Chapter 4

We had been staying in Lord Tae Jun's domain for a few days now. The negotiations had been just fine and we were officially in an alliance. We would have returned home, but a storm had started and there really was no point in travelling until it was cleared.

I sat on a covered porch with Lady Hinata sipping tea and enjoying some snacks. Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, and Tae Jun were off in a training room sparing together. They would be joining us before long more than likely.

Over these last few days I had also learned that the reason my presence has been requested was for Lady Hinata. She had apparently heard of my sewing talents and wanted to order a custom piece from me. I was more than happy to oblige. I had taken her measurements and once I returned to Azuchi would be working on the piece as I knew he perfect fabric. Once the piece was completed Mitsuhide and I would travel back here to bring it to her.

"You know I am still quite surprised to learn that Lord Mitsuhide is your fiancé." Lady Hinata said, as we sipped our tea. "Lord Nobunaga must think highly of him to allow him to marry the Oda clan princess."

I smiled and had to bite back my modern ways of thinking. "Nobunaga does indeed think highly of Mitsuhide." I replied. "But he also allows us all a little more free reign than most, I would imagine."

"Oh?" Lady Hinata asked.

I nodded. "He wouldn't make me marry someone I didn't want to marry." I explained. "Nor would he not allow me to marry the man that I choose."

"Then he must think highly of you as well." Lady Hinata told me.

"I don't know if I'd say that." I replied. "I know he does find me...amusing I believe is how he put it." I let out a small laugh.

"Lord Nobunaga is an interesting man."

I nodded. "Yes." Though I hadn't always been overly fond of the man, over my time here I had grown to care for him and respect him. "Though I find him not nearly as interesting as I find Mitsuhide."

Lady Hinata laughed. "I would hope you find your fiancé interesting." She agreed. "He is quite handsome, I will say that."

"You'll find no arguments from me there." I replied.

We chatted for a while longer before the guys were coming out to join us. "If you continue to sit out here in the rain, you'll catch a cold, ladies." Hideyoshi spoke up as they walked over to join us.

"But we're out of the rain." I countered.

"It is rather cozy on this porch." Lady Hinata agreed. "Plus we have our tea and our haori's."

"And now you have us." Mitsuhide added, as he sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

Lord Tae Jun followed his lead and wrapped his own arm around his wife. "Yes, we shall keep you ladies warm."

Hinata and I both giggled and blushed in the arms of our beloveds. Hideyoshi just let out an awkward cough, being the odd man out here.

"If you are lonely Lord Hideyoshi, I believe one of my maids would be more than happy to come and sit with you. They all can't stop talking about how handsome you are." Lady Hinata said.

"Oh, look at that, Hideyoshi. You're getting a fan following wherever you go." Mitsuhide teased.

It was funny, but it appeared Lord Tae Jun and Lady Hinata enjoyed teasing people as much as Mitsuhide did. We were all getting along wonderfully...though I think I could see a vein throbbing in poor Hideyoshi's forehead.

We all sat and enjoyed our tea together for a while before the storm started to pick up. Lightning began to streak the sky as the rain began to come down harder. It was decided we needed to head inside. We were all standing up to head that way, when I noticed Mitsuhide looking at the tree across the courtyard.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Nothing. I just thought I saw something." He replied. Though I could tell that that was a lie. He would likely tell me later when we were alone.

Just as we were heading inside, lightning struck just a few feet from us. That was when I saw it. Just where the lightning has touched down, a large gray swirling mass began to form. My eyes widened.

"What in the world is that?" Lord Tae Jun asked.

I looked up at Mitsuhide, my eyes wide with fear. "Mitsuhide..."

He instantly tightened his grip around my waist. "I won't let you go." He whispered to me.

"We have to get out of here, now." I said, knowing exactly what that was.

We all began to race inside, though I felt like it still wasn't enough. I looked back and could see the wormhole getting ever closer. It had already started to come past the doors. It was as if it was coming for me.

"What is that thing?" Hideyoshi asked. "It's the strangest smoke I've ever seen."

"Why do you look like you know, Lady Ava? And why do you look so frightened?" Lady Hinata asked me.

Before I could answer, the wormhole was right behind me. I pushed Lady Hinata away from it and me. I was reaching for Mitsuhide as the wormhole began to envelope me. "Mitsuhide!" I shouted as he began to disappear from my vision.

"Ava!" He shouted back. "I won't lose you!"

I wasn't sure what happened, but the next thing I knew, there he was in the swirling darkness with me. His hand grasped mine and he pulled me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me.

"Oh no you don't! You don't get to just disappear like that!" I heard Hideyoshi shout and then the next thing I knew he was there with us.

"We have to hurry!" I said. "We have to try and get out of here!"

We were all in agreement but then it was already too late. The wormhole began to disappear from around us. The three of us were no longer standing on the tatami floor of Tae Jun's castle. We were standing on a concrete sidewalk.

"What in the seven hells?!" Hideyoshi exclaimed.

"You have all just travelled through time." A familiar voice said from behind us.

I turned, still In Mitsuhide's arms, and saw Sasuke and Yukimura behind us. "How did you guys get here?" I asked.

"So, that was you I saw in the tree." Mitsuhide said, looking at Sasuke.

"Travelled through time?" Hideyoshi asked, stunned. He didn't want to believe it and yet were standing on a very modern sidewalk. "And aren't you Kenshin's ninja? And...Yukimura Sanada?" He was then reaching for his sword.

I was reluctantly pulling myself from Mitsuhide's arms and putting myself in front of Hideyoshi. "Woah, you don't want to do that here." I said. "The rules are a little different here and you'll get arrested."

Hideyoshi looked at me. "What?"

"This is where Ava comes from." Mitsuhide spoke coolly to Hideyoshi. "We are five hundred years in the future, correct?"

"Yes." I answered.

"But...how can that be?" Hideyoshi asked. "And...wait you knew where she was from?"

"She is my fiance, after all." Mitsuhide replied. He was then looking around taking in the sites of the future.

Hideyoshi began to look around as well. I noticed Yukimura was as well. Both of them were looking at everything in awe.

"Sasuke, how did you get here?" I asked again.

"I calculated that that wormhole would be showing up." He answered. "And then I learned that you were with Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi visiting Lord Tae Jun...I had hoped to arrived before the wormhole could manifest and warn you. As you can see that plan didn't exactly work out. When that happened, I jumped in after you and Yukimura came after me."

"We have to get back." Hideyoshi declared. "Lord Nobunaga..."

"Will be fine." Mitsuhide said. "I have a feeling getting back won't exactly be easy...and Sasuke here is the only one who can figure out when we'll be able to go back home."

"We just need to figure out where exactly we are and then find a place to stay while I work on the calculations for the next wormhole." Sasuke said. "And that is why I jumped in after you. I knew you would want to go back."

"Wait, wait. You expect me to work with our lord's enemies?" Hideyoshi asked, looking at the two of them.

"If you want to go back home to Lord Nobunaga, then yes." I said to him.

"Man, now I have to put up with Hideyoshi, too?" Yukimura asked. "It was bad enough when I had to put up with Mitsuhide when we took down the Shogun together."

"Yukimura, you can do this. Besides, you're not alone." Sasuke encouraged his friend. "Once we figure out where we are, Ava and I will be able to be your tour guides of modern Japan."

"This is insane." Hideyoshi said. "I'm five hundred years away from my lord and now I am stuck working with the enemy to get back."

"If it makes you feel any better, I do not think of you as an enemy, Lord Hideyoshi." Sasuke spoke up. "I rather admire you, actually. I am a huge Sengoku warlord fan."

"I...uh..." Hideyoshi said.

"Really, this is quite an interesting opportunity for us." Mitsuhide said to Hideyoshi. "This is the future we help create. We get to see the results of our work for Lord Nobunaga."

"He has a fair point." I said to Hideyoshi. "This is a really peaceful place. There's no class system, fair trade, people are free to choose their lives and there are no wars."

"Really?" Hideyoshi asked, intrigued.

"How else do you explain how my dear Ava was so sheltered?" Mitsuhide said, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close to him.

Hideyoshi let out a sigh. "Fine, I will work with the two of them until we can get back home."

"We may need to walk for a bit until we can figure out where we are." Sasuke said, looking up at the sky.

I looked up as well, taking note of the position of the sun. The sun had only maybe been up for an hour or two. People's days were just beginning. I then looked at our surroundings, trying to find any landmarks that would tell me where we were.

That was when I noticed we were at the bottom of stone steps that led up to a small shrine. I looked at the name of the shrine and recognized it. I then began to recognize the houses surrounding the area. "I think I know where we are." I spoke up.

Just then another approached us and spoke in a voice I hadn't thought to hear again. "What strange travelers come to my shrine this early?"

I turned and saw the familiar wrinkled face, the silver hair, warm eyes, and welcoming smile. "Obaasan?"

She looked at me then, those eyes holding wisdom, warmth, and love. "Ava? My little cherry blossom?"

Mitsuhide let go of my waist and I rushed over to my grandmother. We embraced. Though she was old and seemed frail in appearance, her arms held me tightly. After a few moments, we pulled back and I looked into her eyes.

"I have missed you, Ava." She said. She was then looking at the four men behind me. "I can see you have a story to tell."

"A very long and probably unbelievable one." I answered.

"I will keep an open mind." She told me. "So, who are your handsome friends here?"

I smiled. "This is Sasuke, Yukimura, Hideyoshi, and Mitsuhide...he's my fiancé." I answered. "Guys, this is my grandmother."

They all bowed to her and she bowed in return. She then looked back at me. "Did I hear you right? You're engaged?" She asked me.

"Yes."

"You disappear on me for all these months and come back engaged...and dressed up as if you're in a play. Come, we have much to talk about." She said. "You're all welcome in my home."