A Good Deed Gone Unpunished

Mai Meets Mr. Stabby (And Co.)

Mai had dramatically passed out and woken up in a different place more times in the last month than she had the entire rest of her life.

"Mai? Are you awake?"

Hmm, was she? Did she really feel like being conscious right now? The past few days had been so exhausting; from being a field medic, to getting kidnapped, to-

Oh shit she got kidnapped.

"Oh, shiiiiIIIIT!" Mai jackknifed to a sitting position then swung onto her knees, struggling to stand past a brand-new, throbbing headache.

"Mai!" Someone shoved her back down, butt landing firmly on the futon. Green clothes, blank face, glasses... Sasuke?!

"Did you save me?!" Sasuke looked like he weighed ten pounds. How had he fought off multiple armed men on horses?

It might've been Mai's imagination, but Sasuke shifted as if he was embarrassed. "About that. I'm afraid you've been taken as a political hostage by the Uesugi-Takeda alliance."

"...what."

God, please don't let Sasuke have been kidnapped for trying to rescue her. The guilt would be too much.

"But don't worry, I'll make sure no one hurts you."

"Wh- no! Sasuke! You could get hurt if you stick up for me!" It was a miracle the kidnappers hadn't killed him for interfering in the first place!

Sasuke hesitated. "I'm not a hostage. Kenshin Uesugi, lord of this castle, is my boss."

...

......

.........what.

A niggling sense of irritation burned at the back of Mai's head, but a more pressing sense of dread took over her mouth. "Your stabby boss is Kenshin Uesugi? Your stabby boss is the one who kidnapped me?!"

"Yes."

"Am I going to be stabbed by your boss, Sasuke?"

"Hopefully not."

"Sasuke!"

The screen door slid open, revealing a brunette wearing red clothing and a pouty face. "Ah! Boar Woman's awake!"

Mai opened her mouth to respond - somehow - when a hunk of a man slid in past the smaller one. "Now Yuki, that's no way to treat a lady."

"Lord Shingen, Yukimura, please behave. Mai is a friend of mine." Shingen? As in Shingen Takeda, second half of the Uesugi-Takeda alliance? Oh shit, Mai was sitting in front of a man responsible for sending her friends to war.

"I wouldn't dream otherwise, Sasuke," Shingen said, gliding towards Mai's spot on the floor. From her position, he seemed to tower over her like a jacked, smirking mountain. "It's a pleasure to meet Nobunaga's famed mistress. You're even more beautiful than the stories described."

The compliment (?) was ruined the moment Shingen said "Nobunaga's mistress." Her and Nobunaga? Disgusting. Gross. Revolting. The man constantly towed her around, grabbing her without permission, stared at her with his lordly red eyes as if he was sooooo much more important than her. He was a fancily dressed, well-articulated dickhead. On occasion he had a moment of being almost tolerable, like when he stole candy or stirred the pot between his vassals, but Mai was content to never, ever be closer than a friendly acquaintance.

Ever.

It wasn't like Mai could start monologuing about that to her captor, though, so she just settled with a grimace and a strained, "ew." It was enough to break through Shingen's weird facade, his eyebrows twitching in confusion before smoothing out again.