A/N: Yay, update! I'm writing a lot altely, it's a very productive season, how fortuitous.

Ahem, to start off, our lovely people are on their way from Kyoto to Kobe; it's a 14 hours plus change trip to make on foot, so a running horse would take about three hours. These are faster than the average horse, but won't run so they'd take about four hours. Why am I mentioning this? Because I had to do an actually extensive research to find out about these things and wanted to share them with you.

And a small reminder for the timeline: this is still March of 1863, but the month is coming to an end.

Without further ado, please enjoy the latest instalment.

A fine lady...

...and unconventional trips.

Hijikata finished writing his letter, brush left delicately next to the scroll; he interlaced his fingers in front of his mouth and levelled a strict look at the people in front of him. "Do you know why I asked you three to come here today?"

"Is it because we broke-OW?"

Okita turned to Saitou annoyed, demanding an explanation with his eyes; the only explanation he received was an intense look, summarized into "shut up".

"What broke, when?"

"He's exaggerating, per usual; we fixed it." It was Saitou who said it, so Hijikata believed him.

Shinpachi fixed his glasses. "We don't know why you summoned us here Hijikata-san, please explain."

"Matsudaira-sama has given us an important task that should we succeed in, all of our appointment and posts are all but guaranteed." The three men looked at each other excited at the prospect of what was being said but also amazed these three were chosen for it. "It's a very important task, I repeat that you three must carry out successfully no matter what; you shoulder a very big responsibility."

Okita was bursting at the seams! "What is it we must do, Hijikata-san?"

"In two days from now, you must escort Tokio-san to Kobe to visit one of her friends."

Hijikata saw the present unfolding just as he had predicted it yesterday night: Okita cheered, Nagakura turned ten shades of red while Saitou frowned something dreadful, clicking his tongue in displeasure before saying:

"Babysitting huh? Not much of a responsibility…"

"It is when the person is someone like Tokio-chan!"

Hijikata snorted. "Babysitting or not, do this properly and our efforts will not have been for naught; isn't that what we want? If we manage to get it with less trouble than necessary, it can only be good. Though I am not so sure it will be as easy as you'd like; Matsudaira has been on the receiving end of much criticism and many threats lately. If she is so much as recognized, you'll have a difficult time."

He then took a deep breath. "This is a test; do this right and be rewarded; do this wrong and we'll all face seppuku."

Shinpachi broke out in a cold sweat, despite his brave face, but Saitou was ever watchful. "We just have to keep her alive and well; nothing we can't handle," he assured.

"R…right; of course."

"It'll be fun Nagakura-san! Tokio-chan is very nice."

Saito snorted; Hijikata's head immediately turned to him. "What was that?"

"Habit, sorry; it was nothing."

"Saitou," Hijikata sounded something short of desperate as he said the name as a plea "I have already lost all hope on these two…promise me you won't embarrass us to the lady, please."

If only he knew; still, Saitou relished Okita's pout as he complained to his superior "I have a bad reputation for no reason—he's far worse than I am."

"How so?"

"Okita is simply jealous, don't listen to him Hijikata-san; he's only referring to my difficult personality."

"…I don't feel comfortable with you two as a combo alone with Tokio-san, especially unsupervised. You don't count," Hijikata added when Nagakura was about to speak.

"What? Why not?"

"You get tongue-tied simply by being around her; what good are you?" he turned to the other two then. "Please, try not to forget yourselves; you'll be escorting a lady, you need to act appropriately."

"We'll behave," both men lied simultaneously.

"I already regret this."

Alright, Saitou was starting to get annoyed. "Then why did you pick us?" he hoped the edge remained off for the most part.

"I didn't" curiosity gave him their undivided attention "I'd never choose you two for such an assignment. "

"Woohoo; we must have made quite the impression on his lordship!"

Okita wasn't wrong, but Saitou knew Shinpachi had been too quiet for such a good impression; but he clearly remembered Tokio taking an immediate liking to him, as well as how he himself had praised him to her. Did this mean she had this kind of influence on him?

And when Hijikata finally smirked…

"Not his lordship, her ladyship; she personally asked for you. Yes, she was the one who chose, Matsudaira asked her to do it on her own, don't look so shocked. Nagakura was her first pick actually, because Saitou had told her about how strategic you are."

"Indeed; you did tell her that…"

He sounded like a puppy. "Why wouldn't I idiot? It's the truth."

"Yes but…I mean, thank you Saitou-san. I am indebted—"

"I didn't do it to hear thanks or have you feel indebted, don't worry about it."

"—to you."

Saitou ignored him. "Did she tell you why she chose us two?"

"She wanted the most skilled men with the sword; it happened to be you. Said that was the formation that would keep her the safest."

"Smart girl, Tokio-chan!"

"I bet she did it to annoy me." There was a small silence as everyone looked at him curiously—all but Okita who seemed to be gleeful; ah crap, he had said that out loud.

"Why would she want to annoy you? She doesn't know you that well, yet."

"Never mind, Hijikata-san; now if you'll excuse us, Okita" who was laughing like a maniac at his superior's jab at his friend "Nagakura and I will go train, unless you want us for something else."

"No, you are excused."

With a bow each, they left. But while Okita chatted their ears away, Saitou couldn't help the odd feeling at the pit of his stomach. Not only was she important enough to meet them because Matsudaira would like to know her opinion but she was allowed to choose her own escort. The lord not only valued her opinion but also trusted her judgement.

That, for a girl of her age, was impressive. He purposefully ignored the fact he was not that much older than her.

"Just don't embarrass us!" Hijikata's voice was heard from somewhere far away.

Okita tried not to laugh again. "We'll behave…ne Saitou-san?"

"Definitely."

Saitou sighed though. He could already feel the headache creeping up on him; no matter her credentials, this woman would be the death of him one of these days.

.

.

It was a chilly morning, the morning of their departure; maybe it was also because the sun was only now rising, yet they had already arrived at the gates of the Matsudaira compound. They had entered through the gates to the lush garden; it was large and filled with sakura and plum trees, with accompanying shrubbery trimmed to perfection.

They had arrived riding horses Matsudaira-sama had provided them with yesterday, seeing he only wanted the fastest ones to be used for Tokio's journey; yet Kobe wasn't even five hours' worth the trip…that deemed him overprotective, in Saitou's humble opinion. So they had to really make sure she was unhurt or else...and Saitou could finally see what Hijikata went on about.

He sighed.

They had arrived earlier than they were supposed to, thanks to a worrywart named Nagakura, who was the first to jump off of his black stallion's back in one fluid movement…but then proceeded pacing up and down anxious. Okita came next, nothing like his friend; his horse was the strongest one, too carrying Tokio's luggage. Those too were delivered with the horses yesterday; the servant had said all the essentials the lady needed for tomorrow's trip were already in the lady's possession thus she had packed early, not to inconvenience anyone. How thoughtful of her, he had mentally snapped, but still bowed to the man, seeing he was the only one receiving the news. But it had its perks because Saitou got to pick whatever horse he wanted first and he wanted the fastest one. Fast horses are good for manoeuvring but the fastest of the fastest held that extra potential for quick attacks and equally hasty getaways. Should anyone, which was highly unlikely in his opinion, ambush them, he could send the two riders and Tokio away while he stayed back and took care of the problem.

Yes, he had already decided he'd be bringing up the rear, no two ways about it; they could try and challenge his call, he secretly wished, get their bloods pumping a little. Being cooped up in their Headquarters felt nearly suffocating—though the red light district had some of the finest sake and for that he was grateful. He hadn't tried the women himself, as he never really cared for such things all that much, but he also didn't have any taste of battle, so he was agitated, too. The men, himself included, needed to feel like all of their training and putting up with needless formalities would finally pay off; they'd get to patrol Kyoto at least once in their lifetime.

Well, this wasn't patrolling but he did get to do something that broke his routine in some way so maybe he should be thankful she chose him. But then, right on time, the doors of the mansion opened wide and none other than their charge walked out, dressed in a faded, pink kimono, surrounded by overbearing servants…and he immediately made up his mind: he shouldn't be thankful, not at all. Just seeing her put him in a mood.

But what was up with the clothes? And the hair—they weren't elaborate at all. An eyebrow was raised as she approached, dismissing all the servants easily with a reassurance he couldn't bother listening to. And when Nagakura almost prostrated himself in front of her, he resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long trip.

"Good morning Nagakura-san, Okita-san, Saitou-san; allow me to express my thanks for accepting to escort me."

"I wasn't aware we had a choice."

"Saitou-san means it's a pleasure, Tokio-chan!" Okita corrected, always the peacemaker.

"T-Tokio-san…I am honoured to be your guard on this trip;" Nagakura managed to scrape together, despite his colour "we shall all do our best."

She smiled kindly. "The honour is all mine; I have heard great things of your skills so I have high expectations, be warned." She might have laughed in her hand, but Saitou noticed Nagakura panicking internally. "Also, please do not keep any sort of formality with me while we'll be on the road—in fact start from now. I am disguising as a mere servant maid from the main house so call me whatever strikes your fancy."

"That explains the outfit," Saitou commented offhandedly.

But everyone ignored him. "H-…how can I…? I can't be disrespectful enough to…t-to treat you like that."

"Oh, surely you can; take Saitou-san as an example and you'll be fine."

Everyone but Nagakura, who was more nervous and mortified than a woman on her wedding night, smiled or otherwise chuckled. "S-Saitou-san, how can you talk to her like that? Remember what Hijikata-san said!"

"Oh?" Tokio perked up. "What did Hijikata-sama say?"

"What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. Besides, didn't you hear? I'm doing it right."

"I might be laughing," Okita said through chuckles "but if he does find out he'll kill us, so Nagakura-san, make sure you say nothing, okay?"

"I won't! But…aren't you offended Tokio-sama—san! What if you…and with all rights to do so, decided to-?"

"Tokio-chan is very kind! She would never tell on us, would you Tokio-chan?"

She graced everyone with a very lady-like but teasing smile. "I am but a humble servant; I have no say to the ways of swordsmen."

"And there you have it; now let's go already or we'll never make it to Kobe before nightfall."

Even as he redirected the conversation with arrogance, there was a residual feeling of wonder in Saitou's chest. If she so much as wanted, she could have him executed in a heartbeat with all the horrible things he's told her in their short acquaintance, even if they were all said with a sense of humour from his part, at least after their second meeting. Maybe that was why she never reported anything—she too had a mean sense of humour, if her own actions so far are any indication. No matter what or why though, she let him off the hook and that confused him deep down; no fine lady had ever shown such grace to him before if there wasn't something in it for her.

He didn't know what to make of her...and that was deemed dangerous.

None said anything further though; the four of them kept looking at one another expectantly. Saitou sighed. After praising Nagakura for his mind so much, he wanted to let him show off, but he was simply too shy. Fine, he'd say what needed to be said.

"Okita, you take the lead; I'm taking the rear. Nagakura, you take Tokio on the horse with you."

"Hey! No fair—"

"Wh, what?"

"—I wanted to ride with Tokio-chan!"

"You'll drop her in forty minutes flat, idiot."

But Nagakura was still not over the shock of what was proposed to him, so she had to explain. "I am wearing a simple woman's kimono, Nagakura-san; I can't ride on my own. That's why there are only three horses."

That's when his mouth finally shut. "I, uh, see. So I…I have to…hold you?"

"Yes; just that."

Purple was the colour of his entire face, rivalling that of the woman's when she got too ashamed. "Not a big deal, Nagakura, you just have to get her on the horse," Saitou assured, inserting his foot in the stirrup. "Grab her by the waist—"

Nagakura seemed to stop working at that point; Saitou sighed as he took his foot out of the stirrup.

"Alright, get on the horse Nagakura," he wearily suggested, but never raising his voice or showing disapproval "but take a deep breath first." Okita's maniacal laughter was doing nothing to help with the situation by the way. At least Shinpachi managed to take the deep breath. "Now get on your horse. Great. Put your hands down."

Tokio was watching the exchange with an extreme interest and amusement that reached unfathomable levels. This wasn't one of the reasons she chose Nagakura Shinpachi, but she couldn't help but think he was adorably shy; nor could she say she wasn't expecting this kind of behaviour. But she was also amazed at how patient Saitou was with his friend, helping, urging. She had never seen him this nice to anyone, so it was refreshing to know he had this side to him, too.

But then he went ahead and grabbed her by the waist out of the blue and all nice thoughts flew out of the window! "Hey! What are you—eep!" Like she weighed nothing at all, he threw her on the horse, in front of Nagakura. "Saitou!"

"Tokio," he said evenly. He looked at his friend, not addressing her anger. "Now you're ready to go; hold on tight."

But when he gave the horse a small nudge, even after warning them and allowing a moment to pass, they both nearly fell off the horse! Eyes wide, Saitou's one hand grabbed the reins and the other tried to support both people, struggling to keep them straight! But he just told them…! Why was Nagakura-…? He heaved a very deep sigh, not paying attention to anyone's squeaks or apologies or mortification.

"Alright, enough." He was only trying to do his friend a favour, not injure anyone. "Change of formation: Okita you are at the rear; Nagakura is at the front; I take Tokio."

"Alright," Okita grumbled, dissatisfied he wouldn't be getting her once more; all consent Nagakura gave was nodding many more times than appropriate, too embarrassed for nearly dropping her - due to him being too shy to even put his hands around her, the idiot - .

"You're all making my life difficult," Saitou snapped his two friends.

The last thing he wanted was to get stuck with the actual babysitting, dammit. Still, he made the effort to grab her again to get her off the horse...but she looked offended. "What now?"

"I can get off on my own, I don't need you to carry me."

His patience was really being put to the test right now…! But he said nothing still, simply offered his hand. She deigned his help but still wouldn't make the jump and he could snap right there! But didn't. "We don't have all day, hime-sama." She seethed all over at the nickname! He shook his head but saw his chance and took it: while she was too busy looking left and right in her righteous fury, he snatched her!

Grabbing her by the waist again, he carried her around like she was a rag doll! He might not have thrown her over his shoulder but she had the feeling he wasn't too far away from that. Then he put her on the horse – too rough for comfort – and got up behind her.

"Don't manhandle me!"

"Too late, hime-sama."

"And don't call me that." This once, her tone was muted.

"A servant doesn't get to choose what people call her." She gave him a look, but seemed to give in. "Just try to get comfortable. The trip usually takes four hours, but we'll be making it longer." Then his voice rose, obviously talking to the rest. "We'll be riding at a normal pace, but we'll be going through the woods for more cover, as Matsudaira-sama suggested. Don't push the horse too much; we need them to give it their all if there comes a time we need to make a speedy escape. We'll rest only when we see the horses need it…or hime-sama asks for it." She glared; he paid no mind. "Unless there's an emergency, of course. Everyone on board?" they nodded their agreement. "Great. Let's go."

His hands finally came around her, left shoulder on his chest. Wearing a kimono like this, leaving no room for leg movement, it was so restricting! All she could do was try and stay still while the rider kept her in place and when Nagakura-san was supposed to be that rider, she giggled at the thought of the shy man trying to support her. But now, seeing it was Saitou who had to do it, she didn't want to rely on him at all! He might have been funny, but he was very irksome.

And yet, as minutes passed and her back was starting to hurt by sitting up straight yet with an angle – to allow the rider navigate easier – she found herself slanting into his chest. She didn't want to admit it, but goddammit she felt safe! It was all because he was so tall and despite his thin appearance very strong, too and even if the horse encountered an obstacle or a bump in the road, she barely felt it…that, coupled with the fact no one spoke when on horseback – getting a tongue bitten and cut was all too common for fools who decided to be talkative while riding – she was slowly lulled into slumber. Step, step, bump; heartbeat; sun tickling her face pleasantly through foliage...

She fell asleep.

.

She felt a nudge on her shoulder, pulling her out of the amalgamation of darkness, voices and sounds of nature. Everything was too hazy for a moment, but then she heard a soft but teasing "water break, hime-sama, we're getting off," and suddenly she was weightless. It took her a second to realise he was lifting her off the horse and onto the ground—she barely registered it was Saitou. He surprisingly didn't let her fall face first in the pond by which they stopped, kept her steady till her eyes were fully open. When she finally found her bearings, she stretched!

"Mmm," she made sounds instead of forming letters "hmmm."

"You slept well Tokio-chan!"

"I didn't sleep at all," yawning and stretching still "what are you talking about? I was so anxious about this trip, I didn't get a wink of sleep."

"Hahaha, I meant now; if you didn't get any sleep last night, makes sense though."

"Oh yeah," she still couldn't shake off her sleep, yawning as she spoke "it was a very slow ride."

It wasn't, not really, but Okita didn't point it out. "You went out like a light! Aw, I'm jealous; I wanted you to sleep in my arms."

Saitou snorted. "Don't be; she snores."

Well that woke her up alright; in fact, her mouth hang. "I most certainly don't!"

"You are the one sleeping, how would you know?"

There was the colour that surpassed Nagakura's purple. "L-ladies don't snore!"

"When they are tired apparently they do."

"L…let's just go already."

"This is a water break, hime-sama; drink some. It's been two hours, I'm sure you need it."

She nabbed the offered flask right out of his hand...but then gulped down half of it greedily, so her anger lost its ferocity. She wasn't aware how thirsty she really was until she swallowed just after she spoke the last time. And when the water licked her throat, she couldn't stop drinking. It'd been two hours, makes sense but…two hours. And it felt only like a couple of minutes. This journey was already going better than expected.

But after the effort it took to feel insulted and after being properly hydrated, she could feel sleep creeping up to her again. She felt like a toddler with how easy her energy was spent, but there was no time for shame because she swayed badly and thank Buddha Saitou never left her immediate side or she'd have fallen again. She distantly realised her face was buried in his sleeve but didn't bother to do anything about it.

"Let's go…" she mumbled through the fabrics; Okita and Nagakura tried not to laugh at the conflicted look on Saitou's face. Finally, he decided weariness suited him more than modest surprise at the sudden contact with the woman and shook his head.

"What are you waiting for? Let's" she drawled "go; pick me up."

"Oh now you want to be manhandled?"

"You'd do it anyway," a yawn "right?"

"…you asking me somehow pisses me off."

She gave a snide snort, still buried in his sleeve. "Everything pisses you off."

The three men looked at each other disbelieving. Only once they were certain this was happening did Okita speak again. "You're very confrontational when you're sleepy, Tokio-chan!"

"That's because I am fuelled by negative emotions." Her fingers caught the fabric of Saitou's hakama and started pulling. "Come on, let's go..." a yawn "we don't have all day."

"...idiot," she heard and she was weightless again; last thing she felt was her head bumping on his chest after he took the reins.

.

.

The horses came to a stop, lack of movement pulling her out of her nap. She opened her eyes and noticed two things immediately: a man's chest; and there were no other sounds than the horses and the sounds of nature. Something felt wrong with the horses but she couldn't pin point it, as all she could think about was how something was far more off than that. After all, last time they had their break, Okita was cheery and loud; she could feel Nagakura's buzzing presence, too. But now, this buzzing aura felt like it came from all of them. Was it her idea or was Saitou's grip suddenly a little tighter, too?

Her eyes fluttered open then and finally she knew what was wrong with the horses: they sounded more than just three and that was because five men were standing opposite them, forming somewhat of a barrier between them and the road, each atop of their own steed, so eight horses in total. And the men riding them...they looked dangerous.

Her throat felt drier, urge to swallow too great; she was feeling something she hadn't before and it was alarming. Her eyes snapped to Saitou in a second, seeking some reassurance. She thought she found it because his mouth was relaxed, almost a nonchalant expression; his shoulders hadn't squared; his eyes looked a little dull…but she could feel his muscles tighten, ready for a fight. He was only trying to keep up appearances; she resisted the urge to swallow no longer and chose to remain quiet.

Then none other than Nagakura Shinpachi dismounted and she watched him go and stand directly in front of the horse of the man who must have been leading the small party - as he was in the forefront, on the most well-fed and taken care of horse - ; following his example the leader of the strange men dismounted, too and matched his stance…though he was lacking in height, retracting from the effect Nagakura created. Still, he smirked as if he was the one in charge.

"Hello strangers and welcome tah my domain;" his voice had a distinguishable accent while his filthy teeth made for quite the unpleasant sight "I'm Yutaro and these men behind me are just a small fraction of the people who follow me." So bandits? "If ya wanna continue on yer journey, you must pay the toll."

Bandits, all four decided simultaneously.

"These paths belong to the Aizu-han Matsudaira Katamori-sama, protector of Kyoto and we have permission to cross them safely."

"If I say this is my turf then this is my turf, boy; and if ya wanna cross, ya gotta pay the price."

Nagakura inclined his head. "I understand your words but I recognise no authority you purport to have; I shall pay no fee."

The man edged his black beady eyes back, nodding, causing his men to laugh at his expense. "Hear that boys? I purport now!"

She was convinced; they had no idea what it meant. Still, they laughed along with their leader and made fun of Nagakura.

"No matter what yer fancy papers may be tellin' ya, I ain't letting ya through without paying something in return. And mah price just went up," when his eyes looked straight at her, she immediately knew what they wanted was "her."

"You can't have her."

Yutaro took a step too close. "Oh? Who's gonna stop us, glasses boy? You?"

"Him, and me."

Saitou drew the attention of everyone; he dismounted, too, sword on his hip. Nagakura had it there, too but something about him must have struck a chord with the bandits because suddenly Yutaro grew serious while Saitou walked to them with big, certain steps and stood next to Shinpachi.

Her heart beat faster.

Still, Yutaro chose to ignore him, and threatened the bespectacled man again, even if he was obviously a little more nervous than before. Maybe had taken a step back, too. "And if I say I want the girl anyway, what'll ya do? Use that big scary sword o' yours?"

"Leave the girl alone," Saitou advised "for your own good."

"You stay out of it."

Instead, Saitou took a step forward, effectively hiding Nagakura from view. "We started as a party of four and four of us will reach our destination."

"Ya're willing to shed blood because of a wench?"

"Are you?"

The way Saitou clutched at his sword never went unnoticed; he looked like he could use it, too, so Yutaro chose to target someone else and he shot Tokio a very scary look; lust and hate combined and it chilled her to the bone. Saitou though didn't look back at her, simply smirked.

Yutaro clicked his tongue. "Ya're the one who won't give her up."

"You're the one who insists on having her."

"That's mah price, boy. Pay up and I'll let ya all walk away unscathed."

"If I give you the girl to save my life, I might as well give you my sword, too. Here, take it—use it to emasculate me completely why don't you."

"Oh? So the wench's yours, is that why ya don't wanna give 'er up?"

"She doesn't have to be mine to feel the need to spare her from such a fate; I mean look at you. No woman deserves that."

Tokio's heart was beating faster yet, threatening to crush her chest. His shit-talking level was above and beyond; but was that enough?

"Boy," he repeated trough gritted teeth, his hair moving as one from the filth "step aside and give me the wench."

"I'll give these men a new leader, if you don't stop with the girl."

The staring contest began; Yutaro was trying to get in his face, but Saitou remained unmoving, unblinking, simply looking down. Tokio was close to tears.

"You ain't scary just 'cause you're tall, boy."

"I agree. Many things factor in it; height is only one of them. Now I won't say it again; let us through."

Tokio's heart stopped completely. Moment of truth…!

And Yutaro took a step back, head looking down. With a final nod, Saitou waited till Nagakura was on the horse and then purposefully turned-about completely. He took slow steps, as if daring anyone to launch a surprise attack. Then he grabbed the saddle, put his foot in the stirrup and pushed off the ground. Her sigh of relief the moment his hands came around her again didn't go unnoticed. Well, at least she trusted him. As a further statement to these men, he waited at least three seconds after Nagakura made his horse walk and then let one of his hands go from the reins, casually leaving it in the woman's lap. She had to fight with herself not to grab onto it tightly!

Okita followed, all smiles and charm, making the five men all the more uncomfortable. Nagakura was underestimated, Saitou was feared…but Okita was all but forgotten. And when they saw his flair, they realised they made a mistake to discount him by his appearance. They all parted as their three horses walked away.

Once they were a safe distance away, Saitou snatched the reins with both hands and leaned forward, pinning Tokio in place. Even before Nagakura said it, he knew the order that left Nagakura's lips: "Run like hell!" so he gave a good kick to the horse and they all sped up through the forest!

They knew he wasn't lying when he said he had more men; that's why escape was paramount. The only reason they let them pass was because all three of them looked polished but also like knew what they were doing with the sword, so not necessarily rich. And the humble looking woman with them must have been a friend or someone's lover, hence the protectiveness. So those five alone would be slaughtered. But if they regrouped, twenty men had many more chances now right? Twenty against three who also looked out for a woman; piece of cake.

Depending on the others' position, even their haste could be proven useless, but doing nothing would be unacceptable. Plus, even if the rest had a favourable position, without knowing who they were, they probably wouldn't give chase. Anyway, these horses were hailed by Matsudaira-sama as the fastest ones so even if they gave chase, they'd outrun them; the point was to outrun them long enough to put some good distance between them. Then they'd pick up their normal pace and rest for five minutes only after they were certain they lost them.

That was the plan.

And the plan was well executed. Wind hitting their faces, branches too, causing small cuts and bruises developing. Saitou had the added worry of keeping Tokio out of harm's way so he was practically bleeding from many places. Even if he didn't have to shield her, which he did, just by being there, she put him in a weird angle. And yet, he never showed any signs of acknowledging it, or looking discomforted, even as they whipped his face regularly.

They didn't stop running until one of the horses, the one Nagakura was using, started complaining about an hour later. That's when they slowed their pace, slowly coming to a trotting rhythm…

After about ten minutes, Okita stopped his horse completely, looking and listening around. "I think we lost them."

Nagakura nodded "I agree;" and he readily added "let's find some place to water the horses."

It took maybe another ten minutes to find a little pond, just as they had before, to let the horses rest for a little while. The men would communicate with one another with their eyes or gestures, but Tokio…Tokio remained silent even after they found their pond. It wasn't until Saitou offered his hand to her that she showed signs of comprehension. She was a little shy and a little lost though; Saitou didn't blame her. She must have been in this type of situation for the first time ever, so he waited until she decided if she wanted to get off on her own or not.

She took his hand and gave a jump; he figured she'd prefer it, wanting to feel a little empowered after all that happened. He still steadied her. She seemed to appreciate it which almost scared him and an eyebrow was raised in question. "Are you alright?"

"Quite, yes; th…thank you for protecting me."

Nagakura shook his head vehemently, even if she wasn't looking at him. "Please don't thank us!"

"Yeah that's our job Tokio-chan! Isn't this exactly why you picked us?"

"Oh you know about that. Indeed it is…but…this could have gone so much worse and…thank you again."

She was speaking to all but looking at Saitou; he knew it was mostly directed at him because he was the one who effectively stopped the guy, but he felt uncomfortable. She was lingering too much; it really was his job to keep her safe and he made sure he never failed at anything. Plus, she was far too hesitant, didn't sit well with him.

Ah, he knew how to cheer her up. "What, you hoped we wouldn't know you were the one who picked us?"

"No…! Why would I?"

"Because then I wouldn't have to ask you—why pick me of all people?"

She finally smiled. "And go on a four-day's journey with Okita-san without looking at your grumpy face to counter the cuteness?" Okita laughed out loud; even Nagakura smiled. "How could I ever?"

"I think you just enjoy being embarrassed."

"Ah!" She slapped his arm.

"Is this any way to treat the man who just saved you, hime-sama?"

"Never mind," she clicked her tongue "I feel sorry for thinking highly of you even for a minute."

"I don't know about a minute; you were clutching my arm for well over forty five min—!"

"Hajime!"

"—utes back there." Finally, she cracked; she used his first name, the universal sign of having enough. He felt oddly proud. "Yes, Tokio?"

"You're despicable!"

"How strange, maids usually take a liking to me; you even slept in my arms, too."

She covered her face, shoulders shaking from shame but mirth at the same time. "S-stop…this is so inappropriate."

"You bet; I'm married."

She couldn't help it. She started laughing, just like that first night she met them; and just like then Okita's booming laughter escorted hers. No formalities, no hands covering her mouth, her head had fallen back as she shook whole. She knew what he was doing and she truly respected his effort; for the first time, she appreciated his twisted sense of humour, too.

"Ah, forgive me if I seemed forward," she managed to string together through actual tears "I was only trying to stay alive."

"That makes sense."

Nagakura watched the exchange with interest. He didn't know why, but something about this compelled him to put it away for future reference.

.

Turns out, they were ridiculously close to Kobe; their break was deemed unnecessary when they saw that some mere minutes later, they found the exit of the forest and came upon the port-city. Ah, finally, civilisation! She inhaled deeply as the familiar city buzz made it to her ears; she repeated it multiple times, face breaking more and more into a smile.

Saitou looked down at her. "I think you have an addiction."

She looked up at him, making a face.

"So what's the plan now?"

Okita decided to stop the banter from happening because once it started, they could be there forever. And for a person complaining so much about being chosen for this asinine assignment, Saitou sure enjoyed himself, the bastard, while he'd been completely side-lined, even by Nagakura's shyness. But he'd have his revenge on the way back!

"We go to an inn and hime-sama changes into clothes fitting for a fine lady like her; then we take her to her friend."

Accustomed to the nickname by now, she clapped excitedly. "There's a festival here these days! She invited me to come see it; we shall attend today once I get there, one of the reasons I wished we could arrive before the sun set!"

"But we started at six…" Saitou reminded incredulously. He received a questioning look from her. "There's no way we'd arrive later than twelve; it's only Kobe."

"Forgive me, but last time I made this trip it was two years ago and I was in a carriage. Don't expect me to remember much."

"How difficult can it be?"

"The carriage didn't allow for much light to come in and Matsudaira-sama was talking!"

"Your memory is simply weak."

"Stop bickering, you aren't that old yet," Okita practically sighed his words at the sight of them. "And this is only day one."

But Tokio snapped her fingers then. "Ah, I remember an inn I could change in; it's on our way to Sa-chan's house, too!"

"Finally, you're useful."

She ignored him to rub in his face that "not so bad my memory now, is it?"

Okita put his face in his hand, defeated. "What did I just say seconds before? It was literally seconds before."

"I enjoy it," Nagakura whispered to his friend in confidence.

"I'd enjoy it, too if I had any part in it."

.

When all three men stood in front of the inn, as poker faced as possible, watching the people who came and went. Then, they all turned to look at Tokio silently and for the first time, simultaneously accusing her of something. What, she did not know. She conveyed it through a very pointed look.

Oh? She was not getting it? Okita chuckled, finding his humour. "…we can't let you change in here, Tokio-chan."

"Why not?"

Nagakura's cheeks burnt. "Y, you see, this is a place that…charges by the hour."

She was really not getting it. "Yes indeed; and to my understanding, judging from the people coming and going, they must charge very reasonable fees."

"That's because it's a brothel." She whipped her head around so fast, her hair hit her in the face. "If even one of us goes in there, say goodbye to your reputation."

She was appalled. "…but…are you sure-?"

"We are sure," they chorused amused.

"I see…"

"I guess your memory is better than your judgement then," she heard his teasing from her left and she pouted fiercely.

.

.

A/N: End of chapter three!

Hope you enjoyed it and had as much of a good time as I writing this. Leave a review on your way out lovelies~~