Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

The Best Laid Plans	By : Toxicstar Category: +S through Z > Samurai Warriors Views: 2935 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Warriors, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
A/N: Hi again. ^^ I just want to thank
all my lovely reviewers this far� I wouldn�t be updating this, if not for you! Well�
probably. XD Anyway, here�s the next chapter� I wanted to make it a little
longer to make up for the other shorties, but it�s a little angsty. >_>;; Argh, how did this happen�!? I�ll
make up for it later, I promise. More KaneMitsu
in this chapter. (That�s not putting people off, is it�? O_o)

The rain was back the following day, but this time Mitsunari found the
downpour less comforting. If anything, it amplified the maudlin mood he was in.

There was no awkwardness between himself and
Kanetsugu, surprisingly- the man was as courteous and kind as always. Sakon,
however, was growing steadily suspicious of Mitsunari�s
unease and his lack of enthusiasm towards talking about it. He left it alone,
for the most part, but made no attempt at hiding his displeasure about it.

Ultimately, the whole situation left Mitsunari feeling
ironically alone. Two men had strong feelings for him -praiseworthy men- but
somehow he felt more lost than ever. Even the generous affections of Sakon
failed to comfort his troubled mind.

As it was, the young commander was pacing through the
halls of the castle, unhurried, with no particular destination in mind. Sakon
was gone for a few days, as aid for an ally in a battle elsewhere, along with a
handful of other generals. He had gone grudgingly, not wanting to leave
Mitsunari alone for that amount of time. In reality, however, Mitsunari was
slightly glad of the time alone- he desperately needed to think in solitude,
for a change.

The auburn-haired man stopped to lean against a wall,
tucking his arms into the opposite sleeves. He could hear the dull murmur of
voices in a room nearby, and ignored it. He wondered if he should waste some of
the day in the bath, or perhaps in the library. He was just mulling over which was more appealing, when a certain fragment of the nearby
conversation managed to crawl right into his ear.

��Shima Sakon is far too good to be serving Mitsunari,
anyway. It should be the other way around! He�s a far greater man.�

Going cold from head to toe, Mitsunari digested this,
repeating the comment over and over again in his head. Surely it wasn�t true�
that was what his own people
thought?

Suddenly feeling nauseous, he got up from the wall and
walked quickly away.

----//----

When Kanetsugu ventured to Mitsunari�s
rooms that afternoon, he was dismayed to find he wasn�t there.

After the confession he had stupidly made last night,
he was anxious to set things right in any way that he could. He knew Mitsunari,
and the man was undoubtedly feeling wretched. The last thing Kanetsugu wanted was to make Mitsunari unhappy.

Returning to his own quarters
with a sigh, Kanetsugu opened the partition doors at the other end of the room,
and stepped out onto the deck. The rain had lightened a little since morning,
but was still cool on the skin.

Shuddering slightly, Kenshin�s prot�g� hugged himself
tightly as he looked around the gardens. He straightened immediately when he
saw why Mitsunari hadn�t been in his room- he had been on the decking outside
it, just as he himself was doing now.

Kanetsugu wasted no time in crossing the space between
them, walking across the gardens to the other side where Mitsunari�s
room was. As he got closer, he saw that Mitsunari wasn�t doing much of
anything, and had apparently been sitting there in the rain for some time- his
hair, darkened by the rain, was clinging to his face in wet strands, and his
clothes soaked through. The man was shivering slightly, but he didn�t look
uncomfortable at all.

�Mitsunari!� Kanetsugu
cried in a scolding tone.

The other male slowly looked up to see Kanetsugu
standing over him, looking incredibly upset. �Good afternoon, Kanetsugu�
shouldn�t you be indoors?� he commented dryly.

Kanetsugu almost bit through his tongue. �Me!? Mitsunari, you�re completely drenched! Are you trying
to make yourself ill?� he spluttered, gesturing wildly.

Mitsunari offered a small smile. �Your concern is
endearing, my friend.�

Even more flustered, Kanetsugu shook his head. �I�m
serious! You�re going to get sick! Please let me take you indoors, we need to
get you warm!� He crouched down next to his friend and gently grasped his arm,
cringing when he felt just how cold the man was.

�Our army is dissatisfied with me,� Mitsunari said
suddenly, his hazel-coloured eyes wide.

Kanetsugu stopped tugging at Mitsunari�s
arm, and looked at him in disbelief. �What are you talking about?�

Mitsunari sighed heavily. ��Just something I
overheard.�

Pursing his lips into a tight line, Kanetsugu hauled
Mitsunari to his feet with strength that sometimes surprised the other man, and
wordlessly led him across the garden and into his room, shutting the partition
doors after them. �This is complete nonsense. I can�t stand this. You sit
outside in the freezing cold rain because of a rumour you heard? Mitsunari! You
must stop hurting yourself like this!� Kanetsugu�s
voice softened and turned pleading, as he tried to wipe the wet hair from his
commander and friend�s face, �You�ll end up hurting me, too. What can I do to
help?�

Mitsunari blinked at Kanetsugu. �Confirm something for
me��

Kanetsugu swallowed, and nodded. �What is it?�

�Is Sakon too good to be serving me? Is he a better
man than me?� the saffron-haired man whispered, looking truly miserable.

�Oh, Mitsunari� is that what you heard?� Kanetsugu
heaved a great sigh, knowing fine well there soldiers who believed that Sakon
was indeed too good to be subordinate to Mitsunari. He cursed them in his mind.
�Listen to me� you are a great commander, Mitsunari. You care about your
people, you possess great valour, and you�re honourable. If there is ill talk
of you, I have to say it is nought but pettiness from jealous individuals. Pay
them no heed, my friend, please.�

�Do you honestly believe that?�

�Mitsunari, have you ever known me to lie?�

Mitsunari lowered his head. �No,
never.�

Satisfied, Kanetsugu clasped Mitsunari�s
shoulders warmly. �You�re going to forget what you heard, understand? I won�t
allow your morale to be damaged by the likes of this. Such stupid rumours don�t
even deserve your attention.�

Mitsunari looked up, his sharp eyes boring into
Kanetsugu with something he couldn�t describe. He found himself swallowing
again at the intensity of the look.

�Mitsunari�? Are you alright?� When his friend said
nothing, Kanetsugu stepped back quickly. �I�m going to your room to find a dry
yukata for you� wait here, I�ll be right back,� and he hurried out the room,
leaving Mitsunari to sit down on the tatami floor.

----//----

Mitsunari listened to Kanetsugu walking down the hall
with hurried steps, and smiled forlornly to himself. His friend�s care for him
warmed him so much that he barely felt the cold water dripping off him,
anymore.

The rain had been so soothing, the way it had numbed
his skin� He wished he didn�t take everything so seriously, so personally, but it was difficult when
he had such an important role in the Western army. How could he take even
offhand comments lightly?

He decided that as of now, he would build a wall
around himself. He would become untouchable. People could say what they wanted-
he would win this war, and not from being a kind, thoughtful person. No, he
would do it his own way, regardless of whatever kind of reputation it got him.
And as for Sakon� he would never try
to overthrow Mitsunari, or make him stand down from leadership. It was all a
matter of confidence, something he�d been meaning to work on for a while.

Nodding to himself, and beginning to feel better at
last, Mitsunari didn�t look up when Kanetsugu came back in, holding a light
blue yukata.

�Here, Mitsunari� get changed into something warm and
dry,� Kanetsugu said, passing the clothing to his friend.

�Kanetsugu, thank you,� Mitsunari said gratefully,
smiling sincerely at the other man. His smile only broadened when Kanetsugu
blushed faintly. �What�s the matter?� he asked, and began to unfasten his
soaked yukata.

Kanetsugu visibly panicked. �Wh-what� wait a moment,
Mitsunari, I�ll leave the room first�� and he stumbled back out the room with
his ears glowing red at the tips.

Mitsunari couldn�t help but chuckle at how honourable
Kanetsugu was, and quickly shed the wet garment in favour of the comfortable
blue one. He kneeled on the floor and called Kanetsugu back into his own room.
�You didn�t need to leave,� Mitsunari said, with humour in his voice.

Still blushing, Kanetsugu knelt down opposite
Mitsunari. �No, I did. If I had seen you undressed, I would have� it would have
been difficult,� he confessed, not looking at the other man.

The statement made Mitsunari smile. �You�re so noble. So honest.� He leaned over and reached for his friend,
intending to embrace him for his kindness, but Kanetsugu recoiled, looking as
if he�d been burned.

Mitsunari frowned, hurt.

�Don�t, Mitsunari�� Kanetsugu pleaded in a small
voice. �Don�t tease me.�

Mitsunari flinched slightly, dropping his arms but
still leaning forward. �How could you say that? I�m not trying to tease you� I
only wanted to hug a friend.�

Kanetsugu�s eyes were
bright, yet dull at the same time. �You have no idea how much I long to hold
you,� he lowered his gaze, �But not as a friend, even if that�s all you mean to
offer. I would only try and take more,� he looked up again. �Do you still think
me noble?�

Mitsunari said nothing, then
moved forward, ignoring his friend�s protests, and wrapped his arms around him.
He squeezed the young man�s shoulders. �You�re so dear to me,� he murmured into
Kanetsugu�s neck. He felt and heard his friend
whimper in reply.

After a brief hesitation, Kanetsugu�s arms came up to
wrap around Mitsunari in return. He took a deep breath and was about to speak
when he noticed something, and stopped. �Mitsunari�? You�re really shaking.
You�re sick, aren�t you? I knew it!� He pulled back and held a hand to his
friend�s forehead. �You�re getting a fever� come on, that�s it� I�m putting you
to bed.�

Mitsunari blinked. �I�m fine�� he protested even as he
was gently pulled up to his feet and led out the room. Before he knew it, he
was back in his own room once more, bedded down for the night.

�The sun hasn�t even set,� he muttered in protest as Kanetsugu smoothed his
reddish hair back, and set a wet cloth against his warm forehead.

�It doesn�t matter. You don�t even need to sleep, now-
just rest,� Kanetsugu murmured softly. He was kneeling beside Mitsunari, merely
gazing at him with a sympathetic look on his becoming face.

Mitsunari sighed, embarrassed
at the over-cautious treatment he was receiving. He was already getting too
warm under the heavy covers that came up to his chest.

Kanetsugu ventured ever-so-slightly closer, a nervous
frown gracing his features. �Mitsunari� Don�t do anything that reckless again,�
he said, more a plea than a demand.

Mitsunari smiled slightly. �Alright, I won�t. Not if
it�s going to make you worry so much.�

Kanetsugu returned the smile, leaning even closer.
�Rest well,� he said softly, and pressed his lips to Mitsunari�s
forehead before withdrawing with a blush. He straightened suddenly upon hearing
the sound of a horn outside.

Mitsunari tried to sit up, surprised, only to be
pushed back down with a firm but gentle hand.

�They�ve returned two days early,� Kanetsugu
announced, not quite able to disguise the disappointment in his voice. He
glanced at Mitsunari somewhat apologetically. �I�ll go and greet them- please
do as I said, and rest.�

Mitsunari nodded with a sigh, watching as his friend
left. He hated feeling helpless- nonetheless, lying on his back was beginning
to make him sleepy, so he allowed his eyes to close momentarily.

----//----

Kanetsugu opened the front gates and watched the
soldiers return.

Sakon looked as calmly confident as ever, telling
Kanetsugu all he needed to know about how the battle went.

Keiji, as was his custom, rode in on
his horse in a sideways reclining position, much to the constant bewilderment
of the other troops; how he managed to stay on, no one knew.

Sakon stopped several yards from the waiting general,
and dismounted. He walked over, hefting his huge Body Cleaver onto a shoulder
and smiling breezily. �The battle was nothing- we finished up early. How are
things here?�

�They�re fine, Sakon. Mitsunari is sick, but there are
no major problems,� Kanetsugu said, watching Sakon�s
expression carefully. Sure enough, both eyebrows went up in interest.

�Is that so�?� Sakon stroked his chin. �I�d better
check up on him, then. Thanks,� the older man said nonchalantly, and headed off
in the direction of Mitsunari�s rooms.

Kanetsugu sighed heavily, trying not to think about
what the two men would no doubt soon be doing, regardless of whether Mitsunari
was ill or not. He walked over to Keiji -who was now
juggling helmets- in hopes of being cheered up.

----//----

When Sakon entered Mitsunari�s
bedroom, he smiled when he found the young commander was asleep. Shedding his
shoes, he quietly walked over and knelt next to his lover, reaching out to
adjust the cool cloth on Mitsunari�s forehead.

Stirred from his light slumber by the movement,
Mitsunari opened his eyes and glanced at Sakon. �You�re back early,� he said
softly, and coughed before he could stop himself.

Sakon frowned, removing the cloth and replacing it
with his broad hand. �And how, exactly, did you get yourself ill?�

Mitsunari tutted, looking away. �I
got caught in the rain, that�s all.�

�Mmmm-hmm� I see. You just happened to be out in the rain�� Sakon said,
clearly sceptical.

Mitsunari frowned back at the other man. �Why would I
lie about it? That�s the truth, even ask Kanetsugu,� he protested indignantly,
knowing his friend would cover for him- despite, of course, finding lies
detestable.

Sakon�s eyes narrowed
a fraction as he chewed on his lower lip, still clearly unconvinced. �He didn�t
seem too happy to see me, back before schedule.�

Mitsunari�s pulse quickened, and he hoped his alarm wasn�t visible. �I can�t
imagine why that would be� Kanetsugu respects you.�

Sakon scoffed loudly, adjusting his position and
leaning over Mitsunari, scrutinising him. �Mitsunari, how stupid do you think I am?� he said harshly.

Thoroughly upset with the tone Sakon was using with
him, Mitsunari sat up, throwing the covers aside and turning away angrily. He
glared over his shoulder, looking particularly vulpine with his teeth partly
bared. �How dare you speak to me like that!?�

Sakon only laughed without humour, grabbing the collar
of Mitsunari�s yukata and pulling him to lay across his lap. He had to hold the struggling man down
by clamping an arm over his arms and waist. �I�ve seen him staring at you,
following you around like a lost puppy� I expect he saw my absence as an
opportunity to express his undying love for you, no?�

Mitsunari abruptly froze, ceasing his struggles. Did
Sakon foresee everything? His guess
was almost spot-on, the only difference being that Kanetsugu�s
confession had come before Sakon
left.

�I presume, from your silence, that I�m right.�

�What do you want me to say!?� Mitsunari spat, staring
furiously up at Sakon. �Yes, he did
confess his feelings for me- do you presume I readily returned them, too!? You
trust me so little that you rode back here ahead of time, just to check--� the younger man�s rant was
swiftly cut off by his lover�s hot mouth, which swallowed down his complaints
and reduced them to a murmur.

When Sakon eventually pulled back, lapping his tongue
over Mitsunari�s parted lips lingeringly, he said,
�No, I didn�t presume that. And, contraire to belief, I got back early simply
because I missed you. Is that acceptable, my Lord?�

Mitsunari�s expression
softened, looking rueful now. �Yes��

Sakon smiled warmly. �Anything else you want to tell
me about? Come on, get it out of your system� that�s
what I�m here for.�

�Yes, there is�� Mitsunari admitted, slowly pulling
himself up to twine his arms around Sakon�s neck,
bringing them eye-to-eye. �I love you.�

The smile faded from Sakon�s
handsome face to be replaced with shock. ��Oh.�
- 6
- 7
- 8
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Best Laid Plans