Precognition

"If you're oh so fucking different then who cares what you have to say"

Touma Kamijou's eyes opened slowly, light filtering lazily into his room through partially torn curtains. He couldn't remember when they'd gotten torn, or even how, just that this was what he always seemed to wake up to. He still wasn't even sure how he'd ended up back in his dorm either, but it certainly wasn't the first time.

'Won't be the last' his subconscious supplied snidely to dispel the almost instinctual thought that it seemed like a nice morning.

Touma sighed heavily, his breath weighted with weariness, into the air and raised his right hand to his forehead. This thumb and middle-finger softly rubbing his temples to rid himself of the headache that always came after waking up like this. He glanced slightly to catch the date on the only semi-reliable electronic in his room. The date on his Alarm clock had never been wrong even though the time and the actual alarm itself frequently messed up.

"June 15th" he addressed the silence of his room in a frustrated tone before gradually pulling himself into a seated position.

His legs crossed underneath him, he stared long and hard through a particular tear in his curtains at the clear blue sky the peeked through. It was a beautiful day, at least it would be for everyone else. For him it was just another mired in misfortune and frustration. Even then, there was always an air of excitement when he woke up to that clear blue sky. After all, Touma Kamijou had lost every single one of his episodic memories on July 28th... Would have lost his memories he supposed.

He'd not recovered them per se, but in some ways he had at least rebuilt the month or so before it happened.

Because this was not the first time he'd woken up on June 15th of the exact same year, it wasn't even the 2nd. In fact he could not remember at all how often he'd woken up on this same day, only that whenever he "died" this was where he came back too. The first time it had happened was when Kanzaki had been too late to save him when he fell during that whole Othinus thing. It had happened at different times in all following loops, but being as he always woke up on a day before he lost his memories he'd been able to piece together a month and a half that he'd lost. For example, in the first week of July he'll be called to the School Counselor's office and informed that his Dad had been in a plane accident. His Mum will call hysterically in grief, and then turn into an utter demon of rage when she discovers that the man had simply faked his death. He never found out the reason why, but he'd seen the injuries his terrifying Mother had inflicted on his Old Man. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the fact he'd met his dad in person after the supposed death date he'd have been more worried, instead his worry had been tempered by his (at that point valid) assertion that he was trapped in another Phase.

So, here he was on June 15th, having only just died again to something he'd not seen or heard, and he could barely find the will to move forward anymore.

But he did, if only barely, and that meant he had things to do today. Something new to try. He'd finally cottoned on to something, something he hadn't even realised he'd been doing until now. He was wasting time. He'd spent so long trying to match the flow of events to his original timeline by just going about his days as if he hadn't just been sent back in time. Sure, it meant that everything had mostly stayed the same, but it also meant that there had been smiles lost by those he'd never known. But what if he was more proactive this time? He even had his first task in mind, one that would save countless people in one decisive move.

"This time, I'll save more of you" he whispered, his right fist clenched tightly "I'm sorry it won't be all of you, it started long before this day, but I promise that more of you will live. I promise that you'll get to step forward in to the world and raise your head proudly! That you'll be able to cast aside that illusion of being nothing but lab animals and be the humans that you are!"

Things would be different, he'd have to sacrifice many of the bonds he'd built up and treasured in the past, but if it meant protecting them better and saving more smiles in the process then he'd do so. Especially as, he was the only one to suffer from the loss of those bonds. The decision was easy. So long as he could protect those smiles then he would be content. Not happy, in fact it would tear at his heart but he'd be content and march forwards regardless.

"Imouto Misaka... I guess we won't meet this time around, eh?"

First things first, he was going to save the Sisters. The next experiment took place on the 17th, his first meeting with Zapper would be sacrificed this time around, and the friendship they would've grown along with it. Even so, it was a price he'd pay. He wouldn't abandon her though, he still remembered the promise he'd made so many times before, to protect her and the world she loved. It's just this time he'd do it from the shadows, or knowing his luck in the open... But, at the very least he'd not reveal his name. So long as she didn't know it, it would be next to impossible to track him down, and without the showing of Imagine Breaker she wouldn't develop that rivalry with him that had started their interactions.

"And this time around I know all your little tricks Accelerator! This time I can use my left arm without your ability breaking it on contact!"

After so many repeats, he'd finally found a way around his Reflection ability that didn't involve Imagine Breaker or that Invisible Thing.

Upon stepping out the gate for his dorm building Kamijou was indeed sure that it was a beautiful day. Even at only 7 in the morning the sun shone across the city and provided a pleasant warmth. It relaxed his tense muscles, slowly but surely erasing the last remnants of phantom pain from his previous life.

He walked forward confidently, the usual slouch of his shoulders gone as he soaked up the sun and his newest goal. One foot before the other, marching on towards...

"Oh crap... Where the hell did the experiment even take place!?"

His mood came crashing down almost instantly. Accelerator had never been very forthcoming in regards to the Level 6 Shift and for fear of draggin up horrid memories he'd never bothered to ask Imouto Misaka (or any of the Sister's really) or Last Order. So all he could rely on was the one person he really didn't need being suspicious of him yet. Motoharu Tsuchimikado, the quintuple or whatever Spy. He was a good friend, though someone that Kamijou only trusted on every other day, and it was the blond himself that had revealed his spy status in the first place. Coming up to him out of the blue and declaring such knowledge would only lead to another death.

As good of friends as he thought they were, Tsuchimikado at this point in time was not yet truly allied with him. If the Spy were to suddenly consider him a threat, he was certain he'd be dead within the hour. That blasted Spy had his own goals and people to protect, after all, and he wouldn't let some nosy classmate discover him whether they were friend or not. Honestly after so long it was surprising the boy put up with Fukiyose's attacks and didn't just destroy her in combat like he had him in the Angel Fall incident. Then again, with his own fighting skills having been honed on the streets to a near prophetic level, he was surprised he'd never defended himself from the Iron Wall that was Seiri Fukiyose either.

Still Tsuchimikado was his only option at the moment.

"I'll just tell him the truth... Yeah right! That bastard would only laugh... But, maybe only half the truth. I'll, I'll tell him i've known all about him for ages! That's it! It's true enough after all!"

It turns out, Tsuchimikado really was far more paranoid than Kamijou could imagine. The words "I've known for years" had barely left his throat when the blond teen had pulled a silenced pistol from somewhere and shot him in the head.

So it was with a gasp that he woke only two hours back in time with a record frustrating declaration of quickest death yet. At the very least it revealed one thing, that while Kamijou considered them good friends it obviously wasn't good enough that Tsuchimikado trusted him enough to see where he was going with his words. Frustrating, and somewhat hurtful, but also understandable. If he were that blond he'd probably have done the same. Being unilaterally useful to but also hunted by all sides leaves little room for trust.

Still, if the world kept resetting like this, and he'd long ago confirmed that it was the same world he was from because he'd never seen or met anyone acting differently from what he remembered of his first timeline. Even if said memories weren't all there and had begun to fade as time was wont to do them. The basic gist of it all still remained, and it was only his actions that seemed to change anything. Given that this was the first time he'd tried to actively change anything, save that disastrous second loop he remembered screwing up because he had no idea what was going on. District 10's Mental Reformatory was not a pleasant place, but that's what you get when you go around screaming about Phases, a God with a world destroying Spear and cornering old friends who have suddenly become strangers and begging for help in understanding why things had suddenly changed. He'd died in that Mental Institute/Experiment ground once he was deemed useless by some demented Kihara wannabe. Well, if it kept resetting then at least he had opportunity to keep trying until he found a method that worked.

Even if it took him forever, he'd already faced infinite hells more times than he'd accidentally seen women naked.

So, he'd just keep marching... Just like he always did.

(Inside the experimental Underground District beneath District 22)

"Damn it! It's reverted again!"

The feminine scream of anger rebounded off the walls of the empty District, echoing strangely. The black haired 15 year old Saint stamping her foot childishly at the setback.

"Why!? WHY THE HELL DOES IT KEEP REVERTING!?"

The vast spell that she'd weaved, rather carved into the miles wide underground town, pulsing plaintively in the air in a multitude of soft colours. A small force of 4 people gathered behind her, looking around in confusion and annoyance but too controlled with their emotions to truly react as their leader had. Still they were equally as angry and frustrated as she was on the inside. This was to be the greatest spell ever cast, calling upon the power of the Great Mystery, the omnipresent Spirit Wakan Tanka, that along with Inyan and Han, helped birth the spirits of everything in existence. They gave spirit to the minerals and water, to the birds and the beasts to humans themselves. This spell that should have allowed only them to revert creation to a point before the decline of their people had instead trapped them in an endless loop that always seemed to cut off before they could fully complete their objective.

They didn't know the reason, but the people of the Cabbal known only as To Scatter One's Own amongst the english speakers were beginning to get frustrated with this lack of progress.

"ALRIGHT, DAMNIT! THIS TIME WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHO'S DOING THIS AND GET RID OF THEM, THEN WE CAN FIX THIS!"

Although the young girl was petulant and immature, those that followed the petite darker skinned girl were in full agreement. While this would be a delay to their goals, it was one that they'd follow to the ends of the earth. Their leader, Esadowa, one of less than twenty Saints, would surely lead them to success in the end.

"W-what!? I-it's reverting? Again!? It's been two fuc-"

And with that the world reverted. It wasn't time travel, not in any true sense. Only what existed within their Solar System ever reverted. The rest of reality went along it's merry way without change. A spell of this power was the first of its kind, capable of affected such a vast area but only requiring a single casting. Admittedly it took every drop of Mana that all of them possessed, including their Saint, but for a spell that could revert the all existence on earth it was amazing. This was above the knowledge of even all Grimoires ever written combined, and it was created by a girl of the long lost America's. Her blood the last remaining link to their people that hadn't been lost to the Savages who'd invaded and taken over their ways of life so very, very long ago.

In the next second, they got to gaze back at the Underground City as it was only a few moments after they'd originally finished casting it.

I've had this story in my head for a couple days but I'm not sure i'll actually do anything with it beyond this. I like the premise alot but I personally don't think I have the ability yet to take it anywhere. I've got a the start, the middle, and how I want it to end sorted but no idea exactly how to connect them all up. Still it was fun writing it, and being as Raildex is my favourite type of story (even though I'm personally not a big fan of the Harem aspect of it).

So if this goes anywhere great, but personally I think I'd like someone else to take it of my hands. I doubt anyone will, honestly, but more power to them if they did.

Shout out (which oddly enough i've never done before, huh) to my favourite Index fanfiction A Certain Unknown Level 0 and it's accompanying Between The Lines. It was thanks to the former that I plucked up the energy to actually publish this. So, in the unlikely event that you haven't read that monster of a long story then what the hell are you doing? Go read it! Don't bother with my shit, read that! Go, shoo, be gone wretch!

Kind regards

Your fellow writer.