CHAPTER 3: The Wolf's only weakness
Saito forced himself to wake up. He was lying on the ground where he had fallen asleep, feeling stiff and all his muscles ached.
"Tokio?" he muttered. He got onto his knees and looked at Tokio's body, in peaceful slumber. Saito rubbed his aching arms and legs. He felt like he'd been torn apart and put back together in the wrong way. Saito tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness washed over him and he fell back to the floor, gasping. He looked out of the bushes toward the place where the battle was last night.
"We lost that one," Saito commented, noting that most of the bodies on the floor were wearing Shinsengumi uniforms. He blinked back stinging pain in his ribs and slowly leaned against the tree. "Okita will be devastated when he wakes up. Most of those men belong to his squad." Tokio began to stir.
"Mm." she mumbled. Then, she sat up, scrubbing at her eyes. "Hajime? You're up!"
"Yeah, and I feel like-" suddenly he stopped and shot forward, ignoring the cries of pain his muscles and bones gave. He shoved Tokio's head toward the floor and crouched down behind the bush himself.
"Over here!" a man's voice called to another man.
"What is it?" the other asked. Saito recognized it as one of the men who had attacked him. These men were part of the Ishin Shishi.
"A survivor!" first man said. There was a rustling of leaves and grass as the other man walked over to where his friend was standing.
"A Shinsengumi survivor. Kill him," the second voice growled.
"But Suzuke, we can interrogate him and-" the first man protested. The other interrupted.
"No. The Shinsengumi don't betray their fellow Shinsengumi. They really are like a pack of wolves. Kill him now. He is of no use to us!" the man called Suzuke snapped. There was a metallic sound of a sword being drawn and the sound of metal on flesh. Saito grimaced behind the bushes. He hated scum who killed for no real purpose.
"Hajime, who-?" Tokio whispered, but Saito clapped a hand over her mouth. He glared at her. Not now, Tokio! His glare seemed to say. She shut her mouth and buried her head in his chest. There was a rustling of more leaves and grass and then Suzuke said something.
"Hey, a blood trail. Some of those wolves must've gotten away!" he came frighteningly close to the bush where Saito and Tokio were hiding. They hardly dared to breathe. Suddenly, Saito realized that Suzuke would find Okita's body if he crept any further into the bushes than he already had. Signaling to Tokio to stay quiet and out of the way, Saito crawled toward where Okita was lying. Tokio shook her head and crawled after him, ignoring his glares.
"Did you find something?" the unidentified man asked Suzuke.
"Not yet, but something is here. I can smell it," Suzuke breathed. He pushed past more bushes.
"Maybe it's just a dead body," the other man laughed. Suzuke scowled. Then, he pushed past the last bush between him and Okita.
"DIE!" Saito cried as he leapt from the bushes and drew his sword, slicing through Suzuke's chest. Suzuke narrowly dodged a fatal blow and drew his own sword.
"Hey, it's a Shinsengumi!" Suzuke taunted. "An injured wolf! How can you fight this way? You'll be no more useful than a puppy with its feet cut off!" Suzuke sniggered. Saito made a face and attacked, piercing Suzuke's left shoulder and attempting to slice off his head. However, he had very little endurance left and found himself unable to cut through the shoulder to the neck.
"What's wrong. wolf?" Suzuke choked, still sniggering, but his tone had lost a bit of its edge. Saito bit his lip, forcing the pain in his arms to slowly ebb away.
"Hajime!" Tokio's voice rang out. She ran over to him, but before she arrived by his side, the other unidentified man wrapped his large arms around her arms and chest. She let out a scream. The man pulled the katana out of her belt and tossed it on the floor behind him.
"Tokio." Saito gasped, wincing at the pain in his legs.
"Take the sword out of Suzuke," the man commanded. He pulled out a sword and put it to Tokio's neck. "Or she'll die."
"****." Saito swore and wrenched the blade out of Suzuke's shoulder. He fell to the floor, grabbing his wound.
"Good," the man smiled evilly. "Very good. Now I'll just take this beauty away with me and you can be on your way, Mighty Wolf of Mibu." He put a sarcastic emphasis on every word. Saito flicked blood off his sword and sheathed it.
Why don't you just attack the *******? A small voice in Saito's head whined. All you live for is Aku. Soku. Zan. Right?! But no, Saito knew that it was in vain to try and trick his mind into believing it. He knew that if he attacked, it would mean putting Tokio in danger. He sighed. Tokio really did mean something to him. He could only watch as the men tied Tokio and gagged her, then dragged her away with them, still holding a sword to her throat. She cast Saito a pleading look, but Saito couldn't even bare to watch. He turned on his heel, hatred blazing in his soul.
A/N: Yup! That's the end of this chapter! I'll be posting tomorrow when I have time, I think. maybe I'll just leave you all hanging. no, I wouldn't do that. Anyway, thanks to reviewers!
Koneko: Thank you so much for sticking with my stories! Amazingly, you weren't the first reviewer! You were the second! But I think you might already know that... oh and thank you for putting me on your fav. Authors list! You're the first one to do so! ::bows:: ^_^
Silver-kitsune: How'd you get that name? It's nice. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and fro your great comment! Heh. Fights. There's one big one between Saito, Okita and Battousai at the very end. I'll be getting there in a little bit.
Saito forced himself to wake up. He was lying on the ground where he had fallen asleep, feeling stiff and all his muscles ached.
"Tokio?" he muttered. He got onto his knees and looked at Tokio's body, in peaceful slumber. Saito rubbed his aching arms and legs. He felt like he'd been torn apart and put back together in the wrong way. Saito tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness washed over him and he fell back to the floor, gasping. He looked out of the bushes toward the place where the battle was last night.
"We lost that one," Saito commented, noting that most of the bodies on the floor were wearing Shinsengumi uniforms. He blinked back stinging pain in his ribs and slowly leaned against the tree. "Okita will be devastated when he wakes up. Most of those men belong to his squad." Tokio began to stir.
"Mm." she mumbled. Then, she sat up, scrubbing at her eyes. "Hajime? You're up!"
"Yeah, and I feel like-" suddenly he stopped and shot forward, ignoring the cries of pain his muscles and bones gave. He shoved Tokio's head toward the floor and crouched down behind the bush himself.
"Over here!" a man's voice called to another man.
"What is it?" the other asked. Saito recognized it as one of the men who had attacked him. These men were part of the Ishin Shishi.
"A survivor!" first man said. There was a rustling of leaves and grass as the other man walked over to where his friend was standing.
"A Shinsengumi survivor. Kill him," the second voice growled.
"But Suzuke, we can interrogate him and-" the first man protested. The other interrupted.
"No. The Shinsengumi don't betray their fellow Shinsengumi. They really are like a pack of wolves. Kill him now. He is of no use to us!" the man called Suzuke snapped. There was a metallic sound of a sword being drawn and the sound of metal on flesh. Saito grimaced behind the bushes. He hated scum who killed for no real purpose.
"Hajime, who-?" Tokio whispered, but Saito clapped a hand over her mouth. He glared at her. Not now, Tokio! His glare seemed to say. She shut her mouth and buried her head in his chest. There was a rustling of more leaves and grass and then Suzuke said something.
"Hey, a blood trail. Some of those wolves must've gotten away!" he came frighteningly close to the bush where Saito and Tokio were hiding. They hardly dared to breathe. Suddenly, Saito realized that Suzuke would find Okita's body if he crept any further into the bushes than he already had. Signaling to Tokio to stay quiet and out of the way, Saito crawled toward where Okita was lying. Tokio shook her head and crawled after him, ignoring his glares.
"Did you find something?" the unidentified man asked Suzuke.
"Not yet, but something is here. I can smell it," Suzuke breathed. He pushed past more bushes.
"Maybe it's just a dead body," the other man laughed. Suzuke scowled. Then, he pushed past the last bush between him and Okita.
"DIE!" Saito cried as he leapt from the bushes and drew his sword, slicing through Suzuke's chest. Suzuke narrowly dodged a fatal blow and drew his own sword.
"Hey, it's a Shinsengumi!" Suzuke taunted. "An injured wolf! How can you fight this way? You'll be no more useful than a puppy with its feet cut off!" Suzuke sniggered. Saito made a face and attacked, piercing Suzuke's left shoulder and attempting to slice off his head. However, he had very little endurance left and found himself unable to cut through the shoulder to the neck.
"What's wrong. wolf?" Suzuke choked, still sniggering, but his tone had lost a bit of its edge. Saito bit his lip, forcing the pain in his arms to slowly ebb away.
"Hajime!" Tokio's voice rang out. She ran over to him, but before she arrived by his side, the other unidentified man wrapped his large arms around her arms and chest. She let out a scream. The man pulled the katana out of her belt and tossed it on the floor behind him.
"Tokio." Saito gasped, wincing at the pain in his legs.
"Take the sword out of Suzuke," the man commanded. He pulled out a sword and put it to Tokio's neck. "Or she'll die."
"****." Saito swore and wrenched the blade out of Suzuke's shoulder. He fell to the floor, grabbing his wound.
"Good," the man smiled evilly. "Very good. Now I'll just take this beauty away with me and you can be on your way, Mighty Wolf of Mibu." He put a sarcastic emphasis on every word. Saito flicked blood off his sword and sheathed it.
Why don't you just attack the *******? A small voice in Saito's head whined. All you live for is Aku. Soku. Zan. Right?! But no, Saito knew that it was in vain to try and trick his mind into believing it. He knew that if he attacked, it would mean putting Tokio in danger. He sighed. Tokio really did mean something to him. He could only watch as the men tied Tokio and gagged her, then dragged her away with them, still holding a sword to her throat. She cast Saito a pleading look, but Saito couldn't even bare to watch. He turned on his heel, hatred blazing in his soul.
A/N: Yup! That's the end of this chapter! I'll be posting tomorrow when I have time, I think. maybe I'll just leave you all hanging. no, I wouldn't do that. Anyway, thanks to reviewers!
Koneko: Thank you so much for sticking with my stories! Amazingly, you weren't the first reviewer! You were the second! But I think you might already know that... oh and thank you for putting me on your fav. Authors list! You're the first one to do so! ::bows:: ^_^
Silver-kitsune: How'd you get that name? It's nice. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and fro your great comment! Heh. Fights. There's one big one between Saito, Okita and Battousai at the very end. I'll be getting there in a little bit.
