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Chapter 2: The Journey to Kanna
Author: Jun-I
Warnings:
- characters change sex, yaoi, yuri, cross-dressing
- spoilers within. Written with the assumption that readers have already seen the anime.
Pairings: female Heihachi - female Kyuzo, Shichiroji/Kanbei (later), Kambei - female Kyuuzou (implied)
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It was Gorobei who came up with the idea of disguising Rikichi, Heihachi and himself as women for the rest of their journey. There was only one problem. Heihachi was already a woman. As Gorobei undressed himself and put on a woman's kimono, Heihachi hesitated. Rikichi's reaction was even more extreme - the farmer was having a fit over the idea of having to shave his legs. But at long last, Rikichi decided to undress and change into his new clothes too, even though he did not stop complaining about Gorobei's idea for one second.
Heihachi was laughing as she teased Rikichi, but Gorobei noticed that the mechanic had not yet started to undress. A look of doubt came into his eyes. "Well, we don't have much time," the tall veteran interjected, "Don't keep our three lovely make up artists waiting."
The smile faded from Heihachi's face. Gorobei frowned. If Heihachi had served three years during the great war as 'he' had told Gorobei, the mechanic was at least in 'his' twenties. Yet never once had Gorobei seen Heihachi bring a razor to 'his' smooth chin. The former soldier apparently did not need to shave. A vague suspicion had been lingering at the back of Gorobei's mind, but now things were starting to look clearer.
"Heihachi-dono," the dark man said, "There should be no secrets between the three of us if we are to survive this journey together."
Heihachi had turned a shade paler.
"It's all right." Gorobei said reassuringly, "There's nothing to fear from me. Or from Rikichi."
The mechanic regarded him with some suspicion. Gorobei was too fabulous to be a straight man, yet Heihachi was still not sure. But she had no choice. She removed her bulky outer garments and said to the two men. "I trust that you can keep a secret."
Rikichi's eyes almost popped out of his sockets. Under the baggy clothes, Heihachi was quite unexpectedly trim and slender, and undeniably female. The peasant nearly fell over but Gorobei broke in smoothly, "As far as we're concerned, you are one of the guys."
The short samurai smiled toothily, but Gorobei knew she was afraid. Gorobei had seen them before - women who did not desire the amorous attentions of men, no matter how much they liked men as friends. Behind the mannish goofiness was fear. Fear of being viewed by men the same way as men viewed less fortunate women like Kirara and Sanae. Still, Gorobei knew there was nothing he could do to ease her fears. Trust had to be earned, not demanded.
Gorobei studied the female samurai. Heihachi's features were pleasant. The tomboy was actually prettier than the woman she adored, thought Gorobei. She had large, liquid black eyes that a man could drown in, that is, when she wasn't squinting them into slits. Heihachi's habit of keeping silly expressions on her face was just a camouflage - a tactic for obscuring her natural beauty. "Come, we must doll you up," the entertainer clapped his hands authoritatively, "Then when Kyuuzou sees you again, she will be impressed by your gorgeousness."
"Kyuuzou?" Heihachi's jaw dropped. How did Gorobei know?
The big man chuckled, "You young people don't know how to hide your passions. Your eyes betrayed you. But if I were you, I'll be more discreet about it. Things are complicated enough with our leader lusting after her."
Heihachi allowed Gorobei to put makeup on her while she pondered his earlier words. Would Kyuuzou really be impressed with her new look? Heihachi was not sure if the glittering femme would be impressed even if Heihachi was voted Miss Kougakyo. Then the frumpy mechanic tortured herself with worries about the dynamics between Kyuuzou and Kanbei. The opposite of love was not hate. It was indifference. And it was clear for all to see that whatever the deadly female fighter felt for Kanbei, it was not indifference. Kanbei was tall, dark and handsome. He was a distinguished leader and a mighty warrior. As for Heihachi, she was just a short, silly little dyke, an unassuming mechanic always working in the shadows. She wasn't charismatic, experienced, or masterful. All she had over him was an unbeatable sense of humor and a disarmingly cute smile. But would that be enough to win Kyuuzou's heart?
It was a few days later when Heihachi arrived at the winged rock as a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman. Kyuuzou was already waiting there. The femme fatale gave Heihachi a knowing look when she saw the redhead in femme drag, and Heihachi saw the vaguest hint of a smile flash across the blonde's face.
They shared a secret without even speaking of it. It was clear to Kyuuzou that Heihachi was female, and that she did not want anyone else to know. As for the tomboy mechanic, she just assumed that Kyuuzou saw her for who she was, unlike the others. And she trusted the silent samurai not to reveal her secret. Heihachi believed there was a special bond between women who chose the path of the sword, something that only two female fighters could share. This was their secret universe. A world that men could not enter. A world that Shimada Kanbei could never enter.