Title: A Certain Level Zero (OC)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anime series A Certain Scientific Railgun and A Certain Magical Index, it's characters, setting, story lines or plot. I only own Taisuke Tarumi (OC) and any other OC Character found in this Fan Fiction.
Story Note: Chapters 0 to 10 take place during Railgun S
While Chapters 11 and onwards take place after Railgun S and Index S
Chapter 00: Accident
Anyone can be a Hero No Matter How Big Or Small
"I came to this city with high hopes. Believing that I too had my own powers. An incredible power that can use help to help my little sister. But upon entering Academy City and taking the test, I learned that I had no talent. I was entitled to be a Level Zero. It broke me, finding out I had no strength within myself, strength to change, strength to live!" I felt extremely weak, like I could die just from someone's touch. I didn't know what to do at that moment, how can I come help my sister if I'm Level Zero.
"How can I? Just how CAN I!?…Is this it? Am I just that weak after all? Is this what I get for getting my spirits up? No. Wait…Wait a moment."
I remember my sister reading me some book from her hospital bed. It was something about heroes. Where firefighters, policemen, teachers are great examples of Heroes. You don't need powers to save someone or to protect someone, its just our everyday actions that save people.
"As you can see the—" All I can hear is the teacher rambling about this and that. Why can't the teacher finish her lesson quickly, I don't care about that stupid lesson anyway. All I want is time to get out of here and become stronger, Level Zero or not. I'd rather be in the library or computer. I will find my own strength, my own power to save my sister!
"She's in pain" I thought to myself immensely as I clenched my fist.
"Taisuke Tarumi!" my Science Teacher shouted
"Taisuke Tarumi!" She shouted again as it echoed though my ears.
"Are you listening Taisuke Tarumi!"
"Yes Sensei!" I said annoyingly
"It was a rhetorical question, please remember that you are in eighth grade here at Peripheral Academy. Act like one for once!" she said demandingly. I just shrugged her request and she continued to teach the class. I don't like learning from others, I like learning on my own. Other people are just a hassle.
"Ding - Dong - Ding - Dong" the school bell went.
"That will be all for today" the science teacher said as she left our classroom.
I let out a sigh as my science teacher left the classroom. Finally she left, I thought she was just gonna go at it till the end of time. I stood up from my chair and picked up my bag and headed to the door of the classroom.
"Now then its time to get to work" I thought to myself. As soon as I left Peripheral Academy, I immediately went jogging around the city. Running around Academy City as I saw the same scenery for three months straight. The same schools, same people, same authorities, same old same old. I usually ended my jog at a vending machine near the park and proceeded with doing fifty push-ups.
"One!, Two!, Three!" I said counting for myself followed by fifty sit-ups and fifty squats. Afterwards I bought one can of juice from the vending machine to refreshen myself up.
"Maybe I'll hit the books or computer next?" I thought to myself.
"Ah, what a workout" I said "At this pace I think I ca—-"
"BOOM!" An explosion occurred close by. I looked around quickly to find out where the explosion occurred.
"No Way." I thought to myself "The hospital!?"
I immediately ran as fast as I could to the Hospital and rushed inside. Black smoke and red flames engulfed the lobby of the hospital.
"SHIT!" I said out loud
"There has to be a way to get though, my little sister still in there!"
I looked around the lobby quickly and grabbed the fire extinguisher to help me distinguish the flames blocking the stairs to the next floor. As soon as the fire blocking the star is was extinguished I rushed up four more flights of stairs.
"Please let me make in time" I thought to myself as I running up the flight of stairs. "Please!" As I got to the fourth floor all I could see way piles of black smoke.
"Please!" I thought to myself as I fought through the smoke. Then I opened my little sister's room, only to find her on the floor coughing.
"Onii-chan" she said quietly while extending her hand towards me.
"Thank god I made it in time" I thought to myself as I reached for her hand, but her hand fell down to the ground and her coughing ceased. I grabbed her hand as fast I could
"Yukinaga!"
"Yukinaga!"
But my sister didn't say anything. No this can't be she can't be dead! I checked her pulse. None. I double checked her pulse. still nothing. I triple checked her pulse. Nothing. Tears began to swell in my eyes but I wiped them immediately. I ran out of the hospital building with my sister in my arms. After all the black smoke and flames I finally made it out safely.
"Wee-Woo" the ambulance and Anti-Skill trucks and cars rang as they made on the scene. I laid my sister down somewhere near where both the ambulance and Anti-Skill authorities would be.
"Sorry Yukinaga" I said to my sister as I left her behind.
I ran around to get behind the authorities that way I would be able to get some information without getting caught. I hid behind one Anti-Skill truck to eavesdrop on two Anti-Skill officers.
"I'm not letting the bastard responsible get away with this!" I thought to myself
"I need a lead!"
The two officers were still blabbering about the bomb that exploded ion the 3rd floor of the hospital.
"They're not helping!" I thought to myself angrily.
I then surveyed the position of the authorities in the vicinity. Majority of the group went inside to extinguish the fire, another group went inside to evacuate both the dead and alive patients, staff and visitors of the hospital. Then there were officers outside protecting the scene and then there are officers who are ready to dispatch to the next area. Which means that the two officers that I am eavesdropping are those who are ready to dispatch.
"Its an esper who bombed the 3rd floor an incoming Captain anti-skill officer said towards the two anti-skill officers standing by the truck. the esper's power is pyrometics, level two."
"Where is the culprit then Captain?" one anti-skill officer asked
"His location is being pinpointed right now as we speak, but he was last scene in a brown Mazda RX-8."
"Understood" the officer replied.
"All right then! I said to myself while running away from the hospital. He better be ready to pay for his actions!"
I ran back to my apartment's parking space to pickup my motorbike and headed for the road behind the hospital. Thats the only way he would be make a quick escape after all, everything else would subside to traffic after all. I drove as fast I could to get to that area. As soon as I got there I began to assess which is the fastest route to safety.
"He gonna be this way!" I said to myself convincingly as I drove towards the same route.
After driving for a few minutes at fast speeds I saw a brown Mazda RX-8 on the road. "You're not getting away with this!" I said as I floored it.
The Mazda's window then came down and a hand appeared.
"He noticed!" I thought to myself.
Then a fireball headed my way, I expertly maundered my bike to the right to dodge his attack. Another fireball headed my way again, this I time moved to the left diagonally then hit his card by clashing my bike into his rear wheel.
"Shah!" I said as my bike collided with his rear.
"POP" his rear wheel went and his car went out of control and went off road. I was tossed of my bike after the collision and fell painfully.
I opened my eyes and looked for his car.
"Ring ring ring ring" was I could hear in my head, my left arm was bleeding and my back hurt immensely.
"This isn't the time to care about pain!" I thought to myself.
I forced myself to stand up despite the pain from my back and left arm and headed for the brown Mazda that went fell in the river. The pyrometics esper began to cough out saliva from his body system as I arrived. I went towards him but I was interrupted by him flashing a fireball in his hand.
"Don't come any closer! Or I'll torch you to death!" he said
"A threat? Someone like you doesn't even deserve give threats!" I said as I ran towards him.
He threw his fireball directly towards me. I dodged it diagonally to the right and kicked the side of his face.
"Why Yo—-" I kicked his face immediately before he could finish his line.
I got on him and began to punch him punch after punch to his face.
"Stop! Please!" he begged after every hit I gave him.
"He deserves mercy? A chance to live? No way! No after his actions! I lost my sister because of him!" I thought to myself as rage empowered my punches.
As I prepared to deliver the final blow to end his pathetic life I heard my sister call me.
"Onii-chan!" she said sweetly.
I then stopped and got off him, then kicked his back.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" he said painfully after receiving my kick.
I put my foot on his face and contacted Anti-Skill.
"Yes I caught the man responsible. Yes. Yeah. Sure" then I kept my phone.
"I hope a bastard like you is ready go to prison, Anti-Skill is on their way to pick up trash like you." I said hardly.
The esper didn't respond and it became quiet for a few seconds. I looked up at the sky and thought to myself
"That's right my little sister always wanted to do things fairly and justly."
"Hey just kill me already! the esper said desperately.
Please, if I go back I will face a much harsher punishment than death! So KILL ME ALREADY!"
"What!? so pris—"
"NO! Its not prison, Its…..Its….my….."
"Hey! spit it out already!" I demanded
"My Gang! if they found out I failed I'll lose everything." he said cowardly.
"Then where is this gang?"
The esper said nothing. I kicked his chest twice as hard as I could.
"Ahhhhhhhh" he said as he spat out blood from his mouth.
"I asked you a question! Answer me!"
"In…in…in a sma…all…abandoned…build…ing…not far from…he…. re… "
"Thank You" I said sarcastically and kicked his chest again as he shouted in pain. "
Wee-Woo" the anti-skill vehicles rang as they made it on the scene. Anti-Skill officers went to arrest the esper who was lying down on the grass, beaten and bloody. "
Where is the person that called?" the captain asked his officers
"We don't know sir. It seems that the person left the area."
"I just wanted to thank that person. His actions saved future victims."
"Three more of you guys?" I thought to myself as I walked down the road in search of a small abandoned building with a dark indigo sword logo.
"Their time is up. I found their hideout."
I saw one lit area in the small building while the logo was on the side of the building. I infiltrated the building cautiously searching for every person in this building. Finally I found one man patrolling the building. I waited at the end of the hallway, sitting behind a wall. I searched quickly for a weapon and picked up a broken wall pipe on the floor. As soon as that man went at towards the end of the hallway I swung the pipe towards his gut, then kicked the side of his face thus propelling him towards a wall. I then delivered the final kick to his face to make unconscious. "One down" I said to myself.
I then went a floor up then I heard a voice
"I'll be going ahead".
I ran towards his voice and as soon as I saw him and he saw me, I immediately gave him a flying kick to the face. I drove my foot to his face and all the way to the ground. I kept my foot on him to make him pass out.
"Hey bro, what was that?" a gang member asked
"Your end!" I announced and walked towards the lit room.
I saw one man sitting on a chair with a table filled with cards.
"Who are you?" he asked
"Me? there's no need to know who I am, except the fact that this is the end of the line for you."
I immediately ran at him and attempted a flying kick towards his face but I was hit with a flying table. I was sent back flying to the ground; I looked at my opponent
"Esper?" I asked
"Bingo!, yes I am an esper and I am free to kill you!" he said as he sent flying chair towards me. I punched the middle of the chair and broke it.
"Hoh…You're pretty strong. he said
"No wonder why you beat my other two comrades but there is no way you can beat me!"
I clenched my fist
"It seems like his power allows him to lift objects into the air" I thought to myself
"Hey. No. BREAKS! He said as another flying chair came my way.
I rolled to my left to dodge that chair attack as the chair broke upon impact with the floor.
"How about this then?" as he sent a metal locker towards me.
I prepared to brace for impact as the metal locker was sent towards me. A sound of crashing metal echoed throughout the building. I felt blood from both of my arms when I shielded that attack.
"That's it! Well at least I finished him off." the gang member said.
"No I can't give up here, even if my body can't go no more. My sister was killed due their actions!" I thought to myself.
"Rahhhhhh" I roared as I kicked the metal locker all the back to him with the strength I could muster.
He jumped to dodge the locker but then I got up, ran towards him and kicked his chest, which sent him flying to the wall. I then immediately went to punch him thrice in the face and delivered the final kick to his chest.
I got my phone out and contacted anti-skill about these people and where they can picked them up. I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket and walked back to my apartment. I entered my apartment and closed the door behind me. I let out a huge sigh and leaned on the door. Tears began to swell in my eyes and I began to cry. With everything that happened especially my little sister's death.
"Onii-Chan" my sister said but when I looked up but didn't see her there.
Am I hearing her voice?
"I'm sorry Yukinaga, I couldn't save you." I said regrettably
"That's not true Onii-chan. Thank You."
I enhaled and exhaled after each punch I gave the punching bag, Its been two years since that accident. And I've been doing the same thing over and over again. Even remembering that terrible accident that took my little sister's life.
"Onii-chan" she said quietly while extending her hand towards me.
"Thank god I made it in time" I thought to myself as I reached for her hand, but her hand fell down to the ground and her coughing ceased. I grabbed her hand as fast I could
"Yukinaga!"
"Yukinaga!"
"I came in late" I thought.
"I wasn't strong enough!
I wasn't fast enough!
I wasn't smart enough!"
I continued to be hard on myself ever since that accident, I didn't care about anything else but finding the group of people responsible for that accident. I kept pushing myself to the limits and surpassing my own limits to become stronger. They didn't just take my little sister's life but they robbed lives from others as well. I can't forgive them no matter what reason they have to justify their actions. I punched the punching bag again and again. Again…and…again…over…and…over.
"Ding - Dong - Ding - Dong" the school bell sounded the end of classes.
I got up again from my desk and headed out of Peripheral Academy. As I was walking I could over hear some people's conversation.
"Hey, did you hear about Zero?" one student from Peripheral Academy asked his friend.
"I heard he destroyed purple sword?" another student said
"Zero also beat several level four espers" his friend said
"He's so cool right even if he doesn't have a power" one girl from another school said "Yeah" replied her friend
"Is it true he can beat both espers and skill-outs?" another person asked
"How come he doesn't have a power yet" another person asked?
"Those are just urban legends." a student said.
"Taisuke Tarumi aka Zero, 5'7, 210lbs, short dark brown hair, green eyes, only child, a high school freshman at Peripheral Academy and still Level Zero." a guy was said as he was stupidly raising his hand at me.
I looked at him
"Hoy Harvey! People can hear you! And you got the only child thing wrong I said as I walked towards him.
I grabbed him by his collar
"And quit saying stupid stuff like that out loud."
"Okay..okay just let go of me first?" Harvey asked nicely.
I acknowledged his request and let go of his shirt collar.
"Since you did that to me. I said
"A little pay back is in order.
"Hamasaki Harvey, 5'8, 190lbs, blonde hair, yellow eyes, eldest of three, a high school freshman at Peripheral Academy and…"
a short pause soon followed as I knew the pain of knowing his level
"Oh what was that? What level am I again Taisuke?" Harvey asked gloating with his ear extended practically near my mouth.
"Lev…Le….Leve…..Lev….Level Four." I said with a defeated sigh.
"Yes! That! Is! Correct!" as he fist pumps with each word he uttered with the last word as he extended his arm outward.
"So Harvey? Why am I accompanying you after school?" I asked
"Oh that, because…some guys won't give me the parts I need to complete an equipment I'm building, and since I refuse to use my powers to fight them I brought you along" Harvey said "Hey, I'm not your hit man you know!
"And why won't they give the parts anyway?"
"Oh thats they said it was something they absolutely refuse to give for some reason"
"Which means it must be RESTRICED stuff huh." I said quietly
"Yup!" Harvey said
"Sounds Fishy"
"I knew vigilante work was your kind of thing."
"Shut Up"
I looked at Harvey only to see him with a big grin on his face as it slowly approaches my face with an eerie yet homosexual look to it. I pushed his face away with my left hand
"Anyway where were are those guys hiding?"
"We're almost there, don't worry about at all Taisuke"
We stopped walking until we stopped at an abandoned building. I looked at the building and it suddenly gave chills down my spine.
"Taisuke?" Harvey asked
"I'm fine, just give me some time"
I walked to see the side of the building. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. One long purple sword logo at the side of the building. Death - Violence - Rashness - Unfairness all the events of that accident and rampage of mine from two years ago flowed in my head so clearly as if it just occurred.
"Pu…purple..purple sword?" I asked myself
"Why?"
The people responsible for killing the lives of innocent helpless people in the hospital and one of them being my sister Taisuke Yukinaga.
After a few minutes I went back to Harvey and gave him a thumbs up. When he saw my thumbs up he smiled exceedingly. We entered the building and went up to the third floor and entered the same exact room that I entered two years ago. I surveyed the room and only saw three male adults just like two years ago.
"Boys! Harvey said
"Hand over the restricted equipment!"
One man stood up firmly "Never!"
"I see. Harvey replied,
"You guys do know who I am right?"
"Yes the Level 4 Scrap Creator" Another man who was sitting replied
"And you all know who this is?"
Harvey said while gesturing towards me.
"Nope" the same man replied
"Thats a shame then. Well since you refu—-"
"Hah, since you don't use your powers you brought some pussy to beat us up.
"Hahahaha! Thats laughable" the man who was standing said
"Zero!" Harvey said quietly.
I looked at Harvey
"We aren't even sure of what they stole.
"What if they just slapped a RESTRICTED stamp on their box?" I said.
"Nope, I know where they stole it from. Harvey said with a serious look across his face. "They stole that from the hospital".
As soon as I heard that I went for the man standing as my first target. I quickly dashed towards him and a kicked the left side of his body, which sent him flying to wall.
"Impossible! the man who was sitting suddenly jumped from his seat.
"Zero!?" he said fearfully.
"Yes thats right" Harvey said confidently
"So what?! He's just a level zero! We can also take him on!"
Then both men charged towards me. I then ran in-between them and kicked both of them behind, which sent them straight to the floor and at the feet of Harvey. I got both of them from their shirts and threw them both to the other side of the room.
"Why did they steal equipment from the hospital? Is Purple Sword still alive?" I thought to myself
"Why did you guys steal equipment from people who need it the most!" I shouted at them "Who are you trying to kill, why are you trying to kill innocent lives!?"
"Don't say that to us" one of them said
"You wouldn't understand!" another said
"YEAH I don't! But ending the lives of innocent people is sick!" I said angrily as I kicked both of their chests.
"Wow! Harvey said "I'd expect nothing less from Zero, beating up people and giving them an inspiring speech at the same time. Vigilante work really if your forte" as he gave me an applause and laughing in a sarcastic manner at me as if he was teasing me.
I looked at him with a deathly glance hoping he would stop his non-sense.
"So is this what they stole?" I showed Harvey a small sealed box with a stamp that says RESTRICTED HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT. He stopped his applause and took a clear look at the box.
"Yeah this is what they stole"
He extended his hand towards me and he touched my hand for a moment which solicited a deathly glare version 2 (red eyed monster)
"Ah Taisuke has a gift for me I'm so happy! Thank You Taisuke!" I just looked at Harvey with utter disgust for his stupidness. I handed him his the box
"Here you go Harvey" Harvey took the box from me then smoothly rubbed my hand before taking hold of the box
As we left the building we headed back to Harvey's house.
"Wait a minute." I said
"Why am I escorting you home" I said annoyingly
"Why not? I can't have the powerful Zero escort me home? Besides we have have to return this equipment." Harvey replied sadly
"Fine, I guess I can accompany you home" I said,
"Yes!" Harvey jumped in the air and as he landed he made a childish pose. I just passed him and continued to walk towards his home.
"Wait for MEEEEEEE!" Harvey said as he ran towards me.
I stood in front of the same two-story house and remembered the good times I had when Harvey invites to go to his house.
"Taisukeeeeeeeeee." Harvey said as his face came closer to me slowly I pushed his face away from me with my right hand and preceded to unlock his front door with the key Harvey gave me.
"I'm home!" Harvey said happily and his two sisters immediately came rushing towards him and one of them hugged him.
"Welcome home Onii-Chan!" they both said in unison.
One of them looked at me
"Taisuke!" she said
"Yeah, I'm home Sable".
"You know what Taisuke Onii-Chan will be eating with us tonight!" Harvey announced happily with his hand up in the air to his two sisters.
"Huh?" I thought to myself.
Author's Note: Review Please! :) Even placing a character would do!
