There When You Need Her

It was midday at the palace, and a young boy, about seven years old, was wandering through the gardens. He had brown hair that spiked downwards and brown eyes, one of which had a shuriken-shaped pupil in it. He looked down at the flowers and smiled. "Wow. What pretty flowers. The flower people must've worked really hard on this." he said aloud as he sniffed them.

Watching from about a foot away was a sexy woman, about twenty-five in appearance, with the same hair and eye color as the boy. Her hair was wavy and long, and on her head was a platinum-colored crown with a white halo over it. A shuriken-shaped mark, much like the boy's left pupil, was on her cheek. "Do you like the flowers, Kojiro-kun?" she asked. The boy turned his attention to her and smiled. "Yes, Mommy! They're pretty!" he chimed, which put a smile on the mother's face. "That's good. Now, let's go inside for lunch. A growing boy's gotta eat." she told him. "Okay, Mommy." was Kojiro's response before he began following her.

As the two walked through the enormous halls of the palace, a servant came to them. "Your Highness, your and King Jinta's presence is requested in the meeting room." the servant told the mother, who looked at her son and smiled. "Mama's gotta go take care of something. I'll be right back." Kari told the boy before leaving. Kojiro waved to his mother as she left, then sat down in one of the chairs that were nearby.

After a few minutes, another boy, about nine years old, entered the room. He had the same brown hair and eyes as Kojiro, only darker. The young prince's smile suddenly faded as this new kid came in. "Well, if it isn't the spoiled brat. Mom's still doting on you, I see." the older boy chuckled. "What is it, Zakura? Mommy had to go to a meeting, and I'm waiting for her." the younger prince asked. Zakura merely snickered as he approached the chair. "I just wanted to say hi. And to tell you how spoiled you are."

Kojiro was not pleased with this, and stepped up to his brother. "Why do you have to be so mean?!" he asked in an upset tone. Clearly, the older boy was like this often. "Are you kidding? You're a spoiled brat! You can't even tie your shoes without Mom and Dad."

"Well, at least I'm not a big meanie!" the younger prince retorted.

"At least I'm older than you." Zakura shot back, seeming to get the upper hand.

"Oh, yeah?! Well..... well..... at least I'm gonna be king, and you aren't!" the little brother retaliated before pulling his bottom eyelid down and sticking his tongue out.

This struck a nerve in the big brother, as he reached back, then punched Kojiro in the face, then pushed him to the ground. "I DESERVE TO BE KING! YOU STOLE THAT AWAY FROM ME, YOU INSIGNIFICANT BRAT!" Zakura bellowed, not happy with his little sibling's choice of words.

Kojiro sat up, and tears started welling up in his eyes. "You..... meanie....." he managed to say before crying. This did not go unheared by Kari, who was on her way back. She stopped when she saw him, and knelt to his level. "What's wrong, Kojiro?" she asked. The young prince merely kept crying. The mother merely held him close to her chest and hugged him. After a while, the boy was ready to speak. "Z-Zakura..... was being m-mean to me..... and then he..... he hit me....." he choked out before crying again.

The queen then looked angrily at Zakura, who was walking away. "Zakura!" she called sternly, earning his attention. "What you did was wrong! Now apologize to your little brother!" she demanded. The older prince merely shrugged this off. "Why should I apologize? HE'S the one that stole my birthright. If anything, he had it coming." he retorted. Kari was still not pleased. "That isn't Kojiro's fault! The youngest of any royal siblings is always the heir to the throne! It's been the absolute rule of the Royal Family since the Hatoshi Kingdom was first founded!" she explained.

Zakura scowled at this explanation and spat on the ground. "Well, then..... the absolute rule sucks balls." he growled. The use of such foul language shocked the mother to the core. "Young man! You will not use that kind of vulgar language!" Kari scolded, but the older brother merely started walking away. "Whatever. I'm out of here." he spat venomously before leaving.

Kari then turned her attention to Kojiro, who was still crying. She held him close and stroked his hair. "Shhhh..... everything's going to be alright..... Mommy's here....." she told him in a hushed, comforting voice before taking him to the dining hall to get him some food. After lunch and a few brownies, Kojiro was feeling better.



---Present Day---



Kojiro lay on his bed, now nineteen years old. His hair has grown past his waist, and he no longer had his ahoge. He also wore glasses now, though he showed no signs of needing them. With something on his mind, he got up and left his room, then wandered the halls until he reached the throne room, where Kari was sitting upon her throne, still looking the same as she did twelve years ago. Jinta, his father, was nowhere to be found, however.

Slowly, the young lord approached his mother. "Hey, Mom?" he began, earning her attention. "Yes, dear?" she asked. "Um..... I know this is bringing up an old topic, but..... do you remember what happened with Zakura twelve years ago?" Kojiro asked. Kari soon formed an upset look on her face. "Oh, yes..... I remember..... why do you ask?"

After a few seconds of silence, Kojiro got closer to her. "I..... wanted to thank you..... for cheering me up....." he thanked. The queen got up out of her throne and hugged him, placing his face between her large breasts. "There's no need to thank me..... I'm here for you, whenever you need me....." she told him. After a few seconds, she could hear Kojiro's muffled speech, and pulled his face out of her breasts. "Oh! I'm sorry! I smothered you, didn't I?" she apologized. Kojiro merely took in as much oxygen as his lungs could hold. After he had regained his breath, he merely chuckled. "It's okay. Just be careful, okay?" he told her, to which she nodded with a smile on her face.

Though Kojiro is older now, there's one thing that hasn't changed..... and that's the fact that his mother was there when he needed her.