[I claim no rights to Rurouni Kenshin. I also make no profit whatsoever from publishing this work of Fanfiction.]

"It's been a while, hasn't it Kamatari?"

"Shishio-sama...! Where is...how...I don't..."

"Don't just stand there blubbering. Spit it out."

"Where are we?" Kamatari asked, making up his mind to what he wanted to ask first.

"A dream...a hallucination...Hell...it's not like it really matters, right?"

"So...you really are dead?" Kamatari's eyes pleaded with his lord for the answer he knew would not come.

"It appears so, doesn't it? Well, perhaps not, in a manner of speaking." The burn victim chuckled darkly for a moment. "And what about you, Kamatari? You're looking pretty dead yourself, showing up here."

"Maybe I am," he thought aloud. "But perhaps that wouldn't be so bad." Briefly the foul air between them contained only silence. And then Shishio's laughter replaced it.

"I didn't know being an okama meant being an idiot!" His laughter died off and his face became serious. "If you want to throw it away then go ahead. But it won't matter one bit to me. You'll end up here one way or another."

"But I don't understand, Shishio-sama. If you're dead, and I'm not then...what is this? How am I seeing you? And why?" Shishio's words hurt a little, but Kamatari saw the truth of them. Ending his life wouldn't be of any service to Shishio or his legacy.

"How should I know? I don't run this place. Yet." At seeing the old flame of ambition still burning in his lord Kamatari was more reassured. "But I'm guessing that, the way you're acting, I'll see you again before too long. Just don't let the fact that you survived be a total waste."

"Of course not, Shishio-sama!" Kamatari exclaimed. He felt concerned that he had been letting down the man he cared for more than anyone or anything else. "I won't disappoint you again! I promise I will be a worthy keeper of your story, and will protect your legacy, just as you wanted."

"Eh? Protect my legacy? Who told you that?"

"Ch-Chou did. He told me about the secondary purpose of the Juupongatana. That we were to tell your story in the event of failure so that the government couldn't write you out of history..." Shishio was still as he let the information sink in, and then he broke into riotous laughter. He laughed so hard he was nearly doubling over, leaving Kamatari feeling extremely confused. When the laughing fit finally reached its end, Shishio took a breath to steady his features once again, though they maintained a bemused smile.

"Of course he did. That guy...he would tell you that. Such a thing requires strong people to carry it out. But you know, Kamatari..." his face darkened. "Compared to the Kamatari of the Juupongatana..." His eyes narrowed. "You're a disappointment."

His eyes opened softly to stare at the still unfamiliar ceiling. Covered by the sheets of the old bed in a foreign country, he sighed. A dream, huh? Lying there, not ready to stand on his feet again, he pondered the meaning of what he had just seen. He had never dreamed of Shishio-sama in such a way. He knew without doubt that his beloved Shishio was dead. And yet he found himself questioning it in the face of such a realistic dream. He turned his head to look out his bedroom window. Seeing the sunlight the way it was, he knew he didn't have long before he had to be at school. Sighing, he flung aside his covers and rose from his bed. Well, it was just a dream, after all.

His uniform flowing about him as he ran down the stairs in a rush gave Kamatari a sense of calm and security. It was a rather familiar feeling to him, and he always felt more confident when he was dressed in woman's clothes. Bag in hand he bolted out the front door or his apartment, surprised to find Reizo waiting for him, uniform still unbuttoned as usual.

"I thought that I was on my own getting to school from now on."

"You are. I'm just here to schedule our regular meeting times. I forgot to do that yesterday," Reizo explained.

"I see. Well can you walk and speak at the same time? I'm going to be late if I don't hurry."

"Fine by me," he replied, falling into step beside Kamatari. "I was thinking that I would meet you someplace once every other week."

"That sounds alright. Where are we meeting, then?"

"I don't know. I'll show up again a week from today. You should find a place before then," he recommended.

"What? Why should I have to do it?!" Kamatari huffed. "You're the contact, aren't you?"

"Having to do something like that would be such a bother. Just do it, alright? I don't like troublesome things. I'd sooner send you home than have you become a problem."

"Ugh. Fine...but for your information I'm doing quite well for my second day officially on the job," Kamatari boasted.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Reizo mildly quirked one eyebrow.

"Not only have I already made a friend, but she's already extended an invitation to her house. How's that for becoming a problem?" Feeling quite good about himself, Kamatari let a confident smirk run across his face.

"It's not bad. Though it seems with Westerners that once they consider you any more than an acquaintance they practically fall over themselves asking you to visit their home, so perhaps that's not that much of an accomplishment." Reizo shrugged, not only unimpressed but it seemed uncaring. The smirk on Kamatari's face fell flat in exasperation. Can't I get this guy to give a damn about anything?

"Well, pass it along to Manzo, will you? It ought to at least make him happy..." And keep him out of my hair, Kamatari thought.

"Right, right. This is where we part. Have a good day at school, kiddo." With a lackadaisical wave, Reizo turned the other way down the street and left. Hmph! He's the troublesome one, he thought with a snort, and continued on his way to school.

The teacher had finally dismissed them for lunch, and Kamatari found Yvette waiting for him as he rose from his desk. She had suggested that morning that they eat lunch together. Feeling that he could further his mission, and that he held no negativity towards the girl, he had agreed. The still newly-minted friends walked down the hall and out of the building.

"So, what shall we do for lunch today, Kamatari? Perhaps Audrey's place is a little far for how long we have..." Yvette pondered.

"Well, in Japan, people tend to bring lunches with them from home," Kamatari stated. He could tell that Yvette liked to learn things about Japan.

"Oh, really? So then what did you bring for lunch today?"

He paused for a second. And then it hit him. He hadn't made anything to bring.

"Chikushou！He told me to start using the kitchen and I didn't listen!" Kamatari threw his arms up and grabbed his head in aggravation at his own stupidity.

"So you don't have anything. It's alright. We can just buy food from the school." Yvette calmed her panicking friend. "And, say, I might not know any Japanese but...you just cursed, didn't you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...uhhh..." Kamatari's eyes popped open, realizing that he had gotten carried away. He smiled at her sheepishly as he straightened up.

"You're really pretty, you know...but is it really common for young ladies to curse like that in your country?"

"Eh...eheheh..." He scratched behind his head nervously. "Who can say? I don't know every girl my age, after all..." Keep it together, you idiot! Refined young women don't curse like that!

"Well, even if it is, I'd watch it. Personally I don't mind at all, but around the teachers you should probably not do that." Yvette smiled and gave him a firm nudge with her elbow. "Wouldn't want you to get into any trouble. After all, friends look out for each other, right?"

"Y-yeah. Thank you, Yvette. I'll try to be more careful from now on." He smiled back at her and her face flushed a bit. "Anyway, let's get food. I'm really hungry."

A brief walk and a short stand in line later, the two students had bought their food and were sitting amongst other tables in an open-air dining area. It looked out onto the school gardens from above. The facade and all of the tables were a beautiful white, and rather ornate-looking.

"This school really is for rich girls, isn't it," Kamatari commented as he stared at the lovely garden maintained by the school's groundskeepers. It was full of flowers, many of which he hadn't seen before.

"Yes, it's a school for the privileged, to be sure." Yvette confirmed his assertion. "But I always try to remind myself to connect with people who aren't so blessed. Luckily that's rather easy, when you're a person like me," she said.

"A person like you? What do you mean by that, Yvette?" She simply smiled and laughed to herself.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you some other time, ok?" He nodded in response, still wondering what she could be talking about. His thoughts were interrupted however by two approaching figures. They appeared to be identical twins. One wore her hair in a ponytail, the other in two smaller and lower-set tails.

"Hi Yvette!" said the ponytail girl. "Oh! Hello there! You must be new," she added, turning to Kamatari.

"Uh, yeah. Kamatari. It's nice to meet you."

"My name is Zuri," replied the first girl.

"And I'm Zara. We're twins," explained the girl with the dual tails.

"Yes, you two look very much alike."

"Thank you," they both said at once, sitting down in the two empty chairs still remaining.

"Hi girls. I haven't seen you in a few weeks. Did you have fun visiting your parents?" Yvette asked.

"It was nice, of course. But I think I prefer it here with our aunt. She doesn't try to run our lives as if we were still children," responded Zara.

"I know what you mean, sis. Me too. It's nice to feel like an adult." Zuri turned to Kamatari. "What about you, Kamatari? Do you miss your parents at all while you're here, or do you like independence too?"

"I uhm...I don't have any parents anymore, so it's hard to miss them after this long." Kamatari wasn't sure if he felt like revealing the whole truth. He was supposed to be undercover of course, but his cover story made no mention of parents, so he assumed that he was free to say whatever he wanted so long as he was able to maintain its consistency.

"Oh my. I'm sorry I didn't know..." Zuri's face saddened with remorse.

"Sis didn't mean to upset you. Really, she's sorry," Zara offered.

"It's alright. Please don't feel too badly." Kamatari looked down at the drink on the table. His eyes misted over just a little as he thought about his past. "This might just be my unfair opinion of them, but I don't feel like they were very good people. So no, I suppose I don't miss them much..." He trailed off.

"It's alright. You don't need to talk about them if you don't want to." Yvette's eyes softened with concern as she put a hand on his shoulder, which brought him mostly out of his reverie. Zuri and Zara exchanged a look.

"Thanks, Yvette. Maybe another time."

After that lunch was spent making small talk, such as discussing the topics of the lectures. When school ended Kamatari was invited to go with the girls to Audrey's cafe, but he declined. He would have liked to, and it would be a smart decision, but he wanted to take care of Seizo's little 'errand' as soon as possible. So he bid farewell to his friends for the day and went off to scout for a safe meeting location.

His search took him from one edge of the city to the side directly opposite his school. Hours upon hours he spent combing back alleys, side streets, and neighborhoods that the average citizen would avoid. He was near to the point of giving up, thinking that he would have to search tomorrow as well. After all his lack of familiarity with the city was waylaying him considerably. He had had to stop to ask for directions more than once. He was just beginning to work his way back toward his apartment, the sun nearly set, until he spotted someone rather interesting walking the opposite direction. They appeared to be a woman, but upon closer inspection, Kamatari found that they were a man dressed in female attire. The person in question seemed rather drunk, and was leading an equally drunk gentleman someplace, likely for something common people would consider to be unsavory.

"Excuse me?" He stopped the two as they passed. "I'm looking for a bar, but I'm new...where did you come from just now?"

"D-down this street a ways and you'll find the bar." The person in the dress looked him over. "Even a place for a g-girl like you..." Saying nothing more, the drunken 'couple' wandered off to sate whatever need they were feeling at that moment. I rather like where this road is headed...he thought, as he considered the possibilities presented him. After all, practically no one goes to these places.

He didn't have to walk much further. Soon he found that many more people dressed in atypical fashion were wandering about the street. There was dull chatter coming from open doors and windows as he passed. He didn't even know the name of the neighborhood, but he knew exactly what it was. He had found they gay district.

He started poking around for an ideal place in the vicinity to meet with Seizo. He was tempted to choose a bar for men only, but recalled that it was crucial to maintain his cover as a young woman. He couldn't choose a lesbian bar of course because Seizo wouldn't be allowed inside. Having found his options narrowed considerably, he took account of the mixed bars nearby. He located after a short while one mixed bar that seemed perfect for meeting his so-called contact. It was quieter than most, very low key, and apparently doubled as a restaurant during the day. It was even located on a side street away from the main thoroughfare. After making his selection, he went inside to look around, attempting to confirm his good judgment. The bar was being tended by a middle-aged woman who was dressed in rather masculine fashion, and held an air of wisdom about her. The bar was nearly dead given that it was early in the week, and there were darker corners where he could sit without being noticed (or at the very least not being approached). Deciding that he had indeed found a brilliant place to meet, and one he would be comfortable in at that, Kamatari left and returned to his apartment.

In the early morning, after having adjusted his hair the way he liked, Kamatari donned his uniform and went down into the communal kitchen to make himself a lunch. He wasn't yet sure how he was going to carry it, but he assumed the kitchen would have something like paper he could use to prevent the food from staining the cloth he had brought with him from home. Poking around in the cupboards yielded few ingredients he knew how to use, so he decided that a simple omelet would be a good choice. It had been many years since he'd had the opportunity to eat one, however. As a result he began stumbling through the preparation. He hadn't even lit the stove yet when an aged woman walked in. He turned to see her staring at him.

"Uhm...good morning? Pardon the mess I'm making..." She blinked, apparently surprised to see a Japanese person not only in the kitchen but also to hear that person speaking French to her.

"No, it's no problem." She busied herself looking for ingredients as well, though she seemed to know exactly where everything was. Kamatari went back to his attempt at cooking. Before long he noticed the old woman watching him again.

"I'm sorry. This really is bothering you, isn't it?"

"Not so much." She gave him a quizzical look, as if trying to figure something out. "Do you know how to cook in France? It must be different than where you're from..."

"Ah, a little different, yes. I'm from Japan, so the way we prepare food is unique."

"Oh, now I recall. You're the Japanese girl who was sponsored by her government to study here. I remember when someone came to reserve your unit for you." She gestured to herself. "I'm the landlady, Maria. I own this building, you see."

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Kamatari nearly bowed out of habit before he caught himself. "My name is Kamatari."

"It's very nice to meet an intelligent young lady who has an interest in studying here in Paris. But back to my original question. Do you know what you're doing there?"

"Er...no, not really."

"Would you like me to help you? It's no trouble, I assure you."

"Y-yes. If you really don't mind..." He shyly stepped aside, not liking to admit to his lack of skill.

"It's quite alright. I have all the time I want at my age." Without another word she stepped in beside Kamatari and lit the stove. He watched her work, seeing the mastery that came with her age, and when she was done she wordlessly wrapped the egg-based concoction into some kitchen paper and gave it to him. "Here you are, dear. I take it you were watching me cook?"

"Yes, I was."

"You might not pick it up after just once, but if you like, I can teach you how to cook Western food."

"Really? Are you sure it's not too troublesome? I would hate to be a bother to you." Kamatari was taken aback at the kindness of this woman. She had cooked his lunch, and was offering to teach him a valuable skill.

"It's nothing, really. I'm no chef, but I know a few things. All I ask in return is that you have tea with me every now and again. I get rather lonely since everyone else comes and goes as they please. I have no children or grandchildren living near here. I would greatly appreciate the company of a respectful young lady like yourself."

"Of course! I would be glad to have tea with you."

"Wonderful," she said with a gentle smile. She cast a glance out the window. "But you had best be leaving, dear. You shouldn't be late to school." Kamatari too looked to the window.

"Goodness you're right! Thank you so much, madame."

"Think nothing of it, Kamatari. Now, off you go."

"How nice of her! Now you can look some Western cooking!" Yvette said at lunchtime. Kamatari had just finished telling her and the twins about his encounter with Maria the landlady.

"Is it really so different to cook here in France, Kamatari?" asked Zara.

"Well, I'm sure some things are the same. But the tools and the ingredients are all very different."

"Hm. That makes sense, I guess," Zara replied.

"What does Japanese food taste like? I mean, what's it like compared to French food?" Zuri wondered.

"Uh...well...the best way I can explain it is that Western food in general tends to pick a few types of tastes for one dish. And when flavors are added to ingredients, you taste a lot of the new flavor. Japan's food tends to have just a little of a few types of taste that balance each other out, if we add any flavors at all. We like to taste the natural texture and flavor of the ingredients we use."

"So do you not like Western food, Kamatari?" Yvette's voice carried a minor note of concern as she asked.

"I like it well enough. I had some when I was young, so I'm used to it. But I do still miss Japanese food an awful lot," Kamatari replied wistfully.

"Maybe you can teach us to make some? That way we can try it, and you can have some of the food you miss," suggested Zuri.

"I could try, I suppose. But do you have shouyu here?"

"Sho...yu...?" Zuri tilted her head.

"Or dashi? It's a soup stock made from fish...?"

"I don't think I've ever heard of those things..." Zara shook her head.

"Maybe I can think of something that you have the ingredients for. But it looks like I won't be eating Japanese food any time soon."

"I can have our chef look into it before you come to visit, if you like," offered Yvette.

"You're going to visit her house, Kamatari?" Zuri's incredulous tone was very noticeable.

"She's not just visiting. She's going to stay a night." Yvette clearly didn't take well to that tone, because her response was brimming with pride.

"Yes, I'll be staying a night sometime in the near future." Zuri and Zara looked at each other, and then at the two of them with expressions Kamatari couldn't exactly read. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, when would you like to set this up?"

"Not this weekend, but the weekend after next, perhaps?"

"I don't have much to do other than schoolwork," Kamatari lied. "So whenever you feel is convenient is fine with me." I'm sure Manzo and Seizo would move one of our meetings for the sake of the mission. In fact I'd rather prefer it. Those two are such a pain.

"Perfect! I'll make note of it for that weekend, then. Any particular requests for dinner? I may not have much in the way of accommodation, but I do have a chef at my disposal."

"No, no. Really, there's no need to go through so much trouble." After all I don't want to inconvenience any of the powerful people I'm trying to get close to. It's better they be in a good mood when they meet Yvette's new friend. He paused in his thoughts for a second. I'm getting rather good at this whole spy thing.

"It's no trouble, really I—" Yvette stopped, looking at Kamatari's face carefully for a moment. "But I suppose I'll tell the chef to pick an old favorite. It will make it easy." She waited a moment before changing the subject. "So Kamatari, there's rehearsal for a school-sponsored ballet group tonight. The twins are working as stage managers. You know, things like curtain movements and lighting. I was going to watch. Would you like to come with?"

"That sounds wonderful. I'd be glad to come with." She likes ballet. Hm. Maybe I should try to learn something about it.

"It's right after classes end for us, so I hope that it doesn't inconvenience you."

"No, I haven't got anything to do tonight."

"We really appreciate you coming to watch too, Kamatari. We could use your input on the show," Zara added.

"I uhm...I don't know much about ballet, yet. I'll do my best though," he said, a little nervously. "Also, isn't it nearly time for class to start again?"

"Oh, right. Best get moving, right?" Zuri replied, clearing her sister's spot as well as her own. Everyone went to their respective rooms to endure the remainder of the day's lectures.

The theater was dark when Yvette and Kamatari arrived, no one bothering to light the audience area during a simple rehearsal. The seats in which they sat were slightly uncomfortable to Kamatari, and he had to adapt to the musty smell permeating the air. Just attempting to settle into an accommodating position, Yvette sat down next to him.

"Is this your first time seeing a rehearsal?" She asked.

"I think it's the first time I've seen ballet at all, other than perhaps in an illustration."

"Is that so? They must not have it in Japan, then...?"

"No, they don't. Or if they do I've never seen it. We have other types of traditional dances, but some of them are loud and energetic. Just remembering the image I have of ballet, I think of it as quiet and relaxed."

"I think that it depends on the particular show. I've seen some very energetic ballet performances," she commented. "That was how I met the twins, actually."

"Alright! Places, everyone!" shouted a voice backstage. It drew Kamatari and Yvette's attention to the stage, as the first performer to take the stage broke through the curtains from the side. The girl was dressed in an outfit that perhaps had too many frills. Kamatari wondered if he or anyone else could ever be comfortable wearing such a thing. After a very brief interval of the first performer dancing, others took the stage, the numbers swelling until a sizable team was assembled. As Kamatari continued to watch them dance, he suddenly was drawn to looking at their lithe frames. The thinness of their legs, the way their graceful fingers all mimicked each other in near perfect synchronization, even the way their costumes accented their breasts. These were things he had noticed before, of course, but never did he give them great thought.

"Beautiful, aren't they? So devoted and talented..." Yvette said absentmindedly, clearly enthralled with the performance. Kamatari felt uneasy, somehow.

"They are, aren't they?" He couldn't exactly place his feelings.

"And the costumes are wonderfully made. Just about any girl would look lovely wearing them, I think." She also whispered something afterward that Kamatari didn't catch.

"Y-yes. I think so, too."

"Have you ever thought about learning to dance, Kamatari? Perhaps not ballet, but some other Western dances? I'm sure you'd be just as graceful." Kamatari's stomach tied itself in knots, and he was becoming keenly aware of his discomfort with the topic. He just couldn't figure out the cause of it.

"I-it does look like fun. But I'd better not. I have to earn good marks here." I couldn't even if I wanted to, though.

"Are you sure? I think you'd like it a lot. And the other girls might tease you in the changing room, but I hear that most of them are very nice." Another clenching knot formed.

"Really. Thank you, but no. Maybe you can teach me a few yourself sometime, but I don't think doing it with so many other people is for me." Nothing was said between the two for the rest of the rehearsal, but for the first time since coming to this school, Kamatari felt something he didn't consider he might feel about being among so many young women.

He felt out of place.

That night, Kamatari returned to his apartment. He was tired, and he was still troubled over what he had experienced at the ballet rehearsal. He tried not to let it affect him externally, though. As he trudged past the door to the kitchen, he heard a voice beckon him.

"Kamatari? In here," it called. It took him a second to process the identity of the speaker due to his distractedness. It was Maria. "I was just making some tea. It's quite convenient timing for you to come home now, so perhaps you would like to honor our little deal this evening?"

"Oh, of course I wouldn't mind," he answered, walking into the kitchen. She gestured for him to sit at the table and he did. Maria came to the table with two cups and a full pot of tea. It was a large pot, made for entertaining multiple guests, though it was just the two of them.

"You look worn out, dear. Tough day at school? A fight with your friends, maybe?"

"No...I don't know what it was...I just started to feel very strange." He looked into his tea. "It made me uncomfortable.

"In what way did you feel strange? What was happening when you felt that way?"

"I was watching a ballet rehearsal with my friend. I was feeling odd, and then she said she thought I'd like to learn to dance."

"It sounds normal enough to me. She suggested something that you feel you would be uncomfortable trying." Maria sipped her tea. "Just average friendships between girls, right?"

"I guess so...but somehow I feel that isn't it..." He looked back up at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry for suddenly saying strange things and talking to you about my problems."

"Think nothing of it. We are sharing tea. It's natural that we discuss our lives lately, especially the strange things," she said. Her words made Kamatari smile. It was soft, and still held some of his apology in it, but it was still a smile nonetheless.

"Well, that's about all you need to hear about my day. What about yours?"

"It was terrible!" She said with a broad grin. "I don't know if you know, but there's this stray cat that lives in an alley two buildings down, and he..."

Kamatari sat and listened to Maria go on and on about her day, and even about some of the preceding ones. It was a great relief to him to talk to this woman. She was kind, charming, and most of all she gave him a sense of being at ease. She got around at one point to mentioning she had a son, but only peripherally. After that it was back to griping about the woman on the second floor who was causing her so much grief by bringing in so many male visitors at all hours of the night. After the tea was finished and the conversation began to dwindle, Kamatari and Maria said goodnight and retired.

The week wore on, and it was at last Friday. Having recovered from his bout of whatever insecurity he had felt at the rehearsal, Kamatari was feeling confident and happy today. He was practically bursting with energy and confidence for the first time in a long while. After an early morning cooking lesson with Maria, he slipped his lunch into his bag and walked out the door. Seizo was waiting for him on the sidewalk outside, so he walked straight up to the man with a smile and a wave, his uniform swaying gently in the mid-morning breeze.

"You did what I asked?" Seizo questioned, his hair just slightly less disheveled, uniform unbuttoned as per usual.

"I sure did. A place where most citizens never go, and those who do aren't of repute enough where their notice of us would cause problems." He beamed at the officer, proud of himself and happy to at least be in a similar location to one he had frequented in the past. He felt that it tipped the scale in his favor.

"Hey, hey. Let's not meet in the too disrespectful a place. Where did you pick, exactly?"

"A nice little mixed bar in the gay district," Kamatari said matter-of-factly.

"...what?"

"You heard me. A gay bar. A place for people like me. Not only is it in an unpopular district, but the bar itself is down one of the rarely-used side streets of said district. No one will ever find us there." Seizo was silent, the only sounds between the two being their shoes against the ground.

"It does make some amount of sense when you put it that way. But did it have to be that neighborhood and not another?"

"Even if it did, I know better how to handle those types of places than any respectable establishments." Kamatari's smile hadn't wavered at all. He wouldn't hear of any argument, and he knew that his logic was sound enough that even Manzo would have a hard time presenting a reason for selecting and alternative.

"That's alright then. It's a bit too early in the day for this sort of business. I know well enough where that neighborhood is, so if I wait around there tonight, you come find me. Then we'll go to this bar you've got in mind." He shrugged. "It may be a long walk, but maybe I'll get a drink or two out of it. I'll see you tonight." He turned away and walked off, allowing Kamatari to finish his walk to school with the spring of victory in his steps.

Night came more quickly than he would have liked, not particularly caring to see Seizo twice in the same day. Even so Kamatari strode down the street, gay bars on either side, finding Seizo waiting for him in one of the alleyways. The two proceeded to walk to a more secluded section, finding the bar they were searching for to be slightly more populated than when last Kamatari had been.

"Remember to speak in French while we're inside. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. If you need to conceal something you're saying by using Japanese, whisper. Other than that from here out we speak French. Understood?" Seizo pointed at him to drive the point home. When he nodded in answer they took a seat in a dark corner on the edge of the bar. The place was small enough that it didn't have waitstaff. Each patron had to go to the bar to get their drinks, hence the benefit of sitting at the bar. Only a few were seated at the tables, Kamatari and Seizo being two of them. Seizo got up to get the two of them drinks. After all, one goes to a bar expressly to get alcohol. What he came back to the table with was such a dark color that neither of them were sure if it was even drinkable.

"BLEAH! This stuff is terrible!" Kamatari said in a hushed shout, looking at the glass in his hand.

"I asked for the bartender's recommendation. It looked like most of the people at the bar were drinking it too. I think she said it was locally made...?" Seizo shrugged, trying not to choke on his next sip of the foreign beverage.

"Ugh. I can't finish this." Kamatari's head sunk to the table as he stared in misery at the beverage in front of him. "I miss sake..."

"So do I. But we don't get any by complaining about it." Seizo set his drink down. "This is mostly formality and scoping out of our meeting location. Since you've only just arrived, there likely isn't much to report. Unless you have something else?"

"Well, I've made two other friends recently. They were friends of Yvette, the first girl I met, and now I'm friends with them as well." Kamatari's mind briefly floated back to the rehearsal, but that wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to talk about with one of his supervisors.

"That's good, then. Making progress. If that's all you have to report, I think we'll just stay and watch the bar for a while. It will give us a good feel of the place, and if all goes well I see no reason why we shouldn't continue to meet here."

"That doesn't sound too bad..." If not for this awful drink!

Neither was sure how long they sat there, quietly chatting with each other but mostly watching the rest of the bar. It seemed to be fairly steady mix with women mostly being the majority. Kamatari noticed that the woman working the bar tended to single women and couples of women with much more attentiveness than she did with larger groups, or men in general. He had his guesses as to why, but kept them to himself. When Seizo managed to suffer through the end of his alcohol he left, Kamatari electing to stay a while longer. He turned away and became absorbed in his thoughts.

He thought about the short time he had been in this country, and about how he had been adapting to it. He thought about his mission, and what it meant to have his so-called friends whom he would be using as information taps. He thought back to that dream he had had about Shishio-sama. And then he came to dwell on his feelings at the ballet rehearsal. What even was that? I can't remember feeling like that for so long. Not since I was little. This town is doing something to me...He was just getting ready so struggle in downing the last of his beverage when he heard the door open. Out of mild curiosity, he raised his head to look at who had entered. What he saw however caused his blood to run cold.

Walking up to the bar, sitting down, and chatting up the bartender was none other than Yvette.