The letter came a few days later to Toki. Her aunt had agreed to her
proposed arrangement. Actually Toki did not expect her aunt to say yes so
easily. Also what was that talk about a job already waiting for her? Toki
dismissed the question, as another one entered her mind. This is all so
funny she thought, although she was hoping for this result, she felt more
depressed than ever. She turned her attention to packing her clothes and
went over her mind what she had to do that day.
She'll have to say goodbye to Sanosuke. He'll be upset she thought sadly. Sanosuke has been Toki's sanity ever since she came to Tokyo. He made her feel safe and wanted. She did not want to upset him but she'll go insane if she stayed in Tokyo a moment longer.
She heaved a sigh, if it will be hard telling Sanosuke goodbye, she dreaded the same scenario with Saitou-san. She'll have to stop by the precint too. Not that she's expecting anything out of Saitou, there was nothing between them except for what Toki thought was Saitou's tolerance of her presence. He never tried to hold a conversation with her and pre-occupied himself with smoking and his kendo practice. He didn't even eat at home anymore eventhough Toki made it a point to cook for him everyday. "Well this will be over soon.", sadness and relief swept Toki.
------------------------------------
Toki stopped by the Kamiya dojo and was surprised to see Sanosuke there. She was relieved, it was a blessing to her that they were all there and she won't have to privately tell Sanosuke that she was leaving.
"Hoi Toki!", an excited Sano ran towards her. He stopped mid-way after he caught attention of the baggages Toki was carrying. "What's all this?", he thought.
It was at this time that Kaoru and Kenshin came to greet her. Kenshin exclaimed "Oro!" and as if answering Sanosuke's questions Kenshin continued, "Toki-dono it looks like you are leaving, that it does."
Toki nodded at the forward remark and Sanosuke's heart sank. "What is she thinking? Why is she leaving? I thought things were going well between us?" These questions raced in his mind, but for now the more important question was where was she going.
No sooner had Sanosuke thought all these, Toki went directly to the explanation, of her circumstances and the arrangement with her distant aunt at Osaka. After hearing her explanations, Sano's heart sank even more, there was no mention of him at all. Her decision came from the circumstance surrounding Saitou and her. There was not even a hint that Toki would like to stay, not even a hint that parting with him would hurt. Sanosuke realized that he simply wasn't included in the equation. Toki belonged to someone else.
Saying her goodbyes, Toki left. Heart broken, Sanosuke excused himself and decided to go home that day. He'll have to do a lot of thinking. If she even hinted that he had a chance, he would've probably begged her to stay. Alas there was none. "I should have known this was going to happen.", Sanosuke slammed his fist at the door to his lodging. Fighting back the tears, he opened the door. Then he realized he had missed something important. He saw the red box he had taken a couple of days ago. He immediately took the gift box with him and left for the precint.
-----------------------------
"Konnichiwa! May I speak with Saitou-san?"
Chou smiled at the young lady. It's not everyday he feasted on simple but elegant beauty. "Now if only she got rid of those bags, the sight of her will be perfect.", he mused.
"Anou.. Pardon me..' the lady said again..
Chou laughed.. "Oh... Yeah... The boss is inside, just go in.", motioning to the room across the hall.
Following Toki with his eyes, Chou started wondering how his boss came across this beautiful creature.. "I'll have to spy on the boss from now on. So far the late nights of socializing has not gotten me any beauties at all.." Chou snickered...
Toki knocked on the door.
"Come in!" a gruff voice said.
She slowly pushed the door open. She was feeling nervous again and the sound of Saitou's gruff and slightly annoyed voice, made her wish she'd just left a note at the house instead.
Saitou's eyes landed on the luggage besides Toki. "So she's leaving.", he thought to himself dryly.
"Saitou-san," Toki started "I'll be leaving today and I just wanted to say goodbye."
"Yeah. I see that." Saitou focused his eyes on the bags.
"Anou... I ... Anou.. Arigatou for everything..." she said meekly.
Saito just nodded and turned his attention back to the papers before him.
Toki took a moment to glance around the room. Saitou's office was neat and bare. Her attention turned to the corner of the room where a katana was carefully preserved atop of an elegant wooden rack. She kept a mental picture of Saitou's office in her head. Somehow, she felt that it revealed more about Saitou than she ever gathered from the time she had spent with him and the rather scant conversations (if you call them conversations at all, they were rather mono-syllabic) they have had. Her gaze once more rested on the man himself. He was looking at her again. She searched his face for annoyance but found nothing. She needed him to say something at that instant, but he just looked at her. His poker face not betraying anything. With a sigh Toki left the room.
---------------------------------
No sooner had Toki left, a young man came bursting in to Saitou's office.
"Hey Yarou!"
Saitou looked up momentarily, grunted and went back to work. It was only Sanosuke.
Sano slammed his fist on Saitou's desk, disturbing the papers he was working on. "Hoi! I'm talking to you.", continued the lad.
Saitou shrugged, "Good to see you haven't lost your manners yet, Sanosuke- KUN." Saitou grinned and reached in his shirt pocket for a cigarette. "What do you want?", Saitou asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Toki.. What did you tell her?", Sanosuke asked, "Will she stay?"
"That's not your business Ahou...", Saitou's eyes narrowed at Sano.
"It sure the hell is!" Sano slammed his fist again. "I love her eventhough..." He swallowed and bit his tongue.
Seeing the sudden reaction from Sanosuke, amusement took a hold of Saitou. "Eventhough WHAT Sanosuke-KUN?", he mocked.
"Baka Yarou! You actually have to let me say this huh?", Sanosuke muttered to himself, tigthening his fists. "You know it's always been YOU, that pre- occupied her. No matter how many times I hung around..."
Saitou's excellent hearing of course caught all this and he let out a stifled laugh just to fire up the the person he thought as an idiot more.
Sanosuke turned back to Saitou. "Yeah.. I know you find this amusing, but, I care for her deeply Saitou. I don't want her hurt anymore. It wasn't me that she wanted, although I'll never understand what she sees in you."
A frown escaped Saitou's face. He had no idea what this ahou was talking about.
"Don't you get it? She still came here to say goodbye to you. If there was anyone who could've stopped her from leaving it would've been you.", Sano drew in a deep breath and continued... "You should stop lying to yourself and be a man for once." He grabbed the red box he brought and threw it on Saitou's desk.
"That wasn't left for Tokio. You and I know that.", Sanosuke finished and barged out of the room.
"Ahou.." Saitou muttered. "What the hell is this?"
Upon closer inspection, the red box greeted him in all familiarity. He sighed and started to light another cigarette.
END OF CHAPTER 12
PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 13 - Parting ways and a new life for Toki.
She'll have to say goodbye to Sanosuke. He'll be upset she thought sadly. Sanosuke has been Toki's sanity ever since she came to Tokyo. He made her feel safe and wanted. She did not want to upset him but she'll go insane if she stayed in Tokyo a moment longer.
She heaved a sigh, if it will be hard telling Sanosuke goodbye, she dreaded the same scenario with Saitou-san. She'll have to stop by the precint too. Not that she's expecting anything out of Saitou, there was nothing between them except for what Toki thought was Saitou's tolerance of her presence. He never tried to hold a conversation with her and pre-occupied himself with smoking and his kendo practice. He didn't even eat at home anymore eventhough Toki made it a point to cook for him everyday. "Well this will be over soon.", sadness and relief swept Toki.
------------------------------------
Toki stopped by the Kamiya dojo and was surprised to see Sanosuke there. She was relieved, it was a blessing to her that they were all there and she won't have to privately tell Sanosuke that she was leaving.
"Hoi Toki!", an excited Sano ran towards her. He stopped mid-way after he caught attention of the baggages Toki was carrying. "What's all this?", he thought.
It was at this time that Kaoru and Kenshin came to greet her. Kenshin exclaimed "Oro!" and as if answering Sanosuke's questions Kenshin continued, "Toki-dono it looks like you are leaving, that it does."
Toki nodded at the forward remark and Sanosuke's heart sank. "What is she thinking? Why is she leaving? I thought things were going well between us?" These questions raced in his mind, but for now the more important question was where was she going.
No sooner had Sanosuke thought all these, Toki went directly to the explanation, of her circumstances and the arrangement with her distant aunt at Osaka. After hearing her explanations, Sano's heart sank even more, there was no mention of him at all. Her decision came from the circumstance surrounding Saitou and her. There was not even a hint that Toki would like to stay, not even a hint that parting with him would hurt. Sanosuke realized that he simply wasn't included in the equation. Toki belonged to someone else.
Saying her goodbyes, Toki left. Heart broken, Sanosuke excused himself and decided to go home that day. He'll have to do a lot of thinking. If she even hinted that he had a chance, he would've probably begged her to stay. Alas there was none. "I should have known this was going to happen.", Sanosuke slammed his fist at the door to his lodging. Fighting back the tears, he opened the door. Then he realized he had missed something important. He saw the red box he had taken a couple of days ago. He immediately took the gift box with him and left for the precint.
-----------------------------
"Konnichiwa! May I speak with Saitou-san?"
Chou smiled at the young lady. It's not everyday he feasted on simple but elegant beauty. "Now if only she got rid of those bags, the sight of her will be perfect.", he mused.
"Anou.. Pardon me..' the lady said again..
Chou laughed.. "Oh... Yeah... The boss is inside, just go in.", motioning to the room across the hall.
Following Toki with his eyes, Chou started wondering how his boss came across this beautiful creature.. "I'll have to spy on the boss from now on. So far the late nights of socializing has not gotten me any beauties at all.." Chou snickered...
Toki knocked on the door.
"Come in!" a gruff voice said.
She slowly pushed the door open. She was feeling nervous again and the sound of Saitou's gruff and slightly annoyed voice, made her wish she'd just left a note at the house instead.
Saitou's eyes landed on the luggage besides Toki. "So she's leaving.", he thought to himself dryly.
"Saitou-san," Toki started "I'll be leaving today and I just wanted to say goodbye."
"Yeah. I see that." Saitou focused his eyes on the bags.
"Anou... I ... Anou.. Arigatou for everything..." she said meekly.
Saito just nodded and turned his attention back to the papers before him.
Toki took a moment to glance around the room. Saitou's office was neat and bare. Her attention turned to the corner of the room where a katana was carefully preserved atop of an elegant wooden rack. She kept a mental picture of Saitou's office in her head. Somehow, she felt that it revealed more about Saitou than she ever gathered from the time she had spent with him and the rather scant conversations (if you call them conversations at all, they were rather mono-syllabic) they have had. Her gaze once more rested on the man himself. He was looking at her again. She searched his face for annoyance but found nothing. She needed him to say something at that instant, but he just looked at her. His poker face not betraying anything. With a sigh Toki left the room.
---------------------------------
No sooner had Toki left, a young man came bursting in to Saitou's office.
"Hey Yarou!"
Saitou looked up momentarily, grunted and went back to work. It was only Sanosuke.
Sano slammed his fist on Saitou's desk, disturbing the papers he was working on. "Hoi! I'm talking to you.", continued the lad.
Saitou shrugged, "Good to see you haven't lost your manners yet, Sanosuke- KUN." Saitou grinned and reached in his shirt pocket for a cigarette. "What do you want?", Saitou asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Toki.. What did you tell her?", Sanosuke asked, "Will she stay?"
"That's not your business Ahou...", Saitou's eyes narrowed at Sano.
"It sure the hell is!" Sano slammed his fist again. "I love her eventhough..." He swallowed and bit his tongue.
Seeing the sudden reaction from Sanosuke, amusement took a hold of Saitou. "Eventhough WHAT Sanosuke-KUN?", he mocked.
"Baka Yarou! You actually have to let me say this huh?", Sanosuke muttered to himself, tigthening his fists. "You know it's always been YOU, that pre- occupied her. No matter how many times I hung around..."
Saitou's excellent hearing of course caught all this and he let out a stifled laugh just to fire up the the person he thought as an idiot more.
Sanosuke turned back to Saitou. "Yeah.. I know you find this amusing, but, I care for her deeply Saitou. I don't want her hurt anymore. It wasn't me that she wanted, although I'll never understand what she sees in you."
A frown escaped Saitou's face. He had no idea what this ahou was talking about.
"Don't you get it? She still came here to say goodbye to you. If there was anyone who could've stopped her from leaving it would've been you.", Sano drew in a deep breath and continued... "You should stop lying to yourself and be a man for once." He grabbed the red box he brought and threw it on Saitou's desk.
"That wasn't left for Tokio. You and I know that.", Sanosuke finished and barged out of the room.
"Ahou.." Saitou muttered. "What the hell is this?"
Upon closer inspection, the red box greeted him in all familiarity. He sighed and started to light another cigarette.
END OF CHAPTER 12
PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 13 - Parting ways and a new life for Toki.