By: Stealiana
Rumors always flit about, yet several of the more unsavory ones involved this group. Even if they acted as a police force in Kyoto, there had been stories of rapes, murders, and other atrocities all done in the name of keeping the peace in the past. The words he had spoken to me that night filtered through my ears again…
"You have married a killer, Tokio." Could he have been one of them…?
I peered back into the drawer; half expecting to find the katanas caked in dried blood or some other such thing. Instead, a tiny band of cloth lay wrapped about them, keeping them all tied in a bundle. The kanji painted on the material were difficult to read, but by twisting my head, I could clearly read the three symbols.
Aku. Soku. Zan.
A shiver ran down my spine and I hurriedly shut the drawer, willing myself to forget all I had seen. Even through my fear, I felt my anger boiling as I thought of my father. How much of this did he know? To think, my own father matched me with a murderer and claimed him to be a good man! Was that where my husband had been last night? Slaughtering some innocent?
My breathing was surprisingly loud in my anger; I closed my eyes and clenched my fists, waiting for the furious pounding in my head to subside. I had always held a strong dislike for the Shinsengumi, after they had threatened my good friend, Fuyuko, some time ago, leering at her from half-lidded eyes… they all smelled of sake! Luckily, she had been able to run inside a nearby restaurant and remain hidden until they lost interest. One of the boys who worked there was kind enough to walk her home - but we should have known Kyoto was no longer safe after dark nowadays!
Once I had calmed myself, I began to wonder at the puzzle. My husband, one of the Shinsengumi, had said nothing to me, good or bad. He had left me money to do with as I pleased, and did not return home last night. Not only that, he warned me, in his own way, of what I was undertaking. What was I to make of this?
I did not have as much time to ponder this mystery as I had thought, for midway through the afternoon, the door of the main entrance slammed open. Hurrying to the front with curiosity, I heard the unmistakable thud as metal hit the floor, and I slid open the door cautiously.
The greeting I had ready died on my lips. There he stood, defiant and angry, his Shinsengumi uniform tinted the dark maroon of dried blood. His katana lay on the floor, immaculately clean. Before my very eyes, he methodically peeled off his uniform, revealing another layer of clothing; this untouched.
I could not keep my eyes from following as he nonchalantly tossed the soiled uniform into a heap. Never once did he meet my confused gaze. Instead, he pulled out his cigarettes in the silence, staring at them thoughtfully.
"W-would you like me to draw a bath?" I said at last, realizing that he was waiting. He was still my husband, and despite the obvious evidence of his activities, he had never acted dishonorably towards me. How could I judge, in such a time of political unrest?
"Mm." He nodded, as if dismissing me without another thought. Instead of retreating, I kept myself where I stood.
"Do those…" I merely gestured, hoping to get him to at least face me. My ploy did not work. "…need washing?"
He turned his back, slowly drawing out a cigarette.
"Ahou." He muttered. I felt my face flame with embarrassment. "I don't like the smell of blood." I looked at the ground, my eyes only quickly darting to the pile of clothes… my back crawled at the thought of touching something so vile! I heard the grating strike of the match and the quiet puffs before the long drawn out sigh as he released his breath. "Just as you don't like the smell of my cigarettes." I peered upward to realize he was now standing outside, letting the wind carry the scent away from me. Was he being considerate? After calling me an idiot, he dared to stand outside smoking and taunting me? My frustration towards him mounted, but I did not dare say anything, if this was indeed his interpretation of showing me good will. Even so, I could not bring myself to near the pile of crusted fabric, and I cringed to think I would have to scrub the floor a thousand times over to rid myself of the feeling of a corpse in my entryway.
His movement to flick the ash from the end of his cigarette at last spurred me into motion. Had I not promised myself earlier that I would not fail the second time around? Clearly he had been out at night on a mission of some sort, and that was why he had not returned. Who was I to question him? And if I did know whom the blood belonged to, would that make it any easier?
After I drew his bath and cooked him dinner - which he ate silently - I rolled up my sleeves to begin the distasteful task of cleaning that horrid uniform. The white, I thought, was going to be the most difficult part. The cold water numbed my fingers, which helped tremendously in allowing me to forget my current duty. I watched the sky grow dark as dusk deepened its hues, and I felt myself glad that the day was nearly over, an exhaustion setting upon me from my lack of sleep the night before. I willed myself to remain attentive though, as I carried the damp clothes in to hang them, satisfied with the work I had done. The soapy water, however, wrinkled my hands, and I sought desperately to hide them in some way before I went to call him. I found him standing in the front of the house in the darkness, nothing indicating his presence but the glowing red at the end of his cigarette.
"Go to sleep, Tokio." His voice was quiet, yet forceful, and I found myself merely whispering a hurried goodnight before retreating to our room. I expected he would follow soon after, but he did not, as far as I know. Sleep came to claim me so quickly that if he had, he may have found he did not care to wake me.
A/N: I forgot to mention this at the beginning: I've only seen the anime, movie, and first OVA. If anything I write goes against the manga, please let me know and I will try to correct it if I can!
(I saw someone else do this and thought it was a great idea.. ^^;;)
Mibu No Ookami: I edited what he says, but I had to keep the statement about his being a killer as it is going to resurface several times in the fic. Thank you though, because now I'm being more conscious about that extremely controversial line and how I reference it in the future.
Melfina-Pan: Thank you! And yes, I do plan to continue!
Mary-Ann: I'm glad you like the characterization! I was a little sketchy about it at first, but it seems to be coming along okay. ^_^
Diana: I will try to update regularly, it's pretty much whatever I write that day and then I post it, but I have a few chapters done so I can update even if I don't have a chance to write that day.
amamiya: I rule? *laughs* Thank you! I'm honored you think my story is worthy to be a favorite!
G: ^^;; I'm glad you don't think Saito is too OOC, got some warnings about that. I'm finding he's really tough to write, so any input is appreciated if I stray from his path of Aku Soku Zan. And I'm glad you like my Tokio!
kamorgana: Whoa there! LoL you're giving away my whole story! Hahaha, but you have very valid questions and I'm hoping to address them, both in this chapter and in future ones. Be sure to let me know if I don't, I'm always anxious to improve my fic!
Rachel Wes: To be honest, I'm having more trouble with Saito's characterization than Tokio - and to think, I thought it would be the other way around! But thank you for the compliments, I hope I can stay faithful to the characters as I continue.
Valese & denise: I'm not entirely sure what happened, but thanks, I didn't realize I replaced it. Hit the wrong button I suppose... ^^;;
