SECOND CHANCES

Chapter 8: Family and Compromise Part 1

Disclaimer I don't own Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei


Once again, Hayama found himself escorting Tatsuya and Miyuki – the Shiba Siblings – back to their designated room. It took Hayama every ounce of his self-control not ask any further questions to the two siblings.

Hayama had been friends with the Yotsuba brothers for what seems like his entire life. The four of them grew up together, and he was confident in saying that Genzou is his best friend. The four of them, five if it includes Yume, went through their military service together. He was the best man in the weddings of the three Yotsuba Brothers.

Hayama knew the Yotsuba Siblings like the back of his hand, and he also knew their partners with the same familiarity. Hayama knew the capabilities of Yasuyo's [Recall]. Hayama knew that regardless of how mentally strong an individual is, regardless of the magic use to defend against [Recall], no information can escape Yasuyo when she uses [Recall].

Yasuyo could literally extract the entire life of an individual from their brains with [Recall].

She did so just a few minutes ago.

And boy, the information that they got from Tatsuya was both startling and heartbreaking.

'I outlived them all.' Hayama thought bitterly, remembering the memories that was shared to him.

Hayama had sworn to himself that he would not live past his friends. He had sworn that he would not bury any of his best friends. He had sworn to himself that he would take a bullet for any of them,

Hayama promised himself that his friends would bury him.

Apparently, in a future that had been, ('a future that would not be' Hayama swore privately in his thoughts) he buried his friends to the ground and he outlived them all.

That thought alone was enough to make him vomit.

"Is it really okay for me to be removed from the dining hall?" Hayama's musings was interrupted when Tatsuya spoke, his voice lacking emotion and face lacking any expression.

Hayama winced as he looked at the Grandson of his best friend. The boy was currently cradling his sister in his arms. Miyuki, who was favored by the Yotsuba in the future, was also shell shocked by her brother's memories. Miyuki knew that her brother had it rough, but his treatment prior to his Guardian assignment to her was nothing less than appalling.

Appalling was actually an understatement. What Tatsuya went through at the age of 2 until the age of 9 was a horror show.

When the last memory played out, Miyuki had tears in her eyes.

"It would be best for everyone to recover their composure before any conversation is to be had." Hayama told Tatsuya softly.

When the last memory was shown to everyone in the dining room, a stun silence descended upon everyone until Motosuke threw himself at Eisaku, fist flying, eyes burning with rage, and vitriol spewing from his mouth.

If it were not for Tatsuya subduing Motosuke, (and fuck, that was a scary sight. A 13 year old boy easily subduing the best fighter in the Yotsuba), Eisaku would have had more than a broken nose and a few lost teeth.

Genzou had to promptly end any dinner plans for the evening before ordering Hayama to take Tatsuya and Miyuki back to their room.

Considering the information that was disseminated to them and the emotions that was on the verge of erupting, nothing productive would be accomplish for the evening, probably for the next few days to come.

"I see." Tatsuya said with a deadpanned tone. "It must have been a shock, for all of you, to discover that my sister and I are from the future."

"Yes, it is." Hayama admitted. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Tatsuya [Decomposed] time itself and bend it to his will just to save Miyuki from their universe's demise.

And that was another thing that Hayama did not want to think about.

Yuuma had offhandedly and humorously commented that Tatsuya was the closest thing to a God that they have seen.

That statement was apparently not a joke.

That statement was cold, hard truth. It was reality.

"You look unburdened." Tatsuya commented suddenly. "Not just you, Okaa-san looks healthy and there is no bitterness in her eyes. Maya-san is different from the Obaa-eu that I knew. Even Eisaku-sama looks more alive than I remember him being." Tatsuya voiced out his observation.

"We have you to thank for that. You prevented that…" Hayama swallowed the bile that was threatening to come out of his mouth. To think, if Tatsuya and Miyuki did not intervene, that fate would have befallen to Maya. "…catastrophe from happening." Hayama finished with a shudder.

"Well… I had the chance to prevent the Demon Queen of the Far East from being born. I took it." Tatsuya confessed. "It was startling, the difference between this Maya and the Obaa-eu that I knew."

Hayama could see Miyuki bristling, anger rolling off of her in waves.

The Maya of their universe was a psychopath, Hayama would admit to that, and that Maya was also obsessed with Tatsuya.

Like pedophilic-level of obsession.

Hayama made a mental note to have a talking to with Maya in regards to familial relationship. That Demon might have been a different entity all together, but that Maya still came from their Maya.

Hayama would make it his life's mission to not serve that twisted parody of Yotsuba Maya.

"Let's try not to think of that Demon." Hayama would not acknowledge that Monster as Maya.

"Yes, let us not." Miyuki agreed with a growl.

"We already know where our room is. Hayama-dono, you can go and tend to Genzou-dono or your other primaries." Tatsuya told Hayama politely.

There was a subservient tint in Tatsuya's voice as he said those words, and Hayama was reminded, that regardless of Tatsuya's power and might, the Yotsuba of his Universe treated him as a servant and not as a family member.

In a despicable Universe, the grandson of his best friend was his subordinate.

Hayama wondered if Tatsuya can bring the Hayama of his Universe to this Universe. Hayama would love to have some words with his older, crueler self.

(Scene Change)

"Motosuke-nii was going to kill you!" Yume exclaimed loudly as he tended to the bruises of his older brother Eisaku.

Eisaku was a mess. His face was a swollen mess. He had a black eye on his right eye while a deep cut that would require some stitches to remedy was on the left side of his face. He had a fractured jaw, a few dozen broken teeth, and bloodied lip. His nose was also broken.

All of that, with Motosuke only being on top of him for a few seconds before Tatsuya, his apparent Grandnephew, pulled the enraged man off of him.

"I think Motosuke is still going to kill me." Eisaku commented, wincing as he felt rubbing alcohol touch his bruises. "Careful!" Eisaku snapped.

"I'm being careful!" Yume snapped back at her brother. Yume was still shaken by what she had seen after seeing Tatsuya's entire life. "Shit…can Yasuyo-san's recall be deceived?" There was hope in Yume's voice.

That hope was crushed when Eisaku gave her a glare. "There are a few absolutes in this world, and Yasuyo-san's [Recall] is one of them." Eisaku exclaimed, wincing again when he felt a particular hard jab on the cut on his left brow. "That future sucks!" Eisaku cursed loudly.

Eisaku never cursed, being more proper than any of his siblings, but whenever he cusses, things tend to be FUBAR.

"I can agree to that." Yume said despondently. "How could Mitsu-kun orchestrate such a thing?" Yume despaired, tears flowing down her eyes.

It was hard to swallow the knowledge that, in the future, her son would try to attempt to kill one of their own.

It was also difficult seeing her son die. If there was one thing that any mother would not like to see, it is seeing their own children die, especially considering that Tatsuya, in his universe, killed him slowly.

"It is not his fault." Eisaku said, trying to comfort his younger sister. "I arranged everything! I forced Miya-san to surrender her son! I forced her to mentally and emotionally mutilate her son!" Eisaku despaired. "I trained him like mother trained us." Eisaku looked sick at that thought.

If he was being honest with himself, Eisaku would admit that he was worse than his mother. At least his mother allowed him and his siblings a childhood. At least the Devil of the Yotsuba allowed the family to care and love for them.

Eisaku did not even gave the same courtesy to Tatsuya. He did not just force Tatsuya to train the moment he was capable to stand, he also have had the entire family to ostracize and alienate him. He turned a boy that was supposed to be a Prince of the family into a slave. He turned Tatsuya into a pariah within his own family.

And that resulted to the entirety of the Yotsuba Clan and, to a lesser extent, the world in one universe to perish.

It did not matter whether or not Tatsuya had the power to destroy the world. It did not matter how terrifying the boy is when unrestrained. It did not matter if it was a logical precaution to safeguard the family, what he did, what he put his Grandnephew through, was still wrong.

So the worst thing of all was the fact that Eisaku could not see any other options to prevent Tatsuya from destroying the world in his birth.

Shiba Tatsuya possesses the ability to destroy the world. He could looked up to the sky and see the sun, and in a whim, detonate the sun to destroy the very galaxy that they exist in.

The destructive capabilities that Tatsuya possesses is numbing and terrifying.

Limiting his emotional capacity was a logical step to take, and he hated admitting that.

Eisaku was a Yotsuba. The Yotsuba is not a clan filled with saints. They were demonic, devilish, outright evil in a way. They show no mercy and they take no prisoners. They will murder in droves and take the will of their enemies if needed.

The catastrophe that they brought upon Dahan in Tatsuya's Universe was a testament to their willingness to destroy their enemies.

But a Yotsuba values Family.

Family above all else is the unofficial creed of the Yotsuba.

A Yotsuba should always be ready to care and protect their family, their own blood.

The fact that he green lighted and arranged Tatsuya's inhumane training and treatment, the fact that he allowed Tatsuya to be emotionally and mentally crippled, the fact that he encourages the family and the family servants to abused and neglect Tatsuya made him sick to his stomach.

"If Genzou ever died, put a bullet into my skull." Eisaku told his little sister. "I am never going to be the head of this family." Eisaku stated fiercely.

"Don't worry…" Yume harshly shoved rubbing alcohol to an open wound, causing Eisaku to grunt. "I will personally put a bullet into your skull to prevent you from being the head of the family." Yume promised her brother harshly.

"Good." Eisaku said in relief. "You think Genzou is angry at me?" Eisaku asked her.

"Knowing Nii-sama, he would not blame you for something that you have not done yet." Yume reminded herself that the future that she had seen unfold would not happen this time around.

Genzou would not let it.

That would not stop Yume from driving more family ethics to her son. Seriously, her son suggesting a child to be culled for something that they could not control was disheartening. It made her question her ability as a mother.

"I suggest you stay clear of Motosuke-nii and Yasuyo-san for a bit though." Yume advised him.

"Yeah, I'll do that." Eisaku agreed, remembering most of the words that Motosuke threw at him and the glare that Yasuyo gave him.

If Motosuke did not threw himself at him before pounding his face in like a piece of meat, Eisaku was sure that Yasuyo would have turned his brain into soup.

Yasuyo is a frail woman, but her magic is strong and her expertise in Mental Interference Magic is to be feared.

At the moment, Eisaku feared for his mind more than his life.

Yasuyo was vindictive in her own right, and she had just seen him outright abused her grandson in one lifetime.

Eisaku would not be surprised if he would have a nightmare in his next slumber.

(Scene Change)

Genzou did not even fought his urged to vomit. The moment his wife ushered their daughters to their room for comfort, Genzou immediately went to one of the many bathrooms in the estate and vomited his breakfast and lunch for the day.

He knew Tatsuya had a difficult life to be that powerful. Power that great would not be born from a happy and normal childhood.

But, not in his wildest imagination, did he expect for Tatsuya to go through the kind of life. The fact that his family, the family that he loves so much, the family that he would die for, would put their blood, his grandson no less, to such hell sickens him to the core.

Genzou flinched slightly when he felt a hand rubbing his back. Looking over his shoulders, he saw his Uncle Yuuma behind him, a comforting hand on his back and a concern expression on his face.

Yuuma was not one to be serious. The old man was laid back and jolly most of the time, seldom taking things seriously and always tackling matters with a smile and awkward, often times corny, humor that only he seems to find humorous.

That Yuuma was not the one standing beside him. This Yuuma was a Yuuma that Genzou rarely sees.

"Well, that was a trip if I say so myself." Yuuma told him as he ushered his nephew to a wash sink. "But it explains so much. Only our blood can have that much power and not be a power hungry jackass." Yuuma added as he stepped back from his nephew, giving him space. "You okay?"

"I am the farthest thing from okay!" Genzou snapped, his voice higher than usual. "How could I be after seeing how our family has fallen?" Genzou despaired.

"That's one way to look at it." Yuuma commented with a sigh. "Sis is over the moon, to the point that I think she's going to sing and dance." Yuuma informed his grieving nephew. "I haven't seen her this happy since the 'Todoroki' Incident a decade ago, and that was a cluster and a half." Yuuma laughed dryly as he remembered one of the slaughters that his sister ordered him to do in the past.

"Of course she's happy!" Genzou growled in anger and irritation. The Yotsuba that he saw in the future is the Yotsuba that his mother envisioned. The entire world fearing their name, a reputation that struck fear to every country and organization in the world.

Genzou would be lying if he said that such a thing did not entice him, but the sacrifices that he made for the family to have that reputation was too much.

Genzou was prepared to make sacrifices for the family, but there are simply some sacrifices that he cannot make.

"Did you receive any orders from mother?" Genzou asked his uncle while he began to clean himself up. Tatsuya's existence would change a lot of things within the Yotsuba. Yotsuba Ayame was content to have her son rule without any interference from her part, but Tatsuya being in this timeline would certainly change things in their dynamic within the Yotsuba.

Genzou knew Ayame could not and would not resist using Tatsuya for her agenda.

Genzou already watched Tatsuya be used by the Yotsuba, a Yotsuba that would never be (Genzou swore that to himself), in the future in such an uncaring and callous way, he would not stand to see his grandson be used like that again.

"Not yet." Yuuma answered. Yuuma might be loyal to Ayame first and foremost, but he was honest with his current family head and nephew. "Once sis gets down from her happy high, she will probably have a laundry list of people for me to off. She now has an unfiltered access from someone who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the future. Even if Tatsuya has only textbook knowledge between now and his date of birth, the information that he would provide is enough for Sis to make the necessary moves to manipulate the future to our advantage."

Genzou and Ayame have many disagreements between them, but his mother would always operate to expand the influence and interest of the Yotsuba. If only they could agree with the methods, sacrifices, and casualties, they could have coexisted together.

"The missions that she'll be giving you, can you delay it?" Genzou inquired, plans forming in his head.

"Not the first batch." Yuuma told his nephew. "Odds are, I'll be offing the bastard that Eisaku-san married Miya-chan to."

They already have Tatsuya and Miyuki, so there was no need for Shiba Tatsurou to remain breathing. Yuuma would enjoyed squeezing the life out of the brat. Cheating on his Grandniece with a piece of shit, unforgivable.

Being reminded of his eldest daughter, Genzou grimaced. He did not like the fate that had befallen his daughters. The very thought of it made him sick and the urged to vomit again returned to him with a vengeance.

His eldest daughter became a sickly and frail woman due to overheating her magic calculation area in such a young age, which also resulted in her becoming an emotionless husk. Her being trapped in a loveless marriage was almost an afterthought considering the other hardship her eldest face in her life.

His youngest daughter became a psychopath, to such a degree that the Maya in Tatsuya's future made his own mother palatable. The Maya that he saw in that twisted future embodied every trait that he disliked from his mother. Not to mention, that Maya was obsess over Tatsuya, to a degree that it was disturbing.

It was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that the Maya in Tatsuya's future was twisted enough to become a child molester. Tatsuya's child molester to be exact.

But what made Genzou truly sick to his stomach was the fact that his daughters, who were the best of friends at the moment and for the foreseeable future, develop genuine loathing for each other.

That knowledge alone made him his stomach turn. The close and unbreakable bond between siblings is sacred for Genzou, and the fact that bond was shattered to oblivion between his daughters made him ill.

"I need to have a succession plan in case I die." Genzou told himself.

Genzou loves and respects Eisaku. He still does. He did not blame Eisaku for the future that he had seen. Eisaku lived in a universe where he and Motosuke died, as well as 30 of their family. That alone would have change Eisaku drastically. It would have changed him drastically if he was in Eisaku's place. That said, Genzou would never be able bring himself to trust Eisaku with the wellbeing of their family ever again.

Maya would also be stricken out of the Succession line. The Maya that he saw in the future, psychotic and bloodthirsty she may be, is an excellent leader, but that Maya was worse than his mother. Genzou would make sure that her youngest would not become that Maya, but he would rather avoid having another Yotsuba Ayame leading the Yotsuba again.

(Scene Change)

"In a scale of 1 to 10, how hot was my psychotic, future self?" Maya inquired as she laid besides her twin sister on her bed.

For Miya's part, she looked at her twin with an incredulous expression. "We just saw our futures, and the only thing you're wondering was how hot you are?" Miya asked her dryly.

"I either think of that or why Tatsuya-kun had not removed my head the moment he laid eyes on me." Maya said, the cheerfulness in her voice a bit strained.

Miya looked at her sister, and she knew that it was not only her who was shaken up by what she had seen.

"You were an 11." Miya admitted, recalling the grown up version of her twin.

Miya just focused on the physical beauty of her older, younger sister. She did not want to think of how unbalance that Maya was.

"11…" Maya mumbled to herself. "I think I was an 18."

"11…" Miya repeated herself. "You being insane and psychotic cut down your attractiveness level by quite a lot."

Maya looked thoughtful before giggling. "I still think that would only lower my attractiveness level to 15." Maya said strongly. "Your older self is a 9." Maya told her.

"Just a 9?" Miya asked, a bit of humor in her voice.

"You fit the hot and sexy frail girl quite well, but you could have been prettier if healthy." Maya told her, remembering the beauty that her sister grew up in. Maya was sure that if Miya kept her health, she would grew up into an even more beautiful woman.

"If healthy huh?" There was a sense of helplessness in Miya's voice that Maya did not like.

"You okay, Nee-chan?" Maya asked in concern.

"My children from the future is in the same roof as me. One of which, I failed so miserably that I deserve a reward for being the worst mother in our clan's history." Miya ranted dryly.

"You didn't fail Miyuki-chan." Maya said, attempting to comfort her sister.

"I failed her too." Miya corrected her. "I turned Miyuki-san against her brother for the first 11 years of her life, to such an extent that Tatsuya-san needed to save her from death in order for them to have a normal relationship, and I figure I failed in that too considering that Miyuki-san probably loves Tatsuya-san as a man rather than just a brother, considering I did not bother fostering a familial relationship between the two of them." Miya said self-deprecatingly.

"I still think you didn't fail Miyuki-chan. You saw how she looks at you. With what we know now, I'm surprised she didn't threw herself onto you when she first saw you. Miyuki-chan loves you." Maya assured her.

"She hadn't mourn me properly yet." Miya contemplated, remembering that her cousins tried to kill Tatsuya an hour removed from her funeral.

Miya did her best not to think of that.

"You think Miyuki-chan is going to turn me into a Popsicle the next time she saw me?" Maya asked, shifting the conversation from Miya to her. "I was sexually molesting Tatsuya-kun." Maya sounded shameful and disgusted as she said those words.

"I don't think that Psycho version of yourself was sexually molesting him…" Miya began but the look that Maya gave her immediately silenced her.

"No, no, no. I am pretty sure that my unhinged version wanted to get into Tatsuya-kun's pants." Maya told her with a smirked. "Not that I blame my crazy version. Tatsuya-kun is an attractive man."

Miya, for some reason, pinched Maya on the shoulder after that statement. "That's my son you're talking about!" It took Miya a few seconds to comprehend what she said before flushing in embarrassment.

Maya giggled at her sister before sighing. "We had a very awful future." Maya stated, not even bothering to sugarcoat her words. "That future suck so badly, we might as well gagged on it."

"Yeah." Miya agreed wholeheartedly. "I was a horrible mother." Miya stated.

"I tried to steal your son, and I was molesting said son." Maya added.

"Well, at least you love him. I am not even anywhere near that." Miya complained, disgusted with her future self. "I think my older-self loved Tatsuya-san for a few days before giving him away to Eisaku-jiisama, and deciding to not have anything to do with him."

"If I ever have children, remind me to get them as far away from Eisaku-jiisan as possible." Maya told her sister seriously. Maya loved all of her uncles, but knowing what Eisaku was willing to put her sister's son through all that hell really shook her faith for her uncle.

"I'm with you with that sentiment." Miya agreed with her twin. Like Maya, Miya found herself losing trust in Eisaku.

"We are lucky that future won't happen though." Maya told her twin strongly. "Tatsuya-kun made sure to save me before those Animals could do anything to me."

That future, that horrible and disgusting future, happened because she was raped and experimented on by those Animals. With Tatsuya saving her before any of that could happen, she would not turned into that monster.

If Maya was honest with herself, her older self is a magnificent magician. Feared and renowned worldwide, even Tatsuya feared a battle against her older self, the Queen of Night, the Demon Queen of the Far East.

But she did not like how she turned into that kind of magician. Her twin sister hated her. Her fiancé became her rival and enemy. Her entire family feared her too such a degree that they would rather die than to fail her.

The prestige of her older self was tempting. Maya knew that she could reach that level of prowess, she had done it before in a different universe, but she would rather be love by her family than feared.

"Yeah, that future won't happen." Miya agreed with her twin.

Miya was determined to not live in a world where she hated Maya.

The universe where Tatsuya and Miyuki came from, she and Maya – no, that was not her Maya, that Maya was an awful parody of her Maya – hated each other, and she refused to have another universe in which they hate each other.

(Scene Change)

"You never told me that Obaa-eu had done those things to you." Miyuki stated as she curled herself in Tatsuya's arms. Miyuki was aware that her brother had it hard in the Yotsuba, but she never thought that their aunt was molesting him behind closed doors.

Miyuki knew that her aunt was obsessed with her brother, even before they were as closed as they were currently, but she did not expect that obsession run this deep.

"What Obaa-eu did to me never affected me whatsoever." Tatsuya assured Miyuki softly.

During the early years of his training, Tatsuya would always be summoned by Maya every evening. Tatsuya would share a meal with her, and Maya would always have Tatsuya laid beside her whenever she sleeps, Maya, for being a psychopath, was touch hungry, although she would never allow anyone to touch her in any way, shape, or form.

Except for Tatsuya. Maya was very greedy when it comes to Tatsuya, and she was shameless when it comes to indulging in that greed. Tatsuya often remembers Maya's hands roaming his person and the feeling of her body upon his. He also remembers Maya cooing into his ears as she peppered him with kisses.

According to Maya, this training was for his future, in case his mistress wanted him to relieve her of her stress.

Tatsuya, because of what his mother did to him, was not affected by what Maya did to him in his youth. In Tatsuya's perspective, it was harmless and it would prevent Maya from turning her attention to Miyuki.

There was a reason why Miyuki was less exposed, hence, less traumatize by Maya when compared to their cousins.

"It was still wrong of her to put you through that!" Miyuki raged, disgust evident in her voice.

Tatsuya sighed before putting a hand over Miyuki's head and an arm around her waist. He pulled her closed, sighing at how warm and comforting Miyuki is.

"Obaa-eu and I had a strange relationship. In her mind, I am the closest being to a son that she could possibly have…"

"She tried to steal you from Okaa-sama!" Miyuki hissed, interrupting her brother. Even being embraced by her brother did not decrease her anger for her aunt.

"…she did not want me. Obaa-eu desired to have me." Tatsuya felt bad when Miyuki flinched in her arms. "If it meant anything, I never developed any feelings towards Obaa-eu, not as a son or as a boy. I couldn't. I have you after all. Everyone else is fodder."

That brought some comfort to Miyuki. Not by much, but it was enough to calm her down a bit.

"Are we really going to live with the Yotsuba again?" Miyuki asked, not liking the thought of it. Provided, this Yotsuba seems to be far more stable than the one in their universe. The Maya of this time was different from their universe, and their mother have yet to destroy herself. Also, their grandparents looks to be pleasant people.

That said, she did not like the way Yotsuba Ayame looked at her brother. It reminded her of the way their Obaa-eu looked at her brother.

Considering what their Obaa-eu was doing to her brother behind closed doors, Miyuki would prefer herself and her brother to be as far away from that woman as possible.

"We have very little choice but to throw our lot to the Yotsuba." Tatsuya told Miyuki. "Its better that we deal with the Devil that we know."

Miyuki sighed in irritation. "I still don't like it."

Tatsuya smiled at her before pressing his lips on her forehead, further eroding the anger within his sister. "Just look at it this way, we can make sure mother can have a better a life than what she had in our universe. We can prevent her from living that tragic life." They've already prevented Maya from becoming their version of Maya, so preventing Miya from having to live such miserable life should be their next course to take.

"Considering what you had shown them, I think our grandparents would do that for us." Both Yotsuba Genzou and Yotsuba Yasuyo appeared to love their children very much. If they were half the parents that her mother used to tell her, then Miya's happiness is all but cemented.

Still, they saw what prize they could have if they take the course that the Yotsuba took in their universe. To have a second Tatsuya, would their mother be sacrificed again?

"I guess staying here for a bit would be good for us." Miyuki conceded. "But if they tried to hurt you again…"

Tatsuya did not care what befall upon him, but Miyuki does, and caring for her is always his priority. "If they tried to hurt you or us, then whatever happens next, they deserve." Tatsuya promised Miyuki.

"Good, good." Miyuki whispered before cuddling further into her brother's chest. "Onii-sama, whose body do you prefer, mine or Obaa-eu?" Miyuki asked, her voice lacking the bashfulness that it would normally have when she inquired this kinds of question.

"Yours." Tatsuya answered without any hesitation. "Holding and having you would always be better."

Miyuki smiled brightly at that.

Miyuki would make it her mission to remove the memory of her Obaa-eu touch from her brother. She would not allow that son stealing, child molesting demon to linger in the mind of her brother.

(Scene Change)

"I always regretted showing you where my stash is." Hayama lamented as he walked into his personal bar, only to see Motosuke already chugging down an entire bottle of whisky. "Still piss?" Hayama inquired while taking the bottle from Motosuke before pouring him and himself a good amount of the amber liquid in a shot glass.

Motosuke downed his quickly before answering. "I am still very tempted to pound and splatter Eisaku's brains into the ground."

"No honorifics." Whenever Motosuke is angry with his siblings, he does not bother using any honorifics when addressing them. "We swore, we promised each other, we made a fucking blood oath that we will not put through any of our blood through the same hell that we went through! Eisaku did not just broke that oath, he spat on it and turned Genzou-nii's grandson into a weapon!" Motosuke growled angrily while Hayama poured him another shot of whisky.

"The Eisaku that did that is not the Eisaku of now." Hayama told Motosuke, trying his best to mitigate the rage that the man is feeling. "He have yet to suffer the tragedy and pain of losing his brothers." Hayama pointed out.

Motosuke snorted. "It's comforting that his words only has worth when Genzou-nii and I are alive." Motosuke spat, still not in the mindset of forgiving Eisaku. "How's my grandnephew and grandniece?"

Hayama smiled at that inquiry. He expected that Motosuke would be the first to treat the two time travelers as family.

"Tatsuya-kun seems to not care about what he went through in his youth, although considering his limited emotional capacity, it is to be expected. Miyuki-san, on the other, is angry and distraught after seeing what her brother had to endure." Hayama informed Motosuke.

Motosuke bit his lip in frustration. He wanted to scream his head off before finding Eisaku and choking the life out of him. "I don't know who I want to kill first, those cunts from Dahan or Eisaku."

"I don't think a war against Dahan is the best course of action that the Yotsuba should take." Hayama commented. "That triggered the ascension of the Yotsuba Clan that Tatsuya-kun and Miyuki-san endured."

"What triggered the fall of our family was Maya-chan being violated by those animals and us retaliating for vengeance." Motosuke corrected his friend. "I can't believe those bastards got me."

"At least your taking that well." The knowledge of Motosuke dying during the war against Dahan did not affect him whatsoever, which was typical Motosuke if Hayama thought about it.

"At least, according to the History lesson that our family forced into our descendants, I took at least 200 of those animals with me." Motosuke frowned at that knowledge. "I would be at peace with myself if I had killed a thousand." Motosuke smiled sadistically at the thought of Dahan blood in his hands.

Hayama tried to squash the bloodlust that was pouring out of his friend. "That war would be illogical now. Maya-san is safe, Maya-san would never become that monster. There is no need to sacrifice anyone in the family for vengeance." Hayama exclaimed strongly. "Half of the Yotsuba is not worth that entire nation."

Motosuke begrudgingly agreed with his friend before downing another shot of whisky. "I still want their blood." Motosuke told Hayama, his anger still evident.

"Maybe you should channel all that anger into showing Tatsuya-kun and Miyuki-san that the Yotsuba is not just a collection of killers." Hayama suggested. "Tatsuya-kun sees the family as nothing more than the best shelter for his and his sister's current situation, and Miyuki-san seems to think the worst of us, which is bad in itself considering, in their universe, she was going to succeed that Maya."

Motosuke perked up at that suggestion. "Well, yeah, I think I can show those two that we are not just a collection of badasses. The family hadn't fallen to shits, and we still care for everyone." Motosuke then smiled forlornly. "And Tatsuya-kun needs to experience some level of childhood. He is such a dull boy."

"Which is not a fault of his own." Hayama pointed out.

"I know. His Miya did a number in his psyche." Motosuke frowned, remembering a certain trait of Tatsuya. "You think, it's possible for us to get his emotions back?"

Hayama looked thoughtful before answering. "You need to asked Yasuyo-san or Ayame-sama. Personally, I think Tatsuya-san should remain as he is. If we gave him back his emotions, we may create another Demon in the same degree as the Maya in their universe."

Motosuke shuddered as she remembered what his favorite niece had become in the future.

There were very few magicians that Motosuke feared, and that Maya, the Demon Queen of the Far East, is the new magician that terrified Maya to the core.

He could not comprehend how Maya became something like that, a walking, breathing nightmare.

"No one in our family is going to be that." Motosuke swore.

(Scene Change)

"How are they?" Genzou asked as he entered his bedding chambers, his wife sitting on her work station. It seems that she was also unable to sleep.

"Maya-chan and Miya-chan are sorting out the issues that they saw in that horrendous future." Yasuyo stared down her husband, eyes red with tears. "You are not going to march to war against those animals. You are staying here, with me, with your family. You are going to help me raise our daughters to prevent them from becoming those people that we saw in that future. You are going to help me undo all the damage that the Yotsuba from that twisted universe did to Tatsuya-san. You are going to help me raised Miyuki-san into a woman that our poor Miya wanted her to be. You are not going to throw your life away for vengeance." Yasuyo ordered her husband, a fierce look in her eyes.

Often times, Yasuyo reminded Genzou on how much he loves her. Right now, Genzou was reminded why he gave his heart and soul to this woman.

"Of course, my wife." Genzou assured his wife before walking towards her and wrapping his arms around her. "That future will not happen. We will make a better one, for our children, for our family." Genzou promised his wife.

Yasuyo hummed in satisfaction before looking at Genzou. "We are taking in Tatsuya-kun and Miyuki-san as our children. They look similar enough to us that it would be easy to make up a story regarding their birth."

"Tatsuya-kun is easy enough to explain." With a power that potent and vast, Genzou can make an excuse that Tatsuya needed intensive and private training in order to get a grasp of his power. Also, Yasuyo had a miscarriage in her first pregnancy. They could say that information was purposely fake in order to hide Tatsuya until he was deem ready for debut. "Miyuki-san on the other hand." Miyuki was complicated. She is magically talented. If what he saw in the future was correct, in terms of magical talent and ability alone, Miyuki is head and shoulders above anyone in her generation, much less the current generation. Still, Miyuki's talent is not enough of an excuse to hide her from public eye.

Miyuki is incredibly talented in magic, but she her level was not otherworldly when compared to Tatsuya.

"We can always tell everyone that I had triplets instead of twins, and that Miyuki had to be sheltered due to poor constitution." Yasuyo suggested.

"That could work, although it is doubtful." Genzou would bragged that his daughters is the crown jewel of Japan, but Miyuki is so ridiculously pretty, his daughters were average in comparison. The brightest stars cannot be seen when the sun is out and about.

"Beauty can be enhanced with posture and presentation. The Miya-chan of their time taught Miyuki-san quite well, but there are still some gaps in her education. I can teach Miya-chan and Maya-chan how to adapt to Miyuki-san's appearance." If there was one thing that Yasuyo found comforting in that distorted future, it is her eldest daughter's teaching abilities. All things considered, Miyuki's education was top notch.

If only her daughter could have love her son.

In Yasuyo's mind, loving Tatsuya is easy. It was at least fortunate that Miya felt pride for Tatsuya. That was a consolation that eases Yasuyo's heart.

"Between the two of us, I think we could convinced Tatsuya-kun to stay with us." Genzou assured his wife.

"He'll stay with us regardless. In his eyes, we are the lesser of two evils." Now that she knew Tatsuya's motivations, Yasuyo could honestly say that she could predict Tatsuya handedly. He was simple young man, thanks to what the future Miya and future Eisaku did to him, his power notwithstanding. All of his actions, every move that he makes, all of it is centered around one mission: to keep Miyuki safe and sound.

Yasuyo was all for familial love. It did wonders for her husband and his siblings, but what Tatsuya was program to consider familial love was unhealthy, to the point of obsession.

Tatsuya's love for Miyuki is dangerous. His entire life revolves around Miyuki's wellbeing, and it showed how dangerous that is in the Shiba siblings' original universe.

Tatsuya destroyed an entire universe for the simple reason that Miyuki almost got killed. Yasuyo shuddered at the thought of Tatsuya's ultimate magic: [Material Burst], the magic that destroyed an entire universe.

"We can have that magic sealed." Genzou proposed, already knowing what his wife was thinking.

"You think any seal magical seal would work on him?" Yasuyo asked her husband with an incredulous tone of voice. "[Pledge] is barely keeping half of his power contained, and I doubt he will allow his primary deterrent to be taken from him." Yasuyo stated, disgruntled at how Tatsuya would be seeing the current Yotsuba. "This might not be a fault of his own, but Tatsuya-kun would see the relationship between us and our Yotsuba as merely a business transaction. He will fight for us, he will kill for us, he would perform genocide for us, in exchange for giving Miyuki-san shelter and a life that was close to what she had in her former universe."

Everything that Tatsuya does, it is all for Miyuki's sake.

"It is difficult to fight through conditioning." Genzou stated sadly and angrily. The current Yotsuba, the Yotsuba that he ruled, the Yotsuba that have yet to fall to their own fears, would never treat one of their own so callously, but Tatsuya does not see the Yotsuba under Genzou's rule. All Tatsuya could see is a Yotsuba ruled by a twisted version of his younger daughter.

"This will be hard." Genzou did not know if it was possible to undo his daughter's [Mental Design Interference] Magic. Hell, Genzou did not want to try considering that single magic did so much damage to his family in one alternate universe. He was half tempted to seal that magic away.

Still, he would not and could not consider himself a man if he allowed Tatsuya to live the way that he is. His life dedicated to his sister is not a life worth living, and Genzou knew that Miyuki felt the same. The two siblings may only have a year and eight months of good relationship under their belt, but in that time, after watching Miyuki in the eyes of Tatsuya, Genzou knew that the little girl was plotting to free her brother from his chains.

It won't work. Compare to the Maya of that universe, Miyuki is not even a novice when it comes to plotting and scheming.

Which brought Genzou's thoughts to another topic. Why was Miyuki considered the next head of the Yotsuba in the universe?

Miyuki is a powerful magician, arguably the most talented magician that their family ever produce, but she is no leader, and she was not being trained to be a leader. The Miya of that universe, bless her soul, was not training her to take over the family.

Genzou was trained to take over the Yotsuba from his mother. He knew the training and education needed for that. He was also currently training Miya to take over the family when the time is right. Miya should also knew what to put her daughter through to prepare her for her future responsibility.

So how come Miyuki's training is limited to only magic? Why is her training limited to her womanly skill?

In Genzou's eyes, after seeing that horrible future, it was like someone else was going to be head of the family, and Miyuki was merely going to be the wife of said head.

(Scene Change)

"Never a dull moment with your family, huh?"

"What could I say, we are special." Ayame boasted as she looked at the hologram screen before her.

After recovering from her shock and happiness, Ayame immediately called the sponsor of the Yotsuba to tell him of the good news.

A God in the family, and it only took four generations, Ayame could not describe the sheer level of happiness within her.

It was disappointing on how he was wielded, but Ayame chalked that up to incompetence. Aside from Maya and, to a lesser degree, Miya, everyone in the current generation did not have the fortitude to do what was necessary.

It was a blessing for Tatsuya's Yotsuba to perish by his hand and for him to be transferred to this time. It was better for Tatsuya to be with a Yotsuba that can properly wield him.

"Would your family go to war with Dahan?"

"Yes…" Ayame confirmed. "It would be difficult to convince my son to march to war, but I will manage. The reputation of that future Yotsuba is enticing and it would turn us into a better deterrent against foreign threats. Also, Tatsuya-kun deserved a proper debut."

The man on the screen nodded in understanding. "You have other plans, am I correct."

"Yes." Ayame nodded with a smirk. The knowledge of the future is in her grasped. It would be foolish of her to not take advantage of that fact.

The man on the screen smiled. "Whatever you need, I will provide."

Ayame bowed her head in thanks. "I am thankful, Aoba-sama."


Just a brief chapter to summarize the reaction of everyone who saw Tatsuya's past. Will expand more topics regarding the Yotsuba's reaction during this arc.