Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The Letter.
A letter arrived.
My dear sister,
My writing to you comes of great urgency
We have heard that our mother is sick
When it is possible please come visit us.
That is all she wishes for
Mothers symptoms are getting worse.
We fear she might not have long.
We insist you travel to us immediately
I do need you by my side as well
Have hope my dear sister
I am waiting for you
We keep to doctors orders for mothers health
The only thing that helps her is the morphine
Four days she been calling out for you now
Haste as fast as you can, even if you
need to travel by ship, fearing time is of great importance
We will meet upon arrival.
Signed with love,
Your brother.
You frowned as you folded the letter, tucked it into the sleeve pocket of your kimono and made your way back to the house with the silent promise you would burn it in the stove later. The sun shone brightly today in Sapporo, summer had just arrived. In passing you waved to the friendly baker in the street who you’d visit for your daily needs but more importantly, the fair share of gossip. Sapporo had been your home base for the last couple of months and it had not been a very difficult assignment, not with your expertise, it was a change of scenery you quite enjoyed.
The house provided to you by central headquarters was decent and it had fit your role perfectly. It was a shame you had to leave it for now. But if one must obey the request of their superior officers then so be it. It came with the job as an intelligence agent. But you didn’t seem to mind it this time as it even put a little smile on your face. How many years had it been since you two trained under the same instructor? ten? twelve maybe? You being a few years younger than he was and one of the few women who had the privilege to be trained for intelligence. The two of you had kept contact during the years through coded messages, and in the relay of messages you had noticed something was going on.
Arriving home, you took the letter out of your sleeve and carefully read it again. He was asking you to meet him in Hakodate, that it was urgent and he needed you there immediately. This could be interesting, you wondered as you threw the letter into the fire. Grabbing some pen and ink you wrote a note to give notice to your landlord that you would be absent for a little bit due to family circumstances. Not knowing if you would return but that didn’t really matter. HQ would surely take care of it in one way or another.
~
And so you arrived a couple of days later at the port of Hakodate, surrounded by foreign trade ships and naval vessels which piqued your interest. Meanwhile on the passengership you currently boarded you had taken the opportunity to change yourself in a western styled dress, since that currently had been the latest trend of fashion going around in this port city. When you stepped down the boarding ramp you noticed a short but sturdy fellow waiting on the docks with a white pocket square tucked neatly in the breast pocket of his dress jacket. As for you yourself had deliberately placed a white feather into the decoration of the hat you were wearing. When the man met your eyes he gave a short nod of acknowledgement and you signaled in reply by bringing your hand to your mouth just briefly as if stifling a little yawn. He then offered you his hand to guide you onto the docks which you accepted graciously.
“Please follow me Madam, we have a carriage waiting.” The man said with a low but kind voice.
And so you did. A carriage, how interesting you wondered. Was he asking you to play someone from a high upbringing? The man helped you up the steps as you fell into your role for now as a sophisticated lady. He entered the carriage after you and sat across taking his hat off, you studied him curiously while he started speaking.
“First Lieutenant Tsurumi apologizes he couldn’t be here to pick you up personally.”
“First Lieutenant?” You interrupted with slight suprise.
“Yes Madam, First lieutenant of the 7th division.” He continued
“Hmm interesting. Then you must be one of his men. A Sergeant perhaps?” You mused out loud, keeping your gaze on him and noticed his eyes widen ever so slightly at the deduction you just made.
“That’s correct Madam, I’m Sergeant Tsukishima. I’ve been tasked to bring you up to date with your current objective.” He explained
“Alright then, it’s a pleasure to meet you Sergeant Tsukishima. If you would, please enlighten me.” You smiled at him.
Tsukishima cleared his throat and then continued.
“The Lieutenant has been invited to attend a party held by the Koito family. You’re here to aid him and act as his betrothed. There is some information he needs to acquire that’s most likely held within the Koito household. First Lieutenant Tsurumi will inform you himself with the exact details at dinner. For now we have set some appointments for you to get you set up.”
Well this certainly piqued your interest. Act as his betrothed? It’s certainly not anything you've never done before. Should be easy enough, you thought as you noticed the carriage rolling to a stop.
“This is our first stop. The dressmaker. The Lieutenant has reserved some time for you to try on some garments that he’d thought would suit you.” Tsukishima moved to open the carriage door and stepped out first in order to help you out afterwards, you kindly took his hand while you did so.
First thing you noticed was that the street was bustling with people. There had been a lot of foreign trade going on in Hakodate since it was one of the first international trade ports in Japan. So items like exotic fabrics were more easily accessible here. Tsukishima held the door open for you as you entered and at first glance you noticed the shop was small but crowded with fabrics of all sorts and colors. Most of them tucked away and stacked in racks going from ground to ceiling. From the back of the store you were greeted politely by a foreign couple. From their accents you deducted they must’ve been British.
“Ah welcome Madam, we have been expecting you.” The man said as he bowed in greeting. The woman on her turn was already moving behind you to take your coat.
Tsukishima had made himself comfortable on one of the chairs and was offered something to drink, which he declined, and patiently waited for this business to be over with. When he occasionally glanced over to you, he noticed your initial demeanor had changed from intently reading his expressions, to now being courteous and bubbly as you conversed with the couple, running fingers along fabric and changing into various dresses. Seemingly adjusting to this crafted role already.
At first he had wondered why the First Lieutenant had thought of someone so specifically for this role, but now he witnessed why. You were definitely more than just a pretty woman. He knew you were an intelligence agent. But next to that knowledge he now caught a glimpse of your craft first hand.
After a brief look you noticed that the dresses that had been laid out for you were quite expensive. Combinations of silks, muslin, taffeta and velvet, all crafted with intricate lace patterns or embroidery for detail, some even had stones on them. It seemed he wanted you to go all out and make sure you were seen. Most likely, you were probably going to be the decoy for whatever he was planning.
“What do you think Tsukishima?” You called out to him as if you had known him all your life and not just met him an hour ago. “Do you think Tsurumi will like this?” you beamed twirling around in the fabric.
Surprised by your interest in his opinion he nodded and said “It looks very lovely, I think the First Lieutenant will be pleased.” he smiled.
Satisfied, you placed the order for the garments and thanked the couple for their time. This purchase was for sure going to create a buzz around town. You had to admit that they indeed looked beautiful and that, if Tsurumi had come in there to pick them personally, he effortlessly had remembered what would suit you the best. You had to give him credit for that since you had not seen each other for quite a while. The last time had been right before he left for Vladivostok in Russia. After that, due to the sensitivity of his objective, the messages had been sparse and at some point even stopped for a while. Which wasn’t all that odd, since intelligence agents could disappear under the radar for quite a long time, but it did make you wonder.
Tsukishima rose from his seat as you approached him and you hinted with a small nod that you were done and was ready to go wherever you were supposed to go next.
Which happened to be a jeweler. Even you were a bit thrown back by the amount of expense that was going on here. Once again you were met by an elderly man who had sprawled out all kinds of necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings and even a few watches. However they did not appear gaudy, they were more elegant, more of a modest rich statement if you would and all of them for you to try on and to be fitted to your size. These too would be delivered to your residence later, which was still unknown to you yourself.
With the sun now hanging low on the horizon and the sea breeze picking up, bringing a pleasant air of coolness on land you stepped back into the carriage as this had been the last appointment for the day.
“So,” You started once more in the privacy of the vehicle. “Who do I have to distract?”
Tsukishima raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. Oh now he could confirm, you were not an ordinary woman indeed. He cleared his throat and only answered that the First Lieutenant would inform you later and it was not his place to discuss the objective right now. You hummed amused at his reply and decided not to press it further, there’s a place and time for everything and you two would meet over dinner soon anyway.
Peering out of the window you noticed a grand yet modest house rise up on the horizon, with a driveway leading up to the front where you were met with a five step staircase leading up to grand wooden double doors. When the carriage halted the doors immediately swung open and at first glance, what seemed to be a man dressed in the clothing of a servant, came out to greet you. But with a carefull second look you noticed the man's build was not what one would expect for a servant. You figured that he also had to be one of Tsurumi’s men and was just playing a part in what dawned to be a grand scheme.
When he guided you into the house you were met with a rich dark wooden interior, twin staircases curving up along the side leading up to meet on the second floor. Various paintings from master painters hung on the walls alongside it and in the center of the hallway hung a brilliant glass chandelier. It reminded you of one of those scenes from one of those British novels you had read.
Behind you heard Tsukishima ask the servant if the First Lieutenant was in, but just as he was about to get an affirmative response you saw someone appear at the top of the left staircase. Dressed in the white uniform of a First Lieutenant stood a man of normal height with a lean but upright build, he held himself with every poise he could muster, smiling broadly as he charmingly came down the steps. One hand on the bannister his other loosely on his chest with his dark eyes on you and only you. The sound of his deep voice greeting you as he arrived at the bottom, taking your hand in his as he brought it up to his lips with an elegant gesture. Feeling the warmth of his breath against your skin and the slight tickle of his mustache whispering along as he placed a chaste kiss on it, then leveling himself with you again to meet your gaze.
“It’s so good to see you again. You look even more stunning than I remember.” He smiled at you.
It was then you noticed you had held your breath and finally released it accompanied by the heat you felt rushing to your face. You were not one to be easily floored and left speechless with someone’s appearance, but the man standing in front of you had almost cracked that code. The man you remembered back then was a shell compared to the charismatic and poised man standing in front of you now. Whatever creatures had begun crawling in your chest you realized damn well you had to subdue them right here and right now. You swallowed and cleared your throat, briskly averted your eyes only to meet with his again and then smiled back at him.
“It has been a while hasn’t it Tokushirou?” Voice soft and dainty as you peered up to him from beneath your eyelashes. Still feeling the warmth of his hand in holding yours you teased your thumb along his fingers. Two could play this game.
*Let’s just go back in time for a few minutes here.*
When Tsurumi had been planning this part of his grand scheme he had immediately thought of you. Not only had you been a good friend to him during the days you both attended the intense training to become intelligence pawns for the military. But he knew you had the skill to pull this off, and also just to point it out plain flatly, you had the looks required. Which in his calculations in order for this to succeed, was a bonus. Although he had not seen you since he had left for Vladivostok it was still a gamble. He knew you were one of the best agents they had out there but you still could get hurt and damage that pretty face of yours. It was a gamble he was willing to take. Plus he was convinced you would join him in this escapade. Since he knew he had one card in hand that you simply could not refuse. So he wrote to you in the way he always did, through a coded message you would have no trouble to deduct.
All had been going according to his plan, the careful manipulation of the Koito family. Helping them rescue their son and finding himself in their good graces. Which entirely to his predictions led to an invitation for their annual summer party as a way to say thank you, and that’s where you came into play. It was all going to plan accordingly.
Leaning back in his chair sitting behind his desk he rested his head backwards making him look at the ceiling. He grinned, pressing the fingers of his hands together and flexing them against each other. Yes, he thought you would make a good addition to his team. The clatter of hooves brought him out of his mind palace. Standing up and only taking a few large strides he found himself peering out of the window, seeing the carriage standing still on the driveway he checked the watch that was carefully tucked into his pocket and nodded contently.
“Right on time.” He whispered only to himself and tucked the watch back into his pocket. Pulling up the collar of his military jacket and running a hand and fingers along his mustache and goatee making sure his presence would be impeccable.
Once he stepped onto the mezzanine his view of you was obstructed by the wide brimmed hat that you adorned but that was only momentarily as you turned and looked up, your eyes wandering up to meet his own. It was not as if lightning had struck him, but more like electricity had crept up into his chest for a fleeting second before it dissipated. The hand he had resting on the bannister tensed for a second before he broke into a wide and pleasant smile as he descended all the while he kept his gaze on you. He cursed in his mind as his heart betrayed him when more details of you became visible. Skin vibrant as ever, a light blush spread across your face, it seemed that time had not been unkind to you as he wondered if his memory of you really had faded that much.
When he finished his descent he bowed down to you with all his gentlemanly grace and took your hand in his. The soft warm touch of yours on his made him briefly recollect a distant memory he had viciously buried. The memory disappeared as soon as it came as he pressed a light kiss on your hand and inhaled the sweet scent of your perfume which held a note of citrus, before he rose back up to meet your eyes to compliment and greet you with a charming smile.
He noticed your swallow and averted gaze, an old trick from the books he thought. But when you looked up at him from underneath your lashes he fully understood why it worked.
And when you reminded him, addressing him with his first name, that it indeed had been a while since you two had last seen each other. He knew he had called upon the right person.