Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Date A Live

"Yoshino" Speaking normally

"Yoshinon" Speaking mentally or flashback

"Zadkiel" Summoning Astral Dress/Angel or using special skill/ability

Shido's POV

I didn't expect the weather to rain today.

I was just going out to get groceries since we were low on a couple ingredients, but the next thing I knew, it started raining on the return trip. I had to quickly take shelter at a nearby shrine so that the groceries didn't get soaked.

Still, as I look out at the rain, I find myself feeling...hopeful. Because I know now that this rain can be linked back to the Spirit I want to meet most.

(Flashback)

"Good. You're here." Kotori says as I arrive on Fraxinus. "Now we can start. Open the image."

I look towards the monitor, and an image of a girl with blue hair pops up. I immediately recognize the green rabbit-themed raincoat, and she was also holding a white scythe. So this is Yoshino?

"This is [Hermit], or as she's apparently named 'Yoshino Himekawa'." Kotori says. "Take a good look at her, Shido, because the one you're looking at is known as the Strongest Spirit."

That bit of news surprises me. "Wait, really? She's the strongest?"

"Don't let her appearance fool you." Reine tells me. "Despite looking like a kid, [Hermit] has existed for twenty-five years. Or at least, she's been a Spirit for twenty-five years." That's right. Origami said that all the Spirits except for one were formerly human.

I look back at the image. "25 years... and yet she only looks 13. Did becoming a Spirit mean she lost the ability to physically age?"

"Good question." Kotori nods. "Anyway, when she was first recorded, she was only a B-Class because of how small her Spacequakes were, but then came the Tengu Fire, when she fought against [Angel]." My mind briefly went back to when Yoshino saved me and Kotori. That must've been a cheap shot she took. "It was a narrow victory, so we didn't think much of it, until a year later."

A year later, huh? "What happened four years ago?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Well, I'm glad you asked. Four years ago was when [Hermit]'s power truly became known. Tell me, have you heard of DEM?"

"Not until now."

"Figures. Deus-Ex-Machina, or DEM, are the main supplier of CR-Units for the AST. They're the real fighting force against the Spirits, which makes them are biggest enemies, which is difficult since their Adeptus are the strongest wizards in the world." The strongest? That sounds scary. "Top among them is their Adeptus 1, Ellen Mira Mathers, who is pretty much a one-woman army. With how powerful she is, it's safe to say that no ordinary Spirit could match up to her." Her lips curl into a smirk. "So you can imagine our shock when [Hermit] not only challenged Ellen, but won against her."

My eyes widen. "Seriously!?"

"Completely serious." She says, still smirking, as if hearing that her enemies strongest was beaten greatly amuses her. "Imagine that. The Strongest Wizard beaten by who everyone thought was only a B-Class Spirit at the time. It was also confirmed after the battle that Hermit is capable of using the power of the Spirit of Origin herself. Since then, [Hermit] became known as the Strongest Spirit, ranked at SS, and that's without mentioning the special power boost she can do with the Spirit of Origin's power, which boosts her up to SSS."

"Wow." I look at Yoshino in amazement. To think someone who looks so young can be so strong.

"Wow is right. [Hermit] will no doubt be the strongest Spirit we've dealt with, but there is an upside to all this."

"What's that?" I ask curiously.

"[Hermit] went out of her way to save you at the end of your date with Tohka, which means she herself must be interested in you." She smirks at me. "All we need to do is capitalize on that interest and make her fall in love with you. Then, you can show her how thankful you are with a big kiss."

I never knew that Yoshino was that powerful, and yet, because of her power, she must've been hunted down the most. If not by the AST, then definitely by DEM.

Yoshino, you've helped me twice now. Please, let me help you in return, and save you from that burden.

I then faintly hear someone giggling amidst the rain. Is someone playing outside. I look out to see if anyone was there, and my eyes widen.

A girl with blue hair, wearing a green rabbit-themed raincoat. It's her. She's actually here.

I must've let out a loud gasp, as she turns to look at me. Our eyes make contact, and I walk up to her and kneel at her level, staring a her for a good moment.

"It's really you. You're the girl from my dream!" I say. At long last, I finally got to meet her!

"EH?" She lets out a yelp, her face turning red.

"Ara~?" Suddenly, a white rabbit puppet appears out of thin air, looking at the girl with clear amusement. "The girl from his dreams, eh? This just got juicy~"

"Y-Yoshinon!" She shouts at the puppet in embarrassment.

I soon realize what I was doing and quickly stand up, looking embarrassed myself. "S-Sorry! I was so excited that I didn't think when I spoke!" I quickly apologizes.

Yoshino clears her throat. "I-It's fine. I just didn't expect it. That's all."

I scratch the back of my head and give an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, it's just... I recently remembered you saving me five years ago."

Yoshino looks at me with surprise. "So you're the boy I saved back then."

"Yeah!" I nod excitedly. "If it wasn't for you, my little sister and I would've died that day. I thought you died saving us, but I'm so glad to see you're alright."

Yoshino smiles. "Despite how is looks, my Astral Dress is deceptively durable. I will admit the attack hurt, but it's worth it if it meant you and your sister survived." Wow, she's so brave.

I smile back. "Well, thank you so much for saving us back then."

"I'm glad to hear that you both are doing well."

I then got an idea. "Hey, if it's alright, why don't you come visit my home?"

"Ara~? Asking a cute girl you've just met into your home? That's very bold of you~" Yoshinon teases, making us both blush.

"Uh, it's just... I have another Spirit living with me, and she's been wanting to meet you, too."

She thinks my suggestion over before nodding. "Very well. It's been a while since I've met another Spirit myself."

"Great!" I smile, struggling to hold my excitement. That's when I remember the groceries. "Oh, right! Can't forget the groceries."

I run back to get the groceries, and as I pick them up, I hear a soft shimmer behind me. Turning back, I look to see that Yoshino had formed an umbrella made of ice.

"A little something to keep you protected from the rain." She says thoughtfully.

"Thanks." I thank her. "Oh! I should introduce myself. I'm Shido Itsuka." I introduce myself.

Yoshino smiles. "Yoshino Himekawa. Nice to meet you, Shido."

Yoshino's POV

I didn't expect that Shido would invite me to his house so soon.

Still, he was excited to meet the Spirit that saved him twice, so I can understand it. It would've been rude to say no, especially since he said that Tohka wanted to meet me as well.

So now we were walking to his house, with Shido leading the way. "Hey, Yoshino. You're friends with Origami, right?" He asks me.

"Yes. The two of us have actually been living together for four years now." I confirm.

"Well, she said that almost all the Spirits today used to be human."

"That is also correct. Many of us were ordinary humans like yourself until we were given Spirit power by the Spirit of Origin. I, myself, have been a Spirit for twenty-five years now."

Shido looks at me. "But, you only look thirteen."

"That's because becoming a Spirit means that we lose the ability to physically age." I clarify. "We stay the same as we did when we first became a Spirit."

Shido nods with a hum, taking in the information. "Hey... If it's okay to ask, how did you become a Spirit in the first place?" I freeze as I didn't expect Shido to ask that question. Shido takes notice and begins to panic. "Ah, sorry! If it's too sensitive, you don't have to-"

"No." I interrupt him. "It's fine. I just didn't expect it."

I take a deep breath and begin my- or rather, Yoshino's backstory. "Before I became a Spirit, I was a sickly child. Because of my illness, I had spent most of my human life in a hospital. For me, that narrow hospital room and window was my entire world, and the only people I ever saw were my mother and doctors that took care of me. I never even knew my father." I read that Yoshino's mother, Nagisa, was widowed, meaning that Yoshino's father most likely died. "My mother was always working, trying so hard to earn enough money to cure me, but she would always make time in her busy schedule to visit me, especially on my birthdays. Truthfully, Yoshinon, the rabbit puppet you saw earlier, was actually a gift from my mother. She was a symbol of my mother always looking out for me, even when she was busy with work. I felt happy to have such a loving parent, and I had even made a junior puppet that I had planned to give to her, so that we would always have a piece of us together, regardless of distance. But..." I frown. "On the day I was supposed to be cured, my mother died in a work-related accident. I cried because I lost the only person I had known that loved me, and my illness got so bad that I had difficulty breathing. The doctors didn't do anything, because my mother's death meant they didn't have the money for the operation. I was left to die." I look down at the ground, tears beginning to form in my eyes. "If the Spirit of Origin hadn't appeared before me that day, if she hadn't made me into a Spirit, curing me of my illness in the process, I would've died that day. Alone in that hospital room, with no one to cry for me... No chance to see how big the world truly is, or make real friends..."

I choke on a sob as sadness begins to take me, tears falling down my face. Even though these are Yoshino's memories, they felt as if they were my own. The sadness I felt from remembering them was real, to the point that I began to cry.

It also made me realize just how similar Yoshino and I were. We both lost the one family member that worked to save us from our respective illnesses, and those illnesses would've taken us as well, if not for the interference of a godly being.

Just then, I feel someone wrap their arms around me in a comforting hug. I was surprised to see Shido hugging me. "Shido...?" Feeling him hug me like this is making me blush.

"Yoshino... you've suffered so much." He speaks softly into my ear. "And yet despite that, you still wish to help people. You truly are amazing." I blush a little at his praise. "You've been carrying a heavy burden all this time, but now you don't have to. You have people who care about you now, including Yoshinon, who still holds a piece of your mother within her. You don't have to carry it alone, because we'll carry it for you."

My eyes widen as I felt a weight I didn't know I was carrying dissipate. The sadness in my heart was fleeting, and in its place was a loving warmth that made my heart skip a beat.

It's official. I've fallen in love with Shido.

"Shido." I whisper as I hug him back with my free arm. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that."

We continue to embrace each other until we hear the rain lighten down before stopping completely. Looking up at the clear sky, a rainbow forms above us. It's so beautiful...

Third POV

"Where is he? He should be back by now." Kotori taps her foot on the floor as she impatiently waits for her older brother. Shido had left earlier to get groceries for dinner, but it's taking longer than expected for him to come back, even with the sudden rain.

She even had Tohka go to the showers for an 'ecchi event' to get the two closer, but at this rate, Tohka might be done before he comes back.

She hears the front door open behind her, meaning that Shido has finally returned. "Well, you sure took your sweet-" She was about to reprimand him for coming back so late, but stopped completely after seeing that he wasn't the only one entering the house.

Following him inside was a certain blue-haired Spirit wearing a green rabbit-themed raincoat, with a white rabbit puppet floating next to her.

"Hey, Kotori." Shido greets his little sister. "Sorry it took me so long. I met someone special on the way back and invited her over."

Kotori looks at Yoshino with wide eyes, then at her brother, before looking back at Yoshino with a smile. "Excuse me for a moment." The redhead says, before grabbing her brother's arm and yanking him over to her. "Why didn't you tell me that you had met [Hermit]!?" She loudly whispers to him.

"Well, I just so happened to meet her at the shrine." Shido replies. "I figured I'd invite her to meet you and Tohka, and she said 'yes'."

Kotori narrows her eyes at him. "So, not only did you have a chance encounter with the Strongest Spirit, but you also managed to invite her to our house. That's some harem protagonist luck right there." She sighs. Of all things, she didn't expect this scenario. Still, [Hermit] is here now, so might as well swing for the fences.

"Is something wrong?" Yoshino asks.

Kotori lets go of her brother. "Sorry. It's nothing." She says with a smile. "It's an honor to have the Strongest Spirit visiting our humble home."

Yoshino waves her hand. "Please, you don't have to treat me like a celebrity." She replies. "So, you're Kotori, right? I'm Yoshino Himekawa. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Yoshino."

"By the way, Kotori, where's Tohka?" Shido asks. "I was hoping to introduce her to Yoshino."

Shido's question reminded her of the setup she had planned. "Tohka's in the shower right now. You should take one as well. You look like you got wet in the rain."

Shido notices that his clothes are indeed soaked. He was about to agree with her when Yoshino suddenly points a finger at him. Suddenly, and to the surprise of the Itsuka siblings, all the rain water that was on his person, whether it was on his skin or his clothes, is removed from him, forming into a ball above her finger and leaving Shido completely dry. She then turns the ball of water into steam and let it harmlessly dissipate into nothing.

The two look at her with amazement. "What did you just do?" Shido asks.

Yoshino smiles proudly. "I'm a Spirit that can manipulate all three forms of water. In the liquid aspect, I can manipulate any form of liquid matter, even removing wet stains on clothes."

"Amazing!" Shido exclaims in excitement.

"Spirit Power really is convenient." Kotori sighs.

Shido nods. "Alright. While Tohka's in the shower, I'll go ahead and make food for everyone. How do you girls feel about oyakodon?"

'Oyakodon. That's the same food Shido made for Yoshino in canon.' Yoshino thought, before nodding with a smile. "Sure, sounds delicious."

"I'll eat anything you make, Onii-chan." Came Kotori's answer.

While Shido is making the oyakodon, Kotori and I sit down on the couch to talk. "So, you're also a human who was turned into a Spirit?" Kotori asks.

"Yes, and I can tell that you are, too." Yoshino replies, making Kotori look at her with surprise. "I'm pretty good at sensing mana. You can try to hide it, but I can sense the Reiryoku from your Sephira Crystal."

"...Guess there was no way to hide it from you." Kotori sighs. "Just... don't tell Onii-chan, please. He's not ready to know yet."

"I understand." She doesn't want Shido to know too soon, which I can respect.

"Is Shido making food?" The two loli Spirits hear a voice and look up to see Tohka coming down the stairs. The purple-haired Spirit catches sight of Yoshino, and her eyes widen. 'A green raincoat with a rabbit theme...!' She quickly runs up to Yoshino. "It's you, isn't it!? You're the Spirit that saved Shido!"

Yoshino giggles at her fellow Spirit's excitement. "Yeah, that ice wall was me." She confirms. "Tohka, right? It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too!" Tohka smiles. "Thanks so much for saving Shido!"

"Ha! It wasn't anything my partner couldn't handle!" Yoshinon boasts pridefully, catching Kotori's and Tohka's attention.

"Wow! The rabbit is talking! That's so cool!" Tohka looks at Yoshinon with starry-eyed amazement.

Kotori, meanwhile, looks at the puppet with intrigue. "A rabbit puppet that is completely sentient, almost like a familiar..."

"You could say that." Yoshino grins. "Yoshinon is my most trusted partner. She's been with me even before I became a Spirit."

"Interesting." Kotori nods, theorizing that Yoshinon was most likely a gift from a family member, without even knowing that she was right.

Shido, who was briefly listening since Tohka came down, smiles at how quickly Tohka and Yoshino became friends.

Soon, dinner was made and the four gathered at the table. The smell already leaves the Spirits drooling. "Itadakimasu!" The four say altogether and begin eating.

Yoshino carefully blows the soup and takes a bite of the food, and the taste gives her a starry-eyed expression. "Mmm~! So good!" She squeals in delight. 'Shido is just as good of a cook as in the anime! Man, I am so glad to be in this world!'

"Man." Yoshinon appears beside me with a groan and looks at the food. "I know I don't need to eat, but I'm really wishing I can right now."

"I don't blame you for being jealous." Kotori says with a prideful smirk. "My brother is an amazing cook."

"Mhm." Tohka nods in agreement with food in her mouth. "By the way, Yoshino, how long have you been a Spirit for?"

Yoshino takes another bite of her food. "I've been a Spirit for twenty-five years. I'm actually the Fourth Spirit in both names."

"Both names?" Shido repeats, unsure what the Water Spirit means.

"Well, chronologically, Yoshino was the fourth Spirit to appear." Kotori explains. "In that way, she is the Fourth Spirit, but I don't know the other way."

"Have any of you heard of the Kabbalah Tree of Life?" Yoshino asks, to which all three shake their heads. "Long story short, the Tree of Life has ten main branches known as Sephira: Kether, Chokmah, Binah, Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Neztech, Hod, Yesod, and finally, Malkuth. Each of these branches are ruled by an angel. In that same order, the angels are: Metatron, Rasiel, Zafkiel, Zadkiel, Camael, Michael, Haniel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Sandalphon. Coincidentally, our weapons are not only called 'Angels', but they're also named after those Angels in the Sephira. So, since I wield Zadkiel, the Angel that rules Chesed, the Fourth Sephira of Kabbalah, that makes me the Spirit of Chesed, Kabbalah's Fourth Sephira."

"So..." Shido speaks as he tries to process everything. "Since Tohka's Angel is Sandalphon, that makes her the Spirit of Malkuth, the Tenth Sephira of Kabbalah?"

"Yes, that's correct." Yoshino nods with a smile.

Kotori looks at her brother with disbelief. "How is it that you understand THAT of all things!?" She asks.

"Well, the way she explained it kinda made sense." Shido tries to defend itself. "Still, ten Sephira and ten Angels... Does that mean there are a total of ten Spirits besides the Spirit of Origin, including you and Tohka?"

"That was supposed to be the case. However, one of the humans who was made into a Spirit split into two upon receiving her Sephira Crystal." Yoshino replies.

'She must be talking about Berserk.' Kotori thinks, remembering that Berserk is a pair of twin Wind Spirits.

"So there are nine other Spirits out there." Tohka says with a contemplative frown, before looking at Shido. "You're gonna save them, right Shido?"

"Yeah." Shido nods with determination. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you all can live normal lives again!"

The gathered Spirits all smile. "That's the spirit, Onii-chan." Kotori says. "With that in mind-"

*BANG*

The four jump to the sound of someone kicking the front door open. Turning to look, they see a woman with light blue hair storming into the house.

"Ms. Hanakai!?" Shido exclaims with surprise, recognizing the woman as one of his teachers from his school.

Miyoi looks directly at Shido and stomps up to him, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him up to her glare. "You've got some nerve, you damn Casanova!?" She growls at him.

"W-Wait a moment, Ms. Hanakai! Why are you even here!?" Shido asks in a panic.

Miyoi takes out her phone, which is currently on the GPS. "Yoshino sent me a text saying that she was invited to a boy's house. After tracking her on the GPS, who do I find inviting her but the same boy that tried to hit on Origami at school!" She snarls. "First Origami, and now Yoshino. Do you think that I, their legal guardian, would accept something like this!?"

All around the table, there were mized emotions. Shido was afraid that he was going to be strangled for just doing what he was told. Tohka saw that Shido was in danger and wanted to help him, but didn't know how to do so without hurting the other human. Kotori, likewise, wanted to come to Shido's defense, but was struggling to figure out how without revealing too much. Then there was Yoshino, who knew what her guardian was doing and looked on calmly.

Eventually, a smile creeps onto Miyoi face as she starts laughing, confusing the three. "Ah man, you're face was priceless!" She laughs as she puts Shido down. "You really thought I was gonna kill you, huh?"

"...Wha?" Shido just stands there, thorougly confused.

"Geez, Ms. Hanakai..." They hear someone sigh and look to see Origami entering the house. "Couldn't you have done it in a way that didn't scare Itsuka-kun half to death?"

"Hey, it made sense to do this approach, since I'm acting as Guardian for both you and Yoshino." Miyoi chuckles.

"Origami!" Tohka exclaims, surprised to see her friend.

"Hello, Tohka-san. Good to see you again." Origami greets with a bow.

'Wait, if she is acting as their guardian, then...' Kotori begins thinking. "Ms. Hanakai, do you know anything about Spirits?" She asks, testing the waters.

Miyoi nods. "Yeah, I know about the Spirits. I used to be a captain in the AST."

Tohka's eyes widen at the reveal. "You're a captain of the Mecha Mecha Squad!?" She shouts, becoming wary.

"...Mecha Mecha Squad? That's a new one." Miyoi shrugs. "But I'm a former captain. I quit after I witnessed the events of the Tengu Fire. Yoshino's actions made me see Spirits in a new light." Tohka calms down after hearing that Miyoi isn't an enemy.

"Well, I say you made the right choice." Kotori smirks. "Anyway, if you know that Yoshino is a Spirit, then-"

"Yeah, I know. You're aiming to have Shido seal her." Miyoi says. "Yoshino told us about the boy's ability for a while and knew this would happen sooner or later."

The Itsuka siblings and Tohka look at Yoshino. "I had witnessed Shido seal a Spirit once before and knew that he was special." The Water Spirit gives her reasoning. "Anyways, Miyoi, did you bring what I asked?"

"Yeah, I brought the spare clothes." Miyoi says, holding up a bag of clothes.

"Good." Yoshino nods, before taking a deep breath. "Shido, can you kneel down for a second?"

"Huh? Okay." Although confused, Shido does as asked. Before he could ask why, Yoshino wraps his arms around him and kisses him on the lips, surprising him, Tohka and Kotori. They were further surprised when they see Yoshino's Astral Dress, disappear as a result of the kiss.

The sealing complete, Yoshino breaks off the kiss with a blush. "I heard what you said to Tohka at the end of your date, and I began developing feelings for you because of how much you're willing to help us." She explains with a smile. "When you comforted me after I told you about my past, those feelings grew, and I realized that I had fallen in love with you. So in truth, you could've sealed me at any point."

"Yoshino..." Shido looks at the Fourth Spirit with surprise.

"So that's why you asked for spare clothing." Miyoi sighs, while Origami was blushing heavily seeing Yoshino naked. "Does this always happen when a Spirit is sealed?"

"Um, well, this is the second time this has happened, so..."

"Yes." Yoshino answers for Shido. "If a Spirit is wearing any clothing made by Reiryoku, then the clothing disappears as a result of the sealing."

"Gotcha." Miyoi nods, handing Yoshino the bag of spare clothes. "Now go get redressed."

"Oh! I know where the bathroom is. I'll take you there." Tohka volunteers.

"Thank you, Tohka." Yoshino accepts Tohka's help and follows her to the bathroom.

Kotori shakes her head. "I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed. On one hand, the Strongest Spirit has been sealed, and in record time, too. On the other hand, Shido managed it without even trying."

"Don't get your hopes up." Miyoi warns. "Yoshino was willing to let herself be sealed, but the same won't be said for the other Spirits. In fact, the other Spirit that we know won't give up her power without a fight."

"Speaking of that, we were actually hoping to recruit Origami, since it's rare to meet someone with a positive view of Spirts." Kotori tells them. "I would like to extend the invitation to you, too, Captain Hanakai. Your experience as a Wizard will also be helpful."

"You don't have to call me 'captain', just 'Miyoi' or 'Ms. Hanakai' is fine." Miyoi smiles. "But I'll accept your invitation."

"I'll join, too." Origami adds with a determined look on her face. "If it means being able to help the Spirits, then I'll do what I can."

Kotori smiles. "Then welcome to Ratatoskr, you two. I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew so you can get situated." She looks at Shido. "Oh, and Shido? Excellent work, today."

With her praise said, the Commander of Ratatoskr leaves with the new recruits. Shido didn't respond as he was still trying to catch up with everything, but he knew one thing was for certain: Yoshino was willing to let herself be sealed, which means she trusts him with her power.

That alone made him smile. "Thank you, Yoshino." He whispers to no one in particular.

And that's pretty much Yoshino's arc done in record time.

Yeah, I know it's kinda disappointing that Yoshino's buildup as the Strongest Spirit led to her being sealed on the day she and Shido actually meet, but Yoshino herself said that she would be sealed sooner or later, so why not sooner? And she's not Kurumi, so she isn't gonna make Shido work for it.

Don't worry, though. The action will pick up in later chapters.

Anyway, next chapter will be the aftermath of Yoshino's sealing, since there will be a few days until Kurumi shows up.

See you guys then!