Falling
by L. Sith
Author's
Note: Thanks for all the comments - they are a great encouragement to
me. I started writing this story because I am having trouble with 'The
Nature of Evil', and someone suggested that I write something I would
never normally write; in this case: romance. I am still not sure I can
pull it off. So any comments and criticisms, on any topic, will be
greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: RK, and all characters thereof, belong to their perspective
owners. This is not for profit.
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Chapter 2: Confusion In the Darkness
Saitoh
stayed by the exit of the overly ornate room and scrutinized every
partygoer that approached the area. From across the room, he could feel
Hijikata's eyes on him. Too bad he couldn't distract Hijikata enough to
escape the mixer entirely, but at least, Saitoh got away with not
showing up in his uniform again - the blue and white Shinsengumi
surcoat attracted bloodsuckers like a beacon.
Upon spotting the
first unattached female heading his way, Saitoh grabbed her elbow and
firmly steered her out of the room. He could see Hijikata watching him
out of the corner of his eye, but Hijikata seemed satisfied with
Saitoh's overt display of a lady companion.
"Do I know you?" A female voice brought Saitoh's attention back to the
woman he had just abducted.
"No, so get lost." Saitoh dropped her arm.
And
with a look of confusion, the woman scampered away and headed back to
the party alone. Saitoh could safely leave this place now, but he would
probably have to answer endless questions about his 'lady companion'
for rest of the night. Better to reappear at the mixer periodically.
So
instead, Saitoh headed for his secluded corner of the garden. However,
the girl from last night had already claimed the grass covered site and
showed no intention of relinquishing it. How dared she encroach on his
territory! Saitoh walked up and almost physically tossed her out before
realizing that she didn't seem aware of his presence.
No wonder Takeda picked her. All the faster prey had already run off.
And
for the next several minutes, Saitoh leaned against the tall wooden
wall, and watched Tokio peel petals off a flower under the hazy
moonlight. If the silly girl couldn't defend herself, she should at
least learn to stay with the pack. "It's dark out here and you are all
alone. I could kill you right now and no one would ever know."
Her
head whipped in his direction and her lips parted as if to scream. He
quickly stepped behind her and clamped his hand over her mouth before
any sound could escape.
"Don't scream." He ordered.
And after sensing a slight nod of her head, he released his hold on her.
She immediately screamed. Very loudly.
Which brought several squads of Shinsengumi charging to their position.
"What happened?" Hijikata asked, looking furious.
Saitoh sighed and tilted his head in Tokio's direction. "Reflex."
But
the explanation didn't placate Hijikata, and Saitoh received a silent
dress down from his commanding officer, with a wordless promise of a
more verbal reprimand later.
"It is dark out here, we must be
careful not to sneak up on others." Hijikata said. And with one more
displeased look towards Saitoh, Hijikata finally led the crowd away.
And hiding amongst the throng of people, was that stupid servant girl.
"You." Saitoh grabbed Tokio's wrist. "STAY."
Tokio struggled against his hold. "I got to go. I hear my lady calling
me."
Saitoh
tightened his grip, and kept on tightening it, until she stopped
fighting him. And before she could be tempted to revert to her old
trick, he said, "Don't bother screaming. You've cried wolf for the last
time, no one will help you now."
And to bolster his point, the last straggler passed out of sight,
leaving only the two of them in the darkness.
Tokio
smiled up at him weakly. "I ... I ... I was ... only following your
advise from yesterday. Scream loudly, you said ..."
Normally,
at this point, Saitoh would have held his opponent by the throat,
several inches off the ground, until his adversary yielded. But against
a helpless woman half his size, Hijikata might consider that excessive
force. So Saitoh had to content himself with using the girl's arm to
back her against the wooden wall that surrounded the estate.
But to reinforce his words, Saitoh leaned forward and snarled in her
ear. "I WILL BE OBEYED!"
"Over
my dead body!" Tokio pushed against him with her free hand. And when
that failed to move him, she brought her leg up and attempted to knee
him.
The attack caught Saitoh completely by surprise. He
sidestepped and her strike missed. But in the process, she somehow
broke free of his hold.
The little kitten had teeth after all.
Saitoh
reached out and grabbed Tokio's ponytail as she tried to flee from him.
That jerked her off her feet, and she hit the ground with so much
force, he momentarily feared for her life. But even that did not stop
her. She started pulling at her own hair, as if trying to separate them
from her head.
Saitoh let go. "What's the matter with you?"
"Leave me alone!" She yelled and tried to climb to her feet, but then
fell back down again.
Damn.
Saitoh rushed to her side. He should have held back more. The girl had
probably never learned how to fall properly. He could have just caused
serious injury. Saitoh pulled open the bottom flaps of her kimono, and
with slight pressure, checked on her ankle joint and her leg bones.
She immediately tried to kick him. And missed.
"Stop." Saitoh grabbed her other leg and started examining it. "You are
really going to hurt yourself."
"Go. To. Hell. You and your friend both. Is coercion the only way you
can get women to bed you?"
Fighting words. The girl had spunk. She certainly turned out to be full
of surprises. "Are you questioning my honor?"
Wise
enough not to answer, Tokio proceeded to crawl away on her elbows
instead. And this time, he let her go. She inched along for several
minutes before collapsing on the grass.
Saitoh lit a cigarette and waited. At the rate Tokio was moving, she
should reach the front door in about six months.
"Holler
for help when you come to your senses and decide to go somewhere." He
called down to her, sounding mockingly solicitous.
Tokio shot him a dirty look. He smirked.
And
perhaps realizing some truth in his words, she gave up trying to
slither across the grass on her belly and attempted to stand up. She
managed to climb all the way to her feet. But upon taking her first
step, she stumbled and started pitching forward.
For a moment,
Saitoh entertained the thought of watching her fall flat on her face,
but he caught her across the waist before she could hit the ground. If
the girl sustained any more damage, he'd never hear the end of it from
Hijikata. "Don't try my patience. Let me help you."
Taking her
silence as a sign of submission, Saitoh readjusted his arm around her
and propped her up. And together, they took several steps forward.
Saitoh could feel Tokio increasingly favoring her left leg, but she
complained of no pain - perhaps too proud to do so. But knowing that
she would probably worsen her injury if left to her own devices, Saitoh
accompanied her all the way to the front steps of the residence and
stayed until he finished his cigarette.
He grounded out the embers under his sandal. "Go and see a doctor about
your leg tonight. You may have an internal injury."
Tokio nodded then said tentatively, "Thank you."
And
with his duty sufficiently fulfilled, Saitoh promptly ignored her and
headed back to rejoin the Shinsengumi. However, on his way home, the
thought of Tokio resurfaced, and he made a mental note to check up on
her tomorrow - just in case the silly fool had failed to carry out his
orders properly.
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Next Chapter: Laws of Physics
Author's
Notes: I want to especially thank the following people for their
comments: Kyaa-Kyaff, Silver, Jade Goddess, Argentum Draco, RVD,
kamorgana, Leila Winters, mibu no ookami, Celyia, Alyson Metallium,
Mary-Ann, and Jovian Angel
To mibu no ookami: Takeda was
strictly gay? I was hoping that he was bi ... My historical research is
definitely lacking. Thank you very much for the information! I'll try
to work it into the story.
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