NOTES:
FIRST! I don't own Rurouni Kenshin nor Saitou Hajime
(although I wish)... RK is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki.
It's
time for me to write again! Yey! This time, it'll be a fic about
Saitou's life before Kyoto and the Shinsengumi. This will be a
romanticized tale of what he was before joining the Shinsengumi and
why he left Tokyo (Edo). There will be times when Saitou will be OOC,
I intend to keep most of his personality just twisting it now and
then. But the OOC will be very apparent when it comes to his fighting
abilities, I don't think Saitou became a great swordsman overnight.
Agree? :O)
I also found out about how cigarettes were not
introduced until the Meiji.. Well since this is set before the Meiji,
please pardon.. I just had a hard time envisioning Saitou-kun not
smoking. As for the piano, well I think that's acceptable since I've
read that prior to the Bakumatsu, foreign good were already shipped
albeit slowly to Japan.
asterisks - denotes sound/thoughts/misc
To reviewer MissBehavin- OMG! You wrote one of my favorite stories "To Hazard a guest"! I can't believe you are reading my story.. Now I will obligate myself to make the story SO much better (not that I didn't intend to, but since you are a great writer I'll double the efforts). AH!!! By the way please update "To Hazard a Guest" soon.CHAPTER IX – Misdirected Feelings
Akio watched in horror as the blades sliced through Midori's small hands. The cut getting deeper as Midori tightened her fist around it. A stream of red slid down the katana and colored the ground.
"Midori.."
Akio's voice lost its strength. He steadied his sword and let his other hand cover Midori's blood stained ones to remove them from his blade. Once he was able to set her grip free he let sword drop to the ground and immediately took both Midori's hands.
Both hands were unresponsive to the touch. Each cut showing some bone underneath the sliced flesh. Ligaments and muscles were torn and topped with blood.
She lost consciousness and fell in Akio's arms.
---------------------------
Kuruma Sensei made sure that the sedative was working. He has been successful in bringing down Midori's raging fever, however he frowned when he remembered the young womans hands. He left the room with one last glance at the young lady.
"Kuruma Sensei.." Kyoda-san interrupted the doctor as he was leaving the house.
Kuruma studied Kyoda carefully, he was astonished as how in matter of a few hours Kyoda-san aged considerably.
"No need to worry Kyoda-san. She will recover." he paused trying to consider if this would be a good time to tell Kyoda. "Be sure to tend to her injuries everyday, especially her right hand."
Kyoda frowned and nodded.
Kuruma tried to give the man hope. "Kyoda-san at least she still has the use of her left."
"Sou ka." Kyoda glanced towards the room they kept Midori, he'll have to tell her once she gets some rest. "I just don't understand how she'd get that kind of injury."
"I thought Akio brought her in? Didn't he say anything?"
"Iie. He said he just found her bleeding several minutes from Saitou's house." Kyoda deepened his frown, somehow instinctively he knew that Saitou had something to do with it.
That yarou!
Kuruma nodded thoughtfully "Well at
least Akio was there, who knows what would've
happened.."
--------------------------------
Midori
woke up that morning to the sun shining brightly in her eyes. She
lifted her hands to shield her face when she noticed that they were
limp when she held it up. She tried to form a fist with her right, to
no avail. She sighed and closed her eyes.
"Midori suma
(deeply sorry)." Akio was bowed a few meters away from
her.
Midori did not reply. She looked out the window her
thoughts lost.
"I'll get you the finest western doctors
Midori! I'll arrange for it I promise!" Akio slumped beside her
his eyes watery were intent on the lady.
"What did you
tell otou-san (Father)?" she asked in a low voice.
"Nothing.
that I just found you." He looked away from her.
"Sou
ka."
He's not the same Akio... He's a coward.
She closed her eyes once more, Saitou's figure invading her mind.
"Can you leave me for now?"
"Demo..
(But)"
"Onegai. (Please)."
"Okay.
Get some rest." Akio conceded to her
request.
------------------------
Nisan Kyoda dragged
his son to a secluded room in the house, disregarding the protest of
his wife, Misa.
"Yuuta if you know what's good for you,
you better tell EVERYTHING that happened."
Nisan Kyoda's
voice was calm but stern. Yuuta not used to see his father in such a
state shuddered in his presence. He wondered how to word his
revelation so as not to get anyone in trouble, but although his mind
raced his thoughts were so incongruent that he ended up just saying
what he saw.
"That damned Saitou!"
"Father!
It wasn't his fault!"
"Are you telling me it's
Akio's?" Kyoda's eyes narrowed at his sons remark.
Yuuta
shriveled at his father. "I'm not saying that."
"Then
it must be Midori's then! Is IT Yuuta?" another glare.
Yuuta
meekly shook his head.
"That Saitou will be nothing but
trouble for Midori. I do not want him getting in between Akio and
Midori. Understood Yuuta? From now on he is not allowed to step foot
in this house."
"Otou-san." Yuuta's eyes tried
to plead with his father. He could not understand how it turned out
like this.
When did I lead him to believe it was Saitou-kuns
fault???
Kyoda scowled at his youngest. "Is it
understood?"
"Hai."
"Ike
(Go!)"
Nisan Kyoda was left in the room. He tied his
hands at his back. His face still contorting at the thought of
Saitou.
And here I was. I thought he was a good
man.
----------------------------
Yuuta retreated
to Midori's music room. His eyes wandered along the piano. He frowned
recalling the conversation he heard earlier. Midori will not be
able to play this again. He let his hands run on the cherry wood.
I hope Onee-chan will be okay with that. If only I was able stop
Saitou..
He sighed and flopped himself at the futon from
across the room. Saitou. He slammed his fist on the soft futon
cover. Onee-chan, aren't you already with Akio? Why do you have to
be with Saitou too?
His eyes started to water. Don't
take him away from me Onee-chan. Just stay with Akio, he still loves
you. I still see it. He rolled to his side and unable to control
his tears, he wiped them away silently not noticing that the day was
quickly claimed by the darkness.
----------------------
"Komban-wa.
I came to see how Midori-san was doing." Saitou bowed to
Misa.
Misa took him to the side afraid that her husband might
see the young man. She spoke in hush tones "Saitou-kun. I'll let
her know you came. Now is not a good time."
Saitou
sighed. "Wakatta. Can I come tomorrow?"
Misa just
shook her head. It was then that Saitou understood he was no longer
welcome to the Nisan household. He left without a
word.
------------------
Yuuta came to meet his mother
as she was closing the gates.
"Oka-san who was
that?"
His mother sighed, "It was Saitou-kun,
Yuuta."
"You sent him away???"
"That
is what your father wishes." Sadness swept her face There are
times that I don't approve of your father's decision, but she kept
the thought to herself.
"I'm going outside oka-san. I'll
be back."
"Yuuta! Matte! (Wait!)".
Yuuta
did not heed her mother's request and went ahead to catch up to
Saitou in the darkness.
Kume-nasai onee-chan but you
already have someone...