A Good Deed Gone Unpunished

Time-Travel for Dummies

Was this an assassination attempt?!

It was only then that Sleeping Beauty turned a critical gaze on her. "You there, woman. Let go of my hand."

Mai yanked her hand to her chest, mollified. Her palm tingled. "Sorry."

The way Sleeping Beauty stared down at her made her feel like a lowly priest looking into the eyes of a god. Mai was equal parts uncomfortable and elated. Having this man's attention felt like winning a prize.

"You saved my life. You may be some girl the monks snuck in for amusement, but I owe you my thanks."

What.

Who was this guy? Monks? Amusement?! The dull, stinging prick of offended indignation burned in Mai's chest. He was using weird euphemisms, but she was certain he just called her a prostitute.

Resisting the urge to frown, Mai took a half-step backwards. "Oh, well, you're welcome." Not knowing what else to say, she turned to leave, ready to find a significantly less flammable spot for her own seventy-eight hour nap. Too much had happened in, what, half an hour? "Bye."

Sleeping Beauty grabbed her hand, causing a fresh wave of itchy pain to shoot up her arm. "I just said I owed you my thanks."

What did he want her to do? "What do you want me to do? I said you're welcome."

He looked genuinely confused, in an irritable kind of way. "Do you not know who I am?"

"Should I?" Mai drug out the words, uncertainty coloring her tone. She just wanted to leave. If he really owed her, he should just let her leave!

Sleeping Beauty let go of her, humming to himself. A smirk crawled up his face. "Saving me without knowing who I am... you intrigue me, woman, and that's almost as praise-worthy as saving me life."

It was official. Mai didn't like him.

Oh, also, he was apparently Nobunaga Oda. As in, the historical figure who died - or was supposed to die - in the same temple they'd fled not twelve minutes before. Meaning Mai was in the past. Meaning Mai changed the past. Meaning Mai needed to sit down.

Her attempt at fleeing was halted when a posse of heavily armored men rushed up to Nobunaga. A man with lavender hair started asking if she was alright, and a brunette with a fuzzy haori was throwing suspicion at her and a man with an unnerving grin. Everyone was talking and looking her over and the temple was still on fire and god her hand hurt.

In an act of sheer stupidity, Mai turned and ran into the woods like a frightened feral child, ignoring the various shouts from behind her. She spotted pseudo-Inigo Montoya up ahead and veered left, heart thumping in her chest hard enough to hurt.

She then slammed into yet another stranger with a sword.

"Ow!" The stranger wound up under her.

"I'm so sorry!" Mai pushed herself upwards, only to be pulled back down by her shirt.

"Careful! There's a cliff right there!" Mai froze. She needed to take a second and calm down. Running around blindly wasn't helping her.

All was silent for one blessed minute. Then, "um, can you get off of me...?"

Lord, strike her down, she'd been mortified to many times today. Mai didn't even bother apologizing again as she lifted herself off of the stranger, although it made her feel guilty.

More men showed up. They really were just popping out of the woodwork at this point. Only one of those newcomers caught her attention, though. Dressed like a ninja and trailing behind some angry blonde was the scientist she'd offered her umbrella to!