*Warning: Spoiler's for the end of Date A Live. Read at your own risk.*
It had been an ordinary day. A simple grocery trip, out in the city buying supplies for that night's dinner. That's what Shido had thought as he gazed up at the woman before him, the long scythe within her hands slick with dripping blood. On the ground between them lay a pale skinned corpse, motionless after the woman had effortlessly sliced open its chest with a single swing of her wicked blade. Moments earlier, said corpse had been trying to kill him. Whether the scythe wielding woman had meant to save him, or whether it was a lucky coincidence that she arrived when she did, Shido couldn't tell.
"A pleasure to meet you, Shido Itsuka." The woman spoke, her voice like honey as she did a small curtsy. He noticed a faint accent in her voice; a foreigner, though it was hard to tell at first. "My apologies. I had hoped our first meeting would be over a cup of tea." A delicate smile graced her lips, her face the picture of elegance as she scanned Shido's body. "My name is Rita Rossweisse, a Schicksal valkyrie. And, Itsuka-sama... we've had our eyes on you for quite some time."
"A... valkyrie?" Shido stuttered out, ignoring the pounding of his heart. Thankfully, it wasn't hard to do; after all, it wasn't his first time dealing with death and danger. Adrenaline was a feeling he knew all too well. "What is... Why did she... why did you..." He began, but too many questions were running through his mind for him to get a solid grasp of any one of them.
"Hmm... it seems you're still a bit befuddled." Rita replied with a small frown. She set her scythe to the side, the weapon fading away into simple particles moments later as she offered her hand to the young man. After a moment of hesitation, Shido took it, letting himself get pulled to his feet by Rita before she began dusting off his shoulders. Surprised, Shido took the opportunity to look her over. She was dressed in an outfit reminiscent of a Victorian maid's, its style not unlike something Kurumi would wear. Her body language was calm and composed, a true professional; her face betrayed no hints of what she was thinking, bar the previously mentioned serenity. Come to think of it, she wasn't all that different from Kurumi herself, at least for now.
He didn't trust her-it was hard to trust anyone who killed that easily-nor did he fear her. She was... an enigma, to say the least. For now, he decided, he would at least let her speak.
"Much better." Rita spoke once she had finished dusting him off. "Now... I don't have much time, but I can answer some basic questions. Take a moment more to compose yourself, then feel free to ask away."
"...Ok." Shido replied, taking a deep breath. His gaze dropped to the corpse on the ground once more. "Why did she attack me? I saw her collapsed in the alleyway, but when I went to check on her, she-"
"She?" Rita asked, interrupting Shido. "Ah. Perhaps she was once human, but... I suppose, if you wanted a familiar term, you could refer to 'her' as a zombie."
"...C-come again?"
"A zombie." Rita place a finger to her lips. "You are aware of what a zombie is, yes? Unless I've grown out of touch..." She frowned, clearly displeased with that notion.
"I know what a zombie is!" Shido exclaimed, before pausing and taking a moment to consider her words. In truth, it was far from the weirdest thing he had ever heard. "Ok... How did she become a... 'zombie,' then?"
"That is a question I'll answer at a later date."
Why not now!? Shido wanted to exclaim. "Fine. Who are you? What is... Schicksal? A valkyrie? Are they like-" Shido paused. He wasn't certain if he should so casually mention the existence of the AST or wizards, especially not to someone he just met.
"Like the AST?" She asked, her tone almost implying that they were common knowledge.
...Nevermind, I guess she already knew. Shido thought to himself with a bitter expression. He replied with a simple nod.
"Yes and no. To put it simply, valkyries, like myself, are the warriors of Schicksal, an organization dedicated to fighting Honkai." Rita explained. "While in theory, valkyries and the AST are similar in purpose, it is our methods that distinguish us from one another."
"What is... Honkai?"
"A question-"
"For later. Right. Got it." Shido replied with a sigh. Rita smiled, amused by his response. Just as Shido made to ask another question, Rita raised her hand, stopping him.
"I'm afraid that's all our time for now, Itsuka-sama. Oh, and don't worry about this-" Rita motioned to the corpse. "I shall properly dispose of it. And, Itsuka-sama? You must be used to this by now, but I would suggest keeping what you've seen here secret... from most. I imagine there are some certain individuals you'll wish to tell, of course. And second... we'll meet again soon." Before Shido could say anything more, Rita-and the corpse-disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, a scene so dramatic that Kaguya would be jealous. Shido kneeled down and grabbed one of said petals off the ground, as if to confirm to himself that all of that was indeed real.
... Time to give Kotori a call, then. He thought with another sigh, standing to his feet. Why can't things ever be simple?
"...Schicksal?" Kotori replied, testing the word on her tongue with a frown. Shido nodded. "...Can't say I've ever heard of them." Kotori said, leaning back into the couch. "You're sure this wasn't some weird fever dream of yours? Or maybe it's some remnants of your 'dark past' coming to haunt you."
"Positive." Shido replied in a dry tone, earning a cheeky grin from his red-headed sibling.
The two Itsuka siblings found themselves in their living room alone, with Kotori having sent the girls back to the next door apartment per Shido's request. His reasoning was that, if any of them knew he'd been attacked while alone, the chances were they'd never let him go grocery shopping alone again.
"She knew about the existence of the AST and DEM's wizards." Shido continued. "I think it's safe to say she knows about the spirits, too."
"Agreed." Replied Kotori, shifting the lollipop in her mouth as she thought about how to proceed. "Let me ask some of the higher-ups in Ratatoskr, see if any of them have ever heard anything about 'Schicksal'. Worst case scenario, we have Maria investigate them for us, and pray she can find something on her own."
"I think that's-" A knock came at the door, interrupting Shido mid sentence. Shido couldn't help but get a suspicious feeling in his gut as he stood to his feet. "...I'll get it." Kotori noticed the anxious expression on Shido's face.
"We don't have to answer it." Kotori told him. Shido gave her a bitter grin.
"Something tells me that this won't go away if we just ignore it."
"...I suppose that's true." Kotori replied with a sigh. "Fine. Go and answer it, my dear brother. On the bright side, at least the answers are coming to us, right?" Shido rolled his eyes as he left the living room, making his way to the doorway where a second round of knocks came. Tentatively, he pulled opened the door.
"Good afternoon, Itsuka-sama." ...And was shockingly unsurprised to see Rita standing there before him, carrying that same refined aura as she held before. "May I come in?"
"...Yeah. We were just talking about you." Shido replied, looking the valkyrie up and down. There was no sign of her scythe, but... she had clearly shown he could pull it from thin air, earlier. He'd have liked to have Origami close by, just in case, but it seemed he didn't have a choice at this point.
"With the young commander, yes?" Shido froze, caught off guard by her question.
"How did you-" He started, only for a quiet chuckle to interrupt him.
"Fufu. I am quite confident in my ability to gather information, Itsuka-sama." Rita replied. She stepped past him, paying no mind to his shocked expression as she slipped off her heels and placed them gently next to the other pairs. "Would you like some tea, Itsuka-sama?"
"I- huh?" Before he could answer, Rita had stepped inside and was already walking off towards the kitchen, but not before politely leaving her shoes at the door. "Wait-! W-what on earth..." Shido shook his head before following after her. By the time he returned to the living room, Rita was already in his kitchen, almost dancing through it as if she had known the kitchen all her life. In what felt like seconds, the kettle was on the stove and the tea was brewing. Kotori's expression was equally bewildered as Shido's own as he stepped into the living room, completely caught off guard by Rita's sudden appearance.
"The tea will be ready in a few minutes. I hope you don't mind me using your kettle?" Rita asked.
"Hang on, why are you making us tea!?" Shido exclaimed. For the first time since he had met her, Rita's expression changed, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Is it not the duty of a maid to serve?" Rita replied, as if it were the most obvious statement in the world.
"S-Shido... what's happening?" Kotori asked, her eyes darting back and forth between the maid and Shido, just as bewildered as Shido himself.
"...I wish I could tell you." Shido replied in an exasperated tone. It'd been a while since he had been thrown off to this degree.
"Are you two hungry? If you so desire, I can cook something to go along with the tea."
"T-there's no need for that!" Shido exclaimed, feeling a headache coming on. Why do I always meet the weirdest people...? He thought, watching as Rita give a simple curtsy in response. At that moment, the smell of the tea hit his nose. He had never smelled anything like it. Rita, noticing his expression, smiled.
"Yorozu." She explained.
"Yorozu!?" The Itsuka siblings exclaimed together.
"I-Isn't that the most expensive green tea in all of Japan!?" Kotori exclaimed.
"Indeed." Rita replied. "Don't worry; consider it a gift from Schicksal."
A few minutes later, and Shido and Kotori were sat side by side eyeing the two cups of tea before them in disbelief. Rita sat across from them, simply waiting for them to make the first move. After a few more moments of silence, Kotori acted first, tentatively taking the cup of tea in her hands. She blew on the hot liquid before raising it ever so gently to her lips, and taking a quick sip. Her eyes widened as she pulled the cup away. Shido watched her expression, gauging her reaction.
A moment later, tears began to fall from her eyes as Kotori began to sob. Shido jaw dropped in shock.
"K-Kotori!?" Shido exclaimed, shaking off his surprise. "Why are you-"
"S-Shido..." Kotori interrupted him, placing a finger to his lips. "She... she has you beat. I've never tasted anything like this in my life. I've never felt so sad... that I'll never get to taste something for the first time again..."
"It was that good!?" Shido exclaimed, before turning his eyes on his own cup. Feeling challenged by Kotori's words, Shido took the cup with a determined look in his eye. He blew on it the same as Kotori before taking a hearty swig.
A moment later, and Shido, too, began to cry. "I-I can't... even compete..." Shido sobbed, the incredible taste of the liquid forever ingrained into his taste buds.
"My, I'm honored~" Rita spoke with a smile, speaking with the confidence of a master of her craft. "Once you two are ready, we should get to business." That shook the Itsuka siblings out of their stupor. "...Oh, but before that; I've left some of the unused tea leaves in your pantry. I imagine you'd want to share this with the rest of your... let's say family."
"...So you know?" Shido asked.
"Are you really surprised, Itsuka-sama?" Rita replied.
He was not. "...Why do you keep calling me 'sama?'" Shido asked, deciding to change the topic.
"Because I am a maid, and as you are the ones I am currently serving, you are my masters." Rita explained. Shido felt a need to comment on her obsession with maids... but decided to drop it after a moment. There were more important things to discuss. "Now then, I imagine you have questions. Allow me to answer those first."
"What's Schicksal?" Kotori asked immediately, switching to business mode in less than a second. Shido followed her example, choosing to hold off on further drinks of the delicious tea.
"As I told your brother before, Schicksal is a secret organization dedicated to fighting the force known as Honkai. In a sense, we are rather similar to Ratatoskr, Itsuka-Sama. On a separate note, I believe the Overseer has even done business with your company in the past." Rita paused. "For convenience sake, would you prefer for me to use your first or last names when referring to each of you?"
"I'll leave it up to you." Kotori replied. "And this is the first time I'm hearing of this."
"We didn't refer to ourselves as Schicksal, of course." Rita replied. "After all, we are meant to be incognito, for the most part. I assume you understand?" Kotori nodded.
"What's 'Honkai?'" Kotori asked next, taking command of the conversation before Shido could ask himself.
"A malicious force that wishes for the destruction of humanity at any cost, evolving and growing stronger as Humanity grows more technologically advanced." Rita explained. "It has been, on occasion, been described as a force similar to that of nature itself."
"Why does it want to destroy us?" Kotori asked. "And how have you even managed to keep something like that secret?"
"I wish I could answer that first question, Kotori-sama." Rita replied, an almost sad look in her eye. "In regards to the second, allow me to answer a question with a question: how did you keep the spirit's secret?"
"...Touche." Kotori replied.
"Um..." Shido spoke up, earning Rita's attention. "Is Honkai... something that can be spoken too? Have you ever tried?" This brought an amused smile to Rita's face.
"Fufu... I understand why you would ask that, Shido-sama... but we cannot. The main majority of Honkai are mindless beasts that do nothing but destroy without a hint of remorse. The rest... well, that much is classified. I can't go spilling all of Schicksal's secrets now, can I?" Rita said with a wink. "Or at least, not yet."
"Alright." Kotori replied. She crossed her arms. "Three more questions, then I'm satisfied." Rita nodded. "Why are you interested in Shido?"
"... To put it simply, our Overseer is interested in Shido-sama's... unique skillset."
"His ability to seal the spirits?" Kotori asked. Rita responded with another nod. "Sorry, but Shido lost that ability. Both him and us spirits lost everything to do with spirit power." Shido glanced at Kotori, surprised at how casually she mentioned their absence of spirit power.
"While it is true that your spirit's lost your abilities... How are you so certain that Shido lost his?" Rita asked. Kotori narrowed her eyes.
"... There's no spirit power left in him. We've done multiple check ups to make sure."
"Perhaps that is the case... But either way, the Overseer is still interested in Shido-sama."
"Fine. Last two questions; I'll ask them both at once. Who is this Overseer, and why are you here?"
"Overseer Otto Apocalypse, head of the entire Schicksal organization and my direct employer. As for the second question..." Rita stood to her feet, and looked directly at Shido. "It is our request that you, Shido Itsuka, join our organization in the fight against Honkai."
Silence filled the room, as Kotori and Shido took in Rita's words. Rita waited patiently to hear their reaction, her expression serene as ever. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the two Itsuka's finally broke the silence.
"... I... don't think I can say yes." Shido said, carefully choosing his words. As friendly as the maid had been, he hadn't forgotten the ease in which she could kill both him and Kotori at that moment; making her angry could spell dire consequences, he decided. Kotori nodded in agreement. "Maybe if I could still call on the spirit's power... but I can't fight the way I am now. Not to mention, I've got college, the spirit's to take care of, and my own life to deal with. Not to mention... dealing with the spirits initially was already more world-ending phenomenon than one guy could take."
"Very well. I understand." Rita replied. Kotori and Shido released a sigh of relief in sync, thankful that the maid didn't seem outwardly angry. "But: before you reject the offer entirely, would you allow me the chance to persuade you? Don't worry; if I can't convince you, you'll never have to hear from us again. Though it might mean little to you, you have my word." The Itsuka siblings shared a glance.
"... It's up to you, Shido." Kotori replied. "I'll stand behind you, no matter your decision. Even if I don't agree with it." Shido smiled at his sister, patting her head before turning to Rita.
"Go ahead, then." Shido said.
"...How could I possibly refuse an offer like that...?" Shido said with a sigh, burying his face in his palms. Kotori nodded, her expression incredulous. Having heard Rita's offer, the Itsuka siblings were left in a state of pure shock at everything Shicksal was willing to offer. After allowing them time to think, the maid had taken her leave of the Itsuka residence, leaving the two siblings time to gather their wits.
"S-Schicksal is incredible..." Kotori muttered, biting her thumbnail angrily. "I thought Ratatoskr was pretty amazing, but... we don't even compare..."
"At least... she's giving us time to think?" Shido replied.
"Let me talk to the boss first and foremost." Kotori replied, massaging her temple. "Feel free to tell everyone else, first; they should definitely know about-" At that moment, Kotori felt her phone ring. "What now..." She muttered pulling her phone out of her shirt pocket. "...Speak of the devil. It's Woodman." Shido's eyes widened as Kotori answered the call.
Is he spying on us too, now...? Shido thought to himself with a bitter expression. Apparently, Origami and Rita were not enough, the world decided. Kotori handed the phone over to Shido without warning.
"He wants to talk to you." Kotori explained. Shido nodded and took the phone.
"Shido-kun?" Spoke the elderly voice of Elliot Woodman, head of Ratatoskr. Shido took a deep breath before answering his greeting.
"Mr. Woodman." Shido greeted in return.
"I see you've made contact with Schicksal."
"...Yeah. Something like that." Shido replied, a sinking feeling in his gut. "Can I ask how you know that?"
"Haha, sorry. That nice little AI of yours let me listen in through Kotori's ear piece."
"Maria..." Shido groaned. Why would she even- Shido paused and turned to Kotori as another burst of laughter filled his ears. He gave her a questioning look; she responded by averting her eyes, unable to meet Shido's gaze. Kotori… Shido shook his head, before returning his attention to the call.
"Anyways, I have a request for you, Shido-kun." Woodman continued once his laughter had stopped, dragging Shido's attention back to the conversation. Shido's eyes widened at the request that followed.
"I want you to accept Schicksal's offer."