Date A Live: Son of Westcott (Original Concept - Archived version)

by Bakuganman

Michael is a young man whom moved to Japan to live with his parents, despite the fact a phenomenon called "Spacial Quakes" are quite frequent there. Join him as his life turns upside down and into a Dating Sim, as he makes beings known as "Spirits" fall in love with him.

7. Chapter 7

From Emblemfan1:

Really loved these two test concept chapters. The first one with Michael's meeting with Tohka was great. It had a good amount of action, comedy and excitement. The initial scenes with Michael running from Tohka whilst getting romantic advice from Kotori and the crew were great and I particularly enjoyed the scene with choosing her name.

I quite enjoyed the second part of the chapter too but did find myself a little confused by what Origami and Michael were talking about briefly, although that may be my lack of knowledge about later in the series. The lead up to the dates was quite humourous and Tohka's involvement was really sweet. Overall, this was a good chapter with a bit of everything for everyone. You can really see how your writing style has improved over the last few years :) Looking forward to the next one!

Bakuganman: Yeah, the incompetence of Kotori's crew is always fun to watch with how seriously they take simple dates. The naming scene was also a favorite of mine that had Michael both open up to Tohka then help her spell her new name.

From 54godamora:

I agree with Tohka being best girl. Kurumi is a close second

Bakuganman: Agreed. Though to be honest, Kurumi does have a few advantages over Tohka in some aspects.

From mrmisterman:

Is all the support you're getting enough to make this an official story? This has so much potential!

Bakuganman: Like I said above, the support is increasing the chances. Speaking of potential, I found less people were rolling their eyes the more I share of this possible story. Guess they needed time to cozy up to the idea.

From Omnisaurus:

Alright, since my first review never went through I guess I have to try and remember everything I said and type it all over again. I hereby dub this review to be called Chapter First Waifu, Electric Boogaloo.

Yes, I know that it's not a perfect rhyme but give me a break. I put an entire three seconds of thought into that.

I think it's safe to say that this chapter (no offense) is the least attention-grabbing out of all of the chapters you've posted recently. That's not to say it's bad but this chapter is mostly a retelling of canon events with relatively minor differences. I liked how Michael referred to the Spirits as aliens, the chestburster joke and when Michael pretty much told the Ratatoskr staff to go fuck themselves & threw away his ear piece.

Anyways, I'm afraid that I don't really have to many thoughts on this chapter. Like I said earlier, it's not a bad chapter but it doesn't really deviate from canon in any major ways that I can think to comment on.

Bakuganman: Not a bad name for a review… though proooooobably not a good story name. Maybe try six seconds next time. While yes, some of the details of this chapter or not much different save for a few instances such as how Mike dealt with Tohka and Origami showing concern for him for a different reason, making it eye-popping wasn't the point. The point was to show how their relationship started, and how it developed later on. THIS chapter however, should rectify ALL of that.

Oh yeah… the Xenomorph, alien, and Ratatoskr's overthinking jokes… also my personal favorites.

From Twilightiger1602:

"So I'm getting dating advice from my Single Darling Little Sister, A Player, Mark Zuckerberg, A Serial Killer, the 30-Year-Old-Virgin, an Arkham Asylum patient, and Snow Whites missing dwarf... that's greaaaaaaaaat."

This man is an absolute savage when he wants to be and I love it XD.

That aside, I totally understand why you wish to save Tohka's H-scene for later. With her being the main girl(The Blatantly Correct Choice) in Michaels harem, it's only natural that we see how exactly their relationship builds up from the beginning. And needless to say, you do not disappoint with either parts in this chapter.

Part 1:

Now, I won't lie, aside from Mikey's snark towards Ratatoskr incompetence and lamp-shading his current situation, at first this felt nearly identical with Shido's Second encounter with Tohka, complete with him pointing out Choice 3 was a terrible idea. Seriously, "Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking someone else?" sounds about as stupidly arrogant as "Give me your name and I shall give you mine!"

But given that this is near the beginning, there needs to be some foundation, so I'll let it slide, especially since Michaels own actions begin to kick in the second he takes off that earpiece and starts winging it by being more proactive instead of reactive... which like I said previously, may end up becoming a double-edge sword. On the one hand I can imagine that bull-headedness of his landing him in hot water in more than one occasion, especially after Tohka nearly blasted his head off after one bad names too many. On the other, as Yuzuru pointed out in an earlier chapter, his refusal to sugarcoat things makes his words and actions that much more genuine at winning the spirits over. In fact, in this case with Tohka he seems to be much more perceptive than one would think; he can clearly see that she doesn't need someone to hit on her, she needs someone to tell her she's not alone, tell her "It's going to be okay, I know what you're going through, you don't have to live your life like this!", and it worked! Successfully allowing Michael to get through to Tohka and interact with her proper. Granted he lost points for the Naming-Roulette, but hey that just means Ratatoskr won't be completely useless... still, whoever came up with Tomei deserves a pay deduction.

Regardless, the rest of the first part was nothing short of sweet. Between Mikey gently helping Tohka write her name on the board, to his refusal to leave her alone when the AST fired on them, his personality and drive to connect with Tohka definitely shines through, cutting off right before a certain someone butts in... speaking of whom...

Part 2:

Speaking as someone who isn't a big fan of Origami and her stalker antics, a part of me wasn't looking forward to this particular segment. But once again you managed to surprise by subtly implying, to my own shock, that Michael and Origami actually used to date for a while before he learned the truth. Suddenly, the context of her actions make a sizable shift from a stubborn Stalker constantly getting in the way, to a concerned Ex-Girlfriend worried that her lover is getting himself into one dangerous situation after another. Not only does this give Origami's character a bit more depth in the same vein you did for Kurumi (I.E. that the latters psychotic tendencies are more or less a form of coping mechanism from all the lives she took), but it's made abundantly clear that, for all her faults, she genuinely loves and cares about Michael as a person, as opposed to her relationship with Shido where she used him as a living emotional crutch... which given what we already know about future (and past) events, makes what will happen to her later all the more painful. There's truly no worse hell than realizing that you're the cause of your own suffering.

On a sidenote, something that surprised me just as much (something I forgot to mention, doi) was the fact that Michael and Mana are cousins in this story. While we haven't quite seen her in actions, this alone raises a whole lot of questions and potential for our Blue-haired Spirit Killer since, I think we can all agree outside of Hiroto or Tamae-Sensei, Mana was the one character in this series that got shafted the most, despite being directly connected to Mio, Shinji, and Boyco- I mean Wescott. In fact, this does make me curious as to what exactly you plan to do with some of the other side characters as well... though I think we can already guess what he thinks of the Gossip Trio:

Michael: They're so lame...

As for Tohka's part, seeing the cute and innocent Tohka trying to act sexy just to ask Michael out on a date is always a treat... even moreso seeing Mikey's outright hilarious reaction, only to pull a Reverse-Uno card on her, stating the obvious (That if she wanted to go out, she could've just asked), and doing the one thing that Shido didn't do that really got on my nerves:

Genie: Tell. Her. The. TRUUUUUUUUTH!

Seriously, when it comes to any form of relationship, honesty and communication are key, and the fact that Shido consistently went behind her back and never told Tohka what sealing the other spirits involved until his freakout during volume 12 just straight up baffled me to no end. Michael doing the opposite and actually being upfront with her about it was very refreshing(even if he did leave out the Kissing part), with that same honesty actually paying off in a very substantial way. Seeing Tohka willingly helping Michael by distracting Origami so he could solely focus on Kurumi, this fully averting that 3 way date nonsense was not only amazing, but perfectly shows me what they're eventual relationship will be like; Michael won't just be her (Or any of the spirits) knight in shining armor, but her partner, her equal in every sense. She would have his back just as he did for her, which would be very sweet to see.

Overall, another job well done in establishing Michael and Tohka's bond. Truly, this would not only make the upcoming lemon all the more enjoyable, but gets me even more excited to see this Concept become Reality.

Twilightiger out.

Bakuganman: "No way! If Tohka thought I was some crummy, no good, street rat… she'd laugh…" (Had to respond to that first) Thanks for the understanding also. Had to show a little more of Tohka and Mike together, or the H-scene would feel very shoehorned. It would also feel disrespectful to have First Girl just blindy go balls deep with the guy, ya know? Mike's savageness is fun and all, but there will be some times where he may end up getting hurt because of it.

And yeah, had to share part of Origami's role in this planned fic. I honestly feel there could have been more done with her, so the plan is to give her a more positive role yet still have her always on the offensive when it comes to Spirits. Thus, making her the concerned Ex that does still hold an attachment to MC was born. While I like Origami myself, I wouldn't say she's a fav of mine either, but she can be decent at certain times.

That said, I also wouldn't say "no" to checking into her favorite hotels with her…

This plan is the same with all the other girls. While yes people like them for this series tropes, I think giving the Waifus a little more depth would honestly work as well. And that particular scene you mentioned… yeah, its gotta hit harder. I did mention the side characters are gonna know about the Spirits around Nataumi's debut. I mean, seriously? Your friends turn into a bunch of children a few years under your demographic and no one bats an eye? Mana is gonna remain almost the same with the new context being she's not a sibling anymore.

And yes; innocent characters trying to be sexy for their crush is always fun to watch, and the Uno-Reverse Trap Card just felt like it needed to happen, not only for humor, but to also like you said: "The TUUUUUUUUUUUURTH!" Though now that I changed the three-way into a solo, it also felt natural for Tohka to want to help after learning why Michael left her for an extended period of time. Its not like she'd get too mad about Michael kissing another girl… provided they aren't naked because of it…

With all the support coming in, perhaps one day this concept will become a reality. One step at a time.

---

Date A Live! Practice Chapter 7:

HISSSSS!

Michael walked onto the bridge of Fraxinus, the door automatically opening for him. "You better have a good reason for pulling me…" He began to say, but then noticed his fiery stepsister wasn't in her usual spot in the captains chair. "The hells Mini Mio Naruse? The Demon Realm?" He asked, asking where she was. He assumed she was the one to summon him.

"She's still at school. We brought you here ourselves." Kyouhei said, walking over to Michael with hands behind his back. His tone also sounded unnaturally serious, which did surprise the Spirit Sealer.

"You went over her helmet?" Michael asked.

"Just this once. We usually don't unless absolutely necessary." Kyouhei said.

"That includes betting on horses?" Michael asked dryly. His response made some of the crew turn their heads away, others glance around, one coughed, and one other whistled. "… I'll bite. What'cha got?"

Right when he asked that, the main monitor showed all the Spirits Mike had successfully sealed thus far. A bunch of data also came up: graphs, bars, gauges… ya know, the usual. Of course, none of that meant much to him, aside from the Happiness and Emotional Levels which he had seen a few times.

"So their Happiness and emotions look fine…" he said while looking at the info presented to him. "Unless there's something I'm missing?" He added while turning his head to Kyouhei, a bit of concern growing in his chest. Could there be something he's not noticing?

"It's not their emotional or happiness meter that's the problem." Kyoji said.

"After you successfully sealed Origami, we couldn't help but notice her diagnostics and biology were very similar to yours." Hinako added. "More specifically, to that of a humans."

"Well no shit, Voodoo." Michael pointed out. He then made his way over to Kotori's usual spot, and began using her computer with one hand but did so while standing up, of course he had to put in her password which he was in the middle of doing.

"You know Commander's password?" Masaomi asked, as company policy dictated no one is to know each other's password, not even the boss of the operation.

The passcode he entered?… M-I-C-H-A-E-L.

"Nope. An expert hacker." Was his response. He then used the touch screen provided to drag up all of the Spirits that were once human, or as far as they knew, which they still didn't understand how except Miku and Origami mentioned something about a gemstone. This included Kotori receiving one from Phantom/Glitch-Trap when Michael witnessed it happen 5 years ago in the past. It didn't seem incorrect to assume Kurumi was the same idea, though she has not opened up much at her transformation as of yet.

Speaking of which, didn't Origami say when she was transforming into one, she felt "a heart beating within her heart?"

"Back to the point, Origami having human biology doesn't seem too far-fetched; she WAS a human. So were Miku, Kurumi and Captain Flame Girl; then I suck them dry like a vampire, turning them back to normal." Michael continued, each girls' image (in Spirit Form) and data appearing on the main big monitor each time he said one of their names. "Then of course, there's an invisible path between me and each of them according to Doctor Sleep." He finished while quoting Reine, first waving his fingers in a spooky fashion when he mentioned the unseeable pathway he shares with the girls, then thumb-pointing down to the Doctor in question at the end.

"That's what we thought too…" Munechika said, getting Michael's attention.

"Until we found this…" Kozue said, then she began typing into her own keypad. She brought up diagnostics of all the girls at that point, but compared them to each other. So many numbers, characters, arrows, ones and zeros… it was all over the place, to the point Mike had no idea what to make of it.

"According to all their diagnostic scans, even running them back several times; we concluded that they all have the same body structure, bone density, muscle mass… its across the board." Kozue continued. More info came on screen at this point, more specifically the Spirit data before they were sealed by Michael. "Even when comparing it to previous data, its remained consistent even before you locked away their powers."

Michael felt he was having a migraine, rubbing one of his temples. "Um… English?" He asked, his mind trying to wrap itself around all the information he was given, but it was so much at one time.

"Basically, the other Spirits; including Yoshino, Natsumi, Tohka and the Yamai Sisters… have had extremely close human anatomy the entire time." Reine pitched in, making Michael focus on her. "Lungs, hearts, livers, blood count… there's almost no difference. It's like they've always been human from the very beginning."

…

…

…

Michael felt his brain stop working. He felt like he had gotten a Blue Screen of Death and was now slowly rebooting himself. The Spirits… all of them… human anatomy all along?

"… How is that possible?" He asked, slowly looking back up to the data on the big monitor. "Gender-bent Link, Loli Puppeteer, Things 1 and 2, and Mini Magician Girl are all natural-born Spirits." Michael said, now very confused. Spirits manifested from Space Quakes, right? The only ones who didn't were the aforementioned human ones being Kurumi, Miku, Origami and Kotori. So how were they're anatomies so closely related? "How the hell were they human?!"

"We don't know." Said Reine. "As the one holding they're powers, we thought you should be made aware of this."

Michael, for the first time since finding out why his father left him behind… he was speechless. He honestly didn't know how to respond. Why would a bunch of aliens have near-identical human physiology if some weren't human to begin with? It just didn't make any sense. The only way this would be possible is if the Spirits were not actually extraterrestrial at all.

But if they weren't from the stars… then where?

"… Does Kotori know?" Was the only question Michael could think to ask.

"Only you currently." Reine said. "We were gonna run this back to her, but considering she is a Spirit herself; we didn't know how she would take it, so we decided amongst ourselves it would be better if we told you first."

Michael looked back at the information up on the bridges large screen again. And here he thought they figured everything out. Spirits being birthed from Space Quakes, humans beings can become Spirits, one in this very room could absorb their power via a kiss, Inversions… all they had to do was Seal the Spirits to undo those problems. But now to learn that their humanoid body structure was nearly identical to…

"Wait…" Michael said, something coming to mind. "You said there was… almost. No difference." He said to Reine.

"Yes. 99% of their body is identical to a humans." Reine nodded.

"… wwwwhat's the missing 1%?" Michael asked, his curiosity peaked. More information and images were then pulled up. More specifically about internal organs.

"It's not that anythings missing, per say. More like something extra." Hinako said. The computer then pulled up some kind of diagram of some kind of system in the Spirits' bodies. It looked T-shaped, though the top parts of the "T" were curled a bit inward… why did this look familiar to him?

"Something… extra?" Michael repeated.

"You know how Spirits Astral Dresses are actually tough armor, right?" Asked Kyouhei. Oh yeah! Michael didn't need to think too hard about that. Spirits would only take damage or in worse cases actually bleed from a strong enough blow, sometimes from each other. Whenever Mana would slice a piece of Kurumi off, its usually only her clones would bleed since they were much weaker than the true one. In fact when Mana DID finally slice the real Kurumi, there was no blood from her amputated hand at all. The Nightmare literally just stood there and giggled about it like nothing happened.

That's of course when she revealed her Angel, and just how dangerous both it and she was… to think someone like him actually managed to emotionally break down a Serial Killer…

"What about it?" Asked Michael. Using his bosses own keyboard, Kyouhei brought up additional information.

"We've gathered that it doesn't just protect the outside of the Spirit, but the inside of one too." The Vice Commander said. "And through more studies, we found this…" It was here more info was brought up to the screen about the body of a Spirit. It then zoomed closer, near the belly to groin area.

Wait… the T-shape… the lower body… Were these people seriously…?

"A Spirits Astral Dress also grants a stronger immune system, preventing pretty much any disease; and any foreign objects in the body are almost immediately destroyed. This includes in the stomach, pulmonary, intestines… even the reproductive system." Kyouhei continued, but mentioning the last thing caused his serious demeanor to start cracking and slowly going to his perverted one.

It was here Michael pieced together what system the "T" system was…

"To be more precise, a layer of Reiryoku actually protects all their organs much like a rib cage does for us, which includes the more important parts of the body like the heart, veins and like Kyouhei said, reproductive organs." Kozue further explained.

On the screen, it was shown that some internal areas of a Spirits body had more patches of Reiryoku in certain locations and objects in the body, almost like a bubble. This did include the heart as previously mentioned, the brain, anything in the rib cage and the cage itself; and even the ball-like portions on the top ends of the "T" system.

Michael began to breathe out through his nose while pinching his eyes which had closed. "… okay." He said, remaining calm, and then stopped pinching himself and reopened his eyes. "You people… dragged me out of school… behind Kotori's back…" He asked softly, then gesturing an open palm towards the main screen, "For this?"

"We figured it'd be important." Munechika said.

Michael felt the urge to yell, but held it in while taking in breaths via his nose again with closed eyes to keep himself calm. 'Be nice, Mikey. Be nice…' He told himself while trying very hard not to lose his cool. He understand the crew had this job, but to take it this far… "Listen, just because we're 15,000 feet above Japan…"

"15,000 meters." Kyoji corrected him.

"What-EVER." Michael grumbled through gritted teeth. "That doesn't make this the Mile High Club!" He added normally.

"Well since you are dating all of them, including the Commander, and living with them under one roof, this is the next logical step." Hinako said.

"Next logical-?!" Michael then facepalmed, cutting himself off; then breathed the same way to stop himself in and out a few times before answering, growling a bit as well. "I take them out for movies, dinners and stuffing their shopping bags! Not THEM!" Michael said. "If you people wanna see action after 20 years; swipe right!"

"So you haven't thought about it?" Reine questioned in her usual tone, but you could pick up a portion of doubt in there.

Michael took out and index finger and opened his mouth to answer… but just held that position while glancing around some, also slowly closing his mouth. "… not the point." He recovered after shaking his head twice, actually pointing this time. "And even if I DID wanna hide the cucumber in one of them; they won't have a bundle in 9 months?"

"In theory." Reine simply said. "However, much like how you resisted Miku's control and Kurumi's shadow; there is the possibility that all the Spirit Power in your body may work in reverse, and could very well break through their internal Reiryoku barriers."

Michael's brain couldn't help but start fantasizing about him inserting himself into one [or some] of the girls and that happening. He couldn't help it with all this sex talk. "… so… what? I have some kind of super sperm that's gonna kill my fiancé in a few months?" He asked, thinking about a highly popular American comic company that actually explored that. Not only that, it was centered around a very nostalgic character that climbed walls and swung around the same city Mikey grew up in.

"That would require examination." Reine said while turning her head to him. "Or if you'd rather, you can go to a bathroom and leave us a sample." She added, with no shame or any emotion in her voice like usual.

Michael and her just locked eyes.

…

…

…

…

"… I'm outta here." Michael turned away, going back towards the same door he entered in. It opened with a hissing sound again, and just as he stepped through it, he muttered: "I hate this job" right as the door hissed closed behind him, the Spirit Sealer heading back to the teleportation room to head back to school.

XXX

After school that day, Tohka was just sitting there, watching TV with several empty bags of popcorn littering the floor and next to her on both sides of the couch. She was currently eating one bag, stuffing large portions into her mouth as she watched the show she was watching with interest. It was that same silly Soap Opera by the way. Once she reached into her bag again, then realized there was none left; she tossed it to the side, reached over out of camera-shot, and got a new bag, ripping it open and gorging herself on its contents.

"Ryo, Darling? Why would you do this?" Asked a woman character on the screen. While Tohka was interested in the plot, she couldn't help but mentally roll her eyes. The woman sounded so much like Miku just now…

"I did this because I love you!" Said the male character the woman one was talking too. Which he said this, the TV showed a shot of her expression, looking touched and her eyes watering out of joy.

"R-Ryo…" Said the woman, getting closer to the male. She put her hands on his chest and he wrapped his around her waist. Then they kissed, which was no surprise to Tohka. It was a sweet ending to an episode…

THEN… the woman began tugging at the mans clothes. This in turn caused the male to stop kissing her for only a second to take off his shirt, the item in question, before going back to kissing his fellow actress. And a bit hungrily this time around, which was copied by the woman.

It was here Tohka's mouth hung open, staring at the scene she was given, and the bag of popcorn in her hands slowly fell out of her grasp, spilling uncooked corn kernels and popped ones to the floor. Despite this, she could not stop staring at the screen. The scene it was presenting her intensified, the couple falling on the couch as they continued kissing and removing more articles of clothing.

Tohka was in total shock, but for the love of her… she couldn't look away…

Origami: They're becoming one.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Tohka practically jumped out of her seat and her skin upon Origami's voice coming out of nowhere from behind her. The Bottomless Pit reacted so violently, that the popcorn bags at her sides also fell off the couch, making more of a mess when more un-popped kernels littered the floor.

Tohka turned back around to see it was Origami who startled her… seriously… how the actual hell did she and Michael end up dating BEFORE he became a Spirit Magnet?

Tohka took a few breaths to calm her quickly beating heart from its near-fatual heart attack. At first, Tohka's facial expression told she was gonna tell Origami off, but then she processed the strange phrase uttered by the former AST soldier.

"Becoming… one?" The Princess asked, repeating what Origami said. Kurumi even said that a few times, or similar things such as wanting to merge with Michael, while she was flying solo. She then gasped. "So Aoi is trying to eat Ryo?… How odd. I wonder what kind of power she wants from him? Such a plot twist!"

Origami facepalmed. Mistaking what she said about Kurumi formerly wanting [though sometimes still claims to intend] to eat Michael… She can't with this girl… "It's a form of love." She said with a groan.

Tohka looked at her rival with her head tilted to a side. "A form of love?" The clueless Spirit asked, not fully understanding. She looked back at the scene that was still playing on the TV, the couple still kissing and touching each other. Kissing she knew was a form of love, but all that touching was another?… So strange. How did that even work? Head pats, holding hands; even a hug here and there was more Tohka's speed.

Origami then paused the scene when she got the remote while Tohka was distracted. "Yes. And that's the biggest form of love you can give someone." The former human explained further, tossing the remote back on the couch. "Its called love making, but I wouldn't expect someone like you to fully understand."

Tohka gasped in irritation. While she still didn't know what love making was or meant, she took it as an insult. "Well, I'll have you know that I love Michael! Very much!" The Spirit defended herself. "If I knew how, I'd totally make love with Michael!"

"You don't get it." Orgiami said in a harder tone, making Tohka back off a bit. "Making love is not something you can just do. It's a personal, very sacred act… something that can only be shared by those with a very close and unbreakable bond."

"Oh, and I suppose he already asked you?" Tohka said sarcastically, now folding her arms and turning away.

"No, but I would have gotten close…" Origami said, her tone then becoming softer, getting Tohka's attention. "Don't forget, I was the first one to date him before any of you. We were as close as two could be… The only reason we broke up was he felt it was best for both our safeties." The Angel-Devil continued. "If I didn't join the AST… maybe; let go of my hatred sooner…" it was here a few tears began falling down Origami's cheeks, her voice also shaking in her last line of dialog.

Tohka began to feel a little guilty, so she pulled Origami into a hug much like how Michael did when she went on a rampage at the park with that large Unit (White Licorice she thinks it was called). Thankfully, the white-haired teen did not pull away, but this did cause a few flashbacks…

FLASH!

But no matter how hard she tried squeezing that trigger, her hand violently shaking because of it, its like a forcefield prevented her from pulling it all the way, or as if both her finger and the trigger itself were the same ends on a magnet, both refusing to connect.

Michael just kneeled down, gently took the pistol out of her hand, her body making no effort to fight it despite the internal struggle mentioned above; and he placed it on the ground. Origami, tears welling her in eyes, continued to stare at him; torn between hatred of Spirits and lingering feelings she still had for him. He then slowly pulled her into a hug, the AST solider freezing all bodily motions except her eyes widened.

"We'll find the Spirit who really killed them… I promise…" Michael promised in a gentle voice, making the water in Origami's eyes start flowing downward. "I just need time… so… for me, Ori… let it go…" He added, using a more emotional tone, and her old pet name. Origami just remained in a still position, like when she shot at him and Tohka on their date.

Then she started whimpering…

…

…

…

"… wwwwAAAAAAAAAAA-HA-HAAAAA! WA-HA-HA-HAAA!" The normally tough AST soldier began balling her eyes out, breaking down crying, and returning the hug Michael was giving her. She squeezed him very tightly, her hands gripping his shirt, her head buried into one of his shoulders while soaking that location. Tohka and Yoshino could only watch, not having seen this side of Origami before…

Around this point, other AST members came to retrieve the stolen tech, including Ryouko. Once they landed, the camera focused on the captain, showing her expression upon seeing one of her best soldiers break down in the arms of her Ex-boyfriend.

"*breathes in* WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-HA-HAAAAAA! *breathes in* WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-HAAAAAAAA!" Origami continued to cry, her face now buried in Michael's chest and wetting that spot too… she just couldn't stop… And even through all that, her fists balled and gripping Michael pretty hard… he just let her cry… also squeezing her back while rubbing her back with his own eyes closed… letting her let it all out…

FLASH!

A single crystal of some origin appeared before her… what was that?…

"I could give you power… the power to destroy all Spirits… the power to avenge them…" said the echoing voice. Origami didn't understand, was it inside her head? Where was coming from? It seemed to be coming from everywhere. The mention of 'avenge them' of course made Origami flash back to her parents death by the hands of the Spirit she saw so long ago…

"… No..." She said. Although tempting, she also flashed back to her emotional breakdown at the park when Kotori was sealed… she promised… promised to let it go. "No. I… I promised…" Origami reaffirmed. "Michael said… we'd find out the truth… We'd find it together… then we'll destroy the one responsible together." As much as Origami wanted to find the one truly to blame, she promised she'd never go Spirit Hunting again. "I won't… not out of revenge…"

The owner of the voice mentally frowned, but then realized the humans tone sounded conflicted so the voice tried a… different approach. "What about love?"

Origami froze, and blinked. "… L… Love?"

The voice mentally smiled. Now it had her attention again. "Think about it… If you had the power to destroy that very Spirit… wouldn't Michael be proud of you?"

"Michael… proud?" Origami repeated.

"Yes… imagine how happy he'll be… that you alone conquered the enemy… that you faced your demons head-on…" the voice said, letting its words sink in with Origami before continuing. "In fact… perhaps he'll love you again… and only you…"

"Only… me?…" A tear fell down Origami's cheek as her voice cracked with emotion… was that possible?… If she touched that crystal… would Michael love her again, like before? If this power the voice spoke of was strong enough to overcome any Spirit, then she could protect him… he'd no longer have to absorb anymore power… put himself in more danger…

"If not for revenge, Origami… do it out of love…" the voice said.

"Out of… love…" Origami said, now raising her hand, which was shaking out of the emotions surging throughout her body.

"Out of love… for Michael…" the voice added.

Origami's tears began to fall a bit faster, her emotions starting to take over her reason. "Love… for… Michael…" she said while whimpering, now extending her still-shaking hand towards the unknown gem floating before her, fingers outstretched towards it…

Her fingers finally touched it…

SHINE!

The gemstone began to glow brightly, the light as intense as the sun but lacked the heat. Before or even if Origami could pull away, the stone quickly shot into her chest. She actually FELT it enter her body…

Ba-dum…*

Origami gasped… her chest… it felt funny… what was happening to her?

Ba-dum… Ba-dum…*

She felt her heart beat loudly… actually no… two hearts beat, rolled into one. Dear God, what had she done?

BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM!*

"AHHH-…!" The beating increased, it got progressively louder with each beat.

BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM!*

SHIIIIIIIIIIIINE!

"AHHHH! AHHHHHH!" Suddenly, Origami's body was enveloped by light, as intense as from the crystal she foolishly touched… she felt hot… very hot. She moaned and moaned, her body feeling like it was on fire! And it only got worse with each passing second! "AHHH! AHHHHHHH! AH-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

The flashbacks ended there, both Spirits still hugging. "It was… all my fault…" Origami lowly sobbed. Tohka continued to provide emotional support for her. She would never admit this, but did feel a little jealous of Origami sometimes. Even before turning into one of her own kind, Origami was strong and never backed down from any task. Not only that, she knew Michael personally before ANY of the other Spirits (excluding Kotori and Miku for their own reasons) and knew as much about him as Tohka herself did.

Sure this weirdo got on her nerves at times, but if wasn't for her, Tohka probably never would have realized the strong feelings that she developed for Michael. And when they did put aside their differences, they were a pretty decent tag team. Meeting and fighting Kurumi was one such example… they technically lost that fight before the Nightmare revealed she could just overwhelm them with sheer numbers and before Kotori was forced to jump in while also revealing her Spirit status, but a strong duo nonetheless.

"Origami… you can't blame yourself," Tohka reminded her, making Origami stop crying for a moment and look at Tohka with a bit of shock next on her emotional face. "That wasn't your fault… you were tricked…" she said, then thought to herself: 'Like me.'

From there, Tohka had a few images of when she went Inverse the very first time, granted these were shown on a computer screen and not her own memory. She was a little upset when Michael didn't tell her at first, but in his defense he collapsed in her arms once she changed back to normal, the poor boy completely exhausted after saving her from Westcott… and herself for the umpteenth time.

Like Origami was now, she did blame herself for a while once she learned of the scale of destruction she caused; but soon realized that only happened because she was manipulated into it, much like how Phantom tricked Origami into accepting the power of a Spirit.

Basically; it wasn't her fault.

Much like how Phantom made Origami hate Spirits so much, then be jealous of their connection to Michael, she caused a time loop where SHE ended up blasting her own mother and father completely by accident whereas she was actually trying to take out Phantom alone to end the suffering of her and so many other people.

They hugged each other a little bit more, Origami allowing herself to show weakness in front of her rival just this once; but due to their position, Tohka was still able to see the paused sex scene between the two actors.

XXX

Michael eventually came home a little later. His mind was still thinking over what happened 15,000 feet... er, meters. In the sky earlier today... about how the Spirits living in the former apartment complex, now a renovated mansion where they all live rooms across from each other instead of room numbers. He still couldn't believe it sometimes, how much his life changed since transferring to this crazy forsaken town. He now lives with several cute girls, some of which had amazing bodies to go with them, though thankfully its not public knowledge at the moment. Of course Miku moving out and with them was a big deal due to her fame, which also meant there were some fanboys outside the residence at times...

Seriously, where's that gate Kotori said the company would install on her behalf? They already changed the apartment once already…

But in all honestly, he also felt incredibly lucky. Those girls were weird, had their good and bad quirks, sometimes they verbally fought and he'd get caught in the middle either out of nowhere or he'd be forced to break it up... then again, it was mainly Kurumi's recent switch that caused it to happen more than it usually does.

He couldn't blame them for that... it was an adjustment, but somehow he knew it would eventually work itself out. Origami and Tohka seemed to get somewhat used to the others presence, and they hated each other mind you (though Origami was usually the one to start it), so all it took was some getting used too; and a whole LOT of patience.

How did his life turn into a harem anime again?...

"So you haven't thought about it?" Reine's voice and face began echoing in his head right as he put his hand on the front door. "Much like how you resisted Miku's control and Kurumi's shadow; there is the possibility that all the Spirit Power in your body may work in reverse, and could very well break through their internal Reiryoku barriers."

Michael then shook his head violently and groaned while doing so, forcing those thoughts away as he opened the door and walked in... but Sleepyhead was right. He HAS thought about. He couldn't help it! Him and his stupid hormones… what can he really say? He's living with 9 girls under a single roof; all cute, all pretty, and some even sexy. And after dating them and getting to know them personally while also being surrounded by them 24/7, of course feelings were gonna start to surface… along with thoughts about certain things.

He wasn't gonna deny he loved them, loved them each in different ways… but was going that far with them even possible? Miku was probably the most vocal about her feelings to the point of saying out loud she didn't mind if Michael started a harem (which he never asked for), Kurumi was a bit of a puzzle at times, he used to date Origami before all this crazy shit began happening to him, Kotori did seem a little less nagging as time went on, Yuzuru and Kaguya pretty much shared a brain, and Tohka obviously had strong feelings for him as well.

And Yoshino and Natsumi… he didn't know if that was a good idea, acceptable in this country or not… and the latter didn't make his life any easier with her adult form.

He shoved all these thoughts under his mental rug. Now wasn't the time to deal with them. He had 10 mouths to feed including his own. Once he got into the kitchen/living area, he noticed on the couch sat Tohka all by herself (Origami already having left) with empty popcorn bags around her, looking as if she was staring at the off TV.

"Oh, your here. First as usual, huh?" Michael said, as this shouldn't be a surprise at this point. The house may have changed, but some things never do. "Sorry I'm a bit late, but if you can set the table, that'd help out allot." He continued, putting his bag down in the kitchen (which he'll take to his room later) and went over to wash his hands in the sink, turning the water on to do so.

He got no answer.

"Tohka?" He asked, finishing washing his hands and drying them with a towel. He tossed the towel on the sinks faucet then walked over to the couch Tohka was on. He swore, if this was another Leopard Pose situation… though considering what he just went through in the starship, his heart might not be able to take it this time…

Once he got closer however, he realized Tohka wasn't staring at the blank TV screen at all. She was looking down slightly, her eyes obscured by her hair. "Tohka!" He called her name a second time as he sat down next to her, wondering what was the matter this time. "You ok?" He gently shook her shoulder that was closest to him, but he still didn't get a response.

At least, not for a few more seconds. "Michael…" she finally answered back, but wasn't looking at him yet. She slowly turned her head to look at him so her eyes can finally be seen. "Can I… kiss you?" She asked, softly.

Again… Michael's brain stopped. It literally stopped functioning for at least 5 seconds, the boy staring back at the girl who just asked him out of the blue to smooch with him. "… um… right now?" He asked, his hand removing itself from her shoulder.

"Hmm." Tohka nodded a single time.

"… like… right now, now?" Michael asked again, wanting to be sure he heard this correctly and not his mind being in a fog from Fraxinus' 'important discussion'.

She nodded again. "I just… wanted to kiss you…" Tohka admitted, then leaned toward him a very tiny bit before looking directly into his eyes so both their colored orbs were locked on each other. She also had a small flush on her cheeks. "Please?"

Michael couldn't help but swallow. With how innocent she asked, added with how she stared at him, it sounded incredibly seductive at the same time. Fuck him sideways, if her trio of friends wrote THAT down as a step…

"Do you… not want too?" Tohka asked when he did not answer her right away. Which it was fine if he didn't… but she did feel slightly disappointed.

"No! It's fine! I don't mind spoiling you!" He quickly said, as its not like he was against kissing a cute girl. This one just caught him by surprise. Usually there would be a date involved, but Tohka was being very upfront about it this time. "I mean… one kiss won't kill me."

They both went silent then, letting their eyes doing the talking now. Both Tohka and Michael would edge closer and closer, Tohka could feel her heart rate begin to pick up steam, Michael's hazel eyes getting closer and closer to her own. Eventually their eyes slowly shut, then they finally did share a kiss. The moment their pink lips made contact, Tohka felt herself melt… her muscles loosening up as they pressed their mouths together.

A few moments into the kiss, The Princess subconsciously moved one of her hands to lay on one of Michael's while simultaneously and instinctively leaning closer into him. This feel nice… really nice. Just spending some alone time with the boy she loved dearly. This was fine. Who needed that extra stuff? Kissing felt good enough to her. And its not like Michael was bad at it either.

Speaking of extra, Tohka subconsciously thought about the implied sex scene from her Soap Opera, quick little snippets flashing in her brain. She not only began to moan into the rather-longer-than-they-usually-do kiss, but she pushed herself into it a bit more, quickly taking a breath from the side of her mouth for a gulp of air before continuing.

Michael was a tad bit surprised how bold Tohka was being… but this is what she wanted, right? She did ask for this kiss after all. As to not be rude, he didn't deny her and let it play out. To assist her, he used his free hand to take the side of her waist to guide their bodies closer, going slow as to not startle her and if its not what she wanted, she'll pull away and he'll know that's where the new line is drawn.

She did not retract. If anything; his touch, even if it was over her clothes, felt nice; and made her moan a bit deeper into the kiss. Her heart felt like it was gonna explode. It was beating insanely fast, but… she couldn't pull away. Something inside of her either forced her, or prevented her, from parting from the boy.

Either way, part of her didn't want to separate from him.

She didn't know why, but it felt right to stick her tongue out. This in turn caused both kissers to feel the others pink muscle. It did daze Tohka for a second, her moan getting high pitched during that second, but she didn't let it bother her. In fact, their tongues seemed to have a mind of their own and they started to try wrapping around each other. She felt her free arm feel up his body to wrap around his neck and pull it towards herself. With the other hand that was resting on his hand, she automatically squeezed it, which Michael returned.

The kiss was getting more and more passionate, both moaning into the others mouth, both their hearts' felt like they ran a huge marathon and would burst out of their chests at any given moment. Time didn't seem to matter to them at all. Tohka then began to slowly let go of Michael's hand, which he didn't hold it back, and she placed it on the hem of his uniform before she started sliding her fingers in…

"…MMMMMM?!" Tohka's eyes shot open at that point; and broke from the kiss a second later. She pulled back in shock, now realizing what she had been doing. She also needed air, so she also began taking deep breathes for that oxygen her lungs needed.

Like her, Michael too was taking in air the same way. That was probably the most intimate kiss he's ever had with any girl in his life. He also wasn't gonna lie, he felt disappointed when Tohka pulled back like that. He wondered why.

Did she not like it? Did he hurt her? Did he take it a step too far? Did his breath stink?

That's when he fully took note of her expression. She was in shock, that was obvious. But as he studied her face some more, he soon realized she didn't look upset at him… she looked scared.

"Tohka… what's wrong?…" Michael asked between inhaling. He tried holding the hand she was digging into his shirt with as a form of reassurance. But when he did in fact touch it, it had the opposite effect, and Tohka yanked it back quickly. She then let him go, got off the couch, and went around it. "Tohka?… Tohka!" He called out to her, watching her go.

SLAM.

Without another word, the Spirit left the room, the door slamming behind her, leaving Michael alone… did he do something wrong? That was so unlike Tohka, seeing her rush off like that. If she had an issue, usually the first person she'd ask was him. Reine second if he wasn't available.

Well whatever was bothering her, maybe she needed time to cool off. As bad as he felt about her, he couldn't dwell on it right now. He still had to get dinner started so he began to clean up her mess. And knowing the Bottomless Pit, maybe after she calms down and eats something, she'll be wiling to talk…

She was not seen for dinner… Not even when dessert was brought out…

"Excuse me?… Michael?" Yoshino asked Michael, tugging his shirt as she was sitting next to him this particular time. Of course, he looked and gave his attention to the tugger. "Is Tohka ok?… She still hasn't come out for dinner."

"Duuuuuuuh…" Michael kinda lost his composure, but the bluenette didn't seem to notice it. "uuuuuuum, sssssssssshe had a stomachache!" He thought quickly, though the puppeteering Spirit cocked her head a bit. "Yeah!… Saw her on the couch when I got home… totally out of it! Must have been all that butter from that popcorn!"

The others however, were not as convinced. They all gave Michael suspicious and/or questioning stares, or/and just confusion. Some even cocked an eyebrow.

"Tohka?" Asked Natsumi.

"… Tohka?" Kotori repeated.

"Like… our Tohka?" Asked Kaguya.

"Concern, yet doubtful. Stomachache?" Asked Yuzuru. None of the other Spirits immediately bought what Michael had said. From as well as they all knew the aforementioned Spirit; the words "Tohka" and "Stomachache" do not, and can not, belong in the same sentence. It honestly sounded like an oxymoron.

It was not brought up again. Mainly because Michael didn't give an answer… not that he could, for even he was confused.

XXX

Tohka just sat on her bed, looking down at the floor. The entire time she was here, she had been flashing back to those moments she shared with Michael a few hours ago… the kissing… the touching…

She groaned loudly and started ruffling her own hair with both hands. She didn't get it! What was wrong with her?! She acted like such a Baka back there! She didn't understand… what were these newer, and hell of allot more intense emotions she was feeling?! And why the fuck was she touching him like that as if he was a piece of food?!… That's Kurumi's thing!

Michael must be angry with her, right? How she pretty much violated his personal space. Tohka didn't know what came over her… her body just seemed to react and move on its own before she regained control of herself. And again, what was up with all that touching she was doing to him while kissing him? Handholding maybe, or perhaps a hug depending in the circumstances; but she had never gone that far before.

Although… it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination… it felt… nice…

*Creak*

Tohka's door opened, but she didn't turn to face it. Michael was standing in it, holding a plate of some food with one hand and his other he had used to open the door. Holding that position for a moment as if waiting for a response, he then walked in after not receiving one.

"I saved you some… case you were hungry…" Michael said as he held the plate in front of Tohka, feeling a bit awkward asking such a question to the Bottomless Pit herself.

No answer.

Sighing, he put the plate on her dresser and then took a seat next to her. She did not face him. "Tohka?" He asked.

Still no answer.

"Tohka!" A little louder, but still not acknowledgment.

"Tohka!" He now grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him though she did not fight it. She did look surprised it happened though… and those eyes… the hazel eyes she fell in love with, they were full of concern. "What's the matter? What's bothering you? Talk to me!" Mike asked her directly, sounding as concerned as his eyes looked.

She did not respond… at least not at first, just stared at him for a few seconds. "… I don't know…" she said, softly.

Michael was even more confused. She didn't known what was wrong with herself? Unless it was that time of the… actually, did Spirits even get that? He shook off this thought almost as immediately as it came. "You don't know, what?" He asked.

For the second time, Tohka grumbled and ruffled her hair, both more violently this time. "I DON'T KNOOOOOOOW!" She whined, her head thrown backward a bit which also got her chin free and also kicked her feet a little. Tohka didn't know… she just didn't know. She then finally stopped and calmed down after continuing her tiny tantrum for a bit longer, and hung her head down with a sigh. "Are you mad at me?" She asked while looking back at him.

Michael gave her a new look as if she just grew a second head. "No… No! Not at all!" Michael told her once her question registered in his brain. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Well…" Tohka began to try and explain herself, looking very shy when doing so. With her cheeks having a small flush over it, it was honestly a little cute. "Y-You know… back in the living room…" She said while looking away and poking two fingers together.

Now Michael flushed a bit himself, but it was less noticeable. "Tohka," He then guided her face to look back at his but not exactly by taking her chin again, but rather caressing the opposite side of her face with some of his fingers and gently pulling it in his direction. He gave her a smile, which would hopefully relieve any tension. "I can't be mad at you for that."

The Spirit blinked. "Y-You can't?"

"Of course not. What reason should I be mad for?" He asked her. It was a rhetorical question, so he wasn't expecting a response back.

"But, I… we were…" Tohka said, trying to find the right words while glancing away. She invaded his personal space without his consent beforehand. It's not like they haven't gotten that close before but again, she'd normally ask first or they would be on a date where it felt appropriate.

"Its ok." He told her, getting her glance back on him. "You were just…" He then stopped, also letting her face go, now really thinking about. "Uh, you were just…"

"I was, just what?" Tohka genuinely asked.

Mike began to think very carefully about what he should say and how he should say it. How was he going to explain something like this without sounding like a pervert?

"Listen Tohka," He began his new statement. "You know I care allot about you right?" He asked. Tohka simply nodded. That was a dumb question; of course she knew Michael cared deeply for her! The boy risked his life for her on multiple occasions, which included her first Inverse where he could have very well been disintegrated from engaging with her. Thinking back even farther, he was the first person to talk to her, and give her her first name. "And you also care about me, right?" He continued. Tohka nodded quickly to answer that, a few times actually.

"Then there's no problem. It's only natural for stuff like that to happen." Michael said though while he appeared calm, he felt a bit uneasy with the conversation. Here he was, explaining feelings to an alien that had human anatomy, when even he himself had not experienced that degree of such up until a few hours ago. Not even when he dated Origami did they kiss like that. The most he's done with her back then was quick pecks or some that lasted several seconds.

'Its… natural?' Tohka asked herself, starting to relax a little. So what happened out in the living room wasn't a bad thing, but normal? So it was a good thing? She couldn't deny that kiss felt leagues different from the former ones they'd shared, also feeling a hell of allot more intimate. "So… your not mad?" She asked, needing to be sure.

Michael gently used his free hand to latch onto her shoulder and used that and his other hand going back to her cheek again to pull her closer, where he planted a gentle kiss on her lips that lasted a few seconds. Since he went slow, she was surprised but wasn't freaked out by this, and ended up closing her eyes a second after contact was made, and did moan once into it. There was nothing extra, no tongues or anything crazy, just simple contact. He felt he needed to do this to calm her down.

Michael eventually pulled away, ending the kiss though still held Tohka, which made her reopen her eyes and stare back at him, honestly feeling much better. Whenever they shared a moment, even if it wasn't anything special and just the two of them in a room or something, she always felt whatever troubles she had simply ceased to exist when she was around him. Any problems or doubts would fade away in his presence.

"You did nothing wrong, Princess," Michael using her codename. He also shifted his hand that was on her cheek to go down her face, detaching itself then reattaching to her arm, before going down said arm to find her hand where he gently began squeezing. Just like in front of that chalkboard, Tohka could feel their blood pulsing in almost unison within his warm hand.

"I told you once, and I'll tell you again: I'll never leave you. If you want to be near me, be near me. If you want to hug me, hug me. Wanna kiss me, the go right ahead and kiss me! No one's stopping you!" He added, then began tightening the grip on her hand a little bit harder. "Tohka, I…" He hesitated for a second. "… I love you… and I only want you to be happy… like you and everything else made me."

Tohka's eyes were widened in anticipation when he hesitated, but the moment he released that line of dialog is when her eyes felt like they popped out of her skull; her mouth also hanging open a bit with a low gasp coming out. Her heart also felt it had stopped beating for a moment. She felt like she could start crying.

Now don't get her wrong. She already knew Michael had strong feelings for her as she did to him, especially when she realized she did love him as a man and not as a friend; but to hear those words come out of his mouth for herself… and with her own ears…

Tohka didn't say another word, staring into Michaels eyes and subconsciously edging closer to him. He also copied this subconsciously himself… how many times had this happened and something/someone interrupted the moment? Origami calling him on the phone for a forced date. Yoshino walking in on them, then the Sock Puppet would make a joke at their expense. Kotori catching them in the act and losing her cool. Multiple girls of this harem would be peeking in though Mike would call them out either verbally or move the environment to make them hurt themselves. Even Mana just stared and watched, but never called them out… or looked disturbed for that matter.

Just like many times before, they kissed. It was simple at first. Only lip contact and nothing too fancy. The kiss broke once. Then they kissed again, for a second longer. Then it broke, then it lasted 2 seconds longer. They reconnected for the 3 time, where it then lasted 3 additional seconds. It was like Tohka hungered for his lips, and every time they parted then reconnected, she made sure to taste him more.

Michael stopped counting when they got to 5. From then on, contact was barely broken. But like before, Tohka had the urge to lean in closer. She hesitated, but then repeated 'It's only natural' in her thoughts before going for it. It felt good before, so she tried it again. She began moaning again, starting to enjoy herself now that she realized this was a natural thing to do. Also like before, she used her free hand to go to the back of Michael's head, only this time both her hands traveled up Michael's body and wrapped themselves up there.

Michael also began making his own moves. Like before, he went for her waist but like Tohka did just now, he used both arms to do so; pulling the Spirit closer to him. In response to this, Tohka pulled their heads closer together, which not only made them kiss harder, but also indirectly forcing their tongues into each other. This only got more moans out of them.

Because Tohka was leaning the hardest into the kiss, Michael fell back onto the bed with Tohka landing a little clumsily on top of him and a bit catty-cornered, but this did nothing to stop the passion they were sharing. Around this time, Tohka tried picking up where they originally left off; removing one hand from Mike's neck and started feeling down his chest.

This was also where Tohka freaked out… but she continued this time. Like he said, it was only natural…

Throughout the entire time this was going on, Tohka had slowly been regaining her Spirit Form little by little until it fully returned to her. This wasn't the first time this happened as when they first met the Yamai Sisters, the objects they swept up in their tornado hit Tohka a few times, and to make a long story short, her Astral Dress and powers all returned to her when Michael accidentally kissed her because of that.

When she felt she had regained all her power back is when she broke the intense lip-lock out of surprise, also for air as she was breathing heavily. She did not break eye contact though. They laid there with no words exchanged.

Seeing Tohka's armor again also surprised Michael, not expecting to see it again. And to think at one point he was afraid of her, but that was only when he didn't see the girl underneath that armor. The cutesy, innocent, gluttonous and sometimes childish side to her… but seeing it now, in this context… she was beautiful… powerful… and not "powerful" like those food coloring-haired weirdoes back in U.S. described. Thankfully while Japan did have those people, they were never taken seriously at all.

After a break of staring at each other and catching their breath, they dove back into kissing, their hormones kicking in.

Tohka went back to feeling his chest as she was dong before… she didn't know what to think. Tohka had seen Mike shirtless a few times like in a bathing suit or something, but directly touching his pectorals even through the shirt was entirely different. He wasn't overly muscular by any means (which she could imagine would probably make him feel very hard and rough if he was), but he was still pretty firm to the touch. It was no wonder all the damage his body had taken didn't have any lingering effect on him, at least that's what it felt like to her.

She wanted to touch him more… more directly…

Michael was touching Tohka back. With her Astral Dress now restored, you'd think it'd be rather cold and hard to the touch… surprisingly, that was not the case. It felt very much like an actual dress would, the material was pretty soft. Of course, the more purple parts looked to be made more of a tougher material, the more dressy bits is what Michael went for. His hands were still located around her lower back area, but he began exploring some of her body with them.

One hand traveled to her front, just above her navel, which gave Tohka a tickling sensation. She was jolted at first, not expecting it; but it didn't feel bad or anything, so she let him continue while she continued with what she was doing, both of them going off of instinct. Now at the bottom of Michael's shirt, Tohka slowly slid her fingers in like before, the tips of them rubbing against the humans skin. She had also removed her other hand from Mike's neck and put it flat against the bed for leverage, also kissing him deeper because of it.

She knew to get the shirt off completely would require them to part… she didn't want that…

RRRRRRIIP!

Getting her other hand, she used both to rip Michael's shirt open like butterflying a steak. Both of them didn't seem to care about this, and this made Tohka press herself into Mike, which truthfully didn't feel too bad either so she went back to touching his now exposed chest. She used both hands to explore him… she could feel his heart beating, pounding against his rib cage… and it was all because of her, just as he was doing to herself with his touch.

Speaking of his touch, it had went pretty far north and ended up at her own chest. Feeling him touch her there sent a louder moan into his mouth, which sacrificed a bit of her air… but she didn't stop him even though she clearly had the power to do so. She was roaming his front, so it was only fair, right?

Michael had gotten close to the forbidden fruits, contained only by a slightly revealing chest plate. The louder moan he received told him that this must have been a sensitive area, but was that for all women or just this one? Or was it strictly a Spirit thing? He had no idea, but regardless of that, he went for it and began feeling them through the armor.

Tohka released a VERY deep moan from that… but did not pull away. If anything, she not only began pressing her hand into him more, but a hand snaked behind him and pulled him closer, urging him to continue.

Hearing her moan like that seemed to trigger something inside of Michael. Like she did to him, he too tore off the top clothing part of her Astral Dress blocking direct access to her skin, which came of quite easily believe it or not. Was the material in that location that loose, or was it Michael's own strength or even somehow the Spirit Power in his body?… Again, he had no clue.

Tohka, taken aback by his sudden ferocity, broke the kiss they shared at that point, but then Michael began roughly touching her boobs, causing her to grit her teeth and throw her head back, moaning through her teeth at a higher pitch with her eyes widening. She also sat straight up, no longer able to touch Michael back, her body moving on its own, but Michael's hands remained latched onto her tits, his fingers moving squeezing them and flexing around her 2 bags of flesh… it felt really weird.

But… she couldn't ask him to stop… she didn't want him to stop…

Tohka's chest… how would Michael describe it? Well, it sort of felt like putting your hands in whipped cream. They were soft to the touch, and very bouncy. It was like Jello or putty in his fingers, being able to be mashed up and squished to his hearts content. And the more she moaned, the more she began to arch her body back, pushing her breasts more into his magical fingers. It also made Michael in turn crush her breasts even harder, which she did not try to stop either.

This was incredible! Tohka's never felt something like this before! She felt good… like, when she eats something tasty… but it also felt different. Better. Her chest was feeling so hot as was the rest of her body, to the point for some reason, she began grinding on the boy beneath her. Was this still natural?… She didn't care. This felt amazingly good, and she wanted this to keep going.

With her grinding on him, it was only a matter of time before his body reacted accordingly. He felt a piece of himself getting hard… and slowly grow. This was not a priority to him right now, just fondling the body of the Princess above him.

Tohka didn't know why, but she felt the uncontrollable urge to pounce down on him, smothering him with a kiss. A much harder kiss this time. She moaned more as she kissed him, a kiss he also returned with another tongue-wrestle engaging, and he still was massaging her creamy mounds. She pushed them into him more, begging him to keep touching her, her hands having found a way back around him to hug him closer.

As they devoured each others face, Tohka's power started to get resealed, leaving her nude. She felt this happen, but didn't care. She honestly did not care at all. Its not the first time he's seen her naked, either from accidentally walking into the bathroom during or after she bathed (first time was technically Kotori's fault) or helping her with a bra that one time.

They parted again, a thick bridge of spit connecting them before it broke. They breathed so hard, their breathes slapped the other persons face as they gasped. The Knight-like Spirit's eyes glazed over, feeling happy… a level of happiness not only did she never feel, but didn't think was possible. A pleasurable feeling was surging throughout her body, one that she wanted to keep active as long as possible.

It was also here Tohka felt it… his groin, and the monster that was down there…

Now it was Michael's turn to panic. As much as his horny teenage hormones wanted him too, he really wasn't sure if that was a good idea. To avoid this from continuing any further than it needed to be, he began to sit up with Tohka almost on his lap… but she then placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart, stopping him.

He looked at her… she was looking directly at him. Her own heart was beating fast, she could swear they beated in perfect unison. She was still breathing out of her mouth, not taking her eyes off him. He then felt that same hand slowly slip down to his belly, just above his pants… she still did not break eye contact even though she did blink, her eyes talking for her.

Michael was dreaming… he HAD to be. This was some crazy dream, dreamt up by a healthy teenage boy, who had a conversation about sex with supernatural aliens hours ago, with a crew that hadn't gotten out of the Mile High Club for the last 30 years!

Tohka… freaking TOHKA of all people!… She was not… she was seriously not asking…!

Tohka tugged at it… he was NOT dreaming… this was real.

What the Front Door should he say?! Should he allow her? Should her deny her? If he did, how would she take it?! Would she get over it eventually like everything else, or would it continue to effect her later on? But if he DID let it happen, what consequences would happen down the road? Even if the incompetent crew were right and Spirits could NOT get pregnant like busty high school devils, would his super soldiers infused with a Spirit Power be the only exception?!

He had so many questions, not enough answers, and now he had to make only 1 of 2 choices instead of out of 3…

Option 1 - Deny Tohka, which would probably get her upset or something along those lines, but at least it would be the safest route.

Or Option 2 - Fuck it… and her.

Tohka was still wanting for and answer, but when none came, she looked disappointed and began to slowly retract her hand…

…

…

Michael grabbed it quickly just before she removed her fingers. It did stun her… but after looking into his eyes for a few seconds, his message has been received.

ZIP!

As unsure as he was, Michael couldn't find it in his heart to deny Tohka, nor the feelings he had for her, so he assisted in the removal of one of the only two articles of clothing preventing them both being in their birthday suits.

Tohka's heart, and Michael's heart, beat at maximum speed… looks like this was it. There was no going back, nor was anyone or anything interrupting them this time… they finally had their moment, one that was possibly growing from the very beginning.

Removing the pants together first, Tohka couldn't help but pause at the bulge down in Michael's area… she most certainly didn't have that. She began to get a bit nervous, needing to gulp once, before continuing. Both lovers' hands landed on top of the other on the last thing protecting Michael's manhood. They stared at each other once again, as if searching for second thoughts… but they saw none.

The beast had been released, flopping out and bopped a bit before stopping and stood tall. Michael was a little embarrassed. This was the first time a girl aside from his mother had seen him THIS exposed. He couldn't help but wonder what Tohka was thinking… she hadn't stopped staring at it once it poked its head out.

Tohka began to try and touch it, curious about it. The moment she did however, it moved. Flinching, she retracted away. She wasn't scared of it or anything, just unsure. Michael couldn't help but feel awkward about her reaction, was something wrong with it?

Thankfully, Tohka noted his expression and went to rectify her mistake. She touched it again, which of course it reacted again almost as if it had a mind of its own, but she was determined. She wrapped her fingers around it, kind of how a baby would wrap fingers around its mother/father/the person holding them to absorb information. She wasn't getting much except the fact she swore she felt a pulse.

Michael tensed up. Nobody had ever touched him down there before, and it felt so much different than when he touched himself in the shower… to clean it, of course! He didn't expect tingles to shoot through his meat and around his body the very second Tohka touched it.

Tohka noticed what her actions where causing so she stopped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

Still determined, she let him rest for a second before touching him again, where he was more relaxed this time. This was funny. Usually she'd be the unsure one, but it appeared Michael was at her mercy now. So ironic. She pretty much jacked him for a minute, feeling his penis harden even more… strange.

After a while, she stopped touching it again… and scooted closer… wait, hold on!

"T-Tohka, I…!" Michael's face was red… red as her own. He hesitated in what he was going to say, mostly out of his own uncertainty. This was a HUGE step. His mind was racing, feeling it had done laps around the globe a thousand times over. He looked down at their private areas, then back up at the Bottomless Pit Princess. Her expression matched his to a degree, but it was just like before; breathing out her mouth (probably due to her still racing heart), her shoulders going up and down because of that, and looked deep into his eyes.

She was asking for permission.

…

…

…

He did not deny her. How could he? He loved her… as much as she loved him… it would be wrong, and part of him did want this too. Even if there were still some unanswered questions, two of them were about to be answered.

Michael had to lean back a bit so they could start the process. Tohka hesitated herself, but took his meat-stick and gently held it so she could get it inside herself. This honestly surprised Michael. Did she know what she was doing? Where did she learn this? Was it just instinctive? Did Origami almost show her porn again?

Regardless, Tohka, one hand on his shoulder and the other still holding his stick, she began to lower herself on it… Michael could feel how moist she was…

She stopped then, looking to be in pain. Michael looked at her, wondering what was… oh, right. According to sex ed, a human girls first time was gonna hurt. Looks like Spirits were no different. Despite this, Tohka continued on, pain be damned, and also letting his item go. She placed the hand she held Little Michael with on his opposite shoulder, probably for balance.

This was it… they were becoming one…

Something inside her stopped her… literally. She was going slow due to pain that was gonna be sore later, but she felt Mike's pole touch something. She tried going again, but it wasn't allowing Mike through. Getting a little annoyed, but also determined to have this moment with him, she tried a third time… and harder.

She stopped… her mouth wide open, but no sound came out. Tears began watering her eyes… she was in so much pain, gripping Mike's shoulders extremely tightly that it was a miracle she didn't break them. She had been blasted by Reiryoku and bullets, but THIS felt like she had punctured herself open. Blood began leaking onto her bed…

Michael realized it pretty quickly. It was her hymen… his rod broke it. But that wasn't the only thing his mind was focused on… he was inside her. He could felt her internal body temperature. It was amazing! Tohka was so warm and tight… so this is what the inside of a girl felt like… or was it just because she was a Spirit? He had no idea.

His body being thrusting on its own a few times, which made Tohka close her eyes and moan, but it seemed to be a mix of pleasure and pain. He still stopped himself, though it took a large amount of willpower. "I… I'm sorry. I…" He tried apologizing, feeling guilty to have caused her more pain. He figured a girls first would hurt, but this much?

Tohka shut him down with a kiss, letting him know it was ok… kind of a lie, this pain was like nothing she had ever felt before. It matched the intensity of seeing Michael get hurt but without the void-like feeling in her heart… but she'll endure it. Endure it for him.

No one was gonna take this moment away from her… not even herself.

She broke the new kiss, which admittedly helped forget the pain, but only as long as the lip-to-lip contact lasted. Needless to say, Michael understood her message. As bad as he still felt for tearing her open, she wanted this, and they've already gone too far to back out now.

After a little bit, Tohka began to move, but at a slow pace. It was still painful, but it wasn't as bad as before. The way she felt Michael's dick spread her open, again while painful at first, actually began to feel good… no… great… even those words seemed to be too weak to describe it.

"Ah… ah… ah…" She began releasing tiny moans as Michael entered and exited her, he grunted as her insides squeezed massaged him. And as it continued, the pain Tohka was feeling eventually diminished and became nonexistent. Only pleasure was left in its place.

Again, something inside Michael snapped, and he sat up straight, hugging Tohka close. The shift in position also applied to the way his dick moved, him now increasing his speed.

"Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah!" She didn't know how, but he was now touching spots inside her she wasn't aware of, which when combined with his speed increase made her moan a bit faster. As he hugged her, she felt her breasts mush against his chest, which felt as good when he was touching them earlier. Both partners had their heads rest on the others shoulder.

Tohka pulled herself closer to him, using her arms and legs to do so. This was meant to press herself more into him, which she honestly enjoyed the feeing of her creamy globes squishing into him (she might even be addicted to that); but this also allowed him more access to her internal nether regions.

"AHHHHHH! Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah!" She felt his rock hardness slam into something all the way in the back of her. She could have swore that was her stomach, but it was far from painful. Hitting that spot made her almost scream, she ended up moaning louder and faster than before!

Hearing her moan that much only served to make Michael compress her into him like a python squeezing its prey, and also increase his thrusting speed even more. The boy had lost control of his body, it was moving and reacting entirely on its own accord.

"AH! AH! MI-MICHAEL! MI-CHAEEEL!" Tohka moaned in ecstasy, also losing control of her body as it matched his thrusting with her own. She was feeing so good, she couldn't help but start crying his name.

Hearing his name snapped him out of it… and he forced himself to finally stop after a few seconds of his body slowing down, like it was a motorcycle that had to slow down before reaching the intersection. Tohka began gasping… pleasure still fresh in her body…

Michael couldn't believe what he was doing now that he was conscious of it… this was wrong… it felt great, but it felt so wrong. Not to sound like a downer or anything, but if they were going to do this, they should be using the proper protection. Here he was, about to explode inside an adorable, cute and pretty girl; even armed with the knowledge this could very easily change his life forever.

How would the other girls… well, he kinda already knew.

Miku could care less and actually encouraged the harem idea, Kurumi didn't seem to care either way, Origami was very defensive of him (she never said "no" to the harem thing however), the Yamai Sisters did fight over who would spend time with him first though sometimes they did end up with him together anyway, Natsumi would try to hog him while in adult form, Yoshino did get freaked out whenever the girls fought (namely Kurumi), and Kotori despite putting up a tough front DID let it slip about marriage a few times.

Assuming he could get Tohka knocked up, did she even want kids? Now or at all? Could he even be a good father figure considering who his father was? Ratatoskr's money was great and all, but could that support a child(s) in addition to 8 other girls? He had even MORE questions!

His body wanted to move, but he kept it put… he needed to stop… needed a second to think…

That was until: "Why'd… you stop?"

Tohka's voice suddenly rang in his ear, the girl questioning why he stopped himself in between gasps for breath, sounding like she was going to start sobbing. She was also breathing in his ear because she was so close. It almost sounded like ASMR.

"Please… don't…" She added, obviously asking him not to stop and to keep going. Begging really. The way she said it was the perfect mix between innocence, cuteness, and sexiness; also sounding very erotic. Should he give in, or do the quote 'right thing' and pull out? With how crazy his life had gotten, what WAS the right thing anymore? It felt like he had a small angel and small devil on each one of his shoulders, telling him what they think he should do.

…

…

…

"… Michael? Why'd you- AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Tohka concern was erased when Michael started up again, allowing his body to give in and finish the job they had started. He didn't care anymore. If it comes down to it, then they'll face the consequences together… him and Tohka. Nothing can break the bond they both shared. When one was in trouble, the other went out of his/her way for the safety of the other… die trying if necessary.

Sometimes, Mike felt he didn't deserve Tohka… or any of the girls for that matter. He can be an intolerable smartass at times, would make them emotionally outburst, and once in a while some would get into a fight with him… but he was too selfish to give them up. And here he was, making rough love to one of them, and he was nearing his limit.

"AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH!" Tohka moaned, loudly and uncontrollably. Michael was going so fast that she couldn't help it. She felt something coming… something forming deep inside her… it felt like something was grabbing and clenching her insides, not exactly like when she went Inverse but it was the best comparison she could think of.

This feeling carried on for both of them until…

SPLURT!

"AAAAH-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Tohka screamed with euphoria, both her and Michael having reached they're climaxes. She felt it… felt him fill her up to the brim… his hot load going off inside her like a bomb.

She gasped out a few times with what little air she had left with that last release. She eventually fell on top of Michael, her body unable to support her own weight. Michael was still able to sit up, but he fell back slowly as it was just easier to relax after such a vigorous activity.

Tohka's body felt like mush, her head resting on Michael's chest where her eyes couldn't help but close, hearing and feeling his heart beat against her ear… she could barely move. It was as if all the bones in her body had evaporated, and all that was left was a mass of muscle. She breathed the heaviest she had to breathe in her entire life. Not even her most toughest battles could ever compare to the amount of oxygen she was trying to get back into her body.

She still felt it by the way… Michael's essence warm inside of her while some was oozing out. They did it… they actually did it… they became one, losing it to the other for the first time. After recovering some of her strength, she lifted her head and opened her eyes too look into Michael's once again while she was still getting air.

"Mic… Michael…" she began, but then slowly leaned in to kiss him. They did so 4 times, partially parting for some air during each, and the last one lasted a bit longer and was more passionate. She barely even had the energy to moan, but she managed to do it. They parted while breathing in again, both still needing additional time to recover. "I… I love you…" Tohka said in a loving voice, meaning every word.

*Pat*

She didn't expect it, but welcomed the sudden head pat from Michael, closing her eyes and smiling from it as he rubbed the top of her head. "I love you too, Tohka…" Michael told her again. "And I'll never stop."

Tohka was happy… she felt so happy right now. She wanted this moment to last forever, but then her eyelids began to get heavy. This was either due to the head patting or the act of hot sex they just shared, perhaps a mixture of both, and Tohka ended up falling asleep on top of the boy she loved.

Michael managed to stay awake for a few minutes after Tohka went out like a light, still rubbing her head a bit more before he too began catching Zs'.

XXX

The following morning, Michael began waking up with blurred vision… What happened last night? He went to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but only one arm was able to move. The other, was being used as a pillow by The Princess, her naked glory covered only by her bedsheets (maybe she covered them last night or he/they did it subconsciously?). She was still fast asleep next to him with a smile on her face, her chest and shoulders rising and falling as she breathed through her nose.

It really wasn't a dream, was it?… It actually happened, right here in Tohka's bedroom. He and her shared a very special moment last night, which would only make their bond allot stronger. He still couldn't believe they did it, but the evidence was all there.

Crap… he'll have to wash these sheets pretty soon then.

He put a hand on her head, which made Tohka snuggle into him even more. Dear God, why did she have to be so cute? She looked adorable and peaceful as she slept… he hated the thought of disturbing that, so he figured he'd wait a bit. It was a holiday today, so it's not like they had school or anything.

He happened to look at her clock… it was 8:17. He had to get breakfast started soon, even if Tohka for once might just sleep through it. Luckily, he had the perfect decoy… Tohka's favorite pillow was under his head. He put the pillow between them, pushing it into Tohka's arm gently, which caused her to start hugging it and completely letting Michael go.

With his arm free, he was allowed to escape, but did so gently and quietly to not wake her up. Tohka only hugged the pillow tighter as he slowly closed her door as he exited her bedroom, nuzzling into it like a pet would you do to their owner.

XXX

Thankfully, it didn't take Michael long to throw on fresh clothes and start making breakfast. By the time he was done, it was almost 9:00. Everyone would be getting up pretty soon, so he maybe had a few minutes to himself. Deciding to watch a little TV to relax, he picked up the remote that was left on the couch, and pressed the power button.

What came up was a certain paused scene from a certain someone's favorite Soap Opera…

…

…

…

Michael stared at it, putting the two-and-two together… and finally understood exactly what influenced last night. Without a single word, Michael exited out of the program by pressing the MENU button, and begin pressing the DOWN arrow key, moving down the list.

He passed by Guide, Volume, Source, Brightness…

Michael: (presses "down" on remote every other second) Told Kotori Parental Controls, but nooooo…

---

And that's that. The (technically first) Lemon of this series.

Though if there are more scenes or character moments your interested in, first meetings, dates, maybe even another lemon, etc.; I'm open to adding more concepts to this document.

Now if you'll excuse you, the latest episode of DAL 4 just dropped at the time of finishing this. So I'll just go stand in front of a truck as it YEEETS me into that world for a half hour… anyone also notice the animation seems unfinished and lacks stylization during certain battle scenes? Just something I've been noticing about it.

In any case, thank you all one final time for all the support! Have a great day today (or night should that be your time zone), and a great Summer as well! Special Thanks too:

54godamora

Vercingetorix Rex

Emblemfan1

Omnisaurus

YuanDxD

AxDevilman

dumbass

cdpowelltre/Lildeevil

mrmisterman

somedude234

Twilightiger1602

All guest reviewers, named and unnamed.

All followers and favorites to this story, from old and new fans.

Everyone that has shared ideas and memes, on and off FanFiction dot net.

And of course… YOU!

---

Date A Live! Practice Chapter 7 - Bonus:

Getting away from the intense action of flying bullets, laser fire, explosions and severed arms or whatnot; a Kurumi flew towards the DEM building. 'Hmmm… Macho Michael's certainly taking his sweet time,' the Nightmare thought, debating whether or not to maybe check in on him. Deciding to take a quick peek, she tried flying into through the very top…

Only for the surface to reject her, forcing her backward as if she hit something. She moaned cutely at this while rubbing her own head when she landed on the floor. Narrowing her eyes, she tried again, a little faster this time; but something was still preventing her from phasing through and lead to the exact same result. "Ara, ara. Guess I'll have to take the long route." She said out loud, then ran towards the edge of the roof with her arms out and giggling her unique laugh before jumping off it.

XXX

Once Miku held up the keycard, the door before them began to open in a highly advanced way with some hissing and gear sounds. The room before them was quite large, and had barely any light in it. All it had was a single technologically-advanced chair at the back, which had none other than…

"Tohka!" Michael shouted out, relief and worry washing over him the moment he recognized that costume and insanely long hair. Relief to see her, but worry for her safety. At the sound of her name, Tohka began to stir, her eyes fluttering before opening slowly.

"… Mmmm… Mi… Michael?" She said, sounding very tired and very weak as if she was drugged. The mere thought of that added a different emotion in Michael… rage. Michael's blood couldn't stop itself from slowly boiling… all those wires on Tohka… What the fuck was this place, a quarantine room or some kind of torture chamber?

Without even thinking or wasting another second, he immediately ran into the room, wanting to get to Tohka as soon as possible.

"So… your finally here…" said a voice… a disturbingly calm voice, that seemed to come from everywhere. This made Michael stop in his tracks, looking around the room for the owner of the voice, but no one except him or Miku was in the room with Tohka.

"Who are you?!… Where are you?!" He demanded the voice, still looking around the room with Sandalphon held up. His tone gave Miku a bit of pause. He didn't sound this angry when he and her were bickering while climbing up the stairs. Annoyed yes, but not this level of anger. "SHOW YOURSELF!" He ordered this time, his patience wearing thin.

As if granting his wish, the wall just a few feet from Tohka's left opened up also in a sci-fi like way. All that was behind that door was darkness… until a single black dress shoe slowly walked out. This was followed by another shoe of the same type, and its owner finally walked out of its lair to reveal itself.

It was a man with dark ash colored hair, with a similar style to Michael's raven hair except this man's was longer whereas the Spirit Sealer kept his rather shorter. Not only that, the man's skin was pale white in comparison to Michael's somewhat tanned. This could be either age or the man never went outside in the sun, in fact one could mistake the man for a vampire. Finally his eyes, while Michael's were a soft hazel color (at least when he's not using Spirit Energy), the man had dark eyes.

It was honestly a little creepy. Even by Kurumi standards.

"How ironic… so your the one whose been running amok in my business… must say, even with all my precautions, I didn't expect anyone to make it this far." The man spoke to Miku and Michael, his voice somehow matching his appearance. In response to him revealing himself Miku summoned a pipe from her Gabriel.

Though for some reason, Michael lowered Sandalphon, which both the Princess and the Diva noticed out of the corner of her eye. Was he finally giving up? Miku couldn't help but think it was about time he dropped the act… something about that thought made her feel funny, more specifically in her chest area… nerves from this older humans appearance maybe?

"Since your a friend of the Princess, would it be appropriate to call you Prince then?" Continued the older man, making a joke but continued on. "You know, I've actually been waiting to met you. See the face of the one who could apparently control the power of Spirits…" The man then grinned. "But… I think we know each other pretty well already; don't you think Michael?"

Michael lowered the mighty Angel blade even more, which again both girls noticed. Not only that, but this person knew who Michael was? "… … No… it can't be…" Michael said. His voice, which was full of energy before, had almost sounded defeated now. Even from the little time Miku knew him, that seemed very unlike him. For all that talk about going out of his way to help Tohka, NOW he was taking a step back? She looked back and forth between both humans, trying to figure out why Michael hesitated.

"If I may introduce myself, my name is Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott; the director of DEM Industries… rather long, I know, so Isaac Westcott will suffice." The man said, also telling all of them his name in the same creepy calm tone of voice. Seriously, Miku hated men, but this guy was something else! His voice sounded slimy like…

Wait… Pelham… Michael Pelham… Isaac Ray Pelham… why did he share a name with Michael?… That had to be a coincidence, right? it actually was not uncommon for two people to have the same last name and not be related in any way. But even if it was, why did Michael look so… conflicted? The boys hands and body were shaking a little, but it didn't appear to be only out of exhaustion of overusing Reiryoku.

"Good job making it all the way up here alive. I'm impressed…" said Westcott, but then he began to smirk. "I would expect nothing less… from my son."

If you were in the same room as everyone, you could swear on your life you heard a giant mirror shatter at a very loud volume. Miku's eyes widened, not having expected such a plot twist. "S… Son…?" She repeated.

"Father?" Tohka asked herself out loud. What was going on here?! What was Westcott talking about?! That's saying nothing of Michael's reaction! He looked as if his whole world had crumbled before his very eyes! Usually this is where Michael would say something… but he was now uncharacteristically silent. The overwhelming shock rendering him speechless.

Here's where Westcott began to snicker to himself, though rather loudly. "Amazing… even after almost succeeding, she had this in her back pocket the whole time!" He said, his snickering increasing. "And here I thought all I had to do was get him out of way! But as it turns out, I was wrong again!" He added, laughing to himself some more. "This is hilarious! To think my own son never had the spark of a Wizard, but could handle the power of the Spirits the ENTIRE time!" Westcott finally finished, now laughing out loud.

"… it was you…" Michael finally spoke up, but at a soft volume; but it was also one that forced any listener to stop what they are doing and listen. This included Westcott, who stopped laughing, and Miku and Tohka, who looked right in Michael's direction. "You tried to kill Tohka and Yoshino, you almost got your hands on Kaguya and Yuzuru…" Michael began to say, then his grip on Sandalphon tightened and his volume got a little louder, and growled a bit in it. "You got Mana involved to chase Kurumi endlessly… making them both kill over and over again…" his voice only got further agitated the more he spoke about the subject, to the point he was squeezing Tohka's Angel so hard it was shaking along with his hands from the strain.

He tried keeping a lid on his rising temper… but it was about burst off the jar.

"It was all YOU!" He almost roared at Westcott, his own father. "You've been behind all this from the very beginning! Leaving me to rot in that GODDAMN orphanage; just to play musical chairs with Magical Girls?!" Michael accused his father, having figured it all out… and to say he was pissed was an understatement. Ever since coming here, it's been one life-or-death situation after another… and his dad was the puppet master pulling the strings all along! It made sense why he so angry to Miku and Tohka (to an extent); according to himself, he originally came to Japan for the sole purpose of learning the truth of why he was abandoned. Working his ass off for several years just to make it possible.

Now he knew. Only to find the one who raised him, was the cause of the girls' suffering… And his dad on the other side of the room did not show any remorse for ANY of it. He merely laughed upon seeing his son again.

"You know what? Don't answer that! I don't even care anymore!" He yelled at Westcott again before (or even if) he could reply. "What I want, is Peach out of this castle, NOW!" Michael ordered the head of DEM. Part of him wanted to continue tongue-lashing Westcott, but he also wanted to get the hell away from him and get the older man out of his sight for everything he's done. The fact he was blood-related to the perpetrator made him sick to his stomach.

"And if I refuse, what then?" Westcott asked, chuckling a little as he responded. "I should be afraid, shouldn't I?" He added, though in a condescending way. He then continued to mock his son. "Would you freeze me to death? Maybe blow my body against the walls? Perhaps even-"

FLOOSH! BLAM!

Westcott didn't get a chance to even move as a small bolt of fire grazed past him, impacting the wall behind him and exploding behind him. As the fireball wasn't large, neither was the explosion, but that wasn't the point… it was a warning shot. Despite this, Westcott's expression did not change.

The camera cuts back to Michael, showing him with one arm outstretched, the other holding Sandalphon, and a few embers of the tips of his fingers of the free hand. His eyes were full of rage, but he was breathing heavily to control himself with what little control he must've had remaining. "Or this Plumber… is roasting a Koopa… on an open fire!" Michael did his best to try to control himself, and he did for a bit while speaking through his teeth; but he could not stop himself from yelling and threatening his own father's life at the end.

Tohka was shocked at Michael, and so was Miku. Both had seen Michael mad before. Miku herself had especially seen Michael, and his alter-ego Michelle, pretty angry. Quite a few number of times in fact… but neither teen had ever seen that emotion like this. The intensity in his eyes, his gritting teeth, his shaking body, him trying to control his breathing… and to top it all off, Miku saw the veins in his neck popping as Tohka was not close enough to see this.

If this WAS still an act… why was his body reacting so violently?

It was still a bit of time before Westcott responded, probably weighing his options. "… alright. You win." He said. "You've become quite the negotiator, haven't you son?" He added before snapping his fingers.

This caused the room to light up, and the cuffs holding Tohka in place to recede. She still had wires on her, but she tore those off and quickly got out of the chair, heading for the other side of the room where Miku and Michael were waiting. Once she got close, she held her arms out to hug him, but a wall of Territory spawned from both sides of the room like moving 2 blocks close together, cutting half the room off. It also spread all over the walls of Westcotts side. Regardless, Tohka still looked happily at Michael with her hands on the barrier. Michael copied her with one of his own hands.

Again. Miku felt that same feeling from before… Tohka looked genuinely happy to see him, and Mike liked relieved to see her okay; but that was probably just his expert mental and emotional manipulation of more innocent girls, right?

"Open the door, Westcott." Mike said in a calm tone while slowly turning his head to see the CEO, though you can still tell he was still mad, but held it in as Tohka was free from bondage. All Westcott did was smirk at him, no words being spoken.

Miku glanced at Michael and then back to Westcott, then made a decision. Whether this was still an act or not to win a prize (that prize being a pretty girl), Michael did in fact make it all the way up here, only to learn one of his parents was responsible for everything that had happened to him. The shock on his face could not be faked… he clearly had no idea, only further evidenced by his angry outburst.

A second pipe arose from the floor next to Michael, with of course the boy saw it, and its top curved to the barrier. Miku then took in a breath… "Laaaaaaaaaaaa!" She aimed sound right at the Territory, but unlike with the soldiers in the stairwell, this one didn't even bulge.

"How's the rescue mission going?" Asked a new voice that giggled before responding, though its owner didn't take long to reveal herself. Kurumi (either the real one or a clone) had appeared from a wall on Mike's side of the room. "Oh, my. So a Territory was blocking me?" She added, dropping down to the floor. Already working out what must be done, also due to seeing Mike and Tohka separated by said Territory, Kurumi got out both her guns and fired multiple shots akin to when she and her clones attacked the Yamai Twins back in the studio.

But even her power didn't affect the Territory either, surprising her. Ya know how water ripples when you stick a finger in it? That's basically what it looked like, only multiple times due to multiple bullets. A Spirit that controlled wind was one thing, one that healed itself with fire was another, but this?

Westcott chuckled at their attempts. "I'm afraid not one single Spirit can break this Territory," he explained. "After analyzing all existing Spirits in Japan, combined with every branch of DEMs' across the globe along with their data, as well as every AST and their sighting around the world; not even an Atomic Bomb could bust it open."

The kids' at this point got concerned… around the world? So it wasn't just Japan that needed Spirits Sealed… but the entire planet?! Just how much data on how many Spirits did Westcott have? How many Spirits were still out there waiting to either be Sealed or destroyed if Michael didn't get to them first?

"But you, son…" Westcott then continued, now getting Michael's sole attention. "One who has already Sealed 5 Spirits, and even taming Nightmare… why don't you cut it?

Surely after getting past all my traps and beating my best Wizards, this simple little Territory should be no problem for you. A knife through butter honestly." He said, which was also a taunt.

As you can imagine, our hero was in no mood for this or Westcott's games. He held Sandalphon up again threateningly. "How about YOU take it down, or I'll carve you like a Thanksgiving turkey!" Michael warned. While none of the 3 Spirits knew what 'Thanksgiving' meant, it sounded pretty serious.

"Hmhmhmhm, I'm sure you can…" Westcott chuckled again. "But you can't do you much carving with the kitchen door still locked now, can you?"

Michael gritted his teeth and mentally cursed. Westcott wasn't lying. Miku, and even Kurumi couldn't break down the barrier; and he doubted Tohka could since he was currently utilizing her power. But even if he wasn't, she could only take so much of it back herself. And he couldn't exactly kiss her to give it all back right now. At this moment in time, Issac Westcott was holding all the cards, having the best possible hand in this poker game.

Still… if it'll get Tohka outta there…

"… Tohka. Stand back." Michael told the Princess.

"Michael…" She was an airhead at times, but Tohka wasn't stupid. She could see how exhausted he was.

"STAND!" Michael cut her off. "… Back!" He added a little more calmly. Knowing she wasn't gonna win an argument with him, she obeyed and got her hands off the Territory, and also took a step or two away from the shield. With her away from possible damage, Michael began to raise Sandalphon higher…

*SPURT!*

"URK!" Michael almost went down on his knees from blood coming out of his body and dropping to the floor, but used Sandalphon to hold himself up.

"Michael!" Said a worried Tohka (who ran back up to the barrier again), and even Kurumi and Miku looked concerned. Kotori's flames didn't kick in until AFTER he slowly rose back up, but even then they didn't completely heal him… this was it. He had pretty much reached his absolute limit. Michael's body was on the verge of breaking from the overuse of supernatural power his mortal body was not qualified to handle. He has never used this much power before, at least not without Tohka helping him like during the tornado incident.

He was not gonna last much longer.

He stood up tall, which took some effort, but he managed. He then slowly looked back at the other 2 Spirits. "Kurumi… if that's the real you, Zayin that asshole when I chop this thing in half…" he said to Kurumi, then slowly looked towards Miku. "And I hate to ask, but…"

"The only reason reason I'll allow it is cause I really want to get out of here." Miku said in her usual tone towards him while trying to hide the concern she had for a moment, already predicting what Michael was going to ask.

"Oh… well I looks like I've been beat!" Westcott said, though he didn't sound worried at all. "One weak, feeble old man; staring into the face of certain doom by 3 Spirits and the one who controls them!" He continued, putting a hand on his head like an overdramatic performance in a play. "Though before I'm turned against my own will, can I have a few final words?" He then looked directly at Michael. "Tell me, son… did you feel backstabbed when I left you at the orphanage?"

Rage began boiling in Michael again as his father only continued to mock him, as if his own flesh and blood, the very existence of his son, meant absolutely nothing to him. "Did I feel backstabbed?! I felt…!"

STAB!

Michael: GAA-URK!

Westcott smirked again. "I think you do now…"

Before any of the Spirits or Michael could react, the Spirit Sealer was literally backstabbed by a large blade from behind. The force of the stabbing sent blood on the Territory then onto the floor. Miku and Kurumi were shocked at what just happened, Tohka more-so as it happened directly in front of her, and she couldn't call out to him in time to warn him.

Michael fell to the floor once the blade was forcefully yanked out, though he did keep himself propped up by his hands for he had dropped Sandalphon and it disappeared. He slowly looked behind him, his vision blurring, but he managed to see…

Michael: E… Ellen…

The self-proclaimed Strongest Wizard had appeared out of nowhere, fully loaded in her CR-Uint… his own blood covering her blade. Michael dropped to the floor, no longer having the strength to hold himself up.

"Michael! Michael!" Tohka cried, banging her fists against the barrier while calling Mike's name over and over again, but it did little good. Her 'Prince' passed out at that point, though Spiritual flames did burst from the wound… but if he was attacked again…

"Shall I finish him off now, Ike?" Ellen asked her boss.

"Not just yet," Westcott said, then looked at the worried Spirit on his side and back to his half-dead son. "… In fact… this should prove to be much more effective!" He added. "Hey, Princess… that is Tohka, was it?" He asked Tohka, getting her attention and stopping her from calling out to Michael. "Your about to watch Ellen chop my sons pretty little head off." He continued in a calm voice that honestly sent shivers down each Spirits spine. This man clearly had no care of any of the lives he takes… including his own son.

"Although; according to our research, Sandalphon can cut through virtually anything. Glass… missiles… concrete… even the fabric of reality itself." Westcott went on, which judging by Tohka's expression, she obviously did not know that last bit of information about her Angel. "If you manage to cut through that Territory and stop Ellens blade with everything you have; then I'll let all of you go free." He promised. "Other than that, well… I guess we'll just have to see what happens."

"Are you sure of this, Ike?" Ellen asked, wanting to make sure this is what her master wanted, considering this WAS his son.

Westcott looked down at Michael's still body for a few moments. "… he's already served his purpose. And he's brought Diva and Nightmare with him, not to mention Hermit and Berserk were under the control of Diva anyway…" He said, then added with a wider smirk: "We can extract the crystals out of them later."

"As you wish." Ellen said, then raised her blade…

WHIP GRAB!

It was then grabbed by a long shadow hand from behind her. "Hehehehe… well that won't work for me. I still haven't eaten my fill." Said Kurumi, a shadow beneath her having formed which the hand sprouted from. More hands summoned themselves, which after a second of them coming out, they rushed over towards Ellen. The Wizard didn't looked the least bit concerned at it even as the closed in…

SL-LA-LA-LA-LA-LASH!

With several sparks obscuring the screen, Ellen was then shown with multiple severed arms floating around her in slow motion before they disintegrated into shadow. Once that was done, she rushed over to the caster of those arms, and plunged her blade into Kurumi dead center. The Nightmare gagged at this, then also vanished in shadows.

"Laaaaaaaaaaa…" Miku tried controlling her with her voice, but it didn't have any affect at all just like with Kurumi. "AAAAAAAAAAA…" Miku tried a higher note while continuing her song upon seeing it wasn't working, but Ellen was still unaffected. She only gave a stare at the Diva that said: Are you done? And walked over to the unconscious boy to finish the job she was given.

'There are some things even your power can't give you!' Michael flashed and echoed in Miku's mind, making her stop in horror, and just watch… she couldn't believe it… he was right!

Tohka gasped in horror. Miku couldn't control Ellen, and even Kurumi couldn't stop her! Now panicking, she quickly got up and stomped the ground a few times, and rather hard and quickly due to stress kicking in. "Sandalphon!… Sandalphon!" She continued to stomping on the ground until finally a portion of her power had a returned to her along with her Angel. Once it manifested, Tohka (while sobbing due to the overwhelming gravity of the situation) raised the mighty blade.

SLASH!

Ellen, who was over Michael at this point, merely looked in the direction upon hearing the slash; but once she saw there was no danger, she went back to original task. Tohka, not willing to give up, tried again.

SLASH!

Tohka: I'll…

SLASH!

Tohka: Save…

SLASH!

Tohka: YOU!

SLASH!

Tohka refused to let him die. Even if still a large amount of her energy was inside Michael, he's fought tooth and nail to save her. She wasn't going to stop and let Michael be killed. While she might not be able to stop Ellen, she won't allow her to take his life without a fight.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Over and over again, Tohka tried cutting through the Territory, but it wasn't working so she went as fast as her arms would allow. "I wouldn't let them hurt you, Michael! I swear! I'll get you out of here! I promise! I wouldn't let you die!" Tohka cried, talking rather fast but her words were still very audible.

All Miku could do was watch… she couldn't move… she couldn't talk… her body was completely frozen. Seeing Kurumi fight and use her Time to get Mike a chance to talk to her, then take a blade to the chest for Michael, now Tohka was wildly slashing like a mad woman against the Territory. The Princesses voice was cracking as she was basically going on an emotional rampage. This went against everything Miku knew… she was just so conflicted. A part of her still wanted to believe this was all an act on Michael's part. But just seeing Tohka react… how hard she was crying… how she was clearly doing everything in her power to get past the shield…

Was it really true?… Could those two… especially a man… actually care about each other… genuinely?

"You can do anything to me! Anything, I don't care! Just don't hurt him! Don't hurt Michael! Leave him alone! PLEASE! Don't do this to him!" Tohka was getting more hysterical while still speaking quickly. She could see no matter how many times she tried, this barrier was not gonna budge… she wasn't strong enough… As she slowly stopping trying to break the barrier, Ellen began to position her blade above Michaels neck as if she was gonna chop a small log on a tree stump.

No… they can't do this… they can't take him away from her. Tohka began to flash back… back to all the special, yet sometimes insignificant moments she shared with Michael…

First: was the moment they first met that fateful day in the city.

Second: when Michael walked into that classroom, where she swiped energy at him a few times before he spoke to her from the heart.

Third: During the above instance, he gave her a name while helping and spelling it with her.

Fourth: they're first date, and all the kinds of food they (mostly her) ate. Then later on when her power went out of control, she slammed her lips into his, triggering his first Sealing.

Fifth: when she almost went out of control again due to misinterpreted him packing stuff up as him going away.

Sixth: her catching him with Yoshino, and of course when a new emotion (jealously) kicked in.

Seventh: both her and Origami having made Michael cookies.

Eighth: her destroying the arcade games when she was in a mood due to Origami.

Ninth: her trying to seduce Michael with the "seduction techniques", then of course he failing by him catching onto her act and holding her back while reading that letter.

Tenth: when Kurumi first appeared, when she and Origami fell out of the broom closet.

Eleventh: when she agreed to help Michael with "ground support" when Origami interjected herself into Michael's date with Kurumi.

Twelfth: very recently when they performed together in that contest with Miku.

Thirteenth: when they both wielded Sandalphon together to stop Kaguya and Yuzuru from fighting.

Finally: that very special kiss they were getting ready to share under that sunset…

Back in the present time; Ellen then brought her blade above herself. The sight of this gave Tohka a knot in her stomach, her heart feeling like it stopped beating… everything was going in slow motion… and Ellen began to bring her weapon down…

Tohka: … MMMIIIIIIICHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEL!

Time stopped. Tohka felt weird… weightless… as if she was falling into a dark abyss. Then a giant hand made of darkness grabbed her from behind… enclosing her inside…

CRACK! SHATTER!

The Territory in the room was finally destroyed, but a dark energy was around Tohka, which was spreading all around the room from having burst out of the Spirit. It was so thick… so heavy… giving Miku and even Ellen an uneasy feeling. The idol instinctively braced with her arms the moment it happened, and the Wizard had to snap her head in the direction of the outburst of energy at the same time.

It wasn't a dark feeling like Kurumi's energy… it felt… negative…