A Certain Magical Haruka

When the teens entered the room, Yomikawa was typing away at her computer and Yoshikawa was aimlessly sifting through the contents in the metal box Haruka saw earlier. When they went in, the women looked up.

"You can sit on the bed or the floor. We have a lot to discuss." Yoshikawa put the box down and closed the lid. The circles seemed to be glowing with a faint silvery light.

Accelerator and Haruka sat beside each other on the floor, leaning on the side of the bed. Yomikawa turned to the two.

"I don't know much, but I may interject occasionally. Kikyou knows everything, but don't swamp her with questions. Where should we start, Kikyou?"

"From the very beginning."

"Which is?" Accelerator looked disinterested at the chatter the adults were putting up. "Get to the point already."

"Alright, alright. Accelerator, as you know, I was a researcher for the Level 6 Shift Project. Before that, I was an assistant at the Special Abilities Institute when you were taken in. I suppose you don't have any memories of me before you were taken in?"

"No."

"Even if your memories weren't altered, you probably wouldn't remember me. I was your childhood guardian."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Okay. You remember nothing, but what I'm telling you is all true. Shortly after you were born, a person who knows you very well appeared to me. I was asked to protect you and guard you from a distance, and I did so."

"Anything you can tell me about my parents?"

"I am forbidden to tell you. However, your body has the capability to use and possess magic."

"Does that explain the black wings?"

Yoshikawa's eyes widened. "You had the capability to be awakened?"

"Is that what it's called?"

"No wonder the person said you had such a big role…"

"What?"

"I'll tell you that after."

"Why did the person choose you for my guardian? And how does that person know me?"

"The person is someone very close to you, but I doubt you'll remember. As for me being your guardian, I am a distant family friend."

"How do you know about magic?"

"That person told me."

"Hey, is there anything you know about me, Yoshikawa?"

"I'll get to that, Hakutsuki."

"What were you saying about being awakened?" Accelerator prompted.

"Over the course of history, select individuals have angels watching over them. Experienced magicians can sense the presence of the angel around that person. Awakening means the angel takes possession of the individual's body. It's very rare for the angel to awaken in the individual's body; some live their lives without being awakened. Some can be awakened by a magic ritual. Others, well, I don't really know."

"So you're saying I have an angel watching over me. That's hard to believe, considering my past was drenched with blood and violence. And I thought angels were supposed to be holy and all that."

"Don't ask me about the details. I know nothing besides what I was told. What I'm confused about is the black wings."

"Why?"

Haruka interjected: "Didn't you know angels had white wings?"

"I know that. So does that mean black wings mean some kind of fallen angel or something?"

"I have no idea. Yoshikawa?"

"I don't know either. Anyways, I watched you from a distance until you were taken into the Special Abilities Institute, and then I applied for a job as an assistant to keep an eye on you. Just after you were taken in, the lead scientists voted to have your memories erased and replaced with fake ones."

"Why?"

"There were some people and certain events they didn't want you to remember. There was also a magician there posing as a scientist who put the seals in your mind so no one could access them. I was told by that person that your emotions and mind would be twisted, Accelerator, and the prediction was right, you know. I couldn't stop anything since I had no authority to decide."

"Well, even if my memories weren't erased, what I experienced there would have changed me already. Besides, the doctor said I'd get the memories back on my eighteenth birthday."

"He's right."

"That completely contradicts what you just said."

"There are things he knows and I don't. Someone must have countered the seal or something."

"And what does Hakutsuki have to do with this?"

"You two were good friends when you were around 6 years of age. Your parents knew one another, and both of you are extremely special. Hakutsuki's body can also use and possess magic."

Haruka and Accelerator stared at each other in shock. After a few moments, he scoffed and looked down. "No wonder you kept on popping up in my dreams before I rescued you."

"You were dreaming of me before you even met me a few days ago?"

"Yeah."

"What about you, Hakutsuki?" Yomikawa looked up, interested.

"Come to think of it, I had one dream of chasing after someone who looked like Accelerator."

"Looks like the countering spell is already working to break the memory seal."

"But I don't have any magic seals in my mind."

"That's because your memories were erased purely with technology. This may be a guess, but I think someone knew your memories would be erased and cast a spell so you'd recall them later."

"Are the reasons for erasing my memory the same as Accelerator's?"

"Yes."

"So what's going to happen on my eighteenth birthday? It's in two more days."

"Same for me."

"I was contacted by that person earlier, as you know, and I was given a few facts. Yes, you two share a birthday. You'll be in a coma as the seal breaks, and then stay like that for some time as your mind adjusts to the influx of memories."

"So when do we wake up?"

"I don't know."

"And that's all you can say?"

"Yes."

"What about the box?" Haruka glanced at the box, which still glowed with a hint of silvery light.

"It just contains magic methods to contact that person if I can't use cell phones."

"I see. But why can't you use cell phones."

"There are things that have to be kept secret even from the founder of this city and the one manipulating everything behind the scenes, Aleister Crowley."

"You forgot something else, Yoshikawa. Earlier, you said I had some big role in something."

Yoshikawa had a look of regret on her face. "I wish you forgot that, Accelerator."

"I didn't. What is it?"

"A war is coming up. It's been predicted that you'd play a large part in it, and if you do, you'll most likely die."

Accelerator was stunned into silence. Haruka broke in. "Who are on the two sides of the war?"

"You'll know soon enough. I imagine a declaration will be issued in a matter of days or weeks."

Abruptly, Accelerator got up and left the room. A minute later, they could hear the door slamming.

Last Order came into the room with a confused look on her face. "'Why's Accelerator-san going outside this late at night?' Wonders MISAKA as MISAKA tries to find an answer."

Yomikawa sighed. "Apparently, he needs some time to himself. Don't try searching for him, Hakutsuki. You too, Last Order."

"Will he come back?"

"Eventually, I think. By the way, I have something to tell you Hakutsuki. Come over here."

Haruka went over to Yomikawa's desk, where Yomikawa had some files open on her laptop. Yomikawa opened one file to show a few pictures. She enlarged them and showed them to Haruka.

"Any of these look familiar?"

"That's the lab where I was in!"

"So the information we got was correct."

"Eh? What information?"

"When Accelerator rescued you, he killed one of the lackeys and left the other one unconscious. After Yoshikawa received the call from him to get an ambulance, he also told her one was still alive, so she told me to go with my Anti-Skill squad to capture the man. He woke up yesterday and we interrogated him about the whereabouts of the lab. He gave us the address of the place and we managed to hack into one of the security cameras and took some pictures of the place."

"I see."

"Well, now that we know it's the place, some units of Judgment and Anti-Skill will be dispatched there to apprehend and interrogate the scientists there. Nobody even knew that place existed until now."

"Everything there was kept a secret. They barely told me anything. I'm surprised the building is still standing though."

"We noticed scorch marks and collapsed wings."

"Yeah, I kind of demolished the place to escape."

"Well, do you think the scientists could still be there?"

"They have a lot of expensive equipment there, so maybe. Considering the damage, they may have moved to another location."

"Well, I'm with one of the Anti-Skill squads, so I'll tell you if anything happens tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"Oh, forget what I told you earlier. If Accelerator doesn't come back tomorrow morning, go look for him."

"Okay."

Yomikawa closed the laptop. "He's too much trouble these days. Still, considering his time at the Special Abilities Institute, I'm surprised he still retains his humanity."

"What happened there?"

"You'll have to ask him yourself. Yoshikawa doesn't know much since she was only an assistant."

"Okay. Well, I'll sleep now. Nothing for me to do."

"Good night, Hakutsuki."

"'Night."

Haruka left the room and went to her own bedroom, where she changed into a nightgown and lay down on the bed. However, sleep was avoiding her, so she summoned some water and spent the time making random patterns. Eventually, after an hour, her eyes closed and she felt herself slipping into a dream…