A Wolf in Officer's Clothing

Chapter One: Wolf's Den

The call had come early one morning. Police chief Ohwatari Jiro had knocked loudly on Fujita's door before opening it and just letting himself in. He knew the man's temperament, and was in no mood for stubbornness.

"Fujita," he snapped at the lean man, who stood over his desk, marking out something on a map of Japan.

Fujita Goro, once known as Saito Hajime, third unit leader of the Shinsengumi, shifted his amber glare in the chief's direction. "Is there a point in knocking if you're just going to barge in?" he asked, dropping casually into his chair, and pointedly failing to offer a seat to his superior. He slouched back, one long arm reaching languidly to retrieve his cigarette from its resting place in the ashtry, and took a long, insolent drag.

"Don't start with me, Fujita," the shorter man snapped. "I could fire you, you know. And I'm in the mood for it today, too."

The wolf raised one eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. "Interesting. Feel free. All I have is this nice stack of paperwork left for the day. By all means, give it to someone else. I hear Tokyo's force is less interested in paperwork and more interested in results anyway..."

The chief's glare could have killed a man. It didn't faze Saito, who simply continued smoking with a cold smirk on his face.

"You have a visitor," the chief snapped.

The wolf ground out his cigarette, and looked back down at his map, circling a small city, and making a quick notation. "They can come back," he muttered. "I'm busy right now with some of these small towns." He glanced back up at the outraged chief. "Do we have any leads about the mutinies against the police force in these places? Because so far there's no pattern. No logic to it. If we don't find something soon, I'm going to send myself in to see what's going on."

"We've sent some men out to check on the situation," Ohwatari replied shortly. "And you will see this visitor. It isn't an option. The paperwork can wait."

"Why?"

"Because," the other man snapped, "Toshimichi Okubo is not someone you tell to come back later." He didn't bother to hide his satisfaction at the rare look of mild surprise that graced the wolf's lean face.

Saito sighed, pushing the map away. "Fine," he replied, standing. "I'll finish these later. Any idea what he wants?"

Ohwatari snorted. "You don't ask a man like Okubo-san what he wants. You just comply." The chief fixed Saito with a fierce, meaningful glare. "And I hope I can trust you do so."

The wolf rose and stretched, offering a cold smile in reply. "That will depend entirely on what Okubo-san wants, won't it?" He pulled a fresh cigarette and some matches out of his pocket. Placing the cigarette between taut lips, he lit the match and lifted the flame, cupping with his other hand against the slight breeze from the open window behind him . In the flickering light, his amber eyes glowed like those of a wild predator. The dangerous gleam unnerved Ohwatari, who automatically stiffened at the sight. Then the end of the cigarette caught, the match was shaken out and tossed down, and creature returned to nothing more than Officer Fujita Goro, standing quietly behind an ordinary policeman's desk in an ordinary Kyoto police station.

Saito puffed once, and said softly. "I will not compromise myself for anyone. Even Okubo-san..."

With those words, Saito Hajime stalked past Ohwatari into the hall.

They made a strange pair, alone in an office at the police station in Kyoto. Okubo Toshimichi, one of the three greatest revolutionaries of the Bakumatsu, now a top Meiji government official; and Saito Hajime, once one of the wolves of Mibu, the fierce Shogunate defenders against the destructive efforts of Okubo and his allies, now a Meiji police officer.

The view from the window was captivating: a clear late afternoon sky, the bustling street, the trees lining the street rustling gently in the cool breeze. The figure silhouetted by the slanting light faced the pleasant panorama, unseeing and unmoving. The harmless mask he generally reserved for work had been dropped as soon as he'd crossed the room's threshold. In place now was the deadly amber glare of one who had lived, and survived, the revolution… one who still lived it, even ten years into Meiji. And his dark expression had only grown colder as he listened to Okubo's request. And his explanation.

Finally the older man grew quiet, waiting for Saito's response, knowing that Japan's future may very well ride on the actions of this man… and one other.

After a long moment of silence, Saito finally turned his back to the light of the window. Casually, he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and put it to his lips, lighting it and slowly inhaling the smoke. He didn't offer one to Okubo. He'd finished half before he spoke. "So, let me get this straight," he said softly, a dangerous edge to his flat voice. "You want me to hunt down hitokiri Battousai, one of the Shinsengumi's greatest enemies, and see if he'll fight by my side against one of his old comrades who has gone crazy?"

The cold irony wasn't lost on Okubo, who simply nodded and replied, "Yes."

The tall police officer leaned against the sill, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Because your people, more of his comrades, drove this Shishio Makoto to insanity."

"Yes."

Saito's amber eyes glittered. "What makes you think Battousai hasn't also gone mad?"

Okubo looked away, frustrated. It wasn't as though that thought hadn't crossed his mind. But if it were true… then Japan was lost… "He isn't slaughtering legions," Okubo finally said with some conviction. "If Battousai has gone mad with bloodlust, then Shishio Makoto is a minor problem in comparison."

"Fair enough," Saito responded, stepping up to the small, wooden desk. "But that isn't your only problem. What makes you think he's still Battousai? What if he's gotten soft? Or is being held in a prison somewhere? Or worse? He's a hitokiri. How easy do you think it would have been for him to give up the sword?"

Okubo scowled at the police spy before him. "Himura Battousai was not some random killer, if that's what you're trying to imply. He was a soldier fighting for our cause."

"We all fought for our causes back then," Saito replied. "The question is whether or not he fights for one now." He puffed his cigarette. Then, quirking his eyebrow, he asked, "What makes you think Battousai is still alive ten years into Meiji? More importantly…" The wolf leaned forward with a predatory gleam in his eyes… "what makes you think I won't kill him as soon as I find him?"

If Saito had intended to worry Okubo with that last comment, then he was sorely disappointed. The leader merely smiled coldly at the former unit leader of the Shinsengumi. "Aku soku zan."

Saito was stunned into momentary silence. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," the older man replied. "Aku soku zan. Slay evil immediately. The code of the Shinsengumi. You will not kill Battouai as long as he has not gone the way of Shishio, because it goes against your own code. And a wolf is always a wolf—unchanging—isn't that right, Saito? Shishio must be destroyed, and we need the skills of Himura Battousai if we wish to succeed. You know it as well as I do."

"And if he has followed his successor's lead?"

Okubo bowed his head. "Then you will be charged with saving all of Japan alone… from both Shishio Makoto and Himura Battousai. I would not envy you your task then."

Saito fell silent. He turned his back on the old revolutionary, again facing and not seeing the splendid day spread before him on the other side of the window, and smoked the remainder of his cigarette. Finally, finished, he flicked the butt out onto the street below, and immediately lit a new one. "If I were to accept," he said slowly, "how am I to know that you will not do to Battousai what you did to Shishio? A bullet to the head and a fiery grave? He must have his own store of secrets."

Anger flashed in Okubo's eyes, as he visibly struggled to keep his temper under control while dealing with this infuriating man. "It's true that Himura Battousai has more of our secrets than any others. But he was always a different case. Nothing he ever did was for himself. He fought only for the protection of others. Now that Meiji has been established, if he is still the Himura I remember, he will not risk shaking the government over some personal issue." He scowled. "Now you tell me, Saito. Why do you care?"

"Because enemy or no, Battousai was a hitokiri worthy of my respect, as well as the respect of many of my men. I will not demean that by feeding him to a pack of weak government dogs who are incapable of cleaning up their own messes."

Saito paused a long moment to let that sink in before glancing back at Okubo . "I will find Battousai for you. We will see what sort of a man he has become."

Okubo closed his eyes, his face showing relief, and stood, bowing to Saito. "Thank you."

Saito bowed his head briefly in reply, and turned away. The bearded man quietly left the room. Saito stood at the window long enough to see the official cross the street and speak to the driver before mounting into his carriage. The clatter of sixteen hooves and four steel-rimmed wheels drowned out all else as it entered the stream of traffic and moved briskly away. "It seems, Okubo Toshimichi, that I was wrong about you. I can't respect you for what you've done, but I can respect the man you are now." He took one final puff of his cigarette before flicking it out the window, and sliding it shut. "I only hope that in the end I can say the same about you, Himura Battousai. Himura… Kenshin…"

Author's Note: First of all, many thanks to Lolo Popoki and sueb262 for their invaluable beta work! (hugs to both of you!) Also, some of you will note that the end of this chapter sounds very familiar. This is the "fixed and updated" version of the teaser, officially placed where it belongs in the fic...I hope you like. I'm sorry about suddenly becoming a horribly slow updater, but the writer's block didn't want to ease, and I no longer have the internet at my house... (sighs) Combine that with moving stress and working full grind at work, and I'm sure you can understand the dilemma! But I'm hoping to update a bit more frequently when everything slows down!

As always, thanks for reading. Please review!

Dewa mata!