Hey everybody! It's been a while huh? So I decided to revive this from the grave because I like it. I'm able to pretty much do whatever I want with this story while the ToAru universe continues on. It still has the theme of Kazeyare Kouta and Sogiita Gunha doing some kind of crazy shenanigans. And just maybe... There might be some dark plot in the background... I'll leave that up to you. For now enjoy this new chapter of The Rising Sun! Gemstone 12 will come out next week so look forward to that!

THE HERO? RETURNS!

After receiving extensive care in the hospital for a couple of days, I was finally able to return to my new home in District 18. I let out a light sigh as I opened the entrance to my new room. "I'm home." I said lazily expecting no response. Though what actually happened was far from normal.

"Welcome back Kouta!" A jack-o-lantern greeted me with its glowing smile.

"…What are you wearing?" Back from the hospital and I'm already met with nonsense.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a Jack-o-Lantern overflowing with guts!" He declared with his hands on his hips.

To be honest with myself, I should have expected this response. "Why?"

A large beast entered the living room. "Halloween is coming soon. Holidays are a great way to rekindle friendships between people." So Kihara is doing this too? And she's wearing a werewolf costume?

"I thought you of all people would discourage holidays such as this." Does she have some ulterior motive?

"Halloween is a special case. You're allowed to go to a complete stranger's house and demand them for sweets. If they don't oblige, you have every right to burn- I mean punish them by any means you deem fit. No matter the outcome I still receive some satisfaction out of it." She said with a genuine smile on her face.

A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized the horror that could occur on Halloween. "Wait wait wait! You can't just take the 'trick-or-treat' rule that seriously! Some people don't celebrate Halloween! Gunha! Say something to her!" I turned to Gunha to see him tossing around some toilet paper. "Oi! Don't you two understand the word 'self-restraint'?"

"Don't worry. It's not like I immediately trick them if I don't get candy. I understand some people have their own circumstances." She's finally starting to speak sense. "In those cases, I'll accept money as well."

"YOU'RE STILL NOT GETTING IT!" I have to live with these two from now on?

"Kouta you have to understand." Gunha removed the large pumpkin mask from his head. "On Halloween, it's expected that if you want candy, you need a costume correct?" I nodded my head in agreement. "So isn't it expected of us that if we don't get treated, they get tricked?"

… There's no arguing with these guys. I raised my right hand in defeat. "Fine. Do whatever you want but I'm not partaking in this event." I walked past Gunha and stretched myself on the living room couch.

"What are saying? You're staying here to hand out candy." Kihara said as if it was a known fact.

"That's right! You have the important task of handing out treats to all the other kids while were gone! We even got you a costume perfect for it!"

I guess I can't completely wash my hands from this huh? "Fine so what's my costume?" I sat up and looked around the living room to find the both pointing at something completely absurd. I slowly felt my anger rising. "W-what the hell… Is that?"

"A candy cane costume." She casually replied.

…

…

…

"A candy cane-"

"I KNOW WHAT IT IS! I'M ASKING WHY IS THAT THING MY COSTUME?" I angrily yelled at the duo.

"It's the perfect costume for handing out candy!" Gunha replied with grin on his face.

"So you guys would wear it if you were handing out candy?"

Immediately they both waved their hands in front of their faces as if deadpanning. "No way."

"I KNEW IT! You bastards are just messing with me? It's Halloween, not Christmas! I'm getting a strong feeling you guys were just being cheap and decided to buy that ugly costume right?" I really wanted to strangle Gunha now more than I can recall in my entire life of knowing him.

"You're wrong Kouta." He said while waving down my anger. "We bought it because we wanted to see your reaction. Ayumi said it would definitely be 'gutsy! I have to admit, I wasn't disappointed."

"Eh?" I was duped. A sly smile appeared across her face, making her seem more like a mischievous fox rather than a frightening wolf-monster. "M-m-my reaction?" I stammered attempting to find the appropriate response to this situation.

She swiftly presented a thumb's up (Or is it paw up?) "That's right. Since we're going to cooperating with each other, I decided it would be necessary to know your temperament, basic knowledge, common sense, sanity, and sanitation habits or lack thereof. The sort of thing you look for in a roommate."

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT FROM A ROOMMATE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "I know I may not have the best temperament, and I'm not the best at studying. But I don't lack common sense and sanity!" I felt that last one would soon be gone if I lived with these two.

"You misunderstand me. I do possess common sense. I know it's not normal for one to be wearing a candy cane costume during Halloween. I also understand that I'm just forcing these strange situations against your will and without your proper notification. I also understand that you can't take the trick-or-treat rule seriously." She replied while making a somewhat cute pose that did not go well with her current outfit.

"Then why?" I'm starting to get tired of asking that question.

"I just choose to ignore common sense." I froze in place; baffled by the honest answer she gave me.

I think I just heard the worst answer to that question.

"No no no! That's not how it works! Common sense exists to make things easier. You either have it or don't! You don't just ignore it! That's the equivalent of trying to open up a crate with your hands instead of using the crowbar next to you! No one with common sense would do that! Why would you do that?"

"Because it yields interesting results."

That's it! Why is officially removed from my vocabulary! I'm done asking questions and receiving ridiculous answers! I tiredly walked toward my room, ignoring their stares as I lost all my energy to fight. After I showered and threw on a white shirt and some brown shorts, I crashed in my new, untouched bed and fell soundly asleep, wishing this moment would last forever.

"Huh?" I found myself alone in an empty white void with no end or beginning. "Where am I?" I turned to see all white, questioning how I got here in the first place.

"Oh? Someone's here?" A nondescript voice echoed in my head. "They found a test subject?"

"Test subject?" I repeated searching for the source of the voice.

"Judging by your thought patterns, you appear to have no affiliations with the Dark Side, am I correct?" The mysterious voice questioned.

"Dark Side? What the hell are you talking about?"

"So the answer is no then huh? I guess you're the 'sample' if I'm correct?"

"Oi! All you've been doing is questioning me then answering them yourself! At least explain something to me!" I demanded confused by the voice and its inquiry.

The 'floor' beneath me began to crack and a dark void took its place, slowly eroding the white area.

"That'd be pointless. You won't even remember this exchange. But if we ever meet again, remember me as the Princess of Academy City." The voice faded as I fell into the black abyss.

I awoke gasping for air and reaching out in front of me, covered in a cold sweat.

What was that dream about? As much as I wracked my brain around it, I couldn't even remember the vaguest detail about the dream. I decided to discard the thought for now and change out of my clothes. As I tried to move from under the covers, I was stopped by something holding my tightly at my waist. A myriad of perverted and questionable thoughts ran through my mind as I froze, thinking about what to do next.

W-w-w-w-what the hell? S-she's inside my bed?! W-wh-NO! Don't ask that! That word will surely bring about a swift end to this great situation. Or escalate it to some something painful like a Romantic Comedy event where the main male protagonist gets severely hurt despite having no control over the situation! I don't want that! But… How do I get myself out of this situation? In this one moment of my life, I really wish I could teleport!

In the next instant, the door swung open shining light into the dark room. I covered my eyes to block the light as the silhouette reached for the light switch and turned it on. "Its 8 o'clock. Both of you get up for breakfast." She closed the door behind her leaving me to my thoughts.

"…If Ayumi is there… Then who's in the bed with me?" A horrible revelation came across my head as my previous questionable thoughts came back full force, blood pouring out of my mouth at the disturbing thoughts. I immediately jumped out of my bed and flung my covers across the room and saw my worst nightmare come to life.

We ate breakfast in complete silence with only the T.V emitting sounds due to its ignorance. I struggled to use my chopsticks to eat my scrambled eggs, glaring down at my plate, as I was unable to look anyone in the eye.

Gunha attempted to cut the tension, "Hey I'm sorry Kouta. It's a bad habit of mine. Just cal-"

"Nothing happened this morning to call for an apology." I stated flatly. "I woke up in my bed, you woke up in your bed. A normal routine day like always, right Gunha?"

"You're still ma-"

I broke the chopsticks in my hand, "Right Sogiita-kun?"

"…Right." He quietly continued eating without saying another word to Ayumi or me. It seems there are things he can't do.

I continued eating my food with newly acquired chopsticks when I felt a pair of eyes burning through my scalp in a desperate attempt to read my mind. I glanced up to see Ayumi staring at me with a curious look I've never seen on her face before.

"What?" I asked with a mouth full of eggs.

She continued to stare at me with that curious look, "Nothing. I'm just surprised that you can be intimidating. It's very interesting." A smile appeared on her face, yet I couldn't discern what kind of smile it was. Happy? Content? Mischievous? Malicious? Just what kind of smile is that? Whatever it was, I felt nothing but ill intent radiating from her.

The T.V. broke my concentration as it went on to detail the world news. "Today, on October 30th, the Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church declared a Proclamation of Armistice, thus ending WWIII. The Russian Government plans to finalize the details of the surrender with Academy City and the Britain Government, with Princess Carrisa as acting official for Britain."

Princess? Why would that word stick out to me? I mused over my thoughts, sorting out why it would pop up as a red flag on my radar.

Nothing… That singular thought kept me occupied all throughout the mourning up until I reached my classroom, which happened to be the loudest out of the whole school. I could already here my idiotic class representative spouting some nonsense already.

"If it Halloween, We definitely have to do a haunted house! A true terrifying event with all kinds of ero- I mean horrifying costumes!" As expected of the Fetish King, letting his perverted desires spill over into his duties.

I opened the door just in time to witness Aogami's swift punishment from Fukiyose. "Take this seriously you idiot!" she yelled as she sent him flying with a pro uppercut.

He quickly recovered and stood his ground. "I am taking this seriously! A dark and quiet corridor filled to the brim with monsters such as the life-sucking mummy girl! Or even a maid turned zombie!" A certain Siscon popped his head up. "These creatures will surely move the hearts of men!" I couldn't help but think he was right, in a sense.

I patiently waited for Gunha outside his school with the lingering thought of the word princess. Why does it bother me so much? Princess isn't really a word that's used here everyday in Academy City. An Ojou-sama from School Garden perhaps? A princess in Academy City? Something clicked in my head when the thought ran through my head, but I couldn't figure it out.

"Kouta!" A loud and familiar voice ran through my head catching my attention. I raised my head to see Gunha running past his peers at full speed to the gate. He stopped directly in front of me with his signature grin on his face. "Lets hit up the arcade before we head home! I'm overflowing with guts right now!"

Well, I guess I can worry about it later. "No. I don't stand a chance against you in my condition!" I pointed to my left arm still recovering in a cast.

He tilted his head with confusion, "That isn't healed yet? Can't you just reconnect your bones with guts?"

I'm honestly not sure what surprised me more, the fact that he asked it with such honesty or the fact that he is probably able to reconnect his bones with 'guts'? "Sorry Gunha, but I don't have as much guts as you do." It's pointless to argue with him and I was unusually exhausted that day. "Lets just head home."

"SOGIITA!" We both turned in the direction to see a tall and bulky teen preparing to hurl a large metal ball in our direction from a good distance.

Wait, what?

"Take this!" as soon as the object left his hand, it accelerated towards us at an alarming rate, most likely due to an esper ability. Gunha did something equally ridiculous and caught the speeding sphere with one hand.

"Ha ha! That was a nice throw there Katsuo! You've even improved your accuracy since last time! You must have been training with a lot of guts!" He said to the large boy now known as Katsuo.

He ran toward us most likely with the intent to retrieve his ball. "Thanks Sogiita san! But you're still as strong as ever! By the way, who's your friend?" He finally decided to address me.

I waved to him with my right hand, "Yo. Kazeyare Kouta. Friend of Sogiita Gunha." I casually introduced myself.

"Katsuo Tenge! A legend in the making!" he said boastfully. "Well I'm off! Later Sogiita!" he took his metal ball and disappeared in the crowded streets filled with students.

"What was that all about?" I said to myself. "Well Gunha, let's head home." I found myself alone as my friend Sogiita Gunha disappeared into the city without my realization. "Huh? Gunha? Crap! Gunha!" I yelled to see if the idiot was still nearby but to no avail. Great, now I have to go find this idiot.

I searched all throughout the city, taking detours and asking other people if they seen someone with a Rising Sun t-shirt. I received no leads and the idiot refused to answer his phone. I walked into one of the alleyways, completely ignorant of the situation around me. "That idiot! When I get my hands on him-!" I bumped into someone and stumbled backwards. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't see you…there…" Three disgruntled teens glared at me as I interrupted whatever they were planning to do to the boy they surrounded.

A mugging! C'mon! I can't handle this kind of situation!

"What the hell are you doing here, HUH?" He yelled while deforming his already hideous face to something unbefitting of the term human.

"Leaving." I quickly performed a 180 pivot and tried to escape but was stopped by a hand grabbing the back of my shirt and throwing me against the wall next to the boy.

"You were planning on just leaving me here?" the boy said accusingly.

"Shut up! What exactly can I do to three thugs with a broken arm?" I retorted.

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" the tallest of the three stooges yelled and we quickly zipped our lips. He then proceeded to look at me with a careful eye. "Oi, kid with the broken arm.

"Yes?" I swiftly responded.

"You go to A Certain High School right?"

"Yes?" I don't see where this is going.

An anger vein appeared in his forehead as he punched the wall next to my head, causing me to flinch in fear. "Tell me. Is there a kid with black spiky hair in your school?"

Kamijou! What the hell did you do to piss these guys off so much? But… Thank you! I devised a careful and perfect plan to escape this situation. To explain the details and mechanics of it would be deserving of a Nobel Peace Award! "Isn't that him over there?" I pointed into the alleyway and the all turned their heads in the direction. I immediately grabbed the other boy's hand and ran full speed out of the alleyway and into the crowded streets. We continued running until we got to bus station and rested on the bench to catch our breaths.

"You're welcome by the way! I just saved you!" I proudly exclaimed making light of the situation we were just in.

"Don't give me that! You were planning on leaving me there in the first place!" He retorted.

"But it's the result that matters right? No matter how you look at it, I saved you." I boasted.

"I suppose you're right. Thank you um…"

"Kazeyare Kouta."

"Thank you Kazeyare-san."

"No problem umm…"

"Haratani Yabumi."

We continued to chat for a little bit longer, talking about common sense and how some people don't have it and it causes problems for others. It was truly refreshing talking to someone with a normal outlook on life. At school I can talk to Himegami but we don't have much in common and the rest of the guys in my class easily get riled up by the Delta Trio. And at home... the opposite of normal. Though I had the strangest feeling when talking to him, as if I had known him for a long time. Why is that?

We soon parted ways as I still needed to find a certain hot-blooded idiot.

"Now then," I took a deep breath before setting out in the concrete jungle, "Let's continue with this crappy day."

It's begun! A new arc for the three! And it's Halloween themed too! Halloween... In April(As of submitting this chapter)... Well to be fair, It's December in NT 10! So yeah. Tell me what you think? I'll take the good, the bad, the ugly! Reviews are always welcomed! So let's kick it off with a bang and start this Halloween Conspiracy arc!

Crashing Out!