A/N: 2.28.13 – Realized I messed up on Saito's alias! He's Fujita Goro, not Goro Fujita… Fixed it! _ce

A/N: Wellll, this chapter is surprisingly long. I don't know what happened... Hope you like it! _ce

"Oh, look who it is: Fujita-san is back."

"Well it certainly has been a long time! Tokio-san is a saint to put up with such errant behavior, if you ask me."

Nobody asked you, you gossipy, wrinkled wind-bag.

If Tokio is any kind of saint—which I find unlikely, given that I know her temper on an intimate level—it's because she puts up with the likes of brainless women such as you, Kansato-'san'.

"Who's the boy? Do you recognize him?"

"No, not at all. Is he with Fujita-san? Poor thing looks miserable."

"…Well is it any wonder? Perhaps they're family—they have the same look."

Har har.

People are idiots.

The kid and I look absolutely nothing alike.

"I'm sure we'll hear about this later. C'mon, let's finish our washing and then get a bite to eat."

Saito was usually never attuned to the whispers, or even plainly spoken words of others.

He had always lived by his own rules, and then as a member of the Shinsengumi, had adopted their ideals as his own. No one else's thoughts or opinions really mattered; with the exception of Tokio, perhaps, as she often would annoyingly remind him.

Contrary to what the Battosai and little weasel brat had imagined her to be, and as his neighbors apparently agreed, Tokio couldn't possibly be a saint and his wife at the same time.

She was certainly his better half in many ways, not as sarcastic or cynical, but in all the rest of her personality, she and Saito were cut from the same cloth. They had to be, to survive. His work naturally kept him away more often than not, and Tokio was strong and stubborn enough to deal with that; she always had been. And as was the case now, there were times he brought his work home with him, and she was always prepared to adapt.

He had not called her 'capable' lightly.

Granted, he usually would come home half-dead, rather than going to see a doctor, and she was used to that kind of behavior. The boy might surprise her a little more than his usual returns home did, but he had no doubts that Tokio would take him in gladly.

Where he was often cold, she was not; she was a loving woman, and he appreciated that.

So it really annoyed him when their neighbors whispered about his frequent periods away from home as though he were doing his wife a disservice. There was no one on the earth that he cared about more than that woman, and it was because he cared about and trusted her that he felt he could go to work like he did. He was not only supporting them and their sons, but he was also fulfilling his duty as a Wolf of Mibu. That was just something which needed to be done, and Tokio understood.

Unlike those imbecilic old hens.

He was fairly seething the more he thought about it.

It was the same every time he came home; he almost felt obligated to listen for it, despite his usual deafness to such chatter.

It was like a rite of passage, or an assurance that he truly was in the right place, strange as that may seem.

I hope Tokio-san is nice, Eiji thought dejectedly, trailing after Saito-san with a fiercely depressed look on his face.

He couldn't even find it in him to be grateful to the man, though he knew he should have been. It was just too hard knowing that his brother and parents were dead, and that Saito-san was merely taking him somewhere where he wouldn't be an inconvenience. He apparently had somewhere important to be, with that amazing red-haired samurai and the skinny girl with the braid; Eiji knew that by causing a ruckus over his parents' bodies, he'd just been in the way.

Still, he'd do it all over again, if he had to.

"Anata!"

An excited female voice alerted Eiji to his surroundings. He looked up and saw, to his immense surprise, a very pretty and young-looking woman smiling happily at his stoic caretaker. Was this his wife?

"Tadaima, Tokio," Saito said, a little gruffly, but with a tone of genuine pleasure. Eiji looked away embarrassedly when he and his wife kissed. So this was definitely Tokio-san.

"You're home early," Tokio said, sounding confused. "The mission is already over?"

"No," was the monosyllabic reply, "there's been a slight amendment to the original plan. Actually, there have been many. But we should discuss this inside."

"Hai, hai," said his wife, and she glanced curiously at Eiji, who was still looking away.

"Hey, Tatsuo-chan!"

The youngest Fujita looked up from his game of marbles with one of the neighbor kids. His oldest brother, Tsutomu, was standing over him with Tsuyoshi behind him.

"Tou-san is back!"

"Really?!"

Tatsuo hastily stood up from his crouching position.

"Please excuse me, Rokuro-chan, I want to go see my Tou-san!"

Before the other kid had a chance to respond, the three Fujita brothers were dashing off in the direction of home.

"So I guess those boys have heard that their papa arrived home," remarked one of the village women, as the young Fujitas raced by. Her husband made a sound of acknowledgement.

"They always seem to figure it out," he said blandly.

"I wonder if they heard about the new boy?"

None of the children had heard about Eiji. So they all halted comically upon rushing into the house calling for their father, and then seeing their parents sitting with a strange kid, all with rather serious faces.

"So the brats have arrived," Saito said offhandedly. Tokio rolled her eyes, but Tsutomu grinned and his younger brothers followed suit.

"Heya, Tou-san!" he said, dashing to his father's side and slapping him on the back. Saito's tired, lined face grew even wearier.

"Hello, Tsutomu-kun. Your esteemed father is back for a little while. Why don't you and your brothers have a seat. I'm sure you've all deduced that we have things to discuss."

"Who are you?" Tatsuo questioned the new boy curiously, already sitting next to him. He looked like he was just a year or two older than he was. His childlike curiosity caught Eiji by surprise.

"Mishima Eiji," he replied.

"Fujita Tatsuo!" the younger boy said cheerfully. His father called their attention then, and four boyish faces turned to look at him.

"Now that you know my youngest son, these are the other two idiots: the oldest, Tsutomu, and the middle child, Tsuyoshi. You fit just below Tsuyoshi and just above Tatsuo in age, Eiji-kun."

If Eiji were to guess, Tsutomu was thirteen, Tsuyoshi 10, and Tatsuo 8.

"Eiji is going to live with us," Saito continued, not bothering with any pleasantries. His sons took the announcement rather well, all things considered, although their eyes did widen a bit in surprise.

"For how long?" Tsuyoshi wondered aloud. Eiji looked down.

"For forever, Tsuyoshi-kun," Saito said point-blank. There was a brief silence after that.

"You boys should all get along," Tokio said then, encouragingly. "And I'll take good care of you, Eiji-chan." She smiled sweetly as the serious boy looked up at her with wounded, vulnerable eyes. He seemed to take some heart.

"Arigato," he said to his two new guardians, with as much gratitude as he could express. After another, respectful pause, Saito then requested that Tokio make soba for everyone, and the boys started talking to their new brother excitedly, trying to get to know him. And for a little while, Eiji forgot that he was sad.

"You should make sure they don't ask Eiji-kun any stupid questions, Tokio," Saito remarked that evening as he prepared to leave again. Tokio readjusted the collar of his uniform, needlessly, and looked down.

"I already told them to give him room to breathe. They're smart boys; they know what to do."

"Mm. Something they got from me, I'd say."

Tokio looked up at him sharply, with a dangerous little smile on her face.

"Certainly not. That wasn't the right thing to say at all."

"Don't tease me, woman," Saito grumbled, albeit good-naturedly. Tokio's smile became sincere.

"Hurry home soon, anata," she said softly. "We'll all be waiting for your safe return."

Saito's expression softened slightly as he looked down into his wife's dark eyes.

"I'll be back before you know it. In my absence, make sure those blockheads train even harder than their sensei makes them. And try to get Eiji involved too," he said thoughtfully. "He could use the outlet right now."

Tokio smiled, and then leaned up to meet her husband's lips with her own.

"Aishiteru wa," she said, when they broke apart. Saito took a step back and tipped his hat to her, causing her to giggle, and then walked with a long stride into the night.

"Did you hear? That boy Fujita-san brought home is living with them now!"

"Really? Did they adopt him?"

"Yes, I think so!"

"Wow. I wonder how the boys feel about it. He comes home so seldom, and then dumps another brother on them before leaving again."

"I think they like him. I saw them all playing tag in the field the other day. The new boy seems to like them too."

Tokio sighed, overhearing her neighbors gossip.

How dare they suggest her husband "dumped" Eiji on them? The audacity of some people…

But she smiled thinking about her boys all playing together. She'd make sure of it that Eiji was as happy with them as he could be.

Her husband truly was a good man to take him in without a second thought. Gruff as he was…he had a good heart.