A/N: Hope you liked the last chapter...although the part where she wanted to find Seinosuke didn't flow the way I wanted it too. I hope to make it up to you guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Chapter 4

Two Birds

June 27 of 1864 ::Still that night...::

Saitou-san still looked at me with a coolness that I couldn't explain and he studied me almost inquisitively. His face was still impassive, giving nothing away and taking everything in. It was a scary look; a look that was far more frightening on Saitou-san than on Kaitou.

To keep my hands busy, I poured him more tea with a silent permission from him and grasped mine with both hands hard enough that I was surprised the fragile cup did not break.

We still remained quiet, the crickets chirping in the distance. I tried to catch what Souji-kun was saying to my brother, but their voices were hushed and furtive. This man seemed to be one with the dark and its stillness. His eyes glowed with a dangerous glint in the room and I couldn't look away. They were so mesmerizing to the point where I stared at him stupidly, like I was an illiterate woman with a head full of air rather than a brain.

Souji-kun finally came to my rescue by first teasing Saitou-san who looked at him as if he wanted to toss him on the next train into Neverland. The boy captain grew solemn and he nodded at Saitou-san. The other man's countenance grew even harder, set in an abrasive coldness that almost made me shiver. He turned to face me once more and he spoke, "Your brother will be leaving soon to do special work for me. He is...a trustworthy soldier and he should be able to lead this assignment."

There he said it; no pretty words to break it to a lady, no apologies or regret taking root in his voice. Truth be told, I was expecting some sort of sympathy like I would get from Souji-kun, but he gave me none. All I could do was nod my head slowly.

Souji-kun was expecting more from him. His expectant face gave everything away; Saitou-san continued, "There is a...factor in this assignment that we are not very sure of. If this factor shows up," he paused, "the mission has a fifty or more percentage of failing. Okita thought it would be wise to give you a fair warning so that nothing...unexpected happens."

I noticed that Seinosuke had not reentered the room and Souji-kun seemed to read my mind. "To-chan, Seinosuke is outside waiting for you. Let me fix up that cut for you before you go."

He held in his hands a small pouch of medicine and carefully lifted my face as if it was the most delicate piece china to apply it on the small lesion. When he finished he frowned and shook his head. "It's actually deeper than I thought. I think it will leave a scar."

I laughed. "Souji-kun, I'm sure I will be able to live with such a small scar."

He beamed at me then at Saitou-san, who looked absolutely bored and unconcerned. He stood up to leave, clutching the hilt of his katana and slightly gave a mocking bow at me. "Ja, I need to discuss more matters with Harada. He is in charge of securing the escape." He slid open the door and somewhat turned his head to the side, "Coming, Okita? Today is not the day to fawn over your woman."

Souji-kun sputtered, trying to get something out while I felt my face flush with into a dark crimson. The smaller man shot a look of apology at me and clumsily went after Saitou-san.

I fumed after Saitou-san's mockery at me. 'An impudent man! How dare he?' I thought wildly as I gathered the teacups and pot on the tray again to take to the landlady. I decided that I did not like the man for it was obvious he didn't take much liking to me. But then, thoughts turned to Seinosuke and I turned solemn. Perhaps it was my fault for getting him into this mess in the first place. I was completely contradicting myself. It was a great honor to serve the nation. But...Saitou-san warned me that he might not make it out of the mission alive. What then? How could she live with her brother's last words in her ears, whispering into the deepest part of her soul?

My thoughts broke when the landlady came in to take the tea tray. I followed her out but I couldn't find Seinosuke. Souji-kun had said that he was waiting for me, but he was nowhere to be found. I knew it was time to leave. I had left my family for too long. It was almost dawn. I had to get back. Since I could not find Seinosuke anywhere in the headquarters, I had to leave without saying what would have been my final good bye to him. A carriage had been arranged for me and drove me back home just in time to make breakfast.

When my father woke up, I felt it was my duty to tell him where I had gone. At first, he was infuriated at my wandering, then softened and recognized Seinosuke's mission. I could tell he was now worried for his son's safety. He had lost a wife, now there was a great possibility that he would lose his only son. If that ever happened...

I also told him of the mysterious Shinsengumi captain, Saitou. I realized that I did not know his first name, but my father soon filled that gap for me. Hajime...Saitou Hajime.

It was a name that suited him well. He had the eyes of a wolf that seemed to see the beginning of the end. He had the look that if he died, he would take half of Japan's population with him. The dangerous Wolf of Mibu carried the forbidden look of death with him. Strangely enough, he did not strike fear in me, like he did with many of the Shinsengumi men. I only took him in as an object of pure fascination and I could do nothing but stare at his glorious form of victory.

But then there was Okita Souji...a man with the kindest smile and a boyish round face, with black hair pulled back from his face in a high ponytail. An intelligent man, no doubt, but he proved to be harmless. I adored him to no extent; a witty and clever man who seemed to solve his problems with words and sentences that he put together in a poetic manner.

My thoughts were again broken by a gentle knock at the shoji door. I went to open it and saw the smiling face of Souji-kun.

"My, my, Tokio-kun, we seem to run into each other quite a few times in the past few hours. Is it because of my devilishly handsome looks, or my dramatic charm? I shall bet it's both." He teased.

I smiled in return and my father came in also. "Ah, Okita-san, welcome. You seem to know my daughter well."

Souji-kun coughed into his lightly and smiled. "We have met before, yes. Your daughter cooked up quite a feast when her brother came into the Shinsengumi organization."

Daifu-san chuckled. "My Tokio is very well known for her cooking. Why don't you come in?"

Souji-kun came through the door and knelt on a soft futon in front of my father. Naturally by instinct, he put his hand on his two swords as if mimicking my father. I excused myself into taking care of Tami, who seemed to be very interested in the new man that was talking to her father.

She tugged on my kimono sleeve urgently. "Who is he, oneesan?"

"Hush, he is a friend of Father's. Let's not disturb them."

We were in the kitchen when we heard another knock at the front shoji. I heard Daifu-san call me inside. I hurried with Tami in my arms and quietly entered like the proper lady I was brought up to be. Tami shyly looked away from a beaming Souji-kun. But all I could do was staring at the tall figure in front of me.

I tore my eyes away and bowed politely to him before turning to my father. "Is there something you need, Daifu-san?"

"Would you fetch the tea for me, Tokio? Three cups, please, or four if you would like to join us." I nodded, ignoring the raise of eye brow that Saitou-san's face performed.

"May I ask what—?"

"You have already heard, Takagi-san. I believe you do not wish to hear it again." Saitou-san smoothly interfered.

I shot a glare at him, anger inside of me ready to burst.

Souji-kun also looked at Saitou-san with a firmly set face. He was warning him of something. Souji-kun's smiling face turned to me. "Tokio-kun, I would be delighted to have you join us. Ah, and who is this lovely little girl?" He asked, stooping his back to be at eye-level with my little sister. He suddenly crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out making her giggle wildly while she tried to imitate him.

I went to get the tea and returned to find Tami up on Souji-kun's shoulders comparing her new height with Saitou-san's. The tall man seemed very displeased.

I cleared my throat and Souji-kun turned to face me with a silly grin on his face. "Tami-chan, would you like some tea?"

I shook my head and his smile fell sadly as he looked up at the little girl. "Tami-chan is a beautiful child, Tokio-kun. She bears resemblance to you and Seinosuke-kun."

Saitou-san was in a conversation with my father. He wasn't talking much, only nodding his head or shaking it. I prepared the tea while the men talked or played with Tami.

My father was trying to pry out of the third captain what exactly this "factor" was so that he could understand why his son's life was in such jeopardy during the mission. Saitou was not really talking; giving Daifu-san vague information about it.

Tami was teaching the boy captain a hand game that she had learned from the neighborhood children. With his excellent coordination and fast learning skills, he was able to excel her at the game. My little sister was laughing the whole time they were trying to complete their hand game but in the end couldn't due to the constant laughing.

"You should marry oneesan! Then I'd get to play with you all day! Daddy said that she should get married soon and she should get married to you!"

I quickly covered the child's mouth from saying too much, but Souji- kun only chuckled and winked at me. "Is that what you think? Maybe I should, considering that you are a wise little girl," he pretended to think very hard on the subject, "I must be very good looking for your sister to marry me, don't you think? Do you think I can read to her at night before she goes to sleep?"

Tami made a face at him. "You don't read to your wife. No, no, that's not what you do. Seinosuke-niisan told me that you—"

Once again, I clamped my hand on her mouth. "Tami, don't repeat what Seinosuke tells you. It's not polite." Inside, I blushed beet red at her words. Even the Shinsengumi captain seemed taken aback.

He cleared his throat. "Well, Tami-chan, I'm sure Tokio-kun will find a fine husband for herself one day."

The awkward silence between us was broken by Saitou-san's talking. "If anything happens, Takagi Seinosuke will be sent home." By that, I supposed he meant dead or alive. Nevertheless, the words sent a shiver down my back.

Tami tugged on Souji-kun's gi. "Souji-niisan, he's scary." She whispered to him. He nodded seriously, trying to keep a straight face. I had to hide my smile behind my sleeve also. Being the curious girl she was, she went to Saitou-san and grinned up at him with her merry face. Then she sent him a kick to his shin and ran to her father who spanked her roughly and told her sternly to apologize.

"No need, Takagi-san. There are many who would like to have the stomach to do something like that." The tall captain said calmly.

::Okita Souji's POV::

I had to admire the little girl's courage. I'm sure she took a personal disliking to my friend as soon as she saw him for he wasn't exactly the playful type.

As we left To-chan's home, I noticed a very small limp that my friend had just recently developed. I grinned at him. "Did it hurt?"

He said nothing at first then halted in his steps. "Aa," he continued only to stop again to look at me. "Don't mention it to the others."

I let out a chuckle. "Of course, of course, Saitou-kun."

The next day, I spotted a small greenish black spot on his shin, but as he said before, I did not mention it...but just laughed as loud as I could.

::Narrator POV (third-person narration)::

Despite what he had people believe Saitou Hajime took a peculiar interest in Takagi Tokio. Since the day he saved her from her certain death, he had admired her courage in facing that blade. He did not know many men in the Shinsengumi that would have done the same thing in her place.

A pair of birds flew to the horizon as he watched the dusk arrive. One held a worm in its beak; the other was empty handed. An arrow shaft flew straight and true to slay the bird without a worm instantly. Simply falling from the sky, Shinsengumi's third captain only watched it plummet down to the sky. 'Yare, yare, I must be getting older to believe in omens. I should return to kata.'

Saitou met Okita downstairs and the little man launched himself into his storytelling mode that had eventually grew on Saitou and he sometimes even found some of the stories interesting.

In the middle of the climax, Saitou interrupted, "Okita, should I ask once again what the point of your story is?"

Okita frowned. "You weren't listening, were you, Saitou-kun? I had just explained. The selfish prince had turned good due to the kiss of the princess that possessed a pure heart. It is a western tale that I heard from someone. The moral of it goes like this: To be selfish is a habit only broken by a new, selfless, and desire-less heart." He sighed and looked at his friend once more to study his face, "You aren't in a listening mood and that can only mean that something else is on your mind. I am also preoccupied with a thought..."

The taller man snorted and his lips were drawn in a small, taut smile. "You are merely distracting yourself by letting her into your mind. I would be careful, Okita, we can't have your skills diminish."

"What made you think it was a woman?" Okita asked defiantly, "For all you may know, it may be only be a battle we had recently."

"Yes, that could be true, only that if it was a battle, you would have told me by now. I know all, Okita, don't hide things from me," He said sardonically. "I will stay out of your personal thoughts of a woman."

"Saitou-kun, your assumptions can lead you astray."

Saitou Hajime gave him a cynical smirk. "My assumptions of your thoughts always lead to the right answer. You should know that by now, Okita."

The smaller captain let out a laugh of defeat. "Birds have no boundaries, Saitou-kun, and I guess your mind does not either."

The mention of birds brought Saitou to attention. The scene had not left him as he tired to make sense of it. Nothing would come. But, that could just be him and the entire thing could just not mean a damn thing. It frustrated him to no end. It was going to eat away at him until he could figure it out.

Thank you to...

DustyFall- thank you very much!

JadeGoddess- I happen to like big messes! it makes everything so much more interesting! .

::Author's notes::

Whew, I hope you liked that one. I worked hard on it. A little foreshadowing here with the bird scenario. See if you can figure it out. Hmm, very sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I've been busy with testing and homework and bomb threats at school...it's all so dumb. I think I am going to continue with the third person POV. It makes things easier and I get to portray more of the characters' thoughts.

::Historical notes::

I made Seinosuke's departure a little bit early, I think. He's not supposed to be going on this mission until later. But, I really couldn't think of anything to put in between it, so it just happened this way.

::Character notes::

Takagi Tokio- The lovely lady of the Takagi household that seems to have a crush on Okita Souji...;;

Okita Souji- I think I got his personality right on the money for this story. It's perfect. I'm so proud of myself...

Saitou Hajime- Ah, the cold, calm, mysterious third captain of the Shinsengumi... "peculiar interest"? What could that mean?

Takagi Tami- the little girl that I kind of based off of Suzume in the Rurouni Kenshin story.

Many things will happen as this story progresses. I'm guessing more than 8 chapters? I hope. I'd love suggestions! New ideas? I, as an honorable author, will credit you for your idea if I use it! In this chapter I will say, "Read and Review!"