There was a good chance that Masurao would not believe him, and he didn't blame the Hanyou. After all, Yujin wasn't exactly the type to tell someone something so straightforward. He enjoyed his little riddles from time to time, but this was a very delicate situation, and Masurao, big as he was, was a very delicate person. Yujin sighed as he rubbed his eyes, groaning in frustration before shaking his head. Really, his brother was an idiot. He waved towards Tatsuki once he spotted her, telling her of the situation and managed to get her to tag along for this. She knew how Masurao was, but quite honestly, she agreed with Yujin.
Though, perhaps his method of telling Masurao was a little unorthodox, she had to be there to make sure everything went smoothly. Masurao tended to not get certain connotations, and she would be there to help him. Otherwise, Yujin might end up hurting his brother, and they did not need Masurao injured at the moment. Perhaps, once this was all over, the war with Nobunaga, then he could hurt Masurao as much as he wanted to. But for now, every able body was needed to fight. Isamu may have had a large force gathered, but Nobunaga's was greater still. If combat happened today, or tomorrow, every one who was training, everyone who could, would have to fight.
Masurao, however, blinked slowly at the appearance of his surrogate siblings, watching as they approached. Yujin held a large basket over one shoulder, keeping it in place with just a hand, and Tatsuki was carrying what seemed to be a blanket. "We will wait for the others to arrive," she spoke, a glimmer of a smile appearing in her eyes. She, of course, referred to Makoto and Yuzuki. It was best that they were around for Masurao's revelation, and it would be best if Yuzuki was there too. That way, she would know that it wasn't entirely Masurao's fault to being completely oblivious to his own actual feelings, because they were there, and they were real. He just needed a little push in the right direction, and it would give him insight to how Yuzuki would take the news.
Makoto had been a little surprised when Tatsuki and Yujin asked specifically for he and Yuzu to join them for lunch today, since they usually did anyway, but he didnât protest, agreeing to pull his sister from the healing tents for long enough to get a proper meal in her. She wasnât eating as much as she should be, not because she was purposefully neglecting herself but because she had so much work to do on a daily basis. The oni under Isamu didnât believe in taking even spars lightly, perhaps following the example of the leader himself. He certainly hadnât gone easy on Mako, and they were training together nearly daily now. It was true that his healing factor was excellent, but even it could be worn down, and the average oni perhaps would be better off if Yuzu did her work right away, instead of waiting for their own bodies to take care of their wounds.
Heâd had some difficulty dislodging the followers, or parasites as he tended to think of them, but a sufficiently hard glare had done the trick. Apparently he had a reputation now. It was a bit tiresome, but he was willing to put up with it. What other choice did he have, anyway? Still, he supposed in some ways, it was nicer to see Yuzu being treated well than the occasional flak she used to get because of her association for him. As for him, well⊠there was no denying that having a moderate amount of respect was better than the outright hate heâd endured before, but he wasnât sure he liked the deference and the touch of fear. Heâd been called Yoshida-sama todayâit was a little bit disturbing. Whomever his father and mother were, he was nobodyâs lord.
The two of them approached the group, Yuzu grinning broadly when she noted the way Makotoâs mouth turned up just subtly at the corners when he spotted Tatsuki. She was privy to the change in their relationship, but only because sheâd pestered him about it ceaselessly until he gave in. Sheâd had to threaten to tell Yujin everything she knew to get him to talk, though honestly, if it was the way he said, the oni might know anyway. She certainly would not have picked now to tell him herself, though, considering his own circumstances. So it had been an empty threat.
âHello everyone!â she said, taking care of the greeting responsibilities for the both of them. Seeing as how Onigiri-san was in between his two siblings, she let Mako sit right next to Tatsuki and completed the circle by sitting between her brother and Mao-Mao. âHowâs work today?â
Masurao waved at Makoto and Yuzuki when they arrived, still unsure as to why they were all gathered. They usually did not have enough time to even get a meal together, and really, only saw much of each other during night before bed. He did not linger much on it as Yuzuki took a seat to his side, and grinned brightly at her, causing Tatsuki to sigh softly and shake her head. Yujin, however, just stared at Masurao with a flat look, one of incredulous disbelief and had to refrain from throwing his plate at his brother. This was going to end... today, whether he liked it or not. Instead of answering right away, Tatsuki passed the plates around the group, waiting until each plate was settled with food before glancing back at the priestess.
"Work... has been progressive," she spoke slowly, as if she were unsure of the proper answer. She was being honest at least. It was still a bit awkward training with Hayate, and the Oni still seemed a bit persistent, however; she had managed to keep him from pushing too far. All she had to do was mention Makoto's name, and he had settled down. It was odd, that Makoto held so much rank over these Oni that just a mere mention of his name was enough to cause most others to be slightly obedient. But they were not here for her, they were here for Masurao. With a soft breath, she inhaled slowly and turned to Yujin.
"The lands have been fertile as of late, and if the weather continues as it is, Oni has no doubt that they will be prosperous for the coming winter season," he spoke simply, taking a drink of the tea he held in his hand. It was his own, given to him by one of the field workers who wished to thank him for helping. It was odd to Yujin, really, that humans were being accepting of him and the other Oni, even the Hanyou (and they were plenty) running around the place. It was almost a haven that was too good to be true, like a dream. He shook his head softly though, and turned to regard Yuzuki. "There is something that you need to know, Yuzuki," he spoke, his voice almost solemn.
It was as if he were trying to prepare her for bad news, however; it would be good news... or bad depending on how she took it. "This includes you too, Mao," he continued, turning to face his surrogate brother. Masurao's face contorted into confusion. What was going on? What did they need to know that they already didn't? From the way it sounded, it was as if the news they harbored was causing them to be distraught. Was Nobunaga on his way here? Did they need to prepare for war? Or worse, were Tatsuki and Yujin leaving? His eyes widened slightly at the thought and he made to move, however; Yujin lifted his hand to keep the Hanyou silent.
"It is not an easy thing to say, but I am sure you are at least somewhat aware of it," Tatsuki took the moment to intercede with her statement. "But it has become a little unnerving that neither of you have noticed it," she continued, glancing between Masurao and Yuzuki. Masurao continued to give his siblings a perplexed look, but kept silent as Tatsuki sighed. Yujin rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his knee, leaning forward slightly with a frown on his face. It wasn't quite exactly a frown, it was an attempt at a grin, but he couldn't quite fully form it. He still couldn't grin, but he was trying.
"What Tatsuki is trying to say, Mao-Mao, is that you love Yuzuki," he spoke, giving his brother a flat look as he gauged his response. Masurao blinked slowly at his siblings. This was what they wanted to tell him? To tell them? Of course he loved Yuzuki, she was part of his family, why wouldn't he love her? Yujin's lips pursed to a fine line at Masurao's response, and seemed to guess what the Hanyou was thinking, and turned towards Makoto. "He doesn't understand, Mako, you tell him before Oni does something he might regret later," he spoke, throwing the reigns in Makoto's direction.
In the momentary pause that followed, there was a distinct choking sound, followed by a splash, as the tea that Yuzuki had been in the process of drinking was flung everywhere, mostly, however, upon Yujin. Makoto casually blocked the spilled drinkâa fraction of it spat but most of it just accidentally flung from the cupâfrom Hitting Tatsuki with the interjection of one of his bell-shaped sleeves, which he then regarded with a small frown. Taking a small towel from the basket, he tossed it neatly to land on one of Yujinâs horns, and set about dabbing at his sleeve with the other. If he had known this was what the lunch meeting was going to be about, he might have advised handling it slightly differently.
Yuzuki went from white as a sheet to red as a tomato in seconds, which was really quite impressive, in a certain sense. âOh my gods, Onigiri-san, Iâm so sorry!â She looked a bit like someone had kicked her puppy, which combined with her obvious embarrassment was rather piteous indeed. âBut⊠but you canât just say things like that! People will misunderstand!â She wasnât sure why she was so frantic about itâusually when Mao made such weird turns of phrase himself, she didnât really let it bother her. Except lately⊠Yuzuki sighed and set down her empty tea cup, running a hand down her face.
Why, oh why was this happening to her?
Yujin stared blankly at Yuzuki as a soft snicker escaped from Tatsuki. She covered her mouth as Yujin turned to regard her, her eyes shining with a bit of mirth behind them as he shook his head. He removed the towel from his horn and used it to wipe his face of the beverage that now covered it. Once he was finished with it, he placed it to the side and turned to see Masurao. He still didn't understand what was going on, and he pursed his lips together. Yujin sighed softly. At least Yuzuki seemed to understand what he meant, and that was a good thing. A small step in a way. His brow, however, ascended his forehead when Yuzuki spoke, the half tilt of his lips indicating he wanted to smirk, but couldn't quite bring himself to.
"Oh on the contrary, Zuki, Oni can say just about anything he wants to. And it is not Oni's fault if they misunderstand," he continued, earning a slight smack on the back of his head. He turned towards Tatsuki who gave him a flat look before pursing her lips together. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back towards Makoto. "Mako, over there, agrees with me, don't you?" he spoke. Masurao turned towards Makoto, staring at him as if he had all the answers to help him understand. What was he missing?
âAbout which part?â Mako said flatly, having dried his sleeve as much as it would be for now. âBecause no, I donât think you can say whatever you want with no regard for the consequences. That is how you get tea all over your face.â He raised an eyebrow, his point rather elegantly ended by the small gesture. He followed up, however, with a sigh through his nose. Makoto wasnât exactly sure why he had to do this part, as he wasnât even part of the plan to begin with, but now that theyâd come this far, they might as well get it over with. Honestly, Yujin was an old woman, interfering in such a fashion, but he supposed it might not end entirely horribly.
âWhat Yujin is trying to say, Mao, is that he⊠and I, and presumably also Tatsuki⊠believe that you are infatuated with my sister. In the romantic and sexual senses of the word.â Though it was delivered quite dryly, his eye twitched a little over the word sexual. He couldnât help itâblood or not, Yuzuki was his sister, and he like he imagined most brothers must, he didnât really like thinking about that sort of thing in relation to her. But if he didnât make things incredibly clear, they were never going to get anywhere.
By this point, Yuzu had mumbled something unintelligible and buried her face in her hands. She felt like she was burning at a million degrees, and the way Onigiri and Mako had just laid it out there like a matter of public discussion and speculation was not helping. Seriously, of all the crazy things theyâd ever said, and the way they teased, she had not been expecting this. She couldnât decide if she was more horrified or curious as to what Mao would say in response. She thought she knew which response she wanted him to have, but not like this. This was just too⊠forward, or something. And in front of their friendsâŠ
"I what?" Masurao spoke, letting the words sink in. He furrowed his brows in confusion as he continued to roll the words around in his mind. He didn't think of Yuzuki like that... did he? She was his friend, someone who was very important to him, and he loved her in a sense that he loved his surrogate siblings and the others who had become a part of his family. He didn't think of her like that. There was no way he could. He wasn't even sure if he could possibly even love someone like that, not out of some sense of being what he was, but more-so because of the fact that he had never really sought love like that before. Sure, it would be nice to have a family one day, but he wasn't so sure it would be wise, all things considered. They were in a war, and if he had a family now, there was a possibility that he wouldn't get to see his family grow if he died.
"You are in love with Yuzuki, Mao, there is nothing complicated about understanding that," Tatsuki spoke, shaking her head softly. Really, her brother was dense, but she couldn't believe he was this naive. She glanced towards Yujin, who merely allowed his head to rest in the palm of his hand as he regarded Masurao with an arched brow. "There is nothing wrong with that, Mao, but you need to accept it already that you love her and stop... this," she stated, outlining him with her hands. Yujin snorted softly, allowing his head to fall from his hands as Masurao frowned.
"I... still don't understand. Yes, I am aware that I love Yuzuki, because she is my friend, but I don't... like Mako likes you?" he began before asking the question. At that statement, Yujin actually snickered at Tatsuki's reaction. She turned a shade of red to match Yuzuki's before looking anywhere but the people in front of her. "That's not fair, I don't understand what you mean by that," he continued. How could they make him understand what he felt for Yuzuki was more than just something friends have for each other? Yujin had half the mind to just beat the sense into Masurao, however; Tatsuki laid a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
"Well, Zuki, it's up to you to make him understand."
Mako rolled his eyes. If he thought it would be at all helpful to actually answer Maoâs question, he would have, but it didnât seem like the kind of thing that was going to make a difference. Besides, she seemed⊠uncomfortable about it, and he didnât want to make that worse on her. Yuzuki, he noted, seemed to hunch a little further in on herself with every innocent denial on Maoâs part, and that was honestly inclining him a little in the direction of smacking some sense into the other hanyou himself. But that wouldnât help anything, either, and he sighed somewhat when it was suggested that Yuzu do the explaining.
Sure enough, her head snapped back up. âM-me?!â She pointed to herself with an air of disbelief and panic in equal measure. âB-but Iâm n-n-not the one who th-thinks s-s-so!â She groaned, but really, there was no avoiding it if the torment was to end anytime soon. She could just⊠find some way to show them all that they were mistaken, and then go nurse her tender heart in peace. Because though nobody had really picked on her about it, she was pretty sure she did feel that way about Mao-Mao, at least a bit. Of course, sheâd been raised a priestess, and so there were a lot of things she wasnât terribly familiar with, but⊠well, she did know how his company made her feel, and that was enough to clue her in.
With a short sigh, she turned herself so that she was sitting seiza in front of Mao, though admittedly, she found it difficult to meet his eyes. Every time she tried, her face turned a little redder. Mao, she had learned, wasnât really the kind of person who learned things just because he was told about them or read about them or something like that. So she knew that, even on the off-chance he did feel that way about her, they werenât going to convince him of it with words. âU-umâŠâ she fidgeted with her hands, still very conscious of the fact that four people were watching her with varying levels of confusion and comprehension. âTh-that isâŠâ If it were possible, her face heated even further, and she abandoned trying to explain as a wasted effort.
âS-s-sorry about this.â Quickly, so she wouldnât lose her nerve, Yuzuki raised herself onto her knees, placing her hands on his shoulders for support, and kissed him full on the mouth.
The sound of someone's laugh was drowned out. Masurao lost focus on everything around him except her, and his eyes were wide and his face a complimenting scarlet. He did not respond immediately to the kiss, however; his arms instinctively wrapped around her to keep her from falling over and to keep her in place. He blinked rapidly, glancing as much as he could at his surrounding friends, and it only caused the red on his face to intensify. Tatsuki placed her palm on her face and shook her head. If that was what it took for him to understand, perhaps they should have just told Yuzuki first about Masurao's feelings and see if she would have done something about it. There was a chance, however, that she wouldn't believe them, so perhaps the outcome was a little better than expected.
Masurao smiled though, against Yuzuki's lips, and lowered himself down so that she would not need to support herself on his shoulders. He closed his eyes, allowing the warmth spreading through his chest, down his arms and to his toes, to consume him. Perhaps he did not know what that had meant, at first, the way it was always warm when she was near, and perhaps he did not always understand things the way most people did. But this... this he could understand, and this was something he knew now what it meant. He did not desire Yuzuki in the way the others did, but he would not lie to himself and say he did not desire her. She was always there for him, helping him understand what he could not, and why he had always lost himself when she was hurt.
"Well then, I think our work here is done. So, when should Oni expect to become an uncle?" he stated, glancing between the four people currently present, his lips twitching into a slight mischievous grin. Tatsuki choked on her drink, patting her chest to get the beverage to go down right, and Masurao almost choked on the kiss. He glanced at Yuzuki in an apologetic way before turning to frown at Yujin. The Oni merely shrugged his shoulders in response. "It kind of comes with the deal, you know," he replied, his grin turning into something feral. If it were possible, both Tatsuki and Masurao were both a shade of red that could not be defined.
"Shut up, Yuji!" she stated, throwing her cup at Yujin's head as he laughed.
Yuzuki was honestly surprised. Sheâd always known Mao and she were close, but sheâd simply assumed that the tenor of that closeness was different between them. That to him, she was the closest of friends. Sheâd thought she could be satisfied with that, even, for sheâd never been looking to be anything else, regardless of how she felt. Sheâd been willing enough to just let those strange stirrings fade, in time, but⊠if she didnât have to, she certainly wasnât going to try.
Given all that, she still felt like she was floating on air when Onigiri made his joke, and embarrassing as it was, she was just glad to see that he was laughing again. Maybe she had been wrong to bemoan her situation after all.