Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Life the Saitoh Fujita Way ❯ With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies? ( Chapter 23 )

30 Romances Theme: Library

Author's Notes: This is a chapter for Buffalocatz, a faithful reviewer, who has given me a couple of wonderful suggestions for story topics. She mentioned that it would be fun to see what a meeting between Saitoh, Katamori, and Teru might be like, prior to the wolf seeing Tokio for the first time in three years. Here is my version of a meeting between the three of them!

 

With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

 

Saitoh vs Katamori and Teru

 

“Ah, Hajime-kun, how nice to see you again! It has been a such a long time,” I greet my old friend, as I slap him on the back. “What brings you to Edo?” I really wasn't surprised when one of my assistants announced that we had a guest from Tonami, not after the letter he sent to me a couple of months ago.

 

Katamori is just as much of a moron as he was in the old days. He knows why I am here; there is no need to ask me. “Takagi-san,” I reply, keeping it short and to the point. There is no sense in wasting my time, and the sooner I can get away from this idiot, the better.

 

“Hm. If I had known when you were coming, I could have arranged a meeting between the two of you,” I remark with a smirk. Not that I would have. Things like that are best left to my sister, Teru, to plan.

 

“Not necessary.” I shrug to the former daimyo. I can find her on my own; I have no doubt that I could. But unfortunately, social mores dictate that there should be a `go between' in matters such as the one that I have in mind. Although I think that it is an unnecessary waste of time and energy, I may have to concede the point of having to use an intermediary to represent me.

 

Who am I kidding, I scowl to myself. If I hadn't already conceded it, I wouldn't be here right now, trying to gain Katamori's cooperation. At least his sister doesn't seem to be around today. Thank Kami for small blessings.

 

I have to stifle a laugh. “But it is necessary, Hajime-kun, unless you have had some contact with her recently,” I emphasize to him with a knowing look on my face. If he has had contact with her, which I am sure he hasn't, knowing the way he operates, Takagi-san would have insisted that it be through a third party.

 

The imbecile knows I haven't communicated with her. If I had, I sure wouldn't be here talking to him right now. This is one meeting that I would be happy to skip, if I could.

 

“After all, Teru-sama only said that the girl mentioned you occasionally. Personally, I am surprised she even remembered you at all. And who knows if she would want to see you after what happened back in Tonami.” I tell my wolfish friend.

 

“You, Katamori-kun, of all people, know why I was obligated to marry Yaso,” I retort. He was the one who sent Kurasawa to do the political schmoozing necessary to get me exiled to Tonami, rather than executed along with the others that they were going to make an example of after the Boshin War ended.

 

“No, Saitou-san,” I spit back at him, “You chose that path yourself to satisfy what you thought was repaying a life debt to Kurasawa-san.” Tokio-chan should have been the one you married. I almost say it, but bite my tongue before it slips out.

 

Katamori's last comment doesn't deserve a response. I just deepen the frown that was already crossing my face. Meiji wanted to make examples of anyone, including me, who continued to fight after the losses at Toba-Fushimi. Marrying Shinoda Yaso at Kurasawa's request was a small price to pay for literally keeping my head. Katamori has little understanding of honor and duty. Politicians never do.

 

“I am here to have you arrange a marriage between myself and Takagi-san.”

 

Blunt one, isn't he? He can't even ask me if I am willing to do something like that. He is his same old demanding, arrogant self. “You can't be serious,” I reply, acting surprised, even though I suspected as much after talking to my sister. “What makes you think the girl would agree?” I continue. “You have no idea how many young men have come to me with that same request. So far, she has turned all of them down. Why should it be any different for you?”

 

The desire to smoke that began, as a little nagging craving, seems to have reached a screaming point. It's about time for a cigarette. Reaching into my sleeve, I pull out a pack, retrieve one, and light it in the flame of a nearby lantern after tucking the rest of the pack back into my sleeve. Taking in a long, calming drag, should help me tolerate this idiot's rants. The last thing I want to do is give him any satisfaction for having needled me. “The fact that she turned the others down is reason enough.” I snort back at him.

 

“What is that terrible smell?” I let out, as I pass outside Katamori's library. It seems that my brother is playing host to someone just as I suspected. Curiosity getting the best of me, I slide the shoji open and take a peek.

 

“Sorry, Katamori-kun,” I apologize, “I didn't realize you had company.” Well, that is a bit of a lie. I did hear some commotion among the servants about a Shinsengumi captain calling at the house a short time ago.

 

I can guess who it is, too. My suspicions are confirmed when I notice the tall, lanky man standing beside my brother. He still has those long bangs hiding his eyes. Back in Aizu there were so many times that I was tempted to take a pair of scissors and just cut the things off above his eyebrows. There is really no reason for him to hide those amber eyes of his. Tokio-chan did tell me once that they were the first thing that attracted her attention to him.

 

“Teru-chan,” I address my sister, along with a bow. “I am glad you are here. We were just discussing something, or rather someone, in whom you have an interest.” But she probably knows that already; I am sure that is why she just happened to poke her nose in here in the first place.

 

“Saitoh-sama,” I greet the man, giving him a respectful bow.

 

“Teru-hime,” I reply in kind. How very convenient of you to show up here, right at this particular moment. I hope this cigarette is strong enough to counteract the affect of having to deal with both you and that ahou brother of yours at the same time. Maybe I should ask Katamori to break out some sake; in his letter he did mention us talking about old times over a flask or two.

 

If only she knew he was here. I didn't have the heart to tell my former secretary about the correspondence the man sent to my brother. If she knew about that letter, and then he didn't show up for some reason, it would have broken her heart again. He broke her heart once, already, when he married that gold-digging Shinoda woman. I won't let it happen again.

 

Her feelings for him started to surface in Aizu, shortly after their first meeting, and only deepened while they were both part of the Kurasawa's household. We were so close when she served as my secretary; we still are. There were no secrets between the two of us, then; there still aren't. She tried to hide what she felt for him, but concealing something like that from a wolf of Mibu is like trying to conceal a three-day old fish by putting it in a bucket by the back door.

 

Tokio didn't, and probably still doesn't, realize that the third captain was quite aware of her feelings for him. I could see the little tell-tale signs that he knew what she tried so hard to hide. Men usually give them, and you can spot them, if you know what to look for.

 

I'm sure that the sole reason he contacted my brother is because he remembered how Tokio-chan felt back then, and harbored some feelings of his own regarding her. However, he was a master at masking what was hiding in his heart, never revealing even a hint of interest in her. His feelings for her must have been very strong for him to show up here after so much time has passed.

 

“Hajime-kun is interested in having me broker a marriage to the Takagi girl,” I reveal to my sister, not that she couldn't guess that on her own. Why would the moron show up here, now, if that weren't the case? He sure didn't come to visit us; he never was one for small talk, and I doubt that has changed.

 

No, the man always hated politics and politicians. His place was the battlefield. He was very good at what he did, installing law and order and keeping the peace. The new government needs men like him. Although, I have no idea how he would feel about working for them, especially after almost losing his head to them when the Boshin War ended.

 

I raise my eyebrows, pretending to be surprised by what my brother says, “Oh, so Saitoh-sama is interested in Tokio-chan? I wonder how she will respond to this?” I know full well how she is going to respond to this, but I won't tell him. He put her through almost three years of hell. She turned down some wonderful suitors with only the hope that this amber-eyed man might show up someday, if he managed to untangle himself from that Yaso mess.

 

“She and I do share our memories of Aizu on occasion. I think that she has even mentioned your name a time or two over the last two, I mean, three years,” I emphasize to the former third captain. Three long years with not a word from you! Since you both lived in the same household, you could have at least written, telling her about the Kurasawa's, or how you and Yaso were doing. That would have been reasonable for people who knew each other as well as the two of you did.

 

I can't help but continue, “The two of us have some favorite stories of the time when she served as my secretary. One especially comes to mind. It concerns an incident where she actually managed to bruise a man's ribs,” I recall with a twinkle in my eye. “Imagine that, and her being just a slip of a girl.”

 

Teru-hime is as bad, if not worse than that brother of hers, never missing a chance to poke at me with something. I just keep an even look on my face, as I prepare to smoke my second cigarette; I won't give either of them the chance to see that they are both pushing me to the smoldering point. This should be a simple matter, but dealing with the two of them makes it much more difficult than it should be.

 

“When could you arrange a meeting between Takagi-san and myself?”

 

I look at my brother, only to see him shrug at me. Hm, so he is leaving this to me, is he? “Well, that depends on whether she wants to see you in the first place,” I tell the amber-eyed man. “I don't even know if she will agree to meet with you. For all I know, by now she may have accepted an offer from one of her many suitors,” I lie.

 

“So much time has gone by. Even though she remembers you, and has spoken of you on occasion, that does not necessarily mean that she wants a meeting with you,” I say thoughtfully. “To be blunt, after what happened in Tonami, I would think that Tokio-chan would want to forget that she even met you, much less knew you.”

 

I respect the man's sense of honor, but I agree with my brother, that he took the repayment of what he felt was a `life debt' much too seriously. He is not the only one to blame, either. Surely the Kurasawa's were not so dense, as to miss the fact that Hajime and Tokio had fallen in love, although they never admitted it to each other. For them to insist that he marry Yaso was cruel beyond belief.

 

Clenching my jaw and gritting my teeth, I have to admit to myself that everything that Teru-hime says is true. After three years, and what happened with Yaso, why would Tokio want to see me, much less marry me? I have no doubt about the feelings she harbored for me the day she left for Tokyo. That look on her face revealed far more than any words she spoke to me during the whole time we lived under the same roof. The question is, does she still feel that way now? Three years is along time for feelings to endure with no encouragement.

 

What I feel for Tokio has not diminished. Even before I agreed to stay married to Yaso for three years, I was making plans for my future, and those plans included Tokio. I could not share those things with her, because one never knows what fate will bring, or how it might change the best laid plans.

 

I always intended that my liaison with Yaso would be temporary, but things beyond my control could have intervened to change that, I muse, as I light my third cigarette. The smoke does not seem to be as calming as usual. I did not want to give Tokio false hope. That is why she never knew that the feelings between us were mutual, not just one sided on her part, as she thought.

 

“If you do insist on meeting with my former secretary, I would suggest employing a harmless ruse to make sure that she will not refuse to see you,” I propose to him. “I am sure that I can think of something. Perhaps I could have her help me interview a prospective candidate for an advisor's position.” I do want to find someone to help me keep track of the financial side of things. She might agree to help me with that. Yes, that is a good solution.

 

I do feel bad about tricking Tokio-chan into meeting with him, because it is not really necessary, but I am doing it for her sake. This wolf of hers needs to know that she is someone to truly appreciate. To be the one to finally have her hand in marriage is a special privilege that many young men had hoped to receive over the last three years. Both she and I know why she denied them. The reason is standing here in front of me now smoking this fourth cigarette in less than 30 minutes. Making him think that she may not be interested in him, should teach him not to take her for granted and to appreciate what he will receive.

 

Didn't I hear once that smoking one cigarette after another was a sign of nervousness? Could it be? Well, stranger things have happened, and the usually calm, cool and stoic third captain is only human, even though he may think otherwise.

 

“Saitoh-sama, please let us know where you are staying, and I will send word, telling you when to return here for a meeting with her, if I can manage to arrange one,” I tell the wolf, emphasizing the last few words. “I have no idea how long it will take to set up, but I will do my best to do it quickly.” But not too quickly, because I want you to have time to think and wonder about the outcome of any meeting that you are lucky enough to have with her. Since she has been waiting for you for three years, it is only fitting that you wait for a few days or more before you finally see her again.

 

“Very well,” I snort, removing another cigarette from the pack in my sleeve. “I can see myself out,” I tell the two of them before I turn and stalk out the door.

 

“Suit yourself, Hajime-kun,” it was wonderful to see you, “You and I will have to talk again before you leave town, this time over that flask of sake I promised you in my letter.” I bet you wish that I had served it today, I laugh to myself, as my words hit the back of my retreating friend.

 

I can't get out of here fast enough. Teru-sama will never need a tanto to use as a weapon; her words are more than sufficient to do the job.

 

I will leave the name of the inn where I am staying with one of their servants. Hopefully the person will pass the information on to Teru-sama, but who knows, she may hire people as incompetent, as she is annoying.

 

Unfortunately, I had to endure these idiots to get want I wanted. But it is not too high of a price to pay to have Tokio's hand. Forcing my mind to rid itself of some of their comments about her, I finish the cigarette, flicking it to the ground and grinding it out with the bottom of my sandal.

 

As soon as the former third captain is gone, I turn to Teru-chan and merely send her a smile, which she returns in kind. “Ah, how nice it was to see the wolf again! I don't think that he has changed a bit.” I say with a look of mischief in my eye.