Author's Notes:

I don't own A Certain Scientific Railgun or any of its characters, no copyright is intended.

Italics - Means the person is thinking just so you know

Rating for chapter: K+

Enjoy :)

...

During early noon on this fine summer's day in Academy City, Mikoto, Kuroko, Saten and Uiharu were all sitting round a table at their local café (Joseph's) and enjoying at little bite to eat together since there was no school for any of them today, and they didn't really have anything else to do.

While Uiharu, Kuroko and Mikoto were busy talking about Judgement, school, and other topics, Saten was smiling to herself as she read over a piece of paper she was holding in her hands, and let out a small chuckle, catching the attention of the other three girls, as they all turned to look to their dark-haired friend.

"What you got there Saten?" Uiharu asked, as Saten now looked back to her, noticing that she now had all of her friends' eyes on her.

"Oh, it's just a letter from my Mum, she was hoping to send me a card for my birthday last week, but it got lost in the post, and so she came by my room with my little brother yesterday and dropped this letter off for me. I wasn't able to see them sadly since I was still in school at the time, and Dad was expecting them back home soon, but my Mum did say they would come again sometime at the end of this letter," Saten explained as she smiled and showed the letter that she had gotten from her Mother to the other three girls.

"Aww isn't that sweet, it really is a shame that this City keeps us students hidden from our parents," Uiharu smiled while the other two agreed.

"Well since the security is so intense in this City in order to keep us all 'safe' as they call it, it's no wonder that a simple card would get lost if it was sent here," Mikoto stated as her expression seemed to change into one of annoyance when talking about the disadvantages of living in this City.

"Yeah I guess you're right Misaka, but don't you ever wish you could see your parents sometimes, don't you miss them?" Saten asked.

"Hmm….." Mikoto paused as she thought for a moment, "I guess so, but my power started showing itself at a very young age, so Mama sent me here, and since then it's kinda just felt like a second home to me,"

"Sissy has a point, even though we all did come here at a young age, she had an ability that was active and not all that easy to hide, plus she levelled up fast and became the youngest esper to ever make it to level 5," Kuroko added.

"I bet it was tough for you Misaka, I mean coming here and leaving my family was hard enough without knowing I had any powers, but you were sent here because your ability already was showing to be quite powerful at lever 1. You must of have been scared right?" Saten asked knowing how hard it was for her when she first started living in this City.

"I was nervous at first, but as I learnt how to control my power better, and saw all the things I could do with this ability, all my fears kinda went away and were clouded over by the thrill of wanting to push myself just to see what I could do with this newfound power. To be honest becoming a level five was just the beginning to me," Mikoto explained as she remembered her younger self being so full of excitement and anticipation at the thought of just maybe reaching level 5 one day.

"It certainly was a surprise to meet you Misaka-san, Saten here thought you were going to be like all the other level 5s who would look down on the lower levels and think that they're better than everyone else," Uiharu pointed out remembering how kind and…. 'Ordinary' the great, 'Railgun of Tokiwadai' really was when her and Saten first met her.

"Hey at least I wasn't so love-struck over her that when I got the chance to meet her I wasn't calling her a 'Celebrity' or better yet, 'The Darling of Tokiwadai," Saten teased her classmate, remembering how excited Uiharu was when they first met the Railgun.

"I was not 'love-struck' I was just excited to meet her that's all," Uiharu defended herself while Saten just nodded to her with a smirk.

"Wow so that's what you two thought of me when we first met, I mean I knew that the girls in the dorm always treated me like I was someone to gush over, but isn't calling me a 'Celebrity' going a little far?" Mikoto asked as she was a little surprised to hear how the two younger girls used to think of her before they met her.

"Nonsense Sissy, you're the third ranked level 5, and you should be proud to show that off from time to time," Kuroko stated as she smiled to her roommate, who just rolled her eyes and smiled back to her.

"That's true though Misaka, how come you don't let all that fame get to your head? I mean you're not only a high-ranking level 5, but you're also the youngest level 5 there is, which is a pretty big title for a girl that's only in middle school," Saten asked as her and Uiharu had now turned back to the older girl.

"Well while it's true that pretty much all the other level 5s I've met seem to abuse their power and take the attention they get from everyone for granted, I don't really like to boast about my ability, after all I've already got someone who does that for me enough," Misaka said that last part in a lower tone as she pointed to her roommate with her thumb. While Saten and Uiharu just nodded to her, knowing full well how much the Teleporter girl would boast and brag about her dear 'Sissy' to anyone and everyone.

Kuroko just shrugged her shoulders to her roommate in response, "I just want people to know that you are someone to behold Sissy,"

"Yeah, well hopefully your impressions of me have changed since then right?" Misaka asked with a smile, to which Saten and Uiharu answered with simple nods.

"So Saten, what's your little brother like, does he look much like you?" Misaka asked the long, dark-haired girl, now changing the subject.

"Not really, he looks more like my Dad to be honest, and my Dad and me never did get along very much when I was younger," Saten answered, feeling a little nervous when talking about her family.

"How come?" Mikoto asked, before getting elbowed in the side by the girl sitting next to her, "Ow…Kuroko,"

"Sissy you shouldn't ask about things like that, you're invading her privacy," Kuroko scolded the older girl, while Mikoto just rubbed her wounded side, and glared to her roommate.

"Oh no it's fine really, my Dad was just never around much when I was younger, and he didn't really seem all that bothered when I decided to come to this City, so I always thought that he never really liked me as his daughter all that much, but I guess I always did like my Mum more anyway," Saten explained, smiling nervously at the fact that she may have been the cause for Misaka getting told off just then.

"But it's a shame that you and your Dad don't get along," Mikoto stated with a small smile.

"It's fine really Misaka, besides I'm not the only one who hasn't got the best relationship with their Dad," Saten now looked to Uiharu as she gestured to her.

Kuroko and Mikoto both looked to Uiharu now, a little taken back to the fact that her Dad and she didn't have that much of a good relationship either.

"Hey I don't have a bad relationship with my Dad, he just works overseas so I never got to see him and spend time with him when I was younger," Uiharu explained as she glared slightly to her classmate.

"It's strange how we're all only children expect for Saten," Mikoto pointed out, changing the subject in order to help Saten out, and have her not get scolded by the girl sitting beside her.

"Yeah that is a little weird I guess, but you three all have an ability that caused you to be sent to here, so maybe your parents were afraid that they'd have to lose that child as well, if they turned out to be an esper too," Saten thought out-loud.

"Maybe so, but I doubt that the fact that I'm an esper was anything to do with the fact that my parents choose to not have any more children after me. They got divorced when I was a baby, and my Mum always told me that it was because my Dad cheated on her when she was pregnant with me," Kuroko stated as her voice seemed to take an annoyed tone to it when she talked about her Dad.

"I guess that's why you have such a grudge against men, and don't like it when I'm around guys," Mikoto smiled as that protective side of Kuroko kinda made sense to her now.

"Hey my cheating Father has nothing to do with that, I just believe that sleazy boys aren't worthy of having my Sissy as their partner," Kuroko defended herself.

"And you are?" Saten asked with a smirk.

"Of course, I am very dissevering of Sissy's love, she just doesn't like to show it to me in front of other people,"

"Kuroko I treat you the same whether we're in public, or alone, so I'm not sure what this 'love' you're talking about is," Mikoto pointed out.

"Oh Sissy, you really need to be more honest with yourself,"

"I am being honest!" Mikoto glared to her roommate as she was about ready to send a good amount of powerful shocks through that annoying Teleporter's body.

"That just leaves you Misaka," Saten stated as she caught the Railgun's attention.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Mikoto asked now looking back to Saten.

"You're the only one that hasn't told us about your family, so is your relationship with your Dad any better than any of ours'?" Saten asked, while Uiharu and Kuroko now seemed interested and waited to hear Mikoto's answer.

"Well it would be a little hard for me to have any kind of relationship with my Dad to be honest, since he's not around anymore," the Railgun answered with a slight chuckle.

"What do you mean, 'he's not around anymore'?" Uiharu asked, while Kuroko and Saten seemed taken aback slightly.

"He died in an accident not long after I was born, so I never really knew him that well, and Mama used to always get upset whenever she talked about him, so I hardly ever asked her about him, since I didn't like seeing her cry, after all she always seemed so strong to me, she was always my hero who would fix things for me and come and cheer me up if ever I was sad. I guess since my real Dad could never be there for me, she took on the role as both parents for me," Mikoto explained as she smiled when talking about her Mother.

The other three girls all looked to Mikoto with surprised looks on their faces, as they all seemed speechless for a moment.

"What?" Mikoto questioned as she was confused at the fact that her three friends were now completely silent.

"Well…it's just a surprise Sissy, I mean I never knew that you lost your Dad at such a young age," Kuroko spoke, coming back to her senses slowly.

"Me either," Uiharu said, while Saten just agreed with a nod.

"It's not that much of a big deal guys, really," Mikoto smiled now as she didn't quite see why the other three were so surprised by her Dad's passing.

"But Misaka, don't you ever miss, or wonder about him?" Uiharu asked.

"Hmmm…..I guess I do wonder about what he was like from time to time, but how can I miss someone I never really knew?" the Railgun asked as she seemed to be completely unfazed when talking about her late Father like this.

"Aww don't worry Sissy, I can be the Father figure that you always wanted," Kuroko stated as she patted Mikoto on top of her head and smiled to her.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass Kuroko, I don't really see you as being a 'Father figure' or anything for me, especially since you're a girl and a year younger than me," Mikoto stated, to which Kuroko didn't listen to as she just brought the older girl into a tight hug.

Saten and Uiharu just smiled at the other two girls acting how they always did towards each other.

'The four of us all come from very different backgrounds, but somehow we're all able to be close friends with one another,' Saten thought as she looked back to the letter she had left on the table from her Mum and read over the words again, as she smiled slightly, before looking up at her three friends again.

'I guess if it weren't for our backgrounds being the way are, it's possible that none of us would have come to this City, and we probably wouldn't have ever met. We're all so different from each other, and yet we do seem to have a lot in common.' Saten thought before she spoke up and the four friends fell into a more common conversation than the previous one.

'I'm glad that I was able to come here, meet and become friends with you all,' Saten sighed happily as she was glad to have found such good friends in a City that she sometimes thought she didn't belong in. She now knew that even if she stays as a level 0, she'll always have these three friends by her side, no matter what.