Date A Re:Live
S3 Chapter 62: Mukuro Quasar, Part 5
By : Tohka_Yatogami
...
Summary
Even a similar story can take it's own path. Shido and Mana are amnesiac siblings living with their friend Kotori, however the past catches up to Shido when he nearly runs into a space quake, and his world changes as one girl asks... "Are you here to kill me?" (Stronger Ratatoskr, weaker DEM, games & movie are canon to story) [Shido/Tohka/Harem]
Welcome back everyone, the second arc of Mukuro's story is finally ready for action, and its name is Mukuro Quasar. Why did I choose this name exactly? Simple, because a quasar is an active galactic nucleus of very high luminosity made that exists within super massive black holes, and when ignited are released as bursts of energy.
One prominent part of Mukuro's powers is her ability to make wormholes using her Rataibu ability to unlock an opening in space, and a wormhole is sometimes just another name for a black hole. Since Mukuro's emotions have been unlocked, the name is reflecting the emotional burst she released that caused her to be shot towards Earth.
Since this part of her story focuses on her recovered motions, I felt it was the most fitting name I could use. Anyways, we've gotten past the craziness of the Mukuro Space arc and things are calming down... for now :3 *gives an evil chuckle* Well anyways, now that we've made it this far, it's time to see some interactions of romance between Shido and Mukuro.
Also, time to answer a guest review: "I know about Date A Bullet, but unfortunately, while I'd like to see it... I haven't been able to. So, while I know about Empty and her real name, I don't know enough about her character to actually use her in the story. If there was enough information, and it had appeared around the time I was doing the Kurumi arc... I might have been able to adapt it in."
"That doesn't mean I can't use Empty, but if I do then she's likely not gonna show up until Season 4 since I haven't fully planned it out aside from how Season 3 connects with it. However, I can't add her into the harem, the harem's only for the 10 Sephira Spirits, so Mukuro's the last addition that I'll be adding to it before I seal the deal. Also, I've already had a Mayuri arc planned from the start, that's the movie chapter that ends Season 3."
"Oh, and thank you so much for your two compliments ^^"
So, with all of that said... let's begin!
A/N: If anyone wants to see the actual statistics for the casualties on both sides, they'll be under the end notes below.
About 2-3 hours after crashing into the Earth's crust, Shido grunted as he finally opened his eyes, his eyes readjusting to the light as he soon saw the sight of Tohka looking at him worriedly. Once she saw he was awake, it became a big teary smile.
"He's awake! You're OK, you're... really OK... Shido!" Tohka cried out.
"Tohka, what-" Shido asked.
He didn't get the chance to finish asking as Tohka instantly kissed him, surprising him by the timing.
The kiss was quick as Kaguya pulled her off, and the other Sephira Spirits began shoving each other to try and get near Shido.
"Hey, no fair monopolizing the first kiss Tohka! Just cause you're No. 1 in the harem doesn't mean you always get first kiss!" Natsumi shouted.
"Of course it doesn't, it's because we're childhood friends turned lovers that I always get the first kiss!" Tohka stated.
"I'm up next!" Kotori exclaimed.
"No, I get to kiss darling next!" Miku complained.
Soon a fist slams down on each of their heads, making everyone rub the newly formed swellings as Marina's fist was shown smoking from dealing the blows.
"Oh good, I wanted an excuse to hit something. All ten of you are morons! Don't roughhouse around Shido while he's recovering unless you want him in here longer!" Marina yelled.
"Uh... Marina, I think that was too hard. You aren't a sadist... are you?" Maria asked.
"Oh no worries there, I'm only a sadist when it comes to Boycott and all his cronies in the DEM. I hate him so badly that it is so satisfying to hurt them." Marina smiled with a dark chuckle.
Maria shook in fear as she saw a metaphorical Oni mask face floating overhead of her older sister.
'I am officially worried about her future now!' Maria thought.
"You doing OK sweetie, what happened? Natsumi told us you dove after Mukuro and then you landed on the ground. We didn't see her, but we found you." Rinne asked.
Shido tried to remember.
"Hmm... oh yeah, Mukuro was falling towards Earth and I dove after her, and from there I realized I had just finished using a fusion attack with my Triple Spirit Ascension and was in a bad spot." Shido answered.
"I'm confused, why's that bad?" Nia wondered.
"If Shido uses three Angels at once, then he can't use any Spirit Ascension for 5 minutes. Since he was falling close to the atmosphere..." Mayuri replied.
Nia's eyes widened as she gave a flat frown of fear.
"Then somehow... I wished for a way to do it again to save us, and then... something happened. I was able to do it, but I blacked out before we even hit the ground." Shido explained.
"That must have been what I felt." Mana realized.
"Oh... wait a minute, if you didn't see Mukuro, then where is she?" Shido asked.
"We're not sure yet, she seemed to have left after you landed. I'm not sure what that means, but... thanks to your quick thinking, you saved her life." Reine smiled.
Shido sighed in relief.
"Well, now all that's left is to help you recover. You wanna rub my breasts to help with that." Nia asked with a cat like smile.
"Oh my god Nia, will you stop teasing him? This is no time for a joke!" Natsumi stated.
Nia snickered a bit.
"Natsumi, I wasn't joking when I said that." Nia replied.
"WHAT!?" nearly everyone said.
Miku's eyes sparkled at that.
"Ooh, are you the Virgin Mary? Can I do it!?" Miku asked.
"Uh... actually never mind, it was a joke." Nia said nervously.
Some of the others giggled at that, it seems even Nia wasn't comfortable with Miku's sexual orientation under that condition.
"Still, I wish we knew where Mukuro was." Shido stated.
Then as if right on cue, a wormhole opened up... and Mukuro popped her upper half from it to everyone's surprise. Once her gaze met Shido, she hugged him tightly... a little too tightly no less as he almost lost the ability to breathe.
"Shido!" Mukuro exclaimed.
"What the? When did? Where was? How did she... Mukuro!?" Origami shouted.
"I... this is... OK, this was a complete surprise." Kurumi stated.
Everyone stared as Mukuro rubbed her cheek against Shido's, a complete 180 of what she had been like earlier while still in space and with her emotion's locked, that Mukuro had been cold, calm and collected with a strong focus and an unwavering will that wouldn't flinch to anything.
The Mukuro they were seeing now? This Mukuro was much more like Mildred had described her, extremely emotional and expressive about it, but admittedly also a lot livelier than she had been with her emotions locked away.
"...OK, this change is kinda hard to swallow." Kaguya mentioned.
"I can agree with that, it's almost as if the person we knew her as before had simply been someone else." Yuzuru remarked.
Shido soon managed to adjust Mukuro's grip enough that he could breathe in as much air as usual and gasped for it, soon turning his gaze towards the still particularly clingy Mukuro's face.
"Uh... Mukuro, not that this is a bad thing or anything's wrong with it, but why are you so friendly all of a sudden and wanting to get close to me?" Shido asked.
"Huh? How could I not? I'll admit it, I was angry that you violated the seal on my emotions, but that amazing plan of yours, the determination you showed, and the willingness you took in risking your life to save mine." Mukuro answered.
Mukuro blushes as she sways her head a bit, blushing brightly.
"Such a paradox of feelings, and yet it all felt so wonderful at that last moment. I feel happiness and just want more of it, I don't know why Shido makes me feel this way but it feels so good!" Mukuro declared cheerfully.
"Uh... anyone feel like we're talking to a Tohka 2.0 here?" Rio wondered.
"Huh!?" Tohka exclaimed in shock.
Mukuro soon smiled as she hugged Shido's neck.
"Oh, and I accept your offer." Mukuro stated.
Shido was confused at that.
"Huh? What offer?" Shido asked.
"Don't be silly, the offer for me to be your obedient slave!" Mukuro answered innocently.
Reine, who was drinking her usual coffee, suddenly widened her eyes upon hearing that, and then spitting said coffee all over the med bay officer.
As for everyone else, they all exclaimed loudly at that, panicking a bit to the Dimensional Spirit's confusion.
"Hmm?" Mukuro wondered confused.
"She actually remembered that option Mildred made him say!?" Nia shouted loudly as her eyes bugged out.
"My ears... my ears!" Kotori whimpered as her pupils gained panicked spirals within them.
"Wait, why the hell are we panicking!? Someone explain this misunderstanding before it gets worse!" Natsumi screamed.
Mukuro blinked a bit.
"Misunderstanding?" Mukuro repeated.
"Y-Yeah! Shido didn't intend to say that at all, it was... it was... ah, it was a friend of ours wondering if something about you was different and she made Shido say something weird to verify! Not only is being a slave a bad thing, Shido would never want that from you or anyone else!" Tohka answered.
Mukuro blinked a few more times, before her cheeks puffed a bit and tears formed in her eyes as she started laughing harder than she could handle, soon falling backwards into her wormhole as she did.
She pulled herself back up with one hand before wiping a tear off her air.
"I don't get why, but I can't believe you said hello to me through a joke! Now I can't stop laughing!" Mukuro laughed.
"Oh my, she's even more naive than you are Tohka." Miku giggled.
"Hey!" Tohka exclaimed with a pout.
Everyone giggled a bit, and soon Kurumi looked at Mukuro.
"Hey Mukuro, 5 years ago you and I ended up fighting, but I don't remember that and had to learn it second-hand... did you by chance seal my memories on that day?" Kurumi asked.
"Hmm? Ooh! Yeah, I recognize you. I didn't do anything to your memories." Mukuro answered.
"You didn't?" Kurumi said in surprise.
Mukuro shook her head.
"I can't use Michael to lock a single memory, or lock someone's memories in general. If you forgot that day, it wasn't because of me." Mukuro confirmed.
"Seriously? Then how did I forget that?" Kurumi wondered.
"I bet it was Westcott, considering how he used the Cassiopeia on you, maybe he erased that memory so you wouldn't try to fight her and die. He needed you as his pawn after all." Nia suggested.
"Yeah... I guess that could be the case." Kurumi sighed.
Mana cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention, including Mukuro's.
"Hello there Mukuro, I'm Mana Takamiya. I'm Shido's little sister. Good to officially meet you." Mana greeted, offering a hand.
"Nice to meet you Mana, hi there!" Mukuro greeted back.
Mana felt herself hake a bit as Mukuro shook her hand incredibly fast and forcefully. Mana grabs it, making her stop.
"Uh... OK, strong handshake there." Mana winced.
Mana shook the slight pain off.
"I hope you don't mind Mukuro, but my big brother's quite tired, exhausted and needs to heal up. Not only did you push him to his limits, but he just burned more power than he normally can within a certain time period and survived falling from the atmosphere. Do you mind coming back here in about... 4-5 hours?" Mana requested.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know it was that be! See you again soon Shido, bye!" Mukuro waved.
Mukuro retreated through the wormhole before it closed up... and then Mana's eyes widened as she face palmed.
"A-Ah man, I should have given Mildred a moment to talk with her... crap!" Mana groaned.
"...Dang it, you're right. No matter what I do, I'll never understand why the human body decided that it should make you forget the most obvious things you should do when you're pumping adrenaline through your veins." Nia sighed.
Shido chuckled embarrassingly, a sweat drop forming on his cheek,
"Well... I think I'm actually gonna get that rest now if anyone minds." Shido mentioned.
Rest as he tried to get rested, he suddenly felt something get into bed, and saw Tohka hugging him close.
"Uh... Tohka?" Shido asked.
"I'm not leaving you after what just happened to you Shido!" Shido pouted.
"Uh... Tohka, isn't this a bit-"
Soon the bed shook a bit as Origami, Yoshino, Kotori, Kurumi, Natsumi, Kaguya and Yuzuru, Miku, and then Nia all ended up getting onto the bed the same way, barely squeezing enough room for all of them.
"Eh!?" Shido exclaimed.
"Tohka's right, do you know how much you scared us after we heard what you pulled!?" Origami berated.
"I cried a bit... I was so scared." Yoshino sniffled.
"Seriously, did you want to give us a heart attack?" Kotori asked.
"You can be such a genius one moment, but an idiot the next." Kurumi sighed.
"Yeah, how did you forget the Spirit who had been almost right next to you?" Natsumi glared.
"Even I've never acted that crazy!" Kaguya exclaimed.
"I can verify that, she hasn't. Shido has officially topped my sister in insane stunts." Yuzuru confirmed.
"Darling, don't be so reckless!" Miku shouted.
"You really like to cause trouble don't you, well now the favor's returned." Nia smirked.
Shido sweats a bit and looks at his sister and the non-Sephira Spirits, giving a look that said: "please help me!" to them.
Unfortunately, Mana and Rinne look at each other, and then...
"Sorry Shido, but they're all the girls in your harem. You worry them, and you terrify them, you've gotta be the one to comfort them. Enjoy that nap." Mana giggled.
"Wait, don't leave me by myself! Guys!" Shido begged.
The other Spirits all leave the room, and soon Shido sighs as the Spirits all snuggle with him.
'...Is it weird that this suddenly feels kinda comfortable?' Shido wondered.
Meanwhile in the Inverse Void, the remaining survivor of the Adeptus Elites, Chinami herself, was standing by one of the surviving DEM ship captains. He was wearing a sling as he handed her a report on the overall losses and casualties.
Upon seeing the report, Chinami paled a bit. It was enough to make her wonder if they had been fighting a losing battle, and Westcott calling a retreat had ultimately spared them from any more senseless sacrifices.
"No... this is, it can't be. We seriously lost this much and this many people?" Chinami asked.
"I'm afraid so, this entire war gained us nothing but loss. Most of our losses were of our weaker forces, but... to think we'd lose the entire Adeptus squad and the Arbitel. The strongest wizard and the most powerful ship we ever made, the centers of our technology and wizards are both gone forever." The captain said sadly.
Chinami gripped the report tightly.
"If I had to say where we stand now? Our strength compared to Ratatoskr used to be a mountain towering over the land, but now we're more like an adult standing over a teenager. Damn it, where did everything go so wrong?" The captain asked himself.
"...And I bet Sir Westcott's still broken over Ellen's death, guess I've got no other choice then. If Sir Westcott needs me tell him I'm going out." Chinami stated.
"Huh? Going out, where are you going?" The captain asked.
Chinami was seen putting on a long-haired wig, glasses with fake lenses, and a bulky hay before putting on some winter clothing.
"Back to Earth, until he's back in order I think I'll try keeping an eye out for anything related to [Zodiac]'s current status. Just because we lost doesn't mean things are over for us." Chinami answered with a determined face.
Chinami soon walked off, and before she left for Earth, she looked in one room of the DEM's storage and noticed a certain CR-Unit in a container. She put her hand on the glass containing her Lancelot, giving it a saddened look.
"...Lancelot, we're all that's left of the Adeptus wizards, so let's make sure we don't let their deaths be meaningless." Chinami said softly.
She rubbed the glass a bit more before she walked off, and soon walked through the portal as she headed towards Earth.
Reine was currently speaking with Japan's current Prime Minister, and once Reine had told him everything, he lowered his head slightly and gave a saddened look to the news he had just received from her. After taking a moment to collect himself, he spoke.
"So... Chairman Elliot was killed in a conflict to secure the safety of Zodiac, and you're positive he didn't somehow survive?" The Prime Minister asked.
"I'm afraid so, we monitored the pulse lines of everyone who had boarded the Fraxinus with us. Along with Karen Nora Mathers... his went flat. In space, with such an explosion coming from the vehicle he was personally piloting, there was no way to deny he didn't survive." Reine answered.
The Prime Minister sighed.
"I see... he was a good man, both he and his wife will be missed along with everyone else that was lost. We'll update the monument once offered to the Arusu siblings as a memorial to everyone in Ratatoskr this conflict's taken. Speaking of which, how bad were the overall casualties?" The Prime Minister asked.
Reine took out the report she had received from Matthew and examined it.
"This is only out of the forces we could send to the battle, but out of those forces... we about 80 ships overall, at least 12 were owned by us here at Ratatoskr HQ, we have at least 200 estimated casualties and another 2000 were injured. I'm not sure how big of a hit the DEM took, but I feel they're still going to be a threat to us once they bounce back." Reine answered.
"I see, do you believe you dealt them a huge blow? Can you honestly say all the sacrifices to rescue the final Spirit were worth it?" The Prime Minister asked worriedly.
Reine breathes before smiling a bit.
"In regards to the former, Artemisia was able to end the threat of Ellen Mira Mathers, otherwise known as Adeptus 1. The entirety of the Adeptus Squad except for Adeptus 3 were taken out by the members of the AST. Most of all, the DEM's strongest warship, the Arbitel, was destroyed by me using the Fraxinus' strongest weapon." Reine answered.
Reine then pulled up Mukuro's emotional charts which showed the rapid fluctuation of the now very emotive Spirit.
"And... we can say without certainty that the sacrifices made today were not in vain. Due to our efforts, we managed to convince Mukuro Hoshimiya, the Spirit known as [Zodiac] to trust us and Shido will attempt to seal her powers once he recovers."
"That's good, I'm just glad we had some good news to come out of this. Considering the shock and the fact you hadn't decided a possible line of succession, I'll let you take the time needed to choose a new chairman. It may also help to decide a new council that won't make the same mistakes as the Round Table." The Prime Minister replied.
Reine nodded before saluting.
"Understood, Commander Reine out." Reine stated.
Soon the communication feed was cut, and Reine sat down on a chair as she looked at the ceiling. Tears welled up in her eyes, still have trouble accepting that Elliot and Karen were really gone.
She had been with them from the start, began Ratatoskr alongside the both of them... it was a loss too hard for her to swallow.
"I didn't think I'd ever feel such strong pain again after seeing Isamu and big brother die, please... let this conflict end soon, please." Reine cried.
"We all miss them Reine."
Reine soon turned to see Mildred walk in, making the former wipe her tears as she looked at her.
"Hey Mildred, I think by now you heard the news about your sister?" Reine asked.
"I did, she's the same energetic bundle I remember... still can't believe she just popped in like that, wish I had been there. Then again, she might have told me to leave." Mildred answered.
Mildred sighed.
"If it's any consolation, Shido thinks that Mukuro didn't say that out of malice. Mukuro doesn't seem to remember the official why she went into space, so if you consider that, the lack of contact and isolation may have led to indirect memory loss. It could just be possible she doesn't remember her family." Reine stated.
"Even if that's true, unless I get conformation, there's too much doubt for me to believe that. Can you really blame me after I ended up having cardiac arrest?" Mildred mentioned.
Reine sweated a bit at that.
"OK, I guess you have a fair point there." Reine admitted.
Reine put a hand on Mildred's shoulder.
"I'll make sure to have Shido ask her that and see for sure if she just forgot you." Reine smiled.
"Thank you." Mildred replied.
Near the area outside of the crater that housed Tenguu City, by the crash site where Shido and Mukuro had landed, marked by scorched earth, frozen earth and gashed formed by strong wings... the same two lights from the day before were seen.
The pair of lights struggled with all they had as they tried to form properly, but quickly started to flicker as one again, they began failing to manifest.
"R...n...e, mu..s... re..ch... a...d... warn... a...ut... He...v..."
"R...i...e, I... w...ll... re...u..n... to... y...u..."
And once again, their struggle was in vain as the lights compressed away and dissolved once more... but small spheres of light were still trying to reach Tenguu City despite that as they refused to give up.
They would make it somehow, no matter what it took.
It didn't take long for Shido's nap to end, and soon he was seen relaxing in a special bath made with a liquid that was yielded from realizers. The Maryoku based liquid had curative effects that could heal fractures and contusions, or alleviate fatigue.
"Whoever made this did a good job, this is much better than a medical capsule would be." Shido sighed happily.
As Shido soaked in the water, he wondered about what was going to happen next with Mukuro, the wielder of Michael was now quite friendly with him, but...
'How should I go about this? Even if I did ask Mildred about what Mukuro was like, how much has changed about her since they last saw each other? How much did having her emotions changed seal her, and... aw man, am I just nervous because this is the last Spirit I have to save?' Shido wondered.
"Worrying won't do you any good."
Shido blinked, soon turning to see Mana before she flicked him on the forehead.
"See? You didn't even realize who was behind you, normally you'd recognize my voice without having to turn and check." Mana snickered.
"Ow, guess I deserved that one." Shido winced, rubbing his forehead.
Mana chuckled with a smile, soon getting in the water herself before whistling with her fingers.
"Come on in girls, the water's great!" Mana shouted.
Soon the other Spirits all come in, making Shido go red at the sight before all of them were in the bath.
"Why does this seem familiar!?" Shido asked rhetorically.
"I see you're remembering the incident with the Yamai twins." Nia chuckling.
Shido sinks into the water slightly, and Rinne pats his head in an attempt to comfort her son.
"So, Mana says you seem to be a little worried about what you'll be doing next with Mukuro, am I right?" Rinne asked.
"Yeah, a little... I mean I know I should be, but this time things are different. I don't mean there are different stakes or Mukuro's gonna be trouble... I think it's the fact that she's the last Spirit before we've saved all of them." Shido admitted.
Rinne blinked in surprise, and soon started laughing to Shido's surprise.
"What? What's so funny mom, I'm being serious here!" Shido asked.
"I know, and that's why I'm laughing!" Rinne giggled.
"Huh?"
Rinne giggled one last time before ruffling her son's hair.
"Because you're focusing too much on tomorrow. Shido, there's nothing wrong with worrying with what's next, but you can't let that be all you focus on. Sure, you won't know what will come tomorrow, but you have to remember tomorrow is the result of today. Just like today is the result of yesterday." Rinne explained.
"She's right, we got this far focusing on what we are now, and where we are now. Come on girls, give him a reminder, will ya?" Mana requested.
Shido looked at the others.
"When I didn't remember who I was, you told me yourself you wouldn't reject me, and when I could feel the DEM getting closer, your kindness to me was enough I tried to keep you away from the battle. You still came, and you never considered if you would succeed or fail, you just did what you believed in." Tohka smiled.
"I wanted to die for so long, for when I thought I killed my parents. I told you to leave me, but you still came, no matter the threat or what I said to you, you still refused to let me die. You told me to live, and ever since I have." Origami smiled.
"I was only able to trust Yoshino, see him as my only friend. You helped me learn to be brave, and Yoshinon to be kind, and when Yoshinon returned inside of me... you were there by my side to help me stand up." Yoshino smiled.
"I had always been a cry baby, and I didn't think I could ever be strong, but you helped me realize to be strong isn't to be fearless or have overwhelming power, it's knowing what scares you and still being able to face it." Kotori smiled.
"I had been trapped in a lie, and years of my life, I became an unknowing puppet to Westcott's plans and ambitions. The pain was so great I felt I deserved to die as many times as I let him reap a life, but you told me to keep Saya alive in my memories and gave me light in the darkness... and I got to see Saya again." Kurumi smiled, blushing a bit.
"I always doubted myself, felt I was something worthless, but when you stood up to those bullies and came to rescue me... for once I felt whole. Felt I was actually meant something, that's a happiness I'll spend every day trying to repay." Natsumi smiled.
"Yuzuru and I were faced with the horrible realization that one of us would die every day, and we couldn't find the way for our happy ending, but then..." Kaguya smiled.
"...You and Tohka both showed us it isn't over until you give up, and at the last moment, you gave us both the means to live." Yuzuru smiled.
"I hated men over one DEM member and Westcott's combined cruelty, and couldn't trust any human, all because I was hurt so badly I forgot who I was, forgot what my passion for music really meant as I became no better than the people who pushed me to the brink... and yet you still tried to save me. Showed me how honest your words were." Miku smiled.
"I was a brat, plain and simple. Yet you didn't hate me, you told me you understood me, that there was a light. I was able to believe again, and even more... I would have never learned Souji still remembered part of me if you hadn't made me willing to go back." Nia smiled.
Rio hugged Shido from the side.
"You're a great big brother, no matter what you've always stood strong, even if your doubt you didn't wield to the feelings of powerlessness." Rio added.
"Yeah, you touched all of us Shido." Maria replied.
"And by inspiring others, you help them inspire us, it was because you reached out to them they reached out to others and ourselves. That's how Maria was brave enough to confront me, and able to wake me from my delusions." Marina smirked.
Mayuri scratched her cheek as she blushed in embarrassment.
"And if you hadn't saved Kurumi, Rio would have never had the chance to find me and give me my life, and give me people I could call a family." Mayuri admitted.
"Not to mention, you refused to give up on me, even when I nearly sacrificed myself for you." Rinne mentioned.
"Look at where we are now, don't you get it Shido? That first day with Tohka nearly a year ago? You set tomorrow, but each time you were focused on the today with all of us, and you'll save Mukuro too. Don't think about that tomorrow, because you will make it!" Mana remarked.
Shido gasped as he stared his harem, friends, sisters and mother... and then smiled.
"Everyone... thank you, and I'll make sure that happens. No matter what!" Shido declared.
Everyone smiled at that.
"Good think you didn't make a pose or you'd just look stupid since we're in the bath." Nia snickered.
"What the... Nia!" Shido exclaimed.
Nia soon started laughing, causing everyone to sweat drop a bit at the now blushing Shido.
A portal formed within the Tengu Park forest as Chinami dropped into some bushes. Looking left and right for any signs of people seeing her, she quickly scurried across the street and then gave a sigh of relief.
"OK, doesn't seem like anyone's gonna bother me." Chinami stated.
Looking around a bit, Chinami motioned to adjust her glasses, making sure onlookers didn't notice her activating a hidden switch by the lens frames, changing activating her glasses vision change feature... but blushing a bit as she accidentally swapped it to X-Ray and saw everyone in their underwear.
"Oops, wrong one." Chinami chuckled.
"But..."
Chinami decided to stare at some guys for a moment, drool coming out of her mouth and giving a low-pitched giggle as she saw their muscles. After having her fun, she swapped to the correct vision mode, one that let her see remnant Reiryoku particles.
Soon enough, trails of golden-yellow particles were seen between the areas Mukuro had used her wormholes to teleport through.
"No doubt about it, [Zodiac]'s here... now let's see if any chance of an Inversion could happen. Maybe if I'm lucky... I might be able to play my cards right." Chinami whispered.
"After the heavy losses we took, I don't think there's much to lose if I alone am the one to gamble."
After the particularly odd bath session was over, Shido was in the Ratatoskr base's changing room as he chose clothing for the date he would attempt to get Mukuro to take with him soon enough.
"Are you ready Shido? Provided that Mukuro actually listened to your sister, she should show up any moment." Reine said via the headset.
"Honest answer? Not in the slightest, but then again, I haven't been ready for most of what the Spirits have thrown at us. If there's anything to learn from that, maybe that's a good thing." Shido joked.
Reine chuckled at that.
"Perhaps you're right. Just remember, even if she's friendly to you now, she's still dangerous enough she caused most of the damage to DEM forces in our last conflict. Not to mention I'd like to avoid the other theme we seem to have we Spirits this time." Reine replied.
Shido gulped at that.
"...Dear god, I don't wanna even think about her undergoing an Inversion." Shido stated.
"SHIDO!"
At that moment, a familiar portal opens as Mukuro jumps out and tackle hugs Shido to the floor.
"Ow!" Shido groaned.
"I'm finally back Shido, and I'm ready to gain some happiness from you!" Mukuro giggled.
Shido tried to get up, only for Mukuro's clingy hug to cause her large breasts to squeeze into his face and start choking him. He gives a muffled scream and hits the ground, making Mukuro blink before looking down.
Only after Shido's voice start to slowly vanish and his arm struggling to move did she put 2 + 2 together and scream, getting off him.
"I'm sorry!" Mukuro apologized.
"I'm OK... don't worry, I'm fine. That's not the worst thing I've ever gone through." Shido gasped.
Shido took a deep breath of air before clearing his throat.
"OK, in regards to the whole happiness thing... would you mind going on a date with me?" Shido asked.
"A... date?" Mukuro asked.
"You really don't know what that is? Uh... you know what hanging out is, right? It's the same thing, but specifically two people, only a bit more special." Shido explained.
"Oh, that makes sense. Sure thing, let's go!" Mukuro smiled.
Mukuro prepared to open another portal, but...
"Wait!" Shido screamed.
"Huh?" Mukuro wondered.
"Using your powers like that in public might get people into a panic. Not to mention you can't just go out dressed like that, you mind changing?" Shido requested.
"Oh, alright then." Mukuro replied.
Shido saw Mukuro dispel her Astral Dress, leaving her completely naked with only her long floor length hair covering her unmentionables. His face went red as he covered his eyes and screamed again.
"That wasn't what I meant!" Shido stated.
As usual, Mukuro showed confusion as a result of her naive mind.
"You didn't? Then what did you mean?" Mukuro asked.
"Uh... hey Michael, mind showing yourself?" Shido asked.
The key that was Mukuro's Angel formed in the air by Mukuro's side.
[Yes, you called?]
"Michael, didn't you ever tell Mukuro she can just change her Astral Dress into the appearance of clothes before?"
The angel went silent.
[...Uh, would you get mad if I told you that due to Mukuro mastering her powers in isolation, she never learned some of the more casual abilities like that one?]
Shido groaned.
"Great... gotta explain that one to her, though I'm kinda glad you're being as friendly as you are right now." Shido answered.
[I apologize over that young boy, when Mukuro and I fought with you I had no ill intent, I only do what she asks of me because I want her to always know that she's not alone as long as she has me. ]
Shido smiled a bit.
"You have a strong bond with your Angel Mukuro, it's kinda cute." Shido complimented.
Mukuro held her cheeks as she turned her head and blushed.
Taking out his phone, Shido checked around for something to use as a clothing reference, soon he found an old outfit of Kotori's he figured would be a good fit.
"Here, try this outfit." Shido suggested.
"Ooh, that looks cute! Give me a hand Michael!" Mukuro stated cheerfully.
Mukuro grabs Michael and holds up her hand, and soon the outfit materializes around her with her hair soon changing itself into a braid that wrapped itself around her like a situational scarf. Shido blushes a bit as she sees the change finished.
"How does this look?" Mukuro asked.
"...Wow." Shido blushed.
[I believe that's a yes, and how does it feel to have your old braid back in?]
"Feels refreshing, why can't I wear it in my Astral Dress form?" Mukuro wondered.
Michael went silent after that question was asked, the Angel having no answer to give her. It just disappeared to her confusion.
"Michael?" Mukuro asked.
"Uh... let's just go on our date now." Shido quickly said.
Shido took Mukuro's hand, and the Dimensional Spirit eternally squealed as Shido's hand touched her own.
Shido and Mukuro were soon walking around the city, with the Dimensional Spirits clinging to Shido's arm as metaphorical hearts began flying off of her.
"OK, where should we go first?" Shido wondered.
Soon the sound of a stomach growling was heard, surprising Shido since that sound normally only came up when he was with Tohka. He looked around while Mukuro tried her best to not blush and reveal it was hear.
"Did you hear that?" Shido asked.
"No, I didn't hear any-" Mukuro replied nervously.
Soon the same sound repeated itself, and her stomach moved as if to scream "It was me, now feed me already!" to the world. Mukuro's face went fully red as she covered it.
"Mukuro, by chance has those 5 years without food finally started to catch up to you?" Shido asked.
"Don't look at me!" Mukuro cried.
Shido pat her back.
"I'll buy you some food, my treat." Shido offered.
"Really?" Mukuro asked.
Shido nods, and Mukuro smiles brightly.
Soon enough, the two ended up going to a fancy restaurant that some of Ratatoskr's members were stationed at, and Mukuro devoured what seemed like years' worth of food as multiple plates began to gather across the table.
Shido pulled the empty plates closer to him to make it look like he was scarfing, hoping to reduce Mukuro's embarrassment. After she had her fill, Mukuro groaned and rubbed her full belly.
"Too much?" Shido asked.
"My tummy hurts now." Mukuro groaned.
"Let's go visit some shops to walk that off." Shido offered.
The two soon went across the shopping district, and as they did, Shido quickly found himself understanding Mukuro's preferences.
Mukuro seemed to prefer lively, bustling locations, Chinese cuisine instead of Japanese, and classical ornaments to modern accessories... which made a bit of sense since Mildred did say the orphanage caretaker claimed she came from China.
Eventually, Shido decided to get her a gift.
"Hey Mukuro, considering this is a first date, how about I buy you a souvenir? Pick whatever you'd like." Shido offered.
"Really!?" Mukuro said.
Mukuro's eyes sparkled as she looked around, soon noticing a gold-outlined aureate fan on display in an antique house across the street, she quickly pointed to it so Shido would know what she chose. Shido chuckled as he went to buy it.
Eventually, the clock stuck 7 PM and the two were sitting on a bench.
"So, how was today?" Shido asked.
"It was... it was really fun." Mukuro smiled.
Shido briefly looked at his headset's data, Mukuro's emotional state was in the good area, there was a good chance her feelings would become high enough for him to seal her powers soon enough if he played his cards right.
Mukuro soon took his hand, making him look her in the eyes.
"Shido, do you... love me?" Mukuro asked.
Shido's face suddenly flushed, a puff of steam coming off of it.
"Reine, what do I say to that!? This is faster than I expected and I've been caught off guard." Shido asked.
"Just be honest, you're at least considering it." Reine answered.
Shido gulps a bit, taking a deep breath.
"W-Well... we haven't known each other that long, so I can't really say anything definite yet, but... I'd say that I'd be leaning more to the side of yes. Like, really leaning on that side, near the end marking even." Shido answered.
Mukuro blushed as she smiled.
"Shido, thank you so much. I just have one request for you in relation to that." Mukuro stated.
"What is it?" Shido wondered.
"As of this moment, I don't want to get close to any other girls ever again." Mukuro requested.
Suddenly, everything got quite as Shido and Reine went white, the slight sound of the wind blowing could be heard.
Mukuro blinked, wondering why Shido went silent.
"Shido, why are you suddenly all quiet?" Mukuro asked.
"I'm sorry Mukuro, but that's something I can't agree to." Shido answered honestly.
"EH!?" Mukuro exclaimed in shock.
Shido scratched the side of his head as he tried to think of how to explain this.
"Like I said before, I want to save every Spirit. However, the way I save them has led to me falling in love with most of them. Those I haven't are good friends, and a few are family members. The other have all realized they had to share me, and they've accepted that. I love all the Spirits I've sealed until now, and I'd honestly like for you to get to know them, it would make me really happy." Shido explained.
"I... see..." Mukuro replied.
However, what Shido hadn't noticed was the blank stare on Mukuro's eyes, almost as if he stepped on a landmine. He had heard Mildred's story... but unfortunately, there was something Mildred didn't know about why Mukuro reacted as she did.
Shido soon checked the time again.
"Oh crap, I better get home. Do you have a place to stay? If you want, I could-" Shido offered.
"No need Shido, I'll be alright. I can manage on my own. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, and when you do things will be better for all of us." Mukuro answered.
Mukuro soon summoned Michael before making a wormhole and vanishing through it.
Shido just stood there and blinked, and then... he sweated a bit as he saw the readings on his headset. Mukuro's uneasiness had become very high.
"...I have a bad feeling about this." Shido told himself.
From the top of a building in Tenguu City, Mukuro's eyes shook as she held Michael close.
"I... can't lose him, I... mustn't lose him... I can't risk him around anyone else. I must... make sure he won't leave me, I don't want... to lose him." Mukuro panicked.
[Uh... Mukuro, I think maybe you need to calm down a bit.]
"Michael, there's no choice... I need to use it." Mukuro stated.
Michael showed surprise at that.
[Mukuro, are you sure? I can't remember, but I swear we tried this once before... and it didn't go well.]
"I have, to I... I don't want to lose him!" Mukuro cried.
[Alright... no matter what happens, I'll stay by your side. Do what you think you have to.]
Mukuro nodded and raised Michael into the air.
"...SEGVA - LOCK!"
Uh oh! Mukuro just chose to lock something, and I think that last conversation between Shido and Mukuro is a good indicator of what she just chose to lock. What's going to happen next with Shido now that Mukuro's changed the rules of the game? Not to mention, Mukuro definitely seems to be suffering some memory loss, she and Michael don't seem to recall what she did 5 years ago and what it led to... I hope she's ready for what could happen.
I hope how I presented Mukuro works, based on what I see and feel about her character, she's a lot like Tohka if everything about her (except her appetite, though I think the Tohka Food Fight story might say otherwise... if I can ever read it ^^;) was taken up to eleven. It seems kinda fitting, Tohka was the first Spirit to appear and Mukuro was the last, helps see the angle that Tohka could have gone through had she not been the first Spirit that Shido met.
Chinami's going solo, wanting to hopefully manage to aid in getting the last bit of Dark Reiryoku that Westcott needs, will she get involved or is she just gonna watch and wait for confirmation of things getting hectic? Yikes. Looks like Mukuro may have actually proven herself to be more difficult for Shido to handle, and once he wakes up... he might just realize how hard this is really going to be. This date has just gotten started.
Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^
A/N: For the DEM's casualties, the numbers in parenthesis are the ones caused by Ratatoskr, and the rest being Mukuro's. Also, as was mentioned in this chapter, despite their larger casualties, the DEM still has the advantage, but they're more equal to Ratatoskr in strength now.
RATATOSKR:
Destroyed Ships: Sagittarius, all the Zodiac based vehicles, over 70 additional ships
Total Death Count: Over 200
Total Injured: Over 2,000
Notable Casualties: Elliot Woodman, Karen Mathers
Overall Losses:
~ 33% of all machinery and tech destroyed
~ 10% of the members who joined the battle are deceased
DEM:
Destroyed Ships: Arbitel, Hyperion, Heptameron, Over 15,000 (Around 200) additional ships
Destroyed Automatons: All Automatons destroyed (Around 22%)
Total Death Count: Over 24,000 (Around 1,000)
Total Injured: Over 50,000 (Around 10,000)
Notable Casualties: Ellen Mathers, Jessica Bailey, James Paddington, Adeptus 4-12
Overall Losses:
~ 71% of all machinery and tech destroyed
~ 48% of the DEM's total members are deceased
-Spirit Bond Levels & Passive Abilities-
Tohka - 100%, MAX (Form a mana barrier automatically)
Origami - 99% (Teleport Dodging)
Yoshino - 99% (Dampen enemy territories)
Kotori - 99% (Healing from fatal wounds minus losing his head, doesn't work on wounds caused by blunt force)
Kurumi - 99% (Hide in his shadow, and only his)
Rinne - (Summon a weakened copy of Uriel)
Natsumi - 99% (Transform into Shiori)
Kaguya - 99% (Flight)
Yuzuru - 99% (Weight Manipulation)
Miku - 99% (Pain Reliever)
Maria - (Restore dying/withered/dead vegetation and plant life)
Marina - (Remove toxins or other harmful substances, either from a living creature or an object)
Rio - (Create a soothing aura of Reiryoku to reduce a sealed Spirit's anger)
Mana - (Allow Mana to use Spirit Ascension at its weakest level without Angels)
Nia - 99% (Photographic Memory)