Dream Lover: (Kogitsune X Mikazuki)

Dream Lover - ONE SHOT

The battlefield is a cruel and vicious place, filled with unimaginable horrors. Every Sword must maintain the highest level of situational awareness in order to keep their men, fellow Swords and themselves alive. In the heat of battle, every moment counts. Life-altering decisions are made in seconds, and sometimes with devastating consequences. But if a Sword is brave, and perhaps a little bit lucky, he might just save the life of a beloved comrade.

On this particular evening, the Swords belonging to the Saniwa sage, Izo Yamamoto, returned home victorious in battle. They were greeted with a feast of food and sake, arranged by their Saniwa's wife, Dahlia. Though these feasts often started out solemn and earnest, they ended with lively celebrations. The entire household, including friends and family from the neighboring towns, gathered in the citadel to not only mourn the glorious dead, but rejoice in the preservation of life and freedom for all mankind. In short, this would be a night to remember, especially for Kogitsunemaru...

"You couldn't swing a sword to save your life," Mikazuki mocked, smirking cruelly at Kogitsune. "Literally. You swing your blade like a hammer. It's a wonder you've managed to survive this long."

Kogitsune rolled his eyes. "Just because I don't flutter around the battlefield like a bloody fairy, doesn't make me any less lethal!"

"It's called finesse," Mikazuki winked. "If you had any, perhaps you wouldn't spend all your nights alone."

"Ouch," Tsurumaru muttered.

"Oh no he didn't," Iwatooshi added, his tone slightly antagonizing.

"That was uncalled for," Kogitsune bit out. "We were talking about battle techniques, not my love life."

"You mean the lack of your love life," Mikazuki corrected. "But you're absolutely right. How can you be expected to claim the affections of a lover, when you can't even take out a wounded archer at close range?"

"I don't have eyes in the back of my bloody head!" Kogitsune defended. "How was I supposed to see him behind me?"

"You're a Sword of legend," Mikazuki snickered. "And part fox spirit to boot. What happened to all those acute senses of yours? You couldn't... I don't know, smell him?"

"Smell him?" Kogitsune growled, giving Mikazuki an incredulous look. "I was surrounded by darkness, the only thing I could taste were the clouds of dust swarming around me. Add the smell of fresh blood and rotting flesh burning the inside of my nose, and any sense of smell is gone!"

"Those all sound like excuses to me," Mikazuki sneered.

"Then how about this one?" Kogitsune snapped. "I was busy fighting off an entire bloody army!"

"An entire army?" Mikazuki mocked, rolling his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. You did have help, after all. In terms of troops, you and your men fought no more and no less than rest of us. Tell me Kogitsune, when did a few soldiers suddenly become too much for you to handle?"

"A few? A FEW! We were completely surrounded, Jiji! I was fighting like 8 guys at a time!"

Mikazuki snorted. "Eight? I can take out a dozen men with one hand tied behind my back in half the time as you. And," he added viciously, "I would've killed that archer before he landed one of his arrows in my shoulder."

Kogitsune absently rubbed his shoulder, remembering the pain as the Healer ripped the arrow from the muscle. In truth, he'd seen the archer. The enemy soldier had been so close, Kogitsune could've cleaved the male's head from his shoulders without breaking his rhythm. But something had distracted him. Or rather, someone...

"Low blow," Izuminokami Kanesada murmured, wincing involuntarily.

"I feel so uncomfortable right now," Yamanbagiri Kunihiro mumbled, sinking lower into his seat.