**Pechan refuses to create any Rurouni Kenshin characters. That's why she borrows them.

~ Smoking Out the Wolf's Den ~

~~ Two weeks later~~

Tokio had donned her pink kimono. Personally, she had always liked pink, but it just didn't match her green eyes. Too bad. She had taken a job as a waitress again at a place called the Shirobeko. Miss Sae had given her a job there, with the kindest regards. Tokio found she really liked cooking. So, instead of outing up with loud, drunken rude men, she decided to become a cook. Besides, when she was a waitress, at least every other day she got slapped in the butt by the same man.

Miss Sae was kind enough to give her the title cook, after she kicked the guy swiftly in the nuts. The good thing about being a cook, is that the cook stayed in the back all the time. Away from idiotic people.

She learned how to make all kinds of dishes. In fact, she was having fun. People commented on her cooking, and she even got tips from people from outside. Miss Sae even said her cooking rivaled her sister's, Miss Tae.

She was doing just fine. Then a few days later, someone had ordered plain hot soba. She wondered if it was him, but decided not to look out. It'd make her look desperate. As she got an order of okunomiyaki to make, she wondered why the hell she was feeling so lonely....

Presently, after two and a half weeks since she left, she decided to sneak into his house. It was her original objective, to scope out and learn everything about him. She'd know what could make him vulnerable. For now, she knew he didn't care about playing hero for a damsel in distress. After all, he had saved her twice.

She remembered with a smile, then shook her head. Yeah, but he killed more people now!!

**Because of you....**

She frowned, mumbling, "It still shows he hasn't changed, he still kills people."

**Well, to be fair, the kind of people he killed weren't exactly the nicest of people.**

She clonked her head, "Stupid conscience....."

She found his home, and placed her fingers on the door. Before she went in, she took a quick glance around her, making sure no one was watching her. After checking for the coast to be clear, she slid open the door jumped inside, and slammed the door behind her. She sighed, well, that was done for.

She looked around the room, a little surprised by how neat the room was. It seemed like an ordinary room.

'Was she even in the right house?' she thought, with a panic.

Then he took a sniff, and cough. Cigarette smoke. Ho yeah, this was his place. She looked at the front wall, and cracked open his window. She walked into the middle of his room. So, this is the wolf's den....

After staring at the place she laughed, not much, was it?

She decided to poke around. She wasn't originally going to, hoping to find his Shinsengumi uniform on the floor and that was all the proof she'd need to know he was the same manslayer.

She opened a sliding door, revealing a closet. There was a futon and futon blankets. There were also some pants and shirts folded. She lifted them up, and it unfolded to the floor. Damn, he had long legs!! She looked back in the closet. Didn't he have any yukata?

She knelt, folding his pants. Out of the pocket, a package of cigarettes fell out. She placed them back in, hoping he wouldn't notice anything out of place. She placed the pants down, noticing a few boxes under the futon. She pushed it aside, and opened it. Inside were millions of papers. Dozens of broken sealed letters. She picked one up, and read it. It was a criminal file. She picked up another, another police record. She picked up one of the letters. This one was a recommendation for him to station in Nagasaki.

She whistled, that was a nice place. Wonder hwy he declined? After she leafed through more papers, she couldn't find any papers that contained a response from Saito.

She closed that box, and opened a much larger box. On the side, there was a symbol in white that had a white triangle and circle. She undid the leather straps.

"This must be something he carries," she commented, otherwise there would be straps in the back. As she set the lid down, she looked inside. It was full of little bags. She picked one up, and looked inside. Inside were some rolled pills. In another some cut of dried leaves. There were a few bottles of things, and..

"Heeeyy.... this stuff looks like medicine.." she whispered to herself. She frowned, picking up a roll of bandages. Bandages she knew an average person would need for cuts. But some of these medicines were known to heal broken bones pretty fast. She smirked, why would his arms break? He cuts things, he doesn't fist fight. Well, she guessed he had accidents too.

She shut the box, and strapped on the lid. She slid the box back into place, and noticed another box. This one looked rather old. She opened it, and it revealed two packages of cigarettes, and a few old yukata. She sighed, well, what was she expecting? She giggled, then placed her fingers on her forehead, as she sat down more comfortably. He probably burned everything when his Shinsengumi days were over. It'd cover up the trail.

She smelled something like ancient cigarette smoke inside the box. She placed her hand in, and jiggled it around. Nothing heavy. But something hard batted her fingers. She frowned, curled her fingers around it, and lifted it up.

It was an armguard.

She gasped, and dropped it. This was defiantly part of the Shinsengumi uniform. She gulped, and stuck her hand in again. She pulled out another hard thing, a head band. With a strip of metal in the middle.

Her hands were slightly trembling. She bit her bottom lip, and dropped the head band. She jumped at the box, and began to throw out the yukatas. She was panting, as if she had to find it. She had to find that uniform.

**What would that do? Would it make you hate him?**

She growled, "Ergh, shut up!!"

But her conscious rattled on.

**Admit it, you like him. He's definitely got you hooked, foolish girl. Loving the murderer of your parents-**

She slammed the floor, "SHUT UUUUP!!"

She couldn't take her conscious. Always telling her what she really wanted!!

**If you want to keep that last shred of happiness you have, you'll dig no further.**

She but her hands were compelled, as she threw out some tabi socks.

**Oh, I get it. You're trying to hate him. Futile. You're hands are already shaking. I can see right through you, you're trying hardest to hate him. That way, you think it'll let you kill him easier. If your anger was refueled.**

She huffed, "That's right. That's what I've been doing all along!!" she whispered.

Suddenly, she saw a turquoise blue, peeking out under an old futon at the bottom of the box. Her breathing stopped, as did her pulse.

**You realize, if you discover he's still a manslayer, your heart would break.**

A tear escaped her eyes.

*You're crying because now you have to kill that wolf you love so much now.**

Tokio had her jaw hanging, realization coming over her. Then she grit her teeth, and yanked up that last thing in the box.

In bright turquoise and white triangles, she found the wolf's skin.

A flash of her memory came to her. She remembered a wolf dressed in turquoise pounce at her father, stabbing him in the head, his fang poking out the side of her father's face.

She gasped, and dropped it. Her pulse accelerated, and she was breathing hard. Oh God oh God oh God....

Tokio didn't realize how hard this could be!! Unveiling a murderer....

But she heard something outside.

"Ah, you're back Fujita! How was Tama?"

She gasped, standing. She didn't hear his reply, as she threw everything back in box, and slammed it into the closet. She heard footsteps coming, as Saito was slowing down, talking to some civilian. She bit her lip so hard, she tasted blood. She panicked, backed into the closet, and slammed it shut.

Of course, this would be the stupidest thing she ever did in her life. Besides falling in love with a wolf.

~~Outside the House~~

"Good day Suzuki," bowed Goro Fujita to the woman.

She bowed in return, "Good day. Send my regards to Miss Tokio."

He smiled, "Ah, it isn't like that, you know."

Suzuki giggled, turning, "Sure it isn't. Bye bye!!"

He opened his door smirking. He dropped his bag at the door jam, and narrowed his eyes.

Someone was in here. He sniffed the air. Now, he kind of regretted for smoking so much. It masked the intruder's stench. He stepped inside, and his foot stepped on something. He looked down, and saw one of his armguards.

He narrowed his eyes even more, and closed the door slowly. He sniffed again, and found the smell was still lingering. What was that smell?

He slowly drew his sword, quietly. It kind of smelled like..... okunomiyaki.....

He didn't care. Someone was in his house. And they've been through his box of... private belongings. The only one who should be breaking in here was to figure him out. He tensed his legs, falling into the stance of Hirazuki. He pointed the tip to the closet. He grit his teeth, and shot at it. The door tore apart, and he stopped when he heard a high scream.

He widened his eyes.

Tokio had her body pressed against the wall, and she was panting, eyes wide. Her hands were flat on the wall, and her waist had moved just an inch away from where his sword tip landed. Her bun was askew, and several escaping strands or black hair were stuck to her face. She was sweating.

He pulled away his sword, **of all the stupid...**

He snarled, "What were you doing in here?!!"

She raised a hand to her mouth, "I-I'm sorry, I-I-"

"Do you have any idea what could have happened?!"

She bit her lip, sniffing, "I know, I.. I can explain-"

"What were you doing in my closet, Tokio? In my house?"

He threw the armguard at her, she yelped, and put up her hands to block it, as if it were a rock he were throwing at her.

"What were you looking for?!!"

She stammered, "N-nothing, I-I mean, I didn't mean to.. to..."

"Why are you here?!"

She gasped, holding in her sobs.

He sheathed his sword, angrily. He kept his eyes on her, glaring, "ARE YOU DEAF?!"

She gulped, looking at him.

**God, she looked so scared of him........**

He frowned, "Answer me!"

No. Tokio didn't want this. **No, why...... why did she feel so bad.....**

"What were you looking for?!!"

**Why did it hurt........... to see him so mad with her?**

She looked away, hugging herself, "Stop YELLING AT ME!!"

He rolled his eyes, "For the love of.... who the hell do you think you are, yelling at me? You're trespassing!!"

She opened the door the rest of the way, and stomped out. She glared, "Look, I-I sorry, I didn't want, I mean, I thought you'd c-come home la-"

"I came home early. How long were you in here?"

"Not l-long-"

"What did you see?"

She bit her lip, looking away, "Nothing, I didn't see-"

"Don't look away, what did you-"

"NOTHING!!" she snapped. He narrowed his eyes, as she turned away, for the door, "Look, sorry, won't happen again-"

"No," he grabbed her arm. "I don't like it when people go in my house, and through my things. I'm sure you don't either."

She tried yanking her arm, tugging as he held on. She grunted, "Well, it wouldn't f---kin' matter to me, since I got none!!"

He wrenched her arm, hoping to get his point clear, "Well, break into someone else's house next time, you idiot!!"

She slapped him, "Don't ever call me that!!"

The slap didn't even jolt him, as he allowed himself to be hit. She growled and struck again, but this time, he caught her wrist. He snarled, bending over her, "Do you have any IDEA how close I came to killing you, Tokio!!?"

She gasped, eyes widening.

"If I didn't hear you scream I wouldn't have stopped, and you'd be dead, do you understand?!"

**.... He almost.... I almost....**

He yanked her arm, pulling her close, "Do you get it now?!"

Her bottom lip trembled, and she tried to narrow her eyes. That accomplished a single tear to escape. She whispered, "What's one more dead body to s-someone like you?!"

His eyes widened a bit, "You...."

She shoved him, and this time, he let her go. She wiped her face running as fast as she could. She ran passed the shopping district, passed the houses, all the way into the woods. She ran until she thought her body and heart would collapse. She ran. She always ran. She was running away from her feelings till now, and now she was running away from him.

She leaned against a tree, and sobbed.

**Why can't I just love you like normal people.....? How come you're the one that killed Daddy? If you didn't, you'd..... I could love you all I want......... I...............I-I.... oh God, it hurt to see you so mad at me. Be mad at anyone, anyone but me!! Please....**

She sniffed, curling into a ball.

*Please don't have that same angry look when I kill you."