Welcome to Between the Lines.

This is a separate project for another one that you probably know me best for on this fanfiction category: A Certain Unknown Level 0. If you wanted a back story for this project, it was back when all the data on my USB was erased and I felt that I had to make it up to those that really wanted to read what I was writing. As I had no knew material though, I made it up through these one-shots. And here they are on an official page.

This was perhaps because of the fact that I felt as though my main story focuses on a particular character for the time length of an arc but at the same time, the character becomes the focus for the length of that arc and perhaps can be mentioned later in other arcs and even participate. Of course, I hope that no one complains about that but the major disadvantage there in the fact that, well one has to put up with what I write for the length of that arc.

I realize that many people out there would want me to write different characters in a context that is perhaps closer to the canon than my own project there but at the same time, this project is really one that allows me to really focus on light hearted nature that this series gives, especially with its different characters.

Please note though that this project really doesn't have anything to do with my other one UNLESS someone really wants me to write something that was seen A Certain Unknown Level 0 that they want expanded in this field here. Similarly, anything that is written here is something that does not really count for A Certain Unknown Level 0 as well. In this respect though, the SS 2013 Christmas Special is something that perhaps belongs here as it is non-canon to the story line.

If you wanted to see if I wrote anything like that once again, perhaps this would be the place to visit in the future.

But is I wanted to say something about this project, it's that as it is one-shots, I leave the topics and what you want me to write about up to you. Think of it as a customizable restaurant. You choose the 'menu' or the one-shots and I'll see what I can do.

Yet at the same time, I really want you guys to remember that I'll be balancing the others works that I have as well.

But first and foremost, (excluding those that did not already read this previously), I want to thank my beta reader PokeRescue18 for this work with this. He didn't really have to but he contributed and I really am thankful for this. It's probably because he got on board that I did in the first place.

And thanks for sticking with this strange project for me.

And this applies to all chapters from now on so I don't have to write it again:

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own To Aru Majustu No Index nor its affiliations or anything written by Kamachi Kazuma or owned by such.

But apart from that: enjoy.

Mr Question Mark.

The Memory that Only One Remembers. Connection_in_the_Heart

"Look, look! Isn't that-!?"

"It is!"

"But why are they here?"

The Tokiwadai Middle School students in their gym uniforms merely stood among the 'commoners' round them as they noted the lecherous stares of the boys around them and the sudden tightness that their uniforms seemed to have.

"Honestly, why is that we have to come here for gym? Even though we have a pool back at school, I think it's rather pointless that we need to do specific tasks for each day."

Misaka Mikoto remarked that in an off handed fashion while leaning against the wire mesh fence of the sports equipment that the Tokiwadai students had managed to hire for the day, although in very small numbers given the size and status of the school.

Whether or not it reflected the fact that Tokiwadai had better facilities that they were not willing to rent out all of the facilities or the fact that some people were jealous of the 'ojou-sama' image that the students held, some of the students were made to sit on the benches in front of the equipment that was in front of them while others were made to use it.

The equipment in nature? The batting cage that was located in District 7.

Although it was after school, something that caused a problem for most of the students that were made to endure this primitive batting facility, these students were those that had managed to skip out from gym class for numerous reasons and as such, this pseudo-supplementary class had been set up especially for them.

Yet-

"What I don't get though is why you're here. I would think you would save us both the trouble of meeting each other with that Mental Out of yours, Shokuhou Misaki."

Mikoto frowned towards the girl that was sitting on the bench in front of the equipment, much like the others, as she waved a hand and parted the girls that were surrounding her as if they were clothes on a rack.

Shokuhou merely smiled towards Mikoto, even though she was in her gym uniform, as she pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I would like nothing better Misaka-san." replied Shokuhou with a casual tone although the tension in it was detectable by that fellow Level 5. "But it seems that my little tolerance ability for gym has meant that in order to attempt to get me to be more athletic, the teachers have requested me to be here. Although I could merely manipulate their memories, I do need a breath of fresh air. Not only that but it gives me the chance to see how things are on the outside."

Mikoto frowned in regards to what the other Level 5 said, noticing though that there were definitely some people in the crowd that was around Shokuhou that were not wearing the Tokiwadai uniform that they were both wearing.

Was she expanding her 'influence' beyond the school grounds? Or was she slowly spreading her influence in order to get a peek into the minds of those that did not see through the fake façade that she had set up herself?

Mikoto wondered however she knew that Shokuhou would never intentionally put people under her control in any life-threatening danger so she had no need to try and stop Shokuhou from mingling with others. But the fact that she could do such a thing without a care for others really annoyed her.

Why control other people's lives when they were theirs to live? Was that a rejection of their will, their very purpose? It was a philosophical question however the fact that Shokuhou could literally toy with people's will and being without a care went against the ideals that Mikoto held.

"So in the end, are you actually going to do anything? With those pieces of fat, I imagine you must have had a hard time actually getting here." remarked Mikoto with a bitter tone.

"You on the other hand had no trouble getting here, you monster Amazon. Did you escape from a battle manga Misaka-san?"

Both of the Level 5s looked at each other, although the silent sparks that escaped through their eyes collided in mid-air although it was something that was not noticeable by those around them.

"Misaka! Your turn is up! You're the last one today so we're using 1000 balls for your practice, hit using your power to manipulate the bats and we're all done! Everyone else, you can stay or leave but head back to your dorms before curfew is up!"

Their gym teacher, called out to the others and most of the students bid each other a good day, although most of them did so to Shokuhou before finally leaving, meaning that the majority of the girls that remained were those that seemed to be drawn towards Shokuhou's centre of gravity, although to Mikoto it was more the centre of her chest.

She also noted that although Shokuhou had not had her turn, Mikoto was the last one to be called. Although it bothered her that once again she was messing with people's memories, appealing to her better nature was not something that Mikoto thought was possible.

Boys stood around the cage as well as some girls as Mikoto walked into the cage with her hands in her pockets of her gym uniform, looking at the ball dispensers at the end of the cage.

They were set up in two rows of two, each of them placed so they looked like a four on a die. Mikoto looked to the side, at the bats that were placed on the edge of the cage, walking over to each of them as she lifted them up and inspected them from close up.

"Bats are more Saten-san's field but…."

Mikoto said that comment offhand before she opened her hands, manipulating magnetism in order to lift 4 bats from the ground so that they hovered in front of her expertly as she maintained a proper batting stance even though she was not holding a bat.

The bats floated around her and lined themselves up on both her right and left in front of as Mikoto closed one eye as she watched the ball dispensers go into motion, slowly moving the first ball into the slot.

"And-!"

The voice of the gym teacher resounded through the air and numerous students brought out their phones as they watched the girl, unwanted attention that made Mikoto maintain a stiff smile.

Attention during gym was the last thing that she wanted however she put up with it. If anything, if she acted on the attention, Shokuhou would probably manipulate the memory in order to portray her as a beast that she wanted everyone to think Mikoto was. And there was no way that Mikoto was going to give into that!

"Begin!"

The gym teacher's voice immediately unleashed the balls from the ball dispensers as Mikoto used her magnetism to swing the bats as she swung her imaginary bat in the process, the sound of 4 balls hitting 4 bats filling the batting cage as the balls sailed into the air and hit the roof of the cage.

Cries of awe filled the area however a shout of "There's more!" made everyone turn towards the sight of Mikoto swing the bats in repetitive actions, each of them hitting their targets as Mikoto moved the bats around in order to possibly provide a challenge for herself the entire time.

Yet, although all eyes were on Mikoto, there was one person whose eyes were not.

Shokuhou Misaki looked not at the cage where Mikoto was batting with surprising accuracy (as was to be expected with that sporty girl) but rather at the cage that was next to her, a cage that was marked with tape that read 'Do Not Enter' across it. The cage itself seemed in good condition however the ball dispenser at the end was gone, the only thing replacing it being a large black mass with the metal plate bent outwards from the inside as if something had burst out from within it.

The girls that had surrounded Shokuhou had already moved away from her in order to observe the form of Mikoto however even so, Shokuhou had not minded this once. She crossed her legs, placing her elbow on her knee as she leaned her head on her hand while looking to the left of the cage where Mikoto was batting.

There had been another reason why Shokuhou had chosen to stay in this place and not manipulated the memory of the Tokiwadai staff completely when it came to this pointless gym exercise.

This was another place where she had a memory with perhaps the most important person in her life.

As the incident that regarded Mitsuari Ayu was over, she was glad to see that, like with the Ground Geo, this location matched what happened in her memory and this was one of the things where she had possibly done the unexpected with a person that exceeded every expectation that had been placed on her.

That time was perhaps one of the few occasions where she had been glad to initially start the sporty program that 'he' had egged her on to do, although it had ended with disaster.

Shokuhou laughed without meaning to as she remembered the thought, attracting attention of those around her, especially Mikoto causing her to miss numerous of the balls that were being fired in rapid succession now, although she didn't care.

This was one of her many memories.

Memories of that summer that seemed so long ago.

"That's why we're here."

The younger Kamijou Touma stood on the other side of the batting cage in his summer uniform with his arms crossed and his face looking proud while the younger, underdeveloped Shokuhou Misaki trembled while standing in the batting cage.

"I-It seemed like such a good idea at first. I-It honestly did." Shokuhou trembled now that she had been stripped of her handbag by Kamijou, something that was sitting next to his side as he watched her however even then she did not take notice.

Her hands trembled around the wooden bat that she was trying to lift up and she mentally cursed herself for allowing her to be persuaded by the somewhat convincing argument that the boy had given her when they had managed to meet by chance in a convenience store that sold school stationary.

She may have been a high-class rich girl but even Shokuhou knew that there was no point going to buy the most expensive pencils and pens when there were cheaper options that lasted longer and were half the price.

They had simply met before one thing had led to another, Kamijou offering to show her something that she had yet to experience. She cursed herself for letting her guard down when she was with him however even since she had received that damn whistle from him, she had never really thought of him as a person that she had to put up that façade for.

He accepted her for who she was and that, given everything that had happened regarding Dolly, was perhaps something stronger than words of the wise or endless gifts and praise.

However even then, she seemed rather let down that she had been tamed by him in the short time that they had known each other but she only blamed herself. After all, these experiences seemed to bring something new to her each time so she didn't regret any of them.

Well, she probably did now.

"What are you talking about? What happened to the impression of a 'young woman' that you wanted!? You're lacking the breasts but you may as well improve in the improvement in areas that you have no talent in!"

"Shut up! I am a young woman! No man can resist my charm!" retorted Shokuhou as she turned her head and dropped the wooden bat, pointing to herself in pride.

"Sure, sure. You're the best Shokuhou. Just pick up the bat OK?" replied Kamijou as he waved his hand back and forth.

"What is that half-assed answer? Are you trying to be nice or something?!" complained Shokuhou as she stormed to the edge of the cage.

"Hah! Of course! Through the use of fox words, I shall overcome this obstacle and help you improve towards the objective that you want! Besides, you're better at sport than you think. When you jabbed me in the head with your bag, that followed the same motion of hitting a ball you know?" replied Kamijou although he had no need to fear Mental Out given her confines in then cage and having being stripped of her powers. [1]

Shokuhou grumbled to herself however recognised the effort that the boy was making. He was taking his own time in order to help Shokuhou with something that she didn't really need help with so it was questionable what she thought she would get out of this encounter however she went along with it anyway.

"How I hit you with my bag huh? Well, I just got the edge and swung." replied Shokuhou as she trembled and lifted the bat up slowly.

"Yeah, yeah like that! I'm kind of scared if this will make me develop some strange tendencies in the future but yeah! Imagine you're hitting me! Wait….actually do you have some sort of grudge against me!? I don't think I did anything serious to you you know! I apologised for what happened in District 21 didn't I!?"

Shokuhou swung the bat with all of her might, completing the action with an accuracy that even baseball professionals would have gagged at had they seen the action that she had performed.

"Do you want to come over here and say that!?" she asked, a dark miasma-like substance flowing from her mouth.

"I-I'll think I'll pass. But yeah! Like that! Do it a few more times!"

Shokuhou did as she was asked, Kamijou from the other side of the cage demonstrating with a bat the correct position that Shokuhou emulated and it was a short time later that they had undertaken using actual balls in the practice towards making Shokuhou more athletic.

'OK! You ready Shokuhou?"

"N-No! You never said we would be doing this like this! I want the easy method! Can't we start with something softer than an actual ball?!" she quivered in fright as she looked towards Kamijou who was standing near the edge of the cage with his hand on a lever that unleashed the balls from the dispenser.

"You'll never learn like that! Where do you think you'll get if you don't put in the effort?"

"Those types of words will not convince me to act! The whole 'you can do it' act ability won't work on me!"

"OK, unleashing ball number 1 now!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?" There was a clicking sound on the other end of the cage and Shokuhou saw the ball load itself into the slot.

She remembered her training. She looked at the bat that was in her arms, tensed her fingers in their gloves and looked up towards the ball that was coming her way-

Just as the ball itself whizzed past her head, the air from the momentum lifting her hair up in all directions.

'K-Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!? I-I won't do it! I won't! I almost died there! Let me out! Let me out!" screamed the athletic girl as she pounded on the cage with her hands, attracting stares from those around her in response.

Kamijou on the other hand merely gave a sigh, opening the cage however walked into it with her before closing it. She gave him a strange look as he did so.

"What are you doing?! I wanted you to-"

"I know what you wanted. But at the same time, there are some things that you have to bear even though you don't want to accept them. That's just how things are OK? I know that you know what I mean." Kamijou said to her with a small smile on his face.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Shokuhou to which Kamijou merely pointed to the door.

"I didn't unlock that door to get in. You could have left anytime. But you stayed. That means that a part of you at least wants there to be some form of progress in this right?" he asked her.

"Ah." Shokuhou's face slightly went red however she turned away before Kamijou could see the action. Although she didn't want to admit it, the day had progressed well for her even though she was doing something that she was not used to and she felt rather selfish in the sense that she had wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.

"Just stay for a bit longer OK? And call me Kamijou-sensei! I'll give you the crash course that you need to make a name for yourself within seconds!" he shouted with enthusiasm as he picked up the bat on the ground.

"Kamijou-sensei? I think not. You must have a large amount of confidence ability if you think I have enough respect ability or affection points for you to call you that!" she said however the boy paid it no mind as he walked towards her with the bat, handing it to her which she reluctantly took.

And then, something sudden happened that Shokuhou had never expected.

Kamijou circled behind her and grabbed her hands that were placed on the bat without warning, his body pressing up against hers in a position that middle school students had indecent thoughts about at their age.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-!" stammered Shokuhou however Kamijou raised his hands, and thus Shokuhou's as they watched the ball in the ball dispenser hang there.

"OK. The first thing is to keep an eye on the ball. You got that? No matter what happens, the ball is the reason why you're here. When you lose sight of that then you've already lost. The ball will come at you at an incredible speed but your bat is your weapon. It is the thing that allows you to strike and overcome this obstacle that you've chosen to overcome. Have you got that young Padawan?" asked Kamijou.

"Th-The ball is my target. The bat is my weapon. Understood sen-What the!? I almost gave in just then! Just how good is your persuasion ability?!" Shokuhou asked as she turned her head however found that the boy's face was a little too close for her comfort, turning away as she looked at the ball in the dispenser.

"Never mind that! Are you ready? The ball is going to come anytime now!" yelled Kamijou, making her jump.

"A-Anytime!? What do you-"

The ball fired from the dispenser and Shokuhou let out a scream as she swung the bat, while Kamijou was still holding onto her hands.

The bat swung through the air as the ball flew through it-

*Swoosh*

*Smack*

*Splat*

"Ow! M-My liver! You hit my liver! Just how hopeless are you!?" yelled Kamijou as he rolled on the ground however it was Shokuhou that answered back with an even more pressing remark.

"Are you kidding me!? That ball hit me in the face even though I clipped it! I knew that this had bad idea ability written all over it!" cried Shokuhou as she picked up the ball that was in front of her on the ground, trying to throw it at Kamijou's face and, even though he was right in front of her, she missed and it landed in front of the boy.

There was an awkward silence as the two students looked at the ball, Kamijou eventually standing up and placing a comforting hand on Shokuhou's shoulder.

"It's OK. We won't do this again."

"D-Did you just give up!? What were you talking about bearing things before? Are you allowed to even quit like this as my tutor?" protested Shokuhou at the unfair dismissal and giving up attitude that Kamijou had adopted.

"Don't say that when you're not even paying me! I'm a Level 0 so if a Level 5 were to be paying me, I would do anything you wanted for a reasonable fee! I think I was wrong in my approach to teach you anyway. OK, then how about this way?" Kamijou, while holding his liver approached the bat and picked it up from the ground as Shokuhou moved to the side as she watched the boy.

"First, watch how I do it! And then if you want to continue then-"

*Pfft*

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

There was the sound of something ejecting and both Shokuhou and Kamijou turned in order to see the baseball flying at top speed right towards Kamijou's face. Even though Shokuhou had managed to clip the ball, she had done so with Kamijou holding it as well, so the impact to her face (which had left a rather amusing bruise) had not been that severe.

But that would not be the same for Kamijou who was caught completely unaware.

And he reacted in the way that a normal middle school student would.

"Damn iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttttttttttttttt!" Kamijou swung the bat with all his might, his hands sweating unreasonably from the sudden stress yet-

The ball landed squarely in Kamijou's face, the momentum on the swing that Kamijou was meaning that the bat was still in motion, the sweat on his hands causing him to loosen the grip on the bat because of the ball hitting him in the face, meaning that the bat sailed out of his grip and flew through the air.

Furthermore, the blow to Kamijou's face literally through him off his feet as he landed on the ground, rolling on the ground as he clutched his face as the ball rolled on the ground, with a touch of red on it.

And the response of the person that had witnessed the entire thing?

"Really?! And you criticise my athletic ability with th-"

Although Shokuhou said that, she raced towards the boy however never got the chance to reach him. The reason was simple.

Remember that bat that had flown out of Kamijou's grip? Said bat had flown through the air in such a parabolic arc that it seemed to defy the laws of physics and mathematics, circling through the air and hitting the dispenser machine right in the middle of it loading in the next ball.

Naturally, the malfunction in the working equipment had caused a small spark however that was all that was needed to set the wooden bat alight, something that given the close proximity to the electrical equipment set it alight as well.

The resulting explosion threw Shokuhou off her feet as the cloud of dust that erupted from the ball dispenser meant that the remains of it was the sheet of metal that the dispenser had been on being dyed black from the smoke with a large area of metal distorted where the explosion had occurred.

Shokuhou went wide eyed as she looked at the scene in front of her while the boy on the ground merely rose his head and also went wide eyed.

The fire alarm whined and sprayed the two of them with water however Shokuhou had no response to what had just happened.

Her companion on the other hand had different ideas.

"S-Such misfortuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Was that a good memory or a bad memory?

Shokuhou Misaki had a hard time deciding however even then, her mind went back towards two things that that boy had said during that time.

"I apologised for what happened in District 21 didn't I!?"

"But at the same time, there are some things that you have to bear even though you don't want to accept them. That's just how things are OK?"

Although then and there, they hadn't meant anything to Shokuhou, given now, they suddenly increased in significance.

District 21. While to Shokuhou, it was the sight of their second meeting, it was the sight for Kamijou of a mark of failure. The black spot that he had borne unfairly, a black spot that had been caused by Shokuhou herself.

And that had been something that he had been made to bear unfairly, without anyone asking or telling him what was fair in that regard.

He had said both of those things towards someone who he should have blamed for happening however he had made no angry remark or outburst towards her. Instead, he had merely stuck with her and continued to smile a pure smile that had nothing resembling malice inside it.

He was surely tearing himself up on the inside every time he saw her yet he had chosen to stick with her and even made time to spend with her, doing something that she had stupidly complained about.

He should have gotten angry. He should have retorted with a remark about what Shokuhou had done.

If he had, Shokuhou would not have blamed him.

But he had done none of that.

He had simply smiled at her purely without malice and allowed herself to enjoy her time, even though it had ended with disaster.

"And that's us done. Well done Misaka. 99.5% of the balls were hits and the rest were misses. Do you think that you could improve for the perfect score next time?" asked the gym teacher as they opened the batting cage door and led Mikoto out.

"Of course sensei. Although I could do without the distractions, I will do my best next time." said Mikoto with a slight glare towards Shokuhou however the 5th Level 5 had merely stood up, bowing towards her teacher and not even responding towards Mikoto's remark as she left that batting arena.

This was a place where she had maintained a small memory within her heart and now that she thought about it, trying to taint it with the distortions of the present was nothing more than trampling on the feelings that she held within her.

With her handbag over her shoulder, she took the exit that she knew Mikoto would not take, exiting out so that the Windowless Building was in the distance.

She took a deep breath, her chest expanding as she did so, attracting the stares of some boys however even then, she concentrated on the smell of the area that was behind her.

That smell and place was something that was only one part of her memories with that boy however even so, it made her remember those times that had been lost and held by her only. She knew that trying to hold onto them was selfish….

"But at the same time, there are some things that you have to bear even though you don't want to accept them. That's just how things are OK? Isn't that right?" she asked rhetorically to no one in particular as she reached into her bag, feeling the small silver whistle that was inside, the feeling and reminiscence that it gave serving as nothing more as a further reminder of those lost days.

Was there a chance that they would come back?

Would there ever be the chance she would regain that hero that she had lost?

She hoped. But even so, that hope was something that she had to bear for herself right now.

She exhaled and started off yet-

"Touma. I don't exactly see how this is going to help me in anyway."

"I agree. Why did I have to come anyway?"

Shokuhou froze, seeing in the distance to her left that there were four figures that were approaching; a quartet containing a small nun, a smallish figure within that nun's arms as well as a cat and-

Him.

"It's good motor skills! You may as well obtain some usefulness Index! You too Othinus! Neither of you can cook so the only thing that I can imagine you doing is nothing more than hitting people! Especially you Othinus! I remember that home run you did with my head before you revived me! What the hell was that about you sadist!?"

"You were my enemy at the time you dumbass! Did you want me to show you a world where they was nothing but junk food in order to make you die from overeating!?"

"Overeating…"

"I-Index! Please snap out of it! I-If you think about the impossible given my budget then the only thing that's going to suffer will be my head at the end of the day! So don't give her extra ideas Othinus!"

"Then why are you telling us to do this Touma?!"

"Wait. You aren't going to load me in the dispenser as some sort of payback are you!? I've already had to deal with his caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!" The smallish figure screamed as the calico cat swatted the smallish figure's body with its paws, each impact causing the smallish form to tremble in fear.

"S-Sphynx?! Stop that!" 'He' shouted as he tried to grab the small cat from the nun's arms as he looked at both the nun and smallish figure. "And as for why I brought you here-"

"You shouldn't need to explain yourself."

The figures all turned towards the person that had spoken, Shokuhou finding that it was herself. Why had she spoken when she had kept a distance all this time? What worth was there in this action?

She did not know but she found herself continuing with her words.

"He merely wants to show you something that they haven't seen before. There is not much time for things like this so the fact that he is going to ensure your happiness with a new experience is an experience in itself. There are many people that want to do that. With parents, friends, lovers and crushes. But they can't, because of numerous circumstances. So embrace the fact that you can right now. Embrace the fact that there are probably people with high jealous ability of what you have that they cannot attain themselves."

Shokuhou stopped as she looked at the figures that were staring at her with expressions that were hard to determine however Shokuhou felt that intruding this far was far enough.

"I apologise for my interruption. But that is what I feel. Sorry and have a nice day." She turned without a word, hearing the excited voices of the people behind her that she had encouraged with her own words.

Yes.

Her own words that reflected her own heart.

In the end, even though that boy could not even see her or remember her anymore, she still had trouble in maintaining that façade around him. Was that how she really felt? Was that what was hidden in her heart this entire time?

Was she still longing for something that could not be?

"Hah. I guess I really do have some great selfish ability."

"That's fine though you know."

A voice behind her made her turn suddenly, seeing that boy that had managed to leave his group and make his way over to where she was.

He pointed behind him.

"Thanks for that. They might not get it but I think that trying to experience something normal is good given everything we get up to these days."

There were so many things that Shokuhou wanted to say. There were so many things that she wanted to do and experience with this boy once again however she knew that they could not be in this one moment.

This was an illusion that had been broken long ago and in its place the illusion of loneliness with the chance of never being able to express her true feelings towards anyone again.

But that was something that she had caused herself.

And it was her curse to bear.

"No worries. I was merely speaking what was on my mind." Shokuhou answered with a perfect smile that would have made any boy hers.

"Really?" asked the boy as he glanced down towards the emblem on her uniform, although given its location there were perhaps other things that he could be staring at.

His question hung in the air and before Shokuhou could say anything, the boy added in whatever was coming at the end.

"Well, then if you have time do you think you want to join us for some practice?"

"…Eh?"

Shokuhou's mind went blank as she tried to register what it was that the boy had said. What….was he saying? There was no way that he should remember her whatsoever so where was this request coming from? She wanted to peer into her mind however rejected the thought as soon as it appeared, given her personal rule.

Even though he did not remember her, he was still him. And there was no changing that so why had he asked her? What was the purpose?

Was there a chance that he-

"When you were talking before, you said that there were others that might be jealous of what we have. I…know that all too well. But at the same time, I think that although we might be strangers, it might be something that I can help fill. I understand if you say no. I mean, we've just met each other. But still, if you want to, you know-" The boy tried to sound causal however his attempt went sourly, resorting to him scratching the back of his head and giving a small chuckle.

Yet-

"Yes."

The boy blinked once before looking at Shokuhou.

"Um…..yes? Yes what? Yes you understand or yes-?"

"Yes. I would like to join you very much. I'd be happy to join you in fact." Shokuhou felt something crawl onto her lips, a smile that perhaps was one that she hadn't truly felt in a while. It appeared on her face as naturally as her façade did with others in the case of that boy and that smile was mirrored on the boy's face.

"Really? That's great! Do you know much about-"

"Ha ha. Nothing whatsoever. I had a great teacher once. But…he sort of stopped teaching me for various reasons. He got into an accident of sorts and hasn't recovered." Shokuhou found herself being painfully honest and once again felt as though the façade that she put up was sometimes crushed in the presence of this boy.

"Really? Well, I hope you're OK with me being a replacement." The boy laughed once before looking at Shokuhou and sticking out his hand.

"Kamijou Touma." he said with his extended hand.

Shokuhou merely looked at the hand, thinking about the possible choices that she had in this one moment. Was this right? Was this a dream that was nothing more than a cruel joke in order to torment her as she lost the person that she had wanted to be with so much?

Or was it coincidence? Was the possible chance that this moment was real?

That in this City of science where fate and luck was not real, miracles could possibly exist?

She knew it was selfish but right now, she did not care. What had she wanted?

Just as that boy had said, she had wanted that gap within her to be filled, even though it was a gap that would constantly empty as he forgot her. But even though that was the case, she had wanted that gap to be filled. She had wished for such even though she knew that nothing would come from it.

And-

There was only one thing that Shokuhou Misaki could do at the end of the day when faced with such a choice. One thing that her entire being told her to do with this boy that was known as Kamijou Touma, his pointy hair and all.

She took his hand and shook his hand.

"Shokuhou Misaki. And I am extremely pleased to meet you….Kamijou-sensei."

[1] I actually noticed that 'fox words' is a term that is only mentioned in OT 1. Of course, it is the previous Touma's reference to pretending to be nice but I guess it is one of those subtle things that tells the difference between current Touma and previous Touma.

I hope that you enjoyed this though. In terms of when this was written, this would be around the time when NT 11 was written. But I really hope that you enjoyed it for those that did not read it previously.

If you wanted to know what the reason behind the name of this project, it'd probably be because that in this case, any character can make an appearance, regardless of what context they are in or how they are portrayed in the novel or other mediums. In the novels, the Between The Lines aspects is usually reserved for breaks and changes of perspectives and I wanted to show that outside of the world of Index, lives still go on.

And how those lives do so is up to you. As this is not related to A Certain Unknown Level 0, I can really let loose, unless of course, you guys request that there be an aspect or character interaction that was mentioned there that you want expanded here. The only reason that I would really decline would be of course if I wanted to use it as a later plot point so I hope that you give me suggestions to use later on.

But as for the status on my main project, I'm slowly writing things as we go and I will definitely update by at least February 2015 time. So please hold out until then!

And until the next time.

And as always,
Review if you please

And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.

I'm on holidays now and in the meantime, while not job searching, you'd be amazed the time on my hands. I have REALLY big hands.

But once again, I'll ask the question: Respect ability? Or affection points?