Any and all feedback, candy/chocolates (I have a sweet tooth for almonds ^-^x), flames, love letters, etc. may be directed to tranquiltwilight@yahoo.com Or if you're bored and have nothing better to do, or wish to debate anything, you may also e-mail me. I'd be more than happy to hear from you guys.

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DISCLAIMERS: Rurouni Kenshin (c) Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump Comics, Shueisha, Fuji TV and Sony Entertainment. All original RK characters here are used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

** Slight spoilers for the Kyoto Saga

WHEN YOU CROSS A CROSSDRESSER WITH *THE* SHE-WOLF
by: Chibi-Chiriko

I sat alone at a table in the center of the restaurant, sipping the steaming tea from my cup. Hundreds of conversations from all around me were but just a light din to my hearing; I wasn't paying attention, I was completely lost in thought.

But I really wasn't thinking of anything at the moment. No faces in my head, no memories at the surface, no coherent words... just a mass of oblivion swirling in my head as I stared blankly, unseeing, at the edge of the table. I knew some of the people sitting at the other tables were probably casting weird looks at me, wondering what I was doing at a restaurant all by myself, sitting at a table for two when I was all alone... I suppose no one had ever considered having tables made specially for people who want to -- who *have* to -- be by themselves.

Just goes to show how much people value company --

-- even the company of an enemy --

... as long as they won't have to sit alone...

I sighed deeply. *I must be one of those people* I thought ruefully, shaking my head. Much as I hated to admit it, I was feeling horribly lonely just sitting by myself, not having anyone to talk to, not having the excuse to ponder on something other than the pathetic bit of my existence that made up my so-called life.

I dimly remembered Chou's offer to accompany me when I told him I'd go out for a nice hot drink earlier. He'd said, "So, d'ya want me to come along?"

I had said no.

If I'd said yes, I needed someone to come along, I didn't want to be alone, no, no, anything but being alone, I'd have turned my weak, vulnerable side to him, and he'd come along *not* because he wanted to (who *would* want to, anyway??) but because he felt sorry for me. That was more than I could handle, and, steeling myself, and my pride, I told him no, I could manage by myself, thank you very much, and I'd be back *real* soon, I swear.

The strong live, the weak die.

Groaning inwardly, I set the cup back down on the table. I wasn't very thirsty, and I didn't like the taste of the tea. It was too stale.

As I was debating whether to bust out of the restaurant and cry into my pillows again (as I had done every night ever since the raccoon girl defeated me), or to stick it out, finish the tea, then maybe stroll around the streets, a gentle little voice broke into my thoughts.

"Excuse me... you're Honjou Kamatari-san, aren't you?"

I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat as I gazed upon the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life. Her long, rippling raven locks framed a smooth, creamy face that emphasized luminous, glowing blue eyes. Dainty, rosy pink lips formed a sweet, angelic smile as those cerulean eyes locked unto mine, sparkling with the grace of life. A loosely fitting purple kimono with a pink floral pattern was snug against her slender frame. She wasn't strikingly sensual, like the male-appeasing beauty of the late Komagata Yumi, yet her loveliness professed something more, something deeper and just as honest as Yumi's, though less suppressive. She looked like an angel, with the face of a child, yet the ways of a fully grown lady.

"Y-Yeah," I managed to say, not taking my eyes off her. "Um... may I help you?" I knew I was blushing, and I could tell the other people could see me red as a tomato, but this girl, God, she was so kind; she didn't even mention it. Well, she was probably used to it -- who *wouldn't* regard her as such?

"May I sit here?" she asked, in that soft, lovely voice of hers. It was a sweet, silvery little voice, like a lute when its strings were plucked, and it had the faintest hint of a melody in it.

"O-Of course," I stammered. Oh, I could just feel the blood rushing through my temples, I was so nervous, and so excited and embarrassed all at the same time.

She smiled as she slipped into the seat across me, and I just stared at her. I knew it was rude of me, but I just *couldn't* help it. Everything about her was just... irresistible. The graceful way she moved, the enchanting fragrance of her perfume, the light shining in her eyes...

"I'm Fujita Tokio," she said, meeting my wide-eyed stare with her gentle own. "And I'm pleased to meet you, Kamatari-san. Chou-san has been telling me stories about you." Her cheeks colored slightly.

For a moment, the infatuated look on my face must have been replaced with a scowl. *Chou's been talking about me? Damn that fool!* I silently cursed. Fujita... that name was so familiar, though I just couldn't remember where I'd heard it. An image of Saitou Hajime suddenly appeared in my head, complete with
the perfect four bangs and that smug smile on his face, and I tried to force it away. Talk about scary, the way he'd pop in at the most random moments.

"Gee, you don't have to '-san' me, Tokio-san," I assured her, feeling more confident. "I'm really... no one important."

"Then maybe you wouldn't have to '-san' me, too, Kamatari," she retorted lightly. She smiled. "Someone very important is coming to meet you in a little while, and I thought it best if I were to meet you first, to make you more at ease." She flushed, suddenly realizing what she'd said. "Not that I think you need any help from me, of course!" she added quickly. "I just thought... well, you looked a little lonely and I..."

"It's all right!" I exclaimed, feeling even more embarrassed. Geez, and here I was thinking no one would notice. "I appreciate your coming over, I really do. I was just bored, I guess."

She nodded, but didn't speak. I guess she was still a bit embarrassed. I didn't blame her. I was embarrassed, too.

I then noticed that she didn't have anything to eat or drink. I was suddenly ashamed of myself.

"Gomen ne, Tokio," I said suddenly. "I forgot to order something for you, stupid me! What would you like? Don't worry, I'll pay."

This time, she looked a little uncomfortable. "Uh, I appreciate it, Kamatari, but I'd really rather not..."

"Oh, please, I insist. I don't mind at all, besides, you deserve it, and..."

"Hey there." A man suddenly sidled up to Tokio, and slipped his arm around her shoulders. Tokio's posture was suddenly stiff, rigid, and she stared hard at the table, without a word. I felt a flicker of irritation and alarm as I watched the man -- a tall, burly, bearded man -- lean close to her and whisper (in a somewhat seductive way):

"You know, Lovely, I've got the perfect job for you."

That flicker of irritation seemed to burn a little hotter, and I was sure my eyes narrowed at one point. Tokio's eyes were still focused on the table, though I detected anger in their depths. I saw her fists clench, but she said nothing.

The man craned his neck so close to her face that his lips nearly brushed her own, and I thought I saw her tremble. A growing apprehension and a possessive sense of responsibility for the girl rose in me -- I felt a sickening surge of what could be called jealousy as I watched him touch her cheek. She turned away, rejecting the gesture.

"Leave," she said, and her voice was flat and cold. Dangerous.

I shot a matching glare at the man; however, he didn't seem to take the hint. He ran his fingers through her hair -- he seemed to be getting more and more enchanted with her. And I was getting angrier and angrier. I don't know why it got me so heated up, but I just had the strangest feeling that it was wrong, and that
I had the right and responsibility to protect her, which *he* didn't have.

"You heard her -- go!" I said, my voice shaking with fury. I rose from my chair, and forced myself to look the man in the eye.

He seemed amused by my anger. "And who are you, pretty boy, her lover? Yeah, right!" he spat out, the insult hitting me with full force. "You got no right to lie with *this* goddess, kid!"

My cheeks were splotched with crimson, not just from humiliation, but from rage. I was trembling with anger, my whole body. How *dare* he -- I wanted to tear him apart!

And I couldn't say a single thing in defense of myself -- or of her.

Tokio appeared to have decided it was time to take action. She whipped her head around to face the man, eyes blazing. "Leave us!" Her voice rose. This turned the heads of the other people in the restaurant.

The man let out a dry, nasty cackle. "Ah, so she's got some spunk, too!" he roared, and the onlookers bent their heads and began whispering excitedly amongst themselves. I don't think the man even realized the scene he was making.

Then he did something to make my blood boil.

I vaguely heard the restaurant owner begging us to quiet down, and leave the restaurant immediately. But his voice was a mere thread of nothingness compared to the fire that was now raging within me.

Despite Tokio's obvious resistance, the man yanked her from her chair with such force that she stumbled forward against him. He grabbed her chin, and just as he lowered his lips to hers, something inside me snapped, and with a primal cry, I threw myself at him.

He let out an enraged snarl as I tried to free Tokio from his grasp, and flung me against the table. A shock of dizziness and nausea hit me as my head slammed against wood, and I skidded across the floor.

The crowd was talking in heated whispers now, pointing and staring and gasping. I forced myself to stand up, though the world was spinning around me
like a top, and I stumbled before I could balance myself.

With my blurry, distorted vision, I saw the man reach for Tokio. This time, her eyes had changed: they had become the eyes of a person fighting to protect her best interests. The time for gentleness was over, and she struck him across the forehead, then ran to me, and caught me in her arms before I collapsed again.

Her long, slender arms were holding me tight, but I was in no position to enjoy it, still dizzy, still fuming. I felt her body tense up as the man charged toward us, intent on avenging that little bruise on his forehead. With a swift, decisive motion, Tokio shoved me to the floor, then ducked to the ground next to me as a blue-clad figure with a gleaming, naked blade suddenly intercepted the man. I forced myself to sit up, to look on, supported by Tokio's weight, as Saitou Hajime, in the very image and likeness of an avenging wolf, knocked the man out cold with a fierce growl and a slash of his sword.

The world around me swelled into a fusion of colorful dots, and for one quick, stolen moment, I lost consciousness.

The voice of the restaurant owner brought me back, and I blinked wearily as I looked at him. I was still woozy, but my vision was no longer hazy, and I could clearly make out shapes, figures, etc.

"*Please*, you three," he begged Saitou, Tokio and me. "Just get out of here, will you?"



A few minutes later, we were standing outside the restaurant, below a huge tree with big, leafy branches, billowing in the wind.

"Thanks, Hajime-kun," I heard Tokio murmur. I turned to see Saitou reach for her hand, and all of a sudden, everything was clear.

I'd been such an idiot.

Flushing, I turned away and started down the sidewalk. *How could I not have guessed sooner?* I berated myself. Of *course* Saitou was her husband -- that was why he had popped into my head when she introduced herself as Fujita. Fujita Gorou *was* his new name, after all -- I'd just gotten so used to referring to him as *Saitou.*

I sighed. What could possibly be more embarrassing than having messed with the wolf's wife? He'd want my head next, after putting that pervert guy behind bars. And I'd\ be haunted for the rest of my life by another unforgivable mistake...

"Kamatari?"

I turned around to see Tokio and Saitou looking at me. Tokio was smiling and Saitou -- well, he didn't look too pleased, but at least it didn't seem like I was next on his 'Wanted' list.

"Come with us," she went on softly. "There's something my husband wishes to talk to you about."

I gulped, then broke into a sweat.

Saitou's grin was wide and wolfish. "Don't worry -- this won't have *anything* to do with this... unfortunate incident."

I don't know why, but that sure didn't make me feel any better.

O-WA-RI! ^-^x
2/4/00
Modified: 2/5/00

Finally! Do you know how long I've been trying to come up with a fic worthy of Kamatari-chan himself? ^.^ *Not* that I'm so deluded to actually *think* this is good enough for the man, but come on -- it's not really THAT bad, is it? That's really not for me to decide. ^_^;;

I know the ending scene probably wasn't very tight all around. I know Saitou was supposed to have been more *concerned* about what happened to his wife, and Tokio shouldn't have been able to bounce back so quickly after that 'little experience' and all BUT...

First and foremost, this fic is told *strictly* from Kamatari's POV. That means, everything here should be seen from *his* viewpoint and all. How could I have fully explored the Saitou/Tokio interaction from *Kamatari's* point of view? 'Sides, there was a short cut of time when they were booted out of the restaurant. *Anything* could have happened within those few minutes before he started speaking again.

BESIDES, he'd pretty much turned his back during the last scene, and he was thinking all 'bout how embarrassing it all was. Lost in thought like that and turned *away* from them, would he have caught any interaction between wolf and mate? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

As for his not recognizing Tokio at once as Saitou's wife -- well, it's not like he'd've been paying THAT much attention to the whole life story of Saitou during the time they were on opposing forces. I mean, Shishio obviously regarded Saitou as just that -- *Saitou.* So Kama-chan would regard him as 'Saitou', too, and probably not anything else. And he wasn't really involved in getting Saitou out of the way, now, was he? He'd been at the Aoiya the whole time after all, and it's not like Shishio would have gone so far as to assign him a job of spying on Saitou, so as to give him all the man's vital statistics. And even when he'd been defeated, and started hanging out with Chou-kun more, I would assume his mind's been on a lot of things, so it's not like he'd remember anything much Chou said that wasn't about Shishio.

As for the part that goes on and on about his crying into pillows (right before Tokio shows up), I would also assume he'd do that a lot. In the manga/anime, there's a little bit that shows how depressed Kamatari was after the whole Shishio affair, the part where Chou mentioned he wasn't 'healing' so well. I tried to weave that into the story. I imagine he was pretty traumatized by the whole thing -- his one and only love, Shishio, weird as it may sound, died without him seeing, without
his having said goodbye, and he never even got the chance to see him for one last time, to close his eyes. That would be a lot for *anyone* to stomach, *especially* Kamatari, one of those who must've suffered the worst in the hands of defeat, along with Anji and Soujirou and Fuji. Just think along this frame: you dedicate yourself fully to this one man who *never* for once returned your affection, yet you throw yourself wholeheartedly into his scheme, dedicating yourself to being the 'best', though you know you can never be the best. And all of a sudden, it's gone, all gone, everything you lived for, everything you'd've gladly died for
with honor. All your hopes, your dreams, those 'last chances' -- dashed into oblivion. Who *wouldn't* be shaken by that?

As for the character of Tokio... well, Watsuki never really elaborated on the character of this 'she-wolf', so we're all entitled to our opinions of her. Many favor the dark-haired, green-eyed demure Tokio; I was thinking along the lines of a Kaoru-type Tokio (though I'm, well, *not* that big a fan of the tanuki -- I just like her for her face appeal and the way she sings). There's a whole eight-chapter story behind that, but that's a whole 'nother story. ^.^ And I know some of you might be thinking that I portrayed her as some sort of wimp, not fighting back at once and all... well, excuse me! There were *people* in that restaurant, and if Tokio resisted using violence, someone might have been hurt. She was just giving the guy some time to 'cool off' and if not -- well, then she'd have to resort to drastic tactics. Besides, she wasn't all *that* wimpy -- she DID sort-of protect Kama-kun, pushing him to the floor right before Saitou came in and nabbed the bad guy.

Anyway, I guess that's it; geez, talk about a major waste of precious webspace. I'm goin' now -- take care, minna, and God bless! Ja.