-Soba-
A Rurouni Kenshin oneshot by Ayame-chan
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Gosh, I haven't written a Ruroken fanfiction in forever. This rather silly little idea came to mind while I was re-reading the Ruroken manga for the upteenth time in order to get a better handle on how to characterize Yukishiro Enishi for "True Love". You always seem to see Saitou either smoking or eating soba during his downtime and it came to mind "what if he eats soba outside all the time because his wife was an awesome cook?"
Saitou Tokio derives from an evolved version from "The Raven and the Wolf" series. I personally just imagine Tokio the type of woman who seems just as catty as her husband is at annoying the other characters of Ruroken. She hides in a shroud of mystery just because she thinks that it's amusing that her husband doesn't like to divulge in their rather tumultuous relationship and history, and she'll take great fun in teasing her husband when their history is found out.
And so, this is the end result. Cho seemed to be a pretty good option to choose out of the Ruroken cast because he technically does spend more time with Saitou than any of the other characters out of the shear reason being that he has to, especially during the Jinchuu arc.
DISCLAIMERS: As always I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. That of course belongs to the wonderful Nobuhiro Watsuki and the companies that made the anime possible.
Meet me at a soba establishment
It was the most trivial of things to remember about his "superior" – he cringed at the notion, although he had to grudgingly admit that it was technically true – but it was one of the most unusual. He remembered that he had been a little bit more than annoyed at the note tacked on his window, and his annoyance had risen each time he had entered a soba restaurant and couldn't find the man.
The note also had been short, blunt, and asked for no objection: three things that ticked him off even further. Cho was never really a "yes-sir" type of man and the mere thought of him even being ordered around was unfathomed, but he really had no choice.
He had made a deal with the government for his crimes after all.
After that incident, Cho realized that he had never really seen the man eat anything other than a hot bowl of soba and always plain with a dash of salt. As inane and ridiculous as the thought was, Cho was convinced that the man named Fujita Goro – formerly known as Saitou Hajime – was made of buckwheat noodles unless proven otherwise.
So he was quite surprised that the most unheard of invitations arrived to test his theory.
"Say what?" was all he could say.
The other man in the room lit the cigarette in his hand but didn't inhale it just yet. He was looking out the window that showed the new Tokyo's busy streets.
"After hearing about you, my wife has invited you for dinner today," the man said, taking a drag. "That is…if you're free."
The look that the ex-Shinsengumi captain gave him was unreadable through the smoke.
Another stupid question slipped from Cho's lips. "You're married?"
He immediately mentally smacked himself in the head. Of course the man was married – didn't he just meet the man's oldest a few days ago? She was a pretty young thing with hazel eyes and-
He stopped in mid-thought at the realization that something was off.
"Yes, if that broom head of yours can remember." His "superior's" dark eyes glared at him in annoyance. "You met Sayako three days ago."
"Oh." Cho was still trying to see how the girl he had met could be the man's daughter. She was simply too old or Saitou Hajime married at an extremely young age.
His train of thought continued to lead him to wonder how old-
Cho snapped out of it just in time before his nose could get hit by the tip of a folded piece of paper. The offending object hovered centimeters in front of his nose, held back by his hand that caught it.
"Finish that and meet me at the soba stand from the last time," were the man's orders. "I'll take you to my home."
Cho resisted the urge to complain. Not that he had anything important to do; it was just that he was being ordered around again.
He termed it an awkward silence. Cho by nature liked to do things on his own, even when he had been a part of the Juppon Gatana. So, paired up with a man who also liked to do things on his own, the road to the Saitou home was done in silence. That would all be good if it wasn't for the fact that Cho didn't like silence.
"Hey."
He really wasn't expecting a response, but he knew for a fact that the man would try his best to ignore him.
"I got a question."
"If it's as moronic as the last one, I won't answer," came the reply.
Cho gritted his teeth, glaring at the man. He weighed his options. Usually it wasn't his thing to pry into other people's business, but he was curious to find out how he was discovered by Saitou's wife of all people. The man didn't strike to Cho as the kind of person who would leak information, no matter how confidential it was.
"How'd your wife find out 'bout me? Can't be you 'cause you don't look the type. And it couldn't be your daughter since an invitation's a bit…" He tried to think of the right word. "Weird, right? Nobody 'cept the higher-ups and Battousai's gang know 'bout my existence."
There wasn't an answer for a while, and Cho was beginning to think that he did ask what Saitou termed a "moronic" question. However, as soon as the thought passed his mind, he heard Saitou say:
"Tokio…has her own methods of obtaining information."
The home wasn't as elaborate as he thought it would be, but Cho was surprised to find that it was situated right in the heart of the growing middle class of Tokyo. The only way of indicating that the house indeed belonged to Saitou Hajime was the new surname carved into the wooden board.
When the gate opened, Cho was greeted by a most unusual sight. A little girl who seemed to be around five came out running, arms wide and hazel eyes filled with excitement. She was pretty cute, too cute to be his "superior's" child.
"Otousan, okaeri!"
The girl didn't seem to be afraid or bothered by the fact that her father was carrying a sword at his waist, which surprised Cho. What was even more surprising was the look on the ex-Shinsengumi captain's face. It seemed less harsh and cynical as it usually was and to Cho that didn't look right. He was in the mindset that Saitou Hajime was nothing but harsh and cynical.
"Are you going to stay home tonight?" the girl asked her father.
"Just long enough for dinner, Akiko," he said in the same voice he used with everyone else. Cho felt slightly reassured by this even though it was an odd sight for him to see Saitou Hajime holding a child in his arms. "Where are your brothers and sisters and mother?"
"Sayako went to pick the boys up from the dojo," Cho heard a woman's voice say. He turned to see who it was.
Cho had seen a met many women in his short life, but none had caught him frozen like the woman in front of him now. She reminded him of Yumi, the kind of woman that would always make men's heads turn no matter where they went, however, Cho couldn't help but find that the aura around her a bit different than Yumi's. When comparing both women, they both held an air of confidence around them but Yumi's confidence stemmed from her former reputation and her attachment to Shishio Makoto. This woman's air of confidence stemmed from something else, something that Cho couldn't quite pinpoint from where.
His mouth must have dropped because he saw the woman's eyes crinkle in amusement before they pulled away from his gaze to greet the man next to him.
"You brought your partner," she said with a teasing hint in her voice. "I'm surprised."
Cho could hear Saitou clear his throat. "Cho, this is my wife, Fujita Tokio."
It took a second or two for his brain to work. "Oh, um, nice to meet yo-"
"Broomhead!" the girl in Saitou's arms chirped.
Cho immediately snapped his mouth shut, inwardly seething but not daring to risk getting his head or any other part severed from the rest of his body. Sure, the way his hair naturally stood was…strange, but nowhere in his mind did he think that his hair resembled a broom. It was just a stupid nickname that Saitou Hajime ordained him with. The man had explained to him that it was easier for him to remember people in this manner. The nickname was annoying but harmless. Hell, Cho reluctantly had to admit that the nickname had grown onto him but only because Saitou used it and used it often. It didn't mean that his hair looked like a broom.
His hair was definitely not a broom, even if a child said so.
"Akiko!" Tokio said, walking towards them. "You don't call strangers by odd names like that."
The way that the woman had stood wasn't the only ting that caught Cho's suspicion. The way she walked also seemed off. Even when restricted by the movements of the kimono she wore, Fujita Tokio didn't walk like any ordinary woman. Again, Cho was reminded of Yumi, yet there was something off in her gait that did not remind him of an oiran. Like her air of confidence, Fujita Tokio's gait held a dangerous edge to it.
Saitou's amused chuckle brought Cho out of his thoughts.
"It's a fitting name for him."
The preparation of dinner was an intriguing manner to watch. Tokio had disappeared into what he assumed the kitchen as soon as he was ushered into the home, leaving him in the care of Saitou's youngest daughter since the man decided to remain outside. He had to admit that the girl was pretty smart and self-sufficient for a five year old even though he didn't run into kids all that much nor did he like them. The girl chatted incessantly wit him as she set the table as if he was a part of the family. Being in a more amiable mood than earlier, he replied to her questions without much malice after deciding to forget the whole "broomhead" incident. Fujita Akiko's curiosity was insatiable, and the swordsman was beginning to understand why the girl wasn't afraid of anyone holding a sword.
As he talked, Cho couldn't help but take quick glances at the woman doing all the duties expected from a housewife. Yet Fujita Tokio moved in and out of the kitchen without a sound, and she spoke softly to Akiko when the girl came to pick the dishes to set down. The smell of food made his stomach growl, but Cho was too engrossed in trying to decipher the portrait of Fujita Tokio lying under the guise of a housewife and mother of five.
"I apologize for inviting you here if you had other plans, Sawagejou-san."
He tried his best not to be surprised, but Cho hadn't realized that they were alone; he could hear the girl chatting with her father outside. The food was already set on the table but covered.
"Ah, no not really, Fujita-san," he replied. "Didn't have much to do anyway so no need to apologize."
She smiled. "Is that so? I'm glad."
A short pause lingered until she reached over and grabbed the tea pot, pouring the hot liquid into the already assembled tea cups. Cho hadn't realized how expensive they looked until now – not that he was an expert at pottery – but any idiot could guess by the cups' detail that they would fetch a high price.
"So how do you think of the work, Sawagejou-san?" she asked.
The question seemed innocent enough to him, although he could not get the nagging feeling that she seemed to more than she let on to disappear from his head. He leaned back, focusing his attention on the ink scrolls behind her.
"Not bad, I guess. It gets a little boring at times, though," he replied truthfully, finding no harm in such an answer. "Can't go into too much detail, though. Something about the contract I signed."
He also wanted to add that after this recent assignment dealing with a particular Japanese-born Shanghai black arms dealer, he would jump ship to find something else that would amuse him, but Cho figured that would be too much information and that was his business to determine. He didn't know the woman, anyway.
"That's good," Tokio replied. She reached for her teacup and took a sip. Cho couldn't help but watch her. "My husband can be a bit overbearing at times, so I'm glad that he has a partner like yourself, Sawagejou-san."
Cho thought that the term "overbearing" wasn't quite exactly the right word. He thought that Saitou Hajime was more of a stubborn pain in the ass who he wanted to dismember if he could if it wasn't for the fact that he probably wouldn't live if he had attempted to, but that wasn't something to speak about in front of the man's wife. At least that's what he remembered his deceased mother taught him anyway.
He laughed. "Ah, he ain't so much overbearing once I got used to him. And call me Cho, Fujita-san. I get all weirded out when you call me by my last name."
She smiled again, pleased. "As long as you just call me by Tokio."
She poured herself another cup of tea, and for the first time Cho noticed her hands. They were well manicured and polished although on her palms he saw the familiar marks of calluses in places that he found on his own hands from constant practice with the sword.
Tokio…has her own methods of obtaining information.
The realization of the meaning in Saitou's words hit Cho like a brick. Fujita Tokio was no ordinary housewife. Of course this made sense to Cho now. Saitou Hajime wouldn't marry an ordinary woman. She couldn't be dependent on him as his job required for him to be on duty and out of the home at any given time. The man's temperament alone required a woman with a lot of patience and tolerance, and his status and former reputation required a woman who knew how to stand her ground if someone managed to find out where she and their children resided.
Despite that, Cho couldn't help but be curious.
"Don't mind me askin' but your hands don't look very, uh, ladylike, Fujita – er, Tokio-san," he said, sounding as innocent as he could.
He thought that she would be offended, but the woman merely looked down at her hands.
"Oh, these?" The calluses were in plain view now that she held her hands palm-side up. "Yes, they don't seem to fit my role, don't they?"
Cho wasn't sure if she was baiting him or not. It didn't help that she was unaffected by his question.
"No, they don't. Not for a pretty woman like yourself. How'd you get 'em, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, you are aware of my husband's profile, correct? Hajime trained me a little bit in the way of the sword as a sort of insurance when he's away for long periods of time."
He didn't completely buy it, although the explanation sounded very logical. "Ah, I see."
Tokio laughed, mimicking a forward slash. "I'm not very good at it, though."
Cho was about to comment on testing her strength when the sounds of children interrupted their conversation.
It was odd enough to discover that Saitou Hajime was married, and it was even odder to discover that he had children. What was even more surprising for Cho was to discover that the man and his alluring wife had five. Yet here he was, an ex-con turned government spy, sitting in a room with the entire family. The couple's final bunch that Cho had met to meet were three boys; two were identical twins and both annoyingly an exact replica of their father while the other he assumed the couple had taken in since he didn't look like either Saitou or Tokio. Since it wasn't his business, Cho didn't ask, although the boy kept on staring at him as if he did something wrong.
But nothing took him by surprise than the food that was revealed underneath the cover of the cloth that was over it.
"Are you going to continue to gawk like that?" came the biting voice of his "superior". "The food is not going to move on its own."
"Is there something wrong, Cho-san?" was Tokio's question, snapping him back to reality.
His reply came out in stints. "Uh, no…just…wasn't what I was expectin'…"
In his mind, Cho thought that he was going to be served soba as fitting as the former Shinsengumi captain's eating habits but he was proved wrong. There was no trace of the item on the table. In fact, he should have already known since the smells were wafting up right under his nose. He still couldn't help but feel betrayed, though.
His chopsticks were ready in hand. "Um…itadakimasu."
His first piece came from the mackerel dish closest to him and the instant it entered his mouth, his taste buds could have gone to heaven. He took another piece, wanting to feel the sensation again. Never had he had food that tasted this good. It was like being served a feast fit for the emperor.
"Wow, Tokio-san," he said in between bites. "This is really good."
"I'm glad you like it, Cho-san," she replied and motioned for her children to start.
"No, I'm serious. You could be making lots of money if you had a restaurant." He turned his attention to the man sitting across from him. "I get why you always keep on eating soba. Nothing can compare to this."
The man smirked. "What, did that broomhead of yours think that I was made of soba?"
LIST OF UNKNOWN WORDS
Juppon Gatana = Shishio Makoto's faction, termed as the "Ten Swords"
otousan = father
okaeri = the equivalent to "welcome home"
oiran = a courtesan, known more loosely as a prostitute
[name]-san = the equivalent to "Mr/Miss/Ms/Mrs" although in the honorific system, this is the typical ending used when calling a person by name in Japanese unless otherwise notified
soba = Japanese buckwheat noodles
itadakimasu = a saying said before eating; loosely translated as "I humbly receive"