A/N: Hey yo peeeeps! How's it been? I'm horrible cause I haven't updated in a year, but you won't believe the stressful year I had. Also, this was for RurouKen week on tumblr, thus first posted there. It was Day 3, shipping. This is an alternative take on Saitou x Tokio and daaaamn, I wanted to do this earlier but I didn't have time for even for this. So sad. Anyway...don't own Rurouni Kenshin etc etc.
"But even for you, Tokio-san, it must be quite scary."
"Not anymore, please; men are so incredibly easy. One blush here, two nice words there, show a bit of skin and…they never see it coming. All the same, so pathetic. I've yet to meet one who actually resisted or allowed himself to be taken in on purpose. They all think you have to be so enamoured with them, because they are just so appealing…!"
"And what is it exactly that you do miss?"
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Two women were speaking in hushed but fervent tones between themselves. One was barely sixteen years old, the picture perfect of the innocent frightened yet besotted by fate young girl, with her mouth in a circle and her eyes doe wide. All traditional Japanese girl, all traditional Japanese hairstyle, wearing a kimono in shades and style that would make any mother proud. The one this girl called Tokio was older by three or four years. Her hair were free, black and not all that long, both quite uncommon for a lady of marrying age. They were also slightly curly, too another uncommon trait, barely passing her shoulders, clad in hues of bold red with some designs of black and blue.
It was a rather…striking, if slightly provocative image; and the two of them huddled together like that, talking, arose the feeling of suspicion within him. Thus, he, a proper Shinsengumi with a too sharp instinct, inched closer until he could hear them. And when he caught the last bit of dialogue, he just had to intervene.
The striking one, the one who said the part that was of any interest, had her back turned to him, but still made no visible sign to express uneasiness by his presence or any sort of fear – on the contrary of the traditional girl he was facing – . In fact, not even her shoulders squared. Unfazed, she turned to him, maybe a little annoyed; but as soon as she realised his occupation – thanks to the white and cerulean uniform he was wearing – she smiled. It was a fake, rehearsed one. It bore an amazing resemblance to the one he was giving them right now, in fact.
"I am a yujo, sir."
It rolled off her tongue easily, no shame or hesitation. Her fake smile returned; yet somehow he noticed her lips – the only feature painted on her face – was a matching red to her clothes. "Are you? Do forgive my observation, but you don't look like one."
"You don't look like an officer tasked with upholding the law either, so I guess you of all people should appreciate the irony; after all, looks can be deceiving, no?" She sounded as sweet as before but something about her tone told him the temperature dropped significantly; her eyes harsh, her smile cold, she kept looking with intensity. "Besides, all I was saying to Akane-chan here was," to the mention of her name, the girl looked even lower, the blush multiplying "she had nothing to worry about, even if she was sold to a whorehouse because of her father's debts; so long she knows how, she could make a profit."
"I see."
He conceded in his usual amicable tone, pretending to believe her. The second part, sadly, he'd bet it was true. As these times became even more turbulent, many people resorted to these tactics; it would also explain Akane's mortification at pretty much everything. So, just as he was about to bid them farewell and keep this Tokio person catalogued for later, she continued.
"What does a yujo look like to you anyway? Do we have a certain look or can you smell the desperation coming off of them? Or is it you've only visited the red light district in that attire thus you expect all of them to be timid or frightened?" Her tone remained civil with her smile now more of a front than ever, but he could see her fuming! "Or maybe you've visited as a guest, too and expect them all to be these demure, overly-accommodating creatures that exist solely for men's pleasure thus making it impossible for one to be out and about, doing normal things, like speaking to a friend on the side of the road?" She took a deep breath for it had ran out yet just as she was about to start a new tirade, still not giving him a chance to speak, he saw Akane grabbing her sleeve.
That seemed to do the trick: clenching her jaw, she crossed her hands in a more manly than feminine way, putting her hands in her sleeves. Sharing one last frigid smile with him, she finished the conversation this way.
"I shall be leaving you two ladies to your own devices then, seeing an officer of the law is not welcomed in your party; I bid you farewell and…take care. The world is a dangerous place." Mostly looking at Tokio, he raised his eyebrows before bowing for the formalities, to show exactly how much he did not buy her being a yujo and how she should expect to meet him again. In fact, he'd bet his rank and his name they'd be talking to each other very soon.
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"You lied to me, Tokio."
The woman clenched her jaw – something she did when she wanted to stop herself from speaking apparently – and looked away from his amused yet somehow detached look; she hadn't much to distract herself with though, seeing she was being held in his office at the Shinsengumi HQ. She'd been captured by one of his men, at the house of a very rich, very influential man, snooping around in places she'd no place being. They'd been patrolling the area when they noticed something out of place and went to investigate. One man found her and the other found the corpse of said rich, influential man.
"So tell me, when did you decided killing was a good career choice?"
"I did no such thing!" she immediately fired up, fists banging on his desk. "I've never killed a person in my entire life! And a man like him is not even worth killing…he was breathing just fine when I left him. He was unconscious but he was breathing, I checked."
"Checked? Sounds like a practised routine." She tactfully remained silent; he tried not to smile. She might be quick to anger and a very opinionated person but she had excellent judgement on when to shut her mouth. "So if you didn't kill him, what were you doing, looking through his documents in his study?"
She remained silent, looking to the side, battling internally on what to do next and what should she share or not. He admired her coolheadedness under the circumstances, but he still had to make her talk. "Come now Tokio, you must understand how this looks: you were apprehended looking through important documents in the house of a government-friendly key-player who was found dead and you already admitted to knocking out. Tell me your side of the story while you still can."
"I did not kill this man." Calm, effortless. "The only reason I allowed him to take me to his house, was the fact he is the one who…bought Akane-chan." Now that he did not expect to hear so early on this conversation. "I wanted the contract they made her and her dad sign so I could free her. I never did anything else than slip a little something into his drink—very little. And after that I never laid a hand on him. But I saw the body: beaten to a bloody pulp. Yet I don't have a single drop of blood on my clothes, do I?" she was really quick on her feet, he realised. "So please let me go and free my friend."
He believed her; in fact he knew all of these the moment they dragged her in there; she didn't smell of blood and she was metaphorically and literally clean. His impression of her was her being a thief and after she just confirmed it for him, he had no intention of keeping her chained up. He considered.
"The fact remains you gained that contract illegally" she furrowed her brows pleadingly "though I do believe you were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Should you provide us with a satisfactory account of what you heard, you shall go free." She nodded her understanding patiently but became obvious she waited to hear more. "However, this contract shall remain in our hands."
Her eyes widened as she sucked in a breath; her chest puffed up and her brows furrowed again. Yet before she could unleash all hell, his smile became teasing; his expression changed from the usual friendly look to eyes half-lidded, challenging. She raised a curious eyebrow.
"That being said, it's obvious you and the killer did not run into each other at any point; also the signs of forced entry and exit are plenty to show us the killer's exact route and how you never made direct contact. Now we both know you aren't a yujo, not really. What you are is a very successful lady and thief…who I'd like to work with me. You help us catch the culprit, we'll give you your friend back."
Disbelieving silence filled the space between them.
"You'll do that, if I help?"
"You have my word."
"How do I know I can trust you? I don't even know your name."
"Oh? My name is Saito Hajime and I do not lie, Takagi Tokio. You can trust me. But other than that, do you really have a choice? I hold all the cards…"
The displeasure was nearly tangible but so was her understanding of the situation. "As you wish; I shall help." She made a short bow and stood up, as dignified as ever. "Oh and if I were you, I'd start looking at gamble parlours."
"I said help us catch, not identify" he teased, but she seemed a little too offended at that so he let it drop. "Wait for me or one of my men to contact you. Don't do anything out of the ordinary till then but please don't work, too."
She gave her forced smile again but walked away with her head held high.
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She was dressed in vibrant colours and her hair were up in an elaborate hairdo; she usually let them down, but Saito had informed her this man liked it that way. His name was Yamamoto Ryuunosuke and she had seen him before actually…in gamble parlours, exactly as she'd suspected. She'd managed to appeal to him and through the three simple steps he had taken her home.
Heh, never fails.
And here she was now, pouring him sake in his living room while she begrudgingly allowed him to grope her. The oaf admitted early on of what he'd done and way too easily, so she was simply waiting for the drug to take effect. When it did, he was half-naked and smiling, lying on top of her for the most part. She was in the process of unkindly removing him from her person when the Shinsengumi stormed the place - completely unnecessarily in anyone asked her - . That was when Saito walked in and watched her rise lazily to her feet. His smile grew into a smirk fast and he felt like teasing her.
"All your victims are left smiling when you knock them out; I can't help but feel maybe they are the lucky ones when I'm the only one left frowning."
"But you're the only one left standing…if you want me to knock you out, too though please say so and I'll gladly oblige."
He smiled against his better judgement at the moment. "As tempting as that may sound I'll have to decline; work comes first. And you completed yours admirably. Thus I am more than pleased to present you with your reward."
He produced the paper she was longing for; her eyes literally shone for a moment. "The contract," she exclaimed breathless and grabbed it out of his hands. But then she realised. "You…you kept your word."
The amount of disbelief and surprise that went into her statement made him feel ashamed for no particular reason. "I do not lie, I told you."
"Indeed; I wouldn't have believed it if anyone told me: a policeman who keeps his word."
"You must have had horrible experiences with policemen before then." As if he was daft for even thinking otherwise, she made a face. But then it took another expression, indicative of her thinking hard about something. And then she looked at him like seeing him for the first time.
"You…you planned this. All of this. How could I not see it before? It wasn't an accident I found out the name of the person possessing Akane-chan's contract, was it? Nor the fact that access to such an important character turned out to be no problem. But…you couldn't possibly know a man would come and kill him at the same day I…unless…that man who murdered him was also…but why?"
"The rich man who was killed was a filthy leech who sided with the strong in order to make his fortune ever since he became an adult; I hold no sentiments for his death."
"…you…!"
"Ah, no; you give me too much credit, Tokio. I did none of those things." Yet he looked far too satisfied with himself to be otherwise; he simply smiled at her and inclined his head. "Thank you for your cooperation. You man leave now."
He then left her, giving her ample time to just watch him go by dumbfounded. He tricked her. But…but she was the one to do the tricking! How did this happen? She underestimated him. She closed her mouth the little it had dropped and walked away, shaking her head. She had been played but strangely enough, no one was hurt. Strange man this Saito; first he keeps his word and then helps her out, all under the name of some scheme to take out a corrupt man and a dangerous one. Strange man…but not bad strange. Just, different.
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"This must stop, Hajime-san."
Despite her best intentions to sound resolute, she came off as she felt: weary. This was maybe the twentieth time he'd asked for her help already. "You've been visiting with these impossible requests so often, my neighbours think you're courting me."
"Let them think that, it's convenient." She sighed—ignoring the heat that rose to her cheeks. "What? You don't seem to be in a hurry to marry so I can't be hurting your reputation." Rolling her eyes, she simply shook her head defeated and waited for the new assignment, taking a sip out of her tea cup, in her living room. "If it's such a big deal for you, I can always come with a gift and dressed nicer-!"
She felt herself turn crimson form head to toe. "That wasn't my point just get to the part where you give me something to do please!"
He tried not to look too pleased with himself. "I want you to infiltrate Takazuki's and find all you can about his illegal opium dealings. I also have a feeling he may be conspiring with the patriots."
"I see. And how am I to do this? The previous one nearly had his way with me and even if I don't look or even act like it, deep down I'm very conservative."
He wrote off the comment in his head that tried to assure her he wouldn't let anyone have his way with her, not to worry. "You're the expert in men; figure it out." He said instead.
"Not all men are one and the same; each has his own buttons. And the one you're asking me to woo is said to be quite conservative himself. What am I supposed to do?"
"You'll meet him and figure him out, like always. I have faith in you."
And that little sentence troubled both.
"I do too but if you gave me more time-!"
He raised his palm flat in absolute denial. "Out of the question I'm afraid. We all have restrictions."
"But I cannot work properly with a mere seven days window" she complained "not when you give me such high profile cases that I cannot simply knock out."
"Like I said, I have faith in you."
She gave a long, deep sigh. She wasn't really given a choice here. "One of these days I'll wake up and decide you make a better target than the lot of them on a whim, and we'll see how well you fair against me."
"When that time comes I'll have faith that you'll do the right thing." He felt her empty cup of tea hit his temple with amazing precision.
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"I thought you were a professional Tokio."
Her spine felt like someone had just poured cold water down her back, but it was only Saito, sounding as detached as ever…yet something sounded different. A colder quality, maybe scolding her? To be honest, she feared this conversation, confrontation, whatever, even if she didn't know why—something inside her just kicked up. But she would swallow the knot stuck at her throat and turn to face him. Anytime now.
"I honestly didn't expect you to fall for the oldest trick in the book." Even with her back turned, she still felt like averting her eyes and kept looking left and right frantically, as she presumed to cook her dinner. Maybe it had to do with the fact he was standing so close—who stands so close to a colleague when secrecy is not the matter? "Won't you say something for yourself?"
"What is there to say?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"There's nothing to say; I decided I should finally take this step, and marry. I am of right age and-"
"He's no better than the men you've conned all these years. What's so different about him?"
"…I don't know. He somehow feels different. When I talk to him, I feel…calm."
"A yes, exactly what every woman looks for in a man."
"I think I'm more qualified than you to determine what a woman looks for in a man, Hajime-san."
"And is that it for you?"
"I shall simply accept Hatano's proposal."
"It sounds like you were forced or talked into it if you ask me. It doesn't sound gen-."
"Please stop talking Hajime-san." He expected an explosion from her for his impertinent words. He half hoped half-feared she's ask him what his problem was and he'd have to face the question seriously himself. But what he did not expect was her, turning to him, teary eyes and desperate, pleading him to do anything – even if "stop talking" was a legitimate request.
"Tokio" he was really worried now "what in earth-?"
"Please Hajime-san, please…just leave." She stopped her tears and held her head high, just as she was used to. "I…Hatano…" she finally looked at him, dying to convey something. But she couldn't say it, not quite. She wanted to, but she couldn't. "We…you should go."
He's been way too relaxed around her, way too informal. He walks around her house as if it was his. But they were simply colleagues, if that. She was simply a skilled con-artist and he was the police officer who caught her red-handed. Despite how much she wanted it to be otherwise or how comfortable she felt around him.
"Tokio, I can see-!"
"Just go."
"You can't expect me to let his happen when you're acting like this?"
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself Hajime-san, you said so yourself. So...have faith in me."
Hearing that made him feel at ease somehow and he knew he should trust her; giving a small bow, he nicked one of her fruits and left the house.
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"Hajime-san…"
Her bridal make-up was smeared; her elaborately-woven hair were dishevelled; her clothes were dirty and her knees wobbled. The grime and the blood had become one on her face, body and clothes. Her hands, numb, either from the pain or the cold, would not listen to her; she felt like fainting but wouldn't allow it to herself. And now, there Saito Hajime was, standing right in front of her in full gear. She could see his sword was drenched in blood.
"You came."
"I had faith in you." Her smile was tired but genuine. "We captured Hatano as he tried to escape." She nodded her understanding because her lips failed her. "He will never harm another person ever again. You did well, Tokio. Though, you could've said something."
"If I'd appeared as anything other than truly smitten to him, he would have never lowered his guard."
"So you took a side-job." She gave him a questioning look. "He was your own project, right? I never even put him on your radar."
"He was responsible for horrible things and I was the only one in a position to do something."
"I think I've given you dangerous hobbies."
"Yes you have, Hajime-san." She swayed, and if he hadn't caught he by the shoulders, she would have fallen.
"Was it worth it?"
A smile formed on her lips. "All of it."
"Even the cuts and the bruises and-?"
"All of it."
Saito sighed when he saw she let herself go, supporting herself on him more and more. Without a notice, he took her in his arms and started walking back to her home. "I disagree. You're too good of an asset to waste tour talents on something like this."
"I took a liberty."
"…maybe it's time you retired from this line of work. Have you thought of working a desk job? At a ryokan, or…"
She chuckled. "Hajime-san, if I didn't know you any better I'd say you worry about me."
"Oh? And what if I do?"
That piqued her interest enough to raise her head just to see his expression, exhaustion be damned; it was carefully neutral, schooled into in; she felt her stomach do a flip. Was she…happy she made him worry? She looked away smiling.
"Do my troubles amuse you, Tokio?"
"No; and thank you Hajime-san. You made me feel better." She leaned closer to his chest, resting her head. She allowed the steady beating of his heartbeat lull her to sleep. Saito smiled and resisted the urge to kiss her forehead.
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Ah! Tokio-chan! Ooh, I see Saito-san is keeping you busy—you should complain from time to time. This may be war, but it doesn't excuse him working you like a mule."
"If it isn't Okita-kun! Welcome, welcome; and I like being busy, don't blame him. He just knows me so well."
She extracted herself from behind the counter, signalling for the shorter man to follow her. She was twenty two now, hair longer than ever. She had them up in a messy bun, reminding Okita of a sexy mother whose son always hated introducing her to his friends, what with her simple kimono yet still striking colours. She guided the young man to a room, ready to receive a guest, even if they weren't expecting him.
"Always prepared Tokio-chan! How admirable. No wonder Saito trusts you so much."
"You know Okita-kun, I'm older than you."
"But much, much cuter!" they both chuckled. "He doesn't just respect you though, Saito-san; he also worries. Maybe you should write to him."
"I do. I keep him informed if the comings and goings and report anything out of the ordinary."
"That's not the type of letter I meant; maybe do it just to talk to him? He doesn't say much but I'm sure he'd be delighted. He's always serious but I can tell he's received news from you, because he always feels better. All I'm saying is" he managed to stop her before she contradicted him "you lift his spirits!"
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Hands crossed, pout firmly in place, she faux glared at the tall man in front of her.
"Just how long were you planning to keep me waiting?"
There were many things different with him: his hair were short. Really short. His cheeks were sunken and away he did with the Shinsengumi uniform—instead, he donned normal, civilian clothes. Well, it was to be expected; Hijikata-san, the last embers of the Bakufu, died and the final resistance with him. The Shinsengumi were no more for a long time. In fact, despite her haughty line, she knew he was lucky to be alive—how much more in front of her. Yet she couldn't even begin to fathom a future in which he was dead, a life without him.
But his eyes were the same; that same flame lurked beneath them, that fight. And when she saw a familiar smirk grace his lips, she had to continue. "I've been stationed here without any orders for weeks—months! Just sitting here, dwindling my fingers doing nothing. And you? Nowhere to be seen or heard!" she pouted more, nearing on comical. "I was very lonely."
He came closer and stood. "Forgive me Tokio. Shall I give you your new orders?" she raised an eyebrow expectantly. "You are not to risk your life for silly pursuits of power anymore; you are officially retiring—."
"But I've still a mountain of wages to receive not to mention I'll be entirely too bored-!"
He purposefully took one more step, making the distance between them barely in double digits in centimetres. "Nah, you'll keep busy."
She put her hands on her hips. "How?"
"You didn't let me finish; the rest of your orders are to settle to Tokyo. There you'll have to take care of an entire home all on your own."
"And why would I have to play housekeeper?"
"You'll want to; it's going to be your home."
"My home? But I've no property to speak of in my name."
"If you agree to keep the house warm and the food delicious, I'll offer it to you."
"You will…why?"
"Because that's what married people do; share things." She looked at him for a long time at complete loss for words. She stared and she stared silent. "That is, if you desire to enter such a relationship with me of course."
She still didn't seem to be able to process this. "But you know me."
"Excuse me?"
"You know me; you know what I'm like; you still want to marry me?"
Was she saying she wasn't good enough for him? That confused him. If anything, he feared she'd be making the opposite argument. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Because you know about…we even met because I…"
"And I thought I already told you: I have faith in you." She felt her eyes water, but he didn't stop there. "Look, I won't be home for the most part. I already decided to take part in the next war on behalf of the new government, so I'll be gone more often than I'll be around. All I ask in return is you too have faith in me; I'll keep coming back. So I'll need you to take care of everything in my absence…and keep a fire going. I really like the heat-,"
Her lips crushed onto his as her hands circled around his neck! She was barely 1.60 and he was standing at, at least 1.85 but she'd be damned if she let that stop her. Tears welled in her eyes for a second only and then true joy seized her! She couldn't believe, he…he…it was all she could have asked for. Money she had, no matter what she'd said earlier and she's had her fill of no good pretty boys flirting with her. All she wanted was a man to share her life with, a man who understood her. She half-expected to be tired of men but somehow, this one had wormed his way into her heart. He'd never treat her like anything less than an equal and his friends did the same; he never made less of her talents and never did she look down on her for them. No, he trusted her and she ended up on his side.
Despite losing the war, she was unharmed. Despite losing the war, he was here. She hadn't realised until she'd seen him again that that's what she'd been waiting for this entire time.
When her lips finally left his, he held her close, but let her feet touch the ground. "I'll take that as a yes, then." She wanted to say something sharpish but all she could do was smile like an idiot. "You were right though. There are some people you can't rush about these things."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I knew I wanted to marry from the moment you were walked into my office. But I could see you were very distrusting so…I took the long road."
She felt empty for a second. And then...
"You mean to tell me you've been planning this for years!?"
"Yes; it worked though, didn't it? And I didn't even trick you. I just showed you myself."
"…you're such an idiot."
"You'll marry me now, so I don't know what that says about yourself."
"It says I'm a bigger idiot. But that's alright. It was worth it."
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A/N: Aaaand, scene! I hope you enjoyed this piece of writing; please let me know what you thought of it.