Damn Dirty Daughter! {Self Mod Solo-D} Pt. I

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

”Cream? sugar?” Hideki Hana asked as she poured coffee into a small china cup.

”No thank you, ma’am; I take mine black.” Narashi Jo politely declined as she slid the cup over to him. The woman sitting across the polished oak table was an aging beauty in her late forties, her grey-streaked black hair pulled back in an intricate braid that ran down to the center of her back. Even more so than the lavishly furnished house, the fine china, and other displays of wealth, Jo was impressed by the fact that she (unlike most women, rich and poor) hadn’t dyed her hair. It spoke volumes about her personality. Her dress also clued him in on her character; the simple but elegant pastel-blue kimono marking her status without being overbearing.

Jo, while sure the Sennin wasn’t watching him every second of every day, had been diligently wearing a necktie 24/7 for the last week; not even daring to remove one without there being a second tie already around his neck ready to take its place. Today, he was wearing the Main Branches dress-code of business-casual; black dress slacks and a white, long sleeved button-up shirt, complete with black necktie, black leather belt, and (as always) his black leather steel-toed boots. Even the Hidekis’ stuck-up butler couldn’t tell they were out of place once Jo put a military-style polish on them.

”Thank you for coming down so quickly. I had hoped we’d have more time to plan this out, but it seems my little Ami is planning another one of her mysterious “outings” for today, and I didn’t want to lose this opportunity. “

”It’s no trouble at all, ma’am; I understand completely. I‘ve already been filled in on the mission parameters, and I’ve been given a file containing all the names, most recent pictures and descriptions of the approved associates. I’ll keep an eye on her and-“ Jo’s ears perked up as a door down the hall opened, the sound of two teenage girls chattering preceding them down the hall.

”That’s Ami and her maidservant Mai; they must’ve just finished kendo practice.” Hana said as the two girls walked into the room. Jo recognized Ami from the picture in his file; tall for a girl, the seventeen year old looked like what her mother must have twenty years ago. Full-figured and dressed in a white linen gi with her haired pulled back in a tight ponytail, Ami looked anything but posh and polished. Mai, her hair light brown and cut in a pageboy bob looked even less feminine due to her lack of a girlish figure.

”Hey, mom. Who’s this?”

”Oh, this is Narashi Jo, he’s a Kumo Shinobi. I was considering hiring a few ninja to escort us to the Gala at the capitol in a couple of weeks; Narashi is just here to explain the services they offer and the costs associated.” The mother lied deftly. ”We were just finishing up. Thank you for coming Narashi; we’ll be contacting you soon with our decision.”Taking his cue to leave (without getting to even take a sip of his coffee), Jo stood and bowed graciously to all three before leaving.

…Four Hours Later…

Holy Raiden! Jo had been following Ami and Mai around for what felt like an eternity; in and out of shops, crossing through town two or three times. He’d almost lost them once at the mall, but was able to find them again a couple seconds later eating ice cream at the food court. There had also been a close call at the grocery store when they were picking up supplies for the picnic Jo thought would never happen, but he was able to dodge it by transforming into an old lady and asking them to help him get something from a high shelf.

Finally, around three o’clock, the two girls went to a park to have their picnic. They chose a relatively secluded little clearing near a small stream and laid out their blanket. Settling down high in the branches of a tree, Jo waited for what he assumed to be a boring hour or two for him, but a lovely meal for them. That is, until the bushes rustled on the other side of the clearing. Just as Jo thought things were going to get interesting, out of the bushes came two young men he knew were on the approved associates list. One was Ami’s No. 1 approved suitor, Amashi Ki; the other was his manservant, Tenishi. They too had a picnic basket, and joined the two girls on the grass.

’Oh, goodie! Now I get to watch these four perfectly acceptable friends sit down to have a perfectly normal and approved lunch. Fantastic!’ That’s when Ki and Tenishi shared a kiss…. ’Wait, what?’… and then another! This time, not just a little peck on the lips either! ’So Ami and Mai are covering for their friends affair. Wait, now what’re the girls do- oh… OH!’ Jo wasn’t watching four friends having lunch, but two same-sex couples out on a double date! Feeling more than a little scummy for intruding on their privacy, Jo took a couple of quick pictures with his Polaroid camera before sneaking off to leave them with some privacy.

…One Hour Later…

Jo sat at the same dining room table with Ami and Ki’s parents as well as the parents of both Mai and Tenishi, all four pairs of parents confused as to why they had been called in for a meeting with the Genin before their children had gotten home. ”Alright, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Narashi Jo, Kumo Genin. Mr. and Mrs. Hideki hire me to keep an eye on their daughter Ami, so as to make sure everything with her was on the up-and-up. Well, I was tailing Ami and Mai during their outing today, and they did in fact go on a picnic like they said they were going to. Ki and Tenishi joined them a few minutes later, which is why you are all here.” Jo paused for a moment, not quite sure how to continue.

”How can I put this gently… Um… they’re relationships… aren’t conventional…” At the confused looks he received, Jo tried another approach. ”They’re… batting for the opposite teams…” More confused looks. Jo’s voice went flat. ”Your kids are all gay.” The resulting uproar had Jo shouting to quiet everyone down as four different sets of parents started screaming for proof. ”Quiet everyone, quiet!” Jo pulled out his pictures and spread them out on the table. ”Here are a few photographs I took during the, uh, encounter in question. Now, the bigger question is… how are you going to deal with it?”

{For the parents reactions when the kids get home, approve mission No.2}

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

It was late by the time Jo finally left the Hideki Mansion. Upon shutting the door, Jo leaned against it and sighed deeply. Nothing had prepared him for the shouting, the accusations, the crying that had occurred once the children got home. At first, all the parents held their composure; but once Ami had confessed to being in love with Mai, and Ki likewise confessing to Tenishi, all hell broke loose.

The parents of Ami and Ki shouted at them for dating someone outside the minor nobility; similarly, Mai and Tenishi’s parents reminded them of their place as commoners and servants. The Hideki’s and the Amashi’s shouted at each other for a bit about whose child was most at fault for breaking their arranged marriage (the which caused both Ami and Ki to start shouting over not being consulted in this regard). The noble’s worried about how this would make them look at court while the servants berated their kids for putting their livelihoods in jeopardy. Eventually, Jo got tired of all the shouting and shot a small bolt of lightning (Storm Bolt: R1) out a small window, the resulting crack of thunder echoing through the room and bringing everyone to order.

As Jo started walking home, he contemplated how he handled the situation once everyone had calmed down. In an authoritative but respectful tone, Jo asked everyone to take a seat at the table. He then laid out a few ground rules, most of them having to deal with waiting for ones turn to speak and not shouting. Maybe it was the headband that acted like a symbol of authority, maybe it was the use of a jutsu to get their attention, or maybe it was because no one in the room had an emotional connection to him; but they listened. Not only did they listen, but they respected him as their mediator. Whatever the reason, Jo continued by having the parents address their concerns about their childrens relationships. They boiled down to the families reputations at court, the lack of a union between the two families through the arranged marriage, and the fact that the children were dating outside of their caste.

Of course the children (why was Jo thinking of them as children? They were all three or four years older than him!), blinded by passion and love, cared not for the conventions of their parents; only for each other. This almost caused another bout of shouting, but Jo was able to call them to order by using his fist as a gavel on the solid oak table. Jo deftly pointed out a handful of truths that connected the kids and the parents.

The parents, while worried about their reputations, were not opposed to their children being gay. With the exception of Tenishi’s dad who grumbled something about Raiden not approving (he was quickly hushed by his wife), all of the parents were okay with their childrens sexuality, and loved them all the same. By bringing this common ground to the foreground, Jo showed both parties how much they loved and cared for each other. This brought on a bought of weeping and hugging on both sides that (while still annoying) Jo allowed to go on for a moment or two before gently calling everyone to order again.

Once the children had been accepted by their parents for who they were, their minds were cleared of the unreasonableness of their passion, and they too worried about their social reputations. It was here that Jo came up with a very clever compromise. Ami and Ki would marry, as would Tenishi and Mai who would be placed under their employ. In public, they would appear to be two happy, heterosexual couples, but in the privacy of their home, they could live as they saw fit. Jo even went so far as to suggest hiring other servants of the same sexual persuasion, giving them a safe place to work and be who they wanted to be without fear of ridicule.

The idea was accepted with great enthusiasm by the parents, but the children were unhappy with the fact that they had to hide their true nature behind a façade. Jo concurred with them. What did it matter if someone was in love with someone of the same gender? Love is love! Besides, it wasn’t societies place to tell someone who they should and shouldn’t love, regardless of their gender or social class. Of course, this was all very liberal thinking in a very conservative feudalistic society, and Jo knew it would take years before such relationships were publicly accepted.

As Jo turned the key in the lock at his apartment, he fondly remembered the teary thanks he was given by everyone present. Tenishi even went so far as to hug him; which, while weird because it was outside even normal etiquette to hug someone you didn’t know, was heartwarming nonetheless. Jo entered his quiet apartment and turned the deadbolt, plopping down on his couch and pulling out his mission debriefing sheet to be turned in first thing in the morning. Instead of going through all the messy details (mostly to save all four families a little face), Jo simply wrote: “Mission Objectives Complete.”