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.

Previously:

FWISSSH!

Everyone stared in amazement as they watched Nobunaga's sword fly up into the air. Before the others had even reacted, Nobunaga had purposefully stopped his attack and threw his sword up into the air. He had never intended to kill the mob leader. Nobunaga just needed to show them who was boss. The sword twirled through the air, spinning as it came back down, and landed an inch away from the faces of Kasane, Ayako, and the mob leader. Nobunaga exhaled.

"Hey, girl. Food time." Nobunaga said brusquely.

THUNK.

The rice balls had been taken off of Kasane's back and laid out on the cloth, in front of Nobunaga, who began munching on them while sitting cross-legged on the ground. Kasane stared at him, dumbstruck.

'Why...? Why did he pick now to eat...!?' Kasane wondered, confused by Nobunaga's seemingly random behavior Ayako knew he was doing this for a reason, but she didn't know what it was. All the peasants stared blankly at Nobunaga, too stunned and confused to react.

"What is it? Why aren't you eating? There's enough for everyone." Nobunaga said carelessly, as though they hadn't been trying to attack him only moments before.

'I see... he used the rice balls as an excuse to create an awkward situation, in order to diffuse the tension, and now he's using them as a way to get them all to calmly sit down together in one place with him.' Ayako thought.

"W-We said we didn't want any consolation hand-outs!" The leader shouted, insulted, though it was obvious they were all starving.

"Hmph, are you idiots? Even if I am Nobunaga, I don't have the rice to spare on pity." Nobunaga said.

"Nobunaga!? You're him!?" They shouted, shocked that the lord of Owari had shown up in person.

"Well, eat up or don't. Your choice." Nobunaga said nonchalantly. "If you don't come soon, they're going to be gone."

"Urk!" They said, flinching in surprise when they saw Inuchiyo gobbling up one rice ball after another, like a human garbage disposal. "..." The farmers said as they glanced at each other.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"It's not like we want to rise up like this." The leader said as they all sat down together and ate the rice balls. "But between the battles and the disease that comes with the yearly rains... the soil in our villages is bad, and we just can't produce enough rice. At this rate, the annual taxes will do us in...!"

"You're a lord, right!? Lower our taxes straight away for us!" One of the men said, turning to Nobuyuki. "That's the only way we'll be able to survive!"

"Wait, I understand how you feel, but that's only going to work as a temporary solution... the problem is the land, isn't it?" Ayako said, unable to keep herself from commenting.

"... I understand." Nobuyuki said, giving in to the man's demand. Ayako wanted to face-palm. Why didn't anyone ever listen to her?

"Really!?" The men asked, excited.

"I'll send out a formal notice in my name." Nobuyuki said.

"By how much!? Fifty percent!? Sixty!?" They shouted excitedly.

"No, going that far won't be..." Nobuyuki said, trying to figure out how to let them down gently.

"No." Nobunaga said boldly. Everyone froze and stared at him. Ayako sweat dropped. Nobunaga really wasn't one to mince words, was he.

"I completely reject your demand. I won't approve a tax cut." Nobunaga said.

"Why!? But you can do it right now—" They started to yell.

"I won't lower taxes." Nobunaga said firmly. "Instead, on each and every one of you, I will impose... extra taxes."

"!!" The leader gasped. "You can't...! Is our ruler... going to kill off the peasants who labor for this province...!?" The leader yelled, grabbing Nobunaga by the front of his kimono.

"It's a hopeless situation." Nobunaga said calmly. "So, take a leap and break away." Nobunaga gripped the man's wrist and removed his hand from his kimono. "I will give every last one of you new land. You can raise up fields there from scratch."

"You'll give us... land...?" The farmers asked, astonished.

"I have an estate not very far from here." Nobunaga said. "It's just wilderness, but it's more fertile than here. I will allow you to stay there for one year without any compensation. Those who move will have their debts forgiven, and will be exempt from taxes for the first year. However, the taxes for your second year will be larger than usual. After that, you'll return to the usual rate. You may do what you wish with any extra rice after taxes. Your problem is with 'this land.' Yelling about lowering taxes... that won't make your life better. But those who 'do' will get something in return, and I only want those who will rise to the challenge to come." Nobunaga smirked. "I'm going to make this the best province in Japan! You guys will farm until you feel like you're going to die and become the best peasants in Japan!"

"B...!?" The farmers said, surprised, glancing at each other.

"Hmph, best in Japan, is it?" The leader said. "Ahahaha! Sounds good! Sure, sign me up!" He said enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" The crowd cheered. "I'll get to eat my fill of rice! I'll get rice balls too!"

"Ahahaha! I can't believe there's a lord like this!" The leader said, amazed and impressed with Nobunaga. They all continued to cheer. Now, they were not only saved from the yearly taxes, but they had a plan for the future too.

"Is this okay, brother? To promise them land..." Nobuyuki asked.

"Don't worry, I talked it over with my chief retainer before we came." Nobunaga said.

"Ah! Were you doing that when I peeked in!?" Nobuyuki asked.

"A—Amazing...! He reasoned with a mob, just like that! This lord here... might just be an amazing guy...!" Kasane said, thinking outloud.

"Of course, I don't let just anyone boss me around, you know." Ayako said, grinning cheekily.

"He is kinda pushy, though..." Kasane said. She smiled and laughed. "Hehe, but I'm glad it worked out. The rice balls helped too.:

"Hey, girl. You're the worst cook ever." Nobunaga said bluntly. He crossed his arms and stared down at Kasane. "Next time you mess up, I'll kick you out!" The farmers laughed good-naturedly at poor Kasane.

"They were undercooked!" One man said, laughing.

"Good luck, Missy!" The leader said.

"Eh!? No way!?" Kasane yelled, blushing out of embarrassment and flinching in surprise. "Wait... why am I the only one getting yelled at!? Ayako made them too! ... And why are you telling me this in front of everyone!?"

"I've had Ayako's rice balls before. They're delicious. Only half of the rice balls were right, so the other half had to be yours." Nobunaga said.

"No... Maybe he's just strict... I don't really get him..." Kasane thought, crest fallen at her blunder with the rice balls. "Gorouza... will you teach me how to use the hearth? I don't think I understood Ayako's explanation..." Kasane said.

"I'll be glad to." Gorouza said, smiling kindly.

"Me too~! I'll help~!" Inuchiyo said eagerly, drool was already dripping down the corner of his mouth.

"You just want to eat it." Kuranosuke said.

"Sorry, Kasane... I forgot that you weren't used to cooking with the hearth yet." Ayako said, rubbing the back of her neck, and smiling apologetically. "I've been cooking with an old hearth like that ever since I moved in with my uncle, so..."

"Oh? So, the one responsible for these extraordinarily delicious rice balls, is that little Onihime?" The leader said, surprised. They were just plain rice balls, with no seasoning other than a little salt, but... they had never know rice balls could be so gourmet... it was amazing how she had managed to make something so simple with such a delicate and mouthwatering flavor.

Eh? Are you talking about me...?" Ayako asked, wondering why he had called her 'Onihime.' The leader laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry, sorry! We were just surprised by your strength earlier. You fight so well for a woman, not mention your strange hair and eye colors..." The leader said wryly. Ayako sweat dropped. She sometimes forgot how strange she must look to people who were used to only seeing people with dark hair and dark eyes.

"... 'Onihime,' huh?" Nobunaga said, smirking. "Hmph! I like it." Nobunaga said, clearly amused. Ayako sweat dropped again. She had a feeling that name was going to haunt her now.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

Once all the details had been worked out between Nobunaga and the peasants, The crowd had dispersed. Everyone was eager to prepare for their new start. With that, Nobunaga and company had left to return home as well.

"Say... something you said earlier has been bothering me, Ayako." Kuranosuke said, his voice tinged with suspicion. "Some times... it sounds as though you know something about wherever Kasane's from." Ayako gulped guiltily, caught in her lie. She glanced at the others to see how they were reacting. They were all staring at her expectantly. Nobunaga suppressed a smirk. Ayako looked like a deer caught in the headlights... he wondered how she was going to handle the situation.

"... Remember how I said that I 'wasn't from around here'...?" Ayako asked nervously. She didn't want to lie to them anymore, but she was afraid they would be mad at her once they knew that she had. The three guys and Nobuyuki nodded. "Well, it wasn't exactly a lie... I come from the same place as Kasane. I thought that if I just came out and told the whole truth, everyone would think I was crazy... I'm sorry for not telling you sooner." Ayako said, bowing her head in apology.

"Ayako..." Gorouza said. He could understand where she was coming from, especially since that was how they had initially reacted when Kasane had told them she was from the future.

"So you're a spy too, then!" Kuranosuke shouted. A vein mark popped on Ayako's forehead.

"That again!? I might be weird, but I'm not a spy, okay!? Get over it!" Ayako yelled back, annoyed.

"Whatever is fine! Ayako is Ayako!" Inuchiyo said, smiling.

"Yes, no matter what, you're still our comrade." Gorouza said, smiling.

"You guys..." Ayako said, touched. "I'm so sorry for doubting you!"

"Isn't this great, Ayako? Now you don't have to hide it anymore." Kasane said, patting her on the back.

"... I don't really get what's going on, but... do your best." Nobuyuki said, confused, but touched by their display of friendship.

"Yeah!" Ayako said happily.

"You're awfully emotional, for an 'Onihime.'" Nobunaga said, smirking.

"They came up with that on their own!" Ayako huffed.

"But you're really strong, Ayako! Where did you learn to fight like that?" Kasane asked.

"Hmm? I don't think it's really all that impressive, but I learned how to fight barehanded from my dad. He'd always wanted a boy, but he got me. So, in exchange for letting me learn ballet, he made me promise to let him teach me how to fight." Ayako said. "He's the one who picked 'Louise' for my middle name, since my mom had already picked my first name. I've always thought it was kind of weird that my American, white mother named me something in Japanese, and my Japanese dad gave me a 'Western' name."

"That does seem like the opposite of what you'd normally think... why did they do that?" Kasane asked.

"Well, my mom named me Ayako because it means 'colorful child,' and both my hair and eyes are kind of multicolored instead of being one solid color, so she thought it would be a cute name for me. My dad wanted to name me Louise because it's French for 'famous warrior woman.' Despite how much he wanted a boy, he decided it would be better to give me a feminine name that had a tough meaning, rather than giving me a Japanese boy's name." Ayako explained.

"Wow... your parents sure did put a lot of effort into naming you! They must have really loved you, huh." Kasane said, smiling. Ayako smiled softly as she thought about her deceased her parents.

"Yeah." Ayako said, smiling fondly. "... But my old man was a Spartan trainer! He had absolutely no mercy, even though the opponent was his cute little daughter! He was almost as bad as my uncle! It must run in the family... with two violent siblings like that..." Ayako said indignantly.

"Um... What is this 'ballet' that you mentioned? Is it another fighting style?" Gorouza asked curiously. Ayako's mood did a complete 180° flip. You could practically see sparkles floating around her.

"You want to know? It's a type of European dance. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's known for its graceful and elegant style. It'll be easier to show you, than to explain it... so, I'll dance for you guys some time, though it's been a while, so I might be a little rusty!" Ayako said, smiling brightly. She was exuding such a girly and feminine aura at the moment, that the others could've sworn the atmosphere around her had turned pink, and there were flowers floating around her.

'Wow... this whole time, I thought Ayako was really tough, and kinda manly and cool, but she really is girly, deep down... She looks so cute when she smiles like that.' Kasane thought.

"... You know, when you smile like that, it makes you look even younger, like a little kid." Nobunaga deadpanned. The fluffy pink aura was instantly gone. A vein mark throbbed on Ayako's forehead.

"Shut up! You know I hate it when you make fun of my 'baby face!'" Ayako yelled. "I'm sixteen!"

"Eh!?" Kasane yelled, surprised. "You mean we're the same age!? I thought you were younger...!"

"Not you, too!?" Ayako cried in dismay. "I'm just short! I'm a high school freshman at Mimori High!"

"Mimori!?" Kasane shouted, shocked.

"Why do you have to sound so shocked!?" Ayako yelled, starting to feel frustrated.

"No, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just... Isn't Mimori a school that's really hard to get into!? Even people who have studied so hard, that their eyes bled, have been known to fail!" Kasane said, stunned.

"Huh? Is it really...? I answered all the questions in with plenty of time to spare." Ayako said. "It was easy. They even gave me a scholarship that covered the full tuition. That's the reason I chose to go there to begin with. Small temples aren't exactly rich." Kasane gaped at Ayako in shock.

"...Ayako-chan... Could it be... you're actually really smart...?" Kasane asked, blue with shock. She knew that Ayako wasn't an idiot, but to score so high on such an impossible test... it was a little scary.

"... Kasane... I like you, but are you trying to make me mad?" Ayako asked. "For some weird reason, my middle school made us all take an IQ test, and they said I that have and IQ of 167." Kasane was so shocked—she froze, going completely rigid.

'167!? Isn't that way above average!? Like genius level!?' Kasane shouted in her mind.

"167...? What does that mean?" Kuranosuke asked.

"It just means that I'm a little smarter than average, that's all." Ayako said carelessly. She didn't think being smarter really mattered all that much. What was really important was what kind of person you were, not whether or not you were capable of solving a logic problem that only a small portion of the human population could. Nobunaga glanced at the frozen Kasane. He had a feeling it was more than just 'a little' from how overwhelmed the other girl appeared to be, but Nobunaga had already known that Ayako was no fool, though she occasionally acted like it...

"...Then, in that case... please let me call you 'Ayako-sama'!" Kasane suddenly yelled as snapped out of it, and she glomped Ayako.

"Gah!? What are you doing, Kasane...?" Ayako asked, startled and confused. "What's with this '-sama' business?" Kasane began petting Ayako's head.

"Oh, Ayako-sama, please let some of your intelligence rub off on me! I got a twenty on my last history test!" Kasane prayed, treating Ayako like she was some weird deity.

"Wha—!?" Ayako said, her cheeks flushing red from embarrassment. Ayako was actually pretty shy when it came to being praised and such over the top displays of affection.

"Stop, girl." Nobunaga ordered.

"Nobunaga..." Ayako said, relieved. She hadn't expected to be saved. He brought his horse beside them.

"You're going about it all wrong. It should be 'Onihime-sama.'" Nobunaga said as he pet Ayako's head. "Oh, Onihime-sama, please paint my enemies with the crimson color of blood." Ayako gaped at him in disbelief before flushing cherry red all over.

"Brother..." Nobuyuki said, sweat dropping.

"Y-Y-You... Nobunaga, you idiot!" Ayako yelled, as she suddenly shot off ahead of them on her horse, leaving them all behind. They were all stunned, except for Nobunaga. He smirked, thoroughly amused by her reaction.

"Y-You... How dare you talk to the lord that way...!?" Kuranosuke sputtered. Gorouza sweat dropped.

"Who knew Ayako had such a sensitive side..." Gorouza said. She was normally such a tough little tomboy.

Author's note:

Onihime = demon princess.