Touma and Index were heading towards the Public Bath. At the mere mention of it, had Index jumping up and down like a kid going to an amusement park. He guessed it was because there wasn't anything like it from where she came from.

As soon as they borrowed some clothing from Komoe-sensei for Index to wear, they headed to the public bath.

Index was humming a happy tune as they walked towards the public bath.

Touma had picked up a change of clothing and towel for himself. Index was borrowing clothing from Komoe-sensei as they had proven to be of similar size.

"Are you that happy?" Touma inquired. "We're just going for a bath."

"Yup!" She then faced him and started to swing her hands around in the air, "Touma, Touma, Komoe said a Japanese bath is like, soaking in the tub while enjoying a cup of milk tea with Fujiyama behind and small little ducks all over."

She had once again shown her ability to perfectly memorize things that she had heard or seen. Touma shook his head. "It seems a little bit too unbelievable don't you think? Don't you have any common sense despite having that super memory of yours?"

"Hmm? I've been in Japan for about a year." Index said.

"Is that so?"

"But the memories before that, are all gone."

This made Touma stop at his tracks. 'All of your memories before that... is gone?'

Index continued, "When I regained consciousness I was all alone. I couldn't even remember my name. The only thing that ran in my mind was Index and magicians... I was afraid."

"So you probably don't know how you lost your memories." Touma stated more than asked, his tone hard.

"Yeah..." She then faced him. "Are you angry?"

"Eh? At who?" Touma feigned ignorance. He was angry... but not at Index.

"You! You are angry, your tone has changed!"

"I'm not angry. I have a good tolerance level." Which was true, since his life of misfortune had made his patience and tolerance higher than a normal person. If he didn't adapt, he would have snapped ages ago.

'Now I understand. The reason she acted pretty weird in the last few days.' Touma thought as he looked back at the three days they stayed at Komoe-sensei's house.

'Touma, Touma.'

'What is it?' He asked.

'Nothing.' She would reply. 'Even though there's nothing I need, I find it interesting to call just call your name.'

'To me those things are just normal boring stuff.' Touma thought. 'But to her... it's a whole new experience.'

The mage that he had knocked unconscious a few days back flashed before his mind his fist clenching, he unconsciously blamed that said man for Index's predicament. "That bastard... If I can just punch him 30 more times!"

"So you really are angry." Index pointed out observing his body language.

"Yes! I am angry!" Touma yelled without thinking.

"Touma, you're a big jerk!" She said as she ran away.

'Wait, did I say something bad?' Touma thought as he watched Index run away. He sighed, she didn't even know who the target of his anger was anyway.

As Index disappeared from his line of sight, he immediately noticed the lack of human presence around him. 'What the... there isn't anyone around... A rune?'

"Index get back -"

"Stiyl has placed Opilia Runes all over the area."

Touma stopped and looked over at the voice.

A woman with long black hair and a nodachi with her had appeared.

"'One that cleanses God and exorcises demons huh?'" The woman said. "What a nice name."

"You -"

"I'm Kanzaki Kaori." The woman interrupted. "If possible, before I tell you my other name, can you hand over Index?"

Touma then remembered that the mage he had fought before said he had a parnter. She's probably the partner of that magician and the one that wounded Index.'

"What if I say no?" Touma said as he prepared himself for battle.

"Then I have no choice." She then drew her sword, as she did this a shockwave blew one of the air generators right behind him. The blade of the generator fell in the ground right behind Touma.

Touma took a nervous step back. That was completely different from what the other mage could do!

"I will ask again. I wish to take Index before I say my other name." Kanzaki said as she sheathed her sword once more.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Touma said as he tried to maintain his cool, though his legs were shaking against his own volition. "I have no reason to surrender to you!"

"I will repeat myself no matter how many times necessary." She said as she closed her eyes and prepared to unsheathe her sword. However, she didn't unsheathe it but three shock-waves started to head towards Touma's direction.

The shock-waves passed by him, completely missing him. 'Damn... I'm under her mercy if I can't even see where and how these attacks are coming... but one thing's for sure... It's not supernatural. I can't sense 'it'.'

"The speed of the slash wreathed by Shichiten Shichitou, Nanasen, kills someone over seven times over a period we refer to as a 'split second.'" Kanzaki explained. "It isn't wrong to refer to the technique as Instant death."

"Damn..." Touma muttered under his breath. 'My right hand is useless in something like this... not to mention I still can't see a single attack. But... I can't give up.' Touma clenched his right hand. 'No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for such an attack to be possible for a normal human. So if the magic isn't in the attack, could it mean that she's using magic to increase her physical strength?'

Kanzaki, noticing Touma's movement, spoke, "I have received the reports from Stiyl. For some reason, your right hand can neutralize magic... but wouldn't that mean that as long as you don't touch it with your right hand, you wouldn't be able to do that?"

'Now what... she already knows my plan of action.' Touma thought as he desperately tried to find a way to beat the opponent before him. 'Leap straight to her without any thoughts?' Clenching his fists, he started to run towards her.

"Nanasen." She muttered as three shock-waves began racing through the ground.

'By calculating the distance apart from each shock-wave, once it reaches a certain distance away from the wielder, I can then use that to pass through that small gap!' Touma thought as he ran towards the shock-wave.

As soon as the visible shock-wave was about to reach him, he side stepped to the perceived blind-spot. Immediately he began to feel as if his whole body was being cut. 'I dodged it didn't I?' Was the only thought that ran through his mind.

Touma collapsed onto all fours. He had several cuts around his body and he was breathing hard. As he checked his surroundings light was reflecting thin lines around the woman in front of him. 'Ultra-thin wires?'

Touma attempted to stand up.

"I don't know why you're trying so hard, give up! You can't hope to win." Kanzaki said to him.

"You're using ultra-thin wires, for your Nanasen?" Touma asked.

"I already told you that I heard Stiyl's story." She said. Though she was honestly surprised that he figured it out that early.

"Then your nodachi is -"

"My Shichiten Shichitou is not an object for decoration." She interrupted. "What awaits you after going through Nanasen, is the truth, Yuisen. More importantly, I have yet to mention my magic name." She then closed her eyes, "Please don't make me mention it young man."

'Does she want me to surrender?' Touma clenched his hand. "Never."

"What did you say?"

"Shut up." Touma stood up, struggling to maintain his balance. "I said shut up, you emotionless bastard!"

Kanzaki's eyes narrowed as she muttered, "Nanasen."

Another shock-wave headed to Touma, but this time he maneuvered his body away from the shock-wave.

'I knew it... she isn't trying to kill me.' Touma thought as he avoided the attack. He had predicted the direction that the attack would come from with the basis she wasn't trying to kill him. Had he been wrong, he would have been heavily injured or worse, killed.

Kanzaki dashed towards Touma and attempted to stab him using the scabbard of her nodachi. Touma, avoided the attack, but was immediately knocked to the ground by a follow up kick from Kanzaki.

Touma tried to stand up once again, but was stopped when Kanzaki placed her feet hard on his chest.

"Isn't this quite enough?" She asked as she walked away from him. She then looked at him straight in the eye. "I don't believe you have any reason to be fighting, this much for her."

"Why?" He asked as he struggled to breath. "Why aren't you killing me? If you wanted to you could have given me your 'instant death' anytime."

Touma brought himself to his knees once again, "Then you should know right? Chasing a little girl through the crowds... slashing her back with your nodachi... shouldn't be tolerated right? Did you know that she lost her memories because of you people? How badly did you chase her to make her lose even her memories?"

Touma looked at the ground pitifully. "I'm the kind of loser that always fights desperately – and yet I wasn't even able to protect a single girl... I'm powerless, that can only watch as you people take her away... but you're different aren't you? With the power that you have, you can protect whoever and whatever you want, you can save whoever and whatever you want... yet why is this the only action you're taking?"

"I'm not..." She said as she could no longer look Touma at the eye. "I'm not doing this because I want to... the organization I belong to is Necessariius..."

'Necessarius?' Touma thought. "But isn't that the same Church that Index belongs to?"

"She is my friend." Kanzaki admitted. "A very important friend..." She then faced him. "I didn't intend to slash her back either! I didn't... know that her Walking Church had been destroyed... I only slashed her knowing she wouldn't be injured. Yet..."

"Wait!" Touma said as he couldn't make sense of what she was saying. "Why did you even slashed your friend from behind in the first place?"

"If I don't secure her in that manner, she wouldn't be able to live." She replied. "Her perfect memorization ability... that is the reason behind all this."

"The grimoires... are you referring to her 103,000 grimoires?" Touma asked.

Kanzaki nodded.

"She said that they were all inputted into her brain..." Touma trailed off.

"The human's brain capacity is rather minimal." Kanzaki explained. "But, by forgetting unnecessary memories, one is unconsciously organizing their own brain. That's why humans are able to live. However... she can't do that."

"…" Touma remained silent. He had read about this after all. He was no means an expert regarding memories or the mind of a human, but he had read that perfect memorization can sometimes be a curse to those that had it.

"From the number of leaves on a tree she passed by, to the faces of everyone moving at rush hour or even the shape of every single drop of rain. Her brain fills up immediately with unnecessary information."

"Wait! Wait just a second!" Touma stood up, his confusion overriding the pain that his injuries are causing him. "If you're from the same organization, then why is Index calling you evil magicians? Or are you telling me that Index... lied to me?"

"She has not lied to you." Kanzaki replied. "The fact that we are all members of Necessarius nor the real reason why she's being chased... she doesn't remember any of this."

'But the memories before that are all gone.' The words of Index earlier ago rang throughout Touma's mind.

"That is why she is forced to make her own judgment..." Kanzaki continued. "That it is logical to think the magicians after the 103,000 grimoires are from the Magic Cabal."

"But Index has perfect memorization, right?" Touma asked. "Why did she lose her memory from this past year in the first place?"

"She did not lose her memory... we erased it to be exact."

"Erased? With magic? But why?" Touma asked his mind in turmoil. "You were Index's friend aren't you? Wasn't Index an important friend of yours? Then why?"

"Because we had no choice but to erase her memories."

"Huh?"

"Because if we didn't... she would have died."

'She would die?' Touma thought, his mind conflicted.

"85% of her brain is allocated to the 103,000 grimoires." Kanzaki explained. "That is why she can only use 15% of a normal person's brain capacity. If information keeps flooding to the remaining 15%, her brain will..."

"Wait! That's not right! 85%? The human brain doesn't work that way! Or are you telling me that Index isn't human?" Touma demanded. "If that's indeed true to all who has perfect memorization, all the people who had that condition would have had their mind destroyed by 5 or 6 years old!"

"Are you telling me that the Church lied to us!" She said losing her composure for the first time during the encounter. She then took a calming breath. "Memory erasure takes place in exact one year periods." Kanzaki continued after calming down. "Memory erasure wouldn't be possible if it didn't occur at that exact moment... and there's only three more days left."

"Three days..." Touma said to himself.

"We have no intention of harming her." Kanzaki said. "Rather, no one is able to save her other than us. So I will ask again, can you hand her over to us before I mention my magic name? And by erasing her memory, she won't remember anything about you, no matter how much you think of her. Saving her brings you no benefit at all."

"This is wrong!" Touma shouted.

"Huh?"

"Like this has anything to do with whether she remembers me or not, or the fact that your information is wrong according to what I know..." Touma clenched his fists. "If you don't get it, then let me tell you why... it's because I'm Index's friend! I've always been her friend and always will be! Even if it isn't written in the Bible, at least this is true!"

"I knew something was weird." Touma continued. "If it's as simple as her forgetting things, all you need to do is explain everything and clear that misunderstanding. Why do you leave it as a misunderstanding? Why do you chase her as an enemy? How dare you just give up on her like that? What about her own feeling -"

"Shut up!" Kanzaki roared, her voice filled with fury. "Don't talk as if you knew what's going on! What do you think we went through all this time by taking away her memories? Apparently you see Stiyl as an enemy, but do you even know how he felt when he watched you two? Do you even know how much resolve he had when he presented himself as an enemy?"

Her voice quieted down, "Stiyl's feelings as he dishonors himself for the sake of saving his important friend... would someone like you have any clue?" She then dashed to him and made to kick his head.

Touma quickly reacted by ducking from the kick, but couldn't recover in time to dodge the follow up kick.

The kick knocked him to the ground once again, as he looked up the descending form of Kanzaki with her nodachi still sheathed was quickly coming down on him. "We did what we could do!"

Just as the nodachi was about to impact his head, he immediately rolled to the side and stood up.

"We did, I tell you!" She yelled as she made to hit him with her sword.

Touma, his energy drained due to his injuries, could no longer dodge the attacks that kept on coming.

"We spent all spring! All summer! All fall! All winter!" She said as she kept hitting Touma with her sword. She kept hitting him as she released everything that she had kept locked up within her stoic facade. "We created memories, and so that she didn't forget them, we made a single promise with her, and we gave her a diary and album for her to carry inside her heart!" She tried to stab the sheathed sword once again to Touma's head, but Touma moved his head in time to avoid it. She then stopped attacking, "... it didn't work... even when we went back and made more memories with her, no matter how many times we repeated that... memories of her family, friends and lovers... they were all erased."

"We couldn't handle it anymore." She continued her voice filled with pain. "We couldn't bear to see her smile anymore!"

"That's wrong." Touma gasped as he grasped the nodachi that was lodge onto the ground right next to his head. Using it to help himself up, he continued, "That's just your own messed up logic..."

Kanzaki's eyes widened at his declaration.

"You didn't think for Index's sake for a single moment!" Touma said as he slowly stood up. "Don't blame your weakness on Index! If you're so scared of seeing her lose one year's worth of memories... If you just give her more blessed memories the next year... If she knows there's happiness waiting for her the following year, to conquer her fear of losing this year's memories... then no one needs to run away anymore! Isn't that all there is to this?"

Touma then stood up at his own two feet, "Are you protecting protecting people just because you have power?" Without waiting for her to answer he continued, "No, right? That's not how it is right? You acquired power because you have something you want to protect, right?"

Kanzaki was beginning to falter at the words being uttered by the high school student before her.

"Why did you acquire power? Who did you want to protect with those hands?" Touma said his breathing getting more harsher as he tried to keep his consciousness. "Then what the hell are you doing here? With that much power, with such a versatile power, why... are you... so incompetent!" Clenching his fists once again, he knew he couldn't hope to defeat her. But if he could just deliver his message! Even if it was just for a moment, let his message, no let it at least shake up her delusions! He cocked his right hand back and delivered the strongest punch he could muster. "Then I'll shake up your illusions, here and now!" As his fist impacted Kanzaki's face, he blacked out as his injuries finally caught up to him.

Kanzaki stood there in silence. The fact that the boy had managed to brush his hands towards her face didn't even register to her as she thought back to how the boy shattered her will to fight with his words.

"All done?" The voice of Stiyl Magnus brought her out of her thoughts.

Without turning, she nodded.

"I see..."

Author's Notes:

Here's chapter 4 of Keeper.

Not much to say except that not much had changed in comparison to the manga and anime. The way he received most of his injuries in this part was mainly due to a miscalculation on how the attack actually worked. He had initially guessed that it was some sort of shock-wave, but due to the miscalculation, he had gotten more injuries had he stood in place. As for the fact that he didn't use magic despite knowing about it, he may have the information, but he's still hesitant on using it – the fact that Index mentioned a simple mistake could cause severe injuries to a non-magician was practically enough for him to refrain from using magic unless it's absolutely necessary.

The Index Arc would probably have little deviation from the original until near the end (even then it's quite minimal). The one that will have the most change would probably be the Kazakiri Hyouka Arc – not going to say much for now since I'm still writing this arc and revising the Sisters Arc.

Like usual, if there's any mistakes – be it grammatical or information wise, or something doesn't make sense at all – then place it in the reviews (as I've stated before, I tend to overlook small details or even big ones since I don't have a beta reader – and I'm a bit too lazy to look for one, with college and all). That's not to say, I don't want reviews that generally praises the work. A simple 'Great Job' could do wonders in my motivation to write – so please review if you happen to like the story. Again, no flames, please.

Next chapter would be out in 1 to 2 weeks.