That same night, after dropping Tomoe off at the Mibu headquarters, Saitou immediately went to the direction of the Nijo Castle, where the Mimawarigumi base was situated. He was immediately shown to the Commander's receiving room and was greeted by Sasaki Tadasaburou himself.
"It's been a while Saitou-kun. I'm quite surprised that you came here as if…"
"As if I was a staple here?"
"Yes…" Sasaki sat Seiza and called out to one of the attendants to bring sake. "You wouldn't want your cover to be blown… Matsudaira-sama will be quite disappointed. He expects a lot out of you."
"The best spies are the ones who walk in the open Sasaki."
"Of course, but that Hijikata is a sharp man. He might have you tailed here and then what will you tell him?"
"The truth of course." Saitou grinned confidently. "This is an official matter and I just need a little information from you on what to do with Yukishiro Tomoe and of –course- you will cooperate and go along with whatever story I come up with."
"That confidence will be your undoing someday Saitou but blood is thicker than water so in that you have my support." Sasaki quirked his eyebrows while he listened to his distant cousin, Saitou Hajime mention Tomoe. "Kiyosato's woman?"
"She's here in Kyoto." Saitou's eyes narrowed at once, knowing he just got the confirmation from Sasaki's own lips.
A muffled scoff escaped Sasaki, coupled with a shake of the head, "Dumb."
"You think so?"
"Maa... This is no place for a country girl and her beloved is dead, so there is no point."
"You're rather heartless Sasaki." Saitou at his cousin. "Need I remind you that you got her fiancé killed?"
"Don't start Saitou!. Akira-kun was a good man, however he lacked sword skills to keep himself alive. I have heard he was due to be married to this Tomoe but you of all people know that we forfeit our lives once we enter the Shoshidai."
"Perhaps…" Saitou mused and reached for the cup of warm sake. As he took a sip, a small grin settled on his lips which Sasaki's observant eyes caught.
"Don't become too fond of that Saitou-kun."
Both men chuckled for they knew of each others vices and how it affected them.
"I can hold my own Sasaki –sempai-." Saitou responded with a slur to his voice and a glint in his eye.
"Yare yare… The sake tastes a bit too sweet for you tonight, don't tell me you've been visiting Shimabara again."
"Maa… It's much better than randomly killing is it not?"
Sasaki just shook his head. There was a wild streak to his cousin which he saw ever since they were young. He would often had to break up fights between Hajime and the others. As a young boy, Saitou was easily slighted mostly because of the taunting he received from being the son of a low ranking samurai. It was public information after all that Yamaguchi Yuusuke bought the title. It had gotten quite out of hand that after his father's death, the young man took the name Saitou to escape the shadow his father unknowingly brought to his son. "As long as you know your limits Saitou-kun."
"And that I do, quite well in fact." With another shot of the alcohol, the two men spent the evening reminiscing about their childhood days, how things have changed in the Bakufu and what was needed in those troubled times. Loyalty and honor, were always a favorite subject of the two but tonight a new facet of the times were discussed… The need for pragmatic men and strategy to suppress the Choshuu han.
Okita slid the door open to Saitou's quarters slowly. Earlier there were rumors that an elegant beauty with long black hair was taken in by the third captain and he wondered what kind of woman would Saitou bring out in the open, to his own room no less. Entering the quarters, he immediately smelled the scent of plum blossoms and smiled. It wasn't some vile woman that he had thought. Perhaps the third Captain did listen once in a while…
"Of course! Saitou-san wouldn't do such a horrid thing like Serizawa-san…", he thought to himself.
"Ohayo…" A soft voice to his left greeted him and the young man simpered a bit before replying.
"Anou… I'm a friend of Saitou-san." Taking something out of his sleeves, "Here I stole some of these from the kitchen and I thought you might be hungry… Just speak with the cook if you need anything, she is a wonderful old lady." He offered the grass cake to the lady who was sitting by the futon, while looking her over and then to the futon wondering if anything happened in between.
"Thank you, I am Yukishiro Tomoe." Her eyes followed Souji's and at once she realized what the young man was thinking and her pale cheeks started to turn a rosy color. Standing up she took the offering and settled them down at a nearby low table. "You are Saitou-san's friend? He is out on an errand right now."
Souji's cheek blushed a little as he turned to face Tomoe. "Sou ka. I'm Okita Souji pleased to meet you… Can you please tell him that Hijikata-san wants him to report tonight?" I'm going out on patrol and it will be too late when I get back." Out of breath all of a sudden, Souji started to hack. Turning away from Tomoe quickly, he covered his mouth.
Soft hands went to his back and started to rub it slowly, trying to alleviate the Souji's reckless coughs.
"Are you alright Okita-san?"
"Hai… cough cough" The young man raised his hand and headed out, while Tomoe followed him with her eyes. She's seen it before, she knows it too well the sound of consumption that took away her mother's life while she and Enishi were still young.
A few hours before midnight Saitou returned to the compound, he only had an hour left before he was to go on patrol himself.
"Good evening Saitou-san."
His eyes bored holes on Sodou, a relatively new recruit to the unit. He has been eyeing the man's demeanor, assessing his fit to the group. Fortunately enough the man did not annoy him like the others did and that was first and foremost, if he was to recommend Sodou to be under his command in the third unit.
"Everything go well today? No one suspicious enter or –leave- the compound lately?" Saitou baited Sodou with Tomoe. The girl could've changed her mind and gone back and the first person to see her leave should be the guard at the gate.
"No sir. Just the men coming and going on patrol. The lady is still at your quarters." Sodou paused and looked at Saitou it seems the past few weeks the Captain has been on his case more than necessary, "I was wondering if you've made up your mind yet…"
"Not yet. Are you that eager to go out there on the streets?" Saitou tilted his head and slid his hands inside his kimono sleeves.
"Actually, I've decided that I'd like to withdraw my request sir…"
"Oh?" Saitou was surprised to say the least. Perhaps the young man had heard that he was quite strict with his subordinates and immediately the wolf found himself frowning. "What made you change your mind?"
"Well Saitou-san… With all due respect," Sodou cleared his throat, "Aside from the patrol groups that you and the other captains have, I've heard that Hijikata-san are also sending out ad hoc groups on various assignments. I'd like to be considered for a promotion to Captain soon."
Every word that came out of Sodou's mouth today seems to take the wolf by surprise. Since he was not the type of man to beat around the bush in these matters, he went right ahead and asked, "Isn't that a little out of your league or is this about the money?"
"Money will always be a concern. It hasn't really escaped anyone's attention on the disparities of allowance and gratuity between us regular members and the officials…" Sodou's eyes stared hard on the ground while he bit his cheek. He completely forgot that he was talking to an official! "Wonderful after all these months, I'm going to be dismissed for insubordination… Or perhaps they'll have me commit seppuku…", a wry smile settled on his face as his eyes cannot meet those amber ones.
"Sou ka. Do your best then and start with spending more time in the dojo." Saitou walked passed him and tapped his shoulder, "I'll look forward to sparring with you Sodou-kun."
Sodou heaved a sigh and leaned upon the wooden gate wondering why the third Captain chose to set him free. Little did he know that not everyone in the upper echelons of the Shinsengumi actually shared the same opinions. Although Saitou considered the Fukuchou's action a bit brusque and inhuman at times… Saitou saw thru the whole thing Hijikata intended to do, the disparity that Sodou was speaking about was effective for the Fukuchou's purpose. To get the men fired up and have ambition… Naturally the top man, will get the largest compensation, so that the others have someone to set their goals to. A demeaning method perhaps but that was Hijikata, he was a pragmatic man putting away social likeability. Kyoto was in the brink of ruin after all and strong willed men was what the Shinsengumi needed. The amber eyed wolf smiled to himself, he just saved Hijikata some headache by not reporting this… The man would have to go to superficialities after all, if he was officially informed of Sodou's discontent. Hell, Hijikata might even ask Sodou to commit seppuku… There was no need to lose anymore men at this point.
In his room,Saitou saw Tomoe writing in the corner, with only one lamp giving off a low yellowish light.
"You'll go blind if you insist on doing that." He muttered and proceeded to take off his haori and katana.
"Okaeri Saitou-san." Tomoe rose from her seat and bowed politely.
Not really sure at how to greet her back, Saitou turned uncomfortably and started to put his clothes away.
"Have you had dinner yet? There's some braised flounder and rice…"
From behind him, he could hear the table being set. Astonishingly enough, the wolf found the whole situation amusing and slightly delightful. He had never had to come back to these quarters with food ready, much less a woman who did welcome him back. His routine had been composed mostly of going on patrol, arresting people or killing them for not having the correct identification before finally going back to his quarters to drink his cold sake alone. He looked at Tomoe and wondered if his mother ever did this to his bastard father. He could not remember anymore, it seemed so long ago. Feeling quite light, he dropped the placid face and settled himself opposite of the low table.
"Did you make this?" He tried to strike a conversation, while he began his dinner.
"Ah… No Saitou-san.", Tomoe looked down, "It was leftover that I took from the kitchen."
"So you've been around the compound… How did you like it?"
She looked away, "Aside from the cook and the two women… There seems to be no others…"
He grinned, "Well, yes. We are a military unit after all." Drinking some tea the wolf continued, "Where are you from Tomoe? Do you have family?"
It was unusual of him to ask. He told himself that it was after all part of the job to know as much as possible about this woman. Of course, he did want to hear something normal this night, perhaps he was thinking again of his early years in Edo before his father bought the title that eventually led to his ruin.
"Edo… I only have one family left my brother…" She frowned as she took a bite of the fish.
"Where you orphaned?"
"Haha ue died when we were young and I guess…" Tomoe looked back at Saitou, "Orphaned would be accurate since Chichi has disappeared, eventhough I heard that he was still in Edo. I was going to find him for my brother's sake after I was to be married…" Her voice trailed off and the wolf saw her eyes unfocus. "The Shinsengumi… You are just like the Mimawarigumi?"
"Something like that, our end purpose are the same." He replied catching the sudden change in Tomoe's demeanor. It took so little to get her to think about her loss, he noticed. It was a shame though as he listened to her, how their situations seemed similar enough and yet they were vastly different.
"Tell me Saitou-san. Kiyosato… Would he have been doing the same things you and the men here?"
Saitou placed the bowl and chopsticks on the table, giving Tomoe his full attention. He has noticed of course since earlier that she was an attractive woman, perhaps more so if she did not have such a lost look to her eyes.
"Do you resent that he left you to be here? Weren't you his fiancé?"
"I… I did not understand why he came here when he could've stayed with me in Edo…" She shook slightly and the wolf found himself being torn on how to handle the situation. Whether to tell the woman how stupid she is making herself out to be or to explain…
"Hasn't he told you?"
"He said… That he wanted to prove that he was worthy of me."
"So you should take it for what it is… Unless you do not think a man who died in Kyoto to prove his feelings for you is a liar."
Saitou frowned… He was hoping for something a bit more than just proof of affection, perhaps something a bit more patriotic. But of course, he was not a good judge in that area for he himself had never found himself in that situation. For him, it was just his duty and proof that he was a samurai… Everything else came second.
Everything stopped then, an eerie silence as Saitou and Tomoe tried to get through a late dinner. Finally Tomoe spoke up again…
"And for you Saitou-san… Why are you here?"
Saitou looked up from his meal, "Simple enough, to crush the Ishin Shishi who are tearing this nation apart…"
He did not continue after that. If Tomoe did not understand that her situation now was brought about by the chaos of civil war, then he could not take it any further.
"This is why I am helping you Tomoe… Nothing more and nothing less…"
He was going to throw her to the wolves, but a sickening feeling in his stomach was making him think twice… After all this was the first time he was reminded of a home he once had back in Edo. Whatever it was that stirred in his mind for a brief moment was pushed back when Tomoe informed him of Hijikata's request for a meeting.
"Thank you for the meal Tomoe."
"You are welcome, Saitou-san."
Note: Same disclaimers from the previous chapters apply here.
