A/N: Heeeeey! How's it been? The previous week was too productive, so you're getting a double update, Part One and Two coming out at the same time! The only reason for splitting them up is the size, I didn't want one humongous chapter, so I said screw it, edit only the essentials and make it into two!
So here it is, have at it. The next one will be coming shortly.
Timeline: late March, 1863.
A fine lady...
...and aggressive men. Part One
"Tokio-chan, it's so good to see you again!"
"My dear Sa-chan!"
The two young women rushed to bow and then hug one another, as etiquette dictated, although it was done with more enthusiasm than predicted, showing true affection behind the formalities. Of course, Tokio had to be helped down from the horse she was riding alone, both Saitou and Okita offering hands so that she'd gracefully land on her feet. Her hair were in a messy ponytail, black spilling here and there, but that was the only tell-tail sign she'd been on the road; her faded plain pink kimono was replaced with an impressive vivid pink and blue one, with designs of plum blossoms in white. The bow on her back was perfect.
Her impressive friend, easily reaching Nagakura's height, had her hair made up in an elaborate style, hair pin shining in the light the same red as her own kimono. Her geta clicked on the stone floor as she reached the younger woman and wrapped her hands around her.
"I'm so excited you made it in time for the festival! Tomorrow is the last day and I'd hate to see you miss it."
"I was worried about that myself; Matsudaira-sama kept me longer than I'd expected. But he did give me the fastest horses to make up for lost time."
Linking hands as ladies do, they started walking inside; Saitou already knew something like this would happen, so he had immediately taken the rest of her few luggage off the horse. Without a word, all three men followed her inside. Sa-chan noticed.
"I see Matsudaira-sama is far kinder to you than my father is to me; look at those guards of yours—not one over thirty. In fact, I believe hardly any of them exceed twenty five. And they are all very pleasant to look at…"
She was eyeing all three with shrewdness and greed; Tokio felt a little annoyed at that. "They were chosen for their capabilities, not their outward appearance."
Sa-chan laughed. "So only Kyoto breeds capable men under thirty?" She waved her hand. "Please! My father simply enjoys seeing me suffer in the company of old men."
Her own guards where standing somewhere there, but she paid no heed to lower her voice; Tokio thought that was rude. Especially when they did so much in order to keep her safe. "Thirty isn't that old, to be sure?"
"It is if you're nineteen! My own husband is pushing thirty two, how boring."
"Y-your husband? You've gotten married!?"
"Ah, yes; two months ago. It was very hush-hush, happened in the blink of an eye."
"Why didn't you invite me anyway? I'd come even if you sent it Monday and the wedding was on Tuesday! And why are you still leaving with your parents then?"
"Aw, you're so sweet Tokio-chan. I just didn't want to alarm you, make you think I was forced into it." Tokio gave her a look. "No, I really wasn't; he was my choice…"
Then why would you call him boring, all of them thought? But Saitou knew exactly why. Much like Yaso, this woman had committed some indiscretion and a summary wedding, to a man who had something to hide or gain, was advised…and then promptly executed. Heh; Kobe, Kyoto or Edo, nothing changed much.
"As to why I'm here, my husband is a merchant; he may be boring, but he makes good money! But since he's always away, I asked him to move in here, at least until he stopped travelling. He said yes immediately."
"How kind of him."
And despite Sa-chan's weak excuses, Tokio was graceful enough not to ask anything further.
.
.
Lunch was a quiet affair; it was only the two women, seeing her parents were away for some reason or another—visiting relatives, Sa-chan had informed, but Saitou didn't know if he could believe anything that woman said. After all, she did lie about her wedding…and kept looking at all three of them in a very disconcerting way each and every time Tokio's attention was directed elsewhere or she had left the room for a moment or two.
Of course, he wasn't really worried about that; they'd be going to the festival today. That was far more stressful, if one had to consider the three of them had to keep her safe from any sort of danger. And in a place with so many people, where an attack could happen at a moment's notice, by any direction from any person, how could they predict anything? Of course Kobe was a quaint little port city where things like kidnappings rarely happened.
Still, they couldn't rest easy.
Then there was the issue of those bandits; what if they tracked them here – which wasn't all that difficult – and decided the festival was a great place for them to blend in and take her? That was paranoia speaking for the most part, all three acknowledged, as men like that didn't seem smart or organised enough to do something like this. Yet, they seemed vindictive enough to have it in for them on their way back.
Great.
But the long awaited moment had arrived and the two women walked out of their rooms – which were facing one another – almost at the same time. Bathed and rested, they looked the perfect ladies. Tokio had even borrowed one of the hostess' kimono, as Sa-chan had absolutely prohibited her guest from wearing the same kimono with which she had travelled all those kilometres in. How could she know it was only worn for some minutes?
"You look very beautiful Tokio-chan," Sa-chan gushed, and Saitou could swear she took the words exactly out of Okita's mouth the way his eyes lit up when he saw her. Saitou inwardly grinned at how this must have been killing Okita, being unable to voice his opinion.
"Thank you, Sa-chan; coming from you, I consider it a true compliment. You do look absolutely stunning."
"Ah, please, this old thing."
Nothing about it was old, Saitou immediately noticed, for there was no fraying or any signs of it being worn before, ever. In fact, the white was too bright; the fabric too crisp; the designs almost jumped out of the garment, looking like true sakura branches. The one she gave Tokio though—that he could believe it was a little old. Not too much, but a little; it didn't have that unmistakable sheen that Matsudaira's gift had…come to think of it, how come she didn't pack that one? She'd look ten times better than she did in this oversized one.
"Come on, let's go."
Eh, oversized at the sleeves and shoulders at least; it still had difficulty closing properly at the front where the general chest and hips area was. She seemed to have the exact same problem with the faded pink kimono, too; and despite what the others thought, he never mentioned it, like a true gentleman…or because it was too much even for him to insinuate she was fat or worse curvy and he knew. But he did know, and Okita knew, too because they'd seen her naked after all – even if all they saw was a back and the curve of her waist –. But that was their fault, so he'd never mention it, ever.
Ever.
One of the reasons he never lets Okita get too carried away with conversation around her. Then of course, when one is being as oblivious as Tokio, maybe he was worrying over nothing. Though she should really learn not to move like that around men because men stare, no matter how important you are; he'd be glaring at numerous people left and right wherever she went. Further proof of that was all three of them simultaneously inclining their heads to the right while she was playing at a booth; she had bent very deeply to reach something in an effort to win at the game and she'd been doing it for so long, they couldn't help it.
Okita caught him with the edge of his eyes. "What are you looking at? You're married."
"Married, not dead."
"Don't be greedy," Nagakura snapped in a whisper, meant only for Saitou; the men finally straightened then, as Tokio stood fully, cheering for her own win.
He smirked. "I'm not greedy." They glared, yet all put their hands in their sleeves, to settle the argument before it really began.
But then something strange happened. Sa-chan, or Sakura-sama as they'd refer to her, passed in front of them with a deliberate and exaggerated swaying of the hips, as Tokio collected her small reward. I saw you, she mouthed to particularly no one thus everyone at the same time as she spared a knowing look for each and every one of them. They all decided acting like they had no idea what she was talking about was the best solution, even without speaking to one another, so they put on their best innocent faces and tried to look wondered.
She didn't buy it; they didn't care, kept keeping up the deceit.
"Let's go to another booth, shall we?" Nagakura urged the Tokio and she, excited, nodded plenty of times while holding the fish in her hands, careful not to spill any of its water.
Rest of the night passed as uneventfully; fears never realised, the women were unharmed, unbothered even, by the end of the evening. In fact, disregarding the incident with Sa-chan at that booth, the men themselves had a wonderful time. Mingling with people, watching the fireworks; they even bought food from local vendors. So nice was the mood between them, no one complained when the women asked their opinion to settle an argument about what colour scarf they should buy.
But running around after them while looking out for their safety was tiring; by the time they returned, everyone was exhausted. Still, there was one subject left to discuss and Saitou decided to breech it first.
"Alright, this is how we're going do this: no shifts, no knocks on the door, no pacing up and down in the middle of the night; one of us will be staying outside her door each night, the entire night. This will be much safer even if a little tiring, alright?" They nodded. "Let's break them down; I take first night—"
"Hey! No fair!" Okita literally pouted and crossed his arms. "You had her on the horse on the way here, I want first night!"
"Idiot; first night is the most tiring and uneventful. Better take second or third."
"No. No, I want first."
He was figuratively putting his foot down, if Okita of all people was being so adamant about this. And yet, Saitou was actually trying to do him a favour, too. When he saw he wouldn't give in though, he sighed. "As you wish, take it." He turned to Shinpachi. "I'm guessing you really want the third night, right?"
Pink rose to his cheeks. "Uh, actually…I think the second one is better; I shall be rested well but won't be too anxious about the next day when we'll be leaving."
"Fair enough." Another sigh. "So we decided."
Damn it, he really wanted Okita's shift; Tokio would be too tired to go around roaming, but come third night, he could bet his left arm there was no one holding her in that room, at least not without some threat and exhausting arguments. Ah…! There goes his plan for peace of mind. He gave Okita a smack on the back.
"Go then; you know where she sleeps. Keep an eye out."
"Aye sir!"
Just as predicted though, nothing important or interesting happened. Once Tokio lay in her bed, she fell asleep in mere minutes; and of course no one would dare do anything so all was well from that front, too so Okita came to breakfast with a long face and big black circles under his eyes. He stayed for a grand total of ten seconds; he came, picked up a couple of riceballs, glared at the two men and then retreated to his room. He had a lot of sleep to make up for and a lot of nerves to calm.
The two remaining guards entertained themselves with their friend's plight.
.
"Saitou-san," an affectedly delicate female voice drawled from somewhere next to him; it came closer and closer, until the hand of the owner of said voice came to grab his sleeve "we need a guard with us. Tokio-chan and I are going to the hot springs."
The hot springs were a fifteen minutes trek through the forest from the back gates of the mansion they were currently housing in; it stood to reason two vulnerable women would require protection. What didn't though was…why was he the one singled out amongst his peers? Both Okita and Nagakura walked right next to him in this actually quite wide corridor. He was only trying to reach the garden where Tokio was sitting, viewing the trees – like a goddam tourist – and make sure he made himself invisible. Why did she have to approach him?
He also didn't appreciate the liberties this woman was taking with him; she was clutching his arm in full view of everyone. Of course he had no right or intention to voice all these.
"I see; Okita-san is the one best suited for the task." He turned to him serious, thanking his luck she never strictly ordered him. "Would you please escort the ladies to the hot springs?"
Butter to Okita's bread. "Of course I will!"
"Aw, no, you can't; poor Okita-kun is still tired after his long night of staying guard at Tokio-chan's door…! And Shin-chan here needs to rest as much as he can before he also has to do the same tonight, yes? You're our only option!"
Okita was crestfallen; Nagakura breathed a sigh of relief—his constitution wouldn't handle even the idea of seeing either of those women half naked. And Saitou…Saitou was glaring at Tokio as discreetly he could, because she was the only one who knew and would ever blurt out their schedule to Sa-chan.
She felt more than saw the glare, because suddenly her ears burned; she turned her eyes from the beautiful trees in full blossom to the rich green grass, stealing furtive glances to the tall man who was, yes, no doubt glaring at her in his own unique way. But it wasn't her fault! Sa-chan had asked her in such an underhanded way, she never realised what she was aiming at…!
"Of course; I shall wait for you by the back gates."
"How wonderful!" She clapped, finally letting go of him. "I am going to change right now! Don't fall behind now Tokio-chan; the trees will be there when we return, too, alright? Go change sooner rather than later."
Once Sa-chan was out of earshot, Saitou stomped his way to where his lady was seated, intently staring at the ground. "Why? Why?"
She was instantly defensive, yet dared not look at him. "I didn't know what she was going to do with the information, alright? I would much prefer Nagakura-san to accompany us there myself, given his shy nature—don't blame me!"
Somewhere about there they were convinced the thud they heard was Nagakura Shinpachi who almost fainted; they ignored him. Okita's chuckles couldn't be ignored though. "I'm the one getting the short stick of the deal here," he commented light-heartedly "don't complain too much."
"My idea of a relaxing evening sure isn't getting these two to the hot springs; besides hot springs and I have developed a bitter relationship ever since she" he gave a curt nod to the woman on the bench "entered the picture."
She clicked her tongue distastefully. "That's because you're too uncouth in these situations, which is why I wholeheartedly didn't want to get you involved; it is her who seems to have taken a special liking to you."
Oh no; that's the last thing he wanted to hear. She tried not to laugh at his expression.
"Lucky you," Okita teased him in her stead, "another fine lady that has something to do with you." The small pat on his back was the cherry on top of a very infuriating cake; without another word, he literally took off on his own, presumably to go wait at the back gates.
"Well, let's not keep him waiting for too long."
But Tokio snorted. "No, let him wait. He deserves it."
"Yes but Sa-chan already went to change; the longer you take, the longer he'll have to socialise with her before you arrive," Okita reminded her; she became pale. "And she's not the one who'll be with us on the way back to Kyoto, just remember that."
She was gone behind the corridor's curve in a matter of seconds.
.
.
Intimidation tactics master, Okita Souji everyone; she ran to her room, undressed, put on her bathrobe and arrived at the back gate before Sa-chan! She became so anxious, she nearly ran there, too…! Once this fiasco was over and done with, he'd hear it from her, cuteness be damned! Still, she saved some face when she took the final turn at the corridor, for just as she was about to reach the small garden at the back gates, she saw the tall man standing in front of them all by himself thus slowing her pace.
She happed upon him in a moment of relaxation…meditation maybe, or bracing himself for what was about to come: eyes closed, hands in his sleeves, he was taking a very deep breath, face turned upwards. He appeared relaxed but still his back was ramrod straight; he released the breath; he inhaled again; exhaled. He did it synchronised with the draft of wind that hit his face, she noticed, taking in the new air…
Something about the moment felt too tranquil for her to disturb, so she all but stopped her feet at the end of the tatami floors, before her geta could crunch on the grass. She simply stood there, watching him. He wasn't all thorns, she decided. But then again, she already knew that.
Her staring was too much, or somehow he sensed her…his eyes snapped open like someone jolted him! What really took her by surprise was how he came to look directly at her, though like he knew where she was. And his eyes were sharp at first, but the more time passed, the more they mellowed. She kept looking at him, deep in thought; his eyes persisted on her, too. They stayed like that for a long moment…
Then they both lowered their eyes as they gave the same lazy bow.
Sanctity broken, her feet finally stepped onto the grass, making that satisfying sound as she went, a little hop in her step evident. She came to stand on his right, exactly half a metre away. Other than that bow, she made no other – verbal or physical – sign of recognition, no attempts at conversation; she simply enjoyed the refreshing upwind, last remnants of the winter mixed with the saltiness of the sea, relishing the feeling. He felt content at the silent understanding and remained by her side, watching the dirt dance with the drafts.
"Tokio-chan; Saitou-san~!"
And the moment was over.
Sa-chan brought both people back to here and now with her overly-sweet greetings, pretty much launching herself on her friend! Grabbing her by the hand with such force, caused Tokio to misstep and fall onto the wooden doors, Saitou's reflexes managing to keep both from toppling to the ground.
"Sa-chan," Tokio said through surprised chuckles "see? I was on time. It was you who ran late." Alright, Okita gave her bragging rights; maybe she shouldn't be too mean.
"We shall be escorted by a man Tokio-chan, I couldn't just throw on my bathrobe and be done with it; that would be inappropriate."
Tokio both blushed and felt like she was missing something. What else was there to be done? Reading her inquiry before even saying it, Sa-chan giggled and nudged her. "Once you're married, you'll know," she offered her wisdom with tease and started walking out of the gates first.
She waved all cutely to the guard and the man nodded in return but had Saitou not notified the one he came to know as the one in charge and this very guard not ten minutes ago, they would have been stopped or altogether prohibited from leaving the premises at this time of day – should he say night? The sun was setting already – without prior notice. He deserved an award for his patience with this Sa-chan; for a married woman, she sure didn't strike as responsible…not to mention the looks she was giving men all around.
Tch! This is exactly why he disliked fine ladies. Seen one, seen them all; in fact, this woman reminded him so much of Yaso, he was sure he was harder on her than he should be and this Sa-chan was only half, or three quarters as bad as he made her out to be in his head but…if she reminded him of his wife so strongly, then she wasn't nice to begin with.
So what was Tokio doing with a friend like that?
Alright, he admitted; Tokio wasn't a typical fine lady. And yes, she could be fun. But if that was the case, why was she friends with this person? Granted, friendships in which you only saw the other person once per year or half a year were friendships in name only, unless you frequently exchanged letters…but they definitely didn't, if Sa-chan was married two months ago and said nothing. So they were more like acquaintances; but still, Tokio was way too invested and friendly with her.
It was perplexing.
Suddenly, the flow of pitter patter of feet was disrupted as one broke into a run! Without delay, he felt the tall woman grab onto his arm, again, and hold on tight. Struggling to keep his face and voice neutral, he turned to look at the offending party; sure enough, Sa-chan was holding his arm like her life depended on it, but her smile was her trying to look adorable.
"Ne, ne, Saitou-san, did you know Tokio-chan is an avid hot springs collector?"
"Is she now?"
She nodded affirmatively. "Wherever she goes, she has to try the local hot springs!"
A secret smile threatened to break out on his lips. "I see; I was aware she enjoyed going there, I had no idea it was to that extent."
"Hot springs are relaxing," she squeaked shyly "that's why I enjoy them."
He couldn't help the smirk this once though, as he said, "If you'd asked me a month ago, I'd probably say the same thing." With the edge of his eyes, he watched Tokio look even lower; success.
"Oh? But then what happened?"
"…ah, well, boring things, a lady wouldn't be interested in the lives of ordinary swordsmen."
"Bringing that up, Tokio-chan told me you aren't truly guards; you were simply tasked with guarding her. Is that true?" He nodded affirmatively. "And you are…samurai?"
"Not really; like I said, we are but ordinary swordsmen."
"But you don't look all that ordinary—you are so tall! So strong, too, all muscle and such!"
She actually touched his forearm and squeezed, as if to prove her point…! He wanted to swat her hand away so badly, it hurt. But he knew he couldn't, he had to humour her. "I was born that way; I have no control over it." He also never believed he had to speak these words out loud, as if it weren't obvious enough, but there he was. Then he cleared his throat. "Also, if you don't mind my lady, this left hand is the one I use my sword with so if you keep holding it, I won't be able to protect you, should something go wrong."
"Oh! You're left handed?"
She immediately made a point to let go of his good hand and then proceed to move to his right and grab onto that one. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise! Is this better?"
Was she messing with him? He couldn't really say no, despite him wanting to! So he simply nodded, all of his efforts going into self-control for a second; they could have been attacked by bears and he would have barely noticed, he was that concentrated in not snapping.
"Is that why you keep your sheath on your right hip?"
"Indeed."
"Hmm, how interesting! You are the first left-handed swordsman I ever meet; in fact you must be the first left-handed person I meet in general."
His smile was disingenuous and strained; she paid no mind. Tokio did though, and felt too bad. "That must be an advantage in combat, yes? Left handed people are very few; you throw them out of balance," she decided to comment, well over two metres behind them.
"It will be," he agreed "if I ever get myself in any real battles."
She didn't miss the subtle longing in his voice and she pouted. "Hmm, don't be too eager…why is it that men are so willing to throw themselves at danger and life threatening situations?"
He shrugged. "I can't answer for all of them…"
He caught the exasperated look she shot him and really used all the discipline tricks he had learnt not to act too casually around her lest Sa-chan notices – and then his life would be hell –.
"But if they didn't, who'd keep us safe? What sort of songs and poems would we have then?"
Normal ones, Tokio mentally snapped but decided against speaking in the end.
Then she huffed, all airs; she had just found the perfect way to spare Saitou from Sa-chan's prodding hands and herself the grief of having to deal with an irritated Saitou on the way home. When they didn't turn around to address her indignation, she purposely huffed louder, even more theatrically and stopped walking altogether. Finally, they did look at her; Sa-chan was taken aback by her pursed lips and faux-offended turn of the head to the right, looking away.
"What is it Tokio-chan?"
"Who is the guest here? Saitou-san or me?"
"You, of course."
"Then why are you on Saitou-san's arm? I feel…abandoned."
"Aw…! So cute, Tokio-chan! No, no you aren't!" Saitou was released in the blink of an eye; Sa-chan came to wrap her hand securely around her friend's and even hugged her for a second. "You are my precious friend whom I love spending time with! Come on, let's go on now."
Just as Sa-chan finally pried her eyes away from either party, Tokio gave Saitou a look; you better be grateful. Even if he wasn't looking back at her, he nodded once all the same. For such a straightforward person, she was quite underhanded. He had to give her credit for the excellent manipulation, too; she better not be trying anything with him, though. Now he had her number.
.
"Hmm, Saitou-san, won't you come out from behind the bushes—?"
Tokio's mortified "Sa-chan! What are you saying!?" was ignored.
"—how are you going to keep an eye on us if your eyes aren't on us?"
"…it would be highly inappropriate of me to do so."
"But what if something does happen to us? What will you do then? Will propriety be enough of an excuse for leaving us exposed?"
Shit; why did this woman know exactly which buttons to push to make her argument sound convincing? It wasn't, but it sounded like it—that was her trick. He sighed as quietly as he could. He was now forced to cater to her some more and that's one of the things he hated. He didn't join the Roshigumi to play with fine ladies; he joined to enforce his own ideas, to find new ideals, form his ethics…if this went on, his ethics would solely consist of "give me anything to do other than escorting women".
He sighed again, as he gave in. "Are you in the water now?"
"...yes."
Tokio answered so it must have been true.
Shaking his head, he stood up and turned around; he parted the greenery as he walked through. This place was very similar to the hot springs in Kyoto, only a little larger but without the waterfall. The water came from a steady but nearly as ferocious stream from behind them. The strict confines of the hot springs were defined by short, wooden railings, corroded from the ever-flowing warm water. Bathrobes neatly folded at the far right side of the springs, each next to the owner's geta. His eyes were looking everywhere but the two heads floating in the water, until he surveyed the surroundings; once he was sure no foul play was involved, he turned his back to the two women, standing idly with a hand on his sheath.
Tokio could have died of shame; why was her friend so shameless? She was always more daring when it came to men, but…but she was married now! And she made Saitou uncomfortable with her flirting, how couldn't she realise that? Not to mention her, her guest, was also extremely awkward to be put in this situation.
And yet, seemingly oblivious, Sa-chan went on unperturbed. Nudging her friend with her elbow, she said "Saitou-san is so proper Tokio-chan, turning his back on us…! I bet if it were Okita-kun though, he wouldn't mind turning around."
"W-well, Okita-san has an entirely different personality, so…he wouldn't be misunderstood, I think, should someone see anything."
"He's very bright, to be sure! And very good-looking, yes? It's a shame he's so short; you see I don't like men shorter than me…"
She said it with such a tone, even if one was deaf, they'd still catch her double-meaning. She didn't like Okita, because Okita was short, so she didn't like short men. Who did she like then? Tall men; and who was tall…? Exactly. He tried not to cringe but failed.
"Your husband must be taller than you, then," Tokio chose to comment and Saitou silently thanked her with every fibre of his being.
"Ah yes; my dear is as tall as Shin-chan! Though nearly as cute; those glasses of his and his mild manners…!"
Tokio giggled. "Nagakura-san is adorably shy," she agreed with the positive assessment "and very well-mannered, indeed."
"My, you think highly of him," she teased.
"I don't think he realises though…"
But Tokio's inside joke was completely misinterpreted.
"Can this be a case of wishing to be paid more attention than you are?" Scandal and mischief coloured Sa-chan's voice. "Can it be…you are interested in him?"
"What? No." Shock immediately turning into laughter, she waved her friend off with ease. "Someone like me would never be allowed to associate with someone like him, I know that much; what use is pining after such a man? Only brings heartache to both parties for no reason."
Saitou smirked; her opinion just now was an almost identical to his, at their very first meeting, when he had warned Harada not to fall in love with her. And now she was laughing at the prospect, and for a good reason, when her friend implied romance. If only Harada could hear her now…still, her reaction left something bittersweet behind, though he had no idea why. Maybe it had to do with the gaping distance once more re-established between them, just when they had found their routine.
He tried not to shake his hand. Fine ladies and their rules…!
"You're so shameless, Tokio-chan, flaunting your position in front of Saitou-san like that."
"Wh-no! I would never…! I mean, I, ahem, if anything Saitou-san should be relieved, yes?" His teasing about maids and how he was married came to mind and made her smile. "He has nothing to fear from little innocent me."
"Maybe Saitou-san would want to have something to fear from little innocent you…or me…"
But he didn't have time to roll his eyes; sounds caught his attention.
"Saitou-san would want you two to be quiet for a moment…please," he added as an afterthought while he stood perfectly straight, eavesdropping to determine the place of origin "I hear something."
"We have plenty of rabbits and other woodland creatures roaming around here usuall—"
Saitou didn't have to shush her again, as Tokio caught her friend's arm and brought a finger to her lips; just as she was about to question her tactics, Tokio pointed to her ears. Reluctantly, Sa-chan grew quiet, as Saitou was already following the sounds.
They came from uphill; the ground was fairly flat, but there was some sort of hill against their backs, where the water flowed from. All around the stream, there was thick foliage, able to hide grown men with ease, much like the place they came from. He looked at the rocks to estimate his course; one, two jumps and a good run would get him there fast enough to be on top of the situation.
As he passed by the bathrobes, he picked them up and threw it close to the woman, while still in the water.
"Ah!" Sa-chan was offended! "What are you-?"
"Get out of the water; you're sitting ducks."
"But it's just animals!"
He never looked at her but his expression was clearly one of contest and disagreement. I'm never that lucky, he mentally reminded himself, to be just animals.
"Besides, we can always get out of the water first—now the bathrobe is ruined! Ruined!"
"But it's a small price to pay for our safety, yes?" Tokio urged as pacifyingly as she could, leaving out the part where the bathrobe would definitely not be ruined from simple contact with this water. "I've never seen Saitou-san overreact anyway; I'm sure his concern is—…justified."
Both women watched him take an impressive leap! He touched wet rock upon landing, at least two metres higher, but didn't lose his balance. If anything, he pushed off again, as successfully as before, to find himself at the outskirts of the small cluster of trees and shrubbery. Without a second's delay he went in.
Both women's breath was caught!
"Why would he just go in there if he thinks people are trying to attack us?"
"He can't wait for them to come here…we'll really be sitting ducks. Come on." She had already put on her robe, so Tokio took steps to get out. "Let's wear our geta at least, if need be for an escape."
Sa-chan clicked her tongue. "There is no need for an esc—eep! Kyah!"
A man fell in the hot spring with them, creating the biggest splash! Once the water settled, it was revealed that red oozed out of him, dying the little pool all around him…Tokio helped a panic stricken Sa-chan to exit, nearly getting hit in the face by her friend in the process.
Not so much of a woodland creature, now, huh.
.
The moment Saitou entered the small forest-like area, he knew he had to be careful of sounds; don't make any; keep your eyes sharp; keep your ears sharper. With all that in mind, he took the first step…but it wasn't his foot crunching on the grass that he heard, it was someone else's—lots of them, too. It could still be animals though. So he eavesdropped once more.
The tell-tale sound of swords unsheathing was heard; Saitou smirked. That was no rabbit. Putting aside the thought Okita will kill me for being the one in the centre of attention again, he listened some more as he drew his own sword. Just by their footsteps alone, he couldn't properly discern their position, he needed more. Come on, speak.
"No you idiot; this is a kidnapping. Nothing else is allowed," a whispered voice snubbed with authority and Saitou's ears twitched, hands tightening around the hilt of his sword; come on, a little more.
"But boss, we'll never be able to come so close to a woman like her again!"
Yes!
"I don't ca—…"
Pushing off the ground and towards the sound, he now knew exactly where to strike; positions might vary, but if he went in for maximum range rather than damage, he'd hit at least one of them. His muscles tightened as he covered more than five metres worth the distance in less than two seconds! In the blink of an eye, his sword found flesh and he came face to face with five men. Well, they were four now; one of them went flying as his upward swing tore through his clothes with ferocity! He was thrown so much to the side, in fact that his body literally fell off the small hill…and landed in the pool of water, if the splashing was any indication.
Ah, there came the screams, definitely the water.
"Who the fuck are you and why are you here? New guard of the lady are you? We hadn't been informed."
Informed? New guard? Great; he had ran into a case of leaked information to top off an attempted kidnapping, his day couldn't get any better than this. That was just his luck! Of course, if he was being honest with himself, that was something that gave him drive, too—he hated when people one trusted betrayed them for something as crude as money. Still, he remained silent; leaving the opponent wondering is always a good tactic. He gripped his sword tighter as an answer.
"We want no trouble from you; we just want Sakura, the tall lady in the water. Help us, you get a cut in it."
One of the remaining four immediately ran to the edge and Saitou almost lunged at him! But he deemed his movement non-threatening and his own attempt reckless if he went through with it so he stopped. "She's still here, boss" the man was now in full view of his victim – who screamed at the sight of the new man – but he didn't seem to care "but she's not alone; there are two fine ladies down there putting their clothes on."
"Ah," realisation dawned on the boss's face "you're here with the other one, is it? Fine, let's make a deal: we go down there, no further bloodshed needs to happen, and we take Sakura. How about that? We leave your lady alone and we all go on our merry ways."
"I'm not an idiot and you don't look like one, too so stop insulting my intelligence."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"You're obviously motivated by money; why would you pass up a chance to take two sources of income instead of one?" The man's eyes shone with recognition of Saitou's talents and annoyance. "Like I said, don't insult my intelligence."
"Fair enough; we can always cut you a bigger share from the other one."
He gave a derisive snort. "I much rather kill you all, so if you don't want the rest of your crew and yourself dead, I suggest you leave."
"Oh really? Then why-?"
Something like a muffled cry for help was heard then and what Saitou feared, might have already been happening: more men were down there and these ones acted like a distraction. Much like he'd warned, they were sitting ducks. And the man had looked down to make sure his comrades were nearby, of course, how could he have been so stupid? Without even a second thought, he turned about and jumped off in a second, ignoring the man begging him to come back!
He tried to follow the exact same path as the guy he slashed, hoping he'd land in the spring, too; sure enough, he saw the pond, saw the body and the blood—he only had to twist himself before hitting the water, or else say goodbye to leg movement…!
He made it! He landed right next to his "victim" and rose out of the water in seconds.
The effect he created was enough for all struggle to stop. They all watched as a man came barrelling out of the trees and dived right into the hot spring…but when he emerged, soaked to the bone, water was flowing off of him like rivers, while red streams clung to his face and clothes; everyone stopped and stared. It did nothing, nothing to curve anyone's sudden anxiety the fact his sword was never sheathed. It kept pointing outward and to the attackers of the two women, now all standing in front of him.
There was only one word to describe him in that moment: intimidating.
And when he leaped into an attack, excess water flying off of him mid-movement, every single one of the three men went into a defensive stance, women thrown aside in disarray! They reached for their swords, but the first one never made it; endless hours of training with only the best had made Saitou even better than he remembered to be, so the first man fell decapitated to the ground before anyone noticed. Fuelled by sheer panic, the other two struggled to grasp their swords properly; he saw his window and made the hit: the second intruder fell onto the dirt, clutching at the extensive wound at his stomach, hoping that could save him. It wouldn't; the bleeding was too much. And besides—he stabbed him a second time, to make sure he died. He flicked his sword to rid the blade of the blood; the third one, outnumbered and alone, scrambled to get out of the way.
Saitou let him, for one reason only: they needed to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. He could hear the men's footsteps on the ground, coming closer and closer; he didn't care he was outnumbered because he might be beaten—he cared because while he was taking care of two, the other two could grab Sa-chan and Tokio and ran away.
"We're going now."
Neither woman obeyed him at first. He had to look back to see what the problem was. And what he found was them looking simply…shell-shocked. He couldn't blame them with all the killing they just witnessed, but they really needed to go. "I said we're leaving, come on." Of course he didn't have the gift of persuasion the way Okita did, so he had to be inventive…meaning it was time to use force! He threw Sa-chan over his shoulder, seeing her completely unresponsive, while Tokio he simply grabbed her wrist and ran, making her follow along.
"I don't know who those men were but they've been planning this for a long time; when we go back, you'll have to sort through your guards very carefully." He felt her nod. "Three dead, five remaining; we have to outrun them. It's fifteen minutes; can you make it?"
"I don't know but I'll definitely try," Tokio assured him. To make her point stronger, she took a hold of his hand herself and squeezed; he spared her a look.
"…just keep up."
Of course, she couldn't; at least, not if he ran at his usual pace. But he didn't, for her sake. He wished he could just throw her on his other shoulder and ran with all he had, but he knew that wasn't possible. And sure enough, it wasn't five minutes later that the five of them caught up. Leading their party was one of the people that were at the back when he first saw them, last was the man who ran away from him.
A wise decision.
But Tokio was still behind, no matter how much she sped up so when they got too close for comfort, he had to stop altogether and stand his ground. In one move he shrugged Sakura off and span Tokio around; now he was the one facing the five approaching men, with both women at his back. He drew his sword once more but made exactly zero manoeuvres. If he moved too forward, there was no doubt in his mind one or two of them would come up and snatch the women; he had to be careful and patient. He also wished one of his two comrades would for some reason need to come fetch them thus he'd have some sort of reinforcement.
But he wasn't counting on it; he had to do this on his own.
"Stay behind me no matter what. If anyone tries to grab you, scream. If you don't make any sounds I'll assume you're behind me at all times."
"Yes," Tokio decided to speak in Sa-chan's stead who all she could do was nod repeatedly.
"And—"
But his directive was never heard, as the men came too close, swords being drawn at the same time.
"You are a capable fighter," the boss started boldly, coming to the foreground "I won't deny you the credit; you already killed three of my men. You can possibly kill even more, but then you'll be killed too. Yet, if you let us take them, we'll make you a rich man."
"If I allow you to take them, it means I'll already be a dead man." One way or another.
It was obvious the boss was losing his temper. "Don't be stubborn now! You can be rich, boy; rich! Yet you choose to forfeit your life, and for what? Two spoiled, rich women?"
"If I fall, I'll fall in the line of duty; duty to my lord, my leader and my commander." He felt a hand grab onto his hitatare and for some reason he knew it was Tokio; he didn't know why, but that made him feel surer. "I am not a bodyguard; your money can't buy me. No money can buy me. You either go, or die."
The man seemed to take a deep breath and then let it go dramatically; Saitou prepared for the upcoming attack. "So you've chosen death; so be it."
Tokio's heart sank; her grip tightened so much, he felt tugging at the shoulder blades. She watched two assailants ran with their swords held high in attack position as he slid into an odd stance: his left hand was drawn back, while his right extended over the blade. Saitou was calculating his distance, using his own sword as a ruler; his brain was on overdrive; he kept preparing himself.
This is what all your arduous training has been for, he psyched himself up, show them your infamous speed. That speed even Okita couldn't replicate; the speed even Hijikata praised; that speed even Serizawa Kamo himself acknowledged as a dangerous weapon…! He took a deep breath.
Do or die.
"Let go."
He whispered it, but Tokio heard him; he felt her hand release the fabrics and with that as his cue, he pushed off the ground! He leaped in a straight line, using Hijikata's stabbing technique! It was still in development, but it was lethal; in the blink of an eye, he got the first one. Just as the other one tried to evade, struggled to get out of his range, with a turn of his hand it became a thrust, sending him flying! But Saitou was smart; he made sure he sent the other one right on top of the remaining people, pushing them successfully back! But this wouldn't stop here; he knew, much like the bandits, they wouldn't stop chasing them. So he did what he had to do: allowed only one of them to escape – the one who tried to run before, too – and with the same unbelievable speed, he found himself behind them.
Wide eyes and flight instincts kicking in full throttle, the boss and his one remaining man moved to attack. They weren't aiming for the win, but for the distraction, the opportunity to run. But Saitou wasn't merciful. He swung at the man who tried to buy him over once; the sword went flying. He swung twice, he slit his throat. Then he turned to the only one left, who rose to his knees, begging for his life.
"Don't worry; we needed information anyway," Saitou informed him before he hit his head with the hilt of his sword. Maybe out of fear more than pain, the man fainted.
Saitou wasted no time and started looking for something to tie him with; if they had come here prepared to kidnap people, he figured they'd have something to secure them. Ah, finally he found usable rope, albeit a little stained by blood, on one of the dead.
"Are you alright?"
He only turned to look at them once the man knocked out was secured in his bonds; then Saitou gave another flick of his wrist, blood propelled off the sword. Tokio watched all of this through half-knitted fingers but just barely made the connection he was finally talking to them. So she slowly nodded her head once, twice. He sheathed his sword as he walked to her, well them, and offered hands to both ladies to stand.
"I am physically well," Tokio commented as she was pulled to her feet. "She is too, though mentally…!" Both set of eyes landed on Sa-chan who was simply looking at them. "She's a little overwhelmed I think." She smiled shakily at her. "Sa-chan, let's go now, yes?"
She nodded, but couldn't move. Saitou sighed; swooping down, her collected Sa-chan, as there was no way she'd be able to walk on her own. "Kick that guy," he asked of Tokio "see if he's woken up already. He's tied well, don't worry."
She numbly did as he asked and saw the man react but not really register what was happening. "Hit harder," he suggested; she shrugged and did it again. This once, the man jolted; it took a moment for him to come to, but there he was, looking at them frightened. "Don't look so pathetic; now stand up and walk in front of us."
"But—!"
"Did I stutter?"
Head dipping, no other choice available, he did as he was told; after all, even with a woman in his arms, Saitou still looked scary. Sa-chan buried her face in his chest then, to his dismay, but even he could understand that was something scarring they just went through and she needed the comfort. What surprised him though was how discreet Tokio was, simply holding on to his hitatare as he walked in front of her. She must have been just as distraught as her friend and yet, she was very calm despite of it all. He didn't fail to notice her shaking, but she soldiered on, prioritising her friend, never making a big deal out of anything.
She had mettle. How…admirable for a fine lady like her.
A/N: End of Part One, on to the second; leave a review on your way out!