Bloody Legacy

[madimpossibledreamer]

It’s weird typing the word darling and not having it be a name.
I honestly wasn’t expecting this universe to go here, but it is kind of important stuff for worldbuilding and I like the character interactions here (also Miyamoto and Cordy are really sweet).  If characters having a discussion about the decision to have kids isn’t your jam, though, I get it; there’s a reason it’s listed in the warnings so feel free to skip this one.

Cast of Characters (listed the Japanese way of surname first): Miyamoto Suna (Xander), Matriarch of the Miyamoto-gumi, direct subsidiary of the Amaya-kai (or Sunao, since Miyamoto is genderfluid)
Amaya-kai-main yakuza Clan they're all in
Miyamoto Cordy, Ani-san of the Miyamoto-gumi, direct subsidiary of the Amaya-kai, as herself
Natsukawa Kimiko (Joyce), Former 4th Chairwoman of the Amaya-kai [deceased]
Natsukawa Renyo (Buffy), [5th and 6th] Chairwoman of the Amaya-kai
Natsukawa Akeru (Dawn), Matriarch of the Natsukawa-gumi, a Direct Family of the Amaya-kai, younger Natsukawa
Maki Akiharu (Giles), Advisor to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Chairwomen of the Amaya-kai
Ikemoto Akiho (Warren), Former Matriarch of the Hisamatsu-gumi/Hisamatsu Family, a formerly direct subsidiary of the Amaya-kai, dissolved after their own betrayal
Author's Notes: In this universe, Japan is run by the women.
Terms: Kansai-ben-Miyamoto generally speaks with the slangy Kansai-ben accent
Ani-san-acting "husband" of a Matriarch (as long as you 'act within your gender', they don't care)
More author's notes: background notes

Main Points:
Buffy/Yakuza AU (Bloody Petals)
Chapter Summary: Cordy is curious about expectations.
Word Count: 1379
Rating: Teen
Warning: discussion of the decision whether to have kids

        “Darling, can I speak to you?”  The answer is almost always yes—aside from when she’s in the middle of a fight or disciplining her women.
        Suna grunts, but her eye doesn’t leave the paperwork in front of her.  Normally, she’s happy enough to be interrupted during the middle of this kind of thing, because she gets bored.  She must be very frustrated, and possibly behind.  She does also delegate some of it to her Captains, but some things, she’s told, sadly still require the signature of a Matriarch.
        She decides to be blunt.  It’ll be the best way to catch her wife’s attention.  “I know we didn’t really get to talk about this, under the circumstances, but are any children expected?”
        It works as intended.  Miyamoto chokes on her own saliva, spluttering, and glances up, eye wide and alarmed.  “The hell?” she manages.
        Cordy shifts a little under the wide-eyed gaze, not sure if she’s meant to approach further under these circumstances.  “I was watching more crime family dramas.”  Mafia, of course, so not entirely applicable, but it did make her wonder.  “And they were showing crime families as more family, and I realized no one bothered to mention anything about it.”
        Her wife lets out a long, slow breath that suggests she’d held her breath for a few seconds, still appearing slightly panicked.  “Ya scared me,” she says, when she’s ready, but waves off any attempted apologies and pats her lap, apparently accepting the interruption, for now.
        Cordy gratefully approaches.  Miyamoto is tactile on the best of days, whether a kiss to her love or a kick to the gut to an enemy, but sometimes she gets in moods, and accepting the proximity says she’s not upset about the question or the interruption.  Of course, this might have to do with the perplexing ongoing attempt to encourage her to indulge her curiosity more often, but the level of enthusiasm usually distinguishes between when she’s just going along with it and when she’s really happy.
        She fusses a little, arranging Cordy’s legs to be a little less cramped, encouraging her Ani-san to put her arm around the Matriarch’s shoulders.  It’s likely stalling a little to find the right words, as well as, well.  She’s only ever this at a loss for words when it comes to trying to describe what’s going on with her and the entire concept of gender.  It’s probably good that they’re talking about this, but she’ll have to use a more delicate touch.
        “As ya might imagine, birthin’ a spawn is a badge ‘a honor, fer a Matriarch.”  Starting off with the abstract.  Not promising.  “Shows ya can afford ta take such a long vacation, that ya can trust yer women not ta backstab ya.  That ya’ve an Ani-san who ya can pawn ‘em off on, after ya’ve gone an’ done all the hard work.  An’ even with our docs an’ healers, it ain’t always…”  She swallows.  “It’s showin’ ya ain’t afraid of takin’ a little risk.”  So magic makes it better, but there’s still a chance of complications.  Death.  On instinct Cordy hugs her wife a little tighter, breathing in the unique combination of her soap and the lingering smell of blood that, like Lady Macbeth, seems to be present more often than not no matter how hard the Matriarch scrubs.  Suna shivers a little but leans into the touch.
        “It’s rare.  Most ‘a us just grab the nearest competent—or loyal—bitch ta name as Captain an’ secure succession that way.  Mostly ‘cause Matriarchs ain’t that patient, an’ the danger ‘a an uprisin’ ain’t nothin’ ta sneeze at.  Part ‘a the legend ‘a the Fourth Chairwoman.”
        Cordy thinks back.  She’s been paying to the corridors of power, particularly since her wife announced she ‘hated that shit’, so…  “Two Chairwomen before the current one?” she guesses, and Suna smirks proudly at that one, showing a little teeth.
        “One, technically, as the current Chairwoman Natsukawa’s Fifth and Sixth, not that ya’d know that ta look at ‘er.”  At Cordy’s disbelieving eyebrow, she adds, “She died.  Brought ‘er back, though, but on paper that’s a succession, too.  Anyhow, the Fourth was also Natsukawa.”
        That’s easier to catch on.  “Her mother.”
        “Got all sorts talkin’ shit ‘bout nepotism.  Like she ain’t earned it twenty times over.”  The grumbling is a little cute.  She’s viciously protective of the Chairwoman.  “Before my time, but ya hear all sortsa stories.  Like the father was Maki-chan, an’ she’d gone an’ plopped out Natsukawa junior after runnin’ a raid on the Oni.  Not sure how many of ‘em are true, but…” 
        She trails off and gestures at herself and Cordy giggles, running a hand through Suna’s hair.  It’s not difficult to follow along there.  She’d pulled off a lot of wild stories herself.  Who’s to say the other stories, no matter how wild, weren’t true? 
        “’t’s true she was dealin’ with the Ikemoto betrayal shortly after, an’ she was still more involved in her brats’ lives ‘n most fathers.”  The words are a little harsh, but the tone is…wistful, if anything, and it takes Suna a moment to snap out of it.
        “So, back to yer question.  Is it expected?  Yah, maybe a little.  But I ain’t sittin’ round that long, an’ while ya could, maybe, if ya wanted, we’d have ta play our cards careful like if we wanted ta pull that off, given yer my husband an’ all.”  That’s also carefully though out, carefully said, and says absolutely nothing at all about how Miyamoto really feels.
        Cordy grabs one of Suna’s hands, wanting to give more comfort, only to find that it’s trembling.  “I ain’t—got m’ eye stabbed clear outta my skull, gotten stabbed an’ shot an’ smacked around, so ya’d think the idea ‘a pain wouldn’t…”  She swallows.  “I ain’t been one ta coo over a tyke.  I ain’t one ta say I gotta have a cub ‘a m’own.  I ain’t got the time or patience ta be pregnant, an’ I’d sure stab more ‘n one person ‘cause ‘a it.  An’ I ain’t…I don’t think I’d make a good parent.”  Given that she slips clean out of the Kansai-ben, that’s emphasis on how serious she is.  It’s unclear whether she even notices, with the way she’s broodily staring off into the corner of her room like her eye can bore a hole in the wall.  “My parents weren’t,” she admits quietly, voice deeper and less manic, like it’s Sunao.  It doesn’t feel like a full transition, but she’s definitely drawing on the other half of herself for the ability to talk about things she can’t.
        “You turned out fine,” Cordy protests, though it’s not much of one.  If she does end up having children with Suna, though, they’d be adorable little terrors. 
        The brown eye just turns to her, eyebrow perfectly raised, skepticism written across her expression.  All right, ‘fine’ might be the wrong word.  Even so…
        “I love you the way you are,” she explains, which makes Suna cough again, blushing slightly.
        “If it’s somethin’ ya want, Cordy-kun, just say so, an’ I’ll make it happen,” Miyamoto promises solemnly, and it’s sweet.  “Might need a creative hand, but I got practice.”
        Cordy considers.  Really considers.  “I’ve never actually thought about it.”  And isn’t that a realization to have.  “It was just…expected.  We were told that childbearing was an important part of our role.”  She doesn’t explain that her father sucked, or that she’d never known her mother, or where, because she doesn’t have to, judging by the tightened hands and slightly murderous expression on her wife’s face.  It can all go without saying.  “I grew up knowing that was in my future for so long I guess I never stopped to actually think about whether it was something I wanted.”
        Suna muffles a growl, nodding instead.  “Well, ya come ta any sorta answers, ya tell me, ya hear?  An’ much as I love havin’ ya here…”  she waggles her eyebrows, making Cordy giggle, “…this paperwork ain’t finishin’ itself.  Yer dashin’ pirate’s got work ta do.”  She kisses the top of Cordy’s head, who finds this inadequate and pulls her wife in for a more thorough kiss, grinning as she leaves the Matriarch looking a little dazed.