#ikesen Kenshin fanfiction

[ikeromantic]

Ikesen Boys React to a Tattooed MC pt 2

Thank you again to @otomedad for this idea!

Kenshin, Shingen, and Yoshimoto. Approx. 2400 words. Part 1 here!

Kenshin

Kenshin froze mid-step, his mismatched eyes going wide. You froze too, a shout of surprise caught behind your lips. Your kimono hung open, half undressed as you prepared for a bath.

The tub of steaming water sat behind a decorative screen, and you were wishing you were behind it too. “Umm. Hi?” You tug the fabric closed, your face hot. 

He swallows, and turns his head to look down the empty corridor leading to your ‘room’. “You were not expecting me. I will go.”

“No, wait!” Your voice startles you as much as him. Kenshin turns his head to glance your direction expectantly. You pause, unsure what to say. “I was hoping you would come today.” 

If anything, this seems to surprise him even more than seeing you unclothed. 

“If you like, you can wait with me for the bathwater to cool down. It’s too hot to soak in right now.” You sit down on the small stool beside the bars of your well-appointed cell. 

Kenshin says nothing for a long moment, then he nods. There is something unsettled about him as he pulls up a stool to sit across from you. “Is there anything you need?”

You shrug, glancing around at the stone walls and wooden bars. “Out? Other than that, no.”

He looks down, his lips twisting in a faint grimace. The frown turns to puzzlement. “What is that?”

You realize he’s noticed the cherry blossom petal on the top of your bare foot. “Oh. It’s part of my tattoo.” You carefully shift your kimono open a little bit to show the rest of your leg. Cherry blossoms and pink petals dance across your skin, as if floating on a forever breeze in some place where it is always spring. 

Kenshin regards the ink with more curiosity than you expected. His hand drifts toward the bars that separate you. “Beautiful,” he breathes. 

Your skin prickles and warms with expectation of his touch. The tip of his cool, calloused finger brushes your calf, setting your heart off at a gallop. You aren’t sure if the butterflies in your belly are from the compliment or the feel of his hand on your leg. 

“It does not come off,” he states, rather than asks. 

“Right. It’s ink under my skin so . . . I guess I’m stuck with it for life.” You try for a carefree smile, but miss the mark as his eyes flick up to meet yours. 

Kenshin considers this for a moment, then nods. “It is like a scar, then.” His eyes narrow. “Why was this done to you?”

You do smile then, at the protective note in his voice. “I did it to me. Or, at least, I picked the design and the spot. I wanted something to remind me that life is short. To enjoy the beauty in it, as long as it lasts. Because, you know. It won’t last long.” 

His fingers trace the edges of the petals and blossoms, moving up past your knee to the top of the flowers on your thigh. “The inevitability of loss,” he says, more to himself than to you. There is something warm in his eyes, something fragile.

“No,” you shake your head. “The celebration of beauty, however fleeting. Take joy where you can, right?” 

“Take joy . . .” His gaze falls back to your leg, and he snatches his hand away as if suddenly scalded by your skin. Shutters of ice close him off from you again as he stands. 

You stand as well, reaching for him through the cell bars. Your fingers brush his shoulder before he steps back. 

“If there is nothing you need, I will go.”

“I do need something.” Your voice shakes a little as your hand drops to your side. “I wish you’d visit me more often. Stay for a little longer when you do. I like being around you.”

Kenshin does not reply. He studies you for a moment, before turning away. His steps echo down the empty corridor, making you feel somehow even more alone than before he came. 

Shingen

Shingen’s hand trailed along the smooth silk of your kimono, the warmth of his touch soaking through to your back. He wasn’t technically supposed to be touching you, just watching the stars. But he had a hard time keeping his hands to himself, and you weren’t going to complain. Not tonight, anyway.

“Are you sore, angel,” he asked, glancing at you from the corner of his eye.

“No,” you shot back, then admitted, “a little.” The day’s hike through mountainous forest hadn’t been easy, especially carrying a pack. You regretted insisting on carrying it, but pride wouldn’t let you take it easy. 

Shingen’s lips curled up in a subtle smile. “I see.” His hand stilled on your back. “You know what the best thing for sore muscles is?”

You turn your head to regard him, sensing a trap. “A hot bath?”

“Those are pretty good. But love is what makes the angel sing.” He grins at you, playful and teasing.

“Seriously, Shingen?” You huff and pull away from his touch.

He sighs. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. It’s not every day an actual goddess graces me with her presence.” 

You glare at him, annoyed and flattered and annoyed with yourself for being flattered. “Whatever. I’m going inside.”

“Don’t leave, angel.” There’s a slight pleading tone to his voice. “As an apology, let me give you a shoulder rub. It will make us both feel better. I promise.” The sensual tilt of his lips and the appeal in his gaze give you pause. A massage would feel nice, but . . .

“No. I don’t trust you.” The words leave your mouth in a rushed exhalation, leaving so much unsaid. It wasn’t Shingen you didn’t trust, it was yourself. 

He looked down, his eyes dark and unreadable in the dim starlight. “I promise, I’m not trying to make you mine.” Shingen held his hands out as if in surrender. “Let me help?”

The silence between you expands, an almost physical thing pressing against your skin and making it hard to breathe. You give a curt nod, giving in to what you know you want, even if you can’t admit it. 

Shingen settles behind you. His hands slide down your shoulders, gently tugging your kimono down to bare them. His breath catches and he goes still. 

For a moment, you are confused, and then you realize he must have seen it. Your tattoo. Maple leaves drifting along your spine, from just below your neck to your hip. A riot of warm colors and fine lines etching your skin. You still remember the pain of having it done. But it was worth it. “Something wrong?” You try for a teasing tone, but your voice is too breathy to make that mark.

 “Your back -” He pulls your kimono lower still, revealing more of the falling leaves. His calloused hand presses against the ink as if to wipe it away. “My angel is a work of art.”

A shiver runs through your skin at the feel of his hand on you. Your galloping heart speeds even more, racing uncontrollably as heat flushes your face. “You’re not supposed to be flirting,” you manage.

Shingen’s laugh sends a puff of warm breath across your neck. “That wasn’t flirting. I’m only stating the obvious.” His thumbs press into your tense, tired flesh, a gentle pressure to ease sore muscles. “Is the art something from your village? I have never seen anything like it painted into skin.”

You struggle for a moment to find words, distracted by his closeness and the intimacy of his touch. He clearly knows how to give a massage, and the sensation is short circuiting your brain. “Umm. It . . . mmmm . . . I got it to remind myself.”

“Of?” His lips are distressingly close to the leaf at the top of your spine, almost brushing the inked skin.

“Th-that I am carried. Forward. Even when life is tough. Like a leaf in the wind. Do what I can and leave what I can’t to fate. Or god. Or . . . chaos, I guess. Trust that life is - is pushing me to where I need to be.” You stutter through an explanation, leaving out all the context and emotion surrounding the decision on this image in this spot in those colors.

Shingen is quiet for a while, his skilled hands working out the knots in your shoulders and upper back. “My angel is a philosopher. Something holding us up in our worst moments.” He sounds more thoughtful than you expected when he finally speaks. Rather than blowing off the meaning of the design, he seems interested. 

“I needed something to hang on to,” you say softly, self-consciously. His praise feels undeserved, but makes your heart feel full, your chest tight.

“We all do, sometimes.” You feel the press of a gentle kiss to the back of your neck.

Quiet descends between you again, a soft silence of connection and comfort. 

Yoshimoto

You sit completely still, afraid to even breathe deeply. Yoshimoto’s fingers comb gently through your hair, coaxing it into position. He hums a tune you almost recognize as he works, styling you for the artists that will arrive soon. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea? I bet there are a lot of more qualified models in Kasugayama,” you say through stiff lips. This whole idea has you on edge. Art is wonderful, and you love making it - but being in it? Not so much. 

Yoshimoto adjusts your necklace. “You are perfect. There is none more qualified.” He steps back, inspecting his work. 

“I am so very not perfect,” you argue, thinking of all the parts of yourself you’d change if you could. “Surely Okuni would be better -”

“No. I want them to paint you.” The way he says it sends a thrill through you, as if he would value more your image than any other. Which can’t be true. Yoshimoto is just an appreciator of art. And you, as his friend and student, happened to be available for this painting session with some up and coming artists. 

You take a shallow breath. The next part will be the hardest, even knowing it is coming. “Fine. I guess.” The blanket in your lap seems smaller by the moment and you feel heat rising in your cheeks as you take it in one hand. 

Yoshimoto smiles and moves close again, his fingers hover at the edge of the decorative kimono draped over your shoulders. “I am honored by your trust in me.” 

“Wait!” You take a deeper breath, a panicky feeling welling up in your chest. “I can’t model. I - I have a tattoo!” You feel a sudden certainty that, just like your parents, Yoshimoto will hate the ink on your skin, and the artists will refuse to paint you, and - and -

He settles a hand on your cheek, turning your head toward him. “Thank you for telling me. May I see it?” His eyes are wide and clear, empty of judgment or censure. 

You study his face a moment longer, feeling self conscious. “Ok.”

He pulls the fabric down as you lift the blanket to your chest. Almost the pose you were meant to take for the artists.

Despite the white silk now covering your breasts, you feel exposed. Your entire back on display, bare shouldered and covered with almost nothing from the back of your neck to the top of your butt cheeks. Vulnerable. On display. You wait for Yoshimoto to say something, but he is silent. 

“Well?” Your voice is sharp and anxious, and you resist the urge to tug the fabric up and hide behind it.

Yoshimoto takes a breath. His hands brush your sides, stopping at the edges of your tattoo. Chrysanthemums spread from the center of your back to your hips, delicate and colorful. He kneels to look at them more closely, close enough that his hair tickles against your skin. 

You love the way they look, bright and playful. Accentuating the natural curves of your low back and hip. But you can’t tell what his reaction is. His quiet only wrenches your nerves tighter. “If you don’t say something, I think I’m going to cry.”

His soft touch brushes the inked flowers, as if painting the petals with his fingertips. “I . . . I did not expect . . .”

“It’s fine.” You reach for the kimono, ready to cover up and escape with a little dignity. 

Yoshimoto’s hand catches yours. “Please. Let me look a little longer. It is beautiful.” His gaze meets yours, fey eyes almost aglow. “You are beautiful.” 

Your breath catches, there is a tightness in your chest. A trembling, uncertain emotion that you cannot name. “Alright.” 

His smile is tender and affectionate as his eyes drift back to your tattoo. “These colors are amazing. I have never seen such bright irezumi. And the way it follows the shape of your body -” His caress sends a pleasant shock up your back and sets your pulse pounding. “This was done by a master artist. Only fitting for such a canvas.”

“They were really good,” you nod, recalling the waitlist and the cost. “They designed it for me after I told them what I wanted. Something with meaning, memories and promises. I wanted to look at it the rest of my life and know it holds what is close to my heart.” 

You gesture toward the flowers he is touching. “Red for the promise of love, yellow for what I’ve lost, white for loyalty. And all of it together for beauty, inside and out.” The words pour out as if from a broken dam. You’ve never told anyone all of this, never had the opportunity or the trust. But you want Yoshimoto to know you. To understand you.

“Did you know it is also a symbol of royalty?” His voice is soft, barely audible. 

“I do. Not that I am. Royal. I mean, Nobunaga made me a princess but I’m just a normal person. Nothing special.” You shrug. “I just thought it was a really pretty flower.”

Yoshimoto’s arms wrap around you, and his cheek rests against your back. You feel the flutter of his eyelids as he closes them. “You are special. Talented and beautiful and kind. I can think of no other more deserving of such a mark.”

Bittersweet pleasure floods you. There is nothing you can say to that, and so you let yourself enjoy his embrace. The feel of him pressed close. If only it could last. If only you could speak the words that lie heavy in your heart. If, if, if.

[writingwhimsey]

could you do the 10th prompt with keshin. Hope you can do it, and thank you

Thank you for the request and for enjoying my writing. I hope you and everyone else enjoys this Kenshin smut.

Smut Is In the Air Event

Suitor: ikesen Kenshin

Prompt: "Jealousy seems to be a great motivator for you."

NSFW 18+ content

Shared

I sat in the main hall of Kasugayama, attending another banquet with my beloved and all of our friends. We were in a loose circle all together sharing food and drink and lots of laughs. “Allow me to pour you another cup, beautiful goddess.” Shingen spoke to me, holding up the bottle of sake.

“I appreciate the gesture…” I began, but was interrupted by Kenshin taking the bottle from Shingen and then pouring sake into my cup.

“I’ll be the only one pouring for her.” Kenshin said. “Go find some other goddess. This one is mine.”

I felt my cheeks redden, but I also couldn’t help but to smile. Kenshin got jealous so easily sometimes. “You know Kenshin, you’re the only man for me. It doesn’t matter how anyone else flirts.” I assured him.

“I know.” Kenshin replied. “But HE needs to stop it.”

Shingen chuckled. “I know when a goddess is unavailable.” He said. “I can appreciate basking in her presence without having to take anything from you.”

Kenshin put an arm around my waist and pulled me closer all while glaring at Shingen. “Next time you flirt with her, I will kill you.”

“Can’t have one day go by without Lord Kenshin threatening someone.” Sasuke said.

“Well, it would help if Lord Shingen would stop flirting.” Yukimura replied.

We all spent the evening talking and joking together, sharing laughter. Shingen threw out a few more flirty lines here and there…and Kenshin threatened to kill him, actually pulled his sword out a time or two.

“That’s ten KU in less than an hour.” Sasuke murmured, causing me to laugh as I calmed Kenshin down and got him to put his sword away.

“I still can’t believe you turned it into a measurement.” I told Sasuke, being the only one to understand his joke.

“It is for my scientific research.” Sasuke replied matter-of-factly. “Also helps me to keep picturing myself in a movie.”

“Our lives would be an interesting movie for certain.” I agreed.

“Mo-vie?” The others asked in unison.

“It’s kind of like a play.” I explained.

“But recorded to be enjoyed again and again.” Sasuke added.

We all talked a while longer as the party went on before Kenshin was declaring he;d had enough for the night. He stood up and held his hand out for me. I smiled as I placed my hand in his and then bid everyone a good night.

Shingen grinned at me over his sake cup. “Enjoy your evening, goddess.”

There was something in the look in his eyes, suggesting he knew something was coming and I found myself blushing in embarrassment. I turned my gaze to focus on Kenshin who’s shoulders were almost stiff as we walked.

“Kenshin…” I began trying to find out what was the matter.

Before I could get anything other than his name out. Kenshin was whirling around and scooping me up into his arms, his lips were on mine in a passionate kiss. “Mmm…” I moaned into the kiss, despite the fact that we had just barely left the prying eyes and ears of the rest of the castle.

Kenshin broke the kiss, his emerald and sapphire gaze burning and filling me with a passionate heat. “I’m sorry.” He murmured. “But I can’t help myself.” He was then carrying me down the hall, all the way to our shared bedroom, pepper kisses on my face and neck.

When we finally made it to our room, Kenshin was laying me down on the futon and climbing over me, his hungry lips descending upon me as his hands moved to the obi at my waist, deftly untying it to open my kimono and expose my skin to his affectionate fingers and roving gaze.

“You are always so beautiful.” He murmured as his lips trailed along my jaw and then down the side of my neck. His kisses soon came with a stinging pleasure, letting me know there would be red marks blooming across my skin soon.

Kenshin continued to trail his kisses down my body, kissing my collar bones, and I soon felt his tongue come out to play as soon as he reached my breasts. “Hmm…Kenshin…” I moaned as I arched into him, my body seeking to be closer to his.

“Yes, come undone for me.” Kenshin told me as he slid his hands to my hips, his lips continuing their journey down the front of my body. He was soon parting my thighs, his head dipping down and his tongue coming out to play with my sensitive bud, sending white hot heat spiking through me.

“Ah…Kenshin…” I moaned, my back arching.

Kenshin continued to stimulate me, his tongue twisting and moving in ways I didn’t think possible. Each stroke of his tongue sent another shock of pleasure through me, building until I was seeing stars as my release barrelled through me.

“Kenshin!” I cried out.

Kenshin continued to pleasure me, bringing me to release after release and denying himself his own. “K-ken…shin…” I said as I breathlessly came down from another high, Kenshin slowly kissing up the front of my body.

“I love the way you look, writhing beneath me.” Kenshin said between kisses to my body before his face was resting over mine. He positioned himself between my legs, slowly slipping inside.

“Hah…Kenshin…y-you’re…insatiable tonight.” I said, breathless as I wrapped my trembling arms and legs around him.

Kenshin kissed my brow. “I’m sorry…I can’t help myself.” He said. “When I see what you share with him…things that I’ll never be able to share with you…it makes me want to share in the thing you share with only me.”

“Kenshin…” I looked up at him questioningly. I was used to Shingen’s flirting by this point and I thought Kenshin had even mostly grown numb to it. He became easier to settle down now. “There’s nothing I share with Shingen…”

“Not him.” Kenshin replied. “Sasuke…you are both from the same time. A time I will never see.”

I lifted my hand to rest on his cheek. “None of that matters. My heart is yours Kenshin…as is the rest of me.”

Kenshin turned his head to kiss the palm of my hand. “As I am yours.” He replied. “Which is why I feel such strong jealousy and desire all mixed up when it comes to you…I’m sorry.”

I smiled up at him. “I don’t mind.” I replied. “Especially when it results with you loving me so well…jealousy seems to be a great motivator for you.”

Kenshin smiled at me. “You indulge me too much, my love.” He told me before capturing my lips and beginning to thrust into me, continuing our long night of pleasure.

[malachiexists13]

Requests Temporarily Closed.

[ANGST] Til' Envy Do Us Part || "Ieyasu" (REQUESTED - F!MC)

[Opinions] Gay or Nay?: Ikemen Series Edition

[Opinions] Would I Punch This Character?: Ikesen Edition

Nothing to be seen here yet...

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[EDIT] BOYTOY

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Back to Main Masterlist ~

All works found in these masterlists are only posted to Tumblr and Archive of Our Own under the name "Malachi Exists" or another variation with the number "13". If they are found elsewhere, that means it is a stolen work and should be reported as such.

[leonscape]

In a Bit of a Pickle...d Plum

Kenshin x Pickled Plums (wow this is such a shocking pair); A crack fic (a woefully uninspired fic)

Kasugayama runs out of pickles and Kenshin gets extra stabby when he doesn't have his beloved plums to enjoy with his drink.

Word Count: 917 @drewadoodle

Kasugayama was bustling with energy as the warlords and vassals celebrated with a banquet. Shingen was enjoying his drink with Yukimura and Yoshimoto while Kanetsugu kept Kenshin company and Sasuke tried to go unnoticed.

But Kenshin wouldn’t let Sasuke escape. Kenshin’s stash of pickled plums were running low so he asked Sasuke to get him more. 

“My lord, I regret to inform you that there are no more pickled plums available,” Sasuke told him. Everyone in attendance went silent when the news reached their ears. It was so quiet that the crickets outside were the loudest things in the area. 

“What do you mean there’s no more pickled plums?” Kenshin narrowed his eyes. 

“There are no pickled plums ready for consumption,” Sasuke told him. Kenshin’s hand went to his sword.

“I will get some for you, my lord,” Kanetsugu spoke up. He stood up, bowed and left the room. Kenshin’s hand moved away from his sword.

By the time Kanetsugu got back, it was late into the night and most of the vessels and warlords had already gone home. Kenshin was still sitting there, sipping sake, moping. Sasuke’s expressionless face looked more traumatized than usual. Yukimura looked sick while Yoshimoto seemed interested in something else and Shingen was sitting there dozing off. 

“These are the last batch of pickled plums,” Kanetsugu said as he presented it to Kenshin.

Kenshin looked very pleased. “Perfect. I can enjoy my last cup of sake.”

The next day, Kenshin called an emergency meeting. Yukimura, Shingen, Yoshimoto, Sasuke, and Kanetsugu gathered around when Kenshin announced, “We will get pickled plums from somewhere else.”

Kanetsugu volunteered himself without hesitation. Yukimura complained, and Shingen was rambling about how he could get his spies to acquire pickled plums. Yoshimoto didn’t seem to be too interested in the pickled plum operation as he was distracted by something else. “Sasuke, go with him,” Kenshin commanded. Sasuke obeyed, bowing his head without protest. 

And so, Kanetsugu and Sasuke set out for Azuchi; they agreed on going to Azuchi because they could gather information while getting pickled plums. 

“Should we split up the work?” Sasuke asked. “You get the plums and I’ll get some info?” Kanetsugu agreed and the two went their separate ways. 

Kanetsugu wandered around the streets of Azuchi, on the lookout for pickled plums. Instead of finding pickled plums, he bumped into a pig on the street. The pig had a little passion fruit in its mouth and Kanetsugu knew exactly who the pig belonged to. And there was the pig’s owner, running to catch up. “Yo Kanetsugu, fancy meeting you here,” Keiji greeted him. His smile was big and bright as he scooped up the pig into his arms.

“Keep your voice down,” he told Keiji. “I’m here to collect merchandise.”

“What kind of merchandise?” Keiji raised a brow. 

“Pickled plums,” he answered. 

Keiji burst into boisterous laughter, “I thought it was more serious than that.”

“It’s very serious. My lord requires a wealthy supply of pickled plums.”

“Come, I’ll show you a good place for those plums,” Keiji said. 

Meanwhile in Echigo, in the depths of Kasugayama castle, Kenshin visited his personal stash of pickled plums. They were still in the process of fermentation, so they quietly sat, untouched and undisturbed. Kenshin’s lips spread into a smile that was full of endearment. “Ferment well, my little plums,” he told them as if he was tucking his children in. He closed the door and left them alone. His face immediately fell into a frown when he was reminded of the fact that they still had a few months left before they could be enjoyed. 

Everyone made sure to stay out of Kenshin’s broody mood. However, Yukimura unfortunately couldn’t escape it. 

He was dodging attacks left and right while Kenshin never broke a sweat. Shingen was watching the whole thing unfold in front of him. He shook his head and sighed, “Kenshin, I think he’s had enough.” 

“But we just got started,” Kenshin replied. 

“We started an hour ago?!” Yukimura shouted. 

“That was just the warm up,” Kenshin said. 

Yukimura groaned as he defended himself. “I hope they come back soon with those plums because I can’t do this every single day!” 

Kanetsugu was hoarding plums. He and Sasuke met up and Keiji sent them back on their way to Echigo. 

“Did you buy their entire stock?” Sasuke asked. 

“Yes,” Kanetsugu responded. 

“Oh.” Sasuke went quiet as he made some mental calculations. “We’ll have to stop frequently to let the horses rest from all that weight.” Kanetsugu just grunted in understanding and silence fell upon them. 

When they reached Kasugayama Castle, the two dismounted and immediately took the horses to rest before reporting back to Kenshin. Kanetsugu showed Kenshin the goods and a genuine expression of happiness graced his face. “Well done,” Kenshin praised. “We shall have a banquet to celebrate.”

“Oh dear,” Sasuke mumbled.

That night, Kenshin enjoyed his sake with his beloved plums; he was surrounded by jars of plums. The smile on his face was so bright that it was almost creepy. Simply going near the plums would earn a death glare from Kenshin too. But even though Kenshin was feeling extra possessive over his plums, the night ended without incident. 

“Sasuke,” he called out, “help me take these plums to my room.” He was slightly tipsy as he transported his plums. Sasuke sighed and assisted him. When they finished, Sasuke tucked Kenshin into bed and bid him and his plums good night.

[ikesenfantasy]

Ikemen Sengoku: What-If Collection Event - Warlord Pets

(Don't mind the photo) I wrote this fanfiction for fun where the warlords turn into their animal mascots. Since there wasn’t much spotlight for their beloved pets I thought I would write about them in a What-If Collection Event for April Fool’s Day on April 1st. Since the increase of the IkeSen roster I decided to take the time to add the additional six characters. So a total of all seventeen men in the IkeSen roster.

THE HERD PART 1

It was a pleasant evening like any other evening. Tomorrow everyone from the Usugi-Takeda forces along with Kennyo, Motonari & Kicho were going to visit Azuchi. Sasuke already visited me two days ago since Kenshin wanted to visit me. I thought we would all try something that will get everyone working together…or at least trying to. I already had some ideas but Sasuke hasn’t visited me to discuss it over with him. Maybe we’ll talk tomorrow.

“Ah the moon is so beautiful this evening; it would be nice to watch it with everyone. Time for bed.”

By the next morning I was the first in the war council room. Usually everyone would be here or I would be informed to show up but no one was here until the sliding door opened. I sat up straight but instead I got pounced.

“Oof! What in the world?”

It was then I felt something wet on my face. When I lifted up whatever was on top of me and tried to see who or what it was.

A TIGER?! SHOGETSU?!

“You were supposed to be at the manor with Masamune, what in the world are you doing here!? I better return you back to the manor as soon as possible or else Hideyoshi is going to blow a blood vessel.”

But the tiger was not the only animal that was in war council a whole colossal of animals flooded into the room. I didn’t even realize there was a monkey trying to attack the tiger that I was holding.

OH NO! Please no fighting!

I decided to stand up and try to reach for the monkey that was clinging to the back side of my kimono. But then I felt a nudge almost making me fall over. The perpetrator was a deer.

“OH GREAT! NOW IEYASU’S DEER WASABI!”

Circling around my ankle was a cat meowing and purring as if the fiasco I was in the middle of didn’t exist.

What is with all these animals? Something really isn’t right. The monkey on my back let out a yelp as it let go of my back who was trying to reach for the tiger. Now the monkey was flicking his tail that was sadly bitten by a fox. When the fox let go the monkey started chasing the fox. I better stop them.

I was so distracted by the chase I tripped over the cat and planted face first on the floor. A heard a soft snort and a boop from my cheek from a pig snout. What a mess. All of the Azuchi warlord pets are running amuck. I wonder why. I then heard the pig squeal as he ran off into a different direction being chased by something.

When I realized what happened I noticed a wolf chasing the poor piggy. On the wolf’s back was a squirrel. And behind them was a bear with a bunny and a hamster on its back chasing the other animals across the room.

Just when the wolf and bear were chasing after the pig and cat they nearly knocked over a jar. The peacock that flashed its feathers blocked their direction to the beautiful jar as if protecting something precious spooking any nearby it away.

I decided to try and chase after the animals stopping them from chasing each other around the room but it only made matters worse as the wolf started to fly into the air by a wallaby. A parrot flying overhead was shaking his head as the wolf collapsed on the ground after being air born by the wallaby’s kick.

The war council was in such disarray as animals were fighting among each other until I heard a loud scream that stopped the infighting and set all the animals on alert. They looked up and saw a hawk that was swarming around a lot more higher then the parrot. The hawk seated itself where Nobunaga would sit. Soon the animals that were most likely warlords from Azuchi began to position themselves in their spots. Now if I didn’t know better these were the warlords. How would they know to position themselves like their owners would sit. The parrot then landed just inches away from the hawk.

“Finally…now that they have settled down we can finally get down to business.” The parrot spoke.

I looked at the parrot who spoke and truly it sounded like Kicho and not Fuka. It was unbelievable. There was no way.

“N-no way…Kicho? Is that you?” I can’t believe I’m speaking to Kicho the parrot. Interesting ring to it if I do say so myself.

“Yes. It seems I’m the only one who can talk. Unlike the others. I don’t know what or how this happened. From the looks of it we all woke up this way.”

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 30: Unavoidable Regrets. Katsuko is temporarily confined to quarters, Kenshin is a Jewish Grandma, & Sasuke is a spider named Charlotte.

Shingen x OC; Kenshin x MC (Mai)

Previous Chapter: Here

Logline - Disguised as a boy, Katsuko finds herself working for Shingen, but her dangerous masquerade becomes difficult to sustain when she falls for the man with a fatal secret.

“Halt!”

I caught the flash of gleaming metal as Himetsuru Ichimonji sliced through the air, stopping right in front of my throat.

No, it wasn’t Groundhog’s Day… but the déjà vu was real. It was neither the first time someone ordered me to halt in the corridors of Kasugayama, nor the first time Kenshin held a sword to my throat. “Has the healer given permission for you to leave your quarters?” Kenshin stood ready to decapitate me if I took another step outside my room.

“I feel fine. It was just a cold!” I didn’t mention that the healer had wanted me to rest another day. Said healer had taken his cue from Kenshin, who was a wee bit overcautious when it came to the health of the denizens of Kasugayama. He probably thought Kenshin would kill him if he let me out too soon. Which… given his willingness to swing Himetsuru Ichimonji through the corridors of the castle... wasn’t that farfetched of a possibility.

“Illness is not something to take lightly.” Kenshin poked the sword at me, forcing me to take a step backward.

Well, yes, if he was talking about Shingen, then I agreed. But I had only had a case of the sniffles and a bit of a sore throat. And a fever, but only for a couple days.

I tried to edge around him.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

Again, I was forced to inch backward. “I rested. I’ve been resting for almost a week. The cold got bored and left.”

He scowled at me. “You sound like a rusty tree frog.”

Blame your ninja for that.

Every day Sasuke dropped in on me (literally) to quiz me on my memories of history -- he was still trying to figure out if we had come from the same future. My lack of voice owed more to overuse than illness.

“Lord Kenshin, please, I no longer feel sick. If I don’t get any exercise soon, I’ll go stir crazy.” All I wanted was to take a brisk stroll in the garden. And perhaps practice archery. And wave at Shingen from the door of his room, to see for my own eyes how he was doing.

With his typical lightning speed, Kenshin performed a series of katas. “If it is exercise you want, I will spar with you. Should you win, you will be permitted to leave your quarters.”

“Lord Kenshin, even if I were the healthiest person in the country, I wouldn’t be able to best you in combat.” I suppose that might count as exercise. A very short exercise.

“Then you won’t be leaving your quarters, will you?” With the sword, he pointed at my futon. “Go. The maids will bring more soup. You will be expected to finish it.”

I had been fed so much spicy soup of the past few days; I was going to float away. Under Kenshin’s fierce, battle hungry God of War exterior (way way under it), was the soul of a Jewish grandmother. With an internal sigh, I bowed to him.  “Thank you.” I turned to go back into my room, then paused and looked back at him. “He’s still doing better today, right?”

Shingen’s visitors were severely restricted to two people per day – specifically ‘two people-who-were-not-also-sick’ per day. More specifically, restricted to Kenshin plus one person who-was-not-also-sick.

He gave me a surprisingly gentle smile. “Yes. The healer says that so far his current illness did not lodge in his lungs, and as long as he rests, he should continue to improve.”

“It’s true.” Mai suddenly appeared at Kenshin’s side. “I just saw him.” She pulled a folded paper out of her kimono. “He dictated a letter to you.” She fanned herself with it. “Very hot. I blushed a lot while I was writing it down.”

“What? He dared? I’ll kill him.” Kenshin whirled and took off.

“Whoops. Damage control. Later!” Mai hurried after him… with my letter still in her hand.

With a growl of frustration, I stomped back into my room and plopped down on my futon. I’d only had a cold! If I had still been living at Aki’s, I likely would have gone about my days as normal (with one hundred percent more wiping my nose on my sleeves), because Fume had no patience with ‘malingering.’

My worry over Shingen was intensified by this inactivity. I’d never been good at sitting still and being left alone with my thoughts meant for some very long, anxious days. Though Kenshin had said Shingen was improving, I wanted to see for myself. More importantly, I wanted to learn from his own lips what ‘always sick’ meant, and whether he would tell me if this illness would eventually take his life.

Luckily for my state of mind, Yukimura stopped by, with his ban-sugoroku set tucked under his arm. He and I were in the middle of a long running tournament, which I was currently winning (and had an ever-growing pile of dried beans to prove it). Winning at ban-sugoroku usually relied more on the luck of the dice, but Yuki played board games with more enthusiasm than strategy - as I discovered when I first tried to teach him how to play shogi. He lacked the patience to play shogi and I lacked the patience to teach him. So, ban-sugoroku it was.

We had just gotten the game board set up when Sasuke joined us as well, popping down through his favorite ceiling tile. “Salutations.”

“Salu-what?” Yukimura sighed. “Can’t you just say hello like a normal person?”

“Sasuke, if I ever manage to crawl up into the ceiling, will I find the words ‘some pig’ written in the dust up there?” I rolled… double sixes. Ha!

Yuki groaned. “Again? How do you keep doing that?” He eyed the dice suspiciously.

“They’re your dice. Maybe they like me better.” I moved my counters around the board, then tried not to gloat when he rolled a one and a two.

Sasuke seated himself on my futon and pulled out another list of questions. I felt like groaning myself. While I understood that he needed to know if the Togakushi wormhole led to the same future as his own, constantly quizzing me was not the way to do it. “Sasuke, all we’ve established is that I should have paid attention to my history classes.” Or, maybe… actually attended class… but, details.

He rattled the paper. “This one is easier. Current events, not history… er, current as of the year you left modern Japan.”

“I can probably recite the plots and dialogue of all the Avengers movies, but don’t ask me who is the President of England … Yuki, not that I want to help my opponent, but why did you leave that marker unprotected, when you could have moved the one from that column?” Playing against Yuki was like taking beans from a baby. “It’s terrible strategy.”

“England doesn’t have a president,” Sasuke pointed out at the same time that Yuki sighed and said, “You sound like Shingen.”

“Oh.” In that moment, anything else Sasuke said faded into the background, as I caught the look of desolation on Yuki’s face, prompting me to ask, “Kenshin told me he was improving – was that a lie?”

“No… I saw him yesterday, and he’s gotten better. But whenever he gets sick like this, it reminds me that someday he won’t get better. And that someday is getting closer.” He swallowed a couple of times and looked away from me.

If I had been the sort of person who comforted others… or even the sort of person who accepted comfort, I might have touched his hand, or even hugged him. But I wasn’t. Instead, I rolled the dice and ruthlessly attacked Yuki’s unprotected marker. Then I turned to Sasuke and turned my own need for comfort into an impulse to tease him. “Oh, I do remember who the President of the United States was…” and then had the pleasure of seeing his jaw drop when I said, “George Takei.”

Two days later, after a week of confinement, I was finally sprung. I had fully recovered, aside from the fact that my voice was still hoarse. Since no one who had visited me had gotten sick, I would finally be allowed to visit Shingen later that day. Mai had let me know that he was out of immediate danger, although he had trouble staying awake for more than a couple hours at a time.

Before the visit, I headed out to the town to check the message drops and pick up the confections I had promised him. It was a relief to fall back into the familiar rhythm of my ‘Katsu’ life, along with the familiar weight of the basket of treats. I could almost pretend that nothing had changed. Almost.

When I stepped outside of the teahouse into the bright afternoon sunlight, I saw something… or rather someone… else familiar. Another déjà vu. Potentially, it signaled another change.

He was sitting on a bench outside the teahouse, as usual, disguised as an old man, his face mostly hidden by a long grey wig, and of course, huddled over a shogi board, deep into a game with another man. But I would have known him anywhere. He looked up at me, frowned, then said something to his opponent, who got up, bowed, and left.

Aki was back.

I went over to confront my sort-of-former employer. “Where have you been?”

“One of the others got caught up in an impossible mess.” He didn’t elaborate, but ‘impossible mess’ usually meant Takauji, who could barely be trusted to carry a report across town, let alone the entire country. I wondered how he’d screwed up this time.

Aki looked me up and down. I was wearing one of Mai’s creations, a design that was both athletic and feminine without making me feel like a refugee from a 1970s comic book. It was also a deep red color that would not be suitable at all for Katsuhira’s missions across the country but was perfectly acceptable for roaming around Kasugayama. “What are you wearing?”

“Next time you throw me out, give me time to pack.” Since his companion had left the game unfinished, I took his place opposite Aki and made a move on the Shogi board. “Iekane was here and thanks to him, they found out I’m female, so it doesn’t matter any longer what I wear.” I caught him up with most of what had been going on (obviously not the private stuff).

“Iekane’s been busy,” he said, half to himself. He made a move on the board that proved to me his mind was not on the game at all. “Lately, every time I’ve tried to untangle a knot, I’ve discovered him at the center of it.” He shook himself out of whatever private thoughts were going on in that brain of his. “In any case, you seem to have taken care of what I needed you to do here.”

Which was… what? All I had really done was blow things up, although I suppose if I hadn’t been here to distract him, Iekane might have gotten both Mai and Sasuke killed, and reignited the war with Oda – although I was still unsure if the latter was completely off the table. But I knew Aki well enough to not bother asking for clarification.

Aki continued. “Since, as you said, I didn’t let you pack, it won’t take you long to gather your things. I’ll meet you at the edge of town at sunset.”

What? Now?

Choking off my instant denial – I knew that would be a useless tactic – I scrambled to find a reason for him to allow me to stay. “What if Iekane comes back here?” It wasn’t the greatest excuse, but it was the first one that came to mind after the initial, ‘oh hell no’ that leapt into my brain.

He slapped a piece on the board with unnecessary force. “Now they know who he is, you think Uesugi and Takeda can’t squash him like a bug? Iekane has better self-preservation skills than that. He’s likely on the other side of the country by now.”

“With Yoshiaki, do you think?” It would be good to get another opinion on Iekane’s relationship with the shogun, although I knew better than to tell Aki I intended to go after him myself. My plans to insert myself into Yoshiaki’s circle had been delayed during the flood and my sick week, but surely Yoshimoto would take me there once we were ready… and once I could be sure that Shingen had recovered. 

“It’s possible. Though Yoshiaki may have outgrown his usefulness to Iekane.” Aki gestured to the board, and I realized I hadn’t made a move yet. I hurried to make the obvious block to an impending attack by his rook.

“Do you plan to hunt down Iekane?” That wouldn’t be Aki’s style, but I would feel better about leaving if we were going after Iekane. “He said he’s tried to kill me several times, but something about the way he talked made me think you’re his primary target.”

“Exactly so. There’s no need to chase him to the ends of-” Aki looked down at the game in progress, shook his head, sighed, and swept the pieces back into their case. “There’s no need to go after him, because when he believes he’s ready, Iekane will come for me. But don’t worry, I will protect you when that happens.”

“Ha, ‘old man,’ I’ve been learning skills all summer. Perhaps I’ll protect you.” I grinned at him.

“The day I need you to protect me, I might as well retire from this world and live out my days as a monk.” It was said as a joke… although he probably also meant that. “You forget that the hair and beard are a disguise.” He planted his walking stick on the ground and got to his feet. “Sunset.”

Right. Sunset.

“Sunset.” I was unable to keep the sadness from my voice. Aside from Toshiie, Aki was the closest thing I had to family in this era… but the thought of leaving the people of Kasugayama, of leaving one particular person, hurt as badly now as I had been hurt two months ago when Aki ‘abandoned’ me to them.

Always alert to body language and tone, Aki picked up on my reluctance. He turned and looked down at me. “What?”

“It going to be difficult to say goodbye to everyone.” Though his expression said ‘impatience’ rather than ‘understanding,’ I added, “I don’t want to leave… yet.”

“It’s Takeda, isn’t it?” He stared me down, then let out an annoyed huff of air and leaned on the stick. “I suppose he’s had you already?”

What the hell, Aki?

“Aki! I’m not talking about this with you. But no. He hasn’t.” I haven’t felt this awkward since I accidentally walked in on Toshiie and his hook-up du jour. “Not that it would be any of your business if we had.”

“You would be dead if I hadn’t brought you-” he paused and took a breath. “Home with me. That gives me some right to an opinion.”

“That was a judgment, not an opinion.” As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. Though I guarded my privacy, I didn’t want that to be the reason he abandoned me again. Before he could turn and walk away, I added, “I’m grateful that you saved me… and taught me. I don’t want to lose you,” (even though he was currently acting like an ass). “I don’t want to lose these people either. They have become as important to me as you are.”

He sighed, a full body shudder that looked at odds with his old man disguise. “You may not believe me, but I have your best interests at heart. I want to spare you some grief.”

“It’s probably too late for that,” I said, glancing down at the basket of pastry. The proprietor at the teahouse had tied a ribbon around the basket – I guessed that word had spread that Shingen was ill.

“Ah.” He glanced toward the castle. “I take it reports of someone’s precarious health may not be an exaggeration.”

There was no way I was going to confirm that, especially not to an information broker like Aki. “I don’t know what you could possibly mean.”

“Walk with me.” It was an order. I stood up, and Aki took my arm, leaning heavily on it as if he were the old man he appeared to be. “Even if the reports are untrue, you do realize that he’s not known for having much of an attention span when it comes to women.” He rubbed his chin. “Fume warned me this was going to happen.”

“Fume?” Warned you about what?” Likely nothing good. I was aware of what she thought of me. But aside from her joint aches being able to predict when rain was coming, the woman was not prescient.

His fingers tightened on my elbow. “She said it was useless to train you to do anything because you were obviously destined to become a concubine.”

I shook off his arm. “Goodbye, Aki.” I didn’t need to be slut shamed, especially since it wasn’t true. (And even if it had been true, there would have been no shame in that).  “Thank you for making my decision easy.”

But I’d only taken a few steps away from him when he dropped the old man act and hurried after me.  “Wait. I’m sorry. You’re reminding me of a time… of a life that I’ve tried to forget.”

Curiosity had me halting in my tracks. Aki rarely talked about his past. Actually, he’d never talked about it. “How so?”

He looked me over again, from head to foot, but this time, appeared to be seeing a different person in front of him. I wonder who it was he saw?

“Years ago, I had to make a choice between an emotional attachment, and duty.” He bowed his head and shrunk into himself, almost as if his memories had prematurely aged him, as if he suddenly became as old as his disguise.

“Was it a difficult decision?” For as long as I had known Aki, he had always been on the side of logic. To learn that he too had had to wrestle with emotions was a welcome surprise.

“No. And Yes. I made the only decision that could have been made – I chose duty. It was the correct decision.” There was no hesitation in his voice, no judgment of his past self.

“Oh.” His story lacked details, and the conclusion was disappointing. “You believe I should choose duty as well?”

“I did not say that. It was the correct decision… but it cost me my family.” He reached out and pushed my hair out of my eyes. “I would be doing my past self a disservice if I pushed you into duty before you understand the price. Take some time to think – you may come back whenever you are ready.” He stepped away from me, and that fleeting affection was replaced by his typical detachment.

“Thanks.” It was only one word, but it would have to cover a multitude of meanings.

“Don’t make me regret it,” he replied, and underneath that was a meaningful look that implied he thought I would be the one with regrets. I couldn’t disagree, but I didn’t see a future path that wasn’t as littered with them as Aki’s past appeared to be.

Art refresher - This is Aki (character drawing by Ayatori):

@bestbryn

[creations-of-a-certain-no-one]

Moonlight (3/4)

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku Character: Kenshin, Shingen Contents: friendship, magical realism(?), fear of loss, nightmares of death Ao3 link in the source. Consider leaving a comment there, if you liked it! Summary: Woken up by nightmares despite the cosy life with his beloved, Kenshin leaves her side to calm down - without burdening her with the delusions of his mind and the dread of the loss he dreamt. A few deep breaths in the serene night and a few words exchanged with an old friend - such a small thing yet it helps him collect himself enough to go back and fall asleep by his wife’s side again. Yet when your mind is haunted by fears, long is the way and hard. Four nights, separated by time.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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He woke up in the middle of the night, frozen in fear. Deafened by the sound of his heartbeat thundering in his ears, the ice of dread had entrapped his heart. But as he watched her sleeping soundly, wrapped in her own bed hair, the ice slowly melted. He looked at her face – and albeit the darkness was almost deep enough to hide it from him, if he strained his eyes, he could still see her relaxed, unguarded expression. Her sleep was peaceful, without any hint of pain – a truly blissful sight he can never get tired of.

He leaned towards her to rest his head on her shoulder for a moment and listen to her breath – even and calm. Nothing was happening, but Kenshin couldn’t shake off the feeling his dream brought upon him. The cold in his chest might had been gone, but the frostbite remained.

As recent as yesterday, she felt as healthy as usual, no symptoms of early fatigue. There was no drop in her stamina, even going back for years in his memory, she only seemed to be getting stronger, more accustomed to all the work she engrossed herself in. Her self-defence practice has been going like usual, without a hitch as well. Nothing was amiss. There were no sign of death crawling into her body.

Or was there? It could had been sitting silent, hidden somewhere where no one could find it – until it strikes. Like in other people – claimed by illness early, when they should still have long lives to live – but their lives were cut short nonetheless. Not by sword but by the unexpected enemy within. Like hers in his dream, eating her from the inside.

He did not know all the signs – how could he be possibly sure, what symptoms might emerge – and if. And as the years pass and pass – some day she would develop an enemy within. Late or early, it was to happen. It could have been developing even that night. How could have he been so neglectful?

Creeping into his heart again, the frost came back. No matter how he kept reasoning with his mind, it wasn’t listening, it couldn’t be persuaded. She taught him how to fight the fear of preventable possibilities – but how does one fight the fear of looming certainty?

His mind knew it was right, no matter how he tried to calm it. This time it wasn’t going to let go and arguing with it could only let it sweep him with the avalanche of uncontrolled thoughts – in fact, he felt it already approach.

He sat up in his futon and let out a sigh of defeat. After such a long time there were still fears he could not handle.

He collected a blanket he kicked off in his nightmare, wrapped it around his shoulders and walked out to sit in silence and moonlight. In this warm summer night, he was in the hallways again, shivering in his blanket despite the comfortable, soft warmth. Yet it wasn’t enough to defrost the ice that settled in him.

All he could do was to disconnect himself. And so he tried, locking his eyes on the moon, hoping it’d clear his head with its bright light.

Through the sound of cicadas and his own fear ringing in his ears, he did not hear footsteps on the floor.

Shingen leaned against the pillar, as usual as if he appeared out of thin air, but not unexpected.

“Did you miss our talks so much?” He sat down next to Kenshin without bothering to wait for the invitation that would never come anyway.

Kenshin did not grace him with an answer.

He just kept looking at the moon, trying to get consumed by its glow, and in the corner of his eye, he had Shingen’s silhouette, calmly watching the night in the background, dulling the rampant thoughts with quiet, supportive presence.

But even if subdued, the fear was still there and the moonlight wasn’t cleansing it either, and neither was tracing the outlines of trees and buildings with his eyes.

“You seem really restless tonight.” Shingen gave him a knowing look. The hint of concern in his expression rubbed Kenshin the wrong way, but he knew that having company on those sleepless nights was helping him push away his thoughts.

And Shingen was right – that night the thoughts were persistent.

Yet, he didn’t ask Kenshin what was on his mind, what was haunting him so much that he couldn’t sleep again.

“Does death announce itself?” The words felt dry on Kenshin’s lips.

He didn’t look Shingen in the eye, his gaze still locked onto the moonlit garden. And he wasn’t even asking Shingen, who has never given him a clear answer that Kenshin didn’t already know – or was about to realise on his own.

“How heartless of you to ask me that.” Despite this reply, however, Shingen, didn’t seem to really mind. Smiling, even, he came back to Kenshin’s question. “Does it?”

“Have I just never cared before?”

He wasn’t one to pay attention to others around. Until she entered his life, and after that too, he never watched anyone but her. People would come and go – one way or another, and he didn’t give them a thought. He missed so many opportunities to learn the way illness works, how it looks like.

How would she even show, if she was feeling unwell? Would she show? Or maybe she was like a rabbit, hiding the symptoms until she couldn’t anymore? Would she tell him, if she felt the end approaching, Kenshin asked himself.

“I wonder.” Shingen wasn’t looking at him, but rather at the sky, with a serene expression of a man who found peace with the world.

Kenshin couldn’t. His sole presence in the hallway, where he was chased out of his bedroom by a nightmare, was a proof of it. There weren’t many things that could shake him – but loss was one of them.

Maybe this fear was the core of being alive. Maybe and will spend his life horrified of the certainty of loss and will never be free, as long as he lives.

“I wonder what would she say to your fears,” Shingen pondered.

He did not give him an answer, and he couldn’t. But Kenshin found it on his own.

There was no measures against this fear and no overcoming it, when the fate was sealed.

But was there a point of this fear? The fateful day would eventually come for her too, like it did for others, and age would claim her like it would claim him as well. There was no way around it, so the only thing one could do, was to accept it.

He couldn’t.

He just couldn’t.

Do other people just accept it, with peace in their hearts?

Does she accept it, with peace in her heart? He knew she had worries she kept for herself. That could be one of them.

But even if she was feeling the same, she was still smiling, she kept seizing the day and seizing it for him too. And the worst of crimes would be to let the fears spoil it. To ruin her hard work, the hard work she put her heart into.

He could not allow any dream to waste even one second of their time for idle worry – the time they had was meant to be savoured, and only that was right. He ought to give it what it was owed.

Fear was only in the way – and Kenshin did not tolerate anything that tried to interfere in their happiness. That was the true enemy he had to hold off and battle – not struggle with. Even if it couldn’t be slain for good, he was going to push it away, behind the walls of the fortress, where it could only attempt to siege – but it will not get in anymore.

And the fear finally withdrew, released the last bits of his soul from its claws, leaving only an exhausted void.

He was so tired.

He craved her warmth. He needed it.

“Going back already?”

As usual, Shingen could read him before Kenshin even said anything. So he just nodded – partially as confirmation, partially as a goodbye, and stood up.

Back in their bedroom, she was sleeping as soundly as when he left.

He snuggled up against her, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck. She wiggled in his arms a bit, tickled by his hair, but calmed down soon, oblivious to Kenshin’s nightmare.

As he was falling asleep again, he promised himself to find and bring every possible medical book to Kasugayama. Instead of thinking of what he couldn’t prevent, he had prepare for the upcoming fate – that was something he could do. What is known, is much easier to expect – and mitigate.

His consciousness finally drifted off, this time without dreams.

=> Part 4.

[lucyw260]

The Daily Escapades Of The Uesugi Family – Kohana Entry 1

A new series which follows Kenshin and Y/n's daily lives as a family with their three children. What shenanigans will their children pull?

Words = 2.4k+

Warnings = children, family

Excerpt = “I want to learn how to wield a sword and I want you to teach me father” as soon as the words left her mouth the whole room became silent and everyone listened in with curiosity and worry. She watched in confusion as her father’s face twisted and multiple emotions were displayed on it before settling on just one.

Kohana is the 6-year-old daughter of Kenshin and Y/n. She is very smart and enjoys reading. She looks very similar to her mother apart from her most standout features of blonde hair and heterochromia eyes just like her father. Her adoration of Shingen is immense and they have a great relationship. Just like her mother she is also strong-minded and won’t stand for anyone telling her what she can and cannot do

Waking up before her parents, she climbed slowly off her bed and got herself ready for the day, even tying her own obi. After that was done, she padded over to her shelf of scroll books. Selecting the one she was half-way through, which was a study on amphibians. She sat down up her desk and engrossed herself into the scroll.

A short time later and her mother was walking through the door. Planning to wake Kohana up and was stunned to see her already awake although she had woken up early every day of the week so far. Little Kohana, hair already brushed turned to her mother at the door.

“Good morning, mother. Did you sleep well?” she questioned as she got up to greet her mother in a traditional and proper fashion. She bowed low, looking adorable the entire time.

“Good morning to you too Kohana, I did sleep well” her mother answered and gestured to the book that laid open on her daughter’s desk. “What are you reading today, baby?”

“A rather interesting scroll book that Uncle Sasuke picked up for me on his last mission. It goes into detail about frogs and newts and other cold-blooded vertebrates” she explained and her extraordinary brown and blue eyes lit up to be speaking of her passions.

“That’s nice sweetie. I’m going to go and wake up your brothers now so I’ll see you at breakfast” she left the room and Kohana walked back to her desk and subsequently placed her scroll back onto the shelf before leaving the room herself.

In the hallway outside her room, she bumped into her father. Being his only daughter and the one child who looked the most like him they had always had a special bond. Despite knowing how independent she was, he couldn’t help but treat her like glass.

“Good morning, my princess” Kenshin smiled at his daughter, one of the two most precious women to him in the world. Kohana bowed down to her father as she had done to her mother earlier. They kept telling her she didn’t have to be formal with them as they were her parents but she insisted that she has to do this, that she has to uphold the Uesugi name. Kenshin’s smile had a hint of humour to it as he laid a fatherly hand on the top of her head and stroked her hair gently.

“Good morning. I wish that you have a pleasant and productive day at work” she stated to him and together they walked to the main hall to meet up with her mother and brothers for breakfast.

When they got there, Kensuro her older brother was running around with her younger brother called Chisai. Her mother was trying to get them to calm down and eat breakfast. Already seated were Shingen and Yukimura who were residing in Kasugayama for a short while on a visit. As soon as she saw Shingen, she broke her stiff and polished demeanour and smiled widely, much to Kenshin’s dismay.

She walked over and sat next to Shingen and her stiff well-mannered wall was now back up. Kenshin sat to the other side of Kohana and watched Shingen like a hawk. Next to Kenshin was his wife Y/n and next to her were their sons. During breakfast, they all partook in conversation of trivial and non-trivial matters.

Shingen and Kohana spent their time eating stew and rice while Shingen explained what he had been doing lately and how things were going in Kai while Kohana hung on his every word but didn’t forget decorum.

Sasuke walked in late and Kensuro pulled him over to sit next to him. Yukimura’s face twisted with mild jealousy. The head of the Nokizaru told him of new ninja tricks that he had learned and Sasuke promised to teach them to the young lord in the future. Meanwhile, Y/n looked mildly annoyed knowing she would have to deal with even more of her son’s tricks.

After breakfast, everyone went off to work or to learn for the day.

A while later and Kohana had reached a good stopping point in her studies and decided to go for a walk around the castle. She heard her brother’s laughter coming from the training hall and went to see what was going on. Inside Kenshin happened to also be taking a break and her mother was there too and, in the middle, Kensuro was training with Kenshin. Recently Kensuro had hit a stage in his childhood where he wanted to grow up fast and become a samurai and he had taken to sparring with his father and learning the art of the sword.

Her mother noticed her when she entered the room and called her over to her side. Kohana went over and looked to the middle of the room, watching as her brother became increasingly more exhausted while her father never broke a sweat.

“Don’t you think your brother is improving, Kohana?” her mother asked and looked down at her daughter. The love for her child’s successes was clear in her eyes.

Kohana did not have much knowledge but she nodded anyways and looked back to the match. It hit her then as she watched her father. She always knew everything about all different things but sword fighting was not one of them. Just the idea of being ill-informed about a subject or topic was something she could just not stand. She was more of an etiquette and studying girl but surely, she could study the sword and how to wield one and end up being good at it.

Kohana left the room shortly after, almost running down the hallway and breaking her code of being perfect at all times. She was impatient to get back to her books. Remembering that she did not have books on swords in her room or anything that requires a physical action, she took a detour to the archives and selected a few books that seemed to have decent knowledge of swords of the organised shelves.

Pouring over the books for the rest day she didn’t even realize how late it had gotten when her mother came in to tuck her into bed. She hadn’t even realized that she had skipped dinner and read right through it. She hid the book quickly and said goodnight to her mother and then her father who came in afterwards. As soon as they were gone, she hopped out of bed to fetch the book from its hiding place and took it back to bed with her. She stayed up all night reading the books and by the time morning came she was determined to start her training as well.

As soon as the new day was underway and everyone was off doing their duties. She made sure to catch her father on one of his breaks. She led him to the training hall which was already occupied yet again by her brother and her mother watching over him. Kenshin was unclear over what purpose she could possibly have to take him to this room. They stopped in the middle of the polished but scuffed floor.

“I want to learn how to wield a sword and I want you to teach me father” as soon as the words left her mouth the whole room became silent and everyone listened in with curiosity and worry. She watched in confusion as her father’s face twisted and multiple emotions were displayed on it before settling on just one.

“No” the answer that her father gave her was firm and final and she started to become annoyed. Her mother watched in trepidation and her brother stood silently.

“Why can’t I?, you are teaching Kensuro so why can’t you teach me as well?” she asked befuddled. Y/n being her mother meant that the young girl got to do whatever she wanted even if it went against the norms for girls in this era, well that is until now.

“Because you are my daughter and should any harm find its way to you, I will cut it down before it can touch you. There is no need for you to ever hold a sword” her father spoke back resolutely and even though she felt it was unfair, she could not answer back to her father and simply bid fare well to her him and turned around and did the same to the others in the room. Her mother looked as if she had something to say, similar memories of the past perhaps, swirling in her eyes.

That evening when Y/n and Kenshin were getting ready for bed, Y/n asked to talk to him and broached the subject that was mentioned earlier in the day.

“You know how strong willed she is, even though you’ve told her no, she will still find a way to do it” Y/n stated as they were setting up the covers on the futon.

Kenshin sighed. “That reminds me of someone” he flashed her a nostalgic smirk and her heart skipped a beat but she quickly shook her head to clear away the improper thoughts.

“If you treat her too differently, she might come to dislike you, she’s already extremely different from you in terms of personality” she told him, she hated to admit it but it was true. Their daughter might lose more of the bond she had with her father if he did not treat her the same way that he treats her brothers, especially if he curbs her individuality and independency.

“I know” the expressions on Kenshin’s face were so torn and conflicted. Y/n walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist. This is what they did, they were very supportive of each other. Kenshin’s eyes widened slightly as he looked down at her.

“Remember, you taught me for a time?” she looked up at him, eyes shining with the fond memories of those days. Her wish for her daughter was that, she could do anything she dreamed of. “You two had such a deep bond, but now she’s become something of a maverick and you don’t share any interests anymore” she had such a sad look in her eyes. Kenshin was weak for it and it hit him then that if he didn’t do something soon, they might become estranged from each other.

“I don’t want her to feel that weight, to bare that responsibility. If anything, I want to keep her as safe as possible so she never has to worry about the side of the word that is cast in shadows” he bared his heart to his lover and she nodded along but by the time they were ready to sleep, Kenshin had sided with the part of him that didn’t want to lose his daughters love.

The next day, in the early hours of the morning, Kohana was up and had tip toed to the training hall to swipe a wooden practice sword and she now proceeded to swing it around at the back of the garden, hidden away from everyone.

She would not take her father’s ‘no’ as an answer. Her parents had kept her protected from all evil parts of society and so she had always done whatever she wanted, with no worries for the danger it harboured or for her safety.

Unbeknownst to Kohana, her father Kenshin had also woken up early that day and had headed to her room only to find her room empty. A maid told him that the young lady had gone out to the gardens, now he searched for her and it wasn’t long before he heard the faint and quiet worn-out groans and grunts of his daughter coming from the far corner of the beautifully decorated garden.

He was stunned to see that his wife was right as he moved to stand behind a bush and silently watched his young daughter try to raise her sword and bring it down in an arc.

Tiny sweat droplets dripped down her cherub cheeks and frustration was plain on her face. She was starting to realize that just reading a couple books on the topic, does not make you equipped to actually perform the task.

Kenshin watched her a little longer until Kohana somehow hit herself upside the head with the wooden sword and a little ‘ouch’ slipped past her lips. He walked out, making his presence clear. Little Kohana’s eyes widened knowing she had been caught and she attempted to hide the sword behind her small body.

A soft smile emerged onto Kenshin’s face as he approached his daughter and laid his hand on where she had hurt herself. Kohana fidgeted under the pressure of her father’s hand, thinking she was in trouble and going to get shouted at for going behind his back to do something he specifically told her not to do.

He knelt down on the grass, not caring about the dewy state it was in due to it being morning. When he was on her level, he wrapped his arms around her and gently hugged her before releasing her and looking seriously into her mismatched eyes.

“If you want to learn, I will teach you. It’s not going to be easy and I don’t expect you to ever have to use the skills I instil in you. Are you still willing to try?” Kenshin’s gaze was resolved and firm when he told her this. Despite her only being 6 years old, he knew he could talk to her like an adult and treat her as such.

She met her father’s gaze with a committed and genuine one of her own and nodded her head. “I’m prepared father, I want to give it a go so please teach me” she bowed down to him but this time as a student to her master.

Kenshin kept his promise and later that day many people in the castle came to the training hall to watch their first lesson, including Y/n who had a bright and wide simper plastered on her face and her brothers were there and so were Shingen, Yukimura and Sasuke and many of her fathers’ vassals.

He instructed her as strict as he did when training with her older brother but not once, did he forget that this was his precious daughter he was lifting a weapon up to.

Please don’t repost, edit or steal. Reblogs are more than welcome though!

[kilesplaysthings]

The Coming of Spring | MCxKenshin

Hi everyone! Wow, yet another IkeSen fic?? Crazy! I actually can’t believe I finished another one lol now, tbh I did want to write this with Kenshin in mind, but I’m still not sure if I’ve grasped his character very well. I just thought it would be a cute idea to show a soft side of him, and the season of spring really seems to fit him, I think. Anywho if this is a bit ooc please forgive me, and maybe even provide me with some suggestions! And as always, enjoy <3

The sky overhead was a beautiful blue and the last remnants of snow had finally melted away, welcoming the first flowers of spring. It was finally warm enough for a being to actually walk around outside without being bundled up to the nines and I was making the most of it. A little ways just outside of Kasugayama castle, beyond the copse of trees was a wide open field where you could look up at the sky and sit surrounded by grass and wildflowers.

The sun was shining, giving me enough warmth to sit there comfortably, and I took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of spring. It felt so good being outside. All winter long, I had stayed bundled up in the castle, and while I enjoyed the company of my friends and those who worked inside, I missed being able to take walks like I did during the other three seasons. As I sat there, leaning back on my hands, the wind stirred my hair and I could have sworn I heard a voice calling my name.

“Hana!”

I looked to my right and it turned out that my ears hadn’t deceived me. A figure was jogging my way, and I smiled. I needed only to catch a glimpse of the baby blue haori and the platinum blonde hair to see who it was that had come to find me.

“There you are. Seven hells, I return from a campaign only to find that you have disappeared! What on earth are you doing out here?” He fumed.

His vivid eyes of blue and green shone with exasperation and concern. I grinned at the realization that he was worried about me.

“Welcome back, Kenshin! I’m glad to see you’ve returned safely!”

He sighed a little and plopped down in the grass beside me. “Yes, well, you have yet to answer my question, woman. What are you doing out here alone?”

“Well, it’s the first real warm day ever since winter ended. I wanted to make the most of it and finally be able to spend some time outside!” I answered brightly.

“I see. I suppose I understand your reason, but even so.” He leaned towards me and placed his hand on my head. It felt warm and soothing as he stroked my hair.

“I don’t like the idea of you wandering around by yourself. What if something were to happen? You could at least have had one of the others’ vassals escort you. Shingen and Yukimura would agree with me. There’s no knowing what unsavory types could be lurking about.”

His face was stern, but I couldn’t help smiling. Kenshin was as protective as ever, but I knew his intentions were kind. He had even cited his fellow warlords to justify his reaction, and he was right. Shingen and Yukimura had both said the same thing to me, but I didn’t want to burden anyone, especially since I knew everyone would be busy with preparations of Kenshin’s and Sasuke’s return. As such, I was beginning to feel a little ashamed of making Kenshin worry. Had I known he’d be returning so early, I probably wouldn’t have gone for a walk, but I was restless and needed some air. Still, I probably should have asked someone to accompany me.

I looked up into his eyes and said, “When you put it that way, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking about that and it was irresponsible of me. I’m sorry.”

His eyebrows raised a little in mild astonishment. “Oh? Not arguing back for once?”

I smiled and shook my head. “Nope. This one’s on me. I surrender,” I joked.

His face finally relaxed into a small smile and he nodded. “Good.” Sitting back, he let out a sigh and looked up at the sky.

“It’s odd. I’ve been moving about and fighting so much lately, but sitting here now, with you, I feel quite contented and at peace,” he murmured after a moment.

I let out a sigh as well. “I think it’s the weather. Seeing some sun at last is very refreshing.”

“Perhaps,” he muttered. His eyes glanced over to meet mine. “And perhaps it’s something else as well…”

I didn’t know what to say to that, though I did feel my heart beat a little faster. Clearing my throat, I quickly looked back up at the clouds.

“So, how did your campaign go anyway?”

“Tolerably well. There was not nearly enough fighting though,” he shrugged. “I only got into a good brawl once or twice.”

“Well, I can’t say that I’m exactly sorry about that…” I laughed wryly.

“Yes I know. I thought about that and I have to admit…” He paused and glanced over to our left, a little further in the field.

I blinked. “Kenshin?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Something’s coming,” he said quietly.

My eyes widened and I looked in the direction he was staring at. “What? What’s coming?” I whispered.

Then suddenly, I saw it, moving through the grass. I wasn’t as worried now that I knew it wasn’t bandits or some big wild animal, but I was quite curious. Then I heard Kenshin sigh next to me.

“Well, it’s inevitable I guess.”

And suddenly, before I could reply to him, we were surrounded. Or, more accurately, he was. All I could make out were big ears, fluffy furry bodies, pink wiggling noses and little snuffling noises.

“Rabbits…so many rabbits…” I muttered, wide-eyed.

Kenshin sighed again and watched as rabbits of all sizes and colors swarmed him. Some sat in his lap, others hopped onto his legs and one even hopped onto his shoulder. As for him, he merely watched them and petted a couple of them.

“You’re…incredibly calm about this,” I told him, trying to hold back laughter.

“Well, this happens quite a bit. I seem to attract the creatures, and I don’t even know how or why,” he answered, looking at me. He was so at a loss as to why this was happening that I had to burst out laughing.

He seemed surprised. “Hana?”

“I’m sorry! I just can’t…” I giggled. “You have your own private army now, Kenshin!”

Kenshin smiled a little as he looked back down at the bundles of fur swarming him, all begging for a head rub.

“Well, I would certainly have the numbers,” he agreed, stroking their fur. One smaller bunny hopped into his hand and nudged him with a small amount of force. His slender fingers began stroking up the bridge of its nose between its eyes and the bunny’s nose twitched faster, seemingly happy at the attention.

I couldn’t help the grin on my face. It was such a cute sight and I wished my phone still worked so I could capture such a sweet moment. Suddenly, I was struck with a brilliant moment of inspiration and began to gather some of the wild flowers around me.

“Do you like rabbits, Kenshin?” I asked as I began weaving the stems together.

“Hmm? Do I like them?”

I glanced up again to see him staring blankly up at the sky, seemingly in thought. He continued to pet the animals absentmindedly as they flopped down on and around him. A couple had snuggled up in his lap.

“I suppose I do,” he answered. “They’re rather defenseless creatures, but very energetic. It takes them a while to trust you but when they do, they can be extremely affectionate. Plus, they are rather cute…” He glanced at me before looking back down.

“They remind me of you, actually.”

My eyes grew huge and I nearly dropped the flowers I held. “M-Me? How so?” I stammered.

“You’re defenseless but quite energetic. After all, aren’t you out here because you needed some open space and some air?”

“Well, yeah, I suppose that’s true,” I muttered. Though what I really wanted to know was what he meant about the part when he said rabbits are cute.

I was working up the nerve to ask him about it, but he seemed preoccupied. The rabbits were still all around him and he had - quite frankly - the cutest frown on his face as he lamented at the fact that he had no food to give them.

“Do you think they’ll follow you home?” I wondered, still staying on the topic of bunnies as I continued to weave the flowers together.

“It’s highly probable. I’ll need to ensure that we have plenty of hay and greens back at the castle,” he answered.

I had to giggle again and felt excited as I completed the flower wreath I had been making the whole time we were sitting there. It was a colorful combination of daisies, asters, chicory, coneflowers and wild cosmos. I waited until he was fully distracted before launching my attack. Then I leaned towards him and struck, quickly placing the flower wreath on his head. His look of surprise just added to the rewarding image of him with bunnies in his lap and a flower crown on his head.

“Hana? What did you do?” He demanded, looking rather flustered. He reached hesitantly up to touch the flowers.

“Oh, please don’t take it off!” I heard myself plead. “It really suits you!” I grinned.

He blinked slowly, eyes still wide in mild shock.

“You - what - ” A frown came over his face as his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. In that moment, I swear I could have just died with how precious this whole entire scene was. At the very least, I’m sure I was grinning like a fool.

Kenshin and I had come a long way since we first met. He was the enemy of the Oda, and I was the so-called “princess” that lived with them. We were deeply distrustful of each other. He frightened me a little and I could tell that I made him nervous. But over time, things had changed. Kenshin showed a duality to him that I was finding most everyone had in this time period. What you saw was not always what you got with Kenshin. He was a warmonger, and he distrusted women, to be sure, but it was not without reason. He was also someone with a deep sadness that he was still reluctant to talk about; he was incredibly considerate, and held a powerful charisma that was impossible to deny. Even now, in this last half-hour we spent together, I had witnessed the deeply rooted kindness that was hidden away when he revealed his concern for my safety.

Kenshin was not frozen and hard like the winter as I had originally thought. He had a chill at first, perhaps, but that gradually changed to something warm and bright. He was like the blossoms at the arrival of spring, ever changing and growing after awakening from their slumber.

“You know,” I heard him speak quietly, his voice sunken to a low rumble that I hadn’t heard before. It gave me shivers. “You never cease to surprise me. The things you say and do… I can hardly keep up with you.”

The bunnies scattered as I watched him scoot closer to me. Those beautiful eyes of sapphire and emerald gazed at me with such warmth, shining in a way that made my heart beat fast again. Before I knew it, his hand was on my cheek and I felt his soft hair tickle my face. I could barely gasp before his lips pressed against mine in a gentle - achingly gentle - kiss. Soft, enticing, I felt his tongue gently slip between my parted lips to caress me further and I soon found myself welcoming him. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back in the grass with him leaning over me. He continued his slow, intense barrage of kisses and I could hear the gentle sound of our lips smacking and my breath hitching. When he finally pulled away, I was panting, my face unbearably hot. Kenshin smiled down at me, a vision of ethereal beauty, still wearing the flower crown with the sun shining down on his golden hair.

“Now, this - this suits you,” he whispered.

“Wh-what?” I stammered, yet again. I found myself doing that a lot around him.

He grinned. “You, surrounded by flowers with roses on your cheeks.” His cool finger stroked said cheek. “Like the coming of spring.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he just got up and held his hand out to me. “Come, we should head back,” he told me.

With a nod, I grasped his hand and stood up. We walked hand in hand through the field and back towards the castle. I pressed my hand against my warm cheek as we walked.  We didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes, but there was a nice, pleasant feeling of contentment between us so that we didn’t feel the need to speak. As I thought about our time together just now, I had to take a deep breath. Kenshin had not only hinted that he found me cute, but he had compared me to the flowers of spring. And those kisses…

I glanced at his elegant profile and gulped. You’re not the only one who feels like they can’t keep up… If you keep kissing me like that…

As those thoughts swirled around in my confused brain, he turned to look at me. I felt him squeeze my hand slightly and his lips curled up in a small smile. What a smile it was, too. At that moment, I became desperate to know what was going on in that complicated head of his. We had grown closer these past couple of months. Was it possible that we could have even more?

I’m in trouble, I thought. There was no mistake. I was definitely falling for this man - hard. Even so, I plastered a smile on my face as we walked back, hand in hand. He still wore the flower crown on his head and the small army of rabbits came hopping up behind us.

[pseudofaux]

omg, i'm so shy to be asking this, but if you're ok with it, a drabble about Ikesen Kenshin getting oral and accidentally giving MC a facial (and maybe he feels guilty about it, but it doesn't mean he didn't like it.)

I am sooooooooooooo okay with this, thank you for asking for it! This is a brilliant scenario for Kenshin! I put in some MC-wooing-him talk to carry the scene through, because I could see his sweet bun[s] having trouble, uh, letting go. I hope you’ll see this and enjoy. (Requests are closed, readers, but there are a lot to be filled in May and likely June, too! Feel free to follow along or just check in and enjoy as many as you like. A masterlist will go up when they are all completed.)

She had never thought much of worshiping a man. Maybe because Kenshin worships her she feels safe to return his ardor in kind? She’s certainly doing that now, curling long trails with her tongue and kissing him every time she finishes. He feels good under her tongue, he feels good in her hands, he smells good and he tastes good, and it makes her want to bow formally before him. But she’s not going to stop what she’s doing.

The thing is, as long as he is certain she is safe, he lets her do what she wants. If there was a way for Kenshin to comb through the entire country and then put it under a dome of glass, like a prize cake, he would probably let her walk around unguarded.

Well. Maybe not completely unguarded. But she has come to realize that when he knows she is as safe as he can make her, he relaxes considerably. And he always says yes to her requests, seemingly calm and pleased to be able to indulge her. Which is why they are here in his room and he has his elbows on his desk and his kimono undone and his beautiful throat-- his whole beautiful front-- is exposed to the air. And to her, on her knees between the strength of his legs.

Not that she can spend much time looking at the beauty of all of him, since she is very focused on what he gave her when she asked for it: an opportunity to put her mouth on him and just love him for awhile. This precious chance to touch him and show him how much she adores him without having to withstand his own overwhelming attention is rare. When she glances at his beautiful hands, she can see the tendons of them flexing... but he keeps them to himself, because Kenshin is a man if his word and his word was he would let her have her way.

He is all beautiful masculinity before her. Those hands, hanging tense off the edge of his desk; the black cuffs artfully (and only partially) hiding the strength of his wrists; all the lovely strength of his chest and stomach. He’s mouth watering. She’s grateful for that, because a wet mouth makes it easier to move her tongue over him and give him the kisses she knows he likes. It feels nice to have this kind of permission to drool over how gorgeous and glorious he is in her hands. The skin of his shaft is the most perfect, malleable warmth over his unforgiving hardness— she has poked herself inside her cheek many times expecting him to somehow bend. He doesn’t. No wonder she cries out every time he puts himself inside her. His intensity is one thing, but his body is a true marvel.

There is no crying out now. She’s been noisier than she meant to, though. It just feels so good to love him! She is so glad he let her do this! It’s everything to her, to be able to mouth at him, breathe him in, use her tongue and suck to draw forth his pleasure the way he endlessly seeks hers. Even now, she feels like he has only paused his constant search for ways to make her moan... and she is moaning anyway.

She had never thought much of worshiping a man. Maybe because Kenshin worships her she feels safe to return his ardor in kind? She’s certainly doing that now, curling long trails with her tongue and kissing him every time she finishes. He feels good under her tongue, he feels good in her hands, he smells good and he tastes good, and it makes her want to bow formally before him. But she’s not going to stop what she’s doing.

Instead, she tries to articulate the feeling in a way he will understand. It’s important to be direct with Kenshin. “I love how you feel,” she murmurs. “Thank you for letting me do this.”

His sound is strangled by his own throat, but she understands him perfectly.

“Do you want me to keep talking?” She’s careful to whisper the question right onto the tip of him and make her breath gentle and warm before she slowly takes him back into her mouth and as far into her throat as she can.

The dragon of Echigo hisses and his thighs flex beneath her hands. “You know I love your voice. Speak if you wish to speak,” he manages to say.

She sucks, lets her tongue drag along him until distance parts their bodies, and then she goes right back down. When she comes back up she whispers, “I love you,” and kisses, then sucks, the tender space below the head of his cock, just as beautifully as the rest of him. “I love you, Kenshin.”

His entire body stiffens against the desk, and his legs flex again-- more powerfully-- below her hands and around her body. She’s on her knees, tucked into him like a swallow in a nest. “It makes me happy to give you this attention,” she says slowly. It makes her feel very powerful to use her tongue on him. “It feels good for me to love you this way.”

Kenshin is always, always elegant, but he makes a noise that is not. It fits perfectly in her soul, like a jewel he ordered to be cut just for her.

“I know you are so, so strong,” she whispers, kissing him again, “And I’m grateful that you would let me take over.”

She slides one hand over the bump of his knee and brings it to her own body. “Do you know,” she asks, “That when I have you on my tongue I feel it here?” She pushes herself onto her hand to show him exactly where she means.

“Woman,” he says hoarsely. “Why would you feel such a thing?”

“Because I love you,” she whispers. “Because your body is perfect, and every time I touch it I want you. Sometimes just to hold me. But right now I want you so much more than that.”

His beautiful face scrunches up in disbelief, pleasure, and confusion. It’s no small thing to send a god of any kind into such a tizzy. “This is torture,” he manages to grit out.

“It’s not. I love you,” she tells him again.

He stutters over a curse and clears his throat. The sound is very low, not a growl but not far from one, either. “Let me touch you,” he demands. “I need to touch you.”

“Soon,” she promises, slipping her hands all the way to his, palms open and up to supplicate him as she laces their fingers and squeezes him. “I will. Please give me just a little more time.”

He lets her take him back into her mouth, slowly and fully, even lets her love him with her tongue again before he speaks. But when he does, it is too late.

“I don’t have—nrgh—”

Kenshin cuts himself off with a cry of her name, and pulls back his hips to splatter his cum all over her face instead of in her mouth. She catches a glimpse of his cock standing so proud and beautiful, and she wants to watch it, but she closes her eyes and opens her mouth, gently putting out her tongue to catch what she can.

It’s not as though he’s never come in her mouth. But he’s never done it without touching her— usually she is coming along with him, licked and lapped to senseless pleasure by his tongue while his hands keep her safe as her soul tries to fly.

There’s warm wet on her face. Enough that she knows there’s a lopsided mask of it across the tops of her cheeks and nose, and a thick, slow dribble flowing down the side of her face. He seems to be done, so she opens her eyes. His are narrowed and lusty, and that little bit frustrated he gets when she one-ups him sexually. She does not think it is possible to love Kenshin any more than she does right now.

“Thank you,” she says, cupping her hands to catch his cum before it drips onto the floor.

He gasps, or perhaps he’s only winded. “How could you— why would you do that, why did you stay there instead of moving?” he demands. He pushes her hands away, then touches the slow-moving fluid on her face. His eyes get wider. His tongue darts out to lick his bottom lip and she can’t tell if he’s so quick about it because he’s trying to hide the movement or if he doesn’t even realize he’s making it. But he is definitely into this like she is, and that makes her burn even hotter for him, that steady fire stoked so much higher.

She puts her hand carefully over his, because even when his interest is clear to her, it helps to be clear about it right back, so he has many chances to see it. “Because I wanted you to do that,” she tells him. “I like making you feel that good.”

“I would never dishonor you with this mess,” he breathes. But he is not looking at it like it is dishonorable. He looks like he wants to pin her down, and like it will be a matter of seconds before he does. “Your beautiful face,” he insists. He looks so wonderfully torn between distress and arousal.

“I’m kind of hoping you’ll do this to my face again sometime,” she confesses.

His eyes get even wider and he launches himself from the desk, catching her back and leaning her down to the floor like they are in the middle of a battlefield dance instead of his room. His cum immediately begins to slide toward her ear and she fidgets from the tickle.

“No,” he says, swiping it gently away with his hand and flicking it off with the same finesse she has seen him use to throw blood from a blade. “Take off your clothes. Now.” He is already yanking at her loose robes and stroking the skin of her belly with his knowing, oh-so-skilled fingertips. And one is just a little slick on her, his cum clinging like an oil. It makes her shudder.

“I will do anything you ask,” Kenshin says, pulling one of her legs out, then the other, so she can rest more comfortably on the floor. “Even that, if you wish. But another time. Now it is your turn.” He is so solemn and fierce it is hard not to grin, knowing what she is in for. Already there is the hazy look in his eyes that means he is planning her pleasure. “It is only right for you to make a mess of my face,” he tells her, wiping tenderly at her nose with the edge of her clothing.

He sees to it with all the precision of a god, and in the process makes her feel like she is receiving heaven’s every blessing. When she is a lax heap of limbs on his floor, he crawls back up to her mouth. Their kisses are sweet and slippery indeed. But the mess is manageable, and well-appreciated.

[ikeromantic]

The Final Thread pt 1

Kenshin (Red Thread of Fate AU) finds himself inexplicably drawn to a tavern-keeper in an enemy village. Though victory seems assured, strange happenings put Kenshin, his allies, and the woman in danger. Written for @scruffymctee featuring her lovely OC Tomoyo! Approx. 3200 words.

Previous: Crimson Thread, Another Skein

Kenshin wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun was merciless today, the air thick and humid. His arms ached from the effort of his work, but there was no time to rest. The fight wasn’t over. His sword was crusted with blood. Fresh runnels of scarlet carved paths through the hills of rusted remnants of his earlier opponents as it made its way to the tsuba.

They were finally at the village, with fields of dead at their backs and only a token force ahead. The battle would end soon, and Kenshin felt a mix of annoyance and satisfaction at that. He expected victory, but the day yielded no true opponent worth crossing blades with. And now the chance of such was gone. 

The commander, a young warrior from the Sanada clan, called out orders from his seat atop a sinuous dragon, a beast of red and copper hue that watched the soldiers with a look of vast and strange intellect. The lines of troops rippled and surged into the village, while in the air hundreds of mounted warriors dove toward the remaining fortifications, their monstrous mounts a chorus of damnation for their enemies. 

For the next several minutes, Kenshin ceased to think, his body moving with an unnatural grace. Flowing like water in a dance of violence and gore, he moved past his allies to pursue and destroy his opponents. He felt nothing as they fell.

An open doorway caught his attention, and he turned, blade ready. There was movement within. A coward, preparing an ambush? A damned spirit haunting an abandoned building? Or a frightened villager waiting for the end? He stepped forward.

The attack nearly caught him by surprise. Not a blade or a staff, but a colorful twist of fabric. It snapped out, the weighted end slamming the flat of his sword. He had to shift his grip to keep it in hand. 

Kenshin lunged toward the attacker, but they moved as fast as he. In the dim interior of the shuttered building, he couldn’t make out their features. But he didn’t care what they looked like. Another body he would shortly add to the pile before this battle was ended. His blade flickered forward as he turned, but his enemy slammed it away with another sweep of silk. 

He took advantage of the opening to aim a kick at the shifting figure, but he missed and his foot crashed into a shuttered window. The wood cracked and split, letting the warm afternoon light spill in. Kenshin didn’t notice the sparkling motes of dust as they danced in the golden light, or appreciate the way the sun painted the hanging scrolls. He might have spared a glance at the shelves of sake behind the counter for a heartbeat, but only that. 

With a shout, Kenshin swung at his opponent but the attack stopped short as the light struck them first. Jade green eyes that reflected the afternoon sun, carmine lips, dark hair that hung in silken strands from an elaborate coif now undone. His heart thumped uneasily against the cage of his ribs. She was so familiar. So achingly familiar. He felt a smile curl on the edge of his lips, one he quickly smothered.

“Get out of my bar,” the woman demanded. She was fierce, a tigress in her domain. A kaiken gleamed in her grip, half-hidden by the sweep of her kimono. 

“It’s not yours anymore, woman. Walk away.” Kenshin’s flat, cold voice sounded odd in his own ears.

She scoffed, a haughty expression turning her soft, kissable mouth to hard lines. “No? You think just because you march in here with your big sword, that makes it yours?” She shook her head. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Kenshin felt a rolling warmth in his chest as she said the last bit. He clenched his jaw against the unexpected betrayal of his body. Why should it matter to him if this woman feared him or no? If she did not fear him now, she would learn to. Because he was a creature of war, only alive in the midst of battle. “I would prefer not to fight a woman,” he muttered.

“And I’d prefer not to fight an idiot, but here we are.” She moved faster than seemed possible, her sleeves fluttering in the confined space, the weighted ends whistling as they swept past him. But that attack was a distraction. The real danger was her kaiken. The woman stepped close, brought the blade in a deadly slash.

He had only a heartbeat, less, to turn aside. The small knife cut into the lacquered leather of his dou. She was good, he thought. Using her smaller size and speed to advantage. Kenshin grabbed for her arm, his hand nearly closing over the silken sleeve. But she spun out of his reach and he almost took a weighted cuff to the face for his trouble. 

“You should leave now,” she said, glancing toward the open window. “While you can.”

His gaze followed hers. He could see no sign of any threat, only the distant sounds of fighting as his forces met the few defenders remaining. “What do you know? Tell me, woman.” His mismatched glare moved to her face. The flicker of familiarity struck him again, but he ignored it.

“I have a name.” She frowned. “Tomoyo. So stop calling me woman.” Tomoyo let out a tired sigh, though her body stayed rigid and alert. 

“I asked you a question.” One brow quirked up in annoyance. 

Before she could answer, the door slammed open behind them as another soldier checked the building. He saw Kenshin and grinned. “Looks like you got here first. Good call securing the booze.”

Kenshin turned to regard his fellow with an icy glare. The soldier was Sanada clan, though not Akazonae. Only a mere footsoldier like himself, not someone he had to take orders from. “I did. So you can leave.”

“What? You want to keep the woman and the alcohol all to yourself?” The soldier’s gaze took in Tomoyo’s figure, though he winced away from her hot green gaze. “Looks like more than enough to share.”

Tomoyo grinned fiercely. “Try it. See what happens.”

Kenshin ignored her. “Find someplace else. This one is mine.” The scarlet edge of his blade wavered between him and the other soldier, a threat that needed no words.

For a breath, it looked as if the Sanada clan member might argue. Then he shrugged. “Fine. But if one of the commander catches you, it’s not my fault.” He smirked and then stepped back into the bruised light of late afternoon.

“Yours?” Tomoyo watched him with a haughty gaze. “Over my dead body.”

“If need be.” Kenshin turned to study her. She was fast, and stronger than she looked. In this space she had the advantage. He could take her though, of that he was certain. Only . . . he found that he did not want to fight her. She was a woman, but it was more than that. There was something about her that felt familiar, something that opened the wound in his heart and made his soul ache. 

Tomoyo studied him back, her gaze still hot with anger. “Well?”

Kenshin righted one of the overturned chairs and sat. “Bring me some wine.” Before she could protest him as a thief, he pulled a table over and set some coins on it. “And pickled plums, if you have them.”

She snorted. “Of course I do.” The coin disappeared, replaced by a bowl of sake and a small plate of pickled plums. “So what? Now you plan to sulk and drink until you die?”

He looked at her, expecting to find more of her tart anger, but there was genuine curiosity in her jade gaze. “No.” Kenshin wasn’t sure what his end goal was. The Sanada would take the land and assets once conquest was complete. It wasn’t up to him what happened to Tomoyo or her bar. And yet. He felt he could not leave. 

“Talkative, I see.” She pulled a chair over and sat across from him, pouring her own cup of sake from the bottle. “You look familiar,” she said after a pause. “Or, you feel familiar. But I don’t know . . . where?” Her voice trailed off, lost in thought.

Kenshin gave a slight shrug and didn’t reply. She didn’t seem to need one. They sat in companionable silence as the sun began to set, turning the light red, then violet. 

Tomoyo stood and lit a small oil lamp. Then she began closing up. Kenshin watched as she blockaded the door and propped the shutters over the open window.

“What are you doing?” He set his hand on the hilt of his sword, a nervous energy sweeping through him.

“Closing.” She glanced over her shoulder and he was surprised to see worry in the tightness of her jaw, the line of her mouth. 

Kenshin gave her a small half smile. “Habit?”

“Something like that.” Just as she spoke, the earth beneath them shivered. The building groaned as the wood bent and flexed with the sudden motion of the ground. Tomoyo did not look surprised, but she did look weary. 

He stood, a nervous anxiety in him. Being buried alive in rubble would be an ignominious end. “We should go out -”

“Shhhh.” She held a finger to her lips. Kenshin might have argued, but then he heard it. A hissing sound, like a thousand serpents, rising and then falling in volume. “If we are quiet,” Tomoyo whispered, “they will leave us alone.”

“They?” It was a question he’d asked before, but now his tone was one of caution not interrogation.

“This is cursed land. We are all . . .” She trailed off, her eyes going to the smashed shutters propped over the open window.

Kenshin was about to laugh. He knew about curses. The kind that haunted your dreams and made life a bleak and empty hell. Curses did not shake the ground and hiss into the night. They were personal and silent and terrible punishments. But his laughter never came, dying in his throat as a chorus of screams echoed through the early evening. 

He moved toward the door, stopping as Tomoyo held up her hand. “If you go out there,” she said, “you will die.” 

“I am a god of war. I don’t fear death. I welcome it.” Kenshin smiled at her, the sharp, cruel grin he wore when the joy of battle sang in his veins. “I am not going to hide here while my allies are fighting.”

Tomoyo took a long breath, then nodded. “Fine. Then let’s go.” One hand reached to pat her neck. The tension in her jaw eased as her palm rested against her throat. She gave a slight smile as she pulled the barricade away from the door and stepped out into the cool evening. 

The early evening was stained grey with seeping fog. It swirled through the shadows and over the rooftops, illuminated by the wan light of a waning moon. The smells of ash and blood permeated the mist, a heavy scent that burned in the nose. Kenshin ignored it, focused instead on the faint movement at the edges of his vision.

There were figures in the mist, he thought. But when he tried to look at them directly, there was nothing. Just the motion of the fog as it eddied around the corners of buildings and the leaf-heavy branches of trees.

“Stay close,” Tomoyo said, her voice soft, a whisper in the murk. 

When Kenshin looked to her, she was barely visible, a shape made ethereal in the night. Her brilliant green gaze, the only familiar part of her. “I don’t know why you came with me.” It troubled him, though he couldn’t say why. 

She scoffed, but didn’t answer. 

He might have asked more, but up ahead he saw a Sanada encampment, hung with the familiar red banner. There should have been soldiers up and moving around, or gathered by the low-burning fires. But there was no one. 

Kenshin continued forward, his steps deliberate, a growing dread in his gut. At the first campfire, he found half eaten food on the ground, a half-cleaned sword lying beside its sheath, and an open jug of cheap alcohol. The nearby tents were empty of all but the heavy mist, though there were packs and sleeping mats, other personal items. Signs that someone was here, and only recently gone. 

Tomoyo walked behind him, tense and wary. She didn’t seem surprised by the empty camp or the belongings lying scattered on the ground. 

“What is this?” Kenshin turned to confront her, a roiling sensation in his gut.

She took a breath, shifting to her back foot as if getting ready to run or attack. “I told you. This town is cursed. We sent messages to the Sanada. We warned them.”

His mismatched gaze took in her expression, her posture, the bitter twist to her lips. He did not think she was lying. “Tell me what this curse is.”

Tomoyo opened her mouth to reply, but her words were swallowed up in a sudden shift of the fog. 

If she spoke, Kenshin did not hear her. His ears were filled with the susurration of the mist, like dry leaves in an autumn wind or the creaking of old bones. A whistling scream, distant and muffled. He whirled, eyes searching for an enemy, something he could fight and cut and kill. 

There was nothing. Only the endless eddying fog, pressing at his eyes, pushing into his nostrils and mouth. A thick, foul thing, cold and damp. Kenshin stumbled back, hands at his face as if to pull the mist away. He could not breathe; he could not see. His curled fingers caught nothing as they dragged against his skin.

“No.” The word rang in the heavy air like the clear tones of a bell. 

Kenshin felt a hand on his arm, and through the cloying whiteness, he saw a faint glow. The mist slid away from him, melting into the evening air. He found himself leaning into Tomoyo’s touch, warmth seeping into him from her palm. It eased the tension in his body, the rattle of fight or flee fading. He shut his eyes, just for a heartbeat, allowing himself this moment to enjoy the sensation. Then he straightened, forcing his thoughts back to the danger around him. 

“What was that?” His gaze snapped to Tomoyo, wary but grateful for her intervention.

“You could say thank you. I just saved your life.” She crossed her arms and watched him.

Kenshin felt a tug in his chest, an unexpected warmth at her indomitable attitude. Nothing, he thought, could conquer this woman. The notion made him feel oddly proud of her. “Thank you,” he murmured. 

Mollified, she dropped her arms to her side. “Those were the spirits of the dead, and those they have taken.” Tomoyo looked grimly toward the heavy mist that still surrounded them. “Any caught out after dark may be taken by them. But they target those that live by violence.” Her jade eyes took on a glow of their own, fey and primal. “I told you this place is cursed.”

“Then we must find the commander’s tent.” He took a breath and tried to imagine the map, overlaid now atop mist and death. “We should head this way -” Kenshin gestured in the direction of the hill where the Sanada encampment should be. It was obscured completed by the darkness and fog, and he wasn’t certain of the direction, but any direction was better than standing still and waiting to die.

Tomoyo nodded. “Alright. What happens if we get to your commanders?” 

Her question surprised him. He paused, an odd feeling moving through him. “I don’t know. I am only a soldier. They will point me at what they want to conquer and I will kill it.”

“And if it can’t be killed? Conquered?” Her gaze was so intent on him that Kenshin felt himself taken by it. Held in place, if that place was the green fire of her eyes. 

He knew the answer. He would die trying, his honor worth more than his life. “I -” 

She interrupted. “We should move. I can only hold them off for so long.” Tomoyo began walking in the direction he’d gestured. “You should stay close.”

Kenshin fell into step with her, close enough that their arms brushed against each other. The sensation was strangely intimate and familiar. As if she’d always been right there at his side. He pushed the thought away. “How do you keep them back,” he asked, remembering the moment she’d touched him and driven back the dead.

Tomoyo shrugged. “A bit of magic. I . . . protected you with a charm of life. It has the essence of the living in it, but it can’t protect us from everything.”

“You are . . . Onmyōji?” 

She laughed, the joyful sound at odds with the terrifying night. “No. I run a tavern. But I’ve picked some things up along the way.”

Kenshin felt himself smiling. “Like fighting?”

“Yes, that too.” She nudged his arm playfully. “What about you? Any skills besides beauty and murder?”

“A few,” he muttered, feeling heat creep into his cheeks. “I keep rabbits.”

Tomoyo laughed again, and the sound squeezed Kenshin’s heart. “Rabbits? I wouldn’t have guessed that.” She tapped her lips with a delicate fingertip. “You clearly have a taste for good sake too.”

He shrugged, hoping she wouldn’t notice the warmth in his face. “I wouldn’t call that a skill.”

“Mmm. You’d be surprised. Some will drink anything as long as it gets them drunk. But learning to truly appreciate your liquor and wine? That counts.” 

“Does it? I’ll have to remember that.” Kenshin paused, taking in her profile. She was so beautiful, he thought. Not in the way of an innocent maiden with all the benefits of youth. No. Tomoyo was a woman, with laugh lines around her mouth and creases beside her eyes from her smile. Her gaze held wisdom, and her heart, scars. 

He felt drawn to her in a way he’d never experienced. There was lust, of course. The desire to see her, to trace the curves hinted at beneath her kimono. But more, he felt as if he could spend weeks listening to her voice. That he could tell her anything, even the secrets he could not admit to himself. It was as if he already knew her. 

“ . . . just seems silly to me.”

Kenshin realized he missed what she said just as she looked to him expectantly. “Silly?”

“The idea of one warlord conquering everything. I don’t understand why the great families can’t simply live in harmony.” Tomoyo sighed. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Your commander should be just up this hill, yes?”

He tried to see some sign of the Sanada camp, but there was only the mist spinning and shifting in the darkness. “Perhaps.” 

They began to hear the shouts of men and the roar of monstrous mounts as they ascended the hill. The fog lightened with nearby campfires, and sudden, sharp bursts of unnatural lightning. Kenshin launched into a run, and Tomoyo followed closely behind.

[writingwhimsey]

300 Follower Celebration Masterlist

300 follower celebration concluded! Here are all the fics for the event! I hope you all enjoy! I had so much fin writing all of these!

Married for the Night- ikesen Kanetsugu, fake marriage trope, fluff.

The Pirate and The Princess- ikesen Motonari, arranged marriage trop, fluff

I'm You...You're Me? HELP?!- ikepri Clavis, body swap trope, crack and fluff

The Night That Changed Everything- ikesen Shingen, one bed trope, smut fic, 18+ NSFW

Safe and Sound - ikesen Ieyasu, one bed trope, fluff

A Wish Gone Awry - ikesen Hideyoshi & Mitsuhide, body swap trope, crack fic

Ridiculous Man - ikepri Clavis, blind date trope, fluff fic

A Business Trip turns Personal - ikesen Mitsuhide, one bed trop, smut fic 18+ NWFW

A Blind Date Literally - ikepri Clavis, blind date trope, crack fic

Lazy Day - ikesen Kenshin, rainy day cuddles, fluff

Tough Negotiations - ikesen Nobunaga, enemies to lovers trope, smut NSFW 18+

Luckiest Dumbass In the World - iksen Yukimura, arranged marriage trope, fluff

Through the Storm - ikesen Kenshin, one bed, fluff

[letskidnapsenpai]

D, L, and Z with Kenshin and Shingen? Had to hop on the SFW train while I could, gotta go fast

Not like I'm complaining- but I posted that I want requests like 3 minutes ago- do you have a life? 🧐 of course I'm kidding, I don't have life either, I just spent 4 hours in row reading smau I like how we're all obsessed with Shingen and Kenshin- xD 💖 I have to wake up in 3 hours, if this is posted on Tuesday, I sacrificed at least hour of sleep for it- 😌🥴 Also I haven't done Kenshin's nor Shingen's route so don't come at me if I portray them wrong- Everything I know is from Yuki and Masamune's route and few fanfics ╥﹏╥ Also sorry if the kids part is bad, let's say kids aren't my favourite thing- also sorry if I disappointed you by making Kenshin not want kids, it doesn't have to do with my opinion on kids, I just see Kenshin as the career focused type, but since I didn't want to make you sad, I added little bonus because of it 🥺💖

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

• Before he met you and at the start of your relationship, he didn't want to settle down

• It will probably take some time for him to figure out he wants to settle down, probably few years due to him still being scared of you leaving him

• So at first your life together is very adventurous and sometimes difficult, because Kenshin loves war and he loves his freedom, but eventually he calms down and decides get wants to have a family with you

• He's still busy even after you settle down, he surely has more free time since he calmed down and isn't trying to declare war to everything that moves, but he's still busy due to his position, so you're the one cooking and cleaning all the time

• He tries to help you when he can, but you usually do it before he has time to

• When he manages to clear his schedule and tries to cook something for you, it ends up surprisingly good since he followed recipe, thanks god for that, when he tries to improvise in kitchen it tastes horrible

• He's cleaning up his office perfectly everyday and when I say perfectly, I mean it

• Everything is on it's place, books are divided by themes and sorted by alphabetical order, every paper is on it's place and there's not even one particle of dust

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

• He doesn't want kids, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like them, they're just not something he needs or wants in his life

• War was always the most important thing to him, then you took it's place and you're perfectly happy together, he doesn't need kids, he's already happy

• He'll like when you two babysit Shingen's or Yuki's kids, they love you both, you for your kindness and for giving them as much sweets as they want and Kenshin for how cool he is

• He's actually really good with kids, telling them cool war stories and showing them his fighting skills, all the kids love him and you're the cool uncle and aunt that the kids beg to go to every weekend

If you really wanted kids-

• Kenshin doesn't need kids, but he loves you and you want them, so after thinking about it for really long he decides that you can have one

• He loves kids and he sure would love your child, raising them to be strong and brave as he, but he'll support them in whatever they want to do

• And he'll make sure his kid is better then Shingen's kid at everything, Shingen's kid can talk at 2? His learns it at 17 months etc.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs? Does it change around a partner?)

• He tends to overwork himself like the rest of the warlords

• So he's getting almost no sleep at all until you literally force him to go to sleep because he's writing nonsense

• Because he really doesn't want to have to write everything over tomorrow, he goes to sleep, staying up late didn't have any purpose anyways since he couldn't concentrate

• The only reason he's getting more sleep around you is because you don't let him stay up late, he wouldn't go to sleep earlier just because he wants to fall asleep with you, he thinks his work is more important then what he wants

• His favourite way to sleep is holding your hand, he needs to move in his sleep, so you two can't sleep in a hug and he goes to sleep later then you usually, but he'll try to always hold your hand while you sleep together, it's little remainer that you're here, safe and next to him

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

• He wants to settle down, despite being kinda playboy who flirted and slept with everybody before he met you, he knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with you the moment you two fall in love

• He'll love all the domestic stuff, cooking together, cleaning together, he'll love coming home to find you

• He doesn't like cooking, he'll make dinner if there's some special event because he's good at it and he doesn't even need a recipe to make you happy, but he doesn't like cooking alone

• He loves cooking together tho, it's always so much fun with Shingen teasing you the whole time and you almost cutting you hand off when Shingen got his clothes dirty, so he took it off and was shirtless I don't know how the kimono and stuff works, sorry 🥺

• It's moments like that when he relizes just how much loves you, watching you laugh in your kitchen when you cook dinner together at your home is something really heartwarming for Shingen

• He also doesn't like cleaning, he has organized mess in his office, he can find everything, but he's the only one who can do that

• But he likes when you clean together, he likes pouring the water on you instead of on floor and he likes racing by sliding around the castle on the wet floor with you, he loves the way you laugh during stuff like that

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

• He loves kids and he wants to have them with you

• He probably wants one or two kids and even if he says he doesn't care what it's going to be, he wants daughter so he can take care of her and protect her

• If you two have two kids, he wants one girl and one boy so he has one from both

• He isn't even trying to be strict with them, he spoils them with candy and gifts and you have to deal with them all, including your childish husband, after

• He'll show them off everywhere, he's just soo proud of them and he loves them soo much

• Yuki will probably try to make Shingen be more responsible and not give them everything they want, not give them sweets and overall be Karen be strict with them, but we all know he's not going to listen

• Yuki's kids love when you two babysit them because you give them candy while their dad wants them to eat healthy and they are great friends with your kids

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs? Does it change around a partner?)

• He sleeps a lot because he's a bear

• He goes to sleep kinda late if he's alone and he sleeps until he has to wake up or until lunch

• But because you want to fall asleep in his arms, he has to go to sleep earlier then usually, but he still sleeps as long as he can

• If you're used to sleeping a lot too, you'll both wake up to angry Yuki because Shingen has to talk to somebody important and he's still sleeping

• If you're used to waking up early, you're gonna have to wait for him, there's no way to wake him up, it's literally impossible

• You once poured cold water on him to wake him up only for him to roll into other side and continue sleeping, it's kinda impressive

[le-chat-sofi]

Watching a play

The warlords and the vampires were invited by MC to watch a play

MC: So, everyone, you all have numbered seats. Look at the ticket and seat down before the play starts.

Mitsunari: I’m so excited to watch! What is it about?ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ

Ieyasu: I don’t care… I just don’t want to seat next to you!!!!!

Hideyoshi: Calm down, you two… Just seat, you’re making a mess here… My lord, seat next to me and…

Nobunaga seated eating his konpeito…

Hideyoshi: My lord, you can’t eat here!

Nobunaga: I’m gonna change chair so… where can I eat??

Hideyoshi: You….. keep it down, keep it down… (-_-)

Masamune: HAHAHAHA I hope this play is about war, fights, blood and action!!!

Kenshin: Yeah, I’m here for it!!! Show me the swords!!! (◕‿◕)

Napoleon and Jean: ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ

MC: Mitsunari, it’s called The Lion King!

Nobunaga: What??? A lion?? King??? HAHAHAHAHA I’m the only one here and…

Theo: Keep quite over there!! My brother needs silence to be inspired by the play

Vincent: Theo, just stop, please!!!! *blushing*

MC: Everybody quite, the play is about to start!

Mozart: I’m here for the music…

Arthur and Shingen: I’m here for the pretty ladies over there

Leonardo: I’m here to take a nap

Mitsuhide: I didn’t want to come at all….

The show starts! After some time…

Mitsunari: *screaming* Mufasa, over there!!!!! Behind yoooooou!!! Bad lion, bad lion!!!! Ahhhh *starts crying* what happened?? Is he…. Is he….? (´ཀ`」)

Ieyasu: DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, not breathing!!! It’s over!!

The crowd looks at them…

MC: HAHAHA, don’t worry, he…

Mitsuhide: HAHAHAHAHA THAT was good! Baby lion, go and kill the bad lion!!!

Kenshin: Here!!! That’s my sword, I’ll help….

Kenshin and Masamune get up, take the swords, aim to the scenario and start to run…

Jean: That’s just a play….

Napoleon looks at him *both worried* they aim to the scenario too

MC: ＼(〇_ｏ)／

Mitsunari is still crying and holds Ieyasu

Ieyasu: GET OUT! GET OUT! ٩(╬ʘ益ʘ╬)۶

Nobunaga: I’m already out of konpeito… I’m gonna buy more….

The actors start to run from the sword fighting and try to protect the actor who plays Scar…

The actors: Ahhhhhhh what is happening? Who are you guys??

Kenshin: You will suffer the anger of my sword…

Masamune: Protect the baby lion, the baby lion!!!!

Finally, Jean comes and takes the baby lion…

Napoleon whispering: Guys, this isn’t real… they are just pretending!!

The actors are terrified, the crowd is silent, Mitsunari is crying….

Kenshin: Ohhh, you are pretending… Death is a serious thing, don’t play with that…

Suddenly, they start to listen claps from the back of the theater…

Someone in the crowd: *clap clap clap* AMAZING!!!

The crowd starts to clap too. In a second, the whole theater is clapping and whistling

Person 1: So good! What an incredible version!!

Person 2: It was so intense!!!!!!

Person 3: I thought it was real!! Congrats to the director!!

Person 4: So emotional, with revenge, love and fighting!!!

Kenshin, Masamune, Jean and Napoleon freezed… not knowing what to do (•ิ_•ิ)?

Nobunaga: *coming back from buying konpeito* What did I miss?

Arthur and Shingen: We got the numbers of the pretty ladies over there… (´ ∀ ` *)

[the12thnightproject]

Twelve Lies I Told Shingen Takeda Chapter 41: Miles to Go Before I Sleep

Katsuko and Yukimura set off to look for Toshiie in Ikuno, and try to convince themselves they've done the right thing. Katsuko tries to give Yukimura advice on women.

Chapter Excerpt:

“Conversation is really important Yuki.” The tea water was finally boiling, so I got up to prepare a couple cups. “If you prefer to just talk, I guarantee lots of women would be happy with that.”

That comment was rewarded with a patented Yukimura Eyeroll (TM). “Yeah. Right. Hard to take your word for that. You’re with one of the biggest flirts in the country.”

Was this some kind of Sengoku era Godwin’s Law where all conversation inevitably returned to Shingen? “Well, that’s a bug, not a feature.”

“Katsu, please don’t think you have to take Sasuke’s place by making weird comments… Thanks,” he added when I handed him a cup of tea.

“Aw. So I shouldn’t call you bestie?” I plopped back down opposite him.

“Please don’t.” He sipped at the tea, and when he didn’t wince, I figured I had remembered how he liked it. “What did you mean about the bugs?”

I thought back. “Oh. The flirting thing. I fell for Shingen because of how he treated me when he thought I was boy.” His kindness… the way he took me seriously… the way he helped me after I had killed the sniper… the way we could just… talk.

“Huh.” I could tell that Yuki didn’t believe me, but I didn’t plan to go into any more detail, so that was that. “And, not that I was around for any of it,” a fact that I was really grateful for, “but I cannot imagine that Kenshin flirted with Mai.”

“No. He threw her in the dungeon.” He rolled his eyes again (a sentiment I agreed with one hundred percent).

Ugh. Right. She’d mentioned that. “See. No flirting. Although I wouldn’t recommend imprisonment as an effective romantic tool. Everyone is different.”

Yuki kicked his feet in the dirt in front of him. “Where do the bugs come into it?”

I sighed. “Well, probably you’re going to need to find the girl who understands that when you put a bug down the back of her kimono, you’re actually telling her that you think she’s cute.”

Link to Entire Chapter: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32812042/chapters/88369408

@ocfairygodmother

[creations-of-a-certain-no-one]

Moonlight (1/4)

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku Character: Kenshin, Shingen Contents: friendship, magical realism(?), fear of loss, nightmares of death Ao3 link in the source. Consider leaving a comment there, if you liked it! Summary: Woken up by nightmares despite the cosy life with his beloved, Kenshin leaves her side to calm down - without burdening her with the delusions of his mind and the dread of the loss he dreamt. A few deep breaths in the serene night and a few words exchanged with an old friend - such a small thing yet it helps him collect himself enough to go back and fall asleep by his wife's side again.Yet when your mind is haunted by fears, long is the way and hard.Four nights, separated by time.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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He woke up in the middle of the night, panting heavily, deadly fear in his heart.

Cool night air was chilling his arms and chest as he was laying halfway out of the futon, catching his breath and trying to shake off the sensation of her cold skin, the stiffness of her dead body.

Just a dream, he was telling himself. He listened to her relaxed breathing as she slept soundly, unaware of the world, of his fears and nightmares. Kenshin reached towards her to stroke her cheek, warm and soft under his fingers. Unmistakably alive.

Just a dream, nothing more.

He crawled back into the futon and cuddled to her, hiding his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the fragrance of her skin.

Just a dream, he thought again. She’s here, she’s with you, he kept telling himself. She’s not going anywhere, look how soundly she is sleeping.

His racing heartbeat slowed down as he was calming down, and he closed his eyes.

But it was futile. The odour of death crept into his nostrils again, despite the fact he knew it was just an illusion of his mind. He tried to reject it but it was mixing with her scent, the effect uncanny and unsettling, just like in his dream, mixed with metallic smell of unfresh blood.

Stronger and stronger.

His eyes fluttered open and he sat in the futon, defeated by his nightmare again. He grabbed a spare blanket and wrapped himself up to his head to get rid of the feeling of cold, stiff skin. Just one last look at her, breathing steadily, as peaceful as always, one tender stroke on her hair, and he stood up and left the room.

The sensation of the chilly night air on his face and in his throat as he inhaled deeply – so clear as if the clarity could spread to his heart. Inhale, exhale. Calming down his ragged breath, he sat on the floor of the hallway and looked up the sky, at the crescent moon he had no interest in. It shone calmly high above, clouds still and unmoving on the skies, illuminated in the moon’s silver glow.

It’s been so long since he had to leave his futon last time. He almost dared to hope the dreams, the intrusive thoughts were gone for good, that he will not have to leave in the middle of the night to cool his head and let the thoughts disperse.

He sighed and tried to redirect his mind. Considering where the moon was, it was past midnight for sure, closer to dawn already. Just the right time to be haunted again.

“Moon gazing?”, a voice of an unexpected guest broke the silence, so eerie in this time of the night. “I have never suspected you of appreciating its beauty.”

“I’m not. Don’t sputter nonsense.”

“Crude as usual.” Shingen let out a short laugh and took a place next to him as if the rude welcome didn’t bother him. “Even to an old friend.”

They sat in silence for a moment, eyes locked on the moonlit garden, serene and quiet as never. Kasugayama was asleep, resting in the rare peaceful moments in these uncertain times of constant wars. Only guards were somewhere there, vigilant and silent, but hidden from their eyes.

For now, it was only the two of them. Like in the past when Kenshin sat outside almost every night, Shingen keeping him company whenever he noticed his silhouette in the garden. Almost every night at first.

Kenshin never admitted how that silent presence was helping him to calm down every time he ran from the haunting dreams. While he didn’t want anyone to witness his most vulnerable times, a friendly company was clearly helping, whether he liked it or not.

He wrapped himself and in the blanket tighter as if it could be his armour him against his own deceitful mind.

“I still have these nightmares,” he finally spoke up in a small voice.

“Even after all these years.”

It wasn’t a question, but Kenshin still nodded, buried up to his nose in the soft fabric.

Shingen didn’t ask anymore. He never did, leaving it all unspoken as long as Kenshin didn’t talk about it, and Kenshin always was talking more to himself than to Shingen anyway. But a man of his observation skills must have had figured out most of it from their scarce talks, dropped words and rhetorical questions. But he was still there.

Kenshin sighed again, his breath back to normal. He still could feel his raging heartbeat thudding in his chest, but it was slowing down to more comfortable pace, to the steady and constant beating he barely registered in any other time. The uncanny stench disappeared.

Nothing was happening. Just another night in Kasugayama. No threat hanging over their heads. There was no need to be afraid anymore. Everything was alright.

“I will be going back,” he finally spoke up. He stood up and looked at Shingen for the last time. Who knows for how long.

“Good night then.” The man wished him with a smile on his face, pale in the moonlight.

Kenshin walked back to the room and slipped into the futon, cosy and warm, and embraced his beloved. He snuggled into the crook of her neck, closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, lovely and sweet in its familiarity. She mumbled something in her sleep and embraced him sleepily, and exhaustion took over him finally and sent him into deep but peaceful dreams.

-> Part 2.