Writer's Note:  I'M SO SORRY!!!!!  I know I took forever with this and I even said that I would be ready to post "soon" and then didn't for months.  This chapter is definitely not my best work.  In fact, the style and tone changed almost completely, so I hope you'll all forgive me for a less-than-great update. (ha, that rhymes)  But don't feel that this in any way interferes with reviews.  Feel free to give it to me if it was REALLY that bad.

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The Wolf's Mission

"Bare Bones"  (haha!  Get it?  This chapter is my rough-edged chapter!  It's in dire need of polishing!)

By Leila Winters

Brief Recap:  Mission to base where secret prostitution business ensues.  Ken and Tokio have dressed like prostitutes.  WARNING:  A bit racey and probably overly-dramatic.

Both stood in the center of the room under close scrutiny.  Though the policeman's wife stood with a subtle grace, her yukata was seductively revealing and her eyes mesmerizing.

All the men—excluding Saitou—blushed furiously and averted their gazes.  The policeman smirked.

Kenshin continued staring straight ahead—on the verge of oro-ing again.

Megumi finally spoke up, "Ahem…Sir Ken, you certainly make a pretty girl."

"ORO??"

And he did.  His violet eyes glowed with feminine grace and his normally untamable hair was brushed into thick, silken strands.  The swordsman's petite figure (plus padding in all the right places) made him nearly on par with Tokio herself.

Kaoru looked with narrow eyes at the rurouni, "K-Kenshin!  You look better in black than I do!"  Her voice was laced with something deadly.

"Uh…"  Kenshin looked to Tokio for help, but she only smiled and flicked her hair in an ultimately sexy manner.  "Er…Kaoru-dono…don't be mad!"

Megumi went to pat Kaoru on the back.  "There, there.  Just because Sir Ken makes a much more attractive woman than you, doesn't make you any less of one yourself."

"MISS MEGUMI!"  she fumed.

Fox ears magically sprang up from the doctor's head.  "Well, maybe the two of you could switch roles.  That way Sir Ken can do the cooking while you work up the sweat!  OHOHOHOHO!!!"

"ORO!"

Yahiko couldn't help but join in the laughing…that is, until Kaoru hit him over the head with his own bokken.

"OUCH!  What'd you do that for, Ugly?"

"UGLY??  Yahiko, this is no laughing matter!  Huh?"  Kaoru's tirade trailed off as she watched everyone file out of the door, led by Saitou.  "HEY!"

Once outside, the Kenshingumi crowded around their favorite swordsman.  The orange hues of the darkening sky did not lighten the heavy mood.

Sano gave his best friend a dubious look.  "Are you sure about this, Kenshin?"

"I am set on it," assured the dolled up hitokiri.  "However, not as much now." He added after surveying his fancy sleeves.

Separate from the group stood Hajime Saitou and his wife, facing each other in their own, silent goodbye.

The policeman's mind would not let him be at ease.  Through his head swirled an endless tide of layered thoughts.  And the horrible truth came crashing into the depths of his awareness.  He had lied.  He WAS deliberately sending his wife to a potentially dangerous situation.  It had been the plan from the beginning, but after the night Tokio was attacked, he had tried to keep her from going.  The woman wouldn't hear of it.  She was as stubborn as he.

And here they stood, facing each other, a thousand angry words coursing through his mind.  And yet, at the same time, as many tender ones.  Words he knew he would never say.

"Hajime…" Tokio began.  She looked like she had wanted to say more, but in defeat simply said, "Wish me luck, husband."

Kenshin turned from everyone else's concerns to look upon the couple.  It appeared to be a difficult moment for both.  Just tell her what you are thinking Saitou-san…she will understand.

Tokio watched her husband as he stared silently into her own eyes.  She saw him cast a wary glance towards the Battousai's group and seemed torn between doing something and remaining impassive.  Hajime…I wish you wouldn't worry so much about what other people will think… you're worried.  I see your parted lips, wanting to plant a kiss on mine in the event that we should never see each other's faces again.  Hajime…it is not a weakness.  I'm sure they won't mind you giving in just this once…

By now, everyone had settled down and silently watched the policeman.  Yahiko elbowed Kaoru in the ribs and she responded by slamming her fist on the top of his head.

Saitou gave them an annoyed glance before grumbling beneath his breath something about morons and turned his attention back to his attentive wife.  Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned to her and planted a gentle kiss against Tokio's forehead.

Ignoring the collective gasps, amber eyes met violet ones.  "Take care of my wife, Battousai."  And he stalked off, leaving a bewildered Sano, grinning Kenshin, and content Tokio no choice but to follow his lead.

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Sneaking in through an upstairs window, Saitou and Sanosuke watched through cracks in the attic floorboards.

"Isn't this dangerous, Saitou?  I can't breathe."

"Don't screw this up for me, moron.  My wife's life is your own."

Taking a manly gulp, Sanosuke quieted down and followed Saitou's eyes to the cracks in the floor where several police officials were having dinner.

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"Hey, baby, when is the alcohol going to get over here?!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," scampering over to his side, Kenshin gave a light laugh and blushed prettily.  Pouring the sake, Pretty Kenni flushed as deeply as a pomogranite as he felt a beefy hand place a well-directed slap to his posterior.  "ORO?"

The man leered at the redhead and said, "So, whaddya say we go have some private time?"

"Oro?"

Before anyone could blink, Tokio had siddled up to the man, a hand lazily slipping into his yukata to touch his chest.  "Mmm…" she purred.  "Tell me you'd rather have me, good sir."

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Somewhere above, the sound of splintering wood was heard.

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"Definitely."

"Good," batting her eyelids, Tokio led him away from the dinner party, giving the hitokiri a reassuring nod as she passed.

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"Uh, Saitou…she's not going to…"

"Quiet."

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Opening the screen to a small, deserted room, Tokio brought in the police official.  He was small-time as far as officials went, but if they could weaken the numbers, there would be a better shot at Arigotowa that way.

"How do you like it, sir?"

Nuzzling her from behind, the man murmured, "You'll find out soon enough, sweetheart."  His hands began to caress her body, sliding down the silky fabric.

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"Saitou…"

Amber eyes glowered at the fighter.

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"Mmm, you smell good.  Kiss me a good one."

Tokio raised her head to just barely touch his lips.  Turning around, she simultaneously reached into her obi and pulled out a small pair of chopsticks.

"C'mon baby, gimme all ya got."

Taking one stick in each hand, she quickly jabbed both ends on either side of the man's neck—hitting just the right pressure points to render him unconscious.  Without missing a beat, the woman caught his body and dragged it behind a crate hear a corner of the room.  Finding a blanket, she quickly covered his body before making a hasty exit…and colliding into something more solid beyond the door.

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"You're wife's pretty good…uh, hold on a sec," Sano's attention was on the big man before Tokio.  "Uh…that doesn't look good.  Saitou?"

But his companion did not hear him as his attention was totally focused on the new adversary.

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Pulling out a fan to hide her flustered expression, Tokio gave a haughty laugh.  "Mmm.  Just what I wanted to find:  a big, strong man to show me a good time.  How about it, stud?"

Judging from his uniform, he was one of the elites Hajime had been trying to drag down.  Extra care had to be taken in order to keep him alive.

"But of course, madam," He said with a polite bow of his head.  "I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who ask nicely."

Pushing her gently into the room, the man kicked the screen closed.  His gentlemanly appearance seemed to vanish with the receding light and what emerged was something uglier and ten times more dangerous.  With a vicious tug, he pulled Tokio into his arms, his tongue working its way into her mouth, startling even her from the façade she so easily played.  For an instant, she resisted, trying to push away, humiliated because she knew her husband was watching.

Realizing she was not responding the way he wanted her to, the man gave her a violent shake and threw her onto the ground.  Steel resolve found its way into Tokio's eyes.

He was straddling her thighs when something off to the side caught his attention.  A tell-tale hand crept out from beneath a blanket.

"Fucking bitch.  You're a rat!"

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"Shit.  Saitou, should we go in?"

"Wait a moment."

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WHAP!  WHAP!  "Who are you with?"

Tokio met the man's glare in silence.  She closed her eyes to keep from uttering a sound as a slimy tongue worked it's way up her cheek.

"I'm gonna enjoy making you scream."

"Not if I make you first."

With a sudden burst of energy, Tokio's body lurched, throwing the man off.  She leapt up and flung her chopsticks at his eyes, but he dodged them just in time.  There was a difficult struggle; bodies twisting, straining lungs, and aching muscles.  Each trying to get an upper hand.  While one was fast and overpowering, the other was quick and slippery.  It looked like it would continue forever until the woman went left when she should have gone right and ended up on the bottom yet again.

At the same moment Tokio had resigned herself to her fate, she felt the man's heavy body being wrenched away.  A flash of silver and a muffled groan later, Tokio gazed at the hole in the ceiling.

"Hajime!" the woman turned to look at her husband, the blood on his clothes looked darker in the candle-less room.  "…you were supposed to keep him alive."

"It doesn't matter now."  He looked at his wife and sheathed his katana.  His steps took him closer to her until his hand caressed her cheek and his lips made their way closer to her face.

Sano diverted his eyes from the scene below him.  Saitou had gotatsu'd a hole in the floorboards and he wasn't about to watch him make out with his wife.

The policeman began loosening her clothing, their lips still moving over the other's.  Tokio's arms snaked around her husband's broad shoulders and brushed at the hair at the nape of his neck.

Soon his focus shifted to his wife's other delicate features.  The wolf's fangs found his mate's neck and bit and nibbled until a mark blazed on her skin.

"Uh, Saitou?"

The ex-Shinsengumi captain turned his head to glare at the fighter.  The deadly eyes glinted dangerously at the man peering over the edge of the gaping hole in the floorboards of the attic.  Strictly do-not-disturb eyes.

Sano gulped deeply before mentally twiddling his thumbs.  What is he THINKING??

Peeling back the lapel of Tokio's yukata, Saitou revealed just enough to bend over and place his mouth on the swell of her pale breast.  He gently kissed the top of it before opening his lips to skillfully place an unmistakable mark in view.

When he pulled away, his lips twisted into a wicked grin.  Perhaps a bit too eagerly, he kissed his wife's full lips while his hands fused themselves into her hair, effectively mussing the silky tendrils.

Pulling away for the second time, Saitou eyed the woman.  She slipped into seductress mode and looked at her husband with lusty eyes.  "How do I look?"

A glint could be seen flickering in the amber depths.  "Flushed and well-loved."

"Good."

"Do what you can, but stay away from Arigotowa.  I will deal with him myself."

The woman turned to go, but Saitou's voice stopped her.  "Tokio…" he paused then, mentally checked himself and said, "I'll clean up here…be careful."

She smiled, her long eyelashes sweeping up from their downcast position.  "Why Hajime…it makes me wonder how far you were willing to take this."  Chuckling throatily, she exited and closed the screen door behind her.

Away from the eyes of the woman, Sano was looking more and more sure of himself.  He smirked at Saitou.  "I didn't know you had it in you, Saitou ol' boy."

Immediately, narrow eyes met brown ones.  "If you keep saying stupid things, I may have to dispose of you in the same fashion as our poor friend here."

The fighter's nostrils flared.  "Yeah??  Well, who's gong around groping their wives while a dangerous mission is supposed to be carried out??"

"You really are a moron, aren't you?  It is BECAUSE of the mission that Tokio's marks have to look as real as possible.  If you haven't forgotten, she is supposed to be a prostitute.  A prostitute who never sleeps with men seems pretty suspicious to me."

Sano looked stupidly at the policeman.  Did I misjudge him again?  Dammit…

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"Oh, Himura-san.  How many have you gotten?"  Tokio greeted warmly as the swordsman closed the screen to the hallway behind him.

"Four."

The woman smiled, knowing something was on the man's mind.

"Um…Miss Tokio…what does it mean when a man says *whisper whisper*?"

Tokio's bawdy laughter bounced off the walls as she led Kenshin back to the dining area.

"Oh!  Miss Tokio!" Kenshin said, alarmed.  "You're hurt!"

"No, Himura, it never hurts with Hajime."

"ORO??"

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"Kaoru, calm down."

"No, I will not calm down, Yahiko!!  Kenshin is out there dressed like a hussy and we're sitting here stupidly as he may be hurt or even killed!"

The boy, sitting opposite Megumi of a little tea tray, said, "Well, what else are we supposed to do?"

Kaoru stopped her pacing, a determined look in her eye.  "I'm tried of being left behind!!  Yahiko, we're going!"

"Now you're talking!"

"We're going over there and we're gonna kick the government where it really hurts!"

"Go Kaoru!"

"You know, it really is a lot more fun when we can tough it out together."

The two's loud laughter was interrupted by Megumi's voice.

"You idiots!  We were told to wait here."

Kaoru took an indignant step forward.  "I don't care!!  As long as Kenshin's safe, I won't hesitate to put my own life in danger!"

"YOU SILLY LITTLE FOOL!!!  Listen to yourself talk!  We could end up getting Sir Ken killed.  We don't know the situation.  If they need us, one of Saitou's men will come get us.  Otherwise, we are to stay here and wait for them to get back with sheets and bandages ready."

Kaoru's knees went weak.  "You just don't understand."  Falling to the floor, she covered her face with her hands, her soft weeping loud compared to the silence of the other two.

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"Sweetheart, come over here.  I haven't had any of your precious attention the way everyone else has," Arigotowa motioned for Tokio to come closer.

"Yes, good sir?"

He reached out and pulled her onto his lap.  The smell of cigar smoke wafted up to her nostrils as Arigotowa's lips pressed against her cheek.

"So beautiful…"

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In the attic once more, Sano gave the seething killer a warning look.  Don't do anything stupid, Saitou…

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"Sir, I still have other cups to refill," Tokio said, pushing slightly away.

"Such a pity…" But still, he did not relinquish his hold on her.

An alarm started ringing in Tokio's mind.  Her husband had left express orders to stay away from Arigotowa.  The information contained in this one man was too important to risk in an accidental-death scenario.

She tried again, "Sir, others are waiting to receive my services."

"Let them wait," he said, his eyes taking in the angry red marks on her pale skin.  A hand slid into her yukata to cup a breast as his hot lips pressed against her ear to whisper, "A shame your precious Hajime is the one to fuck you and not me."

A violent shove sent the woman several feet from the police chief and she turned around just in time to see a dagger coming in her direction.

Kenshin watched with wide eyes as Saitou's katana gotatsu'd through the ceiling boards and a second later the Futae no Kiwami sent sawdust spraying over the people below.  He, too, armed himself and began attacking.

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He had known he was too late.  Helpless to prevent what he had started, and yet, the red haze that wrapped around his screaming mind and fell before his eyes kept him blind to this realization as his rage drove him on.  His arm coming down in a no-holds-barred fury that left the body unrecognizable.  Still, he slashed at the abomination, unmindful of his thin bangs dripping with blood.

Others daring to attack the madman were knocked back with a single thrust, their faces frozen with looks of horror, screams unspoken on their lips.

Vaguely aware that no one else was coming at him, the policeman surveyed his heandywork.  All around him was whatever was left of Arigotowa's body and an endless smear of blood on the surfaces of wall and floor.

A lump lodged itself deep in his throat and he walked towards his wife, intestines knotting themselves into tight loops, tension increasing with each step closer.

There Tokio lay, her back against the hardwood floor, knees bent and her hands clutching the dagger in her stomach.  The blood pooling slightly beneath her body and her breaths ragged and tired.

"Tokio…"

The swordsman and the fighter watched as Saitou knelt beside his wife and placed his hands over hers.

He had been too late.

Wearily, the long lashes fluttered up to reveal dazed, cloudy eyes.  Her labored breathing catching as her lips shook and tears stung her eyes, sliding down the side of her face to disappear into her hair.

"Hajime…I'm so sorry…"

"Shh…"

Her hand came up to touch his cheek, her own blood staining his face.  "I'm so sorry…I meant to tell you sooner…"

Her voice choked back a sob, her face flinching at the pain that seared through her limbs.

The policeman leaned close to his wife's lips to hear her whisper, "Hajime…you must save the baby…"

Anger boiled within the policeman's chest, stretching the nerves in his body into raw tendrils.  Feeling his eyes mist over, his voice boomed out, "SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR!!!"

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Into the night, a lone wolf howled its pained song to the moon.

END NOTES:  Well, this is the second to the last chapter, next up (should be) the not-so-stunning conclusion!!!  Really sorry if this chapter seemed really off.  This was one of the hardest chapters to write.  I hereby apologize to you readers yet again for my tardiness in posting.  Thanks should also go to Ro-Chan who started busting my hump on updating and got me cracking!!  ^_^

Response:  JadeGoddess:  Well, I had to do something funny with it.  It was getting a bit too serious.  But look who's talking, what with my chapter ending…^_^;  But hopefully the next one won't be as depressing.

Takato the Wolf Taikashi:  Glad you like it!!  However, I don't think I did as much with the snide remarks as I could have.  Guess I just wanted to get to the point.  Oh well.  Hope you keep reading!

Crystal:  Arrg!!  I'm such a tactless writer!!  Right when things get funny, I put the drama in there.  But hope you like it anyways!  Thanks for reviewing!

Alandrem:  Glad your interest has been piqued!  If you are reading this right now, did you get my email?  ^_^

Naomi:  Well, I think that Kenshin took things pretty well, don't you?  Do forgive me for my really strange Saitou in this chapter.  I wasn't exactly feeling it in my writing.  But thank you so much for your lovely review and I hope that by the end of this fic, you'll feel like it was all worthwhile.

IceRain:  Hee hee…I liked the massage bit myself.  I'm very honored that you'd place me on your list of goodies.  THANKS SO MUCH!!!  Hope you like!

Chri:  Thanks!  I do hope that I don't start lapsing into a non-Hajime type relationship, because really, the odds that that boy is super sweet around the girl he loves is just preposterous!  I'll try to keep an eye on what I'm doing and thanks a lot!!!

Sano:  Unexpected?  Well, that was the point.  ^_^  But I do hope I don't end up alienating audiences because of my pension for randomness.  *sigh*  Thanks!

Ro-Chan:  Unfortunately, the comedy of Ken and Tokio being prostitutes is short-lived.  I think I jumped into the drama rather too quickly.  Ah well.  It's been done…now I get to go and write the next chapter!  Looking forward for your updates, too!

Syn:  Thanks a lot!  Sometimes I wonder about my own ability…

Erin:  Thanks for reading!!  I have enjoyed exploring their relationship.  Do hope you continue to read!

Takatome Ichido:  Hahaha!  If you thought Chapter Four's randomness and snippets were annoying, man, this chapter must've driven you nuts!  It drove me nuts!  And I do agree that my style changed.  And it changed again for this chapter and will most likely change for the next.  That's my problem.  I've got no consistency.  But thanks a lot for reviewing, I always love hearing from you, whether it's good or bad!  But I'm glad that you like my story so far (though, now that chapter five is out, who knows??)  ^_^  You're very insightful with all your reviews, to which I'm sure many writers are indebted to.

Mara:  I'm such a negligent writer…but anyways, thanks a lot for reviewing!!  To be honest, Sano and Meg used to be my favorite couple and then it changed somewhere along the line and I became engrossed in Saitou/Tokio fics as well as Meg/Aoshi ones.  And now I find I don't even read Sano/Meg stories anymore.  Can't say if I really miss it or anything, but just thought I'd mention that.  Wow, I'm random.

Val:  Thanks a lot for your lovely review!!!  I'm really sorry that I went from funny to downright dramatic, but I hope it isn't too distracting.  Hee hee…I liked the massage and Yahiko/Tokio in the kitchen too…they were a lot of fun to write.  Well, I hope you enjoy!

JadOo:  Love to hear from people!  Thanks for your review!!!  Hope you keep reading!

Chibi-chan:  THANKS SO MUCH!!!  I'm a big fan of many Saitou/Tokio fics around here!  It's nice to be a part of them.

CardMistress Sakura:  Thanks for reviewing my chapters!!!  I'm afraid in this chapter, all the cuteness went away.  *sigh*  But hope you still enjoy!  Again, thanks!