"I could argue that-" I began, but I was interrupted. My eyes widened as I'd realized that Nobunaga had slipped one arm around my waist, drawing me possessively towards him. "How would you like to rule the world by my side?"

Malachi's POV

With Nobunaga's strong arm around my waist and his offer ringing in my ears, rationality crumbled around me. I just couldn't believe what he'd said. In a panic, I spoke, "Sorry, but I can't! I'm starting my dream job really, really soon, and, well, bye!" "What?" Without another word, I pulled his arm off me and began running.

I could hear both Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide call after me, but I had no intention of stopping. Grabbing my bag on the way out, I fled the small camp.

Third POV

Within a nearby inn, a man watched as the smoke dissipated above the ruins of Honno-ji. "Ha! So that's how it ends? Looks like I came all the way out here for nothing. Thought I'd see a real party, not that sad excuse for a show." The white-haired man laughed. Inhaling the horrid smoke as though it were perfume, the man grinned wildly.

"Heh.. for a dead man like me, yer little campfire lacks the sweet smell of gunpowder. Well, ya can start celebrating now, Nobunaga. I'm coming back, and I'm bringing the worst the world has to offer with me." But there was no one there to hear his ominous threat, so it dissipated into the nighttime air.

Malachi's POV

I ran into a nearby forest, stopping only when I fell into silence. I had run pretty far at that point, and was sure by now I was safe. But wait.. Safe from what? I'm still in the past, stuck in this crazy time period alone, and surrounded by these madmen and their weird marriage proposals.

Reaching into my bag, I took out my copy of "A Traveler's Guide to Japan's Hottest Warlords" and flipped to Mitsuhide Akechi's section. "After Nobunaga's death, Mitsuhide launched a rebellion that gained him control of the country for thirteen days. This gave him the nickname of Jusan Kubo, meaning Thirteen Day Ruler. His regime was quickly overthrown during the battle of Yamazaki by Hideyoshi Toyotomi."

It's all right here in the book. Except now.. Nobunaga is alive, because of me, and Mitsuhide's coup can't happen. That means history's been altered.. I know I couldn't have stood there and let Nobunaga die. But now.. Now there's no telling what repercussions my actions will have on the future.

Just then, I heard the soft clang of rings and the sound of dry leaves being crushed underneath someone's foot. "Young lady, what are you doing in the woods this late at night?" I heard a deep voice speak from behind me. I turned around and spotted a weathered-looking man with a chiseled face walking towards me, all while smiling. He looked a bit like a buddhist monk.

I got a better look at him as he approached, and that's when I noticed the massive scar across his face. "I am called Kennyo, and I am a traveling monk. Perhaps I can be of assistance to you?" His smile honestly was creeping me out, but I didn't want to be rude.

"Thank you, but no thanks. I'm fine on my own." I knew I wasn't actually fine on my own, but Kennyo was seriously giving me a bad feeling. The main thought going through my mind was that I couldn't be certain that this wasn't the man I saw attack Nobunaga. Meaning either way, he's dangerous.

I held my breath as I watched him take a long stride toward me, only to place his hand softly on my shoulder, "You should return home quickly. Demons lurk in the woods at night." "Thank you for the warning. Goodbye sir." I spoke quickly, shrugging his hand off and I quickly ran further into the woods. I hadn't bothered to hide my fear.

Third POV

Once Malachi was out of sight, a youthful-looking man stepped out from within the shadows, not a single sound to signal his approach. "Ranmaru? What are you doing back here?" Kennyo asked, turning his attention towards the boy. "I'm sorry, Master Kennyo. But I don't think I can stay with them after what I-" The boy, Ranmaru, spoke in a panicked voice.

But, Kennyo brushed his worry off. "Ranmaru, that's nonsense. You performed your role at Honno-ji well. I witnessed myself how much the Devil King trusts you." The young boy flinched at the word, trust. "It was only because of that woman we had to retreat, but a chance to strike him down will come again." Kennyo spoke, his annoyance evident in his voice.

"I.. I don't think I can.." Ranmaru muttered. "Ranmaru, have you forgotten what they did? Have you forgotten our oath?" Kennyo spoke, his voice becoming encased in anger. "..Not once, Master Kennyo." "Do not fear you'll be discovered. You have a gift. Your charms are a blessing from Buddha. Now, smile for me, Ranmaru. It has been so long since I last saw you smile." Kennyo spoke, a smile of his own gracing his withered face.

Ignoring his request, Ranmaru spoke once more, "..I'll return and fulfill my mission, Master. If you're sure that's what you want."

Malachi's POV

Clutching my bag to my chest and squeezing my eyes shut, I ran, desperately wishing I could make this all go away. Desperately praying that this nightmare would end. Creepy men left and right, no lights or street signs to tell me where I'm going, wanting this to be a dream. It really seems like I'd gotten used to a human's modern life..

"Watch it!" Ugh, what now?! Out of nowhere, a man grabbed me hard enough to pull me off my feet. "Whoa! Hey-" I fell backwards onto the man, sending us both to the ground. "Ouch!" "Sorry!" A well-built man with a handsome face was lying below me like an unhappy cushion. He appeared to be younger than the men I'd met earlier, much younger in fact. He had brown hair and honey-brown eyes to match.

I quickly began to pull myself up, but he stopped me. "Whoa, are you crazy? Don't move!" As I stood up slowly, he did too, grabbing me from behind. I was about to tell him off when I noticed the wind coming up from a great depth before me, tugging at my hair.

Oh fuck, that's a cliff. "That was close." A relieved smile graced his lips. "Thank you for saving me." I muttered. I turned around in his arms, but jumped back when our noses touched and I realized just how close his light brown eyes were to my green ones. "Uh!" A small noise escaped his lips as his face flushed pink.

"I don't need thanks. Just give me some space, will you?!" He snapped. "Way ahead of you, buddy." I said, already stepping away. He seemed nervous, which I can understand. I was staring, and I had been super close to him just moments before. As I stepped further back, he grabbed my arm once more. "Not that way."

"I'm literally doing what you asked me to." He rolled his eyes at me, "Well, watch it. That rock is loose. Can't you see that for yourself?" No, no I cannot. I literally don't pay attention to landscapes. "Look, I'm sorry, all right? It's been a difficult night and frankly, I'm not ready to meet another asshole."

Seemingly taken aback by my harsh language, he tried to soften his voice. "Hey, I'm not mad at you, okay? Sorry for being kinda rough. Come on, I'll help." He gave me a genuine smile, and I felt myself relax a bit. I hadn't even noticed how tense I'd been. He offered me his hand, which I hesitantly took. "Thanks."

He had come off as a little awkward, but he seems trustworthy. After I took his hand, he led both of us away from the cliff with the deft steps. "What's this, Yuki? We've been here ten minutes and you've already found yourself a girl?" A voice spoke, a slight teasing undertone resided in his voice. Now, who the hell is this guy?

A broad shouldered man who appeared to be a full head taller than 'Yuki' met us at the edge of the forest and grinned. "Don't tease me, Lord Shingen. She was about to dive off the cliff." He began to explain, but I interjected, "He." Both of them turned to me in surprise. "I'm uh.. Not a girl." I muttered awkwardly.

Yuki seemed to give me a look of understanding, "Ah, sorry. It's just-" "My short stature and voice? I know." "No.. It's the hair." "Ah, alright. I need to shorten it soon anyway. Besides, The whole cliff thing was an accident. I was running without looking, like a dumbass."

"Yeah? At night in the woods, you mean? What for?" Yuki asked me, almost as if he didn't believe me. But before I could respond, Shingen looked curiously at me. "Hmm. Smoke from Honno-ji and a woman- sorry, a man all alone at night. Perhaps you're a ghost? Though you're the prettiest ghost I've ever seen." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're still trying to flirt with me even after learning I'm not a girl?" But he merely shrugged, "A pretty face is a pretty face."

"Well, I'm actually quite normal. I mean, as normal as they come. But not a ghost." With his narrow, flirtatious eyes on mine, I falter brushing off the compliment. Two more men joined us on the cliff. "Your ability to spew cheap pick-up lines never ceases to amaze me." One of them spoke, he had blonde hair and mismatched eyes, one of them being blue and the other being green.

"I just call it like I see it, Kenshin." Shingen smirked. The other man alongside 'Kenshin' called out to me, "You there, could you please step into the light? Thank you." "Um.. Sure, I- Hey, give me a minute!" With a fine hand, the other man drew me into the moonlight. "What a fine piece of work." He muttered.

Did.. Did he really just fucking say that? I guess men back in the Sengoku weren't as weirded out about hitting on other guys as modern times likes to say they are. "Sorry, I'm afraid I laid eyes on this angelic treasure first." Shingen interrupted. "We can share." The other man began, I was about to interject until I heard what he said next.

"Art is to be loved and appreciated by all. Aren't the dye patterns exquisite? So richly absorbed into the cotton." Oh. He's not hitting on me, instead talking about the kimono. Okay, good. "Well, at least one of you is referring to the kimono and not me. Thank god."

"Would you be interested in exchanging that kimono you're wearing with one from my collection?" The man asked. I narrowed my eyes at him and gave a fake smile, "Nah. Not exactly interested in stripping naked in the woods surrounded by four other men. Took me long enough to get into this kimono as it is."

But Yuki stepped forward to my defense as the man reached out towards me, "For the last time, Yoshimoto, women aren't pieces of art, so get your hands off him, will you?!" Yuki pulled Yoshimoto away, and as though my fairy tale clock had struck midnight, I found myself back on the cold, dark cliffs.

First "Shingen," then "Kenshin," and now "Yoshimoto?" They're all famous names too- Oh fuck. Don't tell me I've run into more Warlords?! Another man arrived at the edge of the thicket. Strangely, his footsteps didn't make a single sound in the night.

"My lords, I've returned. Nobunaga's forces have extinguished the fires at Honno-ji." He spoke. After examining his attire for a moment, it became clear to me that this man was a ninja. As if he'd easily forgotten about me, Yoshimoto spoke up once more. "Thank goodness they did. That temple houses many treasures. I fear for the fire damage."

"Thank you for your investigation, Sasuke. So, I presume Nobunaga is alive, then?" Kenshin asked, to which Sasuke nodded. Although, they didn't appear to be celebrating the fact. "He's got the devil's luck." Shingen muttered. "Or he's the devil." Yuki added. Well, that's certainly a mood shift if I ever saw one..

To me, it appeared that they didn't like Nobunaga, but certainly took him seriously. I thought of this change in mood as another opportunity to get away, but that's when the ninja guy noticed my presence. "You-" he began. "Uh.. Me?"

"We happened to run into her- him, here. Do you know this.. person?" Kenshin asked. Thanks for trying, I guess. "No. I was mistaken." I didn't know why.. But I didn't really believe him when he said that. The way he'd looked at me and the way he'd spoken made it seem like he recognized me.

"Though I spotted a village on the way here. He must be from there. I'll escort him home." Sasuke spoke. Excuse me? Escort me home?! "Moving quick, aren't you, Sasuke? You and Yoshimoto both. Give the rest of us a chance, will you?" Shingen teased. Already sick of this little game, it was my turn to interrupt.

"I'm fine on my own, thanks. No need to try and escort me anywhere. Goodbye." I turned, and quickly left deeper into the forest.

Third POV

The others watched as Malachi disappeared. Then Sasuke spoke up, "Lord Shingen, you and the others should return to the city." "And what will you be doing?" Kenshin interjected. Sasuke turned to his lord, "I'll be going after him. To ensure he returns home safely." Then, Sasuke followed after Malachi.