Complicated

By the Plot Thinens

Chapter 53 - The murder that should have been

"Well, there goes my plan." The Doctor and Rose both grumbled in unison and then looked at each other confused. They both seemed to dismiss what the other had said and looked about the room. The room was lit by about three oil lamps on various items of furniture throughout it. It was a simple enough room with a tatami matted floor and two futon put out on the floor next to each other. Square-ish looking pillows and some blankets were resting on the futons. The Doctor's eyes could just catch the image of a rather fearsome wolf in front of what appeared to be a full moon, painted in ink, on a wall scroll. A few high windows were near the ceiling for circulation and covered over in paper sliding screens. If the two wanted they could leave the sliding doors open and be rewarded with a view of the garden in the morning since it seemed that their plans had now changed.

"As I was saying there goes my plan. Thanks to Jack sampling a bit too much of the local culture, I have a feeling if he doesn't drown in that bath first, he's going to be too drunk tonight and too hung over in the morning to be moved. So looks like we're staying into the morning. Get cozy Rose and take a nap." Grumbled the Doctor as he sat down on one of the futons and began fishing things out of his leather jacket he had in a pile next to the futon. Rose sat on the futon next to him as she watched him grumble, swear to himself and work bare chested and all but naked if not for that damn wrap tightly around his waist. Rose didn't need to be a genius to tell that the Doctor was now in a bit of a mood and this was not the time to tell him the big news when he was so peeved. She wanted him to be in a good mood and now thanks to the Captain's indulging they would indeed now probably have to stick around longer for him to sober up. The Doctor's reasoning was sound there was no way that they would be able to carry him back to the TARDIS and leaving him behind to get in more trouble while they fetch the TARDIS was out of the question when Jack was in this state. So here she was alone in a darkened room with her half naked husband and he probably was too preoccupied to notice what a nice situation he was in. Rose exhaled and laid down on the futon and tried to adjust herself to the odd pillow.

"God, Am I jinxed?" Rose said exasperated as she tossed and turned hating the square pillow more and more. She just wanted to tell her husband that they were expecting a baby and every time she tried to tell him, every time she got up her nerve, every time it felt like the right time to tell him, something would come up and get in the way. She pulled the tiny pillow over her mouth and screamed into it before throwing it across the room. The Doctor looked up from his work and rested his eyes on the flustered Rose. She looked very uncomfortable and she was probably just as irritated at Jack as he was. He had been enjoying that hug a lot and it seemed like every time he and Rose had a tender moment outside of their bedroom something always got in the way. He knew that Rose loved him, she had said so on many occasions and he was guessing that she was very frustrated in more ways than one. Rose had been throwing off too many pheromones in the bath together for him not notice that she had been very anxious to show that love physically. Last night in bed was display enough and he felt bad that he still didn't know, even when he had Rose in a bath with him with almost nothing on, whether he could take it to that level she wanted. Part of him desperately wanted to if he were honest but still something held him back and he felt guilt even more. He did jerk Rose around and he hated himself for it. He had to do something to make it up to Rose and then he looked back at the pillow across the dark room.

"Rose if that pillow isn't too comfy…Well I don't know how comfortable my boney legs are, but if you want you could rest your head on my lap." Suggested the Doctor, it would only be a minor inconvenience having Rose pinning his legs down and he would have his work done in under an hour anyway. Rose looked down to the Doctor's lap, still in just the wrap and looked back at him. The Doctor blushed a bit, having forgotten that he had less on then usual but he had already offered. It was not what Rose had been thinking about at all but she wasn't going to turn down any closeness with the Doctor. Maybe his mood would improve in a bit. Rose carefully laid the back of her head on the Doctor's lap and look up at him, they laughed and nervously smiled at each other before the Doctor got back to work. Rose watched him work for about twenty minutes before falling asleep in spite of herself. Her pregnant body was demanding sleep again and she had to listen.


The Doctor was now done fiddling with his project, he had collected two other TARDIS keys from his deep pockets as well as one her had collected off of Rose's rising and falling chest while she slept. After some jiggery pokery had fashioned three perception filters on the keys. This would solve their sticking out problem, so that they could walk about the city without raising the alarm that strangers were about. They could just place these keys around their necks and they would go unnoticed as long as they didn't bring attention to themselves. He let out a happy smirk, ever so proud of himself and looked down to Rose only to see that she was asleep despite the sonicing noises he had been making. Watching Rose sleep put a smile on his face, she was beautiful, 'And she's yours,' a voice in the back of his head reminded him. The Doctor blushed and realized that although he could not complain about the view his legs were begging for circulation, which having sat in this position for about an hour and with someone on his lap had caused issues. He put down his sonic and spotted the ring on it, it was second nature to him to hide it and he doubted that Rose had ever even noticed it was there, because she would have said something. Maybe one day he could wear… he stopped thinking about rings and focused on Rose. Carefully he pulled her up off his lap and slid her back down on to the futon. He then got up and opened one of the Shoji sliding doors and saw the garden in the moonlight. It was divine and he knew just how he wanted to view such a night. He fashioned a big pillow out of his jacket and the two pillows they had been provided with. Then he laid down on the futon taking Rose with him and resting her head on his chest. He giggled slightly as he felt her warm breath tickle his bare chest. God she was perfect. He held Rose close to him and breathed in her scent. Something in his head reminded him that John would have loved the opportunity to experience such a sight with Rose, and brushed some of Rose's golden hair aside. It shimmered in the faint moon light and the Doctor let out a content sigh. It was thanks to this woman that he could have moments like this again and he was very grateful to Rose and hoped one day he would be able to show her that gratitude.

Rose cuddled her head against the Doctor's chest as she pulled her blanket up to her chin. She had woken up to the feel of the Doctor's cool skin on her cheek and murmuring a bit as she started to wake up from sleep. Half awake she kissed his chest and nuzzled his closest pectoral muscle eliciting a slight shiver from the Doctor. Rose now opened her eyes to see that there was just starting to be a hint of dawn and although it was still very dark she could now see the lovely courtyard garden and the songs of birds waking up could also be heard. Seeing such a beautiful sight Rose snuggled into her husband's arms and said barely above a whisper,

"I love you." The three words touched the Doctor's hearts and he nervously looked down to Rose's eyes. To his relief they did not appear to be looking for a return response. She had just said it as simply as one might have remarked that the water in the koi pond was pretty. The unconditional love he received from this creature, who was technically his wife, and everyday felt more and more like his wife, was unbelievable. Rose then sat up and unaware the her sleeping robe was slipping off her shoulders rubbed her eyes and ask,

"What time is it?" The Doctor smiled at her and replied,

"You took about a four hour nap, so it's about three in the afternoon to you and four in the morning here. People should be getting up soon though, when you don't have electricity to unnaturally light the night people go to bed early and don't waste the remaining day light in the start of the morning." Rose made a comment that she was glad that they had lights on the TARDIS then so she could sleep in.

"Yeah, you slept like a baby while I worked on these." Declared the Doctor holding up three TARDIS keys, two on strings and one on a chain. Rose noticed that that was her TARDIS key and wondered when the Doctor had taken it off of her last night.

"I've done a bit of tweaking and now we have three perfectly convenient portable perception filters, capable of allowing even the strangest looking of people, us, from standing out. Put this around your neck and with an activation of the sonic we can move about as we please. As long as we don't bring attention to ourselves of course then people would spot us but we just need to keep our low profile." Explained the Doctor proud of himself and the look his genius was putting on his Rose.

However, the Doctor would never have known that the initial surprise on her face was from the Doctor saying the word baby and not his clever project he had finished while she slept. She had to tell him and sitting together on a futon bed in a lovely ancient Japanese room, overlooking a garden, had to be a perfect setting. Though Rose had been down this path before she geared herself to flat out tell the Doctor the news but expecting something to get in the way she paused a moment. The Doctor looked at her puzzled and was about to ask why she looked like she was waiting for the sky to fall when the two heard loud shuffling and a small crash through the circulation window. Rose cursed to herself and curiously the Doctor got up and getting on his tiptoes looked out a hole in one of the windows. In the darkened abandoned looking alley were two men. One it seemed had knocked into the other who was carrying a few possessions that where now in the ground and the other, on his knees, appeared to be groveling. At first he thought that it was just an overly enthusiastic apology but then the groveler half scared to death shrieked,

"Sir, forgive me, sir. The child got away and now I cannot find two of my men. Demons must have swallowed them up! This plan is cursed. We have to give up before it's too late for us too! I will have no part of it! It must be Haro's spirit he has come back as a terrible ghost and has allied himself with demons because of our plan! I'll have no part in it!" The man standing before the groveler violently grabbed the man by his neck and slapped him across the face.

"Hang your cohorts, where is the brat?" Hissed the man.

"I don't know sir, maybe he drowned maybe he didn't. I didn't see, so I came looking for you. I didn't know what to do next!" wailed the groveling man.

"Idiot, shut up before someone hears you! I told you never to come looking for me here!" Growled the man as he clamped his hand over the groveler's mouth to silence him.

"But you were not at your home office, sir." Sobbed the groveling man. The man was furious at his subordinate. Couldn't he go to a house of pleasure for one night without work following him back to the family home? Especially work as sensitive as this.

"Then you should have waited there until I came back. Get a hold of yourself you superstitious fool! Wait back at the home office and I will speak with you then not before! And as for your comrades they probably have even more sense then you and skipped town when they botched the job! Demons, bah you will have far worse than that after you if this gets found out. You will pray that demons come for you and eat you!" Sneered the man, who then kicked the sobbing man hard in the butt, and watched him scamper off to where he was told to go. The man then turned the corner on the alley near the front entrance of the house. The Doctor found this very interesting.

"Rose, change of plans again. We have a child to protect." Declared the Doctor feeling not only a murder mystery afoot, but a welling of protectiveness to help the child he suspected still was very much in danger.


Jack had spent the night in grandpa's courters. Although he was much older than Jack he still had a handsome face and appearance. He very much looked like a capable man keeping a business alive and healthy while it was in his stewardship and as it turned out grandpa, like Jack, didn't object to a drunken night with an exotic stranger. Quite the notch in both their belts. And unlike some one nighters, things were not awkward in the morning as the two made their way to the main hall for breakfast. Unfortunately the two were so hung-over that they only made it as far as the garden before feeling sick. Regrettably they would be leaving quite the mess to clean up. Kogi having discovered the two helped them clean themselves up and led them back to the room that he had spotted them coming out of and put them back to bed with plenty of water available to drink, tea and some fruit to help settle their stomachs.


The Doctor last night had thought that Rose looked so lovely in the simple Japanese style robe that had stopped just above her knees. But now that he saw Rose in a muted pink yukata as she sat at the table next to him for breakfast, she seemed even lovelier. As they were making their way out of their guest bedroom Rose and the Doctor, now back in their clothes, had been stopped by the servant, Ami.

"I hope that I am not disturbing, the day starts pretty early around here in the roofing business, but I have this for your lady, sir."

She had brought clothing which was a gift for Rose from the lady of the house herself. It was a yukata that looked like it would have been quite baggie on a small contemporary, to this time and place, woman. But on Rose, except for a little tightness around the shoulder, it fix fairly nicely. Rose had looked apprehensive of leaving the Doctor's side when there was a mystery about, but he simply nodded and said,

"Won't be going anywhere without you. Go on it would be rude to turn down such a nice gift." Rose nodded in agreement and stayed behind as Ami helped her to dress. The Doctor as he walked in the direction of the entrance hall spotted Jack and Grandpa getting sick in the garden and rolled his eyes, as he suspected, Jack wasn't going anywhere. The Doctor had wanted to look around the property to see if that suspicious sounding man was still around but he had found himself invited to breakfast to which the mistress of the house insisted that he partake. So here he was sitting next to a very nicely dressed Hideki eating rice and fish. The boy had been amazed and delighted that his demon friends had stayed the night and now that they were in broad daylight the Doctor Tengu seemed more comical then frightful to him. It was kind of amazing having benign demons as friends after all. The Doctor smiled down at Hideki who seemed to be uncomfortable in the fairly formal wear and tugged at his outfit now and again trying to get comfortable. But the lad couldn't complain too much as his mother had brought out some rare treats, wagashi, just for him to eat with his breakfast. She was certainly the definition of doting mother today and he smiled, but not as much as when Rose had stepped in and sat down.

"You look beautiful." Complimented the Doctor as Rose sat down and took up some chopsticks to eat. Ami, after helping her dress and do her hair had led Rose to breakfast where she, much to her relief, found the Doctor. Rose was very pleased with the compliment and opened her mouth to speak when the Doctor piped out,

"And before you say it, you look beautiful for an anything." That was not what Rose was going to say, she was just going to say 'thank you', but she liked that the Doctor was trying so hard to think about her feelings and insecurities. The two ate in silence the side of their legs just touching each other when Kiyomi spoke up,

"Rose-sama you look wonderful. I was a little worried that I wouldn't have anything in my closet to offer you. You are so much taller than me. It looks nice on you though. Thankfully I held on to it, it was the largest and nicest I had to offer. But I just hope you don't mind that I gave you some of my old maternity clothing." Rose choked on her tea and spits some of it back into her glass at the sound of the words maternity clothing and gasping said that it was fine. How unexpectedly fitting! She then turned her eyes over to the Doctor as if she felt that he somehow just knew that she was secretly, so far, carrying his half-Time Lord Child. But much to her relief he just made a comment about how funny it was when things worked out. Kogi came in and announced that indeed grandpa and Jack would be sleeping in late. The older man then went out to the front entrance to water some plants. The Doctor just wished that he had had a chance to catch that man in the street, but it turned out that the man had come to him.


The quiet of morning was interrupted by the rather loud entrance of the boy's uncle, Basho. Basho was a short man for his time and prematurely balding although he was a relatively young man. He was dressed very nicely; some might even call it too much so by comparison of his more conservatively and utilitarian dressed family members.

"Kogi told me at the entrance, where is he?!" Shouted Basho sounding very concerned. Then having spotted the boy he threw himself onto the floor and hugged the child fiercely. Hideki hugged his uncle back in clear affection and told him that he was fine and his new friends had saved him.

"Oh my dear Nephew, my poor dead brother's only child! Thank the gods you are safe." Bellowed Basho to his nephew. The man had had tunnel vision looking for his nephew but now looking at their guests he pulled back in surprise.

"What devils are these?!" Asked Basho, sounding very rude and scandalized at their appearance.

"Dear Brother-in-law, please do not be so disrespectful the Hideki's lifesavers. They may look a bit different but if they save my son then they could have hair as blue as the sky for all I care! This is the Doctor-sama and Rose-sama, are they are honored guests in this household." Scolded Kiyomi. Basho said a quick apology but could not stop staring at the people he saw as freaks. Once he had got past that shock he then reminded himself that it was because of these meddling freak shows that his nephew was still alive. Sitting down to join them he decided that he needed to get some intelligence out of them to see how much they had seen or knew. If the wrong information became known then he could have everything to lose and nothing to gain by his treachery. The Doctor saw the scrutinizing look from the balding man and was not intimidated. The Doctor knew now that obviously a flat out accusation from a stranger was not going to prove the man's guilt especially since he seemed to be a loved member of the family. He would have to gather information and build up a case. 'Let the games begin.' Thought the Doctor as he sipped on his tea.

"So what is it exactly that you do, Doctor-sama? What brings you to Kyoto?" Asked Basho trying to keep up the appearance of the most respect for the people who had thwarted his plans. The Doctor smiled friendly like and replied,

"Oh I do a little of this a little of that. Just passing through with my companions. I could ask the same of you. What is it you do?" Basho made a slightly forced smiled and said,

"Oh a man who likes to play games, hmm? Very well, I am a merchant. A rather successful one actually, if you will let me brag. I live in the business end of town but I frequent my brother's old home when I can for a visit." In truth if Basho was not hung-over and awake in the morning he usually was by to have a meal at least three times a week. Now with a touch of the dramatic Basho threw his arms around his nephew and declared,

"I just now wish that I had decided to be a roofer like my brother so that I could help Hideki learn the ropes now that my dear brother, his father, is deceased."

"It's okay Uncle, Grandpa is doing a fine job teaching me. Someday I'll be running the house and business just as good as father did. Don't you worry." Assured Hideki, his Uncle smiled back at him and agreed that he was sure he would. The balding man and the Time lord shot back questions for another half hour before the Doctor got up and said,

"Well, mornings well on its way and we've got some sightseeing to do before moving along. Kiyomi if we could trespass on your hospitality a bit longer, Jack seems to need to sleep off a bit more from his celebration with grandpa last night. Might he stay here for a bit longer while Rose and I look around town?" Kiyomi had no objections and invited them to stay for as long as they liked.

"Mama, can I go along with The Doctor and Rose? They might get lost without someone who knows the area. And Grandpa isn't going anywhere; we can put in the report when grandpa is feeling better." Declared Hideki.

"Good idea. I would go do it myself right now but I have a shipment coming in today and if I'm not there to take stock I could be robbed blind. Some of the workers in the supply chain these days are taking a cut of their own from my shipments!" Grumbled Basho. Kiyomi really didn't want her boy outside today, especially not without first having the police looking for his kidnappers first, but she wanted nothing but to please him today and since he would be traveling with such big, and even a bit scary, travelers then he would surely be safe. She agreed but told them to be back before the evening.

The Doctor and Rose then walked to the front door with Hideki following close behind. Basho had a feeling that the Doctor knew more than he was letting on about last night and he suspected that he was going to do more than just sightseeing. Still he didn't see anything coming of it. His servants would be able to spot the Doctor and his odd associates a mile away if they came anywhere near his end of town, which now that he thought of it he better get back to. His business should never be left alone on its own for too long. It was so frail lately he feared a slight breeze could knock it down.


Author's Notes: The Doctor and Rose seem to be warming up to each other just a bit more story by story, I like how their characterization in such different circumstances is coming out. What do you think? And if anyone feels I'm jerking them around, sorry, but I promise you that any frustrations on your part will be paid back tenfold later.