That night in the dark forest, a large figure strode in between the trees. He had a samurai sword sheathed at his side, and he wore a white coat that was torn off at the sleeves over his kimono. His hair was pulled into long spikes over his head like a crown, at the end of each spike was a bell. Over his heavily scarred face, he wore an eyepatch....his smile was like a pack of hungry wolves, looking for prey.
The man known as Zaraki Kenpachi sniffed the forest air and chuckled. "Heh...it's been a long time since I've been on this island. Where we throw all the souls who haven't properly died."
"Kenny! We're not here to sight see!" A small pink haired girl in a kimono popped her head up from where she was clinging to Kenpachi's shoulder. "Aren't we supposed to be looking for somebody?"
"Don't complain Yachiru." said Kenpachi. "We're only supposed to deal with the intruders if they start causing trouble...heh..how the hell they managed to get through the spiritual barrier..I'll never know."
"But what if they're strong!?" Yachiru exclaimed. "I know you'll wanna fight them if they're strong Kenny!"
Kenpachi's smile widened. "Hmm..now that you mention it...guys like them who can break into town without Captain Yamamoto noticing could be a bunch of fighting spirits...or they could just be wusses with some cheap trick up their sleeves...should I find out?"
"You should! You should!!" Yachiru shouted cheerfully.
"All right then.."
"Stop." said a voice from behind Kenpachi. Kenpachi looked over his shoulder to see a small boy with white flame-like hair wearing a similar coat and kimono, except his wasn't torn.
Captain Hitsuga glared at Kenpachi sternly. "We're not supposed to start any sort of fight until we know what we're up against."1
"Yeesh, 6 months since Dravis snuffed it and we're still dealing with this crap." said Kenpachi. "How many intruders are we dealing with anyways?"
"Undetermined." said Hitsuga. "But they're many...and they're spiritual pressure is odd...And it seems they're looking for Railgun."
"The girl that killed the Apocalypse Dragon himself?" Kenpachi's smile grew a little more blood thirsty. "Oh that's one person I'd like to fight.."
"She remembers nothing of her powers or past..she'd be no suitable opponent to you.." said Hitsuga. "Not unless she begins to remember...and that's what worries me about these intruders, if they are people from her past, she might just yet become aware..."
"Heh.." said Kenpachi licking his lips and putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'm actually hoping she remembers.."
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"Misaka....Misaka!!" Mikoto's name was repeated two times before Mikoto suddenly looked up from her desk and looked across the classroom at her teacher.
"Er-eh...what?" Mikoto said.
The other kids in the classroom sniggered as the teacher sighed.
"This isn't like you Misaka, usually you are paying attention more then any of the other misfits in this class, is there something wrong?"
"Erm..no.." Mikoto said growing a little embarrased. "I just woke up a little earlier this morning that's all."
"Just try and pay attention." said the teacher with a sigh. "I already have enough zombies in here without you becoming one too."
And the teacher continued his lesson. However, Mikoto continued to stare out the window of the classroom, wondering about the strange man...Gajeel...how did he know Natsu? And more importantly, how in the world did she know Gajeel's name? It was as if something hidden inside her mind had been unlocked by the strange man. And slowly, a steady stream of memories were coming out...like a faucet that kept on dripping even though you turned it off.
"Fairy Tail..." Mikoto murmured. "Fairy Tail..Fairy Tail..." Mikoto kept on murmuring it like a mantra, as if by saying it over and over, she hoped to completely unlock it's meaning. What was Fairy Tail?
Suddenly, a series of images flashed through her head at light speed. A golden dragon on a hill, lightning running down it's body, roaring into the sky. A building with the symbol of the prancing fairy on it's front. A bunch of people standing strong against a hoard of evil...a monstrous figure in demonic armor with a silver 3 headed oriboris on his chest saying. "Beware Asgawrath...Don't trust the Soul Reapers.."
Mikoto clutched her chest, panting. What was that? She couldn't say. It was as if she could still hear that dragon roaring in her heart.
Mikoto shook herself. She shouldn't be thinking about this, she had notes to take before the final exam.
Mikoto reached for her pencil. All of a sudden, a spark of electricity jumped from her fingers and zapped the pencil to ashes.
Mikoto just gaped at the pencil. "Well...I guess the humidity must be erm...yeah..."
Thinking that she must be going delirious, Mikoto brought out another pencil. Just as she was about to take notes however, a small lightning bolt jumped from her bangs and hit the boy in front of her right in the back.
"YOW!!" The boy jumped out of his chair, rubbing his back as other classmates looked curiously, and the teacher looked up from the blackboard.
"Is there something you wish to share with the class Jose?" the teacher asked.
"Er...well no.." said Jose as he sat back down.
Now Mikoto felt really scared. Maybe it's just...erm...static? Yeah! Really bad static...I hope.
It was then that the boy sitting next to Mikoto chose that moment to start flirting with Mikoto despite the 3 black eyes he'd recieved from her last week. "Hey there Misaka...I know you're busy right now and everything..but why don't we both pretend to go to the bathroom right now so we can have some real fun...if we know what I'm saying?" The boy immitated some kissing noises to make his point.
"Stop it Kuroko! Not now!" Mikoto growled.
"Kuroko!?" said the boy. "Who the heck is Kuroko?"
Mikoto felt her insides freeze up. "I-I don't know.."
"Well then..maybe we can discuss this Kuroko person in a more private setting?" said the boy wiggling his eyebrows.
"OH WOULD YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Mikoto yelled. Suddenly, Mikoto's bangs gave a tremendous spark, and a powerful blast of electricity exploded from her in all directions. When the sparks cleared, everyone in the room, including the teacher were lying unconscious in the room, their hair all puffed up comically into afros.
Mikoto stood up from her desk slowly, her eyes wide with fear. She looked at her hands which suddenly gave off some sparks. She then ran out the door of the classroom shouting, "NATSUUUU!!!! LUUUCY!!!!!!!"
Mikoto ran down the street of Yugami town in a panic, bustling past residents as they went about their business.
"I'm not a freak...I'm not a freak...I'm not a freak..." Mikoto kept saying to herself as she ran, as if by saying it often enough, those words might come true. "I'm not a freak..."
Mikoto suddenly ran face first into a tall man. She fell back on her bottom and shook herself, getting up and saying "Sorry" before trying to run past the guy. But the man held an arm out and caught her before she could leave.
The man had long red hair, multiple earings, a black priest's robe and a barcode under his eye. In his mouth was a cigar, even though he actually looked way too young to be smoking.
"Where do ya think you're going Mikoto?" the man asked.
Mikoto wanted to scream, but all that came out was. "Wha!? Y-you..y-you....eh?"
The man put his hands on Mikoto's shoulders and held her steady. "Breathe...relax...calm down. The memories are all rushing back aren't they? It'll be disorienting at first, but just calm yourself and you won't faint or anything."
Mikoto did what the man said, and started to calm down, her body still felt like it might collapse though. There were about a billion things smashing into Mikoto's mind at once...memories...memories so blurred and strange she couldn't exactly make them out.
"Who are you?" Mikoto asked. "What do you want with me?"
"The name's Stiyl..." said the man. "Stiyl Magnus. Believe it or not, we've actually met before."
"St-Stiyl..." Mikoto stuttered. "I think I've heard that name...but I don't know."
"It'll all come back with time." said Stiyl. "I imagine your friends Natsu and Lucy must be going through the same thing right now...especially given that they met Gajeel too."
"You know that man!?" Mikoto said.
"Why of course." said Stiyl. "We and several of your guild mates came here to bring you home..."
"Home?" Mikoto said, not sure what the term meant anymore. "I-I live by the seaside.."
"Not that fake thing.." said Stiyl. "Don't trust this town Mikoto. Don't trust this island. Nothing here is as it seems. Everything here, the happy people...they don't know it..but this isn't a place to live out the rest ot their happy lives..this place is a prison Mikoto. And there's a reason nobody who lives here is ever seen again after 15 years. They can only blame so much on that serial killer Night Reveler...and trust me, chances are he'll be gone in 15 years too..and nobody will even remember him...nobody will remember you when you dissapear either."
Mikoto staggered back, knocking Stiyl's hands off her shoulders, shaking her head, her face wearing an expression of fear and horrid denial. "No...Yugami Town's my home...it always has been...leave me alone!!"
Mikoto then ran past Stiyl and down the road, scared out of her mind, as sparks seemed to jump from her hair.
Gajeel walked out from behind a crowd and walked to stand next to Stiyl. "Heh..she didn't take that news well did she?"
"Telling her everything at once would have only hurt her more." said Stiyl. "Her brain's still trying to cope with the influx of memories...we should give them time so they can take it easier.."
"We're running out of that kind of time." said Gajeel. "Erza and Gray just told me they saw two of those Soul Reaper guys moving into the city. They probably know that they are beginning to remember everything. If we don't hurry, they'll either have their minds wiped again...or they'll be killed trying to resist."
Mikoto ran down the grassy area of the beach till she came to the beachside house. She burst through the door without a thought, surprising Lucy who was in the living room writing on a piece of paper.
"Mikoto! You're back early!"
Mikoto ran over to Lucy and buried her face her shoulder. "Lucy! I-I think I might be sick!"
Lucy hugged Mikoto comfortingly. "Hold on now..calm down. Is it serious? Should we call the doctor?"
"What would a doctor be able to do about this!?" Mikoto cried looking up as a massive spark jumped out of her bangs and blew up a vase that was on the dining table in the kitchen a few feet away.
Lucy stared for a moment. "When did this start happening?"
"At school!" Mikoto said . "I zapped everyone and put burns all over the room!! Lucy, am I some kind of freak!?"
"No! Don't say that, of course not!" said Lucy. "Don't ever say that."
Suddenly the door was kicked open by none other then a cheerful Natsu. "Back from the lumber yard!! Man what a day!! Hey Lucy!! Check out what I can do!!"
"Not now Natsu!" said Lucy. "Look, Mikoto's feeling really freaked out right now-"
"Yeah!" said Natsu. "But watch this.."
Natsu snapped his fingers, and a small flame appeared on the tips. He snapped his finges again, and the flame went out. "On..off...on..off...on...off...on..off...Isn't this the coolest thing ever!?"1
Mikoto and Lucy both stared at Natsu.
"What the heck Natsu.." Mikoto muttered. "What the heck.."
Natsu laughed, obviously oblivious to the atmosphere around him. "I found out after I nearly burned down several of the hauls were taking in from the lumberyard! Man that was cool!!"
"What's happening to us?" Mikoto said shivering and hugging her shoulders. "What are we!?"
Lucy remained silent. She looked at the satchel that was full of strange looking keys that was sitting on the couch. Today...she could have sworn they were glowing.
"I don't know Mikoto..I don't know.."
Mikoto stood up and took a deep breath. "I-I think I need to take a breather. I'm going for a walk. Is that okay with you guys?"
Lucy nodded. "Want me to come with you?"
"N-no.." said Mikoto. "I need some alone time actually..."
A little later, Mikoto was walking on the edge of the surf letting the water wash over her bare feet as she walked along. This time she wore her cap low over her face, as if afraid that somebody might see her...and tell her that her condition was going to kill her...
Mikoto tried to slow her breathing down. No this wasn't killing her, it was just some sort of strange...she didn't know what it was..
Mikoto held up her hand and concentrated, finding that for some reason, she was able to make many strange complicated equations in her head, calculating wind speed, distance, and how that would effect what she was trying to do. Mikoto flicked her hand outwards and a powerful lightning bolt blasted into the sand before her, burning it and melting it into a glassy crater.
"No way.." Mikoto murmured. She flicked her hand again..and again...and again. Blasting more glassy craters into the sand with her emerging electro powers.
Mikoto stopped and looked at herself, her body was crackling with electrical power. And somehow, she was controlling it...how?
Mikoto suddenly fell to her knees and clutched her head. A fleeting image of a golden dragon roaring into the sky flashed across her mind.
Mikoto panted for a bit, kneeling on all fours, droplets of sweat coming down her face. What was all of this, what did it mean? And why in the world was she crying the moment the name Fairy Tail ran across her mind?
Mikoto stood up and wiped a tear from her eyes. "Why...why is this all happening?"
"Ya really wanna know?" said a voice.
Mikoto turned around, expecting to see Gajeel or Stiyl. But instead...she saw a hulking man...the hulking man known as Zaraki Kenpachi.
Kenpachi's sword was drawn, it's jagged edge suggested that it had seen many battles, and torn apart many foes, it's point dragging behind Kenpachi in the sand as the bells in his hair jingled.
"My my.." said Kenpachi. "Looks like you've started to remember...we can't have that can we?"
Mikoto backed off slowly. "Who are you? D-do I know you?"
Kenpachi grinned, he took a hand and opened his Kimono a bit, showing his muscular chest. "Come on...I'll let ya have first dibs.."
"Wh-wha!?"
"The first blow!!" said Kenpachi. "Head start in our fight! I want it to last as long as possible, so I'm letting you throw the first hit..come on...show me a Thunder Dragon's power.."
Mikoto just stared at Kenpachi. "Y-you remind me of something...an old myth..."
Kenpachi just sighed. "Fine...it looks like I'll have to start...don't worry, I won't let it be serious...just enough so that you start getting serious.."
Before Mikoto knew it, there was a flash of a blade, and she was looking up a the sky, as she fell back, dropletts of her own blood flying out along with her.
She fell to the sand clutching her side as blood began to pour down her shirt. Mikoto's eyes widened. No, this couldn't be happening...it just couldn't be..
"So now are ya going to take this fight seriously?" Kenpachi asked.
Mikoto uttered out a frightened cry...and then she got up and ran...leaving dropletts of blood behind her like a trail.
"Aw jeez." Kenpachi sighed. "How boring...I'll just leave things to you Hitsuga.."