Antebellum (Masamune x Mitsuhide)
Gentle as water, fierce as a flower
Drive your trembling blade into its mark
The dragon sighed as he donned his deep azure kimono and the rest of his garb. Gentle dawn had already swept across Azuchi, quietly chasing away starlit skies and fleeting memories.
He gazed at the sleeping form on his futon.
The snake's back was turned to him, and Masamune could spot the barest hint of a love bite peeking from underneath his loose collar.
The scales betrayed a different form underneath.
"Did you know, Masamune?" Mitsuhide waved the fox mask in front of Masamune's face. "A fox gains supernatural powers once it reaches the age of fifty."
"I don't know what you're gettin' at here."
"If it lives long enough to reach a hundred years of age," He wore the mask and made a gesture with his front "paws. "It shall be granted ascendancy."
"You mean divinity," Mitsuhide murmured as he refilled his sake. "That's for the good kind of foxes. Have you been a good fox?"
There were two types of foxes; zenko, benevolent messengers of the goddess Inari-no-Okami, and yako —malicious spirits who bring humans harm.
The insignificant question hung in the breezy summer air, accompanied by the steady chirp of crickets.
"Even if I were to end into a monster someday," Were Masamune's ears deceiving him? He swore Mitsuhide was purring. "I'd do everything in my power to ensure your protection."
"You sure like hiding behind tall words," Masamune drawled. "Are you sayin' you're worried about me?"
Golden orbs revealed nothing.
The young warlord shook his head as he headed towards the sliding door, Before he took another step outside, he allowed himself to steal one final glance at Mitsuhide.
Autumn was just beginning, and yet Mitsuhide was already folding into himself. Masamune glimpsed the slightest of shivers as he swept over the man's shoulder.
He swallowed his last drop of hesitation and exited the room, marching towards the meeting hall in silence.
It was another long day, another battle to overcome.