Yukio and Haruko greeted them at the door. Surprisingly, little Kaida was trailing behind her brothers. It seemed that only three year old Keiji was already in bed. He was Tokio's favorite brother and she wished he were still awake. He would like Hajime. Five year old Kaida and Yukio, age eight, peered out at the man from behind Haruko. He was the oldest boy at ten and considered himself the man of the house. Afraid of nothing and taking orders from no one, he looked right up at the wolf of Mibu, glaring into his animal-like eyes.

"Who are you?"

Before Saito even had a chance to answer, fiery little Kaida called for her mother. "Mama! Oné-san got a strange man!"

Maro appeared soon after, carrying Keiji. She and her four children were all identical; small and pretty, wide azure eyes and midnight black hair. Tokio and Tokei looked more like their father and were far tougher than any of their half-siblings ever would be. Tokio always had suspected that Maro didn't really like her or her sister because they looked so much like their father. "Tokio!" The woman admonished her, "You know better than to bring people home when we can barely afford to feed ourselves."

"Gomen nasai, Mother." The young woman bowed politely, "This is Hajime Saito. He is not staying long -only the night- and we are leaving tomorrow."

"We?" Maro's eyebrow went up. Keiji was reaching for his oldest sister as Maro looked Saito up and down, but she just held him protectively.

He had instantly decided that he didn't like the woman. She looked only about five years older than Tokio and also as if she had never done a day of work in her life. He knew what she was good for and it disgusted him. A woman like Maro was the type to dress up and show off, but there wouldn't be much else she could do besides take care of the children she bore. She was a wasted life.

"Hajime and I are getting married. I am leaving with him." Tokio explained quietly.

"You would abandon your family -after all I've done for you- for a man you hardly know?!" Maro seemed outraged by this.

Saito was getting angrier and angrier as time went by. From the looks of Tokio, Maro did nothing for her. She did everything for herself. She had sacrificed happiness to please the wretched woman and got nothing in return. He shifted closer to Tokio, understanding fully why she wished to leave. She seemed frightened of the woman, bound to a promise she had made with a man who no longer lived; Tokio had lost some of her passion.

"You were perfectly happy with the idea of me marrying Jinan and I knew even less of him!" Tokio drew up to her full height to face her stepmother, a new fire burning from the depths of her dark eyes, "You are not my mother and my father is dead. This is up to me and I am old enough to make my own choices. I love Hajime."

He stood beside her, glaring at Maro. His wolfish eyes burned red with contempt and he wished to leave right then. Tokio deserved nothing she had gotten in her life. "She will not be abandoning you." He said coldly, "I will provide for your family. I would like a wife and she would like to leave. You will be getting money. Every one will get what they want."

"You'll give us money?" Maro asked suspiciously, "What sort of job do you have, Saito-san?"

"Since the revolution has ended, I have been trained and employed as a police officer. I have a government job which pays a considerable amount more than any job Tokio could ever have. Unless, of course, you wish for her to become a prostitute."

"I would never want that!" The woman snapped. But her eyes betrayed her. He could see what she was thinking: I don't care what she does as long as it brings me money.

He wanted to slap her. The urge to hurt her was nearly overwhelming him; she was making him so angry. What kind of mother would do such thing? How could she care so little about such a wonderful girl?

"What's going on?" Tokei came barging into the room, followed by a cloud of saké and cheap perfume. She was wearing a yukata that wasn't hers and appeared more than slightly rumpled. Her gaze came to rest on Saito and she gave a little squeal. "What's he doing here?!"

"Your sister says she's marrying him." Maro spat out the words as if they burned her tongue.

"Oné-san, are you insane?" She whirled to face her sister, "He's a killer!"

"Yes; I know." Tokio's voice sounded very small. Every one was against her. They didn't see in Hajime what she did. They didn't know what she knew about him. When they had kissed, he had opened his carefully guarded heart to her. The way he had brushed back her hair in the rain, she had seen a very gentle part of him, a part she suspected he didn't show many people.

"I kill only when necessary, Miss." He informed her, "I have not killed any one since the end of the revolution. Tokio will certainly be well taken care of, as will the rest of you."

"I suppose," Maro drew in a breath, "Since I have no say in this, there is nothing I can do but wish you well."

Saito could practically smell her lying. She was oozing false sincerity and charm. How he hated people like that. He could hardly wait until morning to get Tokio out of there. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "You had better go get dry clothes on. You'll be no use to me if you're sick."

"Yes, Hajime." She nodded and then disappeared into another room, wondering how he would handle being alone with them while she was gone. Tokei, Maro, Haruko, Yukio…none of them seemed to like him. The little ones had no clue what was happening. She was heartsick over the thought of their tolerating him only because of his money. But, she reminded herself, you cannot expect anything more than this…

Tokei watched with interest as her sister interacted with the man who would soon be her husband. Never had any of the men she was with been so caring or concerned. She sensed a certain amount of tenderness for Tokio within Saito. He certainly seemed fond of her. Maybe he even loved her; Tokei wasn't sure, but Tokio seemed to be happy.

Kaida was looking shyly up at Saito, still unsure whether or not she trusted him. He knelt down to be level with her, a smile on his face. His smile surprised both Maro and Tokei; he seemed to smile with his whole face rather than just his mouth. For how nefarious of a man he appeared to be, his whole countenance changed when he smiled.

"What's your name, Little One?" He asked her.

She smiled a jack-o-lantern grin, showing the gaps where she had lost a few teeth. " 'M Kaida." She informed him, holding up her fingers, " 'M five."

"You're a big girl, aren't you?" He patted her on the head.

"Hai." She nodded cheerfully.

"My name is Yukio." The little boy smiled up at him, "I'm eight. Keiji is only three. He's little still."

"You're little too." Haruko was still slightly wary of the man, "I'm the biggest 'cause I'm ten."

"Nuh-uh!" Yukio argued, "I'm not little and you're not the biggest. Tokio is biggest."

"Well Tokio," His brother folded his arms across his chest, "Is leaving. Then she won't be biggest any more."

"Tokei's still bigger!"

"Don't fight." Saito silenced them, "You're both big boys. And I'm sure Tokio will miss you very much." He could see why she liked the children, even though their mother was horrid. They were charming, intelligent children.

"Boys, take Keiji and Kaida and go to bed." Maro ordered her children, "I don't want to hear a sound from any of you until tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Mama." The older boys chorused. Yukio took Keiji by the hand and Kaida trailed after Haruko.

"Oyasumi nasai." Keiji waved, smiling, as his brother lead him from the room.

Saito waved back, then turned to Maro. "Don't try to flatter me, Ma'am. I can see right through your insincere charm. You care nothing about what happens to Tokio -or Tokei, for that matter-" He glanced at the teenager, "As long as you have money. You needent pretend you like me solely because I am going to be giving you money. I am doing it only for Tokio. She's a good woman and I want her to be happy."

"How dare you!?" Maro looked outraged, "Coming here and saying things like that! You have no right to-"

"Be quiet. From what I've seen here, I have more rights to be angry than you. You're a terrible woman and you should appreciate both of your stepdaughters more."

The woman's face turned very red and she looked like she wished to strangle him. She turned on her heal and stormed out of the room, leaving Saito and Tokei alone.

"You care very much about my sister, don't you? She seems exceptionally happy. I am glad. She wants to leave here more than anything."

"Yes, I know. I do care about her and I'm eager to rescue her. After seeing this woman she calls 'Mother,' I wonder even more how she stayed so kind-hearted all these years."

"Mama is selfish and thoughtless. But without her, we would truly be alone. Tokio fears that." Tokei paused, "In her life, there's been heartache and pain. I honestly don't know if she can face that again. You had better treat her right. She's a good woman." The girl stretched and turned to leave, "Oh, and you should lose the ponytail. She won't say anything about it, but I can guarantee she hates it."

He stared after her as she left. Tokei had not stopped smiling once. She was even more bizarre than her sister.

Tokio appeared back in the room dressed in a pale pink yukata, her hair down long and somewhat damp. She went over to him, shivering slightly, "I am sorry about that. Mother is not the kind of person you would want to cross paths with." Then a thought crossed her mind, "You're soaking wet, Hajime. Do you have anything else to wear?"

"No." He shook his head. What little he had brought with him was back at the inn.

"I'll get you something of Father's." She breezed back out of the room and returned moments later with a very light green robe. "Here. Put this on. I don't want you getting sick either." A shy smile spread across her face.

He smiled slightly in return, brushing back a lock of her hair. "You'll take such good care of me."

"I love you. You are rescuing me from all of this. Of course I will care for you." She took his upraised hand in hers and held his palm to her cheek, "I'll do my best to keep you happy."

He had a sudden desire to kiss her again. While she wasn't as pretty as Tokei or her stepmother, there was something about her that appealed to him. She was a bold woman; defying Maro, enticing him to kiss her, giving him her father's clothing -something he was sure would enrage her mother. His hand slid around, drawing her face up to his.

Her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat as he kissed her. She was passionately in love with him, wishing to do things with him that had never before crossed her mind. Things she imagined Tokei did with the men in the brothel. Her face flushed scarlet.

Saito was amused by her embarrassment. He could only imagine what she was thinking. The fact that she thought in such a fashion proved that she truly was bold. What an unusual woman she was. And she was all his. "First thing tomorrow," He told her quietly, "I'm going to take you away from all of this. Are you prepared to leave?"

"I am."

"Can you empty from your heart the love you feel for those children? I do not want you back here anywhere near that horrid woman. I will take care of them, but you won't see them."

Her face paled for a moment, but her voice remained just as strong. "I place my trust in you, Hajime. I can do anything with you by my side."

"You're sure? I don't want you making the biggest mistake of your life, Tokio."

"I'm sure."

He nodded, knowing she meant it. She wasn't the kind of woman who said things she didn't mean. "Then you had better get to bed. We will have a busy day tomorrow."

"Yes." She agreed, "I share a room with Tokei. You may sleep here; it should be comfortable enough."

"As you wish. Goodnight, Tokio."

"Oyasumi nasai." She bowed as she left the room, her glossy hair sliding over her shoulder. Her face was still slightly pink at the notion that if she didn't share a room with her sister she would have readily invited him to bed with her.

*

Saito awoke early the next morning and lay there pondering over what was to transpire that day. I'm marrying Tokio out of pity, he reminded himself. She was nearly raped last night, her mother cares nothing for her and they are living in poverty. You have no one waiting at home for you. That's why you're doing this.

But, a small voice in the back of his head argued, you do feel something for her. You've kissed her twice already. You cannot explain that away, can you?

This troubled him. Never one for romance, Hajime Saito had not put a lot of thought into love. He was a wolf; he worked alone. He didn't need the help of any one else. Yet he had told her it would be good to have a wife. She would be helping him, whether he liked it or not.

A smile crossed his face. He liked it. The thought of some one waiting for him at home, some one greeting him warmly upon his return, made him very happy. Perhaps he would love her over time. He did, as he had told her, admire her greatly.

"Onii-san?"

Startled, he looked up. Keiji stood in the doorway, a slightly frightened look on his face. "What is it, Keiji?"

"I had a bad dream…Some'in happened ta Tokio. Ya won't let 'er get hurt, will ya?" He sniffled, his wide eyes full of tears.

Saito looked at the little boy seriously. "I won't let anything happen to your sister. I'll take good care of her."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He smiled.

"Good." Keiji crossed the room to him and crawled into his lap, "I wish you're my papa. Yer nice."

He looked down at the small boy, pale and thin with dark hair and wide, innocent eyes. His lashes were wet with tears and he looked sleepy still. The poor child…all of them, they didn't deserve such a life. What kind of cruel fate had given them such a mother then allowed their father to die while they were so young? And there he was, preparing to take away their only positive role model.

Glancing down again, he found Keiji asleep. The child's breathing had become deep and even. A faint smile crossed his face. Tokio worshipped these children. Surely she would want at least one of her own. This relationship would not be without benefits. As a man who lived by a code of honor, he would never allow himself to defile a woman. But if he and Tokio were to be married, there would be nothing wrong with it.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Hajime." Came Tokio's pleasant voice. She was standing where Keiji had been a short while before, looking slightly tired and slightly rumpled.

"You look like you hardly slept at all, Tokio." He said quietly.

"I was too excited to sleep. And I'm kind of nervous too." She admitted, "I've never left home before."

"This isn't your home any more." His voice was very grim, "This is a prison for you. You are caged when you were born to fly. But you are almost home."

"Yes," She agreed, "I am almost home." A smile crossed her face and she sat down beside him, wrapping her yukata tighter around her. It had gotten chilly that night and she was cold.

He looked over at her and felt a strange rush of emotions. She was smiling pleasantly, her inky eyes shining with happiness. A lump rose in his throat. This woman is going to be my wife. The way she was looking at him caused his heart to pound. What was one more kiss? He leaned towards her; their noses were only inches apart…

"Oh no you don't!" Maro shrieked from the doorway, "You're not married to her yet, Saito-san. I'll have none of that in my house. Tokio! Get up. You have a lot to do today before you leave with him." She looked contemptuously at Saito, her hatred towards him growing with each second he remained in her house.

Sighing, Tokio drew away from Saito. It's your last day here, she reminded herself, This is the last time you'll have to do as she says. Do it without giving her the satisfaction of knowing you hate her.

"And you," Maro looked at the man, "You can make yourself useful too. Don't think I'll let you sit around all day doing nothing."

"Surely you think better of me than that, Ma'am." He said in mock seriousness. She agitated him to no end. Everything about her annoyed him; she was so fake.

They bustled around the house, Tokio gathering what few things she was taking with her, Saito doing odd jobs as Maro requested. The children didn't do much at all; their mother wouldn't make them work even if it meant Tokio had to do everything. Tokei went off to work at the inn, same as always. It was a completely average day.

But then, it wasn't.

Tokio got more and more nervous as the day wore on. What had she gotten herself into? She was leaving with a man she'd known for only a day. She was going to marry him. She was going to marry him! She'd be leaving the only home she'd known for her whole life and going someplace she'd never been. She'd never left Inuyama and had certainly never been to Mibu or anywhere else for that matter. She became skittish and jumpy; made herself sick with worry.

Her anxiety agitated Maro. The woman spent the day yelling at Tokio, calling her names when she messed things up or did a sloppy job with something. The young woman was preoccupied with the thought of her impending marriage and Maro had no patience for her.

After listening to Maro yell at Tokio for the umpteenth time, Saito had enough. He took his bride-to-be by the hand and pulled her away from the bucket of water she had spilled. "We need to leave."

"Right now?" She sounded terrified, her eyes widened with panic, "Why?"

"I cannot stand it here a minute longer. Say good-bye and get your things. We're leaving."

"But Hajime…" She trailed off.

"But nothing. I'll destroy that woman if I stay here any longer. She is being positively horrid to you and I won't stand for it."

Some of her nervousness melted away. "You do love me." A trace of a smile lit her face, "You're worried about me." She kissed his cheek, "I'm ready now."

"I'm glad."

The children cried when she said good-bye and hugged them. They were sad to see her leave, their big sister who was more like a second mother. Keiji clung to her, saying "no; no, you can't go!" while Kaida sobbed into the hem of her kimono. Yukio begged her to stay, but Haruko put on a tough guy act, telling his siblings it was "no big deal" even though there were tears in his eyes as he said it.

Tokio finally managed to tear herself away. She followed Saito back to the inn, her face streaked with tears. He looked over his shoulder at her and saw she was still crying. He offered her a hand and she took it, finding little comfort in his compassion. Still her tears did not cease. He put an arm around her shoulder and she settled into his embrace. "I hope they will be okay…" She whispered.

There was another tearful farewell when they stopped at the inn and Tokei spoke briefly with her sister. "Won't you reconsider? Tesaguri-san is willing to forgive you for your impertinence."

"No." Tokio said softly, "It is his fault I am leaving in the first place. Do you know what he did to me, Tokei? He tried to rape me last night. Hajime saved me." She smiled affectionately at her wolfish companion and he smiled faintly back, "I am afraid he will do the same to you." Her eyes welled with tears and she sniffled, "Be careful."

"Don't worry about me, Tokio. I can watch out for myself. I'm used to dealing with men like Tesaguri. You take care of yourself."

The two sisters hugged one another, then Tokio turned back to Saito. His wolf-like eyes seemed to ask her "are you ready?" She nodded a confirmation, then took his hand in hers.

Tokei watched as they strolled out of town together. Her sister was lucky. She had a man that loved her. She was going to a new home. She would have money to buy nice things. It wasn't fair.

The two walked in silence for a while. Tokio stared at her feet as she walked, thinking of everything that had happened in the course of a day. Saito said nothing because he could tell she was nervous. She was frightened, heading out into a strange new world. She was leaving behind everything she had ever known. Tears filled her eyes.

Then she felt Saito's hand slide into hers. Startled, she looked up.

He smiled at her, a concerned look in his animal like eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, Hajime, I am. Very much so." Smiling, she tightened her grip on his hand, "For you see, I'm going home today."