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.

{The Next Day}

Nobunaga and his vassals had all gathered together inside and were seated in two rows, facing each other. Nobunaga was seated at the head of them, in the middle on one end, leaning his head on his hand while he held a fan in another and stared at Katsusaburou. The young lord frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. The situation was serious.

"So then, Katsusaburou... You're saying that Nobutomo of Kiyosu, Nobuyasu of Iwakura, and Saito Yoshitatsu of Mino have banded together!?" Nobunaga asked sternly. He didn't doubt Katsusaburou, but Nobunaga wanted to be absolutely sure since this could mean war. They had a lot of guts to try to invade Owari.

"—Yes, Sir!" Ikeda said gravely. "I saw them from far off, during the evening, but there's no doubt of it. Those women who have been coming and going from Kiyosu were also there. It seems they may be under Yoshitatsu."

"What!?" Hayashi Sado shouted in disbelief.

"Surely not...! We have an alliance with the Saito family!" Nobuyuki said, distressed at the very thought.

"—But if Yoshitatsu is working alone, then it is an entirely believable story." Another man said.

"Mori Sanza." Kawajiri said, slightly surprised.

"You were working under Dousan in Mino until recently." Nobuyuki said, addressing the man called Mori Sanza.

"Yes. I am Mori Sanzaemon Yoshinari." Mori Sanza said. "In Mino, it's well-known that there is discord between Dousan and Yoshitatsu over his birth. There is a particular rumor that lately Yoshitatsu has been gathering his own soldiers."

SLIDE.

The men all turned to look when they heard the doors slide open and heard someone began to speak.

"... It seems... that isn't just a rumor." Nouhime said as Ayako stepped aside once the door was open, giving Nouhime a view of the room.

"Lady Nouhime!" The men shouted in surprise.

"According to my courier... My brother Yoshitatsu has been calling merchants to the castle, and has been ordering large quantities of iron and other materials." Nouhime said, ignoring their surprised outburst. "Truthfully, I also visited some border villages, and heard several stories of Yoshitatsu's soldiers passing through. It seems most likely that it's only a matter of time until he makes his move."

"Hmm..." Hayashi said thoughtfully.

"... But, Lady Nouhime..." Shibata Gonroku Katsuie said, hesitantly. "Why are you in such a state...? Why are you in bed...?" He asked, sweat dropping. Nouhime was very calmly sitting before them, still in her futon, and wearing her haori draped over her shoulders. Behind her were Ayako and Kasane. Nouhime had decided she wanted to be present for the meeting too, but Ayako told her that she still needed to stay in bed. That didn't seem to stop Nouhime though, so they compromised and agreed to bring her there if Nouhime stayed in bed. However, since Ayako's ankle wasn't fully healed yet, she had been pretty much been threatened by Nobunaga not to put any strain on it, other than a little walking, so poor Kasane had had to drag Nouhime and her futon all the way to what Ayako had dubbed 'the command center' by herself. Ayako was now fanning the exhausted and out of breath Kasane, who couldn't do anything, other than kneel at the moment, as she tried to catch her breath.

"She... She's surprisingly heavy..." Kasane gasped softly in between breaths. Ayako sweat dropped and laughed wryly. She had a feeling part of the reason for that was the extra weight from Nouhime's huge boobs. She was surprised Nouhime didn't have back problems because of those things.

"Sorry for making you do that by yourself, thanks for the hard work!" Ayako whispered back.

"Don't mind that, Gonroku! I merely had a small fall." Nouhime deadpanned.

"But if all that is true, then we can't avoid conflict." Nobuyuki said seriously.

"Lord Kanjuuro." Hayashi said.

"We've come this far against Kiyosu's antagonism, but..." Nobuyuki said. Nobunaga's fan made a snapping sound as he closed a fold on his fan. Ayako glanced at Nobunaga. It looked like he was starting to lose his patience. They had been doing nothing but talking in circles. "If Iwakura and Mino are making preparations behind the scenes, then this would be the perfect opportunity for Kiyosu to overpower us in one stroke." Nobuyuki said.

"It is as you say." Hayashi said in agreement. Ayako raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like what Nobuyuki said was wrong, but Hayashi never backed Nobunaga up like that, even when they all knew Nobunaga was right. Nobunaga snapped another fold closed on his fan.

"Everyone, right now..." Nobuyuki said, addressing all the vassals. Ayako raised her other eyebrow now. What was Nobuyuki doing? Was he seriously going to try to instruct Nobunaga's vassals—without even running it by Nobunaga first! "We must increase our defenses—" Nobuyuki said, but he was cut off by a loud sound.

SNAP!

Nobunaga had snapped his fan completely shut. He had planned on hearing what the others had to say, but enough was enough.

"Brother." Nobuyuki said, slightly surprised, as he and the others turned to look at Nobunaga.

"Hmph, that's no different than saying to sit tight." Nobunaga stated. "If this is the perfect opportunity for Kiyosu, then it's also to our advantage. If they want to take this 'opportunity' and crush us completely, then it will take Kiyosu's greatest move to do so." Nobunaga explained. "—In which case, with this upcoming battle, we will once and for all decide who which side Owari will fall under. Now is the time to take hold of Owari!" Nobunaga declared boldly as he slammed his hand against the floor in front of him, like a gambler placing a bet in a game of 'Chou-Han.'

"Yes, Sir!" Everyone shouted.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

{An hour or so later...}

More men had come to the castle as Nobunaga and his vassals made preparations for the upcoming battle. Ayako, Kasane, and Nouhime could hear them talking amongst themselves since the door to their room was open, so Nouhime could enjoy the fresh air. Despite the serious situation they were in, it was a beautiful day—nice and cool after all the rain they had the previous night.

"So, it really is going to come down to a fight." Ayako said. She had a feeling they wouldn't be able to avoid some sort of conflict, but now her suspicions had been confirmed by Nobunaga's orders. It was a smart decision. While the enemy gathered all their eggs into one basket, thinking they were going to surprise Nobunaga, he was planning to face them head on and smash those eggs with a hammer, settling the conflict between them once and for all.

"Lots of strong looking guys have gathered." Kasane observed.

"Sooner or later, yes." Nouhime said as she polished her naginata. Nouhime wasn't well enough to fight yet, and she doubted that Nobunaga would let her come anyway, since her condition wouldn't allow her to fight to the fullest without endangering her health. But making preparations made her feel better, and it gave her something to do. "But well, it's like Kazusanosuke said. We're going to have to settle things with Kiyosu at some point. Nothing good will come of continuous strife within a province. No matter what they think of us, the people just want peace as quickly as possible."

"Yes, continuing on like this isn't good at all. Not only is it hard on the people, but with the rulers of this province fighting each other, it'll leave us more vulnerable for attacks from outsiders." Ayako said, frowning. "Those guys should just grow up and cooperate with Nobunaga instead of being sore losers because Lord Nobuhide was more popular than them." Nouhime smiled wryly at Ayako. She had hit the nail on the head.

"—I see...!" Kasane said seriously as she realized how serious the situation was. 'I... should also do what I can. Though I doubt I'll be able to take part in the battle.' Kasane thought as she poured out the old water, in the bucket they had in the room, over the side of the wooden porch outside the room. "I'll come back with more water." Kasane said, smiling brightly at the other two women.

"Okay." Nouhime and Ayako said.

"Wait, girl." Kasane heard Nobunaga's commanding voice call out to her as she turned to leave.

"Huh?" Kasane asked as she turned back to look at him.

TONK.

"Ow!" Kasane yelled, surprised when the young lord tossed a sword at her, and it hit her in the head since she was too busy holding the bucket to catch it. It actually hurt a little. Kasane could feel a bump forming on her head as the sword slid off her head and into her hands. "!?" Kasane said when she saw the katana that she was holding. There was something familiar about it. "What's this...? A sword...?" Kasane asked, wondering why he was giving it to her.

"We'll be moving out in a few days. Make sure you prepare what you need." Nobunaga ordered Kasane as he turned to leave. "Come, Onihime." He said as he stalked away, letting Ayako know that he wanted her to follow him. Ayako blinked in surprise. What could he want with her now?

"I'll be back soon... probably... See ya'll later." Ayako said as she glanced back at Nouhime and Kasane and left to follow Nobunaga.

"Huh...?" Kasane said, sweat dropping, feeling really confused as she watched Ayako and Nobunaga leave. What just happened?

"... It seems... he intends for you to also go to battle." Nouhime told Kasane after seeing her confusion.

"What!? I'm going to be in the middle of it!?" Kasane yelled, flinching in shock and surprise.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"... What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" Ayako asked curiously as she walked beside Nobunaga. Nobunaga stopped walking and stared at her.

"Are you planning on riding Eishi into battle?" Nobunaga asked her. Ayako was slightly taken aback by how grave Nobunaga sounded. He was frowning and his brow was furrowed as he looked at her with concern. She could tell he was extremely worried, but then again, who wouldn't be with everything he had on his plate.

"No, I don't want him to get hurt, so I was planning on marching with the foot soldiers since my ankle will be fully healed b the time we leave." Ayako said. Nobunaga's frown deepened when he heard that.

"No." Nobunaga said sternly. He'd been afraid of this. Ayako really had no sense of self-preservation, in his opinion.

"... No?" Ayako asked, confused.

"You are not going into battle that vulnerable—whether your ankle heals or not. If you're not riding Eishi into battle, then I don't want you coming at all." Nobunaga said firmly, the look in his eyes told Ayako he was dead serious about this.

"W-Why...!?" Ayako asked, shocked that he would say that. "I'll be fine on foot—that's the way I'm used to fighting anyway, not on the back of a horse—and Eishi could die if he's shot or stabbed with a spear!"

"So could you." Nobunaga said sternly, glaring at her. "Eishi will keep you safe, he's a smart horse. If you're just going to insist on endangering yourself, then I forbid you from coming with me." Ayako stared at him in disbelief.

"There's no way I'm going to just sit back while you're risking your life! I'm going, and that's that!" Ayako declared stubbornly, clenching her fists at her side in frustration.

"Why do you insist on putting yourself in danger!?" Nobunaga demanded. "Give me one good reason—"

"—Because I love you!" Ayako yelled. Her eyes widened and Ayako slapped her hand over her mouth, shocked by her own actions. How could she just blurt that out!? Nobunaga stared at her, stunned. 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God—What did I just do!?' Ayako screamed internally. 'I wasn't going to bother him with this until—' Nobunaga grabbed Ayako's wrist and pulled her into his arms, embracing her.

"It's about time." Nobunaga said as he buried his face in her hair. Ayako blushed as she got over her shock.

"N-Nobunaga...? Does this mean you...?" Ayako asked as she tentatively returned Nobunaga's embrace. Nobunaga raised his head and looked down at Ayako, smirking.

"Hmph, what do you think?" Nobunaga said. "You've kept me waiting so long, you'd better be prepared to make it up to me." Ayako blushed cherry red as Nobunaga brushed a stray hair away from her face.

'Wait... why do I get the feeling he started this argument as a trap for me...?' Ayako thought, sweat dropping, as Nobunaga grinned smugly as he held her. The normally wild and stormy young lord was radiating pure happiness at the moment. 'Well, whatever, I guess I can forgive him this time.' Ayako thought, smiling happily as she hugged the man she loved.

Author's note:

Chou-Han is a traditional Japanese gambling game using dice. The game uses two standard six-sided dice, which are shaken in a bamboo cup or bowl by a dealer. The cup is then overturned onto the floor. Players then place their wagers on whether the sum total of numbers showing on the two dice will be "Chō" (even) or "Han" (odd). The dealer then removes the cup, displaying the dice. The winners collect their money. However, it wasn't actually invented until a few centuries after the Sengoku era, so yeah... ^_^; (This info is from Wikipedia BTW.)