Fictions Mentioned:

Episode 13

OP Song:

Adele - Skyfall (Lyric Video)

Insert Song: Start:

The Master of the Mystic End Credits (Audio Only) from Doctor Strange

Makoto Kamijou was surprised as his brown eyes blinked repeatably.

Standing right in front of him was a simple flower shop of about three floors. Flowers of every design were stacked upon the windows and the advertisement signs were commendable to the professional eye. Accompanying Makoto now would be his younger father, Touma Kamijou, and his younger mother, Mikoto Misaka, and her three best friends, Kuroko Shirai, Kazari Uiharu, and Ruiko Saten, along with his father's best friend, Sota MIzushino, as well as his father's childhood friends from another reality, as well as younger aunt Index and his sister Angela, his aunt Misaki Shokuhou and her other counterpart (511), and surprisingly enough...another daughter of his younger mother, Miyoko Kamijou, from a different alternative timeline than his. And that sibling was standing right beside him, smiling cheekily and interested in him. Mii Konori didn't come however as she had other duties to attend to especially in light of the recent incident that had taken place.

Makoto had heard a lot of things about the Magic God Othinus. But he never really pegged her for a person associated with flowers. Wasn't she a warrior goddess? Wasn't she a goddess of wisdom? Wasn't she the goddess infamous for making an infinite hell for his late father? Wasn't she the goddess that stood by as the understander of his late father?

There were many things to describe a person as such. But never has he associated Othinus with the subject of flowers.

"...Um, are you sure this is the right place, old man?" Makoto made a dubious expression as he looked to his right, seeing Touma Kamijou who gave him an understanding expression.

"Let me guess, you never expected a flower shop of all things to be associated with Othinus of all people?" Kamijou asked.

"Y-Yeah," Makoto nodded, a bit surprised.

"Well...that's a long story to tell and it isn't really my place to tell," Kamijou made a sad meaningful smile on his face, putting his hands in his pockets and begins to walk towards the door and headed inside, with the wind chimes on the door ringing. A few others would follow suit. "Come on, everyone, let's not keep Othinus and Strange-sensei waiting."

"...Strange-sensei?" Makoto's eyebrows crunched in confusion as he was walking inside the flower shop, not recognizing the name. He looked to Angela for an answer who simply said with a smile.

"Oh, Strange-sensei is one out of twelve individuals, all of whom are considered to be father's greatest of teachers, at least that's what he himself told me," Angela said with a smile.

"One of twelve?"

The wording wasn't lost on Makoto. Twelve. There were twelve individuals that could be considered the teachers of perhaps the greatest man in the entire world. On the surface, it may not seem to be much, but he had a gut feeling that this factor is another divergence that he needed to take into account.

"Not just that though," Index interjected, joining the conversation alongside her younger alternate daughter. "Master Strange just so happened to be my teacher in the mystic arts, starting today officially."

"Hm?" all of the Kamijou children became rather curious at this.

"Here, watch."

At that moment, Index flicked her right fingers a bit and made tracing signs, allowing her to summon a couple of green butterflies that were flapping their wings and gathering together around herself and Angela who was the closest to Index.

"Woah!" Miyoko uttered in surprise.

"What the?! Mother, you can use magic easily?!" Angela asked, out of concern for her mother who was now capable of such a spell.

When Angela thought about it, from what she knew about her mother when she was young, her mother wasn't allowed to use magic or even be able to perform magic. Why? Because if she could be allowed such a feat, then she wouldn't be alive today. The world of magic feared that a new magic god could be created and so there had to be some form of control over her. And that leads to the process of memory erasures that became the standard of every single year to the point where her younger mother would not be able to recall anything about her past. And that would be how she would eventually meet the man who would set her free from such a curse.

The man's name? Touma Kamijou. At the cost of his memories that is.

"Yes, I can, in a sense. Master Strange managed to break through whatever controller was holding me back and allowed me to be connected to a few patron gods. Henceforth, I am now to be an apprentice to Master Strange and would try to earn the title of Sorceress Supreme."

"Sorceress Supreme?" all of the Kamijou children asked, curious about the term.

"Ah, I can sense that my student has arrived along with his wayward son and company."

Doctor Stephen Strange smiled as his eyes closed. He was currently floating in mid-air, levitating above a central platform that had the shape of a hexagon with black and white checkerboard tiles. Othinus was a few meters to the northeast of Strange's position, showing an expression of concern accompanied by a smile.

They were currently in the secret bigger-on-the-inside library of the Magic God Othinus. When looking at the library itself, there were tons and tons of literature stacked in proper order. The wide open space and the layout of the walls reminded one of the Greek Temples of old, or for a modern example, the Library of Congress. Books about magic, books about science, books about anything else. Othinus, in her alias as Frida Fensalir, had been an avid collector of various literature for her personal usage. And also, the library itself would also be a useful tool for the eventual day when her understander would come back to her. A fleeting possibility at the time, one that she never thought would come again since the timeline of the universe is much different than before. However, the confirmation of her hopes was achieved, but it had the price of traumatic experiences that even exceeded what Othinus did to her understander.

"We have found two of my understander's other children, but there are still plenty of them still out there. I worry for them so," Othinus uttered.

"So do I, Lady Othinus," Strange said, opening his eyes and looking at Othinus. "I'm more concerned however with Angela's world, the one that had been conquered by the Magic God whose name remains a mystery. From what Angela told us, this Magic God suddenly appeared a few days later after her father's death and struck hard and fast. A Magic God is a threat that cannot be taken so lightly."

A Magic God can be described in one sense as a being akin to the purest, most perfect existence that encompasses every single possibility. Infinite possibilities sounded nice, but there's a catch. It would give you both the possibility of success and the possibility of failure. It would be something likened to the differences between matter and anti-matter. While one has the power to destroy the world, one also has a fifty percent chance of losing to a child in a game of rock-paper-scissors. At least, when one isn't talking about a True Magic God since that would be an entirely different discussion altogether, just thinking beyond the norm and for the safety concerns of the entire world itself.

The Magic God that ravaged Angela's Earth and Universe may prove to be a minor nuisance in the future. It is a minor threat that they should take into account at the very least since they didn't need another distracting side dish when the main course was now gorging up tons of plates to serve.

"Lady Othinus, based on the descriptions that Angela had provided to us, do you suppose that this Magic God is like you and unlike the True Magic Gods of the Hidden Phase?" Strange asked.

"It's highly probable based on the evidence," Othinus nodded. "The HELL that Angela had described in her story can only be the work of a Magic God with the same categorical level of capacity as I have, an imperfect one, seeing as this god was recently just "born" as one. Therefore, this unknown Magic God may have less experience than I ever did once upon a time. The world itself still stands in spite of such travesties that had been wrought upon it."

"And we can exploit that at the very least, yes?" Strange smiled softly, but there was a grimness that added to his facial expressions.

"With my experience and yours, most precisely," Othinus smiled while carrying a grim expression. "A Magic God of that nature would have to adhere to the law of rock, paper, and scissor like any other. The Omnipotence Paradox compels it to be so."

What they needed to do when it can concern the Magic God is not through sheer brutal suicidal charge. That wouldn't do for the victory would go to the Magic God despite being born earlier and younger. No, rather they would try the more subtle and refined approach. There would be a list of procedures that would need to work exactly in order for the Magic God to be subdued. And Othinus, being a Magic God herself once upon a time and the experiences that she had, knew what she needed for the procedures to work. After all, she invented some of them. It comes with the experience after all.

"Ah! Look at this place! It's like Tokiwadai's library, but bigger!" Miyoko Kamijou's voice was heard in an echo.

"Well, even that wouldn't do justice to this place, Miyoko," Mikoto Misaka's voice was heard in an echo.

Strange and Othinus begins to notice Touma Kamijou and company show up. They would see Makoto Kamijou, Angela, and Miyoko Kamijou showing expressions of admiration, surprise, and awe when looking at the vast surroundings of the library. And as the Kamijou children looked towards both Strange and Othinus, Makoto looked closely at Strange the most.

In Makoto's line of thought, the man didn't seem to be that different from the other magicians (such as his other siblings) that he knew, just with a more modest and grandiose-looking wardrobe consisting of a blue tunic robe with a red cape. A man in his mid-thirties, with gentlemanly features. Combed well-kept hair with greyish sides and a meticulously trimmed goatee with yellow gloves reminiscent of medical gloves. There was also what appeared to be a talisman of sorts worn around the neck that looked like the shape of an eye.

"Kamijou Makoto, I'd presume," Strange replied with a smile.

"Eh?" Makoto became surprised that the man managed to introduce his name. "How did you know my name?"

"Shirai-kun told me," Strange said.

Makoto looked at his younger aunt Kuroko who simply nodded to him in confirmation.

"It is a pleasure to meet you face to face, young man. I am Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts and Sorcerer Supreme. Now that all of you are gathered here, it is about time that we settle on making contact with the Mother Superior since this potential crisis would be something that she and her organization had probably taken noticed by now," Strange suggested.

"I'll draw out the screen first," Othinus smiled as she snapped her fingers and automatically, there appeared a large television screen that would be found on the walls. The shelves were moving on their own, separating in-between in order to provide adequate space for the screen.

While Angela and Miyoko were looking at the screen in awe, Makoto looked at Othinus and respectfully asked.

"Umm..."

"Hm?" Othinus took notice of him.

"What does um...Strange-sensei mean by this, um, Othinus-san?"

Othinus smiled sadly. "Firstly, call me Frida Fensalir from now on, young man. I had relinquished that name a long time ago and had no further use for it other than for the sake of clarifying my identity. Secondly, there is something that I need you and your other siblings to know before venturing forward. And that would also have to include Index as well."

"Hm?" Makoto, along with Angela, Miyoko, and Index were looking at Othinus, showing a curious expression.

"Tell me, you three. What do you know about Lola Stuart?" Othinus asked the three children of Touma Kamijou specifically.

"...!" Makoto, Angela, and Miyoko widened their eyes a bit as the name had been uttered. Index widened her eyes too if only because she intimately knew the name of her controller.

Lola Stuart? That would mean two names for these three in memory of what their parents had told about them. One would refer to the daughter of Aleister Crowley while the other referred to...

Wait, but what did that mean? Why was Othinus asking such a question? Why was Othinus bringing that name up?

"To clarify, the person that you are all about to see with your own eyes is Lola Stuart herself, not the demon that possessed the unknowingly empty body that it had. That is as far as I can say on the matter for now as the more private details would be Stuart's right to share as Mother Superior of an organization whose main task is to monitor our cosmos (multiverse)," Othinus said before snapping her fingers once more.

And then, the sound of beeping was heard from the screen. Static would replace the black surface of the screen before a background would be seen automatically. The walls appeared to look futuristic and standing by were two heavily armed tall guards with white-black bulky armor with straight-lined red visors and carrying large silver rifles. The two guards were located side by side towards one individual who was seated on an office chair.

She was a youthful and beautiful woman. She had crystal-white skin, clear blue eyes, and shining golden hair, comparing her appearance to that of a gem sold in the shop. She wears the typical black monastic habit with a veil covering her blonde hair and a St. Benedict Crucifix found on her neck.

It was undeniable. From the appearance alone, this was her. There was no doubt about it in the eyes of Index and the Kamijou children. However, there were vast differences that they could see. They were subtle such as the St. Benedict Crucifix to which the demon with the name of Lola Stuart wouldn't be caught dead wearing such a powerful sacramental. And Index and Angela can feel its power. It was more subtle and mysterious than it is blatant, providing the wearer with a protection that may perhaps even exceed that of the Walking Church that both women wear. There was a sense of hallowedness and blessedness.

And the woman's expression looked serious. It was still accompanied by a smile that was more reserved.

This was Mother Superior Laura Stuart. Why "Laura" and not "Lola"? That would be deliberate on this woman's part, taking the name of a Christian saint as her first name.

"Ah, Lord Strange, Lady Othinus, Lady Hanyu, I'd figure that you were to call upon me this early in the morning, at least the early morning where I'm at right now," the woman said with calculated timed humor as she glances to the window that showed the sun rising from the east. Then her eyes noticed Touma Kamijou and company. She noticed Index as well most of all, recognizing her immediately on sight.

"...Oh, I see." Her lips turned to a serious smile. "The Imagine Breaker had finally met the last of the four connection points. With that, the cycle is now complete and a new road can begin. And then there are four individuals among your group who should not belong in the prime reality."

She looked at Angela, Miyoko, Makoto, and Shokuhou (511) who were all intimidated by the quick glance that she was giving them. It wasn't malevolent by any means. It was merely a stare. Neither warm nor cold. Just a stare. They didn't know how to make of this as they couldn't decipher the stare of this woman. Shokuhou was just itching to grab her remote and use it. But common sense dictated that it would not work on someone who was obviously so very far away.

"Well, seeing as all of you may mistake me for a certain demon, allow me to clarify, correct, and introduce myself. I am the Reverend Mother Superior Laura Stuart, the Chairwoman of the Variance Divergent Authority (VDA). As to what this organization is, well...that goes a long way to explain but suffice it to say that we police our local cosmos and make sure that things stay in tip-top shape without any fuzz so that the common layman can get on with their lives without having to fear something vile coming down upon him," Laura spoke with a smile.

"...Variance Divergent Authority?" Makoto, Angela, and Miyoko all said, intrigued at the term.

"I take it that you are more than aware of what is happening right now, Mother Superior," Kamijou spoke with a respectful tone.

"Who hasn't at this point, Imagine Breaker?" she said with a smile. But her facial expression was grave as well, denoting the seriousness of the situation. "In all seriousness, total war is upon us all. Many can see it for what it truly is. The barriers between the worlds (universes) are weakening and the timelines (past and future) are distablizing to variable degrees. One wrong misstep and you could end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. My organization has been currently working overtime lately in order to do proper damage control. But we all know that these are just the beginnings of something sinister and diabolical."

"..." Angela, Miyoko, and Shokuhou (511) were rendered silent but there were grim expressions on her face. Makoto, who didn't know what was going on, was looking at Angela with concern as he noticed a silent, grim expression on her face.

"Angela?" Makoto asked. But Angela didn't respond. He turned to his father for answers and instead sees an expression that was grim.

"...Yeah, there's a lot of things that you need to be brought to speed on, Makoto. But..." Kamijou was walking towards Shokuhou (511) who noticed him immediately, widening her eyes.

"Mother Superior," Kamijou's expression was serious as his eyes looked towards Shokuhou (511), then at Shokuhou (Prime), and then back to the Mother Superior on the screen. "If you will excuse me and Shokuhou-san for a moment."

Laura Stuart simply smiled courteously as if understanding just by a glance. "Of course."

"Strange-sensei, Othinus, Hanyu," Kamijou turned towards the aforementioned individuals who simply nodded at him with emphatetic expressions.

"Shokuhou Misaki," Kamijou simply raised his left hand towards Shokuhou (511), giving her a "I think that it's about time that we need to talk" kind of expression. Shokuhou (511) made a hesitant expression, having been silent for a while. "Can you please come with me?"

Now, Shokuhou (511) knew that the young man that is talking to her wasn't her Prince. He wasn't by all common sense. He was never this straightforward and gentle to her for a long time due to having lost every memory relating to her. And the worse part was that it was all her own fault and she had gotten to reap what she had sown for a year. An excruciatingly long year. Now, the past three days before she would come by accident to ACMI Earth-Prime, she had such wonderful bliss and relief. For the first time, she found hope again in spite of everything. Of course, the hope itself was temporary but she never minded one bit so long as she could spend time with her Prince.

And now...things went back to how they used to be.

There were smiles and there were tears. And Misaki Shokuhou (511) treasured all of them in her heart. And she would be forced to move on once again, knowing that those fleeting moments of pure happiness would pass away. The status quo more or less returned to normal. It was like those three days were a dream. A dream that she never wanted to wake up from.

But why...?

She looked at this Touma Kamijou who was looking at her with gentle, accommodating eyes. When was the last time she had seen something like this? A very long time.

She tried her best to keep her tears away and simply but slowly grabbed the left hand that was being offered to her. It was slow. And the moment she touched his left hand, it seemed like it never refused to let go as it hold her hand with a firm and accommodating hand.

"Makoto," Kamijou looked towards his alternate younger son who was looking at this scene with a curious and wide-eyed expression. "I need you to stay here with your sisters while I need to talk with my friend for a few minutes. Listen to everything that Mother Superior Stuart would tell you carefully as she explains the situation to you."

"R-Right, old man," Makoto nodded, looking intimidated at the serious expression that his younger father was carrying. And when he noticed his father looking at this other Shokuhou (511), he can tell that there was something private that needed to be discussed.

Makoto can honestly take a good guess that it had something to do with his old man's relationship with his Aunt Shokuhou. And if the timeline of events that he was familiar with was anything to go by, he can guess that this Shokuhou (511) had suffered a similar fate to the Aunt Shokuhou that he knew.

And so, both Kamijou and Shokuhou (511), followed by Shokuhou (Prime), would walk a few meters away and head right towards the hallway while everyone else was watching.

Index and Misaka were looking at each other with concerned expressions, not knowing the context of what is happening. The others who were gathered together were carrying similar expressions.

"Umm, what was that all about?" Rena Ryugu, one of Touma Kamijou's childhood friends, showing a concerned expression, asked Hanyu Furude who was carrying a similar saddened expression.

Hanyu shakes her head and turned to Rena and the other members of the Hinamizawa Gaming Club. "I cannot say for it is not my place to tell, Rena-san."

Meanwhile, Doctor Strange was simply thinking about one sobering thought.

"("To think that my student, Touma Kamijou, would encounter a Misaki Shokuhou from an eerily similar...no, not just similar, almost exactly the same timeline as the timeline of ACM Universe-Prime before the War, before the Imagine Point, before everything was never the same. And now I wonder how my student would eventually have to face the many different interpretations of his character and of his life once again...just like before...")"

Insert Song: End

Insert Song: Start

Dies irae - Animation OST: Amantes amantes

They were quietly walking through the hallowed halls of the library and ended up near a botanical garden where there were all types of plants that have been stored. There were of course books about plants stacked on the shelves nearby. It was still a part of the library after all, plus it was for the sake of private convenience.

But the flowers were hardly a comfort to the poor young starry-eyed blonde girl—Misaki Shokuhou (511) who was being led by the hand of none other than Touma Kamijou. But this wasn't her Touma Kamijou. Nevertheless, it was still Touma Kamijou.

When was the last time she was being held like this by the hand? It felt long. And by every single interval, it was like a bittersweet bliss.

They stopped for a moment. But Touma Kamijou didn't turn around until after having breathed deeply as if mentally preparing himself for what he should say to this Misaki Shokuhou. He never let go of her hand while turning around and looking at the starry blonde in the eyes.

And then, Shokuhou (511) was mesmerized by the eyes. They felt...so very old. So very out of place from the rest of his physical appearance. The war-weariness was there and the eyes that reflected back at her were those of an old man who had trekked through the various problems that were showered down upon him.

Actually, Shokuhou (511) noticed something as she recalls every past conversation that she had with this Touma Kamijou.

This Touma Kamijou didn't complain. Not once. Not the usual "Such misfortune!" catchphrase that she and many others would be used to hearing from him by now. No, it almost felt like this didn't need to be said because it was so painfully obvious to him. There were no out-of-place comedy situations such as Touma Kamijou slipping and accidentally grabbing the breasts of a few girls, or Touma Kamijou not getting bitten in the head by a nun in white (Index), or Touma Kamijou not being confused about the situation and more or less taking everything in stride, among other things.

This Touma Kamijou never directed everything to himself. He was tired. He was so very tired. And yet, he continues to move forward in spite of all that had happened to him.

And to compare this Touma Kamijou with her Touma Kamijou (511) would probably be likened to the vastness of the ocean that separates them via the distances between the United States and Japan.

They were both silent but they were looking at one another. Shokuhou (511) didn't even register the presence of her other counterpart (Prime) who was just standing a few meters away. It almost felt like she was alone with this one person she had fluttering complexified feelings that soared like an eagle that tried to look for a nest to lay and rest.

"How are you holding up so far...Shokuhou-san?" Kamijou politely asked.

Shokuhou (511) made a grimaced expression, biting her lips for a moment as she tried to hold back everything, shaking her head. She tried to calm down by breathing deeply as she spoke softly.

"...Misaki."

Kamijou slightly widened his eyes a bit the moment he heard her voice. He didn't need to ask "Pardon?" or whatever words that tried to ask for needed clarification. He knew what Shokuhou was asking. She was asking him to call her by her first name...just like before...back when he tried to save her from the Emotionless on the highway.

"...I'm not him though," Kamijou tried to say, clarifying that he was not and could never be the Touma Kamijou that she knew.

"I KNOW!" Shokuhou (511) said loudly, frustrated beyond anything and yet could never stay angry at this man that was the spitting image of her Prince. No, this was her Prince. Worlds aside, universes aside, this was her Prince. It had to be. It just had to be.

Shokuhou (511) was in a state of denial and confliction over everything. The man that is standing right before him, she knew by common sense and through the use of her intellect that this was not her Prince. And yet...this was her Prince, but it was her Prince all grown up, no longer being the ordinary high school student and more of a wandering old man who had seen far too much.

"...I know," Shokuhou (511) spoke softly once again as there were tears coming out of her eyes. "But please, call me by my name, by my first name, please..."

Kamijou only nodded and only spoke this as he simply wiped the tears that were leaking in the starry eyes that reminded Kamijou of the stars that he had once trekked upon when he was so very young. "...Alright, Misaki."

When he said the name, she was elated, she was ecstatic, she was overjoyed, and at the same time, she was conflicted and remorseful. Even now, she blames herself and her entire predicament. She felt like cursing the world, or the multiverse in this case, for being unfair. Why does she have to suffer like this when her other self (Prime) appeared to be genuinely so happy and never suffered the same fate that she had? Her prime counterpart can even make a few conversations with him by mere gestures without simple words, something that Shokuhou (511) grew rather envious of.

Why her? Why just her? What did she too to deserve any of this?

Her hands were shaking and there were tears that were currently being wiped gently by Kamijou's right hand which was used to break illusions. Now, it was used to give comfort instead.

"...I know," Kamijou suddenly said with an emphasized tone which made Shokuhou (511) rather attentive as the tone was not lost on her. "Somewhat I can take a good guess as to why you're feeling like this. Something had happened between you and my other self. And I bet that it didn't end in a happy ending."

A happy ending? That concept was non-existent for Misaki Shokuhou. That was just a fact. Only a bittersweet ending awaited her. That was the way it worked in the end.

And she can recall it like it were just yesterday...

Multiverse: KK 2004 Multiverse

Universe: ACMI Universe-511

Flashback...

"Kamijou-san?"

Misaki Shokuhou asked in a quiet voice as she sat up, finding that her throat was dry, her mind was blank and her heart was thumping in her chest at a thousand miles an hour. She did not want to do this. But she knew she had to. Because sometimes it was the greatest mental power user who needed to be the strongest mind of all.

"Do you…still remember me?"

The sound of the summer cicadas was the only immediate response to the question that left the trembling lips of Misaki Shokuhou. The festival below them and the flow of people at said festival while the two of them sat on the solitary hill without another soul seemed distant as if she and Touma Kamijou were the only two people in the world.

For the past few days, Shokuhou had indeed felt that it was the case.

Her fists trembled by her side, Kamijou hanging his head down. The light of the stalls reflected on his face but given the angle his head was at, she could not see the expression he was making. Gently and trying not to make her own trembling obvious, she carefully reached for the hand that was grabbing at the grass intently and shaking just as much as her own.

The warmth that she felt when their hands touched only made her heart race and provided the sense of security it always had for these past few days…but never had Shokuhou felt that the chill that came with it would ever be something she would experience.

Today was the Final Day that Touma Kamijou could possibly remember her. Through some miracle, he had managed to remember her but while that was nothing short of eternal bliss for Misaki, there was a chance that even if he had remembered her, it was only a temporary measure. While Shokuhou wanted nothing more for that to not be the case, today had been filled with hints suggesting that the conclusion she wanted to avoid at all costs.

When she had mentioned her plan to go to a swimsuit shop two days ago earlier today, Kamijou had reacted as if he had never remembered it.

When she had told him of her lack of willingness to eat meat because of the yakiniku they had had yesterday, the way he had initially reacted was as if he had never remembered that event in the first place.

And just now, when she had told him of the story between the two of them, the hanging of his head held something within it…as if he were ashamed and hiding something he could not afford to have known.

It was possible that the events of the last few days would not last. And despite how much Shokuhou wished it were not the case, she knew she could not afford to avert her eyes any longer.

Touma Kamijou trembled as he felt the touch, not bothering to turn away or stand and run. Instead, the only thing that he did was hold his head down, expression the same as always and unseeable. But then again, the silence and the trembling only pressed down on Shokuhou's heart with a greater weight than she had ever felt in her life.

"My Prince?"

Misaki felt her own voice wavering as she reached with her other hand and touched Touma's with her hand. She needed something, an anchor to hide her racing heart. The possible answer Touma was going to give and the negative to the question she had asked only gave her more fright than anything else in the world.

But with nothing but speculation, the only thing that came with it was fright, terror, and nothing more than the truest fear she had ever felt in her life.

"Do you…remember me?"

Touma Kamijou opened his mouth…

Only to close it and bite down on his lip so hard that it drew blood. He reached over with his other hand, expression still unseeable in the shadow being cast on it, and touched Misaki's hands that were covering his own and wrapping them around hers. He turned his face and it was in that single moment with the two of them sitting on that hill, hands wrapped around each other that Misaki Shokuhou knew.

The answer did not even need to be said with the expression that was on Touma's face.

Only the conclusion came through to her.

Her story, the one she had loved over the past few days…was coming to an end.

Pure sorrow and perhaps disgust at himself was on it mixed with a sadness in his eyes that he could never hide. His eyes seemed to be on the edge of breaking down and it was nothing but with the force of whatever will he had that it seemed Touma refused to break down into whatever state he wanted to, if only for the girl in front of him.

The girl who, in the face of the expression he was making, only felt the ice-cold pick of reality stab into her chest.

This had been a miracle, after all, a fantasy story that she had cast herself into and one where she had the chance to ride into the sunset with her Prince.

But with the face he was making, it was the illusion of such a story that was instantly shattered.

This was reality after all.

And sometimes there were no happy endings.

Touma opened his mouth, his lip trembling and the drop of blood rolling down his mouth, saying the dreaded words that Misaki never wanted to hear. As if a further stake, they drove home and made her shoulders jump with how terrible and impactful an effect they had on her soul.

"I'm sorry."

The words felt as though they were forced out and Misaki released a breath she did not know she had been withholding. It came out shaky, her heart racing beyond anything else and only staring at the boy in front of her, staring at him and his expression. She watched it transform, turn into shame and more sorrow but most of all, it was the effect in his eyes that made it clear exactly the effect the reality of the situation was having on him.

He was shattered.

Through some miracle, he had managed to remember her.

But that miracle had now come to an end. Through whatever means, the time limit that Shokuhou did not know existed was slowly running out and the time that the two of them had spent together was going to be nothing more than what it had always been.

Nothing more than a forgotten memory for Touma Kamijou.

And nothing more than a treasured memory for Misaki Shokuhou.

But that was all it would be: nothing more than a memory and something that had happened in the past.

What exactly was the face Misaki was making now? She did not know but the way that her body seemed to slump and the way that she felt the hand beneath her shaking, the expression on her face was sure to mirror the shattered one of Touma's. The despair and the horror at what he had said was an unspeakable taboo, a shattering of the time Misaki had felt would continue into eternity.

Yet, the spell had been broken. The magic was gone and the time that they had spent together slowly fading away into the abyss of blackness where the memories of Misaki Shokuhou in Touma Kamijou's mind would always go.

He would not remember this.

Not any of it.

The weight of it all was overbearing. Like a wall, it hit Misaki head-on with a physical presence than merely an emotional one, and the breathing that she tried to control was one that she struggled to do, only losing herself in the face of her companion. But even then, she realized that doing so was a folly; it only thrust forward her position even more in front of her than she ever wanted.

Touma Kamijou, out of pure shame, turned his head away and it was that action that resulted in Misaki tightening her grip on his hand. The movement made him pause in mid-turn, the shadow once more coming onto his face all the same as the two of them sat in a silence that seemed to stretch on forever and only stabs into their hearts even more.

Misaki Shokuhou did not know what her expression was, but she knew the effect those words had had on her. The trembling in her hand, the racing of her heart, and the ice-cold feeling within her heart were testaments to that.

But this was their precious time.

And she was not going to let it pass so easily without holding onto whatever vestiges of it there were left.

"You're…forgetting me then?"

The words felt as though they had a physical presence with how they made Touma jump. He turned his head away, but it was only because of the squeezing of her hand that Misaki Shokuhou even indicated to him that she wanted him to stay.

She had started this and now that it was ending, she intended to see it through to the end.

Just like she always had.

Kamijou paused for a moment, his face cast into darkness before he opened his mouth, letting out words that seemed to be more forced and as if they cut into his own heart more than Shokuhou as he spoke. No, perhaps the words he was speaking were ones of self-derision, a curse upon himself for the crime he had committed in not holding onto this miracle longer than he needed to.

"…It's small things."

"Small?"

Misaki prodded, more amazed at herself for her ability to do so. No, even now, the mask she was wearing of calmness, of kindness, was only because of the boy who was next to her.

Without him, she was sure that she would have broken the moment that he had not answered immediately and from the two words that held so much pain and horror for the both of them. With every ounce of her being, she desired to flee, to run and escape from this nightmare, but it was only because of Touma that she stayed.

It was obvious to her after all, both in his face and in his personality.

The person who was hurting the most was him. The person who was the most shattered was that boy next to her, the person who always desired the best for anyone and for everyone around him.

And right now, he had betrayed the one person who he had finally saved. He had given her the chance at salvation and for three days had managed to make her life perfect, make her smile and now had once more cast her into the flames of the hell she had lived without his knowledge.

A smile he would never remember.

Memories he would never recall.

The ability to make Misaki happy was being destroyed before his very eyes and the fact that he could not even remember what he was taking from her would have been the deepest cut on his heart. The shaking of his body, the labored words and the fact that he seemed more fragile than even the memories he was losing indicated that, if anyone, the person this was affecting the most was ironically, Touma Kamijou.

After all, he would remember none of this.

And that was what made the cuts and the reality stab all the deeper.

"I…" Kamijou paused, unsure of what even to say and it was with what strength she had that Misaki Shokuhou tightened her grip in her yukata as they sat on that small hill. The moon shining down on them was their only witness, silent in judgment and silent as an observer as Shokuhou spoke.

"You?"

"I…I can't remember how I got here."

Kamijou eventually broke out with those words, as hesitant and shaky as they came out.

"I don't know how I got here. To this exact spot on this hill. The steps I took, the things I did… And it was the moment I realized that that I figured out I don't remember the past few days clearly. The events and what happened, I can't remember any of it. I'm…I'm losing you. I can feel it. In my head…I'm losing you and everything that I remember about you is falling apart at the seams."

"Do you…know how much time ability you have left with me?"

Those words were enough to make Touma grit his teeth so hard it was audible. He hung his head, trembling all the same but even Shokuhou could see it shaking in the darkness.

"…Maybe a day? Maybe an hour? I don't know. But the only thing I know is that I'm going to lose you. I…I'm going to lose you and your smile and I won't even know that I did it. I won't even remember that I lost someone who had every right to be happy and had every right to smile. And I won't even remember that I'm the reason that you lost it in the first place!"

Kamijou yelled that out, slamming his left hand into the dirt.

"I…I failed you. Goddamn it. Goddamn it! I had one thing to do. One fucking thing to remember and yet I let it slip through my fingers. I let the one thing that I had to hold onto tighter than anything else slip through when I should never have let it do so in the first place. And I won't remember this. I won't remember anything of this. Not you, the days we spent or the smile you lost. The things that you have gained, you are going to lose. No, more than that…"

Kamijou grits his teeth hard and drove his fingers into the dirt, screaming out the words.

"I'm the one who is going to be ripping that from you!"

The despair was clear in his voice and the absolute sorrow could not be contained whatsoever.

"I'm going to tear that away from you. You have every right to be happy and yet the times that you were I'm going to take from you. I have no right to think that you were only happy because of me but the smile and the moment we shared when we first learnt of it is something that even I can feel slipping away. …I don't want it. I don't want to forget! Even if it's from a distance or by your side, I want to stand somewhere where I can see your smile and realize the worth in it instead of just carelessly thinking it has nothing to do with me!"

Touma turned his face out of the shadows, moving his right hand out of Misaki's grasp. She did not bother to try and grab him once again, the face he was showing her being one she stared at in complete shock and also astonishment at the pure despair contained within.

Was there anyone else who had seen the despair that was on his face?

Maybe one other.

But the fact that Touma Kamijou placed the tragedy he was forming on the same level as that other person only showed how much the weight of this crime was bearing down on his heart.

"But it means nothing."

Kamijou's head was still hung down and the words he spat out seemed to be both to apologize and yet to also stab himself with in the knowledge of what he was doing.

"I can't have what I want. Like everything, the misfortune that surrounds me has entirely destroyed whatever happiness you are owed Shokuhou. And it makes me sick. It makes me sick in the knowledge that no matter what I feel now, what I am feeling right now is meaningless because I will never remember it! I will never remember this heartache, this pain and this suffering that I am giving you and for the life of me, there is nothing that I can do to stop it. You're fading. You're disappearing and I don't want you to go! I want you to stay and no matter how much I want you to not go, you're going to disappear from me and my life. So, I'm sorry. From the very bottom of my heart, despite the scum that I am, asking for something to make myself feel better when you are the one who is going to be suffering in the end…"

Kamijou backed away slightly and did not even pause, slamming his head into the dirt of the hill and screaming out the words.

"Please forgive me. Please forgive me! You, more than anyone, are owed a happy ending. And yet… And yet…"

Kamijou trembled as he did a dogeza pose but no fragment of shame was going to prevent him from saying what he needed to say from the bottom of his heart.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GIVE YOU YOUR HAPPY ENDING!"

The words he spoke, words of defeat and of the fact that he was admitting a fault of his own creation were perhaps the words that he had never wanted to say nor accept. But it was only with the heavy heart of bitterness and tragedy that he screamed out those words from the depths of the soul which was crying out as much as the physical voice was.

"I loved the time we spent together. But I can't treasure it. No matter how much I want to and no matter how much I want to know that the time we spent was worth it, the fact that I can't remember it means that it has that worth. It has the type of worth that can easily fade! And your smile by association is implied to have that value even though it is worth more than anything. If you are owed anything, Shokuhou, it is that right to smile. And yet I have the nerve to steal that away from you. I have the nerve to forget and the nerve to never remember this no matter how much I want to hold it in my hands as it slips through them. So please… Even though I haven't earned it…"

Kamijou bent his head even lower as he begged out his only wish.

"Please forgive me! Please…forgive me…"

It was repeated, soft and trembling as if he were a child who had lost something more precious to him than anything.

Touma on the other hand only trembled herself. She did not rise her hands to her mouth to hold back the choked sobs nor to wipe away the tears that she wanted to have leak from her eyes. She did not turn and run with everything she had nor did she berate and hate Touma for the pain that was flowing endlessly within her heart.

No.

The pain she was feeling was one that she had felt before.

But perhaps, right now, it was even stronger because of what Touma had said.

There was a single misunderstanding in the words he was saying, one that he did not realize himself. Yet it was one that Shokuhou Misaki could not let stand or stay in his mind for a moment longer.

"My Prince…"

Shokuhou reached out, stroking the boy's spiky hair as he flinched. No, perhaps the sensation of her fingers to his hair was one that he knew he was going to forget and, because of it, could no longer innocently believe that there was something to be treasured there. The fact that there was a lingering feeling of warmth only spread iciness throughout his soul because of how it was nothing more than a passing sensation, a momentary feeling that would soon disappear.

But the fact that he did even that was the misunderstanding here.

"You're wrong, you know."

The confusion Touma Kamijou had in that was obvious but, out of shame, he dared not raise his head.

Misaki Shokuhou only smiled, leaning in close and placing her forehead onto the boy's head, feeling the gelled spikes of his hair press playfully against her face as she whispered her words, letting her own hair dance down past the boy's face.

"There is nothing to forgive. Forgiving suggests that there was something bad in this. That the memory that this has is going to be something I am going to look back on with contempt ability and coldness. But that is the wrong thinking from the get go. It's false and if you think that you forgetting is something that needs to be forgiven, then I can't forgive you for that."

Shokuhou reached down, grabbing Touma's head and slowly lifting it up. He did not resist, the only thing that was within his body being compliance as Shokuhou brought her forehead and rested it on his. They were so close that their heated breaths pressed against each other and it was only the warmth that they felt in the other's presence that they lost themselves in now, two companions in the night.

"This was a miracle. The past three days have been a dream for me. One that I never felt that I had to wake up from nor wanted to. But it's time that we return back to reality and away from the fairy tale the two of us have been a part of."

"I…"

Kamijou trembled all the same as he felt the weight of the words and the impact of them only drive deeper into his soul.

"I don't want to. I don't want…to forget. I don't want to leave you when you are owed a smile. I want…this to continue. I don't want this story to end the way it has!"

"Shhhh." Shokuhou said that silently as she pressed her forehead harder against Touma's. He went silent, Misaki raising her hands and moving them through his spiky hair slowly. "Don't talk…just listen. You always have been good at that, haven't you?"

Shokuhou parted her forehead and slowly caressed Kamijou's cheek all the same, feeling the warmth of his face and losing herself in the sight of his eyes as they stared back at her like a child who had lost something precious to him.

"I was happy. Just these few days, this fairy tale, has been enough to make me happy. Three days? It felt like so much more. And I was saved the moment that you remembered me in that hospital room. Nothing can take that away from me. Nothing. Nothing will take this memory away from me and even if I am the only one who remembers and places weight on it, I am not going to let it slip through my fingers no matter what. We are merely returning to what we once had and once lived through. With you and me being strangers in the night."

Shokuhou nodded, smiling all the same and tilting her head to the side.

"Even if you forget, even if you never remember me again, I will never lose this moment. I will never lose these three days nor the memory that comes with them. Even if it is just me, then there is nothing else I need to place worth on these memories. Even if you forget, that does not lessen how important they have been to me and how, just for this small moment, I was happy. So, there is nothing to forgive. After all, how can you ask for forgiveness ability when you saved me all the same?"

Shokuhou did not waste any time, not bothering to hold back what it was she wanted to unleash as she slowly, ever so slowly, wrapped her arms around the back of the boy sitting in front of her.

"So, no tears. And no forgiveness. Only memories, even if they will not be remembered. For this last night together… What I want to remember is us. Us…and the smiles we forged together before we once more become strangers in the night."

They were powerful words.

And they seemed enough to be the ones to break the hardened spirit and core of the boy who was so trembling and afraid of the future that was to come.

He rose his arms and placed them around Shokuhou's, trembling all the same. No, it was more than that.

The tears that he did not bother to withhold fell from his cheeks as he silently wept, trying his best to make this a memory but making it nothing more than a mess. His body shook as Misaki held him, the girl silently stroking his back and making soothing sounds but no matter what she did, the tears of the boy would not stop.

He had made her happy.

But he could not make her happy.

The miracle the two of them had had run out of stock and the role Touma had in that was enough to shatter whatever sense of withholding those tears he had. There was no need for it, the forgiveness he was given but did not deserve being the only thing that unleashed the dam of emotions held within him.

But even those tears were meaningless.

They were being shed for a memory that he would not remember and was doomed to forget once more. Since that was the case, the tears he was shedding because of the betrayal he had conducted were not for him but rather for the girl who was holding him, the two of them losing themselves in the presence of the other before they became strangers in the night once more.

The fairy tale was ending and there was nothing left but the hurt that came with the start of real life that had to continue ever onwards for the both of them.

But even then, both Touma Kamijou and Misaki Shokuhou understood one thing.

Even if Kamijou had been forgiven, there was worth in Shokuhou's smile. And the fact that this momentary miracle had turned into nothing more than a memory was as if the was world laughing at the both of them for the happiness of that very girl. Despite her wanting and reaching for it, despite her staying strong, it was not to be, and she was not have it.

Like the memories of Touma Kamijou, the happiness she was owed had fallen through her grasp.

It had disappeared and the only thing that was left were the two sorrowful beings of the boy and girl who had been once connected and held each other in their warmth.

No one saw them and no one could say anything judgmental about the tears the boy was crying right now. The hug he had been pulled into was one of affection, of forgiveness and as a way of telling him that there was no way Misaki Shokuhou would ever hate him for the fact that he had forgotten her.

They were simply returning back to where they had once come from.

It had been a dream the entire time.

And now it was time to wake up.

Shokuhou continued her soothing sounds as she rubbed the back of Touma and in her own mind, it was the fact that she had chosen to hug the boy to console him as he cried that was something she was grateful for.

After all, in her own way, she had lied.

Even if she had said that there were no tears…

There was no way that she was able to hide the ones that came from her eyes as she held Touma Kamijou tightly to her as if simply letting him go would be the trigger that would make him forget her entirely.

Her time was running out.

And she did not want to let go.

She didn't want to be left with the status quo in Touma forgetting her. The happiness she had felt the past few days had been one that had made her heart swoon, her mind accelerates with enjoyment, and just overall her life on this insignificant planet feel as though there was some meaning in her suffering in being forgotten.

The moment that she had been remembered, she had felt as though it had all been worth it. That the suffering she had been through had some higher meaning and that the fun she was about to have was going to equalize everything she had missed out on. She had plans, things she wanted to do with Kamijou, and things she wanted to pursue.

But it was not to be.

No matter what she said, screamed, and outright yelled at the world for what she wanted, the wishes and the happiness of Misaki Shokuhou were not going to be heard or listened to. Questions and complaints of unfairness were irrelevant in this case, the only thing that was left being two people.

The girl who would be forgotten.

And the boy who could not save her.

There were going to be no tears, that was what Misaki had said.

But this was real life.

And the damage that had been taken to both their hearts was not something that either could ignore as they silently wept.

They were sure to meet again. Shokuhou would pass by Kamijou and he would forget her as the girl hoped for any miracle that would reveal itself and that her stock of miracles had not run out. That was the only thing she could hope for in the future and it was with reluctance that that was the only thing she could look forward to in the future because of it.

But for now, the only thing that was left were the honest thoughts of their hearts.

Touma Kamijou cried and Misaki Shokuhou cried with him, their embrace meaning that they could only feel their sobs in the others' bodies as they held each tight until this event would turn into nothing more than a memory for that girl and dust for that boy.

The moon was their only witness.

And their tears were the only things said.

Multiverse: KK 2004 Multiverse

Universe: ACMI Universe-Prime

Present Time...

"...I said it..." Misaki Shokuhou (511) cried with tears flowing straight down as the memory replayed in her mind. The mental dam was bursting from the strongest mental esper. "I...I...I was so very happy..."

Kamijou simply listened as he held the right hand of Misaki Shokuhou who was trembling, hand and body.

"...I was so very happy for the past three days...three...days...I had the most wonderful time with him. I remember on the First Day when I thought that he wouldn't come and thought that it was an illusion so cruel that it would try to break me. I was angry, angry of what I thought was true, that I was living the deluded thought that Kamijou Touma would never remember me. Then suddenly...he came...all sweaty and messy...You should have seen the look on his face as he tried to apologize for being late for our "date". I laughed...I laughed so very hard...but it was one of happiness instead of what he was truly thinking...For the first time, I finally felt so alive and so truly free of the burden that I had been shackled. It was as if the world was right again and that I had been granted the one miracle that I long for...And so, we spend the next Three Days just being in each other's company...I cherished every single moment with him...And then...And then..."

Kamijou simply listened as he held the right hand of Misaki Shokuhou who was trembling, hand and body.

"...And then...the time came...for the miracle to wear off...I asked him a simple question...I asked if he still remembered me...But...my Prince became silent...he looked conflicted, hesitant to tell me what was wrong...It was just a simple question...But I knew...I just...I just knew from that look on his face what his answer was...and that hurt...It hurt...so very much...But...But I had to stay strong...I had to reassure my Prince that he doesn't have to blame himself and ask for any form of forgiveness...I simply reassured him as I said...

Kamijou simply listened as he held the right hand of Misaki Shokuhou who was trembling, hand and body.

"There is nothing to forgive. Forgiving suggests that there was something bad in this. That the memory that this has is going to be something I am going to look back on with contempt ability and coldness. But that is the wrong thinking from the get-go. It's false and if you think that you forgetting is something that needs to be forgiven, then I can't forgive you for that. This was a miracle. The past Three Days have been a dream for me. One that I never felt that I had to wake up from nor wanted to. But it's time that we return back to reality and away from the fairy tale the two of us have been a part of. I was happy. Just these few days, this fairy tale, has been enough to make me happy. Three days? It felt like so much more. And I was saved the moment that you remembered me in that hospital room. Nothing can take that away from me. Nothing. Nothing will take this memory away from me and even if I am the only one who remembers and places weight on it, I am not going to let it slip through my fingers no matter what. We are merely returning to what we once had and once lived through. With you and me being strangers in the night. Even if you forget, even if you never remember me again, I will never lose this moment. I will never lose these three days nor the memory that comes with them. Even if it is just me, then there is nothing else I need to place worth on these memories. Even if you forget, that does not lessen how important they have been to me and how, just for this small moment, I was happy. So, there is nothing to forgive. After all, how can you ask for forgiveness ability when you saved me all the same? So, no tears. And no forgiveness. Only memories, even if they will not be remembered. For this last night together… What I want to remember is us. Us…and the smiles we forged together before we once more become strangers in the night."

Kamijou simply listened as he held the right hand of Misaki Shokuhou who was trembling, hand and body. However, there was something that was happening interiorly within Touma Kamijou's mind just as Misaki Shokuhou (511) was describing her entire life. His eyes slowly dawned upon something. He was remembering something...

"That was...That was what I said...And I thought that was okay...Right? That was okay...right?"

Kamijou felt time slowing down as he begins to recall something from long ago. There was something happening the more he made contact with Misaki Shokuhou (511). There was a fleeting memory of long ago...A memory that he somewhat forgot but had a deep impression upon his mind...

Multiverse: KK 2004 Multiverse

Universe: ACMI Universe-511

Flashback...

The Test.

It was a divine Test that consisted of several challenges that had been given to Touma Kamijou. It was one that had him suffering through HELL. Literally, figuratively, and metaphysically.

But this was one of the more peaceful moments of that HELL. The memory that became hazy was suddenly clear as there was a time when Touma Kamijou, an eleven year old boy in terms of his physical appearance at the time, noticed a crying blonde girl who was bigger in height than him sitting somewhere in the bench.

The boy checked left and right for any sign of witnesses or passers-by. There were none. It was obvious to the boy that this girl was suffering and that she needed to be left alone for a while in order to dry up her tears.

The boy, looking all battered and bruised, walked towards the blonde, and simply asked a question.

"Onee-chan, are you alright?"

He touched the hem of her skirt, gently pulling it in order for the blonde to take notice of the boy. The blonde was shocked as her eyes were showing a mixture of malice and sorrow so deep that were turned towards the boy...only to falter completely when she realizes that it was a child of about eleven years of age, so very young and a few years younger than her.

"...Oh...a boy..." she muttered softly.

But then, she noticed something else that has her immediate concern. The boy was all battered and bruised. It almost looked like he had come from a turbulent situation or that he got involved in a fight.

"Oh my goodness!" Her delicate hands were touching every part of the bruised body of the eleven-year-old boy that had her full attention. She was crouching down. In spite of her tears, she focused soley on this boy whose...face and hairstyle felt familiar from the back of her mind. If she didn't know any better, she almost looks like...

"("No...Don't think about it now...")" she thought.

She needed to focus for a minute as she was caring for the boy. In the meantime, the impression of the boy was focused solely on her tears.

"What happened to you?! Are you hurt anywhere?!" the blonde girl asked.

But the boy blurted something out with a concerned expression on his face. He never cared much for the bruises and the absolute need for food as he barely had food for days after having to go through the plains of Africa. Yes...that was a tough time for him. It involved him trying to survive a rogue lion that was out for blood. Honestly, he'd been used to this that he'd been numbed to the physical pain. He was just tired and sore. This place that he wasn't familiar with seemed like an answer to his prayers somewhat. But he'd rather not jinx it.

"Onee-chan, why are you crying?!"

"..." the blonde girl, the one that the boy noted had starry-looking eyes that made her rather unique to look at. It reminded the boy of a happy memory of long ago. He recalled his first-ever trip to the stars...a time when he was still with the Doctor. He missed him. He missed his parents. He missed Komoe-sensei. He missed everyone that he knew.

The boy can tell that the blonde starry-eyed girl, one who was beautiful by her physical appearance but then felt like a mixture of honey turned sour.

"...Um, why do you ask?" the blonde starry-eyed girl asked with a smile as she wiped her tears away. But the boy could tell that she was still trembling. The boy didn't want the girl to focus on him since the girl was clearly suffering.

"...I just...I just thought that you look so sad...What happened?" the boy asked an innocent question.

The blonde didn't answer. Tears were threatening to burst once again but the girl kept herself under control and composed herself to a tea.

"You're...You're quite strange to ask this question you know...since I should be asking you..." the blonde starry-eyed girl said with an amused smile covered with the blanket of sorrow.

"I just...I just can't stand to watch you like this, that's all..." the boy said genuinely.

"That's all? Boy, we just first met and already you are concerned for little old me?" the blonde starry-eyed girl asked. But...her heart felt something off...Something was wrong. This was all too familiar to her. Only one person she knew could do something like this without regard to his own personal condition and safety. And that would be her Prince...the Prince that had now forgotten her...

"...We may have first met, but still, I can't simply just leave you like this...And...don't worry about me, I just got into a fight with a wild cat..." the boy was actually telling the truth from a certain point of view. Only, said cat would have to be a lion in the African savannah. Not an experience that he would recommend to anyone. Ever.

"A wild cat? That explains your bruises then?" the blonde starry-eyed girl asked with amusement.

"I was trying to save someone, that's all," the boy said with honest conviction.

"...!" the blonde starry-eyed girl made a shocked expression. Yes, this definitely felt a bit too familiar. But...no, forget it, she thought. She doesn't want to remember. She doesn't...She...

"...Ah...Ahh...Ahhh...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The blonde starry-eyed girl cried as she suddenly embraced the boy that looked worse for wear. And the boy did nothing except to pat her gently on the back and embraced back, his head placed just near where her heartbeat lay and poured out.

And so...

After an hour of crying from the blonde starry-eyed girl and the needed hug from the spiky-haired boy, the girl introduced herself to the boy as Misaki Shokuhou while wiping the dust and little scratch marks off his face with her handkerchief. The boy introduced himself with the name Touya Otohime. As of now, both of them were sitting on the same bench, the same one that Misaki Shokuhou was currently occupying.

Shokuhou thought it rather strange of a name. "Otohime? You don't look like a princess to me?"

"...!" Kamijou, an eleven-year-old boy, simply made an irritated expression of the running joke of his alias. If this were an anime, there may even be a red twitching mark on his forehead. And then, he sighed heavily as he went down, a hit on his pride as a man. "You're not the only one who noticed the joke...nor would you probably be the last."

"...He...Hehehehehehehe!"

Shokuhou just laughed at the sheer absurdity. It felt like a very long time since she was genuinely laughing and it was because of this spiky-haired eleven-year-old who had taken a hit on his pride.

"...So...A boy whose last name is "princess" is coming to my rescue while looking like he had been through the fight of his life...Hehehehe..."

"Haha," the boy deadpanned with arms crossed and pouting but inwardly felt relieved that the girl was laughing.

"Ok-Okay, Okay, Ahem! I've calmed down now," Shokuhou made a forced solemn expression, trying her best not to laugh again. Only for her to laugh again. "Hehehahahahahahaha!"

Kamijou simply sighed, softly muttering in his thought. ("If it weren't for the fact that I only gave myself that name to remind me of otou-san and my cousin, I would have chosen a different name entirely.")"

Humor aside, there was nothing except the quietness of their surroundings. No one was passing by and disturbing them. Shokuhou was delicately wiping off the dust from Kamijou's face. When one was to look at this scene, it was a picture that spoke like a thousand words. It was like a mother delicately wiping the face of her son and chuckling at his recent antics.

Misaki Shokuhou appeared to have made a friend in such a short timeframe. That was rather quick, most people would have thought. But Shokuhou never cared either way. She needed this. She needed this more than anything. A simple distraction if you will.

And yet...

She can see him as she looked at the boy. She can see her Prince. If she didn't know any better, she felt like she was looking at the spitting image of her Prince. This situation so familiar to that time...

She remembered a time when she was in her first year, still wearing her brand new summer uniform. It was a specific period in her life when she refused nor wanted to meet anyone. She still felt the guilt of losing Dolly. That guilt was eating her up for many years...and it reached its tipping point.

She remembered the oppressively hot night, staggering through the familiar student areas, and continually made her way as far from any other people as she could. She always chose the quieter and emptier direction. As she did so, she crossed into another district, left the asphalt and concrete scenery, and entered a winding mountain trail surrounded by the trees of a dark forest. This was District 21. The mountainous region had a rare amount of preserved nature for an urban center like Academy City. It was filled with observatories and valuable water resources such as dams or artificial lakes.

But even then, she kept moving. She could not accept it.

She walked on and on without end and ultimately found herself at the peak of one of the few mountains. There she found a circular artificial lake with a diameter of over fifty meters. Something like a metal tower rose from the center of the lake and the lake's edges were entirely made of concrete. From space, it may have looked like some strange ruins, but it was actually an experimental geothermal power station that stuck a heat conducting rod one thousand meters down into the earth.

The sun had already set and the moon was out. It was far past her dorm's curfew, so the dorm manager and the like were probably causing an uproar.

But she had grown sick of "all that".

She recalled collapsing onto her back next to the perfect circle of the artificial lake. No one else was around, so she spread out her limbs despite her short skirt.

And then...

There was an ugly temptation that came forth from her mind. She pulled a TV remote from her handbag and toyed with it in her hand as if examining and contemplating the very temptation itself. She spun it around like a gunman in a western and "a little thought" began to grow larger and larger inside her head. It was just like frozen moisture wrapping around the dust in the air to form a large snow crystal.

And at the same time, she clearly remembered having dealt with the personal issues that involved her and a clone named Dolly. She remembered dealing with all of those cold-hearted scientists that were working for Exterior and wiping their memories away. She swept everything clean.

And yet...

It was still not enough for the guilt to go away.

Sick of memories. Sick of relationships. Sick of everything like that.

She stopped spinning the TV remote and pressed it against her own temple, just like she was committing suicide with a handgun. She was one of the few Level 5s among the 2.3 million residents of Academy City, so it was not unusual for her to be used for the benefit of the adults, in experiments, or as part of some sort of conspiracy. And during the intense time spent dealing with those conspiracies, she had not had time to think about this sort of thing.

If, during one of those times, she had seen herself now, she might have angrily grabbed the remote and eliminated that self-indulgent denial of people's bonds even if it meant altering her personality. But that was why one could say she had given into temptation. She had grown lax and let her guard down. Otherwise, she would never have said what she did.

"Why not reset everything inside my head? Would that free me from all these heavy thoughts?"

Speaking it aloud may have been an imprinting ritual meant to convince herself of what she was saying. It would be a simple task. So very, very simple.

She only had to move her thumb and press the button on the remote pressed to her temple. That would immediately activate Mental Out, history's strongest mental esper power, and reset all of her memories. She would not regain all that time and nothing would physically change, but she would definitely return to being "innocent" in a certain way. She felt like something was holding her thumb back, but the desire to escape the strange weight in her heart was stronger. Her thumb twitched and her powers were about to activate. But in that very moment, something else happened.

"Huh? What are you doing here?"

At that time, her Prince had come again. She didn't call him her Prince at the time since this was the second meeting that they had chronologically. That second time left a much bigger impact on her mental state. It was the beginning of an adventure of encounters between herself and one spiky-haired boy.

And now...

The same thing was happening to her again, only this time, it was someone else who was a lot younger than herself, about a few three-year gaps as she was fourteen years old while the young boy that she now knew to be Touya Otohime was eleven years old.

He was quite the strange boy, looking all delinquent in his appearance and hairstyle. And yet...she could not help but compare this boy to her Prince...

"...So, why exactly are you crying, onee-chan?" Kamijou asked, concerned.

"...You are quite the nosy one, aren't you?" Shokuhou made an amused expression.

"...Well, forgive this Otohime-san for being concerned for your mental health," Kamijou deadpanned.

"Awww, that's rather sweet of you," Shokuhou tried to make a joke and hugged the poor spiky-haired boy who was being humorously suffocated by her...ahem, large assets.

But still, humor aside, as Shokuhou was hugging the boy which lasted for a few minutes, she eventually decided to speak...

"I...I lost someone..."

And Kamijou simply listened to her tale as he allowed himself to be hugged by her. And the tale lasted all the time until the beautiful sunset...

Multiverse: KK 2004 Multiverse

Universe: ACMI Universe-Prime

Present Time...

Touma Kamijou widened his eyes at Misaki Shokuhou (511) who was still crying, still asking the question and awaiting an answer. His breath was being held by just a bit before releasing silently.

He...He remembered...

This...This wasn't...This wasn't the first time that he met this Shokuhou (511).

He met her so many years ago! During the Test, the infinite hellish nightmare where he had been hopping from time period to time period, from world to world, and had seen and lived through so very much. From that specific time period, there were some experiences that he could not just recall due to various reasons. In fact, there was one specific memory relating to a certain vengeful ghost dyed with a crimson dress (Sachiko Shinozaki) who has now gone to rest, recalling a "crisis" that he and a few others had to deal with.

"...Misaki," Kamijou muttered softly, grabbing Shokuhou's (511) attention as if awaiting an answer to her question. "...This may seem out of place but...do...do you remember a boy by the name of Otohime Touya?"

"...!"

Shokuhou widened her eyes. Her breath and heartbeat felt as if it stopped by a mere second as she mulled over the question that was presented to her. She does remember a boy who has that name. It was a few days ago before coming here. She was just miserable all over and she wanted to be left alone. She ordered no one in her clique to follow her as she needed personal matters to attend to. But those personal matters involved her silently crying without anyone to bear witness to it. She doesn't want to be seen as a vulnerable and frail girl. She was and still is the strongest mental user. She would not allow anyone to see her weaknesses exposed...except for him...

She recalled sitting on a bench. She was crying. Both of her glove hands were covering her teary starry eyes. And then, a moment later, she heard the sound of a voice that belonged to that of a child.

She felt discovered. She felt violated. She was just about to give this person a piece of her mind until...

Until she saw a young spiky-haired boy that was almost the spitting image of her beloved Prince, all ragged and bruised as if he had gone through a terrible ordeal. To not bore one with the details, it was a very similar encounter that she had with her Prince last year ago, only this time, a child seemed to have taken his place and looked so much like him that it hurts and made her cry.

She managed to get along with the child quite well. She thought him to be a funny and strange child that was so innocent. So innocent...unlike the rest of the city of science. She didn't know why but she felt safe with him being by her side. She talked to him about her secret, a sorrow that she had kept for over a year. It was about her Prince. She didn't mention his name to the boy but she described what he was like well enough that the boy could at least be granted a picture if you will.

She talked. And talked. And talked. Until...Until the sunset came and they both have to go their separate ways...

"Will I see you again?" she just had to ask as the boy had already rejected the offer of coming with her.

The boy shakes his head and makes a very sad smile. "Where I am going, you cannot come, onee-chan. But...I wish you the best smiles possible..."

It was a very sad smile. The last thing that she could recall before Touya Otohime would walk away and eventually disappear...

That was the last time she saw him...The very last time...

Something urged her to try to search for the child. She searched. And searched. And searched. Concern and worry filled her eyes. The child didn't exist in any known database. There was not a single match of a child by the name of Touya Otohime. She searched through every school that had eleven-year-olds or those of similar ages and found nothing. It was a dead end.

Where was he? She thought.

That contributed to her misery at the very least before getting sent here against her own will.

"...What...What about him?" Shokuhou (511) had to ask. She needed to know if the child was safe. Was the child well? Was he being treated well? If this child is someone that this Touma Kamijou knew, then it made sense somewhat of the strangest of the encounter. There may be the possibility that the boy named Touya Otohime was from another world. That was why there was no record of him. Of course, that was merely a hypothesis that was unlikely. Until she eventually realized that parallel world travel was real.

And so, Touma Kamijou simply said. "Where I am going, you cannot come, onee-chan. But...I wish you the best smiles possible."

"...!" Shokuhou (511) became shocked. How? How could he know the very last thing that the boy had uttered to her before leaving? Even more, how could he utter those words in the same tone of voice, with a little older tone?

"That...That was the very last thing that I said to you...before eventually leaving..." Kamijou said with a sad smile. "I just...I just remembered...It was a time from long ago...So...Long time no see, onee-chan..."

Shokuhou (511) couldn't take it anymore and simply cried, embracing the young man immediately. There was no way...It couldn't be, she thought. But here he was. Screw what's impossible, she thought. Meeting the young boy from long ago was already more than just a simple coincidence as much as she could suspect. That young boy was the Touma Kamijou that was standing right in front of him.

How are you one and the same? Why now? Where were you?

Shokuhou (511) simply cried softly as she embraced the young boy who looked exactly like her Prince. Because he was her Prince when he was a lot younger.

"I...I...I tried to find you...you know..." she said. "I searched everywhere...but...but you were nowhere to be found...I...I was worried...that something might have happened..."

"...I am so sorry," Kamijou said with a contrite expression as he embraced her gently.

"...Don't be," Shokuhou (511) said as she cried with a happy smile. "I'm glad...I'm glad that you came at that time...I don't know what had happened that lead you there but...thank you...Thank you for being there..."

Shokuhou (511) said the last part with a tone of gratefulness as she embraced the young man who had helped her just a bit. For Touma Kamijou (Prime), it was a very long time ago. But for Shokuhou (511), it was less than a few days to a week at best.

And while this scene was happening, Shokuhou (Prime) was watching from afar and observing with interest and concern. She was noting this down in her mental thought of what had taken place.

"("It can't be...")"

Shokuhou (Prime) thought. And yet...should she be surprised?

After the dreaded Corpse Party fiasco that almost threatened many specific universes and dealing with a vengeful ghost that has it out for her, two other colleagues among Kamijou's Angels, and pretty much every girl that has or had feelings for Touma Kamijou, she couldn't be surprised.

This was another reflection of her Prince's past.

A past riddled with HELL.

And with that, she grew more grateful for her counterpart who had been there during that horrible time in his life even if she didn't know it.

But that made Shokuhou (Prime) even more concerned because of one single thought.

Would there be yet another connection to that HELL that Touma Kamijou (Prime) had experienced that she or a few others had seen? She did not know. One thing is for certain, this may not be the last time the HELL would come back to haunt Touma Kamijou. It had already happened a few times throughout the years of Touma Kamijou's life. Two noteworthy incidents that she could recall from searching whatever file about Touma Kamijou during that time would be Kamijou's experiences in an intergalactic conflict called the "Clone Wars" and an incident that was tagged by the name "Corpse Party" which dealt with a vengeful ghost. Now, this...

"("I should definitely need to tell the Doctor about this when I meet him once again...")" she thought.

Insert Song: End

ED Song:

Terminator Salvation - Break The Silence (Soundtrack)

12 Core Members:

Dr. Stephen Strange - A: Benedict Cumberbatch

Main Companion Protagonists:

Touma Kamijou - VA: Atsushi Abe

Sota Mizushino/Kamen Rider Decade - VA: Daiki Yamashita

Main Heroine Characters:

Index Librorum Prohibitorum - VA: Yuka Iguchi

Othinus - VA: Asami Seto

Mikoto Misaka - VA: Rina Satō

Misaki Shokuhou - VA: Azumi Asakura

New Characters:

Laura (Lola) Stuart - VA: Ayako Kawasumi