Twist of Fate
Disclaimer: I do not own a certain magical index, it's characters or it's elements.
Chapter 25: Desire
A few days passed and the holidays came and went. They stayed until New Years and as the first of the year came the group found that they had to leave. Touma found himself in front of families home hugging his mother. He wished he could stay longer but classes would start in about two weeks.
Touma waved goodbye as he climbed onto the van from the city, he had shotgun, and the van drove off. The girls were all quiet still thinking about their kiss. Index was struggling to eat the fruit cake Shiina gave her, her teeth slowly digging into the hard surface of it.
This new van was bigger as it also took Konori, Awaki and the sister Sozty and Ureapaddy. They suggested that since their cabal might still be looking for them it was best for them to hide in Academy City. Touma worried about that but Seria reassured him it would be okay, he didn't know she was pulling strings. Itsuwa offered the girls to stay at her dorm since she didn't like the idea of another girl staying at Touma's place.
Touma was quiet along the ride having a lot to think about.
As the van drove away Touya asked his wife something, "I feel like I forgot something."
Shiina looked at her husband, "Oh, did you tell Touma about that thing. The one we had to go to the city to fill out those papers for."
Touya slammed his palm into head, "No, I forgot."
"Make sure you tell him. Call him later but let him settle back in his dorm even for a little while. He won't be able to stay there much longer after all."
They got into the city with no trouble and they settled in.
Two days later Konori, Uiharu and Kuroko found themselves at the central office for Judgement. Their own office had been blown up at what the officials were calling a gas leak. They were there today to claim what stuff of theirs had been salvaged from the remains.
"I guess we should be glad that no one was in there." Uiharu pondered as she managed to pull out the back up servers from their safety box.
"I suppose." Kuroko admitted.
None of the girls left anything that couldn't be replaced. Maybe a few keep sakes and photos but nothing truly they couldn't live without.
"Yeah, and they said they'll have the office fixed by the end of the week and update all the equipment." Konori said a little afraid that she'd get in trouble for what happened. So far it seemed that the city was more concerned with hiding the fact that magic was involved. However they hid it pretty well. They even dropped off her motorcycle at her home. Still Konori was uncomfortable about something like attacks by the magic side a secret.
Later that day Kuroko found herself talking to a certain woman. "So, I think I'm all better now. I mean I don't dream about him anymore, expect those dream with him and me and Onee-sama."
Carina was poking a set of rocks in a box with the tip of her pencil, "Please don't tell me about the dreams again. I really think this city needs a more comprehensive sex ed program and therapist." She poked the stones a little more. "So, why are you here, Kuroko? Not that I don't enjoy your company but I do have an appointment coming in soon and they seem like the nervous kind."
"Oh, no, I just wanted to have an update to make sure my dream mean nothing."
"You are a young woman, one with almost terrifying levels of perverted and kinked filled dream but a young woman. This is when you really start to get going on developing your sexual desires. I'm not saying jumping into bed with anyone, I doubt your emotional mature for that, but that normal. You question things and thats a part of being a teenager. It's a confusing part of life but that's life." Carina placed the box under her desk.
Kuroko nodded at the almost sage words, "That is comforting to hear. Anyway, I'll leave you alone to your next appointment. "
With that Kuroko vanished. Carina walked up and went to the other room that she had dubbed her waiting room.
Carina walked out to find a girl with long black hair sitting there. "Mitsuko Kongou?"
"Ah, yes." The Young girl quickly got up on her feet and blushed brightly.
Carina lead her inside and closed the door behind her, "You wanted love advice, right? What seems to be troubling you?"
"Well, there is this boy."
"There usually is, unless there is a girl or in some cases a boy and girl. What's his name?"
Kongou tensed up, "Well, I should say we haven't really formally met."
"So, it's a crush? You saw him from a far and fell for him?"
"Well, I've heard off him and he was at my school for this sparring match of sorts… and I thought he was marvelous. Then that Strange Event happened …."
"The days of the Undead? I think that's what they are calling it."
"Yes, during all the trouble I was hurt and he saved me. With no concern for his own safety he bravely rescued me and he carried out with his own bare hands. " Her face grew even redder. "His name is Touma Kamijou."
"Touma Kamijou?" Carina body became tense hearing that name.
Speaking of our hero Touma was in the bath tub trying to nap. That was especially weird since he had a futon to himself now. It was not that he was tired but confused.
Index watched tv but she could sense something was wrong with Touma but didn't understand what. She wanted to help but she knew that something were beyond her ability to help. Touma was just not talking and stared off with a vague look in his eyes.
Elsewhere in the city Uiharu reached a certain familiar restaurant.
"Uiharu! " A friendly if over excited voice shouted as Uiharu found her skirt flipped.
Saten smirked, "So you're wearing light blue today!"
"Saten!" A blushing Uiharu shouted. "Stop that!"
"Come along. The other are waiting."
Saten lead her to the table with Mikoto and Kuroko. That was to be the first time they were to get together after the holidays. Uiharu noticed that Kuroko looked bored which she took as Kuroko's own take on being off since their office exploded. What really got her attention was Mikoto's lack luster expression, it was so much sad as empty if not just lost."
"Is she okay?"
"Oh, onee-sama. has been sort of like this since she got back." Kuroko tried to explain it to them. "She doesn't seem to want to talk. I asked her mother when she dropped her off and it's been happening since Christmas morning."
"I guess the holiday doesn't agree with some people." Saten wagered a guess. "Oh come on Misaka, it can't be that bad. Just tell us what has you upset maybe we can help."
Mikoto looked at her a quiet look in her eyes.
There was a beep, a loud beep. Every cell phone, computers, tv, radio and speakers started to blare odd noises. Screen was a static mess of colors that went along with the sounds. This wasn't just happening in that restaurant but all over the city.
"It's the Emergency program." Uiharu recognized it. She hacked into it when the ghosts arrived and she had to alert everyone. Full blown broadcast was officially used for emergency broadcast all across the city and wasn't in the reach for most people and it was well guarded. She wondered who had taken it over this time since it was clearly not by some official.
In a certain apartment. "The aliens have come! Just like in that movie! Or that one with that house on the Native American burial ground." Index panicked as the tv started to get all weird.
Touma alertly walked out the bathroom and saw the tv screen that matched his own phone.
Several minutes passed with no change in the condition of any device. Many people had just turned them off other were in a panic as the means of communication all failed to work and no one seemed to be able to get control back. Finally it ended with a whispered message.
Once A Bridge Is Made it can be crossed both ways.
The Truth must be found.
With that everything snapped back into place. Everything went back to normal pretty soon. News reports revealed that a hacker had gotten into the emergency program and pulled off a prank of sorts. Uiharu was afraid that her hack had left some doors open for this new hacker.
Anyway, that happened.
The next morning Touma woke up in a bed he didn't recognize. Considering the bed he recognized the most was the hospital bed that wasn't so much of a surprise. As the light streamed through the curtain his head ached with a loud buzz. He turned away from the window and into something soft. He nuzzled his face into his pillow when he realized something about it.
"This is too firm to be a pillow." He gave it a squeeze.
The buzzing lessened to the point that he heard a yelp when he squeezed.
"Cut that out!" A voice yelled out.
Touma froze when he recognized whose voice that was, "Yomikawa?"
"Kamijou, do you think you could let go?" She glared at him.
At that moment Touma realized her breast was in his hand.
He pulled back as quickly as he could. "We didn't-"
"Beside groping me in the morning nothing happened. I'm willing to let that go, but just barely." Yomikawa told him as she started to get up revealing that she was dressed in her usual clothes though her hair was loose instead of it being in its usual pony tail.
Touma was more than a little happy to realize he himself was fully clothed.
Yomikawa gave him a look, "I'm your teacher and I'm not going to do what you're thinking with any of my students."
"Why was I in your bed?"
"I was coming home late after a special meeting with the rest of Anti-skill. We were talking about the take over the emergency broadcast system. On my way home I found you drunk, very drunk."
At that moment Touma started to remember the events of the previous night. Touma had run into Hamazura. Hamazura could tell something was troubling Touma but couldn't get Touma to talk. So in an attempt to get Touma to fell better he got him drunk to relax him. Things got really out of hand and Hamazura lost him and Yomikawa quickly found him.
Touma found a bucket by the bed and he vaguely remembered Yomikawa telling him that if he felt like throwing up to do it in the bucket. He also found a glass of water and some aspirin which he quickly took.
"I brought you here since you didn't seem well enough to get home. I put you in bed to let you sleep it off and slept next to you to make sure you didn't choke on your own vomit. You looked like a light weight." He was and with his luck he might have actually choked on his own vomit. "It looked like something was bothering you." Yomikawa told him. "Is that why you decided to get plastered?"
"Something like that."
Yomikawa wasn't approving him getting drunk while underage but she could tell he was troubled and decided to work on that. "You want to talk about it?"
Touma was silent for a moment thinking it over. "Maybe."
"I have an idea. Let's get something to eat and talk this over." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Some food is going to help you feel better."
They walked out of her room and as soon as the door opened an albino esper walked towards them with an empty cereal box. "We're out of cereal again-" Accelerator paused when he saw Touma. "Hero? What they hell are you doing coming out of her room?"
Last Order quickly ran towards them and let out a gasp, "Misaka gasps with surprise. Is the Savior going to be Misaka's new adopted sort of daddy? Misaka taps her chin having mixed and confused emotions about these turn of events."
Then there was the sound of Accelerator flipping on a switch. What followed was a lot of screaming most of it Touma's and some damage to a wall.
Across the City in a certain Hospital the clone sister all paused with a look of despair, or as close as they were getting, on their faces.
"Are they all right?" The Frog faced Doctor asked one of the nurses.
"Does the Savior prefer older woman? Misaka questions." One of the sisters asked. "Maybe he prefers women with bigger cup sizes." The clones all at once patted their chests. "Onee-sama why couldn't you have bigger breasts?"
Kuroko and Mikoto were at another part of the city walking down to get breakfast at the dorms. Mikoto for reasons she didn't understand collapsed to her knees and started to pat her chest. "Ah!"
"Onee-sama! What's wrong?" Kuroko asked her. "Let me do that for you."
After about thirty minutes of explaining everything Yomikawa and Touma found themselves at a restaurant having breakfasts.
After ordering breakfast Yomikawa started the talk, "So what's troubling you?"
"Well…" Touma started to explain the events that happened at the Christmas party.
"So seven girls confessed to you?" Yomikawa was either impressed or shocked at the prowess that Touma had, even knowing the rumors about him she didn't expect it to be this effective. "And you don't know how to act?"
"Yeah, it's something like that. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."
"Really?" Yomikawa sighed, "Well, I think it all comes down to how you feel. A confession is complicated. You are not obligated to feel the same as they do….But do you actually like any of them? You're a young man and they are pretty girls and no one wants to be alone. What do you want?"
"I don't want to hurt any of them."
"There is a chance that your answer might hurt one or more of them with your answer. That is a chance they took, this isn't something you can answer for someone else. It has to be what you want? If you tell a girl who like her when you don't you'll end up hurting her more with the lie than telling the truth. The best thing you can do is think what you want. It might sound selfish but it's really for the best."
Touma was about to say something when the waitress collapsed. This got the usual murmurs that one would expect but Yomikawa rushed to the waitress side and took control of the situation. "Her pulse is steady but weak. She's still breathing. She's physically fine, not even a temperature." Yomikawa didn't understand why the teenaged girl just collapsed. They called for an ambulance and they didn't get to finish their talk. Yomikawa got in the ambulance with he girl as she went to the hospital and left Touma to think.
That was when it started, or people had started to noticed.
"Make it stop!" Kuroko screamed at a young girl. She wasn't supposed to be on duty but as she went to shop for something and stumbled into trouble. A girl started to shake uncontrollably and things have started to shake and things started to move into the air.
"I'm trying." The girl shouted. She was a high school and normal looking except now she was in a panic. "It hurts!"
She was a telekinetic, the most common power in the city, but at the moment she couldn't control it. Benches moved into the air windows cracked into shards. Most of the people had run off but Kuroko stayed to try to help her. Kuroko was right in front of her trying to keep her calm and just trying to avoid random flying object that went her way.
"You need to control it. It's your power and yours to control." Kuroko tried to tell the girl calmly. "What are you a level 3 or a level 4?"
"I'm only a level 2." The girl held her head in pain.
"That's not right." Kuroko murmured to herself, a level two shouldn't be able to move that much. Kuroko contemplated what to do when the girl started to shake and collapse.
Kuroko ran to the girl and checked on her. All around them objects fell to the ground like rain drops.
Elsewhere on the top of his dorm Sogiita smiled at his friend Haratani Yabumi. Yabumi had never been the strongest esper and had been actually rather weak and made no progress moving up the ranks. Sogiita always encouraged him to have more guts to increase his level. Today he didn't say that,
Yabumi waved his arms in the air and flames flicked off his hand and formed a long snake like shape in the air dancing around him.
"I have never been able to do anything like this before." Yabumi told him as he continued his display.
"Good work Yabumi." Sogiita smiled at him. "All those guts and hard work if finally coming through for you." Sogiita was truly proud at the effort that his friend had gone through and to see him finally get some results.
In her dorm Uiharu cringed as Saten played a song on her phone. "What do you think?"
The song she was playing was the recording of the song she and the other sang across the city during the ghost attacks. She had just found out that they broadcasted too early and their musical number was heard by everyone.
"Where did you even get that?" Uiharu blushing red asked.
"A friend sent me a link to download it." Saten said without shame. "A lot of people were wondering if the song was real, most people are buying into the idea that it was a hallucination like the rest of the night. Someone managed to record the song and sent links out."
Uiharu cringed hearing the song reach her part. "Turn it off. "
Saten started to work on the buttons. "Sorry, about this. I think the file is corrupted it plays a few times before it just skips to the next song. I'll just lower the volume."
"Okay, let me show you something." The cute little brilliant hacker turned their attention to the laptop she had on the short table they had sat by. "I found this and thought it was interesting."
A video began to play and soon enough a blue haired boy with piercings and a blond boy in sun glasses showed up on the screen. They both sat in front of a blue wall and behind a desk, it looked like it was filmed in a film class.
"Well, I'm back and on video." Aogami said as the video started out. " And today I'm joined by the other Tsuchimikado."
"Yeah, I thought it was better that I be apart of this than my sister."
"Oh, come on you know that I wouldn't do anything to your sister."
"Are you saying my sister is not beautiful?!"
"I'm not getting into this again." Aogami sighed, "Let's get on with the show. Anyway, last episode I was talking about Kamijou and well a lot of people sent in messages and things."
"Yes, things."
"A lot of things. Basically spent a week going through a list of girls that have the hots for Kamijou."
"Did that make you want to punch him?"
"Like never before." Aogami growled. "But people seem interested in this so I figure we keep going. If we were to try and go through the entire list of girls that are after our Kamijou we'd be here until the End of Days."
"We don't have that time and you don't have that time." Tsuchimikado was quick to say with a smirk. "So we decided to do some of the top girls."
"Yes, the ones that are in the top running as of the moment."
"Let's start with our beautiful sempai Seria Kumokawa." As Aogami said the name a picture of the young woman showed up on the screen. "What are some of the point people have made for her match with Kamijou?"
Tsuchimikado smirked again, "I can't say I'm a fan of her but she certainly has a few good points. She is beautiful and has certain features Kamijou does seem to be a fan off." He sighed, "I suppose the fact that she is a big sister does get her a few points. "
"She also has a certain aloofness." Aogami added. "That certainly has some charm points. I'm not sure if that would suit Kamijou."
"Why not?"
"Kamijou, is honest, or at least he tries to be. I don't think he'd like to live with secrets and lies. But then there is the hot factor, if something feels a little wrong it could be a turn on."
"It would be interesting to find Kamijou playing seven minutes in heaven with our beautiful sempai in one of the closets at school."
"The real question is if that is Kamijou's kink." Aogami pointed out. " A little mystery and danger is an exciting quality. Okay, let's move on to the next girl." The picture of Seria changes to the picture of Misaki in her Tokiwadai uniform. "Misaki Shokuhou also known as Mental Out."
"Yeah, you have no idea how hard it was to get the picture of her." Tsuchimikado murmured.
"Let's talk about her positive points, she is beautiful, doesn't mind cosplaying, she's rich and a level five." Aogami listed out with a hint of a smile on his lips. "And something she shares about with Our Sempai, both of them are childhood friends of Kamijou. That is certainly going to help them on the Kamijou route."
Tsuchimikado nodded, "But couldn't it also hurt them?"
"How so?"
"It might make it hard for them to be seen more than just friends by our dense Kamijou."
"Good point." Aogami said as it this was a discussion of politics. "Now this brings us to a special report from Maika Tsuchimikado."
"I'm still not sure about this." The blond young man glared at his friend.
The screen quickly changed to one of the young maid in training in front of the dorms of Tokiwadai while holding a mike and sitting on one of the drum like robots all with a smile on her face.
"Hi onii-chan! Hi Aogami-Oniichan!" She waved at the camera which was actually being held by another one of those robots. "I'm here today at Tokiwadai. I work here as a maid so I get to hear a lot about the students here. Recently there has been talk about Mental Out dropping out of school. I don't have all the detail but it seems that Kamijou-Onii-chan got into some trouble. Someone attacked the school and broke his arm and knocked him out only to drag him away. Mental Out was ordered by the dorm mother to stay out of it but she refused and quit and went after and saved him. Which is funny with what I always here about him saving girls." Maika scratched her head. "Anyway there is another rumor about the Rail Gun and Kamijou. The story goes that on the last day of summer she and him went on a date. There are rumors that she just dragged him along to get rid of a stalker. I should ask, I'm not a reporter I'm a maid so I'm not sure what I should be doing here. Anyway, there has been a rivalry between the two girls so the word is that they all expect a huge fight. And word has it that Mental Out and that girl with the black hair went to Kamijou's house for vacation and the railgun has been acting a little gloomy since the vacation. Makes me wonder-"
"Hey what are you doing there?!" The Dorm Mother stepped out of the dorm and yelled at Maika wondering what she was doing.
"Ah!" Maika quickly ran off.
The video quickly switched back to the other room as Tsuchimikado wailed on Aogami. "I'm the only one she calls Onii-chan!"
"We are back!" Aogami blocked his attack and tried to compose himself.
A picture of Mikoto flashed on the screen. The picture has been taken by the blond spy and was one of Mikoto on a rampage shoot bolts of lighting at the camera so it looked more scary than lovely.
"I'm not a fan." Tsuchimikado shrugged remembering getting almost hit by a bolt of lightning.
"She's a bit of a tom boy and from what I heard a little violent." Aogami added. "The picture doesn't help."
"I did my best." The spy crossed his arms.
"Well, she's rich and cute in a tom boyish way. She seems a little immature which might not go well with Kamijou. Especially since he doesn't seem to favor the little sister types. Plus, from what I can tell she looks like a Tsundere and that won't work well with Kamijou."
"Yeah, Kami is too dense about these things. I'm actually thinking he might not realize the girls like him."
"And with a tsundere he might actually think she hates him."
"That's why I think someone like Itsuwa has a better chance." Tsuchimikado added.
"Ah, the new transfer student." Aogami spoke and the picture of the girl showed up on the screen. She was blushing in her school uniform when the picture was taken.
"Ah, yes, the new transfer student. A classic of the stories of high school love. They knew each other before she arrived at the school. She's been blushing around him and making him lunch. Itsuwa is checking off every thing in the list of high school romance except the for the love confession on the roof top."
"Yes, I do think she would make a good match for Kami. She seems like she would make a good house wife for him and always be patient with all the bruises and scrapes. I bet they will a lot of sweets moments with her making him something to eat and as she cleans his wounds."
"Well, my money is on Mental Out." Aogami said proud of his assessment. "A childhood friend and a girl that would go up and beyond to save him."
"If I may…" Tsuchimikado remarked. "The girl I'm rooting for isn't on the list."
"Oh who is that?"
"Kaori Kanzaki, I already set up the picture."
The picture of the saint in the cool blue water wearing a skimpy black swim suit.
Aogami let out a whistle which both Saten and Uiharu did at the same time.
Aogami asked, "Where did you get the picture?"
"I bought i off a Jean sales man I know."
"So, why would you think she makes a good match?"
"Well, I know for a fact that she does like our Kami. They both have that impulse to help those that need help. She certainly is his type."
"There are straight woman who would say she's their type by just looking at the picture."
"And here is the kicker." Tsuchimikado said with a cat like grin and a glint in his glasses. "Our Kami got himself into trouble and got sent to the hospital for it."
"Let me guess he saved her and she fell wildly in love with him."
"No, this story ends with her paying him a visit in the hospital while wearing the Fallen Angel Ero Maid costume."
Aogami's jaw dropped, he knew about the maid fetish and was an expert on it and the costume. "You have to be kidding me."
"No."
"Tell me you got pictures of her in that costume."
"No, she sort of smashed every camera in about twelve rooms."
"Okay, well that feels like a good enough ending for our show today." Aogami raised his chin off the floor. "Okay, so subscribe to our show and check out the blog. It will help you stay on top of Kami's love take part of poll and feel free to place a bet on out site on who gets with Kamijou. Two for everyone. I'm betting on Harem ending and Mental Out for single."
"I'm voting for Kanzaki and Itsuwa." Tsuchimikado stated happily.
"So check out the blog for quick bios of the girl that out for Kami." Aogami continued. "We will go over everything in the episodes to come."
The video ended when Uiharu stopped it and went to the blog.
"Wow!" Saten let out seeing a list of girls all with pictures and information. "That is a lot of girls."
"Oh, look there is a section to send information anyone girl they missed."
Saten blushed at the thought of adding herself to the list, maybe just not to be left out.
The world continues to spin, and that fact alone lets people get through the day. The fact that it could be worse make how things seem a little better. Touma was cooking some dinner alone in the dorm while Itsuwa took Index to get some last minute things. That's when the door was bang on.
Touma rushed to the door and opened it to find Tsuchimikado bleeding out his eyes, the spy didn't waste a second and drags Touma's right hand to his chest. Tsuchimikado let out a deep breath and collapsed.
Touma dragged his friend to a bed and tended to his wounds. He wondered if he should call him a doctor or something but after a few moments the spy woke up.
"Tsuchimikado, are you all right?" Touma asked him.
"Kami…" He let out slowly. "Oh, I'm still alive so I guess that worked."
"What happened?" Touma asked his voice filled with worry.
"I'm not really sure." Tsuchimikado admitted. "I was in the kitchen cutting myself an apple as a snack and I cut my hand. It wasn't anything serious but my hand just healed. My Auto regeneration kicked in when it shouldn't have. I'm a level zero and unless my body is pushed to its limit forcing me to heal or die."
"So it shouldn't have happened , you shouldn't have healed unless your level raised."
"I'm probably the one esper in this city that doesn't want their level to go up."
Touma handed him a towel to wipe of his blood, "What do you mean?"
"If my powers go stronger they might work more often then just when I absolutely need them. If that happened my AIM field would react to my mana and what we saw happened would happen."
Touma looked at his hand, if he hadn't used it to cancel out his mana and AIM field then he might have bleed out to death. "Are you telling me your level just got up randomly?"
"I don't know about random." Tsuchimikado mused. "There is a rumor that has the higher ups worried. Do you remember last summer and the Level Upper incident?"
"Sort of."
"Yeah, let me refresh your memory. A scientist created it to connect the mind of esper in hoping to create a sort of organic super computer so she could save some kids. Now, the side effect of all this was that esper had their own minds connected to one another and it allowed them to pull together their computing power. This meant that people had their esper powers increased but eventually their brains couldn't handle it and they fell into a coma."
"Please tell me you didn't use it."
"I'm not that stupid." The spy smirked at him. "There is a rumor, strange things happening and there have been some people falling into comas. They are saying the espers have been showing increased powers right before they drop. The top brass is afraid that someone found a way to duplicate it and has been spreading it around. Not one of the victims has been found with the same newly download audio like last time."
"If they know how dangerous it is why is anyone use it? Why would anyone pass it out?"
"There is a theory that they don't know it's being taken. From what the doctor can tell it's not the same version of the Level Upper and whoever is passing it around it not only keeping it hidden but is passing it randomly. So no one knows they're being exposed to it. Since it looks like I was hit by it that seems like a safe guess."
"What are they doing about it?"
"Right now only the top brass of Anti-Skill and Judgement know about it. I mean, it's only an idea right now with little proof." Tsuchimikado paused. "Be careful, Kami. I have a bad feeling that something is happening. For once try and stay out of it."
It had only been a few days but already a few dozen people had fallen into comas. Scientist had no idea where this new version of Level Upper was hidden but assumed it was not nearly as stable as the last one to explain why it was having such a rapid effect on people.
The obvious assumption was that it was the hack that was broadcast all at once but if it happen the number would have been much higher. There was too much that they didn't know.
The next day Touma was walking down the street on his usual shopping trips looking for a bargain to feed Index.
"Excuse me there." A woman with dark wavy hair stopped him. "Excuses me, could you answer some questions for this survey I have."
Touma blinked absently for a moment, "Huh, okay."
She looked a little old for a student, maybe one of the older college students.
"All right, don't worry I promise I won't tell anyone your answer." She smiled brightly. "Okay, it's not a lot of questions. First one: what do you look for in a girl?"
"Ah!" Touma choked on his own spit being unable to answer at first due to events.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, I like older sister dorm mother types."
"Okay, older sister types." She quickly wrote it down on a clip board.
"Answer honestly, what is more important looks or personality?"
"Personality of course."
She looked him up and down before asking another question, "Is love better when its is made at first sight or when it grows after knowing someone for a while?"
"I don't know."
"Hm?" She tapped her chin. "Is there someone you love?"
"I don't know."
"What is love?"
"I don't know."
"What do you want?"
"I don't know."
"Do you love someone?"
"I don't know."
"Does someone love you?"
"….." For once Touma didn't answer.
"Are you worth loving?"
"No."
The woman paused and looked at Touma for a moment in silence. "I see."She gave him a warm smile grabbed his hand and shook it. "Thank you for all your help, Kamijou." She smiled but Touma saw sadness from behind it. "I have an appointment. I leave you with three more questions, just think about them and if we ever run into one another maybe you can answer them. Why do people love me? How does someone pick the person they love?"
She smiled at him once more before she walked away.
"That's only two questions, you said three."
She turned back and smiled, "When do you know love is real?"
She walked away without looking back.
Touma watched her walk away without any idea of how to react. Put something about it made him feel empty and just plain sad. He didn't know what it meant but part him thought some force or God or the Universe itself was trying to tell him something important, something that could help, but he simply didn't understand.
"Ah! Hello!" Touma was startled hearing someone yell at him.
He turned around to see a girl in a Tokiwadai winter Uniform. For a split second he thought he saw a blush before she pulled out a fan and covered her face.
"Can I help you?" Touma asked her.
"Ah, well, you already have." She ran her finger through her hair putting a strain behind her ear. "I was on the way to an appointment and I saw you, I just had to talk to you. I'm not sure if you remember me but during that strange shared hallucination you saved me." The hand with the fan started to shake, so much so that she grabbed it with her other hand to kept it steady. "I wanted to give you my thanks for saving me." She paused for a second. "Where are my manners I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I am Mitsuko Kongou Level Four Enrolled At Tokiwadai Middle School." She tried to keep her fan up to hide her blushing cheeks. "I've wanted to talk to you for a long time. Ive actually seen you around before, I as you spar against the Railgun a few weeks ago. I still have no idea how you manage to fend off her attacks. It was truly a remarkable thing."
She started to shake and the fan blasted out of her hand.
Kongou fell to her knees and screamed. Pain had steadily crept over her and at first she just thought she was just being tense and nervous but nows started to feel that it was something different. She placed her hands on the ground trying to steady herself when they started to rip apart from the ground.
Suddenly whirl winds began to form around her and people started to run in panic as tornado like winds started to spin around her.
"Help me! Please!" Kongou screamed out in pain not towards Touma specifically but to anyone.
When the winds started to form Touma had that same premonition he had and raised his arm. The winds struck his hand vanished with a glass shattering sound. Holding the hand before him he could cancel out any of the direct winds but the winds to the side hit him at the sides. Touma struggled to move forwards as the side way winds slashed at him. He thought he heard the sound of sirens as the winds roared around him.
The winds felt like ice as his left arm was cut. His clothes began to rip a little as the winds continued to slash away at him. With each step he took he could feel the winds threaten to pull him off the ground.
The windows continued to strike at his arm, gust after gust collide with the hand just fast enough for his hand to have some difficulty to cancel. With one last push of his legs he pushed past the winds and towards the girl wrapping his arms around her. His right touched her and with familiar shattering sound the winds died down. The girl shuddered in pain and tears streamed from her eyes and Touma could do nothing but hold her.
Anti-Skill arrived just in time to find the girl loosing consciousness.
They allowed Touma to ride along with her as they took her to a hospital.
As they reached the inside of the hospital they quickly put her on a gurney and the hospital staff quickly pushed further into the hospital.
"Kamijou?" A familiar voice said as they passed down the hall.
Touma turned to see his familiar doctor standing outside a room.
"You have to help her." He placed his hand over one of his cuts, "Forget me just help her. Her power just went out of control. It looked like she was having a seizure after wards, she was just shaking in pain until she passed out."
The Doctor quickly opened her eye lids and shined his pen light on her. "That's different." He turned to Touma for a second. "Did you do something?"
"No, I was just talking to her and her hand started to shake and then-"
"No after that. Everyone else hasn't responded her pupils still dilated. Whatever happened to her was stopped short."
"I grabbed her."
"Come this way, Kamijou. Bring her along."
Touma followed along with the staff into the room, they quickly set up Kongou into one of the beds.
"Kamijou over here." The doctor lead him to a bed with another girl shaking in pain. This one Touma knew."Uiharu!"
"Idiot!"
"Kamijou!"
"Kamijou-sempai!"
On the other side of the bed was a trio of girls he was familiar with.
Mikoto was the first to yell, "What are you doing here?!" Then she paused when she saw who was in the next bed over. "Kongou?"
"Kamijou over here." The Doctor led to the bed. "Touch her."
Touma let his hand fall on her chest and the sound of shattering filled the air and gasping Uiharu collapsed onto the bed whimpering in pain but certainly a lot better than she was a minute before.
The doctor checked her over quickly, "She's not exactly fine but she's doing better than others. It does look like if something disrupts the AIM field before the process finishes then it doesn't have the same drastic effect."
"You did it?" Mikoto asked Touma. "Did the same thing happen to Kongou and you stopped it?"
"I guess." Touma admitted not sure what was happening as he though back to what happened with Tsuchimikado.
"Is she going to be all right?" Saten asked the doctor.
"I'm not sure at the moment. We have some expert here and I'll bring them over. These two girls seemed to be the only two reported people who have started to show the same symptom but not fall into a coma."
He left the room to page the experts.
"What's going on?" Mikoto turned to Touma. "Every time something weird happens you seem to be involved some way. What is happening?"
"I don't know." Touma lied, he did have some idea. "I heard a rumor of the Level Upper."
"Level upper?" Saten took a step back hearing that words. "Uiharu would never use that."
"There is a rumor." Kuroko managed to explain. "I heard it from Konori-sempai when she went to check in with Judgement about our office. The rumor says that someone is spreading a copy of the Level Upper program, an unstable one at that."
"Uiharu wouldn't use it?" Saten insisted.
"I don't think she did. The rumor is that people are randomly getting exposed to 's a theory though, it doesn't sound like there is any evidence to support it."
"And your crazy right hand stops it?" Mikoto glared at the boy.
"If Kamijou's sempai's hand disrupts the AIM field it might not be able to do damage it normally does." Kuroko wrapped it up. "Right now it just seems Anti-Skill and Judgement are trying to keep the rumor quiet to avoid a panic until they know for certain."
"That does seem to be the sum of it." A doctor walked into the room along with the frog face doctor.
"It's you." Mikoto couldn't believe that she was there. "Kiyama!"
"That's me." The woman said with half interest.
Harumi Kiyama had long messy hair and hadn't looked much different since the last time Mikoto saw her except she looked less tired.
"Hey's it's you." She turned her attention to Touma. "It's been some time since I've seen you." Touma froze afraid that he found someone from his past who he had no memory of. "Oh, you don't remember me. It's not a big deal, we only met the one time when you helped me look for my car. I don't think I'd remember if I hand't met the railgun right after."
Touma began to relax.
"Did you have something to do with this?" Mikoto looked at the scientist.
"No, I haven't done anything. I was called in because it seems someone is using my creation. I'm actually here to help."
"Oh, here comes the expert on the Testament." Old Froggy Face said. "Since it looks like some sort of modified Testament is being used she might be able to help figure out what is happening."
He was happy with how fast they came when he paged them, they had been working with him trying to treat the esper that
A young woman about 17 walked into the room, she wore a dark almost gothic lolita outfit under her white coat. Her eyes were big and dark. Her frame was thin and slender but she carried herself with some pride and confidence.
"Shinobu Nunotaba?" Mikoto found out she was going to run into a lot of familiar faces that day.
You'd think the young researcher would turn to greet the electro master who was the reason behind saving her from the darkside of the city, yeah that's not whats happening. "Kamijou? Touma Kamijou?" A small smile formed of her pale face. "It's been such a long time since we've seen each other."
"You know here too!" Kuroko was the one to blurt what everyone thought. "You really do get around."
"Hey Touma" A young surgeon waved at him as she walked past the dorm.
"Hey Ryoko." Touma waved back.
That didn't really help his argument.
Authors Notes: Okay, another update. Sorry for the delay and all. Things happen and I'm getting another writers blocks and I have been working on some personal writing and I'm getting closer to the end there. Anyway, I am looking for a beta, the guy I had had computer problems and said can't help. I get it, these things happen. I would like to find a beta that is familiar with this story or the series so if anyone here is a beta and can help let me know by pm. Anyway guys let me know what you think of this chapter and if you've started to figure out what some other people have started to figure out about Touma. Tell me what you like or you didn't.
I just found out volume 10 came out and I'm waiting for a full translation so no spoilers please. I'm not sure how I will fit it into this story but lets see what happens, I will say I have the feeling the Othius isn't going to survive and I'm hopping for a few hints for number 6 before I take a stab at that character. Anyway review and tell me what you guys think.