little girl like this survive? And the babe, too... They were already long dead by the time they were taken out of the womb.” the old woman had to wipe away the escaping tears. Ieyasu stared down at the gruesome image of the young girl that was supposed to be a mother. She had perineal tearing, and the skin on her thighs had ruptured from the effort. The slice of the belly was deep, yet perfectly clean and sharply done. “Kaede, I understand these complications happened because of their frail age, and the risks are higher because their bodies hadn’t developed enough... But are these risks viable for adult women also?” fear started creeping into his heart, gnawing and tainting away at him rapidly. “Unfortunately, Young Lord, there are risks for any pregnancy. They say, during childbirth, women are already with one foot in hell, and they are fighting against the demons that are trying to take them away.” Ieyasu felt himself shivering softly.  “Y/N knows these risks too, I’m sure.” the old woman nodded her head. “Is this why she ran away from here? It seems uncharacteristic of her, allowing others to do work that she shouldered herself.” “Poor Princess is a victim of her own fears, like most women are. Please don’t be too harsh on her, she’s trying her best. Princess Y/N does not like speaking much about her, in fear of burdening others... However, after a rather painful childbirth that ended in death, she revealed that, even back home, she assisted soon to be mothers, and had lost many friends to this, including her younger sister.” Ieyasu’s eyes widened, his head snapping towards the old lady. “Y/N had a younger sister?” she never mentioned anything about a sister - Only her elder brother. Is it because all the beautiful memories she has of her end with a most painful epilogue? “Yes, in fact, she was barely fifteen by the time of her death. Married some Lord that she loved, she wanted a few children of her own, she really wanted to be a mother, as she said. Her hips were too small, and the baby couldn’t get out. Princess Y/N had to cut her belly open herself - She was able to save the baby - It was a girl... And since it was not a boy, thus, not an heir... The husband didn’t want to accept it as his child. He called Princess Y/N’s sister... Rather uncouth words, accusing her of adultery, and now, Princess Y/N’s mother takes care of the child, as though she is her own daughter.”

Ieyasu couldn’t believe what he was hearing - All this information, and he had to hear it from his old nan, instead of his own wife. Was she not trusting him, or was she too afraid of speaking these things with anyone? He couldn’t blame her - Women are taught to be afraid of their husbands - But he had hoped he was able to reassure her into trusting him with her very being.

With a mumbled thank you, Ieyasu stole one last glance at the poor young girl, and as Y/N’s image flashed before his eyes, in the same posture, he, too, jolted to his feet and bolted out of the castle, unable to keep overthinking. There weren’t many things that could shake him mentally, but when it came to Y/N’s well-being, he was nothing but a puddle of melted ice.

When he reached the stream, he saw Y/N kneeling on the ground, continuously scrubbing away the blood from her skin and from the blood stained coat - Only, there hadn’t been any spot of red of it in a while, it was only in her imagination. She was staring blankly at the running stream, her expression completely empty, save for a soft furrow of her brows. Ieyasu went to sit next to her, yet she acted as though he wasn’t even there. He wanted to offer her her space, to speak whenever she felt comfortable, hoping that his presence alone would offer her comfort - Instead, she remained silent. Even more, she got up soon after and attempted to leave.

“How are you feeling?” robotically, she stopped dead in her tracks, rigid and stiff, just like during that night when he called her out. “Just fine.” somehow, she managed to keep her voice in check and under control. “Please don’t hide away from me. You were there for me when I needed you the most. Let me in, Y/N.” there was a heavy silence, save for the rippling of the river. “Kaede told you, didn’t she?” with a confirmation, Y/N took a sharp inhale. “Worry not. I will not neglect my duties as a wife.” “Do you think I care about that?!” infuriated, Ieyasu shot up to his feet. “I don’t care about some child, I care about you!” he wasn’t one to yell, it was so unlike him, and from the shape of Y/N’s body, it was clear she was a little startled by the unexpected outburst. “If you are dead, what’s the point? You are more important to me than any pretentious thing like an heir.” she was unable to say any word. “Y/N - Forgive me, I didn’t mean to shout. I just don’t think you realise how much I love you. I know I’m not good with words, and even my actions aren’t great - But I treasure you more than anything in the world. Do you not trust me enough to tell me what pains you?” “Please... Don’t take it this way.” finally, with a soft voice filled with anguish, she was able to reply. “Whenever something bad happens, I just try my best to erase it from my mind. I try to pretend it didn’t happen. I don’t want to be plagued by the torment all my life.” “That is the exact opposite of what you’ve been encouraging me to do.” she nodded her head. “You are such a hypocrite.” despite her sadness, Y/N found herself exhaling with amusement. “I know. I am the biggest hypocrite there is. I could never follow my own advice. It is not that I don’t trust you - But that I love you so much, that I’d rather take on all of your burdens and keep you happy, than acknowledge my own problems. You have enough to deal with anyway. You are the Lord of Mikawa, and an important ally of the Oda forces. We are in the brink of war - The last thing I care about is some silly old sadness of mine.” suddenly, Y/N felt herself being embraced from behind, a kiss being placed on her temple. “I take you with me to war councils, you help me with medicine, with studies, sometimes you even accompany me when I train or go hunting. You are my wife, Y/N, but not only that - You are my most cherished person. Without you, I am lost. I cannot be happy if you are not. I hope you won’t be afraid of telling me how you’re feeling from now on, no matter what it is. If you are afraid of something, no matter what it is, I will be there to protect you. When you are upset, I will have my arms open, and I will hold you as you cry; And when you are happy, I will be there to watch you smile. You are human, like any other, Y/N. Don’t pretend to be otherwise just because of what others say.” despite the soft trembling of her body, Y/N didn’t cry, though her heart was aching and begging her to release all of her pent up emotions. Instead, she smiled, and squeezed his hands as thanks. “I truly was born under a lucky star, to have been chosen by a man like yourself, my love.” he wasn’t sure why, even after so long, Ieyasu still felt his cheeks warming up at the simplest compliment from her.

He truly thought he was a good husband, and even when he had his doubts, Y/N would immediately reassure him, telling him he is the best thing that ever happened in her life, and how lucky she is for having the privilege of being married to him - All this, while pampering him and kissing his face all over, to the point of flustering him into hiding his face away from her. Whenever he did that, she knew she had succeeded in her plan of cheering him up.

But it was only he, whose life was getting better and better, while her life was getting worse. He did everything he could, alleviating any external pressure or influence, especially from the elders or the gossiping maids who dared slander her for her passions and the lack of an heir - As if he cared about that, when war had been crippling the lands for a whole century? 

Y/N’s mother had been brought to the capital, to receive the best health care possible, as she’s been afflicted with an awful disease - When she heard that, Y/N quickly discarded all of the jewellery and the rich outer layer of her kimono, and with a sash, she dexterously tied back the long sleeves of her outfit as she ran through corridors of lords and lordlings, pushing them away. “Out of my way! Get out! Move already, damn it!” those who didn’t know who the wench was wanted to grab her and punish her for her insulting behaviour, but one order from the Lord of Owari was enough to split the ocean of men standing in her way.

For days, Ieyasu hadn’t seen his wife, and he grew ever more worried - What if she gets ill also? What if her mind breaks from all the anguish? It cannot be easy, treating your own mother, the person you love more than life itself - And especially, it cannot be easy having to see her health decaying so rapidly before your very eyes, and hearing the weak voice of hers, once filled with vitality, telling her final wishes and praises to her sweet daughter.

He never once saw her crying, but he was afraid that, if he does, he too would break down on the spot. He did the mistake of going over to the room where she was taking care of her mother, bringing her food and tea in hopes of making sure she isn’t neglecting her health, but as soon as he saw that exhausted and tormented expression on her face, he felt the tray fall from his grasp - Thankfully, he kept composed. She hadn’t even picked up on his arrival, were it not for the semi-conscious mother alerting her.

She wasn’t crying, she wasn’t wailing, nor was she screaming in anguish - Instead, she was deadly silent, like a lake without fish in it. She was so absorbed in her quest of saving her mother, that she forgot all about her own self in the process; He was afraid, however, that should he remind her that she is a human being, with emotions and a rational mind, she couldn’t take it. He wanted to just hold her in his arms and protect her from any thing around her that could be even remotely upsetting - But unfortunately, he, more than anyone, knew how that wish was nothing less than impossible.

Was she incapable of crying altogether, he had wondering thoughts at some point, realising that, although very close to, and quivering, in the year they’ve been together, he had not seen his wife cry once, despite all the emotional hardships she had to endure, one after the other. He had seen plenty women cry, even from the silliest of things; but not Y/N. Never her. It must be one of those silly rules from that God-awful Chinese book, written by Empress whatever, dictating in particular detail how all women, and wives especially, must behave in society, and most of all, in front of their husbands. If he could, he’d burn that book from the face of the earth, never to hear of it again. He wanted Y/N to be eternally free of any shackle and rope that she might feel herself held back by. It was torment, watching her wilt away, like the most beautiful flower in late autumn.

And then, when her mother died, he could see how hard she was gritting her teeth, all to keep herself composed, and immediately went to plan the funeral.  She was dressed in simple, white, mourning garments, just like everyone else around her. Though no make up, and looking like an onryo, her long hair, shining in the Sun, contrasting the sickly paleness of her colourless pigment, and she stared emptily at the pyre on which her mother’s beautiful body laid. She had dressed her up herself, and applied make up the way she knew would look best on her, and her hair was tied with many expensive pins and flowers. On either side of her, her father was a sobbing mess, while her brother was trembling, unable to control himself.

Y/N sighed, staring at the sake bottle, and she took it in her hands before smashing it away from the pyre. “My mother hated alcohol. I will not send her away to the other side with sake. Go make her favourite honeyed tea at once.” the servants didn’t waste another second, and soon, the Princess was offered a tea pot and a cup. With steady hands, she poured a little tea to drink, before spilling the rest of it with perfect precision, in the form of the symbol for the word ‘Love’. It only made her father look away and search for a chair to sit on, feeling her knees buckle.  Seeing that, Y/N went to kneel by his side, and gently, traced his hands to have him let go of the torch. Gladly, he did, and Y/N went to lit it on fire, approaching the pyre. With one last look of grief towards her mother, a kiss on her forehead and a few farewell words, Y/N placed the torch on the fire, igniting it; Though she must not have realised she was still holding her hand on her mother’s face, even when licked by the flames of fire, for it was Lord Nobunaga, closest to her, that snatched away her wrist from the blazing inferno, and gave her a look. From the looks of it, she felt no pain at all, as her heart was in enough anguish to feel anything else.

With a thankful nod of her head, Nobunaga let go of her, watching as she phlegmatically threw away the burning torch in the water basin before turning to address all the lords present. “All of you attending have the deepest gratitude, from the whole family, especially my Lord Father, who is stricken with grief at the moment and unable to express his gratefulness for everyone’s support. As a way to thank everyone for the trouble of coming over and stand in solidarity for our loss, we humbly invite you to a feast in honour of my Lady Mother. Please, if you may -” she opened the door to the banquet room, where everything had already been placed, and the servants were guiding all the lords to their respective seats. Y/N went to help her father get up from the chair, and had him sit at a table between herself and her brother.

Like all men, Ieyasu realised, Lord Niwa was drinking his sorrows away, to the point of becoming a babbling fool. The Young Lord next to him, however, did nothing to save his father from making a fool of himself in front of all the prominent lords of the Oda forces. Though she had to tirelessly run to and fro to make sure everyone was attended by the maids properly, she fell in front of her father, trying to take away the sake from him, replacing it with tea, and forcing him to eat something to alleviate the heavy drunkness of his. Ieyasu could only stare in pity, powerless before a family matter like this. She hadn’t even the time to mourn her beloved mother, for she had to take care of everyone -- But was anyone taking care of her, even the littlest bit?

“Father, please, that is enough drinking. Mother would have hated seeing you in this state. Please, compose yourself, just until we get home.” Ieyasu heard her plead to her father, holding his face in her hands dearly. Yes, he remembers Y/N asking for his permission to return home and take care of her father, until he gets better. To think a husband would be so grief-stricken from the loss of his wife... Ieyasu was unable to look at Lord Niwa, as he imagined himself in the same shape as he, should anything happen to his sweet Y/N. “My sweet Y/N, you are so perfect, my most beloved child -- How were we ever capable of creating a child so perfect is beyond me -- You look so much like your mother, and you’re so smart and talented -- My most precious little flower in the world, always taking care of everyone around her.” sighing, Y/N threw her arms around her father. “It is alright, daddy, no need to say anything else, I understand you heart. I will always be here for you, no matter what happens. I will always be your little girl.” those words would forever haunt Ieyasu, for an eternity, and even far beyond.

For a whole month, Y/N was away, and he felt not only his mind, but his heart in shambles, and it was then that he properly realised how dependent he felt on Y/N, how much his heart longed for her touch, for her sweet words, for her loving embrace and that angelic smile. He missed her like a man lost in the desert missed the shade and water. He wanted nothing more than to march at her home and gather her up in his arms, telling her that everything will be okay, that he is there for her, forever, and that he loves her more than anything in this worlds.

Day in and day out, the castle of Ozaki felt the antsiness of Lord Tokugawa, and the tense atmosphere was nothing less than painful. From the once stern yet kind Lord who spent his time only studying, training and working, he now was so snappy and all the servants found themselves on the wrong end of his thorny wrath, as though they were Uesugi or Takeda themselves. He prayed for the first time in his life, that Y/N’s father would get better already, and Y/N would return to him - He felt so lonely, so out of touch with everything surrounding him; the single touch of normalcy being the company of his darling Wasabi, and the occasional war councils. The pillow seat next to him was empty, in her honour. It was empty, like the bed they shared, like their room, like the whole province of Mikawa; Like his heart especially.

Yet however much he craved for Y/N to return, he didn’t want it to be due to another funeral. From the rumours growing around, her father died from a broken heart, unable to cope with the death of his wife. It was a huge blow emotionally for Ieyasu, fearing something like that happening to him, should Y/N die some day; Yet, of course, the Oda forces too were at a disadvantage, as Lord Niwa was Nobunaga’s right hand for so many decades, first, having aided his father, before aiding the Young Lord.

Just like during her mother’s funeral, it was Y/N who took care of everything, as the brother was too much of a gutless wimp to do anything at all. It was Y/N who took care of the pyre, of burning the corpse of her father, of taking care of the guests at the feast and so on.

He spotted her, at some point, slipping away from the large chamber and going outside, and to the pond - Their special place together. He could hear soft, repeated muttering, over and over again. “Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.” she kept saying, to the point that every piece of Ieyasu’s heart broke and shattered.  “My love.” he called out to her, sitting on the grass, in front of her. “Forgive the intrusion. I couldn’t bare the thought of letting you suffer alone.” she kept her head hanging. “It’s alright to cry. You’ve just lost both of your parents, whom you loved dearly. You have every right to mourn.” “I’m afraid, Ieyasu.” the vibrato of her quivering voice was making his eyes sting with gleaming tears. “I’m afraid that, if I do, I won’t be able to stop. That the sorrow will never disappear. That hell and darkness will find me, and drag me down, drowning me.” “That’s why I’m here, Y/N. I’m here to protect you. Don’t run away from me, please. Cry and mourn as much as you need, and rely on me; I will make sure you never fall - And if you do, I’ll be there to catch you and carry you back home.” slowly, his arms made their way around her trembling form, pulling her to his chest as he caressed her hair. “You are safe with me, my love. You can allow yourself to be vulnerable with me. You may cry as much as you need.”

And for the first time since they’ve been married, Ieyasu witnessed his wife crying and cursing, raw wails and words that he never thought he would hear from a woman’s mouth - But he couldn’t blame her. She’s been through enough. In a way, he finally felt like he was doing something for her; It was painful enough, knowing that he wasn’t enough for her, or so he kept telling himself.  He was there for her. He was always there for her, no matter what may happen.

Ieyasu was going to be there, by Y/N’s side, the very same way Y/N was when she saved him from Kennyo himself, when the warrior sect of monks from Ikko-Ikki rebelled on his lands and rebelled against him, to get to Nobunaga.  It was thanks to her, that he found out about the betrayal of some of his once loyal vassals, and it was thanks to her, that he survived a trap set by Kennyo himself.

It was one evening, when he returned to the castle, and as soon as he dismounted his horse, Y/N uncharacteristically ran to him, throwing herself onto him to embrace him. “My Lord husband, how I missed you! Let me draw a bath for you.” with a vixen like grin on her face, she held his hand, dragging him to the bath, urging him to undress. He felt so confused, yet so timid, undressing before her; Y/N was assertive however, and she undressed him herself, before dragging him into the water, his back glued to the wooden wall of the tub. Suddenly, he felt one of her delicate hands tracing his skin, from his ribs and all over his chest, while the other... Showed a scroll to him? “Read it, but remain quiet. You have been betrayed, yet I do not know all the people participating in this ploy.” his body felt stiff, hearing her soft yet ominous whisper in his ear, and forgetting the shyness from his wife seeing him naked for the first time, he let his tired eyes scan the beautiful writing of his sweet Princess, before succumbing the parchment in the water, waiting for it to disintegrate entirely.

Though they didn’t speak out loud about this matter, they both remained fully alert; With Ieyasu writing a letter to Nobunaga, Y/N volunteered to go deliver it herself, not wanting to risk anything interfering with their plan. “Please be safe.” Ieyasu cupped her face, kissing her forehead tenderly. “I do not know what I would do if anything were to happen to you.” “The same goes to you also, my darling.” with a sweet gaze shared, Ieyasu helped Y/N mount the horse and watched her gallop away into the horizon.

Though, as Y/N was away, Ieyasu already had to run away into war, as the damned monks attacked his lands. By the time the Princess had arrived in Azuchi, it was Mitsuhide who greeted her, though the usual teasing, enigmatic grin ever-present was replaced with a grim look. “Though it is always a pleasure seeing you, Princess, I can guess why you have arrived.” he spoke, helping her get off the horse and reading the letter. “I wish I had better knew to counter this betrayal, My Lady, though unfortunately, I must be the bearer of the grave news. Ieyasu might be walking right into Kennyo’s trap.” he put a comforting hand on the Princess’s shoulder. “Hideyoshi and Masamune found and defeated Takeda Katsuyori, and in his possession, there was a letter addressed to your brother. I am deeply sorry to inform you that your brother is conspiring with not only the Uesugi-Takeda alliance, but with Kenny’s monks too.” “I should have expected that. I and father never did trust my brother, he always had an inferiority complex when it came to me. I have always been a prodigy while he, well... Save for the physical prowess of a man, there was much he was lacking. I also suspect him of poisoning our father, to take over the family. That is why... I placed a trap at home, before I left. And, as I expected, he took the bait.” Y/N spoke thoughtfully. “Mitsuhide, we have to save Ieyasu. I wish I could rally my troops, but my brother has them. What is there to do?” “I will tell you where Ieyasu is fighting - Go ahead and reassure him that help is on the way. Mitsunari went on a trail to catch Kennyo; Masamune and Hideyoshi are on their way too. That leaves Nobunaga with your brother, fighting Kenshin, and myself.” Mitsuhide explained the situation, watching the woman before him nod curtly. “Alright. You have to find Nobunaga and tell him of my brother’s betrayal. Perhaps we can all gather at a common point. I don’t want my father’s hard work to go down the drain because of Kenji’s frail ego.” she explained her view. “That was exactly my thought also, Princess. Be on your way, and be safe.” with a nod of acknowledgement, Y/N swiftly left Azuchi towards the valley Mitsuhide described.

Truthful to his words, Mitsuhide was right, and Ieyasu was there, fighting against the berserk monks. Y/N rose her musket and started shooting away at the approaching enemies, and once she got close enough, she used the rifle to hit away at the monks’ head, incapacitating them. She jumped off the horse and readied her weapons, getting back to back with her husband, but not before pulling him into a desperate kiss. “Help is on the way, my love. Hang in there.” “I’m not even sure if I’m reassured seeing you, or if I’m terrified out of my mind.” the Princess chuckled softly. “I bring good news, so feel lighter. Mitsuhide reassured me all the other lords will be meeting up shortly at the camp. They killed Katsuyori, and they’re on Kenshin’s and Kennyo’s trail.” Ieyasu found himself scoffing. “It has barely been a week, and so many things happened. I’ve been out of the loop for far too long.” Ieyasu complained lightly. “That is why I am here, am I not?” the woman smirked. 

Ieyasu had to admit, he was highly impressed by his wife’s war proficiency, though he should have known better, as she mentioned having trained side by side her brother, and he himself helped her get better at archery, whilst Mitsuhide taught her how to shoot a musket. He truly was lucky, having met and married such a wonderful woman, quite literally always there for him, no matter the hardship or the auspicious day. 

Thankfully, they were able to escape the trap unscathed, and Ieyasu’s troops were mostly intact; Y/N helped her husband up on her horse and they ran away to the camp, not before shouting the instructions to the rest of the army so they would follow right behind.

“Ieyasu, you are well. That is good.” Nobunaga remarked, as Ieyasu and Y/N were the last to arrive. “We have all arrived here, safe and sound, and our missions have been a success.” “It is good that we have such a reliable Princess to keep our little Ieyasu safe.” Mitsuhide couldn’t help but tease the Young Lord, who was unable to complain, as it was Mitsuhide himself who made sure Y/N was safe and knew how to come over to him. As the Lords all invited Y/N and Ieyasu to get over to them and drink some tea, rest and eat some food after such a long time, Kenji frowned, getting up and marching in front of Y/N, before slapping her face hard enough to make her stumble. The gesture garnered gasps and protests from every witnessed, yet it was Ieyasu himself who took out his sword automatically and threatened his brother-in-law. “Our parents never once scolded, punished, and especially rose their hand to hit me. What gave you the right to do something like this, especially considering that I am a married woman and not under your authority?” Y/N tilted her head up with unbothered grace, her hand placed on Ieyasu’s sword, inching it away from her brother’s neck. “Whether you are married or not, it matters little. You are first and foremost the Princess of the Niwa Clan, and only then, Tokugawa’s whore, so behave appropriately, like a woman should, and stop bringing shame and dishonour everywhere you step. Our parents might have indulged you, but I am not weak like them.” his words only made the Princess, but Nobunaga and some of the other lords burst laughing. “Well, certainly, forgive me for wanting to save my husband; I’m not ready to be a widow yet. And, I suppose I should say, at least for the sake of this pointless argument, that not only do I have my Lord Husband’s approval, to do all the things that you accuse me of, but Lord Nobunaga, also, seeks my council on occasion... Which... As far as I know... Does not happen for you as well. I wonder why.” Y/N’s whole body moved with another slap from her brother.  “Did you want to save him, like you tried to save our sister?” it was the first time Ieyasu saw Y/N’s calm demeanour disappear, only to be replaced with a deathly glare. “Like you tried to save our mother? Our father?” he continued to slander her. “You claim to try and save them, but you killed them all, didn’t you? You are a demon disguised as a woman, that is what you are.” “Do you think I don’t know that it was you who killed our father, hoping to inherit the Niwa clan, based on the succession line?” it was Kenji’s turn to stiffen. “It must have been such a great shock for you, finding out father’s will, and seeing that, instead of Niwa Kenji being written as the Heir... It was Y/N-hime.” the brother, with wrath in his eyes, attempted to lunge at the girl, but she did a short-distance sprint, tripping him, and allowing Kenji to be punched by her husband. “Based on your aggressive behaviour, it must be the truth. You knew, once I find the will, I will be named the Heir of Niwa, and our house will automatically merge with Ieyasu’s... And you? You will be nothing but a little lordling, fated to be called forever a fool - You, Niwa Kenji, the firstborn and the sole male child... Failing so hard at being a reliable ruler, that your father made your younger sister, the middle child, the heir, trusting her with not only the finances, but the army also. How hilarious is that?” Y/N laughed tauntingly at her elder brother, who was struggling hard to get away from Ieyasu’s grip, especially as Hideyoshi and Masamune too jumped to keep him restrained. “And as the appointed heir of the Niwa clan, with Nobunaga’s approval, as well as my husband’s, I would like to decree that I advise my elder brother, Niwa Kenji, to commit seppuku in front all the Lords, and if he should refuse, then I should be allowed to bring forth his demise myself.” “Motion approved.” Nobunaga smirked at the gutsy, domineering woman before him, watching his lords bring Kenji to his knees.  “You cannot do that! Women aren’t allowed to own any property - You’re going to let that pesky child take over all our possessions and province! He’s going to ruin everything -- YOU are going to bring ruin to the whole Niwa family, you demon!” his whining was abruptly halted by Nobunaga’s dark voice. “That rule is going to change soon, once I reform the Shogunate. Y/N was enough of an exemplary ideal and a role model.” Nobunaga was well over himself with amusement, loving to undermine arrogant pricks like Y/N’s brother. “Then, brother, you have the choice to either commit ritualistic suicide, or to die by my blade. Which would you rather prefer? See - I am a benevolent ruler, I am even allowing a traitor like yourself to choose how you want to die, it is quite the privilege, considering not only you killed our father, conspired to kill me and my husband, but also, made deals with Takeda, Uesugi and Kennyo, hoping to soon revolt against the Oda forces.” the dumb look on his face only made Y/N laugh. “See? Your head is empty. There is no ounce of intelligence there. If father chose you as the heir, only ruin would have befallen our lineage. It was so simple, you know? Just choose the winning side and continue living like a parasite, leeching over the success of better men. It is your fault alone.” Y/N grinned enigmatically, going to her husband and drawing his sword. “I have changed my mind. I will not give you the satisfaction of taking your own life. I want to do it myself. Do you know why?” the woman stepped in front of him; Ieyasu felt his heart beating so fast, watching his wife acting less like a the sweet Fawn Princess that she always tried so hard to be, always tender and soft, comforting and loving him constantly; and more like Amaterasu herself, banishing Susano’o from Heavens. “Because we have lived in the same house and studied together for twenty years, and you were unable to realise that the will was written by me, not by father.” “What?!” Kenji tried to jolt up to his feet, but was unable to. “You forged our father’s will?!” “Of course I did, who do you take me for? I’ve long since suspected you of trying to rebel. I couldn’t have you tarnish our family name; Our ancestors worked hard enough, getting us where they are. I tested you, and you failed.” Y/N chuckled softly. “Our father always thought you were the family’s greatest disappointment... And, coincidentally, I tend to agree.”

Y/N didn’t allow Kenji enough time to open her mouth, as she swung the blade, and his head went rolling on the ground pathetically. The Princess went to grab the head by the hair and impaled it on a spike, in all its glory. Then, she went by Nobunaga’s side, looking down at him with a confident smirk. “Are you going to call me Lord Niwa from now on, I wonder?” “You have earned the title, I see no reason not to.” Y/N bowed her head at the ruler. “Then, officially, I suppose I have to pledge my allegiance to the Oda forces. It goes without saying, for as long as I live, the Niwa family is going to continue supporting your cause with no exception. Is that good?” Nobunaga let out a short yet boastful laugh. “By all means, I feel far more reassured with you as the leader, as compared to that incompetent.” exhausted and in need of some proper rest, Ieyasu and Y/N were the first to leave the camp, yet instead of going to Mikawa, they went to her castle.

“You once said your younger sister’s daughter was being raised by your parents. Now that they are no more, and the war is done, a young girl like herself cannot be left alone, can she? She needs a proper education and people to look after her.” Ieyasu brought his sweetheart into a loving, tender kiss, playing with a lock of her hair.  “Are you sure, my love? A child is a lot of hard responsibility and involvement, and--” her worries were quickly hushed with another kiss. “I know what I’m saying. Besides, at least people will stop pestering us about having children ourselves.” Y/N couldn’t help but start laughing at his comment.

And though nervous, Ieyasu never once regretted the decision of fostering the young girl, caring for her as his own child. Be it that he was teaching her how to read and write, or that Y/N was telling her about politics, history or medicine, the little girl was the brightest star in the sky for them. 

The most beautiful image, however, was watching the little Fawn Princess playing with his dear Wasabi; two beautiful little girls, innocent and tender, in a world that was bound to change in their favour. No more wars, no more conflicts, no more killings; Only samurai were allowed to have weapons, and fighting was soon proven to become entirely inefficient, and external trade was being promoted, studying history and medicine, politics, arts and poems and novels. There was no need for lovely women like Princess Y/N to shoulder the responsibilities of war and grief any longer, and no children had to watch their parents fall under the blade any longer. Ieyasu especially wanted to create and maintain the beautiful utopia of peace that Nobunaga started, all for the safety and happiness of his three beloved girls.

Wasabi, his adorable deer, Y/N, his most beloved wife, and the little Fawn Princess, his darling daughter.

Tokugawa Ieyasu never thought about women, and never gave any importance to marriage; everything except for his academic and military training was nothing was a troublesome drag, and he couldn’t care less about any such inconvenience - But Y/N proved him wrong. Y/N proved to him that he was not only capable of accepting love, but giving also - And oh, how he loved falling asleep to the image of a sleepy Y/N, and waking up to a sweet kiss from her.

[revasserium]

I'm being a rebel and requesting Ikesen Masamune and barefoot 💜

send me one and a character u__u

hurricane (prompt: barefoot)

masamune; 1,813; fluff and... that's it; @violettduchess is quite possibly one of the only ppl who can get me to write for a fandom that i had no plans in joining BUT HERE I AM FOLKS. here the fuCK i am.

he has always been a hurricane.

there are moments in a person’s life big enough for a single choice to put them on a completely different path, and then — there are those moments, much smaller moments, adding up to that one, bigger, monumental, life-changing moment. this is one of the latter.

the moon is heaven bright, swinging low in a full-bellied sky, and insomnia had plagued you till you’d come into the inner gardens for refuge. at least here, it felt like you were stuck between the pages of a waking dream. so… sleep-adjacent, right? right.

you swing your feet off the edge of the pristinely mopped wooden walkways, your sketchbook propped in your lap, a charcoal pencil gliding over the smooth, moon-bleached pages. you let your hand take the drawing where it wants, and these days, there’s only one place that your hand (and, subsequently the rest of your mind and body) seems to want to go.

masamune.

he appears as fish-tail flicks of your wrist bring him to life on the pages, each sketch fluid and overlapping with the next, almost like the depiction of dance — the crinkle at the edge of his eye, the curve of his hand as he rests it on the hilt of one of his blades, the strong, graceful slope of his shoulders and back, the crescent moon curve of his lips as he smiles, ever light, ever teasing, in your direction.

“ah… is that what i look like?”

his voice makes you jump, and even now after all this time, it sets your heart racing in your chest as you whirl around to find his nose inches from yours, that self-same smile hinged across his damnably gorgeous lips.

“w-wh — why aren’t you sleeping?” is your stumbling, cobbled together response to being jump-scared in the middle of his castle pagoda, but it’s the best you could come up with. he only leans back, chuckling, his arms tucked into the long thin sleeves of his kosode as he casts his eye up towards the full moon, his expression for once devoid if mischief or calculation. it’s strange, seeing him like this, so still and so quiet, and something about it makes you go still too, wondering if this is what its like to be caught in the eye of the storm, where the quiet is only ever momentary and destruction dances just beyond where your mind can reach.

“i could ask the same of you, kitten. so tell me… why aren’t you sleeping?” he grins as he joins you, propping one arm on a bent knee, watching as you gather yourself, palms pressing to the pages of your sketchbook.

“i… i couldn’t sleep.” you look down at your own knees, and it strikes you then that your feet are still bare. you can’t help glancing at masamune, and sure enough, his feet are bare too. no wonder i hadn’t heard him coming.

but something about this sets you off, the sight of his bare feet next to yours, and even though it shouldn’t be so tantalizing a thing — the flicker of bare flesh, the hint of skin unseen— you feel like one of those ancient victorian maidens, blushing at the sight of bare ankles.

you can’t help it; you start to laugh.

and masamune, sitting beside you, finds himself transfixed, held still by the sound of your laughter, pouring from you like rainwater from a stream. so clear and beautiful it sets his body arrack with shivers.

“what?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow, “is there something on my face?”

at this, you pause, stifling your giggles with a hand pressed to your lips, and you look at him. your eyes meet, and not for the first time, you feel yourself falling into them — into him. even like this, his one blue eye is something of a miracle, a thing of celestial majesty. it wasn’t until you’d met him that you’d realized what blue eyes look like up close — up close, they are the shattered light of a millions stars, fractured and reformed and singing through a universe of endless dark to end up here, shining out from him and landing on you, and god — he’s looking at you like all those million, billion years of starlight had traveled the expanse of every galaxy just to look at you.

just to see you like he does now.

“no… there isn’t,” you say, whisper, more like, reaching out a hand to trace your thumb over the lid of his closed eye. he doesn’t push you away. instead, he leans in closer.

“then, what’s so funny, kitten?”

you simply shake your head, trying to swallow down your belly-full of laughter, your mind showing you a strobe-quick flash-forward of you trying to explain the concept of foot kinks and websites that cater to such 500 years in the future before deciding — no. alas, tonight is not the night you try to educate one date masamune on the intricacies of body part kinks. though no doubt he’d take it in stride. no — that thought too, you tamp down before you’ve the mind to follow it down into a deep, dark rabbit hole from whence you might never recover or be recovered.

“tell me, please…” he grins, a grin that is simultaneously plea and pleasure, and in it, you can hear the knife-sharp promise of desire, “i’d like to know if something other than me has the power to make you laugh so much.”

“it’s just —” you bite your lips, fighting for the words, “we’re both barefoot.”

he blinks. and you can tell that whatever he was expecting the answer to be, this is clearly not it.

you track the flitter of emotions as they dance in quicksilver steps across the planes of his face — surprise, confusion, amusement, all painted porcelain perfect on the dark of his brows, the faint twitch of his lips. finally, he settles on a sorted of muted bemusement as he cocks his head at you.

“and… do people of your time tend to sleep with socks on?”

“no, it’s just…” you blush again, unable to help yourself.

“just what?” his voice is light, and he is still.

you swallow, hard,

“just… it’s weird — i mean — it’s not like i haven’t seen anyone else barefoot before just… this was — you’re just — and i —” you trip over your words in a hurry and end up tumbling through into incoherence so fast all you can do to styme the flood is to clamp your mouth shut and pray.

oh god please… tell me this is a bad dream.

but when you open your eyes, masamune is still there, watching you with that singular eye of his, expression inscrutable. and still, he doesn’t move.

“so…” and finally, finally, the stillness breaks — he cracks it open like an eggshell, stretching himself out as he leans back, propping himself up on his elbows, lengthening till he’s splayed out over the gleaming wooden boards of the walkway, his face bathed in ghostly moonlight.

“i’m not the first man you’ve seen barefoot, hm? that is a problem.”

your mouth drops open and for a moment, you gape at him wordless and fish-like, and he laughs as he turns to look at you.

“tell me his name — i’ll have his head in the morning,” he says, in a voice so casually serious that for a moment you think he might actually mean it.

“masamune!”

and then, he’s laughing too, a big, bright, uproarious thing that shakes his entire body like the foundations of the earth. it is deep and rich and lovely, warm and sweet as sun-kissed honey. you let yourself be swept up in his laughter, dropping into silent giggles, and then something louder, letting your shoulder bump into his, your bodies finally touching and then —

there’s a flurry of clothing, a shifting of weights. you find yourself pulled into him, tipping towards him like inevitability.

your sketchbook lays forgotten on the walkway next to you as masamune holds you close against his chest.

“ah… i really don’t like that…”

an entourage of tingles frissons through your body at his words.

“don’t like what?”

“the fact that you’ve seen someone else barefoot before. it bugs me.”

you peer up at him, lifting your head ever so slightly from his chest. he’s looking at you, and the sunrise-blue of his eyes are shadowed with something darker now, something decidedly less innocent than just the thought of bare feet.

“then… what will you do about it?” you ask, feeling the heat of his body, the solidness of him, the rightness of you between his arms.

“hm… are you teasing me, kitten?” his voice is gravel and earthquake and you’re emboldened by the sound, by the way his pupil dilates, the black hole at the center of every galaxy — gravity made solid, made real.

“yes,” you breathe, leaning up like a dare and he meets you gloriously, his lips hard and pressing and soft and pulling. there’s a fire unspooling at the base of your spine, stoked by the heat and truth of him, so close, too close — you break apart gasping. he grins, lynx-like and wolfish as he grazes his teeth along the column of your throat.

“good,” he says, sighing into your flesh as you arch up into him, your fingers curling into his hair as he flips the pair of you over. he pulls you beneath him and he is storm and thunder, he is rain and wonder — he is water to your desert skies, the sunlit days to all your moonless nights.

and as he makes to rend you into pleasure, into nothing more than ache and belonging, he pulls back with a bone-deep growl, a sliver of hesitation, of self-preservation.

“are… are you sure you want this?” that you want me? the echo is not lost on you.

and it’s not the first time he’s asked you the question, and you have a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last. but you reply as you had, once upon a time, in a distant, sun-drenched afternoon, when you’d been telling him about one of your favorite poems from your time.

you smile, tug him down for a kiss.

“yes,” you say, like you’d done on that long-ago afternoon, “i want you — i want this, masamune. because… I love you.”

“i will love you when you are a still day… i will love you when you are a hurricane.”

[nightkarmaqueen]

I heard Ikemen Sengoku will have its final stage show?:< I'm sad now...

[blueberri-bois]

Flaming Angel

“Mister…”  A soft voice akin to a tinkling bell barely roused him from his deep slumber; little hands pushing frantically on his shoulder.

Deep crimson eyes crack open as he registers his surroundings and the blistering heat that only seems to be growing in temperature. He turns his head to the figure in the corner of his eye to be met with a small boy. The child was covered in soot and severe burns; the small sleeping yukata that he wore was also in tatters. Strangely enough, the boy didn't seem to be affected by the surrounding smoke or his injuries in the slightest.

“We have to leave now, mister... If you stay, you'll die, you know…”  The child spoke again, his voice was raspy but high-pitched and youthful as he continued to kneel by the now-awoken lord's side.

Nobunaga groaned and coughed as he got up from his futon and stood; his bare feet feeling the warmth of the floorboards beneath them. The young boy followed suit, quickly getting to his feet and grabbing onto the older man's large calloused hand in his own, oddly cold, little soot-covered hand. With a gentle tug, the child led him towards the blazing doorway in confidence.

“Don't be scared, okay mister, I'll protect you till we get outside…”  The small boy looked up at him with a gentle and comforting smile as he led him down the hall and passed collapsed beams and smoldering shoji doors.

Nobunaga, still in shock, kept his eyes on the child who somehow ended up inside the burning temple with him. He was sure that there were no children inside before, no, he was positive that he was the only person inside. That would mean that this little boy had entered the building after he had fallen asleep… but why? The feeling of the child's cold hand pulling away from his own snapped him back to reality and the warlord realized that he was now outside.

“I'm glad I came in time… we all would be really sad if you died here…”  The young boy smiles up at him as he grabs a fistful of the older man's yukata.

Nobunaga raises a brow, “We? Who is we?”.

The boy giggled lightheartedly and pointed off to the left with his free hand. The warlord follows his gaze and his crimson eyes widen; a group —a crowd— of people that, if he thought about it, he recognized. People that he used to know that were taken from him by the sands of time. Family, friends, neighbors, and people that he didn't even know all that well were standing just outside the treeline of the forest next to the temple.

“All of us wanted to make sure you didn't die too early, like we did…”  the child's soft voice rings out again, pulling the man's attention back to him as he joins the crowd of distant memories. “We have to go now, Brother Nobunaga… All of us… we're rooting for you, okay?”  

Just as the boy finishes his sentence, he and the rest of the people gathered begin to dissolve into tiny particles of light. The others in the crowd begin to bid the warlord goodbye with smiles and misty eyes. Seemingly, in only seconds, the child's upper body is the only apparition left, dissolving slower than the others.

“Even if I finally got to say goodbye, I'm still not satisfied… I know I'm being selfish, but I can't help it…”  the boy's bell-like voice seemed to echo in the open field as what little was left of him began to fade away. “If it's not too much… will you achieve my dream too?”

Nobunaga couldn't feel the tears streaming down his warm cheeks and he didn't hear the approaching Mitsunari. His leaky eyes stayed locked on the dispersing particles of light that made up the person who was closest to him.

“Thank you… Everyone…”  the warlord muttered.

[writtenbyrinnie]

ieyasu | forbidden tea˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

★彡ieyasu x fem!reader

★彡 word count: 1,649!

★彡 sfw, fluff, kisses~

after a long and tiresome morning spent cleaning the azuchi castle, i was excited to finally visit ieyasu in his room. he had previously told me that he would be in his room all day, logging the new herbs he had acquired from the merchants. and that i was more than welcome to visit him anytime, if i wished to. so here i was, at his manor.

"my lady, please welcome in."

his maid welcomed me in as i bowed with a bashful smile. still wasnt used to getting called "my lady"...

"is the tea for ieyasu? im heading to his room, so I can take it if youd like." 

i asked, noticing the tray filled with tea leaves and a teaset. my curiosity and desire to help getting the best of me again...

"but my lady-"

"please, i insist."

i added, holding onto the free edges of the wooden tray. the maid seemed to have given in as we exchanged a smile, and she left the tray in my hands. bowing slightly as she returned to her duties.

i gently knocked on ieyasu's door shortly before entering with the tray in my hands. he seemed to be entirely focused on documenting the herbs that were messyly laid down on his desk. there was a slight crease between his brows and a concentrated look on his face as he adjusted his glasses. i wasnt aware he wore any up until this moment, but i would be lying if i said finding him like this wasnt cute.

his gaze remained on the paper for a few more moments before he slowly but surely raised his head, finally acknowledging my existence. the initial look of surprise quickly turned into a soft smile as his eyes met mine. i couldnt help but feel warm inside whenever he smiled so genuinely.

"i was starting to think you werent going to show up."

"well, not only did i show up, i also brought...tea!"

i said proudly as i laid the tray on the small table in the middle of the room. 

"thank you."

"no need to thank me, just continue your work and ill brew the tea~ then, when you're done, we can enjoy the tea together."

ieyasu nodded with a smile as he fixed his glasses once again and resumed his writing. it wasnt everyday that i got to see him and his desk covered by so many beautiful flowers and herbs. i was truly enjoying the view. 

i began adding the tea leaves to the teapot, being careful not to spill any. reaching for the hot water, my eyes landed on the handful of dried leaves placed inside a cotton cloth on the table. i gave it a sniff, and it smelled quite similar to basil. maybe i could add it to the tea.. to give it a mint like freshness? adding a small pinch of what i assumed to be dried basil to the tea pot, i begun to slowly pour the boiling water all over the leaves.

the rich, aromatic smell of freshly brewed tea began filling the room. ieyasu must have noticed it too. after briefly looking in my direction, he met my eyes with a soft smile as he continued finishing up his work.

after filling half of a cup, i took a small sip to make sure the basil flavor wasnt extreme. the basil i added perfectly complemented the high quality tea leaves, leaving a deliciously fresh taste on the tongue. i was excited for ieyasu to try it as well, growing a little impatient from waiting.

raising from the floor, i made my way over to his desk. his journal was filled with immensely detailed drawings of flowers, with the qualities of each written down in beautiful handwriting. i watched him work in awe, slowly lowering my head onto his shoulder. not sure if it was the scent of many flowers laid upon his desk rubbing on him or his scent alone, but he smelled awfully sweet.

"hm?"

ieyasu hummed in confusion when i placed a gentle peck on the smooth skin of his neck. giving me a side eye, he took off his glasses. it wasnt my intention to distract him, but i just couldnt have ignored the urge to kiss him when he stood there so perfectly.

"dont give me that look..."

with a guilty whine, i buried my face in the crook of his neck. it was partially due to my embarrassment and partially due to the fact that he smelled rather intoxicating.

cant a girl miss her lover..? I know i MAY be acting slightly clingy right now, but-...

"i will. you did that on purpose..."

"well,.. did it work..?"

i asked, raising my head to meet his gaze again. the edge of his lips curled a little, and with a casual tone, he answered.

"nope."

i knew it was a lie, and so did he. the second he had taken off his glasses marked the moment he had become too distracted to continue his work. but i played along still, knowing it would be near impossible to get him to admit that.

"the teas going to get cold."

"mhm."

"come on, take a break already..."

i sighed, tugging on his collar to urge him to get up. he eventually rose from his seat, rolling his eyes with a slight grin as he did so.

"hm, whats gotten into you..? miss me much?"

ieyasu teased, a rather confused look on his face. (he wasnt used to her being impatient like this, especially over...tea? really..? not that he was going to complain...)

carefully, i began pouring the brew into the elegant tea cups as the fresh basil aroma began overflowing. ieayasu scrunched his nose, raising a brow at the unfamiliar but pleasant scent.

"what did you put into it? smells nice..."

"just some basil; it smells fresh, doesnt it?"

"basil..? from where?"

ieayasu seemed puzzled, his expression slowly evolving into one of surprise as i pointed over to the remaining leaves on the cloth. taking a better sniff, his eyes widened further.

"i dont think thats...basil."

he leaned in with a somewhat worried look on his face, placing a strand of stray hair behind my ear.

"you look...a little red. do you feel feverish?"

"i mean...i feel slightly heated, but its probably just the tea making me feel hot."

i smiled sweetly as he caressed my cheek, the concern in his voice stressing me out a little.

"why..? am i not allowed to turn into a blushy mess around you anymore?"

i teased, feeling his thumb grace over my lips, reminding me how much I had actually missed his touch. that managed to earn a chuckle from him.

"you know thats not what i meant, ...idiot."

the crease in between his brows had softened, but his expression still remained firm. i felt his gaze fall onto my lips for a second before he sighed, looking away, the faintest blush on his ears.

"give me a second; i just want to be sure..."

he muttered before taking the cloth filled with basil leaves over to his desk. flipping the pages of his journal swiftly as he scanned them with his eyes. i couldnt help but pout and sit there, upset at the sudden loss of physical contact and intimacy as i watched him.

he rubbed his temples briefly before closing the journal and looking back at me.

"whats wrong?"

i asked, tilting my head to the side as i tried to gauge his expression. 

i mean...even if what i added wasnt basil, it couldnt have been anything poisonous or bad. after all, ieyasu only keeps medicinal herbs around...right? not me dying from drinking tea...haha...ha.

"nothing. well-... uhhh, nothing important."

ieyasu scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, avoiding my gaze as his ears grew redder. which only left me with more confusion than ever... he walked over, plopping down next to me on the tatami floor. 

"care to elaborate on the 'nothing important' part?"

"nothing important, as in...sadly, you'll live."

he chuckled a little, pulling me closer as i rolled my eyes.

"just...stay the night; ill help your fever die down."

"that sounded...oddly...inappropriate."

"im quite serious though. thats what you get for messing around with plants you dont know the effects of."

my face immediately flushed deep red when i felt his breath hit my ear. speaking in a low tone, he added...

"ahem, you see... those leaves you added, happen to have a... aphrodisiac side effect."

ive never wanted to evaporate this bad..i felt my face burn up with embarrassment, and for a moment it actually did feel like i couldve evaporated if i got any hotter.

"and as much as id love to believe that i was the one making you feel all hot and bothered, its probably your forbidden tea concoction. so, stay the night."

ieayasu added as he pulled himself back to give me a much needed breather. his last sentence had etched itself into my brain in a way so inappopriate that my mind had already begun making up outrageously lewd scenarios. i slapped my cheeks to regain whatever composure i had remained and turned to him. my body involuntarily itching to stay closer to him.

"why do you-..?!...even have aphrodisiacs in here..."

ieyasu cleared his throat, blushing slightly.

"hey-.., they are also considered medications, you know..."

he protested, fixing his already wide enough collar with one hand as he placed the other on my waist. even such a simple gesture was enough to get my imagination running wild again, letting myself get pulled closer and closer.

"youre practically burning up."

"yeah no shit sherlock."

"sher-.....who..?"

"f-forget it..!"

ieayasu, rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lips had begun turning into a smile when he felt my arms wrap around his neck.

"geez, soo needy..."

"shut up."

there goes my first ever english fic...im feeling pretty anxious about posting this, since im not confident in my english nor my writing abilities BUT...i guess i had to start somewhere :;(∩´﹏`∩);: 🌷