Disclaimer: Things would be different if I owned Nobunaga :)
Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. - Marcus Aurelius
Fate and Spring
Perhaps a couple of years ago, Caesar had taken pride in being the ladies' man. The mystery behind the mask and, the etiquette behind his intelligence and military prowess made him the most coveted individual living in the West Star.
He had a variety of options in the sense of girls. Though it was safe to imply that he could always go to bed with any girl, he chose not to do so.
Caesar, despite what everyone else thought about him, would not make any advances to just any girl. He had honor and, probably, that made him even more desirable.
Thus, it was a windy day of spring when King Arthur decided to send him to the East Star and defeat The Fool. He was one of the first men to move, which portrayed how trustworthy he seemed to be for his leader. The future, however, did not want a valuable man to live only of his military victories. It was a sunny day of spring when he saw the most perfect woman that ever walked Earth.
She was a princess literally of the enemy side and figuratively of his life.
He was never a hopeless romantic, but when he saw her, he swore it was love at first sight. It was as mysterious as the rain in summer, and it was as lovely as the first bloom in spring.
From that moment onward his priority had changed. Following King Arthur came soon after wooing the woman. When Caesar had the opportunity to meet her, he did not act shy.
He made his move.
She accepted thinking that, what she thought were feelings for a certain-someone-else would protect her from the temptations of this handsome phantom.
The perfect woman was wrong to confuse familiarity with love. She was also wrong because even if it was not love at first sight for her, sooner than expected, her field of sight became his image.
Her plan backfired as she realized later on that she was already hopelessly in love.
It had taken a long time for them to get acquainted after they got married. Caesar had tried his best to make her feel comfortable in times of confusion. He showed Ichihime his different faces: the warlord, the follower, the chef, the friend and most importantly the lover. Some of them were easier to accept, others were easier to despise. Needless to say, Ichihime learned to accept them all.
After all, who in their sanest mind could turn down an individual who was able to bake?
Caesar was undoubtedly a man. Men want and require their needs to be satisfied. Sleeping next to the love of his life never made anything easier, and he sometimes found himself in certain predicaments at night after a particular satisfying dream. Even if sometimes he would have those types of dreams, his feelings won against his libido for he never pushed her to do one thing Ichihime did not want to do - even if she felt like doing it for a long time already.
Although his love remarks and his even lovelier acts became obvious, at least in that field of intimacy, she was surprisingly the one who made the first move.
"Caesar-" she touched his cheeks in a lovely way.
That was the word that had ignited it all. The feelings that had been bottled up soon ran havoc. After all, they wanted everything that they could possibly offer each other.
It was her first time and, though the shyness made her moves clumsy and shaky, it escalated quickly. Caesar at first did not want to react, for he knew his desires would probably instantaneously push her to the bed and ravish her with no further thoughts. Therefore, he just waited to understand what she wanted from him, or if she was willing to follow up through it all.
Caesar was not disappointed when Ichihime showed him that she was a girl with infallible decisions.
Clothes were scattered everywhere as they were nuisances for the heat of the premeditated moment. It all escalated quickly as their hands were desperate to meet all the places that were covered for the sake of decorum in public.
Caesar was happy to be the first in her life, and he smiled between their kisses. Soon, their room was filled with their love. Their names were chanted like a powerful mantra mixed with fervent feelings as they embraced each other in the most intimidate way.
When the act was over, Ichihime cuddled with him, resting his head on his chest listening to his beating heart.
From then on, how many times they united in such way was soon unable to be counted.
After the war was over and the West was certainly defeated, Nobunaga had decided that his raison d'être was officially over and that all the affairs of saviors and destroyers were a fait accompli. He had destroyed all the war that there was, and, thus, he had decided to take some time to properly mourn and follow his romantic interest.
Mitsuhide had been chosen unanimously as the new successor and leader of the East Star.
There were some invitations to celebrate the coronation of Mitsuhide. Naturally, Caesar and Ichihime had received one. With the necessity to find certain closures, Mitsuhide and Ichihime joined into a personal conversation.
"Ichihime, you can escape now. There is no reason for you to be with him anymore...we could finally be together under this cherry tree you love so much," he explained with a faint smirk.
"Mitsuhide, I feel flattered; however, I fear that my devotion as a loved wife prohibits me to do such thing," she smiled.
"Do you love him?" he said with hidden anger.
"More than life itself," she smiled.
"Were our feelings ever mutual?"
"There was some sort of infatuation. Never love," she said as she saw the cherry flowers falling.
Not that he did not trust his woman, Caesar was close by, prided in the fact that he possessed mighty ears to hear the conversation. He smiled as he heard her answer. Ichihime had never explicitly told him that she loved him, despite the physical activities.
For now, her answer was enough as he also found certain fulfillment in knowing that Ichihime's heart had been vacant all along.
The first time she properly said she loved him was another sunny day in spring.
Alexander of the West Star has asked for a meeting with Caesar as he still had some businesses left unfinished in the West Star. He had taken a while traveling back and forth in a badly divided proportion.
One time, he left Ichihime for a good three straight months, and when he came back Ichihime did not want to talk with him and kept ignoring all his advances.
Desperate he cornered her demanding what was the source of her discontent.
"When you are not here, I feel so lonely, my lord," she said as she hugged him.
He hugged her back and kissed her.
"My princess, I missed you too."
By the time, they properly reacquainted each other. In between kisses she said,
"I love you, Caesar."
"I think you look lovelier than the wife, my princess," Caesar kissed one of the hands of his wife.
Ichihime just blushed and looked at his husband like a young teenager in love. Often times it seemed that, although he did not properly court her before the marriage, he did so now that they were already married.
Nobunaga and Jeanne had decided to finally get married. The celebration had been small unlike Nobunaga's betrothal with a certain priestess. Nobunaga and Jeanne had decided to make the celebration as intimidate and as simple as possible, even if Jeanne's beauty could not be described as something simple. If anything, she looked ravishing and beautiful. Nobunaga could not help but keep staring at his love, not really paying attention to the whole ceremonial ordeal.
Ichihime stared at his brother for a minute and she easily recognized that look. It was the same look full of love that she received from her husband. The realization made her move closer to her husband and join their hands.
When the ceremony was over and after celebrating for a little while, Caesar stood up.
"I will go and congratulate them my princess, we can leave afterwards," he said after he kissed her cheek and left walking towards the new married couple.
She smiled as she brought her hand down her belly, wondering how he would react to the news.
"I hope she is a girl as beautiful as you, my princess," he said as he touched the already noticing bump of her belly.
"I fear that with you as her father, she will be far lovelier, my dear" she laughed as she brought her hand to unite with his hand.
"You always make me a happy man" she kissed her cheek.
"And you make me the happiest woman" she kissed his lips innocently.
"I love you," he breathed after her kiss.
"I love you too."
She held the baby boy as careful as humanly possible.
Ichihime could not take stop staring at him meticulously, examining every inch of his tiny body. He was awake, showing his teeth less mouth while smiling and opening his vibrant blue eyes. She kept staring.
"My queen, I am utmost sure that the baby is healthy and complete..." he said.
"My lord is not that."
"Then, what is it?" He looked at her with a bit of curiosity.
"It's just..." She started, "He looks like you."
"I sure hope so my lady. He is our son after all," Caesar laughed at the obvious remark.
"It is not that," she blushed "well, he does not look like me at all." She admitted.
Caesar smiled at her.
"My queen, there is one solution for that," he whispered to her ear.
She blushed, as she understood the implications of such statement.
The little baby at the sight of his father tried to reach him. Caesar smiled lovely as he took the baby from her mother's arms.
"Come here, Marcus,*" he said.
As he saw them both, Caesar engaging into a one side conversation of the beauties of the world along with simple and easily understood explanations of the world surrounding them, she could not help but smile.
Ichihime had learned to accept every part of her husband. She loved the Caesar as lover who was properly exploited in their intimacy and the husband who always tried to make her happy with little kisses and cakes. She was unsure; however, whether she liked most his new role as a father. In a way, she could swear she felt a hint of jealousy growing from the pitch of her stomach when she looks at the two men of her life living in their own world.
Suddenly she comes with the conclusion that Caesar, the father, belongs exclusively to her baby boy and their future children. She owns Caesar, the man.
She looks at them walking back and forth in the room and she cannot help but think back at the time when her other half was in the other star, and she reminisces of all the times they had been together.
Realization suddenly hits her as she understands how truthfully happy she feels.
Now, as she is together with him, she cannot help but feel how lucky she is to have him.
It sure was a lucky strike. It was fate that brought them together in times of despair.
Finally, after many lullabies little Marcus falls asleep and Caesar silently puts him back into his crib.
Caesar reaches his wife and hugs her from behind whispering lovely things against her neck.
"We can start now, my love," he adds.
She blushes nervously just like the first time they were together. Her shyness summarizes her actions and words into a mere nod.
And as they start kissing, Caesar can only think that is was indeed a lucky strike that brought them together.
It was a lovely day of spring.
* Marcus Aurelius
Hohoho! Since Nobunaga the fool uses historical names the way they please, I thought I should too. (I was even thinking of a girl whose name would be Cleopatra).
Anyways I just wanted to thank Miriae for all her amazing fanfictions. I get all giggly and happy as I read them. Thank you for your work and making my brain work (even if it is at 1:47 a.m, therefore please do excuse any mistake haha)!
Anyways thank you for reading and please review.