Aha, right. The second chappie is here! So, with a new chapter comes some new disclaimers!

1. I STILL do not own Samurai Warriors. -tear-

2. If some of you are thinking "who the hell is Osen? AN OC? OMGWTFBBQDIE?!" relax. She is indeed a made-up character BUT she was historically Kanetsugu's wife and it just so happens that I need her to play a part in this story. That is all.

Random person: "AWZ, Kanetsugu's not going to be ghey with Yukimura/Keiji/Masamune ETC?"

Me: "Uh...NO."

3. I made a typo on the first set of disclaimers. I am NOT going to be historically accurate. XD That's what I get for uploading at 2'oclock in the morning.

4. I fail at humor. I'm sorry if it's not funny. XP

Chapter 2: Be honest, am I that hard to get along with?

Staring into his tea wasn't going to solve his dilemma, though Mitsunari enjoyed doing so if only to relax himself after a long day of work. But at the present time, he just wanted to throw his tea cup out the window. It was nearly the third day since Sakon's unexpected visit, and not only was Mitsunari now extremely paranoid about taking naps he couldn't stop thinking about unnecessary things related to the samurai's words.

That was one thing irritating about peace; Mitsunari didn't have as much work to do and thus had no effective way to keep himself busy for long periods of time. True, he was still Hideyoshi's chief advisor, but advising in times of peace was like a mere distraction rather than actual work. So thus, he took long naps. With the absence of sleep, he found that he had nothing better to do than sit at the table with an open book in front of him (used as an excuse in case someone actually paid him a visit), stare into his cup of tea and wait for insanity to slowly eat away at his mind.

Mitsunari knew it was pathetic. He wanted to get out of his room, but wasn't sure if the outside world would appreciate an agitated (from lack of sleep), moody (from Sakon's comment), and frustrated (his tea was cold, again) Ishida Mitsunari. After some contemplation, he tied up his hair and straightened his attire, deciding that he really didn't give a damn if the world wasn't ready. They were never really ready for him anyway. The outside greeted him with a shower of sun beams and he closed his eyes in annoyance as he stepped out into the corridor. Two officers, who just happened to shuffle by, stopped in his presence.

"L-Lord Ishida!"

Why did his subordinates always greet him as if they saw the devil in broad daylight?

He sighed and told them to carry on, shielding his eyes with his sleeves as he walked in the other direction. If time was at his disposal, he would make the best out of it by getting rid of the annoyance that lingered in his mind. He figured the only way to rid himself of his annoyance was to unravel the age old mystery: How could Kanetsugu and Yukimura stand him when nobody else seemed to want him around?

Sanada Yukimura, unaware that Mitsunari had selected him to be the first victim, enthusiastically invited his good friend into his quarters. "Lord Mitsunari, this is quite a surprise," he claimed as they both settled down with some tea.

"I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, not at all! You are welcome anytime!"

Mitsunari mustered a small smile. That was one thing he liked about Yukimura; he always seemed so genuine. Some would call it innocence, or maybe even naivety, but it was simply the way he chose to live. His sincerity towards people he held to be important wasn't necessarily a negative aspect in Mitsunari's eyes. Perhaps this was why he didn't bother reminding Yukimura that he needn't call his friends "lord." Mitsunari often mused that surely, Kanetsugu and Yukimura, judging by their similar personalities, would have eventually befriended each other even without his presence. Why they were drawn to his dispassionate self was a mystery indeed.

"Is something troubling you?" Yukimura asked, noticing his friend's mellow expression.

"Tell me, Yukimura… am I an ass?"

The "Crimson Samurai'' nearly spit out his tea. "Lord Mitsunari?" he questioned after he had coughed several times to fight against the tea that threatened to go down the wrong tube.

"Honestly now."

"Of course not! At times, you may appear to be cold… and it's true sometimes you seem insensitive… and selfish…and somewhat rude…but you can't help but be who you are! It certainly doesn't mean you are …erm…intolerable!"

"Hmm…" Mitsunari pondered. Well, that was certainly a round-about way of concluding that he was an ass.

"Forgive me for saying this but… it is strange for a man like yourself to be concerned over such things."

Mitsunari stared into his tea. "…I sound like a woman don't I?"

"That's not what I meant at all! I didn't mean to imply that you were less of a man for worrying over such things, I just meant, well, for a man like yourself… not to say you are cold blooded but—a man of your nature--"

Translation: "Asses don't care about what other people think."

A hand upon his shoulder stopped Yukimura from rambling on any further. Mitsunari was starting to get the feeling his questioning was much more uncomfortable for Yukimura than it was for him. In order not to torment his friend any longer, he decided it might have been best if he just dropped the subject. "I get it, Yukimura. It's alright. Even I know this is strange of me…forget I said anything."

"If it helps, I think you are fine the way you are."

Mitsunari smiled. "Thanks. Although you and Kanetsugu may be the only ones that think so…"

"That's not true at all. Lord Sakon thinks highly of you as well."

Mitsunari froze for an instant but quickly attempted to brush it off by clearing his throat, an action that didn't go un-noticed by his companion. "Highly of my ideals, perhaps, but not me," he replied.

"Are they not the same thing?" the samurai questioned, puzzled.

"Not exactly. It's complicated…" Mitsunari replied, shifting his gaze to his tea.

"I see…" Yukimura muttered, nodding to express his understanding. He had long noticed his friend had a habit of looking down to express his displeasure or to imply that he was in thought. Yukimura could put two and two together. While the two quietly sipped tea between themselves for moment, he took the opportunity to voice his suspicions.

"Your concerns… wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Lord Sakon, would it?"

This time it was Mitsunari's turn to choke on his tea.

"Did something happen?"

After managing to soothe his cough, Mitsunari decided that beating around the bush wasn't going to give him the answers that he wanted. As he explained his side of the story, he felt agitation ignite within him again. At first, questioning Yukimura was suppose to solve the dilemma of why anyone in the right mind would enjoy his company, but suddenly he had a revelation. Why did he care so much? So Sakon didn't appreciate his personality, but, nevertheless, he stayed loyal to him. So Sakon didn't think he was worthy enough to become his equal, but Mitsunari still had an adequate number of companions regardless. Wasn't that all he cared about? Wasn't that all he needed?

Perhaps he wanted Sakon to like him. The idea itself was foreign, bewildering to him.

"I'm sure once Lord Sakon gets to know you better, he'll come to like you," Yukimura tried re-assuring Mitsunari after he had finished.

Mitsunari sighed. "Or he'll turn out like Masanori. Then, they both can plot to murder me in my sleep, shave me bald, and throw my carcass into the forest for wolves to ravish."

Yukimura blinked.

"… Masanori's words. My point is, I doubt Sakon will find anything worth his while with me. If anything, he'll hate me more than he already does."

Mitsunari's hazy, depressed self was knocked into shock when his companion slammed the table and suddenly shouted, "You can't give up so easily, my lord! If you try, I'm sure you can get Lord Sakon to like you! All you have to do is show him your good points!"

"Yukimura… I think you missed the point--" Mitsunari barely managed to say before Yukimura grabbed both his hands.

"I'll gladly help accomplish your goal!" he proclaimed, a huge smile upon his face.

"I appreciate it, Yukimura, but I never asked—"

"So it's settled then! How about we--"

"YUKIMURA!"

"…Are you displeased?" Yukimura asked. Mitsunari, about to claim that he could handle the situation perfectly on his own, suddenly felt like his heart was being trampled by ten horses at once when he saw the disappointment and worry on the samurai's face.

"You don't… I…" he sputtered.

It was no use. He couldn't win against Yukimura's purity.

Mitsunari sighed heavily and buried his face in his palm. "…Do you have some kind of plan?" he finally muttered. Once again, Yukimura smiled brightly and nodded. He leaned over and whispered what he had in mind into Mitsunari's ear...

Mitsunari hoped he knew what he was getting himself into.

His heart beat wildly as the two of them passed each other casually in the hallway. The older man eyed his lord and gave a short, respectful bow before excusing himself. Mitsunari swallowed and forced the words stuck in his throat to emerge.

"Sakon."

The man addressed turned around and Mitsunari turned to face him.

"Would you care to spar with me?"

I'm sorry if my chapters seem mega short. I kinda already planned out the material for each chapter, so I'm trying to stick to that agenda. Well, anyway, please review if possible, I appreciate any kind of constructive criticisms as well!