Seeing is Believing

[madimpossibledreamer]

Follow up to Like Nothing You've Ever Seen.
Quick rundown: In this universe, Japan is run by the women.  Inoue-chan is Andrew.  Miyamoto Suna is Xander, and she's a matriarch of the Miyamoto Family, or Miyamoto-gumi.  Yukata are a type of summer kimono that's lighter than a regular kimono.  Ani-san is the male equivalent of One-san, for yakuza husband. The type Cordy's supposed to wear when out in public (and, well, in general, just in case anyone visits, not that the Miyamoto Family are a normal yakuza Family that 100% follow the rules) is more of a male-styled one, with a more subdued color and different sleeves, etc.  Ofukuro from what I can find is the female equivalent of Oyaji, which Majima uses for Patriarch Shimano (boss/father).  Aneki is the female equivalent for Aniki, "older brother" (superior in the yakuza).  Irezumi youkai are the 'tattoo-spirits' all yakuza have.
More author's notes: background notes

Main Points:
Buffy/Yakuza AU (Bloody Petals)
Chapter Summary: Cordy goes to see her wife after the fight, Inoue in tow.
Word Count: 950
Rating: Teen
Warning: Lightly touches on issues of consent, though nothing really happens.  There's a lot of implication here, including Cordy being confused because previously in cult and Miyamoto explicitly setting up protection against the kind of stuff that occurs in The Pack because keeping the haiena on a leash is...difficult.

        Inoue-chan is even less on board with her visiting the dressing rooms, but she doesn’t feel like taking no for an answer.  The version of her wife that they meet is not the flirty, geeky, respectful man she’d met in the clubs or the wacky, dangerous, endearing Matriarch of her own family.  This is the first time she’s ever felt in danger.
        Miyamoto-chan’s head snaps up the second they enter, eye still glowing with a pale, feral green light.  “Mine,” she snarls, tugging Cordy inside and crowding her against the wall.  She’s more gentle than expected, but her movements are still insistent, rough.  Suddenly her insistence that they didn’t need to do anything on their wedding night, not if she didn’t want to, that she wanted her in her bed willingly, just clicks.  Because she got to say no.  Because Suna and Sunao both cared.
        “Not a dildo,” she replies bluntly, and nearly shocks her out of it based on that alone if the slow, confused blink is any indication.  Miyamoto backs away a little, giving her just a little breathing room.  Good to know her words are still her strongest weapon.
        Inoue-chan pulls at her matriarch, which is a bit of a shock.  She’s putting herself in harm’s way, and sure, she might be the Ani-san, but this is her matriarch. 
        “My mate,” Miyamoto-chan growls again, beginning to turn on her subordinate, who looks a little scared but doesn’t stand down.  The grip she takes on her lieutenant’s hand sounds painful, and she’s probably on the verge of breaking something.
        Time to show she’s not just a pretty doll to play with, then.  Cordy reaches out and feels Suna’s aura roiling like a storm.  She can’t separate out what’s the irezumi youkai and doesn’t particularly feel like ticking off a spirit, but perhaps if she stimulates the aura (and thus Suna’s body) to heal itself, sobriety if not necessarily sanity would follow.  Miyamoto-chan stumbles a little, but she wouldn’t have noticed if the matriarch wasn’t already crowding her space.
        They’d already tried to heal her, but it’s not the same.  She’s better.
        When she finishes, she refocuses on the real world to find a clear, aware eye, green glow mostly having died down, meeting her gaze.  It’s a little guilty, a little fond, and she caresses Cordy’s cheek tenderly.  Rather than speaking to her first, she addresses Inoue-chan.  “What the hell d’ya think ya were doing?”
        Inoue-chan looks scared, but speaks boldly anyway (which Cordy suspects is part of the reason Miyamoto-chan keeps her around in the first place, let alone made her lieutenant; Miyamoto seems to like people who talk back like she does).  “You said if anyone was gonna hurt her, to stop ‘em, even if it was you.”
        There’s a hint of a grin.  It doesn’t necessarily mean she’s safe, but this time Cordy thinks it does.  “Who d’ya think ya are, questioning me?”
        “Your lieutenant.  Acting on your orders.”  Inoue-chan might not be their best fighter, but she’s still one of the bravest in the family.
        “An’ if I countermanded those orders?”  This seems like some sort of test, and it’s hard to tell what the right answer is.
        The Miyamoto-gumi lieutenant hesitates before responding, “I’d follow you, Ofukuro.  Whatever you wouldn’t regret.”  She’s going with what she thinks is right.  Honor isn’t necessarily something considered important in the yakuza (well, it is, but there’s a limit to its generosity), but in the Miyamoto-gumi it’s a code to live by, all the time, not just when it might embarrass aneki.
        “I can always order her around if you’re not being yourself,” Cordy suggests.
        Miyamoto-chan chuckles, absently stroking Cordy’s forearm.  “Ya realize that kinda reasoning ain’t gonna get us anywhere but chasin’ our damn tails…but sure, ya got good hearts.”  And then she winces, holding a hand to her head.
        “Are you all right?” she asks immediately—maybe she’d been a bit too confident, because she thought for certain she’d healed everything.  It’s funny that Inoue-chan asks “Ofukuro?” at exactly the same time, but she doesn’t remark on it.
        “Stuffed my mouth an’ found I can’t chew.  What d’ya think a spirit demands t’ pay fer a great ride?”  The raised eyebrow says that Suna thinks they’re both a little dense for not following that to its conclusion, which…yeah, okay, it makes sense that making an agreement with a spirit would have side effects.
        “Spiritual…energy?” Inoue-chan thinks slowly, getting a nod from Miyamoto-chan.
        “Yeah, an’ it leaves me with a nasty headache an’ the feelin’ like m’ leftover eye is bein’ stabbed out.”  At Cordy’s expression, she smiles a little, only it looks more like a grimace.  “Eh, don’t look so grim, you two.  It only hurts when I breathe.”
        “If you stop breathing and pass out, would the pain go away?” she suggests, and gets a lopsided smile in return.
        “We should go,” Inoue-chan suggests, and it’s a sign of how much Miyamoto-chan isn’t joking despite the goofy manner she likes to put on when she’s not scaring everyone (or even when she is) that she doesn’t argue.  She does walk on her own out, refusing to lean on them, even when they get to the car—until they’re inside and the door is closed and she practically flops over on top of her lap like she’s suddenly invisible and no one can possibly see through glass.
        It’s ridiculous, but there’s just a little patch of drool on her yukata by the time they get back.  It only happens when she’s just that tired.  Cordy gives up on getting her answers until the morning—but she will be having that conversation when Miyamoto’s finally awake.