Notes : Here's a new story about Accelerator!
As always, I'm Italian, so I apologize for all the grammatical errors you'll find ( I'm still searching for a beta reader ).
I wrote this fan fiction with an Italian friend, his author's name ( in Italy ) is Alucard97. He had the idea for this story, that will be based on the famous graphic novel " Old Man Logan", one of the best comic about Wolverine.
We always thought that Accelerator was basically the To Aru version of this character, so we decided to made a similar story with him as the protagonist.
For those who are reading my other story, A Certain Kingpin Accelerator, I'm writing the next chapter.
We don't own To Aru Majutsu No Index, all rights belong to Kazuma Kamachi.
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Chapter 1 :
Animals appear on earth, live and then become extinct.
The plants cover the ground like a green sheet, then retreat and return with greater fertility.
Life expands, contracts, is swept away and then resumes, sometimes retreating to the edge of survival.
But the earth continues to exist. No matter how many species swarm on its surface or fall victim to floods, earthquakes, epidemics, cosmic catastrophes or continental drifts: the planet continues to turn methodically around its unsuspecting yellow star.
The waves of the ocean continue to rise, its molten metal core burns and boils, the winds, light or violent, continue to flow on its surface.
The ice expands and retreats at the poles, the tropical rains bathe the equator and the heat makes the air tremble above its deserts.
And civilizations? Well ... those come and go too.
The civilization of the twenty-first century slipped into its second era of darkness on a predictable trail of blood, but at a speed that not even the most pessimistic futurists could have predicted. It was almost like it couldn't wait to end.
On the first day of April, God was in His paradise, the stock index was at 10, almost all the planes were on time (except those that landed or took off from France, and that was to be expected).
Two weeks later the sky belonged again to the birds and the stock market was a memory.
On Summer, all the metropolises of the world, from New York to Moscow, stank up to the stars and the world before was a memory.
But maybe it's better start from the beginning.
There was the city known as Gakuen Toshi: an urban metropolis located in the middle of Japan whose population was made up of 90% of students aged between 12 and 25 years.
The city, extensive and majestic, was the hub for all the Espers of Japan, a safe haven where they could study and learn to increase their powers.
They were divided into five levels, according to their ability, and each one of them possessed a particular gift that distinguished from that of others.
But only seven students were able to reach the Level 5 : Accelerator, Kakine Teitoku, Misaka Mikoto, Mugino Shizuri, Shokuhou Misaki, Aihana Etsu and Sogiita Guhna.
They were respected and feared by everyone, and they were considered the pillars of the Academy City.
Despite this, there was a single regent: Aleister Crowley, a mysterious figure that worked from the shadows of the metropolis. A man or a woman? A common human being or an Esper? Level 0 or Level 5? Nobody could understand who or what he was, but everyone knew he existed.
Somehow, they felt him, they perceived him as the beating heart of the city. If Alesteir was the fulcrum of this whole paranormal cluster, then it could be said that he was Gakuen Toshi itself.
A whole perfectly balanced ecosystem consisting of those who were considered the next evolutionary step of the human race.
And then…it happened.
On 2012, on a mild spring day, the most terrible event that the history of mankind will ever remember occurred.
There was a roar. What looked like an atomic mushroom, like it was never seen before, burnt the clear, blue sky of that quiet day.
It was sudden, like a snap of fingers. No one could have foreseen a similar catastrophe. No one could have conceived that the clash between Aleister and his arch-enemy, The Great Demon Coronzon, could have generated such a hell: the skies darkened, as if they were enveloped by the black mantle of the Greek god himself, Morpheus. The earth trembled and the seas started to boil.
A flash, a fraction of a second was enough to reap billions of victims around the entire globe.
Those who survived..would never been the same.
And then, after one month since that terrible day, the most influential family of Gakuen Toshi took the control over Japan: the Kihara.
They became the new Alasteir in less than one year, conquering Academy City and rebuilding it from its foundations.
Today, the ancient splendor of that metropolis was now lost. Semi-destroyed buildings all around, widespread poverty, and the Espers ...well, they were hunted like wild beasts by the Sentinels, infernal machines designed to kill them, created by the Kihara.
The family of scientists started an extermination plan for all people equipped with paranormal powers. No one knew the reason that brought them to do this, but one thing was certain: by now, Japan and Gakuen Toshi belonged to the them.
Under their dictatorial Government, people across the entire island were induced to absolute obedience. Atrocious experiments were carried out against the captured Espers, but only the most useful were spared and turned into loyal servants to the New Kihara's cause : the creation of a scientific utopia that would have incorporated the entire world, like a benevolent cancer.
No one knows the background of what happened that fateful day…the day when Alasteir and The Great Demon Coronzon killed each other and the Kihara took the power. And no one knew how that damn family was able to create those terrible weapons to eliminate the Esper.
The biggest mystery, however, concerned the stronger Level 5 of the world, the one who was subjected to terrible experiments perpetrated by the same family since he was a child. A living weapon…the one who was able to control all kind of vectors: Accelerator.
It was said that the Sentinels overwhelmed him with their number and killed him after a battle long three days. Others claimed that he was tired of fighting and chose a simple life. In any case, no one could track him down, and even forty-five years later there was still no news about that "monster".
After all these years, nobody had seen or heard about him, even his old comrades, the members of the Esper organisation known as GROUP.
But the world would learn to know his name once again. Because sometimes, when you keep a beast locked up too long ... the beast gets angry.
XXXX
A country of semi-desolate land, without even a blade of grass, dry and empty of water.
A man was driving under a clear blue sky, crossing that place lit by a radiant sun, using a shabby and rusty bike.
The man was rather tall, sturdy and covered with a beige raincoat. His snow-white hair were shoulder height, and a thick white beard decorated his tired, weary face. His eyes, red as blood, were almost empty, like two black holes, and the expression on his face seemed to communicate pain and sadness. He must have been at least sixty years old.
He raced with his motorbike to a crumbling looking house, a modest hovel that could offer only primary needs: a roof, beds, food and water. That house represented the very concept of Spartan life.
The man parked his motorcycle in the garage situated on the back of the small building.
In that precise moment, a voice called him, a voice that sounded like that of a young boy.
"Dad?"
The man didn't answer immediately, he was absorbed in his thoughts.
A flash of a distant past crossed his mind, showing dead bodies of thousands of girls. His figure, once thin and slender, was covered by blood.
A dazzling light…and then nothing. Only darkness.
The esper put a hand over his eyes, in an attempt to hide his tormented expression.
"Dad?" the voice called him again. This time, the man looked at the boy.
He was probably around 20 years old. He had brown hair, matching eyes of the same color, and wore country clothes.
"Still immersed in your thoughts, eh? Are the nightmares back? Mom told me about them"
"Nothing you should worry about, Shiage" he replied with a scratchy tone, getting off the bike.
Meanwhile, the boy stared at him embarrassed.
"We have a little problem, dad" he said in a weak voice, glancing quickly towards the house.
Shiage Shiori was the boy's name and he was the son of the man that once took the name of Accelerator. Currently, the most powerful Esper of the earth was called Shiori Akuma, and for most of the people who lived in the area he was just a cattle farmer without any special ability.
"What is it?" the Level 5 muttered.
"The tractor is out of order, I tried to fix it but I'm afraid we'll have to get a new one"
"Unless you have magic beans to sell, I don't see how we could buy a new tractor, boy."
"Soooo…what do we do? " Shiage asked, with an uncertain look.
In front of him, the albino shrugged.
" Hard work and elbow grease. Where is your mother?"
" At the enclosure of pigs. She seems…worried"
Akuma snorted and headed for the animal enclosure that was part of the farmer.
A woman with a little girl was waiting for him.
He wore a red checkered shirt, blue jeans and a sun hat made of straw. Her long brown hair felt gently on her shoulders.
Despite the age, probably the same of Akuma, she remained a beautiful woman, but the signs of old age had begun to show themselves on her delicate face. Her brown eyes, tired and full of pain, no longer communicated the same energy of many years ago.
The old man always felt a sense of relief at seeing her, a little warmth in his life tormented by nightmares. That female figure always managed to warm up his heart gripped by remorse, and her smile was a ray of sun in a world full of darkness.
It wasn't only that woman who had this effect on him.
After seeing him, in fact, the little girl next to the woman immediately ran to hug him.
" Hello dad!" she exclaimed, girdling his waist with her arms and rubbing her face on the abdomen.
In return, Akuma put a hand on her head, with a little smile.
"Hello, Mikoto. Were you a good girl?"
" Uh, Uh !" she replied squeaking.
The father kissed her on the forehead and signaled her to go back into the house.
However, despite that gesture of love, his look showed a lot of sadness.
He was happy with his new life, but in his heart he knew he couldn't settle accounts with the past. What sins could torment such a soul?
Akuma called his daughter Mikoto to commemorate the memory of a girl, Misaka Mikoto, one of the former Level 5, which endured great suffering because of him.
Giving her name to his daughter was a gesture not only to respect her memory…bat also an attempt to expiate his crimes against her.
In the meantime, the woman approached him and kissed him on the cheek, welcoming him with the warmth that only a wife could give.
Akuma looked at her, curling his lips in a little smile once again, as he laid his red eyes in her brown-colored ones.
"Shiage said you were looking for me. What's bothering you?" he asked in a worried voice.
The brunette sighed heartily.
"At the market they'll not give me much money for these pigs. I told the other farmers that they were safe animals, but after the last epidemic ... well, they don't want to take any risks. What are we going to do, Akuma? We don't have enough money to pay the rent, and I doubt we'll find them by the end of the month"
"I'll think of something, Mugino" he whispered, embracing her tenderly.
Shizuri Mugino was the full name of the woman that married Akuma 31 years ago and had two children with him.
She was once an asper of Gakuen Toshi…and the fourth most powerfull Level 5 of the city.
Sometimes, even she had difficulty recognizing Accelerator. He didn't look like him anymore.
The day when the Kiharas took the control of Academy City, something very bad happened to him, something that only she and other few people knew.
From that day, Accelerator changed his name to Shiori Akuma, which literally meant "White Demon", because he hated the name that Gakuen Toshi gave him.
The woman, in the past, tried countless times to comfort him…but nothing could erase from his head what happened in that terrible day.
She was aware that the man loved her, but there was no way to cheer his soul.
After few minutes, the albino came into the house, sitting on the old green sofa positioned in the central room of the building. It was still a good sofa, even if now was completely worn.
The house was not very big. They didn't even have a television. They only had what they needed to live: bedrooms, a kitchen large enough to accommodate four people, and the heating working.
The roof was solid. Akuma repaired it properly, after they found themselves in the rain during the last monsoon that took place in the country.
It was definitely a Spartan life, but he didn't mind and not even Mugino or their sons.
The only thing that really worried him was the rent of the house, becouse the money was scarce.
They lived in the Chūgoku region, to the south of Gakuen Toshi, and that area was controlled by one of the most repellent members of the Kihara Family: Amata Kihara.
He demanded that all the inhabitants of the region pay special taxes imposed by him, and those who didn't pay ... mysteriously disappeared from circulation, leaving no trace.
Akuma's thoughts were directed at his tremendous past, but also at his new home; in his mind there was a war going on: the deaths on his shoulders and the well-being of his family. He felt like he was imprisoned by these negative feelings.
He felt like a failure, someone who was unable to provide for his loved ones.
He was once considered the most dangerous person on the planet. Now, he was nothing else but a man destroyed and on the threshold of the terminus.
He looked at his tired and age-tested hands, thinking that with those he could never combine anything good.
Then, as from nowhere, he heard a loud noise coming from the back of the house.
" She's practicing again, "he told to himself.
He came out of the door, on the garden of the hovel, and there he saw her: a girl about 1.75 m tall, with a slender body, long brown hair and eyes of the same color. She wore a blue dress covered with a white coat and a pair of sandals.
That girl was able to generate and manipulate electricity at 10 000 volts. She was an esper too, and met Akuma 35 years ago, when he was still a well known Level 5. From that moment, she never separated from him.
When the apocalypse broke out and Japan became a dictatorship, she fled with the boy, and he taught her how to use her powers.
" Last Order" Akume called her, in a calm and quiet voice.
This was the name of the girl, a very unusual one, you are probably thinking.
But she wasn't an ordinary girl. She was the clone of Misaka Mikoto, the Level 5 know as The Railgun.
Last Order was created years ago by the Kihara thanks to the DNA of the Esper, and she was part of a project that involved Accelerator killing 20 000 clones of the Railgun to become a Level 6.
Many years had passed since then, and yet she looked like a twenty-year-old girl. This was due to the fact that she was the first of the twenty thousand clones of Misaka, and, although she was the most powerful clone, she also had the most primitive genetic code, which is why she stopped growing old at the age of twenty.
After hearing the voice of Akuma, she turned to look at the old man and smiled at him, visibly happy.
" Father, welcome back. Did you see? I improved the use of the Railgun again, says Misaka showing her progress"
" Not bad, but you're still imprecise" he said looking at the large metal tubes used as targets by the girl.
She was trying to learn one of the most powerful techniques of the original Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun,
which consisted of firing a small metal object at supersonic speed using electricity.
The tubes were badly tanned, and by the signs of burns on the metal it was clear that the power of the blow was noticeable. But careful analysis showed that the signs of the impact of the bullet were not accurate.
The girl was probably giving priority to the power of the attack, without wasting time in aiming.
" Tch ... the important thing is to hit the target, right? Who cares if you don't hit the perfect center, supports Misaka by replying to your reproach. I doubt you could do better" the girl muttered.
The old man approached her, and took a coin from his poket.
He stood next to her, posing himself, opening his legs and stretching his arms.
Then, holding the coin in a fist, he pointed in the direction of a free target.
" Aiming at the center helps to perfect your capacity to hit the vital points. Accuracy is not in hurry, you must act calmly and free your mind. Set always the target and breathe. Feet firm, straight shoulders, breathe and release"
And, after saying that, he started to generate electricity between his fingers, firing the coin much faster than her and with greater force.
He hit the tube in its precise center, piercing it from side to side.
The heat generated melted the metal like it was butter.
Akuma turned to look at the girl, and gave her a new coin.
" Did you see, brat? You have to train more"
"Tch ... you only had luck! Misaka says, taking your stupid coin. I trained for years, why don't we join forces? We can overthrow the Kiharas! Misaka supports by evaluating the results of her training"
"Don't even think about it" the Level 5 replied.
" As you could see, you are still unripe even after all these years. You are a clone of Misaka Mikoto,that's true, but despite your remarkable power you are still impulsive and don't reflect in critical situations. Moreover ..." he snorted, " There is no "us". I don't intend to use my powers to hurt any living soul...never again"
He started to leave, but Last Order called his attention once again.
" What happened that day is not really your fault, and you know it well! Stop running away like this and stop blaming yourself! You were the strongest Esper on the planet, not the coward that you've become! You are Accelerator, and this will never change! Misaka says, reminding you who you really are!"
The man turned to look at her, visibly angry.
" Moderate ... that ... tone…brat! I already told you once, I'm not going to hurt anyone anymore…and don't use that name in front of me, your mother and especially in front of your brothers. Do you understand me ?!"
The clone looked down and gave a little snort. After all this time, she still wasn't able to make his father forget the incident. He was stubborn to give himself all the blame.
"It's okay. Sorry, I exaggerated. Says Misaka showing repentance. Do you want to stay here for a while with me, to watch over my training?"
The renowned Akuma took a couple of soothing breaths and nodded wearily.
He spent the rest of the day observing Last Order that tried to improve her Railguns. Although she had made great progress over the past forty years, she wasn't yet at the level of the original Mikoto.
A few hours later, their training was interrupted by Mugino, who invited father and daughter to take their seats at the table of the kitchen, for the dinner.
While they were eating, the woman started to talk.
" Our neighbors offered me 3000 Yen for the boys' games. He can even reach 4000, if they are in optimal conditions"
" We'll not sell the boys' games, Shizuri" Akuma muttered.
The ex Level 5 just shrugged.
"It was just an idea, the rent expires tomorrow and we don't have enough money. Shiage knows that we lack the funds"
"For us it's not a problem, dad. We never have time to play, and we need money much more than some puppet or wooden statue" Shiage interjected.
" I'll not sell my children's games… I can't" the albino whispered, squeezing both hands in clenched fists.
In front of him, Mikoto began to stare curiously at him, tilting her head.
"My friend's mother says that you were once one of the Level 5 of Gakuen Toshi, and that you were the strongest of all of them. He also told me that you had a different name, but it's complicated to pronounce. Why can't you just send the bad people away?"
Hearing those words, both Mugino and Last Order raised their heads to look at the man. The girl had just touched a very painful key without realizing it.
Akuma simply stood in silence for a few seconds. Then, he resumed eating.
"Tell your friend's mother that the Level 5s don't exist anymore. Pass me the bread" he ordered coldly.
The rest of the dinner took place in total silence.
XXXX
Akuma was in the garden, watching the sunset.
As he looked the rosy colors of the sky, his thoughts returned to the worries and insecurities that bothered him a few hours before.
This was his favourite moment of the day. Admiring the sun that disappeared behind the hills ... in some strange way, it made him forget all his bad thoughts.
But not that evening: the day of the payment was coming and they had no money. He didn't know what to do, and began to wonder how he could protect his family.
All that concern was interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind him. He would have recognized that cadence everywhere.
"Shizuri ... what are you doing here? You should lie down a little, I remind you that lately you are not very healthy. You are sick"
"Who do you think I am? I'm still able to take a walk in the open air" she replied with an amused smile, taking place next to him. "Mikoto didn't mean anything bad at dinner. Don't be angry with her, she's only a child, it's natural that she's curious about what her father did when he was young"
Then, she added with a deliberately ironic tone :" It's a pity that the mother of her friend didn't talk about me, it means that I wasn't so famous"
" I'm not angry with her, but with myself" Akuma answered impassively.
" How could I let things come to this point? Do you know what happens to those who don't pay the rent? I don't, and this scares me. I'm scared for you. Do you remember the family that lived a few blocks from here? Disappeared in nothing"
"But they haven't paid for several months. This, for us, is the first time in twenty years"
" It doesn't matter. That piece of shit of Amata can't make the figure of the weak in front of the members of his family, he must punish those who don't respect the rules"
" Then say that the next month we'll pay double, I am sure that in front of such an offer Amata's emissaries will prove reasonable. They are assholes, but not so stupid to refuse more money" the woman whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Akuma chuckled without joy.
"We are talking about the worst scum of the Kihara family, they'll not be reasonable at all" he said with a resigned sigh. "What a shitty situation, I can't even protect my family. I've never protected anyone, and I can't even protect you"
" Don't say that, remember that you are very important to us. Whatever happens ..." she murmured, taking him by the hand and rested her head on the edge of his neck. " Whatever happens, we'll always remain by your side. You're not a monster, you're a wonderful person and I know it. Do you remember how we fell in love?"
The man pursed his lips in a little smile.
"Yes, I remember it well. After Hamazura sacrificed himself to allow you to escape…I found you and hosted you in my shelter. At the time you were full on anger, eager for reveng…but fortunately I stopped you"
" You didn't stop me ..." the woman chuckled. " You got beaten by me until I changed my mind"
The man chuckled back. "You totally kicked my ass"
" Yes, I did " Mugino replied with a smile. " You are the smartest person I know… but sometimes I think that you're a real fool. Since you suffered that trauma, you stopped defending yourself ... I think this is what allowed me to fall in love with you : we both lost our family and we felt directly responsible for this. We weren't able to protect what we most cherished"
"That shit was my fault, Shizuri..."
" It was out from your control. I know you hate talking about the subject, just as I know that you can't erase the past, but...now I am your present. WE are your present. You don't need to suffer anymore"
she said in an almost imploring tone, as if she was trying to appeal to his common sense.
The man remained silent for what seemed an interminable time. Then, he took a deep breath.
" Thank you, Shizuri. For everything"
"This is the task of a good wife and mother, no?"
And, after saying this, she popped a kiss on the Esper's lips.
"Now, let's go to sleep. We are both tired"
XXXX
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For those of you that are confused…
Yes, Kihara Amata is alive
Yes, Accel has no electrode
Yes, Last Order is speaking better
How is this possible ? Well…it will be all explained later !
All reviews are welcomed !