Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Life the Saitoh Fujita Way ❯ Waiting For the Message ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: anreg

Author's Note: My thanks to Buffalocatz for the idea to write a short peek at the wolf while he is waiting for a message from Teru-hime about his meeting with Tokio.

With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

Waiting: For the Message

The rice bowl is overflowing with spent cigarette butts. I am puzzled by the fact that it did so in such a short time; I can't be smoking more than usual. I will either have to empty it again, or start using another bowl to discard the remnants of my habit.

Inhaling another dose of the soothing substance, my thought process halts, as I realize that this rice bowl has filled more quickly than usual for the past three days, not just today.

Three days and still no word from that annoying sister of Katamori's. An appointment with Tokio could have been arranged in a matter of minutes or hours, not days.

I hear footsteps heading toward my door, and before my visitor has time to knock, I am standing at the open shoji. He merely bows to me, telling me that he has a message for me as he hands me an envelope. I recognize the seal; it's about time.

I stifle the urge to rip the paper open, and choose a more restrained technique to access the note that should be inside. The sharp blade of my tanto makes short work of the task, leaving a neatly cut opening that exposes the contents.

Saitoh-sama

I am sorry that it took me so long to contact you, but Takagi-san is a very busy woman. Not only does she have a full schedule, but she is often away from her home, which can make contacting her very difficult at times.

She still has scheduled appointments with other suitors. Of course, fulfilling those obligations comes before interviewing a potential advisor for me. That is part of the cause for the delay in scheduling your meeting with her.

As I indicated on the day you visited, it is important that she think she is helping me with a project, since I do not know how she would be disposed to meeting with you after what transpired in Tonami. If she knew it was you, who wanted an audience with her, she might very well refuse on grounds that would be quite reasonable, I might add.

Please come to my home at 11 a.m. on the fourth day after today. Takagi-san has agreed to interview a potential candidate for a financial advisor's position at that time. This is only a tentative time and date. If there are changes, I will send you another message, otherwise, if you do not hear from me, please arrive at that time.

Katamori-kun and I look forward to seeing you again. For your sake I hope that will also be the case for Takagi-san.

Matsudaira Teru

Gritting my teeth, not willing to take what she says as the truth, I can feel a disgusting scowl cross over my face. Knowing Teru-sama, she is dragging this process out just to annoy me and to feed her need to seek amusement at the expense of others. Regardless, I have no choice but to wait for her childish game to play itself out. Putting the note back in the envelope, I slip it into my sleeve.

My mood darkens when I feel for the pack of cigarettes that is also in there, only to discover that it is empty. Grabbing my light-weight haori, I slam the shoji to my room open and then close it just as forcefully before I stalk down the hallway and head for the tobacco store that is located a few doors away from the inn. I can't understand why I seem to be going through so many cigarettes these days. It must be the due to the change in climate between Tonami and Tokyo.

Author's Note: Hm. So he thinks he is smoking more in Tokyo than he did in Tonami because of the change in the weather? I would say that the man is in denial, and has a serious case of nervousness over the whole thing!