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:

"!" Ayako said, flinching in surprise when the door flew open suddenly. Nouhime chuckled softly in amusement. She thought it was funny how jumpy Ayako was, but then again, there was really only one person they knew who seemed to insist on always entering a room that dramatically. It was Nobunaga. Yes, the person who had just thrown open the thin sliding doors, was none other than the man they had just been talking about.

'Geez, it's like he'd got a radar for gossip or something... He always seems to appear whenever someone starts talking about him.' Ayako thought as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. 'I hope he didn't hear any of that...'

"Would it kill you to knock?" Ayako said tartly, trying to cover up her nervousness. She really hoped Nobunaga hadn't heard their conversation. Ayako didn't want him to find out like this—she wanted to tell him herself. Nobunaga smirked. It looked like Ayako wasn't trying to avoid him anymore.

"Why aren't you preparing supper, Onihime?" Nobunaga said bluntly. Ayako stared at him. That's what the big emergency was? Nouhime glanced between the two of them and hid a smile behind her hand. It was obviously an excuse that Nobunaga had made up to give him a reason to be here.

"What do you mean 'why'? I'm keeping Nouhime company. Kasane came in here a few minutes ago before I took my bath. She said supper was done, and Gorouza and the others are serving it now. They should be here any minute." Ayako said. Nobunaga furrowed his brow slightly and frowned.

"If I get sick from that girl's cooking, you're the one I'm going to force to take care of me." Nobunaga deadpanned.

"You're exaggerating. Kasane's gotten a lot better at using the hearth! It's totally edible now." Ayako retorted.

"Hmph, I don't want to hear this from someone who ate a ball of pure wasabi the size of a chestnut—without even needing to take one sip of water afterwards. Your resistance to spice and bad food is inhuman." Nobunaga stated.

"Well, you try having a mother who's only capable of producing toxic waste when she cooks! And I might have a cast iron stomach, but my taste buds are just fine!" Ayako said tartly, a vein mark throbbing on her forehead. Nouhime couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing.

"Ahahaha! You two are hilarious!" Nouhime said, her whole body shaking with laughter. "Were you really serious about all that, Onihime?" Ayako crossed her arms and pouted.

"Leave me alone, I had an interesting childhood, okay!?" Ayako huffed. "Besides, what's done is done. Like my uncle always says, you're shit(ake mushroom) out of luck."

"Go make us rice balls." Nobunaga ordered. "You might be fine with it, but Nouhime's condition could worsen if she doesn't eat right, and you know you're not going to win this argument with me anyway." He deadpanned as he herded Ayako out the door, and shut it behind her.

"Hey!?" Ayako yelled indignantly as she tried to open the door and get back inside the room. Too bad for her, Nobunaga was holding the door shut on the other side. "Fine! But I'm putting wasabi in yours!" Ayako yelled as she stomped off to the kitchen.

"Haha! She really is interesting. I can see why you like her." Nouhime said, laughing as her eyes twinkled in amusement. "How much of our conversation did you hear, by the way?"

"All of it." Nobunaga said bluntly. Nouhime sweat dropped.

"I see, so you heard everything then... and? What do you think about it?" Nouhime asked. "I'm sure you've already made your decision, but just so you know, she's got my seal of approval." She added with a scheming gleam in her eye. It would be much more fun and entertaining with Ayako around.

"Hmph!" Nobunaga said, smiling as he closed his eyes and thought about everything he had overheard. Nobunaga considered Nouhime as more of a friend and comrade than a wife, but he didn't see why he'd want any more wives if he had Ayako... Although, Nobunaga knew that he'd have to marry them now whether he really wanted to or not, since it would probably cause some time paradox and erase Ayako's existence if he didn't. There was no way that Nobunaga was letting that happen. Nobunaga opened his eyes and looked at Nouhime. "She's too slow!" He said bluntly.

"I knew you'd say something like that, but you could've said something to her yourself." Nouhime said.

"Hmph, you heard her reasons for not saying anything to me. I knew she was probably worrying unnecessarily about little things like that. If I had approached her first, she would've probably rejected me using them as an excuse. So, I decided to wait until she had overcome those issues and was ready to come to me on her own." Nobunaga said, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "It was only a matter of time before she fell into my hands." Nouhime smiled wryly.

"Hmph, I feel a little sorry for her. Once you've decided to dig your claws into someone, you never let go. Be careful not to suffocate her. Onihime's a free spirit, and she doesn't realize how selfish you really are. She doesn't know you're giving her a hard time because you're being overprotective and trying to keep her to yourself." Nouhime said, scolding him a little.

"Hmph, you're right about one thing. I have no intention of letting her go, especially not now." Nobunaga said, giving Nouhime a devilish smirk.