The Place where I belong
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Stargate SG-1. Not making any money…you guys know the drill! ^
Chapter 19: Of love and other demons…
When Tokio arrived at work on Tuesday morning she felt like a completely different person. Everything felt a little foreign and a lot more exciting. She felt as though she had been looking at the world through a dark veil. Now that the veil was lifted everything looked sharp and colorful…filled with possibilities!
The boys were at her new apartment waiting for her when they arrived from Aspen. After the boys were gone, she had spoken to Hajime about her concerns and she was exceedingly pleased to find that he not only respected her beliefs but agreed that she really should take whatever time she needed before she made such an important decision. Then he told her why Yolanda likes to say she "made him a man" and it broke to Tokio's heart. He advised firmly that she take her time. He told her he lost something he would never get back and he regretted it to this day.
"Good Morning," Tokio announced to the room in a very pleasant tone. Sam and Janet exchanged an amused smirk. Celina stifled a giggle as she greeted her and hurried to her post. Her close, old friends like Kenshin, Sano and Aoshi knew that the changes she now projected were from her victories over her monsters. Her SGC friends however attributed the changes to the rumors about her and Hajime that were flying through the base.
Everyone had already heard about karaoke night!
"So…how was vacation," Sam asked with a little gleam of mischief in her eyes. Tokio smiled tiredly.
"It was emotionally draining but quite fun," Tokio replied to mystified looks from her friends.
"Do tell…" Janet countered intrigued.
"I'd love to but I have to get to the lab. How about you guys come over to my new apartment after work? I'll tell you all about it," Tokio countered as she removed her blue jacket and put on her white coat.
"Done!" replied Sam and Janet, their interests obviously peaked. Tokio stayed long enough to tell them she had moved over the weekend to an apartment a couple of floors above her old one. It was much bigger and very nicely appointed. She couldn't wait to show it off. Sam excused herself to go home leaving Janet to the infirmary duties. Sam had just returned from being off world and was in the infirmary catching up with Janet.
Tokio headed out to the lab with a cheerful wave. The world had changed …
Earlier that morning found Hajime suiting up for his mission. He arrived extra early so he could do a more thorough job of understanding the purpose of his mission and the scientific goals of the outpost. Two weeks ago he would've been annoyed and bored at such a bland assignment but now the thought that everyone knew more about the mission than him, bothered Hajime fiercely.
He ran into AC on his way to the gate. AC was beyond excited and said that he couldn't wait to get to go on gate missions. He had already submitted his resignation to the university. This opportunity was too good for him to pass up. It was the chance of a lifetime! After all, how many anthropologists get to meet people who actually live in the lost civilizations and speak the dead languages they struggle to study?
"No way am I missing this! Even if I had to do it for minimum wage!" AC laughed pointing out that he hoped they would get to go on a mission together some time. Hajime suggested to Col. Reynolds later that AC would fit in well with their team. His athletic prowess meant he could keep up well in times of stress. Once AC finished his training he would indeed join SG3 as their anthropologist civilian liaison.
He was glad things were moving forward again. He had originally planned to climb the ranks quickly when he 1st joined the marines. But his marriage's failure had pulled him into a dead stop. He berated himself for allowing Yolanda to control his life even after he had walked away from her. He knew he was the only one to blame for falling short of his own expectations.
'Gotta let that go,' he ordered himself firmly as the gate activated. He would work hard now to catch up. When he returned he would light a fire under his contractor's butt and hopefully get his house finished before winter. At work he would triple his efforts and start living up to his potential…
Later that evening Janet and Sam ooh-ed and aah-ed at Tokio's new apartment. They sipped Tokio's tea and nibbled at the delicious dessert Tokio prepared after the exquisite dinner she made for them, sitting in Tokio's new dining table. There was a brand new 46inch flat panel TV on the wall above the fireplace. The parquet floors gleamed in the elegant lighting. The beige couch was large and plush with two soft comfortable armchairs at either side.
Although if asked, Tokio would say that her favorite part of the whole place was having her own private laundry closet. Years of using Laundromats made her value the little stacked washer/dryer in the little closet in the hall above all other things in the apartment. The thought that she would never have to get up early to go hunting for a place to pay to do her laundry was priceless.
Of course, the security features were impressive as well. All the windows were a special non-breakable glass with special security latches. An electronic security system was wired to all the windows and the balcony door. Aoshi had made sure to wait until she got home and he triple checked the system before letting her set up the code. The windows and the balcony door were also treated with a special privacy film that allowed light in but kept prying eyes out.
Janet and Sam teased Tokio on what sexual escapades she could enjoy in this very private and beautiful apartment. Tokio very prudishly declared that she did not intend to have any sexual escapades of any kind until she got to know Hajime a lot better. Sam and Janet poked and prodded until Tokio finally confessed she was a virgin. She intended to stay that way until she was sure Hajime was the type of man she had been hoping for. Janet and Sam could hardly believe it!
"Wow! I wish I had that kind of conviction!" Janet exclaimed. As she explained she had lost her virginity in high school. She wished now she had waited a little longer. Sam said the same. She had given hers up to a guy that broke her heart during her senior year in high school. They both regretted their hasty choices.
"Well it wasn't hard really. The way my life was back then… well there was only one path to my freedom and I wasn't about to jeopardize it with any guy no matter how nice he seemed," Tokio explained and most of the time the seemingly nice guys turned out to be not very nice at all.
"…One path to freedom?" Janet repeated perplexed. Sam looked confused. Tokio decided then to tell them about her grandmother and the plans the old woman had made for her future.
"I'm sorry but your grandma was nuts!" Janet exclaimed as Tokio explained what happened at her family's home and what her grandmother put her through.
"Clinically insane!" Sam agreed. Tokio just shrugged.
"Fear does strange things to people," Tokio added with a casual shrug. She was putting all of that behind. She was proud of the way she had lived. It was tough but she made it. She won in the end.
"Yea…But you didn't let her fear take you down. Well done!" Janet enthused giving Tokio's hand a squeeze.
"Yea! Good job!" Sam agreed patting Tokio in the back. Tokio smiled pleased with herself and happy that her new friends felt the same way she did.
"So going back to Davila…" Sam began with a little mischievous twinkle in her eye. Tokio blushed.
"What do you think his chances are?" Janet teased with the same twinkle in her eye as Sam; the two of them leaned in conspiratorially. Tokio blushed an even deeper shade of red.
"Well it's too early to tell…" she began primly trying to avoid the subject. The way Hajime held her and kissed her made her convictions waver slightly at times. She had a feeling it would become more difficult to hold on as time went by.
"Oh come on! Throw us bone here!" Sam insisted. Janet laughed and poked Tokio lightly in the shoulder.
"Come on you do know! Tell us!" Janet teased. Sam and Janet laughed Tokio – slightly tongue-tied – insisted she did not know.
"Come on! We can keep a secret!" Sam insisted smiling maniacally. Janet mirrored her expression as the two leaned in a little more. Tokio continued to blush as she picked up her cup with both her hands attempting to hide her face with it.
"Well if I had to guess…I'd say his chances are better than anyone I've dated," Tokio finally relented "which really isn't saying much since I didn't date very many men," Tokio added quickly but Sam and Janet weren't listening anymore as they laughed.
"Hey you better not tell him how good his chances are," Janet suggested still laughing. Tokio frowned confused but agreed slowly.
"Yea let him sweat for a little while," Sam added grinning like the Cheshire cat. "By the way, did you tell him you're a virgin?" Sam asked. Janet stopped laughing for a moment to listen.
"Yes I did actually," Tokio replied rather proudly and explained Hajime had come to the conclusion on his own since he was aware of the circumstances of her life.
"He was quite supportive," Tokio insisted primly. Janet and Sam laughed.
"Of course he was supportive!" Sam laughed. Tokio rolled her eyes still bushing deeply.
"Yea! "The one he wants" is totally a Sandra Dee!" Janet added teasingly as she laughed good-naturedly.
"Possessive/territorial guys like him loooove Sandra Dees!" Sam continued teasingly.
"Sometimes I wish I had a little of Rizzo's fearlessness," Tokio rejoined laughing with them. She didn't really mind their teasing. She enjoyed their girly camaraderie. It was something that she had always wanted and missed deeply. If this was a taste of things to come then she just couldn't wait!
When Hajime returned from his mission Saturday morning he found – much to his dismay – Kenshin and Sano sitting in Tokio's dining room having brunch. They had traveled from Aspen just so Tokio would cook for them. Tokio did so happily and it annoyed Hajime to have to share her with them. They'd already had her to themselves for 4 years. It was his turn! He said nothing though because he knew how much the dork duo meant to his Tokio.
He made a valiant effort not to pick on them, much to their surprise. Aoshi, Sano and Kenshin were her best – and only real – friends. They had been her protectors and Tokio cared a great deal about them. Tokio had told him that she slept for the first time without fear thanks to them. It was something he respected and appreciated.
Once they were gone, taking with them Tokio's ancestor's diary to give to Hajime's mother, life changed completely for Hajime. He was at her house every night that he wasn't off-world. He would arrive straight from the SGC bearing some special treat his Tokio liked. She would mock-scold him for not going home to rest but wouldn't send him away. She teasingly accused him of trying to fatten her up with the decadent little desserts he brought once.
"So what's wrong with that? I'd like my Tokio to have a little meat on her bones," he whispered seductively wrapping his arms around her waist tightly from behind her. She elbowed him lightly protesting coquettishly and blushing fiercely. Hajime absolutely enjoyed their little quiet evenings at home. Most people would have found it strange that he was so at ease in such simple settings.
All they did was cook, clean and generally play house. By the end of the first month they acted like they had been married for years. He would even go as far as bringing his own laundry to Tokio's house and they would share nearly every chore. As time went by he hated more and more when it was time for him to leave. During the weekends of course their courtship was like any other.
Hajime made all the requisite expensive dinner outings, parties with their friends from work, romantic picnics in some nice remote glade reached with his motorcycle. He even gave her a tour of his half constructed house on the first Saturday morning they had to themselves. Tokio returned with him every Saturday morning to check on his house and ended up buying the larger, more expensive property a little ways down the street from his at the top of the cul-de-sac.
The back of that property had access to some really nice and popular hiking trails which they took advantage of on Sundays. She would hold off on building her house until she could settle on a design that she really liked. Victoria sent one of her favorite architects to design Tokio's dream house. She even sent Tokio a top notch team of construction specialists once she picked her design.
It was a little mind-boggling how much she did for Tokio. His detective inclined brain made him wonder if they had found in the Janeway Estate something of great value that she couldn't share with Tokio. If so it would explain why Victoria was so inclined to throw her money in Tokio's direction with such abandon all of a sudden. According to Tokio, while Victoria had always been kind, she had never received from her more than she had earned.
Hajime shared his deductions with Tokio. Tokio agreed saying she suspected that her Sensei might have found the things that her grandmother had used to abuse so many people. After all, it was too much coincidence that right after visiting the Janeway Estate Victoria decided to buy Tokio's apartment building. Tokio thought perhaps Victoria hadn't told her what she found in order to protect her position in the military.
"Who knows what sordid secrets my grandmother hid," Tokio concluded with a shrug as she and Hajime stretched out on the couch after dinner.
"Either way I suppose the less we know the better," Hajime agreed stroking Tokio's back tenderly. Tokio agreed insisting she had no interest in what her grandmother was up to and if her mentor was going to benefit somehow from it so much the better.
"My grandmother would hate it you know! Sensei doesn't conform to my grandma's standards," Tokio laughed then changed the subject to talk about work. Hajime loved talking to her. He could say anything about anything and she would understand. Tokio read nearly every team report and because she had all the same security clearances as he…well he didn't have to worry about what was classified and what wasn't.
He asked her too about her adventures with Aoshi and his quest for revenge. She had the wildest adventures! It was with horror that Hajime heard her relate a time when she had traveled to – of all the crazy places! – Helmajistan! Aoshi and Hiei had been injured and were stuck in a city deep in the heart of Helmajistan. Tokio, upon hearing this, insisted Night take her there.
"Tokio that was dangerous! Women are less than cattle there," Hajime had intoned solemnly unwillingly imagining the horrors they could have inflicted on his Tokio had she been discovered. He himself had never gone too far from the border and never without plenty of back up. Tokio had gone to the heart of that place with just Nightraven. Tokio just shrugged.
"I know…but I couldn't really leave them to die there, could I?" she countered casually. He shook his head. As she explained it really wasn't as difficult as they thought. Night blended in and since she had her face covered no one bothered to look. Night had all the required forged papers plus plenty of bribe money. She masqueraded as a deaf, mute dumb slave girl and played her part very convincingly.
"Night gave me these little ear plugs that blocked out everything but his voice," she laughed and added that Night had used all sorts of other illusions to convince everyone she was some sort of useful pack mule. Some even tried to buy her from him. Night made his refusals very clever and used the contacts he acquired to help get Aoshi and Hiei out of the city.
"It really wasn't hard at all," she insisted. Still Hajime frowned but it put a whole new perspective on his Tokio. Night had been training her like a soldier in his own special way. Tokio had incorporated her own flair to being a warrior. He apparently had taught her also how to use every kind of rifle and hand gun available to civilians.
"Well no wonder you're such good shot!" he laughed. Tokio just shrugged obviously pleased with herself. On top of her crazy excursions she had apparently been kidnapped once by a Colombian guerilla group. Night of course was able to find her within a couple of hours and not only did he take out the group that took her but decimated the guerilla faction while he was at it!
"Now that time I was really scared!" Tokio added her eyes wide with amazement as she began to tell her story.
"Yea I'll bet!" he agreed horrified as Tokio told him the tale of her journey through the Colombian mountains…
The new group taking over for Pablo Escobar was just as nasty and brazen. It was the middle of the day when the attack came. Tokio shivered in fear, despite the tropical heat, as a man who looked no more than 18 years old roughly pushed her into the jungle with a gun to her head. Several men were running now towards him. She knew that the only reason she was still alive was because she was a doctor.
'Is this it?' she wondered feeling angry that after all her hard work, after all her sacrifices, she was going to be raped and killed by a bunch of drug dealing psychopaths! Gunfire erupted in the jungle around. Some part of the army of drug dealers was still engaged with Aoshi and the mercs he'd hired. She wondered if they had managed to kill her un-killable Night. She had lost sight of him when the battle began.
'No! He is alive and he'll find me! I have to hang on!' she assured herself shaking the little evil thought away. Twelve more men joined her captor and they raced deeper into the jungle. In her limited Spanish – she hadn't gotten to learn it that well yet – she heard one say that he had her medical supplies. The other commended him and told him they needed to hurry and get her to their commander.
'No! Night will find me before then!' she thought trying to find ways to leave Night a trail as she barreled through the forest. She stumbled and hit a tree dropping a little button from her cargo pants' pocket as they grabbed her and roughly pushed her ahead. She pushed ahead and often found excuses to trip and fall then rip pieces of her pockets off to leave them behind. Night was an awesome tracker after all but she knew he'd need a little something to help him on his way.
The noise from the battle finally died away. Tokio had lost track of time but she could see that the sun was still high in the sky. She didn't think it had been too long. She hoped they hadn't managed to get too far. Just as her group of murdering psychos was beginning to relax, a huge roar rumbled through the forest. The men stopped looking at each other with confusion.
"Un jaguar? A esta hora?" the leader wondered aloud. Tokio wasn't sure but she thought he was wondering what the jaguar was doing out in the middle of the day. She wondered the same. She was sure that jaguars were supposed to be night hunters, but suddenly she didn't feel quite so scared. The leader ordered everyone to keep moving. They still had a full day's hike to reach their camp.
But it wasn't long after that roar when the first blood curling scream could be heard. The man at the end of the procession had disappeared into the darkness of the jungle and only his screams could be heard followed by another roar. The leader ordered the men to group closer together and fire at anything that moved. The group tightened and they continued – a little faster this time – through the thick vegetation.
By the time night fell in the forest, the drug dealing wacks had been reduced from thirteen to seven. They were picked off, one by one, by the incredibly fast and nearly invisible panther (for they determined it was black). It seemed almost to be toying with them. As they rushed through the forest, body parts of the taken men would come flying towards them, making them jump and fire wildly. They were almost more afraid now than she was!
One young man was in tears by the time they stopped and managed to build a fire. He kept rambling on about the curse of the jungle and that they were all going to die because they had angered the devil's guardian beast. Tokio thought this was utter nonsense and wondered vaguely if it wasn't Night out there throwing clever illusions at these "beasts". The more scared they felt the calmer she got.
The night wore on and, as they tried to keep the fire alive, two more men died. Their blood curling screams echoed in the pitch black of the forest. The leader grabbed her then and decided they couldn't wait until morning to continue. They picked up some torches and huddling together, they hurried off into the night, moving as fast as the darkness allowed them.
"Matemosla!" hollered the man next to her. In her fatigue she barely understood it to mean: "Kill her!" The leader ordered him to shut up and keep moving. But the man insisted that Tokio was somehow a witch, a foreign witch, bringing the curses of the jungles to life. He apparently was making a good argument because the other four men looked mutinous.
The leader somehow managed to calm them temporarily. Before long they encountered an advance patrol from the camp as daylight began breaking through the canopy. The men breathed a sigh of relief but Tokio's fear returned full force. Her panther protector wouldn't be able to follow her into the camp. But just as she was giving up hope she heard several loud roars. Her panther was not far…
'Night…is that you?' she hoped and prayed it was. It would be just like him to resort to this sort of magic trick. Her end was looming near as she looked around at the faces in the camp. Some sad and broken others leering at her as though contemplating her as their next meal. They took her towards the commander's cabin and shoved her through the door. He ordered her to attend the man sitting at a chair with a bleeding wound on his leg. At first glance it looked infected.
'I have to hang on!' she told herself as she gracefully moved towards the man in the back of the room. Without a word she set to doing the job as slowly as she could. If Night was out there he would need time to setup his rescue effort. An angry woman of undecipherable age, looking somewhat less dirty and disheveled than the other people in the town, marched in carrying water for her to use on the commander. The woman glared at her with great venom before she turned to fawn over the injured man.
The commander had his servant girl offer Tokio some of the water and food she brought. Tokio was thirsty and hungry but she knew she would not take anything these people gave her. She ignored the woman and continued to work on the injured leg of the commander. Besides, it was nothing compare to the many days of thirst and famine the Peters had inflicted on her many times! She could survive until Night and Aoshi came for her…she had to!
'He's back!' she thought with excitement as a now familiar growl reached her in the makeshift cabin. Her faith was rewarded as screams erupted through the makeshift village. Gunfire erupted in the camp and Tokio heard more roars. Sounds of ripping and flesh slapping around were terrifyingly close. The commander slapped her aside and hobbled towards the door to shout instructions to his men.
She made a break for the window but the angry woman – whom Tokio assumed was the personal servant of the commander – suddenly lunged at her. She wrestled with her as she tried to listen to the screams outside for her friends. She struggled against the clawing and cursing woman until finally she was able to fling her away.
"Tokio! Tokio!" she heard Aoshi bellowing not far from the dirty hut she was in. Relief flooded in to her. She hurried again towards the window but before she could scream towards him, the commander had returned. He covered her mouth and put a gun to her head. He pulled her away from the window yelling at her. She was tired and angry so she couldn't understand what he wanted of her.
'Night!' her brain hollered elated as the door burst open and a familiar figure eclipsed the door. It happened incredibly fast. One second the man was yelling at her, the next he had a bullet in his ear. He lay on the ground dead but Tokio did not look at him anymore. Night sauntered in and knelt in front of Tokio. He patted her head gently and smiled.
"You ok Mighty mouse? Did they hurt you?" he asked in a soft paternal voice. Tears of relief fell down her cheeks.
"Yea...I'm ok! No, they didn't hurt me. My panther friend was protecting me," she answered feeling her throat constrict with emotion.
"Lucky for us then," he countered with a mischievous smirk and a wink. She sighed with relief. She was safe and she was going home. Aoshi came barreling in then followed by Kenshin and Sano. They threw themselves at her firing questions and apologies for allowing those men to take her. Sano held her tight in an almost air constricting hug that Tokio did not mind one bit.
"I'm fine…" she said again with a relieved smile. As long as her protectors were here…nothing could harm her any more…
"That is nuts! No wonder mom worries about Aoshi so much!" Hajime concluded. She nodded and agreed. She worried about him often too.
"His "the Punisher" complex can get out of hand sometimes," she added worriedly.
"Punisher? I thought it was more like Batman?" he countered. His mother certainly made it sound that way. Tokio shook her head.
"Trust me! It's Punisher! Batman would never do what Aoshi does!" she insisted and Hajime had to agree, especially after this story. He could imagine the carnage Aoshi and Night must have caused in their search for Tokio.
"That explains the little black panther figurine on your mantle," he added. She chuckled.
"Aoshi gave it to me as a good luck charm. He said the panther's trail helped them find me," Tokio added chuckling slightly. Haji held her tight, he shuddered to think how close he'd come to never meeting his Tokio. Life would just not be the same without her. He made a mental note to be extra nice to his little brother, and his dorky friends, the next time they came around.
Three weeks into their courtship, Tokio received a letter from her uncle. She was so happy! Her uncle had suffered as much loneliness and hardships as Tokio did by the hands of Tokio's grandmother. It seemed to create an instant bond between them. The letters flowed back and forth often though they were hand carried by members of Oniwaban.
They were surprised to learn that apparently her uncle and Victoria were good friends. Victoria and Nightraven had helped him in much the same way they had helped her. But because of his mother's actions, and his reluctance to speak of his past, they had never known he and Tokio were blood related. He applauded her courage and perseverance. He exclaimed over and over how proud he was of all her achievements and mentioned more than once that he couldn't wait to meet her.
He also sent her photos of himself and Tokio's father as young children. She had thought that none existed but apparently her father had defied his mother, refused to destroy them and sent all their childhood memories to his older brother for safe keeping. He also clarified that he had not been born in the camps. It was a ruse his mother used a long time ago for her many shady goals. He would explain better when they met.
Victoria and Night advised him that special circumstances were required for their meeting. He valued their wisdom and friendship as much as she did and would follow their advice to be patient. Hajime suspected by his discretion and the little hints he dropped in his letters that Tokio's uncle was likely someone very famous. If so, it would not do for him to show up on Tokio's door step casually.
Things progressed between them so well that he couldn't remember his life before Tokio anymore. He had a powerful feeling inside of him that grew with every passing day. He could easily describe it with three simple words. But every time he contemplated saying them he remembered all the times he'd said it to his ex…it stopped him every time. He realized now that back then he had never really understood those words and had used them in vain. He felt that for Tokio he should find a different way to say it.
It baffled him the way their relationship grew. Tokio included him in every aspect of her day to day activities without question. As he sat on the couch one Thursday night folding laundry while Tokio made dinner he wondered: 'How did I get to this level already?' Everything seemed to be backwards somehow. Their conversations and general behavior suggested a level of knowledge and intimacy that they did not "technically" posses.
'Maybe this is how a good relationship is supposed to start?' he thought as he and Tokio picked up the dishes after dinner. He did the dishes while she put away the laundry, packing all of his carefully back in his basket. As long as they were entertained with some small task or other Tokio was comfortable and very accommodating. As soon as he became a little more aggressive in his search for a little "love"…she would retreat and become shy and nervous. Quite backwards…
He would be patient though on occasion that wasn't very easy. Tokio didn't respond to physical displays of affection the way the women in his past did. She was soft and yielding and made no demands. Her inexperience became more obvious during those quiet moments. His experience consisted of fiery woman who knew exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it. Even the ones who looked like the sweet wholesome types had plenty of experience and didn't mind sharing it.
His sexual experiences were all a sort of battlefield where both parties tried to exert dominance over the other. His interest in these women ended once he won the battle. Tokio on the other hand was not at all interested in dominating anything but her career goals and her daily chores – which she never neglected and one of the reasons he spent so much time at her place. In anything else he was free to take the lead.
He picked all the places they went to and made all the major decisions in their outings. She was even letting him plan the vacation they wanted to go on together for her birthday. She even went as far as calling him whenever she was going out without him. She would let him know where she was going, with whom and when she'd be back. He found himself unconsciously doing the same on the very rare occasions they went out separately.
She explained to him that having little to no experience dating that she didn't at all mind deferring to his expertise. That blind trust put a lot of pressure on him. Anyone else would have tried to abuse it but Hajime was no idiot. He could be patient when he needed to! Sometimes it was difficult to hold back but whenever Tokio retreated he was back in control again.
'I bet that's why that sleaze Marco asked her to marry him!' Hajime thought as he drove home one night. He figured Marco might've thought that a marriage proposal might make it easier to seduce Tokio in to his bed. He had done a little research on Marco on his own. The guy was an expert Casanova! His list of conquests went all the way to his early teens. It was quite a long and very illustrious as well as scandalous list!
'But Tokio's smarter than that!' Hajime knew that even without Marco's grandmother butting in Tokio would've soon seen through the façade.
At home Tokio was soft and sweet. Hajime couldn't wait to get to her apartment every night just to hold her and enjoy the softness that was his Tokio. On the base however, Tokio was a different person. She was aloof and reserved; an absolutely perfectly behaved officer. Her boot camp instructor would be proud! So it was with great pleasure that on the occasions he ran into her, he would whisper flirty hellos and make flirty little comments about her hair or uniform. It made her blush and get all flustered. He just couldn't resist!
When there wasn't some emergency or some exciting new discovery going on everyone talked about Tokio and Hajime. They seemed to find their little encounters in the hallway amusing and it provided a relief from the "dire or bordering on dire" reports that typically came from the gate. Hajime – being a more experienced military person knew where and how he could bend the rules. Tokio however refused to play along. She played by the rules and wasn't ready to change that.
She didn't try to stop him though. He suspected she was trying to rid herself of some insecurity. She wouldn't say what but he decided to continue his course because she obviously saw it as a help not a hinder. At any rate, it was a necessary exercise as far as he was concerned. The geeks Tokio worked with were crushing hard on her and the new guys often made inquiries as to whether the cute doctor was available. He had to take every opportunity to mark his territory!
Col. Reynolds didn't see anything wrong with Hajime's new "cheerfulness". He co-related his behavior with his improved work performance. His stamina and physical prowess had doubled since he quit smoking. He became involved not just in the mission planning but in important projects that helped the SGC as a whole. Because of his new attitude Hajime was finally the valuable asset Reynolds had always hoped he'd be.
"She's just what the doctor ordered then!" Jack O'Neill joked as the two men sat in Reynolds' office working on the performance evaluations for their teams. But as always happens, if you get away with something long enough you're bound to push the envelope a little more. And that's what happened one day. After little over two months of courtship Hajime went on a week long mission.
The mission itself went off without a hitch. The findings were interesting only to AC – the anthropologist of their team. The jungle accommodations were atrocious. Every single person in the team suffered some minor cut, rash or other jungle related minor injury. It rained nearly every day and all the nightly jungle noise kept everyone awake most of the time. He found himself after two days with a serious nicotine withdrawal headache and was forced to slap on a patch for the first time in two months. By the third day all he could think of was Tokio.
As his team trekked slowly through the jungle slosh on the way back to the gate, he felt his lungs tighten. He had gone through his entire box of patches in just three days! He couldn't think of anything but his Tokio and couldn't wait until she was in his arms again. He realized as Reynolds dialed the gate home and he sent their IDC that he had just replaced one addiction with another.
"You're late!" called out Col. O'Neill from the control booth with a slightly teasing grin on his face. They weren't really more than an hour off schedule and Gen. Hammond had been informed well in advance that they would arrive late. But Jack was the duty officer this weekend. Gen. Hammond was already gone for the day.
Hajime resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was supposed to be an SG1 mission but since O'Neill was scheduled for weekend duty SG3 got drafted. Col. Reynolds did glare at Jack as he and his team dragged themselves down the gate ramp. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief as they inhaled the clean, cool air of the SGC.
Well, everyone but him. He could not breathe well until he saw Tokio again. His desperation grew and he wondered whether she was on duty right now or not. He glanced at his watch as a sergeant in the control booth informed them to report to the infirmary. He said nothing as he left the gate room. The sooner he could get over the debriefing the sooner he could see his Tokio.
Hajime gladly walked towards the infirmary. It was late Friday and he remembered Tokio saying Janet would be in charge when he returned. Just as he was beginning to resign himself to waiting another six hours or more to see his Tokio, a sweet familiar voice floated towards him addressing Col. Reynolds in a polite and professional manner.
"Doctor Frasier is in Peterson attending to an emergency. I'm in charge this evening sir," Tokio explained solemnly to his C.O. He took a deep breath and his suddenly rampaging imagination made him think he'd caught a whiff of Tokio's soft perfume.
'She took Janet's shift,' he thought excited as he locked eyes with her for just an instant. She gave him the tiniest relieved smile before she looked away and he allowed Sgt. Castro to direct him to the sanitation stations. The team dragged themselves into the stalls, stripped out of their uniforms and relaxed for a moment as the hot, high pressure water jets stripped them of a week's worth of layers of jungle gunk.
He emerged in a flimsy hospital robe and a male nurse, Sgt Lucero, directed him to a bed. He lay back relaxed and watched Tokio issue orders as she cared for each member of the team. He hardly paid attention to the nurse that triaged him. He made some comment to Hajime that he looked like he was suffering from some kind of serious skin allergy. He really didn't care. He just wanted to watch Tokio as she moved from bed to bed closing the curtain as she moved in to examine each person.
"You should've seen us after the paintball war in senior year!" he heard AC laugh. Tokio laughed as AC related the battle which took them several days to get all the paint off their hair and skin. Not to mention all the bruises and scrapes they picked up in their wild rampaging.
"I can imagine! Those little pellets are not as harmless as they look," Tokio added laughing. AC was lying on the bed across from his. The curtains were drawn and he couldn't see but he could still hear. He envied AC for a moment. He was a civilian so he was free to talk to Tokio however he wanted. He would be forced to more sterile conversation. Finally she moved on to Martelli lying on the bed next to his.
"Mr. Martelli what in the world did you drag yourself through!" she exclaimed scornfully. He chuckled as Tokio ordered some blood samples taken and anti-histamine shot for Martelli. The man was terrified of needles! Abrams, lying on the bed across from Martelli sat up and looked at Hajime. He chuckled slightly but just like Haji readied himself to help the doctor if necessary. Haji couldn't see the colonel, since he was on the other side of Martelli's bed, but he imagined the colonel might be getting up too.
"Needles are evil! Let me have a pill! I'll take ten pills if I have to," Martelli protested. Haji sat up quietly, waiting for the loud shriek that Martelli was sure to issue and ready to come over to calm the big man down if necessary. He listened as Martelli whimpered and protested that he'd rather have a pill. Tokio however had many a magic trick up her sleeve. Hajime chuckled as he listened in.
"Ok you'll let me know when it's coming right?" came the unmanly whimper from Martelli the tank!
"Don't worry I'll give you plenty of warning and I promise my special needle doesn't hurt," Tokio gently reassured him that she would let him know when she was going to inject him. She told him to close his eyes and relax. She gave him a little stress ball and ordered him to squeeze it repeatedly until he felt calmer.
"I won't do it until you're ready," she said soothingly. Several seconds passed and there was no sound other than Martelli's terrified, heavy breathing coming from Martelli's bed.
"Ok doc I'm ready…do your worst…" Martelli trying – and failing – to sound brave after the silence. Tokio giggled slightly.
"It's over Mr. Martelli…I've already done it," she replied amused. The nurse came out from behind the curtain giggling slightly bearing a tray with the two vials of blood and a spent syringe.
"But…but…I didn't even feel it," he countered amazed. Tokio laughed and Haji sighed in satisfaction just listening to her voice as she ordered Martelli – the now too wound up tank – to try to sleep. She would release him after a few hours of observation. She walked over to another nurse standing by his bed and quietly told him to bring Martelli a mild sedative to get him to sleep. When she finally walked towards him and pulled closed his curtain, Haji felt his heart began to race.
"Good evening captain…welcome back," she greeted solemnly though she did give him a tiny sweet smile. She called to the nurse then she moved towards him examining the chart the other nurse had made. Sgt Castro came in bearing several instruments. For an instant the sudden flood of her soft perfume and sweet voice made the words stick in his throat.
"Good evening doctor. It's good to be back," he replied watching Tokio with hungry eyes. Tokio seemed oblivious however as she looked through the report with a frown. She turned to look at him and putting on the latex gloves the nurse gave her, she pulled back the robe on his shoulder to look at the large angry red rash that had spread from his shoulder to his chest and neck.
"Lie back Captain," she ordered with a frown. Hajime did as he was told. She made a note on her chart and passed it to Castro so she could continue making notes. She pulled the robe down further to look at his chest. It was covered in red swollen blotches with hives breaking out in some parts. She pulled the robe back over him and frowned heavily as she dictated to the nurse.
"Can you remember when this started Captain," she asked concerned adding no one in the team seemed to have noticed the rashes in their time on the planet. He shook his head.
"Honestly, I couldn't feel anything else after the withdrawal headaches started," he replied taking a deep breath to calm his raging heart. She blew out an exasperated breath as she moved down to his legs. Carefully, her latex gloved fingers probed the red blotches and painful hives. She moved up his legs shaking her head and calling out instructions to the nurse.
"Well at least it didn't spread as far as Martelli's," she added though she didn't sound pleased at all. He held back a sigh of relief. Her soft probing had stopped right on his upper thigh. Her delicate hands came dangerously close to parts he didn't want her to touch while there were witnesses in the room. She removed the gloves and put them on a tray. She asked him to sit up again.
"It seems you're suffering from the same allergic reaction that Mr. Martelli is afflicted with," she announced her eyebrows wrinkled in concern as the nurse stuck a thermometer in his mouth. She ordered blood samples from him too and the same shot for him as Martelli, and then ordered that their clothes be sent to the labs for examination. Her little light came to his blood shot eyes and again he took a deep breath so her perfume flooded his lungs.
"How many patches did you use by the way?" she asked unaffected by the feral look in Hajime's eyes. The thermometer beeped and the nurse removed it.
"All of them…there weren't that many…only ten, they stopped working almost right away. I guess they were too old," he replied trying hard to sound casual but by the look of amusement on the nurse it didn't seem like he was doing a good job of it. He glared at her for a moment and the girl quickly looked away. She left as Tokio ordered her to get a cooling pack. Tokio frowned and lightly scolded him for using so many and not taking the headache medication in the first aid kit.
"You have a slight fever captain too. Looks like you're going to have to stay overnight," she announced with a frown. She left the area quickly and walked over to Col. Reynolds. She could hear her telling him that he and his team would have to stay overnight. She was worried about the effects of whatever it was they came in contact with. She didn't want to let them go until she was certain they were in no serious danger.
"Very well doctor," Haji heard Col Reynolds groan. He heard her pick up the phone. She spoke quickly to the maintenance dept then the control room ordering a cleanup of the gate room and someone to inform Col. O'Neill. He heard the quick click of her heels on the smooth concrete floor as she hurried back. The curtain opened and closed quickly as she re-entered. She put a stethoscope on her neck as she called Sgt. Lucero to get the vials and get blood samples from everyone in the team. She grabbed another instrument and checked his blood pressure. Finding it satisfactory she moved on.
"Heart rate is a little high," she announced solemnly as she grabbed his wrist and looked at her watch. She turned and made a note on his chart then returned and pulled him slightly towards her. He chuckled slightly admiring her ability to turn off every part of her self that did not pertain to her immediate goal. Her single-minded determination was one of the many things he liked about her.
"Take a deep breath," she ordered, her face a couple inches from his, as she pressed the little cold disk of the stethoscope to his back. By then Hajime couldn't stand it anymore. He took a deep ragged breath. She moved from his back to his chest and Hajime finally snapped. The little disk lifted from his chest but before she could get away, his arms shot up to stop her.
His lips wrapped themselves around her mouth. He swallowed her tiny squeak of surprise as his tongue pushed past her lips. She tensed for an instant but then her whole body relaxed and she kissed him back.
To Hajime nothing on this or any planet could be better than Tokio's sweet lips and minty breath.
"I missed you," he whispered softly as he began to pull away. She looked disoriented for a moment then she seemed to remember where she was. She tensed and, with a panicked look on her face, pushed herself completely away. She turned and hurried away from his bed without looking at him again. He lay back down on the bed, pulled the thin sheets up to his waist and relaxed. Castro came in and put the cooling pack on his forehead and offered him a warm blanket. He nodded in acceptance.
"Here we go Captain!" Lucero announced cheerfully. He came in minutes after Tokio had stormed away bearing the tray with the syringe and the vials for the blood samples. Hajime extended his arm wordlessly. He felt utterly at peace. Not even the itching, burning feeling from the rash registered in his head. In a slight daze of contentment he barely registered as the nurse wrapped the tight plastic band on his arm and rubbed it with alcohol.
"Are you gonna have any trouble with needles sir?" Lucero asked with the tiniest tone of derision in his voice that disrupted Haji's peace.
"Not at all sergeant…I don't have trouble with needles or gory open wounds like Major Martin's in SG6 a couple of months ago," Hajime shot back, reminding the nurse how he had frozen when SG6 came in injured and pursued by jaffa. Tokio had to rough him up to get him to function again.
"That's awesome sir," the man answered tightly, clearly embarrassed. Haji smirked triumphant, his peace restored. Martelli may have that one little weakness but he would never let it stop him in a battlefield. He wasn't gonna let some punk put his buddy down! The nurse quickly did his work and quietly excused himself as Castro returned. She smiled and put a warm blanket over him, pulling up the head of his bed straight up so he could eat.
"Here you go sir," said an airman from the cafeteria. He put a table in front of him and a tray of hot food. After five days of cold, damp rations the warm food felt good in his stomach. Martelli just smirked at him and gave him a nod and so did Abrams. AC gave him a look between suspicion and amusement.
"What?" Haji asked feigning innocence though his old pal saw through it right away. He gave him another suspicious glare then shook his head and laughed. Hajime wondered if AC had seen them kissing through a slight parting on the curtain. If he did, it really didn't matter, AC would never rat him out. He finished eating quietly then pushed his tray away, pushed his bed back a little then closed his eyes trying to relax. Even though Col. O'Neill had arrived with Dr Jackson the noise level just couldn't upset his calm anymore…
Panicking, Tokio entered her office and picked up the phone. She quickly dialed the number of the office Janet was in at Peterson. The phone rang and luckily Janet was in the office at the moment.
"Hey Tokio! Everything alright?" Janet asked noticing right away Tokio's flustered tone.
"Janet I'm in trouble! I don't want to get fired!" Tokio shot at her.
"What? What happened?" Janet shot back worried. Tokio launched into the whole tale of SG3 arriving. She told her of her diagnosis, how she ordered blood tests, lab analysis for their clothes, over-night stay for observations and dinner.
"So far so good…now what's the problem?" Janet asked. Tokio took a deep breath.
"Ok so I was examining Capt. Davila," she began feeling her face burning with embarrassment as she explained step by step what had happened.
"I kissed him back Janet! I am so fired! I can't believe I didn't see it coming!" she berated herself. For a few heart constricting moments there was no sound on the other end of the line. Then suddenly Janet began to laugh!
"You're not fired!" Janet laughed.
"But Janet it's completely against protocol! Dr. Bennett is probably going to suspend me! It'll go in my permanent record," Tokio squeaked fearfully.
"Ok just relax!" Janet began soothingly though Tokio could hear a slight note of amusement in her voice and it began to annoy her a little.
"Let me ask you: Did anyone see you?" Janet added patiently.
"No, the curtain was drawn," Tokio replied starting to feel her panic ebb away only to be replaced by embarrassment.
"Then there's no problem. Look, you're in the infirmary. The rules are a lot more lax in there. If you want, talk to Dr. Bennett. He's on call and should be checking in later," Janet advised patiently.
"…You're sure?" Tokio countered still skeptical.
"I'm sure! It's really not a problem," Janet insisted with a little chuckle.
"Ok…if you say so… Thanks Janet," Tokio added still unconvinced.
"Ok wait! So…how was it?" Janet asked slyly.
"How was what?" Tokio countered innocently.
"The kiss silly! What else?" Janet laughed. Tokio blushed fiercely.
"I can't tell you that! I can't believe you just asked me that!" she grumbled embarrassed. Janet just laughed.
"Oh come on! Tell me! I can keep a secret! If you don't tell me I'll just keep pestering you until you do!" she teased. Tokio rolled her eyes annoyed but knew her friend was relentless and would carry out her threat.
"It tickled a little…he hasn't shaved yet," she admitted reluctantly and Janet laughed some more.
"Ok but obviously you liked it! Otherwise you wouldn't have kissed him back!" she continued teasing. Then she suggested they call Sam on a three way to tell her and - mortified - Tokio refused.
"You can't leave her out of the loop! It's not fair," whined Janet. Tokio smacked her hand on her forehead. Having female friends was way more complicated than having guy friends.
"Alright, I'll tell her when she comes down later to eat dinner with me," she relented with a heavy sigh after several minutes of Janet's insistent poking. Janet cheered. They said their goodbyes and Tokio hung up the phone. She almost walked away when the phone rang and as she picked it up it was Dr. Bennett checking in.
Someone in the control room had called to inform him of SG3's late arrival. He asked for the report and Tokio related all the measures she'd taken and the diagnosis she'd reached. He complimented her on her work and told her she had his approval to continue as she was. Before he hung up though she stopped him to tell him what had happened with Hajime. To her surprise…Dr. Bennett laughed too!
"Look doctor…I have been through many battles. I know that when boys come back from – whether it's a jungle or desert or alien planet – all they want is food and love. Not necessarily in that order," he began patiently.
"Do you think the military really frowns at a girl who comes in to the infirmary from her division to warm a boyfriend who just came back beat up from some awful place?" he asked his voice warm and filled with understanding.
"I suppose not…" Tokio admitted reluctantly "but doctor. I'm the person in charge," she insisted still worried.
"Did anyone see you?" he asked solemnly.
"No…the curtain was drawn…we were alone," she admitted still not feeling very good about the situation.
"Then what's the problem! If the colonel asks you anything you just tell him you already talked to me and the situation was handled. Any questions, he can just call me up," he added cheerfully.
"Thank you doctor," she said with a sigh of relief. Dr. Bennett chuckled.
"Just continue to be discreet and everything will be fine," he added. This last comment surprised her. Was he giving her permission?
"Yes sir! Good night sir!" she replied with renewed enthusiasm as he said his good night and she hung up. She walked to the desk closer to the infirmary beds and sat down to type her report. She looked up every now and then to see all the members of SG3 tiredly eating their meal. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Hajime then quickly she went back to her report.
'I guess I still have a ways to go,' she thought sadly still unable to shake that feeling of impending doom she got whenever she accidentally broke a rule or did something out of her routine. She heard Col. O'Neill arrive and so she walked out to greet him and present her preliminary report. Jack made a face and waved it away.
"Send it to the general's office. I'm sure you did good," he said in a bored tone.
"Just tell me the short, short version," he added as he walked calmly towards Col. Reynolds' bed. She sighed and gave him a short version of her diagnosis and treatment.
"I also took the liberty of sending maintenance to scrub down the floors of the gate room and the hall leading here," she concluded. Jack – who had looked bored through most of her speech – looked up with interest now.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you!" he enthused.
"…Because she did your job for you?" Daniel asked in a scolding tone coming up behind him. "You know that was something he's supposed to do, right?" he added to Tokio. He scowled while Jack frowned at him.
"Daniel…don't push it," Jack countered testily waging an accusing finger at him. Tokio suppressed a chuckle though Col Reynolds didn't. Daniel just rolled his eyes and walked over to AC to let him know he'd downloaded the photos and was very excited by the findings. The two men talked excitedly about the findings and hoped aloud they could go back.
"Gentlemen, there will be no return trips until we get the lab results and we can get better protection from the plant life," Tokio admonished solemnly. Daniel sighed in disappointment as did AC.
"And lights out is in half an hour. Please keep it short," Tokio added with a tone that implied she was not to be questioned. Jack gave her a surprised look. He looked at the silent Daniel and AC then back at Tokio
"Remind me to bring you with us some time," Jack added amused by how Tokio was able to stop Daniel's rant in its tracks. Tokio shook her head and smiled.
"Yes sir," she replied then smiled mischievously "I'll remember to do that," she added with a smirk that suddenly worried Jack. Then excused her self to continue her work, Sam showed up after lights out and stayed well after everyone had fallen asleep…
Ten o'clock came and the nurses changed. Castro and Lucero were replaced by Jose Rojas and Sharla Henderson. Tokio turned out the lights in the large room. The only illumination in the room came from small lights along the wall near the floor. They allowed the medical staff to see where they were going but didn't disturb the patients. His and AC's little corner however, was the darkest of the entire windowless room.
Martelli had long since fallen asleep thanks to the sleep aid and AC was busy flirting with Henderson (a very pretty blonde), who was trying to get him to go to sleep. AC conned her into given him a shoulder rub. The girl didn't seem all too bothered by it. Tokio came around and cut short AC's fun. With a slight tone of amusement in her voice, she sent Sharla to get him a mild sleep aid. Abrams and their CO had asked for one earlier because they claimed the itching would not let them sleep though their allergy reaction was nowhere near as severe as his and Martelli's.
'It's not bothering me,' he thought. His wounds did burn and itch, probably more than the others in the team, but he was too happy to be bothered by any of it. He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost right away. It was some time after five in the morning when he was jolted awake. The lights were still out and it was still pitch black around him.
"Hajime," whispered very softly a familiar female voice. He turned towards the voice, his hand reaching instinctively for the soft face that owned the voice. He caressed her cheek lightly.
"Come straight to my place when they let you go, ok?" Tokio said softly. Her lips brushed lightly against his, they lingered for a moment then she was gone. He turned in time to see her moving towards the other end of the infirmary. He pulled up the bed to a higher sitting position so he could see her better. She had removed her white lab coat and put on her blue jacket. She spoke very quietly with a good-looking blonde man in a white lab coat.
She spoke so softly she couldn't hear what they were saying. She walked back towards him with the man next to her. She introduced him as Dr. Ken Johnson who would be taking over for her. She explained he was the only one that had not used medication to sleep so she was informing him as the next in command of SG3. She quickly advised the doctor that she was still waiting for lab results.
"I'll keep an eye out for them doctor, thank you," Dr. Johnson whispered with a friendly smile. Tokio nodded and giving Haji's hand a little squeeze she excused herself. He watched her go wanting more than anything to get out of this bed and follow her home.
"It'll be some time before you're teammates wake up. Are you hungry captain?" he asked an amused look on his face. Hajime glared at him suspiciously feeling unreasonably jealous. The doctor chuckled and scratched his temple with his left hand. Light from a desk lamp behind the doctor reflected off his wide gold wedding band. Hajime relaxed and pulled his bed up a little more.
"Yea sure…can't sleep anymore," he replied casually. The doctor chuckled once more and nodded. He closed the heavy curtain on one side of Hajime then turned on the lamp next to Haji's bed.
"Doctor," he called out in just above a whisper.
"Can I get my laptop? It's in SG3's ready room. I might as well get my report done," he asked as the doctor was motioning for one of the nurses. He smiled amicably.
"Sure, I'll have someone bring it to you," the doctor agreed easily and walked away. Haji leaned back on his pillow contently. He had thought at first that Tokio might be mad. She hadn't said a word to him since he kissed her but obviously she wasn't. Perhaps she had just been a little embarrassed since he caught her off guard. It wasn't long before an airman brought his laptop though breakfast took longer. He did his report and gladly started a draft for his commander.
'The sooner I get out of here the sooner I get to my Tokio,' he thought his fingers moving at lightning speed across the keyboard…
Tokio drove home but decided she would stop at the store and pick up a few supplies. Hajime would be hurt and she wanted to be sure she had what she needed to take care of him. She also picked up a few groceries for dinner later. She would make lunch simple and light. Dinner would be special! She would move forward as she originally intended to! No more wishy-washy attitude.
She stopped at his house and talked Shuura into opening the guest house for her. She picked up a few things for him and put them in her medical bag. She left without explaining why she had been there. Shuura and couple of Oniwaban had clients at the main house and she knew Hajime absolutely hated when they had the rich customers there. As she drove home finally, again she was assaulted with a sensation of deepest dread.
"Stop it Tokio! Just stop it!" she berated herself. She had told herself that she was starting fresh. Hanging on to these old insecurities only hindered her relationship with Hajime.
'…But 13 years…' she thought as she unloaded her car and headed up to her apartment. Every time Tokio had done something that either made her proud or very happy something horrible always happened. The most recent incidents: Her apartment getting ransacked right after Janet's happy anti-Hathor party and finding out her grandma was setting out to kill her the day after she kissed Hajime for the first time. It was the top of a very long list.
"No, I can't live like this!" she scolded herself. Another thing that came into sharp focus: She had restricted Hajime far too much! He was sweet and patient but if she continued to be too shy he would get suspicious and start asking questions she did not want to answer yet. She walked into her apartment and put her purchases on the kitchen counter then went towards her room.
"Still, am I ready for the next level?" she wondered aloud as she walked into her bedroom. As she took off her uniform and put it on the hanger, she thought about everything they did together. She thought about all their conversations. She thought about the way he treated her and most of all the soft, romantic way he had whispered "I missed you".
'Yes…no… I don't know,' she thought distraught. She had gotten the distinct impression that there was a whole lot more emotion hidden behind these three words. That there was something else he wanted to say but didn't know how. She looked around her room as she slipped on a light flow-y yellow dress. She hated it for a moment, so empty and cold. She was tired of being alone and sick of being afraid!
"He's worth a risk! I have to get over this fear!" she ordered herself determined to get the past out of her future. It was still early so she unpacked her groceries and took her supplies plus the things she picked up for him into her room. She had time to get a little sleep. She put everything on the dresser and lay down to rest above her covers. She decided she would talk to Hajime; after all, it wasn't fair to him. He has been so patient and so good to her. She wondered, as she drifted off to sleep, how long it would be before Hajime came home…
Hajime was starting to feel the pain now that he was fully clothed. It was shear agony to take even the smallest step. He stepped boldly though, gritting his teeth against the pain, willing himself not to show it. Martelli seemed oddly unaffected. Hajime looked at him quizzically. The big man smirked.
"It really doesn't bother me. Itches a little though," he answered Hajime's unspoken spoken question with a casual shrug.
"Its needles that are evil!" he added with a bitter growl. Hajime chuckled though now that little action made him wince too. He walked out with his teammates from the infirmary. Reynolds had been extra pleased to wake up and find his report mostly done. Gen. Hammond wasn't in until Monday and Jack didn't really care to do any debriefings. So their reports would wait until Monday morning.
Dr. Johnson released them after the lab analysis found pollen with similar chemical composition to poison ivy present in every team member's clothes. It explained a lot… he was sensitive to poison ivy and this pollen was supposed to have been stronger. Martelli was apparently very allergic to poison ivy and thus had suffered a worst reaction.
"It was a good thing Dr. Takagi injected you both with the Broca virus shot," Dr. Johnson commented. "It quite possibly saved your lives!" he added cheerfully. Hajime just smirked slightly as Dr. Johnson went on about his colleague's quick thinking. He handed Hajime and Martelli a prescription for a medicated cream to treat the affected skin.
"I have this stuff at home," said Martelli as he looked at his little sheet. Again Hajime just gave him a quizzical look.
"My wife keeps all kinds of this stuff at home! The kid gets into all sorts of crazy stuff! My bathroom looks like a pharmacy!" he laughed. Hajime rolled his eyes.
"So does mine! My kids get into everything!" Dr. Johnson laughed and encouraged him to get another tube anyway. He was certain he'd need it. Martelli and Hajime agreed to stop at the pharmacy.
"All right everyone! Have a good weekend!" Dr. Johnson announced cheerfully letting everyone go. Col. Reynolds went up to talk to Jack before he went home. Thanks to Hajime he would make it in time to his son's soccer game. The rest of the team chatted cheerfully as they headed out. He got in his car and as soon as he was away from the gates of Cheyenne Mountain, he dialed Tokio's number on his cell.
"Hey there," she answered sweetly, after just a couple of rings sounding a bit groggy. He felt a little guilty coming over so early. It was just after 9am. He let her know he had to stop and get something from the pharmacy.
"Oh don't bother…I already picked it up," she countered sounding tired yet cheerful somehow.
"Just come here ok," she insisted not letting him answer. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Ok babe…I'm on my way," he said his good bye then tossing his celphone to the side, hit the pedal to the metal intent on making it to her house in record time…
OK...so I replaced this chapter because I just wasn't happy with certain parts of it. Specifically the part of her rescue. I needed to put a better obstacle in her reaching the window. I know I'm probably just being a weirdo!
Anyhow...Thanks for reading if you come to check out the little changes.