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Irresistible	By : kamorgana Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 5018 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Disclaimer: standard disclaimers apply. Watsuki owns RK, but the plot, ideas, OCs and words are *mine*.
Irresistible
Chapter 14: Deceptions.

It was late afternoon and the already setting sun hit Saitoh and Nagakura�s eyes, making them blink, as they left the interrogation room of the compound. Takeda and Harada were exiting the dojo, leading the obedient file of exhausted and sweaty new recruits towards the bathhouse. Okita wasn�t with them; that meant that he was already waiting for their report in Kondo�s office, thought Saitoh. Neither he nor his companion talked on the short way there, nodding vaguely in response to the respectful bows of their underlings playing dices on the engawa of the kitchen. One of them had been taking a nap, lazily lying and his back against the wall; but neither his stunned face when he was suddenly awaken by his friends, nor his rapid imitation of the others and the obvious worry of having offended his superiors could ease Saitoh�s inner rage.
Kondo, Hijikata and Okita were silent when they entered the office and they took their places without a word.
�The man knows nothing, then?� Kondo asked, fatalistic.
�On the contrary, Kondo-sama,� answered Nagakura, his voice gloomy. �He knows more than I would have liked to.�
Okita�s brows lifted high on his forehead, as whenever he was surprised. �What do you mean?�
�We�ve been played,� Saitoh said curtly.
Hijikata�s icy eyes hardened. �Explain.�
�Your prisoner, Hijikata-kun,� Nagakura began, his long acquaintance with the chief in second authorizing him his slightly soothing attitude, �led me to that place in Sanjo, and I went with Saitoh and Takeda, as you ordered. I was surprised to find there a man called Ishikuni, a thug that used to inform me on the Satsuma clan�s moves. He wasn�t working with them, then.�
Saitoh had had a disapproving frown. He and Nagakura disagreed on the informant matter. Traitor�s contacts were traitors for Saitoh and knowing this opinion, that he had �shared� clearly a bit earlier, Nagakura had stressed the last sentence.
�And he does now?�
�Unfortunately, Kondo-sama, he *did* since a while ago. Satsuma has found financial resources. He doesn�t know how but three months ago, a cell started to have enough money to buy the collaboration of those that the cause wasn�t enough to convince��
�That�s how they could hire this troop to assassinate Takagi-sama,� Okita concluded. �Choshu is down, and they took the relay��
�Not exactly,� Saitoh groaned. He took the papers out of his haori. �This is where my investigation on Matsumori�s contacts and Nagakura-kun�s on the Satsuma attacks make one. Look at the signs.�
After a rapid glance at the documents, Kondo frowned, and said slowly: �How come the letter found in Matsumori�s effects is a mix of Choshu and Satsuma codes?�
After a minute of silent observation Hijikata concluded, deadly and slightly grim: �Because it was a Satsuma letter. The Choshu signs are only those that *we* had in our possession�or that this man, Makimura, indicated to us when he told us about Ikedaya.�
�I had come to this conclusion before the interrogation,� Saitoh let out. He lit a cigarette, in what appeared to Okita as an attempt to control his furor.
�So, is it likely to think that Matsumori Aiko was framed?� the first Captain said. �If the codes are mixed, then the letter has to be a fake��
Saitoh nodded. �Unless she had the intention to frame somebody else�but the conclusion that I drew was too logical, to be either the truth, either completely fabricated.�
�Saitoh-kun, we should tell them about the rest before drawing any conclusion,� Nagakura intervened.
Saitoh acquiesced silently, blowing the smoke his cigarette.
�The responsible for all that happened aren�t Choshu rebels, Kondo-sama. Satsuma is the instigator from the start.�
His mind as always working fast, Hijikata asked, his icy voice chilling the atmosphere: �And when would be that start?�
�The attack in Otsu. All this was a ploy, and they used us to get rid of Choshu.�
***
She was so tired. She was walking in the corridor of the right aisle and she was feeling as if her legs were in cotton. She was afraid, and ill-at-ease, something wasn�t right. There was a rumor somewhere and she followed the noise, opening a shoji.
The sun hit her face and her legs rooted to the ground. There was a fight, and a man laughing, holding Reiko�s inert body, and there was also a headless corpse in the middle on the dusty street with a woman knelt next to it. The head had rolled, and looking at it, she met the empty eyes of her father. She cried out, but no sound left her throat. The woman turned to her, she had heard, and she recognized Aiko who was smiling soothingly to her. Her friend was talking, her lips moving without sounds.
�I can�t understand!� she managed to say.
Aiko shook her head and blood ran down her chin, pouring from her mouth, her eyes flicking white.
She got desperate to move, when she saw Tami running towards the man. She tried to tell her not to go there, but she was mute again and she could hear the horse galloping away�Finally, she could move and she rushed towards her sister, only to be back in the corridor. She didn�t know where to go, she was so afraid�
Somebody seized her waist and she screamed, but she was held against a tall, solid frame. She looked up, to meet amber eyes, feeling better and safe. She clung to him, hoping that he would make all this go away. Yet he frowned, disapproving, pushing her away and entering another room.
�Stay!� she exclaimed, but he didn�t listen.
She followed him, her moves frustratingly slow. She was finally in front of the shoji, and she heard Torimi laughing from inside. She froze at the panel sliding open suddenly. There was a woman just inches from her, she had no face, just a scary smile, and she was playing with a dagger�
Tokio muffled her cry as she opened her eyes. She was in her room at the court, she realized, and she just had had a nightmare again. She sat up, sweat pearling at her temples, her heart beating madly.
The place was deserted, completely silent, the stillness and heavy air of the closed space more menacing than soothing. The light outside had gone down; she must have slept all afternoon.
The events of the late morning played in her head again, as if reliving them in her nightmares weren�t enough. When she had finally found herself alone, she had lain on her futon, unable to stop her shudders, unable to overcome her shock. She couldn�t go on anymore. She had seen Reiko die, and Aiko die, and she knew that all of them were in danger, her father included. She had learnt the hard way that she could lose her loved ones anytime. She had known; she should have been able to accept it and face it. Yet, seeing her father�s blood had made it too real for her. It had transported her back in the past, and the horrible sight had mixed with the view of her father about to die. Saitoh�s reproaches were still stinging in her ears. He had been right. If he hadn�t intervened, her father would be dead, because he had tried to protect her.
She stood up with difficulties, and then opened the exterior shoji, breathing in the clear air in long sips. She felt a little better, yet the residence�s garden was also empty and her uneasiness lingered. She had never felt that alone. She used to deal with things on her own, it was better. She had shared her opinion about Aiko with Miyu, who didn�t believe in her being a murderess either and was deeply shocked. This had allowed her to evacuate some of the pressure and to feel less frustrated about the late events, yet�She had never felt like confiding into someone about the rest, which considering the situation, had been for the best. She had understood her father�s attitude. Crying on the past was of no use, and maybe that would be more painful to acknowledge their loss rather than pretending that it didn�t hurt anymore.
Yet today, she had needed comfort. She had weirdly found it in a man that she thought she despised. It was gratitude for saving her father, maybe, and maybe also for giving her an occasion to rest alone, exactly as she had needed; anyway, when she had been able to hold to his hand, she had felt reassured. The contact had been brief, but it had struck her�and had made her feel so weak that she had been about to collapse into his arms. She had just had enough of her mind left to leave before she embarrassed herself, and him, any more.
It had disturbed her so much, and it still did. She didn�t know what to think about him anymore. Maybe he wasn�t a sleaze�she couldn�t say that she was repulsed by him now. His actions were contradictory and she didn�t know what to believe. He seemed honorable, when he fought, when he taught the recruits�Maybe she should rethink her opinion on him. There might be an explanation. Or maybe she was losing her mind.
A silhouette was walking in the garden; it was Michiko, a decided expression on her face. Tokio stiffened. She didn�t have time to dwell on her state anymore: she would die before she would let this woman see her vulnerable. It was as well, she thought, her uncertainties fading momentarily at the idea of a confrontation.
***
Even Okita didn�t bother to keep his cheerful mask at Nagakura�s revelation. They stayed silent several minutes, all of them dealing with the disappointment and anger caused by the revelation.
�The man that we arrested and told us about the Ikedaya, Makimura, was preparing to leave the Choshu clan for Satsuma, and brought as a present the information on the Ikedaya reunion. Ishikuni doesn�t know who recruited the thugs that you had to fight in Otsu, but he knows that he had to give Makimura�s name to us�being assured that I would sooner or later ask him about this matter. The whole point of this attack was to lead us to them, whether we investigated on a success or a failure from their part,� the second captain explained eventually.
�Makimura was indeed sincere, then, when he said that he didn�t know anything about the attack on the ladies,� Okita pointed.
�Yes. They knew that he would try to bargain his life with the information on the Ikedaya, that�s why they gave him away, in all safety for their operations against the Aizu officials. While we were busy with Choshu and the murders at the court, they had all latitude to prepare their operations of the last days.�
�Murders that they instigated, too, using their mole at the court�Adding the Choshu code that we knew to what is the latest Satsuma one, which we don�t know about, is surely the work of that traitor,� Saitoh said, peremptorily. �They knew that we would attribute the entirety to Choshu.�
�Where does this leave us?� Kondo asked, somber. �The traitor is still in activity�.and it can mean new murders.�
Hijikata had been silent, building his own theory, and finally asked Saitoh: �The pattern of the three murders is different, isn�t it?�
Saitoh gave this a thought. �Yes, indeed. Takamura and Matsumori were eliminated. Niwada Torimi was slaughtered. I see what you mean,� he added finally, his lips quirking as a new possibility occurred to him. �We all assumed that the mole would avoid murders committed at the residence, not to attract suspicions. What if it had really been the case?�
�You mean, if Matsumori Aiko, though innocent of treason, really killed Niwada Torimi? Is there anything that seems weak in the proofs against her?� Kondo wondered.
�The governess lied to us on the time when Matsumori left. Yet, it was clearly to protect her pupil, and she had no interest to do this if guilty of anything: on the contrary, she would have stressed the differences in the testimony, to attract our attention on the scapegoat,� Nagakura pointed. �She also made me the impression of being harsh, but honest, and her devotion to her task is sincere. As much as I dislike the idea, I must say that Aiko-san is still the more likely to have killed Torimi-san. It fits too well, as Saitoh-kun said.�
�The tale of Matsumori�s fianc� is well-known at the court, as well as her problems with the victim. Anybody could use it,� Saitoh added. �Michiko-sama gave us the reasons, for all to see in her diary, and several others have mentioned her change of attitude since Takamura�s assassination. Her last words still fit this possibility. She is guilty, but not the mole. There were no incidents in four days,� Saitoh reminded them. �And today, Takagi and his daughter have been attacked *outside* the residence.�
�It means that whoever is the mole, there will be nothing tried again at the court, very surely,� Nagakura concluded on a sigh of relief.
�If the traitor had tried to keep the focus outside, Matsumori�s loony crime must have been more than an annoyance at first. Yet, whoever it is, he or she made a perfect counterstrike, and in a limited time, putting a definite end to our investigation��
�And with a perfect timing, too, Saitoh-kun,� Okita acquiesced. �It happened the night of the first attacks: they had something else than the crime to put the pressure on us and on the Aizu officials.�
�Killing the poor girl so that her interrogation, in case of an arrest, didn�t reveal that she had no contact whatsoever with any rebel,� Nagakura spat.
�The poor girl, Nagakura, wasn�t so poor when she had a dagger in hands. Keep your pity, if you have to have some, for more deserving lost souls. She would have been executed anyway. Whatever, we have first class adversary,� Saitoh concluded.
�An adversary that played of us like children.� Kondo�s voice was full of anger. �Satsuma has used the Shinsengumi to get rid of their rivals.�
�That served our purposes, too,� Okita tried with a contrived smile.
�That must not be known,� Hijikata hammered, deadly. �Our rising fame is based on it, and it is out of question that we end up as laughingstocks. Saitoh, good idea to have sent Takeda back here this morning, and Shinpachi, it was wise, indeed, to let Harada out of this reunion. He would be too frustrated to stay silent. Kondo-sama, Matsudaira-sama will see things the same way as I do. We are a main force of the Bakufu, and if this manipulation got to the ears of the population it would be a disaster.�
�Thankfully, aside for Ishikuni, it seems that only the head of the Satsuma cell responsible for this plan knows the truth. Sakamoto Ryoma is still trying to unite the rebels therefore they prefer for this kind of internal blows not to get public, just in case. And no, he doesn�t know who the mole is, only the leader does.�
�Your prisoner didn�t spit yet the name of that leader?�
Saitoh snorted, and Nagakura went on: �Unfortunately, Kondo-sama, he managed to cut his tongue when we came to this last question.�
Okita hit the table with his fist in frustration.
�Somebody must know, though. They had the Choshu codes in our possession,� Saitoh said, calmly. �We have a mole here, and once I put my hands on him��
Hijikata assented with a nod of the head, his cold voice tainted with satisfied cruelty: �That�s as well that Ishikuni is mute; it spares me the annoyance of cutting his tongue myself. Matsudaira-sama and Takagi-sama have decided that he will be executed publicly tonight, at the residence, in presence of all the Captains of the Shinsengumi and the Aizu officials. They will have a proof that we assure correctly their protection. We don�t want him to blabber around on what he knows. The rebels might think that they have the upper hand, but we�ll have the last laugh.�
Okita seemed optimistic again. �That is, if you were ever laughing, Toshizo.�
Saitoh didn�t listen to the ensuing conversation. His thoughts were back to some other suspicions, and to the figure of Fujiki Sarina wandering alone in the right aisle.
***
The atmosphere of the dinner had nothing in common with the first one that the Daimyo had been throwing for the Aizu officials, a week earlier. The evening was still young and the guests less optimistic. The beginning had been freezing and the females present, at least, had been impressed with the execution. The Aizu officials had very interesting reactions. Some of them seemed relieved, the others were doubtful as much as Matsudaira�s presence allowed them to, and the fathers of the victims were still in mourning, flip-flopping between the two camps. Nevertheless, sake had relaxed the atmosphere, and from the engawa, where he was smoking a cigarette, Saitoh could hear the first laughs resounding; and some men had started to stroll in the garden, showing the first signs of inebriety.
He had just watched four of the Captains leaving to take their round, which left him, Okita, Nagakura, Takeda, Tani, and Todo at the reception, as well as a �representative� for each departed one, deserving underlings. Shimada had been asked discreetly to choose Kido. It was a move from Hijikata, and�
�Captain Saitoh.�
He turned, to bow as Takagi arrived next to him. �Takagi-sama.�
He was surprised to find the official there. Takagi hadn�t lost a minute to turn the attempt on his life into Matsudaira�s favor. Since the beginning of the dinner, he had made show of complete assurance, lauding the Shinsengumi for their intervention, but as if it had been a given. That trust had seemed to impress favorably the other officials who were willing now to believe that they were safe. His insistence on the blow that Satsuma had taken very surely aimed at stressing that they could be gotten rid of as easily as Choshu, and gathering more approval for the declaration. Better, the plenipotentiary sent by Edo had looked extremely receptive to his attitude, if the execution hadn�t been enough. The political situation, which had seemed desperate in the morning, was now quite bright for Matsudaira and his camp. Saitoh�s first good impression was growing into respect. Takagi, though he wasn�t used to fight, had showed that he could still hold a sword, and had tried to defend his life and his daughter�s. He was the kind of politician that Saitoh could tolerate.
�I managed to escape for a while,� the older man smiled slyly. �Better not to pressure them too obviously�I did enough with the general impression, I will work one-to-one later in the evening.�
Saitoh smirked. �I thought the same. I have watched our man since the beginning, and though he�s an imbecile, he might notice. I let Okita assume the task for a while, and Nagakura will take the relay afterwards.�
�It seems that we suspect the same person.�
He nodded. They had placed Kido not at the same table as Fujiki, but near him. He had asked Kondo if it were possible to do so, to be answered that Takagi had already had the idea.
�I doubt that we�ll see anything. But attitudes can be as revealing as a suspicious act�they have utterly ignored each other until now. Not even a word or a nod. They can be trying very hard to convince us that there is no link between them. �
�My colleague is a snob, and your underling a peasant�s son. This could explain their lack of interaction.� Takagi stayed silent for a while, before murmuring. �So the mole is still here.�
Saitoh observed him from the corner of his eyes, and saw the untold question and the worry in the official�s voice reflecting in his expression. �Kondo-sama surely told you about our conclusions. Nevertheless, it might be wise to keep your daughter away from Fujiki Sarina. Just in case.�
A disabused smile painted on the patrician�s face. He had already been witness of Saitoh�s bluntness, and the young man had just voiced his fears for him. �So you also think that she can be mixed into this. Unfortunately, I�m afraid that any warning would push Tokio to look for her company, on the contrary. She doesn�t believe in Aiko-san�s guiltiness.�
�She told me, in no ambiguous term, yes.�
Takagi raised a brow. �She was really shaken, today, but I hope that she wasn�t enough to forget that you saved our lives�and that she wasn�t ungrateful.�
The scene of the morning played in his mind, the soft voice and her hand pressing his, and Saitoh thought wiser to let Takagi ignore of his previous, less peaceful encounter with the little witch. �She thanked me,� he just said.
Takagi let out a relieved sigh. �I had no occasion to talk with you about the marriage arrangement, yet. I suspect that my daughter got herself into trouble during your trip? Isami didn�t tell me all the truth, I�m sure. Tokio can be�difficult, and you might have had the impression that she wasn�t a usual young lady.�
That was the least that Saitoh could say. Not that he thought much about usual young ladies, either�and despite her stubborn and willful behavior, he finally wondered if he didn�t prefer that, he reflected, thinking of her attitude facing danger.
�I also know that you are a man of duty, and that you can�t think much of getting married in the current circumstances.�
He nodded. He wouldn�t lie about how he felt about all this, since Takagi was giving the occasion to him.
�Yet, Tokio will be a wife worthy of a samurai. She has her flaws, but she knows where her duty is and will understand yours. She already does, there is no more devoted to our cause than she is.�
�Why are you telling me this?� Saitoh asked, puzzled. Why did he want so much to convince him? It wasn�t like Saitoh had the choice, anyway.
Takagi smiled sadly. �There are other things that I will need to tell you. But later�Ah, I have to leave you: Kojima is here, looking for me. Thank you again, Saitoh-kun. My daughter is everything to me.�
Saitoh watched him reentering the room, with the other official. Shaking away his puzzlement, he followed them. It was time to go back to the spy games.
***
�You can�t be serious,� Miyu said, appalled. �You can�t believe that she was a murderer.�
Nagakura had gone to check on his underlings, and she had appeared in the corridor leading to the dinner room, as he was on his way back. There was nobody around, but he didn�t want any trouble, and taking her hand gently, he led her in the nearest empty one, leaving the shoji opened, to light it a little.
�Miyu-san, we had this conversation already. I don�t like it, but unfortunately, we had proofs that Aiko-san did kill Torimi-san.�
He passed under silence that she had nothing to do with the other murder�and that she might not have committed suicide. They weren�t sure about the last point, both options were possible.
He hadn�t been much at the residence since Satsuma had launched their attacks, yet, the few times he had met Miyu alone, their brief exchanges had been about her trying to convince him of the innocence of her friend.
�Did somebody see her? Did she confess? Did you find the bloody dagger?� she emphasized, her voice getting passionate. �No. Because it wasn�t her.�
�She did have a dagger, and plenty of time to wash it.�
She stomped her feet. �Why don�t you even try?�
It was a childish show of frustration, but her eyes were so desperate that he could only feel compassionate. She was indeed an innocent girl, almost a child, confronted to deception and violence for the first time of her life. She could only think that everybody was as loyal and honest as she was, defending her friend with the certainty to be right. He remembered when he had been like this.
He shook his head. He hated to be the one to destroy her illusions.
�Miyu-san, some people aren�t nice, or good. They give the appearance of it, because it serves their manipulation. They win your trust, and use you. Aiko-san wasn�t that wicked, I hope not, but she was deeply sick.�
�You didn�t know her. I did. She was what she seemed to be. She was nice. Torimi was cruel, and that wouldn�t have surprised me from her. I could even believe that Sarina and Maru could have done something mean�though not murder. Not Aiko. I could even believe that she had attacked Torimi, who was so mean to her, but Reiko? Reiko! She was sweet and Aiko liked her. And Tokio doesn�t believe it either,� she added, as if it was an evidence.
�She shouldn�t encourage you,� he regretted. He wished he could tell her that indeed, Aiko had only killed Torimi, as she seemed to accept this possibility. �Miyu-san, you have to be sensible. I�m sorry that it hurts you, but I can�t change the facts.�
�I thought that you were different. But you�re like all of them,� she spat, turning away. �You want to believe what arranges you, and don�t care about the people you trash in the process.�
He grabbed her arm, and made her turn to him. �This isn�t true,� he said calmly, looking into her eyes.
He knew that she had only reacted under anger, but he didn�t want her to say that about him. He didn�t want her to be angry, less against him. He didn�t want her to see him as more jaded than he was. �I do care. And if there was a way for me to prove that your friend is innocent, if only to make you feel better, I would. But. I. Can�t.�
Her eyes widened, and filled with tears. Against his own will, he caressed her hair, soothingly; she seemed so lost, shaking her head in denial. �I�m sorry,� he added.
She knelt, and he followed her move. She was looking down, and placing her hand on his, she murmured: �I�m sorry, I know you aren�t, it�s just�I�m so angry and sad. If only *I* could do something��
�I know, this is frustrating,� he soothed. She had diverted her anger on him, and that curiously relieved him. She didn�t think badly of him. He was touched by the trust that she had shown towards him, before, and liked to talk with her. She reminded him that some people were pure, and he needed that.
�There must be a way. I know that she�s innocent. I�m trying to remember�I was so shocked when Torimi was killed. I didn�t like her, you know�but I felt so��
He nodded. �A violent murder shocks everybody. And you had just lost a friend.�
�Everybody was crying. I could hear Kana�s shouts, chilling me, she was hysterical, and I could only think of Reiko, and how she was when�and I cried, I cried, I wasn�t aware of anything else, until I heard the weird plaints in Aiko�s room. If only I was sure��
�Sure of what?�
�Now, I think that somebody else was in Aiko�s room, at one point, but I can�t say who or when. And maybe I mistook�because, I didn�t when you interrogated me just afterwards, and because�I know that�s what must have happened. Somebody came in and poisoned her.
Nagakura froze. That was an option, though they had to know the rapidity of action of the poison to start building hypothesis. He remembered Tokio�s testimony; she was talking with her maid, locked in her room with her, and had heard nothing. It might be, indeed, only wishful thinking on Miyu�s part, yet, as Okita always said, one never knew. She could have been too shocked to remind it, at first.
�Miyu-san, did you tell about this to anybody?� he whispered, his voice urging.
She finally lifted her eyes to him. �No. It�s been eating me since two days ago, still I didn�t dare yet. I wanted to talk to Tokio today, but she wasn�t feeling well, after what happened�and I couldn�t see her alone.�
�Listen to me. If anybody asks you, even Tokio-san, you will not say a word about this,� he ordered. �No one.�
�Why��
�Just do as I say. For your own sake, promise me that you won�t tell a soul. I don�t want anything to happen to you.�
Different emotions played on her face during the following minutes. Puzzlement, hope, fear, and another one, soft and grateful one, finally won over. She nodded. �I promise. If I remember anything else, I will tell you, and no one else.�
�Good.� He suddenly realized that he was stroking her hair again, and also that their conversation had lasted a while. He stopped, standing up, awkwardness lingering.
The sound of the exasperated voice of Matsudaira Michiko, in the corridor, made her jump on her feet.
�Take the engawa way,� he ordered in a whisper, while getting out of the room, inside the building.
�Michiko-sama,� he said respectfully, seeing the governess lecturing a red with humiliation Fujiki Sarina.
�Go back to the guest room, Sarina-san,� she uttered, before addressing him, a suspicious light in her eyes. �Captain Nagakura? I was wondering if you had met one of my pupils, Miyu-san or Kana-san?�
He felt like blushing under the hawkish stare, knowing what she insinuated, and feeling slightly guilty. �I regret, but no, Michiko-sama. I had gone outside to�ah, well��
His move to disguise his embarrassment that the �shepherd�, as he had heard Tokio-san call her disdainfully, wouldn�t have failed to notice was a success. She frowned, her delicacy offended. Better that than a scandal, he sighed inwardly.
�They might have left with their fathers, for a moment,� he proposed. �I have seen Kana-san getting out with hers, earlier.�
�Their fathers are all inside, or back. I could find Sarina, the airhead is always forgetting her fan or something else in her room, but not the two others. I know that the incidents aren�t supposed to reproduce, yet I feel better when I can keep an eye on them all.�
�May I help you to look for them?� he proposed, bowing more deeply.
Saitoh was right to say that obsequiousness was the best method with her. She hesitated, and then had a gracious smile, and nodded approvingly. �I would appreciate, thank you very much. I begin to think that my cousin is right: all the Shinsengumi Captains that I get acquainted to are indeed behaving like the finest of our samurai. Let�s have a look at the guest room again, I wouldn�t want to make you lose your time.�
Nagakura decided to forget about the condescending part of the compliment, and hoped that both the girls had come back now. He wanted to tell Saitoh about Miyu�s revelations.
***
The dinner was reaching its end and Saitoh�s observation had given him no hint, except for the stubborn refusal of Fujiki to acknowledge Kido. Shimada�s underling had offered him sake which the official had accepted as if he had from a servant, and the disappointment of the moron had been obvious. He glanced at Okita and Todo, who were talking with Kondo and Takagi, at the table next to his. Then, he checked on Nagakura, who was conversing with Matsudaira Michiko and Tani, at the Daimyo�s table�when he wasn�t observing Kojima Miyu. The second Captain had slipped to him briefly that he had some information, and Saitoh wondered if it had something to do with her. They had been absent from the guest room almost at the same time, and the girl had seemed flustered, when she was back. He hoped that it wasn�t something about a sentimental problem. He had had enough of this with Takeda next to him, and his frowns whenever Tani was discussing pleasantly with Matsudaira Michiko, or smiling to Imada Maru, his table�s neighbors. And he also had had enough with Takagi�s conversation about this damn marriage.
He looked into the official�s direction, his eyes meeting hers again. She had been observing him the whole evening. She keep the contact a while, absently, and was she speculative? There was none of the disdain that she had shown towards him before. He wondered if she was completely over her shock of the morning, this was so unlike what he had seen of her so far. The thought that she might develop the cult of the hero, because of him saving her father, occurred to him. How idiotic, he had done his duty, there had been nothing personal. He should have pointed it when she had thanked him. This was the result of his stupid indulgence, and of women�s soft hearted disposition.
She finally noticed that he had surprised her, and looked away immediately. Todo was talking to her, a moronic smile on his face, another bewitched imbecile to add to her collection. He could hear that Todo was bragging about his accomplishment during the Ikedaya, and listening to him, one could have believed that he had done all on his own. Saitoh snorted. The young man had been the only Captain to end up with a wound, what a title of glory. She had a fake smile, he could say, she didn�t seem impressed more than politeness dictated her to be.
Matsudaira stood up, indicating that he retired, and the guests began to leave after him. Takagi followed the Daimyo after a sign of recognition to Saitoh. That seemed to attract the interest of Kido: Saitoh could feel the man�s glance on him. Hence he went outside before the others and lit a cigarette, settling near the first pond of the garden. He smirked as the underling addressed him.
***
Tokio had seen Saitoh go out, and that man, the sleaze who had criticized Kondo and whom she would have had as much pleasure to see decapitated as the traitor who had planned the assassination of her father had followed him.
She had hoped to have a conversation with Saitoh during the dinner in order to decide whether she should change her opinion on him. The only time when he had left the room, her father had been the one to discuss with him, which prevented her to have a pretext to talk to him later. She couldn�t just sit next to him in public unless her father was with her. She had managed to ask one question or two to Okita-san, without awakening his curiosity, and he had been clear that he appreciated Saitoh, but she didn�t learn much. Moreover, Michiko had watched her closely all the time, preventing her from being free of her moves.
Now was the occasion. Michiko had accompanied her cousin, so had Tokio�s father, and Kojima-san, who was supposed to watch after her, was questioning Miyu on her state of mind. Tokio would see with her friend later since it was also a concern to her, but she wouldn�t have another occasion to meet with Saitoh.
She heard the voices; and she stayed in the shadows, listening carefully.
��preventing this assassination. Kondo-sama can thank you, you did more for the Shinsengumi�s reputation today than he did in months.�
Her stomach knotted at the arrogance of the soldier. How dared he?
�Really. I performed my duty�and Nagakura was with me,� Saitoh answered, noncommittal, but there was a world of understatements in his voice; and a modesty which wasn�t fitting at all what Tokio had witnessed of him so far.
He sounded as if he had had no choice but going to save them. The man, that Kido, had obviously understood like her:
�Ah, we don�t always have the choice, do we? It�s so hard to know whom we can trust.�
�Nagakura-kun is an old companion of Kondo-sama.�
�Indeed. A most faithful follower, who would see wrong were there isn�t��
�Exactly,� Saitoh answered, seemingly bored.
�I can only rejoice that we gained our fame back�the call was close. Next time��
Tokio paled. She remembered the way the man had talked after Reiko�s death. �Sooner than we think�, he had said. And that day, Torimi had been killed. He didn�t make allusions in vain, he actually knew something. She had suspected that a Shinsengumi underling might have been bought to do the dirty work�
�But what if they were the *instigators*? She suspected that Fujiki had something to do with all this, but what if he was only an easy scapegoat, just like Aiko had been? What if the traitor wasn�t at the residence, but in the Shisengumi?
�Yes, sheer luck might change side,� Saitoh approved of, with a knowing smirk.
�And in the meanwhile, it seems that you have won Takagi-sama�s gratefulness�Maybe Kondo-sama will estimate you more, they are old friends.�
�Friends are really important for Kondo-sama, indeed�and I�m unfortunately no childhood friend of his.�
�Yes, some of the Captains owe�a lot, to these old links.�
�Yet, Takagi-sama is also close to other people, who aren�t at the mercy of a change of hierarchy inside our organization��
Kido laughed unpleasantly. �Oh, Saitoh-sama, I really admire the way you think. If I were you, I would look into the direction of Takagi-sama�s direct family��
Saitoh stood up, flicking his cigarette butt away. �I didn�t think the least of this,� he finished, with a grin belying his words.
�Well, Saitoh-sama, I�m glad to see that you didn�t change your mind��
�My mind?� The amber eyes were imperative. �I don�t know what you�re talking about.�
Kido looked behind him and saw Okita and Nagakura exiting the building. Mumbling something, he went away discreetly while Saitoh joined the two other Captains.
Tokio stayed still, frozen to the bone. She was beyond anger and shame but, curiously, she didn�t berate herself anymore for her naivety and endless stupidity, discarding rapidly the sickening idea that she had felt grateful to him and had thanked him. That she had thought�no. She was empty yet she felt stronger. She had been fair. She had given the benefit of the doubt. Yet now she knew, and the so-called honorable actions of Saitoh were just another deception. She wouldn�t be fooled again. The greater shock that she had just received had finally erased her hesitations and indecision of the day. If Saitoh thought that he was going to marry and use her for his personal interest, he was sorely mistaken. And if he thought that the conspirators against Kondo, murderers of her friends, allied of the traitors to Japan, would take over the Shinsengumi, he was even more.
It would happen only over her dead body�or rather, it *wouldn�t* happen, over *theirs*.
To be continued.
Let me be a bit Hiko-ish and pat myself on the shoulder. When I said that the Ikedaya was accessory, that�s what I meant�I�m rather satisfied with that twist, saved from the first version. The conspiracies are always bigger, where will this stop!? My little secret, though not for long now�All is in the dream *winks*
Nagakura and Miyu, OK, I�m ready for being stoned with sugar cubes and candy bars. I know, it�s sooo WAFF, and still you are spared my dears (*hands eyes drops to Firuze who saw the first version* sorry girl)�I have more restraint with Aoshi/Misao finally. *sobs*
I told you that Tokio would get her feisty side back. You find her too paranoid and distrustful? Mmm�maybe she has some reasons to be. Spying is a very bad habit, but is very good for authors because misunderstandings are so easy to create then.
As always thanks to Firuze for her support and comments.
Next chapter: Early messengers precipitate the events. Saitoh falls hard from his expectations. Who is right to trust a woman: Nagakura or Okita? Tokio is in turmoil again, and she has lost a hairpin. The latter sounds innocuous? Not when you know where the hairpin is� (*patting self on the shoulder for cliffhanger*, LOL)
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Irresistible