A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this in a while -.- Everyone has been keen on my Blood plus fanfic 'Rise from the Past' instead so that one has taken priority.

Now, a question about the Akechi family. I actually wrote a novel on Mitsuhide's life about a year ago for a project (which I got full marks on!) so I have already done a lot of the research but unfortunately, I only have the internet to help me and it doesn't have everything I need, like the name of Mitsuhide's mother for example. On the sites, they just refer to her as 'Mitsuhide's mother' and in my novel I just refered to her as 'Lady Akechi'. If anyone knows her real name then please do tell me, otherwise I am just going to have to do the same thing and use 'Lady Akechi'.

It may seem like there isn't anything happening in this chapter but for those that have read my other works, you will know that these sorts of chapters are not fluff to just pass the time in the story. It all counts and has information and links to other parts of the story. So enjoy and in the next chapter, the story will really begin to progress :)

Chapter Two

Mitsukuni stood by the closed screen that was partially parted so he could glance in. His young son sat inside, curiously watching the sleeping woman that had supposedly saved his life.

Mitsukuni frowned and he replayed everything in his memory again. There had been a huge commotion down in the town and it was not until Mitsuhide returned when everything was explained. The near death experience alone was enough to mildly shock Mitsukuni and his wife, but what shocked them both more was the unconscious woman Mitsuhide had brought with him. She did not look of this world, wearing strange clothing and she did not look like one of this land's bloodline. She looked like a mix of the western foreigners and them. A half-breed? It certainly made her look unique.

The people of the town were wary of her, whispering that she was a spirit of the lake – a Demon.

Mitsukuni smirked wryly. The people of Mino were not even aware that their Lords and Ladies were of Demon blood – Oni. If they knew that then they would not be so hostile against this woman as they would have bigger things to worry about, such as would their Lords and Ladies eat them, for example. Mitsukuni's smirk grew wider at the thought. They did not eat people. They were no different to everyone else. The only difference in diet was that they occasionally needed blood to sate a growing thirst, and this blood could be taken from animals – carnivorous animals preferably. But it did not beat the sweetness of human blood.

Anyhow, according to Mitsuhide, he had been trapped by fallen rocks and was drowning, until a woman came out from the shadows of the water and freed him. In effect, she saved him from a watery grave.

Mitsukuni did not doubt his son's story. There was truth in his eyes. And like his son, he was impatient for this woman to wake after she collapsed. Where did she come from? He knew for a fact that there were no such spirits in the lake, and he knew many Demons that were enemies and friends. But he had never seen this one before.

He would have to wait until she woke. And when she did, there was much to talk about.

My sleep was dark, empty. There were no dreams to my huge disappointment. However, there was . . . something. A girl's voice in the darkness. Her voice was a flickering flame that floated in the blackness, my beacon of light.

: Wake up, Aki . . .

A followed the light, followed her voice. The flame turned around. The head of the Kitsune stared back at me.

I woke up sharply, jolted awake by alarm. My heart thumped fast, my body was tense from the shock. I relaxed however after minutes of lying as still as I could. Exhaling through my nose. The smells were all wrong in the room, until I remembered I was in the rental flat. It was just a dream. A very disturbing dream.

I shifted and frowned. Why am I lying on my front? I never lie on my front, I thought. And definitely not with my hands behind my back. Damn it, it's so uncomfortable.

I brought my hands around to my front and rolled onto my side. The rolling onto my side I managed, but not the other. I froze. My hands were tied behind my back.

Panic flared immediately. Did someone break into my flat? I was in bed. Oh God. Was I raped? But there was no pain between my groins or anywhere for that matter.

Abruptly, I sat up, flinging the quilt away from me. It was then when I realised. Gagged, bound, dressed in a simple white yukata. The room I was in was matted by a tatami floor and the screens were closed all around the edge. Incense burned somewhere as its scent perfumed the air.

This was nothing like my flat.

One of the screens opened and a man with a kindly expression stepped in. He was dressed in a hakama and uwangi. His hair was tied back. My heart sank.

It had not been a dream.

"Ah, you are awake, Miss," he exclaimed gently. "You slept all through the night."

I stared at him, feeling tears sting my eyes and I hung my head in devastation. This was not a dream. It was very real. Indeed I was pulled into the lake by that snake-Demon. Indeed I saw the Tengu and Kitsune. Indeed I saved a boy from drowning.

Akechi Mitsuhide.

"I was told to bring you to the Lords and Lady as soon as you were awake," the kindly man said. "For that, I am going to unbind you. You look like a trustworthy person, therefore will you promise not to attempt to flee when I remove your bindings? It will be futile if you do. There are guards posted at every possible exit."

I inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly. Bound and guarded, a prisoner. If I really had been cast into a completely different time then was it better if I died? How could I possibly survive in an age of swords and old-fashioned culture and etiquette, with codes of honour and behaviour that were far harsher than the modern day?

It would be easy to get myself killed in these circumstances. Did I want that?

Not particularly, no. I was not an optimistic person but death was out of the question now that I was on a roll with creating my novel – which seemed to be on hold now that I was no longer in my own era. I felt so confused, so numb. Perhaps while I was still numb I could take this opportunity to find out what was happening, before I had a mental and emotional breakdown.

I nodded my head once miserably and sat still as the man unbound my gag and the bind around my wrists. My mouth was dry, but I was far too frightened to ask for anything to drink. Instead, I rubbed my wrists in silence.

The man brought a large box around and pushed it in front of me steadily. He opened it and a smooth garment lay inside.

"My name is Akito Kenji," he said kindly. "Please put this haori on. It will provide you with some measure of privacy as we walk to the reception chamber."

I reached forward. My hands were not shaking, to my dull surprise. I picked up the haori and let it fall from its folds. It was a simple garment of pale brown and very simple embroidery. No doubt it was a haori for someone beneath a noble status.

"Akito-san," I murmured. The man's face brightened, as well as stiffened with the surprise that I was talking. Surname had to come first, with the title. I was so thankful I knew that part of the etiquette well enough, considering it had not changed in five hundred years.

"What time of day is it?"

"Early morning. The Lords and Lady are ready to receive you."

I glanced down, feeling the moisture drain from my mouth. Lords and Ladies in this day and age were no different to royalty in most respects. It felt like panic was going to strangle me. What was I going to do? meeting them would probably be enough to seal my death warrant, and running away would result in exactly the same.

Put the haori on first.

I did just that, sliding my arms through the sleeves and Kenji nodded approvingly. "Good," he said. "Now come with me, please. Do not be afraid."

I would have snorted in dry amusement, but I was not in any such mood for that. Therefore I stood. Kenji was barely a few inches taller than me and he noticed this with mildly concealed shock.

"The rumours of your height were not exaggerated after all," he chuckled. "Come along then."

With a suppressed sigh, I followed him through the screens to the veranda along the edge of this part of the manor. I assumed it was a manor anyway. If I was to see the Akechi Lords together then this would have to be Akechi manor in Mino.

We stepped lightly and I managed to drag my gaze up from the wooden floor and to the gardens on my right. The sun was bright, the air was comfortable before the humidity of noon would set in. Birds sang, the trees whispered, the cicadas chirped and voices came to me on the faint breeze. There were people in the garden. They were far in the distance but they paused what they were doing when they saw who walked behind Kenji. The light voices fell silent and the air chilled despite the warmth.

Witch of the lake . . .

My eyes met one particular pair as I looked back down at the wooden veranda. It took a split second before my brain registered those eyes as something familiar. I glanced back up at the boy whose gaze I met, to find he was not there. Gone, like a fleeting shadow.

I looked back down and continued to follow Kenji. With each step my heart beat faster and louder in nervousness and fear. My muscles tensed and my chest tightened. I was going to meet the Akechi Lords. Real figures in history that I had struggled to study. Descendants of the legendary Minamoto who fought the mighty Taira across the sea, and won.

What the hell was I doing? I could not meet people like these! I was going to get myself killed.

Kenji moved back into the manor, through more screens, and then finally knelt down in front of one. Struggling to keep myself from passing out in anticipation, I knelt down beside him, hands in front and lowered my head. There was a whispered exchange and the screen slid open.

Pretend it is all a dream . . . my tiny mental voice whispered.

"My Lords, my Lady," Kenji murmured politely in greeting. Sudden panic exploded in my mind. How was I supposed to address them individually? They all had the same family name. I could not address them all as 'Akechi-sama', otherwise I would get confused as to which Akechi-sama I would be addressing. Using their given names was not even thinkable.

"Ah! Finally. Come through," a male voice said, sounding impatient. I bit on my lower lip to stop it from trembling in fear.

Kenji raised his head and glanced at me. I stared at him. He nudged his head forward slightly. My eyes widened. What was he saying? That I was supposed to get up and sit with them alone?

His eyes moved again and before I could think logically, I stood, too afraid of the Lords' impatience. I stood, not looking up once, keeping a lowered posture and then knelt down again, feet tucked beneath me and bowed my head to the tatami matting.

I could not hear anything save for my frantic heart beat. My eyes were squeezed shut, expecting the excruciating but brief pain of a sword slicing through my neck.

However, that did not come. Did I not crap up then? Had I followed the etiquette well enough to keep my neck?

The screen was slid shut behind me, leaving me alone with very powerful people of a status far higher than my own. To them, I would be nothing but a peasant.

"Sit up, woman."

I obeyed the command and sat up straight, glancing up at the people who sat in front of me. There were five of them.

Two men sat on their left, their expressions composed yet curious. A third man sat in the middle, no doubt the overall Lord of the manor and therefore the family. He carried an air of respect and loyalty that made my eyes widen. He was more handsome than his brothers and wore a broad smile. Beside him to his right was a beautiful woman dressed in such a breath-taking kimono. Her expression was cold and unreadable. And then on her right was a boy who looked a mix between the woman and the grinning man. Now this boy I recognised immediately of course. Not because it was his eyes I saw in the garden a moment ago, but because he was the boy I saved from the lake.

Dressed and tidy, demonstrating their ranking and power, the five of them were a sight to behold. I quickly looked back down.

Am I sure this isn't a dream?

"So, you are the one who saved my son," Mitsukuni mused. I knew his name. I knew all of their names, except for the mother. I could not find any record of her name in my research and had hoped to discover that while doing my research.

I was too scared to reply. Would I be considered arrogant if I said yes? Was the question a trick and yes was the answer they needed to throw me in a prison cell or execute me?

Mitsukuni sighed and to my startled shock, a closed fan slid under my chin and pulled it up, forcing me to look ahead. The Lord held the fan, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Are we that frightening? The people of Mino would beg to differ," he said.

I blinked. His behaviour was not what I was expecting from a Lord during the Sengoku period. He was more like the characters in the game, or in the mangas where someone got thrown into the past. Everything always seemed nicer in those settings than what it was actually depicted as in films which followed the facts more accurately.

"Mitsukuni-sama," his wife chided. "That is not proper behaviour."

Mitsukuni shrugged her chide off but sat back nonetheless. This time, I did not look back down at my lap in case he did the same thing again. I just kept my eyes low, ready to look up in case, even though inside I wanted nothing more than to just vanish into a black place of darkness and shadow, where no one could see me.

One of the other men grunted. "Let me get straight to the point before Mitsukuni-sama sends us off track."

Mitsukuni frowned. "Is that how you speak to your Lord?"

"No, forgive me, Mitsukuni-sama," Mitsuyasu said in a monotone.

"Woman," Mitsuhisa, the third brother said. "It is said that you appeared out of the depths of the lake that lie on the outskirts of this town, and saved our young successor, Akechi Mitsuhide, from drowning. You were in strange clothing and do not look like someone of this land. The people of this town say you are a Witch of the lake, a Demon. Is that true?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line. What would his expression be like? Scornful? Mocking? Amused? Because his voice certainly did not show it. But I would not have been surprised. What he said sounded silly. How could anyone simply appear out of nowhere? Did such creatures exist in the real world? I had often wished they did but the nightmares made me think again.

Glancing up, I noted with surprise that his expression was passive and non-judgemental. He was not mocking me. Did . . . did that mean that I had a chance? Did that mean that they may believe me?

I gulped.

"No, my Lord," I said, my voice hoarse. "I am an ordinary human."

Mitsukuni raised an eyebrow. "A human, yes, but an ordinary one, no."

I did not respond.

Mitsuyasu suddenly stood. "Stand up, woman."

I stared up at him with wide eyes. Stand before the others stood? Stand right in front of them?

"Must I repeat myself?" Mitsuyasu said with growing impatience. I quickly looked down and shut my eyes briefly, taking in a shuddering breath. Hopefully, the death would be quick.

I stood – and noticed why they wanted me to. The men were normal height. And when I say normal, I meant that they were the same height as the men from the twenty first century, standing at near six feet. Stunned, I looked Mitsuyasu up and down, unable to stop myself. How could he – they – be so tall for this era?

The Lady hummed thoughtfully. "She is certainly tall for a woman when out in the public."

"But amongst us, her height is normal," Mitsuhisa noted.

"You may sit again."

I obeyed, burning to ask what they meant. I swallowed the questions, feeling them sink like stones to my stomach.

"There is the possibility that you may be a spy," Mitsukuni said. "Do you deny that claim?"

A spy?! That would get me killed for sure. "No, my Lord," I answered almost immediately.

"Do you have any proof? What clan are you from? Who sent you here? My son tells me you saved him but what if you were the one who caused that cliff to collapse? It would have been an excellent strategy. Cause the collapse to drown my son and then rescue him, earning our trust, gaining information on us and then forwarding that onto your masters."

My lips parted in dismay. It would make sense. But to accuse me of such a crime was outrageous!

"I would never do such a thing!" I exclaimed angrily. "I have no proof, but neither do you. You cannot accuse me of attempted murder without proof for that alone can be considered a crime."

They all stared at me and I realised my error with horror. I had spoken out of place in anger without meaning to. I had spoken out of line in such a manner against these Akechi Lords and Lady. My heart galloped in my chest. I had basically just signed my death warrant. Would apologising make it better?

Of course it wouldn't! I cried internally.

Mitsukuni chuckled, catching me by surprise and I snuck a glance up at him. He grinned. "I like this woman," he said. "There is fire and a fighting spirit in your heart, very different from the water you are supposed to be orientated with."

I blinked in disbelief. "Akechi-sama is not going to execute me for the way I spoke?"

"Why would I? I trust my son's words. He may be young but he is intelligent and sharp."

So it had been a test? I thought in dismay.

"However, it does not explain why you were in the lake," Mitsuhisa pointed out. "Nor does it explain why your features are so unique, why you are so tall and why your clothing is so unusual. It is of material we have never seen before that can be sold for a fortune. Anyone would suspect that you are not of this world and have risen from the Demon world."

I frowned. "I am not a supernatural being."

"If you are not a being of the lake, then how did you appear within it?" Mitsuhide asked, finally speaking. Everyone, including me, looked to him. His gaze was strong for a young boy. If he was like his father and uncles, then that meant he would match the growth and years with the boys of my era. That would put him at either eight or nine years old. He certainly could not be any younger or older because of one small fact.

Mitsukuni was still alive. I knew for a fact that he died in 1538. So that meant this year should be either 1536 or 1537.

Mitsuhide held my gaze and in the end, I looked away, lost within the memories and dreams that had somehow merged together as one. Should I tell them of where I came from? Of how I jumped through time?

I cast a quick and solemn gaze around them, judging what their responses would be from their current expressions. Would they laugh and sneer at such an impossible story? I could not think up of anything else to say.

I opened my mouth and slowly, tentatively, quietly, I began to explain how I ended up saving Mitsuhide's life. My story flowed from my lips.

At the end, the six of us sat in silence. The sound of nothing beat against my eardrums and I did not even think of looking at them to see their expressions, too humiliated, too embarrassed and confused. Such a story sounded ridiculous, a story of a time that had not come to pass yet for them, of Kitsunes and Tengus, time jumping –

It truly did sound absurd. Any moment I expected them to burst into roaring laughter. But despite how insane it sounded, it was the truth.

The room stayed silent. They did not laugh. I frowned in puzzlement.

"So you are from a time that is five hundred years in the future?" Lady Akechi questioned.

"Yes, my Lady," I confirmed quietly.

"Hmm. Does that mean you can tell who wins what future battles?" Mitsuhisa asked with a chuckled. "Heh, you could even make us the Shogun." The two younger brothers chortled away at the idea.

My eyes widened. I did not know the history that well! I just knew some of the key dates and the battles, but aside from that, I knew next to nothing of went on in between the battles or why they started.

Mitsukuni elbowed them. "Ignore them," he said. "We will not ask you to do that." He then took a deep breath. "If what you say is true then that means that you are definitely not a spy and you owe allegiance to no clan yet. What is your name, woman?"

I did not answer straight away for some reason, but my heart held me back from saying Annie. In my dreams, I was called Aki. The Demons of this world called me Aki. It began with an 'A' which was close enough to my real name and it was Japanese enough to fit in with those around me.

"Aki . . . Just, Aki."

"Aki . . . no family name?" Mitsuyasu asked.

I shook my head. Williamson, would be a mouthful to handle. I swallowed a sigh of sadness, feeling a longing in my heart for my family already. My family name would have to be left behind until I could find a way back to my time. I had to find a way back. There was always a way. One just had to look hard enough and long enough in the right places.

"Just out of curiosity, how old are you?" Mitsukuni then said curiously.

I glanced up at him dubiously. "Eighteen, my Lord."

Their eyes widened. "Eighteen and unmarried?" Lady Akechi exclaimed softly.

I looked down. "Marrying early is frowned upon in my world for one is still considered a child at that age and therefore with a lack of responsibility. People do not usually get married until they are at least in their twenties."

Their eyebrows rose, as if they could not believe what they were hearing. It was not a surprise. Girls and boys as young as fourteen got married in these times.

Mitsukuni shook his head. "That is unimportant. You have no family name therefore you – in effect – belong to no clan or even a province on this land. I offer you a place amongst my family to serve the Akechi, as payment for saving Mitsuhide's life." He looked at the people beside him. "Do any of you object to that?"

They shook their heads and I gaped. They were letting me live? They were letting me live with them? Even as a servant. This was far better than I could have ever hoped for. I was expecting worse: being thrown in prison, a beggar on the streets, or worst case scenario – a prostitute in a brothel, which I would never agree to. I had my pride and dignity.

This act of kindness brought tears to my eyes and I had to blink to keep them at bay.

"However," Mitsukuni added, making my heart sink. "As you are from a different time, you must therefore be lacking in etiquette to be a servant or maid in my manor."

My lips twitched in irony.

"Though you seem to know enough of the basics," he continued. "No matter, as you saved my son, I wish for you to serve him directly. Become his bodyguard."

My eyes flickered between Mitsuhide and Mitsukuni. Mitsuhide's expression was unreadable, astonishing for one so young.

"I do not know how to fight though, Akechi-sama," I said meekly.

"We will teach you," he said with ease. "And you will teach my son to be as adapt in the water as you. Many Samurai meet unfortunate ends through natural disasters as well as by the sword. You will serve him directly above all, even above me – though I do come second," he added sheepishly.

I blinked hard and lowered my head to hide my overwhelmed expression of relief and gratitude. Such an act of kindness was not what I had been expecting from this meeting at all. I bowed.

"Thank you," I whispered, before turning to the young boy. "I swear that I will serve Akechi Mitsuhide until I die. I am yours to command and use."

Instead of being told to get to work straight away, I was allowed the morning to settle in more appropriately. I was given a pleasant kimono to wear so I was dressed in a manner that made me fit in. They gave me something to eat and then Kenji showed me around the manor and its grounds, explaining things as he went along. No matter where I went, I was stared at for my unique face and height. Though here, height was not as much of an issue as the guards and soldiers were of adequate height. A good diet meant one grew better. Therefore of course the commoners and peasants would be shorter.

The day went by in the blink of an eye, yet it seemed to take a thousand years at the same time. The sun tracked its way across the sky before setting beneath the western horizon. I sat on the veranda with my mug of tea, feeling the air cool to a comfortable temperature and the air became stiller, tweeting with the last of the birdsong that diminished with the dying sunlight. Crickets chirped somewhere amongst the trees and the long grass.

The air was peaceful and I gazed up at the darkening sky, watching the stars come out. The last of the sunlight died completely, leaving the sky filled with glittering stars that was unlike anything I had ever seen back home, even in the countryside where I lived. The stars were so huge and numerous they overlapped each other like clouds of shimmering light, twinkling gently. It was so clear!

It was breath-taking. There was no light pollution here.

"You would love to see this sky, Dad," I whispered, thinking of his passion for astronomy. Thinking of my father made me think of the rest of my family, and before I knew it, the tears were running down my cheeks. I sat alone, so I did not stop them as they fell freely.

The full scale of my situation finally hit me in an overwhelming tide of emotion. I was out of my time, in a foreign land with strange people. Everything I was used to did not exist. Everyone I loved and cared about had not even been born yet. I had been stolen from my time and cast into the past where I would have to adapt quickly or die.

I was truly alone.