Hey there boys and girls, it's Itonami K. Shiro. I know you're thinking I'm slacking again, but this was a gift for my friend, so dont go sassing me for it.
She's my wittle Masamune, although she's older than me ironically. Stay awesome, mate. Also, there's slight Masamago here, but its all fluff. SO. MUCH. FLUFF. Kinda on the same note, feel free to take this two ways: either as a sorta sibling relationship or romantic, your pick. Thanks I'X'A Wolf for pointin' this out.
I owe my inspiration to of course my friend, and PoisonParadox's vocal cover of To Zanarkand the music box version. If you hadn't heard it, I advise you do.
"FATHER!"Masamune, also known as the One-Eyed Dragon, shot up in a cold sweat, gaze darting to all corners of the room. Those same nightmares haunted him every time he shut his lone eye: the fateful day he was forced to kill his own father. The young lord's life changed forever from then on, both for the good and bad. Masamune's mother found him unworthy as a successor of the Date clan, favoring his younger brother Kojuro. Although, by a twist of fate, the same younger brother vowed to protect his older sibling for as long as he lived, undeniably passing the flag of leadership to Masamune.
During his earlier campaigns, he met Magoichi Saika, who was silently gazing at the highly decorated walls of Ueda castle in the far right corner. Despite his carefree attitude and constant flirting, Masamune found a valuable retainer in the marksman. Wherever Masamune headed for battle, he'd bring Magoichi, and vice versa.
That's how the duo ended up helping the Takeda, as they were striving to find mercenaries to help defeat Iyeasu. Magoichi could see through Masamune's tough exterior and sense his inner doubts, so he urged his friend to join him as a way to vent out his problems on the battlefield. Kojuro would give him an earful for putting their lord in danger, but he'd agree with his awkward methods using a bit of persuasion.
"Doing alright, kiddo?" Magoichi avoided looking Masamune directly in that sorrowful brown eye; he wasn't an expert on matching emotions to the situation. He'd be the guy who cracked jokes at a funeral or something rather unusual. Those who knew him didn't mind much, but sometimes it worsened moments where others needed comfort, like now.
"…I'm fine." The dragon snapped. Moping around about his loses could wait for another day. Winning campaigns in his father memory was all that mattered. Soon, Japan would be united under the flag of the Date. But for now, he'd bide his time and play the role of a dog, with both Magoichi and Kojuro at his side.
"You'd have to be joking if you think I'd fall for that. C'mon, tell me what's botherin' ya." In most mini-fights, this was the part where Masamune confessed his problems, though the younger's growing pride prevented his shell from cracking open.
"I said I'm fine, Magoichi."
Magoichi sighed. He'd have to be clever and trick Masamune into confession, but what to say? Kojuro wasn't here as a cheat sheet, and when Keiji came back, it'd be a losing battle to talk about anything on a personal level about his lord. The imaginary clock was ticking, though no thoughts came to mind. About the only thing left to do was throw out another random word or two and work up an argument based of it.
"Hey Masamune, do you remember when we first met?" Heavens know why his mind full of women and war chose such an awkward topic, but it beat silence.
"Why are you bringing that up?" Masamune sounded a bit less pained, actually making an effort to study Magoichi's confliction expression.
I wish I knew myself… He mused, quickly returning to Earth. "I was curious if you remembered with that thick skull of yours. You're always running around, so I dunno what escapes your head while you're out conquering Japan." There came his wise-crack jokes at a very critical moment. At least it sounded more playful than most of his somewhat morbid topics.
Masamune scoffed as if he'd been offended, though he smirked slightly if you squinted real hard. "As if you have room to insult me, Magoichi. You're the one chasing women and getting dumped every day."
Magoichi laughed, it was so true it was sort of ironic. He attracted women faster than any man alive, but also got dumped faster than any man alive. Hideyoshi, a friend of Magoichi's, frequently joined the marksman on his journey of women, so he'd be loaded with stories of both their successful and failed escapades. Even the monkey's marriage to Nene didn't keep him from "sightseeing" alongside his gun-slinging best friend.
"Right, right." His laughter died down after a few more deep breaths to focus, "So you're not trying to forget the past, are you? Cause the past has a way of remembering you, if you know what I mean."
Magoichi struck a nerve, their previous eye contact broken once again. Masamune reverted to staring at his feet, occasionally sneaking a glance at his friend. Now the brown-haired mercenary had a couple guesses as to the troubles running through the kid's mind. Teremune's death wasn't too long ago, and Masamune never forgave himself for being the very man to end his father's dream. Images of the tragic event played like a broken record, affecting the men to different extents.
The marksman couldn't claim to have known Masamune's father rather well, but he came as a respectable guy who supported his family no matter the odds or circumstances. He'd even let Magoichi sneak off to do whatever he wanted if they needed a brief respite. Not many were as honest and semi-playful as Teremune; war shifted the senses to whom to invade or kill next, anything involving destroying others. And not many were ready to give their own children orders to kill him to never be used against his own family. The dragon's father wouldn't be forgotten, not even by an "outsider" of the clan.
"He was a nice guy. Kinda reminds me of Hideyoshi, except the looks and a couple other stuff. I'm sure he's watching over us from above, cheering us on. We'll keep winning for the old man's sake, right?" For the sake of his young friend, Magoichi avoided names, but he was sure the point would come across despite the vague description.
"…Magoichi?" Masamune seemingly warped from across the room, somehow moving from the middle of the room to Magoichi's side in a matter of seconds. It startled the marksman, hitting his head against the wall. Nothing fell, which spared them the cost of any glassware, but it made the one-eyed dragon nervous due to his reaction.
"Uh…whatcha want kiddo?" He sounded hesitant on accident, the slight concussion spinning his vision.
"Do you think my father still approves of me after what I did? I know he ordered me to but…" Masamune's rock-solid question sobered Magoichi's splitting headache. He'd actually have to choose what to say for once in his life. It'd be very different, as he rarely meant a word minus a few conversations involving Hideyoshi, but never anyone else.
"So that's what kept nagging at you? I'm sure your old man is proud of you; even ask Kojuro whenever he decides to come back. Although, I'm sure he wouldn't want to see you so depressed." Though a full clad of armor covered every inch of Masamune's being, Magoichi still rubbed the young lord's back to help him feel less guilty.
"Y-You really think so?" The sorrow in Masamune's eye was replaced by a sense of hope and relief. For one so challenged with emotions, Magoichi had his crowning moments.
"Would I ever lie to you?"
Two arms embraced Magoichi, the face connecting them snuggled in his shirt. What sounded like muffled sobs kept the room versed with sound, though you couldn't see tears or even a twitch of the shoulder. He smirked, embracing Masamune to keep him close just in case their visitors came early and became suspicious of the dragon latching onto his retainer. Of course, it worked for comfort as well, as the sobs became less frequent until there was none at all.
"Thanks for being here for me, Magoichi." Against his shirt it sounded more like a whisper, but they were close enough for him to hear.
"Hey, no need to get all sappy on me! C'mon, perk up." Magoichi lifted Masamune's chin to meet on a level gaze. His words of comfort had to be working, judging on how he seemed willing to uphold a conversation and interact to some extent.
"No, I mean it. Thank you, Magoichi." Masamune tightened his embrace, cheeks slightly pink. Thankfully his helmet, which missed poking his friend's eyes out, hid the rosy color on his face, or Magoichi happened to be a great actor and pretended to not notice.
"No problem, Masamune. Just remember to smile and trek it out, okay? If you can do that for me, I'll watch over you until Kojuro gets jealous, sound fair?" No one sneezed in the general area, so thankfully Kojuro was at a far enough distance as he missed the comment.
"Yeah." Masamune slowly loosened his grip, he must've been tired and fell asleep. His nightmares did keep him up and Magoichi too from all the outbursts.
Glancing at the surroundings a final time to watch out for any "intruders," Magoichi shifted Masamune's head onto his lap, leaning back on the wall he previously shoved into.
Do you remember when we first met? These days, I can only imagine the pain we've left behind.
Hope you liked it.