From: Rurichan and Harichan Disclaimer and Ruri's rant at the bottom ^_^ Like a moth to a flame burned by the fire... my love is blind can you see my desire? -- Janet Jackson Chapter 1: Saitou Her name was Takagi Tokio and when I first met her, I wasn’t struck by her beauty, or her delicate looks and refined manners. It was her laughter and her love of children. Inside I saw that she was meant to become a wife, just not mine, but I had wished that she would be. Ah what a dream that could be... But wishing for something like that is wishing for fate to personally come in and mold your life as if it was clay. More like it would be as if a single man could make a wide, fast, wild, river change its course. In other words... it would be impossible. But oh... her smile... her laughter... her eyes when she would watch children as they danced around her. She would laugh and clap her hands as they danced around her waving fans and ribbons. So the single man is my longing, and myself? That wild river. So I simply watched as she danced and laughed hiding myself from her... until she looked directly at me, her mouth open from the laughter, her eyes sparkling, and her hands clapping to the beat of the music... and I knew I was caught. Perhaps a single man can change the course of wild a river... or drown trying... ----------------- Saitou woke up and stared at the beams of the Kamiya ceiling. He numbly stared at nothing trying to chase away her ghostly laughter. “Tokio...” he whispered. He turned his head at the muted whispers at his door. He could hear his deep voice and her high one, both concerned tones. If he was smart enough... he would realize what she meant to him, Saitou thought. Even though he had treasured every minute with Tokio, there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind telling him that one day she may not be there for him. He knew that he was prepared to deal with the fact that she could be used against him. The enemies he made when he was part of the Shinsengumi, his past was not a perfect one, that was a definite yes. But when it happened, he realized that all his preperations had shattered, not one emotional bulwark remained standing. He didn’t know who to turn to, he had torn the house apart and searched all over the village for her, and when he had calmed down, his mind still like a tornado, he knew that one person could help him. He would have to swallow his pride and his old grudge to go to him, but grudges and pride melt away to nothing when Tokio was involved. So he arrived, distraught, mangled, at the Kamiya door, pounding at the door hoping to find the right person on the otherside, and he did. He started at the sound of a soft knock, “Yes?” he asked. The door slid open and Kaoru entered silently, “When you are ready, there is breakfast.” “Thank you.” Saitou said with a sigh. “And no I didn’t make breakfast, Kenshin did.” Kaoru said with a soft smile as she turned and left the room. Saitou stared at the ceiling again, on a normal day, Kaoru’s words would generate some sort of cold response to see her flare up, but not today... Saitou entered the room silently. “Where’s the little brat?” he asked. “Doing chores I hope.” Kaoru said she set down a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of rice, and pickles. “I have a class to teach.” she said to Kenshin as she left the room. Kenshin nodded, “I’ll watch the house.” as soon as the door closed he looked up at Saitou, “I suppose you’ll explain to me one more time.” Saitou sat down before breakfast and nodded. Kenshin remained silent as he sipped his tea. “I...” Saitou had no idea where to start. Yesterday seemed like a blur, from banging on the door to blurting out what had happened to Kaoru’s generosity to let him stay. He had started in the middle last night, leaving Kenshin with questions that went un-answered. “I came home.” he said, “I was given the month off of work, now that I have no major assignments,” he glanced at Kenshin as implying to him. “I came home hoping to see my wife waiting for me. But Eiji had run out of the house telling me that she was missing. That they had knocked him out and taken her! I don’t know who would do this or what motive they have!” he calmed down again. “I just want her back.” he looked up at Kenshin, “You know what its like to lose someone you love.” Kenshin looked at Saitou with shuttered eyes and said, “Yes I do know.” Saitou picked at the fish, it was good and from what Kaoru had said earlier, he suspected that Kenshin did all the meals in the house. He also suspected that Kaoru’s cooking was worse. He just didn’t have the appetite to eat so he put his chopsticks down and went on. “So I came to you.” he said, “The police would go through too much paperwork and they wouldn’t do it as fast as you. Besides I have a feeling that this was done by someone who could outsmart the police. They found Tokio, and they took just her. No one else.” “I see, but you know that this alone can’t get us far. We just can’t go running around Japan searching for her.” Kenshin said. “I know.” Saitou said. “I searched my home but it seems as though they just took her and didn’t take anything else.” Kenshin put his cup down, “You do realize we’ll have to go to your home.” Saitou nodded. “I know.” “I’ll see what I can do.” Kenshin said, “But with little to go on it will be hard. I don’t even know if I’ll be much help.” “You will be help.” Saitou said, “Because I thought of you first.” ---------------- Flames, comments, balatant spelling errors welcome ^_^ Ruri's rant A lot of Saitou fics coming out of the woodwork lately. Yay! I was rewatching some of the kyoto arc (I finally got it back after it floating from friend to friend for months !_!) every 5 minutes Kenshin was in a great pose (Waiii!) but Saitou was great too! And Aoshi and Hiko too! I've been Kenshin deprived. ^^;; anyways, remember the teaser I wrote a while back? It comes back from the dead to be the beginning of this part of chapter 1. Enjoy, its (to paraphrase Miss Led) its a Saitou that we never get to see. Disclaimer: Kenshin isn't mine, but I wish he was! It belongs to Watsuki and Sony and Jump. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- ONElist: your connection to online communities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------