He will Surely Save, Part 4: A SYSTEM in Insanity

I do not own the RAILDEX universe.

Author's Note:

Greetings All!

Sorry it took some time for this part to come out. I hope the lengthness will make up for the anticipation.

I would like to once again thank all of you who have chosen to like, follow, and review. It keeps me going!

The plot lines in this part are linear in time, unlike the last part. Everything is interwoven though, so stay sharp!

The plot takes place the day after the last part. It is Monday, the day of the system scans. I'm taking liberties with how they work, but I think you will find it to be mostly satisfying . . .

Anyway, On with the show!

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Monday.

It was Monday.

The system scans were underway and a young women with pale red hair tied in twin-tails was standing by herself. She could feel the sweat rolling off of her slender body as she remains motionless there, just outside the testing area on the field. Her scan concluded, but she still remained. Her head was tilted towards the ground. There was no one else around at the moment. She was thankful.

"Greetings, my dear Shirai-san."

Kuroko flinched. Never mind, she was not thankful.

A tall dark-haired girl with the air of nobility had entered the field and continued to speak to her rival.

"Now Shirai-san, with such a lack of enthusiasm you can hardly expect to be taken seriously as my rival. Have you finally realized my superiority in all things esper?" Kongou teases and snaps her fan open to hide her grin. The grin faded quickly.

Kuroko made no response. She had yet to meet her friend slash rival's eyes. Kongou leaned in a little closer to the other girl.

"Shirai?"

"At the moment, I am in a slightly odd mood." Kuroko finally spoke to her friend in all but name. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground. "I teleported something 90 meters today . . ."

Kongou raised an eyebrow behind her fan and questioned the sullen girl. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"I inverted the given directions and nearly took the head off of the instructor. She was 90 meters away."

Now, Kongou was feeling herself go pale at this revelation. Her hand shook the fan in front of her face as she asked the obvious question.

"Are they going to kick you out?"

"No, the instructor was delighted."

"!?" Kongou didn't know her eyes could get that large . . .

"She said the range increase was unprecedented in my record and that she didn't really need those bangs . . ."

Kongou stepped back from her friend a little.

"It's his fault" Kuroko wispered.

"Pardon?" Kongou struggled to hear only to flinch backwards again when Kuroko raised her head, the dark circles below her eyes now visible. She shouted towards the heavens.

"That GENTLEMAN! It's his fault! He wouldn't let me get any sleep last night! GAAHH!"

Kongou felt her jaw drop, where it hung for several seconds before she was able to compose herself. She felt the sweat begin to roll down her forehead as she set her fan in a frenzied motion to try to calm her nerves. Kuroko's gaze had returned to the ground by the time Kongou was able to respond.

"I . . . hope you used protec–"

"WHAT ! !"

Kongou jumped backwards and toppled to the ground at the sight of Kuroko's blazing red eyes. She tried to scoot away as the other girl took an unsteady step towards her.

"He wasn't anywhere near our dorm." Kuroko was a seething mass of black clouds. "And yet he was there. INSIDE MY HEAD! ! !"

Kuroko fell to her hands and knees. She shook slightly, but stopped and continued in a quiet tone. It was almost conversational, and that was what sent the ice down Kongou's spine.

"If it was Onee-sama, I could understand that. The look on her face at night when she says his name in her sleep is enough to make someone jump in a lake." She paused, a thoughtful look crossed her face. "Me? Incomprehensible."

"Shirai-san . . ." Kongou tried to put her hand on the other girls shoulder, but Kuroko sat up and looked her dead in the eyes.

"What kind of man is this? To have my friends surround such a power . . ." Kuroko tilted her head and continued, her words dumbfounding the other girl. "Can I even trust myself now?"

That was enough. Kongou nearly leaped to her feet and pointed her closed fan at the girl. "NO!"

Kuroko blinked at the random outburst from her rival. Kongou gestured her fan towards the sky and began to lecture.

"I won't have such words coming from my arch-rival. If this man is bothering you, then I, Kongou Mitsuko, will help you learn the truth behind him."

Kuroko felt strangely heartened. "Kongou-san . . . Thank you."

"It's fine." Kongou snapped open her fan and resumed a more lady-like tone. "Now then, should we invite Misaka-san to come along?"

"I don't think so, Onee-sama seemed particularly enthused about the system scans today . . ."

"How enthused?"

Abruptly, Kongou was sent to the ground, along with all the other nearby students standing around the field, by a series of enormous, and uncomfortably nearby explosions.

BooBooBooBooBoomBoomBOOM! ! !

The water from what used to be the school pool rained down and soaked all those present. The familiar voice of a certain scientific railgun could just be heard over the ringing in their ears.

"Lets see him stop THAT!"

Kuroko got up from her kneeling position and turned to Kongou.

"That enthused."

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Elsewhere in the city, a young woman stood alone in the room. Some would call her rough looking, others would describe her as an unpolished gem waiting to be brought into her own. It is likely that this young woman would pay such words no mind. She had everything she needed.

The room itself was not very notable. Bigger that a large bedroom, but nowhere near as big as a small classroom, it was where she, and others like her, spent much of her time. There were a few tables, some with computers that glowed softly in the rooms dim light, but she paid them no mind. Her attention was focused on the room's defining feature. A life-sized picture of a boy.

The girl drifted towards the picture with her eyes taking on a softness that was rarely shown to the others who frequented this room. Her hand reached out and gently traced the strong lines of the boy's face. A face which was set in a determined expression.

Those Eyes.

So easily lost in those eyes . . .

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It was Monday, but she really couldn't complain. Well, not too much anyway . . .

A slender dark-haired girl was standing next to a fountain on a path that led away from her school. She wore a simple and unassuming school uniform which was accessorized by the addition of a white beetle clipped to her skirt and a field of flowers on her head. She was currently engrossed in the contents of a white sheet of paper.

It was then that the feeling of foreboding fell over her . . .

"U! I! Ha– WHAAAA!" A girl with long dark hair screamed in mid-cheer when a pair of ghostly white hands appeared from the ground behind her and mercilessly flipped her skirt to the sky.

Saten flipped her skirt back down to cover herself as quickly as she was able. Balling her fists, she hollered at the beetle clipped to her friends skirt.

"BEETLE-SAN!"

A smoothly polite voice floated out of the charm.

"Sorry Saten-san, but I promised Uiharu-san that I would do that to you at least once . . ."

"I can die happy now!" The flower-headed girl in question chirped, folding her hands in glee.

Saten crossed her arms and looked away, she muttered under her breath. "That beetle is going to have to sleep sometime . . ."

The beetle then muttered right back. "You'll be up awhile then . . ."

"So anyway, how was your system scan?" Saten asked her friend, pointing to the sheet of paper in her hand.

"It went pretty well actually." Uiharu waved the paper and grinned "I'm still a level one, but my AIM output increased 5% from last time. That's not the best part though . . ."

Saten leaned in, now held in suspense by her flowery friend. "My power doesn't require me to make physical contact now!"

Saten felt herself grin broadly and she clapped a hand on to her friend's shoulder "That's awesome Uiharu! What's your distance then?"

"3 millimeters!"

Saten felt her face start to tighten. She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. She felt like she could go either way right now . . .

"Thats . . . amazing . . . "

"I know, right! " Uiharu was practically hopping in excitement. "So how did yours go? I heard they had you re-submit."

"That's right. They couldn't believe it so they made me do it twice." Saten reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper matching Uiharu's own. "I'm still a level zero, but . . . "

She handed the paper to her friend. Uiharu unfolded it while the white beetle crawled up onto her shoulder to get a better look.

"My AIM field level increased 32.6%, can you believe that!"

" . . . is . . . is this real?" Uiharu could only blink in disbelief at the readout. MAN, it looked official!

"Of course it's real. Why? What's wrong with it?"

Saten started to shift from one foot to the other at the sight of her friends' reactions, her arms tightening around her chest. Uiharu was standing with her mouth slowly opening and closing like a fish pulled from the ocean. The beetle wasn't doing much better, silently twitching on Uiharu's shoulder like it was being subject to random electric shocks. Seriously, what was the problem?

"Um . . . guys?"

"Saten-san. This beats my highest normalized gain and I'm the number two level five. For a level zero to go up this much is like watching someone try to jump over a puddle and then having them land across the pacific!"

Saten froze. What.

"What."

Uiharu turned to her friend with eyes so wide that Saten thought they were going to pop out of her head.

"Misaka-san told me her highest gain was 45% back when she was a level 4. That was the month that she achieved level five. That was the only time her score exceeded a 30% increase."

"What."

"This is big, Saten-san" the beetle spoke up, voice wavering as it sought the correct words. "The only person I have ever known making gains that exceed this is the number one!"

For Saten, day became night as she fell backwards. The frantic cries of Uiharu went unheard as her body neared the ground. All was silent.

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"That's Kamijo-san?"

"Yes, what is he doing now?"

"Playing hopscotch with some pre-schoolers . . . Now he's giving directions to some girl."

"That makes five."

"He just saved a kitten from being run over! Is he a saint!?"

"I hope the bar's a little higher than that . . . "

Kongou wasn't sure what to think. With the help of Kuroko's teleportation powers they were currently on a roof in the district where a certain high school was located. They had found the boy and were currently watching him from above. Or at least Kongou was. Kuroko had more or less given up after the third girl needed directions. She was sitting with her back against the building's facade, eyes closed.

"How long have we been sitting here, Shirai-san?" Kongou asked the other girl.

"About thirty minutes. He's a busy little bee, isn't he?" A smooth male voice floated from the other side of her.

"AHH!" Kongou cried out and fell backwards onto the roof. The slim pure-white boy caught the fan she had reflexively thrown at him.

"Hello, Beetle-san." Kuroko stated without enthusiasm, her eyes remaining closed. She had been wondering when he was going to show up.

"Shirai-san. So, have you girls been enjoying your Kamijo stalking?" The white boy asked while he tossed the fan back to Kongou. With a clumsy flailing of her hands, she managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

"No more than you, Beetle-san" Kuroko replied, dismissing the boy's goading with a wave of the hand. The white boy frowned slightly, but said nothing. He turned to the girl he surprised a moment ago.

"I don't believe we have been introduced. I am Kakine Teitoku, number two level five. Judging by the uniform I'm going to guess you are one of Misaka-san's barnacles . . ."

The shock of randomly meeting another level five left Kongou unable to refute the insult. Part of her was also wondering at the degree of truth in the statement. Kuroko on the other hand was more than willing to take up the slack.

"How dare you compare Onee-sama to the hull of a poorly maintained ship! Her graceful curves notwithstanding, I can gladly attest to the lack of blemishes on her supple skin!"

"I should have realized that. Barnacles generally don't have barnacles of their own . . ."

"What."

"She really should have chosen a boat more in her own league . . ."

" . . . You talking splatter of bird excrement."

"Underweight excuse for a real woman . . ."

That did it. Kuroko brushed her hands past her skirt and brought the nails to eye level before catching herself. She took a deep breath and slid the nails back into their holders. She set a hard eye on the grinning Kakine and calmly spoke her mind.

"I know what you're trying to do, Beetle-san. It won't work."

The boy only grinned wider. "Nothing but the best for my dearest Shirai-san . . . "

Kongou's frantic voice broke into the pair's verbal sparing. They turned to see the cause of the commotion. She pointed down towards street level.

"Kamijo-san is in an alley with a bunch of thugs! I think he stopped them from mugging that boy there. We have to do something!"

A calm, somewhat forgettable voice spoke up from behind the trio.

"So Kamijo-san is unlocking the forbidden route? Setting flags with no blind-spots? How troublesome."

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Saten felt her eyes pulling open with reluctance. The light on the other side of them was bright and she didn't welcome its intrusion. Through the fog and cobwebs within her head, she heard voices growing slowly louder. They seemed so familiar . . .

" –nk she's coming around, now. I'm so glad you were able to catch her, Beetle-san!"

"Luckily, I was in pole position at the time. It wasn't a problem."

Saten finally allowed her eyes to open and focus on the world around her. She found her head was resting in Uiharu's lap. She caught the concerned look in her friend's eyes and smiled.

"Sorry to scare you guys. The news was . . . a bit much to take . . ."

"I could have worded my thoughts a bit better as well" the white boy stated, scratching his head while avoiding her eyes.

"Was what you said really true, Beetle-san?" Uiharu asked as she helped Saten return to a standing position and began to dust her off.

"It was, but the gains are normalized gains. The actual power output differences are orders of magnitudes different. The percentage is based on deviation from a running mean of past system scan results."

The white boy looked at Saten and wondered.

"Just out of curiosity, what have your gain percentages been in the past?"

Saten hesitated. "Around 1% usually . . ."

The boy nodded in an understanding way. "That sounds about right. Level zeros and ones rarely exceed 5%"

Saten blinked. It was true. None of her friends ever exceeded 3%, Uiharu being the possible exception. The Tokiwadai group notwithstanding, obviously. The fact clear in her mind led her to wonder.

"What's normal for the other levels."

Uiharu took the opportunity to show off her knowledge of the subject, depressing though it may be for her . . .

"Ah, level twos and threes usually make gains about 10% and level fours and fives are closer to 20%. As Beetle-san says the difference in power is enormous, but the greater reality externalization of these levels makes it far easier for an individual to imagine greater gains."

"Picking up from what Uiharu said, since your power is non-demonstrative, it makes your gain somewhat disturbing. You haven't lost time or heard any strange sound waves recently ha–"

Saten stormed up to the boy with fire in her eyes and fingers digging into her palms, so tight were her fists.

"Are you asking me if I used level upper again?! I'm not THAT STUPID ! ! !"

The boy immediately put up his hands in a defensive posture. "I didn't mean to imply that it was intentional on your part. Seriously!"

"Have you been doing anything out of the ordinary or noticed anything unusual?"

Saten firmly shook her head. "My routine hasn't changed for months. The only thing unusual are . . ."

She trailed off. Uiharu and the white boy tilted their heads in anticipation.

" . . . are the dreams. I have been having some . . . vivid . . . dreams lately. . . "

Saten turned her head away from her friends, mostly from Uiharu. From where he stood, the boy could see the color blooming on her cheeks and a glazing of her expression. Uiharu on the other hand was initially confused. This was gradually being replaced by a sense of the other girl's reason for discomfort. The look of mischief pulling across the flower-headed girl's lips spurred the boy to action.

"We can think about causality later." he began to wave his hand in Uiharu's face, distracting her from her increasingly R-rated thoughts. Seriously, it's always the quiet ones . . .

He continued. "This calls for a celebration! And what is the proper form of a celebration?"

"CAKE!" The girls chorused. One in excitement, the other in relief at the beetle boy's distraction.

The boy returned to his spot, clipped to Uiharu's skirt, while the girls took off running. There was a new cake and tea shop they hadn't tried yet, right?

Saten muttered quietly at the beetle. "I owe you one . . ."

She was unsettled by the nearly inaudible reply.

"I'll be expecting details later . . . ."

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"HAWAHH!"

The trio of Kongou, Kuroko, and the pure white boy nearly toppled off the roof trying to find the source of the intruding voice. When they finally managed to face the correct direction, a strange sight was theirs to behold. A Miko.

"I can't say I approve of the erotic game his life is becoming. My competition just appears to have been doubled . . . "

A young woman with lustrous long black hair had crept up behind them, wearing red and white robes and bearing a sack filled to the brim with burgers. Her expression was cool and seemingly unaffected by the chaos brought on by her sudden appearance.

" . . . Burger?"

Kongou, surprisingly, was the first to recover her wits. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"As soon as you look away, you will forget I was ever here. Then Silence will fall. That's how it works apparently." The girl stated, the lids of her eyes seeming heavy for a moment. "Regardless, I am a friend of Kamijo-san."

"I doubt that." Kakine broke in. "I would have noticed you."

"We have been introduced twice, Beetle-san . . ."

Kakine then paused, a look of concentration on his face.

"Nope, I'm pulling a blank here."

"You're despicable."

Kongou started to wave her arms frantically, seeking the others' attention.

"Have you all forgotten about Kamijo-san!?" She pointed down into the alley. "The boy he was protecting just fled!"

The miko put a finger to her chin in a thoughtful gesture. "I guess they don't make blind-spots like they used to . . ."

Kuroko quickly shifted into battle mode. "Never mind, we'll go and save him be–"

She was cut off by an explosion that shocked the building's foundation. They picked themselves up and rushed over to the edge to get a better look into the alley. They were shocked to see the muggers huddled behind Touma, who with right arm outstretched, was facing down another boy wearing a white headband. Kakine could only grin.

"There you are . . ."

"It's that boy that Onee-sama picked a fight wi– I mean, 'challenged to a duel'. What's he doing here?"

"He's being convenient. Now for Kamijo-san . . ."

Kakine's white arms stretched to the street below, seizing Touma and pulling the bewildered boy up onto the roof. The white boy dissolved away and reappeared in a blossom of white where Touma had stood a moment earlier. The aforementioned boy the turned to regard his trio of new companions.

"Oi . . . Himegami. How are things?"

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A lesser man would have been floored by the sudden appearance of the pure white boy that blossomed into existence upon the abrupt skyward exit that Touma had taken. Sogiita was a field onto himself, however, and such entrances did nothing but bring a light into his eyes.

"Gutsy exploding entrances never go out of style! Don't follow the pack! Show the ones who changed you they were right all along!"

" . . . What?" Kakine stood blinking at the outburst from the headband wearing boy. Said boy then gave the pure white boy a thumbs up.

"In a land of fluffy bunnies, a giant robot shall be king! But there must be regicidal bunnies somewhere to surpass them. WITH GUTS!"

At that moment, the young man that had fled the alley returned, flailing his arms. He stopped next to the lunatic and started yelling.

"Sogiita-san, you idiot! Do you know who this is?" He pointed to the other level five.

Sogiita put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful gesture before snapping his fingers. "This is obviously someone who was attacked by the machine that draws the lines down the middle of the road! And yet he still has the guts to walk around with his head held high!"

Man, Kakine was happy Mikoto was not present to hear the other boy say that just now.

The boy began to make a choking gesture with his hands before he was able to get the violent twitching in his right eye back to its normal levels. "Sogiita-san . . . "

"Yes, Yabumi-kun?"

The boy pointed at the also twitching pure white boy currently separating them from the former muggers. "This is the number two level five, DARK MATTER!"

"That's amazing! That said, if it's dark, how come I can see it?"

"NRRRNG–" The young man, Yabumi apparently, reached up to throttle the headband wearer, before abruptly breaking off and storming over to the white boy and pointing backwards. "YOU talk to him!"

"You think I'll have any better luck with this psychotic freak?!" The boy buried his face in his hands. "This is like reasoning with a drunken Kamijo-san on steroids."

"Who needs alcohol when you've got guts?!"

Kakine abruptly turned around to face the huddling former-muggers behind him. They flinched under his gaze. He addressed them as calmly as he was able to at the moment. "Listen up. I'm feeling generous for some reason, so I'm letting you all go."

The white boy pointed out of the alley. The former muggers as a group looked up at him with a uniform sense of relief and no small amount of shock.

"I SAID GO!"

The outburst brought the delinquents to their feet and running. The white boy waved them out with a dismissive gesture as they hurried past them. He heard the other level five cheering them on.

"Absolved, young lambs! Go and sin no more!"

"I can't believe you don't shut up!" Yabumi shouted, throwing his arms to the sky as if begging for his own release.

Kakine rubbed his forehead and turned back to the pair. He never would have believed it, but he was really starting to miss Misaka Mikoto . . .

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Kongou was flabbergasted. The boy didn't even seem phased by the events that he had just undertaken. Not to mention being randomly pulled up onto a roof in the middle of a fight. Who was this boy?

"Everything is fine, Kamijo. Been raising more flags I see . . ." The stealth miko replied to the boy's earlier question.

Touma was confused. "What flags? This Kamijo Touma is completely devoid of encounters."

He even believed it.

The girls on the other hand showed one of two reactions. Kongou merely allowed her jaw to drop for the umpteenth time that day. Kuroko and Himegami took the more active approach. Each one picked a side and sent a fist into the bromeliad that boy called a head.

"OW! What was that for!?" Touma complained, rubbing some feeling back into the sore spots on his rock-like skull.

"Possession of a density greater than lead, Kamijo."

Kuroko felt her twin-tails writhing beside her head. "How dare you trivialize Onee-sama's downright comical obsession with you!"

" . . . Pardon?" Touma was blinking like he was just asked for the square root of negative pi. Brain broken and blinky.

Kongou meanwhile was having a rather strange conversation with herself. There wasn't much to hear, besides the occasional words she muttered aloud in barely audible whispers, her eyes cast downwards and focused on her shoes.

"He . . . Misaka . . . Saintly . . . Hopscotch-pre-schooler-kitten-HATCHBACK . . . Misaka-Onee-sama-CORDLESS-TELEPHONE!" (?!)

Kongou's head snapped up and she dashed over to the spiky-haired boy. She grabbed his wrists with a frightening grip and nearly knocked her forehead into his. The manic look on her face drained the blood from Touma's.

"You're perfect for her!" The tall girl yelled into his face, apparently forgetting her noble upbringing . . .

The other two girls could only stand frozen in position as Kongou continued.

"The evidence has been made clear! I, Kongou Mitsuko, will support your bid to win Misaka-san's heart."

"Um . . . What?" Touma meekly asked, trying to back away. The girl's grip was like a pair of warm handcuffs. Kongou kept right in step with his retreat.

"I admit I was skeptical at first, but a book isn't its cover. Now that I have seen it all, Kuroko's whining finally makes sense. You are Misaka-san's one and true!"

Kuroko was now trembling. The feeling was an incomprehensible blend of rage, embarrassment, and something suspiciously like jealousy . . . .

Himegami was scowling at the girl currently filling Touma's head with unnecessary flags. In one smooth motion she removed a burger from her bag, unwrapped it, and handed it to Kuroko. Without a word, Kuroko took it.

"Now let us all retire to some place quiet so we can plan your future with Mis–MURF!"

A burger appeared stuffed into her mouth. Kongou fell to her knees and began to cough when she manged to extract it a few moments later. She jumped to her feet, raging at the resident teleporter.

"Shirai-san! I could have lost my face!"

"You needn't worry, Kongou-san. Your mouth is a rather large target . . ."

Kuroko was feeling a bit better and ignored the incoherent ramblings and flailing arms of her rival. She looked over the edge and into the alley again.

"Ah, It looks like Beetle-san is waving the muggers out of the alley. I think it's about time we headed back. I have a re-scan coming up this afternoon."

She turned to look at the miko.

"We can take you– What!? She's gone!"

The girls started to frantically look about for the absent girl.

"Did She fall off the roof?" Kongou was panicking, when another thought hit her. "IS SHE A GHOST?!"

Touma raised his eyebrows in disbelief at that jump to conclusions. "Himegami went down the stairs over there. She left right after the burger incident."

"There were stairs?!"

"Yes, that's probably how she got up here in the first place if you didn't bring her yourselves . . . "

The girls felt like slamming their heads against the nearest wall. That's how she got here?! Where's the romance in that?!

"Whatever, We need to leave." Kuroko stated, ushering the others to the stairs. "We can rejoin her on the street if she's still down there. Kamijo-san, would you like to accompany us back?"

Touma scratched his head. Why not?

"Sure Shirai-san. They've given up scanning me anyway . . . "

Kongou took his arm and began to drag him along. "Wonderful Kamijo-san! Perhaps we can make a few appointments for you on the way. A tailor might be good. OH! I think I have a hairstylist that can deal with your problem! Lets Go!"

Touma looked appalled. He was starting to think he would prefer just being shocked by a girl from Tokiwadai . . .

"Such Misfortune . . . " He muttered below his breath.

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The young woman in the anonymous room pulled her hand away from the the picture when she heard another person entering. She turned to the door and greeted her senior.

"Ikari-senpai. Do we have the authorization?"

He nodded and turned to the picture in front of the young woman.

"Myuri-chan, What do we know of this Kamijo Touma?"

The young woman fixed her eyes on the face of the boy in the picture.

"He was the first of our own . . . "

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By the time the trio of Touma, Kuroko and Kongou had made their way down to street level, they found that Himegami had finished all but her final burger. Upon seeing Touma being led by the arm, she stood up from her seat on the bench and grabbed the arm opposite Kongou. She gave a firm tug, knocking the pair off balance. Sensing trouble brewing, Kuroko chimed in.

"My-my . . . Kamijo-san, if you keep playing around like that we'll be late."

She teleported in front of him and seized his wrist, tugging him along behind her at a brisk pace. This left the pair with conflicting expressions, Kongou merely confused and Himegami with gritted teeth and fists of forgettable rage . . .

While the girls struggled to keep up with Kuroko's determined pace, Touma remembered her earlier remarks and decided to satisfy his curiosity.

"Shirai-san, you said you need to report for a re-scan, right?"

"I'm afraid so."

Touma hesitated before continuing. "But doesn't that imply your first scan showed a major drop in power?

Kuroko froze mid-step and took a deep breath before she continued her forward march.

"Yes, I tested a 4.24% lower normalized power output than my last system scan."

"That's it?" Kamijo couldn't believe that. His school would wait for a 25% drop before they even bothered.

"You don't have to worry Shirai-san. I've always been impressed by your powers." He began to console the teleporter not noticing the color growing on her cheeks or the way her lips trembled with every word he spoke. "You are one of those people we can depend on. If I ever really got in trouble, you are someone I would be thankful to have wi– OW! Shirai-san, you're crushing my wrist!"

Kuroko let go of the boy like his skin was molten metal and took several steps forward before stopping. Without turning her head, she called back to him.

"I haven't been sleeping, Kamijo-san, that's all."

"Then everything's going to be fine. Kuroko Shirai won't let something as simple as that get in the way!" Touma raised a fist to eye level and loudly proclaimed to the heavens: "I know that by tomorrow, you'll be back to stealing Biri-biri's underwear and all will be right with the world!"

At first his admonishment was met with silence, Touma was alarmed as she began to shake. He leaned forward, but jumped back when she erupted in gales of laughter and bent over clutching her ribs.

Kongou and Himegami shared a glance while the girl composed herself, wiping the corners of her eyes before she finally replied to the boy's statement with a wide and sincere smile crossing her face.

"Thank you, Kamijo-san. I really needed that."

With that she waved the others to follow and once again they set off towards Tokiwadai.

The remaining trip was largely uneventful and they soon reached the gates to the School Garden. Kuroko and Kongou bid the other pair farewell and entered, but they failed to notice that a blond girl sharing their uniform had pulled Touma into a tea shop, with a furious Himegami not far behind . . . .

Kongou snapped her fan and regarded the teleporter. "Well, Shirai-san, it seems your mood has improved."

"I suppose so, Kongou-san. I think I'm starting to understand why Onee-sama gets so fired up every time he runs off." Kuroko ignored the other girl's raised eyebrows and continued. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a re-scan to ace!"

The girl then disappeared into thin air, leaving Kongou by herself. The noble girl smiled behind her fan.

"I think I need to get Wanai-san and Awatsuki-san to help with the planning. This is going to be BIG!"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::

Kakine was having a great day . . .

"Now that I think about it, are tropical fruits nuts?"

A wonderful day . . .

"Where the angel falls, so too must the temple. With guts!"

It was going to go down as one of his best . . .

"I don't need a little sister with a thousand faces. Do you hear me, White Matter?"

"DARK MATTER!"

Yep, today was right up there with that day he met the number one.

"Are you afraid to take the raisins from your cookie?"

The white boy's head snapped up to attention. "What?"

"Don't be. You just have to trust your raisins to be better than they used to be."

Sogitta was standing with a focused and disturbingly serious expression. After everything he had been spouting up until now, it seemed particularly unsettling. Yabumi stepped forward and started waving his hands in the headband boy's face. He turned to address the other level five.

"Sorry, he does this sometimes" He turned back and leaned in. "Sogiita. Sogiita-san. Come back. Guts? What about guts? You remember guts, right . . . ?"

Sogiita blinked for a second before a large grin crossed his face.

"I'm back!" He shoved a hand into his pocket. "And I've brought presents for all!"

Yabumi grabbed his arm before it could be moved.

"Sogiita-san. I don't know what you're about to pull out of your pants, but I know this: None of us want it."

The pure white boy waved to get the attention of the other two. This was turning into a bigger chore than he had anticipated.

"Number seven. I have been looking for you–"

"You're looking for me? That's a pretty gutsy admission! I'm flattered, but I'm not like that . . ."

"That isn't the reason!" the white boy balled his fists for a moment, before he was able to finally relax them and continue. "I have taken it upon myself to visit each of the level fives. Today is you."

Sogiita's eyes lost focus, he stood very still. "So, in this darkness, we finally see. Nothing is left for us . . . "

". . . uh . . . " The white boy looked at Yabumi who shrugged. He was just as bewildered.

"Alone . . . in the field . . . we play alone . . . in the field . . . we play . . . alone, in the darkness . . . "

" . . . number seven . . .?"

"She's so strong inside. Why doesn't she know? She needs to know . . . "

"Sogiita Gunha!"

The boy's head turned like it was on ball bearings to meet the other's eyes. Kakine stepped back, his arms raised defensively. He stayed silent.

"What ever will happen, let us stay happy. Let us stay fine."

A wide grin suddenly pulled apart the lips of the headband wearing boy. "Excelsior!"

The boy spun and vanished in a cloud of colored smoke trailing from his running form. Yabumi shook his head and sighed.

"Not again . . ." He took off running after the erstwhile subject of their attention. "You better start running. He gets like this sometimes."

The white boy easily kept pace with the other, people on the sidewalk parted at the sight of them. Not that the smoking rocket didn't give them plenty of incentive. The level five shouted at his new companion.

"Where is he going?!"

"No idea. One time, I found him two hours later. He was directing traffic on the other side of the city."

"Seriously?!"

Yabumi gave a weary glance to the white boy running next to him.

"Welcome to my world . . ."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::

It was that grin. The grin that usually only the sight of her sleeping Onee-sama's face could bring about, but this time that grin was in the process of leering at a sheet of paper.

"Shirai-san?" the voice of a certain noble girl with acres of forehead real estate spoke up from behind.

"Hehehehehe . . . nothing but the best indeed!"

"Um . . . I take it the scan went well . . ." Kongou approached the teleporter hesitantly.

"YaaaaaaaaaaaHAAAH!" Kuroko shoved the paper into Kongou's face. Final score: 20.102% improved from scan average.

Ignoring the less than lady-like behavior, Kongou grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Congratulations! Kamijo-san was right, you really know how to turn around your situation!"

Kuroko buried her face in the results paper, ignoring the heat rising in her cheeks. She muttered under her breath, excitement edging every word. "Kamijo and Onee-sama will be so proud . . . I can't wait to show them!"

"Well then, why don't we all go out to celebrate! Our tea shop is nearby. I'll see if my group is available." Kongou pulled out her cell phone to call her friends and Kuroko did likewise.

With the calls completed the girls waited for the available member of their party to arrive. In no time at all, Mikoto bounced in to meet them. She was grinning from ear to ear and almost seemed to be floating. Her voice rang out with a singing tone.

"Greetings, all! What a lovely day!"

"Indeed, Misaka-san. I take it your scans went well. It felt like it earlier . . ."

Mikoto put a thumbs up in Kongou's face. "I broke eight scanners and discovered an underground cavern system below the school pool! My personal best!"

"Uh . . . how wonderful . . ." Kongou took a slight step back. "anyway, we plan to go out for tea, are you available?"

"You Bet!" She then turns to Kuroko. "Have you called Uiharu and Saten?"

"They have their phones off. Have you called Kamijo-san, Onee-sama?"

"Wha– Why would I call that idiot!?" Mikoto yelled and turned her head away from the others. Kuroko grinned at her bright red face.

"Now now, Onee-sama. We both know the end result, so why fight it?"

"GAH! Fine, I'll call! Why are you so eager, anyways?"

That sent Kuroko into a shade of red to match her Onee-sama's. She stood unmoving while Mikoto made the call. The railgun shook her head in frustration after a few seconds.

"No answer. How about you, Kongou-san?"

"I got a hold of Winai-san. Their club is having a late practice, but they will try to meet up with us later this afternoon."

The railgun was unperturbed. "We'll plan for that, then. We can try calling the others later. Now, cake time!"

Kuroko was pleased. She couldn't remember seeing Onee-sama so fired up. She felt a wide smile blossoming on her face.

"After cake, I'll smash that headband wearing idiot into the ground! Then it's right on to misfortune-boy! YAHOO! ! !"

Kuroko felt her face drop. She had forgotten this little aspect of her Onee-sama for a moment . . . .

She turned to Kongou with something like defeat in her voice. "So, Kongou-san. Do you want to wager how much of the city is going to end up in flames? 50,000 yen says we will have to change schools . . . "

"No Deal."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::

The shop was magnificent. It was an intimate location with an aura of gentility. The greatest aspects of the old world without diminishing a welcoming feeling to all those that entered. A kind, attentive staff showed them to their table and took their orders. The girls never felt more like proper ladies . . .

"Ahh, this is what life is meant to be like . . . " Uiharu was glittering in joy. Not since the visit to Tokiwadai did she feel so alive.

"She's in her own little world isn't she?" Saten addressed the small white beetle on the table.

"We'll let her have her fun for the time being. We don't get out enough as it is . . . "

"Speaking of that, are you sure you don't want anything, Beetle-san?"

The beetle waved in a dismissive gesture with its tiny limb.

"No, I'm fine. While this body is capable of eating, it isn't necessary for me to function. So I don't feel the need to bother. Especially at these prices . . . "

"Suit yourself, then." Saten shrugged and turned to her daydreaming friend. "Hey, Uiharu."

"Wha– Oh, did you need something Saten-san?"

"I was just thinking that we should invite Misaka-san and Shirai-san here as well."

"That's a great idea! I'll call them right away!" Uiharu pulled out her phone and sent a wicked grin over to her friend. "I'll see if 'Onii-chan' is available too . . ."

Saten found herself engrossed in the contents of her teacup and said nothing. The beetle on the table noted the white knuckles gripping it. She needs to be careful, the porcelain is delicate around here . . .

" . . . hum . . . It went directly to voicemail. I'll try Shirai-san's . . . " Uiharu frowned and redialed her phone. ". . . Voicemail. Strange . . . I would have thought their scans would be finished by now."

"They may have forgotten to turn them back on. Try Kamijo-san." The beetle suggested while Uiharu nodded and found his number in her contacts. She leaned towards Saten.

"I assume you'll be wanting this number later, right? You could always ask him for it yourself . . ."

"This tea is great. I wonder where they import it from . . . " The long-haired girl swirled the liquid in her cup. Just wait it out. She'll tire of it eventually . . .

Uiharu frowned with the phone to her ear. "There's no answer. I wonder wh–"

The sound of the door's greeting bell interrupted her thoughts. A trio of very familiar girls in Tokiwadai uniforms entered the tea shop.

"Ah!"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::

After about ten minutes of running, the pair stopped to give Yabumi some breathing time. Kakine looked back and forth. There was no sign of the headband wearing boy anywhere. How could someone trailing smoke like that just up and disappear?

He turned back to regard the young man currently acting as his guide to Sogiitaland.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you meet number seven?"

The young man finally regained his breath and straightened up from his half crouch. He began to rub his temples like someone just asked him to derive non-linear partial differential equations while using 'carrot' and 'swordfish' as the boundary conditions. In other words, he was trying to explain Sogiita Gunha.

"Honestly, It was almost exactly like today . . ."

"How so?"

"He stopped me from being mugged, pretty much."

The pure white boy smiled. "So, you have been with him ever since, then? That's good to hear."

The other boy seemed almost livid and started shaking his fists up and down at the level five.

"I didn't have much of a choice! Letting that idiot run amok would be irresponsible!"

The pure white boy's smile turned into a full grin. He put his hand on the other boy's shoulder in a consoling gesture.

"Now, now. There's no shame in being friends with crazy people. I should know . . . "

" . . . huh?"

"The reason I'm going around to all the level fives is to make sure they have someone."

The boy looked uncomfortable. He shifted in place and looked away before replying. "Someone?"

The white boy nodded. "Someone to lead the monsters from the dark. A friend to hold the torch that guides them home at night."

A boy wearing a headband appeared next to them, seemingly from nowhere. He placed his hands on the two boys' shoulders and hollered in their ears.

"Deep Matter has a point, it's all about friendship!"

"WAHH!" The other two yelled in surprise as they jumped back. For such a loud idiot, he was good at sneaking up on people . . .

Sogiita then grabbed the shoulders of the pure white boy and leaned in to stare the boy in the eyes.

"You are completely right! If there is anything this world needs more of it's friendship, love, . . . AND GUTS! Are you feeling it?!"

The white boy stood perfectly still.

"I'm starting to really regret meeting you . . ."

Yabumi crossed his arms and muttered quietly. "Poseur. I've been regretting it for about 17 weeks now . . . "

The white boy found himself being violently shaken back and forth by the headband wearing boy.

"Stop belly-dancing with birds, Dark Chamber! It's inhumane!"

"DARK MATTER! Why is that so difficult?!" The white boy grabbed Sogiita and began to shake him right back.

"It's difficult, but I'll overcome it! With guts!"

Kakine turned to the other boy standing with them and yelled. "Congratutations! You are now guaranteed the number two spot on my list of most unlucky people in this city!"

Yabumi raised an eyebrow and deadpanned. "I have got to meet this other guy."

"You did earlier."

Sogiita broke in to the conversation.

"It's time! Every party loves a body! Chewing hides the sound!"

He takes of running again, this time in a more normal fashion, while singing loudly and off key.

"She is a MODEL and she's LOOO~KING good . . . !"

The boys stand frozen in shock as they listened to his voice retreating into the distance. Kakine turned his head to the other boy.

"Shall we?"

The other boy simply nodded his head and the pair took off like a shot. As they recommenced their chase, Yabumi's voice went echoing through the city.

"Headband loving IDIOT! STOP RUNNING! DON'T YOU GO INTO THAT TEASHOP!"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::

The Tokiwadai trio didn't initially notice their other friends as they were fully engrossed in a deep conversation. It must be very important considering the flaming crimson on the faces of Mikoto and Kuroko. Kongou seemed unperturbed.

"Seriously, Misaka-san. You don't have to be so coy about this. He is well worth the effort. You have my full support in this endeavor!"

"That . . . you . . . it's not like that!"

"Try not to take her too seriously, Onee-sama. I introduced them earlier and I think she developed a case of Cyrano syndrome."

"Cyrano syndrome?"

"It's basically Stockholm-by-proxy syndrome."

"And you know this, why?"

"I leave no avenue of love unconsidered, Onee-sama!"

Saten stood up and began waving her hands at the group. Distraction from a prior conversation, just what the doctor ordered. For both sides.

"Hey! It's us!"

Mikoto was never so happy to see those girls in her life.

"It's Saten and Uiharu! . . . and the bug. Hey guys! What are you doing here?"

The 'bug' spoke up, ignoring the insult to his person. "We are celebrating the results of the system scans. I take it you lovely ladies are here for the same reason."

Kongou was confused. She pointed at the familiar sounding beetle on the table.

"Didn't you go chasing that guy earlier?"

"I still am."

"You're creeping me out." Kongou felt the blood draining from her face upon hearing its answer.

"I can live with that." The beetle replied, sounding rather pleased with itself.

Uiharu pointed to Mikoto's phone, ready for a change in topic. "Misaka-san, we tried to call you just now. Are your phones turned off?"

Mikoto shook her head and pulled out her green Gekota phone with matching strap to double check that the battery hadn't run out. It hadn't.

"No, it's still on. Actually, we tried to call you a little earlier. I thought your phone was off."

"Let me try you number again, Misaka-san." Uiharu redialed Mikoto's number and everyone waited for the ring. Voicemail. Now Mikoto was confused.

"Let me try your phone." She tried dialing Uiharu. Again, voicemail.

Kongou then pulled out her phone and held it out to the two girls. "Try calling my phone then."

Uiharu dialed. The phone rang. Everyone hesitated, while Mikoto tried her phone next. It rang.

"I think we should try a round-robin." The beetle suggested to the others. The next several minutes were filled with dialing and ringing phones. It was surprising that they weren't getting kicked out considering the racket they were making . . .

Finally, Mikoto summarized their findings. "Alright, it looks like Saten and Kongou-san can send and receive calls from all of us, while the rest can't connect to each other."

"Something is wrong here, Onee-sama."

Uiharu spoke up. "This is unusually selective for an error. The same thing happened when we tried calling Kamijo-san."

"The same thing happened when we tried his phone earlier . . . "

"Kongou and I ran into him earlier, Onee-sama. He seemed healthy."

"I haven't noticed him getting into mischief since he parted with you two." The beetle added. "Although to be fair, I'm not entirely sure where he is right now . . . "

"Then we'll look into the error/attack when we get to headquarters today. Since we're all together right now it doesn't really matter."

Kongou then took the opportunity to bring up an unexpected subject. She addressed the other girls.

"I haven't told you yet, but my group and I have made it our priority to bring Misaka-san's secret desires to fruition!"

"Kongou-san . . . " The teleporter standing next to her tried to caution the noble girl. They probably couldn't afford mass damage in this place . . .

"Secret desires?" Uiharu tilted her head in confusion and looked at the electromaster. Mikoto was currently doing her best impression of a stoplight. Kongou blithely continued.

"We will do everything in our power to groom Kamijo-san into the perfect partner for Misaka-san!"

SHATTER!

The girls turned to look at Saten. She had crushed the delicate porcelain teacup in her hands. She stared unblinking at the broken pieces laying in the puddle of the little liquid which had remained. Her fingers opened and closed sporadically.

"SATEN-SAN!" Uiharu rushed over to check her unresponsive friend. No blood. Good.

The other girls continued to stare in wonder at Uiharu's efforts to revive the catatonic girl. The blank stare and dilated pupils were unchanged until a new shock broke through to her.

The girls spun in place as the door to the shop blew open. They watched in shock while a white-clad boy dive rolled through it. Leaping to his feet he yelled to the heavens with abandon.

"WOO! Dramatic entrance for the win! And a '10' from the Russian Judge!"

An angry, yet resigned voice floated in from outside.

"Don't just blast through the door of the most expensive looking shop you can find, you idiot!"

Mikoto stood sparking as she lifted her arm to point at the new arrival.

"YOU!"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::

In an anonymous room somewhere in the city, two young people regarded the picture of a certain hero which hung on the wall.

"He must feel so alone. Being held under the influence of the level fives . . . "

The young man nodded. "I remember District 4 when Mairo-sama went down, we sat and cried by the phone . . ."

The girl looked down at her feet. "We never felt so alone, Ikari-senpai."

The young man reached out to console her. "Number six will not go unpunished. We will find him."

"Maybe, we have already gone crazy . . ." Myuri sighed and shook her head. "We failed to retrieve the Hacker. She will no doubt remain under the Railgun's thumb. She was our last hope . . . "

"The General has forgiven us. The Hero was present."

The girl smiled, remembering. How her body had locked up back then. How ragged was her breathing. She spoke quietly to herself as she reached out and touched the boy in the picture once more.

"We will bring you home . . . "

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::

Sogiita looked both ways in confusion before pointing at himself with both hands.

"ME!"

"IDIOT!"

The boy was unperturbed by the sparking girl in front of him. He gave Mikoto a thumbs up.

"It's alright if I'm an idiot . . . It doesn't matter because I'll overcome it. With GUTS!"

Mikoto looked like she was ready to start pulling out the coins. "Of course it matters! Now Idiot-the-Second, I challenge you to a duel!"

Sogiita scratched his head before grinning at the girl. "Gutsy challenges are the best! You look familiar though. You wouldn't happen to have about ten sisters would you?"

Mikoto was taken aback and began to stutter. "N. . .no! I'm Misaka Mikoto! We fought by the vending machine before. I want a rematch!"

Sogiita gained a look of recognition. He pointed at the twitching middle-school girl

"You're that level five. Sparky-girl!"

"RAILGUN!" Mikoto shrieked and took a menacing step forward. "Once I smash the stupid out of you, I'll be able to finally beat Idiot-the-First!"

"So I'm the mid-boss in this game called life? I've got to meet this other guy!" Sogiita turned to the other girls and held his fist up to eye-level. "WITH GUTS!"

"You stupid . . . " Mikoto started to dig into her pockets. Kuroko jump-tackled her arm.

"Onee-sama! We can't afford to rebuild this place!"

Mikoto growled, but pulled an empty hand from her pocket. With the storm seemingly passed, an average looking high school boy cautiously made his way inside. He was followed closely by a very familiar pure white boy.

Cue the confusion.

"Wha–"

The white boy interrupted the astonished group with a wave of his hand. "Yes, there are two of me. You've seen weirder. Deal with it."

He turned to the beetle on the table. "Have you been comfortable slacking off?"

"Very. Enjoying the matinee showing of 'My Dinner-and-chase-scene with Gunha'?"

"About as much as you are. I demand we switch!"

"You know, arguing with oneself is a sign of brain damage . . . "

"That's your problem then!"

The girls weren't quite sure what to make of this display. This was lunar swimsuit modeling all over again . . .

Sogiita stepped up. The fire was in his eyes as he addressed the group as a whole. "This is a really gutsy party! How often do you get four level fives in one room for tea? This is just like that crowd event the other day . . . "

Mikoto asked the question on everyone's minds. "Are you counting ghost-boy twice?"

"Of course not!" The headband wearing boy stepped forward to where Saten was sitting and extended his hand to shake.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, number eight!"

Time stopped. Saten could only look at the hand hanging in front of her face in wonder. Number eight?

Uiharu quickly spoke for her paralyzed friend. "I think you have made a mistake. There is no number eight level five. Besides, Saten-san is a level zero."

Sogiita waved his hand dismissively. "I might be getting ahead of myself, but you can't fake guts! And this girl is by far the gutsiest person in the room!"

A light near the headband wearing boy flickered briefly. He touched it with a strangely focused expression before he grinned again to the group. "We're needed elsewhere. Be seeing you!"

He grabbed the arms of the other two boys and headed out the door. He paused briefly before calling over to the girl he had addressed before.

"One more thing. He will be there to take your hand, 'Stormfront'. So don't keep him waiting . . ."

The boy then dashed out of the shop with his unwilling companions in tow. Mikoto ran after them, throwing sparks.

"Come back here so I can make you eat that stupid headband, you idiot!"

Uiharu moved to comfort her friend with the other girls following suit.

"Don't worry Saten-san. I don't think he said that to be mean . . ."

"How?"

Uiharu paused in suprise. "Pardon?"

"How did he know?"

Kuroko spoke up, equally confused by her friend's reaction. "Know what, Saten-san?"

"They called me Stormfront in my dreams . . ."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kakine and Yabumi found themselves in something of a funny situation. Mind you, if you asked them right now they wouldn't be laughing.

The sight of Sogiita Gunha racing along the road with two young men violently in tow behind him was exactly what that funny situation was, compounded by the fact that the trio was also currently being chased by a sparking girl from Tokiwadai.

"Get back here and fight, you IDIOT!" Mikoto yelled and grabbed hold of a nearby bridge with her magnetism to slingshot herself even with the trio.

"No time, missy! Our guts are needed elsewhere!" Sogiita nodded towards the destination he had been aiming for.

The others felt their jaws drop in unison when they witnessed the disaster in the all too near distance. Vast plumes of smoke rose into the sky from a sea of confusion and destruction. Kakine could see people running around in a panic while giant construction robots tromped and smashed into everything they could reach with their enormous metal limbs.

It was then that the chilling fact hit him. He had no idea this had been happening. There were dozens of him in the area and yet he knew nothing of them. It was as if he were the only one.

Kakine shuddered.

"Why are you bringing me into this?!" Yabumi shrieked into the ears of his so-called friend.

"Mars needs redshirts!" Sogiita yelled back.

"YOU BETTER BE JOKING! ! !"

Kakine narrowed his eyes. It was time. "Number seven, release me."

With that, six seraph's wings erupted from his back with an echoing roar like thunder. The violent noise brought the attention of all those within the battle zone. He lifted from the ground with a dust raising burst of air and was propelled like a cannon shot into the danger zone.

"Now that's what I call guts." Sogiita stated with a grin while the group picked themselves up from the ground.

"I'm not going to let that showoff get the best of me!" Mikoto exclaimed and shot herself forward like one of her own coins.

Sogiita turned to the remaining boy with a smile. Yabumi stepped back.

"NO!"

"Yes." Sogiita grabbed the boy and tucked him under his arm. Now secured, they too shot forward closing the remaining distance in under a minute.

As soon as his head cleared, Yabumi picked himself up from the heap he had landed in when Sogiita dropped him upon arriving. He started to look around to assess the situation.

Mikoto and Kakine were doing rather well, it seemed. Kakine was using his wings to batter away any debris that got too near the people around him, while Mikoto used her magnetism to pick up and smash the various robots that ventured into her range.

Sogiita dashed forward and swung his fist. "Amazing Punch!"

The shockwave knocked two robots into a third. The were soon destroyed when Mikoto fired a dumpster into them. Yabumi noticed another robot smashing through an alley behind a group of people.

A young woman with short black hair and glasses had gathered together a group of terrified children. She pushed them into the open, away from the alley. She turned the corner and dropped to the ground as a set of white wings were cut loose, destroying the robot in the alley before dissolving away into nothingness. Kakine quickly became distracted by a pair menacing another group of students.

Yabumi noticed that one of the children, a little girl, had tripped and fallen in the street. He raced over to her without a care for the danger and picked her up. As he turned, he noticed that the wall behind the young woman was starting to collapse. It would crush her!

"SOGIITA! ! !"

"Amazing PUNCH ! ! !" The level five sent out a shock wave that crumbled the wall, reversing its direction.

Yabumi put down the little girl in a safer location and ran over to the young woman. He begin freeing her from the debris that had fallen on her. Kakine knelt alongside him and checked the girls vital signs.

"She's breathing, but it was a good hit." He said to the boy.

"She isn't badly bleeding anywhere." Yabumi added as the two finally freed her. "You need to bring her to the hospital."

"Why can't–"

"I know Sogiita well enough to direct people out of his way. You are the one that can get her there the fastest with the least trauma. Tell them we need help. Now GO!"

The pure white boy blinked for a moment before he nodded and picked up the unconscious young women. With a roar of his wings, he was aloft and traveling like a shot. Yabumi nodded his head at the retreating seraph and turned to see a group of people huddled behind a bench.

"Duty calls . . . "

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::

The girls and beetle sitting around the table were silent. The air was heavy with the unwillingness to broach the subject weighing on each of their minds. It was the beetle who finally made an attempt, barely above a whisper as if fearing the silence would shatter.

". . . it's not really that outlandish. Considering the results."

"Results?"

"Her system scan results, Shirai-san. Her normalized gain was 32.6%"

"What."

The beetle waved its tiny limb. "Uiharu-san, the paper."

"Right. Here it is, Shirai-san." Uiharu handed it to the girls, who were then crowding around it. The size of their eyes would have been comical had the mood been lighter.

"O–Onee-sama gained 29.8% this morning, I gained 20.102%. How about you, Kongou?"

The noble girl fluttered her fan sheepishly in front of her face. " . . . 17.1%."

Kuroko placed the paper down on the table with a slow and deliberate motion. "It's rare for a level zero to ever reach as high as level three. To the best of my knowledge only one of them has ever achieved level four. I think that boy was just being cruel . . ."

The beetle twitched and raised itself somewhat from its place on the table. "The boy is insane. I will grant you that. But, . . ."

The beetle ambled over to where Uiharu was sitting and placed itself in its usual position, clipped to her skirt. "That boy knows things he has no right to know. Things he never could have learned and forgets soon after. If he says Saten-san is the number eight, then I'm inclined to believe it."

Silence once again fell upon the group. Uiharu looked at the grim, mixed expressions on the faces of her friends. She had to get their minds off this subject and fast.

"Ah! I just remembered. I haven't told you about a group I have been tracking for a week now. I caught them trying to hack into the esper power databases."

Kuroko perked up her ears. "Do they have a name?"

"Yes, they call themselves 'Middle Line'."

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Anyone who was looking up would have been treated to a surprising sight. An angel flying over head, a splendor of white wings. This was Kakine Teitoku, the one who saves.

The pure white boy looked at his passenger when he felt her beginning to stir. She was regaining consciousness! The young woman squinted slightly and whispered in a hoarse voice that the boy could only just hear.

" . . . Beetle . . . san?"

He blinked in surprise. "We have met then, I take it?"

She shook her head. "Not personally, but I remember you from the picture on Uiharu's desk."

Kakine suddenly realized the picture she was talking about. After they met up on Saturday, Uiharu had insisted that the four of them take a picture together, before heading to Tokiwadai. He smiled as he remembered the arrangement. The two girls took the inside, each taking one of the boys' arms while throwing the peace sign and winking at the camera. Uiharu had his arm, while Saten took hold of a very sheepish looking Touma. He finally grinned down at the injured young woman.

"I take it you work with Uiharu then?" She nodded. "Thank you for looking after her."

"It's no problem. My names Konori, by the way. Konori Mii. Were you the one who saved me?"

The white boy shook his head. "The number seven is the one that stopped the wall from hitting you. I'm just the talking ambulance."

"I would really like to thank the both of you . . ."

"Don't worry. I'll bring him to see you after we finish with that little ruckus back there."

"Thank you."

The boy nodded silently. They had arrived at the frog-faced doctor's hospital. Kakine explained the situation and they sent out all available vehicles to assist in moving the patients.

The boy paused outside the hospital before heading back. A white mass dripped like molten wax from his open palm and formed itself into the shape of a small white beetle.

"Good. You can keep an eye on her for now."

"Will do. Why couldn't we do this earlier, during the fight?" The beetle asked feeling puzzled.

"We tried."

"I don't like it." The beetle stated, alighting on the nearby wall.

The white boy turned and rose into the sky.

"Neither do I . . . Neither do I.. . . "

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In the anonymous room, the young man assured the girl beside him.

"You are right Myuri-chan. We will return him to the world he has worked so hard to build. A throne we are only keeping warm for him."

Myuri's eyes sparkled. A king must have a queen . . .

A cell phone rang and Ikari quickly answered.

"General?" He frowned

" . . ."

"He is in talks with the Queen?"

" . . . "

"I understand she is under contract, but can we trust her with the Hero?"

" . . . "

Myuri felt a tightening in her chest she gripped her shirt with white knuckles.

A King will need a Queen . . . .

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The white boy had made it back to the scene of destruction, it seemed as though the fun concluded without him. He shook his head feeling a little disappointed. Noticing the others in a small group with an Anti-skill officer, he descended and touched down behind them. The Anti-skill member didn't take the arrival well . . .

"AAHH!" The small dark-haired woman with glasses toppled flat on her back. Yabumi helped her to her feet. She looked at the newcomer with a sheepish expression "Sorry . . . "

"My fault. I forget that my reputation precedes me . . ."

"R–right . . . Anyway it seems that there were a minimum of casualties owing to your efforts." The women pauses briefly. "Anti-skill wishes to thank you for your support. As procedure, we will need testimonies."

The white boy spoke up, waving his hand for her attention."If it's all the same, I have a young woman in the hospital waiting to thank the number seven for saving her."

"A–ah, well then . . . "

Yabumi waved the two of them away. "Then go. I can provide testimony for Sogiita-san."

"I-I suppose that would be fine. Do you need a ride to your dorm then?"

Yabumi nodded. "That would be major help, thanks."

Mikoto quickly put her hand up. "I could use help convincing the dorm manager that what I did here was justified . . . "

The small woman gives a small smile and nods. "Right then. When my partner brings the car around, we'll be able do the interviews on the way."

Kakine looks over to Sogiita. "Then it's settled. Shall we go?"

"Right! Destiny awaits! With GUTS!"

The headband wearing boy blasted away into the sky spouting streamers of brilliantly colored smoke behind him. The remaining members of the group were knocked to the ground

"I'm not getting paid enough . . . " The white boy muttered as he picked himself up and, upon regrowing his wings, took to the sky. In only a few moments he landed in front of the hospital's entrance. A small white beetle on the wall greeted him.

"Number seven went inside. All clear?"

"Yes. I take it you know what happened now?"

"Indeed. I received memories as soon as you came into sight."

"We'll have to look into this. Distance never mattered before . . ."

"I'll do what I can." the beetle turned and started to ascend the wall. "You better get in there before something breaks . . . "

"Right, right." The white boy agreed and quickly headed inside.

The front desk had directed Sogiita to the young woman's room already and he was in a deep and animated conversation with her when Kakine arrived surreptitiously in the room.

Kakine could feel his face splitting into a wide grin at the sight of Konori.

The color on her face. The hesitation in her voice. The murmured inflection of those words. The way her eye's met Sogiita's for only the briefest of moments before darting away. Again and again . . .

He muttered quietly to himself. "Perfect . . . "

With a quiet cough he stepped further into the room making the others aware of his presence.

"Ah, Beetle-san. Thank you for bringing Sogiita-san to visit."

"Oh I assure you I merely pointed the direction. He on the other hand couldn't get her fast enough . . ."

"It's true! You were the one who saved all those children back there, so the pleasure is all mine!"

"I–I was just doing my duty as a member of judgment . . . t–that's all really . . . " Konori looked away from the boy trying to control the shaking in her voice. She could feel the heat on her cheeks as she tried to compose herself. This went out the window when the headband wearing boy grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his own.

"You're in Judgment?! That takes guts! You really are an amazing person!"

Konori was having trouble breathing. "I–I . . . me . . . I–I . . . ."

The white boy spoke up with a playful tone. "Hey, Sogiita-san. You said you wanted to join Judgment, right? Why don't you join her branch?"

The girl's head turned towards him so fast that Kakine thought it was going to come off. Her eyes were large enough to have a diagonal picture rating . . .

"That sounds great! Do you really think they'll take me?"

"I think you're a shoe in . . . ."

"That's amazing! This is a whole new opportunity to train my guts! . . . Konori-san are you alright? You look like you are getting a fever and you're squeezing my hand hard enough that I'm starting to feel it."

The girl in question was not responding. She was staring at the pure white boy with an expression he has seen many times before. All in a day's work . . .

"This is your cellphone, right, Konori-san? Here Sogiita-san, put in your number. She'll need to contact you for the position."

The white boy pulled the phone off the nearby table and handed it to the headband barer. He turned to Konori with a wicked little smile. The girl was no longer coherent.

"Done! Call me anytime! My guts never go on vacation!" The boy placed the phone back on the table and gave Konori a thumbs up. Her eyes were rolling back into her head . . . .

Kakine spoke up, addressing the other boy. "Now that that is done, why don't we let her get some rest. She seems to be needing it . . . "

"Agreed! So long, Konori-san! Feel better soon! We need to show this city our guts!"

"All in due time. Now, can I have a word with you in the hallway?"

The white boy waved the other out of the room. He looked at the Judgment girl laying on the bed. She was staring up at the ceiling one hand still raised, her fingers slowly grasping for something no longer there. He slowly slid the door closed behind him.

"Utterly perfect . . . "

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Myuri listened as her superior continued speaking with the General.

The boy had begun to pace in frustration. "I understand that she is necessary, but the pace she is setting is far from ideal."

" . . . "

"Wouldn't a more direct method be simpler?"

" . . . "

"Yes I am fully aware of the limitations when dealing with Somnipathic espers, however few there are . . . "

" . . . "

" . . . The Dreamer will be the first born of One. We will ensure there are no mistakes."

The phone line went dead. Ikari sighed and put away his phone. The General was not one to chit-chat.

Myuri shifted from one foot to the other before she worked up the courage to say what was on her mind.

"You know what this means, right?"

The boy sat down at a nearby table, placing his elbows on it. He buried his eyes in the palms of his hands. Myuri continued, her voice coming out as a whisper.

"If we fail, the Hero will never forgive us . . . "

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With the fun now behind him, Kakine pushed Sogiita towards the lobby were they could talk without disturbing the hospital staff. When they got to a quiet corner he nodded.

"Right, It's time that I explain why I was looking for you . . . "

"It was the call of the GUTS! No need to explain!"

"Can you be serious for ONE MINUTE!?"

Sogiita only sent the white boy a dual thumbs up. "One minute it is!"

Kakine rubbed his forehead. " . . . I can work with that."

The white boy took a deep breath and looked intently at the other boy. "After meeting your friend earlier, I feel better about you."

"That's great, Dark Hatter!"

"DARK MATTER! I know you're doing it on purpose. No one is that stupid." The white boy grabbed Sogiita and started to shake him like he was the largest Christmas present under the tree.

The headband wearing boy fell backwards, landing in a seated position with a distant look in his eyes. He muttered cryptically, but made no move to stand up.

"If you underestimate her, she will leave you behind. She is the first child of the One. Broken is not lost . . . ."

"Sogiita!"

The boy's eyes found their focus and he regarded the white boy from the floor. He quietly stood up and brushed himself off. Kakine narrowed his eyes and questioned the number seven.

"What did you mean?" Kakine clarified upon seeing Sogiita's confusion. "When you were on the floor."

"I don't remember saying anything."

The white boy shook his head. "I think you need to start listening to yourself. There are parts of you hidden in the dark that you need to find. Like there's something big hiding just out of sight . . . "

Sogiita nodded. "You aren't the first to make that assessment . . . "

The white boy wasn't surprised to hear that. "Still, I think it will be a good idea if you look out for Konori-san. She's a good person. I think she'll be a good source for moral support and grounding."

Sogiita threw the white boy a thumbs up. "Works for me! How about you? What's your next move?"

"Tomorrow is another level five. Suggestions?"

"How about Sparky?"

Kakine shook his head. "Mikoto-san was yesterday."

Sogiita put his hand on his chin lost in thought. Suddenly, he perked up and put one finger in the air.

"That blond level five, 'Mentally In' or something. She was severely lacking in guts during the Daihasei opening ceremony!"

Kakine nodded. Number five it was then. "Very well, I'll leave it at that."

"Good luck" The headband wearing boy gave a gentle punch to the white boy's shoulder as he passed by. "Perhaps the ending has not yet been written . . . "

Kakine blinked in confusion. Another spell . . . ? Sogiita walked back to the ward they had left earlier, the enigmatic look on his face made the white boy pause briefly.

As Kakine turned to leave, he heard the voice of the other boy. He turned back quickly, but the number seven was already gone.

"Dark Matter, who is the General?"

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It was nearing curfew when Saten finally left Uiharu's dorm. After the shop, the two of them went back there to try to sort things out. She had assured Uiharu that she would be fine by herself and left. Sleep sounded good. She just hoped she would be able to sleep . . . .

In her distraction, she missed the uneven pavement and dropped in an ungraceful heap on the ground. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees. She muttered.

"Nice move, level five . . ."

"Saten-san?"

She looked up and thought she was going to have a heart attack. It was him.

"Kamijo-san! What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering how the system scans went, but everyone's phone was off the hook or something." He scratched his head and continued. "I thought I would check on you guys on my way home today."

Saten could feel herself grasping the fabric of her skirt tight enough to rip the fabric. She forced herself to loosen her grip.

"That's sweet, Kamijo-san. You didn't have to go to the trouble . . ."

"It's no trouble. Here, I'll walk you to your dorm." He reached out his hand to the seated girl.

Saten stared at that hand like she expected it to turn into some wild animal. Finally, her own hand reached out and closed the distance, coming to rest clasped in his own. It felt warm.

"Thank you Kamijo-san . . . "

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Author's Notes:

Saten's the number eight?! We'll just have to wait and see . . .

FYI: Cyrano syndrome and Somnipathic espers were made up (at least in this usage . . . ) by me. Try to guess the implication. Sogiita (and several of the others) also quotes a wide variety of sources. Harem anime, western cartoons, Doctor Who, and obscure bands.

We're running Sogiita/Konori? Ship-to-ship combat FTW!

My favorites: Kakine being trolled (unintentionally) by Sogiita, and Kakine trolling himself . . .

Just for reference, the activities of this entire fic are occuring after NT7 but before the start of NT8.

I haven't read NT8 yet (I was waiting for the translation to finish), so I don't know the timing between the two stories in canon. For my fic, I say that ~1-2 weeks have passed from Agitate Halation before the start of 'He will Surely Save' which itself covers about a week and a half of running time. NT8 would start a week or so after this fic is concluded. Other than that AU element, I want to stay close to canon. Some OOC to be expected of course . . .

EDIT:

Hello all, I would like to thank all of you for your reviews, favs, and follows!

I have read NT8 By now. I am mostly pleased, but I thought Lessar was a bit subdued . . .

Reviews:

Glad to hear we have Saten supporters among us! I hope you will be pleased by the way things turn out over the course of this fic (and the probably four other ones following).

I'm working hard on the next two chapters and have most of the plot points written for part five. We'll see how long it takes to write them . . .

SilverIceRing: After reading the few Sogiita fics, I decided to have fun with him. He is mostly having trouble taking Kakine seriously. Sogiita seems to be hiding something amazing, whether or not he knows it . . . The new group will be explained over the course of the rest of the fic. Keep an eye out for them . . .

Blue-Sanctum: The 'vivid' dreams will be teased for a little while . . . . Glad you enjoyed Troll Sogiita. He was very fun to write.

Luna Warsong: Glad you enjoyed it all! The Queen probably would have had more fun had Himegami not followed Touma in . . .

Triple Zed: Actually, I am placing this fic between NT7 and NT8. I am just forcing the time line so that there is a month or so between the two.

Arcane Valor: Glad you like the OC. Myuri-chan is a call back to part one, it seems the mugging wasn't just a mugging . . .

Finally Many Thanks (!) to: Lenda; Lothar; Mimo; Luna; Lelyna; Lobster; Laki; Loner; Clover; A Certain Unfortunate Guy; SilverIceRing; Blue-Sanctum; Luna Warsong; Triple Zed; Alciel; Arcane Valor; Han-ko; FlyingCow65; The Azure Heart; SaphireHeart; LoveMadness; The DarkBringer; Billy Ruffian; Catherine; Kokie

My guess is another 2 weeks for the next part. Probably not as long as this one, but you never know . . .

Until next time, Lets get writing!