Disclaimer: After going through all the stories and wondering which one I should pick... I decided to do this one. It's cute and it happens to be one of my favorites. All credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. Enjoy!

約束

Promise

Part One

Kasane x Nobunaga

"Kasane-dono! !"

She could faintly hear their voices.

The sounds of swords clashing amongst each other, the sounds of gunshots.

The brays of horses.

They were outnumbered and were driven back along the edge of the mountain cliff.

Kasane caught the downward cut of the opponent's sword to her own.

Ah, damn.

She was a woman, her opponent a man.

Even though she knew she couldn't win against the battle of strength.

Sure enough, she couldn't keep with the power from the man's swing, but she was somehow able to evade his blade.

But then she lost her footing and slipped down the cliff.

She had a feeling that everyone was screaming out her name.

Ah, she's falling.

If she falls at this height, she won't be able to save herself.

She'll die.

Even while as her mind dawned from that realization, Kasane could not find the voice to cry out.

No, not in this place.

I haven't gone back home yet. I still haven't seen my brothers.

Am I going to die in such a place without being useful to Tono-sama and the others?

No, no, no, no!

… As if I'll die in this place! !

The same time she made that vow, the sword that she still unknowingly clenched in her hands, emitted a dazzling blue light.

"Uuu…"

Her head hurt. It throbbed painfully against her skull.

Ah, what happened to her? Did she die?

What happened to everyone? Did they secure a victory?

Is everyone safe?*

Ah, in the end everything ended before she got to see her brothers again.

Even if it was just one glance, she wanted to meet her brothers and grandfather one more time. She wanted to talk to them.

She never even said farewell to her friends.

Everyone there probably would never know that she died either. Even when she is labelled as missing, were all of her family members still waiting for her to return?

Love, she never got the chance to experience it.

Ah, there were so many things she still wanted to do.

But that was now beyond her power.

Overwhelmed by grief she felt the corners of her eyes grow hot.

Kasane sniveled.**

Even when dead, snot still comes out. Tears too.

Somehow she still could feel pain and she still felt like there wasn't much of a change from the time she was living.

"Oi."

Ah, someone is calling her. Someone came for her.

She felt a small hand touch and loosely shake her shoulder.

Geez, isn't it alright for her to immerse herself in sentimentality for a little bit?

Just because she was being called by the Sanzu River***, doesn't mean she didn't want to at least prepare her heart for this.

Now that she thought about it, 16 years, as long as it seemed, was still so short.

There were certainly many painful and sad moments, but there were still many fund and happy moments.

Yes, her 16 years. She was quite happy.

She had grandfather, her brothers.

Yes, she was very happy.

"...Oi, wake up woman!"

"Ah~ Geez! So annoying! !"

Kasane reflexively snapped to her senses and protested at the persistent voice.

And for the first time she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

There Kasane didn't see the heaven that she imagined in her mind or the flowerbeds or even the Sanzu River.

Somehow it looked like she was at some kind of abandoned temple. It looks like she had fallen asleep at the doorway.

"...Huh?"

Kasane scratched her head. When she looked down at the bottom half of her body, she realized that she still had feet.****

With a sharp pull, she pinched her cheek. It hurt.

"...I'm alive."

Struck down with surprise, she murmured it out loud without a second thought.

Alive. She's alive.

Even though she fell from the cliff, she's alive.

"What the hell are you talking about."

"I'm alive~! !"

Filled with joy, she grabbed the small being into a tight hug.

Though she hasn't seen its appearance, she felt the surprisingly small form in the forced grip of her bear hug.

Why was she here when she fell from the cliff? What was she hugging right now?

Where was Tono-sama and the others? Why was she left here unattended?

For now everything seemed to be so trivial to Kasane.

Only filled with the joy of living, Kasane wanted to savor in the moment.

"O-oi."

"Thank goodness… Thank goodness~...!"

"Oi, I told you to let go, you idiot woman! !"

"Kya!"

The being that she embraced struggled under her arms and pushed her off.

Just as she focused onto it, she saw a young child standing before her.

"...Eh?"

Gazing upon his form, Kasane widened her eyes.

"Ahe? Ehhhhh?"

That figure was a miniature form of her very own master.

He looks quite audacious, but had a well chiseled face.

His kimono's sleeves seemed to be torn intentionally to make the clothes sleeveless: a comfortable and mobile garment.

The boy's hair that was quite long and unruly was put up in a messy ponytail.

Along his body were many scars and scratches, indeed from his appearance alone this child was quite mischievous.

His eyes were no different than the ones she had seen back when he was an adult: beautiful crimson eyes.

"...Tono…-sama?"

That's impossible. Tono-sama was 19 years old and he was really tall and his hair was super long and a personality that was worse than this child before her.

The kid had to be 7, 8 years old. If she had to estimate, he could be around 10 years old.

But they were similar. They were dreadfully similar.

The unquestionable resemblance of the two was so alike that it seemed so ridiculous at how identical they were to each other.

Surely if this child grew up to be an adult, he would surely resemble Tono-sama.

However, it's impossible for two people to exist at the same time. After all, Tono-sama is 19 years old, he can't be this child…

….

"An illegitimate child!?"

Just as it popped into her mind, she blurted it out without thinking.

No, nono, t-that's impossible… right?

After all in the old days they all married at an early age plus they needed an heir so it's maybe okay? That seems like it…

But if Tono-sama is going to be 20 this year and this child is about 7 then… he had a child at the age of 13?

….Nah, he's the lord of a country so it's not impossible… right?

Eh? But didn't Nouhime-sama became Tono-sama's bride at the age of 16? Eh? Then adultery!? He's really an illegitimate son!?

Kasane's eyes swirled at the inconceivable events that exceeded her thinking abilities.

"...What? Who's this woman?"

The boy in front of her raised his brow at her.

"...Young, Young Lord! Just where are you…"

"Young Lord~"

Just then she heard a group of young children coming this way.

The boy that looked a lot like Tono-sama also looked back towards the voices.

"! ! !"

"You finally came."

Kasane stared at the group of young boys in astonishment.

"We have asked you many times to stop wandering around by yourself…!"

"Waka~! Waka is fast~!"*****

"I-it's dangerous, so please be careful."

"What are you going to do if you encounter an enemy?"*6

One by one, they emerge into view.

As the boys gathered around, Kasane saw them like two peas in a pod to their counterparts.

"...S-seriously?"

Gorouza, Kuranosuke, Inuchiyo, Ikeda.

All of those tiny boys scolded the Nobunaga-looking boy.

Is this, could this be?

Her mind could barely process the reality that everything seemed to be hilarious. Everyone, even though they all had that sort of face and an age that wasn't different than hers, actually had kids…! !

No, she's didn't feel bad about it, nor did she blame them for it, but this was a bit too shocking...!

Well, these are people from the old days, right? Yep. It can't be helped, right ! (? ?)

"Who is this lady…?"

"Who's she?"

The boy that looked like Gorouza and the boy that looked like Ikeda both looked at her.

The boy that held resemblance to Inuchiyo curiously gazed at her, while the boy that was similar to Kuranosuke checked her out before proceeding to hide behind everyone's shadow.

"Dunno. She was sleeping with an idiotic face at our secret spot."

Wha-! What a rude child!

There's no mistake, this is definitely Tono-sama's child! She's sure of it! !

"Such a weird kimono~."

"Is she a village girl?"

"Could be a traveling itinerant."

"Ma-maybe a foreigner…?"*7

"Hmph."

Feeling the stares of children observing her every move made her quite restless.

She turned her face away from the uneasiness.

"Oi, woman. Who the hell are you. Where did you come from?"

The young child that resembled Nobunaga pulled out the wooden sword that was strapped to his waist.

Even as a child, he had an air of intimidation that made her sharply inhale.

"I-I'm an acquaintance of your father!"

"What?"

They boy deeply frowned at her words.

The others had dubious expressions planted across their faces.

"What do mean you're my father's acquaintance? Could it be, you're his new mistress?"

"Mist-...!?"

Just what kind of child can use such words like that. Tono-sama isn't like that at all.

But wait, did Tono-sama even have a mistress?

And the way the boy said those words, it seems he had a number of them. She never knew that.

"You're wrong! Tono-sama picked me up in one of the battles and I now work at the castle as one of his soldiers!"

"So you're saying that you live at the castle? Don't lie. I don't know you."

"I didn't even know anything about you either! I never knew Tono-sama had a secret child…"

"Ha? Secret child?"

The children began to crowd murmur amongst each other. What should she do, somehow its ominous.

The boy that looked like Ikeda briskly stepped up to Kasane.

"Such an insolent girl, calling this person a secret child! You are in the presence of Oda's family head Oda Nobuhide-sama's heir, Oda Clan's next lord Kippoushi-sama!"

"...Eh?"

Kasane's eyes grew into round circles at those words.

Nobuhide, that was Tono-sama's father's name.

And Kippoushi, if she can recall from Gorouza, that was Tono-sama's childhood name.

...So, that means?

This child's father isn't Tono-sama, but a person named Nobuhide and that was Tono-sama's father's name and Tono-sama's childhood name…

"Eeeeeeeehhhhhhhh! ! ? ?"

"Wh-what!"

Th-then that means?

She time slipped into the Sengoku Period and then again time slipped again into these guy's childhood days?

Calm down me!

But with this, an explanation can be made to this weird situation.

Why Tono-sama and the others weren't here; why enemy soldiers weren't surrounding her; why she woke up in an entirely different place; why everyone was so small!

When she fell from the cliff, that sword emitted blue lights.

Most likely that light brought her to this world.

So that means that the children in front of her weren't their illegitimate children, but everyone's childhood form.

Kasane turned back to look at them.

…

"...What'd you want?"

The boy she now realizes as Nobunaga himself, knitted his brows and scowled at her.

That face had the same features as his 19 year old self, but truly he looked childish and his body is so small, he looked so adorable.

He may have bad mouth, but now that she sees him as a child, it looked more like a bluff so it looked terribly cute.

Even if this little boy said any of the many humiliating remarks he mercilessly told her before, she would smile and forgive him and pinch those cheeks.

When she thinks that 'this' was 'that' Nobunaga, he looks super cute to her now.

"...Some brats and a woman, huh."

A deep voice of a man was heard.

They all twisted around and just along the surrounding border closing in among them were three men.

"The brats look pretty well off. Must be kids of some samurai residence or whatever. We've got a good one."

"The woman is… still kinda like a kid, but her face ain't bad. We could use her."

The men inspected Kasane as they unfolded vulgar words amongst themselves.

Nobunaga's group also being judged as their source of revenue.

"Young lord, please fall back."

"W-we'll protect Waka!"

They proclaimed with frightened faces as the children crowded before Nobunaga as if to shield him from the men.

"Onee-san, please take Young Lord and escape from this place…!"

Gorouza implored Kasane.

They not only wanted Nobunaga to escape, but also wanted to get away as well.

With these small bodies, even they are just children...

"O-oi woman! Hurry up and take Kippoushi-sama out of here!"

"We may be children, but with the four of us, we'll be able to slow down these guys and give enough time for Kippoushi-sama and you to escape."

"Guys have to protect women! That's why I'll protect you. I'll also protect Waka! !"

Kuranosuke was in a state of complete fear. Ikeda, who looked deadpan, was faintly quivering. Inuchiyo seemed to rasp for breath as he clamored about.

They all were so frightened, it couldn't be helped.

In response, Nobunaga grasped his wooden sword and stepped out in front.

"You fools who have never won against me think that they can take on three men!? I'll go."

"Waka! I-it's our duty to protect Waka!"

"Please step back!"

Nobunaga kept silent towards the four children's pleas.

These four children a skillful warriors. However, at their age these young kids were no match against grown men.

Kasane glanced up and brought out her own sword.

"Oi, woman!"

"I'm fine everyone… It might be a little bit dangerous so please move back okay?" she smiled broadly, intercepting their foolish approach to the three men. Kasane took her stand before the group.

"You've got guts." One of the men stretched out a hand as if to touch her.

Brushing it off, Kasane grinned.

TBC

*Here she was referring to Nobunaga and crew. Before she was referring everyone as the entire Oda army.

** It's a bit weird to translate here since the author used the onomatopoeia for the snuggling while describing the nose as 'loose' meaning that her nose is running while she's doing that action. I don't know, just those two words seems so simple that it needed an explanation here.

*** Buddhist equivalent of the River Styx.

**** Japanese ghosts are known for not having feet.

*****Sorry for all the notes. Waka is short for Waka-sama or young lord. This style of speech the young Inuchiyo uses, so why I kept it like this.

*6 It says here opposition party, but I just changed it to enemy.

*7 Though he calls her a foreigner it doesn't necessary mean he thinks that she came from out of Japan, but out of the country of Owari.

This chapter was a bit long, but I enjoyed translating it. Sorry for all the notes... It might be common knowledge, but I didn't want to take any risks. Ahahaha... Well then, I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and I'll upload the next chapter soon.