Day 2 - Tuesday - Shiina

She wished Misuzu was here to see it. Touma had told her she'd finally found Misaka Mikoto, and here she was watching him with her. A young woman in a cream blouse, an A-line green skirt, and white coat. Her son in his usual T-shirt and jeans. At least it was one of his better T-shirts.

She'd arrived early back from paragliding on a ridge hill nearby, she couldn't help herself, and had been watching the two of them in the room below her. When she first arrived, she'd heard them talking as she opened the back door directly onto the floor below and quickly closed it. They'd been catching up on the past, and Shiina had decided it would be best to leave them to it.

There was nothing obviously romantic going on, particularly on her side, but they were getting on like a couple of good friends. It was similar to how he got on with Fukiyose these days, and her son needed more of that in his life. His other friends from the old days were too far away except one, and the less said about Aogami Pierce the better.

The last few years had been a humbling experience for Shiina. The prestige of an Academy City education she'd lauded over others had become a source of social stigma. Japan had felt that Academy City was a shining example of how the country excelled. Now, with the revelations about what actually went on there, it was considered a modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Financial difficulties, an argument that ended in a hospital visit, and then separation from Touya, but that was not the worst of it. A son crippled, and all the warning signs she'd not paid enough attention to in that self-absorbed life she'd been leading.

Initially, it had been her mission on Touma's forced return from Academy City to make him not his father's son. Then she became more honest with herself as each morning she faced a person in the mirror she didn't like; her mission had become for him not to make the same mistakes they both had. It took some effort, but she had got there. Now Shiina took the fact Touma said 'Othinus had nothing on you' as a compliment, particularly as he'd explained that ordeal to her in detail.

Shiina watched as Mikoto did something with Touma's phone, then he started moving his legs as he moved his arms whilst on his hands and knees. She'd done that exercise at the gym; it was called the bird dog. Mikoto couldn't have solved the problem that quickly? She had to go down, and now. 30 seconds later a panting Shiina was practically next to them.

"Hello Misaka-san. I can't believe it. You've solved it already. He's moving his legs in a controlled manner.'

Then Mikoto turned around and the young woman's expression told her she hadn't. This same young woman still looked practically a teenager. That must have been Misuzu' s genes. Her son alongside didn't look much older. Shiina knew that was her genes.

"It's nice to meet you again Kamijou-san, but unfortunately this isn't a cure. All I've done is program the legs to respond to his phone's movement. I now have a string of exercises that do that for him."

"That's disappointing Misaka-san, but it was great to see the legs moving."

"I can understand that, but I'm working on it," said Mikoto.

"Anyway, what have you two been doing? I've been watching, it is like you have a routine you follow."

Mikoto turned around to face her son. "We're nearly finished, but Touma can tell you what we've been up to."

Shiina noted that 'Touma'. Her son had told her when they had breakfast that morning that they were still using 'Misaka' and 'Kamijou' all yesterday. They were still 'Misaka' and 'Kamijou' when she'd opened the door. They were getting to know each other again after six hours of constant company. Good.

"Mikoto's been giving me a whole load of exercises to do. When she gets the legs working properly it means I'll be able to make the maximum use of them because I'll be stronger in certain areas. She's even made me a chart where I can rotate them over the days of the week. Mikoto even hacked the software on the legs so I can control them with my phone."

"Misaka-san, I'm not ungrateful but isn't that something we should pay for. I think it was something that cost extra."

"Mother. The firm is bankrupt," said Touma." There's nobody to pay, even if we had the money and wanted them to unlock the legs. Mikoto has done us a favour because we couldn't do it otherwise."

"Thanks Misaka-san, I'm sorry." It was a small bow, little more than a nod, in Mikoto's direction.

"Don't worry about it Kamijou-san, your son reacted exactly the same way yesterday."

Misaka had solved a problem but she now had a new one. "You know we had a deposit still with them Touma for the skinning of those legs?"

Mikoto responded. "Don't worry. The firm probably subcontracted it. If it was their usual thirty thousand yen I can save you more than that. I have a friend in my band whose Dad does it, and he is also really good. I can get a special rate."

"Thank you," said Shiina with surprise, "but how did you know it was thirty thousand yen."

The young woman was smiling with a smile that reminded her of her long lost friend. "I managed to extract a lot of information from their website. It's going to prove really useful. I should even be able to make spares if he needs them, I have so much. We were really fortunate it hadn't been taken down yet."

Shiina was relieved. Life had been hard since the separation, and money was tighter than ever. Rather than invest in his livelihood Touma had ended up funding a significant proportion of his new legs. She'd wished they'd been able to fund it all for Touma, she even had a part time job now to help, but his parents had failed.

She watched as Touma gently nudged Mikoto then began to speak. "Mikoto, we've done everything we planned to do today. Could you tell …"

"Don't worry I will." The young woman in front of her then turned back to her. "Would you like a cup of coffee? I assume you'd want to know about what happened to Misuzu."

That expression told Shiina that what she was about to be told wasn't going to pleasant, but after ten years she didn't expect it to be. The young woman in the white coat, bag over her shoulder, followed her up the stairs and out of the room toward the hospital café.

The first thing Mikoto said surprised her.

"I like the legs you bought him," said Mikoto.

"Why do you say that Misaka-san? Every doctor has told me clinically she should have put something with a lower specification on him earlier."

"I'd say the same, but your choice makes sense on another level. It's obvious you care for him. They have some neat touches. The polymers that are the muscles have voids in them, so they feel like muscles when you touch them; the legs are waterproof. If Touma wanted to go swimming they would be brilliant."

Smart girl. She'd figured it out. "He used to enjoy swimming when he was younger. Touya and I thought it would be a good idea."

"There's other things I like. Between the carbon nanotube fibre and titanium they are really light. They've also put in rubber absorbers at the joints to make them give like natural legs. If they work, they are the nearest to natural legs I've ever seen."

"You are sounding suspiciously like the salesman who sold them to us Misaka-san."

"Maybe I missed my calling. Do you think I should have become salesperson of the month and not a doctor Kamijou-san?"

Self-deprecating humour with a smile. Mikoto had changed. This was no longer the intense 'interesting girl' from the Daihasei, but after 10 years she should have expected that. She'd find out soon enough that she had changed even more.

Moments later they both walked into the open plan hospital café. It was all various concrete finishes except the wooden tables and chairs next to floor to ceiling windows. The windows faced onto a little Zen courtyard of rocks and raked pebbles. "What kind of coffee do you drink?" asked Mikoto.

"A cappuccino," responded Shiina.

"A cappuccino and a latte please." Before she could react Mikoto had paid for both of them. Then the hand of the younger woman indicated a seat by the window away from a couple of nurses who were in a heated conversation about the latest television game show.

They sat down opposite each other and the Mikoto's face became much more serious. Whatever she was going to tell her was imminent.

"It was your son, Touma, who suggested that you probably want to know what happened to my parents by the way."

"Yes, I do want to know." Shiina was bracing herself on the inside. It was ten years, but wounds were still there, and what was coming could not be good. The young woman opposite her looked down, breathed in, looked up, and began the tale.

"Both my parents were killed on the day of the Insurrection and quite early on. They were visiting me in Academy City that day. We were outside my dorm at Tokiwadai when the carnage broke out. They'd bought taiyaki and all three of us were eating them. The descent into chaos was swift. Three of my friends, powerful espers, offered to take my parents into the School Garden, behind the walls, so they'd be safer. It seemed like a good idea. I stayed with my friend Kuroko as we tried to get the younger girls in the dorm out so they could get to safety as well. I thought my parents would be safer inside the School Garden."

"…but they weren't"

"No. They were crushed deep inside the School Garden less than 10 minutes later. One my friends knew first aid and tried to help them, but they were too injured. They had internal bleeding. The other two fought the person who did it. They fought him off but were lacerated doing so. The last thing my friend administering the first aid noticed was my Dad humming a tune to my mother. Mama was already unconscious by then. It was the last thing he did, and I don't think he reached the end. I recognised the tune when she hummed it back to me. It was one they played at their wedding I think. They must have been in intense pain, I can't see how they weren't, but they were both dead within five minutes of being struck."

Mikoto opposite her was upset just telling her, but Shiina could hardly see that. Tears were streaming down her face. She knew Misuzu well enough to know what tune that was. A tissue was gently pushed under her hand. She lifted her head to see a pair of slightly red eyes opposite her. The coffees, both in takeaway cups, had been discretely placed at the end of the table. The hospital café was used to these situations.

"What else would you like to know?" asked Mikoto.

"Thank you for telling me Misaka-san, but what I really want to know is …Do you have a clue why my son can't use his legs?" This was 'the question' for Shiina. She couldn't change the past, but the future was something else. How long would it be before her son returned to normal. That had been her mission for 10 years. Another friend's daughter had been destroyed on the inside at Academy City. Touma had lost limbs, but she could make his life relatively normal again, an advantage she had over her friend.

"I'll tell you roughly what I've already told him. I don't know what's wrong, but I have a plan. Tomorrow I will take his legs apart and see if there is something wrong with them. I've read all the manuals and have a bag ready with all the tools and diagnostic equipment. If it isn't that then it is likely his nerves. I'm really hoping it isn't that. If it is the legs between an old friend and myself, I think we could solve it. If it is the nerves, we'll need to get outside help."

"I'm glad you are on his case Misaka-san," said Shiina. "We're both been impressed with what you've done so far, even after only two days."

The young woman opposite her blushed slightly, and then a little bit of steel displayed itself.

"Save that for when I have his legs functioning again."

"Then I will thank you again when you do Misaka-san… Also, is there anything I can tell you that may help?"

"Probably not but thank you for the offer. We've have been catching up the last 10 years. Touma has given me a really good medical history in the process. I've heard nearly everything that has happened to him. He's had a less interesting, but more normal, life over the last ten years, hasn't he?"

"What I want most of all Miaska-san is for Touma to have a completely normal life."

Then Shiina noticed Mikoto looking down nervously, checking her watch. A slight panic came over her face as a result.

"I've missed my train back to Yokohama. I need to get to a hospital near Tatsuka. I'm sorry I'll have to leave now." Shiina watched as Mikoto quickly grabbed her bag and coffee and began moving so quickly she almost jumped out of her seat.

"Stop Misaka-san." Mikoto turned around towards her. "Would you like a lift in my car? It's not much of a detour for me on the way home, and as I made you late."

Mikoto noticeably relaxed when she said it. "Thankyou. I'll probably be on time if you do that."

"I actually think you'll be early Misaka-san at this time of day." Shiina quickly picked up her coffee and her tote bag. "I'm sure we'll find something else to talk about on the journey… Touma said you played guitar in a band."

"Yes, a couple of friends from medical school play with me. Akari plays bass and Niko drums. There used to be a couple of more girls when we were at school. They were the extroverts, and we played a couple of concerts at our high school plus some outside gigs. We've only played in private in the last few years. Medical school kept us all busy."

"A band, playing guitar, I always wished I'd been able to do that," said Shiina." Honestly, I'm jealous. I was bought brought up to be an ojou-sama. My mother made me do flower arranging instead."

"I never envied the Tokiwadai girls who did it"

"Given I've hated flowers ever since I think I can understand why."