Merry Christmas everyone!
So yeah, with this we've reached the climax of the Index Arc. Needless to say, the fallout is not going to be what you expect.
Will Touma survive with his memories intact?
Will Itsuki be able to sue the Church for damages?
You'll just need to find out below so with that said, please enjoy!
Chapter 11 – July 22nd.
A Certain Pyrrhic Victory.
To say that Kamijou Touma was a regular patient at A Certain Hospital in Academy City would be as redundant as saying [the sky is blue] or that [the sun rises in the east]. Indeed, it would be easier to count the weeks that didn't end with him visiting the building for some reason or other.
So frequent were his visits, in fact, that were it not for the fact that Academy City covered all Students' medical expenses regardless of their level, the poor bastard would've been so deep in debt the act of bailing him out would've driven most insurance companies to bankruptcy, a fact that several residents of his hometown could testify.
All Joking aside, the boy was such a regular by this point that he knew most if not all of the staff, Day, Night and Emergency Shifts, by name. To date the only person whose name eluded him was the Janitor, though to be fair there were long-time members of staff who honestly couldn't remember the man's name, as if he somehow predated all of them.
Seemingly Omnipresent Custodians aside, it went without saying that by now the staff had become desensitized to the Unfortunate Kamijou showing up at all hours seeking medical aid, the poor bastard having run the gamut of pretty much every affliction known to modern medical science.
Which given this was Academy City, where new treatments were being developed every hour, should say something. Whether it be broken bones, torn muscles or even an exotic virus or three, the poor boy would bravely smile through it all as his exasperated caretakers scrambled to patch him up.
Needless to say, it was general consensus among those who knew the boy that the most pressing cause of the boy's injuries was not, in fact, his abnormal luck, but rather his inability to turn a blind eye to someone in trouble, regardless of whether or not they appreciated or even asked for his help to begin with.
A result the long-suffering staff had simply learned to wave him on through, trusting him to remember the way to his designated hospital room while they addressed their other patients' more immediate concerns, like why the hell some random kid was allowed to cut in line.
The only times they would ever show an iota of concern was if the boy wasn't able to walk through the front doors on his own two feet, the general consensus being if he was fit enough to get here under his own power, it couldn't have been that serious.
As such, you can probably imagine their reactions when what they had initially assumed would be a quiet evening was interrupted by a beam of light firing into the sky, followed by a sudden lack of communication with the Tree Diagram, the super-computer that essentially ran Academy City.
Before they could devolve into a panic, however, a gag order was slapped down, seemingly from the Chairman himself, assuring them that the situation was under control and that they were to carry on as normal as the situation would be rectified in short order.
Knowing better than to question an order from the top, especially when it was relayed through the Hospital Director himself, they set about seeing to the usual rounds of medication and making sure the 'feistier' patients stayed in the damn beds if they knew what was good for them.
Of course, nothing could really prepare them for one of Kamijou's classmates, who up until now had presented himself as a polite, if sarcastic young man with a wit as sharp as his golden eyes, Teleporting to the front of the cue, his usual feigned patience replaced with manic desperation as he all but threatened the Nurse on call to call the Director to tend to the singed, bloody form in his arms.
And yes, it could only have been Teleportation, for there was certainly no record of him passing through the Hospital Doors when they checked the security Footage. One moment the Nurse had been patiently listening to one of their more unpleasant regulars, whom we shall simply refer to as [Karen-san] for now, the next said regular had been shoved aside, replaced with a wide-eyed blonde demanding to see the Director NOW.
Now it should go without saying that, as residents of Academy City, the staff were well versed in handling the outbursts of emotional teenagers with powers beyond the ken of mere mortals, so it took barely a second for the Nurse to process the situation before complying, calmly reaching for the phone to summon the Director whilst assuring the clearly highly-strung blonde that he was on the way.
Unfortunately, (for her) despite her inflated sense of self-importance, Karen-san was decidedly not a member of staff, and thus was not experienced in how to handle Highly-Strung Espers, though that certainly didn't stop her from trying to assert her authority, reaching out to grab the boy by the shoulder, demanding that he get back in line, only to be cut-off before she could build up momentum, courtesy of her skull being introduced to the reception ceiling.
Fortunately, it didn't take very long after that for the Director to appear, the Frog-Faced Doctor calmly directing the desperate blonde to carry the Unconscious Kamijou to the usual operating theatre, allowing the Hospital staff to get back to work, the nurse on reception calmly calling the next patient in line forward while the orderlies set about removing their newly acquired piñata from the ceiling.
Just another evening at A Certain Hospital in Academy City.
A Certain Hospital Director's Office...
"And you're absolutely certain you know nothing about what transpired last night?" Heaven Canceller pressed, glancing over the top of his clipboard at the solemn form of Itsuki as the blonde leant against the opposite wall like he was the only thing holding it up "Forgive me for saying this, but it all seems highly unlikely considering the state of your apartment."
"Your guess is as good as mine doc." Itsuki countered with a shrug, his expression unreadable save for a wan smile that didn't even attempt to match the haunted look in his eyes "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the same assholes that tried to burn down the dorms came back to finish the job."
"Ah yes, there was a mention of a prior arson incident in the report." Heaven Canceller recalled, idly flipping through his paperwork to verify the information, whistling softly as he did so "My word, you poor boys certainly have had a rough week of it haven't you?"
"Nah, pretty much business as usual for Touma." Itsuki scoffed, his smile shifting, becoming more honest, if somewhat strained, at the mention of the urchin-headed teen "Unfortunately, it looks like I got caught in the splash zone this time…heck I wasn't even in the building when whatever the hell went down."
"Yes we've confirmed with the Dorm Manager that you were out stocking up on groceries at the time." Heaven Canceller conceded, sighing in defeat as it was clear he wasn't likely to get anything out of the cagey blonde "Still, I can't help but pity your friend, he really does have the worst luck."
"Preaching to the choir, Doc." Itsuki scoffed, though his amusement quickly gave way to concern as he glanced at the various x-rays and scans the Director was placing on the opposite wall for further examination "So how is he?"
He, of course, referring to Heaven Canceller's most recurring patient to date, Kamijou Touma, an honestly pleasant young man who just so happened to be so synonymous with Bad Luck there were several members of his own staff who refused to be on the same floor if they could avoid it.
Though strangely enough, most of the staff who did opt to interact with the boy tended to be either young and single or mature with children of their own. Needless to say, regardless of gender or age, they were certain to give the boy hell for his reckless behaviour in the form of a lecture.
'At least they can't pin the blame entirely on him this time.' he mused, shaking his head with a sigh as he turned to address Itsuki, who visibly tensed at his exhalation "Oh do calm down." He chided, sinking back into his chair "I know you're anxious given the situation but I haven't even said anything yet."
"Just give it to me straight doc." Itsuki demanded, stepping away from the wall to stand over the man, hands in his pockets, more than likely to keep them from lashing out at the world as he glanced at the test results on the wall "How bad is it?"
"Nothing a little bedrest can't fix." Heaven Canceller assured the teen, smiling as he watched some of the tension eased out of his shoulders "Indeed, aside from a few minor burns and sub-dermal bruising to his back, he's already awake and reacting perfectly normally to outside stimuli."
"He always was a durable son of a bitch." Itsuki scoffed, shaking his head in amusement as more of the tension in his shoulders eased up, only to frown at the X-Ray depicting his friend's right hand "Looks like he really messed up his hand there."
"Indeed." Heaven Canceller concurred, his tone solemn as he glanced at the X-ray in question, honestly surprised to see it in such condition, considering what he knew of its capabilities "Between the broken bones, torn ligaments and burns to the palm, it's likely he won't be using that hand for a while."
"I suppose it's a good thing he's picked himself up a girlfriend then…" Itsuki snorted, waving off the doctor's look of confusion, knowing the hell that would ensue if rumours spread about Touma spending any amount of time with a middle-school girl, Level-5 be damned "Maybe he'll cool his jets for a bit."
"Indeed, as his doctor, I can only pray he takes the time to reflect on his actions." Heaven Canceller concurred, nodding his head sagely even as he brought up another file and flipped through it "Still, I can't help but wonder if that boy truly is truly cursed with bad luck or not?"
"What do you mean?" Itsuki wondered, his eyes sharpening slightly as he watched the Director glance over a sheet of paper "I'd say getting caught in an arson attack twice in the span of a week would be pretty damn unlucky."
"Which is precisely why I just can't chalk this up as another one of his accidents." Heaven Canceller confessed, levelling a stern glare at the blonde, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say "Don't forget, I've known Kamijou-kun a lot longer than you have, so I've gotten rather good at noticing patterns in his injuries."
To elaborate, he pulled out two reports, one clearly back-dated to the night Stiyl almost burned down the apartment building, the other with ink still wet, indicating it was about tonight's attack.
"For example, as I'm sure you're aware, this isn't the first time he's been caught in an explosion." He noted, glancing at Itsuki over the rim of the file "It is, however, the first time he was present for an event that has drawn the attention of the Board of Directors."
Now it should be noted that Heaven Canceller was no stranger to threats to his life. Indeed, you could say he'd experienced every possible threat known to man, due in no small part to his status as the close friend, confidant and personal physician of Academy City's elusive, enigmatic Director.
While it was true he hadn't been exposed to as many threats since they founded Academy City, there still remained the odd time where someone felt the need to bare their fangs at the Doctor, either in an attempt to ascertain Aleister's location or simply because they didn't like the prognosis he'd given them.
Regardless of the situation, whether it be a Xenophobic Cultist or a Level-5 suffering from Caffeine withdrawals, the Frog Faced Doctor's past experiences, combined with his Saint-like patience, allowed him to retain his mask of professional calm regardless of whatever life threw at him.
Even if Aleister's numerous plans required the Magician to commit several atrocities that would negatively affect the lives of Academy City's residents, the most Heaven Canceller would ever feel is disappointment towards his oldest friend, provided, of course, he provided a valid reason for said actions.
Indeed, to date the only people who could coax a truly negative reaction from the Doctor were the members of the infamous Kihara clan. So great was his dislike for those immoral monsters, in particular Kihara Gensei, that he had effectively banned them from coming near his hospital, even as corpses.
However, as infuriating as Aleister and Gensei could be, at no point in time had Heaven Canceller given them the satisfaction of losing his cool, outwardly at least, mostly because half the time that's exactly what Aleister wanted but also because punching Gensei was so much easier if he couldn't see it coming.
With all this in mind, it should be clear that the Doctor wasn't easily intimidated. Whether it be an armed Level-0 looking for Drugs or a Level-5 who disagreed with his prognosis, he'd face them all with his usual mask of professional calm, jimmies entirely unruffled.
It was no different now, as he sat back in his chair, letting the waves of chilling menace wash over him like so much rainwater, his calm eyes never leaving the golden pair that were glaring at him from a face that was strangely obscured in shadow, like something out of a horror manga.
"My apologies." He offered, his eyes never leaving Itsuki's as he raised a hand to calm the teen "Perhaps I was a little too blunt. But I believe it's better to rip the bandage off quickly when it comes to matters like these, especially when it comes to my patients' safety."
They continued to stare in silence for a moment, but as usual the Director's patience bore fruit as the blonde sighed, the tenseness in the air fading, though not vanishing altogether, as the teen glared at him sullenly "So what, you think he might be in trouble?"
"Oh I highly doubt that." He assured the blonde "After all, while his penchant for getting into trouble is well documented, the fact remains that Kamijou Touma is Officially a Level-0. Regardless of his presence, they wouldn't believe a Level-0 could have been responsible for what transpired last night."
"However, the fact remains he was present at ground zero, so it's likely they will at least attempt an interrogation." He continued solemnly "Naturally, I will not permit such actions while he is under my care, but I'd have better luck convincing them to back down if you could provide me with some details."
"There's not really much to tell." Itsuki countered, leaning back against the wall with a stubborn glare "I went out to buy groceries, bumped into an acquaintance, shot the shit for a bit then came home only to find some asshole had blown my apartment sky high with Touma still inside."
"And can you think of any reason why they would want to do such a thing?" the Director pressed, allowing his eyes to roam over the blonde's features, honestly impressed with his poker face "For that matter, could it be possible they weren't targeting Kamijou-kun at all?"
He watched as the blonde frowned, hoping the boy would take the hint, only to smile internally as he spied the tell-tale spark of inspiration deep within those golden eyes "Well…I wasn't supposed to say anything, but we kinda got roped into helping Judgement with a case…"
"It wouldn't happen to involve [Level Upper], would it?" Heavens Canceller enquired, releasing a mock sigh of exasperation at the blonde's nod "Honestly, just what on earth is going through that boy's head? What could have possibly convinced him to get involved in that mess?"
"What can I say, love makes us do stupid shit doc." The blonde cracked, clearly making a joke at his friend's expense "And even if it didn't, there's really not a lot a Level-0 can do to refuse when their Tsundere, Level-5 Electromancer Stalker calls them up to ask for a favour."
'Ah yes, I'd forgotten about that…' the director sighed, face palming as Itsuki made his way out of the office, already imagining the potential headaches this was likely to cause 'Good grief, just how on earth did that boy manage to bump into Tabigake-kun's little girl? Does he just love to live dangerously?'
While he wasn't as familiar with either of Tokiwadai's Level-5s as he was the luckless Kamijou, both he and Aleister had the pleasure of befriending Mikoto's father, Misaka Tabigake, a man possessed of both boundless charisma and a philanthropic heart in stark contrast to his image as an old-school Yakuza.
Indeed, given how Tabigake's 'profession' often led him to stick his nose into other people's business, he wouldn't be surprised if the man and Kamijou Touma got along like two peas in a pod…right up until he learned the boy was apparently getting into fights with his fourteen-year-old daughter.
Very few people had the testicular fortitude to threaten Aleister Crowley to his face, and even fewer possessed the ability to follow up on said threats. Tabigake was one such individual, having warned the Magician to never involve his family in his schemes, lest he tear Academy City down around him.
'God help us if he finds out about the Level-6 Shift…' Heaven Canceller sighed, once again offering a silent prayer for those poor girls even as he cursed the bastards responsible, knowing all-too-well at least one Kihara was involved 'At the very least Aleister's hands were clean in this case-!'
A sudden jolt shook the office, Heaven Canceller's eyes widening as a huge dent in the shape of a fist appeared in his wall, rattling the shelves and causing dust to fall from the ceiling.
'And now I need to call a plasterer…perfect."
Outside the office...
'Damn it Touma-!' I seethed, glaring at the dent I'd punched in the wall, [The World]'s ethereal fist enveloping my own, enhancing my feeble noodle arms to keep me from damaging myself whilst allowing me to vent my frustration at the latest pile of bullshit this messed up reality decided to drop in my lap.
If it hasn't been made clear to you by now, I was no stranger to helping Touma pick himself up after he'd gotten in-too-deep. Hell, despite all my bitching, it was actually refreshing to know that, unlike a certain wannabe [Hero of Justice], the Self-Sacrificing Kamijou wasn't afraid to ask for help.
Of course, there were times when I wasn't around for the fight, usually due to Touma stumbling across a perceived injustice while doing his own thing, but all it generally took was a quick text or call to have me hopping over the frozen rooftops like DIO himself was out to drain my blood.
However, one of the reasons I didn't really raise a fuss every time Touma got his ass handed to him was because more often than not all it would take is a week or so to patch him up due to the absolute bullshit levels Medical Science had climbed to here in Academy city.
No Joke, I've seen them plug electrodes into a guy's brain and spine in order to help him walk again after he literally fried his nerves in a Testament. True the guy was still a drooling vegetable with no bowel control but hey, at least he could walk again, right?
Getting back on track, it was this absolute faith in Academy City's medical technology to get the accident-prone Kamijou back on his feet that had led me to bring Touma here after a certain [Judas Priest] apparently figured that casting [Fireball] near a lit gas main was a good idea.
I could still remember the sound of the gas igniting even as I called upon [The World] to freeze time around us, leaving only Touma and I free to move within the silence, and while I still hadn't fully recovered from my earlier defenestration, I was at least steady enough to get to my feet.
I'll admit I probably enjoyed having [The World] hurl Stiyl and Kanzaki over the railing a little too much, honestly not too concerned with their safety considering all the shit they and their ward had dragged Touma and I into, though I did ensure they would survive the fall when Time Resumed.
With that settled, I turned my attention back to Touma, yelling at the Urchin Head to get his ass in gear as he weaved his way past the now frozen glowing feathers, the explosion having caused them to scatter around the apartment like airborne mines that Touma managed to avoid with some skill.
Sadly, it seemed that Luck was one of the few things that weren't affected by Time, for even as the desperate Kamijou moved to exit the blast zone, he somehow managed to trip over, of all things, his own shoelace, sending him stumbling forwards with Index in his arms.
I remember swearing then, sending a mental command to [The World] to return even as I stepped into the doorway, intent on dragging my friend to safety, only to suddenly find my arms filled with an unconscious Loli-Nun, Touma having used his momentum to hurl index at me as he fell.
Even then, I could have done something. Even without [The World], it wouldn't have taken a second for me to drop the little menace like a bad habit and drag the idiot to safety. That is what I should have done, what I wanted to do, but instead I found myself frozen at the look on my friend's face.
It wasn't a look of desperation or fear, begging me without words to either save him or my unwanted passenger. Nor was he glaring at me, as if anticipating my desire to dump the girl to save him. Nor was it the look of smug resignation that some self-sacrificing martyr would wear in their final moments.
No, as the seconds slowly counted down in the frozen world before Time Resumed and the fire consumed all, Kamijou Touma merely offered me his trademark sheepish grin, the same grin he used whenever I helped him out of a jam every time he stuck his nose in where it didn't belong.
'Sorry, Itsuki.'
By the time I'd come to my senses, [The World] was already dragging my ass out of the doorway and over the railing, ignoring my commands to go back and save my friend in favour of ensuring I wasn't caught in the ensuing explosion as Time Resumed.
I couldn't even fault the Stand for it, as aside from a few notable exceptions, it was simply in the very nature of Stands to ensure their User's well-being, such as when Star Platinum caught the bullet Jotaro fired at his own head, or how DIO learned to Stop Time by playing chicken with a Double Barrel Shotgun.
That, and I honestly didn't have time to start pinning the blame before a cry from above drew my attention to an unconscious Kamijou falling from the sky, Touma having apparently managed to regain his footing prior to the blast, resulting in him being hurled out of the doorway in the explosion.
Of course, in doing so his back had taken the brunt of the explosion, resulting in a plethora of injuries, not the least of which being his new status as Extra Crispy. Initially I'd turned to Kanzaki for help, only for the swordswoman to shoot me down with the revelation that she couldn't use her healing magic on Touma.
Put simply, the ritual Kanzaki used to heal Index borrowed the power of an Honest-To-God Angel to make up for the deficiencies in the nun's underdeveloped body. The problem there, however, was that in order for the ritual to work, she had required that Touma leave the room.
See, as with any ritual that calls upon a higher power, a constant flow of energy was required. Energy that would literally vanish into the ether the moment it came into contact with Touma's right hand.
To make matters worse, even if Kanzaki just brute-forced the healing by tapping Mana directly from Stiyl or Index (lord knows the little brat had enough of it), the moment Touma touched himself (not now you bastards) with [Imagine Breaker], it would negate the Healing instantly.
'What's the point in saving the girl if you die, idiot?' I swore as I strode towards [Touma's Lovely Suite]. I don't know what kind of expression I was wearing, but judging by how both staff and patients were scrambling to avoid me, there were probably rabid Rottweilers more approachable at that moment.
That said, you can probably imagine my surprise when someone had the cojones to call out to me, snapping me out of my increasingly morbid thoughts long enough to spy the Father, the Nun and the Holey Jeans standing awkwardly in the lobby.
"Yo." Stiyl greeted, the Redhead waving a hand in greeting, a wistful smile adorning his face as I sauntered up to them, "Was beginning to think we got the wrong hospital again, but then you did kinda run off on us."
"Didn't have time to give you the guided tour." I quipped, not willing to put up with any of the priest's sass, a fact Kanzaki must have realized given the warning look she sent his way "What're you doing here anyway? After what happened last night I figured you guys would be laying low for a while."
"Believe me, that was the plan." Stiyl confessed irritably, scratching the back of his head, clearly suffering from nicotine withdrawal yet unwilling to face a lecture from the hawk-eyed Matron standing nearby "If it were up to me we'd be holed up in a safehouse till our contact arranged an extraction but-"
"Where's Touma?" Index cut in, the chibi-nun glaring defiantly up at me from behind Kanzaki's admittedly shapely rear, only to quickly duck behind the swordswoman as I turned the full force of my sleep-deprived glare on her "I want to see Touma!"
"And there's the issue." Stiyl sighed, the priest shaking his head in exasperation while Kanzaki tried, and failed, to reminded the little brat that they were in a hospital and that children should be seen and not heard "It's been like this from the moment she woke up. We spent all morning going from hospital to hospital trying to find him."
"So what, you brought her to say goodbye before you go into hiding?" I guessed, only to frown as Stiyl grimaced, a pit forming in my stomach as the redhead gestured for me to follow him away from the counter towards a far window in a corner where nobody would be able to hear us "What is it? Did those Nescafe-guys send someone after you already?"
"[Necessarius]." Stiyl corrected with a sigh, running a hand through his hair "And no, they won't be sending anyone after us. The only reason they'd do something like that is if we were to take Index and run, but neither of us are planning to do that anytime soon."
"You sure you wanna take that risk?" I probed, quirking a brow at the priest even as I glanced over at the pouting form of Index, "I mean, I'm no expert when it comes to magic, but if I was the kind of guy who would put a seal like that on the kid, I'd make sure there was a way to tell if someone removed it."
"That's one of the reasons we're not deserting." Stiyl confessed with a shrug "Don't get me wrong, between the two of us I'm not doubting our ability to keep her safe. And even if something happened to us, Kanzaki knows people willing to take her in." his eyes softened as he glanced at the pair "I just don't want Index to have to live her life constantly looking over her shoulder."
"I'd make a crack about her being the wrong gender to have to worry about that, but I'm not sure if that'd be in poor taste." I quipped, earning a begrudging scoff from Stiyl even as he pulled, of all things, a bright pink envelope out of his Cossack "No offense Padre, but unless that's from Kanzaki you'd better be prepared to eat it."
"You wish." Stiyl scoffed, the letter going up in a flame of smoke that earned a sharp glare from the Matron "I was hoping to just let the letter explain everything, but since you're here I guess you'll do as a messenger." he confessed, his expression turning grim "See, not long after you ran off with your friend, the Church contacted us."
"Lemme guess, they shit themselves because their walking tactical nuke slipped her leash and wanted you to drag her back home so they could whip up something a little stronger?" I deduced, glancing over at Index and Kanzaki "Maybe they'll cut out the need for guardians altogether by amputating her limbs so she can't 'wander off' again?"
"Over my dead body." Stiyl growled, glaring at me with actual flames flickering in his eyes, only to back down in the face of my quirked brow "In any case, the caller was Archbishop Laura. She wants us to return to headquarters to help her round up those responsible and promised to ensure Index's safety personally."
"Huh, looks like someone's read the Evil Overlord List." I mused, smirking at the redhead's look of confusion "Seriously? Throwing her expendable subordinates under the bus in order to keep her 'loyal retainers' just that? That's such a classic villain manoeuvre I wouldn't be surprised if she grew a moustache just so she could twirl it."
"You'd be right about that." Stiyl concurred with a wan smile "I've known the Archbishop a long time, long enough to know that she's not as 'innocent' as she portrays herself, but that's a given considering her position." He looked me in the eyes "After all, she's the woman who clawed her way to the top of the cut-throat world of English Magicians. Given what you've seen, I'm sure I don't need to explain how much that must have cost."
Shit be serious...
I said nothing. What the hell could possibly be said to THAT?
While my experience with Magic was doubtless better than most Academy city residents by this point, I'd like to think I'd gotten something of an idea of the power creep between practitioners given what little I'd seen of Stiyl's talents & the nightmare fuel inducing bullshit that Index was apparently capable of, even if she wasn't consciously aware of it.
And that wasn't even taking Kanzaki's abilities into account, the supposed Saint having restrained herself for the most part out of a desire to not harm her friend, but considering Index's Dragon's Breath had apparently been based on the Dragon slain by St. George, it was clear to me she could've ended that fight in a second if it weren't for the fact doing so would've killed the nun.
With that all that said and done, putting aside Stiyl, whose trump-card relied on prep work & was bound to a specific location, making it hardly feasible during a one-on-one fight, just how terrifying was this Archbishop Laura supposed to be, if she could bring a Saint to heel with a single phone call?
"I won't lie to your face and say she's a 'good woman'," Stiyl continued with a grimace "But at the same time I can't disparage her as a villain either. At the end of the day, it's impossible to truly judge her since her actions, for good or ill, are so calculated that it balances out the scales. What I can say, is that, when it comes to manipulating people, there's no one who can compete."
"You're burning daylight Preacher Man," I cut in, my irritation fuelled partially by my ever growing paranoia, as the last thing I needed was his scary boss lady sending the Protestant version of Alexander Anderson to [Deus Vult] my heathen ass for daring to defy her "Just what does this have to do with us?"
"Until we can verify Index's safety, only Kanzaki and I will be returning to Necessarius." Stiyl explained with surprising patience "I considered leaving Index with Kanzaki's people, but depending on how far up the chain this goes, they could wind up being excommunicated, or worse, before we resolve things."
"And I'm guessing you don't have many friends outside Necessarius willing to take in the walking bottomless pit." I quipped, glancing pointedly at the loli-nun as she glared at me from behind Kanzaki's (EXTRA THICC) thighs, the Sword-Saint having brought her over "Still not seeing how we fit into all this."
"What Stiyl is trying to say…" Kanzaki interposed, raising a hand to silence the redhead before turning to regard me solemnly "Is that until we can ensure it's safe for Index to return, we'd like to impose on your friend Touma's kindness to care for her in our stead."
"Don't misunderstand," Stiyl cut in before I could respond "This doesn't mean we're entrusting her to him indefinitely. Once we've gathered all the information we need to put those responsible away, we'll come reclaim her." He chuckled "Don't worry, he won't have to worry about being attacked next time."
"Well you're right about that I guess, since there'll be no reason for you to come back." I quipped, smirking coldly as the trio blinked in confusion "What, you didn't seriously think I'd just bend over backwards and take the brat in just because you said please?
"I don't want to stay with you!" Index countered, glaring up at me defiantly from her spot just behind Kanzaki, secure in the delusion that I needed to go through her guardians in order to reach her "Where's Touma? I want to see Touma-!"
"He's dead." I cut in, glaring coldly down at the little nun, a sick sense of satisfaction washing over me as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks "That last spell of yours? It nicked the gas main in my apartment, an apartment which Father Dresden here apparently decided would be better off 'Extra Crispy'."
"You're lying…" Index stammered, tears forming in her eyes as she shook her head, glancing up at Stiyl, as if hoping he would refute my words, only to gasp as he averted his gaze with an awkward grimace "No...You're lying!" she insisted, lurching forwards to pound me with her tiny fists "Touma isn't dead! He can't be dead! You're just lying because you don't like me-!"
"Index…" Kanzaki called out, the sword saint reaching out to try and placate her friend, only for her eyes to widen as the little nun began to choke, looking on in horror along with Stiyl as Index slowly rose off the ground as if something invisible was holding her by the throat "Itsuki-san! Let her go-!"
"Quiet." I snapped, freezing the pair in place with a glare, though I didn't miss the fact that Stiyl had one of his cards at the ready, nor how Kanzaki was reaching for a sword which wasn't there "We tried doing things your way. This is the result." I reminded them, referring to both the situation at hand & everything that led up to it "Now we do things MY way. No more spoiling the Child, it's time to dust off the Rod."
For a moment, Stiyl and I just stood there, glaring into each-others' eyes. In the end, however, the Priest must have realized I had no real intention to harm Index, physically anyway, and lowered his hand, allowing me to turn my attention back to the loli-nun, who was looking absolutely terrified.
GOOD.
"I've met plenty of brats like you." I began "Spoiled little princesses that throw tantrums to get what they want. And people just let them get away with it because of their age or because they want something..." I glanced at Stiyl & Kanzaki "Or because they actually love you." I begrudgingly conceded.
"But you see, Touma wasn't as lucky as you." I continued "From the moment he was born, he had to deal with more shit than you'll likely ever encounter in your lifetime. Yet no matter what life threw at him, he'd just get back up, ready to give you the shirt off his back without asking a thing in return."
"I always told him his 'Good Samaritan' act would come back to bite him in the ass one day." I confessed with a humourless chuckle "Didn't stop him of course, hell I don't think God himself could've stopped him from risking his neck for others, so I promised I'd have his back no matter what mess he landed himself in."
"And then you came along." I growled, glaring at all three Mages in turn "You three, with your Bullshit Magic, Secret Orders and lack of common fucking sense, managed to accomplish in less than a week what God, the Devil and this entire fucking World failed to do in 15 years: You Killed Kamijou Touma. You killed my best friend."
With that said I banished [The World], allowing Kanzaki to lunge forwards and grab Index before she hit the ground, the sword-saint enveloping the sobbing nun in a desperate hug even as Stiyl stepped between us, his features neutral but his eyes watchful and a card held at the ready.
"If I were you, I'd pack my bags and get the hell out of town before sundown." I warned the trio, striding past Stiyl with my hands in my pockets, eyes locked firmly ahead of me, confident that they wouldn't be able to touch me due to [The World] glaring at them, unseen but at the ready, by my side "Because if you're still inside Academy City by sundown, I'll kill you myself."
And that, dear fans, is the end of the Index Arc of A Certain Bizarre Adventure.
Now before you Index fans start blitzing me in the comment section: No, this is not the last we will be seeing of the Loli Nun. After all, there is an actual reason she was in Academy City, and Aleister's plans require her to be there.
However, since she plays little to no role in any of the immediate stories going forward, we won't be seeing her again until such time that she's actually relevant to the plot.
And don't worry, Touma isn't dead. Itsuki is simply so shaken up by what happened with John's Pen that he wanted to get Index as far away from them as possible even if it meant he had to make himself the bad guy to do so.
Rest assured, this will come back to bite him when Touma learns the truth, but for now, we'll be focussing on the Science Side of Academy city, namely the conclusion of the Level Upper Arc...which as I'm sure you've guessed will be just as off-the-rails from canon.
As mentioned before, while I'll be revisiting some of my older works to make some edits or outright reboot them, this does not currently include any of my old Naruto fics with the exception of Bizarre Adventure.
So if anyone is interested in adopting or continuing one of my old stories, let me know in a PM so I can post it on the story itself and people don't accuse you of just straight up ripping me off. I won't name handles but it's happened before despite me giving the author the go ahead.
With that being said, that's all for me for now. With any luck, we might finish Season 1 of A Certain Bizarre Adventure before New Years, but don't quote me on that because my muse is a fickle wench and depression likes to crash on my couch without calling ahead.
Until next time, this is Kyugan wishing you all a Merry Christmas!