Warning: This is based off a manga called Sengoku Strays. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you do! I don't own anything but my OC, and I will probably end up using artistic license to butcher Japanese history, so I would just like to apologize in advance, and I don't mean to offend anyone!

[Narration]

{setting/stage directions}

"Speech."

'Thoughts.'

"English speech."

—¡–!–¡–!–¡— Scene shift/passage of time.

A whole line of text like this without quotes is a written letter or something similar.

WORDS IN ALL CAPS AND NO QUOTATION MARKS ARE SOUND EFFECTS.

Flashbacks and changes in POV will be labeled.

Unless stated otherwise, the POV will be third person omniscient.

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask.

"Did you get it?" Nobunaga asked as he and Ayako walked along the outside porch. Once he had heard that Tenrou had returned, and that Ayako had already greeted the hawk, he had yanked her away by the collar of her kimono. Tenrou usually didn't let anyone other than himself and a very few select others get that close to him, but the hawk had gotten attached to Ayako. She was just an animal magnet… or something. Ayako handed him the little note that had been tied to Tenrou's claw.

"Here. I didn't read it yet, of course." Ayako said. Nobunaga took the little note that had been rolled up into a scroll, and read it over as they walked.

"… What is it?" Ayako asked curiously. It looked important from the way Nobunaga was concentrating on it so hard. Nobunaga rolled the little scroll back up.

"You'll see. Right now, there's something I want you to do." Nobunaga said.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

~Dream Mode~

Kasane panted as she ran through the darkness.

'I'm in trouble... Where am I…?' Kasane thought, panicking as she stared into the dark and empty void around her. 'I have to hurry home and make dinner.' She noticed something move out the corner of her eye. "Ah!" Kasane said in relief. She had finally run into another person. 'Thank God, someone's here!' Kasane thought. For some reason, she didn't find it at all strange that the person who appeared was a faceless, armored samurai. "Um, Excuse me! Do you know where we are? I've… been looking for my house and my family. Ah! By family, I just mean my brothers. Oh, and Grandpa. Their names are Masamune and Kotetsu. I'm just wandering round and round here, and it's scary." Kasane said, smiling and rubbing the back of her neck.

"RoUnD… aNd RoUnD…" The samurai said moaned.

"Yeah, round and…" Kasane said. "Rou—" Blood splattered onto her face as the samurai was suddenly impaled by a spear, and it's head was decapitated. Kasane froze, horrified, as she watched the samurai's head roll on the ground.

"RoUnD aNd RoUnD…" The head continued to moan. Kasane screamed.

"… A—"

~End Dream~

"—Aaaaahhhh!" Kasane screamed as she jolted awake, clutching her knees as she sat up and tried to steady her breathing. She heard a clatter and whipped her head around to see what it was, fearing the worst. It was a cat… The cat hissed at her. "I was dreaming… Where am I?" The cat continued to hiss at her. "And why are you so puffed up—"

SNAP.

"Gah! My body hurts…" Kasane cried in pain as her back cracked. She was stiff after sleeping on the hard floor all night… She was in some kind of prison cell again. They had at least given her a blanket though.

CLACK.

"Oh! Ah…" Kasane said when she looked up and saw that the person approaching her was a woman. The woman glanced at her apprehensively. "Umm… excuse me!" Kasane said. The woman slammed down the tray of food she had been carrying and ran away. "Ahh! Wait!" Kasane yelled as she reached out between the grid of wooden bars. Kasane watched as the woman ran and talked to some of her fellow servants. They thought they were whispering, but Kasane could still hear them.

"…That one, right? The girl who our lord brought back. Take a look at her…" The woman said.

"She can use a sword. Our lord doesn't know what to make of her either." Another woman said.

"She gives me the creeps. She's worse than that weird golden-haired foreigner… look at those strange clothes. Let's go." A third woman said.

"… That's right." Kasane said as they left. "I—" 'This really… isn't a 'dream.' Though it seems to be the 'Sengoku era,' I don't know anything for sure.' Kasane thought, feeling a little discouraged. "Masamune… Kotetsu." Kasane said sadly, already missing her brothers. "Just how… did I end up here…?" Kasane heard a 'drip-drop' sound and looked at the floor in front of her cell, where she had been leaning while zoning out. "… Eh!? I'm not crying, I'm not!" Kasane said, surprised and confused when she saw drops of clear liquid on the floor. "Hm?" Kasane said when she realized she wasn't alone. The long-haired, dog-like boy from before, Inuchiyo, was crouching on the floor in front of her cell. A waterfall of drool was flowing from his mouth as he stared longingly at the tray of food they had left for her. He was giving her sparkling, sad puppy-eyes that just begged her to let him have it. "I met you at that castle… Inu… Inu-something…" Kasane said, sweat dropping.

"Hey! Stop that, Inuchiyo!" Gorouza scolded him as he and Kuranosuke came to join them. "That's Kasane's breakfast. You ate earlier, didn't you?"

"Stupid dog." Kuranosuke muttered.

"Gorouza!?" Kasane said, surprised and relieved to see her dependable ally from the other day. "And—" Kasane said, stopping short when she realized she forgot Kuranosuke's name. "… Who are you again? A kid?" Kuranosuke was so short compared to the others…

"Am not! I'm Sassa Kuranosuke! I told you at Narumi!" Kuranosuke yelled indignantly, a vein mark throbbing on his temple.

"Was that it…?" Kasane said. "But, what happened?" She asked, wondering why she couldn't remember how or why she ended up in a prison cell again.

"Our lord ordered us to see you. This is our lord's castle." Gorouza said. Ayako had already warned him not to force Kasane to remember anything about her witnessing the enemy soldier's death, since that seemed to be what had caused her to faint before… something about Kasane's mind repressing the memory for her own good, until she could handle it...

"What happened to that foreign girl?" Kasane asked, referring to Ayako.

"Oh, Ayako? I'm sure she'll come to visit you herself soon. She's finishing up some chores for our lord at the moment. She was very concerned about you. How do you feel?" Gorouza said.

Ayako had been busy doing chores all morning. Since the soldiers were already against having a woman join their ranks, so Ayako worked twice as hard, just to shut them up. He had offered to try to convince Nobunaga to lessen her workload, but she said she was used to it from having to live in a similar situation before, and just continued to work, though she often sang songs in a strange language while she did…

"I would like to offer to send you back to your village… but our lord said that was unnecessary, and ordered you to the prison." Gorouza said.

"Hmph, forget about it, Gorouza. She's really suspicious. Even though our lord told us to bring her…" Kuranosuke said. "She's probably a foreigner."

'The lord brought me here…' Kasane thought. Kasane raised her hand slightly. "Ah, no, I'm not a foreigner, but… My home and my family… are probably gone… so…" Kasane said, starting to gradually feel more and more depressed as she thought about it. "I'm not some suspicious girl…" Kasane said sadly, entering her own little corner of woe, as she stared numbly out the tiny window to the outside that was in the back wall of her cell. She was so gloomy, mushrooms were starting to pop up around her. Gorouza and Inuchiyo whipped their heads around to stare at Kuranosuke in disapproval.

"Kuranosuke, how could you say that!?" Gorouza scolded him.

"Yeah, Kura!" Inuchiyo said, frowning as he munched on one of Kasane's rice balls.

"What! What'd I do!? And anyways, whose food are you eating, now!?" Kuranosuke said indignantly. Kasane perked up a bit when two cute little sparrows landed on the ledge of the window. Kasane stared at the two little birds as they tweeted happily at her. They reminded her of Masamune and Kotetsu. Being reminded of the brothers she could no longer see, just made Kasane feel even gloomier. Gorouza and Inuchiyo stared at Kuranosuke accusingly.

"This time it wasn't my fault!" Kuranosuke yelled, a vein mark throbbing on his head. Gorouza sighed.

"… Anyway, things could get better or worse from here." Gorouza said.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Excuse me…" Kasane said as they all relaxed in the courtyard. Inuchiyo was playing with a dog, and then the two of them started chasing Kuranosuke.

"Yes?" Gorouza asked.

"Am I really allowed… to wander around here like this? Since your lord is mad…" Kasane asked.

"We're still inside the castle grounds. We can afford to at least do this much for you." Gorouza said as he handed Kasane a cup of water.

"Thanks." Kasane said, accepting the cup.

"Oh! There you are!" Ayako said as she jogged over to them. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late! It took me longer than usual to finish the cleaning. How are you holding up Kasane?"

"—I don't… really know what I should do." Kasane admitted. "Up until yesterday, I went to school, was in my club, and was living a normal student's life. Then I suddenly get sent here, and someone dies right in front of me…" Kasane covered her mouth as she fought the urge no to throw up. Ayako placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Earlier, you mentioned your village and family were gone… was it in a fight?" Gorouza asked.

"No, that's not it at all." Kasane said quickly, not wanting them to get the wrong idea and worry. "I'm not… from this era." Everyone froze and the guys all stared at her, stunned. Kuranosuke didn't even react when the dog started chewing on his clothes. They were afraid that maybe they'd broken her somehow.

'Ah… she actually went and said it...' Ayako thought, sweat dropping.

"Eh!? Huh?" Kasane said when she realized how quiet everyone had suddenly gotten. "What's with this atmosphere?"

"… Gorouza." Kuranosuke said. "I told you she's a spy! And she's totally suspicious!" He shouted, pointing accusingly at Kasane. Ayako sighed and face-palmed. That sort of reaction was exactly why she hadn't said anything similar about herself.

"No, I'm not!" Kasane yelled defensively.

"Hey, hey! Do you like dogs?" Inuchiyo asked, smiling, like Kasane hadn't just said something that made her sound insane. The dog they had been playing with came over and wagged its tail at them. It realized Ayako was there and tackled her to the ground, licking her face. Animals really liked Ayako.

"Ugh! Whoa, down boy!" Ayako said as she tried to keep the dog from slobbering all over her. Ayako liked dogs, but she didn't want to be covered in one's spit.

"Everyone settle down." Gorouza said firmly. "And put Kurochiyo away, Inuchiyo. He's too rowdy." Gorouza turned to address Kasane while Inuchiyo pried the dog, Kurochiyo, off of Ayako. "Kasane, if you're truly lost here… I'll help you out."

"Same here." Ayako said.

"Gorouza, Ayako…" Kasane said, touched. "But—But why!? The other people ran away from me!"

"To be honest, I don't believe that you're from another era, but… I saw you fight at Narumi. At the least, I don't think you're someone that'll do us harm. Please rest up properly… until you've calmed down." Gorouza said, smiling kindly. Kasane was trembling with happiness and relief at being accepted by someone in this strange world she was stuck in.

"I believe you, by the way." Ayako said, smiling at Kasane. Although Nobunaga had told her not to say anything about the future to Kasane, saying she didn't think that Kasane was crazy, wasn't the same as telling her that she was from the future too, and Kasane deserved to hear it.

"Hmph, you're both too easy on her! I'm not about to trust her so easily. Though, I guess she didn't hesitate to fight at Narumi…" Kuranosuke said. Inuchiyo and Kurochiyo jumped and tackled Kasane and Kuranosuke to the ground, sitting on top of their backs.

"It's all good to me~!" Inuchiyo said happily.

"Why you…!" Kuranosuke growled at him, a vein popping on his forehead.

"Inuchiyo, Kuranosuke…" Kasane said, touched. "You're kind of heavy…" Kuranosuke managed to break free, and started chasing Inuchiyo around the courtyard again, followed by Kurochiyo.

"Anyway, this castle sure is full of animals." Kasane said, laughing.

"They're all attached to our lord. They're all strays." Ayako said.

"Speaking of which, you still haven't told me your lord's name. He saved me, so I have to thank him." Kasane said.

'Oh dear… I wonder how she'll react when she finds out…' Ayako thought. It's not everyday you find out that you're staying in the castle of a famous historical figure.

"I haven't? He's Lord Nobunaga." Gorouza said, smiling.

"…" Kasane said, freezing mid-smile. "… Eh?"

"He's the one who had you brought here." Gorouza explained. Ayako heard the wooden floorboard of the porch creak, and turned to see who was approaching them.

'Speak of the devil, and he shall appear…' Ayako thought.

"He is the lord of Owari, Lord Oda Kazusanosuke Nobunaga." Gorouza said as Nobunaga came up behind them.

"…!" Kasane said. "Nobu—!" Nobunaga swung his sword, still sheathed, and pistol-whipped—I mean 'katana-whipped'—Gorouza, Kuranosuke, and Inuchiyo. Ayako had just barely managed to dodge.

"Tch." Nobunaga said, clicking his tongue in disappointment when Ayako got away. Well, he really hadn't expected anything less from her.

"!" Kasane said.

"Did you really just click your tongue at me…!?" Ayako asked indignantly.

"Wh-What're you…!?" Kasane shouted, appalled at how Nobunaga was treating her new friends.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

'What was that crash…?' Nobuyuki wondered. He could hear the commotion all the way from where he had stayed behind to talk to Gonroku.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Who said to let her roam freely?" Nobunaga said in a commanding voice.

"…!" Gorouza said, realizing his mistake. "My apologies…" He said, bowing.

"Th-That's not what happened!" Kasane said quickly, cutting into the conversation. "Gorouza and everyone just wanted to cheer me up—"

"Girl." Nobunaga said as he stared Kasane down. Kasane flinched under his intimidating stare. "What… are you going to do now?"

"…?" Kasane said, nervous and confused. "… Do… do…? Like what…?" Nobunaga closed his eyes, no longer looking at Kasane. He had hoped this strange new girl would be at least half as interesting as Ayako, but all he could see in her at the moment was hesitation, fear, and uncertainty.

"My three idiots… plus one." Nobunaga said. A vein mark popped on Ayako's head.

'Is that 'plus one' supposed to be me?' Ayako thought, annoyed. For some reason, Nobunaga had nicknamed the three guys his 'three idiots' or 'three fools' long before she arrived.

"Take this girl… and cast her into the western Kayatsu River." Nobunaga ordered. They all stared at him in shock. "That is your punishment for just letting her out of her cell."

"P-Please wait, my Lord!" Ayako said.

"Kasane just regained consciousness… after you ordered her brought here from Narumi. I don't understand why you would wish to abandon her right away!" Gorouza said earnestly as he stood up and approached Nobunaga.

"Gorouza." Nobunaga said, and harshly pushed him back again, with his sword.

"Ghg…!" Gorouza grunted in pain.

"I don't require you to understand." Nobunaga said coldly. As if on cue, Tenrou flew down and landed on his master's shoulder. "Follow Tenrou. I don't need… things I can't use in my castle. Got it, girl? If you try to run and hide, I'll take the heads of these four. Understand?"