So here we are in chapter 12 of this OC centered story. This one came out sooner than expected huh? Right now I have gained some newfound free time which I'm using to rewrite Gemstone as well as put more effort into The Rising Sun. I hope it shows in this as I really want you guys to enjoy this story. But releasing it so close to the next volume release probably wasn't a good idea. Nevertheless, Enjoy this chapter filled with revelations, humor, and 'drama'!

Skim The Abyss

I could hear something, echoing in the darkness, from wherever I was.

The muffled shuffling of feet moving across a tiled floor. It wasn't loud enough to be disturbing but enough to pull me from unconsciousness. Feeling groggy, sore, and slightly irritated, I glanced around and found myself in almost the exact same situation I was almost a month ago. I pulled off the white sheets to examine the damage done. My legs seemed to be in pretty good shape though I could only lift them up to a certain extent before my sides started screaming in pain. A majority of my abdomen was covered in wrappings preventing me from moving too much, so I laid back on the bed and began scanning the room. There was nothing much to see of course, the dimly lit room was only filled with the essentials. A bed, nightstand and a couple of chairs for any visitors. As I attempted to lift my left arm up, It screamed in pain against the motion.

Ahhh. It's probably broken…. Again… What else is in pain? I thought while performing a self diagnostics.

Hmmm, well the left side of my face feels like crap. That bastard probably broke something when he kicked the living daylights out of me! Dude didn't have to kick me that hard! As I continued to complain to myself about the pain, a shadow loomed over the closed entrance, blocking the light peering under the door.

A loud knocking was then followed by a familiar voice. "Kazeyare Kouta. Are you awake? May I come in?" The overly polite yet somehow masculine voice was the mark of a young nurse that I knew from my time as a patient here when Gunha and I were little troublemakers.

"Yes." I responded, forcing my body to sit upright to greet the nurse. "It's been awhile since I've seen you, Nakamura-san."

The door slowly opened to reveal a bald, young looking male in his early 20's dressed in a standard nurse attire. His blue eyes glanced at me before a stern expression took over. "Kazeyare-san. You shouldn't be sitting up like that. Even with those compression wraps you should do your best to not move."

"Okay Doc."

"Not a doctor, just a nurse for now. Lie down for me so I can remove those wraps. Leave them on any longer and you might have difficulty breathing." Nakamura-san remained professional as per usual. Always focused on the task at hand. Definitely holds a 'dependable' aura around him. That is, when he's talking about work. I obediently laid back on the bed and rolled my head to see Nakamura pull a chair next to the bed. He swiftly pulled the sheets off and lifted my gown to inspect my injuries. "Looks like the wrappings did their job. Ah, Kazeyare-san? Could you not move so much? It's making it difficult to remove theses."

Intense pain shot through my body at his first attempt to remove the wraps. "Ah. I'm trying but it really hurts when you pull on the bandages like that." He continued to pull away at the wraps despite my protests.

"Of course it hurts. One broken rib. Two fractured. Multiple spots of internal bleeding. A fractured left arm. I heard about last time your last admittance here. How did you manage to break your arm again in such a short span. And your face. Though it was never one of your best features, it looks even worse with that bruised balloon appearance. I'm honestly surprised there's not a single broken bone in your face despite all that trauma." His sharp words cut deep. It was unpleasant to say the least, as he knew my facial features were a soft subject for me.

"Don't be so hard on me doc. It's not like I can control how my face looks. Do you know how many times I've tried to change my look? Dyed my hair? I got scolded in school for looking like a delinquent. Dressed in formal? Ended up with rumors that i had ties to the yakuza! Tried glasses too! It actually made my glare more prevalent! I'm sorry that my face is one of a thug mob character! My blonde hair doesn't do me any favors either! Why wasn't I born with black hair like the rest of the world's Japanese men!"

"All done. Feel better?" I glanced down to see that he had finished removing the wraps during my rant and had rubbed some type of ointment on the bruised areas of my body. I Slightly shifted my abs to test my newfound freedom.

"Still hurts but definitely an improvement from before."

"The compression wraps were only for the ribs, to prevent you from moving too much during sleep but they do hinder your breathing hence why I removed them. I also applied a cooling cream to most of the major swollen and bruised areas. I've done all I can for now, the rest is up to you. Here, take these." he placed two white pills and a glass of water on the nightstand before writing something on his clipboard.

"What's this?"

"Pain medication. The effects of your first dosage should be wearing off shortly. Would be wise to take those quickly, unless you like that kind of thing. In which case feel free to enjoy your pain."

In many ways it's surprising that Nakamura still works here. He's always one who speaks his mind and constantly pokes fun at patients. "You really don't have anything nice to say do you?"

In short, he was a man who lacked the social skills to hold a positive conversation.

Nakamura nonchalantly twirled the pen in his hand with ease, "I do this to gauge my patient's stress levels and mental fitness. It's much more effective than false pleasantries and hollow sympathy."

"Ugh!" A cold chill ran through my body.

"What's wrong? You just made a horrible noise?" a tinge of concern leaked in his tone.

"Ah nothing. It's just what you said reminded me of someone I know." Someone who I'm not looking forward to seeing. He gave me a quizzical look which fired alarms that he was about to ask about Ayumi. "In any case, why would you care about a patient's mental fitness and stress levels if they're only there for physical health issues?" I quickly diverted the conversation to a different subject.

"Isn't it the job of a doctor to treat illnesses regardless if it's physical or mental? Or am I to just pat a patient on the back, prescribe them some anti-bacterials and say 'hey! I fixed that infection you got. Good luck dealing with those sociopathic thoughts keeping you up all night.' Don't give me a problem and tell me to only fix half of it. It's still a problem."

I'm not entirely sure his colleagues agree with that kind of thinking. "Aren't there specialists for that kind of diagnostics? Mental health and physical health are two different fields of medicine. The only thing you're doing is increasing the number of complaints." Haphazardly instigating a negative response from someone who might be in poor physical health seems like bad practice to me.

"Correct. But I'm more than qualified for psych evaluations." He shut down my rebuttal with an instant matter of fact answer. "Of course. Is it so hard to believe that a person in their late 20s is a registered nurse and holds a degree in psychology?" I was taken aback. I always thought it was his professional demeanor towards work is what made him such a valuable asset that they would tolerate his general unpleasant tone. Turns out he's a genius. "I prefer to be called a hard working intellectual." He corrected my inner thoughts without missing a beat. "Regardless I believe a healthy mind leads to a healthy body. No point in fixing the car if you have a bad driver."

Ah. He wasn't wrong. I couldn't fault him for thinking that way and it makes sense if the reason for a patient's physical issue turns out to be a mental one.

But…

Is it really that simple to cure a problem of the mind?

Nakamura finished his checkup and proceeded to exit the room but stopped just short. "One more thing, I noticed some extensive patchwork on your forearms and back and for some reason, they aren't in your medical records. Would you care to shed some light on that for me?"

"I'll pass for now. I'd rather not be scolded for what I've done in the past." Even if Nakamura-san wasn't the judgmental type, I don't see how I would be able to explain those scars without my involvement in Skill-Out popping up. I'd prefer to leave that all in the past.

Nakamura-san raised an eyebrow in response, "Scold you? Why would I do something like that?"

I sighed in exasperation. It doesn't seem like he's going to let this go, "Cause I put myself in a situation that led me to get these scars. I wasn't in danger by chance. It was by choice." Even if I was only a runner doing grunt work, it wasn't without consequences being associated to Komaba's Skill-Out. Last minute changes to routes, avoiding ambushes from other gangs, some misguided espers serving 'justice', and the few and far between Anti-Skill raids on hideouts that I narrowly avoided. These scars are just proof of that choice I made.

"It's your life. I have no right to judge what you should and shouldn't be doing. I'm more concerned about the tools they used and if it was in a sterile environment. Even with professional work, there's always a chance for infection, more so with an amateur in a non sterile area." I couldn't tell if he was upset or just irritated but his face clearly expressed his concern with my last comment. Did he feel insulted? Was he really just worried about infection? "If you don't want to talk about it, that's your right. Patient confidentiality and all. You're free to leave today if you choose to. Just talk to the front desk and pick up your medication before you leave. " He finally left the room leaving me to my thoughts.

My mind began sorting the events that transpired within the last 24 hours. More specifically, focusing on my encounter with my assailant, Moroi Tataeru. He seemed obsessed with becoming a level 5. Not to mention he seemed sure Gunha would be in that district. Honestly that shouldn't be possible. Even with my outdated information, planning out or predicting that idiots routines or patrols is nigh impossible. He gets easily distracted by the simplest things. At best you can get an educated guess. For him to claim to know Gunha's location is strange by itself.I know due to his recent defeat becoming public knowledge would bring some trouble but this was almost disconnected.

Then you have the arcade incident. By itself it would seem random and probably brought on by Gunha's idiocy antagonizing the students. But the Sakugawa kid said something that seemed off.

Fame and money. Doesn't necessarily mean they were hired but someone most likely put the idea in their head. Nothing truly conclusive but this is far from random.

"...Is someone directing these attacks?" Maybe it was paranoia, or the fact that half of my face was kicked in but the idea that someone was intentionally trying to harm Gunha sounded more plausible than just a conspiracy theory.

So let's assume someone is targeting Gunha. Next questions would be who and why.

Kihara Ayumi.

It was the first name that clearly popped into my head. But the motive wouldn't fit. From what I've seen and what she's told me her main objective is to keep studying and understanding Gunha's ability. It makes sense somewhat as she would have lucradis amounts of field data but in the long run the collateral damage might lead Academy City to limit Gunha's movements or even remove him from the research facility altogether. Not to mention more eyes on Gunha means more eyes on her, limiting her movement. Not sure how far her research and experiments go but I don't think Ayumi wants them under leering eyes.

I mentally crossed out Kihara Ayumi as a suspect. Next on my list of suspects for the crazy conspiracy theory against Sogiita Gunha was…

The Kihara Family.

Whether it was a singular person or a conglomerate of people, The Kihara Family did exist and had different plans that go against what Ayumi wants. Ayumi herself confirmed that they released information on his defeat..

If they are orchestrating these 'random' attacks, they could use that as leverage against the city for forcibly restrict Gunha. It also aligns with what Ayumi mentioned before. They want a 'collar' on him.

But I don't know why. Why would a 'collar' be necessary on Gunha? Were they close to a breakthrough and discovered how Gunha's powers work? Do they want to claim all the acolytes and rewards for themselves? I scratched my head furiously in hopes to pull some form of answer out of my brain but to no avail. "It doesn't make any sense."

The collar. The Kihara Family. Ayumi. The frequency of attacks. None of it adds up. Why was the biggest question I couldn't answer with certainty. If I had more grounded proof or evidence then maybe-!

*Knock knock*

Multiple loud pounds echoed in the room and stopped my chain of thought. Before I could respond the door swung open revealing Sogiita Gunha and Kihara Ayumi.

"Kouta! We came to check up on you! Bet you're feeling better alr-!" He abruptly stopped and blankly stared at me.

"Y-yo." I could only squeeze out an awkward greeting as Gunha remained silent.

"Sorry! I must've got the wrong room!"

"Pfft!"

So now I'm being ridiculed by the #1 idiot in Academy City huh?

"Very funny Gunha. Laugh it up while you can. The swelling will go down and I'll be back to my usual thug character #2."

"Ah. So we do have the right room."

That was enough to set me off. "So what if half my face looks like a purple balloon huh? Didn't you see my face last night? Now you want to make jokes at my expense? Just because I got a broken arm again along with some fractured ribs doesn't mean I have to sit here and take that crap! In fact come a bit closer Gunha and I'll rearrange that face to look like mine!"

As usual, he let out a hearty laugh, "Haha! That's definitely Kouta alright! No one loses their temper quicker when it comes to your face!"

"Then don't make fun of it, you idiot!"

"Sorry Kouta I honestly didn't know it was you."

Ayumi stepped in, "Do you guys have to argue every time you greet each other?"

"No!"

"Yup!"

Ayumi merely shrugged her shoulders in response before seating herself in one of the chairs. "You guys are committed to this bokke and tsukommi routine huh? Not that I mind but we have bigger issues I'd like to discuss. Starting with what happened last night."

While it was obvious that Ayumi was the most mature out of the three of us, I'm surprised she skipped the blatant mockery of my incompetence. "Straight to business huh Ayumi? Not even going to pretend to worry?" I said jokingly.

"Who do you think has to report on these incidents involving Gunha?" Her serious tone broke through the calm atmosphere. "Who's judgement do you think is question when since your 'employment' multiple incidents have occurred with Gunha in the center? One of which you started? Who do you think has to answer to Academy City representatives about the ongoing attacks on Gunha? Who do you think has to sit with a bunch of shitty old men for hours discussing menial topics such as Gunha's daily routine and Kazeyare's relationship with said level 5?"

She's completely upset about something else entirely! "That'd be you, Kihara Ayumi-sama."

"That's right. So now, in great detail, you're going to tell me everything that occurred on October 31st. Okay~?"

After a very extensive interrogation by the green haired genius, I asked her a question of my own. "So, what do you think about all this?" There was no questioning that Ayumi was smarter than me, as she is enrolled in Nagatenjouki Academy. I wanted to hear her opinion on what conspired last night.

"Isnt it just another idiot trying desperately to beat the #7?" With a single statement she blew away all my thoughts.

"You can't be serious? Don't you think it's strange the amount of attention he's been receiving since his attack?" Not to mention the information leak and the 'collar'.

She waved off my worries with unusual coldness, "There's nothing there to prove otherwise. Oh. Don't tell me you got in your head there's some conspiracy against Gunha?"

"A conspiracy against me? I won't accept such a gutless thing! If you're going to attack someone it's got to be head on!" Gunha finally made a comment but it completely passed me and Ayumi.

Does she really not see any connection? Am I the one being paranoid?

...No…

The fact that she doesn't see a connection in itself is suspicious. Ayumi was trying to let this all slide over.I could see what I would only describe as a cold intention.

Don't say anything else. A slight shiver overcame me. My heart beat skyrocketed and nearly broke out in a cold sweat. Just from her intentions I felt afraid. My mouth dried up as I swallowed a breath of air to catch my words. "I do." My answer was hesitant and at the time I immediately regretted saying something so foolish. I couldn't take back my words, by now it was too late for Ayumi to feign ignorance. Whether I liked it or not, whether she liked it or not, I was going to get answers. One way or another.

Her amber eyes broke contact with mine as she let out a sigh of exasperation, "Gunha? Could you leave us alone for a moment? Me and Kazeyare-kun have some important matters to discuss." Despite adding kun to the end of my name, the pyrokineticist did not' return to her usual sweet tone of voice. She still remained in her serious work tone.

"Hm?" Gunha in his obliviousness replied with a quizzical look. "Sure. I don't mind!" without even questioning Ayumi's reasoning, he obediently left the room, closing the door behind him.

As his footsteps drew further away my body began to tense up. Every muscle in my body was bracing itself for the next few moments that stretched for what seemed like hours. Even while seated, Ayumi emitted a dangerous aura.

"I..." she finally spoke, "I don't like repeating myself so listen well Kazeyare Kouta."

"...What?"

"Drop this." there was a certain finality to her words that shook my core. "The supposed information leak from the higher ups, the Kihara family, the 'collar', the arcade incident, even last night's fight." this wasn't a threat. This was a clear warning. Pursue this any further and you won't be able to turn back.

"If you do… you'll be consumed."

By what?

Those words almost slipped out of my mouth. That would be a mistake. A mistake I couldn't afford to make. Whoever or… Whatever she was referring to will consume me? Why?

No…

That was another dangerous question. My mind desperately tried to piece together what exactly was happening. A crushing pain in my chest started as I felt truly cornered. The walls of the room itself felt claustrophobic.

My routes to pursue the truth were swiftly cut off by the immense ultimatum Ayumi presented to me.

Look down, feign ignorance and pretend everything is good. Make that blissful lie a reality and ignore what you're so close to unraveling.

Or…

Continue this pursuit. Uncover the truth behind these recent events and face the consequences of my choice.

The answer is obvious. Pick the path of least resistance. Don't pick this fight.

But at that same time I resolved to submission she spoke again. "Though to be honest I doubt you'll agree to this arrangement. Suddenly being told to drop an issue that directly involves Gunha. It's not very fair to you. So prevent your solo pursuit and having something irreversible occur, I'll answer any questions you may have with a yes, no, or can't say. Sounds like favorable agreement, don't you think?"

I had to hold back the urge to retort. A favorable agreement? Don't play coy with me! You're totally in control of any information I get! You could even be lying about something if I ask!

"Why even offer this arrangement if you don't want me prying?"

"Can't say." was her immediate response.

Tch!

I audibly expressed my irritation. So it's already started. "You can't say because the answer isn't yes or no?"

"Yes."

"Do I have a limit to how many questions I can ask?"

"No."

An unexpected answer. Or maybe this just means this whole exercise is pointless. I'm fishing for answers with no bait. She's completely confident I won't find any substantial answers. Even if I don't have any bait, I still got a hook in the water and that's a lot better than the nothing I had seconds ago.

"Is Gunha's life in danger?"

"No."

"The arcade incident and last night's attack. Are they connected?"

"Yes."

"Did you instigate those attacks?"

"No."

"But you know who did?"

"Yes."

"Do you have anything to gain from those attacks?"

"No."

Are the Kihara family involved?"

"Can't say."

"Will the attacks continue?"

"No."

"Did they yield the desired results?"

"Can't say."

I expected that sort of answer. Eliminating any suspicion on her without revealing who the true culprit is. For now I can only take her answers at face value. If I think too much about deceit I'll go around in circles and make no progress. If she is lying it means I've already lost.

Kihara Ayumi is involved but not an enemy.

The attacks are stopping but most likely didn't fulfill their purpose.

The Kihara Family may or may not be involved.

This is all questionable facts surrounding Gunha.

However, none of this seems reasonable enough for this intervention. Regardless of someone's position, be it the Kihara Family or even the Board of directors, gather enough evidence, present it to Anti-Skill and everything is settled.

"Is someone on the Board involved?"

"Can't say." while it wasn't confirmation it was definitely a step in the right direction. I just need to push a little forward.

"Can I ask hypothetical questions?"

"Yes."

"If the person behind the attacks was someone on the Board and we presented irrefutable evidence against them, would they be incarcerated?"

"No."

Part of me was shocked. How could the system be so twisted? Regardless of whether or not the Board were involved or not it open the possibility that they could be. Even worse if so they couldn't be touched.

And another part of me expected that answer. Academy was practically isolated from the rest of the world. The giant walls surrounding its perimeter only solidified that. With technology so advanced compared to the rest of the world and so few outside with acess it would make some sense for some corrupted people to rise with so much power available to them. In that regard Academy City was no different from the rest of the world. There's always someone in power striving for more and disregards everyone else.

"One more question." With all that being said, I still wanted to know something. "What you said… About me being consumed if I pursue this. You're saying that I'll be killed, right?"

"Yes." she spouted that unbelievable answer without any hesitation.

I'll be killed.

I'll undoubtedly be killed if I continue this path.

That thought lingered in my mind. Despite that, despite the clear warning, my mind wandered.

"I see… I think I understand the situation now."

Realizing I had no more questions for her, Ayumi relaxed her body and lazily sprawled out on the chair and rested her feet at the foot of my bed. Her crossed legs made a dangerous angle for her skirt yet surprisingly nothing was visible. "I'm glad you can be reasonable. It would be a terrible inconvenience for me should you expire."

Barely resisting the urge to steal a glance, I mumbled some troubling words, "Yeah. I would've died if you hadn't warned me. I'll have to tread lightly from now on."

"Huh?" Ayumi's voice raised to a surprisingly high screech. If I didn't know any better, it sounded like Ayumi was scared for a second.

"If I can't pursue them directly, I'll just grab what they're after before they do."

Her feet returned to the ground as I missed my chance. "Oh why am I feeling a Gunha induced headache incoming? I thought you were slightly smarter than that uncontrollable ball of guts."

Ignoring her rude but accurate statement i continued, "As long as I don't obviously interfere, I should be fine. Besides I'm not really interested in who's behind the attacks anymore. I can't do anything about them anyway so I might as well pursue something that's somewhat achievable."

She rubbed her temples in aggravation, "And that would be?"

"Figuring out Gunha's power." Immediately after I regretted saying those words so casually. By then it was too late.

"Oh. So it's that easy huh?" the air around her began to shimmer and unbearable heat radiated from the bespectacled beauty. "It's so simple even an idiot can figure it out huh? Definitely not someone who dedicated 3 years of their life observing and studying all forms of telekinesis and how Personal Realities correlates to ability type. Certainly someone with access to the highest grade analysts equipment can't understand Sogiita Gunha's ability if their intelligence is lower than that of a generic thug. Is that what you're saying, Kazeyare Kouta-kun?"

To no one's surprise, Ayumi reacted with seething anger. Of course she did. Claiming so casually that you can achieve a goal they so adamantly pursued for such a long time might irk most.

"W-wait a second Kihara Ayumi-sama! I'm not trying to do something as outrageous as challenge you! The last thing I want to do is put in my own request to be cremated alive! At least let me clarify before you upgrade your status from Mad Scientist to Pyromaniac Murderer!"

The heat in the room began to dissipate but she still retained her cold glare. "Though I'm not to fond of those titles you gave me I'm listening."

I released a heavy sigh of relief. "You mentioned you have a theory about Gunha's ability and what it could be based on the fact that he's a gemstone. Besides Gunha, are there any other gemstones in Academy City? If so if we can observe and gather data on them you might be closer to understanding and confirming your theory."

"...So that's your plan huh? In the end you're leaving the hard work to me? Not that I care but this is definitely contradictory to the answer you gave me a couple of weeks ago. Why the sudden change of heart?"

What was different from back then? Obviously I'm frustrated about Academy City. I'm upset about Moroi Tataeru kicking my face in and reminding me of my weakness. But none of that is truly driving me now.

If i have to say it…

If i have to put it into words…

"Nothings changed. Other than the fact that I want to change." I still had that selfish dream. For the longest time I was content with what I had. A dream.

"At least I tried' was always my excuse. "I always settled for getting halfway there. I felt if I put any effort in something and failed, it would be a waste so I never tried." Yes I wanted those attacks on Gunha to stop. Yes I did want whoever instigated them to face consequences. But more importantly…

"I want to be more than I am right now." I want to make that dream my ambition.

"And you're willing to risk your life for that?"

For some reason I could only grin at that question. "Gunha's Grandpa said something that relates to this. 'Everyone moves at their own pace. Some walk, some crawl, some run and some even stop. But only the most brave, or the most foolish,'"

"'Take leaps.'"

"'Take leaps.'" Ayumi stated as if she heard the story a thousand times. "You're not the only one who's heard stories of the gutsy Grandpa." She left her seat and began stretching with some newfound vigor. And for a split second, I saw what looked like a childish smile.

Maybe I just imagined that part though...

"As I thought, your only ever so slightly smarter than Gunha. Even if I say no, you'll find some other way to get yourself killed."

"My survival instincts are like that of a migrating lemming." Ayumi rubbed her temples in a casual manner at my response.

"Fine. Just don't come crying to me if things become too much for you."

I nodded my head and sealed our agreement. "Alright! So about my last question."

"I've already thought about that. Even before you showed up I had plans to go see someone with access to that information. Unfortunately due to my connections to the Kihara Family I've been stonewalled at every attempt. Not to mention that person is a real pain in the ass." I could only imagine what kind of person Ayumi considers a pain in the ass. "With you however as my proxy can approach her, request for the Gemstone List. Though she may make you do something ridiculous for it."

"Gemstone List?"

"It's what started all this. The outsider attack on Gunha leading you back to the idiot's side. Not to mention that well coordinated attack to thoroughly end that worldwide mining of them." She mumbled that last part so I didn't catch what she said. Regardless she continued. "Since that incident came to light, the City has done it's best to keep that information out of people's hands though some inside and outside the City gained access to it. I don't know how many of them live in Academy City but that list has all the information we need to jump start my research."

I mentally reverted back to my lackey days in Skill-Out as I only nodded my head in agreement. "Okay! But who am I asking?"

Her sinister wicked smile appeared and dread filled my body. "Hehe. It's someone with an outrageous personality so I think you'll do just fine. After all, Shokuhou Misaki is a Level 5 like your best friend."

We are FINALLY leaving the hospital... Next chapter! I thought about leaving this chapter but then it would have just been two chapters squeezed into one not to mention everything that transpired in the first part would be overshadowed the ongoing events. Again this chapter not a lot of Sogiita Gunha but he is mentioned quite often and is in fact the central part of most of the conflicts. So what do you guys think about this story? Let me know your thoughts in the review option.Or dont'. It's optional for a reason...

Regardless I hope this wasn't a waste of your time and this is Sargent Crash...

Crashing Out!

...Do you think Ayumi wears black or white? Or maybe she's one of those sporty girls who prefer bike shorts?