The Prince of the Yotsuba

Chapter 1: Childhood Arc Part 1

Disclaimer I don't own Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

One would say that darkness is an entity that represents evil.

"I have arrived in the desired location..."

A young boy, nine years of age, would disagree with that statement rather strongly.

"..."

Darkness was never evil, but because of men's fear of the unknown, they consider darkness as something vile for they do not understand the aspect of the dark.

"The accommodations will do, though I must say it is too big for my taste…"

After all, darkness would obscure the sight of an average being. The dark would blind those who could not see past the lies before them. Those who could not see would always feel vulnerable and the things that would make men vulnerable would always be evil, would be something terrible in the eyes of men

"..."

They were fools, in the humble opinion of the young boy.

"That is highly unlikely…"

Darkness should never be fear. After all, darkness is just another form of light when looked at a different perspective.

"..."

And the boy preferred the dark rather than the light. That is why he is at ease in the dark room that prevents any light from touching him. For the young boy, darkness was warm, his equivalent of a safety blanket that would protect him from danger.

Or what protects danger from him.

"Yes, I have brought everything that is required for the task at hand. Do not worry, I shall be finish with this task sooner than later…"

Darkness was his oldest friend. He was born from darkness, and thus, he is at home in the dark.

He was born in darkness. He was raised in darkness.

Darkness was his home.

"..."

The young boy does not fear the unknown. For him, the fear of the unknown is an illogical defense mechanism of men. It was unnecessary, for in his mind, the unknown always triggered progress.

"That is uncalled for…"

Progress was always a complicated manner. Men sometimes fear progress, men sometimes would be threatened by progress, but it still does not change the fact that progress is necessary for evolution.

"..."

Sentient beings would always thrive to reach the next level of evolution. It was instinctual for every sentient being to move forward. Evolutions means strength and power, and every being that has the capacity to think, regardless of what species they are, would always desire for more power.

"I will be hanging up now…"

Those who could not evolve will die due to their own weakness. In a sense, Darwinism is a universal truth, it is common sense, and it is the truth of the world

"..."

The strong will live while the weak will die. It is an inescapable truth.

Death is the truth of all things.

"I love you too, mother."

Because of that truth, a new generation will always be born, and that generation will surely and always surpass the generation that bore it to the world.

That is a fact that cannot be avoided

(Scene Change)

*RING* *RING* *RING* *RING* *RING*

At the loud sound of the ringing alarm clock, a young girl, eight years in age, slowly reached towards the alarm clock located on her bedside table.

She turned off the alarm clock before slowly sitting up, her delicate and small hands rubbing her eyes as she tried her best to remain awake.

The young girl glanced at her alarm clock and it read 4:30. It seems that she had forgotten to reset her alarm clock last night.

It was still early and the sun had not yet risen. The elementary school that she was attending would only open at 8:00AM and classes starts at 9:00AM. Considering the time, it was truly too early for her to actually rise from bed.

Truth be told, she should still be asleep and she was sure that if she lay down right now, she would probably get another hour worth of sleep.

But she did not do so in fear of sleeping in.

With great effort, she urged her limbs to move. The young girl got off of the bed and drew back the curtains, opening the window to let in some fresh air. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of the cold air caressing her face.

She has always enjoyed and relished the feeling of 'coldness'. She did not know why but whenever she felt cold, she felt happy. In the cold, she felt at home, she felt safe, she felt empower, and there was nothing better than that.

Enjoying the cold temperature, the young girl looked at the horizon. It was still dark, as she predicted, and the stars were still shining above the night sky.

It was beautiful, the girl admitted while enjoying the scenery before her. She did not know whether this originated from being a direct descendant of the Yotsuba clan, but she, like the rest of her family, find darkness very appealing.

In fact, she believed in the old Yotsuba saying that states 'Light is a deceitful blanket that blinds one's perception of truth while darkness is the truth that would appear when one would ignore the deceit that shine strongly before you.'

The Yotsuba clan was the darkness of the Ten Masters Clan, and they were necessary regardless of how much the other clans fear them.

The young girl enjoyed the scenery for a bit, admiring the beauty of the dark, before closing the windows and curtains as she decided to start her day early.

Though her room was directly facing the backyard, and thus eliminating the factor of someone seeing her in her pajamas, as a lady, or lady-in-training as she preferred to be called considering her age and her desire not to have her ego inflated, she should first take care of her appearance before doing anything else just like her mother taught her.

With a soft yawn, she proceeded to head to the shower room to freshen up as well as to prepare for school.

The young girl's name was Shiba Miyuki, the daughter of Yotsuba Miya, now called Shiba Miya and Shiba Tatsurou.

She was their one and only child.

(Scene Change)

"Good morning, Miyuki-san."

"Good morning, Oka-sama."

The current time was 6:30.

Miyuki took an hour to take a shower as well as to complete her preparations for school and another hour for her to browse her notes and recheck her homework. At that time, the Shiba household came to life as the residence of the house also rise from their bed.

Shiba Miya, formerly known as Yotsuba Miya, was already in the dining table, terminal in hand. Before Miyuki entered the dining room, her mother was nose-deep in her terminal as she examined her schedule for the day as well as browsing thought the news that she finds relevant. She did, however, remove her gaze from her terminal when she greeted her daughter.

The greeting that Miya gave her daughter was overly formal, but Miyuki was already use to it. After all, a person born and raised in one of the most influential and power clan in the country would undoubtedly have manners and elegance beaten into them, one way or another.

Miyuki glanced at the dinner table, before speaking what was currently in her mind. "I see that Chi-chi worked overtime yet again." Miyuki hid the sadness in her tone quite well. Shiba Tatsurou was a person that Miyuki could only describe as a workaholic and a absentee father. She barely knew the man that she calls father due to the fact that he spends most of his time at work.

Which was strange in Miyuki's opinion. Her father was employed to Four Leaves Technology, and it was owned by the Yotsuba clan, by her mother and his wife. All things considered, that should allow him to spend some time with his family and not lock himself up in his office.

"You do not need to stress yourself too much with regards to that man." Miya did not even remove her gaze from her terminal as she spoke about her husband in an apathetic tone. "He has his reasons for spending most of his time at his office, distasteful as it maybe." Miya said uncaringly, as if her husband was not worth the worry.

This further saddens Miyuki. Although she was young, Miyuki was aware that her father and mother did not love each other, and that their marriage was absolutely loveless and merely for convenience.

Miyuki knew that this would not change, not for a long time, if ever, but she often times wished that her parents would actually have a friendly, or at the very least, casual relationship with each other, at least for her sake.

She also prayed that her father would spend or spare a portion of his time with her. After all, her father does not have any excuse for neglecting her if her mother, the owner of the company, has time to spare for her.

"Good morning, Miyuki-san." Miyuki willingly ended her musing as she shifted her gaze towards the person who called out for her. She smiled at the sight of Sakurai Honami, the most reliable and loyal person that she knew.

Sakurai Honami was Miyuki's mother's guardian.

The guardians of the Yotsuba Family bore the duty of preserving their primary's life even at the cost of their own. This title came from the combat slaves that once rescued a young woman from the Yotsuba Family from enemy attack and were responsible for preserving the Yotsuba bloodline.

Miyuki liked Sakurai very much. She was different from the Yotsuba Guardians that she had met. Unlike other Guardians that the Yotsuba employed, Sakurai Honami had retained the life in her eyes.

Sakurai Honami was not a Guardian who had abandoned her humanity and life to protect Miyuki's mother. Instead, she was a guardian that protected her Primary (Shiba Miya) because she cared for her genuinely and wholeheartedly, and for that, Miyuki liked and respected her very much.

Miyuki often times pray that her guardian would be just like her mother's.

"Good morning, Sakurai-san." Miyuki greeted with politeness that a Yotsuba usually never show to a Guardian.

Normally, a proper Yotsuba would reprimand Miyuki, but her mother merely took the politeness that her daughter showed her guardian in stride.

Miyuki sometimes observed that her mother was rather soft on Sakurai.

"Good morning as well, Miyuki-san." Sakurai greeted courteously with a bright smile before shifting her gaze at her Primary. Miyuki did not know whether it was a trick of the light or if it was her eyes playing tricks on her, but she swore she saw Sakurai's eyes softening when she looked at her mother before returning back to their normal yet vibrant expression. "Milady, breakfast is ready." Sakura informed her while serving the food that she prepared for the mother and daughter.

Miyuki looked at the breakfast that her mother's guardian prepared, and she could not help herself but feel a little envious at Sakurai's skill in the kitchen.

The food before her looked very delicious.

"Western style breakfast, I see that you are experimenting." Miya said while setting aside her terminal before picking up her utensils with poise and grace that would baffle a normal man. Miya sampled the food before nodding in acceptance. "Excellent as always."

"Only the best for Oku-sama and her daughter." Sakurai replied with a small smile. "Should I prepare the car for transportation?" Sakurai asked dutifully.

"Have you eaten, Sakurai-san?" Miyuki asked, inserting herself in the conversation.

Sakurai gave Miyuki a thankful smile that also told the young girl that she should not worry about her but she appreciated the gesture. "I am an early riser than Miyuki-san. I have already eaten my breakfast to not burden Oku-sama and Miyuki-san of my needs."

A Yotsuba should not show any care towards a Guardian, and a Guardian should always be ready to serve at any given time.

"If that is so, then you may prepare the car and please retrieve some of the paper files that I have in my room. Those are very important contracts." Miya instructed her while steadily eating the food presented in front.

"It shall be done, Milady." Sakurai stood up and bowed at Miya before shifting her attention back to Miyuki. "Do you require any additional things to be loaded in the car, Miyuki-san?" Sakurai asked in courtesy.

"Just my bag, Sakurai-san." Miyuki answered while giving the guardian a pleasant smile.

Sakurai returned the smile that Miyuki gave her before vacating the room, leaving the mother and daughter alone.

"Miyuki-san," Miyuki gazed at her mother, and she could not help but admire the grace and elegance that her mother was showing. "What do you honestly feel about her?"

That was a random question, Miyuki noted, but she answered regardless.

"If Sakurai-san was a male, she would be a great father." That was not just a random thought. That was truly Miyuki's honest feelings about her mother's guardian.

"That she would." Miya voiced her agreement.

A comfortable silence was felt by the two as they continue eating breakfast, occasional broken by random questions that Miya ask her daughter. The questions that Miya asked was standard between the two, and it was their version of informing and updating each other about their respective lives.

"How is school? Does any of your peers bothering?"

"School is fine, Oka-sama, and I am normally ignored and avoided in school anyways." There was sadness in her voice that Miyuki was barely able to suppress.

"Your magic practice, have you been doing the modules that I am leaving you?"

"Yes, Oka-sama. As a member of the Yotsuba clan, I am aware that magic is a crucial aspect of my life."

"That is good to know but you are not required to push yourself too much. Regulate your training. I would understand if you skip some of the modules. You are still young and your magic has yet to be fully matured."

"I am move by Oka-sama's kindness, and I will not disappoint."

"See to it that you don't, but knowing you…"

Miya purposely left her statement hanging, but Miyuki knew that this was her mother's version of telling her that she would never disappoint her.

Miyuki silently thank her mother in her thoughts.

Breakfast ended in a silent note and after brushing their teeth, the mother and daughter boarded the car that was provided to every member of the Yotsuba.

The car that they boarded was an armored car design to look like a luxury sedan capable of holding at least ten people and it was designed to survive practically any ammunition known to man.

Miyuki and her mother were seated on the back of the car while Sakurai took the driver seat. As Sakurai drove the car out of the garage, Miyuki, for some reason, suddenly looked out of the window. She did not know why she did this or the reason escaped her, but for some reason she just decided to look out because of a whim.

Miyuki did not consider this important at the time but she had caught a glimpse of a boy, wearing the male version of the uniform that she was wearing.

That was not strange in itself, but Miyuki should have taken note of, what escaped Miyuki at that time was the fact that the boy was looking at their direction.

(Scene Change)

The mission that was given to him by the one person that he deems important was simple, so simple that a small part within him considered it an insult.

The mission was simple, yet it is long term, something that he found strange, but he did not voice it out or complain.

After all, she would never deceive him like he would never deceive her.

Their relationship was of mutual trust, from both parties.

And for the young boy, he has nothing but trust for the person that he considers his Queen.

(Scene Change)

Miyuki strolled across the halls of Seirin Elementary School (A/N: Don't ask). As usual, everybody in the corridor whether they be her seniors or within her age bracket, were whispering and looking at her as if she was a side-show attraction.

Miyuki was greatly annoyed by this, but she ignored everyone around her with the best of her ability.

She has grown accustomed to the stares that the majority of her schoolmates give her at the very sight of her.

In her mind, they were not worth her time if they were only going to look at her and not approach her.

Miyuki was not a loner, far from it, but she did not have friends and this was not for a lack of trying. Yes, she has acquaintances, very few though and most of them were on-off acquaintances, but Miyuki does not want to refer to them as her friends. Miyuki did not know why, or she pretended to not know why children her age or few years older than her were afraid to speak with her.

As far as Miyuki knew, she was not an unpleasant individual, her mother raised her as such that she has perfect mannerism in public, so it baffled Miyuki why only few of her schoolmates were willing to speak or play with her.

With a dejected sigh, she entered her room and she once again felt depressed at the fact that all actions stopped and all eyes turned towards her the moment she entered the classroom.

Miyuki adapted a cold expression and merely walked towards her desk, ignoring the glances sent her way by her peers.

It took a long time for the class to actually compose themselves before the room was filled with childish chatter that was norm for kids their age. The chatter was mostly kids comparing the new toys that there parents bought for them or the activities that they were doing during the weekend.

Miyuki sat on her seat and tried to make herself as invincible as possible, but that itself was impossible considering who she is. She may not know this, but because of her bloodline and upbringing, she has a presence that most people would not be able to ignore. They could not ignore her due to her unique presence, and that evident to the fact that the group of girls chatting in front of her momentarily stopped talking as they turned their attention towards her, their eyes having varying expressions.

Miyuki gave them a neutral look and the group of girls automatically moved away from her.

Miyuki, once again, sighed in irritation from the action of her peers.

Although she did not care whether people were talking about her behind her back or all the stares that they usual give her, it still bothered her.

Miyuki, regardless of how mature she was, was still a kid that longed for friends, and to belong and accepted.

Miyuki was saved from her silent anguish, an anguish that she would undoubtedly deny, when the teacher entered the classroom.

"Good morning, children." The teacher of Miyuki's class was called Hinata-sensei (A/N: Again, Don't ask). She was a sweet woman in her early thirties that fits the description of a caring and loveable, yet strict aunt.

The twenty-nine children in the class all stood up and in unison, greeted their sensei. "GOOD MORNING, HINATA-SENSEI."

The young, elementary school teacher smiled at her class before motioning them to seat down, which they did.

"Before we start, I would like to introduce you all to a new friend." Hinata-sensei announced in a rather happy tone.

Chatter erupted at that announcement that Miyuki ignored as she focused her eyes on her sensei. The tone that Hinata-sensei used when she announced the news was a happy one for everyone but Miyuki.

Miyuki, who was raised as a Yotsuba by her mother, detected a strain in her sensei's tone as well as the small twitch in the eyebrows.

That piqued her interest a bit.

Also, it was strange to have a transfer student in such a late time of the year and in the middle of the school year no less.

It was in the middle of October after all, and a month of the second term has already passed.

Hinata-sensei settled the class down before looking at the door. Once again, Miyuki was able to see the strain that marred the expression of the usually upbeat teacher.

"You may now enter, Tatsuya-kun."

'Tatsuya, what an ordinary name.' Miyuki randomly thought after hearing the name.

Although that change the moment she had gotten a look at the new transfer student.

When the door opened and a boy that was several months older than her entered, Miyuki had to do a double take before doing her best not to gape in surprised.

Black hair, an unassuming appearance, the boy that entered was nothing extraordinary, Miyuki would tell anyone that until she saw his eyes.

His eyes were azure, just like hers, but different, and yet Miyuki could not help but feel a sense of familiarity when she looked at those eyes. It is as if she had seen those eyes before or those eyes have stared at her before.

The eyes of the boy were empty and emotionless, and lacked the light and life that children their age should, must possess. Those eyes that he has were sharp and blank if anything else, dead in a way.

Another thing that Miyuki observed was the thin layer of Psion that clung on his body like a vice.

That alone was enough for Miyuki to identify the boy as a magician.

This was nothing extra ordinary at that revelation as half of the children in the classroom were also magicians. The reason that the new transfer student caught her attention was the way the Psion cling to his body.

The boy, Tatsuya, possessed an aura so tightly lid that he was not wasting a single drop of his Psion.

That is something that only an experience magician should be capable of.

Miyuki's eyes were now focused on the new comer as he inputted his name in the terminal on the teacher's desk. He seemed to not care that everyone in the classroom was looking at him with varying degrees of interest.

He then stood up in front of the class while his name appeared on the large screen beside him.

"My name is Tsuyoru (Four Nights) Tatsuya." Everyone in the classroom waited for him to add something personal in his introduction, but after an awkward minute, he remained silent while standing in the front of the class with a blank, unfaltering expression.

Miyuki took note of his tone and the manner in which he introduced himself.

His voice was cool and emotionless, complimenting his expressionless face, which made reading him difficult if not impossible, but he was still able to introduce himself eloquently and formally.

This made Miyuki's curiosity to the new transfer student grow.

Seeing that the new student would not add anything else to his introduction, Hinata-sensei let out a coughed to capture the attention of her class. "Tsuyoru-kun is seemingly a shy boy. I expect you all to treat him well and help him feel comfortable in Seirin." Hinata-sensei said with a smile before scanning the room. "Now for Tsuyoru-kun's desk, please be a dear and occupy the seat in front of Shiba-san. Shiba-san is the one seated on the second row, third column." Hinata-sensei instructed, and Tatsuya obeyed without looking at or speaking with the instructor.

Miyuki looked at the approaching boy wearily.

The expressionless face, the empty eyes, the unassuming appearance, even the emotionless tone, she could get that.

What she could not get was the fact that his footsteps were disturbingly silent.

(Scene Change)

Normally, a new transfer student would attract the attention of everyone in the class to such extent that the said student would be flooded with people that would want to talk to him or befriend him.

And the class that Miyuki was in was no different.

The moment that the bell that signaled for recess rang, the seat in front of Miyuki was flooded with students eager to speak with the mysterious transfer student.

But they were not given the chance.

The moment the bell rang and the doors were opened; Tatsuya already vacated his seat and exited the room.

Nobody, even Miyuki, noticed him move.

He was there one moment, gone the next.

Miyuki was also aware of the fact that the boy did not use magic to leave the room unseen.

'How peculiar.' Miyuki thought before leaving the room herself, not wanting to be part of the blunders of her classmates. When she stepped out of the room, she was able to steal glimpse at the transfer student that earned her curiosity.

Tatsuya was, at the moment, at the process of exiting the building to go to the outdoor playground. This was natural considering that he was eight years old, and children his age should naturally have a desire to play with kids their age.

But Miyuki did not perceive Tatsuya as a person that likes to 'play' with children their age, or to play in general.

Curiosity overwhelming her, Miyuki decided to follow Tatsuya.

Miyuki grabbed hold of her CAD (Casting Assistant Device) and by inputting the right combinations and applying just the right amount of Psion, she was able to utilize a spell and made herself invincible to every non-magicians and inadequate magicians.

The spell that Miyuki used was a simple, for her, [Cloaking-Spell] that warps the light to prevent other people from seeing her.

Seeing that the spell was invoked properly, Miyuki approached Tatsuya as quietly as possible.

She did not have the walk long.

Tatsuya stopped in front of the large tree, at the only tree, located on the end of the playground. The tree was isolated from the many recreational types of equipment scattered in the playground, and it was an ideal place to overlook the entire vicinity. He momentarily looked at the leaves that were preventing the sun from shining down upon him before sitting down, with his back leaning on the tree bark. He then raised the arm that was holding a book before proceeding to open the book and read the contents of it.

Miyuki looked at the cover of the book, and she instantly knew that an eight your old boy shouldn't be able to read such advance text. She could not even pronounce the cover page, and it was in Japanese.

"A lady should not be eavesdropping." Miyuki was taken aback by that statement. "Especially someone of your caliber." Tatsuya raised his free hand and snapped his fingers.

Miyuki was suddenly assaulted by nausea before a shattering sound filled her ears.

She fell down due to being dizzy.

"Still too noisy." Tatsuya commented with a disgruntled sigh, Miyuki think it was disgruntled but she was unsure because of the fact that the boy in front of her did not show any expressions or emotions, from his face to his voice, even from his eyes and actions.

Tatsuya turned a page from his book, not gazing at Miyuki and simply focusing on the text that he was reading.

Still, he greeted her. "Shiba-san," Tatsuya's voice was monotonous, but it was also eloquent and polite, formal even that reminisce that of her mother's tone whenever she was upset or frustrated.

It took Miyuki sometime to compose herself. She stood up and looked down at the transfer student, in a literal sense not in a symbolic sense; she was not arrogant after all.

"Tsuyoru-san," Miyuki greeted coolly but neutrally. "Shouldn't you be getting to know our classmates?"

"That would be irrelevant, considering that I doubt that my stay here would be long." Tatsuya flipped another page of his book. "Shouldn't you be with your friends?"

"It is none of your concern when I spend my time with my friends." Miyuki replied, not breaking the poker face that she has on her face. Miyuki was always sensitive for not having friends.

At that proclamation, Tatsuya spared Miyuki a glanced.

There azure eyes met for the first time.

At that moment, for some reason, Miyuki felt drawn to the coldness that those eyes possessed.

"You do not have friends." Tatsuya said before returning his gaze to the book that he was reading, not noticing Miyuki flinching at his accurate verbal jab. "But you are not at fault. It is difficult to find people that would meet your standards and it is better that way in the long run. A person like you should never lower herself just to gain the affections of plebeians."

It took Miyuki some time to fully comprehend Tatsuya's statement, but after she did, she could not help but feel endearment course through her body.

Of course, that did not show on her face. After all, she was used to people complimenting her, and most of the time, the compliments that were given to her all has underlying meaning.

"A person who does not know me should not say something like that." Miyuki rebuked calmly.

"I do not need to know you to be aware that people tend to avoid you and for once, you are at fault." Tatsuya replied evenly. "Though you are young, you are not cute but instead, you are beautiful, so beautiful it's intimidating those around you."

Miyuki was on the verge of snapping when she heard Tatsuya's accusation that it was her fault that people tend to avoid her, and she was about to freeze the monotonous boy in a block of ice when he told her that she was not cute. She has her pride as a girl after all.

But she halted her actions when he told her that instead of being cute, she was beautiful.

In Miyuki's mind, she was pretty sure that beautiful was higher, way higher than cute.

Of course, Tatsuya was not done yet and elaborated in a very uninterested tone. "At the moment, you possess the beauty that would truly terrify people from approaching you." Tatsuya casually flipped a page from his book, as if he wasn't causing the girl in front of her elation and discomfort. "Your beauty is that of a crystal, dazzling and glamorous, with the ability to catch the attention of anybody, yet extremely fragile. People would certainly look at you for you are easy in the eyes, very pleasant to look at, but approaching you is a different matter entirely." Tatsuya turned another page before sparing the semi-blushing girl a glance.

"Nobody would be willing to approach a person with a fragile beauty such as yours. They are afraid that if they do, they will corrupt or break your beauty, and that is a sin that is unforgivable. I think most of the children in this school know that in some degree, instinctually maybe, and that's why they avoid you as much as possible. They do so not because they do not desire to associate with you, but because they do not want to dirty your glimmering beauty."

"They avoid you because they knew that you are better than them, that they do not deserve to inhale the air that you breathe."

Miyuki's face was completely red after hearing that.

That was him singing her compliments that would reduced any girl their age into a spluttering and shuttering mess.

It would have been perfect if Tatsuya wasn't so apathetic when saying those words.

Tatsuya then turned his attention back to his book. "You're quite the delicacy in the eyes, Shiba-san, unfortunately, no one in this school will every have the courage to taste you up-close."

The bell rang after that last piece, and the first conversation between the two ended with Miyuki very flustered and confused.

(Scene Change)

Miyuki collapsed on her bed, her bag neatly thrown to a chair as she stared at the ceiling of her room.

Her day was extremely exhausting, and it was all because of the transfer student, Tsuyoru Tatsuya.

Tsuyoru Tatsuya was someone that had affected her with only mere words, and it was the first time they ever met and converse.

This was significant because the transfer student only spoke to her, and that was during recess. Tatsuya made it a point to avoid anyone that wanted to speak or interact with him, even their teacher was only able to make him speak a few words, and that was during a graded recitation.

It seems that Tsuyoru Tatsuya was either anti-social or his social skills were just poor.

That or he just doesn't want to make any friends.

Still, he spoke with such fluent and eloquent that it impressed Miyuki. Her, and most of the girls in class.

Miyuki could not help herself but be curious of him.

"…you are beautiful…" Those words kept echoing in her mind as the day passed.

Tatsuya might not know this but he was the first person to call her that.

And that's the reason why he confused her.

Miyuki was always wary of compliments.

Miyuki have shown her aptitude in magic at an early age of three, and when she was old enough to learn magic, she have shown both great potential and talent in magic. Because of that, she was showered with praises from most of her relatives.

The only one who was not openly complimenting her was her aunt and the head of the Yotsuba, Yotsuba Maya.

Yotsuba would always looked at Miyuki with eyes that told her that she had seen someone better than her and what she was capable of was nothing spectacular, something that terrified and disturb the eight year old girl.

But the rest of the clan seemed to not share Maya's point of view and were quick to herald Miyuki as a genius within their clan.

For a while, Miyuki was ecstatic from the praises that she was receiving.

But Miyuki learned that those praises were halfhearted early on, and it broke her heart in a way.

Though everybody in the Yotsuba would protect the family at a drop of a hat, a rivalry within the family still exist due to one fact.

Yotsuba Maya cannot reproduce, so the next head would be the child of either her sister or any children that is linked and related to the main family.

That opens a lot of opportunities for the branch families to rise to the top of the clan's food chain, which bore animosity within some of the members.

The one who bore the brunt of the animosity was Miyuki.

Miyuki was a direct relative of the current head, and she was the one who showed an early aptitude towards magic, and her skills and talent in magic as well as her grow rate were noteworthy enough to catch the attention of most members of the clan.

The attention that they gave her was mostly negative.

Miyuki was sure that most members of the Yotsuba would not wish her harm, say what you will towards the Yotsuba but they do protect their own with a ferocity that is very well known by most if not everyone in the world, but that does not change the fact that most of the Yotsuba, especially those with children that were possible successors, wanted her to crash and burn, for her to fail miserably.

And that was heart breaking for Miyuki.

She loves the Yotsuba, but she hated the fact that most of her family wanted her to fall.

That's why she does not take compliments at face value anymore, in fear that they were merely lying to her face.

"…you are beautiful…"

Miyuki blushed slightly at the reminder of the first and only conversation that she had with the enigmatic transfer student.

She wanted to convince herself that her classmate, that Tatsuya was merely flattering her with shallow words and he was merely a person who wanted something from her.

Regardless of how hard she convinced herself, she knew that was not the case.

There was no deceit, or any emotions for that matter, in his voice and face when he called her beautiful.

And in a way, that endeared Miyuki.

He not showing an expression or an emotion meant that he was not lying.

"…you are beautiful…"

When he told her that she was beautiful instead of cute, Miyuki would shamefully admit that those words made her heart flutter. Regardless of the voice in which he called her beautiful, that was the first time someone called her beautiful and it was a nice change of pace from being called cute.

Beautiful is always better than cute after all.

Miyuki had been called cute, adorable, and even pretty in some occasions. But she was never called beautiful by any of her family, even her mother.

Tatsuya was the first to call her beautiful, and for some reason, she felt a sense of delightfulness from that simple compliment.

But when he told her that the reason people did not attempt to befriend her was because of the beauty that she possess was that of a 'beauty so fragile that no one would dare lay hands on it in fear of corrupting or breaking it' confused her greatly.

"…you are beautiful…"

Miyuki sighed in weariness as those words echoed in her ears yet again.

She kept on wondering why those words kept echoing in her ears.

(Scene Change)

Tatsuya was at the moment, having dinner.

That was normal if it weren't for the fact that he was eating alone…

…and also the fact that the ground beneath him was covered with beaten men that were bleeding and moaning.

Tatsuya did not mind this nor was he disturbed.

After all, he was the one who beat the men with an inch of their lives.

"The mission was successful." Tatsuya stated as mobile terminal was neatly place on his right ear.

"…"

"Yes, they are still alive. I will finish them after dinner. It is unsanitary to eat while being surrounded with rotting corpses." The tone that he used this time was the tone one would use to discuss the weather.

"…"

"I will now focus my attention on the new task that you have given me. I have already enrolled myself in one of the local schools according to your instructions."

"…"

"Yes, I have enrolled in the school that mother recommended for me."

"…"

"That is highly unlikely. None of them interest me, although I found one of my classmates rather enticing, but that's just about it."

"…"

"Was it Mother who taught me to be always honest?"

"…"

"That is true…No worries, she and I are merely classmates, nothing more, nothing less."

"…"

"She is a curios creature that much I would admit, but mother taught me well to control my curiosity."

"…"

"Of course,"

"…"

"I love you too, mother."

Tatsuya's mother hanged up the moment he finished his dinner.

Tatsuya rose from his seat. The moment that he stood up, silver flames leaked out from his body.

He made his leave, ignoring the screams that echoed as the silver flames encapsulated the men in the room.

There screams were muffled by the ominous sound of crunching.

Okay, THIS IS THE rewrite of the God of Destruction: The Prince of the Yotsuba…..

This has better plot and more character development…..

The first three chapters would be Childhood Arc (Tatsuya/Miyuki)…..

Chapters 4 to 5 would be the Guardian Arc (Tatsuya/Suzune)….

Chapter 6 to 7 Military arc…..

And after that, CANON!

Pairing…(Tatsuya/Miyuki/Suzune)

I don't know why but Ichihara Suzune suddenly fascinated me after my reread of the novels…