"Tokio-san, any news from your husband?" Tokio looked out from
under the umbrella she was using to hide herself from the sun as she
walked down the crowded, noisy street. She wore a write kimono
with gold in it, and a red crane down about knee length. She had put
in the crane herself after one night when Saito had gotten blood on it.
"Oh, not much. He's doing well, as from what I've heard through the
grapevine, so to speak." She replied to the woman, about her age
wearing a light purple kimono. The woman shook her head.
"I cannot even begin to know how you make it when you husband is
gone so many days out of the year." Tokio smiled.
"I can be a very independent person. Now, where's the best place to
buy onions?"
"Oh, just along here! It's a great place. I usually get my vegetables
here. Lowest price, best quality."
"Thank you very much. You know, Juri, he sends me money home,
but I also have as much money as I need." Tokio went up to a
merchant and purchased two onions.
"It's not the money, Tokio, and I don't mean to be rude, but don't
you ever miss him?" Tokio looked up at the sky as they walked down
the road again.
Do I miss you, Saito? She thought to herself, Yes, I miss you. But it's
what you do.
"Yes, I suppose I do." She answered as they walked back to Tokio's
house. "But it's hard to understand, I suppose. Love can extend over
the distance of many worlds. I don't need to see him every day to
know how he is. Because I know Saito's fine."
"Wouldn't you be happier, though? If he were near you all the time?"
"It doesn't matter. In spirit, he's with me all the time. Thank you for
shopping with me, Juri-san."
"Of course. I'll be seeing you, then." Tokio walked in the house and
into the kitchen, opening all the sliding windows. The Kyoto sun was
very warm, and the summer heat beat down upon them all. For once,
Tokio wasn't having anyone over to lunch. Usually she did, just to fill
the silnce. But lately it seemed as if the silence had become her friend
and companion, and she always, if she listened closely with her eyes
closed in the night, she could hear the noises of Saito walking through
the house. It made her feel closer to him still. She never told anyone
about this, lest they think she was crazy.
She shook her head to clear it and began to cook some of the shrimp
she bought and the vegetables. After they were cooked, she put them
in a bowl, grabbed her chopsticks, and ate her lunch standing up.
Because she was staring at the sky, she missed the person coming up
the street.
"Tokio?" Someone called as they opened the door to the house. She
gasped and spun, realizing the intruder could see her at any moment,
since she left the kitchen door open.
"Who is it?" She called, trying to remain unconcerned. Only the
members of her family and the Shinsengumi knew of this house, and
anyone else who happened to know had no reason to be here. She
stepped out into the main living area to find Saito standing in front of
the door. He smiled at her.
"Me, Tokio. How have you been?" She came and hugged him.
"I'm glad you're back." He kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry I didn't write to tell you I'd be back. I didn't know myself
until I was practically here. I'll be here until my next assignment."
"No one knows how long it will be, of course." She replied what she
knew what he'd say next, but then added something new, "I feel,
however, that it won't be long at all." He looked at her.
"And how do you know that?" Tokio shook her head.
"I don't know. It's just a feeling I have. Perhaps I'm wrong. You never
can tell, can you?"
"I suppose not." He let her go. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm
very hungry." She walked back into the kitchen.
"Of course. Let me cook you something. I'll only take a minute." He
followed her, but hung back as she began to prepare the same food
she just ate for lunch for Saito. As it cooked, she felt his presence and
turned. "Saito, is everything all right?"
He looked suprised at the question. "Oh, nothing." He looked out the
window. "I suppose it's just been awhile since I've been back home. It
feels a little awkward." She smiled.
"I'm sorry. I hope you will feel more in place soon." She turned back
to what she was cooking, finally pouring it into a bowl and handing it
to him. "I just ate. But I'll sit with you, if you like." He nodded. As she
followed him out, she began to wonder just what was really wrong.
He had never acted this way when he came home all the other times.
For a minute, she was terrified for their marriage, wild mind going
over who she could go to if she found out that there was another
woman. But then she calmed herself, thinking of exactly who she was
talking about.
They sat down across from each other. He ate quickly, not looking at
her. Finally she gave up trying to pretend it was all okay. Better to
face truth sooner.
"Saito, something IS the matter! Please tell me, I can feel it." He
looked up at her seriously.
"There is nothing wrong!" He shouted, and her eyes opened wide. He
got up to take his bowl back into the kitchen when, in the blink of an
eye, he collapsed.
"Saito!" She screamed, catching him as he fell. "Saito!" He did not
respond. The bowl shattered upon hitting the floor. Little bits and
pieces got caught in her kimono. Carefully she lifted him up, noticing
how thin he'd gotten, and took him upstairs to his bed. Feeling his
forehead, she noticed he was burning up.
"Please, please, be all right, Saito..." She begged. He opened his eyes a
little, his color having drained out of his face until it became almost
pearl-white.
"Tokio-" He whispered, "I'm sorry for yelling at you..." She kissed his
forehead quickly.
"It's all right, Saito. Just don't get out of bed until I get back with a
doctor. I don't care if you can or can't see one for whatever reason,
without one you're going to die." He didn't argue, so she tucked the
blanket around him quickly and departed.
The doctor looked up when Tokio burst in. He knew her well- she
always was purchasing bandages for something.
"Tokio-san! You should be carrying an umbrella this time of day! Your
pale skin is going to burn!"
"Sir, Saito came back unannounced, and while we were eating, he got
up and collapsed! He's deathly pale and has a high fever. I don't
know what to do..."
"Calm down, Tokio-san. Things are going slowly for me, so I'll come
and take a look. He sounds like he needs me to look over him."
"Thank you so much, doctor!" He follwed her out, after grabbing a
bag off the table.
When they arrived at the house, Tokio hurried upstairs to make sure
Saito was still there. It looked like he hadn't moved.
"Tokio-san, I'm afraid I must ask you to wait outside. I really cannot
work with women watching me. IT's a rule we keep at our clinic.
"Of course, sir..." Tokio swallowed, and turned to walk out.
"Tokio-" Saito rasped from the bed. She only turned her head to look
at him.
"The doctor insists I wait outside, Saito. I'll see you when he's done."
Saito coughed.
Tokio waited outside the room, pacing back and forth. Finally, the
doctor came out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him
quietly.
"May I speak to you downstairs?"
"Of course, but Saito hears most things that go on inside this house."
"We'll risk it." They walked downstairs and Tokio made tea. They sat
down at the table.
"Yes?" The doctor looked rather unhappy.
"At the first sign of this illness, I qould have prescribed rest. The
second stage, some medication would have helped, and rest for quite
awhile. However, Saito-san has had this illness for quite awhile, and it
has worsened because of travel. I- I hate to say this. I have no idea
what to do now. We will try everything in our power to heal him,
and we will use lots of rest, but- There is a possibilty Saito-san will
die."
"There is a possibility he will die everyday."
"Does this mean you don't believe me?"
"No, not at all! I will do everything I can as well to help Saito!"
"Good. I will have someone drop the medicine you need by later
today. A week later, he will come by again with another. I have no
idea how long this recovery will take." She heard Saito calling from
his bedroom, almost more in her mind.
"Saito's calling. Thank you very much, sir. Have a good day." Tokio
walked up to Saito's room as the doctor left the house.
"Tokio?" He called softly. She sttod in the doorframe, looking, trying
to hold back the sadness that was running through her. She watched
him call for her weakly, putting him in great contrast to the Saito of
the other visits.
Saito, how could you do this? She screamed in her mind, but of course
he could not hear, You knew you were sick, weren't you, while you
were on the road... At the sight of him coughing again, her heart
softened slightly, People don't realize how much you actually care
about this country. I know that's why you let yourself get this way.
She took as step toward him. Either way, please don't do this again.
"Saito? Did you need something? I'll get you some more tea?" She
offered. He shook his head.
"I want to know- what did the doctor say?" She smiled. Trust him to
want to know that, even if it WAS just to beat it.
"He said there is a possibility you will die. He will do all he can." She
now stood by the bed, and he reached up and grabbed her hand.
Tokio blinked, and held on, kneeling next to him.
"Don't worry that I will die. You know I will not."
"I don't believe you will, this time around. However, Hajime Saito,
human you may be, a God you are not. Sometimes I wonder if you
know your limits and ignore them, or if you think you HAVE none."
He smiled, then coughed.
"If you were out there, every day, during this Revolution... You, too,
would push yourself beyond these foolish mortal limits."
"I am not; I am rational. However, I have one thing to ask of you,
Saito." Tokio said to him fiercely, "Anyone who needs help, so long
as we are alive, and comes to you to find it. Perhaps they lost a
family. I can sense the pain for many will not be over with the end of
the Revolution. But anyone, man, woman, child, it matters not, send
them to me. In that small way I can help someone get back on their
feet and, in some small part, help bring an end to this insanity." He
smiled.
"You never told me you thought this revolution was insanity."
"I understand its cause, I understand why you are fighting stop it. I
understand the wills of men, and I understand why people will get
hurt, why they will die, for this cause. I also know why people run,
and why they cry. Forgive me for being so soft, Hajime Saito, but the
one thing I do not understand is how ANYONE could do this to
themselves." Her voice lowered, "Especially you."
"I'll be all right, Tokio. You'll see."
"I certaintly hope so. Take all the time you need to heal, however."
The next week, the aide stopped dead in his tracks as Saito opened
the door.
"What can I do for you, boy?" The boy began to stammer.
"Uhhhh... Must've gotten the wrong house... Sorry, sir!" Saito laughed
and slid the door shut behind the fleeing boy.
"Saito, who was that?" Tokio came walking down the stairs.
"No one I knew." He said, "Perhaps it was the... doctor's aide?" She
began to laugh, until she was just short of rolling on the ground. Even
Saito smiled.
That night, Tokio heard something strange downstairs. Someone was
walking- more like tiptoeing. The moon was high in the sky, but the
person didn't sound like Saito. Tokio got up, her long black hair in a
braid, still in her sleeping outfit.
She walked downstairs.
As she walked down the stairs, she could hear Saito's breathing in the
room. He was stil asleep, still recovering from the disease. She took a
deep breath, knowing that she had to do this herself. Tokio couldn't
come to wake him just now.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, her feet making no sound on the
well-worn floor. The small scuffling noise could be heard from the
kitchen. Carefully, she walked in, silently grabbing a candle. She
stopped right outside to light it, then walked in.
"Hello?" She asked quietly, "Who's there?" The scuffling stopped
suddenly, she knew it was from the back storage room.
She walked back there, pushing open the door. "Hello? Who are you?
Where are you?" She noticed a barrel was opened slightly, when she
was sure she had closed it tightly before. She walked over and pulled
off the lid.
"Oh, my..." Tokio whispered. Upstairs, sensing his wife's confusion
and surprise, Saito woke up. He came downstairs and found Tokio in
the storeroom, staring into a barrel.
"Tokio?" Finally, he heard it. A tiny, weak crying sound. His mouth
dropped open practically, as Tokio- strong for her looks- lifted out of
the barrel a half dead girl about thirteen years old. She was dirty, and
very, very underfed. She was barely clothed, simply dressed in some
tatters of something that looked like it used to be beautiful. She had
long matted black hair.
"Saito, I had no idea how this happened..." He reminded himself that
at times like these, Tokio could start to beg for forgiveness, a trait
from her previous home that had never faded away.
"Of course you didn't." She shook her head to clear it.
"I'm sorry about that, Saito... Please, do you know where the doctor
lives?" He nodded firmly, "Then please, come and bring him here,
even if it's the middle of the night. She's got bruises all over her..." He
turned.
"I will be back shortly. Put her in the guest room, if you wish." As he
left, he heard the faint crying again, as if it came from a million miles
away.
"Shhh, quiet now. You'll be all right. Saito's gone to get the doctor."
He left, shutting the door behind him, wondering how exactly this
could've happened.
Tokio heard the door shut and immediately gave the girl a bath,
throwing out the cloth she had been previously wearing. Since the girl
was hardly able to hold herself up, Tokio scrubbed the beaten body
gently, remembering how much it hurt when her nurse had scrubbed
her bruises.. Wincing at the memory, she was very careful. Finally, she
changed her into a sleeping outfit that was too small for Tokio, and
brought her to the upstairs room, wondering how she got like this.
Wondering how and why, she got into their house and hid in a
barrel. She stood by the bed for a moment, looking at the girl.
"Give her to me. Give her back." She turned, gasping the loudest gasp
of her life. In the doorway was a man she had never seen before in
her life. At least not that she could remember.
"Wh-who are you?" He, of course, had a sword, still sheathed, but
that meant nothing. He could draw it at any moment. "Did you do
this to her?" She might as well go down fighting- she wished Saito and
the doctor would get back soon.
"She was sold to me by her Father for money to gamble with- she's
mine! We were to be married, however, you took her from me! GIVE
HER BACK!" He took a step forward, hand on hilt. She stepped
backward, mind frantically searching for something to protect herself
and the girl with. Her hand groped and found Saito's grandmother's
porcelian vase on a table. She prayed that the woman would forgive
her.
"She doesn't belong to you! She can't belong to you! She belongs to
no one, especially one who has aided in abusing her so much!"
"Stop preaching, woman! You should be in a bed somewhere, not
facing off with me! Don't you know who I am?" She ignored the
comment.
"I don't know who you are, and I don't care!" When he stepped
forward again, she hurled the vase at him. It broke upon impact, he
couldn't bring up the sword fast enough.
"Tokio? Where are you? I've brought the doctor!"
"Saito!" She screamed, "Up here, in the guest room! Someone's here,
HURRY!" Before she knew it, he was standing behind the man. She
closed her eyes like she had as a girl, as the sweeping attack followed
through. She could only feel warm blood, turning cold, splashing on
her face like a fountain, and the fear as she opened her eyes and could
not see anything but red. The body hit her from the force of the
attack and she fell with it.
Saito pulled Tokio out from under the body just as the doctor arrived
in the room, turning pale.
"What happened here?" He asked in a strange voice. Saito threw the
arm of a shocked Tokio over his shoulder. "I asked, what happened?
This man is... dead..."
"As a member of the Shinsengumi. I, of course, have a sword. I used it
to kill this man who was about to kill both of the women in this
room. Or at least, my wife."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I am not allowed to treat any related family
members of any group..." Tokio held up a small purse, bulging with
money.
"Take this... please. To keep quiet and to treat this girl who is on this
bed currently. After that- you won't hear from us again, if that is your
wish." The doctor nodded.
"You understand, Tokio-san, that this isn't because of your family
individually-"
"Of course. Saito, I'll be fine now. I'm going to go... wash this off. He
nodded and let go, and she disappeared through the door. Saito said
nothing to the doctor as well, just lifted the body of the dead man
over his shoulder and carried him out of the room. The doctor sat
down, gulping nervously at the sudden change of events that had
occured. He thought to himself as he did what he could for the girl.
What shall I do? Now I know why Tokio-san is always buying
bandages- but what if she or Saito-san gets sick? The practice... We are
the closest docotrs! If our clinic had not been there, this girl might be
dead now! Maybe... Maybe it doesn't matter that Hajime Saito is one
of the Shinsengumi. If I talk to Tokio-san nd promise not to say
anything, perhaps it can be overlooked...
"Excuse me, sir? I won't watch you, I promise," Tokio was there
again, in work clothing, with a mop, rag, and water. "I just need to
clean up this floor."
"That's fine, Tokio-san." His mind came upon a decision, "I'm going
to overlook what happened tonight. As long as no one says anything,
it won't matter. I understand that sometime in the future, it is
inevitable that you will need a doctor in an emergency, and... I don't
see the point in trading a life for a life."
Tokio dared look up. "Really, sir?" When he nodded, all the tension
in her broke out in a huge sigh. "Thank you so much."
"I'm doing this because you are some of my best supply customers,
and this girl looks like she might possible be able to help at the clinic
when she's stronger." He teased, and she half-smiled, continuing to
work on the floor. Finally, he got up and prepared to leave.
"Will she be all right, then?"
"Only if she is fed and taken care of well. I think you may ask her her
name, but I would not press her for many more details than that,
unless she tells you. I don't know what you're going to do with her
now, I can't take her-"
"I promised Saito," She began carefully, "That anyone he ever met
who needed help getting back on their feet I would take care of until
they do so. I am not giving up on my promise to my husband now."
He nodded.
"Well, goodnight, Tokio-san. I'll be looking to hear the news of the
girl's progress." He walked out, and she followed, having finished the
floor.
-------
Saito went off the next morning as usual, and Tokio stayed home, just
in case the girl woke up. She started out cleaning the kitchen area, and
then got on a roll and cleaned the whole house, outside and in. She
was just finishing the porch outside the front door in the evening
when Saito returned home.
"And has she woken up yet?" Tokio looked up.
"No, not yet. I've been checking in on her constantly." She finished
the porch quickly and stood up, following him inside. Saito stopped
right inside the front door, face tilting upward at a sudden sense of
something.
"She's awake now, I do believe. And very afraid." He didn't say
more, but followed her up the stairs as she pushed her way in fron t
of him, setting down the bucket and cleaning supplies.
The girl looked around, frightened. Had she not succeded in running
away, and HE had caught her? From the air outside, it didn't seem
like it was where her father had gone, so she was not with him. A
woman with dark hair tied back in a braid and a man smelling of
blood interrupted her thoughts as they came in. He assumed a stance
by the door, where there was a smell of recent blood, and she knelt
down next to the bed.
"Who are you? At least tell me your name." The woman took her
hand. "I'm Hajime Tokio, and my husband is Hajime Saito." They
didn't look like man and wife to her- the man was full of silence and
criticism, and the woman was generous.
"Anda Akina." She managed to croak, throat dry. "I don't think I'm
Anda anymore, though. My Father sold me to a man who I ran away
from- He's looking for me!" She grabbed Tokio's arm, wild eyed.
"The one Saito killed." The woman said quietly, as if to herself,
"Don't worry, you're safe- but your Father..."
"Went to Hokkaido, because he couldn't find work. To get enough
money to gamble, and go north, he sold me..." She shivered, "So I
don't think I'm an Anda anymore."
"Well, Akina-san, you'll be staying with us for as long as need be. You
could use our last name, if you wish. Or you can find your own.
"I'll use Hajime, for now. Until I find my own."
"I understand why you don't want to be Anda anymore." Akina
looked at the woman more closely. Yes- she too, had felt pain.
"Please, just Akina..." She begged Tokio, who nodded.
"And I am just Tokio, as is Saito."
"Tokio-" Saito said, clearing his throat, "I've been meaning to tell you,
ever since I returned home-" Tokio froze, and got up, still holding
onto the thin hand. She faced him.
"You-" He nodded, and Akina looked confused. Saito half-turned to
Akina.
"I am often away from this house, traveling, as part of the
Shinsengumi, that is my job. So you will not see me as much as you
will see Tokio. This is another one of those times. I will be leaving at
sunrise tomorrow." Akina was about to reply, but Tokio jumped in.
"Don't mind that- It's just what he does. It doesn't bother me any."
Saito left at sunrise the next morning.
--------- Six months later.
"Akina, please go down the road and get what we need for dinner
tonight, and I'll see about getting a new bowl to replace the one I
broke yesterday." Tokio directed. Akina nodded and walked off
down the street.
It was a warmer day for January, about 52 degrees, and, while there
wasn't any snow, it wasn't exactly warm, either. Tokio shiviered
slightly as she walked toward the potter's place, wondering where
exactly Saito was and if he was warm enough.
As Akina walked down the street to where she could possibly find
food for their dinner, she kept thinking back to how tired Tokio
looked that past winter. She knew money wasn't the problem, and all
her fussing over Akina had payed off. Akina mentally hugged herself
as she thought of her new image. She was no longer too thin- six
months of Tokio's cooking had fixed that, she had built up her
muscles again, and got her color back into her skin. For the first time
in forever, Tokio had sat her down and brushed enerything out of her
hair. She had a good home, an identity, and clothes to wear that were
nice.
So that meant Tokio must have been worried about something else.
Something that made her tired, and she was beginning to come down
with something. But, try as she might, Akina could not get Tokio to
see a doctor. Tokio always brushed it off with an "I'm fine."
It must've been Saito. Her almost-father. Akina had heard of him
before she moved in, how cold and lonely he was. It was true, he was
a uniquely distant person, but that didn't always come true. Of
course, she had only the infrequent letters home, written to her and
Tokio.
That night, there was rain. Akina looked at the sky and saw, just for a
minute, it was tinted blood red. Then she saw the lone, lean, tall
figure walk down the street. Not quite sure who it was, but not
wanting to get Tokio, who was actually upstairs resting, she continued
to watch.
It was Saito.
"Saito!" She gasped. He looked at her sharply as they walked inside.
"Akina." He greeted finally. "I need Tokio."
"If it's bad news, then you shouldn't tell her, she's not been feeling
well-" He interrupted her.
"Get me Tokio." She shook her head and walked up the stairs,
knocking on Tokio's door.
"Yes?" Came a muffled voice from within.
"Saito's home." Akina called in.
She didn't know what hit her.
Akina chose not to go downstairs, but let them have some time alone.
Downstairs, Tokio was staring at Saito from the staircase.
"So you really ARE back." She said finally. They covered the distance
between in quick step. He hugged her, and she had a sudden sense off
foreboding. "What's the matter?"
"Tokio..."
"What?" He didn't let her go, but held her tighter. She began to feel
very afraid. This wasn't like him at all.
"I'll give you one chance to leave me. Just- pack up with Akina and
leave, go to your Grandfather's house. To forget me." She bit her lip,
feeling tears coming.
"I'm afraid I'm already in too deep to simply let you go like that. I
won't do it. Now tell me. What's happening? Is it something to do
with the Shinsengumi? And that huge new group that's in Kyoto
currently?"
"I'm afraid that after living with us for this long, you've gotten it all
right. I've been in Kyoto for eight days now, planning this. We're
going to take them by surprise."
"Saito- they're so much... bigger... than your section of the
Shinsengumi... The odds are impossible!" He kissed her quickly.
"Do you really think stopping this Revolution is insane, then?"
"I can offer you only the same as I told you before. Even when I risk
losing you to this whole Revolution. When does this take place?"
A knock sounded on the door. He turned, letting her go, and
answered it. It was a man from the Shinsengumi she knew well, but in
this moment of stress couldn't remember his name.
"Tonight." Saito answered to her question. He walked out of the
door.
She had to stop him. Somehow, she had to. She had seen glimpses of
that group when helping out their section of the Shinsengumi. It was
at least twenty of them to one of...
Crazy. It was all crazy, every last particle of the idea was insane.
"Saito!" Tokio ran in front of him as he turned out to the waiting
Shinsengumi on the street. They began walking. "Saito, you can't do
this! It's twenty of them to every one of you! Saito, please!" He
continued to brush her off, face unreadable. "Yes." She breathed,
"Yes, I honestly, truly, believe what you're doing is insane. It's insane
and wrong! You don't need to be the last wolf! You don't need to be
the lone wolf standing!"
"The lone wolf, Tokio? Is that what you call me?" She tagged after the
group insistently, "Why the lone wolf? Does that mean that I will be
alone, without my group? If this group shall all die, I, as part of it,
shall die with it. I am doing this for your country." For the first time,
anger showed in his voice. "So why do you defy me?"
"Because-" She struggled, "Because-" At the next turn, she would have
to leave them behind. "Because of love." She finished. He turned to
look at her. "Because- I love you, and if you were to die, then I
would die too. And unless I am mistaken, you are doing this to
protect me, and you would not let yourself die, since I would as well.
And then, you would be the last wolf of the Shinsengumi, Saito! The
lone wolf!" The reached the corner.
"Leave us, Tokio. Go home."
"Saito!"
"NO! Do not follow! Go back to Akina!" He pushed her back, using
force on her since the first time they met. He walked on ahead with
the rest of the group, and she fell to her knees on the drizzly street,
tears mingling with the rain.
"Saito..." She whispered, "Don't leave me..." Akina came with
another woman, out onto the street. "Saito..." Her last words before
she fainted, "Don't keep your promise to me... Don't protect me..."
From the site of the battle, Saito looked back for a split second.
"I'm sorry, Tokio. But I must."
Back in Tokio's home, all the wives were there, but Tokio was doing
nothing to help serve. Though she had always believed that doing
something helped ease the pain, she just sat there, huddled in the
middle of the main room in front of the fire, with the others
watching her cry in weariness, including Akina. No one had ever seen
her cry like this before. She was the stoic one of the group, the one
who always had a cup of tea and some good advice when the others
were scared. Always faitful that Saito and the others would pull
through. It seemed almost a death omen that she sat there, crying.
Finally, a couple of them went to fix something in the kitchen for
everyone to eat. Juri, a woman of the Shinsengumi and the one who
had questioned Tokio about Saito before, came to move on the floor
with Tokio, comforting her.
"Come now, Tokio-san. Don't cry. You always told us that Saito and
the others would come through before. What about now?" Tokio
looked up at Juri's face.
"I- I don't know, Juri-san. I don't know what will happen to them."
"Look at them now." Juri whispered so only she could hear. "They're
scared stiff. Why? Because you're afraid. YOU were the stoic one- you
always had faith in them. Now you're not sure? Now, they're worried
for their loved one's safety."
"I told Saito that what he was doing was insane. Protecting, or
breaking, this revolution, it doesn't matter what side you're on. It's
all..."
"Insane. Mad. Why are they risking their lives to protect this country?
Why are the others risking their lives to destroy it? Which side does
which, anyway? Sometimes, even I do not know. Tokio-san, Even
now, married to one of these men, I do not believe the way of the
strongest sword is the right path for men to follow. But now, for us,
for all of us, and for them, you MUST have faith." Tokio sighed,
nodded, and got up. Everyone's eyes watched her.
"They're going to be fine." She said, trying with all her might to
sound confident, "They're all going to be fine. Please feel free to make
yourself comfortable. I am going to bed. Akina, I have a headache
from so much crying, I'm going to lie down for a bit. Please watch
over them for me." Akina nodded, and Tokio vanished upstairs.
Late that night, the Shinsengumi members came in. Everyone had been
moved into rooms upstairs, but they found Tokio and Akina there
with bandages and other healing supplies. A small candle was lit next
to them.
"Did you lose any?" She asked the nearest man, who grabbed her
hands and wrung them in his excitement. He had short black hair and
shining green eyes.
"Not a one!" he whispered excitedly. "The surprise strategy, it worked
like a charm. We've got several wounded though."
"Is Saito all right?"
"Oh, he was fantastic! A bunch of them got in trouble, and he was
right there, quick as lightning. He's fine. I don't think he got much of a
scratch. Didn't make sure everyone was okay, though. Just know
general numbers.
Some of the men who didn't need assistance helped to bandage those
who did. After everyone was given a spot on the downstairs floor,
Tokio realized Saito wasn't there.
"He's outside," One man said, who was hauling Akina upstairs- she
had fallen asleep while bandaging someone's ankle. "Taking a
smoke." She walked outside quietly. He still noticed.
"Tokio. We didn't lose a single person. Are you happy now?"
"No. But knowing who you are, and what you do, I doubt I will be
happy." He turned to her.
"The thing is though, halfway through the battle, we were losing.
Then we suddenly felt a new confidence, and were able to fight
better. Usually it happens the other way around in surprise attacks."
She stood next to him, and he put out what he was smoking with the
heel of his shoe.
"I'm only thankful you came back all right." She told him. He hugged her, finally,
after a long silence.
"I'm sorry to make you worry." He said, holding her.
"That's what you do. Come back and tell me when you feel sorry
enough to stop."
"Don't wait for it."
"I won't." She smiled, "I won't."
THE END
---- A/N
As I accidentally forgot in the last chapter, Rurouni Kenshin and co. belong to someone else... who can pay their bills without worrying. Hajime Saito belongs to them, but the REAL one, (who died at 45 or so from a severe stomach ulcer,) belongs to no one but himself. Thank you so much to all who reviewed!!!! I have a possible third chapter idea for this, but I dunno if I want to put it up. Please review and tell me your opinion!.!.!.!
~A. Potter
under the umbrella she was using to hide herself from the sun as she
walked down the crowded, noisy street. She wore a write kimono
with gold in it, and a red crane down about knee length. She had put
in the crane herself after one night when Saito had gotten blood on it.
"Oh, not much. He's doing well, as from what I've heard through the
grapevine, so to speak." She replied to the woman, about her age
wearing a light purple kimono. The woman shook her head.
"I cannot even begin to know how you make it when you husband is
gone so many days out of the year." Tokio smiled.
"I can be a very independent person. Now, where's the best place to
buy onions?"
"Oh, just along here! It's a great place. I usually get my vegetables
here. Lowest price, best quality."
"Thank you very much. You know, Juri, he sends me money home,
but I also have as much money as I need." Tokio went up to a
merchant and purchased two onions.
"It's not the money, Tokio, and I don't mean to be rude, but don't
you ever miss him?" Tokio looked up at the sky as they walked down
the road again.
Do I miss you, Saito? She thought to herself, Yes, I miss you. But it's
what you do.
"Yes, I suppose I do." She answered as they walked back to Tokio's
house. "But it's hard to understand, I suppose. Love can extend over
the distance of many worlds. I don't need to see him every day to
know how he is. Because I know Saito's fine."
"Wouldn't you be happier, though? If he were near you all the time?"
"It doesn't matter. In spirit, he's with me all the time. Thank you for
shopping with me, Juri-san."
"Of course. I'll be seeing you, then." Tokio walked in the house and
into the kitchen, opening all the sliding windows. The Kyoto sun was
very warm, and the summer heat beat down upon them all. For once,
Tokio wasn't having anyone over to lunch. Usually she did, just to fill
the silnce. But lately it seemed as if the silence had become her friend
and companion, and she always, if she listened closely with her eyes
closed in the night, she could hear the noises of Saito walking through
the house. It made her feel closer to him still. She never told anyone
about this, lest they think she was crazy.
She shook her head to clear it and began to cook some of the shrimp
she bought and the vegetables. After they were cooked, she put them
in a bowl, grabbed her chopsticks, and ate her lunch standing up.
Because she was staring at the sky, she missed the person coming up
the street.
"Tokio?" Someone called as they opened the door to the house. She
gasped and spun, realizing the intruder could see her at any moment,
since she left the kitchen door open.
"Who is it?" She called, trying to remain unconcerned. Only the
members of her family and the Shinsengumi knew of this house, and
anyone else who happened to know had no reason to be here. She
stepped out into the main living area to find Saito standing in front of
the door. He smiled at her.
"Me, Tokio. How have you been?" She came and hugged him.
"I'm glad you're back." He kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry I didn't write to tell you I'd be back. I didn't know myself
until I was practically here. I'll be here until my next assignment."
"No one knows how long it will be, of course." She replied what she
knew what he'd say next, but then added something new, "I feel,
however, that it won't be long at all." He looked at her.
"And how do you know that?" Tokio shook her head.
"I don't know. It's just a feeling I have. Perhaps I'm wrong. You never
can tell, can you?"
"I suppose not." He let her go. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm
very hungry." She walked back into the kitchen.
"Of course. Let me cook you something. I'll only take a minute." He
followed her, but hung back as she began to prepare the same food
she just ate for lunch for Saito. As it cooked, she felt his presence and
turned. "Saito, is everything all right?"
He looked suprised at the question. "Oh, nothing." He looked out the
window. "I suppose it's just been awhile since I've been back home. It
feels a little awkward." She smiled.
"I'm sorry. I hope you will feel more in place soon." She turned back
to what she was cooking, finally pouring it into a bowl and handing it
to him. "I just ate. But I'll sit with you, if you like." He nodded. As she
followed him out, she began to wonder just what was really wrong.
He had never acted this way when he came home all the other times.
For a minute, she was terrified for their marriage, wild mind going
over who she could go to if she found out that there was another
woman. But then she calmed herself, thinking of exactly who she was
talking about.
They sat down across from each other. He ate quickly, not looking at
her. Finally she gave up trying to pretend it was all okay. Better to
face truth sooner.
"Saito, something IS the matter! Please tell me, I can feel it." He
looked up at her seriously.
"There is nothing wrong!" He shouted, and her eyes opened wide. He
got up to take his bowl back into the kitchen when, in the blink of an
eye, he collapsed.
"Saito!" She screamed, catching him as he fell. "Saito!" He did not
respond. The bowl shattered upon hitting the floor. Little bits and
pieces got caught in her kimono. Carefully she lifted him up, noticing
how thin he'd gotten, and took him upstairs to his bed. Feeling his
forehead, she noticed he was burning up.
"Please, please, be all right, Saito..." She begged. He opened his eyes a
little, his color having drained out of his face until it became almost
pearl-white.
"Tokio-" He whispered, "I'm sorry for yelling at you..." She kissed his
forehead quickly.
"It's all right, Saito. Just don't get out of bed until I get back with a
doctor. I don't care if you can or can't see one for whatever reason,
without one you're going to die." He didn't argue, so she tucked the
blanket around him quickly and departed.
The doctor looked up when Tokio burst in. He knew her well- she
always was purchasing bandages for something.
"Tokio-san! You should be carrying an umbrella this time of day! Your
pale skin is going to burn!"
"Sir, Saito came back unannounced, and while we were eating, he got
up and collapsed! He's deathly pale and has a high fever. I don't
know what to do..."
"Calm down, Tokio-san. Things are going slowly for me, so I'll come
and take a look. He sounds like he needs me to look over him."
"Thank you so much, doctor!" He follwed her out, after grabbing a
bag off the table.
When they arrived at the house, Tokio hurried upstairs to make sure
Saito was still there. It looked like he hadn't moved.
"Tokio-san, I'm afraid I must ask you to wait outside. I really cannot
work with women watching me. IT's a rule we keep at our clinic.
"Of course, sir..." Tokio swallowed, and turned to walk out.
"Tokio-" Saito rasped from the bed. She only turned her head to look
at him.
"The doctor insists I wait outside, Saito. I'll see you when he's done."
Saito coughed.
Tokio waited outside the room, pacing back and forth. Finally, the
doctor came out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him
quietly.
"May I speak to you downstairs?"
"Of course, but Saito hears most things that go on inside this house."
"We'll risk it." They walked downstairs and Tokio made tea. They sat
down at the table.
"Yes?" The doctor looked rather unhappy.
"At the first sign of this illness, I qould have prescribed rest. The
second stage, some medication would have helped, and rest for quite
awhile. However, Saito-san has had this illness for quite awhile, and it
has worsened because of travel. I- I hate to say this. I have no idea
what to do now. We will try everything in our power to heal him,
and we will use lots of rest, but- There is a possibilty Saito-san will
die."
"There is a possibility he will die everyday."
"Does this mean you don't believe me?"
"No, not at all! I will do everything I can as well to help Saito!"
"Good. I will have someone drop the medicine you need by later
today. A week later, he will come by again with another. I have no
idea how long this recovery will take." She heard Saito calling from
his bedroom, almost more in her mind.
"Saito's calling. Thank you very much, sir. Have a good day." Tokio
walked up to Saito's room as the doctor left the house.
"Tokio?" He called softly. She sttod in the doorframe, looking, trying
to hold back the sadness that was running through her. She watched
him call for her weakly, putting him in great contrast to the Saito of
the other visits.
Saito, how could you do this? She screamed in her mind, but of course
he could not hear, You knew you were sick, weren't you, while you
were on the road... At the sight of him coughing again, her heart
softened slightly, People don't realize how much you actually care
about this country. I know that's why you let yourself get this way.
She took as step toward him. Either way, please don't do this again.
"Saito? Did you need something? I'll get you some more tea?" She
offered. He shook his head.
"I want to know- what did the doctor say?" She smiled. Trust him to
want to know that, even if it WAS just to beat it.
"He said there is a possibility you will die. He will do all he can." She
now stood by the bed, and he reached up and grabbed her hand.
Tokio blinked, and held on, kneeling next to him.
"Don't worry that I will die. You know I will not."
"I don't believe you will, this time around. However, Hajime Saito,
human you may be, a God you are not. Sometimes I wonder if you
know your limits and ignore them, or if you think you HAVE none."
He smiled, then coughed.
"If you were out there, every day, during this Revolution... You, too,
would push yourself beyond these foolish mortal limits."
"I am not; I am rational. However, I have one thing to ask of you,
Saito." Tokio said to him fiercely, "Anyone who needs help, so long
as we are alive, and comes to you to find it. Perhaps they lost a
family. I can sense the pain for many will not be over with the end of
the Revolution. But anyone, man, woman, child, it matters not, send
them to me. In that small way I can help someone get back on their
feet and, in some small part, help bring an end to this insanity." He
smiled.
"You never told me you thought this revolution was insanity."
"I understand its cause, I understand why you are fighting stop it. I
understand the wills of men, and I understand why people will get
hurt, why they will die, for this cause. I also know why people run,
and why they cry. Forgive me for being so soft, Hajime Saito, but the
one thing I do not understand is how ANYONE could do this to
themselves." Her voice lowered, "Especially you."
"I'll be all right, Tokio. You'll see."
"I certaintly hope so. Take all the time you need to heal, however."
The next week, the aide stopped dead in his tracks as Saito opened
the door.
"What can I do for you, boy?" The boy began to stammer.
"Uhhhh... Must've gotten the wrong house... Sorry, sir!" Saito laughed
and slid the door shut behind the fleeing boy.
"Saito, who was that?" Tokio came walking down the stairs.
"No one I knew." He said, "Perhaps it was the... doctor's aide?" She
began to laugh, until she was just short of rolling on the ground. Even
Saito smiled.
That night, Tokio heard something strange downstairs. Someone was
walking- more like tiptoeing. The moon was high in the sky, but the
person didn't sound like Saito. Tokio got up, her long black hair in a
braid, still in her sleeping outfit.
She walked downstairs.
As she walked down the stairs, she could hear Saito's breathing in the
room. He was stil asleep, still recovering from the disease. She took a
deep breath, knowing that she had to do this herself. Tokio couldn't
come to wake him just now.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, her feet making no sound on the
well-worn floor. The small scuffling noise could be heard from the
kitchen. Carefully, she walked in, silently grabbing a candle. She
stopped right outside to light it, then walked in.
"Hello?" She asked quietly, "Who's there?" The scuffling stopped
suddenly, she knew it was from the back storage room.
She walked back there, pushing open the door. "Hello? Who are you?
Where are you?" She noticed a barrel was opened slightly, when she
was sure she had closed it tightly before. She walked over and pulled
off the lid.
"Oh, my..." Tokio whispered. Upstairs, sensing his wife's confusion
and surprise, Saito woke up. He came downstairs and found Tokio in
the storeroom, staring into a barrel.
"Tokio?" Finally, he heard it. A tiny, weak crying sound. His mouth
dropped open practically, as Tokio- strong for her looks- lifted out of
the barrel a half dead girl about thirteen years old. She was dirty, and
very, very underfed. She was barely clothed, simply dressed in some
tatters of something that looked like it used to be beautiful. She had
long matted black hair.
"Saito, I had no idea how this happened..." He reminded himself that
at times like these, Tokio could start to beg for forgiveness, a trait
from her previous home that had never faded away.
"Of course you didn't." She shook her head to clear it.
"I'm sorry about that, Saito... Please, do you know where the doctor
lives?" He nodded firmly, "Then please, come and bring him here,
even if it's the middle of the night. She's got bruises all over her..." He
turned.
"I will be back shortly. Put her in the guest room, if you wish." As he
left, he heard the faint crying again, as if it came from a million miles
away.
"Shhh, quiet now. You'll be all right. Saito's gone to get the doctor."
He left, shutting the door behind him, wondering how exactly this
could've happened.
Tokio heard the door shut and immediately gave the girl a bath,
throwing out the cloth she had been previously wearing. Since the girl
was hardly able to hold herself up, Tokio scrubbed the beaten body
gently, remembering how much it hurt when her nurse had scrubbed
her bruises.. Wincing at the memory, she was very careful. Finally, she
changed her into a sleeping outfit that was too small for Tokio, and
brought her to the upstairs room, wondering how she got like this.
Wondering how and why, she got into their house and hid in a
barrel. She stood by the bed for a moment, looking at the girl.
"Give her to me. Give her back." She turned, gasping the loudest gasp
of her life. In the doorway was a man she had never seen before in
her life. At least not that she could remember.
"Wh-who are you?" He, of course, had a sword, still sheathed, but
that meant nothing. He could draw it at any moment. "Did you do
this to her?" She might as well go down fighting- she wished Saito and
the doctor would get back soon.
"She was sold to me by her Father for money to gamble with- she's
mine! We were to be married, however, you took her from me! GIVE
HER BACK!" He took a step forward, hand on hilt. She stepped
backward, mind frantically searching for something to protect herself
and the girl with. Her hand groped and found Saito's grandmother's
porcelian vase on a table. She prayed that the woman would forgive
her.
"She doesn't belong to you! She can't belong to you! She belongs to
no one, especially one who has aided in abusing her so much!"
"Stop preaching, woman! You should be in a bed somewhere, not
facing off with me! Don't you know who I am?" She ignored the
comment.
"I don't know who you are, and I don't care!" When he stepped
forward again, she hurled the vase at him. It broke upon impact, he
couldn't bring up the sword fast enough.
"Tokio? Where are you? I've brought the doctor!"
"Saito!" She screamed, "Up here, in the guest room! Someone's here,
HURRY!" Before she knew it, he was standing behind the man. She
closed her eyes like she had as a girl, as the sweeping attack followed
through. She could only feel warm blood, turning cold, splashing on
her face like a fountain, and the fear as she opened her eyes and could
not see anything but red. The body hit her from the force of the
attack and she fell with it.
Saito pulled Tokio out from under the body just as the doctor arrived
in the room, turning pale.
"What happened here?" He asked in a strange voice. Saito threw the
arm of a shocked Tokio over his shoulder. "I asked, what happened?
This man is... dead..."
"As a member of the Shinsengumi. I, of course, have a sword. I used it
to kill this man who was about to kill both of the women in this
room. Or at least, my wife."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I am not allowed to treat any related family
members of any group..." Tokio held up a small purse, bulging with
money.
"Take this... please. To keep quiet and to treat this girl who is on this
bed currently. After that- you won't hear from us again, if that is your
wish." The doctor nodded.
"You understand, Tokio-san, that this isn't because of your family
individually-"
"Of course. Saito, I'll be fine now. I'm going to go... wash this off. He
nodded and let go, and she disappeared through the door. Saito said
nothing to the doctor as well, just lifted the body of the dead man
over his shoulder and carried him out of the room. The doctor sat
down, gulping nervously at the sudden change of events that had
occured. He thought to himself as he did what he could for the girl.
What shall I do? Now I know why Tokio-san is always buying
bandages- but what if she or Saito-san gets sick? The practice... We are
the closest docotrs! If our clinic had not been there, this girl might be
dead now! Maybe... Maybe it doesn't matter that Hajime Saito is one
of the Shinsengumi. If I talk to Tokio-san nd promise not to say
anything, perhaps it can be overlooked...
"Excuse me, sir? I won't watch you, I promise," Tokio was there
again, in work clothing, with a mop, rag, and water. "I just need to
clean up this floor."
"That's fine, Tokio-san." His mind came upon a decision, "I'm going
to overlook what happened tonight. As long as no one says anything,
it won't matter. I understand that sometime in the future, it is
inevitable that you will need a doctor in an emergency, and... I don't
see the point in trading a life for a life."
Tokio dared look up. "Really, sir?" When he nodded, all the tension
in her broke out in a huge sigh. "Thank you so much."
"I'm doing this because you are some of my best supply customers,
and this girl looks like she might possible be able to help at the clinic
when she's stronger." He teased, and she half-smiled, continuing to
work on the floor. Finally, he got up and prepared to leave.
"Will she be all right, then?"
"Only if she is fed and taken care of well. I think you may ask her her
name, but I would not press her for many more details than that,
unless she tells you. I don't know what you're going to do with her
now, I can't take her-"
"I promised Saito," She began carefully, "That anyone he ever met
who needed help getting back on their feet I would take care of until
they do so. I am not giving up on my promise to my husband now."
He nodded.
"Well, goodnight, Tokio-san. I'll be looking to hear the news of the
girl's progress." He walked out, and she followed, having finished the
floor.
-------
Saito went off the next morning as usual, and Tokio stayed home, just
in case the girl woke up. She started out cleaning the kitchen area, and
then got on a roll and cleaned the whole house, outside and in. She
was just finishing the porch outside the front door in the evening
when Saito returned home.
"And has she woken up yet?" Tokio looked up.
"No, not yet. I've been checking in on her constantly." She finished
the porch quickly and stood up, following him inside. Saito stopped
right inside the front door, face tilting upward at a sudden sense of
something.
"She's awake now, I do believe. And very afraid." He didn't say
more, but followed her up the stairs as she pushed her way in fron t
of him, setting down the bucket and cleaning supplies.
The girl looked around, frightened. Had she not succeded in running
away, and HE had caught her? From the air outside, it didn't seem
like it was where her father had gone, so she was not with him. A
woman with dark hair tied back in a braid and a man smelling of
blood interrupted her thoughts as they came in. He assumed a stance
by the door, where there was a smell of recent blood, and she knelt
down next to the bed.
"Who are you? At least tell me your name." The woman took her
hand. "I'm Hajime Tokio, and my husband is Hajime Saito." They
didn't look like man and wife to her- the man was full of silence and
criticism, and the woman was generous.
"Anda Akina." She managed to croak, throat dry. "I don't think I'm
Anda anymore, though. My Father sold me to a man who I ran away
from- He's looking for me!" She grabbed Tokio's arm, wild eyed.
"The one Saito killed." The woman said quietly, as if to herself,
"Don't worry, you're safe- but your Father..."
"Went to Hokkaido, because he couldn't find work. To get enough
money to gamble, and go north, he sold me..." She shivered, "So I
don't think I'm an Anda anymore."
"Well, Akina-san, you'll be staying with us for as long as need be. You
could use our last name, if you wish. Or you can find your own.
"I'll use Hajime, for now. Until I find my own."
"I understand why you don't want to be Anda anymore." Akina
looked at the woman more closely. Yes- she too, had felt pain.
"Please, just Akina..." She begged Tokio, who nodded.
"And I am just Tokio, as is Saito."
"Tokio-" Saito said, clearing his throat, "I've been meaning to tell you,
ever since I returned home-" Tokio froze, and got up, still holding
onto the thin hand. She faced him.
"You-" He nodded, and Akina looked confused. Saito half-turned to
Akina.
"I am often away from this house, traveling, as part of the
Shinsengumi, that is my job. So you will not see me as much as you
will see Tokio. This is another one of those times. I will be leaving at
sunrise tomorrow." Akina was about to reply, but Tokio jumped in.
"Don't mind that- It's just what he does. It doesn't bother me any."
Saito left at sunrise the next morning.
--------- Six months later.
"Akina, please go down the road and get what we need for dinner
tonight, and I'll see about getting a new bowl to replace the one I
broke yesterday." Tokio directed. Akina nodded and walked off
down the street.
It was a warmer day for January, about 52 degrees, and, while there
wasn't any snow, it wasn't exactly warm, either. Tokio shiviered
slightly as she walked toward the potter's place, wondering where
exactly Saito was and if he was warm enough.
As Akina walked down the street to where she could possibly find
food for their dinner, she kept thinking back to how tired Tokio
looked that past winter. She knew money wasn't the problem, and all
her fussing over Akina had payed off. Akina mentally hugged herself
as she thought of her new image. She was no longer too thin- six
months of Tokio's cooking had fixed that, she had built up her
muscles again, and got her color back into her skin. For the first time
in forever, Tokio had sat her down and brushed enerything out of her
hair. She had a good home, an identity, and clothes to wear that were
nice.
So that meant Tokio must have been worried about something else.
Something that made her tired, and she was beginning to come down
with something. But, try as she might, Akina could not get Tokio to
see a doctor. Tokio always brushed it off with an "I'm fine."
It must've been Saito. Her almost-father. Akina had heard of him
before she moved in, how cold and lonely he was. It was true, he was
a uniquely distant person, but that didn't always come true. Of
course, she had only the infrequent letters home, written to her and
Tokio.
That night, there was rain. Akina looked at the sky and saw, just for a
minute, it was tinted blood red. Then she saw the lone, lean, tall
figure walk down the street. Not quite sure who it was, but not
wanting to get Tokio, who was actually upstairs resting, she continued
to watch.
It was Saito.
"Saito!" She gasped. He looked at her sharply as they walked inside.
"Akina." He greeted finally. "I need Tokio."
"If it's bad news, then you shouldn't tell her, she's not been feeling
well-" He interrupted her.
"Get me Tokio." She shook her head and walked up the stairs,
knocking on Tokio's door.
"Yes?" Came a muffled voice from within.
"Saito's home." Akina called in.
She didn't know what hit her.
Akina chose not to go downstairs, but let them have some time alone.
Downstairs, Tokio was staring at Saito from the staircase.
"So you really ARE back." She said finally. They covered the distance
between in quick step. He hugged her, and she had a sudden sense off
foreboding. "What's the matter?"
"Tokio..."
"What?" He didn't let her go, but held her tighter. She began to feel
very afraid. This wasn't like him at all.
"I'll give you one chance to leave me. Just- pack up with Akina and
leave, go to your Grandfather's house. To forget me." She bit her lip,
feeling tears coming.
"I'm afraid I'm already in too deep to simply let you go like that. I
won't do it. Now tell me. What's happening? Is it something to do
with the Shinsengumi? And that huge new group that's in Kyoto
currently?"
"I'm afraid that after living with us for this long, you've gotten it all
right. I've been in Kyoto for eight days now, planning this. We're
going to take them by surprise."
"Saito- they're so much... bigger... than your section of the
Shinsengumi... The odds are impossible!" He kissed her quickly.
"Do you really think stopping this Revolution is insane, then?"
"I can offer you only the same as I told you before. Even when I risk
losing you to this whole Revolution. When does this take place?"
A knock sounded on the door. He turned, letting her go, and
answered it. It was a man from the Shinsengumi she knew well, but in
this moment of stress couldn't remember his name.
"Tonight." Saito answered to her question. He walked out of the
door.
She had to stop him. Somehow, she had to. She had seen glimpses of
that group when helping out their section of the Shinsengumi. It was
at least twenty of them to one of...
Crazy. It was all crazy, every last particle of the idea was insane.
"Saito!" Tokio ran in front of him as he turned out to the waiting
Shinsengumi on the street. They began walking. "Saito, you can't do
this! It's twenty of them to every one of you! Saito, please!" He
continued to brush her off, face unreadable. "Yes." She breathed,
"Yes, I honestly, truly, believe what you're doing is insane. It's insane
and wrong! You don't need to be the last wolf! You don't need to be
the lone wolf standing!"
"The lone wolf, Tokio? Is that what you call me?" She tagged after the
group insistently, "Why the lone wolf? Does that mean that I will be
alone, without my group? If this group shall all die, I, as part of it,
shall die with it. I am doing this for your country." For the first time,
anger showed in his voice. "So why do you defy me?"
"Because-" She struggled, "Because-" At the next turn, she would have
to leave them behind. "Because of love." She finished. He turned to
look at her. "Because- I love you, and if you were to die, then I
would die too. And unless I am mistaken, you are doing this to
protect me, and you would not let yourself die, since I would as well.
And then, you would be the last wolf of the Shinsengumi, Saito! The
lone wolf!" The reached the corner.
"Leave us, Tokio. Go home."
"Saito!"
"NO! Do not follow! Go back to Akina!" He pushed her back, using
force on her since the first time they met. He walked on ahead with
the rest of the group, and she fell to her knees on the drizzly street,
tears mingling with the rain.
"Saito..." She whispered, "Don't leave me..." Akina came with
another woman, out onto the street. "Saito..." Her last words before
she fainted, "Don't keep your promise to me... Don't protect me..."
From the site of the battle, Saito looked back for a split second.
"I'm sorry, Tokio. But I must."
Back in Tokio's home, all the wives were there, but Tokio was doing
nothing to help serve. Though she had always believed that doing
something helped ease the pain, she just sat there, huddled in the
middle of the main room in front of the fire, with the others
watching her cry in weariness, including Akina. No one had ever seen
her cry like this before. She was the stoic one of the group, the one
who always had a cup of tea and some good advice when the others
were scared. Always faitful that Saito and the others would pull
through. It seemed almost a death omen that she sat there, crying.
Finally, a couple of them went to fix something in the kitchen for
everyone to eat. Juri, a woman of the Shinsengumi and the one who
had questioned Tokio about Saito before, came to move on the floor
with Tokio, comforting her.
"Come now, Tokio-san. Don't cry. You always told us that Saito and
the others would come through before. What about now?" Tokio
looked up at Juri's face.
"I- I don't know, Juri-san. I don't know what will happen to them."
"Look at them now." Juri whispered so only she could hear. "They're
scared stiff. Why? Because you're afraid. YOU were the stoic one- you
always had faith in them. Now you're not sure? Now, they're worried
for their loved one's safety."
"I told Saito that what he was doing was insane. Protecting, or
breaking, this revolution, it doesn't matter what side you're on. It's
all..."
"Insane. Mad. Why are they risking their lives to protect this country?
Why are the others risking their lives to destroy it? Which side does
which, anyway? Sometimes, even I do not know. Tokio-san, Even
now, married to one of these men, I do not believe the way of the
strongest sword is the right path for men to follow. But now, for us,
for all of us, and for them, you MUST have faith." Tokio sighed,
nodded, and got up. Everyone's eyes watched her.
"They're going to be fine." She said, trying with all her might to
sound confident, "They're all going to be fine. Please feel free to make
yourself comfortable. I am going to bed. Akina, I have a headache
from so much crying, I'm going to lie down for a bit. Please watch
over them for me." Akina nodded, and Tokio vanished upstairs.
Late that night, the Shinsengumi members came in. Everyone had been
moved into rooms upstairs, but they found Tokio and Akina there
with bandages and other healing supplies. A small candle was lit next
to them.
"Did you lose any?" She asked the nearest man, who grabbed her
hands and wrung them in his excitement. He had short black hair and
shining green eyes.
"Not a one!" he whispered excitedly. "The surprise strategy, it worked
like a charm. We've got several wounded though."
"Is Saito all right?"
"Oh, he was fantastic! A bunch of them got in trouble, and he was
right there, quick as lightning. He's fine. I don't think he got much of a
scratch. Didn't make sure everyone was okay, though. Just know
general numbers.
Some of the men who didn't need assistance helped to bandage those
who did. After everyone was given a spot on the downstairs floor,
Tokio realized Saito wasn't there.
"He's outside," One man said, who was hauling Akina upstairs- she
had fallen asleep while bandaging someone's ankle. "Taking a
smoke." She walked outside quietly. He still noticed.
"Tokio. We didn't lose a single person. Are you happy now?"
"No. But knowing who you are, and what you do, I doubt I will be
happy." He turned to her.
"The thing is though, halfway through the battle, we were losing.
Then we suddenly felt a new confidence, and were able to fight
better. Usually it happens the other way around in surprise attacks."
She stood next to him, and he put out what he was smoking with the
heel of his shoe.
"I'm only thankful you came back all right." She told him. He hugged her, finally,
after a long silence.
"I'm sorry to make you worry." He said, holding her.
"That's what you do. Come back and tell me when you feel sorry
enough to stop."
"Don't wait for it."
"I won't." She smiled, "I won't."
THE END
---- A/N
As I accidentally forgot in the last chapter, Rurouni Kenshin and co. belong to someone else... who can pay their bills without worrying. Hajime Saito belongs to them, but the REAL one, (who died at 45 or so from a severe stomach ulcer,) belongs to no one but himself. Thank you so much to all who reviewed!!!! I have a possible third chapter idea for this, but I dunno if I want to put it up. Please review and tell me your opinion!.!.!.!
~A. Potter