A/N: Hello lovely people! Thank you for the reviews, you're very kind and I am happy this received a good welcome. Second chapter is here, and I am very pleased it came out within the week. It was hard to write because I was so. Distracted! By literally everything: work, life, family. But I pulled through within the deadline, yay.

Onto technical stuff, there is more set up than anything in this chapter but I leave it at a place where I hope I have you hooked for more.

Soooo enjoy.

A fine lady...

...and intentional meetings.

"Tokio-sama, Tokio-sama! I just found this in front of the door; it's for you!"

One of the women reserved for serving her rushed in excited, holding a huge white square box in her arms that barely fit there. "It came with two much smaller boxes," she informed giddily "Ochako is bringing them in."

Ochako and Kachako, the twin sisters; both have been employed by the great and merciful Matsudaira-sama from the young age of ten, when their parents passed away. Now, ten years later, they came to be Tokio's favourite people not only because they were the closest to her age but also because they would always smile, they didn't have a single bad bone in their body and wished the best for everyone from the bottom of their hearts.

"I think I know just what these are!"

There came the second one, two boxes stacked on top of one another; one was bound in brown leather, was oblong and small, no more than 10x6; the second one was bigger, around 20x13 centimetres; but all three of them promised many things, seeing even the boxes were carefully selected.

"You do? Tell us then, tell us already!"

These two might have been twins, but they were polar opposites; not only did they not look alike, but their colours were too different: light brown hair and eyes for Ochako, black for Kachako; skin a shade darker for Ochako, ivory white for Kachako. And well, Ochako had taken all the wit of the family. But what was very much the same was their will to please their lady, who they knew loved them dearly…so Tokio's lack of sufficient reaction to the news of the gifts wasn't because it was them who brought them.

Then what was it? Looks of question and suspicion were exchanged between them. But Tokio noticed and tried to rectify the situation. "Yes, what can it be?" she gave a smile but all could tell it was forced. "More importantly who can it be from?"

That was an odd question, both women thought. "Who else can it be from?" Kachako said naturally, but when her pause for effect only seemed to put her mistress on more edge, she panicked.

Her twin saved her. "Matsudaira-sama, of course! Here, this was the note found on top of them, bearing his signature."

Tokio all but snatched it from her hands and greedily read the script: To my wonderful Tokio, who grows better and more beautiful with each passing day; your father and I are very proud, signed…Matsudaira Katamori!

Her sigh of relief and her instant smile gave her away; the two women exchanged other sort of looks that Tokio was far too elated to notice this once. So it was the sender Tokio was concerned about, they realised, but why? Who else could it be from? Despite their curiosity, they never asked, but simply did as instructed with haste when Tokio finally shared their excitement.

"Let's open them, then, quick! Bring them here, come on."

Tokio had a fairly solid clue as to what it could be – one of the reasons she was so worried – so she immediately led the two women next to the screen used for her to change behind. She had an inkling she would need it. She patted the tatami next to the small table that was there, too and the twins made haste to please her, wanting to dispel her awkwardness from before completely. And when they saw her clap in anticipation, they smiled all the wider, as they positioned the boxes in order of size from right to left, bigger to smaller.

"Oooh, which one should I open first?"

"The big one," they chorused!

Anticipation all but bursting at the seams, Tokio carefully removed the lid…to reveal what she feared and then hoped it contained: a beautiful, simple but not really, kimono. The three women gasped n admiration. The colours were so ordinary but somehow so bold! The base was pure white but, as the woman held it up so it could be seen in its entirety, they saw one repeating pattern at the two sleeves and below the waist – maybe hip – of the skirt: light, regular and dark blue hues, even black at the very end, of waves of the sea, as depicted in painting when the tide was high. They were only three but none more were needed, as it created the most amazing contrast.

The obi was wide and consisted of the same colours of the waves sans black while her second collar was light blue and the third white. So wonderful it was, they kept staring at it, the twins actually not daring to touch the cloth.

"Go wear it, Tokio-sama! We'll help you in it!"

She shook her head at Kachako's proposal. "Only after I open the rest of the boxes, too."

Which she immediately did; the second white box contained brand new geta, no doubt to match her brand new garment; but the third one…in it was a wonderful hair pin in the same bold blue colour, easily the envy of any geisha, despite its simplicity and the single chain of blue orchids that hang from it. "Aww, this hair pin will go perfectly with the new kimono!"

"Indeed! These are so…exquisite. I don't feel I should wear these, I'm not pretty enough!"

"Hogwash!" Ochako snapped, urging her to stand; once she did, both twins ushered her behind the screen and started undressing her without delay! Layers fell and others were reapplied in quick succession. So happy were the girls to help her in such pretty clothes, she didn't have to do anything, didn't even manage to look at the right direction as they grabbed hands and waist and tugged on fabric.

"It's not furisode though," Ochako commented off-handed once the kimono was secured.

"It could be," Kachako countered.

"The sleeves barely reach her knee."

"That's long."

"Not as long as the floor."

"Not all furisode go so long!"

"Nowadays they do…"

"No they don't."

"Who cares?" Tokio interrupted, looking at herself with a stupid smile. "It's still the prettiest thing I have ever worn."

The twins exchanged a happy smile. "You look very beautiful, Tokio-sama."

"And if you let me powder your face as I want to-!"

"Don't listen to Kachako, Tokio-sama; you need no powders."

A shy smile and a deep appreciation was shared between the two of them, until a knock on the door interrupted them. She stepped out from behind the screen. "Yes?"

"May I come in Tokio-sama?"

"Of course."

One of the men in the service of Matsudaira-sama appeared, one of the older ones; his name was Keisuke and his hair already grey. "Matsudaira-sama-…oh, I see you're wearing the kimono already. Does the young lady like it?"

"I love it!"

"That's very fortunate. Now, Matsudaira-sama has requested your presence."

"Oh; I'll change and go to him!"

"No, you don't have to; in fact, Matsudaira-sama would love to see you wearing his gift. But if the young lady doesn't mind, please keep it a secret I told you; Matsudaira-sama is very self-conscious about giving this present and would never ask you to wear it."

"Oh, no, of course; I shan't, my lips are sealed." She smiled; but once more, just like when she had first received the gift, a shadow seemed to spread on her face. "Did Matsudaira-sama inform you why my presence is needed?"

"Yes indeed; Hijikata-sama shall be introducing some of his chosen men to him and he would like you to meet them, too."

Her suspicions dispelled in a second, her chest puffed up with enthusiasm! "That is wonderful; I would be delighted! I'm coming right away!"

"Tokio-sama, Tokio-sama; don't forget you hair pin!" Kachako rushed to put it to her hair; both twins watched as their lady posed to get their opinion. "I knew the pin would go perfectly with the kimono; what wise choices our lord made…! Wear your new geta, too."

Tokio giggled as she obliged them. "Am I allowed go now?"

"You are," they chorused satisfied.

They all bowed to each other and the old man with the woman left the twins back. As they walked to their destination, Keisuke informed him of the details of the meeting; no more than fifteen men, all very proper so she shouldn't encounter any problems, she was to meet them just as Matsudaira-sama had and after it was over, she was to give the lord her personal individual and group assessment. She couldn't help but feel she was tasked with a test, rather than a job; maybe Matsudaira-sama wanted to see how good a judge of character she was, how much her opinion should be trusted for future reference.

With that in mind, she felt all the more determined to take this responsibility upon herself, straightening her back even more, ready to be tried. After almost twenty minutes of walking the halls – which would have been cut in half had she not chosen to wear her gifts – Keisuke motioned for her to wait five steps behind him, as he stood behind the door that led to where everyone was. As the sun was still high, light came in and out of the room and rice paper walls were too thin to conceal the multiple presences; she could see many men standing in groups of three or four or two discussing between them, fidgeting moves of their heads towards one single direction.

Where Matsudaira-sama stood no doubt, in the company of two other men. And it just so happened that direction was also the one leading at the door.

Keisuke slid the door open but a crack to make himself known; his lord must have given him a non-verbal cue then for the man bowed his head, opened the door fully and gestured to Tokio to move. Now that the door was open, she could clearly see her lord standing in the middle of a small group of his own, surrounded by Kondou-sama, Hijikata-sama and Serizawa-sama. She took heart at the familiar faces, taking a deep breath, and only moved forward when she heard the lord announce her to the rest:

"I would like all of you" he didn't even have to clear his throat to garner their attention "to meet one of the most loyal and capable people I have under my protection: this is Takagi Tokio."

Only then did she walk into the room; head inclined, eyes properly lowered she was the picture-perfect fine lady. Though her curiosity was eating at her, she dared not look at the rest of the men before she bowed deeply to the man who introduced her and the men next to him. But even without looking at them, she could feel all of their gazes trained on her; it was a first and she had to fight herself not to look.

Only after she greeted each and every one of them did she allow her eyes to wander to the rest of the people in the room…an endeavour that stopped too soon as the lord continued: "Keep in mind that she may be the eldest daughter of one of my dearest friends but I cherish her as if she were my own," he threw caution to the wind, causing her to blush uncontrollably as she looked back at him and many people to stare even harder.

Then a small smirk on the lord's lips. "But please don't crowd her," he supplied with humour, noticing a massive effort to come close to her; she suppressed the giggle successfully.

"How refreshing to have you with us again," Serizawa Kamo began nonchalantly, a tone that complimented his image of the youngest child of a good family but self-made man "a beautiful presence always lightens the mood."

She inclined her head respectfully, despite her indignation people would always resort to her beauty for compliments. Not to mention he unabashedly practically called her a distraction.

"Tokio-sama," Hijikata and Kondou greeted simultaneously, and she returned the gesture with readiness.

"It is a pleasure to have you in our company this evening."

"Indeed! And you look very striking! What a beautiful kimono," Kondou complimented with a wide smile. "It's very unusual but visually appealing."

"Thank you! I think so, too; it's already becoming my most favourite one." She discretely watched how the lord next to her reacted to the news; at his slightly red cheeks but pride written all over his face, she decided to reveal the truth. She leaned in as if to share a secret and all four obliged her. "Did you know? It is my lord's gift, this garment." Her eyes flickered from them to Matsudaira, who was now scarlet red. Well, he was only ten years older than Tokio, despite his grand position. "He does have an eye for beauty, after all."

"W—well, me, Saku…Toshihiko…" The men laughed. "Anyway, I believe it is best to leave Tokio on her own now so that some of the men who don't know her dare to approach. I fear my presence might be putting them off."

"Nonsense! Why would your presence be putting them off? And if they are so scared, then maybe it's for the best they don't come at all." Just as everyone was about to say something defensive to what Serizawa had stated, if one judged from their expressions and posture, the man continued. "Ah, there's Hirayama Gorou, approaching us already."

A man taller than Kondou but shorter than Hijikata, no older than twenty three, was seen entering the circle they had created. He had something quite brazen in his air and manner of walking, no wonder Serizawa Kamo had taken a liking to him. Serizawa's reputation was nothing short of brashness and arrogance after all.

"Tokio-sama," he gave a deep bow; she mimicked him "it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine," she politely replied.

…and then there was a spell of awkward silence. Why was no one saying anything? Were they expecting her to do it? As she looked around, she noticed most men looking at the new arrival but said new arrival was staring at her, scanning her from head to toe.

Alright, she thought offended, not very talkative. She'd have to make the first move here, too. "So how do you find your post so far, Hirayama-san?"

"Ah, it's quite to my liking; the men are decent, I guess" — he called decent the men he has spent at least half a year with? That wasn't very polite – "and my tutelage under Serizawa-sama has been the most rewarding experience. I've learnt a lot about the sword and the world. I enjoy my stay here at Kyoto, too, it's very scenic."

"I see." Who calls the capital scenic? And how convenient he only praised Serizawa out of the three men of the Roshigumi present…no wonder Hijikata had that look on his face. "I am happy you enjoy the capital." She turned to the other men then. "I was thinking of taking a turn about the room now, allow the rest of the men to come talk to me. Would you like to accompany me, Hirayama-san?"

"Ah, no thanks."

She stared, trying to hide her surprise. Did he just flatly reject her!?

"I would prefer to stay here and talk with Matsudaira-sama and Serizawa-sama."

With such audacity, too…! While he ignored two of the three commanders. He was very impolite; Tokio decided she disliked this man. Resolute, but making any effort possible not to appear offended, she left the men to their vices.

Just as she separated from the group, though Hijikata ran after her. "Tokio-sama-"

"Please, call me Tokio-san, Hijikata-sama; no matter the formalities, a man of your status and age referring to me in such a way is…empty. If you feel it might damage your image to Matsudaira-sama, I assure you he shall know it was me who requested it. Or, you can call me that only when he's present," she added as an afterthought.

The man seemed taken aback by her suggestion, but nonetheless accepted it with pleasure, maybe a little bit of respect for the girl. "Then, Tokio-san, please don't misunderstand; that man was selected by Serizawa, as well as the man at the right corner at the back, named Saeki Matasaburou. Neither I nor Kondou-san would have ever brought such people to meet his lordship."

Her smile was instant and knowing. The man must have been as mortified as her to hear this Hirayama talk like that and then dismissing her with such insolence; her nod was one of understanding. "I know, Hijikata-sama; you are extremely mindful of such things. Your good reputation would not be sullied by Serizawa-sama's thoughtless picks."

A small smirk threatened to break out on the man's face. "Still, this room is full of my own picks so I am fairly certain you will enjoy yourself. Now I shall leave you, too; I fear Matsudaira-sama had been too accurate in his prediction that our presence scares the men off of you. After all, speaking to a high ranking official is nearly as frightening to a young man as speaking to a woman of your standing; or a woman in general."

She giggled, hand covering her mouth all proper, but she just barely remembered to do it. "Women aren't that difficult to talk to. And how different can it be from talking to a man?"

"Allow me to disagree, Tokio-san."

He left her with a final bow and ultimately she was free to walk about this room…and take a look around. Being free to do as she liked, she did the one thing she had wanted to do since they informed her Hijikata-sama had picked out the men: see if she would encounter three familiar faces…

It wasn't hard to spot them, of course. Having the tallest one in their group, like a beacon, her eyes were drawn to them almost involuntarily. For the very first time she saw them with normal, if a little formal, clothes; they had chosen very discreet hues of blues, blacks and greys and – for the daring short man – some yellow. But they weren't three; they were four. A bespectacled man, Harada's height approximately, was standing between Saitou and Okita, his unusually short hair still long enough to reach the nape of his neck, in all their fluffy glory. He matched Okita's personality and colours more than anyone else's in the room, too. There was a calm demeanour about him that caught her eye…but it was Okita's wink that held her gaze.

She acknowledged him with a secret smile and then redirected her gaze to the overly-excited Harada – who had to be whacked by Saitou as not to betray he knew her – and finally to the tallest man of the room himself, whose amber eyes shut but a second, at the same time he inclined his head in recognition. She did the same. She also interpreted it as an invitation so she stopped her feet, in an effort to head towards them, but the very moment she remained immobile even for a second, men came flying out of all directions, overwhelming her immediately!

So much for Matsudaira-sama asking them not to crowd her…! And yet, she'd prefer twenty of them talking at the same time than even one of that Hirayama guy from earlier. At least these people were polite.

.

She sighed; it had been at least an hour since she'd arrived to this affair but she felt she had been standing there talking to people for days! Her new geta were hurting her feet a little, too plus there was the problem that the twins were too concerned with how well the kimono should look on her and wrapped it a bit tighter than necessary. She tried to loosen it without anyone noticing but with so many pair of eyes, she knew someone was always watching…!

Suddenly, she felt a shadow towering over her, caught in the rays of the setting sun; she knew who it was before turning just because she had to look up. He was standing directly next to her, too leaving no room for anyone to come closer. But he still looked across from him, instead of her.

For a moment, there was silence; and then—

"Almost didn't recognise you without a bathrobe and wet hair."

Something incredible happened: she managed to appear offended, incredulous and entertained at the same time! A giggle disguised as a hiccup escaped her and she covered her mouth mortified people could have—no, scratch that, definitely saw her do it. "Saitou-san!" she hissed, mirth threatening to emerge at any moment. "That's such an improper" a chuckle was shamefully released "thing to say, in front of so many people, no less." Her face was – trying to be – a mask of indignation and rebuke but cracks of a smile kept messing up her façade. "Please be more thoughtful of who might be listening."

She too looked away from him.

"You're still smiling though."

"No, I'm—" She stopped and took a deep; she centred herself and wiped the smile off of her face. "—I'm not smiling."

"…anymore."

"Alright, I admit, it was funny. But simply because something is entertaining does not mean it isn't also improper."

"…fair enough. Though, you aren't one to teach about impropriety when" — her warning "Saitou-san…!" went unaddressed as he continued, but now with his smirk a little more pronounced — "you never introduced yourself despite meeting us three times, Takagi Tokio-san."

She was surprised; she hadn't expected the conversation to go down that road, apparent to the man who now lorded over her amused. Her cheeks then turned that shade of red that had him convinced there was something wrong with her body temperature, as she realised he was actually right! Three times she met these men, four this one in particular, but never shared her name with them.

She bent so low in her apology, she was almost horizontal to the floor. "H-how foolish of me, I thought I had introduced myself! I'm very sorry, please forgive me."

Just as he was about to tease her some more – and undoubtedly find some new shades of purple for her to exhibit – Okita came in with gusto! "Don't bow so deeply because of him Tokio-chan! He ju—" He immediately received a hit at the back of his head. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Aren't you referring to her a little too casually?" Okita pouted. "You heard what Matsudaira said about her…like a daughter."

"Yes, I did," he grumbled but never lost his cheer "but she's younger and she's a girl! She's very cute, too, so I can't help it."

Saitou had to roll his eyes at that. "If anyone hears you calling her that you'll be in trouble."

"Someone already did," Harada commented, entering the conversation just then, nodding to somewhere behind them; they all turned to see Hijikata glare at him, caught mid-motion. He smiled innocently, but the man's glare didn't abate—if anything it intensified as he stomped towards them.

She thought fast.

"But I insist you must call me Tokio-chan, Okita-san;" her voice louder than usual "I won't take no for an answer, please," she said, all airs and formality, nose upturned.

"Aw, Tokio-chan is so nice!"

"Don't cover for this buffoon," Hijikata said distastefully just when he reached them. "He needs no more coddling or he'll be incorrigible soon enough."

She graced everyone with a modest smile. "I do enjoy being called that; it sounds cute and age-appropriate…"

The older man sighed, frown lines already permanent on his face. "Suit yourself, Tokio-san. But you, you are coming with me." He grabbed Okita's collar; surprisingly, he did the same with Harada. "You, too—you'll probably embarrass yourself."

"But I didn't even get to formally intro-!"

But Hijikata just walked away, dragging the two men away. None dared to oppose him, as the man was famous for his strong hand, which he readily employed when his men were concerned. Come and gone like a whirlwind, Tokio remained to look after him stunned.

"Hijikata-sama is very absolute."

"You haven't seen the half of it." At her inquiring stare, he snorted. "We're being threatened with seppuku everyday even if Hijikata himself doesn't believe we deserve it. He says it so often it has become an inside a joke by now."

She didn't know if she should laugh at the nonchalance he said it with or feel concerned about the easiness Hijikata seemed to have at threatening to kill people by their own hand.

"Still, Hijikata-sama has good instincts; in fact, he confidently announced to me that no man in this room would be nearly as uncouth as Hirayama-san." Just at the mention of the name Saitou's face twisted like he tasted something sour. "So you must understand how much it surprised me to see you here of all people, Saitou-san."

He finally turned to look at her properly, amazement dawning on his features. Had she just said that to him? She was even smiling like she had just told him about what a nice weather they were having! That was too sharp of a tongue for a woman of her age…! And yet, the admiration he had felt that first night at the hot springs was there, too; she really didn't eat her words and that he came to know the hard way was a very good quality in a "fine lady" such as herself.

He would not be defeated though; he looked away in an effort to look superior as a smirk formed.

"Am I to assume you were disappointed by my appearance because you came looking for a husband?" To her obvious question, he answered immediately. "You came in here wearing the most eye-catching kimono you could find. We are but simple swordsmen; a simple kimono would have worked the same."

Leave it to this man to make her feel self-conscious for wearing something beautiful! She felt heat rise to her cheeks and something as dreadful as self-doubt seeping into her mind. As if it wasn't enough she had thoughts like these on her own—am I too dressed up for such an affair? Will I be seen as a self-centred young woman of little care for the on goings on the land? Why did he have to make his comment like this?

"Why would I—, this is…I would never—! I mean, there's…what…I…" She took a deep breath, to gather her thoughts; she hated how she reacted exactly as Saitou had planned, if his smirk was any indication. "What's wrong with my kimono anyway?" she murmured in the end, shy. "You don't like it?"

"It isn't a matter of taste…but isn't it a bit much? You look like an ornament."

Her confidence plummeted while her heat rose to dangerous levels; she felt not only overdressed, but also like a tease. "I didn't know I'd be coming here when I wore it…" she admitted, eyes downcast.

"What do you mean?"

"The girls found three boxes out of my room, gifts from Matsudaira-sama; as soon as I realised what was in them, I had to try them on…and then Keisuke-san came and asked me to accompany him here, where Hijikata-sama presented you to our lord."

"So he had to bribe you into coming here; interesting."

She found her smile again and gave him one to match his wide smirk. "He thought he had to bribe me to come here; I would have anyway. I simply wanted to show him I liked his presents…"

Plural? "What else is-…?" She was looking down so he had to follow her eyes; they landed on her geta; he rolled his eyes. "Really now? You don't have enough of those? I bet you have an army of geta already."

She chuckled, as she said "no, I didn't mean the footwear; I mean, yes, alright, he gave me those, too but I wasn't pointing that out."

Her eyes went to the upper right edges, head tilting that way, too…and finally realisation hit him. He had no trouble spotting the hair pin this once, as he had full view of her head, due to his height. He snorted then; she pouted.

"How lavish."

"I know, I know…you do not approve of such splurges, especially on unnecessary things such as gifts."

"Indeed." But that's when she clicked her tongue in the most dissatisfied way and he had to look at her to see her disappointed expression. "What?"

"That is not what you're supposed to say!"

"Excuse me?"

"You're supposed to say indeed but then add" she cleared her throat "but every once or twice it's good to splurge on loved ones—like your wife!"

His mind came to a screeching halt. Oh; right. He was married.

As if reading his mind, she scoffed! "That poor woman; you'd go back to her after such a long time and not even a flower, never mind a jewel! Not even a small trinket, as a token of your thoughts about her." That's because whenever he remembered her, he did his best to forget her. "And you are not even denying it…"

He cleared his throat. "My wife needs no material proof of my affections for her," seeing they are non-existent "thus my buying her a gift would only be superfluous." And he ran the risk of her actually warming up to her, even a little bit, he couldn't have that.

"That's just fancy talk of you being cheap."

Damn, she saw right through that. "No fancy talk from a humble swordsman."

"Very humble, to be sure…"

"Speaking of humble, see the man who lurks right there, behind Okita and Harada who are currently glaring at me?" She nodded yes immediately; it was the mystery man from before! She only just realised she was never approached by him. "His name is Nagakura Shinpachi; he is one of the brightest, and also apparently shiest men of our entire company, all groups included."

She seemed impressed; she knew there were many men in the entire company, while she was also aware she was speaking to a man who had a good opinion of himself. For him to speak so highly of another person was an honour.

"I would like to meet him, if he doesn't run for cover as I get there." They shared a quiet chuckle as Saitou begun walking towards the bespectacled man. "Is he your friend?"

"You could say that…but why would you ask that?"

"I saw you all four huddled together; you don't strike me as a very sociable character" he gave her a look but she ignored it "so you wouldn't tolerate people you didn't like unless they outranked you and since the certain people don't, I figured you were at least on friendly terms."

"I am very sociable," he countered.

"As sociable as a cactus," she replied and now they were close enough for the rest to hear.

Okita immediately perked up. "Who is? As sociable as a cactus?"

She smiled politely. "Saitou-san, of course."

Laughter broke out, as easy as ever on Okita's lips, urging Harada to do the follow suit, but at the same time, it drew everyone's attention. She lowered her eyes to the ground in an effort to control her own mirth as all eyes were now on them and she noticed with annoyance Saitou had managed to keep his mouth a straight line. But just as the shy man seemed to be comfortable enough to speak, Hijikata came in and grabbed Okita again.

"What did I tell you? Both of you! Don't stand around her, you're nothing but trouble."

"Why does Saitou-san get to stay though? It's no fair!"

"Yeah, no fair!" Harada jumped right in.

"Saitou doesn't laugh like a maniac and knows not to embarrass the lady."

How could the man know the truth? And when Okita snorted for the very same reason, Hijikata smacked him as he kept dragging him away! Poor Okita. When all was said and done though, Nagakura Shinpachi was left without the two men hiding him and now he was feeling exposed.

This once, Saitou took the high road and decided to make the man's life easy. "This is Takagi Tokio;" he bowed "this is Nagakura Shinpachi." She bowed. "He has the gift of strategy; he even won a mock battle against Hijikata, once."

"Only once, though," he finally spoke, cheeks red and eyes looking down. Aw, he was so cute!

She smiled. "Have you held many?"

"We have one every week ever since we all became one unit," Saitou answered after almost an entire minute in Shinpachi's stead, who was now beet red by the woman's scrutiny. Even if he looked older – and probably was – he was far more introverted than Saitou, it was adorable!

"That is quite interesting; but don't lose heart, Nagakura-san! They say you may lose a battle, but not the war, yes? So try and win in the long run."

"Y-yes, Tokio-sama."

"No need to be so formal; Tokio-san is just fine."

"A-as you wish, Tokio-sama…san! I meant, Tokio-san!" Mortified by his own mistake, his eyes became wide as his hands flayed about!

"That's quite alright, Nagakura-san, do not make it bigger in your mind—"

But the man became even more embarrassed and he couldn't stand it; shaking off his glasses by accident as he gave a deep bow, more embarrassed than ever, he picked them up and fled to Okita and Harada in a second!

"—than it is." Tokio watched his retreat a little sad. "Aw, I made him nervous."

"I told you; simple swordsmen, simple dress."

"And I explained—!"

"You mean you flaunted how much Matsudaira-sama worships you, alright." Her lips pursed. "And he's coming here right now, so better be on your best behaviour."

Her eyebrows shot high. "I don't believe you." But there came his bow to blow holes in her words and she had to look back to see the lord approaching them. She hastily turned fully around and bowed, too.

"Matsudaira-sama," the two of them chorused.

"I see you two are getting along well."

"Oh?" Tokio's lips tugged upwards. "And how does my lord know we are getting along well?"

A knowing smile graced his own features. "I have been watching your interactions with the men so far and I believe this is the longest you spent talking to one."

Her cheeks reddened, but her smile grew wider; it was so ego-stroking to know he had been keeping an eye out—and she got to throw it in Saitou's face, too. "You know me too well."

"Indeed; but I do not know Saitou-san as well so I have to inquire about things on his end as well."

Oh no, he gave Saitou authority over her; her eyes snapped to his in a panic, pleading, as discretely as she could! He tried to wipe the smirk off his face—it wouldn't do to appear arrogant to the man. "Your protégé keeps pleasant company, Matsudaira-sama," was all he said.

"Excellent!"

"Excellent?" Tokio echoed. "Are you planning something, my lord?"

"How astute of you, Tokio. Saitou-san, if you'll excuse us, I would like to—"

"I shall leave you alone to talk."

"Smart man this Saitou," Matsudaira commented as he watched him walk briskly to his friends – who immediately accosted him with questions – "he shall have a bright future in this unit."

"Indeed." Too smart, if anyone asked her; and too much of a warped sense of humour.

"Now, my dear Tokio, you know I absolutely trust you and your decisions; and you know I never go back on my word."

Something about this felt a little off. "Yes, my lord." It was suspicious he'd start any speech like that, especially when she saw him rub his nose. It was a tell.

"And you know I want you here to keep a record of these men and your first impressions of them; you always had a good eye for people, since you were a child."

She couldn't help the smile. "Thank you my lord."

"But I would like you inform you this is not the only reason I requested your presence here, today." Oh no. "You might remember that your trip to Kobe, to visit your good friend is fast approaching." Ah dammit, she knew it; she knew there was a catch! This is what the kimono was for, not the meeting. "I promised I would let you do it without guards, to keep a low profile, but…Kobe is too far away for that, yes?"

"But, Matsudaira-sama-!"

"I know what you're going to say, I know. But I wouldn't be able to face your father if anything happened to you; yet I also made you a promise. So now I have to compromise: instead of my own guards I offer you the chance to choose three people from the men in this room to accompany you there." Her eyes became wider; that also meant her protests died down and her brow relaxed, so Matsudaira felt confident to keep talking. "That way not only do you put my heart and mind at ease, but also help these men prove their worth and speed up the process of whatever is to happen."

She took a deep breath…but deflated. If she refused or protested now, she would only appear petulant and petty; she wanted these men to advance, also and he knew it, so he was playing dirty. Not to mention Saitou's guilt-trip about the kimono came back in full power, causing her to almost choke on her words.

"…I see. Can I ask for an audience with Hijikata-sama before I make my decision? I would like to verify some things I heard today."

"That's my Tokio! Of course you can, my dear; let's get you there and don't worry, I'll let you two converse on your own, I won't affect your decision."

.

"Hijikata-sama, is it true Nagakura Shinpachi defeated you in a mock battle, even just that one time?"

The man looked surprised, but not offended. "It is; did he tell you about that?"

"Ah, no; he was far too shy." Hijikata seemed to relax at that revelation. "Saitou-san mentioned it and I wanted to make certain."

"I see; he doesn't look like it, but Nagakura is exceptionally smart. His power of observation is also a gift, too sharp. He has a strategic mind indeed." She nodded. "Saitou doesn't look like it, too but he's very supportive…of the ones he considers worthy at least." She couldn't help the expression that took over her face. "But I see you already know all about that, so allow me to inform you he is an extremely skilled swordsman, too; Okita is considered the best one of course, but sometimes I can't choose between them. Both learn too fast, but Okita can retain more information; but Saitou is relentless."

She'd bet! If she were a lesser woman, she would have snorted. "I see; then I have made up my mind. I shall call Matsudaira-sama—"

"He's already here," the man himself said over her shoulder, causing her to jump!

"My lord," she said with a hand over her heart "I have decided. The three men I want to accompany me on this journey, due to merit and recommendation are Nagakura Shinpachi, Okita Souji and Saitou Hajime. Nagakura-san is said to be the smartest while the other two have exceptional skill with the sword, unmatched by the rest, as Hijikata-san informed me. I believe I shall be the safest in these people's company."

Her motives really were pure, but she couldn't help thinking it: if she managed to torment Saitou in the process, it would be a small victory.

A/N: Saku and Toshihiko wee two of Matsudaira's concubines. If I recall correctly, Toshihiko was a member of the Tokugawa family - aka the shogun's family - so you can understand Matsudaira was quite the big player, what with him being lord of Aizu and not a year ago given the title of Protector of Kyoto. In fact, he became lord of Aizu at the very young age of 16, in 1852. Matsudaira was so awesome...!

Anyway, history over! Is it a satisfying ending, what do you think? Hmmm...? Ha ha, don't hate me till the next instalment. Leave a review on your way out. Kisses!