"Daddy! Daddy!"
Yamato was interrupted mid-stride by a child's high-pitched voice and the feeling of something crashing into his leg. He looked down to find a little girl clinging to his leg, looking up at him with curious eyes. Yamato noticed something strange about this girl: she had similar features to him. The girl possessed narrow eyes and upturned features just like his, and her hair had even had bangs looked like his fringe. However, her colors were different; she had black, straight hair in pigtails and bright blue eyes that reminded him of Hiro's. What a curious combination.
However, there were more pressing matters on hand aside from the fact that he was staring at a slightly different version of his own face. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you are mistaken. Your father must be elsewhere."
The girl didn't budge an inch. "Daddy, don't play dumb! I know it's you! You look just like you! But you look kinda better today, somehow."
"No, you're mistaken. I have no children. I am not your father!" It was impossible for Yamato to be a father. He hadn't even had sex, ever! He wouldn't even adopt a child at this point!
"Come on, Daddy, it's Hiroko! Quit being silly!" The girl frowned and folded her arms, looking much like her supposed father in this pose. "Fine. I'll play, too. Hi, Not-Daddy."
Yamato sighed. Dealing with children was not his forte. At least he'd sort of managed a compromise with her with the new nickname. "Hello, Hiroko. Do you know where your mother is? I'm sure she's worried about you. You should go back to her."
Hiroko gave a little sneer that made her look even more like Yamato. "Mommy's back somewhere else with Hyu. But I'd rather be with you."
Oh, so she was a "Daddy's girl." That explained a bit about her. "Why? Why wouldn't you want to be with your mother and… Hyu? Who is that?" Yamato found himself becoming slightly curious about this girl now. He couldn't deny the resemblance in her features, and if he looked like her father… something interesting might be going on that he was unaware of. A dimensional shift, possibly? He'd heard of those happening with demons, but not humans.
"Aww, come on, Not-Daddy, you're gonna pretend you don't know who Hyu is either? Fine. I forget him sometimes, too." Hiroko giggled mischievously. "Hyu is Hyuga. My twin brother. We're five years old. Mommy tells us stories about how much trouble we were in her belly all the time. Does that make you remember anything, Not-Daddy?"
"Hmm, I see. But I'm still not your father."
"Yeah, whatever, Not-Daddy." Suddenly, the girl grinned, revealing sharp canines just like Yamato's. She was practically a young Yamato in a dress! "Oh, I know what you can do! Tell me a story. Maybe that'll make you remember."
"Well then." Oh, this was one way to be put on the spot. Shoot, what kinds of stories did children like? Maybe, if the story was boring, she'd leave. Yamato ended up settling on the first story he could think of. "Once upon a time, there was a big purple monster attacking Japan."
"A big purple monster? Was it a demon? Mommy and you talk about demons all the time." Hiroko's eyes were focused right on Yamato's with perfect eye contact.
"No, it wasn't a demon. It was something worse: it was an alien. An alien that could multiply itself endlessly."
"So? How's that dangerous?" Hiroko was listening with keen attention.
"Think about it. It could crowd out and attack anything. Not only would anyone fighting back be outnumbered, but there'd be no room for anyone to live." Yamato clasped his hands, getting ready to tell the tale of Mizar and the Dragon Stream.
"Oh… right. That sounds tough." The little girl put one hand on her chin, as if thinking the dilemma over for herself.
"There was an easy way to destroy the alien and keep it from replicating, but it required summoning a force that would destabilize the barriers protecting Japan. I planned to take the risk and summon this force, but I wasn't going to tell anyone about it. Then, a strong hero came along and demanded that I use this force in front of his friends, ruining the… surprise." That was a lot of words. Would she finally be shaken off?
"You're part of this story, too? Oh, those stories where you're in it are the best!" The answer was no. "Keep going, Not-Daddy."
What, was Yamato some subordinate being debriefed? What a demanding child! Nonetheless, he continued. "This hero was a strong, capable man who could lead his pawns to victory expertly. He helped take the steps necessary for the summoning ritual, and even helped prepare and protect a maiden who would be involved in the ritual." He paused and gave Hiroko a moment to absorb the information, which she indicated with a nod. "Once the ritual was done, a mighty dragon appeared! It grabbed the original alien and tried to destroy it, but the alien clung to life. It took a valiant effort from the hero and his friends, but they were able to weaken the alien enough for the dragon to destroy it."
"Wow!" Hiroko's eyes lit right up. "That was an awesome story! It had heroes and dragons in it and everything! Is that all, or is there more?"
"Well, there are some details I left out, but-" Yamato was cut off by the sight of his savior walking down the hall. "Ah, Hiro. You have perfect timing."
"Hey, Yamato," Hiro said with a wave as he approached. His attention then shifted to the little girl. "You're Hiroko Hotsuin, aren't you? Your mother has been looking everywhere for you! Let's go back to her, shall we?"
"H-Hotsuin? This girl is a Hotsuin?" Yamato could not hide his surprise. Now things were starting to make sense, just a bit.
Hiroko turned to Hiro and pouted. "But whyyyy? I'm having fun with Not-Daddy and his cool stories. Hey, you know, you look kind of like mommy if mommy were a man." With a swish of her pigtails, she promptly turned back to Yamato. "Yup! Chihiro Hotsuin is my mommy, and Yamato Hotsuin is my daddy. I come from a good… what's the word daddy used… a good pedigree!"
"O-oh. I see," Yamato said, now becoming visibly flustered. This had to be the product of a dimensional shift that somehow applied to humans. That was the only explanation for "his" new wife, daughter, and son.
"Come on, Hiroko. Don't be naughty. Your mother is very worried about you, and so is Hyuga." Hiro took on a surprisingly parental tone.
"Beh! Don't be silly. Hyuga shouldn't worry about me. But fine. If Mommy's that worried, I'll come with you." Hiroko went up to Hiro and grabbed his hand. "Bye, Not-Daddy! I liked your story a lot! I hope I get to hear another one soon!"
"Goodbye, Hiroko," said Yamato, raising one hand in a wave goodbye. With that, Hiro and Hiroko turned and left the scene, presumably to return to the girl's mother and brother.
Some time later, Hiro found Yamato massaging his temples in a workroom he'd secluded himself in. "How much damage did she do?"
Yamato sighed and leaned back in his chair. "She insisted I was her father, which it seems was right on some level, somehow. I managed to settle her down by telling her the story of Mizar and the Dragon Stream."
"Oh, so you entertained her for a bit, huh? That's a surprise, Yamato! Do you have some paternal instincts in there?" Hiro chuckled as he nestled his hand in Yamato's hair and began to give him a head massage to calm down the headache.
"Please, don't even joke about that. I can't handle children, and she was a bit of a strain on me. I wonder how my more fatherly self handles her."
"Oh, yeah, about that." Hiro paused before he began his explanation. "This is going to sound totally out there, but… I think that girl and her family were from another dimension or something. That's the only way to explain how 'you' were her father. Oh, and the resemblance! She had your face, Yamato."
"That's not quite so 'out there.' Demons can occasionally do dimensional shifts, and Polaris administrates multiple worlds. Perhaps a dimensional shift occurred with this girl and her family, too." Yamato folded his arms and pressed his head against Hiro's hand. "And don't think I didn't notice the resemblance. She folded her arms and it was like looking into a mirror."
"Huh, I see. I'm thinking they shifted back… her mother disappeared when she walked out the door. At least, I'm hoping they did. Wouldn't want Daddy Yamato to miss his wife and kids!" Hiro ruffled Yamato's hair before taking his hand away.
"Cut that out, Hiro. And please continue rubbing my head." Funny; the girl had ordered Yamato to continue his story in a similar fashion. "You know, Hiro… that little girl reminded me of you a bit. She was no ordinary child, I can tell you that much."
Hiro resumed the head massage without a word. "Oh really? What made you think that?"
"I had this… feeling of potential from her, much like I did from you. She was very bright and attentive; I could tell she had talent." Yamato's lips curled into a thin smile. "I just wish I could have seen the boy, too. After all, if they're going to be the heirs of JP's, they should both be competent, not just one."
"Actually, Yamato, I think they came from a world where you and Mommy-Me successfully established your meritocracy."
Yamato gave a sharp, barking chortle. "Ha! Is that so? Then that's even better! The heirs of the new world will have to be competent then, or they will get nothing! But somehow, I trust that at least the girl will be fit to inherit my- her parents' legacy."
"That would be quite a future to see." Hiro smiled at the thought. "It makes me want to see our little visitor again and see how she grows up."
"Perhaps that would be nice, if you could support me when she came," Yamato replied, returning the smile.
"You're beginning to feel a bit like she really is your daughter, aren't you?"
"Maybe just a little. But what I would really like to do is meet my older self and see how the meritocracy is faring as it transitions to a new generation."
Hiro took his hand off of Yamato's head and rested it on his shoulder with a pat. "Maybe you'll get to see them all sometime."