A Sky of Falling Stars, part one: Speak Her Name
I do not own the RAILDEX universe.
Author's Note:
Welcome dear readers!
We have arrived at the first of the sequels to my previous story: He Will Surely Save!
If you haven't read that story yet, I strongly recommend that you do so. It will make this one far more fulfilling . . . .
This story returns us to Friday, and overlaps with HwSS, part 8: A Light Makes No Sound.
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It was her first time inside the walls of Academy city.
While some people would have been overwhelmed by the sensory overload going on all around them, it was plain to see that this girl had far more on her mind than mere sightseeing. Her green eyes were glittering with an almost manic anticipation, which was not lost on the busty bespectacled young woman with the green arm band who was currently leading the the young girl through the city.
Konori grinned down at the little bundle of energy with the gray-brown hair skipping alongside of her.
"You seem to be in good spirits, Otohime-chan~"
The little living alarm clock spun in a slow circle as she jumped in place, pumping her fists in the air.
"I sure am!" The girl danced around her escort before sending up a dazzling smile. "I'm meeting with Onii-chan for lunch today! I had to wait so long, but it'll be just the two of us!"
Konori chuckled.
"Well then, dance if you have to, but keep a hold on my hand." Otohime obliged as the older girl continued her explanation. "The area gets very busy around noontime, so it's important to avoid being lost in the crowd."
"Right, Konori-san!" The little girl cheered as she tugged the high school girl along. Konori playfully went along with the brisk pace and decided that she might as well keep the conversation going.
"Did your paperwork take a long time to put through?"
"It took forever . . . " The girl nodded and then pumped her fist in triumph. "But I called Onii-chan yesterday the second they were approved!"
The dark-haired Judgment girl grinned down at her charge. "Well, I bet he's dancing inside too!"
"You think so!?"
"Sure, I d–"
KA~BOOM! ! !
Konori's words were taken from her when the shock wave from the explosion hit the pair. The two girls felt themselves hitting the nearby building before falling to their knees. The elder girl frantically shook the other's shoulder.
"Are you okay!?"
The dazed little girl rubbed her head, but otherwise nodded. Konori sighed in relief before turning her head to the source of the explosion. She could see the great billowing cloud of smoke and general chaos just over a block away from them. She turned back to the girl sitting on the ground next to her.
"Otohime-chan, I need to go help those people." The little girl's eyes widened. "I need you to stay here until I get back. Promise me you'll stay put!"
"I–I . . ." The girl swallowed briefly before raising a fist with a resolute expression taking over her face. "Yes, I promise, Konori-san!"
"Good girl, you should be safe here." Konori picked herself up off the ground and took off running, calling once more over her shoulder. "I'll be back soon!"
Otohime watched in awe as the girl from Judgment ran headlong into the confusion like it was nothing more than a routine daily event. This reverie was soon interrupted by a glint of motion in the corner of her eye. She turned her head in time to see a spiky-haired boy on the other side of the street, running against the tide of people in the direction of the explosion.
"Onii-chan!"
The little girl with umber hair frantically began to jump up and down, waving her arms in wide arcs to get the boy's attention. The confusion on the other side of the street made this impossible however and the girl began to scream at the top of her lungs while running along the sidewalk in the same direction as her cousin.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"
The girl watched in relief as the boy paused in the distance and began to look around in confusion. She took a deep breath in preparation of her next shout. Just one more would do it!
This plan was interrupted by the sound of a voice from somewhere behind her.
"Target sighted. Engage."
Issuing a wail of terror, Otohime felt her feet being ripped from the pavement as an invisible force pulled her with the speed of a cannon shot into an alley far from the boy she had so desperately wanted to see.
"ONII-CHAN! ! !"
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The red-haired young woman was alone in the room, sitting with her head down on one of its several tables. Her eyes were closed as she rested her head on her folded arms, the pattern of her breathing slow and regular.
As she rested, the peaceful expression of her face began to give away to one of discomfort when beads of sweat slowly formed on her skin, traveling in slow lines down her lean and wiry body.
The girl's slumber grew restless as she shifted in place to try to find relief from the increasing washes of heat that moved over her body and penetrated deeply into the very core of her being. Her head raised up from her arms and turned to the other side before falling back into place, her mouth muttering words of nonsense.
Finally, after some few moments, she lifted her head and shook it to clear her mind. She drew her wrist over her face to clear the sweat that was pooled in her eyes and glanced about the room in confusion.
She swore that she saw the air rippling in waves of scintillating colors, her hand moving reflexively to wipe her forehead once more as she pushed herself out of her chair.
The thickness of the air was making it increasingly difficult to breathe as she stumbled over to the wall and the picture of a certain spiky-haired boy affixed to it. When she reached the wall, she fell hard against it, swiping her hand across the picture when she made impact.
The girl gasped in surprise when her fingers left trails in the image that began to bleed down the wall like melting wax. She backed away from the wall in horror as the picture of the boy distorted into a grotesque wash of colors that began to puddle on the floor in front of her. As she raised her eyes back up, she saw the picture being replaced by another.
Myuri took a step back as she watched the kind, but determined face of the Hero melt away to reveal the image of a young woman underneath, and flinched at the sight of those cold, pitiless eyes.
The image was one of an older girl, at least in high school, with brown hair just down to her shoulders. But it was those eyes that drew her attention, Myuri felt her breath becoming ragged as she locked her gaze onto those distant and calculating orbs. There was no kindness in these eyes, only an endless and predatory look.
Clamping her eyes shut, she pitched forward and clutched her chest when a feeling very much like drowning came over her. She struggled to take in even the smallest breath, when she heard the sound.
Her ears detected a quiet clicking or crackling sound from somewhere in the room behind her.
With a slow reluctance, she allowed her eyes to open and looked over her shoulder. What she saw made her twist around in a panic and throw her back against the wall hard enough to feel the pain blossom over even the front of her body.
She slid down the wall as the creature approached her. It was white, oily white. Myuri could imagine that it resembled a girl that had been dipped in glistening wet white paint and then stretched vertically to twice her height without increasing overall mass. This long spindly body was crackling and creaking as it approached the terrified red-haired girl seated on the floor. The glowing red orbs of its eyes casting eerie shadows over its elongated features as it reached out to touch her.
Myuri tried to scream as those branch-like fingers drew themselves across her cheek.
But her lungs found no air to make the sound.
. . . .
The red-haired young woman woke with a gasp and raised her head from its position nestled within her folded arms. Her hand rose up to her forehead to wipe away the cold layer of sweat which had gathered above her eyes as she slowly turned her head from side to side to take in the room. She was alone.
Letting out a long ragged breath, she turned her eyes to the table again, but felt her body stiffen again when the sound of her ringing phone broke into the oppressive silence of the room.
With a shaking hand, she flipped it open and brought it to her ear. Myuri flinched as the icy flat tone of the voice on the other end hit her.
"Commander."
" . . . General."
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"ONII-CHAN! ! !"
The lurching feeling of Otohime's stomach being pushed down to her feet was abruptly ended when her back roughly hit the pavement in the middle of the alley, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for breath as four pairs of hands firmly held her wrists and ankles down to the ground. In the darkness of the alley, she was unable to make out the faces of the people silhouetted by the light from above. Her tears began to wet the pavement beneath her as she turned hear head feebly from side to side.
"Onii-chan . . . " She whispered in terror when she finally caught her breath. "Please save me . . . ."
"It's . . . " A male voice spoke hesitantly from above her head. "It's just a little girl . . . "
His protest was answered by a girl's voice somewhere below the little girl's feet. Otohime was chilled by the tone, holding not a shred of compassion or empathy, as though the speaker was ordering dinner from some cheap restaurant.
"You took the money, so shut up and hold her still." She turned her head to another of the dark blobs hovering over the little girl's head. "You, attach the electrodes like I showed you."
Otohime began to panic and struggled against the boys holding her down. As they tightened their grips, she cried out for mercy to the boy above her head.
"NO! Please let me go!" She flinched as the boy grasped her head to keep it still as the electrodes were attached to her temples. She choked briefly before plaintively croaking out a final protest. "Please don't hurt me . . . "
"Be quiet, brat." The older girl roughly seized Otohime's jaw and turned her head to the side, pushing it firmly into the pavement. "It'll all be over in a minute. You'll probably even live."
From the corner of her eye, the little girl saw the other girl pull out an enormous drill-like syringe and began to panic. She struggled against her captors until her face was once more shoved forcefully down to the ground. Otohime could feel the cold point pressing into the skin behind her right ear. From the edge of her vision, she could see the older girl starting to grin.
"Rejoice, for you are about to become part of something so much bigger than yourself."
Pain.
Blinding white-hot pain.
Ohohime did her best to scream as the high-pitched grinding of the instrument penetrated into her skull and she twitched in agony as the girl above her leaned forwards to speak directly into her ear.
"One day, you will thank the General."
The machine above Otohime's head whirred to life as the probe was finally removed, the burning pain still present behind her eyes as the older girl threw the bloody instrument to the side and looked up at the sky.
"Mistress, all the pieces are in place!" The girl shrieked out to the heavens like a madman. "Open the loop!"
The little girls face contorted as her body wrenched itself off the ground, her hands and feet nearly pulling away from where they were being held down. Her eyes fell partially shut for a moment before snapping open again, pupils dilated.
"She's convulsing!" The first boy yelled out in a panic.
"Hold her still or she'll bite her tongue!" The older girl yelled back as she moved to help the other five restrain her.
"O!"
She wrenched her head out of the boys grasp, her back arching off of the ground. Her body fell back down to the ground for a moment and shook before she twisted violently to her right side.
"Nii!"
The machine above her head began to beep erratically and the two boys holding her feet were thrown backwards. She choked and gasped while they pounced on her legs to force them back down.
"CHAN! ! !"
With that last shriek, the girl's body gave a mighty seize, lifting itself off the ground for a moment before it finally slumped back down to the ground. There she remained, shivering and unresponsive, until a new voice hissed out from the entrance of the alley, bringing the groups attention to the new intruder.
"How dare you . . . "
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" . . . General."
The voice on the other end responded without ceremony to her words.
"Your guess is correct, despite never before hearing her voice."
Myuri began to look around the room as if confirming that she was alone before she finally built up the courage to speak again.
"May I ask why the great and mysterious General is gracing me with the sound of her voice?"
"She believes that loyalty is in question."
The flat response forced the red-haired girl's hand into a tight ball as she struggled to keep her voice even.
"Is that why you sent your little pet into my head with a message?"
"You are dangerous, Commander." Myuri raised an eyebrow at the General's words. "More dangerous than you realize."
"You consider me a threat then?"
The Hoyden felt herself twitching in irritation when her question was met with a dark chuckle from the other female.
"She realizes that you are less of a threat to her, than you are to yourself . . . "
"I'm afraid I don't follow your reasoning, General."
Myuri stood with a tapping foot and she waited for the general to elaborate on this bizarre viewpoint.
"Such an emotional girl." The General's tone seemed to take on a teasing quality as she spoke. "So full of love and anger."
Myuri's jaw dropped as she struggled to find a response.
" . . . "
The General continued blithely on through the girl's silence.
"This is what worries her."
Myuri finally manged to close her mouth. " . . . Your point?"
"Your decisions lack depth." The voice on the phone was now dead serious, lacking what little playful quality it had shown before. "So blind to each long term path."
The offended girl struggle to not hiss into the phone. "I know the only path that I need to take."
"So you say, but the boy was often foolish . . ."
"You– !"
"He needed her far more than he ever realized . . . " The General broke into the hoyden's angry retort with her cold and measured words. "Therefore he gave her his soldiers."
Her temper finally reaching its boiling point, Myuri's voice exploded from her throat.
"Mairo-sama never would have allowed you to do half of what you are planning!"
"He was far too kind to ever understand how the world really is." The general's voice was cold and even, each word cutting into Myuri with painful shivers. "If he did, he would have followed her, just as you will continue to do."
Myuri stood silently, frozen in place.
"She has called to remind this angry loving girl of her place."
The wiry hoyden growled quietly as her fingers dug into the palms of her hands, the nails cutting into the flesh from the strength of the grip.
"Misaka 00000 is the one to whom your lives have been given, and you will obey her."
Myuri stood rigidly as the phone line abruptly went dead.
Pulling the phone from her ear, she stared at it for several seconds. With sudden shriek of rage, she threw it across the room as hard as she was able with those shivering hands. She heard the delicate device shatter when it made an impact with the opposite side of the room and gritted her teeth.
Without a sound, she turned and sent a fist into the wall with all her strength, before collapsing into it. She buried her face into her arms and trembled as she leaned against the wall, refusing to acknowledge the salty drops wetting her skin.
No more . . . .
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"How dare you . . . "
The group collective turned and found a pure white boy with shining green eyes standing in the entrance of the alley, his body shaking with clenched fists. One of the boys found his voice.
"Oh, shit . . . "
The older girl was unmoved by the new arrival and merely sent him a cold smile while sitting on her knees.
"Too little, too late, Number Two." She gestured with her head at the little girl on the ground behind her. "It's already been done."
"A little girl . . . "
Kakine's face fell forward as he whispered, his body shaking even harder than before.
"Bastards like you . . . should just . . . die . . . ."
The group of boys flinched in terror when the level five abruptly snapped his head upwards. His growing green eyes casting shadows on the inhuman look of utter hatred that was contorting his features into an unrecognizable mask.
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE ! ! !"
With that overwhelming scream, the group was blown backwards by the appearance of six enormous white wings which roared into existence with a thundering sound.
The older girl sat unmoving and smiled a brutal smile as those wings approached them, cutting through the pavement and masonry walls surrounding the level five like they were nothing but water. The little girl behind her had been awoken by the sound and turned her head in time to see the boy throw those wings forward.
She covered her eyes and screamed with all her might, the machine above her head making a loud crackling sound before going dark and smoking.
"The field counter just burned out!" One of the boys yelled in a panic at another, who then responded in kind.
"That's not possible!"
The older girl grinned brightly as she watched the wings approach them. Otohime screamed in terror from behind her hands.
"NO ! ! !"
Her body seized once as the ground below her shattered and rippled outwards, destroying the machine near her head. Shimmering waves of something moved out from her body and violently threw her former captors into the walls of the alley. Kakine's jaw dropped as these waves moved on and began to twist and rip his wings apart. He struggled to remain upright against the tidal flow, his face beginning to take on an agonized look as the tearing finally reached his body.
But, he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop!
All this seemed to be for naught as his body finally left the ground and was crushed into the alley wall like the others before. He was vaguely aware of the sound of shattering glass and the feeling of the rippling field finally vanished. Kakine fell forward, landing helplessly on his face and lay there without moving.
The tearful little girl had been grabbed by a familiar young man with spiky-hair. He held her close as she weakly muttered into his chest.
"Onii-chan came to save me . . . "
Touma's voice was breaking up as he rubbed the back of her head. "Otohime, I–I 'm so sorry . . . "
"You saved me, Onii-chan . . ." The girl's strength left her body as she lost consciousness. Touma tightened his grip on her tiny body and began to rock her back and forth. "I'm so happy . . . "
As she trembled in his arms, Touma buried his face in her hair and let himself begin to finally weep.
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A bruised and battered looking young woman made her way along the sidewalk with a slight limp. Her cold eyes glanced back and forth behind the shield of her dark brown hair as she walked with a slight hunch, muttering into her cell phone.
"Mistress, all went as planned."
" . . . "
"Dark Matter attacked just a few minutes ago." A brutal smile crossed the girl's lips. "The little one was . . . very effective."
" . . . "
"Yes, exactly as you anticipated."
The sinister girl grinned as the voice on the other end responded.
"Mistress, your praise is all I could ask for. What should we do with the other witnesses?"
" . . . . "
"Perfect."
The limping girl snapped the phone shut when a quiet voice wheezed out from a nearby alley.
"You . . . "
With a brief start the girl was violently pulled by an unseen force into the alley where the pained voice had issued. She felt her back hit the wall hard, and two pairs of hands pinning her arms in place. That voice again spoke.
"You lied to us."
She smiled defiantly at the injured boys closely surrounding her. "Did I . . . ?"
"You told us we were dealing with a dangerous esper!"
"I didn't say she was dangerous yet." The boy twitched as she continued. "She is now. Therefore, I didn't really lie to you, now did I?"
"You said it was a neutralization!"
"Hmm . . . " The girl tilted her head from side to side. "That was a lie . . . "
The enraged boy sent his fist into the wall next to her head hard enough for her to hear a cracking sound. She didn't even flinch.
The girl leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
"I am her soldier." He shivered as that pitiless voice slid into his ear. "I obey."
"Well, WE aren't!" He stomped his feet in rage as his companions nodded in agreement. "We're a study group, not a bunch of thugs!"
"Your club accepted her funds."
"Who cares about that! Did you see the look on the number Two's face?!"
He paused and grasped his head for a moment before continuing.
"I don't know what he thinks we did to her, but that wasn't a farce!" He shivered as the memory resurfaced. "We'll never be able to show our faces outside again thanks to you!"
The girl cast her eyes towards the entrance of the alley.
"You boys don't need to worry about that . . . "
The heads of the boys collectively snapped to the side when a new voice drifted into the alley and reached their ears.
"I really don't like it . . . "
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The pure white boy pushed his shivering body up from the pavement and struggled to remain upright. He turned his head and found the Hero, Kamijo Touma, rocking the little girl from before back and forth as he held her in his lap.
"What . . . the hell . . . was that?"
Touma remained silent.
"I remember that feeling." The boy looked down at his shaking hands. "It felt like dying . . . "
"Beetle-san." The abrupt words brought the level fives attention to the other boy. "I need you to take her to the hospital."
"But–"
"She's my cousin!"
Touma's yell stopped Kakine in his tracks, finally he sputtered in confusion. "What about you!?"
"I have to tell my school what happened. Have the hospital call them when you get there."
Touma handed the little girl over to the white boy, who flinched when he saw the blood slowly leaking from the wound behind her ear. He pointed out of the alley.
"Now, GO!"
Kakine nodded once and shuddered as his body managed to reform his wings. A moment later he took off into the sky like a shot. When the dust settled Touma dashed out of the alley as fast as he was able.
. . .
It was about ten minutes later when Touma rounded the final bend and his school building came into view. With a final burst of speed, he bounded up the main stairs and threw open the door to the teacher's lounge.
The room's three occupants looked up in surprise. Komoe waved the boy she had been scolding out of the room. Aogami, that very same boy, stood up and returned to the hallway without saying a word. His face was tense as he passed his friend, but he remained silent. Yomikawa rose up to her feet and nodded at the boy, a slight glistening in her eyes present despite her best efforts to the contrary.
"We received the call from the hospital –jan." The blue-haired teacher stated as she tapped the papers on the desk next to her. "You should have gone straight to there, we never would have asked you to come here under the circumstances . . . "
"No, I had to come here." The boy shook his head and locked eyes with his teacher, his face full of trepidation as he continued. "I need someone that I can trust."
" . . . " Yomikawa looked over at the tiny pink-haired teacher, who returned a confused, but still worried look. " . . . Why?"
"My cousin isn't a student." The features of the boy's face set themselves into a grim mask. "She's a visitor."
The teachers went pale. He continued.
"They injected her with something." He turned his head away. "I think I know what it was . . . "
" . . . "
"I remember the way it felt when I got near her." Touma turned back to look Yomikawa in the face. "You'll remember it as well. I guarantee that."
" . . . We'll need muscle. I'll call my colleagues first." The busty teacher sat down and began to dial her phone. She looked back up at her student. "If that doesn't work, I might need to do this under the table."
The pink-haired teacher waved her hands to get their attention. "We shouldn't just stand here like this! Can you handle our students?" The taller teacher nodded. "Then I'll drive Kamijo to the hospital. Let's go!"
With that frantic shout, the teacher and student dashed out of the office as one, making their way to the stairs.
. . . .
Slightly down the hallway, the blue-haired boy with piercings muttered into his cell phone as he faced the wall, leaning forward with one hand planted hard against it. He seemed to be shaking as he spoke to some unknown person.
" . . . She never had a chance . . . "
" . . . "
"Well, she failed then!"
The voice on the other end paused. The boy continued.
"I can't do this anymore. I refuse to be a part of this."
" . . . !"
"I don't care abou–"
The boy's words were interrupted by the flurry of activity from the teacher's room. A pair of individuals, one his friend and the other his teacher, burst through the door toward the stairs. He watched them as they ran, listening to the thundering of their feet.
Near the top of the stairs, he saw Touma lose his footing.
Paralyzed, he stood with the phone to his ear and watched his friend fall.
He heard the wet crunch of the impact and the cry of pain from the boy. He listened to the terrified screams from his teacher and felt the wall crack beneath his fingers.
" . . . ?! . . . ?!"
The blue-haired boy felt a solitary tear slide down his cheek as he made his final statement, his voice was flat with a cold burning anger.
"This is too far. She can't be forgiven."
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"I really don't like it . . . "
The boys in the alley let go of the girl they had been pinning against the wall and wheeled around to face the newcomer. She stood frozen in the entrance of the alley and muttered to herself, seemingly oblivious to the people in front of her. She had black hair and wore a miniskirt despite the low temperature. The boys noticed the array of gadgets hung from cords around her neck and stood there, trying to comprehend the situation.
"It's not very Kihara-like, is it . . . ?"
The girl looked down and pulled at the fringe of her skirt for a moment before speaking again.
"But I understand Touma-onii-chan . . . ."
The screens of the various gadgets around her began to flash with vast numbers of strange graphs and symbols. With an almost mechanical motion, the girl's head rose to look at the group. Her expression seemed devoid of emotion as though it had been carved from stone.
"In this situation, Kamijo Touma would do this."
The boys watched in terror as the girl's eyes dilated. They cried out in panic when she dashed forwards like a wild animal.
"What are you d– AAHH!"
. . . .
The older girl managed to stumble out of the alley just as the mini-skirted girl's assault began. As she listened to the wet crunching sound of impossibly powerful impacts, the cool and pitiless expression that she had worn up until then melted off her face and was replaced with one of awe.
Then terror.
The boys' cries of pain gradually died away, but those impacts continued for some time.
Until all at once they stopped.
She found her breathing becoming ragged when the footsteps started. They were coming closer . . .
A shadow from within the alley became visible to the girl, who had long since started to panic.
"No! Mistress, please!"
Those footsteps continued to approach.
"Mistress, I am your soldier!"
Closer . . . .
"I obey!"
Still closer . . . .
"I OBEY ! ! !"
The girl wearing the mini-skirt stepped into the light from the depths of the alley. She was splattered from head to toe with blood and stopped directly in front of the hysterical girl. As the blood dripped from her body onto the pavement, she stared down at the other girl and spoke with a passionless voice.
"No loose ends . . . "
The girl paused and licked the blood off of the fingers of her right hand. The girl seated on the ground struggled to breathe as she fought against the tide of terror welling up inside of her. The bloody girl's next words cut through her as her body stiffened.
"This is surely what Kamijo Touma would do."
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Author's notes:
Ah, where to start . . . .
Otohime is the girl who called Touma on Thursday (when Kakine met with Accelerator ), the girl who he was meeting for lunch on Friday, and who Touma and Kakine were talking about in the hospital on Saturday.
Myuri gets a rather unpleasant visitation.
The General is Misaka 00000, Full Tuning. The original clone from the Radio Noise project. Since the project was originally military in character, my story has her as the overseer of the clones until she was made redundant by Last Order.
The Bloody girl in the alley is Kihara Enshuu. Yes, Dimak, I can hear your disappointment all the way over here. Oozing through the screen at me . . .
While it's not massively obvious, the suddenly dilating pupils are a sign of a connection to Facade. Recall Misaki's attempt to read Sogiita's mind and Umidori's description of Mairo from the previous story. In Mairo's case, the dilation was due to Facade and the twitching eyes were due to Body Crystal.
::::::::Reviews:::::::::::::::
EpicReads: Glad you're enjoying it! The shorter chapter length will let me update a lot quicker, so stay tuned!
Dimak: Welcome Back! ASoFS will probably be the darkest of the three sequels, but there will still be some lightheartedness present. Yes, Full Tuning is mostly working as an OC stand in, but I find her to be an intriguing character and I want her to present a vastly different side of the Misaka network. Her motivations are less obvious than they would appear . . . .
I'm glad you enjoyed the scene with Otohime in the alley. It isn't obvious, but she was basically 'espered' by what the group did to her. To understand the gravity of the situation, you would have to remember the last two times Kakine's wings were twisted and ripped apart by another esper and how it happened. Aiho would know 'that feeling', due to her current living arrangements . . . .
The oily, white creature will be explored further in this story, as well as Myuri's importance to the Middle Line. While she hasn't been a member of the group that long, she is actually a high ranking member. The next chapter will cover more about the middle line.
I do recall the other character with the 'mi-chan' nickname, but I am using it for Misaki because she is trying to block out the memories of Dolly calling her that name, with more pleasant ones. Or perhaps so that she won't forget . . . .
Aogami is talking to Aneki. I'll leave it at that . . . .
whwsms: Thank you! Also, re-reading never hurts in my stories . . . .
Guest1: With the arrival of Otohime the battle for favorite little sister begins!
Guest2: They know exactly who they are . . . .
Itherael: I get the feeling that you will be both very happy and very angry with me.
PokemonJoe1: Great to have you! Hope you enjoy the rest of the sequels!
Kage15oni: I just hope the rest live up to expectations. I'll keep at it!
Loopsy: I think you can guess why I separated the sequels from HwSS. That said this story will not be all doom and gloom . . .
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To all those who have read, favored, followed and reviewed the previous story, Thank you!
I will be updating the sequels in a round robin fashion, so stay tuned!
Until next time,
Lets get writing!