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heavenzfiend · 6 years

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Fanfic: Alone Again (Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC)- SLBP

Read on AO3

Word count: ~4800

Warning: LEMON. Non-con/dubious consent, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Physical Abuse, Forced Orgasm, Power Play, etc. Don’t read if you’re expecting fluff!

Summary: MC finally seems to be getting closer to the reclusive Lord Motoyasu when Lord Yoshimoto orders them to take each other’s virginity but under his exact instructions. Just how much more control over the boy will it take for him to be satisfied?

Author’s Note: This is a continuation of the Event Story, “Another Story Part 2” for Ieyasu, who is Matsudaira Motoyasu. The first part of the ES really affected me emotionally because of how he was treated by that –insert all the bad words- Yoshimoto but while playing the second part, I got this thought: what if he forces them to sleep together? I can see him doing something like this, just to control more of Ieyasu’s life and to limit more of his freedom, even in terms of love and sex. Anyways, hope you enjoy~

“I’m finished. Thank you for the meal,” Lord Motoyasu says in his usual genial tone.

“I hope you enjoyed what I had prepared for you,” I state, knowing fully well that he did, judging from his empty plates and fast pace of eating.

“I did. I’m grateful as always.”

I clean up the dishes one-by-one with a pleasant smile on my lips as well, happy to know that he is speaking to me with a lot longer phrases as of late. Suddenly, my hands brush against his as they occasionally do when I’m cleaning up. Unlike before when any physical touch made him freeze up, Lord Motoyasu seems to not mind as much nowadays. He allows them to simply slide against each other, my hand feeling the warmth of his for the briefest moments, grateful that he doesn’t pull away in shock or disgust.

I exit the room with almost a skip to my steps, unable to hide the smile plastered to my face. I feel as if I’m finally bringing out the real Lord Motoyasu hidden deep inside his shell molded by Lord Yoshimoto’s rigid control of every fiber of his being. I can’t wait to find out more about him, like what he likes to do if he had free time outside of his reading and archery practice or what he would like to do outside the castle walls if he had a whole day free from his set schedule to do whatever he pleases.

I wonder if one day soon he will even hold my hands. I have to stifle a giggle from escaping. I move down the corridors to the kitchen with my arms heavy, laden with the plate-filled tray, but heart and mind light at peace.

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Just as I’m about to leave the kitchen to retire to my room for the evening, one of the maids accosts me.

“Miss MC, Lord Yoshimoto is asking for you. Please go directly to Lord Motoyasu’s chambers.” I furrow my brows, confusion etched on my face, at her worried tone but the maid quickly leaves after saying that, not giving me any other option but to do as she relayed lest I keep the lord waiting for too long.

As I walk down the corridor my mind is filled with worry at the thought of facing the lord of the castle. A day without having to see him at all is a very good day indeed in my books. Just the thought of him brings a shiver down my back, the purple robes giving a fake illusion of regality when it houses a demon instead.

I announce myself and slide the shoji door slightly after preparing my nerves, noticing that nothing seems to be amiss in the air, notwithstanding the usual awkwardness. This is the first time he has called upon me to Lord Motoyasu’s chambers at this time of night.

I take my usual seat next to Lord Motoyasu, muscles fidgeting from anxiety. I look up to see Lord Yoshimoto smiling at us, his stubby eyebrows reminding me of a chilling ghost from the Heian period.

“I see you still sit so close to dear Motoyasu, how lovely,” his smile growing wider along with my confusion. “You must be wondering why I called you here tonight.” Both Lord Motoyasu and I stare at him to continue.

“As a father-figure to my darling Motoyasu, I want to see all his needs satisfied. You're his chambermaid and if I'm not mistaken you two got quite close lately. You also would do anything to care for Motoyasu, am I right?” he asks with his too perceptive eyes.

“...Of course, Milord.” My heart is pounding so fast in my chest, it threatens to leap out of my body and it almost hurts to breathe.

“Have you laid with a man before?” My eyes grow wide as plates as I stumble for a reply, mortified at the question. I don’t like where this is going but I know I have to answer him.

“N-no...” My cheeks feel warm and eyes nervously fleet around but pointedly avoiding Lord Motoyasu’s general direction. Why, oh why are we talking about this right now?

“Well that's wonderful. You see, my sweet Motoyasu is also a virgin. I think as his chambermaid you should pleasure him and mate with him. How fitting for both of you to have each other's first time,” he says with that sweet, deceiving smile of his that I want to punch right off his face.

Just as Lord Motoyasu finally got comfortable with me, just as we were finally getting closer, Lord Yoshimoto seizes that opportunity to take control of our lives down to the most private matters, dictating when and how we will have sex. I relish our developing friendship and, despite the love I have for Lord Motoyasu, I know things can never be the same after we come together in this sense. I don’t want things to unfold like this, not tonight, not ever, under these circumstances.

“This poor boy has never experienced a woman's touch,” he continues in mock pity. “Don't be troubled about your lack of experience in this matter either. I shall gladly assist you both every step of the way.”

He means to strip the last dignity left on Lord Motoyasu, to let him know that he even dictates when, how and with whom he can have carnal pleasures.

My breath gets caught as if the evil lord shoved a metal ball down my windpipe and constricted my heart by squeezing it in his fist mercilessly, bleeding it out slowly. How crueler can this man get? I'm more worried about the damage this will ultimately do to poor Lord Motoyasu than any physical pain I have to endure by giving my virginity to a man.

“Milord! I… this wasn’t in my job description, surely!” I try to protest rationally but my voice comes out in high-pitched squeaks fueled by my over-wrecked emotions.

“You had consented to look after my boy here and he in return can use you in any way he desires,” turning to Lord Motoyasu, he asks, “and you do desire her, do you not?” His dullish brown eyes search Lord Motoyasu’s.

After a long, excruciating silence, Lord Motoyasu opens his mouth to respond.

“…Lord Yoshimoto, I… I'm not sure if we should…“ Lord Motoyasu’s eyelashes fluttered down with uncertainty, first time showing hesitation to his captor.

Without warning, Lord Yoshimoto slaps Lord Motoyasu across the face so hard that his jaws make a cracking sound as it whips to the side. He suddenly grabs a fistful of his hair, showing no mercy even to such beautiful, golden locks. How can he be so monstrous to something, or someone, that looks so angelic? My heart weeps for him.

“You dare defy me?” Yoshimoto asks, his face an eerie blank sheet, void of emotion.

“Lord Motoyasu!” I can't stand by watching him get hurt, I just can't. If I have to give my body to satisfy one of his whims, I'll do it to save Lord Motoyasu.

I’m kneeling by his body, tears streaming down my face as I beg him to stop. However, my desperate pleas aren't what he's after since the onslaught of abuse continues. Even with the poor boy slumped on the floor, ruthless kicks rain down on him all over his body.

Finally, after what seems to be an eternity, Lord Motoyasu weakly lets out, “Forgive me, Milord… I seemed to have forgotten my place…” and begins to cough up blood on the floor.

“See to it that you don’t forget again. I gave you an order, not a request. Do not forget, both of you belong to me.” He turns to me and adds, “I expect great things from you, young lady.”

I wonder if we can just pretend we did it and call it a night, but somehow I feel like he will find out if we actually did as he said or not. I wonder what he meant by assisting us? It’d be mortifying if he was listening and providing verbal feedback through the shoji screen.

“Make sure to follow all of my instructions. Come in.” He situates himself near the corner and calls out to someone. Suddenly, two maids appear from outside with a sheet of paper, ink and brush, laying it on a desk in front of the seated lord. “You two are dismissed for now but stay behind the door in case I need something.”

“Yes, Milord.” The two maids exit and I see the outline of their figures behind the shoji. Wait, so Lord Yoshimoto will be in the room with us while the maids will be listening right outside? I look around the room like a frightened rabbit caught in a trap, eyes landing on both men and not quite believing what’s going on. I've never even kissed a boy before but now I'm expected to perform the ultimate act of bonding between a man and a woman under the instructions of a sadistic psycho?

Nothing could have prepared me for the nightmare that is tonight.

“Now, first thing’s first. Kiss.”

Lord Motoyasu pushes off the floor with one arm while the other clutches at his sides. He peers at me with those unreadable, reddish eyes. I don’t want him to move any more than necessary so I scoot closer to him and bring my face very, very close to his. I hear him suck in a breath at my audacity but I have my eyes closed in anticipation so I thankfully cannot see his expression, which seeing it would only further my own embarrassment at the absurdity of our current situation.

Seconds pass by when I feel the gentlest brush of lips that jolt my eyes open. Lord Motoyasu’s face is right in front of me, our noses touching as well as our lips. I quickly shut my eyes again, not wanting to stare into the depths of his eyes from such a close proximity. This is way too intimate. My head whirls at the distinct scent of coppery blood assailing me from his mouth.

He continues to press his lips against mine, holding still. When he finally parts, Lord Yoshimoto’s voice echoes in the silent room, “I didn’t say you can stop.” He quickly mashes our lips back together, almost too fast that our teeth collide and I register a slight bit of pain. He hisses through his lips in pain as well, but it’s gone in an instant and he regains composure. I hear a brush gliding against paper from afar.

“Try tilting your face this way and that. Stick your tongue in her mouth.” Lord Motoyasu attempts to follow all the instructions given exactly as is. His mouth covers mine more fully with his head slightly tilted to the side and I feel something really warm and wet wedging between my lips. I part them slightly as to not deny him access but my whole body is tense. Isn’t kissing supposed to be romantic? I can’t imagine anything less romantic than the moment I’m sharing with him right now, with him shoving his tongue down my throat. My mouth feels thoroughly invaded and uncomfortable.

“Young lady, you need to relax.”

Easier said than done! Although behind my eyes I kick his stupid face repeatedly, I take a deep breath and let my shoulders drop, also loosening my jaws in the process. I don’t know when to take a breath and when to swallow. I feel some of my saliva escaping from the corner of my mouth and I quickly mop it up with my sleeves.

Yup, definitely not romantic.

“Strip.” The command comes out from nowhere that I freeze. Our lips make a smooching noise as he extracts himself away, filling the otherwise quiet night.

“Lord Yoshimoto… C-can we turn the light off?” I suggest in an attempt to save my modesty.

“No.” That’s all he says. What did I even expect? Even in the cover of darkness, my modesty will not be salvaged. After this night, the whole castle will come to know of me as Lord Motoyasu’s plaything. A broken marionette. A whore.

Seconds pass by without either of us actually performing the command when the voice from the corner says, “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

We both bashfully look down at our clothes, not wanting to face each other unless absolutely necessary. With trembling hands, I tug at my obi strings and belt, then slide one arm at a time out of my robes. I hear similar rustling of clothes in front of me but I don’t dare look up quite yet. I continue to disrobe all my articles of clothing until they are pooled at my feet and I am standing stark naked in the middle of the room with my hands cupping my private areas in an attempt to hide as much as I can. I know I won’t be able to for too long but just standing there with my hands to my sides is unthinkable.

“My goodness, just look at you two fools just standing there. Go on, touch each other.” Our eyes both look up at the same time and his face and chest are both so red that I would find it quite endearing if we weren’t in this ridiculous situation and I’m not equally as red, but alas that’s not the case. We both hold each other’s eyes not daring to break it lest we see too much of the other person. Never seeing a man’s body before, aside from Yahiko but he doesn’t count since he’s not even a fully grown man, the curiosity and anticipation is killing me but I don’t want to do anything too rash to startle him so I keep my eyes focused solely on his face.

But eventually Lord Motoyasu’s eyes flicker down my body, slowly drifting from my neck, collarbones, my left breast then my right one, each place he looks at burning hotter at the sensation of his eyes. And then he looks at the apex of my thighs and my toes curl at the scrutiny. Despite my hand attempting to cover the general area, I’m sure he can still see the dark hairs peeking through and I just wish I could die at this moment so I don’t have to be subjected to this any longer.

“...Milord, where exactly do you mean by... touch?” The uncertainty in Lord Motoyasu’s voice is followed by a chuckle from the seated lord.

“Wherever you want. All over.”

With the sudden freedom that came with that response, Lord Motoyasu’s eyes slightly widen like a kid at a confectioner’s store and the maroon in his eyes become a shade darker. I don’t think he’s ever touched a girl before so he must be a tad excited. I try to relax and let him do what he wants, chanting to myself, ‘It’s just Lord Motoyasu. It’s just him touching you. You actually like him, so it’ll be okay.’

His hands reach out to tentatively touch my hair, rubbing his thumb and forefinger on some strands, as if he’s amazed how flowy they are. I suppose he’s never got to touch long hair before since Lord Yoshimoto probably has someone cut his hair tidy at a set schedule.

Next, he traces his fingers down my neck, gently wrapping his large hand around my neck. I’m scared for a second, wondering if he will strangle me but he is nothing but gentle in his touches as he ventures onwards. His fingertips ghost at my collarbones and a short gasp escapes me as goosebumps appear all over my body.

His actions stop and I see him looking at my chest.

“...Can I?” He whispers, eyes searching mine. He doesn’t have to ask permission since the lord commanded it but I’m thankful that the sweet Lord Motoyasu still lets me believe I have some semblance of control in all this.

“...Yes,” I breathe out, barely audible.

The warmth in his eyes become even gentler as he puts his whole palms against my breasts. He sucks in a breath as if he can’t believe how they feel as he cups them and squeezes them with his hands. Then he almost studies my body, so different from his own, scratching my nipples to attention first then methodically twisting and pinching the tautness. I wish they weren't so pointy and erect.

Just as I’m about to get lost in the sensations he produces, the unwelcomed demon speaks.

“Bury your face on her breasts and suck on her like you’re her child. Surely it should come naturally to you as you’ve never had a proper mother to suckle from. Imagine there’s milk flowing from her. Drink her up.”

Cruel words from a cruel man.

Lord Motoyasu looks so conflicted that I feel so sorry for him, despite myself being used as well.

I stand up a little straight, attempting to make myself taller so he can get down to snuggle against my bosom. He must see that as an invitation as he nuzzles his face against my soft flesh and then pops a nipple into his mouth. I gasp at the sensation that I’ve never experienced before. It almost feels too much yet not enough at the same time. The feeling of bonding to this person is so strong. I don’t know what happened with his mother but if I can give even a small amount of comfort to his broken soul, I will be more than willing to let him use my body.

I can smell his scent from his hair and as if they are beckoning me to them, I can’t help but run my hands through them. A small, broken noise that almost sounds like a sob comes from him, as he moves his mouth in a sucking motion. My one hand pats his back reassuringly as my other hand gently caresses his hair.

I finally get the chance to fully take in his body and register that he is naked and so close to me. I can feel the muscles and sinew on his lean arms while he holds my sides firmly. His chest and upper body are generally strong-looking, which then lead down to the wisp of a waist. He’s not overly muscular but his daily archery practice definitely defined his shoulders and upper back so that first impressions wouldn’t show how much of an overall sedentary life he leads.

After quite some time passed of him simply being in my arms, we both relax into a steady rhythm, in sync in both breaths and heartbeats.

“Touch her. Make her come.”

I inhale a huge gulp of air which leads to uncontrollable coughing. Lord Motoyasu eases himself away from me as I gain control of my breathing once more.

No! Where does he even get these ideas from? I don't want to show him my pleasure. Just how could he expect me to achieve orgasm in a situation like this, with hatred for him circulating my entire body? He must be thoroughly enjoying this, the sadistic bastard, watching both of us struggling to fulfill his every demand as he showcases his power over us like puppets on strings for his amusement.

“Milord! I can’t possibly!” I nearly shout.

“You will. We have all night.” That scares me, the thought that he probably is being serious, that this could well last the entire night if he so desires. Shouldn’t the lord of the castle have better things to do than observe two young people having sex, against their will might I add?

I wish he would just be satisfied with Lord Motoyasu putting his thing in me so I can crawl back to my room and pretend this night never happened. But I have to do this. I have to do this for Lord Motoyasu’s sake, as well as mine.

Lord Motoyasu inches closer and right before gently pushing me to the ground, discreetly whispers, “...Perhaps you can pretend to achieve satisfaction?” Even before my mind gets to process what those words mean, I hear the amusement.

“Don’t be so daft as to think I don’t know what you’re up to. I will know.”

All hope is lost as I willingly subject to his touch, stiff as a log with my back on the floor and legs stretched out. Lord Motoyasu looks lost as if he has no idea how to ‘make me come.’

Not wanting to be here anymore than necessary, I reach out and take his hand in mine, guiding his middle finger to my slit. I slide it up and down where it easily traverses due to the amount of fluid in the area. His eyes widen and mouth open in fascination at the feeling of a woman’s heat.

I mostly guide him along my clit, where I find the most amount of pleasure based on personal exploration. I focus all my concentration on finding release, desperate to get it over with. I squeeze my eyes shut. If I close my eyes, if I focus solely on the warmth of his touch, the scent of his masculinity and breath close to me it almost feels like we are two normal lovers sharing an intimate moment.

Just when I feel so close, his finger tease at my opening, prompting my eyes to open. And just as unexpectedly, Lord Motoyasu gives me the sweetest kiss on my forehead and the emotional connection pushes me over the edge. I give an uncontrollable cry as my lower body twitches, squeezing his fingers which have found their way inside out of curiosity.

Lost in the throes of passion, I hazily open my eyes but they accidentally land on Lord Yoshimoto, his languid brushstrokes gliding on the parchment, writing whatever cruel words to use against him later, to further humiliate and control his life. It is the equivalent of being doused over the head by an ice bucket as my body goes rigid again despite my inner walls still tingling from release.

The tears well up in me in shame when my body stops convulsing, the feeling of emptiness so consuming that I want to curl up and hide.

“Now, deflower her. But take care not to spill your filthy Matsudaira seeds inside her. We wouldn't want to burden my hospitality even further by having your pathetic, useless spawn here with us to waste my resources, now do we? I'm sure you wouldn't want him to know how stupid and a waste of space his father truly is.”

Lord Motoyasu’s crimson eyes flare in rage, so full of raw emotion normally concealed that it bores into my soul, forever imprinted. However, it was a fleeting emotion, gone just as fast as it arrived.

He clutches my thighs with his strong hands, forcing them apart wider when my instincts naturally attempt to close them together without meaning to. I bring both my hands up to hide my face, unable to see how he must view me now with my legs spread like a frog, such wantonness on display.

With his hands on either side of my hips, he pokes me down there with something hard and warm. I’m too frightened to even look at it so I continue to hide my face behind my hands. He nudges his tip into the wrong hole and I freeze in panic. He begins to push when I scream, “Ahhh! Lord Motoyasu! N-no that's not-!”

Lord Motoyasu embarrassedly apologizes while readjusting and I hear a burst of laughter from the only one who's having a time of their life right now at our expense. Lord Motoyasu continues to struggle to find my entrance, slipping down or poking at the wrong hole again and again.

All of a sudden, I can feel searing warmth as something smooth and thick is finally placed right along my opening, pushing in bit by bit.

I thought I was ready, but nothing could've prepared me for the pure pain that follows the pressure of his body fitting against mine. A strangled noise escapes me as I struggle to keep from writhing, my body desperately fighting to reject the foreign invasion. The impulse to push him away is so great that I have to constantly remind myself to just endure it.

I forgot how to breathe. I'm holding my breath without intending to and my whole body is on edge from tension, abdomen clenched and fingernails indenting deeply into my palms that it might draw blood. I thought it would be okay. I thought as long as it's Lord Motoyasu I would be able to endure the pain willingly. But it just hurts so damn much.

“It hurts… it hurts…” I say through the spurts of breath I manage to exhale while looking up at him. I can feel tiny beads of liquid forming from the corner of my eyes.

How can anyone find this act pleasurable?

“Forgive me… I’ll… be fast...” he says but he soon moves against me like a rabid animal, filling in and out of my hole.

“Ahhhhhh!” I scream into the night, unable to care about the rest of the castle hearing me. The initial shock and pain soon dissipates and is replaced by an achiness. His body seems to move on its own in a fervor.

The constant slap, slap of skin meeting skin, squelch, squelch of fluid meeting fluid fills the air.

It's as if I can feel Lord Motoyasu deep inside me in a place no one else has ever known me, filling me so fully that it feels like I've been empty my whole life without my knowing, waiting to be filled by him.

Am I strange to want this night to end but this intimate moment with him to last longer?

Just as Lord Motoyasu increases the frequency of his pumps and huffs sporadically, a voice sounds from the corner, “Don't come yet.” But it was a cruel command, seeing as his ecstasy was already forthcoming.

In an act of defiance or not enough control, he releases his seeds inside me. I’m unable to tell what it was but I’m happy to have something of his inside me, though not everlasting.

Lord Yoshimoto observes the whole affair with an almost pleased glimmer in his facade, as if everything had gone according to his plans down to the last moments. He patiently waits until we both calmed and then casually walks over to me, throwing my robe at my face where it stings from the slap of the fabric.

“If you can’t even control your own body, how do you expect to control all of Japan, let alone your retainers?” He isn’t even looking at me as he spits venom at Lord Motoyasu’s naked body.

“You think you can get away with not following my directions? How foolish of you.” I'm scrambling to dress, only managing to get my robe draped around my shoulders when his next words sting far more than the physical pain I endured.

“As punishment, it's only fair to take away something important to you, don't you agree?” he grabs my forearms to yank me to my feet and heads to the door with me dragging behind him, half naked with the robes flapping open in the front without an obi to secure it.

“MC will be attending to me as my personal page from now on. Other maids will bring your meals like before her arrival at our castle. You're not permitted to see her anymore.”

A gasp escapes me but I'm being manhandled so forcefully and hastily to the point where I cannot form words of rebuttal as I desperately try to close the robe with one hand without success, mixture of blood and fluids from both our bodies sliding down my legs.

No! I don't want to leave Lord Motoyasu’s side! Just as we were getting closer, Lord Yoshimoto is tearing us apart just like how he did with family and retainers of Matsudaira.

I’ll find a way to see you again, Lord Motoyasu!

I turn my head while being dragged off, desperately trying to catch sight of him. The brief glimpse of Lord Motoyasu that I was able to get will forever be imprinted on my mind— the image of him naked on his knees looking dejectedly down at the floor, covered with both of our blood, and what seemed to be a single tear sliding down his cheek, all alone.

Author’s Note: …Who wants to kill Yoshimoto with me? I was in a confusing state of sad and aroused while writing this… Is that even possible?! Thanks for reading! :) Please let me know what you think!

Tagging: Not sure who to tag... @rubyleeray @pseudofaux @kawa-akarin @dani677 @julias1993

#My writing #slbp #samurai love ballad party #fanfiction #fanfic #tokugawa ieyasu #slbp ieyasu #imagawa yoshimoto

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mikawa-province · 7 years

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Quirk of Fate

Title: Quirk of Fate Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

Notes at the end.

Idling made him think about the most mundane things in life, as he was currently stuck in a rain storm while out on errands. While he wore a straw hat that shielded both his head and his face from the rain, his clothes were another story; he was soaked to the bone, the fabric clinging unto his skin.

Trust Imagawa to send me out to do errands during a typhoon, in the hopes that I would get sick and die, Matsudaira Motoyasu thought darkly to himself.

As he waited for the rain to die down, the idle time he spent in the wooden shelter made him think about the small dagger that was currently concealed in his robes.

The blade will bring you good luck.

Some luck it was, he thought bitterly as he glanced upon the blade he took out from the sleeve of his uwagi. The blade was said to have brought good luck to those who wielded it, something that Sakai Tadatsugu had handed to him before they set off to Sunpu in order to become the hostage of the Imagawa, effectively vassalizing the Matsudaira clan of Mikawa.

As a child who believed in the good of everything around him, he had hoped that, as Sakai had said, the blade would bring him good luck during his time under Imagawa’s roof.

A decade or so under the Imagawa, as he grew up and became more and more jaded, he knew that the useless old thing brought him nothing but bad luck.

What hope did someone like him had for the future when Imagawa was a force to be reckoned with? He was too powerful and influential for his own good, and with the alliance he had with the Takeda and the Hojo, Motoyasu knew he stood no chance, even if he tried to start a rebellion.

This useless thing has to go.

Vaguely, he remembered another advice that Sakai gave him on the day he was to enter the gates of Sunpu Castle.

Live for the day you will meet your future bride; you will pass on that blade to her, who will then pass it on to your son.

What rubbish.

He had no future the moment he became the hostage of the Imagawa.

Absent-mindedly, he took note of the other person with whom he was sharing the shelter with; like him, the wench was drenched from head to toe. Upon noticing his gaze on her, she looked back at him, though she stiffened upon seeing the weapon on his hands.

Suddenly, an idea hit him.

I have no use for this anymore, he said to himself as he gripped the small sword in his hands.

Maybe if he got rid of this sword, his fortune would turn around for the better.

Turning to his right, he asked the person beside him, “You’re an eyesore to look at, but maybe if you sell this blade, you’d have money to look better and even earn some coins.”

Another series, but this time, each chapter will be exactly 500 words long.

The theme for this fic was chosen carefully after a bit of research. You see, I wanted to go with this rather cliche yet applicable concept called ‘ichigo ichie’ (once in a lifetime encounter). However, that would mean two people would only meet once, the encounter changing them in one way or the other, yet never to see one another ever again.

However, if the supposed ‘chance encounter’ happens again, wouldn’t that mean they were bound together by a mysterious force called ‘fate’?

With that, 「合縁奇縁」 was chosen.

「合縁奇縁」(aienkien) does not necessarily connote romance, but more often than not, romance is involved because of the kanji ‘en’ (縁). The composition of the kanji itself points to ‘connection’/’relation’/’fate’/’affinity’/’ties’. Interestingly, the left part of the kanji (糸) means ‘string’ in Japanese, and anyone who knows the concept of ‘Red String of Fate’ probably knows that the term in Japanese is called ‘Akai Ito’ (red string).

I hope that my explanation wasn’t confusing. If it was, please feel free to ask me any question.

With that, I hope you’ll enjoy this new series!

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #matsudaira motoyasu x mc #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #slbp ieyasu #slbp motoyasu #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

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Bittersweet

Title: Bittersweet Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 4,037

悲喜交々・悲喜交交（ひきこもごも） [hikikomogomo] (n) having mingled feelings of joy and sorrow; joy and sorrow alternating in one's heart; bitter-sweet

Takes place after the events of Ransei ni Mebaeru Koi (Love Blooming In Turbulent Times) Story Event and the Epilogue.

For the first time since he had become a hostage of Imagawa Yoshimoto, Matsudaira Motoyasu found himself being unable to concentrate on the book he was reading. The Art of War was a brilliant masterpiece that had him engrossed with for the past few days… until now, that is.

As to why he was feeling this way, he had been pondering about it for the past few days, to no avail. It had been easy to figure out physical illnesses despite the fact that he only knew of it through the books he read, most of it forced upon him by Imagawa. This time around, he could not pinpoint the sickness he was experiencing through the symptoms that persisted, which had been either of the two: he could not fall asleep as easily as he wanted to, as he felt uneasy over whatever it was that plagued his mind, or he could not concentrate on the reading, a hobby that he enjoyed the most.

Motoyasu was just about to turn the pages of the book and skip ahead to the next chapter when a voice called out from his door.

“Motoyasu-sama?”

He felt the book slip through his fingers, and he cursed inwardly, wondering why he had turned clumsy all of a sudden. As he retrieved the book that tumbled down his lap, the sliding door opened, and in came the woman who had been his personal servant of sorts for the past few months. In all honesty, he had no idea what Imagawa was thinking in hiring this wench from wherever just to serve him, but if it kept the Kyoto noble-wannabe preoccupied with other matters, he would rather the wench fuss over him instead.

“Good afternoon, Motoyasu-sama.” She bowed at him. “I am not sure if you are hungry at this time of day, but I have thought to bring you some tea and desserts.”

If there was one thing she was good at, it would be serving him meals. Admittedly, the wench could cook, and the daifuku she had served him days ago was something that he could tolerate at least, though it had actually bothered him that she knew about his weakness for azuki desserts from Sakai.

For the old man to actually tell her, a complete stranger, about his preferences… he did not know whether to be angry or to be grateful.

Despite her serving him for a fairly long time, he still did not trust her not to turn against him.

As she set down the tea and the plate containing four pieces of daifuku, he pondered on whether he should dig in or not. While he had eaten the sweets she made for him previously, how was he to know that this batch had not been poisoned?

If I die, then all the blame falls on her.

Reaching for one of the sweets on the plate, he bit into it, only to find the sides of his mouth dripping with whatever fruit he bit into. Despite the alarm he was feeling within at the possibility that it was poison, he calmly checked the daifuku he bit into, and was surprised to find strawberry inside.

“… And what’s this?”

He may have sounded harsher than he had intended, for she paled in an instant. “I-I had thought to match fruits with daifuku, as we had some strawberries that came in today. I wanted to balance out the sweetness of the red bean with the fruit but if it does not please you, I can throw it out for you, Motoyasu-sama.”

Cautiously, he chewed on the dessert, and to his surprise, his palate had actually managed to taste the balance that she had told him about. Sometimes, too much red bean could make him feel like he would swear it off for all eternity, but pairing it up with strawberries… who knew it would taste delicious?

Just when she was about to reach out and remove the offending plate, he held up a hand to stop her from grabbing it. “Leave it.”

“B-but…”

“It’s fine. Leave it.” He repeated, keeping his tone as neutral as possible, as not to let her know how he felt over her serving something new.

… Though now he wondered how he was to convey to her that he would rather that she serve these… fruit daifuku instead of the plain old daifuku that only had red beans in it. He would rather not say anything openly and directly if he could help it, though some nights ago, he had been forced to, as he was both physically and mentally exhausted, to the point that his stomach did all the talking for him by growling loudly. It had taken several times for him to tell her that she bring him some food, and twice, he had nearly given himself away, his former self emerging during his exhaustion.

Sometimes, he wished that she was a mind reader, so that she would be able to know what it was that he wanted to eat.

That, at least, would make things easier on his end.

He had wanted to savor the dessert along with the tea that she prepared, but with her staring at him and waiting for word to remove the plate at any minute, it had been difficult for him to take his time and eat. In the end, Motoyasu found himself eating the desserts as fast as possible, all the while burning his tongue as he drank the piping hot green tea.

“Was… was it to your liking, Motoyasu-sama?”

Motoyasu was torn between telling her his usual response, which was to announce that he was done eating, going as far as pretending that it was only ‘fine’, and from not saying anything. Truth is, he had no words for what he had eaten, other than to praise it, something that he knew would be out of character for him if he suddenly decided to say that he liked what she had made.

On the other hand, if he did not let her know that he loved what she made, there was the risk of eating only plain old daifuku from this day forward.

In the end, he decided to say nothing, focusing instead on picking up where he left off while he was reading, ignoring her. He spied her from the corner of his eye as she took the empty plate and cup from the desk, placed it on her tray, bowed, and exited the room.

Strangely, he felt horrible over the fact that he stonewalled her, but knew that what he did was for the best… at least, that was what he told himself as he read the sentence of a paragraph that he started on over and over again, seemingly unable to digest the information that he was reading.

Several minutes later, he gave up and proceeded to shove the book towards his unread book pile and laid down on the tatami, sighing.

What was wrong with him lately?

Several days later, he found himself getting really agitated at the fact that she had stopped visiting his room to deliver afternoon snacks. While she would check up on him to ask if he needed anything, something that he usually ignored instead of giving a negative response, he was more concerned with himself that he was making a fuss over her mere absence.

She still brought him his meals, sat down beside him, asked him if it was to his taste (it usually was), then took it away after he was done. What unsettled him more was the fact that she didn’t try to ask him anymore if he wanted to eat anything else than what she had served him.

Years of being a hostage has left him used to the feeling of being ignored and overlooked, as he would see a female servant six times a day to both bring and take away his tray. Now, however, he felt as if she had abandoned him in favor of something, or even someone else… and he wondered if Imagawa had assigned her to take care of some guest in the main house.

This led him to wonder if she was now using her skills to cook for that guest… and if she was favoring the other person over him, a prisoner who was stuck in Sunpu, when he should be back in his place of birth in Mikawa and ruling over his domain.

He had been on his own for several years, and yet, why was it only this time that he craved for company…?

And why was he concerning himself with whatever it was that she did that was unrelated to him?

She could go and do whatever she wanted to do for all he cared… not that he was curious about what she did in her spare time.

He definitely did not need to concern himself with her.

A week had past, and he was, to his horror, feeling himself having a withdrawal of sorts towards red-bean based sweets.

Just when he thought he had managed to overcome his weaknesses and had been able to control his emotions, a mere girl had managed to wreak havoc on his self-control with mere desserts.

If it really had been Sakai who had told her about his particular fondness for sweets, he vowed to turn him bald and—

“Motoyasu-sama? May I come in?”

He felt his eyes widen upon feeling the beating of his heart quicken at the sound of her voice, and it took more than just a lot of chanting inside him to keep calm and not give anything away. While he had also perfected putting a smile on his face to hide his true emotions and intentions, for some reason, he was unable to do so as the panic began to spread throughout his whole being. In the end, with his shaky hand, he picked up a book from a pile that he had already finished and pretended to start reading.

“I’m so sorry for disturbing you during your afternoon reading, Motoyasu-sama.”

He wasn’t sure if he was calm enough to look up from the book he was ‘reading’, but when he did, it had been difficult to keep his expression neutral upon seeing what it was that she had on the tray in her hands.

The very thing he was craving for was sitting on a plate, and there were a total of eight pieces of daifuku.

“I was unsure if you wanted an afternoon snack, but I went ahead and made these for you.” She said right after she had set down the plate, as well as the tea cup and a small kettle of green tea. Curiously, there was a rectangular piece of cloth that she had set before him.

He stared at the sweets in disbelief, making him wonder why only now had she decided to make these for him.

As if reading his mind, she sat down across from him and bowed her head.

“My apologies for not being able to make these daifuku for you. While we had red beans and mochi in stock, it had been very difficult to get hold of strawberries. It was in season but whenever I pay a visit to the market, it always got sold out.”

For her to go that far in order to make him these…

This had been the second time she had gone out of her way to do something for his sake, something that he had a hard time believing. No doubt, she was doing this either to please Imagawa, or she wanted him to be indebted to her.

No one would ever do something out of the kindness of their own hearts.

“Thankfully, the merchant that I always buy from was kind enough to save some for me when I went there three days ago. While I had wanted to make strawberry daifuku and serve it to you immediately, I decided to practice making some, as I did not want to disappoint you in serving unripe strawberries. As I had suspected, it still tasted too bitter.”

At this point, he had gone back to ‘reading’ his book, but was actually listening to every word she said. With each confession she made, the Lord of Mikawa could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment over the actions she had undertook in order for him to eat the daifuku.

He sneaked a glance at her, who had now aimed her eyes at the dessert placed before him. “The strawberries have ripened today, Motoyasu-sama, and I hope that the ones that I paired with the daifuku are sweet enough for you to enjoy.”

His ears were turning red, he was sure of it, and while he had wanted to slowly take his time in eating one, Motoyasu found himself putting down the book, grabbing a piece and taking a bite out of it in haste, ignoring the fact that the chance of the fruit juice dripping down the sides of his mouth was high.

But he didn’t care if he looked so undignified right now.

All he wanted was to eat the dessert he had been craving for for the past few days.

To his relief, she said nothing as he began eating the daifuku, contenting herself with simply watching him eat the pieces she had made. Occasionally, he would reach out for the cloth to dab his mouth dry, but he would continue on with his snacking, until there was nothing left on the place, not even the flour that she used to coat the sticky dessert.

It occurred to him that he had managed to finish eight pieces of strawberry daifuku in record time, without even bothering to sip his tea and enjoy it from time to time, and if he had to be honest, Matsudaira Motoyasu did not know whether to be pleased that his craving had been satisfied for the meantime, or if he should be horrified over the fact that his self-control had gone out of control over a mere dessert.

He was slowly going insane, that, he was sure of.

And yet, he found himself saying the words that he knew he should not be saying at all to anyone, most of all, her.

With his eyes aimed towards the floor, he spoke, “Serve more of these, will you?”

Shit.

He cursed inwardly once more, realizing that he had slipped once more in front of her, forgetting to use the politest form possible in delivering his words. In a desperate attempt to salvage the façade he had put up all these years, he softened it by adding a ‘please’ at the end.

It took several seconds for her to respond to him. “… Yes, of course, Motoyasu-sama. Gladly.” To his surprise, she was grinning from ear to ear.

“Why are you smiling?” he found himself asking, even though he knew that, by this point, he should have kept his mouth shut, lest he wanted to embarrass himself further.

If it was even possible, her smile got wider, while her brown eyes were shining with happiness.

The sight of it had taken his breath away, his heart pounding stronger than ever against his chest, and if it was humanly possible, he could actually hear his own heartbeat as he heard her confession.

“Because Motoyasu-sama had openly enjoyed and praised my food for the very first time.”

He found it odd for her to interpret his demand to be served strawberry daifuku often as ‘praise’, but if that was how she would see it, then he would not argue with her.

In response, all he could do was shrug and go back to ‘reading’ his book.

She took that as her cue to gather the utensils, though before she had taken the tray along with her, she poured more tea for him, took the ceramic teapot along with her and was about to leave the room when he stopped her from doing so.

“Wait.”

She set down the tray again and gave him a questioning look. “Motoyasu-sama?”

He was well-aware of what he was doing.

He knew that what he was about to do might drive her away from him, and that it was also out of character for him to even try and attempt such a stupid thing but… sometimes, he simply could not help himself. In hindsight, he was grateful that he had been given a semi-isolated house all to himself, and everyone else in the household except her ignored him on a regular basis.

Slowly, he swiped off the flour that stained her left cheek and tsk. “… You look like a wreck.” As an afterthought, he proceeded to lick the flour from his thumb, noting the subtle sweetness in it, though he failed to notice that her face had turned bright red at his gesture.

Still flustered, she had at least managed a reply, which sounded like, “I’ll be more careful, Motoyasu-sama.”

“See that you do.” He absent-mindedly replied as he picked up his book once more and pretended to read, masking the nervousness that he was feeling towards what he had just done. Upon seeing her from the corner of his eye exiting his room with the tray in her hand and her face still a beet red, he left out a heavy sigh.

This was… what was happening to him?

For him to enjoy food that much…

It boggled his mind how eating new dishes had changed his perspective about food. Before, he only saw it as a requirement to keep himself alive; after all, the body needed nourishment, which can only be gotten from food. Each and every day he spent as a hostage, he ate the food that was prepared for him, most of it bland-tasting and sometimes outright disgusting. He was never seen as a person, but as ‘someone’ who was worth keeping alive, all because of his illustrious name.

She, on the other hand, was going out of her way to make sure that he was eating properly, and that he was eating something that was delicious. At first, he found it annoying that she was fussing over him, but now… well, he could actually tolerate her presence.

And of course, he could not discard the fact that she had made something that even he craved for, in his moments of weakness.

Strawberry daifuku… who knew fruits, red bean, and mochi went well together?

All along, he thought that sea bream tempura was his favorite, but after tasting the dessert she had made, he had to say, he was become more and more fond of the daifuku.

He pushed the nasty though that made its way to his way, though there was no stopping the heat that came across his face as soon as he processed the idea.

Are you sure you’re really fond of the daifuku, or are you actually fond of the one who makes it for you?

He did a double take, glad that no one else was in the room right now to witness him jolt from shock at the thought of having… feelings towards the wench.

There was no damn way he had feelings for her.

The denial had come so easily, but the rebuttal by his mind was faster.

Because of her absence for the past few days, he had been unable to concentrate on his reading.

Because of her lack of visits, he had been unable to sleep properly, as he imagined her making his desserts for someone else, which had filled him with rage every night he thought about it.

Because of her smile, his every waking moment was filled with thoughts of her, and him not seeing her in his room was making him just a bit lonely.

Two weeks ago, she had been by his side often, reading the book of poems that Imagawa had lent to him. To his own surprise, despite not having the same standards of education as he did, she could easily interpret every poem that there was, compared to him, who could not make sense of the literature that he was reading. Until now, he was still unable to interpret a poem correctly, and his poetry writing was as dismal as ever, much to Imagawa’s disappointment.

He could barely remember the poems that they had breezed through, as most of it had been unmemorable… except for one gesture that left him reeling.

It had been a case of wrong timing, for as soon as he was about to turn the page, she was about to do the same, leading to their hands overlapping one another. As someone who disliked being physically close with another and loathed physical contact, it had actually been… tolerable when the palm of her hand had pressed against the back of his hand. He remembered seeing her blush over the simple contact. She had also hastily apologized for accidentally touching him and for intruding on him during his studies, excusing herself in the process because she had to prepare his dinner.

Now that he had more time to ponder on the very topic he had been avoiding for the past few days, he realized that the very night he showed her his most vulnerable side, and the day after that, during the time they have started studying poems together, may have been the catalyst for this… reaction towards the woman who served him his most favorite food as of this moment.

Still, there was no way he would ever have romantic feelings for her.

He may be fond of the dessert that she made and served, but it was simply impossible for him to see her in that way.

Besides, with the situation they were in right now, he could not see it going any further than a secret affair, if it did came to that. Despite being the head of the clan, he was a hostage of Imagawa, which meant he had no freedom. On the other hand, a servant like her was free to go back to the capital if she chose to leave the services of the Imagawa. As long as he was stuck in Sunpu, he had no choice but to submit to Imagawa’s demands in order to protect his clan from being attacked by more powerful enemies. In exchange for being Imagawa’s prisoner, the warlord was obliged to protect the Matsudaira clan, and it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

Other than his lack of freedom, her leaving Sunpu would also mean that she would move on with her life. She would most probably find someone else who would appreciate her dishes more, and would actually praise her cooking properly, unlike him, who preferred to demand that she serve desserts that he enjoyed more often. Not only that, but she would most likely be better off living a less complicated life of a commoner, far away from the chaos of war, and from the likes of the samurai who led a life filled with constant threats.

Convincing himself that he need not further complicate the situation, he had to keep telling himself over and over again, reminding him that on the day he had become a hostage at the age of eight, he had no future.

Upon reaching his teenage years, he had resigned himself to having no future unless he and the clan were no longer under Imagawa’s control… which was impossible to break free from right now, especially since Imagawa had the backing of Takeda and Hojo.

He had no time for anything other than try and become stronger than ever; the earlier he could be free from Imagawa’s control, the better.

Maybe by then, when he was roaming free and was allowed to walk and stand tall among his peers, she would actually look his way and would have him, just as he would allowed himself to do the same to her.

For now, all he could do was push away all romantic thoughts of her and focus on becoming someone who mattered, and had value beyond the name he was born with.

Notes:

See how Motoyasu’s story event killed me over and over again from feels

In all seriousness, compared to all of the warlords you meet during the Prologue Arc, Motoyasu and MC are still distant towards one another, especially since Motoyasu is isolated from everyone, and MC’s only source of information within the castle being Imagawa. While the Epilogue did show that they’ve started to get closer to one another, I still think it’s not enough, and in turn, the slow burn is killing me bit by bit.

As for the inspiration behind this fic, this fic was created because I am still hung up on the story event, as well as trying to satisfy my headcanon of how Ieyasu became really obsessed with strawberry daifuku. As someone who likes sweets, strawberry daifuku is really good, though I prefer the one with white bean paste, because it’s sweeter.

In all honesty, strawberry daifuku does taste bittersweet, but it’s good with houjicha.

... Also, the fact that they only have it during winter makes you treasure the short period you can eat it.

The Hojo-Takeda-Imagawa Alliance (called the 甲相駿三国同盟 (Kousousun Sangoku Doumei)) mentioned in the fic did happen historically, with all three clans bound to one another through marriage. This alliance would also cost Imagawa Yoshimoto his life when he attempted a move to Kyoto, and got attacked by Oda Nobunaga.

Lastly, this is a tribute fic in the hopes of finally getting that elusive Ieyasu coaster from KaraTetsu.

I hope you all enjoyed the fic. Till next time!

#slbp fanfiction #slbp fanfic #slbp motoyasu #slbp ieyasu #matsudaira motoyasu x mc #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #slbp #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

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AO3 version has been posted.

#slbp fanfiction #slbp fanfic #slbp motoyasu #slbp ieyasu #matsudaira motoyasu x mc #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #slbp #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

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Updated as of 2017/5/1.

#slbp fanfiction #slbp fanfic #matsudaira motoyasu x mc #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran

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mikawa-province · 6 years

Text

The Nile

Title: The Nile Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 4,545

現状否定　（げんじょうひてい） [genjouhitei] (n) refusal to accept the present situation; denial of the existing situation

Happy Birthday, Tokugawa Ieyasu!

This was not how he envisioned his evening to be.

All Matsudaira Motoyasu wanted was a nice dinner and a bath before he retired to his bedroom, in preparation for a hectic morning ahead, which would consist of heading to the airport to make it in time for his morning flight. Business trips were the bane of existence, especially when it involved flying out of his home country to meet with clients.

Frankly, while he loved his day job, this was one aspect that he thought they should do away with, as he has never been the type to mingle and be nice. Within his workplace, he was known as the sarcastic one who had to be told to stop cursing out, lest he offended the people around him with his foul mouth.

… Not like he cared, really. His workplace could tell him to tone down his cursing all they like, it's not like he would cave in. Rather, his current career choice was something he was doing to tide him over until his dream job became stable enough to be a career.

And just like every dream job, he was still not at that level where he could abandon his day job for the one he had been dreaming of ever since he was old enough to understand what he wanted to do in life.

“Huh, never realize you'd be the type to cohabit with a woman, Motoyasu. Or is she your wife, as the rumors say?” came the familiar drawl that made him want to cringe openly.

Was there any law protecting citizens from getting sued if he slammed the door and claimed that any injury that resulted from said action was simply an ‘accident’? His unwanted guest’s fingers were on the door frame, the most perfect spot for what he was planning, and he was so very tempted to close the door with as much force as he could muster. That should be enough to get his point across.

Then again, no matter how much he tried, Oda Saburou never bothered listening to him.

That, and the man was such a huge gossip, nothing escaped his notice, his hearing, and his network.

As expected of a politician, Motoyasu thought to himself darkly before smiling at his childhood acquaintance.

“She’s neither. The woman is my housekeeper.” while he did not want Oda to know what she really was to him, he figured that telling the partial truth would be enough to satisfy the other man’s curiosity.

Oda, unfortunately, did not thinking that was all there was to the story and pressed on, the notorious busybody that he was. “Really? Just a housekeeper? Yet she lives with you?” [1]

He felt his eyes glare at the direction of the shrewd legislator giving him a sly look. “The arrangement I have with her is none of your business.”

Motoyasu wished that this scenario had never happened.

It was one thing for Oda to confront him about this… unusual setup without her within earshot. Conversations like these were done at expensive restaurants, specifically private rooms that were confirmed not to have been bugged nor tampered with.

Now, with her standing by the doorway beside him… this was the worst scenario he could ever think of. Not only because it did not make sense that member of the National Diet was visiting him on a whim, but Oda was being too persistent with his line of questioning and seemed way too interested and invested with his personal life.

The look on her face said it all: confused, incredulous, and most of all… shock.

Representative Oda Saburou of Aichi Prefecture’s First District [2] was at the front door and acted with so much arrogance, it seemed as if he owned the place.

The blond man resisted every urge to roll his eyes at the sight of the most irritating man in existence. “... Can you leave? I have an early flight to catch tomorrow—” before he could tell the man to fuck off and get lost, Oda raised a hand, as if to greet her and winked!

To his own surprise and anger, she blushed.

Blushed.

Fucking hell.

“Hey you, why don’t you work for me instead? No doubt Motoyasu’s pay rate is shit, and you probably don’t even have your own room.” Oda said, referring to his apartment setup that was definitely not up to a politician’s standards. “Can you really stand to live in a place like this? I’m sure I have more to offer than he does, no offense.” the last part sounded like he had randomly thrown that in to soften the blow, but Motoyasu knew better.

Oda was a demon in his own right, and was subtly trying to provoke him, in an attempt to test his patience.

… Maybe this was the sign he was waiting for.

Oda would still be able to live normally, even after losing a few fingers, right?

Then again, he didn’t need fingers if all he did was use his personal seal [3] to stamp everything in approval.

Just before he could take a single step towards the entryway to slam the door shut, she finally found her voice.

“I-If I may, Representative Oda…” she began hesitantly, wringing her hands before looking directly at the politician. “I would like to respectfully decline your offer. I am happy with what I am doing right now, and Motoyasu has been nothing but kind to me ever since I started working for him.”

Did she just… call him by his first name…?!

He shouldn’t be that surprised, really.

Given that his western upbringing had made him immune to getting surprised when people called him by his given name [4], her calling him by his name other than ‘Matsudaira-san’ for the past few months since she moved in… something akin to ‘fluttering’ made its way to his heart, which horrified and puzzled him at the same time.

Was he really that desperate to hear his name from her lips?

He was more deluded than he thought he would be.

The office teasing was getting to him so bad, he was starting to overthink of matters that he should not even be thinking about.

Nishina Sanae was his housekeeper (not officially, but she referred to herself as such), and he was her employer and boss (according to her, anyway); such a setup shouldn’t bring such crazy ideas to his mind.

Yet… it did.

If they were living overseas, he would have been sued for harassment if he dared to make a move… however, in his home country, their current setup was one of those scenarios that people who wrote fiction for a living made millions of yen from. It was absurd, really, how the master of the house would somehow fall for his housekeeper, courtesy of either clumsy writing or a rather believable storyline that got the masses hooked.

Even so, he never did see her as his housekeeper. She did more than just housesit for him whenever he was away at his day job, or when he did his gig late in the evenings that would last until the early morning. Too exhausted to do his chores, which was brought about by his late-night job, she did it all to help around the house in order to, according to her, pay her share of the rent in lieu of monetary payment. While it sounded so sleazy that she was doing almost all the household work, as he had been used to the notion that chores were done on a give and take basis between two individuals living together, she informed him that she was more than happy to do the chores as it distracted her from falling into a mess.

Until now, she was still unable to secure another job to replace the one that had let her go, and was desperately searching for anything that would allow her to earn the exact same rate that her old job gave her.

“After all, I need to have my own place as soon as possible. It’s gonna be awkward if I’m here and you bring a lady over. I’ll be in the way and she might get the wrong idea.”

He resisted rolling his eyes upon hearing her say that. Dating was far from his mind, especially since he was focusing on his side gig, and, at the same time, trying to keep his head afloat with his day job. ‘Exhausting’ was one way to put it, but there was also the matter of his family to keep in mind.

If only his family was normal, they probably would not bat an eyelash over his personal choices, but they weren’t… exactly what the population would call ‘normal’.

Far from it.

“Really?” Oda did not look convinced. “You find him ‘kind’ when he’s forcing you to make him a lunch box everyday for the past few months?”

This fucking guy was seriously going to get stabbed one of these days. If the yakuza wouldn’t do it, he would definitely be first in line to go through with it.

How long would he be in jail if he ‘accidentally’ stabbed this guy?

… And how the hell did he know about the bentou boxes? Did Oda seriously have spies at his workplace?

He made a mental note to be careful from now on.

“No way, it’s not like that!” she said. “I don’t mind making lunches for him!”

How awkward that what he ate for lunch was becoming a point of intrigue in his company. He had hoped that when he started bringing her home-cooked meals, his co-workers would not notice it; it had been barely two minutes since he began eating when one of them did and straight-up asked him if he already knocked up a woman and married her.

At that time, he found the notion ridiculous. He had no time to ‘knock up’ a woman, with the way his schedule worked, and how exhausted he was day after day.

“Whatever you say, man, but if you’re that oblivious with the way your wife puts a lot of effort in that bentou of yours, I won’t be surprised if she finds someone else who would appreciate her more than you ever will and divorce you.”

… Maybe he really was more exhausted than he thought. His brain was giving him stupid ideas from all that romantic-related nonsense his co-workers were telling him.

Death from overwork was a thing [5], and he had to be careful not to tire himself out too much.

But before all of that, first thing’s first: Oda had to go, either as a corpse, or as a living human being.

“Interesting.” the politician was smirking from ear to ear now. “A home-cooked meal, huh… haven’t had one in a long time.”

Just before the blond man could tell him to simply go home and have his own meal prepared by his personal chef, she just had to do the most annoying thing possible.

“If you’d like, I can cook for you sometime.” she volunteered readily.

Motoyasu did not know why, but he was suddenly seeing red, and the fact that he was feeling rather murderous when Oda’s taunts and teasing did not used to affect him was very alarming. Either way, by the looks of it, it was either he ended up ‘accidentally’ stabbing the man or he shoved the guy out of his apartment, all the while acting as cordial as possible while doing said shoving.

As he still had dreams to fulfill, one of which being his side job becoming a full-time job, he opted for the latter, and made a move to close the door. While doing so, he had accidentally hit her hand as he swung his own to grab the door frame.

“Sorry.” he muttered, wondering why his cheeks felt hot all of a sudden at the contact.

“N-no worries…”

Oda Saburou rolled his eyes upon seeing the red-faced woman and shook his head. “Yeah right, you’re totally not married.” he remarked sarcastically.

“I already told you--”

“Whatever you say, I’m leaving.” before he removed his hand on the frame, he winked at the lone female among them. “I’ll take you up on that offer sometime. See you around.”

Motoyasu slammed the door as hard as he possibly could, rattling the shoe cabinets by the door. Upon seeing her wince from the noise, he sighed heavily before heading off to his room.

What a stressful day it was, having to deal with Oda, and now, the possibility of him visiting more often all because his roommate (was that how he should start referring to her?) had volunteered to cook.

Though… there was also that possibility that Oda would invite her over to his place and…

He thought he had suppressed every emotion related to wanting to kill that man decades ago; why was it making a comeback all of a sudden?

“Matsudaira-san, I’m sorry…”

He was so caught up in his rage that he had forgotten that she was still there, trailing behind him.

“... You did nothing wrong.” he said as calmly as he possibly could, despite the rage in his blood. “Go to sleep. And just so you know, I don’t need breakfast tomorrow.”

“You’re clearly angry at me.” she stubbornly pressed on, somehow misinterpreting his request for no breakfast. “Won’t you tell me what I did to offend you?”

As much as he wanted to not deal with this stupidity caused by his inability to control his emotions, she was forcing him to face the problem head on, which was something that he has been avoiding for the past few weeks.

Damn it all.

Damn Oda for taunting him.

Damn her for being so stubborn.

Damn her for being so damn nice that she was willing to cook for just about anyone who asks.

And lastly…

Damn all of his co-workers for making the things that he never thought deeply about turn into a sick fantasy that had been haunting him for months.

He was really going to regret what he would be saying next, but he had no choice. She had to back down before he did something idiotic. “... You did nothing wrong. Ask me again and you'll regret it, I guarantee you.” he threatened.

He should have known by now that she would never be one of those women who listened to him. Rather, she got defiant at times that he wondered how she could get away with that kind of attitude at her workplace… and how he was amazingly able to tolerate all of it.

It was either that, or she only became impertinent while in his presence.

He had half a mind to discipline her, but backed down immediately, knowing that she really was more of a roommate than a housekeeper, and he had no authority over her.

Still… maybe spanking her wouldn't be such a bad idea.

He stopped himself before his mind wandered off to place that shouldn't even be worth considering, yet his mind did, and conjured images it didn’t.

Ugh, this was such a pain in so many different ways, and he was feeling the effects.

“Tell me.”

That fucking did it.

He turned around and glared at her.

“... Don't say I didn't warn you.”

She didn't realize she had followed him to his bedroom until he turned around and gave her a look that told her she was in big trouble.

Why couldn't she had just kept her mouth shut?!

Time and again, her mouth was the very cause of the various problems that ended with her always getting scolded or, worse, fired from her job for ‘insubordination’. While she would rather have a roof over her head for an indefinite period of time until she could pay the deposit for her own apartment, it was still well within her roommate's right to tell her to pack up and leave.

There was always the option of going back home, but she would rather not.

Tokyo was much more fun than her hometown, which was already so overcrowded with tourists.

That, and her roommate was not at all unpleasant to look at.

Not at all.

… Unless he was glaring at her and he was looking like he wanted to pummel her.

She never knew what ‘paralyzing fear’ was until this very moment, when he slammed a hand to the side of her face as she shrieked from the loud noise and found her back pressing against the bedroom door, feeling herself shrink from him looming presence.

Was she seriously that distracted moments ago that she actually closed the door behind her, forgetting that she was not going to clean his room, and was not at all supposed to be in her ‘housekeeper mode’?

Hell, did she just potentially entrap herself in his room?!

A thousand profanities ran through her mind as she felt her heart race in panic.

He was seriously going to punish her.

‘Why did you even do that?!’ her mind screamed at her. ‘Are you seriously asking to be thrown out in the streets? And on winter even!’

She really, really needed to keep her mouth shut from now on.

That, and having the common sense to know what to say and what not to say during certain situations.

Before she could open her mouth to beg for forgiveness, all of a sudden, her peaceful world violently spun away from its orbit.

Oh. My.

The profanities that her mind was shouting nonstop had ceased, and was replaced with… dead silence.

How was she supposed to reach over the fact that her boss, no, her “roommate” was… well… to put it simply, he was pressing his mouth against hers while he leaned closer to her…? While she have had encounters like these, this was one of the only times wherein she did not recoil at the physical closeness of both their lips and their bodies.

It also did not help that he was not at all unattractive. No doubt, there were probably women who have tried to pick him up over at Roppongi in the hopes of getting noticed, but failed to do so. His angelic-like features belied the sarcasm that he kept in check, fooling nearly everyone around him. She, too, had also been a victim, both with lacking the oversight to notice the little devil behind the charming smile, as well as his rather colorful vocabulary.

Underneath it all, however, was an awkward man who had a hard time saying his true feelings. Despite her situation, not once did he force her to clean his apartment in lieu of monetary compensation.

… Was that why she was totally okay with him kissing her…?

She was seriously losing her mind.

The last thing she wanted was to get into some kind of situation that would make everyone, including her, very awkward and uncomfortable.

Roommate, boss… whatever the hell their relationship status is right now, she would rather not get involved with someone like him.

… Well, maybe after a few minutes, she would have the courage to tell him to stop.

This man was seriously too talented with his mouth. It had been a struggle not to moan as he coaxed her with his lips to open up, but as soon as a throaty moan escaped her lips, she felt her face flame in embarrassment.

He pulled away for a bit to take in some air, and she could have sworn she heard him mutter, “Too damn cute…” before kissing her once more. This time around, his hands were slowly making its way down her torso before wrapping his arms around her waist to steady her.

It was now or never.

She found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on the tip of her toes, her tongue slipping within his parted lips.

There was no turning back.

He was such a deluded good-for-nothing maniac.

He was seriously going to get sued for taking advantage of his housekeeper, roommate… whatever the hell their relationship is at this point in time. Not to mention, if she does sue him, he could say goodbye to everything he had worked hard for in the past year, all because of his uncontrollable urges. Embarrassingly, something snapped in him, and… well… she had somehow thought it was a good idea to close the door behind her when she followed him to his room.

Then again, who was he to talk? At first, he thought it would be a good idea to threaten her, jokingly, and look at where it led him.

They were close to making out at this point, with her fingers unbuttoning the dress shirt he wore for work.

Fuck that, he would never see his plain old boring work outfit the same way ever again.

No doubt, his mind would associate his work shirt with the current scenario and…

God help him if he would be unable to concentrate with his day job after this—

Thinking about his day job had snapped him out of his lust-filled thoughts.

This has got to stop, he thought to himself.

Abruptly, he placed his hands on each of her shoulder and slowly pulled away from her.

“S-sorry…” why was he such a wimp, stuttering while apologizing to the person who had been supporting him for the past few months, only for him to suddenly assault her? He was such an awful person, he wouldn’t be surprised if she ran away after everything that had happened.

Hell, even he could not process everything that had happened just now.

“I mean… my apologies, I did not mean… for this to… happen.” he ended lamely, knowing that he had no reason at all for doing what he did, other than him acting like a hormonal teenager.

Before she could say anything, he turned the handle of the door to open it. “... See you around, I guess.”

All of a sudden, he was so looking forward to flying out of the country for a couple of days.

He needed to stay far, far away from her.

The sooner, the better.

He was such a mess, and so was his mind.

Was he… telling her to leave his room, or his household in general?

As if on auto-pilot, she found herself bowing her head, muttering ‘good night’, and leaving his bedroom. How she had managed to do it so calmly, she would never understand.

It was difficult to think straight immediately after getting kissed as if she mattered, and that he could not get enough of her. Every gesture made her knees unstable that it had really been a good idea for her to hold on to him.

Which was why it had hurt when he told her that he did not mean for it to “happen”.

Just what exactly did he mean by that?

Was he regretting making out with someone like her, a nearly-penniless girl who was both his roommate and his housekeeper…?

She wish he didn’t; she didn’t regret any of it.

… Besides, it had been somewhat a wish come true, at least, for her.

Hell, maybe it was time for her to openly admit the fact that she was thoroughly attracted to the man who had been kind enough to take her in when her whole world came crashing down one day. He wasn’t perfect by any means, but he was not awful as he made himself out to be, nor she found him unpleasant to deal with.

That, and… well… there was also that one incident that had cemented the whole foundation of her infatuation towards him.

At that point, she was still in denial with regards to her feelings towards him, as she knew that the odds between them actually upgrading their relationship status was rather low. He never really interacted much with her, and vice-versa, as it had been all professional and rarely casual.

… Until that incident.

She had been minding her own business that Saturday morning when something else better than coffee woke the ever living daylights out of her for two days straight: the sight of her naked boss.

At that times, she was busy cleaning the wash basin of his second bathroom when, at the exact same time he exited the bathroom, she happened to catch a glimpse of him from the mirror placed above the very basin she was cleaning.

If there was one thing that she discovered that day, it would be that overworking one’s self was always a bad idea, as it led to poor decisions and judgments, and that the man she was living with was… well…

If she had to be honest, what she saw on the mirror was definitely… impressive.

The very memory of that impressive sight had been forever burned both in her retinas and in her mind.

That had been the very first time she had found out that Matsudaira Motoyasu was a workaholic, as he had been going home very late that week, only for him to crash and burn that Saturday morning. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she could never decide, but for him to actually admit that he could not remember going into the shower that morning and exiting it as naked as the day he was born and passing out after he put his underclothes on, it was a conundrum, really.

On one hand, he did not know that she had caught a glimpse of him.

On the other hand, that incident had forced her to confront her feelings for him all of a sudden, which had kept her up all night for several nights.

After all, how was it even possible for her to see her ‘boss’ in such an… intimate way? The man had been nothing but forgiving in every sense, even if, at times, she wanted to hit him for his callous remarks about everything.

His sharp tongue aside, it was getting incredibly difficult for her to continue to ignore her growing feelings.

While she had been very good with running away from her problems, now was not the time to be doing such, especially since her current situation afforded her with little to no options of doing so.

The best thing she could do, for now at least, was to act as if nothing happened, and that she was totally not shaken to the core with what had happened.

Yep, that was the best thing she could do with her current predicament.

With him going overseas, that would definitely make it easier for both of them. Some separation time was needed, and she would be glad to have a few days all to herself, as the last thing she wanted was to make a fool out of herself in front of him by becoming too flustered over their interactions.

Hell, she had some growing up to do.

It was just a kiss.

People kissed other people all the time… right?

She grimaced at herself, knowing that it was always a struggle to convince herself to feel the opposite of her true emotions.

The worst.

Notes:

[1] “Really? Just a housekeeper? Yet she lives with you?” - If there’s one thing that’s odd with this phrase, it’s that it’s extremely rare for Japan households to have a live-in helper. If they do live in the same household, it means that the family that employs them are very rich and can provide lodging and such.

[2] Aichi Prefecture’s First District - good old Wikipedia helped me out on this one. First District includes Naka Ward, which happens to be the area where Oda Nobunaga was born. He was born in Nagoya Castle, by the way.

[3] Then again, he didn’t need fingers if all he did was use his personal seal to stamp everything in approval. - while some transactions in Japan can be completed with simply a signature, some traditional banks require you to use a stamp. Personal seals (私印) are used to complete transactions, and you do need to have one in case they don’t accept signatures.

[4] Given that his western upbringing had made him immune to getting surprised when people called him by his given name - Calling people by their first name implies closeness that can range from ‘we’ve known each other all our lives’ to ‘s/he is my lover’. Most of the time, that rule applies. There are exceptions to this, as always.

[5] Death from overwork was a thing - it’s called karoushi (過労死), and it’s very real.

Bonus: as for the title, remember, denial is just a river in Egypt. ;)

Oh wow I actually made it in time for Ieyasu’s birthday this year lmfao Happy Birthday to the Tanuki of Mikawa!

Apologies if my writing was all over the place. I’ve rushed it a bit to make it in time but I hope it was tolerable at least.

Lastly, this is the first of many planned one-shot/s involving modern AU and Tokugawa Ieyasu/Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC. Depending on the reception of this fic, I may or may not expound further.

Once again, thank you for reading!

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #slbp motoyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran #koiran lb #現代シリーズ

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mikawa-province · 7 years

Text

Quirk of Fate 8

Title: Quirk of Fate 8 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

What the hell was she wearing underneath these robes?

Why were women’s clothing so complicated?

Removing the obi should have made it easier for him to retrieve the dagger that she had shoved down her underclothes, but it surprised him when layers of linen were wrapped around her chest, and Ieyasu could barely make out the lacquered wooden scabbard. When he had noticed the familiar hilt discreetly tucked under the linen, he made a move to pull down the bunched up linen.

He was well-aware that the wench was female, yet…

And yet, he could not help but gape when her breasts sprung free as soon as he pulled down the linen.

It should not have distracted him; after all, breasts were simply natural, and were part of the body.

It should not have distracted him from grabbing the dagger that was conveniently placed on her cleavage, but it did, which annoyed the hell out of him.

Just when he was about to grab the dagger still position in-between her breasts, she sat up immediately, hitting her head against his chin. The sudden motion made him yelp in pain as his teeth hit his upper lip so hard, blood began to trickle down his chin.

In his anger, he retaliated by pushing her down the futon again, and tried to make a grab for the dagger.

In a move that he could only assume that was a miscalculation on his part, he had ended up grabbing the weapon’s sheath, while her hand was on the handle as both of them struggled to overpower the other. His rough tugging had caused the blade to be unsheathed and to his own disbelief, the sharp end of the dagger ended up cutting the whole length of his right forearm.

Wincing upon seeing the blood dripping down his arm, he was ready to stand up and grab his basket containing a wound salve when, to his shock, she began loosening her obi and began to unbound the linen that was wrapped around her breasts.

What the hell was she planning?

“Wait.” she called out to him. “P-please wait…”

The linen that she was still unraveling around her body… if he had been more honest with himself, he might actually admit that he was enjoying how it looked like she was slowly stripping in front of him, and on their wedding night even.

Right now, however, was not the best time to be thinking about these things, especially since both of them were stuck with one another, all thanks to some stupid dagger. Sakai had forced the marriage upon them, all for the sake of stopping the marriage meetings with power hungry men who did not hesitate to use their womenfolk as a pawn.

Clicking his tongue impatiently, he did not realize that he was distracted until he sensed her by his side, and her hands were on his injured arm.

“Stay away.” he snapped at her. “You’ve done quite enough damage for one day.”

Anyone else excited for Ieyasu’s upcoming story event?! I sure am!

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran #koiran lb

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mikawa-province · 7 years

Text

Quirk of Fate 7

Title: Quirk of Fate 7 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Tonight was supposed to be her wedding night, but the uneasiness that she felt was not at all connected to the matters of the bedroom, but the threat of being killed by him.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was his name, she reminded herself bitterly.

The man who was now her husband and lord, and one whom she had to serve and pretend to be in a relationship with until the gossip died down and they would be free to go back to their old lives before the dagger had bound them together.

It could have been a story straight out of a fairy tale, with; the dagger being an heirloom of the clan, and always given to the woman who would become the wife of the head of the clan. Sakai-sama had painstakingly explained everything to her that because the dagger was in her possession, it was simply fate that had brought her to them.

… Even though she wanted to tell them outright that some madman had outright given the dagger to her years ago because he had no use for it, and that this whole thing about ‘fate’ was nonsense.

She prided herself on being level-headed despite possessing romantic notions at times, but right now, it was simply hard to believe that the dagger had been the one that brought her into a situation that she would have to endure for the time being.

To be stuck with that man… she was grateful for the divorce option.

“Hey you.”

She nearly squeaked in protest and was just about to yell at him for sneaking upon on her when she remembered that for the sake of playing the part of a husband and wife, they had to share a room. Earlier, the maids had laid out two futons, side by side, which she rectified immediately by placing a folding screen between the beddings.

“Y-Yes…?” she dared not refer to him by his name and his title, knowing that he would get the wrong idea that she was liking their current situation, or, worse, she had feelings for him.

“Give me that dagger.” he gestured at the blade still tucked in her wedding kimono.

She had been lost in her thoughts that she had forgotten to get changed.

“No.” she told him defiantly.

“No?” he repeated angrily.

“No.”

One minute, she was sitting on the floor; the next minute, she found herself on her back, shell-shocked as the man whom she had to spend the next half a year with was trying to steal her dagger. Immediately, she grabbed the lacquered scabbard and tucked it inside the linen bindings on her chest.

“Give it back.” he growled. “That thing needs to be thrown down a lake.”

“No!” she screamed at him. “It’s my lucky charm!”

“Pity. It has given me nothing but bad luck; meeting you was the worst thing that ever happened; now, I’m stuck with you.” he muttered.

To her shock, he untied her obi without hesitation, parting her kimono.

“My, my, the plot, like my gravy, thickens...”

Again, I am so sorry for the late posting of this chapter. I guess I underestimated my body’s penchant for sleeping like a log on Friday nights until Saturday evening, which is why my posting was delayed.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter though!

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran #koiran lb

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mikawa-province · 7 years

Text

Quirk of Fate 6

Title: Quirk of Fate 6 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

‘I don’t want to be married to you either!’

That wench… who does she think she is?

Envoys from all over the country were bending over backwards trying to push their agenda, stopping short of forcing him to marry eligible women just so they could have ties with the Tokugawa… and yet, this wench abhorred the thought of being married to him.

If she was playing hard to get, it didn’t work on him at all.

Tough luck, you’re making yourself more repulsive to me.

He was the one who was on the losing end of this sham. Sakai had trapped him into this, and he was paying for the consequences. The wench, with her common background and lowly status, should be grateful that he was even thinking of agreeing to go through with it.

And yet, it irritated him to no end that she did not even think of the 'benefits’ of being "married" to him.

He had the power, the money, and the privilege, which he had worked hard for, while she got it handed to her so easily that she hardly broke a sweat.

Today was simply the worst.

"If everyone already got the wrong idea because some idiotic magistrate from the capital had actually thought that she is already married to me… then we might as well go through with the lie."

The wench had the audacity to say out loud, "We… will?" immediately after he announced his intentions.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Obviously. The fact that you went along with these four idiots… you have played into their hands, and you will remain ‘married' to me until it all dies down."

"F-for how long...?"

"Half a year at most. The sooner a new scandal happens and spreads like wildfire, the better. They’ll forget this ever happened and things will go back to the way it was." He explained. "You can go back to the capital and I will remain here. It would be as if this stupidity never happened."

"... The faster I can go back home, the better. I will have to cooperate with you to the best of my abilities." She vowed.

He was nearly impressed. Nearly.

"As long as your acting skills are decent enough to convince everyone, so be it." He informed her. "If not..."

He smirked upon seeing her eyes widen at the implication that failure would mean a world of pain.

"Understood." Try as she might to sound brave, her voice wavered. "I will… I will do my best."

He found it unusual for her to suddenly place a hand over the dagger that she kept tucked in her obi, but Ieyasu guessed that it might be a force of habit on her part.

"By the way…"

Crouching down to her eye level, he found himself unsheathing the dagger from the obi and pointed the blade by her chest.

"Betray me, and I'll be the one to plunge the dagger you find so lucky right… here." He threatened.

Ieyasu needs a chill pill. Like srsly.

#slbp fanfiction #slbp fanfic #slbp ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

Text

Quirk of Fate 4

Title: Quirk of Fate 4 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

“Good luck will always be on this side!”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

He was confident of the outcome of Sakai’s quest would result to the old man returning to Hamamatsu with no woman in tow who was, supposedly, his chosen bride.

Who knew the old man still had it in him to be the foolish romantic who upheld idiotic notions about the dagger that once belonged to him? Last he remembered, he gave it to some poor soul who looked like she needed it more than him. No doubt, she sold it for a few coins, and the dagger may have ended up in someone else’s possession.

… Until a few days ago, when a magistrate of the capital had sent his congratulations about his ‘secret marriage to a commoner who possessed the Tokugawa clan’s blade’.

This had prompted baldy to go to the capital immediately, in the hopes of securing his supposed bride whom he had never met before.

No doubt, Sakai was jumping on the opportunity that had presented itself, especially since he had been declining marriage meetings with daughters, widows, and various female relations of other warlords. He had no need for feeble-minded weaklings nor did he desire to tie himself down with clans who had an ulterior move.

In the end, relationships were meaningless, and he had no need to get married and have an heir to continue the line.

Just when he thought he would get started on another book, a retainer had made his way outside his room.

"Ieyasu-sama, Sakai-sama and the others have returned."

He smirked.

Sakai had been wrong this whole time.

He couldn’t wait to pull out all of Sakai’s remaining hair strands on his head.

… Except that Ieyasu had been caught off-guard when he made his way to the main hall, and on the dais sat a woman with her head down, wearing bridal garb, from the hood down to the uchikake.

His retainers, on the other hand, had sat in a column leading up to the dais, eating and drinking, as if waiting for him to make his appearance and claim his bride by proceeding with the ceremony after all the food has been consumed.

Speaking of food, he could smell the aroma of the various dishes that the maids prepared, along with the free-flowing sake.

Did they actually think he was going through with this sham?

"What the hell is going on here?"

Everyone in the room froze.

To his own surprise, instead of keeping her eyes downcast like everyone else did, the woman on the dais had dared to raise her head, as if to measure him up and see for herself.

"Ieyasu-sama, welcome. We have been waiting for you to join--" just before Sakai could continue his nonsense, he cut off the old man.

"Everyone out, except for Sakai, Honda, Sakakibara, and Toramatsu. The woman stays as well."

With those not involved out of earshot as soon as they scrambled to their feet, Ieyasu unleashed his controlled fury upon the four.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Ieyasu stops his own wedding because he can.

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

Text

Quirk of Fate 3

Title: Quirk of Fate 3 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

“Shall I bring you good luck this time?”

Part 1

Part 2

Clinging onto a dagger was probably the most foolish idea possible, but it was a source of comfort to her.

Yahiko had teased her about it, saying that for someone who only held knives in her life, she was slowly becoming obsessed with blades. Still, she cared not what her brother thought of, for the dagger calmed her down in ways that she never thought possible.

It had been years since that incident in the shed, and while she had wanted to throw it away, fearful at the possibility that it was a murder weapon, she was reluctant to do so. Strange, but she seemed drawn to the blade itself, and did not want to let it go.

At first, she kept the blade tucked inside her kimono, keeping it close… until one day, the magistrate and his thugs had attempted to kidnap her away.

While she knew very little about attacking an enemy using a dagger, as she had only been trained to wield a shinai, the sight of the blade had, to her surprise, rendered the magistrate speechless before screaming at her.

"Y-you...! Since when did you become a bride of a samurai clan?!"

His remark had caused her to think that warding them off had been too easy, and that there was more to it than what the magistrate had said out loud. Nevertheless, the sight of her wielding a blade had made them back down… which she supposed was a good thing.

Without waiting for her answer, the magistrate and his thugs backed off, muttering about ‘someone else getting to her first’, which made her wonder all the same: what did he mean by ‘bride of a samurai clan’?

She was a simple commoner who had been given a blade to keep, nothing more. If possible, she would want to meet that man again and hand back the blade he despise and dismissed as ‘useless’. The blade had helped her ward off the man and his thugs who had been constantly harassing her family, which she hoped would be for good, as she did not want to encounter that disgusting pervert again.

It brought me luck, she thought to herself.

She figured she needed all the luck she could get, especially since a week after the magistrate had kept his distance, another group of people had paid a visit to her family’s restaurant in Kyoto. She had just gone home from replenishing the restaurant’s vegetable stock when she found four men, all dressed in finery, talking to her mother and her brother.

At that point, she had decided to tuck in the blade under her obi as a type of warning to the magistrate and his thugs not to mess with her.

With the way the four men were looking at her, in hindsight, maybe she should have kept it tucked inside her kimono...

"Ieyasu-sama’s bride is… a commoner?"

Just what were they talking about?

Dumbly, she asked, "... You mean me?"

Three of them nodded immediately.

You’re probably going, ‘how the heck did the magistrate know that the blade is special?!’

Well, Monoyoshi Sadamune’s design is very unique, as it has carvings of Sanskrit and lotus symbols on the blade itself. It definitely stands out when one wields it, and very few blades that exist have carvings on the steel itself.

A commoner wielding a blade looking this fancy is unheard of during that time, as only the samurai had the right to bear arms as they wander about. For a woman to be holding onto it would mean that she had married into a samurai family. In MC��s case, it was simply a misunderstanding that worked in her favor.

Any historical blunders written here are mine; I’m still learning about the Sengoku Period, and I am doing my best.

Thanks for reading!

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

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Quirk of Fate 5

Title: Quirk of Fate 5 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

“Good luck will always be on this side!”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Her supposed groom was handsome.

Shame that he lacked the maturity to discreetly confront the four men who had persuaded her to go back to Hamamatsu with them. While there were currently six of them in the room, privately, she thought that it was his way of making them pay for hastily organizing a wedding and forcing him to go through with it.

It was only the last minute when Sakakibara-sama had been convinced that the blade she had in her possession was the real thing, and it had taken an extensive amount of checking that the dagger was the one that the heir of the Matsudaira wielded some years ago, until it was lost.

… Though it was only a few hours ago that the clan she was with was no longer called ‘Matsudaira’, but ‘Tokugawa'.

That, and the head of the clan looked at her with disdain the moment she raised her head in an attempt to see the face of the angry man who was now berating his retainers.

Curiously, Tadakatsu-sama looked quite pleased at being yelled at.

The others, not so much.

"I asked you what is the meaning of this, and not even one of you can answer me?"

"You have seen it for yourself, Ieyasu-sama. We are celebrating your wedding." Sakai Tadatsugu, the most senior of them all, had been the only one brave enough to explain. "We have found your bride and--"

"Highly likely the wench is a con artist and had made you believe that the supposed Sadamune blade she possesses is the real thing." He spat out, making her flinch inwardly at the venom in his tone.

He spoke as if she was not present in the room, annoying her.

Did he really think so lowly of her?

"We firmly believe that she wields the authentic Sadamune blade you had in your possession years ago." Sakai-sama had stood his ground. "The design on the blade speaks for itself, as well as the scabbard and the hilt."

"Are you for real, Sakai, or are you going senile? You believe the lies of this wench?"

"I assure you, I am still sane, Ieyasu-sama." The gentleman chuckled. "And her name is ‘Sanae'."

"I am not marrying the wench, and that is final."

I don’t want to be married to you either!

All five of them looked at her, most of them displaying shock, while the blond man looked livid.

Whoops, did she say that out loud?

It was Sakai-sama who broke the tension. "Ieyasu-sama, word has already spread among the clans that you are married to her. Divorce her, and you will have to go through marriage meetings until you finally choose a bride. You know very well they won’t stop."

Despite the gentleness in the tone, she could hear the underlying implication in it.

Play along and be married to her, or let the others push you around until you choose a bride.

Great, she thought sarcastically, ready to resign to her fate.

The blade that MC possesses was made by Sadamune, specifically Soshu Sadamune.

More background info about Monoyoshi Sadamune.

Is this fic turning into a crossover? Not really; just wanted to incorporate Japanese swords in this fic.

Also, Monoyoshi Sadamune resembles Ieyasu so... (´∀｀*)

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

Text

Quirk of Fate 2

Title: Quirk of Fate 2 Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Matsudaira Motoyasu x MC → Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 500

合縁奇縁（あいえんきえん）[aienkien] (n) a chance encounter between two people brought together by fate.

Japanese swords are great.

Part 1

She had been minding her own business while waiting for the rains to let up when the man beside her suddenly asked her if she wanted a weapon.

Despite his appearance giving off the impression that his social status was way above hers, she had an inkling that he was… unhinged. After all, who, in their right minds, would randomly talk to a stranger just because they were nearly huddling together from the rain?

There had also been this off-chance of him being a murderer, and that he was using this excuse to get rid of the evidence so that she could be framed for murder instead of him and—

She shook her head inwardly, knowing that her imagination was getting the better of her.

Stalling, she asked him, “… Are you talking to me?”

Despite the lack of lighting in the shed and his head and face concealed by the hat, she knew the moment he turned his head at her direction, he was glaring at her for asking such a stupid question, especially since it was only the two of them inside the shed.

“Is there anyone else here besides the two of us?” he asked sarcastically.

She shrugged, not knowing how to respond, especially since a joke about seeing a ghost standing beside him died on her lips.

The man was definitely not right in the head.

“I keep my promises.” He continued, as if she had not asked such a stupid question. “You can have this useless piece of junk. Sell it, and maybe you can get some coins for it and help you alleviate yourself from poverty.” Without even bothering to look at her, he tossed the tantou at her direction, making her yelp as the short sword hit her arm.

“W-why are you—” she was at a loss as to why he would hand her something so expensive-looking.

“It’s yours now; don’t bother me with it.” He said coldly.

To her surprise, he bolted immediately from the shed, despite the heavy rains, leaving her bewildered and at a loss on what to do with her newly-acquired dagger. The lacquered sheathe may have looked plain, but the handle of the sword was textured and designed with gold platting that even a commoner like her could tell that it was no ordinary weapon.

But… why would he give this to me?

It puzzled her that a stranger would give her a weapon and telling her that he had no use for it… unless she had been right from the start, and that he was really a murderer and he wanted to frame her.

But he mentioned about this helping me.

She wondered if her appearance looked so frightening that he mistook her for a beggar… and upon realizing that it was possible, all she could do was sigh.

In any case, I guess it’s mine now.

While she was still skeptical over her newfound weaponry, she figured she should turn it into her lucky charm.

So, Japanese swords.

Each of the Three Great Conquerors of Japan had a sword/dagger that they consider very important. Oda Nobunaga had Fudou Yukimitsu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had Ichigo Hitofuri, and Tokugawa Ieyasu had Monoyoshi Sadamune.

By the name itself, ‘monoyoshi’ literally meant ‘lucky thing’, and the sword was considered to have brought Ieyasu great luck in the battlefield. Curiously, this was the sword that Ieyasu had with him during the Siege of Osaka, a campaign that decimated the Toyotomi clan, and burned down Osaka Castle, along with several precious swords, Ichigo Hitofuri included.

What makes this all the more ironic is the fact that Monoyoshi Sadamune used to belong to Hideyoshi, who passed it on to his son, Hideyori. Ieyasu was then given Monoyoshi at one point. In the present times, the sword is part of the Tokugawa Owari Branch’s collection.

You probably have an idea on how this fic will go, but I still hope you’ll enjoy. :)

Thank you for reading!

#slbp fanfic #slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #koiran

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mikawa-province · 7 years

Text

No Holding Back

Title: No Holding Back Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 Word Count (MS Word): 3,169

心情吐露　（しんじょうとろ） [shinjoutoro] (n) expression of one's feelings; pouring out one's heart

Link for mobile users

This is the result of translating and summarizing the Matsudaira Motoyasu story event for a good five hours, only to wake up four hours later and have the urge to write this fic.

Tagging @frywen-babbles, as requested.

He never cared for poetry.

While he did read things that were practical and easy to grasp, as it was either tangible or it could be put to practice, poetry never made sense to him. No matter how hard he tried to read and tried to make sense of the waka, it just would not stick to him; not only that, but anything related to the arts, he attributed it all to Imagawa Yoshimoto, who had basically forced him to write waka while he was a hostage in Sunpu Castle, and he hated the man, even after the man had been buried in some temple in Mikawa.

The man thought his waka was horrible, and he could not care any less.

He was not meant to be like those fools in the capital who did nothing but indulge themselves in pleasure and literature writing contests, nor did he have the ambition to become one of them, like Imagawa did before. Unfortunately for Imagawa, his dream had not come to fruition, for he ended up dead at the hands of the Fool’s soldiers, who had ambushed him in Okehazama, despite the advantage of the number of soldiers he had over Oda Nobunaga.

Thankfully, the waka that he had written in his youth had been destroyed along with Sunpu Castle, which was a relief, since that meant he did not have to see the atrocious and childish waka that would probably offend the Immortals if they had the chance to read it.

Pushing the thought aside, he picked up the book that he had been reading for the past few days, and was just about to get engrossed into it until a voice from the door came calling for him.

“Ieyasu-sama?”

He ignored the quickening of his heartbeat upon hearing her voice and quickly put on a poker-faced expression, cursing at himself for feeling so affected over something so simple as her calling out his name.

“What?” he made sure to put just a bit of irritation in his tone, as he wanted to make sure that she would not hear how nervous he was.

“May I come in?” despite being his personal chef and his retainer for the past few months, it was rare for her to barge into his room unless it was important, compared to the others, who would actually barge in for the heck of it until he sent them away.

“… Sure.” Damn it, why was his heart still racing?

The sliding door opened, and upon hearing the side of the door hit the frame, he tried his best to regain his composure before she was making his way to him… and had actually succeeded in doing so.

“A-are you busy right now…?” came her nervous tone. From the corner of his eye, he saw her sit on her calves, just a few inches away from him, her hands on a… book?

While she usually tried to read any of his books during the times she was in his room, she would give up easily, claiming that his tastes in literature were far different from what she liked. When he first learned about how she was interested in poetry, he had mocked her for liking the very things he loathed, even making a point to tell her that if she requested him to get her a book related to poetry and the like, he would refuse.

“I can get a book on my own without your help, thank you very much.” She had actually looked so offended at that time that he could not help but smile at the memory.

“You broke my concentration, but it’s no big deal.” He ignored the way her face fell upon hearing that she had interrupted him in his reading. “What do you want?”

“Sakai-sama lent me a book, and when I asked him about this particular passage, he said to ask you because you read a lot, and that ‘an old man like him made it hard for him to read the characters’.” She looked so embarrassed and apologetic right now that he was struggling to regain his composure and not grab her and hold her in his arms to comfort her.

“Give it.” He said in a tone that was harsher than he had intended, cringing inwardly over how he sounded. Meekly, she gave him the book, and upon inspecting both the cover and the page that she was reading, he knew he was going to have one less retainer among his ranks.

Sakai Tadatsugu was to be sent far, far away from any of the territories under the Tokugawa.

The old man, despite his advancing age, was showing no sign at all in stopping any attempts to matchmake the two of them.

There was that time when the old man had asked her to bandage him up in the guise of being ‘heavily injured’, thus making it ‘difficult’ for him to bandage the lord of the clan, and now, he was pushing for it through romantic poems?

The only way for Sakai to be stopped was to probably kill him… though Ieyasu did not doubt that there was a chance that his most senior retainer would actually attempt the matchmaking beyond the grave.

“… Are you seriously asking me to interpret a love poem?” of all the asinine things the old man could think of, it just had to be about the very thing he was the least knowledgeable of.

She bowed her head in apology. “I did say something similar, but Sakai-sama was adamant about me asking you, and that he was very sure you would know what it meant.” Upon meeting his eyes, she smiled apologetically once more. “If it cannot be helped, Ieyasu-sama, I think I should go ask Toramatsu-kun.”

For her to even consider her fellow page to be knowledgeable about love and romance was laughable, especially when Toramatsu had yet to reach adulthood, and was not interested in the romantic aspect that happened between men and women.

His face may have given him away, for she said, “If not Toramatsu-kun, then… maybe Tadakatsu-sama would know more.”

It occurred to him that she had simply lost her mind at this point; to even consider the pervert ‘knowledgeable’ in interpreting romantic poems that dead men and women from the capital had written years before, it sounded as if she was really desperate and dying to know the meaning behind the emotional lines that she had just read.

At this, he could not help but roll his eyes. “… If I have to, then I will have to painstakingly read and try to interpret this poem.” Upon seeing her worried look, he shrugged. “Worth a try.”

“If you say so.” while she did not sound convinced, he himself wondered what the heck had possessed him to even attempt to read garbage that had never made sense, no matter how much he tried to read the passages over and over again.

Even back when he was in Sunpu, no matter how hard he tried, he simply lacked the literary soul to write anything related to romance… and yet, he looked as if he was trying too hard to, dare he say the word, impress her.

While he knew just why he would go through all of this for her, he just did not dare to voice it out loud, nor did he even bother to allow his feelings to accept it.

Sighing, he began to read the passage.

夢の逢ひは　苦しかりけり　覚どろきて　かき探れども　手にも触れねばいめのあひはくるしかりけりおどろきてかきさぐれどもてにもふれねば　

It occurred to him that the first thing he thought of upon reading through it was that whoever wrote this poem may have had issues concerning the way he was pining for whoever it was that was appearing in his dreams.

The second time he read it, Ieyasu thought of how pathetic the poet had been to write something so stupidly over-the-top, when the person he was writing about was someone he dreamt of.

The third time he went through the passage, the Lord of Mikawa felt his eye twitch upon realizing that the words had easily made sense, something that had never happened before.

Seeing one another in dreams Is painful Waking up and not seeing you No matter how many times I reach out I cannot even touch you

To his horror, he could feel the lines resonate within him, the words slowly making him feel warm within, and that there was something in him that was compelling him to take action. Words, it seemed, were not enough to convey the sentiment of the poem, and it was scaring him that he might do something that was inappropriate and so out of character for him.

Nevertheless, she was waiting for an answer, and he would have to give it, just as she had requested.

It was only proper that he give the appropriate response that she was looking for.

“Hmmm, maybe it really is that difficult…” he heard her say to him after several minutes had passed, especially since he could also feel his forehead crease whenever he was reading the lines over and over again, with each reading making much more sense. “I apologize for bothering you, Ieyasu-sama. I should get going and ask someone else.”

With the book on his lap and him still trying to digest the information that was tormenting him to either act out on his feelings or struggle to explain the meaning, he knew he could only choose one of the two, and that if did not make a choice immediately, he would lose this opportunity.

As soon as she had her hand on the book, he grabbed her wrist, making her look up to him in surprise.

“I-Ieyasu-sama…?”

“The meaning is… more complicated than I thought it would be, and I can’t put it in words.” Was it just him, or did his voice deepened?

“T-then… w-will you be writing it down…?” he nearly felt the sides of his lips curl upward at how innocent she voiced her question, and with that, he knew there was no turning back.

It was either he stalled, never knowing when he would have another chance again to do so, or he acted upon what his… feelings were telling him; for once, he had to agree with the latter.

“No. I will show you instead.”

Another tug on her wrist, and she yelped, landing on his lap, while the book fell on the tatami. In an instant, he wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from running away from him.

“Otomo no Yakamochi’s poem... it means that it is painful to see each other in your dreams because you are unable to touch the other. Same goes for you waking up and being unable to see your loved one beside you.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath. “I-is that so…? How sad.”

He tightened his hold around her. “Is that so? You’re saying that, despite the position we’re both in, and we’re touching one another?”

“W-well—”

“At least I know what I need to do. The idiot who wrote that poem didn’t, which is why all he could do was write down his feelings and moan about being unable to touch the person he had feelings for. He probably couldn’t even get his ass moving to pursue her, and make her his.”

Ieyasu knew he was ranting and he probably also sounded like he was a raving lunatic, but he did not care. The poem was seriously affecting him, and making him do the stupidest things he never expected he would do, and yet…

Her in his arms felt right that he did not want to let go.

“Unlike him, I know what I want.” He pointed out once more.

He was no longer the powerless weakling named ‘Matsudaira Motoyasu’ who was at the mercy of Imagawa Yoshimoto as his hostage in order to turn the Matsudaira clan into his vassals.

He was now Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Lord of Mikawa, he owned various territories along the coast of Tokai, he knew what he wanted, and always, always got what he wanted in turn.

And now, he was simply a man who, he suspected, was turning into a fool, all because of a woman.

She nodded in agreement, surprising him. “We’re in this position because you took matters into your own hands.” All of a sudden, she became incredibly shy, her cheeks all red. “Because you know what you want.”

“And you? Do you know what you want?”

She nodded at once. “… Yes, I do.”

While he had an aversion to being touched, somehow, her hand on cupping his cheek had been a gesture that put him at ease. That, and making his eyes widen in surprise, his face warm, and his heartbeat quicken.

He knew he should have asked, but the desire to steal her breath away with a kiss had compelled him to seek her lips. To his own shock, she had kissed him back with just as much enthusiasm he had, even wrapping her arms around his neck to close the gap between them. With his arms around her waist, he steadied his hold on her as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, and she, in turn, did the same. Panting, he pulled away from her, feeling their foreheads touch as both tried to catch their breath.

“That was…” even after the kiss they shared, she was still feeling embarrassed over it, making him chuckle. “T-that was… nice.”

He snorted. “ ‘Nice’? That’s all you have to say?”

She huffed. “… I’m sorry, but what just happened seemed more like a dream than reality.”

“You in my arms and knowing what we both want… this is definitely not a dream.” He stated, before his tone turned arrogant. “If you must, feel free to start sleeping here so that you can reassure yourself that this is all real whenever you wake up.”

“Then, may I make a selfish request as well, Ieyasu-sama?” without waiting for him to say anything, she continued, “If I move in here, then please feel free to dream about me. When you wake up, I can assured you that I will still be here beside you.”

Trust her to say the words that he never would expect her to say out loud. While both of them have yet to tell each other what they truly felt, something that they bickered over during a tournament in Owari, and he had impulsively demonstrated to her how he felt, he guessed that this setup suited both of them the best, showing their feelings through their actions.

… Though, he had to admit, she needed more ‘practice’ with her kissing, something that he would be more than happy to help her with.

“You dare demand me to dream about you? Impertinent kitchen wench asking her Lord to do the impossible.” He clicked his tongue before smirking at her, enjoying the fact that nervousness was reflected on her eyes.

“You must be punished then.”

Needless to say, her fellow retainers had found it very difficult to find her the whole afternoon, and when she did appear, it did not escape their notice that her clothes were wrinkled and her hair looked messy the moment they saw her down the hallway in preparation for dinner. Not only that, but whenever she was near Ieyasu-sama, her face was all red, and that she seemed like she was always in a hurry to get away from him. The fact that she had actually slammed the plate of strawberry daifuku on the tray and left immediately had surprised most of them, but not Ieyasu-sama, who seemed amused at what she had done.

Despite this, each of them hoped that their lord would not be too harsh with his punishment if ever she had offended him.

Right after witnessing the unusual scene, each began speculating as to why she had suddenly grown uncomfortable around their lord, with all of them wanting to know exactly what happened between the two.

In the end, it had been Sakai Tadatsugu who had been able to verify what exactly was happening between Tokugawa Ieyasu and his female retainer.

Days after the dining room spectacle, in the guise of handing over a letter for his lord to read, Sakai had announced himself by the door, and before waiting for the reply, he decided to step into the room, sneaking a peek at the surroundings.

What did not escape his notice was that there were now two tables in the center of the room, side by side, with both furniture piled up with books. To his surprise, he noticed that Ieyasu-sama was huddling with her, and both of them were poring over one of the books that he had lent to her days ago.

“What are you two doing?”

It had been Ieyasu-sama who had turned back to look at him, irritation evident on his face, most likely because he had interrupted them. “Reading poems, obviously.”

The old man felt his eyes widen in surprise.

Ieyasu-sama hated poetry more than anything.

“With your hand on her waist?” Sakai pointed out, realization dawning upon him that the two’s relationship had actually taken a huge leap from what he had anticipated. While he thought the book of poems would actually encourage her to seek out Ieyasu-sama, who did not like to read anything beyond the practical, they were now sitting so close to one another that the intimacy, no matter how innocent, made him blush.

“… You’re bothering us. Leave.” For added measure, he watched as the head of the Tokugawa clan pull her closer to him. While she seemed like she was surprised at the sudden gesture of affection done in front of others, judging from how even her ears were red, she settled and relaxed against her lord, even putting her head on his shoulder as she began singing a poem that told about longing and waiting for a beloved who would not come.

Sensing that he was overstaying his welcome, he bowed to his lord’s back, and left the room, feeling the tears burn his eyes.

Ieyasu-sama hated poetry more than anything, and yet, he was reading it with her.

Using the sleeves of his kimono to wipe away the tears from his eyes, he pressed his palms together in front of him.

I will not ask for my hair to grow back, but for the sake of the clan and myself as well, please let the Tokugawa be blessed with Ieyasu-sama’s heir as soon as possible…!

Feeling light-heartened at the thought of a prospective heir, he proceeded to head over to a nearby shrine to donate a few coins in order for his prayer to come true.

The future of the clan was looking brighter than ever.

Notes:

This fanfiction was a result of me binge-playing KoiRan’s prologue arc (called ‘Zenjitsutan’ in Japanese) story event Ransei ni Mebaeta Koi, which I have translate to ‘A Love In Full Bloom In Turbulent Times’. While the story event had been filled with so much angst, revelations, and surprises, the Epilogue, on the other hand was just filled with so much fluff and cuteness and everything that’s good.

Long story short, in the Epilogue, Motoyasu was asked by Imagawa to improve on his poetry writing, and MC helps him along the way, as she seems to understand and interpret poetry correctly compared to him, who had no idea about the meaning of the poem that she found interesting.

The waka used in this fanfiction is actually one of the two love poems used in the Epilogue. The other poem is also a waka, though that particularly waka is used in a card game called Karuta, and was written by Fujiwara Sadaie/Fujiwara no Teika. What made this poetry reading and writing aspect so hilarious in the game was MC finally knowing that Motoyasu had a weakness, and it happens to be poetry.

Honestly, my knowledge about ancient Japanese poems are nonexistent that I had to do a bit of research. I am rather grateful for the resources I have found, as I wouldn’t have been able to understand the meaning of the poem, and would have probably not been able to write this fic as well if I did not understand the sentiment behind it.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

The translation of the poem used in this fic was done by me, as it was nearly impossible to find a decent translation of the poem online. Hopefully, I was able to convey the meaning of the poem properly.

Lastly, if you didn’t know already, before Oda Nobunaga became the first unifier of Japan, Imagawa was basically the asshat that ruined most people’s lives in the Tokai area, from Matsudaira Motoyasu to *gasp* even Toramatsu. He was rather horrible in the story event, though admittedly, thanks to him, Motoyasu and MC and growing closer to one another.

I am actually waiting for the day he gets cut down by Oda Nobunaga’s forces.

As always, major thanks to my friend Sayou for the proofreading.

I hope you all enjoyed the fic. Until next time!

#slbp fanfiction #slbp ieyasu #koiran #tokugawa ieyasu x mc #slbp fanfic #slbp

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