"Mou, Hajime-han, you're becoming a regular..." Aioi purred as she rolled over and began to dress. She grinned at him over her shoulder, "three nights now this week?"

He smirked back at her. Really, this assignment wasn't bad, and the story of a samurai chasing after a woman was an excellent cover, and she was rather possessive for a paid companion, shooing away any other woman who so much as looked at him. As long as he kept Aioi from pouring him too much sake, he was able to do as Hijikata had asked of him that night he brought the little cross-dresser back to Mibu.

"Are you a spy for Aizu?" Hijikata Toshizo asked, cutting to the point and not even engaging in pleasantries, "we know they have eyes on us. Are you one of them?"

Saitou shook his head, "no." The higher-ups in Aizu showed little regard for him, his father wasn't of high stature and his run-in with the official's son had only put a black mark on his name.

Hijikata pulled his pipe from his sleeve, taking his time lighting it up, the flame from the match illuminating his features. "I didn't think they'd be as foolish, given you already have known ties to them, and Kondou stood up for you that you were not." The vice-commander grinned and blew the match out now that the tobacco was burning. "Saitou, I have plans for you."

The younger man nodded slightly, giving away nothing. "Saitou-kun, you cannot be blind to the divisions within our group. It's distracting at least but at worst we have a group that acts in a way that is ruining the good name we need in order to be the effective protectors of Kyoto."

"I need you to undertake some work. Since you're not spying for Aizu, I need you to spy for me. We have internal problems... and I want one of our own to be there."

Tonight he drank in the same teahouse with men who were loyal to Serizawa. Saitou reflected that there wasn't much to watch, unless the women clustered around them were secretly Choushuu agents. They were loud and drunk, and Serizawa himself had bowed out early. "Oume," one of them chuckled after he left. His affair with a village woman was well-known, and it was said that she was even living in his room at the Yagi house with him.

But they did speak often of the greatness of Serizawa… of how they didn't like Kondou and especially Hijikata. Were they plotting anything? They boasted of various things to the women, or complained of imagined slights from those associated with Kondou, but never anything so open. Much later they took their leave, some going up with their women. After noting who went where, Saitou would go with Aioi, making this work very pleasant overall.

He looked around the room, in a different teahouse where he had been staying. One of these days he would remember to buy new sheets to replace the ones Hidejiro had torn in making bandages.

Hidejiro. His frown deepened. He had more important things to do than fool with that little cross-dresser, and Hijikata had told him that he would let Okita and Toudou worry over her. It was a better arrangement. They were both kind young men and wouldn't be getting her involved in brawls in the red light district. Of course if Hidejiro and her family would stop being so untrusting and would drop the entire charade…

No more wasting time training a girl who shouldn't know of such things. No more lapses like the one the other night. Downing the last of the sake he snaked his arm around his companion's waist and gave the curve of her hip a squeeze as she saw him out. Real women. Real work. That's what he was about.

--

"Hidejiro-kun, pay attention!" Okita-san and Toudou-san laughed at her as she stumbled back and dropped her shinai. I thought I had heard Saitou-san…

"Mou... Hidejiro-kun, you didn't do this with Saitou-san, did you?" Okita laughed and the two young men grinned at each other. The young man in front of them had been Saitou-san's constant companion for days and suddenly he was nowhere to be seen and they were supposed to train the eldest Yagi son. Which was fine, it was a kindness to the family to teach the boy in return for the Yagi's hospitality, and they had fun teasing the quiet boy.

Okita stepped forward in front of her and held out his shinai. She was grateful for that at least, it was much much lighter, though the "pats" on the head hurt more than she thought a practice device should. "Now, Hidejiro, don't just swing wildly, try to connect."

The gate swung open from the street and a woman stood there, a bit of a smile on her lips and a fan flitting in one slender hand.

"Oume-san," she heard Okita say under his breath as she crossed, going to the door where Serizawa now stood.

Toudou leaned in close with a conspiratorial wink to Hide. "I think your sensei has become distracted," Toudou informed her, and Okita turned away from the scene to scowl at his friend.

Father and the others have been trying to get her to leave the village, Hide knew some of the details but had lately missed a lot of the local gossip.

"She's very pretty and…" Toudou looked thoughtful for a moment, "vivacious. I can certainly understand the attraction, don't you, Hidejiro-kun?"

Before Hide could stammer out some sort of answer, Serizawa and Oume had made their way over to the group. "Training this late?" he asked the group. "Most young men would be thinking of having a night out." He winked at the woman who stood beside him.

"Okita-san, Toudou-san," Oume almost purred their names as she smiled at them, "you should join us some night with the others." She turned her gaze to Hide, "and the Yagi," she paused slightly, and the two women's eyes met, and Oume raised on eyebrow ever so slightly and her smile became more knowing, "boy, too. Do you like to go out to the teahouses yet? I can't remember hearing if you'd had a genpuku yet."

Hide looked away, feeling that sense of embarrassment rising. She knows and she's enjoying it, she realized, until something came back into mind. "Ah, Saitou-san has taken me out a few nights."

Oume giggled. "Indeed? What a surprise…" She tugged on Serizawa's sleeve. "Let's be off, ne?" Okita's eyes stayed fixed on the woman, whose laughter could be heard echoing through the courtyard even as they had left.

Okita shook his head, blinking, "Hidejiro-kun, a little improvement. But I think I smell dinner, let's go see if Yagi-san took to my suggestion of adding manju to the menu." He smiled a sunny grin and turned around sharply.

Hide followed them in, glancing back at the courtyard behind them. It had been over a week now, perhaps Saitou-san had tired of the game they had played. Had there been trouble she would have heard about that at least. So where had he disappeared to? She should be relieved but she couldn't shake the sense of disappointment… he may have been a difficult master, but he knew her secret and at least she could unbend some around him.

---

Saitou filled in Hijikata of what he had learned of Serizawa and his men after spending several nights watching them in their hard-partying ways. The vice-commander nodded as he smoked. Saitou liked the smell, but found the pipe a hassle to deal with.

"Good. That's what I needed to know."

Saitou rose to leave, but was stopped at the door by Kondou. "Saitou-kun! I've not seen much of you but I've seen a lot of your little follower," he chuckled, "no strength in the arms, that boy." He shook his head.

To both he continued, "I hear there's going to be a sumo-style wrestling match shortly," Kondou chuckled. "I'd like to see if my old students can still tussle as well as I recall, but we have things to attend to." He nodded at Hijikata. "But Serizawa-san and Sannan are waiting for us." As they left the room, Hijikata fell a step behind and said to Saitou, "keep your eyes open."

Down in the courtyard people were gathering. Hide and her mother helped her grandmother onto a small bench. The little wresting match was all prepared, her father helping set the circle in the dirt. To one side stood those she had come to know in the more recent days – Harada, Inoue, and her instructors, Okita and Toudou. On the other were men who were affiliated with Serizawa Kamo. So that's what this is about, she thought.

"Grandmother, he's right over there," Hide tried not to grin at how Hisa's eyes sparkled and her head picked up. According to her mother, in recent days the stern face that she had been showing to the visitors had fallen, even since she had had a dizzy spell and Harada Sanosuke had come to her rescue.

"He came in carrying her and ever since then…" Masa shook her head but smiled, "she's been ill but her spirits have been well, and she comes out at mealtimes to make sure 'Sanosuke' has enough to eat." A look of sadness passed over her mother's face. "She said he reminded her of Otousan."

"Does he?" Hide asked, he had died before she was born so he was only a name in stories.

"In a way… he was protective of her, since her heart has always been weak, and I remember more than one time that he had to carry her, and the moment she recovered she would cook up a feast for him." She looked at her daughter, "he was a good man."

"Stand behind Grandmother and support her, you don't want to be dragged into this," her father reminded her as some of the men began removing their tops.

"We still need one!" Okita cried out, looking at the four men that stood on the other side of the circle. His eyes scanned those standing behind him and Hide hoped he wouldn't even suggest…

"Saitou-san!" Saitou picked his head up, opening one eye. He had settled in for the show, leaning against the side of the house, watching the activity. "We need one more! And I know you can wrestle, I've seen you,"

Hide turned, surprised to hear Saitou's name. How long had he been there? A very wicked thought crossed her mind, after he had made her worry this past week.

"Sensei, come join them!" Hide called out, running over and pulling him by his arm. He flashed her an annoyed look, but the others joined in and he shrugged.

"Fine."

Harada won the first match, and Hide watched as he grandmother went up and gave the younger man a big hug, crying out her congratulations. This is the woman that's spent almost the entire last week in bed? she wondered.

Inoue lost the second. Okita was doing well until he heard a soft voice calling out encouragement. Oume. Okita looked up, startled, loosing his footing and falling to the ground as his opponent grappled him, and she walked back inside to Serizawa's room.

"Now it's up to you, Saitou-san," Hide told him, and the others called out their support. Grinning slightly, he stood, and pulled down his shirt, glancing back at the others as he brushed his bangs back.

In the middle of all of the noise and excitement, he noticed Hidejiro, quiet, her eyes fixed…

On him.

Eyes that he could feel running over his bare torso as he freed his arms from the sleeves of his kimono. Glancing back, she looked up, and he saw it – a flicker, an acknowledgement, an assessment. A look that wasn't the gaze of a merely curious young girl but of a woman, looking at a man with intent in her eyes.

Hide had seen his arm before, had even touched that arm when she bandaged him the other night, but the site of him, it was as if she had been struck in the middle of her chest, as if all of the air was forced out of her lungs and she couldn't stop looking. But she did, glancing about, but the others were too involved in the excitement of the game.

Saitou turned and smirked. He would deal with her later.

"Didn't I see you out drinking the other night?" the man asked as they entered the ring, Saitou remembered he was named Matasaburo.

"I drink in a lot of places," he answered, circling around, sizing up Matasaburo.

In a swift moment they were grappling, Saitou was surprised at the man's strength but could feel it in his arms, a slight trembling that betrayed a weakness. Pushing back, he wondered for a split second if Hide was watching.

He felt his opponent hesitate as he pushed against him, and with the force that he normally gave to his gatotsu he moved forward, knocking the man back.

"Saitou-san! Good job!" People moved around him, and he even saw the nods of approvals from Hidejiro's parents. "Two to two! A tie!" They called out.

So this battle of faction remains unresolved… Hide reflected

"Granny! I think we should get a treat for working so hard, yes?" Harada asked the older woman whose joyful face was quite different from the looks they had known from her.

She shook her head as if annoyed, and agreed, to further cheering. Glad the attention had shifted to him, he noticed that the four men of Serizawa leaving in the other direction, taking no part of the celebrations with the Yagis. It was then he saw Hidejiro standing to the side, hesitating as she started to follow her family.

"Come," he said, taking her by the wrist and leading her away from the others during the chaos of the celebration. He didn't bother to pull back up his shirt.

"Where have you been?" she asked, frowning as she tried to keep up.

He smirked and continued his pace to the far corner of the property, "you've met her – I'm certain you remember Aioi?"

Hide looked away and struggled to free her wrist from his grip as he dragged her around the house. "Let me go."

Stopping, Saitou turned to look at her. "Jealous, Hidejiro?" He chuckled but then looked more serious and backed her up to the estate wall which bordered the property. "I saw your eyes back there…"

"What about my eyes?" Hide asked, realizing that he knew.

"That was how a woman looks at a man. Had anyone else seen it your little cover would have been blown." He looked amused as he stepped closer, towering over her, "I didn't think you had it in you… I thought you were a shy little thing."

Her eyes darted away, unable to meet the burning gold of his eyes. In front of her was his chest, that same one that was getting her in trouble now, so she closed her eyes, struck by his smell, of sweat and something else she couldn't place, the heat coming from him, and suddenly she was finding it hard to speak and tell him to go away, or even to breathe.

You're playing with fire rang through his mind as he released her wrist, lowering his mouth onto hers, unable to resist the girl in front of him and to see what else there was to his little "page". He meant to be ruthless and show her what it was to start something like this but the softness of her lips and the small frame that he found himself leaning into was intoxicating, inviting him not to plunder but to savor.

Hide's eyes flew open wide as he let go thinking she could escape but it was then that he kissed her. Too stunned at first her hand rose to push him away, only to be met by the solid mass of his shoulder and instead she awkwardly felt around to grip onto his upper arm as she felt his tongue flicker against her lips and she felt so dizzy, the sounds of people on the other side of the estate faded away and her own heartbeat drummed loudly in her head as she now held onto him with both hands as he pressed against her into the wall.

As he continued, tasting her sweetness as he deepened the kiss, a soft moan from her broke the spell, jarring Saitou as he suddenly broke away from her lips. He expected her to fight back, not to hold on. She should know better.

As should he.

It had ended as quickly as it started and Hide stood there against the wall, still stunned and gaping like a fish as he arms fell back down by her side. Unable to move or speak.

Saitou tore his eyes away from her, and smirked as he pulled the top of his kimono into place, "I've built up a lot of laundry. You've had a week off, time to get back to work." He watched her nod, pushing her hair back. "You are my page after all."

"In the morning, then."

You're playing with fire, ahou… he reminded himself as he walked away.

Authors Note: All characters property of their respective owners. A blending of the Rurouni Kenshin and NHK Shinsengumi universes. MUCH thanks to those who inspire me to write.