Summary:
As the night of July 28th comes to an end, Shirai Kuroko, who just so happened to be searching out a certain boy is hit by the stray effects of John Pen's Feathers of Light.
AN1: Slightly A.U. To Aru Majutsu no Index with Kuroko heavily involved with the Magic side. Strong Touma/Kuroko friendship and eventual Mikoto/Kuroko romance.
I am using the novels and some of the anime as a basis for the fic.
Some quotes and passages will be taken from the novels in that respect. They will be italicized and noted at the end.
There will be novel spoilers and if you haven't seen Index then this first part will be slightly confusing for you. Hopefully you stick with it!
For those of you reading Linkage do not fret! I will have the next chapter out in a bit, promise. To all of you newcomers I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 0:
Redux (Lost)
July 28th
11:58 P.M.
Why is Onee-sama fawning over a stupid boy when she has me!? Am I not her most devoted friend and destined partner? I will not stand for this. What's so special about "Kamijou Touma" anyhow? What does he have that I don't?
This was Kuroko's thought process as she made her way through district 7 towards a certain boy's dorm room. For the past month or so, Mikoto had been going on and on about "that idiot" someone who apparently had enough ability to be considered worthy of the Railgun's time and energy. To be perfectly honest, Mikoto would not shut up about him. In the showers, in their dorms, and on the way to summer classes; it was "that idiot" this and "that idiot" that. It was exhausting to listen to.
Kuroko had her suspicions early on when Mikoto had first mentioned said boy but they had only seemed to grow as time passed. A certain incident on July 20th had only served to strengthen her suspicion. Though she had been distracted with the ending of the whole Level Upper incident, it wasn't enough so that she was unable to notice the subtle but alarming change in her Onee-sama's mood. What's worse was that when she asked Mikoto about it, her Onee-sama simply brushed her off with an unconvincing smile and a wave of her hand.
It was only that same night that she realized that the "something" that was wrong with Mikoto had everything to do with Kamijou Touma when she heard Mikoto mumbling his name in her sleep and a stray tear falling down her cheek.
That was when Kuroko realized that something must be done about the boy who was causing her Onee-sama such grief. After doing a bit of research thanks to some help from Uiharu, she had learned that Kamijou Touma was a sixteen year old boy in his first year of high school. He was also frighteningly average and what's worse, was classified as a lowly Level 0.
Kuroko had been horrified, to say the least. To think, Onee-sama developing feelings for such a common beast of a man; it was unthinkable.
That is why as Misaka Mikoto's herald and most deserving partner, she had taken it upon herself to pay a visit to the boy.
She could not go during the day because of her Judgment duties and even if she had a spare moment, she did not want to draw attention to herself by visiting the boy at his dorm. After all, she doubted that anyone on this side of the district had ever seen a Tokiwadai student and who knows what kind of gossip would be circulating the halls of her school by mid day.
Which was exactly why she was out here at twelve in the morning teleporting to Kamijou Touma's dorm.
Kuroko sighed as she elegantly landed on a telephone poll and looked down towards Kamijou-san's home. She frowned as she took note of the complex before smirking at how ordinary it looked compared to the lavish dorms of Tokiwadai.
A plain and simple room for a plain and simple boy; sounds about right.
She brushed her hands on her grey skirt before teleporting onto the sidewalk outside his dorm. She then reached a hand into her pocket to look at her phone and check the time.
12:05 a.m.
Releasing another small sigh, she placed her phone back into her pocket and crossed her arms, suddenly conflicted. Though she had come all the way out here, she was unsure on how to proceed. Showing up at a stranger's house in the middle of the night was kind of crazy.
She rubbed her chin as her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, What should I do? Even I know that I cannot simply barge in there like some kind of maniac. Yet if I knock at the door there's a good chance that he will think I am crazy anyways. Not that I care what some ape thinks of me but what if he tells Onee-sama? Ahh though I adore her love whips, Kuroko is still a little sore from the Level Upper incident.
Kuroko looked back up towards his dorm before frowning when she realized that she had seen the place before.
Hold on…isn't this the place that had that massive fire a few days ago? Hmm.
Placing a hand on her waist, she raised her hand to her mouth and frowned. From what she heard from Anti-Skill, this complex would ultimately be uninhabitable for the next few days therefore leading her to conclude that Kamijou Touma was not actually in his dorm as of this time.
She sighed a little, feeling defeated, Should I just go home?
Well, it's not like she had to get to know the boy immediately. She still had time.
Except…something was nagging at her gut. From all her years in Judgment, she knew when to follow a potential lead.
After a moment of deliberation, she nodded once before making a quick call to Uiharu.
.
.
.
12:19 a.m.
"So, this is where the trail leaves off…" Kuroko mumbled to herself as she paused mid air before landing on the ground with a soft thump. She rubbed the back of her neck before releasing another small sigh. Uiharu was able to hack into the boys phone records and track his movements. Though the last call he made was three days ago, this was the only lead she had so far.
I cannot believe I am going through so much trouble for one boy. Kuroko held her fist up determinately as she shook free those thoughts, no, no this is all for Onee-sama's sake. I must persevere.
After that little pep talk, she nodded before inspecting the shack of a house closely. Her face contorted as her nose wrinkled in disgust.
Really…what kind of acquaintances those this ape keep to be staying in such a place. Disgusting. He really is unfitting for my Onee-sama.
Another small breath escaped her as she looked up towards the door, eyes widening in surprise when she saw that the light was still on. A smile that was more like a sneer tugged at her lips as she straightened up.
Be prepared boy. It's time for you to answer for your—
Before she could finish her thought, a pillar of light flashed through the sky along with the sound of concrete and wood caving in. She stared up in shock at the noise as she covered her ears before teleporting back when a few stray pieces of rubble came her way. She closed her eyes to protect them against the stream.
What—what was that?
As the smoke slowly cleared, she opened one eye only for them both to widen, Is that…coming from the apartment?
Just what in the world is happening?
.
.
.
12:24am
By the time she had finally gathered her bearings, the smoke had all but cleared.
However, there was a strange pure white colored feathers floating down into the hole in the housing unit.
Her brows screwed together in confusion as she gazed up into the sky.
What is that?
She swallowed hard in an attempt to gather her bearings before slipping on her Judgment armband and clenching her fist. She took a deep breath.
I do not know what is happening. However, it is my duty as an officer of this city to investigate any strange occurrences.
With that thought in mind, she teleported to the top of the building, just beside the hole and looked down. Confusion raced through her when she saw who she believed was Kamijou Touma holding a girl tightly in his arms as feathers of light—yes now that she had a clear view of them that was the only way she could describe them—floated down around him.
Her eyes widened in shock when he suddenly collapsed on top of the girl. Before another thought could form, she felt something lightly touch the back of her head.
It was almost as if she had been hit by a hammer.
Her last conscious moment was of her falling forward into the house and onto the ground next to the boy.
The end tips of their index fingers touched as dozens of feathers of light floated down around them and onto their bodies
And on the night of July 28th two people "died".
Kamijou Touma.
And…Shirai Kuroko.
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.
.
July 28th, 8:23 A.M.
A young girl weakly opened her eyes and awoke to the sound of machines running. She groaned a little as she slowly sat up and held a hand to her head before lowering it and gazing at it in confusion.
Where…where am I? She looked around tiredly before rubbing at her eye, a hospital?
"Ah, I see that you're awake."
An old man in a white coat smiled at her as he entered the room. Her first thought was that he resembled a frog.
The girl held her covers up to her chest as she frowned, "Who are you?"
Instead of answering, the frog faced doctor held up his hand as if to stop the stream of questions that he knew would come, "Before that, I would like to ask—can you tell me the last thing that you remember?"
She frowned as her grip on her covers tightened just a bit, "I…" she trailed off as she glanced at the covers, "Other than waking up a few moments ago…nothing."
The frog faced doctor sighed as he nodded, "And can you tell me your name?"
For some reason, a small spark of panic gripped her heart at the question as she wracked her brain searching for an answer.
The girl swallowed heavily, as if she was taking in something hard and bitter before shaking her head.
"No."
"I expected as much," the frog faced doctor held up some documents and handed them to her, "I'm sure that this will make up for some of the confusion that you feel."
The girl reluctantly took the papers and set them down on her lap. She lifted the first page and stared at it blankly, unsure of what she was reading and how it held any meaning to her.
Shirai Kuroko.
Thirteen years old.
1st year student at the prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School.
Top tier member of Judgment.
Level 4 Teleporter—
"What does this all mean?" she asked suddenly as she looked up from the forms and towards the doctor, "what is this? Teleporter?"
The frog faced doctor eyes betrayed nothing at her onslaught of questions. He simply nodded before calling out to a nurse to bring in a wheelchair.
She frowned as the nurse helped her out of the bed but before being forced to sit, she looked towards the doctor desperately.
"Please."
Finally, since entering the room, the frog face doctor cracked a small smile.
"All of your questions will be answered soon, Shirai-san."
And for the second time in a matter of hours—though she didn't know it— Shirai Kuroko's eyes widened in the face of an indiscernible, uncompromising truth.
.
.
.
"I'm sure the both of you are very confused."
Kuroko could only nod as she continued sneaking glances at the boy beside her in puzzlement. For some odd reason, the frog faced doctor had wheeled her into a room with a boy she had never met before—though she couldn't be sure at this point—sitting up in a small bed. The boy was covered in bandages and her first thought when she had laid eyes on him was that he was "ordinary".
Absolutely nothing stood out about him other than his unnaturally spiky dark hair. For all intensive purposes, he was a completely ordinary boy.
"Though what I'm about to tell you might sound fantastical, I want you both to listen and understand that what I am saying."
Though Kuroko wasn't sure about the other boy, she made sure to listen in closely. She felt her heart begin to beat harder as she absorbed what the doctor had said, her eyes shimmering with unknown emotion.
As a result of the magic that had afflicted them, the boy and two girls had collapsed in the
apartment and the two naming themselves magicians had brought them to the hospital.
Those supposed magicians had told the doctors what had transpired and the doctors
had of course not believed them. The doctors had only told them both all of this because
they felt he had the right to know (1st)
She lifted her head as if realizing something, "Hold on…I'm not saying I believe this but if it is true then that still doesn't explain what I was doing there."
From what he told them, the boy next to her was some kind of hero who had risked all and lost all in order to save a girl he barely knew from an enemy he could not possibly defeat. It sounded like something straight out of a fairy tale, an old time romance.
There was no room for her in such a tale.
The frog faced doctor could only frown at her question, "The "magicians" that brought you all in stated that they did not know where you came from but you somehow managed to be affected by the same "spell" afflicting Kamijou-san."
"But that's…" she bit her lip as she looked over at the boy, who had barely said anything since she first came into the room. Though she wouldn't know for sure, he didn't seem like someone she would be friends with. After all, he was a high school student and she apparently went to some rich school for girls.
It just didn't make any sense.
"What in the world was I doing there?" she whispered, her eyes lowering to her clenched fist.
There was a brief silence in the room before the boy cleared his throat, "Um," both Kuroko and the frog face doctor turned their attention to the boy who had been silent throughout this entire exchange.
He smiled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head, "This is a bit much right now. I think we need a few minutes to think about this. I mean…magicians and Espers? It all sounds crazy."
The frog faced doctor's expression barely changed as he answered, "That sounds fine. Shirai-san, do you want me take you back to your room?"
"Ah, actually I was hoping to have a word with…Shirai-san, was it?"
Kuroko's brows drew together as she stared into the boys eyes and saw nothing but sincerity in them. She licked her lips before nodding.
"Yes, I would like that."
And with that, the two amnesiacs found themselves alone.
.
.
.
Kuroko was unsure of how to start a conversation. What did one say to someone they had never met before whom just so happened to be struck by the same ailment as you?
Though she was sure "memory obliteration" wasn't a normal, everyday disease.
"I'm sorry."
Kuroko was pulled from her musings at the apology. She lifted her eyes from her legs and onto the boy in front of her who was gazing at her in earnest determination.
"For what?" she asked in a slightly puzzled voice.
The boy took a deep breath before sitting up further in his bed, "I don't know what you were doing outside that apartment but you got caught up in something awful because of me."
Kuroko's breath caught at the statement, one she had never been expecting. After all, she was certain that whatever she was doing outside of that apartment right when something so strange was happening was her own fault.
What kind of thirteen year old girl is out at twelve in the morning on a school night?
"No…it's not your fault, Kamijou-san," she started slowly, gripping the wheels of her chair tightly, "Somehow I get the feeling that I ended up being my own undoing."
The boy tilted his head in confusion at that before turning to look out the window. There was another brief moment of silence before a light chuckle escaped him. Kuroko eyed the boy worriedly as he shook his head slowly.
"Who would have thought that something like this would happen?" he returned his gaze to her with a comforting smile, "Though to be honest, I would rather have suffered such a misfortunate event by myself. So even though you say that, Shirai-san, I still have to apologize. I'm sorry that this happened."
Emotion sprung up in Kuroko's throat at the boy's sincere words. She lowered her head as her hands tightened into fist and a stray tear slipped down her cheek.
"I'm sorry too."
.
.
.
This was less amnesia and more a case of complete memory destruction. They did not just "forget" their memories. The brain cells were physically destroyed. Since it was physical damage – that is, just a wound – healing it might have been possible with recovery magic like with Index's sliced open back. However, that transparent boy had a right hand called Imagine Breaker. It would negate all magic whether it was for good or evil. As for the girl…magic could not be used on her without there being lasting effects. Though it was "recovery magic" the strain that it would put on her body due to her latent Esper abilities would be too huge. It could cause more permanent damage. (2nd)
To put it quite simply, those memories were gone.
And nothing could be done to change that fact.
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8:50am
As soon as the frog faced doctor exited the room a call came in to his cell phone. For the first time in a long while his expression shifted from its usual calm to something else entirely. He lifted the phone to his ear and answered.
"It's rare for you to call me like this out of the blue."
Do not tell me you haven't been expecting this call.
"Ah, yes, well. Be that as it may, I must ask that you refrain from such calls during work hours."
The voice at the other end of the line chuckled.
I'll make sure to keep that in mind, old friend.
The frog faced doctor sighed as he began walking down the corridor, "I have a question for you. Why did you ask me to lie to my patients?"
Sadly, I can not divulge all the information that you seek.
The frog faced doctor shook his head, "Something on this scale—" he paused for a moment before continuing in a tired voice, "Well, ultimately it is none of my business. But don't expect to lie to my patients ever again. They are my first priority."
Do not worry, my dear dear old friend.
Everything that has happened is within the acceptable margin of error.
"Whatever you say…Aleister."
AN2: I took a few liberties here and there. Mikoto didn't show up but she'll be there front and center next chapter! Thanks for reading and until next time.
Taken from To Aru Majutsu No Index Volume 1