W/n: Mild cursing. Because Accelerator's a rebel like that ;)
Misaka Mikoto sought for remedy, and Accelerator for redemption. If they could get that from each other, then so be it.
Chapter 5:
It was during a GROUP mission, that Accelerator found out about Etzali's crush on Misaka Mikoto.
The mind-boggling fact sprung out of nowhere, literally. There he was, peacefully walking next to Tsumichikadou as they headed out to their destined location, minding his own business – which was tuning out whatever the hell they were chit-chatting about. Musujime Awaki sounded like she was complaining, and Tsumichikadou was apparently teasing her, although he couldn't be sure (he's zoned out after "…going out at this time. Can't a girl have her sleep in peace?"). And Etzali who – for all his nauseatingly cheerful and charming acts, kind of did have his shit sorted out most of the time, even Accelerator was impressed, just a bit. So as usual, when the other two bickered and socked it around and Accelerator was so done with everything to even butt in, Etzali, all dark haired and handsome faced, just smiled and laughed earnestly to catch their attention.
"C'mon guys, let's just get this done. I heard there's a really good movie coming up, and I kinda want to get to Tokiwadai tomorrow to ask someone to come watch it with me."
It had worked, as usual, thank the God. Accelerator felt like his ears were about to give up and just start bleeding out from the stupid quarrels. But nevertheless, Tsumichikadou was never one to leave himself out of the juicy bits of gossip. Slowing down to meet Etzali's pace, he chirped and smirked devilishly at the latter.
"Oh? A girl, I suppose?"
Even Musujime was interested now. Accelerator didn't blame her. He'd started paying a little more attention at the mention of the high-ranked school already, not that the other three noticed. The fools.
"Going on a date, Etzali? Who's the lucky chick?" she grinned.
"Like I said, just a girl from Tokiwadai." The guy never faltered in his strides, despite the two taunting pair of eyes directing at him.
"Aww but which one? You gotta be specific man."
"Yeah. It's not like we'd actually care enough to see wh…Wait," the redhead suddenly stopped, before her eyes lit up as if a light bulb just switched on above her head. "I know you have a knack for pretty faces, judging from your appearance and all. It doesn't happen to be that Misaki Shokuhou girl, does it? She's a Level 5 too if I remember correctly, a few ranks lower than you Accelerator of course."
"Naturally," the latter deadpanned. The name did ring a bell, but he could care less. With all that's been going on, one Level 5 from that cursed school was enough to last him a lifetime already.
Etzali blinked at her, as if also trying to remember the name, before shaking his head.
"Close. But no."
Then he dropped a bombshell. So casual and buoyant, Accelerator didn't even notice it until the familiar ring of the name actually sank in in his head and when it finally did, he almost tripped over himself.
"Wait, wait…Hold the fuck up. What did you say?" he burst out. Just to make sure.
Maybe all that tuning people out was finally turning his hearing sense rusty. Or that lack of coffee lately was getting to his head. His brain had been getting a bit mushy these days too. It had, had to be something wrong, because there was no possible way, from the mandate of some sadistic god on some plane high above, did he just hear –
"Misaka as in…the Misaka Mikoto?" Tsumichikadou whistled, the kind that was slow and dragged out for further impression. "Dude, that's no 'just a girl'"
"Wow, her? You have a crush on the Railgun?" Musujime boggled, then giggled, then laughed. Loudly. "Holy hell, it's true. This is way better than I even expected. But how did that happen though?...Wait, that's why you came to Tokiwadai and stole that face, isn't it? All to approach that girl?! Oh my God."
"Well, not exactly, I had a mission to do at the school, at first. But then I met Misaka-san, and…yeah. That's actually how I got here in the first place too. Because I wanted to keep an eye out for her."
It actually got worse. Accelerator could not let this slide any longer.
He finally uttered out, then. "So you're telling me, that all you've been doing so far…sticking around here with us psycho paths (he promptly ignored the loud protests bubbling out from the other two) – all of this, for the Railgun?!"
Etzali paused mid-strides, as if contemplating, before looking up to meet his wide-opened red eyes. Steady and confident all at once.
"Yeah. That's pretty much it."
It was official. That miserable brat was not the only one with the mumbo jumbos after all.
"…Wow," was all Musujime could manage, before another fits of snickers took her over again.
"A can of worms, indeed," the blond boy somberly agreed, before slinging an arm across Etzali's shoulders, grinning. "But hey, whatever floats your boat man. You never know if you don't try it out, huh?"
"Ah yes, you got to make efforts, of course."
"You'd better tell me how it'll go down when you ask that girl out tomorrow," Musujime finally said, all teasing and mischievous.
The dark haired guy only smiled easily, then upon seeing that he's got his point across, just chided them to hurry up and continue on with their assigned task.
None of the guys noticed Accelerator twitching a bit on his spot before coming up to join them again.
It should be a federal crime or something – on how much stuff one would need to handle in a sphere of a day. Or more precisely, on how much stuff Accelerator found himself processing and taking in lately.
Last night did not feel like just a night. But more like he came out of there and woke up this morning at least five years older. Even his hair felt like it was turning grayer, if that was even possible.
First it was the bad dreams, then helping out the wench with those bad dreams, then learning about the twisted fate of what he single-handedly sprung on that wench, and now finding out about one of his members' unearthly obsession for her (he's still not sure what to make out of that last part). And basically just that wench, to nicely sum it up.
The world, was definitely very tiny, and also very sick in the head, Accelerator concluded.
After listening carefully to Last Order's sob story and making sure the little girl was blissfully back to sleep again, he was almost immediately called in by Tsumichikadou to be informed about the new lead of their latest assassination target. The blondie, the sadistic asshole that he was, had sounded all too cheery and beaming as he required the presence of all of them half an hour later before hanging up.
And thus, Accelerator had to settle his miserable ass with filing the new info for later analysis, getting out of the house at 4 in the morning then meeting up with his GROUP mates, resigning himself to another insomniac episode – only to have another scandalous piece of news flung at him in the face with the brute force of a bull charging straight for the red flag that left him frozen and tripping on his own feet.
It was the Railgun's fault. Really. All of this. She just had to go and be the goody two shoes that she was and scattered her DNA around like some kind of blessed charity work and making the mess out of everything and then turning herself into another mess to try to fix it right again. And Accelerator was that poor, ignorant blockhead caught in the middle of it all. The Academy's Strongest was pretty certain he can probably compete with that Kamijou something-or-other for the shittiest luck to ever be bestowed now.
Accelerator stood in front of the bathroom sink, and repeatedly splashed cold water on to his face.
It eventually occurred to him, as he was glaring himself down in the bathroom mirror later that day, that this little problem of theirs could not be held down any longer, nor would it magically grow legs and disappear on its own, despite his fervent hope for the contrary. If what Last Order told him about the Level 6 Shift Project was true (and it had to be – not a lot of stuff could turn that brat into a frantic, slobbering mess, no matter how young and tiny she is), then Misaka Mikoto was not the only one who needed reparation after all. And this time, Accelerator would have to be the one to set it out, for the both of them.
He was so very, very tired.
Tokiwadai Middle School was seriously beginning to grate on his nerves. It was big, polished, fancy, and everything that Accelerator was not. The prestigious Academy was also conveniently filled with a bunch of teenage girls that made him want to do nothing more than switching on his choker and giving each and every one of them a piece of his mind for making up stupid assumptions.
Even when he has wisely chosen to stand a few feet away from the school's ridiculously gigantic gate and patiently waited like a polite, decent human being this time, Accelerator could still hear the disturbing giggles and questions springing around from miles away – Yes, he is waiting for someone. No, she is not his girlfriend. No, he does not have a girlfriend nor is he interested in getting one. Ever. And for the last time, that is his natural hair color, not fucking bleach.
Accelerator steeled himself. He's made sure to come when the school bell would be ringing, which it just did. Ten minutes. He would wait out for ten minutes. If it got pass that amount of time and still no signs of Misaka Mikoto, somebody was going to pay.
"Holy shit, Accelerator?!"
Accelerator froze on his spot before turning around, and nearly cracked the handle of his crutch with one hand.
It's Kamijou. Kamijou fucking Touma. The only one to have beaten the crap out of him so far. That son of a bitch.
"What are you doing here?" blurted out the guy, completely flabbergasted. "In front of Tokiwadai too?! This'd better not be about Misaka Mikoto again!"
In his mind, Accelerator broke legs. On the outside, he fixed himself straight, leaned on the balls of his feet, and threw the dumbfounded guy his nastiest glare.
"Aaah fuck, it's about Misaka again, isn't it? I'm not letting you get to her…"
"I'm not here to hurt that wretched brat, you loud-mouthed gasbag. Or anyone for that matter. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"This is how I usually go home," Kamijou said simply, before narrowing his eyes back at him. "What's your excuse?"
How the hell did he even manage to sound stupid and righteous at the same time? Fucking asshat.
"…I'm waiting for someone."
"Who?"
"None of your business."
"It will be if it's Misaka you're waiting on."
"Who are you? Her fucking escort?"
"A friend. And I don't let people hurt my friends."
"Tough shit. But like I said, I'm not here to hurt anyone," yet. "So scram. Leave me alone."
It really did feel like talking to a wall, because the ignorant, annoying, moronic bastard just did not know when to stop. "You know what? No. I'll wait with you then. Until I can make sure it's really not Misaka we're talking about here."
Accelerator thought murder, promptly swiveled back to face the guy, and prepared to jab his crutch into places soft and squishy enough to hurt.
"What," he finally gritted out, "in the fucking hell is your problem? Don't you have something else to do besides sticking your nose into everyone's business? Like being a damn hero and saving the world or some shit?"
"Not really," the guy commented dryly. "It's safe for today."
"Tch. Would 'da been even safer without you and your troublesome ass."
"Oh look who's talking here? Like you're any better."
"'least I'm not dense. Or a motor-mouth."
"I doubt the 'dense' part. It's not like you needed to have some sense knocked into you or anything like before, huh."
Accelerator thought fuck it, and shot forward to jam his finger to the other guy's shirt clad chest.
"That's it," he snarled. "Listen you dumbass. One of these days I'm gonna have my shit sorted out with you. But that's not now. Unlike some people, I have stuff to deal with. So if you're just gonna stand there doing nothing and annoying the living crap out of me, then leave. Let's just go our separate ways and pretend this never even happened. Fuck like I haven't had a bad day as it is already."
For a moment, Kamijou just stared, then calmly removed Accelerator's hand off his shirt, and opened his mouth – looking ready to engage into another round of verbal abuse, when they were both suddenly cut off by another familiar voice.
"Uhmm, am I interrupting something here?"
Somehow, it always seemed to be too early, or too late, for Misaka Mikoto.
First it was the Sisters, then Kamijou Touma, even Kuroko – always managed to be so. Late to save. Late to help. Late to come back. And her worst problem, late to open up about herself. She didn't regret the last one, not as much as the others.
But somehow, in some unearthly God with a twisted sense of humor on the plane high above, stuff like this always managed to come early, when she least expected it. It was bad enough Kuroko has left her to fend for herself for Judgement work and asking her to come by the office later so they could hang out, she had to settle with leaving the classroom alone and walking through the campus surrounded by giggles and snickers from all the girls around. Mikoto didn't even think twice about it – when you were rich and in that kind of phase, gossips and boys are the only important stuff in your life – until the crowd cleared up and Mikoto was met with one of her most terrifying nightmare coming back to life.
Accelerator was standing in front of her school's gate. Along with Kamijou Touma. Seemingly looking like they were in the midst of trying to bite each other's heads off.
The first instinct was to turn around and run away. Maybe change school and move to the other end of the city while she was at it. But the guys were seriously getting in the heat of the moment – with Accelerator jamming his finger on Touma's chest – not a good sign. Then with Touma brushing the guy's hand off and preparing to raise a fist – which was conveniently his mean right hook. Definitely not a good sign.
And damn her. Damn it all. Being good could be such a misery. Because once she coughed loudly enough to catch the guys' attention then felt a million pair of eyes have turned to her and the air has suddenly become so quiet she could hear her rapidly beating heart, Misaka Mikoto wanted nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
"Uhmm…Hey, what'sss…going on here?" she heard her voice saying.
The silence was deafening and painful. Mikoto resisted the urge to stomp on the ground to call it awake.
Touma, bless his heroic soul, finally fixed himself straight and smiled softly at her. "Oh nothing, we were just waiting for you. Are you done with school?"
"Uh, yeah…I'm done."
"Great. Let's hang out then."
Hang out? Where? With who? Both of them? Where was that psycho killer Accelerator when you need him? Why was his saner version just standing there and saying nothing?! What on earth was going on?!
Mikoto angrily dismissed the rounds of gasps and giggles sweeping from behind them, and stared at the two guys like they just announced their new wedding engagement.
"What?" she deadpanned.
"C'mon, let's go."
Touma was definitely in his own little world again. The guy didn't even wait for a reply as he turned and started walking down the street. Mikoto glanced helplessly to Accelerator, who – to her horrified surprise – just gave her an annoyed look before spinning around and following Touma's direction. Mikoto had no choice but to catch up with them, stories and titles slithering up from behind.
The day seemed to last forever, sometimes.
"Okay. What's going on?"
Touma asked as soon as they were out of view and earshot – which was ironically the ally Accelerator had pushed her into before. Mikoto tried hard not to dwell on that detail again and plastered herself a little closer to the wall behind them to avoid any passerby peeking in. She gave a quick glance at the other Level 5, but the latter only had his eyes on the boy in front of them.
"What part of 'None of your business' don't ya understand, huh?" he said casually.
"The part where I know for one thing that you two are supposed to hate each other."
That could still be applied, as far as Mikoto was concerned. But, "It's a little more complicated than that now, Touma."
"Then explain. If you don't mind."
"Yeah. Yeah I do mind, a lot," Accelerator cut right in. "Why do any of us has to explain to you what we do?"
"Because, you used to go on a manic killing rampage until I had to sock you in the face", he nodded to the guy – a quirk in his grin that made the paler boy bristle, before turning to her. "And you, are emotional and don't let things go easily. I honestly can't understand how you're both just standing here and not screaming at each other's faces already."
"Like how you two did just now?" Mikoto scowled. "What was that all bout anyway? And in front of my school too? Do you know what that can do?!"
"Give me a bloody break," Accelerator snapped hotly at her. "Those chicks are irrelevant here. All they know is making up stupid shit…"
"Okay okay." Touma hissed, sliding a hand between the other two. "I spoke too soon…"
"Now," he continued. "What are you doing? And stop giving me any of that coincident crap. I know both of you are scheming something here."
"It's not a fucking scheme dumbass." Accelerator complained, but it only fell on deaf ears.
It took a few moments of silence for them as the question sank in. Accelerator stared at the guy calculatingly – it really wouldn't hurt him, well, not as much as it would the Railgun anyway if the hero found out about this. He had nothing to lose in this bet, honestly – maybe except a few shreds of dignity (that died an embarrassing death under Touma's right fist already) and a crap ton of sleep. But the wench, on the other hand – he cast a glance at her.
Misaka Mikoto was blinking up at Touma – looking like she would either break down into tears or chance a run at any time now.
Accelerator stared at the both of them. So that was how it is. It made sense eventually. If not even her closest friends knew about these episodes of instability, then letting her ideal hero/friend, and probably something a bit more (he would rather not dwell on that kind of stuff) know that she was turning sick in the head would have got to sting badly. And the brat was as twitchy as she was already.
For the up tenth time that day, Accelerator suppressed a long sigh. He was here to fix his mistake, not to make more anyways. Fixing himself straight, he called forward for the guy to look back at him.
"Alright asshole, l…"
"No, wait."
Mikoto suddenly said, breaking him off. Accelerator snapped his head to her in surprise, but she's keeping her gaze steadily on Touma. Brown eyes dark in a shade of edges and focus he's never seen before.
"Accelerator came here today because of me," she said. Loud and clear between all three of them. "I wanted to talk to him about what he did to save ten thousand of my SISTERS."
(TBC)
A/N: Remember how in chap 3 Mikoto ran into Worst at the hospital and they had a talk , yes - that. I've finally made it relevant now booyah!
Happy holiday guys! Thanks for all your reading, favorites and following. Review and let me know what you think~