AN: Hello readers! I have returned with a chapter that has topped my highest word count so far ( technically the last chapter had done it, but as I said last chapter I was going to try my best to get to a point that Chapter 14 will at least begin a new day at some point *crosses fingers*)

So Chapter 13 could be seen as 2 chapters in one or just one long chapter.

I thought about splitting it, but that would extend this whole arc past the point I set for myself, so it will stay as it is as of right now...

That's all I got so I hope you enjoy this lengthy chapter and what can be considered an ending to the overall events of Project WaveInflux!

Please leave a review on anything you liked, think I should work on, or just any questions in general! I enjoy reading them and I will answer them at the end of the next chapter:D


Disclaimer: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index or any of its characters...the only things I own are:

1. My characters and

2. my ideas


Project WaveInflux Final: The End of the Calamity & The Cost of Remembrance

2 years ago…

"Zierdan, come on wake up!"

That was the first thing Asher was able to hear for what felt like forever when awareness finally came back to her, finding herself sitting up against a wall and feeling a large amount of pain in her entire body.

She noticed immediately that the ringing in her head had faded, along with the presence that felt like had occupied her head before, but knowing it was still somewhere deep inside of her.

She felt her shoulders being continuously shaken a little too much for her liking, as she let out a small groan and felt it cease almost immediately.

"Please…stop shaking…me s-so hard….Mikoto…" Asher strained as she panted slightly. "My stomach…or my body in general…aren't liking it too much…."

"Z-Zierdan, is that really you?" Misaka asked shakily as Asher released a sigh, leaning her head against the wall behind her and cracked open her eyes, showing the blues within her tired gaze.

"For the….time being…I guess…but yeah it is…." Asher said with a small, tired smile as Misaka's lip quivered slightly. "Whatever you….did disrupted the device…inside of my head….which in turn allowed my mind to clear up enough for me to-"

Before she could finish her statement, she was surprised when Misaka wrapped one of her arms around her neck and leaned her forehead into her shoulder, feeling tears running down her injured arm.

"Thank goodness…" Misaka said happily as her voice cracked slightly. "I thought I-I lost you, you reckless and careless dummy. Please… don't you ever worry me like that ever again. I don't think my heart or my patience can take it if you do it another time."

Asher hesitated for a couple seconds before she relaxed and returned the hug, feeling an immense wave guilt as she bit down on the side of her cheek to keep herself composed.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry Mikoto…." Asher said shakily in a low voice. "I d-didn't want any of this to happen…..but I-I just couldn't stop myself…..I almost killed you so…so many times….and ….and you nearly lost your right arm if I had crushed it all the way…."

"No, it isn't your fault. None of this mess is your fault at all, so please don't blame yourself. Yes it may be hard for me to move it all that much, but I don't think my arm is damaged that badly. And in any case, you could see it as a tradeoff, since I did disable your whole left arm with my railgun before, granting us both a visit to the hospital after this." Misaka stated as she backed away and gave her a closed eyed smile.

Before Asher could say anything, she felt the burning sensations in her body increase even more, almost as if her insides where starting to burn as she cringed slightly under her breath.

"Dang it…" she winced as Misaka looked over at her in concern.

Crap it still not stopping at all, she thought to herself as she bit the side of her cheek.

Over the small amount of time that Asher had been unconscious, Misaka had been able to tell that her body was most certainly close to reaching its limit, feeling the gravity and air growing heavier and heavier as time passed.

What are we going to do?

As she sat there in thought for a while, they were immediately shattered when she saw Asher trying to get up to her feet but failing at it almost simultaneously when she could barely stand up all the way from her knees.

"Hey what do you think you're doing!?" Misaka asked as she saw her use the wall to not fall back down.

"What…do you think?...I need to…g-get away from you…." Asher struggled to say as she was trying to catch her breath.

"Are we still on that?" Misaka deadpanned. "Do you think I care about the consequences of following you?"

"Tch...I can't tell…..whether you're joking….or being serious…but…it's not….about th-that…either…" Asher replied as she let out a sigh. "I need…t-to get out…of this…city…before that d-device starts up again...because…when it does…I think I'm going to reach my l-limit...if my….power spikes too much further….and we both know…..w-what will happen if that happens…"

"Yeah, so we need to figure out a way to stop it before that happens again." Misaka said confidently before seeing the look of defeat on Asher's face.

"Mikoto I don't think-"

"No, I refuse to allow you to do this!" Misaka stated. "If the ringing comes back, just say something and I'll disrupt the emitter to give us more time."

"It might be too…late for you to do…anything if that happens again…." Asher said without looking at her. "I will probably lose…a handle on myself….and I don't…think I can bring myself back again….or if my mind can take much more…of this….So I h-have…to go b-before it does…."

As she began to walk away, she saw Misaka stand in her way with a determined expression on her face.

"Mikoto, get out of my way." Asher said as she tried to walk around her before Misaka got in her way again.

"No, I won't…." Misaka said with a shadow on her face.

"If you don't…this city…everyone….you… will be completely destroyed if I lose control again. It's my life versus the lives of many, so what choice is there to even make?" Asher asked numbly as Misaka shook her head in frustration.

"But if you do this, you'll be the one who dies and that isn't an option either!" Misaka shouted. "I know you have another plan other than this, but what I don't get is why you're keeping it to yourself!"

"This is the only option I see viable, right now." Asher said in a low voice, with Misaka able to hear the notable amount of hesitation within it. "I have some control over my ability now, so when I get far enough away, I will force all of the gravity already condensed within me outwards instead of inwards, which will most likely still create an explosion from something like that, but a black hole will not be as probable anymore."

"Tch, that means you have something else up your sleeve that you refuse to tell me!" Misaka said as she gripped onto her shirt. "Why are you keeping it to yourself?"

"Because if I tell you….I know you'll do it….I know you would do it without the slightest bit of hesitation. But it would be something that may end in hurting you more than if I were to die from my own stupid mistakes…" Asher remarked as her face became more downcast. "I refuse to do something like that to you, while also allowing you to do it for someone who doesn't mean that much to even do it for to begin with."

"What do you mean by that!? Why is it that you always underestimate how much you're worth in comparison to others!? To me!?" Misaka asked, feeling Asher trembling slightly as she looked towards the ground before she abruptly loosened her grip on her shirt to clasp her hand into hers.

"Tch, it's because I care about you okay! I care about you more than my life because you absolutely mean the world to me!" Asher yelled as her face was covered under the shadows of her hair feeling her cheeks heat up as Misaka went silent in shock.

"I may not understand emotions as well as I should or understand other people at all from closing myself off from trying to get to know such things…but I know…I know enough to say that you genuinely make me happy Mikoto. You always have…I'm always comfortable around you to the extent that I actually want to start conversations with you. Even though there was a time I couldn't bring myself to ever say anything to you, because I was afraid I was going to end something that I looked forward to having each and every day…"

"You were the first person to actually seem interested to want to get to know me without anyone forcing you to do so. You were the first person that cared enough about me to not want me to be by myself anymore. Even if there were other people you could have befriended and called your best friend from how kind and nice you are, you chose me and I value that and our friendship to such an extent that I don't think I have the capacity to explain how much so….but…"

"Because of that…I can't…I c-can't bring myself to tell you my other plan, because I don't want you to do something that would end up hurting you, while ending something that I find precious to have and want to protect in its current form, which would be two things that would end up lost if what I think will happen does actually occur. And nothing would maybe be able to reverse it." Asher continued as she raised her face to look at Misaka with tears streaming down her face.

"I may not have been in the right mindset, but I wasn't kidding that I would destroy myself before I allowed something to happen that would hurt you directly. I've always feared that…I've always been scared to be around you or others from being convinced my entire life that I was dangerous, with what happened this very day making that true in some sense. So please allow me to do thi-"

"Hell no, Zierdan so don't even go on with that speech thinking you're about to go off and die right after!" Misaka shouted cutting her off. "I understand that you care…I know you always have cared about me, but how much do you think it hurts hearing that you would just go and sacrifice yourself like this!? To hear you say how insignificant your life is in comparison to mine!?"

"If you're scared that you're going to hurt me, then don't be since it honestly is too late for that! I hated each and every moment of fighting you earlier, but I pushed passed it so I could save you from this, not to just see you give up your life in the end! It hurt me seeing you like that. It crushed me to find out that you were hiding that whole experiment from me and to know that you did it thinking you were dangerous when you never were to even begin with! And it devastates me to hear that you would die before telling me how to help you to spare my feelings!"

"So for once in your damned life, Zierdan Asher!" Misaka yelled as she grabbed Asher's collar with both of her hands, holding back a wince as Asher's eyes widened in shock. "Stop devaluing your life and trying to protect me from yourself! And tell me how I can save my best friend's life!"

It took Asher a few moments to respond to that as the tension continuously built up in her body until she relaxed, knowing she wasn't going to be able to win an argument against Misaka when she was like this.

"Fine I-"

Before she had the chance to fully speak, however, she felt an excruciating amount of pain come through her skull and chest, hearing the ringing in her head starting to pick up again while also directly increasing her power.

"Zierdan, what's wrong!?" Misaka asked in concern as she had to catch her from falling towards the ground, feeling her body heat beginning to rise higher than it already was.

"I don't…have much time…t-to explain this…" Asher strained as she tried to keep her voice steady, her blue eyes ringed with red as the color in her hair began shifting colors again. "You have…to send an…unrelenting, full powered shock…o-of your electricity directly into my h-head…to destroy that…device completely s-so…it will stop reacting…to the sound it's continuously emitting….You should be a-able to sense…it since it's made mostly of metal…"

"But wait if I do that then…"

"I could potentially end….u-up having my brain fried…" Asher stated before she could finish her comment. "I am well…a-aware of that possibility….but I can't…think of anything else to destroy it…..Even if it's…removed a different way….my brain is probably already pretty damaged at this point….so adding onto it more w-would be the least of my concerns…But I should…hopefully be able to reduce it at some capacity…by setting up my…dimensions in my head to give some protection…"

"Can you concentrate hard enough to do that?" Misaka asked as Asher trembled in her hold. "You're paling enough as it is at this point."

"Y-Yeah I should be able…to…I think I'm…smart enough to pull something like that off…" Asher replied before her tone fell serious again. "B-but, Mikoto…there's a very high chance that due to where that thing is in my head, it will detrimentally affect the areas that it's focusing on with one of which being the area…that controls memories…"

"I could…lose… some or at most, all of my memories in this process." Asher said shakily as she clutched onto Misaka tighter. "Meaning…I-I could…I could forget….everything a-about you, Mi-Mikoto…"

Misaka's eyes widened at that, even though she knew something like that was possible as well.

Knowing that was the main reason why Asher was trying to keep it from her…

"We'll cross that road when we come to it, okay?" Misaka said reassuringly, hearing Asher's breath starting to pick more than it should be. "You're getting yourself worked up over something that hasn't even happened yet…."

"B-But that doesn't make me feel any better, since I won't even know if it happens. And that's the part that's scaring me the most." Asher replied, trying her best to keep herself composed enough to delay any more power spikes. "I would just…forget…I could just wake up…and not remember a single thing…about anything….about you…"

"Zierdan, it's ok-"

"No it's not okay…nothing is okay about this, Mikoto! I don't understand why you sound so calm about this, when I'm proposing a plan that would force you to be the cause of this happening!" Asher shouted as she leaned a little bit off of her, showing her blue eyes that were ringed with red, with tears continuously cascading down her face. "What kind of person…what kind of friend would I be to allow you to do something, knowing that I would forget that you even did it in the process!? Knowing that it would hurt you immensely while I would be oblivious to that very fact alone!?"

"You would probably try to stay and help even if it hurt you to do so but knowing me I would probably end up pushing you away. Everyone away…" She continued as she clutched the sides of her head, not noticing the ringing was causing her emotions to go haywire and her thoughts to run rampant as she felt panic rising up in her chest. "I would isolate myself like I always do to the point no one would be there….I would be alone again…just like I was for such a long time before I met you…Silas would end up taking the last thing that I've valued having in my life…and I….I…"

Before she could continue any further, her eyes widened slightly when she felt a light tap on her forehead, feeling the haze in her mind decrease slightly as she looked up and saw Misaka smiling at her.

"Well this is something I haven't seen you do in a while, Z. I guess it's a given with all this stress you've had for a long while that you haven't had any energy to. I know you're afraid about what may happen if you get me to do this, but you're causing yourself to panic by overthinking this too much." Misaka explained, pulsing a bit of her electricity to disrupt the signal after she sensed it increasing more and more.

"I understand your concerns…I know that you think I will blame myself for doing something like that to you or it would make me upset that you wouldn't remember me at all. And I know how hard it was to admit that to me and I'm grateful for you doing so. But to be honest with you…"

Misaka brought up her hand and gently put it on the back of Asher's head to tip her head forward enough to meet with her forehead as she closed her eyes, with Asher's face immediately heating up from the close contact.

"I would rather to at least have some of you than not having you at all." She continued, causing Asher's eyes to widen. "So please allow me to do this for you, alright? Even if it happens and you try to push me away, I'm way to stubborn to allow that to stop me being your friend. So, you shouldn't be afraid that you would be alone because I will always be there for you whether you like it or not. You will never have to experience that type of loneliness ever again whenever I'm around you, so please stop fighting me and let's end this."

Silence fell between them for a few moments before Asher released a long sigh as she closed her eyes and relaxed the tension in her body.

"Okay, Mikoto, If you're okay with doing this then…I'll go along with it." Asher finally replied. "I'm sorry for freaking out. There's just so many things going off in my head that I'm having a hard time managing my thoughts and surprisingly my emotions right now."

"Yeah I know." Misaka replied as she leaned off her, showing her a closed eye smile. "You don't have to apologize for showing how you're actually feeling. I know it's hard for you to think right now, but hopefully we can end some of that stress today."

They went out towards the middle of the area, feeling the rain dropping over their heads as they came to a stop.

Misaka placed a hand on the back of Asher's head trying to sense for the specific location of the device. When she found its exact spot, her eyes narrowed at how deep and how dense the metal was, slightly concerned at how much it was going to take to fully destroy it.

"Are you sure you want me to hit you at my full power or close to it right from the get-go? Because to be quite honest with you, this…it's going to hurt, Z, so I just want you to be prepared." Misaka warned.

"Unfortunately," Asher said with a sigh. "The device and my gravity field are currently working hand in hand to protect its integrity, and because of that, anything less than close to your full power would not be able to shock it enough to stop or destroy the device completely."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure." Misaka said as she kept one hand on Asher's head and raised the other hand into the air, the clouds beginning to spark above her. "Just relax and I'll try my best to get over with it quickly."

Asher nodded her head at that, closing her eyes to brace for the blast, before she felt something in her chest to say something.

"Hey, Mikoto." Asher said as she looked over her shoulder, with a warm smile on her lips. "Thanks for this. I appreciate you doing this for me. Even after how I treated you from before, which I'm very sorry about."

"It's alright. I could tell that you were already in a pretty bad headspace at that point, so I know you didn't mean it." Misaka said as she sent her back a smile of her own. "Are you ready, Zierdan?"

"Yeah…if I start screaming and tell you to stop, don't listen. Just continue until you know that device is completely gone." Asher said as she looked back up to the sky, closing her eyes when she began to hear rumbling within the clouds above her. "Ready whenever you are, Mikoto…"

Silence fell between them as the clouds above them rumbled viciously as power seemed to be collecting at one point to discharge it all at once.

As soon as enough tension was created within the clouds, a powerful strike of lightning split its middle and hit Misaka's arm almost like a lightning rod to enhance the power of her electricity as its path was directed towards the device in Asher's head.

Her eyes immediately opened at that as she wasn't able to prevent herself from opening her mouth and letting out an agonizing scream of pain, with her mind falling back into darkness just before it stopped.


July 15th, 6:00pm (Present)

School District 7 Hospital

Heaven Canceller was casually walking back to his room to check on both Asher and Shokuhou until he heard a scream ring out in the air…

"AAAAAAGGHHHHHH!/ HEY CALM DOWN!" He heard, prompting him to stiffen up before he rushed down the hall to see what was happening.

When he reached his door, he was able to open it slightly before it was closed right back in his face.

His eyes widened at that fact, seeing the door was overtaken by a purple hue which indicated to him that someone's ability had come back in full force.

Hoping that all was going to be well on the inside without him there to help….


Well great! This is just the icing on the cake, Shokuhou thought to herself as she looked down at the angered esper in front of her who held her up against the wall by her collar.

During the entire time she was in her mind, Asher had been fairly quiet up until this point, not once ever really coming out of the sleep that she was put in before.

However, during the last parts of the headscan, she could tell that it was starting to be taxing on her mind to an extent, pushing her to progress a little faster in order to fully complete the part she was on.

Now realizing how much a mistake that was, considering the drug the doctor had used had somehow already worn off, with her staring in the eyes of an intense shade of red as Asher panted in front of her.

"Why…" She asked darkly, looking at her with no recognition in her gaze as a small haze fell in her eyes. "Why the hell were you just messing with my head!? A place that no one is welcomed to be in! Did Silas put you up to this!? Did he!?"

"Um well you see, Zierdan, I think you should take a second to calm down a little bit," Shokuhou said as she tried to reach down in her bag without her noticing. "You're going to run up your blood pressure with how wound up you are right now."

"I don't give a damn what you want me to do…." Asher replied as a vein pulsed on her forehead. "Who are you and what were you just going through my head and doing!? I won't…I refuse to be taken advantage of again! I refuse to allow someone like you to screw up my mind like he did!"

I almost forgot about that face-blindness of hers since she has gotten a handle on it within these last 2 years. I guess with the strain of the mind scan and being tossed into some flash backs, it caused it to flare up just a bit which is causing her to be confused on some details….or just a defense mechanism from her mind since she seems sort of disoriented right now. Shokuhou thought to herself as she bit down on the side of her cheek.

"My my, how impatient you are." Shokuhou stated aloud slowly moving her hand through her purse to find the right remote. "And I thought Misaka was the impatient one between the both of you."

Asher seemed to stiffen at that as the color in her eyes wavered, wincing slightly under her breath as she cradled her head from the ache in her head.

"Tch, what does she have to do with this? I don't…I'm so ..confused…" She strained as her hold faltered. "C-Crap, I can't….think straight….my head feels funny….Everything just feels like a jumbled mess…."

"Oh really, I didn't notice. Maybe you should have started with that, instead of basically going off on me at random." Shokuhou stated sarcastically with a sweatdrop as she pulled out her remote and pointed it towards Asher who was looking down towards the ground.

"This will most definitely help." She continued as she pressed one of her buttons, wincing slightly in pain as Asher did the same.

'Owwww, why did you do that Shoku-" Asher began to say before she opened her blue eyes in surprise, looking up at Shokuhou in confusion when she noticed she was holding her up in the air.

"Mind putting me down? I know we may not be the closest of people, but I honestly didn't think you would be this rough with me. I didn't even do anything to you." Shokuhou said with fake tears in her eyes as Asher deadpanned.

"It's somewhat amusing how you're trying to look so innocent, but I guess this situation calls for some of that." Asher said with a sigh as she let go of her. "Sorry…that was weird. I came to a blank for almost everything when I was looking at you. What did you go and do this time, Shokuhou?"

"What do you mean by that? You're the one who went berserk on me just a second ago and you're asking me what I went and did this time?" Shokuhou said as she fixed her collar. "You should be asking yourself that question."

"Well considering I am coming at a blank why I'm here in the first place, the only person I can blame is you, Miss Mental Out. I may be forgetful of some things on occasion but having no idea when I arrived at the hospital is kind of a new one for me." Asher said bluntly as confusion fell on Shokuhou's face.

"Wait really?" Shokuhou said as she crossed her arms as she contemplated what Asher had just said. "Did that headscan strain that mind of yours more than I thought?"

"Headscan?" Asher asked with slight confusion in her voice. "When did you do a-"

Before she was going to finish that question, Asher's memories of the events in the hospital came back to her and hit her almost as hard as a truck, prompting her to brace herself on a table next to her as she shut her eyes and cradled her head in pain.

"Tch owww, nevermind….I remember now." Asher groaned. "I also remember how annoyed I should be with you right now, including that Doctor of mine. You could've at least warned me you were going to do this, today. Not just go and drug me, thinking I'm going to be compliant."

"Now that wouldn't be fun at all. We both know what would have happened if I told you. You would've either not shown up or brought that lovely Electromaster with you, who would have probably blown a fuse just knowing I was here today." Shokuhou said amusedly as she heard Asher let out a sigh.

"I guess you have a point," Asher stated as she looked over at her with a small smile. "Mikoto would have probably-"

Asher stiffened at that moment when a memory flashed though her head, feeling more and more upon that one memory that she had never wanted to know at any capacity...

["Now that isn't true! I've always cared about you from the beginning! Why else would I be here standing in your way to stop you from doing something you're going to end up regretting in the end!?" Misaka shouted trying to reach the heart of the girl again. "This isn't you, Z. Fight it!

Fight whatever is making you feel this way or do this! I know you truly don't want this, to see the people of this city die by your own hand!"

"Tch How dare you…" Asher said darkly as she sent a scathing glare towards her. "How dare you and others think I don't want this! I've wanted this for my entire life, and this power has opened my eyes to that very fact alone!"

"You're so annoyingly naïve to think this isn't me…this always has and always will be in the eyes of everyone in this city and that naivety of yours is going to be the mistake that is going to end up costing you your life, as I will be the calamity that brings this city to its knees whether you like it or not!"]

Wait…what's… Asher thought to herself as a whole wave of feelings and memories came out of almost nowhere, feeling her heart speeding up almost each second that passed.

When Asher never completed what she was going to say, Shokuhou began to turn around and look at her.

Before she was going to say anything, she noticed immediately that something had changed, looking at her back as she seemed to be trembling as the objects on the table she was leaning on started to move upon her doing so.

"What's wrong with you over there?" Shokuhou asked as she walked over to her, seeing the girl in question almost as pale as a sheet with tears streaming down her face as she clutched her chest.

"I-I did that?" Asher mumbled to herself in utter shock. "I s-said that to her?"

"What are you talking about Asher?" Shokuhou asked in slight confusion with some concern within her tone as she heard her breathing starting to pick up.

"It's worse….than I could have…ever imagined…." Asher said aloud to herself, not even hearing whatever Shokuhou had said to her, falling down to her knees as she planted one hand on the floor while the other maintained its hold on her chest. "I…I allowed myself…to do something like that?...To feel that way towards to the…point that I wanted her to die and almost made….that a reality? What kind of person does that…to someone they care about so much? Or towards others that don't even deserve it?...I ..I …"

"Hey, you're not making any sense. What's the matter with you?" Shokuhou asked as she went in front of her, seeing a large glaze over her eyes as she shook more and more.

"There's so much…so so many memories flashing in my head…I c-can't stop….them… I don't want to see them…." Asher panted as she shook her head, unable to stabilize her breathing at all. "Please stop them…..please take them b-back…erase them….do anything…just get them out of my head…Please Misaki…."

Shokuhou sighed at that as the expression fell on her face as she rubbed her back in comforting circles.

"You know I can't do that. I would have to go deeper than what I do during the headscans, and our abilities aren't very compatible for something like that to happen right now sadly." Shokuhou stated as she saw her head dip to look towards the ground. "And if I did anything that intrusive after what we just did, it would be way too taxing on you even if we were to dampen that gravity field of yours."

"Is there anything you can do?….Anything at all?…I can't get myself…to calm down…It's just getting worse….a-and worse from all the noise inside my head…and Mikoto isn't here to help me…" Asher asked in desperation. "My heart literally feels like it's about to burst out of my chest….and I can't catch my breath…to the point I may end up….passing out…..and I can't focus…and I can't…I can't…"

"Hey hey hey, just focus on your breathing." Shokuhou said, trying not to panic herself from seeing the usual stoic girl spiraling into even more of a panicked state than she had been in previously. "The best thing you can do is to try and slow your breathing which in turn should be able to slow your heart down."

"Miss Shokuhou? Is everything alright in there? I was coming to check on the both of you, but I can't." Heaven Canceller called out on the other side of the door, twisting the knob to show that it was locked.

"Define alright…" Shokuhou said under her breath with a sweatdrop as she rose up to unlock the door, only to feel Asher grasp her wrist.

When she looked back, she could tell that she probably hadn't noticed that she had did that herself, only grabbing her arm out of instinct from what she was enduring at that moment.

"I'm such an idiot….So freaking stupid to think someone like him actually….wanted to help me…I did it to myself….I allowed it to happen….no wonder…I'm constantly blamed for it…and no one wants to…even be near me or see me.….I deserve it…I deserve all of it…I….tch…." Asher mumbled to herself as her grip went slack, using that arm to lay on the back of her neck as she laid her head on the floor.

"What are those three….going to say when they find…out about this?...Will each of them think…the same way…about…me?...U-Unfriend me?...Ignore and practically disown me?...tch….I-I can't believe I did this…I'm such an idiot…so damned foolish…" She continued as her voice was muffled ever so slightly.

Shokuhou looked down at her for a couple moments before she walked towards the door.

I knew she was going to feel bad for it, but… she thought to herself as she felt something rising in her chest as she bit down on the side of her cheek.

I didn't think she was going to be this hard on herself….

When she opened the door, she saw the relieved face of Heaven Canceller until it fell just as quickly when he saw Asher huddled in on herself from afar.

"She's not taking some of her memories well," Shokuhou stated before he said anything as she looked down towards the floor. "I guess I underestimated how much those events affected her. She has never wanted me to use my ability on her at any capacity, but now she's practically begging me to…..and I can't without straining that mind of hers too far, since her gravity field isn't dampened anymore."

After a few moments of hearing that, he let out a sigh as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault if that's what you're thinking. Just as much as the events of her past aren't her fault. She has always had a hard time talking about it at any capacity, so it isn't surprising that this happened from finally being able to actually remember it fully. I don't think she has had one in a while, but anxiety attacks aren't all that rare for her to have when it comes to something like this." He explained. "Though, since it tends to be fairly difficult to calm her down without that friend of hers here, I'm going to give her something to get that anxiety of hers to a more manageable level. In the meantime, just stay in here with her and I'll go prepare it."

Shokuhou nodded her head at that as he went down the hallway into another room.

When she turned back, she walked over towards where Asher was and sat down on the floor next to her, hearing her mumbling through her rushed pants under her breath.

"It's my fault….all my fault…th-they were right about me….there weren't just inaccurate…assumptions about me…..since it's true that…I wanted to destroy them….along with this city…" She heard her say that caused Shokuhou's eyes to widen slightly.

Is she talking about… she thought to herself, thinking back to when she had stopped the nurses from talking so callously about her after one of them had tried to land a hit on her.

She released a sigh at that, slowly bringing her hand to sit on Asher's back, not noticing when the trembling began to tamper off just a bit.

"You probably can't hear me or believe me when I say this in your current state….so there's no point in just keeping it to myself…" Shokuhou said as she looked up towards the ceiling, "But they are wrong about you as you are too lazy to want to attain something as ambitious as that. It's to the extent that even I sometimes forget how smart you actually are and how driven you can get when you decide to use that one stubborn bone of yours to go do something…."

"If they were right about you, you wouldn't be as distressed and torn up about it as you are now. Or had nearly allowed that idiot to actually hit you if I hadn't stepped in, since you probably wouldn't have cared if he had by most likely sending him into a wall right after. You always try not to act like you don't care what people say about you, with as you are currently being a good example as any that you actually do. And even that brute you consider your friend has probably always seen that as well…."

"I know I shouldn't have forced you to relive that experience so suddenly. It wasn't the best for me either even seeing it from afar and seeing it again during that headscan. And it seems I hurt you with my ability because of it, since my Mental out and your GravShift seem to always come as a detriment to the both of us when I try to go deeper than I should. I try not to hurt those I control, but it seems I can't ever avoid it when it comes to you, especially with that stubbornness you have coming out at the wrong times for the wrong reasons. But still…I'm…sorry for that, Zierdan."

After staying silent for a couple moments after saying that, she heard a sigh ring out form below her, feeling the girl who had been trembling up a storm, sit up shakily but not as much as before.

"You're right, I am having a hard time believing you." Asher stated as her voice cracked slightly as Shokuhou looked over at her in surprise. "But even with that…I do appreciate what you said. It was in some ways…comforting and was enough to calm me down just a bit. So thank you. I… needed to hear that."

Shokuhou's cheeks heated up in embarrassment before she looked away and crossed her arms.

"Hmph, the one time you actually use those ears of yours to listen to me for once is the one time you weren't even supposed to." She stated as she forced annoyance in her voice before she released a sigh of her own. "But you're welcome. Don't expect it to come as easily next time."

"Sorry," Asher said with a few laughs under her breath as she tried to get her breathing somewhat controlled. "I know it probably was something you wanted to keep to yourself, but even at times like that, my hearing is still pretty sensitive to the point that it bypassed the limiter on my Amps this time, so I couldn't help but to hear it. Even over the noise or I guess memories going off in my head."

"Do you-"

"No…I don't want to talk about it. So please don't force it." Asher stated as she cut her off. "I know, I probably should and not keep it to myself. But, if I do right now….it might trigger me to have another anxiety attack again on top of the one that still hasn't even stopped yet, which would be unpleasant and not very great for something like my heart to go through again but worse in comparison."

"Have you always had those if you don't mind me asking? I don't think I've ever seen you like that before." Shokuhou asked.

"I don't mind answering that." Asher replied as she looked over at her tiredly. "I can say that before the experiments and even during them, I didn't really have any. But I guess from bottling up everything during those years caught up with me the time after..."

"As the Doctor said earlier, I haven't had one in a long while since I've gotten better when it comes to handling my anxiety since it mostly deals with certain things involving the experiment itself and the damage I endured because of it. Though today has been pretty stressful to the point I've nearly had two not including the one now, during this pretty lackluster visit to the hospital. Both of which you surprisingly stopped before it progressed too far to be considered one by using that annoying ability of yours."

"Really?" Shokuhou asked in surprise before her eyes widened in realization, twiddling with her fingers nervously. "Oh you're referring to the restroom visit and I guess the minor freak out before the 2nd part of the headscan. One of which I was hoping you would have forgotten about."

"Well considering Mikoto isn't even in the hospital right now, tells me for a fact that she wasn't here to begin with." Asher stated with slight amuse in her voice. "She would have stayed if she had come here from being the worried wart she is, which is the only reason why I know now it was you. Even if it wasn't all that moral to do so, I don't blame you for doing something like that as that was probably the only way to get me to calm down to some extent."

"Even though it was beautifully done, if you forget that, then I will forget the outburst you had that nearly forced me to become a wall decoration." Shokuhou said as she brought her hand out for a truce with Asher shaking it without any hesitation.

"Already done…." She replied before hearing her phone vibrate in her pocket.

When she looked down, she saw that it was Misaka calling her and immediately sweatdropped when she realized at that point that she hadn't talked to her at all these last couple of hours while she was here.

She probably thinks I've gotten kidnapped by someone by now… she thought to herself as she released a sigh, seeing multiple missed calls from the girl in question.

As she went to answer it, her mind flashed back to the day of her nightmares as her trembling started to get worse.

[Asher stood outside and took control of the gravity of the entire multifloored building, preparing to drop the whole thing on the esper inside.

She hesitated for a couple seconds before closing her eyes as she crushed her hand in a fist.

"Fall," Asher said under her breath as she lowered her hand quickly towards the ground, immediately causing the building to crumble under the pressure of her gravity.

A dust cloud was immediately created as she let out a sigh under her breath, turning her back away from the demolished building behind her.

"Not even she could survive something like that." ]

I did that….I did that….I did that to her…. she continuously thought to herself as she stared down at her phone, seeing it beginning to disappear as her surroundings faded into a gray and rainy day and watched on as a building crumbled on top of the Electromaster by her own hands.

At some point, Shokuhou looked over and saw that Asher was giving her phone something almost similar to a 1000 yard stare, as her shaking began to go back into the state it was previously.

When she looked over her shoulder and saw who was calling her, she gently shook Asher's shoulder in which seemed to break her out of her daze.

"Do you think it's wise to talk over the phone with that girl? She would probably be able to hear the distress in your voice with the additional uneven amount of breathing you're doing, in which would prompt her to immediately come here, to my disliking…." Shokuhou asked as Asher released a sigh and clutched the front of her head.

"Even if you don't want her to come here for the wrong reasons, I understand what you're trying to get at." Asher said as she instinctively put her hand on her chest as her heart began to accelerate even though she had just calmed down. "She'll know something is up and come here, and then try to get some sort of confession out of me for why I'm like this right now. I honestly don't want her to see me like this after seeing how I was this morning. I at least want whatever that Doctor is preparing before I converse with her, since it'll most likely reduce me to a state that wouldn't allow me to have enough energy to talk to her to begin with. He's also probably going to run some tests before I leave as well."

"Do you think you're going to even be capable of walking out of this hospital with whatever it is and after doing a very extensive headscan today?" Shokuhou asked as she looked over at the girl skeptically, seeing her beginning to text Misaka after her phone had stopped ringing. "There's a pretty decent chance you'll crash before you even get halfway to your dorm."

"I think you're overexaggerating a bit. Sure I'll most likely feel like passing out, but I should be able to get back with little trouble. Disliking coming to a hospital is one thing, but overnight stays is probably something I'd say I dislike even more. Though the only way for the Doctor to even allow me to leave would be if someone comes with me, which I'll get Mikoto to come at that point."

"Hmmmmm," Shokuhou hummed aloud as a mischievous smile came on her face. "I'd like to test that theory, since that logic of yours is flawed to some capacity."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asher asked with slight annoyance as the girl next to her seemed like she was trying to get something out of her. "Are you implying that I can't?"

"Well well, now that you ask, yes I most certainly am. Even with that intellect of yours, I'd say your glazing over a couple details, which is surprising for those analytical skills you may or may not have." Shokuhou continued as Asher's eyebrow began to twitch.

"Can you just go on and get to the point? I'm not about to be ran in circles because of you. I don't have the energy to do such a thing right now." Asher said bluntly before hearing Shokuhou release a few laughs under her breath, increasing her irritation even more.

"Oh I know, but it seems that energy level of yours is about as low as it always is 24/7. And now you think you can just leave this hospital as easily as you got here, even after you drugged yourself from not keeping up your guard?" Shokuhou stated amusedly as the heat began to slowly creep up on Asher's face.

"I don't know why you're trying to get on my nerves right now, but you're starting to spout some illogical nonsense." Asher stated as her body began to shake more in frustration than anxiety. "How the heck would I have drugged myself if I wasn't told there was another drug in there to begin with?"

"Exactly, though not surprising you fell for such a thing." Shokuhou stated as she closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "I had my bet that you wouldn't but, again that logic of yours failed you once again."

"What…the absolute hell are you trying to get at here because I'm honestly about to lose the last bit of my patience with you." Asher hissed as she tried to keep her composure, a vein beginning to pulsate on her head. "We were doing so well for a few moments there and you're about to go and toss that out the window."

"Aw, well I don't know. I might be overestimating that energy of yours to see if such a thing could happen. It wouldn't be as much fun if I beat you so easily. So just forget I said anything…" Shokuhou stated as she waved it off, as the room went silent for a few moments.

3…2…..and, Shokuhou thought to herself as she saw Asher's phone nearly break in her hold.

"How would you even know what I'll do if you won't just go and say whatever you want to FREAKING SAY!? Every part of what you just said is completely illogical to even say about me in the first place! I don't think you'll find it the least bit amusing when I will be able to do whatever the hell you want me to do!" Asher snapped as she looked over at Shokuhou and seeing the smile on her face.

"Oh do you really think you'll be able to?" Shokuhou asked as she quirked up one of her eyebrows.

"YES, just go on and say it Shokuhou, and stop playing these stupid mind games with me!" Asher shouted before her eyes widened in realization.

I dislike this girl so much…. Asher thought to herself, realizing she was just tricked into something when seeing the triumph on her face.

"Yay! That's nice to hear, Asher." Shokuhou stated as she heard her release an annoyed sigh. "I was hoping you would agree to participate in this little challenge of mine. Are you ready to hear it?"

"I despise you and everything you just did. What is it with people trying to get me angry or annoyed for no reason at all?" Asher said as she crossed her arms. "But go on, since it sounds like I walked into this completely provoked…."

"Well, as I said it is fairly easy in a way for the both of us and involves whether or not you'll reach the dorms without passing out on the way there since you seem so keen on leaving before you have any time to recover. All you have to do to win is make it there with no issues." Shokuhou stated as she pointed towards her before pointing at herself.

"And I'll win if it turns out that I was right and you're too drained to make such a trip in the state you'll be in."

"Alright but knowing you there's some sort of condition or incentive involved in this." Asher said skeptically.

"Precisely! We may have only known each other since our 1st year at Tokiwadai, but you know me so well!" Shokuhou said with delight in her voice as Asher deadpanned. "But, the condition is, if you win I'll keep my lips sealed relating to all of the events today and allow you to say it to our other Level 5 counterpart in your own time. If I win, however, I won't afford you such a luxury and tell her today so that you don't end up waiting until the last moment."

"That shouldn't even be your decision to make…" Asher said in annoyance.

"And it won't be, since you'll win right?" Shokuhou said with confidence in her voice. "You seemed to be so confident in that fact, so shouldn't you go and do it so you'll know I won't say anything to her at any capacity? And I'm put at a slight disadvantage since my time to do so is confined to today, which is already close to ending."

Asher contemplated on that fact, as she looked over at her skeptically.

"What game are you trying to play Shokuhou? I feel like you're trying to slip something under my nose." Asher stated, seeing her shake her head.

"I'm not hiding anything of the sort. I've told you everything you need to know and I honestly don't think anything in it is that underhanded in the slightest. So…." Shokuhou said as she held out her hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

Asher looked down at her hand, thinking through everything that she had just said.

Everything seems pretty straightforward…. Asher thought to herself as she contemplated it.

I don't know why, but I'm sensing some sort of motive here…..though as she said this whole thing works in my favor more than anything.

It may use a considerable amount of energy, but I should be fine with Mikoto walking with me.

That anxiety medicine the Doctor gives me may be strong to the point it practically incapacitates my brain from thinking straight enough to talk let alone use my ability and the strain from the headscan, which still hasn't hit in full force yet, may add to said exhaustion, but I still think I'll be able to do this without a chance of her even winning this….

"Alright, even though I may not like it…I accept." Asher replied as she shook her hand.

And in any case, she continued to think, not noticing the glint in Shokuhou's eyes.

She wouldn't even be able to get close to Mikoto enough to tell her such a thing in the short amount of time she has….so I think I'll win either way.


Somewhere within the 7th District…

"Why isn't this girl picking up her cellphone!?" Misaka asked in irritation aloud as she was walking in the parking lot with the lady from earlier today behind her.

They had finally arrived to the parking lot that the woman's car was most definitely was in. As they were walking towards its location, Misaka had tried calling Asher herself to see what she was up to, with it going to voice mail each time she had tried these last couple of hours.

Not making the Electromaster the least bit happy…

"What's wrong? Is it still about that friend of yours?" The woman asked as Misaka crossed her arms in irritation.

"GRRGH! YES!" Misaka shouted angrily enough for steam to almost come out of her ears. "She is sure going to have it when I get back to the dorms. She has probably been there sleeping for who knows how long."

After a while, they had finally arrived to the blue car that the woman had been looking for, promptly walking over and getting in the driver's seat.

"Thanks so much for helping me today." The woman said graciously as Misaka nodded her head with a smile on her face.

"No problem! Have a nice rest of your evening and drive safely." Misaka said with a closed eyed smile as the woman smiled back at her and drove away.

When she got out of her sight, she laughed to herself slightly after realizing the weird air that had been surrounding the woman herself.

"Now that I think about it, who forgets where they parked their car? Even with that selective memory of hers, even someone like Zierdan wouldn't have been able to do such a thing. So, there's definitely something off about her alright."

As Misaka began to walk down the sidewalk, she paused in one of her steps as she remembered her current frustration with the girl she had just mentioned.

"Oh right I almost forgot about her!" Misaka said angrily as one of her eyebrows twitched, bringing her phone back out to give the girl one last chance to answer her call.

When she did, her eyes widened in slight surprise when she saw a text message from her that read:

Sorry for missing all of your calls before. I'm still busy with my appointment at the hospital today and will probably still be for the next hour or two. I'll call or text you when I get done, though, so don't worry in the meantime.

-Z

Misaka sighed at that, feeling some relief and her irritation decrease considerably as she sent her a reply.

"Ughhh, this day has been exhausting even if I haven't even done that much today…" Misaka said as she stretched her arms in the air, seeing how fast the sun was setting in the sky.

I can't believe that guy ruined my day, Misaka thought to herself, remembering the fact that woman from before was pushed onto her by Kamijou when he had ran off.

Next time I see him I'll-

Her thoughts were immediately broken when she heard a recognizable yelp from beside her, seeing the guy in question practically in tears of the eggs he had just lost from dropping them on the ground.

"I can't believe this…They all broke. These poor, poor eggs I waited for 2 hours lost their lives because of my own rotten luck. A whole week's worth of breakfast just gone in an instant." Kamijou said tearfully before he noticed that Misaka was standing behind him.

Silence fell between them for a second, before it caught up with Misaka that he was actually right in front of her…

"I can't believe that you had the nerve to run away for this earlier! You left me with some crazy exhibitionist lady and a barely even functioning Zierdan just so you could go and do some shopping!?" Misaka asked in annoyance as she pointed.

"Well you know for a poor student like I am, getting groceries when they're on sale can be a matter of life and death! Which is something you couldn't understand due to being someone who goes to Tokiwadai!" Kamijou replied as he brought out his broken eggs into her view.

"Hey, I didn't have an awesome day either you know!" Misaka stated. "Zierdan had go off to the hospital, leaving me with that weird lady all by myself, where not even an hour or two later, she goes and strips for everyone to see after getting her skirt dirty! I had to go and wash it and after all that she told me I was playing-"

Misaka immediately stopped at that as her face heated up, remembering what the lady had said to her before.

["I think you understand what I'm trying to say here. That thing where you try to pretend you hate someone, but you're actually nuts about them. What do they call it again?...Oh I remember now…Is it playing hard to get?"]

"What is it?" Kamijou asked in confusion as Misaka face heated up to the point of concern when it started smoking.

After pausing for a couple moments, Misaka snapped out of her embarrassment as she looked down towards the ground.

"Forget about that! You owe me a fight!" She shouted.

"I don't understand why you want to fight me again. You've lost every last one of them so far, if I remember correctly." He replied, hearing her grumble slightly under her breath before she looked away from him.

"Shut up! I haven't even shown you the full extent of my power, so I haven't lost anything. And that last one didn't count since Zierdan decided to come and save you, which is something she won't be able to do this time!" She replied as Kamijou released a sigh in front of her.

"Then, how do you presume we can resolve that?" He asked as Misaka looked at him in surprise before realization came on her face.

"Well it's pretty simple really, since all I have to do is beat you up." She stated pridefully before her irritation increased when she heard him release another sigh.

"Quit with all the sighing already! I already have to deal with Zierdan's enough as it is, but at least hers are not as irritating and rude as the ones you're giving me!" She said angrily as she put her hands on her hips.

"All right, I give." Kamijou conceded as he rose to his feet. "If this is the only thing that will satisfy you, I'm up to taking you on."

"Okay then," Misaka said with a smirk. "I'm glad you finally came around…"

Since there's no way, you're going to beat me this time!


2 hours later…

School District 7 Hospital

I feel…like I'm literally about to keel over if I just breath the wrong way…or just breath in any way in general, Asher thought to herself tiredly as she began to make her way towards the front of the hospital.

After Heaven Canceller had administered to her a stronger sedative than she had originally thought he was going to, it seemed like everything completely went downhill in terms of keeping herself coherent let alone in a conscious state.

Even though it took a couple hours, the Doctor finally had done all of his tests and allowed her to leave under the condition that she had someone with her when she goes back to the dorms.

With the girl currently escorting her to the front to wait on that said person, being the last one on her list for her to ever call.

"Aw, what's wrong Asher?" Shokuhou asked playfully from afar as she leaned her back on the wall behind her. "I thought you said you were going to have enough energy to leave the hospital, but it looks like you can barely get down the hallway in your current condition."

"Shut…up…" Asher said groggily before her balance teetered enough for her to brace herself on the wall next to her. "And aren't…you supposed to be…to…be…be…umm…."

"Helping you?" Shokuhou asked amusedly, as the girl in front of her looked over at her in annoyance, since she had been having a hard time being able to focus on fully completing some of her sentences.

"Y-Yes," Asher said through gritted teeth as she used the wall to help her walk, with her finally able to catch up with her. "Which is…something…that you're ….you're umm …f-failing at tch….dang my head hurts."

"I told you that you were going to be strained from the headscan itself, with that drug in your system just wearing you out even further." Shokuhou stated as she sent her a sideways glance, seeing how pale her skin was currently. "You honestly look like complete and utter crap right now, so I'll ask you again: are you sure you don't want to stay here for the night? I mean, what's the harm in it?"

"N-No I….I uh….umm…crap…" Asher said, closing her eyes to get her thoughts together. "Hospitals…make me…un….uncomfortable….I don't…w-want to spend the…the night here…about as…as much as I don't want to….be walking with you…."

"Wow, well that attitude of yours is still relatively intact." Shokuhou said playfully. "You didn't seem to be all there when that Doctor gave whatever to you, so it's a refreshing thing to hear after hearing you practically in a mumbling mess a couple of hours ago."

Of all people he got to keep me company, why did it have to be her? Asher thought to herself as she let out a sigh.

"Well ex-excuse me for being basically…at m-my limit….both mentally and….and physically ri…right now…" Asher said in annoyance as she pushed herself off the wall to walk on her own, leaving Shokuhou behind as she let out a couple of laughs under her breath.

As soon as they made it to the front, Asher felt unbelievably lightheaded when she sat down, sitting her head in her hands as she felt Shokuhou staring daggers at the back of her head.

"Why…a-are you…st-still here….Shoku…hou?" Asher strained as she tried to keep herself from getting nauseous from how dizzy she was feeling.

"Just making sure you're able to at least message Misaka that you're done. I mean, I would grace you with my presence even more by walking back to the dorms with you, but since you live in the one outside of the Garden of Learning, it's sadly not possible for me to do so."

Asher let out a small sigh after she heard that, reaching into her pocket and retrieving her phone.

When she looked down at it, she was able to see the message that Misaka had sent her before.

No it's fine! I'll see you then!

-MK

She smiled slightly at that before her smile fell about as quickly as it came, from being reminded by her head of how much it was hurting and about all the memories she now had, regarding the experiment itself…

Remembering every single event that had transpired to the point before the device had been destroyed with Misaka's electricity.

After hesitating for a couple moments, she was able to send her a text for her to meet her at the Hospital, since she couldn't leave it herself.

"There…I did it….y-you can go now…." Asher said tiredly. "I'm just going to take a….n-nap…before she gets here…."

"Ohhh, reading in between the lines of our agreement it seems. I never thought you'd be so clever." Shokuhou said aloud as she brought one of her remotes from her bag and pressed a button, with the girl in question not even noticing a single thing.

"J-Just go al…ready…" Asher said as she began to fall asleep. "You're…stressing me….me….out enough as ….it is…w-when I'm…supp…osed to be….umm….relaxing to some extent…."

"Okay, fine if that's what you want, I guess I'll grant you your wish." Shokuhou stated as she began to walk away with Asher already completely out.

Seems the plan is coming together better than I hoped it would… Shokuhou thought to herself as she smiled every step she took out of the door.


A little while later...

Misaka was walking down the sidewalk towards the Hospital….

Scratch that, more like stomping down the sidewalk towards the Hospital after her fight with Kamijou moments before.

She had hit him with enough things to take out probably most people, with him not even receiving a single scratch, tallying up another loss in her book.

When she had began chasing him away, it was then she noticed that she had received a message from Asher to come and meet her at the Hospital, tanking some of that frustration enough to stop her from chasing the boy all the way home.

I can't believe that idiot! How is it that he can handle my power like that!? She thought angrily with a huff, before she calmed herself down when she had arrived at the hospital doors.

What made her slightly confused was due to the fact that Asher was not standing out there, as some confusion fell on her face when she turned to enter and go up to the lady at the reception desk.

"Hey, can I ask you a real quick question?" Misaka asked nicely as she sent her a nod. "Do you happen to know where I can find someone named Zierdan Asher? She texted me earlier saying she was done with her appointment, so I'm here to sort of say pick her up."

"Oh, Miss Asher is sitting over there by the waiting area. But just something to let you know before you go over there, her Doctor had to give her something to calm her down a bit after she had a pretty severe anxiety attack a few hours ago. So, she may be pretty tired and not very coherent at times as a word of warning."

"Oh, okay." Misaka said as her expression fell slightly. "Thanks for letting me know!"

When she ran over to where she said she would be, she saw the girl in question slumped over in her chair slightly and looked to be completely out since she didn't even move an inch when she had walked up in front of her.

Her concern only grew when she saw how faded the blue streaks in her hair were, indicating to her that her gravity field was about as weak in comparison to as weak as she perceived her to be.

"Hey, Zierdan…." She began to say as she crouched to her knees, shaking the legs of the girl in front of her. "It's time to wake up. You can do more of that when we get back to the dorm."

After a few moments, she seemed to be coming out of her sleep slowly after she let out a groan and immediately rubbed the side of her head in discomfort.

"Owwww,….my h-head hurts….." She mumbled before cracking her eyes open and seeing Misaka smiling up at her. "Oh….h-hey…Mi…koto…..I didn't…um…notice you there….sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize. I've heard that you had a rough day today and they gave you something to help a little bit." Misaka stated as she saw her trying her best to keep her focus on her. "Do you feel any better now?"

"To be honest…with you….not really…." She replied as she let out a sigh. "My head…feels like a….um hammer…has ….be-..beaten it…over…and…and over again…..while my body….feels like uh….I was in some sort….o-of car wreck….So long story short…everything just hurts…and I'm so very tired…"

"Do you think you can make it to the dorm like this?" Misaka asked in concern from hearing her explanation as she saw her nod her head slightly. "I know it may not be pleasant to do this, but I could get Kuroko to come here and teleport you back."

"Yeah true…b-but if you…did that…..that would just make…me…reach …my my…um breaking point…" Asher stated with a few laughs under breath as she got herself to stand with Misaka helping her out. "Her…ability may be convenient for you….a-and her…but doing it…th-that far…would most likely incapacitate me…for days…I would…throw up enough…to send me back here before the night is even over."

"Oh yeah almost forgot about that, motion sickness and teleporting…not a great match is it?" Misaka said amusedly as she laughed to herself slightly, holding onto Asher's wrist to keep her steady as they left the hospital.

"N-nope…." Asher replied, focusing a lot on keeping her footing and consciousness intact.

After they had walked a while, Misaka looked back and saw Asher's head towards the ground, seeing her other hand remaining on her neck as she rubbed it incessantly.

What's making her so uncomfortable? Misaka thought in concern.

As soon as she looked back in front of her, she felt Asher's hand fall from her grip which caused her to immediately whip her head around to see what was wrong.

"Hey what's-?"

Before she could finish her comment, she was immediately shocked and surprised when she felt Asher wrap her arms around her neck and feeling her lay her head on her shoulder.

As silence rang out through the air for a few moments, Misaka finally brought her arms to hug Asher back, somewhat shocked to have seen her instigate this type of contact to begin with since she herself was normally the one to do so.

"Hey, like for real Zierdan…what's wrong with you? Can you please tell me so we can talk about it? It seems to be eating you up whatever it is… enough so that it made you have an anxiety attack." Misaka asked as she felt Asher clutch her tighter before she let out a shaky sigh.

"So you heard about that…fr-from the reception….lady I guess?" Asher stated mostly to herself before rubbing her eyes. "I'm not surprised…I-I would tell…you but….I j-just can't….as of this moment….It would make it t-too real for me…if I did…so I'll just settle for this…for now."

"I thought you were against 'sneak attack hugs' like this one?" Misaka said jokingly. "Have you taken after Saten on such a habit?"

"No…I wouldn't say that…." Asher said as she laughed slightly before sniffling softly though enough so that Misaka was able to hear it. "I…j-just really needed….one…and…since…I rarely ever do this….I thought…it…would...benefit…the both of us…to….some extent…I'm not usually…the one giving them to …anyone…but I never…said I don't see the value in giving or receiving one...either."

"Oh alright, if you say so." Misaka said aloud as she felt her shaking slightly enough to catch her attention.

Even though she's trying to hide it so hard from me to not get me to talk about it, I can tell there's more to this than she's letting on if she's…like this….. Misaka thought to herself as she held the girl in her arms tighter, feeling wetness gradually forming on the shoulder her face was pressed against.

She's trying to keep herself composed enough to not fall to pieces for some reason. I want her to get whatever it is off her chest, but I know if I do, she'll probably won't be able to keep herself together anymore….

Yes there may be times to push it….but I know that right now…

That isn't one of those times….


About 15 minutes later…

After Asher had decided to walk on her own, they were walking side by side after making it almost halfway towards the dorm, where Asher was nearly reaching her energy quota for the day.

The exhaustion and light-headedness that was already there began to hit her in waves, causing her to stumble in some of her steps as they made their way closer and closer to the dorm that almost seemed completely out of reach.

She would have probably passed out by now, but with Shokuhou's challenge hanging over her head, she was using up all of her will to do the complete opposite of what her body wanted to do.

Though, Misaka could tell that she wasn't doing so hot, seeing her skin paling further and further each step they took.

"Um, Z…" Misaka stated as Asher sent her a sideways glance. "Do you want to take a break?"

"No…I'm d-doing…com-completely fine…." Asher stated as Misaka sweatdropped, seeing her eyes constantly dropping from the effort of talking alone.

"Right, that was about as believable if a rock had said it." Misaka stated. "Probably even more so if something like that actually happened."

"Yeah…I kn-know…" Asher said with a tired sigh. "I probably…look…like…like crap right now….which would be…an understatement….since I honestly…feel like I'm either….uh…going to pass out….throw up….or just everything in between…."

"Then if that's the case, we most certainly have to give you some time to rest Zierdan." Misaka stated as she walked in front of Asher to stop her from walking any further.

"And I w-will do that….once I….once…I um….g-get back to the dorms…." Asher stated as she softly moved Misaka out of the way. "I can't rest….h-here….I'll end up….p-passing out f-faster than I am close….to doing….right now…You'd end…up…having….to umm….carry me…"

And I would lose that bet with Shokuhou, Asher continuously thought to herself as she pushed herself more and more, seeing the edges of her vision darkening further and further.

"And what's wrong with me doing that? We may be around the same height and weight, but I should be able to carry you with no problem and use my ability to get us back to the dorm faster." Misaka said triumphantly.

"No…I'm fine….Like really I-I am…." She replied sluggishly. "I don't…want to b-burden you…more than I already…have today…so I'm just….going to try….my uh…best to get there…before I crash…completely."

"Zierdan this isn't up for discussion." Misaka stated as she grabbed her wrist, stopping her from moving any further. "You're not burdening me with anything. What you are doing is pushing yourself for almost no reason at all and you really need to take a break."

Immediately upon causing her to stop for the second time, Asher felt a massive wave of exhaustion overcome her, already feeling her knees buckling as Misaka looked down at her in surprise.

D-dang….it…..I can't….. Asher thought to herself as the light faded from her eyes, not able to respond to the shout of concern when Misaka called to her.

She must have…known that somehow…that headscan would end up…doing this to me….

I guess I'm exhausted more than I thought….I was going to be…

["What game are you trying to play Shokuhou? I feel like you're trying to slip something under my nose." She stated, seeing her shake her head.

"I'm not hiding anything of the sort. I've told you everything you need to know and I honestly don't think anything in it is that underhanded in the slightest. So…." Shokuhou said as she held out her hand. "Do we have an agreement?"]

That girl…I don't know why but I feel like…. she continued to think as she felt her body beginning to slump as her mind fell into darkness.

This is what she wanted to happen in the first place….


"Hey Z! Zierdan say something!" Misaka shouted slightly panicked when the girl in question had slumped onto her and went completely limp.

She must've passed out…. she thought to herself as she looked down at her in concern.

"And this is exactly what I knew was going to happen if you kept pushing yourself." Misaka said with a sigh as she narrowed her gaze when thinking back to the last thing she had said to her.

["No…I'm fine….Like really I-I am…." Asher replied sluggishly. "I don't…want to b-burden you…more than I already…have today…so I'm just….going to try….my uh…best to get there…before I crash…completely."]

You're always thinking about the last thing you should even be thinking about, Misaka thought to herself as she wrapped Asher's arm around her neck as she brought them up to their feet.

"Burden? You should be thinking about your own health, silly. Which is something that I seem to have to constantly remind you about." Misaka stated aloud as they slowly but surely progressed down the sidewalk.

After a couple moments of her saying that, she immediately stopped when she began hearing laughs coming from under her, looking down and seeing Asher covering her face.

"Wow it seems I got you really good. I can't believe you fell for this, ahahhhaha." Asher said under her breath as Misaka stopped in the middle of the sidewalk speechless and utterly confused.

"Wait what?" Misaka said aloud as she leaned off her seemingly completely fine and did not even seem to look as tired as she was before…

"What's that face for? Didn't like my little prank I did on you? Ahahahaha." Asher stated as she kept her head bowed as she continued to laugh under her breath. "I mean I think it was pretty hilarious to see and hear your reaction. I didn't expect that much concern to be in that voice of yours."

Misaka's face fell in disbelief before she gritted her teeth in irritation as she grabbed Asher's collar, seeing the smirk on her face as the bangs of her light-blonde hair hid the upper half of her features.

"GRRGHH! Zierdan what the hell do you even mean a prank!?" Misaka asked angrily. "I'm not in the mood for them whatsoever from seeing the state you literally were just in and now you're saying that you were faking this entire time!? What were you trying to get out of me from doing something like that!?"

"Oh, nothing Misaka. I just wanted a good laugh to be quite honest with you. And that was the only way I could see that happening." Asher stated amusedly as she shrugged her arms. "Though it seems you don't seem to like it at all that much and that's such a shame."

Misaka's irritation nearly skyrocketed at that comment before it diminished just as fast from hearing what Asher had just called her.

"Misaka?" She said under her breath in slight confusion as the hold on Asher's shirt faltered.

"Right, I almost forgot that she calls you that. Dang, I thought I could draw this out a little bit longer." Asher stated as she began to raise her head. "But I guess I can't. Asher is a lot harder to even begin to impersonate, so you would've probably figured it out sooner or later, so I shouldn't even try to waste anymore time."

"What is that supposed to-" Misaka said in confusion before her eyes widened when looking into her blue eyes and seeing yellow sparkles within them, which immediately caused her to stiffen in shock.

"What the…Tch…" Misaka trailed off before she frowned in annoyance as electricity sparked around her hair. "Why the hell are you using your ability to control Zierdan, Shokuhou!?"

"Now now, don't get hasty now." Asher (Shokuhou) stated amusedly as she sent her a cunning glance that almost matched the esper in question. "I don't think Asher, would enjoy if you shocked her in the state she's in right now. So, I think it would be best to keep that temper of yours under control and allow me to have a nice chat with you for the time being."

Tch, what the hell is even happening right now!? Misaka thought in confusion as she looked down at the face that was supposed to be her friend, as the mind of someone she completely disliked and nearly despised was there in her place.


Word Count of Chapter: 13480 |Page Count: 24 pages |Reviews: 39 | Followers: 37 |Favorites: 31


Review Replies

Blankow: Thanks! Next chapter may have a few more flashbacks but the main one is basically done for now.

I thought the best thing to end a fight such as that one would be Misaka's own rendition of a 'Touma punch,' something that Z would have never seen coming, since her defenses are fairly difficult to get through.

Silas has been an interesting character to write due to his central importance for Z's overall character, so I'm glad I got his character down fairly well.

WW3 and New Testament are so far down the line that I don't even know how she will be involved lol. I'll need to catch up to those events at some point, but as of right now I honestly don't have much of anything:)


drak3n: Yes! Glad to hear that:D


Addie101: Thank you:)


Thanks for your reviews!

-PurpleClover99