A/N: Heeeey there peeps! How's it been going my lovelies? Long wait, I know and I'm sorry. I have been exhausted, some things took longer than they should have and work was grueling. Excuses, excuses, I know, but the creative bug hasn't left me at all and new ideas keep sprouting in my head and I have to sort them out. That being said, yay, on to the new chapter. Motoko, am I right? Just read. And yes, this was intentional. Everything is, in fact. I laugh diabolically while writing most of the times, just so you know.
Alright, I lied about that one. I usually sing horribly off-key. There. Now you know my secret.
Historical facts: None! Have been saving them for later.
Timeline: July 25th - August 5th, 1864.
A fine lady...
...and guard duty.
"This is remarkable."
Those were the only words Matsudaira Katamori was able to speak ever since he heard one of his guards announce Saitou Hajime had been spotted riding towards the compound, with Tokio right there on the horse with him; there was nothing else coming out of his mouth. Honestly, who could blame him? They've been searching for her nonstop these past two days with no luck whatsoever…yet he comes back, searches only some mere hours and poof, there she is. She's back!
It was as remarkable as it was laudable. That man should depart from his general duties as a Shinsengumi and—…Matsudaira's thoughts came to a sudden stop as an idea was born in his mind. It wouldn't be a very bad deal…and her father would arrive in a few hours or a day…
"My lord—"
"Matsudaira-sama!"
"Tokio!"
Just as Saitou had entered the general area of the compound, at the edge of the in-progress new garden, and was about to announce their presence to the lord who was seen fast approaching, Tokio propelled herself towards him! She jumped off the horse unaided, kimono getting stuck under her feet; she stumbled and fell right into the lord's outstretched hands, who saw her stumbling and hurried to catch her.
They actually hugged and it lasted more than a second.
"My sweet, sweet girl! Where in Buddha's name have you been? Are you alright? How-" he turned to Saitou immediately "how did you find her? This is…this is remarkable. This is unbelievable! You must tell me everything from start to finish. Ah! Hachiro!"
He saw the dog only because he barked. He had been too busy noticing the clothes she was wearing, how it was inferior to anything her father or he himself, the Aizu-han, had ever given her; the cuts and bruises were unmistakable; dried blood on her sleeves, knees and nose. He missed none of it. But he promised himself not to show any signs of anger in front of Tokio, who had no doubt been abused by her captors, thus only adding to her fears and worries.
"No matter," he easily dismissed his own words "we'll get you inside now and have you rest, while Saitou and I talk about this case. You don't have to be troubled by it. Just rela—x…"
"Tokio-chan!"
"Tokio!"
"Tokio-sama!"
Five people came bounding out, seeing everyone else, other than the guards, had gone inside, light long gone. Teruhime and Okita appeared to be racing each other, with Okita employing all of his speed to bypass her last minute, uncaring and focused on Tokio. He wrapped his arms around her tight and actually lifted her off the ground! He was literally shoved to the side by the woman though, who simply elbowed him as soon as Tokio's feet touched the ground and replaced him with herself. Discreetly, or not that much, Saitou smacked Okita upside the head, murder in his eyes, while the short man feigned ignorance and innocence. Hachiro barking at him like mad helped.
Ochako and Nagakura respectfully waited until she was unhanded by the lady and bowed deeply – as you too should have done, infuriating idiot, Saitou's eyes spoke to a still coy Okita – and only then did they ask her about her health.
"I am well, I was not harmed."
"Do not bother her with questions; you, too sister, please." Matsudaira stopped the onslaught of everyone wanting to know about ten things at the same time.
"If you may, my lord, I would like to ask you one or two things before Tokio goes inside:" Saitou took the floor "who is Motoko and how long have you known of our arrival?"
"…Motoko is one of my most loyal and oldest servants…and we found out you were coming not five minutes ago. This time of day, all but the guards are inside, you see, so we had no one coming and going, to see you earlier."
"Then time is of the essence." Saitou didn't miss the way his two friends looked at him the moment he mentioned the woman's name: recognition, alarm, suspicion confirmed. "I'd like one of your men to fetch her for us immediately so you can interrogate her."
But the lord was taken aback. "Motoko…? But she is harmless."
Saitou never missed a beat and as imperceptibly as possible, he nodded to Okita; if the lord needed to be persuaded into this, it would take forever and she could easily escape, if she already hasn't. No one noticed when the short man disappeared, despite never leaving Tokio's direct side.
"Those are the ones one should be most wary of. Nonetheless, once we get inside and everything is explained properly," he spared a strict glance for Tokio "you'll understand."
"Besides, her name came up in our own search, too" Nagakura admitted, confirming their previous looks "and we've been keeping a close watch on her; in fact, we put Kachako as her constant companion, so she wouldn't do anything without us knowing about it."
Teruhime was equally confused. "Why would poor old Motoko be on your suspect list?"
"She was the one spotted around and closest to Tokio's room the night she went missing," Nagakura answered expertly, looking at everyone over his glasses.
The two lords took a sharp breath at the same time, as if real siblings.
"Also, she actually knew Tokio was gone and said nothing so there's that," Saitou gave the finishing blow, deeming the ground was set satisfactorily. This once, both of their eyes widened in surprise, transitioning into anger and disbelief.
"She what!?" Teruhime all but screamed.
"Are you serious?"
Nagakura simply looked on, amazed at how the hell Saitou's instructions of "the one who was loitering around Tokio's room" could have been so true and accurate. That man was wasted in Shinsengumi, in the way it was operating now; he should be a man who solves real, impactful crimes. No wonder Hijikata put him in charge of finding out Battousai's identity…he could actually do it. He had actually glimpsed him during the Ikedaya affair, too.
Whence Tokio nodded, too, they could all see how the Aizu-han was undoubtedly in the process of cussing the woman out mentally, trying to retain his status yet at the same time furious with the developments.
"My lord, I'm not tired at all," Tokio urged, starting to walk inside the house first. The rest followed naturally. "I have no reason to go rest while Saitou-san explains things to you. Besides, I fear…I owe an explanation myself. Mostly, in fact."
Everyone gave her a look, which only intensified when they saw Saitou glare at her for a split second. "Let us all go inside and I shall explain everything."
.
The explanation was brief and to the point; it happened inside the Aizu-han's office, where all the guards had left once they had arrived and kept clear of in a ten-metre radius. Countless emotions fleeted across both lords' faces: Teruhime was about to slap her then looked like she wanted to hug her, settling for a violent tendency towards Motoko; Matsudaira simply looked on in utter bewilderment, then anger, complete disappointment, and maybe restraint. He finished with a strong disapproval fused with an unadulterated disgust.
"I am really disappointed in you Tokio."
Tokio simply bowed her head to the man's words.
"You are so much better than this," he continued, shaking his head. "I cannot fathom you would disobey me directly," he held up his hands, unable to comprehend her actions "and cause all this trouble. Granted," he backtracked "had Motoko not been two-faced, this wouldn't have blown up like this…but had you been a little more responsible or docile, we would have never been in this predicament. And to think your father is bound to come in a day or so…"
"I am deeply sorry my lord," was all she said, humbly "you are just and proper."
"Telling me I'm right won't appease my anger," he said but with little ire "nor my heart. You should have known better."
"I know my lord, forgive me."
"You made us worry too much!" Teruhime interjected, almost in tears of relief now.
"I am deeply sorry your ladyship."
Matsudaira shook his head again. "To think we considered you missing or maybe even dead…!"
She said nothing. She only bowed deeper. He sighed. "There is nothing else we can say to you, from what I see, as you already know what you did wrong. That still does not mean you will not be disciplined for this; there will be consequences. Well, you knew that would come to pass ever since you ran off doing whatever you wanted," and he wasn't wrong, she did know that "but I know you did not expect this entire mess. Still, your punishment will be equal to how much you made us worry."
Heh, she deserved it, Saitou thought with a smirk, and what a welcome change to see the golden girl, the favourite of the lord, getting chewed out for once.
"Many of your privileges will be revoked, at least for a month, effective whence your father's visit is over. You shall remain indoors and walk around only with Teruhime. You will not have any patients other than your lady, you will attend every social function they ask of you without a complaint and you won't be allowed to visit the hot springs."
Wisely, Tokio did nothing to contest the man and suffered in silence. Teruhime only nodded her agreement from the side, while Saitou watched with a mighty grin, trying but failing to conceal his satisfaction: hands in his sleeves, posture proper…and head held high, eyes looking down on her. finally, she was getting her dues. She was far too spoiled, if anyone asked him. And considering the emotional rollercoaster she sent him on, he'd say Matsudaira was being lenient!
"What you did was wrong and reckless; had Motoko alerted someone to your presence there, they could have easily abducted you or who knows what else, when we had no idea and you were utterly defenceless. Maybe it was planned for tomorrow or they had already put it in motion, they just couldn't find you. It was a miracle Saitou did and got you here safe and sound!"
Thank you! Saitou was ready to shout it out loud, he was that excited someone finally saw things his way.
"Not even that, look at what you are wearing—and so many discolorations from fire…what if you were burnt? What if you were in a collapsing building?" Tokio's ears were red; Saitou's glare too much. "What if anyone infected you with any disease? So, so rush of you Tokio."
"My lord," Teruhime intervened "let us not forget Tokio did what she did in an effort to relieve the people from suffering. She was not being selfish, in looking out for herself. She was being considerate of the people and their plight."
"Her sentiments are admirable but when one is liable to danger just by existing, getting lost in throngs of people is the worst strategy! Not to mention in an area where just being a woman is dangerous. You were attacked on your way to Aizu, they were attacked on their way to Kobe; and that was from people who did not know of her identity! Imagine someone who does, what they could come up with."
Best day ever, Saitou thought maliciously, finally someone says it as it is.
"Still, it's worth noting."
"It is, indeed; which is why I will not be telling her father." Why not, seemed to be the collective question on everyone's face, other than Tokio's, but Matsudaira simply scoffed. "He would immediately take her back to Aizu" shit, Saitou hadn't thought of that "and no matter how mad I am at her this exact moment, I do not wish to see her leave my side. For what man could say to a father not to take back his favourite daughter when faced with such inability to keep her under control from her own impulses? Am I not responsible for her?"
"You are, brother," Teruhime admitted grim as Tokio blushed furiously.
"Thus, how do you expect me to defend myself to her father other than I failed?" He stared at aforementioned daughter challengingly. "Whatever you do, reflects on me and is a direct result of my treatment of you. I have been lenient and trusting…but maybe a little too much. Thus, you shall be put under strict watch. And that is another one of your punishments. I will not forbid you from walking Hachiro or going to the market for essentials, but you won't be doing any of those things without an escort."
She said nothing, but they all saw the regret on her face, the annoyance. It was well-known, how much she hated guards surrounding her. "While your father is here and after he leaves, too; you'll be on probation. Show me you learnt from your mistake, and I shall set you free."
"Y…yes my lord." She tried not to sound sharp, she did bring this to herself.
"Katamori," Teruhime was quick to step in "you know as well as I do that we can spare no man for such a task: those who do not build with the rest are tasked with their protection as well as ours."
"I am aware."
"Then who?"
"That is a whole other matter, but since you brought it up…" the lord's eyes slid to the tallest Shinsengumi. "If Hijikata agrees, I would like Saitou to fulfil that role."
Both Tokio and Saitou's eyes snapped to him in a split second. Saitou blinked once. "My lord, am I being punished, too?" That comment earned him an involuntary giggle from Teruhime, while Tokio, she really couldn't help it, actually smacked his arm. It was only a joke though…but there was some truth to his statement. He had important things to do, he couldn't play around with Tokio, no matter how delightful it would be. Though, it would be nice, seeing her every day, and sanctioned, too. Despite it being right after promising himself to try and let her go.
"No such thing," the lord assured, glaring at Tokio for her misconduct and incensed she didn't seem to regret it one bit "but not only are you inherently capable of flushing her out from the oddest of places, but you also seem to know her heart well enough to predict her movements. Not to mention," he turned to his sister "he is of strong character and will not be swayed by a lady's tears or smiles. What he is tasked with, he will do unhindered. He's proven that much. There's also the matter of her father's opinion of the man, quite high already, thus he would approve. So, it is my desire to appoint this task to him…should he accept that is."
Saitou knelt in front of the lord, bow deep. "Please disregard my earlier statement, I was only trying to lighten the mood. I would be honoured, should Hijikata allow it."
Her residual glare was cute, but held two quite different meanings, depending on who you asked. Matsudaira would think she was slighted by Saitou's comment and angered to be saddled with a guard, but the other two knew the truth. She had been secretly happy to hear Hajime would be with her for the next entire month and then some; why wasn't he happy, too? It was annoying to see him react so convincingly as being the one wronged.
"Perfect. Now go tell Nagakura to bring Okita and Motoko here."
"Yes, my lord."
He stepped outside and saw the bespectacled man, who was stationed at the end of the corridor. With a nod, he knew what he had to do and took a right turn. In three seconds, he returned and briskly walked towards Saitou; in less than a minute, a cheery Okita, dragging an ill-tempered middle-aged woman, made an appearance.
Ah, so this was the infamous Motoko. She must have been a beauty in her prime, for even now, she could be considered pretty. Cheekbones high, nose a perfect curve, hair straight and long, black sprinkled with white. Lines of age could be seen on her face, even more pronounced by her sneering expression. She was rattled, knew she was caught. The proverbial cat was out of the bag and now she had to deal with the fallout. And her, there would be no lectures for her; some horrible fate awaited this woman: death, torture or both. Maybe imprisonment, if Matsudaira felt particularly unforgiving. Whatever her fate, it was not to be envied.
And for good reason.
With all the nonchalance in the world, he casually leaned to the side, hands tangled in his sleeves. When they came close enough, he took one out and, employing the scabbard of his sword, he drew the door open. The motion had the desired effect and the woman's anger was taken down a peg, fright replacing a big chunk of it. he looked at her with a small smirk, while he allowed everyone to enter the room before him. As soon as Nagakura was inside, too he finally closed the door behind him.
"Motoko," Matsudaira started, betrayal in his eyes "why?"
"Why what my lord?" Her words were ordinary but her tone was flippant.
"Why did you do this?"
"I didn't do anything, my lord."
He sighed, disappointed. "Don't lie to me, please, I am quite irritable in this particular moment. I cannot employ my usual restraint. Tell me the truth and everything will go much faster."
"And easier," Okita reminded, letting go off her finally.
"Less painfully, too," Nagakura assured, while Saitou casually fiddled with his sword.
"What is it that drove you to do something like this?"
"…like what? I do not know what these men have been telling you, but I did nothing wrong."
She was still feigning innocence, with Tokio right there in the room? The audacity of this woman! "You aim to deny that not only did you see Tokio but you also spoke with her?"
"Indeed. I never saw her that night; maybe she's mistaken with some other night she decided to leave her room at a late hour."
Tokio grew ten shades dark, tirades of shame and anger at the tip of her tongue. She was seething all over, hair standing straight! She was both being threatened and invalidated at the same time—the nerve of this woman!
"Are you implying something?" Matsudaira all but barked at her.
"Do not fall for her tricks, my lord," Okita rushed in to save the situation "instead of implying, if she had anything to say, she would outright say it."
"Then let me say it: three nights ago, was not the only time Tokio left at a very late hour of the night to go and pursue one of her latest fancies." Motoko's eyes slid to Okita dangerously. "She's been doing it ever since the Roshigumi came to Kyoto; it just so happened this once was medicine instead of men."
"How dare you!?"
Teruhime and Tokio had gone pale; Okita was the only one maintaining the perfect poker face, as Nagakura and Saitou had the same expression of offended shock.
"To even think of saying such defamations about her, shame on you!" It was a good thing Matsudaira was enraged and was too busy shouting in her face to notice any of that. "Apologise to her, right now!"
"I will do no such thing; and I never lied; I never saw or talked to her that night she snuck out. And if this man," her head jerked to the shortest man in the room who was holding her just a minute ago "was so quick to grab me and bring me in front of you, then maybe, just maybe, you two had arranged it to happen so, for I was the only witness to your unsavoury after-midnight rendezvous."
Tokio all but slapped her! It was Saitou who held her back, his hand finding the way around her waist easily. He was not going to lie, he was about to panic for a moment there, when she started speaking of late night escapades, but it was fortunate she never got to follow Tokio outside and see who she was really meeting with.
"There's no need for violence," his cool voice was heard, and Okita actually smiled wider, challenging the woman "despite the slight offered for no other reason than this woman trying to get herself out of a tough situation. I admire your sense of self-preservation," he complimented wryly "trying to slander the people making the accusations. But I'm afraid, they do not hold water."
His intervention seemed to calm everyone down, seeing Teruhime took a deep breath after a long time, and Matsudaira actually stopped to listen. Saitou let go of Tokio, who settled down significantly and he stepped in front of the accused. "She claimed she saw you and talked; you claimed she must have confused this time with another, but then how could you possibly know she did it to pursue medicine if you hadn't talked to her?"
Motoko stopped to blink. "Matsudaira-sama said s-"
"He never said anything on the matter; none of us did. You knew because Tokio told you, the night she was sneaking out; the same night she asked you not to tell on her and wait until the morning, so she could have a head start. You knew because you did exactly what you deny and tried to charge her with more than one instances of her doing it, just to throw us off your scent."
"That is a lie! I saw her sneaking out a dozen of times; I even saw Teruhime-sama and her maid help her do it."
The aforementioned woman scoffed, trying to hide her cough of shock. "You think I would risk my lady-in-waiting's health for an inconsequential love affair? Ridiculous."
"Not only Tokio, she now attacks her ladyship, too? How bold," Okita commented as the best gossip in town, and Nagakura played right along, enabling him to say more. "Surely, I am dispensable so she can say whatever she wants and no one would bat an eye, but both the ladies? She must be truly desperate to appear innocent. Who knows who she's working for, to be this panicked."
"Okita-san, how right you are!"
"Besides, the one who found Tokio was me," Saitou continued his onslaught of charges "and not Okita; if that had been their plan, it would have hinged on a third party apprehending you, especially since you'd turn to point the finger at him. Not to mention, we had no contact with anyone from this compound while we were away; we had no idea when we'd be coming back. When we did return, to find Tokio was missing, we were all equally shocked. You cannot possibly imply Tokio went out on such a limb in the hopes Okita would understand her ulterior motives without a single line being exchanged for more than a month and then proceed to do all of this."
Motoko kept losing her colour, the more Saitou spoke; Matsudaira on the other hand, seemed to be the one to absorb it, as he was getting redder by fury by the second.
"And not to burst your bubble, but I was the one who put everything in motion. I ordered Nagakura and Okita to keep an eye on the person or people they found out were near her private chambers the night she went missing and it just happened to be you. Ask anyone in this compound, neither Okita, nor Nagakura zeroed in on you beforehand."
Motoko looked pathetic now, eyebrows dropping and eyes pleading. "So, if you choose to tell us the real reason of your silence now, we shall deal with you with the appropriate kindness. If not, then I'm afraid there's nothing we can do." He turned to Matsudaira. "We will have to take her to Hijikata."
What little colour she had left, drained from her face. every person in the capital had known of the Ikedaya affair and how it was prevented because of Hijikata's "persuasive abilities". He came to make a name for himself as the most ruthless, sadistic information gatherer, a title one of the patriot's side would not take lightly.
Much like her right now.
"Ah, indeed," Nagakura immediately agreed "Hijikata-sama would be able to extract the truth from her, as he is known to do. Never failed once, in fact. It's his hidden talent."
"Besides, if it is for the sake of your lordship, he'd be even more enthusiastic in the task, trying his best to help," Okita added in the end, never losing his smile. "He thinks the world of you, my lord and he would not hesitate—."
"Enough!" Motoko's cry was strangled and coloured by her tears. "I will talk, tell you all I know, just…promise to keep that man away from me."
Everyone looked at each other satisfied. "If you speak the truth, I won't let him anywhere near you," Matsudaira agreed graciously.
"Al…alright, I will explain why I…said nothing. It all started five years ago." It was suspiciously close to the time Tokio arrived in Kyoto. "My son was apprehended for forcing himself on a woman."
Teruhime and Matsudaira looked unaffected by her words, but all else looked at her as if she was delivering some real news. "She was an upper-class woman, rich and beautiful; she was twenty; he was twenty-two." She took a moment, trying to gather her wits.
"Their relationship had started two years prior. She had met him at a gathering, when he was employed as Matsudaira-sama's guard; she was a guest there, of course, and it just happened. My son loved her, had aspirations to marry her one day; I kept telling him how that was impossible, given our lot in life, but he wouldn't listen. She wouldn't either, simply did as she pleased and led him on. As the days, weeks, months even year went by, they started being less careful, more impulsive. In the end, they were discovered."
She shut her eyes; the pain in her voice was almost tangible, rendering everyone speechless, yet at the same time knowing what was about to follow. "She immediately blamed him, claimed he attacked her; that that was the first time anything like that ever happened. He…he loved her too much to say anything," teas ran down her cheeks "simply bore all of it. In the end," she took a deep breath "they executed him."
Everyone shivered; but it was Tokio who felt her skin crawl the most, her spine that was tingly. Cautionary tail in the flesh.
"And I asked of you my lord," her pain had turned into anger now, despite the tears "I had begged you to save his life! You could testify for him, help him escape with his life, even if I were to never see him again! I asked you to spare him, my foolish son, lead him away from the capital. My husband was dead since my son was ten and my daughter died of illness not seven years ago; Rin was all I had, my last hope. He was all I had."
A long breath; the tears stopped and the pain dissipated. "He was all I had." It sounded void of all emotion, an empty truth.
"She took him from me and you did nothing to help me. Me, your most devoted, loyal and supporting servant! I had to watch my son beheaded! You gave me condolences and a raise but what would I do with pretty words and money when I have no one to share them with!? You took the only thing that mattered to me and tried to tell me it was not important! Patted me on the back, said it would get better with time.
But it didn't.
The only thing that did was my ability to hide my disgust; hide many things; keep them tucked away and wield them to my benefit…so I started gathering information and stood around in all the right places, until someone approached me, said they had another job for me." She snorted. "I took it no questions asked." She finally looked up at the lord, facing him without a shred of fear. "And for the past three years I have been feeding information to a team of Chousuu men who saw the war coming and wanted to be prepared."
"And what are the names of those men?"
"I didn't care to know all of them, but I know three: Katsura Kogoro," everyone stared at her incredulously "a young red-haired boy who lately has been escorting him, acting as his bodyguard; Himura, if I recall." She scoffed. "So young, don't even know what he's doing there. His mother will be worried sick…" she trailed off, more like talking to herself more than anything. "And a man named I'izuka."
But Saitou stared harder; the two Shinsengumi men turned to stare at him this once and even Tokio realised what was just said meant: they finally had a name to connect to the face of the Battousai! It was Himura. And to think it came from such an unlikely source…but it was only natural in the end. Why shouldn't Katsura, one of the patriot's leaders and most prominent figures, pull all of the stops and have a spy close to Matsudaira Katamori himself?
But the thing was…Katsura has fallen from grace lately; so have his men and informants, naturally. Could that be the reason Tokio wasn't snatched by anyone in the end? It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.
"So, you tried communicating to your friends the scoop of Takagi Tokio being unattended in the worse part of town, only to find no one heeded your call." Motoko said nothing to Saitou's claims. "And it would take longer than a day to contact men of the Chousuu side that remained here, so well hidden after the Kinmon no hen incident, so she remained unharmed."
The older woman tried not to show her contempt but couldn't hide it; but Saitou could discern another sort of emotion flickering there, one that told him maybe the contempt was the act after all. He considered. "Or, maybe, you are so well connected that you did manage to find those other people you wanted and it was only a matter of chance I found her before them."
"The guards did say she went to town this morning, supposedly looking for Tokio-chan," Okita informed immediately "maybe it happened then."
Bingo! She lost all of the colour she had managed to gather back and now kept looking between them like a deer caught in the headlights.
Nagakura finally spoke in his usual tone and informed everyone that "cells of the rebels remain in the capital still; it shouldn't be too much of a surprise. The real surprise is how well-connected Motoko-san is." A meaningful look. "And how she will lead us to them, if she does not wish to die."
"I care not for my life!"
"Then she will lead us to them, or Hijikata will convince her to do so."
They could see her cursing herself under her breath, for giving them such a bargaining chip. "…alright, alright. I understand. I will. But if you want this to appear truthful, you should really let me go."
"You will tell us their names and how you contacted them. Once we confirm the information, we shall no longer need you, and instead of executing you for treason, we will find some other way to punish you," Nagakura summed up expertly. "I never meant we would release you." Then he turned to the Matsudaira. "That is, if the lord agrees."
But the Aizu-han was not paying attention to the developing conversation anymore; both he and Teruhime-sama were looking at each other regretfully, humbly and muted. "You do us an injustice," he said instead, stuck back two minutes ago.
"We did all we could to save Rin's life, but the girl's father was adamant," Teruhime continued.
"Their…indiscretions left her with child. Her father was furious for he had to explain how she was two months pregnant when the attack happened a week ago. So, now he had to find a husband, too and do it fast all the while trying to hide his daughter's predicament. He was as unforgiving as they come, he would not be swayed. And I don't think the girl found out about Rin's fate, until after she had her child." He sighed. "Yes, it was her fault for claiming she was assaulted, but she recounted. Just no one cared or listened."
"Do not play me for a fool! If you wanted, you could have stopped the execution!"
"There was no changing the man's opinion. And it was his daughter that was shamed. Do not forget, in cases like these, it's always the woman's reputation at stake."
"But the man's neck on the line!" she retorted.
"Indeed; which is why I was sad I had no other choice but to watch it happen."
"You keep saying that, but you know you could have done-!"
"There is no end to this conversation," Saitou intervened "we should wrap this up. The woman didn't even blink to the news she has a grandchild." That was a low blow, he knew, but the sooner this woman stopped talking, the better. "I suggest Nagakura takes Tokio to her room, Okita escorts Teruhime-sama to hers and I stay here with Motoko and you my lord, to get the needed information."
"No, you take her, Saitou," Matsudaira opined, sighing deeply "better start getting acquainted with the layout of the building. Nagakura-san shall stay here and Okita will indeed escort my sister to her room." He put his face in his hand. "This has been a very long day."
That signalled everyone's retreat and men and women fell into place; the first pair had barely stepped out of the room, when Motoko turned to them.
"Use my son's tale as a lesson, Okita-san," she spitefully snapped, pretending to be unbothered "and don't involve yourself with fine ladies any further."
Tokio's heart sunk to the floor; she wanted to throw up. And the way Saitou remained perfectly expressionless throughout this whole exchange, left her feeling even worse.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I can swear on my life and the life of every single person within the Shinsengumi, Tokio would never sneak out of her room to come meet me at midnight."
Tokio's ears burned and she wanted to die!
"And I can also swear, she would never be as careless as that woman in your tale. Maybe you had her confused with her cute maid, that's been sneaking off to meet Nagakura-san; according to him, her lady has been gracious enough to lend her, her gowns."
"Th-th-that's true, but, Okita-san, please don't…!"
Okita laughed, waving him away. "Right, you were keeping it a secret; well, the cat's out of the bag, sorry. But revealing a harmless secret like this is nothing compared to finding a spy, is it? Bye now," he finished with a wink and urged Teruhime forward.
Seeing those two were the first couple to leave the room, and Tokio was trapped behind them, she could finally proceed to freedom herself. "Goodnight everyone; if my lord permits me, I would like to take a bath here."
"You may," he indulged her with another sigh.
The door behind them drew shut and at the same time, so did her eyes. So shut in fact, she felt pain, but didn't bother opening them, until she heard laughter, courtesy of Okita, again. "What a day," he told no one in particular and kept his pace brisk.
"What a smart man," Teruhime countered "to say something like that and draw suspicion off of her."
"I don't know what you're talking about my lady," he feigned ignorance, "I only spoke the truth."
"Indeed," she assured, a little thrown by how convincingly he lied, unsure if he really was aware of the circumstance or not "but one truth can be used to hide another, yes?"
"I guess!"
Still unsure of his intentions or the amount of information he was privy to, she stopped there. But with her, so did all the pleasantries and an abnormal silence stretched. "What was that last bit about you getting to know the layout, Saitou-san?" Okita inquired once it all got too stifling.
"…his lordship asked me to act as a personal guard to Tokio while her father visits and then some; a punishment to her for sneaking out."
"Ooooh, you upset his highness Tokio-chan!" She nodded shily. "But what a promotion for you Saitou-san! You'll be close to the lord at all times! Mmmm, I'm jealous; Harada-san was right: you take all the good assignments."
"I didn't ask for it."
"In fact, he almost rejected it," Teruhime informed, giggling as she went, deciding to torture at least one of them.
"So cruel of you Saitou-san!" It was said through supressed laughter but the edge was there. "I'd happily kill for such a pleasant duty."
"You make sure to take your medicine first," Saitou immediately snapped and came to a stop. He suddenly took a bow. "My lady, have a nice night."
Ah, it was the parting point. They all bowed to one another and went their two separate ways.
"I know what you're thinking."
His deep voice put an end to the creeping discomfort. Her eyes snapped up to see a small smirk on his lips, hands in his sleeves like always. He too was looking at her, but was facing forward, deploying the edge of his eyes for his task. Back straight, shoulders lax…he was in a good mood. That was surprising.
"But don't; don't compare circumstances, or yourself to that woman; or me to that man; there's no reason."
Involuntarily, her heart fluttered, a weight lifted from her shoulders. The modest grin started gaining ground and soon enough, she was smiling. He couldn't help the thought of how much happiness suited her.
"How did you know I was thinking about that?"
"It was pretty obvious by the pathetic look on your face—"
"Hajime!"
"—and it stands to reason, considering our situation…but it's not the same. It may be similar, but it's not the same."
He would have never been caught; he would have never got that far, honestly. Besides, if he really wanted something, he got it, he'd do anything to get it. He wouldn't get killed for it.
She simply nodded; he was right of course, though her own point of view was a little different. The most scandalous thing she could say about them was they had hugged once; that was nothing close to getting pregnant. But still, the fact two people with that much difference in status were attracted to one another remained. And all the things she heard this day, this one definitely took the cake of bizarre news.
No one accounted for the future though.
"At least now I know why you keep saying I'll be the death of you." He gave her a meaningful look. "I won't actually be the death of you, I promise."
"You'd better."
"I bring good fortune, remember?"
"Let us hope so."
"You do realise Matsudaira-sama adores you, yes? From all the men out of the Shinsengumi, you're his favourite." Rolling her eyes, she scoffed. "Saitou this, Saitou that; ever since you protected the home two weeks ago, he's been fawning over you."
A smug grin took over his face. "Let him fawn over someone other than you, don't be greedy, hime-sama."
And then a lull of conversation guided them to her room. It was relaxed this once, making both calm enough to think through the day carefully. It was a crazy one, to be sure, for him more than her honestly, and his near misses and near heart-attacks from all the bad news. She too was tired both physically and mentally but at least the news had been good ones for the most part.
She still had misgivings about her father's arrival. But that didn't matter as much. What did was how elated she felt when she saw Saitou in the middle of that tent two hours ago; how warm his embrace was when she leaned into it on the horse; how steady and sturdy his arm was, supporting her now even. But it was other matters she wanted to discuss.
"So, Himura, huh?"
"…don't pry into this Tokio. The less you know the better."
"But this is a very important lead in your-"
"No matter what it is, I won't be able to do anything about it for I have to babysit you for a month. And the hunt we could have made...! Though I am quite positive we shall not find Katsura here, he is too smart to linger."
"Oh is that so?" He nodded earnestly, not quite catching the layer of annoyance in her voice.
"And he has definitely advised the Battousai to do the same, if the red haired man is really him. I cannot be sure of that of course; nor will I be able to personally establish that for the next few weeks, but I could ask for Nagakura to take note on his patrols and report something back. Just because I'll be confined here, it doesn't mean the others can't come visit me."
"I am truly sorry you have to be trapped in the thankless job of seeing me everyday and can't pursue your violent manhunt," her tone and her words did not match; he was about to nod to what she was saying until the content sank in. He stopped to look at her and saw her face transform into the perfect example of cool, unaffected indifference, masking the anger bubbling underneath. "I understand how difficult it must be for you."
His eyebrow raised high, smirk forming. "Don't be greedy, hime-sama," he repeated purposefully "and instead be happy I am still talking to you."
"But if you truly do not wish to be here, I can easily convince Matsudaira-sama to swap Souji with you," she continued, as if she had never heard him "as an attempt to further prove nothing is going on between me and him."
"Now you're just being ridiculous."
"I do recall him being excited at the prospect of such a pleasant duty," she went on, stubbornly ignoring him and his sour countenance "it'd be a great shame to force the one for what the other would gladly-"
"If he likes his teeth as they are, he wouldn't dare," he commented darkly, but after a moment he let up. He sighed. "Allow me to rephrase. I am not happy being unable to do anything close to my real duties; I'm not happy I can't do anything to impact the community right now in any way. I did just come back from war and I want to do things...! But if I am to be confined in a place and tied to a person, it is fortunate that person is you."
Pouting, she crossed her arms. "That's not what you said any of the three times you complained about it."
"Maybe I thought you'd know how I think like by now."
She blushed. "That's not fair...!"
"Neither are you, throwing Souji in there to make me jealous."
A beat of silence; a giggle. "But you took the bait anyway."
"I can't help it," he admitted lowly, and she actually laughed. "Shut up."
"Have a nice night, Hajime," she said through chuckles "rest well."
"Try not to cause a country-wide panic till tomorrow, hime-sama."
"I'll try."
.
"Looks like my daughter has two loyal guard dogs following her around lately," Kojuuro commented to Matsudaira. "How interesting."
It had been two days ever since he had arrived, he hadn't mentioned it at all. He'd noticed, he simply assumed someone would explain to him sooner rather than later. But seeing both daughter and friend remain silent, his curiosity piqued, so now, as they walked amongst the common folk of the capital at the market, he decided to breech the subject.
They watched as Tokio attempted to pick something out from a pile of unsavoury-looking things and at the same time the hilt of Saitou's sword wacked her hand lightly. She withdrew her hand, properly scolded, and continued browsing.
"These are turbulent times, my friend; I do not wish to part with her, but I do realise it's dangerous. No harm in using a capable man to protect her."
"Oh, I agree. I simply assumed the certain man would have more important things to do than babysit Tokio."
Still at the same booth, Tokio leaned down very low, in an effort to take a whiff of something—maybe a flower or a liquid, they couldn't be sure from where they were standing. A tired Saitou shook his head and used the length of his scabbard to stop her, putting it on her chest. A little bothered, she straightened.
Matsudaira suppressed a laugh. "How peculiar, he said something similar."
"See? How in earth did you convince him? And how come you picked him? Wasn't he busy with other duties?"
Kojuuro was being unnaturally thorough with his questions; usually the first explanation was the only one he needed. Just the fact he made further inquiry put Matsudaira in a state of nerves. Could someone have talked?
"I'd been using one of my own guards but whence the Shinsengumi returned, I decided to ask for him—Tokio deserves the best and I believe he is just that." A smirk "Hijikata obliged, even if he was a little annoyed by it. He has high aspirations for him, so he wants him close," he had to explain to Kojuuro.
"I don't blame him. I sense something in him, too."
That particular moment, the vendor came out from behind his stall, trying to secure a sale with Tokio who was taken with whatever it was that had that strong scent but he came to stand too close to her without her realising. Saitou, ever-watchful, ever-critical, practically walked between the man and her, effectively isolating her, keeping her with her back to him and her front to the stall. His look remained harmless but there was just something about his height and demeanour that scared the vendor three paces behind.
"He's quite intuitive," Kojuuro finally found the right word, "as well as intelligent."
"He's eligible for a promotion," Matsudaira mused out loud.
"As he should…!"
Watching how Saitou meditated the transaction between Tokio – who in the end purchased said pungent pot of…dirt, as they could finally see – and the vendor, they both smiled. There was a strong protective streak in him, manifesting in the most mundane ways. Tokio seemed to have noticed herself, respectfully staying out of the way.
"I do believe we'll see great things from him," her father concluded, a faint smile on his lips. Where the sudden good mood had come from, he did not know.
.
It became a usual thing to greet Saitou both in the mornings and the nights; he was given special permission from his vice commander – begrudgingly – to stay at the Matsudaira compound for the duration of his duty and receive reports there. He was the first person to rise and the last to lie; he could be seen patrolling with the rest of the guards at times, at others, he would meditate in the moonlight, or exercise. It was admirable how he kept training both his mind and body even now, in an unfamiliar environment.
Kojuuro came to hold Saitou in high esteem. His ethic and his character, combined with his prowess made for a most respectable member of the society, an aspiring swordsman with good reason for each and every one of said aspirations. This week he came to know him a little better, either from short conversations or second hand telling of events from his daughter or the Aizu-han himself, he appreciated him all the more. He was too right in regarding him so highly…
What was up with his wife's evasive attitude then?
Once they had left after New Year's, his darling had been positive, but positively illusive about her impression of him. She had made no effort to talk of him more and decided to keep quiet about how fitting she found him for his position or how worthy of the future Matsudaira had in store for them. When he departed for the capital, in fact, she had all but steered clear of any topics concerning him.
It had put him on edge.
But after spending this much time in his presence, he concluded that maybe his wife was simply being remissive. If there was anything wrong with him lurking beneath the surface that she had seen, she would have said, she wasn't a simpleton. With new-found appreciation, he spent his days at the compound in ease and relaxation, knowing his daughter was safe even if he wasn't there to see it. He trusted Saitou enough to believe that.
.
"You know, Kojuuro, I had an idea…"
It wasn't a gathering exactly, nor a formal dinner. Many people mingled, some standing, others drinking seated; light music played by some of the most famed musicians while food was on full display, delicious and succulent. Once more, for these two weeks Kojuuro has been in the capital, Matsudaira's home became a source of entertainment for the upper-class.
It was men from the Mimawarigumi who patrolled the compound in an effort to protect them this once, but no one really paid them any attention, for it had become an unspoken rule by then: if Tokio was invited, then the safest place to be was inside the room with her, for her guard was none other than the most capable man of the Shinsengumi unit and say what they like about them, these men knew how to fight.
So, with Saitou Hajime in the room, who'd dare cause an uproar?
And tonight, was such a night: Tokio invited, standing right across from her two caretakers. She was in the company of two young men and – of course – her tireless protector who made himself invisible, to better watch the scene unfold.
That is to say, being invisible didn't mean he paid no attention to whatever was said next to him, he wasn't deaf. And what the man talking said must have been an improbable amount of stupid, seeing as both Saitou and Tokio reacted as they could barely believe what was being voiced. They even went as far as to glance at each other, make sure they were really hearing that. Once certain, they proceeded to show the same amount of humour and pretence of engagement in whatever he was proposing or spouting, shaking their heads and alternating between humming in agreement or smiling conversationally. The speaker took his leave not long after that, taking the other young man with him, leaving the two of them alone and free to have an entire conversation in non-verbal cues:
Tokio widened her eyes comically, to which he nodded he understood and then shook his head; Tokio smiled and looked down to the side, towards the way the man left from. A look of raised eyebrows full of meaning followed from Saitou and Tokio suppressed a giggle. Biting her lip to stop herself she finally turned away, the swordsman taking that as a signal to revert to his old self.
Not a long second later, some other people accosted her, and it started all over again.
"What is it that you thought of, Katamori?"
Somehow, whenever Tokio was present, both her father and Matsudaira's gaze would be drawn to her, then linger; having her interact with so many people put both of them on edge. Though…that wasn't quite true. They'd do it even when they were alone and the only other person in attendance was her guard. Maybe it was the fact she was always next to a man that made both of them seek her out, see how she was doing. And again, tonight was no exception—they were staring almost maliciously at the men by her side. Even if they wanted her to socialise, find a husband easier.
Maybe it was a dad thing.
"I've been watching Tokio this past week and some; I have come to the conclusion she doesn't appear to have a lot of things in common with most men of our class."
Kojuuro hummed in agreement, distracted by the look his daughter sent Saitou's way, who immediately and accurately translated it into "take me away from these troublesome people" and excused her by offering his arm as she pretended to lose her balance, pointing at her ankle.
"Rather, she appears to dislike them."
"I noticed," he confirmed, despite this being the first time he really did, following her take a seat, supposedly tired. And yet, there was nothing in her posture that spoke of an injury, no contortion of the face to indicate real pain.
Kojuuro remembered a night long ago, New Year's Eve, when she had supposedly hurt her ankle and excused herself. Back then she appeared to be in real pain, but the idea that she could be simply pretending better hit him like a horse! But what for? She loved the fireworks, why would she miss them?
"And yet, she always seems content in the company of swordsmen like Saitou-san…"
"Uh-huh," he agreed, seeing it happen right in front of his eyes:
Tokio effectively drove all the would-be annoyances away, walking to the furthest part of the room – no limp or pretence of pain this once –, with Saitou being the only one following. She sat there, looking out of the window in contemplative silence and allowed him in her space, thus sharing it with him, who seemed to appreciate the unexpectedly quiet moment. They stayed like that for a while, doing nothing but breathing, enjoying the night breeze. Then the moment was spent, and Saitou turned to look around the room again. Tokio seemed reluctant to re-enter reality, but his subtle nod towards the crowded room made her face the facts. Sighing, she stood and headed to the party.
Something kicked inside; a stinging yet not unexpected feeling. What could it be? Why did his mind connect that with Saitou, even when the latter seemed to have done nothing out of the ordinary or anything too drastic to excuse such the rush of bitterness? Was his concern real or did it have to do with those paternal instincts again, seeing Saitou was the one man at her side at any given moment?
"What I am trying to say is, it wouldn't be too bad if you geared your efforts towards…a samurai, for instance. Or someone well-versed in things such as these, a fighter; a man of action."
For the first time during that conversation Kojuuro looked away from his daughter and stared at the Aizu-han for a long moment, without speaking a word. Oh. He detected the issue: it felt a little too much like watching a couple, when he looked at them from afar. And he instinctively seethed all over because his daughter and she wasn't even married yet! But they did awfully look like it though...so maybe if he found someone who was proper for her, then— "you are right."
He stole glances to where she stood, but didn't hold her image too much. "Maybe that will bring us good fortune, too and I'll finally manage to get her married."
"We have indeed suffered in that department."
"That we have; her mother and I both. I, more than anyone, having to contend with both my wife and your sister for my choices."
"Teruhime only wants what's best for Tokio, you know that."
He sighed. "But I still have to hear it." He shook his head. "At least Tokio has been reasonable."
"She truly has." With an appreciative nod, both men closed the subject and moved to another.
At the same time, Tokio sneezed. "Oh, sorry," she murmured embarrassed, hand already hiding her face.
Saitou resisted the urge to smirk. "Someone's talking about you, it seems." He scoffed. "Take a guess, I suppose; everyone in here could be."
Shaking her head, she rubbed her nose. "Don't jinx it."
"Why are we even here? You…hate" that was said much quieter "most men in this room and you are the only woman—even Teruhime turned down the invitation."
A goofy smile reached her lips. "But I get to dress nicely and go somewhere with you."
He really wanted to put his face in his hand and pinch his nose, but the formality did not allow him. "You are worse than Okita."
"I take that as a compliment."
"Don't," he hurriedly shot her down, but spoke no longer, noticing a couple of men approaching them, all airs. He had learnt to distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant spoiled rich boys by the manner of their walking. They were most definitely the latter, so he shut up and pretended to be invisible once more.
A/N: Subtlety, you know? I love this trope. Hope papa Takagi doesn't get a heart attack if or when he realises what's going on with his daughter...near miss with Okita there, too. Man, I've been itching to write the next two chapters since I started this fic, just so you know, and I am really happy it's getting to that part. Not that it remained unaltered since its conception - I adapt, you know - but it's still there so I adore finally getting to it.
As always, leave a review on your way out~~ love you, and see you next time.