Rating: T (for this chapter)
Pairings: none (Kan/Kyuu later)
Warnings: female Kyuuzou! Mention of homosexuality.
Genre: General, Humor
Synopsis: Hyogo and Kyuuzou have a strange conversation about the appeal of a woman in drag.

Having reached her early thirties, Kyuuzou no longer regarded herself as a young woman. Nor did Hyogo and Ayamaro, the only men in Kougakyo who knew her true gender, see her as a young woman. To them, Kyuuzou was just Kyuuzou: decorated Great War veteran and trustworthy bodyguard.

With her trim physique and smooth face, the female warrior could still pass for a man much younger than herself. This provided occasional amusement for Hyogo, who would snicker silently whenever they escorted Ayamaro through Jinjuku, the nanshoku district of Iyashi no Sato. Invariably, a few of the homosexual men cruising the streets would cast desiring glances at the taut, lean figure of the samurai woman, not discerning that a female body was wrapped within the stiff fabric of the yojimbo's long red coat.

Upon returning to the governor's palace after one of Ayamaro's discreet visits to the 'okama area', the two samurai stood guard together outside Ayamaro's luxurious ceramic-and-tile bathroom, which was practically the size of a small public bathhouse. The bespectacled bodyguard, tired of listening to the sound of Kougakyo's governor singing in the jacuzzi within, started making conversation with his dour colleague to pass the time.

"There are three kinds of people who would fall for you," the pale-skinned okama turned to Kyuuzou with a conspiratorial wink. "Women who love male youths, men who love male youths, and men who have great passion for women."

Kyuuzou raised her eyebrows but made no reply. She could see why Hyogo would mention the first two categories, but as for the third - 'men who have great passion for women' - what had that got to do with her? Kyuuzou had never been regarded as pretty, even as a young woman. Even her father who adored her had to admit that his beloved daughter was plain. The red samurai recalled how her mother complained that her face was perpetually set in a shrewish expression. Mother was always trying to school young Kyuuzou to be more 'pleasant', 'gentle' and 'sociable'. But the more the parent tried, the more the child rebelled by studying the arts of fighting and killing to the exclusion of all else. No man could love a woman like her. That was what she had been told, directly or indirecly, through the years.

Having observed the face of the seemingly emotionless Kyuuzou for a couple of seconds, Hyogo's blackened lips stretched into an impossibly broad grin.

"Do you want to know why 'men who have great passion for women' would desire someone like you?" The drag queen was now immensely pleased that he knew something that Kyuuzou did not know.

Kyuuzou gave no response, did not even shrug her slim shoulders. Hyogo continued talking in what Kyuuzou mentally labeled his authoritative 'know-it-all' voice. "Men who are the ultimate connoisseurs of women have spent much time observing and admiring the characteristics of women's bodies. They alone among all men would be able to see through your impeccable disguise. And you would fascinate at least some of them."

Within the bathroom, Ayamaro's splashing and singing had reached a crescendo. Kyuuzou snorted. "Connoisseurs of women? You mean men like our lord's son?"

Hyogo laughed lightly. "Between you and me, my esteemed colleague, our lord's son is a mere boy who does not see beyond boobs and bottoms. He is only a clueless toy collector."

"Then which man do you regard as a true 'connoisseur of women'?" Kyuuzou stared straight ahead. She did not even turn her head to look at the pale queen.

"I haven't met any in recent years," The black-haired bodyguard admitted. "I, on the other hand, am a fine connoisseur of men..." He went on to describe in detail all the interesting male human specimens that he cruised during their Jinjuku tour with Ayamaro.

By now Kyuuzou was bored by the sound of Hyogo's voice. She began to wonder why Nose Band Guy and Mono-Eye Dude liked hanging out with Hyogo outside work time. Perhaps they shared the same interests. Kyuuzou tuned out the drag queen's exuberant talk and focused on the voice of their lord singing in the bathroom instead.

Note: The 3 categories of people who like women in drag is borrowed from 12th Night