Author's note: I'm sorry it took so long for the update, Minna! I will
say thank you especially to one of my reviewers. I got a message telling
me to please update and not give up on the story, and eventually that made
me finish this chapter! Thank you to everyone who sent in a review.
Chapter 8: Ja Mata, Saitou
I feel the blankets under and around me before I open my eyes in the morning. After just a quick moment of scanning, I see Saitou in the near corner, buttoning the front of the shirt to his police uniform, getting ready for work--getting ready, for Kyoto. I realize by instinct as well as by the paleness of the light entering the room that it is early in the morning. The sun must have just recently risen over the mountains.
He's not aware I'm awake. I lay still, not moving. My dark green hair rests under my shoulder and across the pillow, the warm covers secured under my arms. After he's done with the buttons, he adjusts his collar. I notice his katana leaning against a dresser.
"You're leaving?" I ask very quietly, breaking the silence. I know the answer, but I ask anyway. He turns to me, still adjusting his collar.
"Yes, my train leaves this morning." His voice is still so low, so serious. He reaches for one of the gloves on the dresser and slips it onto his left hand.
I'm hesitant to ask my next question, but I do. "Saitou, when... when did you get those injuries?"
He stops before reaching the second glove and looks at me.
I look away. "On your legs... they're not completely healed yet." I somberly explain. After a second I glance back at him, and he watches the top of the dresser, his hand resting on that last glove. The silence settles in again, an eerie one. I know he doesn't want to tell me; he would have by now. I shouldn't have asked, but when I saw them...
"Gomen nasai." I apologize, hating the thick atmosphere. I don't let any more words escape my lips, purely because I don't know what else to say.
"Usui."
The name almost startles me. "Usui?" I repeat. I move, finally, sitting up, my hand keeping the covers over my bare skin.
He goes on. I'm shocked on several different levels on what he tells me, how he tells me. I'm sure he leaves many details out, but I'm sure they're ones I don't want to know. He tells me briefly of Shishio's hide out, of the man named Usui, one of the "pawns." He says rather bluntly that he killed him, not a single drop of emotion coming through at those words. I listen; stare. I'm not surprised that Saitou killed this man; I know of deeper things than that. He also mentions that Shishio himself reopened the wounds. I understand--that must be why they're still visible. He puts the glove on when he's finished, and I hold the blanket closer to me. He reaches for the covered sword and puts it into his belt.
"Arigatou." I breathe, my eyes fixed on the floor again, "...For telling me."
I don't expect him to reply to that comment, and he doesn't. Soon he is fully dressed, ready to leave me. However, before he goes, he walks in long strides over to me and kneels in front of me, lifting my chin up with just one finger. "Ja mata." He says.
"Ja mata." I softly respond. He briefly kisses me before standing up and returning to the dresser.
"Do your best." Besides everything, it is my responsibility as his wife, his confidant, to give him what encouragement I can muster.
Saitou places his cap on and nods. "I'll be back."
I feel my eyes water, but it only glistens them, no tears fall. "Hai."
I watch as he goes out the door, and listen until I can't hear his footsteps at all. I'm not properly dressed to go with him, and he's never let me take him to the station. After a moment, I fall back into my pillow, facing the ceiling. Only one tear falls. It won't hurt too much for the first few days.
I run my fingers over my stomach, entranced by the wooden ceiling. What fascinates me, I don't know. I can fully discern that it's early, and I still can have a couple of hours to sleep, but I can't. I'm not tired now, not anymore, despite the fact that I was up most of the night.
I feel my cheeks warm at that thought.
Finally, after who knows how long, I sit up again, using the support of my hands to push me off the floor. The blankets fall off of me and I put on the same kimono I had on last night. I'll take a bath before Kari and Eiji wake up.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Saturday, Eiji." I saw over a breakfast of miso. "I don't have school that day, and I want to go with you at least one more time before you take the trolley by yourself.
Eiji grins. "Okay, Tokio."
"I'll have to find something to do with Kari." I add.
Kari frowns beside me. "Why can't I come?"
I think for a moment. "Well, I do feel bad asking someone to watch you..." I look over at her, contemplating. "Kari, BEST behavior, and you may come."
Kari claps her hands together. "Yoshi!"
So it seemed that I'd have a couple of days before returning to northwestern Tokyo. I do a few quick math problems in my mind, and if we headed straight to the Kamiya Dojo on the trolley, it would take one half to a full hour. Tokyo certainly is a large city. I also want to learn more about Kaoru. She seems so young to be running a Kendo school. I honestly wouldn't put her past the age of 20.
"Done!" Eiji announces, plopping his chopsticks down beside his bowl. "I'm going to go practice out back, kay Tokio?" He gets up from the table, brushing his hakama pants off. Kari gets excited and spills her small cup of water on the tabletop.
"Chotto matte, Eiji." I ask, holding my hand to him. I put my hand on Kari's shoulder to ensure it's all right, since I know that young children can go into hysterics over small accidents like this. I grab the cloth I used to carry in the iron pot and place it over the spilled water, letting some of the liquid absorb into it. "Eiji, I wanted to talk to you today." Something else spring up in my mind. "Do you have school today?"
"Nah." Eiji assures. "Tomorrow, in the afternoon, but not today. Is that all? Can I go?"
I turn the cloth over and finish cleaning up the water. "Not quite. Who is Kenshin-san?"
Eiji seems impatient, and hesitates to sit down. "I told you all ready."
Kari stands up, apparently losing her appetite for what's left in the bowl. "Can I play?" She questions.
"Hai, Kari, in the house." I answer. "Not fully, Eiji. Where did you meet him?"
"My village, remember?"
"Did he live there?"
He shakes his head, then scratches the back of it. "No, he was passing through. Just traveling. He was with Saitou, me, and the weasel."
"Saitou?" I ask, suddenly more interested. "Saitou knows him? Was he traveling with him?" I know that at one point Saitou was traveling with the Battousai and Kawaji-san, but that's it.
"No, I'm not sure if they really knew each other, but they were both there." He sighs. "Can I go?"
I don't know why he is so impatient with me today, but I nod my consent and he leaves. I put the wet cloth into my bowl and start taking dishes into the kitchen, placing them by the sink. There's a bit of miso left in the pot, and so I take out a clean bowl from the cupboard and put the rest of the soup in there. It's a shame to waste food, and one of the children or I may become hungry during the day outside of our usual meals.
I start my daily routine of washing the dishes; tying my sleeves back, pumping cold water into a plugged sink and scrubbing all the food particles off. I take a used hand towel on a rack by the sink and lie it out on the counter, shaking the dishes off before placing them on it, the bowels and pot upside-down, of course.
A yawn escapes me, and my eyes water just a bit from the after effect. I don't feel very tired, but an afternoon nap sometime wouldn't hurt.
"WAAH!"
I perk up, hearing Kari's wail suddenly. There's a moment of silence, but it turns out just to be a break in her cry. Her screams start up again, and I quickly dry my damp hands on the dishcloth before moving out of the kitchen. I follow her cries into the first room the downstairs hall leads into, the one where I keep some storage, teaching supplies, and current sewing projects. The sliding door is all ready half way open when I arrive. Kari is knelt on the ground, her eyes and cheeks red and wet, her right hand clasped tightly around her left fingers.
"Kari, what happened?" I asked, kneeling beside her.
"I... got... hurt..." She inhales sharply after each word. Her crying starts up again.
"Let me see." I take her two hands in mine.
Reluctantly, she pulls her right hand away and shows her fingers. A cut is formed diagonally across her middle finer, right above the second knuckle. It's not serious, but looks painful enough.
"What happened?" I repeat.
Kari swallows before trying to talk through her sobs. "I... dropped... the... sci...ssors..."
I looked over, seeing my sewing scissors open and laying on the wooden floor. "Kari, you know not to touch those."
She cried more.
I put my hand on her small back and helped her stand up. "Come on, I'll make it all better." I slowly guide her out of the room and into the kitchen, where I pick her up and sit her by the sink, the opposite side of the dishes.
Footsteps trample down the stairs in the living room and within seconds, Eiji is in the doorway. "What happened? Is Kari okay?"
"Yes, she just cut herself on a pair of scissors. She's fine."
Kari's crying is subduing slightly, though she still breaths harshly and hiccups every now and then. I take her left hand and run it under the faucet, pumping the lever a few times to get the flow going.
"Keep your hand here." I instruct, letting go. She holds her hand over the sink while I go to another drawer, finding a clean dishtowel. I wrap it around her hand and squeeze it, applying pressure as well as drying the area off. "Eiji?"
"Hai!" Eiji turned back around. I guess he was about to leave.
"In the room at the start of the hall there are some drawers in the corner. Some bandages are in the second one down. Will you get me a small roll please?"
Eiji doesn't say yes or no, but turns and heads for the room.
"See? It's okay." I rub my thumb over Kari's cheek, wiping up a tear.
"Is it... better yet?" She asks.
"Almost, honey." I inform her. I hold her other hand too, waiting for Eiji's return. The image of my daughter's face suddenly blurs up a bit.
I blink my eyes a few times. My sight was back to normal. "Odd..." I thought. I've always had good eyesight, so I assume a tear washed over my eye or it's just a normal effect.
In a few more moments Eiji is behind me, holding a roll of bandages in front of my face.
"Arigatou." I take the roll and remove the dishcloth. The cut looks much smaller now that the blood has been cleaned up. I unroll a few inches of the bandage and place it over the delicate finger, wrapping it around a few times. The bandage sticks slightly to itself, making it easier to apply. For insurance I tuck in the two small end corners after I rip the piece off.
"There, all better."
Kari brings it up to her face and examines my work. "It's thumping." She says.
I smile. "It will get better." I put my hands under her arms and lower her back down onto the floor. "Don't get into anything for a little while, okay? Keep that dry so it heals faster."
Kari runs off past me and into the living room. "Eiji!" She calls, giggling again. Eiji left again after delivering the bandages.
I pick up the roll and the dishtowel and head back to the hallway where I had just come from. The laundry basket sits in the way, and I drop the soiled towel into it. The clothes Eiji and Kari had on the day before are in there as well. I go into the sewing room and replace the bandages. I decide to get my lessons ready while I'm there. I may be able to postpone laundry until tomorrow.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I sit at the small table at the head of the one room in the Seishun preschool, looking over a note from a parent. To my relief it is good, and several lines are complimentary and praiseful. I had just finished telling the children about a brave lion and a timid mouse, and now they were working on their writing. I had five letters in the Hiragana alphabet on the front wall for them to copy in ink: "ta", "chi", "tsu", "te", and "to". They were all silently working, and the light sound of ink pens scratching against the paper added to a gentle hum in the background. Right after the story I had a problem between Yoru and Kisa, but it was settled now, and the aura of the room was peaceful.
"I appreciate your hard work. Amaya has demonstrated what she has learned at your school a few times for us now..." the words of my letter say. I reach the closing, but the words in front of me suddenly meld together, blurring. I feel a sudden hot sensation surround my eyes and throat.
I put the letter down and shut my eyes, swallowing. The swallowing is a bit difficult. I rub my eyes a bit, and the flesh is hot to the touch. I open them and blink a few times, and my sight is back to normal, though the temperature of that secluded area of skin stays rather warm. I don't think I did anything to make to blood rush to my face, and for a moment I wonder if I may be coming down with a cold.
I cough suddenly, then again to clear my throat. That helped some.
I look over the busy students, noting the usual ones who work a bit faster than their classmates. I get up from my position on the floor and quietly walked between the tables, making sure no one is in need of my assistance.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Ja mata! Arigatou!" I wave to the last parents who retrieve their children from my care. Eiji has arrived all ready, and he holds Kari on his back, running in circles every now and then to keep her entertained.
"C'mon Tokio, let's go." He speaks up.
"I'm coming." I smile. The three of us start down the path we walked so frequently back to our home.
"I'm hungry Tokio, what's for dinner?" Eiji asks.
I think for a moment. I had given it some thought earlier, and I was struggling to remember what I came up with.
"Tokio?"
Ah, I remember. "I was thinking salmon."
"Mmm, I like fish. Can I have Saitou's share? He left today, right?"
That's right. Saitou left back for Kyoto this morning. I had forgotten... I went a good portion of the day without thinking of him, and I find myself a bit glad for that. If things go like usual, I won't start missing him too badly until next week.
"We'll see. I'll send you out to buy the fish, is that all right?" I inquire.
"Sure, but you don't want to come with me?" He bounces Kari up to get a better hold on her.
"I'm afraid not." I reply. "I should get dinner started if I want it done on time, and I think I may be coming down with a cold."
"Mommy's sick?" Kari questions.
I smile. "No, and hopefully it will pass."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I arrive home and give Eiji enough money to buy some fish in the market. I told him to get three nice sized ones. I prepare some rice and leeks as a side dish, and cook to fish outside on skewers in a small fie pit. Eiji ends up eat half of Kari's share, since being only four, she didn't have much room for the whole thing in her stomach. Eiji and Kari are kind enough to help me bring the dishes into the kitchen, and Eiji even dries them for me. I help Kari review some of the lessons we've had this week afterwards while Eiji practices with his brother's outside. He's out there for nearly two hours... his dedication never ceases to amaze me. I get he and Kari into bed, and tell both of them they'll have to take a bath first thing in the morning. After a story for Kari, I blow out the lantern and return to my room.
After a change and lie down in the dark to fall asleep, Saitou springs up suddenly in my mind for the second time that day. Not seeing his form close by is a disappointment, but not something I was becoming used to. If he had stayed longer before returning to his work, I may have cried, but I realize that it was fairly easy to shift back into the mode of thinking I had been in when he had left to bring down Shishio Makoto.
I swallow over the soar feeling materializing in my throat, and fall asleep.
Chapter 8: Ja Mata, Saitou
I feel the blankets under and around me before I open my eyes in the morning. After just a quick moment of scanning, I see Saitou in the near corner, buttoning the front of the shirt to his police uniform, getting ready for work--getting ready, for Kyoto. I realize by instinct as well as by the paleness of the light entering the room that it is early in the morning. The sun must have just recently risen over the mountains.
He's not aware I'm awake. I lay still, not moving. My dark green hair rests under my shoulder and across the pillow, the warm covers secured under my arms. After he's done with the buttons, he adjusts his collar. I notice his katana leaning against a dresser.
"You're leaving?" I ask very quietly, breaking the silence. I know the answer, but I ask anyway. He turns to me, still adjusting his collar.
"Yes, my train leaves this morning." His voice is still so low, so serious. He reaches for one of the gloves on the dresser and slips it onto his left hand.
I'm hesitant to ask my next question, but I do. "Saitou, when... when did you get those injuries?"
He stops before reaching the second glove and looks at me.
I look away. "On your legs... they're not completely healed yet." I somberly explain. After a second I glance back at him, and he watches the top of the dresser, his hand resting on that last glove. The silence settles in again, an eerie one. I know he doesn't want to tell me; he would have by now. I shouldn't have asked, but when I saw them...
"Gomen nasai." I apologize, hating the thick atmosphere. I don't let any more words escape my lips, purely because I don't know what else to say.
"Usui."
The name almost startles me. "Usui?" I repeat. I move, finally, sitting up, my hand keeping the covers over my bare skin.
He goes on. I'm shocked on several different levels on what he tells me, how he tells me. I'm sure he leaves many details out, but I'm sure they're ones I don't want to know. He tells me briefly of Shishio's hide out, of the man named Usui, one of the "pawns." He says rather bluntly that he killed him, not a single drop of emotion coming through at those words. I listen; stare. I'm not surprised that Saitou killed this man; I know of deeper things than that. He also mentions that Shishio himself reopened the wounds. I understand--that must be why they're still visible. He puts the glove on when he's finished, and I hold the blanket closer to me. He reaches for the covered sword and puts it into his belt.
"Arigatou." I breathe, my eyes fixed on the floor again, "...For telling me."
I don't expect him to reply to that comment, and he doesn't. Soon he is fully dressed, ready to leave me. However, before he goes, he walks in long strides over to me and kneels in front of me, lifting my chin up with just one finger. "Ja mata." He says.
"Ja mata." I softly respond. He briefly kisses me before standing up and returning to the dresser.
"Do your best." Besides everything, it is my responsibility as his wife, his confidant, to give him what encouragement I can muster.
Saitou places his cap on and nods. "I'll be back."
I feel my eyes water, but it only glistens them, no tears fall. "Hai."
I watch as he goes out the door, and listen until I can't hear his footsteps at all. I'm not properly dressed to go with him, and he's never let me take him to the station. After a moment, I fall back into my pillow, facing the ceiling. Only one tear falls. It won't hurt too much for the first few days.
I run my fingers over my stomach, entranced by the wooden ceiling. What fascinates me, I don't know. I can fully discern that it's early, and I still can have a couple of hours to sleep, but I can't. I'm not tired now, not anymore, despite the fact that I was up most of the night.
I feel my cheeks warm at that thought.
Finally, after who knows how long, I sit up again, using the support of my hands to push me off the floor. The blankets fall off of me and I put on the same kimono I had on last night. I'll take a bath before Kari and Eiji wake up.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Saturday, Eiji." I saw over a breakfast of miso. "I don't have school that day, and I want to go with you at least one more time before you take the trolley by yourself.
Eiji grins. "Okay, Tokio."
"I'll have to find something to do with Kari." I add.
Kari frowns beside me. "Why can't I come?"
I think for a moment. "Well, I do feel bad asking someone to watch you..." I look over at her, contemplating. "Kari, BEST behavior, and you may come."
Kari claps her hands together. "Yoshi!"
So it seemed that I'd have a couple of days before returning to northwestern Tokyo. I do a few quick math problems in my mind, and if we headed straight to the Kamiya Dojo on the trolley, it would take one half to a full hour. Tokyo certainly is a large city. I also want to learn more about Kaoru. She seems so young to be running a Kendo school. I honestly wouldn't put her past the age of 20.
"Done!" Eiji announces, plopping his chopsticks down beside his bowl. "I'm going to go practice out back, kay Tokio?" He gets up from the table, brushing his hakama pants off. Kari gets excited and spills her small cup of water on the tabletop.
"Chotto matte, Eiji." I ask, holding my hand to him. I put my hand on Kari's shoulder to ensure it's all right, since I know that young children can go into hysterics over small accidents like this. I grab the cloth I used to carry in the iron pot and place it over the spilled water, letting some of the liquid absorb into it. "Eiji, I wanted to talk to you today." Something else spring up in my mind. "Do you have school today?"
"Nah." Eiji assures. "Tomorrow, in the afternoon, but not today. Is that all? Can I go?"
I turn the cloth over and finish cleaning up the water. "Not quite. Who is Kenshin-san?"
Eiji seems impatient, and hesitates to sit down. "I told you all ready."
Kari stands up, apparently losing her appetite for what's left in the bowl. "Can I play?" She questions.
"Hai, Kari, in the house." I answer. "Not fully, Eiji. Where did you meet him?"
"My village, remember?"
"Did he live there?"
He shakes his head, then scratches the back of it. "No, he was passing through. Just traveling. He was with Saitou, me, and the weasel."
"Saitou?" I ask, suddenly more interested. "Saitou knows him? Was he traveling with him?" I know that at one point Saitou was traveling with the Battousai and Kawaji-san, but that's it.
"No, I'm not sure if they really knew each other, but they were both there." He sighs. "Can I go?"
I don't know why he is so impatient with me today, but I nod my consent and he leaves. I put the wet cloth into my bowl and start taking dishes into the kitchen, placing them by the sink. There's a bit of miso left in the pot, and so I take out a clean bowl from the cupboard and put the rest of the soup in there. It's a shame to waste food, and one of the children or I may become hungry during the day outside of our usual meals.
I start my daily routine of washing the dishes; tying my sleeves back, pumping cold water into a plugged sink and scrubbing all the food particles off. I take a used hand towel on a rack by the sink and lie it out on the counter, shaking the dishes off before placing them on it, the bowels and pot upside-down, of course.
A yawn escapes me, and my eyes water just a bit from the after effect. I don't feel very tired, but an afternoon nap sometime wouldn't hurt.
"WAAH!"
I perk up, hearing Kari's wail suddenly. There's a moment of silence, but it turns out just to be a break in her cry. Her screams start up again, and I quickly dry my damp hands on the dishcloth before moving out of the kitchen. I follow her cries into the first room the downstairs hall leads into, the one where I keep some storage, teaching supplies, and current sewing projects. The sliding door is all ready half way open when I arrive. Kari is knelt on the ground, her eyes and cheeks red and wet, her right hand clasped tightly around her left fingers.
"Kari, what happened?" I asked, kneeling beside her.
"I... got... hurt..." She inhales sharply after each word. Her crying starts up again.
"Let me see." I take her two hands in mine.
Reluctantly, she pulls her right hand away and shows her fingers. A cut is formed diagonally across her middle finer, right above the second knuckle. It's not serious, but looks painful enough.
"What happened?" I repeat.
Kari swallows before trying to talk through her sobs. "I... dropped... the... sci...ssors..."
I looked over, seeing my sewing scissors open and laying on the wooden floor. "Kari, you know not to touch those."
She cried more.
I put my hand on her small back and helped her stand up. "Come on, I'll make it all better." I slowly guide her out of the room and into the kitchen, where I pick her up and sit her by the sink, the opposite side of the dishes.
Footsteps trample down the stairs in the living room and within seconds, Eiji is in the doorway. "What happened? Is Kari okay?"
"Yes, she just cut herself on a pair of scissors. She's fine."
Kari's crying is subduing slightly, though she still breaths harshly and hiccups every now and then. I take her left hand and run it under the faucet, pumping the lever a few times to get the flow going.
"Keep your hand here." I instruct, letting go. She holds her hand over the sink while I go to another drawer, finding a clean dishtowel. I wrap it around her hand and squeeze it, applying pressure as well as drying the area off. "Eiji?"
"Hai!" Eiji turned back around. I guess he was about to leave.
"In the room at the start of the hall there are some drawers in the corner. Some bandages are in the second one down. Will you get me a small roll please?"
Eiji doesn't say yes or no, but turns and heads for the room.
"See? It's okay." I rub my thumb over Kari's cheek, wiping up a tear.
"Is it... better yet?" She asks.
"Almost, honey." I inform her. I hold her other hand too, waiting for Eiji's return. The image of my daughter's face suddenly blurs up a bit.
I blink my eyes a few times. My sight was back to normal. "Odd..." I thought. I've always had good eyesight, so I assume a tear washed over my eye or it's just a normal effect.
In a few more moments Eiji is behind me, holding a roll of bandages in front of my face.
"Arigatou." I take the roll and remove the dishcloth. The cut looks much smaller now that the blood has been cleaned up. I unroll a few inches of the bandage and place it over the delicate finger, wrapping it around a few times. The bandage sticks slightly to itself, making it easier to apply. For insurance I tuck in the two small end corners after I rip the piece off.
"There, all better."
Kari brings it up to her face and examines my work. "It's thumping." She says.
I smile. "It will get better." I put my hands under her arms and lower her back down onto the floor. "Don't get into anything for a little while, okay? Keep that dry so it heals faster."
Kari runs off past me and into the living room. "Eiji!" She calls, giggling again. Eiji left again after delivering the bandages.
I pick up the roll and the dishtowel and head back to the hallway where I had just come from. The laundry basket sits in the way, and I drop the soiled towel into it. The clothes Eiji and Kari had on the day before are in there as well. I go into the sewing room and replace the bandages. I decide to get my lessons ready while I'm there. I may be able to postpone laundry until tomorrow.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I sit at the small table at the head of the one room in the Seishun preschool, looking over a note from a parent. To my relief it is good, and several lines are complimentary and praiseful. I had just finished telling the children about a brave lion and a timid mouse, and now they were working on their writing. I had five letters in the Hiragana alphabet on the front wall for them to copy in ink: "ta", "chi", "tsu", "te", and "to". They were all silently working, and the light sound of ink pens scratching against the paper added to a gentle hum in the background. Right after the story I had a problem between Yoru and Kisa, but it was settled now, and the aura of the room was peaceful.
"I appreciate your hard work. Amaya has demonstrated what she has learned at your school a few times for us now..." the words of my letter say. I reach the closing, but the words in front of me suddenly meld together, blurring. I feel a sudden hot sensation surround my eyes and throat.
I put the letter down and shut my eyes, swallowing. The swallowing is a bit difficult. I rub my eyes a bit, and the flesh is hot to the touch. I open them and blink a few times, and my sight is back to normal, though the temperature of that secluded area of skin stays rather warm. I don't think I did anything to make to blood rush to my face, and for a moment I wonder if I may be coming down with a cold.
I cough suddenly, then again to clear my throat. That helped some.
I look over the busy students, noting the usual ones who work a bit faster than their classmates. I get up from my position on the floor and quietly walked between the tables, making sure no one is in need of my assistance.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Ja mata! Arigatou!" I wave to the last parents who retrieve their children from my care. Eiji has arrived all ready, and he holds Kari on his back, running in circles every now and then to keep her entertained.
"C'mon Tokio, let's go." He speaks up.
"I'm coming." I smile. The three of us start down the path we walked so frequently back to our home.
"I'm hungry Tokio, what's for dinner?" Eiji asks.
I think for a moment. I had given it some thought earlier, and I was struggling to remember what I came up with.
"Tokio?"
Ah, I remember. "I was thinking salmon."
"Mmm, I like fish. Can I have Saitou's share? He left today, right?"
That's right. Saitou left back for Kyoto this morning. I had forgotten... I went a good portion of the day without thinking of him, and I find myself a bit glad for that. If things go like usual, I won't start missing him too badly until next week.
"We'll see. I'll send you out to buy the fish, is that all right?" I inquire.
"Sure, but you don't want to come with me?" He bounces Kari up to get a better hold on her.
"I'm afraid not." I reply. "I should get dinner started if I want it done on time, and I think I may be coming down with a cold."
"Mommy's sick?" Kari questions.
I smile. "No, and hopefully it will pass."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I arrive home and give Eiji enough money to buy some fish in the market. I told him to get three nice sized ones. I prepare some rice and leeks as a side dish, and cook to fish outside on skewers in a small fie pit. Eiji ends up eat half of Kari's share, since being only four, she didn't have much room for the whole thing in her stomach. Eiji and Kari are kind enough to help me bring the dishes into the kitchen, and Eiji even dries them for me. I help Kari review some of the lessons we've had this week afterwards while Eiji practices with his brother's outside. He's out there for nearly two hours... his dedication never ceases to amaze me. I get he and Kari into bed, and tell both of them they'll have to take a bath first thing in the morning. After a story for Kari, I blow out the lantern and return to my room.
After a change and lie down in the dark to fall asleep, Saitou springs up suddenly in my mind for the second time that day. Not seeing his form close by is a disappointment, but not something I was becoming used to. If he had stayed longer before returning to his work, I may have cried, but I realize that it was fairly easy to shift back into the mode of thinking I had been in when he had left to bring down Shishio Makoto.
I swallow over the soar feeling materializing in my throat, and fall asleep.