As I said earlier, these next few chapters are basically filler before the next arc. You can skip if you want, but there's a chance you'll be confused about some stuff when I actually get to doing Natsumi's arc.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Date a Live.
Yoshino's POV:
Nagisa Himekawa, the mother of Yoshino Himekawa, who is now me...
In the original manga series, she was only shown when Yoshino talked about her past, having been the one to gift her Yoshinon before tragically dying in a work-related accident.
In this timeline, that accident did occur... yet she was saved by Isaac Ray Peram Wescott of all people. Of course, that also meant she was used in one of his twisted experiments, in which Miku also suffered as well.
It was thanks to all my friends helping me that I was also to save her, and now the two... no, the four of us are spending time together. No longer bound to a hospital bed, we can finally hang out like an actual family.
It almost feels like a dream... and it makes me once again wish it was Yoshino herself experiencing this.
"Yoshino, are you alright?" Mom's words snap me out of my thoughts.
"I'm fine, Mom." I tell her with a smile.
"Partner just has a lot on her mind, is all." Yoshinon says. "Comes with being commander of an organization like Ratatoskr."
"Wow... that sounds tough..." Yoshinon Jr. says.
I giggle. "It's alright. I'm used to it by now."
Mom closes her eyes with a hum. "You've certainly a lot since becoming a Spirit." She opens her eyes and looks at me with a firm gaze. "However, I feel that there's more to it than just that."
I stiffen up at that. "M-Mom?"
"Call it mother's intuition, but I can tell you're carrying a bigger weight than just your commander duties." ... Mother's intuition is scary. "Yoshino, please. Tell me what's troubling you."
I share a look with Yoshinon, before letting out a sigh of resignation. "It's... a lot to unpack." I say. "We'll need to move somewhere private."
Once we move to a private area... I tell her the truth. About myself, and about Yoshino, her true daughter. Naturally, Mom stands there in shock. "That's..." She speaks, but the words can't seem to come out.
"I understand that it's a lot to take in." I say.
"Wow..." Yoshinon Jr. says. "I didn't know you were shouldering so much..."
Mom closes her eyes, taking a deep breath to process everything, before opening her eyes and giving me a serious look. "Does anyone else know about this?"
"Three others." I answers. "Shido Itsuka, my shared lover with the other Spirits, Kurumi Tokisaki, the one Spirit he hasn't sealed yet... and the Spirit of Origin herself."
"I see." Mom nods as she mulls it over. "And the others?"
"I... I've never had a chance to tell everyone else." I say, looking down sadly. "It just... never felt like the right time." To be honest, the times I had to reveal my secret, I had no choice. Mio was stupidly OP and just read my memories, Kurumi did the same, but I let her do it in exchange for her helping me save Origami, and I had to tell Shido because of what happened in Eden. There was never a proper time to tell everyone else, especially with everything that was happening involving Miku.
"Very well. Then as your mother in this world, I'll make the executive decision for you." Mom says, walking up to me and placing her open hand on my shoulder. "You're going to tell everyone as soon as we get back. Something like this is too big to be kept hidden forever."
"Yes, Mom." I have no room to argue, so I comply to her words and then look down with guilt. "I'm sorry. This is our first outing together, and I just ruined it."
I am surprised when Mom leans down to hug me. "It's alright. Rebirthed or not, you're still my daughter regardless, and just being able to spend any amount of time with you again is enough to make me happy."
Hearing that she still sees me as her daughter fills me with familial warmth as I wrap my arms around her to return the hug. "Me too, Mom."
Mom parts from the hug and gives me a cheery smile. "Now, come on. We still have some time to ourselves. Let's enjoy it before the big reveal." I smile back with a nod.
Once Mom and I returned from our family outing, I asked Kotori to gather everyone onto Fraxinus. It's finally time that I reveal the truth about myself to everyone.
"This must be really big if you want everyone to know about it." Kotori comments.
"It is." I confirm. "It's something that could affect everything moving forward."
Kotori hum, a serious look on her face. "Does anyone else know about this?"
"My mom was the last person I told this to, and she told me to tell you all as well." I respond. "Other than her, I told Shido after we escaped Eden, and Kurumi knows because she used her Tenth Bullet on me." Kotori nods at my answer, though I purposefully left out that Mio also knows.
Soon, everyone arrives on Fraxinus. "I assume we're all here?" I ask.
"Yep. This is all of us." Kotori confirms. "So, you gonna tell us what your mom wanted you to?"
"Yes." I answer. "After everything that's happened, I believe it's time I told you all the truth about me."
"What do you want to tell us, Yoshino?" Tohka asks curiously.
I look over at everyone and catch a knowing look in Shido's eyes. Out of everyone, he and Reine are the only ones who already know what I'm about to reveal. I take a deep breath and begin with the question. "To start, does anyone know about reincarnation?"
"Reincarnation?" Tohka repeats, obviously clueless.
"Reincarnation is when someone dies and their soul is reincarnated as another person." Origami explains, and then her eyes immediately widen and she looks at me. "Wait... Yoshino, are you...?"
I nod. "I wasn't always Yoshino Himekawa. Back then, I was a human who lived by a different name: Fuyu Hana." I reveal to everyone's shock.
"So, you're a chosen soul who was rebirthed into a world of fantasy?!" Kaguya asks, her chuunibyou phrasing making me sweatdrop.
"I wouldn't say 'chosen', but yes. In the world I'm originally from, this entire world was actually an anime-adapted manga called "Date A Live"."
"... So we're all just manga-written characters where you used to live?" Kotori asks with disbelief.
"Question: Does that mean you know everything about our world, both past and future?" Yuzuru asks.
"I do." I confirm. "However, I can safely say that some things happened differently from canon events."
"Like what?" Miku asks. I can see in her eyes that she's almost afraid to find out.
I sigh. "If you want the major differences, the Tengu Fire is the first one." I look at Origami with sadness. "Minerva Riddell was never meant to appear that day and steal Metatron. It was supposed to be an Origami from the future, who travelled back in time thanks to Kurumi's Final Bullet to prevent her parents' death... only to realize she was the one who killed them."
Origami gasps loudly. "So then... my hypothetical scenario I spoke about with Itsuka-kun... actually happened?"
I nod sadly. "The result was you falling into despair and becoming an Inverse. It took Shido getting help from the Kurumi from the past to be able to save you. And all of this is without mentioning that you didn't become a Spirit until later from now." Origami looks down, mulling over the information.
"The second major difference is actually you, Rinne." Rinne's eyes widen when she is mentioned. "Well, I guess the events of Eden could be considered a major difference in its entirety. That was all part of a Dating Sim game that takes place after Kotori was sealed, and even then, the legend of the Tengu Cow was never supposed to actually be real."
"I'm still surprised that actually happened." Shido comments.
"But the biggest difference is that you're still here. None of us had the ability to make proper Sephira Crystals in canon aside from [Deus]. You were actually meant to disappear after Shido sealed you, but I don't regret saving you even one bit."
"I see." Rinne says softly.
"The third and final major difference so far is... well, everything that happened with Miku."
"With me?" Miku says softly.
"You were attacked and had your powers harvested by DEM six months ago, but canonically, that never happened." I tell her. "Because of that, you never lost your hatred of men and saw Shido as your enemy the moment you met him. It got so bad that you brainwashed the entire city in an attempt to kill him, and it wasn't until he saved you from Tohka's Inverse that you finally accepted him." The look on Miku's face shows that she is horrified that she did those things. She really is different from her canon self.
"Even Mom being alive now is a change that I never expected to occur." I say, looking at my mom.
"Yeah, turns out that bastard wasn't meant to save me when I got caught in an accident at work." She confirms. "Still, I'm begrudgingly glad he did." Me too, Mom. Me too.
I look over at everyone. "I know a lot of you feel like you're having an existential crisis right now, but please know that you all are very much real to me. In the time that I've known you all, I've grown to treasure every single one of you. Even despite your quirks." I earnestly say my feelings to everyone, while aiming that last part towards Kannazuki in particular. I close my eyes and tilt my head down. "Though, I understand if your feeling about me have changed after this."
"What are you talking about?" I open my eyes with surprise and look at Kotori, who was smiling at me. "Sure, it's surprising that you know everything because of a past life, but you've been using that knowledge to help us a ton. Why would we not trust you after everything?" Kotori...
"That's right! You saved me and my parents during the Tengu Fire! I would never lose my trust in you!" Origami...
"The fact that you are a reincarnated soul makes you even cooler in my eyes!" Kaguya...
"Gratitude: You helped Kaguya and I learn the truth about ourselves. We'll always be grateful for that." Yuzuru...
"It's thanks to you that I can be with everyone and love Shido. No matter what, I'll always be grateful for that." Rinne...
"Honestly, after hearing how things would've played out, I'm actually glad I suffered as my as I did. Because, that suffering helped me meet you and Darling, the two people who helped bring my life back together." Miku...
"I believe I speak for the crew when I say this: We still trust you, Commander Yoshino." Kannazuki...
Shido looks at me with a smile. "We all trust you. It doesn't matter if you're Yoshino Himekawa or Fuyu Hana. You've helped us all so much, so we'll accept you no matter what!"
I couldn't hold my shock. Even after everything I told them... they still trust me to lead them?
I feel my mom gently wrap her arms around me. "Do you see now how much of an impact you've made on everyone here?" She asks softly. "You brought this group together and have become it's pillar. Your reincarnation doesn't make them think any less of you." I look at everyone and they nod in agreement with Mom's words.
"Everyone..." Seeing everyone accepting me, even after learning the truth about me, fills me with warmth as I begin to smile, tears forming in my eyes. "Thank you so much..."
Shido walks up to me and kneels down to wipe the tears from my eyes. "Yoshino, you've been striving to lead us to a better future, but you don't have to carry that burden alone anymore." He tells me. "We'll carry it with you."
"That's right." Kotori agrees with her brother. "You're Ratatoskr's Second Commander, which means you have us backing you up. Just keep pointing us in the right direction, like you always have."
They're right. Now that the truth is laid bare, it's time for me to start truly relying on everyone.
With a smile, I part from Mom's embrace and look over at everyone once again. "Everyone, I'm truly happy to have friends like you all to support me." I say with gratitude. "Let's work together... to bring about a better future!"
"Yeah!" Everyone cheers, pumping their fists into the air.
Reine's POV:
How interesting.
It seems that, with some persuasion from Nagisa, Fuyu has decided to reveal the truth about herself.
And yet despite that, everyone still chooses to accept her.
I anticipated that this would be the result. She has left a heavy impact on Ratatoskr ever since she let herself be sealed. After everything she's done, it would be insane for them to reject her now.
After all, she acted for the betterment of everyone, unlike me, who is acting for her own happiness.
Fuyu's POV:
Today has been quite a day for me. Not only have I spent my first outing with my mom after 26 years, but I've revealed the truth of my reincarnation to everyone else. Yet despite that, they still accepted me and support my goal for a better future.
I'm really glad... to have such wonderful friends.
Looking out at the sunset view from my balcony at the Spirit Mansion, I suddenly feel a presence next to me, and to my surprise, it's actually Yoshino Himekawa. "Yoshino..." I say, having not expected to see her.
Sitting on the banister, Yoshino looks at the view with a serene smile. "The sunset sure is beautiful." She says.
I look back at the sunset. "Yeah. It really is." I say in agreement.
After a moment of silence, Yoshino speaks again. "It feels liberating, doesn't it? To not only have your true self revealed, but also accepted?"
I give a small smile. "It does. I was honestly worried about this day, but I guess I was worried over nothing in the end."
Yoshino looks at me with a smile. "You've become an important part of their lives, just as they have become an important part of yours. You are their pillar, as they are your motivation." I honestly can't deny that.
"Yoshino..." I look at her with a solemn expression. "Even now, I still wish that you were here, experiencing this with me."
Yoshino floats back onto the balcony and looks at me. "And I am." She replies, much to my confusion. In response, she places a hand over my heart. "I still exist deep within your Sephira Crystal, remember?" She smiles warmly. "As long as you still have it, then we'll always be together, Onee-chan."
Hearing Yoshino call me Onee-chan once again, I can't help but smile. "Yeah." I say softly, hugging Yoshino despite her ghostly form. "We'll always be together, Imouto-chan."
"Hey, Yoshino! Dinner is almost... ready...?" We both hear Mom calling about dinner, but her voice trails off as we turn to see her looking at us in shock.
"There's... two of them?" Yoshinon Jr. says, also in shock.
Our eyes widen. "You can see her, Mom?" I ask.
"Maybe it's because she holds a Sephira Shard created by your power." Yoshino says.
"That could be it." I reply.
"Um, I'm sorry, but... why is there another you?" Mom asks, clearly confused. "That's not Yoshinon, is it?"
Yoshino and I look at each other and giggle. "Mom, this is actually Yoshino... the true Yoshino." I reveal.
Mom's eyes widen as she looks at Yoshino. "You mean..."
"Yeah." Yoshino nods with a smile, then float to her mother to embrace her. "I'm so happy to see you again, Mom."
Mom stares at Yoshino. "But... how can this be?"
"Even though I basically took over Yoshino's life, I didn't completely replace her." I explain. "Our souls pretty much merged because of our Sephira Crystal. She still exists, but I'm the only one who can speak to her. Or at least, I was. It turns out, you can see her as well thanks to your new Sephira Shard, which was created with my power."
"... Wow." Yoshinon Jr. whispers in awe.
"I... I don't know what to say." Mom says, placing an arm on Yoshino. "But... I'm really happy to see you again too, Yoshino."
I smile at the sight of Yoshino reuniting with her mother, but then Yoshino motions for me to join in. I walk up to Mom and wrap my arms around her and Yoshino, and Mom wraps her other arm around me.
"Looks like I technically have two daughters now." Mom giggle, with Yoshino and I giggling with her.
"Even though I'll only be in Onee-chan's Sephira Crystal," Yoshino speaks as we part from the hug, "please know that I'll always be with you both." She then disappears in sparkle of blue lights, my body briefly glowing blue as she returns to my Sephira Crystal.
"Well, today was certainly a day to remember." Mom comments, before looking at me with a smile. "Well, come on! Shido should be done cooking dinner by now!" I smile back and nod as we head down to the living area.
And now everyone else knows about Fuyu's reincarnation.
At this point, I figured there was gonna be no hiding it anymore, especially with how good a mother can read her child. It can be scary sometimes. Plus, considering the remaining Spirits, with how Natsumi can read other's memories by transforming into them and Nia basically knowing anyone's past with Raziel, it's better to let it be known now rather than either of those two blabbing about it later.
However, this is only one of two reveals. The second will come next chapter.