A Certain Magical Index - Arc 2

As the crystalline weapon lunged forward, Vanni quickly managed to somehow enlarge two of his suspicious black feathers. The sound of the two clashed together screeched through the dome, startling the curious citizens of Academy City. How Vanni managed to enlarge his feathers didn't matter to Haragi. He knew it would have been pointless to attempt to figure out the mysterious process with his logic. All that mattered is the results.

The resulting clash ended in Haragi having the superior advantage. The material that composed the enlarged feathers had no chance of holding back against his hardened crystalline blade. Thus both of his feathers were rendered useless as it sent Vanni repelling backwards, and the recoil of that clash also had pushed back Haragi by just small force to which he would be able to balance himself without difficulty.

As Vanni had regained his balance, he looked as if he didn't want to fight.

What exactly was he planning?...

The Level 4 esper stood alert as he waited for his counter strike. His <No Air Space> surely would have affect the control of his next attack. However, a feather was thrown casually at him without any preparation or odd monologues to begin with.

"Here, catch. Don't worry it's not a trap"

Immediately afterwards, the boy had spoke more of his odd monologues with another feather in hand to completely disappear within the dome. It was his mysterious Teleportation method that caused him to transfer himself somewhere else. Had he escaped? The only thing that was left of him was the black feather, falling towards his vicinity.

Without any concern or caution, the Esper had swiped the slowly falling black feather out of the air as you would when upon seeing a falling piece of a dandelion. There was nothing suspicious about the black feather on his palm, let alone any sign of where he could have gone. Realizing the lack of air, Haragi broke down the dome, which he intended to trap his opponent with but failed, and stepped out of the no air zone to regain his long awaiting breath. The next thing Haragi noticed was the sight of the glaring eyes of Academy City citizens seeming to want an clear explanation to what was going on.

A drawn out sigh exited the Esper's irritated face right after observing the ordinary black feather. What was even more annoying was that the whole situation had been a mess, he wouldn't have been able to come up with an fake excuse for the people around him as of recent events and he had let his opponent get away. Having his black pants from his school uniform being ripped and roughened pissed him up even further, not excluding the small wounds he received from earlier.

Suddenly, he heard a voice within his head. It was the voice of the person he let get away.

"Can everyone hear me?

All right you two Esper boys that tried to play hero, listen up. This place is becoming more and more populated so it's that we can't continue this skirmish. Big guy, I can tell you're a Judgment member but I'm sure you know that you've crossed into some new territory and that's exactly it. Although it's true that this is Academy City, this incident is our world, not yours. Since you don't want to mind your own business, I'll tell you now what's going on behind backs....it could be said as....a situation where war is very likely between two opposing sides. There are two sides in this world,"

War? What the hell was he talking about? Haragi had suspected there had been some other method to use abilities outside of Academy City knowledge, but how did that exactly relate to war?

"One is the Science Side, the side you reside in..

The other..is the Magic Side, the one me and that young lady over there belong to."

Magic? Was this boy bluffing?

"By Magic, YES, I mean actual Magic, like the kind you see in anime and RPGs, but real Magic isn't so simple. Like how your Esper abilities work through Science, our Magic work through Religion. Most of the Magic Side happen to be religious, unlike you scientific atheist. So you see, our powers work by different rules."

The Level 4 had thoroughly listened to what had been said. But as of now, something like Magic and it's brief background was easily casted off as a weak lie. But having it being done through Religion, something that wasn't considered as a standard in Academy City, could have been possible. No one took 'God' or the idea of worshiping a diety seriously in this city unlike the outside world. So what he's been saying might have been not just some pretentious lie and have some meaning. However it seemed like anything was unbelievable if it wasn't anywhere near the laws of science. But what had been shown from the fight with the previous intruder to this fight had made it questionable if something like Magic truly existed or not.

"The Magic Side isn't so connected so much like the Science Side. We have many organizations and sectors, but the sector that me and her belongs to happens to be a certain Christian Church that I won't be giving the name of. That girl is a member of our sector, she belongs to us. She is the 'Index Librorum Prohibitorum', or shortened as 'Index'. She's a valuable treasure to not just the Church but all of the Magic Side! She's very dangerous and many dangerous people want her to make them even more powerful, so we have to recapture her. However, if we don't capture her, things will get terrible.

Not only is somthing so powerful out on the loss but it's being held by the enemy? Do you know what that means? Do you know what will happen because you two decided to interfere with our side?

War

If The Church doesn't get what they want, things will break out into a war. Many tragedies and deaths will happen, and it'll be all because of you two

Knowing the politics between The Church and Academy City, I'm sure the higher-ups know about our objective.

So now that you understand, back off Espers. This is a problem for us Magicians. Stay out of our way and it'll be very fresco for everybody. Make no mistake, it's not like I felt I was pushed into a corner"

Everyone that had been said up till now didn't seem to concern the Level 4 Esper. War depended on his actions towards the so-called Magicians. They revealed that the young girl was dangerous even though she hadn't seemed harmful, no less innocent, when he had spoken with her. It was that "one" thing that had kept him going through the missions assigned to him, whether if the result would be good or bad, other than that he didn't show any concern.

"If you can hear me.... Just let me make sure that I understand completely.... My actions may cause a war towards Academy City?...

Sorry I thought you had me there for a second... I don't ever recalling regretting my actions... Not after the promise I was given... Not even starting now...

And Magic with underground organizations and that harmless young nun being dangerous?.... It sounds very hard to believe... but with the weird way you guys showed to express your abilities, I can't completely doubt it.

But... I can't trust you guys either...

And let me make this clear... The higher ups are the ones who told me to come after you guys slated as suspicious intruders.... No questions asked...


He expressed his opinion through his thoughts expecting the other party to listen. As reality came back to his eyes, the curious crowd are still as they were a few seconds ago. Right now, he had to find the source of where his voice came from, though being done through "Magic", Haragi would still be able to scout from the air. As he stepped onto thin air, his body had traveled diagonally upwards until his sharp eyes would cover the area. It didn't take long as he discovered his vanished opponent standing behind the Judgement member who had been dealing with the swordswoman.

Dropping onto the ground in front of the two intruders, everyone within the vicinity had their eyes onto the central figures in the middles being Haragi, the Judgement member and the two people who claim to user "Magic". With the black feather still in his grasp, he eyed down his target.

"If my actions do spark a war... It will be the higher ups' problem... not mine... You're my targets assigned to me to go after... That's how it's been for me... being a prisoner of Academy City...."

His hand had tightly grasped the fragile feather, breaking the communication of their thoughts. The shattered pieces of the crystallized layers the Level 4 created back when he was shielding the girl and the Judgement member was scattered in the air. And the general area to where this was was exactly where Vanni had stood. Meaning...

Without any further warning, sparks of white light had flashed around Vanni's personal space. These OFR's were just about ready to enter entropy as soon as Haragi's Personal Reality triggers it.

"Now.. If you don't want your face to get messed up... I'd suggest you and your female friend come with me and have a short visit with the Higher ups.... If not, I don't have a problem seeing you get burned to death...."

The serious expression from the Level 4's face had no intention of lying as to what he said. He honestly didn't care what had happened to these two, as much to finishing his mission quickly so he could resume his "Other" life to conserve more energy.

"It's OK. Really. I mean, I couldn't just leave you there. After all, you looked like you needed help. Everyone wants to be saved sometime, right?"

“He has a hero complex, The idiot also has problems minding his own business.”

Index smiled with a nod.

"That's very admirable." She praised him in an almost motherly fashion. "But I fear the circumstances here are far more severe than you realise." She didn't elaborate. "I can't stay here long or you may be involved."

She looked over at the other girl in turn.

"Honestly, you shouldn't make light of another person's selflessness." She shook her head with a haughty smile. "You could learn a thing or two from this boy."

“He has a hero complex, The idiot also has problems minding his own business.”

He shrugged. When she put it that way it was hard to disagree with her.

"That's very admirable. But I fear the circumstances here are far more severe than you realise. I can't stay here long or you may be involved."


"Honestly, you shouldn't make light of another person's selflessness. You could learn a thing or two from this boy."

"Am I wrong?" He leaned back into the booth, stretching his arms over the backrest. "Haven't you ever wanted to be saved?" He asked Mikoto rhetorically. It was natural he decided, for people to want to cry out for help. But so many things stopped them. Fear, shame. Guilt. And if he could give that help without asking for anything in return... Without needing to be asked... If he could make the world a better place then wasn't that worth it?

The waitress arrived shortly with their orders. In front of Mikoto and Index were placed lavish, appetising looking dishes that sizzled mouthwateringly.

"The usual." The waitress beamed at Guy, setting down an enormous strawberry sundae that looked as though it was meant to be shared between at least two people. "We changed the recipe. See if you can tell the difference." She bounced off, humming to herself. Even Index could only stare, dumbstruck at the mountain of ice cream and syrup that sat infront of her.

Guy took his first spoonful and savoured it like a connoisseur tasting a fine wine. After a moment's consideration he glanced over at the man and woman behind the counter. They were both rather portly with red, merry faces that looked as though they were permanently stretched into jolly smiles.

"You changed the cream." He identified the new recipe immediately. "Double whipped with vanilla extract." He declared like a TV detective cracking a case. "And the sauce is natural this time." The couple lit up with joy.

"Ah. You're too good at this." They laughed. "I swear you're the only one who appreciates our cooking."

Mikoto’s cheeks gradually turned bright crimson as Index praised Guy.

"Honestly, you shouldn't make light of another person's selflessness. You could learn a thing or two from this boy."

Mikoto seethed inside at having been told off by a weirdo midget who had only just met her. Before the electromaster could retort back exactly what she thought the green-eyed girl should learn, Guy questioned her with a calmness one would usually associate with a wise person.

"Am I wrong? Haven't you ever wanted to be saved?"

His questions sounded rhetoric, as if he was aiming them at himself as much as her.

“No,” Mikoto immediately snapped back without thinking. She tilted her head in a supercilious way, her tone revealing her prideful nature.

“I’m a Level 5, the Railgun. I can take care of myself thank you very much,” she scoffed, closing one eye lazily as she stared down at Guy.

“I’ve never been in such a situation you’ve just described and never will. Anyway, even if I wanted to be saved, it wouldn’t be from a hopeless idiot like you,” Mikoto added nastily as an afterthought.

The food arrived, preceded by delicious aromas that made Mikoto’s mouth water. She brightened at the sight of her Salmon Panini and large soda, then blinked at the amount of food the others had ordered. She glanced at the small form of Index, genuinely concerned about where all that food was going to go.

As Guy tasted the new recipe and identified the difference with the accuracy of a master, Mikoto could not help but notice how easily he got along with everyone. Girls in her class always swooned over him, giggling and batting their eyelashes, and he would somehow avoid their blatant advances without evoking their anger. Instead, his natural and casual mannerisms resulted in more heart-shaped eyes staring his way, or more gossiping mouths stating how “cool” the new English teacher was. He was an idiot yes, but Mikoto had to give it to him: he had a likeable aura and natural charisma that allowed him to befriend anyone he wanted.

And somehow, that really irritated her.

"Ah. You're too good at this." The cooks behind the counter laughed, obviously good friends with Guy. "I swear you're the only one who appreciates our cooking."

Hearing this, Mikoto bit off a huge chunk of Salmon Panini, gulping it down. She stared at the rest of her food. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it truly was delicious.

“It’s really delicious,” Mikoto announced. There was a touch of surprise in her tone that had the possibility of offending a sensitive cook.

“No, I’m a Level 5, the Railgun. I can take care of myself thank you very much, I’ve never been in such a situation you’ve just described and never will. Anyway, even if I wanted to be saved, it wouldn’t be from a hopeless idiot like you,”

He shrugged, admitting defeat perhaps.

"Well, I guess you've lived a very lucky life then." He assessed matter-of-factly between bites of ice cream.

“It’s really delicious,”

"Hey! Don't sound so surprised!" The woman replied with a good humoured laugh. "We may not be the fanciest place in town but we know what makes good food."

Guy was quick to pick off from their unfinished conversation.

"So if you've never needed to be saved, surely you should be the one doing the saving? Rather than a 'hopeless idiot' like me with no powers." He leaned back with a self satisfied expression that bordered on arrogant, gesturing with his spoon as he spoke. "I mean, with all your powers, nothing should be a problem for you, right?"

“No,”

“I’m a Level 5, the Railgun. I can take care of myself thank you very much,”

“I’ve never been in such a situation you’ve just described and never will. Anyway, even if I wanted to be saved, it wouldn’t be from a hopeless idiot like you,”

"Well, I guess you've lived a very lucky life then."

"So if you've never needed to be saved, surely you should be the one doing the saving? Rather than a 'hopeless idiot' like me with no powers."

"I mean, with all your powers, nothing should be a problem for you, right?"

Index's head swung back and forth between the two and their bickering. She shook her head ruefully with a sigh.

"It seems to me that the two of you can't be honest with one yourselves." She laughed at her own wisdom.

***

It had taken some time, but Touko was finally free. With make up classes over she could enjoy the freedom of Summer at last. Still, the girl had a heavy heart and a dejected frown on her face. Already today she had incurred the wrath of her homeroom teacher and by extension everyone in her class, who treated the pink haired woman as their mascot and wouldn't allow for any insult to her. After a humiliating punishment game she had visited an ATM only for it to swallow her card. That had forced her to turn down an offer from Motoharu and their blue haired friend to visit the arcade.

All of which had led her to her current state. Walking exhausted and despondant back towards her dormitory.

Such misfortune.

Vanni's eyebrow twitched. The reaction he had been given was surely an unexpected one. Was this esper insane? Was he this ignorant? Or was his resolve just this stubborn? Either way, this wasn't the time for that boy to be playing tough.

Something that Vanni seemed to notice was that this boy was a bit similar to himself. He had also been used as a dog by a certain faction that only an idiot would fight against alone. Vanni, who hated being controlled above all else, was no exception to that idea.

'the higher-up's problem? Don't be stupid. You live in Academy City to this is your problem too. This place will be a battlezone. Whether you care about someone else or yourself doesn't matter. They and yourself will get killed. Really, I didn't think science had made you this ignorant. You can't even comprehend war correctly. I can tell by your eyes that you've seen bloodshed, that's pretty fresco but that just isn't enough. '

But sympathy wasn't something that could be given easily by him. Apparently that's the same for this Esper not too far away from him, who had set up some kind of attack. Vanni could tell that there was something dangerous around him judging from the intent he sensed and the heat very close to his skin. There were also flashes of white light

'Fine, you want this to end badly, I'll let it be that way. Although I have to say, you don't think much when it comes to fighting huh? You saw me escape from that prison of yours and that explosion right? So what makes you think using a method that tries to confine me with work? That's why for someone like me you have to attack and kill quickly without hesitation or I'll just keep on moving around. Or you could try understanding my spell, but there won't be time for that.

Spirit of Envy!'

Immediately after, Vanni disappeared, using one of the feathers he had sent out before the esper boy landed on the ground. He reappeared 20 feet away from his opponent

'I'm the Luciferian Magician, Vanni. Be careful, once I say my Magic Name it's game over. Better luck next time'

One of the other feathers flew on top of a building, it had then been used as the Spirit of Envy spell to switch places with Vanni, putting him on the building. The Magician ran off, jumping from building to building towards the direction of the Index

Kaori turned from her opponent, taking the sound of his body falling to the ground behind her as confirmation that she had emerged victorious. She didn't spare him a second thought, her attention already settling on her next adversary.

Kaori snatched the feather from the ground. Across from her the boy Vanni was confronting an enemy Esper. She stood, her hand lightly gripping the hilt of her sword in a relaxed fashion. Her eyes narrowed sternly as she listened to their back and forth. So Vanni had revealed the existence of magic. That alone made the situation more complicated. However, it had been inevitable once they had decided to make themselves known.

"Now.. If you don't want your face to get messed up... I'd suggest you and your female friend come with me and have a short visit with the Higher ups.... If not, I don't have a problem seeing you get burned to death...."

The air around Vanni started to glow with glittering lights like fireflies dancing about his head. His death seemed assured. And yet the magician had answered that threat with absolute confidence.

'Fine, you want this to end badly, I'll let it be that way. Although I have to say, you don't think much when it comes to fighting huh? You saw me escape from that prison of yours and that explosion right? So what makes you think using a method that tries to confine me with work? That's why for someone like me you have to attack and kill quickly without hesitation or I'll just keep on moving around. Or you could try understanding my spell, but there won't be time for that. Spirit of Envy!'

In the blink of an eye he had vanished only to reappear some distance away.

'I'm the Luciferian Magician, Vanni. Be careful, once I say my Magic Name it's game over. Better luck next time'

Kaori snapped into action, launching her Nanasen towards Haragi, the wires whipping and whistling through the air. From his position evasion would be a simple matter. But her purpose was not to kill this time. It was merely to distract. Holding that feather in her hands, Kaori spoke to Vanni.

"Go. Pursue the Index and rendezvous with Stiyl if you can." She instructed him. "I'll hold the enemy at bay."

She stood upright with a relaxed posture that seemed arrogant given her circumstances. She eyed Haragi coolly from below, the fingers around the hilt of her Nodachi gently coiling and uncoiling in preparation for the next attack.

(YT, as per your post in the OOC thread I assumed Trystan has passed out, though Kaori thinks she's killed him. Maybe a last minute block with his ability? Or a narrow miss? I'll leave it to you to decide the specifics.)

"So if you've never needed to be saved, surely you should be the one doing the saving? Rather than a 'hopeless idiot' like me with no powers. I mean, with all your powers, nothing should be a problem for you, right?"

Mikoto’s face reddened again, and swallowed a mouthful of her food with a loud and unladylike gulp in her rush to retort back with equal arrogance.

“That’s right. Nothing can ever stand in my way, got it?” She narrowed her eyes at Guy, a slight smirk twisting her lips.

“You’d do especially well to remember that one.”

"It seems to me that the two of you can't be honest with one yourselves."

Mikoto’s smirk faded into a scowl as Index laughed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” She fired at the nun hotly.

“That’s right. Nothing can ever stand in my way, got it?” She narrowed her eyes at Guy, a slight smirk twisting her lips. You’d do especially well to remember that one.”

He laughed.

"Well it's good to know that I have someone like you to turn to when things get bad." IT wasn't immediately apparent whether he was joking or serious at that moment, the comment coming across somewhere between honest praise and mocking her pride.

"It seems to me that the two of you can't be honest with yourselves."

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

"Yeah! What is that supposed to mean?" He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, unexpectedly taking Mikoto's side.

((OOC: Durr, accidentally a word in my last post. It was meant to read: "It seems to me that the two of you can't be honest with yourselves." ))

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

"Yeah! What is that supposed to mean?"

Index seemed surprised at the pair's sudden reaction to her words. She looked down in dismay, as though thinking how to put it another way.

"I mean, you should both listen to your hearts more." She gave those words of 'wisdom' with a look of innocent purity. With that she dug into her meal eagerly, taking turns tearing into the pork and steak. Her face lit up in a glowing smile.

"Mmm." She paused only briefly to hum in appreciation. "I mean..." She spoke between hurried mouthfuls. "...couples shouldn't spend their time arguing..." She stuffed another chunk of meat into her mouth, oblivious to her mistake.

"Yeah! What is that supposed to mean?"

Mikoto turned to glance at Guy, surprised at his unexpected alliance with her.

"I mean, you should both listen to your hearts more.”

Is she serious, or is she still trying to act like a nun?

Although she was listening to Index, Mikoto’s eyes were still trailed on Guy, almost suspicious of what he was up to. He had never ever been on her side so openly before, and it felt… weird to say the least.

"Mmm." Index paused between her mouthfuls of pork and steak. "I mean...couples shouldn't spend their time arguing..."

This made Mikoto whip her head back to the silver-haired girl, her face quickly turning a bright crimson as her mouth fell open with shock.

WHAT? She thought they were…

“C-… C-….”

She stared wide eyed at Index, unable to believe what she had just heard. She stuttered and choked, all words failing to form on her tongue.

“Cou-… Cou-…”

Mikoto suddenly leapt up, her chair falling backwards with a loud crash. Her red face held the look of fury as she sent daggers at Index. The brown haired girl slammed a hand on the table, knocking over her large soda and spilling the drink everywhere, even onto their food. She didn’t take any notice.

“WE ARE NOT C- …….” She mumbled an incoherent word, then continued with an intensified fury, “GOT ITTTT???!!!!”

She stomped her foot like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. Electrical lights hanging from the ceiling sparked and buzzed dangerously as her hair spitted blue arcs.

Then everything plunged into darkness.

Mikoto blinked.

“Eh?”

"Mmm. I mean...couples shouldn't spend their time arguing..."

His face dropped incredulously.

"You think we're..." He chuckled, leaning back in his seat with a good humoured smile. "You've got it all wrong." He shook his head. "Besides, she's not really my type." He went on, ignoring common sense. "I prefer my women more... mature." He explained with innuendo laced words.

“C-… C-….”

Uh oh... From those first couple of strangled utterances he knew where this was headed.

“Cou-… Cou-…WE ARE NOT C- ……. GOT ITTTT???!!!!"

She stood abruptly, the lights sparking and fizzling with interference from her ability. Guy saw no point in attempting to placate her, seeming calm in an almost zen way. The waitress on the other hand looked positively petrified, cowering behind her tray. Behind the counter the older man removed his cap to scratch his head. It had only been a matter of weeks since a gang of troublemakers had nearly demolished the place while attempting to get out of paying. He shot Guy a beseeching look to which the young man could only shrug apologetically.

Then the lights went out.

“Eh?”

The waitress screamed at the sudden darkness.

"Nice work, Biribiri." Guy chimed in.

The waitress’ sudden scream initiated other people’s confusion. Shouts, cries and whispers erupted in the void, all wondering what was going on.

"Nice work, Biribiri."

Mikoto spun around to face the dark space where Guy's sarcasm had originated. She furiously blinked against the lack of light. Her terrible embarrassment was hidden in the opacity along with her scowl.

“Shut up!” she snapped at the teacher crossly. Mikoto knew she was in trouble now.

Dammit, why did I have to lose my temper? But it wasn’t my fault... It was that stupid midget-

She swore under her breath. That didn’t even matter anymore. She had to get out of this preposterous situation somehow.

Unable to form a better and coherent plan of action, Mikoto began to laugh loudly- the awkward, strangled sounds choking on her throat. Amidst the commotion of confused people she declared as if she was just the casual observer:

“Ahaha… This is terrible… It- it looks like there’s been a blackout…”

She was no doubt glad it was dark. It hid her guilty, red-faced expression and the terrible twitching of her eyebrows as the artificial smile froze in place.

Mikoto quickly sat down- or at least, she tried to. What she had not realised in the blackness and in her hurry to make herself inconspicuous was that her chair had fallen over during the impressive outburst at Index. As she fell backwards with nothing to support her, Mikoto’s panicked and wildly flailing hands grabbed at the table viciously. The furniture leaned sideways, pulled by her weight. Thunderous crashes and cracking of dishes followed as all of their food and drink spilled everywhere on the ground.

In the darkness, the waitress screamed again.

Dazed, Mikoto rubbed her head as she sat up.

“Owwww…” she moaned.

"Ah!" Index yelped like a startled kitten as the lights went out.

"What happened?" She asked, a hint of panic in her voice as she imagined the worst case scenario. Had they found her already? Had she been too hasty to stop running?

“Ahaha… This is terrible… It- it looks like there’s been a blackout…”

That didn't do much to calm her. The sudden crash of the Esper girl falling over her chair nearly stopped her heart.

***

"This was a bad idea..." Touko uttered to herself, trudging under the sweltering sun. Taking a shortcut through the park had seemed like a good idea at the time, seeing as how it was shorter by far. But she hadn't anticipated the lack of shade along the route.

SCHING!

She heard the sharp noise of a blade of some sort being swung. Touko stopped dead in her tracks on instinct. Looking up she saw the culprit.

A tall woman with long black hair was clutching a sword in her hands. Above her a boy was hovering in the air.

What the hell had she walked into?

"Hey! What's going on here?" The voice rang clear through the air of the quiet park. Two anti skill officers approached, drawn by the commotion of the fight. "You all know unauthorised power usage is an offense!" The first officer yelled up at Haragi in particular.

His comrade meanwhile stood nervously eyeing the three youths. In a city where any passerby could potentially fling you clean across the street with a thought the volunteer police force had to exercise caution. His eyes were drawn to Kaori's weapon. What was she doing with something like that?

"Hey... is that..." He stuttered, tapping his partner on the shoulder. His hand twitched over the grip to his sidearm.

***

“Shut up!”

"Ah! "What happened?"

“Ahaha… This is terrible… It- it looks like there’s been a blackout…”

"It's OK I'm sure it's nothing serious." He reassured Index. "Even if there are people chasing your right now I doubt they'd try anything in broad daylight in front of all these people." He said confidently, unaware that in a nearby park tensions were coming to a head between Index's pursuers and her would be rescuers.

He also couldn't have known that one of the people chasing Index was hot on her trail.

Without warning the table tipped violently, spilling its contents over the floor. The waitress's scream split the dark.

“Owwww…”

Despite the darkness his head snapped to the side to see where the girl had fallen. He stood over her and offered his hand to help her up.

"Is there anything you can do with that power of yours?" He asked. "You were just saying how nothing can stand in your way, right? So something like this should be a piece of cake, right?" He asked under his breath.

'the higher-up's problem? Don't be stupid. You live in Academy City to this is your problem too. This place will be a battlezone. Whether you care about someone else or yourself doesn't matter. They and yourself will get killed. Really, I didn't think science had made you this ignorant. You can't even comprehend war correctly. I can tell by your eyes that you've seen bloodshed, that's pretty fresco but that just isn't enough.

Fine, you want this to end badly, I'll let it be that way. Although I have to say, you don't think much when it comes to fighting huh? You saw me escape from that prison of yours and that explosion right? So what makes you think using a method that tries to confine me with work? That's why for someone like me you have to attack and kill quickly without hesitation or I'll just keep on moving around. Or you could try understanding my spell, but there won't be time for that.'

The same voice could be heard within Haragi's mind even after crushing the black feather which appeared to be some sort of communication device. This new idea called 'Magic' doesn't seem to be destroyed as easily. Besides that, Vanni's words didn't seem to phase him effectively. The simple thought of Academy City being warred upon wasn't his concern. This city is only a prison to those in the Dark Side, so having being warred upon could possibly break the shackles that held Haragi in place. His only concern lied within his Sister's safety, if that was kept then whatever actions that may affect him or others didn't matter.

Spirit of Envy

The same saying was blurted out of the mouth of this so-called Magician. Haragi had heard this before, expecting it and even preparing for this to occur once more. This ability was used to effectively transfer the user elsewhere, leaving black feathers in remains of his original position from Haragi's previous observations. But where he transferred himself to was the question the Level 4 esper didn't concern himself with. Haragi had known that capturing Magicians were going to be difficult beforehand so he only kept note of the result of these Magician's actions.

Little did this magician know that the OFRs that were crystallized had their location already inputted within Haragi's Personal Reality. This had meant that where these crystallized substances were, it's location was known to the Esper at all times. However determining the location of the substances gets difficult as they are located further away. Out of the plethora of crystallized shards that were about to enter Entropy in Vanni's space, one of them managed to cling into his clothes just as he had spoke. Meaning he was able to be tracked because Haragi had known the position of his crystallized OFR that was embedded onto the Magician's clothes. However, Haragi wouldn't concern himself if this person was only after the girl, meaning he will be searching for her within the area and figuring out his location wouldn't be so difficult.

As of now, his only concern rested with the Swordswoman. His acquaintance had seemed to be able to stop her from leaving the area, but as a result he was extremely exhausted. Haragi had looked down below, eyeing her mighty fortitude. He had known capturing, or even touching, her would be difficult given her earlier performance of cutting through his explosion. Haragi was at a disadvantage at both close quarters and ranged from previous attacks, but however he still has some methods while fighting close and personal unknown to her, be it risky.

His only chance of defeating her is at least injuring her with his crystallized weapons no matter the amount. Just as he was about to materialize another blade, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey! What's going on here? You all know unauthorised power usage is an offense!"

Two individuals in heavy black gear appeared to the scene, with curiosity striking their consciousness. Haragi eyed the two newcomers, and irritation immediately peeled into his thoughts.

"Anti-Skill.... Fuck me... I took too long...."

The two officers in black pointed out his violation as they started to get a hold of the situation at hand. This was bad. If Haragi was found out he was working for the Dark Side, it would surely reach his sister's ears. For now, Haragi had to heed to their request while trying not to give away his role.

The boy had levitated down, as he stepped off his 'thin air' to land gently onto the ground. His hand had met his pocket, sighing at both the officer's while pointing to the swordswoman with his other hand.

"That woman had attacked both me and that Judgement officer... I only retaliated in defense.... I'd call in backup if I were you, because she's already on par with my Level 4 Esper ability... Possibly even more...."

Knowing well that Anti-Skill would find this explanation reasonable, they would at least get suspicious of the swordswoman, and would want to take her in for questioning.

"It's OK I'm sure it's nothing serious. Even if there are people chasing your right now I doubt they'd try anything in broad daylight in front of all these people."

"Is there anything you can do with that power of yours? You were just saying how nothing can stand in your way, right? So something like this should be a piece of cake, right?"

Mikoto glared up at the silhouette of Guy, ignoring his offer of help pridefully and got up on her own.

“What about you?” she hissed, “Aren’t you the one with the hero complex?!”

She huffed then sighed, looking around at the shadows of panicking customers.

“I think some of the circuits have been burnt out- I can’t restore electricity to the entire place when it’s like this. Unless you want everyone fried as well,” she gave Guy another death glare.

“That’s something for the electricians to have a look at. Meanwhile, I’ll just…“ She muttered something under her breath and then said, “I’ll be back in a second.”

Mikoto moved away from them, searching for something in the dark along the walls. Focusing on her electromagnetic perception, she dodged the panicking masses and fallen chairs littered on the floor.

“Tch, mocking me like that…”

Grumbling to herself, she walked towards the place where she had sensed a large amount of EM waves occurring from earlier. The power supply for the building was undoubtedly located there. She tracked down where she could still feel and see the residue of the ionised air from earlier electrical fields. There was still some feeble sparking, and it only made it easier for her.

Mikoto smiled. She would show him.

Vanni moved rather quickly as he moved from building to building. Of course it wasn't extremely fast, he wasn't a Saint or some sort of ninja that could do this so easily. Vanni had to pace and time himself accordingly or else he might meet a very bad end for himself that would be terrible. While moving, he kept his eyes on the street below, trying to catch any sign of the nun that should be pretty easy to see. Doing both of these things were causing him to break a bit of sweat.

He could use magic but he didnt want to draw too much attention to himself. Before deciding to go down below to check for himself, that white thing came into view. Vanni smirked,

Did she really think she was out of the woods yet?

With that thought in mind, the Magician used the side latter attacked to the building to slide down to the floor. That being done, the distance between him and the Index were 20 feet. He could easily catch the girl since she was facing the other direction and sloppily had her guard down. There was a problem though, several people were around the girl, apparently getting along well. He hoped that this wouldn't be a repeat of last time....

"So this is where you're at."

The magician stated as he began to walk towards the young girl

"You're just a magnet to all kinds of people aren't you? But that's not a good thing all the time, especially with how you abuse it. Those two guys that didn't even know you risked their lives to protect you and you repay them by just going off to play with the next people you see? That's low, really low, what kind of nun is this selfish huh? The innocent princess turned out to be a witch."

Like a slight of hand, he brought out a black feather

"It's time to come back. This has been fresco but I don't think you should lead anymore people to their deaths. You catch my drift?"

He stepped closer and closer,,

"Oh yeah, you didn't even try all that hard to get away did you? It almost seems like you thought I was going to be a piece of cake to deal with you. You didn't think I could do it did you? You know...that kind of pisses me off"

"That woman had attacked both me and that Judgement officer... I only retaliated in defense.... I'd call in backup if I were you, because she's already on par with my Level 4 Esper ability... Possibly even more...."

The officer in front of Haragi looked with contempt at the boy.

"The only person I see using an ability around here is you." He frowned. "You're coming with me." He placed a hand on Haragi's shoulder to lead him off before turning to his nervous looking team mate. "You see to the other guy. I'll contact MAR to deal with the casualty and get in touch with this one's guardian." He jerked his head in Haragi's direction.

"But what about the others?" His partner asked, turning away for a moment. When he looked back over towards Kaori and Touko they had vanished. The man blinked in momentary confusion.

Kaori relaxed her stance, the nodachi now hanging by her side. She looked over at the two officers who now harassed the lone boy and his fallen friend. Kaori uttered a quiet prayer for Trystan before turning to leave. It had taken only an instant to erect a localised boundary with her wires. The spell covered only a small area but by altering the perceptions of those outside she could move undetected. She would use this to cover her escape so that no more violence would be necessary.

She would have to hurry. Their mistakes had already caused enough bloodshed for one day.

Kaori stopped in her tracks, staring at the spiky haired girl, Touko. How had someone else penetrated her barrier without her knowing?

***

“What about you? Aren’t you the one with the hero complex?!”

He looked at her skeptically as though to say 'I'm not the one who can control electricity.' But in the end he said nothing.

“I think some of the circuits have been burnt out- I can’t restore electricity to the entire place when it’s like this. Unless you want everyone fried as well, That’s something for the electricians to have a look at. Meanwhile, I’ll just… I’ll be back in a second.”

He listened patiently to her explanation, while at the back of his mind something nagged. He was no stranger to this feeling. The sensation that something bad was about to happen. He retained his easy going smile however, at least as much as Mikoto and Index could see in the gloom.

The restaurant broke into muffled murmurs and whispers as people waited for the lights to return. After a few moments however a voice spoke from the darkness.

"So this is where you're at."

Guy's head snapped in the direction of the voice, dark blue eyes peering through the murk into Vanni's own.

"You're just a magnet to all kinds of people aren't you? But that's not a good thing all the time, especially with how you abuse it. Those two guys that didn't even know you risked their lives to protect you and you repay them by just going off to play with the next people you see? That's low, really low, what kind of nun is this selfish huh? The innocent princess turned out to be a witch.It's time to come back. This has been fresco but I don't think you should lead anymore people to their deaths. You catch my drift?"

He stepped in front of Index, guiding her behind him.

"So you really weren't kidding when you said you were in trouble, were you?" He looked down at Index as he spoke with a low voice. With that one look he knew what he needed to do.

"Oh yeah, you didn't even try all that hard to get away did you? It almost seems like you thought I was going to be a piece of cake to deal with you. You didn't think I could do it did you? You know...that kind of pisses me off"

"Stay close to me." Guy gripped Index's shoulders and ran, throwing the both of them over the counter of the restaurant and through the door into the kitchen.

"Sorry, auntie." He apologized to the woman behind the counter as he disappeared into the blackness beyond. "I'll pay you back!"

The room was pitch black, the only sound the occasional creak of a swinging utensils, pots and pans that filled the overhead racks. From their hiding position, Guy peered out to see if Vanni had followed. The door was far enough away that making a run for it would be a bad idea. Creeping behind the kitchen islands he led Index towards the back door.

Touko stood, her eyes falling onto the strange woman and the sword at her side. What was someone doing with a sword in this city anyway? Surely it was dangerous to carry around a weapon like that? Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she realised Kaori had noticed her presence as well. Touko glanced about. It was oddly quiet for a Summer's day. Had Anti Skill already cordoned off the area?

She looked back to Kaori.

What should she say in a strange situation like this? Touko was lost for words.

***

Index had been sitting nervously in her seat, her hands cupped to her face and her arms huddled against her sides.

"It's OK I'm sure it's nothing serious."
"Even if there are people chasing your right now I doubt they'd try anything in broad daylight in front of all these people."

His voice was reassuring, but Index couldn't bring herself to relax. He didn't know what kind of people were after her. And besides, it wasn't broad daylight in here... Still, she nodded, fidgeting with her hands as she waited for the lights to return.

"So this is where you're at." The voice made her jump. Index instinctively huddled behind Guy as though trying to hide and peered out in the direction Vanni's voice had come from.

"You're just a magnet to all kinds of people aren't you? But that's not a good thing all the time, especially with how you abuse it. Those two guys that didn't even know you risked their lives to protect you and you repay them by just going off to play with the next people you see? That's low, really low, what kind of nun is this selfish huh? The innocent princess turned out to be a witch.It's time to come back. This has been fresco but I don't think you should lead anymore people to their deaths. You catch my drift?"

She bit her lip and said nothing. Maybe he was right. Hadn't she dragged all of these people into her mess? She looked up at the boy beside her.

"So you really weren't kidding when you said you were in trouble, were you?"

She couldn't bring herself to speak. Her wide, innocent eyes stared up, terrified and pleading at the same time.

"Oh yeah, you didn't even try all that hard to get away did you? It almost seems like you thought I was going to be a piece of cake to deal with you. You didn't think I could do it did you? You know...that kind of pisses me off"

The words stung and Index shrunk back from the intimidating boy.

"Stay close to me."

"Huh?" Index muttered as the boy grabbed her suddenly and she felt herself pulled along after him. She screamed in surprise before a hand pressed her lips shut. Wide green eyes blinked in the darkness, sparkling as they stared through inky shadows. She held her breath for fear of attracting Vanni's attention but a small squeak escaped her lips and her feet scuffled on the kitchen floor.

"The only person I see using an ability around here is you. You're coming with me."

One thing lead to another, but the fact that this Anti-skill officer was fully convinced that Haragi was violating the law was getting troublesome. His excuses didn't seem to change his mind, even though it was reasonable till the end. His arm was placed onto the esper's shoulder as if Haragi was about to get arrested. But that can't happen, especially if the swordswoman is still standing ready to strike at whatever moment. Even more, the level 4 esper's irritation rose feeling this man's hand.

"These ignorant bastards... They don't even know who they're exactly letting roam around freely in Academy City...."

Haragi gripped his right hand onto the man's arm holding his shoulder in place. He sighed in utter irritation, as if he was trying to warn the officer of his rising anger.

"Don't grab me like that when I didn't even do anything wrong...."

Haragi forcefully flung the man's arm to the side, releasing the grip on his shoulder to calm his anger. As he directed his attention to the woman once more, she completely vanished. There was no sight of her after the second he last saw her. Was it some kind of "magic" ability? That was probably it. Now that Haragi had let her escape from his grasp, hope wasn't all lost. He still has the possible location of the other magician that was once here earlier from the knowledge of the exact location of the crystal shard embedded into that person's clothes.

But the matter now is to get these Anti-skill of his back. He knew the only other person who witnessed the whole fight was that exact person who was protecting the girl called "Index". If he could agree with Haragi's excuse, there wouldn't be any problem for these officers to get suspicious of the woman who had attacked them both.

"Oi... Officer, if you don't trust me based on what I said... Then ask that Judgement officer over there.... He was with me the entire time... which means he saw what I saw...."

The Level 4 esper pointed at the exhausted Judgement individual, directing the Anti-skill officer to his position.

He wouldn't let them escape so easily, Vanni quickly followed behind and kicks open the door. The door slamming against the wall, creates a loud noise that resounds throughout the room. He was hoping to disorientate them a bit, but he didn't hope on it. The room was dark, even so he stepped in, grabbed the handle of the door, closed it and turned the lock.

A small smile was cast upon the Magician, this darkness wasn't going to be a disadvantage to him. Actually it would be the opposite.

"Say, you walking library, you should know that I'm a Luciferian correct? Maybe you should tell that idiot he should think over his battle plan. This area is my stage..."

That was right, Luciferian Magicians were those who studied and focused on the darkness. Meaning, he could just so easy see in this darkness almost as if it were daytime.

He could easily see the pots and pans along with other utensils all around him. Yet he couldn't see his target and her friends, they must be hiding somewhere. He wasn't interested in playing hide and seek but it looks like he didn't have much of a choice.

"I could just attack this whole room but I could hit that girl and that would be a problem. Either way, you're going to die if you don't hand her over. So quit playing around and leave that sister here."

As he said that, Vanni removed 6 feathers out of the shadow of his palms. He wasn't going to let her get away, so he tossed a feather in front of both of the doors that led to the outside of this room. Doing that would be easy for him to teleport just in case the Index tried to run.

In doing so, Vanni walked slowly throughout the kitchen. Watching carefully for any movements and listening carefully.

Kanzaki Kaori stared at the impossible sight in front of her.

Someone had penetrated the boundary of her spell. That should be impossible without her either permitting or at least detecting them. Her caution rose and her hand drifted to the hilt of her blade. It was not a movement that suggested aggression. Her guarded expression spoke for her even before se had opened her mouth.

"Who are you?" She asked. Long fingers coiled around the hilt of her nodachi. Though she appeared passive enough there was no disguising the implied threat.

***

"Don't grab me like that when I didn't even do anything wrong...."

The officer swallowed hard, perhaps imagining what horrific injuries Haragi's ability might be able to inflict on him. He stuttered to speak only to sigh with obvious relief as the boy removed his hand.

"Oi... Officer, if you don't trust me based on what I said... Then ask that Judgement officer over there.... He was with me the entire time... which means he saw what I saw...."

"Your friend doesn't look in any condition to speak." The man said, finding some reserve of courage. He regarded Haragi with an apprehensive sweep of his eyes. He touched his radio. "We have a casualty at the District 7 central park. Requesting immediate assistance." He kept his eye on the dark haired boy at all times. "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened here."

"He's still breathing." The other officer called over from Trystan's side.

***

"Say, you walking library, you should know that I'm a Luciferian correct? Maybe you should tell that idiot he should think over his battle plan. This area is my stage..."

Guy frowned. So his enemy was at an advantage? There was an unusual situation, he thought wryly. He looked about at the kitchen and slowly released his hand from Index's mouth. He reached for a knife that lay atop the counter next to them and rested it along the flat of his arm. With his other hand he took Index's, leading her silently to the next counter and then the next, darting between cover as they made their way through the kitchen. He stopped momentarily by the gas stove where woks and pans sat, their contents still sizzling away loudly. He cranked the dials as they passed.

"I could just attack this whole room but I could hit that girl and that would be a problem. Either way, you're going to die if you don't hand her over. So quit playing around and leave that sister here."

"You talk a lot, kid." He said suddenly as he snatched at another stray untensil, tossing it low across the floor. It clattered loudly, the reverberating ring masking the direction of his voice. The sizzling grew louder. "I like to talk too." He continued, circling the kitchen towards the exit. He grabbed a bottle of water from a cabinet. "So how about we discuss this like civilised people and no one has to get hurt?" It wasn't a threat. In fact it sounded like an honest appeal.

FOOM!

The pans erupted into flame as the oil passed its smoking point. Now was his chance. He opened the water bottle and tossed it at the flames. Cold water met boiling oil.

Whoosh!

The flames leapt across the room, pluming upwards towards the ceiling in a brilliant conflagration only instants before the flames settled into a low flicker within the pan, casting dim shadows against the ceiling. Guy took Index's hand and pulled her after him as he took advantage of the distraction and weighed up his chances. If he was lucky Vanni would be caught in the flames and have far more important things to deal with than chasing them. But at the very least the sudden burst of light would ruin his vision in the darkened kitchen.

He ran for the exit, ready to burst through the kitchen door into the alley beyond.

"Who are you?"

It didn't sound like a threat, but the way the woman gripped her sword made Touko nervous to say the least. Was that thing real? Or was this girl just some over zealous cosplayer? Her clothing certainly seemed odd...

"No one..." Touko said, more than a little hesitant and she backed up slowly. "I should be going." She turned to leave, her pace quickening as she hurried away from Kaori.

Really, what was up with all the strange people about today? One random encounter was enough for today, she thought, retreating back the way she came. First that Index girl ranting about magic and now this?

***

"Say, you walking library, you should know that I'm a Luciferian correct? Maybe you should tell that idiot he should think over his battle plan. This area is my stage..."

"He's right." She whispered to Guy. "The darkness is his domain. You should run. If I surrender, maybe he'll..." She was cut off suddenly as the boy dragged her by her hand through the kitchen.

"I could just attack this whole room but I could hit that girl and that would be a problem. Either way, you're going to die if you don't hand her over. So quit playing around and leave that sister here."

She looked over at her would be saviour. Did he think this was a game? He couldn't possibly know the danger he was in. She wanted to warn him, but the resolute look in his eye told her that he wouldn't listen even if she did. Maybe that other girl was right, she thought to herself.

Maybe he was a fool with a hero complex.

"You talk a lot, kid."
"I like to talk too."
"So how about we discuss this like civilised people and no one has to get hurt?"

She tugged at her wrist, trying to break free. If this boy wouldn't save himself she'd do it for him. But just then an intense light and heat filled the room.

So he had some sort of plan. Though she doubted that it would be enough to put off the Luciferean following them.

She felt herself dragged again, this time towards the door. She tried to look behind her for some glimpse of Vanni.