AN: Hello readers! I'm back. This chapter is the last one before Poltergeist fully starts in Chapter 50. It's not fully a set-up chapter. There's some, especially towards the end, but Chapter 49 will mostly follow directly after what happened in Chapter 48 and wrap up the events of August 4th.
I finally done with finals T.T, so there may be a chance I'll release Chapter 50 over the weekend or Monday but we'll see.
Don't really have much to say today, so I'll just leave it here. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
As always, please leave a review on anything you liked, think I should work on, or just any questions in general! I enjoy reading them and I will answer them at the end of the next chapter:)
Disclaimer: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index or any of its characters...the only things I own are:
1. My characters and
2. my ideas
Chapter Content Warning: Language
(I honestly should go back to my earlier chapters and possibly add some more of these. If there's one in particular that really needs it, just tell me.)
I thought it would be good to put this here for this chapter, mostly because of Sky. Yes, Asher tends to use stronger language when she gets upset, but Sky is a bit worse. It's not like f-bomb level bad. Just prevalent enough to warrant such a thing as this. If it's not needed in you guy's opinion, I can easily take it out.
Though, putting this warning up here just in case.
Chapter 49: Ash
August 4th, 9:30PM
District 7 Hospital
"It's not my fault that we had to go to great lengths to bring you out like this."
Shokuhou's words echoed on the rooftop as the girl pinning her onto a wall fell silent.
As she looked down, she met eye to eye with an intense glare she wouldn't have ever forgotten or confuse for anyone else's. Even Zierdan's eyes hadn't ever been filled with such raw emotion and pure agitation.
"What is it? It's not like you to be this speechless." Shokuhou asked amused, seeing her eyes narrow even more than they already were. "You have no right to stand there acting like your angry with me when we both know you're just cranky and short-tempered."
Asher scoffed as her eyes turned redder. "There you go already acting like you know everything. That apparently hasn't changed at all." She grumbled as her grip tightened on Shokuhou's collar. "Stop trying to casually piss me off with your mind games. That stunt you and Asher just pulled has left me in a very foul mood. I'm running low on patience. Answer my question or…"
"Or else, you'll kill me?" Shokuhou asked, laughing. "Always so dramatic. I think I'm still waiting for you to complete the last few death threats you hurled at me a few years ago, so I won't hold my breath. Also, I don't really have to answer that. It's obvious, and you know exactly why Zierdan and I called you here. Does Tanaka Kenji ring any bells?"
Asher seemed to flinch from hearing that name, something that Shokuhou didn't miss. Her lips curled up even more as she narrowed her own gaze. "Seems so." She said aloud, Asher growing eerily still. "Even without that device or Silas manipulating you, you still haven't learned a single thing now, have you? Or you're just being stubborn and outright ignoring it." Her smirk grew more as she felt the hand grasping her vest shake, but only for a second. "You're still acting like an impulsive child. All you ever do to solve things are with threats or destruction. It makes that nickname your stepfather gave you quite fitting. Ash, was it?"
The girl's expression (now referred to as Ash) suddenly went dark. She pulled her hand back, clutched in a fist and sent it towards Shokuhou's face.
Mental Out didn't flinch, seeing the hand crash into the wall just inches away from her head.
"Tch, shut up! I wasn't being impulsive!" Ash shouted. "You don't understand. You don't know what happened! That waste of space absolutely deserved everything he got after what he illogically did to her!" Her clenched hand pressed even deeper into the wall as it trembled in rage. "He kept on kicking her. Over. And over. And OVER AGAIN, and I couldn't do ANYTHING to stop him because of that stupid device! She was going to do it herself when she saw him a few days later. She was too angry to think rationally. I knew she wouldn't have forgiven herself if she did what she wanted to do to him, and I didn't care if I got my hands dirty for her sake…"
"I took over to keep her safe and make him regret everything he did that day."
"So, you wanted to send a message? Make him learn his lesson?" Shokuhou asked, not expecting her to answer. "The message was sent after you chased him, tossed him around, and toyed with his pride. The lesson was already given when you made him beg for his life. But, like always, you crossed a line. What I saw in that hospital bed and from your memories was no lesson or someone who just wanted to protect someone dear to them. You tortured someone almost to death, Ash. Sent him into a coma and injured him so badly that even that Frog Doctor can't reverse some of his injuries. He's probably going to be traumatized for the rest of his life. And you just proved to him that he's right for how he feels about high-leveled espers like us."
"I don't give a damn about how he feels about me. And I know that you don't care either. "
"What about Zierdan then? Do you think she wouldn't care? Especially about what you did?" Shokuhou asked, feeling her flinch. "You do realize that this justifies everything that people say behind her back, right? And why she should fear you and what you're capable of when she isn't in control?"
Ash's eyes widened before she looked down at the ground, loosening her grip slightly. "It's already too late for that." She grumbled, swallowing harshly after it felt like her entire mouth went dry. "There's no way I'll ever be able to regain her trust anyway. She probably hates me about as much as Railgun does. "
"Excuses." Shokuhou simply said, a mix of anger but also guilt growing in Ash's eyes.
"It's true!" Ash shouted back before she fell silent again. "Who would want to trust someone like me anyway after what I did during WaveInflux? She's feared, hated, and ostracized by everyone around her because of what happened when we went out of control. She was in so much pain. So delirious and slowly dying from the intensity of Silas's stupid toy, and I took full advantage of her compromised state. It didn't take much to push her to my side. And I didn't hesitate for even a moment to take advantage of her."
"Did you expect anything less?" Shokuhou mocked, playfully smirking down at her as confusion came on Ash's face. "That man drilled you both into the ground and forced you two to be his guinea pigs. I'm not surprised that either of you took on his teaching in some way, even subconsciously. While he made Zierdan feel useless and dangerous, he empowered you to follow in his footsteps."
"Tch, how dare you." Ash grumbled, trembling with growing fury. "I'm nothing like that bastard."
"Not all the way. But you're getting there. From your recent actions, I'm starting to see some resemblance even if you aren't related to him." Shokuhou continued to press, seeing her grow more and more agitated. "Ever since you were created, you've manipulated Zierdan in some way believing you know what's best better than she does. You may not have verbally abused her or made her feel worthless like he did. You just allowed those feelings to fester and grow through your influence to force her to your side. Silas could never allow himself to love Asher because of her anxiousness and hesitation when it came to her powerful ability. So, no wonder he wanted you taking her place instead after seeing you embrace them."
Ash's face grew dark and visceral, more than Shokuhou had thought was even possible. She sent a fist towards her face for real this time.
Shokuhou closed her eyes and braced.
But the impact never came. Her sparkled eyes opened and saw both shock and pain within Ash's gaze as she stumbled back, gripping her head.
"D-Damn wh-what…." Ash winced, having to crouch down when dizziness hit her in nauseating waves. "Wh-What the hell is going o-on?"
It felt like her head and even worse her thoughts were being attacked from every direction. She couldn't keep a steady grasp on anything for some reason, feeling her thoughts becoming more and more jumbled as an incessant buzz seemed to start in the back of her mind. It made her gut have a sinking feeling as anxiety began to grip at her heart for the first time in forever.
She didn't know if it was her or from Asher subconsciously, but something was causing her body to slowly shift into panic mode. She looked up at Shokuhou, seeing what looked to be relief filling her sparkled eyes.
"It's about time that medicine kicked in." Shokuhou sighed as she fixed her collar. She walked over to where her purse was on the ground and picked it up.
"M-Medicine?" the gravity esper asked somewhat confused, the reds in her hair fading to be just as dull as the pale streaks of blue. "Y-You drugged me? When di-did you have t-time to even…?"
She wasn't able to finish her sentence as her thoughts scrambled for a few moments before she pieced them together again, barely. It made her even more disoriented and sick to her stomach.
"I didn't. Well technically." Shokuhou began as she walked over to her. "I gave Zierdan something that she willingly took to help bring you to the surface. It's a drug the Doctor made that makes it easier for me access her head. We soon learned that it causes lapses in her and by extension your concentration when it comes to unconsciously running the calculations for your passive ability. It seems due the brain damage you two suffered from Silas's experiments, Zierdan had to change how she processes information. She's aware of even when the smallest of lapses take place. It makes her very sensitive to internal attacks. Could also be a trauma response, but it usually ends with how you are now. You must be more tolerant with drugs than she is, so it took a bit longer to affect you I guess."
Ash didn't respond, barely even able to understand what Shokuhou was saying and more focused on how she couldn't concentrate.
Her head tilted down as her eyes shut in pain. She pressed her hands into the concrete below her hard enough to hurt, hoping it would distract her even just a bit so she could focus back on Shokuhou.
It didn't work. Her hands felt numb, and it only sent her mind into more of a frenzy that she couldn't do anything to get her thoughts back into order.
Shokuhou's eyes narrowed when she could see how much she was struggling.
They may be different. But they both suffered the same amount of brain damage from those experiments. Shokuhou thought as her expression fell.
Zierdan is somewhat used to it now, but she has never really had to deal with it until this point.
An empty smile came to her lips, almost as an attempt to comfort her. "Having trouble?" She asked. She crouched down and waved a remote in her face. "Promise you won't hurt me and will listen to what I have to say. Then, I can use my ability to assist you."
"H-Hell no." Ash hissed without any hesitation.
"Aw, don't be stubborn. You may be different from Zierdan, but you both share the same brain even if you inhabit a different part of it. This isn't something that you can just brute force your way through. Your mind is handicapped right now, and you need my help or you're going to make yourself have a meltdown."
"Sh-Shut up! I don't n-need, NGH!" Ash was about to decline once again before she gripped her head tighter, panting loudly as sweat covered her brow.
Shokuhou could see the anger gradually fade from both her expression and posture, seeing anxiety and fear fill its place. Her gaze softened even more when her body began trembling.
"N-Noise...there's so much, noi….No! Focus." She winced continuously under her breath.
Shokuhou kneeled down and sat on her knees. She was close enough to touch her but still maintained a cautious distance. She laid a calm hand on her shoulder. "Ash, please let me help you." She asked, gently.
There was a moment of silence before the gravity esper collected enough energy to lightly swat Shokuhou's hand away from her.
"Tch, why sh-should I after all that crap you said about me earlier?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around herself. "You made it pretty cl-clear how you feel about m-me. I don-don't need you. I can th-think just fine without you being in m-my head with your annoying ability. So g-go away! Stop trying to fix me all the d-damn time!"
Shokuhou's eyes widened as a small frown fell on her lips, biting the side of her cheek from hearing the pained tremor in her voice.
She knew that even Ash had a hard time at expressing how she truly feels even if she had a better understanding of emotions than Asher did. Similarly to Asher, who usually hid behind her stoicness, Ash tended to do the same but with exaggerated emotions. They both took Silas's teachings of showing no weakness differently, where Ash tried to manipulate her own emotions to show what she desired others to see….
Hoping to hide her damaged psyche from everyone, including herself, inside of a cold, spiteful shell.
Dang, I probably went a little too hard too quickly. Shokuhou thought as she scooted forward.
Ash stiffened when she felt soft arms circle around her, barely able to stop herself from relaxing when her head grazed her warm chest.
"Sorry. I played the act a little too well and said some things I knew would upset and anger you. I didn't fully mean any of it." Shokuhou explained, tightening her grip slightly as she laid her head gently on the back of Ash's. "I care about both you and Zierdan, alright. Stop sitting here trying to block me out. I thought you learned before that it'll take more than a few curses and empty threats to drive me away."
It took a few moments before Shokuhou felt the girl in her grasp relax a bit in her hold. Her head bowed a little lower than it was now, and she let out a long sigh.
"F-Fine whatever." She softly conceded, sending Shokuhou a strained look with some redness in her cheeks. "I guess I'll be nice for now."
Shokuhou smiled and pressed a button on her remote. Ash relaxed even more when her thoughts fell more into place. She turned around when Shokuhou let go of her, shyly looking off to the side as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Sorry for pinning you up against a wall before. I thought Asher was in danger from how quickly I was able to take control." She mumbled. "I was also a little angry from being reminded of what happened the other night."
"A little?" Shokuhou deadpanned. "I would love to see when you're actually serious. I honestly thought you were going to hurt me for a few seconds there."
Redness flushed Ash's face as she let out an angry huff. "You're the one who was pushing my buttons on purpose." She said as her eyebrow twitched.
"Now now, you wouldn't have gotten so angry with me if there wasn't at least something you agreed with." Shokuhou argued, seeing Ash stiffen before she crossed her arms and looked away.
Both girls fell silent for a while until Ash let out a small sigh. "I guess this is the part where I ask the logical question of why I'm here? Though, from the looks of things, it's probably just about what happened the other night, right?"
"Mmmhhmmm," Shokuhou hummed. "You haven't come in nearly 2 whole years and the first thing you do is go off and try to kill someone? And I thought Misaka was the one with the worst temper."
Ash's mouth ran firm, her blue eyes narrowed. "If you had seen what happened, you would've been just as angry with him. He kicked her so much and so hard, her ribs cracked. He would've pummeled her to near death if a random guy hadn't stopped him. He still came too late though. She had a flashback that instantly caused her anxiety to spike so much and so fast, she had a panic episode. I could do nothing but try and calm her down from the inside. Her mind was in too much disarray to even think about letting me have control."
She sent Mental Out a sideways glance. "How did you even figure out it was me? I made sure I left no trace that I was there and prevented anyone from fully seeing my face."
"You can thank the Doctor for that. It sounds like it wasn't easy, but it seems in your anger you got a little sloppy. You may have masked your true ability by using wind, but it didn't stop you from getting gravitons on his body. There are not that many espers with an ability related to gravity on par with Gravity Dimensional Shift. It wasn't too hard to figure out it was you when there was hardly anyone else to narrow down on the list. I bet Anti-Skill would have a field day with this case from how easy it would be to conclude that the 5th ranked Level 5 committed such a crime."
Ash's eyes widened. "You wouldn't…"
"I think we both know I would to make sure you don't get out of hand again."
"But that would mean-!" She shouted before she felt a gentle finger press against her lips.
"Would mean Zierdan would get in trouble for a crime she didn't do?" Shokuhou finished. "She doesn't even remember the last few times you've come out on her behalf after you decided it was best to erase her memories of you from her. So why are you so concerned about her now when you knew full well before you left the dorm that night that she wouldn't condone anything you did to that guy even if she knew it was for her?"
"I…" Ash trailed off, stumbling with her words as she tried to find the best one to explain her logic. She gradually came to realize and understand everything Shokuhou had said to her up until now. She may have wanted to get revenge on Asher's behalf, but she didn't even consider how the consequences could affect Asher in some way as well.
And she was kidding herself with that excuse too. Yes, she may have wanted to avenge Asher in some way, but it would be a lie if she didn't admit that some part of her also beat him into a pulp for herself. She turned that entire chase into a game, amusing herself for around 30 minutes and taking genuine pleasure in his pain.
She tightened her hands into fists as she bowed her head low towards the ground, honestly disgusted with herself. "I…was being selfish and a coward. You're right, I had no right doing something like that without her permission. And making her forget over and over about me and about what I did last night, makes me no better than Silas."
Damn it. Nothing has changed! She thought as she raised a hand to the back of her neck, squeezing the skin so tightly all the color drained in her grip.
My illogical actions nearly got us arrested. I would have ruined her reputation even more than it already was.
She just started to move past what happened. If anyone catches wind of this, it could bury her even more with burdens she already has. And it would be my fault. Like it always is. My fault that I…
Her thoughts were interrupted when a gentle hand sat on tops of hers, gently forcing her neck out of a death grip.
"Your thoughts are just as depressing as Zierdan's tend to be." She said as she brought Ash's hand down into her lap. "Again, I wasn't being serious when I said you and Silas are alike. You two are completely different people considering your priority is Zierdan's safety, not using her to gain power. It's just your passion and resolve stop you from actually thinking about your actions and make you reckless…"
"You haven't admitted it yet, but I know you're scared of Zierdan realizing you're gradually coming back. That's the reason you've wiped her memory each and every time there's a chance she could figure out it was you who helped her, right?"
"Yes." Ash mumbled, almost sounding defeated.
"You're going to end up doing more harm than good if you keep doing it. She may not remember whatever you take away, but she's smart enough to realize they're gaps and it's starting to stress her out." Shokuhou explained as her eyes fell slightly. "The aftermath of that experiment left her mind very fragile. She doesn't respond well to not knowing what's going on with her head or feeling someone trying to tamper with it. I've even triggered her from time to time, and I'll just say that her freak outs are a lot worse than yours."
She paused before she let out a calm breath and sent a stern gaze in the esper's direction. "You need to stop delaying the inevitable: allow Zierdan to know you're back. Her reaction will get worse the longer you hide your presence from her."
Ash swallowed as she tried to keep her composure. "I know. I just need more time. She isn't…" She paused, partly from seeing Shokuhou's gaze grow tenser and let out a sigh. "I'm not ready. I don't think I can face her just yet."
Shokuhou looked at her for some time before she looked into the night sky. "I expected as much, though, it seems we've come at a crossroads. What to do what to do?" She mumbled.
Ash sat there silently and looked down at the ground. It was at that time she noticed that the world was warping more than it was supposed to. She bit down on her cheek. The kind of sick and nauseousness she felt now wasn't even close to how she felt earlier under the unreduced effects of that drug.
Some irritation flashed in her eyes as her hand automatically went to cover her mouth.
Damn it, she thought with narrowed eyes. It hasn't even been that long.
What made matters worse was that she felt Asher starting to stir. She was having a hard time keeping her restrained. She was also having trouble focusing as it was even with Shokuhou's assistance. Her consciousness started to feel like it was beginning to split in half.
Shokuhou seemed to notice this after a while, shocked by how pale the gravity esper's skin was just seconds after she looked at her last. "Are you still feeling sick?" She questioned, confused. "I could try increasing my influence on your mind if it would help."
When Ash didn't respond and continued staring at the pavement below her, Shokuhou grew visibly concerned. She raised a hand to shake her shoulder. "Hey," She pressed, shaking even harder when she still remained mute. "Speak! What's going on?"
Shokuhou's voice was finally able to break the haze gradually coming over Ash's head as her currently dull blue eyes became alert and aware. Her stomach, unfortunately though, also decided to churn dangerously, forcing her unsteadily to her feet. She ran to the nearest trashcan.
Shokuhou had to turn away and some level of disgust came on her face, cringing after each of Ash's loud gags.
When it went silent, or as silent as it could be with the girl's breathing growing alarmingly heavy, Shokuhou turned around. She saw Ash completely slumped over the trash can. She was concerned from seeing how much weight the inanimate object seemed to be supporting.
Her fears were only confirmed when she saw her legs beginning to shake, almost as if…
Her body moved before she could even think, getting there just in time to grab Ash's shoulders to stop her from falling on her face. "What's going on with you!? You were just fine a second ago!"
Before she went on, she stopped when her eyes saw that her veins were gradually becoming more defined and outlined with a reddish hue, pulsating at a faster and faster tempo. She hadn't ever seen anything like this happen to an esper before.
At least that's what she thought until she remembered that the esper in her arms had developed these symptoms when she was going through an unstable Level 6 shift.
"Can you just gi-give me a minute?" Ash asked, more as an annoyed statement than request. "If you can't tell by my puke fest before, feeling sick is an understatement. And your ability isn't going to do much to fix it."
Shokuhou opened her mouth to talk back before she stopped and begrudgingly did what the girl asked. A few minutes passed before Ash looked at Shokuhou with a wavering look.
"Even though it's been nearly 2 whole years since WaveInflux ended, this body still hasn't recovered. You've probably noticed, but now Asher can't redshift fully long or she'll overextend herself too quickly. It isn't usually a problem since she's naturally in Blueshift most of the time and mixes Redshift here and there. But with me it's a different story. I have to regulate our natural barrier more since I'm naturally in redshift all the time. Though with that annoying drug in my system I can't, and this is the illogical result."
"Oh, I see." Shokuhou stated. "If you had said that before, I would have gotten the antidote for you, you know?"
"Yeah right. As if." Ash deadpanned, though cringed slightly from that annoying ache going through her head. "If there's anything else you need from me, make it quick. I can't keep Asher down much longer, an-and she'll be pretty sick if I continue to stay in control."
"I don't need anything else from you so don't strain yourself." Shokuhou said as she reached down into her purse to pull out one of her remotes.
"What are going to tell her?" Ash asked, somewhat hesitantly.
Shokuhou paused but for just a moment and let out a whimsical hum. "Nothing. What is there to tell? She'll most likely not remember much of anything before she came here anyway. Though, I'll make sure to blur the rest if she does."
Relief spread across Ash's face as she let out a small breath. "Alright thanks. Go ahead and fix the seal and I'll go away."
Before she heard a response, she felt her entire body seize up, unable to move even an inch.
"Who said I was going to do that?" Shokuhou asked before she softened her gaze. "All you've done lately is abuse it, blocking Asher's own memories of you by keeping them on your side of the seal. I'll let the rouse go on for now, but the next time you decide to come out is the day you decide you're a part of her life again because that seal will be no more."
Ash's eyes widened. "No pl-please don-"
Shokuhou pressed a button just before Ash could argue. She immediately felt woozy and faint, losing all sense of her surroundings and consciousness.
"M-Misa….k-ki….w-wait...s-stop."
"You can't have it both ways. This is for your own good." Ash heard as the edges of her vision darkened in blobs of gray and black. "I understand why you're reluctant, but I'm not going to allow you to hide forever."
"You're going to have to face her at some point, Sky. Her and Misaka."
Asher's body gradually began to tip forward as soon as her eyes closed. Her body was in free fall for only a few moments before Shokuhou shifted herself to have her fall back into her chest. She carefully sat her down on the ground.
She stared at her for a few seconds before she let out a long breath. "You can come out now." She announced, weariness etched into her voice.
She heard footsteps immediately run out and skid to a halt next to the sleeping girl, not having to look up to know who it was. She already felt the familiar glare the Electromaster was sending her back, its presence leaving her as soon as she arrived at Asher's side.
Misaka sat there silently checking on her close friend. She paused after a while and her lips went firm from seeing her veins still pulsing. It gradually reduced both in tempo and intensity thankfully, vanishing all together a minute or two later.
"Is she…" Misaka began after a long beat of silence, stopping when it felt like Asher shifted to get closer to her.
"She should be fine. I didn't put her directly asleep, so she may wake up on her own in a few moments. I may have to, though, if she ends up being too disoriented or sick to move around right now." Shokuhou explained, sending her a sideways glance. "How much did you get to hear from where you were?"
"Enough." Misaka simply said as she let out a breath to calm her nerves. "It doesn't seem like she has changed much and that worries me. She's still angry, vengeful, and hardly ever considers how her actions affect Zierdan."
"Can you blame her?" Shokuhou rhetorically asked. "It may seem that way, but wouldn't you if you and someone closest to you were constantly abused and manipulated to believe they're worthless and unfit for being cared for just because of who they are? She probably didn't know how to take it or talk Zierdan through it. She was never taught how to. What she was taught, indirectly so, was what to do with her power and how to manipulate situations for her benefit through fear or power. All she saw was that Zierdan was in pain and took control during those moments to relieve her of her burden. She didn't know it was sending both of them into madness until she was the one who fell victim to it first."
"It doesn't excuse what she did." Misaka stated firmly, turning to look at Shokuhou with angered eyes. "She nearly killed someone. Even if she hadn't done it, Zierdan would and may already be gravely affected by this experience mentally just from knowing she came close to stepping over that line. It would just make her believe what Silas said about her was true and that she is dangerous when she isn't in the slightest."
"Noted." Shokuhou agreed. "I never said her impulsiveness and temper weren't an issue, considering I'm sitting next to the hotheaded Level 5 Railgun herself…"
"Excuse me!? What was that?" Misaka yelled as a vein popped on her head.
Before she continued, they both stopped altogether when they heard Asher groan below them.
They scooted back to give her some space when she raised up and clutched her head with both hands, cringing slightly in pain.
"Ngnhhh, ow ow ow. My h-head." She muttered softly as she opened her eyes. She sighed when the first person she saw was Shokuhou. "That explains why it feels like someone jackhammered my brain."
She barely noticed that someone else was there, only realizing it was Misaka when she basically launched herself into her chest and hooked her arms around her neck.
"Zierdan!" Misaka cheered and border lined sobbed.
"Not so loud Mikoto. You're right next to my ears." Asher winced as she looked down at the girl in surprise from her reaction. "What's going on? What are you doing here? I don't remember calling or texting you to come here. Have I really been out that long?"
Misaka stiffened in hesitation. She was saved by Shokuhou, who sent the esper a smile.
"No, you were just out for a few minutes. And I called her here." Shokuhou admitted.
Asher paused when she heard that, "You did?" She asked, surprise growing in her stoic voice.
Shokuhou let out a laugh. "Is that so shocking?" She asked in amusement. "I didn't want a repeat of what happened last time, so I got her here just in case you tried to make me a wall decoration again."
"That's like the third or fourth time you've mentioned that." Asher sighed. "I apologized, but I guess you're just going to keep illogically hanging that in my face."
She sighed louder when she heard another laugh come out from the blonde's mouth, confirming her unfortunate speculation. It didn't take long for Shokuhou to grow serious, though, leaving Asher a little tense from such a rare thing on display.
"Do you remember anything before you woke up just now?" She asked.
Asher had expected that question sooner or later, letting out a long breath as she rested a hand on the back of her neck. "Nothing really. I remember leaving the dorm, but everything after that is just gone."
"Seriously?" Misaka asked, worried. "Can you even remember when you got here?"
Asher shook her head. "It's a blank." She said with lowered eyes. "It's something that has been happening a lot lately." Her gaze lifted to meet with Shokuhou's sparkled eyes. "I can only guess that when I got here, you decided to go into my mind, right?"
"Indeed." Shokuhou simply responded. "And before you ask, I'm sadly not at any liberty to give you the specifics. For your own safety, of course."
Asher didn't respond for some time until she sighed. "Alright." She conceded, missing surprise flash on Misaka's and even Shokuhou's face as she rose to her feet. "I don't really feel like forcing a logical answer out of you, so that's good enough for now."
She inserted her hands inside of her pockets and began to walk towards the elevator, grabbing her skateboard on the way. "Come on MK. Let's get back to the dorms before the Head Resident notices we're gone."
It took a moment for Misaka to break out of her stupor, seeing the elevator doors open from afar. "Hey wait!" She shouted as she ran to catch up, leaving Shokuhou on the rooftop, alone.
She sat there quiet for some time until a relieved look fell on her face.
["I trust you."]
It's rare for her to fold so quickly. But with the little information she had, she knew enough not to question my judgement.
Let's just hope Misaka falls in line and does the same.
About an hour ago….
"Wh-What?" Misaka asked in shock. "What did you just say?"
Shokuhou had just explained the reasons behind why she had asked Asher to come to the hospital so late. Her heart nearly stopped when she said that they're signs of her other personality starting to resurface again.
The Electromaster was going to argue that there was no way that was possible. She hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary other than her odd bouts of forgetfulness here and there.
But when she told her that Kenji was the one who was in the hospital on life support and had been the same guy who had beaten her down the other day, there was nothing she could say that would remove her from being a suspect.
"You heard me?" Shokuhou pressed as she narrowed her eyes. "Do you really think I would joke about something like that? I could see Zierdan threatening or hurting someone if she was angry enough. But torture? She wouldn't have the heart to do it. Meaning there is only one explanation as to how she was there."
"But…no. I would have noticed if she was acting differently." Misaka retorted. "I see her, talk to her, and hang out with her nearly every single day. How could I miss her being an entirely different person when I've known her since grade school?"
"Probably the same reason why you didn't notice that she was participating in that project for 2 years behind your back." Shokuhou said, hearing Misaka go silent. "I didn't want to bring that up, but I needed something to break through your thick skull. You're in denial. You may be around her almost every moment of everyday, but what about the moments you're not there like when you're sleeping? I'm pretty sure Zierdan isn't trying to hide it from you like last time, though. She probably has no clue what even happened."
Misaka stayed silent for some time before she let out a shaky breath on the phone. "Why are you telling me this now?" She asked, seriously. "Z would've just told me when she got back. It doesn't make sense that you asked her to meet with you and tell me everything before she even gets there."
"No, I have a feeling she wouldn't." Shokuhou said, a hint of sadness within her voice. "By the time I'm done and we part ways, she won't remember anything. Either due to her little friend or by me if she doesn't handle the news well…."
"I just need you to keep a close eye on her after this. If my hunch is correct, that seal I created in her head is close to breaking. Zierdan's mind may be strong in some ways, but it's still pretty fragile in other respects. Knowing her other personality is back may reopen new wounds and unlock new memories locked inside of their subconscious. It may even cause her to shut down again."
Misaka's eyes fell as her fingers trembled even more. She couldn't stop her mind from going back to the time the esper was referring to.
She had been closed off, cold, and so hollow, a complete contrast to how she was nowadays.
Misaka didn't want to ever see her like that again, so miserable she was barely living for herself most of the time.
"No, she won't." Misaka said after a while, gripping her phone tight and hardening her resolve. "You don't have to tell me that I need to be there for her. I already am. All you need to tell me is what you have planned."
"There's the annoying brute I know. About time you wanted to get to the point. " Shokuhou said happily.
"Alright now, here's what I've got in mind…"
Present…
Tokiwadai Dorm
Misaka sighed as she laid her head on her pillow, tensely staring up at the ceiling as Shirai slept soundly a few feet away in her own bed. In the past 2-3 hours she had gotten back here with Asher, she hadn't been able to calm her mind enough to close her eyes, let alone sleep.
Her senses were on high alert as she instinctively tried her best to keep track of what was happening in the room next to hers without being suspicious. She was worried that if she let her guard down for even a second, Asher's personality would take control of her best friend yet again and leave to do who knows what like the other night.
She did this for a long while before she let out another breath, heavier than the first. She turned herself towards the wall.
I can't keep doing this. If I begin acting weird around her, it'll be only a matter of time before Zierdan starts questioning me.
She finally allowed herself to close her eyes, forcing herself to relax. It worked for a couple moments until her radar naturally alerted her of something odd coming from Asher's room. She didn't' even hesitate to jump up from her bed and quietly made her way into the hall.
Seeing the hallway was clear, she briskly walked over to Asher's door. She used her ability to unlock it, quickly running inside and shutting it back in the same motion. She looked around and found Asher still in her bed, though somewhat distressed as she tossed and turned.
She was both relieved that it didn't seem like she was being taken over, though worried that she was amidst some nightmare or restless from her insomnia. She did the only thing she could do at the moment and walked over to her bed. She sat on its edge and immediately felt the sheets trembling as Asher turned onto her back.
There was a feverish blush on her cheeks as sweat came down her face. She could see her eyes moving beneath her eye lids and hear rushed pants come from under her breath.
"No…N-No, no no no….n-no no." She kept mumbling in both hushed tones and loud whispers. "D-Danger…There's…No…S-Safe….Safe…."
Misaka was slightly taken aback by the level of fear seeping into her voice, feeling it more so by how much her ability was starting to respond to her intense emotions.
What's going on? It's almost like her ability is going haywire. Something must be tripping her senses, but what? She thought before jumping into action when the air got uncomfortably heavy.
"Z," She called out, grabbing her hand and setting her other gently on her shoulder to keep her from jumping up too quickly. "Zierdan, it's okay. Calm down."
She felt Asher relax a bit. Though, her body stayed tense as her blue eyes cracked open. It must have been more in response to the Electromaster's voice and soothing presence. Misaka could tell that she wasn't fully awake from how glassy her gaze was.
"Mi-Mi…koto?" She slurred as she tried to keep her eyes open, almost as if she was stuck between her dream and awakeness.
"Yes, it me." Misaka said with a calming smile. "Everything is fine. Try to go back to sleep now."
Asher must have not processed what she said all that fast. She stared at her longer than she should have before genuine fear and concern spread on her face. She shook her head. "N-No no no, I can't." She mumbled, her blue eyes flashing left and right. "Th-There's something w-wrong. Something b-bad is-"
Misaka lightly shushed her before she could go on, removing her hand from her shoulder to softly grab the side of her face "Focus on me and block everything else out." She said softly, remaining silent until she did as she asked. "I don't know what you're sensing, but I promise that you, me, Kuroko, and everyone in this building are safe. You've had a long, stressful day today, Zierdan. You need to rest and calm down or you're going to make yourself sick, okay?"
I know she probably doesn't understand anything I'm saying right now. She'll most likely not even remember me talking to her. But, at least, it's calming her down bit by bit, she thought feeling Asher struggling less and less.
It was a long 3-4 minutes until her eyes finally closed. Her breathing deepened, and her head slowly relaxed into Misaka's hand.
Misaka smiled and was about to leave after making sure the girl was fully asleep. That was before her whole body tensed out of nowhere, sensing another, stronger reading with her radar.
"What was…" She started, stopping when the entire building began to shake. She automatically covered Asher with her own body as she also tried to protect her own head. She produced an electric field around them just in case something heavy was shaken loose and sent their direction.
It felt like forever before the rumbling settled to a stop. She hesitantly raised herself up to look around the room and back down at Asher, relieved to see that the girl was relatively unfazed by what happened.
That was weird. She thought as she narrowed her eyes. District 7 hardly gets random earthquakes like that. I don't even remember hearing any potential for it in the news either.
She crawled out of Asher's bed and stood there for a few moments.
Is that what you felt? She thought. She sat there for a while and then slowly turned to leave. She was stopped, however, by a soft hand grasping her wrist.
She sent a soft gaze back down at Asher, who wouldn't let go however lightly she pulled.
"Okay," she sighed as she smiled down at her. "I'll stay if that's what you want. This other bed can finally be put to use."
Asher's grip gradually relaxed along with her expression. Misaka laughed a little under her breath at the sight as she gently laid Asher's hand in a comfortable position.
Should've known I was going to end up doing this. I basically sealed my fate as soon as I touched her hand.
She had learned a couple years ago from Himari that Asher can connect her gravity to others even when she's asleep. All you need to do really is hold her hand. You can instantly tell most of the time if she values your presence when she clenches it to the point of not letting go if she didn't want you to leave.
Misaka had always found it adorable much to Asher's annoyance whenever she teased her about it. But, right now, her clinginess also left her somewhat uneasy.
It could be just her stress making her more sensitive to what her gravity field picks up, but...it makes me wonder about that random Earthquake. A little tremor wouldn't put her so on edge to instinctively react to it like she did.
She's rarely scared about anything, so whatever she felt must have really freaked her out.
She thought on it for a while longer as she rested her back on the spare bed in Asher's room. After letting out a long breath, she turned over and closed her eyes.
My brain is too tired to figure out anything right now. I'll just ask her in the morning if she brings it up.
There's probably nothing wrong, and I'm just overthinking things a bit.
Elsewhere in the 7th District…
Inside a room within a research facility, there was a woman scrolling through pages upon pages of data on her computer. She sat there and twirled one of the strands of her brown hair, pushing her glasses up with her other hand which amplified the glare that hid her blue eyes behind the glass.
She was reading the findings of the investigation that was conducted tonight relating to the abnormal earthquakes that had been occurring in several areas of the city this past week. She came upon the most recent one that happened less than a few hours ago.
They called these tremors "poltergeists," which seemed to spur due to some espers having a brief onset of RSPK syndrome within those particular locations. Though as of right now, they were still not fully aware of what was causing such a phenomenon to occur.
She got bored of trying to wrap her head around it and decided to change gears. She switched over to the data she had collected from her most recent experiment with a device that was capable of restricting espers from using their ability. The first trials were mostly successful even with the idiots she tasked with testing it out. However, she did find some flaws with its design after it was destroyed rather effortlessly by a strong esper a couple days ago.
Since then, she had made some improvements on the design to make its destruction harder and effects more debilitating for the esper's mind by increasing its size, volume, and range.
She was ready to test her invention again, though, knew she couldn't trust a bunch of low lives like Skill Out to do it again. She wanted to test it out personally this time around. She already had a few prospects in mind, two girls in particular that went to the prolific Tokiwadai School located in the School Garden. They were a risky and rare bunch, being two out of just 9 level 5s in the entirety of Academy City.
But, if the rumors were true, they tended to be together and stuck their noses into things they shouldn't. It was only a matter of time before they fell right into her hands for a second time.
She also had a history with one of the girls, one she looked fondly back upon as she brought her picture up in the esper database.
"I honestly have you to thank for making all of this possible." She sneered, her blue eyes glinting with dark amusement and lust. "My first little lab rat. "
She leaned her head into her hand and wickedly smiled. "Such a beautiful and flawed specimen. And with Silas in a hole somewhere, I can finally have you all to myself. It makes sense that you should be one of the ones I test it on. There has to be some way to show how inferior that waveform device is in comparison to mine. It'll be just like the good ole days."
There was a knock on her door. She slowly closed her laptop and resigned her face to a neutral expression. "You may come in."
A man in a lab coat on and clipboard in his hand came in. "Ms. Therestina, representatives from Anti-Skill have finally arrived to discuss the Poltergeist incidents. We're ready whenever you are."
Therestina let out a sigh and rose to her feet. "Alright." She mumbled as she grabbed her blue suit jacket and put it on.
I just need to stay focused and be patient for now. She thought as a dark gleam remained behind the sharp glare of her glasses.
I'll have you within my grasps in due time…
Asher Zierdan.
Word Count of Chapter: 15 pages |Page Count: 8155 pages |Reviews: 244 | Followers: 164 |Favorites: 143
Time for an update on the name poll! I know she (Asher's other personality) is referred to as "Sky" in this chapter. Since I said the poll will be up until the end of Poltergeist, I will still have her referred to as Ash/Sky until then and go back and change it when the poll is done.
"Sora" has gotten back in 1st. It leads with just a vote ahead of 2nd place "Rehsa." "Sky" is two votes behind in 3rd place and both "Ame" and "Asora" are in the back with a few votes.
Like I said before, if you're interested in voting or waiting for the results, the poll should end some time during the Poltergeist Arc.
Review Replies
Blankow: Hahaha, let's be stubborn together, lol. I'm going to try and stick around a little longer this time, so hopefully updates will be more constant.
OzmaGale: Aw, thanks! Glad you found it.
LostNeko120: Yeah I'm alright:). Didn't mean to worry you guys. I haven't ever thought of dropping anything. I'm happy that you enjoyed the chapter. Misaki's plan was given some context. Misaka unfortunately didn't get any interactions with Sky/Sora just yet. She was mostly called both to listen in and as backup just in case things went wrong. Their meeting with each other is going to be saved for towards the end of Poltergeist. Having them meet now without much preparation could possibly lead to Railgun/GravShift fight part 2 even with Shokuhou's supervision.
Yes, F's for Asher all around during the Midsummer Festival lol. Guess we know who would win between Asher's level 5 ability and Index's level 6 stomach.
Misaka Phenex: Yep I'm back :D. And hopefully for longer than 1-2 updates.
CaramelDragon: You're welcome! Thanks for reading it;)
Bornkiller9: Nope, haven't abandoned it. Just had to step away for a while, mostly. There will definitely be some more interactions between Touma, Index, and Asher in the future. Who knows, it may even lead to the Railgang interacting with them more.
I'm drawn more to the science side of things too. I think I have a better gauge on the power system and esper abilities a lot more than the magic system. I may not do all the arcs, but CSG will step into the magic side every once in a while since Asher and Misaka are both connected to Touma. I've thought about even doing another side series with an OC that's mostly on the magic side while Asher stays mostly in science, but my lack of knowledge of the magic side has prevented me from really coming up with any ideas for it. So I may just stick mostly in the science side for right now.
Long story short, magic arcs that affect Academy City in some way, will probably be put in CSG. But it will still mainly follow the science side.
Ash/Sky/Sora (so many nicknames lol) has finally made a full appearance in the present timeline. I can't wait to write how she interacts with the cast.
Thanks! I'm happy that you enjoyed the chapter:)
Guest (4/28/22): Asher may be blunt and cold at times, but I wouldn't say she's at the point of being considered "edgey." I'd say she's more so on the introverted and anxious side of things. "Almost as disabled as Accelerator" is accurate though.
Sky/Ash, on the otherhand, probably fits the mold for edgy better now that I think about it. If she does come across that way then, they're some reasons behind it that will be explored later.
I don't know what to really make of this review. Could be constructive feedback for how I'm portraying Asher's character? Someone not connecting with her or the story? A guest troll? Or someone who just read Chapter 48 and not much else, since it was probably one of the more darker/ "edgier" chapters?
Love hearing reviews from everyone, including guests. So, if you have anything else to note, I'm all here for it. Constructive feedback is always welcomed, since it'll help make the story better.
Thanks for your reviews!
-PurpleClover
