Sometime after a feather struck his mind, Touma Kamijou had regained memories of a past life. A past that had been riddled with heroism fit for legends. A past life that did not belong to the current world he lives in. Now, the Captain had awakened, and with the children of magic and science having suffered enough, it was time for him to get to work.
A Certain Man Thrice Out Of Time (Marvel/DC/ToAru SI)
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Chapter 1
Author Notes:
If any of the readers are wondering, this specific story has no connection whatsoever to my other multi-cross project. This is basically its own story, focusing only on Marvel, DC, and ToAru, just these three, only a three-way crossover, so don't expect any other franchise to show up. If anyone has any questions, one could PM me.
Chapter 1
Insert Song: Start
Captian America Sound Track: 01 Captain America (Main Titles)
...He woke up.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
He could not really answer that, because he was still trying to find an answer. His black irises looked closely at his right hand - and would try to squeeze it a little. It was a little surreal for him. Then again, should he really be surprised at this point, after everything that he had experienced in his lifetime? Or lifetimes, plural?
If he were to look into the mirror, he would see himself, as a young man with black hair that resembles something from an anime called Dragon Ball. The young man could never be any more different than him. Or rather, this young man is him. A little black spiky hair, blackish irises, wearing a hospital gown. He wasn't handsome or ugly by any means, just average, resting in a hospital bed, with his head and face wrapped in bandages.
He breathes a heavy sigh.
He did not know what to think about this.
He knew instinctively where he was at this point. From what he gathered, this was after he had managed to save a young girl from the lost of yet another year's worth of memories... ...and that cost him his very own. Or it should have been. Something had happened when the feather had dropped upon his head. It made him remember.
To him, this felt like some kind of combination between the concept of isekai and something believed in by the Eastern religions which was called reincarnation. He had a past life. Well, two of them. This was his third life. As Touma Kamijou. The Imagine Breaker. The One who Purifies God and Slays Demons. He was... ...living the life of a fictional character, something he had seen in his second life. He remembered being introduced to that fictional character - Touma Kamijou - through an anime called A Certain Magical Index, the first season at least, airing from October 4, 2008 up to October 8, 2010.
He wasn't surprised at this point. The idea of living the life of a fictional character from a fictional universe. He had seen more bizarre universes in his first life, and he even survived through them. He was no stranger to strange things. But... ...it does leave him with a little pickle.
He was Touma Kamijou, but he was also someone else, two other people. Out of all of his lives, it's the second life where he had the most normal. It was where he had learned that the adventures that he had in his first life where recorded, at times inaccurately though that would be rather expected, as fiction. The same principle of fiction applies as well to his third life.
How did this happen? How was this even happening? Who was doing this? Who was keeping him trapped to live yet another life? What was keeping him looping into another life?
There were so many questions that filled his mind.
Knock.
There was a knock on the door. It made the young man very attentive. He slowly looked at the door. He knew who it was.
"Come in," he said, speaking with an encouraging tone, clear, but not too loud.
And the door would eventually open just a little. It revealed a nun in white, young and pure, with golden embroidery, and emerald eyes, though he noted that there was a little hesitance. He would recognize this face, and if he guessed correctly, the frog-faced medical doctor had just recently told him about his current condition - memory destruction.
Though, it did nothing of the sort this time, at least in part. It gave the young man memories of his two past lives. Well, there were holes in his second life that he could not recall, but memories of his first life were as clear as day. It seemed like a symbolic symmetry. His first life's memories represented the day. His second life's memories represented the afternoon sunset that had the moon and stars slowly appearing. His third life's memories represented the darkness of the night, to the point where one could not see the moon and the stars anymore.
A bit poetic to describe his memory situation.
The young man would smile at the nun. "Yes?" he would ask.
The nun hesitated to enter for a while. The young man did not mind. He could wait. He knew just how delicate this situation was. He had seen it play out in the Season 1 anime that he watched, but he also read the light novel version of the scene. Yes, he read the actual source material. He had a very clear memory of all of the Old and New Testament light novels. However, when it came to the Genesis Testament novels and other things, he had a very spotty memory. He also knew the various spin-offs that came out of the franchise. At this point, he has a pretty good general idea of just what kind of world he lives in.
This world was the world of A Certain Magical Index. And the titular title belonged to the white nun who was still hesitating about whether to stand still at the door or walk inside. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum. A keeper of deadly grimoires. The young man shuddered a little. If this were his first life, he would have immediately tried to contact a friend of his, a Sorcerer Supreme, who knew how to handle a delicate situation like this.
Though, as he looked at his right hand, he grimaced a little. In his first life, the Sorcerer Supreme had taught him a specific spell that could reach cross-universal distances. It doesn't matter where or when, the Sorcerer Supreme would be able to intercept the call. The problem was that he had Imagine Breaker. He could not be able to cast any kind of magic, never mind the magic of this world, which he would rather not like to make use of. He knew that magic was a very big problem in this world. On the surface, the untalented people, if they learned enough and trained enough, would be able to do things that ranged into the realms of the fantastical.
...But.
This kind of magic - the magic of this world - has a price to pay.
As he was deep in thought, he noticed that the nun in white was now drawing close to him, closing the door on the way inside, though she was still very hesitant. Her emerald eyes were lowered, as if feeling guilty, as if not knowing what to say, as she cutely touched her fingers and twirled them a little.
There was silence. The young man was content to wait until the nun in front of him would be able to speak up. The minutes of waiting felt like hours had passed. The nun, having lowered her gaze, would try to formulate something from her mouth, only to close it, but then started to open again, only to close it. The young man never liked the face she was making. He knew that this was a young girl, only fourteen years of age, who had her memory wiped over and over again. It was something rather inhumane, to be stripped of everything you knew, to be forced to forget even one's loved ones, to live for a year on the run, it was not something the young man wished upon anyone.
"...Ar-...Are you okay?" Index quivered, her eyes threatening to draw down a little tears. The fact that he made this young girl cry for him was not something he took lightly.
He smiled gently, gesturing Index with a little pat on the side of the bed, somewhere on the left. He did not answer her question directly, but he opted to answer with this.
"Do you want a hug?" he asked.
Index, shaking a little, with eyes widening, would slowly hum with a nod and a little smile that was more precious. She would head towards the young man's bed, towards the left, where she would happily embrace him.
There was no need for any more words. After everything that had happened, the young thought that this young girl needed a hug after everything she had been through. He could hear her sniffing a little, so he would gently pat her on the back with his left hand. When recalling the original version of how this scene went down, he thought to discard that altogether, because the young girl needed something more grounded and sensible, and so did he, since he had a lot that he needed to process.
It was almost afternoon.
The young man would gently touch Index's hair while she slept on his chest. Once upon a time, before gaining the memories of his first and second (sort of) life again, he'd probably try to make a big deal about this. He would scream about gaining a red flag or this is something that would forebode even more misfortune or something like that.
But not now, not Touma Kamijou as he is now. Though, that begs the question. Would he still be considered Touma Kamijou, after regaining the memories of his former identity?
"("I guess this is what Logan probably felt like back when he lost most of his memories...")" the young man thought sadly.
And then...
"I can see that you're awake."
...The young man turned serious as he looked to the right and saw a medical doctor with a bald head that had a few grey hairs and a frog-like face who was sporting a professional expression. The young man knew who this was.
"I was quite surprised, you are handling this rather well than I would have expected."
"I tend to think of life having a bunch of surprises... Heaven Canceller... ...or should I call you Charles Henry Allan Bennett?" the young man said, with no mince for words.
"...!"
For what felt like the very first time, Heaven Canceller was very surprised. But that surprise would eventually fade as a blank and professional expression. "...I wonder what do you mean when you would call me by that very name?"
The young man would breathe with a heavy sigh before he continued. "For a doctor, it is best to just do what the patient says when it comes to the occult, at least, that's what you often tend to say... ...and," the young man would look to the windows. "...An old friend of mine would say something similar." the young man would turn back to Heaven Canceller. "The study of medicine and the occult are quite interconnected since ancient times I would say, and... ...no ordinary doctor would just listen to the ramblings of a nun, not here in Academy City, and you are no ordinary doctor. You knew very well of what my condition was when you told Index about it. Memory destruction."
The young man continued. "My brain cells were destroyed, erasing every memory that I have ever made in my past... ...But, in exchange, I got something else. I would like you to hear of what I now remember."
"...Go on," Heaven Canceller encouraged the young man to continue.
"...Before I do, I need you to promise me something. You would tell no one, and I mean no one, about what am I about to share. Not to your fellow doctors in the hospital, not to any esper, not to any magician, not to anyone in general, but especially do not tell Aleister Crowley, the Board Chairman of this city... ...though," the young man grimaced a little. "...I would not be surprised if he would know of my current predicament. Besides, you never know when he'd be listening."
Heaven Canceller narrowed his eyes, his interior thoughts being a little mysterious. "I can assure you then that he would never hear of what you have to say to me. He and I made an agreement to never interfere with each other's business, unless my patients are being put in danger because of his actions. Whatever you are about to say is strictly confidential between just the two of us."
"Good, then I would like to introduce myself, my real name," the young man nodded before softening his serious expression, raising his right hand. "My name is Steven Grant Rogers, most people would call me Steve."
Heaven Canceller raised an eyebrow as he drew near to the patient on the bed. He would shake it, noticing his firm grip. "Steve... ...I take it you were a soldier then."
"That's correct, doctor," Touma nodded.
"What manner of soldier were you then, if I may ask?" Heaven Canceller asked with a hint of curiosity.
Touma smiled a little. "A Captain."
Insert Song: End
OP Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_gx6CxCJOY
If any of the readers are wondering, this specific story has no connection whatsoever to my other multi-cross project. This is basically its own story, focusing only on Marvel, DC, and ToAru, just these three, only a three-way crossover, so don't expect any other franchise to show up. If anyone has any questions, one could PM me.
Chapter 1
Insert Song: Start
Captian America Sound Track: 01 Captain America (Main Titles)
...He woke up.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
He could not really answer that, because he was still trying to find an answer. His black irises looked closely at his right hand - and would try to squeeze it a little. It was a little surreal for him. Then again, should he really be surprised at this point, after everything that he had experienced in his lifetime? Or lifetimes, plural?
If he were to look into the mirror, he would see himself, as a young man with black hair that resembles something from an anime called Dragon Ball. The young man could never be any more different than him. Or rather, this young man is him. A little black spiky hair, blackish irises, wearing a hospital gown. He wasn't handsome or ugly by any means, just average, resting in a hospital bed, with his head and face wrapped in bandages.
He breathes a heavy sigh.
He did not know what to think about this.
He knew instinctively where he was at this point. From what he gathered, this was after he had managed to save a young girl from the lost of yet another year's worth of memories... ...and that cost him his very own. Or it should have been. Something had happened when the feather had dropped upon his head. It made him remember.
To him, this felt like some kind of combination between the concept of isekai and something believed in by the Eastern religions which was called reincarnation. He had a past life. Well, two of them. This was his third life. As Touma Kamijou. The Imagine Breaker. The One who Purifies God and Slays Demons. He was... ...living the life of a fictional character, something he had seen in his second life. He remembered being introduced to that fictional character - Touma Kamijou - through an anime called A Certain Magical Index, the first season at least, airing from October 4, 2008 up to October 8, 2010.
He wasn't surprised at this point. The idea of living the life of a fictional character from a fictional universe. He had seen more bizarre universes in his first life, and he even survived through them. He was no stranger to strange things. But... ...it does leave him with a little pickle.
He was Touma Kamijou, but he was also someone else, two other people. Out of all of his lives, it's the second life where he had the most normal. It was where he had learned that the adventures that he had in his first life where recorded, at times inaccurately though that would be rather expected, as fiction. The same principle of fiction applies as well to his third life.
How did this happen? How was this even happening? Who was doing this? Who was keeping him trapped to live yet another life? What was keeping him looping into another life?
There were so many questions that filled his mind.
Knock.
There was a knock on the door. It made the young man very attentive. He slowly looked at the door. He knew who it was.
"Come in," he said, speaking with an encouraging tone, clear, but not too loud.
And the door would eventually open just a little. It revealed a nun in white, young and pure, with golden embroidery, and emerald eyes, though he noted that there was a little hesitance. He would recognize this face, and if he guessed correctly, the frog-faced medical doctor had just recently told him about his current condition - memory destruction.
Though, it did nothing of the sort this time, at least in part. It gave the young man memories of his two past lives. Well, there were holes in his second life that he could not recall, but memories of his first life were as clear as day. It seemed like a symbolic symmetry. His first life's memories represented the day. His second life's memories represented the afternoon sunset that had the moon and stars slowly appearing. His third life's memories represented the darkness of the night, to the point where one could not see the moon and the stars anymore.
A bit poetic to describe his memory situation.
The young man would smile at the nun. "Yes?" he would ask.
The nun hesitated to enter for a while. The young man did not mind. He could wait. He knew just how delicate this situation was. He had seen it play out in the Season 1 anime that he watched, but he also read the light novel version of the scene. Yes, he read the actual source material. He had a very clear memory of all of the Old and New Testament light novels. However, when it came to the Genesis Testament novels and other things, he had a very spotty memory. He also knew the various spin-offs that came out of the franchise. At this point, he has a pretty good general idea of just what kind of world he lives in.
This world was the world of A Certain Magical Index. And the titular title belonged to the white nun who was still hesitating about whether to stand still at the door or walk inside. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum. A keeper of deadly grimoires. The young man shuddered a little. If this were his first life, he would have immediately tried to contact a friend of his, a Sorcerer Supreme, who knew how to handle a delicate situation like this.
Though, as he looked at his right hand, he grimaced a little. In his first life, the Sorcerer Supreme had taught him a specific spell that could reach cross-universal distances. It doesn't matter where or when, the Sorcerer Supreme would be able to intercept the call. The problem was that he had Imagine Breaker. He could not be able to cast any kind of magic, never mind the magic of this world, which he would rather not like to make use of. He knew that magic was a very big problem in this world. On the surface, the untalented people, if they learned enough and trained enough, would be able to do things that ranged into the realms of the fantastical.
...But.
This kind of magic - the magic of this world - has a price to pay.
As he was deep in thought, he noticed that the nun in white was now drawing close to him, closing the door on the way inside, though she was still very hesitant. Her emerald eyes were lowered, as if feeling guilty, as if not knowing what to say, as she cutely touched her fingers and twirled them a little.
There was silence. The young man was content to wait until the nun in front of him would be able to speak up. The minutes of waiting felt like hours had passed. The nun, having lowered her gaze, would try to formulate something from her mouth, only to close it, but then started to open again, only to close it. The young man never liked the face she was making. He knew that this was a young girl, only fourteen years of age, who had her memory wiped over and over again. It was something rather inhumane, to be stripped of everything you knew, to be forced to forget even one's loved ones, to live for a year on the run, it was not something the young man wished upon anyone.
"...Ar-...Are you okay?" Index quivered, her eyes threatening to draw down a little tears. The fact that he made this young girl cry for him was not something he took lightly.
He smiled gently, gesturing Index with a little pat on the side of the bed, somewhere on the left. He did not answer her question directly, but he opted to answer with this.
"Do you want a hug?" he asked.
Index, shaking a little, with eyes widening, would slowly hum with a nod and a little smile that was more precious. She would head towards the young man's bed, towards the left, where she would happily embrace him.
There was no need for any more words. After everything that had happened, the young thought that this young girl needed a hug after everything she had been through. He could hear her sniffing a little, so he would gently pat her on the back with his left hand. When recalling the original version of how this scene went down, he thought to discard that altogether, because the young girl needed something more grounded and sensible, and so did he, since he had a lot that he needed to process.
It was almost afternoon.
The young man would gently touch Index's hair while she slept on his chest. Once upon a time, before gaining the memories of his first and second (sort of) life again, he'd probably try to make a big deal about this. He would scream about gaining a red flag or this is something that would forebode even more misfortune or something like that.
But not now, not Touma Kamijou as he is now. Though, that begs the question. Would he still be considered Touma Kamijou, after regaining the memories of his former identity?
"("I guess this is what Logan probably felt like back when he lost most of his memories...")" the young man thought sadly.
And then...
"I can see that you're awake."
...The young man turned serious as he looked to the right and saw a medical doctor with a bald head that had a few grey hairs and a frog-like face who was sporting a professional expression. The young man knew who this was.
"I was quite surprised, you are handling this rather well than I would have expected."
"I tend to think of life having a bunch of surprises... Heaven Canceller... ...or should I call you Charles Henry Allan Bennett?" the young man said, with no mince for words.
"...!"
For what felt like the very first time, Heaven Canceller was very surprised. But that surprise would eventually fade as a blank and professional expression. "...I wonder what do you mean when you would call me by that very name?"
The young man would breathe with a heavy sigh before he continued. "For a doctor, it is best to just do what the patient says when it comes to the occult, at least, that's what you often tend to say... ...and," the young man would look to the windows. "...An old friend of mine would say something similar." the young man would turn back to Heaven Canceller. "The study of medicine and the occult are quite interconnected since ancient times I would say, and... ...no ordinary doctor would just listen to the ramblings of a nun, not here in Academy City, and you are no ordinary doctor. You knew very well of what my condition was when you told Index about it. Memory destruction."
The young man continued. "My brain cells were destroyed, erasing every memory that I have ever made in my past... ...But, in exchange, I got something else. I would like you to hear of what I now remember."
"...Go on," Heaven Canceller encouraged the young man to continue.
"...Before I do, I need you to promise me something. You would tell no one, and I mean no one, about what am I about to share. Not to your fellow doctors in the hospital, not to any esper, not to any magician, not to anyone in general, but especially do not tell Aleister Crowley, the Board Chairman of this city... ...though," the young man grimaced a little. "...I would not be surprised if he would know of my current predicament. Besides, you never know when he'd be listening."
Heaven Canceller narrowed his eyes, his interior thoughts being a little mysterious. "I can assure you then that he would never hear of what you have to say to me. He and I made an agreement to never interfere with each other's business, unless my patients are being put in danger because of his actions. Whatever you are about to say is strictly confidential between just the two of us."
"Good, then I would like to introduce myself, my real name," the young man nodded before softening his serious expression, raising his right hand. "My name is Steven Grant Rogers, most people would call me Steve."
Heaven Canceller raised an eyebrow as he drew near to the patient on the bed. He would shake it, noticing his firm grip. "Steve... ...I take it you were a soldier then."
"That's correct, doctor," Touma nodded.
"What manner of soldier were you then, if I may ask?" Heaven Canceller asked with a hint of curiosity.
Touma smiled a little. "A Captain."
Insert Song: End
OP Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_gx6CxCJOY
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
OP Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_gx6CxCJOY
Insert Song: Start
Captain America Soundtrack - 24 Passage of Time
Touma Kamijou... ...or rather, Steve Rogers, told Heaven Canceller everything. Down to the last important detail.
Of course, he could not recount literally everything that had happened to his life because it would take too long, but a general summary of his life would suffice, specifically that of his first world, starting with his origin story. The second life that he had was more spots and wrinkles, very unreliable sometimes, something he could barely wrap his head around. He could recall bits and pieces here and there, but ultimately, it was his first world that he would recall with a clear head.
Taking a look back at his origin story, he was born on July 4, 1918, to Sarah and Joseph Rogers, two Irish immigrants living in Brooklyn, New York City. It was the night when the 12:00 struck, when Independence Day, a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, had begun once again. One would think that it was divine providence for Rogers to be born on that night, as that would forever define his destiny.
Before Rogers had been born, his father was confirmed to have been killed in action in World War I, and his mother raised him alone, instilling in him with the values of a strong sense of duty, honor, and humility. and an Irish Catholic upbringing, something that even now, he was grateful for.
Rogers lived with his mother in Hell's Kitchen, long known for being a bastion of poor and working-class Irish Americans, and its gritty reputation has long held real-estate prices below those of most other areas of Manhattan. He was born a frail youth who lived through the grueling period of the Great Depression, a severe global economic downturn that affected many countries across the world. Steve remembered that he used to go to a simple school located in the Lower East Side neighborhood. It was there that he learned the values of patriotism.
One day, when he was just playing with his toy soldiers, he was suddenly called by his mother, who was terminally ill due to tuberculosis that she contracted in the hospital where she worked. He could remember it clearly. His sick mother in bed, despite being a little frail, called him to her side and whispered.
"...You *cough* want to be a soldier like your father, don't you?"
He remembers his Irish mother, blonde, young but frail, wearing a pink dress. He remembers the tea set and cookies that he brought for her which were placed near the lamp. He remembers the gentle touch of her hand that caressed her face.
He remembered answering. "Yes, mama, more than anything."
She said with a sweet smile. "Well, I imagined that's what Joe would want. You and him. Acorn and tree. *cough*."
He hated seeing her like this. But there was not much he could do. This was not something he could really punch or kick. This was something that went beyond him. Many people may even curse God for this kind of thing. But Rogers didn't utter a word. All he ever did was take care of his mother. It was not in his nature to blame anyone. Whether it's God or the last man standing.
His mother would continue to speak, despite her coughs. "Once he got an idea lodged in his head, there's no shaking it loose either. Whatever you dream, you can be, but you're gonna have to fight for it. People are gonna spend your whole life taking one look at your body and telling you what you can't do. But they can't see like I do. It holds a heart ten times its size."
And he remembered his mother holding both of his hands. "You got no quit in you. Just promise your mama... you'll use your head too. Fine line between fearless and foolhardy. Took your father away from us too soon."
"I promise, mama."
And he tried to keep that promise ever since.
Years later, by 1936, his mother had passed away and would be buried next to his father. To pass the time and get his mind away from the lost a little, Rogers would spend his free time reading. Doesn't matter what. Books, newspapers, anything. He would even try to go and see the movies as well. At that time, he would hear rumors and forebodings of war that would be talked about non-stop.
Almost everywhere he would go, he'd always hear about the war that was happening in Europe. America had been staying neutral in the conflict at the time. He would hear rumors of a Fuhrer who had captured the hearts and minds of all of Germany with his raving speeches. With his own eyes, he would be horrified to see newsreel footage of the Nazis Party, the one who followed the mad Fuhrer, in ransacking and bombing Europe, and witnessing the brutal atrocities and inhuman treatment that the Empire of Japan had committed against China and Korea. And of course...
"Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra!"
The accursed phrase of his long-time enemy, the green and yellow spandex soldiers with their yellow or red snake eyes with a yellow H mark, or those black coated soldiers with red skull-tentacled imagery seen in their shoulders, the dreaded SS branch organization HYDRA, led by someone who would eventually become his most hated and fierce enemy, the Red Skull, who represented the worse traits that can be found in humanity. They were the ones who supplied powerful weapons that would be use to terrible effect by the Axis Powers.
And then, a darker day had happened. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor was attacked and bombed by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Casualties were high. Outrage sparked across the country. People were crying out for retribution due to this terrible atrocity. War was now inevitable.
With all of this happening before his eyes, Rogers could no longer turn a blind eye. He had tried to enlist in the US Army, many times, but was always rejected with a 4-f because of his frailty and sickness. He felt powerless. He wanted to fight, but he did not want to kill. What kind of soldier would not want to kill? That was Steve Rogers.
"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."
He spoke this phrase to one Dr. Abraham Erskine, the man who was testing him, the man who would eventually help him to become the man that he was destined to be. With the support of General Chester Philips of the US Army after overhearing the young frail man's earnest and genuine plea to fight for his country, he would eventually take part in a top-secret performance-enhancing experiment called Operation Rebirth.
After several weeks of testing, Rogers was at last administered with the Super-Soldier Serum. Given part of the compound intravenously and another part orally, Rogers was then bombarded by vita-rays, a special combination of exotic wavelengths of radiation designed to accelerate and stabilize the serum's effect on his body. Steve Rogers emerged from the vita-ray chamber with a perfect human body.
A blond with blue eyes and a handsome face and build, 6′2″ (1.88 m) in terms of height, 240 lbs (108.86 kg) in terms of weight, his once frail body became stronger than ever. He could now be capable of doing more physical work, and in some cases, even more so than the average person could muster. About 1000 pounds of lifting at the bare minimum. Easily able to press over 2 or more tons.
He remembered everyone in the room celebrating the birth of the new champion of the Allied Forces. The Day When Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty, was born.
While he appreciated the claps, the one thing he could never forget was Dr. Erskine's proud smile. Erskine was in many ways his mentor whose teachings he treasured whenever he went on to battle, in life or in war, as Steve Rogers, as Captain America.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man."
Tragedy would eventually follow from the celebration. A HYDRA spy, who had been observing the experiment, murdered Dr. Erskine in front of him. Determined to bring him to justice, Rogers would chase after him. Eventually, he manages to capture him, but he finds out too late that the man has already committed a suicide pill.
As the spy was dying on his last breath, he spoke words of venom that he could never forget, something that would forever define his conflict against HYDRA, whether in the darker days of World War II or in the modern day.
"Who the hell are you?!" he asked.
"The force of many. Cut off one head, agh, two more shall take its place. ...Hail Hydra..." the spy said, speaking his last words.
And that was only the beginning. He would eventually meet his future best friend, James Buchanan Barnes, whom he usually calls Bucky. They were the dynamic duo who would lead the fight against the Axis, especially HYDRA as much of the European Continent had been submerged under their rule. Making enemies, meeting allies, meeting creatures of myth and legend and beyond that he never thought were possible, and fighting in great and terrible battles that decided the fate of the world and the outcome of the war, eventually, it all came to a head in the year 1945. Adolf Hitler was already dead for the last few months, having committed suicide. The Nazis Party and all of the Axis Powers had surrendered, but HYDRA did not. They all fought to the bitter end, and it was the job of Captain America and his partner Bucky to take the organization down for good.
Though, it was not without losses. Bucky perished, or at the time he did as Captain America had thought, when he fell out of the Valkyrie, the warplane that was launched to target specific places in the United States. It was the very last time at the end of an era when he and his nemesis, the Red Skull, would fight for the last time. Eventually, he took the Red Skull with him as the plane would explode and crash into a block of ice.
There he lay for many years...
Frozen...
Seemed to be dead...
Before he was eventually found and discovered in the modern day. And... ...many adventures followed him while being reminded of his status as a Man Out Of Time. Many of the people that he knew had already passed away. Some like the former Canadian paratrooper and now a member of the X-Men, Wolverine, and the Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, were still alive and kicking.
And then, there came a day unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes were united against a common threat. A team that he considered more as a family.
The Avengers.
He remembered them all, most especially the prime members, and even as Touma Kamijou, he still cared for them as family.
There was the Invincible Iron Man, billionaire playboy Tony Stark, the son of an old friend, Howard Stark. There was the Incredible Hulk, whose alter-ego was the misfortunate but intelligent Dr. Banner. There was the Mighty Thor, the God of Thunder and Son of Odin. There was the Wonderful Wasp, the cheerful fashionista Janet Van Dyne. There was the Master of Many Sizes, with differing names over the years, whether if it was Ant-Man, Giant-Man, or unfortunately Yellow Jacket, Hank Pym. There was the Marksman Hawkeye, the cocky and confident, but competent Clint Barton. There was the Beauteous and Elusive Black Widow, the cool but trusted Natasha Romanoff.
On that day, the Avengers were born. To fight the evils that no one in the world could truly withstand. He remembers them all. The resurgence of HYDRA and the darker parts of World War II that were present in the modern day. Dangerous time travelling supervillains like Kang the Conqueror who wanted to conquer as many timelines as there were sands in the sea. The Masters of Evil led by none other than Captain America's enemy, Baron Heinrich Zemo. Alien invaders from beyond the stars. Standing ground against the Mad Titan Thanos who had brought the entirety of the universe to its very knees and no cosmic being or god could fully stop him without the dreaded and all-powerful Infinity Gems that he wielded with his full awesome might. And yet... there was Captain America, facing him down, walking towards him with his shield, showing no fear, impressing the Mad Titan.
He could name the many, many, many things that he would see and experience.
...But.
There was one particular threat that left an impression on him. A metallic being, with a jack-o-lantern grin that was dyed in the color of red. A mechanical and colder tone that desired nothing but the eradication of humanity. A creature born from the mind of one of his fellow Avengers. A nightmare that comes back over and over again. And the one who eventually killed him, when he - Captain America - would give up his very own life to save his world one last time, saving everyone, including the Avengers, to live and fight another day.
...That was what led to today. How Touma Kamijou came to be. He died a hero and was reborn once more.
"...I must say, this is quite the interesting tale that you have told me."
Heaven Canceller would listen to it with interest, sitting down on the chair that was nearby. Touma was still caressing a sleeping Index's hair, humming peacefully. Heaven Canceller made a thoughtful and reflective look.
"...And, you seem to have described me generally well, all things considered."
After having told his tale, Touma would share with Heaven Canceller what he knew at least about the latter. The actual show or the source material never really spoke much, but all sources commonly agree that Heaven Canceller was someone who could be relied on when it came to his dedication to his patients. And with Touma being one of his patients, of course, he would try to help him. And of course, Touma would speak of a few things, whether if they relate to fan theories and other speculative conclusions, and some of those hints included the name Allan Bennett, and would even provide some info regarding the Allan Bennett from the second world he had lived in.
Charles Henry Allan Bennett, a trusted friend of the Great Master and Founder of Thelema.
Born on December 8, 1872. Died on March 9, 1923. Or at least, that's what people believed in the world of A Certain Magical Index.
"Even in another universe, the date of my apparent demise seemed to be the same, if not in circumstances, at least based on what history had generally recorded. I wonder if this had something to do with some kind of mysterious cosmic significance, a theoretical phenomenon where certain elements tend to look exactly the same in two different universes. As a matter of fact, your first world's Second World War was very different compared to my world's own. There were no blatantly advanced weaponry and technology being used for instance, otherwise, well, what would be the point in the founding of Academy City after the war if there were already something like that? It would have been sold to illegal trading routes and transactions. And those who practiced magic in our world during that darker era were more subtle compared to yours, since they'd rather not draw the attention of the organizations specifically created to deal with them to avoid the public from discovering magic," Heaven Canceller spoke with an interested look.
"Yes well, HYDRA was rather blatant in their attempts to conquer the world at the time, the war simply provided them with the puppets and tools that they needed. Red Skull and those loyal to him within HYDRA never really cared much, if at all, for the Nazi ideology. They wanted to rule the world, but under HYDRA's image, not Hitler's," Touma said with a serious look.
"And the fact that you came from a different universe would already turn the theories of many of the scientists in the city upside down. Your mere existence is proof that other worlds beyond this one do exist," Heaven Canceller said.
"Which is why we need to keep this information on a tighter leash, assuming at least that no one from other universes has already travelled here in the distant past, or vice versa," Touma said.
"If there were such travellers, then they must be really good at hiding their presence, or well, Crowley knew of them but never told anyone. It's just his style to keep a few cards to himself," Heaven Canceller sighed. "Parallel worlds are considered to be a disproven theory in the scientific community because this universe seems to be confirmed to run only on a straight line."
"The rubber string theory, I would guess," Touma said.
"Yes, it's why I'm quite baffled and interested in the confirmation of an entirely different world where the laws of reality run very differently, especially when you have given me a little general outline about how the magic system in your world generally works," Heaven Canceller said.
Touma smiled a little. "Thank my old friend, Dr. Strange, he was the one who would sometimes teach me the ropes of how magic seems to work. I never dabble with magic fully by myself, but it never hurts to at least prepare for an eventual threat where knowledge and quick thinking can help you survive. Lord knows how many villains I had to face who were using magic as part of their skill and arsenal."
"You know, based on what you've told me, I would like to meet up with this man, this Dr. Strange. He seems to be type of fellow I can hold a fruitful conversation with in many things, not to mention our common professions in life, although..." Heaven Canceller's smile turned grim. "...It's a pity that I cannot be the one who would perform the magic spell that could be used to at least make contact with him. Crowley has more eyes on me compared to many others around the city. I am and still am his friend after all. He would notice something the moment I enact a spell, and that's not even taking into account that I have already abstained from doing any kind of magic as part of the vow that I had made when I decided to stay fully in Academy City."
"...Hmm, I could try to ask Komoe-sensei to help me with that once again. For now, though, I would need to focus on specific things, such as..." Touma spoke with a troubled look as he remembered a cotton candy-haired girl that he failed to save one year ago. "...someone that I failed to save. I would need to find her, but I don't know where to start exactly. At this time, she's already descended into the darkness of this city, so..."
Touma remained silent for a bit, while Heaven Canceller would eventually complete the sentence. "You already know somebody that you have in mind, don't you?"
Touma nodded. "Do you know anyone named Kumokawa Seria?"
"I should," Heaven Canceller confirmed. "She tends to pay a visit to this hospital, most of the time due to you."
"..."
...And speaking of the hospital, he thought.
"...How many times have I ended up in this hospital?" Touma could not help but ask, seeing as his third life's memories were erased, so whatever happened in the past was not something that he may know even with his second world knowledge.
"..."
Heaven Canceller was silent a bit before he eventually spoke.
"...A lot."
Then he would bring something out of his pocket. It looked like a folded customized calendar that he opened, with it rolling down the floor, to reveal a few red X marks... ...that seems to happen in some days, some even so close to the point where one had to wonder whether two crisis incidents were happening at the same time.
It made Touma's eyes widen a little as he looked at many of the dates. Such misfortune indeed. Now that he thought about it, the A Certain Magical Index series never really fully explored what had even happened to Touma Kamijou most of the time in the years before. Some were explored such as A Certain Magical Index SS: Biohacker, New Testament 11 flashbacks, Astral Buddy, and other material. Though not covered fully, as much as he knew.
...Which meant that there were wide-ranging gaps. For all Touma knew, there were people that he met that he had forgotten who could be either important or so remote that they go unnoticed in the background. Some of them may even have become his enemy.
He knew that Touma Kamijou, the fictional character, had no luck (in the Eastern context), but this is just plain ridiculous.
He pinched his eyes a little and sighed heavily. "...Now I'm really starting to understand Spider-Man more. If he were here, he'd crack a little joke and call it the Jolly Rogers Misfortune, as a way to compare with his Parker Luck."
"I have a feeling that there's a lot more to that story than meets the simple sentences," Heaven Canceller spoke with an amused smile.
"You don't know the half of it," Touma sighed.
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Insert Song: Start
Captain America Soundtrack - 24 Passage of Time
Touma Kamijou... ...or rather, Steve Rogers, told Heaven Canceller everything. Down to the last important detail.
Of course, he could not recount literally everything that had happened to his life because it would take too long, but a general summary of his life would suffice, specifically that of his first world, starting with his origin story. The second life that he had was more spots and wrinkles, very unreliable sometimes, something he could barely wrap his head around. He could recall bits and pieces here and there, but ultimately, it was his first world that he would recall with a clear head.
Taking a look back at his origin story, he was born on July 4, 1918, to Sarah and Joseph Rogers, two Irish immigrants living in Brooklyn, New York City. It was the night when the 12:00 struck, when Independence Day, a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, had begun once again. One would think that it was divine providence for Rogers to be born on that night, as that would forever define his destiny.
Before Rogers had been born, his father was confirmed to have been killed in action in World War I, and his mother raised him alone, instilling in him with the values of a strong sense of duty, honor, and humility. and an Irish Catholic upbringing, something that even now, he was grateful for.
Rogers lived with his mother in Hell's Kitchen, long known for being a bastion of poor and working-class Irish Americans, and its gritty reputation has long held real-estate prices below those of most other areas of Manhattan. He was born a frail youth who lived through the grueling period of the Great Depression, a severe global economic downturn that affected many countries across the world. Steve remembered that he used to go to a simple school located in the Lower East Side neighborhood. It was there that he learned the values of patriotism.
One day, when he was just playing with his toy soldiers, he was suddenly called by his mother, who was terminally ill due to tuberculosis that she contracted in the hospital where she worked. He could remember it clearly. His sick mother in bed, despite being a little frail, called him to her side and whispered.
"...You *cough* want to be a soldier like your father, don't you?"
He remembers his Irish mother, blonde, young but frail, wearing a pink dress. He remembers the tea set and cookies that he brought for her which were placed near the lamp. He remembers the gentle touch of her hand that caressed her face.
He remembered answering. "Yes, mama, more than anything."
She said with a sweet smile. "Well, I imagined that's what Joe would want. You and him. Acorn and tree. *cough*."
He hated seeing her like this. But there was not much he could do. This was not something he could really punch or kick. This was something that went beyond him. Many people may even curse God for this kind of thing. But Rogers didn't utter a word. All he ever did was take care of his mother. It was not in his nature to blame anyone. Whether it's God or the last man standing.
His mother would continue to speak, despite her coughs. "Once he got an idea lodged in his head, there's no shaking it loose either. Whatever you dream, you can be, but you're gonna have to fight for it. People are gonna spend your whole life taking one look at your body and telling you what you can't do. But they can't see like I do. It holds a heart ten times its size."
And he remembered his mother holding both of his hands. "You got no quit in you. Just promise your mama... you'll use your head too. Fine line between fearless and foolhardy. Took your father away from us too soon."
"I promise, mama."
And he tried to keep that promise ever since.
Years later, by 1936, his mother had passed away and would be buried next to his father. To pass the time and get his mind away from the lost a little, Rogers would spend his free time reading. Doesn't matter what. Books, newspapers, anything. He would even try to go and see the movies as well. At that time, he would hear rumors and forebodings of war that would be talked about non-stop.
Almost everywhere he would go, he'd always hear about the war that was happening in Europe. America had been staying neutral in the conflict at the time. He would hear rumors of a Fuhrer who had captured the hearts and minds of all of Germany with his raving speeches. With his own eyes, he would be horrified to see newsreel footage of the Nazis Party, the one who followed the mad Fuhrer, in ransacking and bombing Europe, and witnessing the brutal atrocities and inhuman treatment that the Empire of Japan had committed against China and Korea. And of course...
"Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra!"
The accursed phrase of his long-time enemy, the green and yellow spandex soldiers with their yellow or red snake eyes with a yellow H mark, or those black coated soldiers with red skull-tentacled imagery seen in their shoulders, the dreaded SS branch organization HYDRA, led by someone who would eventually become his most hated and fierce enemy, the Red Skull, who represented the worse traits that can be found in humanity. They were the ones who supplied powerful weapons that would be use to terrible effect by the Axis Powers.
And then, a darker day had happened. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor was attacked and bombed by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Casualties were high. Outrage sparked across the country. People were crying out for retribution due to this terrible atrocity. War was now inevitable.
With all of this happening before his eyes, Rogers could no longer turn a blind eye. He had tried to enlist in the US Army, many times, but was always rejected with a 4-f because of his frailty and sickness. He felt powerless. He wanted to fight, but he did not want to kill. What kind of soldier would not want to kill? That was Steve Rogers.
"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."
He spoke this phrase to one Dr. Abraham Erskine, the man who was testing him, the man who would eventually help him to become the man that he was destined to be. With the support of General Chester Philips of the US Army after overhearing the young frail man's earnest and genuine plea to fight for his country, he would eventually take part in a top-secret performance-enhancing experiment called Operation Rebirth.
After several weeks of testing, Rogers was at last administered with the Super-Soldier Serum. Given part of the compound intravenously and another part orally, Rogers was then bombarded by vita-rays, a special combination of exotic wavelengths of radiation designed to accelerate and stabilize the serum's effect on his body. Steve Rogers emerged from the vita-ray chamber with a perfect human body.
A blond with blue eyes and a handsome face and build, 6′2″ (1.88 m) in terms of height, 240 lbs (108.86 kg) in terms of weight, his once frail body became stronger than ever. He could now be capable of doing more physical work, and in some cases, even more so than the average person could muster. About 1000 pounds of lifting at the bare minimum. Easily able to press over 2 or more tons.
He remembered everyone in the room celebrating the birth of the new champion of the Allied Forces. The Day When Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty, was born.
While he appreciated the claps, the one thing he could never forget was Dr. Erskine's proud smile. Erskine was in many ways his mentor whose teachings he treasured whenever he went on to battle, in life or in war, as Steve Rogers, as Captain America.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man."
Tragedy would eventually follow from the celebration. A HYDRA spy, who had been observing the experiment, murdered Dr. Erskine in front of him. Determined to bring him to justice, Rogers would chase after him. Eventually, he manages to capture him, but he finds out too late that the man has already committed a suicide pill.
As the spy was dying on his last breath, he spoke words of venom that he could never forget, something that would forever define his conflict against HYDRA, whether in the darker days of World War II or in the modern day.
"Who the hell are you?!" he asked.
"The force of many. Cut off one head, agh, two more shall take its place. ...Hail Hydra..." the spy said, speaking his last words.
And that was only the beginning. He would eventually meet his future best friend, James Buchanan Barnes, whom he usually calls Bucky. They were the dynamic duo who would lead the fight against the Axis, especially HYDRA as much of the European Continent had been submerged under their rule. Making enemies, meeting allies, meeting creatures of myth and legend and beyond that he never thought were possible, and fighting in great and terrible battles that decided the fate of the world and the outcome of the war, eventually, it all came to a head in the year 1945. Adolf Hitler was already dead for the last few months, having committed suicide. The Nazis Party and all of the Axis Powers had surrendered, but HYDRA did not. They all fought to the bitter end, and it was the job of Captain America and his partner Bucky to take the organization down for good.
Though, it was not without losses. Bucky perished, or at the time he did as Captain America had thought, when he fell out of the Valkyrie, the warplane that was launched to target specific places in the United States. It was the very last time at the end of an era when he and his nemesis, the Red Skull, would fight for the last time. Eventually, he took the Red Skull with him as the plane would explode and crash into a block of ice.
There he lay for many years...
Frozen...
Seemed to be dead...
Before he was eventually found and discovered in the modern day. And... ...many adventures followed him while being reminded of his status as a Man Out Of Time. Many of the people that he knew had already passed away. Some like the former Canadian paratrooper and now a member of the X-Men, Wolverine, and the Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, were still alive and kicking.
And then, there came a day unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes were united against a common threat. A team that he considered more as a family.
The Avengers.
He remembered them all, most especially the prime members, and even as Touma Kamijou, he still cared for them as family.
There was the Invincible Iron Man, billionaire playboy Tony Stark, the son of an old friend, Howard Stark. There was the Incredible Hulk, whose alter-ego was the misfortunate but intelligent Dr. Banner. There was the Mighty Thor, the God of Thunder and Son of Odin. There was the Wonderful Wasp, the cheerful fashionista Janet Van Dyne. There was the Master of Many Sizes, with differing names over the years, whether if it was Ant-Man, Giant-Man, or unfortunately Yellow Jacket, Hank Pym. There was the Marksman Hawkeye, the cocky and confident, but competent Clint Barton. There was the Beauteous and Elusive Black Widow, the cool but trusted Natasha Romanoff.
On that day, the Avengers were born. To fight the evils that no one in the world could truly withstand. He remembers them all. The resurgence of HYDRA and the darker parts of World War II that were present in the modern day. Dangerous time travelling supervillains like Kang the Conqueror who wanted to conquer as many timelines as there were sands in the sea. The Masters of Evil led by none other than Captain America's enemy, Baron Heinrich Zemo. Alien invaders from beyond the stars. Standing ground against the Mad Titan Thanos who had brought the entirety of the universe to its very knees and no cosmic being or god could fully stop him without the dreaded and all-powerful Infinity Gems that he wielded with his full awesome might. And yet... there was Captain America, facing him down, walking towards him with his shield, showing no fear, impressing the Mad Titan.
He could name the many, many, many things that he would see and experience.
...But.
There was one particular threat that left an impression on him. A metallic being, with a jack-o-lantern grin that was dyed in the color of red. A mechanical and colder tone that desired nothing but the eradication of humanity. A creature born from the mind of one of his fellow Avengers. A nightmare that comes back over and over again. And the one who eventually killed him, when he - Captain America - would give up his very own life to save his world one last time, saving everyone, including the Avengers, to live and fight another day.
...That was what led to today. How Touma Kamijou came to be. He died a hero and was reborn once more.
"...I must say, this is quite the interesting tale that you have told me."
Heaven Canceller would listen to it with interest, sitting down on the chair that was nearby. Touma was still caressing a sleeping Index's hair, humming peacefully. Heaven Canceller made a thoughtful and reflective look.
"...And, you seem to have described me generally well, all things considered."
After having told his tale, Touma would share with Heaven Canceller what he knew at least about the latter. The actual show or the source material never really spoke much, but all sources commonly agree that Heaven Canceller was someone who could be relied on when it came to his dedication to his patients. And with Touma being one of his patients, of course, he would try to help him. And of course, Touma would speak of a few things, whether if they relate to fan theories and other speculative conclusions, and some of those hints included the name Allan Bennett, and would even provide some info regarding the Allan Bennett from the second world he had lived in.
Charles Henry Allan Bennett, a trusted friend of the Great Master and Founder of Thelema.
Born on December 8, 1872. Died on March 9, 1923. Or at least, that's what people believed in the world of A Certain Magical Index.
"Even in another universe, the date of my apparent demise seemed to be the same, if not in circumstances, at least based on what history had generally recorded. I wonder if this had something to do with some kind of mysterious cosmic significance, a theoretical phenomenon where certain elements tend to look exactly the same in two different universes. As a matter of fact, your first world's Second World War was very different compared to my world's own. There were no blatantly advanced weaponry and technology being used for instance, otherwise, well, what would be the point in the founding of Academy City after the war if there were already something like that? It would have been sold to illegal trading routes and transactions. And those who practiced magic in our world during that darker era were more subtle compared to yours, since they'd rather not draw the attention of the organizations specifically created to deal with them to avoid the public from discovering magic," Heaven Canceller spoke with an interested look.
"Yes well, HYDRA was rather blatant in their attempts to conquer the world at the time, the war simply provided them with the puppets and tools that they needed. Red Skull and those loyal to him within HYDRA never really cared much, if at all, for the Nazi ideology. They wanted to rule the world, but under HYDRA's image, not Hitler's," Touma said with a serious look.
"And the fact that you came from a different universe would already turn the theories of many of the scientists in the city upside down. Your mere existence is proof that other worlds beyond this one do exist," Heaven Canceller said.
"Which is why we need to keep this information on a tighter leash, assuming at least that no one from other universes has already travelled here in the distant past, or vice versa," Touma said.
"If there were such travellers, then they must be really good at hiding their presence, or well, Crowley knew of them but never told anyone. It's just his style to keep a few cards to himself," Heaven Canceller sighed. "Parallel worlds are considered to be a disproven theory in the scientific community because this universe seems to be confirmed to run only on a straight line."
"The rubber string theory, I would guess," Touma said.
"Yes, it's why I'm quite baffled and interested in the confirmation of an entirely different world where the laws of reality run very differently, especially when you have given me a little general outline about how the magic system in your world generally works," Heaven Canceller said.
Touma smiled a little. "Thank my old friend, Dr. Strange, he was the one who would sometimes teach me the ropes of how magic seems to work. I never dabble with magic fully by myself, but it never hurts to at least prepare for an eventual threat where knowledge and quick thinking can help you survive. Lord knows how many villains I had to face who were using magic as part of their skill and arsenal."
"You know, based on what you've told me, I would like to meet up with this man, this Dr. Strange. He seems to be type of fellow I can hold a fruitful conversation with in many things, not to mention our common professions in life, although..." Heaven Canceller's smile turned grim. "...It's a pity that I cannot be the one who would perform the magic spell that could be used to at least make contact with him. Crowley has more eyes on me compared to many others around the city. I am and still am his friend after all. He would notice something the moment I enact a spell, and that's not even taking into account that I have already abstained from doing any kind of magic as part of the vow that I had made when I decided to stay fully in Academy City."
"...Hmm, I could try to ask Komoe-sensei to help me with that once again. For now, though, I would need to focus on specific things, such as..." Touma spoke with a troubled look as he remembered a cotton candy-haired girl that he failed to save one year ago. "...someone that I failed to save. I would need to find her, but I don't know where to start exactly. At this time, she's already descended into the darkness of this city, so..."
Touma remained silent for a bit, while Heaven Canceller would eventually complete the sentence. "You already know somebody that you have in mind, don't you?"
Touma nodded. "Do you know anyone named Kumokawa Seria?"
"I should," Heaven Canceller confirmed. "She tends to pay a visit to this hospital, most of the time due to you."
"..."
...And speaking of the hospital, he thought.
"...How many times have I ended up in this hospital?" Touma could not help but ask, seeing as his third life's memories were erased, so whatever happened in the past was not something that he may know even with his second world knowledge.
"..."
Heaven Canceller was silent a bit before he eventually spoke.
"...A lot."
Then he would bring something out of his pocket. It looked like a folded customized calendar that he opened, with it rolling down the floor, to reveal a few red X marks... ...that seems to happen in some days, some even so close to the point where one had to wonder whether two crisis incidents were happening at the same time.
It made Touma's eyes widen a little as he looked at many of the dates. Such misfortune indeed. Now that he thought about it, the A Certain Magical Index series never really fully explored what had even happened to Touma Kamijou most of the time in the years before. Some were explored such as A Certain Magical Index SS: Biohacker, New Testament 11 flashbacks, Astral Buddy, and other material. Though not covered fully, as much as he knew.
...Which meant that there were wide-ranging gaps. For all Touma knew, there were people that he met that he had forgotten who could be either important or so remote that they go unnoticed in the background. Some of them may even have become his enemy.
He knew that Touma Kamijou, the fictional character, had no luck (in the Eastern context), but this is just plain ridiculous.
He pinched his eyes a little and sighed heavily. "...Now I'm really starting to understand Spider-Man more. If he were here, he'd crack a little joke and call it the Jolly Rogers Misfortune, as a way to compare with his Parker Luck."
"I have a feeling that there's a lot more to that story than meets the simple sentences," Heaven Canceller spoke with an amused smile.
"You don't know the half of it," Touma sighed.
Insert Song: End
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Insert Song: Start
Believe me (ELITE) · Takeshi Abo
It was sometime during the night.
Touma Kamijou did not sleep. Well, he did, but it was only for a few hours at best. Afterward, he would need to get back to writing a few notes from his newly obtained journal that he requested from Heaven Canceller. It was a simple record notebook, hardbound, blue and red, with white stripes, his favorite color. Very convenient, but he won't complain.
He supposed that God was still watching over him after all, even if this was an entirely different universe. His God, Touma would mean, the one that people back in his native universe and one other universe would call The One Above All and The Presence. He actually met The Man once upon a time, though that was one adventure he'd keep a secret. One of the only few who knew of his encounter with Him was Spider-Man who also encountered Him.
Currently, he was alone. For the sake of getting Kamijou to rest, Komoe Tsukuyomi decided to have Index stay in her home for the time being.
...Speaking of the little pink-haired teacher.
"Waaaaaaa! Sensei was so worried for you, Kamijou-chan! Waaaaa!"
...She cried a lot. Not that he could blame her, he got put into the hospital... ...again. He sighed. If there was one thing that he was grateful for, it was that it was only he of all people who ended up reincarnating into Touma Kamijou and nobody else. He would not want to wish this kind of fate upon anyone. Ever.
Touma Kamijou was the type of boy who would get involved in incident after incident after incident. He never almost stops getting involved. And mostly by the end, he would end up getting stuck in the hospital. Something about that didn't sit well with Captain America. Being put into the hospital literally almost every single time was just not normal, never mind the fact that, barring Post-NT 9 era, Touma Kamijou was simply just a young man who forcibly thrust himself into others' problems without a care in the world. A contradictory, seeing as the boy, Touma Kamijou, desired to live only a normal life, not that Captain America could blame such a desire. On some days, he too desired a more peaceful kind of life.
...Though, considering he is literally in enemy territory - Academy City - he supposes that rest may not even be a viable option at times. Not like this was anything new to him since he had been through some sleepless nights during the Second World War.
In his notebook journal, he would note down all of the important details that would occur. Events that happened in the main light novels of Old and New Testaments respectively. Included were many of the side events that he would recall, some of which would intertwine with the main arcs, in the case of Daihaseisai.
While noting things down, his expression would turn grim, because a realization occurred in his mind.
It is possible that someone in Academy City is dying right now, and Touma Kamijou - Captain America cannot do anything about it, not for now at least.
He was thinking about the Sisters Arc most of all, only considered among fans of the franchise to be the arc that sent A Certain Magical Index down several paths, many of which would encapsulate and slowly but fully flesh out the utter grittiness, the morally grey atmosphere behind the cheery sci-fi tone, the subtle but blatant violations of human rights all in the name of science that could get the United Nations fuming, and everything else in Academy City that would make the actual Third Reich look like they were practical jokes. Heck, the experiments were reminding him more and more of what HYDRA had been doing during the War.
Academy City was not just a gathering for all children to learn about the powers of an esper and to use them. Nor was it just a place where it was a gathering of the best scientists and brightest minds. This city was literally the result of what happens when you were to gather a bunch of amoral individuals who care only for their own interests and turn it into a safe haven for them to begin unethical experiments undeterred, the same experiments that would rival even the Nazi Eugenics Programs and the Holocaust.
Academy City, the highly advanced metropolitan independent city-state, is, to put it bluntly, from one viewpoint, a giant concentration camp, and people don't even know it.
A place where the strong thrived while the weak perished unnoticed. A place where it is only the specific few who would be lifted on high and give them the best possible means of reaching their full potential while everyone else was just something to be left out or discarded or used as a stepping tone for the few to reach their goals. A place where the higher levels looked down on the lower levels. Cold, calculating hard and soft numbers are what had mattered in the end instead of actual flesh and blood people.
It was this kind of society, this kind of culture, this kind of world, that he - Captain America - had opposed vehemently with all of his might after all of these years.
He felt very mixed about this place. He supposed that was one particular reason why he couldn't really sleep for very long. Because he knew that on most nights, someone may be dying right now, actual children dying by the hundreds, and Captain America could not save them all.
This city, despite the squeaky-clean advertisements and fantastical utopian ideals, was more of a worldwide scam that served one particular purpose. The eradication of magic itself. And he - as Touma Kamijou - through his Imagine Breaker was one of the main plans of the Beast who revels within his windowless castle, planning indiscriminately for the sake of that one goal, even if it meant innocent people dying.
Something like that did not really sit right with Captain America. You could not write a wrong with yet another wrong. That's not how it works. All it does is create more suffering, until eventually, say one succeeds, but at what cost? Surely there may be other ways to solve this magic problem compared to this?
While Captain America understood the motivations and reasons, generally speaking, he also could not accept some of the methods used to acquire that end if it meant innocent people dying.
The dark side of this city is something that he truly hates on a fundamental level because the worst of humanity thrives in such a place and he believes it to be a problem that truly needs to be dealt with. Many of the story arcs that he had watched or read in his second life, as much as he could recall them, had covered the atrocities and ambiguities of the dark side, therefore he knew the major players in general, but the real question is, how does one deal with all of these things and make sure that everyone comes out alive?
That was why he needed to establish a few strategic connections, making contact with some people who knew the dark side on a more intimate level, even seeing it with their own eyes, even making some contingencies. Seria Kumokawa is probably one of them. She is in fact currently under the direct employ of one of twelve members of Academy City's governing Board of Directors, acting as the advisor, so she was in a position where she would know plenty of darker secrets that lay underneath the city's belly, even if they were merely just speculations or rumors that are unconfirmed but would not be surprising.
...But aside from needing her help in dealing with the Sisters, and of course, asking her help to find the girl he failed to save - Ayu Mitsuari, there was one personal request that he would like to make.
Misaki Shokuhou.
Making connections aside, Captain America - as Touma Kamijou - would not like that young woman to keep waiting for the day when he gets to regain his memories of her. In actuality, she doesn't have to. He can already do that. He can now make memories with her. Whatever was blocking him had cleared off somehow when his first and second life's memories poured out.
Though he was still concerned as to how he was still able to recall Shokuhou right now. Was it because of some kind of division between memories? The fact that these memories came from two different bodies? Some metaphysical property that he was not aware of?
He'd probably try to consult Dr. Strange about these divisions of memory from three different lives.
At some point, he would look at the clock that was nearby, pasted on the wall. It was currently 3:00 a.m. He still had plenty of time to think over the other points, especially ones that concerned the magic side.
"Need a penny for your thoughts, Captain Rogers."
"...!"
A soft female voice would catch him by surprise. He turns to his right to find... ...a beautiful young woman. Black hair and brown eyes. Simple clothing consisting of a light-orange colored shirt with a light pink cardigan on top. A pair of peach-colored jeans that reaches down to about her shin bone with a brown belt and a pair of yellow-colored heels. There was a silver necklace seen around her neck, with a star in the middle.
Strangely, Rogers didn't sense any danger from this woman. If anything, he felt a kind of calming smooth, refreshing, and invigorating. This was... This was very familiar. The thing about Captain America was that he had met various gods and god-like beings over the years. Over time, he had learned to distinguish a kind of... ..."sense"... if you will when it came to them, commonly termed "cosmics". It seems that this sense had never left him even as Touma Kamijou.
The question was... ...which cosmic was she? When it came to someone like say, Galactus, he remembered feeling a kind of dread that seem to indicate to indicate that the end was nigh and at the same time, a profound respect and a sense of his utter insignificance in the face of a being that was unfathomable and incomprehensible to describe. When it came to someone like say Lady Death, he remembered feeling a kind of dread that reached his very bones, as if they ran dry, fearful to even touch her lest he perished like ashes.
...He wondered just who was she? Who was this strange ordinary-looking woman who appeared before him?
He did not need to ask how did she know his name. If she was a cosmic, she would already know him, so he was not surprised by it. Few things surprised Steve Rogers at this point.
He noted that this woman, while smiling, carried a wrapped-around white blanket that contained a circular object. His eyes drew towards the object and made him scrunch his eyebrows. What was that she was carrying?
"You would not mind if I give this object to you?" she would ask politely as she indicated the object that she carried with her own two hands, her smile turning a little contrite and yet carrying a solemnity outmatched.
"...Sure," Touma spoke softly, looking a little unsure and kept observing the movements of this woman.
"...Thank you," the mysterious woman replied.
And she would draw near to his bedside and would begin to place it towards his lap.
Insert Song: End
Insert Song: Start
Captain America Soundtrack - 16 Triumphant Return
"...!"
Touma would slowly widen his eyes as he noted the heaviness of the circular object. Instinctively, he would raise his right hand and place it on the wrapped-up object. He would slowly remove the blanket, slowly revealing... ...an old friend.
A circular platform, with a five-pointed white star design in its center, within blue, red, and white concentric circles. The same disc-shaped shield that had proved mighty in the face of evil and tyranny. A bringer of hope and a rallying point for all, including him, to follow.
Memories of battles that waged in the gritty marches of the Second World War would come back to his mind. He recalled the natural flow that he had with the shield, as if it was an extension of his being. He remembers the constant throws, the raising defense, the steadfast posture, the impossible and mind boggling feats, all of it.
Composed of the most powerful metals: steel alloy - a type of steel alloyed with several elements, used to increase strength, hardness, wear resistance, and toughness; Vibranium - a rare metallic ore with energy-manipulating properties; and Proto-Adamantium which is the most indestructible metal in all of existence, created by the late Dr. Myron Maclain, a scientist that had been trying to develop super-strong metals for the US Government since the beginning of the Second World War.
It was his shield, the same one that brought hope to his world and many others.
He had questions. Many, many questions. He would turn around to find... ...that the woman was no longer there.
He looked back to the shield that was placed before him. Instinctively, he got up a little from his bed, moving the heavy object a little. He would wrap his left hand towards the metal strap and grip it. He raised himself up as he carried the shield. It was heavy, yet also light. It took effort, but it was bittersweet.
While he may not have the same original body that had the super soldier serum embedded within him, he can still somehow lift the shield just fine, though again, it took a little bit of effort, so not as casual as before. He would need to find ways to get his body under peak conditions as much as it can, though at least his intelligence is more or less intact. He did promise his mama long ago. Fight smarter, not harder.
He smiled a little. "You and me... ...together again, old friend... like we always have been."
He did not know who that mysterious woman from earlier was, but he was very grateful for what she brought him, more precious than most things. Of course, this seems too convenient. He was smart enough to note that whatever the reasons why he got his shield back to him was not something to be taken lightly. For someone to deliver this shield personally, a cosmic at that, would make him understand one thing.
War is coming. What kind of war, he did not know. But what he does know is that he - Captain America - would need his shield when that time becomes more and more clear.
Seria Kumokawa was... ...well, she supposed that she felt a little giddy lately, while at the same time was rather irritated.
She was irritated because her dear kouhai, Touma Kamijou, got sent to the hospital again. Probably due to some incident that she doesn't know. She unfortunately cannot always be around him all of the time to check on him and help him with his problems due to many reasons surrounding her work as an advisor as well as the fact that it is because of her current status that she deems fit to not get too close to her kouhai.
It is because, at the very least, she wants her kouhai to live a life as far away from the darker side of this city as it is possible. Knowing him, she thought, if he found out just what was actually going on, would definitely try to just charge in and put a stop to it. But the dark side is, well, big to put it frankly. Sure, he could stop one or two incidents here, but he's only one boy going up against an entire conspiracy that had plagued this entire city ever since its earlier days.
But, right now, Kumokawa was feeling giddy, because her dear kouhai had seemed to be calling for her, based on what that frog-faced doctor had told her from her terminal.
Walking through the hallway, she eventually stopped at the familiar hospital room. She mused a little.
"So you decided to call me out of the blue, hmm, boy? I wonder what kind of adventure would await me this time."
And so, she would slide open the door with tact...
"...!"
Kumokawa noticed something. Her kouhai... ...he wasn't in his usual place. He was not in the hospital bed, looking surprised to see her. Rather, she sees something else.
She sees him standing, all dressed up in his normal high school uniform. Glancing around, she would see a star-spangled shield of white, blue, and red placed somewhere near the wall. His back was turned, looking out into the window. His posture looked solemn, with his hands behind his back.
Something about this seemed fishy to Kumokawa. "Boy...?"
The boy turned around, and upon looking at his face, Kumokawa could... ...not get a read on. His expression was blank and... almost professional-like. No, that's not how her kouhai acts. He would act more surprised or stumble if anything - maybe even speak a very out-of-place line - maybe a sense of misfortune, but she did not see that. All she was her kouhai - the boy that she knew - staring at her with an indecipherable expression.
Eventually, he sported a contrite smile. "I'm sorry for troubling you, Kumokawa-senpai, but..." his expression would turn blank again. "You and I would have a lot to talk about, so I suggest you should close the door while you come inside. I don't think anyone needs to hear what both of us have to say."
Kumokawa became a little cautious and curious as she closed the door behind her.
Insert Song: End
ED Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwDUWnOVf0c
OP Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_gx6CxCJOY
Insert Song: Start
Believe me (ELITE) · Takeshi Abo
It was sometime during the night.
Touma Kamijou did not sleep. Well, he did, but it was only for a few hours at best. Afterward, he would need to get back to writing a few notes from his newly obtained journal that he requested from Heaven Canceller. It was a simple record notebook, hardbound, blue and red, with white stripes, his favorite color. Very convenient, but he won't complain.
He supposed that God was still watching over him after all, even if this was an entirely different universe. His God, Touma would mean, the one that people back in his native universe and one other universe would call The One Above All and The Presence. He actually met The Man once upon a time, though that was one adventure he'd keep a secret. One of the only few who knew of his encounter with Him was Spider-Man who also encountered Him.
Currently, he was alone. For the sake of getting Kamijou to rest, Komoe Tsukuyomi decided to have Index stay in her home for the time being.
...Speaking of the little pink-haired teacher.
"Waaaaaaa! Sensei was so worried for you, Kamijou-chan! Waaaaa!"
...She cried a lot. Not that he could blame her, he got put into the hospital... ...again. He sighed. If there was one thing that he was grateful for, it was that it was only he of all people who ended up reincarnating into Touma Kamijou and nobody else. He would not want to wish this kind of fate upon anyone. Ever.
Touma Kamijou was the type of boy who would get involved in incident after incident after incident. He never almost stops getting involved. And mostly by the end, he would end up getting stuck in the hospital. Something about that didn't sit well with Captain America. Being put into the hospital literally almost every single time was just not normal, never mind the fact that, barring Post-NT 9 era, Touma Kamijou was simply just a young man who forcibly thrust himself into others' problems without a care in the world. A contradictory, seeing as the boy, Touma Kamijou, desired to live only a normal life, not that Captain America could blame such a desire. On some days, he too desired a more peaceful kind of life.
...Though, considering he is literally in enemy territory - Academy City - he supposes that rest may not even be a viable option at times. Not like this was anything new to him since he had been through some sleepless nights during the Second World War.
In his notebook journal, he would note down all of the important details that would occur. Events that happened in the main light novels of Old and New Testaments respectively. Included were many of the side events that he would recall, some of which would intertwine with the main arcs, in the case of Daihaseisai.
While noting things down, his expression would turn grim, because a realization occurred in his mind.
It is possible that someone in Academy City is dying right now, and Touma Kamijou - Captain America cannot do anything about it, not for now at least.
He was thinking about the Sisters Arc most of all, only considered among fans of the franchise to be the arc that sent A Certain Magical Index down several paths, many of which would encapsulate and slowly but fully flesh out the utter grittiness, the morally grey atmosphere behind the cheery sci-fi tone, the subtle but blatant violations of human rights all in the name of science that could get the United Nations fuming, and everything else in Academy City that would make the actual Third Reich look like they were practical jokes. Heck, the experiments were reminding him more and more of what HYDRA had been doing during the War.
Academy City was not just a gathering for all children to learn about the powers of an esper and to use them. Nor was it just a place where it was a gathering of the best scientists and brightest minds. This city was literally the result of what happens when you were to gather a bunch of amoral individuals who care only for their own interests and turn it into a safe haven for them to begin unethical experiments undeterred, the same experiments that would rival even the Nazi Eugenics Programs and the Holocaust.
Academy City, the highly advanced metropolitan independent city-state, is, to put it bluntly, from one viewpoint, a giant concentration camp, and people don't even know it.
A place where the strong thrived while the weak perished unnoticed. A place where it is only the specific few who would be lifted on high and give them the best possible means of reaching their full potential while everyone else was just something to be left out or discarded or used as a stepping tone for the few to reach their goals. A place where the higher levels looked down on the lower levels. Cold, calculating hard and soft numbers are what had mattered in the end instead of actual flesh and blood people.
It was this kind of society, this kind of culture, this kind of world, that he - Captain America - had opposed vehemently with all of his might after all of these years.
He felt very mixed about this place. He supposed that was one particular reason why he couldn't really sleep for very long. Because he knew that on most nights, someone may be dying right now, actual children dying by the hundreds, and Captain America could not save them all.
This city, despite the squeaky-clean advertisements and fantastical utopian ideals, was more of a worldwide scam that served one particular purpose. The eradication of magic itself. And he - as Touma Kamijou - through his Imagine Breaker was one of the main plans of the Beast who revels within his windowless castle, planning indiscriminately for the sake of that one goal, even if it meant innocent people dying.
Something like that did not really sit right with Captain America. You could not write a wrong with yet another wrong. That's not how it works. All it does is create more suffering, until eventually, say one succeeds, but at what cost? Surely there may be other ways to solve this magic problem compared to this?
While Captain America understood the motivations and reasons, generally speaking, he also could not accept some of the methods used to acquire that end if it meant innocent people dying.
The dark side of this city is something that he truly hates on a fundamental level because the worst of humanity thrives in such a place and he believes it to be a problem that truly needs to be dealt with. Many of the story arcs that he had watched or read in his second life, as much as he could recall them, had covered the atrocities and ambiguities of the dark side, therefore he knew the major players in general, but the real question is, how does one deal with all of these things and make sure that everyone comes out alive?
That was why he needed to establish a few strategic connections, making contact with some people who knew the dark side on a more intimate level, even seeing it with their own eyes, even making some contingencies. Seria Kumokawa is probably one of them. She is in fact currently under the direct employ of one of twelve members of Academy City's governing Board of Directors, acting as the advisor, so she was in a position where she would know plenty of darker secrets that lay underneath the city's belly, even if they were merely just speculations or rumors that are unconfirmed but would not be surprising.
...But aside from needing her help in dealing with the Sisters, and of course, asking her help to find the girl he failed to save - Ayu Mitsuari, there was one personal request that he would like to make.
Misaki Shokuhou.
Making connections aside, Captain America - as Touma Kamijou - would not like that young woman to keep waiting for the day when he gets to regain his memories of her. In actuality, she doesn't have to. He can already do that. He can now make memories with her. Whatever was blocking him had cleared off somehow when his first and second life's memories poured out.
Though he was still concerned as to how he was still able to recall Shokuhou right now. Was it because of some kind of division between memories? The fact that these memories came from two different bodies? Some metaphysical property that he was not aware of?
He'd probably try to consult Dr. Strange about these divisions of memory from three different lives.
At some point, he would look at the clock that was nearby, pasted on the wall. It was currently 3:00 a.m. He still had plenty of time to think over the other points, especially ones that concerned the magic side.
"Need a penny for your thoughts, Captain Rogers."
"...!"
A soft female voice would catch him by surprise. He turns to his right to find... ...a beautiful young woman. Black hair and brown eyes. Simple clothing consisting of a light-orange colored shirt with a light pink cardigan on top. A pair of peach-colored jeans that reaches down to about her shin bone with a brown belt and a pair of yellow-colored heels. There was a silver necklace seen around her neck, with a star in the middle.
Strangely, Rogers didn't sense any danger from this woman. If anything, he felt a kind of calming smooth, refreshing, and invigorating. This was... This was very familiar. The thing about Captain America was that he had met various gods and god-like beings over the years. Over time, he had learned to distinguish a kind of... ..."sense"... if you will when it came to them, commonly termed "cosmics". It seems that this sense had never left him even as Touma Kamijou.
The question was... ...which cosmic was she? When it came to someone like say, Galactus, he remembered feeling a kind of dread that seem to indicate to indicate that the end was nigh and at the same time, a profound respect and a sense of his utter insignificance in the face of a being that was unfathomable and incomprehensible to describe. When it came to someone like say Lady Death, he remembered feeling a kind of dread that reached his very bones, as if they ran dry, fearful to even touch her lest he perished like ashes.
...He wondered just who was she? Who was this strange ordinary-looking woman who appeared before him?
He did not need to ask how did she know his name. If she was a cosmic, she would already know him, so he was not surprised by it. Few things surprised Steve Rogers at this point.
He noted that this woman, while smiling, carried a wrapped-around white blanket that contained a circular object. His eyes drew towards the object and made him scrunch his eyebrows. What was that she was carrying?
"You would not mind if I give this object to you?" she would ask politely as she indicated the object that she carried with her own two hands, her smile turning a little contrite and yet carrying a solemnity outmatched.
"...Sure," Touma spoke softly, looking a little unsure and kept observing the movements of this woman.
"...Thank you," the mysterious woman replied.
And she would draw near to his bedside and would begin to place it towards his lap.
Insert Song: End
Insert Song: Start
Captain America Soundtrack - 16 Triumphant Return
"...!"
Touma would slowly widen his eyes as he noted the heaviness of the circular object. Instinctively, he would raise his right hand and place it on the wrapped-up object. He would slowly remove the blanket, slowly revealing... ...an old friend.
A circular platform, with a five-pointed white star design in its center, within blue, red, and white concentric circles. The same disc-shaped shield that had proved mighty in the face of evil and tyranny. A bringer of hope and a rallying point for all, including him, to follow.
Memories of battles that waged in the gritty marches of the Second World War would come back to his mind. He recalled the natural flow that he had with the shield, as if it was an extension of his being. He remembers the constant throws, the raising defense, the steadfast posture, the impossible and mind boggling feats, all of it.
Composed of the most powerful metals: steel alloy - a type of steel alloyed with several elements, used to increase strength, hardness, wear resistance, and toughness; Vibranium - a rare metallic ore with energy-manipulating properties; and Proto-Adamantium which is the most indestructible metal in all of existence, created by the late Dr. Myron Maclain, a scientist that had been trying to develop super-strong metals for the US Government since the beginning of the Second World War.
It was his shield, the same one that brought hope to his world and many others.
He had questions. Many, many questions. He would turn around to find... ...that the woman was no longer there.
He looked back to the shield that was placed before him. Instinctively, he got up a little from his bed, moving the heavy object a little. He would wrap his left hand towards the metal strap and grip it. He raised himself up as he carried the shield. It was heavy, yet also light. It took effort, but it was bittersweet.
While he may not have the same original body that had the super soldier serum embedded within him, he can still somehow lift the shield just fine, though again, it took a little bit of effort, so not as casual as before. He would need to find ways to get his body under peak conditions as much as it can, though at least his intelligence is more or less intact. He did promise his mama long ago. Fight smarter, not harder.
He smiled a little. "You and me... ...together again, old friend... like we always have been."
He did not know who that mysterious woman from earlier was, but he was very grateful for what she brought him, more precious than most things. Of course, this seems too convenient. He was smart enough to note that whatever the reasons why he got his shield back to him was not something to be taken lightly. For someone to deliver this shield personally, a cosmic at that, would make him understand one thing.
War is coming. What kind of war, he did not know. But what he does know is that he - Captain America - would need his shield when that time becomes more and more clear.
Seria Kumokawa was... ...well, she supposed that she felt a little giddy lately, while at the same time was rather irritated.
She was irritated because her dear kouhai, Touma Kamijou, got sent to the hospital again. Probably due to some incident that she doesn't know. She unfortunately cannot always be around him all of the time to check on him and help him with his problems due to many reasons surrounding her work as an advisor as well as the fact that it is because of her current status that she deems fit to not get too close to her kouhai.
It is because, at the very least, she wants her kouhai to live a life as far away from the darker side of this city as it is possible. Knowing him, she thought, if he found out just what was actually going on, would definitely try to just charge in and put a stop to it. But the dark side is, well, big to put it frankly. Sure, he could stop one or two incidents here, but he's only one boy going up against an entire conspiracy that had plagued this entire city ever since its earlier days.
But, right now, Kumokawa was feeling giddy, because her dear kouhai had seemed to be calling for her, based on what that frog-faced doctor had told her from her terminal.
Walking through the hallway, she eventually stopped at the familiar hospital room. She mused a little.
"So you decided to call me out of the blue, hmm, boy? I wonder what kind of adventure would await me this time."
And so, she would slide open the door with tact...
"...!"
Kumokawa noticed something. Her kouhai... ...he wasn't in his usual place. He was not in the hospital bed, looking surprised to see her. Rather, she sees something else.
She sees him standing, all dressed up in his normal high school uniform. Glancing around, she would see a star-spangled shield of white, blue, and red placed somewhere near the wall. His back was turned, looking out into the window. His posture looked solemn, with his hands behind his back.
Something about this seemed fishy to Kumokawa. "Boy...?"
The boy turned around, and upon looking at his face, Kumokawa could... ...not get a read on. His expression was blank and... almost professional-like. No, that's not how her kouhai acts. He would act more surprised or stumble if anything - maybe even speak a very out-of-place line - maybe a sense of misfortune, but she did not see that. All she was her kouhai - the boy that she knew - staring at her with an indecipherable expression.
Eventually, he sported a contrite smile. "I'm sorry for troubling you, Kumokawa-senpai, but..." his expression would turn blank again. "You and I would have a lot to talk about, so I suggest you should close the door while you come inside. I don't think anyone needs to hear what both of us have to say."
Kumokawa became a little cautious and curious as she closed the door behind her.
Insert Song: End
ED Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwDUWnOVf0c
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
OP Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_gx6CxCJOY
Insert Song: Start
Believe me (ELITE) · Takeshi Abo
Her name is Misaki Shokuhou.
People would know her as the #5 Level 5 Esper of Academy City - Mental Out. Her school was Tokiwadai Middle School, a prestigious school that consisted of many Level 3s and 4s, and two Level 5s, that included her. She owned the largest clique in that school, with her right-hand woman and second in command, Junko Hokaze, helping her to manage the day-to-day affairs and how to instill a sense of order among the members.
Right now, she was alone, eating a cheeseburger, somewhere in a restaurant that was located in School Garden. She thought that she needed a little private time, alone and without anyone bothering her. With her delicate glove hands, she would raise it to her mouth and taste it. Lettuces, tomatoes, oh the sweet cheese, she thought as she raised one of her hands to her face.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
And now... ...her enjoyment was over. Annoyed, she put her cheeseburger down on her plate and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Then she would grab her cellphone, looking at the caller ID, and found a very familiarly annoying name.
"Now what does this she-devil want with me at this time of the day?" she could not help but ask with a sarcastic tone.
She answered.
"It's quite surprising that you're calling me yourself, black-haired crow."
"Oh don't get bitchy with me, blondie, not now!" the annoyed voice of Seria Kumokawa made Shokuhou stop her musings and showed a curious expression. She can hear Kumokawa sighing from the phone. "We have a... umm... I don't know if you could call it a problem or a miracle... maybe it's both, I don't know, but the point is, can you get to frog face doctor's hospital right now?"
"...Why exactly?" Shokuhou asked.
"...It's...It's about him," Kumokawa spoke with an unsure tone.
"...!"
Shokuhou felt like she held her breath for just a moment. Her hand, holding her cellphone, was shaking a little, trying to steady itself.
"...Wha-What about him?" she asked, trying to steady her voice.
"...He's...He's asking for you, blondie," the moment Kumokawa said that, her eyes widened, and her heart felt like it was beating over a thousand times. "...It seems, something happened to him when I wasn't looking. Whatever happened to him, it... ...from what I could get from that frog-faced doctor, he got into this big fight and the end result had him... ...well, it was supposed to be that boy wouldn't have any memories."
Shokuhou's heart was clenching. Her mouth felt dry as it opened and closed. She felt like she was hyperventilating. She could feel her entire body shaking.
"("...No. No. No. No. No. It's not true.")" she thought desperately, like a broken record.
"...What do you mean?" Shokuhou spoke with a tone that felt like that of the dead.
"...Memory destruction," Kumokawa said, making Shokuhou twitched. "I don't really know what the heck happened, but that's what he's dealing with after fighting some outsiders who tried to take a foreign girl for unknown political reasons. Everything about his entire life from his childhood up to now had been erased."
Shokuhou was silent. Thoughts of screaming and desperation were ranging from her mind. No, she shouted, she needed to stay focused. She was grabbing to that one line that was a glimmer of hope. Kumokawa said that Touma Kamijou lost his memories, and yet... ...he's somehow calling for her. What could that mean?
"...You said...that he's calling for me," Shokuhou spoke, trying her best to keep her desperation from leaking. She did not want to appear weak before this woman, it would give the latter an advantage. "...And yet, you say that he has no memories of what transpired previously."
"And that's the problem, ain't it," Kumokawa's tone was a little conflicted. "I don't know how, but the frog face doctor verified for me, and if there is one thing I know, it's that frog face doctor doesn't mess up when it comes to descriptions like this. While boy had his memories wiped, there was something else that came out. It's... ...I don't know how to describe it without sounding like an idiot. This, ugh," Kumokawa was tearing her head out in annoyance. "This feels like something straight out of an anime or something."
Shokuhou looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"What I'm saying is that... ...apparently we don't even seem to know boy as much as we thought. That boy - Kamijou Touma - who I talked too earlier... ...he was different."
"In what way?" Shokuhou asked.
"He was... ...I guess you could call professional. The posture that he always makes reminded me of those foreign generals from the old war movies that I used to watch. He... ...He told me about a few things, things that I never really told boy about. He knows, Shokuhou, he knows just how deep the dark side of this city is. He knows... the general gist of what kind of hell goes down here, especially when it's night where almost nobody is around. He spoke of dark side factions like ITEM and SCHOOL and described them pretty well, and as far as I can tell, boy never met ITEM or SCHOOL or most of anyone that is secretly important in the dark side besides those Gokusai sisters and some people that I know of. He. Knows. Mental Out. He knows about what your life was like. He even mentioned someone named Dolly."
"...!"
Shokuhou widened her eyes a little.
...What?
"...What did...What did he say about Dolly?" Shokuhou carefully asked.
"Oh, I don't know, the fact that he knows that Dolly just so happened to be the clone of your rival, the fact that she and one other project called Ideal are connected, the fact that you were once assigned to replace her friend, and... god, probably more. He knows things, knows things that he really shouldn't, and... ...he at least gets the general idea of how the two of you had met, described it in detail. He knows who you are, Mental Out, he knows about everything you had been through, and..."
Then Kumokawa's voice turned soft.
"...And he really does want to see you again. He asked me to call for you, to tell you that he wanted to speak with you alone for a bit, personally... ...and apologize I guess."
Shokuhou ran.
She did not care if she was tired. She just ran like hell. She did not care about anything. She did not care if she looked like she had just bawled her eyes out. She did not care if anyone saw her this desperate. She did not care if she was feeling a bit dehydrated. She did not care if she fell a little more than a few times. She just had to see him again.
Then, after a few miles of trying to run, and even taking a taxi, she would see it. The hospital where her Prince was currently held up. Her breath labored under all of the stress of running. She felt like she was about to collapse. No... ...she shouted... ...not now. She wanted to see him. She wanted to confirm for himself. Doubts fly by her mind. What if this was simply a ruse from that black-haired crow? That did cross her mind, but still... ...her tone was rather suspicious. It was almost, shall we say, irritated and exasperated, a tone of voice that does not even know what to make sense of. That was... ...a first, and this is from someone who knew Seria Kumokawa for a very long time.
...No, not even that woman would stoop this low to lie to her about this. It would dishonor her Prince in fact if she even tried that tactic on her. That was almost the same as accepting defeat. It was not something Seria Kumokawa was capable of doing.
She ran. Stopping by the receptionist, she would ask for the name of the patient who was known as Touma Kamijou.
Touma Kamijou... ...or rather, Steve Rogers, was in deep thought.
He glanced to look at Kumokawa who looked... ...mixed seems to be the right word. Sitting down on a nearby chair, there was a bit of concern and hesitance on her face. Rogers thought that the girl was probably trying to wrap her head around what he had just told her. He even asked for Heaven Canceller to come by and confirm many of the things he said as one testimony from a familiar face. It was not every day that your entire worldview seemed to have turned upside down after all. Rogers' entire situation was just something that was completely out of the norm for most people in Academy City. He said most. He would not count the Chairman out just yet.
He recounted every detail that he could remember. He even gave her the notebook where he wrote down his notes. She checked his notebook, over and over again. What he found had shaken her a little. Every single detail that was relevant at least for the time being was written in that notebook. Though, he did not write down literally everything. He would keep some things close to his mind. There would be a possibility that his own knowledge of events that had happened in the past and what was about to happen soon in the future would be used against him.
Hell, ask Kang the Conqueror, the man whose timeline is so complex that almost nobody even knows what's up with him. Ask Eobard Thawne, the walking paradoxical speedster from another universe who, no matter how many times he dies, somehow keeps coming back in one shape or form. Ask...
"...Your end is nigh, O Captain, My Captain."
"...!"
...No. He'd... He'd... rather not try to think about that monster, the one who killed him. He remembered... He remembered the day he died. He died in battle. He died on a battlefield. He remembered how his blood flowed across the ground. He remembered the brutal beat down that he received. He could feel that aching adamantium-vibranium metal hands punched through and at him several times over.
...He remembered as he glanced to his right, finding his trusty shield, instinctively placing his right hand on it.
He wondered. What about the people back at home? Did they mourn for him? Did he manage to get even a decent burial? Something told him that these and so much more had happened. People were probably mourning for him. He remembered... ...that one time, when a hero from another universe, an old friend by the name of Superman, had died. The circumstances that led to that were a long story, but suffice it to say, everybody mourned... ...at least until he somehow came back from the grave.
...Though, there was a difference, Rogers' supposed.
That time, Superman's body disappeared. Rogers' body wasn't. Superman in actuality had been sent to a ruined future due to something that had been caused by a villain named Vandal Savage. With the help of Vandal's alternate future self, Superman would be able to at least return to the past before the world gets ruined. Like he once said, it's a long story.
Rogers' glanced at Kumokawa, who seemed hesitant to even speak up. Rogers looked a little guilty, because he realized that, in one sense, he may have stolen the identity of the body that he was currently stuck in. No, that did not seem right. He was Touma Kamijou. And he was Steve Rogers. And... he was someone else. He felt like a bowl of soup where a bunch of ingredients got mixed to form some kind of whole.
As for Kumokawa, well, Rogers thought, he would understand at least if she would probably be a little hostile towards him, because from her point of view, the boy she knew... ...was all intents and purposes... dead. Captain America had taken his place.
"...If you have something to say, miss-" Rogers tried to speak up with a reassuring tone, making the first move after a long period of silence.
"Stop," Kumokawa spoke. Then she looks at Rogers in the eye and her arms were crossed, sporting a deprecating smile. "...Honestly, boy, don't... don't make that kind of face... it doesn't really help."
"...I'm sorry," Rogers said, apologetically.
"Don't apologize," Kumokawa shakes her head. "Listen, uhh..." She scratches her head. "...Let's just wait for Mental Out to show up. Considering her abilities, I think it may be at least worth some kind of shot if she could-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, young lady," Rogers gave a stern tone, making Kumokawa surprised. "I cannot ask her to check up on my mind, you know that better than anyone."
Of course, he was referring to the very last time when Shokuhou tried to use her powers to help with his recovery. It... didn't turn out so well. Asking her to... do that again doesn't feel very appealing. It would leave a bad taste in Rogers. Out of all of the Level 5s that he had the most empathy for, it was Misaki Shokuhou. The girl had led a very hard life, being forced to keep watch on her back, keeping an eye out for any sign of dark side activity that may threaten everything she held dear, including her own life. The girl had lived a life of utter paranoia, something that no child should ever have to live with.
At that point, Kumokawa felt a little ashamed while at the same time being a little irritated.
"...I know, I know how much that meant to Mental Out, but... ...it was worth a little shot, to at least provide more of an explanation, because even now, I can't seem to wrap my head around the idea that-"
"That I may not be the man... ...or the boy that I thought I was?" Rogers would now speak with a more empathetic tone.
"...I did not want to think about that part, honestly," Kumokawa looks at him with a scrutinous and conflicted look. "...You're him, and yet... ...you could not be any more different."
"...If it means anything, I never asked to be born like this," Rogers sported a serious look while looking at his right hand. "I don't know who is doing this to me, and I intend to fully find out why. Until then..." He looked at Kumokawa with a genuine expression. "...I am asking for your help. I know you know things that no one would ever like to talk about."
"You're really planning on fighting the dark side?" Kumokawa looked at him incredulously. "...Look, boy, uhh, Captain Rogers, whatever your name is, the dark side had long since been a part of this city longer before I was even born. It's so entrenched into this city that removing it, well, it wouldn't be out of place to say that it wouldn't cause some kind of imbalance. Some projects of this city are dependent on the amount of funding the dark side provides. It's the dark side that also gets things done around here, even if it means getting your hands soiled in blood. Say you take out one or two dark side operations, it would not matter, because another one would just be around to replace it."
"Oh, I've heard of that line before," Rogers narrowed his eyes a little. If Kumokawa was looking at them, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of blue. "Take out one or two, another would take its place. I've been fighting an entire organization like that for many years. I've seen plenty of darkness in my life, I've lost people that I was close too, I've seen death and stared it in the face, I've seen men of steel rise and dark knights fall, so I'm not blind to what I'm seeing. Whatever the intentions for the founding of this darker side of your city, is still morally and effectively wrong. I cannot just sit back and do absolutely nothing while knowing that almost every single night, some innocent child get's killed. That is not the way I live... ...and that isn't the way that Kamijou Touma lives either."
Kumokawa, after a moment or two, would sigh in exasperation, pinching her eyes out. "...At least that part of you never changed at all."
"Of what? The speeches?" Rogers noted.
"What else is there?" Kumokawa flailed her arms a little in exaggeration. "Sure, you and... ...boy seem a little different in mannerisms, but... ...you both seem to have the same heart in the right place. Yes, okay, there, I said it, god, it felt so cheesy!"
Rogers smiled a little. "Sometimes, cheesy isn't always a bad thing. I mean, I'm the living definition of a worn-out cliché."
"...That's true, I suppose," Kumokawa mused a little, feeling a bit... ...well, she wouldn't call it better, but it was... ...a start at least.
Then, a sudden move of the door was heard. They would hear a very labored breath that came from someone who was holding the door handle. They would see a young maiden with blonde hair, wearing a middle school uniform, with a familiar Tokiwadai Middle School logo seen on the chest, with a hand bag seen to the side and worn over her neck.
...She looked, for the lack of a better word, exhausted.
"...Did...Did you seriously just run all the way here non-stop?" Kumokawa could not help but mutter softly, bewildered at the terrible appearance of the once prideful ojou-sama who now seemed a little different. Puffy eyes, miserable-looking state, a few bruises that indicated that she had fallen a little more than a few times, and everything else.
But the blonde woman ignored her. Her starry-eyed face was looking at her... ...beloved Prince.
Her mouth was opening a little, trembling, unsure, and her eyes were like that of a lost child, begging for warmth and comfort. She would walk straight towards Touma Kamijou, who was looking at her with a... ...very familiar expression.
...Could it be? She thought.
She would raise her hands towards the young man's face, her eyes never leaving his black orbs.
Kumokawa would sigh in the background, annoyed a little that she was being ignored. She would opt to leave, taking the notebook with her in order to study it further. She'll grant this to that Level 5 just this once, since this is a very specific occasion that was just as important for the boy as well. She closed the door on her way out, leaving the two alone.
Then...
Her starry eyes were leaking. Her mouth was quivering and felt dry from all of the desperate running. She needed to confirm something.
"...Do you...Do you know who I am?"
Maybe it came off a little desperately, but she did not care for the moment. She needed confirmation... or was this another accursed misfortune for her? Was it merely just Touma Kamijou not remembering her again? If that were the case...
"...Nice to meet you again, Shokuhou-san... no," Touma Kamijou smiled, both contritely and reassuringly, putting one of his hands to hers. "Misaki."
That was it. The dam burst open. Her hands would tremble. Her eyes were now crying. Her soft moans would erupt, forming a few sounds that would slowly wail.
"...Ahhh...Ahhh...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!"
The blonde young woman, Misaki Shokuhou, cried. She gripped her hands to her shoulders and crashed her body towards Kamijou's, yet the latter remained a little firmly in his sitting position, taking great care to not fall to the bed. He could feel her tears flowing down somewhere in his uniform. Memories would flow from those tears, so bittersweet that, while it may have lasted for an entire year ago, still felt so long ago.
She cried. At long last. Bittersweet tears. And yet, she also laughed. She laughed and she cried. Joy and sorrow mingled together like white and black that formed into a shade of grey. She lets out all of her misery, all of the burdens, everything. She was happy, so very happy, that she finally got her wish, her miracle, her hope. Finally, Touma Kamijou seems... ...to remember her again.
As for Touma Kamijou, his expression turns empathetic as he does not hesitate to embrace this woman so that he can comfort her.
He allowed her to cry, until all of it grew silent. It lasted for what seemed like an hour.
"...I...I missed you," a desperate tone sprang from Shokuhou. "...I missed you so very much."
"...I know," Kamijou sported a contrite look. "And I'm sorry."
Shokuhou would raise her face and look at him with eyes of a furious cat. "Why are you apologizing?! It was-"
"Shhh," Kamijou would shush the poor maiden and raise his hand to gently wipe her tears away. "There's no need for any blaming here. The important thing is... I can remember you without needing to forget every single time. It was a long time coming, but... I'm here now, and I won't leave you again."
"...Ahhh," Shokuhou cried once more as she softly landed her face on his shoulder and allowed herself to feel the beating heart of the man she fell deeply in love with and the man that saved her would embrace her.
Touma Kamijou... ...no, Steve Rogers was now thinking as his eyes seemed to change from black to... blue?... like a flickering switch.
This reaction was... a lot more weightier than he would nevertheless still expect. He wondered. If the feather had not struck him down and helped him to regain the memories of who he used to be before all of this, would Misaki Shokuhou continued to suffer over and over again unnecessarily. One of the things he hated at least when reading or watching A Certain Magical Index was that the blonde-haired starry-eyed woman had always had her hope squashed. She never even seems to be getting the win when it came to Touma Kamijou.
...But not this time.
This time, Touma Kamijou is going to protect this woman. He will not let her go. Not this time. He may be a little different, but, somewhere deep in his heart, he had become this young boy - Touma Kamijou, reborn as him. It was a part of him just as much as it was his first life. He was Touma Kamijou. He was Steve Rogers. He was all of the above.
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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwDUWnOVf0c
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Insert Song: Start
Believe me (ELITE) · Takeshi Abo
Her name is Misaki Shokuhou.
People would know her as the #5 Level 5 Esper of Academy City - Mental Out. Her school was Tokiwadai Middle School, a prestigious school that consisted of many Level 3s and 4s, and two Level 5s, that included her. She owned the largest clique in that school, with her right-hand woman and second in command, Junko Hokaze, helping her to manage the day-to-day affairs and how to instill a sense of order among the members.
Right now, she was alone, eating a cheeseburger, somewhere in a restaurant that was located in School Garden. She thought that she needed a little private time, alone and without anyone bothering her. With her delicate glove hands, she would raise it to her mouth and taste it. Lettuces, tomatoes, oh the sweet cheese, she thought as she raised one of her hands to her face.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
And now... ...her enjoyment was over. Annoyed, she put her cheeseburger down on her plate and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Then she would grab her cellphone, looking at the caller ID, and found a very familiarly annoying name.
"Now what does this she-devil want with me at this time of the day?" she could not help but ask with a sarcastic tone.
She answered.
"It's quite surprising that you're calling me yourself, black-haired crow."
"Oh don't get bitchy with me, blondie, not now!" the annoyed voice of Seria Kumokawa made Shokuhou stop her musings and showed a curious expression. She can hear Kumokawa sighing from the phone. "We have a... umm... I don't know if you could call it a problem or a miracle... maybe it's both, I don't know, but the point is, can you get to frog face doctor's hospital right now?"
"...Why exactly?" Shokuhou asked.
"...It's...It's about him," Kumokawa spoke with an unsure tone.
"...!"
Shokuhou felt like she held her breath for just a moment. Her hand, holding her cellphone, was shaking a little, trying to steady itself.
"...Wha-What about him?" she asked, trying to steady her voice.
"...He's...He's asking for you, blondie," the moment Kumokawa said that, her eyes widened, and her heart felt like it was beating over a thousand times. "...It seems, something happened to him when I wasn't looking. Whatever happened to him, it... ...from what I could get from that frog-faced doctor, he got into this big fight and the end result had him... ...well, it was supposed to be that boy wouldn't have any memories."
Shokuhou's heart was clenching. Her mouth felt dry as it opened and closed. She felt like she was hyperventilating. She could feel her entire body shaking.
"("...No. No. No. No. No. It's not true.")" she thought desperately, like a broken record.
"...What do you mean?" Shokuhou spoke with a tone that felt like that of the dead.
"...Memory destruction," Kumokawa said, making Shokuhou twitched. "I don't really know what the heck happened, but that's what he's dealing with after fighting some outsiders who tried to take a foreign girl for unknown political reasons. Everything about his entire life from his childhood up to now had been erased."
Shokuhou was silent. Thoughts of screaming and desperation were ranging from her mind. No, she shouted, she needed to stay focused. She was grabbing to that one line that was a glimmer of hope. Kumokawa said that Touma Kamijou lost his memories, and yet... ...he's somehow calling for her. What could that mean?
"...You said...that he's calling for me," Shokuhou spoke, trying her best to keep her desperation from leaking. She did not want to appear weak before this woman, it would give the latter an advantage. "...And yet, you say that he has no memories of what transpired previously."
"And that's the problem, ain't it," Kumokawa's tone was a little conflicted. "I don't know how, but the frog face doctor verified for me, and if there is one thing I know, it's that frog face doctor doesn't mess up when it comes to descriptions like this. While boy had his memories wiped, there was something else that came out. It's... ...I don't know how to describe it without sounding like an idiot. This, ugh," Kumokawa was tearing her head out in annoyance. "This feels like something straight out of an anime or something."
Shokuhou looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"What I'm saying is that... ...apparently we don't even seem to know boy as much as we thought. That boy - Kamijou Touma - who I talked too earlier... ...he was different."
"In what way?" Shokuhou asked.
"He was... ...I guess you could call professional. The posture that he always makes reminded me of those foreign generals from the old war movies that I used to watch. He... ...He told me about a few things, things that I never really told boy about. He knows, Shokuhou, he knows just how deep the dark side of this city is. He knows... the general gist of what kind of hell goes down here, especially when it's night where almost nobody is around. He spoke of dark side factions like ITEM and SCHOOL and described them pretty well, and as far as I can tell, boy never met ITEM or SCHOOL or most of anyone that is secretly important in the dark side besides those Gokusai sisters and some people that I know of. He. Knows. Mental Out. He knows about what your life was like. He even mentioned someone named Dolly."
"...!"
Shokuhou widened her eyes a little.
...What?
"...What did...What did he say about Dolly?" Shokuhou carefully asked.
"Oh, I don't know, the fact that he knows that Dolly just so happened to be the clone of your rival, the fact that she and one other project called Ideal are connected, the fact that you were once assigned to replace her friend, and... god, probably more. He knows things, knows things that he really shouldn't, and... ...he at least gets the general idea of how the two of you had met, described it in detail. He knows who you are, Mental Out, he knows about everything you had been through, and..."
Then Kumokawa's voice turned soft.
"...And he really does want to see you again. He asked me to call for you, to tell you that he wanted to speak with you alone for a bit, personally... ...and apologize I guess."
Shokuhou ran.
She did not care if she was tired. She just ran like hell. She did not care about anything. She did not care if she looked like she had just bawled her eyes out. She did not care if anyone saw her this desperate. She did not care if she was feeling a bit dehydrated. She did not care if she fell a little more than a few times. She just had to see him again.
Then, after a few miles of trying to run, and even taking a taxi, she would see it. The hospital where her Prince was currently held up. Her breath labored under all of the stress of running. She felt like she was about to collapse. No... ...she shouted... ...not now. She wanted to see him. She wanted to confirm for himself. Doubts fly by her mind. What if this was simply a ruse from that black-haired crow? That did cross her mind, but still... ...her tone was rather suspicious. It was almost, shall we say, irritated and exasperated, a tone of voice that does not even know what to make sense of. That was... ...a first, and this is from someone who knew Seria Kumokawa for a very long time.
...No, not even that woman would stoop this low to lie to her about this. It would dishonor her Prince in fact if she even tried that tactic on her. That was almost the same as accepting defeat. It was not something Seria Kumokawa was capable of doing.
She ran. Stopping by the receptionist, she would ask for the name of the patient who was known as Touma Kamijou.
Touma Kamijou... ...or rather, Steve Rogers, was in deep thought.
He glanced to look at Kumokawa who looked... ...mixed seems to be the right word. Sitting down on a nearby chair, there was a bit of concern and hesitance on her face. Rogers thought that the girl was probably trying to wrap her head around what he had just told her. He even asked for Heaven Canceller to come by and confirm many of the things he said as one testimony from a familiar face. It was not every day that your entire worldview seemed to have turned upside down after all. Rogers' entire situation was just something that was completely out of the norm for most people in Academy City. He said most. He would not count the Chairman out just yet.
He recounted every detail that he could remember. He even gave her the notebook where he wrote down his notes. She checked his notebook, over and over again. What he found had shaken her a little. Every single detail that was relevant at least for the time being was written in that notebook. Though, he did not write down literally everything. He would keep some things close to his mind. There would be a possibility that his own knowledge of events that had happened in the past and what was about to happen soon in the future would be used against him.
Hell, ask Kang the Conqueror, the man whose timeline is so complex that almost nobody even knows what's up with him. Ask Eobard Thawne, the walking paradoxical speedster from another universe who, no matter how many times he dies, somehow keeps coming back in one shape or form. Ask...
"...Your end is nigh, O Captain, My Captain."
"...!"
...No. He'd... He'd... rather not try to think about that monster, the one who killed him. He remembered... He remembered the day he died. He died in battle. He died on a battlefield. He remembered how his blood flowed across the ground. He remembered the brutal beat down that he received. He could feel that aching adamantium-vibranium metal hands punched through and at him several times over.
...He remembered as he glanced to his right, finding his trusty shield, instinctively placing his right hand on it.
He wondered. What about the people back at home? Did they mourn for him? Did he manage to get even a decent burial? Something told him that these and so much more had happened. People were probably mourning for him. He remembered... ...that one time, when a hero from another universe, an old friend by the name of Superman, had died. The circumstances that led to that were a long story, but suffice it to say, everybody mourned... ...at least until he somehow came back from the grave.
...Though, there was a difference, Rogers' supposed.
That time, Superman's body disappeared. Rogers' body wasn't. Superman in actuality had been sent to a ruined future due to something that had been caused by a villain named Vandal Savage. With the help of Vandal's alternate future self, Superman would be able to at least return to the past before the world gets ruined. Like he once said, it's a long story.
Rogers' glanced at Kumokawa, who seemed hesitant to even speak up. Rogers looked a little guilty, because he realized that, in one sense, he may have stolen the identity of the body that he was currently stuck in. No, that did not seem right. He was Touma Kamijou. And he was Steve Rogers. And... he was someone else. He felt like a bowl of soup where a bunch of ingredients got mixed to form some kind of whole.
As for Kumokawa, well, Rogers thought, he would understand at least if she would probably be a little hostile towards him, because from her point of view, the boy she knew... ...was all intents and purposes... dead. Captain America had taken his place.
"...If you have something to say, miss-" Rogers tried to speak up with a reassuring tone, making the first move after a long period of silence.
"Stop," Kumokawa spoke. Then she looks at Rogers in the eye and her arms were crossed, sporting a deprecating smile. "...Honestly, boy, don't... don't make that kind of face... it doesn't really help."
"...I'm sorry," Rogers said, apologetically.
"Don't apologize," Kumokawa shakes her head. "Listen, uhh..." She scratches her head. "...Let's just wait for Mental Out to show up. Considering her abilities, I think it may be at least worth some kind of shot if she could-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, young lady," Rogers gave a stern tone, making Kumokawa surprised. "I cannot ask her to check up on my mind, you know that better than anyone."
Of course, he was referring to the very last time when Shokuhou tried to use her powers to help with his recovery. It... didn't turn out so well. Asking her to... do that again doesn't feel very appealing. It would leave a bad taste in Rogers. Out of all of the Level 5s that he had the most empathy for, it was Misaki Shokuhou. The girl had led a very hard life, being forced to keep watch on her back, keeping an eye out for any sign of dark side activity that may threaten everything she held dear, including her own life. The girl had lived a life of utter paranoia, something that no child should ever have to live with.
At that point, Kumokawa felt a little ashamed while at the same time being a little irritated.
"...I know, I know how much that meant to Mental Out, but... ...it was worth a little shot, to at least provide more of an explanation, because even now, I can't seem to wrap my head around the idea that-"
"That I may not be the man... ...or the boy that I thought I was?" Rogers would now speak with a more empathetic tone.
"...I did not want to think about that part, honestly," Kumokawa looks at him with a scrutinous and conflicted look. "...You're him, and yet... ...you could not be any more different."
"...If it means anything, I never asked to be born like this," Rogers sported a serious look while looking at his right hand. "I don't know who is doing this to me, and I intend to fully find out why. Until then..." He looked at Kumokawa with a genuine expression. "...I am asking for your help. I know you know things that no one would ever like to talk about."
"You're really planning on fighting the dark side?" Kumokawa looked at him incredulously. "...Look, boy, uhh, Captain Rogers, whatever your name is, the dark side had long since been a part of this city longer before I was even born. It's so entrenched into this city that removing it, well, it wouldn't be out of place to say that it wouldn't cause some kind of imbalance. Some projects of this city are dependent on the amount of funding the dark side provides. It's the dark side that also gets things done around here, even if it means getting your hands soiled in blood. Say you take out one or two dark side operations, it would not matter, because another one would just be around to replace it."
"Oh, I've heard of that line before," Rogers narrowed his eyes a little. If Kumokawa was looking at them, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of blue. "Take out one or two, another would take its place. I've been fighting an entire organization like that for many years. I've seen plenty of darkness in my life, I've lost people that I was close too, I've seen death and stared it in the face, I've seen men of steel rise and dark knights fall, so I'm not blind to what I'm seeing. Whatever the intentions for the founding of this darker side of your city, is still morally and effectively wrong. I cannot just sit back and do absolutely nothing while knowing that almost every single night, some innocent child get's killed. That is not the way I live... ...and that isn't the way that Kamijou Touma lives either."
Kumokawa, after a moment or two, would sigh in exasperation, pinching her eyes out. "...At least that part of you never changed at all."
"Of what? The speeches?" Rogers noted.
"What else is there?" Kumokawa flailed her arms a little in exaggeration. "Sure, you and... ...boy seem a little different in mannerisms, but... ...you both seem to have the same heart in the right place. Yes, okay, there, I said it, god, it felt so cheesy!"
Rogers smiled a little. "Sometimes, cheesy isn't always a bad thing. I mean, I'm the living definition of a worn-out cliché."
"...That's true, I suppose," Kumokawa mused a little, feeling a bit... ...well, she wouldn't call it better, but it was... ...a start at least.
Then, a sudden move of the door was heard. They would hear a very labored breath that came from someone who was holding the door handle. They would see a young maiden with blonde hair, wearing a middle school uniform, with a familiar Tokiwadai Middle School logo seen on the chest, with a hand bag seen to the side and worn over her neck.
...She looked, for the lack of a better word, exhausted.
"...Did...Did you seriously just run all the way here non-stop?" Kumokawa could not help but mutter softly, bewildered at the terrible appearance of the once prideful ojou-sama who now seemed a little different. Puffy eyes, miserable-looking state, a few bruises that indicated that she had fallen a little more than a few times, and everything else.
But the blonde woman ignored her. Her starry-eyed face was looking at her... ...beloved Prince.
Her mouth was opening a little, trembling, unsure, and her eyes were like that of a lost child, begging for warmth and comfort. She would walk straight towards Touma Kamijou, who was looking at her with a... ...very familiar expression.
...Could it be? She thought.
She would raise her hands towards the young man's face, her eyes never leaving his black orbs.
Kumokawa would sigh in the background, annoyed a little that she was being ignored. She would opt to leave, taking the notebook with her in order to study it further. She'll grant this to that Level 5 just this once, since this is a very specific occasion that was just as important for the boy as well. She closed the door on her way out, leaving the two alone.
Then...
Her starry eyes were leaking. Her mouth was quivering and felt dry from all of the desperate running. She needed to confirm something.
"...Do you...Do you know who I am?"
Maybe it came off a little desperately, but she did not care for the moment. She needed confirmation... or was this another accursed misfortune for her? Was it merely just Touma Kamijou not remembering her again? If that were the case...
"...Nice to meet you again, Shokuhou-san... no," Touma Kamijou smiled, both contritely and reassuringly, putting one of his hands to hers. "Misaki."
That was it. The dam burst open. Her hands would tremble. Her eyes were now crying. Her soft moans would erupt, forming a few sounds that would slowly wail.
"...Ahhh...Ahhh...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!"
The blonde young woman, Misaki Shokuhou, cried. She gripped her hands to her shoulders and crashed her body towards Kamijou's, yet the latter remained a little firmly in his sitting position, taking great care to not fall to the bed. He could feel her tears flowing down somewhere in his uniform. Memories would flow from those tears, so bittersweet that, while it may have lasted for an entire year ago, still felt so long ago.
She cried. At long last. Bittersweet tears. And yet, she also laughed. She laughed and she cried. Joy and sorrow mingled together like white and black that formed into a shade of grey. She lets out all of her misery, all of the burdens, everything. She was happy, so very happy, that she finally got her wish, her miracle, her hope. Finally, Touma Kamijou seems... ...to remember her again.
As for Touma Kamijou, his expression turns empathetic as he does not hesitate to embrace this woman so that he can comfort her.
He allowed her to cry, until all of it grew silent. It lasted for what seemed like an hour.
"...I...I missed you," a desperate tone sprang from Shokuhou. "...I missed you so very much."
"...I know," Kamijou sported a contrite look. "And I'm sorry."
Shokuhou would raise her face and look at him with eyes of a furious cat. "Why are you apologizing?! It was-"
"Shhh," Kamijou would shush the poor maiden and raise his hand to gently wipe her tears away. "There's no need for any blaming here. The important thing is... I can remember you without needing to forget every single time. It was a long time coming, but... I'm here now, and I won't leave you again."
"...Ahhh," Shokuhou cried once more as she softly landed her face on his shoulder and allowed herself to feel the beating heart of the man she fell deeply in love with and the man that saved her would embrace her.
Touma Kamijou... ...no, Steve Rogers was now thinking as his eyes seemed to change from black to... blue?... like a flickering switch.
This reaction was... a lot more weightier than he would nevertheless still expect. He wondered. If the feather had not struck him down and helped him to regain the memories of who he used to be before all of this, would Misaki Shokuhou continued to suffer over and over again unnecessarily. One of the things he hated at least when reading or watching A Certain Magical Index was that the blonde-haired starry-eyed woman had always had her hope squashed. She never even seems to be getting the win when it came to Touma Kamijou.
...But not this time.
This time, Touma Kamijou is going to protect this woman. He will not let her go. Not this time. He may be a little different, but, somewhere deep in his heart, he had become this young boy - Touma Kamijou, reborn as him. It was a part of him just as much as it was his first life. He was Touma Kamijou. He was Steve Rogers. He was all of the above.
Insert Song: End
ED Song:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwDUWnOVf0c
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