Chapter 54:
"You better have a damn good reason for askin' me ta meet ya here again, girl," Mitsune said impatiently as soon as Naru sat down at her table. The former fiancé had asked her friend to meet her at the same tea house where they had that fight several weeks ago. While it felt like it was such a long time ago, the memory was still fairly vivid. The worried look on the tea shop staff made it obvious that they still remembered her behavior from their last visit.
Naru took a deep breath and started, "It is. Look. I don't want to get into another fight with you, okay. I just wanted to warn you about Keitaro…"
"Oh gawd, we talkin' about this again? Can't ya give it a rest?" The freelance writer said, throwing up her arms in annoyance.
"No, I can't. You're still my friend, Mitsune…even if I disagree with what you do and who you do it with. But that's not the point. I found out more stuff about Keitaro," the younger girl explained.
Mitsune snorted. "More stuff, huh? Shoot. Ain't you got better stuff to do than harass yer old boyfriend? Look, he an' ah have been talkin'. He's got some family thing he can't tell me about an' ah accept that. Besides, Keitaro an' his girls have been real good ta me once ah patched things up with the man. So ah don't really give a damn anymore anyway…"
"He's been lying to you, Mitsune! He really is exploiting girls! I have proof!" Naru said, urgently.
The older girl snorted. "Exploited. Right. Ah just bet they're gettin' 'exploited'. Those lucky bitches brag about it all the freakin' time. So what proof do you have this time, girl?" She asked.
The exasperated girl leaned closer and whispered, "I found evidence that he's turning all the girls in the inn into SLAVES!" To her amazement, the resident slacker merely laughed.
"Oh that? Shoot…that's old news, Naru. Ah already knew about that. They even told me about it," Mitsune waved off humorously.
"He did? Really? So he told you about his harem?" Naru asked, unable to contain her surprise.
"Nah…more like ah figured it out on mah own. Wasn't all that hard to figure out, really. After ah patched things up with Keitaro, the girls started talkin' to me again…even let me join them for meals and baths! Every time we got together, they'd go on and on about how that boy takes good care o' them and how sharin' him really ain't all that bad. They're all pretty happy about it, actually. Even started braggin' about their fun sexcapades tryin' to one-up each other for fun. It was almost like old times 'cept you weren't around. Probably better anyway. If you couldn't handle what ah told you about the club downtown, ah doubt you'd be able to handle what we talked about in the hot springs," the Hinata Inn's resident slacker explained laughingly.
"How can you take this so lightly? This is serious! Can't you see what he's doing? He's making himself a harem with all the girls in the inn! From what I learned, he's got most of the girls already under his control. I bet you he's going to come after us next!" Warned the former fiancée.
"No, he ain't! Good god, Naru. Seriously…so what if he's got a harem? They don't seem ta mind it one bit. Hell, from what ah heard they're lovin' bein' his girls. Makes me real jealous how they all talk about it, actually. Ah'd even give it a go if ah thought ah had a shot..." Mitsune admitted sheepishly.
"Are you serious? You actually think its okay for him to make them into slave girls?" Naru asked.
The slacker shrugged and said, "Well, it don't look like they're tryin' ta claw their way outta his arms or anythin'. He's real good to 'em an' it shows. They flat out love the man and they'll do anythin' for him. Hell, from what ah've learned…they probably already have! None o' the girls are complainin' about it so what's the harm?"
"But they're slaves, Mitsune! That's just wrong!" The former fiancée argued.
"Ain't ya ever heard of those kinds of alternative lifestyles, Naru? You know, some o' them people who have relationships based on a power exchange with special agreements an' stuff? That's what Keitaro an' his girls are into. Most folk see 'em as part o' the leather and kink crowd, but it ain't all just that. It's based on a lot of trust and it's a lot deeper emotionally than ya think. They don't deserve the bad rap they get from the damn media. Ah know this 'cause ah did the research, talked to folk, an even wrote a coupla' articles about it. Everythin' is safe, sane, and consensual. So why the hell should we care what they do in their bedrooms, or dungeons, or wherever the heck they get their kicks?"
"Because Keitaro will come after us next!" Naru urged, unable to understand why her friend couldn't see the danger she was in.
"Sugah, he ain't after me an' he certainly ain't comin' after you. In case ya forgot, you dumped the man and he ain't never tried to get back wit'cha since. If anythin', he's tried ta get further away from ya! He's perfectly happy an' content with what he's got now. Additional girls ain't on his agenda, trust me on this," the resident slacker said begrudgingly.
"Well, just because he didn't go after YOU doesn't mean he won't go after me, Mitsune," explained the younger girl condescendingly.
Unable to help herself, the freelance writer laughed in her friend's face. "Oh gawd! Are you kiddin' me? What makes you think you're so damn special?"
"I was special enough to be his fiancée!" Naru said rather smugly.
"You're his FORMER fiancée, girl…maybe you forgot?" Mitsune retorted.
"But out of all of us girls, I'm the only one he proposed to. That just shows that he thinks I'm the most beautiful girl in the inn," the former fiancé remarked confidently.
Unimpressed with her friend's obvious delusion, the resident slacker retorted, "Yeah, yeah…whatever. You're pretty an' all but his girls ain't exactly dogs either. Wat'cha got over 'em now, Naru? Kanako's a lot classier and more refined than you. Mutsumi's a lot more pleasant ta be with an' she's got a hell of a nicer rack ta boot. Motoko's easily got the hottest body in the inn. And you ain't never gonna 'out-cute' Shinobu or Su no matter how hard ya try."
"That doesn't mean he won't want me too!" the suddenly irritated girl defended.
"Are you even listening to me? He don't want ANYBODY else! He's perfectly happy with Kanako! The other girls ASKED to be taken! He wouldn't do nothin' to 'em until they were sure about what they wanted. And on top o' that, the other girls gotta accept you too before you can be his slave girl. You think that's gonna happen anytime soon? Quit dreamin', Naru," Mutsine said laughingly at her former best friend's delusion.
"And how do you know they're with him voluntarily and not because of the Imperial Decree?" Naru challenged.
"Decree? What decree?" the resident slacker asked.
"He didn't tell you about the Imperial Decree and the Academy?" Naru asked incredulously.
Mitsune stared questioningly at her best friend. Somewhere in the back of her mind, alarms were blaring loudly. She was smart enough to know that Keitaro and his girls didn't entirely share everything. And while she was generally okay with it, the curiosity always nagged at her. And now Naru seemed to have some information about Keitaro that she did NOT know. Could it be what her sources refused to share? Her former contacts warned her enough that there was something about the Urashima family and a secret business that she SHOULDN'T ask about. Something very old and very well hidden. There was a lot of history about it. Laws were involved. Consequences were severe. People were tight lipped. It all reeked of a secret conspiracy and a part of her knew she probably shouldn't pursue this.
Unfortunately, she was still a journalist and her instincts kicked in. "What Academy?" She asked.
For the next hour, Naru would explain what she learned from the Molmolians about Keitaro and his special "family business". Through it all, Mitsune listened, took notes, and slowly began to realize the much bigger picture. The extent of the information she did NOT know was disturbing. The longer she listened, the more she got upset when she realized how much Keitaro had left out! This was HUGE! How could she have been sitting on top of a scoop like this and not know it? This information had serious historical, political, and economical implications…if it was actually true.
Naru had been mistaken before. Several times, in fact. Could she have been misled or was perhaps making a proverbial mountain out of a mole hill? Mitsune's first instinct was to get corroboration from other sources. But who? Would her informants know about this?
Suddenly, she realized why her confidential sources had suddenly clammed up. If this was indeed true, then it would make sense that the Imperial Government would want it quiet. Now she began to understand what Keitaro meant when he said he was trying to keep her out of jail. While she didn't like learning that they were hiding this from her, she recognized that it was for her own good. Unfortunately, she was now a journalist in possession of information that she was sure she wasn't supposed to talk about.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was really only ONE person she could talk to about it. And he probably wasn't going to be happy when she did.
"Has our Japanese associate calmed down yet?" The Council Leader of the Royal Family of Molmol asked their foremost negotiator.
"I believe so. Cousin Kiri and Ayla took the Archivist to one of the suites upstairs and got him to calm down the usual way after a few alcoholic beverages," Amalla replied.
"Very well. What do you make of his worries regarding Regent Urashima and his relationship with the Emperor?" The older woman asked.
"If you were to ask me this a month ago, I would have said it was preposterous. However, the information we received from the Mr. Yoshinaka suggests that not only would Mr. Urashima be able to get his audience with the Emperor, but he may be able to use our allegations of indiscretion against us," the princess answered.
The Council Leader gave an expression of shock. "How is this possible? The Imperial Archive is supposed to be the foundation that manages and maintains all legal matters pertaining to the decrees made by the Emperor. They are the ones that make the rules, so in essence their word SHOULD effectively be the law. This should have left the Regent no ground upon which to defend himself," she argued.
"It appears that the Archivist may have overstated his ability to remove Mr. Urashima from his post in the Academy and install our own Regents in his place. It is obvious that the old man has no experience in dealing with anyone that did not cower in his presence. He is extremely rattled right now. Not only is taking the fight directly to the Archive, but he's also going after anyone who backs Archivist Yoshinaka's interpretation of the Imperial Decree. The few people we have approached within the Imperial Archive have now begun to distance themselves from us in order to get out of the way Mr. Urashima's wrath."
The older Molmolian cursed. Nothing was going as planned. It was like dealing with Hina Urashima all over again. They had to get the young man in their pocket somehow. Kaolla Su was a possible solution, but the young princess had been estranged from the family for years so they had very little legal and diplomatic leverage to use against her.
"Is there any way we could get assistance from Princess Kaolla? Perhaps appeal to her sense of loyalty to her home country?" The Council Leader grasped.
Amalla bit back her initial retort and carefully responded, "I doubt there is anything we can say to Kaolla that would make her come to our aid. While Mr. Urashima acknowledges Kaolla's heritage and the traditions of her homeland, my relationship with her is lukewarm at best. Our family turned its collective back on her when it was apparent that she could not attract a rich and powerful suitor. She does not even consider us her family anymore. She has adopted Mr. Urashima as her new big brother, and his First girl is now her big sister."
"She knew of her responsibilities and should have accepted it! It is infuriating to hear that she has turned her back on her own family and lost sight of the reasons behind her heritage as a princess of Molmol," the older woman said irritably.
"Not entirely. She is well aware of the reasons why we princesses got sent to the Academy. By her reasoning, she successfully met her responsibilities by completing her training and getting claimed by a powerful and wealthy man. Her only fault was that she prevented Molmol from getting compensation."
"Which was the entire point of her training in the first place!"
"I doubt she sees any failure on her part as we violated our own policies by sending her to the Academy prior to acquiring a suitable sponsor for her."
"That's because her attitude and self-interests prevented her from attracting a suitor! Every man we offered her to was put off by her lack of maturity and un-feminine interests. We had to get her out of the palace before she influenced anybody else!"
"Yet despite these unappealing personal traits, she still managed to attract the attention of Mr. Urashima," the young woman replied calmly.
Noticing the odd behavior of her emissary, the old woman looked at the Amalla curiously and asked, "Is there a reason why you refer to him as 'Mister Urashima', as opposed to 'Regent Urashima'?"
"I-I would rather not discuss it, Council Leader…" the princess asked hesitantly.
"Indulge me," the older woman asked pointedly. She was going to get her answers one way or another.
Amalla sighed and said, "While I do not refer to him by title, I cannot help but acknowledge that he is in fact a Regent of the Academy with everything that goes with it. I have discovered recently that he possesses an ability that was lacking in the Regents before him. One that would make any further contact between he and myself be detrimental to our plans."
The Council leader was intrigued. "Oh? And what ability is this?" She asked.
Amalla shifted uncomfortably and said, "He appears to have the ability to assert a certain level of dominance over me…"
"Dominance? Over you?" The older woman asked in surprise. Usually, the princess could hold any number of men in her thrall by using the abilities she had learned from the Academy. Thus, she always had the upper hand when dealing with them. The thought of a man prevailing over Amalla was unheard of.
"Yes. He discovered my attempt to coerce information out of Ms. Maehara and did not appreciate it. While expressing his displeasure, he triggered something inside me that prompted deeply rooted urges to come forward. I suddenly found myself compelled to beg for his forgiveness and do whatever he wanted. He put me in a mindset I had not felt since I left the Academy. I literally fell to my knees with a desire to please him. It was so strong that I could not help but wait on his every word hoping he would order me to do something," the princess admitted.
This was absurd. Could the Urashima Heir really have such ability? "He managed this without outside influences? No drugs or other substances that would encourage certain types of behavior?" The Council Leader asked.
"None that I know of. I doubt it was any form of drug as the feeling went away as soon as he dismissed me. It's something special and very specific to him."
The older woman rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Do you have any idea why this occurred?" She asked.
Amalla shook her head. "I cannot really be certain but I believe it may be the effect of my training with the Academy. That it did not manifest with any other Regent except Mister Urashima is puzzling to me, though."
"Very well. But what does this have to do with your reluctance to address him as Regent?"
"I am trying to disassociate him from his title. Acknowledging his position manifests feelings of regret at having disappointed him. Even now, I am fighting off a small urge to return to the Hinata Inn and beg for his forgiveness. If I were to return to the inn, I feel I may not be able to contain our nation's secrets," the princess reluctantly admitted.
The Council Leader just stared at the younger woman in shock. "You would betray your own homeland?"
"Not intentionally, Council Leader. But please understand that we Molmolian princesses are naturally submissive by nature. Our training at the Academy was meant to bring out more of this characteristic to make us excellent slave girls. Not only were we given talents to read our Masters, and the skills to perform the acts they desire, they also instilled a deep yearning to submit in order for us to gain the most fulfillment. The compulsion is stronger toward Regents, as they were the ones who evaluated us throughout this process. So despite my national pride, I have to resist both my training and my natural urges in order maintain our country's secrets."
The older woman nodded, and then sighed as she recalled similar circumstances occurring with other princesses that returned from the Academy. While it assured that the suitor would almost always be happy with the girl, it did not guarantee that the princess would remain loyal to her own homeland. The blasted school did their job a little TOO well.
"Regardless of my hesitation, I still intend to continue pursuing our country's interests with Mister Urashima if ordered. Even if it means that I am offered to him in exchange for his cooperation," Amalla said honestly.
"Are you sure it isn't just because of your newfound 'interest' in the Regent? Or that you've finally found a powerful man that you could not control?" The older woman accused.
Unsure how to respond, Amalla chose to remain silent.
