Ikemen Sengoku x Reader

One Year Waiting (Masamune Date x Reader)

"She's safe. We got caught up in the wormhole and she was sucked back with the ninja while I got stuck in the fire."

"It's good that she's safe and all, but what'll happen to the two of you now? Can she come back?"

"She can." Masamune's grip on your drawing tightened just a little and he smiled through the pain of losing you as your words rang in his head. "And she will."

"Well, whatever happens I wish you luck." Unfolding his legs, Yukimura rose to his feet. "I didn't pull you out of that fire for nothing. Next time we meet, we'll be enemies again. I look forward to facing you on the battlefield, Masamune Date."

Masamune scoffed, the shadow of his roguish smile crossing his face. "I look forward to it, as well. Better watch yourself when the time comes, Yukimura."

The other man only smiled back before exiting the small room, tossing, "Don't forget to pay the doctor!" over his shoulder as he went. 

The silence that fell afterwards was suffocating as Masamune eased back into a lying down position and held your design between his palm and chest, blue eye staring up at the ceiling as the reality of the situation finally came crashing down. The one person he had ever truly loved, who he wanted to protect above all else, was gone from his side. There was little he wouldn't give to have you back in his arms where you belonged, where he could feel your heart beating and kiss that smile he loved so much. 

What were you doing right now, 500 years away? Masamune hoped you weren't crying. Despite his ability to keep calm in even the most dire situations, he couldn't stand it when you cried. Even the thought of tears rolling down your beautiful face and him not being there to wipe them away made his vision blur with tears of his own and grief rise in his throat. It'd only been a day and he already missed you so badly.

Carefully unfolding the drawing still in his hand, Masamune held it up, gaze running over the precious lines he had already memorized long ago. His fingertips just barely brushed the dried ink for fear of smudging or making the lines fade, just enough contact to draw strength from. He missed you so much he thought it was going to kill him, but he would wait as long as it took for you to return to him. He would wait, with his love for you to keep him company.

The months passed slowly without you, each day dulled by his longing for you and the lack of your presence beside him. From Kyoto, Masamune rode back to Azuchi to report to Nobunaga and the other warlords about what had happened to you. Ieyasu took it noticeably harder than the others, something that both surprised and alarmed him. The prickly blonde cared for you much more than Masamune had originally thought and though protectiveness rose in him over the signs Ieyasu was clearly exhibiting, he chose not to do anything about it. You had made it clear that you loved him and him alone while he saw Ieyasu as a brother. If it had been anyone else acting such a way towards you, he may have taken more violent measures to ensure they wouldn't dare try anything, but Masamune was sure Ieyasu knew his place by now.

After much discussion with Nobunaga, it was decided that Honno-ji would be rebuilt again and Masamune was given permission to reside there until you returned. When you came back he wanted to be right there to greet you. The only condition to the agreement was that you be brought to Azuchi immediately upon your arrival. He left it unspoken that if Nobunaga tried to keep you in Azuchi, he wouldn't hesitate to take you and run away to Oshu. Nothing would stand in the way of his life with you, a life that had been put on hold and that he dreamed of every single night.

After everything had been settled in Azuchi, Masamune continued on to Aoba to handle affairs for the time he would be staying at Honno-ji. He'd sent a messenger ahead with a note stating you wouldn't be joining him, but still faced a barrage of questions regarding "his princess" from his vassals upon his arrival at the castle. The excuse he gave was that you'd been called back to your homeland on short notice, but would be back to join him in Aoba in the future. Only Kojuro seemed unsatisfied with his answer, but accepted it soon enough. He'd faced more questions and confusion when he'd revealed that he would be living at Honno-ji until your return, but arrangements to have any matters that required his attention sent to the abbey went along smoothly. 

Before he left for Honno-ji, the place closest to you, Masamune commissioned the seamstresses to make a kimono for you using your design. You would need something to wear when you came back and he only wanted the best for you, something that would make you smile when you wore it. 

Keeping busy was good for him, kept his mind off of how much he missed you, but the ache was always there, a constant pulse in his heart reminding him that you were still gone. It made it worse not knowing when you would return to him, but he was determined to wait forever if he had to. He didn't get a lot of sleep that year because it hurt so badly to dream of you, to kiss you and hold you and love you to make up for all the time apart, and then wake up and not have you. Several women tried to make advances on him in the time you were gone, but he rebuffed them all, his interest and love reserved for you alone. All he wanted and needed in this world was you.

A year of seeing you only in dreams passed and Masamune stood on the balcony of his room at Honno-ji, looking out over Kyoto. He could feel the paper that had become his greatest treasure, a token of your affection, against the beat of his heart and tried to imagine what you were doing right then. Were you going about your daily life? Or were you on your way back to him at that very moment?

Masamune was just about to turn around and go back inside when a weight hit him in the chest out of nowhere, knocking him to the floor. His heart nearly stopped in his chest when his arms closed around a form he'd only held in his dreams for months. A soft "ow" escaped your figure as you tried to steady yourself from your little trip through time and he couldn't help but chuckle at your reaction as he spoke. "Ow is right."

Slowly, you lifted your head and wide, hopeful eyes met his. "That's the first thing you say to me?" There she was. There was his kitten.

Happy tears welled in your eyes and Masamune reached up to brush them away, holding you close to feel your heart beating with his. "Don't cry, kitten. You know how much I love it when you smile." The watery, messy, beautiful smile you gave him made his longing heart swell and all of the things he wanted to convey so badly embodied themselves in a tender, passionate kiss. 'You're here with me now, finally. I'll make you so happy you won't have to cry anymore. I'm never letting go of you again. I love you.'

A/N: I'm probably going to write something like this for Kenshin as well since I'm playing his route next. Looking forward to that one!^w^ Thank you for reading!

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