Ambiguity
Chapter 1: The Bodyguard
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Author: Jun-I
Pairing: Kanbei x female Kyuuzou (later)
Rating: T for now (might have to M it in later chapters)
Notes: not quite yaoi, Kyuuzou is a woman disguised as a man. Was inspired to create female Kyuuzou fics after learning the original character design for the anime chara Kyuuzou was female. IMHO, the Kanbei/Kyuuzou relationship and even the Kirara/Kyuzo dynamic seems to make much more sense with a female Kyuuzou.
Warnings:
- mention of body modification. Kyuuzou is female, but I am keeping her physical characteristics the same as they are in canon, so I have to come up with a way to explain the flat chest and deep voice. Put up with the twisted first chapter just for the background, and things will get lighter later. ;-)
- Characters may express politically incorrect opinions.
Disclaimers:
- For fun, not for profit. Kyuuzou, Ayamaro and S7 characters belong to Gonzo.
-Opinions expressed by characters do not necessarily reflect author's opinions.
Some days Kyuuzou wondered why she was working for Ayamaro. But her parents would not entertain the thought of her working anywhere else. Ayamaro was a relative. She would be safe with him. But her father and mother have not seen the gang of creepy men in Ayamaro's employ, not to mention the harem of her distant cousin Ukyo.
Still, by and large, the samurai woman did not have to deal with the shady men who worked in Ayamaro's security forces. They were low-level servants. As Ayamaro's personal bodyguard and his distant niece, she was off limits to them. And even if she did not have the privilege of this special status, she knew that they feared her deadly combat skills enough to leave her well and alone. Kyuuzou was not even sure if they knew she was female either. She had lived disguised as a man for years. The only male non-relative Kyuuzou had significant contact with in Kougakyo was the other bodyguard Hyogo. The blonde was not at all fond of him – her colleague was cunning and cutthroat – but at least he had one redeeming attribute in her eyes. Hyogo's desire was only towards other men.
Ayamaro was a cautious man. Since there were many beautiful females in Ukyo's harem, the magistrate hired only women or homosexuals for jobs that would require access to Ayamaro's family quarters . Kyuuzou did not have any issues with her kinsman's policy. In fact, the scarlet samurai did not like men in general. All this started when she was still called Keiko.
When Keiko was 6, her nurse Tomoe went home to her village to visit her family. It was supposed to be a short visit. Keiko waited in vain for the one person she loved best to return. Keiko's parents said that Tomoe had decided to remain in the village to take care of her aging parents. It was not till later that the other servants secretly told the merchant's daughter the true reason why the nurse did not come back.
While Tomoe was home with her family, the village had been attacked. Kyuuzou's nurse had been seized and carried off by rampaging soldiers. The rest of the family had been killed in cold blood. Nobody knew where they had taken the nurse or if she was even still alive. From that day on, it was as if a dark cloud had come upon the little girl's world. More bad things happened to women than to men, she noticed.
Then there was Mother and Grandma's endless exhortations to look out for evil men on the street. The world was indeed a hideous place. Keiko told her father she wanted to learn to fight, so she could defend herself, or at least die trying. Mother did not want her to devote her energies to such 'undignified activities', but Father could never deny Keiko anything. He found her the best teachers, and they all told him that the ruby-eyed girl was the most diligent student they've ever had.
A man groped her when she was 13. It was a drunken business associate of her father. The man ran his rough hands over her young form and would have done more if she had not killed him. She needed no swords for that. Keiko cupped the man's head in her hands and snapped his neck in one quick move. One of her teachers had taught her that technique.
The matter came before the local judge but it was decided that Keiko had acted in her own defense, and she suffered no consequences. Still, it was a most unpleasant experience going to court, and seeing the worried faces of her parents and the angry faces of the relatives of the man she had killed. She knew she was fortunate that her family was fairly well to do, and could afford good lawyers.
Keiko felt proud of the killing, but still she could not erase that dirty, degrading feeling that came with being touched by filthy hands. It was not just because of that one man – there was something wrong with the whole world! Poorer women were kidnapped by bandits – the more fortunate ones ended up in the harems of wealthy men , and the others forced into prostitution. The servants told her horrifying rumors of peasant women being taken away to serve as incubators for clone embryos. What was the difference between her and these unfortunate women? Just a matter of wealth, class and place. Keiko was always fearful. She was not really safe. Anytime the bubble of her privileged world could burst and she could fall into that hell that others had already fallen into.
Keiko hated to be looked upon with desire by men. After the assault, she took the name Kyuuzou and started living as a boy. In her heart of hearts, the merchant's daughter did not want to be a man. But if living as a man was what it took to be safe, then that was what she would do. Even then, Keiko knew she was not one of those fortunate women who could easily pass for male. She was too delicate in form. So the ruby-eyed girl worked on changing her voice, forcing it to an unnaturally low register.
Ever since her body had started to change, Keiko hated her reflection in the mirror, hated her woman's figure, hated being an object of desire. The girl opted to have a double mastectomy done when she was 16. Her parents lamented her choice. But as always, Father would pay for anything if his willful daughter wanted it badly enough. Nevertheless, the matter caused a rift in their household. Mother's endless tears about her future marriage prospects nearly drove her mad. Within a year Kyuuzou had left home secretly, leaving only a letter for her parents stating that she was going to fight in the civil war.
Kyuuzou did not tell them which side she would be on. That would make it harder for them to find her. And the cold warrior really did not care which side she fought on. She did not even care if she died. Life was not worth living the world being the way it is.
But it was precisely this lack of fear of death that made Kyuuzou the calmest, deadliest, most successful soldier in her entire regiment. She became something of a legend, coolly stepping into situations where other samurai would fear to tread. If any of her comrades suspected she was female, they did not mention it. She kept to herself and made no friends, except for one. Makoto.
In eight years the Great War was over. Kyuuzou returned home, no less angry and bitter than she had been when she had left, and even colder and crueler than before. Yet her parents were overjoyed to have Keiko back. The family's peace did not last for long however. Mother fretted that Keiko, at 25, was in danger of becoming an old maid. Father talked about hiring a matchmaker who could put a positive spin on Kyuuzou's unusual career experiences and lack of certain physical assets. The young woman finally had enough. She told them she was moving out, that she would find a job and live on her own. There was a big domestic dispute. Keiko's parents were not going to let her leave so easily a second time.
Finally they reached a compromise. Kyuuzou could go work as a bodyguard for their relative Ayamaro who lived in Kougakyo. That way, Kyuuzou could still stay in touch with her beloved fighting arts, and her parents could feel 'safe' that she was living with a relative, and a powerful lord at that
The Influence Behind Chapter 1:
The idea of the antisocial high achieving soldier actually turning out to be a woman comes from the historical figure of Han E, a late Yuan/early Ming Chinese army officer. In the chaos at the turn of dynasties, Han E's family disguised her as a boy in the hope that she would not be assaulted by retreating Yuan soldiers. The 12 year old 'boy' was however conscripted by the Yuan soldiers to be a servant. A few weeks later, Han E, who had been trained in sword fighting by her uncle, killed the Yuan commander and joined the anti-Yuan forces.
Han E proved an excellent soldier, quickly rose up the ranks of the army, but remained stoic and standoffish, avoiding social situations and even casual conversation with her comrades. It was not until 12 years later that Han E revealed to the army high command that she was female. The news spread through the ranks, and soldiers praised Officer Han as a heroine. She married a former comrade and their children built a temple in their mother's honor.