Hibiki laid in bed with his lovers, thinking of the world at large. This was a regular occurrence, where he would remain awake so as to have a time of intellectual and spiritual reflection.
Hibiki alone stood atop the pillar of power. None could or would match and topple him, he had made sure of that long before hand. The majority of humanity both feared and loved him as their rather benevolent emperor while the rest, those in his inner circle, stayed through a combination of persuasion and natural admiration.
Daichi had been a simple affair, really. Just as in the old world where he was discontent with life, he had been discontent here too. Like the leader of a pride of lions, he wanted everything brought to him on silver trays without him exerting more than the bare minimum. Hibiki had twisted that along with their friendship easily, giving him a high enough role where he would be provided for and content but also low enough where he couldn't cause any actual damage to the structure. In a way, his old friend sickened him for acting so philosophical at times yet never truly following through with his ideas unless Hibiki pushed him to do so.
He had seen Io's emotions for him from the start and taken advantage of them. He knew all too well how she yearned to be held by him in his arms, to feel comforted by the one she loved and had dedicated herself to in the face of the old world's events. He had given the attractive girl what she desired before the conflict with Polaris and now she followed every one of his whims and fancies. She was upset for awhile when the other two joined them in their bedroom, but eventually, she had accepted the outcome as Hibiki always made her feel as if she was the center of attention. At times, he felt remorse for his crimes of pathos against her.
Joe was a sensitive case, a minefield of understanding when he joked from when he was serious. Hibiki had managed to work his way into Joe's heart by doing so, leaving Joe to seek him out in the end. After the battle with Ronaldo, he had been the one to approach Hibiki and offer his services. He was never loyal to Yamato, and that was clear when he had followed along with the uprising. Now, he stood as the de facto right-hand to Hibiki, providing intelligent advice and wisdom through both his quirky humor and his seasoned judgment skills.
Makoto had been another whose emotions had been their downfall. In a way, he had been the reason she had lost her purpose. She had been the assistant to Yamato for so long with no other goals, always following his orders, then the end came and he appeared. He had proven himself a greater asset in Yamato's eyes, so he threw her away for the replacement. That made it ironic that Hibiki had been the one to give her a new purpose. Life was truly odd in that way. She was just as, if not more devoted to him than even Io was. He put her to great use too, neither letting her go to waste in helping run his empire or in accompanying him to the bedroom.
Fumi saw it all as an experiment. Every action taken, every thought spoken, all were seen as data to her. Therefore, he reasoned that he simply needed to remain an interesting subject till he came to power. In the end, she had been satisfied by the results and continued watching how he handled his power, wanting to see if he would remain in control of himself. So far, he had impressed her.
Jungo had accepted his rule without complaint. When Hibiki questioned him, he had been straightforward in answering him. "I trust you." That had surprised the overlord. Not many had so easily trusted him after his revolt. Hibiki had kept several pairs of eyes on Jungo, up to five years after the old world, yet he never found anything that brought the loyalty of the gentle giant who loved a hotheaded musician and a orange feline into question.
Airi had been hard to keep content for awhile. The fact that many in the new regime didn't appreciate her musical talent had certainly left her feeling raw, something he didn't desire for the girl he held a certain fondness for. Not a fondness that would lead to romance, but certainly of the familial variety. Eventually, Hibiki had issued a group of reforms that allowed those who created music, paintings, and artistic cuisine simply out of love for their craft a place in their new world. He would not let the loveable girl he considered a younger sister feel unwanted in the world and made sure she had a place as co-head of the Culture Ministry alongside her fiancee.
Though she was not technically a part of the government, Hinako acted as an unofficial spokesperson for Hibiki's government. She had been just as overjoyed by the cultural reforms as Airi and soon set to work organizing several public concerts and dances. She kept in touch with Hibiki rather well, always informing him of changing trends in public opinion which allowed him to stay on top on how to keep the people happy unlike in the previous world. He was thankful for her assistance, glad that she supported him.
Keita had accepted his rise easily, seeing it as survival of the fittest. Hibiki had set him to work as head trainer of the military and police in both hand-to-hand combat and demon battling in case of civil unrest or rouge demon uprisings. The young man had found he enjoyed his work, making his own niche in the system. Though he was already at the top of his field and thus couldn't move up much, Keita knew that he was safe in his position till he grew old and tired or someone he recognized as superior came along.
Otome had followed alongside Hibiki with little convincing, a fact demonstrated by the fact that she had trusted him enough to make him the godfather to her daughter. The kind woman with the enthusiasm had proven herself greatly, filling her role of head of the Medical Ministry opposite Fumi's role as head of Science Ministry with exceptional results. She was also the last of Hibiki's lovers to join him. Hibiki loved all his wives equally, and made sure their families were taken care of so, once they had been married, he had made Otome's daughter Koharu's birthday a national holiday and named her his successor upon his resignation from his position.
Yamato had been unhappy with the change in the social order and had held a great deal of animosity towards Hibiki for a few years. However, he eventually saw that his old friend proved to be a better leader, realizing that moderation in some areas was needed for his ideal world to exist. Soon, he pledged loyalty to Hibiki who, while still worried over the possibility of betrayal, welcomed his surrogate brother back into the folds. Now, Yamato lead the police forces with Makoto as his assistant, leaving no room for inefficiency or corruption within the machine-like force. Every Friday night, the two men would meet to try new food together and discuss mundane topics at length to make up for Yamato's lost childhood.
It had been a long road leading the world, and it had taken its fair tolls on Hibiki even though it had been only five years. However, the people loved his leadership as he gave them greater freedoms. He allowed them to elect local government councils if they and the candidates met the requirements to do so. The requirements were rather lax, being only that the individual held an occupation that provided something of value to humanity in some form and be over the age of sixteen years. Other than the occasional politicians who tried to either shirk their duties or rob the government and the people of tax money, Yamato never had any real trouble with maintaining order.
He had also made several reforms that allowed the cultural arts flourish. Authors were given free rein to write to their hearts' content as long as the works did not actively seek to incite riots or any other violent disturbances of the peace. Artists and musicians who truly loved their work instead of seeking only money were appreciated and their work was studied by all students. Theater groups always had venue to preform in no matter what unfortunate accident may take place. When a few of his citizens asked why he allowed this, Hibiki had given them a simple fact. He allowed it because he did not want freedom of speech and thought to be muffled so he would always make it clear that such freedoms were always welcomed.
Sometimes, Hibiki laid like this at night, he wondered if maybe he shouldn't have gone down the path he had. He admitted that he had committed wrongs to reach where the point he had. Then he remembered how the world had since flourished under his rule. He realized that the greater good was achieved and thus, he followed the correct path.
With that final thought, he allowed sleep to embrace him. He would be attending his sister's wedding the next day and he certainly wanted to remain awake for the event.
This popped into my head while I was thinking about the world that surrounding my previous story "That Smile of a Cheshire". It mostly my thoughts on where would Hibiki stand with his friends and such, so I decided to quickly write this. There's some changes in Hibiki's attitude, such as being remorseful at times for his actions. Other than that, this is how a Hibiki in the Meritorious Ending would play out in my mind. While I don't normally enjoy the concept of multiple wives, I could see Hibiki potentially going for it in that ending. It doesn't mean I really support the idea (especially not in real life, Christ, imagine that mess), it's just how I picture the events playing out. In other endings, I support one man, one female relationships (Otome for Ronaldo's route, Airi or Makoto for Alcor's, Io for the Restorer/Triumphant ending, and due to certain issues I have with Liberator ending, none for it) so if I write any more DS2 stories and they take place in those routes, that's what I would go with.