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. It will be in bold if it's English.

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:

"You should probably soak in the hot spring this time, Ayako. It'll help you heal faster." Gorouza said, smiling.

"It's more fun when everyone's together, too~!" Inuchiyo said.

"You can't avoid it forever." Nobunaga added bluntly. Ayako sighed.

"I guess you're right... and the towel is kind of big on me, so it covers more..." Ayako said, finally giving in. If it would help her get better faster, she could suck it up and handle the embarrassment for one bath.

SPLASH!

"Hey!" Kuranosuke shouted indignantly when Inuchiyo splashed him. "You'd better prepare yourself, stupid dog!" He yelled as he grabbed a nearby bucket and used it to scoop up water and toss it at Inuchiyo. Inuchiyo was laughing and having fun playing in the water. Kuranosuke had a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"My, they're both so energetic." Gorouza said, smiling.

"It looks like fun." Ayako said, smiling wryly as she relaxed in the hot spring next to Gorouza. The warm water felt fantastic. She noticed that lots of the other men and women were chatting casually with each other, not the least bit embarrassed to be around each other wearing just towels. She felt a little embarrassed for overreacting before, but she'd still rather have her privacy.

"You see, you were making a fuss over nothing." Nobunaga said as he joined them.

"Maybe... but I'm still really glad you set up those privacy screens for me, thank you." Ayako said, blushing. Nobunaga was sitting a little close, unlike Gorouza who was actually making an effort to respect her personal space. Nobunaga noticed that a lot of the men kept sneaking glances at Ayako. Some of them were giving her looks that were more than just ones of curiosity. Maybe her paranoia wasn't completely unfounded, after all...

"For some reason, I feel like I'm being watched..." Ayako said, glancing in the direction of the men who'd been staring at her, but they pretended to be looking at something else when she did.

'That's because you are.' Gorouza and Nobunaga thought, sweat dropping.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Gorouza asked.

"Well, maybe just a little, but it's not that bad..." Ayako said thoughtfully. "The water feels good, so it's helping to calm my nerves some."

"I see, that's good." Gorouza said, smiling.

WHOOSH!

"!?" Ayako said, surprised as she just barely managed to dodge the bucket that had suddenly flown at her. "What the...?" Ayako said, wondering where it came from as she held onto her towel to make sure it didn't fall. In order to dodge it, Ayako had to stand up, so she was only halfway in the water now.

"Inuchiyo, Kuranosuke... could you please show a little self-restraint and consideration for the people around you?" Gorouza scolded them. He was smiling, but you could sense the threat behind it. He was surprised that Ayako had managed to react so quickly when she seemed oblivious to danger most of the time. The two troublemakers nodded and gulped, not wanting to anger Gorouza any further.

"That was close." Ayako said, sweat dropping. Luckily, she hadn't noticed all the men staring at her, or she would've been really embarrassed. The wet towel was clinging to her body, showing off her curves, and revealing that she wasn't nearly as flat as they thought she was.

"..." Nobunaga said, staring at her as she sat down in water again, completely obscuring their view of everything but her head and shoulders. Nobunaga heard a few sounds of disappointment. He could understand why Ayako had been so skittish now. Men really were wolves. Ayako noticed Nobunaga staring at her.

"W-What?" Ayako asked nervously, blushing.

"It looks like you're the type that's surprisingly more attractive when your clothes aren't hiding your curves." Nobunaga said bluntly. Ayako turned a really interesting shade of red as she sunk even further down into the water, so that you could only see her head above the water now. She was beyond embarrassed.

"Y-You're not supposed to look—perv...!" Ayako mumbled nervously, avoiding his gaze.

"My Lord, perhaps you shouldn't tease her so much..." Gorouza said, sweat dropping, as he smiled wryly.

"Hmph." Nobunaga said, not looking the least bit apologetic.

"My looks are considered average where I'm from. You guys just think I look exotic since my hair and eyes are from what you're used too." Ayako said, furrowing her brow as she tried to get over her embarrassment.

"I don't think that's the only reason..." Gorouza said.

"If you say so..." Ayako said, not looking very convinced. Nobunaga smacked Ayako upside the back of her head.

"!?" Ayako said, surprised. It didn't really hurt, but she hadn't expected to be hit for no reason. "What was that for!?" She asked indignantly.

"For being an idiot. Just accept that you're attractive, and move on." Nobunaga said bluntly.

"I-I'm just feeling shy, okay!? I know I act all tough, but I'm not used to being treated like a girl, so it's a little embarrassing..." Ayako said, embarrassed, blushing an even deeper shade of red.

"What do you mean?" Gorouza asked curiously.

"Well, you see, my dad really wanted a boy, but he got me instead. So, I was pretty much raised as a boy. I didn't even own a doll until I was five and I finally convinced him to buy me one." Ayako explained, shrugging like it was no big deal. "He was really stubborn."

"Your old man sounds pretty annoying." Kuranosuke said, sweat dropping.

"Yeah, sometimes, but he was a good dad, so I never stayed mad at him for long." Ayako said, smiling fondly at the memories of her childhood. "I've got some great stories too, like the time my mom came home and freaked out when she heard me calling out to her and realized that I, who was only a little toddler at the time, was standing on the roof while my dad was replacing some of the tiles... my mom is scary when she's mad!" Ayako said, shivering and shaking her head to wipe the image from her mind. "I thought my dad would spontaneously combust from the death glare she gave him while she was scolding him." The others all sweat dropped. So that was where her intimidating glare and tomboyish behavior came from.

"Haha, it sounds like your mother was the more responsible parent, then..." Gorouza said, smiling wryly.

"Yep, but she wasn't exactly your typical mother either." Ayako said, smiling wryly. "She was a third degree black belt in Judo, and a relatively famous artist. She's my role model!" Ayako said, smiling proudly. "I want to be able to sell my artwork someday too!"

"Wow~! So your mom was strong too!" Inuchiyo said, smiling as he crossed his arms and leaned on top of Ayako's head. Ayako blushed and sweat dropped. Inuchiyo was heavy, and way too close for comfort.

"?" Inuchiyo said, surprised when he felt someone push him away from Ayako. It was Nobunaga. For some reason, Nobunaga hadn't liked the sight of another man touching her, even though he knew Inuchiyo didn't have any ill or perverted intentions when he had gotten close to Ayako. Ayako breathed a sigh of relief. That had been awkward, but she wasn't freaked out, since Inuchiyo was more like an overly affectionate puppy than anything else. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked, confused.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Kuranosuke said, sweat dropping.

"Were you from some warrior clan or something?" Kuranosuke asked.

"No way!" Ayako said, laughing. "Some of my ancestors were warriors, but most people really only learn martial arts for self defense where I come from. We have nothing to do with the military. Like I said before, my mom was an artist, a painter to be exact, and my dad was a doctor. He even taught my Girl Scout troop how to do first aid." She explained.

"Girl Scout...?" Inuchiyo asked curiously.

"Oh, in Japanese it means 'girl scout.' It's a program for girls that teaches them life skills in a fun way. It mostly deals with wilderness survival skills, but a lot of it has to do with community service too." Ayako explained.

"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea." Gorouza said, smiling. "I'm guessing women play a more prominent role in your homeland's society?"

"Definitely! Where I come from, men and women are considered equal, and they're not limited to specific professions either." Ayako said, smiling. "My grandma was a doctor too."

"My, that certainly is something." Gorouza said, smiling.

"No wonder you're so cheeky..." Kuranosuke muttered, causing him to be elbowed in his ribs by Ayako. "Hey!" He yelled indignantly, vein mark throbbing on his head.

"Hmph, I'd like to see your country someday. It sounds interesting." Nobunaga told Ayako, smirking. Ayako's world was so diverse and open... just like how he wanted his Japan to be. Ayako sweat dropped and smiled wryly. She knew Nobunaga was only half serious since he knew that she came from the future and her 'world' didn't exist yet, but the look on his face clearly said 'let me loose, and I'll paint the town red.' Modern Japan and America wouldn't stand a chance against the wild young lord.