A Certain Influx of Time Traveling Mishaps

by NeoShadows

Kamijou Touma's tale has ended. A New Magic God has risen in the future, taken over the world, and set its sights to the past for more power. Luckily, or unluckily for one unfortunate high school boy, those who have inherited Imagine Breaker's will have chased after it. When Future meets the Past, a new story is created. All to the misfortune of a certain Kamijou.

4. Among Zeroes

Oh, dear god! I don't even know how I'm uploading now after the month I've had! This certain author is dead on his feet, literally, I'm exhausted as hell after the long month of work in due of my promotion. About fifty hours a week with only a day off tends to do that to a man.

NeoShadows here and back with a new chapter of A Certain Influx of Time Traveling Mishaps. Seems I'll be going for monthly updates to my story, just like my bud ArmorCoreNineBall. At least I update. . .this story. God I got to try and get my other stories updated. The only reason this one is getting so much attention is because of the fact I had already completed about four chapters before publishing. I love writing, I truly do, but I'm a working man who's responsible for opening a dog themed deli at five in the morning. Five to sometimes six days straight mind you. I'm tired.

Anyway, enough about my grueling work schedule, let's get back to the main focus here already. Since all I had to do was complete my edits and revisions to this chapter, I'm uploading it before I finish Chapter 6 this week, so better now than never. But first, Reviews!

BlueJack22: Ah, I remember my high school days fondly. . . .huh. I'm getting flash backs of an emo girl I was very close to duct taping my mouth and limbs in the middle of class. Not, uh, sure how to feel about that. Getting mixed signals. Smash, huh? Welcome to the club! Been playing that whenever I get the chance between work and writing too.

Dr. Self Deprecation: I swear, that Fre nda joke will never get old. Or sad. Who knows? A whole gaggle of kids that shouldn't exist yet had just been dumped into the past, so who knows just what will change? As for the line about Touma's innocence, well, his kids are diverse in personality. So he's bound to have one or two that are rather, er, affectionate I suppose?

Nguyen Thanh Long: I'm actually wondering if I'm the only one who thought of bringing them back. I can't recall any other fic using them again. FIRST, I CALL FIRST! Ah, good luck figuring out who Toka's mother is. I made sure no one would be able to guess right away until later.

Deo V: I made sure to triple check my edits this time! Hopefully this one has been polished enough. I'm sure no one will be able to guess Toka's mother, that I'm pretty positive about. I hear ya too, I always love stories that speak to my own inner speaker, same with video games.

ArmorCoreNineBall: Sweet Angela, I had fun with her character, which we have yet to fully see. So much happening in this chapter and we've yet to even get to the middle ground! Hey, let's try a guessing game. Whenever a new Future Child is introduced, guess who it is. Good luck with Toka though, I really doubt anyone would be able to guess her mother just yet until a few clues are given.

WilliamZ0: Yeah, not all the kid's have a good impression of Touma despite all the good he's done for others. It's complicated and only growing more complicated with time travel. Though there is a reason why the Future Kamijou is the way he is and how he ended up with more kids than he could count on both hands. A story that we won't touch on just yet. All will be revealed down the twisted road before us. Oh, and I ain't saying much on Othinus yet. Spoiler territory right there.

Now that we're done there, let's get to the real meat of the meal! Let's scroll!

---

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to A Certain Magical Index, all rights are reserved to Kazuma Kamachi. I want to sleep. I'm so tired right now, I can't even think of anything for the disclaimer section. I'm just going to update and wrap myself in a breakfast burrito with my blanket while acting like the spicy ground beef. Maybe plays some Pokemon after watching some more Index.

. . .Shit, my head's brainstorming something new. I JUST WANT SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP DAMN ITTTTTTT!

---

Chapter 4: Among Zeroes.

Spark_The_Riot.

---

Between The Lines 2.

How old was she again? Seven, eight years old? How old was she when her parents had sent her away to the marvel and technological utopia that was Academy City? Far too young in her opinion, but her parents didn't seemed concerned with sending their only daughter far away from her cozy home to the cold world of cruel logic and facts. No, the only thing they had cared for were results.

Mila Etoile, of the Etoile family, owners of the Etoile Luxury Inn's in France. She was the only child of the head of the famous line of inn's that could only be found in France for the upper class. As the only child, she had a duty to her family to exceed in everything that was laid out to her, to be the brilliant star of her family's eye that they could proudly show off to their contacts. At the age of four, she was expected to be more than fluent in her native tongue, developing her skills on her second language, reading, and knowledgeable of several world events for proper discussion with her parents contacts. Again, all at the age of four. . .maybe five.

But to her parents disappointment, Mila did not hold up to their ever high expectations. She was not born a brilliant star, a prodigy that shone and blinded all others, as they had hoped and demanded. No, Mila was born your average, adorable child. When compared to others, she was no different than any other four year old. She was just a child who loved to play, giggle, draw, and adored her parents above all.

To a normal pair of parents, that was all they could ever ask for. But Mila was an Etoile, she was expected to be better and brighter! To settle for normal, mediocre, dull, would not be accepted at all. Being a four year old was no excuse and would not be tolerated.

Mila had only been a child, all she wanted was to make her parents proud. So, she had endured all the grueling classes from strict, cold toned tutors, the bland dietary she was forced to eat to develop her future figure, the posture lessons that hurt her back, and the boring textbooks on matters and subjects fit for old men. All so she could please her beloved mother and father. Even as she failed time and time again to make them proud, she tried her absolute hardest for them. Because she loved them. She would do anything for them.

Even if it meant being sent away from her only home to a foreign country who's language she hadn't learned to speak of yet.

Academy City had a population of over two billion that was comprised of mostly students. But most of those who lived in Academy City were not born there. While a large majority of those who resided within the city were of Japanese descent, about 1/4th of the population were born out of the nation of Japan. Whether through scholarships, exchange programs, applications, or other certain. . .means, the city had enrolled students from all over the world to better discover the secrets to creating Espers that could reach Level 6. And of course no one would ever turn down the opportunity to become an Esper if given the chance, not after witnessing all the promotional advertisements Academy City had sent out.

When the head of the Etoile family had learned of the marvels that were Espers, he had jumped at the chance to gain another accomplishment to show off to his contacts and competitors. All it had taken was a simple large donation to Academy City and he was given the honor of sending his only daughter away to the city of science to become not just an Esper, but one of the greatest and brightest of Espers their were! She would be the star of Academy City, outshining even the famous fabled Accelerator in time! For his daughter was a star! Mila had failed at everything else at home, so surely it was Academy City where she would prove her worth.

And so a young little Mila Etoile had been shipped off the very next day the idea and deal had been made, without even a simple hug goodbye as she watched her home country disappear over the plane's window. The tears she shed as she vanished from her parents arms were unseen, her father and mother having not even been there to see her off. Only a cold, strict voice message had been left.

As Academy City came into view, the eight year old Mila had made a vow, a vow to become the greatest Esper Academy City had ever seen, so her parents could finally be proud of her and show her the love she had desperately craved.

Like much else though that she worked hard at, Mila had failed to live up to expectations.

Zero. A number so worthless and lacking it had no real meaning other than to represent absence. That's what the city that had offered her only chance of gaining her parent's love had labeled her. A Level 0 was given out to those who had undergone the SYSTEM Scan and been deemed as One With No Power. For some, those labeled as zeroes still had the potential to grow their AIM and attain more power and level up to a higher level. But like a majority of the same Level 0's, Mila showed no signs of becoming anything more than a zero no matter how much she tried. She could spend her entire life in Academy, taking all their medications, listening to all their lectures, going under all kinds of hypnosis, and studying every hour of the day until her last breath, and she would still be no closer to advancing to even a Level 1.

That was the cold hard truth. Having lived in Academy City for so long, she had come to accept the cold hard truth. It was what they had taught her to accept as her reality. After eight long years of study with no results, she had come to accept that there was nothing she could do to gain any power at all in this cruel world that had abandoned her and pinned her as worthless garbage. At least that's how things would have gone if she hadn't stumbled upon a certain bit of information one rainy night when messing with Academy City's encrypted data banks.

And if it hadn't been for meeting him that rainy night.

It was with a bright grin on Mila's face that the blonde haired Level 0 wandered the streets of District 10, patiently awaiting the retrieval of a certain informative scientist on the run from her little gang of hired Skill-Outs. For once in a very long time, she was feeling very happy. For good reason after all! If all went as planned, than for once in her miserable life she would finally get what she truly wanted. She couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement even as she passed through gang territory without a care for the world.

'Hmm?' Mila quirked a brow, stopping in place as she heard what sounded like a muffled scream of pain close by. Her green eyes narrowed, her right hand falling to her skirt to caress the holstered gun to her thigh just in case. She followed the sounds of heavy, labored breathing, coming onto the sight of some delinquent resting on a bench by the park. No doubt a stray Skill-Out, probably not one of the thugs she hired.

It didn't matter. If worst comes to worst, another body would drop today. It certainly wouldn't be the last if she had anything to say about it.

---

"What? Is that all you idiots are capable of?!"

A blitz of pure sparking energy bounced in the abandoned corner store, flashing lights as those inside were treated to the sparks of electricity smashing into them. A man with a clean shaved head and red leather jacket was suddenly dented into a soda machine by a wildly sparking knuckle. With his strength failing him, the shaved headed man glared with all his hate at the boy who's fist was still planted in his gut.

It was a chestnut haired boy who looked as if he should have been attending some rich school in the city. He even wore a uniform that reminded him of those ojou-samas but tailored for men. The sneer on his face even reminded the thug of the high level Espers who loved to look down on them.

"Y-You'll pay! No one, NO ONE, FUCKS WITH THE SKULL HEADS!"

The rich boy rolled his eyes before delivering another body lighting shock through his fist. The thug like the rest was knocked out cold. Cleaning his hands off of the filth, the rich boy walked out of the abandoned convenient store with a scoff.

"Skull Heads? Is that why everyone of them is shaved bald? Who the hell came up with such a stupid name?! Seriously, what are those Level-0's smoking when they come with these names!?"

Combing his hair back with a static crackle, Hana moved on with his next target in mind. That was another Skill-Out cut from the picture. Good riddance. Now there was one less gang of morons who thought they could hurt some random Esper out of jealousy. It was about time someone with actual power took them out.

Yawning, Hana whistled a favorite tune his mother loved as he continued on his war path.

In the back of his mind, there was something he had originally come to do. It had been all that he had been thinking of when he was dropped into the past to deal with. . .some threat? Right? For some reason, his memory was clouded. All that he remembered was that it was important and concerned his future. A future that had been ruined by one man. A man who had once been dear to him.

"Deadbeat bastard still won't leave my head!"

An odd wisp unseen to Hana blinked in his eyes before returning to normal. He growled to himself as he continued his hunt, the thought of his father still lingering in the back of his mind.

In time, he would deal with that problem too.

---

'Alright, if I were three girls and a random scientist being dragged around by I'm guessing a high schooler, where would I go when chased by a gang of thugs?'

The strange question that tested his sanity was the least of this unfortunate Kamijou's worries as he ran around the decaying, trash littered, streets of District 10. He was already sore from his earlier fight against five thugs, so it was understandable that he was pretty tired and panting tiredly in his search. At some point he had lost where he was going. All he had to go on in finding the location the girls had ran off to was that they went straight ahead. That was it. For all he knew they had cut a few corners to lose their pursuers. Or they could have gone back to the train station to leave the district all together. That would be just his luck!

If he was to be honest though, them leaving would be a blessing. At least than they would have been safe from whoever was chasing them. Though this was Touma, and anything involving him would leave the more unfortunate event.

'So, they're still in the district somewhere. Which means I got to search everywhere for them and hope they're safe.' Safe in gang territory. The likelihood of that though was small. 'I really wish Anti-Skill would patrol around here. Finding them on my own while dealing with delinquents isn't what I call a great way to spend my day.'

If Touma did find the girls, he hoped that he wouldn't have to chase after them again. The girl with unruly dark hair didn't seem to like him for some odd reason. The second she caught sight of him she turned her back to runaway. Was she someone from his past? Did he do something to her to earn such an expression on her face?

Touma could still remember the face she had made when she caught sight of him. He wasn't sure if the others had caught it, but he did. It was a look of pure agony and sadness. As if just seeing his face was enough to break her heart to pieces. He must have done something to the girl Angela called Toka before he had lost his memory. Which only made things more complicated. He hurt someone and had no idea how or why. Only Toka knew the answer and she didn't want to see him.

Growing exhausted, Touma fell back against a bench by an old park in what he guessed was once a common ground for the people of the district before things fell apart. He leaned back, propping his head to stare up at the sky with a long winded sigh. He knew now wasn't the time to be resting, but his body was already beat up as it is. It wouldn't do for him to run himself ragged. Not for the first time since all the trouble started did Touma wince as he gripped his blood stained chest and bruised face. Thankfully the wound had stopped bleeding, but it stung like hell. Worse it could get was infected.

"Heh, just my luck as usual it seems. Makes me wonder sometimes if this is some kind of divine punishment for something I did in the past." Touma couldn't help but wonder out loud before smirking bitterly as his eyes fell on his cursed right hand, "Than again, Imagine Breaker would simply nullify even god's punishment, wouldn't it? Who even knows how long I've had this stupid thing for. If it's brought me this much trouble now, I dread to wonder what my much younger self had to deal with. Or maybe it's better that I don't remember."

A childhood full of nothing but misfortune. Touma wondered how that must have been. For a little kid who wanted nothing more to enjoy his youth to be plagued everyday with his brand of bad luck at every waking moment. A sense of melancholy gripped Touma. His memory of those times were gone now, so no use crying over what had happened to him long ago. It didn't matter now anyways. He was fine with the life he had now. Even if he was just living the life of someone that was no longer here and dealing with their misfortune.

Touma sighed tiredly. Now wasn't exactly the time to get lost in his own problems. He still had to find the girls and protect them from anyone else chasing after them.

'. . . .ghigig. . .gighigigrw.'

An eerie throbbing sensation suddenly erupted over Touma's right arm like it was a pulsating vein of water ready to burst violently. His eyes grew wide in alarm as his left arm clutched his right's wrist frantically with a deep, searing wince of agony. He swore he could hear a powerful heartbeat and his right arm actually throb visibly with each agonizing beat.

"W-What the hell's going on!?" Touma said through gritting teeth.

Something felt like it was going to burst from his arm! Like a rush of some force that wished to rupture his arm to be freed from its confinement. It was the worse pain he had felt this far into his life as the new Kamijou Touma. And he lost said arm a few days ago. At the memory, Touma scowled through the pain as he clutched the arm to his chest tightly. Was that it? Was this some after effect of having his arm chopped off? The frog faced doctor did say that his arm would suffer some aches even after his cast was off. Was this it?

As quickly as the intense pain came over Touma's arm it faded away. Just like that, almost as if he had never felt a thing. The sudden lose of pain caught him off guard, leaving him hunched over panting heavily with droplets of sweat running down his face as he stared bewilderingly at his right arm.

"Hmm? Are you alright over there?"

From the corner of his right eye, Touma spotted what looked like a silhouette coming over. Being winded by the intense ache, he wasn't able to properly react to the new and possibly dangerous presence greeting him. All he could really make out of the person hurrying over was their slender pale legs from his hunched position.

Gentle hands fell on his back. For a moment he grew panicked until those hands helped to ease him back into the bench in a much straighter position. Concerned pale green eyes met his own before they lingered over to his chest and gasped. They found themselves glued to the slash over Touma's chest that had grown red and the blood that stained both his white shirt and orange undershirt.

"You're bleeding! Did you get into a fight with some delinquent?"

Personal space didn't seem to be a concept the girl followed. Upon seeing the slash on his chest, the mystery girl with pale green eyes and platinum curled hair had ripped open his uniform shirt for a better look. Buttons popped out along with the touch of the chilling wind in that moment. Touma blushed heavily, his past pain completely forgotten as some beautiful girl's face glued itself to his chest. Thank god she hadn't taken his orange shirt off.

Yet.

"Hold still for a second, I've got some disinfectant and a few bandages on me that should do the trick."

Touma blinked, finding his voice failing him in the moment that a sudden glint of silver flashed over him like a downward line. His favorite shirt was then ripped down the middle by a hidden blade, exposing his chest for the entire world just like that. The cool wind of the empty district's park tickled and agitated his wound like pecking kisses.

Okay, this was where he drew the damn line!

"W-What the hell are you doing?! As a matter of fact, who are you!? Don't just go ripping off someone's shirt in broad daylight like it was nothing! Someone could get the wrong idea, damn it!" Touma yelled frantically with his arms flailing around in indignation.

For the first time since she had met Touma, the mystery girl paused. Fingers pinching a cotton swap dipped with alcohol and bandages in the other that this unfortunate Kamijou was wondering where the hell she brought them out from, she looked up at her patient with a cute tilt of her head. It was then that he fully took notice of their position. Touma's legs were spread out, leaving her room to kneel on her kneecaps in the space between his legs a bit to reach his chest. He couldn't help but struggle to gulp, feeling her hot breath tickle a certain rising part of his lower body. If anyone were to pass over they would have found the two in a rather raunchy position one would find in some crappy adult video.

"Oh, apologies, Stranger-san! I tend to get tunnel vision when I'm focused on something. I suppose this would be strange to anyone." she said more to herself in realization.

"No duh! You're basically stripping me here! And this is my favorite shirt!"

Now that he could hear a bit more from the strange platinum haired girl, Touma realized that her speech wasn't exactly clean. She must have been a foreigner. That was a bit odd. They didn't have too many foreigners around Academy City. And she seemed to know enough Japanese to speak to him. She was probably an exchange student who had lived in the city enough time to learn the language than.

The foreign girl giggled at his outburst. She wasn't deterred though, continuing with cleaning his wound on his chest before moving along to his face. Touma sighed in defeat. It didn't look like any amount of chastising the girl would get her off of him. And he was feeling a little better now that his wounds were being treated properly. Guess he was just going to have to sit and let some beautiful girl take care of him like a nurse. He couldn't help but blush when he thought about it like that. What were the chances of this poor unfortunate Kamijou finding himself in this situation? You know, without someone walking by and misunderstanding everything which would lead to some bodily harm to her person or another lap around the city.

"By the way, you're not part of those insufferable Skill-Out's by any chance? Are you?"

Touma quirked brow before suddenly wincing. Too tight! The bandages were just a bit too tight!

"Skill-Out? Not really. To tell you the truth, I'm not a resident of District 10. I just found myself stranded here after the train tram ran late and lost my friends. Than I got into some trouble with a couple of thugs." he grunted.

The foreign girl didn't meet his eye, focused entirely on patching him up before she spoke again.

"So, you're an Esper then? Must be nice. Having power, an ability to call your own. Despite this being a city of 2.3 billion students under the Power Curriculum Program, not everyone is so lucky to be granted a power based on their own Personal Reality." she said bitterly.

The sudden chuckle that escaped from Touma's lips caught the foreign girl off guard in her musings. She looked up to find the spiky haired boy smiling sheepishly.

"Actually, you're looking at a rather unfortunate Level 0. Like a few other of my classmates, this Kamijou hasn't shown any signs of developing a power since he got here. In fact, I'm the least unlikely to ever be granted an ability that would be described as Level 1."

Imagine Breaker would be the cause for that, he was sure. With his right arm negating anything supernatural to his body, it would stand to reason that it was also the reason he had never developed an ability even after all the tests and drugs he had gone through since he arrived in Academy City. Even the AIM Dispersion field that all Espers emitted no matter their level was null and void in him. One could say he was the lowest of Zeros. After all, despite being Level 0s, they still held the potential of becoming more with enough time and training. Touma though would always remain a zero with literally no hope of developing an ability as long as Imagine Breaker resided in his right.

Funny how little he found himself caring about that little fact that would break any Esper who had resided in this city for so long. Having no power born from his Personal Reality was fine with Touma. From what he had seen in his short time as Kamijou Touma, power carried the burden of corruption. He had seen it in the higher level Espers that picked on the lower leveled, showing off their power and dominance over their lesser for whatever they wished. And it only got worse the higher their levels were. Someone should have told the leader of Academy City to have thought twice about granting supernatural powers to kids off all people. Even on paper it didn't sound like a bright idea.

That was just what Touma believed though. Not many others thought the same as him, if any. Seemed he was always the lone majority.

"So, you're just like me then?"

Touma's admission of being a lowly Level 0 seemed to have an odd effect on the platinum haired girl. A sympathetic smile made its way to her lips as she stared up at him with her pale green eyes. She seemed to be truly happy with the news. Such an honest expression took Touma back as he gulped strongly. This was the last thing he would expect to see from a girl.

A wince escaped from his lips as she decided to finish up with the bleeding welts on his face. A patch of gauze was quickly tapped over his cheek before she stood up and cleaned off her skirt from any dirt.

"You know, I haven't shown any signs of developing any ability either. Even after eight years stuck in this advance city of science and technology, I've never as much as shown a little bump of improvement in my SYSTEM Scans. Not as much as a millimeter of potential to show for all my hard work." she said wistfully as a sudden gust of wind blew past to cast her curled platinum locks along with the breeze. A bitter expression fell over her face.

"This city has deemed us as zeroes, without any worth even after all the time and money they've spent on making us something more than human. Those atop us all have permanently designated a number of value on us to stick like a stigmata. And that stigmata changes everything, showing everyone what our value in this world truly is. Even those who've said to love you more than the world itself eventually come to see just what you're really worth to them, enough to even abandon you in the world that deems you as worthless and no use."

Touma frowned disapprovingly. He knew how Level 0's were treated. Even with only a good two weeks worth of memories he knew perfectly well what others saw in Level 0s. They were oppressed by those with actual power. Seen as lesser. Deemed nothing and worthless. They were waste of space that were only good for doing work that real Espers didn't have time for. In this world they had created for themselves, they were the background characters who were never thought twice about. Zeroes were the fodder in this city, and they should know their place.

To hear such negativity from others who weren't in that position was one thing. But hearing it from another Level 0 who seemed to whole heartily believe all the nonsense left a grainy, bitter taste in Touma's mouth.

"You don't actually believe that, do you?"

The foreign girl blinked at the strong and firm words from her fellow Level-0. She found her eyes on those bold dark orbs staring back at her with a ferocity she hadn't caught earlier. Seeing such strong will left her silent as he continued.

"Academy City may hand out numbers to everyone who resides in the city based on their ability, but it's not responsible for the value we have ourselves. No one but those who truly matter can give you value as a human. The people that have been with you from start to present, the one's who've faced hardship after hardship right by your side, the one's who were always there to lend you a hand and pick you up from whatever the world throws at you, those are the people who are allowed to say how much you matter. A machine may be capable of understanding complex equations and algorithms beyond even human understanding, but no matter how intelligent it may be, it can never find the definitive value you're worth." Staring down at his right hand, Touma's face grew a scowl of irritation as he spoke.

He would be lying if he never felt irritated for being a Level 0. The city was comprised mostly of Level 0, true, but that large percentage was overshadowed by the small majority that were real Espers. Even if he had been Kamijou Touma for two weeks, he had seen that discrimination first hand whenever he stumbled upon an Esper picking on a Level 0, or even someone with an ability lower than their own. Every time he had run in to save that one person being harassed by said Esper, they all looked at him as if he was a piece of trash that had rolled by once he declared his Level. And every time their faces would fall into pure disbelief and panic as his right hand shattered their weak illusions.

"Something as silly as an ability doesn't give you meaning. It's up to you to find that value for yourself with your own hands, not the hands of any supernatural power that resides within you."

"Do you really believe that? That you're worth more than what this world has labeled you as?"

Touma stared back at the sudden cold, lifeless, pale green eyes of a fellow Level 0 who whole heartily believed the words of those who looked down upon them. He couldn't help but grit his teeth inwardly.

Was some lousy number. . .really that important to everyone? Did such a thing really determine what others saw in one another? Did a number handed down by machines really have that much power over others? In the end, was it some single digit numerical number in charge of how important or special you were as a human being?

Was one fucking number, really, really, really that important?

"If that kind of world says I'm a Level 0, someone without any kind of power to do anything or any worth, than I'll just shatter that arrogant illusion."

For several moments the two Level-0's stood silent. Only the sound of the passing breeze interrupted the sudden quite space. Eventually, the platinum haired girl broke the silence with a giggle. That giggle erupted into a laugh that nearly doubled her over. Touma stared at the strange girl as she held her stomach with her pale face growing red. He could even spy a few tears in the corner of her eyes.

"W-Who do you think you are?! A-A S-Shonen protagonist of his own m-manga!?" she exclaimed between fits of laughter.

Annoyance painted itself over Touma's face. Nice, he bears his soul and his honest feelings to a complete stranger and he gets laughed at like he was some clown performing some joke. Just his typical luck acting up he supposed. On the bright side he had at least brought the platinum girl out of her own self loathing thoughts as a Level 0.

Fighting to control her giggles, the platinum haired foreign girl took a moment to clean the tears from her eyes before smirking in amusement.

"It must be nice, to be so ignorant and carefree despite being someone without any power. It's adorable. I kinda feel like I'm talking to a middle schooler who think's he's the lead character in his own epic fantasy, only for him to be brought back down to earth from sheer embarrassment. Tell me, do you have your own catch phrase and pose too?"

Despite how ticked off he still was at having a pretty girl laugh in his face and call him strange, Touma shrugged lazily. The action brought a quirked brow of curiosity from the girl.

"It's not that I think I'm anything special either. I'm just your average high schooler. I wake up late almost every morning due to some unfortunate inconvenience, run to school with a slice of buttered toast in my mouth, go to class and try to pass my exams despite being an idiot, search for the latest discounts for groceries, deal with a roommate who I'm beginning to suspect is the human embodiment of a black hole, and occasionally get into some trouble with some unsavory individuals. I'm no different than any other student in that regard." Touma explained casually before mildly flinching from a sudden ache in his right hand's wrist. His dark eyes glanced at said hand, glaring silently as he spoke firmly. Almost as if he was addressing two issues closely tied together.

Imagine Breaker. An ability that wasn't recognized by this 'world' that labeled him as a zero. A useless phenomenon that canceled out not only an Esper's ability but magic. It brought Touma nothing but misfortune on a daily basis, it's power negating even god's blessing, the very aspect of luck itself. One could say it was responsible for all the trouble he had found himself in since he woke up with no memories of who he was. It was a curse, a stigmata, just like the number zero Academy City had marked him as. And both of them could be said to affect him and control his fate as a person, as a human.

What complete bull crap.

"They don't control my life. What I do with how I live, how I treat others, and how I want to be seen, has nothing to do with either! I could be below Zero, a number that makes nothing seem like a billion, and it wouldn't affect my worth as a human being! Because I make up my own worth! My friends decide my value! If given the choice between being labeled as even a Level 6, 7, 8, or 9, I would happily chose to remain a 0! Because in the end, it really doesn't matter!"

Those words, the words of a zero without any worth, were firm and unrelenting. The tone of voice didn't tremble, didn't stutter, didn't whisper, and didn't fall. They were strong, stubborn, and fierce. They were enough to cause the platinum haired foreign girl to falter visibly, almost causing her to step back as she looked up at the spiky haired boy in disbelief. She scowled lightly, seeming to fight against something she had just witnessed and could feel overpowering her own ideals.

How? How could some Level 0 possibly say such things? He was the same as her, right? Someone who couldn't develop any power despite all the years of trying over and over again without any show of worth. The zero in front of her had failed too, right? He couldn't possibly be alright with others calling him worthless, a waste of money and effort, a failure as an Esper? If he was like her, than he was obviously lying!

. . .Right?

The platinum haired foreigner scoffed irritably, turning her face away from the clearly out of his mind zero. As if he actually believed being a Level 0 wasn't a big deal. He was most likely one of the lucky one's, a zero who hardly ever struggled because of his status, drawing the lucky straw to live his life without dealing with all the negatives of being an actual zero. An abnormality. Someone who had no idea how hard it was to live with such a curse. They had an expression for that.

"Ignorance is bliss, I suppose." she said softly before her eyes went wide at the sound of a cellphone jingle. Casually, she flipped her skirt up ever so slightly to reach for her cell strapped to her thighs. The action caused Touma to blush before a concerning frown marred his face.

No healthy high school boy could blame him for his eyes peeking at the flash of skin shown from a skirt flip. It was as natural as rain on a dark cloudy day. But he had seen more than a flash of creamy thighs and red panties. Several concealed firearms were also hidden from any prying eyes. He wasn't even sure how he hadn't notice all the deadly firearms she had down under.

The platinum haired foreigner flipped her phone open, her eyes narrowing at a message on the screen before sighing in frustration. Whatever she had read hadn't made her happy. Her pale green eyes glanced over at Touma. She seemed to have come to a decision before snapping her phone shut. A small smile made its way to her face.

"You are a strange one, Kamijou-san. I would so much like to continue this discussion in more detail, maybe even enlighten you to what the world truly think's of our kind. But it seems I have to return to some very important matters. I'm sure you yourself have to continue with your own business."

Touma smacked his own face suddenly. Right, he almost forgot about Index and Angela! Thank god Index wasn't around. The last thing he needed was a nun biting down on his head like he was some chew toy. Standing back up, he was glad to have had some small moment of peace. He felt energized now. And his wounds had been patched up nicely. Too bad about his favorite orange shirt, it was torn into and exposed his bandaged chest. Hastily buttoning up his uniform shirt with what buttons remained, Touma turned back to the strange girl with a grateful smile.

"Thanks again for treating my injuries. You know, you didn't have to do that for some random stranger."

The platinum haired foreigner shrugged indifferently.

"You didn't seem like a bad person and you were hurt. I was just being a good samaritan." she said as if it wasn't any big deal.

In reality, she actually had her own reasons for approaching the spiky haired boy who looked no different than the countless other delinquents that crawled among the thugs in District 10. But he didn't need to know that. It was better that he thought she did it out of the kindness of her heart.

Tapping her chin in thought, she turned back to Touma with a thoughtful hum.

"If I recall correctly, you were trying to find your friends?" Seeing him nod, she smiled, "Well, why don't you try the Food Tower? Those who know better than to wander the streets of this district would head over there since it's considered neutral ground between all the Skill-Outs, almost like a haven. I'm sure if they were hungry too that they would head there for something to eat."

That was it! Touma smacked his fist onto his hand with a grin at the news. If there was anywhere Index would be, and vice versa Angela, it would be anywhere with food! And Angela had a good head on her shoulders. He was sure that if she knew anything about this district, which she seemed to since she was knowledgeable about the many others, she would steer the girls to the food tower for safety. All they would have to do was wait for him to find them, or find some way to call his phone. He was sure Index had memorized his cell's number after sharing it with her in case of emergencies.

"Great idea! Even with this Kamijou's bad luck, I'm sure I'll find them there!" he said with a burst of energy. If all went well, he wouldn't have deal with anymore trouble if he just headed straight for the Food Tower. And while he didn't know the in's and out's of the district, all he needed to do was look for directions on his cell. Hopefully by the time they all made it back to the tram, the train would finally arrive.

"Just be sure that once you find them, you leave immediately. Otherwise you'll find yourself stuck in the middle of a warzone."

In the middle of a what?

Touma frowned at the words he must have misheard. He turned back to the strange girl only to find her missing. When did she leave? And how? He didn't hear her footsteps leaving the area at all.

"Warzone? Why the hell would she say something like that? Even if this district is known for housing Skill-Out, it's the last place to be thrown into some stupid war. What would they even fight about?" Touma thought to himself as he scratched his cheek. A sudden thought popped up in that moment that sent a chill down his spine.

How did she know his name?

Well, now wasn't the time to be thinking of a strange girl's words. He had two nuns to find and quick. Staring ahead at where the platinum haired girl had once been, Touma turned his back to the park and returned to his search for his friends.

---

"Are you sure you've located Dr. Tatsumi's whereabouts? The afternoon is approaching and our window of opportunity is drawing thin."

Cell against her left ear, the strange platinum foreign girl walked the littered streets of the district with a prominent scowl on her face. The voice on the other end of the line grew silent before responding gruffly.

"Yes, I believe so. I've been trailing them for some time now but lost track of them for a moment. Though I believe I know just where they are heading towards. If they are hiding from your hired goons, then it would be the best place to lay low." her partner informed her, bringing a vicious grin to her face.

"How long will it take before you've extracted the key from our dear scientist?"

"I'll have it back to you in less than an hour. Fourty tops if I run into anymore Skill-Outs that cross my path, Mila-san."

The platinum foreign girl known as Mila was over the moon with joy. She was practically skipping down the empty aging road.

"I knew it was a great idea to seek out your help, Deadlock-kun!"

The one known as Deadlock chuckled in amusement.

"My services are always open to those who wish to punish Level 5s. Especially for one who plans to free us all from the influence of those monsters." he said with raw seething hate.

"Oh, Deadlock-kun! It's much more than killing a pompous Level 5!" Mila admonished with a flail of her hand. She was grinning ear to ear by now, "Its about establishing our own worth in their world of numbers! It's about showing them that we Level 0s are nothing to be scoffed at or swept under the rug like dirt. And what better way than bringing down the very System that created us? Oh, how humiliating it would be for the higher ups to find the very system they worshiped brought down by the very Espers it itself said were harmless? Killing a few Espers, and if possible a Level 5, would simply be the icing on the savory eclair!"

Mayhem. Pure, unadulterated mayhem created by a meager Level 0. One that would leave behind a mangled pile of Level 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and if they were any lucky, the greatest of all prizes, a Level 5. The streets would be in chaos not because of an out of control Esper with an ability and an over-inflated ego, but because of an Esper with no ability to speak of. And it wouldn't be because of a gang of zeroes grouping up together in a pathetic attempt to show their none existent strength, but because of one lone zero who decided to show all those who labeled them as nothing what they were screwing with. It would be a display of the true potential those labeled as zeroes was capable. One that they wouldn't be forgetting after today. To prove that their precious system was nothing but a lie.

In short, it was all about payback. Revenge, oh so sweet, it deserved a place atop of a sundae.

To achieve this dream of hers and take the revenge she was denied from for so long, Mila would need a special weapon that would allow her to go against even a Level 5. Such a thing would no doubt exist in Academy City since their prized trophies were widely known to not have the best mental fortitude's. Inventions such as the Level Downer were prime examples of methods the city had developed to reign in any out of control Espers. So it stands to reason that those who created the monsters known as 5's would have thought to create a weapon or device to go toe to toe with the freaks. To stop their rampages. To shackle them. To kill them.

There had to be.

Mila had researched for any methods that were developed to contain a Level 5. Of course such a subject was hidden under levels upon levels of encrypted data that were locked away from the eyes of the general public. For months Mila had tried to break the encrypted locks that held the secret to her revenge against the system that ruined her once quaint life to no avail. No amount of hacking could put a dent on the security. At least until one stormy night a few days ago.

On a night that rained lightning powerful enough to shake the earth of Academy City, she had stumbled upon an unconscious blond haired boy who had found himself napping in a pile of trash. And her fate had been changed in one night.

Miracles weren't a concept Mila believed in. Such things were illogical in a city that praised knowledge and understanding. But a miracle had fallen onto her that night. When Mila had been ready to give up and accept her fate as a zero, the world had thrown her a bone. Her new friend had shared a lot with her that night once she had brought him back to her dorm to escape the rain. To repay her kindness, her friend had helped her to achieve the wish she had held in her heart for so long. And with his help, her friend had helped her to bypass Academy City's heavily guarded security in a single night for a certain piece of information she had been seeking.

During the summer, a certain event had transpired at the hands of of a scientist known as Kiyama Harumi who had created a network of brainwaves and AIM diffusion fields known as The Level Upper Network. In thanks to the help of the Number 3 Railgun, the network was shutdown before anymore harm could be done to anymore students. And their was much rejoicing. But that left a question, didn't it? Just what happened to the remains of the network that allowed even a useless Level 0 to control multiple abilities from the Espers connected to it? This was a city of research, of development and inventing. Something as ingenious as granting someone Multi-Skill wouldn't just be thrown away. Would it?

In the hidden logs of information within Academy City's data banks, Mila had found the remains of the network. And just where the researchers who snatched the tools for it had stashed it away to further improve it. Her simple plan to counter a Level 5 became so much more. All in thanks of her new and only friend.

Feeling herself in a very happy mood, Mila decided to ask her temporary partner a question.

"By the way, have you decided on what reward you wanted for working alongside me yet? The others were easy, all I needed were some Bank Cards to sweeten the pot and they happily followed along! But you have yet to ask for anything. Tell me, what does the great and moody Deadlock-kun wish from the girl who will bring down Academy City's reality!?" she sang gleefully.

Deadlock went silent for only a moment.

"If you are truly capable of destroying this system controlled by those Level 5's, than there is nothing more that I could ever ask for."

Mila nodded without so much as a thought. So, she was right about her mercenary friend. Money didn't interest him, nor did fame, or even recognition. Like her, all he wanted was revenge against the system of power that made them useless to the world.

"Than hurry up~! I want to get the fireworks started as soon as possible!"

Done with her chat, Mila shut her cell and reached for another object strapped to her thighs. She had done more than treat the plain faced high school boy, having stealthy snatched a certain item from his person while he was distracted. She held a black leather wallet, simple and aged as if it had gone through several unfortunate encounters. Opening it up revealed a few notes of Yen and a student ID. A rather bland face greeted her with a head of spiky black hair and indifferent dark blue eyes.

A melancholic smile tugged at Mila's lips. In away, it had been nice to meet Kamijou Touma. He honestly seemed to be a normal Level 0 who simply wanted to live his life as best he could. Unlike the others like him, he didn't care about the number forever stamped on his life. If anything, he was just a bit naive and hopeful.

"If we had met another time, maybe I would have stuck around to listen to you a bit more. Who knows? Maybe we could have been friends. Having someone as bright as you would have been nice to have in the dark, especially back then." Mila said wistfully as she stared at the face of the odd Level 0.

Too bad. She was finally close to finally having her revenge on the system that ruined her life. There was no turning back now. Especially for some high school boy. Even if he was kinda cute.

---

The Food Tower, or as it was officially known, The Food Stand Spire, wasn't exactly what one would imagine it when hearing of its name. In actuality it was a parking garage facility that went as high as an office tower in the city, that's main use for is parking RVs and vans like you would find in a major western cities. It was never meant to be used for anything else since it wasn't designed for any other use than parking vehicles. And yet those who resided in District 10 had found a much better use for it than parking vehicles that would never leave the garage. No one exactly knows who had been the first to set up a food stand in a garage facility of all places, but it had somehow sent a trend.

Many believe it was a gang that had taken over the building and set up their own food stand to stand above and reside at the very top floor. Others thought some nobody just said 'Fuck it!' and built their stand there. And some even believed that a stand just popped up out of nowhere, forever haunting the empty car storage building before summoning more food stands like some specter. Whatever the origins, the building known as Garage Facility #6 had been taken over by several groups to be now known as The Food Stand Spire.

Those on the outside, such as Anti-Skill didn't so much as raise a finger to stop the goons, thugs, and delinquents from transforming the garage into a place to vend food. Compared to the many other illegal activities they had done, it was the most beneficial. The spire became a kind of neutral ground between all those who resided in District 10, a common place for them all to relax and forget about the troubles of being Level 0s and the gang violence outside. It was a haven, one of the only few they could ever find in Academy City. Honestly there was no reason to crack down on the Skill-Outs who protected the spire since they kept the peace.

Of course since it was in District 10, the Food Stand Spire wasn't very welcoming to any Espers, true Espers with abilities, that would for some odd reason walk in. Even if it was for a bottle of water. It was a safe zone from those who belittled them after all. Any Esper above 0 would be turned away. Or beat up. Possibly shot right in the face.

Thankfully, Index and Angela weren't Espers. As far as anyone knew they were Level 0s too. And zeroes were more than welcome to grab a bite at the spire. Along with their guests.

It had taken her a while, but Angela had finally reached Toka and the white suited man in her care. The second her hand had latched onto the unruly dark haired girl's collar, she hadn't let go. Ignoring the protests of the girl and the suited man, Angela had dragged them along with her to the only real safe location in District 10. Which is where they could be found now.

It was on the third floor of the spire that the group consisting of Angela, Index, Toka, and Dr. Tatsumi found themselves resting. Like the other floors, several abandoned vehicles were parked here and there, but the rest of the area housed multiple food stands with a different selection of meals along with picnic tables spread out for those dining in to enjoy their meals. Each level held their own unique catering of food with the higher ups being more specific and high end. The level they were on though served plenty of cheap fast food. That a certain disgruntled scientist turned hostage had to pay.

Finding an unoccupied table, the small group settled down before ordering some food. Once the tray full of burgers, fries, and shakes arrived, Angela finally decided to question her friend for her odd behavior from before.

"Why did you run, Toka! Do you even know how long I've been searching for you and the others!? Like four days! And here you are running around District 10 like some delinquent! Don't tell me you've finally started to take after our father!" Angela went off angrily as she aimed a wagging fry at at the frowning high school girl.

Toka huffed, looking away from the more mature nun of the party with her eyes shut. It was clear she didn't want to speak to Angela.

While stuffing herself with a fistful of fries and slurping down a strawberry milkshake, Index blinked as she caught something interesting from Angela's nagging.

"Sister? Angela-san, you have a sister?" Index asked before leaning across the table to stare at the supposed sister of the Sister.

Well they did seem to have several features that connected the two. More specifically their eyes. There was also something else Index couldn't put her finger on that seemed familiar when she put the two girls together.

Toka glanced back at Index, showing off a bewildered expression for a split second that the silver haired nun's perfect memory had caught. Someone seemed to be really surprised.

'Holy hell! That's the big breasted Archbishop with a silver tongue who helped us get here!? She's so tiny!'

Coughing into her fist, Toka finally responded back to her sister.

"Calm down, Angie-chan! It's not like I'm the first one you've found." Toka waved off nonchalantly.

Angela scowled, looking down sadly.

"Actually, you are. I haven't been able to find the others since I got here. Not even Hana-kun. You're the first one I've found since we were dropped off here." she said softly.

Toka flinched back. Seems her father did rub off on her more than she cared to admit. The thought of said father caused her to inwardly grit her teeth. No, now wasn't the time for that. Not when one of her sisters was finally found in this world.

"Jeez, I'm sorry, okay? I really didn't mean to make light of your feelings. It's just been a really crazy day. Or crazy days." Toka chuckled sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.

Index found herself staring more and more at the new girl. Was it weird that she pictured Touma with the same mannerisms? She narrowed her eyes slightly. There was something else now that she got a good look at Toka's eyes.

Angela huffed, relenting a second later with a tired sigh. Yeah, she knew that things were probably the same with the others. They were a certain Imagine Breaker's children after all. Finding themselves in troubling situations came with the blood. At the subject of crazy day, her eyes glanced at the unhappy man in white suit next to Toka. The well combed man sat in silence, eating his burger without saying as much as a greeting to either Angela or Index when they had arrived. He was well off keeping to himself. Though he did show some annoyance that Toka kept one hand gripped tightly on his sleeve like he was some dog on a leash. The twitch in his eye also spoke of how felt as a high school girl refused to let him go.

"Does this craziness have to do with the man you won't let go of? You know father wouldn't be happy with how close you are to some stranger. Especially after he found you running around the streets with him, out of breath, sweating, with your clothes disheveled. You really don't seem like you want to let him go." Angela said coyly with a smirk.

Toka's eyes twitched and the well dressed man actually choked on his meal.

"Aren't you suppose to be a nun? Aren't those kinds of thoughts against your pious image!"

"Please, don't label me as some kind of perverse character. I am a man of much finer tastes!" the well suited man scoffed.

Angela looked away discretely as she sipped her shake, "You are at that age."

"What do you mean at that age?! Explain right now what the hell you mean! As if there is any age where a girl would go fooling around with some strange man in gang territory!"

There was.

Scratching the back of her head more furiously from irritation, Toka finally decided to explain her situation to clear up her slightly older sister's pestering.

"The guy next to me is Dr. Tatsumi, some nuclear scientist that works in one of the nuclear facilities in District 10. I bumped into him earlier this morning on the tram ride back to District 7. For some odd reason though, the tram was switched over to this district and we found ourselves abandoned here along with a few other passengers." Toka explained as she leaned on her propped hand. Much to Dr. Tatsumi ire, she refused to let go of him, "Apparently there was some kind of error in the system and we would have to wait until the next tram arrived to go back. Unfortunately for us though, a group of Skill-Outs took notice of us, or more importantly the few Espers in the group, and attacked. At least that's what I thought. Once they attacked, everyone scrambled and I noticed that the thugs were actually going after one person in particular. This guy right here." she jerked her head to the scientist who scowled as all eyes on the table landed on him.

Dr. Tatsumi breathed out his nose in a vein attempt to calm himself down, "First of all, I am not some lowly scientist character, I am THEE scientist character in charge of the greatest facility! And I would very much appreciate it if you were to let go of my arm. Otherwise others would get the wrong idea." he hissed to no avail. "Tsk, if my wife and son were to see me now! How would I explain it to them that some high school delinquent girl character won't let go of me in a seedy district!?"

Toka didn't seem to care of the scientist's innocence as she continued, "No one else was going to help him, they all left him at the mercy of a bunch of delinquents. So, I stood up and helped him escape from the Skill-Outs. Since then, we've been chased after by some gang that's hellbent on capturing the doctor. He probably pissed off the wrong thug or something." she shrugged.

Dr. Tatsumi bristled at the comment. He wouldn't deny that he may or may not have thrown a few comments at a few Skill-Out's every once in a while. Especially since he worked in District 10 where they littered the streets and abandoned buildings. He was really starting to regret taking the job to man the nuclear facility.

Angela nodded in some kind of understanding as if this wasn't the first time she had heard of such a thing happening to the high school girl across from her. In fact a small smile came over her face.

"So, you ran off to play the hero? I guess the others were right, you are the one who takes the most after our father." she said fondly. Angela frowned, remembering how they found themselves here in the first place, "That reminds me. Why did you runaway?" she asked, careful not to mention Toka running away at the sight of Touma.

At that, Toka scowled again. She looked down in hopes of hiding her expression.

"Can we not talk about that here? I think that's something best saved for later when we leave District 10." she pleaded bitterly.

Angela wasn't happy with the answer. But she understood. It wasn't exactly a fitting setting to talk about their father out in the open when one of their mother's was literally right next to them. She sighed and nodded grudgingly. At least she found one of her many siblings. That was a start at least.

"Fine. But you're coming back home with us! No buts!" Angela shouted stubbornly as Toka visibly recoiled. The high school girl with a head of unruly hair grumbled, showing hesitation. She nodded stiffly in the end, showing she wasn't exactly happy with going but accepted it for now.

Index was in the same boat, grumbling something about freeloaders. Great, another girl was coming over to her home! Not even when Touma was around, he still ended up in one way or another dragging another girl into the mix. It wasn't fair! It was only suppose to be the two of them. Angela, she could stand since the older girl was kind and shared her love for the lord along with her. But now some other girl was no doubt going to fall head over heels for Touma. She just knew it!

A sudden tingle caught Index off guard. A trickle of mana flowed in the air like some faint odor. Following the odd faint magic, Index found that it came from Toka of all people. Her eyes went wide as she caught a flicker of foreign magic originate from Toka's pupil.

'What was that? Toka-san is an Esper, just like Touma, so she shouldn't posses magic. But there's something there that I can't put my finger on. It's magic, no doubt, but none that I've ever encountered. It's some kind of new age magic, one that must have been created recently. It's. . .Greek in nature, I think? Ugh, this is going to drive me crazy!' Index thought in frustration.

As the holder of 103,000 forbidden texts that would taint the mind of any other magician, Index was more than capable of identifying spells and magics at just a glance. Even the lingering effects of a spell were not impossible for her to identify and name. Her perfect memory literally made her an index on everything magical in the world. But what she was finding was something unknown even to her.

She would have to speak with Angela about this later. Finding some kind of spell affecting Toka was more than concerning. Hopefully this didn't mean that some magician was after the girl. The last thing they needed now was fighting off another rogue magician.

"What should we do now?" Index asked abruptly, setting down the large burger as her thoughts turned to a certain spiky haired boy, "We lost Touma when we ran after Toka-san. And he doesn't know where we are. We can't just leave without him either. I don't really want to think about what kind of trouble he would get into if he were to stay in a place as dangerous as this."

"That's simple! We wait for him right here!" Angela exclaimed brightly.

Toka grumbled, her eyes on her older sister with skeptical, "Really? Do you really think he of all people will just wander over here? I don't think he knows much about this district and none of you have a cell, right?"

"Oh dear, simple, and naive sister! Have you no faith in our father?"

"Honestly? No."

"Father?" Index blinked, rightfully confused as the two girl's flinched back.

Angela laughed nervously at the slip of the tongue.

"Of course, our holy father! I'm sure our lord would guide Kamijou-san to our location! Right?" she said in hopes of covering up her accidental slip up.

Index hummed in doubt, "I'm not so sure about that. Miracles of god don't work on Touma. I'm not even sure that god's guidance would work the same either."

Okay, that was good. Index didn't question it and bought the lie. Sighing in relief, Angela none the less smiled confidently.

"Possibly, but I have no doubt that he would find us here! Because if there is one place he would ever begin to look for us at, it would be-"

"INDEX! ANGELA-SAN!"

"Here."

The familiar shout brought all the heads of the table spinning around to find a certain panting high school boy with spiky black hair running over to them. Surprise came over the girl's faces, except for Angela. Because she knew without a hint of a doubt that her father would find them all in this exact location. After all, her mother was with them. And what better place to search for Index than a building that housed hundreds of food stands?

"Touma!" Abandoning her food, Index shot up from her seat and dashed after her caretaker. She grinned happily, nearly knocking him back as she tackled the unlucky boy with a hug.

Touma grunted at the silver haired sister's embrace. His wounds were treated, but they still hurt. Having a girl hug his chest wasn't exactly a welcome experience right now. His discomfort caught they eyes of Angela as she dragged along Toka and by extent Dr. Tatsumi over. The raven haired nun didn't look pleased with his state. Even Toka subtly frowned before looking away.

"Kamijou-san! What happened to you?!" Angela demanded like a mother who caught her son coming back from a fight. Which wasn't wrong.

"I'd like to know that myself." Touma scowled as he pried Index off of him and walked over to both Toka and Dr. Tatsumi. He wasn't happy, staring at the two who were in some way responsible for the thugs he had fought, "Any reason why a bunch of guys are literally hunting you two down? Because I've just had to deal with some Skill-Outs that were desperately after you two and didn't care if they wound up hurting anyone else in the process. If this was simply me involved, I wouldn't have cared. But when you drag my friends into it, I do care." he said said sternly with such force even Dr. Tatsumi found himself stepping back slightly.

Half an hour. For the past half hour, Touma had been running around a district that looked like it had been abandoned and popularly known as gang territory, after fighting five thugs and suffering a fair amount of wounds at their hands. He was tired, hurt, irritated, and anxious. It was safe to say that he wasn't exactly in a good mood right now. Touma was human, so even he would lose his patience. Especially when the person who was responsible for having him run around District 10 like a marathon runner was staring at him with indifference. Almost as if he was just some bug that had crawled out under her foot that she didn't wish to deal with.

Toka met Touma's irritated scowl with her own. She didn't back down. She didn't explain herself. She simply refused to bow down to the stern glare she found herself under.

"What does it matter? You found your friends, now you can go home. There's no reason you need to get yourself involved any further. Someone like you, who has no real power whatsoever, shouldn't concern himself with us. You're not some hero. So, stop acting like you are." Toka bristled. Touma narrowed his eyes at her tone.

He knew that tone all too well. It was the same tone he heard from other Espers whenever he butted into their business. Like they were better than him. The girl right in front of him was no different it seemed. When she looked at him, she could only see some idiot who was way over his head. All she could see was a nobody who could only do more harm than good.

To her, Touma was just some pest.

"There are people after you and your friend there. And they might be Level 0s, but that doesn't stop them from overwhelming you or hunting you down like prey. Even if you're an Esper with some kind of abi-"

"I don't have an ability." Toka interrupted Touma bluntly, catching him by surprise as she crossed her arms over her modest chest, "I'm just a Level 0. No power to speak of whatsoever. Just like you."

Touma found his fists tightening in frustration. She didn't have an ability? What the hell?! Then why was she acting so arrogant? Did she somehow believe that she could take on an entire gang all by herself? She was just some high school girl! What could she possibly do? Without even an ability, even one that could be labeled as Level 1, than she didn't have a chance against them. And she had the vain belief that she didn't need any help? She was an idiot!

And for some reason, it pissed him off. For reasons Touma couldn't understand clearly, it really pissed him of that this random girl he had never seen before, believed she could handle whatever trouble was chasing her all alone.

"And you think you can outrun a gang of thugs who have no problem fighting some little girl with knives and guns?! You can't be so stubborn or full of yourself to think that you can even fight them without an ability or skill! Do you think you can save anyone thinking like that!? What are you, an idiot!?"

Toka's eyes snapped with anger as she got into Touma's face. He found himself taken back suddenly, finding such raw anger and hate pointed at him. Had he said something he shouldn't have? Once again, his mouth spoke before he could clearly think. He was further taken back as Toka reached for the collar of his blood stained shirt with both hands, forgetting about the man she was protecting as she shouted furiously at the unfortunate teen.

"What about you!? If I'm some kind of idiot, than you're the god of idiots! You don't have any kind of ability either and you still go running around the fucking world like some kind of stupid savior! Playing hero to random people who cry out for help, but ignoring the people who truly need you back home! AS IF YOU HAVE FUCKING GRAIN OF RIGHT TO SAY ANYTHING WHEN YOU WERE NEVER FUCKING EVEN THERE!"

Touma was speechless as he felt some unknown guilty knot grow in his stomach. What did she say? Playing hero, running around the world, never being there? Was she. . .was she really someone from his past? Was she really someone he had abandon in the wake of his lost memories on that fateful day? He found himself struck with a heavy sense of regret and gnawing guilt, finding it growing as he found tears growing in the corner of Toka's eyes.

He had no idea what to do. Those eyes hated him. And a part of him felt horrible that those eyes could ever hold such an emotion for him. Slowly and with hesitation, he found his arm reaching for the arms currently gripping onto him for dear life as if he would vanish forever if she let go.

Unknown to either party, the arm reaching for Toka was his right. The had that dispels all that didn't belong in this world. The breaker of illusions.

An odd whine and the sound of shattering glass echoed in the garage food stand floor. Even the delinquents that were discretely watching the odd scene play out in the middle of the floor were surprised to hear such an otherworldly sound pierce the tense atmosphere. Only three people understood what the sound signaled.

It was then that Index fully noticed the odd flow of magic she had sensed on Toka's person. From the girl's shoulders, a dark and corrupted miasma of magical energy spewed out from her body by the rejecting nature of Touma's Imagine Breaker like a gushing wound. The magic seemed to disperse into the air, like a small ink dye in a lake of water that vanished into nothing.

An odd glazed look fell over Toka's eyes at Touma's touch. He grew worried as she nearly fell out of his grip as her body became weak. Her hands fell off of him, falling to her side as she toppled forward. Reacting quickly, he moved to catch her as her head dropped on his bandaged chest. He winced but focused on the girl's odd reaction.

"T. . .Tou-san?"

Touma frowned as he caught the dream like murmur from the high school girl. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he had a feeling it had to do with something supernatural. Why else would his Imagine Breaker react? At least he had rid whatever may have come over her. Her voice sounded softer and more earnest. He couldn't help but smile as he found himself patting the girl's back. He'd ignored the embarrassing fact Toka called some stranger father for now.

"It's alright. You're fine now."

Whatever the reason, the girl known as Toka's expression grew brightly as a few tears dropped. Her arms fell around his waist, hugging him closer as her consciousness began to abandon her. Suddenly she felt tired. Incredibly tired. She fell asleep in the arms of a man who she had lost, who had meant the world to her before said world was reduced to flames.

'Tou-san. . .You're alive.'

Touma scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do now. Well, this was certainly strange. It wasn't often that he found some high school girl calling him father and falling asleep in his arms. As if he was some kids father. He was only sixteen! He was still a virgin!

. . .Wasn't he? Oh, that was one memory he now wished he could remember! Of course if that wasn't the case it would be just his kind of luck to end up a virgin again! If he wasn't already. God damned memory loss!

Angela wiped a tear off from her eyes while also snatching the back of Dr. Tatsumi's collar as he tried to sneak away. It would be better for them if they left the man to go about his own way back to District 7, but he was being hunted down. Her father taught her better than to turn away from someone in trouble. Even if they refused to ask for it.

She did frown at what she had seen though, 'Was that some kind of magic spell? Is that the reason Toka's been acting weird whenever I mention our father? But who could have done that and why?'

Questions she would have to mull over later.

Moving over to the two, Angela helped Touma by releasing Toka's grip on him. Seeing as she was the older of the two siblings, she positioned Toka over her shoulders in a piggy back ride. Her sister was light and despite being a nun, Angela wasn't no slouch. She could confidently admit that she was the physically strongest nun back home.

"I think we've had enough drama for today. How about we all begin heading over to the tram? It's the least we can do for you, Dr. Tatsumi." Angela said as she looked over at the still scowling scientist, "Or do you really think you'll fair better walking the streets of District 10 while some shady group of delinquents hunts you down?"

Dr. Tatsumi grunted but showed no signs of arguing. He sighed, relaxing enough to allow Angela to let go of her grip.

"I suppose we are all heading that way anyways. And it would not do well to allow children to roam the streets of a gang territory without an adult. I'm not the kind of character to abandon a child." he relented.

Still not completely understanding what was happening around him, Touma shrugged. He just wanted to go home. Hopefully they wouldn't have to deal with anymore thugs chasing them down. He'd like to think he dealt with the guys intent on that already.

With everyone in agreement, the small party began to move out to head towards the tram station once again.

At least that had been the plan. If not for a voice breaking through the garage and catching a certain unfortunate teen to lock up in place.

"Kamijou Touma? So, I was right in believing that you would somehow be involved in this. I'm starting to feel a little nostalgic actually. Because this really does bring back memories."

At the stairwell leading down to next level below the garage, an odd teen stepped up to meet the group leaving for the tram. The teen was dressed in a full bodied red suit with various skating wheels on his body, small jets on his back and wrist, and a crimson motorcycle helmet shielding his face. To everyone's confusion, a pile bunker was mounted on his right shoulder.

The teen stepped closer to the group, his eyes behind his helmet locked solely on Touma's as his body reacted on its own in a defensive stance.

'What the hell?' Touma didn't mean to show any kind of hostility. But the very sight of the red suited teen caused his body to react. His fists were already clenched tight.

"Who are you?" Touma demanded, causing the red suited boy to pause.

The suited man boy remained silent before releasing a grudging sigh. His shoulders lost their tension as if he had come to accept some kind of outcome that had been weighing over him. The loss of weight didn't seem to make him pleased in the slightest. His voice was soft like a small gust of wind that spoke of bitterness and resentment.

"So, I was right. She did end up throwing you to the side once it was all over with. You don't even recognize the man who had you at death's door. Or of the Queen Diver suit that was responsible for drilling you with multiple holes." he chuckled lowly with melancholy.

Touma's eyes grew in alarm as he found himself stepping back out of reflex. Death's door? Who was this guy?

"Touma?" Index said worriedly as he eased the girls back from the stranger taking another step closer to their group. She gripped his arm, noticing he had begun to tremble.

The man in the Queen Diver suit was only a few spaces away from Touma's party. He stopped and stared at the anxiously scowling teen who had been responsible for the failure and the destruction of his organization's goals. Someone who had found themselves the enemy of the unlucky boy would no doubt be filled with rage, anger, fury, and want nothing more than to seek revenge for losing at the hands of some normal high school boy. But he was different. He was one of the few enemies who found respect at the boy's actions and beliefs that had overpowered his own.

Kamijou Touma was a boy worthy of respect. He was someone who he believed was what an ideal Level 0 should be. Someone who fought for their rights and virtues without any ability. In some other time, he could say that the two of them could have been friends.

Unfortunately, this world called for them to once again be enemies. This world altered and manipulated the presence of seven monsters that stood above the city in their own worlds that they changed by their mere breaths. A world that the unlucky high school boy had allowed by fighting against those who wished to free this world from their influence.

The boy in the Queen Diver suit had abandoned his name long ago, finding it worthless in the city under the unconscious control of Level 5s. In memory of his goals and intentions, he had addressed himself as the one who would lock the end of the monsters in the way of a free world.

"I am Deadlock, just an old phantom from your erased memory."

Touma's face grew into a frantic panic as he felt his heart stop. A cold sweat ran over his body as he stepped back from the haunting boy who knew of his darkest secret. How? How did he know Touma had lost his memory?!

Deadlock found himself chuckling in amusement at Touma's reaction. He noticed the strange reaction Touma's body had taken at the sight of him. How odd. Well, they did say muscle memory remained unaffected even with memory loss.

"Seems that while she erased your memory of the event, your body at least remembers the damage I had left behind. You should listen to it. In reality, you and I have no reason to be at conflict any longer. So, rest easy." Deadlock stated calmly as he turned his sights away from Touma to the true objective on hand.

Touma followed Deadlock's line of sight, finding himself frowning as Dr. Tatsumi began to sweat in fear of the suited man too. In that moment, he completely disregarded his own turmoil for the safety of the man he had just meet.

"You're one of the guys who's after Dr. Tatsumi."

Deadlock nodded, not bothering to deny the simple truth, "Personally, I have no business with him. As you may have forgotten, my only true conflict remains with those monsters known as Level 5s. But my employer has hired me, among other small groups who reside in Skill-Out, to capture the good doctor. He is after all the key to her goal."

Touma's body moved on its own, stepping forward and blocking Deadlock's view of the scared scientist. Carefully moving Index's arm off his own, he tensed his entire body in case the man in the Queen Diver suit acted prematurely. It was good that Deadlock was talking, gave them plenty of time to figure how to run away from him. Touma needed to keep him distracted and focused on him.

Deadlock, he was someone from the previous Kamijou's past? Someone he had fought to the point he had nearly been killed apparently. Touma wasn't sure he could say any of what the red suited man said was true. On July 28th he had woken up with no memory of who he was. He had no memory of who his parents were, friends, or enemies he had once fought. Even stranger was something else Deadlock had said to him that made him curious. Something that seemed to cause a mild ache in his head.

"You said something about 'she' tossing me aside and erasing my memories. Who are you talking about?" Touma pressed on out of both wishing to distract Deadlock and learn a bit more of his forgotten past. Maybe it would also explain how the red suited boy knew of his memory loss.

Deadlock tilted his head to side, seeming to study Touma's face.

"You truly don't remember, do you? Of the girl you fought to near death to protect as you were surrounded by thirty or so foes just like me? Of the girl who could control others like puppets for own amusement and wishes. Of the starry eyes that no doubt strung you along to use as a meat shield. You don't remember. . ."

A splitting headache erupted in the middle of Touma's head as Deadlock spoke the name of the girl he had fought to protect once before.

"&%*#( *!"

Touma couldn't make out whatever name Deadlock had told him. It was lost before he could even pronounce a single letter character of the unknown name. The name was forgotten as quickly as it was said. An odd glaze came over Touma's eyes before he shook it off and blinked rapidly in confusion. He was confused for a second before returning to glare at the suited masked helmet villain.

"Are you going to tell me who you're talking about, or not?"

Deadlock like the others who were watching Touma was just as confused by what had just happened. But unlike the others Deadlock understood why. Only one person would be responsible for Touma's memory loss.

"To think that she would go so far for you to forget about it all. It's just like I told you! You were just another puppet to her that had filled its usefulness! At least now I know that I wasn't wrong in the slightest." Deadlock spat angrily before moving forward with his hands flexing, "Number Fives are abominations that are better off dead. All that I do is for the greater good of not just those with abilities, but even us zeroes! A world without the influence of fives is a world we're we can all achieve happiness. And that girl's plan is the key to my own goals as well! And I will take that key by force!"

Snapping his fingers, Deadlock announced his plan of attack. It was then that Touma and the other began to take notice of why the cafeteria garage was so silent. Among the delinquents eating peacefully, several others began to rise up with hidden weapons slipping out at the signal of Deadlock's snap. Even those who had nothing to do with the conflict were surprised and scowled furiously.

The Food Stand Spire was neutral grounds. There was no fighting whatsoever among those who only sought to eat in peace without the troubles of the outside world bothering them. It was a general rule all the delinquents, even those who weren't part of Skill-Out, followed without any fuss. And that iron clad rule was currently being trampled on.

Touma pushed Index and Angela back with his arms. He recognized when talking was over with. Wordlessly urging the girls and Dr. Tatsumi to move away, he faced the man who he had apparently fought once upon a time with fists gripped tightly for another fight.

"Death to the Level 5s. Death to the System." Deadlock chanted eerily as the small jets on his back began to burn.

An uproar of violence broke out from all those in the third level of the Food Stand Spire, sparked by Deadlock and his hired help. As those who had aligned themselves with Deadlock moved to attack the small group composed of Touma, Index, Angela, Toka, and Dr. Tatsumi, they found themselves under attack themselves by the others in the garage. Not in defense of the outsiders, but in retaliation for breaking the truce they had set up. The gangs fought among the strangers, using whatever weapons they had on them or improvising with whatever they found. It was a riot of fists.

And in the middle of all the fighting stood Touma and Deadlock. Neither one moved as they kept their eyes on another.

"Angela-san, I want you to take the girls and Dr. Tatsumi out of here. Do whatever you have to break through the fighting crowds. But I want you all to get out of District 10 and make your way to an Anti-Skill station! Now go!"

Angela moved to argue with Touma but found herself under the stern and no nonsense eyes of her father. There was no arguing with him when he got like this. You did as you were told. Biting her lip, she grabbed onto Index's arm and gestured for Dr. Tatsumi to follow while carrying Toka on her back. Even he didn't have anything to say when they were surrounded by gang violence.

"W-Wait! Touma!" Index cried out as she found herself being dragged away by her fellow Sister.

Deadlock was amused. He didn't go after the girls. Not yet. He still had some unfinished business to attend to.

"We've done this before. The only reason you survived was because a monster still had use for you. This time I won't lose. So here's your last chance, the same chance that I had given you long ago. Please," Deadlock urged softly as the jets on his back roared to life with an explosive burst of orange flares.

"Step aside. You have no reason to fight any longer. No one is here to distort your beliefs or causes. You have no reason to die."

Touma laughed as he cracked his knuckles. The grin on his face answered more than he could with words.

"I have no idea of what your talking about. Mind control, distortions, memories erased, being used as some puppet to protect someone who I can't remember, none of that matters! All I know is that you're planning on using someone and are willing to hurt anyone who gets in your way! I may have no memory of standing against you, but you do! So, get ready to have a taste of de ja vu all over again!"

"Heh."

In the sounds of shouting, knuckles meeting flesh, gunfire, and cracking bones washing over the garage full of food stands, the red riding suit boy laughed.

"Hahahahahahahahah!"

Just as before, he was not laughing out of mock or spite. He had once again accepted the unlucky boy who was in the way of his own plans. His shoulder were shaking as he reared his head back and held his masked helmet face. Taking a deep breath, he grinned and shot off from the spot on the roaring jets with a wistful yell.

"Then I hope you're prepared to met the same fate as before, you damn clown!"

Touma squared his shoulders and ran forward in the face of the human rocket on skate wheels racing straight for him. His right fist was raised, ready to shatter another illusion. One he seemed to have failed to completely break.

"You bet!"

A war of zeros broke out in the garage spire. One that would slowly leak out into the already tense streets in only a matter of time.

---

"Hmm?"

Hands crossed behind his head as he stared up at the sky, Hana found himself glancing back around to a certain building that sounded as if it had set up multiple fireworks. He could make out the tell tale signs of flashes and bangs along with shouts of violence. His face grew irritated as sparks lightly grew around his body.

"Great, more Skill-Outs wannabe's! At least I don't have to go searching for more to bust down." he scoffed as he began to head over to the direction of the Food Stand Spire. He was more than ready to charge in and give them all a taste of what he had done to the smaller gangs he had run into when he found an odd group run out of the building while being followed by several thugs. His eyes grew wide in recognition at the sight of two nuns, or more specifically, the raven haired nun who carried an unruly haired high school girl on her back.

"Angela? Toka?" Hana whispered softly before finding himself arcing with electricity. His eyes were narrowed, focusing on the thugs chasing after the girls with bats and pocket knives.

Cleaning out the trash could wait. He had some family to reconnect with. And some skulls to bust open.

---

In your wake, a string of shattered hearts were left behind by your failure as a hero. Even the most loving of children have unhappy thoughts of their parents. And those feelings can be easily manipulated in ones lowest moments.

Can you define 0? A number with no value in this twisted world. Can anyone truly do anything without any ability? Or is the number planted onto you truly what defines you in this SYSTEM?

Do you remember? Of that pleasant summer where you befriended a monster? Of the girl who you swore to protect? Or is that just another memory that had died with the old unlucky high school boy?

The puppet has no strings. But their fists are still raised none the less for a fight once again. In this world of numbers, shatter the nonsensical belief of worth and power with your fist!

There we have it! It took longer than I had hoped to upload, but I did it. Now I got to finish Chapter 6. But first, SLEEP. I swear I got dark rings under my eyes. At least I've finally been given a few days off. Maybe now I'll be able to get back to reading some of my favorite fics too. I should probably update my other stories too while I'm at it. I'm sure my fans on the RWBY fandom are seeking for my blood at this point.

Remember to read and review! It's common courtesy!

NeoShadows fading in and out.