Disclaimer: Maria-sama ga Miteru belongs to Konno Oyuki, Nagasawa Satoru, Shuueisha, and Geneon Entertainment, and Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death belongs to Guacamole Pictures. They are being used for non-profit purposes, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Notes: This story will contain mentions of BL (yaoi/slash) and yuri (femmeslash).

Chapter 3

The officer woke Yuuki at the crack of dawn, a smirk on his face. "Time to suit up, Yukimi," he said, using the undercover name that had been chosen for Yuuki the day before.

Yuuki groaned, but pushed himself up out of bed and went to perform his morning ablutions, using the million little bottles that all seemed to stink of some kind of flower. That finished, he began to dress.

The girls' field uniform was essentially the same as the men's: a sensible, fairly tight-fitting t-shirt, pants, and combat boots, all in shades of brown. It was what he was wearing underneath it that made him cringe in embarrassment. He'd been given basic, unadorned undergarments in plain white, and yet he was sure he was just as embarrassed putting them on as he would have been if they had been pink and frilly. The panties were actually more comfortable than he'd expected, but he still fumbled when putting on and removing the bra, making a bad solution even worse.

He was better at putting the makeup on than he had expected to be. He told himself it was because he'd had to pay so much attention to the lecture, though he was both secretly proud and secretly embarrassed of his newfound skill. Then came the hair, which he pulled back into a sensible ponytail-- couldn't have it getting in the way during the trip to the mountain-- which he secured using a hair tie some kind-hearted person had included with the field uniform. He planned to leave the hideous barrettes at the bottom of his bag the whole trip, if possible.

When he was finally ready (he now had some first-hand experience as to why most girls spent so much time in the bathroom in the morning), the officer checked over his appearance, and-- after the requisite number of digs and snide comments-- pronounced him ready.

They didn't have long to wait before a knock came at the door and one of the inn's staff announced that a man named Kashiwagi was there to see them.

"That'll be our boy," the officer said, smiling, and called for him to be let in.

The door slid open, revealing a tall, slim young man who somehow had an air of refinement about him despite the ruggedness of his attire. His eyes settled on Yuuki, and something in his expression altered nearly imperceptibly. Yuuki, a sinking feeling in his stomach, was sure, though he didn't know quite where that certainty came from, that he had just been found out.

"Good morning, son," the officer greeted him, waving him in. "Come in, have a seat."

"Good morning." Kashiwagi returned the greeting, giving a polite bow before entering the room and seating himself across from the other two occupants. His voice was undeniably that of a man, and yet there was a feminine timbre to it, an almost nasal quality.

"I'll get right to the point here, since we can't afford to waste any time here-- my boys told you yesterday that we have another girl for you to take in. This is Fukuzawa Yukimi. She's been briefed on her mission and is ready to leave immediately. Your fee will the same as before, if that's acceptable?"

If Kashiwagi was surprised at Yuuki's family name, or his resemblance to his sister, he didn't show it.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fukuzawa-san. I am also ready to leave immediately. I presume a vehicle is ready and waiting to take us to the area?"

"Of course, of course. I'll just give you your payment, and we can be off." The officer produced an envelope from his briefcase and passed it over to Kashiwagi, who tucked it in his pocket without so much as a glance at it. Yuuki supposed that they'd done this enough times now that they'd more than earned each other's trust.

That finished, the trio stood, gathered Yuuki's and Kashiwagi's things, and deposited them in the trunk of the same car that they'd taken to the inn. The officer was doing the driving himself this time, and Yuuki was, unsurprisingly, consigned to the back seat while Kashiwagi got shotgun.

The officer and the guide made conversation during the drive, but Yuuki spent the time looking out the window, thinking and psyching himself up for the mission. He thought he saw Kashiwagi checking him out in the rearview mirror once or twice out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn to meet his eyes. There was something about Kashiwagi that made him a little uncomfortable, some feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

An indeterminate amount of time later, the car came to a stop in a parking area.

"We're here," the officer announced--rather unnecessarily, Yuuki thought--and the three men stepped out of the car.

Yuuki pivoted, surveying the area. They were still a ways away from any of the mountains.

"There were more roads here at one time. They were removed along with the resorts years ago." Kashiwagi's voice came from just behind Yuuki.

Yuuki turned toward him, questions on the tip of his tongue, but then the officer was there, handing him his gear. Yuuki decided any questions could wait until they were on their way. He couldn't waste time standing around here when Yumi might be out there somewhere.

"All ready?" the officer asked. All the mirth was gone from his eyes now. There'd been a sort of surreal humor to the situation before, but the reality was that he was sending a young man to what could very well be his death. Yuuki put the thought out of his mind. Right now he needed to focus on the mission. On Yumi.

"Yes, sir," he returned.

The guide had gotten his own pack from the trunk while Yuuki had been standing there thinking.

"The trail we'll be taking is just over here," he said, pointing to the right. "I'll wait for you at the entrance."

Once Kashiwagi was out of earshot, the officer began speaking again. "Remember, your mission is to go in, get information, and get out. No heroics. We'll be counting on you, son. Godspeed."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Yuuki saluted, and turned to follow Kashiwagi to the trail.

It was going to be a long day.