A/N: Hello beautiful people. How are you all? Here is my weekly update for you. Thank you for the reviews and the faves and follows; you are adorable. I won't keep you in suspense any longer, go for the chapter.
Historical facts:
1. The Roshigumi was assigned by the shogun to act as guards in the imperial residence at Sakaichou of Kyoutogosho and also the South Gate on the 18th of August.
2. The Shinsegumi was founded on the 18th of August. Coincidence? I think not!
Timeline: August 22, 1863, by the end of chapter.
A fine lady...
...and the odd aftermath.
How did it come to this?
She was running.
How did it come to this?
Tears were almost running down her face, mingling with the blood and the dirt.
How did it come to this?
Time was running out, as she felt like the sun itself was chasing her away from that cabin and into the woods. The trees all looked the same; every bush and every shrubbery appeared to be mocking her, daring her to tell them apart or orientate herself in this place. The tears hampered her vision; the metallic taste and the scent of blood that lingered all around her made her want to vomit.
But she refused to throw up or really cry; she had to pull through, guide herself through this mess she herself had created…and pray to Buddha and anyone else who might have been listening to not lead the ones behind her kidnapping to her.
.
It was barely two hours ago.
Maybe a bit more, or maybe a bit less. The first thing she registered was sounds of nature…there was an odd taste in her mouth, a mixture of something she didn't like, while her nostrils burned with the after effects of something unpleasant. She struggled to flutter her eyes open, while the dawn of a headache was causing her slowly returning vision to swim.
She realised she was trying to stand before even opening her eyes fully when she swayed and fell back, hitting her head on something. It was wooden; the sound it made upon impact betrayed it.
"Ow…!"
She meant to respond to the pain immediately but all of her reactions were delayed; for some reason, she couldn't reach behind her head, her arms wouldn't do as she commanded.
What…?
When she finally looked at herself, once her vision was no longer blurry, she found out two things: she was tied up, hands and feet alike, behind her back; she was all alone, in a small wooden structure without a soul in sight. The sounds of nature must have been from outside: birds and insects as well as the sound of running water. The light that came in through the boarded-up window was too bright and allowed for things to be seen clearly.
She was left bound and abandoned in s small cabin in the woods.
That's when she went in full alert; memories of how she smelt something peculiar – and that was the last thing she remembered – came back to her. why did she smell it though—oh yes! the doctor told her to…she jolted. The doctor! The doctor who was suspected of poisoning Hajime…he was the one responsible.
If she wasn't unable to, she would have slapped herself! How could she do that? Was she an idiot? In retrospect, she must have been a special brand of stupid to allow this to happen to her. she had to find out where the hell she was, how long it had been since she was knocked out and who was behind the doctor, as he by himself cold not have pulled this off.
But first, she had to free herself. Somehow…
The way she was bound on the floor, she felt like a caterpillar; she started moving and flailing, out of mere frustration! These ropes were burning into her skin and they would still not come off damn it! she had to find a way, she had to free herself, she had to escape and—
"Οw."
She banged her head on another piece of furniture; but then she realised, it wasn't her head she hit, but something on her head that dug into her skin…it was her hair-pin. She wore a hair pin today—the one that Hajime gave her, the one that turned into a weapon!
Yes. She had a way out!
She shook her head as hard as she could until she felt the pin going loose; it fell to the floor along with her hair. She crawled enough so she could catch it with her hands. Then again, her hands were at the back; it didn't help much. so, she tried to bring her hands at the front. Damn it! if she wasn't wearing a kimono, she could pass her hands under her feet…! Then again, she didn't have to be careful not to be inappropriate in a place where it was only her. So, if the kimono happened to open a little or get torn, she shouldn't care. Alright, she would do it!
She vaguely realised her backside was larger than it should have been because she had a very difficult time passing her hands over it, to bring her hands at the front, close to her chest. Once that was accomplished, with quite the ardent labour, she could finally take the damn pin in her hands and, using her mouth to hold the removable part, unsheathed the pin. She let it fall to the ground by simply opening her mouth and slowly, but carefully, started sawing through the ropes holding her wrists.
"Ah!"
She stabbed her own hand. Buddha, it hurt! Blood gushed out of her hand in a small fountain and she wanted to swear and scream, but she knew she had to be silent or if anyone was around would immediately be alerted and come inside without her even being able to free herself. So, she bit her cheek and smothered her cry and went on with her self-appointed task.
"Ah! G-…mmm, ah, ow…"
She couldn't control her movements as well as she'd like, what with her hands bound like that, but she didn't stop cutting, no matter then pain or how many times she accidentally stabbed herself. She simply soldiered on, and didn't stop until her wrists were free from the ropes. Thankfully, the bleeding was easy to stop with a strip of her kimono, as she ripped it from the bottom part. Thank Buddha for layers.
Once she was sure the bleeding had stopped successfully, even if her strips of kimono had turned from magenta to deep red and some of her sleeves had been stained also, she was ready to cut the ropes from her feet, too. This one was much easier to do, even if her hands hurt from the effort.
Kicking out, the ropes fell to the ground; she grabbed the fallen part of the pin and sheathed it, while she stood; instead of putting it back in her hair, she-…
The door opened wide!
The doctor walked in, catching her red-handed. Tokio stood there, one hand puling on her kimono collar to put the hair pin inside; the doctor stood there, looking at her trying to hide her hair pin. He noticed his eyes catching the red on her hands, how she was free, how she was standing with ease…they stared at one another. And then—
"No, Tokio!"
She made to run, but he stood in her way, arms open wide. "NO! Please, don't go!"
"Move, doctor; I'm leaving. I can't stay here, you know that."
"No, Tokio, please; stay. If you leave, I won't be able to escape. And if your guards, or worse, the Roshigumi catch me, they will kill me!"
"Who will?" He said nothing; he simply looked away. "The Chousuu spies will?" Even if he was unmoving at first, he nodded mutely in the end. "Why?"
"Because I know who they are!"
"I won't ask you for their names; only that you stand aside."
"It won't matter to them!"
"If you knew, then why did you do it? why were you trying to poison Hajime?"
"It was between him and Okita; he was the one hurt first…they said if I didn't, they'd…they'd expose me to everyone. It would destroy my reputation and my family's livelihood, I couldn't say no."
She bit her lip. The man sounded broken. And a broken man could do a lot of things in his desperation. Her heart beat faster. She clutched at the hair pin. "Doctor, I understand your circumstances and I can help; I will talk to Matsudaira-sama for the favourable treatment of your family. That being said, I can't stay with you to be used, please understand, I have to go."
"No, no please. Tokio, you must stay, you have to help me escape, you have to. You won't be harmed, we'll leave you at Kobe, you won't be in danger."
"I'm sorry doctor, but I can't stay. Please move."
The time to talk her way out of it was over; he was jumpy, she was jumpy, both were on edge. She finally decided to move! He grabbed her by the wrist just as she passed by him; she cried out in pain and her knees wobbled.
But she wouldn't be defeated; she used the momentum to bring him down.
She was more than successful, but she didn't account for the fact he would fall on her; and now he wouldn't unpin himself, pushing down on purpose. "Get off me!"
"No! I won't let you ruin everything!"
He grabbed both her wrists and pinned her down; he squeezed with a vengeance and she could swear she felt her blood stop altogether. She barely believed she was the one who produced that high-pitched screaming sound. Thrashing and flailing, she struggled to free herself; the doctor headbutted her!
The back of her head hit the wooden floors hard and her vision swam. "Aw…" Her hands laxed in the man's hold so he saw that as his opportunity to put his knock her out: he put his forearm on her neck and pushed down, trying to stop her oxygen flow. It seemed to be working; Tokio was losing consciousness…
She stopped squirming. He put his fingers on her wrist to feel her pulse; still breathing. Relieved, he turned around immediately and headed for the door.
"OW!"
Tokio kicked him behind his knees viciously. As expected, he lost his balance and fell to the ground face-first! "You vixen! You were only pretending!"
They both stood on their feet as soon as they were able. Tokio had a slight advantage so she had made it over the fallen man before he had the time—only for him to grab her ankle and yank her down! Now it was her turn to fall; only her fall was far less graceful or forgiving. She found a rock upon impact that caused her to nearly faint.
She definitely fainted, even if only for a couple of seconds, because she blinked and suddenly she was inside the cabin already, being dragged by her feet further in. as soon as she realised that it was only the doctor, she dug her nails into the hardwood floors and created friction; that's how she captured the man's attention—then she kicked out! He was forced to let go. She immediately got on all fours and pushed off the ground to stand, but he was right there behind her.
"Ah…!"
She never saw what he hit her with, but she felt the full brunt of it on her ribs. Fabrics tore and it felt like she cracked a rib; when she coughed no blood came out though, so the damage wasn't bad. she became a ball to protect herself, as the doctor kept swinging at her sides, knowing and going only for vital spots.
Never mind, she had a plan. One, ribs; AH; two, stomach; ugh; three, ribs; ow; four, belly—now!
She grabbed whatever it was that was used to hit her; she used the momentum to bring him down once more, only this once she knew what she had to do: she unsheathed the pin and stabbed the doctor wherever she could find first.
It was super effective.
The man was immobilised in an instant. When she pulled it out, a new fountain of blood was released and sprayed her; she looked on horrified, as the doctor fell on top of her, but not before he spat blood in her face.
She was too numb to move for a moment, in which her eyes slid to the man and saw him clutching at his stomach. Oh no; it was a nine-out-of-ten lethal wound. She was about to cry. What, what did she do? She wasn't trying to kill him…!
No, but he would have killed you if you didn't act, a voice she recognised not as her own, but familiar all the same, told her wisely. She knew she was only imagining it, but it was very comforting. And if you don't get up and move, he really might, the voice continued; wrath is a strong incentive. It really was. So, run. She untangled herself as best as she could and don't forget the pin, the voice reminded her. She sheathed it and buried it deep in her layers; she was out of there in a second.
And somehow, like that, she had found herself in the woods, frantically running away from the worst situation in her life.
Her lungs burned, her eyes stung, her hands hurt. But she kept on going. She went on and on until she heard running water; all she had to do was follow that and she'd find her way back towards Kyoto and the main road…
And she had no idea of the passage of time, other than the sun moving across the sky. Now it went from its pique to the slow descend; she looked up without stopping for breath and for the umpteenth time, she stumbled and fell. Only this once, standing up wasn't quite as easy as it had been up till now. She was tired, physically and mentally; the entirety of her legs burned by the extraneous use. And for some reason, her right foot hurt too much when she made the effort to stand. She was about to curse out loud, when she heard galloping.
Her blood froze.
Fight or flight instinct kicked in; she remained low on the ground and tried to crawl behind a large bush as quietly as possible, adrenaline making her hands and legs light and her hearing sharper than ever. But it also quickened her heartbeat and she felt she couldn't sit still. She held her breath as she reached for that pin…
"Tokio; it's me!"
She knew that voice. It was the voice that talked her out of this mess; it was Saitou Hajime!
All the tears she held back the entire day, she felt bursting out of her eyes in a torrent! Her heartbeat came back to its usual rhythm but her body…her body gave out completely and she slacked against the nearest tree, her sobs loud. "H-Hajime…!"
Even in her state, she heard his feet hitting the ground; that gave her new found strength and forced herself to move, simply refusing to grovel on all fours like an animal. Quite painfully, but without regrets, she stood up and came out into the main path she had found.
.
.
Saitou had been riding for the past half hour.
He couldn't command the horse to go as fast as he wanted it when he traversed through the capital, and if he decided to go around it to reach his destination, it would have amounted to the same thing. So, he preferred to go through town, in a final effort of maybe locating someone or his eye catching something he couldn't by going the roundabout way. In the end, he had no such luck, but it was still worth the try.
Once he was out of the confines of the busy city life, he spurred his horse forward into a wild run! He had purposefully picked the same horse he had on the way to Kobe, knowing it was the fastest, so, it basically covered the distance in a flash. When he reached the deeper part of the woods, about half a mile away from the cabin Nagakura had pointed on the map, he slowed the animal into a steady pace. He had to be as quiet as possible from now on, but abandoning the horse for maximum stealth wasn't an option. So, he eased the beast into a slow trot and made his way through the increasingly thickening forest.
Eyes sharp as ever, he started looking around for a sign—any sign, that someone went through here recently.
What he found was not disappointing: broken leaves and tracks of a pair of hooves and two straight lines could be seen on the ground: he had found his carriage! He knew this was the right choice damn it, he knew it! "Careful now," he advised the horse; he petted his thick neck to calm it, for his feelings of excitement at finding the right path had transferred to the beast and it was starting to get agitated.
So, he took a deep breath and let it go slowly; the horse relaxed. Now all he had to do was follow the tracks and he would find the cabin…and hopefully, Tokio, too.
It had been about ten minutes since then that it happened. His eye caught movement; it was fast and it left him with the impression someone darted for the cover of the nearby bushes. He was definite he saw a streak of purple, too. A bell went off in his head instantly. Last time he saw something like that, turns out it was Tokio who was sneaking out after hours. So, could it be, this was Tokio now, too. it made sense for her to hide if she hadn't seen him; sounds of approaching horses would put her on alert if she managed to escape.
And if it were anyone else, he could easily catch up to them. There was only one course of action now; he felt his entire body tense and every sense was magnified as he called out: "Tokio, it's me!" and waited…
When he heard his name being spoken, his frame sagged in the most pathetic way as he sighed in relief.
It was her.
And she was alive! He all but propelled himself off the horse and broke into a run towards her.
.
Hearing his voice was one thing, but actually seeing him right there in front of her was another; she collapsed on the ground, a heap of fabrics and tangled hair, sobbing while crying. He broke her fall, catching her expertly right before impact; she grabbed his hitatare with both hands and cried in it with abandon, latching onto him. Although stiff at first and not all that accommodating, he relaxed, and finally found out what he should do with his hands: one hesitantly started rubbing her back, while the other found the back of her head and brought her close.
She was trembling and mumbling, but he couldn't make out a single word because she spoke too quietly and without a pause. He didn't stop her though, for he knew she had to get this out of her system before she started making sense. The only words he caught was "sorry" and "my fault" as well as "kill". He held her there for a long time, until finally her sobs were spent and her tears had cleared.
That's when she looked up and he could see her face and all of her properly for the first time…and the unprecedented need to strangle the doctor with his bare hands was born. There was blood and dirt everywhere on her; her kimono was ripped and torn in many places, her hands and feet abused by ropes and who knows what else. Her hair was a tangled mess, long fallen from the neat hairdo her maid had put it in and she had actual bruises on her face.
He felt like killing; it was so strong, it scared him a little. He swallowed.
"Is all this blood yours?"
"N…no," she answered with a sniff "I…" tears came to her eyes again "I stabbed the doctor and he bled on me, too!" She shook him, desperate, guilt overwhelming "I think I killed him!" she covered her face with both hands. "I didn't want to hurt him, Buddha forgive me, I didn't want to hurt him at all. This is my fault; this is all my fault…"
"Tokio, listen to me; are you seriously hurt?" She nodded no. "Are you capable of leading me to the doctor?" She nodded yes. "Do you want to?"
She didn't nod immediately this once, but when she did, it was affirmative. "You don't have to do anything other than guide me in the right direction; and if we get to him soon, he might still live."
"Of, of course! Let's go; let's go!"
She tried to stand, made an effort to drag him with her, but the moment she put weight on her foot, she fell. He caught her in an instant, alert as ever. They both looked down; she had twisted her ankle.
"…just don't complain again."
"About wha-AH!"
He lifted her off the ground with barely any effort; she fell on his chest as he made the short walk to his horse – Matsudaira's, she noted – and once he got there, he put her on it carefully. He got up behind her and grabbed the reins. "You show me when and where I need to turn."
They reached the cabin later than she thought they would; she had walked a fair distance, without realising. It was no wonder her thighs felt like they were imploding and her lungs wanted to kill her by expansion. She didn't have the nerve to speak, so she simply tugged on his clothes whenever they needed to take a left or a right; what amazed her was how in tune with this system he was that he followed her instructions correctly without her voicing a single word.
No doubt, she thought, he had his own thoughts right now, so he too couldn't be bothered speaking…but what scared her the most was what he would tell her once this was over. Once the heat of the moment had cooled down, he would blow up and she deserved it.
But for now, he was silent. And that put her on edge.
When they came upon the small, wooden structure, they came to a stop. "Stay on the horse," he advised as he dismounted.
He was tempted to look back as he entered the cabin, sun burning and making him irrational, but he knew if he did, he'd only get angrier at the sight of her, beaten and bruised thus his encounter with the doctor would only become even more of a risk…so he refrained. Instead, he put his hand on his sword.
But as he looked down, he noticed blood spatter; it led away from the cabin. With less cautiousness than a second ago, he threw the door open. Yet again, he found a place he entered empty. He saw a small puddle of blood on the floor; then a pattern that dwindled into drops that painted a very clear path of where the doctor might have gone. He followed it outside; it took him behind the little cabin. He motioned for her to wait and drew his sword. With slow steps, as silent as the breeze, he made it to the back.
There was a well there; the blood had pooled near where the bucket was; so, the good doctor must have stopped here and dressed his wound. He wasn't as successful as he wanted to be though, for he left traces that showed Saitou where he headed next—into the woods on the opposite side from which Tokio came from.
Was he an idiot? That was the dangerous part of the woods. That was only a gain for Saitou of course, so he shouldn't complain. With a whistle, the horse came to his side, Tokio still on it. "We will track him; he couldn't have gone too far, judging by the blood loss." At the same time, he threw the bucket in the well and was already pulling it out. "Drink some," he offered her the big wooden spoon and the full bucket "and wash your face. Then we go."
She did as he ordered wordlessly.
He watered the horse, then, drank some, too and then they began their tracking anew.
"What happened exactly? Can you tell me?"
He was always touching ground, guiding the horse by pulling on its rein; she was always sitting on it, facing his way. Even so, she was compelled to look anywhere but him as she answered his question.
"…I went into a corner shop that said it sold potions; there's no such thing as potions, obviously, so I considered them con artists."
He meant about the doctor, but ok. "As I entered, their painkiller assortment seemed very reliable surprisingly; I knew some of those mixes and they worked well. So, I asked the doctor if they had any more of those; he said at the back. I unthinkingly went in there and…all I remember was the doctor saying he wanted my opinion on some herb, a sharp smell and then nothing. I fell unconscious."
He stopped tracking for a moment, but never really looked at her. "You were knocked out by something you inhaled."
He was right once again. Damn it.
"When I came to, I was already in that cabin. Once I focused, I knew I was bound at the wrists and the ankles, but no one was there with me. So, I knew I had to try and actually could escape. My good fortune was they didn't remove anything from my person, so I…I still had my—…the pin that…" She felt shame rising to her cheeks and couldn't articulate properly. "with me, and I shook my head and it fell off; I managed to cut the ropes, but it was tricky, I stabbed myself a lot of times—that's where most of my blood is from.
But I was finally free…! And then the door opened and the doctor walked in."
She paused. "He was all out of sorts when he saw me; started begging for me to stay there…he told me why he did it."
He finally turned to look at her; the sudden attention turned her ten shades darker, voice becoming even smaller.
"S-said they threatened to expose him to everyone if he didn't try to poison you. They asked him to do it specifically to you, or Okita, whoever got wounded first. I believe…I believe their intent was to weaken the unit. But Hijikata would have been too much of a high-profile target, s, so they went for the next best thing."
A tremulous breath, "I am so sorry I wasn't there today; I was selfish. I wanted to…I thought…!" She shook her head. "I am so sorry. Please, please forgive me. Because of me, you…all of you…! And the doctor almost died—I stabbed him in the abdomen trying to escape! I didn't lose the pin though, I kept it; I thought, what if more came? I had to protect myself."
She was crying again now without shame or hesitation. "I kept it because I'm a coward and I was afraid to die; I stabbed Hitaka-sensei for the same reason! And I put everyone in so much trouble because I'm too selfish! I am so sorry; I never thought that would happen; I didn't think—I didn't want to think he was poisoning you after what Takahiro-sensei told me. I acted on selfish impulse and this is the result."
Another tremulous, watery breath. "I am deeply sorry. I never wanted any of this to happen…at least I brought you some information, right?" She almost cried when he didn't nod and she had to look away. "P-please, forgive me."
She was met with silence.
.
Finally; half an hour into it, he found his target. The doctor was lying against a tree, panting heavily. Clutching at his wound, he tried his best to preserve his strength. A losing battle, Saitou noted, but couldn't care less. Seeing he was practically incapable of fighting even a squirrel, what with the wound she had given him, too, the man was immobilised by his fear the moment he realised who it was that came for him.
A sinister smile made an appearance on Saitou's lips; the little colour the doctor had left in him vanished. "Come with me voluntarily and I will allow you to dress your wound before we leave; you so much as endeavour an escape, and I slash both your legs deep enough to cut to the tendon."
"…I'm…coming."
Heh, he wouldn't have expected it to go so smoothly. Too bad; he wanted to get at least a punch in.
.
The way back to the Matsudaira compound was an awkward one; he had the doctor lie on the saddle in the most uncomfortable way possible, feet and hands bound not to try anything. Tokio was sitting properly but leaned as far away from the doctor as possible, causing Saitou to support her from the side, while guiding the horse at the same time. He never complained but she felt like he wanted and that discouraged her all the more, especially after her heartfelt apologies fell on deaf ears. She still did her best not to be too dispirited and kept her chin up, always looking forward, rejoicing at the familiar scenery.
"Matsudaira-sama; everyone!" The lookout of the compound could not be contained! He screamed at the top of his lungs, successfully alerting everyone that something happened. "Saitou-san is back with Tokio-sama! Saitou-san found and brought back Tokio-sama! I repeat, Saitou-san brought back Tokio-sama!"
The first one out the door was Teruhime! Kimono and ceremony be damned, she only stopped at the gates which were already being pushed open by the guards in haste for her to pass through, she rushed to the oncoming horse!
Noting the commotion and the woman, Saitou made the horse stop; without warning, he took Tokio by the waist and helped her down but made sure to keep supporting her even as he let her stand relatively on her own.
"Tokio-chan! Thank Buddha, he answered all of my prayers you're back! He guided you back to us!"
She enveloped her lady-in-waiting in a hug, but Saitou still tried to support her, fearing both women would topple over if he let her. The women exchanged more thanks and the like until she turned to him. "Thank you for finding her, Saitou-san! Thank you so much."
"Let me take her inside, Teruhime-sama; she has twisted her ankle."
"Oh! Yes of course. I'll clear a path for you."
"One of the culprits is on the horse, so be careful."
People spilled out the gates frantically, but Teruhime-sama did her job admirably: she spread out her arms and made a clear way for him to walk; he waited to see the first familiar face before moving. It came in Nagakura's presence. "Take the horse and the doctor to Hijikata immediately."
"Tokio-sama, I am glad to see you back," he said before anything else, bowing curtly. "Hijikata's in here, too; you go first, I'll keep an eye on the prisoner."
They nodded at each other; Saitou shifted her weight a little, making sure not to be too abrupt and made it inside the gates and the gardens. Sighs of relief, cries of joy, tears of both were heard and seen all around them, welcoming her back. she alternated between smiling, hiding her face in his chest for a moment – to wipe her tears thus constantly wet his clothes – and assuring everyone she was alright.
"Tokio," Saitou stopped in front of Matsudaira but when he tried to put her down, he stopped him "I am so happy to see you are back. Are you…well?"
"Only a twisted ankle and some scratches my lord," she replied, eyes red and puffy.
"Oh, I am so relieved. Thank Buddha; and thank you Saitou-san; I don't know what we'd do without you—all of you."
"My lord," he said as he gave a bow.
"Ah, sorry for delaying you. Please, go to the medical room; I can see Takahiro-sensei just headed there."
He gave another nod and headed inside the room before looking back one final time; then Saitou caught his commander with the edge of his eyes, who was already taking care of all matters concerning their prisoner: he had already ordered two men to take him to a remote room in this compound; Nagakura to take the horse back; one guard to bring him something. And then, he turned to look at his subordinate, who still had the victim in his arms, casually carrying her to safety. They exchanged looks; Hijikata seemed to be surprised by his man, but Saitou couldn't understand why.
Oh well, she needed to be taken inside; if Hijikata wanted to talk to him, he'd catch him later.
Teruhime-sama was always hot on their trail and didn't stop now, too; the way he was holding her, all the blood on her kimono or its state were well hidden, but when he put her down on the tatami floors, both the doctor and the woman – the only ones allowed in the room – could finally see the full extent of her stains and the older woman nearly fainted.
"Most of it is not mine," she assured both, who seemed to calm down at those news "only my arms and ankle are areas of focus."
"You scared us so much! I was so worried I could have had a heart attack; you still scare me, silly girl!" Teruhime fell to the floor next to her to hug her.
"Indeed, Tokio; we were all worried sick."
"I am so relieved you are back."
"We all are," the doctor kept adding.
"Saitou-san, how can I ever properly thank you? How can we all thank you?"
Saitou's eyes slid to the offending party, namely Tokio, who flinched under the intensity of his gaze. "Corral her in." She looked away; the other two simply remained looking at him something between surprised and awkward. He took the opportunity to make his exit. "My lady; doctor."
He shut the door behind him.
The moment he was left alone, he took a deep breath…the tension didn't evaporate though; he was still on edge, he could see – rather than feel – his hands shaking. Making them into fists didn't seem to work, either.
Shit; shit, shit! Shit.
He had promised he'd let her have it the moment he found her; instead, all he did was ask her some questions and look at her – or not look at her – for the duration of their time spent together. He was so upset and worried and concerned and terrified when he saw all that blood that he couldn't react lest he scares her. And then the moment passed and he couldn't speak; and when she tried to apologise for her behaviour, he didn't want to listen to her. He was so angry she was in this position, he was so angry she played right into their hands, he didn't want to accept her apology. He didn't want to listen to her. He didn't want to forgive her yet.
But now, because he addressed none of those issues, the pent-up aggression and worry bubbled up inside him and threatened to overflow. No wonder he was shaking. It had to stop though; so, he stopped walking and put a hand over his forehead and eyes. He stayed like that for a moment and then ran his hand over his face, ending up pinching the bridge of his nose. Hard. Shake it off; shake it off. After more deep breaths, he was finally calm. On the surface, at least.
"You done?"
Hijikata startled him enough to open his eyes. "Good work," he continued encouragingly, slapping his back "if you want to blow off some steam, come with me; I'm about to interrogate the doctor."
"…I kept my word and brought him back alive; don't make me break my promise now."
His words didn't seem to surprise his commander all that much. "…fair enough," and the fact he was not pushing it, actually appeared to calm Saitou "go back to headquarters. We'll talk later…better yet, tomorrow; go rest. You're dismissed."
He appreciated it.
Not that he'd use this chance to rest; given how he parted ways with Tokio, her stubbornness as well as her inability to let anything go, he had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't be getting any proper sleep tonight.
And true to his hunch, he watched that crazy woman, despite her twisted ankle and no doubt traumatic experience this morning, climb and burrow under fences with but the slightest inconvenience; she easily reached their usual place and stood there, looking left and right, no doubt waiting for him to appear.
He was almost incensed enough to let her wait indefinitely; it really made no difference as far as her safety went—he'd still be watching her and making sure she got inside in one piece. But the idea that she still came out to meet him with those injuries, made him think she must have really wanted this. No matter how upset he was with her, her decisiveness was compelling. Besides, there was something quite guilt-tripping the way she kept craning her neck to catch a glimpse of him, climbing on her tip toes, looking so sad. So, he ruffled the greenery a bit to make it sound like he was only just arriving – instead of being there for the past half hour – and walked out to meet with her.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him. "Hajime…!"
"Tokio."
She looked down; the disapproval and his curtness was too much to handle at the moment. "I see you are still mad at me…"
Something finally snapped. "Mad? Try furious. Everyone was worried sick about you! What were you thinking? Why would you make such an idiotic choice?"
He never shouted, never even raised his voice, but she reacted as if he was screaming in her face! Maybe his quiet fury was even worse, in a sense, because it was scarier.
"Never mind, I know exactly what you were thinking—how could you still do it? That mam was suspected of poisoning me and yet you chose to go somewhere, anywhere, with him, unescorted; have you no instinct of self-preservation?"
That had been Hijikata's question but it was a fair question, he had to say it. "What with all the new information we learnt about him, I…I thought…"
"You thought wrong! See what happened now. It was one hour worth the wait; why couldn't you just wait?"
"…but if he saw you, wouldn't he just get spooked and leave?"
"Then why didn't you just tell me to come earlier?" She reddened so much, he immediately knew she never even considered the possibility. "You have sent for me for much more ridiculous reasons, but this never crossed your mind? Really? You were so caught up in the idea of-…Tokio, you're better than this; you're smarter than this. If you'd told me about the doctor and we had the test earlier, as it would have turned out positive, we could have easily made an ambush for him and the result would have been exactly the same…only without you getting kidnapped."
"Ah, I'm sorry, I…I didn't think of that and—"
"Don't apologise, it pisses me off even more," he said matter-of-factly and put his hands in his sleeves. "Do you know what are you even apologising for?"
"For standing you up…and not thinking I could…and for being so selfish that I…"
"You keep apologising for being selfish but I don't think it gets through to you that you should actually work on being less selfish." She recoiled as if he'd slapped her. "And most of the times your selfishness is harmless; now look at what happened. Really Tokio, you are smarter than this. How could you think even for a second that the timing wasn't suspicious? You aren't the only one who can extract information out of a drunk man, you know."
Her eyes were brimming with tears and damn it, he really didn't want to make her horrible day worse, but someone had to tell her this if she was not to do it again!
"And what are the chances he's offering the one thing you want without asking for anything in return? No one does that, Tokio; no one. No one just gives you what you want, no questions asked. Everyone requires something, they all have an agenda. No one just casually offers what you want the most; there's no one else like you. None."
Her eyes were peeled on the ground, hands squeezing each other, shoulders stiff. "I swear to the name of my commander, if you get kidnapped because you did something so idiotic again and I know, I'm not coming to look for you." He shook his head. "You are such an idiot; I am so angry at you."
"…but at least you talk to me now." The look he gave her was questioning; she dared to peek over her fringe. "You wouldn't speak to me once you found me."
"Don't be ridiculous. I asked you how you were."
"Yes, but other than that…you didn't."
He was about to deny her claim, when he stopped; she was actually right, he hadn't. Huh; then that "not now, we need to find the doctor" line he kept thinking, he never actually said it. "Well, I do now; and better keep what I'm telling you in mind."
He turned to the side, almost showing her his back but not quite. "I, I will." Silence. "Please forgive me…" He gave her a glare with the edge of his eyes, hands still in his sleeves. When he said nothing in return, her sad expression became exaggerated and she looked down again.
But then she did something unexpected: without hesitation, he grabbed the looser part of his hitatare at the waist, just like that day they were attacked at the hot springs; she did nothing else, she simply remained like that. Memories of that day flooded Saitou's head, coupled with the image of her blood-soaked and hurt countenance from earlier and he felt powerless.
"Stop that."
She didn't; he sighed. "I'm just glad you're safe." She snorted; it was small and doubtful, but she did it. "What was that?"
"You don't look or even sound like it…"
"It's hidden underneath layers of anger, concern and fear so don't complain." She snorted again and he was starting to get aggravated; here he was bearing his soul to her and she was trivialising his problem. He turned to give her a look of "what now?" and she finally let go of his hitatare to cross her hands in a pout.
"What did you fear, you'd have to come find me and fall behind on your training?"
The way he looked at her gave her pause; anger mixed with shock faced her and she didn't know what to say.
Saitou on the other hand was simply appalled. What did she think of him? He wasn't like that, at all. how could she-…? But before his anger took entirely over, he caught himself; he turned the question around. Exactly how did he act to make her believe she had simply inconvenienced him, instead of worried him to death?
He took a long, calming breath – a move that gave him her undivided attention – and made his face as expressionless as possible. He even took his hands out of his sleeves.
"Do you comprehend the danger you were actually in?" When she nodded yes, he gave her a look. "No, you don't. The only reason you are still alive, is because the ones who did this are entirely too confident the doctor won't blab. Because they were magnanimous and decided to spare your life. If they so much as felt like it, you could have been killed."
Indeed, she seemed to realise, or hear, that for the first time; he made too much of an effort to remain as calm as he did and keep talking with a steady voice. "What I feared was that I'd come looking for you and I wouldn't be able to find you; or, worse, I'd come looking for you and instead I'd find a corpse."
She felt her skin crawl at his words but couldn't deny the truthfulness of his statements nor his feelings. He simply shook his head again. "You cannot understand how relieved I was to find you walking—or, you know, alive."
She felt her face heat up as realisation hit her. "Oh."
He chuckled. "Oh? That's all?"
Alright, humour returned in their interaction that was a good thing; even if it was buried beneath his anger and his pride. "Oh, I see; I'm sorry for making everyone worry…making you worry, too."
Ah damn, his ego couldn't stand too much of that. He put his hands in his sleeves again and turned away. She took the looser part of his hitatare in her fingers again and stood there. He was tempted to swat her hand away, but decided more of the stoic, silent treatment was what she deserved, especially since she seemed to mind so much.
They stayed like that for a long time.
"So, you won't talk to me again?"
She said it pouty but genuinely upset; he relented. "…I'm not that angry; it'll pass."
She put her head on his back, never letting go; he stood a little straighter. What was she doing? He wanted to turn and look at her but at the same time he didn't; he feared he'd no longer be angry at her, so, he hesitated.
"…I was really scared," she said after a long time; her voice shook a little. "I thought I was going to die." A deep breath was drawn. "But then you came and I was relieved because…" she was too ashamed to admit it, but it was true; she still spoke quieter than usual "if it's you, I know I'll be fine. You always keep me safe."
"…idiot. Take better care of yourself." He felt her nod on his back and he had to crack a smile, especially since she couldn't see it. But then he grew serious. "I may not be there next time."
"…I know." A pause. "At least I have that pin you gave me," she mumbled humorously after a beat.
"Let this be a lesson to you and wear it more often. Take Hachiro with you, too."
She smiled. "I like wearing it; it's tasteful."
"Flattery will get you nowhere; I'm still upset." Both people could tell he was actually not really that mad with her anymore so he decided to quit while he was ahead. "Now if you've had enough of clinging to my clothes, I'm leaving." Red as a tomato, she let go. "It's too late; you need the rest." He flicked her forehead then. "On a twisted ankle and yet you still came out here, what were you thinking?" Her smile was coy; he was not amused. "You weren't. Fair enough."
She rolled her eyes. "I was thinking I slighted you and I wanted to make amends, silly me."
"Silly you, indeed," he agreed with a smirk, earning him a jab on the arm. "Goodnight Tokio. Get well soon."
"I'll try; goodnight Hajime."
He didn't leave until she was safely inside her home again. Ah, what a crazy day. It had the most spectacular ups and downs, but at least it was over…and the outcome was positive: she was safe, berated, and relieved. Feeling accomplished, he turned around and took the path that led back home.
.
.
"I love that woman."
Hijikata's rare statement gave pause to the tall man who was just entering his office. He had gone to the vice commander's office for that debriefing they postponed yesterday and Saitou had knocked, so it was meant to be heard. So, it was okay for him to ask. "What woman?"
"Your girlfriend." Saitou bristled all over, but didn't address anything, given the last time he had he was ignored. This only served to prove that, as Hijikata didn't drop that "nickname". "With the little stun she pulled, getting kidnapped like that, she gave us ample chance to prove ourselves to the Bakufu."
Saitou's eyebrow was raised. "Oh yes; our immediate response, Nagakura's accurate prediction of where she could be held as well as you almost instantaneously recovering her, accurately led them to believe we are quite the organised unit. Talks of traitors were not hushed, at least not as much as I would have liked, but they were glossed over. I should say, we have your girlfriend and you to thank for this appointment."
"Appointment?"
Hijikata smirked. "Tomorrow there's a feast being held at the imperial residence. And guess who has just been assigned guarding the Sakaichou of Kyoutogosho and also the South Gate."
Saitou simply stared on, as if unable to comprehend this. "We have?" Hijikata nodded, knowing full well how important this was. "Unbelievable…"
"I have to say, I have put a lot of effort in it, so maybe improbable would be better."
"Indeed; highly improbable for us to fall into the good graces of the Bakufu after such a short period of time. It was only last month they turned up their noses at our indirect invitation to join us for a meal."
"The most important thing is, the letter holds promise for the future; as in, maybe something will be announced if we do this right and it only leads me to hope." Saitou was stunned. "Which leads us back to my original statement: I love that woman. Make sure you stay in her good graces from now on."
But Saitou snorted. "She has a lot of work to do if she is to stay in mine, after what she did yesterday."
"I think being kidnapped was not on her list of things to do; give her a break," Hijikata commented amused, chin resting on his now intertwined fingers, eyes keen as ever.
"She did go looking for trouble, though…she knew the doctor was shady."
"Why did she go with him after all? Did she tell you?"
"I know why; she thought the doctor was honestly trying to do her a favour and introduce her to other professionals. She fancies herself a doctor, too remember?"
"Ah, yes; but won't she be getting married? How does she plan to pursue it?"
Saitou looked away; she doesn't want to get married, was his first response, but refrained from voicing it. He simply shrugged and cleared his throat. Then he proceeded to tell him all about how he found Tokio and how; he made sure to leave all of the personal things out of it and focus on the facts.
.
.
"Okita-san!"
"Tokio-chan! It's been such a long time since I last saw you."
The two persons met in the middle of the street; she was wearing a beautiful but simple purple kimono. He was wearing a very particular and unusual combination of colours: cerulean and white, quite uncommon for warrior men…but that was the Shinsengumi uniform and there was nothing to be done about it. All members were obliged to wear it—but only a few could pull it off, like Okita here.
Both of their smiles were bright and friendly. "Indeed, it has; so many things happened."
"Ah, true. Saitou got poisoned, you kidnapped, our doctor arrested…eventful weeks." She was almost dumbfounded by the casualness of his tone. "But I am so happy to see you again! And you are up and about…with your entourage, as I can see, good."
She giggled. "Did anyone put you up to this?"
"No, it is all me." It wasn't, but he would rather boil in oil than say the truth. "How am I to ask for your hand in a year or two if you're not here for me to ask it?"
"Okita-san!" she exclaimed scandalised.
"What? In two years from now we'll be lords…of something, ourselves! I'll have every right to marry you."
She laughed heartily, head thrown back. "My, my, you are decided."
"You bet I am."
"Ah, but how silly of me; I forgot to congratulate you. You have been made into a real unit now; the Shinsengumi. Congratulations on your appointment." They bowed to one another. "It was the most wonderful news, when I heard."
"Aw, Tokio-chan, you are so sweet; thank you."
"You are very welcome. But I see you are already patrolling, despite receiving authorization for it barely a day ago."
"You know so much, Tokio-chan!" She smiled coyly. "You'll make a great wife."
He looked over her shoulder then, and saw Teruhime-sama approach with two men on either side. She also had a dog on a leash a rather large, black and fluffy one. He was beautiful but wild-looking and the more they approached Tokio, the more he tugged on his leash. "Is this the fearsome Hachiro I have heard so much about?"
"Oh? You have? Who speaks of my puppy?"
A chuckle escaped him. "That's not a puppy; that's a regular beast, Tokio-chan. And pretty much everyone does; call him the guardian dog of the underworld, Cerberus."
She showed her express disapproval. "His name is Hachiro and he is a wonderful dog. Just don't try to pet him without telling me; and don't come too close to me, or he might become aggressive."
As if on cue, Teruhime let go of Hachiro who was pulling too much; one of the guards caught her before she hit the ground, while another tried to grab the leash. It was a lost cause, for Hachiro seemed to be the fastest one, already leaping in front of his lady! He stood directly between "the stranger" and his mistress, fur standing straight up.
"Hachiro, relax; this is a friend."
Okita was calm; he took a single step back but otherwise remained unmoving until Tokio was finished with her commands. "Sit; good boy." She scratched him behind the ears when he did as she ordered while she gave him a treat with the other hand. "Now lie down." The big dog again did as commanded and was now on all fours; she did the same thing as a reward. "Now stay." She turned to Okita. "Would you like to pet him?"
"Yes! I'll get bragging rights to last forever within the unit; we have an ongoing bet in fact. And when I manage to pet him without you instructing him, I'll have won."
Making an effort to stifle a laugh, she motioned for him to come closer. "Bent down to be closer to his level and hold out your hand with the flat of your palm looking upwards." The dog did not react; that was a good sign. "Now, put your hand closer to his snout, let him smell you." Okita was surprisingly compliant, too. "What a good boy Hachiro is," she said as she pets his head "not a single growl. Now, you can slowly try and put your hand on his fur, but not his head yet. Wait for him to warm up to you."
"Oooh, he's so soft…!"
"I brush him every day; I wash his paws when we come home from our walks, too."
"Hmm, I wish someone would take care of me like that."
Tokio heard the jab, but decided to counterattack. "When you spend all of your time with geisha, how do you expect to find someone to take care of you like that?"
Okita remained tactfully silent…and long enough to hear Hachiro growl. "Okay, enough petting! See you around Tokio-chan!"
"See you around Okita-san."
She shook her head as she watched him go back to his comrade to continue their patrol; so, Hijikata seemed to ultimately prefer the two-man formation after all. She heard Matsudaira-sama talk about it with him. she momentarily craned her neck to see the fellow Shinsengumi man, but it wasn't Saitou…or anyone she knew. Then again, it didn't make too much sense to put two of the most talented people in the same patrol.
Tokio sighed.
She had hoped to catch him in the street; she knew that now, what with their appointment as Shinsengumi, he had no time to spare to meet with her and that was why instead of asking to meet with him to congratulate him, she opted to leave a little note. It wasn't too long since she last saw him, too, barely a week. She had gone longer without talking to him. Yet, how odd, now it felt all the more pronounced. Mm, maybe it was because of how they parted ways…
She shrugged. Oh well; she had to live with it. Besides, he wasn't going to leave town…! Or so she thought.
A/N: YAY, all's well that ends well. Much like this thirteenth chapter you just finished reading, ope you liked it~~. If so, please leave a review on your way out.
Kisses,
FAI.