Date A Live: Starting as Acheron

Kurumi stood on the edge of the rooftop, dressed in the red-and-black dress Shidou had seen in the recording. Upon noticing Shidou's arrival, she turned and leaned against the railing, shooting him a coy smile. 

"Why, good afternoon, Shidou," she welcomed him warmly.

"Er, good afternoon," Shidou stammered. Is that her Astral Dress? Why would she summon that just for a talk? Unless… "So, what was the request you were talking about?"

Kurumi giggled. "Oh, that? Just a small favor, really." She sauntered over to Shidou, grasping his chin and pulling him close.

"W-what are you doing?!" Shidou desperately backed away. What the hell is going on?

"Let me tell you a little something, Shidou. Ever since I learned about you, I became utterly obsessed. Yes, I just had to have you, just had to become one with you." Kurumi licked her lips, a manic smile beginning to show on her face. "You, and the power that you've sealed inside your body."

"Power… you mean, the Reiryoku I've sealed?" Shidou felt a chill. She won't go after Tohka and Yoshino, will she?

"Indeed! All that magnificent power inside you, I require it all!" She hugged herself as she looked up into the sky, a brilliant smile now shining on her face. "So, if you would be so kind as to allow me to eat you up-"

"As if I would do that!" Shidou shouted uneasily. "Kurumi, stop this! I don't know why you need Reiryoku, but just calm down for a sec. We can still talk this out!"

"I'm afraid this is non-negotiable, dear." Kurumi approached him again, this time gripping his arm with an unprecedented strength. Her left eye seemed to glow with crimson light as she widened her smile. "Now then-"

"SHIDOU!" Two voices shouted in sync. Shidou's gaze snapped over to the rooftop entrance, where Tohka and Origami had both burst onto the scene, armed in their partial Astral Dress and CR-unit respectively.

"Tch. [Nightmare]! Don't think you can get away with this! I've already sent a call for backup!" Origami shouted, pointing a laser blade at Kurumi.

"Oh no, I'm terrified," Kurumi said with a mocking tone. "It's such a pity that you won't stay alive long enough to see your backup arrive!" 

Raising her hand into the air, a warping red-and-black distortion appeared in the air before quickly expanding to cover everything in Shidou's sight. Though Shidou only felt a bit heavier than before, Tohka and Origami directly fell to their knees, gasping in shock.

"Origami! Tohka! Kurumi, what did you just do?!" Shidou glared at his captor, who nonchalantly summoned a pistol into her hand.

"Do you like it? It's my Time-Eating Castle, a space that consumes the time of any being that is caught within its radius. Which, in this case, means everyone inside this school." Kurumi brushed her hair away from her face, allowing her right eye to show fully. A golden clock was etched into her iris, slowly spinning counter-clockwise.

"Their… time? You don't mean…" Shidou's eyes widened in horror.

"That's right. My Angel, though incredibly powerful, has a nasty habit of consuming both Reiryoku and lifespan to fuel its abilities. The Time-Eating Castle is my way of replenishing my lost lifespan." Kurumi nonchalantly twirled her gun before pointing it at Origami. "Of course, I have other ways…"

With a loud BANG, Kurumi shot Origami in the leg, sending her crashing to the ground. A small pool of blood formed around her.

"ORIGAMI!" Shidou turned to Kurumi with a desperate look in his eyes. "Look, it's me you want, right? So take down this barrier, and stop hurting other people!"

"Oh? And if I do, will you obediently surrender your life to me?" Kurumi's eyes glinted as Shidou looked away with gritted teeth. "Oh, Shidou. Don't you understand? Everyone here is my pitiful prey, and you're no exception." She began twirling her gun in her hand as though it were a pen. "However, since you're an especially delectable morsel, I can consider granting that request of yours… as long as you allow me to eat. You. Up~"

"No!" Before the boy could respond, Tohka rushed over to his side, having somehow mustered the strength to stand. She threw herself between Shidou and Kurumi, glaring into the eyes of the latter. "I…I won't let you eat him!"

"Bold words for a girl who can barely even stand," Kurumi scoffed, aiming her gun at her. Before she could fire, Shidou shoved her aside.

BANG!

The bullet whizzed past Shidou's ear, sending chills down his spine. 

Kurumi's eyes widened. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Is… is that panic in her voice? As if to confirm his thoughts, a voice suddenly sounded in the earpiece again.

"Shin, there's been a change in Kurumi's mental state. Something happened just now that made her terribly afraid."

"Reine? Wait, where's Kotori?" Shidou muttered quietly.

"She's busy preparing herself. Don't worry, help is on the way." With that, Reine went silent again. Kotori's preparing something? Don't tell me that she intends on joining the fight herself?!

"Hey, I was asking you a question! You could have died just then! What were you thinking?!" Kurumi snapped again.

Shidou's mind raced, a mad idea taking form in his head. Even if I break a few bones, I should be able to heal from that. Hell, I was able to recover from having an entire chunk of my stomach being shot off. In that case… "It was a test."

"Huh? Are you stupid?" Kurumi tilted her head, concern in her voice. Shidou couldn't tell if it was serious or sarcastic.

"Nope. After all, haven't I verified that you need me to stay alive, at least for now?" Shidou smiled grimly, walking over to the edge of the building. "So, take down your Castle, and stop trying to hurt Tohka and Origami. Otherwise, I'll kill myself by jumping off the roof."

"No! Shidou, what are you saying?!" Tohka grabbed Shidou by the scruff of his uniform, looking fearfully into his eyes. "Don't do it! It's not worth-" She stopped, noticing the confident look in his eyes. 

"Ha. A wonderful bluff, but I doubt you'd go through with it. Not in front of your beloved Tohka," Kurumi laughed.

"Try me." Before either of the two Spirits could utter another word, Shidou launched himself head-first off the railing of the building. He heard a scream, then somehow found himself in Kurumi's arms as she carried him back onto the rooftop.

"You- that was extremely idiotic!" She snarled, fury written all over her face as she dropped him roughly onto the floor, planting herself between him and the edge of the roof. 

"Like I said. Stop hurting Tohka and Origami, and take down the Castle. Otherwise, I'll bite off my tongue and die," Shidou repeated with a deadly calm in his eyes.

Kurumi grit her teeth before raising her arm again. The distorted air swiftly receded back into her hand and disappeared. Shidou breathed a sigh before being tackled by a purple blur.

"SHIDOU! Why did you do that? If you die… if you die, then…" Shidou stroked Tohka's hair as she bawled into his chest.

"Sorry, Tohka…" Shidou sat up, facing an impatient Kurumi. "And thank you, Kurumi."

"Tch. Any more unreasonable demands?" She asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she let her arms drop loosely to her sides.

Shidou bit back the retorts in his head. "One more, actually."

"Seriously? How much more are you going to ask for?" Kurumi looked at him with a deadpan expression.

Shidou ignored her. "I want you… to go on a date with me!"

The rooftop was suddenly filled with utter silence. Shidou felt a drop of sweat fall from his brow as Kurumi's face flickered through several emotions in rapid succession.

"What hell did you just say?"