XI. Don't Think that I Care

You opened your phone to check for the time as you stood in front of the movie theatre. You still had plenty of time before the movie would start, and Fremea, Kreutune and Last Order were supposed to arrive any minute now.

It had been weeks since you promised the little blonde girl a movie, and between recovering your memories and trying to go back into your life, you hadn't had a chance to fulfill the promise you had made—that and the fact that you didn't know you had Fremea's number until a few days ago when you had absentmindedly scrolled through your contacts.

You had immediately taken out your PDA and checked the movies that were showing that weekend before texting the girl and asking her if she'd want to go. The little girl had excitedly said yes and told you that she'd tell Last Order and Kreutune so they could decide which movie to watch.

You fiddled with your thumbs nervously. This would be the first time you would meet both Last Order and Kreutune. Fremea didn't know about your memory loss and you were sure the other two didn't either. But with the was Fremea had acted around you, you had easily concluded that you were close to the three kids. Kakine even confirmed that you used to bring them out frequently and that the three kids had come to look forward to these little outings.

This knowledge put some pressure on you. You couldn't let them know about your memory loss because it would surely make them sad—if they understood what it meant, that was—and you really didn't want to disappoint them because the mere thought of it made you feel disappointed with yourself.

Point was, you wanted to make these kids happy, even though you couldn't remember who they were. It was like a hidden protective big sister instinct woke up at the mere thought of them.

You saw them before they did you, and when Fremea and two other kids waved happily at you, you couldn't help but smile and wave back.

You faltered when you saw a lanky white haired guy with a cane follow the three kids, having a disinterested scowl on his face. He didn't look friendly but he didn't seem hostile either. You considered that maybe he was one of the two kids' babysitter. That would explain why he was frowning.

"Onee-chan!" Fremea bounded up to you and hugged you around the waist. You giggled a little when the other two followed her example and did the same. "I thought you'd forgotten about your promise! Essentially, what took you so long?"

"'Don't be ungrateful!' says Misaka as she continues to hug her Onee-chan, 'She was hurt and she needed to recover! She had no time for little kids like you.'"

"I'm not a kid! Essentially, you're the little kid!"

"'I'm physically older than you!' says Misaka as she boasts the fact, 'So that means you're the little kid!' says Misaka as she concludes proudly."

"Alright, alright," you interrupted them before Fremea could retort to the hazel haired girl. They released you as you told them, "I'm sorry for not calling sooner. I was a little busy with school."

Fremea shook her head gleefully. "It's no problem! Essentially because you still kept your promise."

"'That's right!' says Misaka as she nods in agreement." You turned to the other girl and froze when you got a good look at her appearance.

Her hair was short and hazel in color, and her eyes were near the same shade. She had a cowlick sticking up on the top of her head and she was smiling at you with a very familiar face.

It was you, only a few years younger. Your Mama had showed you childhood pictures, and you were certain that the little girl in front of you looked exactly like you. It was as if you were looking at a life-sized picture of yourself, smiling up to you.

'...SISTERS.'

Your eyelids immediately shut at the sudden onslaught of images. Although it lasted for merely a short moment, it had left you reeling and disoriented.

But most of all, the image of your emotionless face wearing military goggles made your stomach churn.

'...what was... that?'

"Is Onee-san... okay?" the little girl with an almost bored face asked, snapping you out of your reverie. You met her gaze and saw that even though her face wasn't expressive, her eyes easily leaked concern as she looked at you with a tilted head.

You shook your head, gathering your wits and sending her a smile, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." You crouched down to be at eye-level with them, asking, "So have you decided which movie you want to see?"

Fremea's hand shot out first. "Yes! We're watching the little people inside your brains!"

Your mini look-alike immediately interjected. "'We are not!' says Misaka as she huffs angrily at you. 'We're watching the yellow villain workers!'"

You watched as the two kids argued but found yourself staring at your look-alike. There was something in your gut that knew she wasn't a relative (and even if she were, you were pretty sure your Mama doesn't have Nurse Joy genes), and you were sure she wasn't your little sister either. If she was, your Mama would've told you, right? There was no reason to hide it. And as far as you knew from everyone you had known, you were an only child. She couldn't be your sibling.

So then... who was she?

"Ahh, shut up, you brats!" the white haired boy that had come with them surprised you when he suddenly put a hand on top of your look-alike, ruffling her hair as he said, "If you can't decide yet, then just go inside and get some snacks first! Stop wasting my time!"

With a shout of defiance, your look-alike pushed his hand away and escaped his range, sticking her tongue out to him. "'Accelerator isn't the boss of me!' says Misaka as she sticks her tongue out to the cranky boy!"

"Haa? What did you say, Last Order?!"

"'We do what we want!' says Misaka as she announces it proudly!"

"Alright, enough," you interjected, because even though you were hella confused as to what had just transpired, you had enough sense to break up an argument before it got worse. It almost felt like instinct to you, to do this kind of thing. "Why don't you three do what Accelerator—" you caught his name earlier, "—said and grab some snacks for the movie?" You told the three kids as you took out your wallet. Handing Kreutune—if your look-alike was Last Order, then the last one must be her—a one thousand yen bill. "Here. You're in charge of the money, okay? Don't let these two buy anything too crazy."

Fremea and Last Order had varying expressions of shock while Kreutune obediently nodded. "...roger..." she mumbled before running of to the snack bar with the other two chasing after.

You let out a sigh. It hadn't even been ten minutes since meeting up with them and already you were tired. There were too many questions in your head and the one who could probably answer them was—

"Nice work getting rid of them, Railgun."

—him.

You rubbed your temples as you turned back to him. He was looking at you with a bored expression and you couldn't stop your gaze from hardening as you said in slight exasperation, "Don't tell me... you're a Level 5 too, aren't you?"

He shrugged, and there was a subtle twitch on the corner of his lips that led you to believe that he was amused. You frowned at the thought. "Alright then, I won't tell you."

You groaned, covering your face with your palm. And you thought the Level 5 Visits were over. "Accelerator, right? And you're Number 1, I presume?"

He hummed, "Well, at least you're still as smart as you used to be. How's amnesia working out for you? I heard you dropped to Level 3 because of that."

You couldn't help but feel a little mocked by his words, and your anger flared up. "Look, if you know what's been going on with me then what the hell do you want? Another 'keep yourself out of trouble while your still powerless' speech? Because if you are, then you should just leave. I've had enough of that from the others, and at least they went about it a little nicer than you did."

He snorted. "What, you think I'm stupid enough to repeat what second-rate and fourth-rate told you? Please. If anything, you're the one who wants something from me."

"Oh? And that is?"

"You want answers, right?" You stiffened at his words. He glanced at you with a raised eyebrow. "You want to know why Last Order looks like you when you know you're an only child. Or if anything else, at least who those kids were to you. Am I wrong?"

You glared at him, and though he was completely right, you still couldn't help but feel irritated, prompting you to quip back at him, "Are you gonna lie like everyone else?"

He let out a chuckle at your words. "You're damn a hypocrite, you know? You kept so many secrets to protect the people you love, yet now you can't stand them keeping secrets from you to keep you safe."

"Yeah, I'm getting the feeling that we weren't friends pre-memory loss, so keep your opinions to yourself, if you don't mind." You said, looking dryly at him before turning so you could head to where the kids had gone. You were a little too annoyed to even care about what he had to say, even if it was probably your only chance to get more information about the hidden part of your life. Plus, your pride just wouldn't let you admit to what he had claimed. He must really be someone you hadn't liked before.

But before you could take more than three steps, he stated, "Sisters."

The familiar term rang in your head, and your head snapped back towards him. "...what did you say?"

Whatever mocking tone or expression he had earlier was gone, replaced by one of blank seriousness. He was no longer frowning nor was he sneering. It made you a little uncomfortable.

"You remember the word, don't you?" Accelerator said, standing carelessly as he shifted his cane. "That frog-faced doctor told me to be more careful regarding that part of your memory, but I think it's better that I tell you now before... an unexpected meeting."

There was that familiar irk whenever people talked vaguely with you, but he was the first to tell you something since leaving the hospital that you found that you weren't as mad as you thought. Instead, desperation clawed at your chest, eager for any information he could give you.

"What do you mean by that?" you asked, taking a step closer to her, "What memory? How much did Heaven Canceller tell you to hide from me? And just who is Last Order? Is she related to that word you just said? Sisters?!"

"Calm down," he told you with a stern voice, holding your eye contact and not showing an inch of fear. In the back of your mind, you knew for a fact that even at your full strength, you probably didn't stand a chance against him and with your condition right now, there was no way you could win. Still, the secrets that had been surrounding you since day one had been shortening your patience bit by bit, and his rudeness didn't really help.

But when you heard the distant shouts of the three little girls from the snack bar your anger halted. The fists you didn't notice you had clenched shook and you took a deep breath to calm yourself. You may not care what this rude guy thought of you, but you definitely didn't want to scare those three kids. You closed your eyes and counted to ten, willing your rage to a more manageable level, and when you deemed yourself calm enough, you looked back at him with a glare.

In a low voice, you said, "Answer my questions."

You noticed his eyes flicker behind you for a moment before he replied, "We don't really have much time so I can't go on full details, not to mention that frog-faced doctor would probably kill me if he finds out about this. But the gist of it is this: your DNA sample was used for a fucked up experiment to achieve Level 6. Last Order and 9961 other girls were the by product of it after you and the hero stopped it. So if you meet one of them, try not to freak out and remember that you risked your life to save them."

You only felt more confused than ever. "Them? Who's them?"

Accelerator was about to answer you when he suddenly stopped. His eyes diverted to the place over your shoulder before he quickly looked away with a click of his tongue. "Tsk. Looks like I've already said too much."

"What?" you said in disbelief. You looked behind you in search of whatever he had seen that made him stop, but you didn't see anything noticeable. For the first time since you woke up, you cursed the fact that your EM Waves Spatial Sensing was rendered almost useless when your AIM field dropped. From your range of 30 meters radially, it decreased to a pathetic 2 meters. You gritted your teeth in frustration and turned back to him. "Why can't you tell me?"

"He doesn't want us to," he said, shrugging, "I don't even know how he got the right to tell us what to do, but everyone else just agreed. I think it's stupid though. Keeping you in the dark doesn't mean you'll be kept out of the action."

You opened your mouth but you didn't know what to say. Everything was just too confusing to you and nothing was making sense. "I don't understand what you're saying." You mumbled defeatedly, fisting a hand through your hair. "Who's this he? Is this the same person that everyone refused to tell me? Is this he that 'Kamijou'?"

There was an odd look on Accelerator's face before he dryly responded, "I can't say who either of those two are. But know that this is the fucked up way of him showing that he wants to protect you."

You couldn't help but snort at his words. "So leaving me clueless with no idea who I'm supposed to trust is protecting me?"

He shrugged. "I did say it's fucked up." He turned his head towards the inside of the movie theatre and you followed his gaze, landing on the three little girls who were harassing the person manning the counter at the snack bar. He nodded towards them. "I think you should go there before shit starts. Kami knows the hell of trouble those three could get into."

"Yeah," you agreed but didn't move, sighing as you felt your shoulders slump down. When you looked at him again, he was already limping away with his cane. "Hey, Accelerator," you called to him before he could get far. He stopped and you continued, "Thank you. You were the first person to be completely honest with me since I woke up. I just want to tell you that I appreciate that."

He didn't look back when you spoke, and you stood there waiting for him to continue walking. But after a moment, he craned his head a little towards you, not enough to see his face but enough for you to know that he was acknowledging you.

"You owe me nothing, third rate. When you get your memory back, I'm sure we'll come back to our mutual hate for each other... but for the record, I do appreciate you not letting us die." He started trudging away again but shouted back, "And don't you fucking dare tell anyone else that I said that!"

Your lips twitched up in a smile at his words. He seemed harsh but you got the feeling that he just didn't want anyone to think that he cared. He may be a little annoying but you don't think you could hate him, whatever it was that had happened between you two.

Shaking your head, you jogged towards the snack bar to save the poor girl at the cash register from the three overly active children.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

You found yourself frowning at the first words that came out of his mouth. You didn't expect a warm welcome but couldn't he be a little less crude about seeing you?

"Look" you began through gritted teeth, "I don't wanna talk to you any longer than I have to so I'll get to the point. I need your help."

His brow rose. "You? Want my help? Are you shitting me?"

Your frown deepened. "No, I'm serious. I can't save him without you."

"Ah, so you want me to get involved in that shitstorm your boyfriend got himself into? Like hell. He needs to grow a brain and figure out which crap he shouldn't get into."

"You know what's going out there so you must know that he's doing it to save Academy City! He's trying to save your ass and everyone in here!"

"If he did, then he wouldn't have started this shit with Science and Magic. He's just acting on that stupid hero complex of his. If you ask me, he should've stayed on one side instead of meddling with both. That's what he gets for fucking up."

Your hand shot out in rage, grabbing his collar, "Is that all you can say?! He fucked up?!" Your grip tightened as you glared at him, "He saved you once too, didn't he? Do you really not care about this city? Are you really that heartless, you monster?!"

"You really hate me, right?" He met your burning gaze with a deadpanned one. "If that's what you really think of me, then why did you even ask for my help?"

"Because," your jaw clenched."As much as I hate you for killing all my Sisters, I know you must hate me just as much for being the reason why you had to go through the experiment in the first place." Your hard grip remained for a moment before loosening. The intensity of your glare lessened as you continued. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have all that blood on your hands."

Your hands slipped down from his shirt and fell to your sides as you avoided his gaze.

He snorted. "My hands weren't as clean as you think."

You shook your head. "Even so, I... I'm sorry... for the experiment and what I said. Last Order told me about all the times you protected her. I know you're not heartless, nor are you a monster."

"Is that why you asked for my help?"

"No," you told him, finally meeting his eyes again, "I just know I need your strength to save him. But it does mean I'll be grateful for your help... if you decide to, that is."

He let out an annoyed sigh and scratched his head. "Fine. What do I have to do?"

You blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. Like you said, I do owe the hero. Seems like a good time to pay him back. Now tell me before I change my mind."

You couldn't help but break out into a smile. You took out a folded piece of paper from your pocket and held it out to him. He looked at it skeptically before taking it.

"I'll see you then." You told him, before racing to your next destination.

Your eyes snapped open, seeing what seemed to be the ending of the movie you were supposed to be watching with the three little girls.

There was a dull throb in your temples, and your heart was palpitating as you regained your bearings. Your eyes closed, trying to slow your breathing as you recalled the short dream you had when you fell asleep inside the theatre.

You pressed your palm against your forehead as you remembered what you had seen, feeling a little dizzy from the ordeal. The word 'Sisters' once again resounded in your head as you remembered the conversation you seemed to have had with Accelerator. "What... what was that?"

Author's Notes:

i have not updated since May and wow if you're reading this you are sooooo amazing. i dunno. i don't really have much to say.

So this chapter is Accelerator! hopefully, pretty obvious from the title? Also he's the type to never sugarcoat anything so his honesty can be a catalyst for something XD Also I adore those 3 little kids. They need to be best friends forever.

I'm gonna be honest, i don't know when I'll be updating next. I'll aim for at least before this year ends, if my life becomes less hectic, but i will :)

Next Chapter: Restraint Isn't My Strong Suit

Is it obvious who it's gonna be? XD probably. I don't know. Expect a long chapter! hehehe

~61wisampa