Thank you for the request @happylady215 Have a nice day as well
Pampering the Bunny Lord
“I-It’s better if you stay away for a while. Pardon me for my rudeness, Princess, but his condition right now is–”
Sasuke nodded to the vassal, understanding fully what he tried to convey to her. “You know that moment when someone get too worked up– as in the aftermath of a battle? So basically he can be dangerous right now.”
She smiled to his explanation, dismissing the vassal before turning to Sasuke, “It’s alright. I understand. Thank you, Sasuke.”
He gave a curt nod, showing a thumbs up to her. “I know you can solve that for us. You are our hero, MC. Now, excuse me as I shall ker-vanish myself.”
And poof! He goes.
—-
Sliding the door open, she scanned the room before shutting it cautiously. “Kenshin..?”
“…..”
There he is.
Sitting at one corner of their shared bedchamber, mismatched eyes gleaming as he wheeled his head to her. They exchanged a look with one another, and it was him that breaks the silence. “..Are you finished with your seamstress work?”
“Uhuh.”
MC stayed at the same spot, now settling herself to sit down, making sure her vacant lap are visible to him. Kenshin has been eyeing it for sure; she knows that very well. Then, without further ado, she smiled as she pats her lap,
“Come here, Kenshin (❁´◡`❁).”
“…..”
With that same frowning look on his face, he rose from where he were resting and lie his head on her lap swiftly. He circled his arms around her waist, burying his head into her stomach as he murmured, “…I’m tired.”
“Do you want me to rub anywhere that is sore?”
He shakes his head.
“Or do you want me to pat you to sleep?”
“…Hn.”
And she did. She slowly brush along his hair locks, caressing him lovingly, followed by a gentle pat on his shoulder.
“…I got injured too.”
“My, you do?”
“Hn.”
“Where is it? Shall I kiss the boo boo to make it go away?”
“Mm.”
She giggled. “Now, tell me. Where does this boo boo that hurts my Bunny Lord?”
He takes her hand in his, placing it on his chest. “..Here. I missed you so much.”
“Awww… Aren’t you the cutest one?” She booped his nose playfully, leaning forward to kiss his temple. “It’s only been 3 days since you punished those ronins in neighbouring town, and you missed me this bad already?”
“Mm.” His lips pursed into a pout, burying his head into her stomach once more.
‘Really now. If your vassals see you like this, they can’t believe this is the same God of War.’ She pressed her lips tight, deciding to keep such words to herself.
Of course, Kenshin is a fearful and a respectful Lord.
But he is still a child deep down, who wants to be pampered by his lover.
THI-THIS IS…. OH MY GOD THIS IS SO FREAKIN’ ADORABLE!!!!!!! (´✪ω✪`)♡(´✪ω✪`)♡(´✪ω✪`)♡(´✪ω✪`)♡ MAH HEART GOES BOOM BOOM WHEN KENSHIN BEHAVE LIKE A LITTLE KID, AAAHH ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS
Nobunaga would be that typical sexist rich asshole dude who calls women “females” You will be walking by and he’ll be like “AYO bitch go make me a sandwich”. He’s not a dumb jock though. He’s student body President and the administration loves him so nothing happens to him. He’s also on the debate team. He would absolutely dress like one of those daddy’s money frat boys. He, Mitsuhide, and Hideyoshi are the popular. Has a huge house so he hosts all the parties. (He will talk about it in front of you though and won’t invite you. Just ask Kennyo.). Doesn’t really trust Mitsuhide but stays friends with him because he’s entertaining and knows everything about everyone. The only other person who has their career planned out but it’s only because he can buy his way into a good school. Asks you out and gets mad when you say no. (Senior)
Hideyoshi reminds the teacher about homework 2 minutes before class is about to be dismissed. He is so whipped for nobunaga. He acts like the pick me girl who kisses up to the popular boys. He does Nobunaga’s schoolwork and he’s honored to be the scapegoat for nobunaga’s shit. He’s nobunaga’s dumb blonde sidekick. He will do whatever Nobunaga says but he’s very nice if you talk to him without Nobu and Mitsuhide around. Made out with Mitsuhide once when he was drunk. He doesn’t remember but Mitsu does. Used to get bullied in elementary school so now he’s just happy that he’s popular. (Junior)
Mitsuhide is the equivalent of Regina George. He judges you on your clothes and does that judgy up and down look and laughs and whispers to Nobunaga right in front of you. In class you had to get in groups for a project. After you tried to join Mitsuhide’s group and he looks at you and then looks at nobu and laughs and says “We already have a group”. He would then laugh at watching you walk around awkwardly trying to find a group. If you do somehow join Mitsuhide’s group they basically make you do all the work for them. Has amazing grades though and was pissed that he wasn’t Valedictorian. Secretly wants Nobunaga to get in trouble so he can take his spot as the most popular. Ends up having a huge falling out with Nobunaga at the end of the year when they’re about to graduate and Hideyoshi gets him suspended. (Junior)
Masamune is the chillest person there. He’s a skater and he’s super popular. People love him, he’s the nice popular guy. He’d give you a school tour. He would also offer you a ride home after school. He lets you sit with him at lunch since you’re new and have no friends and he’d introduce you to his friend group which is Ieyasu and Mitsunari. He brings food for everyone and shared with with the class. His grades are average but teachers love him. Masamune and ieyasu are those friends that constantly roast/bully each other but it’s cuz they’re so close. And masa gives ieyasu a ride home everyday cuz Ieyasu doesn’t have a car yet. But he hates the way masa drives like a maniac. He’s on the track team and has a school wide record for the fastest times. Always late to class but charms the teachers into not giving him a detention. Ditches class sometimes and Ieyasu scolds him when he finds out. (Junior)
Ieyasu is the mysterious guy that listens to music constantly, barely talks to people, and has amazing grades. He hates attention even though he is a part of one of the most popular friend groups. He hates everyone including himself, but will help you if you are in danger even if he doesn’t know you. He would scold you after tho. (Sasuke has a crush on him). He wants to go to Med school and is one of the few people who has their whole career planned out. Ends up getting a scholarship to an Ivy League and Masamune throws him a surprise party. (Unlike Nobunaga he actually worked for his scholarship.) Co-Valedictorian with Sasuke. (Junior)
Mitsunari partners up with you in class when everyone else already has a group and you’re awkwardly standing there hoping someone saves you after Mitsuhide humiliated you. He walks you to class and makes sure you know where you’re going. He also helps you with your homework. Used to get bullied by Ieyasu in elementary school but now they’re friends. (Ieyasu won’t admit it though). He tutors Masamume. He can get along with anyone and everyone absolutely loves him. Even Mitsuhide is nice to him. Got voted “Best Smile” in the yearbook. (Sophomore)
Shingen is the nice fuckboy that you catch feelings for only to have your heart broken. But he breaks your heart in the nicest way possible because he’s a good person. Women love him because he gets into debates about women rights, feminism etc… Shingen calls out Nobunaga for being sexist. In a group project Shingen would have a full group SO fast because he’s so popular but he would help you find a different group. Will fight Nobunaga’s group with no questions asked. Got voted Prom King, much to Nobunaga’s disappointment. Captain of the wrestling team. (Senior)
Kenshin is the “bully” that actually needs constant validation and support. He actually stands up for people who GET bullied. He talks big but he is so sweet once you get to know him. But don’t tell anyone that. He is super protective of his friends and will fight anyone, any day if they messed with his people. Somehow has amazing grades. He is also that guy in P.E. that cusses you out when you’re partnered up with him and can’t keep up. Has to take anger management therapy after he almost punched an administrator who tried to break up a fight. (Senior)
Sasuke is the guy that you get notes and homework answers from. He tells you about all the other guys when you first arrive at the school and tells you to stay away from “the plastics”. Has amazing grades and tutors people in his free time. President of the robotics club and Co-Valedictorian with Ieyasu. Always tries to partner up with Ieyasu on projects. Beat Mitsuhide in the Academic Decathlon his freshman year and everyone knows. He is on the Volleyball team. (He definitely has a crush on Ieyasu) (Junior)
Yukimuraroasts you every single day if you’re friends with him. He humbles you. And says your hair looks like a hedgehog. But he’ll fight anyone who is genuinely being rude to you. Sasuke has to hold him back. He has gotten suspended before with Kenshin for fighting Nobunaga. (Nothing happened to Nobunaga though). He’s on the soccer team and Shingen brings the whole Kasaguyama squad to every match to cheer him on. (Sophomore)
Yoshimoto is the prettiest one in the whole school. Everyone agrees he’s absolutely stunning. His clothes are always on point and he’s nice to everyone. President of the fashion club and captain of the dance team. Has amazing grades in arts related subjects but he’s average in math and science. (Sasuke tutors him). Is the type to ask the teacher if he can have extra people in his group if he sees that you can’t find one. Takes all his friends shopping and gives you the best presents. Compliments you every time he sees you and advocates for the school to provide everyone more time for self care. Graduated with honors and made cookies for his friends and everyone that tutored him at the end of the year. (Junior)
Motonari is the guy who sells drugs in the bathroom during passing period. You later find out he got expelled for setting the science building on fire when he snuck into the chemistry classroom in the middle of the night to cook up some crack. Mitsuhide is his best customer and he buys from Motonari behind Nobunaga’s back. Motonari also may or may not have stabbed someone with a pencil at some point, who knows. He’s always in detention for something and there are wild rumors about him that he never denies or confirms. (Senior)
Kennyo is the emo kid who’s been bullied by Nobunaga since middle school. He’s tried to go to the administrators multiple times with proof that should get Nobunaga suspended but it never happens. One time Nobunaga tripped him as he was walking and and he fell into a trash can. Mitsuhide took a video and it’s been circulating ever since. He ate lunch in the bathroom for a month after that. Shingen invites him over sometimes but he’s more of a loner and just wants to graduate and never see anyone again. (Senior)
Ranmaru used to be really good friends with Kennyo until he ditched him in high school for Nobunaga. He always hangs around Nobunaga’s group and they keep him around to do their errands but don’t really consider him part of the group. Worried that Mitsuhide will find out he used to be friends with Kennyo and expose him. Like Hideyoshi he just wants to be popular. He also gets along with mostly everyone. (Freshman)
THIS IS SO ACCURATE SHHUSBAJWK
The pure chaotic energy from this post is gold ✨ I especially loved reading Masamune’s, Kenshin’s, and Yoshimoto’s. I live for their wholesomeness
A red string of fate AU story featuring Kenshin. Written for my dear friend @scruffymctee on the occasion of her very merry birthday. Approx. 2500 words. TW for violence!
Kenshin settled into the soft leather seat of his private plane. He had a few hours before the meeting. Enough time to review his intel on this new customer. A small group that considered themselves freedom fighters - the rest of the world labeled them terrorists. Kenshin had long since dispensed with ethical worries.
There would always be war. The ‘good’ was determined by the winner. If these men won their battles, Kenshin would be a hero. If they lost, a devil. He knew he was neither. He was a merchant and death was his trade. A capricious god who picked his side based on whether or not be believed the fight would be a good one.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the blur of the dossier in his lap.
“Perhaps you should get some rest, sir.” Sasuke, his personal assistant and body guard came up from the tail of the plane, pushing a cart of refreshments. Sake. Pickled plums. Crisps. A variety of Kenshin’s favorites.
Sasuke poured Kenshin a drink and took the dossier.
“Fine. But wake me an hour before we land. I want the information to be fresh in my mind when we meet these ‘Sons’.” Kenshin gave his assistant a look, made more severe by his oddly colored eyes. One was as blue as winter ice, the other jade green.
“Of course, sir.”
He pushed the cart back to its locked position and sat down in one of the chairs across from his boss. Sasuke had the dossier open in his lap, reading diligently.
Kenshin knew they both had practically memorized the details in it, but he felt an undercurrent of tension about this meeting. A foreboding that prickled his skin and left his gut feeling tight and cold. He wasn’t sure why. The Sons of Winter weren’t the worst group he’d dealt with. Not the largest, nor the most deadly. But they were unpredictable. Wildly violent in their cause. Perhaps they meant to double-cross him.
If so, they would die. Kenshin didn’t just sell weapons. He knew every product he offered intimately. How to use it, how to store and transport it, the most effective tactics. He set a hand on his hidden holster. If they tried to cross him, they would meet Ichimonji. His custom .45, long barrelled, the grip made from carved rosewood, polished to a soft, satin patina.
Another yawn cracked his jaw.
Sasuke gave him a meaningful look from across the aisle.
Kenshin didn’t deign to reply, but he did lower his seat back and close his eyes. Sleep took him swiftly.
Acrid gunsmoke curls in the air. Groans. Bodies of dying men crumpled in the tall grass. A long blade dripping blood. Blood pounding in his ears. Thrill of victory. A woman crying. She kneels at his feet. Her eyes are gentle. Her touch, warm. He knows as is the way of dreams, that he must choose. He does not deserve the peace she is offering. Dream-Kenshin turns away. To battle. To endless war. Until death swallows the last of my light.
Sasuke shook his shoulder, and leapt back as Kenshin stabbed at him with a blade hidden in a false pen. He ed. “You almost had me, boss.”
“If that was enough to kill you, then you aren’t worth much as a bodyguard.” Kenshin wiped the sleep from his eyes. He felt slow, tired. As if the dream had not let him go. A sense of melancholy weighed heavy in his chest. “How long until we land?”
“An hour, sir.” Sasuke handed him the dossier along with a tea and pastry.
Kenshin eyed the food. “What is this?”
“Breakfast, sir. You can’t live off sake.”
He grunted. His assistant was right, though he found it annoying. Kenshin ate while he read. Today he will meet Roberson, the Sons’ second in command. He will have three of his people with him. A woman they call An, and two men, Franco and Orson. An odd mix, hailing from different countries and regions. Varied backgrounds. Franco and Orson are well known, previously mercenaries. An was Chinese military. And Roberson cut his teeth on battle in South Africa.
The next hour passed swiftly. The plane landed, and a car arrived and escorted them to the meeting place. A parking garage near an abandoned factory. Rusted steel support beams jut into the night sky like the bones of some ancient, dead thing. The ground is littered with trash and glistening shards of glass from smashed lamps. The only light is the distant moon and the headlights of their car.
Roberson stepped out from the shadows. He is dressed for business in modern tactical gear. Kevlar and leather. Like something from an action film, too over the top to be real.
Franco and Orson followed, looking less comical in casual business wear, though the telltale bulge under their arm told Kenshin they were carrying as well.
“Where is your fourth?”
Roberson gestured to the high spaces. “She is watching.” His blue eyes narrowed as he examined Kenshin and Sasuke. “Where is your team?”
“This is my team.” Kenshin did not smile. “Have you provided the agreed upon proof of payment?”
“I sent your people the code just now.”
Sasuke confirmed with a nod.
“Then we will send you the coordinates of the cache.” Kenshin noted the nervous tapping of Franco’s fingers. The tension in Orson’s shoulders.
Roberson frowned. “I want some proof of the goods before I send a passcode.”
“There are pictures in your confirmation.” Violence was only a heartbeat off. One wrong gesture, one slip of the tongue, and there will be blood.
“I need more than pictures.” Roberson’s words are almost a growl. There was some desperation here that the dossier did not hint at.
Kenshin gestured to Sasuke. “We have a sample.”
His assistant pulled a large case from the car. The metal locks jingled as he carried it from the trunk to set it down on the ground between them.
Orson knelt down to open it while his companions watched the surroundings nervously. He swung the lid open, revealing the sleek lines of steel. A modern anti-tank weapon. Capable of mounted and hand-held fire. There is a general intake of breath.
Then the tension shattered at an unexpected sound. A soft yelp, the scrape of a shoe on concrete. A woman stumbled into the periphery of their gathering.
At first, Kenshin thought this must be An. But she wasn’t Chinese. And Roberson looked as surprised as he did at her entrance.
The woman is not dressed for this kind of meeting. She looks as if she was going dancing. Her skirt is short, her heels long. The dress is sleeveless and low cut with a plunging back that comes nearly to her hip. The material clings to her curves as if painted on. Blue fabric, the color of winter ice.
Sasuke grabbed her arm. “What are you doing here?”
“You know this girl?” Roberson’s tone is accusing.
“Never met her,” Kenshin said, though there is something about her that draws his eye. She was beautiful. Perhaps that was all it was. The shallow attraction of a man to a scantily dressed woman.
“H-hello? Is this -” the woman fumbled in her clutch for her phone. “Ah, 22 banchi? The rave?”
“28. You went too far.” Sasuke sighed. He knew as well as Kenshin did that they couldn’t let this girl go. She knew their faces and there was no way she missed the military grade weaponry on the ground in front of her.
“Were you spying on us, girl?” Roberson growled. “Who do you work for?”
She blinked at him. “Ummm, Neo-mod Designs? We make haute-couture clothes affordable.” She handed him a card.
Sasuke looked at the card in the other man’s hands. “Tomoyo?”
“Yes.” She looked from one man to the other. “So, uh, I’ll just be going now. Nice to meet you! Call me if you need a-”
Roberson threw her on the ground and pulled a knife. “I can’t let you leave.”
Kenshin didn’t want this woman to die here tonight. She was an innocent. Hardly at fault for making a wrong turn. He’d stepped between Roberson and the girl before he even realized he was moving. “I’ll take her.”
“Is this a joke?” Roberson scowled. “Some kind of scam? Are you trying to double cross me?”
“It is not. I don’t double cross clients. Put up the weapon, transmit the funds, and leave.” Kenshin’s unsettling gaze fixed on Roberson.
Orson and Franco were moving a breath later, drawing their weapons.
Sasuke was in motion too, already gripping two, short steel batons.
“Think we’ll just take the coordinates and kill the three of you,” Roberson growled. He darted forward, his blade flashing in the headlights.
Kenshin slammed his attacker’s hand with the butt of his gun. “You’re a fool.” Behind him, the woman - Tomoyo - was up. He hoped to keep Roberson busy long enough for her to run. It would be easy enough to track her down later - with her business card if nothing else. But she didn’t run.
There was a grunt of pain from Franco as she slammed her purse into the side of his face. “Take that! How dare you sneak up on this guy, huh? What a creep!” She kicked him in the knee with her heel and there was an unpleasant crunch.
“You are more … formidable than I expected.” Kenshin blocked another jab from Roberson.
She flashed him a quick smile, one that lit in the depths of her bright green eyes. “Thanks!” She swung her little purse at Franco again as the thug tried to stand up. “Where’d the other one go?”
Sasuke was entangled with Orson somewhere beyond the light of the headlamps, their position only given away by the occasional thwap of metal on flesh and grunts of pain.
“My assistant has him handled.” Kenshin cracked the grip against Roberson’s hand, trying to make him drop his knife.
Roberson yelped but kept hold of his blade. “You’re - outmanned, Uesugi. Give up.”
“I think my odds are fine. But I have made one mistake.” He kicked Roberson back a few steps. “But don’t worry. It’s about to be resolved.” Kenshin flipped the safety off his gun.
“An!” Roberson called into his earpiece.
Kenshin had nearly forgotten about the military woman. He followed the line of Roberson’s gaze toward the rusty metal spire. Saw a slight movement in the shadows there.
Tomoyo looked the same direction, understanding there was danger, if not what specifically.
“Sniper. Get down!” Kenshin tried to push her away.
She stumbled and swayed on her heels, gripping his arm.
The distant rifle cracked as An fired off a shot.
Tomoyo shoved Kenshin as hard as she could. Her head turned slightly toward the sound.
Kenshin fell back. He hadn’t expected her to push him. He reached for the woman, fingers extended into the space between them. 940 feet per second, he thought, knowing he could not pull her down before the bullet hit.
Blood and bits of bone burst from her right side.
Tomoyo looked down, her eyes wide. She was bleeding heavily from the wound.
Roberson took advantage of Kenshin’s distraction to drive his knife into the arms dealer’s back.
Kenshin shot him in the head without looking. As one might crush a pest. His mismatched gaze found Franco. Another bullet in the chamber.
The thug scrambled back, hands up. “J-just following orders. Please.”
“Run,” Kenshin hissed. He pushed himself to standing, ignoring the warm sheet of blood that coated his back.
“Yes. You’ve been shot.” Kenshin took her by the shoulders. “Why didn’t you run? Why didn’t you get down when I told you too?” His throat felt hot and his tongue thick.
She gave him a small smile. “I didn’t want them to shoot you either, idiot.” Her body slumped forward and she steadied herself against Kenshin’s chest.
“You fool. This wasn’t your fight.” He found his arms wrapping around her, pressing her to him. Her skin was cool against his. Her pulse weak. “Sasuke! We need medical evac! Now!”
“On it, boss!” Sasuke’s voice came from the dark and then the man himself limped into view. “Orson is unconscious. Leave him?”
“Leave him.” Kenshin confirmed. He lifted Tomoyo into his arms. “She’s bleeding heavily. We need to hurry.”
Sasuke opened the car door. “I’ve already arranged care. We just need to get her there.”
“A hospital?”
“No.” His assistant smiled. “One of our doctors.” He meant one of the underground clinics staffed by desperate med students and old veterans that lost their license to practice.
Kenshin nodded and ducked into the car with his burden. It might have been smarter to let her die, but … she took a bullet for him. She defended him when she could have just run. He had to know why.
“You’re injured.” Sasuke shut the door behind him and the car roared to life, the driver a silent witness to the whole mad scene.
“It isn’t serious.” He cradled the woman to his chest, watching her eyelids flutter. If he was honest, his wound pained him and he was beginning to feel light-headed. But he knew it wasn’t going to kill him before he could get stitched up.
Kenshin brushed a lock of hair back from her face. “You are a fool.”
Her lips quirked into a smile. “No.” She raised a trembling hand into the air, grasping something lightly with her fingers.
Kenshin craned his neck to see what she held. At first, there was nothing. Then a flash of scarlet. A ribbon of crimson. Tied around her finger. And his. He startled back. There was no sense of the red thread on his hand. Instead, when he pulled away, he felt the tug in his heart. “Who are you,” he asked, his voice breaking on the words.
She opened her eyes, though her lids were heavy. “You know.”
And in that moment, he did. For a breath, he remembered everything. A thousand thousand lives, meeting her again and again. He’d killed her. She’d killed him. Watched him die with tears in her eyes. And Kenshin knew he had held her just like this before. So many times before. Clinging to her as her life-blood stained his hands, held her gaze as light left her eyes.
“I won’t lose you again,” he promised.
“Again?” Sasuke lifted an eyebrow, confused.
Kenshin’s eyes stung with unshed tears as he looked up at his assistant. “This woman will not die tonight.” He felt her squeeze his hand. He looked down at her again, marveling that somehow, they’d found each other again. She found him.
He leaned down to brush a kiss to her lips. And then, as quickly as that, the memories were gone. Only the feeling remained. The binding thread that ran from his heart to hers. “I will never let you go,” he promised.
i’m dead, i’m gone “short drabble” she says and then gifts me with one of the greatest Kenshin smuts ever also enabler? i told you two sentences and sent some googly eyes ehehe
Warnings:NSFW content, jealousy, re-telling of canon events, denial of romantic feelings/conflicted emotions, oral and vaginal sex, spoilers for Kenshin’s main story (up till Chapter 10)
Prompt: “Mine” Summary: A council is called, with the attendance of the Oda envoys, Mitsunari and Mitsuhide, to revise and recapitulate the terms of the Uesugi–Oda alliance. Kenshin soon discovers the relationship between the two men and their former ‘Chatelaine’ runs far deeper than one in between mere acquaintances. Glaring truths are about to be spoken and Kenshin learns once more: envy has always stood as his greatest weakness when it comes to her.
The Main Hall of Kasugayama is alive once more—rowdier even, with the sounds of inebriated merry-making in the wake of a fairly tense Council earlier in the day. One with the attendance of the Oda entourage; a few among them friends she hadn’t seen in a long while. An opportunity for peaceful negotiations, one she had been happy to take advantage of.
She fidgets about in place, restless hands curled around her cup of liquor. Eyes alert and wandering, even as her mouth grazes the cusp of her drink in a show of sipping at the contents.
Kenshin’s eyes stray once more, surely by force of habit, to catch her impatience—odd eyes following her eager gaze as she sits by his side: a pretty ornament, formerly of the Oda, one he seized for himself in a battle not long ago.
Kenshin frowns. That’s just what she was. A decorative commodity, a Princess of the Oda, Kenshin repeats the words over and over in his head, tossing and turning them about until they refuse to make sense. Unsuccessful efforts in deluding his own heart, a traitorous part of him whispers. He smothers it mercilessly.
She inclines her face towards him then, inquisitive eyes catching his gaze – the mild concern he captures in hersleaving him desiring. Her lips part on the sound of his name, surely in question before the Oda envoy named Ishida impertinently cuts into their space. Nodding amicably to Kenshin once, he turns to address her, “Here you are, princess. It is a relief to see you well.”
Unsavory. Poisonous. The sake burns tasteless down Kenshin’s throat to catch sight of the joy brimming within her gaze at the appearance of the other man who dares his hands forward to grasp hers within, smiling at her with no less amount of care and affection.
“You were just the person I was looking for, Mitsunari. Well, Mitsuhide too. But I must give you these before you depart tomorrow morning.” She hands him one of the furoshiki bundles she’d kept close by her side for the entirety of the evening.
“A gift for you.” Her smile widens at the pleased look that takes Ishida’s face when he unveils his present. “Writing implements! Thank you so very much. I can only hope the fabric we brought you earlier can offer you even a modicum of the joy I feel at your thoughtful gift.”
They speak of the affairs of Azuchi Castle and its town—two people close enough to share a laugh over a drink or two. The stark awareness of her comfort in Mitsunari’s presence scorches bitter ash across his tongue—a feeling he tries and throttles into submission. Failing efforts; until he feels the warmth of her hand across his where it rests clenched – he notices belatedly – on his knee. “Kenshin.”
Nothing sounds better than the syllables of his name on her tongue and he relishes the sound of it. “What is it?”
“I’d like to excuse myself for a while. Mitsunari tells me he hasn’t seen Mitsuhide in a while. I’d like to go search for him, give him his gift before he returns.” The effort it takes to slip his hand away from hers, to not hold on and tell her to stay, right by his side. The last of his iron-clad will hardening, crushing back base impulses before he does something he shall regret. Kenshin watches her leave in silence, the ice in his chest surfacing within odd eyes to leave them devoid of warmth as he swipes the last of his drink. Bidding Mitsunari a swift, curt farewell, Kenshin excuses himself for the night.
The air outside washes pleasant over her cheeks, flushed from sake and happiness as she finally spies the back of familiar robes; silver strands almost luminous under the moon. The man facing away from her as he speaks to one of the Oda retainers; low, indecipherable words exchanged in between the two—ones she fails to hear from where she stands. Hesitance and caution in her steps, she shuffles forward, silent so as not to disturb the men. However—
Mitsuhide tips his head in her direction. “And what is our dear chatelaine doing out here all by herself? Tired of entertaining the Dragon, I presume?” Dismissing the man she believes is his subordinate, he turns to face her.
She shakes her head, venturing closer. “I was looking for you, Mitsuhide. Why’d you leave the feast midway?”
His gaze – just as discerning as she remembers it – sweeps across her and holds. “And what of you?”
“Irritatingly evasive as always, I see.” Her smiles; of amusement, she lifts the object she carries, up for inspection. “I wanted to hand over your gift.”
“A gift? For me?” Something akin to surprise flickers its way into his voice and she continues, pleased to have caught the man off-guard.
“Yes. I had gifts prepared for everyone at Azuchi once I learned you’d be visiting. I’ve left the rest in Mitsunari’s care and brought yours.”
Slender fingers reach for the offered box, a soft question spilling, as if an afterthought. “I gather these gifts are your way of announcing your decision? You’ve decided to stick by the God of War.” A lull follows her nod, Mitsuhide choosing to work through the binds of his gift before he abruptly pauses, a smile stretching slow across his face at the revelation. “A salve for cuts,” he muses.
“I wasn’t in Azuchi for long but I did gather you dealt with… questioning our prisoners. I often noticed the nicks on your hands.” Mitsuhide continues to watch her, levity dancing across his features but she continues, unperturbed by that look. “Figured I’d take matters into my own hands and give you something for their well-being since it’s clear you care as much about your body as you do about taking proper meals.”
A soft, sudden sound slices through the quiet of the night; low and sonorous and she recognizes the quality of Mitsuhide’s laughter, broad shoulders shaking with mirth. “Seems as if a certain silly bird is far more aware of her surroundings than initially given credit for.”
She angles a critical glare at the offending man, half of a mind to smack the smile right off that irritating face of his before he stops, his ridiculing fit supposedly having subsided for the time being.
That penetrative gaze finds her once more and stays. Mitsuhide’s voice drops several octaves, softening in a manner she’s never heard from the man, as if in preparation of revealing a heavy secret. “I assume Azuchi will grieve the loss of its Chatelaine for a long time to come.”
She catches those barely tangible threads of mischief in his gaze… but his words, she accepts them for the sincerity she hears in them and smiles. “Thank you, Mitsuhide. For everything. Try not to make things hard on Hideyoshi, alright?”
“Why, you almost sound like the Mother himself, little one.” Tapered digits reach for her face then, as if he means to trace her features. She thinks she catches the streak of something within gold eyes, almost… almost—
“Continue as you are and I shall cut you down where you stand, Kitsune.”
Concentration shattered, the scent of cherry blossoms and sake assails her senses before she feels the drape of a familiar arm around her, possessive in its hold as Kenshin catches her back against his chest.
Angling an inquisitive glance his way, she’s rendered speechless at the barely trapped frost that seeks to skewer as if by sheer will, within eyes—sapphire and emerald, edged to a dagger’s point.
The two men continue to stare at each other and she almost holds her breath at the unusual tension that pulls taut within the air. Opening her mouth to intervene in whatever it is she finds herself caught in, before Mitsuhide’s silken tones slice through the tightening pressure. “Ah. I see how it is. How utterly lucky for you, little mouse. It seems as if your favor is returned.”
“And plenty.” He adds, a corner of his mouth pulling into an enigmatic smile to catch the crush of Kenshin’s jaw, the hand he spots trembling to pull his sword free at his hip. Mitsuhide retreats a few stops before inclining his head at Kenshin in farewell. “The hour grows late. We must depart for Azuchi at dawn’s first light, so if you shall excuse me now.”
Affording one last glance her way, Mitsuhide melds one with the shadows; footsteps fading fast into the distance before all that drapes them is heavy silence, settling pregnant with questions unspoken deep within her heart. The steady movements of his firm chest with each breath, deep and reassuring against her back, the rhythm of his heart – she notices belatedly – setting back into rest. And yet, he does not release his hold on her.
A sigh rasps past his lips, scorching hot against her ear lobe, from where his mouth rests close. Always.Close yet not quite touching.
Before she hears the low, sonorous echo of his voice forming words her befuddled mind struggles to string into coherency until it does—“What must I do to make you mine?”
—and blanks.
The tip of her tongue traces the edge of her lips, once, twice in an effort to return much needed moisture. This careful game they’d been playing for the entirety of her stay here, his eyes speaking clear and yet, his feelings still so obscure. His heart hidden from sight, tucked away close where she couldn’t reach, it hurt her every time to have the man she loved pull away from her as if her touch itself were poison or perhaps his.
Kenshin moves away, the warmth of him leaving her back to engulf her hand, far smaller in his grasp as he urges her to her feet. “Come. I shall walk you back to your chambers.”
The warmth of her touch slips away from his grasp; Kenshin turning back to return to his own quarters, far colder for her loss—before those delicate fingers find their way onto his haori. Frail. Breakable.Just as the rest of her. “Kenshin. Won’t you come inside? I have… gifts for you too.”
A foolish decision, his mind derides as he finds himself seated in the comfort of her chambers. A place he too, finds relief in, despite never having stepped through her doors before.
The colorful varied fall of fabric designated to a corner of her room. Books she’d borrowed, perhaps off Sasuke, shelved neatly in place. One of such tomes placed upon her writing desk alongside her sewing implements. Threaded needles spilling from an overturned canister as if their owner had only just left and meant to return soon.
The scent of her as she bustles about the room: the cherries she so loves, and crisp fabric— commingles with an essence that’s just her.
Kenshin finds himself inhaling, slow and deep, as if to savor the scent of her within his lungs— just as she seats herself in front of him. The objects of her quest in hand, she places in between them.
Lifting each curious gift in turn, she begins to speak. “A polish for your blades. I asked Shingen for advice and purchased the most appropriate amalgam for swords in town.”
Her hands flit towards the second canister. “This one’s tea. A herbal concoction to be exact. I’m almost certain I got the proportions right. This should help you sleep easier at night.” She speaks as if she knows of the demons that plague the object of his nightmares. Except that now… instead of a young princess he’d failed to save from the dark gallows once upon a time, the burbling ghosts of his mind reach to tear into her now.
She trails off, even as her fingers reach for the last offering. “And this is—”
“Pickled plums.” Kenshin finishes. A feeling, so intense it almost knocks the breath from his lungs, takes over and sinks as he takes silent stock of her ‘gifts’. Each crafted and procured with careful thought, her desires in doing so almost impossible to ignore.
“Yes,” she nods, face blooming into a smile. “I know you don’t fancy tea much so I’d hoped to balance that bitter gift out by this one. You’ll be able to enjoy your sake with your favorite snack for the next, good while.”
She lifts her face, hope seeping into wide eyes until all Kenshin sees is how it takes her features in entirety. A wish, surely, he is the wrong person to ask for its fulfillment.
“I know these aren’t much but…”
“No.” An obscure emotion had begun to gain meaning once more, ever since her arrival. His heart a thing she seemed to hack the vines off of. A cage that had held it protected for so long. Numbed.
Yet, slow but sure, the chaffs shedding off of the past… useless to leave him unrestrained, it terrifies Kenshin to feel the burgeoning of this nameless bloom he cannot control. Almost as frenzied as the desire to spill blood in battle.
Ire and darkness manifesting in the possession he desires to have of her: mind, body and soul—the Kitsune’s face flashes through his mind then. Deliberate words, his eyes as they had settled upon her and appraised, almost fond. Hands that had reached for her. Hands he’d wanted to slice through for daring to.
A lump makes itself known heavy within his throat. “You are…” Sapphire and emerald; glittering edges as he ventures closer, as if a beast prowling toward the prey. But she does not cower, fragile digits reaching to snag against his clothes just as his catch against her cheeks, palms cupping around to feel their warmth. A deliberate, careful sweep of his thumb across her cheekbone sends the dark fan of her lashes trembling before they fall to shroud her gaze from sight.
Uncertainty knocking distant within his ears, he coaxes her eyes back to his, the frown he feels budding in between his brows, settling chaotic and needy to have her answers. “Why? What is the reason for your kindness? Why do you… ” unsettle my heart as you do?
A hand comes up to splay across his own, emotions he dare not decipher in that gaze, spilling forth on a murmured sound. “You know why… don’t you?”
Consternation deepens its hold across his features before Kenshin rasps out what he knows. What he has known for so long. His surrender leaving him on a wretched breath before he tightens his hold on her. “Push me away, struggle and run away if you must… if you do not want me, tell me now. Or else…”
I would not be able to contain myself once I have you.
I would not be able to let you turn back into the arms of a man you truly desire.
I would ruin us both before I’d ever let go.
Stop me. Despise me.
Her breaths tremble against his lips, the heat of a fire he’s ventured too close to. The slightest of brushes against his mouth as she leans in, flooding open the violent barrage of emotions he can no longer throttle, open mouth and tongue crushing against hers to swallow her staggered moans. Clawing at his shoulders in a bid to pull him closer, her desperation spurs his own vehement desires.
Dragging open the collar of her kimono to trace the rapid flutter of her pulse against a hot tongue, Kenshin’s teeth easily close around the tendon he finds straining against her neck and her head lolls back further in a shuddering whimper to feel the force of his manic desire. Her voice leaving her on a strangled sound of his name, eager fingers thread through his hair to tug and draw him back toward her mouth, open and wanting, unbearably hot; fleshing searing against flesh— the taste of her against his tongue inundating his senses far heavier than any liquor. “I have known what I’ve wanted and for so long. And I… I am afraid.”
Her eyes – hazed over with the burden of her want, brimming along with the love he sees set alight in them – meet his and hold. Her hands, ever so tender, his salve to wounds she uncovers afresh to let him see where he hurt…. and wanted for her— she traces his features as if she finds it a wonder to be holding him as she is now and the thought sends a fresh barrage of needles stinging through his heart. “If I have you now, I won’t ever be able to let go. I’ll restrict you; shackle you down until you’re sick and weary of me. And yet… I cannot make myself let go.” Kenshin moves forward, laying a delicate kiss against her lips.
“Then don’t, Kenshin. I don’t want you to.” His lips trace her features, committing to memory as she speaks. “The man I love cherishes me. I’ve always seen him strive for my comfort and my happiness.” A kiss he places against her brow, subdued tremors taking him at the intensity of his emotions. “You are worth far more than you give yourself credit for. You won’t hurt me, Kenshin.”
“Foolish woman… you don’t know that. You can’t.” A weary smile breaks across his face but it hurts her… he sees how it causes her expression to crumple in on itself. Taking his hand within hers, she guides his palm to rest above her left breast, her heart fluttering rapid beneath the touch of his hand.
Desire so acute, it almost hurts to hold back at the exhorting look she fixes him with, asking him to fall, let go. “This is yours. If you do not trust in my words, let me be here to show you how you honor me. Let me love you Kenshin… please. Let us be in this together. Let me be your support.”
Her arms coming around his back to hold and draw close. Undoing the barely held cascade of hunger and desire: for her heart, her body, all of her in its entirety… until Kenshin’s pressing her back onto the floor, his own form overwhelming her smaller, trembling one. Her chest heaves with her breaths, heavy and rapid as she reaches to pull back the rest of her kimono, finally bared before him.
A dark, foreign growl leaves the confines of his chest as Kenshin drives her legs apart before settling himself at her entrance. “I love you. I want you. Tell me to leave you now if you do not wish for me to go further.” A broad, quick stroke of his tongue against her swollen clit sets her quivering, her thighs tightening their hold against his head.
“I want you to go much, much further. I want you so much it hurts.”
The last of her words heard and acknowledged, Kenshin surrenders to the desire that rages and runs within his very marrow, for this woman as she twists beneath his grasp. Each shallow stroke of his tongue through her folds wrenching sounds from her he swears he shall never tire of. A kiss he places near the junction of her thighs before drawing flesh into his mouth to leave red blooming in its wake.
Her hips, as if of a mind of their own, lift and press against him, her moans and hands desperate as they work to drive him closer and Kenshin’s hands slip beneath her to anchor against his mouth, fingers pulsing into the flesh of her buttocks. Tongue slipping into her depths till she cries out with the intensity of the stimulation.
Addiction rolls liquid heat in his veins to feel the clench of her deep within, gathering moisture onto an insatiable tongue. Drinking of her until she spills herself sweet against him.
Swiping a careful thumb against his lips before slipping the digit into his mouth, sucking, he gathers himself above her. The hard length of his cock dragging through her folds, coating himself in her essence before he presses in, groaning to feel the give of her wet flesh around him. Sinking deeper until she’s taken all of him up till the hilt. Kenshin reaches to find relief against her neck as he begins to move. Her fluttering walls; exquisite torture to leave him wanting to come undone in moments. Just as she calls for him on withering cries he sends higher with each harsh swing of his hips against hers.
Over and over, until it feels his own body could mesh with hers, cock leaving the confines of her wet relief only to sink right back and it’s agony;Kenshin reaching to tug a pebbled nipple into his mouth, groaning as he worries gentle teeth against the puckered bed. Frenzied fingers reaching for the bead of pleasure at the apex of her thighs, pressing in to slide them down against the slick, gathering moisture, until he feels for the place he joins her in ecstacy.
Her insides clench around him to keep within her depths every time he withdraws and Kenshin moves to place his lips against her temple – a silent, whispered hope – trailing down toward her neck, lapping at the taste of the woman he knows he could never hope to have enough of.
For fear still held him captive within its jaws, his desire to protect her reigned stronger and as he feels the flood of her warmth, Kenshin, too, spills himself into her, binding her to him, repeating that thought over and over until one day he too finds it true:
She will not share the same fate as Isehime’s. I will protect her. She will not be Isehime.
Sasuke, you can talk about how hauntingly handsome he is, his smooth blonde hair and his piercing heterochromatic eyes, or how strong and unbeatable he is or even how intelligent he is, also the way he majesticly fight with his sword and how brilliant he is when training his vassals, oh god and the amount of charisma, power and presence this man possesses… chill h0e(〃艸〃)
