SORA'S POV
I stood with shock and anger on my face when Nobunaga grabbed my sister and when he asked him to rule the world beside him?! Hell no!
"What do you say, Mai? Will you rule beside me as I unify this country?"
"Hey! Back off, buddy!!"
I yelled angrily before pulling Mai away from Nobunaga.
"Jeez, we saved your life and this is how you show your gratitude?!"
"Now, now, take it easy, Sora, there's no need to get jealous."
"Who said I was jealous?!"
I shouted angrily. Mai looked at me with worry in her eyes and she said to me.
"Sora, calm down."
I looked at Mai and I asked her.
"Mai, how fast can you run?"
"I'm not as fast as you but, why are you asking?"
I glared at Nobunaga before punching him in the stomach and throwing him over my shoulder. I pinned him down after using one of my take down moves.
"Go! Run!!"
Mai nodded her head before grabbing her bag and escaping the camp. Nobunaga looked at me shocked and he said to me.
"Aren't you a bit strong for a woman?"
"I'm an ex-soldier from the Japanese army, it's what I've been trained to do."
I told him before, getting up and making a run for it.
"Hey come back here!"
Hideyoshi tried to catch me but, I grabbed his arm and twisted it. I kicked him so hard in the back, I sent him flying towards a ground of soldier which caused him to crash into them. I laughed at them and shouted.
"Nothing personal fellas, bye-bye!"
I dashed away from camp to catch up with Mai. I finally caught up to her and she was painting in exhaustion a d I asked her.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine thanks...hehe, you took him by surprise back there, did you see his face?"
"Hahahaha! I sure did, Nobunaga wasn't expecting to get his bum kicked by a girl didn't he?"
Mai and I laughed at that moment but, we then stopped laughing when I told her.
"Anyway, those three warlords back there, they're the very same people that see learnt from our history classes, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide."
"Yeah, I know those names all too well but, did we seriously go back in time?"
"After tonight's events? I'd say yes, think about it, the history books about the Semgoku period have always told us that Nobunaga was supposed to have died in Honno-ji temple because Mitsuhide betrayed him but, the rebellion lasted for three days until Hideyoshi came along and murdered him."
"And now?"
"Now that we've travelled back in time, we saved Nobunaga's life and Mitsuhide's coup can't happen now and Hideyoshi already suspects that he's involved with the incident."
I explained to Mai and she agrees with my theory.
"But, what do we do now? Isn't there a way for us to get back home?"
"How the heck should I know? I'm not an expert on time travel, who do you think I am? The doctor from doctor who or something?"
Mai giggled a little when I said this. Suddenly, we heard the soft sound of bell chimes and I went on the defence.
"Who's there?!" I yelled while looking around the forest.
Just then, the bushes rustled and then someone spoke up from behind us.
"Young ladies, what are you two doing in the woods this late at night?"
I turned around and I saw a weathered-looking man with a chiselled face walking towards me with a smile on his face.
'A Buddhist monk?'
"I am called Kennyo, and I am a travelling monk. Perhaps I can be of assistance to you?"
'Stranger danger!!'
I shouted in my head and I said to him.
"Uh, thanks, I appreciate your assistance but, we're fine, besides, I'm perfectly capable of taking are of my sister.
Mai and I slowly backed away from Kennyo and then he took a long stride towards me only to put a hand on my shoulder.
"You two should return home quickly. Demons lurk in the woods at night."
"OK, thanks for the advice, bye!"
Mai shouted before dashing away from us.
"Sorry about her dashing off like that, no manners whatsoever *chuckle nervously* uh, wait for me, Mai!"
I shouted as I chased after her. I tried to look for her but, I lost sight of her for a moment until I heard someone shout.
"Watch out!"
Followed by a familiar cry which belonged to Mai. My protective instincts kicked in and I followed after the source of the commotion. I found Mai and there was a stranger helping her onto her feet.
"Mai!" I called out cor her and then she looked in my direction.
"Sora!"
"You idiot! Running off like that and leaving me behind like that! Not fast as me you said, yeah right! When trouble comes along that's when you run faster than me."
"Gomen, Sora," Mai said with her head lowered.
I sighed a little and I told her.
"Don't worry about it, it's been one hell of a crazy night," I said before ruffling Mai's hair making her giggle.
The stranger looked between us and he asked us.
"Uh, who are you?"
"Mai's sister of course, I'm guessing you're the one who stopped her from falling off that cliff?"
"How'd you know that?"
"It doesn't take a genius to work out why you were helping Mai onto her feet and another thing, she was running away with a scared look on her face so I figured something bad would have happened."
The stranger looked at me surprised and then another figure appeared from the shadows.
"We just arrived but, you already have found yourself not one but, two women, Yuki?"
A broad-shouldered man, who is a full head taller than Yuki and with a grin on his face met us on the edge of the forest.
"Please spare me, Lord Shingen! this woman was about to jump off a cliff," the stranger, called Yuki, told Shingen.
"It wasn't like that, it was only because I was running with my eye closed," Mai told us bluntly.
"Huh? why would you do something like that in the woods at night?"
"Would you believe me if I told you I was trying to find my happy place?"
Yuki chuckled a little when Mai said this while I shook my head at her. The man called Shingen looked at us up and down before speaking up again.
"Two women walking around alone on the night Honno-Ji burns...maybe you're some kind of spirit? and a very beautiful one at that."
Mai blushed a little when he called us beautiful but, I knew thzt he was trying to flirt with us.
"Well, actually my sister and I are not spirits, we're pretty much normal and alive."
"How can you say those words so readily? I was just being honest."
I wasn't fazed by his flirting and then he said to me.
"What's this? No blush from you?"
"Nice try, ladykiller but, I'm not that easily wooed by the likes of you. Do me a favour and try it on someone who would fall for those stupid comments."
Yuki burst out laughing when I told him this and then he said to Shingen.
"Finally, a woman rejects you Shingen and she's not amused, hahahaha!!"
"It's not funny, Yuki."
Just then, another man appeared from the shadows and he said to Shingen.
"Your ability to spew cheap pick-up lines never ceases to amaze me."
"I just call it as I see it, Kenshin."
I looked at the man called Kenshin and I remembered who those two are now.
'Kenshin and Shingen... now it's starting to come back to me, those two are also famous warlords. The God of war and the Tiger of Kai, I better watch myself when I'm around those two.'
Just then, another man appeared but, I didn't even hear his footsteps.
"I apologise for the wait. It seems the fire at Honno-Ji has been extinguished."
'A Ninja?'
I thought to myself as I looked at the ninja. Kenshin then said to the ninja.
"Good scouting work, Sasuke. Nobunaga is...still alive?"
"Yes."
The tension around here suddenly got worse when Sasuke said this. Shingen spoke up with a frown on his face.
"He's got the devil's luck."
"Or he's the devil."
Yuki said with a frown on his face. I took a closer look at the mysterious ninja and then Mai whispered to me.
"What's the matter?"
"It might be my imagination, but, somehow that ninja looks familiar, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
Mai looked at me surprised before the ninja looked at us and then he spoke up.
"You two are-"
"What's the matter, Sasuke? Do those two look familiar to you?" Kenshin asked Sasuke.
"No, but I'll escort them to the nearest village, please excuse me."
Sasuke led us away from the group and when we were far from them, I grabbed the ninja and I pinned him against the tree and I shouted.
"All right, spill it! Who are you?!"
"Sora!" Mai shouted in a shocked tone.
"Calm down, there's no need for that threatening behaviour," the ninja pulled down his mask, revealing that med student that Mai and I saw from before.
"It's you!" I shouted in a surprised tone.
"You're that med student we saw at the temple," Mai spoke up after seeing his face.
"I'm actually a university student studying physics and science but, I'm glad you two remember me," Sasuke spoke with a small smile on his face.
I pressed my arm against his throat and I threatened him.
"All right talk! What the hell is going on and how did we get here?!"
"Ugh! I'll explain everything if you'll let me go!"
"Sora, drop him now!" Mai shouted angrily.
I sighed angrily before releasing Sasuke and then he coughed a little to catch his breath.
"Oh man...you're strong..." sasuke mumbled before looking back at me.
"I'm guessing you're a soldier from the JSDF?" Sasuke asked after spotting the dog tags around my neck.
"I was with the ground forces for a while but, I'm ex-military now, nevermind me, now start telling us what's going on here," I demanded him.
"It's easiest if I start from the beginning. My name is Sasuke Sarutobi and just like you, I come from the present or rather, the future."
Sasuke slowly began to explain what had happened since our encounter at the stone monument. After a long explanation, I was surprised and shocked when Sasuke told me what happened at the stone monument.
'That explanation made my head spin.'
Mai sat down on a tree stump while I sat on the ground, looking up at him as he finished.
"So let me get this straight, that lighting strike caused spacetime to wrap around us and sent us into the past?" I questioned Sasuke.
"Yes. That is a very simplified and condensed version of my current theory. We entered the wormhole at the same time. However, I arrived four years prior to you. In that time, I've realised something, this is not the Sengoku period we're familiar with. We're in an alternate timeline. In my time travel, I arrived at the place where Uesugi Kenshin collapsed. I saved his life with my knowledge of modern medicine. If this were our timeline, Uesugi Kenshin should be dead by now."
Mai and I were surprised by this and then Sasuke continued with his explanation.
"In the same way, the warlord Takeda Shingen, who is supposed to be dead by now, is also still alive. I predicted that you would do a time travel, as well, and searched for you but, I never imagined you would only arrive four years after me."
"Just as I expected, this really isn't a dream," Mai spoke in a disappointed tone.
"Nope, luckily not. I suppose you could say that seeing the famous warlords of the Sengoku with my own eyes is a dream come true for me."
Sasuke said with a smirk and I sweat dropped a little.
"You're strangely chipper about this, but, you didn't answer my question, why are you a ninja? did you learn that while living here for four years."
"My parents were big history bluffs so I got my name from the legendary ninja that served Yukimura Sanda. Because he's fictional, I've taken his 'place' in this time. I figured that will keep my impact on history low."
I was surprised and impressed when he said this. Sasuke put out his hand and he said to us.
"You can come with me if you want. I will definitely find a way for us to return home."
I smiled at Sasuke and I was about to take his hand until a familiar voice called for me.
"Sora! Mai! where are you?!"
I looked over my shoulder in the direction where the voice came from.
'That voice...Hideyoshi?'
Suddenly, Sasuke disappeared. I looked around and I spoke up.
"What the?! where'd he go?"
Just then, Hideyoshi and another man wearing an eyepatch appeared on horseback. Hideyoshi glared at us and he said to us.
"I have finally found you! Running away from Lord Nobunaga's side and attacking him for no reason at all...how insolent can you get?"
"I'm very sorry about running away but, when he asked Mai to conquer the world with him, it didn't look like he'd take no for answer, besides, there's no harm done."
"No harm done?! You attacked him!!"
"He was totally asking for it! As Mai's big sister it's my job to look out for her!"
"That didn't mean tackling Nobunaga-sama the way you did!"
"Tell it to someone who bloody cares, stupid monkey!!"
The other man on horseback chuckled and he said to me.
"So you're Mizusaki Mai and Sora? a stalwart lass indeed. I've no doubt you're the one who defied Lord Nobunaga."
"And I'm guessing you're another warlord? who are you?"
"You are right but, this is no place to talk."
The warlord helped Mai onto his horse.
"Date Masamune. Remember it, ladies."
I growled annoyliy but, I had no choice but to let Mai ride with him for the time being. Mai looked at me with pleading eyes and I told her.
"Mai, do as your told for the time being but, I'm warning you now, Date, try anything funny with my sister and I'll ma,e sure the consequences are brutal," I told him before getting on the back of Hideyoshi's horse.
MAI'S POV
I laughed nervously when Sora threatened him and then Masamune asked me.
"Yikes, why is your sister giving me such a hard time?"
"Sorry about that, she's a little protective of me."
"Overprotective more likely, anyway, hang on tight."
Masamune told me before spurring his horse to a gallop with Hideyoshi following us.