Chapter 2: Quincerre

Let me backtrack a bit.

The little girl who challenged me is Akane Mēkā, nine years old, a beautiful olive-skinned girl with sharp green eyes, a heart-shaped face, and a cute button nose.

She is only nine yet she is already developing quickly, at the stage where she turns into a homewrecking beauty with those long sleek legs, silky smooth skin that practically glows under the sweat of her workout, and wavy black chest length hair that flowed over her neck and already developing chest.

She and her sister, Akiko who is five, the same age as me, have been my partners in crime ever since we managed to leave our cribs and begin to do our best in terrorizing all of the adults or exploring the mountain range that made Ida's Rest.

Although not without supervision because each time we go out I could tell there were several if not more Yokai following our every move to make sure we didn't get hurt.

Akane, who I thought was going to be my right hand for the rest of my life, has just betrayed and bit the hand that gave her all those treats over the years by challenging me to a Quincerra.

Quincerra!

A fucking Quincerra!

In the Mēkā, certain traditions and responsibilities are entrusted to the men and women of the tribe.

And a Quincerra is one of them, although it's extremely disliked by the men of the tribe but is heavily applauded by the women and is reinforced and promoted through their circle.

A tradition that encourages survival of the fittest for both men and women alike. Deciding on the station the man takes In the clan and how his partner or partners take a role in their relationship.

The Quincerra is life and death free for all, between one to three or even more women who want to lay claim to a certain man to determine his dominance, status, and future.

In words you might understand, it's a marriage contract duel for men who got enough game to snag a whole bunch of hoes and don't want to commit, but the women want children and a family so they force him to commit to one of them or all of them!

By taking an oath to our Patron God Ida and having a witness. They can make use of some kind of ritual to bind themselves together with their emotional counterpart.

Making it practically impossible for them to betray or be disloyal, but first, they have to defeat the man in battle and if they can't then they can only be willing to let his harem grow helplessly from the side.

Now, this sounds a little too good to be true, a handful of women at your beck and call at any moment. Prime and ready for anything you want to do in any you want.

But, If you by any chance lose to one or even all of them if they band together, you will still be married to them and they will happily attend to your needs as loving wives but the status will immediately reverse.

The woman will be the head and the man will be the tail, as well as him being stripped of any right to climb to any position in the family's hierarchy and can only stay a home father, farmer, and shopkeeper.

Banned from taking a single step out of the clan unless the woman allows it or at times of war. This situation is terrible for any person with wanderlust like me!

Except this duel can only be initiated by one or more women and If the man manages to survive the onslaught of his harem then he can do whatever he likes.

But that's only if he wins! The Mēkā Clan is predominantly of female birth, so they already have us 3:1, and all of us are either trained from a very young age in the arts of Combat, Tactics, rituals, geography, and Politics.

Most men in our Clan are groomed to pursue a strong woman as well to strengthen our bloodline as well.

And who wouldn't like a badass chick as our partner to help survive in this world, this world is still a world where people can chuck meteorites at armies(Madara), annihilate entire countries with a single person(Scorpion), and completely wipe out bloodlines in a single night without even a single child escape their compound(I'm looking at you Itachi and Obito).

The women in our tribe are held to the highest standard in how they manage to land a man from within and without the clan, training them like fucking Amazons and Wonder Woman's sisters on Paradise Island.

And everyone can use chakra so there's a boost there as well. The closest portrayal I can give to describe them is Native Indians, Latinas, and Mob boss Matriarchs combined into a single breed of woman.

If you think Tsunade was bad but a manageable girl to take home, imagine a group of Tsunade aiming to literally and legally tear you apart to get the ring.

I know less than Forty men in our clan who managed to win this challenge out of nearly three thousand people in our clan!

Not to mention that number Includes my Grandfather, Father, and all of our Elites who have gone through Hell and back from countless missions and experiences.

My Grandfather Ryu Mēkā who wasn't even a member of the clan was made Patriarch and said he wasn't even looking for another woman besides my grandmother even though he won because his wife terrified him with the utter determination and practical insanity she used to fight him and his other pursuers.

He didn't want to ever see that kind of terrible bloodshed ever again!

/Where The Hell did she hear about this damn tradition! She's only supposed to hear about this when she turns thirteen, and this girl is not even ten years old./ I began to feel goosebumps pop up along my arms and I immediately began to plan my escape from this place of right and wrong.

Seeing me just standing there frozen like a statue, not talking or even moving for a couple of minutes made Akanes accumulated courage evaporate and turn into nervousness.

/Mommy and Auntie had said that the best way to Challenge a man to a duel was to do this. But he's not answering me, did I do it wrong?/ Akane rarely questioned the method her mother and aunt taught her.

"Well! Do you accept?" Akane inquired with a nervous and impatient look.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I looked at her seriously for a moment before inquiring with a deep grim gaze.

"Akane, do you know what you're talking about? A Quincerra is nothing to play with! You can't go spouting nonsense here and there!" I berated my older cousin harshly with a stern look, although in my head I hoping, begging that she was just playing a joke and I could play it off with a good laugh.

/What are you scolding me for? I didn't even do anything wrong!/ Akane flinched and cowered into her chest at his scolding.

"Y-, Y-, You, you big Meanie! Didn't you promise that you would accept any challenge to fight me before? I've been practicing hard over the winter to fight you!" Akanes eyes welled up and she glared at me with a wronged look through her tears.

"Th-, This and that has nothing to do with each other! I refuse!" Seeing the tears well up in her eyes made me hesitate for a second, but I still refused.

I'm too young to get hitched now! I haven't even tasted the abundant flavor of life here and refuse to be trapped here in the clan!

/Well it's not like she will win either. It's just one of her and I don't have any other little girls chasing me, it seems that I'm going to need to talk to her after this and explain what she can and cannot do!/ I thought musingly

However, Akane didn't seem to take my rejection too well. The tears in her eyes seemed to connect to the Well of Eternity and rivers poured out of her eyes as she dropped to the ground and cried loudly.

"Y-, Y-, You pinky Promised! Mommy is right boys are all Meanies!" Akane seemed brokenhearted as she yelled this.

This left me stunned and not knowing what to do at all. I wanted to comfort her, but the consequences of agreeing are too disastrous for me to take the chance.

"Alright, it's ok, it's ok. I warned you before that daddy said he wouldn't agree." Akiko hurried to her sister's side and patted her older sister's back while giving me a helpless and berating look while comforting her.

/What the hell was I supposed to do? Agree and risk my freedom on getting hitched to a child bride!/ I just shrugged in defeat and tried to find something to say to my cousin.

"What's going on here?" A booming voice sounded from behind me as my grandfather came out from the inner pavilion with a cup of steaming Gingerroot Tea.

Ryu was completely clueless as to why his favorite grandchildren were squabbling in the training pavilion and one was crying loudly while kneeling on the ground.

"Kekkai broke his promise!" Akane immediately told the third party how she was wronged, no longer crying but still sniffling.

"Oh? Is this true?" Ryu asked as he turned to me with a raised brow.

"It's not like that! She doesn't even know what she's asking for! Otherwise, how can I break my promise?" I tried to plead my case immediately.

Grandpa Ryu just put his massive hand on my shoulder and just shook his head in disappointment.

"Kekkai, if you want to grow into an outstanding man and warrior you need to know that in this world. Many people have the deepest malice and cruel intentions when it comes to your well-being." Ryu began to lecture me with a deep stare, "This is unavoidable, and until you grow into a big strong man like Grandpa, you can easily be hurt or even killed when you come across people like this. That's why you need allies whenever you venture out, and the best way to keep your allies is to honor your promises."

Ryu glanced to the side, seeing that Akane had stopped crying and was listening to the lecture with open ears, he gave a slight nod.

Then he continued his lecture.

"Your family will always do their best to keep you safe and have your back when it comes to the battlefield, but if you can't keep a promise, you are doing nothing but breaking their trust and faith in you. Do you want that to happen?" He asked

"No," I answered sullenly

"Good! Because a man that can't keep his promises is a man without Honor and self-confidence." Ryu smiled and patted my back

/Children need to learn how to keep their promises from a young age if you don't want them to grow too arrogant./ Ryu confirmed his own father's advice that was drilled into him from a young age.

"Now what did Kekkai promise that made you so upset Akane?" Ryū asked his Granddaughter

"Last year he had promised that he would fight me anytime I challenged him to a fight! I've been training with mommy and auntie all winter to win. But, when I asked him for a rematch, he said no!" Akane explained while glaring at me.

/A fucking Quincerre is not a fucking duel! It's a marriage proposal!/ I screamed explicitly in my head as I heard her twisting the words of my promise.

"A fight you say? Didn't you refine your chakra 2 years ago and refine your second chakra nature last summer? Why would you fight with Kekkai when he hasn't even refined chakra yet?" Grandpa Ryu inquired with a puzzled look.

"Kekkai said he can fight without chakra, we've been sparring ever since I learned how to refine it. But I lose every time! Mommy says that he's a monster." Akane puffed her cheeks and looked away, slightly embarrassed and upset to explain that she got her behind whooped in every battle with little old me.

"Oh? Then I would like to see this. Kekkai, honor your promise, I would like to see how this fight would turn out." Ryū fiddled with his beard while musing before commanding me to fight.

"But Grandpa, She-" I once again tried to plead my case.

"No buts! A good boy honors his promise!" Ryū Snapped while glaring at me.

/Fuck! you senile old man! You don't even know what's going on, how are you going to act favorites and listen to her side of the story and not mine?/ I growled recklessly in my mind.

Except it seemed that I wasn't going anywhere until I fought Akane in this stupid duel. I hoped that I could have a sensible adult here to dispel this girl's challenge but it seemed that Grandpa is anything but sensible.

Walking towards the traitor Akane, I bowed to her before extending my hand and helping her up.

"I-, I accept your challenge," I grumbled, dissatisfaction and unwillingness bleeding into my tone.

"Yay! Thank you, grandpa, you are the best!" Akane cheered and wiped her face with a smile to grandpa before glaring at me and leaving to the side of the pavilion towards the weapon rack to prepare.

As she left my Grandfather smiled and walked over to me and patted my shoulder again.

I shrugged him off with a pout and decided to ignore this wrinkly(He's not, I'm surprised he aged so well) old man.

"Kekkai, although I know that you a proud little brat, you need to learn to give in a little when it comes to girls and their feelings. It would do you well to know this. Now go to prepare yourself and refine your chakra, it seems that Akane is pretty excited to fight you and show you the efforts of her training." Ryū sighed and grumbled that I need more time to mature in his head.

"Akiko pass me some bandage wraps," I urged my cousin.

Akiko who didn't follow her sister to the weapon rack reached into a small bag that she kept to her side and passed a roll of gauze to me, but when she heard her grand say this she reminded him.

"Grandpa, Kekkai hasn't refined his Chakra yet." She announced cutely to him.

"Of course, he has refined chakra, this silly boy just tricked you and said he didn't, he must have felt embarrassed to tell you that he refined it early and managed to hide his use of it when Akane fought him." Grandpa Ryū immediately rebuked her lightly while looking at me with a gaze that said, Sorry I had to expose you, you shouldn't lie to your cousins.

"Grandpa, I really haven't refined chakra," I state while looking at this old man with a blank stare.

Ryū Mēkā blinked.

"You haven't refined chakra?" He inquired, stunned.

"Nope," I replied with a deadpan gaze while carefully wrapping my hands in gauze.

Ryū Mēkā blinked once again before a wave of air passed over his eyes as he reexamined me and my body.

/Chakra can't be hidden boy, if you think this old man can be lied to like this then you are wrong./ He thought as he examined my body with Chakra sight.

However, as time passed his eyes grew weirder and weirder as his gaze swept over me, not finding a single drop of Chakra leaking from my body.

/Impossible, how does his control reach the point of zero leakage, it can fool even these old eyes!/ His gaze grew admiring before reaching down and grabbing my shoulder.

This time when I tried to release my shoulder, I couldn't, his hand gripped tight like a pair of pliers. I soon felt a vague ripple of energy flow from his hand and into my body.

/This old bastard doesn't believe me and is trying to see if I already refined chakra./ I glared at the shameless old man who was holding my shoulder tightly.

Ryū continued to let his chakra flow through me, looking unconcerned at my glare, but his eyes widened again in a comical fashion as he realized that there wasn't any Chakra refined inside of my body.

There was plenty of physical energy present, even an over-abundant amount for my age but none of it was refined and deposited into my Tenketsu.

Realizing what this means he immediately let go of my shoulder as if I shocked him and looked at me like I was a monster.

"You haven't refined chakra! Then how did you manage to beat her? She managed to refine her second Heavenly Nature?!" He asked with his eyes bulging out of the sockets, looking at this creature that was his grandson.

"Tactics, skills, and knowledge. Although Chakra seems to give a dramatic boost in speed and durability, it's useless if you don't know how to use or control it." I explained with a little pride to my grandfather who stood there shocked.

"And luck, don't forget luck," Akiko added from the side.

"If you know what your doing you can make your luck." I dismissed her while waving my hand to her and began to unwrap the gauze.

"But, that's just not possible! People who have activated their Chakra and managed to refine it are in a completely different field of power than people who haven't! Most can't even react to people who refined chakra, much less overpower and beat them!" He cried out.

"And yet brother Kekkai managed to beat her in five minutes when he first fought her and within 10 moves the last time they fought." Akiko admired me from the side with a worshiping gaze.

"I guess I'm just built differently. Didn't Akane just tell you that I didn't need to refine chakra to beat her before?" I shrugged while finishing my hand wraps.

"I had thought that you had managed to refine chakra early with the help of your mother and father, even when people say that they will not use chakra inside of duels, they can't prevent it from leaking out passively as they fight because Chakra is a force that is present in all of our activities, I thought that you had already refined chakra and went easy on her in your fights," Ryū explained while examining me with a little more seriousness.

"But I did not that expect that you couldn't refine chakra at all. Although I know that you usually work hard in training and have many wonderful ideas from your and Akikko's trips to the clan archives. To think you were this well-versed in the ways of combat that you would manage to beat a Chakra Warrior, even if Akane is a novice, in combat. That's extremely Impressive." Ryū began to look at his grandson in a different light after knowing about his affinity for combat.

"I won't forgive you even if you praise me like that! By the way, who said I can't refine chakra?" I denied it with a twitch at the corner of my mouth.

"You can? Then why didn't you do so before?" Ryū asked, trying to calm himself down while sipping his large cup of tea.

"Like you said before, if I refine chakra too early I wouldn't know the difference between fighting using chakra and without it. So I just decided not to refine it early and instead turned to refine my technique and body first!" I clarified while moving onto my feet.

"It's also why sister is desperate to beat him before he started refining chakra. She dragged me, mommy, and auntie to train with her all winter to catch up and fight him today. Although I don't know why daddy asked me to stop her when he found out how she was going to fight you, he didn't explain it to me before mommy dragged him away." Akiko explained

/So that's why she gave me a warning./ I realized

"But it does not matter anyway, me and Akane can't wait to show you what we've learned over the winter, don't you dare hold back!" She smiled cutely before turning to the weapon rack as well.

"Wait, you too?!" My eyes widened in disbelief and hurt at my second partner in crime betraying me as well.

"Of course I am silly, I worked hard too, why does Akane get to show off and I can't?" Akiko puffed her cheeks and glared at me.

"You don't know what this duel is about, do you?" I asked while panicking

"Oh quit whining and just fight, it seems that I didn't get up early for nothing. I'll get to see an excellent battle that can show off your hard work." Grandpa Ryū dismissed me and looked at me with expectant eyes.

"Thanks, grandpa," Akiko said before turning again

"It's over, I'm too young to get married!" I cried in despair.

This made both Akiko who was leaving and Grandpa Ryū who was drinking his tea freeze and look at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?" their faces said

"She challenged me to a Quincerre, meaning that win or lose we will be married in the name of Ida, and that includes you as well Akiko," I said with my head swirling at my situation.

"Pffffffft!" Ryū instantly choked and spat out the mouthful of tea, not caring about the hot liquid squirting everywhere and looking at me in terror.

"Ma-ma- Married! Mommy and Auntie didn't say anything about THAT!" Akiko was the second to react and in an instant, her olive skin turned a deep reddish brown and smoke came from her ears as she stammered and blushed.

"It's all your Fault grandpa!" I glared at him

"My bad." Grandpa Ryū avoided my glare and tried to say this.

"IM READY, let us fight Kekkai!" A joyous Akane called.