This chapter had been in review with my beta for weeks. (Some of you might have noticed it on my profile page.) Two of them were finishing college finals and that meant they had no free time. Nothing I could do about that but wait. They did eventually get to it. This chapter was kind of big and finally finished off something I've been building up for a while, at time same time, giving different characters some interactions. A lot of people wanted Touma and Accelerator to talk with other RWBY casts. I was able to do it rather nicely here.

DN Works: Just some fun combat for new teams.

Maelaeran: Plot is important, but I always enjoyed humor.

Guest: Neo isn't evil, just misunderstood.

Y0ur5e1f: That's a possibility.

Boshwa: If a strong person with a sword springboard propels him, sure.

Batthan the Dark Knight: It's not really that big of a deal.

Ahsoei: Usually is.

Nine To One: It was partially Ruby and Cinder's fault for making them get up and leave early.

Lovecrazyhedgehog: Obviously. Who's going to deny her?

VGBlackwing: Someone will eventually try. Might be a while though.

Kamijou Touma1: Your wish will start this chapter. Touma can finally start discussing things.

Helluva Pawn: Typical, Jaune. Accidents that work out well.

calderoneric758: RWBY cast wouldn't be as strong as a lot of the Toaru cast. They would get owned by some of the stronger magicians.

TykkiMikk: 1) There's plenty of memes about that. 2) Everyone had their own reasons for gaining strength. Doesn't mean it was a good reason to others, but the reasons only have to matter to the individual.

Yuuji Akira: Neo is such a great character because she wasn't flushed out in the actual series. Yet, we can infer some basic information about her because of her teaming up with Roman, the way she likes to humiliate people in fights, and so forth. I don't know if she'll ever truly end up with Touma, but with her personality, she has a chance to push through his defenses.

Thanatos 2018: I don't think that's going to happen. There are some plans dealing with his hand and the entities that live within it. People have already guessed something is happening.

gamator25: Not quite. He would have to touch the staff. Touching a small part of Atlas might interfere with magical energy powering things, but not the entire city.

WellLifeJustAintFair: It was determined to be an 'accident.' Plus, he liked the view.

Cchang3: People can change over time. They just need a chance. Ozpin is allowing Neo the opportunity to be a better person. Touma is just there to help with the transition.

G119: Weiss isn't used to being told no. If she wants to know something, she'll find out. She interrogated Blake once in the show and was a little over the top. Accelerator also is a lot like her, who just swears more, so she can kind of relate, plus she really likes Last Order. Minor fights where we show Ruby has a lot to learn. Yang is a great fighter, but someone is always stronger than her. It's why Glynda puts her up against Neo. It's forcing Yang to improve. Jaune got put on a girls' team purely for Ozpin's amusement obviously.

Ospimpisons: Given time, Accelerator might be talked to into improving his stamina. Especially now that his power tires him out. He can't rely on it for every little thing. Touma is someone who never had proper training, but the way he is, that might not be something he's interested in. He likes adapting to the situation and not get stuck into a certain style.

Kuvukiland: Same problem this time. Beta reviewers have lives too. They do a great job on the chapters so I'm fine with waiting a bit. I do remind them from time to time I'm waiting on it. Yang might be able to kick Neo's ass once, but only when it's important. Right now, Neo isn't using her full strength, so Yang has some work to do. It's the difference between someone who learned to fight for survival and someone who is in the middle of training. A lot more Accelerator in this chapter now. The main reason is Touma can't solve problems as easy as Accelerator can, so situations are limited for him.

WwEpsilonwW: We don't know that's happening yet, but something is. I bet it becomes important. No one hates Jaune. You sometimes just hate a portrayal of Jaune. He's the most relatable character that reminds you of yourself.

WSarcasm: Yes… the dust injection…

Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.

Accelerator swiped his Scroll as he laid in bed, glancing at his bank account he now had access to.

'Seems I don't have to worry about money for a while.' The albino boy thought.

Ironwood had followed through on his word. Yesterday, he had Accelerator and Weiss sign the contract for the Portable Shield Generator they made and he transferred the Lien to them. Accelerator had set up an account and the money was wired almost instantaneously. It showed just how badly Atlas wanted the technology. Ironwood didn't even mention what happened to Penny once and he left immediately after their business was concluded.

Not that Accelerator cared.

It had been a couple of days since Ozpin decided to do that stupid experiment of his by swapping leaders. During that time, Accelerator and Neo had to deal with an incompetent muscle head who had more in common with a circus monkey than an actual human in his eyes. Speaking of the muscle bound baboon, Accelerator looked up to see Cardin sitting at the edge of his temporary bed, pumping a dumbbell. Once that idiot realized he couldn't bully them, he sort of just ignored them for most of the day. This was fine for Accelerator. In fact, he preferred to be left alone. As long as Cardin didn't bother him, they wouldn't have any problems. Going to class together was about all that was required of them.

Neo, on the other hand, pranked him relentlessly.

Cardin was lucky to wake up when he did last night to avoid his head being fully shaved by the mischievous girl.

Accelerator didn't do anything to stop or encourage the shrimp. It didn't involve him. He did, however, notice Last Order talking to Neo privately now and then, which did not sit well with the white-haired boy. The last thing he needed was another Worst. Last Order was going to need a talking to, but maybe that was something he could get Weiss to do since his conversational ability isn't exactly child friendly nor convincing.

As he was pondering the implications of the two runts conspiring with one another, the door to the room suddenly burst open and the boy looked up.

"MISAKA is back! MISAKA declares excitedly as MISAKA rushes into the room." Last Order ran and jumped on Accelerator's bed. "Guess what? MISAKA asks as MISAKA encourages her guardian to answer."

"What?"

"Guess! MISAKA reiterates."

"Just tell me." Accelerator took a sip of his coffee on the bedside table proving the lack of polish his conversational skill possessed.

"MISAKA has a date to the dance! MISAKA brags."

"Pfffffffffftttttttttt"

Not being one for comedic spit-takes, he couldn't help but douse the tiny girl in coffee as the sheer ridiculousness of what she just said had horrified him.

"EWWW!" Last Order fell back, shocked at what just happened to her. "What did you do that for?! MISAKA demands angrily as MISAKA shakes her hands wildly."

"W-What the hell did you say brat!?" Accelerator choked out.

"MISAKA has a date for the dance! MISAKA repeats annoyed as MISAKA can't believe you don't believe MISAKA."

"Who's the pervert that asked out the brat?" Cardin asked, looking up from his workout.

For once, Accelerator agreed with the imbecile.

Last Order stuck out her tongue at Cardin.

"Tell me," Accelerator ordered sternly. "Who the hell asked you?"

"MISAKA will show you!"

Last Order grabbed Accelerator's arm and pulled him. Begrudgingly, he got up and followed. Cardin was smirking behind him, but the boy couldn't even find the desire to flick him off as his mind was completely focused on what kind of sick pervert would ask out a little girl. After the shock wore off, it was possible it was someone like Yang who invited her along. At this point, he was hoping Last Order just misunderstood things and called it a date. His hope diminished when the girl led him away from Team RWBY's dorm.

'Who the hell asked her? If it's some fucking pervert, I'm just going to kill him and dispose of the body.' Accelerator thought.

They finally stopped in front of an unmarked dorm room and Last Order knocked excitedly. Heavy footsteps were heard which immediately put Accelerator on edge. Yet, when the door swung open, there was no burly man standing there. Instead, a girl with bright orange hair was standing there smiling.

"Salutations, Last Order!" Penny exclaimed. "You brought Accelerator this time?"

"Yep! MISAKA confirms. He didn't believe MISAKA had a date to the dance so MISAKA had to show him, MISAKA explains as MISAKA looks over her shoulder smugly."

Seeing the girl had returned to Beacon was actually kind of surprising to the boy. Specifically after what happened when he rampaged, he thought Ironwood would've kept to his word but seems like even that man had a soft spot to him. Not that Accelerator cared much at this point as his words failed him.

The person that stood before him had not been the degenerate he believed would've capitalized on Last Order's naivety, but instead here stood the overly chirpy bucket of bolts. Eventually, he managed to steel himself and force out a couple words.

"You're back?"

"Indeed I am!" Penny confirmed. "Would you two like to come inside? We can talk privately."

"Uhh...Sure." Accelerator answered and followed Last Order into the room.

As Penny closed the door behind them, he looked around. The room was bare, incredibly so. The desk appeared unused with no supplies. The room looked clean as well, but that was probably due to the fact nothing really happened there. The bed had marks of being sat on but it didn't look like anyone slept in it. Being a robot, it was possible Penny had a charging station somewhere or a hidden cable attached to an outlet.

Would it be rude to ask about that? The boy decided not to. It didn't concern him after all.

"I'm surprised the repairs were done so quickly." Accelerator admitted.

"They had a spare limb for situations like this," Penny explained, holding out her arm. For the first time, Accelerator noticed she was wearing a long sleeve shirt and green gloves. "It's not as functional as my original, but my father back in Atlas is making a new one and will ship it over."

Last Order nudged Accelerator in the side. She heard what happened. Since she found out that Penny was an android, Ruby had to tell her. Not all the details, simply that Penny was injured because of an accident with Accelerator's reflection. The small girl drilled Accelerator for almost an hour to get more details, but he had remained silent about it.

Still, he agreed with her about one thing.

Accelerator muttered a word under his breath that wasn't audible to the two girls.

"I'm sorry?" Penny asked politely, missing his words. "What was that?"

"…Sorry," Accelerator muttered after a pause. "It was my fault you were damaged. I apologize."

Last Order beamed at him. For those who didn't know Accelerator, apologizing was rare, if not completely absent from his vocabulary. This was a huge step and the little girl knew it was because now it showed that he would put in some effort to play nice with others.

"Thank you, but I am more concerned if you are okay." Penny replied, looking at his face closely. "I am easily repairable, but you seemed to have been in a great deal of pain. Did you manage to rest and recover adequately?"

"Yeah, I did."

Accelerator really didn't know what to think of this girl. He literally destroyed her arm and she did not hold a single ounce of ill will toward him. At first, he might have suspected the redhead might be able to disguise her true feelings, but that was quickly debunked after a few seconds of talking with her. Penny didn't seem to have the ability to dislike people.

"That is great!" Penny clapped her hands together. "I hope you don't mind if Last Order and I go to the upcoming dance together. Neither of us have been asked so we hoped to go together. As her guardian, is that alright?"

"It's fine…" Accelerator rubbed his temple. He had been worked up for no reason because of Last Order's innocence. Worst must never find out about this. "But what about that guy… Ironwood? Is he going to allow this?"

"He already has, but Penny and I will be monitored by Atlas security, MISAKA answers. When Penny and MISAKA talked earlier, she had to call General Ironwood. He agreed under that condition."

"I see Ozpin convinced him to let you stay." Accelerator commented to Penny.

"He did, but I also wished to remain at Beacon," Penny admitted. "My father helped convince him too. As you, Ruby, Weiss, and Touma all agreed to keep my secret, General Ironwood conceded. However, if my secret gets out, I will be forced to leave and go back to Atlas immediately." She gestured to the wall of her room and indicated a camera. "All visitors are also being monitored."

Accelerator glanced at the camera and frowned. Ironwood was definitely the type to do something like that. Not that the boy blamed him, a robot with a soul would be a huge deal in Academy City, and there would be countless groups wanting to steal her secrets. Still, he didn't like being observed constantly, not after the experiments back home. He somewhat felt… pity for the girl.

"I'm heading out," He told Last Order. "You going to stay with her?"

"Yep! MISAKA confirms happily as MISAKA holds up a book." Accelerator didn't even realize she brought one, too lost in his earlier thoughts. "It's a book on Fairy Tales."

"How exciting!" Penny added.

Accelerator had no desire to read children's stories, so he bailed. Under the watchful eyes of people guarding Penny, Last Order would be safe. The brat had been good at keeping secrets, so she shouldn't let anything slip from back home. Especially about the experiment that gave birth to her.

His footsteps faltered in the deserted hallway.

'Weiss…'

That girl was getting close to the truth. Accelerator had no idea what she managed to worm out of Last Order over the last few days. He had let too much slip out already, which piqued her interest. Once someone knew he was a murderer, any normal person would have kept their distance. So why the hell did that Ice Queen continue to approach him? What did she see in him?

As he pondered those questions, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going.

"Hey! Watch it… oh, hey String Bean."

Accelerator scowled at the nickname, as well as the fact he walked into someone who he didn't want to run into. Coco was smirking at him, not looking at all annoyed.

'I should have kept my reflection up.' Accelerator internally cursed himself.

It was just a pain now to keep it up 24/7 not to mention how much it tired him out.

"What do you want?" The albino snapped.

"I'm not the one who wasn't watching where they were going." Coco retorted.

"Right… sorry then."

As the words left his mouth, he blinked. The apology came out so easily and at the same time, felt so foreign.

"So you do know manners," Coco gave a short laugh. "Anyways, what has the famous Accelerator, Defeater of Champions and Protector of Vale distracted so much he can't notice people standing in front of him?"

"None of your business." Accelerator growled, hating those nicknames. They made him sound like some kind of hero, worthy of praise. It was annoying. If he had known people would start calling him that, he would have lost to the Spartan girl.

"Aww, don't be like that," Coco was highly amused. "It's Weiss isn't it?"

Accelerator stiffened up for a fraction of a second. Yet, that brief moment was enough to be noticeable. The amused smile on Coco's face grew.

"Awwww, so the invincible boy still has girl troubles."

"Oh just fuck off."

"Now I'm curious," Coco pushed, not deterred at all by his attitude. The girl was used to being around strong-willed individuals on missions, so she wasn't put off. "But that doesn't matter right now. Since you've bumped into me, I take it you have plans for our little wager? Going to take me out on a date?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Accelerator demanded.

"Denying it doesn't mean our bet never took place." Coco stated firmly.

Right, it just came back to him. They made a wager on who killed the most Grimm during the Breach. It wasn't like he kept count though. Grimm died the moment they approached him and he annihilated the larger ones. With Coco's minigun, there was a good chance she wiped out more of the smaller weaker ones. The problem was if he pointed that out, the girl would retort with the fact the bet had been made for quantity over quality.

"I didn't lose."

It sounded childish, but there was no way he was going to concede to Coco.

"Uh-huh." Coco lowered her shades. Accelerator glared at her in response and she refused to look away. "With a scowl like that, you'll never get a date to the dance. I bet you don't have one, do you?"

"None of your business." The words were harsher than he meant them to be. The girl rubbed him the wrong way. It felt like she was only getting herself involved to mock him. It was even worse than dealing with Yang.

"I was just kidding, but dang. Really?" Coco actually looked surprised. "Thought for sure you and Weiss would go together. Is it because you can't dance? Don't have a suit? Embarrassed to ask her?"

"What does it matter to you?" Accelerator asked with a low tone of voice. "Are you going to ask me?"

"I might have, but we both know it's going to be out of pity if I do."

Accelerator paused. No one was that blunt to him usually. That was one critical blow he couldn't reflect.

"Why not just ask Weiss to the dance?" Coco pressed on. "She'll say yes."

"Reasons," Came the only answer Accelerator was willing to give her. "None of which concern you."

"Well, if you say so," Coco shrugged but didn't seem perturbed. "Here I was just looking for some company to head out into Vale. I need to pick up my dress for the dance and one of my favorite coffee shops is conveniently nearby. There also just so happens to be a place guys can rent out tuxes. Might be useful for someone, eh?"

"Did you hit your head before coming here?" Accelerator asked, completely bewildered why anyone would ask him to go shopping with them.

"My team's just busy at the moment." More like cowards, as both Yatsu and Fox vanished at the mere whiff of a shopping trip and Velvet ran off to help Professor Oobleck. "Plus, I heard some interesting information that might be worth your while."

"I doubt that."

"Weiss is looking for you."

Accelerator froze for a moment.

"For?"

"No idea, but I heard a few snippets when she was talking to Blake," Coco replied, her face betraying her amusement. "Sounds like something important. Maybe she's going to ask you to the dance, or talk about your relationship and feelings?"

If it was possible, Accelerator's face grew paler. That was not a conversation he wanted to have.

"I could tell her I saw you," Coco's voice was almost singsong-like. "Or… we could head out to Vale and get some coffee and shop."

Annoyance was not the only emotion coursing through the albino boy. The threat was very real and Coco was the type to follow through with it. That meant Accelerator had a choice. Crush his pride and go with the fashionista and risk his sanity or stay here and deal with Weiss and her never-ending questioning. He hated both options. As he processed both scenarios, he could only find himself losing in both outcomes. Even then...

The choice was obvious.

He wasn't running away, it was more of a tactical retreat, a move meant to give him time to strategically prepare for what was to come. Yes, that was it.

"At least the coffee is worth the headache..." Accelerator muttered, sitting across from Coco in the coffee shop she had mentioned prior.

"It took forever to find a decent coffee place." Coco admitted, sipping her own cup with a small piece of cake accompanying it. "Most of the places are those garbage chains that rely on gimmicks like pumpkin spice or thousands of additional add-ins. I despise those people who pretend to be coffee connoisseurs and order stuff like a triple, venti, non-fat latte with caramel drizzle, and an extra shot of espresso. Trash like that."

Coco held up her cup.

"Ninety percent of the taste is from carefully selected coffee beans and the last ten percent is cooking. If the coffee is good, you don't need to add stuff like cream and sugar."

Accelerator couldn't believe he was agreeing with her. Finally, someone who understood why good black coffee was the best. Maybe the fashionista wasn't a complete waste of space after all.

"Have you tried the coffee at Beacon?" Accelerator asked, looking up.

"It's okay, I guess?" Coco shrugged noncommittedly.

"The teacher's coffee." Accelerator corrected himself.

"Isn't it the same?"

"No, it's a thousand times better."

That might have been a slight over-exaggeration, but that grabbed the girl's attention.

"You serious?" She asked, leaning forward. "I might have to snag me some. How did you find out?"

"Just a deal I made with Ozpin." It was Accelerator's turn to shrug. Before Coco could ask what the deal entailed, he continued in order to emphasize what he would be willing to do while they were out. "Do not forget. I'm not going to be your baggage boy. You can help me pick out a tux and we'll grab your shit, but nothing else."

"You obviously have no idea how to shop," Coco admonished. "No wonder Last Order needed help with clothes." Her eyebrow raised slightly at Accelerator's annoyed expression and she sighed. "Fine. I can't actually stay out too long anyways. Got some work back at Beacon I need to finish up by tomorrow. I originally planned to come out here alone for a break." She grinned at him. "But I'll get you to come on a real shopping trip with me at least once."

"Over my beaten, burned and dismantled dead body."

"Would make it easier to lug you around I suppose."

Try as he might, the boy couldn't prevent a smirk from forming on his face. The company wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be, he wouldn't mind admitting that he began tolerating people more these past few days.

"But I have to ask," Coco continued, causing Accelerator to grow suspicious. "What's going on between you and Weiss?"

"How do you even know something is going on?" Accelerator retorted, once again growing annoyed.

"I'm friends with Yang. You know she gossips. In fairness, I do too."

Accelerator stared at her for a moment, carefully sipping his coffee as he mulled over his words.

"Nothing is going on between us anymore if there was even something." The girl was persistent and if he didn't give her some kind of answer, she wouldn't let up. "I don't know what that bimbo was telling you, Snow Angel and I did some Dust work together and that was about it. She wanted more out of it and I said no. That's all. It's not my fault she won't take no for an answer. I don't want anything more."

"Is that why you call her Snow Angel? Only heard people who liked her call her that."

The expression on Accelerator's face froze as Coco sipped her coffee.

"It became a habit because it annoyed her." Accelerator responded though it sounded a little uncertain.

Coco rolled her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Listen here, you're blunt. You don't beat around the bush. You say what you have to say and make no apologies for it. I like that about you. This thing you've got with Weiss? Yeah, whatever this is," She gestured with one hand to his entire body. "It needs to go. Quit pussyfooting around, get whatever problems you have off your chest, and let her sort it out. If she accepts it, she accepts it. If she doesn't, she doesn't and you both move on. This indecisive bullshit you're doing now? Yeah, not buying it. You, Like. Her."

"Don't talk about me like you know anything." Accelerator growled, his hand began shaking from barely restrained anger.

"I know enough, even without specifics," Coco replied sternly. "I've seen enough people like you. When you talk about her, you lose the sharpness in your tone and your insults are half-assed at least. Part of you wants to try. You can lie to me, to her, but you can't lie to yourself."

The two of them stared at each other, neither backing down. Neither of them spoke until both of their drinks were finished and they prepared to leave.

"After we pick up your tux and my dress, get your skinny-ass back to Beacon; deal with your issues and get it over with. Cause I don't like what I'm seeing right now."

Weirdly, there was no argument from the boy.

"Ahhhh-hhaaaaaa."

Touma couldn't stifle the yawn that escaped his mouth. He was exhausted and was vaguely paying attention to where he was going. Laying on one of the school's soft beds sounded nice, but his new team was currently making a lot of noise. If he stayed in the room, he would be drawn into their ruckus and that didn't sound like something he wanted to be a part of. He was so tired, part of him even thought about asking Neo to let him take a nap in her bed.

That's how tired he was. The consequences weren't even important.

A sudden flash of an image appeared before him, his breath hitched and he nearly stumbled due to his tiredness. He stood still for a second more, regaining what composure he had lost from that event before slapping himself across the face.

"Don't do anything stupid." The misfortunate boy muttered to himself. "You know the drill. Keep up appearances." He shook his head and took a detour to the nearby fountain. "It's over. That's been dealt with. Forget it already…" He threw a cupped hand of water at his pale complexion, his eyes wandering aimlessly as his thoughts caught up to him.

Nightmares.

The reason why he had been kept up at night. He had dreamed of countless worlds, of the constant struggle to face each and every single reality with renewed hope, only to die again and again with that hope waning ever so slightly each time. No matter what he did, he failed. In each world there was but a single constant, a blonde woman with an eyepatch and a witch's hat looking down at him with eyes of utter indifference. She taunted him, toyed with him. Knowing she could end his meager existence whenever she wanted to. He was the one who chose this. To fight this monster, to die an almost infinite amount of times.

To selfishly destroy the happiness of everyone around him at the very end.

"She's not like that anymore." Touma told himself a lot more firmly than his words were making out. His reflection in the rippling water betraying just how broken the boy behind those eyes was.

"Who's not like that?"

The sudden voice caused the boy to jump in surprise. Spinning around on one foot while nearly avoiding falling into the fountain, Touma came face to face with Yang.

"Anyone tell you not to sneak up on people?!"

"Hmm, Ruby might have occasionally," Yang recalled, a finger on her cheek. "I didn't sneak up on you though. I called out but you seemed to be lost in your own little world," She eyed him. "You look terrible."

"Thanks…" Touma rolled his eyes. "If I was a girl, I might be upset. Need something, Yang?"

"That's a great Weiss impression."

Something occurred to Touma in this fatigued state of mind while Yang continued to watch him.

"You're going to rope me into something, aren't you?"

"Weeeeellll…. If you aren't busy…" Yang trailed off amusedly.

"Sigh...Sure, why not. I'm not doing anything."

"Cool!" Yang threw her arm over his shoulder. "I'm off to the gym to get a light workout in and I need someone to spot me and my team's busy. You don't have to do much, but Beacon has this crazy rule that requires us to have a spotter. Someone pushed themselves one time and we all paid for it."

"Uh, sure thing." Touma was honestly a little surprised by the request. He expected some kind of ridiculous occurrence, but thinking about it, this made sense. Yang may joke around, but she was serious when needed. All the students at Beacon trained a lot during their free time. They had to. It was the only way to grow as Huntsmen and Huntresses.

A short while later, Touma changed into a T-shirt and some shorts in the locker room before entering the gym. Yang entered only a few moments behind him and he wouldn't admit that he might have stared a little. Wearing an orange tank top, some tight black booty shorts, and having her hair tied up in a ponytail, the blonde girl looked stunning.

"You might want to blink, your eyes might just pop out your head." Yang teased.

Touma quickly looked aside.

"S-Sorry."

"It's cool, I know I look good." She flexed for him. "I only get upset if guys try to sneak a peek when they think I'm not paying attention." She strutted over to one of the many mats on the floor. "Going to do some warm-ups if you want to join. You don't get that much exercise here since you aren't sparing, right? Unless Neo is chasing you around in the middle of the night."

That was a scary thought.

"Didn't think so." Yang noticed Touma's horrified expression.

It may have just been a warm-up, but Touma worked up a sweat. Pushups, sit-ups, some crunches, and a few other basic exercises one after another were more strenuous than Touma expected. His stamina was good, but some of the muscles weren't used to doing this, so he was beginning to feel it, not to mention his sleep deprived body was screaming for some rest all day. Glancing over at Yang, he noticed she was focused, a far contrast to when she was goofing around with her team.

Once they were finished, they went over to the weight benches and Yang began to stack the weights.

"That should be good," Yang muttered. "You know what to do right?"

Touma nodded. A spotter was a pretty easy job unless something went wrong. He was to hold the bar Yang was using above her head and if she was struggling to get it back up, he was to help lift it. Yang began to do her reps, muscles bulging and face twisted in concentration. After her reps, she set the bar up on the hooks and sat up.

"Thanks," Yang told him, as he tossed her a towel. "Want a turn?"

"Might have to reduce the weights a bit… and by a bit, I mean a lot." Touma replied, grinning. Yang got a laugh out of that and then eyed him closely.

"So, Touma. What's been bothering you?"

"Huh?" Touma blinked in confusion, not expecting that question.

"Bags under your eyes, yawning a lot, and looking like you want to keel over," Yang recited. "You're not sleeping well. It's like when Ruby had a week of nightmares after secretly watching a scary movie when she was younger. She had to sleep with me and she would always thrash around and wake up yelling."

"Well, I'm not yelling and waking up my team." Touma tried to make light of the situation. "Pretty sure Russel would throw a chair at me."

"You can pretend nothing is wrong and you're a much better liar than Ruby, but you can't hide the physical signs." Yang's finger pointed toward his eyes. "You're obviously worried about something." Her expression softened. "Are you afraid you guys aren't going to be able to go back home? You've been here for weeks without a lot of progress."

"No… well, that is one thing, but not what's been bothering me." Touma looked away. "It's something that happened in the past. Before we came here. Something I thought I got over at home but it has begun to haunt me again."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yang asked him. "Regardless of what Weiss says, I can listen just as well as I can talk."

"It's kind of personal and involves someone else…"

"Ah, then I won't pry." The surprise must have shown on the boy's face as Yang crossed her arms. "Hey, now, I'm not an idiot. We all have stuff in our past we don't like to talk about, myself included, so I understand. Even though we've all been through some pretty crazy adventures, it's not like you've known us for that long."

"Thanks, Yang." Touma felt himself relax as he smiled. "I appreciate the tact. I was worried I was going to have to run to Ruby and tell her you're bullying me again."

"Pssh, please. If I was bullying you, you would know." They both got a laugh out of that. "Now, if you want to show how good of friends we are, you would tell me how to beat Accelerator."

"Yeah, no."

"Worth a shot." She hopped off the bench and stretched. "So about your sleepless night problem, I have an idea."

"Oh?" Touma raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"We're going to work you to the bone!" Yang smacked her fist into her open hand. "You'll be so tired, your brain won't even be able to function and you'll just pass out tonight."

"Er…" Touma took a step back. "I appreciate the offer…"

"We both know I can catch you. Are you sure you want to run?"

"I just have to find someone on your team to save me before you do."

"I'll tell Blake and Ruby I caught you peeking on me."

"They won't believe you. In fact, I could tell them you were peeking on me."

"They won't… Ruby won't… damn."

Yang looked as if she was cursing her crude humor. The boy had her beat.

"Yeah, I got you there."

"I'm between you and the door. There are no windows here you can reach."

"Touché. Fine, let's do it. I got nothing planned for today and might as well get a workout."

"There's no bed, so we might have to use the mats." Yang muttered, pulling at her tank top strap.

"WHAT?!"

"Kidding!"

Yang took off some of the weights as Touma got into position on the bench. With Yang spotting him, he wasn't too worried. It took a little effort, but Touma eventually got into the groove. It was actually a little surprising how well Yang was coaching him. She knew how to use each machine, accurately guessed how much weight Touma could handle, and offered encouragement as he pushed himself. They of course alternated and Yang did a lot more, but that was one of the many perks of Aura.

"No… more…" Touma panted as he slumped against the wall. "Muscles… dying…"

"Here." Yang handed him a water bottle and a towel. "You did well. I warned you this was going to push you."

"You… ah… weren't lying." Touma guzzled some of the cool liquid. "That's good."

"Keeping hydrated is important for workouts." Yang slumped down next to him. "Taking a break like this is fine, but don't sit too long. Your muscles will stiffen up and you won't be able to move. That little ice cream devil will take advantage of that."

"That's a scary thought."

"On the plus side, you should be able to sleep through anything tonight," Yang chuckled. "Being in Team CRDL's room might actually be a blessing."

"Besides some snoring, they've actually been pretty cool." Touma shrugged. "Everyone said they were jerks, but honestly, they haven't done much."

"You know, now that you mentioned it, I haven't seen them bully anyone since you became their team leader." The blonde punched him in the arm. "Good work."

"Seems like only Cardin has a problem with Faunus," Touma explained. "The others just followed him. Not that it makes up for what they did. At least with him gone, they can see there's a better option than being bullies."

"How did you convince them to stop?"

"I talked to them."

"Huh, who would have guessed that?"

"You'd be surprised what you can do when you take the opportunity to understand someone," Touma pointed out. "I doubt anyone asked why Cardin hates Faunus, have they?"

"No… we just assumed he's an ass."

"Like the rest of his team?" It was Touma's turn to look superior as Yang shrugged. "There's a chance he could just be an ass. Then you can justify hating him."

"Cool. I wouldn't want to talk with him if he was."

They both shared a laugh and Touma felt better. Yang was actually pretty good company when she wasn't teasing you or making corny jokes. Maybe he could ask her? She might be a little more insightful than an ex-con like Neo or a naive girl like Ruby. Weiss he didn't really know well, Jaune was too similar to Ruby in a lot of ways, and Blake…well. That might hit a little too close to home for her. Touma didn't have to go into details, but maybe Yang's opinion might help settle his mind.

"I have a question for you, Yang."

"Shoot." The blonde waved a hand for him to continue.

"It's a hypothetical one, so it's going to sound crazy, just… can you try to give an honest answer?"

Touma tried to keep his voice even, but Yang heard the change. His tone dropped ever so slightly and whatever he was about to ask, was important to him, even if she didn't understand why. Yang wasn't stupid and while she did enjoy a good laugh, that did not mean she couldn't be serious. If someone really needed help or advice, she would be there to help.

"Go for it."

"If there was a perfect kingdom, a kingdom where all problems were solved, and someone had the ability to make it happen. No weird consequences, no conflicts, just a kingdom where everyone was happy. Would you accept it?"

"Huh?" Whatever question the girl had expected, it wasn't that. "I guess? If everyone is happy and all problems are solved? Though, honestly, a perfect kingdom sounds boring. People grow through conflict, so wouldn't the kingdom kind of reach a standstill?"

"I wouldn't know." Touma forced out a weak laugh. "I think most people would choose that kingdom. Now here's the kicker. What if the wor… kingdom was perfect, but it could only exist if you weren't there. If you were in that kingdom, it wouldn't be perfect and would collapse back to one where pain and suffering still exist."

"Like… I would have to leave to keep it perfect?" The question was only to clarify, but the spikey-haired boy's eyes grew dull.

"Yes, exactly."

His thoughts drifted back to… then. He thought it better to say 'leave'. The mention of death would probably only concern her.

"I… wouldn't want to," Yang admitted. "That would… suck. Probably. But when someone leaves, it hurts everyone they left behind. The mark someone leaves in others, that's what I would be afraid of. If no one would be hurt by it, and I could make the kingdom perfect… I would like to think I could do that. I probably wouldn't know for sure unless the time came."

"What if the kingdom was perfect after you left, except for one other person?" Touma continued. "Let me reiterate. If you had to leave the kingdom to make it perfect, but there was only one person left that suffered within it? They asked for your help, but ultimately couldn't stop your decision."

"Like a random person?" Yang felt a little off. "This is kind of dark. What's with this question? A psychological test or something back in your world?"

"Sort of?" Touma shrugged, though his expression still seemed dull he pulled a weak smile to his face. "Just… something that's been bothering me."

"This is going to sound selfish, but if it was someone I didn't know… I would leave them if it meant Ruby, my family, my friends could be happy." Yang sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Ruby wouldn't. Ruby would yell at the people controlling the kingdom and be like, if you can't make the place perfect for everyone, it's not perfect."

"Heh, yeah, sounds like Ruby." Touma agreed. "She's going to be a great hero here."

"What about me?" Yang asked, punching his arm lightly. "I'm strong, I'll help people."

"Yeah, but I feel like you're going to try to get a town to build a statue in your honor."

"What… did Weiss tell you that?!"

"Nah, I told her that and she agreed with me."

Yang tried to grab him, but he ducked and made a run for it. Touma actually felt a little guilty at the response, but it made Yang completely forget about the question he asked. While it wasn't the answer he was hoping for it was something to think about at least. It wasn't like he could tell her the entire story, or really anyone. Only one person knew the truth and she was back in his world.

Honestly, he did feel a tiny bit better.

Until the empty water bottle hit him in the head.

"Shit, sorry!"

"Such misfortune." Touma groaned as he crashed against the floor. Yang forgot for a second he didn't have Aura.

"Blake… can we talk?"

Blake looked up from her favorite spot in the library. It was in the far corner, and Blake enjoyed it because of how quiet and isolated the area felt. Few people came back there unless they needed a specific book. It was nice to avoid the crowds and the spot let her read and do homework in peace. It wasn't a fully private spot though and people could find her, like her team.

"Sure, I've actually wanted to talk to you too," Blake replied to Ilia, gesturing to the seat next to her. "I wasn't entirely sure you wanted to see me."

"I almost didn't," Ilia admitted, sitting down and holding her knees as her skin flushed red. The curse of being a Chameleon Faunus. "When you left, I was furious at you for betraying our cause."

"I didn't betray it," Blake corrected sternly, shutting her book. "The cause changed." Her eyes darted around to make sure they weren't being listened in on. "That's why you left too and joined Haven, right? I can't see why else you would do that."

Ilia bit her tongue. Blake's eyes looked hopeful and part of her felt guilty for what she was going to do. Blake was a close friend and she had feelings for the girl. Still, Blake was misguided and even Adam wanted her back. Once Vale fell to the might of the White Fang, Faunus would no longer be second-class citizens.

"Yeah, I did…" Ilia gulped, her throat dry. "It was hard, but I think it was worth it. Cinder's… been a good team leader, though it took time."

"I know how tough it is, to leave everything behind," Blake put a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "It's hard to give it up. I'm proud of you, Ilia. The White Fang are going down the wrong path. I understand the hatred and anger of everyone, but the ends don't justify the means. If we become what we hate, we aren't any better than those that discriminate against us."

"It's hard sometimes," Ilia admitted. "When I see humans bullying Faunus and no one around them is helping."

"I saw that here too, but then a couple of people stepped up," Blake remembered when Jaune stood up for Velvet. "It takes time, any meaningful change does. That doesn't mean it's not worth it. We have to change people's minds and not just force them to act."

"I couldn't agree more."

Ilia's words carried a much darker tone unknown to Blake. Her mission, along with Cinder's group, was slowly being carried out. The next big step was going to occur during the dance, when everyone, including Ironwood, was distracted. Cinder would infiltrate the communication tower so they could access it as needed. After that, it was only a matter of time. The White Fang was preparing for an all-out war. Vale was merely going to be a casualty in the war humans started. Once the kingdom fell to the Faunus, the rest of the world would understand that they can't keep discriminating.

It was necessary violence for now, so that the future would be brighter. Blake didn't see that yet, but she would. Once she did, they could get back together. If Adam didn't interfere. One thing most of the White Fang agreed on was Adam's obsession with that girl was unhealthy.

"So tell me what you've been up to at Haven," Blake pushed, ignorant of Ilia's knowledge. "I've missed you."

Ilia flushed at those words. Blake was always beautiful and stirred up feelings within the girl. She didn't have any real stories about Haven, as that was all a cover, but she did have some cover stories Cinder drilled into her. Ones that could be compared to Mercury and Emerald talking about them. Then all she had to do was steer the conversation back to their childhood.

Might as well enjoy life as a normal student for a little while.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Weiss commented, pushing back from her desk and looking over at Blake in their room. "What happened?"

"Oh, just talked to Ilia a bit," Blake replied. "We caught up and it felt good to remember our time together back home."

"I'm glad to see her opening up more," Cinder agreed, closing her book. "She had some… past issues with discrimination. Being put on a team with three humans was awkward for her, especially with Mercury. You both know what he's like. We gave her space and she eventually opened up. It took time, but I'm glad she did."

"You didn't just force her to open up by… making your entire team go off on some crazy outing?" Weiss asked.

"No, that seems rather childish and inefficient." Cinder replied.

Weiss smirked at Blake, who rolled her eyes. Ruby's best day ever was still fresh in their minds. It wasn't… bad, per se, but exhausting keeping up with their leader and sister. Cinder was much more grounded and strict. Once she made a schedule, they were to keep it, barring any acts of god. Even if she complained about their leader, Weiss did like Ruby as a friend. It was just she personally enjoyed some form of structure, something Cinder as a leader provided.

There was a knock on the door and Weiss stood up.

"I got it, but it better not be Arc."

"Maybe it's Accelerator," Blake teased. "Coming to ask you to the dance."

"That will be the day." Weiss scoffed. There were a few butterflies in her stomach at Blake's words, but rationally she knew that situation was impossible. Accelerator wasn't into dances. Sighing, she opened the door. "Can I help-… Accelerator?"

Blake's head shot up and her bow twitched. The skinny albino was indeed standing at the door. His arms were crossed and his expression was unusual for him. He looked troubled, but not fully annoyed. Something happened and there was a reason he had shown up there since Last Order was off somewhere else.

"We need to talk." Accelerator muttered.

"S-Sure." Weiss' throat was dry and she wished Blake hadn't mentioned an idea worthy of Yang's stupidity. "I'll be back in a bit, Cinder."

"That's fine, there's nothing planned tonight." The woman assured her, though her calculating gaze was looking between the heiress and the boy at the door. "Have fun."

"Thank you," Weiss said with relief in her voice. She followed Accelerator and closed the door behind her. "What's this about?"

"Not here. Somewhere we can't be heard."

This not only made Weiss nervous, but it also intrigued her. Accelerator was a secretive person, as everyone knew. He wouldn't talk about his past, but he wasn't shy to state his opinion on something. Since he didn't want to be heard, this had to be something that was incredibly sensitive to him. Blake's words echoed in her mind and it took some effort to push them down. There was no way that guy would ask her to the dance. Dances weren't something that interested him. Very few things actually interested him, but he did have an inquisitive mind and liked to learn.

Something Weiss could relate to.

Though, the fact Accelerator didn't take her to an empty room but instead led her out of Beacon caused her eyebrows to furrow slightly. He really didn't want to be heard. Being overheard was easy in Beacon unless you were in your room, but with Neo prowling around, none of their secrets were safe. While that girl did respect, or maybe fear Accelerator, that didn't mean she wouldn't listen in on anything that could be interesting.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked once they reached the edge of Beacon's grounds.

There was no immediate answer. Accelerator looked like he was chewing on his tongue, debating what to say. Whatever he wanted to talk about was hard for him. Weiss knew that feeling all too well. Things back home caused a lot of negative feelings, especially relating to her family. If it wasn't for her sister, she would have gone insane, or worse, ended up like her father. Having a sister who protected and listened to her saved her.

She could give the same gift to someone she cared about.

"I feel like I owe you an explanation," Accelerator muttered at long last. "About what I told you before."

All Weiss could do was nod slowly.

"This has to be a secret," Accelerator continued. "What I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone else. Understand?" His words held a stern tone, as if saying anything aside from yes wasn't an option. "This isn't a fucking joke. You'll be one of a handful of people who knows the crap that happened."

"I promise," Weiss's mouth was dry, but she forced the words out. "I will not tell a soul."

"I'm serious." His piercing gaze seemed to go right through her. "The only reason I can tell you is this entire fucked up mess happened in my world, not here."

"Can you trust me?" Weiss asked nervously. "I promise I won't tell. Not Ruby, not my sister, no one. Anything you say to me is in complete confidence."

"Gah…" Accelerator rubbed his head. "I almost wish you would be the type of person to blab so I can justify not saying shit."

It was hard not to look smug, but the heiress hoped she managed.

"Snow Angel… ah fuck this… Weiss." The girl's eyes snapped open as Accelerator called her by her actual name. "You're smart enough to realize the brat and I aren't related." The girl nodded again, not wanting to interrupt. "There's a reason why I'm looking after her. I'm part of the reason… no… the entire reason that girl is in the situation she's in."

Yang probably would have bust out at those words asking if he really was the father. Weiss had more tact than that. A thousand ideas raced through her mind at what those words could imply. None were good. Knowing Accelerator and how he perceived death, things only grew worse.

"You're going to hate me after you learn this, but-…"

"Stop!" Weiss cut him right there. "I'll decide who I do and don't hate. Obviously, your story isn't going to be a happy one, but I want you to trust me enough to listen and make up my own mind. All I want to know is what happened so I can learn why you're so hard on yourself." Her gaze softened. "You can't just tell me you're a murderer and not expect me to wonder why."

"Fine, you deserve that much," Accelerator admitted, choosing his words carefully. This kind of conversation was something he never imagined having. His experience was nonexistent and all the intelligence in the world didn't make it easier. It was a completely new experience for him. "You know how our power levels work. From 0 to 5, with me being the top level 5."

"Yes, I remember all that."

"As the strongest ability user, the city wanted me to participate in an experiment," The boy began to look uncomfortable, which for Weiss, was a definite warning sign. "They wanted to see if I could surpass the limits of a level 5 and become a level 6."

"Level 6?" That didn't make sense to the girl. Accelerator was already incredibly powerful. "With your ability, how much stronger could you get?"

"That's one of the reasons I accepted," Accelerator admitted grimly. "I was curious what I could become, what I could do. A power so great no one would even imagine challenging me."

"So what was this experiment?" Weiss pushed, already considering some possibilities, even if she didn't know the specifics relating to how abilities were developed.

"They used a supercomputer to calculate how they could do it," Accelerator explained. "If I remained active for 250 years in the ability development program, I could reach it, but of course that wasn't feasible. Even if they could extend my age that long, I wouldn't be anywhere near my prime."

"Makes sense." Weis was already trying to comprehend how a computer would calculate that, so she just went with it. There was no way of knowing from her position.

"The second one was having me fight another level 5, the number three level 5 dubbed the Railgun," Accelerator's words grew even bitterer. "If I killed her 128 times, I would be able to ascend to a new level."

"Kill someone 128 times!?" Weiss gasped. "What kind of city do you live in?"

"Exactly," The expression on the albino's face changed to almost satisfaction as Weiss grasped the situation so quickly. "The city where we are from is not filled with sunshine and daisies. It's a fucked up place where the sickest minds all use as their playground. There are scientists there who would sacrifice anyone for advancement. The majority of idiots that live there do so in blissful ignorance."

Weiss could only stare for a few moments.

That was a huge shock. The way Last Order and Touma spoke about the city, it was a pretty normal one except with kids with powers. Last Order did mention that Touma saved her sister from an experiment. Weiss didn't doubt that there was always scum hiding in the shadows, but for one like Accelerator was talking about to occur as a sanctioned experiment? It didn't make any sense. It would be like if all the rumors of Atlas experimenting on Faunus turned out to be true. That would be madness.

"So…" She struggled to find the words. "They only had 1 level 5, so they had to scrap the experiment, right? It's not like they could make more."

"They did."

"W-what?!"

"They… they cloned her."

Those few words probably had more emotion than any other conversation Weiss had with Accelerator. Yet, there was nothing positive in his tone, only regret and anger.

"Clones?" Weiss repeated.

"Those assholes cloned the Railgun in order to have me fight her," Accelerator elaborated, his eyes flashing. "Things don't work out as planned though. Instead of the clones being level 5s, they were much weaker. Their abilities were a fraction of the original."

"A fraction…"

Things just clicked into place.

"It can't be… Last Order…?"

"Yes, she's a clone."

Weiss staggered backward as the weight of what Accelerator just told her.

"The city wanted you to kill her?" The heiress choked out.

"No, Last Order is special," Accelerator corrected her. "The clones I was set up against were older."

"Wait!" Weiss was confused. "I thought it wouldn't work because they weren't strong enough."

"The clones shared a connection. A Network made to allow them to share memories and experiences all possible due to them being identical and wielding the same powers as electromasters. This means after each fight with me, they would learn and grow. Using that simulation, they determined how many clones they would need."

"…How many?"

The girl was afraid of the answer.

"20,000."

"Holy shit!"

The instant those words left her mouth, her hands slammed over her lips. Weiss did not curse. Her family raised her with respect and dignity. Still, the sheer indignity of what happened made her furious.

"And I participated," Accelerator reiterated, ignoring her outburst. "I joined the experiment and was told I was supposed to kill those clones. Told they were just dolls that could be reproduced with a single button." His hands balled into fists. "The first couple… they killed themselves. Using a gun, they died to my reflection. I didn't have a chance to do anything. They didn't care about dying. The scientists led them to believe they were just experiments. Those clones believed it. I stupidly began to believe it. Or simply denied it…"

Weiss stood in utter terror as the implications sunk deep into her thoughts.

"I started killing them," Accelerator pressed the issue. "Over 10,000 of them died because of me. Each fight slowly got harder. They would learn from the previous experiment and adapt. They just started to make the fights interesting when the damn hero interfered. More would have died if he hadn't. He stepped in and stopped me."

Words failed the girl. What could she possibly say in this situation? Everything however made sense now. All of the stories and hints Last Order let out fit in this puzzle. Touma's involvement, Accelerator's dedication to protecting the girl, the reason he pushed everyone away. He hated himself for the fact he joined that experiment. There was no way he could allow anyone close to him.

"So I'm a murderer. I could try to justify it, but that doesn't change what I did to them." Accelerator punched the tree he was beside, the bark and core splintering at the sheer impact of his fist. "The brat was designed as a control tower. To oversee all the clones and act as a failsafe if they rebelled against the experiment. Every fight and death was transmitted among the Network. That girl has the memory of everything I've done. Everything that happened. She knows! She lived it!"

"Accelerator…" Weiss had no idea what to do. Horrified at what the poor girl went through, but unable to come up with any response.

"Yet, she forgave me! ME! She was still able to forgive the person who was the root of her suffering." Accelerator grabbed his head. "That girl knows way more than you could comprehend." He slumped down against a tree and slid down. "Her reasoning for thinking I'm worth a damn was that during those fights, I had talked to them instead of just blindly killing them, as if I was testing to see if they had a modicum of free will to express that they didn't want to die by my hand. That didn't make sense. I just wanted to enjoy the fights, to enjoy the utter boredom these repetitive outings caused me."

He had come to terms with this ages ago, or so he thought. Actually talking about it seemed to have opened up those old wounds. Telling Weiss made it even worse. He didn't want to see her expression.

"If that was true, why are you beating yourself up so much?"

Accelerator glanced up at her in surprise.

"If you honestly didn't care, I don't think you would be beating yourself up so much," Weiss continued. "Watching over her… someone who didn't regret what they did would never have done it. I've seen and heard of people doing horrible things with no regrets. They would make people suffer, would destroy lives, and not care…."

'Like my father.' Weiss thought, reminding her of her own pain.

"…You do though. It's the same way many people dehumanize Faunus. If you're told someone isn't a person enough, you start to believe it. I was prejudiced against Faunus for a long time and didn't realize it until I took a good long look at myself." Blake really helped her there. "You're still a kid, no matter how smart you are. We all are. Adults know they can manipulate us and they won't hesitate to do it."

"That doesn't change what I did."

"No, it doesn't." Weiss paused. "Honestly, I'm probably not the best person to discuss this with," Still, telling Accelerator to talk to Blake didn't sit well with her. He trusted her. "My situation isn't as bad, but I can tell you. If you stay stuck in the past, you can't move forward. I came to Beacon to grow away from my controlling home. Last Order looks up to you and cares for you. You say she was affected the most? Then her opinion should count the most."

"I've been trying," Accelerator sighed. "I thought I was over this shit."

"Can I ask a question?" Weiss spoke up and Accelerator nodded. "Why did you continue to participate in the experiment?"

"Why?" Accelerator tried to sneer. "Power."

"Is that all?" Doubt was evident on her face. "You're already so strong. It couldn't be just that."

"Being the strongest doesn't mean anything when people want to fight you." The boy growled. "Random idiots attacking me in the streets so they can have the title of Number 1. That's not how the ranks work, yet losers kept trying. No matter how many broken bones they receive, no one learns. I wanted power..."

Why he wanted power back then, he didn't know. It wasn't until he fought with that spiky-haired hero that he knew.

"…Power so great, no one in their right mind would ever consider challenging me. I was tired. Tired of everyone, craving for peace of mind and solace in the fact random punks wouldn't try killing themselves on me and disturbing my peace."

A moment of silence in a city so driven with progress and power.

Just a moment.

The soft hand on his face made him flinch. Turning, he saw Weiss looking at him. Her gaze was neither judgmental nor scared, but full of pity.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Accelerator demanded. "You did nothing wrong. Hell, before coming here you didn't exist to the world I'm from. So what do you have to be sorry for?"

"I'm sorry for what you went through." Weiss told him. "No one should have to go through that. Power… too much power, is a curse. Especially if the responsibility falls to a kid. If Ruby or Blake… even Yang… heard this, you can bet they would want to do something to help you."

"It's hard to imagine being cared for when I've done more than enough to be sent to the deepest pits of Hell. Are you sure you want to stick around a monster like me?" Though his words were as coarse as ever, he did nothing to turn away from the warmth that lay on his cheek. "You've seen what I can do and what I'm capable of."

"You're not a monster," Weiss told him sternly. "Stop calling yourself that. Please."

"Why can you overlook the shit I did so easily!?"

"Because I can't judge another world by our standards," Weiss growled, obviously lying. "No, I can… but unless I have all the details, how am I supposed to know? Your world could have completely different standards of good and bad we don't know about. I'm shocked and disgusted by what happened, but that's not who you are anymore. If it was, you would have killed those punks that kept attacking you. From the sounds of it, you just reflected their blows and their arms broke."

"Mostly, yeah. It was a bother to pay them any attention, and what does it matter what kind of world I'm in? Taking the life of a single person would be enough to be considered evil, and I took 10,000 with me! How can I stand here and believe I can receive the kindness of others when I've done so much deserving of scorn!? How am I not a monster worthy of your judgement!?"

"You aren't a monster!" Weiss put her other hand on his cheek and stared into his eyes. If he wanted to escape, he could easily, but instead, he just met her gaze. "Being willing to kill is one thing. If you haven't noticed, our world isn't very kind. Terrorists, monsters, we have our own share of problems. A monster would be killing innocent people. The monsters are those scientists that made that Level 6 experiment and had you participate."

She lowered her hands off his face and sat down next to him.

"You know I like you, the current you," Weiss muttered. "I can't judge your past, but I can judge the you that stands before me now. And I refuse to hate the you that you've become, the you that is with me here today." The white haired girl spoke without a hitch, her face may have taken on a shade of red but her words were too important to her to be kept inside of her racing heart. "I think I know why you tried to push me away as much as you did. You haven't been close with anyone except Last Order.

Are you worried you'll hurt me?"

"Regardless of my feelings, eventually we'll find a way home, or those bastards will get off their asses and find us." The boy was deliberately avoiding the question. "If I did accept your feelings, what would happen when I leave? Would you cry and beg me to stay? Would you come with us? We both know that wouldn't happen."

"Even so!" Weiss glared at him. "What if you can't!? I never said it around Last Order, but what if you're stuck on Remnant forever?"

"I guess that wouldn't be too bad," Accelerator muttered. "Probably safer for the brat than back home."

The nonchalant attitude in that sentence just pissed her off even more.

"Then what's the problem?!" Weiss demanded. "Why are you so frustrating!?"

"I'm always frustrating, ask blondie." Accelerator crossed his arms, glad to change the subject to something less emotionally draining.

"Don't you try that with me," Weiss huffed. "I know what you're doing. I'm used to hearing my father talk circles around people to confuse them or get them off track."

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want a clear answer!" Weiss snapped. "No excuses, no insults, no jokes. All I'm asking for is your honest feelings. Why can't you just open up and tell me?!"

"Because I don't know!"

At that outburst, both of them went silent.

'Fuck! Why the hell did I say that?!' Accelerator wanted to yell at himself for his comment.

Accelerator didn't want a relationship. He didn't want to get close with people. More often than not, nothing good came with getting involved with others. Last Order enjoyed socializing, so he wasn't going to stop her. That was her choice. If they did go back home, she'd cry for a while and then get over it. There was no reason for him to develop attachments.

No matter how much he repeated that part of him refused to accept that. He couldn't comprehend what he was feeling.

'He doesn't know?' Weiss thought.

Weiss on the other hand was shocked for a different reason. Accelerator just admitted he was confused about his feelings. So did that mean he did have some feelings for her? What should she do next? Getting pushed back from her asking someone out was a new experience. She was used to guys like Jaune asking her out and rejecting them.

The two sat in silence.

Minutes passed and neither of them seemed interested in speaking first.

Eventually, the silence got to the rich girl. Accelerator was used to not talking much, so it was a contest she was bound to lose.

"Where do we go from here?"

All the boy replied with was a noncommittal grunt. That annoyed Weiss, so she replied with a loud huff. The passive-aggressive bullshit the two of them had continued until finally, Accelerator looked at her once more.

"If we do try… whatever this is… I'm not into public displays of affection."

Weiss felt her heart skip a beat.

"Are you saying…?"

"I realized… more like beaten into me by an annoying bitch who happened to be right this one time… I have to change." Accelerator admitted. "This shit is new to me, so maybe I am trying to think of excuses. Whatever the case may be, I can't fool myself into thinking I know how to proceed."

"We can take it slow," Weiss offered. "I'm not into big shows of public displays either. It took me ages to get used to Ruby's random hugs."

"So that's it?" Accelerator asked.

"Did you want something else?"

"Not really."

The Number 1 felt weird. This was a stupid, awkward conversation, and yet he felt strange… satisfied? No, happy. Like not the insane happiness he got from showing trash the difference in power, it felt warmer and gentler. Definitely not a sensation he was used to experiencing.

"Er…" Accelerator glanced back at Weiss when she started talking. "So do you… want to go to this dance thing then?"

Those words almost made him claw his own eyes out, but he could tell Weiss really wanted to go. This was part of the shit he didn't like with relationships. Both sides having to do that give and take.

"The brat's going, so I guess I can. I warn you, I'm not a dancer."

"That's fine!" Weiss tried to keep calm, but her voice was unusually chipper. Her face was also warm. "We don't have to and can just socialize a bit."

Accelerator didn't like socializing either, but seeing Weiss happy dulled the annoyance at least. Maybe he did have real feelings for her. He might actually have to do something for Coco for kicking his ass into gear. Maybe humoring the fashionista with his loss to get coffee wasn't a complete waste of time.

Focusing on the girl's smile next to him. Accelerator didn't feel like questioning himself right now.

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang69's fault.

Wishez: Accelerator x Weiss, fucking finally. That's all I have to say.

UrsaMJR: Now we wait until the inevitable hand holding scene at the dance that is sure to spread gossip around the school. Not to mention make Yang incredibly happy to have a new set of ammunition to use.

Dark: Listen, Ursa. This story is only rated T.