Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki-san, and whatever other companies bought the damn thing.  ^_^  Da rou, Battousai?

The sun was setting over the Fujita residence, painting red and gold streaks across a faded blue sky.  The spectacle of the evening radiance was lost on a small figure within the house, though she could see it all, she felt no joy at such a sight.

"Don't cry now, Tokio," she reprimanded herself.  "Be strong!"  Fujita Tokio stood up from the floor and dusted off her kimono, more an act of resolution then an attempt to tidy her clothes.  She pushed back her long black hair and brushed away the tears that had slowly been gathering in her light brown eyes for several weeks.  Dwindling sunlight fell across her path as she crossed from the bedroom into the kitchen, needing an outlet for her frustration and impatience. 

Hajime had been gone for two months now, one of his longest trips to Osaka with the secret police.  Every day she prayed to all the gods and goddesses she could think of, even appealing to some of the Chinese deities for added luck.  Tokio couldn't understand why his absence was bothering her so much; he had been gone for weeks on end before, but there was an added sense of loneliness in the house.  Perhaps because the maid had gone home for the day.

Silly thing really, to have hired a maid, Tokio thought to herself.  Hajime had said it would help her take care of things while he was gone in the big empty house.  She didn't need help; she would rather have her husband back.

But she had known.  She had known that he would be gone often with the Shinsengumi.  She had known that he would be gone often with the police force.  All this she knew, yet she missed him all the more for knowing that it was her fault she was lonely.  She had agreed to wait for him when he had warned her of the implications of being a Shinsengumi wife.  Now, after a shaky peace had been restored and the time of the samurai was past, Tokio had thought she'd see Hajime a little more often.

"It's no use moping, it won't bring him back any quicker," she spoke aloud to the silent house.  Eiji was off somewhere, but would probably return before the sun had completely set.  If not, she didn't worry about his safety, he knew how to take care of himself and what to do should he find trouble.  This left her with not much to do but clean and cook.  The house was fastidiously tidy already, so the only thing she could do now was put herself to work in the kitchen.

Tokio had just finished cooking a pot of rice when she heard a noise from the front of the house.

"Oi, Okami-san, you home?"  A loud male voice rang out and footsteps resounded on the floor.  Tokio set the pot aside and walked to the front door to see who it was. 

A man stood in the doorway, with spiky brown hair and a red bandana around his forehead.  Tokio bowed from the waist and looked up at his tall figure.

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

The man looked down and scratched his unruly hair.  "I was looking for Saitou Hajime," he explained.  "Or Fujita Goro, I guess."

"I'm very sorry, but Hajime isn't here right now.  Should I tell him he had a visitor?"

"Tell him Sagara Sanosuke was here to see him, it's very important that I talk to him."  He looked anxious, his eyes searching around the room as if expecting to see Saitou hiding behind a corner.

Sanosuke?  So this was him?  Tokio nodded, bowing once more.  "He's been away in Osaka for two months, now, Sagara-san.  I expect him home sometime this week."

"Saa, two months?  Then I might as well tell you the news."

"What news?" she inquired.

"A local Yakuza gang has been causing trouble in Tokyo, and several people have already been murdered.  Most of the police force is busy with other matters, and they've said it's not a major problem.  Kenshin was hoping-

"Himura Battousai?" she interrupted quietly.

"Just Himura now.  He was hoping Saitou would be able to help with the Yakuza, since they're getting closer to our town and growing in numbers."

Tokio was silent, a war waging inside of her between her sympathy for the victims and her desire to keep Saitou home.  After a few moments pause, she nodded her head.  "When Hajime returns, I'll make sure to tell him."

Sanosuke smiled and bowed.  "Arigatou."

"You must have come a long way, and I'm sorry Hajime's not home now.  Are you hungry?  I have dinner almost finished," she offered with a motion of her hand to the kitchen.  Sano looked out the door, then back in the direction of Tokio's hand.  Hunger and weariness seemed to give in; he agreed and followed the shorter woman to the kitchen.

They sat down at the low table while Sanosuke told her news from the Himura residence.  Kenshin had apparently taken a wife, Kamiya Kaoru, and they lived at the Kamiya dojo in Tokyo still.  Tokio stayed silent for most of the meal, content just to listen to the younger man's chatter.  After they had finished, Tokio brought out bean mochi and refilled his cup with hot tea.

"So what is Saitou doing in Osaka?"

"What is an ahou like you doing with my wife?" 

Sanosuke jumped in his seat, the teacup falling to the floor and shattering.  Quietly, Tokio bent down to pick up the pieces while Sano stood up quickly and faced the Mibu no okami.

"Y-your wife??"

Saitou Hajime snorted.  "Who did you think she was, ahou, my sister?  What do you want, and why are you here?" 

While Tokio cleared away Sanosuke's old dishes and set out new ones for Saitou, the two men discussed what had been going on in Tokyo while the secret police were away.  Saitou lit a cigarette and said nothing in response to Sano's explanation and the request for assistance from Himura.

"Well?  Will you help?"

"How many Yakuza are active in this group?"

"About 33 that we know of.  Maybe more?  They call themselves the Ichihashinsei."

Saitou looked at his cigarette thoughtfully.  "So many for a Yakuza gang.  And 3 people were murdered?"

"11 injured in a house fire, 3 stabbed with swords."

"What kind of swords?"

Sano shrugged.  "Kenshin can tell you, I didn't see any of the action, or the bodies afterwards.  Does this mean you'll help?"

"Hn.  I can only assign a small squad to this, but it'll be enough for 33 Yakuza if you can't keep things under control in your area."

"Hai.  Kenshin would say thank you if he were here, but I'll thank your wife instead for the dinner."  Tokio bowed with a tray of soba in her hands, smiling as she showed him out the door. 

"Oyasumi, Okami-san!"  Sanosuke called once he was out of the house.  Saitou rolled his eyes and extinguished his cigarette.  Tokio came and sat in front of him, her hands wrapped around a teacup.  She was not drinking, nor was she looking up.

"Tokio?"

"It's good to have you home, Hajime."

He nodded and set his bowl down.  "It was chaos in Osaka."

"Were you injured?"

"Not badly."  Her eyes lifted to meet his; silently she stood up and cleared away the remaining dishes.  He caught her wrist as she was making her way back to the kitchen.  "You don't want me to help with the Yakuza."  It was a statement, not a question.

She kneeled down in front of him.  "I never said that.  I think you should help so that no more lives are wasted."

"But you'd rather someone else went."

Tokio said nothing.  Saitou cupped the side of her face with his rough hand and forced her head up gently to look at him.  "Were things alright at home?"

"Hai."  I missed you…she longed to say.  But she didn't need to.  He could read it in her eyes.  He leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, about to kiss her when a youthful voice interrupted the rare moment of intimacy.

"Tadaimaaaaa!"  Eiji burst into the kitchen with dirt on his face.  "Tokio-san, I-

"Gaki, go wash your face before you come running in here," Saitou said curtly.

"Saitou-san, this is why smoking is bad for you!  It makes you mean and ugly!" 

"Eiji-kun, go wash up if you want something to eat," Tokio instructed him, hiding a smile behind her hand.  Saitou turned to her with his eyebrow raised.

"Something amuses you?"

"No, Hajime, nothing at all…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few hours later, Eiji was in the courtyard, shinai in hand as he faced Saitou and his katana.

"You must be quicker on your diagonal strike if you want to master the Gatotsu," Saitou informed the sweating youth.  "Times may never call for it again, but it is useful in a fight, especially if no one else has passed on the Shinsengumi style."

Eiji sighed and raised his blade once more.  He had just completed the first part of the downward sweep when a huge explosion rocked the house.  Saitou looked up to see the building engulfed in flames.

"Eiji!  Stay outside!"

"But Tokio-san-

"STAY OUTSIDE!" he snapped harshly.  He sped past the boy and into the burning house, crouching low to avoid a roof beam that had fallen across the doorway. 

"Tokio!" he yelled, waiting for an answer.  Coughing emitted from the room to his left, shoving aside a bookcase, he entered the room and spotted his wife lying on the floor, having been knocked off her feet when the explosion occurred.  Seeing Saitou in the doorway, she stood up and got out of the room just as another support beam collapsed.  Saitou held her face to his jacket and they both ran out of the house, into the cool night air where Eiji was waiting.

"Is she okay?" he asked, his solemn eyes wide.  Saitou nodded and set her on the ground, gold eyes blazing like the fire that consumed the Fujita residence.  Someone had deliberately firebombed his house, with his wife still inside.  Leaving Tokio to sit on the stone pavement with Eiji, he leapt onto a portion of the roof that was still intact, making his way to the front of the house.  Pieces of burning debris had fallen to the ground outside, and now people were gathering in the street to watch as his home joined the debris.  Saitou glared at them angrily and ignored their questions.  He found what he was looking for on the front gate; a note buried into the wood by a shuriken.  He snatched it off and returned to the courtyard to lead Tokio and Eiji out into the street. 

"Hajime?"  Tokio looked at him as if waiting for an order.  Eiji was silent as he watched another one of his homes being destroyed.  Saitou showed her the note and watched as her red-rimmed brown eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and fear.

"A wolf can be bought with his loved ones, but no one owns the Ichihashinsei."

To be continued…

A/N:  ^^ Hi minna, it's Trikster again.  This is my latest fic, a type of companion fic to "Iron Hearts…"  I've always wanted to write a Saitou/Tokio fic, so here's the first chapter of many (hopefully) more to come.  It won't be as short as the A/M fic was, and hopefully my writing has improved enough so that it won't end as abruptly as my WK ficlet.  (Rhymes with Chiclet.  ^_^)

Please remember to review, whether you liked the story or not!  And have a good day!