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.

"Huh?" Inuchiyo said, confused, when all he found where the enemy had fallen was a few drops of blood. There should have been a body there... "They're not here." Inuchiyo said as he stared at the ground. The boss kunoichi loomed over him from behind. She quickly drew her sword and attacked.

WHAM!

"Ggh!" The boss grunted in pain when Inuchiyo slammed the back end of his spear into her gut.

"Kidding!" Inuchiyo said, grinning, as he turned around to look at her. "I heard your footsteps... you see!" Inuchiyo said as he swiped at her with his spear. She dodged it. The boss kunoichi jumped up into the air, flipping, before landing on Inuchiyo's back, and using him as a springboard to jump again. "Gah! You stepped on me!" Inuchiyo shouted in disbelief as she escaped.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

BANG! BANG!

"Damn...! Where'd they go!?" Kuranosuke said, frustrated, as he reloaded his guns. "I can't even hit them with my 'Sasara'!"

I can't hit you either..." The quiet kunoichi said as she popped up behind him, holding a gun, and hanging from a tree. "Maybe because you're a runt...?" she deadpanned. Kuranosuke snapped. Those were fighting words. He spun around, put his gun right between her eyes, and pulled the trigger.

BANG! BANG!

"Small heart, too..." The small, quiet kunoichi said as she managed to somehow dodge the bullet, and ran away, completely unharmed.

"Wait, damn you! You're the runt!" Kuranosuke yelled after her, a vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

CLANG!

"Gah! How can you look so cute and be so damn strong!" Iname said to Gorouza, annoyed, as their weapons grinded together.

"I apologize for that. Your eyes look string as well." Gorouza said politely.

"What do you mean by that!?" Iname asked, a vein mark throbbing on her forehead.

"But I've figured out how strong you are, so soon enough..." Gorouza said, smiling innocently.

"Hm?" Iname said.

"I'm going to bring you down!" Gorouza said as he hurled his huge zanbato at her, only keeping his grip on the loose part of the wrapping on the handle of the sword, using it as a leash for the huge weapon.

FWOOOOSH!

"Gah—!? You're throwing that!?" Iname yelled, going blue with shock as she accidentally backed up into a tree.

SLAM!

'Eeep!' Iname screamed internally as the huge sword slammed into the tree next to her head, missing her by a hair.

"Iname!" The boss kunoichi yelled as she and the quiet kunoichi arrived on the scene, Inuchiyo and Kuranosuke hot on their trail.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Hold still~!" Kamiko sang as she lunged at Ayako again. So far, Ayako had no problem dodging and reading the kunoichi's movements, but without a weapon, a counter attack seemed to be nearly impossible for her.

'She's fast!' Ayako thought as she dodged yet another attack.

"But this is starting to get old!" Kamiko said, disappearing from sight.

"!" Ayako gasped in surprise and alarm when Kamiko suddenly reappeared dropkicked her from behind her.

"Gah!" Ayako grunted in pain when she slammed into the ground. The force of the attack actually caused her to form a mini crater. Ayako struggled to stand up again, but in the blink of an eye, Kamiko was yanking Ayako to her knees, by her long hair. Ayako winced in pain.

"Hmm... but it might be a shame to kill you now..." Kamiko said as she smirked down sadistically at Ayako. The kunoichi yanked Ayako up by her hair again, and then pulled her down, causing Ayako's knees to slam harshly into the ground. Ayako grit her teeth to keep herself from crying out in pain.

'If only I could just get free again... There must be something I can use...!' Ayako thought.

"... I wonder what kind of face you'd make if I made you watch while we severed that idiot young lord's head from his neck!" Kamiko said, giggling, as she gripped her kunai and tried to stab Ayako's shoulder. "!?" Kamiko said in surprise when Ayako's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed her wrist, before Kamiko could actually stab her.

Ayako, still gripping the wrist of Kamiko's hand that was holding the kunai, forced it upwards, using the kunai to slice through her own hair, freeing herself. Kamiko's eyes widened in surprise as she stood there, stunned. She couldn't believe that a woman would actually sacrifice her hair, one of a woman's most important features, like that. Ayako quickly jumped up and thrust the palm of her hand upwards, breaking Kamiko's nose.

"Gyaaaah!?" Kamiko screamed in surprise and pain as she fell to her knees, holding her face. It hurt like hell."You bitch!" Kamiko yelled angrily as she glared up at Ayako. Kamiko froze. Ayako was glaring down at her, her eyes veiled in shadow. Though Ayako looked eerily calm, her menacing aura betrayed her true feelings. Kamiko couldn't move. The kunoichi realized that for the first time, in her entire life, she was paralyzed with fear.

"You'll take his head...? Don't make me laugh." Ayako said coldly as she glared down at Kamiko, her anger at the kunoichi was masking the sick feeling of dread she had felt at the thought of losing Nobunaga. Sure, he was an annoying jerk most of the time, but that didn't mean she hated him... And, until she had heard how serious Kamiko was about harming him, Ayako hadn't really realized just how much she had come to care for the young lord over the past few days. Ayako clenched her fist. "As if I'd let you!" She yelled as she kicked Kamiko, not wanting to give the dangerous woman a chance to recover and turn the tables on her again. The force of the blow sent Kamiko flying back into a tree. "Sorry, coming after me is one thing, but if you hurt the people I care about... that's another thing entirely. Hurt my loved ones, and I'll show you a glimpse of hell." Ayako said darkly.

"Ngh!" Kamiko grunted in pain before she lost consciousness.

"Whoa, check it out, boss! Someone actually took out that Kamiko!" Ayako heard Iname say.

"!" Ayako said as she spun around to see the three other kunoichi leaping through the treetops. 'Where are Gorouza and the others...!?' Ayako wondered. That's when she noticed it. She could see Nobunaga standing in a small clearing, a few yards away from them. He had his back to them. That's what the three women had been aiming for all along.

"Then, we'll also... bring one down...!" The boss shouted as all three of them descended upon Nobunaga. Ayako's eyes widened. For some reason, he wasn't wearing his sword anymore.

"Nobunaga!" Ayako yelled as she sprinted towards him, and Gorouza and the others ran onto the scene. 'They're too fast...! We won't make it...!' Ayako thought, horrified, but then a shadowed figure swiftly moved out from behind Nobunaga, drawing the young lord's sword, and striking down all three kunoichi with a single blow from the back of the sword's blade. It was Kasane.

CRASH!

The three kunoichis landed harshly on the ground as they were thrown back by the force of Kasane's attack.

"!" They all said when they looked up to see Gorouza, Kuranosuke, Inuchiyo, and Kasane standing before them and pointing their weapons at them. Ayako didn't have a weapon, so instead, she was standing beside Nobunaga in a defensive position, ready to defend him if needed.

'I-I was so scared, ahhh!' Kasane thought, as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. She was so glad Nobunaga's plan had worked. Kasane had been afraid she might mess up and get him killed.

"I don't know what province hired you, but... If you're aiming for Owari, you should reconsider your strength. If you want to defeat me, you'd better comeback once you're able to take these guys down! Leave here, little girls." Nobunaga stated, glaring sharply at them.

"Ghg...!" The boss grunted in frustration, gritting her teeth.

"... You don't have to tell us that..." The quiet kunoichi said, pulling out a strange looking ball that had been tied together with rope. It looked like there was a lit fuse coming out of he top of it. "Let's go..." she calmly to her teammates.

"Gah!" Kuranosuke yelled. Paling slightly when he saw the bomb.

"Eh? What?" Kasane said, wondering what the strange item could be. The sengoku era explosive didn't look like any modern weapon she had seen before.

"Is that a bom—!?" Ayako yelled, knowing that anything with a fuse sticking out of it was probably bad news.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

BOOOOM!

"Whoa! What was that!?" Two peasants, who were working in their fields, just outside of the forest cried in alarm when a huge explosion shook the forest behind them. Even some of the animals in the forest were running away. The bomb had caused a huge mushroom cloud.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

The three guys coughed as the smoke from the explosion started to clear. Gorouza had managed to shield them with his zanbato at the last minute, so they were only a little singed around the egdes. The three women were gone.

"Damn! What is this!? Where'd they go!?" Kuranosuke shouted.

"It looked like they were after our lord, but..." Gorouza said.

"That was close! Good thing it was mostly a smoke bomb... Are you guys okay?" Ayako said, coughing slightly as she and Nobunaga came over to them. Since they had both realized it was a bomb, they had ducked for cover a little further away, and had managed to avoid being singed.

"Katsusaburou said that there were some suspicious girls in Kiyosu." Nobunaga told the three guys.

"Ah! That was probably them..." Ayako said in realization.

"Yes, I suspected as much." Nobunaga said.

"In Kiyosu?" Gorouza asked, coughing. "Who could they work for? The Imagawa's... or maybe the Saitou clan...?"

"..." Nobunaga said, thinking it over. "How would I know!" Nobunaga said defiantly, fwipping his head back, and holding his head high. Ayako sweat dropped.

'What are you acting so proud for...?' Ayako thought sweat dropping. 'Although, he does look kind of cute, pouting like that—Whoa, whoa, whoa... Don't go there, Ayako!' She scolded herself. 'You know you can't like him for various reasons, so let's just pull this love plane up, before you crash and burn.'

"Oh! That's right, are you hurt, my Lord? Ayako?" Gorouza asked.

"Nope!" Nobunaga said carelessly, already feeling a little bored now that all the excitement was over.

"I think I might've hit my head..." Ayako mumbled. "I mean, I'm alright!" Ayako said, not wanting to worry them.

"Kasane..." Gorouza asked, looking around for her. "Haahh..." Gorouza said, stunned when he saw her. Poor Kasane was just standing there, stunned. She hadn't dodged the attack like the others, and although she didn't seem to be seriously wounded, she now resembled a piece of burnt toast. There was even smoke coming off of her. Kasane's legs finally gave out, and she flopped back onto the ground, unconscious.

"K-Kasane!? Hang in there!" Ayako shouted as she started checking her friend for injuries. She sighed in relief. Kasane wasn't seriously injured, she was just stunned.

"Inuchiyo, run her back to the castle!" Gorouza ordered.

"The smoke hurts my eyes!" Inuchiyo said, rubbing his eyes, reminding Ayako of a puppy whining.

"Hey, your rabbit was roasted hole in the blast." Kuranosuke told him.

"Let's eat!" Inuchiyo said excitedly.

"We'll eat after we get back!" Gorouza said.

"It's no use, Gorouza, I'll take her." Ayako said, standing up with Kasane propped up on her back. "Ah!" Ayako cried out in surprise as her injured knees buckled under the extra weight, and she fell over with Kasane. "... Ow." Ayako said as she lay on the ground.

"Ayako! Are you sure you're alright?" Gorouza asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just forgot my knees were injured earlier by that weird kunoichi, and they couldn't handle the extra weight... Kasane's heavier than she looks..." Ayako said, laughing and smiling wryly.

"There was another one!? Say things like that sooner! Where is she now!?" Kuranosuke yelled.

"I didn't really have get the chance to say anything, did I? I was too busy trying not to die, protecting our lord, and dodging a bomb!" Ayako yelled back. "But don't worry, she's probably still out cold." Ayako felt someone tug on a strand of her hair. It was Nobunaga, and he didn't look pleased.

"What...?" Ayako asked, wondering what his problem was. Nobunaga looked kind of scary. His eyes were partially cast in shadow, and he was emitting an ominous aura.

"Did they do this...?" Nobunaga asked, referring to her recently cut hair. It was now rather short, and fell just below her chin.

"Ah! Your hair's been cut!" Inuchiyo shouted in alarm.

"Oh my, hair is said to be a woman's crowing glory... What a horrible thing to do!" Gorouza said. Ayako sweat dropped.

"Guys, calm down! It's just hair, it'll grow back." Ayako said. "Besides, I did this to myself. She had me by my hair, and I couldn't get free, so..."

"So she cut her own hair, selflessly sacrificing one of a woman's most important features, in order to free herself, so that she could save a friend! Kyaa~! Isn't she just too cool~!" Kamiko said, suddenly popping up from out of nowhere.

"You—!?" Ayako yelled, surprised, as she put herself in between Nobunaga and Kamiko. Most people would still be unconscious after taking a blow like that.

"That's right, little angel~! I'm back, but don't worry. To be honest, I couldn't care less what happens to that young lord over there. I was just assisting those three as a hired worker of sorts." Kamiko said, waving her hand carelessly in a dismissive motion at Nobunaga. "I have just one thing to say to you..." Kamiko told Ayako, smirking. Gorouza, Inuchiyo, Kuranosuke, and Nobunaga all stood by Ayako, flanking and shielding her. Ayako was touched that they all cared so much, but Nobunaga really shouldn't have done that, since he was the original target.

"—Please, let me serve you~! Master~!" Kamiko shouted as she suddenly kneeled on the ground and bowed before Ayako. They all stared at the strange kunoichi, stunned.

"H-Huh...!?" Ayako yelled, beyond confused.

"I've been working as a mercenary because I haven't been able to find a worthy master to serve—until today! You're not only strong enough to defeat me, but you spared my life... and the way you glared at me... it sent shivers up my spine~!" Kamiko said, blushing.

"..." Ayako said as they all stared at the strange woman, not quite sure how to react. Why the heck was she blushing...!? "Weren't you acting like an 'S' when we fought? Why are you...?" Ayako asked, confused. She thought for sure Kamiko would've wanted revenge for what she had done.

"I usually am an 'S', but I don't mind being an 'M' if it's you, Master~!" Kamiko said, blushing shyly. Ayako went blue with shock, shuddered, and almost broke out in hives. While Ayako was straighter than and arrow, it wasn't like she was homophobic—but the whole 'S&M' thing was creeping her out.

"Ahh... No, that's okay... I don't really need a servant or a bodyguard, so..." Ayako said, trying to figure out how to get rid of the creepy woman.

"So, what?" Kamiko said darkly, clearly not going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Get lost." Nobunaga ordered bluntly as he placed his hand on top of Ayako's head. "She's our Onihime, get your own!" Sparks of animosity flew between Nobunaga and Kamiko as they glared at each other over Ayako's head.

"How rude! My master is too cute to be compared to an ugly oni! Her nickname should be Angel! That's 'Angel-sama' to you!" Kamiko said tartly, narrowing her eyes at Nobunaga.

"Wait... that's what she's upset about...!?" Kuranosuke shouted. "And why are they fighting over this shrimp so seriously!?"

"I haven't seen our lord take such and intense and immediate disliking to someone like this in a long time..." Gorouza said thoughtfully.

"They lord is scary when he's angry..." Inuchiyo said, shuddering at the memory of what had happened the last time. Ayako sweat dropped, she wasn't sure she wanted to know how that particular story ended.

'That woman is crazy, and there's no telling what Nobunaga will do if provoked... I'd better end this before those two start WWIII...' Ayako thought.

"I understand." Ayako said, sighing resignedly. Nobunaga whipped his head around, turning his glare onto her. Ayako flinched and avoided his gaze as she began to sweat nervously. Kamiko, however, was now smiling happily at her with the radiance of a thousand suns. "H-However, since you did just try to kill me a minute ago, there is one condition..." Ayako said. "In order to prove how serious you are about this, I want to give you a task to perform for me."

"I understand, Angel-sama. What is it? Shall I slaughter your enemies~? Perhaps you have someone that you would like assassinated~?" Kamiko said, smiling.

"No, nothing like that... I want you to... bring me an Iriomote cat." Ayako said. Kamiko stared at her, blinking in surprise.

"... A cat?" Kamiko asked, not sure she had heard right. Ayako nodded.

"Yes, a wild cat. I saw one once when I was younger. They're rather cute." Ayako said. "If you can bring me one, unharmed, then I'll consider letting you follow me."

"I see, how cute of you, Angel-sama, to wish for a fluffy kitten. Very well, I shall leave to accomplish this task at once, and I shall not return until I have succeeded in capturing this 'Iriomote cat.' Until we meet again, Angel-sama~!" Kamiko said, smiling confidently as she raced off to complete her mission. Once the strange woman was gone, Ayako glanced cautiously at Nobunaga. He still looked pissed.

"Why did you accept her?" Nobunaga demanded. That kunoichi had a lot of guts to try to take Ayako for herself... and there was absolutely no guarantee that Kamiko wouldn't eventually turn on Ayako and try to kill her again.

"I did no such thing!" Ayako said defensively. You heard her, she wasn't going to give up, so I sent her on a wild goose chase." Ayako felt a little guilty for sending the unsuspecting woman on what was probably an impossible task, but she wasn't stupid enough to just accept protection from someone who had been ready to kill her and her friends only just a few minutes ago, and she knew Nobunaga didn't like Kamiko.

"How so?" Gorouza asked.

"The animal I asked her to find, the Iriomote cat, has been around for a super long time, but it wasn't actually discovered until the 1950's, so even if she managed to figure out where they lived, she shouldn't be able to find them." Ayako said.

"I see, so you just said all of that to get rid of her. As expected of an Onihime." Kuranosuke said. He still didn't believe that Ayako and Kasane were from the future, though.

"Not you too!?" Ayako cried, chagrined. This nickname was starting to catch on. "But yeah, she should give up on me and that cat soon enough." Ayako said, sighing.

"Hmph. That's fine, then. As long as she never comes back." Nobunaga said sternly, furrowing his brows in irritation.

"Yeah... she kind of gave me the creeps..." Ayako said, sweat dropping. She didn't get why Nobunaga was so upset.

"Wait, aren't we forgetting something important...?" Gorouza said, suddenly remembering that they had been about to do something before Kamiko showed up.

They all looked around, and saw poor Kasane, lying on the ground—extra crispy.

"K-Kasane!" Gorouza and Ayako yelled in alarm. They quickly grabbed the poor girl and rushed her back to the castle.

Author's note:

I'm pretty sure that in the Sengoku era, most noble women wore their hair down and really long because it was a status symbol: the longer your hair, supposedly the more beauty you possessed. So, I had the others freak out when her hair was cut, because that seems to happen a lot in mangas when a girl's hair is suddenly cut like that, and it kind of makes sense if you consider what long hair meant for a woman back then. A woman probably wouldn't usually think of having her hair cut short as a good thing. ^_^;