A/N: HA! You didn't expect an update this soon, huh? Guess what, I was sick all week with gastroenteritis and had nothing else to do. I only started getting better today, so I had all the time in the world to finish this.
Take that illness; you won't keep me completely unproductive.
So, yeah, anywho, here is the grand finale. I did take my time with this one, I am very proud. It came out exactly as I wanted it. Did it take a life on its own somewhere there around the middle part? For sure! But I didn't mind, I rolled with it. 'Sides, no matter how much you plan shit, sometimes dialogue or the way you write certain characters leave you no choice but to leave some things behind and that's a-okay.
Without further ado, please have the last piece of this pie; be on the look out for the next installment which I really really hope you enjoy at least as much as this one. Oh, little treat for you, there's a slightly steamy scene somewhere there. It's steamy only because I ain't too detailed about it, just so you know *wink wink nudge*.
Love you all who already reviewed, and, everyone, so, so sorry for the long absence thus, almost double update to make it up to you. (Not beta'd for obvious reasons.)
Title: The Priestess and the Grump.
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Humour, Romance
Alternative Universe: Fantasy, Pathfinder
"My Tokio!"
"Tokio-chan!"
Her father and the Empress exclaimed her name and moved towards her at the same time. The fact she was holding another person in her arms, was wearing a bloodied, thick, black and Western-like armour, or that she looked more tired than she ever had in her entire life, stopped neither. Not even that she was kneeling on the ground mattered to them, they just knelt beside her and hugged her tightly.
"Father, Ameiko," she greeted them back, never really letting go of Hajime, but kindly bowing her head "I am very happy you are both well and looking so healthy. How come you are here?" A meaningful look was shot towards her majesty. "So soon after the battle."
"We were obviously watching it happen," Damien came to lord over all of them, dressed in his signature oversized clothes. His sarcastic expression became amused. "You are quite skilled, little Tokio."
"Thank you Damien," she replied, shaking her head, but Ameiko clicked her tongue.
"How come you aren't upset when he calls you little but when I do it, I never hear the end of it?"
"Damien is, what, 200 years old?"
"Almost, yes," he corroborated.
"He gets to call me a child if he wishes. Now, Ameiko-sama, please stand up properly, for I can see every single person of importance running here as we speak. I'd hate for them to get the wrong idea about my allowances where your Majesty is concerned."
She did so hastily, but her comments of her being ridiculous were drowned by her father's inquisition.
"Who might you be young man? Why are you lying on the ground?What's your relationship with my daughter?" were spoken within almost a single second and even if he wanted, Saitou's addled mind failed to catch up and answer all or any of them.
"He's one of the Captains father, you've met him before; Saitou Hajime."
"Ah, the tall one!"
The Empress tried not to laugh at the simplicity this person's mind seemed to operate.
"And he was severely hurt during the battle, nearly died. He couldn't come to me to be healed, see; I had to go to him."
Before anything further could be discussed – and Damien's silent laughs be addressed by anyone – Hijikata, Kondou, Kenshin and the rest of the captains showed up. Aoshi and Enishi followed, with Sano being the last addition, just as Ameiko had started talking in her formal, royal way, congratulating them for their win and assuring them she was there to grant them all their promised rewards. Turned out, her father was going to serve as the witnessed needed and Damien was obliged to enact all she said, write the scrolls and present them everything, seeing his actual job was being the treasurer and not her majesty's doctor after all.
"Of course, for any of that to happen, we need to hold a ceremony..." she finished, all poise and posture.
"And for that to happen," Damien picked it right up, a devilish smile on his lips "we absolutely must head back to the Ronin Camp...where we are going to hold a grand party for all of you!"
Everyone broke out in cheers immediately. "And if anyone's wondering, how in Cayden's name we are going to do that if all of us are still here, then be informed, another delegation is already there, setting up everything. And for those who worry about their comrades in the Seinaru post, worry not; I personally shall coordinate the efforts to bring all of them there."
More cheers broke out, Kenshin sighed in relief – although slight worry; Tomoe was still pregnant and had no idea what teleporting would do to his unborn child – and everyone was satisfied.
"We have brought proper capital evening wear for the lot of you," her father informed "proper for any lord. That is but a small part of my humble contribution to all of you." Then, quietly, not unlike a child ready for mischief, he turned to his daughter. "But for you, I declare, I brought the most impressive dress of all."
"How unexpected," she teased, the Empress laughed and Damien shot her a scolding stare.
"How appropriate, too," Saitou commented and finally stood at his full height. "Ameiko-sama, Takagi Kojuuro-san, Damien-san" he bowed to each individual he mentioned "I would like to talk to you all about these rewards you spoke of; not now," he had to clarify, because they immediately took the "business" face "later, during the party, if that is possible."
The look pf suspicion and curiosity Tokio shot him was unrivaled; he ignored it.
So did her highness who simply nodded. "It very well is," she assured then and sooner rather than later, bowed to those who remained behind in that scene and decided to walk the battlefield.
As Tokio saw that everyone pretty much found their place organically, she had to sigh at this turn of events. Did they all have to show up now? Look at Hijikata, accosting her highness and going on about who knows what. Kondou naturally acted as the leader and tour guide, while Kenshin was far more interested in the treasurer than anyone else. Damien must have been the first foreigner half elf the ronin had ever seen...! Okita of course followed suit, while almost everyone else ran after her Majesty like lap dogs, all but Hajime who, quite surprisingly, had taken after her father, simply listening to the man, or speaking if he needed an opinion.
Ah. So it was up to her to take care of all the loose ends. Very well, she'd do just that. Without a single moment to waste, she attended to the matter of their enemies first: Yumi, or Hanahomura, was found first; Shishio was found second and got dragged all the way next to her. When she looked for the young one, though, Soujirou, he was...nowhere to be found.
Not good. She even wanted to give him the torch to burn his former comrades, in an effort to cleanse their souls; after all, if Okita left him alive, even after stabbing her, he must have seen something extraordinary in him and definitely redeemable. Sadly, she didn't find him. Hopefully, he hadn't taken off with anything Yumi had on her or any of Shishio's hair to bring him back, in case he ever found anyone powerful enough to perform a miracle for him. She would obviously check, but for now, hoping would have to do.
After the underwhelming fire she set the two lovers on, but only after she made sure they were completely incinerated, she moved on to do damage control. Addressing the Solar for this, too, they coordinated their efforts and none that could leave alive, left without being fit enough to walk home on their own.
All in all, this battle was a success. Their losses were minimum—not ten people died. By the time she had gathered their bodies, laid them to rest and tied them on horses, two solid hours had gone by in total and when she looked up to take a proper look, she realised she and the revered Solar were the only ones left.
"Where have they gone?"
"Everyone has already headed to Ronin Camp; you are the only one remaining, cleric."
"Did they say anything...?"
In a rare show of emotion, he chuckled. "You were preoccupied with saying your prayers for the lost souls of the damned and all those who were turned into undead against their will at that point," he informed, good-naturedly "and most of the humans were afraid to interrupt you. The half-elf asked me to relay the information to you instead; some complained, but after I reminded them how you staying back alone was in no way a problem, seeing you are more than capable to protect yourself, they all took their leave. The human who's taken a liking to you asked for your patience and how all will be explained to you, tonight."
Tokio couldn't help but smile at the way the Solar referred to Hajime.
"Seeing you, too have taken a liking to him, am I to assume there is a chance one of our secondary conditions will be met with his help?"
Despite her red cheeks and nearly mortified first reaction, her answer was very sober and professional. "Human relationships are nearly as absolute as divine ones," she still had to struggle not to sound like a petulant child "but yes, there is a chance, naturally."
"I think him a good candidate," the Solar opined and Tokio almost fainted "but beware; our first and most important condition must have been met within a year."
"I am aware, divine one; your confidence in me is not misplaced."
"You have proven quite powerful, cleric; and, so far, you have done nothing but commendable deeds. Your ethics match those of our Mistress and your god is one of her most trusted allies; we have faith in you, is what I'm trying to convey."
Her bow was deep and long; the Solar had to pull her up in fact, to stop her. "The heavens look favorably upon you, Lady Tokio of Minkai. Do not betray that trust; only seek to deepen it."
"I will not disappoint you, your Mistress or the Wise one; that is my dearest wish."
"Be well, cleric; we shall meet again after the first condition is met. Have a good and fulfilling life until then."
He disappeared with a slight nod of his head, the final acknowledgment; she watched as he blurred out of reality and most possibly traveled back to his own domain, to speak to his Mistress. Taking a deep breath, the smile faint but certain, she took the first step towards her steed—
"OH DEAR QI ZHONG!"
She jumped out of her skin and grabbed the hilt of her mace upon almost running into the same young man she could not find earlier when she was looking for him. Soujirou, no smile in sight, stood in front of her, eyes downcast.
"You...really are an ally of the heavens..." he mumbled, tear streaks visible on his cheeks.
Taking in this appearance, the grip on her weapon loosened. This boy was fast enough to appear and disappear from one's field of vision easily; if he was going to launch a surprise attack, he already would have, no need to be on alert. Besides, the amount of sheer pain he must be in, judging by his state...!
"I am."
She said it as softly as she could.
"Then I really was a...b...blight...upon this world, huh; they were right. They were all right."
"I wouldn't call you a blight, but you definitely were on the wrong side, yes."
Apparently, the sight of such a divine being stirred something very deep inside him, coupled with whatever Okita might have brought to the surface, he was distraught. When she put her hand on his shoulder, he tensed whole, but fought his instinct to swat her away. When that touch brought her healing power with it and it spread all within him like the cooling breeze of a summer night, the caring touch of a mother, he almost cried again.
"That doesn't mean you cannot right your wrong yourself."
When Soujirou's eyes turned to her, they expressed so much: hate; uncertainty; regret; self-loathing...but more persistent than all, despite its fragility, there was hope, too. And that is exactly was she wanted to see. "More proud and stubborn men than you, eviller in any way imaginable, have managed to change the error of their ways." She held his gaze for a long time, wishing he realised this was nothing impossible, he wasn't beyond help, all he had to do was ask for it. "You simply need a goal and a shepherd; someone to lead by example."
"Someone like you?"
At first he had wanted to sound cruel, unfeeling, sarcastic even; but the moment it left his lips, it transformed into wishful thinking. She nodded. "Yes, Soujirou, exactly like me. If you want me to, I can help you."
"But I nearly killed your friends; and I have hurt so many people; and I still don't think anything hurt more than that moment when I watched that man kill Yumi-san and Shishio-sama is...is still someone I regard in a positive light and...and I..."
He had grabbed his hair, covered his face, almost sinking to the floor. Despair was never easy to deal with nor watch but she wanted to do something about it.
"You can't erase yourself; you have to better yourself. Trying to smother feelings is never a good thing, Soujirou." That seemed to resonate with a layer buried very deep in his psyche because the abrupt but thirsty stare he shot her way, meant much more than he ever meant to give away. "You've been living with them for a long time; if they treated you the way they treat enemies, you would never be so attached, yes?" He nodded as if his life depended on it! "Besides, bad people can sometimes act good; and good people can act bad. Doesn't make them good or bad respectively. A rapist can still be a great dad to someone, right? Same thing; what makes us good is the way we trat those we don't care about, too."
There was a pause in which Soujirou must have been reevaluating his entire being and she gave him all the time she needed. Instead of crowding him though, she walked around him, made sure the dead bodies were secured on the carts and headed to her horse.
"There's plenty of room for you, with us, Soujirou. Come." She gestured towards the Ronin Camp. "If it makes you feel any more inclined to give in, I shall be leaving the country at some point this week, so...fresh start, am I right?"
That was the last straw; his face broke into a natural, self-depreciating smile and started laughing. "Yes! Let's leave the country, Tokio-sama! I will follow you...granted they don't attack me first."
"I'd like to see them try." To his curiosity, she explained "you are under my protection as of this moment and I'm big on second chances. Now hop on, on one of those horses so we can go back already; I'm famished."
"Yes, Tokio-sama!"
"D...don't call me that. Tokio-san is more than enough."
"Nah, I like it...so, where will we be going?"
"We shall talk about this after tonight. First, we'll have to secure your presence there and make sure it's not just the two of us who'll head there and—...just, we'll see."
"As you wish...!" A beat of silence. "So are you and that Hajime guy a couple or something?" She shook her head amused. "And is he coming, too?" This once, she turned just to glare at him. "Oops, taboo subject? Sorry, sorry."
"Somehow, you remind me of Okita," she lamented.
"Oh! How serendipitous; he said the same thing."
A beleaguered sigh escaped her; something in her gut told her this was how it was going to be with him and although she liked how they had found a way of communication already, she could already picture the days ahead. And if it was really just her and him, oh man, it would be difficult.
Another hing that was difficult was to have the men accept him. The empress was one hundred percent uninvolved and couldn't care less, leaving it up to the healer, but the man had something to say about it. What helped was his submissive behaviour and complete lack of response when they called Shishio and Yumi terrible things. Then, Okita stepped forward and gave him the first vote of confidence; it wasn't decided per se, but, knowing he was the one who was mostly hurt because of Soujirou, they allowed him to weigh in on this. So, instead of exiling him from Ronin Camp of right out killing him, they decided to keep him around, present him with some nice clothes and put him under direct watch of all the important players.
He accepted, was handed his own fancy set of clothes and as pushed to some tent to change.
Tokio on the other hand, was received quite differently; cheers, claps, shouts of encouragement were all easily heard, the poem of the Ivory Lady even. Her father put his arms around her again, squeezing her as tight as he could, and Saitou no longer wondered where she got it from.
"Now, now, Tokio-chan, you have to go and pamper yourself," Okita stopped what appeared would turn out to be a very asinine conversation.
"Pardon?"
"Ah, indeed; you came back late, you don't know!" Nagakura agreed, elbowing Harada.
"We shall burnthe dead while you go and have a bath, change out of your armour and put on whatever your father brought you; once you're out, the celebrations will start by you, saying the final prayers for these brave souls and then—it's party time!"
"What Harada means is, after that, we shall be rewarded our dues and then it's party time," Toudou corrected.
"I see." A beat of silence. "Where's Tomo-chan?"
"Getting ready, with her husband's help," Saitou stopped all would be inquiries with his tone and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Go do the same; by the time you are, all preparations will be complete."
The moment he let go, two women popped up out of nowhere, clearly expecting this to happen, and grabbed her by the arm, to lead her to whatever house they had appointed for her convenience. To her bad luck, it was the same one as her highness.
"You will look the prettiest, Tokio-chan," Ameiko teased, watching her get buried underneath layers upon layers "even Yuko-chi will pale in comparison."
"Yuko—she'll be here? Will they all be here?"
"Naturally; not a single absence."
Tokio clicked her tongue, as she held out her hands. "How devoted to their Empress they are."
"Right," she drawled "the only reason they won't miss a party."
They shared a laugh. "Will you make the announcement tonight, Ameiko?"
"What announcement?"
The look Tokio gave her was full of not having it; the Empress chuckled. "Yes, tonight. It's about time."
.
.
When they emerged from the house, there were very little people there; but amongst them was her father, who could not hide his sentiments, upon laying eyes upon her. His breath caught as a hand flew over his heart, to protect it anyway he could. The smile was happy but watery; for an entire minute he was unable to speak. None said anything, they gave him space and time to be the first to comment.
"Honey, you look...just like your mother." His voice broke the exact moment his daughter's eyes watered. "I never expected the resemblance to be so great...you've grown so much, honey, you grew up away from me."
Tears came down her face as soon as she blinked; it hurt to hear him say it, because it was true. It hurt for all the lost time because of the Jade Regent, because of his stubbornness and her own; the mere fact his voice held no grudge, only regret, made her scale the entire distance in a split second, despite all the layers dragging behind her.
As soon as she came, he took her hands in hers. "I'm sorry honey; I should have been there more. I should have listened more. Maybe if I had, your mother and brother would be here today."
"I love you," was all she said in return, "so much."
She untangled her hands and wrapped them around his waist, just like she did when she was a small girl, even if the sleeves were too long not to get wrinkled; pressing her head on his sides, for which she'd no doubt get scolded later by the two women who made the elaborate hairdo.
"I love you, too; and I always will, no matter what you choose for yourself. Just, please, make room for me in this new life of yours." He squeezed back and held her there for a long time. "Please, include me; visit from time to time; or allow me to visit; drop a line. Just, don't disappear again; and I promise, I won't judge your black armour again."
Her sob was heard by all.
"Even if, ask anyone, you look better this way."
A smothered laugh was audible beneath his arm but some seconds later, she stood to her full height properly, and after doing her best to take the moisture away without ruining all the work these two women put into her make up, she smiled her usual wide smile.
"Let's go to the Empress's party together," she declared rather than suggested and her arm snaked around his "even if it is the last one."
"Because it is the last one."
Thusly, the two of them led the rest of the people gathered to the beginning of the ceremonies. Saitou, who dared not walk beside them, contented himself in watching her gracefully fulfilling her duties as the good daughter before she turned over a new leaf in her life. She was a sight to behold either way, as her father aptly pointed out, for she looked incredible: formal, dainty and gorgeous; if the Empress was not one step behind her, one would think the ruler was Tokio. Many layers of complimenting colours, very long sleeves, heavy make-up and intricate hair—a proper festive appearance for any Empress. She would be a fitting ruler, one day. He was sure of that.
"You look satisfied."
His smile was so subtle he never would have realised it was there if it weren't for Himura's smug little comment. Saitou caught him with the edge of his eye, looking grand and serious with Tomoe on his arm, who, because of the pregnancy looked radiant and couldn't believe the pang of jealousy he felt. Swiftly channeling that into superiority, he clicked his tongue.
"No more than you, I am sure."
Tomoe giggled in her hand. "Who would have thought you are so considerate, Saitou-sama."
"Call him that once more and we'll never hear the end of it," Okita "warned", earning himself a few chuckles or snorts.
"Call him that once more and I won't speak to you again for the rest of the night," Kenshin threatened his wife and once that satisfied both Saitou and Tomoe, they spoke no more.
The partying part of the night was a little slow to start. First, Tokio gave the fallen comrades their last farewell; the burning happened by the lake, the part closest to the eastern border. Everything was quiet and nothing was adorned or illuminated. Only small lights lined the streets, small eternal flames cast by wizards, that paved the way for the cleric. After all, no other light was allowed to steal their gazes, other than the one burning the bodies for a safe trip to the afterlife.
Once they were done, they made an entire ceremony out of storing their ashes in small, silver, rectangular containers. Each and every one was named and thanked, as Tokio did the deed alone, kneeling by each person's bonfire. The containers were given to three men, who proceeded to store them away.
Then, came the rewards for every man – and the one woman – . For that, they moved to the town square, this huge procession of theirs, only now it was her Majesty leading. Once they set foot there, no one failed to notice the transformation: banners put up all around in various colours and textures, supported only by magic, made the outside look like the inside. There was a small stage set up where the award ceremony would take place; on it, was one small desk with all the contracts. On the left of the stage were the stairs and on the right was a much longer and bigger table, almost half as long as the entire square, covered by a cloth, that gave off tantalizing smells. Servants with pitchers of alcohol and empty glasses were placed everywhere and the moment the guests arrived, poured them drinks.
There were fairy lights all around them, too, while soft music played by bards, nearly hidden by the stage. But what was the most impressive part of all, if you asked any man, were the ten well-dressed, impeccably poised and flawlessly smiling ladies of waiting of her Majesty, ready to be entertained.
Then the Empress, Kojuuro and Damien got on the stage and began the affair; the awards had to be read out loud by her Highness, signed by her father on the paper of the procedures and then given to each personally by the treasurer.
That took a while.
But after that, it was all fun! Especially when, just before free time was declared, the Empress gathered everyone around, guests and organizers all the same and announced, as casually as possible:
"Forgive me, Ronin, but I shall not consume your own special brand of sake. Though I have heard great things about its taste and I am also aware it is your main source of income; I will not be sampling it either. What I will do, however, is take at least one bottle with me, to try it when I am able...which is, after I give birth to the heir growing inside me for the past month and a half."
There was a collective holding of breath.
"Yes, you heard right; gods' willing, in eight months from now at most, the heir to the throne will enter this world!"
The crowd went wild; everyone started shouting one wish after another, glasses raised at their Empress, hoping only for the best. Then, she stopped them all by raising her glass in response, drinking all of her tea at once and announcing: "Now let the dances commence!"
The bards came out of "hiding" and flooded the square, music bombarding everyone's senses; the piece of cloth was magically yanked off the table and an array of mouth-watering goods revealed itself to the attendees. At the same time, the ten women literally screeched and ran to her highness to wish her all the best, creating the live that everyone would have to wait at to do just the same.
Seeing Tokio was aware of the fact, she decided to make a summary out of her own well-wishes, right before the flock arrived and kindly took her leave...as easily as she found a certain tall samurai in the crowd and positioned herself next to him.
"Hajime."
"Tokio," he greeted her, trying not to look too happy she went to him as soon as she was able.
"So, your mother was short, too." She tried not to laugh too obviously because she feared she'd start crying again, so she simply hid her face in her sleeve. "You look very beautiful," he conceded in the end, taking the time to remove her hand from her face "and if your mother was here, she'd look just as proud of your accomplishments as your father."
"Thank you, Hajime." There was an unguarded honesty about her that always made him put his own guard down. "I appreciate that." She bowed a little but then got herself a drink from one of the servants. "You look quite fetching yourself."
"I was lucky; I had first pick. Hijikata resents me for it."
They shared a laugh and after that, there was a lull of silence. Both were content just with sipping their drink next to one another, standing close, closer than normal—or proper, and maybe steal glances at each other's controlled grin. Then friends came and talked; they left; more people came by, her father included; they talked again and again, but once more, they were gone, yet these two remained just there.
But, for the past ten minutes, Tokio had taken to doing one more thing: furtively glancing at the dancing couples, who had taken the square by storm! The ones who weren't dancing were those without a pair. Even her father dared to do so, after asking a local woman – that Tokio thought looked a lot like her mother if you added five kilos and added twenty years –. Only Kenshin was standing by his wife's side, who was occupying one of the few seats, them and her highness.
"Let's dance, Hajime," she finally had the courage to suggest, as she finished her drink.
"I don't like it," he coolly replied, a small guilty smile playing on his lips.
He was a smart man, he had figured it out. She couldn't stop staring at him, the dancing crowds and him again. He only felt guilty he would have to turn her down because Saitou Hajime? He didn't dance. He only did once and that was on his wedding day, many years ago.
"Mmm, it'll be fun."
"It won't be when I step all over your feet; and your kimono is too elaborate. We'll both fall down."
"No, we won't," she contradicted, lips pursing.
"Be as stubborn as you want; I'm not going to engage in any sort of dancing. You're better off asking someone else."
"But I don't want to dance with someone else."
Ah, damn, she was being cute; he almost said yes. Almost. "As flattering as that is, I'm sorry; I really dislike dancing; I dislike everything I'm not good at."
Time passed; people kept dancing. She had to try again. And again. And again. Each and every time she was refused. Each and every time, she came back. In the end, after exhausting all of her other possibilities, she puffed up her cheeks and gave him the puppy look.
"Do it for me?"
His lips twitched and he nearly lost by smiling. "Not for anyone."
"Not even for your Empress?"
Ameiko butted in the conversation out of nowhere. Both turned to look at her either surprised or, in Saitou's case, mortified and gave a small hasty bow. "Your highness should not engage in such activities with a baby on the way."
"I won't dance too much; only a couple of turns. Come now, Hajime-san, what say you? Will you take your Empress's hand to twirl her around for a couple of turns? Will you do me this one, innocent little favour?"
He raised his hands in defense. "You won't do your Empress this one, tiny little favour? Even as I am standing here, pregnant, begging for my first dance?"
Goddamn it! What could he say to that? He bowed, put his glass on the table and offered his hand to her Majesty. Looking at Tokio one final time before he left, to make sure she wasn't about to kill him – thank Shizuru, the murderous glare was directed towards Ameiko – he led her to the dance floor.
As the took their first turn around the square, he sighed; no longer able to keep it in, he finally asked "why me? Isn't Hijikata the better choice?"
"In the absence of my child's father, I always choose the tallest man; he reminds me of him the most."
"So he's tall."
"That he is."
"You're only making trouble for me, your Highness."
"Then all the more reason to choose you. Tokio looks very beautiful today; let her be the one tasting the bitterness of jealousy for a while."
Just as Saitou thought the two first sentences were unrelated, a chuckle escaped him. "Does that mean I should let her suffer for my sake...or yours, your highness?"
Her own laugh was boisterous and unreserved. "Both; I hate it when they steal my thunder. And I bet you hate it when all men's eyes are on her."
His eyes slid away from her. "I admit to nothing."
"That is indeed the perfect strategy: keep silent until they are too tired to disprove you."
Nothing was said after that, simply kept dancing. It wasn't too long later that Hajime decided it was time to go back to his spot next to Tokio and the buffet table; satisfied, the Empress allowed him to do so with a small nod but he was courteous enough to at least accompany her to her own spot, up on the stage, where a mock throne had replaced the table with the scrolls.
When he tried to go back to Tokio, six of the ten ladies in waiting of her highness came out of nowhere! They surrounded and immobilized him, some three metres away from his destination. Unsurprisingly, all wanted to dance with him; if the Empress did, they would do.
"Forgive me, but I do not enjoy dancing."
"Aww, but you danced with Ameiko-sama." and other variations of that sentence flew out of their mouths but he really wasn't going to be swayed. He had an impression, if he so much as dared take one of their hands, just to be polite, something terrible would happen to him—and when he turned to actually look at Tokio, yes, there it was. She was pretending not to look but damn it, he felt a shiver crawl down his spine every single time she would "accidentally" glance his way. Mind quickly made up, he bowed deeply to them, earning considerable space for himself and just like that, he slipped away and restored his presence next to her.
"Hmmm, her highness is such a good dancer," Tokio commented lightheartedly, "nearly two months pregnant yet still so light on her feet."
Was that her way of letting him know she'd been watching him? Because he knew, damn, she didn't have to be so extra creepy about it.
"Must have had fun..."
Ah, this is where it all led. He shook his head; she was very stubborn. "Not really; I don't like dancing." Her hum of approval was long but soft. Then she took a sip of her drink. Then nothing. Considering most of their night so far had been like this, he wouldn't have minded, but he felt something like a buzz coming from her, she was upset. "How spoiled you are, priestess," he begun, "you are still holding it against me I wont dance with you." Like a child, she pursed her lips and looked away. He sighed. "Fine;" he offered his hand "let's dance."
"No." He stared incredulous. "I don't want to."
"What? But I thought..."
"I wanted to dance with you first; now that her Highness received that honour instead of me, I don't care."
"But I thought you liked dancing."
"Yes, but if it was simply a matter of that, I would have danced with someone else."
"Fair enough; and since I did dance with someone else, I'm asking you now, too because I see for some unfathomable reason this seems to matter to you a lot."
"Well, I don't want to now because I won't be the first one."
His chuckle escaped before he could stop. "So?"
"If you were going to be swayed so easily then why didn't you dance with me first?"
He could no longer help the laugh; Tokio almost seethed at him, though not quite angry. "She's the Empress; and she's pregnant. You can't say no to that combination..."
"Otherwise you wouldn't have danced with her?"
"Why is this such a big deal?"
"I don't know," she crossed her hands "it somehow is. Feels like I lost to her."
"Don't put me in the middle of your little ego schemes; now for the last time, will you dance with me or not? Final offer."
"No, I don't feel like it." He sighed. "If you suddenly want to dance so much, go dance with one of the woman who accosted you before."
He snorted. "Do I look like an idiot?"
Finally, a laugh. Maybe a little smothered and unwittingly given, but she laughed; success. "This is nice, too, but...when people dance are less likely to eavesdrop on conversations so..."
"Correct me if I'm wrong but dancing is not ideal for conversing."
"These ceremonial dances? Please! They are ideal. Now, if we were in Sandpoint, I'd say, yeah, it's too hectic..."
His brows came together. "I don't like it when you so casually talk of these foreign places I've never been to."
He had no idea what he said wrong but that seemed to upset her. Not anger her, but she was somehow unsettled; her chest heaved, she became evasive. She even put her hands in her sleeves, tugging on them. She must have been experiencing a dilemma because each and every time she opened her mouth, she closed it again. One deep breath, words died on her lips, she exhaled; repeat. After it happened one too many times, she finally decided to let it go. A small bracing breath later, she positioned herself as the perfect lady and looked at him with some taste of regret.
"Then I won't do it again."
"I'm guessing you mean tonight, because there's no way you can stop doing that. Ever."
Her smile was terse; he was taken aback.
For the next hour, he watched her slowly but certainly, distance herself from him, the celebration and even the Empress. Until, in the end, she disappeared completely. No, she didn't do it with her magic; she did it with her ability to become one with the background in grand celebrations like these and when the fireworks were at their brightest, offering release and beauty to all, she retired to her designated room. Granted, in such occasions, usually the fireworks signaled the polite time to leave: right after they ended. But there did exist protocol and one had to go and say one final goodbye to their hosts, thank the bards, the servants...she simply left.
He found Okita in the crowd with a quick scan and nodded towards her; Okita, understanding his intentions, gave him a thumbs up in return.
Troubled, Saitou followed after her; thank Shizuru for his quick feet and her impressive gown that he could catch the coattails of that rare indigo pigment. He caught up with her easily, but decided the best tactic for someone running away from their problems was to give them space thus did not call out to her or even physically stopped her. What he did do though was watch her scurry inside the house they gave her, shutting the door behind her.
What's gotten into her? He gave her some time and then he knocked on the door. "Tokio, it's me."
"Come in."
"Did something happen at the-...?" He barely had time to close the door behind him, he felt her crush into his chest. "Are you alright?"
"No; yes but...no."
"So helpful."
"Shut up, I...I'm sorry I overreacted before but I really needed to talk to you and I didn't know when or how and..."
She took a long, calming breath. Hands still on his chest, she looked up at him and he was upset to find tears on her face. "When I was in the capital, I never danced with anyone at these parties. See, if I did then dad would think I might be interested and the man would think the same and then rumours would fly around and before I knew it, our families would start "the talks" and I'd have to decline a lot of invitations for no reasons and, undoubtedly, some wedding proposal, too. So, I never went into the trouble. But now, we are not in the capital. Sure, father is here but you aren't the spoiled son of some rich aristocrat who thinks the world owes him for existing, so, I wished, just this once to...dance with someone. First."
"I see."
"Also, I wanted to tell you some things, too but with everything that happened today—and how abruptly Ameiko showed up," she exhaled a little annoyed "I didn't even have the time to kiss you properly."
"That is true; everything happened a little too fast." She nodded, calm now, tears no longer in her eyes, only her cheeks. He put his arms on her waist. "Lucky for you, we are alone now." She nodded as her arms slithered from his chest around his neck. "You can kiss me as much as you want."
And kiss him she did; before his sentence was complete, she climbed on her tiptoes, brought him down for the remaining distance and crushed her lips on his with abandon.
"I don't have to do all the kissing, you know," she complained about a minute or so after and he decided he tortured her enough, might as well.
But it was an empty house they were in together and no one around for a long way; fireworks occasionally lit the sky outside still, while too distant voices of people making merry never came close. It took only one kiss; once that kiss transformed into something more, into something deeper, there was no turning back.
Suddenly there was a hunger that hadn't been there for so long and it came back with all the ferocity it was denied and it demanded to be satiated. Her skin was rough, but soft wherever he touched, peeling layer after layer; her neck tasted of flowers, but her breasts tasted of honey. Her touch, light but firm; her scratches red and angry on his skin. She lay there beneath him, on top of all the fabrics; then she pulled him down, trading his spot for hers with two moves. He watched as her back arched, as her sweat glistened; grabbed her waist when she almost lost her balance and fell back.
She mumbled an apology and how she'd never done this before and he was mortified to hear because she should have told him from the start, but other than that, it was no big deal. He lay her on her back, carefully, and asked her to let herself relax. No one was born knowing. She did only once his hands touched her again, only this once, he was very gentle...and slow. And tortuously slow—did he have to linger? Why did he linger everywhere, it wasn't fair. And then his mouth found her neck again and then her shoulders and her breasts and—oh gods, this was very different from before indeed. Not that before was bad, anything but, but this was better for now; she felt like she needed more experience for that other—oh GOD, it felt good. It felt really good, really good, really good, yes, oh yes, yes YES...! Yes...
She deflated and felt like shrinking. For all her fears and insecurities, this felt nothing like they warned her it would; no pain, at least not even the third of pain compared to the bliss. And no shame; no residual feelings of being dirty or somehow lesser.
So maybe she was right after all; their society comprised of spiteful, prude bastards.
"Hajime, you know I have to leave, yes?"
They were lying naked on the floor, over their many layers that served as protection from the cold; she had to actually untangle herself from him and support herself on her elbows to tell him that, as serious as possible.
A crooked smile appeared. "I figured you didn't want to insult her majesty and accepted the titles of the land offered to you for appearances, yes."
"That will happen in three days from now, once the festivities die down and I gather all of my belongings from Seinaru."
"I am aware."
"Soujirou will come with me." That was news to him. "Different country, better fresh start; the less people who knew what he was, the easier for him to face his demons and be victorious. Once he's done that, he'll be able to return, I believe."
"Makes sense, actually..."
"It was Soujirou who asked me, actually, on this journey of ours if you'd—...I mean, I know the Shinsengumi is your life and you were just given all you ever wanted, but...if, if there was a chance that..."
She was sitting up now, flustered but determined. Yet, she started looking away from him and missed his amused grin. "What could you possibly mean?" he asked to tease her, but she became redder still.
"I know it's difficult for you to accept but if there was a chance, if it was prearranged that—would you consider—?"
"Tokio," he grabbed her hands to stop her and that's exactly what happened "you're making no sense. Put your thoughts in order and ask me again."
"I love you. And I don't want to leave you. But I can't stay either. So, I was wondering, if we somehow arranged something for your own lands back here, then maybe, I don't know, you could come with me, too?"
"So, you're asking me to leave the unit behind, my newly appointed lands behind, and follow you into the unknown?"
"Yes," though he didn't have to say it so...basely.
But a chuckle came out as an answer instead and he started shaking his head; from his demeanor, she knew she wasn't making fun of the fact she asked, or what she asked of, but the way she...phrased it?
"Tokio, you are a terrible negotiator when it comes to matters such as these."
"H-H-Hajime, I—"
"A week ago me and some men were discussing leadership and skills; many of them confided in me, they were very impressed by you, in general. How you'd make an excellent ruler...and I had an idea. When I talked to Hijikata, I asked him to allow us to form a small splinter group and come with you, when you decided to leave." Her mouth hang open. "He said, you could take fifteen men in total with you but only volunteers , you can't pick them, and just one captain. Me, namely, because Okita wanted to come and he prohibited it." Her hands covered her mouth and she kept staring at him disbelievingly. "I presented the idea to those men we were having the conversation with and they all accepted; Daichi, from my unit, Sousuke from Okita's and Tooru and Sachi from Nagakura's; the rest ten are the entire unit Takeda left in your care."
"Are you...are you serious?
He nodded. "Soujirou is coming, too so I guess, we're sixteen now. But there's a catch; until you succeed, you are bound to the Shinsengumi, to help us—them, whatever. Just make ten of those beads you had made for the Empress and give them to him. In case of dire need, you'll be summoned. Unless engaged in battle yourself, you are required to come."
"That is an exceptionally good deal...!"
"I know."
She smacked his chest. "Don't be conceited; I was trying to pay you a compliment."
"I'm not trying to be conceited; I'm just showing you I put a lot of thought into this, because it's important for me."
"I see," she recounted, and with a small smile she planted a small kiss on his forehead.
"So, everything is decided; so long as I return the title of the land they gave me back, and you all the titles back, we are ready to go the day after tomorrow."
"Wait, wait, wait, why all titles? You get to keep your lordship and I don't?"
"But, Tokio," he started as if she was crazy for thinking otherwise "you, more than I, know how crazy the bureaucracy for two heads of families to get married is; it almost makes it not worth it."
"P-pardon?" He kept looking at her the same way despite her confusion. "Are, wait, you are asking me to marry you?"
"...oh, yeah, sorry; I never mentioned that. Yes, marry me." For the second time that day, she was left speechless. "You've seen me at my worst and yet, look at you, you're still here; and it will only get better. Sure, we'll fight a lot, you are very stubborn and I am absolute, but everyone fights. And I am not a child; I know exactly what I want. Do you?"
The more he spoke, the more she reminded him of the almost identical conversation they had yesterday night, even if it felt like a lifetime ago. So, he wasn't saying that to sound mature... "I thought I did, but then you came along. You've altered many of my plans."
"If by that you mean I had to change my entire living arrangement to follow you, sure." She smacked his chest again. "If you're still bitter about your title, then believe it, it's better if I have the title; if we go over to Chu Ye and you succeed then it's better if you are only married to someone with a title rather than having a title yourself—especially if it's someone like me, who was given the title as compensation for battle services. Less questions as to why you would make the trip."
"No, it's an entirely different matter I am concerned about."
"Which is?"
She took a bracing breath. "No children."
Ah, she was right to mention it; his eyes became wide and he almost stood. Instead, he sat up next to her. "No children?" She nodded. "Ever?"
She rolled her eyes. "No, not ever; but for the first...five years," she made up her mind after some quick calculations "no children."
"That seems reasonable; there will be battles, contention, rivalries, hate...three years is a good estimate."
"Five."
He had no idea what she was talking about. "Yes, that's what I said; three years."
"Five."
"Yes, three."
"Hajime."
"Tokio."
She laughed at the way he wouldn't budge. "Fine; four."
"Four years; great." Before he lay back down, he gathered his hakama and put it on but before he fell back on the floor, he considered. "There must be a bed somewhere in this house," he spoke out loud "even if we don't know where it is."
"Second room to the left," she nodded to said sliding door "door opposite that leads to the bath."
"I see." She followed his example. "Leave them," he complained when she started gathering every single piece of clothing from the floor "we'll put them away tomorrow. Just put one on and let's go to sleep...I am...very tired."
"Well, you did dance with her highness—hahaha, Hajime, don't." She jumped to the left, just a bit out of his reach, to dodge his slap, right on her butt. "You did though."
"Yes, for three minutes, oh gods." He shook his head but let her go first. "Just, don't wake me up; we'll have a million things to do tomorrow."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Ah, right, you weren't here...while you were doing your thing at the battlefield, I asked your father, should you be willing, if he would allow me to have your hand in marriage. He said yes. Ameiko-sama overheard us and she immediately said how she wanted to be the one to officiate, should you accept. Then more people gathered, Tomoe asked to provide the sake, Okita asked to be my witness and it wall went a little out of hand."
"Are you kidding?"
"Nope; and since you said yes, I have the feeling we'll wake up to see most of the preparations done. Not to mention, your father started going on about how it'll be very easy to have your immediate family present, as well as mine, even if I was disowned, and before I knew it, it snowballed into how we need to get married tomorrow, if we were going leave in two days anyway." He shrugged. "I think your father was just thrilled he would get to be here for your wedding."
"Yes, we are very close but at the same nearly as close as he thinks we should be, so..."
"Makes sense," Hajime defended him, just as they lay on their futon – which was for only one person so they would have to sleep one over the other to fit, not that he minded – "sons are supposed to wander the world while daughters stay close to home until they get married."
"I hope to the entire pantheon we don't have a daughter."
"Shut up," he snubbed "and stop squirming."
"But to think that we only slept together once and you are already asking me to marry you..."
"Tokio...!"
"So prudish." He groaned; she smothered a laugh. "Goodnight, Hajime."
"Goodnight."
.
.
She kept her word; Tokio wasn't the one who woke him up...but he didn't wake up on his own either. Voices of people right outside his window did, as well as knocks on the door. His eyes cracked open, to notice two things: it was bright outside, thus late and there was no Tokio in his arms. She must have rushed to let whoever was in, actually, because the knocking was heard only once and then a moment later he heard the door sliding open.
He was right; her voice was heard, light and fresh and welcomed...Himura and his wife. Shit, are they serious? Ugh, no way. He pulled the blanket over his head and groaned.
"How come you're here?" he heard her ask after all the formalities.
"Your father asked us to come; he wants me to take Saitou to him, to get him dressed, while Tomoe will help you get into the wedding kimono."
Ugh, he had to get up now? Damn...he looked to the side and spied clothes that were much simpler than that extravagant thing he wore yesterday, plain and dark, as he liked it. He had half a mind to emerge in his hakama only, just to make Himura uncomfortable, but his wife wasn't at fault.
So, he'd get properly dressed and then go greet them.
"The wedding kimono hasn't arrived yet," Tokio noted.
"It's on its way."
"Four women carrying it; they shall help me putting it on you, too."
"Five people for one gown?" Himura summarized in shock. "How big is it?"
He could swear he heard Himura's wife giggle. "That's how all of them are, at least when a woman of such station and importance is getting married. Depending on length, it is either carried by three or five women; this one is...on the normal side of things."
"But it's all white; how many layers can there be?"
"Actually, it isn't," Tomoe was eager to share "but I hesitate to share more details for Saitou-san is still here."
"Ah, yes, please don't tell me the extra colours," his voice was heard first and then he appeared at the threshold, finishing the tie on his obi "otherwise my overactive brain will immediately piece together the look of the entire kimono and I will ruin the surprise."
Tokio hit him with the back of her hand before she even said good day because "really, Hajime, you don't have to be so rude to guests so early in the morning."
"This ain't my house; I'm a guest, too. I can be as rude as I like." She disapproved, but still offered her cheek for a kiss; he obliged. "Aren't they the hosts, if anything? I thought Himura was like the lord of Ronin Camp. Now that her Highness visited this place and offered a formal piece of paper to him, he's basically one of the court's lords."
Kenshin obviously didn't like that, he knew; not just because he averted his eyes and his chest puffed up, as if wanting to contradict him, but mainly because of the fact he didn't. "Here, in the fringe of the Empire, closest to the horse lords, she found—"
"Enough of politics after you just woke up; have some tea, go for a walk first," Tokio reprimanded him and he actually laughed.
"But I thought I had to go with Himura."
"That is true," Tokio relented "you have to do that." She combed his hair back with her fingers quite hastily. "Please don't be late, in fact; father is quite pedantic."
"I managed to make a good impression so far," he teased and waited till she was satisfied with his look to step back and nod to Himura to follow him. But he did like she worried about it and his smirk made it obvious. Annoyed by that earlier comment and how everything pretty much went his way, Himura clicked his tongue.
"We'll see how good of an impression you'll keep making when we tell him where we found you," he snubbed just before the door slid closed behind them, causing the two women inside to giggle.
"I am sure it will have no bearing," Tomoe tried to be nice, but Tokio didn't even care.
"I am pretty sure my father thought I was interested in women; the fact his hopes of cute grandchildren aren't just a dream anymore is enough to override the fact he knows we slept together."
Tomoe's giggle set the mood; once the women came in, with the gown, the six of them were all laughs, double entendres and tea. By the time they were finished, Tokio looked nothing like herself, she decided, for the many layers of white-red-white-red-white with small patterns of red on the final layer were definitely not her style. She focused on functionality and she could hardly walk fast in this. It was too tight, took too much space, the bow was huge, many things dangled and could easily be grabbed in case of a surprise attack, she had no room to carry her ingredients' pouch, no place to hide a dagger – huh, maybe the hair, so many pins and little or big things they had – and they almost yanked her magic headband off of her head because it wouldn't match. At least she had her deity's holy symbol around her neck...at least. Oh, and that huge diamond ring that could easily cover a high-caliber spell's material components. That's something.
But all of that didn't matter to her a lick when her father, with the same tears as yesterday informed her this was the very same kimono her own mother wore at their wedding that her older sister purposefully left for her to wear, as a thanks and a sorry for all the things she couldn't do as the older one.
"Then it's perfect," she simply said and took her father's hand who led her to the ceremony.
She had to admit, they put a lot of effort into this; the entire path to their destination was paved with beautiful, white and red flowers, same with the ones she was holding. Lanterns of white rice paper with the kanji for "eternity" in red were placed on the bridges and wherever the architecture called for it, without really being lit. and of course, on every tree they passed by, there were red and white ribbons tied on the bare branches, as if to make up for the leaves they lost.
The itself wedding was going to be held in the sole holy place the Ronin Camp had to offer, a temple of Cayden Cailean, Desna and Kofusachi, all in one. Heh, of course, all chaotic good deities...and the irony of the most lawful and rule-oriented man she ever met getting married under the province of a chaotic force, by Ameiko's hand who herself used to be quite fond of rule-breaking, made her smile even wider. Because it was all for her, she knew. If it was up to him, she'd wait an entire month, per custom—very old, but still alive custom.
Ah, there he was. Standing in front of her highness, who donned a simple kimono – at least for her standards – with the sake on a table behind her, he was waiting for her to appear, serious but calmer than she had ever seen him. She held his gaze for a long second before her eyes swept the crowd; there were two very distinct sides: hers and his and all the rest behind them. His was on the right and even if she had never seen them before, yes, she would have guessed; he was a spitting image of their father! That same stern brow, same frown, too...his mother was a woman she decided radiated with kindness while his brother was the perfect mix of their mother and father; the sister was very tall and very beautiful; the sister and brother in law seemed to compliment the siblings perfectly. There were three children, too, how nice of them.
On her side, there was her older sister with her husband. She was as gorgeous as usual, and Takeru, her brother in law, always graceful and serious. Her little sister had come without her fiance, she was guessing he must have been traveling...but what she saw in her little sister's lap almost made her cry. A beautiful, ceremonial, all too familiar sword sat there, looking as polished as the very first time it was given to her brother for his exceptional skills. As the first time he wore it on his belt; and the second and the third and every single time, because her brother would polish that sword daily. With the small addition of a ribbon at the edge of the hilt of black and red colour – that undoubtedly her sister put there – it made her skin crawl.
Then she shivered but for an entirely different reason; she remembered how it felt being hugged by their mother, wearing this kimono: tight, a little smothering, but always warm and protected. A gust of wind moved branches, fabrics and hair...today was a very warm day, for being so late in winter. Even this wind wasn't as cold as it was supposed to. She also remembered how her mother's favourite season, her brother's too, was autumn and suddenly the urge to cry disappeared. She savoured the feeling of it and then turned to her father imperceptibly.
"Mother approves of this wedding," she whispered, as they moved through the rows of people. She tried to ignore Okita and his beaming face in fear she'd burst out laughing.
"Hm? You mean she'd like Hajime? I think so, too. He's most amusing."
"No, father; I means she does like him. Her and brother, too." Kojuuro turned to look at her confused. "She's all around us, you know. They both are. Though, I don't think we're going to see them again. So, smile as wide as you can and hand me over to the groom with pride."
Her father said nothing, because he didn't want to be heard whimpering. Tokio had lied to him, of course, no one was there, but had no regrets. Their actual spirits might not have been there, watching over them, but that was what nature was implying and who was she to disregard the gods' choice of communication with her?
Taking a final look around, she saw the faces of people she didn't even know six months prior, but now cared for; the faces of her friends; of old and new; but most importantly, of family, either alive...or dead.
They were all there.
With a final smile to the skies, she stepped onto the shrine and next to Hajime. Today, Takagi Tokio became Saitou Tokio. One of the few conquests, she hoped.
A/N: I don't believe I actually included the wedding this once! Or, at the very least, the road to the wedding. Well, the rest is boring anyway, am I right?
This is the part where I ask you to review, fave, alert or whatever your cup of tea is, do it; it means the world. Hope next installment catches your eye and finds you in better spirits than now.
Love you all,
FAI~!