The attorney was dismayed to learn that the current firing range simulations didn’t truly approximate the speed that the attackers used yesterday, during the blood bath at the diner. It was hard enough to keep up with what popped up on the screen today. She dreaded what her scores would look like with a motion enhanced version. She knew she had no choice, though. To not practice at the speeds used by the drugged thugs on the street was a sure death sentence for any officer of the law, or prosecuting attorney.
Tokio listened carefully to what the captain said about Commander Wantanabe, happy to learn the identity of another trustworthy individual. Her brother, Mori, told her they were few and far between here in New Meiji. It never hurt to know who you could turn to when the chips were in the gutter. By this time Tokio was confident that any officers in Saitoh’s squadron would be beyond reproach. The prosecutor only barely remembered the woman from the café. She had been so distracted yesterday, not only by what happened inside the building, but also by what happened inside her head.
It was obvious that Captain Saitoh realized yesterday that the hit on the diner was to claim Tokio’s life, he as much as told her that on the way to the armory today. The fact that Wantanabe offered to put a safety plan in place for her, only confirmed it. Tokio was mildly curious as to why Wantanabe would offer to do something for a complete stranger. Perhaps the Captain asked for a volunteer, and she was it. Tokio supposed that keeping DOJ personnel safe was a part of Saitoh’s job description. However, that now familiar little voice in her head reminded her that his warnings to her about wearing her new body armor seemed to come from a more personal concern, than from duty alone.
She wondered if that ‘personal concern’ had anything to do with the wife business he talked about earlier. She also wondered about his intent for the future. He did tell her that he would not ask anything of her, that she wasn’t completely willing to give him, and that his intentions towards her would always be honorable. She pondered his words, knowing that they could hold several different meanings, one being that, past wife or not, he wouldn’t touch her, and he hadn’t, not really. But to her their occasional physical contact seemed a little more than just accidental or platonic. Perhaps she was reading more into it than the situation warranted. She hoped she wasn’t. She hoped that he was showing at least a mild interest in her, because she really did want to get to know him better, regardless of whether it led anywhere or not.
But what *was* she willing to give him; that was the question. At this point did she even know? Not entirely, she answered to herself. Sighing, she realized that, unlike any other, she would not have to worry about him being put in danger because of her job. She dated, but she wasn’t what one would call ‘forward’ with men. But being around him seemed so comfortable, so normal, so right.
A cold knot formed in her stomach as he revealed how her personal information had been compromised by a DOJ employee. She also noted with dismay that he knew about her trial conviction record, something that was supposed to be kept a secret, so she could take this low profile job and not draw any attention to herself. So much for her brother’s brilliant plans to keep his personal spy undercover.
Tokio’s jaw clenched when she learned that the little snitch, who released the sensitive personal information for so many people, got away with it without consequence due to her uncle’s government position. Things like that made the attorney angry, very angry. Her whole career to this point was to make people who did that kind of evil pay the proper price for endangering the lives of innocents.
Her voice took on a hard edge, her grey eyes glinting like steel, as she looked at Saitoh, “I will get her. I don’t care who she is related to. I will find some way to hold her accountable for her actions.” Even if I have to put a hit out on her myself, she thought. Of course she wouldn’t, but no one could prevent her from wishing that she could.
She paid attention to his critique of her shooting. She’d have to watch that pulling to the left business. No wonder she only scored in the low nineties. Tokio nodded in agreement at his offer to help her gain more accuracy, not surprised that he was still willing to help her, since he had promised to do all he could to help her stay safe.
His fingers in her hair brought a soft light to her eyes, making her wonder just what was going through the man’s head at the moment. That little voice in her mind answered her question, ‘you *know* very well what is going through Hajime’s mind when he looks at you like that and starts playing with your hair.’
The events of the day were already bordering on the bizarre when the firing range lights blinked out. Instinctively, she reached for the one person she *knew* would protect her. Tokio had latched onto one of the tall officer’s shoulders with a death-like grip, burying her forehead in his armor covered chest, trembling like a leaf, as a reassuring arm slipped around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. The leftover stress from yesterday, that she had been bravely suppressing, finally bubbled to the surface.
“You’re trembling,” he pointed out.
“I know,” she responded, her voice a mere whisper.
“It is because you’re cold, or because I’m holding you?”
“To be honest, Captain Saitoh,” Tokio began, her voice a little stronger but trembling slightly, “I think it’s a little of both. I’m still a bit on-edge after what happened at the diner yesterday. The memory chills me to the bone, so when the lights went out I guess I panicked a little and over reacted. I’m sorry and…well,” she hesitated as though she was considering her words carefully.
“I am so confused” she admitted. “I only met you 24 hrs ago, but I feel like I know you. I feel safe with you. When you touch me, it feels so normal; it feels right and it scares me. I have never been forward with a man before, but when you let go of me, it feels like I have lost something very precious to me.” She was sure that he would think she was crazy for saying something like that. She *had* to be crazy to admit these things to him, when she’d just met him. Where were these ideas coming from?
Tokio could not help but continue to blurt out what was on her mind, as she was enveloped in the safety of his one arm embrace. “While we have been down here practicing, I’ve had a lot of things stream through my head. None are very clear, but I know that I can no longer think of them as just some random thoughts without meaning. I ….when you told me we had been…” Tokio stopped short, not sure where she intended to go with this conversation, but relieved that he still had a hold on her. Her forehead did not move from where it rested on his chest. Her breathing became ragged when she felt a soft pressure on the top of her head.
Saitoh leaned down, gently resting his chin on the crown of her head. Her arm slipped off his shoulder, only to reposition itself, along with its mate, around his waist. In response he added his other arm to the embrace, pulling her even closer. Her head still tucked gently beneath his chin, the two stood, unmoving, not wanting to break the moment.
Eventually, Tokio starting talking again, her voice soft but steady. She needed to start at the beginning, “Ever since I met you yesterday, I’ve been having some strange feelings. I’ve also been having…” she paused. No, they weren’t really memories; it was more like, “…fleeting images run through my mind. Originally, I thought they were just some random nonsense, but now I think there may be more to them. I was wondering…about what you said earlier in your office,” surely he would figure out what she was talking about, “Do you think this -whatever it is that is happening to me- could be related to…to….what you….what you said about us?”
Something was going on here, and it had nothing to do with drugs. If she wasn’t crazy, what was the explanation, because everything in this world, in Tokio’s opinion, had rhyme and reason to it.
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Date: 2012-05-17 04:17 am (UTC)Tokio listened carefully to what the captain said about Commander Wantanabe, happy to learn the identity of another trustworthy individual. Her brother, Mori, told her they were few and far between here in New Meiji. It never hurt to know who you could turn to when the chips were in the gutter. By this time Tokio was confident that any officers in Saitoh’s squadron would be beyond reproach. The prosecutor only barely remembered the woman from the café. She had been so distracted yesterday, not only by what happened inside the building, but also by what happened inside her head.
It was obvious that Captain Saitoh realized yesterday that the hit on the diner was to claim Tokio’s life, he as much as told her that on the way to the armory today. The fact that Wantanabe offered to put a safety plan in place for her, only confirmed it. Tokio was mildly curious as to why Wantanabe would offer to do something for a complete stranger. Perhaps the Captain asked for a volunteer, and she was it. Tokio supposed that keeping DOJ personnel safe was a part of Saitoh’s job description. However, that now familiar little voice in her head reminded her that his warnings to her about wearing her new body armor seemed to come from a more personal concern, than from duty alone.
She wondered if that ‘personal concern’ had anything to do with the wife business he talked about earlier. She also wondered about his intent for the future. He did tell her that he would not ask anything of her, that she wasn’t completely willing to give him, and that his intentions towards her would always be honorable. She pondered his words, knowing that they could hold several different meanings, one being that, past wife or not, he wouldn’t touch her, and he hadn’t, not really. But to her their occasional physical contact seemed a little more than just accidental or platonic. Perhaps she was reading more into it than the situation warranted. She hoped she wasn’t. She hoped that he was showing at least a mild interest in her, because she really did want to get to know him better, regardless of whether it led anywhere or not.
But what *was* she willing to give him; that was the question. At this point did she even know? Not entirely, she answered to herself. Sighing, she realized that, unlike any other, she would not have to worry about him being put in danger because of her job. She dated, but she wasn’t what one would call ‘forward’ with men. But being around him seemed so comfortable, so normal, so right.
A cold knot formed in her stomach as he revealed how her personal information had been compromised by a DOJ employee. She also noted with dismay that he knew about her trial conviction record, something that was supposed to be kept a secret, so she could take this low profile job and not draw any attention to herself. So much for her brother’s brilliant plans to keep his personal spy undercover.
Tokio’s jaw clenched when she learned that the little snitch, who released the sensitive personal information for so many people, got away with it without consequence due to her uncle’s government position. Things like that made the attorney angry, very angry. Her whole career to this point was to make people who did that kind of evil pay the proper price for endangering the lives of innocents.
Her voice took on a hard edge, her grey eyes glinting like steel, as she looked at Saitoh, “I will get her. I don’t care who she is related to. I will find some way to hold her accountable for her actions.” Even if I have to put a hit out on her myself, she thought. Of course she wouldn’t, but no one could prevent her from wishing that she could.
She paid attention to his critique of her shooting. She’d have to watch that pulling to the left business. No wonder she only scored in the low nineties. Tokio nodded in agreement at his offer to help her gain more accuracy, not surprised that he was still willing to help her, since he had promised to do all he could to help her stay safe.
His fingers in her hair brought a soft light to her eyes, making her wonder just what was going through the man’s head at the moment. That little voice in her mind answered her question, ‘you *know* very well what is going through Hajime’s mind when he looks at you like that and starts playing with your hair.’
The events of the day were already bordering on the bizarre when the firing range lights blinked out. Instinctively, she reached for the one person she *knew* would protect her. Tokio had latched onto one of the tall officer’s shoulders with a death-like grip, burying her forehead in his armor covered chest, trembling like a leaf, as a reassuring arm slipped around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. The leftover stress from yesterday, that she had been bravely suppressing, finally bubbled to the surface.
“You’re trembling,” he pointed out.
“I know,” she responded, her voice a mere whisper.
“It is because you’re cold, or because I’m holding you?”
“To be honest, Captain Saitoh,” Tokio began, her voice a little stronger but trembling slightly, “I think it’s a little of both. I’m still a bit on-edge after what happened at the diner yesterday. The memory chills me to the bone, so when the lights went out I guess I panicked a little and over reacted. I’m sorry and…well,” she hesitated as though she was considering her words carefully.
“I am so confused” she admitted. “I only met you 24 hrs ago, but I feel like I know you. I feel safe with you. When you touch me, it feels so normal; it feels right and it scares me. I have never been forward with a man before, but when you let go of me, it feels like I have lost something very precious to me.” She was sure that he would think she was crazy for saying something like that. She *had* to be crazy to admit these things to him, when she’d just met him. Where were these ideas coming from?
Tokio could not help but continue to blurt out what was on her mind, as she was enveloped in the safety of his one arm embrace. “While we have been down here practicing, I’ve had a lot of things stream through my head. None are very clear, but I know that I can no longer think of them as just some random thoughts without meaning. I ….when you told me we had been…” Tokio stopped short, not sure where she intended to go with this conversation, but relieved that he still had a hold on her. Her forehead did not move from where it rested on his chest. Her breathing became ragged when she felt a soft pressure on the top of her head.
Saitoh leaned down, gently resting his chin on the crown of her head. Her arm slipped off his shoulder, only to reposition itself, along with its mate, around his waist. In response he added his other arm to the embrace, pulling her even closer. Her head still tucked gently beneath his chin, the two stood, unmoving, not wanting to break the moment.
Eventually, Tokio starting talking again, her voice soft but steady. She needed to start at the beginning, “Ever since I met you yesterday, I’ve been having some strange feelings. I’ve also been having…” she paused. No, they weren’t really memories; it was more like, “…fleeting images run through my mind. Originally, I thought they were just some random nonsense, but now I think there may be more to them. I was wondering…about what you said earlier in your office,” surely he would figure out what she was talking about, “Do you think this -whatever it is that is happening to me- could be related to…to….what you….what you said about us?”
Something was going on here, and it had nothing to do with drugs. If she wasn’t crazy, what was the explanation, because everything in this world, in Tokio’s opinion, had rhyme and reason to it.