A/N: Hey there lovelies. How have you been? Ugh, life is tiring and it's so hot here, I can barely function. Don't even know how I managed to write this chapter. But here it is, have at it. No historical facts this once because nothing of historical import happened yet. Yet mind you. There are things coming...
Timeline: middle of August, 1863.
A fine lady...
...and revelations.
Hijikata wasn't a curious man.
One could easily call him well informed, but indifferent; he would hear a ton of things but would unconsciously sort through them to retain only the most valuable. When one is in a position like his, he learnt never to underestimate the value of information of course, no matter how insignificant it might have looked at the time. And the source of those information could be anyone; he also found out that the most eye-opening pieces of information, the ones that tied everything together, were unwittingly given. So he taught himself to pay attention to every little detail about something or someone; he also had a knack for guessing what sort of info would be of interest or use later, so he became a natural choice for the information gather on the unit—or at least at sorting through them.
Thus anyone who would hear anything, they'd come running to him, asking for his insights on the matter, as well as alerting him to anything that could be harmful to the Roshigumi. Or helpful. Yet lately, Saitou did most of the information gathering, as well as the sorting, and simply presented him with facts—or information that would later be considered as such.
And for all those reasons, Hijikata finally became curious in Saitou's informant after a month and change.
It wasn't the fact he asked for nothing in return; it wasn't the fact he operated only under the cover of the night; nor was it because no matter how ridiculously difficult the information he asked for, he always delivered. It was for all of the above! If it was only one or two of them, he wouldn't be, certainly not to this extent. But miraculously, this informant of his had the most astounding perception…or simply had inside knowledge.
Who the hell was that so well-connected informant that even foretold – or warned them – of the inspection the shogun had planned? It was thanks to him they managed to appear presentable to the shogun's team of officials and garner some first positive formal comments – considering almost everyone had their eye on them in a bad way –.
He was troubled, suspicious and upset at himself for not finding that source first. At the same time, he was glad this person existed, seeing their life became so much easier…and they made quite the progress with the shogun.
So now Hijikata wanted to meet him.
And yet, every single time the man's thoughts flew to the mysterious man…he always berated himself for thinking it was a male; it could easily be a woman—in fact, something deep inside told him so and he knew to trust his instincts. But if it was a woman, what reason did she have to help him? Saitou wasn't the type of man to cavort with geisha or consorts, so that type of intrigue immediately disappeared from Hijikata's mind. But if it really was a woman, she must have been someone very close to the shogun; and why would anyone like that help him?
He knew if he simply followed after him, he'd know; but he wasn't a child. Nor willing to stoop that low…yet. So he raked his brains to find who it was but came up empty. And then something completely unexpected happened, finally giving him a clue; no, not a clue—it blew this case wide open.
A week after the very successful inspection, Hijikata received a letter from Matsudaira Katamori. Per usual, the letter had two types of distinctive brushwork: one was Matsudaira's and the other's was whoever the man employed or used to write his letters. He knew Matsudaira wasn't always the one writing his own letters due to time restraints; he'd instruct someone else, dictating his opinions, and that person had to accurately convey them. Obviously, that person was always the same one and Hijikata had never cared before on who it could be…until he received this certain letter. And then he finally realised why that note with the dates of Yaso's activities felt a little familiar: these two documents were written by the same person.
He was astonished.
Who could it be, within the Matsudaira compound, that took such a liking to Saitou in particular, who also had access to such documents and the lord's trust?
His mind immediately came up with an answer. His instinct was telling him Saitou's informant was a woman; there were only two women who had met Saitou in that house, only one that knew him long enough to excuse this sort of behaviour. But why would Tokio-san—?
The questions died abruptly. The answer was crystal clear; he protected her life twice and got hurt in the process; he helped find her fiancé.
…she liked him.
Or at least, respected him. On one hand, it was ridiculous to even think of it, because why would she be in such an important position as that? Had he miscalculated her worth? On the other…it would make sense if it was her, because she was young, younger than Saitou, too so he could spin things around in his favour without her asking for anything in return.
And what with her marriage being cancelled, maybe he hit a soft spot and managed to convince her to do this for him, too. But wait a minute; he distinctively remembered how Tokio had looked way too…normal after news of her fiancé's death and her own self-imposed isolation of a grand total of four days.
Could it be…?
The colour drained from his face and broke out in a cold sweat.
No, he firmly told himself, his thoughts ran wild. There was no way any of what he was wildly speculating in his own mind were even remotely true—no way. But one of those thoughts wasn't entirely too wild. He drummed his fingers on the wood of his desk, as he had all but forgotten the actual contents of the letter he received – something about a meeting or the other – his mind running a mile.
He had to make sure the identity of his informant was indeed Tokio. It was pretty much a certainty for him, but he had to turn the strong possibility into a fact. And once that was out of the way, only then would he turn to the questions again, or else he'd go insane just thinking of the possibilities.
So there was only one course of action: follow Saitou around at night and see his informant for himself.
He felt too silly even thinking of it, how much more doing it…but asking someone else to do it was out of the question. The less people knew, the better. Okita being in the loop wasn't too tragic honestly, but he wanted to surprise him this, see his first reaction; if Okita found out about this though, the little shit would definitely tell him before he ever could and Saitou's original thus honest reaction would be lost to him.
But he wanted to see it; it would help him make his decision on what should his course of action be, should Tokio turn out to be the informant. Bracing himself for humiliation in case he got caught, or just knowing it himself because he had just decided he would follow around one of his men whom he actually trusted just so he could satisfy his curiosity, he took a deep breath. He would read his letter now, with a clearer head, and do as he always did, not to attract any suspicion. Then he would pretend to go to sleep, shut his door, and do something he hadn't done for a very long while: sneak out and surveil.
Nightfall couldn't come fast enough.
.
.
Hijikata's perfect plan hit a snag, seeing he hadn't accounted for one little thing: Saitou didn't contact his informant every single night. And do, for almost an entire week, he spent it watching him leave for the red-light district with his friends or simply sleep. But Hijikata didn't sleep! He had been going without any proper rest for so long, people started noticing. He always slept less than the average warrior but now it was getting too much—he would threaten people with seppuku far too often and he almost fell asleep on his desk a couple of times.
That was when he finally decided to put a stop to all these. Why was he being an idiot? So far, Saitou hadn't failed to bring a subject to his informant's attention…so if Hijikata simply tasked him with something knew, undoubtedly, he'd go to them. Thus, he only needed something new to ask.
That same day, Hijikata approached Saitou with some wild reason as to why he would need to contact his informant; for some reason, Saitou took him at face value and promised he'd meet with him – ha, him! – as soon as possible. He kept an eye on his movements after that, only to determine his course of action. If it was always the same as this once, then this was his routine: he'd receive the request, he'd write a note, he'd excuse himself from his friends and then he'd proceed to deliver the note himself.
The last bit he could only assume, but why would he go to the trouble of writing and taking it with him if he wasn't going to personally give it to his informant?
Hijikata expected him to have arranged the meeting for the next night, to give whoever it is a chance to gather the needed information, but he was wrong. Saitou was spotted leaving the Yagi residence that same night. He was lucky he saw him slip out—well, not lucky per se, but if he hadn't prepared himself for the unexpected, he'd have missed him.
Still, he was hot on his trail since the moment he left the house.
Just as Hijikata had predicted, Saitou headed to the Matsudaira compound; per usual, at a very late hour, which would be entirely too inappropriate if Tokio was the one he was meeting. But that remained to be seen in not too long. Hijikata was actually impressed by Saitou, too, watching him look over his back all the time, being careful not to be seen and choosing the best route for maximum coverage. What's more, he appeared to be vaguely aware he was being followed…but this was Hijikata. There was no way anyone would ever see him.
Thusly, he made it safely outside the Matsudaira compound, at least ten metres away from his subordinate. But if he wanted to hear anything from their conversation, he needed to come closer, he knew that, so he risked closing the distance to three metres. He was lucky there were a lot of surrounding tall greenery and he could easily blend in with the environment.
He held his breath.
He didn't have to wait too long for the informant to be revealed; it was barely ten minutes later that he noticed the shoji door of one of the rooms being drawn open…and none other than a familiar female figure snuck outside. She jumped over one fence, burrowed underneath the other and, without further ado, the woman came face to face with Saitou.
It was Tokio.
Heh, he was right. Of course, he was; damn it why did he have to be right? But he stopped his train of thought in an effort to pay proper attention to their conversation. It was a good thing it was this late after all, for there were scarcely any other sounds to drown them out.
He watched as she came close—to close to be considered proper, and stood next to him. she crossed her arms as she intently stared at the fence across from them. "You know Hajime, you don't have to remember me only when you wish to learn something."
He gave her a look. "Good afternoon to you, too."
She rolled her eyes as she waved him off, turning her body so she could face him again. "Yes, yes, good afternoon and all that."
Hijikata couldn't help but mentally protest for every second she spent so close to Saitou, especially when Saitou did absolutely nothing to put distance back between them.
"Then you should know, too that you don't have to complain first thing when you meet me."
"Oh hush; and if I complain it's your fault. Imagine how it looks to me."
"Suck it up hime-sama; we can't exactly be friends and I can't risk my neck more than once a week, so it better be for something useful at the same time at least."
She chuckled. "For the umpteenth time, I bring good fortune to people."
"…if you're complaining, you have something to tell me. what is it?"
She smiled so widely and so purely, Hijikata felt almost embarrassed he was spying on them. "I found a puppy in the market a week ago! It was fluffy and cute and black and so scared…! I took him in immediately."
"A puppy? How small was he?"
"Eh, he reaches my knee standing."
"That's too tall for a puppy."
"Maybe, but the poor thing was so scared of people—they didn't treat him right! But he eventually warmed up to me, so I took him home to care for his leg; it was hurt. I had to carry him though…"
Saitou listened to her amused, until he noticed…her hand was dressed. "Did the dog bite you?"
"…well, he was very scared at the beginning."
"Tokio…!"
"He's an angel now, really! He already warmed up to me, too and he's adorable. I named him Hachiro."
"Oh Buddha, you already named him; there's no turning back now."
"Why would I turn him back? Dogs are very loyal and Matsudaira-sama said it was a good thing I took him in. if I can train him to be a proper guard dog, he'll be very helpful."
Saitou snorted. "God help anyone who comes near you in Hachiro's presence."
She giggled. "I cannot deny that was my first thought; maybe he'll get to bite whoever my father chooses for me, too."
"Ah yes; first suitor killed by bandits; second eaten by a dog. What about the third? Stung to death by bees?"
"Hush!" She half-laughed, half-appeared offended; his smirk never faded. "So, what is it you would like to know tonight?"
"Hijikata requested you told me all you knew about the Shinsengumi." Her eyebrow raised; she became impassive. "What? Spill."
"They are a group of wandering samurai without a master whose leaders are honourable, their vice commander is smart but ridiculous and at least one of their men is a complete idiot."
Hijikata stared at her shocked, mirroring Saitou's milder expression of the same sentiment. "Wh…what…who are they?"
A disbelieving chuckle escaped her. "It's you, you idiot; you are the Shinsengumi obviously, I know that much. That's the name the shogun would like to use for your unit once you are officially recognised."
Hijikata's mouth hang; how the ever-loving hell did she know that? Just how? It wasn't something that was talked about, not within the unit even. It was supposed to be a big reveal and all—she ruined it!
"Really?"
"Wait…" she drawled, realisation dawning on her features. "You didn't know, did you?" Her smile was teasing. "I just delivered some real news to you, hmmm."
"…don't gloat; it doesn't become you, hime-sama."
She giggled. "Indeed, it doesn't." She exhaled. "So, what are you going to do now? Tell Hijikata-sama you know his secret?"
"…I can't tell if he was testing me or the reaches of my informant. I don't know what to say to him."
She shrugged. "Tell him the truth."
"I never lie to him; I simply don't share the entire truth, if it suits me. Otherwise, I don't think I'd be here now."
Her laugh was booming, causing him to shush her! When that didn't work, he literally closed her mouth with his hands and every hair on Hijikata's body stood at attention! What was he—why wasn't she—what was wrong with these two? If one looked at them when others were around, one could swear they barely put up with one another. But this…this was so different.
Hijikata was bemused not only because he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet, but also because this, whatever it was, existed.
"The scandalous late-night rendezvous of Matsudaira-sama's shameless protégé with one of the unsavoury characters holed up in the Yagi residence, one of the Roshigumi men—"
"Shut up, it could be a real headline one of these days," Saitou snapped something between humour and fear but that didn't deter her one bit.
She had nearly doubled over in fact, holding on to her sides as she dramatically announced "—Takagi Tokio and Saitou Hajime, bringing shame upon their families and their lords, dragging names through the mud."
He glared in his own particular way that she had come to know it meant he was only half serious about what he was about to say, sighing. "I can't see why our potential defamation sounds so entertaining to you."
"F-," a hiccup of laughter, and she squeaked from the surprise, covering her mouth "forgive me, but it sounds a bit too ridiculous. I would never risk my lessons under normal circumstances, too and yet, here we are."
"It's give and take so it's fair."
The look she graced him with was shrewd. "Uh huh…you take the information that I give you…"
"You can ask me anything you like, your highness, I'll answer; it isn't my fault you never do."
"Is that so?" He loftily nodded. "Then please do tell what is Hijikata-sama's position towards marriage? I know of at least five ladies who would be interested."
The disgust for the news and the sympathy for his commander were evident on Saitou's face, exhibiting so much emotion for the first time. Hijikata, who was always watching and listening, felt a little more appreciative for his man, making a mental note to thank him somehow later.
"Hijikata has far more important and pressing matters to attend than swooning ladies; and I think he's had his fill of catering to women's whims, too."
"How can you know?"
"…I just do. Trust me."
"Aw, too bad."
His next look was judgemental even if a little teasing, considering the vagueness behind her words and her tone. "And why is that? You happen to be included in those five women?"
Just as Hijikata was about to panic, he heard her giggle.
"Hijikata-sama is not my type;" thank Buddha "he's far too pretty for my tastes…and older than I would like. More than five years is too much—mmm, maybe eight. Any more than that, I don't see how two people can be compatible, as far as marriage is concerned."
"Then who's your type?"
Despite the answer being at the tip of her tongue, even Hijikata could tell from where he was hiding, and even if she raised a finger, Tokio froze. Red rose to her cheeks and averted her eyes from Saitou's in a flash.
"…I told you, I do not wish to be married to anyone." Hijikata remained staring. She had told him what now? "How could I have a type?"
"But if Hijikata isn't your type, someone else must be, right?"
She blushed more; Saitou was definitely enjoying how he made her uncomfortable, it was written all over his body language. "N-no, I just know men like Hijikata-sama do not attract me."
"How?"
"Because unlike-…!" She shook her head mortified, hid her face in her hands. "I don't feel attracted to Hijikata-sama—nor anyone else, stop asking."
"Ah, of course, I forget! You shall live and die like a true spinster: alone, without anyone ever entering your heart…even if you're going to be married in half a year from now."
"Hajime!"
"I pity your future husband, too."
"Hajime, stop."
"But I relate; I know what it feels like to be in a loveless marriage."
There was not a shred of hesitation nor a spec of surprise on anyone's face when Tokio actually, physically and without any remorse, started slapping his arm! Hijikata watched on in absolute shock as Saitou not only did not react, not only did he make no effort to stop her, he even angled himself in a way to guide her slaps away from places he had some sort of bruise or wound on, yet without alerting her to them.
What was he watching?
"You are so impossible! Yaso and I aren't the same, at all! And I'd never cheat on my husband, whether I wanted him or not." She stopped for a moment, only to consider. "I'd never have a lover before getting married, too." With new-found offense, she began her flurry of blows anew! "How can you compare me with someone so uncouth!?"
"I don't know; despite this being innocent, you give off all signs of already having a lover you know."
Her colour took a hue of concerning nature, brimming with shame. "Idiot" she accused and jabbed his sides!
When he actually flinched, she came to an abrupt stop. "Are you hurt?"
"…no, it's nothing."
"Then if I do it again-?"
"Don't do it again."
Two things happened at the same time: she prepared her fingers for another attack and he caught both of her wrists at the same time; they shared a split second of open looks. It ended with Tokio's triumphant "aha!" and both people letting go.
"Where in earth did you get this?"
"…the shogun wanted some help. It was a week ago."
She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Well, let me look at it."
"There's no need; the doctor at the Yagi residence is keeping an eye on it and is just as skilled as you…only less annoying about it."
She crossed her arms, unyielding. "Then why is it still bleeding?"
Both Hijikata and Saitou were taken aback at that comment; the latter also checked as soon as he heard, and indeed, he found, there was blood on it. There shouldn't be. "I don't know. Do I look like a doctor?"
Even if he sounded casual, he was starting to get worried. Tokio had helped him with deeper wounds and they were fine in less time than this. What was wrong?
"I am but you won't let me inspect it…"
"Fine—but don't touch."
He took off his layers and remained standing exposed, as Tokio bent her knees to take a better look at the still open gush on his ribs. "It should have closed already," was the first thing she commented "it isn't deep enough. Unless…"
She put a hand on her chin; Saitou watched her wary. She did something completely unexpected then: without warning, she headed to the bushes – exactly where Hijikata was hiding behind – and grabbed a branch. She sniffed once, then twice and once she was satisfied, she snapped a twig with some seeds on it off! she crushed them between her fingertips as she walked back.
She licked her other two fingers then and mixed her saliva with the makeshift paste.
"Does it sting if I do this?"
She proceeded to simply touch his exposed flesh with the weird concoction but Saitou nearly jumped! He had to exert a lot of discipline to remain as still as he did because oh god did it sting! It was nearly crippling. She hummed in recognition. "It appears your wound is poisoned."
He stared; she stared back. "What?"
"Why would anyone poison me?"
"This isn't the type of poison that kills; but it is enough to keep a wound like that open, thus making it susceptible to infection thus incapacitating whoever was to receive it for a longer period of time. it's debilitating more than lethal…though if one wanted to kill another without raising suspicion, I guess "succumbing to his wounds" is a very believable and overlooked cause of death."
"So, someone was trying to kill the shogun and if not by blade, then he'd fall by its aftereffects?"
She nodded. "Either that or someone knew who would be keeping him safe and wanted them out of the picture—doesn't have to be you personally. Many people dislike the Roshigumi in general. Though you could be the only intended target, I cannot tell."
A meaningful look. "I can only tell this is exactly why you should be coming to me to treat you. I can spot these things…"
"And a doctor twice your age can't?" Saitou spoke what Hijikata thought immediately.
"That seems to be the case; unless he's the one poisoning you." She shrugged. "All I know about the certain man is he was notoriously bitter he wasn't appointed to the Matsudaira compound but I don't see any reason to poison you in that."
"Is there anything you don't know?"
She snorted with laughter. "What I'm going to do with you." He shook his head at her chuckle. "Look, he might not even be trying to kill you; he might be trying to keep you incapacitated; or maybe you're the test subject for the bigger kill later…I don't know. But we can definitely check."
"How?"
"You ask them to allow you to come here to see our doctor, Takahiro-sensei, as the doctor at the Yagi residence doesn't seem to be able to battle this particular wound; once you come here, I ask the doctor to allow me to check; we already know what it is so I simply use some herbs to extract the venom from your system. Once you are completely detoxed, we allow you back to the doctor. If your wounds don't close and we see traces of poison again, then he is the one poisoning you. And do not worry; if you do not bring up poison, there's no way the doctor will worry you found out."
"But that will take too long; I must tell Hijikata immediately."
"It will take a week at most, for the poison isn't enough to cause actual damage, thus only two sessions, meaning days, will be necessary for the detoxification. And you can tell Hijikata-sama tomorrow evening and ask him to keep it quiet. If you went to him first thing in the morning and said someone's poisoned you, won't he ask how you knew? What will you say? Your informant just so happens to be a doctor, too?"
Damn, he hadn't thought of that.
"Exactly; just be patient. Here," she unceremoniously ripped a good chunk of her sleeves and made it into strips.
Hijikata jumped back at the motion.
Saitou watched her go and make more of that weird paste; within a minute she had made enough to thinly cover the entirety of his wound. Just as he suspected, she applied it there, and held it in place with the kimono fabric, tying it around him. "Now you're half a day ahead! Don't take it off until after you wake up, alright?"
He nodded. "Thank you." He put on his hitatare properly again. "The sooner we resolve this, the better."
"I know! But thankfully this won't kill you."
"I'm not in a hurry because of a little bit of pain; this is big. Imagine if he targeted Hijikata or Kondou even! I'm dispensable, I'm just a man; they aren't. this could be a well-aimed attack to our leaders and, as you said, I was the test subject."
When he looked at her though, she was glaring. "What? I'm agreeing with you, there's no need to be upset."
"What do you mean, you're dispensable?"
"I can be replaced. They can't." She kept pursing her lips. "Why are-?"
"You may not be or think you are important or as important as others may be in the grand scheme of things, and maybe you are not the first person in the shogun's mind when he needs to call upon someone, but you still matter. You matter just as much as any of the people you've mentioned. You matter to the family you've left behind; to your friends; and you most certainly matter to me."
Hijikata felt the full impact of her words, even when Saitou seemed to be taking it in stride; what was she saying? Wasn't…wasn't that some sort of declaration? How could she just say something like that so easily? Unless this meant something different to them and he didn't know. But as he watched closer, Saitou might have appeared expressionless but he was in fact stunned; he recognised that poker face anywhere, pretending to be cool but in truth feeling all out of sorts.
Yet, Tokio simply shook her head, as if she hadn't just said that. "If you don't treat yourself that way, don't expect anyone else to do it for you. Men like you must fight for what they deserve, so don't sell yourself sort for any kind of reason."
Then she huffed. "I really don't know what I'm going to do with you. Do you at least drink what I gave you?"
Still numb, he answered "when I feel like I need it, yes," too fast.
"Have you drunk it lately?"
"Twice since I got these wounds."
"That's good; it helps." There was a small pause, in which Saitou was still trying to process what she'd told him. "So, I'll see you tomorrow again, yes?"
He nodded. "When do your lessons with the doctor usually finish?"
"Depends on the day, but tomorrow we'll start early so around twelve? Somewhere there."
"I see; I shall visit then."
The smile was easy on her lips, wide; Hijikata felt his own heartbeat quicken. It was so unreserved, he had never seen her like this. To think such an expression was one she saved for Saitou only…who was now looking far more relaxed than three seconds ago, that was something. "Good night, Tokio."
"Mmm, stay a little longer…!"
Heh, just like a child. "I'm afraid any longer than this and it will become suspicious."
Hijikata wanted to scream this was already suspicious, but refrained.
"I guess; good night. See you tomorrow…!"
"It's barely eleven hours away, don't pout like that." She didn't stop; he sighed. "You hadn't seen me for a week but you'll see me tomorrow again don't pout." He said it more forcefully now, causing her to stop.
Hijikata could barely believe what he was seeing. How could he explain it? It felt like he was witnessing something private, hence he was uncomfortable. But there was nothing supposed to be going on between them, especially these two. He was rude to her and unsociable and she…was a proper fine lady, she must have been too much like Yaso at first glance for Saitou to care to look deeper.
But that wasn't right; they were friends. Well, they were friendly; he doubted either of them considered the other a friend. Then what were they?
"Be careful on your way back; I heard there were Chousuu men arriving tonight."
Hijikata's eye started twitching. Why did she know that? How could she?
"I'll keep it in mind, thanks." He turned around to leave.
"They say there's a Chousuu spy in the Roshigumi, too so keep a sharp eye, okay?"
"How? How can you possibly know that?"
"Matsudaira-sama talked about it with Hijikata-sama and wrote it in a letter to my father. Just be careful, yes? I have a bad feeling about tonight."
He smirked. "Is that why you want to keep me around longer? Won't that only be even more dangerous?"
"No, because I'll be satisfied with the amount of time you spent here and maybe my alarms wouldn't have gone off, if you had decided to stay a bit more."
He sighed again. "I really need to go."
She checked his hip and was surprised to see he now wore it on his left, but relieved he had it with him anyway. "Not much of an advantage to be left handed if everyone can tell," he explained, seeing how perplexed she was.
Hijikata could punch someone in the face right now; she was observant enough to notice something like that? Really? And why was it so infuriating?
"Ah that makes sense. Just be careful."
"I will. Now for the last time, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
She watched him go anxiously; Hijikata watched her keenly. "Go inside hime-sama," Saitou snapped without ever turning back "or I'm not coming again, information be damned."
As if that triggered a fail-safe inside her, she was scrambling to get into the house in seconds; Saitou spared a glance behind him and when he no longer saw her there, he smirked. He didn't look back again.
Hijikata remained, knowing it'd be best not to follow after him immediately; he knew where he was returning—it was this he hadn't. And maybe he shouldn't have after all, for now, now he saw. Now he was aware. And what he was aware of he didn't like one bit: it wasn't budding romance nor friendship he witnessed. It was inappropriate as far as first impressions went, but as he listened to them talk, there was nothing reproachful in their conversation, no lingering looks, no touches either…
Only intimacy.
A level of intimacy that could not be faked, rehearsed or bought. If he was a complete stranger and one told him Saitou was married he wouldn't be entirely convinced; he could have watched him getting married to Yaso a thousand times and he would still doubt it. But if he saw this and then someone said "hey, do you know this guy is already someone's husband" he'd believe it; Tokio's.
That's what concerned him.
He cursed under his breath. Now he saw, he was implicated. He had to say something; but the information was valuable; but it was certainly not worth Saitou's life or presence in the unit, should any of this somehow be found. Though nothing was found so far. Alright, he was split and the moonlight wasn't helping any. He'd sleep on it, allow Saitou to come over to the compound to see "the doctor" and he'd see what he'd do, once Saitou's back.
.
.
"Careful!"
Matsudaira caught Tokio who had just bumped into his chest, effectively stopping her fall. They had both taken quite a sharp turn at a hallway but to think she had enough speed to cause such an impact, it was unusual. Seeing her shame, he chuckled. "Where are you headed in such a hurry, Tokio?"
"The doctor called me to his study, but we only just finished our classes; I thought it might be something interesting…"
"Ah, of course, the doctor; the only man in this compound that would cause you to run."
She changed a hundred colours! The lord laughed, thinking it was due to his joke, but in fact, the reality hit her right in the face; she knew it was Saitou she was excited to see, him she hurried for. She felt so humiliated by her own shameless behaviour…!
"I just thought if I didn't make haste, maybe I'd miss it."
"I know how much you like your lessons; go dear."
"Thank you; and sorry…"
"Go, go."
She made the trip struggling not to feel too bad for what she just realised about herself; yet all of her self-doubts disappeared as soon as she walked into her teacher's study and she saw him: Saitou was sitting formally behind the small table separating patient and physician, half-stripped already. His eyes had been closed until she walked in, when he turned to her – seeing he had his back to the door – and bowed.
Her heart calmed just by being in the same room with him, how odd. And the smile came naturally. "Saitou-san; long time no see."
"Tokio-sama."
"Tokio-chan, I'm glad you came so soon; come, sit next to the patient." She did so without a single word. "Saitou-san came to us today for these wounds." She almost focused before he showed her where they were and she nearly betrayed she already knew where to look. "They don't hurt when left alone, but for some reason they won't heal; he's been like this for some time."
"I see."
"Would you like to examine them and see what's wrong?"
"Of course; would you like to supervise—?"
"No, dear; I have to go. I have another appointment scheduled that can't be rearranged. Though you have my full confidence." He turned to Saitou. "She has my complete trust; allow her to treat you."
"Of course; she did well last time, too so I have no reason to refuse."
"That is most satisfying to hear," the doctor commended "can't help but feeling proud for my student, too." He inclined his head to both. "And now I shall leave; please use the room we used last time. Goodbye."
Nothing but meaningful glances were exchanged until they reached said room, the one she kept using to sneak out at night. That alone caused her to smile, even as she looked for the necessary supplies to begin the anti-poison treatment.
"Hijikata was strange today," was the first thing spoken out loud "he granted me permission to come here without asking so much as an excuse. I requested to be treated and he didn't even ask why."
It was obvious this was bothering him, she could tell from his tone and the furrowed brows. "Maybe even he noticed the wounds weren't closing, so new steps had to be taken."
He wasn't satisfied though. "The doctor simply gives him updates on all of us, he doesn't come inspect the wounds himself—that would be both pointless and time-consuming."
A new theory was born in her mind. "…have you considered the possibility of the doctor knowing someone is trying to poison you and had told Hijikata-sama but not you, not to worry you?"
But Saitou snorted. "Impossible; and I'm not a woman."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You don't keep these things from men out of fear they'll worry too much; that's why you keep them from women." It was her turn to snort. "I'm not saying it makes sense, I'm saying that's the norm."
"Yes, yes, I see; bottom mind, either the doctor is inept, complicit or the culprit and none of these are good."
"Precisely."
She finally came to sit beside him, all of her herbs, water and alcohol by her side. He had already taken off his hitatare in a convenient way and waited until she mixed her medicine to take off the "bandage" she herself had put there not half a day ago.
"Well, I asked Takahiro-sensei about your doctor and he said he's very selfish but nearly as qualified as he likes to think; when he didn't land the spot in the Matsudaira compound he went on a three-day drinking binge. Takahiro-sensei was there to witness it, too; he didn't reveal any of the things he said though, claiming they were the drunken ravings of a dissatisfied man that were not to be taken seriously."
"So, they were the ravings one could call career-ending, yes?"
"…I won't deny I had the same thought. But if Takahiro-sensei doesn't say what they were…!"
"He doesn't have to. This is enough cause to put things in motion—coupled with my slow poisoning."
She finally had the paste at the density she wanted and stopped adding water; she took the clay bowl in her hands and brought it close to her nose. She took a good whiff. "I think it's ready. Time to start your treatment!"
He didn't get to unwrap the kimono strips; her hands were more dexterous when it came to tasks such as these, far more practised. He didn't complain; he simply watched her work around him. at first it was curiosity, slowly it turned into interest; soon enough, he felt nearly mesmerised by the repeating motions, the slow but quick applications, the concentration on her face…she was careful not to hurt him and when it couldn't be helped, she did it as swift as possible; she laboured over him dutifully, minding his every reaction, never looking up from her work.
He could still hear her voice from yesterday in his head; you matter, she'd said, like it wasn't a big deal; you matter, she'd said as if he had never told her about his indiscretion; you matter to me, she'd shamelessly admitted as if it was natural! For someone of her position and status, to care for someone like him…she was an idiot.
A sentimental, gullible idiot.
She finished by wrapping real bandage around him to keep the paste in place and his musings stopped at the same time with her hands. "Keep it there for a long time, maybe till sunset. Then leave it alone until you come to me again tomorrow. Don't eat anything too greasy and no sake."
He made a face.
"You heard me," she warned "not a sip."
He started putting his clothes back on. "…fine."
"Perfect; we're finished for today." A pause. "Would you like to meet Hachiro?"
"I would, but I should be going." She seemed to deflate at that and he still couldn't wrap his head around how she came to be invested in him. "Thank you for everything, Tokio."
"You are most welcome…but this should be a lesson to you."
"From now on I'll ask for your opinion on medical matters; happy?"
"Quite." They stood at the same time. "Give my regards to everyone; Harada-san included."
"Ugh, we'll never hear the end of it now." She giggled, knowing exactly that would happen, revealing it was exactly why she said it; his glare felt justified.
"Have a nice day, Hajime."
"You, too."
.
.
"Hijikata-san, I have news to tell you."
Saitou caught a glimpse of the man as he was about to take a right, heading away from his office; he immediately called out to him, effectively stopping Hijikata dead in his tracks. "If you have a prior engagement, it can wait."
"…now is fine," he finally said, after some deliberation.
Saitou felt a little uneasy since morning, but he had pretty much forgotten about it for as long as he was with Tokio and till the moment he saw his commander again. But now it came back with a vengeance, for the older man was too serious, too thoughtful and too distant…not to mention his sadistic side, which was always there, seemed to have disappeared.
He back-tracked and led Saitou into his office. The tension in the air was nearly palpable. "So, what did the doctor say?"
"I believe I should inform you first of all that the doctor wasn't the one who treated me; Tokio was. the doctor had an appointment and left her in his stead. That being said…she performed better than the doctor here."
Hijikata appeared curious. "How so?"
"She found out I am being slowly poisoned." The look on his commander's face was the picture-perfect surprise…making Saitou apprehensive. Hijikata was never surprised. Certainly not because someone was trying to kill off one of his men. "It didn't take her long, too—in fact, it took her less than ten seconds to consider it once she saw my wounds were still bleeding."
"Ten seconds, huh?"
What was this bad feeling Saitou was having? At least the sadism was back, though. "…yes; and when someone as inexperienced as she can think of it so easily, why didn't our doctor? He's been practising longer than Tokio lives."
"How old is she? Wait, that's irrelevant; what are you saying then?"
"She's seventeen; what I'm saying is, I believe the doctor is trying to do something unsavoury."
"…because you believe he should have noticed the poisoning himself; and if he hasn't he's either a liability due to lack of ability or he's doing it himself for whatever reason, thus a threat."
Wow, the commander was reading his mind. "Precisely."
"I agree; we must do something about this." A deliberate pause. "But we have no proof yet."
"Well, seeing Tokio is a doctor herself she suggested this: we already started the detoxification process which will be finished by tomorrow; once the poison is all but extracted, I go back to our own doctor; after a couple of days, I go back to Tokio; if she finds new traces of poison, it has to be him."
"Smart plan…when did she come up with it? Was it today or yesterday?"
"Yesterday; today, she only told me about how her teacher insinuated our doctor might have some anti-shogun sentiments."
"And when did you meet Tokio-san yesterday?"
Oh no.
The colour drained from the tall man's face; a smirk graced the commander's. "Was it when you met your informant? In the middle of the night? When she repeatedly smacked you, and found out you were actually bleeding when you shouldn't?"
Everything about Saitou read panic: how his carefully constructed mask of apathy started chipping away; his chest swelled by a sharp intake of breath; he was as white as a sheet.
"…I can explain."
"Save it," he simply said and Saitou immediately fell silent. "I am not one to lecture nor am I an ingrate. For whatever reason, she seems to have taken a liking to you and it has worked out in our favour so far, so I won't tell you to stop. All I am going to say is the same thing I told her, too, four months ago, only plainer…watch it; attachments are quick to form."
"They won't, I can assure you."
Hijikata snorted! "They already have; just please make sure they aren't deep and can be severed at any time."
"There are no attachments—"
"Do you take me for a fool? I heard her last night."
Instead of feeling ashamed, Saitou decided to switch to offense. "So, I was followed yesterday and it was you who did it…no one else knows I take it?"
The commander couldn't help the smirk that came to his face; even is such a mess, he was covering his bases, thinking things through, doing damage control. Still he nodded affirmatively, even if only once.
"What are we to do with the doctor then?"
"We do as Tokio suggested, unless she manages to make her teacher speak before then. When will you meet again?"
"Tomorrow?"
"I don't believe I'm saying this, but can't you tell her tonight?"
"She's not a simpleton; if she can get that information, she will, without my asking."
He seemed to trust her and her judgement an awful lot; maybe this wasn't as one sided as he had originally thought. A crease formed on his brow. "Very well; you are dismissed." But just as he was about to go, Hijikata called out to him. "Don't make me regret my decision," he said, only after he was sure he had his full attention.
Taking a deep bow this once, he exited the room.
Hopefully, no one would regret this.
A/N: And, cut! This was it folks. Stay tuned for the next instalment when this author reveals is Saitou really being poisoned...?
So, please tell me what you thought and see you all next week.
Kisses,
FAI