I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.

Yuya held his parent's closer, fearing that they would just disappear should he let go. It's been too long since he held both of them and he wasn't about to let it end. The entertainer breathed in their scent and, though a little musty, revisited better times…

"Yuya dear… You're kind of crushing us…" Yoko said with a nervous chuckle. Yuya's eyes shot open and he immediately release his parents. He forgot for a moment that he wasn't exactly a normal human anymore… But at least he was very much in control of this.

His father stretched out his back, a very hearty laugh leaving his throat. "Now I've definitely gotten old if my son has a hug like that! We're glad to see you're doing just fine Yuya."

"And look how much you've grown! I remember when you only came up to my knees, mostly because you kept clinging to leg." Yoko added, noting her son's taller stature. Yuya gave an awkward chuckle to the memory, mostly because how mundane things seemed so alien to him. But then again, he now faces that same problem again.

Yuzu approached the family and gave a nod to Yusho and Yoko. "I'm glad to see you're both safe… How's my Dad? He hasn't done anything reckless since I was captured has he?"

Both of them went stiff as their smile soon was dragged into a frown, eyes breaking contact with the girl. Yuya felt a drop of cold sweat roll down his neck, his thoughts run wild. But even then, he couldn't begin to imagine what happened to the spirited Principal Shuzou… Let alone what Yuzu was feeling right now.

"Shuzo, your Father, hasn't exactly been… Rational. Since you were captured one year ago, he decided to do a one man raid on the closest Spirit fortress to us. And while he did remarkably well, fighting through wave after wave of Spirits… Shuzo received many injuries, most of which are crippling, and that put him into a coma." Yusho said, covering his eyes with the rim of his hat.

Yuya flinched to those words, especially to 'crippling' and 'coma'. To have the ever passionate Principal in such a still state... He didn't want to imagine it, lest it clouded his head for a long while. But at the very least, he was the alive. And with it, comes the hope that Principal Shuzo would one day recover.

The entertainer looked to Yuzu, but her face only deepened with anxiety. "Last time I was here, we were having a medical supply shortage… Is that still the case?"

"The situation got better, but we're still struggling to treat everything that comes our way. And because we've been dedicating some to keep Shuzo alive, there's been growing hostilities among the other patients. After all, why should we care for a man who can't contribute to anything? Who stupidly charged into enemy territory for someone who may not even be alive…" Yoko answered, her voice straining to suppress her anger.

Yusho gently grasped his wife's hand to ease her fury, but even Yuya could tell that he was upset. He looked back to Yuzu and noted that she was shaking too. He put a hand on her shoulder, seeing if he could offer any comfort in light of these news. And slowly did the girl begin to return to normal, a heavy breath leaving her chest.

"Thank you Yuya… And thank you as well, Yusho-san, Yoko-san, for telling me all this now. It's worrying, but it's a little easier to hear it from you."

"Anything for you, you're practically family at this point. We'll keep doing our best to treat Shuzo while holding back the naysayers." Yoko replied, her mood lightening. Now it was Yuya's turn to breathe easy, the tension surrounding them dissipating.

"Now, shall we get going? Reiji has been waiting for this day for a long while." Yusho said as he began walking away. Yoko followed after her husband and Yuya followed them once Yuzu beckoned the others. And as they followed the two deeper into this underground sanctuary, the Standard Vassal got a sense of what life was like.

The main thoroughfare they were currently in was wide, like a path through a shopping district. And on both sides were apartments, each three stories high and packed tightly together. With only a few shrubs here and there, this whole place felt lifeless… Like a prison…

"Yuya, while it's still on my mind, tell me what happened with Yuri. Unlike before, I'm not sensing any maliciousness from him." Yusho said suddenly. That shook the entertainer out of the oppressiveness of his surroundings, seeing that it was fairly much the elephant in the room. Though he wondered why his father didn't bring it up sooner… Perhaps he too was confused like Yuya and needed time to think about it?

Or maybe it's to distract Yuya from the bleak structures around him.

"I was surprised too; he wasn't anything like I remember him as. He's still a bit of a cactus, pricking people with snarky comebacks… But I believe that the four years we've been asleep changed Yuri for the better." Yuya answered with a small smile. And based on the looks in his father's eyes, it seemed he felt the same way.

"I see. Then I'll give him the benefit of doubt. But what do you think about it him Yoko? Seeing that he was the one who caused problems for the people you love." Yusho replied before turning to his wife. The woman just let out a hum as she folded her arms, eyes closed. The entertainer felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck, did she not trust him?

Of course, it's reasonable if she wasn't. Yuri was an indirect cause for Yusho disappearing, the Academia's war, and the direct cause for Yuya's disappearance, the unification of Zarc. Then there was the whole war between Humanity and Spirits that blew a hole in her stomach…

By all means, even Yoko couldn't be so forgiving. But as she sighed and opened her eyes, the bright glimmer in her green irises told Yuya differently. Despite the horrors she no doubt suffered from, she didn't give up her ideals.

"If you two think he's good, then who am I to argue? Besides, with this, I've got another son to dote on." Yoko said, almost giggling with that last statement. Both Yuya and his Father stumbled to those words, letting out a staggered laugh. But upon straightening himself, Yusho looked around him with a light sigh.

"It's funny to think about though… The one who helped cause all this is now peacefully walking with us. Hopefully, this will be a sign of things to come, the brighter future we were all waiting for."

"Was life down here that bad? You guys said that there were supply shortages." Yuya asked. He turned a bit towards one of the apartments, the corner of his eye catching something. In one of the windows, peering through some curtains, two kids were watching them. The entertainer couldn't tell what those two were thinking or what they were feeling…

But perhaps he should make a good first impression.

So with that, Yuya made eye contact and gave the two children a cheerful smile. They flinched and hid their bodies a little more, but they didn't break eye contact. The two were afraid but their hearts weren't completely closed off yet, that much the entertainer could see. And that in turn made him feel more confident in his mission to achieve peace.

"It's as you see Yuya, we're afraid but not enough to give up hope. We're able to get up each morning and continue the struggle to see what tomorrow brings. Will it be better? Worse? About the same? We won't know if we don't have the courage to seize it. And that's what your mother and I have been working on these past four years. Ensuring everyone has that kind of strength." Yusho said as he waved towards the two children as well.

"You're still performing?" Yuya asked, his voice becoming a step more excited.

"What? You thought we would forget our roots? The world may have gone to Hell but the show won't stop until we say so." Yoko said as she ruffled her son's hair. "In fact, we got some of the Lancers onboard and we put on shows every three days. It helps them cope with the stress."

"That's amazing! I want to see one right now… Then again, I'll cause a lot of trouble won't I? Being a Zarc's look-a-like and all…"

Yusho folded his arms and let out a heavy sigh as Yoko pinched the bridge of her nose. And as the entertainer looked to both of his parents, he felt the troubles that were on their shoulders. Whatever trouble he got them into, Yuya knew it wasn't insignificant by any measure. He took a moment to observe his surroundings to muster some courage. But as his eyes went between the uniform structures around them, he began noting that more and more people were peering out of their windows.

All of them having both fear and rage in their eyes.

"Was it that bad?" Yuya ask, turning away from those eyes.

"Oh it was absolutely awful; loads of things were said and thrown at us to get us to leave. But thanks to Yuzu, Reiji, and several others, opinion was swayed enough for your mother and I to stay." Yusho answered as he returned to a more relaxed pose. The entertainer stared at his father, his brows raised at how casual that response was.

"Don't give your father that look, no amount of suffering will make us abandon you. Has Yuzu-chan told you how I–"

"I know! I know! I don't need to hear that again!" Yuya yelled, interrupting Yoko. The entertainer felt multiple eyes staring at him and his cheeks flushed, not having thought that response properly. Yuya then took a deep breath and faced his mother again with a cooled head.

"I was really worried you know. I thought you didn't make it." He continued before Yoko laid a hand on his shoulder. And looking over, Yuya saw that reassuring smile that he always remembered. The Standard Vassal let out a heavy breath, pushing out all the anxiety he faced since coming back home.

Home…

Yuya found himself nodding to that. He really was home.

After several more minutes of walking across the empty corridor, the group came across an intersection with several armed guards standing in front of a large service elevator. One of them approached Yusho and Yoko as he eyed Yuya carefully.

"These are the VIPs? They don't look like much, especially the Zarc look a likes." He said as he observed Yuya and his counterparts. The entertainer looked on in confusion as this man didn't seem all that perturbed by them. Didn't Zarc make all Human's life Hell? Why was this one man so calm? Not that it's a bad thing…

Yusho nodded and gave a confident smirk to the man. "That's because they aren't Zarc Sebastian. This is my son Yuya, he'll be turning things around in this region. And this is Captain Sebastian Jones, one of three people in charge of the security down here."

"N-Nice to meet you." Yuya replied as he stuck his hand out. He wasn't expecting to meet someone in such a high position so soon. Not only that, this person was BIG, at least a meter taller than Yuya, and had a rugged beard that looked slightly scorched.

But in spite of his appearance, Jones let out a hearty laugh and grasped the entertainer's hand, giving it a firm shake. And despite all the things Iris said about the Mark of the Prince tattoo… Yuya's hand and arm felt like it was going to get dislocated.

"And to you too! You're everything your father said you were, short, polite, and very energetic. And as your father said, I'm one of the security chiefs. So if you have any questions about our little hole in the ground, I'll answer them. Anyway, it's best if you head up now, our fearless leader's waiting for all of you."

"O-Okay, we'll do just that." Yuya replied, getting his sore arm back. The other guards there opened the elevator and stood at the ready. But as Yuya and the other's went in, the entertainer noticed that both his parents and Gongenzaka weren't moving. "Aren't you guys coming with us?"

Gongenzaka shook his head. "I need to report in back at the barracks. But don't worry; this won't be the last you'll see of the man Gongenzaka."

"What he means is that he'll be seeing you later. But as for your Father and I… Let's just say that we're going to prepare for the worst case scenario…" Yoko added, her voice dipping into a rather ominous tone. Yuya did his best to hide his anxiety, fully aware of what his mother was implying. With all four of Zarc's Vassals here, there would no doubt be a lynch mob trying to get them. Or at the very least, they would imprison them indefinitely whilst making their lives as miserable as possible.

And that's not going into what Iris and the other Stewards would do…

"Don't make that face Yuya, we'll have the matter under control. You just focus on talking to Reiji and sorting out things out with him and the others." Yusho said as he patted his son's head. The entertainer nodded slowly as he separated from his parents. But despite knowing how well his Father could sway the crowd, this was a matter that had so many emotions behind it.

Jones whistled to Yuya and drew in his attention. "Just to let you know, your Ma and Pa have plenty of supporters behind them, me included. They won't be alone when they face trouble."

Now that was truly reassuring to hear. The Standard Vassal's shoulders noticeably relaxed and he began standing with a straighter back. The man's right, Yusho and Yoko surely must have others who agree on their views. All Yuya could do now is hope that things don't devolve into utter chaos. He gave his parents a nod and jogged towards the elevator. And just before the doors closed, Yuya saw the steady flames that burned in Yusho's and Yoko's eyes.

They were ready to fight for their ideals.

"Dude, you have no idea how jealous I am right now. You have the best Mom and Dad." Yugo commented, a hint of envy in his voice. Yuya just laughed to that, as he held his head high.

"Yeah, they're the best."

And that was Chapter 8 of Act 2! It was a slog to write this... But I managed to do it...

"Victory but the war isn't over."

You bet it it isn't. And though the views are dropping fast, I'm going to hold out and keep writing. It might not be very rewarding, but I want to write the trials and tribulations that face our beloved entertainer.

"You said it, now talk about how you're modifying your update schedule."

I will. As you all know, I'm currently setting up to become a functioning adult. And as such, I will be modifying my update schedule for all my stories. So until I get everything settled, I will only be updating once every month. I apologize for any distress I may cause, this hurts me just as much.

So with that said, I hope you'll be around to celebrate the New Year with me.

Happy Holidays and...

Until Next Time. T1.