Mai

Her heart is light as a feather, feeling freer than she ever has been in her life, and she's no stranger to the way Masamune had been looking at her in the course of their day together—those furtive glances, pleased smirks, playful twinkles in his eye. It's somewhat obvious he'd been looking forward to that, yet even so, Mai can't truly say which of them moved first. It could have been her for all it takes.

Without a thought or single care in the world, she kisses him back with fervor, not particularly surprised for her own sudden eagerness—deep down, knowing she'd wanted the very same as him. Losing herself in the moment, she wraps her arms around him, caressing his neck and going all the way up to wound her hands into his chestnut locks. With a deep rumble of approval, Masamune lowers her down to the grass, warm like the sunlight down upon them, like his soft lips and scarred skin.

He manages to brush away her worries all so simply, with just a single look or touch, and yet there's just that one thought hanging on her mind. "We're good…" But then he says, as if reading her mind, and she's again far from figuring out how he really does it.

It's no use to wrap her head about that then, however; the sound of his voice and his breath fanning her mouth sending a current of electricity through her, prompting her to close whatever offending distance there is between them. Aside from the soft texture of his lips, there's certainly nothing more as such, but that's expected of him.

Masamune is ever zealous, straightforward, passionate, and that it shows in everything he does. And the way he kisses her—hard and deep and fervently—is not the exception to the rule in the slightest.

Frankly, she wouldn't have it any other way.

His hand slowly trails down her cheek again, brushing her with his thumb in quick, stirring movements, rousing something within that makes her clutch harder at his hair in reply, doing a tentative tug. The faint groan he sends onto her mouth sounds like a positive response, if anything, and so Mai does it again, a pleasurable gasp escaping her as he pulls her body flush against his.

However, her brief bliss comes to an end all too soon as Masamune nips at her lips once again, holding on just a little longer before getting to his knees and standing up, fully letting her go.

What am I doing?

They're both panting, and her brain is so overwhelmed with how good that was she has no time to process what all that truly was about. "That was… I don't normally do that, you know, I just…" As it seems like, she also has no way to speak proper words.

You were wet, and I was wet, and you were smiling and looking so—

She stands up as well, still damp and covered in grass, a silly feeling kicking in. Masamune wastes little time with standing right in front of her again, either oblivious of her sudden awkwardness or sensing it, she can't tell.

"Mai, smile more. You have a gorgeous smile..."

Surely he's not even aware he's doing it, but every word of reassurance from Masamune gives her courage, and makes her feel better about her personal situation. If she was just about to have any regrets about that kiss they shared, it all goes away in an instant. Her chest light, she lets the power of his deep voice move through her, feeling more bolstered.

Oh boy, so do you.

Realizing she hadn't actually finished a full sentence in some time, to her dismay she doesn't get the chance to do so either way, hearing the trampling noise of horses nearby. "Looks like they got us a ride,"

Masamune's scouts come around from the other side of the forest to find them, their faces filled with sheer worry. Standing quietly beside him as he greets his men with a friendly wave, she takes the opportunity to let the past scene seep in. No matter how much she pretends to be composed in front of the Date soldiers, her lips don't stop throbbing with the mere memory of their kiss—and that's not the kind of kiss where you can pretend nothing happened.

Her heart feels like doing a flip, genuinely agreeing with that line of thought. But then again, her heart appears to be very biased just then.

"Ready to go back, Mai?" Masamune seems to keep some courteous distance between them—and luckily so, for she's positive if he even touches her just slightly, she'd turn into a stupid high school girl fawning in front of her crush.

Managing a curt nod, the silly feeling doesn't go away, noticing how perfectly normal he looks, hopping onto a saddle in quite a lordly manner. As for her, though, she remains so very quiet on their entire trip back to Azuchi.

It's as late as nightfall by the time they reach the castle. With the horse Masamune's vassals brought them, they opt on walking the rest of the way to the gates; something she rather prefers on doing, giving her proper time to mull about it all.

What should I do about that kiss? So far, her feelings on it had been in constant flux—not precisely for not liking it, but more for the kind of awkward air around them since then.

"All right, Mai?"

Her head feels like spinning, struggling to not make silly assumptions about something as random as that, and on the other hand, having some ideas on how certainly not bad it'd be to make that a habit. But it sure was a one-time deal, right? Like, the mood was right, but it probably didn't mean anything…

"… Are you listening?"

"Whoa—" She stops abruptly, almost bumping with Masamune, who's stopped in his tracks, staring at her with eyebrows quirked up. "Um, listening to what?"

He snorts, "Well, clearly you weren't," Resting a casual arm on her shoulder, they continue on their way into the castle. However, as much as Mai tries to ground herself, her attention begins to stray once again, so close to those very nice, very kissable lips. "I was saying, I'll explain about today to Lord Nobunaga. You just get back to your room, change into something warm and rest. Your lips are blue."

Unable to help it, her eyes drift down his face—then I guess they match you. Just then, Masamune touches her mouth, index finger clinging slightly to her lower lip as he brushes it.

This isn't helping me forget at all… "What are you thinking?" The question escapes her before giving it a real thought.

His eye remains fixed on her, "I'm thinking you're cold."

"No, I mean about earlier. When we were—"

"We were what?" Curiously, Masamune peers at her.

The interruption makes her stammer. He's not this clueless, is he? Or is he messing with me again? But before she has time to guess, a certain mischievous gleam in his ever gorgeous eye confirms her of the latter.

"Oh. So this is how it is?" Quirking a brow, she prompts her feet to a stop, growing bolder by the minute. Two can play that game. "Does that mean I should give you a reminder?"

A heartbeat goes by, Masamune's expression giving nothing away, merely turning to face her properly. "… Maybe so,"

Looming over her, his figure gets haloed by the dim moonlight above, the breathtaking sight appearing to make time freeze around them. Does he even know what he does to her? Is he aware? It's of little use to mull about it right then.

And so, feeling like taking a piece of his own medicine—and he's the one who always prompts everyone around him to live in the moment, to make the most of it while it lasts—Mai clutches a handful of his kimono, pulling him down roughly and smacking her mouth against his.

If he minds, it doesn't show in the slightest, his palm cradling her cheek and holding her close for a blissful moment, rumbling pleasantly against her. A smug smirk tugs at Masamune's lips, bringing her to assume he most certainly knows how much he's messing up her head.

And yet, she's glad to fall for it, for once.

Coming apart, she glances at him with half-lidded eyes, breaths mingling with each other. "Your lips were blue too."

Masamune laughs merrily, and that gesture warms her even more than their heated kiss. "Huh, I think I'm vaguely remembering something now…" He goes with the flow, and it's a strain for her to keep her breathing steady, a rush of excitement coursing through her.

That's when she remembers. "Oh. Thank you for the tour, by the way," In reality, their thrilling lake adventure caused her to completely forget about the cause for being there in the first place. Not to mention he'd taken her to see exactly what she wanted to see. "You picked out a good place to take me. It's given me some things to think about."

"Huh? Oh, that," He shrugs nonchalantly, "To be honest, I was going to go there today anyway…"

"I wondered, since you had snacks packed."

"I thought it could be fun to fulfill your request while I was doing my errands. As for your end of the bargain…" His eye returns to her, briefly pondering, "You didn't fully leave me speechless, but I'll say we're even for now. I'm looking forward to next time, though."

Curling a lock of her copper hair around his finger, he flashes one of his trademark carnivorous smiles. Slightly damp still, the strands cling to his finger as if they belong there. "I've got high hopes for you…"

Oh, boy. I think I've got some hopes of my own. But the only thing she can do is wheeze a laugh at that.

Rubbing her hair between his fingers, Masamune's smile shifts into a more carefree one—and all the more handsome. "See you tomorrow. Hope you don't stay cooped up in your room." With a pat on her head, he enters the castle grounds with an easy step on his feet, leaving Mai alone with her pounding heart.

As far as to assume, he clearly hasn't forgotten about their scene at the lake, at least not entirely. He's just being incredibly casual about it. To be fair, she's not completely against the gesture, even less so when having a personal background of casual hook-ups in the past.

However, she'd be lying to herself if she said she isn't looking forward to next time with a passion.

The next few days are busy and packed of work for her, but in a good way and without any sort of incident. So far, she's become acquainted with nearly the entirety of the castle staff, and luckily there's always something else she can get her hands and mind into—a very convenient pace, preventing her to sink into her running thoughts.

With plume and paper in hand, Mai does another preventive recount. Our supplies of gunpowder and spears are good. All she knows is that some of them have been brought from Owari, but by Hideyoshi's wife or Nobunaga's general, Maeda, that's something she has no knowledge of.

Not long after, she bumps into Mitsunari and Hideyoshi. "Oh, Mai, nice to see you!" The former smiles, clearly meaning it, "Thank you for all you've been doing lately!"

It's nearly impossible not to return that sunny smile of his, "You're welcome. And good afternoon, you two."

Hideyoshi gives her a once over look, appearing impressed. "They've got you inspecting the armaments today? Looks like you're working hard."

"You've grown to be such a wonderful chatelaine!" Mitsunari beams, ever willing to praise and acknowledge everyone's efforts, "Not just as diligent with your lessons, I've seen you in the archives, with the seamstresses, taking care of the entire castle." His Lord nods thoughtfully at that mention.

Mai shrugs in a nonchalant manner, a tad bit shyly as well. "Well, everyone's so cooperative no matter where I go. That makes it easy. Whether Nobunaga has a specific task for me or not, I've always got something I can do." The current inspection of the weapons and armor is, of course, a task brought by Nobunaga—he's still rather insistent in making her acquainted with them.

"The seamstresses speak especially highly of you, and not just for your management." Mitsunari takes care of remarking, "They said you're amazing at sewing, and taught them things they'd never heard of."

"I heard you picked the new flower arrangements for the castle interior, too. Everyone says your color choices were perfect."

"I had no idea people were talking about me." The thought makes her fluster, if slightly, "But I wouldn't have been able to do anything without everyone else's help either way."

Sewing and coordinating colors are both things she just loves to do. Just so happens she had some slight help from Kojuro in the flower arrangements, and one of the lead seamstresses, Umeko, had grown to act quite motherly with her. If anything, putting her personal skills to use in that time period is what makes her happier about it.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself…" Mitsunari notices.

"In fact, I am, yeah. I like to be useful,"

"And you've been more useful than I formerly anticipated." Hideyoshi nods thoughtfully, a smile tugging at his lips as he seems to be pondering some things to himself. "Keep it up, serve Lord Nobunaga well."

"Thanks, I think." She waves goodbye to the two of them as they leave the armory, inevitably sinking into that bad habit of hers of rerunning the last conversation in her mind.

The last bits bring back what Masamune had told her at the lakeside—wet and sun-kissed and like a picture she'd have framed on a wall if she could.

"Life is there for you to enjoy it. You can do that however you like, just make sure you're doing that for you, not for anyone else. If you try to live anyone else's way, you'll end up with regrets."

It helped to have him break it down like that. I suppose I'm not dragging my feet anymore in finding a place for myself in this time. Masamune constantly reminded her to look forward while she's there, to not miss a moment, fun or scary.

"Mai, smile more. You have a gorgeous smile."

And then there's the kiss—that perfect, passionate, so natural kiss. Instinctively so, she runs two fingers over her mouth, somewhat attempting to recreate the way he touched her lower lip back at the castle gates.

She finds herself smiling.

Damn! This is just my luck! Could my geta strap have broken at a worse possible time?

After lunch, she's on her way back from the market with a towering stack of fabric, with some extra rolls for Umeko in a way to thank the lead seamstress for the help she'd provided her in the last commission. Sighing to herself, Mai crouches down to get a better look at her foot. Her arms are full carrying her shopping, how in hells and heavens is she supposed to fix a stupid sandal then?

A low snicker prompts her out of her reverie. "Why that's no ordinary girl. It's our dearest chatelaine..."

"Mitsuhide!" She looks up to find his pale face looking down at her with quite an amused expression.

"Ah, so your sandal strap decided to break right when you were carrying a bunch of packages? How unlucky." Appearing to be analyzing the situation at a glance, Mitsuhide goes straight to teasing her. "Though this seems like just the sort of thing that would happen to you…"

Gah, I should have known. He's as mean-spirited as ever. "It's okay, it's not the end of the world. It's just a geta, I'll figure something out." She makes a quick excuse—if not actually accurate—for her situation.

Mitsuhide snorts. "Don't be stubborn. Let me carry your things for you."

Oh? He's offering to help? That certainly changes things. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." As he takes a knee, Mitsuhide's eye line comes to level with hers. Surprisingly so, when their eyes lock, her heart can't help skipping a beat, gulping a little. "Here, let's go."

Whoa!

All so suddenly, instead he scoops her whole body up into his arms, startling her. "Ack, what's with you guys having this penchant with carrying me at the first chance that presents?" It's after Mai blurts out the words when she realizes she just said too much, "Ugh, Mitsuhide, please, just put me down!"

"Wow, this baggage sure does talk a lot." He practically guffaws, amused to no end as he rises up with her as if she weights a plume, "Careful, Princess. You keep hold of that fabric. It's important to you, right?"

"Yeah, but—" When she nearly drops her fabrics, he deftly catches and piles them back into her arms. As he starts walking, she finds herself unable to look at his handsome face anymore. "Um, so… thank you." Being carried like that makes her feel kind of silly, sure thing, but it's not as if she's not thankful for the help—in whatever way it may come. "You say mean things sometimes, but you're actually very kind, Mitsuhide."

The sly smirk narrowing his face falters for a moment. "I'm not doing this to be kind. You'll owe me for this, just so you know." The calculating smile he flashes her way makes her words catch in her throat, "And the longer you take to repay me, the more interest you'll have to include."

For some reason, that makes her panic. "I'll pay you back! Let me pay you back right now!"

"Oh?" And once again, at the sight of Mitsuhide's mischievous smile taking place, she realizes she's made a mistake. She's left hoping to whatever deities may hear that the required payment doesn't have to come in the form of something… shady.

In the end, though, their walk back to the castle turns out to be pleasantly amicable—regardless of the small fact of being carried around, that is. A late audience summoning by Nobunaga ends up changing plans, prompting Mai to make quick work of her stuff and join Mitsuhide on the way to the audience chamber.

As they walk together through the hallways, a sudden thought startles her. Everyone's going to be there… that means, Masamune.

It'll be the first time they'd be seeing each other since the lake scene. And while that's normally not something to make such a fuss about, there's something about it that sets her anxiety spiking up to dangerous levels, her self-confidence feeling like wavering with each step she takes towards the hall. Why is she so nervous?

"Apologies for my late timing. I've brought the Princess, my Lord," Mitsuhide announces himself and saunters into the chamber, her coming in last.

A quick look around confirms her assumptions—the entire bunch is there. Apparently, they've appeared in the middle of a heated discussion, the council already in progress. "Is it true then, Mitsuhide?" Hideyoshi asks him out of the blue.

He quirks a curious brow, taking a seat beside Nobunaga while Mai finds a spot next to Mitsunari, "Why, many things appear to be these days, Hideyoshi. I'm afraid you've got to be more specific…"

"He refers to what the spy told us," Nobunaga adds.

"Oh, that's right," Weaving his fingers, Mitsuhide's smile goes as long as a piano wire, "My prisoner finally broke, and revealed the identity of the culprit behind the assassination attempt on our lord at Honno-ji."

Mai notices the sheer interest from all the present men, clear anticipation behind their eyes. But standing out among them all is Masamune, leaning forward and as excited as a kid about to get his birthday present.

With pleasure, Mitsuhide provides the news. "It's Kennyo, abbot—or rather former abbot—of Hongan-ji." He reveals, "He didn't take our Lord destroying his temple too well and turned against his faith, swearing revenge."

The comment makes her do her best not to recoil. Destroying this abbot's temple? Is that Nobunaga on a good day or a bad one? "Did the spy say something of his whereabouts?" Mitsunari wonders.

"Not yet, but we know he's in hiding, awaiting another opportunity,"

"Well, isn't that great…" Ieyasu pinches the bridge of his nose, "It wasn't enough with Takeda and Uesugi, now enemies are coming in from everywhere,"

Nobunaga doesn't appear to be particularly concerned about that fact, though. "That's not all," Hideyoshi continues, frowning hard, "Today we've captured one of Takeda's spies. So far, all we know is that some of them have infiltrated Azuchi, along with a ninja from Uesugi's ranks," He stares at every single present man in the room, "Everyone needs to be extremely cautious so nothing of this slips out. We've got three enemies plotting against us, I expect none of you to be idle,"

Mai bites the inside of her cheek, struggling to remain calm and collected. There's only one ninja she positively assumes to be working for Kenshin Uesugi, and that's no one but… Sasuke. If he's captured, that means her one true ally and the only chance to ever make it back to their time period will no longer exist.

They'd be both done.

"Princess?" Abruptly, she sits up straight as though she's been called on in class. For once, Mitsuhide doesn't seem utterly amused by her reaction, staring at her with serious, narrowed eyes, "You've become familiar with the inner workings of Azuchi. The enemy may target you for that information. Be extremely cautious."

The implications of that seep painfully within her. How is that fair? I'm from no clan, owe allegiance to no one. I don't even belong here. However, the deadly serious look Mitsuhide shoots towards her makes it all the more unnerving than the warning itself.

"… I will," Mai can only reply, aware she shouldn't disregard the sly warlord's rare moment of honesty.

"We will break until this evening, when I shall hold another council. Until then, you are all dismissed." With Nobunaga's announcement, the meeting comes to a close, everyone appearing quite eager to rise from their spots and be quick to return to business.

Feeling with very low spirits, she unconsciously looks around for Masamune… only for him to catch her eye, and finding herself looking away. Talk to him, talk to him! What exactly was I going to talk to him about again? Whatever that was, Mai doesn't feel like bringing it up with her current mood either way, and the idea of bothering him with her concerns again is becoming old really fast.

"I've only got one eye. You could spare one to look at me with." Right when she's about to try avoiding him, Masamune stops beside her, smiling in amusement. "I don't even get a hello?"

"… Hello."

"Guess I should have asked for more." He hums but doesn't precisely sound hurt. She only makes an effort to smile wanly, "It's alright. I'm in a good mood with the latest news."

The admission briefly distracts her from her own thoughts. "Having spies and ninjas here puts you in a good mood?" Mai can't help shooting him an incredulous look.

"They've sent some of their elite warriors to get information. It's a bold move," He doesn't seem to have any shame in admitting that—or knowing him as much as she does, Masamune even probably respects that. "Hey, you hear that…? It's a ninja, under the floorboards!"

"No way, right!?" She shrieks and jumps, hand already going for her fan.

However, when Masamune bursts in laughter, she realizes he'd been joking. "You're so easy to wind up, kitten..."

She only sighs at that—he's technically not wrong. He jokes about ninja under the floor and I'm instantly with my hairs on end! Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me? Rubbing her face in frustration, her feet hurry after Masamune as he exits the hall, still snickering.

"This is awesome. Looks like we've got a wild ninja on the loose! I can't wait to find them," Walking together to the manors, a carnivorous smile is plastered all over his face, inevitably catching her eye. "Have I told you about that time I rode back to my castle with a shuriken stuck on my foot the entire way?"

"What!?" She almost stops in her tracks, staring at him wide-eyed.

"Guess I didn't," Masamune guffaws, "It was on my scarred foot, so I didn't even feel it. Heh, those were fun times…"

It's hard to believe what she hears for a moment, until she recalls it's Masamune. "You're not afraid of these people? Not even a little?" For all it seems, he's actually anticipating a future conflict.

He quirks a curious brow, "Are you?"

"Of course! Where I come from, you try not to make enemies. If someone's a jerk, you just avoid them."

"That's awfully timid, coming from a fighter like you."

"I'm not a fighter, I'm a fashion designer!" But he is, and doesn't even flinch at the prospect of battle.

He could get hurt. He could die. And if he dies, I…

Apparently, there's something in her face, considering Masamune coming to a sudden halt and peering at her—almost through her. What's he looking at?

Turns out, a moment after whatever he just catches in her eyes, he then leans over and steals a kiss right from her lips. Mai's eyes shut close in an instant, the way he brushes his mouth against hers so surprisingly tender it makes all her thoughts jump over a window.

A longing sigh escapes her after coming apart, putting an effort to plant her feet on the ground in attempts to contain the urge of kissing him a second time—and a third and fourth for good measure.

"What was that?" Mai can only say. Why is that, she figures she should have asked.

"I saw someone who looked like they could use a kiss. So I kissed her." Masamune shrugs nonchalantly, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

The gesture makes her heart skip a beat, a single thought slipping into her mind, realization dawning on her while glancing at that gorgeous pool of sapphire that is his single eye.

I'm in trouble.

A-N: I'm so, so sooooo sorry for skipping an update last week! D: RL crap has sadly caught up to me, and when I realized it was Wednesday lol.