Mai
"I'll hold on to your answer for our next encounter. It will give me something else to look forward to," Shooting a last dashing smile at her, Shingen turns around with a flourish, "I'm afraid I must leave you now. I need to find a place to rest tonight, if not in the warm embrace of your dreams…"
No matter how hard she tries, it's impossible for Mai to get the most handsome guy she's ever seen in her entire life—both in present and Sengoku periods—out of her head. His melting smile and sudden offer linger in her mind quite into the night, haunting her thoughts, barely letting her put her mind into anything else.
"A beauty like you, in many means of the word, is way too wasted in the Oda forces. I want to make you an offer to come with me instead," Shingen tenderly brushes his thumb over her cheek, deep grey eyes filled with conviction, too certain of his statement, "You may not be aware of it now, but Nobunaga corrupts everything he touches. However, I can save you from him…"
She's no stranger to Nobunaga's fame, but what did he even mean by that? In all honesty, she was quite alright with just keeping to their flirting and not getting involved in any side of those damned wars running about in the current period. Pah! That's easy to say. To these people I'm the 'Oda Princess' now…
"Ugh! I didn't ask for this!" Frustrated and restless, Mai pulls her pillow over her face; her treacherous mind recalling the heavenly feeling of Shingen Takeda's lips on the back of her hand. "What I'm even going to do with this guy? Argh!"
As the moon waves farewell for the night and dawn arrives, the first rays of sunlight meet her after not having an ounce of sleep. Not as surprisingly—to her own disgrace—instead of heading to get some breakfast, her racing thoughts guide her feet to one certain place Mitsunari had walked her to the past week, craving for some answers to her distressing pile of questions gathering around.
"Oh, Princess! What a lovely surprise to see you here!" A sunny smile greets her after stepping into the Azuchi Archives; the room scented in pleasant biblichor, wooden shelves so full of books they muffle all sound on the outside.
It's no wonder to find the young strategist already clogged up in there, most likely either having any beauty sleep or some proper food in his stomach. However, whatever scolding Mai considers to shoot at him, it dies quickly on her lips, admittedly not being in any position to do so in the current moment.
"Good morning, Mitsunari," Even when not quite feeling like it, it's easy to manage a smile back at the man, his angelic face brightening any sour mood, if briefly. "I don't want to disturb your reading. I'm just here to find something to read on my own…"
"My, you couldn't possibly be of any bother, my Lady. Do let me know if I can assist you in any way, though. I'll be happy to," He says with his ever so natural politeness.
Mai meets his amethyst eyes only for a moment, before her own fall to the cover of the book in his hands. To her disappointment, she notices she's barely able to figure out the characters written—something about war resources but impossible to pinpoint the proper context.
Turning to the shelves in an attempt to find something readable, her thoughts run wild once again. Mitsunari does a lot of reading about war, but that's not unexpected, coming from a remarkable tactician as he is and warlord in the service of Nobunaga. Damn, even a sweetheart like him has surely had to fight and kill.
Everyone around her seems accustomed and deeply ingrained to war and death, except for her—their whole lives revolve around it, even. A sad sigh leaves her lips, feeling quite lonely and somewhat hopeless all in a sudden. It's so difficult to come into terms with Nobunaga, or Masamune, or even Shingen Takeda's vision of the world when she grew up in a time of peace; where weapons are words instead of swords, and order and safety is found around laws and regulations according to each country. And surely the people of the Sengoku period couldn't even think of such a thing being possible.
It feels like everything in this world is pressuring me to fight for survival, gather under a banner to be safe, pick the side that fits my ideals the most… kill or be killed.
But how could she even consider that? She's grown up learning defense techniques precisely to avoid any violent confrontation whatsoever; the mere idea of hurting someone—a father, a field worker, even a samurai—is just unfathomable to her.
"That's a good one to borrow, if you're interested." Mitsunari's sweet voice prompts her out of her thoughts, making her startle just slightly, "Any of the staff are allowed to borrow books as they please,"
With fingers twitching over the hardcover of a book, Mai turns to him, inwardly grateful for the interruption. "You seem to enjoy that policy!" She smirks in amusement, casually nodding to a bunch of tomes piled up in his hands.
Naturally, Mitsunari doesn't pick up on her slight teasing, "Well, I always try to be up to date on the latest notes and researches," He approaches her to, apparently, return some tomes to their proper shelves, "To my benefit, Lord Nobunaga is constantly expanding his collection in search of knowledge, so I always have something to read and keep up with," Admittedly so, having access to such a library's got to be pretty rare in a time when books seem to be so precious.
His words make something click in her. "Huh, so that's why you're always having your nose glued to books about war and stratagems? To just become more educated?"
Mitsunari nods, "It's what I must do if I intend to serve my lords to the best of my extent, yes." He has a fair point with that, and Mai is no stranger to how powerful being knowledgeable can be.
She sighs tiredly, idly helping him with returning some piles of books to their shelves. "That's very thoughtful of you, Mitsunari. But personally, war is just so… senseless to me," Her lips purse tight, growing troubled, "I've grown up loathing violence of any kind, it's quite hard for me to fathom how people are hurt and killed for goals that, most of the times, aren't even their own," Soon enough, Mai shakes her head and her thoughts away, realizing she's in no position to make snap judgments. "Well, in any case, it doesn't really matter what I think about it. It's the point of view of someone who's never been anywhere near a real war, after all…"
Mitsunari listens to her intently, nodding thoughtfully and indulging in her small vent. "Have you considered studying war, though?" He brings up the idea so naturally it takes her aback just a bit.
"Huh, actually I didn't…" Mai worries her lip, pondering about it. Why hadn't she thought of that in the first place?
"Well, I'm unable to say with certainty whether war is good or bad. It has often been the deciding factor in complicated issues of state, geography, resources and, of course, human emotions," He says rationally, bringing up plain facts, "I'm inclined to believe unless I study all of those, I may never come to a satisfactory conclusion,"
"You bring a very fair point, Mitsunari. Maybe I should do it," It's when she catches a glimpse of one of the covers when Mai realizes she's in a tight spot. Damn, I can hardly make a character out of this. "But, um, I'm afraid I'm a little rusty on these characters, though…"
To be sincere, it feels quite embarrassing to admit in the open she's not able to do something as basic as reading, her nose scrunching and not knowing what she should truly do. But Mitsunari doesn't seem disconcerted by that fact in the slightest, his bright smile never leaving his face.
"In that case, all of us would be happy to assist you in any way we can," He drops a friendly hand on her shoulder, looking truly genuine, "You're a member of the Oda forces now, Princess. You only need to ask," He insists.
A sheepish smile clings to her lips at that comment. Regardless of the sides they may pick on, it certainly is nice to think of sharing something with the people she's spending most of her time with—it makes her think of them as promising friends, not captors, daimyos or conquerors.
"You know, when you have some free time, I think I'll take you up on that offer, Mitsunari…"
The rest of the day goes by in a much more refreshing light, feeling as if a sort of weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Sure thing, she hasn't yet been able to find the answers she was looking for—and the mere idea of telling someone she's stumbled upon Shingen Takeda, the Tiger of Kai in the flesh, appears for all it takes completely out of the question. Although, having a basic idea of how to face and come into terms with the current conflicts of the period and the people in it has somewhat given her a much-needed peace of mind.
She sleeps much better that night, waking up refreshed the next morning and stretching languidly. Feeling like lazing around for some more minutes, Mai barely puts in some effort of pulling her handbag closer to her futon, pulling out that amusing guide she's purchased.
Scrolling through the pages, her curiosity prompts her to a stop as the name of a certain someone comes up. "Masamune Date, the One-eyed Dragon." It reads on the top page. Snorting in amusement, she plops her head down to the pillow, getting comfortable.
"With his sexy eyepatch, he's a stand-out among Sengoku warlords. He could do everything from cooking to killing!" Why, that's an intro if there ever is one. Reading further on, there are more interesting lines, "United the northern region of Oshu by age 23!" The fact makes her hum in approval—it's fair to admit, that's a huge part of the country. "Founded the city of Sendai, including many of its culinary traditions, and is famed as a patron of the arts on his era," In that regard, it kind of hits her personally, for Sendai is actually from where her paternal family comes from.
For such a free spirit, he definitely left a huge mark on the northern region of Japan. Sadly so, there's barely anything for her to recall from her memories of Sendai, being too young to really remember for certain. What would Yoko, her grandmother, think of the guy? Most likely her own mother, Natsumi, would have some juicy comments about him—after all, it's what her job entails her for.
However, when she tries to compare the wild Masamune Date she knows in the flesh with the aforementioned man in the guidebook, it gets to be quite difficult to do so. For all intents and purposes, all Mai could see in common so far is the 'sexy eyepatch', maybe the affinity for cooking, and that's about it.
A couple of knocks and someone calling her from beyond the door prompts her out of her reverie. "Lady Mai, are you up?" Recognizing the owner of the voice as Mitsunari, she replies in affirmative without giving it too much thought. He doesn't come in, though, "Good. I came to let you know, Lord Nobunaga is requesting your presence. He's asked you to come to the audience chamber,"
At the missive, Mai's eyes blow wide, a hand flying to her mouth in sudden fright. Oh, no. That can't be good. Could it be… do they know… oh, gods!
Could she have been spotted with the Oda's enemy, Shingen Takeda?
Why would he ask her to show up at the very place they hold war councils otherwise? Multiple dire scenarios race through her mind, one worse than the other—most likely, she wouldn't be killed for fraternizing with the enemy straight away thanks to her current Princess title… but it'd be a matter of time. What am I supposed to do now!?
Mitsunari's waiting for her outside when she peeks her head out of her room, but not even his angelic smile helps with soothing the sheer panic gripping at her throat as they walk together, pretty much feeling as if walking to her doom. They reach the chambers in short time, being greeted by the same impressive gathering of Nobunaga Oda and his allies as she's been the very first time she arrived at Azuchi.
Even Masamune's there, flashing an inviting smile at her before subtly pinpointing the empty spot at his side, where Mitsuhide should be. As for being practically the only one among his group to be the slightest bit welcoming, Mai keeps her skepticism in check and takes his offer, followed by Mitsunari and taking a seat at her other side.
Nobunaga's face is blank, barely sparing her a glance. "Everyone's here. Hideyoshi, give them the report," He deadpans with a vague tilt of his head.
Due to proximity, Mai notices the concerned quirk of Masamune's brow, making her assume the meeting doesn't seem to be a standard one at most. Please, don't let it be about me!
Hideyoshi clears his throat, facing the audience, "This morning we received a certain piece of information. It leads to daimyo Yoshitoshi, a former Takeda vassal now serving our Lord, having made a pact with the remnants of the Uesugi clan."
The word 'Takeda' makes her shoulders tense, but said report ends up making her more confused rather than anything else. It'd be rude to ask him to repeat that, right? Mai turns to Mitsunari at her side, shooting him a questioning look.
He clarifies for her with all the patience in the world. "Lord Yoshitoshi is one of our newly sworn allies, and has been reported to be sending messages to an enemy of Lord Nobunaga's. The messages indicate he is liable to revolt."
"I see no reason to wait for him to betray us," Nobunaga says as dispassionately as Mai's ever heard him, "Masamune, this concerns northern territory, so I'm placing you in charge of this endeavor. Hideyoshi, you shall seize his troops and resources. Ieyasu, I'm aware you're with other matters at hand, but you can put them to a halt and assist them."
All three of them nod firmly, Masamune being clearly the most excited with the idea, his mouth curling into a wicked grin. "Bring as few troops as it's necessary to find out the truth, and take whatever measures you deem appropriate."
Mai's heart still tries hammering its way out of her chest. Does all that mean they're going to kill the guy? If they're taking such actions against a man merely for interacting with the enemy—and based only in vague reports—then what should she expect for herself if they find out about her own situation?
Her hands start shaking, already anticipating the worst outcome for herself. How long it'll be before any of them find out? Which torture methods should she expect?
For all it takes, nobody truly seems to notice her fright. "Maybe we'll see some action!" Masamune beams, his eye gleaming in exciting anticipation. Admittedly so, with news of a possible traitor and the threat of revolt, Mai has to agree it does sound like a big deal.
But she can't help her hairs standing on end when Nobunaga fixes his gaze on her from across the table. Oh, no. No, please, just—
"Mai, get ready. You shall go with them." He proclaims.
She stammers, eyes blowing wide. "What!? I-I mean, why?" All heads turn to her, yet only Masamune appears particularly happy with the news. "What am I supposed to do? Greet this guy's staff and ask if they need anything?"
"Take it as a test from my part," Nobunaga says simply before coming to a stand, the rest following by cue.
With so much tension coursing through her, it's nearly impossible to hold the reins of her tongue. "And what should I possibly need to prove to you now?" Hideyoshi frowns at her manners, but she ignores him as Nobunaga approaches her with a curious smirk.
Looming over her, a cold shiver runs down Mai's spine, frozen in place as Nobunaga leans down to, apparently, whisper something to her ear. "That you are worthy of being kept around," With an unexpected subtlety, he slips something metallic into the folds of her kimono, her breath hitching at the sensation.
She quirks a confused brow, but Nobunaga doesn't bother with leaning anyone in on what exactly he's given her, and she doesn't feel in a proper situation of outright asking about it—everything leading it to assume he may want to keep whatever that is as a secret. "Besides, you are my lucky charm. Your presence will bring success to their mission." He continues with a proud smirk.
Right, aside from his chatelaine, she almost forgot she's intended to be his four-leaf clover in the first place. And that is how her growing liking for Nobunaga suddenly falls down like a house of cards once again, not comfortable at all with the idea. "This sounds like a situation fit for warriors. I am not one, as you can see, so I think I'll decline this time—"
But Hideyoshi appears quite fed up with her, interceding, "Do not disobey a direct order from our Lord," He says sternly, crossing his arms, "Now fetch your maids and pack up to depart, Princess."
Mai opens her mouth, ready to come up with another complaint, until she meets Masamune's eye as he walks past Hideyoshi. He gives her a reassuring look and a slight nod, fast enough for her only to see, before disappearing to the hallways.
Pondering about it for a hot second, she's quick to deflate and admit defeat, pretty much looking like she doesn't have a true say in the matter. Well, at least I'll have Masamune to turn to if things go south. The thought isn't particularly encouraging in the slightest, but it's the only thing she feels like relying on for the current moment.
Keeping her head low and taking her leave, she wastes no time in sneaking around a lonely corner on the hallways, too curious to know what Nobunaga actually slipped into her kimono.
Her eyes almost bulge out of her sockets at the mere sight of the token in her hands.
Some hours later, she's fortunate the female attendants knew what to pack for her. Mai still stands out among the group of armed, mounted samurai, with only her formal and not at all fit for combat kimono and barely some provisions for the road, pretty much looking like a fish out of the water.
Hideyoshi shakes his head at the lost sight of her. "Stop standing around, Mai. You're just in the way," If I promise to be a nuisance, will you leave me behind? Pretty please? Sadly so, Hideyoshi doesn't look like he's in the mood to hear her complaints and probably that'll make it worst.
Masamune joins his colleague not long after, a small troop—presumably Masamune's men, judging by the blue and black armor—stationing at the gates, ready to depart. "Who's the lass riding with?" He wonders.
"Whoever will take her—" Hideyoshi doesn't get to finish the sentence before Masamune prompts her to approach his mare and get on with him, looking like he just asked out of politeness. "Masamune," He groans his name as he always does, "I don't want you going wild the way you do. You may be in charge of this mission, but be cautious for the rest of us, at least."
His characteristic wicked smirk wordlessly confirms otherwise. "Can't promise you that. I have to do things my way." For some reason, he turns to her for some reassurance, "Mai knows that, right, lass?"
"Well, you could say I've seen some evide—whoa!" Just as effortlessly as he'd done before, in the next second Masamune's sweeping her up and bringing her onto his horse. "Hey! I'd like some warning first!" Mai practically wheezes, trying to catch her breath at the sudden motion.
She's aloft for only a moment before she finds herself sitting side-saddle with him, nicely tucked between his arms. Her thoughts instantly drift to the first night they met. "Guess this means I'm riding with you, huh," Although just remembering their insane speed on the way back from Honno-ji is enough to start making her head spin, "I… don't know, though. Maybe I can switch with someone else just this time?"
Masamune appears almost offended by that, "What's the matter, lass?" He gives her a sideways look.
"I get horse sick, alright?" Mai casts her eyes down, slightly ashamed to meet his gaze, "And last time we rode together you were sickeningly fast…"
He stammers for a moment, before breaking into a loud cackle, "Oh, is that all? Well, we were in a hurry that time," It's relieving to hear that from his part, as Mai had formerly assumed he always rode that way.
Near his mare, Hideyoshi grumbles something but doesn't come up with another complaint. "I guess that settles it. Let's depart now. Ieyasu, you ready?"
The young blonde merely nods in affirmative, and Masamune turns his horse to the squadron at their backs. One of his vassals with outstanding armor from the rest prompts a small gallop to their side—what was his name? Kojuro?—bringing his lord nothing less than… his iconic helmet.
The sight of it makes click something within her, kind of grounding her to the reality she's living in. Being there atop a horse, surrounded by a small troop of blue and black armored men, it truly feels like the Sengoku in the flesh. Certainly, the mere word says it all, with the whole country at war; although the thought of actual, real battle, real violence, and real people dying, that's way scarier than when she first considered the idea.
Masamune turns the helmet in his hands, the golden half-moon catching the light of the afternoon, before tucking it at the sides of his saddle—so naturally and so at ease it baffles her for a hot second, not knowing how to take it. Everyone's so accustomed to prepare and ride to their possible deaths, but how is she, a total outsider of war, supposed to handle something like that?
Without further ado, Masamune claps his vassal's armored shoulder in thanks before speaking to Hideyoshi. "We'll be your vanguard. See you when you get there!"
"Uh, aren't we all going together?" Mai can't help but wonder, her voice thin.
"Masamune, I just told you not to act on your—"
Hideyoshi's new rant plainly falls on deaf ears. "Hold on tight, Mai!"
Reins in his hand, he ignores the rest of them and gives a quick verbal command. Before she knows it, she's practically floating; the black mare kicking up its front legs before breaking into a gallop, racing like the wind.
Anxiety creeps up her body like spider webs, tingling her all over. Hells, we're going so fast! Oh dear, I'm so sick, I'm going to fall off!
"I k-knew I sh-shouldn't have trusted you!" She cries, the wind whistling in her ears and prompting her to curl up tight, desperate to stay on the saddle. Reaching back with one trembling hand, Mai clutches Masamune's chest armor for dear life, his idiotic laughter all around them. "You said we'd go slower, you liar!"
"I said no such thing!" He guffaws even harder, "I just said we were in a hurry, but doesn't mean we wouldn't be in a hurry now!"
Masamune Date, I hate you so much right now!
They keep picking up speed, making bunch herself up tighter, holding on hard onto him, knuckles going white. She should have taken horseback riding with her father back in the day when he insisted on it, and now she's facing the payback of it, but it's still unfair. Her heart races just as fast, tears of fright brimming her eyes, not even daring to wonder when her torment will ever end.
Then, Masamune's voice muffles the noise of the wind, warm on her ear. "Relax, Mai, it's all right." He reassures her, his smile more heard than seen, "Let go of your fear, look at where you are. Enjoy yourself!"
"C-can't… I'm going t-to fall…" She nearly chokes on her words, a hard lump obstructing her throat, feeling about to burst into panicked tears in any moment. "W-why are you doing this to me… Oh dear gods…"
A strong arm snakes its way around her waist, securing his hold on her. "Hey, come on. You really think I'd let you fall?" Masamune sounds a tad bit hurt at that assumption, but doesn't prod further, "Trust me, Mai, and look ahead. Feel the wind!"
It's not truly for him, but she has to try it for herself. And so, clutching hard at the arm on her waist, she dares cracking an eye open and take a small peek. "I-I feel—"
… Honestly, not sick as she'd intended to say.
In fact, the feeling is exhilarating.
The wind rushes by, cooling the side of her face Masamune's breath recently warmed, the smell of sweet grass and wild flowers greeting her nose, feeling more refreshing than she could have expected at first. Ever so slowly, she relaxes, still holding onto his chest armor, but easing into him this time rather than fighting it.
"There you go, kitten…" Mai has to wonder who truly the kitten is when Masamune pretty much purrs to her ear. "You can't enjoy life if you spend all your time huddling in fear, hiding your eyes,"
Deep down, she wholeheartedly agrees with that, yet can't help it when anxiety takes control of her rational senses. "We're going so fast though!"
"It's only scary if you tell yourself that. Now tell me, is it really?"
Their closeness and the warmth he radiates soothes a considerable amount of the sheer tension she's been bottling in, her limbs relaxing some more. Masamune's ever alluring eye tempts her to forget about the scenery around them, although even more so it's those too appealing lips what draw her so, barely a breath away from hers.
As far as she knows, he must probably be aware of what he's doing to her; even most likely taking some pride of it, if his sapphire gaze traveling south and lingering on her lips ever so fleetingly is any indication thereof. However, when he nudges her cheek with his chin, urging her eyes away and forward, Mai is half thankful and half disappointed for it—although mostly the former, feeling like breathing again.
"… It's beautiful," She can't truly say for sure what she is actually talking about, though, hearing her heartbeat pulsing in her ears. Sunset spills golden light over the field, the surroundings passing her in a blur, mixing, blending into a gorgeous orb of color. "Wow, you were right. This is… this is amazing!"
Masamune chuckles softly, appearing quite satisfied, "Isn't life more fun this way?" He points out, and that statement is the key to brushing the remnants of her fears away, the breeze toying with her hair as she smiles back and nods in admission. The gesture prompts him to flash a wicked grin back, "Good. Then let's pump up the fun and go faster!"
Snapping the reins, Mai can barely contain a yelp. "This is fun enough! Agh, Masamune, please don't—!"
It's no use, though, and the black mare breaks into a faster run at his command. To her dismay, Masamune's confident—or extra cocky—enough to drop the reins at her lap and throw his arms around her middle, rubbing his chin against her cheek in a teasing manner. "Ssh, kitten. Just enjoy it…"
Her thoughts threaten to scramble in several different directions, throwing an arm around his neck in an act of reflex. "Just who are you calling kitten? Because right now I'm hearing you purring…"
"Mmh, is that so?" It takes her a full minute to realize what she just said, a full blush creeping up her entire face. "I see you may be considering another source of fun?" Masamune's breath fans her ear, his teeth scraping her earlobe ever so slightly.
It makes her flush considerably worse, but she can't help the little giggle escaping her, squirming at the tickling sensation. Thankfully and to her sake—or to ignite some frustration—his teasing comes to a pause, his laugh echoing all around them as they pick up speed.
Oh, boy. You're going to be the end of me, isn't it?
A-N: Ugh, I would have liked to doodle something to go along with this, but lately I've been too busy with art requests to make up something D:
Either way, this is the update for the week, and boy it's already getting lengthier, lol!