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IV.
Eyes wide open.
He was leaning against the lamp street, sipping on his drink and counting down the time with the ticks in his head.
It was well into the night by the time Accelerator finally made it to the meeting spot, half an hour earlier than planned and with no one around. It was a usual pattern for them. Tsuchimikado had always been a tardy bastard, Musujime was probably still busy trying to get up from her beauty sleep, and in all honesty Accelerator wasn't even sure what the fuck Etzali would often be doing most of the time. He knew there would be at least thirty minutes before any of them could actually start their tasks for the mission, thus the infamous Esper wasted no time in making a detour to the nearby convenience store, and treated himself with another can of dark coffee. It was his first mission for Academy City after his short gun-training the other day, and judging from the message he received earlier, it was going to be a long night for all of them.
That was, including the pesty, nagging presence in his mind.
The minute he left the house had morphed into an hour and a half, and Accelerator eyed the street lights on the bridge above suspiciously. Surely the contraption must have malfunctioned, or Last Order had somehow managed to actually succeed something in record time, because the prospect of the Railgun finally clamping up for two good solid hours sounded even more unfathomable. He'd finished down to his second can of coffee since he left the house, half-heartedly anticipating a few rounds of verbal fights with the miserable girl like how they would always do, only to come up empty-handed so far.
"Oi, you're still there?"
"What's the choker for?"
"What?"
Distinctly, he felt a stir, and took a peek inside to see the brunette sitting on the ground, arms and legs curled around each other as her brown mane of hair fell like a veil in front of her face.
"I didn't notice at first because I can only see what's around you outside," she continued, without even looking up. "But when you reached for that charger…What does that thing on your neck do, Accelerator?"
The boy in question stiffened. Accelerator looked down at the ground as he contemplated the query.
"I took a bullet to my brain and busted up my frontal lobe. Happy?"
"Frontal lobe?" the girl frowned, before her eyes widened in horror. "That…you shouldn't even be able to stand and talk after such a damage. A normal person…"
"For fuck's sake, wench. Can't you see?"
Accelerator growled, and frowned when he finally heard footsteps padding close. He turned back, just in time to see a familiar mop of dark black hair peeking out from the darkness.
"Are, you're here early."
Etzali smiled, stepping out under the street lamp. The magic wielder's eyes were dark and mischievous as ever, and inside Accelerator heard the girl let out a hitch of breath.
I was never normal, and never will be.
Mikoto looked up at the grate in the esper's voice, and felt her absolutes falling apart as she felt the sudden surge of emotions flowing through them.
"And you're gonna see exactly why tonight."
x
x
x
"Remember, Ritoku is the main target. Eliminate him by any means, including those in your way."
Accelerator looked at the girl in front of him in thoughts. Musujime Awaki had arrived just a few moments after Etzali and listened to the magician's briefings with him. It was an order directly set out by Academy City, which included another termination of an underground operation that was on its way to disable the city's communication network. It was a load of information for a mission summary, and whilst Accelerator never stopped listening, his mind was on another different page.
The Railgun had quickly reverted back to be a silent presence after Etzali appeared, and did not even show up when he tried to look inside his mind. The pale Esper considered calling her out, but thought better of himself. If what he had been briefed would be successfully carried out, there would be much blood spilling and man-slaughtering. And even though the Third Esper was a sufficient fighter and had seen as much horror as much as a life like hers could have, Accelerator doubted there was any chance she would be walking away from this mentally unscathed.
He knew his warnings were starting to get into her thick head, but even Accelerator could see even he probably wouldn't be anywhere better than her, especially if the girl would have to witness anything that he was about to do.
"Hey."
The guy blinked, and looked up to see Musujime staring at him, a strange look on her face.
"What's up with you?"
Shaking his troublesome thoughts away, the Esper fixed himself straight again. "I'm fine. What?"
The teleporter blinked at him, but said no more. Instead she inclined her head, and Accelerator looked up just in time to see their destination showing up in front of them.
"We're here."
They were finally at District 10, and upon first glance, Accelerator could already notice signs of an operation right away. There were different stealth tactics the Skill-Out had put all along the area: electric fences to short out security robots, lengths of colorful cloth draping across rooftops to render any possible escape routes, as well as the destroyed cameras scattering throughout the district road.
The phone in his pants suddenly vibrated, and Accelerator held it up, staring at the caller's ID before flipping it open.
"Tsuchimikado?"
The addressed guy's voice rang on the other end gleefully, and Accelerator scowled.
"Just wanna congratulate you on your first mission. And I also want to pass down a few advices."
"Advice? Like what?"
"Well," the guy chuckled, but then there was a moment of silence. Accelerator frowned, about to snap when the guy spoke again.
"Listen. Do not trust us."
The boy frowned at the phone. "Huh?"
"All of us are going to get in trouble if our existence is found out. A group like us will have no union."
Grated, the boy could only glare at the phone. "You think I'd be grateful if you tell me that?"
"If you only follow the principles set by the City Council you'll never be able to take them down. You must think of your own way to win in every situation –"
"And you know, we both have something we want to protect."
Dimly, inside, Accelerator felt the girl stir from her wake. He tried to not falter at her surprise, and focused back on the caller instead.
"Fine. Is that it?"
"And complete it fast. Musujime is probably on her way already."
And then as if on cue, a blast of dust flooded the alley, followed by a resounding boom. Accelerator frowned, staring into the speaker in annoyance. The redhead had managed to disappear on her own when he was busy on the phone. "I didn't know this was a competition."
"Nah. She probably just wants the bounty."
"So the deal is still applicable?"
"She's just like you."
"Really now? Fine."
Accelerator sighed, before hanging up. Inside his mind, Misaka Mikoto rose up from the dark. There was a hard stare on her face, and her jaw was tightly locked. She looked up to stare at him straight in the eyes.
"Go on. Show me."
The guy just stared at the girl, his mind quickly chalking up the results of finishing in less than ten minutes to ensure the choker's batteries. The Railgun's eyes were hard and steady, brown hair framing her face as she turned away from him and forced her gaze outside. Her resolute was settling in, and he felt it tighten around them. This was the girl that broke and bent under the monster brought out of her by the hands of the city's corrupted. She was not backing down from seeing this Dark Side of Academy City either, and if she had to do it through watching him executing it, she would.
Accelerator could only watch her, and switch on his choker. The vectors around him stiffened under his hands, and he curled them in. The Railgun's brown hues were bright and hard in his mind, and right then and there, Accelerator knew.
There was no going back, for any of them.
x
x
x
The brawl lasted no more than five minutes, and by the time the last scream was abruptly cut off, he was done.
Accelerator switched off his collar, and swiftly turned around. The deaths were all meaningless, and he had long grown accustomed to the fresh and blood of men taking orders from the higher-ups. The Railgun had not said a word since the moment he lifted his hands and drilled a hole into one of the guys, and Accelerator left the girl to dwell on everything by herself. This was his life now, and if she had a problem with it, he didn't give a flying fuck. The only thing that mattered then was the mission.
Ritoku was nowhere to be found so far, and Accelerator took the time to examine everything around. Chances were Musujime had already got to him, and as unsettling as that sounded, at least they were wrapping up the task.
"Then you don't have to wait no more."
Accelerator faltered on his steps, and looked up just in time for a looming shadow from above to appear.
"Accelerator."
"Komaba Ritoku."
The Esper replied, glaring all the way through. "Tell me why."
The tall, foreboding man only looked down at him in grim seriousness. "The reason Skill-Out attacked Espers is not a fun story to tell."
"So you're just gonna attack everyone to create chaos in the city, is that it?"
"Not everyone. We picked our targets carefully."
Fucking dumbass. He always had to come down to the last resolution. "You seem awfully calm. Do you know what you're getting yourself into, huh?"
Instead of replying, the man only thrust out an object, and threw it down on the ground at his feet. It was Awaki's flashlight, dirtied and tainted with blood.
"I killed her."
There was a hitch of breath inside his mind, and Accelerator snarled, glaring up at the older man.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Ritoku simply said. "Our organization was supposed to set out fully by now."
"Really now?"
Accelerator grinned, and quickly reached up at the choker on his neck. "Because you do know anyone that stands in my way will always end up getting butchered, right?"
The threat went on deaf ears, as the man only tapped his finger against his neck, and spoke out loud the one thing that rendered him useless the most.
"That choker. It's a transmitter for electronic information, isn't it?"
Accelerator only clicked his tongue, and vector-fused a platform to push himself forward. But before he could reach the man, Ritoku took out from his jacket a cylindrical container and burst it open with a kick, releasing several metal-like scales into the air like flower petals. Accelerator barely had time to react before his vectors disappeared, and then he was spiraling downwards before landing on the lower platform with a resounding thunk, scraping his skin and outer clothes.
The Esper groaned at the impact, and looked up just in time to see the man descending down. He rolled out of the way just right before Ritoku's foot could crash down on him, and raised up his gun.
"Damn it."
"Look out."
The Railgun's voice resounded in his head, and Accelerator huffed when Ritoku stomped down on the metal staircase and broke it with his force, sending the other Esper falling down another floor before dropping on the ground with a heavy thump. His left side ached at the impact, and Accelerator groaned at the burning pain sweeping into his shoulder.
Ritoku jumped down to stand right in front of him, and Accelerator bolted up, rolling out of another gunfire shot.
"To your right."
Accelerator frowned at the girl's voice, before wiping back to find the gun Ritoku kicked out of his hand earlier laying on the ground nearby. His mind quickly did the calculations, and Accelerator made his choice. He quickly reached for it and swiveled around to fire a shot, hitting one of the draping cloths above them.
"Last chance."
He turned around, and Ritoku was there, tall and stoic with the loaded Smart Weapon pointed straight at him.
"Make your choice. Where should I shoot to kill you now?"
Gripping at his gun in tight desperation, Accelerator could only glare up at the man. He already proved his assumption right, and there was only one chance to end it now. Ritoku looked down on him with blank acceptance, and Accelerator raised up his gun.
The triggers pulled and two gunshots resounded through the whole alley. There was a gurgle of blood, and Accelerator looked up just in time to see Ritoku with wide, disbelieving eyes, dark blood sweeping out from his shirt and the gun loose dropping in his hold.
"H…How?"
"Dumbass. Your Chaff Seeds cause electromagnetic scrambling by sending bits of metal into the air, don't they?"
He looked up, directing the man to do the same thing. The cloth above them he shot at earlier was open at one end, and the wind was blowing through it like an airway, sweeping the metal bits away like falling flower petals.
"Now then,"
Accelerator muttered, and pushed himself up. "A measly level 0 like you had the guts to face a Level 5…Do you want to try it for a second time now, huh?"
Seeing the danger ahead of him, Ritoku turned down, reaching for the insides of his jacket again but was quickly rendered when his hand suddenly burst out blood. The man barely had time to react before the Level 5 reappeared in front of him, and thrust him against the nearby wall, sending him skidding across the ground, a loud smack echoing around the alley.
"Checkmate, huh?"
Accelerator muttered, and fixed himself up straight. "It's not a crime to be a Level 0. But you're a thorn in everyone's eyes thanks to shitty organizations like Skill-Out creating chaos around. Equality? Safety? Cut the crap. You're only doing more harm to yourself more than anyone else."
Blood had swept out from both corners of his mouth, and another was pooling around him like a puddle. But Ritoku simply stared up at him, before smirking.
"Let's say, hypothetically, what would happen if those who have stronger powers were to play a game to see who could kill the most level 0's, what would you do?"
Inside his mind, he felt the Railgun stiffen. Accelerator frowned at the notion.
But the other man barely noticed any of them, instead directing his gaze at the phone nearby, which was flipped open from their brawl and displaying a picture of him and a smiling, little blond girl hanging onto his arm.
"I always knew this day would come, sooner or later."
The scene was so achingly familiar, and Accelerator felt his insides twist.
"Looks like you and I are in the same situation,"
The man continued, never faltering as he raised up his gun. There was a whirlwind of emotions suddenly flooded through him, and Accelerator took a small step back in wary.
"Consider this a gift, boy. Carve this ugly scene into your heart."
"Waaait…!"
Inside his mind, the Railgun screamed. But the shot was already fired with a booming blast. Accelerator felt the resounding force of the bullet bounced off his reflecting shield, and before he could realize a splatter of blood was spilled, and then there was nothing but silence, and Ritoku's deformed body fell down sideways with a disturbing thump.
"Oh God,"
Mikoto breathed, staring in utter shock and disbelief at the scene. There were trails of tears running steadily down two sides of her face, and her hands were planting firmly on the ground, fists curling tight inside themselves.
There was a mixture of emotions bouncing off her and pushing into him, and the pale Esper let them sweep in. His heart was heavy and loud against his ribcage, his shoulder burned searing hot pain into his skin. Accelerator just stared at the bloody pulp that was used to be the cold, stoic man, and knew everything he said before pulling the trigger was right.
It would forever be carved into both of their minds.
x
x
x
"Thanks for the hard work. We'll clear up the bodies and erase all evidence."
Etzali's voice was calm and emotionless on the other end of the line, and Accelerator felt his irritation spike.
"We'll send the car over to take you home."
"Beat it," he grumbled into the line. "I'll get home by myself."
"That's alright then. But make sure not to let yourself be seen. We must always hide our – "
The pale boy flipped the phone close before the magician could finish. Accelerator put the device away, before swiftly turning around just in time for a slim figure to walk out from the dark.
"Still alive, Musujime Awaki?"
The redhead stepped out from the valley, seemingly unscathed as she nodded at him. "I was watching for a while. But when did you realize?"
"Please, it was clear as daylight," he muttered, remembering the gun that popped out of nowhere when he fell down on the ground.
The girl only smirked at him. "Is that how you talk to the one that saved your life?"
"Savior?"
The boy only muttered, before turning away. "Maybe when you're dead."
"Ara, where are you going?"
"Nothing important."
Accelerator mumbled, and flipped open the phone in his grip. The picture of Komaba Ritoku and the little girl popped up bright and clear, sending a strange punch to his guts.
He quickly switched to press on another button instead, and a line of names popped up, long and perfectly arranged in a list.
"Just some overtime work."
He scrolled down the names, and Accelerator didn't need to look to know the girl in his head was also staring at the screen. Focused and fervent.
"Some free overtime work."
x
x
x
It was well into the night by the time Accelerator finished his "overtime" business. It obviously was not much of a trouble – fending off delinquents and erratic thugs had always been a part of his life growing up. The girl was still as silent as ever, but for once since he left the alley, there was no trace of indignant protests or scorn.
He had just sat himself on a nearby bench on a sidewalk when she finally decided to speak up.
"So that's how it was."
The top Level 5 only huffed at her. "What the fuck did you expect?"
"Less blood. Less deaths. But who am I kidding? This is the Dark Side of Academy City we're talking about."
Mikoto whispered, a sad smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. Ritoku's suicide was as devastating for her as it was for him. Strangely enough, the girl didn't blame him for the man's death, and the realization was an unsettling weight in his stomach.
As if reading his mind, which she probably did, the girl only looked up at him, knees and arms pressed up close around herself.
"Don't you ever wonder why I never questioned how Last Order ended up living with you and Professor Yoshikawa? Or that you were using a cane? The only reason why I didn't know about your choker was because I never saw you using them, nor could I see it from my point of view in here."
The notions suddenly clicked, and Accelerator felt his heart sink to his stomach.
"You looked through my mind."
"Technically, I looked through the Sisters' minds thanks to the Network you're connected to. But yes, I did."
The boy could only sigh. "How much?"
"Not every detail. But more than enough."
'I saw you saving Last Order. I saw you saving them' was implied, but even the girl was not that quick to let go.
"I was falling into despair when that thing took over me," she continued without looking up, even though they both knew he was listening to every word she was saying. "I just came to the realization of the Darker Side of our world then, and I let my anger get the best of me. We're all at where we are now because of me."
Her memory was rolling back in waves, and Accelerator saw through them in flickers and voices. There were screams and echoes resounding in his head, and he took a moment to relish in the same despair he'd indulged himself in for all his life. The powers at the tips of their fingers were hot and blinding, and Accelerator felt himself coming undone at the girl's implications.
They were a mirror image of each other.
A circus fun house mirror, twisted and reflecting, but still.
He used to live with only a blinding rage at the world to keep himself going, and she was doing the same thing when they tore her apart. And now the irony of that was slapping them in the face, with him relying on the lives he'd forever taken away and her relying on the last person that she would ever turn to.
"I'm never going to say sorry, because you don't deserve that."
Misaka Mikoto did say, however, after a moment of silence, and Accelerator felt his insides turn and twist at her words.
"But thank you."
For a minute, Accelerator only stared at her. He wouldn't allow himself to reply. His voice would break, and so would the rest of him.
"I'm not a hero." He stated.
"Hell you're not," the girl huffed, and swiftly turned away from him. Her shoulders were shaking, and he pretended not to notice it. She paused, gritting at her teeth.
"Thanks."
She repeated, finally, and that was the end for the both of them.
He didn't know what to say so he didn't, and instead retracted himself away. Their minds were different but the same, and even though the girl did not pester anymore, he could still feel her resolves settling in. And for the first time, Accelerator realized they were going down the same path together, and he did not mind it one bit.
Nothing was ever normal in their life, and never would it be.
x
x
x
There was no more words to be said, and after everything that happened, Accelerator figured he damn well deserved a break. Thus, it was no surprise that he would be making a turn at a corner to drop by the local convenience store, allowing himself a sweet cup of blissful caffeine.
What was surprising, however, was a grown woman cuddling the nearby mailbox in the middle of the street, moaning and mumbling to herself. She looked up when she noticed his footsteps approaching, and Accelerator felt the girl inside his head choke on her breath.
"Haaaaai haaaaai, I'm Misaka Misuzuuuuuu!"
The brown eyes popping open and staring back at him were horribly familiar, and Accelerator barely managed to recognize the trademark features of the Misaka SISTERS before he was suddenly tackled to the ground. The younger brunette inside his mind shouting and stuttering all the way.
"M…mom?!"
(TBC)
Note: It's only ten right now but my eyes are already shutting close by themselves. Delightful.
Well, as you can see, I'm trying to follow the canon timeline. Of course, "trying" is the key word here, so expect minor differences. But the events will stay mostly identical to the original storyline...At least I hope.
Thanks for all the following, favorites and reviews!