Chapter 4: Incident

A/N: Here is chapter 4! I had problems with this one, since I really lack the experience. However, I love writing and the To Aru series has really been growing on me, so I persevered. ^^ Ah well, further notes can be found at the bottom, so read on!

***England

Kaori Kanzaki felt a sense of relief. Index had decided to live her life rather than throwing it away. A small, sad smile appeared on her face as she stood atop a cliff, overlooking the horizon wistfully. She viewed Index as a little sister, so she had panicked when Stiyl had told her that Index could lose her memories again.

However, that panic also stemmed from the knowledge that Kamijou Touma's sacrifice would have been in vain. She had learnt of his memory loss via Index and was stunned. How could he fight on like that? With no memory of whom he was or what he is. Nothing. He had charged into a battlefield with only months of living and yet, despite all that, he had stood unwavering in the face of crisis. With nothing to hold. And yet, he had held everything. Their hopes, their future and their admiration.

He was a man guided by his heart. And what a heart he had, to continue looking forward without a past to guide him. Kaori shifted ever so slightly, the only sign of her inner turmoil. What had he meant to her, really?

A friend? Maybe.

A crush? No way!

So what space in her heart did he occupy? Why was she grieving so? The news of his death had struck her so deeply, resonating with a sorrow held deep within her heart. At that moment, it had seemed as though someone had just ripped her heart out. This feeling of emptiness was different from what she had experienced before.

"Touma…" she whispered softly, looking up at the night sky as she tried to sort out her feelings, "why do I feel so…"

"Pontiff-sama!" a distressed call rang out and the Saint turned, her face losing all expression as an Amasuka church member burst out from the forest.

"What is it?" she asked, swiftly making her way towards him.

"It's that miko-girl, Himegami or something. She's been kidnapped. We think it's a vampire!" the member reported, panting from his frenzied sprint.

"What?" Kanzaki's eyes widened in shock. A vampire, here? Vampires were beings unknown to most magicians and while research had actually been carried out, it was said that the vampires had wiped out all who had come close to exposing them. But why Himegami? Kaori did not have time to ponder further, the helpless girl was in danger. She had to rescue her.

"I'm on it," she said, taking off in the direction of the church.

*** English Anglican Church

Himegami Aisa stared silently at the full moon. A million thoughts were running through her mind, each trying to take precedence in her mind. Why did you leave us, Kamijou-kun? Did you not promise everyone that you would return?

Were it in her power, Aisa would have gone after him herself. But she could not. She was powerless, an ordinary girl that was saved by him. There was nothing she could have done to save him, to repay him.

Himegami had often wondered if she should have been saved at all. All she ever did was to cause everyone trouble. She was of no use to them at all. She dreamed of saving people, of possessing a power that could save people that had been abandoned. What the harsh reality set in though, she had despaired.

As an Epser, she had an AIM field. Even though it was being suppressed by her Holy Cross, the fact was that attempting to learn magic would probably kill her. So, in the end, she had nothing. Nothing.

So engrossed was she in her thoughts that she had not noticed something moving within the shadows. A flash of darkness and Himegami suddenly found herself in a lock. "Who?" she tried to struggle but the shadow's inhuman strength held her in place with barely any effort at all.

"Something smells good," the shadow rasped, "why does it draw me in like this, even though I don't want to…"

Aisa's eyes widened, she recognized this yearning from the being, a need she knew all too well. Vampire! But how, was her ability not sealed?

The vampire sniffed again, a rumbling groan escaping his lips. "Damn it, forgive me, whoever you are," the vampire growled as he buried his teeth into her shoulder. Himegami cried out, the pain unbearable as the vampire sank his teeth into her shoulder to drain her blood.

The vampire suddenly released Himegami, a choked gasp escaping his lips as he stumbled, hitting the wall with a small 'thud'. And now, he'll turn to ash, Himegami thought dizzily as she fell to her knees. The wounds were already beginning to close and heal, since Vampires seemed to have natural healing saliva, ostensibly to hide their existence from would-be researchers.

But the Vampire did not turn to ash as she had expected. Instead, the vampire's glazed eyes cleared and the wild, crazed look disappeared, replaced by bewilderment. His hand came up, palming it against his face wearily. "What am I doing here?" his eyes swiveled to lock on Himegami.

"You're not turning into a vampire? Why? In fact, drinking your blood seems to have suppressed my vampire-half," the man muttered, "What's going on? Who are you? Why do you look like her?"

Himegami could only reply with the only way she knew how.

She screamed.

***?

An Amakusa member immediately burst into the room, a sword at the ready. He had found a window unlocked nearby and the fact that he had remembered closing it before heading to the restroom was sufficient motivation for him to remain extra cautious. The scream had only served to confirm his suspicions. Someone was here.

Still, why the Esper?

Daido had no answers for that. The man standing beside the Esper, his hand covering the girl's mouth, turned to look at him with an annoyed expression. "You just had to scream, didn't you," the silver-haired stranger sighed, "What a pain."

"Oi," Daido brandished his sword threateningly, "let the lady go."

The silver-haired man's onyx eyes gave Daido a swift, cursory appraisal. Then, he snorted. "No."

Daido needed no further encouragement. He charged. The intruder's hand snapped up with incredible speed, and a wind-propelled magic attack sent Daido flying out of the room and crashing into the wall.

Himegami gave muffled yell of protest, struggling in the man's grasp violently at the sight of Daido's hunched over figure. The fact that the man had dispatched the magician so easily had renewed her efforts to escape, much to the man's consternation. Reacting quickly, he delivered a hard blow to the side of her head, knocking her out instantly.

The vampire ran through whatever facts he knew quickly. He was in an English Church, surrounded by Magicians and this girl… why did she look so much like Tayu? Furthermore, how was she able to suppress his vampire powers? Was she another Magician? Or a- his ears picked up the sounds of incoming people. Frowning, he made his decision. He needed answers. And this girl would provide it to him. Lifting her as though she were weightless, he draped her over his shoulder and ran.

Several people rounded the corner and he cursed as one threw a rope that rapidly transformed into a net. "Tch, this style of magic!" He jumped back, his left hand morphing into claws as he ripped apart the magic net. "Amakusa… which means…" He immediately realized the danger he was in.

"Guess I'll have to make this flashy," he muttered to himself as more rounded the corner from his back this time. "Oh Lord of Phantoms, give your vessel the tool, the everlasting weapon of darkness, its form is a scythe… BREAK THROUGH!"

Darkness erupted from his form, a sea of magic blasting both ways in the narrow corridor. The Amakusan's reacted immediately, diving for cover as the massive magic attack was conjured. The magic surrounding the church crackled, seeking to enforce the barriers in place. But the blast, concentrated in two directions, was effective enough to disrupt the barrier, shattering the windows even as the walls held.

"The hell?" Tatemiya was both amazed and awestruck. That one spell had done so much damage! Granted, the barriers were meant to repel external attacks and so its internal defense was lacking but still, "What kind of spell is that?" he muttered as he clambered to his feet. A flash of silver had him chasing after the intruder, with him barking a command in the process.

"Find pontiff-sama immediately!" his eyes fixed on the enemy's claws, "Tell her… I think it's a vampire."

One member nodded and took off in the direction where their Supreme Pontiff was last seen.

*** Forest

"Still after me?" the vampire scowled, "Troublesome. But I should have expected as much from Amakusa magicians." His musings were interrupted as he twisted to the left on instinct. A fire blade cruised past him, grazing his skin and eliciting a hiss of pain of his lips. Stopping, he glanced around warily.

"I don't think I need to tell you this," a voice drawled, "but you should put the girl down before you get hurt, whoever you are."

The silver haired man grimaced, of all the luck to have run into another magician in a forest of all places. He turned to face the owner of the voice. And stared blankly. A man stood before him with red hair, a bar code like tattoo under his right eye, silver rings, a black priest robe and a cigarette dangling between his lips.

"You're… an odd priest," the silver haired man said slowly, "why are you smoking in a forest?"

"Why? That's because… eh?" Stiyl blinked, catching himself. What was he doing answering the intruder's questions? "That's beside the point. Hand her over." He gestured for the man to give Himegami to him, while his free arm conjured yet another fire sword.

"Sorry, no." the man jumped an impossibly high distance towards the trees, "you wouldn't want to set the forest on fire… would you?" he shot back as he made his escape.

Stiyl cursed in a manner that would have made Archbishop Laura squeal. The intruder was right, he could not afford to set the forest on fire. But still, it was odd, what would he want with Himegami? She had absolutely no value at all.

Unless…

Stiyl blinked in disbelief. "It can't be… a Vampire? What on earth?" A million questions were racing through his head but no answers were forthcoming in the least. He took out his phone, giving chase in the direction where the supposed vampire had taken off. Imputing the number for long-distance calls, he called the only one who could have the possible information he needed.

"This is Tsuchimikado, nya~" Tsuchimikado's answered, his words slightly slurred, leading Stiyl to wonder if he had been drinking.

"Oi, sober up!" Stiyl barked, "I need information on Vampires!"

The line went silent. Stiyl could feel Tsuchimikado's attention emanate from the phone and he could almost picture the spy sitting up straight at the unexpected request.

"What about them?" Tsuchimikado's voice was business-like now and any sign of him being drunk went out the window.

"One has just kidnapped Himegami Aisa. You know, the girl with the ability Deep Blood? Thing is, I spotted blood on his cheek, so he obviously drank from her. The thing is: he's not dead." Stiyl explained.

"Hmmm," Tschumikado mused aloud, "Vampires are nomads, so I'm not surprised one is in England. As to why he's not dead, it's probably because Himegami's 'Walking Church' is suppressing her ability and curbed the killing effect or… he's really powerful nya~."

"Tch, I didn't actually expect to meet a real vampire here. Do you know the difference between the real ones and myths?" Stiyl raised his hand, a rune card at the ready as he prepared a search spell.

"Well, Vampires are a nocturnal race. They are not entirely supernatural. More like a human that evolved from supernatural energies from a demon, nya~. As such, this gives them enormous strength and speed, as well enhanced senses. They don't turn to ash in the sunlight though but their energies turn off in the day and are only active the night. That's why they are pretty harmless in the day." Tsuchimikado explained, "That's the more common vampires nya~"

"Common?"

"Vampires are differentiated according to region nya. All vampires have different powers and habits depending on the region in which they originated. It's very difficult to tell them apart but…" Tsuchimikado paused, "the ones that have evolved further are easier to identify."

"Evolved further? Like an Esper level?" Stiyl began moving again as his rune card activated, flying off in the direction of the fleeing vampire.

"Something like that. The whole blood drinking thing is not really clear to me but blood magic is a very potent type of sorcery that can be exceptionally dangerous. Similarly, the blood powers their supernatural energies. I'm not sure how it happens but there are some whose supernatural energies simply grow with each feeding. Those become 'Lords' and are inducted into the Cabal." Tsuchimikado continued.

"A Cabal! Are you joking?" Stiyl yelled in response to that.

"I'm not. I have actually been in contact with the Cabal before, believe it or not. I'm also the first to have actually walked away alive, so trust me on this nya~ But don't tell anyone, the Cabal will kill me if they find out. They are very particular about secrecy, nya~" Tsuchimikado warned.

"But a secret society of beings that are rumored to have unlimited magic potential? Argh," Stiyl could feel a growing headache, "if they are so concerned about secrecy, why bust into the church and kidnap Himegami?"

"For one thing, he's acting alone. If the Cabal was crazy enough to attack a church, they'd make sure nothing would ever come out there alive," Tsuchimikado pointed out, "and since he's acting alone, he was probably drawn in by the Deep Blood's scent. I remember she was still wearing the 'Walking Church', so I would say that he's a Romanian vampire as they have incredible senses and from the fact that he could smell the Deep Blood even in its suppressed state. Just be careful nya~, I'm not there, so I can't help in any way."

"This just gets more and more complicated," Stiyl muttered, "thanks for the information, I'll call if I need anything else."

"Don't die Stiyl," Tsuchimikado's voice was strangely soft, "we've lost enough already."

Stiyl stopped, a sigh escaping his lips, "Yeah, I know. Thanks." He cut the line, a heavy feeling in his chest. "Damn it, why did you have to die, Kamijou Touma," he growled, his fist hitting a tree in frustration. A sound alerted him to reinforcements and he quickly composed himself.

Turning, he looked up just as Kaori Kanzaki and Tatemiya landed beside him.

*** Academy City

"Onee-sama, Kuroko needs to head to Judgment for a while," shooting a worried glance at the Level 5's despondent figure, Kuroko could not help but grimace and curse the name Kamijou Touma. He had turned Onee-sama, a usually so cheerful girl, into a wreck! "Onee-sama, you cannot carry on like this. You'll fall sick at this rate. I think you should take a walk outside, get some fresh air," the Teleporter fussed.

Misaka met Kuroko's worried look with a wan smile. "Yeah, I think I can do that," with that, she staggered to her feet, slowly making her way outside.

Kuroko bit her lip in frustration. She had no idea how to help Onee-sama but hopefully, if Uiharu had managed to dig up relevant information about that ape, then maybe she would be able to understand. "Onee-sama said he saved her life. And he always seems to be in the middle of trouble. Even that time, when we were retrieving the remnant, he was there. Just what is his role in all this? How did he die?" Kuroko mused aloud as she stepped out of the dormitory.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to be wondering about questions she had no answers to. Uiharu was probably the only one that could answer them right now. Staring at Misaka's back one last time, Kuroko teleported.

*** Misaka

Misaka was not aware of the people around her. To her, it was as though she were detached from the world entirely. Everything seemed to pass by in a blur, their actions insignificant.

Dimly, she wondered what she would do from now on. Everything just seemed to have lost meaning for her. Damn it, Touma. Look what you've done to me! Misaka scolded inwardly. She had never pegged herself as a girl that would actually pine over a man but here she was.

Her brief sense of life evaporated as the stark reality caught up with her again. He was truly gone. "I… What do I do…" she whispered, leaning against the wall wearily.

"Onee-sama…" a lower, more toneless version of her voice called out to her. Misaka's eyes flew open, instantly recognizing the person in front of her.

Misaka Imouto or 10032 stood before her in a Tokiwadai uniform, her eyes reflecting Misaka Mikoto's own sorrow. Misaka Imouto reached out tentatively, overcome by a strange, heavy feeling in her chest. It had hurt to lose their savior but seeing her Onee-sama in such a state… She could feel a strange wetness staining her cheeks and realized that she was shedding tears involuntarily.

Misaka Mikoto saw the proffered arm and the tears on Misaka Imouto's cheeks with shock. She could feel a lump stuck in her throat, a myriad of emotions finally welling up and overriding her emotionless state. Her own arms reached out, finally daring to do what she had always distanced herself from. She drew her sister into a tight, warm hug.

Misaka Imouto stiffened for a second at the unexpected intimacy before she finally relaxed, returning the embrace wholeheartedly with yet another strange emotion in her chest. Onee-sama is… warm…

And so they stood, finding comfort in each others arms.

Author's Notes: Ok, so this chapter was really difficult for me to write. I'd almost forgot the existence of Himegami Aisa and when I remembered, I felt so guilty that I had to work her in and boy, did she.

Vampires are never truly explained in To Aru but the information I picked up was that they were feared and that no Magicians have ever survived an encounter with one. The explanation of how they were not entirely supernatural was born of the discussion I had with Flailing Orchid, so credits go to her for the inspiration. For those of you who don't know the author, she has two works in the To Aru section: Akuma no Kiss and The Phoenix Conundrum, so check it out, it's a great read. ^^

Himegami Aisa is a character that can be related to and I will probably give her a bigger role in my story. As for the mysterious vampire, he's an OC that I created a while back but had no idea where to place him until recently.

So, if you have the time, please review and as usual, constructive criticism is appreciated. ^^ More reviews = faster updates. XP

Oh, I'm also taking fanfiction requests as sort of a challenge to myself, so go to my profile if you want details. Until next time folks! ^^