A boy has taken the throne.

Posts : 757

Shinjin sat across from two women at a table under a large pavilion. Both women looked at him and he looked back at them, wondering what he would do next. According to his father these women had been sent here to see about him and ultimately assist him in whatever he needed, whether it be money or leg work, fighting or dying. The problem was that both of them were older than him by three years. As timid as he was he could not shake the stares they gave him, so he tried to play with his napkin full of utensils or brush out his robes and make sure his long socks were clean. He picked at his hair and examined one of the forks to see if it was clean. Where was that waitress? She said she'd be coming back with drinks soon. Shinjin tried to look for her at the other tables and couldn't find her.

“Look, kiddo. I'm not so sure Shinran explained what was supposed to happen correctly... I'm not sure I'm down for this..”

There was this woman called Mari who had to be a model. Being dark skinned like him -and the other woman- she had a pronounced cheek bones, glassy eyes like fine marble and the bust size that would make any man stare. Her business formal wear was tucked about her neck under a tight diamond button but it did nothing to stop her chest from swelling her blouse. Shinjin remembered the flustered feeling he had when he first laid eyes on her. He wasn't the only one looking. But what did it matter now? According to them Shinran had trained these women up with the purpose of mothering the Shikyo Clan back into existence under his rule. They had agreed to this at his age.

“Yes, Mr. Shinran has muddied somethings, but I am willing to go through with it regardless of what Mari wants.”

Mari sucked her teeth.

Her name was Okoki and she was about as country as a warm glass of milk and apple pie. Where Mari had been sort of a high class, high maintenance girl, Okoki came from much more humble roots. Mari's hair style had been short and styled, stretched and pulled until her curls were long and straight. Okoki wore natural dreadlocks in twists that ran down the side of her face and touched her shoulders with their tips. She was cute for a backwoods girl because the sweat and hard labor required to do such work had only ground her into a fine gem of a woman. Okoki had natural beauty, but was so homey and sweet that Shinjin felt like he could be her little brother. But these women had been instructed with much more than that.

A staccato rhythm tacked its way towards them against the hard cement floor. Good, the waitress was back. She sat some fruit juice near Shinjin, a margarita near Mari and a glass of iced tea near Okoki. There were some bread sticks and sauce to get them warmed up while she took orders. Mari's fingers grabbed a bread stick at the same time Shinjin reached for one. It had been awkward for a second, but he simply took another one and quickly as possible and grabbed one of the containers of sauce to dip it in. The waitress went around the able and asked for orders. Okoki, being simple ordered a turkey sub that she thought was divine beyond belief, with cheeses she'd never eaten before. Mari ordered the highest class filet of fish they had to offer, one extremely expensive for just a small lunch meal. She was sure that her wallet would never slake despite Okoki's flak. Shinjin mulled over a dilemma, to keep his diet or to play... Shrimp twirled around noddles of authentic cheese sauce donned with swollen dumplings. Or he could just have a wheat bread sandwich with arid turkey meat. Screw it. He wanted the shrimp.

Mari tilted her drink to her wine lips and sipped.

“So, you mean to tell me you've come all the way out here looking for wives to marry...” she dubiously said.

“No, no, no. It was nothing like that! As a matter of fact I didn't even know my father had done all of this. I merely wanted to meet the man, as far as I knew he was dead...” His head held with disesteem. “I didn't wan-..”

“Don't worry Shinjin! It's a bit weird, we understand, but this is what we've been training for. We believe just as much in the House of Shikyo as you do!You cannot just pick any woman and you and single woman can't do it all. Why my dad pretty much had two wives because my mom was always on the farm and we didn’t think anything of it,” her words were chocked with consolation.

Mari continued to remain abstracted. Shinjin was a boy growing into a man, but he was just that, a boy. A fifteen year old boy who was supposedly her leader. Her boss. Her man. Mari's drive was too competitive and focused with pinpoint ambition. It was her who would adroitly discover a new throne, whether it be an empty one or full. Mari was well aware that her place would be at the right side of the throne and that she would not have full power. She knew that well. She didn't want full power at all, she only wanted the ear of the man sitting in it. In that position she would be opulent with control. Control that she could easily clout in the bedroom. Any grown man would fall on his knees before her, begging for more. She had her tough cookies, but she could crack a man like an almond under her heels. Mari had done it before and would do it again. Shinjin was just a boy. What would he know about a woman's real needs?

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“I am underwhelmed to say the least, but... There is the matter of Kyu. How has he treated you thus far?”

Shinjin sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

“Kyu? Kyu's great! Had it not been for him we wouldn't be talking right now. He's a bit eccentric when you first meet him but after a while hes pretty cool. Plus he's loaded but I wouldn't know much about that... I grew up in a bad part of town and...”

“That's the House of Kuro, correct? Kuro, Kyuseishu?” she sipped her glass and tugged her teeth on a bread stick.

“Yeah that's him.” For some reason he felt like he shouldn't have said anything.

“Hmm. I've seen some reports of him here and there. Such a man definitely has my attention,” she lied. Shinjin knew she was lying. Kyu had the whole village under his thumb financially. It wasn't out of the question for Hiroshi to borrow a couple of bucks from him. If Kyu wanted to be found or looked at by anyone he definitely had already pulled information on the person looking. Shinjin didn't like that she felt the need to bluff and held back the urge to give her flak for it. He didn't need to fight Kyu's battles nor would Kyu want him to.

Okoki decided that age was just a mere number. Shinjin would easily grow into a fine man, and in some ways she could see it now. Her life in Kumogakure would have perfect closure. She'd finished her studies, moved her parents away from the country side so they could receive proper care, and was ready to train. Mari and Okoki had spent plenty of time together. For such a contradictory pair of women, they knew each other well. Mari and Okoki could fight side by side together blind folded and still come out on top. The ninja training they received from Shinran was top caliber, second to none. If someone need protecting, doing it was no hassle for them.

“I know it's hard, but I really think you can warm to this Mari. It's not like we're going to be slaves. Think of it as one of those pre-arranged marriages you hear about. The girls in those never have to do everything the first night. Most of them continue living normal lives with their husband, as independent and free as they were before. I'm sure Shinjin won't be harsh.”

Mari was still as dubious about the situation as ever, and merely tossed another swig back. Shinjin could tell the alcohol was working her tongue. She was beginning to work his nerves.

“Hmph. Shinran never said anything about a fifteen year old boy.”

Boy. Child. Kiddo. Youngster. Junior. Punk. Runt. Squirt. What else did Mari have else to say? If they were here that meant they were here not to accept terms, but to on board with him. Meaning their lives had been decided way before this moment. This meeting was just a precursor to something much greater planned down the road. Shinjin began to realize... his father had not set this meet up for the girls to meet him, but for him to see the girls as suitable wives. As mothers. As fighters and ninja ready to die for his cause. This had been apart of the burden of responsibility here, the very tip of a large ice berg so well hidden in dark waters. Shinjin spoke freely.

“I see you are quick to use your mouth, Mari. Okoki here has provided every reason why this is a good idea for the both of you. She has proven herself a loyal woman and a smart shinobi. Yet you, continue to use the word boy. Why is that?”

Silence sundrily slithered into the conversation. Alcohol marred Mari's mind and tarnished her cognitive abilities. She spoke without handle.

“If Shinran, for once thought that I signed up for this... then... then he was wrong! Shinran is an old coot anyway and I doubt he planned on tell us that you would be so young. You're a little boy, look at you,” she tossed her hand towards him as if to make him unclean. “Shinran...”

Shinjin simply nodded his head.

“I see your ability to contain yourself has also purchased disrespect towards me because you are loose...” His voice crept cold like a leaky winter roof.

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“If I ever catch you talking out of term about my father, I'll see to it that your lips are cut off and your tongue is nailed to a silver platter. This is not a meeting for you, woman. This is to decide if I believe you have what it takes to be mine. Your life is disposable at the end of the day. Now ask yourself, is your behavior a representation of the foundation of Shikyo? Can you speak on matters as a Queen, as a leader of people, as the mother of a new House? How could you ever sit by my side with such words. I have a mind to tie to you to a leash naked in the cold and have you lick my feet for scraps.”

Okoki took a breath of astonishment. To see Mari knocked down to such a level by his words. And this power that Shinjin had, where did he spawn such strength all of a sudden? She wanted desperately to comfort her friend, her sister in arms. Shinjin had not meant it, she would tell her. But he had. He had meant every world he said, his tone was acute and sharp, his tongue flayed her disrespect like dust under a broom. Mari looked drunken and Okoki could tell that the alcohol was working her mind. Mari was usually the one holding the whip, but the tables and been turned. For some reason Okoki felt like Mari had been bent over his knee and spanked like a toddler.

“Really now... The boy speaks like a King, he does. So you do have a set of balls underneath-”

“I'm so sorry Shinjin, I really am. If you'll just give us a minute please...”

Shinjin nodded respectfully to Okoki. She was the one with common sense, the one he actually liked. Shinjin some how began to piece some of the memories of his mother in the puzzle in his head. There were not enough pieces to complete the mural but the colors were all there. Okoki shared a resemblance to her in spirit and in body. Shinjin had Okoki's trust whether she was going to give it to him or not. He got up from the table and headed to the mens room.

“Mari, please!!! You know that this isn't like some normal marriage yet you're treating him like he is some wealthy tycoon.”

Mari knocked back all of her drink and caught a few eyes in the process. It was obvious that she was no longer in control of herself because she snapped her fingers to the nearest waiter and held her empty glass up.

“Okoki, shush. I am not to be some toy of a child. Do you think I really care what this kid wants to do? Does he even realize his own responsibility?”

The waitress arrived with the food and a pitcher of alcohol to refill the drink. Mari pulled a large bill from underneath her left breast and moved the pitcher away from the waitress and put the bill in its old spot. The waitress shook for a second in delight and then nodded and left the food and the pitcher there and tip-toed away into the shadows. Mari topped her drink off and washed down half of it in one go.

“Shinjin is more aware of what lies ahead of him than you are. He is Shinran's boy. The same Shinran that took us off the streets and raised us to lead the house of Shikyo. We were created to run the house, you know that Shinjin's place as a King is merely for the image. Don't you remember what Shinran told us about the women of the Shikyo?”

Shinran's history of the Shikyo clan had been as accurate as Shinjin's dream in the past. The Shikyo clan were a group of individuals that could shape-shift and hide, they had the ability to create new life for their selves. It was easy to become someone or a new person entirely. The men who had sold their souls to unlock more ninjutsu became spies and they eventually lost something very important. To be a Shikyo, to be who you were and what you really are, to look into a mirror and see beyond the disguise into your own self. That is what they lost. They forgot who they were and thus the Shikyo needed women. A Shikyo wife had to be a mother beyond just nurturing and scolding. Just as a jinchuuriki needed love and guidance, so did any Shikyo. For Mari and Okoki, they would lead this clan into the emotionally and financially stable group and make their mark on the world. The Shikyo would not be anything without them and they would not be anything without Shinjin.

“I know Okoki, I know. I let my--” she took a last drink and began to collect her things, leaving her plate untouched. “I let myself get a little too loose. Shinjin is but a boy and I do respect him in some ways, but this is too much for me right now. You handle it.” She wrapped her purse around her shoulder.

“I'm off to find me a middle aged man with a bank account and a small penis. I'm going to make him lick my pussy until it bleeds, then take all of his money. I'll deal with this later. Hate to run babe,” she blew Okoki a fake kiss and a drunken wink and ran off.

Shinjin and Okoki now sat together coldly and tried to eat the warm food. The shrimp and noodles were beyond delicious, worth every dollar. He admired the fact that the cook had not just drowned the sauce and shrimp in butter and called it a meal. Each blend of seasoning was perfectly layered together and cooked well... But who was he kidding? He ate one or two of the shrimp and then pushed the rest of them around like they were back on the sea floor, moving with the waves of the ocean. Okoki, though visibly concerned about the relationship of Mari and Shinjin enjoyed the sandwich. Banana peppers. Mayo. Lettuce. Turkey and cheese. She was tempted to write it down. Shinjin finally let his fork clank against the table and gave in.

“Did I go too far? I mean, does she realize that I thought my father and mother were dead? My whole entire life... Now we have the chance to make something new, to show people a new faith and make a family from nothing.”

Okoki sighed.

“No, no. I get it. Trust me, you have me when you need me I'm here for you.” She spoke through her sandwich. “Mari's here to run the financial part of the organization even though both of us come from wealthy backgrounds. Consider ours yours, but Mari.. Mari's always been five years older than her age, and the fact that you haven't even finished growing yet presents a concern to her. I'll talk to her about it. But you're right. This is for you. This is all about you. You are really starting a faith-based monarchy, even though we have no political power. You need two Queens to rebirth the whole clan and it's probably me that needs to do the birthing part of that unless you require concubines, then I'll see to it that you get them. I am here to serve you my King. And that is all I want to do.”

Okoki sat her sandwich down and dabbed her cherry lips and reached for his hand. She held his hand with her silky smooth fingers and looked deeply into his eyes. For a second Shinjin saw something unrestricted love and unconditional faith in those eyes. He could see that Okoki wanted to do this, that she understood it was her destiny to become a Queen. Yet Shinjin had not felt truly attached to this woman or Mari for that matter. Of course he might be sexually attracted to them as a boy, yes that was a given.. but to look upon either of these women as wives... Shinjin anticipated troubles in those waters. But that was apart of being a King. And Shinjin was ready to be King.

EXIT