A/N: Hey there lovelies! Thank you for all the love, you keep me going :* Anon you, too.
Enjoy the latest chapter now, full of surprises and - I hope - a good...scare, sort of, at the end. Really looking forward to your reactions.
Timeline: 16th of August (at the end of the chapter).
A fine lady...
...and emergencies.
That night Saitou didn't go drinking with his friends.
He declined their invitation because Tokio had forbidden it for his own health, but also because he would only be dreadful company to his friends. Ever since he left Hijikata's office, he had been troubled. At first, he tried to ignore it, thinking it wasn't important, or true. But as time passed, he realised the commander must have been right.
There was no "was she", "could she" or "maybe"—Tokio was attached; he knew as he took off the bandages she herself had put there; he knew as he watched the wound a little more raw than usual, but obviously a healthier shade than a week ago.
What was she attached to—or how much? That was the real question, the thing that worried him. He bet Hijikata didn't even know Tokio dissolved his marriage to Yaso all on her own; he had no idea she did it as a present to him, for being there for her when she needed it. If he had, the worrywart of a commander would probably have had a small stroke and foam from his mouth.
And would probably ask him to end this, no matter the information.
Was that why Saitou didn't mention it?
No, he was fairly certain he didn't say anything in order not to dig a bigger hole for himself, as well as, to keep the lady's reputation as clean as possible. People were quick to judge and even if Hijikata would keep it to himself, he'd still be wary of Tokio, there was no need for that.
But the fact remained: for one reason or the other, Tokio had very obviously come to form some sort of attachment to him. It had happened so organically, he had failed to notice it up until the commander forced him to open his eyes to it. That proud, smart woman, with all sorts of potential and duties had inexplicably taken a liking to him. Because, like he himself had decided not half a day ago, she was a gullible, sentimental idiot.
Well, he didn't hate that. Hmm, maybe that didn't do justice to the woman; he should have said, he appreciated that. She could be all the wrong things and yet, "hime-sama" acted nothing like the privileged, sheltered princess she was. Quite the contrary. So, it would make sense if her values and ideas weren't that of a typical fine lady—so she did warm up to him.
How much though…that he wanted to test. And it wasn't until late at night, maybe around two, he finally found the proper way to do it.
.
.
"Saitou-san, I see you're already here." The two men greeted each other with a small nod, as they ran into each other in the middle of a hallway. "Tokio told me you need one more session, but our classes have not finished yet; do you mind waiting?"
"Of course not; I shall see myself to the room."
"Perfect; it will take us about an hour, so why don't you ask for a cup of tea from one of the servants? Maybe some snacks, too."
"Thank you, doctor."
This delay was just what he needed; he'd get to run the scenarios over in his head to get the best reaction out of her. Of course, that involved tricking her, but it couldn't be helped. Any guilt he might have had evaporated at the thought of Hijikata skinning him alive, should anything unexpected happen.
But that hour passed torturously slowly; he had drunk three cups of tea and it still wasn't enough to distract him. Despite his best wishes, he also felt nervous; they had come to know each other well, partly because they hadn't met under the best of circumstances so they had been offensively honest to one another, so he felt she would see through his ploy. And that did absolutely nothing to help with the passage of time.
"Hajime, good morning."
"Good afternoon; it's already an hour past midday."
She hid a chuckle in her sleeve. "I knew you'd say that." He raised his eyebrows dissatisfied. "Good afternoon, Hajime."
He said nothing else; usually he would have but he decided if he was to sell this properly, it would be best for him to remain silent. She motioned for him to take off his layers, and he did it, equally silent. Seeing she was absorbed in her own tasks, grinding the herbs and pouring the water, it didn't feel as suffocating as he feared. He simply watched her do what she knew how to do best and the tension slowly eased off of his shoulders.
"Hijikata knows," he blurted out just when the paste had reached that same thickness as yesterday.
She looked up wondered. "He knows about the doctor? And did nothing?" The disapproval was immediate. "Quite cold-hearted of him, I wouldn't have guessed…"
He would have shaken his head if he wasn't trying to play it so serious. "I didn't mean he knows about the doctor; he knows you are my informant."
Tokio was about to take another swipe of the paste but her hand hovered over the bowl indefinitely; her eyes remained trained on the strips of tatami mats between them; he had the impression she was even holding her breath. But her face was turned downwards and he could not see her expression. "Tokio?"
"…what did he say?"
She sounded tentative. "He won't tell anyone naturally, but…" She flinched; the way he stretched that last word caused her to look up, but otherwise completely still. There was something restless in her eyes. "He ordered me to stop coming."
That was it; he felt as if he could actually hear her heartbeat drumming against her chest violently, as if needing to beat out of it. Her face was the textbook definition of agony as she looked to the side, brows drawn together, mouth slightly apart to facilitate the rapid breathing. Then she closed her mouth tightly, biting at her lower lip hard enough to make him fear blood was going to be drawn and, could it be, she was doing her best not to tear up and cry.
He didn't know how to act, and yet again he was speechless; he just hoped, from the bottom of his heart, he wouldn't really make her cry, because—how could he? He was such an asshole! He felt like the biggest bully in Kyoto. Crap, he had to say something, fast.
"H, how did he…?"
Of course, she beat him to it; but that was good, now he had something to say. "He followed me two nights ago; that was why he was being strange yesterday morning."
She was even more upset now, palms squeezing one another in her lap. "I—I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—…oh dear, what he must think of me, or you. This, this is so embarrassing; do forgive me, I never meant to cause you trouble with him. Did he punish you in some way? Because you still came today, but that's for your health, so…I mean…I…I'm sorry, I'm selfish."
He felt like someone had punched his gut from the inside right about then. He was a horrible, horrible man. Even as he tried to stop her, she kept talking, squeezing her hands and fighting back forming tears. "I'm always so selfish, getting you into trouble. But, I didn't do it on purpose…I just wanted…I liked your company. I still do! But now…and yet, isn't there a way…no, uh, I'm being incredibly selfish again."
She rubbed her face once. "I wish he hadn't said that. I really like talking with you…"
What to do, what to say? He was half-way panicking. He had to save this! "…will you let me finish?"
Thank Buddha the idea was born in his mind and he managed to speak coolly enough to hide his concern. But the hopeful way she looked up, killed him. "He didn't stay long that night; once he saw you he left." Lies! But she had no idea, so it suited him. "After I relayed the news of my poisoning and how you figured it out, as well as the news about the doctor, he…relented." Her chest puffed up and the tears all but disappeared. "He was very strict, but he allowed this to go on, but carefully." She must have nodded a thousand times. "He even took the time to warn me twice, so he must be very absolute about it."
"Of course; we always are but we'll be more careful now! He won't regret changing his mind, at all."
"Yeah, let's hope."
"No hoping; we'll make sure. He's in good hands—I mean, he shall be satisfied."
She gave him a ridiculously compliant but bright smile; he felt even more of an asshole. He could be a really cold bastard and to think he was all of that to the world's softest person…
Oh no, his brain warned then as he watched her take care of him; it wasn't just her, it was him too that felt relieved, even for a completely different reason. She was, for the simple reason she would keep meeting with him; he was, simply because she smiled again. He couldn't be more self-conscious in that moment. He finally realised…he didn't notice her getting attached because he was getting attached, too—Hijikata was too right; he should be very careful. Otherwise…
"You know, Tokio, you shouldn't be so dependent on those after hour meetings; things happen. I don't mean someone can find out and put an end to it, no; I mean, anything might happen. I could be killed at any moment; your wedding might be announced. What will you do then?"
She lowered her eyes even more. "…I know. Which is why I was so upset. If it is meant to be ephemeral, then I'd want it to last as long as possible. It makes sense, yes?"
He looked at her for a long moment: too-red cheeks; eyes peeled on his wound; shy but stubborn. He had to fight himself to sound as casual as he did when he replied "yes."
Oh no, his mind warned him again, she's cute.
.
.
News about doctor; same place, tonight.
It was hastily written in a throw away piece of paper; it must have been already wrinkled when she wrote on it, too. How in earth she managed to make this reach him was beyond him, for he saw neither her, nor her maid or even Teruhime. It was only Matsudaira who had come but he highly doubted he was the one who delivered this for her.
Then again, how did he come by this note anyway? He only remembered finding it in his pocket—
"You didn't have to tell Tokio I know."
Hijikata's voice caught him by surprise, causing him to look up. "…why do you think I told her?"
"Because that little note you're looking at, I collected from the floor of my office after I carefully hid it from view when it fell from Matsudaira-sama's pocket when he came to give me an envelope. I bet he doesn't know about this; and he had no reason to meet with you. But since Tokio knows everything – apparently – I bet she also knew the purpose of Matsudaira-sama's visit…so she put that note there for me to find."
Saitou tried his best not to laugh but a chuckle escaped him all the same. Hijikata tried to glare, and glare he did, but his own amusement at her shamelessness was evident. "Just tell your girlfriend not to do it again."
"Hijikata! What are you saying?" Saitou looked over his shoulder and all around him at least five times. "Don't jest with issues like those! If anyone heard you—!"
"Yeah, yeah I know; shut up. But tell her not to do it again."
The snort came almost naturally to his subordinate's lips and Hijikata had to wonder. "What makes you think she'll listen to me?"
"But she does; I saw it that night, she does what you tell her."
"Only when it suits her, or I threaten her; she never does what I tell her. If it were up to me, we'd have never established this…odd meeting schedule. I don't want to meet her in the middle of the night, she does."
"What do you mean?"
"I caught her sneaking out once at a late time and that was it, time fixed. I asked her to stop a number of times, she wouldn't listen. It…devolved into what it is now."
But Hijikata was disbelieving. "Tokio is the one who's calling the shots?"
"Pretty much."
His ease at that admission threw the commander off; no shame, no strained yes and noes—it was a simple fact for his subordinate. Maybe…maybe he still underestimated her, even after she just proved she could effectively manipulate not one, not two but three extremely serious and tight-lipped people.
"If you want to forbid her something, you have a better chance at telling her yourself. Otherwise, I know exactly what she's going to say:"
"Oh, I'm so sorry for trying to provide you with the information you need as soon as possible; next time I'll wait for a week or two before alerting you. Do forgive me."
He knew it; he was sure she was going to say something like that! He smirked at no one but himself as he shook his head at her words. "It was Hijikata who said it."
"Oh." She considered. "Tell him that without the attitude then."
He had to stifle a chuckle. "So, what did you learn about the doctor?"
"Ah, yes, your good doctor…actually, the gossip isn't political at all." His interest was evident. "It is, how do I put it, social more than anything. As in, it doesn't concern his political views, rather his, um, preferences."
"Preferences?"
She became a little shy. "Yes, meaning his romantic preferences."
"He's married with three children?"
"Yes, but…uh, I'm not made for this type of gossip." Her discomfort was too obvious, looking away and everywhere but Saitou at the same time. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands or herself in general as she kept changing her pose. "He, you see, is indeed married but, well, um, he told Takahiro-sensei that one of the reasons he wanted to come to the Matsudaira compound is…Matsudaira-sama himself."
She went closer to him to speak, as her voice grew smaller; no one was around to listen but she still couldn't speak too loud. He bent a little low. "Takahiro-sensei said your doctor was attracted to him the same way he was attracted to his wife."
Saitou's eyes widened; he gave her a look to which she responded simply by nodding modestly. "He's…of that preference?"
"Well, he did say he was attracted to his wife…maybe he likes both genders?"
"Ah, I see." A pause. "That gives a whole new light to the situation…no one at the Yagi residence knows about that, too and if his views lie in the general direction of do-not-let-Matsudaira-sama-down I doubt he'd do something to compromise his position."
"Indeed; maybe he's not the one doing it? Small ingested doses could cause the same effect."
"Then how can we know—?"
She clicked her tongue. "Well, if there are traces of poison on your wounds after only a day or two, it is most certainly the doctor, as no one else has direct contact with those. To be honest, if nothing is found, I was fully prepared to entertain the thought of someone within the unit spiking your sake and I would have asked you to come for another check-up in a week." Then her face changed into something between challenge and superiority. "…unless you allow other people to fondle you, too, other than the doctor."
His eyebrows rose high, his expression loftily haughty. "Oh yes, there is one; a woman," Tokio was beyond shocked at the revelation "she's quite persistent, too; a third of the times we meet I keep stripping, in fact."
"What? Who is she?"
"You of all people should know; I'm looking at her right now."
The redness on her cheeks became deeper, morphing from sheer mortification into absolute shame.
"Wh-, uh, y-…wh…" she took a deep breath, "Don't twist this! I'm only trying to help you!"
"Never said otherwise. Yet I still end up somehow half-naked because of you."
She was fuming now; he was satisfied. She saw that he was and decided it was not worth the mental effort to remain like that and she tried to grow out of it.
He noticed her efforts and decided to wind her up a little more. "So, that was it?" She nodded curtly, trying to look offended. "That was all?"
"You know, I had to get Takahiro-sensei drunk to tell me all these and I even had to pour his sake! A little bit of appreciation would be nice."
"Well if you had to stoop so low that you poured his sake for him, I must thank you; what a sacrifice."
Honestly, he didn't know if he was being sarcastic or not at this point; he knew she didn't like doing that. He also knew she had no reason to keep feeding him information like this, she was basically doing him a favour. So, yeah, she deserved a "thank you Tokio; please keep up the good work."
She shook her head. "You're welcome;" why isn't she already used to his teasing was beyond her "I shall."
.
.
"Good evening doctor," Tokio saluted the older man that was seated on the floor, just as she entered the room "I was told you wanted to meet."
"Tokio-sama, greetings. I believe we haven't been formally introduced yet." The doctor stood, the rays of the setting sun hitting his chest and head. "My name is Hitaka Kou and I am the resident doctor of the Yagi household."
"An honour to meet, sir; I am Takagi Tokio, lady in waiting to Teruhime-sama."
"Indeed…though I did hear you have been training in the field of medicine; to my knowledge, you are the one who has been taking a look at Saitou-san's wounds, yes?"
Tokio felt some sort of electricity ran through her body; should she just admit it? Should she not? "Indeed…" she made up her mind, her expression never betraying her mentality. Despite that though, the feeling of electrification did not go away.
"Ah, I am glad; I wanted to meet you! I heard that you helped a lot, even when I couldn't."
She tried to wave him off, smile kind on her lips – or trying to be –. "I still did not manage to help as much as I should, do not feel slighted."
"Slighted? Oh, my dear, not at all; quite the contrary! I am here to urge you to share your secrets with me. Or, if you didn't mind, to come pick out herbs with me from the market. I wish to know Takahiro-sensei's secrets."
To the sound of those news, Tokio's smile became all too real, eyes slightly widening; she was immediately excited at the prospect—it was an offer Takahiro-sensei himself had never made.
"There are two apothecaries every person who considers themselves a doctor should visit when in Kyoto, and I happen to know people in both of them. They would be glad to sell you anything you like."
Tokio could sincerely not believe her ears; breaking through as a lady doctor in the capital was extremely hard; the only reason she herself enjoyed so much confidence from her peers was due to the fact most of the guards had seen and felt the results of her training first-hand and they were all positive. Then there was Teruhime-sama who encouraged her and Matsudaira-sama who was quite a forward thinker; the Roshigumi were also included, but they were under the direct control of her lord, so they couldn't really not accept her.
Other than that, no one else knew of her abilities, and almost no one else would consider them a good asset for a young bride to be. But this doctor found out…and his first instinct was to help her out! Maybe she was right; maybe tomorrow morning, when Hajime came to check if there's a trace of poison on his wounds, they'd find none.
"I would be delighted to escort you to the market." She inclined her head respectfully.
"How fortunate; so, shall we meet tomorrow at these gates at ten o clock?"
"Ten…? Um, can we…do this a little later? I have a…patient at that time."
Namely Hajime, his own patient, whom he was not supposed to know would come back here to check if there is poison in him even after she supposedly did "all she could" and returned him to his original doctor.
"Then why don't I come here, wait until you're finished and then we can go? I believe Takahiro-sensei will be going to the market, too so we could all go together."
But Hitaka-san was not supposed to see him!
Tokio exhaled; she was really torn. If she told him no, he'd probably feel put off, most possibly wouldn't make her the same offer again and she would have missed out on a great opportunity to connect herself with the medical community of Kyoto, thus making it harder for her father to take her away from here, too. She would be helping her career along as well as maybe prevent an unfavourable marriage – as it was too much to hope the marriage would be cancelled altogether –.
But if she'd said yes, she wouldn't see Hajime. She could still leave him the paste there to do it himself, it wasn't actually hard to do on his own; in fact, it was a piece of cake. He only had to take some of the paste and smear it on the wounds. If they stung, he was being poisoned. If they felt soothed, he was on the road of recovery.
Practically, her only use was to make the paste. She considered. See Hajime or advance her career and stop a potential bad match? Hajime or herself?
"How about eleven?"
"I'm afraid I can't wait that long; if it is a difficult case, we can always reschedule…but it will have to wait for September. Other than tomorrow morning, I do not have the time."
And just as her heart was elated by hearing the word reschedule, her spirits plummeted when she heard the date. She looked down and away, biting her cheek or her lip alternatively.
"I…can reschedule my patient's appointment." Lies. "How about tomorrow morning at nine?"
Now it was the man's turn to be pleasantly surprised, nodding repeatedly. "That works even better for me; I did not suggest it for I do not know when young ladies such as yourself wake up in the morning."
"Ah, I wake up round eight or half past eight usually," she assured him "no inconvenience." They mutually smiled.
"So, tomorrow at nine?"
"Indeed, Hitaka-san; I shall meet you at the gates, so long as Matsudaira-sama permits me."
.
.
Saitou was sitting in seiza in front of Hijikata; no one told him to do it, he always preferred it, when he was doing something formal, much like now, which was reporting to his superior officer.
"What's your status?"
"According to Tokio, I am being poisoned again."
Hijikata clicked his tongue; this wasn't what he wanted to hear. "So, it is the doctor who is behind it."
"Yes and no; he's definitely the one doing it. I doubt he's the brain behind it though."
"What else did Tokio say?"
A sigh. "…not much, seeing she wasn't there."
Hijikata's expression reflected his own when he had walked in the med room only to find it empty of her and nothing but a note and the paste she would use on him. They were both left smack dab in the middle of the room, to catch his eye. He approached the bowl and snatched the piece of paper to read.
Dear Haijme,
I am truly sorry I could not be there today. Please accept my humble apologies. If you are not too mad at me, please meet me tonight so I can explain why properly.
That being said, I already prepared whatever is necessary for you to find out if you are really being poisoned or not, as I would never shirk my duties, I hope you already know that. So, take the paste and apply on your wounds; do not use too much, but don't make it too thin. If it stings, you're being poisoned again; if it has a pleasant burn that leads to an icy after-feeling, you aren't.
In the odd case, you are indeed being poisoned by the doctor, please take the paste with you; I have prepared enough for a week. By no means do I tell you to stop coming to me, I would simply like you to have it. It works on more than one types of poison and no matter how long it remains unused, it won't go bad if you preserve it.
With regards,
Tokio.
PS I will be getting you something to store it so please come tonight!
Saitou just stood there, rolling his eyes. She'd have some ridiculous excuse for it and he had half a mind not to go so not to hear it, but he knew he would regret it later on, so he just took the letter, put it in his pocket and shook his head.
Coming back to now, he was shaking his head again. "She said she'll explain tonight and left me instructions on how to check for the poison myself; I checked, I was poisoned. Now go get the doctor."
Oh? Did he sound a little sour? Hijikata tried not to rub it in. "I think bringing you along will help, so get up, let's go."
It took no time for Saitou to stand and head for the door; he waited for Hijikata to pass through first and followed after him. There was silence on the way to the doctor's study and it was choke full of determination and purpose…that turned into disappointment once they entered his room.
Saitou remained staring. He hated to state the obvious but this case compelled him. "He's not here."
Hijikata frowned. "He went to the market to buy ingredients, but he should have been back by now. It never took more than two hours before."
His men told him he left around half past eight; the clock informed him it was eleven. "We should wait for another hour; if he's not back by then, maybe we should go looking for him."
Hijikata conveyed his agreement with a curt nod. "Stay with me until then."
Saitou mimicked the gesture. "You have men following him, right? can't we contact them?"
"We will if he's not back at twelve. For now…let's go train."
Pleasure mixed with surprise made an appearance on the young man's face; it had been too long since the commander took time to train with his men, a week, in fact, and this was a good chance! He'd be an idiot to pass it up. "Can I tell Okita, too?"
The sadism made a comeback on the commander's face. "Suit yourself."
.
The one-hour turned a two-hour training session with Hijikata and Okita was the most exciting spar and rewarding experience he had ever had. Their commander wasn't simply gifted, he was something out of this world; the fact he spent time teaching them was nothing short of a miracle. That is to say, Okita and he were nothing sort of skilled, but they couldn't compare.
But more practise with the man, only meant expansion and enrichment of his own skills; one of the reasons he was always excited and would never miss a training day with his commander. Kondou and Kamo, the "real" commanders of the unit, they too were skilled with the sword, but it was nowhere near that level; hell, they had already bested them on multiple occasions. But Hijikata…Hijikata put real effort in it, never slacked and kept on improving himself; Hijikata devised the hiraitsuki, their refined stabbing technique, available only to the Roshigumi recruits. It was that same technique, with some variations to suit him, Saitou used on multiple occasions.
All in all, this day was already a lot better than it had started out.
"We must change and go find the doctor immediately," Hijikata suddenly ordered, just as both young men wiped the sweat off of their necks. "Time passed too fast."
Okita appeared curious. "Our doctor?"
"He's been poisoning Saitou."
"What? Since when? Why!?"
"…we hope to figure out why by capturing him, but he's been doing it since he started treating me for my wounds, I take it."
Okita stared dumbfounded; after Hijikata's non-committal shrug, he literally puffed up his chest and stood straighter yet. "I'm coming with you; I'll meet you at the third hall in five minutes."
He didn't wait for anyone to react; he simply turned about and left. Seeing Okita roped himself into it so conveniently, both parties had no other course of action but to hurry and change, too. When they came together again, wordlessly they headed for the doctor. Surprisingly, it was Okita who was leading the party, up till they reached the room. Then he side-stepped, allowing Hijikata to pass first, but his hand immediately went for his sword.
Saitou gave him a look. They weren't planning to kill the man…although, even if he didn't do the same, he still was on guard. So, when Hijikata pulled the door open, they both tensed! Only it was for nothing, again. The man still hadn't come back.
They all exchanged looks.
"Suspicious that he isn't here," Okita commented.
"He had gone ingredient-shopping…but he should have definitely been back by now." Hijikata turned to Saitou. "We will contact the men—"
"Hijikata-sama, Hijikata-sama!"
Two breathless men made an appearance at the far end of the hall! By their clothes and weaponry, more polished and expensive than that of a simple guard, all three could tell these men were from the Matsudaira compound. Their faces read panic and their feet carried them too swiftly. They were standing in front of the man in the blink of an eye, bowing deep.
"Hijikata-sama, Matsudaira-sama has requested your presence immediately. It is fortunate you three are all here because he requested the presence of as many of your best men as possible, too."
"What happened?" Hijikata immediately inquired, as he nodded to Okita, who knew to go and alert Nagakura and Harada.
The guards fell into step with him, as he started heading for the exit of the Yagi household. Still, they had the time to look at each other like saying "where had this man been living for the past two hours".
One of them looked at the vice commander sombre. "Tokio-sama has been kidnapped."
And just like that, the day was ruined.
The pause of both Roshigumi men was so intense, they actually stopped walking for a moment. "She has what now?"
They looked at each other again, but this once their hesitation was evident. "Matsudaira-sama will explain properly once we get there."
But that was debatable; when they did arrive at the Matsudaira compound, the man himself was in a state. When he first saw them, and he was actually waiting by the gates that's how distraught he was, he all but ran to them, stating the obvious while giving no further information, only blaming himself for this situation.
"Matsudaira-sama, please start from the beginning. Why is this your fault?"
"Yesterday she asked me if she could go to the market with the doctor, to choose herbs, and I unthinkingly said yes, believing she meant our doctor, Takahiro-sensei, so I didn't assign her a guard, because Takahiro-sensei always takes a guard with him…but she didn't, she meant your doctor, Hitaka-san."
Saitou looked at Hijikata sharply and he was surprised to find the man looking as worried as he himself felt; Okita was already seething, even if he was successfully hiding it so far but Nagakura and Harada were the ones in most shock.
"Why would she go shopping for herbs with our doctor, it makes no sense?" Harada was nearly accusing. "Did she ask?"
"No, your doctor did; they told me he came to visit her after news of her kidnapping came."
"Why would our doctor-?"
"I have no clue, Harada-san, but she was taken when she was browsing with Hitaka-san; I fear he may be in danger, too! This is all they sent me, accompanied by this."
Matsudaira produced two things in succession: the first was a small, black tuff of hair, bound by a piece of cloth that Saitou immediately realised as a torn-out strip of her favoured everyday kimono; the second was a piece of paper that Saitou almost snatched out of the man's hands; he did exercise some self-control in the end and allowed Hijikata to take it first while he simply read over his shoulder:
We have taken your Tokio. If you wish to see her again, you have to follow our instructions. They will be sent to you later in the day. For now, simply know she is being held in a safe place of our choosing. She is not harmed and nor will she be, if you do exactly as we say. Do not try to find us or her. We will know.
Unsigned, unmarked, uncharacteristic…
After everyone was done reading, it was returned to Matsudaira. The tuff of hair though, remained in Saitou's possession, seemingly forgotten by everyone, even the lord himself - despite Saitou being almost certain Hijikata's eyes caught him pocketing it - .
"My lord, we shall do all in our power to find her."
"We promise," Okita added.
"But if we are to use this information correctly, we have to move immediately. So, excuse the shortness of our visit, but we need to go."
Harada assured him that "we will take care of it."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank us, this is our duty," Nagakura stole Saitou's usual line as they were all making their exit.
"Then, I'm counting on you. Take the horses!" he shouted out in the end.
He watched them nod affirmatively and take a turn for the stables.
No one said anything until they were already mounted. "Okita, go meet the two men I had ordered to follow Hitaka around and find out exactly why they failed to report something like this;" Okita nodded and left before anyone could blink "Harada, you are tasked with the search of every apothecary in Kyoto." He was gone, too. "Nagakura, you are to look for all the possible places the men who did this could have used to keep her safe but unseen till nightfall."
It took exactly two seconds for Hijikata and Saitou to be left alone. That was when he finally turned to his subordinate, confused but furious. "Why would she agree to it, knowing he was suspected of trying to kill you? Was the note really by her? If yes, then has she no sense of self-preservation? What are we going to do now? I am all but certain this was the doctor's doing…it can't be a coincidence."
"Hijikata-sama," a guard was heard shouting "a moment please!" A guard came running towards both, barely catching them before they left the gates of the compound. "Takahiro-sensei would like to talk with you!"
They didn't have to backtrack more than the gardens, as the panting doctor came running out to meet them halfway.
"I had no idea of what happened; I only just heard. Otherwise I would have come earlier." The guilt was there, but he easily brushed it aside. "I saw Tokio with your doctor at the market today; they were at a very famous apothecary, very reputable. We talked, then walked together for a while. I had to leave early, but I was with them until around half past ten. And while we were together, they got along very well, no signs of dislike or animosity…" But his eyes told another story, one not quite finished. "The thing is…I would hate to imply your doctor had anything to do with…but the matter is…"
Saitou felt his patience wearing thin, so it was a blessing Hijikata decided to speak first. "No one will blame you; speak."
"I saw the doctor at the compound yesterday and he was asking me when I was going to go shopping for ingredients; said he would like to do it with me but it was obvious I wasn't the one he came to visit. I still told him I was actually going to do it tomorrow, meaning today, around ten. He nodded, said sounds good, and left. He never said he'd come with me after all, so I figured he must need time to think about it or sort out his schedule, but then I was informed he went to Tokio and asked her the same thing…only her, he didn't forget to tell a time and a place. I found it odd, but then thought he simply forgot to tell her to tell me. But now…now I am suspicious."
"Now you think he asked you so he could purposefully confuse Matsudaira-sama, whom you had already informed you'd be going to do the same thing as him, so he wouldn't order a guard to escort her, making it easier for her to fall prey to anyone."
"…yes, Hijikata-san."
"I see," but neither speaker nor Saitou were looking at him. They were looking at one another with intensity "thank you Takahiro-sensei. Your input was valuable."
"I hope you find her as soon as possible. I can't bear the thought I had something to do with…"
"Don't worry, doctor," Hijikata assured one final time, as they walked away "we will find her. And none of this is your fault."
Once they were alone once again, Hijikata actually swore. "That son of a bitch planned everything! But how did he manage to lure Tokio out with such a simple request?"
Saitou knew exactly how: this is all she ever wanted! To be taken seriously as a medical professional. To be thought of as a doctor; to go shopping with another doctor, and he may introduce her to that scene. And somehow that bastard caught wind of it and used her one wish against her, warped and twisted it in a hateful way. Those sort of people he hated the most, right under those who did anything for money.
"It's absurd!"
It really was; and if thoughts could kill, the doctor would have dropped dead many times by now, as well as his co-conspirators. But Saitou finally felt confident enough that if he spoke, he wouldn't sound too upset, thus he decided to voice his wants.
"Let me find her." The vice commander kept looking distinctively away. "I will bring her back safe; him…alive, at least." The man's eyes returned to his subordinate, as see-through as ever, doubt nearly palpable. "I promise; unless he's already dead by the time I reach him, I won't take his life."
"…I don't trust you right now. You are compromised."
"What I am is cool and collected and I ask you to let me do this."
"We need. Him. Back. We need to interrogate him."
"And we will; when I return him to you."
"You don't know where to look."
"I know what to do…the question is will you let me?"
It was obvious Saitou made this personal. It was also obvious though, he successfully managed to reign it all in and take complete control over most of his emotions. He was determined and Hijikata knew he was strong, too so it wouldn't go badly for Tokio; his sole concern was that when the time would come, he might not be able to be so cool and collected as he appeared to be now. He could deny it all he wanted, too – not that he did, which Hijikata appreciated, for Saitou wasn't trying to make a fool out of him – but the way the colour had drained from his face when he heard Tokio was taken, Hijikata had never seen it happen to him before. Ever.
So, it affected him. "Don't be rash."
"I am everything but."
"I don't believe I am warning you twice in a week but…don't make me regret this."
He simply nodded as he was already riding away.
First order of business was going to the market and finding Okita and the men supposed to keep an eye on the good doctor; all the way there, Saitou had a horrible, sinking feeling about this that he didn't want to face just yet. But if his hunch was correct, if his speculation turned out to be more than just a theory, this was bad. And if it was indeed what he thought, then Hijikata really had some digging to do.
.
I knew it.
He didn't say it this once, but he still mentally snapped it as soon as he came face to face with the scene of Okita kneeling over two men on the ground, whose throats had been slit with but one movement. The scene was messy and bloody, but the cut clean and precise.
"I guess they won't have to commit seppuku now," Okita found it in him to joke and caused Saitou to chuckle, whom he sensed without even turning around.
Both appreciated the quip, because the tension was beginning to stifle everyone, adding to the time constraints. "You found them exactly like this?"
"Yes. Look at that; a decisive cut…whoever did it has done it again and exhibited no signs of hesitation. Also…"
Okita fell silent.
"This was an inside job." Saitou said it for him. "Don't be afraid to say it out loud, it's true; Hijikata suspects there are Chousuu spies among us. This proves it."
"Chousuu?" Saitou nodded. "And he told you and not me? Does he not trust me enough?"
"Don't go down that path; my informant told me, not him."
Okita seemed to relax at that. "Good; because I'd rather die than betray my comrades…how much more kill them. Because there is no way Toushi and Kenji were taken by surprise like that. No one can sneak up on them…so it had to be an insider."
"Go back and tell Hijikata our findings; talk with Nagakura about possible places they could have taken her; I will look around here for a while, see if I can find anything else."
"Be back soon; we need to search for her."
"I know," Saitou all but growled, barely holding himself back from snapping you don't have to tell me, instead. "If I'm not back in an hour from now, leave without me. I will probably be following a lead."
"Good luck."
Heh, luck had nothing to do with it. Saitou knew his exact course of action: he'd spread out in a modest perimeter from where these two men were found dead and he'll search for the closest apothecary or the like, to this crime scene. If their good doctor was in on it, then he must have been the one to incapacitate her—Tokio was too smart to allow strange men come close without causing a scene. So, the task fell to him—the traitors would simply pick her up and leave. That meant two things: the method of incapacitating her would have to be something a doctor was accustomed to. They claimed she was unhurt, too so he didn't hit her head with something, no; she either drank or inhaled. Considering once again she would never taste anything someone she didn't trust gave her, she must have smelt it…and fell unconscious. Thus, whoever picked her up, needed not to be seen. So, a carriage was used to extract her.
All of these led him to a particular conclusion: the doctor lured her in a shady apothecary with the promise of exotic blends and had her smell one. Turns out it was in fact an agent to knock her out. Once Tokio goes out like a light, the traitors come pick her up from the back of the store in an instant, load her up and gallop away to their hideout. Or, if they were smart enough not to be caught even now, they gave instructions to the doctor where to go and they went back to the compound.
So, now he only really needed to find that shop.
.
It didn't take him more than ten minutes to find the perfect place for what he had in mind: a small, shady corner shop came into view, claiming to sell potions and other remedies. It had the ridiculous name of "Feather". How and why would she ever willingly enter such a place was beyond him. It looked dirty and derelict even from where he was standing, right outside.
Shaking his head – she needed to receive a good lecture or two when he found her – he slid the shop's door open, hearing an otherworldly chime as he entered…great, they even had custom god damn chimes. How fitting. And how fitting with their overall image of the mystic and the forbidden. There was no natural light in this shop, despite being the middle of the day; they blocked it all by painting their rice paper walls black.
Only candles showed the way to the counter as well as the other two paths that led to the back and further in the shop and to the right. There was real effort put in making it look creepy, for the place was cluttered with grim-looking vials, others half empty, others almost overflowing, bowls and bottles and all kinds of talismans. There were stuffed bats and squirrels on shelves, as well as eyeballs, large enough to make him reflexively go for his sword.
And as if all that wasn't enough, there came the man behind the counter, followed by his wife, wearing the shrewdest expression Saitou had ever seen on a salesman. Their hair had just started greying; their clothes were darker than normal; their backs were almost hunched. But their eyes were trained on him, and Saitou could see they were looking at his sash, his hitatare and his hakama…as well as his sword and how much more polished it looked compared to the rest of him. They were appraising him and his financial reach.
Interesting.
He pretended to be inspecting some all of their merchandise, purposefully concentrating on the ones that looked like the naïve person's choice. His eyes were almost closed and his smile fake but harmless. Because the appraising was done from both sides, with Saitou easily figuring out what the most expensive things in the shop are and categorising them by that variable.
"I was wondering…could you tell me if a middle-aged man, this tall" he gestured to his neck "with dark brown hair and a young woman this tall" he gestured to his chest "with long black hair came by this shop? She was wearing a purple kimono."
The wife flinched; the husband's colour took a paler shade.
"…I am sorry, sir, I don't remember any young woman entering our shop this day," the wife spoke in the man's stead "if there's a potion we could help you with, or a special medicine…"
"I must ask you to try and remember harder." Saitou stood directly next to one of the more expensive shelves, putting his hand at the very top of the flimsy wooden furniture "I'd hate to think you're lying to me."
The guy finally decided to man up and put out his chest as much as he could, as he came to stand in front of the woman. "No one of that description came by our shop and that's final."
Without hesitation, he pushed the damn thing and it fell to the ground with a resounding crush! Glasses shattered, ceramics broke, liquids spilled…as well as screams from the two shop owners, who were now hysterical.
"I told you not to lie to me."
The friendly tone was gone and the smile turned into a dangerous smirk.
The man gulped, turning to his wife immediately, as if asking for permission. When she imperceptibly nodded, he sighed tremulously and spoke. "They came here about three hours ago; she was quite taken with some of our pain-relieving samples…he simply watched her closely. Then he asked her to escort him to the back, where we keep the love potions. We figured he simply wanted to flirt…"
For some unfathomable reason, he wanted to slap them. "And then what?"
"Then they left from out back and that's all we know," his wife spoke urgently "don't ask us anymore."
She was lying, but not out of indifference…out of fear. She was curt, absolute and kept glancing outside. It was suspiciously the same place where if one was stalking the place would stand and Saitou felt the pieces were finally falling into place. "You're lying again; do you want me to keep trashing this place?"
"No! No, please, wait…"
The man looked at her again but she wouldn't look at him now; she had turned her head away stubbornly, almost in a pout. The most ridiculous thought was born in his mind: this woman is nearly as impossible as Tokio, with her pouts and thick-headedness, and he was almost crippled when he realised that…if this didn't go right, Tokio would never get to this age. She would never get to his age, let alone old enough for white hair!
"You better start talking, or this one gets it." He purposefully pointed to the most expensive rack in the shop, causing the satisfying intakes of breath. "What happened?"
"Alright, we'll talk, please stop destroying our things."
"No!" The woman grabbed his sleeve. "You heard the man; if we said anything, they'd—!"
"They won't harm you; if they aren't here already, it means they don't suspect I'd find you. And if they just came here now and saw me talking to you then they know better than waste their time killing you; they'll start running. So, you're safe. And now speak before I lose my patience."
The woman seemed satisfied at his assurance, easily believing him.
"They went to the back; after a couple of minutes, we heard a thud. At first, we thought maybe they dropped something, but if it was big enough for that sound, then it wouldn't have broken…but then we noticed the talking stopped and soon enough we were curious, so I went to check." She grew sad then, eyes downcast. "I only managed to see the back of a man who was carrying the now unconscious girl outside, and the doctor who was looking paler than ever."
"The doctor is a regular here?"
She nodded. "He likes to come and buy herbs to experiment; we have a wide range." A sigh escaped her. "Anyway, the man was very unsettled. Said we should speak of this to no one or else the men who took the girl would…they'd come for us next." She gulped. "And they wouldn't be as courteous with us to knock us out."
Just as he had suspected. "Do you remember how tall the man was or anything about him at all?"
"…he was shorter than you but a little taller than Kai," Kai must have been her husband because she gestured to him "with black hair, tied up in a bun. His clothes were dark. But that's all I remember because the moment he heard me, he ran outside."
Not that much help. "Did you hear anything like a carriage pulling away then?"
"…now that you mention it, yes."
Goddamn it, he was right again. "Did you maybe hear what direction they went?" They both nodded no, but that was alright, there were more people around to serve as witnesses. And if it all happened three hours ago, there were bound to still be around people to remember. Making up his mind quickly, he bowed. "Thank you for your time; sorry for the mess."
He couldn't care less about the glares he received as he left, he did what he wanted. There were no regrets to be had, as he made his way to the back and out to the shops surrounding that area.
.
.
Saitou rushed his horse to reach the Yagi residence, their base of current operations; seeing the guard at the door, one of their own men, he shouted "is Okita still inside?"
The man nodded affirmatively, so Saitou urged the horse to go even faster…and commanded it to jump over the gate! It was shorter than a typical one, but he still scared the living lights out of everyone watching, including the guard at the door. Once he was safely inside, instead of slowing down in the traditional way, he made the horse come to a stop by literally jumping off of it. He rushed into the house, hurrying to Hijikata's office.
Okita looked up and smiled relieved. "And here he is; right on time, Saitou! We were just discussing where we should go."
"Nagakura found six places—"
"Sorry Harada, but I have more information; she was taken by carriage and they headed north. The driver was just a hand-for-hire that the doctor booked and said he allowed whoever was inside the carriage to take it to its final destination on their own. They threatened to kill him if he didn't comply or if he tried to look inside."
Everyone stared. "How did you—?"
"I asked around; also, no one saw their faces, so it still could be anyone."
"Their identification is my job," Hijikata said absolute. "You did yours more than admirably. Nagakura, how many places with the new info?"
He directed everyone's attention to the map laid out in front of them. "...three; all out in the woods. But one is in a completely different direction that the others."
Harada was starting to get annoyed. "Spill it already!"
He started pointing to places. "One is at the northeast side; other at the north…the other is southwest." Saitou zeroed in on it, burning it in his memory. "In all three of those places, there are cabins for hunters, unused for quite some time; the perfect hiding spot."
"I go southwest," Saitou immediately decided, before the men even had time to look between them to decide; he had a strange feeling that Tokio would be held there "the rest of you go together, north then northeast."
He was already turning to leave and the men pouring over the map were taken by surprise at his speedy exit. "Nagakura, you, too; the more, the better. We all meet at the Matsudaira compound after the sun has set…or as soon as we find her."
"Too quick to order, aren't you?" Hijikata noticed.
"Yeah, and don't go there alone," Okita complained "you won't have any back-up! Take at least one of-,"
"I'll be fine. And I won't come back alone."
Maybe it had to do with the fact the carriage abandoned the driver at the opposite side and he bet they did it as a diversion; maybe it had to do with the fact that was the closest exit point to Kobe, a town not that close, but not that far either, that she was familiar with and could easily survive it if the kidnappers planned to take her with them and dump her somewhere after they left.
No matter what it was though, he was sure; and he had to be. Because he had to find her first and make sure she listened to her earful before she came back and everyone started coddling her again. He had to scold her for all the stupid, selfish choices she made yesterday evening and this morning; for not being there to test him herself; for trusting the man that could be – and actually was – poisoning him; for not thinking that if something was too good to be true, then chances were it wasn't. For going and getting herself kidnapped by Chousuu spies when she was the one who had warned him of their existence on the first place!
So, for the sake of avoiding similar disasters in the future, and definitely not because his heart was already beating a mile a minute for every second that went by and she was still not found, still not safe, still not there, he had to be the one who finds her first; he just had to be. Then maybe his relief would be witnessed by her and her alone.
A/N: And, scene! Chapter 12 finished, y'all, hope you had a great ride with me. Stay tuned for the next week's chapter...that also finally picks up on the history department. Leave a review on your way out~
Kisses,
FAI