A/N: I've been dying to do a SW story for ages. Hope you like it!

Chapter One

Mitsuhide dashed on ahead of the servant that was supposed to escort him, heading for the place he enjoyed sitting.

"Mitsuhide-sama! Please wait!" His servant called behind him. Mitsuhide turned his head behind him slightly with a slight, one-sided smile.

"You can catch up in a moment, Yuko. I am only going to the cliff edge at the lake!" He called over his shoulder.

His servant called again but he ignored her this time. He enjoyed having his own servants as they did everything for him, but they were also a bother, never leaving him alone. Even when he told them to leave him alone so he could play with his friends, they would still hover close by. It angered him but he was also grudgingly aware of how the servants ultimately served mother, father and uncles. They ordered the servants to keep an eye on him, and so they would, even if it irritated Mitsuhide.

He arrived at the small cliff-face that was surrounded by some trees and thick bushes that bloomed spring flowers. With a breath of content, he sat at the edge with his legs dangling over the side and he gazed down at the still lake below. The waters were clear and dark teal like liquid jade. It was a very pretty, small lake and sometimes youngsters came here to play games in the water or learn how to swim.

Mitsuhide scowled, wondering when he would learn. He knew some basics, but it was not enough. He was already nine years of age.

Something, a shadow, twisted in the depths of the waters and Mitsuhide's sharp eyes narrowed. Was that a human shadow in the water?

"Mitsuhide-sama!" His servant's call was much closer this time and he turned to look behind him. A great cracking sound vibrated through the air and the rock he sat on shook violently. His eyes widened at the same time he heard his servant's scream of shock. Before he could react, the rock he sat on crumbled and he fell with it into the cold, dark waters of the lake.

Mitsuhide gasped. It was the biggest mistake as instead of air, he sucked in a lungful of water. It felt like his chest exploded in agony and a violent fit of coughing clutched his respiratory system in a desperate attempt to expel the water and breathe in more air. Except there was no air.

The rocks battered his body while he coughed and desperately tried to control it. It took every fibre of his being to stop the fits of choking but as a result, it felt like his lungs were being ripped apart. He wanted to scream. It was then when he also realised how his left foot throbbed in agony. He tried to move away in a direction, any direction, but his foot was stuck. Trapped beneath the rocks.

Panic erupted in his frantically beating heart.

I am going to drown! He realised in terror.

Mitsuhide glanced about him frantically, pulling on his foot and trying to push the boulder. Despite his Oni blood that heightened all of his senses and strengthened his body, he could not move the boulder that trapped his foot.

Dread and devastation flitted through his young mind. Was he going to drown a pathetic death like this? He had not even become a man yet!

Mitsuhide squeezed his eyes shut. What was he supposed to do? He could not die now!

Movement in the water forced him to open his eyes and he looked to his side. His struggling stopped as he stared at another figure in the water. It was a young woman, a slender woman that uncurled herself from the shadows of the water. She was the shadow he saw just a moment ago.

A spirit of the water. Or an enemy spy? Did it matter? Desperation screamed in Mitsuhide's mind when she swam up, not seeing him. He reached out and grabbed her foot. His conscious was slipping through his fingers.

Save me!

She looked down and he saw her eyes. There were mixed emotions within her gaze that flashed through those brown eyes in an instant: fear, anger, confusion and desperation. Was a spirit supposed to feel those kinds of emotions within the water that was her domain? They were replaced by shock and determination.

Mitushide knew, he knew that she would save his life.

I stepped off the plane, feeling the sticky humid air hit me like a wave. Despite the amount of times I had travelled across Southeast Asia, I could not get used to this cloying heat and humidity. I would have thought that being half Chinese would have made me more used to this kind of heat but alas, there were no advantages as such considering I was raised in chilly and windy Britain.

Propping my rucksack higher on my shoulders, I made my way through immigration which was a daunting process. The Japanese, like most Asians, did not have a friendly expression when stamping my passport. It had been much harder than I was expecting to be able to get two months to stay in Japan for my research.

Once past immigration, I plopped my hat back on my head and went to collect my suitcase, looking all around me to get my bearings. Signs were either in Japanese and English, or just Japanese, which was difficult as I still could not read the language; however, I could read Chinese which helped me out, seeing as much of Japan's written language came from Chinese.

I was half Chinese half English, a curious mix as some said, but a good mix. It certainly gave me many advantages when it came to travelling through Southeast Asia. I could speak both Japanese and Chinese.

Suitcase collected, I met up with my guide at arrivals.

"Welcome to Japan, Annie-san," she greeted me warmly.

"Thank you, Yuki-san," I replied with a sheepish grin. "It's so hot!"

Yuki chuckled as she led me out of Kyoto's airport. "This is only spring. You should experience the summer. Ah, but you will be here for some of that anyway."

My expression fell. "I think I know what that will feel like. I was in Hong Kong and Thailand last year with my family during August. I passed out three times because of the heat! And I ended up in hospital on the third."

Yuki winced in sympathy. "That must have been dreadful."

I nodded and we talked a bit about the weather while she helped me lift my suitcase into the trunk of her car.

"Why is it that every time I meet a person from the UK, they all talk about the weather?" Yuki mused, turning the ignition of the car.

I snorted. "It's a British thing. The weather in the UK is very unpredictable and generally all over the place. Rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy and damp, and most of the time, it is all of those together. It is always a huge topic of conversation for us. Our seasons are never fixed. The calendar is only there to tell us when it's Christmas, New Year, and when the clocks go backwards or forwards."

She chuckled and then changed the topic. "Today and tomorrow I will let you settle in and unpack, in addition to getting rid of any jet-lag that you may have. Then we will go to Honno-ji and you can start your research."

I felt my insides bubble with excitement and my expression melted as it would normally do when presented with food.

"It makes me feel so pleased to see one as young as yourself take such an interest in our history," Yuki said gently. "You are an eighteen year old girl and yet you behave much more maturely than your age suggests."

I smiled. "I've always had this incredible interest with Akechi Mitsuhide ever since I played the game that introduced me to the Sengoku period."

Yuki giggled. "Don't tell me, Samurai Warriors one, two and three?"

I nodded.

She sighed. "When I got your call, I was going to say no as there are many people out there who start getting interested because of a game and that interest usually dies fairly quickly. There was nothing special. But when you emailed me all the work you had already managed to gather for your novel on Mitushide's life, I had to admit, I was extremely impressed. So young and yet so much progress and work with what you had available in the UK."

"Which was not much," I added.

"I'm glad I and my agency agreed to your request. You have already done so much work and got the basics of his life, culture, myths and legends and timeline. All we need to do is fill in the gaps and you can then thread the rest together yourself."

My smile grew wider and I struggled to keep my excitement from showing. I was really in Japan, in Kyoto and this was my chance to learn everything I could for my novel. My heart beat a touch faster as I thought of Akechi Mitsuhide. It was my opportunity to find out more about his life than I could have ever hoped. The Sengoku period was so incredibly interesting. It made me adore Japan, yet I hated it at the same time. Again, it was to do with history, the World Wars to be exact, between Japan and China. Anyone who had read up on that bit of history could understand perfectly well why so many despised the Japanese.

It was all on the past now though, and there was no use dwelling on the past that would bring nothing but misery.

The houses and buildings passed by and we arrived at a small flat I would be temporarily renting. She showed me around the area, which was a nice little place, showing me where the shops were, bus stops and so on. Yuki then bid me good day and left me to my unpacking.

I could not stop smiling as I unpacked. In my heart was a really good feeling about this.

On the morning of my visit to Honno-ji, I stood in front of my mirror, combing my long black hair back into a high pony-tail. I wore denim three-quarters and a black T-Shirt. Simple. I had never been one for appearances, rarely wearing make-up or dressing to try and get attention. Besides, I was underdeveloped in some cases, with disappointingly small breasts. However, it did not bother me as much as some people would have expected. I was slim and looked tidy and presentable – that was all that mattered.

I also noted that I was rather tall compared to the other Japanese girls and women, standing at five foot six inches. It was a normal height in the west, but here in the east it was fairly tall. It was something I noticed every time I was in China.

I put my hat on, slung my bag over my shoulder and met up with Yuki outside.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded enthusiastically, pumping my fist in the air. "Hell yeah!" I exclaimed. "Let's go, go, go!"

With a chuckle, she drove us to Honno-ji. There were many tourists, most of which were Japanese. The air buzzed with the murmur of chatter and groups were crowded around dashboards of information about the temple and its history. There were families, school children and general other people. Some of them stared at me which made me uncomfortable but I ignored it. It was not often they would see a foreigner seeing as Japan's boarder was so tight and secure.

We walked through the temple and around its grounds. The day seemed like it dragged and yet it felt like it was going so fast at the same time. I read everything I could, took down notes, spoke to the priests who were happy to tell me of the Incident at Honno-ji and then at five in the afternoon, Yuki and I sat down on a bench, breathing a great sigh.

"Wow, that was a lot to take in for one day," I breathed.

"You've written down a lot of notes," Yuki noted as I flipped through my notebook and reshuffled my papers. "I will go and get us some drinks. I will be back in five minutes."

"Okay."

I watched her leave and then turned back down to my notes. Already I had a ton of information that was never on the internet or in the libraries. I felt giddy as aspects of the story I had planned were coming together even more. What I wanted to write was not exactly a biography of Akechi Mitsuhide's life because it was a fictional peace that I had planned, one involving Tengus and Kitsunes and similar creatures. Demons, or Yokai and Oni in Japanese.

Oh how I adored mythology in any nation, particularly Chinese, Celtic or Egyptian, including Japanese.

An unexpected gust of wind blasted me from the front and I let out a small cry of surprise. Some of my papers were lifted into the air and my chest constricted in dread. The wind took them behind me and into the trees.

"Crap!" I cursed. "My notes!" I stood abruptly. My notes meant everything to me!

I chased them into the trees, listening to the leaves rustle and whisper in the wind. I swore I heard the sound of wings, huge wings, but I was more worried about my notes. Through the trees I ran, until finally my scattered papers fluttered to the ground.

My heart pounded hard in my chest as I sank to my knees with an exhausted and relieved sigh, picking the papers up.

"Damn it," I panted. "That was too close."

With the papers collected, I scanned through them to make sure I was not missing any and then put them away in my bag so the wind could not take them away again. I was surprised at how lucky I was to find all of the notes. Luck was on my side today it seemed.

When I stood up, I took a look at my surroundings for the first time. I paused, feeling my skin chill.

This was not some group of trees like it was before. This was a forest. There was no wind, unlike the sudden gust earlier and it was surprisingly dark. The air was filled with rich birdsong and cicadas. Why could I not hear the sounds of the cars or the remaining tourists? I spun around myself. I could not even see the temple.

"What the hell?" I murmured, frowning and feeling incredibly wary. Where was this place? How far did I wander? Was there a forest like this around the temple to begin with?

A warm light drew my attention. It was through the towering trees. I stood where I was at first, gazing in the direction of the light with a dubious expression. Should I go towards it? This was still around Honno-ji, right? The light would mean a building and therefore people. I could make my way back to the bench.

And quickly too. Yuki is probably back with the drinks now. She will be worried.

With that in mind, I set off towards the light, leaping nimbly over the incredible roots of the trees and weaving in between the huge trunks that stood the canopy of leaves above. I moved around the trees and exhaled as I came across the light.

I stopped where I was abruptly and stared in disbelief. In front of me was a small lake, or a very large pond, it depended on one's perspective. The water was still and clear, dark with depth. Standing on the other side of the small lake was a young girl dressed in an elaborate and heavy kimono, fit for those in court. Her hair was long and white. Fluffy fox ears jutted from the sides of her head and behind her swished a thick and bushy fox tail. Her eyes were orange. The light came from a flickering flame that bobbed beside her. I gaped.

Was . . . was she a Kitsune? But this was the modern twenty first century! These creatures existed in legend and myth but not in real life. And yet, I was staring right at one.

The sound of a great beat of wings drew my attention up for a moment.

"At last. You are finally here, Aki." The voice belonged to a man who stood on a high branch. His hair was long, loose and black, like his yukata embroidered in gold. Black eyes stared down at me and I felt the blood drain from my face. There were wings on this man's back; huge, black feathery wings.

A Tengu? My breath caught in my throat. He was talking to me. There was no one else here.

"Who . . . who are you? My name isn't . . . Aki . . ."

Aki . . . The name echoed in my memory. I was called that in my dreams . . .

My feet felt wet and I glanced down. I sucked in a strangled breath. The water from the lake had a mind of its own, like it was possessed. It rose up from the shoreline and around my feet, rising higher. I took a step back. Pale, clawed hands flashed out of the water, gripping my ankles. Half of the owner's face rose from the water. It was another man, a man with long white hair and pale eyes. His pupils were narrowed into the slits of a snake.

They were all Demons.

I opened my mouth to scream. Cold water filled my mouth and nose. The snake-like man had pulled me into the lake and the water engulfed me like a dark cape of crushing darkness. I kicked and thrashed against the pale hands that dragged me down into the deep, desperately trying to control and beat back down the panic that was quickly rising in my blood. I had always been a very good swimmer, able to hold my breath for minutes on end, but the weight of the water was crushing and pressed agonisingly against my eardrums. My nose and throat burned. I could not see. Was I going to drown? What had I done? What had I done to deserve the wrath of these mythical creatures? What the heck was going on?!

: Do not fight us, Aki.

My limbs stiffened at the cold hiss in my mind.

: We are your allies. Save the Oni prince and guide him, Walker of Time.

The hands that had a hold of my legs let go and I blinked, suddenly so confused. Why let go if they were trying to drown me? This had to be a dream, a bad dream. But if it was a dream then I would be able to breathe the water – which I clearly could not at the present time.

Desperate ad confused, I turned my head up towards the direction I thought was the surface. It was then when I realised that I could see. The water was not as deep as it once was and to my amazement, my vision was surprisingly clear for underwater sight.

That doesn't matter. Get up to the surface! I shrieked mentally, kicking for the surface, shaking with fearful confusion. I meet a Tengu, Kitsune and a snake Demon, and then get dragged into a lake. I wanted nothing more than to get back to Yuki and apologise to her for making her wait and no doubt worry. This was a hallucination, caused by my stupid excitement at learning about the past.

Something caught my foot and strangled panic and anger clawed through my chest. What now? I need air!

The hand that grabbed my foot slipped away and I frowned, looking down. My eyes landed on a boy, a boy who appeared to be stuck, his foot trapped under freshly fallen rocks. He was drowning.

My heart sank, unable to believe the day I was having. Unable to ignore him and overwhelmed by the desire to save him, I swam down. The snake Demon was nowhere to be seen, but my fear remained.

Forcing that fear away temporarily, I swam down to the boy's level. I could not let a child die. Never.

I took a quick, blurred glance at the boulders that weighed him down and then pushed against it with all my might. The boy pulled on his foot, but each pull was weaker than the last. My lungs burned like fire and my head swam with dizziness. I was also growing weaker. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing one last time with everything I had. The boulder shifted, and the boy's foot came free. Triumph coursed through my blood.

The boy kicked for the surface, but he did not get anywhere as his movements slowed. He could not swim. I wrapped one arm around him and swam us both up to the surface. We broke through the water, spraying the droplets everywhere and I brought in a sharp gasp of air, replenishing my starved lungs and I sneezed an instant later from the water that stung my nose. The boy in my arm gasped, choked and coughed violently, water pouring from his mouth and nose as I took us both to shallow water.

"Mitsuhide-sama!" A shrill cry snapped my attention ahead. A woman in a simple but tidy kimono stood at the edge of the water, tears of fear and joy streaming down her cheeks. Her hairstyle was strange.

Around the water were more figures, mainly men that waded through the water, wearing clothes I had only seen in paintings. Katanas were tied to their belts and some others held Naginatas. I stared at them in numb shock. Was I really seeing this?

"Let go of Mitsuhide-sama! Do not touch him, you witch!" They roared when I was able to stand in the shallow water. The men ripped the boy from my arms and another shoved me back, pointing his Katana at my neck. I froze, my numb brain slowly processing the tense and panicked situation.

The Japanese were not allowed to carry weapons in public, certainly not Katanas. Yet I had at least three blades pointed at me in hostility. I glanced around me. The scene around me was like something from a Japanese movie or anime depicting what it looked like in the olden days, except I could not see any buildings nearby just yet. There was a small cliff-face behind me, showing signs of a collapse. There was no forest around the small lake like there was when the snake-Demon dragged me into the water. This was a different lake.

Where was I? Why was everyone wearing such old-fashioned clothing and holding weapons? Why did they look on me with such hostility?

Slowly, I raised my hands in defence and stood still where I was. The water dripped from my body. The sunlight suggested it was setting. Their air was surprisingly sweet and clean, with no traces of exhaust fumes from the cars and city that should be close by.

"Who are you? You will pay for trying to drown our young Lord!" The hostile men snarled. Others held their arms up to stop women from coming any closer. They looked on me in fear, as if I was some kind of monster.

My expression distorted into one of disbelief at the accusation. Could this day not get any worse?

"Trying to drown him?" I repeated in dismay. "I saved his life!"

I assumed they were referring to the little boy I saved. He sat on the floor beside the woman with the tidy kimono, coughing and bringing in staggered breaths. His face was pale but the colour was slowly coming back. I felt mild relief and pride at having saved someone's life for the first time in my own life. Becoming a doctor was the path I would have chosen had I not gone for writing.

My pride and relief was short-lived as one of the blades pressed against my neck, breaking the skin and a bead of blood trickled down my skin.

"Do not lie!" The man shouted. "You are a spirit of the lake who tried to kill our young Lord!"

I almost laughed, feeling hysterical. I was a human! Like them! I opened my mouth to argue when I stopped myself and looked between me and those around me. Our clothing was different, I could swim very well, I looked like a foreigner to some extent and I was taller than average, standing at the same height as many of the men.

If this was some ancient time, then I could understand what they meant. But this was the twenty first century. No one believed in spirits and such anymore . . .

However, I saw those three beings of myth. These people called that little boy their 'young Lord'. There were no 'Lords' in this day and age. But was it this day and age? Their clothing, their superstition, weapons, way of speaking –

I felt my face pale and my eyes landed on the boy. He certainly looked nobler than the rest of the people around him. He looked back at me with a mixed expression. What did they call him?

"What is your name?" I whispered.

One of the men snarled and drew his Katana back. "Insolence! To talk to him directly –!"

"Wait!" The little boy yelled, standing abruptly. His voice was hoarse and he staggered from standing too quickly. The woman beside him caught his shoulder.

"Mitsu –!" She began when the boy held up his hand.

"This woman saved my life," he croaked. "My name is Akechi. Akechi Mitushide."

My hands, which were raised, were lowered to my sides and I stared at him. My legs felt weak.

Akechi Mitsuhide. This little boy was the samurai who I was completely fascinated with? Nobunaga's retainer who betrayed his lord and burnt Honno-ji to the ground? The Thirteen Day Shogun?

This little boy was him? But . . . but that meant that I was in the fifteen hundreds of Sengoku Japan, that I was in the past.

I took a step back, feeling the horror rise in my heart as my eyes blurred with tears and the onset of a vicious faint. My hearing was becoming muffled.

"You're lying . . . you're, lying . . ."

I watched their expressions change and their lips moved. However, I did not hear them, and then I did not see them. My overwhelmed conscious sank into the dark Abyss of unconsciousness.

* Jikan no Shojo - according to google translate this means 'Maiden of Time'. If it's incorrect then please tell me :) - I just changed it. Thanks MorningEmerald for letting me know! :)