Chapter 25: Innocence Lost
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Uiharu, Radar, Aka, Kazuki, and Kakine were in a van, heading to their drop off point. They were given equipment for the sake of the mission, but for Uiharu, she felt uncomfortable. She sighed, knowing that it was just nerves. She looked forward to the end of Skill-Out, but she knew something would go wrong.
She looked up at Kakine, who was crafting him a custom blade with his dark matter. She could see that he was looking forward to this raid, something she knew the others weren't. The others made it clear that they didn't want to kill if possible, so they agreed to leave Uiharu and Kakine to go after the leaders. They would support Uiharu, so long as they could carry the burden.
She looked at her gear. Besides the infiltration cloak, she had been given a silenced Mp-7, a nine inch blade, and finally radio equipment. It was basic, but Uiharu saw the blade as useless, she could kill any man just by her mere presence, save for Kakine and Accelerator. She saw Kakine staring at her.
"What is it Kakine?" she asked. He smirked at her.
"I just find it fascinating that a Level 1 became a Level 4 in less than a year," he muttered. "And from your past, I am more surprised you are this calm at what you are being asked to do." Uiharu shrugged.
"Skill-Out made my life truly hellish," Uiharu said, brushing a bang of hair. "Thus this is to settle this once and for all. Nothing more. Then it is back to training to become a Level 5." Kakine laughed, which made everyone except Uiharu shuddered.
"Really, is that all you want to do?" he asked. "I think you had much bigger ambitions than that." Uiharu scoffed at him.
"I do, but they don't concern you, so what bother bringing them up?" Kakine smiled at her.
"Oh, because you never know when you need a Level 5 help," he said, baiting Uiharu to snap.
"I don't need a Level 5 to back me up!" she yelled at him. "I will deal with my problems on my own, the only reason you are here is because Romanov insisted you be here." Kakine smirked.
"Very well, but if you change your mind, I will be around," Kakine said. He saw Uiharu sigh, looking away from him. He needed to get Uiharu to be his pawn, but she was refusing to bend. She was headstrong, stubborn, and self-assured in her power, much like he was.
Uiharu turned to the driver.
"How much longer until we are there?" she asked in a bored voice. The driver turned to look at a digital read out.
"About ten more minutes," he muttered quietly. "I suggest you say a few prays if you are like that." Uiharu shook her head.
"Only thing that is going to save me is myself," she muttered under her breathe. "I won't rely on others to save me." She leaned back, resting her head on the seat, closing her eyes to calm her nerves.
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Hamazura Shiage was walking down an all too familiar alleyway. He sighed; he knew that someone recently was giving Skill-Out hell, as an old friend of his told him. But Hamazura didn't care, as he was no longer a part of it.
So why the hell am I walking around here? It was a fair question, with too many reasons to state. But to start, it began with him failing to get the money he needed to pay off his debt to Mugino, after she bailed him out when he stupidly tried to steal an member of Anti-Skill's car. He remembered the conversation all too well;
Mugino was sitting at the booth, with Rikou and Saiai next to her. Mugino looked livid.
"What do you mean you don't have my money?" Mugino growled. He tried to calm her down.
"Look, I was caught by an ex-Judgment member, and she was rather powerful, Level 3 probably," he started. "I almost got away, but she prevented my escape, and if it wasn't for someone intervening, I probably would've been hospitalized; then you would've had to pay for my medical." Saiai chuckled.
"You are super stupid if you think Mugino was going to super pay your medical bills," she said. Mugino nodded, resting her chine on her propped up hands.
"My, you are a pain in my ass. Tell me Rikou, what the hell do you see in him?" Mugino scoffed. He was about to come to Rikou's defense when Mugino glared at him.
"Shut up," she started. "If you can't get my money back, then I want you to investigate something for me." Hamazura groaned; this meant more sleepless nights and more near-death circumstances.
"I want to figure out who the hell Skill-Out is going crazy trying to go after," Mugino stated. "This should be easy, get a name, get some information, and you are done. Shouldn't be too hard to get information from your old friends, right?"
Well, that was a joke, as he spent a great deal of time running from said friends. Thankfully, for his sake, he still had a few contacts that were willingly to divulge information, on the basis of 'if you manage to convince the number four to go after her, then by all means, take this'. He had very little informations.
He gathered that the person he tried to rob was the target of Skill-Out's aggression. Her name was Uiharu Kazari, and she was a Level 4 esper. Apperantly, Skill-Out thought she burned down a lab, killing some of their members, and since then they listed Uiharu as their main threat. But sadly, this information didn't satisfy Mugino. It was his last conversation with her that led him walking toward a well-known meeting place for Skill-Out members.
He was about to turn the corner when a black van drove past him.
"What the hell," he muttered to himself. He peaked around the corner, and saw the back door of the van open, with five people stepping out, including Uiharu. But his eyes traveled to one person, and he panicked. It was Kakine Teitoku, the same bastard who Mugino was confident that Accelerator ended up killing, and the one who tried to kill Rikou.
He stepped back in his alley way. Fearful of what was about to happen, he called Mugino's cell phone. He heard the line picked up.
"What is it idiot?" asked Mugino, clearly annoyed at the fact he called. He looked at the time and winced; he had interrupted her newly minted hour for meditation, something Rikou convinced her to reduce her anger and stress. But when interrupted, she got more pissed and tended to exert her anger onto her favorite torture doll; him.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But I got some very bad news." He heard Mugino crack her knuckles.
"What, you failed to get information?" she stated. "I do hope you know that I can make life a living hell for you." Hamazura resisted the urge to groan. He looked back at the van, seeing Kakine and Uiharu leading the three others to the meeting place.
"Well, I figure I let you know Kakine Teitoku is still kicking," he said. "And he is working it seems with that Uiharu girl." He heard a glass shatter, and thankfully Mugino decided to scream in anger out of the speaker.
"WHAT?!" she yelled at him after getting most of her anger out. "He is alive, and he is working with that Uiharu brat?!" Hamazura thanked his luck; he managed to find someone who Mugino hated more than him.
"That's correct," he said. "I just saw him and Uiharu, along with three others, get out of a van, heading to the Skill-Out meeting." He heard Mugino pacing. He prayed that this concluded his deal with her; then he could go back to Rikou, watch a movie with her, and have a normal night. But he heard Mugino cackle, and he knew he counted his eggs too early.
"Well then," she began. "I want you to observe the two of them, see what they are up to. Determine if this is a one-shot deal, or if this is something more serious." Before Hamazura could complain, the line went dead. He looked back, thankful that the group was out of sight.
He stepped out of the alley, to see the van still there. He knew that van would have equipment he could use, so he assumed with a bit of caution that there wasn't a passenger along with the driver, and he snuck up on the van. When he got to the passenger side door, he pulled out his Taser.
He opened the door, to see the driver look at him.
"Sorry mate," Hamazura muttered before he stuns the driver. The driver convulsed a few times, then he went limp. Hamazura then began a frantic search of the van, looking for any information. To his surprise and luck, he heard the radio sqwuack.
"Shut up Kakine, just because Romanov asked you along doesn't mean you run the show," he heard Uiharu say over the radio. Hamazura about cried in enjoyment, glad that for once, his job was relatively easy. He took the radio, along with a spare notepad that was in the glove compartment.
He left the driver, slumping him back in his seat, to make it look like he had fallen asleep. Hamazura then left to find a derelict building, and found a spare chair.
"Let's overhear what is happening with Uiharu and Kakine," he muttered once he finally sat down. He seriously hoped that this wouldn't take too long.
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Uiharu and the others had donned their cloaks, creeping quietly to the first building. She gripped her Mp-7 tightly, unsure if she should use it or her ability. Romanov suggested carrying firearms, despite no training because besides for Aka and Kakine, the other had little to no range. In fact, Radar lacked any ability that he had been given a DSR-1 sniper rifle to support Aka. But still, Uiharu hadn't actually seen the horrors of killing; both she and Aka's ability left little blood behind.
She was glad that Kakine couldn't see her, or at least she hoped he couldn't see her, as she was admittedly a bit pale. But Kakine was trying to usurp her authority.
"Radar and Aka, how about you try to take the entrance to the far right; it will grant you instant access to the stairwell. The rest of us will head through the building quietly." Uiharu hissed at Kakine.
"Shut up Kakine, just because Romanov asked you along doesn't mean you run the show," she said to him. She heard Kakine chuckle.
"What, you want to fail this mission?" he mocked. "Or maybe you want to prolong this confrontation with Skill-Out, for a grand finale?" Uiharu sighed.
"You know, just because I am one level below you doesn't mean I am god damn stupid," she countered. "And no, I want to be rid of Skill-Out, the sooner the better." She heard Radar's voice come in.
"So, are me and Aka to go or not to go?" he asked quietly. Uiharu made a mental note to flip Kakine off later.
"Yes, go. But next time, obey my orders, unless the idiot is in danger, which I doubt sadly." She blushed in frustration; why was Kakine on her nerves like this? She sighed, getting to the door, and opening it quietly.
She entered, and she began to notice her cloak dripping water quiet loudly. It had been raining, so it was to be expected, but now in the eerily quiet building, the dripping could mean they get spotted.
"Damn it guys, we need to remove our cloaks," she said. "In these buildings, the dripping will echo a lot and give us away." She removed her cloak, seeing the irritating Kakine in front of her, along with Kazuki. Uiharu glanced around the room, thankful that no one was nearby. She radioed Radar.
"Radar, how many are in the building?" she asked. Radar chuckled.
"Surprisingly, only about 6, two per floor. Me and Aka will handle the two on the third floor, then head to the roof. You guys got the other two floors handeled?" Uiharu confirmed, and then looked over at Kazuki.
"Kazuki, handel this floor, me and Kakine will head to the second floor to take care of the two there." Kazuki shrugged.
"Mind if I knock them out?" he asked. Kakine glared at him.
"What, afraid to kill scum?" Kakine growled. When kazuki failed to respond, Kakine shook his head. "Get a grip, killing them will be easier and faster for us. Plus, what if they wake up? What if they manage to get a shot off at any of us?"
Kazuki sighed. He wasn't new to fighting for his life, but he usually left his attackers alive. Even in the park, his punches were aimed to keep them from fighting. But he supposed Kakine had a point; he wouldn't live with himself if those close to him got hurt, especially for showing mercy to men like Skill-Out.
"Fine, but I am not going to torture them," Kazuki said, and with that, he head off to take care of the two men. Uiharu and Kakine head up the stairwell to the second floor. Kakine was grinning, looking forward to the fight, while Uiharu felt butterflies in her stomach.
She chalked it up for being the one to instigate the fight, not merely defending herself. She could feel her hand shaking, but she steadied herself; after all, they were only Anti-Skill, no one to pity, no one to feel sorry for.
They reached the second floor, and they made their way to the an open door. Uiharu stopped short, peering in. Inside were two men, standing next to a burning barrel, trying to keep warm.
"Damn shame we have to guard this building," the first one said. The second shrugged.
"Not really; we get to stay out of the fighting if one is to come, and we won't be noticed by the bosses." The first rubbed his hand; his rifle slung on his shoulder.
"True. Say, did you hear what the bosses have in the basement?" the first asked. Uiharu kept listening, though she felt Kakine itching to take care of them. He wanted to deal with them now, but Uiharu wanted more information.
"No, why?" asked the second, taking out a cigarette to smoke. The first laughed.
"I heard they managed to replicate the results of that drug that Kiyama's men had at the lab, before that Uiharu bitch burnt it down."
At the mere mention of the X1 drugs, Uiharu nodded to Kakine, and they entered the room. Before the two Skill-Out members could grab their weapons, Uiharu fired a burst from her Mp-7 into the first man, while Kakine thrust his dark matter blade into the second's skull. Both men went down without having making noise.
Uiharu sighed, glad that killing the man wasn't as terrible as she had imagined. She turned to Kakine, who was smiling at her.
"Well, well, at least you didn't hesistate," he complemented. "I have seen idiots die because they wasted a perfect opportunity and froze up." Uiharu wasn't sure what to think about Kakine's statement; should she be sick that he was so casual about killing, or be glad he understood what is was like to kill.
She simply nodded. She checked the status of the others. Aka and Radar had taken care of the men on the third floor, and were now on the roof, finding an ideal hiding spot for Radar to observe and give supporting fire. Kazuki also dealt with the men on the first floor. Uiharu went to the window, checking the building where the meeting was taking place. She saw two guards on the only door, and she didn't know how many men were in the building.
"Radar, can you tell me how many men are in the building?" Uiharu asked. Radar sighed.
"Sorry, but that building was shielded to keep signals from getting in or out; it was once a research lab you know." Uiharu clenched her fist in annoyance; she didn't want to deal with a firefight if she could avoid it.
"Alright then, anyone have any ideas on how to take the building?" Uiharu asked. Kakine smiled.
"If I may," he began. "If Aka and Radar took care of any snipers on the rooftop, you, Kazuki, and I make a run to the central building, then we head up to take care of the Skill-Out leaders." Uiharu pinched the bridge of her nose; his plan was simple, but was too risky.
"First, Radar, can you even tell me how many snipers there are?" she asked. Radar coughed.
"Well, just based on visual count, about 6, two per building surrounding the central building. Also, we have probably the same number of men as this one in each building," Radar said. "I don't think running in is the best option." Uiharu agreed quietly, but the fact remained, they needed to deal with the leaders, and quickly. She looked at the central building, wanting to go in a see what Skill-Out had in the basement, and she formed a simple plan.
"Alright Radar and Aka, I need you guys to cover us as we breach the building,' Uiharu commanded. "Keep those in the surrounding buildings from reaching us. Kazuki, when we get in and take care of the threats on the first floor, keep anyone from coming in."
Uiharu turned to Kakine, sick to her stomach that of all the people here, she only trust him enough to help her with taking on the rest of the building. She saw his face, full of malice and not a care in the world, and for a moment, she felt a pang of terror. Where it came from, she didn't know, but it disturbed her.
"Kakine, I want you to help me with taking care of the second and third floor. Don't let anyone get past me, especially not the Skill-Out leaders."
Kakine glared at Uiharu, feeling insulted that she thought he wasn't able to take care of the threats before they had a chance to escape. But he knew she was covering her bases. He raised his blade, which he lengthen and put a jagged edge in the middle of the blade.
"Very well," he said. "Let's get a move on shall we?" Uiharu nodded, and they headed to the first floor, meeting up with Kazuki. Kazuki was shaking a little, but Uiharu gripped the handle of the doorknob.
"Alright, on my mark," Uiharu began. "GO!" She twisted the door knob and when she cleared the door frame, she raised the Mp-7, and fired two short burst into the guards in front of the door. They fell to the ground, and Uiharu led the charge to the door. Radar and Aka began attacking the snipers on the various roof tops, giving Uiharu's group enough time to reach the door.
They gathered at the door, with Kakine looking gleeful at the fighting. He formed a grenade looking device in his hand, and threw it into the window. After the crashing of the glass, the 'grenade' exploded, and Uiharu, Kazuki, and Kakine breached.
The room was small, but beside the people killed by the grenade, there were two more men in the room. Kazuki charged into one of them, knocking him down, while Kakine decapitated the other man. Kazuki, being a fighter, threw a punch at the guy's skull, shattering it. He blanched a bit, but Kakine remained calm.
"That must've hurt," muttered Kakine amusingly. Uiharu shrugged his attitude off.
"C'mon, we need to get to the third story," she said, and leaving Kazuki to guard the entrance, she went up the first flight of stairs. She reached the top to see that Skill-Out, despite knowing what she was capable of, set up an ambush.
They had arranged themselves to cover all views of the stairwell. If it weren't for Uiharu's ability to burn the bullets to ashes, it would've work wonders. But as it was, it was only stalling the inevitable. Uiharu, safe behind her heat wave, looked to Kakine.
"You got these guys?" Uiharu asked. "I can't use my gun, and if I push any more, I risk burning the building." Kakine smiled.
"Yeah, I got this," he said. With that, he lept up to get onto even ground with Skill-Out. One of the soldiers turned to him, firing all his bullets at him, but Kakine merely reformed his body, avoiding any injuries.
"You think you can kill ME?!" he roared at the Skill-Out soldiers as he went around, slashing at the various soldiers, dismembering limbs and heads. "I am the number two of this city, and it will take more than mere bullets to KILL ME!"
Uiharu watched in both horror and amazement as Kakine ripped through the Skill-Out ambush. They could hit him, as her would destroy his body, only to reform it behind them, killing them seconds afterwards. She paused, wondering why he was only the number two of the city?
Kakine turned to the last man in the ambush, who was cowering in a corner. The man began to beg for his life.
"Please, let me live!" he began. "I-I-I will do anything to live, just don't kill me!" Kakine chuckled, looking at Uiharu.
"What do you think Uiharu?" he asked. Uiharu looked at the soldier in question, and felt her anger flare up. It was the leader that tried to kill her in her old dorm. She glared at the man, and wondered what she should do.
She turned to smirk at Kakine, her disgust for the man clear to him. He stepped back, allowing Uiharu to use her ability against the poor bastard. She began by freezing the liquid in the guy's eyes, and then set to freeze his brain into a solid brick of ice. He screamed in pain, but after thirty seconds, his head rolled forward, all the blood vessels in his brain having been frozen.
Uiharu, not wanting to see what Kakine thought of her, went up the next flight of stairs, surprised to see there were no more Skill-Out soldiers. She opened the door, with Kakine behind her, to find the five Skill-Out leaders, with their guns drawn.
"Now, you think you can hit me?" Uiharu mocked, enticing the leaders to fire at her. Their bullets weren't any better, and long before they got to Uiharu they had turned to ash like the rest of the bullets fired at her. She grinned at their inability to attack her.
"Now then," she began. "I have confirmed you guys to be the ones responbile for making my life hellish that last few months, and I am glad to inform you, that end TODAY!" She turned to each man, setting him on fire with maintain the temperature of the surrounding objects to prevent burning the building down. The various leaders screamed in pain, but soon, all that remained of the men who made Uiharu suffer was a neat pile of ash.
Uiharu began to walk out of the room, when Kakine grabbed her shoulder. She would've punched him if it was earlier, but for some reason she resisted the natural temptation.
"What is it Kakine?" she asked, her voice without the usual sharp tone she usually used with him. "We need to leave soon." Kakine looked at Uiharu, ridding himself of the dark matter blade he used.
"No need," he said. "I spoke to Radar while you took care of the Skill-Out leaders. Turned out, most of the soldiers here bailed when they were under attack by multiple espers." Uiharu nodded quietly, heading out of the room. "You alright?" Kakine asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright," she said, and it was honest. While she did ended up killing many men this evening, it made her feel relieved that the threat of Skill-Out against her was finally over. She knew they would remain, but they now knew attacking her was suicide.
Kakine watched Uiharu as she left the room, making note of her soft voice. He was rather unnerved by it if he was honest; most of the time, people were shaking from their first kill, or they were rather excited. But Uiharu was calm, almost distant from the fact she had kill several men in a rather gruesome way.
He followed Uiharu to the first floor, where she stopped, looking at the basement.
"I am going to check the basement," Uiharu muttered to both Kakine and Kazuki. "Meet me at the van. I want to see if what I heard earlier was correct." Uiharu made her way down the stairs, coming upon a locked door.
Sighing at the uselessness of most locks in a city full of espers and natural computer savants, Uiharu burnt the lock and forced her way into the basement. She entered the dark room, fumbling for the light switch. When she managed to turn the light on, her heart fell.
Inside, she saw a young girl, maybe ten years old, in rags and locked up in a cage. Uiharu ran over to the girl. Uiharu was about to ask if she was ok when she looked into the girl's eyes. The girls eyes mirrored her own, but they were soft with naivety, like her were before she met Aki, before she was drugged with X1.
Uiharu recoiled, stepping back. She examined the girl, and before her eyes, the girls transformed to her, when she first met Misaka. She closed her eyes, knowing it was just a trick on her eyes.
"Help me," said the girl, but Uiharu could only see herself in the girl. "They-they drugged me, and now I am stuck in here." Uiharu felt her mind screaming to let the girl go, but she couldn't. She glared at the girl.
"Get yourself out," Uiharu said coldly. The girl began to cry. "Don't you cry, I went through the same hell and here I am! You mustn't rely on others!" Uiharu felt her stomach knot as she screamed this, but the girl kept crying.
"Bu-but it hurts," she whimpered. "They drugged me so much that I can't control my ability anymore." She looked into Uiharu's eyes, hoping to ignite some compassion. "Please, just let me out of this cage."
Uiharu had fallen into a dark abyss in her mind, her old personality fighting to get out.
"Help the girl!" yelled her light-self. She gripped Uiharu's mind like any moment would be her last. "Don't let her suffer your fate!"
"Suffer my fate?!" roared Uiharu's dominant personality. "This was a blessing! I awoke from my illusions, I became powerful, I…" Her light-self smacked her in her mind.
"And you killed! You practically tortured a man, and now you are going to leave some young girl to her fate, to starve and die, just because you became a cruel BITCH?!" Her light-self began to pummel at Uiharu's mind.
"You can't let her suffer because of your torment!" her light-self scream, putting as much punch as she could muster into her words. "Just because you became a puppet for the darkness of this city doesn't mean she should suffer! You want to be forgiven, you want to redeem yourself, and you want to feel ALIVE!" Uiharu gripped her hand in pain, the regret coming out. She hit the floor, beginning to weep.
"You don't understand," she stated, struggling to come to terms with what she had done. "I had to end them, to save myself!" But her light-self remained firm.
"But did Misaka, or Kuroko, or anyone you know resort to killing someone for their own safety?! NO THEY DIDN"T! They fought for sure, but they never resorted to killing!" Her light-self turned to her.
"But you had to throw your friends away, discarding them like they were tools. You left Judgment not out of hating being unable to protect people but for your blind drive for power! You left the light, just for your greed, you lust for power!"
Uiharu felt the walls of her logic falling apart, but she turned to face her light-self.
"What does it matter to you?!" Uiharu yelled. "What has been done is done; there is no going back! I lost my innocence, and now I can never go back! No amount of forgiveness or remorse can undo what I have done!" Her light-self glared at her, and she gripped Uiharu's mind by the throat.
"You can change, but will you?" her light-self asked. "It can end, you can turn yourself in, you can admit your sins, and you can learn from this." But for Uiharu, those words were like acid, causing pain and turmoil in her mind.
"I CAN"T! It would be the end of me, I didn't have a problem with Skill-Out, but they tried to kill me. I tried to rationalize with Misaka, Kuroko, Aki, but they wouldn't budge from their position of superiority!" Her light-self recanted, but Uiharu's mind followed a new line of thought. She began to laugh, forcing her light-self to back away.
"What is it now, you black demon?" her light-self hissed. "Found broken logic to self-assure yourself, to not feel pain?" Uiharu kept laughing, turning to face her light-self.
"I just realized, the whole problem with my logic was where I sat in it," Uiharu began. "I was always on the bottom, but now, here I am , near the top, so close to becoming a Level 5, to being an equal to those who imposed their will on my life."
"It matters not if what I did was wrong," Uiharu continued. "If it leads to me becoming more powerful, then so be it. After all, this city demands success, regardless of the price. Remember all those we fought against? They were merely pushing the edges of what was possible, and we hindered them! We could've benefitted from their advances, but we only slowed them down." Her light-self glared at her.
"At what cost?!" her light-personality yelled. "At the cost of other's lives, their freedoms?" Uiharu began to regain consciousness, and began to eye the girl in front of her. She smirked.
"I know what needs to be done," Uiharu said. "I could easily do it, it wouldn't be hard. If I kill this girl, you will be forced out of my mind, forced to deal with the truth that all this city wants is perfection." Her light-self paled.
"Don't you dare!" she yelled, and tried to stop Uiharu. But Uiharu was long gone; she looked at the girl, seeing her old self; weak, drugged; and without will.
"So long," Uiharu stated coldly. She grabbed her Mp-7, and raised it to the girl. "I promise, this won't hurt." Uiharu pulled the trigger, with a single bullet ripping through the girl's head. The girl collapsed, not having uttered a word or scream.
Uiharu looked at the girl, and then she felt her mind burst into flames. She collapsed, realizing what she had done. She looked at her hands.
"N-no, I-I didn't mean to-" Uiharu stammered, feeling sick to her stomach. She could only stare at the girl's corpse, a pool of blood forming at Uiharu's knees. "No-no-NO!" yelled Uiharu, and she lost all control. At the girl's body, she began to raise the temperature, but it went out of control. Soon, she felt something shattered in her mind, and she looked up, to see something consuming where the girl was. She watched in horror as the room began to be pulled into this single spot, all things bending to it.
She tried to stop what she had created, but it was in vain. Finally, using the last amount of her energy, she forced herself to imagine it was gone. She looked at the spot, seeing things had returned to normal, except for the area where the thing was. Everything around it was gone, including the concrete under the girl's body.
Uiharu looked at what she had done, and collapsed from the emotional, mental, and physical strain she had put on her body. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was someone grabbing her and picking her up, leading out of the room.
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Kakine had been running back to Uiharu, after she failed to return to the van five minutes after she headed to the basement. He ran down the stairs, wondering why he of all people was concerned. He had killed his share of people, but why did it bother him that Uiharu had done the same?
He went to the open door, and saw Uiharu staring at a body. He was about to ask what had happened when suddenly he felt the room get hot, until it suddenly became something entirely different, and a unusal black area formed where the body was. He looked at it and realized he felt himself getting pulled into it. He realized in horror what he was seeing; Uiharu had somehow created a black hole.
Bu before he could react, it disappeared, and Uiharu collapsed. He quickly ran over to her, amazed at the destruction she had done, and picked her up. She was breathing, but barely. He decided to beat it to the van. He ran as fast as he could, and when he got to the van he slung open the back doors and set Uiharu down on the empty seat. Radar glanced at him.
"What the hell happened?" Radar asked, appalled by Uiharu's condition. Kakine thought about it for a minute, realizing that Uiharu when through a level burst. It was a frequent problem with those on the edge of Leveling up, and it occurred usually under a great deal of stress or anxiety. But unlike a runaway ability, a level burst only occurs when the person is on the cusp of leveling up, not when under duress.
"I don't know," admitted Kakine. "She was staring at the body of a young girl, then she somehow created a black hole." The others stared at him. Aka looked at him, paling at his words.
"Surely you are mistaken," aka said without much confidence. "Uiharu manipulates heat, not gravity." Kakine shook his head at her.
"No, she went through a level burst, and somehow created a black hole," he said, glaring at all of them to quit arguing. "We need to get her to the infirmary, so she can rest." He rapped the back of the driver's seat, and the driver started the van up. Kakine kept staring at Uiharu, wondering what else he wasn't informed of.
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Author's notes: Finally, we get to see Uiharu's Level 5 ability in action, even if it was due to her losing her mind. This also concludes the Flames of External Despair Arc. So now, to discuss some things about the story.
I received a notice that 'physic roxx' did a review, but since it has yet to show up, I will bring up his question; Wouldn't Accelerator's ability (vector change) prevent Uiharu's black hole from destroying him? To answer shortly; no it wouldn't.
The reason is that a black hole doesn't suck, it doesn't pull, and it doesn't use vectors. A black hole is a hole in gravity, and thus it has an infinite amount of gravitational pull. While Accelerator can withstand the effects of someone pulling on him, he can't defy gravity. So if he were to survive a black hole attack, he would need to keep away from the event horizon, the point of no return.
But it is worth noting that Accelerator can redirect a gamma ray burst, something Uiharu can artificially create using her ability. That uses vectors, so Accelerator can redirect the gamma ray burst.
And for my question of the chapter; would you guys want me to change the rating from T to M, and why? I have been debating doing this, but I want other's opinions, as I don't want to if you guys don't approve of it.
As always, please follow, favorite, and review!