Work Text:
One of her oldest memories is of how often people called her a cute child. It was nice. Sometimes they specified a cute boy child, but that was acceptable to her during a time in her life when she had more pressing concerns, such as where her next meal would come from.
It was a harder pill to swallow when she and her elder brother Izou came into the care of Kozuki Oden, and her empty stomach was no longer an issue.
As she approached adulthood, and gained renown as one of Lord Oden’s Akazaya Nine, people started referring to her as their country’s most beautiful swordsman. They meant it as a compliment, and that was the problem. She could not bring herself to see it that way.
Soon after, Kikunojo began wearing a hannya mask in public.
She is a samurai, and she would not change that for anything in the world. She is also a woman at heart. She sees no contradiction, but it has been difficult for others to reconcile her two selves.
The mask is a remnant of her third self, a reminder of her past life as a dancing student with the Hanayanagi School. It represents the rage and sorrow of a woman turned demon. She favors the color red, but she had hers painted the color of fresh snow, to match her other epithet. It describes her skill with the blade, and it is the one she prefers.
Though expertly crafted, the mask is not flawless. Many people were not trained in the performing arts as she was. They do not frequent the theater, either, preferring instead to look for entertainment in places like the sumo ring. They would not recognize the significance of her wearing it. Even if they did, she is also keenly aware that it is common for men to dress as and play women on stage.
Nevertheless, she is satisfied with it. She cannot and will not show any resentment, but with the hannya mask on, her feelings are hidden in plain sight.