Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Date a Live.
Third POV:
After Miku calmed down, the Shido and the girls head to the Spirit Mansion to plan out everything for the Tenou Festival. Miku is actually coming along on Tohka's suggestion to introduce her to Yoshino, which got the Sound Spirit.
"So, Yoshino... who is she?" Miku asks.
"Yoshino is the second person to have been given power from the Spirit of Origin, and has been a Spirit for 26 years." Shido tells her with a smile. "She's the strongest Spirit any of us know, and it's thanks to her that we're all here."
"I can definitely vouch for that." Rinne says in agreement. "When I was first born, I was just a culmination of Reiryoku that gained its own conscience."
Miku looks surprised. "I... didn't know Spirits could... be born like that."
"Well, I certainly was. Originally, I was born with the purpose of giving Shido his utopia, but I soon learned that by doing so, I would keep him from his true wish to help all the Spirits, including you, Miku-chan." Rinne shows a bit of sadness at the reminder, but I hold her hand to comfort her, making her smile. "The only way to escape Eden was my death, and since I was just a culmination of Reiryoku, Shido just had to seal me to accomplish that."
"But... you're still here." Miku points out.
Rinne smiles. "And it's all thanks to Yoshino. She opened up a path I never thought possible; a way for me to continue existing. It's because she and Shido didn't give up on me that I now live as a Pure Spirit, sharing his love with everyone else."
Miku looks amazed by the story. "Wow... She sounds amazing."
"She really is." Origami agrees wholeheartedly.
The group arrives at the Spirit Mansion and head inside, where they see Yoshino and Kotori sitting at the living room couch. "Welcome home, everyone." The Water Spirit greets them, and then notices Miku. "You are Miku Izayoi, the Sound Spirit of Yesod."
"Y-Yeah?" Miku nods timidly.
"You don't need to be scared. You're surrounded by friends here." Kotori assures her. "Name's Kotori Itsuka, the Flame Spirit of Geburah and Shido's younger sister."
"And I am the Water Spirit of Chesed, Yoshino Himekawa." Yoshino introduces herself after Kotori, and Miku's eyes widen with surprise.
"You're... Yoshino?" The Sound Spirit asks. "You look..."
"Not what you expected?" Yoshino asks. Miku flinches in response, probably afraid that she upset Yoshino, but the Water Spirit smiles. "Don't worry. I'm not upset. I may look like a child, but I'm actually 40 years old."
"F-Forty?!" Miku squeaks in disbelief.
Shido chuckles. "Yeah, I know it's shocking, but Yoshino is actually more than twice our age." Miku can only look at Yoshino in shock.
"Yeah, we've been around before you were even born, kiddo." Yoshinon says.
Yoshino gives Miku a serious look. "Miku, we know about DEM stealing some of your power." She says. "We actually encountered the Wizard who now holds that power."
Miku's eyes widen. "Y-You have?"
"Yeah. It was during the school trip." Shido tells her. "DEM hijacked it in an attempt to capture us, and one of the Wizards we fought was someone called Project: Siren. She's the one they gave your power to."
"Project: Siren..." Miku repeats quietly.
"Our first encounter with her was rough, as we didn't know that she had your power before she used it to control me and Tohka." Origami continues. "Thankfully, Shido managed to snap us out of it, and we forced DEM to retreat." Miku looks at the [Sealer] with surprise. She didn't think it was possible for her power to be broken.
"But now that we know, we plan to take back the power they stole from you." Yoshino finishes, regaining the Sound Spirit's attention. "Miku, you've already had to suffer enough, and we want to help you build your life back up."
Everyone nods in agreement with Yoshino, and Miku didn't know what to say. For these people, who she's barely even known, to go out of their way to help rebuild her life, it touched her heart and made her feel like things are finally getting better for her. "Everyone..." She whispers. "I... Thank you..."
Shido smiles. "Anytime, Miku."
"Right now, though, you should prepare for the Tenou Festival." Yoshino reminds us.
"Oh, well, the girls and I have decided on a Maid Café." Shido says. "Though, as for the song part, I'm still not sure. Music writing isn't really my forte." He pauses after he says that and looks at Miku. "Wait! Miku, you can help!"
"I-I can?" Miku asks with surprise.
"Of course! As a former idol, Miku has experience in singing and song-writing!" Origami realizes Shido's plan.
Miku starts looking nervous. "But... I can't sing as... well as I used to."
"Miku, I heard you sing, and I was serious when I said you have a beautiful voice." Shido tells her. "Give it one more chance. I'm sure that they'll all love you."
"Yeah! And you won't be singing alone!" Tohka chimes in excitedly. "You and I can sing together!"
"You can leave the drums to me!"
"Compliance: I'll take the bass." Kaguya and Yuzuru also volunteer.
"And I'll take the guitar." Shido volunteers himself for the guitar. "I've seen enough guitar tutorials online that I can pull it off without a hitch."
Seeing everyone volunteer to help her, Miku starts to feel a bit more encouraged. "Then... can I ask you guys something?" She makes a request, getting everyone's attention. "Can someone... cut my hair?"
"I can help with that." A voice speaks from behind, startling everyone as they turn to see Reine behind them.
"Reine? When did you get here?" Shido asks.
"Around the time you were planning your band." Reine replies. "But anyway, I'll cut your hair for you, Miku. Please follow me." Miku looks a bit nervous, but nods and follows the Analysis Officer.
"Um, should we... really be leaving this to Reine?" Shido asks, unsure about letting the narcoleptic woman cut the former idol's hair.
"It'll be fine." Kotori waves off his worry. "Reine might have trouble sleeping, but she's damn good at a lot of other stuff. On one of her off days, I found out she can play the violin at a professional level, act as a foreign translator, land a royal aircraft, and even conduct medical treatment better than the official medical translator for Fraxinus... which she implied wasn't everything."
Everyone is shocked to hear some of Reine's feats. Even Yoshino, who knew the most out of everyone, is surprised to hear all the stuff Reine can do. 'Though, I suppose being a clone of Mio means you can do a lot of stuff.' She thinks.
"I'm done." Everyone hears Reine announce and look to see her and Miku return to the living room, and everyone looks at Miku's new look with surprise.
"Oh, wow." Tohka says in amazement.
"She looks exactly as she did back then." Origami says in awe.
Shido looks at Miku and sees that Origami is right. Her hair is cut to perfectly match her old look- straight and perfectly maintained, giving her silver eyes clear visibility. Her eyes still hold some nervousness, but aside from that, she matches her photo from Rindouji.
He looks at his younger sister. "Just what can Reine not do?" He asks.
"Besides sleep? Good question." Kotori answers.
"Alright!" Miyoi calls out. "Now that Miku's hair has been straightened out, let's get things in order for the festival and make our school proud!"
"Yeah!" Everyone cheers, with Miku joining in hesitantly.
Shido's POV:
The girls and I have been rehearsing for the past two days since we got our band together. It was kind of difficult starting out, as Miku can't hold a note for longer than a second due to her injury, but with our gentle encouragement, she was able to push on, and we were able to make a song that works around it.
As we arrive at the Tenou Festival, however...
"Well, look who it is." A familiar voice reaches our ears, making Miku freeze up as we see three girls from Rindouji walk up to us. They're the same ones that I saw bullying Miku before! "Didn't think you would actually show up, slut." The blonde one says with a mocking smirk.
Miku starts trembling in fear, so I put an arm in front of her in defense and glare at the Rindouji trio. "How about you three piss off?" I say coldly.
The three look at me with surprise. "Hey, you're that boy from earlier!" The pinkette recognizes me.
"You're still with this whore?" The brown-haired girls asks. "I thought you'd be tired of her by now." Even now, hearing them insult Miku angers me.
"Stop saying mean things about our friend!" Tohka exclaims angrily.
The girls look at Tohka. "Friend?" The pinkette asks with disbelief. "You all are friends with this loose woman?"
"Did you not hear what Tohka said?" Kaguya growls.
"Threat: We said to stop insulting Miku." Yuzuru says in a threatening tone.
"Oh, we're so sorry." The blonde apologizes, though her tone says she's not really sorry. "We just didn't think anyone would bother being friends with someone like her. Haven't you heard the rumors?"
"Unlike you three, we actually took the time to understand Miku and not judge her on baseless rumors." Rinne says.
"Hmph, whatever. We'll see who's laughing after the musical competition." The blonde smirks. "Especially if that slut is going to be one of your singers." Miku flinches from behind me.
"You're washed up, whore." The pinkette mocks, also smirking. "You're not an idol anymore, and I doubt you can even sing anymore."
"You should just go back to spreading your legs to men who'll think you're worth their time." The brown-haired girl finishes.
I glare angrily at the Rindouji trio as they leave with a haughty laugh, before looking back at Miku, who's unsure about herself. "Don't worry about what they said." I tell her in reassurance. "We know you still have it in you. We'll show them in the competition." Miku looks at me and nods.
Now, the Tenou Festival has now reached the musical competition.
"Alright." I mutter as Rindouji finishes their performance. "It's almost our turn. You girls ready?"
"Ready!" Tohka nods.
"All set!" Kaguya gives me a thumbs up.
"Confidence: Let's do this." Yuzuru replies.
Miku is the only one who doesn't immediately reply. "I'm... still a bit nervous, but..." She places a hand over her chest. "You guys are doing this... to help me." Her hand clenches into a fist and she looks more determined. "So... I'll do my best."
We smile at Miku's determination. "That's the spirit, Miku." I say. She's been slowly regaining her confidence during our rehearsals, and now, it's time to put it to the test.
"And now, the Raizen band performance!" That's our cue.
Miku takes a deep breath. "Shaddai El Chai." She summons her Astral Dress, which is actually quite fitting since it looks like an idol uniform, and with a final nod, we step out to perform.
Miku's POV:
I never thought I would be in this scenario again.
Singing out on stage, in front of a live audience... The last time I did so earnestly was back when I was still human, before the scandal broke out that ruined everything. Since gaining my powers, I have started doing private concerts again, but at the time, my voice was tainted by my hatred toward humanity; toward the people who abandoned me because of a baseless rumor.
The moment DEM attacked me and took a part of my power, I believed it was all over. My hatred was snuffed out by what I believed was karmic justice, and I was content with living my life in despair.
But then, I met Shido Itsuka.
He saved me from those three girls that always pick on me whenever they see me. He saved me from the AST when they came to kill me. He became a guiding light for me; a chance to finally escape the darkness that enveloped me.
This song is a reflection of my feelings of gratitude towards him and my fellow Spirits who went out of their way to help someone like me; for giving me the chance to sing earnestly once again.
So I sang with Tohka, letting my feelings guide me.
Once we finished our song, there is a moment of silence. I begin to feel sad, thinking they didn't like it. Guess those girls are right. I'm washed after all...
But then, I hear clapping, and I look up in surprise to see the people in the audience start to clap and cheer. Many are even standing up.
"Wow! They all loved it!" Tohka smiles.
"Heh! They were just stunned silent by our magnificent performence!" Kaguya boasts.
"Agree: We blew away their expectations." Yuzuru agrees with her twin.
"Awesome job, girls." Shido smiles. "Especially you, Miku." I blush at Shido's praise.
Then, when the final announcement came...
"And the winner of the musical competition, and overall winner of this year's Tenou Festival: Raizen High School!"
I couldn't believe it. We actually won. Once again, the audience cheers for us, though the cheers from our school are notably louder.
"I don't believe it!" The blonde shouts in outrage. "How could we lose to a washed slut like you?!"
"Because unlike you, Miku actually put her heart into her singing." Shido says, immediately coming to my defense. "Even after everything she went through, she overcame her fears to do something she loved. That's why she won today." Hearing Shido praise me makes my heart flutter.
The Rindouji trio scowl before stomping off angrily. "That'll teach them to stop picking on Miku." Tohka huffs.
I look out to the cheering crowd as Shido walks up to me with a smile. "You see, Miku? They all loved hearing your singing."
I didn't think that anyone would want to hear me sing after the scandal, but seeing everyone cheering us makes me realize that Shido's right; that there are people who still love my real voice.
My heart swells with a happiness that I never thought I would feel again as my eyes start to water up. "Everyone... thank you so much." I deeply thank everyone.
However, that happiness doesn't last long.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*
The Spacequake alarm suddenly starts blaring, and it's followed by a shattering noise coming from above. As the humans in the audience scream and run out the hall, I look up at the roof and see a bunch of Wizards flying through the recently-made hole. However, among those Wizards, I see one that makes me freeze up entirely.
"Ellen Mathers." Shido says the woman's name with gritted teeth. Has he also encountered her before? Perhaps during the school trip?
"We meet again, Shido Itsuka." Ellen greets him, and then I flinch when she looks at me. "Oh? It seems [Diva] is also here."
I tremble under her gaze as my friends look at me. "Miku, do you know Ellen?" Tohka asks, sounding worried about me.
"I-It's her." I say fearfully. "Sh-She's the one... who attacked me and... stole my power."
"WHAT?!" Shido shouts in outrage, glaring at Ellen. "First you kill Origami's parents, then you ruin Miku's life?!" My eyes widen at the first part. This woman killed Origami's parents?!
"I will do anything if it means Ike's wish is fulfilled." Ellen replies uncaringly. "Enough talk. Project: Siren!"
Another Wizard flies in through the hole, and I immediately feel a connection to her. So that's Project: Siren, the woman they gave my power to.
I see the weird diamond on her Realizer start glowing indigo, followed by the wires, and then the lines on her face mask. "You will submit to us." She's speaking using my powers. She plans to brainwash everyone!
"No!" I quickly scream out, not wanting to lose my friends, using the power I still have to cancel out hers.
"Whoa! Quick thinking, Miku!" Shido praises me, and I blush again.
"It seems [Diva] can counter Project: Siren with her own power." Ellen says with a frown. "Perhaps I should've taken your entire Sephira Crystal, but no matter. Again, Project: Siren!" Siren is about to make another attempt, but is stopped by icicles suddenly flying towards her.
"I don't think so." The one who threw the icicles says as Yoshino shows up in her Astral Dress, with a white scythe in her hand.
"Everyone!" I then hear Origami and see her flying up to us in what looks to be a combination of her maid outfit and her Spirit Astral Dress. Another woman also flies up next to us and... wait, is that Rinne? She looks so different. Is this her Spirit Form?
"I'll take Project: Siren." Yoshino begins to issue commands. "Shido and Rinne will fight Ellen together. The rest of you will fight Jessica and her squad."
"Got it!" Shido nods, summoning his sheathed sword. "Let's go, Rinne!" Rinne nods and assists Shido in fighting that woman while Yoshino rushes forward to fight Siren. Meanwhile, I look at everyone else fighting the other Wizard.
Steeling myself, I call whatever power I still and summon a translucent keyboard and a few bells. I'm not much of a fighter, but I'll do what I can to help everyone.
Yoshino's POV:
My scythe clashes with Siren's polearm once again as we attack each other relentlessly, firing ice projectiles and sound blasts in between blade clashes. We had a feel for each other's strengths back in Arubi Island, and now we're getting serious this time.
Quickly sparing a glance at the others and their fights, I see that Shido is managing to hold his own against Ellen with Rinne supporting him with cover fire, and the others are easily handling Jessica's group with Miku supporting them. We seem to have the advantage.
Yet, they weren't panicking. In fact, Jessica seems to be smirking, and I could see her lips moving like she was muttering something.
What could she be-!
I immediately feel danger behind me and spin around to slash behind me, cutting down a Bandersnatch that had just teleported behind me. This wouldn't be so bad if it was just me. In fact, I would've considered this a cheap distraction tactic. What was bad, however, was that more Bandersnatch units had also appeared behind everyone else, most likely teleported in through the hole in the roof.
Shido detects the one behind him and cuts it down just as quickly, and Rinne notices the one behind her and rips it apart with her vines.
The others, however, didn't notice theirs until the Bandersnatch start beeping.
"! Tohka!"
"Right!"
Origami notices hers and is quick enough to warn Tohka, who cuts hers down while the Light Spirit destroys hers with light beams.
"Kaguya!"
"Got it!"
Yuzuru warns her twin sister, and Kaguya manages to backhand her Bandersnatch while Yuzuru wraps her with El Nahash and knocks it into Kaguya's, sending them both into the the opposing Wizards, causing them to panic.
Miku, however, on account of her being the least proficient in battle, fails to notice hers, and what's worse is that it's one second away from self-destructing.
"Miku!" Shido shouts, seeing that she's in danger, quickly moves between her and the Bandersnatch.
*BOOM!*
"Shido!" Rinne cries out, worried about him and Miku.
I grit my teeth. I can tell that he's alright, as I sensed him use a combination of Zadkiel and his Pure Reiryoku to mitigate the blast and survive it, and with Camael, he'll be able to heal off any damage. The problem is that I was right about that being a distraction tactic, as the moment Shido moved to save Miku, Siren moved away from me to knock out both the Yamai twins, while Ellen knocked out Tohka and Origami.
I rush to try to save them, but Siren quickly dashes back to me and clashes blades once again, before immediately following up with a point-blank sound wave to knock me back. I quickly recover, but at that point, the DEM Wizard have already started leaving with the unconscious Spirits, and I could only glare at Ellen, who smirks at me while carrying Tohka in one arm.
"Hasta la vista, [Hermit]." She tauntingly says as she leaves through the hole, with Siren following after her.
"Damn it." I growl, disappointed that I let DEM pull a fast one on me. Now they've not only captured Tohka, but also Origami and the twins.
"Yoshino." I hear Shido call to me and turn to him. By now, he's fully recovered from taking the Bandersnatch's suicide attack for Miku, but that does little to help the current situation.
"They're already gone." I say grimly. "And they've taken Tohka, Origami, Kaguya and Yuzuru with them." Shido clicks his teeth in disappointment.
"I'm sorry..." Miku says as she looks down with guilt. "It's my fault... they got captured..."
"Don't blame yourself, Miku." Shido says to comfort her. "None of us expected DEM to pull a stunt like that. If anything, I'm glad you're okay."
"But... what about you?" Miku asks with worry. "You took that explosion... and shielded me."
"I'm fine." Shido smiles. "I may be human, but I'm tougher than I look."
"Shido, Yoshino, we cannot delay any longer." Rinne tells us seriously. "We need to hurry and save the others."
"Rinne-onee-chan's right." Kotori says, speaking to me and Shido through our earpieces. "We'll teleport you all up here so that we can form a rescue plan."
"Right." I say in acknowledgement as the four of us are beamed up to Fraxinus.
This time, Raizen trumps the musical competition thanks to having Miku's musical expertise on their side, and those three girls that bullied Miku have been properly humbled as a bonus.
But, on the other hand, DEM attacks, and this time they make off with not just Tohka, but Origami, Kaguya and Yuzuru as well. Thankfully, the three strongest are still in play, so rescuing them won't be too bad.
...Right?