Making a Business Deal(Ryuu)

He stared at the large pile of dishes in the sink. Why did he do this to himself? Upon being the most trustworthy employee for the last five years, he ran the place now. The old owner succumbed to a strange insanity that came with old age and left Ryuu with the bar and the small fortune that came with it. But he was a humble kid, too humble maybe... He ensured that he worked the same as all the others, it was just what he deemed fair... It wasn't always easy, like today, but Ryuu didn't slacken.

He heard the bustle outside, stools skidding, some surprised shrieks and audible gasps. Old Takeshi probably had too much to drink again. 'Who was it today? Who brought Sake for Takeshi? the boy yelled in his native tongue readying himself to tell another patron off for having fun at the old man' s expense. Instead, one of his employees rushed into the back 'Someone wants to see you, except... Except... Just come out' the exasperated words set the Shimada on an edge, it was not too difficult to sense the danger now. He swallowed the natural lump of fear in his throat.

Despite that, Ryuu didn't hesitate. Unwilling to let anyone scare off his regular customers he picked up a towel and dried his hands. On the way his colleague relayed the thinly-veiled threat, as they made it out to the front. Holding one hand up to silence and calm his employees and the customers he respond simply. 'There will be no requirement to use any force, I am Ryuzaki Shimada, how may I be of service?' he asked politely, giving this person the benefit of doubt. Ryuu would never let anyone else be harmed for him, he hoped whatever this cloaked figure wanted, didn't end in any violence.

"Excellent." The omnic said, his tone still seeming quite uninterested. "I have something I wish to discuss with you, though not here." He took a step closer to the Shimada and then a glowing symbol shaped like a red eye appeared beneath their feet and the two vanished from the store, reappearing on a roof top overlooking the Shimada mansion. "My associates and I have many connections around the world." Yuratta began, hands held behind his back. "However, your family is one of the few groups that we have yet to gain influence with." Before Ryuu could get a word in, the omnic continued you. "I am aware of your status and that you are not seen as a true heir in the eyes of those in the house hold, however, that is why I came to you. I have an offer to make you Ryukazi, if you agree to work with us, I can promise you that within a matter of days, you will be sitting atop the throne of the Shimada's business empire and not running a simple ramen shop." The Omnic still had not looked at the boy through this entire monologue. "The choice is yours Ryukazi Shimada, I do hope you make the right one."

Upon hearing the hooded figure's voice, Ryuu could sense why his employee had been so concerned. It was unlikely that this thing was human. Before Ryuu had a chance to do much, the floor beneath him earned a glowing red eye tattoo and in a blink of an eye, they were not in the shop anymore. Ryuzaki was smart enough to tell that not giving this man whatever he wanted, would not be a wise choice.

When the offer came, Ryuu pretended to deliberate as he weighed his options. He was not stupid enough to start a fight without having any information on his opponent,especially one that had teleported him without consent just moments ago and seemed to have information about him. It was a lucrative offer, at least this thing... Was kind enough to try bribe out Ryuu's services and not just straight up threaten him.

The boy was guarded, but he was met with an uncharacteristic urge that sought vengeance. If he could take from the clan the very thing they wanted to keep most from him, the thing they were willing to kill his mother for... Perhaps it could be worth the catch. That's what he told himself, especially since he assumed he didn't really have a choice. 'How?' he inquired carefully, not declining but not agreeing upfront either.

"It's simple really...at least, in the grand scheme of things. For as well put together as the Shimada clan is, infiltration would easily be possible." Yuratta said, noticing the guards patterns. "It would be possible to overthrow the clan without violence, should you be so inclined, though if you want revenge on the people who killed your mother and left you for dead, just say the word. With one command, I could have the entire mansion cleared out, and none will be the wiser." He took a step forward, closer to the edge of the building. "Though, if for some reason, you chose to reject us. Well, I'll just say that I can be particularly...persuasive."

He smiled patiently, this was not how Ryuu has planned his night would be. The boy did not disagree with the hooded figure. 'It was once a difficult task, but now Shimada scrapes by on that former glory, why would you be interested in a shadow organisation, which is now merely a shadow of itself?' Ryuzaki questioned again.

At the possibility of violence, Ryuu's eyes first darkened with anger, then simmered as his jaw set. He shook his head slowly. 'Such violence wouldn't leave much of a clan to lead, those men have suffered betrayal and blood shed at the hands of their own already...' he spoke softly, like a sigh. This hooded figure would make a dangerous ally, but he seemed to be the kind who would make a lethal foe. The machine was already aware of Ryuzaki's past.

'I see,' he replied stiffly to the cloaked thing's quip about being persuasive. 'More than this?' he responded with dry humour. 'What do I have to do? I do not wish for violence, but the den of my enemies will not receive me with open arms.'

"Shadow organisations are the tools of my trade Ryukazi." Yuratta said, listening as the boy mentioned taking the family without violence. "Very well, in a matter of minutes, you will sit atop the shimada throne." The ground beneath them lit up again and they reappeared in the main room of the Shimada mansion, the head of the family shouted for his guards as two people appeared in their home. Yuratta pointed an arm at Ryu, a metal band encircling his head and covering his eyes.

"Feel the embrace of the Iris!" Yuratta said, raising a hand, causing a large flash of light. As the flash faded, the red eye symbol burned above his head and all of the guards in the room, and the family members present all stood there. "Members of the Shimada clan, it is time for a new age." Yuratta said to the room of blank stares. "No longer are you led by this man," he pointed at the head of the family, "but from this day forth, Ryukazi Shimada shall lead the family." The people all began to repeat what Yuratta had said in slow monotone voices. The red eye above him faded and all the people around him dropped to the ground. He held his arm out towards Ryu again and the band released itself from around his eyes and returned the the confines of his cloak. "They are unharmed, merely asleep." Yuratta said to the new leader of the Shimadas. "When they awaken however, they will truly see you as their leader. Congratulations Ryukazi Shimada."

The entire procession was quick, just as it was strange. Ryuu had not heard of or witnessed something like this before. He squinted and tried backing away as the metal band encircled his head, cutting of his vision completely. Panicked thoughts filled his mind. What had he so irrationally agreed to? Could he have disagreed? What was expected of him?

In all fairness nobody here could reinstate the clan to it's former glory, no one, perhaps him included, had the power of the dragon in them. The Shimada clan was just a bunch of ninjas now. Well at least he had some resources at hand to further his training. He gasped as the ring around his head finally loosened and he noticed the clan's men falling to the ground like balling pins, only to be reassured. 'What have you done?' Ryuu was shocked, to say the least.

The boy hardly had the wisdom to know what to do now. But he was sure if this omnic had just hit the reset button on the ninjas in front of him and made him their leader, he would use this opportunity to ensure the Shimada's stood for something better, perhaps more in line with what his father would have wanted... Who unfortunately didn't have the will to lead or make change.

But was he truly and freely a leader, what did he owe to this mysterious omnic. 'Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?' Ryuu asked cautiously. He would have loved to believe this omnic was doing this out of some programmed decency, but something told him the machine had transcended that... And definitely not for the better.

"I'm doing this so that more of the pieces can fall into place." Yuratta said, approaching the boy. "I'm doing this because the old Shimada clan was unable to realize that they had a place in the grand scheme of things. They refused to listen and embrace the ideal. They refused to advance." He said, standing inches from Ryu now, the faint white glow of his eyes could be seen through his hood. "I can sense that you're having doubts yourself Ryukazi, which is most unfortunate. Your grandfather had a very similar look in his eyes when I first approached him as well." The Omnic let out a low chuckle as he began to circle around Ryu. "There's much more to this world then you know Ryukazi, players and forces you could never imagine. I'm offering you a seat at that table, part of the select few who control everything." He placed a hand on Ryu's head. "I can show you everything Ryukazi, and you can become more powerful than any previous Shimada, all you have to do is accept."

Ryuu heard the omnic carefully, very wary of trusting this machine, but the more the omnic revealed his powers, the less Ryuu wanted to fight or disagree with him. For someone who was barely a man, Ryuu was wise beyond his years, but not nearly enough to decode the cryptic and vague answers given to his questions. The boy held his breath, unable to take his eyes off the white glow emanating from behind the hood. 'I do wish to advance...' Ryuu said slowly, deliberating on the use of his words, wondering what kind of doubt this thing sensed, or could he read his very thoughts. He began feeling like a cornered animal as the seemingly all-powerful omnic began circling him. 'What did Sojiro say?' he asked about his grandfather, and felt a suspicion sneak up on him, what if this machine was behind the untimely death of his grandfather? Ryuu did not wish to give up his life just yet, his survival instinct peaking...

When the cold fingers of the mechanical hand touched his forehead, it was the very first time the omnic made contact with Ryuu, the boy panicked. He still managed to control his motions, while his wish was to swat the hand away with force, he merely held onto it, gently so as to not come across as hostile. 'I... Wait. What does this mean? How will this make me more powerful?' Though Ryuu was curious, he really did not want to become a puppet. 'I do wish to make the clan better and more powerful.' This was not a lie, he did wish to make them a force to be reckoned with, but he intended on using them for the better, not for petty crime, illegal trading and unwarranted assassinations.

"Your grandfather merely refused to join us. Those that came before me made many attempts to approach him...diplomatically. They all gave up after a while though, Shojiro's insistence on refusal. It's a new age now Ryukazi, and you can bring the Shimada clan into the future, all to make not just this city but the whole world a truly better place." The omnics eyes began to glow brighter and red light started to trickle from his fingers. "Behold." Images began to flash through Ryu's mind, faster than he could probably process. Images of a world where human and omnic coexist. Images of a world without the need for Overwatch or Talon. A world with no more secrets or war, and all of it held together by the same image of a red eye. "The world is changing Ryukazi, and you could be a part of that change. You could bring the Shimada clan from the shadows and make them into a truly powerful force for good. Join us Ryukazi, and be part of a new world order."

I wonder why... Ryuu thought as the omnic revealed that his grandfather refused to join them, was it pride? Or maybe Sojiro was aware of something Ryuu wasn't. The boy could already tell there was something rather sinister about this whole ordeal, or maybe the powers of this machine just set him on the edge and made him feel vulnerable. But if he was approached several times, he'd had the capability to survive after denying these bots whatever it is that they wanted. Did the nineteen year old sell out too fast, or was this 'new age' of omnics simply more efficient at doing what they envisioned? 'You want me to exterminate Talon and the Overwatch using the Shimada clan? Or incapicitate them somehow?' the boy asked as the images flooded through his brain.

It felt like this man could peer into the deepest recesses of the boy's mind. He seemed to know just what to say to sway the nineteen year old towards his cause. Ryuu had always thought he was difficult to read, simply because he rarely talked about his secret desires. The idealistic boy did in fact wish there was no evil and good, the war waged between those two, always killed those stuck in the middle, those that were powerless. He wished that everyone could live in peace and be free to do as they pleased. 'I suppose I'll do what it takes to ensure that those who are innocent are protected, that those who are powerless do not get ground between the forces of evil and good.' he said gently lowering his head towards the omnic. While his method seemed crude, maybe this wasn't a bad thing. Maybe his grandfather had been two stuck up about operating Shimada the same old way, but today was a new dawn. 'May I know who you are?' he said, raising his head again, to meet the white orbs.

"Not entirely on your on Ryuzaki." Yuratta said, stopping the visions. For a moment after taking his hand from Ryuzaki's forehead, the omnic noted the small mark of the red eye that quickly faded from the boy's head. "The shimada clan is merely a part of a global interconnected web. The organisations of Overwatch and Talon as they are now only serve to further perpetuate the conflicts of this world, though our group has people in both parties at this point." The omnic mused. "With you and the Shimada clan though, our strength and wealth only grows, the business resources of your family alone will further our plans greatly." He stopped and listened as the boy asked for an introduction. "My name is of little importance to you, just know that I am one with the Iris." He said, removing his head and revealing that the pattern of dots on his face plate were loosely shaped like an eye. "And the Iris is the truest good in this world."

'You're trying to eat the organisations from within?' he said raising his eyebrows, the more he spoke to this machine, the more he wondered why Sojiro never heeded this thing's request. The Shimada's excelled at planting their own in high level organisations and striking the right person at the right time. It was, in fact a practice Ryuu didn't respect much, winning someone's trust only to break it and have them pay for it with their life, was... cruel and the boy didn't believe those that trusted were at fault in this. 

'So I'm to help you with monetary sources then? I owe you money?' he asked, raising his eyebrows. The boy had never been to attached to money or materialistic things, if that was all he owed this omnic, he would pay his debt right here right now, if possible. He didn't even consider the Shimada clan's resources his own yet, to part with them would not hurt him much. He just dreaded giving up his ideals for this mind-controlling machine. 'May I know what other organisations are a part of this web?' the boy asked, curiosity urging him to ask questions he knew would probably be answered cryptically. Especially given the nature of the response about the identity of this stranger. 'The iris...' he muttered softly, as though repeating it would aid him in fathoming what this mystical sounding concept meant. The boy had no grounds to disagree and so just nodded.