Genji was feeling...a whole lot of things. He raised his arms to scratch at his mother's door....then figured. To hell with it. He yanked the door open.

Well... he asked for it.

Mom turns her head to check who yanked the door over her shoulder, and asks incredulously, "Nani?"

She turns, naked. Completely naked, and puts hands on her waist.

Genji stood in front of her, fuming a slight sheen of shine once again all over her.

"I'll give you a minute, if you'd like."

He might not remember being all these years apart, but being seeing his mom like this wasn’t the first time.

She waves fit him to get in with a smile, “Ara, ara. Come in my dear boy. Just close the door. The wind is still quite cold.”

She smiles brightly and slowly goes to fetch a light robe. Kinsen looks over her shoulder again to ask, “I hope Lady Sun has brought you warmth. Would mommy have breakfast with her son?”

"..Sure, we could have some breakfast." Almost a man, but not quite.

He closed the door and moved inside. "What was that yesterday? I hope you're satisfied now, and won't ause a scene again..."

She gently moves to get near the fire and prepare the tea. Food was raw, as she have been requesting to the Improsl servants. Most of them the have been cooking there in the room proper.

After placing items in the ground for inspection, she adjusts a bang of bear behind her slightly pointed ear and looks to her son with a wounded expression, “A scene?”

She nearly gags again and puts hands on her lap — being in seiza. She pouts a bit, then shakes head, “I am not the one the whole court is spreading unpleasant rumors about.”

"Mhm...." he rolled his eyes. "Rumors which clearly would have not sprung up, if we discuss our plans together ,rather than you springing your decision to marry me off in court, without consulting me."

His eyes settled on hers. "I am making my own decision here, for my life. If you don't trust me to make my decision well, then you don't trust yourself, nor my father, to have raised me well."

She gags again in shock, and pushes nails against her chest to indicate no fault, "Nani? We have been given a task from your dear father to befriend the Crab. What did you think that would require?"

Kinsen chuckles incredulously once more, and starts to crush the tea with more enthusiasm... also known as too much strength.

Genji raised an eyebrow. "Coming to an agreement. Marriage is not necessarily on the table."

He eyed her seriously. "Father did not tell me to marry the first eligible Crab I found. That was your idea." There was some huffing involved.

He crossed his arms. "I should not have offered Kazoku-chan, that was my bad decision." He sighed. "I just..."

He sat down. "I feel betrayed." His eyes settled on her. "Why is it that you get to choose whom you married, yet you wish to deny that for me?"

Pang!

She stops crushing the tea ladle against the bowl as guilt finally strikes her. Kinsen holds her breath as thoughts get slightly confused. Then, her eyes light up stronger and she locks sight with her son's same golden eyes. A deep breath, and Kinsen explains, "I didn't choose. I earned! I went to great lengths to do it. Your dear father denied me at first. I never told that, but it is true."

Hantei Kinsen wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:23 pm

Pang!

She stops crushing the tea ladle against the bowl as guilt finally strikes her. Kinsen holds her breath as thoughts get slightly confused. Then, her eyes light up stronger and she locks sight with her son's same golden eyes. A deep breath, and Kinsen explains, "I didn't choose. I earned! I went to great lengths to do it. Your dear father denied me at first. I never told that, but it is true."

Genji's golden eyes widened. "Oh...you didn't tell me that. Neither did father.2 He tilted his head. "But...it all turned out good, no?"

Hantei Genji wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 02, 2021 1:33 pm

Genji's golden eyes widened. "Oh...you didn't tell me that. Neither did father.2 He tilted his head. "But...it all turned out good, no?"

"Well. It turned out exceptionally good. Especially you, the future of the Stag. I am so proud, my dear son."

She takes a deep breath, and replies, squinting her eyes, "And angry, too! Of course I trust you. Don't ever doubt that."

Kinsen tries to use the ladle, but notices it is broken, and fetches a new one to keep up with the breakfast. "Yet, in our position, we should never make decisions just for ourselves. We need to think on the bigger picture. You know that, I understand. The question is: now that you removed the –– quite selfish –– option of marrying your sister, how do you want to unite Crab and Stag?"

Genji smiled. "Hai, that was a bad decision, but please trust me, that i thought this through."

He took a deep breath. "Education, mainly. They are skilled warriors, but lacking in priests. The Seppun could train those blessed by the kami. Furthermore, their duty is one that serves the whole Empire, not just the North. We can send some of our war parties up there to help. It would be good experience, since most of the time we spend is training, unless special occasions come up, like the time we visited the Nezumi."

He glanced at the boiling tea. "Of course, I would gladly lead the first such party. And well...I do not know what kind of children Yoshitsune-sama has, but perhaps we can arrange some of the more prominent members of Kenshiro to join me as well? Make an occasion out of it?"

"Good." She nods and gets the kettle out of the fire for a moment to begin pouring, "I am happy tat you came up with an alternative."

Sliding the cup to him, she nows prepare a plate with delicious fresh treat to accompany, "What is the issue with Yoshitsune Chizu-san –– Isn't she gorgeous, honorable and scored so many events gracefully? There would be no better Queen to the Stag. Would it?"

"She is certainly all those qualities. She would make a wonderful wife of the stag."

He took the cup, and took a sip. "But she would not make the best wife of Hantei Genji."

He lowered the cup, bracing himself. "You know, mother, since I was little, I was told that one day, I will take over from my father. That is what you said. And father. And Kenshiro-sensei. Even Kazuo-chan." He flashed a brief smile. "So much of my life has been lived with that knowledge. My father is a god, my mother is a hero. That thought is with me everyday, and drives me to make my decisions."

He took another sip. "But I cannot be just that. I...if I am to rule, and lead, then I need to do so as my own man, not my parents' extension. The last few days I...I am different. In a good way. I do not worry what would Father do. He will rule a long time, yet if I am to take up his mantle, I need to be worthy. Yet I cannot be just a copy of him. He is a god, yes, but..."

There was some frustration in him. "As a god, he...sometimes he is removed from his subjects. Or from his allies. I need to be different, if I am t obe confident in my rule. Like how I spoke to uncle Shiba. Someone needed to make a public assurance after the tea demon ruined court. Our Empire and Emperor were shaken, and we needed someone to start gluing it together again, to give my Emperor the opening he needed. He will make the decisions, but he needs to know that he can trust us."

His eyes wondered low. "A week ago...I would not have done that. I would have felt it is not my role to do it. Yes, I will rule, yes I think that step should be made, but not by me. My father is our Champion. Today...we don't have the luxury of time. If I feel something is right, I need to act on it. And that thought...I owe it all to one person. She made me a better person, and I believe she can make me a better Champion."

Kinsen lifts herself up as she hears her son acting introspective and opening his heart. As soon as he mentions a certain someone, Kinsen scoots to his side touching cheek to cheek and says, in a provocative tone, "Ara, ara. A winter crush has swooped the Shining Prince off his feet, eeeeehhh~"


--
Edit: fixing image

Hantei Kinsen wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:20 pm

Kinsen lifts herself up as she hears her son acting introspective and opening his heart. As soon as he mentions a certain someone, Kinsen scoots to his side touching cheek to cheek and says, in a provocative tone, "Ara, ara. A winter crush has swooped the Shining Prince off his feet, eeeeehhh~"

(Image broken)

"It is more than a crush." He blushed as he spoke. "Kogi-chan is...she's smart, and suave, and smooth." He smiled at her. "She's...someone I want to spend my life with."

It takes a moment for the name to sink with the person, "B-ba...ba... Bayushi Kogi?"

Her eyes flare up and she backs off from the embrace shaking her head, "A SCORPION?!"

Kinsen blinks, several times. Aghast.

"Well....yes. She is part of Uncle Bayushi's inner cirlce, or at least is a close advisor." He nodded along happily.

"They are seductive, I know! It is surely a winter crush."

She snorts, closing her eyes and arms in disapproval.