**Pechan disclaims all rights to the Rurouni Kenshin franchise.
~ Cowboy ~
In the kitchen, Tokio was sitting on the floor with her daughter, Mina. Mina had wanted to play with Ryu, but Ryu was feeling kind of down and didn't want to play at all. When Mina said Daddy didn't want to play either, Tokio giggled. She could have just imagined her daughter asking that big, scary policeman if he wanted to play. She wondered what kind of excuse Hajime told her? He probably just flat out said 'No', and when Mina finally came to Tokio she said, "Mommy, no one wants to play with me!! You'll have to do."
Tokio flatly replied, "Gee, thanks hon......"
Ten minutes later, Tokio quickly made Mina's hurt feelings of rejection wash away, by teaching her how to make rice balls.
"Like this?" Mina asked eagerly.
She held a mushed up rice ball in her hands, trying to be like her mom as a culinary expert.
Tokio giggled, "Gee, I dunno!! It looks better than mine," she said as she took the crumbling, gooey lump from her daughter's fingers. "But, try not to smash the thing, hon. It kind of ruins the shape."
"Oh, okay!!" she dug her little fingers in the rice bowl, "I'll make a better one!!"
Tokio sighed, "At this rate, there won't be any rice left for lunch." She heard the door slide, and turned to face it. Ryu came in, rubbing his face. Tokio smiled warmly, "Feeling better, baby?"
"Don't call me baby!" he sniffed. "The other boys make fun of me when you do!"
"Aww, but you are!!" She reached out, and gave him a bear hug. "And there's nothin' you can do about it!!"
Ryu fought, "Mom!! Stop that!!"
Mina giggled, then jumped into the fray, "Ha ha!! Baby! Baby!!"
He growled, "Be quiet, stupid head!!"
Tokio laughed, letting Mina grapple him, "Big talk for a baby!!"
Ryu struggled to get up, and Mina laughed. Tokio sighed, grinning, "Okay, okay, stop this. You kids are gonna ruin the rice balls."
"Tch. Mina already screwed up half the batch," muttered Ryu, pulling Mina off his waist.
"Only 'cause you're so UGLY!!"
"Oh, that makes SO much sense, moron."
Tokio would normally kick them out of the room in order to get some peace and quiet, but lately she found the silences a bit unsettling and awkward with her husband home. She was used to the house being filled with her kid's nitpicking, shouting, threatening, laughter, and whatever sounds they made possible.
Tokio used to think kids were annoying, but everything changes once you had them yourself.
Although, she suspected Hajime's point of view on kids hadn't changed one bit. Which reminded her - what was he doing this very moment? Was he still working on whatever was on that notepad? Hmmm. To bother or not to bother?
Ah, what the hell? He wasn't here most of the time, so she might as well bother him all she wanted. Tokio pulled apart her children to keep them from killing each other, and put a ball of rice in their hands, "Here, start working. Because this is all you guys are gonna eat."
Ryu's face fell, "Seriously?"
Mina cheered, "Woo hooo!! I'm gonna cram mine with plums!!" With that, she picked up a handful and smashed them into her ball.
Ryu grimaced, "Eww, you're gonna get fat."
Mina giggled, "Good!! Then when I'm so fat and can't move, you'll have to take care of me!! Like a Buddha statue!!"
Ryu flatly replied, "Did I also mention retarded?"
Mina did seem a bit slower than Ryu. Tokio just guessed she was a late bloomer. She smiled, and left the children to thier own devices. She crept through the halls, and slid open the door to her room, and Hajime was sitting against the wall. His face was cast downwards, to his lap. But the notepad was put aside.
"Eh?" Tokio looked closer. Oh, he was napping. She giggled, "He must be so tired."
She picked up her futon blanket, and draped it on him. Though his eyes were still closed, he muttered, "That isn't necessary."
She fell over, then tried to kick him but he stood up. "Do you ever NOT ruin the mood and just plain SLEEP?"
He yawned, and turned away, "I WAS sleeping. Until you came in; you're too noisy."
She pushed aside her bangs, "So! What are we going to do about Ryu?"
"I don't know. What are you going to do about him?"
She frowned, "Hey, this is a group effort!! I can't just magically make him like you!"
"Does it matter if the boy likes me or not?"
"It does to me, Hajime!!"
He rolled his eyes slightly, and bent down to pick up his notepad.
Tokio followed, "Hey, HEY!! This is serious!! Do you have any idea how terrible this is going to be on him? What if he finds out you don't care?"
"He won't."
"Oh please, what makes you so sure? What if he really hates you? I hate it when kids hate their parents...."
Hajime lit a cigarette, "You're making a big deal out of nothing. Your son hasn't even matured yet. He respects me well enough in my face as it is. What he does when I'm not around is really none of my concern. Respect is all I really need of him, anyway." He looked up after the silence, realizing she wasn't replying. "What?"
"............ you know, you're really something else, you know that?" she rolled up her sleeves, "Come on!! You go spend quality father and son time with him right now, or I'll kick you out of this house!!"
It took a while before Hajime could stop laughing. Tokio growled, "HEY!! I COULD BEAT YOUR @$$, AND YOU KNOW IT!!"
Hajime sighed, crossing his arms, "Are you going to try to fist fight me, Tokio? You and I both know what the outcome will be. And besides, even if you did win, what would I say to my son?"
Tokio pouted her lips, thinking.
"My point exactly. I can't just start a relationship, Tokio. The bond you're asking of me between Ryu and I takes time. Time that I don't really think I can spare too often."
Tokio lowered her fists, sighing, "........ I knew that. But, well....... seeing you with Mina. It made me kinda happy, you know? Here I thought 'Oh look, she's liking him already!!' and with Ryu, it's the exact opposite. No, it was even more than I feared!! It's not that he doesn't care about you, he hates you!! - and what's more, you're not doing anything about it!!"
"I am. I'm doing him a favor by not talking to him."
"How does that help?"
"Oh please. When you hated me, did you enjoy our conversations?"
"Well, can't argue with you there."
"My sentiments exactly."
Tokio frowned, "Hey, I was downright enjoyable!! You were the friggin' rude one back then!!"
"We both were. Now let's end this, it's getting very tedious."
She watched him sit back down against the wall. Saito sighed, and without looking up, caught Tokio's fist. Why was this woman always trying to surprise attack him like this? It never worked.
"You jerk!! Do you think it's easy for me?!! Do you think it's easy for me to tell my son why his daddy might not even care about him? Huh!?" she thumbed herself on the chest, "Well I got news for you, buddy!! I won't have it!! And unless you do something about it..... well, I'LL DIVORCE YOU!!"
Hajime smirked, "Where do you think you are, the States? Hnh," he looked back down at his pad, "Besides, you don't have the guts for it."
"Oh yeah?!!" she challenged.
His eyes glittered like amber, and he smirked deeper, "Yeah."
Tokio growled for several minutes, and then turned away. "Fine. I am a wuss, and I can't." She flipped him off, "But I can act like a b!tch for the rest of our married lives!!"
Hajime took a drag, smirking as ever, "Most wives are."
Naturally, the answer sent Tokio clawing for his eyes again. "Now really, Tokio, what if the children hear this colorful language of yours?" mused Hajime.
"F-CK YOU!! I SHOULDA F-CKIN' KILLED YOU WHEN WE FIRST MET, @$$HOLE!!"
"Yare yare, what a vicious mother you are."
Tokio struggled in vain to put the hurt on him. Then, deciding how pathetically sad it was (what with her putting all her strength into attacking him and he barely needed to blink when holding her back with one hand) she finally gave up; going limp in his lap. She lay there, in his delicious warmth, and muttered, "Don't call me a mother. It makes me feel old."
"Really? I thought those wrinkles under your eyes would make you feel old already."
"Hey, I'm in NO MOOD."
He smirked, and sunk his fingers into her bun, loosening it. The locks cascaded to the floor, overlapping his legs, and when she lifted her face to look at him, a slight gust came through the door, making her tresses slightly float about her face. For such a rude woman, she was possibly the most beautiful he'd known.
Of course, him loving her made his opinion biased, but not many people would have argued with him. He tilted her chin up, "But I'm in a mood."
Her eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat, "B-but, the kids are in the next room!! What if they see us?"
He bent his face towards hers, "What if indeed...?"
And yet again, moments before Tokio was afraid the warm passion building between them would burn her alive, her kids made some STUPID DUMB@$$ COMMOTION, and the mood was ruined. She started to cry, and buried her head in his chest, "I'LL NEVER HAVE KIDS AGAIN!!"
He smirked, "Ah, but this is what you wanted, right? A family." He sat up straight, and gently nudged her up, "Now go tend to your family, Mother."
She rubbed her eyes, "Smart @$$. Just because you got me all hot doesn't mean you're off the hook!! When I come back, you better tell me what you're going to do with Ryu!!" and she slammed the door behind her.
Hajime smirked, and placed the cigarette back in his mouth. "Lucky for me I'm leaving now."
~~Meanwhile, in the Kitchen...
The twins looked at each other, glaring. Well, Ryu was doing all the glaring. Mina was giggling, hands on her mouth, "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh, Mom's gonna be so made at yooouuuuu........."
"Me?! YOU BROKE IT TOO!!" Ryu snarled. He looked down at the broken bowls between them.
"Only because you pushed me into the bowls, fat face!!"
"Fat face, now that's one I gotta remember...." Ryu rolled his eyes, "Help me clean it up!!"
"Why? I could just kick back and blame it on you."
Ryu growled. Mina was actually a lot smarter than she looked. Conniving little son of a-
"Hey HEY!! What the......?" Tokio had slid open the door, and her children gasped. She saw the broken bowls, and crossed her arms, "Well now........ what happened?"
Mina gulped, and then started to sniff. Ryu gasped, 'Oh great. If she starts the waterworks now, it'll all be over!!'
Ryu shouted, "Mina fell, and....... and I had to drop the bowls when I tried to help her!!"
Mina was already mid-tear, and frowned in newfound confusion, "What?!!"
Tokio frowned too, "What? Since when did you start helping Mina around, Ryu?"
Ryu scanned his head. "'C-Cause!! It's the right thing to do! .................. right?"
Tokio put her fingers on her forhead, chuckling, "You kids, you really do get more and more interesting every day." She sighed, and rose, "Come on, shoo. Out of the room. I don't want any of you cutting your feet up now on the mess you made."
Mina was biting her nails, "Are ya mad, Mommy?"
"Sorta. Those were our bowls and everything. But, I could just buy some tomorrow when we're on our way back from the hospital." She glanced at Ryu as she went for the broom, "You better wash up good before we leave, okay? I hate it when you kids don't take a bath."
"Baths suck," said Mina, toddling out of the room.
Ryu put his hands behind his neck, "Seriously. We'll just get dirty again."
PAHP!!
"YAAAOOW!!"
Ryu gripped his butt, after Tokio lightly whapped it with the bristles of the broom. That left an itchy sensation, "H-Hey, what was that for, Mom?"
"Stop being so fresh, alright? I don't like it when your father does it, I don't like it when Mina does it, and by the third time I hear it everyday, I just about snap. Got it, hon?"
Ryu narrowed his eyes, "That man is this rude? Then fine, I won't be anymore."
He stomped out of the room. Tokio sighed, and started to sweep the ceramic shards, "Not the aim I was going for, but at least I'll have one polite kid in the hous-EHK!!"
She didn't notice that she stepped on one of the broken pieces that was scattered further away than the rest. She sighed, and looked at her foot. It was bleeding a lot, for just a scratch on the sole of her foot. She reached for her headband on the kitchen counter, and wrapped it around her foot. She swept the rest of the mess, and tossed the whole mess in the garbage.
She invited the children back in to eat their lunch, the rice balls they had made. All of Mina's looked deformed, and cram-packed with plums, but she didn't mind. Ryu ate silently, apparently deep in thought. Tokio sighed, and walked into the bedroom where her husband was.
This time, he was leaning against the door jam, looking outside. He had removed his jacket, and was just lounging around in his black shirt and pants. She only saw his back, but she could see from behind, a thin wispy gray line - indicating he was smoking yet again. What was causing him to smoke so much more often?
She walked up behind him, "Hey, you hungry? I gave the kids their lunch. Did you want anything?"
He turned, and looked her up and down. "Had a little accident, Tokio?"
"Eh?" she looked down at her foot, "Oh that. the kids broke two of the ceramic bowls. I accidentally stepped on one of the pieces. Hey, don't worry about it!! I checked it and all; it's clean and everything."
"I never said I was worried about it, I was just about to comment how stupid it was; teaching your children about safety and hurting yourself-"
"Oh, shut up. Fine, you don't eat anything today!"
"Hnh," he smirked. "I'm not hungry, Tokio. You don't have to prepare anything just for me."
She smiled, "Okay then. I'll just get started on the laundry."
He smirked again.
"What?" she asked.
"I still find it hard to believe this little girl that tried to kill me could become a mother," he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, "Do you mind if I ask?"
"Ask what?"
"About your mother."
Tokio froze. What?
"Of course, I fully understand if you don't want to."
Tokio bit her lip, clutching one of her elbows, "N-No, I guess... it's okay. I mean, you weren't the one that killed her..... I mean.............." she sighed, and leaned against him, "Ask away."
"I was just wondering if you had a deeper relationship with her or your father."
"Why do you ask?"
"You seem like the kind of girl who loved her father more."
"I loved them both equally."
"Fine. But you enjoyed your father more."
Tokio stared out into the yard along with her husband, "How would you know?"
"You like to interact with Ryu more often than Mina. I notice that Ryu also likes being with you more than other children."
Tokio sighed, "Guess I'm just overprotective."
"But not of Mina?"
"Mina- of course I'm protective of her!! But with Ryu's sickness, how could I ever let my guard down?!"
Hajime smoked, and finally answered, "I see."
Tokio tapped her foot, "........................ how about you?"
"Hnh?"
"Your mother. What was she like?"
Hnh. No one had ever really asked him that before.
"Well?"
He looked at her, finding her big jade eyes staring back expectantly. He smirked, "What can I say? She was a regular woman."
"Oh, come on!! Be a bit more descriptive than that!!"
"She had black hair, brown eyes, about 5"7-"
Tokio shoved him, "Oh, fine!! Forget I asked!!"
He smirked, and leaned again on the frame, "She was a respectable woman, but that's all she really was. Not exactly........... hmmmm, as audacious as you. Or crazy. I suppose crazy would be a better word."
Tokio had a cloud forming above her head, "Yeah keep talking, jerk. It'll be YOU who sleeps in the guestroom tonight!"
Hajime smirked, and rubbed the back of her neck, "Whatever you say," he said huskily, his lips planting above her ear. Tokio was about to swoon. **DAMN HIM FOR KNOWING ALL THE RIGHT PLACES!!**
"MOMMY!!" came Mina's shout.
Tokio snapped out of it, and sighed, "WHAT?"
"MR. CHOU'S HERE, AND HE SAID HE WANTS SOMETHIN'!!"
Tokio pulled away from her husband, hollering back, "OH, OKAY!!" Then she looked up at Hajime, "It's for you."
Hajime smirked, and opened the door to the hallway, "Out of curiosity, how often does that blonde idiot come by when I'm gone?"
"Oh, he comes every night and we screw like rabbits," Tokio laughed. "Why? Jealous?"
"I was wondering why Mina got to calling him Mr. Chou. She obviously knows him."
"Well, yeah, he checks up. He's actually kind of a free loader- like that Zanza guy." Tokio chuckled and looked away, "He's kinda around the house more often than you are. Mina thought he was her daddy for a while."
Hajime looked at her. Tokio giggled, "I mean, I had to explain 'Chou's got blonde hair, honey. You don't, he's not your father!' and she'd say, 'But I want him to be!' and......"
"He spends time with our kids?"
"Kinda."
She walked past her husband to the guest room, where Mina was sitting on Chou's shoulders. He grinned, "Howdy, Tokio. Your kids ambushed me."
Ryu was sitting next to him, "Actually, Mina did all the ambushing. I watched."
Mina laughed, "Mr. Chou said I got bigger!! He said he'll help me kick Ryu's butt for being so mean to me, too!!"
Tokio bowed slightly, "Howdy, Chou. What brings you here?"
Chou stood, pulling Mina off his shoulders, "Just government business and whatnot. Came to see if Goro's packin' up yet."
Hajime leaned against the wall, "It's all taken care of."
"Well that's good, I guess." He cracked his knuckles, "It's been a while since we actually paired up."
Tokio looked at her husband, "You guys are going together?"
Hajime frowned. Great. Pairing him with a complete moron. Somebody in the government must really hate him. "As it were."
Chou shrugged, and headed for the door, "Well, just came to inform you that the boat leaves tomorrow. They were gonna send that police commissioner guy to do it, but I know how steamed up the lady gets around him." He nodded to Tokio.
"He's an @$$hole is what he is," she hissed.
"Ooooooh, Mommy said a bad word!!" warned Mina. "She needs to get spanked now." She clutched her fathers leg, "Daddy, you do it. You're the biggest!!"
Tokio blushed as Chou laughed. Tokio picked up Mina, "Okay, okay, out of the room, you kids. Grown up talk - boring and everything."
Ryu protested, "But I like Mr. Chou-"
"GET!!"
So the pups scattered out. Chou was chuckling, "Somethin' tells me Goro here ain't the kinky type to spank, anyways."
"Just try keep your mind on your own matters, and I'll try to keep my sword out of your gut. Got it?" Hajime stated, lighting another cigarette.
Chou smirked, "Sure thing, partner. Oh, before I forget, I gotta tell you something. Remember that guy we......... 'apprehended', and we thought he was all 'lone?"
"Yes?"
"Well, he ain't. Two of his brothers are comin' for revenge on us."
"And?"
Chou smirked, and walked passed the couple to the door, "Just thought you oughta know. I wouldn't recommend the family leavin' the house until you leave for your mission tomorrow."
Tokio gasped, and whispered to Hajime, "But I gotta take Ryu to the doctor that day! I'm all out of the medicine......."
Chou turned, sighing, "What a shame that is. In that case, better bring Daddy along for the ride, huh?" Chou smirked, and turned, "Hah!! Ease up, folks. The guy we killed wasn't that tough; he was scared so sh!tless at the sight of me an' Saito that he could barely hold the sword straight. How hard could his little brothers be?"
------On the other side of town, two brothers hell bent on revenge load their rifles.............
~ Cowboy ~
In the kitchen, Tokio was sitting on the floor with her daughter, Mina. Mina had wanted to play with Ryu, but Ryu was feeling kind of down and didn't want to play at all. When Mina said Daddy didn't want to play either, Tokio giggled. She could have just imagined her daughter asking that big, scary policeman if he wanted to play. She wondered what kind of excuse Hajime told her? He probably just flat out said 'No', and when Mina finally came to Tokio she said, "Mommy, no one wants to play with me!! You'll have to do."
Tokio flatly replied, "Gee, thanks hon......"
Ten minutes later, Tokio quickly made Mina's hurt feelings of rejection wash away, by teaching her how to make rice balls.
"Like this?" Mina asked eagerly.
She held a mushed up rice ball in her hands, trying to be like her mom as a culinary expert.
Tokio giggled, "Gee, I dunno!! It looks better than mine," she said as she took the crumbling, gooey lump from her daughter's fingers. "But, try not to smash the thing, hon. It kind of ruins the shape."
"Oh, okay!!" she dug her little fingers in the rice bowl, "I'll make a better one!!"
Tokio sighed, "At this rate, there won't be any rice left for lunch." She heard the door slide, and turned to face it. Ryu came in, rubbing his face. Tokio smiled warmly, "Feeling better, baby?"
"Don't call me baby!" he sniffed. "The other boys make fun of me when you do!"
"Aww, but you are!!" She reached out, and gave him a bear hug. "And there's nothin' you can do about it!!"
Ryu fought, "Mom!! Stop that!!"
Mina giggled, then jumped into the fray, "Ha ha!! Baby! Baby!!"
He growled, "Be quiet, stupid head!!"
Tokio laughed, letting Mina grapple him, "Big talk for a baby!!"
Ryu struggled to get up, and Mina laughed. Tokio sighed, grinning, "Okay, okay, stop this. You kids are gonna ruin the rice balls."
"Tch. Mina already screwed up half the batch," muttered Ryu, pulling Mina off his waist.
"Only 'cause you're so UGLY!!"
"Oh, that makes SO much sense, moron."
Tokio would normally kick them out of the room in order to get some peace and quiet, but lately she found the silences a bit unsettling and awkward with her husband home. She was used to the house being filled with her kid's nitpicking, shouting, threatening, laughter, and whatever sounds they made possible.
Tokio used to think kids were annoying, but everything changes once you had them yourself.
Although, she suspected Hajime's point of view on kids hadn't changed one bit. Which reminded her - what was he doing this very moment? Was he still working on whatever was on that notepad? Hmmm. To bother or not to bother?
Ah, what the hell? He wasn't here most of the time, so she might as well bother him all she wanted. Tokio pulled apart her children to keep them from killing each other, and put a ball of rice in their hands, "Here, start working. Because this is all you guys are gonna eat."
Ryu's face fell, "Seriously?"
Mina cheered, "Woo hooo!! I'm gonna cram mine with plums!!" With that, she picked up a handful and smashed them into her ball.
Ryu grimaced, "Eww, you're gonna get fat."
Mina giggled, "Good!! Then when I'm so fat and can't move, you'll have to take care of me!! Like a Buddha statue!!"
Ryu flatly replied, "Did I also mention retarded?"
Mina did seem a bit slower than Ryu. Tokio just guessed she was a late bloomer. She smiled, and left the children to thier own devices. She crept through the halls, and slid open the door to her room, and Hajime was sitting against the wall. His face was cast downwards, to his lap. But the notepad was put aside.
"Eh?" Tokio looked closer. Oh, he was napping. She giggled, "He must be so tired."
She picked up her futon blanket, and draped it on him. Though his eyes were still closed, he muttered, "That isn't necessary."
She fell over, then tried to kick him but he stood up. "Do you ever NOT ruin the mood and just plain SLEEP?"
He yawned, and turned away, "I WAS sleeping. Until you came in; you're too noisy."
She pushed aside her bangs, "So! What are we going to do about Ryu?"
"I don't know. What are you going to do about him?"
She frowned, "Hey, this is a group effort!! I can't just magically make him like you!"
"Does it matter if the boy likes me or not?"
"It does to me, Hajime!!"
He rolled his eyes slightly, and bent down to pick up his notepad.
Tokio followed, "Hey, HEY!! This is serious!! Do you have any idea how terrible this is going to be on him? What if he finds out you don't care?"
"He won't."
"Oh please, what makes you so sure? What if he really hates you? I hate it when kids hate their parents...."
Hajime lit a cigarette, "You're making a big deal out of nothing. Your son hasn't even matured yet. He respects me well enough in my face as it is. What he does when I'm not around is really none of my concern. Respect is all I really need of him, anyway." He looked up after the silence, realizing she wasn't replying. "What?"
"............ you know, you're really something else, you know that?" she rolled up her sleeves, "Come on!! You go spend quality father and son time with him right now, or I'll kick you out of this house!!"
It took a while before Hajime could stop laughing. Tokio growled, "HEY!! I COULD BEAT YOUR @$$, AND YOU KNOW IT!!"
Hajime sighed, crossing his arms, "Are you going to try to fist fight me, Tokio? You and I both know what the outcome will be. And besides, even if you did win, what would I say to my son?"
Tokio pouted her lips, thinking.
"My point exactly. I can't just start a relationship, Tokio. The bond you're asking of me between Ryu and I takes time. Time that I don't really think I can spare too often."
Tokio lowered her fists, sighing, "........ I knew that. But, well....... seeing you with Mina. It made me kinda happy, you know? Here I thought 'Oh look, she's liking him already!!' and with Ryu, it's the exact opposite. No, it was even more than I feared!! It's not that he doesn't care about you, he hates you!! - and what's more, you're not doing anything about it!!"
"I am. I'm doing him a favor by not talking to him."
"How does that help?"
"Oh please. When you hated me, did you enjoy our conversations?"
"Well, can't argue with you there."
"My sentiments exactly."
Tokio frowned, "Hey, I was downright enjoyable!! You were the friggin' rude one back then!!"
"We both were. Now let's end this, it's getting very tedious."
She watched him sit back down against the wall. Saito sighed, and without looking up, caught Tokio's fist. Why was this woman always trying to surprise attack him like this? It never worked.
"You jerk!! Do you think it's easy for me?!! Do you think it's easy for me to tell my son why his daddy might not even care about him? Huh!?" she thumbed herself on the chest, "Well I got news for you, buddy!! I won't have it!! And unless you do something about it..... well, I'LL DIVORCE YOU!!"
Hajime smirked, "Where do you think you are, the States? Hnh," he looked back down at his pad, "Besides, you don't have the guts for it."
"Oh yeah?!!" she challenged.
His eyes glittered like amber, and he smirked deeper, "Yeah."
Tokio growled for several minutes, and then turned away. "Fine. I am a wuss, and I can't." She flipped him off, "But I can act like a b!tch for the rest of our married lives!!"
Hajime took a drag, smirking as ever, "Most wives are."
Naturally, the answer sent Tokio clawing for his eyes again. "Now really, Tokio, what if the children hear this colorful language of yours?" mused Hajime.
"F-CK YOU!! I SHOULDA F-CKIN' KILLED YOU WHEN WE FIRST MET, @$$HOLE!!"
"Yare yare, what a vicious mother you are."
Tokio struggled in vain to put the hurt on him. Then, deciding how pathetically sad it was (what with her putting all her strength into attacking him and he barely needed to blink when holding her back with one hand) she finally gave up; going limp in his lap. She lay there, in his delicious warmth, and muttered, "Don't call me a mother. It makes me feel old."
"Really? I thought those wrinkles under your eyes would make you feel old already."
"Hey, I'm in NO MOOD."
He smirked, and sunk his fingers into her bun, loosening it. The locks cascaded to the floor, overlapping his legs, and when she lifted her face to look at him, a slight gust came through the door, making her tresses slightly float about her face. For such a rude woman, she was possibly the most beautiful he'd known.
Of course, him loving her made his opinion biased, but not many people would have argued with him. He tilted her chin up, "But I'm in a mood."
Her eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat, "B-but, the kids are in the next room!! What if they see us?"
He bent his face towards hers, "What if indeed...?"
And yet again, moments before Tokio was afraid the warm passion building between them would burn her alive, her kids made some STUPID DUMB@$$ COMMOTION, and the mood was ruined. She started to cry, and buried her head in his chest, "I'LL NEVER HAVE KIDS AGAIN!!"
He smirked, "Ah, but this is what you wanted, right? A family." He sat up straight, and gently nudged her up, "Now go tend to your family, Mother."
She rubbed her eyes, "Smart @$$. Just because you got me all hot doesn't mean you're off the hook!! When I come back, you better tell me what you're going to do with Ryu!!" and she slammed the door behind her.
Hajime smirked, and placed the cigarette back in his mouth. "Lucky for me I'm leaving now."
~~Meanwhile, in the Kitchen...
The twins looked at each other, glaring. Well, Ryu was doing all the glaring. Mina was giggling, hands on her mouth, "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh, Mom's gonna be so made at yooouuuuu........."
"Me?! YOU BROKE IT TOO!!" Ryu snarled. He looked down at the broken bowls between them.
"Only because you pushed me into the bowls, fat face!!"
"Fat face, now that's one I gotta remember...." Ryu rolled his eyes, "Help me clean it up!!"
"Why? I could just kick back and blame it on you."
Ryu growled. Mina was actually a lot smarter than she looked. Conniving little son of a-
"Hey HEY!! What the......?" Tokio had slid open the door, and her children gasped. She saw the broken bowls, and crossed her arms, "Well now........ what happened?"
Mina gulped, and then started to sniff. Ryu gasped, 'Oh great. If she starts the waterworks now, it'll all be over!!'
Ryu shouted, "Mina fell, and....... and I had to drop the bowls when I tried to help her!!"
Mina was already mid-tear, and frowned in newfound confusion, "What?!!"
Tokio frowned too, "What? Since when did you start helping Mina around, Ryu?"
Ryu scanned his head. "'C-Cause!! It's the right thing to do! .................. right?"
Tokio put her fingers on her forhead, chuckling, "You kids, you really do get more and more interesting every day." She sighed, and rose, "Come on, shoo. Out of the room. I don't want any of you cutting your feet up now on the mess you made."
Mina was biting her nails, "Are ya mad, Mommy?"
"Sorta. Those were our bowls and everything. But, I could just buy some tomorrow when we're on our way back from the hospital." She glanced at Ryu as she went for the broom, "You better wash up good before we leave, okay? I hate it when you kids don't take a bath."
"Baths suck," said Mina, toddling out of the room.
Ryu put his hands behind his neck, "Seriously. We'll just get dirty again."
PAHP!!
"YAAAOOW!!"
Ryu gripped his butt, after Tokio lightly whapped it with the bristles of the broom. That left an itchy sensation, "H-Hey, what was that for, Mom?"
"Stop being so fresh, alright? I don't like it when your father does it, I don't like it when Mina does it, and by the third time I hear it everyday, I just about snap. Got it, hon?"
Ryu narrowed his eyes, "That man is this rude? Then fine, I won't be anymore."
He stomped out of the room. Tokio sighed, and started to sweep the ceramic shards, "Not the aim I was going for, but at least I'll have one polite kid in the hous-EHK!!"
She didn't notice that she stepped on one of the broken pieces that was scattered further away than the rest. She sighed, and looked at her foot. It was bleeding a lot, for just a scratch on the sole of her foot. She reached for her headband on the kitchen counter, and wrapped it around her foot. She swept the rest of the mess, and tossed the whole mess in the garbage.
She invited the children back in to eat their lunch, the rice balls they had made. All of Mina's looked deformed, and cram-packed with plums, but she didn't mind. Ryu ate silently, apparently deep in thought. Tokio sighed, and walked into the bedroom where her husband was.
This time, he was leaning against the door jam, looking outside. He had removed his jacket, and was just lounging around in his black shirt and pants. She only saw his back, but she could see from behind, a thin wispy gray line - indicating he was smoking yet again. What was causing him to smoke so much more often?
She walked up behind him, "Hey, you hungry? I gave the kids their lunch. Did you want anything?"
He turned, and looked her up and down. "Had a little accident, Tokio?"
"Eh?" she looked down at her foot, "Oh that. the kids broke two of the ceramic bowls. I accidentally stepped on one of the pieces. Hey, don't worry about it!! I checked it and all; it's clean and everything."
"I never said I was worried about it, I was just about to comment how stupid it was; teaching your children about safety and hurting yourself-"
"Oh, shut up. Fine, you don't eat anything today!"
"Hnh," he smirked. "I'm not hungry, Tokio. You don't have to prepare anything just for me."
She smiled, "Okay then. I'll just get started on the laundry."
He smirked again.
"What?" she asked.
"I still find it hard to believe this little girl that tried to kill me could become a mother," he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, "Do you mind if I ask?"
"Ask what?"
"About your mother."
Tokio froze. What?
"Of course, I fully understand if you don't want to."
Tokio bit her lip, clutching one of her elbows, "N-No, I guess... it's okay. I mean, you weren't the one that killed her..... I mean.............." she sighed, and leaned against him, "Ask away."
"I was just wondering if you had a deeper relationship with her or your father."
"Why do you ask?"
"You seem like the kind of girl who loved her father more."
"I loved them both equally."
"Fine. But you enjoyed your father more."
Tokio stared out into the yard along with her husband, "How would you know?"
"You like to interact with Ryu more often than Mina. I notice that Ryu also likes being with you more than other children."
Tokio sighed, "Guess I'm just overprotective."
"But not of Mina?"
"Mina- of course I'm protective of her!! But with Ryu's sickness, how could I ever let my guard down?!"
Hajime smoked, and finally answered, "I see."
Tokio tapped her foot, "........................ how about you?"
"Hnh?"
"Your mother. What was she like?"
Hnh. No one had ever really asked him that before.
"Well?"
He looked at her, finding her big jade eyes staring back expectantly. He smirked, "What can I say? She was a regular woman."
"Oh, come on!! Be a bit more descriptive than that!!"
"She had black hair, brown eyes, about 5"7-"
Tokio shoved him, "Oh, fine!! Forget I asked!!"
He smirked, and leaned again on the frame, "She was a respectable woman, but that's all she really was. Not exactly........... hmmmm, as audacious as you. Or crazy. I suppose crazy would be a better word."
Tokio had a cloud forming above her head, "Yeah keep talking, jerk. It'll be YOU who sleeps in the guestroom tonight!"
Hajime smirked, and rubbed the back of her neck, "Whatever you say," he said huskily, his lips planting above her ear. Tokio was about to swoon. **DAMN HIM FOR KNOWING ALL THE RIGHT PLACES!!**
"MOMMY!!" came Mina's shout.
Tokio snapped out of it, and sighed, "WHAT?"
"MR. CHOU'S HERE, AND HE SAID HE WANTS SOMETHIN'!!"
Tokio pulled away from her husband, hollering back, "OH, OKAY!!" Then she looked up at Hajime, "It's for you."
Hajime smirked, and opened the door to the hallway, "Out of curiosity, how often does that blonde idiot come by when I'm gone?"
"Oh, he comes every night and we screw like rabbits," Tokio laughed. "Why? Jealous?"
"I was wondering why Mina got to calling him Mr. Chou. She obviously knows him."
"Well, yeah, he checks up. He's actually kind of a free loader- like that Zanza guy." Tokio chuckled and looked away, "He's kinda around the house more often than you are. Mina thought he was her daddy for a while."
Hajime looked at her. Tokio giggled, "I mean, I had to explain 'Chou's got blonde hair, honey. You don't, he's not your father!' and she'd say, 'But I want him to be!' and......"
"He spends time with our kids?"
"Kinda."
She walked past her husband to the guest room, where Mina was sitting on Chou's shoulders. He grinned, "Howdy, Tokio. Your kids ambushed me."
Ryu was sitting next to him, "Actually, Mina did all the ambushing. I watched."
Mina laughed, "Mr. Chou said I got bigger!! He said he'll help me kick Ryu's butt for being so mean to me, too!!"
Tokio bowed slightly, "Howdy, Chou. What brings you here?"
Chou stood, pulling Mina off his shoulders, "Just government business and whatnot. Came to see if Goro's packin' up yet."
Hajime leaned against the wall, "It's all taken care of."
"Well that's good, I guess." He cracked his knuckles, "It's been a while since we actually paired up."
Tokio looked at her husband, "You guys are going together?"
Hajime frowned. Great. Pairing him with a complete moron. Somebody in the government must really hate him. "As it were."
Chou shrugged, and headed for the door, "Well, just came to inform you that the boat leaves tomorrow. They were gonna send that police commissioner guy to do it, but I know how steamed up the lady gets around him." He nodded to Tokio.
"He's an @$$hole is what he is," she hissed.
"Ooooooh, Mommy said a bad word!!" warned Mina. "She needs to get spanked now." She clutched her fathers leg, "Daddy, you do it. You're the biggest!!"
Tokio blushed as Chou laughed. Tokio picked up Mina, "Okay, okay, out of the room, you kids. Grown up talk - boring and everything."
Ryu protested, "But I like Mr. Chou-"
"GET!!"
So the pups scattered out. Chou was chuckling, "Somethin' tells me Goro here ain't the kinky type to spank, anyways."
"Just try keep your mind on your own matters, and I'll try to keep my sword out of your gut. Got it?" Hajime stated, lighting another cigarette.
Chou smirked, "Sure thing, partner. Oh, before I forget, I gotta tell you something. Remember that guy we......... 'apprehended', and we thought he was all 'lone?"
"Yes?"
"Well, he ain't. Two of his brothers are comin' for revenge on us."
"And?"
Chou smirked, and walked passed the couple to the door, "Just thought you oughta know. I wouldn't recommend the family leavin' the house until you leave for your mission tomorrow."
Tokio gasped, and whispered to Hajime, "But I gotta take Ryu to the doctor that day! I'm all out of the medicine......."
Chou turned, sighing, "What a shame that is. In that case, better bring Daddy along for the ride, huh?" Chou smirked, and turned, "Hah!! Ease up, folks. The guy we killed wasn't that tough; he was scared so sh!tless at the sight of me an' Saito that he could barely hold the sword straight. How hard could his little brothers be?"
------On the other side of town, two brothers hell bent on revenge load their rifles.............