A/N: So, so sorry for the delay! We had - and still have - so many things happening around the house lately, it's crazy. I didn't even have a computer till a week ago, so I couldn't really write anything. That being said, heeeey, at least we finished painting the house and most of the cleaning. You would not believe the amount of useless shit we had lying around just because.
Also, a big thank you, my people; you support me and keep me going. Love you~
On to the story now...right. It gets better, right? Only not so much and not really fast. Just, remember this chapter for future reference.
Historical facts:
1. Saitou went to a cherry blossom viewing (hanami) in Shimabara, on March 11th.
2. Shogun goes to Edo and Saitou to Osaka as a guard on May 7th.
3. He returned sometime between the 18th and 21st (on the 20th, Kondou, Okita, Nagakura, Harada and Inoue in Osaka. Some say Saitou might have had a hand in it, too).
Timeline: 19th February - 29th of May, 1864.
A fine lady...
...and separations.
That night, they returned to a rich feast; her father had the servants prepare it for his guests, seeing they would be leaving the next day, as soon as they awoke, with no time for breakfasts and long goodbyes. After all, the protector of Kyoto could not be away from his territory for much longer, as well as the heads of the Shinsengumi. It felt like they left the city unprotected, but it was also a test, to see how well the rest could keep the schedule Hijikata had made for them without him there and how effectively they handled things on their own.
It would be a good way to gauge the real influence of the Chousuu men, too. The lone presence of the shogun, the watchdog without his fangs, would not be a powerful deterrent for those they've been facing so far, but without reaches, they couldn't do much. But had they really no reaches? This would show that.
Strategy-wise, they could have made worse choices for the New Year.
Tokio excused herself that night though, making Hijikata carry her all the way to her room, with Ochako right behind her. When her father tried to push her to join them, she all but caused Hijikata's skin to bleed, with how much force she put into tightening her hold on him so he wouldn't let go. Thus, it was him that assured her father she was in no state to sit with them…even if all she would be doing would be sitting. He was convincing.
"Make sure you are prepared for tomorrow's journey," was all he said to her.
He proceeded to carefully let her on the floor; when he saw her use both legs to get inside her room, he shook his head. That little…! The hurt ankle wasn't an excuse, but a lie! And to think he carried her all the way-he fell for her ploys once more. He would never learn. Hopefully, Saitou wasn't as gullible as him and he'd know better, keep his distance. He did have plenty reason to trust him. After all it was Saitou, all by himself, who decided to stop this. He never stepped in. Saitou saw something and realised it was too much. Good, sound man, Saitou was, despite the young of his age. He would make sure he saw a fitting promotion.
.
Tokio was a different person next morning; tear tracks had long disappeared from her face, so did the gloominess, brought on by the pain that none identified as it was, psychological, but thought it was physical. In fact, she made a big deal out of how her ankle, after Hijikata carrying her and Saitou helping her, was all but pain-free now.
And once the formalities were over, Tokio stayed a minute longer behind, to give a proper goodbye to her family.
"We will miss you, sister," Taka lamented. "I wish you stayed back this once."
"Don't be too sad; I'll be sooner next time, I promise. I have so much more to learn, though, I can't come back yet," Tokio explained kindly, holding on to her youngest who had latched onto her and wouldn't let go.
Taka still looked like she was about to cry. "I understand…I do wish I could come with you, though."
"Maybe when you're older."
"I simply want you back," Tsuki snapped "I dislike the influence Kyoto has had on you."
Tokio giggled. "You just dislike Kyoto, you prefer Edo."
"Can you blame me? It's magnificent! The capital is lacklustre compared to it."
"Of course, it isn't," came their mother's voice, giving a quick kiss to Tokio's forehead "and your sister is thriving in Kyoto. Wish her luck, girls, like we all do."
"Good luck sister," they chorused, all in different levels of excitement.
"Good luck Tokio," her father's voice came into the picture, standing on his wife's left. "We will miss you greatly. Do make sure to come back earlier; I'll try and bring everyone with me if I venture a new trip, too."
"Yes, father." She inclined her head. "Thank you all, I must be going now."
Teru had to be pried off of her sister by both parents, who struggled to do it. "Tama-chan will miss you, too! How can you leave her behind?" the youngest shouted to her retreating form, crying.
Tokio turned to smile at her sister. "I'm not leaving her behind; I'm becoming better, so I am worthy of her when I return. I love you all! Take care of your health in my absence," she shouted back and with a last big wave to all of them, reached the rest. She was smiling, but she had teared a little. "This is why I hate goodbyes," she joked when Teruhime almost asked what was wrong, and Tokio promptly wiped at her face "I'm no good."
But if anyone asked Saitou, she was wrong; she was great at goodbyes.
.
The trip back was as uneventful as it could be, with such a large party of people and so many important ones as travellers; they ran into Sagara again, surprisingly, but this once, he was alone. They spotted him on his horse, imperious, looking over the path they were taking. He wasn't all that higher from them, he was easily seen, but they figured that was his goal. But before anyone drew a sword, tension rising high, he smirked at them and gave a nod. Just as everyone was about to question what in earth was going on, they looked back at one of the two carriages, and saw a startled Tokio looking out of her window.
The man was beckoning to her.
Just as she was about to get out of the carriage, he looked away and to the south, where they were headed; then he nodded again and once he was sure she followed, he inclined his head deeply. Tokio seemed to understand and beamed at him, followed by a deep inclination of her own head. once the silent exchange was finished, Sagara was clearly seen pulling the reigns of his horse, turning about and leaving.
Matsudaira was upset. "What was all that?"
"He let us know he cleared a path for us," Tokio explained, loud enough for Hijikata to hear "wasn't it obvious?"
"…no, Tokio-chan," an equally anxious Teruhime contradicted her "it really wasn't."
"No matter what he might have meant," Hijikata cut in, halting Tokio's excuses that were about to roll off her tongue "we'll see soon enough."
But no one would ever understand how the hell Tokio not only managed to guess correctly but also influenced him enough to help them. It drove everyone crazy, but a tall man with amber eyes particularly, who watched on in exasperation, refusing to acknowledge it for what it was; jealousy.
.
Generally, the horses all rode fast, even the ones pulling the carriages, so they were allowed the freedom of staying at inns overnight, reaching the next small town always within the day. With so many women in their party, how could they camp outside anyway? The one and only time that was suggested, and was nearly accepted by everyone, was when they arrived in Fukui, capital of the Echizen province, almost at noon. If they kept riding, they could camp almost outside of Kyoto at night and when they started next morning, they'd be home before midday. It was too tempting for everyone, so they had decided to do it, discomfort be damned.
It was then they ran into a toppled carriage, at the side of the road. It wasn't even down some creek, no; just the side of the road. Its wooden structure was abused by more than just the fall and appeared to be ransacked. The door was facing the ground, a single window open on the other side, causing the small curtain to blow in the wind, like a sad symbol of surrender, its white colour a stark contrast with the green and browns all around. The mounted men looked at each other meaningfully; it only took them a second. The next, three of them were headed for the unfortunate sight, jumping off of horses.
Harada, with the spear, was first; Saitou and Okita came behind him, next to each other, ready to draw their swords at any moment. They approached carefully, but not too slow. Having a spear in their unit allowed for bolder tactics, despite the need for caution. Once in range, Harada stabbed at the curtain and continued his thrust until it reached the foliage, hoping to scare anyone who might have been trying anything.
But nothing happened.
Tokio's head peeked out the window of their own carriage, but Hijikata shoved it back inside unapologetically.
Then, Harada moved closer to the end of the road and the treeline, while Saitou followed suit; yet Okita, the shortest and most nimble of the bunch, stayed behind to check the inside of the carriage.
"Oh!" he exclaimed a second later, drawing everyone's attention.
"H…elp…me…"
It was so low, none other than the young man who was looking inside the carriage from the window heard it. It came from a man that appeared to have some limbs on backwards; his face was a mask of pain and despair that slowly started turning to hope, reaching out with the only hand that seemed functional. Smeared and splattered with blood everywhere, accompanied by the surroundings that were just as bloody as him, it made for a gruesome scene.
But none other than Okita could see this and his obvious surprise did nothing to help them. Finally, Kondou had enough and all but barked: "What is it?"
"Tokio-chan!" Okita all but disregarded his superior's question and turned to her carriage, where her head suddenly sprang out the window again. Only then did Saitou turn his own head back to look at the scene. "Tokio-chan, we need your expertise. There's a man in a very bad shape in here! Someone come help me get him out."
"Thank…you…" tears fell in abudance from the man's eyes "so…m…much…"
"Don't speak friend, save your breath; do you want it to be your last?"
"He's that bad?" Kondou wondered out loud, getting off the horse to help with the injured man, too.
Tokio was only fuelled further, grabbing her large medicinal box and jumping out of the carriage! Teruhime warned her to be careful, but she headed straight for the patient. "No one move him until I can see what's wrong with him, I'll need to prepare," she warned, barrelling towards Okita. He had to help her up on the wooden frame so she can peek in, but when she did, she frowned deeply. "You can't move him carelessly; and you certainly can't get him out from the window."
"Then we'll lift the carriage back in its place."
Her hair fell from their intricate do with the speed and ferocity she turned to Harada. "No, you can't! You must cut through the wood and get him out this side."
Saitou came, looking confused. "You want us to hack away and make a second door?"
"Exactly; he's in too bad a shape to move him. But be careful not to rock him too much, please."
The men looked at each other; then Matsudaira-sama who had also come to stand by her side, considered. "Do as she says," he ordered in the end.
Everyone sighed but tried to cover it up with nodding their heads off.
"We'll be cutting a new door in your carriage, so don't be alarmed. It's for your own good," Tokio assured the victim, speaking through the window, making sure he saw and heard her, loud and clear. Only when she saw him nod did she jump down.
She went a little further away, putting a sheet down on the ground, and knelt on one of its edges, leaving most of it free. She poured alcohol all over her hands and moved for her med kit. She would need certain things and she better get them ready while they worked.
It took them about thirty minutes to cut the new door; it would have taken them less had she not been reprimanding them for creating too many vibrations all the goddamn time. And then it was the issue of getting him out. That was faster, but much more nerve racking. Yet one thing was sure: it would be Okita who would be helping from inside the carriage. He snuck in like a rat, and put his hands under the man's armpits. He started pulling with extreme care, until he was high enough to be replaced by Saitou. Being as tall as Saitou was, the young swordsman had an advantage of pulling him out, especially if the man, which turned out that was the case, was shorter. Okita stayed behind to make sure the man's legs didn't get caught on anything and finally, the victim was out.
Underneath the muted sunlight, he looked even more warped and bloody; Saitou had to give her credit for not throwing up the moment she laid eyes on him. Instead, she had already picked her tools. "Put him on the sheet" she directed everyone calm but assertive "and bring me more water. I'll need a good piece of wood later, make it no smaller than your forearm and certainly wider."
She wasted no time tearing his clothes apart to reach the mangled skin. "Can you speak?" He nodded, tears of pain and shame evident on his face. "Did they do this to you or were you simply inside when the carriage fell?"
"…both…"
"Savages," she hissed. "What's your name?"
"S…Saigo…Ryu, Ryusuke."
"I see." Why did that name ring a bell? "Ryusuke-san, I'll do all in my power to help you; I have never allowed any man to die at my hands and I don't plan to change that now. So, be brave for me, yes?"
He nodded again, hurt but a little relieved; whoever this young woman was, he would put his life in her hands. She sounded exceedingly soothing anyway.
.
The surgery lasted hours. He was bleeding from all over and had many things that needed to be set back into place; thankfully, both of his legs were only twisted and none broken, like his hand was. She had to put the bone back into the flesh on his elbow and it was not a pleasant experience. There was the pressing matter of his thoracic cavity that needed to be addressed also, which of course was the first one she took care of, due to the severity. It was deemed nigh impossible for him to heal, she heard Matsudaira-sama and Kondou whisper it between one another; Hijikata spoke for a waste of resources also, but she wasn't disheartened.
She would do her best.
Okita and Saitou remained close to her in an effort to help her surgery; the first one had small hands that could hold arteries closed while the second had the uncanny ability to understand her mutterings and what she needed, even if she couldn't remember the name of what she wanted. A prime example was one very tense moment, when the man's femoral artery all but burst open, showering everyone with blood!
She was applying pressure in a second, but too much blood was already lost, even before they so much as got here, every single drop counted. "Okita, do what I'm doing," she snapped and started working on a tourniquet the moment his fingers replaced hers "keep a tight pressure on it, don't let up; Saitou I need…the thing."
The thing; that was all she had said, searching for the right word but never quite finding it. And yet, he came and went in seconds, supplying her exactly what she wanted: a dagger and a source of heat. He realised she wanted to cauterise the spot, to stop it from bleeding altogether; it would be painful, but it would work and it was exactly what she would choose to do, he knew. Apparently, he was right, for she immediately put the blade over the fire and let it burn.
Whence she was finished, she all but demanded they turn back to Fukui, which wasn't even an hour away, so this man, Saigo Ryusuke, could be properly tended to and above all, rested. After all, the floor of the forest was a poor bed for an injured person.
He was heaved into the carriage that Tokio rode, who proceeded to sooth and care for him all the way to the city. Even after they arrived to the hospital, Tokio still helped the nurses and doctors, detailing his exact injuries, her procedures and the most problematic areas of focus. More than grateful, the staff sent her on her way. She assured them she'd be spending the night there so she would check in him again next morning, as well as giving them the name of their inn, should anything happen in the middle of the night.
"Let's get you changed, Tokio-chan," was the first thing out of anyone's lips, Teruhime in particular, the moment she stepped outside. "You look like something right out of a horror story."
She wasn't wrong. She was elbow-deep in blood and other human liquids. Her sleeves had been pulled back, but their edges were still stained. Of course, the skirt of her kimono, a dark blue colour, was now painted red for the most part, especially the lap and her knees. Her front wasn't all that great either, while some of her forehead and the tips of her hair were dyed the most grizzling shade of red in existence.
Tokio sighed but that still didn't take the edge off. "Yes, please; I need a bath, too."
"Thank Buddha you said it before I did," Toshihime exhaled relieved "otherwise I would have all but dragged you there."
"You did so much work; we should buy you something for your trouble, too!" Kiyo was quick to suggest. "Maybe not a kimono, but what about a really nice shawl?"
"I don't need a reward…but if you want to give me one, it's welcome." She had to give in because the woman's face fell quite a lot.
"Great! We'll go choose something from the market while you freshen up. We'll meet for dinner at eight, yes?"
They all nodded.
"Don't worry," Saitou's voice was heard absolute from somewhere behind her, just before Teruhime pulled her away "you did well; he'll make it."
She dared raise her eyes to him; his reassuring countenance put her at ease instantly. Involuntarily, a tired smile formed. "Thank you; let us hope."
"Thank you," Teruhime mouthed to him, without being seen by her lady in waiting and Saitou graced her with a small nod in return.
While the doctor took her bath and the ladies went shopping with the lord and Kondou, Hijikata remained back, talking about the injured man: he was rich. And not just rich, important to someone, too and his carriage was an indication to this—a carriage meant to be pulled by four horses. He had been in a hurry, they had concluded that. They had also concluded there was a high chance his men were in on it, for there were no other bodies to be found and a young lord would never travel unescorted.
The more they conversed, the more they realised there would certainly be rescue parties out looking for him, once his absence was made aware. Whether that'd be today, tomorrow, or in a week from now, it'd be good to keep an ear out, help him get home, hopefully, as an injured man and not a dead one. And who knew, maybe there could be a good connection to be made or a reward to be had.
What really mattered to Saitou though, was how he had managed to stay away yet at the same time close to Tokio without it proving too difficult. He kept the appropriate distance with maximum efficiency and nothing could be more important. Thinking back on the day, as Saitou he headed out to train just as the night sky became too bright by the large moon, it could have been much worse; maybe, just maybe, theirs would be a bearable separation, she mused, as she covered herself with her blanket, looking at that same almost full moon, glaring down upon her. Hijikata could be right: things would get better.
A sigh escaped her. Here's hoping for the best, she wished as she lay on her futon.
"Hm? It's rare of you to sigh like that, Saitou-san," Okita observed as they made their way to the garden.
Nagakura's look of "he's right" didn't go unnoticed and he followed up on it: "is something bothering you?"
He nodded. "The moon is too bright tonight; the blades reflect too much." And so did he, when the moon was this big. Here's to hoping training will distract me enough, and there would be no other near-death accidents like that one time with Okita.
.
The patient was alive and recovering, was Tokio's assessment the next morning when they checked in with the man. She gave him a final look and then proceeded to leave a couple of her personal concoctions with the healers there, since it seemed they had a very positive effect on the man. She bowed, whispered a get-well charm in the man's ear and took her leave.
After that, it was only a matter of hours till they reached their destination. Naturally, the Shinsengumi escorted the VIPs to their residence before galloping back to their own compound, where they immediately shed their travelling apparel and rushed to don their Shinsengumi uniform. Okita and Saitou seemed to be the ones in the biggest hurry; they took less than thirty minutes to be ready for patrol, establishing a new record-time.
Saitou had no idea what Okita's rush was, but for him, it was pretty clear cut: the familiar clothes, broken in from all the wounds he received while in it as well as all the ambushes and the arrests, they felt like home. Driven away from his birth right, he had remained without one for a long time…but, before he knew it, this unit became his family; it didn't have to do with a place anymore, but the people in it. Thus, he truly felt at home in his cerulean outfit, moving under the banner of this mismatched group which somehow still worked.
Besides, having something to do as soon as he came back was some comfort.
He shook his head: 21st of February and he was officially twenty years old. And in the span of two short years he had managed to kill a man, run away from home in exile, enter the Roshigumi, get married to a woman he disliked and end up in Kyoto…yet somehow, it felt like his life had only just begun when he set foot in the capital. Too many things happened since then, too and each was more surreal than the other; and it all happened when he decided to talk back to a girl far above his own station, for no other reason he genuinely disliked women like her. If he knew then what he knew now, he probably would have never opened his mouth. And yet…he regretted none of it. Looking back, it really felt like every other decision he ever made was simply preparing him for this role, this life, this existence.
A sigh.
How cruel he was meant to spend it alone.
.
.
A pleasant hum echoed in the corridors of the Shinsengumi headquarters. With a skip in his step, fresh from the bath, Okita Souji was putting on his clothes en route; Takeda was out of the compound at this time of day, thus he had no reason to worry if someone saw him – although Takeda wasn't the only one of that preference, he was the only one who was annoying about it –.
With his constant almost-singing to serve as a warning, he drew the shoji door that led to a certain foul-mood man's room open. He spotted his target in a most unusual place, doing a most unusual thing: in front of his desk, using his brush. Brows furrowed, eyes trained on the ink-stained paper, Saitou Hajime was deep in thought.
"I was half expecting to see you meditating, not this! What are you writing Saitou-san?"
There was a beat of silence before he begrudgingly answered "a birthday note."
"Oooh, a birthday note, how extraordinary!" This day was full of surprises, Okita decided and moved to stand over his friend's shoulder. "Whose birthday is it?"
He was openly unwilling to respond this once, but at the same time, he looked like he really wanted to tell someone. "…Tokio's."
Okita's eyes grew a significant margin while a smirk threatened to appear. "Is it now? What's the date?"
"April 15th."
A booming laugh escaped the short man! He effortlessly evaded his taller friend and all of his would-be smacks or stabs even as he kept cackling with all his might. "That's a day before our demonstration last year!" Saitou's "really now" tired glare never stopped him. "And you want to wish her a happy birthday, is that right? Even though, it was you yourself, who stopped me from informing her two months ago while still on our trip back from Aizu that it was your birthday on the 18th of February?"
"That was new information; this is not." But then, a heavy sigh escaped him. "I won't actually give it to her; I just felt like writing it."
"Wait, what? Why?"
You know very well why, his eyes snapped without him needing to, yet the shorter man simply shrugged. "It's just an innocent, little "happy birthday" note; what's so terrible about that?"
Saitou's eyes moved to his right, to gaze out the window. "She seems to be doing well, lately." No need to make her look back, even for a moment.
"Nonsense!" Okita drawled in a very upbeat tone that made Saitou glare. "It's just a birthday note Saitou-san~!"
"…just shut up."
"You should give it to her, Saitou-san." He simply rolled his eyes in response. "At least finish it properly," Okita protested when he saw his friend pushing off the floor and grabbing his sword.
"I did; I even signed it." He snorted. "So the garbage know it was me who threw it away, I guess."
Shaking his head he walked away from his desk, with his friend following closely behind, complaining endlessly about how he should have definitely gotten it to her somehow. "If you remembered, she should know; she'd appreciate it."
"That's the problem; she shouldn't." I shouldn't have remembered, either. "Now stop your yammering and move."
"Fine…!"
But not before he took a final, long look at the piece of paper on Hajime's desk, who of course noticed, but whatever his friend could come up with, it needed the note to work, and he would certainly get rid of it once they finished training. And given they were in the same shift, the night shift, there was no way he could sneak in before he got back. Because there was literally zero need to upset Tokio after such a long time, especially now that she seemed to be doing well…maybe a little too well.
He had glimpsed her from afar three days ago. She was surrounded by two women and four men. The party was simply dressed but their kimono screamed money; they were people of her own social standing. He had rarely seen her or heard she was keeping such company before, so it was something new for her…she was putting effort in making changes. Just as Hijikata undoubtedly advised her, when she so infuriatingly clung on to him that night; her mother must have recommended the same thing, too—if she was to find herself a husband, she should socialise after all, that would be most prudent, even if it ended up being an afterthought in her case.
So, in the end, she was meeting new people. Good for her. Just because she did something he had failed to do as of yet, doesn't mean he should be bitter about it…yet there he was. Ugh; this all came down to him not being able to move on and he was taking it out on her, who seemed to have succeeded where he hadn't. He should be happy for her, if anything.
But if she moved on so easily and so soon, how could he be anything but bitter? Not too deep those feelings of hers, were they?
So pissed that he was, he nearly ran into Okita's blade! He managed to evade last minute, but still got himself a nice little slash across the chest.
"Saitou-san—!"
"I'll live; stand back. We're doing this again."
That's right; all he could do was distract himself. He couldn't afford to think about her, not when there were so many pressing matters to keep an eye on anyway: Chousuu spies were everywhere, corroding the fabric of Kyoto's society; skirmishes openly took place in the dead of the night and the cherry on top of the very bloody cake was…the by now dubbed Battousai was still at large and illusive as ever! He had spent a lot of time and energy on finding out his identity yet still there was no luck.
Thusly, between his duties as a Shinsengumi member, training on his own technique, his slight obsession with finding out the identity of the assassin littering the streets and his newly established habit of drinking at nights – after that cherry blossom viewing at Shimabara a month ago – , he really had no time to think about her. It was just that, when he did find the time, it would hurt as much as it did the first week that went by and he realised he didn't have their late-night rendezvous to look forward to.
.
.
It'd been three months. Three entire months and Tokio hadn't so much as exchanged pleasantries with him. The few times she would see him across the room – seeing he was away to Osaka and other places for a long time – she'd simply nod, as were he any other man; she would see him in the street and she'd pretend she only glimpsed at an acquaintance. She did her best to suppress all of her desires, her character even, and never address him particularly when they were in the same crowd. She hadn't asked to go to any trips also, in fear they'd send him as a guard, between any other choices there might have been. She had even taken to going out with those women she disliked and their male friends, in an effort to make new "connections" and somehow take herself out of that spirit.
Truly, Tokio had been an exemplary woman, allowing the man she was attracted to, to move on and have a good life without her.
So, when Matsudaira-sama came to her with a new duty she was supposed to perform to bring honour and respect to her family's name and the Aizu-han's reputation, she was all but devastated, thinking it was a wedding she would have to put up with. And honest to God, Buddha and all of her beloved family, at that point of time, she was willing to accept, no matter what kind of man they offered her. And yet, that wasn't what was asked of her.
What Matsudaira-sama labelled as her duty, on the 23rd of May, Sunday 1864, was for her to go to the Shinsengumi Headquarters in the company of her trusted guard dog Hachiro, and take on the duties of a live-in doctor for the unit. Not too long, he had assured, maybe a couple of months. Until the he could find a man as skilled as her that wasn't his own personal caretaker.
Her eyes became as wide as saucers; had she been any less well-educated in manners, her chin would have fallen to the floor. She felt her heart rate increase to a thousand per minute, pretty confident she was about to pass out at any moment. But she still had some consciousness left in her, so she decided to ask.
"Whose idea was it to send me of all people?"
The answer she received surprised her.
.
.
"Hijikata-san," Okita winced "did we really have to dress up nice just to welcome our newest doctor?"
His question accurately conveyed most of the men's sentiments who were more than displeased they were made to wear a different outfit only for ten minutes; half of them had a patrol right after this and the rest had to train. This was ridiculous! Even Kondou had decided to skip this whole meeting-slash-welcoming party and took Takeda and left. That lucky asshole managed to weasel himself out of this mess and yet there they were, lined up right outside the entrance to their dojo, overlooking the garden, awaiting the arrival of this person.
"We have to be courteous to our new guest; they'll only stay here for a couple of months anyway. Might as well show them our best."
"Them? There's more than one coming!?"
Harada was quick to catch on to the plural, but Nagakura was even quicker; so was Saitou. And they had both noticed how Hijikata expertly avoided giving the name of this new healer or any other detail about him. Was he someone on the run, much like they had been when they entered? Was he a brat from the shogun's family who couldn't go anywhere without a bunch of servants? No matter what it was, it was obvious the man wanted to be mysterious about it because there was a twist they wouldn't like.
And when a smirk graced the vice commander's face, it was decided. "Yes," was all he said and fixed his own not so formal but definitely more pristine hitatare.
Then they heard it; hooves and wheels thundered on the ground, breaking pebbles and rocks in their way. Before too long, a four-horse carriage was seen entering the compound in normal speed. The moment they saw the sheer number of horses as well as the quality of the wood, they immediately, collectively groaned. Spoiled brat for sure, with an entourage of four…at least.
They furtively glanced at each other, all fourteen of them, and nothing needed to be said because those looks conveyed the ridiculousness of what they were about to witness. Then the carriage came to a stop and the driver was about to hop off and open the door. Hijikata stopped him in his tracks by raising his hand though, and moved to do it himself. The men shared a last exhibition of exasperation, seeing the carriage's window was on the other side and they made no sound, before the wooden door was opened wide to reveal—
A collective breath was held as eyes became wider and small smiles played on everyone's lips; looks were exchanged once more, only this once it was so they could make sure what one was seeing, they all did. Until verification came.
"Tokio-chan!" Okita exclaimed thrilled and rushed to her.
That was it; everyone moved at the same time and crowded her in a split second. Then they immediately had to disperse when a snarling large black dog bounded out of the carriage and stood between her and the men.
"Hachiro, these people are friends; sit."
He did, but the anger didn't stop. Still, she seemed to have the dog under control so they came closer again, even if, admittedly, they took turns bowing and talking to her.
"Tokio-san, are you really the doctor they sent for us?"
No, Saitou's logic answered, there is no way. She was a woman of almost noble background. What business did she have with a bunch of men? Yet, she nodded once to Nagakura's question, polite smile on her lips.
"That's amazing! We were just saying how we haven't seen you for so long not two days ago and now here you are; this is a good luck omen have I ever seen one," Harada commented, eager to let her know she was talked about.
And the way she chuckled in her hand, made Saitou bristle all over. "That is indeed a sign of good fortune; then again, I am known to bring good fortune to people."
She couldn't help but glance at the sole person who hadn't moved from his spot, who simply watched on something between surprised and…offended? His expression made her avert her eyes, maybe slightly hurt. That was what she got, she supposed, for bringing up something she would say to him in private in front of so many people. "So hopefully, you are no exception."
But she endured her shame seamlessly; she received everyone's compliments and good wishes with a smile and her head held high, as the carriage pulled away and they moved inside the building. Hijikata, who had taken her hand to help her off the carriage, was always one step closer to her than everyone else, always under Hachiro's strict watch. And although there was no need for all fourteen of them to follow them as Hijikata showed her to her room and the room she would use as an examination/operations room, they still did. Well, all but one that is: Saitou had fallen at the very back of the line and when everybody was too busy gawking at her, he made his discreet exit. None but three noticed: Okita, Hijikata and Tokio and they had actually been watching.
When she decided it was about time she put her rooms in order, luggage being carried in by some servants no one had ever really registered, everyone finally went their ways. Okita wished her a heartfelt welcome and then she was left alone with her dog and the vice commander.
Silence stretched between them, but it was a strange one; despite there being no words spoken, it felt like it was chatty. There were so many things she wanted to say, snap at him, shout in his face…and she could feel all the unsaid things that lurked at the back of his throat. too. Yet none spoke for a very long time.
With her back still turned to him, she rolled her eyes. What was it with the Shinsengumi men that never made the first move no matter what unless it was to attack someone? She sighed and turned to look at him. Hijikata stood a little straighter; he hadn't seen her since that night she looked at him with tear-rimmed eyes, puffy and red. But now she was perfectly sober as she stared a hole in him—in fact, it was so unnerving he moved to leave. But just then, finally, her lips formed words.
"You lied, Hijikata-san." Ah, he feared that would come up. "Consider this as me, holding you to your word."
"…just do what you came here to do and I'll accept your grievances once your time here is up," he answered instead, already halfway out the room.
"I'll hold you to that, too!" And then she was left alone in the bedroom to decorate and fix things as she saw fit. She all but collapsed next to her dog on the floor. "Only you understand me, Hachiro," she lamented, petting the dog's lush fur "only you'll always be with me."
As if he could understand her, and agree with her, he whined once and rubbed his head on her chest. His front paw rested on her knee as some sort of comfort and verification that indeed, he would never leave her. They remained there for a long time, until she decided she looked too pathetic for anyone to see and drew her door closed. She snorted; this was a new low. Nevertheless, she was now here and she had a lot of work to do…starting from this empty, tasteless room.
.
"Tokio-chan~!"
Okita's excited salutation alerted her to two men's presence: the shortest and tallest ones of the entire unit. Her head snapped back and her eyes up to the speaker, but her peripheral easily caught the ever-expressionless Saitou, hands in his sleeves, giving a short nod as proof he saw her.
"Okita-san, Saitou-san," she gave a bow from her spot on the floor but didn't stand, even if she did fully turn their way. "Welcome to your new examination room."
That was said with pride; and she had every reason to feel that way, too for her supplies and instruments truly transformed this room from a plain-looking almost empty space, to a real doctor's paradise. She even put in some flowers to light up the place and create a literal good atmosphere. Of course, many of them were medicinal herbs, too so they had more uses than one.
"I've been in here a hundred times but I almost didn't recognise it; it's like it's a new room!"
She appreciated his enthusiasm. "Thank you Okita-san; you indeed lacked many necessities, so I am happy you noticed the difference."
"So, can we get checked now maybe? I know you only came yesterday, but…"
"Oh, yes of course! I am absolutely ready to receive you. Ιn fact, I was just about to come call you, once I finished cleansing the room with lighting this incense." At the same time, she went back to the task at hand and found the matches. "I did have some communication with your previous healer, but I'd like to make my own assessments." She nodded to a pack of papers next to her, each bearing a name of a Shinsengumi member at the very top and various things under it. "So, you'll be the first ones then! Who wants to go first?"
"He will," Okita volunteered his friend instantly, earning a half-glare from said man "if you want to take a look at all of us, I'll go alert the others while you examine him." The half-glaring never stopped. "What? You'd tell one person and then shoulder them with the responsibility, you hate dealing with people. At least I'll do it properly."
Purpose served as both Tokio and Saitou exhibited some sort of positive emotion at that, he backtracked to the exit and closed the door behind him…sinking them in terrible, tense silence.
Tokio felt her heart beat too fast to be healthy and knew her cheeks must have been purple by now; and the way he kept standing there, staring at her squirming seemingly unfazed, almost vindictively, did nothing to help the situation. She would not be intimidated – or discouraged – though and she decided to be professional, no matter how she or he must have felt about this latest development. Taking a deep breath as quietly as possible, she turned to him fully.
"As I just finished saying, I want to look at all of you properly. Σo, I was thinking, a thorough check is in order, starting from the eyes, moving to the tonsils—"
"What are you doing here?"
She saw this coming and felt her stomach drop; but his absolute demeanour threw her off. "P-pardon?"
"Why are you here? Not in this room obviously, in general," he supplemented, seeing she was about to give him a smartass reason. She deflated and looked away. "What did you do to get here and why?"
"…I didn't do anything." She dared a glance and saw he did not believe her at all. "Really, I didn't; I had no idea-…Matsudaira-sama was the one who told me to come. Didn't even give me a choice of yes or no, simply ordered me to do it."
He was staring at her too hard, trying to discern any lies and found she was really honest. Somehow that irked him more. "And there was no way to sway him," he more accused than inquired "you, who could make the sun not rise if you so desired."
She coloured ten different shades. "It was a direct order from the shogun to Matsudaira-sama, too; he confessed so when I expressed my misgivings about being the only woman in the presence of so many men and how the gossip mill will undoubtedly make a fool out of me for it. But all he said was I'd be protected, for the shogun had his hand in it, σo…here I am."
Tch, her water-tight alibies only angered him more. "Why did the shogun-?"
"I don't know."
There it is; the first lie of the day.
She did know, at some capacity at least, but she wasn't willing to share it with him. Or, most probably, she wasn't allowed. And since the time she confined in him was eight four days and change gone, not that he was counting, he decided not to force the information out of her, even if he could. Still, the fact she protested to this post made him sour. It shouldn't, that was one of the very reasons he was upset in fact, but it did. Another reason was how the hell was he supposed to completely forget about her if she was right there in front of him all day? Hell, he didn't manage all this time she was out of sight…
Hijikata had some serious explaining to do.
Then again, he was the first one who had ever expressed his opposition to them being close. He wasn't the one he should aim his dejection at. But Matsudaira-sama was too far away…
"I see."
He had to calm down; if she examined him like this, she'd find all sorts of things wrong with him, even if he was perfectly alright in health. And that bastard Okita did whatever he wanted… "I'll sit over there and wait for you to get your things ready. Examine me as you want; that other guy would barely poke at us."
"How so?"
"He seemed to think he was doing us a favour simply putting up with us, how much more taking care of our health. Was of the idea we should worship the very ground he walked on, for deigning to take a look every time we would come back bleeding."
"You came back bleeding many times!?"
Ah, shit, he said that; he looked to the side. "…no…" She stared, pout firm in place. "Barely thirty percent."
"That's still too many!" She huffed and shuffled, taking out gauzes and the like. "No wonder I only have a page and a half on each of you, if he wouldn't be bothered with anything! Stop being so reckless! And what a load of nonsense; no matter who's under your care, if you allowed them under your care, they deserve the best. Period."
She all but stomped and sat on the floor in front of him. She held out a digit in his face. "Now follow my finger."
Still pouting, she moved her pointer from one side to the other, watching his eyes movements closely. "Keep following the finger," she complained when she noticed half the times he'd glance at her. He stopped and stared at her then, eyebrows high. "Alright, I saw what I wanted," she admitted wearily. "Open your mouth."
"My throat is fine; my main concern is my shoulder."
"…left?"
"Right actually."
He started undressing the certain area; before he could even pull it all the way down she could clearly see the problem and she nearly exploded at the sight of it!
"I will file a formal complaint with the Bakufu. This is ridiculous! Your previous doctor was actually poisoning you and made less of a mess than this one΄΄ I have to give you all sorts of-…" She had to pause, pinch the bridge of her nose and relax. "If this is the state of everyone in this unit I will need large quantities of herbs and ingredients; this'll cost a fortune…I hope the shogun takes it out of that man's earnings, he deserves as much."
"So, it's worse than I thought?"
She snorted. "It's always worse than you make it out to be, that's no measure. But it's actually worse than I thought and that's the concerning part." She shook her head, displeasure all over her face. "I hope his damage τo the rest of you extends simply to this—reversible."
After all, with lots of rest – thus no training for him –, frequents visits to her and plenty of water, the swelling would go down and the irritation would go away in a month, at most. But others may not be so lucky as him. She could only pray and hope she wasn't too late.
.
.
That day she examined each and every one present. All but Okita that is, who promised to go to her the next day, claiming she looked at too many of them already. She tried to explain that only one person left not going was more of an excuse than a real reason, but she supposed he had his reasons. Okita's particularity notwithstanding, she was relieved to see the damage to the rest was far less serious than Saitou's – of course, how did she expect anything else? That man always got himself in the worst trouble – and some were healthy altogether. There was the curious case of Hijikata Toushijou of course, who was examined but not really; he managed to get looked at but at the same time she came up with nothing new and that was confusing.
No matter what though, she took the time and wrote down each and every abnormality she encountered in the men, in an effort to leave detailed files for her successor. It would be a damn shame if all of her hard work went to waste.
That is to say, of course, she only examined half of the fighting force; the other half was on patrol and would be looked at the next day. No matter, she kept busy—too busy. And if she wanted to do this right, this transitional period would take her at least a week…and that would be an entire week she wouldn't have to pretend not to notice Saitou in the corridors. A whole week Saitou could go without paying any attention to her, other than his once per day visit for his shoulder which they already proved can stay impersonal, and be free from her constant presence.
After all, she knew he would be angry; how could he not? This assignment of hers must have been the cruellest joke of the entire universe on them, bringing them so close once they decided to stay away from one another.
She could not convincingly deny she was happy about it though; she was different from him. She had all but accepted she would be miserable for the rest of her life. She didn't want to be married anyway; she wanted to advance in her profession. She wanted to be successful. Looking at him from afar didn't actually hurt her.
Saitou though…he was fresh out of a bad marriage that ended because the woman was unfaithful; thus, he wasn't to blame, thus, he would make an excellent candidate for a son-in-law in the future. He already accumulated accolades from the shogun himself, an excellent commendation for any man aiming to marry his daughter, and he enjoyed the absolute trust of his commanders. He had poise and purpose; and he was earnestly open to the idea of finding a woman to fulfil the role of the dutiful wife. Not simply because he had to paint the picture of a family man; he wanted it. He wanted to find a woman to love and love him back and make his life better with her presence.
Saitou was, by all means and purposes, in the market, looking for the one. But if she was there, how could he see anything else other what could have been? Her mere presence there was a thorn in his road to happiness and to see it so clearly written on his face hurt her more than knowing she had to stay away from him. And yet, staying away from him somehow was the most difficult.
She sighed again; and she'd sigh whenever she thought about it.
"Tokio-chan, stop sighing all the time. It makes me feel at fault for something I didn't even do."
"Instead of keeping tabs on my sighs, let me look at you! You keep avoiding me; yesterday was the fourth time you evaded and I'm only here five days." He shrugged seemingly innocent. "You know very well what I'm talking about!"
"I only know I have to go for a bath right now."
"No, you don't; in fact, you will, only after I take a look at you."
"No," he complained vehemently "no Tokio-chan, I smell right now. It's embarrassing."
"I'm not going to take no for an answer—!"
"Just because you don't have Saitou-san to boss around doesn't mean you should do it to me!"
Tokio immediately coloured but she was almost desensitised to that sort of comment so she looked back at him quickly…only to notice him trying to leave. That little bastard! He used this as his getaway—all four days now. "Don't worry Okita-san, you're no one's substitute; I love bossing all people around the same. You're coming with me now and that's final."
"No," he drawled miserably "I really do smell, I do; it's too shameful. Wh, what about after my bath, yes?" He put his palms together as if he was praying. "After, pretty please. I'll be there, I promise."
She considered. "Alright; I'll follow you to the bath to make sure you aren't lying."
"Of course!"
Relieved, he smiled at her and started trotting to his destination. When they reached the baths moments later, she seemed satisfied. "Very well. Come visit me after your bath. And not a second later—I'll know."
"Okay, Tokio-chan~"
"I'll be watching you."
"Sure, bye bye for now."
He didn't put much stock into her "threats", but maybe he should have. It was barely twenty minutes later when he came face to face with a very determined, big, black dog staring right into his soul just as he opened the door. "H-Hachiro?"
The dog didn't move. "What are you doing here?" No barking, no nothing. Suspicious, he made to move in the direction of his room, but the dog stood and sat in front of him again. He moved the other way, but again, the same thing happened. Yet when he moved towards Tokio's, the black giant easily stood and followed.
Okita sighed. "I see how this is. Alright, lead me to your lady."
It was the first time Okita saw the dog close to happy. He wagged his tail once or twice, bumped his snout on his leg and promptly took the lead. But he was also smart, so he would look behind him every so often, to make sure the short man followed.
Heh, what a well-trained dog.
In the end, they made it to her examination room where Okita knocked on her door begrudgingly; he did try to give Hachiro the slip, but damn animal had the speed and reflexes of a lightning bolt! He all but tore his hakama when he bit onto it to prevent him from leaving and tug backwards to his direction. He had given up because he was actually wearing his favourite non-Shinsengumi set of clothes.
"Enter," Tokio's voice was heard from behind the door and he drew it open. He was annoyed to see the first thing she noticed was his messed up hakama. Her look grew challenging and arrogant then. "Glad you made it today."
"You made a compelling argument."
The way he glanced at the dog made her giggle. "I had to improvise since you weren't cooperating. Now sit down and take off your hitatare."
He did as he was instructed; in fact, she realised, Okita was much more compliant than most. It definitely saved time! Not that this was going to be a lengthy check up, but all the more...and yet, she never expected it to be this short. Because what Tokio found, after her initial examination, left her dumbstruck. Her eyes snapped at the man and stared for a long time, hand falling from his wrist.
"Okita-san…"
"Yes, Tokio-chan?"
"Do you know-?"
"It's my own body, silly; I'd be a fool not to notice."
What he said didn't match the tone of the situation, nor did his wide, reassuring smile. Something lurched painfully in her chest and she couldn't go on. She looked down at her hands and then back at him; he feigned calmness but she had just examined his heart and it beat a mile per minute. He must have been worried about what she was going to do about it, who she'd tell and how. She looked at her hands again only this once her eyes lingered. She felt helpless. She knew what this meant for him; but she also knew what she could do and how insignificant it would be...for there was no way on this earth, he'd do as she asked if she was serious about tackling this.
Bur she had to try all the same.
"Okita-san, I would advise-"
A crack appeared in his perfect mask and a pleading, heart wrenching look shone through, breaking his pretences. "Don't say it, Tokio-chan." It was said as upbeat as ever, but the rawness of his emotion caught her off guard. "We both know now and it's enough, yes?"
"But we're talking about your—"
"—life goes on, Tokio-chan; lives go on." Her indignation switched to pain in milliseconds. "Some seem to go on forever, others are fleeting; what matters is the quality of what one experiences, yes?" He coaxed her to agree with a nod, by smiling even wider. "And if one is permanently confined to a bed for whatever little he has to live, what quality is that?"
Tears chocked her.
"Come now Tokio-chan, don't be like that! I'll be fine; I am always the one hurt the least, remember?"
"Y…es…"
"No crying or I'm leaving and never coming back! Humph," he stated like a petulant child. He had taken off his hitatare so he resorted to crossing his bare arms in front of his bare chest, pretending offense. Still, the threat worked and she stopped altogether.
"Please visit me as regularly as possible, Okita-san."
He started dressing. "I'll try." She glared. "I will."
She was pleased. Then she cleared her throat. "Who else—?"
"I know how to keep other people's secret's Tokio-chan; I would never betray them to a soul. Especially if that secret is mine." So, no one "and I'd like to keep it that way, yes?"
"…if you promise to visit twice a week."
A sigh. "You really have your way with words…! Fine, twice a week; no more unless it's an emergency."
"Deal."
Grateful, they both nodded to one another. Okita headed for the exit but once there, he stood, hand on the frame. He turned back with a smirk. "Next time I ask for your hand, be sure to say yes, alright? Since you don't seem like you want to be married at all, I can at least buy you some time until the right one comes along…"
He winked and left.
Something cracked inside her chest; she distantly recognised the sound as her heart.
That was twice it happened in a year, even if it was for a very different reason…the pain inside only intensified.
.
Saitou watched as Okita made his way out of the examination room, looking mischievous and pretty satisfied with himself. He even whistled as he picked up his pace, going the opposite direction from the one he was coming, never noticing Saitou. Curious as to what could have transpired to make him like that, he slowly made his way to the room—
He stopped dead in his tracks just before he made his presence known, flabbergasted watching the scene: Tokio was doing her best not to break down, biting her lips, fists tightened on her lap, tears threatening to spill at any moment.
What. The hell.
And then she finally gave up. She lowered her head and allowed the moisture from her eyes to fall. It stained her kimono, her face, her hands…and then the first sob came and nope that was it, he was out. He'd do the only thing he knew: find the one responsible. So, with purpose in his step, stalked after Okita till he caught up with him one corridor down. There was no one walking by, very well.
"Hey!" He called out to attract Okita's attention, which he did, and reached him in a blink. "What the hell did you tell her?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"What the hell did you say to her to make her cry like that?"
The guilt and hurt reflected in his face for but a second, ruining the picture-perfect ignorant bystander, made Saitou realise his friend didn't mean to be hurtful…but in the end made no real difference.
"It isn't that important, Saitou-san…! I wasn't trying to make her sad. She promised she wouldn't cry, too."
The glare was unforgiving. "What did you tell her?"
Okita looked both ways, to make sure they were alone, and then almost stuttered: "…I just…told her about the birthday note you wro—OUCH!"
The punch came his way too soon; CRACK; a metallic taste in his mouth and dizziness. He looked up just in time to see the next one heading his way and didn't even have to put effort to evade. He swayed so heavily he dodged him naturally, giving him time to find his equilibrium. "Would you relax!?"
"Why the hell would you stick your nose in other people's business?"
"Because you were miserable!"
He did see the punch coming this once and grabbed the offender's fist with his own; twisting it with both hands, he came behind the taller man, using his own arm as a chokehold. "And so is she."
Saitou actually dived low, causing Okita to release him by sheer surprise; he went for the feet with his own, but Okita guessed right and jumped high! Without missing a beat, he actually kicked out, landing a clean hit on Saitou's jaw; lips torn, the tall man retaliated by grabbing said leg and throwing him to the wall. It crumbled like a piece of paper. Splinters and papercuts all over both, they jumped away from each other and waited for a split second.
Then they both launched at one another, swinging…! The last thing either saw, was black.
A/N: Men will be men and all that foolishness. But I can totally imagine those idiots duking it out for no good reason. I have to admit, I hadn't shown this side of him too much, the violent one. To be honest, he is pretty violent in the manga - subsequently in the anime, too - so I wanted to show that in a...fun way.
So, tell me what you thought!
Kisses, FAI~