Disclaimer: Look, I do not own SW2, it's Koei's... but I would happily take in Mitsunari, Ginchiyo and Yukimura.
"You have one month to find a prospective partner, or else we will take matters into our own hands." The elder of the Ishida clan told his young leader, Mitsunari. The strategist fumed silently, not showing a thing on his face, as he stood and left the hall without dignifying the elder with a reply.
He turned when he heard a voice from behind. "Got talked to by your clan elder?" It was Tachibana Ginchiyo. He relaxed slightly upon seeing her.
"Ginchiyo. How did you guess?" He smirked ever so slightly.
"Same here. My clan elder urged me to find a husband or else they'd do it for me." Ginchiyo looked irritated as she recounted her short meeting with the old man.
Mitsunari didn't move for a moment, then gestured to the snowy paths before them. "Care to take a walk with me?" The Lady of the Tachibana fidgeted a little, not used to the less sarcastic and more sympathetic side of her commander, before agreeing.
The two walked through the compound, admiring the light sheet of powder snow that covered the paths and the fields beyond. Seeing his companion's obvious liking for the snow covered fields, Mitsunari raised a hand and called over a soldier. "Fetch Lady Tachibana and me our horses. Take them to the Northern Gate." The soldier was surprised at the order, but saluted and ran off.
"Mitsunari? What were you talking to the soldier about?" Ginchiyo's attention had finally left the fields. She regarded her commander for a while in silence. He didn't seem willing to answer.
"Come with me." He said, walking off.
"Hey! That's the way to the Northern Gate! Mitsunari!" Ginchiyo called after him, hurriedly following, whilst feeling the irritation at being kept in the dark.
Mitsunari walked up to the Gate and saw the soldier proudly leading the dark grey and the chocolate brown horses with him. Seeing Mitsunari, he said, "Your horses, Lord Mitsunari." He handed him the reins, and left upon being dismissed.
When Ginchiyo strolled up, Mitsunari irritatedly passed her the reins to her ashen grey horse. "Lets go." He leapt upon his horse and rode out of the gate towards the fields. Ginchiyo was a little annoyed now, and she followed him on her horse.
- - -
"Hey, what's the big deal, Mitsunari! Throwing me the reins to my horse, then shoving me out the gate without even telling me where we're going!" Ginchiyo was not known for her subtlety or her lack of a temper. Quite the opposite.
The head of the Ishida clan laughed slightly as he slowed his horse to a slow trot along the fields that Ginchiyo had been admiring from afar earlier. "You seemed so interested in the fields, I decided to take you out for a close up stroll amongst them." He smiled genuinely at his lady companion's expression of happy disbelief. Ginchiyo was blushing ever so slightly as she spurred her steed on to ride alongside Mitsunari.
"Thanks, Mitsunari. You really have my gratitude." She looked past Mitsunari to gaze at the grassy plains, and at the skies from which soft petals of snow were falling.
"No need for the formality. If it helps to relax one of my most trusted generals, its worth my time. And not to mention, that you're my only female general."
"Is that an insult?" Ginchiyo scowled at Mitsunari, jerking her horse to a stop. The strategist rode on without a reply. But then he turned suddenly, and grabbed her into a hug for a brief moment before he spun his horse around and set off at a gallop. "We've been out long enough, lets go back to the camp before Hiaki, Katsurou and Kensei come after us."
She could do nothing but stare at his retreating figure, before snapping out of her momentary trance and charging after him. "Hey Mitsunari! What was that all about!" She yelled, a hint of a blush on her face. Mitsunari merely turned and smiled mysteriously at her. "Mitsunari!" The now furious general went after her commander demanding an answer which would never come her way too readily.
A/N: Alright, before you all start flaming me cuz I figure both Mitsunari and Ginchiyo are seriously OOC... I wrote this just to satisfy the part of me that wishes they were together historically. Review please, I want to know if I should continue... lots of thanks to sesshomaru-haku and wyldfae, who both helped me beta my fic.
WKD