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the12thnightproject · 2 months

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Chapter 46: Divergent: Katsu and Toshiie reconnect, while Mitsuhide gives Katsu a field promotion.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

As Toshiie continued to level his best glare at Mitsuhide, well… my first impulse had been to laugh. I didn’t laugh, of course, and squashed the giggles before they could reach my mouth. The idea of my clumsy brother picking up a sword to duel the cool elegant Mitsuhide seemed a recipe for self-inflicted injury. When the initial humor faded away, anger jumped in to replace it. “You knew that I was in Sakai… and you didn’t come to find me?”

“If I might offer an explanation –.” Mitsuhide began, before the second half of the realization hit me.

“And you! You knew my brother was here and you didn’t tell me either?” Someone was going to be sleeping alone tonight.

“May I continue, Brat?” At my shrug, Mitsuhide raised a questioning eyebrow at Toshiie, who also seemed to be inclined to let him keep talking. “Might I first point out that you never mentioned your brother’s name?”

I hadn’t? I thought back… I might not have.

“It didn’t occur to me that I had met your brother until after you returned to your original time.” When Toshiie startled at that, Mitsuhide nodded to acknowledge he was aware we were from the future. “Katsu, Toshiie was the healer who treated you when you were in the accident. Why he chose not to disclose the connection and not to return to see you is something that you need to discuss with him.”

When I turned to look at Toshiie, who hung his head, Mitsuhide again took control of the conversation, this time by removing the wig to reveal his natural silvery hair. “Before you two talk though, I must introduce myself to you, Master Toshiie. My name is not Kyubei, its Akechi Mitsuhide. When your sister and I were here earlier this summer, we were pretending to be a merchant and his concubine.” Even though Toshiie bristled like an angry cat, Mitsuhide strolled to my side, picked up my hand and kissed it. “My brilliant fiancée was kind enough to agree to the charade in order to help me locate a kidnapped Oda princess.”

As Toshiie edged down from DEFCON one status, I gave Mitsuhide a look. Ok, he technically hadn’t lied, aside from claiming that we were engaged, but I still was going to have to expand on the story to Toshiie… hang on. I slapped Toshiie’s arm “You didn’t visit me because you thought I was a prostitute?” Way to be sex positive… not.

Toshiie threw his hands up in the air and looked to Mitsuhide, apparently now deciding that hewas the good cop, and I was the hard ass. Mitsuhide simply bowed. “Dear me, it appears that the two of you need some time alone to sort through matters.” He kissed my cheek, and then whisked himself downstairs, where I expected he would probably get a lesson in all kinds of nasty potions.

Who am I kidding? He had probably crept back up the stairs and was listening in. I mean…. I would have.

“I thought he was holding you against your will.” Toshiie glanced toward the stairway. “He seems nice though.”

“He’s not nice… but he is kind. Nice would bore me.” Since Toshiie didn’t respond to that, and had instead fallen into awkward silence, I gestured at the walls. “Is this your building?”

The response to that question was bitter laughter, a sound that seemed out of place coming from my brother. “No, I work for the herbalist in exchange for room and board.” He seemed not to know what to do with his hands, and so, taking pity on him, I asked for tea, even though I was not thirsty.

While he bustled around the irori, I took a closer look around his quarters. His place was small – there was no upper floor above us, so all he had was a cooking area and a main room. A futon was folded neatly in the corner, with two cushions sitting on top of that, but there wasn’t very much in the way of décor.

It was such a huge departure from his room in modern Japan, which had always been full of art posters, brightly colored textiles, and piles (literally piles) of books and graphic novels, that I realized my brother had become a completely new person. One I would have to get to know from scratch. Well… I suppose it was the same with me. I was not the same directionless adrenaline chaser I had been in my adolescence.

Once the tealeaves were steeping, Toshiie grabbed the cushions from the futon and placed them on the floor on either side of a tray table. I knelt across from him and waited for him to begin his story.

…

When a couple minutes had passed with him doing nothing but stare uncomfortably into his teacup, I finally decided to prompt him with a little bit of interrogation. “Would you rather start at what happened the day we got here? Or fast forward to the day you found me and didn’t stick around for me to wake up.”

“Wow. Harsh… But I guess I deserved that.” He still wouldn’t look at me. “Last fall… I was in a bad way. I um, drank. All the time.”

"The first night I was injured. I don’t recall much, but I do recall hearing a flute. That was you, wasn’t it?"

Mitsuhide inclined his head. "The healer mentioned you might find it soothing."

"Where is this healer now? Did he not come back after the first time?" It was strange to hear about a doctor who popped in once but didn’t come back to check on a patient. Maybe he needed to be sent for.

"From what Shojumaru has told me, the man is brilliant but rarely sober." As if to illustrate the point, Mitsuhide poured himself a cup of tea, rather than breaking out his sake. "As long as you appeared to be incrementally improving, I thought it not necessary to further test his sobriety."

Calling on the spirit of my moderately awesome ninja pal, I kept my face as impassive as possible.

“And I thought I had nothing to offer… that you would hate what I had become. I needed to clean up first.” He clenched his hands so tightly that his knuckles paled in the effort.

“I wouldn’t have cared. I mean… well, I would have worried a lot, but I wouldn’t have ever hated you.” Although I might have done my best to stage an intervention… which probably wouldn’t be possible in a place where the rice wine was sometimes safer to drink than water. “I just wanted my brother back. I’ve been looking for you – that is one of the reasons I became a courier to begin with. To find you.” I paused a moment, then prompted by honesty, I added, “Well, that and I hated being a housemaid.”

“Until I saw you with Kyu- er, with Mitsuhide, I thought you were dead. Eaten by a bear.” His fingers played absently with a rough chip in the side of the teacup.

Eaten by a … what?

“A bear?” There was nothing I could do after hearing that except laugh. “I’m sorry,” I said when I caught his hurt expression. “I know you must have been devastated when you heard that, it’s just… I’ve never gotten close enough to a bear to even be bitten by one, let alone become a bear meal. They don’t eat people. They’re more scared of us than we are of them.”

At that point, there was only one thing to do, and that was to hug him and pat his back and he tensed and shuddered a few times. “I’m sorry. You must have felt so lost.”

Belatedly, I wondered whether Aki’s gruff, slightly distant affection had indeed been exactly what I needed. After my first few weeks of culture shock, and reluctant acceptance that yes, I was stuck 450 years in the past, my entire motivation had been focused on physically and mentally becoming the best scout/ messenger possible. I had thrived on the challenge, more than I ever would have on any challenge I had faced in modern Japan.

“I thought it was my fault. I was the one who suggested we go to the shrine that day, and then when we were attacked, I couldn’t protect you.” His face was still buried in my shoulder, and I could feel his tension through his entire body.

“You wouldn’t have had to suggest it if you weren’t so worried about me, but… it would never have mattered. They would have figured out how to get us here no matter what.” Ok, that last bit was still a theory, but given the whole Aki situation, I think we were both supposed to be here.

He pulled back, and now his expression was one of curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a long story… but I want to hear about you first.” I figured Toshiie needed to unload and get everything out. Bringing up Aki right now would just derail all that. “All I knew, or at least what I thought I knew, was that you were on a ship of some sort.”

“We’re going to need more tea.” He poured out another serving. “That’s right. I was on a ship. We'd been at sea about six weeks," he made a disgusted face, "when we encountered a rogue wave that damaged the mast. The ship limped into Sakai for repairs and in the confusion, I escaped… and well, I guess they probably didn’t look too much for me. I was an awful sailor. They were getting tired of stepping in my vomit… and when they asked me to clean it up myself… well, I just got sick again.”

Yeah, that tracked. Toshiie always had had terrible motion sickness. “I didn’t have any money though and for a long time I just existed by helping out in a noodle place. Chopping and stuff. Putting those medical skills to good use. And then I actually did put my skills to use when the restaurant owner cut himself and I stitched up the wound… did you know that they’d never heard of sutures here?”

In fact, I was aware of that, having witnessed my share of battles from the sidelines, but I didn’t want to stop his flow so I simply raised my eyebrows to get him to keep going.

“Anyway, every so often I would do some actual medical work and after a while people started coming to me when they were injured or sick. The herbalist downstairs thought it would be a good business decision to have me up here, so it is kind of a trade. However, he takes most of what people give me for the care.” He gestured around the sparse room and at his worn clothing. “Hence.”

Ugh really? And I had smiled politely at the man when we came in? “That’s not fair!”

“It … is though. I might have not spent it wisely anyway.” He left that open for interpretation, but I got the inference. “I haven’t been very proactive about this… career. Or really bothered to do much in the way of advancing my knowledge.” He sighed. “At first the drinking was just to help the sea sickness.”

“And that helped… how?” Wouldn’t that have made it worse?

As if no years had passed, my twin was able to glean my thoughts again. “You’re thinking it might have made it worse… but I already felt so miserably sick, that at least at some point I wanted not to care about it. Besides, you should have seen the quality of the water on board. You do not want to know what I found floating in one of the barrels.”

Ew… I could imagine.

He turned serious again. “Once I was off the ship… it made things seem less awful.” I stretched out my hands to him and he took them. “I didn’t want to live… but after what mom did, I couldn’t kill myself either.” His grip tightened on me. “When I saw you alive, I finally had a reason to change.”

He … should have changed for himself. I didn’t want to be anyone’s reason or purpose (too much pressure), but now wasn’t the time for that. “And … did you… change?”

A rather strained smile crossed his face, and I could see that there were dark unhealthy circles under his eyes, but his next words were from the old Toshiie, my sarcastic twin. “Cold turkey, baby. It… sucked, but having knowledge of herbal teas helped get me through the worst of the symptoms.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help.” Because there were no more words to say, I pulled him into a hug, and as he once had done when our mother died, he sobbed on my shoulder. Toshiie always had felt things more deeply and fiercely than… no, maybe that wasn’t true. His way of dealing with pain was different from mine. His outlet was emotion; mine had always been activity – to push my body until I couldn’t think.

Neither way was better or worse… they… just were.

After his emotional storm passed, he got up and pulled the teakettle off the irori. It had been steaming and spitting for a while now. He’d be lucky if there was any hot water left. While he made yet another pot of tea (well… he was probably still flushing poison from his system) I gave him the highlights of my past seven years, doing my best to get to this summer where I knew I would need to selectively edit information to match up to Mitsuhide’s story. “After Aki disappeared, Mitsuhide and I partnered up – “

“So you weren’t his fiancée?” Toshiie, of course leaped on that inconsistency, seeming (of course) very interested in my relationship with Mitsuhide.

“At the time it was more of a business partnership…”

“Heavens, wherever did you get the idea that I was offering you a partnership? You will be working for me, and you will do exactly as I say.” Before I could tell him where he could put his job offer (such as it was), he continued. “Don’t look so mutinous, Brat. Am I wrong in thinking that this was exactly the scheme you were planning with this man-” he nodded toward Francisco, “-as your conspirator? And would you agree that I would be far more competent in the role than a man who was not able to appear at the auction in time to rescue you from danger?” In spite of, or more simply to humor, Francisco, Mitsuhide sent a friendly smile in his direction.

Again, yes. Mitsuhide and his mouth full of teeth would be an upgrade in that regard. If I continued with Plan A. However, I could move directly to Plan B – finding and working for this Shojumaru – without taking a partner. Especially one who would-

“I rather think your rejection of me, while somewhat personally hurtful,” he dramatically placed his hand over his heart, and directed an over-the-top lovelorn glance at me, “lies in the fact that unlike your language-deficient friend, I would exert control over your somewhat impetuous behavior.”

“My rejection, as you put it, lies in the fact that I don’t want to work for you. I don’t want to work with you. I don’t want to spend any time in the same room with you.”

“OW!”

A punch on my arm startled me out of my reminiscence. Toshiie grinned at me. “Look at you, with that goofy smile on your face. You liked him even then. My little sister in love. Never thought I would see the day.”

Ooof. Goofy smile? Mitsuhide probably heard that. Oh boy. I was going to be teased for that for certain. “It was only after I got hurt that the two of us realized how we felt about each other… but Toshiie, I haven’t yet told you… it turns out that Aki is our father… he’s from some time in the future…. I mean the future of our future. If we hadn’t gone through the wormhole then, we might have ended up here at some point anyway.”

There was a long silence while Toshiie digested all that. “Wow. That’s some serious sci-fi stuff. I love it... Our bio dad, huh? What’s he like?”

“Gruff. Distant. But… I always knew he cared about me. Before learning he was our father, I would have said that I loved him as a father figure. My Obi Wan. Now… it’s all mixed up because of the multiverse … on man, I haven’t even explained that part of it yet.” Toshiie was looking at me with four parts fascination and one part incredulity. “We live in a multiverse, and you and I have alternate selves. There is only Aki, but lots of us, and in another timeline, I met my alternate – as well as your children. I met them. Nao and Mayumi. They’re pretty good kids. Nao likes to climb things.”

“Huh. Kids.” He smiled. “I don’t know why that helps. But it does. I feel less cursed.”

Well. That was good… but it made me wonder. My life, and Katsuko’s life and apparently my unmet alternate Okatsu’s life had turned out all right. Maybe the mysterious ninja self was good too.

But… were there timelines where we were not ok? Where things had gone as badly for us as they had for Toshiie in this timeline?

“Brat, I don’t recall you mentioning that you met an alternate version of yourself.” After spending most of the evening at Toshiie’s, Mitsuhide and I had returned to the machiya, eaten a light snack, and were now getting ready for bed. I’d hoped he’d missed that part of the conversation… but Mitsuhide misses nothing.

“Hah. I knew you were listening in.” His re-entry into Toshiie’s rooms had been suspiciously well timed to the end of my conversation with my brother, and his welcome interruption into what had been an awkward conversational lull had diverted the rest of the evening into a getting to know you session between the two most important men in my life. Under Mitsuhide’s acting of a fervent lover (and probably also under the spell of those cheekbones) Toshiie’s stiffness had melted away. By the end of the night, he’d agreed to Mitsuhide’s proposal to move to Azuchi.

“I was, and you would have done the same.”

Ok, that’s fair.

True, I had indeed expected him to listen in… but it had been difficult enough just to pitch my edited tale toward Toshiie. I’d decided I would just deal with the eavesdropper later.

Now, it was later… and I still hadn’t figured out how to handle any potential questions. Divert, divert, divert! I gestured to the parcel he’d brought back from the herbalist. “Did you buy something?”

“A little of this, a little of that.” He set a few paper-sealed packets up on the shelf where he kept the oil and incense. Then he turned around and gave me one of those looks. The look that seared into my soul and set my nerve endings buzzing. That prickly feeling… but now that I knew what it meant it was less frightening. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Ok… maybe a little bit frightening. But in a good way.

I knelt on a cushion, folded my hands piously, and gave him an innocent look.

Eyebrow raise.

Letting my fingers trail across the smooth straw of the tatami mat, I tried to ground myself. “It’s nothing really.”

Grounding would have been more effective if my kitsune hadn’t simply picked me up and tossed me onto the bed. He crawled on top of me and kissed the underside of my chin, his tongue flicking out to caress my throat. “You do remember I have my ways of making you talk… and moan… and scream.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you watch those old melodrama – oh!” He was already nibbling his way along my throat, moving leisurely up to my ear. I wiggled in anticipation of what would come next.

“You are avoiding the question.” That wicked smile told me he was having fun questioning me… and that he wouldn’t stop until he got an answer.

And, I suppose, that avoiding it would only make the revelation seem bigger than it actually was. “It’s really not that important. My alternate self is in love with Shingen.” When he frowned at that, I added, “but having met them both, the only way I could manage not to be weird about meeting another me was to think of her as my older sister, and as such, he will always be another brother in my eyes.”

Before he could respond, I hugged him closer. “Thank you for finding my brother. And for having someone watch over him.” I had not missed the nod that Mitsuhide had given to a man sitting across the road from the herbalist’s storefront. “It was the best grand romantic gesture a woman could ever dream of receiving.”

Well, that and travelling through time to find me.

There was silence for a moment, but I wasn’t expecting him to answer. Mitsuhide had as much trouble acknowledging a thank-you as he used to with accepting pleasure. Therefore, I was surprised when he very quietly whispered, “you are very welcome.”

“I’m glad he decided to come back with us. I mean, sure Kyoto isn’t that far from Azuchi, but it will be nice to see him every day…” Hm. That did remind me of one other white lie he had told my brother. “Although he’s going to figure out pretty soon that I’m not your fiancée.”

“He will not, because you are in fact my fiancée.” While I was still processing that matter of fact statement, Mitsuhide took advantage of my silence by kissing me thoroughly that most of my consciousness jumped the track to yes there, move closer, why are we both still dressed.

When my brain cells finally took control again… “I don’t recall there being a marriage proposal-“

“Consider it a permanent extension of our contract.” He propped himself up on one arm and smiled down at me, his fingers drawing little circles on my stomach.

“You know I’ll stay by your side without marriage. I’m more than happy as your lover.” Marriage had never been part of my dreams. “It’s not necessary.”

“You misunderstand. It is very necessary to my continued happiness that you become my wife. Until that blissful moment occurs, I intend to at least use the term ‘my fiancée’ on a daily basis.” He leaned down and placed a slow gentle kiss on my lips, one of reverence, one that said what his words could not. Then, he pulled away, and with that smirk, he added, “After all, do you not want to marry the man who can, to quote your brother, put that goofy smile on your face?”

I knew that was going to come back to haunt me.

@lorei-writes @bestbryn @selenacosmic @tele86 @lyds323 @akitsuneswife

#10things #10 things I hate about Mitsuhide #ikemen sengoku #fanfic #mitsuhide akechi #ikesen mitsuhide #oc katsuko #katsuverse #mitsuhide monday

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jgjmk4-2 · 1 year

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Hello! How about tackling the idea of Kenshin, Hideyoshi, Mitsuhide, Ieyasu, Motonari + the warlord of your choosing, reacting to MC saving herself from the kidnapping attempt. Like she got kidnapped and she managed to save herself and met the warlords on the way back to the castle/manor.

Ooh, I'm sorry, I stopped playing ikesen around the time Motonari came out so I don't know much about him. I do know the rest though!

Kenshin:

Absolutely LIVID when he sees you, branches sticking out wildly in your hair and a smudge of dirt on your nose wandering about in the cold, dark forest.

Lots of nagging about how you should've stayed put, that he would've found you no matter what, that you could've gotten seriously hurt if your escape attempt had failed. But the nagging stops when you collapse in his arms and give him a big, tired smile, "it's Kenshin!!"

A flood of anger and disappointment fills him, he should've made sure you were better protected. His possessive nature seeps back just a little - Maybe he should've kept you locked up...

Kenshin is by your side until you recover. He doesn't leave for a second, feeds you, and holds you tight at night so no one can take you away again.

Hideyoshi:

He turned the whole castle up and down looking for you. Barking orders and snapping at people for breathing.

Probably went through 3 tobacco sticks. When he's heading home to his manor, he thinks he's dreaming that you're in front of him. When he realises the girl slumping her way home is real, he bolts forward, tackling you in a back hug.

"Ehehe, sorry for scaring you Hideyoshi..." you hug him back with tears in your eyes. it was kinda scary and you're so lucky you got away before your kidnappers could take you anywhere.

Hideyoshi's face is in a deep frown. He scoops you up and carries you home, runs a nice warm bath, brews a warm cup of tea and holds you warmly as you drift off to sleep. He makes sure you know you're safe now and that he's got you, so that not even a nightmare will touch you.

Mitsuhide:

Somehow knew before hand that someone was going to try to kidnap you. Fine, they want to play? Let's play.

Sets an elaborate ambush to round up your to-be kidnappers. He himself is laying low, ready to teach them a lesson for their foolishness.

Cue his surprise when you knee one man in the balls and elbow another one in the chin. The third one raises his rusty machete but Mitsuhide is quicker. Though the elusive warlord would be lying if he said he wasn't proud of his delicate mouse.

Mitsuhide quickly takes you home to distract you from what could've become a terrifying experience for you. The 3 men lying on the ground are taken home too... to the cold, dark dungeons of Azuchi castle where they won't be seeing sunlight ever again....

Ieyasu:

"Where were you?!" "Do you realise how worried I was?" "I was looking every where for you!" "You promised to have lunch with me!!" The truth just spills out of Ieyasu's mouth as all the tension in his body flows out with his words.

"...What are those rope burns around your wrists?" The nagging pauses as he realises the red marks. When you tell him the cause there's a rush of anger within him.

He drags you away, to his room and silently pulls out his disinfectants, oitments and bandages. Without another word he tends to your wounds gently.

He acts unaffected by the attempted kidnap, but you can tell he doesn't leave your side for very long for the next few months.

Masamune:

Masamune's away for a day at another province when the kidnapping attempt happens.

He can't believe it when he comes home to hear the commotion that's gone on in his castle - blood on the floor, vases broken, his servants are panicking and his aide is missing and in pursuit of some idiot who tried to threaten your life.

When he hears about how you and Shogetsu tag teamed the kidnapper, he's laughing and wheezing on the ground. Not you biting the kidnapper's arm whilst Shogetsu chomps on the guy's leg!

No wonder there's so much blood in the room. Masamune is proud of his two fierce tigresses - go girls, go! (lol soz I can't remember if Shogetsu was a male or female XD, sorry if Shogetsu's a male)

#ikesen #ikemen sengoku #head canon #headcanon #toyotomi hideyoshi #masamune date #mitsuhide akechi #ieyasu tokugawa #uesugi kenshin #otome #headcannons #anime #ask #jgjmk4-2

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douglysium · 6 months

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Demon Saber: Yasuke (Full Profile)

*Note that all information in this profile is subject to change at any time.

Class: Saber

True Name: “Yasuke(弥助)”

Nickname(s): Yasufe, Yisake, Isaque, Weapon Bearer, Demonic Weapon Bearer, The Obsidian Samurai, The Hand of Innovation, Demon Saber, Demonic Saber

Characteristics

Species: Heroic Spirit, Human

Gender: Female(Is fine with male pronouns though)

Height: 192cm/1.9m(6ft 3in)

Weight: 82kg(180lbs)

Blood Type: Unknown

Place of Origin: Unknown(Somewhere in Africa)

Birthday: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Personal Information

Addresses self as: Watashi / Boku / Ore / Ware

Likes: Wrestling, Swords, Innovation, Telling Stories, Listening to/Reading Stories, Oda Nobunaga

Dislikes: Traitors, Having to deal with sneak attacks, Outdated Traditions, Akechi Mitsuhide

Talents: Swordsmanship, Bodyguarding, Combat Strategy, Martial Arts, Learning new things

Natural Enemy: Akechi Mitsuhide

Image Color: Red, Black, and Dark Green

Affiliations

Oda clan

Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobutada

Family Members

Unknown

Servant Stats

Type: Heroic Spirit

Source: Historical Fact

Region: Japan

Alignment: True Neutral

Hidden Attribute: Man

Armaments: Wakizashi, Katana, Matchlock Pistol, Armor

Known Summoning Catalysts: A piece of an old painting, A piece of her helmet.

Qualified Servant Classes

Saber

Obviously, Saber is Yasuke’s most natural and preferred class. “What kind of samurai doesn’t know how to use a sword?” In this form, she wields a sword gifted to her by Nobunaga.

Archer

Considering what Yasuke is known for, having her be eligible for the Archer class is quite surprising to many. As Nobunaga’s weapon-bearer and an expert warrior, she has had the opportunity to learn how to use many different weapons. Nobunaga even gave her some of her guns at one point as a gift “As much as I appreciate the sentiment even I have to admit that giving someone like me guns is… an interesting choice for a present to say the least. Although, they ended up coming in handy, so at the time I just didn’t understand the full picture.” As an Archer she dual-wields two of Nobunaga’s guns as Anti-Divine and Anti-Mystery Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms that deal extra damage to servants with higher divinity and/or mystery. However, she is unable to make them levitate or summon a near endless amount in the same way Nobunaga can. She also wields a special mechanized bow that fires flaming arrows.

Lancer

“Being both a weapon-bearer and a handpicked warrior can come with perks every once in a while.” Turns out a spear was also gifted to Yasuke as a weapon at some point. It resembles a spine in appearance and can both bend and extend in length.

Assassin

“I’ve mastered many different styles and seen many forms of combat.” She considers Assassin to be an awkward class to be summoned in. As an Assassin, she mainly relies on her martial arts skill.

Berserker

Interestingly, as a Berserker Yasuke, despite using a sword, favors hand-to-hand combat. Her fighting style is that of many different forms of martial arts and she uses various wrestling techniques at any given opportunity. Her fighting style consists of using her sword to get close to or disarm an opponent before fighting them in hand-to-hand combat. Once she has beaten them she will usually try to finish them with the sword or go for another round.

Many of her moves are famous wrestling moves and she gladly takes the role of a heel. “If I serve a demon then I must be a heel.” Despite the Madness Enhancement, she can be pacified by turning on a wrestling or martial arts program, but this only works if there are no foes left to fight.

Shielder

At one point Yasuke learned how to use a shield in order to be the best bodyguard she could be. Although, it is definitely not the weapon she is most competent with and she is restricted to protecting one or two people at any given time. She considers it unwieldy

Avenger

As an Avenger she manifests as a time in her life in which she was a ronin or a wandering masterless samurai. She wandered not only Japan but also the world.

Gunner

“Well, of course, I can be a gunner if I wield some of Lord Nobu’s guns.” In this form, she can actually make the matchlock rifles she has float in a similar manner to that of Nobunaga. However, she still has way fewer guns being limited to ten. Her matchlock pistol also becomes a weak Noble Phantasm.

Parameters

Strength: A

She has been described by many as incredibly strong, as strong as ten men even, so it is only natural that she has a high strength stat.

Endurance: A

“I must be able to keep vigilant for as long as possible.”

Agility: B+

Her reaction speed and agility when on the defensive are decently high.

Mana: D

Luck: A-

NP: E - EX

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: B

Cancels spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected. She has apparently fought a few mages on a couple of occasions. However, it was nothing too powerful, at least according to her. She is capable of blocking spells that are A-rank and below with her katana Noble Phantasm if they have a small enough radius. It does not completely protect her from any explosions or similar sorts of aftershocks that result from the spell, however. This aspect of her Katana pairs well with her defensive fighting style.

Riding: C

At C Rank it allows her to manage beasts and vehicles if she has received the proper training and adjustments. Most vehicles and animals can be handled with above-average skills. However, she cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Monstrous Beasts. Due to the fact that she does not have an anecdote of riding anything special or worth mentioning, she receives a lower rank in this Skill for a Saber. She is a quick learner though.

Personal Skills

Guardian Knight: C

A rare skill that grants the Servant a temporary attribute bonus if acting in the defense of others. In Yasuke’s case, it grants her a boost in her defense and reaction speed when protecting someone she has tasked herself with defending. “A bodyguard’s greatest threat is an impeccable defense?”

Presence Detection: E-

A somewhat unusual skill for someone like Yasuke to have. At such a low rank it only allows her to detect when a servant is attacking her or someone nearby and when a magic spell is targeting her or someone nearby. Although, it does not tell her where the assault is coming from, forcing her to rely on her other abilities to avoid such an attack. It also nullifies any Presence Concealment that is of equal rank or lower. In some sense, it can be considered a form of insurance against mages and assassins. Its rank is higher when she is summoned as a Shielder.

“When you’re a bodyguard you have to be ready for all kinds of sneak attacks.”

Reduced Earth: E+

“I’ve picked up a few martial arts tricks.”

It is a technique that cuts down the distance between opponents instantly. However, at such a low rank it only allows her to move a “few extra steps” or meters. So she mainly uses it to throw opponents off during battles or to essentially “jump” short distances. It’s effectiveness seems to increase when she is moving in to protect someone or something.

This skill would be a much higher rank if she was summoned as an Assassin.

Protection from Arrows: D

A skill that grants an increased defense against ranged attacks by predicting the projectiles’ trajectories through exceptional means. In Yasuke’s case, it allows her to dodge slow moving projectiles and helps lessen damage she would take from projectiles she can’t avoid by either catching them or ensuring they don’t hit any of her vital organs. Apparently, this skill is one of the tricks she picked up on her travels.

Mind's Eye (True): C++

A skill that allows for a calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduces an appropriate course of action after considering most possibilities of how to escape from a predicament. In Yasuke’s case, it is leagues more effective when dealing with a sword-based attack or opponent and it’s somewhat more effective when dealing with someone utilizing hand-to-hand combat. It also becomes more effective when she is considering how to protect someone or something.

Charisma: C++

A skill that increases the ability of allies during group battle. In Yasuke’s case, it is at C++ Rank because of the status Nobunaga granted her and the apparent popularity she had. It is at its strongest when concerning defensive formations and stances. It also seems to gain strength if she is the center of attention.

Noble Phantasms

Hasebe II: The Powerful Cutter- D- - A(Anti-Unit and Anti-Unit(Self)), Maximum Number of targets 1

A short katana that was gifted to her by Nobunaga. It was a sword that was eventually used as a ceremonial one before being given to Yasuke. She ended up naming it after Nobunaga’s sword after being unable to come up with a completely original name after thinking about it for a good week. To this day she still spends time trying to come up with cool sword names and will run them by her Master on such occasions.

An unmentioned fact is that it is actually a demonic sword, albeit one that is normally very weak. It is also symbolic of Yasuke’s status as Nobunaga’s weapon-bearer, bodyguard, and retainer. Thus it boosts Yasuke’s Strength, Endurance, and Agility stats along with her Eye of the Mind(True) by one rank at the cost of decreasing her luck by one rank when using the sword to defend someone. If she kills someone with this weapon it becomes more powerful for a period of about 24 hours by temporarily harvesting the soul of the one she has killed. During this time the Noble Phantasm becomes one rank stronger at the cost of lowering Yasuke’s luck stat for the duration of this period. It also causes the blade to become bigger. Which can make it awkward to move in enclosed spaces. It maxes out at A-rank(requiring four souls to reach that level). However, this factor of the sword rarely reaches its full potential in battle since Yasuke doesn’t like to go around killing random or innocent people just to make it stronger. It can still give her some sort of advantage when fighting one opponent after another. Due to being a ceremonial sword, its rank has a somewhat low starting point.

By releasing the sword’s true name it becomes a full-length Katana with a blade made of a red “beam” energy. While in this form the gemstones on the sword and its scabbard glow. It has a special ability that allows Yasuke to actually withhold any damage the sword might deal in this form until later. This means that Yasuke can strike an opponent and then wait until the time is right before choosing to have the wound take effect. When someone is struck by this sword without being damaged any cuts or stabs that would normally appear manifest as seemingly harmless glowing marks instead. Also, the sword’s True Name cannot be unleashed on Nobunaga herself. If she were to attempt to hurt Nobunaga with the blade it would simply pass right through her(not that she would even dream of doing such a thing anyway).

“Behold the manifestation of my status and skill. Hasebe II!!!”

Nyuyoku Buredo: Wash away Their Facade- C+(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of Targets- 1

This Noble Phantasm can be described as the recreation of a very famous moment. It is a Noble Phantasm that is tied to Yasuke herself and thus it can be used with any blade or sufficiently sharp object she is wielding, no matter the quality. Although, it is more effective if the blade is well built.

When the true name is released it covers the blade in a vortex of water that acts like a high-pressure water cutter. It boosts the sharpness and effectiveness of the blade to that of a Noble Phantasm if it is not one already.

However, its true purpose is that when an enemy has their actual body physically struck by the blade they will be forced to reveal their True Name, Parameters, skills and Noble Phantasms, and Yasuke will immediately be made aware of all these things even if she is in a situation where she can’t hear them for whatever reason.

This Noble Phantasm can be used to make it seem like her Wakizashi is a Noble Phantasm unless the enemy is paying close attention.

“With this water, I will wash away anything that covers your true self. Nyuyoku Buredo: Wash away Their Facade!!!”

The Head of Nobunaga: The Battle has Yet to End- E-Ex(Anti-Unit(Self)), Maximum Number of Targets- 1(Self)

Before Nobunaga died she entrusted Yasuke and Ranmaru with taking her head and delivering it to her son, in order to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Yasuke considered it the ultimate form of trust and believed she would not fail as long as Nobunaga was with her. This Noble Phantasm is a manifestation of that.

Luckily it manifests as a red crystalline skull, as opposed to a literal head because according to Yasuke “That would be too creepy, even for me.” It resembles a demonic skull, and when active its eye sockets are filled with an illusionary blue fire while allowing Yasuke to gain one of Nobunaga’s Personal Skills as long as this Noble Phantasm is active. She can use this to catch an opponent off guard or temporarily gain new abilities.

By releasing this Noble Phantasm’s true name she can summon any of Nobunaga’s weapons, be they Noble Phantasms or not. However, she is limited to only being able to summon one weapon at a time and she cannot do things like make guns float. So her use of these Noble Phantasms tends to be much more limited in scope.

This Noble Phantasm’s final ability allows Yasuke to recreate the act of safely delivering her friend’s head with Ranmaru by sacrificing the Noble Phantasm. By doing this Yasuke can recreate any one of Nobunaga’s Noble Phantasms in their entirety, with potentially floating guns and all. However, this can only be done once since the sacrifice of the Noble Phantasm is a must. This Noble Phantasm is not restricted to just the abilities, weapons, and Noble Phantasms of Archer class Nobunaga, rather it can utilize these things from any class that Nobunaga would be eligible for under normal circumstances.

Whenever the skull is used it will announce the name of the ability, weapon, or Noble Phantasm Yasuke is drawing upon with Nobunaga’s voice

Oddly, this Noble Phantasm will not manifest if Nobunaga is currently summoned or “alive” in any way. So if both Yasuke and Nobunaga were to be summoned into the same Holy Grail War, or if Yasuke was summoned in an era where Nobunaga was still alive, Yasuke would have the Noble Phantasm sealed away until Nobunaga dies.

“As long as Lord Nobu san is with me I will not… no... I CANNOT fail. BEHOLD THE HEAD OF NOBUNAGA”

Misc

Wakizashi- Yasuke wields a Wakizashi and will sometimes dual-wield it with Hasebe II. Unlike Hasebe II it is not a Noble Phantasm but it’s much heavier than a normal sword and its sharpness and quality easily surpass that of any normal weapon. On rare occasions, Yasuke will throw this weapon to catch enemies off guard.

Matchlock Pistol- She tends to only use this weapon to catch opponents off guard, deal with non-servant opponents, distract opponents or draw the attention of opposing servants. It is not a Noble Phantasm and while it is leagues above a normal pistol it isn’t too effective against most enemy servants and has to be reloaded when it runs out of ammo.

Armor- Yasuke wears samurai armor that resembles a strange blend of armor from the Sengoku period and that of a ceremonial Japanese Ground Defense Force uniform. The mask she wears is helpful for hiding her identity. It is also capable of altering her voice as long as she wears it.

One thing of note is due to her many travels and love of stories she is pretty good at determining the identity of servants from many parts of the world. She usually needs to at least see a servant’s Noble Phantasm to even begin to make an educated guess and even hearing the name of someone a servant met may be enough of a clue to help her narrow down the identity. However, she is still fallible and one can trick her into coming to the wrong conclusion about a servant’s identity or they can simply keep their identity and life details under tight wraps. She would also have no way of guessing the identity of any servant that came after the time period in which she was alive. So she would be unable to guess the identity of any servants that are modern enough or from the future.

Background

A lot of Yasuke’s background is wrapped in mystery due to a major lack of proper records when concerning her life before serving Nobunaga. Whenever asked or pressed about most of the gaps in her life she usually just says “That doesn’t matter. Not anymore at least.” What is known is that she did have some sort of sufficient combat experience and training before meeting Nobunaga. There is much speculation about where she is from and she admits that she doesn’t remember where she was born. Although, she refuses to say anything about where or who she was raised by. When it comes to the many speculations surrounding where she was born she simply says “If you can name it I’ve probably been there at least once.” She is someone who has definitely traveled to many places, and she says out of all them when excluding Japan she spent the most time in Mozambique “but that isn’t saying much.” She has also been to places like South Sudan, Ethiopia, and many others.

Yasuke was brought to Japan as a bodyguard and former slave tasked with protecting an Italian Jesuit priest named Alessandro Valignano in 1579 and excelled in learning new things, such as the Japanese language, very quickly.

She eventually came into contact with Oda Nobunaga. She went on to quickly impress Nobunaga with her strategic mind and fighting prowess and was thus made a samurai, bodyguard, and weapon-bearer. While making a foreigner a samurai-like this would normally be odd, to say the least, Nobu, as a King of Innovation, was not bound to traditions or tactics she considered needless.

Yasuke and Nobunaga had many talks and Yasuke often regaled her with stories and experiences from all around the world, and as they grew close Nobunaga granted her many things such as houses and the like. One of Yasuke’s most treasured presents from Nobunaga was an ornate ceremonial katana. This katana was surprisingly a relatively weak demonic sword and it lacked a name. When asked about the gift’s name Nobunaga simply shrugged it off and said something like “Name it whatever ya want.” After about a week of being unable to come up with a new name she eventually just decided to name it Hasebe II after one of Nobunaga’s swords. The name was meant to be a symbolic placeholder but it ended up sticking. To this day Yasuke is still trying to come up with a cool name that’ll knock Nobunaga’s socks off. Yasuke went on to hang out, and sometimes even eat, with Nobunaga and various members of the Oda family

Everything changed however when Nobunaga was betrayed and attacked by an army led by one of her retainers Akechi Mitsuhide. Yasuke valiantly fought against Akechi’s forces. However, it was clear they were going to be overwhelmed. Nobunaga was eventually defeated and committed seppuku with Mori Ranmaru acting as her kaishakunin by cutting off Nobunaga’s head. Before her death, she tasked both Ranmaru and Yasuke with returning her head to her son after she died while Ranmaru was given the task of burning the rest of Nobunaga’s body and Yasuke with protecting both Ranmaru and the head as they made their way to Nobutada. This would prevent Akechi and/or his army from obtaining her head or body and it was a great sign of trust. To this day Yasuke considers it one of the greatest signs of trust she has ever received. She is not absolutely sure if this trust stemmed from some sort of friendship or a strictly pragmatic trust in her abilities but to her, it doesn’t matter.

“Let me put it this way. If the first option is true then that means I was a good friend until the very end and if the second option is true then it means that she actually understood my abilities, and knew the place I came from didn’t matter.”

She managed to follow through on her promise to Nobunaga and delivered her head to Nobunaga’s son. She ultimately chose to fight with Nobunaga’s heir, Oda Nobutada and fought alongside his forces during the final battle.

After the loss, Yasuke was captured by Akechi who considered Yasuke a foreigner unworthy of being killed. He went on to say that he would at least think about changing his mind about the statement if Yasuke died with dignity by committing seppuku. Yasuke refused and Akechi decided to send her “back to that temple of barbarians,” with the said temple being a Church. Akechi did not care what happened to her after that.

The records of what happened are lacking but Yasuke fills them by saying that she managed to escape after losing her sword, becoming a ronin that wandered around the world.”

“I am loyal to lord Nobu and care about Japan because she cares. You should make sure you have an actual connection to people and aren’t just serving a transient country for no reason.”

Akechi would eventually be defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi but Yasuke still wants a chance to get her revenge on him.

Appearance

Usually clad in an armored uniform and a large red cloak that helps obscure her true identity. Although, she does take her mask off on occasion when relaxing, taking a breather, or when she is dealing with kids since many people find the uniform’s mask menacing.

Even when her mask is off she is constantly vigilant and on guard, not letting herself lose focus for even a second.

When not wearing her uniform she is extremely tall, has dark skin, and has a lean body type. She has short dreads that have red tips.

Personality

By default, she talks in a respectful manner but will swear and talk down to someone for whom she has lost respect. Most traitors fall under this category but she does not automatically hate all people who choose to abandon their allegiance to someone nor does she inherently hate all acts of betrayal. “There just needs to be a reasonable justification for it and not hurt those I care about.”

She is a quick learner of most things and adapts to new situations quickly. She loves to talk but “does not talk without purpose” and can thus come off as quiet when she has nothing to add. When she begins to talk a lot she is usually asking questions, educating someone, giving advice, or telling a story of one of her adventures. She is also just as fond of listening to the stories of others as she is telling her own.

While she does hold some level of respect for laws and power structures she is always questioning them and will not follow them without thought. If they do not hold up to scrutiny or serve no purpose she does not usually care to follow it or what other people think of her ignoring it.

While for the most part, she will follow any orders a superior gives her, she will ignore any order that puts her, her master, or friends in danger. However, if she has a strong enough attachment to someone or deems it strategically necessary she may be willing to risk her life for them.

While she doesn’t go out of her way to attract attention she is not one to “waste the spotlight.”

Yasuke’s ways of thinking are about as flexible as Nobunaga’s but more bound by common sense. Despite that, she still trusts Nobunaga’s judgments and when asked to do unusual things will just say “I suppose I just can’t see the full picture yet.”

During a Holy Grail War Yasuke is uncomfortable with leaving her Master’s side unless absolutely necessary. She considers Masters to be too strategically important to be left without any means of protection. “Besides, it plays to my strengths as a bodyguard.” Likewise, she will gun directly for other enemy masters if given the opportunity. Yasuke is also unafraid of incorporating or utilizing modern technology to her advantage and using all aspects of the terrain to gain an edge.

She enjoys reading comedy and gag manga/comics in some of her free time.

Servant Interactions

Nobunaga(Archer)- She has great respect for “Lord Nobu chan” and trusts her judgment. She enjoys spending time exchanging stories with her and is willing to fight for her at a moment’s notice.

“Lord Nobu, with your long-range attacks and me staving off close-ranged attacks we’ll be almost unbeatable.”

Nobunaga(Avenger)- Yasuke seems to have great respect for each of the different versions of Nobunaga.

“I’ve served many Nobunaga and they all have such interesting stories to tell.”

Nobunaga(Avenger) Third Ascension- “You got taller...”

Nobunaga(Berserker)- “A swimsuit? ...Maybe I just don’t understand the full picture yet…”

Mori Nagayoshi- “Lets show any traitors the full power of our wrath.”

Mysterious Ranmaru X- “I know you’re not quite the same Ranmaru but… thanks for the help… I owe you one.”

Okita Souji(Saber)- She is in awe of Okita Souji’s swordsmanship. “It’s kind of strange that such a natural counter to Lord Nobu is always showing up around her.”

Okita Souji Alter- “The story of how you came to be is interesting.”

Okita Souji(Assassin)- “If I had a jetpack like that I could perform all-new strategies and techniques thanks to the aerial mobility it provides. I just have to figure out how to get my hands on one of those.”

Oda Nobukatsu- They are both willing to give it their all in support of Nobunaga.

“Just so you know Nobukatsu. I can also protect you if need be.”

“If anyone disrespects Lord Nobu they will have to answer to both of us.”

Chacha- “If you ever need help sleeping I can regale you with one of many stories.”

Master Swordsmen- “Those movements… I wonder if I can incorporate them into my style”

Sakamoto Ryoma- She respects him as someone who embraces innovation and doesn’t limit himself to useless or self-defeating traditions. Although, she does find his outlook a bit overly optimistic at times.

Oryou- She’s a bit nervous about the fact that Oryou is a powerful dragon from the Age of Gods. if she’s friends with Ryouma she must not be a monster or anything.

Okada Izou- “I put up with you more than I should…”

Despite not outright saying it, due to not wanting to deal with any negative reactions he might have, Yasuke sees a bit of herself in Izou. As someone, she could have become her life gone a little differently, a warrior who can only kill. Not everyone seems to understand the tragedy of a warrior who can only kill but she hopes that one-day Izou can find his own “Lord Nobu.” Due to all this, she is more willing to put up with Izou’s bad attitude than most other people are but occasionally has to draw the line when his manners get too atrocious.

Akechi Mitsuhide- “Eat shit and die...”

She is waiting for the perfect moment to strike him down.

Muramasa- “If you get the chance do you think you could upgrade my wakizashi into some sort of Cursed Sword or something. Oh and if you can give it a cool name too, like god slayer, or something…”

Samurai- “Your skills are befitting of your status”

Hang Tuah- She has great respect for his loyalty and sees a bit of herself in him. She considers him a bit naive, however.

“This is a servant who understands the importance of not leaving their master unguarded.”

“I say we should defend to the best of our abilities, with your invulnerability and my bodyguard skills, Master could be almost untouchable.”

“You’re lucky to have Taming Sari with you.”

Julie d’Aubigny- “Well I’m not one to waste the spotlight either…”

“Her charisma reminds me of the good ol’ days.

Damarchus/Karna Santa- “Y’know I know a thing or two about boxing too. Just don’t take my head off please.”

Damarchus- “I’m willing to spar with you if you refrain from using your wolf form.”

Genghis Khan- “The sheer effectiveness of your battle tactics reminds me a bit of Lord Nobu’s. I can see why you guys get along.“

Oryou(Avenger)- “A world where one doesn’t have the other sounds quite scary for multiple reasons.”

Yasuke does seem to have an understanding of this version of Oryou’s plight due to her understanding of the importance of “human” bonds.

*Hang Tuah, Julie d’Aubigny, Damarchus, Genghis Khan, and Oryou(Avenger) are all fan-servants created by MochiBoni, Omegazplayer and Paisen respectively. You can check them out on Twitter. And here are the profiles for each respective servant

Hang Tuah- https://docs.google.com/document/d/12mjNkmjnhIIeLgGRvSlVVLhRQqWd4cbEDygfQHSLPCg/edit

Julie d’Aubigny-https://twitter.com/Omegazplayer/status/1416650069206573057?s=20

Damarchus- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jArzQOnAWnvSv8MRelYSl1x5DZj-gUndaBmPtO74icw/edit

Genghis Khan- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BbeM2KDRc1h2ti3xgzD52pTQXJZiL7B6FVIfuC19WFg/edit

Oryou(Avenger)- https://twitter.com/_paisean/status/1487720881124085762?s=20&t=VKNtelIYD5mRXWxflaC-iA

Martial arts users- “Hmmmm, we should spar sometime. I could definitely learn a thing or two from you.”

Wrestlers- “I know a thing about wrestling too. Don’t be afraid to go all out against me.”

Quetzalcoatl- “I’m happy to play the part of a heel if you need one.”

Miyamoto Musashi- “I’ve been to many places… but going to a whole nother world is far beyond me.”

Dialogue examples

“Class Saber, True Name Oda Nobunaga... Oh, you’ve already met her? Then I am Yasuke.”

“Get behind me, Master.”

“How about Lighting Cutter, No. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Damn, all the good sword names have been taken.”

“These remind me of that time where… Actually, I’ll just tell ya later.”

“Alright you piece of shit, you’ve officially lost all fucking respect from me!!!”

Death Lines

“So this is what it’s like to die in combat...”

“Stay safe Lord Nobu san...”

“Please run… Nobunaga”

Wish for the Grail

“Well if Lord Nobu was there then I would just trust her to make the best wish so I would let her have it… but if she wasn’t there I would wish that I was strong enough to win that final battle for her…”

Fun Facts

If she was playable in FGO she would be a 4 star servant.

In FGO the Head of Nobunaga would act as a skill that would increase her defense and give her a random buff based on Nobu’s Personal Skills and Noble Phantasms at random.

She would have good compatibility with a master like Kiritsugu Emiya. However, she would not be among one of his most compatible servants.

She would have terrible compatibility with someone like Shirou Emiya since protecting him would put an immense amount of stress on her.

Her Magic the Gathering alignment would be center Blue-Red-White and secondary Black.

If she was in the Epithet Erased universe her Epithet would be Armory.

If she was in the Hunter x Hunter universe her nen type would be Conjuration and her hatsu would be similar to Knov’s and revolve around storing and summoning various types of armor and equipment.

She is pansexual.

Her overall servant rank is around B+.

Ranmaru also has access to Nobu’s head as a Noble Phantasm(at least they would if I designed them).

She carries Hasebe II with her at literally all times.

Her favorite Pokemon are Kabutops, Golisopod, and Samurott.

If she had a Pokemon type she would be Fighting and Dark.

If you want to see my thought process and inspirations behind Yasuke’s design you can see it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pt-paxkKpp7jrJv05aqC4luS-4LRpjTv3M2r_3SzUKA/edit

Visual References

#fate #fgo #fanservant #yasuke #fate fanservant

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misty-moth · 3 months

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Will I delete this later? Probs.

I just… need the teensiest weensiest vent…

I woke up without the ability to taste or smell. I went through denial, right? But I still can’t. Judge if you may, but I licked perfume to check and tasted and smelled nothing.

And I told my mother about it, and she just ~can’t figure out why that could be~ 🥴😲🧐

😐

I just… I just…

#this must be how mitsuhide feels about food #i… am a sensitive bean by nature #so this? this thing happening? not so great for me #deep sigh

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odaclan · 6 months

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The infamous "Mitsuhide hitting/kicking incident", as recorded by Luis Frois

This is taken from the Japanese translation of Luis Frois's Historia, which has been criticised for unfortunately containing mistranslated texts in various parts (examples included inserting arbitrary Japanese words when Frois originally recorded no Japanese words, and inserting arbitrary colour descriptors that wasn't in the original).

I don't know if the translation has been revised since, so this account might be somewhat flawed if it was taken from the old version, but for the time being this is what I have.

信長は…その権力と地位をいっそう誇示すべく、三河の国王（徳川家康）と、甲斐国の主将たちのために饗宴を催すことに決め、その盛大な招宴の接待役を彼（光秀）に下命した。これらの催し事の準備について、信長はある密室において明智と語っていたが、元来、逆上しやすく、自らの命令に対して反対（意見）を言われることに堪えられない性質であったので、人々が語るところによれば、彼（信長）の好みに合わぬ要件で、明智が言葉を返すと、信長は立ち上がり、怒りをこめ、一度か二度、明智を足蹴にしたということである。だが、それは秘かになされたことであり、二人だけの間での出来事だったので、後々まで民衆の噂に残ることはなかったが、あるいはこのことから明智は何らかの根拠を作ろうと欲したのかも知れぬし、あるいは[おそらくこの方がより確実だと思われるが]、その過度の利欲と野心が募り、ついにはそれが天下の主になることを彼（光秀）に望ませるまでになったのかもわからない。（ともかく）彼はそれを胸中深く秘めながら、企てた陰謀を果す適当な時機をひたすら窺っていたのである。 Nobunaga… in order to further display his power and position, decided to hold a feast for the king of Mikawa (Tokugawa Ieyasu) and the generals of Kai Province, and the role of the host was tasked to him (Mitsuhide). Nobunaga had a discussion with Akechi in a private room about the preparations for these events, but being someone who was by nature easily offended and could not bear to be spoken against, people say that when Akechi replied to him (Nobunaga) with things not to his liking, Nobunaga stood up and kicked Akechi once or twice in anger. However, this incident was private, where only the two of them bore witness to it, and it didn't become a publicly known rumour until later. Perhaps Akechi wanted to establish justification from this, or [perhaps more reasonably], his excessive greed and ambition rose, such that it finally led him [Mitsuhide] to desire to become the master of the land. (Anyway), he kept this deep in his heart, waiting for the right moment to carry out his plot.

(the quoted passage taken from this article)

Luis Frois pretty clearly did not like Mitsuhide, maybe because Nobunaga's death robbed the Europeans of the security that they had under his reign. In his letters and Historia, Frois repeatedly describes Mitsuhide as cunning, and that all his well-seeming actions were only to cover up his treacherous intentions.

That being said, this is one of the very few actually contemporary accounts of such an incident happening. The story that was frequently seen in dramas and movies, that Mitsuhide got beat up due to accidentally serving rotten food to Ieyasu, was from the Ehon Taikouki that was created in the Edo period. This narrative might have been an exaggerated version from the account in the Kawasumi Taikouki (itself already a rather late date account), where Mitsuhide was dismissed because of the rotten food, but was not beat up.

Because the incident of Mitsuhide being beat up by Nobunaga—or by another vassal under Nobunaga's orders— cannot be found in contemporary and reliable accounts, various researchers have considered that story to be dubious.

If there really was an incident where Mitsuhide was hit, then it might have happened at another occasion and not during Ieyasu's visit to Azuchi.

#oda nobunaga #akechi mitsuhide #luis frois #historia de japam #japanese history #sengoku #sengoku period #sengoku era #samurai #samurai history

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shatcey · 4 months

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Keiji

When I started his route, I was mentally prepared for an exhausting super-positive person with some dark and sad backstory. All super-positive people just pretend to be clowns. Dazai is a perfect example.

But I like it from the very beginning. The first encounter.

This serious expression on his face won me over. He's so beautiful when he's not laughing hysterically... Oh, man… I'm so weak to yellow eyes…

But that's not all… I don't see this as a spoiler because it's revealed in 2ch. But… just in case.

His super-positive personality is just an act… surprise-surprise. If even Mitsuhide didn't recognize it as such (or just pretended not to), that's commendable.

Very accurate descriptions

Maybe I spend too much time with grumpy characters, but I immediately noticed his concern in that remark. Mai didn't… she probably doesn't talk much with Ieyasu.

In fact, Ieyasu doesn't like him at all. Which is funny, considering how much they actually have in common…

May even give names to his "personalities". Posi-Keiji is short from positive, and Nega-Keiji - from negative. It's funny that she seriously talks about them as two different people. Like he has a split personality, and not the mask he's wearing… And again about good acting.

And the most fascinating thing is to watch how quickly May begins to feel something for him. Yes, she constantly argues with herself, which resembles of Shingen's route, but here… it doesn't seem like she only likes his body… She was interested in him for many reasons from the very beginning. It looks more natural that way.

This guy combines everything I like. He wears bright colors, he's ginger with yellow eyes, he's smart, even calculating, grumpy, and I find it extremely charming and caring in the most unexpected way. Not to mention that he is very tall, muscular and handsome. It's like a combination of Luke, Ieyasu and Mitsuhide… What have I done to deserve this gift?..

Oh… I almost forgot. He's such a drama queen…

Or is it just Posy-Keiji? Whatever… I love it.

And his angry expression is so good… I never thought that the phrase "angry people look so sexy" could be true…

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selenacosmic · 1 year

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Teen! MC request: MC gets ready to go on a date with a neighboring daimyo's son, only having to learn that he stood her up. To make things worse, the whole "date" was just a dare made by his friends.

How will the IkeSen guys react?

(I know that Kenshin will totally want to go to war with that said daimyo)

Hello! I am actually starting to love this type of hc! Thank you for requesting.

Teen!MC is stood up, warlords get revenge.

Oda forces.

Nobunaga Oda.

At first he was already suspicious of this sudden invitation for a date, but you seemed so excited that Nobunaga didn’t want to spoil your mood. However, he was very direct about telling you to be careful. If this boy made you uncomfortable or suffer in any possible way, he would pay for it. Still, he provided the best kimono for you to go on this date.

However, when you returned from your date earlier than expected, crying… all hell broke loose, he was ready to make this pest pay for making you cry. You will find the boy and his friends kneeling before you the next day. To comfort you, Nobunaga will give you his sweets jar.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Oh, mamayoshi was worried, you are too young to date! What if this boy tries something with you? Hideyoshi will offer to go with you to protect you! Of course, you will immediately refuse this offer, you want to go to this date freely. After a lot of convincing, he will let you go. All dressed up like the beautiful princess you are.

His heart will break when he sees you crying because you were stood up, he will be filled with rage. “I knew that boy was bad news!” Will be his words as he readied himself to go and confront this boy (will drag his parents into this). Hideyoshi will spoil you rotten to comfort you.

Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Ieyasu isn’t sure about this particular date, he was frowning the whole time when you said this boy asked you out. He just couldn’t allow it, you are too innocent and young for these things. However, you eventually went to this date, Ieyasu would have warned you heavily that you should be careful.

Will be the annoying older brother who says “I told you so.” When you returned home disappointed, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make the boy suffer. He will be apologizing to you immediately after Ieyasu visited him. Ieyasu may not be that affectionate, but he will offer you many hugs. It’s just you who can have them, though.

Mitsuhide Akechi.

He will investigate this boy first, he will know everything he needs to know, just to make sure he is worth being with you. Mitsuhide will know about this bet right away, which he will tell you right away before you even go to this date. Naturally you will still cry and that will break his heart. He will pat your head gently, it will feel warm and comforting.

Mitsuhide will go visit this boy and his friends to give him a little “reminder” of never messing with you.

Mitsunari Ishida.

Oh, what fantastic news! Mitsunari will be happy that you were asked out and will congratulate you, he will be happy to see you excited for it. He will be the brother who will be very supportive of you. But when you get home, crying because you were tricked… he will snap. He will give you the biggest hug and try serving you tea (which you will refuse, he means well though).

It’s very rare to see Mitsunari angry or show signs of being mad, but this will be the moment he will use all of his intelligence to make sure this boy pays. Mitsunari will use his strategic mind to make him suffer.

Masamune Date.

Great! All of his advices about dating are working, Masamune will personally give you tips about what to do on your first date, including what to do if this boy tries anything that you are uncomfortable with, he will train you on self defense for that. Masamune will be surprised when you come back home sad.

Oh, there is no one who can hold this man back from going to this boy’s province to cause commotion. Call him crazy, because he will act like he is. The boy will be begging for your forgiveness after this. He will cook you your favorite food to comfort you.

Keiji.

That’s great! Keiji will be happy as well, he will make sure you are fully prepared as well. He will be suspicious about this boy but won’t try to interfere with your date, he just hopes everything goes well. However his suspicions will be proven right when you come back home with tears in your eyes, he will give you a big hug and comfort you right away.

He is a very strong man, no one can doubt that… he won’t be smiling or being his usual cheery self. This boy will be in big trouble. He will be whipped so hard by Keiji he will never mess with you again.

Ranmaru Mori.

Oh! How exciting. Ranmaru will want to dress you up personally for this date, you will be the prettiest princess there is. He will give you lots of encouragement for this date so that you can have fun.

Oh, Ranmaru will cry a bit if you start crying after returning, he will hug you and tell you how he doesn’t deserve you. Also, we should remember that he is a ninja, Ranmaru will keep messing with this boy and his friends for what he has done to you.

Uesugi-Takeda alliance.

Kenshin Uesugi.

No, he doesn’t trust this boy or any boys who approach you. You are his little sister, you are too young and innocent for these disgusting boys. Kenshin will insist that you stay at home, but will eventually accept that you go. Though he might follow you to see how this date will go.

His heart began to broke when he saw that the boy didn’t even show up. He knew it, he will go to war with this boy! When you get home, kenshin will give you all the comfort you want. He will even reassure you that he has already prepared to go to war against the boy.

Shingen Takeda.

Shingen will be excited for this, very proud too. You are his cute little sister, every boy should feel lucky to go to a date with you. He will teach you all you need to know about dates so that you can go confidently. He will be very supportive of you, though he couldn’t help but feel worry.

When you return home crying, shingen will make his life goal to make this vermin suffer for making you cry. He is a very smart man, he can think of many ways to create trouble for the boy’s province. He will give you a bear hug and his sweets.

Yukimura Sanada.

Yukimura isn’t sure about this, he dislikes dates and things related to them, he can be a bit overprotective of you. He can’t really stop you but will be constantly questioning you about the safety of this date. What if he tries something? What if he is a boring guy? Well, he won’t try to stop you from going.

When he sees you back home earlier than expected, he will be all like “I knew it.”. Yukimura will pat your head and think of this boy as trash for standing you up like that. He will punch him for you, just ask him and he will do it.

Yoshimoto Imagawa.

He will be thrilled, how wonderful that you were asked out on a date! Yoshimoto will be very proud of you and will hope you have a wonderful time. He will offer to dress you up, prepare your hair and make up. Just let him make you the most beautiful girl for this date. Though you already are beautiful. The most supportive big brother you will have.

Seeing you back, sad and crying from your date, will awaken something inside Yoshimoto. He will give you lots of comfort and hugs, telling you that you are too beautiful for an ignorant person like that boy. He will become much more aggressive towards the boy, which will be rare.

Sasuke.

He will be very happy to know that you are going out on a date, though Sasuke will try investigating about the boy. He won’t find out about the bet so he won’t stop you from going. He will feel extremely guilty when he sees you back home, feeling sad. Sasuke will cheer you up the best way he can. Besides, he can make you laugh easily.

He will spread ground spikes all over the boy’s bed as revenge.

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imagineimaginethat · 1 year

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Hello! I don't know if you're still taking requests, but if so, can I request Ikesen Mitsuhide and Kenshin with S/O who's first language isn't Japanese and who says something to them in that language from time to time? (It's mostly just "love you" and a lot of compliments that she's too embarrassed to say directly to them)

This is so cute, of course!

Mitsuhide

The first time he hears mc speaking a different language he is intrigued. He has never heard the language before, not even at the ports which were hubs for hearing languages from afar.

He doesn't understand what mc is saying on a word for word basis, but he uses context to figure out she is paying him compliments.

When he first hears 'I love you' in a different language he knows it could only mean one thing, or at least it carried one particular sentiment.

In order to discern a bit more about what she's saying he'd sometimes repeat the words or phrases casually, waiting for a reaction from mc.

One of mc's favorite things to call him is 'troublemaker' in her language, she says this in different ways depending on the context, but overall it has become a term of endearment, that Mitsuhide finds himself answering to, almost involuntarily.

He still doesn't understand what it means though

For other words tone is all it takes for him to get the general idea of what is being said, but other times he is totally lost, although he does an excellent job of concealing his confusion.

He will try to talk mc into teaching him the language and eventually he'll begin to fully understand everything and he will definitely tease her endlessly about that.

Mitsuhide definitely uses the language mc has taught him as a way to covertly communicate with mc when they are on missions, in the field, or just to mess with his fellow warlords.

Kenshin

"Sauske explain what this woman has said to me immediately"

Kenshin enjoys hearing mc speak in a different language, although he does get a bit frustrated when he realizes something she is speaking about him

When her sweet/shy tone conveys the complimentary nature of the words she speaks it brings a small piece of joy to the war god

If Sauske does know anything though Kenshin is definitely holding a sword to his throat and demanding translations

MC would definitely be embarrassed if Sauske revealed anything because not only would Kenshin know what she had been saying, so would Sauske

It becomes like a game after some time, MC would rush her words and statements so that Kenshin would struggle a bit more to relay them to get an accurate translation out of his favorite ninja

Finally he gets the translation for 'I love you,' Kenshin is pleased, but ponders why mc is saying such things in a way that he won't understand.

Kenshin bides his time until one night he has mc alone and he says 'I love you' first in her language, then in Japanese to ensure she knew he knew exactly what he had said and that he had meant it.

It is a bittersweet moment for MC, mostly because she could say whatever she wanted without any bashfulness before, but now she knew he understood a lot better, which also made her feel nice because of how much effort Kenshin put in to become closer to her and get to know and understand her.

#ikemen sengoku #imagine imagine that #requests are open #ikesen #ikesen kenshin #ikesen mitsuhide

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ikeromantic · 1 year

Text

Entwined, Ch 8

Part 8 of a multipart series. Mai has been reborn in the modern age after a full life in the Sengoku. The warlords as spirit animals find her again after 500 years of searching for her soul. Approx. 2800 words.

Part 1

Previous: Part 7

Mai swam to consciousness slowly, aware first of the feeling of motion. The subtle vibration in the soft leather seat. The press of the safety belt across her chest. The muted rumble of the engine and the tires on the road. Her eyes opened, blurry and blinking. Hills and grass sped by through the window to her right. The sun was high overhead in a blue sky filled with white, fluffy clouds.

“Awake, little mouse?” Mitsuhide’s hand was on hers, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles.

“Mmm. Yeah.” She smiled at him warmly for a moment, before she remembered what she’d overheard. Mai pulled her hand back, regretting it as soon as she lost his touch. She frowned. “Where are we?”

Mitsuhide chuckled. “Well, after you passed out, I thought you might need a break. So I took you along to visit a friend of mine at the coast.”

“I have work to do this afternoon. And errands. I can’t just take the afternoon to - to play with you.”

“Mmmm. I think you can. I checked that little notebook you keep in your bag. You planned to pick up beading and embroidery notions and work on a custom design for the emperor’s haori in the play, yes?”

Mai nodded.

“Unnecessary. The back won’t show in any of his scenes. So I’ve saved you some time, which means I get to spend it.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless there is another objection?”

There was, of course. She knew now that he was in love with some girl from his past. And she knew it shouldn’t matter. Mitsuhide owed her nothing. They were co-workers. Maybe . . . maybe friends? But that didn’t give her the right to feel so - so jealous and hurt and . . . she took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts.

Mitsuhide looked at her with concern. “Mai?”

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” She shook her head, letting the breath out slowly. “Look. Mitsuhide. I don’t . . . I don’t understand you. Why do you want to spend the day with me? How did you even know where to find me this morning?”

He laughed. “A master never reveals his secrets. But in this case I can tell you it was just luck. I saw you hurry off the train and just decided that I wanted to spend time with you today. Even if just as your assistant.”

“But why?” Why do you haunt me and tease me and look at me with those warm, sun-gold eyes when there is someone else you love? And why does it bother me so much?

“Ah.” He was silent for a time, looking out at the road with a thoughtful expression. “Would you believe me if I told you we were lovers in a past life and I’ve spent centuries trying to find you again, just to see your smile one more time?”

“Mitsuhide . . .” Mai sighed. “You're still teasing me.”

His laughter held a false note, but after a long moment he glanced over at her and his smile was as playful and mischievous as ever. “Is that what I do? Hmm. How naughty of me.”

She looked out the window, accepting that he wasn’t going to give her a serious answer. If she was honest with herself, Mai wasn’t sure what answer she wanted from him. What would she do if he said he wanted to date her? She would just tell him no again, because he was a client. At least . . . she told herself she would.

“Deep thoughts, little one? Do I trouble you so?”

“You are pretty troublesome,” she shot back.

He chuckled again, this time more naturally. “I suppose I am. So, are you feeling a little better? You had Ms. Higurashi and her fiance quite worried.”

“I am. I just - I don’t know. I’ve been having these weird thoughts pop into my head. Like something from a historical drama. Except I can’t figure out which one I’m remembering and -” Mai paused, suddenly realizing she must sound a little crazy. “I told you about it before, but it’s like, every time it happens I get these terrible pains in my head. It’s scary.” She paused, taking a shaky breath.

Mitsuhide reached over, taking her hand in his. His gentle grip was warm and unexpectedly reassuring. “It will be alright, little one. I promise.”

And as stupid as it was, him saying so made her feel better. As if Mitsuhide could do anything about whatever was going on in her head. But the way he said it, his certainty, made her relax as if he really could protect her. “Thanks.”

His touch lingered even after she thanked him. Mai expected him to pull his hand away but he didn’t and she didn’t want him to so she said nothing. It really wasn’t fair to like someone so much, she thought. Especially someone still pining for an old flame.

They pulled into a parking area close enough to the beach that Mai could smell the ocean on the breeze and hear the low thrum of the waves rolling in. The sound set her immediately at ease, relaxing a knot in her shoulders that she hadn’t even realized was there.

Mitsuhide looked across at her. “If you have any lingering protest, little mouse, now is the time to voice them. I can take you home if that is what you really want.” His thumb stroked the back of her hand.

“I -” She struggled with herself for a moment. It was absolutely not acceptable that he practically kidnapped her on this little venture, but she had planned to spend the day working on the haori for his play . . . “I suppose we can take the rest of the day. But just so you know, if you were anyone else, this would have some serious weirdo stalker vibes.”

He laughed. “I will take it as a compliment that you let me get away with it, then.” His smile faded as he regarded her. “I appreciate your trust.”

Mai nodded. She wasn’t sure how to respond. Mitsuhide was a dark window to her, reflecting back nothing. She felt unsure of his feelings for her, his intentions. He was a stranger. Inexplicable and mysterious. But her heart said to trust him, even if her head told her she was being foolish.

Mitsuhide reluctantly released her hand and got out of the car. “Come along little mouse.”

She got out and followed him as he walked through the handful of parked cars. It wasn’t a holiday or a weekend, and the weather was still cool so the beach was mostly empty. The only sound was the waves, which grew louder the closer they got, and the cry of seabirds wheeling overhead.

The sidewalk ended in a wooden staircase down to the sand. A breeze tugged at Mai’s loose braid and tossed Mitsuhide’s hair around his face. She couldn’t help but watch him from the corner of her eye, careful not to be caught staring. He was smiling in a relaxed way, his eyes soft at the corners as he looked out at the blue ocean. It was such a nice expression, Mai thought. It pulled at something in her chest and set an ache in her heart that made no sense to her.

“I don’t come to the coast very often,” he said quietly. She had to strain to hear him over the waves and the breeze. “I always forget how it makes me feel to see the horizon.”

Mai nodded. She always loved the beach. Her family took a special holiday to the sea at least once a year, growing up. And she made a point to go with her best friends too. Being here with Mitsuhide felt different though. There was that tug in the core of her, and under that a sense of deja vu. Her head began to ache in rhythm with her heartbeat.

Mitsuhide seemed to sense that she felt unwell. He took her arm gently and walked with her down the stairs and onto the sand. “It’s just a little further to the house.”

“So. Who is this friend of yours, anyway? Will they be alright with me showing up too?”

He grinned widely. “He won’t mind. That much I’m sure of.”

The house, it turned out, was more of a shop. Two stories, with a wide, covered porch. The front was decorated with a surfboard hanging above the door, and several swimsuits for men and women hung in the downstairs windows. Inside there were shelves with children’s water toys, buckets and forms for making sandcastles, and little colorful arm floats. Music played in the background, a low thrum of rock music heavy on the drums and bass guitar.

As soon as they walked in, a man came bounding down a staircase at the back, taking the steps two at a time. He had coppery skin and a shock of white hair worn to his shoulders. His arms were heavily tattooed with sleeves of fish and flowers, his hands were gloved, and he wore a gold band a little too short to be a proper necklace and a little too long to call it a choker. But what stood out more than anything was his eyes. Twin rubies lit with an inner fire. Bright and hot and full of some secret joy.

“Mitsuhide! You old snake!” The stranger grabbed his arm and shook it. “Long time no see.”

“Motonari.”

That was when those glinting rubies landed on her. For a moment, Mai couldn’t breathe. She felt as if something were around her neck. She heard the word savvy hissed in her ear and smelled sulfur and hot iron. And then it was gone, and there was just the shop and the two men smiling at her.

“Uh, hi! I’m Mai. It’s nice to-”

“Mai!” And before she could say another word, the stranger pulled her into a hug. “I wondered if I would be seeing you around ag- ahaha. So how are you? What brings you two to the beach today?”

Mitsuhide frowned slightly and pulled Mai closer to him, out of Motonari’s unexpected embrace. “She needed to take a day off, so I kidnapped her and brought her here.”

Motonari laughed, the sound a little manic. “That sounds about right. So what do I owe the pleasure?”

“First, of course, I need to get our lovely Mai some proper beach day clothes. And I had a little something I needed to discuss with you, if there’s time.”

He nodded. “For the lady, if I got it, she can have it. For the other,” he chewed at his lower lip. “We’ll see. I stay out of things now. You know that.”

Mitsuhide smiled as if this were the agreement he hoped for.

“You two can go talk. I - I really don’t need -” Mai started to protest, but Motonari cut her off.

“Ya got flowers in yer ears, girl? Ya heard the man. You need a bathing suit, a cover up. A sun dress. Something to sit on. A parasol. Don’t be shy.” He grinned, eyes flashing. “This bastard here’ll cover ya so don’t be shy.”

“I insist,” Mitsuhide nodded, shooing her toward the racks.

Mai went, only half reluctantly. She did need a new swimsuit for the summer, if nothing else. She was surprised to find that Motonari had a really nice collection. Burberry, Dior, Versace . . . not the kind of stuff she’d expected given the surf-shop vibe. But she wasn’t complaining. She picked five that looked like they might suit her, two cover-ups because you can’t just pick a swimsuit and not having a matching cover-up! And a sundress that was too cute to say no to.

They guys were standing off to one side, talking intently. Neither of them looked happy. Curious, she idled a little closer to see if she could innocently overhear.

“Ya can’t force it,” Motonari said, his raspy voice was low and unhappy.

“I’m not. She’s remembering on her own. I just didn’t expect that it would hurt her.” Mitsuhide’s smile was gone, his jaw tense, lips pressed to a thin line.

Motonari nodded. “Well yeah. What’d you expect? Ya think it’s painless to have a whole life tossed in on top of yer own? Poor girl.”

“I don’t know if it would be better to stay away or no. I want to be there for her when she -” Mitsuhide glanced up, a knowing look in his eye.

Caught, Mai, shifted from foot to foot. “Uhm. I was just wondering. Where the changing room is?”

“To yer left.” Motonari chuckled. He looked like he knew she’d been eavesdropping too.

Mai hurried off, feeling guilty for what she’d overheard, but curious too. They were talking about her. She knew it. But what did they mean? Remembering a whole life? It was like that stupid joke Mitsuhide made in the car. About her being a lover from a past life. Ridiculous.

She wasn’t sure if she believed in reincarnation any more than she believed in some kind of heaven - or hell for that matter. When people died, they were just gone. No one knew what, if anything, happened past that. It wasn’t that she disagreed with the ideas people had, just that she didn’t think anyone really knew. Much less Mitsuhide Akechi, teaser-in-chief. But he hadn’t looked like he was teasing Motonari. They both looked deadly serious.

Would it be so bad, she wondered, if it were true? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Mai put it out of her mind as she tried on the first swimsuit. It was a little more daring than she usually wore. Though it was a one-piece, the top and bottom were connected only by winding ribbons of fabric. The bottoms had a high thigh line and the top was two ruched triangles of fabric - just enough to make them ok for a public beach and not a stitch more.

She thought it looked pretty good on her. Almost like a toga turned swimsuit, with the white and gold accents. Mai checked herself out in the threeway mirror. She had never liked the way her butt looked in a swimsuit, but that wasn’t the suit’s fault.

“Are you planning to hide in there, Mai? Or are you going to show us what you picked?” Mitsuhide called from outside.

“Ya, give us a fashion show, girlie!”

Mai frowned at the curtain. “I haven’t picked anything yet! I’m just trying some on.”

“Then let us help you pick.” Mitsuhide laughed. “Come on. Don’t be shy.”

“I’m not shy,” she shot back, pulling the curtain open. She was, but she didn’t want Mitsuhide to be right. He acted like he knew everything about her and he didn’t. So if he thought she was shy, well . . . Mai stepped out, defiant in her swimwear.

The expression on Mitsuhide’s face was worth the discomfort she felt putting herself on display. His lips parted to let out a startled breath. His eyes were as wide as teacups. He made a little strangled sound from back in his throat, as if he wanted to say something but the words got all tangled up there.

Motonari whistled. “You got good instincts. That one’ll knock any man out. Makes a guy wonder if yer single?”

“If you’re asking, then yes. I -” Hideyoshi flashed into her mind for a moment. “Nothing serious.” Mai cleared her throat, feeling a touch guilty. She knew he wanted to be more than friends, but she wasn’t ready to take that step.

“If ya want to change that, I’m on the market.” Motonari shifted his stance slightly, and something about the way he stood emphasized his slim hip, the curve of his strong thighs. He had a certain, rough appeal to him.

“She has better taste than that.” Mitsuhide finally found his voice, though he sounded a bit breathless.

Mai grinned. Something about that flicker of jealousy made her feel happy. “So? Is this a good one?”

“I think something a little more . . . covering.” Mitsuhide gestured to a pink, frilly one piece that would cover her from the base of the neck to mid-thigh.

“Mmm, I don’t know,” Mai tugged at the criss-crossed ribbons on her abdomen. “You really don’t like this one?”

Mitsuhide took a breath, and that was when Mai noticed a tinge of red in his cheeks. “It’s . . . it’s very . . .”

She realized this was her chance to get him back for his earlier teasing. “Very?” Mai turned in a slow circle, trying to move like the models did at fashion shows. Graceful and sinuous, almost like a snake.

The red in his cheeks deepened. Instead of replying with words, he took her arm and hurried her back into the changing room. “Try something else,” he managed, his voice hoarse.

Motonari was laughing. “I’ll leave you two to figure it out.”

“I like this one.” Mai’s chin stuck out stubbornly. Just the fact that Mitsuhide did not want her to wear it made her want to.

“Little mouse -” He took a breath. “I cannot . . . I do not want . . .” Mitsuhide’s gaze was heavy with internal conflict, as if he were wrestling with his own thoughts on the matter. “I have no right to tell you what to wear,” he said after a pause. “But please. Please believe me when I say I do not want other men to look at you in - in this -” His gaze drifted down, moving slowly over her mostly exposed body.

The slow, hungry look made Mai feel even more naked than she was.

His hand stroked down her shoulder, sending a prickle of heat across her bare skin. Mitsuhide’s eyes finally pulled away from her body to fix on her face again.

They were so close, she realized. The dressing room wasn’t all that large, and Mitsuhide wasn’t all that small. If she went up on her toes, she could kiss him, she thought. And more surprising to her, she wanted to. She felt her body leaning into him, obeying her desire without thinking it through.

Mitsuhide stepped closer, his body pressing closer to her. He was warm and firm and solid. His hands rested on her arms. A lock of his hair fell forward, brushing against her forehead. She could almost feel his lips, they were so close to hers. Then, as if lifting a great weight, he pulled back from her, his hands dropping to his sides. “It is too soon,” he said quietly, more to himself than to her.

Aloud, he added, “Please. Try on something else. That’s all I ask.” He stepped out of the changing room and closed the curtain firmly behind him.

Mai froze in place, unsure how to react. The changing room felt empty with the loss of his presence, but there was a budding warmth in her chest from his raw, honest reaction. She decided she would try on a less revealing swimsuit, but there was no way she was leaving this one behind. Not when it elicited that look in his eyes.

In the end, she selected a sky blue one-piece with side cut outs and a low back to wear for the day, with a matching silver and blue cover-up and sandals. And Motonari threw in a parasol with tiny little bellflowers on a white background. She also took the sundress, pale green with little embroidered sunflowers on the bodice, which she wore out because her work clothes didn’t feel right for the beach.

Mitsuhide didn’t ask her to model anything else, but he seemed to be back to his regular self as they left the shop.

Motonari gave them a warm goodbye and told Mai she should stop in again. She decided she absolutely would. Her friends would love this place and Motonari.

#ikemen sengoku au #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen motonari #mitsuhide akechi #motonari mouri #cybird otome #otome #otome guys #fanfiction #fanfic #fluff and drama #spirit animals

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