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Preys	By : kamorgana Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 5568 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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
- 18
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Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don�t own Rurouni Kenshin. The characters belong to Watsuki, but the plots, ideas, OCs and text are *mine*.
Preys
Chapter 19: Alpha-male blues

It was early in the evening when Saitoh entered Tokio�s office without knocking, and closed the door behind him.
�Are you ready?�
�I beg your pardon?� she asked, dismayed at his casual attitude.
�Time to leave,� he just said.
�Sagara and Kitaoka are going to assume my protection tonight. Didn�t you hear?�
No, he didn�t. He had gone out just after the briefing, in need of fresh air. He was still investigating Shishio�s past but the lead on Raijuta, which he had got from his informer during lunchtime, had turned into a dead end.
�And how come?�
�Considering your gracious attitude today, Sagara thought that it might be a better choice,� Tokio explained, not sounding as detached as she wanted to.
�He thinks? That�s a scoop.�
�Yes he does. He noticed that we weren�t �getting along�, wanted to spare me some stress, obviously to spare you a chore, and to allow Aoshi, who got no sleep last night, to rest a little,� she answered, managing this time to stay polite.
She had no intention to have the same attitude as him, letting personal resentment interfere with their work, and neither to be the victim of his bad mood when she had nothing to do with it. She was tired of his games. She shouldn�t have entered them in the first place but it wasn�t too late to correct the situation.
�After their moronic behavior of yesterday, they can�t be��
�They *are* good cops and I trust them. And I certainly don�t want to impose on you the burden of my company again,� she finished with an ironic smile.
Saitoh controlled his rising irritation, letting out on the same tone: �That�s very thoughtful of you.�
�Isn�t it? Well, Detective, was it all that you had to tell me?�
�No. I�m��
A knock on the door interrupted him.
�Come in!� she said, ignoring his furious glare.
�Boss, are you ready to go? Ah, Saitoh�.� Sano uttered.
�Yes, I�m ready, Sagara.�
She stood up, putting her cell phone, cigarettes and lighter in her handbag.
�My investigation led to nothing this afternoon. I�ll keep you informed if I get something else,� Saitoh announced, standing up, too.
�Yes, please. See you tomorrow, Detective,� she greeted distantly, before leaving with the two other cops.
He came back to the main room, where Shinomori was alone, finishing classifying his files. Saitoh could feel the frustration hidden behind the cold demeanor.
�Care for a drink, partner?�
***
Saitoh and Aoshi chose a booth in a corner, at Kamiya�s. Both ignored the lame jokes of the waitress and ordered their favorite beverages, respectively warm sake and hot green tea, in a barely polite tone.
They stayed silent for more than an hour. Saitoh smoked and drank, talking only to order more, while Aoshi stared straight in front of him, sipping some of his tea from time to time.
A group of three men entered the pub, getting Saitoh�s attention. Aoshi finally reacted at the glint in his partner�s eyes.
�Internal affairs,� the profiler stated.
�Takeda is there.�
�And?�
�She thinks he�s in charge of Yukishiro�s miss.�
Aoshi could barely contain a bemused grin at the way Saitoh had pronounced the �she�, in spite of his shitty mood. Yet the mention of Takeda was preoccupying.
�How come she didn�t tell us? This can have some implications.�
�She didn�t get the information officially.�
��
�A good friend of hers gave her the tip,� Saitoh went on.
Aoshi stared intently at his partner. He was very surprised that his silence got him to say more. The glaring hostility stinging in his voice was equally strange. He reviewed mentally why, and who could have provoked such a reaction in him. Seeing suddenly the beginning of an explanation, he decided to try his luck.
�Hiko?�
�A buffoon.�
Saitoh gulped the last cup of his sake and asked for another flask. This was the fourth.
Aoshi was frankly entertained now and satisfied to see that his guess had been right, once more. He had hesitated to let Tokio go with Saitoh the previous night, when she was so shocked. He knew that his partner wouldn�t try to hurt her, but she was proud and she would never forgive herself if she let the cop see her being so vulnerable, considering the state of their relationship. In the morning, he thought he had worried for nothing. They had grown closer, as far as Aoshi could tell, and he hadn�t understood Saitoh�s sudden change of attitude in the afternoon. Now he did.
�Not really. Very smart man.�
�Nosy.�
�Protective with his friends.�
�Her safety isn�t his business. Nor these two morons��
�And whose business is this supposed to be?�
Saitoh was getting drunk. He was usually very careful to control his alcohol consumption because he hated to lose grip on his reactions. Yet he wasn�t drunk enough to miss the irony of Shinomori�s question. He was sure that his partner knew, somehow, but he had to establish some boundaries on what could be told explicitly or not. Fortunately, he had a way to. He waited for one of the twins to put his new sake flask on the table, then retorted nonchalantly:
�Do you want a plain answer? Then we could pursue this interesting conversation by discussing the reason why you were so grim today. Worried about some other safety policy decided against your advice?�
Aoshi stiffened, to Saitoh�s delight. No better way to get over one�s frustration than to provoke someone else�s.
�It�s different.�
�Obviously. Yukishiro has more brains than Kitaoka and Sagara combined. To be fair, Sagara�s IQ being in the negative, no one can make up for it.�
�We made a mistake with Yukishiro.�
Saitoh gave Shinomori a sharp glance.
�We thought that his protective behavior toward women would balance his temper, but in the light of last night�s events, we were wrong,� the profiler judged.
�You didn�t voice that, did you?�
�She wouldn�t listen to me. He sees her as an older sister, but she is willing to fulfill the role. She trusts him.�
�The damn woman is more stubborn than a bunch of donkeys,� Saitoh stated. �And as dense.�
�Did it come to your mind that you were not easy to read?�
�That�s the pot calling the kettle black, Shinomori.�
Some laughs coming from Takeda�s table made them turn towards it. Himura Kenshin was bringing them some more beer and food.
�*He* is in a good mood.�
�That means nothing good for the section. You were at the Academy with him?�
�The guy is a snake,� Saitoh spat.
�Not surprising that he made his career in the rats� brigade. His records from the Criminal Department weren�t good.�
�Internal Affairs are a necessity. Corrupted cops have to be punished. Takeda and his alike only are a disgrace. He orients his investigations on what can serve him or his personal likings, when only justice should prevail.�
�So we can expect him to show some particular pugnacity in this investigation. It�s no secret that he took the rejection of his candidature to enter the VCS very badly.�
�The faster we solve this case, the better. Too many things are getting out of control.�
�I really need to profile the partner. Anything new about Raijuta?�
�The information I got today led to a big nothing. And Komagata, if she ever knew anything, is definitely mute. You seemed to be pretty sure to get more yourself?�
�It seems that I can�t expect rapid results by this method. I have another idea, though.�
�Seta.�
�He�s the only one who can know about Shishio�s past.�
�She�s not going there again,� Saitoh warned.
�No, not in the near future anyway.�
�Not ever.�
Some thoughts about bunch of donkeys and black kettles crossed Aoshi�s mind briefly, but Saitoh wasn�t in the mood to appreciate the irony.
�I want to try another approach. Seta was very devoted to Shishio, and utterly loyal. He seems to think that Shishio felt the same loyalty towards him. If I can shatter this belief, he might talk.�
�I thought that you got the authorization to interrogate him only about the new murders? That his shrink refers to the Defense Agency before accepting a visit?�
�That was before. Now, we have a witness who identified Shishio, without the shadow of a doubt. They can�t forbid me to interrogate Seta on him anymore, they have no pretext to.�
�Dream on. They won�t give up that easily.�
�Probably. But now I can obtain an official order and their opposition would be a very bad publicity.�
Saitoh smirked, appreciative of his partner�s manipulative temper, and served himself more sake. They didn�t talk again for a while, the tension accumulating behind the silence. He wondered if the growing impatience he detected in Shinomori was only the result of his own.
�I�ll drive you home,� Aoshi said, eventually.
�I�m in the mood for a walk. And I don�t live near the hospital�I wouldn�t want you to make a long detour,� Saitoh added, his expression turning ironic as he realized why his partner wanted to leave.
Shinomori glared at him, before recovering an impassive face and taking something from his pocket. A business card. He set it on the table, pushing it towards Saitoh, who raised a brow inquiringly.
�Sagara let it fall down in the section�s room this afternoon. It might help you to orient your walk.�
Aoshi stood up and left under the half vexed, half bemused stare of Saitoh.
Finishing his sake, the cop shrugged. If Shinomori wanted to behave like a protective idiot, it was his problem. Saitoh wouldn�t lower himself to that.
***
Leaning on the gate of the park facing the hotel, Saitoh decided for the fifth time in one hour that he was going home. He had. He had gone home, and had spent 4 hours on his couch, smoking cigarette after cigarette. Restless. He had been restless and it was becoming a habit. He hated this. What he hated even more was that he had taken the card even though he had decided not to, and that he had ended up going to the hotel when he had sworn that he wouldn�t.
He didn�t care about her. He had taken the card only to avoid that somebody else found it. Whatever Yukishiro said, her key could have been stolen at Kamiya�s as well. And he had come only because there was a chance that Shishio or his partner showed up there. He was restless because the bastard had escaped him during the pursuit. He didn�t want to miss an opportunity to even the score.
His presence had nothing to do with her. She wanted Sagara to look after her? Perfect. She wanted to end up like Sanjo and the others? Her decision.
He crushed his empty cigarette pack, in an exasperated gesture.
He had never lied to himself. That was good for fools and cowards. And that was exactly what he was trying to do now. Of course, he was there because of her and that was driving him mad.
Damn her.
The depth of his possessiveness towards her was upsetting him. He wasn�t jealous of Hiko, it was obviously over between them and anyway why would he, but the blatant complicity that linked them had unnerved him. He could have stood it if the moron hadn�t proposed to protect her. She was his. She was his to protect. Nobody could but him. Nobody else had the right to.
He just couldn�t bring himself to think straight when it came to her. If he decided to ignore her, like after they had slept together the first time, he couldn�t stop thinking about her, or more exactly he was getting obsessed. He couldn�t try to despise her again, he didn�t believe it himself and it ended up showing up on duty. He could not allow any personal feeling to disturb it anymore. If he stopped rationalizing his reactions�He had done that the night before. He understood now that it was even more dangerous. He knew that she could affect him to some extent, yet his confrontation with Hiko showed him that he had been fooling himself thinking that he dominated the situation. He was trapped.
The realization had infuriated him to no end, at himself for reacting like a moron, at her for shattering his self-control like this, and he had rejected her. The only thing that he had been able to think was that she was a threat to him. That he needed a way out. And so he had behaved like a perfect idiot, not only when they were alone, but during the briefing. Intolerable.
Here came the most upsetting part. After calming down, he had decided to erase the embarrassing incident and to act as if nothing had happened. After all, he wasn�t M. Sociability and she was used to his shows of bad mood. He had thought that a night together would solve the problem. He was confident that he could make her forget about it. He hadn�t been really surprised by her distant attitude. She had let a bit of resentment show. She was annoyingly proud and he had immediately thought that his cold attitude had hurt her. It was fine with him. It meant that he could affect her. Fine, perfect even. He could allow himself not to be in total control of the situation, as long as he was *more* in control than she was.
The problem was that he couldn�t be sure. Was her unnerved behavior due to his hostility interfering in their professional relationship? She had been indifferent in the evening, more than angry, and even though it had been a reflex of pride she had been able to master her reactions. He hadn�t thought that she would put some physical distance between them, either. That wasn�t fine with him at all.
He still desired her like crazy. She was dominative and submissive, sweet and wild, and the explosive cocktail gave him more complete satisfaction than he thought was possible. So complete that it paradoxically created a need for more.
Did she surrender only because she had been vulnerable? Was she able to dismiss what happened after she had regained some control, whereas the need of her was still crawling in his veins?
Stupid.
She had been his, completely his, the previous night. He couldn�t be wrong on that. The soft light in her gray eyes, her needy sighs, her sweet voice pleading, all of her had told that to him. She had asked him to make love to her. His eyes glowed in the dark as he remembered how fully she had given herself to him. Of course her distant attitude had been a reflex of pride. She couldn�t resist him.
She was his to take, thus his to protect.
He had to rectify the situation, and deal with her stupid pride. He�d never apologize, and anyway it was *her* fault, but he�d find a way to mend things. Then she�d admit it. And once he was sure, he wouldn�t be possessive anymore. He�d have certainties again. He�d won, and the need would disappear. How simple.
***
Tokio opened the window of the hotel room. Thank God there was one. She couldn�t have bear to be locked tonight. She had been careful not to make a noise, but she was sure that Sanosuke and Tsunan were sleeping now, anyway. She welcomed the night air although it was already hot and heavy. The rainy season wasn�t far. She checked her cigarette packs. She had three sticks left in the current one, and two others on the nightstand. She had the feeling that it would be barely enough until morning.
She took the first drag of the one she had just lit, trying desperately to get some peace of mind.
She had managed to forget her problems during the nice and friendly evening that they had spent at the hospital with Enishi and Misao. It was the first time that she had been included in the group of the young cops, and their care for her had made her feel fine. Yet now she was alone and thinking of Saitoh.
Again.
And as usual she felt miserable because of him. She was conscious that she was the only one to blame, though. She had thrown herself at him. She had let him see how vulnerable she was. It wasn�t like she didn�t know him, and couldn�t guess the kind of behavior that he had had in the afternoon. It wasn�t like she didn�t know that she had feelings for him, either, and that she was bound to be hurt in the process.
She sighed, exasperated. And now she even stopped to deny it.
She couldn�t believe that she had felt so good, so certain that she could deal with any kind of relationship with him in the morning. What on earth did she expect?
She of course didn�t expect them to grow closer on the personal level, but she thought that they had an understanding. A connection? That was stupid, but she had assumed that at least they could have some complicity on the professional level, like these last days. How ridiculous it sounded when she was trying to put it into words.
She had been so hurt, how could she admit that, so hurt at his cold reaction. How could she allow this? Where was her control? Her pride?
The truth was that she had none. That was why she was in her hotel room, in the dark, unable to find any kind of peace. There was a diffused, unidentified yet growing worry taking over her. She felt alone, and empty, and even though she was absolutely exhausted, she couldn�t sleep.
She didn�t feel like this yesterday. He had made her feel safe and wanted and complete. Nothing else could do, not even the warm friendship and care of the others. She needed him.
Oh, God, how frightening was that. He was impossible, he didn�t care the least about her, and yet she felt like calling him, asking him to come and make her feel good. Asking him to make love to her again. She was pathetic. She had never given herself to anyone the way she had with him, and he rejected her. She had known that he would, still she had. Worse, she wanted to again. Pitiful. She didn�t even have enough self-respect left to pretend otherwise, to find a pretext, to dismiss the importance he had taken. To pretend that any man will do, when he was the only one she needed.
She opened a new pack, wishing she had bought one of his. Wishing to feel the taste of his mouth. Wishing to have his strong arms around her, his hot body pressed to hers, to hear his low voice whispering that she was his�
She didn�t imagine that, did she? He had told that. He had looked at her with these burning amber eyes; he had caressed her and possessed her like she wanted to be. He had felt the way she had. He had lost control, too. She couldn�t be wrong on that. Saitoh wasn�t a man who pretended to feel something he didn�t.
She muttered a desperate curse. She didn�t know what to think anymore. She couldn�t allow him to hurt her further, but she couldn�t bring herself to get away from him.
Maybe she could. After all, she had been able to stay away from him tonight. She had *some* pride left, though there was nothing to brag about. She couldn�t fight her feelings, less her physical attraction to him, but if he went on behaving like a jerk, maybe they�d disappear. She should stop trying to guess his motives and above all, stop to expect anything from him, even as meaningless as professional complicity. It would be easier when the case was over and that she could put herself together. For now she�d just have to cope, the better she could.
She could do that�maybe.
She stubbed her cigarette in a definite gesture. Peeking through the window, she noticed a figure leaning on the gates of the park, down the street. Familiar figure. Lighting a cigarette. The flame of the lighter showed his face for a second. Saitoh. He was there.
She shook her head, refusing to wonder why, to find an answer to the questions or to acknowledge the feelings assaulting her mind.
Stop guessing. Stop expecting. She could do that�maybe not.
***
Tokio had finally managed to fall asleep, and her slumber had been deep enough for her to feel better in the morning. Sano and Tsunan had kindly let her sleep a little more than she should have, so they hurried to the office before having breakfast. They were just a bit late.
None of them could help a movement of surprise as they saw who was there already, nonchalantly smoking at his desk.

�Enishi! Hey man!� Sano smiled.
Tokio frowned, wondering briefly whether Misao was fine. No, this time he would have called to warn them. He had gotten his lesson.
�What are you doing here, partner?�
Enishi stared at Tsunan, then at the others, obviously dismayed. �Kondo sent two blues to replace me this morning, he wants to see me. Isn�t there a meeting with him now?�
�Really?� Saitoh said, stepping in the section room, Aoshi following him. He sent a rapid glance at Tokio, whose perplexity and annoyance were blatant. �It seems that none of us heard about it.�
�No, indeed,� she stated, her voice reflecting her frustration. �He said he�d call back to reschedule the canceled reunion of yesterday morning but as he didn�t, I thought that he realized that an investigation was out of proportion, or that the IA found nothing to justify it.�
Catching Saitoh and Aoshi�s swift, silent exchange, she asked impatiently: �What?�
�I wouldn�t count on some good news if I were you,� Saitoh announced, elliptical.
�We saw Takeda and two of his colleagues yesterday at Kamiya�s, and he seemed particularly self-content,� her friend explained noncommittally.
�Takeda?� Sano exclaimed. �Why would�Wait a minute. Kondo put Takeda in charge of this investigation???�
�Elementary, Dr Watson,� Saitoh groaned, though he didn�t seem, for once, very satisfied at his shot. It sounded more like a habit than like a real attempt at bickering.
Tsunan, unusually, didn�t try to calm his hotheaded friend�s outburst, his voice lowering, and eyes brightening dangerously as he whirled to Tokio. �Is that a bad joke?�
�I�m afraid not. We can�t be sure, but it�s likely that he is.�
�Kondo has probably nothing to do with that decision,� Saitoh reminded. �And the section being his idea, he can�t protest without being accused of favoritism.�
�Come on, Takeda�s resentment is no secret. He could have done something,� Tsunan spat.
�Please, let�s not start arguing with each other,� Tokio interrupted firmly. �We all know that as soon as Kondo hears Enishi�s explanations, this whole matter will be dropped, anyway.�
.�You�re right, boss. You�re just off that case�more or less,� Sano smiled, obviously relieved, addressing Enishi, who seemed lost in his thoughts. Noticing that Tsunan was still preoccupied, too, he added cheeringly: �If Misao were there, she would say: it�ll be alright, let�s forget about it and have breakfast! Think positive!�
Against himself, Enishi let out a little smile at the imitation of the girl�s tone and attitude, and Kitaoka grinned: �Not the part about the food.�
�Yeah, OK, I made that up. Let�s have some coffee. I�m going to the vending machine downstairs to get some sandwiches. Enishi, you come with me, and Tsunan, you get the drinks. For Shinomori, green tea, that�s for sure!�
Aoshi didn�t answer Sano�s teasing, as he had just picked up his ringing phone. �We don�t know yet�don�t worry about it��
Tokio sighed, appreciative of Sano�s efforts. She knew that Misao had asked him to lighten up the atmosphere of the section since she couldn�t do it herself, and he was taking that seriously, though in his outrageous way. Once again, she appreciated the kind diversion he was offering. She wasn�t as sure as she had said, and�
�I wouldn�t be so sure. As you said, it smells bad,� Saitoh mused. She was next to him and he had talk low enough so that only she could hear him.
She turned to him, to stare into his eyes. Yes, she had said that, when he was so cold towards her. This time, he didn�t escape the contact. She couldn�t read his unexpressive face, but he sounded as if�he was offering peace. Not an apology, of course, nobody would ever hear the word �sorry� coming out of Saitoh�s mouth, still, his insistent gaze told her that his choice of words wasn�t innocent.
She sighed inwardly. As long as she wasn�t able to break their strange relationship, she had to accept the way he was. From any other, she would have demanded a formal apology, or at least an explanation, but with him�she had to be content with that. Disturbingly, she was under the impression that it was enough. Like his presence at the hotel had been. She turned her gaze away to answer Tsunan�s question about her drink, before whispering to Saitoh.
�I hope I was wrong, though. Oh, thank you, Kitaoka,� she added louder, accepting gratefully the cup of hot black tea which her subordinate offered her.
As Tsunan turned to pour some black coffee for the others, Saitoh smirked wolfishly. �That�ll be fine with me.�
She smiled, absurdly relieved and�happy? Oh, was she in trouble.
There were more urgent troubles to deal with, though, and she focused on her duty again as, a few minutes after Sano and Enishi got back, Takeda Kanryuusai made his entry, a satisfied expression lighting his lean face.
To be continued�

Author�s notes:

IA stands for Internal Affairs.

Lots of thanks, as usual, to Mara, Firuze and L.Sith (sorry for all the mistakes I had let in this one), for their corrections, support and encouragement! You�re the best!

Next chapter: Tokio can�t imagine what kind of trouble. Dear reader, you surely have an idea.
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