Disclaimer: I don't own PMK and neither do I want to. At the moment I am trying my best to finish reading Naruto. Heard the anime was a right bore but I don't know. I saw it once and I thought it was a blast. The manga certainly is. Whatever.
A/N: Well, yes, I'm very sorry for not being able to update White Lilies sooner. Please forgive me. I was very glad that I still had people reviewing it though. Thank you very much. To be honest White Lilies is my current fic that I would never consider as a favorite but it is still one that I enjoy. I remember that I liked writing it. Ah, so I'm sorry for being a horrible ass because the truth to why I haven't updated in a long time is because…I am a lazy bum and I had writer's block with this story. I just wasn't interested in PMK any more. I was bored with it and truthfully I was just simply disappointed with the anime. I thought it was going to be great but it wasn't. It was okay I guess. Heh heh…guess it's kinda bad sometimes to have too much expectation. But I don't want to give up. I want to finish this fic as quickly as possible (partly because I don't wanna put up with it any more!) Nevertheless, do not fear readers! I will give it 100 when I'm writing!
Thanks to all my reviwers.
To kikyouhater118:Thanks! And I'm updating! Heh.
To Ali-chan et Vani-chan: Forgive me. I've been too lazy! Post major exam syndrome I guess! Sorry!
Tokio stared ahead. She still wasn't quite so sure why she had the sudden weird feeling that something or rather someone was there. Strange…She certainly felt a presence of someone there. Who could it be? Was he hiding in the bushes? No…That couldn't be because the presence felt much nearer to her. No…A bit too near. It felt like it was standing right beside her now! Tokio leapt back two steps away from the presence. Was she imagining this feeling? No, she was sure it was there. Mother had told her about ghosts once and the memory made her suspicions grew. Was this a ghost she was dealing with?
Usagi grinned when she saw the way the girl leapt from her. She was pleased with the girl's sharpness. The ability to sense a ghost among humans was a rare thing indeed and Usagi had to give the girl credit for being so good at it too. She was of course a step below Saito because the man could not only sense her but he could see her clearly in the light of day as well but that was forgivable because Saito was special.
'Hmmm…But you're special too, aren't you?' Usagi mused to herself.
She knew what she was about to do might probably make Saito angry but she didn't care. The stupid man needed to get himself a wife. Saito was an intelligent man but if he kept going on the way he did, he would never be able to make a family of himself. The man seemed to not bother at all about the opposite sex.
Smiling naughtily, Usagi reached her hand into the collar of her robe. Time to bring out the secret ingredient. She took out the piece of paper from her kimono and threw it in Tokio's direction. Then, like a puff of smoke being blown away by the wind, she let herself drift into the sky. Things looked far more interesting if you viewed it at heaven's gates.
Tokio's eyes grew wider as she stared in shock at the piece of paper that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. That was impossible. How could paper appear out of thin air? But there was no denying that was exactly what she had witnessed. Tokio wasn't the type to let her emotions run away with her. Usually she was controlled and calm; usually nick named as expressionless. But this was something even a calm statue like her couldn't help but react.
Feeling a little bit frightened, she tried to walk to the piece of paper without shaking so much. Part of her wanted to run away and piss in her clothes the way Oe had done. The other part was dying out of curiosity.
She held out a shaking hand as she got closer to the paper. She mentally kicked herself when she saw that her hands were shaking so badly.
'Get a grip!'
When she touched the paper, Tokio's beating heart ceased beating almost immediately.
She read the words scattered on the paper. It had green paint painted all over it. But the color was dull and not at all bright. In fact, it looked faded as if it had been old.
'THE PEPPERMINT RESTAURANT: Prepares meals for the misfits, outcasts and freaks all over Japan.'
This time Tokio's eyes were as wide as saucers. She couldn't help but be surprised. She read on.
'Everything that a freak would need and want: Plenty of plain soba, miso soup, green tea, poisoned green tea and many more.'
Now that really got her attention. Poisoned green tea? Who ever drank that? Well, she decided that plain soba wasn't so bad. It was one of her favorites after all.
'We're open everyday of the week. Don't hesitate to visit us as The Peppermint never turns down a customers no matter how freaky/creepy/weird our customers are! We guarantee a rewarding experience for all.'
"Very interesting…" Tokio muttered as she kept her eyes glued to the paper.
"What is, Onee-chan?" asked Tami. She had been gone for a while only to return with two cups of tea in her hand. (She hated using the tray)
She kept her eyes on the paper then Tokio looked up. She didn't focus her gaze on Tami however. Instead she was looking at the gate of their house. After inhaling a deep breath she finally turned to look at Tami.
"Sorry, Tami-chan!" Tokio said with a grin "I guess I can't taste your tea today. I want to visit a place full of freaks."
Tami wrinkled her nose at Tokio but kept her yes expressionless. She too, like her sister didn't like to show too much emotion. (A/N: Do not, for once try to think of Tokio or Tami or Saito as normal people. Not even for one second. They all are aloof most of the time)
"Well, I can already tell what the outcome of that is" Tami said with a voice dripping of sarcasm.
Tokio giggled slightly then she put her usual serious face.
"You know very well that you can read the future of every single thing out there. But please don't spoil this for me. I really want to know."
Tami nodded and this time in aggravation.
"It's not so much fun if you can see the future of every thing, right?" she said sadly. "I know the outcome of every thing including who I'm going to marry and who's going to die first and bla bla bla…."
"See you later…" Tokio whispered and with that she left to make her way to The Peppermint Restaurant.
She walked for almost thirty minutes before finally arriving there.
Tokio stared in wonder at the shabby looking restaurant. It had a piece of cloth strewn over the door as did most shops in Japan did. The cloth was a dull green, similar to the color on the piece of paper she had just read less than an hour ago. The cloth was equally shabby looking as the rest of the shop. It had green moss crawling all over the sides of its walls. The paint was cracking and peeling off by itself. No one seemed to have bothered to take it upon themselves to repaint the hideous walls. A pity that was because any one could see that it might have been a charming place before it got so old.
Voices and footsteps could be heard from inside the restaurant. It wasn't noisy and the restaurant's appearance itself gave off a slight depressing aura. Tokio wasn't disappointed by this. Not by a long shot at least. She was immensely pleased.
Entering the shops with small steps, Tokio drank in every single detail presented to her eyes. This place was…indeed very interesting. A couple of men were sitting at a table and were laughing at each other loudly. They stopped abruptly and started to kiss each other passionately.
Tokio widened her eyes but aside from this she didn't show any thing else.
Another table, right in the far corner of the restaurant caught her eye. This time it was a female. She was dressed awkwardly having most of her body exposed. Her thin body wasn't much of a sensual sight though and Tokio suspected that that wasn't her reason for wearing the skimpy outfit in the first place.
The woman's eyes clouded over and the white part of her eyes grew as dark as her pupils. The woman bent forward to place a small kiss on a single white rose stuck in jar in front of her. Tokio watched with interest as she saw the white rose turned into a black one before finally withering into nothing but a flower without petals.
Not wanting to miss the rest of the marvelous freaks the restaurant had to offer, Tokio quickly turned her attention on another one. This time it was a male.
He had long black hair tied into a ponytail and his dark eyes held a bored look to them. He looked like a man who could never show any enthusiasm at all. Tokio noted that aside form his eyes he looked quite normal. She was about to lose interest when she saw he made the candle light on his table drift into his palm.
To her great surprise the man began to talk to someone. But there wasn't anyone there. He appeared to be speaking into the ball of flame in his palm. This was getting even far better than scaring away no-good suitors.
The man's face contorted into a look of disapproval as he continued with his conversation to the odd ball of flame. Every now and then he would pause as if to listen to what the ball might reply.
"No, no, Usagi-dono! That is unacceptable! Well, how do you know that?" he asked his tone getting higher. The ball of flame glowed in response.
Tokio found the man to be far more intriguing then anyone else. She found comfort when she thought that he didn't look the type to do bad things. He seemed a decent sort and Tokio knew she was a very good judge of character given all her experiences with past suitors. She quickly decided that she wanted to spend some time getting to know this mysterious man.
Making her way towards him, Tokio saw that he was still engrossed with the ball of flame in his palm. Only when she promptly sat in the chair facing him did Saito notice her.
"Well, there you go! She's already liked you I can tell, Hajime-chan!" exclaimed Usagi. She seemed to be really pleased with herself and this made Saito angrier.
"Miss…I can see that you have been deceived but I would ask you kindly not to interfere with my conversation" Saito politely sighed. He sure as hell didn't want this girl to come and listen in on the conversation he was having with Usagi.
"How have I been deceived?" Tokio asked, her even wider than before. She wasn't smiling when she said this and she sounded nonchalant.
Saito hadn't yet given her his full attention as he was still furious with Usagi. He closed his eyes and sighed again.
"Please…Miss, I'd rather you didn't bother me right now. If you want some company, go to Saki-san over there. She'll keep you company for sure," Saito said in a tiredly as he pointed towards the scantily dressed woman Tokio had seen before. She was currently blowing kisses on a bouquet of roses.
Tokio didn't even bother to follow his finger. She sat still and continued to eye him. He wasn't a bad looking man. Most wouldn't say he was handsome on account of the dark, unenthusiastic, droopy eyes he had but that particular feature of his made Tokio find him more attractive than other men.
"I'm not interested in Saki-san and neither am I interested in company. I simply want to know why you're talking to a ball of flame in your hand," Tokio said coldly. She still had her emotionless mask on though.
This made Saito himself shot up his gaze from the fire ball to Tokio. His eyes narrowed as he took in the form of the girl sitting across him.
Damn! Trust Usagi to go out and find an extremely beautiful girl like that for him. Saito couldn't help but take in the lovely carnelian lips that pouted ever so slightly, the pale and smooth pearly white skin and the loveliest huge sad dark orbs that seemed to beckon him to drown in them.
Being a man, he couldn't help but continue to let his gaze wander. He stared at the generous curves the girl had, at the masts of ebony dark hair that curled slightly at the end and the pert rounded breasts that heaved in anticipation. A pulse shot through his groin.
Shit! He hadn't had a woman in a long time and watching her made him want to smack himself.
Saito by far, wasn't a pervert but like any other man he loved to look at women. Most of the Shinsengumi didn't know this because he never looked at women when they were around. He never flirted with them either and he wasn't an avid visitor to the red light districts that offered a large amount of brothels for a soldier like him. But any real man couldn't help but indulge himself in his primal needs once in a while.
"Thinking unholy thoughts now are you?" a voice scolded him in his head. It sounded like the girl's voice.
"Eh?" Saito cried in surprise when he saw the girl smirking at him.
"He he…That's my ability, Saito-san. I don't even need to ask you what your name is," she chuckled.
Saito regained his usual calm demeanor when he heard this. He wasn't unfamiliar with psychics. He had had a friend once who could read other people's minds as well. It wasn't such a frightening thought; getting your mind read. At least for a man like Saito, it wasn't.
"I see…Then, what pray tell might you name be, miss?" he asked returning his gaze o the fire ball in his palm.
"It's Tokio…Tokio Takagi.," Tokio said.
PS: Sorry about some errors. I got lazy at checking it. Sorry!