Chapter 1776: Composite
Deciding it would be best to just ask those who would be affected, Vahn interrupted the seemingly never-ending training of Roger, Ichigo, Madara, and Goku; gathering the four together in Madara's manor to ask their opinion.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Roger, seemingly offended by Vahn's words, crossed his arms and retorted, "You think too little of us. I won't speak for these three, but I don't need the mercy of having a wife created for me. Love is something that should blossom through effort, not something that should be 'forced' by circumstance!"
Hearing Roger's response, Vahn found himself at a loss for words, allowing Madara to add in his deep and resonating tone, "You are misunderstanding something. We are not you. Our path might stem from yours, but it is ultimately ours to walk. When you create a Template that stems from your love, you are not forcing them to love you back. Though the seeds for affection may be sewn even before they are given flesh, it is your desire to love them, not force them, that guarantees them the right to happiness. By creating women with the intention of providing for us, you are removing that freedom of choice entirely...you are forcing the situation just to make things easier for yourself..."
Since everything said in Madara's voice just sounded 'right', even when he said complete nonsense, Vahn found himself at even more of a loss, turning to Ichigo and Goku with a questioning gaze. In response, the former adopted a serious expression of his own as he stated, "I agree with Roger and Madara. Though I feel a strong compulsion to protect and cherish women like Orihime and Senna, I would never ask for either of them to be created for my personal convenience. Besides, even if they were to be brought into this world, I wouldn't actually be saving them...they would not be the same women buried within our memories..."
With his hand clutching at his chest, Ichigo showed a pained expression on his face. Compared to Roger, whose spouse wasn't really a key figure, and Madara, who didn't marry in more than 90% of the source material that Vahn read, Ichigo had a number of potential, significant, love interests. The woman Senna was a good example of someone that Vahn would have done everything in his power to save, and, due to his influence on Ichigo's Template, the man clearly had a soft spot for the non-existent woman who suffered from a heartbreakingly tragic fate.
Unable to read the mood, Goku didn't seem to notice Ichigo's plight in the slightest, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head and jokingly stated, "I don't think it would be a good idea to create a template of Chi-Chi. I just barely started my training so I'd like to avoid being nagged before I even get a chance to fight against someone strong!"
Hearing Goku's words, the somewhat sullen atmosphere quickly lightened as everyone understood what the man was trying to convey. After all, they drew from Vahn's knowledge and experience, so, while Chi-Chi was undoubtedly an amazing woman in her own right, it was an inviolable truth that she was also the source of a lot of stress and drama. Her ludicrous desire to make Goku work like a normal person, despite him being one of the few surviving members of his race and one of the only people capable of protecting their universe, constantly put everyone's lives in danger. She was also a control freak who ruined the potentials of both her sons and daughter, the first of which, Gohan, was stated to have the greatest potential in their entire Record...
Imagining how Chi-Chi would behave, especially if she acted in accordance with his perception of her, a shudder ran through Vahn's body as he issued an awkward chuckle of his own. Then, with a slightly troubled expression on his face, he asked, "So, what do you think I should do then? Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast with Yoruichi, Hinata, and Mira, but I can't just create a bunch of women who are practically guaranteed to harbor some degree of affection towards me...it isn't an issue for now, but I feel like things will get out of hand pretty quickly if I don't come up with some kind of solution."
As if he was a father listening to the complaints of his son, Madara responded to Vahn's concerns with a tired sigh, shaking his head in exasperation before saying, "It's best not to think about it. If you create them in a similar manner as us, the women will maintain their independence and seek out partners for themselves. The real problem here is that you have a possessive nature, so, even if you harbor no malicious intentions, it is easier for you to imagine being with them yourself rather than allowing them to wander in the same way as us. You have an instinctual desire to protect and cherish them personally, even though there are countless people outside of this place who would willingly die to protect some of the Templates you are capable of creating."
For the third time in a few minutes, Vahn was completely taken aback, stunned by the implication contained within Madara's words. He suddenly felt like his skin had become clammy, and, though he didn't actually sweat, Vahn felt like a layer of filth had covered his body.
Realizing that he did, indeed, have a double-standard regarding his Templates, Vahn habitually combed through his hair as he imagined one of the characters he was interested in roaming the Tower and falling in love with a man he had never met. The thought made him feel uncomfortable, yet, when he imagined his male Templates doing the exact same thing, he felt no apprehension at all.
The problem wasn't simply that he was 'possessive', though that was obviously a major component, it was that he passively absorbed the knowledge and experiences of his Templates. Though it wasn't at the forefront of his thoughts, all of the information was stored within the vast archive of his mind. He could even 'recall' the experiences of his Templates, seeing and experiencing the world through their perspective with the same ease he would recall his own memories.
Vahn had no trouble imagining himself with countless women, but, when the roles were reversed, he felt extremely uncomfortable imagining Templates derived from his Innate sleeping with other men. This was why he instinctually came up with the solution of 'pairing' his Templates with each other, as, within the deepest recesses of his mind, it was a lot easier to accept them being with the people he had 'chosen' rather than entrusting them to complete strangers. There was also a chance that one of his female Templates would encounter some extreme 'misfortune' at the hands of some vile and sadistic scumbag, a notion that filled Vahn with rage just imagining...
Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, Madara released another sigh while Roger, despite the perpetual grin on his face, adopted a serious expression as he said, "You are too focused on being in control. Bad things happen. Just accept it and move on with your life. Being afraid of things that have yet to transpire is ridiculous. Besides, even if something terrible were to happen, we can just draw and quarter the asshole. That's assuming the lass you created doesn't beat us to the punch! Guwahahahahahaha~!"
Though he normally couldn't help but laugh along with Roger, the man's laughter was extremely infectious, the best Vahn could offer at the present moment was a wry smile. This smile promptly turned into a mask of incredulity, however, when Madara suddenly snorted, surprising everyone present as his body morphed into that of a woman. Then, in a deep yet feminine tone, she asked, "Are you going to start worrying about me now? Really, you can be such a fool at times. Even if we receive Names, we still retain our ability to change at will. If something 'were' to happen, why would one of your Templates just allow it? Stop worrying over nothing and allow your creations the same freedom you enjoy. After all, we are a part of you."
Seemingly done with the conversation, Madara rose to 'her' feet, departing the room while yawning loudly. This left the trio sitting within the room rather speechless, Vahn, in particular, staring with his mouth hanging open as he internally remarked, ("I know I wanted my version of Madara to be more understanding and thoughtful of others, but this is a little ridiculous...")
Even if he wasn't speaking directly to her, that didn't stop Sis from answering, (*You can't deny she makes a good point. Though you have stopped holding back quite a bit, there are a few things that you needlessly harp over. The situation with Naruto is just one example, as, regardless of your own views on the matter, you didn't steal Hinata away from him. Rather, the Template you created isn't the real Naruto, much like the Hinata sleeping in your bed. With your power, you could even make a female version of Naruto with Uchiha blood, vibrant crimson hair, and literally nine-tails. So long as you can imagine it, there is no limit to your ability to create a Template.*)
With the ability to, quite literally, create perfect three-dimensional representations of people within his mind, Vahn couldn't help imagine the version of Naruto that Sis had just described. It almost felt wrong, but, after instinctively creating a spirited beauty with vulpine traits in his imagination, a wry smile spread across Vahn's face as he shook the image from his mind like an etch-and-sketch. Even if he were to make a composite Template, he wasn't going to start with someone like 'Naruko', so, after bidding farewell to Ichigo, Goku, and Roger, Vahn teleported back to the 8th Layer in order to conduct some 'research' alongside Mira, Yoruichi, and Hinata...
---
Proving why he should listen to Sis' advice, Vahn's [Universal Mind] ended up increasing to D-Rank after his successful attempt at creating a 'unique' Template; determining everything from the shape and personality of his creation within his mind. As a result, he was currently seated in front of two exceptionally adorable entities, both appearing near-identical except for their general color scheme.
The first figure, smiling radiantly as she got her head caressed, had pure white hair that was tied up into adorable twin-tails. Her center-most bangs were a reddish-pink in color, contrasting the vibrant blue of her twin brother. She also had golden eyes that sparkled with innocence, and, though they appeared to be part of her Japanese-style garb, there were two winged appendages growing from her lower back, vaguely resembling the tails of a ribbon.
Similar to his sister, the second figure was also enjoying having his head caressed. Unfortunately, though he didn't seem to mind in the slightest, he was the second Template created by Vahn, so, despite being male, he had very androgynous features. He even wore a long-sleeved kimono top, paired with a blue skirt and blue leggings that contrasted the reddish-pink of his sister. This gave him a very adorable appearance, but, unlike the uncorrupted innocence contained within his sister's golden eyes, the boy had a glimmer of confidence in his ruby-red irises, even as he enjoyed having his head caressed.
Though he had the impression that he had just opened Pandora's Box, Vahn had an affectionate smile on his faces as he said, "You can return to your original forms now..."
Following Vahn's orders, the duo was promptly surrounded by light as they transformed into two equally adorable creatures that vaguely resembled jet planes. The upper portion of their bodies was predominately white while the lower portion, differentiating between the male and female, was blue and red. The fronts of their faces, almost like they were wearing visors, were the same color as their lower bodies except for a small patch of white at the very front. As for their remaining features, they had pointed ears that were extremely soft to the touch, angular wings that resembled those of a jet fighter, two fin-like flaps for feet, and fluffy butts that served a similar function as tail feathers.
Vahn felt that the duo was actually more adorable in these forms, but, rather than voice this aloud, he allowed the two to nuzzle against them, chuckling lightly as he stroked their impeccably soft fur and said, "I have high hopes for the two of you, Latias, Latios..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Double-Standards','Madara laying down the logic','Tapping into an Innate's true potential')
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