A/N: Next chapter~~! It came sooner than I wanted because this will be my last update for a week or more due to the fact I'll be leaving for holidays! Yay for summer vacation. I won't have any access to the internet nor will I have my laptop, so I won't be able to write. But, once I return, expect great things! xD

Also, more plot dusted here and there with more getting to know each other in more one-on-one convos. I mean, after all, how much do they really know about one another, right? But next chapter shit hits the fan, - as if the ending line in this isn't any indication, ehehe - and God do I love these chapters where shit hits the fan.

Thank you once again, all the wonderful people who reveiwed; you give me the fuel to keep writing! Also, is Saito isnt getting his kiss be sure youll be frustrated with him :P

Aaaaaand this is where I put my disclaimer about Ruroken; you know how that goes.

.

That same night, there was a knock on her door; she was bending over a teapot to reach something behind it. Hastily, she straightened and said: "Enter," in a commanding voice.

The door revealed none other than her expected guest.

Fujita-s…no Saito-san, she had to correct her own thoughts, looks more polished than usual. His oyoroi hitatare seemed brand new, or at the very most worn maybe once or twice and she had actually never seen it again; there was also something very formal in the air about him.

Good; she'd hate to be the only one who made an effort.

"Tokio," he gave a small bow.

Of course he had noticed how she too looked different than usual. She had put on one of her nicer kimonos, if the fabric was any indication, and it was one that matched his usual pallet preferences: deep blue, royal blue, grey, indigo...she tried to match his tone. How…adorable.

"Fuji…Err, S…um…" she stopped talking. With slight panic, she realised she didn't know what to call him! Which name should she use? Or should she use the last name?

"You can call me whatever you like," he helped, sensing her problem; it wasn't like her to be at a loss for words "we are alone here."

"Right, I knew that," she scolded herself. She took a moment to restart her thought process, closing her eyes; in the meanwhile he sat down opposite from where she was standing. He hadn't exactly sat, he was inclining. He'd then brought one leg in front of him, to rest his arm there, while the other arm supported his weight on the futon.

That was casual.

"Saito-san." She gave a small bow, sitting in seiza. "I have prepared tea for us and-"

She had battled for hours with herself on how to phrase this last part, but she'd finally found the perfect way. She was very proud of herself in fact, on finding such a natural way to put it. Still, she didn't get to say it in the end, despite all of her rehearsals because he got to say: "Tea I hear, and I see a new kimono; what, are you planning on entertaining me? I thought you said you didn't provide these sorts of services."

When she understood what he was implying, her colour became ten times brighter! "Of course I don't, what are you saying? This is just tea and-."

"Judging by your colour it seems you have in mind something like what a yujo offers," he kept teasing, literally basking in her deeper red by the minute.

"That's because you keep interrupting me with your assumptions! What I have in mind it's perfectly reputable. In fact, I only meant to ask you if you wanted me to massage your back." He communicated his feelings by raising his eyebrows very high. "We're going to be in here for a long time and I had no idea what to do to keep occupied so I asked my friends, the girls who work here, for some help. They said what they did was dress up nice, offer tea or sake and then their services so…I'm offering mine: a massage therapy—if you don't have any wounds on your back that may reopen, of course," she added as an afterthought.

He chuckled. "It does sound an awful lot like what a yujo offers. Are the girls that advised you prostitutes?"

Her being serious all of the sudden startled him. "Yes…and no. Not anymore; I found them or they came to me once they decided to turn their life around."

Wait, he was only teasing; but it was true? "You mean to tell me some of your staff is former yujo?"

"Yes." She couldn't understand why he was so doubtful. "In fact, all women of my staff are prostitutes. One of the reasons the men are so few; it's hard to find a male who won't try to take advantage of a woman in such a predicament. I had to fire twenty people for that."

He drew a blank for a moment; he didn't know if that was impressive or potentially harmful to her. "And here I thought you said you weren't a madam." She was ready to give him a very big piece of her mind, but stopped when he smiled, as if he had just beaten her at something. "The massage sounds great." Without further ado, he sat up and started undoing his hitatare.

She really wanted to smack his head—she was conflicted if she should even go through with this! But she had realised by now: if he had a problem with something, he let her know, so he wasn't being all that serious…so she turned to reach that which she was trying to get when he'd just come in: her oils and incense for the massage. It was all in a wooden beautiful box, lined with black lacquer and carvings of flowers. The time it took her to fetch it, sort out the ones she needed and pull up her sleeves, he had lied down on his stomach, bare from the waist up.

Satisfied, she lit the incense and cracked her fingers! She reached for her favourite walnut-scented oil; she would go with safe and classic choices. For a reason beyond her understanding, she felt she wanted this to be perfect! She wanted him to enjoy it and compliment her for it. But just before she pulled the stopper of the glass vial, she noticed: his back didn't have a single scratch!

"This is impressive; given the state of your front I had expected to see horrible scars on your back, too…but there are none."

He felt the oil hitting his back; then her hands came to spread it. There was also a pleasant smell, what was it? "That's because I never allowed anyone to sneak up on me." Walnut and lavender? And something else he couldn't distinguish…

She felt oddly reassured at that revelation. "Mm, you must be truly capable. Your reputation certainly implies that, too."

Slowly, yet steadily, her hands applied more and more pressure at all the right spots. Ah, he had a knot there. He felt very calm. "My reputation? I have one, huh?"

"Of course; though it isn't all positive. They call you a vicious, ruthless killer and a wolf."

His speech was a little less sharp that usual. "I…consider that a compliment."

She felt her stomach clutch at that. "But what they're saying is you're cruel and merciless."

"They are my enemies; coming from them, it really is a compliment."

A terrible thought crossed her mind right about then; her heart beat faster. "I get you must have killed a lot of people; and you did say you enjoy your work but…what is the aspect you truly enjoy? Is it…" she hesitated for a moment. Maybe she didn't want to know the answer to this; but she knew she must hear it. "Is it killing people?"

Even if his senses had started to numb by the repeated ministrations, he certainly heard that clearly; he felt a little worse but a little better at the same time. He was disappointed in himself he may have given such an impression – which was new to him; he never cared before – but he was very glad she asked him. By her tone, she disapproved of such things while it also implied she trusted him enough to pose this question.

He smiled. "If that were true, I'm no different from all the scum I've killed. Though I won't deny enjoying a good fight when it comes around, that is certainly not the reason I pick up my sword day after day. We have a code in the Shinsegumi-maybe we even share it with some of the patriots. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes," she replied so soon, she felt embarrassed.

"Aku soku zan."

"Aku…soku zan? Does that mean what I think it does?"

"Yes; it means to kill evil immediately. It means that when we see evil, we have to dispatch it as soon as we can. That may take seconds, or days. Those who have the patience, like I, know how important both of there are and a-Ah!ct…accordingly."

She had just applied a little more pressure on a certain sore spot, he actually reacted? "Oh that hurt you? There's a scar on your chest the length of a whole dagger, hilt and blade."

"I didn't say anything."

She purposefully hurt him a little more; he kept quiet.

His quietness led to a long stretch of silence between them in which she only kneaded his flesh. Her ministrations combined with those scents, dulled his senses; he didn't want to admit it, but he could fall asleep again, just like this. Slowly, his consciousness faded, started giving way to a strange in-between world, where he could say and do anything he wanted. One of the things on his wish list was to have her do this anyway, massage him; it had been on his mind ever since she said it. So, it only made that overwhelming urge even stronger.

Losing his sense of self just for a tiny moment, he finally said: "I like your hair." He meant to compliment her but it came out…very matter-of-factly. Man.

"Oh, you noticed!" Just for that comment alone, and the joy in her tone, he did not regret saying it out loud. "I did them on my own. I usually can't even tie my hair up properly but this once I thought I should just do whatever and hope it will turn out nice."

"It did."

"Thank you, Saito-san."

She kept massaging; he wished she would never stop. There were some sore parts of him he didn't even know existed. This…this helped. He could feel his left shoulder loosing up and he knew his control would be even better after this. "Do you like tea Saito-san? Or should I have brought sake?"

"I have a strong preference to sake, but this is good, too."

"Next time, I'll bring sake then," she said very lady-like.

And then there was more silence…which he broke again. The question had been on his mind, but he didn't want to make it; now? He didn't really care. "How did you decide to start helping these women?"

"I decided to do it on a whim; these women didn't have anywhere to go. They left a system no one should ever enter to get into one that considers them worthless just for being in the previous one."

"That doesn't sound like a whim," he commented no matter his haze, but she ignored it.

"People keep telling them they should get out, but when they do, no one wants them and tells them they should have never left?" A loud "tch" was heard. "Damn hypocrites if you ask me; who takes care of the ones in need anyway? The people don't care; the government doesn't care; the officials don't care; even the police don't care…! With all due respect," she blurted in the end, remembering his actual occupation.

He nodded to show he didn't mind and she should go on. "The first ones were the three middle-aged women you've met that are almost always in the kitchen; my father brought them—the only ones that father ever brought. After mum died, he turned to…the red-light district. He said he didn't want to be remarried or what not. But the few ones he liked, he eventually liked too much and asked them to stop their work and make a new life for themselves. He promised to help them do it, a word he kept.

I was young when it happened, maybe ten, so I didn't have any prejudgements. He explained to me what he did and why and I thought he did the right thing. After he died, five years ago, I didn't intend to keep the inn—like I said, I wanted to follow this career and dad was very positive about it. He even told me to sell it himself. But the day I was supposed to meet a buyer, I met a girl, no older than me. She was crying and she was in a very bad state in general.

I went to help her and she just looked so mortified when I tried to touch her…! It broke my heart. I bought her a meal and later she shared her story with me. She was sold into the sex industry by her parents half a year earlier. She had run away that day, but a client recognised and attacked her. And then he just left her there. I thought it was unacceptable so I urged her to go to the police…who of course looked at me like I was insane for trying to bring this matter to their attention. They even tried to scare me away by saying that if the sale was legal they could always charge us with something…"

She snorted very unforgivingly. "I took her away immediately and brought her here to show her how it felt to be safe; she mustn't have experienced anything like that in her recent life…And in that moment, I realised I had no choice but to keep the inn. It was a safe haven not only for me, but for those women, too." She shrugged. "That's it I suppose."

"Oh…? Now I see why you took the boy in, too."

"It's not the same. They work here, they aren't guests. He is."

"Then maybe you should put him to work, too; if he feels like he earns his right to be here instead of someone making him a favour then maybe he won't leave again."

She sat there, looking at him perplexed; that was the first time her hands stopped moving. "That is an excellent idea." How didn't she think of that? She shook her head but started massaging him again. "I'll give it a try."

"Tell me if it works." She had concentrated on his left side and he felt amazing! She was good at this. "How d'your father die?"

"…you're asking an awful lot of questions. Are you interrogating me Saito-san?"

"Wouldn't dream of it; just curious."

She giggled; he stopped making whole sentences! "Heart failed; it was sudden—at least for me. He never liked going to the doctors and I found out why. He said my mother gave him the heart condition when she died and left him alone with a little monster like me." She laughed, making it appropriate for him to smile, too. "I think he died so he'd leave me alone; he always said how he wanted to be out of my hair before I get married."

"That's strange. Why?"

"He had this weird idea that orphaned women get married easier."

"How'd the poor man know you'd end up a spinster?" She pinched him that same moment. "But maybe he did that's why he urged you to sell the establishment. He knew it'd be too time consuming."

She rolled her eyes. "Enough of my sap story; what about yours? How did you end up alone in this world and into the Shinsegumi?"

"I was seventeen when I killed a man for killing my family." I shouldn't be saying these things. "The tricky part was he the son of my master. What to do? I leave immediately, being branded traitor and ronin; I headed to Mibu where I met a man named Kondo Isami. He saw my skill with the sword and asked me if I wanted to refine it…I followed him. Not many years later, we formed the Shinsegumi." I really shouldn't be saying all these things to her; it'll do her more harm than good.

"That was brief," she commented, feeling ashamed it took her so long to tell hers. "But how did Kondo Isami get to witness your skill with the sword?"

Oh, she noticed; nice of her. But she wasn't even supposed to know. Thanks brain for not complying with me; I guess you'll tell her the rest now, too? "I displayed it unknowingly when I cut down some scum who wanted to take someone by force." Yes, you will.

"Aku soku zan, right? It feels like you were meant to join the Shinsegumi. Did you make up the slogan or did you all agree to it?"

He smirked. "We all agreed to it but I had a say in it." She surprised him by chuckling. "So how d'mom die?"

"You'll learn all about me in one night? Save something for next week!"

She may have joked about it, but she was conflicted. Should he tell him now? What would they talk about at other times? And did she really feel comfortable telling him? Yet…it felt nice he wanted to know these things. Men who asked her hand for marriage weren't this interested. Oh who did she try to kid? She knew she'd give in.

"She and father were trying for a second child; she died a little after she got pregnant. Complications, the doctor said. She'd been ill for a while, too. Dad explained it was her who wanted the second child mostly, to make her passing bearable to both of us. Taking care of a baby is very time-consuming apparently. I was barely seven when she passed."

"...you are very sickly in your family." He commented so inconsiderately he could feel her temper rising! Also he could feel her increase the pressure. No matter, he was getting somewhere with it. "Have you ever had any health problems?"

"No; this isn't one more reason why I remain unmarried! I'm healthy as a horse, very fitting for child-birth if you have to know…or so the doctor says."

"That is fortunate," was all he said.

For a fleeting moment, the most ridiculous thought had crossed his mind: if she was sickly that meant she'd die young…and I'd be left alone. He felt very uncomfortable at that prospect. She wasn't supposed to go before him, no one was; he was a Shinsegumi in the middle of war: he'd die first. Because the thought of her dying before him scared him. It had left him absolutely crippled when he imagined her murdered but he attributed to the fact he felt responsible. Yet there he was, dreading the prospect of her leaving this world before him, no matter why. Was this how people felt when they were in love? He'd never been before. If yes, he was no longer surprised some men were willing to go to such lengths for a woman.

Powered by the – unwarranted – fear of losing her and this unnatural damn atmosphere all around him, he opened his mouth again. "Tomorrow we have a big meeting. And I fear we'll talk about something related to you." I shouldn't make her worry. "They've been too happy with this development, us together," no stop; don't drag her into this "it worries me." Idiot! "I don't know what it can be, but I just have this bad feeling." Oh fuck; please don't ask me anything.

"Do your bad feelings usually come true?"

Say no. Lie to her. "Yes."

"…will you tell me if they do say something?"

I shouldn't, but I know "I will."

She stopped massaging him, trying to take the news in. "Saito-san…will you tell me a story?"

"Hmm? Story?"

"Yes; tell me about one of your missions." Huh; she wanted to get to know him. That exceeded his expectations. "Or even better; tell me about the time you got that huge scar on your chest!"

"Mm?" he remembered that mission, just like it was happening in front of him. It wasn't the best to tell if you didn't want to scare someone. He could lie to her; say another one…but he didn't want to. If he was interested in her and hoped she'd one day feel the same way, she should learn all the bad things, too. "You keep your hands working I'll keep my mouth talking."

"Saito-san, I think you're trying to take advantage of my good intentions." He agreed by granting; she chuckled. "Very well."

His extortion was successful...! He smiled indolently. "Two years ago, I was sent to a village in the most northern part of Hokkaido. It was pretty basic: uphold the law and help the Tokugawa men keep the order. When I got there, everything seemed to be ordinary: a law-abiding crowd with but a few, obligatory characters who stirred trouble, spewing all sorts of nonsense…only this nonsense were very particular and very pointed, accusing the Bakufu top dog of corruption and all sorts of crimes.

I could honestly say I liked that man far more than any of my supposed colleagues; the moment I'd set foot up there, I knew there was something quite wrong, but I couldn't figure out why. That man made me think but I took it further than that. After all, when I asked a couple of people when I had first arrived, they were more than willing to laud him as the best captain. So I thought, what if all the heinous crimes weren't committed by the men who were in prison but the ones who put them there? What if they were all in on it?

I ran to the prison and let the ones I learnt to be innocent out with me; it was only ten of us and about fifty of them; they cornered us at Gendou inn. We had no escape and no other choice but to fight back. I was leading the men, so I lead the attack. It was exhausting; the casualties were never higher. We'd fended them off successfully but the cost was big—we'd remained five…the Shinsegumi I had asked for came a week later; we put things in order and then I returned to Mibu for my next assignment."

"That sounds terrifying!"

She couldn't tell where exactly, but at some part of the story-telling she felt her breath catch and only now was it released.

"How convoluted of them; but you exposed them. You are indeed smart, Saito-san." The lack of response should but didn't surprise her because she really wanted to say the rest. "You fought against your own people, too not many men are capable of that. It's admirable. But you still didn't tell me how you got the scar, so go on." He didn't reply; she pouted. "Saito-san, you're not fair; I keep massaging you, but you won't hold up your end of the-!"

When she took a better look at him, she noticed his breathing was even; his hands were too relaxed; and his eyes were closed…

He fell asleep.

A man like him, taught to be vigilant, an undercover policeman who suffered all these wounds but still survived, fell asleep while someone else was touching them? Amazing. Her gaze grew soft; he must be really tired then, since he always keeps an eye out for everything. He couldn't get the appropriate sleep because of the shishi, but with her, he felt safe enough to do that; he trusted her with his life. That hit her hard! No one has ever done that before. A very warm and tingly sensation spread inside her like wildfire. She…she liked it; at the same time, she wanted to do her best to affirm his trust. She wiped her hands and put the oils and incense back into place; she then took careful steps to wipe his back too: she found a towel, submerged it and part by part, he was clean again. He'd get cold like that though…finding his hitatare she put both of his hands in it. Gently pushing him to the side – he was right in the middle – she made room for herself.

But she still didn't have enough space. When she turned to him, again, she cocked her head to the side. He was so peaceful when he slept; he even looked likeable. Okay, that was mean; she did start to like him—in fact the more time he spent with her, the more she liked him. She smiled; and then did something she had thought herself incapable of: hoping he was still asleep, praying to god he'd stay that way, she lifted the arm that caused the space problem. Slowly, cautiously, she lay on her side and made herself comfortable. When she was done, she put his hand over her shoulders.

Though her heart beat was fast enough she may have run a marathon, it took less than three minutes to fall asleep.

Next morning, she woke up alone; there was only a note where he had been. It read: "thank you for the massage; it was very comforting. Also, you turn a lot in your sleep; you woke me three times. "

Feeling her cheeks burn more than a stove, she hid her face in her hands. "I will never ever do this again. Ever. Ugh…!"

But what made her feel truly ashamed was the fact she didn't meet him for the rest of the day! He was nowhere to be seen and though that was typical, he was always the one who approached her, now she wouldn't catch a glimpse of him. Did he…did he think she was inappropriate? She wasn't trying to start anything; she was only trying to make him feel comfortable and not wake him up. With one fell swoop, she felt ignored and shamed; but he even wrote her that note…! But he just wasn't there.

She didn't expect she'd feel so bad at him not showing up to tease her.

She sighed. She guessed she'd have to get used to it; after all, he was bound to leave at some point. Oh no, no, no; this was not the time to be thinking that. She didn't even know why this made her emotional, but she had no intention to go down that path. She puffed up her cheeks, her pride wounded; she made the grand decision to forget all about what she did and next time she sees him, she'll act as if nothing happened. And if he tried to acknowledge it, she'd simply pretend she couldn't remember what he was referring-!

"Ah!"

A hand grabbed her and pulled her inside a dark room! It was too fast for her to react, even if she knew exactly how to make that person let go of her; yet all desire to fight back vanished into thin air, the moment she heard the familiar pet name.

"Don't make a fuss spinster-girl; we're not supposed to be seen together today, or else I wouldn't have pulled you in here."

Anger, pride, worry and curiosity raged inside her; worry won out in the end. It was fortunate this place had no lighting because he'd see the pathetic look on her face. "They asked for that?"

"Yes, and they were very particular." He took a moment to do something she couldn't see and then said in a serious tone: "do you remember what I told you about today's meeting?"

Her stomach did a flip. "Yes." she tried to search for his face but it was too dark. Suddenly she realised they were in the supplies' room.

"I was right; they asked me to convince you to allow something."

"Allow what?"

Another small pause. "Allow your ryokan to be the new shishi headquarters."

There was a split moment of complete serenity; the calm before the storm.

The next second, she was ready to open the door and tear everyone apart! How did those assholes dare to even think of asking her of something like that? Were they crazy? They thought she'd say yes!? Even is Saito was her lover, and even if he was a shishi there was no way she'd ever betray her friends or personal ideals! That was just the person she was. She promised to kick them out the moment they decided to hurt somebody, but they took it on a whole new level. As if—as if she'd ever allow that! She'd kick them out by nightfall—if only could she open this door. Why couldn't she open the damn door?

"Relax," his voice was soothing but not too different than usual "I know what to do."

It was also too close, where was it coming from? Turning around to face him, she realised she couldn't move. He was holding her; blood rushed to her face. He was holding her down, actually, but he was still holding her. He could feel his chest on her back, like last night; more blood rushed to her face. When did he do it? "Are you relaxed?"

"No. No! Let me go! I'll go and give those bastards a piece of my mind!"

"You do that and you're dead. We'll do it my way and we all benefit, how about that?"

"But they ask of me something I cannot possibly-!"

"Hush; you're being too loud. We're not supposed to be together, remember?"

She looked away, silencing herself. Currently there were only two thoughts on her mind: 1)how she wanted to hurt those scum who wanted to take over her inn; 2)how Saito was being way too close but all she felt was safe and protected. She couldn't pick a worse time to be this divided.

"What do you propose?"

She sounded composed, so he tentatively let her go. "When my deadline is coming to an end, a week from now, we tell them you said yes. Meanwhile, we get another message to the Shinsegumi about this...this development is much better than I thought: we now have a set date about the ishin shishi coming and we also know their destination: the Takagi ryokan. We can have more than just one point of contact and take them on easier."

"Oh." That sounded good even to her and she wasn't a Shinsegumi tactician. "And no one will ever get to come here, because they'll be intercepted so the few ones who do will be already weak and hurt and easy to dispose of."

"Precisely. Now we only need someone to deliver the message. Think your boy is up for it?"

"My boy…you mean Takeru? No! No way in earth am I getting him involved in this." She thought for a moment. "I could do it."

He felt the need to throw at her the exact same words, but he didn't. He knew what she was going to say: I can do it; I'm already involved anyway; don't you trust me? But the oddest thing was that she was right...and he believed it himself. He already got her involved. She could certainly do it, she was just as smart as him; and if there was one person he trusted it was her. The only thing she lacked was experience, in case anyone tried to question her.

He didn't know how to respond. The thought of her dying still made him wanna punch a wall in and murder them all just to be safe, but…what about the future? Would it always be like this? If this attraction of his were to go anywhere, he had to know she could deal with things on her own; also, he needed to treat her as an equal and support her in this endeavour. If she could pull this off, he might not even have to worry about her being targeted even after he's gone.

He considered.

"If you can successfully sell them that you'd help even if I wasn't in the picture, I will entrust you with this message. I don't even have to explain the importance of it being delivered, you understand. And I will give you no direction on what to do it'll be your assignment; I'll just tell you that you should do it three days from now."

Her chest swelled with pride and a sense of achievement! "Leave it all to me; I already know exactly what to say."

Oh? That sounded interesting. "Very well this is yours. All credit or blame, too so…surprise me." She smirked; too bad he couldn't see her. "I'll be watching. Oh, you can expect me tomorrow again; if I'm not being too forward I'd like to ask for one more massage."

"Ah, no it's fine; if someone needs it that's you."

He felt she just called him an old man...! That wouldn't do. "But next time you sleep with me like that don't expect me to be up before you."

He slid the door open and let the light in for no other reason he wanted to see every bit of her face when realisation hits her. He wasn't wrong, it was priceless: eyes not too wide, her mouth forming something of a circle despite being closed and looking to her right. Her chest was expanding as she took air in, along with panic, and the deepest scarlet painted her whole face. "S-S-S-S-S-Sai-!"

"See you tomorrow," he threatened her, or at least that's how she felt, and walked away.

.

.

.

The entire week that followed was a nerve-wracking one.

Three days after she was told the news, she put her plan into motion, just like Saito had told her to do: for the whole day, from morning till evening, she kept entering the ishin's "other" room while they were still inside. She did it irregularly, but she did it many times. They had all started looking at her wondered, but even Saito couldn't help it. What was she up to? Of course, he wouldn't know; he was not supposed to be present when she "confessed" her true wishes to them.

She saw him leave; that was her cue! Two minutes later, she walked in. She pretended to be shy yet went to the middle of the room so all could see her but kept facing the door, to make her con believable. "Now that Fujita-san in not here, I want to tell you this—but please don't say anything to him, I don't want to make him feel bad. That's why I waited till he was gone." After she received everyone's confirmation – with people smiling like idiots –, only then did she continue. "I just want you to know…I think your cause is noble. I have seen for myself the inability of the state and its people for myself; if I could, I would fight alongside you. What I'm trying to say is…either Fujita-san was here or not, I still would have helped you."

There was silence for a moment. "Please, please don't tell him; he really likes to think he's the one who set me on this path."

Some chuckled, others laughed; but the truly important thing was she made them smile. And that was paramount to gaining someone's trust. In fact, later that day, Saito assured her she had made herself not only trustworthy but also likeable. Feh, men; all you had to do was badmouth or at least make another man seem less important and they are willing to believe anything you say. Even Saito had complimented her about the idea.

After that, it was the turn of the plan for her to appear at the Shinsegumi, without arousing any suspicions. That was easier: all she had to do was ask some favours from Reika-chan. She swore her to secrecy but wither way, she was glad to be of help. The plan was simple: Reika-chan would leave the ryokan for some groceries. When she returned she just had to go to her and say the Shinsegumi want to see her about that rapist. Thus she'd have a reason to visit them, as far as the shishi went.

All of that happened in five days; the message had been delivered to the Shinsegumi, no one looked at her the wrong way for going there—in fact, Yato himself urged her to present herself so not to betray their plans be her absence.

The sixth day she received some news that worried her: there had been a change of plans. The patriots seemed it fitting to speed things up. Not only had her agreeing so fast made things easier for them, but they'd also noticed a rise in manpower from the Shinsegumi. It all pointed to the need of an earlier strike. Tokio started worrying.

The seventh night, Saito had informed her he would be spending it with her.

"Don't worry about your inn, spinster girl. It's all under control," was the first thing he said to her.

She was tapping her finger on her wooden box even before he came into the room, inclining on her futon. "How can you say that? They decided to expedite the whole thing." She wasn't hysterical, just extremely anxious. He knew she'd be like this more or less, one of the reasons he chose this night to keep her company.

"Yato has been suggesting it for a long time; I know he's the one who actually controls this unit, not the imbecile he allows to think is running the show. From the first time he mentioned it, I kept a sharp eye. Finally, yesterday he moved the date—the same one he kept saying for half a month now. I predicted as such so I notified them. It was all in the note you sent for me."

"Oh…oh thank God!" She felt she could hug him! "Those are the best news I have heard all week."

He smirked. "Well, you have to give yourself a little credit, too. This wouldn't have happened without your help. For a first timer, you certainly hatched nice plans."

She smiled modestly. "Thank you, Saito-san." It was odd how she had to call him by a different name when they were with people; ever since she learnt it, she couldn't see him like anything else. He was Saito. Fujita Goro was such a poor name in comparison.

"Pour me some sake to celebrate the occasion then."

She reprimanded him with a sharp glare. "No; you keep drinking like that one day it will kill you."

"But you never poured me some though I have asked you twice; if you do I won't ask you again."

"You're lying; I can tell."

He betrayed himself on purpose by giving in; he wouldn't admit he actually liked the fact she started seeing through his moods. Of course, the same went for him, too so he knew she was about to open her box and gather her oils. Like a ritual, every time he visited she would do this; two times, this was the third. He even remembered how she had slept under his arm that one time but then she never dared doing it again because of what he'd said.

Well now, he couldn't allow that; he had to find some other way. "What do you say we do something different this time?" She looked at him expectant, because she had no idea what else to do. "It isn't completely different…but I have been having these horrible headaches recently" lies "and they bother me too much. Can you do anything about them?"

"Oh, yes." She sat on her shins readily. "I have never tried this on anyone before, but I was taught how to do it just before I leave Aizu."

"Aizu?"

"Our family doctor is from there and he referred me to a wonderful practitioner to train, but I returned when father fell ill. Never mind!" she tapped her legs twice "lay your head in my lap; and tell me what kind of headaches they are."

"Sharp; they come and go. I feel like wanting to behead myself."

She chuckled. "Oh? You, too? I heard there is a line."

They both shared a knowing chuckle; she then started cracking her fingers again and he tried to relax his face, closing his eyes. The incense was already burning, he noticed. It smelt differently every time; now it was jasmine. She first cradled his face, looking for something, and after she found it she started massaging some spot on his temples.

Ah, this was heavenly.

He remembered a time when they were on a mission here in Kyoto, to find some shishi, and they had to go to Shimabara. He'd seen many men with heads in women's laps. He'd wondered how it would feel, but he wasn't jealous of them at all; they had to pay them to do it. He earned it; a little underhandedly, true, but she would never do anything she wasn't comfortable with, he knew. He also knew this felt much better than he'd ever hoped.

Maybe it wasn't the same with waking up in the middle of the night and seeing her in his arms; or getting to play with her hair in the morning before leaving; or the need to leave before she wakes up so she wouldn't notice the look of absolute longing on his face. But her lap was softer than any pillow and the intimacy was real. And with that knowledge, he allowed himself to drift off.

It wasn't too long after she gave into her own weariness. She just slept there, with Saito in her lap; her head lolled. The next day she would discover just how painful that would be…or embarrassing. The first thing she felt was a flick on her nose by s smirking Saito who just couldn't help himself.

And for a brief moment in time, his life was simple; his life was good.

A/N: Shimabara was the enclosed place in Kyoto where all of the sexy happened-in other words, it was the red light district of Kyoto. Apparently, due to a rise in numbers in male and female prostitution during the early 17th century, the Bakufu thought it would be better if he contained it in certain places, fenced and everything. Shimabara was for the former capital. Yoshiwara was the one in Tokyo - Edo of the time - that you may know from Gintama.