Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way, Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing the characters for a while.

I've been planning to write a Saito/Tokio fic for long time. I did some historical research and I worked a lot in order to obtain this plot. So, I'm truly happy to finally start posting this.

I'd like to advise you that this is a violent/drama story. It's absolutely not a comedy. Don't say I did not warn you… Also, note that this chapter is only the prologue and that the real story starts in the next one.

One more thing, English is not my first language. In everyday life I speak French. I'm doing my best here, but some mistakes may still be ahead.

On with the first chapter.

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Chapter 1 – Tokio Takagi

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Kyoto, 1867

Kyoto's streets were crowded with people: passers-by, women shopping, men returning home after their workday. To the eyes of a stranger, this could have looked like a normal day in a normal city. But it was not.

The Shinsengumi and the Ishinshishi were now engaged in a final battle, a battle that had cost the lives of many innocents and not-so-innocents peoples. The outcome of this battle was still uncertain but, to many, it was clear that after years of constant fighting the end would soon come.

In that crowd, a woman could be seen. That woman looked quite odd, standing still while everyone was hurrying in order to escape the constant menace of the war. But there she was, judging the situation. A few people took the time to cast a quick glance at her, wondering what a woman alone, with a sword, could do there. To them, she seemed to be quite different from the women they used to see in everyday life.

***

I am the woman in that crowd. I am Tokio Takagi, daughter of Kojuurou Takagi, an Aizu official.

Indeed, I am different. Passers-by have every right to say so. I was never part of the crowd. Always apart, standing still when everyone was moving, moving when everyone was standing still. Unlike most of Kyoto's inhabitants, I do not fear the Ishinshishi or the Miburo: I want to play an active role in their battle.

Now, I am enjoying my last few moments of peace before I officially start my life as a "swordsman". Sensing the pulse of Kyoto, feeling the fear in the eyes of the inhabitants, I am now sure, more than ever, than I made the right choice. I have to be part of the conflict. In order to bring some peace in this trouble country, this all have to come to an end.

Over the past few years, I have regretted not being able to follow my convictions earlier. The convictions I shared with my brother Asaki. Over the past few years, I had missed him dearly. Banned by our father because of their difference of believes, Asaki had to leave the family, change his name and continue living like if he did not had a past.

But now, here he was, coming toward me at the exact meeting time.

"Asaki!"

"Tokio! It's nice to finally see you! Hope you didn't had too much problems on your way from Aizu to Kyoto."

"Some… but here I am now!"

Asaki continued in a now more serious tone.

"How's mom? How did she took this?"

"She still hasn't recovered from father's death. She's just acting like a ghost. A mere image of what she was before. It's been two months and there is still no sign of improvement. When I told her I would leave for Kyoto in order to join you, she only nodded. That proves how affected she is, considering all the fuss she made about your own departure."

"Yes… I wish I could have been there for father's funeral. Even if father and I had different opinions, I still loved him very much and I am truly affected by his death. But, I'm still unwelcome in our family… And you? How do you feel about this?"

"Pretty much the same. But, I feel relieved at the same time. His death permitted me to escape a life I didn't want. And I also feel ashamed of the fact that I feel relieved."

"Life wasn't easy for you after I left…"

"No, it wasn't. Since then, I have been considered their only child. Everything changed in the way father and mother raised me. Also, they didn't trust me anymore. They had learned their lesson with you and didn't want to repeat what were, to them, mistakes."

"I supposed that you had to give up hanging around in dojos, fighting and behaving mostly like a tomboy."

"You're quite right," I said, with a sad smile. "I suddenly had to become the perfect traditional Japanese daughter. Wearing kimonos, learning all there is to learn about tea ceremony…"

"I suppose that they did not succeed…"

"On the surface, they did. They even manage to engage me to the son of one of the other Aizu's officials. Some people would even have said that I looked refined. But, deep inside, I didn't change. No matter how much they had tried to fundamentally change me, to mold me in something I was not, they could never have succeeded. "

"So, here you are with me in Kyoto… hope your fiancé was not to heartbroken…"

"I don't know. I didn't tell him I was going to leave." I said with a sadistic smile.

As we were approaching a private house, Asaki stopped walking and announced.

"Wait here for a while. I have to talk to the man living there. Be discrete, I don't want him to see you…"

"Of course," I said while I watched Asaki going away.

Two years had passed since I had last seen him. Two hard years. Asaki had always been more than a brother to me. He was a model. My parents had tried to erase the influence he had on me, but for that, it would take more than promises of a life among the high society… No one could stop the fire burning in me…

"Let me go!"

I suddenly stopped daydreaming to look around. A quarrel was taking place near by. Some Miburo were engaged in a fight with a young man.

I watched the members of the Shinsengumi encircling him, trapping him, slicing him, taking his life away. In less than a minute, it was over. The fight was over and the man's life was over.

I had felt the urge to stop them. My desire to fight was so strong and that scene had looked so unfair. Many against one… The man had been pleading and begging for his life. But, I couldn't have done anything for the poor man. Not now. Not until tomorrow.

The Shinsengumi… Today, still a force supposed to protect me, tomorrow the enemy.

Last month, after the death of my father, I had decided that I would join Asaki and the Ishishishi in their attempt to bring a new era. An era of peace. An era where everyone would equally stand and would equally be judged.

I went against my father's wish and my mother's begging to finally achieve what I had always wanted to do. I did not felt that I had betrayed my family's interest: to me, no interest could be held in helping the Shogunate and the reign it had impose to this country. [1]

Of course, I did not thought that this could be easily done. I would have to fight and be strong. But to live accordingly to my beliefs, nothing was impossible. Nothing.

Feeling that I was being observed, I focused on the presence in my back. Yes, someone had been watching me for a while. Someone was looking at me, studying me carefully, trying to read my thoughts. I turned around to face the stranger and my eyes met a pair of cold amber ones… Our gazes remained locked. I felt very troubled by those eyes looking at me, those eyes observing me, those eyes searching in my soul.

Time seemed to stop until a voice called out.

"Saito-san! We can go now."

"Sure Okita." answered the man. He cast me a last glance, accompanied by a small smirk. That done, the man slowly went away, following the one named Okita. I had the feeling that this would not be our last meeting.

Small cold amber eyes, sharp features, tall and powerful man. And most of all: a light blue haori showing clearly that he was a Miburo.

Saitou, Okita… I recalled their names. They seemed strangely familiar…

But more than names, I recalled the force of that man, Saitou. He had a strange power on me. Under his gaze, I could not move, I could practically hardly breathe. I felt that this man was dangerous but I did not felt fear. I felt fascination...

A hand on my arm disrupted my thoughts. I quickly turned around, reaching for my sword, getting ready to face whoever it was.

"Tokio! It's only me, Asaki … I thought you said that mom and dad had finally show you some manners over the last two years!"

"Sorry… I wasn't paying attention." I answered.

"I can see that!" Answered Asaki. He continued on a more serious tone " The man I went to see is in charge of the recruitment for the Chosu clan. Tomorrow, you will go see him. Remember the location of this house."

"Okay."

"Did you manage to maintain your fighting skills during those two years?"

"Yes… I think so… But, I think more training could only do me good."

"Maybe. But if your fighting skills did not deteriorate, you should not worry too much about this. I had no problems getting through my first fights… Right now, just as you arrived in Kyoto, you should more concentrate on not blowing your cover: you have to be careful. As soon as you get dress, we are supposed to be the Nakane's brothers… "

"Asaki and Takeru Nakane… I know…"

"Before you can come and join me in the headquarters, I took a room for you in a small inn near by. You can almost see it from where we are… There, you see?"

"Yes."

"I will now leave you. Hope to see you soon in the headquarters." Said Asaki as I thought that, next time we would see each other, my life would be totally different…

Asaki took a few steps forward, but suddenly stopped to address me a last comment.

"You should be more careful about where you set your feet. Once you become an Ishinshishi, you should avoid the captains of the 1st and 3rd troops of the Shinsengumi. They will not always be as gentle as they were this afternoon…"

To be continued

General comments

In this chapter, Tokio sees the Bakumatsu through her brother's eyes. In the past, he had a strong influence on her and her ideas are mostly his.

Again, note that this is only the prologue, so there is not much action in this chapter. I thought that it was important to clearly set the background of the story before the action actually starts. And next chapter will be longer.

Notes

[1] The district of Aizu was the sponsor of the Shinsengumi and Tokio's father was one of Aizu's official. It would then have been very unlikely that Tokio's parents supported the Ishinshishi and not the Shinsengumi.

À la prochaine!

Mary-Ann