It was nice to finally relax after a week of hard work, since I had been too busy to take some time out for myself. The weekend had arrived and I was invited to a park BBQ by a few friends, though I wasn't really a person who enjoyed spending my relaxation time with others. It was a rare opportunity since I couldn't see my friends very often, so I took up the offer. The weather was nice, the company was familiar, and I had nothing else planned for the weekend, anyway.

I was by myself at the moment, crouched down at a nearby riverbank with my feet dipped in the water. My phone was away from my person and by itself on a picnic table for my friend to look after while I soaked up the warm weather and soft breezes. My eyes were closed and my breathing was steady, a smile playing on my lips as I leaned back and sighed.

The peaceful trance was broken, however, when my friend had called me up to get my plate of food that had been so graciously prepared for me. I yelled back a reply as I quickly stood to my feet and gathered my discarded shoes. In the mist of putting the last one on, my planted foot slipped on a patch of moist grass and I felt my own body being pushed off balance, straight into the cooling water.

It took a moment to gather my bearings and to realize that I had fallen, but I managed to hold my breath and swim up to the surface (the best I could, considering my shoes made it more difficult to swim). The sunlight was glittering under the layer of water that had met my face when I broke the surface and gasped for air. I ran a hand over my nose and mouth to wipe away the water droplets that threatened to be swallowed or unwantedly snorted.

When I opened my eyes again, I tossed a look to my left, then to my right, finding that none of my friends even bothered to come down to see if I was still alive. That's typical of them, I thought, rolling my eyes and smiling regardless. I'd choose food over them too, if that were an option.

As I swam to the edge of the riverbank and hoisted myself up, I was greeted with the sight of a pair of feet dressed in Geta shoes and baggy pants that overlapped ankles. Weird, I didn't recall anyone at the BBQ with that kind of get-up before. I must've missed them. My eyes traveled up despite the sun glaring into my gaze and I followed the thin body until I managed to find the face it belonged to, seeing a tuft of dark hair under a beret-type hat.

A hand was extended out to me, which I took, and I was pulled to my feet. The gust of wind did nothing to chill me under my wet clothes, the warm sun already starting to dry them under the heat. It did seem cooler than before, and there was less noise than I remember, but it was the same riverbank despite the minor differences.

... Right?

"I'd ask how you were feeling, but since you interrupted my nap, I'm going to pretend not to care." A rather clear and pleasant voice stated; one that belonged to the person who helped me up.

Despite the sarcasm, his voice did sound very nice, and I found myself looking straight at him. His skin was a light, creamy tan color (almost white), and his eyes were a mixture of bright brown with specs of yellow that reflected the glow of the sunlight. His dark brown hair was tousled under the end of his headwear, his dark bangs gathered around the outline of his face. One clump of hair was spread over the bridge of his nose, curling slightly towards his left eye.

He looked slightly feminine, especially with his thin frame, but he had noticeable masculine features that stuck out, too. I wouldn't doubt that he'd been mistaken for a girl more than once in his life. He looked young, too, but he was still taller than me by a mere inch, so it was safe to say that he was at least near my age. He looked familiar...

"You probably hit your head, too," he mumbled, his eyes squinted in scrutiny towards me. He looked a bit agitated, but it was probably because he had to pull me out of the water, thinking I was stupid enough to fall in the first place. "Your splashing woke me up and next thing I know, I find you in the river."

I looked around again and saw that he and I were the only one's on the bank, the quiet atmosphere due to the lack of people near us. Was it possible that I had hit my head during my slip, or had I fallen asleep when I was resting near the water? All of my friends were gone, and the only one with me was him.

That was when my eyes snapped back to the man in front of me, my mouth agap as I stared once again. I finally recognized his face long enough to remember where I had saw him before. I had to gather my thoughts fast enough to reply, but I was certain that my mind wasn't deceiving me. "I-I'm sorry, but I sort of fell in when I was fixing my shoes. Um, by any chance, is your name Hanbei?"

His eyes looked more focused now and alert with the question, his lips forming a straight line as he analyzed me once more. "My name is Shingeharu Takenaka, but Hanbei is a nickname that I was given, yes." As he leaned on one foot, his head tilted before he crossed his arms and spoke once more. "Not many people know about that besides those enlisted in Lord Hideyoshi's army. Who might you be?"

I came to notice that my wet hair was starting to cling to the side of my face and neck, and that the ends of the strands were beginning to itch against my skin. I pulled my hair back as I answered him, my eyes cast downward as I rung out the water from my hair. "My name is Kichi. I think I'm lost at the moment, but I'm not completely sure." One moment I was having a BBQ, the next I'm being helped to my feet by one of the most legendary strategists in Japanese history.

"Well, you look lost," Hanbei shifted his feet again and turned around slightly to look behind him. "It's hard to be misguided in this location, but there's a first time for everything. Unless, of course, you decided to swim your way here. Still, it's only a one-way river for roughly a hundred kilometers. It's difficult to get lost even by that means of transportation."

Was it just me, or was Hanbei grumpier than usual? I knew that he was a bit sarcastic and witty, but I thought he would be more laid-back than this. "I think I'm more than just lost." That was an understatement. If I believed myself to have traveled back in time, just how did I do it? What exact year was it, and where was I in Japan?

I knew somewhat about Japan and its Samurai back in the 1500's and 1600's, but that was only due to excess time playing Samurai Warriors. I knew the names of the famous, but I remembered almost nothing about the years that the battles took place in, or where the locations were. One thing was for sure, Hanbei was currently alive, so that meant that it was sometime before 1579. I knew he died of an illness that year, only because I had witnessed it in the game after he rescued Kanbei from being executed by Nobunaga.

"How old are you?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, my attention focused on the strategist in front of me.

He was quiet for a moment before he answered, looking less annoyed now and more composed than before. His tone had less of a bite to it, too. "I'm twenty years old, in case you couldn't tell. People say I look young for my age."

I couldn't help but to ignore his last statement, my mind already calculating the numbers in my head. Twenty, huh? If I remembered correctly, Hanbei was born in 1544, which meant that the year was probably 1564, or sometime close to that.

My thoughts were interrupted by the shout of Hanbei's name coming from the top of the riverbank. My head turned (as well as Hanbei's) to the source of the noise, finding both Hideyoshi and Kanbei standing on top of the dirt road just up the hill of the bank. Hideyoshi was waving frantically to get his attention, which only served him to look silly from where we were standing.

"Nene invited you to have dinner with us this evening! She thought you and Kanbei could use a good meal, so she sent me over to get you!" Hideyoshi smiled and stopped flailing his arms long enough to settle down next to his other strategist. He was wearing his large helmet which shone under the sun, almost blinding me in the process.

Hanbei looked over to me and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "That's my cue to leave, I guess. I can help you get back home somehow, but I can't accompany you there if you really came a long way." He looked back at his lord and shrugged, making his way up the hill.

I followed his lead and balanced myself up to prevent me from falling or tripping over my own feet before I was standing beside Kanbei. I realized that he was much taller than I imagined and that he nearly towered over me with his height. No wonder the man was intimidating.

"Hey, Hanbei, is this a friend of yours?" Hideyoshi eyed me with interest, his lips breaking into another smile. "I didn't know you were acquainted with foreign women, the least you could do is introduce us."

Under his curious gaze, I remembered that women of this time period didn't wear pants, and they hardly wore anything outside of a kimono or yukata. Besides the handful of women involved in warfare, of course, but that was it. My shirt must have also seemed strange, but I couldn't exactly pick an appropriate outfit at the moment.

"I actually just met her a few minutes ago," Hanbei spoke up, his eyes also on me. "She said she was lost so I'd figure I would give directions for her to take so she could get home."

His lord grinned and laughed, nudging Hanbei with his elbow. "You're always looking out for people, aren't you?" He turned back to me again. "Why don't you come with us and have dinner? I'm sure my wife would love to have you over. It's been awhile since we've had new company!"

Hanbei and Hideyoshi exchanged looks while Kanbei only shook his head and cleared his throat. "I don't believe it's wise to bring along a stranger into the Hideyoshi house." His voice was deep and he was quick to treat me cautiously, which I respected. The man should have known better than to invite strangers over so easily.

Still, it would be nice to see some familiar faces while I was stuck in the past. If I wandered around alone, I wouldn't know who I'd find. I knew that some characters I played as in my games probably weren't even born yet, or not old enough to contribute to war, so it was a strong possibility that Hideyoshi and the others were the only ones that I could meet in this time period.

"She doesn't look like much of a threat to me," Hideyoshi threw out, though I couldn't tell if it was an insult or not. "Nene wouldn't mind having an extra mouth to feed; you know how she is." Hideyoshi clasped a hand on my shoulder and gave me a rough pat. "Besides, I'm sure you're starving by now if you made such a long journey here. You can eat and we'll help you get right back on track once you've gotten your fill of my wife's cooking!"

"Lord Hideyoshi-"

"So it's decided! Come, Nene's waiting for us and I'd rather not get scolded for letting dinner get cold!"