Tokio waited impatiently for Kenshin to arrive with her daughter. What a mess. Would she ever catch a break? She blamed Sanosuke and yet she didn't. He wasn't Megumi's full time babysitter, that wasn't his job. It was sometimes hard to remember that he was technically the enemy. The youth was friendly enough, maybe too much so for his own good with a nice sense of humor and some temper. He also had a big mouth, which he wielded equally to get himself in and out of trouble.
"Mommy!" Megumi said and ran up to give her a hug around the waist. It was a far cry from when she used to go for the knees. Tokio wasn't sure when the ritual started, maybe a few days after that hectic night, but now every time they saw each other it had to involve a hug. Like it was physical reassurance that Mommy wasn't going to disappear again.
Tokio hoisted her up and raised an inquiring eyebrow at the nervous redhead. He fidgeted, thinking how to wiggle out. Oh yes, wiggle. She had seen the man squirm out of several nasty encounters. Unfortunately, not that she wanted to turn this nasty, that wouldn't work with her. She knew too well how people tried to do that in court. It was practically instinct to parry and thrust.
"Well?"
"I… er, that is…"
"Saw Mister Wolf." Megumi supplemented helpfully. Megumi dug around in her pockets and pulled out a wad of cash, "Here. Sano gave this to me. He didn't want you to worry so he asked me to be quiet, but he should have known you would know. Mommy knows everything."
The woman watched Kenshin's vaguely amused smile, but he still looked as wary as a cat in a dog pound. Tokio knew he suspected that Kaoru was behind the red alert. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any easier on him.
"Meggie," Tokio carefully put the child back on the ground, "Can you do me a favor? Can you go find Uncle Hiko."
The child narrowed her eyes and pouted. She and Hiko had a very rocky relationship. He didn't particularly like kids, and claimed that having one baby, Kenshin, around was more than enough. Not only was the man being a stubborn fool, but Megumi seemed to have a similar, if instantaneous, reaction. Like two cats in a bag, Tokio sighed to herself in exasperation. She loved them both dearly, but did they have to be so stubborn. One would think they were related.
"Please?"
"You want me to leave so you can yell at Kenny." The six year old stated then said something that floored both adults, "I can respect that."
"I'm not going to-."
"Your mother…"
"No, no." Megumi said waving a negligent hand. Suddenly Tokio wondered where all these mannerisms were coming from. Not herself? Were they? Did she honestly do things like that? Kaoru didn't, and Meg didn't particularly take to the girl anyhow. Kenshin surely didn't, and she could bet that neither did Sano.
When the child strolled out shutting the door behind her Kenshin let out a sight of relief. Short-lived relief.
"What exactly happened?" It always started reasonably enough, but it usually ended with her upset and Kenshin a stuttering mess. With Sano it wasn't so bad, he tried to joke through it. She knew it was so silly to get upset and incoherent like that, especially when nothing happened, but could anyone blame her? Considering all that happened?
"Well, you see Miss Tokio…" He hesitated, searching for words to defend with. He didn't try a silly, disarming smile or to pacify her anymore. It was just a waste of time and effort on his part. "I was bringing back the groceries, and I came back through the park. And I ran into Miss Kamiya. She pointed out that you usually, ah, didn't let Megumi out with just anyone. And I noticed Saitoh leaning against a tree talking to Sano…"
"So you had to go over and stick your nose in their business? Even on off hours, really. Was Megumi even near them?"
"Ah, no, not really actually. She was sitting on a bench by the ice cream woman." Kenshin admitted rubbing the back of his head, not noticing the sticky chocolate that had transferred onto his hand when he held Megumi's hand.
"So Kamatari was there too? That isn't surprising. Well, it doesn't matter because it was none of your business! You thwarted my authority, and Sano's responsibility."
"Oro? I thought Kamatari was a man… wait, I did?" Kenshin was still stuck on the fact that the woman was Kamatari. He really wasn't absorbing her mothering logic all that well, Tokio could tell.
"Yes, I trusted Sanosuke to keep her safe and out of harm's way. He did as I asked by taking her to the park for some ice cream. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't have control over… that man… and I doubt Sano does either. He couldn't help it. And he was doing the best he could." Tokio reasoned, privately considering how to actually chew Sano out and still sound like she wasn't blaming him.
Kenshin, just a little slower than usual, blinked and took it all in, "So it is my fault?"
Finally, some common sense! She wanted to throw her hands up in celebration. This had wasted, what, ten minutes of her time?
"But… but, I didn't do it. It was all Saitoh…"
"And fighting in the park, what were you thinking? Good thing Kaoru was there or you would have dragged the police and probably several innocent people into you boys' little spat." She charged, all pretense of being neutral gone. They were on company policy now, and she was going to bust his sorry ass. This was something she knew how to deal with.
"But…"
"No buts. You know we do our best to maintain good relations with the police. If we didn't they could just as easily turn on us and shut down our activities. That would put this whole company under, then the workers would be fired. You don't want Kaoru on the street do you? That was just plain irresponsible! I'm sure Hiko will have more to say to you, since it's really not my place to be doing this. I just want you to know I am very disappointed. I thought you had more sense than to go charging off like a hound after a hare." Or maybe a cunning wolf the woman added in her mind. The man certainly did remind her of a wolf, with those narrow, golden eyes and the lean, sexy… enough of that. If she were lucky she would never see him again.
Kenshin's eyes widen at the mention of Hiko and she could practically see the boy cringe. If she wasn't so distracted she might have offered a word or two to reassure him. Not that it would do any good. Hiko was notoriously hard on his one and only student.
"I see." He said, his head still up in the clouds, imagining all the things his Master could do to him probably. He wandered out the door just as Kaoru came in. The two looked at each other for a long moment before he staggered out and she came up to Tokio.
The older woman gave a soft sigh. This was totally ridicules. The two of them obviously liked each other, and she failed to see why they couldn't at least go on a date. But then, that would be asking Kenshin to actually act on his feelings.
From what she gathered from Hiko, it might not be something he was willing or able to do at the moment. She could respect that.
Still, the girl just looked so miserable sometimes, just thinking about him. Tokio genuinely liked and respected Kaoru. The young woman was bright, caring, and generous most of the time. She brought sunshine into the office with her, but she wasn't overly peppy. There was a fresh and charismatic quality to her, which had drawn Tokio in the first place. The girl was a hard worker, and Tokio was considering giving her a promotion and a raise. But she should stop acting like such a fool. Life went on with or without men.
"Mister Hiko would like to speak with you." Kaoru said, a cold tone lurking under her polite tone. The two of them had some history together. Hitting him over the head with a stapler was probably the best and worse move Kaoru could have ever made. She was lucky that Kenshin had his master's ear.
"Thank you, I suppose I will have to go see what the man wants." She said with a fond smile. Kaoru returned a rueful grin and hastened to whatever duties that cluttered her slate at the moment. She certainly didn't slack.
She wandered down the halls nodding in greeting to various, bustling workers. Even though this corporation had been her home for years, she still didn't know even a fifth of the workers on her floor. They came they went. The pay wasn't the greatest and that put some of them off, but most stuck by loyally.
When she entered the room Hiko and Megumi were having a heated staring contest over who knows what. Rather than interrupt their spat Tokio took a seat letting them duke it out.
"Ha, you blinked br- er, kid." Hiko crowed and Tokio shook her head. For such an arrogant man he sure could behave like a child.
Megumi didn't seem perturbed by this. The child was partially fearless and that make Tokio nervous. It was all well and good to get into such battles of wills with Hiko. It was quite another to take on someone who would actually hurt her. The woman was afraid her daughter wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
"Did you chew Kenny a new one Mommy?"
Hiko, to his credit, didn't snicker, but Tokio frowned. She definitely knew where that one came from. Yes, Sanosuke would get the talk of his life when she caught up with him.
"No I did not, and that's not something a young lady should say." Tokio reprimanded sternly. Megumi gave a sly smile; one Tokio had learned not to trust. How the child of her womb had come out so smart and tricky with a taste from harmless pranks she would never know. Even now she loved to needle anyone who would react.
"But Sano says it."
"Sanosuke is his own man." But not when I get a hold of him. He'll wish he were a schoolboy again with the dressing down I have in store. "You are a little girl who has no business saying such things."
"What about him?" Megumi said jerking her thumb at the nonplus Hiko. He regarded the child with dark eyes, one big hand curled under his chin.
"I'm the boss, therefore, higher on the corporate ladder. I can say such things. In fact, I can say worse."
"Tell me."
"I don't think so." Tokio intervened as Hiko started to share his superior knowledge of degrading remarks. He sure had a lot.
Megumi pouted, deigned what she almost had. For what had to be the millionth time that week only Tokio wondered what she was going to do with the girl when she got older. With sass, attitude, and beauty the suitors would be stacking up. And generally the guys who were attracted to a nice rack or some fine legs were not gentlemen. The only thing Tokio could hope was that the girl would grow past her current obsession with manipulation.
"Is Sano coming back then?" She asked hopefully. The child had an uncanny knack for picking up on moods. It was one that Tokio used to possess before she got too deeply involved in the courts. Since then the sixth-sense had dulled, warped and twisted around all the lies, cruelties, and darkness it encountered daily. It had gotten to the point where she didn't want to know. So she just 'forgot' it.
"Sano?" Hiko repeated and Tokio waved him off, "Her babysitter. He does me some favors sometimes. Isn't that right Meg?"
"Yes. And sometimes his friends too…"
The other thing the child needed to learn was when to keep her mouth shut. Discretion was apparently not genetic.
Tokio dug around in too-tiny pockets of her slacks and pulled out a crumpled bill. Megumi looked between the money and her before talking it. Bribery wouldn't work that much longer, she was already figuring out the system. Soon she would be blackmailing.
Hiko waited until she had closed the door behind her, a habit ingrained since day one since most times when the two were alone it was completely private.
"So who's this Sano? Should I be jealous? I know there's no one out there better than me, so I suggest you give that liaison up." He teased, but his face was serious. Tokio was as stubborn as they came, but he embodied the word.
Tokio gave a faint smile. Trust him to be jealous of some kid not even old enough to shave properly. Of course, he didn't know that exactly.
"Oh, you know. I find you get a bit…" She tapped a manicured nail on the dark wood of his perfectly conformed desk, "Boring."
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. She didn't resist, she already knew from past experience he was much stronger than her. There was no reason to give him a chance to manhandle her.
He dragged her down into his lap and whispered in her ear, breath hot, "Really now. I may have to do something about that. I am many things, but boring is not one of them."
"Stop, what if Meggie walked back in?" She protested, wrinkling her nose and shoving gently against his chest.
"Sexual education." He remarked and she felt like smacking him.
She got up. Boy did that man ever know how to kill the mood. Taking a more appropriate seat opposite him, she crossed her legs and folded her hands looking intently.
"No more play. What did you call me in here for?"
He looked rather disappointed that she wasn't up for a make-out session at his desk, but a slight smirk remained.
"Actually, this is something I would like you to consider very carefully. It involves several elements I don't believe you'll be comfortable with. It's dangerous and hard, but the heads want you. Feel free to refuse."
She didn't like the word dangerous. She happened to enjoy her safe little world with her daughter, Kenshin, Kaoru, Hiko, and Sano. Each of them were dear to her in one way or another. Something about the whole thing wasn't ringing true, and she could tell that Hiko wanted her to decline.
Of course, the stubborn man couldn't just come out and say it. That would be a show of concern, a weak emotion! What was with men and their little ego-trips? Was it really that hard to show you cared about someone?
"Go on." She said, showing him her court-face. She wasn't going to give him one-up on her if she could help it. Their relationship worked best on trust and physical affection, hiding things made things rocky. It wasn't something she did very often, but her instincts urged her now. She followed them. They were rarely wrong.
He sighed, "You closed yourself off. Well, if you want to hear it I can't stop you."
She didn't comment.
"Intelligence has gotten word that a dangerous new criminal and his associates have been starting to plot a take over."
She arched an eyebrow, "So what else is new?"
"Apparently this man has a real hate-drive. Burning. He's also extremely clever, rich, resourceful, and inspires great loyalty in his followers. Have you heard the name Makoto Shishio?"
She frowned, ignoring the skin that bunched up on her brow. Her mother always claimed she would have wrinkles long before her time with all that frowning. The name sounded familiar, but it was stale in her memory. Nothing too recent or she was sure it would be blazed like a highlighted line of text.
"He was once an employee of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation to be precise. A good, if ruthless man, he excelled at his job. He was perhaps too much so. One day his partner and comrades "accidentally" forgot to warn him about a potential chemical spill. The building when up in flames, with him in it. Somehow the crazed maniac survived and recovered. Now he's gathered enough power to take what he believes to be his."
"And what would I have to do then?"
"Pose as someone's wife." He replied, deadpan.
A/N: You know what? At the rate CN is going Saitoh won't show up until the middle of May!!! Last night's eppy was funny though! LOL. I wouldn't let Kaoru throw knives at me O__O It doesn't say good things for Sano's intelligence!
Ken: The target is prepared Miss Kaoru
Kao: *with knives* Great
Sano: *tied to a pole* O__O Why do I have to be the target Kenshin?!!
Ken: Don't blame me, I'm just doing what Miss Kaoru told me ^________^
Sano: *pissed* Why don't you do it then?
Ken: ^___^ *edging away*
Sano: Missy, please tell me you practiced
Kao: No ^__^
Sano: O__O *knife is hurdled at his head and sinks into the wood*
Ken: Sano, I think you're bleeding
Reviewers:
MissBehavin: *chokes* This has absolutely nothing to do with this story, but AWESOME (to your review on Bitter Sweet). LMAO, I forgot how much you hate Hiko (I haven't been helping, have I?). You review just as I'm in math class ^^' Bad results, very bad. Agreed, Sano doesn't need help. And I think Kaoru can take care of that >:) Thankies, I think I passed the exam (we-ll, I KNOW I passed; I THINK I did well). Yummy, that's what I'd do in my spare time O__O You run across that when you were doing research on the camps? *grins*
Wistful-Eyes: I think he does feel a bit put off, considering the three of them are hardly endearing to children O.o;; Mwahaha, oh, his reaction... well, the poor guy. *jumps over to Drifter real quick* Yeah, the christmas one was done and no, never! I'm not tired of it at all *grins*. I'm just waiting for my co-conspiritor to get her computer back so we can roll on the sequel. I already have a plot in mind (but I'm sure it will end up twisted out of control!).
Shadow's Assassin: Fresh meat- I mean, a new reviewer! Thankies, hopefully I can keep your interest.