A/N: Nice to meet you, dear readers. This is my newest story, hope you like it. This idea was just popped from my mind, as the only thing that I couldn't ignore, so here I am, presenting you a story that hopefully could feel your sense of adventure and fantasy, with most romance between Touma and Mikoto, the pairing that I loved most. I loved review and opinion very much, because it could be something that increase my English skill, and I'm not a native speaker. So, please review! I beg you!

Prologue: It All Began...

Living in a place where extraordinary things happened will invariably give you a sense of belief, a sense of superstition sometimes. Thus, you can be easily fooled. One can say that it is somehow frightening to have an extraordinary life, where the chance of survival is lower than catching a bullet between your teeth, but those whose life is unusual have created some kind of power and further inspiration. Well, it's maybe the reason why one can say that extraordinary life can bring something which is so much more than a modest life, wing to joy, flight to imagination, and gaiety in life and everything, It's somehow strange to see that the world full of awkwardness can descend to a city in specialty, moreover, to a city in which all of the experience, things, and ability can be described by science and technology, a place where occult can be avoided, and can't be recognized anymore.

Nevertheless, it is Academy City's place in the world, to be a city full of turbulence for one another. Located in a fraction of space in Tokyo, this city, whose population could reach 2,3 million people, is an utopia for learning and acknowledging supernatural power. Nevertheless, this is also a city full of mystery, where falling to the mystery of this city is the last choice that you can have in the seventh hell. Let alone, a chance of escaping that darkness of the city is almost improbable, burying you with an invisible burden that break your shoulder, ripping of your own skin as a consequence of taking the risk. That's why the awesomeness and awkwardness can happen inside this small, yet so beautiful town, including to a certain scientific brown haired girl.

Misaka Mikoto was in a very good mood. Strolling around the city as if nothing happened, she slowed her pace with a kind of expression that could be got from someone who had received their full success. Enjoying the warmth of the weak sun from the winter, accompanied with the ever lasting breeze which was blown beneath the midst of sacred dew, she closed her eyes, as the warmth radiance from the sun began embracing her flawless skin. The Tokiwadai Autumn-winter uniform covered her remaining skin, as the beige hue in it gave more color to the girl's body. Her skirt was blown by the gentle breeze, not for flipping it, but to give a certain kind of majesty and elegance as though she was the queen who was walking on the red carpet, with a mass of people were ahead, waiting for her. A simple, oh so gentle smile was visible on her face, as if it didn't need to be trained to do so.

Walking alongside her was her junior, the freshman Shirai Kuroko. Her pig tailed hair was blown with the same elegance as Mikoto's, as her orb of eyes was somehow glimmering with full of light. With the same uniform and outer appearance, it was not so confusing to determine her relationship with Mikoto. Disregarding the fact that the crowd would disturb her voice, Kuroko began speaking, as an amount of it vibrated the Railgun's eardrum. She faced her senior with a happy expression, as she walked with the same equivalence of the Andante music.

"Anything good recently, onee-sama?" Kuroko asked.

Mikoto raised her eyebrow for a fraction of second as she stared at her junior casually, something that she had done for quiet a long time. "Nothing's good Kuroko, I'm just enjoying the stroll, that's all. It is very rare to receive the sun recently," she said while still walking.

Kuroko's face was directed to the same path as before, as she closed her eyes with a knowing look on her face, as though she had recognized something in particular. She replied Misaka's statement with a hopeful, yet of so mischievous face. "Of course onee-sama! Walking with me is more than enough to give you joy! So why don't we go to the hotel and take a..."

A light blow (for Misaka's point of view) was a 'thanks' for Kuroko for saying the oh so stupid thing (oh so important thing for Kuroko) to her, as the sound of blowing fist striking a certain teleporter's head began penetrating the crowd, who started jeering at them with a confused look on their face. Kuroko immediately squatted, with a hand on her hair as the only treatment for the 'light' blow from her senior as her eyes were closed to endure the ever longing pain that could even bring someone to the nearby mental hospital. The railgun who was standing besides her sighed in exasperation, with the same equivalence of a thundering typhoon. Her sighed deepened as her ears began receiving the bystander's whisper for her action. Something like ''student's violence" and "Ojou-sama's behavior". She snorted. What kind of character did they hope from a her? She was just giving Kuroko a punishment. That's all!

"Your blow was still painful onee-sama. Just like something that I loved from my beloved Onee-"

Kuroko's words were stopped by another pain on her head, much more painful than before. It was Misaka'a axe kick, as her leg soared high to the air and landed it to Kuroko's head with the force that could make a black belt gawked in shame. Well, even though Misaka was not trained in martial art or anything in particular, the experience of 'giving' punishment to her junior was more than enough to make her accepted by the Anti-Skill. Let alone, she was not only apable of giving punch to her junior, as being only one type of attack that she could release. Misaka was also capable of doing "axe kick" (as Kuroko as its usual victim), "rolling kick" (it's very surprising that the vending machine was still operated until now), and "thunder kick" (poor Touma).

"Don't you start building stress over my head here!" Misaka scolded, as her high voice was much more louder than the impact of the hit. Kuroko must cover her ears to protect her ability of hearing. The crowd began watching the scene with a worried face for the teleporter, as though she would be killed in no time by Misaka. The blue eletricity began gathering over her head, a sign of annoyance and anger for a certain Railgun. Most crowd began backing off, or even walking straight nonchalantly, as if nothing happened. Mortified by the jeering crowd, Misaka started calming her uncontrollable emotion, and huffed.

"Okay, I'm sorry Onee-sama," Kuroko said with the sincerest smile that she could give, as she began standing up again to her previous position. Still massaging her head, she pointed her forefinger towards an alley. "As an apology, let me take you to another shortcut to the dorm!" she said with a fake smile. She must be awarded a trophy for a capability to have a smile after receiving a painful blow.

Misaka looked at the alley. It was a dark one, and maybe a creepy and disgusting one. Something which could hide a certain kind of scene that was unbeknownst to the civil's blind spot. The alley seemed to be full of darkness, as its black hue couldn't be defeated by the weak sun clearly, filled with perennial shadow of building and skycraper, but still, one could have a walk there. For a second, Misaka examined the alley with a worried look on her face, as though the alley could do something bad to her, leading her to another frightening fate that beckoned the possible suffering day. After that, with the darkened expression of the memory of her sisters being massacred in an alley like this, she sighed, as if she had been taken to a space and time where no children ever smiled and the sky was never blue.

"Lead the way..."

Just in a distance of forty meters from Misaka and Kuroko, Touma and Itsuwa was having a stroll around the city. Around the midst of blissful sun and blue sky above as it was as clear as ever, something which was oh so rare to be felt in autumn, Touma began introducing a variety of landscape to Itsuwa. The spiky haired guy was wearing a black dark jacket covering his visible T-shirt, a regular uniform for a certain high school. A black pants was covering his strong leg, and he walked with a bored look on his face, as if he had done the same thing to every newbie of the people in the Academy City. It was not like Touma was too kind or something, nevertheless, it was Itsuwa's first arrival in Academy City, and the encounter with Acqua of the Back blocked her from getting more knowledge abouts the Academy City. Ignoring the crowd that decreased his capacity of voice, he was in his way to Tokiwadai Middle School, as one of the landscape that Itsuwa should see.

Besides her was Itsuwa, she was still recovering from Acqua of The Back's attack, with a small bandage on her forehead. Excluding that, her appearance was still the same. She was wearing a pink T-shirt without sleeves, something that has covered her body for only God who knew. Her jeans covered her leg only to her knees. Graceful purple hair was disentangled to her shoulder, visually blown by the calm breeze beneath the sacred seraph. Her eyes surveyed the perimeter of her sight, as she began wandering around the city with Touma. She was surprised, to be honest, by a variety of technology around the Academy City, it seemed like she was transported to a land of the future, and what she was? A casual girl, no more than that.

"That's the Seventh Mist, a hangout place for student, and we are going to the Tokiwadai Middle School," Touma said as he pointing his finger to the cafe just besides them. "What's with the surprised look on your face?" he said, as he faced Itsuwa who was somehow... shocked as her brain started processing the amount of new things in the city. Touma couldn't help but grin, seeing the magician's surprise. Academy City's technology was indeed thirty years ahead than the other places.

"Ah, No..." Itsuwa said gently, with a gentle expression towards Touma. "It's just that this city is..." Itsuwa spoke as she stopped for her loss of words, not knowing what was the best adjective to describe the academy city.

"...too modern?" Touma asked, with a smile that half population of female in the Neccessarius church found heart stopping. "But shouldn't you be calmer ordinary?" he asked, with a curious tune arised from his voice box.

"I doubt Index was calm to see this before," she replied with her usual calm state that she had perfected since her birth, still as she was walking alongside Touma. "No commoners wouldn't be surprised by seeing this landscape, Touma," she continued with a smile, enjoying the warmth that she got from the radiance of the sun and from a certain spiky haired boy.

"Speaking of whom, how's Index? You kept connecting with the Anglican Church right?" Touma said, realizing the fact that Index was no longer with him. It was unusual not to hear her boisterous voice besides him.

"Well, she has no problem with that," Itsuwa replied. "Even though the Anglican Church's provision was depleted in high level. She had been given a nickname: 'food swallower' by the cook in the kitchen of the church," Itsuwa continued with the usual kind expression on her face,

Touma gulped. Index was definetely a high eater, maybe a monster should describe her food habit. Even though she was a nun, her greatest orientation was not God, but food, something that made Touma raised his eyebrow for Index's acceptance of becoming a nun, shouldn't being greedy was one of the seventh deadly sin? Nevertheless, that was not something that Touma was worried about. Index was in the Anglican Church, guarded safely by the magician. But, she depleted the supply of food with the equivalence of the jet train around the sand of time. Touma was related to Index. What if he must pay for the food that Index ate? Touma doubted that his allowance for twenty years would not be enough to pay that. If the Anglican Church were really that cruel, and if Touma had to pay all the food provision that Index ate, then…

Let's not thinking about that.

"Huh? Kamijiou-san? What are you…"

Without any warning of anything would happen, without bothering for asking any permission from the pedestrians to have done that, a high pitched sound began spreading around the area, discontinuing Itsuwa's comment without any alert. Itsuwa and Touma frowned in confusion as most of the students started covering their ears in agony, as though the sound had crushed their ears with the greatest force that it could give, that Touma was astonished by their ability to remain conscious in this condition. Their legs trembled continuously, finding difficulty in supporting their weight, as some of them began losing their capability to remain standing. Their pupils dilated drastically, and their sight seemed faraway, as their face showed the full fear and exhaustion.

The cry of the fallen pedestrians gave shivers to Touma's body, as their cry was far more frightening rather than seeing someone sliced in two alive. Touma and Itsuwa began surveying the area, their head moved back and forth, trying to find a trace of the source of this painful sound, and just for a moment of seconds, Touma's eyes were concentrated on a presence of an alley, which was oh so isolated that it demanded the passerby's look for it. It was a black and clandestine one, driving out the people's attention by the shadow of skyscraper. The alley seemed to give death from people's point of view, as its darkness tried to bury someone without any chance of escaping.

"Kamijiou-san? Where will you… Hey, wait!" Itsuwa shouted at him, with the sight of Touma started leaving him. They entered the alley without any further argument and complain. The darkness swallowed them, leaving the sound of the death and the victim's cry without any nice resolution ahead of them.

And what they saw in the alley was far worse than anything they hoped for.

In front of them, just ten more steps from the entrance of the alley, a pig tailed girl, wearing Tokiwadai uniform, remained unconscious. She was there, lying on the dark hard wall, with the cold wall as the only cushion. But her appearance could no longer be stated as a middle school girl, a fallen soldier was a better call. Her hair was in a mess, as if it had been pulled strongly by a massive grip. The uniform had been ripped off, and the head showed some amount of blood on the cheeks, forehead, and mouth. Her slender legs were bend to a painful angle, and improper one. The bruised covered all her body, and Touma wondered if this girl could even make it alive.

Not this girl, but it was Shirai Kuroko.

Her hands were still grabbing four needles, purposely ready for another fight for whoever had done this, but as Touma surveyed, the amount of needles seemed to be… not decreasing, or it was something that Touma could feel. Seeing her in this state made him somehow… sickening, as it was one of the most terrifying sights that he had ever seen. Nevertheless, she was still breathing, much showed by a constant move of her chest. Touma sighed in relief.

Until a terrible thought crossed his mind.

If Shirai-san was here, than most probably…

This was not good.

"Itsuwa!" Touma suddenly shouted, bringing Itsuwa, who observed the injured girl caringly back to the reality. She jerked backwards; with the preparation of fighting stance that she had trained from her first time she joined the Amakusa Church. "What? What is it?" Itsuwa said, fully shocked by the sudden rising voice of the spiky haired boy.

"Bring her to the nearest hospital!" he said, clenching his fist tightly that it started losing its original hue. "The hospital is just a hundred meters from here; you could even see the billboard and the sign showing the way! Go! Please!" he ordered.

Itsuwa was taken aback by the sudden order of the spiky haired boy. It was indeed true that she was not as knowledgeable about his usual behavior and emotion for facing this kind of situation; nonetheless, everybody could also tell that Kamijiou Touma was not someone who would order someone to take an injured girl to the nearest hospital. It was not his usual style, not even near. Usually, he would take the injured one by himself, as the faith of him to himself was so strong that it couldn't be broken by any peripheral circumstances. It was a serious condition, she must say. If that was not the reason, then…

"But… What about…" she started to complain, in a worried tone towards the guy who had saved the entire city, as the only thing that could relive her worry.

"Now! Please!" Touma repeated his order, and somehow, it created silence between them, as the stare of two different people from the science side and the magic side clashed, but it was not a stare of hatred or love. It was a stare of understanding, trying to acknowledge each other's condition, creating a certain telepathy that was too hard to be broken. For a fraction of seconds, the only thing that could be heard was a vague audible sound of crying people with the higher sound with high frequency, with the sudden howling wind that picked up, lowering the suspense between them.

The decision materialized for them, as the two friends began nodding with a simple smile which ensured the survival of both of them. Itsuwa gently picked the injured girl and left, taking her to the hospital, leaving Touma in the alley alone.

"So this is Railgun, the third ranked of the level five esper. Really, without any power that she used to have, she was nothing but a trash."

The man laughed, followed by the other three of them, increasing the number of variety of sound that had piled up the atmosphere. He was a tall man with muscular body, with a square face and narrow eyes. His black air was remained messy, with a crude expression which had been implanted on his face. He was wearing a light black jacket with black pants, all in black as it was hard to see him easily beneath the shadow of the skyscraper. He laughed hard at the sight of a brown haired girl who had been terribly abused, still groaning in pain as the noise of the high frequency sound penetrated her ears, disorganizing her brain.

Mikoto's state was far worse than Kuroko. Blood and bruised, with a somehow injured ribs, and a great amount of red portion of blood around her mouth. It was as if she had vomited an amount of blood after a great impact on her abdomen. She was breathing hard, squeezing her eyes as the only thing she could do to endure the pain, sitting on the corner side of the alley. It was a nice walk at first with Kuroko, until these guys showed up and began attacking them; using 'Capacity Down' from an invisible position that she didn't know where to attack. The biggest guy began punching and kicking them, attacking them with so much force that Kuroko was sent flying backwards and Mikoto's cry was the only one that accompanied her. She was having a hard time, she must say, as her ability was the only thing that she could rely one for self-defense, and her capability of martial art was not as good as the Skill-out.

Yea, they were attacked by the remaining member of Skill-Out.

"Really, 'Capacity Down' was a good invention," the leader said with an ugly expression his face, similar to someone who wanted to puke. "It was lucky that I could fix it, and it was very easy to persuade the scientist to make a smaller, yet stronger version; to make a good invention, that's all!" he continued, still with the same laugh from the previous one, a laugh full of satisfaction for defeating Misaka.

…until it was all stopped by the order of a certain spiky haired guy.

"Stop this right now!" a voice came from the darkness of the shadow beneath the sacred air. A voice that Mikoto had known for quiet a long time, a voice from someone she gave affection for, a voice… whose existence shouldn't be here. After Shirai Kuroko, not another one that Mikoto knew… that Mikoto loved must be influenced in this situation.

Not Kamijiou Touma…

His figure began becoming visible as his body left the shadow that blocked the light required for seeing. He had a determined face on his face, a face that he always used when he must face something which was more serious than his own life. His step was indeed calm, with the sound that said if everything would be all right. No fear, he faced all the Skill-Out Member. His eyes were as sharp as always, with a clenched fist, ready to punch, ready to protect.

"Huh? Who are you?" the leader said with an irritated voice. He then observed that the spiky haired boy was not affected by the high frequency sound from the 'Capacity Down'. It could only mean that this boy was only a level zero, someone who had no power whatsoever, that could be treated easily, or maybe just a certain young man who wanted to be a hero.

An idiot hero.

"You… What are you doing here?" Mikoto, in her sitting state, asked him with a weak voice, not being able to scold him or maybe even to drive him out of the scene. Nevertheless, regardless of that, she knew that the boy would never run from the scene. His chivalry could even defeat the paladin, and his loyalty was more than anything she could ask for.

Touma faced her, smiling, with the usual curve of smile that he always did. "Looks like you are in trouble, eh, Misaka?" He then clenched his fist, readying his usual fighting stance. "I will deal with this, from now," he said.

"Run… away…" she said weakly, as her vision began being blurry, and she must fight her own body from losing consciousness.

The leader face palmed, giving them a pitying look that just made his face becoming uglier and uglier. He then spat, and laughed at Touma. "Look like another brat is showing up. Trying to be hero, eh? Boys, get him!" he ordered, pointing his finger, and the three men behind him obeyed, and charge themselves towards Touma.

The first man came with a brute punch to his face, and Touma was sure that he would be unconscious if he didn't dodge it. Touma then moved to his left side, and crushing his back with joined fist, while kicking his stomach as he did so. The man groaned in pain, releasing an amount of spittle from his mouth, and fell to the ground. Seeing this, the second man took his chance and managed to hit Touma on his face, even though it was painful, but Touma was still standing, with a swollen red bruise began raising its head. The second man tried to punch him again, but Touma ducked and elbowed him on his ribs, making the second man's eyes dilated in pain and fell. The third man appeared hesitate to fight the boy who had defeated three of his comrades, but he controlled his fear and charged towards Touma, but Touma ducked fluently and in a fraction of second, giving a memorial uppercut to the third man. The third man fell with the sound of punching that penetrated the air.

Misaka Mikoto watched the scene with widened eyes. Touma managed to defeat the three of them, something that she was not capable of. His fighting's skill was more than amazing, as he succeeded slaying the three with only a little bruise. She, let alone in her current state, found it hard to describe Touma's action. Cool, great, fabulous, unbelievable, strong, name a hundred others and it could be surely found in Mikoto's mind.

Nonetheless, the leader was not so shocked. He sighed, releasing an amount of water vapor to the air and closed his eyes momentarily.

"Weaklings," he groaned. "Look like you are more capable than any silly brat, boy. Why don't you join us? We can use somebody like you," he said, taunting him, and maybe a little bit hoping that Touma would join them. A man, so young, with fabulous fighting capability; it was something that he needed.

"Stop your nonsense!" Touma said as he threw himself to the leader. But the leader was more than ready. With a split of second, just before Touma's punch met his face, he moved his head slightly to the left, missing Touma's punch, then, with amazing speed, he throw his forehead and hit it to Touma's. Touma, apparently surprised by the leader's capability in fighting, took some steps backward, observing the leader with a serious look, massaging his bruised forehead slightly. The leader's forehead sure was hard, Touma thought. He was not affected by the impact at all.

"You! Get out from here!" Misaka said, as she saw that the leader got the upper hand of the fight. "Or, you would be hurt!" she shouted again, with the most worried expression and tune that she could give, tear began forming in her eyes, not being able to see the boy he loved getting hurt. She was indeed not an emotional type, but seeing Touma like that, moreover, because of her, it was just… unbearable.

The two men didn't remember anymore that Misaka was there, watching the horrifying scene. They continued fighting.

Touma charged again, throwing a punch, but again, he missed in a slight second. In counter attack, the leader threw a two combos uppercut to his abdomen and lower jaw simultaneously, and Touma must resist his urge to vomit, with another surprised look. Not giving any chance to rest, the leader gave another right punch, accompanied with left punch to Touma's face, without letting him to react; making him took a long step backwards to avoid further punch on his face. Touma clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, finding a good opponent that he couldn't defeat easily (or maybe impossible). Then, the two charged towards each other, throwing a punch. Nevertheless, the leader managed to hit Touma first, and Touma was thrown to the ground just under him, closed his eyes in pain, giving a loud thud as the dust began taking its place in the opened air. Just when he opened his eyes, Touma could find shoe sole which was flying towards his face, as the leader tried to stomp on him. Touma managed to dodge and sat on the ground, with the leader kicked his left side, as Touma guarded it with his hand. Then, Touma managed to stand with some difficulties, but not long until the leader threw another punch to the face with his right fist, but fortunately, Touma managed to duck it. Nevertheless, the unfortunate came, as the right fist was followed by the left fist, striking Touma's face with brute force, sending him to the ground once more. Then, the leader threw all his body's weight to his knee and step on Touma's abdomen with his knee. Touma's eyes widened as an unbearable force began killing him, and the blood was vomited from his mouth with great amount. Not satisfied by his work, the leader sat on Touma's stomach and made a joined fist, taking it up to the sky, and sending it with its greatest force towards Touma's forehead.

"No! Touma!" Misaka said in pain, seeing at the boy's laying figure, with the same equivalence with seeing the death of the last man in the world. Blood was sprawled everywhere, from his head, his mouth, just everywhere. He groaned in pain, as the only thing that showed his life. Nonetheless, it appeared as if his ability to speak was decreased, as he found it hard to release any more sound. A portion of warm liquid; tear, began soaking Mikoto's hazel eyes like crazy, accompanied by her gritting teeth. She sniffled with every liquid that existed in her body. Seeing her junior, Kuroko, knocked out like that was horrible, but seeing Touma, battered, injured, laying motionless, were death. Her heart and mind were hurt with the direct impact of the scene, blanking her mind, as there was nothing that she could do to solve her own problem. Just dealing with some thugs and these must happen? Couldn't she do something without dragging him along?

"Look like this good for nothing boy is more than acquaintance for you. So what if I…," the leader took a knife from his pocket, with a maniac eyes and expression, then, he started readying a stance to stab Touma. "…kill him?"

Mikoto's eyes widened in fear. What was this guy up to? Out of the blue, rushing towards her, then, intending to kill even that boy, in front of her innocents little eyes, giving her no chance from taking a breath from seeing painful things? What had she done in the past to deserve this? What had she done that someone took a grudge toward her? What must she do? Her mind began swaying to and fro, processing everything that eager to crush her own body. Nevertheless, she remained still, restrained an urge to fall unconscious, and began shouting in the midst of the sound from the 'Capacity Down", disregarding any pain that throbbed her chest, punched her brain, and flayed her skin.

"Just kill me already! What did I do to you to deserve this?" she shouted with the last remaining power that she had, trying to shrug off every hurtful things that stab her heart. She coughed blood just after that, as her cough echoed in the perimeter.

"What did you do?" the leader faced her, and began speaking. "…after everything you had done to us, the Skill-Out?" he continued, and for a slight second, his expression was filled with agony, a memory, from the past to the present, reaching the light of future that was hard to be achieved. It was not a softened look, but rather, a hardened look, restraining any further memory to flow in… or maybe to flow out. "You had destroyed our home! The only place where we could be ourselves, you hurt our friend, with your so called power! Do I need any more reason?" he shouted back.

"Eh?" Misaka was taken aback by the last statement. Hurt his friend… with his power? But… she had maintained her power in low level every time she had confronted the Skill-Out, avoiding the probability of them dying. She was more confused than ever. That leader did this… for the revenge of his friend? He had thrown himself to sin and the darkness itself… for his acquaintance?

Mikoto's mouth opened to as she found another words for replying. But surprisingly, it was Touma's turn to speak, as his eyes fluttered open, and in irresistible pain, he spoke.

"What….do…you…mean?" he said weakly.

The leader suddenly faced him again, who was under him. He then took an observation towards the spiky haired boy with the utmost curiosity, deciding whether he should kill him now or later. Then, his expression softened slightly, most for the surprised of the spiky haired boy, as though the leader had done something shocking to him, and it indeed happened. Mikoto watched in curiosity, until the leader eventually began speaking, with a darkened face, facing the something that everybody knew that it must be hard to bear, and a word, a sentence, was flowing fluently from his tongue, with the fluency of someone who had done speech.

"My friend was killed by this electromaster."

"What?"

Misaka didn't know how to reply again anymore. What had happened here? This guy, the crude and bloody guy, did this for the sake, for the revenge of his friend? And here, Misaka Mikoto, was the bad one? The one who had killed; the one who had taken a life from someone and the one who had caused tear? What the hell she had done? Touma's surprise was not defeated by hers, as his pupil dilated slightly, to the impact of those words. A surprised expression was formed from his face, slightly taken aback by the leader's sudden thought. The howling wind began to pick up, for only God knew since when, accompanied the situation with its greater ability to relate so.

"Long time ago, I didn't have any friend," the leader began his speaking. "I was a level 0 esper who didn't have any ability. I passed the high school without any supernatural power in me, mean that I had nowhere to go, as this city looked at someone by his or her ability," he then faced upwards, facing the sky above, so far away that Touma wondered where he looked at. "Then, in the midst of confusion, I met him. He was a real inspiration, saying that level was not needed and important. Then, he took me to his hideout, the Skill-Out, and introduced me to others. That was the first time I had a place to live in, a place for me to be myself," he continued.

"We drank, we laughed, we did stupid stuff, but whatever it was, I was happy, realizing that it was not only me who had no skill, realizing that this guy would be my dearest partner from that time," he continued, closing his eyes in process, as the memory accidentally made him to do so. Somehow, Mikoto and Touma couldn't see him as a crude and bloody guy again, but rather, a man who needed utmost care and gentle hug from his mother.

"After that incident happened…"

He paused for a slight second, scratching his back part of the head as he tried to shrug off the painful memory. Then, he looked at Touma with a disgusted look.

"I was in the hideout, when I received a call, informing that my friend had been counter attacked by electricity user esper. From being a newborn, his heart was weak, even though his physical body appeared strong. He couldn't resist any direct attack like that. With two hours of painful suffocation and grief, he died. I heard that a doctor from another district could cure anyone with his ability, but he couldn't catch the electric train in time, as a massive black out happened that time," he said painfully, squeezing his eyes, trying to resist a great urge of crying just like a little baby.

Mikoto's eyes widened. An eletromaster; massive black out; the only one who had enough power to do things like that was only… her. And here, in front of her, standing, a man whose friend she had… killed, seeking for revenge toward her. Her mind raced unbelievably, as other things began crushing her brain, the sadness, the grief, the bereavement, the death, the delusion, and just every other negative thought that could be invented by a language creator. She couldn't comprehend the situation; she couldn't even get to know the condition. She fell to the darkness once more.

"Why didn't you kill me then…," Mikoto said weakly. "With me gone, everything would be over right?" she continued hopefully.

The leader chuckled, back to his normal expression. "Oh, no can do, dear. You will never know the feeling of seeing someone you loved dead," he said. Then, he faced Touma again, who looked at him as Touma gritted his teeth, and he took his knife again once more. "Let me have you feel that," he said again, preparing to stab Touma. "Boy, if you wanted to blame someone, in heaven or hell, where you ascend or descend, blame that girl! She was the cause of this commotion. She was the one who created hatred and pain. She was the one who was proud of her ability, but just crushing someone's life with it. She was lowest than any other insect in this world!"

"Stop…," Mikoto said.

"Do you think that it could stop me? Look at your condition, girl!"

"Stop…"

"Tch, noisy brat…"

"I SAID STOP!"

That's when it happened.

A blue explosion occured, deafing every ear that existed, with a blinding seraph which was as bright as the sun itself. The explosion was so powerful that it was enough to send Touma and the leader of Skill-Out three meters from their original place, making them groaned in pain as their body hit the lifeless pavement, completely unaware of the existence of the trouble that lied in front of them. The dust began ascending to the air, filling its numerous gap with its heteregenous being, as the crackling sound of broke pipe nearby began filling the area. The high pitched sound of 'Capacity Down' was suddenly gone, as though it was destroyed by the explosion itself. The nasty odor began flowing in the opened air, and as Touma observed, the dust then began forming some kind of whirlwind in Misaka's place, and gone with a fraction of seconds, leaving the standing figure of a certain hazel eyed girl with so much grief and sorrow.

Misaka Mikoto was not Misaka Mikoto again anymore. Indeed, she still had the same face and the same outer appearance; the torn Tokiwadai winter uniform. Nevertheless, as the dust took its disappearance beneath the midst of weak sunlight from the sun, accompanied by the howling sound of the whirlwind which still took place slightly, Touma's eyes widened as he took a glimpse of something on the back of Misaka's. It was a graceful being, taking shape of the blue wing, a pair of blue wings to be precised, displaying its power just by their frightening flap which seemed to be ready for hurting, disregarding any mercy that they had around the peripheral sight. The medium sized wings flapped themselves slightly, and Touma could feel that his hair spiked out above with a great force, and he must resist his tendency to kneel. It was as if the blue wings had disturbed the regularity of potential difference of each cells in his body. The blue wings was covered slightly by the line of blue hue, the electricity, creating catasthrope around the area.

Misaka's expresion was covered with grief and sorrow, too hard for a middle school girl alone to bear. It was so void, looking at something which was so far away, still, with her face covered with her own blood. It somehow made her kind of inhuman, something that Touma hated to see from Misaka. Misaka didn't stand, maybe 'float' was a better call. The wings was the one who lifted her light slender body, covering the ground below with potential electricity. Touma could feel that it was harder for him to breath, as the electricity began consuming the oxygen to become ozon, although the wind still occured. Touma doubted that Misaka knew what she was doing, or what she was thinking.

Misaka yelled, and with a sudden manner, a beam of blue electricity soared to the sky, even to the space, perhaps, and her body was guarded by improbable barrier of electricity, then, Touma's legs began trembling, finding it hard to support his weight. Every feronic material began moving toward Misaka, forming a circle around her as she looked at them with a vacant stare, creating more defense for her, and, as it happened, the feronic material began crushing towards the wall of the alley, creating massive indents that was hard to be fixed, accompanied by the hitting sound which could beat anything.

Then, Misaka faced the leader of Skill-Out, who watched the scene with widened eyes and fear. He couldn't expect that the Railgun could turn his plan like this, as his death appeared to be nearby, and his tomb seemed to be in sight. Misaka, then, with the utmost hatred that she could have, mumbling something with an unknown language, pointing her opened palm to the leader then, firing a solid beam of powerful electricity, with heart stopping sound that could make people fainted.

Touma reacted fast, despite of his battered state. He threw himself to the beam, and repeled it with his Imagine Breaker. The beam dissipated itself after ten seconds, as Touma's legs began wobbling because of the electrical current that flew wherever.

"Run away! You will die here!" Touma shouted to the leader.

The leader didn't need to be told twice, running as fast as a gazelle which was chased by a leopard. With a fraction of seconds, he had gone, leaving no trace but his old knife that he used to try stabbing Touma.

Now, in front of Kamijiou Touma, was the sight of a level five espers who governed any law influencing electricity. Still, with her blue wings that support her weight, she stared at him with a vacant eyes, and Touma, knowing every pain and grief that had been burdened to her shoulder, hoped not to fight her, just like he used to do for her sake. Then, he lifted his arms, and began walking to her as he shouted.

"Hey, Misaka! It's Kamijiou Touma!" Touma shouted with the remaining energy that he had, starting to walk painfully towards her. Each step was another suffer for him, as the electricity began more and more intense, and Touma couldn't understand why didn't he faint at that moment. Misaka began hurling balls from his hands, a ball of electricity, towards him, but surprisingly, nothing of the managed to hit Touma, only leaving another strong explosion in his right and left side. Probably a small tiny bit of her still remember that in front of her, walking towards her, was someone that she loved so much, someone whose death she never wished to see.

"We used to have a 'fake' date right? And another fun in penalty game? You remembered right?" Touma said convincingly, trying to bring back memory about him and Misaka, and it succeeded, as Misaka stopped her continuous dangerous balls hurling, and began staring at him with a confused expression.

Touma was now right a meter in front of her. Somehow, he managed to resist any amount of tiredness and exhaustion, with the company of pain and lightning from his opened wound and Misaka's electricity, together with the least amount of oxygen nearby. Right now, he must do something to stop Misaka, not by a force, not by something painful. He must think about something which was gentle, something that Misaka would need right now, and in a moment of seconds, a thought crossed his mind, and without any further argument, complaining, and thinking, he did it.

Touma threw himself toward Misaka, hugging her with the highest gentleness that he could have. His head was on Misaka's head, and his hand was gently rubbing her brown hair, with another hand embracing her neck, treating her as if she was the most fragile thing in the world. Misaka's eyes was widened in shock, as part of her began acknowledging who the spiky haired guy was.

And with a fraction of seconds, the blue wings disappeared, leaving numerous orb of light which glimmered around the alley, and the feronic material descended back to the ground, with the sound of falling material. Misaka's leg began giving up, and her eyes closed in a second, as the exhaustion and pain took her over. Nevertheless, Touma, caught her by his hands, and kneeling on the ground as the fragile body of the girl was lying on his lap, her expression was no longer vacant and void, but rather, a peaceful expression that she used to have to calm any more anger emotion, with the equivalence of an angel with his underlings.

Out of the blue, Touma could feel that the sky was becoming gray, and water droplets began falling from the sky. Rain, falling down, crushing the ground with its transparent hue, soaking both of the teenagers as something that could treat their wounds and exhaustion, with the company of the howling wind that suddenly picked up.

Touma saw the brown haired girl who seemed to be sleeping peacefully with a gentle smile crossed his face, forming an acknowleding smirk that could make Misaka's heart stopped. Without him knowing why, he moved closer to Misaka's forehead, as he planted a gentle kiss there, so much more than any other thing that Misaka needed, somehow blessing her with a good and peaceful slumber that she needed for only God knew since when.

"Good night Misaka..."

And the rain was still falling, covering them with sweet, somehow perplexing aura that was hard to be ignored, as the heart melting scene took place in front of it.