You can watch the first part of this video if you want to know more about the rumours :D

Geta were more difficult to navigate to than cord sandals. But I, who abhorred any type of shoes, was now progressing at a proper pace – for a woman – under my veiled hat. The idea was strictly genial; noblewomen sometimes travelled incognito, using those large hats prolonged by a veil. The cloth was opaque enough to hide my face from the public, but didn't prevent me from seeing, albeit my vision was greatly impaired. It also kept mosquitoes and nasties away. The smell of fish stalls, through, wasn't dulled.

My brand-new kimono felt so amazing that I feared tearing it at every step.

"Careful!"

Kondō's hand shot up to guide me away a particular nasty channel, filled with waste from the day. I smiled; hidden behind the veil, the strings tied at my chin pulled at my skin. Even though kimonos were restrictive, and those geta less than comfortable to me – I had no doubt anyone else, born in Japan, could master it – I wasn't a damsel in distress. But Kondō was having a field day treating me like one; his joyful mood was communicative.

As Hijikata had pointed out, people would believe that he escorted his concubines to dinner. Concubines, yes, plural. For Sanan walked by my side, his green kimono untopped by the traditional Hakama, a similar veiled hat upon his head.

"I have to admit, Frances-kun, that you have the strangest ideas," the spectacled man mused by my side. I pushed the veil away, just a moment, to try and catch his gaze. Behind the cloth, I spotted a pair of twinkling grey eyes.

"Tell me you are not enjoying it."

"Being dressed as a woman wasn't on my list of indispensable experiences," his musical voice retorted. "But there are perks to being the Oni's concubine."

"You are not!" Hijikata growled, two steps forward.

Both Sanan and I chuckled under our disguise. It would have been unfair to keep the scientist at the compound when he'd worked so hard on Okita's cure. Any success, or failure, would be shared. If I could hide under a veil, why not him? After all, he wore a kimono under his hakama. Tonight, though, he'd tied up a woman's obi around his waist. The idea, a joke, at first, had actually created quite a commotion.

"I can be Hijikata-kun's concubine," Sanan quipped mischievously, causing the Commander to blush.

"Tch. Kondō can have both of you," he retorted hotly. "You can bore him to death with talks of mathematics."

I knew to what he was referring; visibly, Fukuchō had not been pleased at my attempt to characterise him with a logarithm curve. Then, his last words alighted a bulb in my brain, and I turned to Kondō with disbelief.

"Wait, you can have two?", I asked innocently. This time, it was the Captain's turn to blush. Sanan's awkward cough and Hijikata's stubborn silence had answered the question.

Right. Monogamy, here I come.

So there we were, two of Kondō's concubines, passing a gate that looked like a temple's with a sour Hijikata-san by our side. Houses, painted red, lined up the street. Laughter rose from the establishements, lanterns literring the way. The smells were different, much more elaborate than whatever came out of our kitchen at the compound. I was already salivating, wondering what traditional dish was about to greet my palate.

Whispers greeted our passage; some of them were about us. Others, about the beauty of our Oni Vice commander, and the Maiko he'd tried to steal last year. Or his supposed mistresses seomwhere in Kyōto...

I stored the information away, mindful of the gazes that rested upon us. Hijikata's face soured, and I quickened my step to walk by his side. After all, he was the one wearing my scabbard this evening. Should we be attacked, I needed to keep him close. Officially, he was our bodyguard.

"Rumours, Fukuchō?", I asked.

He groaned, the sound rumbling in his chest as he walked. He didn't grant me the slightest look, eyes strained forward, when he spoke. But his voice was laced with annoyance.

"Yukimura spent a little time down here to get some information. Things didn't quite go as planned, I had to fish her out."

Chizuru, disguised as a Maiko? She must have looked ravishing. If Hijikata had been the one to lead her away with his thunderous ways and infamous good looks, no doubt the sight wouldn't be forgotten.

"Rumours are funny that way," I nodded. "That they transform every sliver of truth into a fairytale."

He pinched the bridge of his nose with a huff, and I smiled.

"It's been more than a year!" he whined like a displeased wolf. When he shed the Fukuchō mantle, Hijikata was prone to a little theatrics. Especially when his patience ran out.

"Unfortunately, you are not the kind of man easily forgettable."

"The sayings of Geikos should not be trusted," he retorted hotly.

Was he referring to the fact they called him handsome in his back? Or had probably invented a legend that he saved young maikos to marry them off, or take them as concubines. The idea caused me to laugh; I couldn't see our Fukuchō with a set of different women. One, already, would probably cause him a headache. Hijikata was too impatient, too blunt to consider ladies' feelings.

"Their current occupation is hazardous, at best," I chanced. "I understand their need to dream of a respectable man sweeping them off their feet."

I barely distinguished his features through the veil, but felt that my words had caused him to pause. The Shinsengumi was established as Kyōto's police force. And even though their reputation wasn't too shiny, the Oni vice commander represented safety.

His voice had returned to his normal tone when he conceded.

"Hai. But it doesn't make my life easier."

"Well, women seldom do," I joked. A little self-derision couldn't hurt, right?

"You have surprising lucidity about your gender," came a silken voice from right behind me.

I nearly jumped; those veils impaired my sense of direction, as I wasn't able to keep a good track of my surroundings. Fortunately, the presence of both Kondō and Hijikata put my fears to rest. Well, except from the fact that my blade didn't rest with me. Safely secured on the sash at Hijikata's hip – who had foregone his usual hakama tonight in favour of a dark blue kimono – my sword seemed to taunt me.

"Be mindful of retaliation, dearest," I slid to Sanan. "We women represent half the world."

He just hummed, and Kondō laughed at our antics. Hijikata, though, was looking at us strangely. I shrugged it off; Sanan and I shared our love of science and cynicism. We spent long hours with each other, and I found his conversation absolutely delightful. I wasn't afraid to call him a friend, even though a part of him was hidden away, impredictible.

Feeling bold, I decided to tease the Captain a little.

"So, Kondō-san, why take me to Shimaraba? Are you planning to sell me off?"

The tall man coughed, a blush creeping up his cheeks. Since the sun had yet to set, I had a great view over his reddened cheekbones.

"We've got entries there. And people we trust."

"Ah," I hummed. "It makes sense. I was a tiny bit afraid. I may have flexibility in my tastes, but I am very set in my ways. I'm definitely not interested in ladies."

Kondō-san's spluterred by my side and I released a carefree laugh. Sometimes, I wondered if he didn't consider me an innocent virgin.

"Relax, Captain. I was just teasing."

The man's eyes cringed as he chuckled, his arm shaking under my hand. I had to admit that being escorted by him made me feel pretty special. Tonight, I wasn't Kitsu the fighter. Tonight, I was allowed to behave like a woman, and it filled my heart with glee.

"Define flexibility."

Sanan's question puzzled me.

"Uh?"

"You spoke of flexibility in your taste...", he offered.

Oops. I had walked straight into that one. Well ... he couldn't see my cheek redden as well at the memory of Legolas' kisses. I couldn't see Sanan's eyes under the veil, and he kept his voice carefully neutral. I cursed his witty mind, and smiled.

"Non-human is alright. Just definitely male."

I heard him suck in a breath, and frowned. What was that man thinking now?

"How about Oni?" he deviously asked.

Fukuchō sighed in annoyance. This time, I could hear Sanan's teasing tone just right. Was he referring to Hijikata, or Amagiri?

"Don't mind. Elf, ghost, Oni... Love is funny that way. It doesn't quite ask for your opinion when it strikes."

There was a slight movement by my side between Sanan and Hijikata, but my retort was only met with a chuckle.

"Well, it's good to be open-minded," Sanan concluded.

"I live in a strange world, mellon nin."

We had agreed not to utter Sanan's name in public this evening; he was, for the night, Yamanami-san. Since I struggled to remember the name, I had dubbed him 'friend' in elvish. Whether the men didn't want to pry in my love life, or felt it too dangerous to set a foot in, they dropped the subject to gentle teasing about ladies.