Chapter 33: D.E.M vs Yggdrasil Part 3: Inversion

I don't own Date a Live or the characters in it. Anything I use is property of the owner. Other references will also appear. I take no ownership of these references and I'm thrilled to use them.

RECAP: (Cheerful voice) Yo everybody it's nice to see you. You may not have met be before but I'm Miku's assistant Clarissa. Last time Miku learned the truth about D.E.M and about that Shido kids intentions for her. Meanwhile outside the AST faltered after Shido revealed that the plan to protect Miku was a lie all in all things were pretty boring. When they finally arrived at D.E.M a fun surprise was waiting for Miku and Shido… ME. Let's see what happens next.

CHAPTER 33: START

"It can't be! Clarissa, why are you here?" Miku said shocked. After everything that had happened, the fact her manager was here was a massive blow.

"God you're clueless. Your assistant was a spy for D.E.M the whole time. I would've thought that was obvious by now" C.C said dully. She couldn't believe that somebody was that stupid.

"But why? Why would you do that to me?" Miku said still upset.

"Aww, come on Miku, the spirit just told you that it was my job. I was sent to your side so D.E.M could monitor you and eventually take you out. I thought it would be tough considering you were an idol, but it was easier than I thought. Luckily you had that distrust of men and I'm your type." Clarissa laughed maniacally.

"Wow, you're harsh." Shido said comically.

"You know, I must admit I'm actually shocked myself Yggdrasil. I figured you would've fucked her already and be done with her. Though I must say, I did enjoy when your friend here tied Miku up. That made for some incredible viewing" Clarissa said coldly.

"Wait! How do you know about that?" Miku said shocked.

"Well, I taped it. I must admit I watched the whole time as Woah!" Clarissa continued to tease but was attacked by C.C

"I enjoy a good teasing make no mistake, but man you're something else. Hell, I bet you're the one who set up the attack at the office." C.C said impressed. She had to admit the savagery was a rare sight.

"Yep, though that damn shield got in our way. Geez, it would've all been over if not for that."

"What did you say?" Miku said almost in disbelief. Hearing the one woman she trusted above all. The only women she didn't use her power on had betrayed her like that was too much.

"You heard me, Miku. I was the one who told Ellen to bring him here. I figured before we kill you and steal your power you'd get one final performance. Damn shame that Yggdrasil was so clever." Clarissa said in an almost odd ecstasy.

"No, no, no this can't be true. You of all people betraying me. I trusted you. The one person I wouldn't use my power on." Miku said beginning to freak out. This betrayal was the one thing she never imagined.

"Is she okay?" Shido said beginning to get worried.

"No, she's not. Remember how I told you things would end very badly if you brought her with us. I believe we have a problem." C.C said nervously. All of the sudden a dark purple energy began to seep out of Miku's body and the energy around her surged. So much so that even Shido was beginning to worry.

"Well crap this won't end well." Shido said nonchalantly

(Outside)

Mana was panting hard as the battle with Jessica was nearing her completion. "Hah! Wow Jessica, you're certainly tough." Mana said feeling defeated. This was an intense battle and she was glad to see it come to an end.

Jessica didn't look much better; both girls had taken their share of blows. "Well Mana, I'll give you this…." Jessica started to say but both girls saw the explosion around the tower.

"What the hell's going on Kotori? Is big brother okay?" Mana said worriedly.

"I don't know if he's okay. For some reason I can't see what's going on." Kotori said worried.

Mana tried to find out more but was stopped by a frantic Kurumi. "Mana, we need to leave now! Things are about to get dangerous!" Kurumi said worriedly. The spirit had an idea at what happened, and if she was right they had to leave immediately.

"Why? My brother is in there. If things are bad I should be with him!" Mana complained.

"Trust me, I know the feeling. Shido is extremely important to me and leaving him as things are is a bad idea. However we're better off leaving." Kurumi insisted. 'I hope I'm wrong. I think that idol is about to have an inversion'

Mana could see the look of fear in Kurumi's eyes, something which shocked her. After all they were enemies for a long time and she was never this worried. "Alright Kurumi, but if Shido dies I'm totally killing you." Mana huffed as she and the other spirits returned to Ratatoskr.

(Inside)

As the energy around Miku swarmed, C.C turned to Ellen with a harsh scowl. "I just realized what your plan is. You wanted to lure us here and then use Miku to fight us and then steal our crystals."

"Yep, you got it. Ideally I would already be gone. Though I think I'll take my leave now. Good luck, Yggdrasil" Ellen said as she activated her pilot's suit and flew away.

"Wait, Lady Ellen!" Clarissa pleaded. Unfortunately Clarissa couldn't move thanks to Ellen activating something on her gear trapping her in the room.

"Hmph, serves you right, Clarissa. The betrayer gets betrayed after all" Shido said smirking. He was annoyed Ellen got away but figured he'd have another chance to crush her.

"Uhh! Idiot! Now's not the time for taunts. That purple energy is gonna make her mind control even stronger, and considering her hatred for men who do you think she'll target first." C.C cursed. She quickly activated her Astral dress making sure she was ready to leave.

"You have a point. We can deal with her buddy later." Shido said activating his dress. As he watched the energy come together he was frowning for one of the few times in his life.

The purple energy finally came together and Shido and C.C were left with quite the sight. Miku had appeared, but her cheerful appearance seemed to change. Her Astral dress had darkened from a light blue and yellow mix to a dark aqua. You could see the rage in her eyes having gone from a light blue to a dark black. Her cold eyes turned towards her former assistant and Clarissa was doomed.

"So Clarissa, are you ready for your punishment?" Miku said coldly. Clarissa could see the smoldering rage and she knew she was finished. Turning towards Shido she knew there was only one way to save herself.

"Hey Yggdrasil, listen, if you help me now I'll make it worth your while. I can give you D.E.M! I can give you anything! Just save me!" Clarissa begged.

Shido pondered it for a moment wondering if it was worth it. Clarissa was toast and he knew it. "Yeah….nope. I'll let you face your punishment."

"Traitor!" Clarissa yelled.

"Siren!" Miku yelled as appearing from behind her wasn't the piano she was used to, but an image of a large mermaid. "Control!" Miku said once again. The mermaid opened her mouth and a powerful voice emerged.

"Barrier time!" Shido said quickly. He knew that even he would have trouble resisting this new wave of power. C.C had the same thought activating a barrier of electricity that shielded the pair from harm. Ironically enough, it was the same barrier that was used to protect Miku from her attacker. Clarissa however wasn't so lucky.

"What is your command, Lady Miku?" The young woman said with a dull voice. The mind control had worked and now it was time for her punishment.

"The old man you tried to send me to. Go to him tell him that you will be his new slave and do as he wishes. This command will never end" Miku said coldly. Some might consider it cold, but Shido and C.C were not among them. As she walked away Shido looked on amused.

"Hmm, that's pretty light. I expected you to kill her." C.C said smirking. The fact Miku somehow retained her sanity was a surprise to the avatar of the spirits.

"Hmm, C.C, is there something you're not telling me? Her power is definitely stronger than before" Shido said nervously.

"Yes. That form she's in. It's referred to as an inversion. All the spirits have them, including us. Though in our case, Yggdrasil himself would stop it long before we went berserk." C.C said smirking.

"I see. That's why she looks so different and why her power suddenly bothers me"

"That's right. The darker the emotions, the more power she gains. Though I didn't expect she would be able to keep her sanity." C.C said nervously.

"So you know what awaits you if we continue?" Miku said coldly.

"Well, if you could actually get to me, perhaps. This barrier is the same one that I used to protect you. Sadly my dear, you're out of options." C.C responded.

"Yes, but not those girls out there. My power can get to them easily." Miku said calmly.

"Enough of this nonsense; how about we make a deal Miku." Shido said calmly. If things continued Miku would have an army of spirits at her disposal. That would be a problem

"I'm listening." Miku said still coldly. She finally had the young man where she wanted him.

"Use your power against me. If I resist it, you give up. If I don't, well obviously you control me and you can do as you please." Shido said smiling.

"Are you daft? She controls you and it's all over. Shido, you must be insane!" C.C said nervously. She knew the young man was bonkers but this was insane. If it was her she'd be fine since in addition to Yggdrasil her own mental energy was far greater. If she managed to control him everybody was finished.

"C.C, its fine. I'll deal with Miku and it will protect the others. We've come this far and as long as you're there, the girls will survive."

"You idiot! This is your life we're talking about! It's not worth it for one girl!" C.C yelled.

"ENOUGH! Just do it C.C and I'll see you girls later." Shido said confidently.

"Fine, but if I don't see you in two hours, I'm taking back master's power and dealing with her myself."

"Fine fine just go already." Shido said smiling as C.C left leaving the two alone to talk.

"Boy, are you insane? Your mental power isn't good enough. I can boost you but not enough to resist her spell." Yggdrasil cursed. This was recklessness on a whole new level.

'It will be fine, Yggdrasil. In truth, C.C's actions are part of my plan.' Shido replied. He knew that things were going to end badly for him otherwise. He couldn't risk the girls and figured giving himself up was the way to go.

"Alright then, it's time to go." Miku said coldly. Turning to the young man she activated her power again. "Control!" Miku shouted. As the familiar mermaid appeared Shido knew that if he was right about Miku he had one chance. If this plan failed he was a slave. 'Well this will be fun.' Shido thought. He felt the sound wave appear and he knew that now the only question left was what would Miku ask him? When the sound wave struck the familiar took control over him.

"Hmm….it seems my control has worked." Miku wondered what she would ask but then she thought for a moment. The other girl seemed more powerful and it was a surprise that the young man allowed her to leave. Even more so that he would make sure that the others were safe; after all he seemed more concerned about the others. Nothing about him made sense to the jaded idol. So now the time had come. What would she ask?

"I'm going to ask you one question, and I want you to answer it as honestly as you can."

"Very well, Lady Miku." Shido said calmly the dull look in his eyes.

"Those other girls that are spirits, how did you get them to join you?" Miku asked calmly.

"They did it willingly. Although each of them had issues, I helped each of them to resolve it." Shidou admitted.

"That's not possible. Tell me more." Miku said stunned. Shidou went on to explain his past with the others girls and Miku sat stunned at the explanation.

"Impossible, how could one man do all of that but treat me so coldly?" Miku said beginning to freak out.

"It was because I needed a way to get to your heart. If I was going to take your power, I needed to charm you and that wasn't going to happen once I realized who you were. It's not my style normally but it had to be done" Shido said honestly.

"So wait, you mean that time where you controlled me…." Miku pleaded.

"That was meant to rile you up further. I must admit I was annoyed when you used D.E.M against you, but I still wouldn't stoop low enough to truly manipulate you or steal your powers forcefully."

Miku was shocked. All of his actions, as cold as they were, were all a ruse. She watched him and her eyes seemed to waver. "You're lying. You're lying. You must be lying!" Miku said calmly.

"Why would I lie? Remember what I told you before. I could take your power anytime I wanted. However I wouldn't go that far. It would make me no better than the producer who tried to defile you. My manipulation only pushed you but never broke you. I would've thought that was obvious." Shido said calmly. Little by little Shido was beginning to regain control thanks to Miku wavering.

"Why!? Why!? You're lying once again!" Miku said confused. All of her emotions were in turmoil. The young man had her.

"You had full control over me. No manipulation. I couldn't lie even if I wanted to. At least until now" Shido said with a smile. Having regained control he knew that everything was going exactly as he planned.

"One more question." Miku said coldly again. Her power had faded and she wanted to know just one more thing.

"Fine, then tell me what do you want." Shido said calmly. It was obvious to him that his plan had worked.

"You said before you wanted my powers. If I give them to you now, will we ever meet again?" Miku said calmly. There was a nervousness and desperation in her voice that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"That's completely up to you. I've told you many times, I want your power and that's it. Once I have them you can move on and you'd never see me again. I wouldn't reveal what I know about you or blackmail you. All you want to do is produce music and I respect that." Shido said smiling.

Somehow those words were the last straw. Miku finally managed to regain control of her emotions and the purple energy vanished. Shido looked on comically as the idol returned to normal and collapsed on the ground.

"Such a troublesome idol. C.C was right I should've just taken it" Shido said laughing. Somehow everything had worked out and this battle with D.E.M had gone in his favor. Just another day at the office.

That's it for Chapter 33. I hope everybody liked Miku's inversion. It was a weird resolution to the arc but I felt as though it was the most interesting thing to do. Miku using her power to question Shido made sense to me considering everything that happened. After all, her distrust of men and her actions was a crucial part of her whole story. Well, next chapter the Miku arc comes to an end.