**Purorogu**
"I'm glad you're finally here," the police chief greeted. "You've arrived a lot later than I expected."
The officer lowered the umbrella, casting a menacing sidelong glance as he closed it, unmindful of the rain now pelting him. "A few things demanded my attention."
+++++
Kyoto. Battousai wasn't the only one to have memories here that would never be forgotten… not the only one to have discovered love's first blossoming amidst the ancient gardens and temples.
Saitoh entered an office he had never seen, brushing off the rain from his uniform as he wearily sat behind the barren desk. He turned to watch the rain outside the window of the dark room, thoughts still as cold and morose as the weather, idly wondering if his rival had arrived.
Was Battousai's head filled with the scent of plum blossoms as his was with cherry?
Blood and glory. Back then, Kyoto's streets had known little else. Walking them on his way to the station, Saitoh had felt they were now nothing more than a diorama for ghosts to act out memories upon. He loved Kyoto. He loathed Kyoto. And he had known he would never be able to escape it completely… that one day he would be sent here again, to defend and protect it… vulnerable to the past that haunted him.
She would be here… waiting.
Saitoh touched the glass with gentle fingers, feeling its cold and lifeless surface. He would have to put her aside… again… for the sake of duty.
"Yaso… "
+++++
Footnote: There is a possibility that Saitoh Hajime had a wife before he married the infamous Tokio. The only known record of this woman, Yaso, is a census record for Fujita Goro and the testimony of a descendant of a middleman in the marriage between Saitoh and Tokio, who said he had been married previously. None of it gives any other information about her, such as whether she was divorced or died. The site this comes from is in Japanese, but the URL is (FanFiction.net isn't letting me post it as a link, so the punctuation necessary is spelled out in capital letters): wwwDOT3-hajimeDOTcomFORWARDSLASHnazo7DOThtml . The yahoogroup Miburo has been blessed with people able to translate Japanese and generated lively discussions about Saitoh recently. If you are interested in Saitoh and the history of the Shinsengumi (in just about every aspect), I highly recommend this group. It can be found at (same format as above): groupsDOTyahooDOTcomFORWARDSLASHgroupFORWARDSLASHmiburoFORWARDSLASH .
Also, the intro is quoted from the anime --- when Saitoh finally arrives at the Kyoto police station.
Mibu no Ame