I do not own Mushoku Tensei

Aisha's Perspective:

A year had passed since Ars's disappearance. Those first several months were an unbearable time of grief. It's different from the loss a parent feels when they hear they're child has lost their life, but it was no less painful. A deep seed of regret, and shame grows in the pit of your stomach- filling up your subconscious. It stings your heart as you wonder what you did wrong. The mixture of a self attacking guilt, and an ever present nauseating anxiety, born from fear of thousands of terrifying possible realities, is a debilitating state that, at times, leaves your vigor for life diminished, in a steep, declining, drop off… You walk a cobweb of an ugly tormented breaking of the heart, a harassing corrupted hope that leads, or ridicules you, a chaotic miss mass of ever changing feelings, and disturbed acceptance

In the midst of all that, another event shook me, and the entire household. I was pregnant. Despite feeling like we were already in hell, we were sent a pandora's box. Would it prove to be another set of dismay, or a seed of happiness that would bring color back into our lives? We had done all we could with our search, and now, although it was terrifying, we had to leave the return of Ars up to fate. The time to move on had come. Our search would never end, but life had to continue.

During the following months we managed to pull ourselves back together as we found something new to direct our energies toward. The thought of defects, and complications in the child's birth still bore on us with a corporeal anxiousness like the fear one has of a killer lying, for your loved ones, in wait. But when things came to pass, and I finally gave birth, a sense of relief had come over us. Not only did the baby seem healthy, but there were two of them. Two healthy twins… When the doctor handed them to me, I teared up. My joy was too intense for me to handle.

As I held them in my arms, I could see their cute and healthy little faces. My tears wouldn't stop coming out, I was overflowing with relief. These past 9 months, I was scared, scared that my babies would be dead. I had many scenarios in my head. One of them was that by 6 months, I would give birth to premature babies, and they wouldn't live long soon after. I'm so glad, even Rudeus and mother fell to their knees, they were relieved as well. They could finally rest easy knowing that their children and grandchildren are healthy. The other wives were happy as well, especially Eris-nee. Since her depression, she hasn't been the same. This moment lifted her spirits quite a lot. She came up to the opposite side of the bed, opposite of Rudeus, and kissed my head with happy kisses and jumped with joy. This is the happiest she's been since the incident. Sylph-nee and Roxy-nee gave their condolences and patted my head.

I looked at my babies once more, one was a boy, and one was a girl. The first to be born was mine and Rudeus's son. He had the same colored hair as me. Mother mentioned that he looked like Rudy when he was born. I couldn't help but be more happy knowing that he could be like his father, a great man. Rudi named him Asher, saying that it means fortunate, blessed, happy one. I was happy with the name, I was a little worried he might pick something simple like he did with Lucy, or Lara but, Asher was a good one. Asher does kinda sound close to mine, but I'll let that slide. The next was our daughter, she had the same brown hair as Rudeus, but "her face looks so similar to Aisha's," is what Rudi said. She might grow up to love her big brother, or be a daddy's girl like Christina. Frankly, I don't know which is worse. But she might end up being smart and capable like me, and mother. I'm sure she'll be fine. Rudeus named her Ruby, like a red gem stone that was precious, and of course, another name for Rudy. As I thought, sooo simple. Then again, the precious part was true. She was precious... Precious to me. I'll let Rudeus have this one. I would name them, but I'm filled with so much emotion that it was hard to think of two fitting names.

They grew quickly the following 3 months. Asher was a very energetic baby that quickly earned the affection of Sige. Despite almost getting into a lot of trouble by crawling places he shouldn't be crawling to, and playing with things way too dangerous for him, Sige would always be around to make sure he was safe. Sige would sometimes get annoyed, but I could tell that Asher grew on him. Of course that wasn't the only thing we had to worry about. The baby had an explosive temper, and would throw tantrums whenever we took away his play things, or cry whenever anything displeasing happened. Our other child was more tame. She was like a lazy cat- always sleeping in, and enjoying the warmth of the sun. I was a bit worried about how Christina would react to no longer being the youngest child, but surprisingly, she really enjoyed Ruby's company. I would see Christina sitting beside the cradle, reading books to her, and giving her plenty of head pats. Sometimes Christina would help me dress Ruby up in different baby outfits. It kinda felt like she was treating Ruby similar to a doll, or a pet. A bit strange, but I'm glad Ruby gave her a sense of responsibility.

The other siblings seem to take a liking to the twins as well. Lily let's Asher play with her magic dolls she made, they were harmless of course. Lara let's Ruby nap with her and Leo from time to time. Lucy even visits on her days off to play with them. Sylph, Roxy, and Eris-nee also gave them their attention. Sylph-nee would sing to them if they were ever moody, Roxy-nee would read to them, even though they couldn't understand what she was saying, and Eris-nee would play with them more often than Lucy did. Zenith seemed to enjoy their company, she would pat their heads or let them rest on her lap. She doesn't do much, only stares at them for long periods of time. According to Lara, she finds the twins very adorable and a blessing. It made me smile so much knowing that she accepts them. Lastly, the ones who would spoil them rotten was my mother and Rudeus. Since Asher and Ruby are her first grandchildren, she made it her mission to give them as much love and affection as me and the rest of the family combined. I even had to lecture my mother on how it's no good to always spoil them, she continued to do so anyway. Rudi was no different, he would hog the twins a lot. I get that you wanna spend a lot more time with your children, but at least let the mother spend time with them too.

Everyone loved Asher and Ruby, always doting on them. When Rudy and mother were not hogging them, I would come in and love them as much as I can. Asher can be such a mama's boy, he didn't like it when I put him down. He clings on to my chest, even buries his face into my breast. He's a Greyrat son alright, "ah Asher, you're such a brat." I hope he doesn't chase after girls like it's a game when he grows up.

"Aisha, don't spoil him too much.", said my mother, who was sitting in an armchair, watching.

"Like your one to talk.", I thought, best not to say that out loud.

Besides the whole breast thing, he doesn't seem to cry when Rudeus holds him. I assume he would cry a lot because Rudy has no bust like mine, but apparently, he doesn't mind. Asher would snuggle against him and fall right to sleep. It was a cute sight to behold. It made me tear up a bit knowing Asher loves his father the same. He does it with his other siblings, his grandmother's, and his other parents. I guess he loves being held by anyone. But I'm mostly his favorite, I would hear him go "ma...ma…", as he stuck his arms out towards me. He's such a little cutie pie.

Ruby is quite the opposite, as she prefers her father than me. Like I said, either she has a brother complex, or she's a daddy's girl like Christina. When Rudeus holds her, she naps instantly. But when someone tries to reach out to her or when Rudi tries to put her down, she wakes up immediately and starts getting cranky. Occasionally, she lets Lara hold her which is kinda surprising for Lara to do. She always seems so reserved with her siblings sometimes, but I guess Ruby has grown on her too. Christina loves Ruby, as I said before, she dotes on her a lot.

Now that I think about it, it's probably too soon to decide if one is a daddy's girl, and the other a mama's boy. They can be affectionate to anyone, or just have that special someone, not "that" special someone. We'll just have to wait and see what type of person they become later on.

It was a pleasure watching them grow. Each child was like a ball of potential waiting to be opened. Seeing what caught their attention, what strengths were shown as they reacted to different things, what they were afraid of, how they shaped those around them, and vice versa- it was all an amazing experience. The happiness those two produced in all of us, had revived our enjoyment of life, but despite the new wave of bliss, the sense of loss Ars left in his departure still lingered. Even now, as we gain new recruits to the mercenary group, and new missions keep appearing, I still keep my ears perked up for news about him. It's been several months already. I wonder what he's up to. Did he go out on his own adventure saving damsels like the ones in the old stories I read him, or did he find himself battling it out in some foreign land like Rudeus did in the past? I wish he would just return, or at least send some sort of proof that he's ok.

Nothing has come up at all, if I can't find him, he's probably avoiding my mercenaries. The only way to do that, is by knowing how each mercenary group works. He likely knows because he's been spending time with me while I work. Guess his visits weren't just for me. He probably wanted to learn how the Mercenary Corps works and wanted to see if he could help me. Ars is a clever boy, I guess I taught him well.

I'm still questioning why he did it, I couldn't really figure it out. Back then, he looked so angry. His eyes had the look of betrayal, like we betrayed him. I don't understand, I just don't…

"Ma…"

I just realized I'm holding Asher in my arms. I looked at him, he looked back at me, worried. "I'm sorry Asher, mama was just daydreaming." I patted his head softly, it seemed to calm him down. On the other side of the bed, Eris was also feeding Ruby some formula. The two of us had bonded even further the past months. And everyday we would chat with ourselves as we tended to the babies. Or… Sometimes, we would help each other cope with Ars's disappearance.

As we sat there with the babies in our arms, I heard a heavy set of footsteps resounding in the corridor leading up to our room. What was going on? As I stood up getting ready to check out what all the ruckus was about, the nursery door had swung open with Rudeus panting heavily, yet with an excited glint in his eyes.

Instantly tears began forming at the edge of my vision. Without him saying anything, I already knew.

"They found him... they, they found him! sniff*" The grin fixed on Rudeus's face was the widest I've seen in a while.

All three of us looked at eachother, and soon all of us were wearing the same exact smile Rudeus was- teary eyes, and all.

Nothing was in the clear yet, but finally… Finally we found him. We would face everything else when it was time, but for now, we could finally be happy just knowing he was alive, and out there. We could indulge in the idea of finally seeing him again.

It was decided that it will be me, Rudeus, and Eris to go see him while Roxy-nee, Sylph-nee, and mother would watch the children. When asked Why I should go, I said I need to know what Ars was feeling, I need to know his thoughts. Besides, out of all the other mothers, I was the one who spent the most time with him. And out of all the other children, besides the twins, he was the one I felt the closest to. I wore traveling clothes for the occasion while Rudeus and Eris-nee wore their standard gear they always wore when going on a quest. I hugged my twins and gave them a kiss goodbye. It was a little hard for me, leaving them for a while. But I know I'll be back, and I'll be bringing them back their older brother. Asher was crying, reaching out to me, and his father while Ruby didn't cry, but looked really sad that her parents were going away for a bit. Don't worry my precious, we'll be back. We went to the Rude Mercenary Corps, to where the teleportation circles were. For the time being, Ars is apparently hiding in an abandoned village, outside the Milis Continent.

Inscribed on the ground was a giant circle with angular patterns, and runic lettering describing it's interior. Stepping onto it, the lines glowed an intense white. And in the next instant, we were thousands of miles across the sea- a continent away from where we began. We decided that a stealthy approach would be the best option. Because he spent so long running away from us, there was no doubt in our minds that he had become accustomed to quick getaways. There was no way we would let him escape this time. If we missed this chance, or botched it up, there was no telling how many more years we would have to wait until he came back home. He would probably run off to another country, under the guise of some new pseudonym. We were unwilling to accept losing him a second time. The possibility of surrounding the area with our mercenaries crossed our minds to set up an enclosing net around the place he was staying, but Rudeus quickly shot it down. We couldn't risk alerting him, and the large number of Mercenaries would be too much of a giveaway. No… we would have to sneak around the area, and look for him ourselves.

It was still Night, and the sun would arise in half an hour or so. Right now was the perfect time to catch him. We searched around the village for a while, but finally, after wandering a bit into the woods, we saw his figure. Diligently practicing his sword play, in the early crack of dawn, he swung his sword in front of an old log cabin surrounded by trees, and overgrown with wild grass. His strikes were sharper than ever, and he had grown into a fine youngman. It must have been our excitement of finally seeing him, but our stealth grew sloppy, and he noticed our presence. But by this time it was too late. We already had him surrounded on three sides.

Ceasing his swordplay, he let out a deep sigh, and addressed us all.

"So, you finally found me." We stepped out of the forest into the morning's light.

"It's time to come home son" Rudeus stood in front of him with an imposing air, but soon softened. "We miss you Ars."

Ars turned away from his father, and looked to his sides, catching my, and Eris's attention. He picked up his blade once more, and stared at it in an expression almost forlorn.

"I still remember the words that came along with this sword. -Use it to protect those you care about-" There was a sad chuckle that broke out in a quiet murmur as he said this. "Sorry, but i'm not going back" His face was dead serious as he readied his blade. "There's nothing for me back home."

"That's not true! You have us to come home to.", I cried out. "Whatever happened that day, if we talk it through, we are sure to resolve any baggage that may weigh you down. Just come home, mama and papa are not mad at you, we just want you back." I feel my eyes staring to water, "please, just come home."

"Sorry, but I can no longer live under the same roof as the two of you. It's something you won't understand, and I don't want you to understand it either. If you're taking me home, you'll have to force me back." He stared down at me, and Rudeus defiantly.

"Then I have no choice… I'll capture you first, and ask questions later." Rudeus, stepping forward, staff prepared in hand.

The two of them stood there for a while, the morning sun slowly rising, and coloring them in a golden glow. The early morning mist had dissipated into a clear calm. But the tension in the air couldn't be any higher.

Then suddenly, someone makes a dash forward. But it wasn't Rudeus, nor Ars.

"HYAAAA!"

Eris-nee charges at Ars, with her sword in hand, still in its sheath. She's going for a non lethal approach. Both Rudeus and Ars were surprised by this sudden action by her. They didn't have time to comprehend what happened. "Quit being a brat and come home already!" , Eris said as she was just a step away from Ars. She brought her sword up, then began to bring it down in one quick motion. Ars quickly reacted by blocking with his own blade, bracing for the impact.

Sparks flew as the clang of metal disturbed a few animals in the woods. Eris followed that up with a sword flurry, that comboed up with what should have been several unavoidable strikes, but the sight of her son had made her unhinged, and impatient. The previous months had left her somewhat dilapidated, which inhibited her practice, and accumulated rust on top of her skills. Taking advantage of this fact, Ars was able to barely block, and dodge a majority of the blows. Aside from a few bruises here, and there, he was fine. Although his mom was a seasoned veteran, he hadn't stayed stagnant. During his journey he found himself toppling dozens of hurdles, and honing his bladesmenship. He was no longer the same boy who was once found bruised in an alley, he was now a true warrior. And with his mother in disarray, he found a lucky chance to parry her sheathed sword, sending it flying into the underbrush.

But that didn't stop her from continuing her onslaught of attacks. Even without her sword, Eris-nee still had her fist. With Ars's arms up in the air, this left him wide open for a kick in the stomach, which Eris proceeded to do. He was knocked into the ground, his arms spread wide on the grassy floor, he let go of his sword. Eris-nee was now straddling him, she brought her right fist onto her son's face, then her left, then her right again, then her left once more…

"ORAORAORAORA!", Eris screamed a battle cry, raining down a barrage of punches onto Ars.

Ars was growing in pain, trying to block, but to no avail. Me and Rudeus could only stand and watch in shock and horror. I wanted to stop them but I'm afraid Eris-nee might attack anything in sight if I drew closer to her. Rudi might be thinking the same, but he has his staff ready incase Ars needs healing magic or to put a stop to Eris's assault.

"How dare you run away and make everyone worry! Not only that, you hit your own father! Have you lost your mind?! Never put your hands on your parents!", Eris shouted.

Then tears started falling from her eyes, "how could you leave us for a whole year?! Don't you know how long we were worried?! We thought you were hurt, or kidnapped, or… or…" the barrage of punches were begging to slow down, "I thought you were dead… I thought you were…. *hic"

Then the punches ceased.

She clutched onto Ars shirt weeping heavily, yet silently. Though barely audible, we could feel the whaling whimpers as if a giant megaphone was making it resonate through our bodies.

cough* Despite his face being battered, Ars could still see things clearly. Seeing his mother crying, and hearing all her words, realization had properly sunk in. He had mulled over his decision a great deal during this past passage of time, but now, witnessing its effects first hand, it had finally sunk in further than it had before. Understanding had truly enlightened him to a fragment of the hell they must have felt

Sigh* cough* Ars looked up at his mother with a defeated, yet peaceful expression. He chuckled slightly in a resigned manner. "Done in by my own mom, before I even got to face dad." hmf hmf hmf a melancholic smile showed slightly on his face.

"Alright... I give. I'm coming back home..." Ars signaled for Eris to get off him. At first she was reluctant, but the look in his eyes told her things were gonna be ok again. Ars sat up, stared at all three of us in turn, and finally settled his Gaze on Rudy after pausing on me for a few moments. The gaze he shared with me was one of longing, and sweetness, yet there was also loss, and acceptance in it as well. As for the fixture he had with Rudeus, it was one of respect, guilt, fear, and anger, but underneath it all there was still an underlying sentiment of love carrying them.

"Before we go home, you three probably want to hear about my reasons for running away, and the incident that caused it all don't you?" Lesser spirits would say things like this while looking past the other party, or while turning from the pressure. But Ars faced us head on. "But before that… do you mind healing me first?"

Rudeus didn't even hesitate, he stuck his arm out, and used a chantless healing spell on Ars. Slowly, Ars's face was regaining back his shape. The broken nose had been back in place, the bruises had disappeared, and the blood was gone. When the chant was done, Ars sat in silence. It looks to me that he's trying to figure out the right words to say. He's trying his best, he doesn't want to mess up. It's okay Ars, you can do it.

Before I could say that…

"Well, come on already. Spill it, what's on your mind?", Eris-nee said, looking very impatient. Ars rubbed the back of his head, looking irritated. "Jeez, even after a year, you're still impatient as always. I've thought you've grown up or something. " Eris-nee had a reddish black aura surrounding her, "what was that you little punk?" Instantly, Ars put his hands between his legs and started shaking, "n-nothing mother, I swear!" The aura disappeared from Eris, "that's what I thought, now explain."

"Love… When I was younger, I never knew what love really meant. That was until mom gave me this sword. -use this to protect those important to you- That's what you said. Though I still didn't fully understand my feelings at the time, that's when I finally began understanding. That's when everything became clear. What's the difference between those you care about, and who you love? What is love? Mom, Dad, Aisha-nee… The day, I received this sword was the day I knew I had fallen for you, and that day was the day my heart was thrown into absolute turmoil. " Ars stared at me with the same look as last time, but the feelings had grown in potency. There was a serious edge to it.

"To love someone you could never hold the way you wish, to live in denial , to desire something so close yet out of your reach, to long for, to love, and hate, to impose, and feel guilt, to destroy, and build… it was so painful. " He stared at me with such intensity. I could feel Ars reach into my soul, and impart a piece of his own thoughts into it. I knew exactly how he felt. This was the same way I had looked at Rudeus. "I loved you Aisha-nee, but dad took you away from me. Yet the more I yearned for you, the guiltier I felt, and the more hate consumed me. I couldn't forgive dad, nor could I forgive me for thinking, and doing all the things I did, or thought. Whenever I layed in bed with you, it was absolute heaven, but underneath it all was an absolute hell.! That day when I caught the two of you in that room, was the day everything had finally snapped. I couldn't take it anymore! It was too much for me... " He switched his gaze from me to Rudeus. "I'm sorry for hitting you dad. It was just all too much. And after that… I couldn't bear living with any of you anymore. Nor could I properly face myself. So I ran. I ran, and ran. And I kept on running. I threw away the only life I ever knew, and found myself wandering into a new one full of grey days." Another soft chuckle escaped him "But after destroying it all. Nothing changed. In freeing myself from this prison I entered another one. But I kept going. I kept going, and fought. I fought to find myself. And I think… today, I finally have." He looked at all three of us one more time. "I think i'm finally ready to return home."

I was speechless, even Rudeus and Eris-nee were at a loss for words. To think Ars thought of me that way, I never really knew. I was so absorbed into being Rudeus's wife that I never considered Ars's true feelings. There was a time where he would cling to me when Rudy was around, but I never really thought of it. I just assumed he wanted to play, but that wasn't really the case. All this time, he was hurting, and all I did was ignore his pain. I'm such a bad mother… I'm just…

No.

If I keep thinking like that, it sounds like I regret marrying Rudeus. I don't regret it, not one bit. If I didn't marry Rudeus, I would never get to see Asher and Ruby. Even if I did know, me and Ars would've talked it out, maybe we would've come to an understanding. We can still have that conversation, even now.

I kneel next to Ars, and pull him closer into my chest, hugging him. He didn't resist, instead, he relaxed into my embrace. Thinking about it, if me and Rudeus never married, I would've maybe liked to be with Ars if he continued with his clinginess. It may sound wrong, but it's just a thought. Ars has always been in a special place in my heart, since he was born.

We hugged for a while before finally pulling away.

"Come on, there's somebody I want you to meet." I stood up, then held my hand towards Ars. He looks at my hand for a second before accepting it. He pulled himself up and was now standing. He has gotten taller.

I held his hand a bit tighter, and proceeded to walk towards the rising sun, where the Holy Land of the Mills Continent was.

To where the Corps building was.

To where the teleportation circles were.

To where home is.

Ars didn't resist yet again, and followed. He didn't bother picking up his sword. Soon, Eris-nee and Rudeus followed after, and we finally went back home.

We were bringing our son home.

Fin.

Thank you for Reading Mushoku Tensei: Sibling Affair. It has been a long journey but I'm glad it's finished. Thank you so much for sticking around. I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoyed making it, it was fun. Please, do let me know what you think. Thank you again, and as always, see ya. Have a good night.-JJ :)