Chapter Text
You had noticed the looks some of the retainers were giving you, but you had tried to ignore them. It wasn’t until Umeko came to you one day asking you to have a chat with her when you really started to worry.
“Have you heard the rumour?”
“What rumour?” you were confused. There were lots of rumours circling around the castle, some more believable than others.
“They are saying you are a kitsune! How silly is that!” Umeko laughed. You looked at her shocked.
“I’m a what now?” you blurted before you could stop yourself.
“A fox spirit! It is rumoured that you are here to seduce Lord Masamune so you could bring about the downfall of the Date clan. And you are doing it for a revenge! How exciting is that?” Umeko squealed, clasping her hands together, her eyes gleaming with excitement. You didn’t find the rumour at all exciting. This reminded you of the rumour of lord Masamune having a demon living in his eye and letting it out to feast on people. That got cleared, but what about this?
“Haha… haha…” you tried to laugh it off, but you didn’t find this amusing at all. You ran your hand across your face sighing in defeat. You didn’t need more rumours to make things difficult, the conflict between the Sōma and the Date clan was becoming heated and lord Masamune was drowning in work as were you, Lord Kojuro and lord Shigezane, who had come to Yonezawa to help.
“Please stop spreading rumours like that, Umeko. You know I’m not a kitsune, we have bathed together,” you pleaded your friend, a small crease between your brows.
“I’m sorry, ____. I didn’t realise it would make you feel uncomfortable. From now on I’ll tell everyone who brings it up that it’s a lie,” Umeko comforted you seriously, patting your back, “Besides, you’re just an ordinary page. Why would anyone take a rumour like that seriously?”
***
The first time one of the retainers touched your head left you staring at him completely stunned. But as it happened, again and again, you started to avoid walking in places where you knew others would be. You didn’t know what they were trying to do, it felt as though they were trying to find out if there was something hidden underneath your hair. Some also tried to pat you on your butt, but so far you had managed to avoid most of those touches.
You had just brought lord Masamune his tea and were returning to the kitchen when you noticed some retainers that were rarely seen in this part of the castle. They kept looking at you as you walked past them and you tried to keep your eyes in front of you, hoping they would leave you alone.
“Hey, ____!”
You turned around when you heard a voice call your name, but suddenly you felt someone lifting the hem of your kimono.
“Whoaah!” you screamed grabbing your kimono and took few hasty steps forward turning around to get away from your harasser, your face burning bright red.
“Hey ____, show me your tail! I know you have at least one,” the retainer who had lifted your kimono smirked at you. You stiffened at his suggestion and backed away from him slowly, only to feel an arm on your waist,
“Don’t worry, we don’t want to harm you, I’ve always been kind to foxes, you are no different,” another retainer smirked. You removed his arm from your waist and stepped away,
“I really have to be on my way now, excuse me,” you started to walk away faster than before.
“Hey, kitsune, don’t be like that! I like you!”
You could hear the retainers walk after you, but you dodged around the corner and ran as fast as you could to the warehouse near the kitchen.
It was lord Shigezane who found you,
“Hey doll, what are you doing here?” he asked with a grin on his face. You attempted to wipe the tears from your face, but he noticed and stepped next to you, “What’s the matter? You can tell me,” he asked seriously. You didn’t answer immediately, instead, you lowered your gaze to your hands and sniffled,
“Some retainers were chasing me. They wanted to see my tail.”
“Your what?” Shigezane asked confused.
“Th-they think I’m a kitsune who came here in disguise to get a revenge on the Date clan,” You explained flustered. Shigezane started to laugh, but you didn’t find it funny at all,
“Lord Shigezane! I’m serious! They tried to lift the hem of my kimono and look underneath!”
That got lord Shigezane’s attention and he turned serious,
“I’m sorry doll, you are right, that’s not funny. It must have been scary for you.”
“It was…” you mumbled.
“Is this the first time something like this has happened?” lord Shigezane asked concerned sitting down next to you.
“…No,” you admitted quietly.
“Have you told Masamune about this?”
“No! Don’t tell him either! Lord Masamune has been so busy lately I don’t want to bother him with something like this. Please, you have to promise me!” you looked at lord Shigezane pleadingly.
“I know Masamune is busy, but this is something he needs to know. He can be a bit dense sometimes, but he would want to know if you’re in trouble, no matter how small,” lord Shigezane tried to convince you, but you just shook your head,
“No. The rumours will die out soon, this was just some game they were playing. I’m sure if I’ll just ignore it the whole thing will be forgotten in no time.”
“…Okay, doll. If you insist,” lord Shigezane complied with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. Then he smiled at you, “Come on, I’ll walk you back. No-one will bother you then. Just try to stay out of trouble, okay?”
***
“____,” Lord Kojuro stopped you in a hallway when you were on your way to deliver a letter.
“What is it lord Kojuro?” you asked smiling at him.
“Shigezane told me what happened the other day,” Lord Kojuro said seriously folding his hands when he looked at you.
“Oh… I told him not to tell. It’s not something to be worried over,” you shifted your weight from one leg to another nervously.
“I think you said not to tell lord Masamune, so he told me,” Lord Kojuro smiled at you and you sighed defeated,
“I really have work to do lord Kojuro. Can’t this wait?” you asked. You didn’t really want to talk about this, it was just a stupid rumour that would go away if given enough time.
“No, I have an important meeting later. Follow me,” Lord Kojuro gestured you to follow him and you walked after him to his study and sat down.
“Now, tell me what happened,” lord Kojuro said, a kind smile on his face.
“Really, Lord Kojuro. This is nothing to be troubled over…” you sighed exasperated. Lord Kojuro just gave you a stern look so you continued, “Umeko told me there is a rumour circling in the castle saying I’m a kitsune, who came here to seduce Lord Masamune and bring the downfall of the Date clan. So, some of the retainers have decided to try to reveal me, or something. It has brought me some trouble, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“Like the time Shigezane found you crying?” lord Kojuro asked raising his eyebrows.
“I was just a bit tired and I got to me. That won’t happen again,” you bowed slightly to lord Kojuro, partly in an attempt to hide your face. The retainers were bothering you, but everybody was so busy you just needed to endure the slight teasing they were doing. It wouldn’t take forever, next month they would probably have something else to fuss over unless a war broke out.
“Don’t worry, I’ll look into it. Make sure you’re not left alone with those retainers for now,” Lord Kojuro said, offering you a kind smile.
“Yes, Lord Kojuro. I’ll do that. I’m sure the rumour will die out soon. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll deliver that letter now. Lord Masamune said it was urgent,” you bowed at Lord Kojuro and stood up, walking to the door.
“I really think we should tell to Lord Masamune. He would want to know things that concern your safety,” Lord Kojuro’s voice stopped you and you turned to look at him. He was looking at you concerned, his brows furrowed slightly, but you smiled at him,
“This is nothing to be worried about, Lord Kojuro. I’ll tell him if something serious happens. I don’t want to give him anything more to be worried about at the moment, I’m sure you don’t either,” you tried to sound cheerful, but you weren’t sure how well you managed that.
“If you are sure…” Lord Kojuro trailed off, unconvinced.
“Yes, I am. I’m sorry for troubling you lord Kojuro,” you were just about to leave again when lord Kojuro spoke again,
“I’ll talk to other retainers so they’ll leave you alone. This thing is clearly bothering you and it’s affecting your work as well. I know you have been late on several occasions.”
“If you think that’s for the best, Lord Kojuro,” you said, knowing it was no use trying to persuade him. Persuading him about telling Lord Masamune was different, you knew appealing to the huge workload and stress Lord Masamune was under would probably make him wait and see how things would work out a little while longer.
“Excuse me,” you slid the door open and left the room, returning to your duties. You really wanted the harassment to stop, but involving Lord Masamune would only trouble him. And as the rumour was that you had seduced him, his involvement would probably only aggravate the situation. So, you continued your tasks, trying to ignore the rude comments and unwanted touches you received.
***
“…Something has been bothering you,” Lord Masamune said looking at you when you were changing into your night robes.
“Ah!… Umm…” you hadn’t prepared yourself to the question at all. You walked to Lord Masamune and sat next to him on his bedding, averting your eyes. He took your hand and played gently with your fingers before he took your hand in his and lifted it to his lips.
“You can tell me… if you want to,” Lord Masamune said smiling gently at you.
“I know… I’m just tired, we have so much work right now,” you said returning his smile, “Let’s just go to sleep now?”
Lord Masamune lied down and pulled you down next to him running his thumb along the back of your hand before he wrapped his arms around you in a gentle embrace kissing you.
The kiss was a small and gentle one at first but grew heated until you pulled away and pressed your head to Lord Masamune’s chest, nuzzling him. He stroked your hair gently and placed a small kiss on your hair.
“Please… stay with me forever,” Lord Masamune whispered.
“I will, Lord Masamune,” you replied half asleep, “I love you…”
“I… love you too, ____.”
***
You were on your way to your break when you suddenly heard barking behind you. You turned around and saw a large dog running straight towards you. You screamed and ran as fast as you could to a nearby tree reaching for its lower branches to pull yourself up. The dog caught the hem of your kimono, but you kicked it hard, dropping your shoes to the ground. The hem of your kimono ripped and the dog was left barking on the ground the piece of fabric in its mouth. You climbed higher, just to be a safe distance away clinging tightly to the trunk of the tree. You closed your eyes, hoping the dog would soon get tired of barking and leave, so you could get down.
“Hey, if it isn’t the kitsune. I think the dog scared her to a three, haha!” you opened your eyes when you heard a voice and looked a short distance away, where some men were walking towards the tree where you were.
“I guess she really is a kitsune if she’s so afraid of a little dog she’ll climb a three.”
“A-Anybody would be scared of a dog running straight at them!” you yelled at the men, but they did nothing to calm the dog down. When they got closer, you recognised the men as the same people who had tried to lift your kimono earlier and you cursed your bad luck.
“Now that the kitsune is scared, do you think she’d show her tail? Maybe I should climb the tree to see?” one of the men suggested making the others laugh. The man took a hold of one of the lower branches and was just about to climb up, when to your relief you saw lord Masamune and lord Kojuro some distance away, absorbed in a conversation.
“Lord Masamune! Lord Kojuro! Help!” you shouted as loud as you could. Both men looked up confused and the men under the tree cursed and ran off leaving the dog behind.
“I’m in the tree!” you shouted again and the two lords finally spotted you. They ran towards you but had to halt a short distance away, because now the dog turned its attention towards them.
“I’ll get some food from the kitchen, I think that’ll distract it. Stay here lord Masamune and make sure ____ is okay,” lord Kojuro said and walked slowly away, not wanting the dog to chase after him.
“____, are you… hurt?” lord Masamune asked after lord Kojuro had disappeared.
“N-no… I’m just scared…” you sniffled, trying to blink the tears away from your eyes.
“… Kojuro will be back soon. Don’t worry,” Lord Masamune tried to calm you down.
“Yes… I’ll be alright…” you replied, hugging the tree even tighter, pressing your forehead against the trunk. It didn’t take long for Lord Kojuro to come back with a piece of meat for the dog and shortly he managed to get a leash on it. Lord Masamune walked under the tree and looked up at you,
“You can come down now, ____,” he said calmly, reaching his hand towards you.
“I…” you trailed off, not wanting to sound pathetic, but after a short silence Lord Masamune spoke,
“… I’m coming up,” he reached for the lower branches ignoring Lord Kojuro, who shouted after him.
“Lord Masamune, what do you think you’re doing?” you could hear the irritation in Lord Kojuro’s voice, but you concentrated on Lord Masamune, who had almost reached you.
“What’s wrong?” Lord Masamune asked quietly and touched your hand gently.
“I…I’m afraid of heights…” you managed to say, blushing embarrassed.
“It’s okay… I’ll help you down,” Lord Masamune said, taking your hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly, a gentle smile on his face. You nodded and let him take your hand and help you down from the tree. You jumped from the lowest branch to his arms and he held you a bit longer than was appropriate, only letting go after lord Kojuro cleared his throat and you stepped back bowing at both of them,
“Thank you so much for helping me, Lord Masamune, lord Kojuro,” you tried to leave, but lord Kojuro stopped you,
“____, is this connected to the thing we talked about earlier?” he asked a deep frown between his brows.
“What… thing?” Lord Masamune asked confused, looking from you to Lord Kojuro, a hint of hurt in his voice.
“I’m so sorry for troubling you, Lord Kojuro! Lord Masamune! I have things to do!” you bowed deeply again and almost ran away from them. You really didn’t want to trouble Lord Masamune, it was better if he didn’t know. You were certain if he got involved it would only mean trouble for both of you.
In the evening, like every evening, you tiptoed your way to lord Masamune’s room and stepped inside quietly. Lord Masamune had already changed to his night robes and removed his eyepatch, and was waiting for you at his bedding. You closed the door and walked to him quietly.
“… Kojuro told me,” Lord Masamune said as you were sitting down.
“Ah…! I see. I… I thought it would be best not to trouble you, …you have so much work to do at the moment I… didn’t want to worry you over nothing…” you mumbled avoiding his gaze.
“My work is not more important than you… or your safety,” lord Masamune said seriously and took your hand in his. He played with your fingers gently, but seeing the tears his words brought to your eyes, he pulled you into a gentle embrace, holding you until your sobs decreased.
“…I want to protect you… the best I can. But I can’t do anything if you won’t tell me,” he whispered quietly in your hair.
***
“We found out who is behind the rumours,” Lord Kojuro said. You looked at him surprised as you served the tea you had just brought them.
“Who?” Lord Masamune asked.
“It’s… your mother, lady Yoshihime,” lord Kojuro replied with a frown. You froze for a moment but tried to cover it by taking a step back and sitting down.
“…I see. What do you recommend we do?” Lord Masamune asked.
“Now is not the time to come clean with your relationship and a marriage with that rumour going on would damage the both of you. So, you need to lie low until the rumours die down. I really don’t want to do this, but I think ____ needs to learn how to use some sort of weapon. She has already been attacked twice and I don’t think Lady Yoshihime will back down soon,” Lord Kojuro looked at you, but you turned your eyes to Lord Masamune, who had a solemn expression on his face.
“…Lord Masamune…?” you asked after a while, tilting your head. Lord Masamune didn’t say a word, he just stared at his tea, the frown between his brows deepening every minute.
“Look, Masamune. Kojuro has a point. One of us can’t be with her all the time, we have too much work to do,” Lord Shigezane said seriously and then turned towards you, “Don’t worry doll! Lord Kojuro and I will teach you and I’m sure Masamune can too. It’ll be fun.”
You smiled at him and turned towards Masamune, who had pressed his face into his hands.
“… How do you feel about this, ____?” he finally asked looking at you.
“Well… If Lord Kojuro and Lord Shigezane think I should learn how to use a weapon I think they are correct. And I would be able to protect you as your page better than I am now,” you answered a bit flustered under the stare of the three men.
“…Wait here,” Lord Masamune stood up and left the room, only to return a short while later. He was carrying an iron fan, a tessen, and a short sword, a wakizashi. Lord Masamune sat down and handed them both to you. You took the offered weapons in stunned silence and bowed your head,
“Milord, this is far too much…!” you tried to give them back to lord Masamune, but he refused smiling.
“I wasn’t using them anyway… please have them.”
“…Thank you, Lord Masamune,” you thanked him and looked at the weapons offered to you. The wakizashi was simple but beautiful, its sheath lacquered deep green with the Date emblem on it. The tessen, however, took your breath away when you opened it. On the outside, it looked like a simple black fan, but on the inside, the lacquered paper was brilliant blue, with stars on it.
“…I… I’ll treasure them always…!” you managed to say looking at the fan mesmerised. Lord Shigezane muffled a laughter making you blush bright red and you quickly put the fan and the wakizashi on the floor, pressing your cheeks with your hands in an effort to cool them down.
“Shigezane,” Lord Masamune scolded his cousin seriously, which made Lord Shigezane laugh aloud,
“You kids are so cute. It’s alright, doll, I’m sure Masamune has some time before we have to return to work. Kojuro and I have something we need to do anyway,” Lord Shigezane said with a smirk on his face and rose to leave, winking at you. Lord Kojuro sighed and followed after him. After the door closed you managed to look at lord Masamune, who also had a slight blush on his cheeks.
“…Lord Masamune, these are really beautiful. Are you sure it’s okay for me to have them?” you asked quietly. Lord Masamune smiled and moved to sit next to you,
“I… want you to be safe. I should send you back to Kyoto for a while…” he said, his smile turning into a new frown,
“No! Lord Masamune, please don’t send me away, I only want to serve you!” you interrupted him, looking at him pleadingly. He smiled at you,
“… I don’t want you to leave either. Please stay with me… and be safe.” He took your hand in his and played with your fingers before he lifted your hand to his lips and you felt his lips brush against your knuckles.
“I will work hard, Lord Masamune! I promise!” you said smiling relieved. He leant in and cradled your cheek, kissing you gently on your lips.
Lord Masamune wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you towards him, his kisses turning hungrier and more passionate. You opened your mouth and his tongue slipped in, gently touching yours. His kisses were making you feel lightheaded and tingly all over, making you moan quietly into his mouth. The hand in your cheek moved to your neck, pulling you even closer. His hands around you made you feel safe, but the feeling from his kisses was starting to get too much for you and you gently pushed his chest and turned your head away, your heart beating fast and your face feeling hot.
“…L-lord Masamune…” You tried to collect your thoughts when the door slammed open and lord Shigezane stepped inside,
“Masamune, I…! Sorry kids, please continue!”
You pulled quickly away from Lord Masamune, your face burning even hotter than before and you rose hastily to your feet bowing to lord Masamune,
“Excuse me!” you almost ran out of the room hiding your face behind your sleeve, past Lord Shigezane, who tried to shout after you, but you felt too embarrassed to stop. You hid in the kitchen and pressed your hands to your cheeks.
“____, are you okay?” Umeko asked sitting beside you,
“Y-yes… I… I’m just embarrassed, that’s all…”
“Why? Did something happen?” Umeko inquired trying to look into your face.
“It’s nothing, really… Lord Shigezane just kept teasing me, you know how he is,” you evaded her question. You really wanted to tell her about your relationship with Lord Masamune, but it just wasn’t safe right now. She had long ago guessed you had feelings for Lord Masamune, but she thought your feelings were one-sided and your relationship strictly professional, although sometimes she wondered how you got along so well with Lord Masamune when no other woman did.
“Doll? Are you here?” You heard Lord Shigezane’s voice.