Chapter I: Hey, Do You Remember?

"Hey, Misaka-san, do you remember?" Your friend, Saten Ruiko, asked as she and your two other friends, Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari, toured you around a particularly plain arcade. "You used to go here a lot. Sometimes the four of us even come together and have competitions on who will have the top score!"

"Really?" you asked, looking around the arcade to try and figure out why you had been so fond of it. It seemed like any other arcade to you.

"That's mostly you and Misaka-san, Saten-san," Uiharu-san said.

"And is it really wise to tour Onee-sama here of all places?" Shirai-sa—no, Kuroko crossed her arms in a displeased manner, "As someone of Onee-sama's stature, we should not encourage her to go back to her old un-ladylike practices. Instead, we should persuade her to try activities that fits an ojou-sama more, like playing koto or doing tea ceremonies—ow!"

You flicked her lightly on the ear when you heard her, "Don't try to reprogram me just because I forgot who I was!"

The arcade, as it turned out, was actually a very entertaining place. You found yourself playing game after game for almost two hours, enjoying every minute of it. And later, you would learn that this particular arcade was also the source of your ammunition for the infamous attack that your so called esper name had come from.

Your name was Misaka Mikoto. You were a third year in Tokiwadai Middle School where you were known as the Ace. You were a Level 5, one of the seven strongest espers in Academy City. You were an Electromaster. You were the Railgun.

You remembered memorizing these facts when you woke up one day in the hospital with no memory. At first you had been scared, confused and utterly lost as to why you were there and who you were. The sparks that had suddenly appeared from your fingertips when you started to panic didn't help you any better. You didn't know what was happening with you, and it only freaked you out more. If it hadn't been for the kind frog-faced doctor you wouldn't have calmed down enough to listen to any explanations.

The frog-faced doctor had told you that you had been involved in an accident, the details of which, he had said he didn't know—though you were pretty sure that he at least knew a part of it but chose not to share it with you. This accident had caused you to lose all of your memories, and while recovery was not impossible, the damage that had been done to your brain was no small matter and recalling everything might take months or even years.

He then proceeded to tell you details of your life. The basics, he had said, but in the end you still felt overwhelmed. You lived in a city filled with students that had superpowers and you were one of the strongest. You were ranked Number Three, and apparently you could control electricity.

It wasn't that you had thought he was lying. It was just that the story seemed so ridiculous and yet deep down a part of you so easily accepted it, and that was what bothered you the most. Not that having superpowers didn't seem cool, but those were things you'd find in a manga or a video game. You should not have been able to believe it so quickly. And yet, it had been the only explanation to the electricity that you seemed to be able to produce. You believed it, but it was still hard to get your mind wrapped around it.

You met your parents not long after; a woman named Misaka Misuzu who looked like the older version of you when you looked in the mirror (though you were a little surprised that your mother looked so young), and a man with a grinning face named Misaka Tabigake who had been holding a silly frog stuffed toy when they entered.

You were glomped (smothered) by your mother the moment she saw you, not even giving you the chance to greet them, and immediately, you felt a connection with her and you couldn't help the overwhelming calm and security that came with your mother's embrace and soon you found yourself hugging her as well.

"See, Papa? I told you Mikoto-chan will have no trouble remembering her Mama. She already knows my hug! I knew my motherly instincts were right." Your 'Mama' told your 'Papa' as she released you from her embrace, grinning all the while.

Your 'Papa' chuckled with his deep voice, "I never doubted Mama."

There was a feeling in your chest, like you were so happy that you wanted to cry, and you couldn't stop your lips from twitching up a little from the relief and familiarity your mother gave you.

"Ah, Mikoto-chan, are those tears of joy?" she asked you teasingly when she noticed the droplets gathering around your eyes.

Your first reaction was to wipe them away, even though the tears hadn't fallen. Then you gave her your most nonchalant expression and retorted, "W-what tears? I'm not crying."

For whatever reason, she giggled at this, "That's my Mikoto-chan. You're still a tsundere!"

You instantly felt your cheeks become hot, "W-who's the tsundere?!"

Your mother seemed to love teasing you because she went on saying embarrassing things about yourself that you were only relearning now. By instinct, you tried to deny all of them even though you have no idea if she was telling the truth or not. But even with the relentless teasing, you were glad at how familiar she acted with you even with the knowledge that you didn't even remember her name.

After a while, your father intervened, "Now, now, Mama. I don't think you should rile our Mikoto-chan up too much. She's still recovering."

You were panting a little after the one-sided argument between you and your mother, and you were a little thankful that she did stop, giggling a little as she responded to her husband, "Oh alright. But you just want your turn with Mikoto-chan, don't you?"

He merely grinned and shrugged, "Well, it has been a while since I've been with my little girl. I can't help it if I want to monopolize as much time with her as I can."

"I'll leave the two of you then," she said with a smile, standing up and hugging you one more time, "I'll talk to the doctor for a while, okay, Mikoto-chan?"

You nodded, not knowing how else to respond. "Alright,"

Your Mama left you with your Papa after that, closing the door of your hospital room lightly. You suddenly felt a little nervous, because while it hadn't been too difficult reconnecting with your mother, she had been the one to take the lead. Your father didn't seem as energetic and talkative as her so there was a little fear in your chest that it might be harder to remember him, unlike your mother.

You knew he'd be heart-broken if it happened, and you had this feeling in your stomach that you really didn't want to see him sad.

A silence overcame the two of you as he slowly walked towards your bed. He moved the chair that your mother had used, sitting himself on it before handing the frog stuffed toy to you with a small smile. "I bought this for you."

You looked at the silly toy and felt yourself beam. For some reason, when you looked at the frog character the second time, you realized how adorable it actually was. You gingerly took the toy from his hands, staring at it as you replied a soft, "Thank you."

His mouth widened into a grin, "I knew you would like it. Even as a kid, you've always loved Gekota. I figured I might as well try it."

"So his name is Gekota," you mumbled, unable to keep a bright smile from your face, "It's nice to meet you again, Gekota." you spoke softly to the stuffed toy, hugging it to your chest.

You didn't feel embarrassed with your father watching you as you did. Somehow, it felt natural, like he had always done it when you were a kid. Mildly, you deduced that it was probably the case and instantly felt comforted by the fact that knowing your parents once again hadn't been as difficult as you had feared.

"How are you?" came the soft voice of your father—no, Papa. He looked at you with equally gentle eyes. "Are you having trouble with this whole memory thing?"

You dropped your gaze to your lap, tightening your hold on Gekota in your arms to seek comfort, "I'm... not sure how to answer that." You began hesitantly. "You two were the first people I talked to apart from that doctor that looks like Gekota and so far, it hasn't been that bad. But I think it has something to do with the fact that you're family. Everything in my body, except my conscious mind, seem to know you so it's a lot easier to accept who you are."

"How about other things? Your friends? Your school? Has Heaven Canceler told you who you are?"

"He has," you replied, a light frown marring your face as you remembered everything the doctor had said, "I don't think he's lying but... it's just so hard to believe." You pushed Gekota away from your chest and held him at arms length, staring at him as you went on with your thoughts. For a moment, your brow twitched at the realization that you called him a 'he' instead of an 'it'. Maybe Gekota was that special to you. "I can't wrap my head around it. A city full of espers? Me, the third strongest of all the students with superpowers and who can control electricity? It's..."

"Unbelievable?" your Papa finished when you trailed off.

You nodded, "Yes." You affirmed, and then said, "If I hadn't seen my own powers first hand I would've yelled at the doctor for lying to me. And after he told me about it, I also noticed things that I shouldn't. For some reason, I know that there are exactly 168 electronic machines on this floor, one of which is the cellphone in your left coat pocket that has about 47% battery left. I know, five meters before they even get close, that someone will pass by. And now, I know that the third elevator broke down and some people are stuck." You shut your eyes, feeling overwhelmed at all the information going through your head but at the same time, feeling that it was just fine, like it was normal to feel all of these. "Are they because of my... ability?" You were surprised to realize the word hadn't felt as strange in your tongue as you thought it would, "Is this normal?"

"I'm not sure of the extent of your powers, but you have mentioned to me before that you can use it for spatial sensing," your Papa said, rubbing his chin in thought, "You also told me that you unconsciously receive and process electromagnetic phenomenon, so I think that's the reason. Is it bothering you? Are you uncomfortable with it?"

You shook your head, "No, and that's bothering me. This isn't normal but... I feel like it is." You ran hand down your bangs, the tips of your fingers brushing against the bandage wrapped around your forehead. "My mind keeps contradicting my body and it's confusing. It's as if they're totally out of sync."

He offered a small comforting smile, "Don't worry. You'll get used to it in a while."

You didn't know how else to reply so you merely nodded. While the extra senses did seem odd at first, it made you feel a little more secured. For what reason, you didn't know, but you figured that with time, they would come to you as if they were your normal senses and the knowledge comforted you a little.

But there were still questions that you needed answers to. People have been telling you how you'd eventually recover, that your memory would come back in time, but none have told you how you lost them in the first place. What exactly had happened?

"Hey, uhm... Papa?" you hesitantly said, still trying to get used to calling him that, "Do you..." you trailed off. This time, the unease came from the illogical fear of knowing. Why didn't the doctor tell you in the first place? Were you better off without the knowledge? "Do you know how I became like this?" you finally asked, "Do you know what happened to me? Why I lost my memories?"

Your Papa avoided you gaze, and with just the expression on his face, you knew his answer, "Yes, I do."

You swallowed a nervous lump in your throat. "C-can you tell me about it?"

He was silent for another moment, but then looked at you and said, "I think it's best if you remember it on your own, Mikoto-chan. And Heaven Canceler specifically instructed not to tell you too much information lest it impairs your recovery. I'm sure he's told you, but not only will your past memories take time to come back but you will have some trouble making new ones for a while." He looked so pained as he spoke that you began to wonder even more just what exactly you had gotten yourself into. And why... did it seem like there were some guilt in your Papa's expression? "It will take some time, but you can get all your memories back. You just have to be patient."

You were a little disappointed at his answer, but you knew he only wanted what was best for you. Still, you needed to know something about the accident to ease that worry in your mind."Then..." you began again, just as hesitantly as the first time, "do you at least know why I did it?"

His gaze softened as he said, "You wanted to save the people you love."

Your heart stopped, "Did I do it?" you asked, almost afraid of his answer, "Was I able to save them?"

For some reason, his eyes began to water as he answered, "Yes, Mikoto. You did." You let out the breath you didn't know you were holding and felt the relief wash through. "And I'm very proud of you."

He brought you into a tight embrace, feeling your shoulder dampen as the tears fell onto the fabric of your hospital gown. You tentatively wrapped your arms around him as well both in an attempt to comfort him and because it just felt right to hug your Papa that way. But as you soaked up the warmth from his embrace, he murmured to you almost mournfully.

"I just wish you didn't have to sacrifice so much."

Author's Notes:

I'm alive! yes, it's been a long long long while since I updated anything and I'm sorry! I can't make any promises because shit has been happening in school but I hope you know i'm still continuing my stories! ...if you remember them that is XD

By the way, I blame Cun-sama for this XD I've had this idea ever since I read the last update of the forever incomplete Of Science and Magics (which was like, years ago by the way) but only ever got around to writing it when I read Cun-sama's own memory loss story XD that story will probably never see the light of day but still, it was really good and so this story was written!

If you didn't get it, with how vague i'm probably being, this is my take on a probable ending for To Aru XDDD yeah, sorry. I feel like a lot of people will start sending me hate mails because of how I ended it in this story but can you blame me? I still love Mikoto the most and would like to just see one girl whose life doesn't revolve around Touma... and yeah, Vindex101 and I are probably gonna have another argument once he reads this so i'll try to prepare haha but as for the complete 'how did the final battle go?' I'll probably keep it as vague as I can. I'm not a good enough writer to think of something so complicated XD

Shout out to GreatSnapper too who helped on some proofreading for this XD and to these amazing fellows who I have not talked to in a while, Digeridoodler, RoadMart & TPK.

To those who are wondering, no, this isn't a Kamikoto fic per se, but yes, there will be an eventual Kamikoto. It would just be a really really really slow build and also doesn't focus on the whole romance department. He'll appear occasionally but mostly, the chapters will revolve around Mikoto meeting old friends and acquaintances and relearning about herself. it might get pretty angsty at times but i'll try to put funny things occasionally.

this won't be updated regularly. or at least not as much as my previous stories that had to be updated... wow, i just realized how rarely i update XD but yeah i'm just posting this for the sake of posting something. this wasn't supposed to see the light of day yet but i really can't think of what wshould happen in Captured Moments and Struck by lightning so for the mean time, i'm stuck

also exams are on the way again so sorry!

Not much else I can say because I fear I might spoil something XD even though this isn't one of my usual stories, i hope you guys will like it :))

Tell me what you thought about it? :3

~61wisampa