CHAPTER 6: Tokio at Kyoto- the Gyne Group returns!

Saito left the police station. He, Kenshin and Sano had just successfully foiled Shishio's plan to use an armored ship called the Purgatory to attack Kyoto. The carriage took him back to the inn and he got out. He walked into the inn and headed for his room. He opened the door and was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Hajime!" Tokio jumped up from her cushion on the floor, nearly knocking over her tray of food. She ran over to him and gave him a hug. Eiji was sitting across from her, calmly eating his food. Saito staggered backwards into the hall where Tokio pinned him to the wall opposite his room.

"Tokio......... what the.........?" Saito stared, bewildered at his smirking wife. "What are you DOING here? You-"

"You just left without saying goodbye!" Tokio said, pressing the palm of her hand against his lips. "And I came to keep you company." Saito watched her hand slide down the side of his face to his waist. She trapped him in her arms.

"Look, Tokio, it's dangerous here! Go back to Tokyo where-" his sentence was stopped by Tokio's mouth against his own. Eiji chewed his food, trying to look at something other than Saito and his wife making out in the hall. He resorted to staring at his food as if it was poisoned.

"Tokio........." Saito said, after the kiss was over. "You really shouldn't have come!"

"I needed to, Hajime," Tokio said, dragging him into the room. "I promise I won't follow you into anything dangerous, but........." Tokio paused and pulled something out of the closet. It was a katana.

"Tokio? Why did you bring that?" Saito asked nervously.

"I will intervene if I must," Tokio said. She pulled out the sword and handled it with expertise. Then, she performed a perfect Gatotsu, narrowly missing his ear. He only showed a slight sign of surprise.

"Tokio......... when did you learn how to do the Gatotsu?! How.........?!" Saito asked. Then, he sighed. "Just go home. Please! Tomorrow I have to meet the Battousai at the Aoiya early in the morning and I can't have you hanging around. Tomorrow I have to fight Shishio at the shrine of six arches and you'll just get in the way!" Saito grabbed the sword form her hands and sheathed it with a soft metallic sound. Tokio turned away.

"Then I won't come," Tokio said sadly. I can't believe you just said that, Tokio! Tokio scolded herself. And if I keep worrying like this, I'm bound to get wrinkles in a few years!

"Good. I'm going to sleep," Saito said feeling satisfied. He put the katana back into the closet. Without changing, he crawled into bed. Tokio made Eiji a bed next to theirs and slipped under the covers next to Saito.

Hajime...you have no idea what I'm going to do, Tokio thought as she fell asleep.

Tokio woke up to Eiji shaking her.

"Tokio! If we're going to help at all then we'd better get moving soon! Saito already left!" Eiji said. He pulled her out of the bed and handed her the sword in the closet. Tokio yawned and tucked the sword into her belt, then put the gi on over it so it was well hidden.

"Okay. Let's go," Tokio said, opening the door and slipping out after Eiji. They hurried off toward the shrine of six arches. They found it easily and stood in front for a while.

"Do you have the bandages?" Eiji asked.

"Yes," Tokio said. "I grabbed them on my way out."

"Okay, then what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Eiji started walking in. They walked into the shrine and crossed a bridge. They entered a poorly lit room with stairs leading down, and saw a man sitting and praying on the floor under them. Tokio bounded down the stairs and looked at the man, who didn't seem to notice them.

"Excuse me," Tokio said. "But did a few people just come through here?"

"Yes," the man replied, not coming out of his position on the floor. "But who could you be? Not one of Shishio's servants, that's for sure."

"I am following Hajime Saito and the Battousai," she said, approaching him. "Did they come through here?"

"Yes. They went through that door," the man pointed. "Why?"

"None of your concern," Tokio replied. She headed for the door.

"I am Anji. Who are you?"

"Tokio," Tokio answered. She ran through the door, Eiji following her. They ran down a long hallway to another room whose door was broken down. It was very dark in the room and there were eyes painted on the walls. Saito was in the middle of it, staring at a body up on the wall, blood dripping down.

"What happened?" Eiji asked, whispering.

"I don't know. I think Hajime must've killed the guy," Tokio whispered back.

"Aku. Soku. Zan. How long can you live by those words, Saito?" the man on the wall spluttered.

"I'll live by them until I die," Saito replied. He watched the man die.

"Hajime? What happened?" Tokio rushed into the room, pulling Eiji along with her.

"What the-? What are you DOING here?" Saito asked, sheathing his sword. He walked over to his wife and inspected her for bruises. "I thought that you said you'd stay at the inn and not get in my way!"

"But I had to, Hajime! You need me anyway! Look at these wounds!" Tokio pulled out her bandages and examined the cuts. "Take off your jacket and shirt," Tokio commanded.

"Tokio, I'm fine really!" Saito protested, but she had already begun to take off his clothes.

"This'll be quick. You'll have plenty of time to find the Battousai and kill that fried maniac, Shishio," Tokio said, pulling off his black T-shirt after removing his jacket. "Sit."

"Tokio........." Saito said in an almost whiny tone, but she forced him down and unrolled the bandages. Eiji watched them in confusion, not knowing what to make of it. In Shingetsu village, he had hated Saito for being so cold- hearted, but now he seemed very different.

"Saito?" Eiji asked, mustering up all the strength he had. This was the first time he'd spoken to the man since the episode in Shingetsu.

"What?" Saito answered, coldly. He felt Tokio punch his stomach softly, but Eiji didn't seem to notice.

"Wh-why do you......... why do you separate yourself from the others? Why do you always have to be so cold?" Eiji blurted, walking toward them, but seeing the glare Saito flashed him, he backed up.

"I just don't have any connection to them," Saito replied dryly. He stared ahead, wincing as his wife tightened the bandages around his shoulder.

"Oh," Eiji said, sitting on the floor behind Tokio. "Just wondering."

"There. Now Eiji, could you leave for a second?" Tokio turned to the boy. "Please? It'll only be a moment." Tokio smiled warmly.

"Oh! Sure," Eiji said, not caring to ask why. He got up and walked out of the room.

"Why'd he have to leave?" Saito asked as Tokio turned around.

"Hajime, take off your pants," Tokio instructed.

"WHAT?! Why?" Saito exclaimed, jumping up and wincing at the same time.

"I need to inspect the wounds on your legs. Really quick, please? I don't want you to be fighting when you are badly injured," Tokio said.

"NO," Saito said, firmly. "I'm not going to do that, even for you."

"Fine. I'll just have to take them off myself," Tokio said, advancing on him.

"No, it's okay. You can just wrap the bandages around the outside of my pant-leg. I can tell you where I was cut," Saito pushed her hands away from his belt.

"Okay, okay, I didn't know you were still that shy around me, Hajime," Tokio said with a giggle. "At least I sent Eiji out for you, but now that you're not... EIJI! YOU CAN COME IN NOW!!!" A girl dressed as a ninja slowly walked in, holding a knife to Eiji's throat.

"I am one of Lord Shishio's warriors," she said, an odd gleam in her eye. "Come with me and he won't get hurt."

"Oh please," Saito said, standing and drawing his sword. "I can take care of you in an instant."

"Don't be so sure," the girl said. "I was a trained member of the Gyne Group, if you even know what that is." She pressed the knife to Eiji's throat causing a little speck of blood to appear on the silvery blade.

"What? No way..." Saito said, looking at the girl. "I thought that they were all dead after the attack on the Shinsengumi!"

"Heck, no! We only used a third of our group on the Shinsen- hey... how do you know?" the girl asked, her eyes widening.

"The Gyne Group attacked me when they attacked the Shinsengumi and stole my wife! You think I wouldn't remember them?" Saito snarled at the girl taking a Gatotsu stance. "And also, you think that that kid means something to me, but he doesn't. I could care less about him. Aku. Soku. Zan. That is all I really care about in a fight. I'm not at all like the Battousai."

"Well, we'll see," the girl said, arrogantly. "I'll just have to find your weak spot." She dropped Eiji onto the floor and kicked him hard. He rolled over, shaking in pain.

"Eiji!" Tokio cried, running over to him and pulling out the bandages.

"Who's that?" the girl asked Saito, gesturing toward Tokio. "Your wife? We'll just see how you like it when SHE'S at knife point!" The girl grabbed Tokio by the hair and pulled her to her feet.

"Tokio........." Saito whispered, his face flickering slightly. "You're not a true warrior, you only use others to affect your opponent's ability to fight!" However, he relaxed a little and sheathed his sword.

"Remember that one wrong move will cost you your wife!" the girl cackled. Tokio stared at Saito, unwilling to believe that he was surrendering.

"Let her go," Saito demanded softly.

"What will you do for me?" the girl asked, almost grinning at her soon-to- be victory.

"Hajime! Don't do anything for this-" Tokio began, but the knife on her throat was pressed harder. She stopped. Saito didn't say anything. He just stood there, glaring at the girl.

"I asked you a question," the girl snapped, tightening her hold on Tokio and pressing the knife harder.

"Just let her go. I'll do something for you, but you'll have to let her go first," Saito said, smirking slightly.

"What? Do you think I'm that thick? No, I'm not accepting those terms. Let me kill you and I'll let her go," the girl made up her mind. "What do you say?"

Saito shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" He pulled out his sword and handed it to the girl. "Go ahead. Kill me." Tokio's mouth dropped open as the girl willingly dropped her and tucked the knife into her own belt. Then, she took the sword from Saito and held it up. She stabbed at his chest, but he moved backwards about an inch. She just missed, but managed to get the blade into his side. He choked up blood, but moved out of the way as the sword was forced toward his head. He ran over to Tokio and ripped open her gi.

"HAJIME?! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" Tokio cried as she watched the cloth fall to the floor, exposing some of her skin. But Saito didn't answer her. He shoved her out of the way, pulling her sword out of her belt where it had been well hidden. Narrowly dodging the girl's angered stab, he Gatotsued into her.

"And that......... is all," Saito pulled the sword out of her, letting her sink to the floor. He took the sword that he had given to the girl and gave Tokio back hers.

"Hajime......... how did you know I had a sword?" Tokio asked.

"You think I can't see it? I had to keep a look out for hidden swords when I was in the Shinsengumi," Saito said, walking over to the closest wall and leaning against it. He let out a sigh of pain and dropped to the floor.

"Hajime, are you okay?!" Tokio rushed over to him, and examined his wound. "I thought that you were actually going to let her kill you........."

"You think I'd do that? You know me better, Tokio," Saito moaned, blood seeping into his shirt. He took off his jacket and his shirt afterwards.

"The wound is pretty deep........." Tokio said, picking up the cloth that Saito had ripped off of her gi and blotted away the blood.

"Saito......... um........." Eiji said, sitting up and rubbing his stomach.

"What?" Saito asked as his wife wiped up the blood.

"Did you really mean it when you said that I didn't matter to you?" Eiji asked, twiddling (A/N: Funny word.........^_^) his thumbs.

"In a fight I don't care about anyone," Saito said. "Except......... never mind."

"Me," Tokio smirked much like her husband. She gave him a kiss, then returned to her work. Saito turned slightly pink. Eiji held back a grin and crawled over to Tokio who had almost finished tending to Saito's injury.

"Oh. I see........." Eiji said, leaning against the wall. He watched, weakly, as Saito put his shirt and jacket back on. Tokio quickly bandaged his legs and he pulled himself up, wincing. He sheathed the sword in his hand and tucked it into his belt. Eiji fell asleep on the floor before he left the room.

"Hajime, please be careful," Tokio said, placing her hand on the boy's back. "I don't want you getting killed by a boiled fish........." Saito smiled weakly at that one. He limped over to Eiji and picked him up, holding him against his body.

"I'm going to bring you to a place where you won't be found. Hardly anyone knows about the place, not even Shishio's men have found it. I want you to stay there until I'm finished and I come to get you, understood?" Saito asked, casting a weary glance at Tokio.

"I understand, Hajime," Tokio said, averting her eyes to the floor.

"Promise me you won't come after me. PROMISE ME," Saito demanded, using one of his hands to pull her face up to look at him.

"Okay. I promise," Tokio sighed. Saito opened a door that was camouflaged with the wall. The room that it led into was dark and cold. Tokio shot an anxious glance at her husband, but he just shrugged and pushed her in. Then, he gently put Eiji on the floor near the wall.

"Good. Then I'll be going. I will return for you when the battle is over, which will be relatively soon, if I am predicting correctly," Saito said, turning his back to Tokio. Then, without bidding a farewell, he stepped out of the room and closed the door, shutting Tokio into darkness.

"HAJIME!" Tokio growled under her breath. She hated how he did this to her, thinking that she could be a weakness to him. She punched the floor, which made her hand hurt. Eiji's calm breathing was the only sound after that, and Tokio felt as if the silence and darkness were as endless as death itself. Then, she closed her eyes, leaned against the chilly wall and also fell asleep.

A/N: Okay, I've nearly finished this one, but I halfway have a sequel in mind. (Yet again ^_^) BUT I warn all of you faithful readers out there that it isn't nearly as good as all of my others! So you can decide for yourselves if you want me to continue or leave this line of Saito/Tokio fics by its self after this one is done.

REVIEW RESPONSES:

JadeGoddess: No, she's not meeting Hiko either. You'll find out in the next chapter, I think. I could give you a definite answer if I wanted to, but I don't want to go check because I'm really lazy... ^_^; Thanks for reviewing!

MissBehavin: You know, I don't know how he learned to cook. Maybe Shinsengumi?... I'll let you use your imagination. S'okay. I understand about the entire "time, other things to do..." issue. I have it all the time. Thanks for your encouragement! It makes me want to write more even though I do it for fun anyway! Thanks again



Kairi7: Hi! You're new, but you're not new at the same time! Well, thanks of the review. I'm glad you like my stories. When people say they do, it makes me happy. ^_______^