Beforehand:

My Good friend, Sweet Chaos, asked me in her review of "Tsuku Ie" what I thought the meeting between Saito and his wife would be like. So I got to thinking about it and this is what I came up with…

***

"Here we are, Tokio, another day of work."

Sighing, twenty-one year old Tokio looked at her younger sister, then glanced out the window. It looked like rain. The sky was a dark overcast, which only served to darken Tokio's present mood. Frowning, she turned back to the teenager. "Tokei, do you ever wish something more interesting would happen around here?"

"More interesting?" The dark-haired girl tied an apron around her waste, "More interesting in what way?"

"I don't know." Her sister sighed, "Every day we get up and do as we're told. Mother says we need to work here since Father died and I understand why, but I wish something exciting would happen."

"We see new and interesting people everyday. What more could you want?"

"Haven't you ever thought about the future, Tokei?" Tokio tied back her glossy hair, "I don't want to work at this inn forever. Don't you want to get married and have a family? Or travel the country? Or do something more worthwhile than this? Life can't end here, like this."

"It's too bad. As long as we're living like this, with our brothers and sister at home, you and I can't have anything we want. Mama says since we're oldest, it's our responsibility to earn money while she takes care of the children. Times have been tough since the revolution ended last year. We promised Papa we would do this for him and watch after Mama and the others."

Tokio said nothing, just unfolded her own apron and tied it on. I can't stay here forever…She sighed to herself, I would die in a place like this. There's so much to do, so much to see. I want love. I want a life of my own. I want things to change…

"Tokio! Tokei! Where are you? The customers want breakfast!" The manager of the inn called from the front room.

"We'd better go get to work, huh, Oné-san?" Tokei smiled as she left the room, "And cheer up. No one likes a depressed waitress."

"Cheer up…" Tokio grumbled to herself as she followed her sister out the door, "What's to be cheerful about? Dead-end life that goes no where…Boring job…" A smile automatically spread itself across her face as she greeted the morning's guests. "What would you like, Ma'am?"

Throughout the course of the day, Tokio watched as her sister readily went from customer from customer, taking and delivering their orders. The smile never left her face and she never lost her jovial tone of voice. How, she wondered, can she do that all day? How can she remain so happy while working like a dog? Where does she find joy in this?

"Excuse me, Miss?"

"What?" A cool voice dragged her from her reverie and back to reality, "Oh, I'm sorry!" She bowed slightly as an act of apology, then she looked up, her eyes meeting those of the man before her.

Startled, she took a step back. His eyes were so cold and empty. Never before had she looked upon some one who seemed to have no soul. Overcoming her initial fear, she forced herself to look away. The man's wolfish eyes had captured her attention instantly, drawing her gaze away from the rest of his face. He wasn't a particularly attractive man; his features were sharp and angular; his dark hair pulled back in a long ponytail, a few strands falling loose in his face.

He looked dangerous.

Something stirred within Tokio; her heart pounded wildly. This man was everything she had always wanted, she could see it within his eyes. What was he, that he caused her heart to flutter so? He was the excitement her soul had longed for, the yearning for adventure within her spirit.

"Tokio! What are you doing?" Yokubo Tesaguri had appeared in the dinning room. He ran a tight business and Tokio was behaving most incompetently.

"I'm sorry for not acting professionally." Her face flushed red as she bowed before her employer.

"Please forgive her." Tesaguri said briskly to the man. Then to Tokio, "Stop your daydreaming and do your job properly."

"Yes, Tesaguri-san." Another bob of her head and she looked back at the customer. "May I take your order?"

"Plain soba and a cup of ryokucha."

"Yes, Sir. Right away."

The man with the wolf-like eyes watched with interest as both Tokio and Tesaguri moved away. What a strange girl she seemed to be. But she was pretty; long, chestnut brown hair, inky eyes, a nice figure. However, she looked frightened. Her boss seemed to be a real sleaze, the way he was watching her as she walked towards the back. This did not sit well with the traveler; he did not like the way Tesaguri was looking at her at all.

Tokio was in a fog as she wandered back to the kitchen. A strange desire washed over her. That man…That man; she wanted him. He was so dangerous, so ruthless, so...terribly intriguing.

"Oné-san, did you see that man out there?" Tokei questioned in a loud whisper, "He was so frightening. He has the look of a cold-blooded killer."

"That's nice…"

"Tokio, are you listening to me?"

"What? Did you say something, Tokei?"

The teen rolled her eyes. "Yes, I said something. What's wrong with you? You seem really out of it."

"Well, um…I, uh, I've been busy." She stammered, "Now, I've got an order to fill. Sumimasen." A quick bow and she was gone.

Tokei shook her head. Her sister was so bizarre.

*

"Well, Tokio, it's the end of another day. You'd better be getting home to your mother. Your sister already left."

"Yes, Sir, Tesaguri-san." Tokio folded her apron neatly and placed it on a shelf in the back kitchen.

"Are you unhappy, Tokio? You seem unhappy."

The young woman looked at her boss. He was a rich man with a nice family who owned the Hotondo Ie Inn. He was lacking for nothing in his life and well respected in the village. She came from a small home where there was never enough food. Her father had died for the imperialists leaving behind six children and she the oldest. She worked hard so her mother could watch after the little ones, sacrificing her own future for her family. Of course she was unhappy. "There is nothing you can do for me, Tesaguri-san." She said quietly, "I'm going home now. I'll see you in the morning."

"All right then." A brief pause, "One more thing…" He had seen the unnamed man watching him, the man with the eyes of a killer. That kind of guy could cause trouble for some one like him. Tokio had been very interested in that man.

"Yes, Sir?"

"That man with the wolf eyes, I don't want you near him. He seemed quite dangerous. He could hurt one of you girls."

Tokio's dark eyes widened. How could she not be near that man? He was everything her heart yearned for. But, a voice in the back of her mind whispered, you have no clue who he is. He could very well be dangerous as Tesaguri-san says. "…Yes, Sir."

"That's a good girl. I'll walk you home. He may be lurking around outside."

"That's very kind of you, Sir, but I can get home okay alone." She started out the door, but he grabbed her by the hand.

"I don't think you'll be safe." His voice was forceful and rough.

"Let me go, Tesaguri-san." She was frightened by the tone of his voice. She knew nothing good could come of this, but what was she to do? She couldn't risk losing her job.

"I don't think I want to let you go. It's been such a tease having you here. You're such a pretty young thing." He took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I want to go home. Please, Tesaguri-san…"

"You're mine now." He grinned wickedly, "You're in my power. You don't do as I wish and you're out of a job."

"No…No; not that…Please, no…" Her voice was no more than a whisper, her eyes wide.

"Come with me. Come on." He dragged her out the door.

Tokio looked wildly around. What could she do? If she screamed, he wouldn't hesitate to harm her, of this she was certain. What would she do? What would she do?! Panic washed over her. There was nothing she could do! He was about to defile her.

"It would be wise for you to let the girl go."

Tesaguri stopped. That voice…He looked of her shoulder. There was a flash of a match being struck and those wolfish eyes burned out from the darkness.

"She seems a little young for you." He stepped forward, taking a drag on the cigarette pressed between his fingers, "And rather unwilling."

"Stay out of this." Tesaguri snarled.

An amused laugh came from the shadows. "Don't you know who I am, Tesaguri? You were right. I am a dangerous man. Very dangerous to your kind." He flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, "I'm your worst nightmare."

A light rain began to fall. Tokio jerked out of Tesaguri's grasp. She pushed her damp hair out of her eyes and looked up. The stranger had drawn a sword, a sword neither of the other two had previously realized he had in his possession. Enthralled, she watched through the dim moonlight as he crouched, the sword turned on its side.

"I won't hesitate to kill you." He informed the depraved man, "The wolf of Mibu takes pity on no man."

"Don't kill me." Tesaguri begged, realizing the seriousness in the unknown man's voice, "I'll let her go. I'll give you anything. Just don't kill me."

"Never touch that girl again. Never go near her. Never."

"Y-yes…Of course…Don't kill me."

"Get out of here. Go!" He shifted, readjusting his bodyweight.

There was a moment where it seemed like time stopped. Then Tesaguri slunk away and the man slid his sword back into its sheath. "You all right, Miss?"

"Oh, yes." She nodded, "I thank you."

He looked at her curiously, wondering why she was so calm in such a situation. "Why didn't you scream?"

"He's done it before. Touched me, insinuated things, suggested that I allow him to 'care for me.' I needed that job. Had it been any one else, I would have put up a fight. But my job is important to my family since Father died a short time ago. Mother can't work because of the little ones at home."

"I see. You should plan on finding a new job, after what just happened. I suggest you go home now and worry about that tomorrow. I'm not leaving for a while, so he won't try anything more."

"I am in your debt, Sir. May I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Are you really Hajime Saito, the wolf of Mibu?"

"I am."

"You really would have killed him."

"I would have." He nodded in agreement. Hajime Saito was not the kind of man to stand idly by and watch an innocent young woman be taken advantage of. The anger that man had instilled in him was great; he was silently cursing the lecher. "…Then would you have screamed?"

"No. I have seen a dead man before. I am not frightened of death, Saito-san."

"You're not afraid of me either."

"No. There is nothing I have done that would cause me to fear you. My sister is frightened of you. She recognized you as the cold-blooded killer that you are."

"My eyes give it away." He smiled slightly, "Tokio, was it? You should best be on your way home. Your mother will worry."

"Mother won't worry. I know what she will think I am doing. When Father first left, she did it herself to have extra money. I have more pride than that. She can think what she wants. All Mother worries about is having enough to feed her children. She is my father's second wife and not my real mother. The little ones are my half brothers and sister and she loves them far more than Tokei and me. She will be more angry that I need a new job than she will be about my being out late."

"Your sister, she's the other girl who was working in there, wasn't she? Why didn't she wait for you?"

"Tokei likes to go down to the sleazy inn where the men drink and gamble. She gets them to buy her saké and give her money. She's content in a life of decadence where all she has to do is act pretty and men will give her things. As long as she earns money, she doesn't care how she does it."

"You won't lower yourself to that?"

"Never. That is why the job I have is so important." She looked up at the cloudy sky, rain running in rivers down her face, "I'd like to get married and leave this place, to take Tokei away from such a debauched lifestyle, but I cannot. Father was killed during the revolution and I am the oldest. It is my responsibility to provide for the family. I promised my father."

"You're a good woman to sacrifice everything for your family." He said slowly, "But that's not very fair." It seemed sad to him. She had her mind in all the right places, she was intelligent and insightful. She would make a very good wife.

"Fair or not," She looked back at him, her dark eyes glistening through the night, "I can't break a promise to a dead man. For all twenty-one years of my existence, I have done as my father asked. I will not stop now. His last words to me were 'take care of the family' and I intend to do just that."

Twenty-one years…She was younger than he was and already knew the suffering of the world. She would rot away in such a place as the Hotondo Ie Inn with that old pervert leering at her everyday. It was such a waste. "What if some one were to take you away from all of this?"

"There would be no one to work. Only Tokei. And there are four little children at home who need food and clothes. She could not make enough money with out living an even more immoral life."

"Some one who could send money home to your family?" He had a high regard for her; the bravery she had to look Yokubo Tesaguri in the face after the way he treated her was commendable, she was a hard worker, and, on top of all that, she was attractive. She had fallen on hard times and remained innocent through it all. She was a respectable woman.

"No one will come. The man I was to marry died along side Father. I did not love him. I hardly even knew him. Sometimes I am relieved that he died. I was afraid of him. He was a dreadful coward and did not wish to fight. I was promised to him at the time of my birth and I have never cared for the man."

Saito laughed. "Afraid of a man you have known all your life and were to marry, but not of me?" What an intriguing girl she was, to make him think the things that were drifting through his mind right then. He wanted to take her away and hide her from Tesaguri; protect her from her stepmother who didn't seem to give a damn about her.

"I do not fear you." She looked away, her face slightly pink. He wouldn't have been able to see her blush through the darkness, but she was suddenly shy. Then she turned back to him, her gaze meeting his wolf-like eyes. "I do believe that I love you." She whispered.

"Love me?" He peered at her curiously through the rain, "You don't even know me."

"You have shown me what kind of man you are through your actions. You are polite and respectful, introspective, certain in all that you do. And you are not afraid of anything. You live the sort of life I wish for. I want some one in my life who will protect me, yet allow me to make my own choices. You have done so already and, by doing so, captured my heart."

"I've killed many people. And I've done so without a single regret."

This statement caused her heart to pound uncontrollably within her chest. He was such a dangerous man. She was wildly excited just being near him. He was gazing intently down at her, his eyes fixed upon her. The whole situation was dreadfully romantic; he had rescued her from certain doom, they were standing soaking wet in the rain together and he was staring down at her like that.

He was as drawn to her as she was to him. While she looked almost as edgy as earlier, there was an undeniable longing in her inky eyes. A lock of hair, heavy with rain, slid from her loose ponytail and fell into her face. He brushed it back, his hand lingering on her cheek. Many new and unusual emotions were flooding over him; some strong, lusty, sinful desire. He drew her face up to his, his lips meeting hers.

His kiss was passionate and left her breathless. His eyes never left hers and she could see into the depths of his soul. She liked what she saw in him immensely. "Take me away from all of this…" Her voice was low and pleading, "I love you. Rescue me…"

"I will. Take me home with you. We'll work something out." He promised, "I'll talk to your mother. Arrangements could be made that will release you from her. You will have the freedom to do as you please, but I will take care of you."

"I thank you." She smiled softly, "And I will try to be a good wife. I am used to doing as I am told and, unlike Mother, I work very hard. You will not regret this, Saito-san."

A peculiar expression crossed his face and he broke into a smile, his eyes crinkling shut. "If I am going to marry you, you can call me by my first name, Tokio."

"Hajime." She looked up at him, his hair hanging limply around his face, his clothes wet and sticking to him. He was rescuing her from misery and, even then, soaking wet, he couldn't have been more beautiful to her. She slid one small hand into his, feeling a surprising warmth from within him. He smiled down at her and she felt an overwhelming happiness wash over her. "I love you, Hajime." She paused, "Will you love me?"

"Right now, I admire and care for you. I will never stop caring for you. But I've never loved any one before and don't know if I will love you. I'll be forward and tell you that right now. If you change your mind about all of this, I'll understand. I want to help you out and having a wife will be good for me. I'm starting a job with the police and will need some one to look after my home. But I cannot promise that I will love you."

She thought about this for a moment, weighing her options. Stay at home with Mother, Tokei and the children or leave with a man who may or may not love her. Mother didn't care about her, but the children and Tokei…they needed her. On the other hand, Hajime could give her all the things they could not; a home, a taste of the freedom she never knew, the attention no one else offered. He had a job -a good one with the government- a home and the power to protect her from vile men like Tesaguri. On top of all that, he had captured her heart.

"I'm going with you. I love you, even if you will not love me. And I will take care of your home for you. This will benefit us both." She decided, "But you will help my family, won't you?"

"I will send them money. You need not worry about them. Now, it's about time we get out of the rain. Take me to your home."

"All right. Come this way."

His hand still in hers, she lead him back to their small house. Tokei, she knew wouldn't be home for at least another hour. The two youngest children would probably be asleep already, but the other two would still be up. She wasn't sure what Mother would say about Hajime, but she didn't care. She knew the woman would be happy that they would give her money. That was all that mattered to Maro.