Breaking the news
[ACMI: Alchemy]
The ticking of the clock was the only sound other than the quiet conversation of the members of the Amakusa church that GV could hear in the dark hospital. They had needed to take Touma somewhere close which meant the hospital on the seventh level of this district.
GV hadn't been able to get in contact with Misaka. Apparently her phone just wasn't getting signal. This was obviously strange because they were both underground, GV was deeper underground and he was still getting phone signal.
Maybe it would mean she'd just go home? Something told him that she wouldn't be leaving Index alone though.
"So, Gunvolt." The leader of the Amakusa Church looked over at him and asked "you want to go fetch the nun and Railgun?"
From what he'd overheard them talk about, they were going to send someone to fetch Index anyway. It would probably be better if it was GV though.
He sighed and nodded. Of course this was probably also a way for them to get GV away. They still didn't really believe he needed to be involved.
Before GV left, he glanced at the floor beside the door to Touma's hospital room. Itsuwa had been sitting there silently since he was cared for by the hospital's late night staff.
Her inability to protect him wasn't any greater than his own. Yet it seemed that after failing to get healing magic to work on him, she'd entered a sort of fugue state where she just wandered behind the church members when they'd rescued Touma.
GV didn't know her well, but he believed she didn't have a reason to be this upset about it. Did she have a reason to be sad in general? Yes. It was the same reason GV was sad. A person they had tried to protect was badly injured. But did she have a reason to have frozen up like this?
Maybe in her heart a reason existed but in reality it was nothing more than a phantom reason.
For the sake of having a guard for Index on the way back, two members of the chuch accompanied him. The three of them moved quietly together. While GV was impressed by their ability to move while avoiding attention, they were likely impressed with his ability to do the same.
He minimised the sparks his power created when leaping from magnetic surface to magnetic surface and when dashing along the ground. The magicians weren't slouches either but their movement was more skill than mystical. They were expert parkourists, leaping around and matching his power-enhanced movements. Sure, GV could probably beat them in a race but that wasn't the point of this.
They landed near the bath house and headed in to the all-you-can-eat. When GV looked around inside, he saw Misaka quickly because she'd been watching the room's entryway. Upon seeing GV she looked confused and the expression darkened into worry when she saw the two unknown (which they would be to her in theory) people with him.
Without attracting attention, they headed over to the table where Kuroko and Index looked up too. Index had been stuffing her face with a large plate of chicken, rice and white sauce so there was a little bit of rice and sauce stuck to her cheak. She at least recognised the two with GV.
Her eyes narrowed slightly and she sighed "What's he gotten himself into?"
One of the chuchgoers with GV gave her the quick story "He was hurt battling Acqua of the rear, we're here to escort you to where we're based with him to keep you safe."
Index's eyes flicked to GVs for a moment before she looked back to the speaker and nodded "Okay then."
She left her plate, not even bothering to finish cleaning it. Index was a glutton but she was pure. She knew when there were things more important than food.
Misaka took this time to stand up quickly though "He's hurt?" She asked worriedly "How is he?"
The two from the chuch glanced at each other, as if deciding if they should say. GV sighed and spoke first.
"Stable, but he got knocked around pretty badly and came close to drowning. There's a possibility he might be in a coma, but we won't be able to tell until the morning."
Misaka gripped the table hard and Kuroko looked sadly up at her friend. She might not be overly fond of Touma- at least if what Joule had told him was correct- but she didn't like seeing Misaka like this.
Kuroko stood up with them and asked where they were based, due to not wanting it to be well known, they just said the seventh level.
A quick teleport brought them all down there and GV's group led the other three to the hospital. When they came to Touma's hospital room, the girls couldn't resist going in to see him.
As they went in though, GV stayed outside where the substitute pontiff was giving Itsuwa a stern talking to. Not about her failure to help but instead about her giving up.
"The man you owe your life to is lying there black and blue, and you're saying all you can do is sit here and cry about it? He threw his life away for you and you don't lift a finger!? How do you think he'd feel if he knew he risked his life for nothing!? Do you hear me!?"
Tough love, but it seemed to be getting through to her if GV was reading her face properly.
And then he threw Itsuwa to the floor. Oof. But it seemed to have at least shocked her back into proper action as the substatute continued.
"Acqua of the rear will definitely be returning, and while you're sitting around here doing nothing the clock will continue to count down. Every second you waste dwelling on your own useless regretted guilt is time we could of used looking for a way to protect him! Don't throw away someone elses entire life just because you've got some problems to work out."
In some way, he reminded GV of Asimov. It was the same kind of "Get up, you have a job to do" mentality.
Itsuwa apologized quietly but the substatute responded harshly.
"You want to apologize to him? You want to make it up to the person you were meant to be protecting? Do you want to send him back home and into the light of day? Then get up and fight! Prove to him that you're the best woman out there and that he was right to risk his life for you. He can't be moved by your tears or accept your apology if he's not alive!"
He turned to leave and GV raised an eyebrow at the "Best woman out there" comment but the substatute just continued to speak to Itsuwa.
"Of course, if you'd prefer to repent from in front of his grave, then stay behind. If not, we must fight!"
With a sigh, GV glanced back to the hospital room where the girls would still be keeping an eye on Touma. They'd be willing to keep him safe in their own way. With that done though he headed after the rest of the Chuch.
Behind him, Itsuwa stood.
End of chapter.
This chapter was originally not going to have the entire first bit and it would have gone further ahead but the Anime showed Index in Touma's hospital room and I wondered "How did she get here." So that's where this chapter came from.
