Kamijou Touma, to be quite frank, had almost no idea what "family time" was supposed to be like. As sad as it was, it was the truth, as he had zero information on any sort of family celebrations or rituals. Before his memory loss, he was sure he had certain connections with his family. But, although the love of his parents for him and his love for them remained, he lived in Academy City for nearly 10 years. His late childhood and early teens were all spent here. Initially he lived completely alone, occasionally making certain bonds, like with Komoe-sensei for example.
Apparently, the summer of the previous year was rich in various encounters. Among them, was the assassin trio who was currently coexisting alongside him in the modern apartment. From Kaibi's occasional, rather insulting comments, Touma also learned that the senpai of his, by the name of Kumokawa Seria, was also involved. It was not easy, but Touma pieced it together because... he had the image of Kumokawa in his head rather freshly painted and in great detail at that. Which was totally understandable, as he assured himself in attempt to hide his onee-san fantasies. He wanted to cry to the moon that the time with beautiful upperclassman was seemingly forgotten. He actually wanted to ask Kaibi about that period, but couldn't do that without revealing his memory loss.
There was also a girl called Mitsuari Ayu. Touma was almost certain that he remembered her from incident that happened in the mountainous district 21, involving... who exactly? Touma seriously could not recall, although he was fairly certain someone else was there. But well, aside from that one occasion, he had no idea who was this Mitsuari girl to him, or what was she like.
But getting back to the initial topic... he did not have experience in family rituals. To some degree, Index, Othinus, the calico cat Sphynx, and himself formed certain form of familial semblance of daily life, and they did have certain routine in their existence. However, it did not get nearly on the level of establishing shared traditions.
Meanwhile, even though Gokusai sisters clearly did have very distinct and separate lives, they apparently had the shared activities. Among them...
"That's my favourite part!" Amazora yelled, spilling part of the popcorn on the sofa.
Watching movies together. In a very vibrant and boisterous manner at that.
They were sitting on the sofa, with Touma sandwiched between Amazora and Rikuri.
Amazora was dressed up in a blue child pyjama with small images of bombs all over it. Meanwhile, Rikuri was dressed in a creamy coloured modified sleeping gown with symbol of Nitrogen Dioxide, NO2 (O - N = O) and the words "CHEMICAL ROMANCE" underneath. Touma would like to both bless and punch some sort of pervert chemist who designed this sleeping gown because each of the two oxygen's "O" was placed directly on top of two most elevated parts of Rikuri's bust, encircling them. Apparently, Rikuri used nitrogen dioxide quite a bit since it was a poisonous compound and could be used to make a nitric acid, which in turn could be utilized in making a nitroglycerine. Touma could not believe it, but his contact with Rikuri had a positive effect on his chemistry knowledge.
The viewing experience would be quite pleasant and calm, if not for a few things.
Firstly, the girls could not decide on the genre. Amazora wanted a horror movie, while Rikuri strongly desired a romance. The discussion about superiority of one over the other escalated to the point that Touma exclaimed that they might as well watch both movies. That pacified the sisters enough for their small cinematic experience to commence.
They decided the first movie by the coin toss, and then proceeded to watch the winner first, which was Amazora's horror movie. It was rather old film, but it had good effects and Touma himself found himself intrigued by the ominous atmosphere. However...
Apparently, Amazora was the type of person who would watch her favourite movie multiple times and then would not be able to hold the comments in. So while she was not exactly spoiling it outright, she utterly ruined the suspense by tugging onto Touma's sleeve, with her entire body indicating that someone will be killed in the next moment. Meanwhile Rikuri...
The oldest sister jumped at every minor tension and sudden change in the movie, after which she smiled at Touma in apologetic manner, went back to the viewing, and then did it again. Why did an assassin who dealt with poisons and killed people in the past be scared of horror movie, Touma did not know, but his young male heart found itself overwhelmed by Rikuri twitching from hands through bust (emphasis on that!) to toes, just next to him. Her mature and mischievous allure clashed with adorably scared face was simply too much.
The climax scene of the movie caused her to squeal in fright and hug Touma into her chest. Seconds later, a pouting Amazora jumped to mimic her sister's action (although she was not scared at all) but lack of certain lipid tissue material caused Touma's nose and brow to crash painfully into her collarbone.
You would think the second movie would go better? Right...
Rikuri was now enchanted, as they watched the old, black and white french romance. She actually sobbed and cried on many occasions, rather loudly at that. Meanwhile Amazora started wobbling and simply collapsed face-first into Touma's popcorn, where she started snoring without care in the world. In other words, chaos reigned supreme.
Surprisingly, Touma, although not fully getting the movie's fancy dialogue, was able to share some of Rikuri's emotions, and when the movie ended, they shared few opinions on the plot, actors, and such.
"I know that watching movies with us can be handful" Rikuri sniffed, with many trails of tears on her gorgeous face. Touma was surprised she was not dehydrated at this point "It's kind of important for us though. We are all quite busy and well, this is first time someone else joined us"
Touma smiled and waved his hand, handing her a tissue. Rikuri accepted with gratitude, blowing her nose into it.
"I am used to things being loud and lively around my dorm. Well, I wouldn't mind some peace and quiet... but it's nice to see that you have fun doing what is important for your family"
Touma got up and gathered plates and remaining popcorn. Rikuri followed him with her eyes with a small smile on her face, as he disappeared into the kitchen.
"You are so kind, boy~" she let out a small yawn into her hand" I could get used... to... that..."
When Touma returned, he found both sisters asleep near each other. He sighed and covered both of them with a blanket. Then, he stretched and gazed into cityscape of the night.
With them asleep, he could finally focus on his task.
Any observant person could notice that Kaibi was amiss.
And the reason for this was precisely what Kamijou Touma wanted to unravel.
(HALF AN HOUR LATER)
It was not surprising for Touma at all that Kaibi was an owl-type of a person. Out of the sisters, she seemed to lead the most hidden form of life. Touma was already aware that she either got back home late, or sneaked out at night. So, tonight, when she assumed everyone was asleep, she did it again. Only this time, Touma was waiting for that. And followed her.
He was not sure why he was doing this. He suspected both Amazora and Rikuri knew about Kaibi's escapades. But he was not certain if they had a clear vision of what exactly the middle sister was doing. Some would call following Kaibi stupid or intrusion in her privacy. But as she was from dark side and Touma was still learning a lot about her, he was worried. This was just his thing and anyone who knew him could testify that in situations like this, he went with his gut more than with logic.
It was a beautiful night, with a starry sky and full moon. Even now, when it was nearing to midnight, the City was not fully asleep. However, the only ones who were to roam the streets at this hour were either delinquents, teachers, or other adult citizens. So Touma had many questions about what Kaibi was doing at this hour and it was a somewhat warranted worry.
He followed her successfully at first, but with many twists and turns she made and the fact that she was obviously cautious, he actually lost her track.
The wandering through Academy City's streets at night, not counting the danger of being caught be either some gang or teachers patrolling the streets, was a magical experience... with no pun intended for that adjective to be used to describe city of science. High-tech constructions and skyscrapers were glowing slightly with neon lights, and it looked nice and calming. Touma had actually his own share of experience in wandering the city at night through various circumstances of misfortunate nature that plagued him every so often. However, he learned to appreciate the beauty of the night. Although the misfortune that could befall him after sunset was certainly substantial and grave, he could at least predict most of the cases through which he could suffer harm. During the day, falling onto some girl, getting electrocuted, getting his card eaten, being late to school, it was all on the table. During night time, where many people were asleep, the range of the accidents was largely reduced. Which of course did not mean that it was completely safe, as misfortune never slept.
Right now, Touma had no time for such musings, as he was running around, trying to locate Kaibi. And when he almost gave up hope, he noticed a familiar flash of jewellery in the light coming from the small bar at the corner of a narrow street.
It was almost an hour since he lost Kaibi from his sight, and now here she was. Touma crouched behind a trashcan and watched as she and a guy looking like he was in later 20s or early 30s exit the bar. Touma looked as the two talked for a moment, however, he was still . Then there was a moment of silence, and the guy tried to reach for something, and Kaibi skidded back, her eyes glowing slightly. The guy seemed that he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just laughed in a rather vulgar way, and left. Kaibi stood there for a moment, before reaching a hand to her face, while at the same time exhaling deeply. Touma was not quite sure, but as he watched intently, he noticed that a trembling running across the girl's body.
It all ended when he accidentally bumped into another trashcan. Metallic noise caused the girl in the dress to spin around rapidly, hoisting a gun in her hand.
"Who is there?! Get out immediately and show yourself!"
Weighing his options, Touma ultimately stepped into the dim light from the bar. Kaibi blinked and muttered under her breath
"It's you..."
"Yeah it's meeeeeeeeeh?!" Touma's comment turned into falsetto, when the bullet was fired and pierced the wall behind his right arm. "W-Wait, what the hell? Normally, one does not shoot when he recognizes someone he knows!"
"I shot because it was you, you moron?! Were you following me?! Who am I kidding, of course you were." Kaibi's anger was almost tangible "You know, idiots who don't mind their own business usually don't live long in this city"
"I didn't mean anything bad... it's just..."
"What is it?!"
"I was worried. I thought that you were in some kind of trouble, for you to go out that late at night... and I simply wanted to check on you"
That made Measure Heart freeze for a second. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound come out. Instead, she put hand on her face, lowering her weapon.
"Normally, I would beat someone to pulp for that kind of crap. But since it is you we are talking about..."she sighed, and shook her head with a small, resigned smile" then it really is how it is"
Touma did not know how to answer, so instead, he tried to inquire something he was curious about:
"Kaibi-san... who was that guy?"
Girl in the dress dusted off her pink attire, and slowly responded
"My target. I am studying his behaviour to kill him"
"R-Really now? That's interesting..." Touma did not quite know, again, how to respond to that.
"Please don't try to make it into a small talk, it's not working"
They both made their way to the street, when they leaned on the wall, observing empty passageway and dark sky above. Touma looked sideways at Kaibi's profile.
'This is so awkward!'
"W-Well, if you don't want me here, I will just-"
Slender hand grabbed his arm
"I... did not say anything about not wanting you..." Kaibi muttered, turning her face away. Touma could not make out her expression with it being turned away.
"S-Sorry, what did you say?"
"You are not leaving. As part of your punishment, accompany me" her voice regained usual tone, however, she made a miniscule, almost unnoticeable fidget with her body" You know... for spying on me! No excuses here, Kamijou Touma!"
Touma did not get what suddenly made her change her mind about his company.
He shrugged.
"Walking into the night with an assassin. What can possibly go... I am joking, I am joking, lower this thing!"
As they walked, Touma did not notice the phone that Kaibi quickly hidden away. The sender of the last message read "EnjouKousaiExclusive"
(15 MINUTES LATER)
Touma sighed in the hot air. Apparently, first item of business on Kaibi's list was bathing. They both found themselves in artificial onsen... back to back.
"This is seriously tempting the fate" Kamijou shivered, despite hot water surrounding him.
"Don't be a baby" Kaibi scoffed, splashing in the water beside him.
Kamijou Touma could not believe that he was in the pool with a very attractive girl at 1.30 AM. That was simply too strange. And with Gokusai Kaibi at that. Also...
Male and female part of the bath were separated with new experimental substance that was both durable and elastic. Under see through insulation, the material was see-through or obstructing depending if it was connected to electric current flowing through it.
What was worse, the material's elasticity meant that it adapt to the shape of whatever was touching it. As both Kaibi and Touma experienced when they both leaned on it to wash themselves on two respective sides, and the material yielded perfectly to their body shapes.
They both screamed in terror, and jumped back from the wall
"I-I am sorry!"
"N-No it's quite alright." Kaibi shook off her initial reaction, before mumbling with frustration "They said that they had consultant for the properties of this material in regards to costumer experience. What kind of pervert voted for the material separating areas of bathhouse to have a shape memory?"
(MEANWHILE)
Certain blue haired pervert smiled in his sleep in the room above the maid cafe
"I... regret nothing..." he muttered to his pillow
(BACK WITH TOUMA AND KAIBI)
"Oi..." middle Gokusai sister swam a little bit further in the pool "You don't have any weird thoughts, do you?"
"Of course not" Touma shook his head, although his train of thoughts turned into mantra of:
'Dontthinkabouttheoutlineofherbodydontthinkabouttheoutlineofherbody dontthinkabouttheoutlineofherbodydontthinkabouttheoutlineofherbody'
Touma found this to be a very, very difficult task.
"Say..." Kaibi's voice reached his ears once again "do you think it's possible to redeem a murderer? And for that person to be happy?".
"What kind of question is this? Why so suddenly?" Touma was quite confused yet again.
It seemed that the amount of times Touma left Kaibi baffled was rivalled only by the times when glamorous girl baffled him.
"Humour me. What do you think?" Kaibi pressed on.
Touma remained silent for a few moments, before shifting slightly in the water and answering.
"I don't think it's possible to truly rinse the sins one committed. They will always remain, they can't be undone, can't be erased. But salvation is always possible. If one is willing to discard that path, change and atone, and simply believe that they can reach the future with happiness... then the happiness is possible."
Kaibi snorted, laying back and staring at the ceiling.
"Really? And you believe that?"
"I don't believe, I know that. I've seen it happen, I've made it happen! I formed it with my fist, sweat and tears. I extended my hand through and through until I reached a fraction of this perfect world that I once saw. I know a person who deemed himself a villain and committed unforgivable sins, and yet, he found his peace and ones he wants to protect"
Kaibi did not fully understand all of that, but she exhaled softly and responded
"It was Accelerator, wasn't it?"
Touma blinked and turned around to grey material separating them.
"How did you know? Were you interested in information about me or something?"
That was meant as a joke, but a strange sound echoed from the other part of the pool.
Touma raised his eyebrow. Why did Gokusai Kaibi, that elegant and attractive manipulator, just made a sound similar to a cat choking on a fur ball?
"O-Of course not! W-Why on earth would I beg and gather information regarding someone like you?"
"That was oddly specific but okay...also..."
"..."
"... you should add "baka" at the end"
" You are dead!"
Was Kamijou becoming aware or continued being a moron? Both, probably.
It took a while for Kaibi to calm down from insinuation, as the two settled into warmth of the water once again.
"You are a complete fool, you know that? But..." Kaibi glanced at the direction of male part of the bath" I kind of wish we would meet sooner... if what you're saying... your ideals and all... then maybe me and my sisters could..."
She got silent, as both her and Touma sunk into contemplation.
"You know, does this mean that you would actually miss me if something happened?"
"In your dreams"
"Also, I think we should get out now."
"Why is that?"
"Because staying here together for too long will surely raise a-"
ZAAP!
The room went dark. And then, Kamijou felt shivers going down his spine as he heard the steady noise of someone slowly being rolled up.
"O-Okay, let's not panic here. As long as it's dark-"
The lights went back, blinding him for a moment.
"Oh seriously, are you kidding-"
He stopped as he noticed the outcome he dreaded, but hoped that it still somehow didn't occur.
Gokusai Kaibi was staring at him, water dripping from her naked body. Barrier was gone, and she was looking at him with shock, although one that would turn into anger moments later. And it would be a biggest lie in the universe if Touma said that it wasn't somewhat alluring in the steamy environment of the bathhouse.
Touma could not erase the sight from his memory. Even if he shut his eyes, it still was there, burned on his retinas. He could not deny the fact that he memorized it and say that he did not see it. If anything, he felt it would be insult to the honestly mesmerizing sight in front of him. Let's emphasize, Kamijou Touma was not a pervert here. He was just stated undisputed facts.
So instead, he straightened his back, gulped and said this with all honesty he could muster:
"I don't want to lie, you have an amazing baaaagahhhh?!"
Soap collided with his face with such speed that it actually made his nose bleed as he flipped back to the water.
(20 MINUTES LATER)
It was nearing to 2 in the morning, when they arrived in front of an outdoor karaoke club.
"Honestly, your debt is only growing. Now you have an apology for failed apology to make" Kaibi could not help but grin in a signature, sassy way.
"I apologized already, what else do you want from me?"
"Hmm... I was thinking about something that we could do..." Kaibi walked away, before turning around with index finger in the air "Don't think about running away. I know where you live."
Touma smiled dryly at Kaibi's humour, as she walked out of the club.
"What a coincidence, I know where you live too. I don't like that look in your eyes though".
He felt strange being at the club this late at night as minutes passed. He felt like he was asking for trouble. Well, he could not be more right...
He was currently sitting in a soundproof karaoke booth that had mini-bar, flat TV screen and other accommodations for singing and booth was also rather spacious, allowing free range of movement. Apparently mixing dancing with singing was popular these days. All of it was absolutely in place.
What wasn't in place however was the group of 8 Skill-Out members, at the entrance of the booth. They were watching him with angry expressions.
Touma took a sip from a can of coffe.
"Good evening gentlemen. Or maybe it's good morning" he choked out weakly.
'This is bad! Why the hell all of those bulky guys always go to the toilets and booths together?! I don't remember why, but I have the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Okay, maybe I don't want to know. Also, did that girl seriously barged into someone's booth? I know she gets away with this regulation thingy, but this is another level of being carefree! And is that... bunny girl music video? What the hell are those Skill-Outs doing here? Hamazura, did you leave some strange tradition behind?'
"You seem familiar. That spiky hair for one thing..." one of the guys said slowly.
"You would be surprised" Kamijou slowly got up "This is actually quite the regular hairstyle. In shonen manga in particular..."
"You are the guy who beat our two brothers few days ago to save the girl from Sakugawa" the guy smiled in a wicked way "Oh, how lucky we are to have you here..."
"I wish I could say the same, but I doubt that I can" Touma's body slowly tensed, as he clenched his fist.
His chances were slim to none. He could win with 1, manage with 2, and he ran away with 3. But 8? He would need a miracle.
But then... the miracle arrived. In a form of a girl in a dress. Completely new, red, and shimmering dress.
"K-Kaibi-san?" Touma muttered, as the girl effortlessly joined his side" What is this? And where did you pull that from?"
"You should learn by now that the girl has her secrets. Also, I want to be dressed for the occasion" the girl muttered.
"What occasion can this possibly be?!"
"What a coincidence" another thug spoke up" She is that blond hussy who trashed our base with the black haired girl. Is she around too? We would like to thank her as well "
'Coincidence my ass, that's just plain misfortune!' Touma thought exaspereted
"Yumiya... is dead" Kaibi spoke after a few moments" But if you have a thing for both of us, I can kick your ass twice as hard."
Those were obviously not the right words for the leader of the group.
"Oh, is that so? You are cheeky one, I remember that even from before. But it will not go to waste. Your cute face should not go to waste, so after we are through with your boyfriend, we will all have fun with-"
Fist collided with his face, sending him straight to the ground. Kaibi raised an eyebrow, turning to the owner of outstretched arm.
Touma had no idea why did he strike in that moment, but something within him felt the need to stop that guy from badmouthing Kaibi.
"Stop spewing bullshit" he muttered.
"I couldn't agree more" Kaibi hoisted her gun, as all the thugs started to encircle them with furious expressions.
Kaibi and Touma stood back to back.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Let's dance, Kamijou"
"What?"
"There is something that I always wanted to try. It goes like..." she started to whisper into his ear. After a few moments she looked into his eyes.
"You can manage, right?"
"Y-Yeah, but it only works in movies-"
But the girl in the dress swiftly pressed play on the remote.
"GET THEM!" the leader of thugs roared.
A tango started to play. In the next moment, Kaibi grasped Touma's hand looking him in the eyes.
"I don't really know how to dance that" Touma muttered
"Just mirror what I do, follow my lead and let's kick their asses with style"
Step-Step-Step-Step-Step-Step... Step-Step-Step-Step-Step-Step...
Facing forward they made a few rhythmic steps, with their bodies close, their arms linked and outstretched forward. They avoided first barrage of punches. At the end, Kaibi stretched out her leg, kicking attacker number 1 onto the ground. They spun around, and Touma switched his hands, punching attacker number 2 to the wall. Walking quickly in the opposite direction, they walked in a rhythmic tango pattern of Sincopa.
Step-step... Step... Step-Step...Step...
The change of rhythm made the thugs lose coordination, as the dancing pair of Kaibi and Touma travelled across the room.
Even with 2 members on the ground, and 1 trying to get up from earlier punch, it seemed impossible that they all fail to attack. Yet they all missed.
Although it was faster than regular tango, it was Kaibi's prowess, Touma's strength and their shared coordination that allowed them to dance and fight at the same time.
They switched positions, and were now facing each other again. They moved back and forth in a few quick steps in both direction. Then, to Kaibi's surprise, Touma spun her around, and she used the momentum to slam her gun in the face of third attacker, knocking him out immediately. Now it was 4 against 2.
Kaibi swirled back to Touma's side. Yet another attacker raised a gun, but the girl in red, shimmering dress bent back, avoiding the bullet.
Step-Step-Step... Step-Step...Step-Step-Step...Step-Step...
The rhytm changed yet again, and with another couple of steps, Kaibi switched hands and fired a gun, injuring the earlier shooter in the leg. 3 to 2.
Touma was covered in nervous sweat, but felt himself filled with adrenaline and actually grinned at Kaibi, who reincorporated the smile. The elation of this unusual battle filled them both.
With couple of steps and their hands intertwined, they spun away from each other and both bent backward, causing the punches of two thugs to collide and sending both attackers simultaneously to the floor.
Kaibi was surprised yet again when Touma lifted her from the floor. Doing an acrobatic move in the air, she karate chopped remaining standing man with her leg straight from above, causing him to collapse on the spot. Meanwhile Kaibi returned to ground thanks to Touma's strong arms.
"You... bastards!" the leader, who managed to got up, pulled out a taser, and fired it.
Yet the couple side stepped, fast enough to avoid it. In the next moment, they separated for a moment, as Kaibi's eyes glowed. With emotional distance decreased, the leader froze, but that was all Touma needed.
"W-What?!" the thug screamed, as Touma's right fist collided with his face once again, knocking him out.
Imagine Breaker and Measure Heart yet again linked hands, and after a few steps, Kaibi was spun around and they both froze, with Kaibi bent backwards, and Touma leaning over her.
The old music came to a halt. They were both panting heavily, but their eyes sparkled with adrenaline and vigour.
Kaibi was, to be frank, quite surprised. She had improvised this strategy, but she did not expect for Touma to adapt to her movements. For inexperienced dancer, he was quite good.
"You made some unorthodox moves there" she whispered, catching her breath.
"Well, you know, I was trying to survive. It's a bit unfair saying this, though. You are clearly a natural" Touma was trying to regain his bearings as well.
"You weren't half bad at all." Kaibi's surprise in his abilities came out to the surface as slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
Her heart was beating fast, and there was some excitement she never felt before in battling with someone by her side. It was similar to what she felt with Kakine, but different at the same time.
"Umm, I..."
"Listen..."
They both tried to formulate a comprehensible speech, after their shared experience.
Black and blue eyes were filled with the sight of pink and violet ones. With the position they were in, the pink and violet irises could not see anything other than the orbs of blue and black.
"We... won!" Touma muttered. He started to smirk " I didn't expect that to work"
"Honestly, I didn't either" Kaibi's lips twitched as she felt something rising within her."We just kicked their asses. By dancing. By dancing a tango!"
They looked at each other.
And at the next moment, they both burst out laughing.
Kaibi did not remember the last time she laughed freely. She even felt quite alien doing it. But she did not care. All she knew that they were laughing together, with her body in Kamijou Touma's arms, after one of the most surreal fights of her life. And it felt so damn good.
After a while, their laughter subsided a little, although Kaibi still wore a small smile on her face.
'Her lips... they are close'
'His lips... they are close'
They thought at the same time.
Kaibi felt as if she was drunk. She only tasted alcohol ones, and she avoided it ever since, as it dulled her senses. But this was similar... so very similar...
She was feeling frustrated at herself for the feelings within herself. She was pissed at what she was feeling. But she could not deny it.
Kaibi loved being in control. That was who she was. But when he surprised her during the dance, part of her was pleased. She wanted to see and feel more of him being in charge.
So she almost didn't notice that they were getting gradually closer and closer to each other. She closed her eyes
'T-This is an exception... but maybe, we could...'
"EKHM!"
Loud female cough caused them to snap out of their trance. As Kamijou looked up, he got pale and accidentally dropped Kaibi, who cursed loudly.
"Who the hell-" she hissed, before confronting the girl, and then coming to the stop, as she recognized her as well.
Long skirt. Bare navel. Silky smooth raven hair. Honey-golden eyes. Prominent forehead.
Kumokawa Seria looked at them sceptically, with hands crossed under her prominent bust.
"Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt something?" she asked dryly. "It's quite a surprise to see you here, boy, with her of all people."
"Oh, isn't this a know-it-all from last summer" Kaibi muttered in the same dry tone, dusting herself off " It wasn't long enough"
"I too am simply overjoyed to see you. More importantly, I see you made quite a commotion." Kumokawa brushed fingers through her hair. "My intel seemed to be correct. You two made contact again, hmm?"
'She can't find out about our situation. This would be a sign of doom for this Kamijou' Touma thought frantically.
"Well, I will get to the bottom of this when I feel like it" Kumokawa stretched lazily, and walked over to Touma "Do you want to join me in the bath to wash away this fight?"
As much as Touma's instincts screamed to approve, he gulped at the aura emanating from Kaibi... for some reason that he did not quite understand.
"M-Maybe on another occasion, senpai. I bathed already today"
"Is that so... that's unfortunate..." Seria whispered into his ear. He was not sure if his heart would even work properly after tonight. Also, senpai acted differently from her usual self at school. Did Kaibi's presence remind her of that time all 3 of them shared, alongside Amazora, Rikuri, and girl named Mitsuari Ayu, during that incident he could not remember?
That thought made him sad, fact that did not go unnoticed by Kumokawa, who looked at him with concern.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah... it's nothing..." he reassured her.
"More importantly" Kaibi interjected" what are you doing here?!"
"That's right, senpai" Touma also faced older girl" don't tell me that you have insomnia or something."
Kumokawa waved her hand with a slight chuckle.
"No, no, my sleeping schedule is fine. I am not here for myself." She turned to the door to the booth" You can come in now. I am sure they want to see you again"
As new person emerged into the light, both Touma and Kaibi inhaled in shock.
"EEEEEEH?!"
(SOME TIME LATER)
"Senpai..."
"Hmm?..."
"Honestly, this is a little bit of a surprise..."
"Stop with the euphemisms, you moron. What is she doing here?!"
Kaibi's comment was directed at the person that came alongside Kumokawa. They left the karaoke bar and now, Touma was standing in front of a girl with long and luscious black hair and a miko esthetic despite being in more modern outfit than last time they saw her: a hoodie with a traditional japanese floral pattern.
"So you are... Beginning Child?!" Touma finally choked out. He had no memory of her, but was able to piece it all together from the stories Gokusai sisters recalled through their time together
The girl had a gentle, rather cute, albeit slightly pale face, and long eyelashes with a pair of eyes that had irises of hard to define hue. She bowed deeply in front of him.
"Nice to properly meet you, Kamijou-san."
"She talks?!" Kaibi was now shocked beyond belief.
Beginning Child's eyes flashed with a twinge of irritation
"Of course I can talk, young lady. That's just utterly rude"
Touma's and Kaibi's somewhat disbelieving and apprehensive approach was, to some degree, completely justified. Because the last time they saw the girl was on the battlefield. Especially Kaibi, who had full memory of the event, could not believe her eyes.
Beginning Child was the first modern esper. She could be called mother of all methods used to awaken esper powers, as the research in Academy City truly started with her. She wielded a supreme power of Environment Control that could equal or even overpower level 5 abilities.
She was so powerful that even Aleister Crowley lacked proper control over her, so she was put in cold sleep until Matsuo Ryunosuke woke her up using Mitsuari Ayu's Mental Stinger. It took all of Touma's might and help of Gokusai sisters to defeat her, and he was not really confident that it could be repeated. Yet here she was. Touma had no way of remembering, but after the incident, Kumokawa Seria took Beginning Child in, with supervision of Board Director Tsugutoshi .
However, the girl they were seeing before their eyes bore little resemblance to the state she was in when they first encountered her. Back there, she seemed almost like she was an animal going solely on instinct.
Beginning Child smiled slightly.
"I see you are pretty cautious. I don't blame you though. Last time I saw you, I was not myself. I profoundly apologize for the harm I brought to you."
She had normal voice of a mature girl from high society, even if it had some strange intonation and dialect that seemed quite archaic. Well, it was not surprising.
After all, Beginning Child originally lived in 1940s. She was the senpai of all the students in the city and, counting the cold sleep, could as well be 6 or 7 decades older than them.
"Long story short" Kumokawa interjected, putting hand on miko girl's shoulder " After our shared battle, she started to live in the special Board's facility. In visited her regularly, tried to make her functioning normal again. It took time, but with exercises, my psychological prowess and help of some drugs, we restored her from her... ehm, primal self, to what you see now. Apparently, cold sleep changed her mind into the state of disarray. Even as she is now, she still has holes in her memory, certain behaviours may be erratic if she gets to much shock. Not to mention that she still is quite lost in the modern world"
"That's why you brought her here" Kaibi guessed.
"Bingo. When it's still dark, I bring her out so she can explore the layout of this new world in peace. In time, she will be able to do so in daylight. I don't want to overwhelm her though. But all in all, she was persistent in one thing..."
In that moment, Beginning Child suddenly launched herself on Touma who caught her in the last moment. The first esper smiled, as she hugged him tightly.
"I wanted to... thank you" she said. Her lips slowly formed a smile. It felt as if her muscles were still not used to this facial arrangement. However, her eyes, slightly wet, spoken more than this "For such a long time, before I was captured and put to sleep... I was tired, so very tired. Tired of living, tired of the gazes, tired of everyone telling me I am a freak. I could not resist while I was used in experiments. And when I finally awoke, I just felt the empty rage. I thought I was going to be used again... but you were the first one who stayed. Who did not want to use me and who simply wanted to stop my rampage. You did not abandon me... thank you"
Kamijou was quite disoriented by this point, but managed to smile. It was clear to him that even this incredibly powerful esper from by gone era had troubles on her mind after being a first artificial user of scientific powers. So he hugged her back
"You are welcome..."
Beginning Child smiled, and what she did next shocked everyone.
"You are my hero, Kamijou-san, and have my eternal gratitude" and with that, she slowly pecked his cheek.
Kamijou's brain activity came to a sudden halt. Meanwhile, two remaining girls stared blankly.
"T-That was unexpected" Kumokawa said with a rare face of someone who did not see this coming."Although it is him we are talking about. She tried to kill him with 9 different environments, and now is kissing him?"
"She surely learns fast, that damn young-looking grandma teen" Kaibi spat out.
"She does learn from the best" Kumokawa tried to sound calm, but the effect was slightly ruined by the gritting of her teeth.
(15 MINUTES LATER)
And so, the four of them visited some bar and got snacks. Not many places were open at this hour, but nevertheless, they got some food. It was not particularly good to eat in the middle of the night, but all of them were pulling an all nighter anyway.
Beginning Child was almost everywhere. She barraged them with the storm of question regarding all the things around her. She got brain freeze by trying a smoothie, had stars in her eyes while playing a crane game and almost fainted from fear in VR longue.
Touma could not help but take a liking to her. She seemed eccentric beyond belief, but in her circumstances, she was still relatively normal. Although she realized this girl was a formidable force and terror in battle, she was also incredibly sweet outside of it. He managed to hold the conversation and learn quite a bit about first esper. She seemed quite elegant in her motions and way of talking, and certain bits of her interactions with everyday life items reminded him of Tokiwadai ojou-sama's. Only this girl seemed more polite and not so eager to spring to action.
"So you like the modern world?" he asked, as the 4 of them were sitting near the riverbank.
The girl made a contemplative face while enjoying yakisoba and yet another milkshake.
"It's... bright. And loud. And kind of overwhelming" she said after a while "But also intriguing and fantastic. Kumokawa-san told me a lot, but there are so many things that changed while I slept. When I was put to sleep, the world was being rebuilt after war. And now? It's just so much! I really liked this singing place... how did you call it?"
"Karaoke" Kumokawa helped out the girl.
"Hmm... and do you have any friends? Aren't you lonely?"
At Touma's question, the girl's smile turned into a more solemn one.
"After so many decades anyone I knew is probably of old age or dead. Also, it's not like I had many friends back then. When I was successfully made the first esper, everyone either got scared, didn't believe me, or, if they actually believed, got jealous. I was ostracized to no end. All this hard work turned to hunting me down and after I acquired all the power, people rejected me."
Touma smiled, at which the girl pouted slightly.
"This is some serious matter, Kamijou-san. What's so funny?"
"It's nothing. You just reminded me of level 5s of this city, who do have many similar problems. But, if it helps even a little, you will have at least one friend here" Kamijou pointed to his own chest.
The girl blinked, before clumsily reincorporating the smile and bowing.
"Thank you for this, it really means a lot. You are such a kind man, Kamijou-san. I also consider Kumokawa-san my friend, after all she did to educate me in ways of modern world"
Kumokawa shrugged, but smiled slightly.
"Come to think of it" Kaibi interjected" It's rather awkward to refer to you as the Beginning Child. What is your name?"
Silence reigned for a few moments. Beginning Child blinked a few times, and her pale carnation coloured with a small blush.
"I... have no recall of it. Like Kumokawa-san said, my memory is still fuzzy and from what she told me, records of my previous life were destroyed in majority"
"So you have something like a partial amnesia?" Touma mused out loud. He guessed that was one of the reason why he felt strong sympathy for the girl despite her being his former enemy.
However, Beginning Child was apparently not done with surprises, as she pointed at Touma with a finger.
"Could you... give me a name?"
"Huh?!" Touma and Kaibi did a double take. Kumokawa raised an eyebrow, but seemed unbothered.
"B-But you do have a name, it's just lost" Touma replied to the first esper" Besides, I couldn't possibly..."
The girl in a hoodie shook her head
"The world I knew is gone. The people I knew are possibly no longer. The identity I held back then brings no pleasant memories. So I want to gain new name as I step into this world and begin my life anew. What was done to me was cruel, but I got the chance to meet all of you. And I can't think of anyone else to give me new name, Kamijou-san"
Touma was silent for a moment, then scratched his head with a sigh.
"Okay, if that's what you want. I may not be best with it though"
He then grabbed a stick fallen from a nearby tree, and walked to a fragment of sandy ground illuminated by the lamps, next to the shore, with 3 girls beside him.
Touma thought for a minute of two and then drew some kanji on the ground:
発祥検体 - Hasshou Kentai - Specimen of Origin
"For the name, if we take 発祥 from the original title, change the sound of shou to sa so it's not a mouthful, and add 子, then we get: Hasako. I think it sounds nice for a girl name"
"So it means The Child of Origin? Pretty much the same, but in gentler way" Kaibi nodded in understanding.
"It can be also read as the Child of Departure without 祥 part." Kumokawa added.
"It's fine, both ways. I am a child of origin of this city, and I also departed from time and space I once knew" Beginning Child calmy reassured them" It is fitting."
"Boy, are you sure that you can just change a reading like that?"
"Oh come on! My name is spelled like "invisible demon" but writing is totally different. People change the reading all the time. And as for the surname..."
He wrote another group of kanji:
環境神 - Kankyougami - Goddess of Environment
"So it's 'Kankyogami Hasako'. I think I can get used to to that" the now named Beginning Child nodded.
"So we have 環境 which means environment, fits as good as it gets, even if it's a bit tricky with spelling. But what about the "gami" part?" Kumokawa asked.
"Well..." Touma grinned back to his senpai " When I first saw this girl, I was reminded of someone we both know"
(MEANWHILE)
Himegami Aisa suddenly lifted herself, half-asleep and with messy bed hair.
"That's right... I am not... forgotten..." she mumbled, before collapsing back into slumber.
(BACK TO THE RIVERBANK)
"Nice job with the name" Kaibi commented, as she and Touma observed Kumokawa and Beginning Child aka Hasako standing in the distance. Kumokawa was explaining something and the miko girl was nodding eagerly.
"You think? To be honest, I was thinking about it for some time, but you sisters do have amazing names. Kaibi means Sea Beauty, right?"
Kaibi snatched a stick from his hand, and wrote kanji on her own
雨空 - Amazora
海美 - Kaibi
陸莉 - Rikuri
"Rainy Sky, Sea Beauty, and Land Jasmine. You are like one set. It's quite poetic and beautiful" Touma complimented
"Rikuri nee-san's name actually means just Land, but you are right, second ri can be read as "jasmine". It does suit her. All of us." Kaibi sported somewhat proud expression " Sky, Sea, and Land. We are like one world, coming together, and we are inseparable."
"I would like to meet a person who thought of those names" Touma said with honesty.
Kaibi's face was unmoving in the light of the streetlamp
"It might be quite difficult. The one to give us those names was my father"
The way she said that caused Touma to look at her with concern.
"Did... something happen?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Kaibi muttered with a distant gaze.
"What about your surname?"
獄彩 meant "Painted Prison". There was something intriguing, but also ominous about that meaning. Touma knew that there was a deeper history behind the sisters and their surname.
Something similar to a convulsion of either pain or disgust travelled, even though only for a moment, through Kaibi's face.
"That's actually my mother's family name. I always hated it to be honest. But in time, I got used to it and kept it... as a remembrance of older times."
As much as Touma wanted to ask more, a glint of light in the shadows in the corner of his vision made him quickly duck, pulling Kaibi to the ground, as the sound of gunshot rang out.
This alerted both Kumokawa and Hasako, as they ran back, just as Touma and Kaibi got to their feet.
Kumokawa sighed, at the sight of group of teens emerging from the darkness.
"Say, aren't those the guys from the karaoke? Tch, they are persistent, I'll give them that. You two beat them rather badly, huh?"
"Spiky haired bastard! And you, blondie!" the leader, now with a black eye and dried blood under his nose, yelled from the distance "We tried to be reasonable before. But for the humiliation you put as through, we will just murder you!"
"What did you do, boy?" Kumokawa asked in quiet tone, but it was Kaibi that answered.
"We beat them by dancing tango"
"Excuse me, what?!"
"MOVE! Or else-" the leader roared, but stopped when someone else stepped in front of the group. Beginning Child, in her floral paterned hoodie, stared with no hesitation at the group of men nearly twice her size.
"You should stop while you have a chance. I do not know what business you have with Kamijou-san, but I will have you know that he is a true gentleman that I am personally indebted to. So if you want to harm him, you will have to go through me"
Skill-Outs looked at each other... and then burst into laughter.
"What are you gonna do? Your arm is like a twig. And even if you have an esper power, it's 8 on 4."
"But boss" one thug muttered quietly "wasn't there 8 on 2 before and we los-"
"Shut. Up!"
"No" Beginning Child, the girl now bearing the name Hasako, lifted her chin up "It's 1 on 8"
In the meantime, she made a gesture with her hand hidden behind the back. Kumokawa's eyes widened.
"Do you intend on fighting? If you go overboard..." she whispered to the first esper.
"It's alright, I just want to scare them. Now please, fall back. I don't want for my power to affect you."
Kumokawa clicked her tongue, and then pulled out something that looked like necklace on the rope with a small glass plates. Hasako caught it and put it around her own neck.
"We got to go. Now!" she said to Touma and Kaibi. As they understood first esper's power, they all took off running.
"Where do you think-" the gang tried to aim their guns, but Beginning Child spread her arms.
"I won't let you!"
Then she roared. And in the blink of an eye, the shore and nearby hills were covered in a sandstorm.
The escaping trio barely dodged the blades of wind, but even from the distance the felt sand on the skin and the change in temperature. It was as if the desert itself manifested in the middle of Academy City.
"So what exactly is mechanism behind this ability?" Touma asked this instinctively, before realizing that he should probably remember it from previous fight, in both Kaibi's and Kumokawa's eyes.
Luckily for him, Kumokawa really like to explain stuff, similarly to Othinus, and interpreted the question as a more of an in depth inquiry.
"I actually studied and help her get the control of her ability. It was not easy, I must say. But as for the power itself... first, she creates a spherical space with the radius of her choosing. The effects of her environmental power will manifest themselves in that area alone and will generally not affect outside world beside it. Once she creates this sphere, it is immobile until she dismisses it and creates a new one"
In fact, Kamijou noticed that there was a translucent shine on the edge of the sandstorm.
"So it's like a ROOM then"
"A what?"
"A space you invoke where you can modify your environment and manipulate anything within it. That's the power from the manga... actually, never mind. I see that you are not shonen manga fans"
"When we tested her power, I discovered that while she needs an organism for the environment to form around, she does not need organism per se. She only requires its DNA, although it must be relatively fresh and close to her when she activates her power. Her AIM field breaks down the encryption of DNA, analyzes it, and manifests environment best suited for a specific genetic signature. The necklace I've given her consists of over a dozen samples of DNA, so she can switch between various environments."
Sandstorm died down and with another roar, changed into crimson world.
"Magma?!"
The miko girl moved around and the ground broke down, with streams of holt, molten earth poured out. Some of the thugs were forced to drop the weapons and fall back to not be consumed by the sea of flames. The air filled with ash and the ground, shore, and everything around was dripping with heated substance, with one girl in center of that inferno. She used the magma and foliage to cut off escape routes and destroy some of their weapons.
With another roar, Beginning Child lifted her hands. The river seemingly flooded the shore and turned into quick current that swept everyone away. But with yet another roar...
CRACK!
The ground of the shore and nearly half of the river froze in an instant. That included the water from recent flood. It seemed that Beginning Child taken into account to have all the delinquents freeze with their heads above the water. Even high above, people's breaths turned into mist.
When Kumokawa, Kaibi, and Touma rejoined her, the girl blushed shyly.
"I did! I hope they will be okay though"
"Yeah, yeah, now knock them out" Kumokawa commanded.
"I-Is that really safe?" the first esper was quite hesitant.
"Yes, it is truly fine" Kumokawa dismissed the girl's worry with a wave of her hand. She then turned to meet Touma's questioning gaze.
"In my opinion, that's this girl's most powerful attack. By assigning a type of anaerobic bacterium as an organism for environment formation, she can forcibly remove all oxygen from the area, knocking everyone out. I imagine even Accelerator himself would have problem with that one. No matter who they are, people need to breath to do anything."
Noticing Touma's glare, she sighed tiredly
"Don't look at me like that boy. If it's released quickly, the people will only be knocked out, their brains won't be damaged or anything."
"You are really teaching her all those techniques? You have some convoluted goal in this, right senpai?"
"No comment"
As they were talking, they failed to notice that the leader of the group was conscious. He was partially above the ice, with his lower half immobilized. He and his group were decimated and if they weren't heated up, their bodies could become gangrenous. But even considering that, all thoughts left the young man's mind as he started at the girl with unusual hairstyle and floral hoodie.
'This isn't the power of any level 5... this isn't anything I saw before... was she here all along? What the fuck was that? It's like... '
As the erratic train of thought continued, it narrowed down to the most basic, simple, and terrifying option
'A monster!'
Yes, when terrified, human mind could seek something to blame, to ensure their own survival, to eliminate potential threats. That was what happened with Skill-Out member, scared out of his life. It was ugly, illogical, and very simple thing. But that thing was undoubtedly human.
'I can't allow someone like this to just walk the streets. I must save my boys and myself. Damn it, she could easily kill us. That monster is terrifying. I don't want to... I don't want to...'
That one decision was not based of conscious mind. Even in the city of science, fear could overpower you enough to dismiss the consequences. And with this, the half frozen hand of the muscular man, who despite everything still held to his gun, was yanked out, peeling his the skin to the raw muscle.
The keen eye of Gokusai Kaibi, trained in many dark side actions, noticed it. But even as her foot collided with a gun, it was too late. It was knocked out of the leader's hand in the moment of firing.
The girl in the floral hoodie turned with surprise that would turn into shock moments later. But was she shocked because she was getting injured? No, that was not it.
Kumokawa and Kamijou also noticed the hostile action. But only one had reflexes and no hesitation to do what transpired.
The stream of blood sprouted gushed into the air. But it wasn't from the girl named Hasako, or Beginning Child.
It didn't matter if the bullet's trajectory could be redirected already by Kaibi's kick. Maybe it would actually did not hit the intended target. But Kamijou's body moved faster than his thoughts. He already decided that he would save that girl from bygone era.
As his body sailed through the air, and fell into the frozen ground before widening eyes of first esper, he managed to smile.
'What's with the dodging bullets this night? If that was a story, that's just a lazy writing. Though it seems that's my luck...'
Afterwards, it all went dark.
Time resumed its normal flow.
"Boy!" Kumokawa screamed.
"Oi, Oi, Oi! What gives?!" Kaibi bit her lip to stop it from trembling
Only Beginning Child remained silent, as she slowly collapsed to her knees. Her hands were slowly running on Kamijou's body as if she was searching for something.
It would seem that her reaction was lacking. But it was actually amazingly potent.
There was a saying that one of the most terrifying things was a fury of a gentle man. In the next moment, it was to become more true than anything. Yes, it was a silence before the storm.
Kumokawa seemed to realize it, as she grabbed Kaibi and practically yanked her away with great speed.
"What are you doing?"
"Just run! If we stay here, we die!"
Just then, the beautiful girl that laid foundation of Academy City unleashed a roar that shaken the shore and river. Unlike other ones, this lacked vitality and resembled more the wailing of the hurt animal.
And the power of the first esper reacted to her grief.
The sky was split with a fierce tunderstrom, hitting the river, the ground, and skyscrapers in the distance. The wind howled, as a tornado of sand started to spread to wider and wider area.
"What is happening?" Kaibi screamed
"She's losing control from shock and grief" Kumokawa yelled back, as they both took a temporary cover" It might seem contradictory, but emotions play huge part in esper powers and bringing forth their own reality."
The ice cracked as magma appeared yet again. It turned the entire river into a mix of steam. The opposing forces of hot and cold seemed to be at war with each other.
"What about that moron?" Kaibi voiced her concern.
"He should be alright with her power alone. It works like a cyclone, with the nearest area to Beginning Child relatively safe. But as for us... if that's not stopped, we may all die. Because this girl... has the power to change and destroy the world if she really gets out of hand."
The nearby bridge collapsed from both magma and acid that were flowing through the river. The sand slowly eroded the stone covering the shores. Geysers erupted from the ground as the girl in the centre cried out again, with boiling water flowing onto the streets. Lightning was still flashing above their heads.
"Isn't this a bit much though?" girl in the shimmering red dress asked in disbelief.
"From our point of view, yes. But think about it from her perspective" Kumokawa grabbed onto a metal railing to withstand the wind "You work hard, then you are rejected throughout the entire community and deemed a freak of nature. Next, you lose the entire world you know and wake up in the unfamiliar place. Suddenly, there appears someone who for the first time in ages does not see you as a monster, but as someone that needs salvation and reaches to you, bracing through everything. You would surely get attached to this person and want to be close to him. So what would be your reaction when that person is shot before your very eyes, and to protect you at that?"
Kaibi knew answer before the older girl finished speaking. Almost anyone would snap in situation like that.
"She can still have moments of wild power overflowing her. Although, I am rather pissed that she didn't give us time to examine him. For the most powerful esper of her generation, she is quite a crybaby"
"Will he be all right though?"
"We can only hope. But Kamijou Touma does have a thing for defying logic and expectations. If someone can step in and save us, and viewing that girl as merely someone who needs comfort, it's him."
Her words were interrupted, as something changed in the air.
The vibration spread slowly but steadily through the ground. Even Kumokawa got pale as she whispered
"Don't tell me... she mastered some kind of vibration environment? It's possible that some primitive organisms thrive in such environments... but that means..."
The tremor magnified, and the ground around the shore cracked. With yet another roar, the rumbling caused the buildings to have their windows shattered, and the part of the riverside caved in.
"An earthquake?!"
They lost their footing, as the straining sound came from the soil itself. It was as if the axis of the planet was suddenly changed.
"The ground is tilting! Gokusai-san!"
The sudden change of angle caused Kaibi to slide down, and she was now clinging onto the wall of the building.
Both girls found their mouths going dry as they took in the view.
The river itself and gigantic parts of the land, with wind turbines and infrastructure buildings on them, were tilting in various directions. The water was flowing down in enormous waterfalls, and the colossal waves were rising in the direction of the shores. With an ominous shaking and lightning striking down from the sky, the very structure of earth and water was being remodelled by the grief of a single girl, as the nature answered to her call.
(MEANWHILE)
'Multiple threats detected! Fire alert! Tornado alert! Flood alert! Earthquake alert! Waves from epicenter threatening to reach the shore at T minus 20!
Accelerator took a sip of his coffee and sighed, putting a command into his smartphone.
"Activate riverside emergency system. That shit show went on long enough."
At the same time, the metal walls made from tungsten and reinforced with shadow metal, emerged from the ground, covering major part of the river bank. The gigantic waves smashed into them and overflew a little, but the damage was stopped.
"Give me a break! Tch, Aleister designed this to withstand the earthquakes, so it should be fine enough."
Accelerator narrowed his eyes.
"I only heard rumors but... she truly is powerful"
There was no awe or fear. Just cold appreciation of raw power.
"That being said, learn to control your girls once in a while, hero. Now it's up to you!"
(MEANWHILE, AT FEW SEPARATE LOCATIONS)
Misaka Mikoto was out in the night, or early hours of morning. She had no deep reasoning. Well, it was rather important to her heart, as the limited edition Diamond Gekota sale would commence this morning, and being diligent Gekota worshipper, she set out few hours ahead of time to be the first in line.
But now, she could only stare at the distance were she saw the flashes of lightning and felt trembling of earth. She could not name it, but she felt the same kind of overwhelming presence that she sensed when she battled Magic God mummy with this idiot on her side.
'One wrong step and it's death'
The ethereal boy with a body of shining white narrowed his eyes in contemplation.
"What is this power?"
Mugino Shizuri looked into the night from the window of her bedroom.
"What the hell is going on?"
That beautiful and arrogant girl sounded as annoyed and confident as normal. But she could not stop the sweat pouring down her face and trembling of her fingers.
Shokuhou Misaki, panting heavily, ran out to the Tokiwadai Gardens, despite the danger of breaking a curfew. Not that anyone would mind it, because all the girls were awake and worried beyond belief.
"Are you alright, my Queen?" came a concerned question of Hokaze Junko.
Misaki could only nod absentmindedly, as her worried starry eyes looked at glow in the distance. She could not determine if her teeth were chattering or was it simply a result of the earthquake. Even far away from the river, they could feel it. And even if no destruction was caused here, it was terrifying all the same.
'The ground, the water, even the air and the sky... everything is shaking!'
With a strange intuition, she clasped her hands in front of her large chest, as if in prayer
'If you are out there... please, be safe my prince'
A figure masked in the shadows, gender and age unknown, was running away with all their might.
Sogiita Gunha nodded slowly from the top of the skyscraper. He grinned widely, but also gulped and wiped the nervous sweat from his brow
"What amazing guts this power has..."
(ELSEWHERE)
"Damn it... she changes the environments so fluidly that it seems that they all manifest at once. At this rate, she can destroy the city or alter its climate. Boy... it's up to you now..."
(IN THE CENTRE OF IT ALL)
As Beginning Child destroyed everything around her, she cried.
Tears were falling down her face, but she couldn't stop.
If this world was to snuff out the kindness she received, then she had no reason to continue.
But when she was about to make that choice of despair...
Her power suddenly turned off. Magma, ice and sand subsided. The earth collapsed as the trembling slowly died down. All, slowly but steadily, calmed down.
She slowly looked down, to find the right hand grasping her bare lower calf.
"Y-You..." she choked out.
Kamijou Touma, who just awoke from a unconsciousness, smiled at her weakly. He lost a lot of blood, but was still alive beyond any doubt.
"Listen" he whispered, slowly forcing himself to get up "I am not some bastard who would abandon a girl lost in the middle of an unknown world. So don't worry about me. If you need me, I will be there. Don't ever be afraid that I will leave you alone. You are not alone. And I promise you, I will not let you be alone. I know what it's like..."
The girl slowly embraced him, unable to speak, as tears were slowly flowing down her cheeks
" Not knowing who you are anymore. Not knowing what to make of connections you once shared. I know it's hard, but even if it kills me, I will walk down that path with you. I promise I will help you start your life all over, and if you will be deemed a monster, I will take all your pain. Just please... don't cry. Don't be afraid."
They were both sitting at the untainted fragment over demolition. For that moment, Kamijou, even if barely conscious, focused solely on Beginning Child.
"Just promise me to have faith in me. If you ever lose control again, and we will both work to stop it from happening, I will be there to bring you back. My power is ideal for this sort of thing. And even if you think it's not right, and that you deserve all the punishment, I will be there to make sure you are treated justly. Because you are Kankyougami Hasako!
Tears welled up in the girls eyes, as she failed to stop them yet again.
Kumokawa and Kaibi who were still shaken after the calamity, looked at them from the distance.
"That ability of his, to reach into someone's heart, make them realize their wrongs, and save them with no limits... will never cease to make me entranced" Kumokawa smiled softly.
(HOURS LATER)
A small island appeared on the river at the time. The small train bridge was destroyed and the riverside itself melted or boiled in majority. There was also sand in many places, even far away from the shore, and shards of glass from its contact with magma
What happened that night, was classified as an earthquake combined with magma eruption from underground. That was absolutely believable and most of the public approved that information. Of course, there were conspiracy theorists who wanted to point out certain details that seemed out of place.
The group of thugs was miraculously rescued. Although all of them had burns and frostbite on all of their bodies, they were alive and were to made a recovery after month or two. Kumokawa speculated that first esper unconsciously avoided them to abide with Touma's will. Even if they were babbling something about climate changing monster, no one would believe them.
Except a few individuals, like level 5s, who however could not truly place what could actually cause the disaster. After all, they had no knowledge of Beginning Child, which was highly classified information, available only to Board Chairman and shared few.
Speaking of the Chairman, he swiftly ordered the cleanup after the 'earthquake', and in day or two riverside was back to normal, even if the event slightly altered its course.
As for the certain normal boy...
(AT HEAVEN CANCELLER'S HOSPITAL)
Kamijou Touma was currently resting in his private hospital room.
It turned out that the wound was not fatal, but the blood loss could be, if they waited just 15 minutes longer or so.
Normally, only Touma would be in the room at this hour, but Heaven Canceller allowed visitors. Touma's life was already secured.
Kumokawa raised an eyebrow at Kaibi standing silently by Touma's bedside.
Girl in the dress tried to fool her with a laid back attitude, but Kumokawa knew better.
After all, Kaibi carried Touma, with a lot of struggle, all the way to the hospital, with a fierce determination that seemed to overpower her physical limits.
"As much as I don't want to just leave you here, me and her" she pointed at Hasako, who was also staring at Touma with worried look on her face" have some things to deal with after tonight."
"I want to say sorry" Beginning Child muttered "I made a mess once again..."
"He is a foolish boy, who already forgave you. But if you want, you can visit him in the morning. I am sure he will appreciate it. I am also eager to talk to him soon and will surely be tagging along" Kumokawa took the girls hand "Now, come on!"
As they left, Kaibi remained motionless.
When Touma seemingly died, she felt something within her.
Being proud as she was, naming it out loud would not come for some time.
But she found herself terrified that he might not be able to overturn the course of action.
She also suddenly felt distant, distant from the boy, even compared to other girls by his side. And the fact that she could not just regulate that distance and decrease it on the spot was like a torn in her heart.
No, that was not it...
That pain...
That sensation of anguish...
Was she... jealous? Worried? Lost?
Her lip trembled.
Gokusai Kaibi suppressed many emotions. She did not cry in years now. But she could feel as if her heart was torn to shreds.
That emotion was too much for her to bare. So much that it even overpowered her rigorous self-control.
With a few motions, her curls were undone, as she too dressed in a spare hospital gown. With cascade of blond hair falling down her back, she walked to Kamijou Touma's side. And gently, oh so gently, slipped under the covers.
There could be more romantic scenarios. But it was not about it at all.
Just about a guy who almost lost his life and a girl who was secretly admiring him for fighting till the end but also worried beyond anything she could express with words.
"Don't do that again. Get it? If you do that again, I will kick your ass so hard that..." she whispered, before her voice got caught up in her throat.
Touma was out cold again. He could not hear her. But, maybe out of instinct, he turned around and hugged her. She stiffened, with a red blush appearing on her face.
"This is really gonna cost you in the future... i-it's not like I..."
But she could not really deny it. Not in that moment.
For one instant, Gokusai Kaibi wanted to be nowhere else but by Kamijou Touma's side.
As she thought about this, tiredness and sleep finally overtook her.
Although in a few hours they would be awoken by not so pleased morning guests, for now, both boy and girl slept peacefully, comfortable within each other's embrace. Touma had one arm over Kaibi's slim shoulder, while Kaibi snuggled slightly over Touma's chest and below his head, with her golden hair gleaming slightly in the pale remains of the moonlight. Her left hand and his right hand were close by, and their fingers were mere millimetres from touching.
(SOME TIME LATER)
An odd couple of a woman with short blond hair wearing a beige habit, and golden retriever with robotic backpack observed the sunrise.
"That was her all right. My Child of Origin" Aleister Crowley mused in the chilliness of the morning air" I would not mistake its power. Although, this time it got a slightly better ending. Don't you agree?"
"I was a really young dog back then, barely gifted my intelligence" Kihara Noukan shook his head" But I must say, albeit critically illogical, Imagine Breaker always brings out a good sense of romance, even in this City of Science"
"Right? I even started to write a very suggestive stories for each of the harem... d-don't growl at me, I know this is not what you mean!"
He (she?) looked above, at the slowly disappearing stars. At this golden dawn, night and day clashed for dominance and in rare instance, both were present at once.
"Hey, old friend. Do you know why do I like stars? Because without darkness surrounding them, they would not be noticed by their brilliance. And if they dominated the entire space, they would stop being themselves."
"But what was first, Aleister? Darkness or light? You can say that darkness was first illuminated by the light. But you can also say that first shadows appeared only with the presence of the light" the dog inquired, while pulling out a cigar.
The woman smirked and stretched out.
"With the favourite answer of psychologists: it depends. But if stars are so far away, the light travels from so far that we can experience sight of star no longer existent. Conversely, what appears as dark spot can have a sight of a star that had not yet reached us. It's the same for humans. What appears as darkness, can have seeds of unseen light. What appears as light, can fade quickly into the darkness. I know that Kamijou Touma understands this very well."
"What are you talking about exactly, Aleister?"
"Nothing much... nothing much..."