Chapter 7 –AWASE NARUSHI
"Did you have a wonderful dream?" A melodious voice asked as my eyes fluttered open, blurring and adjusting themselves to the bright light of the morning. The owner of the voice giggled and I felt movement from my side. "Your hair is all messed up, stupid." She said as her hands went up and fixed my spiky, permanently messy, hair.
"Oh, stop that." I said, yawning out and stretching my arms. "It feels weird when you do that, especially now that I know who you are, Narushi."
"Don't be so mean." Narushi pouted as she stepped back and smiled at me. "I'm not asking you to treat me any differently, the time will come when you do it of your own accord, but in this time frame, I'm your friend. So treat me as one."
"Well, aren't you a demanding little thing." I joked around as I looked out the window, only to be greeted by the familiar sight of the sky, a huge tree, the sun, Friedrich and Josephine sitting on a tree branch, the clou—WAIT WHAT?! "What the hell are you guys doing there?!" I screamed, making Friedrich chuckle as he carried Josephine bridal style and jumped from the branch into my room.
"Good day to you, Master Kamijou." Josephine bowed and smiled. "I hope you had a great rest. Your body needs it very much. Please do take care of yourself more. Mistress Mikoto would've wanted that for you too, you know. Not that I need to remind you of any of that."
"Uhh..."
"It's good to see you awake too, Kamijou-kun." Friedrich greeted as he set Josephine down. "We've been wondering when you'd notice us. I can't believe it took you so long."
"Well then sorry." Touma said dryly. "I usually have visitors waiting outside my door, not my freaking window, so pardon me if I hadn't even bothered to notice your pedohilic existence."
"Your banters aside..." Narushi commented, making all of us turn to her. "I've already explained things, well, a few of the things, to them, Idiot Touma. They know the gist of the situation, but now that you're awake, I guess I can finally say it."
"Look you guys, I know we're all in a hurry to find out the truth here, but I am honestly starving. How long was I out anyway?" I said, rubbing my stomach. Narushi sighed, before she shook her head with a amused smile. She turned her back and took the small bag from the chair she sat on and placed it on my lap.
"I knew you'd say that, so I made this for you." She said proudly. I couldn't help but smile as I dared to open the contents of the bento box inside the bag she gave me.
"Are you sure you should be looking so proud right now?" I asked, trying to look as disgusted as possible. "Mikoto was honestly a disaster in the kitchen, and anything she made caused a riot in your stomach too, usually lasting a week or so. What more could you be?"
"What the hell are you saying?" Narushi asked with a confused expression. "The Mikoto that I knew was a pretty decent cook. I mean, sure she's not 5 star restaurant chef quality, but the meals she cooks are really good too! She was the one who taught me how to cook, so I can at least assure you they're edible, even though they're probably not as good as hers."
"With what you said, I therefore conclude that you live in a completely different dimension from us!" I whined. Seriously. I know Mikoto is smart and talented in everything, EXCEPT COOKING. And she even admits that. So why does Narushi know differently?
"Oh shut up and eat." Narushi waved me off as she pulled the chair closer and sat on it. "While you do, I'll go on with my explanation, okay?" I nodded and opened the lid of the bento box. It was tamagoyaki (friend eggs Japanese style) with octopus shaped hotdogs, some vegetables and rice balls. Friedrich leaned on the window sill while Josephine stood up straight in her usual formal posture. I took a bite of the tamagoyaki and—HELL. It was good. I tried the rice balls, and somehow, it reminded me of Mikoto.
"Okay, let me just say this before all else okay?" Narushi looked at me, trying to be as calm as possible, but I knew that look. It was the same look on Mikoto's face whenever we were doing taste tests of the food she cooks. "Mikoto was definitely the one who taught you how to make these. The tamagoyaki, I'm still skeptical, but as for the rice balls, there's no doubt about it. Only Mikoto could make rice balls taste like this."
"She told me that you'd say that too." Narushi said with a sentimental smile on her face. She fake coughed before turning all serious again. "Anyway, putting that aside, I know that a lot of you probably had doubts in me, right from the very beginning, right?"
"I'm pretty sure we were right about that though, little missy." Friedrich answered, with that familiar grin of his. I suddenly felt this urge to kick him out of the window. Narushi did act like a child, and she was pretty cute too. Damn pedophile.
"Get your head out of the gutter, Claude." I muttered. "Or else you'll decapitate yourself."
"Courtesy of your right hand no less, I presume?" He laughed. "Don't worry though. My intentions of her have been stripped clean the very second I was introduced to her, despite not knowing anything."
"Damn right they should be stripped. They shouldn't even exist in the first place!" Narushi crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes twitching with irritation. "But seriously, I need to get this story started with because we are extremely pressed for time. So no more stupid interruptions, got it?" Friedrich and I just nodded as I took another bite. Damn this is good.
"Well, now that that's settled, I want to tell you that my mom is in deep trouble." She said, fingers fiddling with the ring on her ring finger. I blanked out at her. What the hell is she—
"Your mother?" Josephine asked. "Are you...referring to—"
"Misaka Mikoto." Narushi answered straightforwardly. "Oh wait, I guess that isn't her name anymore. It should be Kamijou Mikoto, right? Since she will be married to this idiot of a man after all." She said pointing to me.
"Ah, I thought so." Josephine smiled, before taking a small bow again. "In that case, please allow me to greet you properly, Young Lady Narushi, since you are, after all, Mistress Mikoto's daughter."
"I never expected you to say that so casually, kid." I commented as I took another bite. "And don't call me an idiot, I'm still your dad you know."
"In the future that is." Narushi shrugged. This little brat... "In my memories, you were always smiling and laughing. You and Mama always bantered with one another, but then you'd concede and hug her and apologize. I always thought that you two were perfect for each other. But right now, you're just a sleazy guy who can't mature. By the way, the reason why the both of you always fought is because of women."
"Well.." Josephine giggled. "That sounds very likely to happen with Master Kamijou."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this from my own daughter! My own daughter of all—"
"SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER?!" Friedrich suddenly shouted. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ALL SO CALM RIGHT NOW?! KAMIJOU-KUN HAS A DAUGHTER! A DAUGHTER! A FREAKING DAUGHTER FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!"
"Please calm down, Master Frie." Josephine sighed. "I'm actually more shocked that you didn't realize it any sooner."
"HOW CAN THAT BEAUTIFUL AND ADORABLE LITTLE LADY BE KAMIJOU-KUN'S DAUGHTER?! WHERE'S THE JUSTICE IN THAT?!" He shouted again.
"OI." I said coldly, my mood dropping drastically. "I don't know if I'm pissed at you because you're trying to hit on my daughter or because you insulted me, but you'll be damned if you make a move on her."
"B-but t-that's-"
"My appearance is bothering you, is that it?" Narushi suddenly asked. "If that's just the problem, then it can easily be solved." She took out a small case from her pocket and began poking her eyes—oh wait, she was removing her contact lenses. But I wonder why she even—"There. All done." She said, turning to face—OH HELL.
"Well..." Friedrich muttered. "With this, I can officially say that all my desires have been thrown out of the window, and they are never to return again."
"Haaah~" Narushi breathed out. "I told you. Those kinds of desires should never have existed in the first place you perverted geezer!" She said, leaning over my bed and sticking her tongue out at him. She was so close I could clearly see the colour of her eyes. Dark blue. Just like mine. But hers were a lot bigger, like Mikoto's, making her eyes look like precious sapphires. She sat back on her seat and noticed me staring at her.
"Well...seeing as you're all shell shocked right now, I guess now is a good time to explain. I should probably start with a little bit of history with me right?" She slid the ring from her finger and held it dearly in her hands. "I don't really understand the entire situation and all, but I do know that Mama is in danger right now. All I remember was waking up, finding myself in an all white space with...images floating all around. My head was on Misaka Mikoto's lap, as in the young version of the Mama that I knew. She was really beautiful, but for some reason...she seemed so sad..."
Is she talking about the Essence Scape? If it's that...then it's highly possible that the person she met is really Mikoto and not just some illusion or—
"I think it'd be better if I just showed you, Touma." She stood up and grabbed my left hand, placing the ring on my palm and lacing her palm above it. "I...I need you to understand every word that Mama is about to utter okay? We need to help her...please...Papa..."
"Are you awake now?" What the—MIKOTO?! I looked around me and I noticed the familiarity of the vast white space. I knew it. We really are in the Essence Scape.
"Nnnhhh~" I turned my head and saw Narushi in an all white dress with thin straps that hung on her shoulders. She was lying down on the floor, her head on Mikoto's lap. I was lying down as well, but neither of them doesn't see or recognize me. "What the—Is...is that you Mama?" Narushi seemed genuinely shocked. Mikoto raised her upper body and hugged her tightly.
"I can't believe this..." Mikoto muttered, her voice breaking. "You...you called me Mama, right? Oh my god. I can't believe this..."
"Mama? Are you crying?" She said, making soothing circles on her back as Mikoto hunched over herself and sobbed quietly. "Mama, what's the matter? Why are you...crying all of a sudden?" Mikoto looked up to her and stared for a bit, before she smiled brightly at Narushi, wiping away her tears.
"I-I'm sorry...that must've been so weird for you, seeing me cry like that and all." She smiled as she continued to wipe away her tears. "B-but...it must be surprising for you, huh? I mean, to see me, your mother in this...state."
"Hmm-hmmm." Narushi hummed, shaking her head. "Mama has always been very beautiful and young. Your looks haven't changed at all! But wait...does that mean you're not Mama?"
"Well...I don't know...exactly how to put this but...in a way, I am, but in another way, I'm not." Mikoto tried to laugh it off, but she wasn't fooling anyone. Narushi just stared blankly at her, Mikoto's dry laughs hanging pathetically in the air. "Aaaand I probably made this weirder huh? But anyway, my point is, things are really complicated right now, so I can't really say that I am your Mama uhm...so...what's your name again?" I literally deadpanned. Why didn't she—hey, now that I think about it, Narushi introduced herself as Awase Narushi. Why...isn't her last name Kamijou? I mean, if she's our daughter in the future and all.
"I don't really know, you have yet to give me one, not-really-Mama." Not-really-Mama? Seriously, Narushi? Mikoto stared at her before giggling for a bit. "What's so funny?" She asked with a pout.
"I'm sorry." Mikoto said, patting her on the head. "You're just so...candid. It reminded me a lot of a certain someone back home. Now that I think of it, he must be waiting for me right now. But where is Home exactly? I...can't seem to remember."
'What the hell?! What do you mean you can't remember? How can you even forget about that Mikoto?! Kuroko, Ruiko, Kazari-chan, Misuzu-san and Tabigake-san, your Sisters, and everyone else! No one has forgotten about you, not even for a second! Especially me! How can you say that you don't know where Home is?! Home is the place where you belong right? Are you telling me that you don't feel like you belong with us anymore?!' Oh what the hell. Who am I kidding? Of course they can't hear me. Narushi just sat quietly, opposite of Mikoto, waiting for her to say something.
"Say..." Mikoto suddenly said. "Why did you...instinctively call out to me as Mama? I mean, you shouldn't have any memories of me, right? After all, you're from an Alternate Reality." She said in a low voice, her fingers playing with the ring I had given her.
Alternate...Reality?
"Huh?" Narushi asked, tilting her head to the side. "Alternate...what now?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have gone technical on you. Of course you wouldn't understand.." She smiled before opening her palm and staring at it for a few seconds. What is she—EEH? A pen just popped out of nowhere! Mikoto took the pen and began moving it through the air, leaving behind a sparkly blue light in its stead. SHE'S WRITING ON AIR?! Mikoto drew two circles and a line that separated them. "This should be easy enough to explain. This diagram is kind of like a representation of the world that Angels reside in. These two circles here are the Reality and Alternate Reality. This line that separates them is called the Realm. It's actually where the Seven Pillars of the Gate of Heaven stand."
"The what?" Narushi said. Okay, I have to admit, even I'm completely baffled by what she said just now.
"The Seven Pillars of the Gate of Heaven is believed to keep Hell in place. But after staying here for so long, I realized that it had another function: to keep the realities separate. By the way, each Pillar has a corresponding Angel to it, but...well, now we're missing one. It's actually been vacant for four years now, I just acted as a stand in for when things got really messy."
"Why would the realities need to be separated? And why are you missing one Angel?"
"Well, from what I understand, the realities must not clash with one another, at all costs. I mean, the Reality is basically the real empirical world as we know it. It's where people live in right now. The Alternate Reality on the other hand is a world pretty much similar to the Reality. Well, not really, since it's a collection of worlds created by the people from the Reality. It's basically a compilation of the desired worlds by each and every person." Mikoto repeatedly drew circles inside of one of the big circles until it resembled a jar filled with overflowing candy balls. "Tell me, what does this look to you?"
"Like a jar filled with overflowing candy balls." Okay, now I'm definitely sure that she's my daughter. Mikoto smiled and laughed.
"Somehow, I definitely think that that person would have said the same thing~!" She laughed. "But anyway, you're right. It does look a lot like that huh? But the problem is, those worlds created by humans, their Personal Alternate Realities, which we will now call candy balls, can't be placed in another container, other than the Alternate Reality. I mean there, we can consider them as harmless candy balls, but once they cross over the Realm and enter the Reality, they'll be like bombs that'll just explode when something triggers them. I can't exactly pinpoint how it's going to happen, but it will happen."
"And...You're saying I came from the world of candy balls?"
"Yes." Mikoto smiled. "But then again..." She drew another circle, and this time it was pink! She touched the middle of it and dragged it over to the line, placing it by the centre. "You're not just any other candy ball. You're MY candy ball."
... What?...
"..What?.." Narushi asked. Damn. We really are father and daughter.
"It's as I said, sweetie." Mikoto said with a sad smile. "You're MY candy ball. That means you're the representation of my Alternate Reality. I don't really have any solid proof, but your appearance and the very fact that you're here right now is proof enough. You see, the reason why we lost one of the Angels, I...I don't remember all of the details, but I think I wished for it to happen. So now, I have to guard two pillars. I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but it seems like I let my own Personal Alternate Reality slip in accidentally and now, I won't be able to bring you back to the Alternate Reality. Once you cross the Realm, the only way to move is forward. But you can't stay there leisurely for long, because I don't know what may trigger you. The only thing that I can actually do for you is to send you to someone who can actually send you back."
"Such a person exists?" Wait a minute, don't tell me she's talking about—
"Kamijou Touma." Mikoto said with a wistful smile on her face. "The guy from my remaining memories. If my head isn't too messed up, then it should be right for me to say that he has an ability called the Reality Bender. When you get to the Reality, you need to find him and ask him for help as soon as you can. I'm sure he'll be able to pick up on the situation."
"Uhmm...hey, Mama?" Narushi seemed hesitant to ask, but Mikoto just smiled and reassured her. "There's something that's been bothering me for a while now. All this talk about remaining memories and not remembering. Do you have...like amnesia or something?" What is she—
"Ah...how very observant of you." WHAT?! Mikoto smiled as she placed the cap on the pen. "Well, I guess it's not like I was trying to hide or anything. But...yes. In a way, I did lose some of my memories, and I will continue to lose the ones that I have left. I mean, that's the price I have to pay for making my wish. But...once I lose all of my memories, I can never go back to the Reality. Ah, I remember now. I wished...that all traces of Angelic power be removed from Earth, so that no one had to go through what I've been through. But then, being an existence composed of Angelic power, I got exiled too. Ironic isn't it?" Mikoto laughed to herself. "My own wish backfired on me. It's just...stupid, right?"
Mikoto held her head down after that, so I couldn't see the expression on her face. But after a while, a drop of water fell to her lap. It's just as I thought. She was crying. I wonder... Does she cry a lot in this...Realm or whatever? Does she cry by herself every single time? The thought of it makes my stomach twist. That must've been so...sad. I knelt down in front of her and tried to hug her, but my arms just went right through her, as if she was just a hologram. I tried and tried, but it was useless. Sh-t. The first time I see her in four years she's crying and I can't do a damn about it. God this is just so—
"I...I remember something..." Narushi suddenly said, making Mikoto look at her, despite the tears in her eyes. Narushi went over to her and used the edge of her long skirt to wipe away Mikoto's tears. "Papa...My Papa from my reality or world or whatever, I think I remember him saying something about wanting Mama to be happy all the time. "Mama wa shiawase naru!" (Be happy, Mama!) He said, over and over again. And even as you fought and argued, he'd say it. Crying won't make you happy, Mama." She said, sitting back down properly and facing Mikoto. "I'll...I'll do everything I can! I promise! I'll find Papa in the Reality and we'll think of a way to stop you from losing your memories anymore. I promise I'll do my best...so... Mama wa shiawase naru! Okay?"
"Shiawase...naru..." Mikoto repeated, staring at Narushi's face. "Shiawase naru...Naru shiawase... AH! That's it! Your name!"
"My name?" Narushi asked. Wait a minute-!
"Awase Narushi! When you're in the Reality, you have to use that name, okay?" Mikoto said, patting her head. "If you say that phrase over and over again like this: shiawase naru shiawase naru. You'll eventually get Awase Narushi. Your name came from the love between your Mama and Papa. It represents their desire to find happiness together. It's such a nice name, isn't it?" Mikoto smiled happily at Narushi, making the latter smile as well. I couldn't blame her. Mikoto's smile was infectious after all.
"Yeah." Narushi seemed shy all of a sudden. "T-thanks for naming me, M-Mama..." Mikoto stretched her arms out to her and Narushi immediately after and hugged her.
"You're very welcome, Narushi." Mikoto said as she rubbed the top of Narushi's head. "As much as I want us to stay and chat, I'm afraid you're gonna have to go now. The Gates are closing in on the Reality. You can't survive here in the Realm, seeing as only Angels can do it. And as I said, the only way to move here is forward. So...you're gonna have to go now, Narushi."
"I...I know." She answered but she seemed reluctant to let go of her. Actually, they both seemed reluctant. But after a few more seconds, they finally moved.
"Narushi?" Mikoto said, making her look up. Mikoto removed her engagement ring and handed it over to Narushi, placing it in her ring finger. So she did give it to her. "Here. Take this, okay? If he sees you, Touma, I mean, wearing this, then I'm sure he won't have any doubts about you. When the time comes, I want you to share this ring's memories with him, okay?"
"When the time comes?" Narushi asked. "Why not just give it to him straight once I see him? It's easier that way, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, that would be the case. If you actually remember your purpose, that is."
"Huh?"
"You'll be going through a dimension, Narushi. You honestly can't expect to just get there safely without any hitches. I'll be bringing you there so you can meet up with him immediately, but that still won't change the fact that your memories will probably be jumbled up. So, when your head has been cleared, show this ring to him once more, maybe it'll help with the explaining. Ah, but we should do something about your eyes. I mean, it's going to be weird, finding a girl who looks exactly like me, with eyes that are exactly like his. You need to wear contacts or something. But what colour?"
"Hazel." Narushi answered without hesitation. "I want to have the same shade of eyes as Mama. I want hazel-coloured eyes too!"
"As you wish then~!" Mikoto said cheerily as she held out her palm and a few seconds later, a contact lens case was at her hands. "Now, let's get these on you so you can start your own mission, okay?"
"What the—" I snapped my eyes open and I was greeted with the sight of Friedrich's face hovering over mine. Friedrich's face hovering precariously close to mine. "GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERT!" I shouted, pushing his face away from mine.
"Geez, why the cold shoulder, Kamijou-kun?" He whined as he stood straight again. "I was just checking if you were sound asleep or something. If you were, then Josephine and I would leave and just come back later."
"But that's—"
"Why isn't she awake yet?" Josephine suddenly said walking around the bed towards Narushi's slumped figure on the bed. It feels weird calling her that, now that I know the meaning behind it anyway... "Master Kamijou!"
"H-hah?" I muttered, looking over to the both of them. Narushi was still unconscious, but she looked like she was having a nightmare. Her face scrunched up, her mouth moving to form words that never made it out.
"N-Narushi?" I asked, placing my left hand on her forehead. "That's weird. Why am I the only one who woke up? We should've gone back together right?"
"Is she still dreaming then? Friedrich asked as he went closer and observed Narushi. "She...seems a bit troubled, doesn't she? Do you think it would be a bad idea to shake her right now? To wake her up, I mean. She looks—"
"M...Mama...D-don't...nhhh..." She suddenly mumbled. I grabbed her hands and noticed how they were trembling. I held them tightly as I tried to think of a way to get her out of this.
"If the Young Lady is calling out to Mistress Mikoto, then shouldn't that be a good thing?" Josephine asked. "Maybe Mistress Mikoto is telling her something in her dreams...or—"
"But why would Narushi look like this?!" I said, my voice accidentally rising by a bit. "If it really is Mikoto...Mikoto wouldn't do anything to make her suffer like this! You know how Mikoto is right? She can't possibly be-!"
"MAMA!"
"Narushi!" I jerked back a bit when Narushi suddenly screamed out to her Mama like that. She slowly opened her eyes, her chest heaving up and down, her breath heavy and forced. I held her hand tighter as I tried to assess her condition. "Narushi, hey, it's me. Are you okay? How're you feeling?"
"Mama...Mama is..." She said, her eyes widening as her hands trembled more. "She was...Mama was bleeding...she was...bleeding and there was blood...blood everywhere and I didn't know what to do..and then she was—" By this point, I couldn't understand what she was saying. She just muttered out words, incomprehensible to us as Josephine hugged her and stroked her head, trying to calm her down.
"Young Lady Narushi..." She began softly, cradling her into her arms. I know that I'm supposed to do something, but hey, I suddenly have a teenage daughter that suddenly cried after suddenly seeing her mother...well, I don't know what she saw really. What am I supposed to do in this sudden event? "Young Lady, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down, okay? We won't be able to understand what you're saying if you don't. Now, what is this about Mistress Mikoto again?" she said. Narushi tried to take a few, deep, calm breaths, but she'd only end up tearing up more. Friedrich nudged my shoulder and whispered.
"Oi, Kamijou-kun, do something about this, will you? It's been a long time since I've seen Em hug someone like that! It's making me very jealous you know!"
"There is something seriously wrong with your brain." I muttered, eyeing him carefully before turning my attention back to my...daughter. "Hey...Narushi?" I asked, rubbing the top of her head. "It isn't right for a woman to keep crying you know? You should stop that. I'm worried, really worried, about Miko- about your...Mama too, but we all have to calm down and think things through. Do you think you can tell us everything you know again? Slowly and clearly this time, okay?"
"Y-yeah...sure..." Narushi moved away from Josephine as she placed a hand over her heaving chest. She took a few seconds to breathe and we all waited for her. "But for the record though, as far as I know, I'm 16 years old. So technically, I'm not a woman yet."
"YOU'RE 16 YEARS OLD?!" Friedrich shouted. This damn little—All three of us, Josephine, Narushi and me, turned to glare at the paedophile, making him gulp and shiver.
"One more word Master, and I swear I'll kick you back to the high Heavens, understood?" Josephine threatened menacingly. "But, really, Young Lady? You're 16?" I guess I wasn't the only one surprised after all. Narushi sniffled for a bit, before trying to smile.
"Yeah...Mama told me that the reason why I told everyone that I was 22 was because since I was the representation of her Alternate Reality, I assumed her position in this world, including her age. I...When Touma was taken back from the white space—"
"An Angel's Essence Scape perhaps?" Josephine asked. Narushi looked confused.
"Essence wha—"
"It is her Essence Scape. I've been there before, Mikoto brought me once. I'm absolutely positive that it's her Essence Scape." I answered. Narushi looked at me as if she demanded an explanation, so I gave her one. "It's kind of like...a memory lane of sorts. Do you know what that is?"
"Oh, okay then. That's makes sense." She said, clutching the ends of her shirt in her hands. "Anyway, when Touma was take back, I got sucked in by a black hole and when I came to, I was in that Essence Scape. There...I saw her... Mama was..she was lying on the ground, her blood painting the white floor red. Her dress was a complete mess and she had trouble breathing. I ran to her and asked her what was wrong, but she just smiled and apologized. "I'm sorry you had to see me this way, Narushi." She said. " Narushi's hand trembled again. For her to be like this, Mikoto must've been...I can't even bring myself to think about it that way! "W-when I asked her who did this to her...she said that it was her punishment. It turns out, she wasn't supposed to leave the Realm, let alone enter the Reality."
"What's—"
"The Realm is where the Pillars are and it's right between the Alternate Reality and the Reality." Josephine said, cutting Friedrich off. "Please, Master. If you have any more questions, ask them later when the Young Lady is finished, alright? Please continue m'lady." Okay. Wow. Talk about being cold. Friedrich shut up, thank God he did, and Narushi continued.
"When we got there, my memories immediately got tampered with, and I immediately met you, Touma. Everything I said about wondering around and hearing voices and other stuff like that...as it turns out, they were all lies. Mama was the one who brought me there and she even got punished for it! To top it all off, I forgot about her. It's just...pathetic. She told me something about forgetting to warn me about the trigger, so she did whatever she could to tell someone."
"If that's the case, then you need not burden yourself with your conscience, Young Lady." Josephine said, making all of us look at her. "It is true that the Angels aren't allowed to leave their Pillars, but if they do leave, then they shouldn't have a punishment as brutal as what you saw. The reason she was punished wasn't because she escorted you to the Reality, it was because she spoke to someone in the Reality. But who?"
Mikoto spoke to someone when she brought Narushi here? But...who? I mean, when I first met Narushi, it was in her memoriam. Was there anything that could've meant Mikoto was there? Like a sign, or a voice or—
"THAT'S IT! THE VOICE!" I exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.
"Voice?" Narushi repeated. "What voice?"
"Back when I first met you, I heard a voice." I explained. "Back then, I thought you were Mikoto, but then you proved me wrong. I was really sceptical about Mikoto existing, so when someone called out to me, I thought it was you so I said your name. But the voice was so sad when it called me an idiot. I looked back and there was no one there."
"So...Mama must've tried to warn you then, but it was still useless." Narushi looked down, seemingly worried over something. "The trigger. You understood what Mama said right? If the trigger is activated, it'll take some time before I turn into a bomb and...well, explode. I'm going to end up destroying part of this Reality..."
"So we just have to avoid the trigger right?" Friedrich said. "So long as you don't go into contact with the trigger, things will be fine."
"Well, yes, that would be the case." She said, managing a small smile.
"You've...you've already encountered the trigger, haven't you?" I asked, and she desperately tried to hold up her smile. "Wipe that smile off your face, Narushi. You know very well that that isn't going to do anything for us right now, except letting us wallow into more despair."
"Yes, I know. I understand that..." She said, her smile fading away. "I sort of had a feeling that I shouldn't have gone with you, you know. Even when I had no idea what was happening around me, I felt like experiencing happiness was a bad thing, and that I should avoid it as much as I can, but I still became selfish and went with it..."
"What was the trigger?"Josephine asked.
"To meet the people that Mama desperately wanted to protect." Narushi answered. "Mainly Kuroko, Kazari-san, Ruiko-san, all of her friends, and especially you, Touma. But you were the first one that I met, and then Kuroko. Mama told me that because of that, that earthquake happened. It used to happen to her a lot before too. But for her, the triggers were different. But it's still the same."
"So then... why haven't you blown up yet?" Friedrich asked crudely. Josephine's eyes widened at him as she stood up, hands on her waist.
"MASTER! How incredibly rude of you to say something like that to—"
"Think about it, Em." He said seriously. "That trigger of hers. Does it have some kind of condition that needs to be fulfilled?"
"You're actually right for one, Paedophile-san." Narushi answered. You've got to be kidding me. "The condition is I have to meet every single one of Mama's loved ones. If I'm still here and the world is still round, then that means there someone that I still haven't met. If I meet more and more people, more earthquakes that aren't really earthquakes will come about. And when I meet all of them, this place will go BOOM!"
"So who haven't you met, then?" Josephine asked. "I mean, you've already met the Mistress' friends, as well as Master Kamijou's. You've met the both of us too."
"Misuzu-san and Tabigake-san..." I muttered out. Of course. Her family! "I guess you can include my Otou-san and Okaa-san too. Then...there's the Sisters, Last Order and Accelerator. Ah, and Hiromi as well! I guess that means we should keep you away from Mikoto's Tokiwadai friends like Kongou-san and the other girls."
"So if we keep you away from those people, oh and don't forget Necessarius there too, we can stall your detonation?"
"Don't talk about her as if she's a freaking bomb, Friedrich Claude." I said, offended by his choice of words. "No matter what the circumstances are, I'm still Narushi's dad. Don't talk about her like that."
"Hai~ hai~!" He sang. Ugh. Damn b-st-rd. "But anyway, since Em and I have everything we need, we'll leave both of you to rest now. You both look like you need it very much." He said, taking a few steps back to the window. "Now, hurry up, Em. We don't have all day. Wouldn't want to keep the family preoccupied for too long now, would you?"
"U-uh, yes! Coming, Master Frie." Josephine stepped off the bed and bowed courteously in front of Narushi before rushing over to Friedrich's side. "Well now, if you will excuse us, Master Kamijou, Young Lady Narushi, I believe we must be on our way. We'll contact you if we find any information regarding this situation of ours." She said with a bow, before they completely disappeared. I stared at the place where they stood before having a sigh and falling back onto the bed.
"Damn, it's been a long time since I handled stress of this magnitude." I said. "Worst of it was when Aogami pulled a prank during Heaven Arbiter's class and threw the blame onto me."
"Josephine-san..." Narushi muttered, still staring at the spot where the pair last stood. "She's an Angel isn't she?"
"How'd you figure that out?"
"She knew about the Realms and the Reality and all that other stuff. Plus, I think I saw her on one of the strips of film in the Essence Scape. There was one specific scene that caught my attention. Everyone was there and you were fighting against a guy with black hair who looked like a psychopath. There was...a cross like thingy and there were blonde girls with blue eyes tied to them. Mama was the only one with brownish hair, even though it looked lighter than her usual colour."
"You really do have your mother's brains huh?" I joked, enjoying the peaceful moment that I was sharing with her.
"I'd be mad if I had yours." She scoffed, looking at the ring that was on her finger. "Mama really loved you, you know."
"And why are you saying that all of a sudden?"
"With the way you've been for as long as I've known the present you, all you've been doing is doubt Mama, whether she was really serious about getting back together with you or not. You don't have any reason to doubt her you know? The memory she has of you, the last one from what I can tell, she's been keeping it close to her. Mama deliberately did it you know. She sent you back from the Essence Scape and made me stay, just so you couldn't see the state she was in..."
"Ah..really? So, what kind of punishment do you think it was?" I asked. "I don't really want you to remember all the gory details and such, but I just want to know how she is, I mean, she got punished because she tried to talk to me, right? How could I not worry about her?"
"Mama was lying."
"Yeah, I figured as much." I sighed. Really Mikoto, so many years have passed and you still can't say a decent lie. "I don't think she'd be punished like that, so much that she had to bleed profusely like you told us. II think Friedrich and Josephine knew so too. They just didn't want to worry us, thinking that we didn't understand the situation."
"But we know Mama better than anyone, don't we?" She said with a small smile. "I personally think Mama was attacked. She has a wound on her waist, I think it hit a blood vessel explaining the excessive blood. Plus, she was all in tatters, and her face was dirty. You were there before too. You saw how pure and immaculate Mama looked when she faced us, far from what I saw just now."
"Any other evidence to back up your claim?"
"I felt a presence." She answered shortly. I raised a brow at her and stared. She just pouted and repeated her words. "I felt a presence there with us."
"Like...a ghost or something?"
"You don't realize I'm an esper, do you?" She asked, and my mouth literally dropped open. "Sigh, I knew it. I'm an Electromaster too, like Mama, but I don't know what my level is, since that kind of ranking system was abolished. In my time, from what I can remember anyway, people didn't really care much about ranks. If you had an ability, then good for you. Academy City became more reared on technological and medical advances. They still use the abilities to some extent, but it's not that big a deal anymore."
"Uh...you didn't happen to have inherited some of my...abilities, now would you?" Okay now, calm down, Kamijou Touma. Narushi doesn't look like you in the slightest, so maybe Mikoto had full control over her DNA or something and made sure that THAT didn't get passed on to her?
"Ability?" Narushi asked as she tilted her head to the side. "Mama said something about the Reality Bender or something...but from what I can remember, you don't have ESPer abilities, right?" She said. She doesn't know about my Imagine Breaker? Why didn't Mikoto and I ever tell her anything about it? Were we hiding something?
"Well...let's just say that Mikoto and I have been through a lot when we were younger. That's why she became an angel and that's why I...I got a really unique ability."
"Will you tell me about it?" Narushi asked as she settled herself on the empty space of the bed beside my legs. "You never told me about how you and Mama met, I've always wanted to know how an awesome Level 5 ojou-sama ended up with a level 0 like you."
"It's gonna be a really long story though." I said, sitting up straight and crossing my legs on the bed. "It goes way, way back when your Mama was just a 2nd year middle schooler."
"I don't mind." She shrugged, lying down and placing her head on my lap as she looked up at me with a small blush and a smile. "We used to do this when I was younger. The both of us lay our heads on Mama's lap and she brushed our hair too."
"Is that so?" Damn it. This girl has the exact same charm as her mother. I'm gonna have to prepare myself for a lifetime of battling with guys that will fall for her. Is this how Tabigake-san felt when Mikoto came into his life? I smiled as my hands sifted through her messy yet soft hazel locks as she looked at me earnestly. "The first time I ever met your Mama was when she was 14 years old, I was 16 back then. I've had the worst luck for as long as I remembered, so I often ran into trouble. One night, when I was on my way home, I noticed a group of thugs circle around a girl."
"Guys like that really existed in Academy City?" Narushi asked and I laughed.
"You bet they did, tons of them really. If you hadn't seen much of them as of lately, I guess I'll have to thank Kuroko for that." I mused and Narushi just smiled. "Anyway, a lot of people were just passing by them, and I stopped, for some reason. On instinct, I acted as if the girl and I were friends that were separated, and that I was just about to take her home. When I held my hand out to her, it was only then that I saw how pretty the girl I was trying to save really was. She had short hazel hair and her hazel eyes were as wide as plates as they stared at me in wonder, probably wondering who the hell I was. That girl was your Mama. It was the first time I ever laid my eyes on Mikoto, and I mentally cursed myself for not noticing her sooner. I brushed it off for as long as I could, but naturally, Mikoto was dubious of me and she asked me who the hell I was."
"The thugs caught on to you?" Narushi said as she stifled her yawn.
"Yeah, and boy were they pissed." I laughed. How long...how long had it been since I talked about the past like this? "I really tried hard to defend myself and Mikoto, I still didn't know her name by that point. I tried bluffing, and by some work of magic, Mikoto got pissed at me and started shooting sparks everywhere, making them black out. I wanted to run away from trouble as soon as I could, so when the chance came, I took off. I never would've thought that Mikoto would come running towards me. You should've seen the look on her face as she chased me, demanding me to tell her why I didn't pass out like the thugs. I got scared of her, but strangely, it...wasn't a bad kind of scare. I didn't know her name, IO didn't know who she was, hell, all I knew for a fact was that she was a girl and an Electromaster. But I...I always had this inkling feeling that...she understood me or something. And that was how we started. She chased after me, I ran away, and the cycle went on and on and on. Until it came to the point that I actually got used to it. I got worried whenever she didn't chase after me, or when we didn't accidentally meet by the vending machine. It must be weird right?" I asked myself, laughing sarcastically. Why the hell am I—"I mean, I hardly knew anything about her, but I felt close to her. At first, I actually thought she was a bit irritating, challenging me to fights every time we met, but as time went on, I got to knew her for her, as Misaka Mikoto. I can't exactly pinpoint it...but it came to the point that I fell in love with her. And I still do."
My vision got blurry, and before I knew it, my tears had already made their way out of their tear sacs and they came cascading down my face. Goddamnit Kamijou Touma. You're telling your daughter about your love story and you're crying over it? Get real!
"I—I'm sorry, Narushi. It must be so wei—" I looked down upon my lap and saw the heart melting sight of Narushi sleeping peacefully on my lap. She nestled her head against my lap every now and then, muttering words I couldn't really understand. But she looked relaxed and serene. I didn't have the nerve to wake her up or anything. I smiled as I pulled her body up to the pillow and covered her in a blanket before settling myself beside her, as farthest as the narrow bed could possibly let me. I brushed the hair away from her face as I watched her peaceful sleeping expression.
"Good night, Narushi." I said, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "Sleep well."
-chapter end-
HEY HEY! Sorry for the late update! Had our exams for awhile and I got stacked with term papers. Had to finish 6 of them in one weekend -_- hihi. But now that's over and done with, I AM FREEEE~!
Anyway, please review okay? Thanksssiee~! By the way, if any of you readers are going to have birthdays, just PM me okay? I'll try to post something for you guys~! Bye bye, JA-NE!
