The rain had ceased the night I headed back to the Shinsengumi Headquarters. I had been assigned a specific mission appointed to me by my superiors and was just returning with information regarding our enemy in Edo. As I quietly walked the exterior of the main building, not a sound emitted from the floorboards as I quietly headed for my superiors quarters. I had stopped outside his shoji, hand posed to knock to let him know of my return, but his voice interrupted the still night.
'You may enter Saitou-san.' He had spoken quietly and I entered his darkened room with only a lantern positioned by his side and rested on the tatami mat before him. In his hand he held an old worn book and he looked a little too casual for my liking. To me, a Shinsengumi member, no matter if they were commanders, captains or subordinates should always be alert and ready for action with their sword at their very side. It was the only way I slept.
'You may begin.' He commanded of me as he placed down his book, his steel-grey eyes staring over at me.
I confessed the details of what I had done as I patrolled the streets of Edo, my golden eyes alert and my hand at my sword ready in case someone grew suspicious of my ways. It didn't take long before I found drunken men boosting about their kills and placed two and two together and knew the low lives would escort me unknowingly to their sanctuary. It appeared a lot of their men were frequent customers at a certain restaurant in the red light district as they hired out their own personal areas to entertain themselves with food, sake and whores. As I quietly ate at the restaurant the enemy was too drunk to notice I was paying particular attention to everything they voiced as they had openly talked about what they were up to. It was pathetic really and even the captains or commanders weren't stopping them in their ways as they were just as bad. It made a cruel smirk break onto my lips as I downed the sake and headed off into the night. I didn't leave the grounds of the restaurant and instead silently made my way around to the opened windows to listen for anything more that would slip through the lips of these men.
'Did you find anything else out?' The commander had questioned me but before I could reply I listened to a quiet apology spoken by a woman that I'd never even heard the voice of as we both turned to look at her bowed form near the opened shoji. She had a tea tray beside her.
'Its alright Takagi-san, come on in.' Instantly looking her over I knew she was a new woman that would clean and serve us as the days went on and silently watched as she got up, tea tray in hand and sat beside the Commander as she silently fixed him tea. She never fumbled once like the new women had in the beginning when they got the job to cook, clean and serve us. She however was different indeed and my golden eyes were still trained on her quiet form as she smoothly prepared tea for us.
'Saitou-san, have you met Takagi-san? She's our latest helper.' My superior voiced and I observed as the woman raised her head to glance over at me and that's when our eyes clashed. Brown-gold ones stared into my narrowed gold orbs as I knew instantly who she was. The woman from days ago that had run into me, threatened me that I owed her a new kimono and blatantly told me to watch where I was going was right before me, dressed in a simple kimono that all the servant girls wore here. 'How is that possible when I've been away for three days.' I spoke dryly and watched as tea was placed on the floor for me to drink and then the young woman excused herself and the room was quiet once more.
'I see you've met her before.' Even if I was not staring at my superior I could hear the smile in his voice and closed my eyes as I pulled the teacup to my lips. 'No, she is not familiar to me.' I openly replied as I sipped the tea. It was good, far better then any I'd tasted and wondered whether it was a different brand or not. Usually my superiors and I, plus the other captains shared sake together, but after the initial night they found out I wasn't a calm person after drinking it, sake had suddenly been suspended from the Headquarters when I was in the vicinity.
As we quietly sipped our tea that evening my superior finally turned his steel gaze to me and voiced 'I have another assignment for you.' Instantly my gaze went straight to his as I placed down my tea and bowed before him awaiting his orders of what he wanted me to do for him this time. I spoke of nothing, as this action was voiceful enough that I'd take on any mission he asked of me. 'I want you to return to that restaurant only I need for you to book yourself a private room right next to theirs and seek out more information.' I remained quiet as I tactfully played it out in my mind before parting my lips to voice my own opinion. 'Isn't it too suspicious if I turn up there again...and very much alone?' I never liked the laugh he let off and instantly knew whatever he was thinking was definitely not a good thing.
'I never said you'd be alone Saitou-san. In fact I think I know just the person that will keep you company while you do reconnaissance for me.' I quirked my eyebrow at my commander's grin and felt a frown form on my lips as his eyes turned to the closed shoji door. As he stared quietly at the shoji it didn't take long before I knew exactly what he was implying. 'Takagi-san will go as your woman for the evening.' My words I'd spoken to her down the street had come back to haunt me. 'This isn't some game Commander, she'll only get in my way. Why don't I just find a real whore to take with me?' I voiced suggestively as I tried to steer the commander away from making me take that woman with me. What a nuisance this was turning out to be. His lips had quirked again and instantly he had answered with 'She is quite professional, quite sophisticated and has already accepted the mission. Besides Saitou-san, if you had a proper whore with you, I'm sure even the wolf would become distracted from his mission.' I was not pleased at all and without voicing anything else I bowed once more and got up to head for the shoji. Stepping out of the room I made my way towards the captain's sleeping quarters.
'Oh Saitou-san, you have exactly 24 hours to get to know her, so I suggest you head for the kitchen and begin talking to her. Don't be mean now.' I looked over my shoulder at the commander as he re-entered his quarters and turned off his lantern as the shoji walls turned into darkness. The look in his eyes clearly meant "no arguing" and I held back knowing it was never good to argue with such a commander. Once he formed an idea there was no way to deter him around it in any way. Stupid old fool. I was sure he was doing this for the sheer joy of watching me squirm in the very woman's presence. She tested my very skills in remaining emotionless and cold and I suppose my commander had figured this out in a mere second. My eyes narrowed at the thought of my commander laughing in his quarters at this very moment.
I left the floorboards, running on silent feet as I headed straight towards a small tree and with my sword glinting in the pale moonlight I flicked my wrist fluently and turned it into woodchips. It still hadn't made me feel better but I stood on the dirt and watched as the kitchen door slid open as Takagi-san exited with a lantern in her hand. I had to spend the next 24 hours knowing every single detail about this very woman and yet I hadn't slept in three days. I knew I was strong and would do as my commanders asked of me, but sometimes I needed rest as well. I eyed her as she looked over at me before heading towards the sleeping quarters she had been given. I quirked an eyebrow as she entered it and left the shoji open, obviously silently telling me to come on in. Stepping away from the shattered tree I quietly entered her room as she sat on her shins waiting for me.
'Please sit and eat Saitou-san.' I eyed her suspiciously as though contemplating she'd come here as a spy and noted that she sat near a tray with this evenings meal resting upon it as I had missed it earlier on. 'My meals are always served by...' I never did finish as Takagi-san interrupted saying she was taking care of me on orders from the commander. As I sat quietly down on the floor I began plotting the demise of my commander for doing this to me. It made me wonder if my subordinates had told him that they'd seen her before and noticed I never belittled her and so perhaps he thought it best she might as well join us here at Shinsengumi. It was also fact now that she was serving my needs, this also meant she'd been thrown into my care as well. Like I didn't have enough responsibilities of being a captain in the Shinsengumi, now I had to look after a woman too! It appeared my captain would test the Wolf of Mibu as to whether he truly was stone cold and dead.
'You should eat and rest while you can Saitou-san, I'll watch over you.' My narrowed gaze quickly turned to her and if I hadn't of known better, I would of thought there was warmth rushing through those eyes of hers. Did my superiors put her up to this? Did she have ulterior motives? Perhaps she was working for the enemy, as one couldn't be too careful when it came to women, but the look in her eyes was serious and almost sincere as well. I must be sleep deprived. She spoke of nothing as I stared openly at her before I stood to my fall height. I needed to find everything that I could about this woman and fast.
'I'm leaving...' I muttered and heard her scurry as she instantly placed her hand on my arm. 'You need to rest.' Glancing down at her she was quite a sight. Short and petite and a fire burned with the depths of her eyes. Her skin was pale and she looked soft to touch, but the thoughts immediately left my mind as I looked at the shoji. 'I'll be back, so wait for me.' Wait for me? What the hell was I thinking?
As I left she spoke of nothing else and then I was out of the Shinsengumi grounds, the subordinates on patrol questioning me as to why I was up but I kept silent and went on my way. I was heading back to where I first found her and would begin my investigations there.
# To be continued #