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The Courtship of Lady Tokio

by Misaki Toyodome ::: 17.Apr.2005

Chapter 23 - A Father's Blessing

Koumyouji, late night, 21st January 1865 –

The sounds of the shattered peace grated on Saitou's ears. Even the moon seemed to glare down, as though to accuse them of breaking the sacred silence of the night-fallen snow. If any late night revellers had been passing through the vicinity, they would have been surprised and uneasy to see so many guards, fully armed and armoured, hurrying forth and back around the compound.

He watched from underneath the eaves of the engawa as Tokio directed the clean-up process: the removal of the bodies, the washing of the floors, instructions for whom to do what. She worked with a grim efficiency, soft-spoken as ever, but clearly used to being obeyed. Her feet were still bare in her geta, and he had been lent a clean set of clothes to wear. The remaining intruder had been taken into custody, and was most likely already being subjected to fierce interrogation. The magistrate would arrive in a while to make an official report. Saitou half-closed his eyes lazily as he thought about how he would be called upon soon to talk to him.

The fire set up a few feet away hissed and sparked. For want of something to do with his hands, he rechecked the familiar weight of the sword at his side. The snow was starting to fall more heavily now, and soon, the stains of the corpses would be buried. For all appearances, it would once again be a pristine winter garden by dawn.

As the compound began to recover a semblance of calm, Tokio, satisfied that she had done what she had to do for the time being, walked over to where Saitou was leaning against a pillar. She bowed, smoothed out her yukata and sat down by his feet. She gave a slight shiver, grateful for the warmth of the fire. He could see the snow that had crowned her hair melting – clear drops magnified the light. She glanced up at him once, delighting in the way that the flames threw shadows on his sharp features, and lowered her head again. It seemed an age since the last time they had met.

A servant boy appeared around the corner, carefully carrying a half-filled basin.

"Excuse me, Sir, the hot water you asked for."

The boy placed the basin by Saitou, along with some fresh cloths, bowed, and retreated hastily. In answer to Tokio's questioning look, Saitou snorted and said brusquely,

"Your feet."

Tokio furrowed her brow as she looked down and saw that her feet, indeed, needed to be washed.

"Oh dear. And my yukata too." In the aftermath of that night's events, she had not had time to clean off the blood.

She pursed her lips as she soaked a cloth, drawing her knees up so she could reach her toes. As she carefully wiped away the stains, she looked up at Saitou and caught his eyes lingering on her exposed calf. Blushing, she hastily pulled down the hem of her yukata. Saitou, realising what he had been doing, wrenched his eyes away, concentrating very hard on nothing in particular in the shadows. She ventured another glimpse at him, biting her lower lip in furtive amusement as he glowered at the dark.

"Thank you very much for your consideration," she murmured, his impulsive act of thoughtfulness giving her reason to smile.

"Hmph."

She was washing away a dead man's blood, delicately, deliberately, frowning with distaste. It was unnerving for her to recall how she had nearly slipped in the corridor.

"... How was your trip to Osaka?" Tokio asked as she patted dry her feet with a clean cloth.

"Fruitful." That perfunctory statement would suffice – he decided against telling her that increasing numbers of Choushuu roushi were moving through the region, not after what she had witnessed tonight.

"... You were missed." She sighed almost inaudibly and smiled wistfully. "I am glad to see you back, safe and sound. And also, keeping me safe and sound, it seems." The last phrase was accompanied by a faint chuckle.

She met his gaze as Saitou observed her for a long moment. The lines around his eyes softened slightly as the tacit understanding between them sought affirmation and received it - unfaltering, unwavering, assuring. From his robes, he pulled out the omamori she had given to him on the steps of Kiyomizu. He fingered it languidly, aware that the expression on her face meant she expected him to return it. Then, without saying a word, he put it away again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her blink rapidly a few times, quietly surprised. She lowered her head again, dark hair casting shadows, hiding her smile from his view. Still, he knew she smiled. And had she been looking, she would have seen him smile too.

Instead, she closed her eyes, grateful that the heat of the fire had started to penetrate her chilled bones. Stretching, she raised her arms together above her head, arching her back slightly, and extended her legs towards the flames. Her toes curled as her muscles flexed. The hem of her yukata fluttered with the movement, and the curve of her instep and slender ankles sent a strange spark of emotion across amber eyes. When she reopened her eyes, he was looking into the fire with an amused expression.

"Once again, I owe you my life." She started to speak after a comfortable silence.

"For the fourth or fifth time, at least." He snorted.

"At least," she repeated, bowing her head in acknowledgement.

"... What would you do if I decided to reclaim your debt to me?" Low tones, meant as a jest, but not quite hiding the underlying earnestness.

"... It is a dangerous thing, to save someone's life. You risk enslaving them to you by sheer virtue of the depth of their gratitude." There was the sense of a teasing rebuke in the way she murmured.

"The daughter of the Takagi family, as my slave? Interesting..." He smirked at her condescendingly as the last word lingered in the air.

She raised an eyebrow haughtily.

"The weight of such gratitude would crush you."

"Meaning your life is not to be taken lightly?" Saitou's sharp teeth gleamed as he grinned.

"... That was a terrible joke." Tokio wrinkled her nose.

"Hmph."

Abruptly, he crouched down, sitting on his heels. The fabric of his hakama brushed against her hand. Was there a word to define all the conflicting emotions within her? How could light-headed, loud-hearted thrilling be infused with a sense of calm and completeness? She had to consciously stop herself from brushing back the stray strands of hair that fell about his face – she thought he would object. Strange that he should be thinking the same thing; he had to suppress the urge to fix the loose tresses that framed her features behind the soft, small shell of her ear. It really had been too long since the last time they had met.

Footsteps approached, and Saitou swiftly stood up again, backing away a few paces. Hirosawa turned the corner, calling out,

"There you are, Saitou-kun. The magistrate has arrived. Please, come with me." Saitou nodded and stalked down the corridor. "And Ojou-sama, your father wishes that you rest," Hirosawa added as he followed the taller man, "and also your yukata is stained."

Tokio bowed, and looked on as the men disappeared to attend to their affairs. Left on her own, Tokio, felt a shiver run through her body that had nothing to do with the cold. Kyoto was more treacherous than ever, and more beautiful for the snow.

"Saitou-kun, I really must thank you and Okita-kun for your timely actions tonight. On behalf of all at Koumyouji, let me extend our gratitude for your deeds." Takagi Kojuurou bowed.

"The Shinsengumi are at the service of Aizu." Saitou bowed in reply, noting that he must have said that over ten times already that night.

Kojuurou studied the Shinsengumi captain seated in front of him. Some time had passed since Saitou had been summoned to talk with the magistrate. As a matter of course, Kojuurou had been present while Saitou was giving his testimony of the night.

Okita and he had been passing through the area on their way back to Mibu for the night. They saw signs of suspicious activity. They saw intruders scaling the walls of Koumyouji. They followed, and engaged the enemy. It was only right, according to their duty. The magistrate had been satisfied – after all, it was not the Shinsengumi who were under investigation – and then proceeded to interrogate their captive. The captive was not being cooperative, and Kojuurou had left with Saitou as the beatings began.

No, it was not Saitou's account of events that Kojuurou had misgivings about. That was not the reason why he had asked to speak with him in private. He exhaled slowly and reached for his tea.

"Do you think we are right to suspect Choushuu elements in this affair?" An official topic made an easy, appropriate entry point.

"From what our intelligence reports, they were planning to move against Koumyouji in one way or another. In truth, I would be surprised if it wasn't the Ishin Shishi." Saitou's characteristic dryness belied a slight restiveness at being scrutinised so by the older man. He had guessed at the true purpose of the meeting.

"... In which case, we can assume that their intended target was my Lord."

"Most likely, but it could be they planned to either assassinate or kidnap senior retainers as well, judging by their number and tactics." Enemy tactics – it was a subject Saitou felt comfortable discussing, even in discomfiting situations.

"Could they have done that?" Kojuurou sounded concerned, and justifiably so – Koumyouji was not by any means the least secure location in Kyoto.

"... It took Okita some time to dispatch of them." The inference was that an average swordsman, or even a group of them, would not have caused Okita much bother.

"... Okita Souji, I had heard tell of his skills, but I assumed that people exaggerated. Now I know better." Kojuurou paused. "I am disturbed by thoughts of what might have been if the both of you had not happened by." The tension in the room began to mount from a casual wariness to a dangerous guardedness. Kojuurou, unshaken by the glint in Saitou's eye, continued.. "A most fortunate coincidence, for us." The stress on ‘coincidence' indicated that he might not believe it to be mere chance.

"... Do you doubt us?" Saitou asked bluntly, not one to sidle around a subject.

"A fortunate coincidence, is all that I am saying." Kojuurou's voice was low and steady.

"Do you doubt us?" Saitou asked again, a greater edge to his voice.

Kojuurou did not answer immediately, holding Saitou's challenging stare steadily.

"... No." He stalled for effect. "It is my daughter that you have made me doubt."

And he knew that the something he had sensed between the two was not nothing as he caught it flashing in Saitou's eyes. The true objective of the conversation had been broached. Saitou reflected, he had known that this conversation had to take place sooner or later. Sooner rather than later, as it turned out. The older man took Saitou's silence as a cue to continue.

"After all, the most important figure here is hardly my daughter. And yet, before Matsudaira-kou, or even raising the guards, you came and found her."

"... It just happened to be the first room I came to." The drawl had not left Saitou's voice, and he was not necessarily telling a lie – her room had been the first place he had headed towards.

"What chance it is then, that you should happen upon Tokio's quarters." Kojuurou began to feel the onset of a headache. "How many times now do I owe you my daughter's life?" Saitou had not admitted anything yet, but neither had he denied the insinuations.

"At the same time, Takagi-san, I owe you my life." That was the reason he had taken an interest in her in the first place, Saitou told himself. Saitou looked down on Kojuurou, without meaning to look down at him. He was simply taller than the other man.

"So now we are even." Kojuurou said quietly but firmly.

"... You do her wrong, to doubt her." Saitou had regained what little composure he had let slip. "She has done nothing for you to be ashamed of." Unconventional, certainly, but shame was a harsh word.

"... They say pride is folly, in which case Tokio is my oldest folly." Kojuurou drained his tea. "I have been indulgent with her. I am beginning to regret that I spoiled her too much."

"... She is a capable person, and she tries her best to please you."

"But obviously, pleasing herself is more important." Kojuurou could not keep the bitterness out of his voice completely.

"... She asked once how she could lead an honourable life and be happy also." Saitou's voice sounded unconcerned, but his eyes betrayed him.

"To lead an honourable life is to be happy." Kojuurou replied sharply.

They sat in silence for a while, gauging each other. Around them, the compound had lulled itself back into a tense calm. Kojuurou stood up suddenly, turning his back to Saitou and opening the shoji facing the inner garden. It seemed brighter for the snow.

"You would not make her happy." Kojuurou spoke after a while. He turned around to face Saitou.

"You mean that it would not be honourable." Briefly, Saitou pondered the workings of honour in this case.

"Tokio has been born and bred to the finer things in life. She was brought up to appreciate such things," Kojuurou answered firmly. "And she will marry in her own class."

At that, Saitou did not manage to completely stifle a snort – Saigou Fuminori had come to mind.

"So it is a question of status and birthright." One of the things that Saitou respected about the Shinsengumi was that one was accepted regardless of such things, on the merit of the strength of his character and his sword.

"It is a question of what one would bring to the union." Kojuurou corrected. "Tokio has been blessed, with a good family, a fine education and upbringing, and if I may say so myself, she has charm and beauty. And besides her personal virtues, she also provides a strong connection to Aizu's ruling hierarchy."

"It seems that your daughter has been cursed with blessings." Saitou commented dryly, ignoring the warning look in Kojuurou's eyes.

"A man who makes his living as a Shinsengumi captain would not be suited to her." Saitou Hajime may be a good man, but Kojuurou did not think he was being unfair, to want his daughter to choose someone other than such a wolf. Wolves were dangerous. And many died young – he did not wish for his daughter to be a young widow.

"I see. You regard your daughter as a political pawn." Saitou was crossing the bounds of propriety, but he had never been one to be overly concerned about social etiquette.

"And what would you have to gain from her? An estate of three hundred koku is a tempting reason to seduce a sheltered young girl." Kojuurou said in a low voice, and it was a low blow to a man's dignity.

"Is that what you think, that I would seduce your daughter for a mere three hundred koku?" The scorn in Saitou's voice was scathing.

"And is that what you think, that I want to use my daughter as a political tool?"

Takagi Kojuurou did not flinch in Saitou's glare, and it was Saitou who looked away first. Kojuurou sighed.

"There is only one thing I wish for my children, one thing above all else, and that is peace." He lowered his eyes, and exhaled softly. "... I would give everything for them to live without fear. Not wealth, not power, but peace, above all else."

"... You think that her marriage into a powerful family will protect her from the recent turmoil?" Saitou's eyes glittered in the dim light. "Her family background has certainly not deterred attackers."

"I appreciate what you have done to keep her safe, but that is not enough. It is from the changing times that she will need most protection." Kojuurou looked Saitou in the eye. "If my family's fortune, if Aizu's fortune was to be reversed, who would shield her from the upheaval?"

"She cannot be shielded from the upheaval, she is here, at the heart of it." And it had been Saitou who had hauled her out of it every time.

"But when I bring her back to Edo, it will be better, and she will find a suitable match." Kojuurou said shortly.

As the words sank in, Saitou's eyes clouded over in an otherwise impassive face – it was the only sign he showed of being troubled. Kojuurou relented somewhat, not without sympathy.

"You are a good man. I know this. I would not be speaking with you if I did not think so. But you should understand, Tokio would lose more than she had to gain by marrying below her rank."

"I see." Saitou's expression grew cooler still.

"... I appreciate that you care for her." Kojuurou wondered how it was this strange, gaunt figure had indeed allowed himself to care. He cared more than he would willingly admit, Kojuurou could see. "I hope that you, as I do, only want what is best for her."

‘What was best for her', the phrase struck Saitou as he considered what Kojuurou had to say. Saitou closed his eyes resignedly. How did one measure such things?

"Tokio is destined for greater things. It would be a waste to have her lower her standing."

"... Having gone to so much trouble for her, it stands to reason that I wouldn't want her life wasted."

Having said that, the thought ran through Saitou's mind that surrendering her was possibly the biggest waste of life that could be.

"Ahou ga." He muttered to himself under his breath, and stared into the garden.

Takagi Kojuurou frowned; did he just imagine that Saitou called him ‘Ahou'?

Tokio was waiting in the same place, although she had changed her clothes and was no longer barefoot. She smiled at him as he approached, somewhat tired, but mostly delighted. As Saitou lowered himself to the floor next to her, she nodded her head, and murmured,

"Otsukare-sama desu." She poured the tea that she had prepared. "Your meeting with the magistrate took longer than I expected."

"It wasn't the magistrate that kept me." He reached for his cup. "It was your father."

"... I see." A twinge of anxiety showed in her eyes. He did not look at her.

"... I am to take my leave of you."

"Of course. It is late and you have been working so hard. I will have them saddle a horse to Mibu, or I could arrange a room for you here-"

"I am to take my leave of you," Saitou cut her off, "and not just for tonight."

After a moment, he looked at her. She had paled noticeably, even in the dim light of the fire and snow. Tokio could feel her throat tighten – feeling weak, she tried to close her hand tightly, and found that she could barely close it. She reached out instinctively for Saitou. He took her hand and gripped it firmly. She lacked the strength to squeeze back, it weighed limply in his grasp.

"... Have I displeased you?" She was struggling for calm, and at least her voice did not quaver too much.

"It is not you. And it is not my decision." She resented his self-possession, though his clenched hands proved that he was not as collected as he seemed. "It was your father's decision." She frowned. She too had known that the confrontation was inevitable."... Your father does not think I am worthy of the Takagi family." Saitou smirked bitterly.

Tokio tilted her head, knitting her brow in concentration and concern.

"... But we already knew that would be so," she said quietly. Saitou narrowed his eyes. She added, "We did already know that... Why is it different now?"

Saitou continued to frown at her. She was right. They had already known this, long before. She had never been less than a high-born lady, and he had never been more than a captain of the Shinsengumi.

"... It is different because your father has expressed his explicit wishes."

"It is not different. This was foreseen... I was under the impression that we both understood the consequences..."

She was right. However, Kojuurou's words came to mind, as he thought about how much she had to lose.

"Your position, your life now, what of those?"

"So, it is a question of birthright and status?" She used the same words as he. "One of the things I admire about the Shinsengumi is that a man is judged for the strength of his character and not for the circumstances of his birth."

"... It is not honourable to disobey your father's wishes."

"And it is not honourable to be false to oneself."

Saitou looked at her, trying to reconcile the contradictory perspectives. He knew which was more pleasing to him, but honour often required the harder decision.

"See how you have made my heart beat," she murmured, raising his hand to the side of her neck. Below her skin, he could feel her pulse racing, pounding, it must be hurting her, it beat so hard. Her skin itself, he noted, was extremely soft and inviting to the touch. With an effort, he pulled his hand away.

"Hmph. You shouldn't allow yourself to get upset so easily. Typical woman." He feigned annoyance at her emotional reaction.

"I am so sorry for causing you so much bother," she murmured, smiling. He was regaining his composure, and so was she.

Unexpectedly, he pulled her slightly closer, leaning in towards her, until he could press his forehead against hers. His eyes really were quite, quite beautiful, she reflected as they remained like that for what could have been a few minutes, or could have been a few seconds. No, they both thought, neither of them were willing to let go yet.

After a while, Saitou pulled away, and looked down at her patronisingly.

"You know, I didn't think you were beautiful the first time I saw you." He said it ever so casually.

"... And you are telling me this now, for what reason?" She sniffed, somewhat taken aback, and unsure how to accept the comment."

"It only happened that one time."

Saitou was grinning now, and Tokio felt a keen pang pierce her, the good sort. And at the same time, she thought ruefully that it was unfair, how much power Saitou Hajime seemed to wield over her, over her mind, her heart and her soul. And Saitou Hajime was mentally rebuking himself for nearly yielding, over something that he had foreseen from the very start, and something that he had chosen to disregard from the beginning.

"Tokio, Tokio, who thought it alright to flaunt convention, so long as nobody knows. Well now, somebody knows." Wolfish, was the only way to describe that amused expression on his face. "What will you do?"

"I think I am grown braver now." As she felt the strength return to her limbs, she knew that it was true. "‘No more last words', you made me agree."

Her voice was as soft and clear as it could be. The words carried in the night air, danced in the falling snowflakes, and left patterns in his soul.

As Saitou threw some more logs onto the fire and stoked it, he cursed Tokio for her stubbornness; she had refused to go to her room even as she had been falling asleep. There had been nothing ambiguous about the words "go to your room, don't fall asleep here, you fool" – but if he was forced to be honest, it was true that he did not want her to leave. Still, it would be ridiculous if she caught a cold from sleeping in the corridor.

"Saitou-kun? I thought you had already left?" Kojuurou's voice called out quietly from behind. "…. And you really have some nerve." He spoke with the ire of a father defied as he saw who was curled up at Saitou's side.

"Take it up with your daughter, if you please," Saitou appeared nonplussed, "she was the one who took it upon herself to fall asleep out here. Sheer exhaustion from the excitement tonight," he added by way of explanation.

Kojuurou peered down at his daughter's sleeping face. Her features did seem pinched and worn, even as she rested. Even in his anger, Kojuurou worried that tonight had taken too heavy an emotional toll on his child.

"... Did you take your leave?"

"... I did... She refused."

Kojuurou frowned and bit his lip, obviously displeased.

"... How do you mean, she refused?"

"... I realise that you must be feeling disappointed," Saitou remarked by way of answering. Dismay would be more apt – and Kojuurou could feel his headache returning with magnified strength. "However, she assumed that since she always presumed that she could not count on your blessing, it made very little difference to the actual state of affairs." Saitou stifled a smile at the older man's expense.

"And you. You are willing to engage in such dishonour?"

"... I believe that respect has to be earned. You have earned my respect, Takagi-san," that was true, "and I would like the time to earn yours. You do her wrong to doubt her."

"A child who disobeys her parents is dishonouring her first duty in life." Kojuurou's voice rose harshly.

"For now, Father, I would hope that you trust your instincts that told you that Saitou-sama is a good man." Tokio spoke quietly, opening her eyes slowly from sleep. She pushed herself up, and knelt in front of her father.

"Child, I have enough to deal with as it is, with tonight and the threats against Aizu and our Lord. I do not need you to add to my list of concerns." Tokio bit her lower lip – she had rarely seen her father so angry. Or so worried, for that matter. She quickly lowered her eyes – his gaze filled her with remorse at causing her father distress.

"Saitou-kun, I would appreciate it if you could excuse us now." Kojuurou did not take his eyes off his daughter as he spoke. Recognising that it was not the time to interfere between the father and his daughter, Saitou bowed and silently walked away.

It was almost a meditative exercise as Tokio focused on steady breathing, keeping her head bowed to the ground. It would not do to get excited in this situation – it would only hamper her efforts to calm her father and plead her case.

"... Look at me, Tokio." Kojuurou spoke quietly after the heaviest of silences.

Tokio raised herself obediently.

"I am very disappointed in you." Tokio winced visibly. She had known that this conversation would eventually take place, but still, she hated disappointing him.

"Please, Father, this is my fault, do not hold it against Saitou-sama." After all, she was the one who had written those letters, she was the one who had ruined her engagement, and just there, she was the one who had refused to let him take his leave.

"... What do you have to say, Tokio?"

"... I am sorry."

"Though not sorry enough to agree with my wishes, obviously."

"... I am sorry, but my feelings on this matter are not negotiable." She answered quietly but so firmly.

Kojuurou eyes widened, surprised that she would openly challenge him. Inwardly, he commended her for the strength of her conviction, but it did not change the fact that she was going against his explicit instructions.

"Needless to say, I was hoping that this was just a harmless infatuation, just a sheltered young girl seeking a little excitement."

"I am sure that he would agree if I said it was not." From what he could gather of his previous meeting with Saitou, Kojuurou knew she spoke the truth.

"Tell me then, what future do you imagine for the two of you." His tone increased in severity. It was her future after all that was at stake. "Were you planning to elope with him? To leave behind your family, your position, Aizu, everything that you once held dear to you, and hide someplace where we would not find you?"

"Father, my family are still most dear to me, and Aizu also, and we never made such plans-"

"So, what exactly do you want, Daughter?" Kojuurou cut her off. "Realistically, a future with him, what would that entail? You waiting for him to come home, after a night of killing, and living your life washing blood off his clothes?"

"Saitou-sama is an honourable man-" Tokio interjected, but Kojuurou carried on.

"Or to become a young widow? Is that what you envision? And a poor one at that, and what do you know about being poor? Or vulnerable?"

The image of a red-haired youth with a deadly look arose in her mind's eye, looking down at her, asking what she knew of being poor, of being weak. She shut her eyes, but the image, being as it was inside her, lingered.

"As I said, my feelings are not negotiable."

"... I wish for you to live in peace." Kojuurou sighed, looking regretfully at his daughter's closed eyes. "Peace, above all, and you will hardly have that with Saitou-kun."

"... He is a keeper of the peace. And he is a good man." On this point, she would not surrender. And Kojuurou would not refute it either.

"He is only Shinsengumi. And you are a daughter of Takagi."

This was also irrefutable – the conventions and traditions would not accept them, they would rule that she had abased herself, and she would be expelled from Aizu and her family.

"... What would you have me do, Tokio? I cannot and will not give you my blessing." He would not have it said of his daughter that she had fallen, and forsaken her name.

"It is a cruel world, that I would be facing dishonour for choosing an honourable man..." Tokio looked down to hide the distress in her eyes.

"What would you have me do?" Kojuurou asked again, more quietly.

"All I can ask of you, Father, is to have pity on me. Please. Do not force me to choose another, if I cannot choose him."

"You care about him that much?"

"... It is perhaps the greatest tragedy of my life."

"The tragedy of life is not that hearts are broken, but that some never do."

"... Forgive me if I do not consider it a blessing."

"... I will be returning to Edo as soon as the snow lifts. I mean for you to return with me." He looked away from her.

She narrowed her eyes, her mind working furiously.

"Father, you said that you want me to live in peace. Then, please, do not be so eager to have me marry." She looked up at him. "In this day and age, with the shifting allegiances and power struggles, how can we be sure of what union would be best?"

"But that is precisely why you must marry, to protect you from this upheaval."

"Father, it will be the powerful families who will be affected most by this revolution." It was Kojuurou's turn to wince at the word. "Whether we will it or not, this is what is happening today in Japan. Rebellion, revolution, call it what you wish, but it is civil war. Just think of what happened with the Saigou family. Do you really want to risk that again?"

Kojuurou rubbed at his forehead, trying to massage away the headache.

"That will not happen again."

"But we cannot be sure."

"That is enough, Tokio!" Kojuurou said sternly. Tokio fell silent, and bowed her head again. "That is enough," he repeated again, more calmly. "You will return to Edo, and you will meet with the suitors that I will choose." Her face grew expressionless. He looked at her sadly, gently, and added, "But I will not force you to marry against your will."

Her eyes widened, and she gave a small, grateful smile. Kojuurou sighed and stood up.

"You really care about him that much?"

"He is a good man."

"He is a strange man."

"But he is a good man." She said more firmly.

"... What could he offer you that other men of higher rank could not?"

She did not answer the question, because she did not have the words to explain it. The answer was not a question of class, or not-class, defying all classification beyond just the two of them. It was a matter onlybetween Takagi Tokio and Saitou Hajime, and nobody else. It was a sense of freedom, to be no more than she was and no less. As different as they both were, they understood each other. He knew her, and she recognised him. All these intangible qualities, no words could adequately describe them, so she did not try.

Kojuurou sighed again. He would have wished that she had not known love until after she was safely married. Love would make a marriage happy, but first one had to make a marriage work. As he saw it, love was a by-product of a successful relationship, and not the basis for one. He shook his head, as though he were trying to shake the dull pain in his forehead.

"Now go sleep. Tomorrow will be busy for us all."

With that, Kojuurou walked away, unsure as to what exactly he had agreed to regarding his daughter and Saitou Hajime. He was too tired tonight – he would think on it some more in the morning. And he was grateful that his younger daughter Tami was still too young to be causing him such headaches. Tokio, it seemed, really was his oldest folly.

She found Saitou wandering away from the shed where the prisoner was being interrogated. He saw her, and walked over, scowling.

"Why are you not asleep yet?" It was a cold night, and she should really be resting.

"How was it?" She ignored his question, and led him back inside the building.

"... He's cracking." Saitou snorted. The intruder would confess soon, or he would die.

"I see." Tokio frowned. They would have to employ more guards, and better ones at that, so that there would be no repetition of what happened tonight.

"... And did your father convince you that I am not the most appropriate person for you to be spending time with?" He had been curious and it was preying on his mind.

"My father plans to take me back to Edo," Saitou stiffened. She inclined her head and paused before adding, "though he has agreed that I will not be forced to marry."

Everything was relative, Saitou thought, as he found himself grasping Tokio's shoulders and holding her to him. It was certainly not as though Takagi Kojuurou had given them his blessing (quite the opposite, in fact), but he felt an immense relief when he realised that Tokio's life would not be tied to another man, at least against her will. Pushing her back slightly so he could look at her, he said firmly,

"Then don't marry."

"I promise." She nodded, amused at the insistence in his voice. A year ago, she would never have imagined that he could show such affection for her.

"And write to me from Edo." She laughed at that.

"Surely, there are other ways for me to keep tabs on your movements without bothering you personally?" She teased, recalling a time when he had been bothered by her request.

"Hmph."

She leaned into him again, and murmured,

"... Will you write back?"

"Of course not." Saitou snorted. "What sort of sentimental fool do you take me for?"

She frowned, and was about to retort, but his lips reached hers before the words left her mouth. Acutely aware that they could be discovered at any moment, the thrill grew unbearable for her after a while. Saitou's mouth caught the side of her cheek as she turned her head away abashedly. She whispered into his ear as he did.

"... Is this all we can ever hope for? Stolen moments?" They both wanted so much more.

"Things happen as they should, Tokio." He pressed his forehead to hers.

Things happen as they should, and Saitou would prove himself worthy of her. Even if her family and all others disapproved, he would at least prove himself to her. Peace – all Takagi Kojuurou wanted for his daughter was peace, and that was what he fought for. So much could happen in the space of one night, and yet, at the end of it all, they were still where they started, but stronger now, more determined, and more certain of each other than ever. Takagi Kojuurou, rather than driving a wedge between them, had only succeeded in pushing them closer together.

The wind blew across the drifts of snow in the courtyard. One almost imagined it carried tender whispers through the night.

"Do not marry, Tokio." It could have been the rustling of bare tree branches.

"I will not marry, Hajime." Or the yawning of a cat as it stretched.

"You must promise." A draft blowing ripples over a pond's surface.

"I promise."

The eastern sky had started to lighten before it ceased. Whether it was the whispers had fallen silent or the wind had dropped, was a matter between the whispers and the wind.