Time Will Heal

|3| I Hate This

(A/N: I'm changing Asaki's height to 175 cm. And please remember that this is a parallel universe so whatever that happens are not canon neither is it according to the actual history.

And I just realised I forgot to put the honorifics. CONGRATS TO MY STUPID MIND.)

Nobunaga reaches his hand out to grabbed onto Asaki's, anything to give the younger some reassurance or some sort.

"This sort of thing is inevitable, Asaki-san. You do not have to worry yourself for what the cruel fate they have landed themselves in." Nobunaga said, his tone rather calm but was not gentle neither was it cold. Asaki merely remained silent, staring at the bloodbath.

Both Hideyoshi and Nobunaga saw how the other looked up at the sky, her hair covering her eyes as Asaki let out a shaky breath. It seemed to only last for a moment before she looked back at them.

What she did next, stunned Nobunaga.

Asaki calmly yanked his hand away from Nobunaga, his face expressionless. "As it is inevitable..." He started.

"Then my fear towards you is inevitable as well."

Asaki said it in an eerily calm tone that he himself wondered, had he just broke? Or did he just submitted himself to his fate?

Without another word, Asaki turned away from the warlord and walked through the battlefield, walking over the corpses like it was a walk in a park as he tries to find Mitsunari.

"That woman is interesting indeed." Nobunaga chuckles as he watched Asaki walked away. "But really, isn't she playing hard to get?"

Hideyoshi's gaze lingered on Asaki's figure for a moment before turning his gaze to the warlord. "It may be so but she's a despicable being if I may say. To talk to you with such disrespect."

"Exactly, no women have done so to me as they fear me—" Nobunaga's laugh was cut short at the realisation and Hideyoshi was quick to picked up on it.

"Lord Nobunaga, is something the matter?"

"I just remembered, we have some traitors to kill."

《❄️❄️❄️》

Mitsunari blinked a few times, slightly taken aback as his eyes landed on Asaki was walking among the carnage as if she had done so on a daily basis.

Just by that scene was alone was enough for Mitsunari to misunderstand it if not for his sharp eyes to catch the lost look within Asaki's eyes.

Mitsunari quickly ran up to him. Asaki stopped when he saw Mitsunari approaching, the bottom of his kimono was now damp, covered in blood.

"Ah, Mitsunari-san, I was looking for you." Asaki said to him and blinked in surprise when Mitsunari took his hand into his.

"Are you alright, Asaki-san?"

"I'm fine, this is just something that I need to get used to now, isn't it?" The man stated, his eyes glancing to the blood covered field only to see Nobunaga stabbing a man.

"This...is normal for all of you." Asaki sighed, not noticing the look of guilt that flashed in Mitsunari's eyes. "I was hoping I could go back since Lord Nobunaga's massacre is done. Unless he isn't going to allow me."

"Then, lets go back, shall we?"

"Eh? Is that alright? Shouldn't you inform him first?"

"Nobunaga-sama will understand." Hopefully.

"...Thank you."

《❄️❄️❄️》

"Mitsunari."

"Hideyoshi."

Both warriors locked eyes with each other. One whose voice held a firm tone while the other was soft.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hideyoshi was quick to questioned Mitsunari who gave a somewhat sad look.

"There's no meaning behind what I did."

"Taking the woman away without informing Nobunaga-sama is enough to question your loyalty, Mitsunari." Hideyoshi gritted his teeth at him and Mitsunari frowned.

"And forcing a normal woman with a normal life to all those bloodshed was not necessary." Mitsunari stated, his eyes softening a little as he let out a sigh.

"We've been so caught up with our duties that we had failed to realised that Lady Asaki herself is not used to this sudden change of lifestyle. We can't just force her to adapt at the snap of our fingers, Hideyoshi."

Hideyoshi's glare remained where it was but you can see something flashed by his eyes.

"And I thought you of all people should know of my undying loyalty to Nobunaga-sama."

Mitsunari had added more salt to the wound and he knew Hideyoshi was hiding the pain well behind that mask. Without another word, Mitsunari walked past him.

When Mitsunari have disappeared into a corner, that was when Hideyoshi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He then felt someone's gaze on him and looked up to see that Asaki was looking at him from the room door that was slightly ajar.

"I didn't take you for someone who would eavesdrop."

"For someone who's feeling guilty, you sure love to bully me, don't you?" Asaki said before sliding his door open. "You want to talk?"

The daimyo raised a skeptical eyebrow though his face looked surprised. His eyes narrowed slightly. "And you really do lack ladylike mannerism. Shamefully inviting a man into your chambers just like that."

Asaki scoffed at that and crossed his arms. Instead of retaliating in the expectations of Hideyoshi, Asuka had instead said, "Just get in here and release your frustrations, I will either listen or just pretend to be listening."

The man then turned and went back into his room to prepare some tea, smiling a little in success when he heard the daimyo enter a moment later, the door sliding shut behind him.