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XV.

Meeting of minds

The mutual frustration was driving them crazy, and Accelerator was doing the only thing he knew how to get rid of it. Mikoto still refused to see the effectivity in it.

A hard knocking sound resonated through the whole alley, and Mikoto winced at the impact as another thug fell down and collapsed on his already unconscious friends. The young lady that these men were harassing had long run away with her purse, but Accelerator still hadn't stopped trying to teach them a lesson for crossing his way, despite her loud protests in his mind.

She lasted for about another minute before sensing a familiar presence approaching them.

"Last Order?"

Accelerator stopped, swiveling around with a frown as the little brunette poked her head into the alley – her smile dropping in hesitation at the sight of him with three other men lying on the ground.

"Accelerator! MISAKA says with joy before noticing he's fighting people…"

"What the hell are you doing here?" he cut her off immediately, tutting in annoyance when he noticed her stare. "Relax, they ain't dead. Goody-two-shoes here' too afraid I'd pop a few in their brains before the cops can get to them."

"Why are you always such an – "

Ignoring the Original's angry cussings in his head, he approached Last Order instead, and poked at her tiny feet with his crutch like making another lecture.

"When I said stay home stay home. Why don't ya ever listen and just go off on your damn own like this huh? The hell you're out for right now?"

"'Oww stop it' MISAKA complains as MISAKA pushes Accelerator away. MISAKA was on her way to the hospital to check on Onee-sama and accidentally ran into Accelerator." The little girl huffed in annoyance at him.

Oh. Right. He mentally counted the days in his head. He hadn't seen the girl ('s body) in probably a week now.

"What? You found something yet?"

"'MISAKA is not sure but MISAKA still wants to go check just in case.'" Last Order beamed up at him. "Maybe there will be leads this time, MISAKA says with high hope."

She wasn't wrong, it wouldn't hurt to check, and distinctly he realized even the Railgun hadn't nagged at him to do this earlier. He wondered if the sight hurt her more than she had previously let on, wondered if he should ask, but that wouldn't be very Accelerator of him.

"Fine. Let's go then."

"Accelerator is accompanying MISAKA? Yay' MISAKA says with glee. MISAKA hasn't got to go anywhere with Accelerator for a while now, it was getting boring. MISAKA is really – "

"Jesus I get it I get it. Shut up for a moment damn…"

And they headed off the street and blended in the sea of people, just in time for a police car to swerve to right in front of the alley.

x

x

x

As it turned out, they would actually get a lead. When he opened the door to the Railgun's hospital ward, someone was already there. For a second his fingers tensed up around the crutch before he recognized the familiar river of blond hair and white lace gloves and knee socks.

"What are you doing here?"

Misaki turned around at the sound of his voice – unsurprised, as she probably noticed his mental presence earlier, but her eyes immediately widened at the sight of the little girl next to him – legitimately a miniature version of the one lying in the bed before them.

"I…could ask you the same thing?" the Mental Out cleared her throat, directing her gaze back at him. Accelerator arched an eyebrow. Whatever she was surprised with she refused to ask about it unless it concerned her, and he had to admit he genuinely respected it – not a lot of people in his life weren't noisy little pricks.

He stepped into the room and slid the door closed, nodding his head at the unconscious girl in front of them.

"I ain't no mind-reader like you, but I'm pretty sure we both know the answer to that question."

He replied, and directed his gaze to the subject of the room. The wench looked worse for wear as far as he could tell from the last time he saw her – her skin an unusual color of pale and brown hair splaying flat on the pillow, multiple tubes stuck out of her thin bruised arms like little snakes. She's physically and mentally a total hot mess, but he wasn't looking any better either.

"It's…my first time seeing her here after everything," the blond murmured, and he turned to look at her, but her bangs were falling over the darkness cast in her eyes. "It must be weird for her to see this huh – from your mind I mean."

That he wouldn't know. The girl's been quiet ever since they ran into Last Order, so he just kept his mouth shut anyways.

"The machine still worked with the remote." He opted to say instead. "We checked. But whatever the thing inside it the glass case is is missing."

For a few seconds there was just silence. Accelerator would have snapped if it weren't for the little tremors he noticed running through the girl's lithe form. It took a moment before he saw her suck in a deep breath, and finally looking up to meet his gaze.

"I haven't completely told you everything. The machine…it's called the Exterior. The thing inside it is a cultivated brain that can greatly boost Mental Out, that's why Kihara got his hands on it. He wanted to create a Level 6 through Misaka-san by sending my powers out of control with it."

Accelerator had to scoff out loud at the thought. Sick bastard. The things he would do this creep. "So where is it now? Destroyed?"

"I don't think so. If he destroys it then he'll be dead too. Damaging that brain can cripple the mind of its user."

She shook her head, a frown knitted on her forehead as she turned to look at the Railgun's body in front of them in thoughts, before whipping around to him again.

"He also said that for her transformation, at 53% of the theoretical limit, Misaka-san's mind would move into something from a different dimension, and at 100% her mind and body would be destroyed having exceeded their limit. She must have definitely passed the limit of 53%, that's why her conscious got sent away…"

He gave her a flat stare. "To another dimension?"

"I'm not sure, could be another dimension as in…maybe to the most stable form of a potential Level 6.."

"'You' MISAKA says as MISAKA touches Accelerator," Last Order squeaked, pulling at the hem of his shirt. "'It's you, Accelerator.'"

Silence. Accelerator simply stared at both of the girls in front of him, seemingly in contemplation, even though deep down he knew there was nothing to give much thought about. Since the day he accepted that experiment, the Network had been be a part of him, wound around his body like a vice, wrung out in his mind like a constant chant he felt like he could always hear even in death. It would only be inevitable that the source of it all would eventually be after him.

That she would end up meeting him, in the end.

"Fine," he muttered, leveling them with a glare, even though there was no real heat behind it. "Assuming that that's what happened, how do we undo it?"

"Just need…the brain, probably." Misaki blinked at him. "If we can get it back and rebuild Exterior, I maybe able to try and hack inside your mind to move her out. But it's a big maybe, to be honest."

"'Ne ne it's still a lot better than nothing' MISAKA says in glee as she encourages Accelerator."

Last Order cheered, tugging constantly at the hem of his hoodie. He pretended not to notice it in favor of leveling the Mental Out a flat stare, multiple thoughts running inside his head. Somehow successfully track down Kihara. Beat the ever loving fuck out of him then probably kill the shitty freak. Get a bigass brain back. Get his brain fucked with and hopefully not lose it and die, get the wench out. Return to his miserable life like they never crossed path before. No repeats.

"Can you rebuild that machine?" he finally said.

"It can take a while but…I guess I can ask for some help in secret."

Right. He forgot the blondie can actually manipulate people sometimes. Thank god for his Esper powers.

"I'll see what I can do. But no promises."

"I – okay."

The blond nodded, eyes round and surprised as she looked at him. He refused to acknowledge it anyways, a weird shiver raising goosebumps under his skin as he opted to leave the place and the girl as soon as possible.

The sunset spilled into the hallway as he walked through it, Last Order humming a soft tune he's never heard before as she trailed after him, and her Sister thrumming in his mind.

x

x

x

"Goddammit will you ever stop?"

Mikoto flinched at the sudden deep voice, and glared at the presence that just manifested in front of her. Damn him and their little cursed shared space of mind sometimes.

"Excuse me?"

"You're thinking too loud. It's annoying me."

"Sorry. I don't really get personal space sometimes over here where I can't help it." She sneered back, wary pouring into her eyes as he slumped down to a sitting position not far away from her. His blood red gaze burning through the darkness between them.

"What's your problem?"

"You're my problem."

"That ain't new. What you've been giving me headache is. So what the hell is up now?"

She grimaced, hunched away from him. "It's nothing…I just..think you don't know what you're signing up for..is all."

He had to sit up at that, hands slumped in his lap. "That's what's been bothering you? What are you – the fuck, like…you're worried?"

"No!" she yelped, almost reeling back, a blush starting to creep up her neck so furiously she had to silently thank god for the darkness surrounding them. Little mercy. "Not like that…for you. God. No."

It was quiet besides the little mocking scoff Accelerator made at her reply. He slid his gaze to her face again. "Then what?"

Mikoto clenched her teeth, sucked in a breath she didn't know she was holding, and finally gave in, just for one brief moment, where no one out to witness but them.

"I remember how it feels like…to have my mind going past that limit." She muttered, thinking that maybe he didn't hear her over the drums and mayhem inside her chest. "I don't think I'll ever stop remembering it for the rest of my life, to be honest…"

"Join the fuckin' club. You're no special snowflake around here."

It's a dick thing to say, and not at all surprising coming from Accelerator, but when she looked at him, he looked as grim as she felt.

"I never want to go through it again." And so should he, but she figured he heard that part. Her voice cracked like she wanted to cry – was going to cry if she didn't know it would be such a pathetic pity show to him of all people. Accelerator thankfully ignored it.

"Think of it the other way. You either die trying to get outta here, or die rotting away in here."

He wasn't saying anything ground-breaking, it was their goal from the beginning. But they hadn't ever really talked about it, had they? cause really what was there to talk about? She got stuck here, he tolerated her, and one day they'd go on their separate ways. She should kick him out of here, or step into his space and shake some sense into him. And maybe then she can actually just stay here, in this lone space with herself – no more troubling or chasing anyone, and slowly going insane. She turned to look at him, but he's staring out into the darkness before them, pretending to be casual. But they both knew what she was thinking, and he was waiting for her answer.

"And either way we both may die, Accelerator."

"Maybe."

His voice was hoarse, like hers, but still had that same nasal edge he always carried with himself, sounding so low to her ears even when he was far away.

"Maybe we'll both live."

It wasn't a promise to survive together, but it was something. And he didn't leave, not even when she finally started to drift away, and even then his presence stayed, like a thin blanket on a hot summer night. She's never liked it completely covering her, but the part that did drape over felt good enough, so she didn't push it away.

"Shit still sounded like you were worried, by the way."

And just like that, Accelerator killed her buzz. Still it was so out of her left field yet so him that Mikoto couldn't help but laugh. "You're an asshole." She informed him, like it was the latest news.

"I've never claimed otherwise."

Maybe she never will, not anymore.

(TBC)

NOTES: Hellooo~ school is online and work is currently canceled now meaning I finally have more free time on my hands so here we are. Have a good weekend everyone~ PLEASE STAY HOME FOR THE SAFETY OF YOURSELF AND OTHER PEOPLE! PLEASE! Be safe and healthy~

Thanks a lot for all the support, I will be back as soon as I can :'D