A/N: Hello guys! It's been a month since the announcement and the poll. If you don't remember, I will retype it a bit:
You see, because of this fic's similarity to the DAL games, as well as Rinne's and Rio's appearance, more and more people suggest me to summon characters like Maria, Marina and even Mayuri in.
I'm basically asking of your opinion in the matter. Should I add them or not? I don't care whether you tell me through reviews or PMs, just tell me your honest opinion.
I'll give you a bit of information before that though:
1. I will NOT add Maria. As far as I'm concerned, she is already in the story, as AI in the new Fraxinus. I don't know the author's intentions with her, and I'm not taking liberties with her.
2. Marina is a fair game. I can add her if I want, since her origin is really flexible.
3. Mayuri is also a fair game. No, actually, I really want her to appear here.
Time to close it, and the new update! Remember that I won't announce the result, ask me personally if you want to know the results, or just check my profile. Check out the updated early chapters as well!
I'm sorry for the one-month long hiatus, since I was busy with college stuffs (the usual early orientation hell). Even now I barely have any time to write, although I managed to write a one-shot for RWBY during this one month.
Note: I never owned DAL, nor the song that I'm using for this chapter. All credits should go to their respective owners.
Now time for Chapter 9, "The Date at Last, Part I".
It was almost dawn. The sun had just begun to rise, embracing the world with its warmth.
It was just what Rinne needed, after a long, cold night.
In the graveyard Rinne had come to like, the Ruler Spirit, in her usual transparent blouse, was staring against the brightening horizon, sitting under a large tree.
Rinne had always loved sunrise. It marked the beginning of a new day, a new cycle. Another day for her to plow through.
It also helped her ease her nerves.
"Are you really that nervous, partner?"
The sound came from her trusted timekeeper.
Kurumi -clad in her black Lolita dress- sat right behind her, their bodies leaning against each other, Rinne's back against Kurumi's.
Rinne liked the feeling it gave. It was comforting, to feel someone leaning on her like that. It reminded her of one thing.
"That I'm not alone."
"Yes, I am nervous. This will be my first date..." Rinne whispered.
"Really." Kurumi chuckled. "You are modest."
"I can't help it. I didn't get a chance to date anyone as a human, and I certainly don't have any after I received [Cassiel]..."
"And neither did I. Don't worry, Shido-san can handle it."
"I know he can handle it." Rinne sighed. "What I'm not sure is whether or not I can handle it."
"Fufufu... you worry too much." Kurumi snickered. "It's just a date. What's the worst that can happen?"
"AST, DEM, or even another Spirit... so many things could go wrong." Rinne listed.
"There's no need to bother yourself with such trivial matters. This is your date, relax. I will personally ensure that you get to enjoy it." Kurumi smirked.
Rinne widened her eyes a bit, understanding what Kurumi meant.
"...Thanks."
"You've been saying that a lot recently."
Rinne chuckled. Yes, Kurumi was right. Since last night, since yesterday.
Since she met Shido, face-to-face.
"Maybe Shido is infecting my head."
The Nightmare Spirit giggled creepily at that. Suddenly, Rinne felt uncomfortable.
Stifling her laughter, Kurumi spoke.
"Well, if you are really grateful, I want you to do something for me during your date."
"Hmm?" Rinne raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Oh," Kurumi's tone became sarcastic, "you will like it."
"...Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"It's because you have a sharp instinct."
"Papa? Where are you?"
Shido could barely manage to hold his laughter as he heard Rio's sing-song voice from the distance.
Being unable to sleep, Shido spent the rest of his early morning hours playing with his supposed daughter. They had been playing all kinds of games, from the simple tic-tac-toe to the game arcades that Ratatoskr provided.
Now, they were playing hide-and-seek.
"Rio is looking for Papa, Rio is looking for Papa~"
Although Shido couldn't see it, hiding behind a sofa, he could picture Rio running around looking for him, which she would no doubt, in a few more moments.
Shido was enjoying this. The game turned out to be much more fun than he thought at first. From Rio's helplessness at doing simple things, her child-like innocence and curiosity.
Shido loved every part of it. He loved every part of her.
"Papa! There you are!"
"Oh, you found me!"
"Yay!"
The little girl jumped at him, hanging on Shido's shoulders as her face was muffled to his chest.
"Rio found Papa!" Rio said, gazing up to smile at Shido.
"Good girl." Shido returned the curve.
Shido then gently put her back on her feet, and crouched to level his eyes on hers.
"Now then, what should we play next?"
To his surprise, Rio shook her head.
"Papa, it's almost time for breakfast."
"Oh, right..."
Shido took out his phone and glanced at the clock. Indeed, it was 5.30 A.M, about time for him to return.
It suddenly bugged him, though. "How did Rio know that it's time for me to return?"
Did they pass by a clock?
Shido decided to ignore it, as he had a more pressing issue to talk about.
"Rio?"
"Yes, Papa?"
"I'm about to return home and go for school... would you, you know, return inside me for a while? I don't want the others to see you, just yet."
"Okay! If that's what Papa wanted. But, Papa?"
"Yes?"
"May Rio... talk to Mama?"
Shido froze. It literally didn't cross his mind, the idea of Rio meeting Rinne.
"Oh right... what would she feel about this?"
Shido could only imagine how awkward it would be.
To have someone who called herself your child, all while you were dating someone you hadn't even married to.
"No! That's just... weird."
He was about to say 'no' but-
"Please?"
Rio came closer to him, her voice pleading, her eyes staring with hope.
...That was just unfair.
"Could anyone with a heart even refuse, seeing that?"
"Okay... you may."
"Yay!"
Rio bounced in place happily, completely ignoring his internal thoughts.
"Well, it's not like Rinne would mind... I hope."
"Hmm, hmm! So this is Papa's house!"
Rio's voice continued to echo in his head as Shido finally arrived to the empty Itsuka household.
Which Shido enjoyed, actually.
"Welcome home, Rio!" He tried to think cheerfully - was that even a thing, though?
He felt a mental equivalent to a squeal. "Yes! Rio's home!"
Shido glanced at the clock. 6.00 A.M. Time to prepare for breakfast.
As he stood before the kitchen, Shido began to consider his options.
"Hmm... what would they want?"
"Maybe they would want Udon?"
"Early in the morning? Maybe not..."
"Um... Onigiri?"
After Shido and Rio silently discussed for a few minutes, they finally decided to settle for Soba noodles.
As Shido wore the apron and began to take out the ingredients, he cracked his knuckles.
He shouted as loud as he could in his mind. "Let's do this!"
"Yeah!"
For some reason, Shido could feel Rio raising imaginary fists at that spirited answer.
"Phew..."
As he finished preparing the dish for everyone, Shido was resting on one of the numerous chairs on the dining table.
"Are you tired, Papa?"
"Ha ha, of course no. I've been through worse."
Recalling the training he was subjected to by Kotori, Shido laughed at the back of his mind.
Of course, Rio too could now see it.
"Um... Papa, did you go through all of this?"
"I'd rather not think about it..."
Before he could continue, however, a pair of hands closed his eyes from behind.
"Wha...?"
He couldn't see anything, but Shido was able to tell who was holding him from behind.
The skin was soft, and her touch was warm. Shido knew a lot of girls like that, but only four who would have the nerve to do this.
One was hospitalized. Another didn't know that he was here. That left only two.
One of the two was loud and couldn't sneak up on him. That left only one.
"O-Origami!? Where did you pop out from?"
"What do you mean? I came through the front door."
Origami sounded as calm as ever, but he didn't believe her for a second.
"That's clearly a lie!"
"As expected from Shido. He is sharp."
"Why do you suddenly sound so proud!?"
The girl didn't reply and removed her hands from his eyes, and instead gently held Shido's cheeks.
Shido could feel heat building up within his body, but he decided not to give in and continued.
"So, uh... Origami, why don't you sit down and have your breakfast?" Shido gestured to the noodles.
To his surprise, Origami didn't respond. She stayed in place, behind Shido's chair. Out of his sight.
Noticing something was wrong, Shido spoke.
"What's wrong, Origami?"
She didn't reply. Instead, Origami asked back.
"Will you be okay?"
Origami's hoarse voice startled Shido.
"Eh?!"
Instinctively, Shido wanted to stand up and turn around to see her, but that moment, he realized the hands holding his cheeks were trembling.
"Answer me, Shido... will you be okay?"
He could feel his heart being wrenched at her pleading tone.
"Wait, what do you…" Shido paused.
Shido couldn't answer that, just yet. He needed to know why and how Origami became like that.
"Eh…?"
Origami uttered with a surprised tone, as Shido held her hands in turn.
"Origami. Let me go." Shido asked, his tone firm.
The girl became silent for a moment, hesitating. However, in a few moments, she reluctantly obliged.
Shido mentally prepared himself as he turned at Origami.
It was almost like a doll crying in sorrow.
The clear blue eyes Origami usually had was dark and tired. Her smooth, nearly reflective white hair was now messed up, and even her pajamas looked like it was crumpled.
Shido couldn't hide his surprise. "Answer me first, Origami. What happened?"
"I couldn't sleep, last night..." Origami rubbed her eyes.
"Why?"
"I was worried about you..."
Suddenly guilt filled his heart. Shido presumed that all the girls were asleep when he woke up near mid-night, hence why he decided not to visit them until now.
He forgot that they must be very worried about him.
Shido stared at Origami's tired eyes. Was she the only one that didn't sleep at all? What about the others? They were not soldiers, they might be even worse than Origami right now.
"Papa?" Rio said, concerned. "I sense discomfort..."
For once, Shido ignored Rio.
"What I was doing? While they were worried about me..."
Without giving her any warning, Shido pulled Origami to an embrace, gently holding her head against his chest.
"Shido...?" Origami whispered.
"I'm sorry, Origami. But I'm here now, I'm fine. Don't worry."
It was Shido's turn to gently stroke her hair. Although tense at first, eventually Origami relaxed and embraced him back.
"Thank you, Shido..."
He held Origami close to him like that until he could hear Origami's grumbling stomach.
After almost ten minutes, the blue-haired boy and the white-haired girl had finished their breakfast.
"This is good, Shido."
"Thank Kotori for that."
Origami smiled as Shido chuckled lightly, as both of them were eating in a slow, relaxed pace, savouring the now-cold noodles.
She was delighted. Even if it was not warm anymore, the taste more than made up for it.
After they were done, however, Shido suddenly faced her with another one of his serious expression.
"Origami, what about the others?"
Origami didn't need to be told what he meant. Of course, Shido was worried about the other girls.
"Yatogami Tohka, Yoshino and Natsumi slept as soon as we returned. Yamai seemed to fall asleep this morning while playing their video game. I don't know about Miku."
It honestly didn't sound good, and it wouldn't make Shido feel better at the least. However, Origami had absolutely no reason to lie to Shido.
As expected, Shido smiled bitterly.
"I hope they slept well..."
Origami didn't bother to comment on that.
"I will apologize to each of them later... as many times as it takes."
Shido sighed.
"Origami... I'm sorry, but I don't think I caught the meaning of your question just now."
The white-haired girl raised a brow this time. What did he mean?
Seeing her confused, Shido pressed his question.
"Ah. What do you mean, 'will you be okay'? I'm here, right before you. I'm okay."
Origami suppressed her discomfort.
She had wanted to talk about this when the other Spirits and perhaps Itsuka Kotori was around.
But, it seemed no time was better than now.
"Shido, I was talking about your date with Ruler after school."
At her statement, Shido sighed tiredly.
"Origami... not you, too. Kotori had already talked about this to me."
Origami frowned slightly.
"I'm not telling you to back out of it, Shido. Unlike your sister, I trust you more than I'm worried about you."
He narrowed his eyes. "But you aren't sure whether or not I'm going to be okay after this."
Origami flinched. "I... yes, I doubt it."
Shido sighed. "My decision doesn't change."
That statement somehow made her feel even more anxious.
"All of us are worried about your decision this time, Shido. After what we've seen last night. After what I've... experienced."
Origami had never truly felt fear until that moment, when she saw Sonogami Rinne's face.
She used to hate Spirits, and she was terrified of them... but not like that.
Spirits could be fought. As powerful as they were, they were comprehensible. Thus, they could be defeated.
Ruler wasn't anything she could 'comprehend'.
"Eh?"
Origami felt something squeezed her hand.
She looked down on the table. Shido was holding her hand.
"...Origami."
The sheer emotion in Shido's voice made Origami's mind halt.
"...Yes, Shido?"
Dumbfoundedly, Origami could only say that.
"I'm going to be okay."
Shido held her hand tighter. His brown eyes had whitened pupils, and was focused on her.
He was serious.
Origami loved that part of him. He could comfort her out of her worries, he could promise and not break it.
But Origami couldn't quite trust that, now.
"We will be there, Shido. We will watch over you."
Shido looked like he wanted to argue, but he decided against it.
Instead, he spoke in a gentle tone.
"If that will make you forgive me... I'm fine with it."
It was Origami's turn to hold Shido's hand with her other hand.
"Is that a promise, Shido?"
"It is a promise, Origami."
Origami looked onto his eyes for a moment, before she smiled warmly and let go of his hand.
As Shido returned the favor and let go of her hand, she continued.
"I think you should go to school." Origami noted.
"Eh?" Shido raised an eyebrow. "Why not wait for the others?"
Origami giggled lightly. "Shido... if you take your time to comfort the others like you did with me, all of us will be late for school."
Shido blushed at that. "O-oh... yeah."
"Go. If you are not here, we will not be late." Origami stated.
"You speak like I'm not wanted here." Shido chuckled.
"On the contrary," Origami smiled, "you are the best thing we ever have in our lives."
Origami could see Shido trying to hide his blushing cheeks as he walked up the stairs.
"I'm sorry, Rio... I didn't mean to ignore you like that."
Shido mentally apologized as he was cleaning himself in the bathroom.
Rio was almost showering Shido with questions of concern while he was talking with Origami, only silencing herself up after he embraced Origami.
Although it should be considered common courtesy for someone to not disturb them during such moments, Rio was still a child and therefore it was wrong for Shido to just ignore her.
Even if Origami's matter was concerning, he could have at least asked her to stay silent.
"It's fine, Papa. Rio understands!"
There was not the slightest sign of Rio being annoyed in her mental voice.
Shido smiled.
"That's my girl."
"Hum... Papa?"
"Yes?"
There was a pause, as if Rio was thinking for a moment.
"Will you do that for... Mama, too?"
Once again, Shido froze at Rio's question.
He knew what she meant. What he did with Origami.
It seemed Rio would often surprise him with ideas he never thought before.
"I'm afraid I can't promise anything like that, Rio."
"Hmm... that's too bad."
Rio continued to make small talks and comments as Shido finished his bath.
It was a snowy morning. The gloomy clouds of winter had filled the sky, and the sun's light was just enough for people to recognize that it was day.
Kurumi had left to watch over the city for her date. Now she was taking her time before the long awaited date with Shido.
As Rinne stood on Raizen High's rooftop, clad in her casual clothes, softly singing a song and gently strumming the strings of her lyre -part of Cassiel, her Angel- to pass the time.
While the moon and the stars are shining over me,
On a carpet where sparks of fire flutter, you, standing before my eyes,
Illuminated in a red hue, glared your radiant and resolute pupils.
Rinne didn't follow Japanese cultures all that much, but she was a fan of Japanese songs.
And unlike Kurumi, she was capable of singing them.
The sounds of our footsteps resound into the far distance.
I give you my words that I'll entrust you with my all.
We flap our wings and fly towards the future.
This song was one of her most favorite.
Because, while it depicted the story of two anime-specific characters, one could interpret the lyrics in multiple ways, multiple different stories.
After freeing each other from the ensnaring illusions of in-fighting,
If we're going on a journey, I will never let go of this hand again.
For someone like her...
Even now do you still remember vividly the moment
when we first met and looked into each other's eyes?
Even if we should be swallowed up by swirls of slumber,
our dream-the proof of our bond-will never disappear.
...for a life like hers...
As you rested your chin in your hands and smiled,
I felt an urge to protect you.
It took me a long time, but I eventually realized
that you were the reason of my existence.
...the lyrics were not exaggerating.
It was truth in the form of words.
We fly into the sky where lustrous snow precipitates,
cuddling together like the waning moon and the stars.
Our story, sketched by the two of us,
will continue forever from this point on.
As she reached the end of the first chorus, Rinne decided to stop.
Something was there. Someone was listening.
"What do you want...?"
Rinne whispered.
"Hmm..."
The responding voice wasn't a physical sound.
It reached her ears directly without vibrating, not unlike the fate-altering music [Dance with Destiny] her Cassiel produced.
It came from [Phantom], who stood right behind her. Rinne didn't need her eyes to know she was there.
"So you finally decided to come for him... why does it take you so long?"
Rinne sighed at that question. It was rhetorical and pointless.
"I don't need to explain it, do I? You are supposed to be the 'mother' of us, Spirits... you know me."
"Ha ha ha."
The Phantom let out a distorted laugh.
"True enough. I do understand why."
"..."
The Ruler honestly didn't know how to deal with Phantom. On one hand, she was too mysterious, too secretive to be related with. Even Kurumi told her that she didn't need to be polite whenever she was around.
On the other hand, she was the one who gave her and Kurumi their Angels. Rinne was grateful for that, and it was simply against her nature for Rinne to selectively hate someone.
"Well then, I wish you good luck."
The Phantom was just about to leave before Rinne decided to speak.
"Why do you sympathize with me?" Rinne broke her silence. "You always seem to mock Kurumi for what she wanted. Why do you wish me a good luck?"
Rinne turned around, and gazed at the figure covered in mosaics. It seemed to be affected by her words.
"A naive girl who wishes to change the world and a foolish girl who seeks the forbidden fruit. I wonder which one should I pity more."
"...Why do you always refer to what I seek as the forbidden fruit?"
"Because it is. You are better off living in ignorance than to know about your connection to that man."
Rinne was deep in thought. It was always like that. The Phantom would leave her cryptic messages, clues that would leave her confused.
Did the enigmatic entity truly care for her, or was she trying to stop her for her own reasons?
"You know everything about us. Why hiding it?"
"Let me correct you, there."
The Phantom's tone suddenly raised.
"I know everything about you, but not exactly everything about him."
The entity then shrugged, as if she wanted her to process that for a moment.
"And no, I'm not hiding things from either of you, or anyone for that matter. I just have no reason to tell any of you the truth."
"But you are not telling us even if we asked." Rinne noted.
The Phantom let out a chuckle again. "That's because it is not enough of a reason."
The two of them continued to stare at one another for a moment, until Phantom's mosaics suddenly disappeared.
Rinne widened her eyes as she saw herself, clad in her Astral Dress, was staring at her. Not because it startled her, but because it was different.
The Astral Dress Phantom was wearing was considerably tighter than the one she had, and it was as dark as the night, with silver markings throughout its form. Her emblem too was a dark shade of silver instead of golden.
Her hair was purple instead of pink, and her irises were glowing black instead of crimson.
It was her Inverse form.
The Phantom giggled, with her voice this time. Somehow, it terrified her even more.
"Surprised?"
Smiling, the Phantom asked with a soft tone.
"T-that..."
Rinne ran out of breath. Her heart beat so quickly she could barely breathe.
"Y, you can even transform into… into that?"
"Why, of course."
Her dark copy shrugged as if it was the obvious thing.
"You... why show it to me?"
At that question, she suddenly smirked. It was so uncharacteristic with her own face, it sent chills down her spine.
"Think of it as my parting gift. You never had the chance to see it firsthand, right? Only though [Zafkiel]'s [Yod]..."
As she said that, her figure slowly dissolved, much like Rinne did when she left Shido here yesterday.
However, not into masses of light, but into what Rinne could only identify as darkness in material form.
Before she disappeared completely, though, Phantom smiled gently as she opened her mouth.
"Your choice of song isn't bad. I wonder if Fate was influencing it."
And there you go! As usual, leave your thoughts in the reviews! By the way, the song used in this chaoter is called "One" by Altima, Shakugan no Shana Final's 2nd ED Song.
I feel this chapter is somewhat lacking in comparison to the previous chapters. Probably because I don't have time to practice, but I hope it turns out acceptable.
On that note, I couldn't apologize enough for putting this story into a one-month hiatus. Honestly, I'm still insanely busy until the end of this month, it's only through sheer luck I can manage to get the chance to type this chapter.
But oh well. Thank you for following "Alternate Reincarnation" so far! Remember to read the updated versions of the early chapters, and just check my profile if you want to know the result of the poll!