By: Stealiana
On the exterior, I appeared to be diligently arranging the colorful wildflowers to liven up the room, my hands working with a gentle firmness that did not cause a single petal to wilt or crease. The interior workings of my mind, however, were like methodical gears as I sifted through some odds and ends that had piqued my interest.
I had not allowed myself to dwell upon it until Okita had left, as I feel extremely self-conscious whenever the person I am analyzing is still present. Almost as if I am worried I will blurt out what I am thinking. Of course, that is a foolish notion, but I cannot help but believe it might happen - it is the closest to a superstition I ever came.
The day had worn on steadily, and soon after dark the boy departed; my suspicion that my husband would not return came to pass. Okita did not wish to leave a message with me, insisting it had been no more than a social visit and I pretended to believe him. With a smile and a wave, his feet carried him to a new destination.
Only then did I dare to contemplate the curious happenings of the afternoon. If Okita was a member of the Shinsengumi, why had he stopped for a social call? Particularly on a day when he should have known my husband was working within the organization. I knew, simply because I counted his uniforms and found one missing that morning. If my husband did not care to share information with me, I would find another way to catch hold of it. Just as I would discover what Okita was up to…
I do not think he understood the effect his words had upon me. Obviously, I could not keep myself from believing what he had said about my husband, and this was not purely out of fancy either. Drunk men will say more than they mean to, yet the words still remain distinctly theirs; the ones the boy repeated carried the ambiguous aura that I had come to associate with my husband. The sense of authenticity merely amplified the warmth that had spread throughout my chest, and I began to realize something was hidden beneath the smoky haze he let engulf him. Perhaps I might even uncover a gem beneath that rough exterior.
What preoccupied me the most were not thoughts of him, however, but rather curious slips Okita had made. Most notably, his references to previously working alongside my husband. His later comments indicated that it had been his circumstances that shifted; somehow Okita could not contact the Third unit commander. This was were my logic and lack of information began to fail me. Painfully obvious was the fact that Okita's rank had dropped - but why? Immoral behavior meriting a demotion would never be tolerated by a group believing in "Aku Soku Zan". The boy's talent could not be in question either - my father's praise of him still resounded in my ears. What could have happened?
No one was about to provide me with an answer, so I moved onto the reason behind telling the story, tired of thinking in circles. I recalled the near rabid look he had in his eyes; he would not stop talking. When he did pause, he always moved his hand, twitched a finger - always in constant motion. The words cascaded from his lips, as though he would burst if they were kept inside. All were hollow, though. Every syllable that came off his tongue was trivial. Meaningless. Was that it?
My mind was about to wrap about the intangible nagging sensation I had been feeling, I was about to grasp that indefinable quality of the boy that had snared my attention when I heard a rice paper door slam open.
He had returned.
"Tokio!" Not a summons, not even a shout - more like a roar. My feet carried me to the inside corridor obediently.
"What is it?" I called back, finding my worry increasing. He did not sound like himself, his voice was not the smooth measured calm I became accustomed to.
"Where the hell is my katana?!" He thundered as I opened the inner door. The scent that crashed against my nostrils explained everything - sake. I noted his katana happened to be fastened to his side like it always was, but I knew enough not to divulge the information to him.
"Really, you should rest," I began, trying not to anger him more than he was currently. "I'm sure you've been quite busy today…"
"I smell blood." His eyes narrowed. "Where the hell is the son of a bitch?"
"Honestly, I haven't any idea what you're talking about!" I was indeed quite bewildered, and wondering how he could be so drunk and still standing on his feet. The foul odor that accompanied him only proved that he had spent more than enough money wetting his tongue on sake.
"Don't patronize me!" It all happened so fast…
"I wasn't…" What in the world was he talking about?
"I want to know where the hell he is! I smell his blood!"
"Who?! MM!" He had closed in, his hand clamping across my mouth, the stench of alcohol overpowering me. His eyes glittered like that of a madman, his teeth shone in a delirious snarl as he leaned toward me, burying his face in my neck.
"No, no, you don't smell of death… you smell of rain. Summer rain…" I felt myself tremble. Where was my husband? This strange man was nothing like him - no, it was the sake speaking, that's all it was! He was not in control of himself, he was not aware of what he was doing…
"I want it! Give it to me!" I felt a hand on my yukata, pulling at it with a tremendous force until I heard the cloth begin to tear. Then it became my turn to lose control.
The crack resounded when my palm made contact with his gaunt cheek. Even now I find it difficult to believe that I had managed to hit him. Drunk as he was, he still had faster reflexes than me. Perhaps it simply never occurred to him that I, weak though I was, would ever strike back. I did not know I was capable of such a thing.
He let go, his hand moving to his face, before he suddenly jerked and spat on the floor. Over my shaky breathing, I heard him mutter,
"Damn it. My tongue." And without looking at me, he walked back out to the overhang and sat, staring into the darkness. I had my own gaze drawn to the splattered blood on the floor - my doing. The taste of blood seemed to have sobered him greatly, as I do not think he even attempted to smoke. My own eyes refused to budge from the spot, until at last I crouched, holding my sleeves to keep warm, and leaned my head against the wall, the red burning into me until I felt its suffocating presence everywhere.
Our home returned to its customary silence, but no one slept that night.
A/N: No this is not just senseless torture of the characters - events were building toward this. Not only that, but Saito was a heavy drinker during the Bakumatsu. Clarification on the consequences of his actions will come in the next chapter.
Crap man... there were a lot... ^^;; This is gonna be as long as this chapter of the fic!
Wolf of Mibu: Yes, Chapter 6 was meant to be tense, and I'm glad you picked up on the mood! Tokio was a little weirded out by Okita, thus there was a level of discomfort. I meant it to be like that, lol!
kamorgana: Hahaha, no one said you had to like Okita... I forgot I put up that Author's Note in the beginning... >.
Deathblade: Yeaup yeaup, ya don't need ta tell me to keep going, this fic has consumed all my free time, I'm working as fast as I can, lol!
Rachel Wes: Yea... I'm kinda beating up on him, aren't I? ^^;; It's because I love him so much, really... lol.
Ocean Fish: *points at the fic category* I know what Romance means, and eventually it will happen, lol. Just sit back and enjoy the ride! And by the way, Tokio doesn't show up in the series. They had planned episodes but never made them (I've heard)
Keito-chan: Saito wasn't cold in this chapter, was he? LOL don't worry, he'll be the good guy by the end!
Mary-Ann: Neh, I think they made a manga called Burai which has Tokio has an undercover agent... >.o So I've been told. I've refrained from looking into it so that I don't discourage myself with this fic. I'm glad you don't think I'm boring you with this.
Lola: I don't plan on escalating the fic at the moment - I wasn't sure where I was going to take the storyline, so I wanted to leave myself that option. But it doesn't look like I'm going to have an issue there, so don't worry.
Calencoireiel: I meant to have the cigarette thing be borderline humorous... I had to laugh when I wrote it. LOL Okita is coming back... and his presence will be explained more thoroughly then.
JadeGoddess: What will she do? She'll do what she always does... try to get him to have a conversation with her! LOL. Her moment of glory will come later, don't worry...
papazy: I'm glad you think me worthy of doing Saito/Tokio. And I'm glad you're enjoying it! And your reviews don't have to be inspirational, just let me know if I'm being a little too.. OOC.
anime girl: LOL I live to serve! There's actually a lot of Tokio fics that are quite good and have a different interpretation than mine... some of my reviewers have written them, actually, lol. And you will find out eventually! I never leave loose ends in my fics!
aiteane: This fic will probably be done after 3 weeks, so if you stop by then you can read the whooole thing!
Leila Winters: Dear lord - it wasn't my fault you were up so late! You didn't do it for me, you did it for SAITO! Oh admit it.. LoL! And congrats, I think you're the first person to put "Okita" and "devious" in the same sentance... oh goodness, your reviews cracked me up! Don't crucify me for this last chapter though... this WASN'T NEEDLESS TORMENT, I SWEAR! XD And the manga was called Burai I think, where she was the secret agent.
JadOo: THANKIES! I'm surprised, I didn't really think I left cliffhangers anywhere, except in 6. Just goes to show how much I know... lol!
Eikou: Nope, they didn't choose each other. Their marriage was actually arranged. And as for the Meiji bit, I changed history a little. Although, they really did get married 3 years before he became a policeman. (hooray for research! ^^) But they will be happy by the end... be patient! Like Saito!
