Disclaimer: I do not own the To Aru or Prototype series. All characters aside from my own original characters belong to their respected owners.

I was sitting in a chair waiting patiently as the nice old doctor was analyzing my DNA, hoping to find out the source of my powers and perhaps find any living relatives. I had told him everything that happened the night before in vivid detail. As much as I wanted to I couldn't forget a nanosecond of it.

I was secretly hoping that he wouldn't find anything too out of the ordinary. I was not so naive to think I was normal, since I clearly wasn't with the events that happened last night, I just wanted to be called human and a person.

I turned as I heard footsteps coming down the hallway to see the doctor again. To be honest, I was still a little scared of him since I didn't know if he was just lying to me or not. Promises could be broken, and I just had a sinking feeling in my chest that his promise to me would.

"Hello again, shounen. Are you well?" he said as he crouched down to eye level. He called me shounen, or young man since I hadn't told him my name.

I nodded without a word. Despite his kindness to me over the last few hours and his nice demeanor I couldn't bring myself to trust him. Some part of me just couldn't trust doctors, but I couldn't figure out why.

"Well, I've finished analyzing your DNA. I'm sorry to say, but according to the data I collected you are technically not human."

I froze, feeling tears well up in my eyes, "So they were right. I'm not human, I'm a monster." My worst fears had come true. I wasn't a human that deserved to be cared about, just a monster that deserved to be put down.

"Now hold on. I never said that. All I said was that you technically aren't human."

"But if I'm not a human, what am I?" I asked while looking up in confusion.

"Oddly enough, your DNA shows a structure akin to that of a virus."

"A virus? I'm a big germ?!" I cried, equal parts perplexed and shocked by the statement.

"That seems to be the case to a certain extent. There many parts of your genetic code that are human-like, but other parts which resemble that of a virus outbreak from six years ago that happened in New York. Unfortunately, information about it is highly classified, and I was only able to find out about the genetic structure of the virus and nothing more."

I managed to calm down enough to stop crying, but I was still feeling down at the thought that I wasn't human and worse some kind of germ.

"However, I was able to find an article about what happened during that outbreak written by an anonymous blogger under the alias Athena."

He handed me a print out of a blog post titled, The Mercer Virus.

I read the article aloud, "The government is keeping this under wraps, but the world needs to know everything that is happening here in New York Zero. The Mercer Virus is a strain of another virus dubbed Blacklight, a biological weapon developed by Gentek for the government. It can be spread through bodily fluids, injections, physical contact, or just being near the damn stuff. It has only been kept in New York because of the fact that it can't cross large bodies of water.

The virus infects and rapidly mutates any human or animal it doesn't kill into a monstrosity, often in the form of what we'd call a zombie, but sometimes into monsters even worse.

It was developed by Alex Mercer himself, back when he was still human. He was later hunted down by the bastards over at Blackwatch, who secretly helped make the shit, and shot to death. The being we now know as Alex Mercer is the virus personified, having taken his form. It grants "Alex" superhuman strength, speed, shapeshifting, and rendering him virtually bulletproof on top of incredible regenerative powers. However, the most devastating set of abilities in his arsenal is the fact that he could turn parts of his body into a weaponry capable of mass destruction, like the ones shown in the images below." I stopped there, as I could only stare at the image of the claws that Alex Mercer used.

They were exactly like the claws I had last night.

"Is something wrong?" the doctor asked worriedly as he noticed my expression.

I was too shocked by the discovery of someone with powers like mine to express myself correctly, so I just turned the print out to him and pointed at the claws.

He paused before responding, "I see, so you're saying that your abilities are rather similar to this man's."

I nodded again silently, still unwilling to speak unless I had to.

"I'm surprised you managed to read that entire article though. You have an incredibly advanced vocabulary for your age, where did you learn to read like this?"

"I don't know." I replied while shrugging my shoulders. It wasn't a lie. I didn't know how I knew all of those words, I just knew them.

"Are you saying that you've never seen these words your entire life, but you somehow knew them anyway?"

I nodded again, hoping that I didn't say anything wrong.

"That is strange... What is your name shounen?"

I hesitated, still unsure about whether or not to trust the frog-faced doctor in front of me. Finally I decided to tell him, hoping he could give me answers. "It's Sieg... I think my last name is Mercer." I didn't know why I added the Mercer part. The name felt incredibly familiar though, as if it always had been my own.

He raised an eyebrow at my name, "Sieg... an unusual name for someone in Japan. Are you from abroad perhaps?"

"I was found and raised at an orphanage." I answered truthfully, "A Catholic missionary who visited on Sundays named me. It's the word for victory in German."

"Hmmm, and your last name. How did you know learn it if you were raised since you were an infant at an orphanage?"

I shrugged again, "I don't know. It just sounds familiar."

"Similar to how you could read the article perhaps?" His gaze looked full of distrust and unease at first, but softened again as he realized that I wasn't lying.

"You do realize that you just said that your last name is the same as the terrorist in the article right?"

I nodded once more, fully aware of the implications and the possible conclusions that could be drawn from my statement.

"I apologize for my skepticism, it's just that your case is so peculiar. I've never had a patient who healed completely after filled with bullets in a single night, much less being up and out of bed the next day. Not to mention the fact that your vocabulary is that of someone at least twice your age."

"It's okay. I get that a lot."

"Do you want to go back to the orphanage?"

"No I don't. Anything but that!" I exclaimed while shaking my head vigorously.

"Did they mistreat you?"

"No. It's just that... I never liked it there. People would just ignore me aside from giving me things like food and water. I never made any friends either. My abilities didn't help much with that. When those people who chased me last night came the director just pointed at me and told them to do what they want."

"I understand." He then paused in thought for a moment. "Do you like it here?"

"I guess... everyone has been nice to me so far, and I don't think I've been sold out yet. So I suppose my answer is yes."

"If that's the case, would you like me to adopt you for the time being?"

"Eh?" This was not something I expected.

"Even though your DNA is peculiar, I should still be able to extract enough of the human-like genome to see if you have any relatives in Academy City's database. Until then you could stay here, especially due to your... special needs." He knows about my need for living matter too?

"How do you know about that?" I asked, my gaze having gone from confused to angered in a heartbeat.

"When I was removing the bullets from your body, the blood that was supposed to be used towards replenishing any you might have lost drained abnormally quickly. Your breathing and complexion improved as the packet was emptied, not to mention the fact that your wounds closed with incredible speed. This lead me to the conclusion that your body requires living matter to maintain normal functions."

I suddenly felt embarrassed for snapping like that, "Oh. Um, I apologize for my outburst. I just thought you were one of those scientists who wanted to experiment on me since I never told anyone."

"That's alright, if what you said happened last night is to be believed then it was a perfectly logical conclusion. I'm going to reiterate again, would you like me to adopt you? I can't promise you a completely normal life, but I'll do my best to help you live as a person and not an experiment."

So my choices were:

A) Be adopted by the first honest and kind adult I've ever met who also happens to have the provisions I need for my survival.

B) Scrape out a life on the streets of Academy City.

C) Risk going into foster case and potentially be taken in by an abusive guardian.

Yeah, I think my answer was pretty obvious.

"Yes, please." I said politely, hoping to seize the best chance I had at living a relatively normal life.

He smiled and ruffled my hair, "Alright then, I'll fill out the paperwork tomorrow." he said before turning around and beginning to leave.

"Wait!" I called out, causing him to turn back to face me.

"What is it?"

"Can I... call you my Jii-chan?" I asked nervously. It was a random thought, I know. But if you were going to be adopted by someone you might as well treat them as you would a blood relative right?

He gave me another warm smile, "Yes, of course you can."

My Room – Heaven Canceller's Hospital

"Another one of those dreams..." I muttered as I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock like every other weekday. It was Monday, the most dreadful of days for a student like me, simply because you have to go back to school after forty-eight hours of not worrying about it.

Regardless, I went through my routine as usual, washing up, packing my things, getting into uniform e.t.c. before going downstairs. But I hit a speed bump as a bunch of people in business suits holding clipboards and various forms of pathogen and toxin detecting equipment walked in through the front door. In other words they were the health inspectors.

Shit.

If they happened to wave their viral detectors at me I'd show up on their sensors as a freaking beacon for the Blacklight virus. On top of that if they see me drinking blood they'd get suspicious and put Jii-chan on the spot!

I quietly walked back up the stairs and around the stairwell out of sight. I slipped on the Booster again before teleporting to the fridge where Jii-chan kept the blood packets. I managed to grab two and teleport out just before the inspectors walked around the corner. I would've gone back for more but if I did I'd be late for school, an equally terrible scenario. I quickly drained the two as fast as I could before taking off for the train station.

Class 7-A Sakugawa Middle School

The day progressed pretty smoothly until after lunch. I was feeling incredibly exhausted and hungry without the blood smoothie I usually drank to keep my strength up. I've never been without nourishment for this long. Even when I lived at the orphanage I usually just snuck out into the fish market and consumed a few fish to make sure I didn't get too hungry. I was really beginning to regret the fact that I didn't manage to get more than the two blood packets I drank for breakfast.

"Sieg-san, would you please answer the problem and explain your method?" said Daigo-sensei, snapping me out of my thoughts as I looked up at the board. The problem asked, "If two forces act on an object with 200 Newtons of force and 120 Newtons of force at 60 degree and 45 degree angles respectively, what is the total amount of force being acted on the object."

"Eh? Oh. First you would have to find the Cartesian coordinates of the two forces. The first force has coordinates of (100, 173.21) and the second (84.85, -84.85). When combined the resulting Cartesian coordinates are (184.65, 88.36). You would then use Pythagoras's formula to covert it back to polar coordinates, resulting in a final answer of approximately 250 Newtons." I said as clearly as I could despite my lack of energy.

It was a vector question, an unintentional but unwelcome reminder of my fight with Accelerator not too long ago.

"A perfect answer, thank you for that textbook-perfect response." I bowed politely before sitting back down.

"Teacher's pet..."

"Nerd..."

I sighed at the whispers of my classmates. They didn't know that I have pretty good hearing, so I could hear every insult they slung at me. It's their fault for not studying isn't it?

"Then why don't you shut them up?" said an echoing voice eerily similar to mine.

I felt my eyes widen as I glanced around the room trying to discern the origin of the voice. Was someone trying to creep me out by imitating me?

"No you idiot, I'm in your head." So I'm suddenly schizophrenic solely because of the fact that I didn't eat lunch. Who and what is this thing in my head?

"Hell if I know. All I do know is that I'm stuck with you, so you better get used to it." Note to self, never skip lunch again.

"Alright then, where did you come from and why?" I whispered to the mysterious voice.

"I haven't a clue where the fuck I came from, I just woke up and found myself listening to those annoying, lazy ass humans you call classmates." It may be coarse, but I agree with it this time.

"Damn straight. Why do you even bother pretending to be human anyway? It's a hell of a lot more fun to just go out and destroy what gets in your way!"

"Because I'd like to not be vaporized by the most powerful denizens of this city and live a relatively normal life thank you very much."

"You're annoyingly quiet, overly polite, and incredibly boring you know that?"

You're irritatingly talkative, unbelievably rude, and an obnoxious potty-mouth. What's your point?

"Heh, touche."

"Anyhow, could you quiet down at least until after school? I have algebra and trigonometry to work through."

"Fine..." The voice then went quiet. Thank goodness.

"I can still read your thoughts you know." I rubbed my temples as the voice came back. This was going to be a long day.

After school ended I began heading straight home to hopefully sate my hunger and get some answers about the mysterious voice and why the hell it manifested in the first place. Unfortunately for me when I asked it to be quiet until school was over, it apparently interpreted it as "be quiet until school was over then talk without end for the next few hours".

For example, on the train we had this delightful conversation:

"So, where are we going?"

"Home. Hopefully there I can ask Jii-chan about why you're here and possibly how I can get rid of you."

"Your old man's a doctor? You live in a hospital don't you?"

"And?"

"Goes to show where you get your boring behavior from."

"Well it's better than being as obnoxious as you are."

"You mean as fun and awesome as I am."

"What are you, eight? I always thought schizophrenic voices would taunt you or something, not act boastful and childish!"

"To the best of my knowledge I'm only a couple of hours old. But hey, if you want me to make fun of you..."

"Never mind I asked. Can't you act mature for more than a split second?"

"If mature means boring then no."

"Of course you don't. Anyway we're almost there. Just behave until we get there. God I feel like I'm talking to a kid."

"Well you technically are if you consider how long I've been around. Besides, you're technically a kid too, so don't act so condescending! By the way, I have the urge to go out and break something. Don't you?"

"No, I don't. You're getting on my nerves."

"Too bad. This city is full of things that'd be good to break. The best part is that this city is like New York. It looks like paradise but it's a shithole of a place for a lot of people."

"Believe me, I already met a lot of people who've made that statement."

"Really? I'd like to meet them then. We could get together, break a ton of shit, and have so much fun doing it!"

"No, thank you. I'd like to avoid becoming a criminal."

"Again, borrring! Don't you do anything fun?"

"If you mean beating the snot out of any crook that happens to cross my path, then yes."

"Cool! I guess you're not as boring as I thought. Can we go do it now? Please?"

"When I get to work, sure. But until then stay quiet!"

"Alright, I guess it's tough being one of those stuck-up officers on an empty stomach."

"I'm not that stuck up... maybe Kuroko is but I usually just prefer beat the crap out of them."

"Who's Kuroko? Your girlfriend?"

"Just a friend, a pretty snobby one but she can back it up in combat. Besides she's too interested in Misaka to have feelings for me."

"So you do like her."

"Like I said, just as a friend. You're prone to blowing things out of proportion aren't you?"

"Just me being me."

"Whatever, this is ou- my stop."

"Oh look, you're already treating me as a person. You do care about me!"

"For the love of God, shut up!" I growled audibly, much to the confusion of the people around me. They turned around with raised eyebrows as I facepalmed at my outburst in embarrassment.

"I can't believe I'm losing it before I even reach sixteen. I hate you stupid voice, you know that?"

"Geez, look who's being the grumpy one now."

I sighed once again in frustration as I walked off the train.

Heaven Canceller's Hospital

"I'm home..." I said exasperated by the voice's blabbering and my own exhaustion. Leaving my backpack in the corner, I walked over to my grandfather.

"You look tired Sieg. Is something wrong?" asked Jii-chan as he looked up from his papers.

"Well two things actually. The first is the fact that because of the surprise health inspection I was unable to get the blood packets I needed for lunch."

"I see, and the other issue?"

"That's the real kicker. You see Jii-chan, I just found out in class today that I'm schizophrenic."

He raised an eyebrow, "You're telling me that you suddenly started hearing voices in your head?"

"Yes, but only one voice. It's rude, impatient, childish, and won't stop telling me to go on some sort of destructive rampage. The worse part is that it seems to be sentient!"

"That's supposed to be a bad thing?" the voice said rather smugly.

"Yes, it is a bad thing!" I barked back at seemingly empty air.

"Well, it certainly seems like you have your hands full. I can try to recommend you to a psychologist, but I've never heard of someone suddenly becoming schizophrenic for no apparent reason."

"It started today after lunch, so I was thinking that I'd have to drink some blood packets to get it to be quiet."

"That sounds reasonable. Unfortunately the inspectors took all of the packets for analysis on their way out. They won't be back until tomorrow."

"All of them?" I asked dumbstruck. Please say it isn't so.

"I'm sorry, but they didn't leave a single one."

My face fell as I heard those words. I clenched my head, ready to tear my hair out. "You've got to be kidding me!"

I could hear the voice cackling at my despair, "You've got to be kidding me!" it said mocking imitation of my earlier fit.

"Just because you sound just like me doesn't mean you're allowed to imitate me!"

"This is comedy gold! You get into shit like this often don't you? " it continued while ignoring me.

"Why you..."

"Wait a moment, you said that it sounds like you?" asked Jii-chan at my comment.

I stopped as I heard this, "Uh, yeah. The voice sounds just like mine."

"Hmmm, may I propose an alternate theory to your predicament then?"

"Anything if it helps me get rid of it!"

"And here I thought we were bonding..." it snarked at my pleas to rid myself of it.

"Well, based on your previous statement, I think that the voice you're hearing is not simple schizophrenia. It may be a split personality given consciousness by your predicament this morning."

"So you're saying that it's a part of my mind, and because of my lack of nourishment today it managed to gain self-awareness?"

"Precisely. It's only a theory, but it would make sense considering that you have the combined consciousness of hundreds if not thousands of people in your mind. In addition, you said it was rude and impatient with a destructive streak, not unlike you when you're in a fight. It may have manifested as an entirely different personality due to your body's natural desire to feed."

"That makes sense, but how can I get rid of it?"

"The human psyche is not my field of expertise, but I'd say if you come to terms with it your consciousnesses may merge back into one. Until then you may have to live with it for a while."

"Told you."

"Oh, shut it!" Realizing what I said I quickly turned back to my adoptive grandfather, "Sorry, I wasn't directing that at you!"

"That's alright, but this brings up another issue. You're going to have to be careful in your interactions with others from now on to keep your friends from getting the wrong idea."

"As if my social life wasn't miserable enough already..." I still had Uiharu, Saten, and the dynamic duo from Tokiwadai as friends, but otherwise I've been completely unable to do anything but attract the ire of everyone else either through my diligent habits.

"Who needs friends anyway? If you just take apart everything that stands in your way then you'll be fine!"

"Does everything you do have to involve violence?" I asked the voice while feeling a migraine coming on.

"It doesn't have to but it's a hell of a lot more fun that way!"

"Of course it is to you." I muttered at the voice as it continued to laugh.

I started heading for the door, "I need to go out. Maybe it'll help me clear my head."

"Just try not to get in trouble!" called Jii-chan as I began walking out through the double doors.

"I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee anything with this thing in my head."

"I won't get you in that much trouble."

"You better not..." I muttered back.

Streets of Academy City

Much to my surprise and relief, the damned voice quieted down quite a bit once I got out onto the streets once more. The sky was nice and clear and the ever prominent cool breeze was blowing through, saving many people from sun strokes and unconsciousness as the sun beat down on us city goers.

It was nice to be able to think clearly without having a voice annoyingly similar to mine blabber at me about breaking stuff all the time. I was even able to take a peaceful stroll though the city for an entire hour without the voice pestering me about my daily activities. The only thing kept me from fully enjoying the day was the fact that I was so damn hungry that it was taking a lot of willpower to not attempt to eat someone. Being concerned with the fact that you have to eat a still-living being like a human as well as being surrounding by your prey is not a fun prospect.

Still I wonder why it suddenly decided to quiet down. Did it run out of things to talk about?

"What, you're missing me already?" Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"To be honest I didn't miss you much at all, but since you're here I was simply wondering why you got all quiet all of a sudden." I quietly muttered to the voice. The clamor of the city hid my voice, but I still didn't want anyone walking past me to think I'm insane (though I'm starting to think that I'm heading in that direction).

"You're still not answering my question."

"I just decided to leave you on your own for a while so that you'd stop telling me to shut up long enough for me to say something meaningful. Besides, it gave me time to take a nap. Your old man is doing it too."

"Thank you for giving a straight response. Wait, you two can take naps in my mind?"

"Well you can daydream, so why not?"

"Not a great explanation but fine. What do you want to comment on this time?"

"Nothing, I just heard that you were wondering where I was and decided to come out and talk."

"Is that so... well I guess you're more considerate than I thought you were."

"If you like me that much I'll come back all the time!" it said teasingly.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Though if you are stuck with me I hope we can get along."

"The feeling's mutual. Though I wish you'd get out more and show off more often. It's boring and weird just watching act like a normal person!"

"I see where you're coming from but it wouldn't be a good idea in a city full of people with superpowers. I admit it's a bit boring acting like something I'm not but it's either that or being hunted, the latter of which I would really like to avoid."

"Whatever. Hey, there's a girl running up to you at six o'clock. Is she an enemy?"

"A girl?" I turned around to see Saten sliding through the crowd while waving her hand at me.

"She isn't an enemy, just another one of the few people I call my friends."

"Aw, I was hoping for a fight." it whined.

"By the way, how did you know she was there?" I asked ignoring its previous comment.

"I'm in your head idiot. I see, hear, and feel everything you do. It's just that I have nothing to do in here so I pay better attention to our surroundings than you." it said rather smugly.

"Hey Sieg! What's up?" said Saten as she approached, still carrying the bag she uses for school.

"Nothing much. I'm probably going to head to the Judgment office soon. What do you plan on doing Saten-san?"

"I told you, don't be so formal with me! You're making me sound old!"

"Right, right sorry Saten."

"Anyway, I'm heading there to see Uiharu, do you mind if I walk with you?"

"No, not at all."

"Great!" She then looked at me with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright Sieg? You look kind of pale." What am I supposed to tell her? That I'm lacking my daily meal of blood and that I now have a voice commenting on my every action 24/7?

"No, I'm fine. I didn't eat enough for lunch I think, so I'm not feeling very energetic at the moment is all. Thanks for your concern though." I politely and quickly made up as an excuse for my condition.

"Hey, that's what friends are for right? Alright, onward to the Judgment office!" she declared as she began dragging me around as she usually does. The girl doesn't look like it but she has killer arm strength.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"N-No she isn't!" I mouthed, my voice sounding much less convinced than last time. "We're just friends I'm telling you!"

"Oh really? Doesn't seem that way to me..." it insinuated in the most irritating way possible.

"Just pipe down and behave!" I growled back.

"Did you say something Sieg?" Saten asked, having heard my retort.

"No, nothing at all! Ha, ha." I said while laughing nervously.

"You have a crush on her, don't you?" I felt my face begin to flush at that, stupid mind reader!

"I knew it! I can't wait to tell this to your dad! It'll be so much fun to see what kind of shit happens!"

It then yawned, "Well I'm taking a nap for now. Good night!" it replied before going quiet once more and before I could come up with a response.

I swear, I'm going to murder this voice if it has a physical form when I go to sleep tonight.

Judgment 177th Branch Office

We climbed up the two flights of stairs to the office in a surprisingly short amount of time. When we arrived Saten poked her head in first.

"Hello! Is Uiharu in?" she asked with her usual energy and spunk.

Konori-senpai looked somewhat peeved by Saten's sudden entry, "You again? For Pete's sake this isn't your hangout."

"Yeah, yeah I know. But I have a legitimate excuse this time." my classmate replied before reaching into her bag. "Ta-da! My remedial worksheet! I was going to have Uiharu help me out with it."

Senpai's reaction to Saten's excuse all but said that she really didn't know how to respond to my long-haired friend. "Geez, Uiharu-san is over there." Saten ran over to our flowering wearing friend as I entered the office as well..

"I'm here too." I chimed soon after.

"A little late aren't you?" my superior gently scolded.

"Sorry Chief, I was feeling a bit under the weather today so I decided to go home, but my Jii-chan insisted I come to work today." This one had barely any truth in it, but it sounded perfectly plausible at least.

"Well, at least you came. The higher-ups sent even more paperwork today, so I'll need a lot of help finishing it."

"Point me to it and I'll begin!" I said as exuberantly as I could. She gestured at a desk piled with papers that were stacked almost as high as the cubicle wall.

"Well, there's no time like the present..." I got down to it and started going through and filling out every possibly report and form imaginable at a police station like this one. Crime reports, unexplained damages, forms for pictures of Misaka... I'm not going to ask about this one.

Konori-senpai then turned to Saten as the latter approached Uiharu, "Now may not be the best time to talk to Uiharu-san though. She's in a bit of a foul mood-"

"U-i-ha-ru!" said Saten as she flipped Uiharu's skirt in her usual routine. Konori-senpai could only look on shocked at Saten's shameful behavior. I for one was used to it at this point.

"Oh, clovers today? Alright, where's the lucky four-leafed clover today?"

Oddly enough, there was no reaction from the recipient side of the perverted action. In fact, she acted as if nothing happened at all, continuing to speed read through a myriad of magazines with a stoic expression in contrast with her usual emotional one.

Saten tried harder to get a response, "Hey hey, I'm pulling up your skirt here! What a view!" Despite this Uiharu continued to ignore our friend.

Tears formed in Saten's eyes at the lack of a reaction, "What happened to Uiharu?" she said unnerved.

"She got into an argument with Shirai-san, so she's a bit, you know..." answered Konori-senpai, looking more unnerved by Saten than Uiharu.

The Chief began explaining to us what happened between the two of them. Apparently the pair came across a group of car burglars in the middle of another one of their heists. Kuroko refused to wait for backup and walked in on the scene the way she usually did. Unfortunately, there was a robber in the car already as she walked near the door. She was knocked out by the blunt force of the door slamming into her as the bandits fled. Uiharu tried to stall them but was injured by a stun gun for her trouble. When they came to an argument began between them over how they handled the situation.

"So that's what happened." said Saten as Konori-senpai's summary finished.

"Yep. So let's leave her alone for a bit."

"If that's the case, why doesn't she just quit Judgment?" muttered Saten at the cause of her friend's behavior.

Konori-senpai almost did a spit take, "Wait a second, don't say such irresponsible things. Judgment, along with Anti-Skill, is the organization responsible for keeping peace in Academy City. It's not a job you can just throw away casually."

"So... all we can do is leave them be?" I was wondering that myself.

"We can't say that either, but I think everything will be fine in the end."

"Eh, is there something between the two of them?" There is? I thought they met at the Judgment office.

Konori-senpai smiled, "Would you like to hear about it?" she said as Uiharu continued to tap away at her keyboard. Saten nodded and I ended up listening in too.

It was rather long, so I'll give you the skinny of it. When Kuroko was in fifth grade she had been a Judgment member for a year. She met Uiharu at training camp (which I had skipped) where they had become friends. While on patrol with Konori-senpai (who wasn't the chief yet) they stopped by the bank to pick up some money to go buy sweets. However, a man attempted to holdup the bank, only to be quickly incapacitated by the young Kuroko.

Unfortunately, Uiharu also happened be at the bank at the same time and was taken hostage by yet another robber (why are there so many bandits in this city). Konori-senpai was injured when she shielded Kuroko from an explosion caused by the robber's destruction of a security robot. Kuroko was then brutally beat down by the burglar.

Regardless, she adamantly stood up against him, almost getting killed as a result by the burglar's ability, Equal Speed, which allowed the objects he threw to keep moving in a certain direction no matter what, breaking the laws of motion. She however, was saved by a sudden lightning bolt out of nowhere (I have a feeling lead to Kuroko's obsession with Misaka, despite her earlier apparent bad-mouthing of her) which vaporized the projectiles, allowing Kuroko to subdue the crook. Uiharu and Kuroko then made a promise that day to stick to and uphold the ideals of justice they believed in.

After Konori-senpai finished her story Uiharu got up from her seat and began heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked. If I remember correctly, Uiharu was officially mission control, not a field agent.

"I've located the car burglars, I'm going to go after them now." she replied with the most serious voice I've ever heard from her.

"By yourself? They used a stun gun on you last time, plus they have a numerical advantage. Wait for Kuroko at least!"

"No, I'll handle this as an officer of Judgment."

"Wait-" she then left the office, ignoring my warnings. I was about to get up and stop her when Konori-senpai put her hand on my shoulder.

"Don't," she said firmly, "this is something she needs to handle on her own. It's also probably the best chance she has to make up with Kuroko."

"It is?" So they're going to make up by stopping another car robbery?

"Yes." she then picked up the phone and began to dial before she began to speak again.

"Is this Shirai-san?" I decided to patch in again with a discreet electric spark I emitted from my gloved hand.

"Y-yes, this is Shirai."'

"Shirai-san, Uiharu just left to go after the car burglars."

"She did?"

"Yes. As soon she located the car burglars she took off in search of them. So Shirai-san, what are you going to do about it?" I see, giving her a dilemma to force her to intervene, pretty crafty Senpai.

"I'm going to..." Kuroko paused, which is very unusual for her.

"Follow your convictions and act in the way you feel is right, was it?" interjected the sound of Misaka's voice.

"Sounds good," she continued, "as long as you keep moving forward it doesn't matter if you sometimes butt heads."

There was another pause before I heard the once again resolute Kuroko, "I'll be right there! Someone has to keep that klutz out of trouble!" the phone then hung up.

"Another issue settled." concluded the Chief. By now I had finally finished the formerly towering stack of papers after nearly two hours of work.

I then heard someone yawning, despite the fact that every person in the room aside from me was full of energy. That could only mean one thing, I really needed an excuse to leave the office.

"Do you mind going around for a quick patrol Sieg-san?" That's certainly convenient.

"No, of course not. I'll head out right away." I got up and made my way to the door.

"Thanks, you're pretty reliable you know."

"Not at all, just doing my job." I said to gently brushed off the compliment as I rushed out of the office.

Streets of Academy City

I was lucky enough to be out on the streets where the din of the crowd hid my muttering as the voice came back.

"Are you there?" I asked it to double check.

It yawned again, "That was a nice nap. So, did anything happen?"

"Nothing much. Just had a talk with my boss and dragged myself through a sea of paperwork."

"So what are we doing now?"

"I'm officially on patrol, which gave me a convenient excuse to leave before you came back to drive me nuts again."

"So you're going to go kick some ass? Finally, I've been waiting all day to see some action. Maybe I should get in on it too."

That last statement confused me, "Wait, what do you mean by getting in on it?" It was a disembodied voice in my head, how exactly would it "get in" on anything?

"You'll see. It won't be a surprise if I tell you now!"

"Great... you're giving me the feeling that I'm going to hate whatever you have in store."

"Yup, that's the fun part!"

I sighed, why can't anyone give me a straight answer about these things?

"Because then life would be fucking boring! Like you, but even more so!"

"Well I can sort of agree with the first part of that statement, but the second was not needed!"

"That was just to bother you. Your dad's boring too, sleeping all day, but at least he acts like what he is rather live a life like yours."

"You mean a mass murderer and near sociopath of a father who can just barely show affection for me?"

"Exactly!"

I sighed again, "I can't tell if you're a sadist or just plain morbid."

"I dunno, probably both!" it shouted cheerfully.

"I should have expected a response like that from you. You're not the intellectual type are you?"

"Are you calling me a retard?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Grrr..."

"Relax, I was only teasing. You really do have a kid's temper."

"Like you're one to talk."

"At least I abstain from excessive violence and can control my urges. I don't think you can."

"Why would I If it's a natural part of me?"

I hate nature versus nurture arguments, "Because it's bound to get you, and probably me, captured, killed, or worse."

"We're supposed to live fast and die young right? Better to live a few, short fun years than a lot of boring years right?"

"I can't follow people with a train of thought like yours."

It started laughing again as I made a turn down an alleyway to check for gang activity. Sure enough, I bumped into a rather tall person in an alleyway as I passed through an intersection. I looked up to see the face of a teenager who looks around sixteen or seventeen years old, his face covered in piercings.

"Watch it, gaki! This isn't a place for kids!" So he thinks I'm just a kid, let's play the part.

"You're going to act all innocent to spy on them, you might actually kind of fun to be stuck with!"

Yeah, yeah, just shut it and watch.

"Sorry mister!" I said in a high-pitched and perky voice to make myself seem younger than I actually was, "I was just passing through on the way to the comic store. Say, whatcha doing there?"

"None of your business, get lost gaki!"

"But I really want to know!" I whined.

"Let him in, he's just a kid. Besides, we can do some business with him can't we?" said another delinquent. He had straight brown hair and eyes that left the white sclera below the iris visible.

They led me to an abandoned and decrepit looking warehouse complex before opening the door and letting me inside. The foyer was surprisingly large, and housed a ton of male and female delinquents all wearing clothes typical of yankees along with a transfixed scowl on their faces.

"Who's the brat?" asked one woman wearing an odd mix of 80s and 90s American clothing.

The guy with sanpaku eyes smirked as he withdrew a knife from his pocket, "Just someone we'll be doing business with. Now kid, give me your wallet and phone as part of the game."

"But they're mine, not yours!" I cried, continuing my facade as a naive kid.

"Just give us your money or you're not leaving here!"

"Get this over with already! I want to get to the fighting!"

"Alright, fine..." I swiftly threw a back kick at the guy with the knife pointed at my back. His eyes widened as my foot made contact with his groin and he was knocked back slightly before falling on the floor in pain. I thought I kicked him harder though. I guess my strength is reduced to that of an adult human when I'm hungry.

The rest looked shocked by the display before I revealed my Judgment band. "I'm from Judgment, you're under arrest for attempted robbery."

"Tamezou you idiot! You brought someone from Judgment in here!"

"It doesn't matter, he can't take all of us!"

"This looks like it's going to get ugly." I muttered to the voice, "Any bright ideas?"

"Yeah, let me take control!"

"What are you-" I began, but I felt the words go dead in my throat as my limbs went numb.

I felt the corners of my lips turn up in a smirk, though not of my own volition.

"I've been waiting all day for a fight! Come on, shitheads! Let's see what you've got!" I heard my voice say, but it was once again not my choice.

"What the heck is going on!" I tried to say, but I found my voice echoing with no one to hear it.

"This is what I was talking about earlier! I can use your body to get in on the action! Consider it payment for all of the boring stuff you put me through today!"

I then felt my legs push off the ground as I was flung towards the closest delinquent, who was given a powerful right cross followed a left jab in a one-two combo. After he hit the wall behind with surprising force, two more came at me wielding pipes.

"Really, for me?" said the voice as it grasped the pair by their throats, lifting them into the air. He then dropped the two of them, leaving them gasping for oxygen. It then picked up the pipes and began holding them like swords, "You shouldn't have!"

I then heard the familiar click of a magazine being locked into a rifle. "They've got live ammo!" I yelled to try and get its attention.

"I can hear you, geez!" it replied as it turned around towards the sound of the noise, taking off in a sprint straight towards the would-be gunmen. The two were surprised by its (technically my) speed and could only gape as they were quickly knocked out by a blow to the head from the pipes.

"Eat lead you fucking brat!" yelled the girl from earlier as she drew a rifle not unlike the one Ina was holding when I found her.

"Now would be a good time to dodge!"

"Why are you so worried? It's only standard caliber. We can take it!" We ran straight through the gunfire, taking bullets to the arms, legs, and chest but without slowing down.

We eventually reached the girl and slammed a pipe into her side, stunning her before a follow up kick sent her to the floor as I heard ribs break.

The voice clicked the roof of my mouth with my tongue, "Language!"

"You're the last one to say something like that. More importantly, take it easy! If you get too enthusiastic you'll kill them!"

"And? Survival of the fittest, if they get in our way we take them down!" it said as it quickly pummeled another bloke into submission. We then rushed an entire group of them and bowled into them linebacker style. A kick to the groin each kept them quiet. We heard muttering from above afterward.

"What the hell is this kid!" yelled one of them as he loaded a bullpup rifle from the rafters above.

"Wait, this kid's uniform, it's Sakugawa's!" said another.

"What's so great about that?"

"Don't you remember? A Judgment member from Sakugawa who looks like a kid managed to take down the ranked first Level 5 in a fight!"

"You're saying that's him?"

"What the fuck are they talking about?" asked the voice in confusion.

"It's as they said. I took down the ranked first Level 5 esper when he pissed me off by almost killing a friend of mine." I replied. "I didn't know that beating Accelerator in the middle of the night would make me famous enough to scare an entire gang like this one. Well, works for me."

"He must have been weak to be taken down by you."

"Actually he was. Once I figured out how his ability worked he went down in one punch after I got past the pointy rocks, plasma beams, and his invincible barrier."

"I'm impressed, I didn't think a pansy like you could inspire fear." it said with a degree of awe.

"I have my moments."

"Whatever, I'm just about to clean up anyway." We jumped onto the nearby boxes to get close to the rafters. Seeings as though they were too far away to reasonably close the distance and hit them it threw the now dented and beaten pipes at the armed pair, sending them off their perches onto the cold, hard floor."

"My arm!" one screamed, having bent his arm at an unnatural angle upon landing. The other clutched his leg in pain, probably having broken it.

"That strength can't be human, it must be his esper power! Use that machine that glasses bitch gave us to short him out! Hurry!" A bunch of them rushed off before wheeling what looked like a huge speaker set.

Suddenly a sharp pain arced and reverberated through my head. "What the fuck is that?" the voice asked.

"I'm wondering the same thing. Whatever it is it's probably coming from that speaker set, so smash it!"

"Way ahead of you!" Despite the pain we managed to run over to the space and make our way to the machine. The punks guarding the machine weren't much of a challenge, and were practically swatted aside with a flurry of elbow strikes, knee attacks, and bitch slaps in spite of their best efforts. I almost felt bad for them. Almost.

Moving on, the closer we got to the machine the louder and more painful the sound got. It sounded louder than a jet turbine and as pleasant as nails on a chalkboard by the time we got in front of it. Thankfully, the noise quickly stopped when we grabbed a nearby metal rod and stabbed it through the machine.

We surveyed our surroundings afterward. The every gang member who wasn't lying on the floor unconscious or in pain had fled in terror.

"Now, what should I do with you..." said the voice as we walked over to the delinquent with the knife.

"What do you want? You beat us all already!" the man pitifully cried.

"I dunno, a snack."

"You're not actually going to consume him, are you?"

"Why not?" it said, turning my arm into a claw, albeit significantly smaller due to a lack of biomass.

"Because It'll get us hounded to the ends of the earth! I already made a deal with Blackwatch not to eat anyone!"

"Who cares? As long as we survive it doesn't matter right?" My arm was raised.

"Hey, listen to me! You better not do it!"

"Bottoms up!" The claw shot forward.

"STOP IT!"

To my relief, the claw stopped centimeters from the sap's chest, who was staring in shock and frozen in fear. Even better, I regained control of my body.

"Sorry, I got carried away there." I apologized while turning my arm back to normal. You don't realize how nice it is to be able to vocalize your thoughts to others until you lose that ability.

The man's response was to simply to faint on the floor from fright.

"I can't believe you almost made me consume someone." I told the voice.

"We're hungry, I can't believe you refused to over something stupid like morals."

"I'll get the blood we need tomorrow, just hold on until then."

"You're too nice for your own good."

"Maybe I am, it's just how I do things. Speaking of how we do things, aside from the excessive collateral and bodily harm you did a pretty good job of subduing them."

"Wow, the first words of praise I got out of you."

"Yeah, don't count on getting much more unless you fix your act."

"What act? I'm not pretending to be anything."

"Not that. We're going to have to set some rules alright?"

"Oh god, a lecture!" it whined.

"Yes, a lecture." I said the way a teacher would. "First, no killing or consuming. The last thing we need to do is have both the American and Japanese governments on our tails. Second, keep damage to a minimum. I enjoy beating the crap out of a punk as much as the next guy, but overdoing it will get us in trouble. Third, no taking my body without permission. It could set up all sorts of embarrassing situations."

"I can't agree to any of that!"

"Sorry friend. My body, my rules."

"I'm going to do what I want with it. You can't stop me!" it then made a sound akin to the one you'd make when you stick your tongue out at someone.

"It's not happening again. Go ahead, try it."

It did, making heavily audible sounds of effort. "What gives, I did it so easily before!" it said while panting.

"The only reason that worked is because you caught me off guard. I've had plenty of practice with my dad, mind control of that level doesn't work on me."

"I'll get you back for this!" it growled.

"You can spar with me tonight if you live where I think you do. I won't lose. Honestly, I'd prefer it if we could work together rather than fight each other."

I then proceeded to pluck a few bullets out of my arm and chest. I guess the voice was right, the caliber of the bullets wasn't strong enough to go all the way through and cause serious damage.

"What should I call you anyway? I'd hate to call you "the voice" every time I want to talk to you."

"How the hell should I know, think of something!"

"A name for you..." I thought about it carefully. As irritating as he (since it's annoying to say to call the thing it all the time) is, he's still a part of me in a way, so I didn't want to name him something stupid.

"How about Kraft?"

"Kraft? Like the food company?" he asked questioningly.

"I meant it as the German word for force or power, since that seems to be your M.O. for pretty much everything. Plus, it nicely fits with the theme of my own German-based name. Bonus points if you know that it's the name of a really tough boss from an old handheld game."

"When you put it that way it's actually kind of cool sounding... Still you really suck at coming up with names don't you?"

"I'm not that bad... I'm just creative is all."

"That's a given. Fine, Kraft it is."

Well at least that went right today. "Since we got off on the wrong foot this morning I suppose we should reintroduce ourselves. My name is Sieg Mercer, your host body and original personality, nice to meet you."

"I guess that makes me Kraft Mercer, your new split personality. My hobbies are kicking ass and chewing bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum."

I chuckled at that one, "Did you really make that movie reference as an introduction?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Not at all, just making a note of it."

"Good. Say, don't you have something you're supposed to do right now?"

It then dawned on me that we left a small platoon's worth of gang members incapacitated with painful wounds. "Yikes! I completely forgot to call an ambulance and Anti-Skill to pick these guys up!

I pulled out the com link I got on my first day at work and dialed for home.

"See, I'm not only about violence."

"Yeah, I would've gotten in trouble. Thanks Kraft!"

I then heard the phone get picked up, "This is Heaven Canceller speaking."

"Uh, hi Jii-chan."

"Sieg? Why are you calling?"

"Kraft and I got carried away here at a gang hideout. We're going to need to call a couple of ambulances."

"Kraft?"

"That's what I named the voice in my head after he took my body for a joyride."

"It was a pretty fun joyride until you started being a killjoy." commented my more aggressive personality at the thought.

I could hear Jii-chan pause, "How many injured people are there?"

"One, two, five, twelve... I'm pretty sure there's twenty or so people in need of medical attention."

He sighed, "Give me an address."

I walked outside to look for any street signs in the area, "Um, 42-07 42nd Avenue, 35th street in School District 10 I think."

"Very well, I'll notify the other hospitals as well. See you later."

"See you later Jii-chan." The phone then hung up.

"Now for Anti-Skill." I began dialing immediately.

"U-um, this is Anti-Skill. W-what is your emergency?" stuttered the lady over at the other end.

"This is Judgment member Sieg Mercer, I've subdued a group of twenty or so gang members from..." I nudged one of them on the ground with my foot.

"What's the name of your gang again?"

"Why should I-" I shot him a glare that basically said, "Talk or die."

"Big Spider! Our gang's name is Big Spider!"

"Thank you. I subdued a sect of a gang called Big Spider after they attempted robbery on my person. I injured them so I alerted the local hospitals, but I'd like to request an investigation of the premises since they used firearms with live ammo in an attempt to silence me."

"O-Okay. I'll send in a report. P-Please stay there until we arrive to confirm your claim."

"Understood ma'am, signing off." As I did I collapsed on the floor from exhaustion, ignoring the moans of pain in the background.

"I'm beat! You really worked my body here Kraft!"

"What, was I supposed to do things halfway?"

"Maybe not. Still, going an entire day like this without eating is killing me here! Probably literally."

"That's why I tried to consume one of them, we're starving!"

I sat up cross legged, "Sorry Kraft, not going to happen. Unless they really piss me off I'm not eating anyone."

"But why? You would put the lives of these nobodies no one cares about over ours?"

I burst out in laughter at the sudden reversal of roles, "Now you're the one lecturing me!"

Once I regained my composure I continued, "I guess you're right though. It its kind of stupid for me to put these morals of mine over my, well our life now."

"Then why not eat a few of these bastards and be done with it?"

"I know it's really dumb of me to do this, but I can't bear to bring myself to it. You see, Jii-chan saved me from the brink of death and continued to help me despite knowing about what I was. He's the person I admire most, and to just eat people like a monster would just betray the ideals he instilled in me. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Meh, not really."

I could have sworn I pulled off an anime style sweat drop at the blunt response.

"But you're the boss. What you say is the law and I have no choice but to follow it."

That was a pleasant surprise, "If that's your version of being understanding, thanks."

"Let me remind you though. If we're about to die I'll force feed you if I have to in order to keep us alive. I'm not putting the lives of our enemies over us, got it?"

"Loud and clear. I guess we do care about each other after all."

"I guess we do, so don't make me drag my ass out there to save you!"

"Point taken. Though given how much trouble I get into you might have to somewhere along the way."

"As long as I get to have fun kicking ass, I don't care."

"Well, at least I'll never be out of things to do with you around."

"Don't worry, I'll die of boredom first should that ever come to pass."

"Your vocabulary suddenly got bigger! That was the most eloquent sentence I ever heard from you!" I teased.

"You're calling me stupid aren't you?! Don't make me use your own arm to punch you in the face!"

We both started laughing just as the paramedics and Anti-Skill burst in, to which I abruptly stopped and put on a straight face.

A tall, attractive woman wearing an Anti-Skill uniform whose black hair was styled in a ponytail walked up to me. "So you're the one who took out all of these delinquents. It seems you did a number on them too."

"Yes ma'am. To be fair, they attempted to use lethal weaponry against me first."

"Did you say lethal weaponry?"

"Uh, yeah. They used rifles, knives, and some kind of machine that causes espers to receive headaches and shorts out their powers." I pointed at the strange contraption. "I broke it though." I quickly added.

"Yet you managed to defeat all of them by yourself while remaining unharmed."

"Yup." I didn't mention Kraft's part in the one sided slaughter of a fight to keep her from questioning my sanity.

"You sound more like a one man army than a police officer." She has no idea how true that is.

"Well... it was do or die right?"

"That seems to be the case-jan." That's a new verbal tic.

"Anyhow, we'll take care of things here. Report back to your Judgment office, it's late-jan." I gave her a somewhat downtrodden look. I fight a ton of gangsters on an empty stomach and you're still making me walk back?

"Don't give me that look, the extra mile or two of walking will do you good-jan."

"Yes ma'am... Thank you for taking over though." I reluctantly replied, still out of breath from the ordeal.

I then began the tedious walk back to the office.

Judgment 177th Branch Office

I tried my best to walk into the office, but I ended up just slumping against the door frame. I've never felt this worn out before, and it's not something I'd like to revisit any time soon.

"I'm back... Konori-senpai..." I managed between gasps for air.

"Sieg-san, you look terrible! What happened!"

"Nothing I couldn't handle... just a gang called Big Spider... Don't worry about me... I'm just tired..."

She froze in shock. "Did you say Big Spider?"

"Yes... does it matter?"

She then shook her head, as if to reassure herself, "No, your condition is more important. I'm calling your guardian."

"Don't... he already knows... Could you... call me a taxi... to take me home instead... please..."

"I just got my learner's permit, I'll drive you to the hospital myself."

"That's... funny actually... I live at the hospital... my Jii-chan's the head surgeon..."

"Save your breath." she instructed as she picked me up the way you'd hold a small child. "You're heavier than you look."

"Family trait..." I mumbled in response. After that, things were pretty much a daze for a while. I remember being gently laid on the passenger side of a car. Everything else afterward was just a blur.

Heaven's Canceller's Hospital

The next thing I remember I'm lying on the same bench in the lobby I waited at years ago. Konori-senpai had left, and Jii-chan was on my right.

"Hi... Jii-chan..." I was barely able to say while trying to sit up straight.

"You overexerted yourself despite the fact that you were without nourishment and getting used to another personality in your psyche. That's pretty dangerous my reckless little grandson."

"I'm... here aren't I..." I coughed out as a joke.

"That's all I expect. I have a present for you." I felt my eyes light up as he revealed a blood packet from his jacket.

I immediately snatched and sunk my teeth into it, letting the thick red liquid flow down my throat. It tasted as metallic as a bunch of quarters. The unpleasant taste was easily ignored because I instantly felt better as the last drops left the package. Any dull aches and pains I had vanished while my weariness ebbed away.

"Thank you so much! I was starving! Where did you get it though? I thought the inspectors took them all."

"One of the paramedics had an extra, so I asked for it since it wasn't necessary for the operation."

"It was a life saver. I'd tell you to give the paramedic my thanks, but then he'd wonder what you used the pack for."

"That's true. So about this other personality of yours, have you come to terms with it?"

"The geezer still doesn't trust me! Ungrateful bast-"

"Hold on Kraft, he doesn't know that we've had our bonding time. Want to talk to him to prove that you turned over a leaf?"

"No!"

"He's feeling bashful right now."

"Am not!"

"You are. Anyway, I know I can say that there won't be too many problems between us from now on. With any luck it'll be beneficial, he's probably a better fighter than me."

"Damn straight."

"Now you're sounding like Dad. You still need some help with controlling your impulses."

"Hey!"

"You do though. We're getting along pretty well now, so you don't have to worry anymore."

"That's certainly good news, but I'll to bring some bad news as well."

"What is it?" I asked, my eyes widening. Don't tell the blood packets aren't coming tomorrow morning!

"You haven't finished your homework, and it's 11:30."

"Oh, right." With everything that happened today I completely forgot about something as normal and mundane as homework.

"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" cried Kraft at the thought of mind-numbing homework.

"I'll get it done." I said, ignoring my other personality's screaming. "Good night, Jii-chan."

"Good night, Sieg."

I took my backpack from the corner where I left it I headed upstairs to my room. Once I was there I pulled out my books and began to work. After a half hour of it Kraft broke the silence.

"Do you have to do this? It's just school!" my other personality cried.

"Sorry Kraft, but Jii-chan will kill me if I fall behind in any way."

He sighed, "Fine, do what you want. I'm going to sleep."

"Good night, little brother."

"Wait, little brother?"

"Well, you're a fragment of my personality, so you're related to me. You said earlier that you're a kid and younger than me. Put them together and you're my little brother in a sense."

He paused as if to think about it, "Call me whatever you want, just don't expect me to call you onii-san."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He then went quiet again.

I finished around one o' clock in the morning. Despite being a normal middle school Sakugawa sure gives a lot of work. There wasn't much point in visiting Ina at this hour, so I just went to the bathroom to clean up. Afterward there was nothing left to do but lie on my bed and wait for sleep. The stars weren't shining too brightly tonight since they were hiding amongst a sea of clouds. The night sky was visible through little holes in the clouds, and it was a deep navy blue.

In spite of the tranquil quiet of the night, I couldn't help but feel unnerved by... something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had a feeling that something big was about to happen, and it wasn't going to be a cakewalk to deal with like the minor robberies over the past few days. Dismissing my musings as paranoia I let my eyes close as I let oblivion sweep over me.

I would later find out that it wasn't just a feeling.

I'm back guys from what turned into a four-day vacation in upstate New York. To be honest, I didn't know the hotels my parents arranged for us (my brothers and I) had free wi-fi, so I ended being away from writing for no apparent reason. A funny thing that happened was the fact that I ate a burger at Fort Ticonderoga called "The Blackwatch" get it? Still, it was plenty of fun, though I really missed the keyboard and thus I rushed this chapter ASAP.

How did you like Kraft? To be honest, I planned his introduction from the start, I just wasn't sure how to do it. I initially started writing this chapter to show Sieg fighting his natural urges, though it sort of took a personality of its own as I found the perfect opportunity to introduce Kraft.

The action will start to pick up again in the upcoming chapters as we enter the rising action for the Level Upper arc. Keep in mind that Sieg (and Kraft) won't be there to help with every major event, so it's likely that I'll be branching off into a lot of original material.

Thanks for reading guys. I'll once again ask you to favorite it if you enjoyed this story, and post a review whether you liked it or not. They're what help my story improve and I really hope to see more of them. Please stay tuned for more.