A/N: I hope you enjoy this verbal fist-fight, it took me only two months to write. There is an important Author's Note in the end, please give it a read. Enjoy!


Bargain

Is this how he repays his debt? Mikoto thought, pressing the appropriate button. What a liar!

The elevator doors slid close, and she barely registered her stomach lunge before the metal box started descending to the fourth basement.

On second thought, why did I trust the word of a criminal in the first place? She tucked the pale pink scarf tighter around her neck. Yet, the cold continued creeping inside her coat all the way to her bones.

This was turning into her most irrational decision so far, and she had hijacked several fighter planes in the middle of escalating hostilities the past few months. Making her case worse, she had been discharged that same morning from the hospital. Her wounds had healed, for the most part, leaving her free to do whatever she pleased—unlike her friends who were still in extensive care. That was why no one had stopped her from tracking him down. It hadn't been too hard, anyway. The news broadcast had had a field day with the trial of Academy City's new Superintendent, leaving nothing to the imagination.

When Mikoto stepped outside the elevator though, finding another cold hallway to cross, her resolve sounded more like an excuse. Shaking the thought away, she squared her shoulders and trod forward. The distance to the cell was less than a hundred steps away, a straight line from the elevator doors. There were only security cameras on this floor. Humans or drones would have been unnecessary, considering who was contained there.

Why guard someone that could tear these walls as easily as ripping paper?

Her steps echoed in the silence like hammer strikes. Still, there was no reaction from the inmate. The back of his leather office chair stood unmoving as it faced the wall. Only when Mikoto reached the crisscrossing bars, something creaked inside the cell. It was so subtle though. She could have imagined the sound.

Clenching and unclenching her fists, she pondered how to start. Misaka Mikoto wasn't someone who considered her words in the elegant way her refined school preached she should—or in any considerate way, as others had remarked before. Instead, the words rushed directly out her heart, sometimes a raging torrent, others as a silent whisper. But when it came to facing Accelerator on her terms, she had put some thought into it. Even that meticulous work didn't currently live up to reality.

"I'm surprised you know your way around this place," Accelerator said, cutting to the chase as usual. "Haven't you been nothing short of a good girl, Railgun?"

Mikoto jolted. "I've come here before. On a different floor," she said. Her voice remained even, despite her surprise. "How did you know it was me?"

The chair rotated around at such a slow pace it felt deliberate. Accelerator had a knack for making dramatic entrances that left an everlasting impression on people. In another life, he could be an excellent showman or maybe a feral street-cat. He had the attitude down for both.

Any aggravation Mikoto was trying to suppress turned into confusion when they finally faced each other. Accelerator sat on that chair as if it was a throne, which considering his new status was to be expected. The black and white formal attire wasn't though, even if he had settled for the waistcoat, shirt, and pants combo instead of the complete suit look. Distracted by his fancy appearance, she almost didn't register his next words.

"Security in the lobby reported that you threatened to blast your way through if they didn't clear a path." His crimson eyes bored into her with barely concealed suspicion. "Can't say it was hard enough to guess."

"I didn't know they shared this sort of information with the inmates."

"The perks of also running this place," he said. "Why are you here?"

Mikoto had the snappy retort just at the tip of her tongue but clamped her mouth shut. She shouldn't follow his pace again. She had to stay in control. "So, who died and made you king?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"Perhaps," she said nonchalantly. Everyone who fought against Crowley's Hazards had to be rejoicing for something concrete and tangible, no matter that she never personally saw the body. "But why did they choose you?"

Accelerator sneered, resting his chin against his fist. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Seeing this was going precisely nowhere, Mikoto decided to change her approach. "Operation Handcuffs, then. Interesting approach to get rid of as many Dark Side operatives as possible in one fell swoop," she admitted through gritted teeth. "Though the execution of that idea was all over the place, don't you think?"

Understanding crossed his features. "For the record, your little teleporter friend knew what she was getting into."

"No, she didn't!"

Truth be told, Kuroko hadn't regained consciousness yet to ask her directly and the tearful phone call from Kazari only muddled the waters even further. While Judgment had been involved in Anti-Skill operations before, their role had been mostly a supportive one. They were a group of volunteering students, after all.

Why would one need to be right into a back-alley brawl turned battlefield?

Her nails pierced the skin of her palm, the pain spreading across her hand like liquid fire. Mikoto continued with a strained voice. "Sure, she was debriefed about something. But I won't believe she expected this madness! I can't!"

"No one did." Accelerator's fingers drummed against the armrest. "Even though I had personally requested for Ms. Judgment Officer."

"You what?!"

"This wasn't to get back at you or anything, Railgun. Some people had to be spared from the purge. I had promised them that much," he answered solemnly. "Your friend happened to have a record of bending the rules to carry justice around the city. It looked like the perfect match."

"And did this little arrangement of yours work out in theirs or anyone's favor?" She grabbed the bars, giving them a little tug. "It didn't. It failed so spectacularly that you had to hide in here instead."

"I'm not hiding. This is the result of my past actions," he said with a shrug. "I'm sure you didn't forget those involved killing people, amongst thousand other offenses."

"Yeah, sure. But why now? Why not all those months ago?"

"Why?" He crossed his legs. It did little to hide that his foot was bouncing, agitated. "Since when does it concern you what I do with my life? Isn't pestering me about the error of my ways more like Kamijou's prerogative? Altruism doesn't seem like your thing."

"Don't get the wrong idea. This is personal. And, last I checked, that idiot is still somewhere in America doing who knows what." Taking a deep breath, she went for the finishing move. "Maybe that's why Last Order reached out to me this time."

For a split second, Accelerator's eyes widened in alarm. He clenched his jaw to regain his composure, but the damage had already settled.

Gotcha, Mikoto thought with a satisfied grin.

It felt good to have the upper hand in their tug-of-war for once. His trial had sprung upon her without any warning whatsoever, leaving her to scramble on her own for stable ground. While public opinion on the Sisters' existence was currently welcoming to the point of coming across as borderline saccharine and her name hadn't been dragged through the mud just yet, she was waiting for the other shoe to drop at any given moment. Her friends certainly had questions which—if they weren't so preoccupied with Kuroko's condition—Mikoto would have had to answer. She still didn't know whether she was ready to have that conversation with them, and it pissed her off that she was essentially robbed of having a choice.

Reigning over her raging emotions, Mikoto splayed her hands in pretend casualness. "Guess my surprise when, right at the end of your hearing, Last Order burst into my hospital room bawling her eyes out. I thought she'd be by your side, defending you again. But turns out you didn't even want her there," she scorned. "What happened? Got tired of playing house with my clones?"

She didn't stutter, didn't falter. Her voice didn't waver a note. She landed this little speech with deadly accuracy and all that was left was to reap the results. You care for them, don't you?

Instead, Accelerator yawned. "Oh, you're done? Fucking finally," he said with an overly dramatic sigh. Registering her shocked expression, he continued with an edge to his voice. "What? Did you expect something else? I don't regret it, Railgun. Unfortunately, Last Order is so emotional. She must take it from you, really." He leaned forward, lacings his fingers together in front of him. "But imagine the outcry if one of the guinea pigs, supposed to get slaughtered by me eventually, started defending their killer. Not only would it be a major waste of time, but the public would also then turn around and question her integrity. They might demand someone cut her open to find why she is exhibiting such unusual behavior."

"I wouldn't allow that!" Mikoto declared.

"Would you even know? Because I can count a handful of incidents that you are blissfully unaware of regarding your precious Sisters. Just say the word."

Dropping her gaze to the floor, she gnawed into her lower lip. Electricity prickled like thorns against her temple and her fingertips. She had laced into her words all the vitriol she held inside her chest for so long, only for it to bounce off him like it was nothing. Were her hate and anger truly meaningless?

Just as she contemplated if shooting her Railgun at him would force Accelerator to take her seriously, another voice echoed from inside the cell.

"Now, now. You're being exceptionally cruel this time, Master." Something pink dived from some blind spot in the ceiling and landed on the back of the chair like a cat. "You're such an expert at making girls that look exactly like her cry. You have to show some restraint."

The thing, creature, person appeared humanoid. They had the body of a girl with iridescent translucent skin, wearing a shoulderless short dress made from what seemed like old newspapers. But that was where her normal features ended. The tail resembling a squid's tentacle flicked behind her back with a silent whoosh, followed by a weak fluttering of her small bat-like wings. Mikoto would have excused even the pointed ears as part of a chimera creation experiment if it wasn't for the hole in this person's forehead—a dark void right under the brim of her equally translucent hat. There was no way something made by science could remain alive with such a design flaw.

"Stay out of this," Accelerator ordered.

The abnormal girl snickered and turned her orange gaze—like dying coals looking back from inside a fireplace—towards Mikoto. It would have sent a shiver down her spine; if the worst apex predator she had encountered in her life wasn't also glaring at her from a little way below.

"What…" Mikoto gulped. "Who are you?"

She perked up in surprise. "You're the first from Master's friends—" Both choked on air at this comment— "to inquire about me. Everyone treated me as a background ornament."

"That's kinda impossible," she said with an awkward laugh. "You look very…different."

"I'm an artificial demon, that's why."

Mikoto tried to wrap her head around this new information with a hefty amount of patience. Since Magic Gods and Angels exist, why not Demons too? Has the Magic side ever made things easy, anyway? It was already giving her a headache.

"Save your breath." Accelerator plucked the demon's arms off his shoulders. "She doesn't get Magic."

"And I don't need to," Mikoto said, placing her hands on her waist. "She looks human, and we can understand each other. That's all I have to know."

A cheerful smile bloomed on the demon's face. The next moment, she was clinging to the prison bars.

Mikoto took an involuntary step back.

"Looks like I haven't made the best first impression," she lamented and stuck a hand between the bars. "I'm Qliphah Puzzle 545. It's a pleasure to meet you~"

"Misaka Mikoto and same." She tried to shake it but phased through like her hand was made of water. "I guess?"

Qliphah Puzzle chuckled. "You're the oldest sister, right? I was sure it was that mean-looking girl, but she claimed to be the youngest of the bunch. What a weird family you have!"

"That's an understatement."

"Are you here to continue what that little girl tried to do?" she asked in a hopeful tone. "Please say yes! It's so boring here...Master is grumpy all the time and only weirdos drop by to visit." Noticing something in Mikoto's expression, the demon quickly added. "Not that I believe you are someone like that, of course."

"Quit sucking up to her. It's disgusting," Accelerator said. "She was leaving anyway."

Am I? Mikoto thought. Is there no other way to get through to him?

"First of all, you don't get to order me around. I can only imagine what this poor girl is going through—stuck here with your nasty personality. I might stay to chat with her a little."

He rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself."

Fighting the urge to shut down the entire system just to beat some sense into him, Mikoto turned around. Maybe it'd be easier to talk if she didn't have to look at him.

"I don't know what I thought would happen if I came here. It's not like we're close or anything," she scoffed. "If this clone, who is supposed to be under his care, couldn't change the Accelerator's mind, what chances would I have?" Crossing her arms, she leaned against the bars. "For people operating on probabilities and logic, all the Sisters are a bit irrational if you ask me."

"That's a roundabout way to call this a fool's errand." Qliphah Puzzle hovered upside down in her line of sight. "Why did you come then? Curiosity perhaps?"

Questions appeared in rapid succession in Mikoto's mind. What made Last Order so attached that the mere thought of getting separated from him had caused such a meltdown? Did the rest of the Sisters know about any of this? Why even when Accelerator was calling the shots, he had decided to discard the chance for a relatively normal life? That last one bothered her the most. He had become the most powerful person in this town. He could do anything and yet, he had decided to isolate himself in this cage for the foreseeable future instead.

She snorted. "Yeah, right. Weren't you watching? Like I'll get any answers out of this guy."

"Assume you don't get any." Qliphah Puzzle's dress didn't make any sound when she landed on the ground. "Would you leave empty-handed?"

"Nope. I didn't come all this way just to speak to a wall." Mikoto struck her fist into her left hand's palm. "There's a sucker punch with his name on it."

"Entertaining idea." The demon giggled with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I haven't seen any physical attack ever land on Master."

"I have. It just hasn't been by my hand so far."

"Would you like to try?" She entered Mikoto's personal space with a flourish, standing so close she appeared solid and corporeal. "Master won't admit it, but he's bored out of his mind too."

"Hey!" Accelerator's voice rumbled, his chair giving out a squeak as he rose from it. "Keep your opinions to yourself."

"Sure," Mikoto said, confused. "But how? I can't bypass this level of security."

Smiling wider—to the point, her sharp teeth were on full display—Qliphah Puzzle shoved her into the cell. Mikoto stumbled backward, disorientated and out of balance. Her feet tripped one over the other. She would have hit the floor if someone didn't catch her right as she began to fall. The hands keeping her upwards were firm and steady like they had done this many times before. Looking over her shoulder, she found Accelerator wearing the same stupefied expression she probably had on her face.

"You—"

"Reflex," he breathed out. "It was a reflex."

The bars snapping shut again, like the cavernous maw of a beast, broke whatever moment they had been experiencing and turned their attention to the instigator of this predicament. Qliphah Puzzle waved innocently from the other side.

"What a save, Master!" She cupped her cheeks, pretending to swoon. "If I wasn't your biggest fan already, I would have fallen for you all over again."

Regaining his bearings, Accelerator pushed Mikoto aside and wobbled with unsteady steps to the right side of the bars. By the time she managed to sit up, he had unearthed some sort of hidden niche in the wall and was rummaging inside of it.

His expression soured. "What the hell did you do?" he demanded from the artificial demon.

"Nothing important. I pulled a couple of cables here and put them in different sockets there," she said. "Are you proud of me, Master? I can understand your technology now."

"Don't give me that shit. You sabotaged this, plain and simple." He tried to grab her through the bars, but she glided out of reach. "Why are you running away, huh? All I'll do is rip those damn tentacles off your head!"

"How cruel...not. You have to catch me first," she quipped, sticking out her forked tongue at him. "But wait. Wasn't the only condition to keep you here, instead of the Reformatory, that you wouldn't use your ability inside this cell? Will you break your word to chase someone that isn't supposed to exist?"

Accelerator growled under his breath.

He can't? Mikoto eyed the open control panel. It doesn't mean I won't. As she reached into her pocket for her portable laptop though, she found it missing.

"Looking for this?" Qliphah Puzzle presented the silver rectangle device from a safe distance. "I wonder what else it does."

Reality dawned on her. "I can show you," she said sweetly, "if you get me out."

"Not a chance." Ignoring all threats Accelerator directed her way, the demon flew down the hall and out of sight. "It's more fun when I take these things apart~"

Her words bounced around the hallway with finality, followed by the ting of the elevator's arrival as the ultimatum. This inconspicuous chime became the trigger for Accelerator to unleash his frayed nerves on the only person available.

"Dammit! I can't believe you let yourself get duped like that!" he yelled at Mikoto. "What part of her looks trustworthy? Tell me, I'm dying to hear what pathetic excuse you'll come up with this time."

Mikoto, on her part, remained perfectly calm. There were worse things than getting stuck in a room with her archnemesis, especially when he couldn't hurt her. If she played her cards right, the current situation might even turn in her favor.

"This time?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Realizing what he had said, Accelerator's glare softened. He looked away, almost ashamed. "You know what I mean."

"Actually, I don't. But let's pretend for a moment that I do." Mikoto shrugged dismissively. "She didn't seem capable of pulling something like that to me. Why is she working for you if you can't trust her?"

"How naive," Accelerator scoffed. "I know not to let my guard down. She's a demon. They thrive on this sort of chaos." Hanging his head, he dragged a hand across his face. "I don't have time for this bullshit."

"I could fry the system." She stood up, dusting the back of her skirt. "That would unlock it."

"Yeah, this and every other cell in the facility. Not worth the trouble." He returned to his chair and started typing at the floating screen that appeared. "Let's see if there are any guards left after you made them piss their pants."

"I asked nicely."

Not bothering to grace her with a reply, he started the call. It rang and rang and rang to the point Mikoto started wondering if the number was wrong when something clicked from the other side. Gunfire and indistinct screams blasted through the line, a familiar giggling echoing in the background.

"Hey! What's going on?" Accelerator barked.

"Don't worry, sir! We have everything under—" The line cut off, leaving only static behind.

He pressed the end-call button and leaned back with a defeated sigh. "Make yourself comfortable or whatever. This will take a while."

Not finding anywhere else to sit than the floor, Mikoto remained standing. An awkward silence stretched between them as expected. She tried to comb through whatever knowledge of Magic she had unwillingly absorbed to keep this conversation going.

"She's a familiar, right?" she asked.

"Kinda."

"Isn't that sort of creature supposed to stay by your side at all times?"

"Impressive, Railgun. You can grasp basic concepts like that," he mocked. His expression fell soon after. "Technically, the entire building is under my jurisdiction. She can move freely inside it."

"So, the only thing keeping her inside the cell was…"

"Brute force," Accelerator said without any hesitation and threw a sideways glance at Mikoto. "What are you playing at?"

"Nothing." She unwrapped the scarf from her neck, letting it drape around her shoulders. "There is nothing to do while we wait—"

"You can shut up and keep to yourself."

"As if! You can't show up with something out of a horror manga and expect me to not ask about it."

"It's pretty obvious that a monster will bring more monsters in its wake."

"That's what she is? Just another source of terror?"

"No. Not really," he said. "Qliphah Puzzle can hold herself in a fight, but I don't need that." He rubbed against his temple as if trying to fend off a headache. "She's a guide. For Magic."

Mikoto didn't know if she should laugh or just gape dumbfounded at him. "Since when do you need help?" she asked instead. The sheer thought of such a scenario was beyond the realm of ridiculous in her book. "There are things even the great Number One doesn't know?"

"I never said I do."

"Well, that's news to me." She crossed her arms defensively. "I've talked to you precisely three times in the past, but this is the first time we don't try to rip each other's throats."

"Is that so?" Swiveling the chair in her direction, he grinned. "I thought the whole 'one-sided arguing' thing is how you normally talk to everyone."

Mikoto bristled. "Who told you that?"

"Your Sisters. Kamijou," Accelerator listed the names with a dry tone. "The Queen."

"When did you get so chummy with Shokuhou, of all people?"

"That meeting by the canal? After we all returned from England?" he prompted. "It was her publicity stunt."

"You're saying she arranged that?" Mikoto growled.

"Beats me. No one here was supposed to know I was the new Chairman. But she did, in such a short amount of time. Can't say I wasn't intrigued to find out what else she knew." His cunning smile turned even more sinister. "For example, the secret meeting room of the Board. I couldn't let those assholes fight over a position that was already taken, could I?"

"I guess…" Her flash of anger dimmed enough to try and discuss this rationally. "Why did she need me to make a scene though?"

"Your one-track mind continues to amaze me somehow," he said with a dismissive wave. "Nosy telepaths have their usefulness, but they are still weaklings. I wouldn't have hesitated to wring her neck for using her ability on Yoshikawa back then. And that's where you come into play."

She understood where he was going with this but didn't like the implications one bit. "I wouldn't let you out of my sight. Not until you explained the deal with Last Order."

"No shit. In her words: throw a distraction at Ms. Misaka, and her laser-focus ability will activate in an instant." Hearing Misaki's words in his gravelly voice was certainly a bizarre experience.

"I'm surprised you remember it word-by-word."

"She engraved it directly in my brain. Said it'd be easier to show me rather than explain how to find the place," he complained. "If I knew I'd have to remember this bullshit, I'd have tried something else to get the location out of her."

"She'd still find a way to get inside your head. That's how she is," Mikoto said with a shrug. "For someone who loves to hear herself talk about how dignified and cultured she is, compared to the rest of us, she likes to show off as much as anyone else."

"You know what they say: All Level 5s have a screw loose somewhere."

"Then why are you the only one behind bars?" She paced back and forth, counting down her points. "Up till now, it didn't matter how unhinged you were or what horrible things you've done. You were their precious golden boy, the top dog even among the Level 5s. You landed even higher up on the food chain by becoming the Board Chairman of Academy City. For crying out loud!" Pausing, she took a deep breath to recollect her thoughts and added softly. "Did the Board threaten you into taking the fall after Operation Handcuffs failed?"

He blinked as if caught unaware. His surprise quickly melted into another condescending sneer. "And here I thought you'd be glad. For once, I am exactly where I should be, exactly where you wanted me to be from the very beginning. And yet, you complain about it." He let out a humorless chuckle. "No punishment will ever be enough for you unless I burn in hell, will it? I'm going there when I die anyway. Don't worry your pretty little head over it."

Hearing him talk about death so casually—like it was a possibility that would happen soon rather than an eventuality in the far future—made her stomach churn at the idea. He was supposed to be indestructible, an overwhelming force. In all of her vengeful fantasies—the sort of thoughts Mikoto wouldn't admit to a single soul they existed—she had never considered such an outcome.

"I don't believe in occult stuff like that," she sternly said. "What matters to me is what you do right here, right now, while you're still breathing. And the way I see it, you're just avoiding every responsibility you have in this city."

"Don't you dare—"

"I can and I will! Do you honestly believe things will get better because you aren't out there anymore? Don't make me laugh!" She stomped her foot. "Maybe not now, neither soon. But someone will show up to take your place eventually. Heck, the Board has free reign with you out of the picture. Call me naive every chance you get. I don't care. Right now, Accelerator, you're the one being naive!"

His mask of indifference—the one Mikoto had been chipping away since the beginning—finally cracked. Accelerator didn't lash out at her like before. He wasn't even looking at her, his gaze dead set on the floor. It was as if his cocky attitude simply evaporated, leaving only a deflated human husk behind.

"I know," he said, straightening the collar of his shirt. "Operation Handcuffs blowing in my face like that kinda made it clear."

Mikoto hadn't noticed before, too preoccupied with all these insane revelations to pay close attention, but he was held barely together. His dress shoes were scuffed at the front and his clothes, while nice and proper, had wrinkles all over.

Running his hand through his hair, he let it fall in front of his face. "I thought it'd be easy to cut ties with the Dark Side again. All I had to do was show them I wasn't in the game anymore." He sighed. "Twelve-thousand years life sentence. Can't get more permanent than that. My bones will be dust before that's over."

"And how's that gonna keep Last Order safe? How would that keep any of the Sisters safe?" Mikoto argued. "Blasting into the entire world the truth won't gather them only sympathizers, you know? This city alone is crawling with scientists that would love to take them apart!"

"What do you want me to do? Go out there and level everything to the ground? Will you be satisfied then?" His voice came out strained and wounded. "I've been fighting this entire city my whole damn life. And for what? Some glimpses of peace in-between? Everything keeps going in circles like I'm fucking cursed and I can't—" Accelerator buried his face in his hands, the groan of an old weathered soldier escaping his lips. "I'm so tired of it all. They deserve a peaceful life, and for that to happen, I better keep my distance."

This was in no way or form close to the reaction Mikoto had expected. So used to his aloof behavior and so deep-rooted into her hostility towards him, she hadn't accounted for such display of emotion. It was unnerving to some degree. It meant he was just as human as the rest of them, and she didn't know how to handle that sort of information.

Her mind decided it was the perfect moment to replay how Last Order rushed into her hospital room that same morning. The mini-clone hadn't bothered to shake off her coat or gloves, dropping handfuls of snow all over the floor. Some of it even drenched Mikoto's clothes when she clutched her by the waist. Amidst the incoherent wailing and flailing of tiny fists, Mikoto managed to understand only one string of words.

"He promised."

They settled in her gut like disgusting muck. It didn't take a mind reader to guess who her little Sister was referring to, even if she didn't understand why it was with such sorrow and anguish.

When Last Order calmed down enough to explain the gist of it, Mikoto fought hard to contain the snarky commentary her brain was supplying. She had the impression that whatever business Accelerator had with Sisters, it was theirs to solve. She wasn't supposed to get involved in their affairs. But there they were, asking the impossible from her.

"Talk to him."

Mikoto was more likely to deck him if given the opportunity. But the pleading eyes of her clone were heartbreaking enough for her to offer some semblance of a promise. It had the desired effect. Last Order passed out soon after, her flushed face becoming peaceful and content.

Worst, who had been hovering at the entrance like someone lost, stepped inside. "Misaka will get her out of your hair."

"It's alright." Mikoto shook her head, settling Last Order on the bed. "Let her rest."

Someone coughing discreetly reminded her of the room's other occupant. "Excuse me, Ms. Misaka," Misaki said with a scandalous look on her face. "I didn't realize that it was your call to make regarding who will be staying in your place."

"Are you serious right now?" Mikoto glared at her in disdain. "Does your distaste run so deep, you will kick out an unconscious little girl that so happens to look like me?"

After taking in Last Order's state once more, Misaki huffed exasperatedly. "Oh well, fine! Must be so exhausting to have the emotional range of a teaspoon."

"Better to have that than pretend I've got nothing at all."

"Touché." She laid on her back, staring at the ceiling with an unreadable expression. "Will you fulfill her request?"

Mikoto fiddled with the zipper of her duffle bag. "It's the first time she asked for something. I should, at least, give it a try."

"Do you want to though?" Worst sat on the bed as well, the mattress dipping from her weight a little. "Or do we have to prepare for an evacuation?"

"I'll be on my best behavior if he is in his first."

"We're doomed."

Before Mikoto could defend her stance on the matter, Misaki interjected again. "Once again, you are forgetting the most important thing here." She tucked a stray lock behind Last Order's ear. "How willing are you to listen to his side of the story?"

A tough act.

That's what Worst had called it back in Hawaii.

The truth wasn't as simple as these words suggested. By acting the way he did, Accelerator was shielding his emotions from anyone that could use them against him. Even from the precious few, he had allowed entry into his life. And he did care. He cared so much that if he let the mask slip—if they were made aware of just how much he would do for them—it could physically kill him.

"Don't look at me like that," he grumbled, straightening up again. "I don't need your pity."

Mikoto didn't notice when her expression had changed. "That's what you think it is? Puh-lease!" Schooling it back to something neutral, she approached him with confident steps. "I think I'm starting to see why the Sisters thought I could make a difference. What a bunch of little devils, I'll give them that. For most people, the clones just look like me. But it has the opposite effect on you. I look like them."

Accelerator attempted to stand.

Grabbing the armrests, Mikoto trapped him in the chair. "It's genius if you think about it. I look like the people you want to protect, but you have no power over me. So, I can call you out on your bullshit a lot easier."

"I do have authority over you." He narrowed his eyes. "As the Superintendent."

"Do you, now?" She asked, leveling her gaze with his. "Your current standing is built on shaky foundations, isn't it? The adults don't want to be held responsible by a kid. Skill-Out already considers this an abuse of power from the Esper elite. Can you afford to start a war with another Level 5 at your position?"

His expression soured further. "That's quite perceptive of you, Railgun. I'd never have guessed you're this aware of Academy City's domestic politics."

"Can't take all the credit."

Allowing Misaki into her head again after England had been a gamble. She insisted though. Maybe the sight of Last Order, collapsed on the bed from crying too hard, had stirred the Queen's buried heartstrings enough to offer her help. As outrageous as that sounded, considering they were buried under a thick layer of ice, it gave Mikoto a tiny bit of hope.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're blackmailing me."

She cocked her head to the side with a grin. "A little."

Accelerator rubbed his eye, the conflict in his head written all over his face. He looked exhausted. "What do you want?"

"First of all, you're going to keep your promise to Last Order, and that's final." She tightened her grip on the armrests. "Second, I want in. Whatever plan you have for the Sisters or this city, you don't have to do this alone. Not anymore," she said. "Let me help."

He scoffed. "Seriously?" Glancing around the empty cell, there wasn't anything distracting enough to avoid her stare. So, he returned it. "Deploying a Level 5 at keeping the order will be less of an issue? I take it back. You don't understand the feelings of the weak at all."

"Don't pretend like you do," she countered. "What you do know is how the Dark Side works. I can deal with those—if you teach me."

Accelerator mumbled something about crazy girls finding him teacher material despite everything somehow. But he didn't outright deny her proposal. If anything, he seemed intrigued. "You want to get your hands dirty? Fine, be my quest." He pulled the floating screen between them again. "Since we are resorting to underhanded methods like the adults, I'm sure you won't mind if I create my own insurance. For example, do you have any idea how much you've cost to Academy City?"

A sense of foreboding washed over Mikoto. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"You leveled an entire neighborhood," he deadpanned and continued scrolling. "Not to mention, several road and pavement repairs in public places you've used your Railgun. I think I saw a bridge or two demolished here somewhere. There is also an abundance of excessive force violations listed under Judgment concerning a certain vending machine."

"Oh, c'mon!" Her confidence wavered a little. "It's not like you haven't done worse!"

"Sure, but I sorta paid for them." He shrugged. "You never saw even a parking ticket. Like wow. That shitty Aleister must have had quite the soft spot for you."

"Okay, okay… Don't bring dead people into this," she groaned and stepped back. As much as she didn't like to admit it, he had a solid point. This city had coddled her enough. Time to pay it all back, tenfold. "If that's what it takes, fine, I accept. I'm a hero, aren't I? Doing thankless work is an occupational hazard."

He glanced at her like she had gone mad. Maybe she did. This had been the first time they agreed on anything.

"So, where do I sign?" she asked.

Waving the screen away, Accelerator mulled over it for a while with a weird furrow on his brow. As if he was nervous. Mikoto concluded she was too drained to deal with that sort of mental gymnastics. There was no way, after this entire conversation, he'd have enough shame remaining to take back his word.

In the end, he offered his hand to her. "Shake on it?"

Conflicting emotions brewed inside her chest like a storm. Unable to express them in any other way, Mikoto started laughing. It echoed loud and ugly to the point of hysterical into the enclosed space they occupied. Her lungs burned, and her sides hurt the longer it lasted. She folded into herself to keep it contained, but the giggles sprung forth with renewed force. An ordinary person would have gotten offended by this reaction. Accelerator was every definition of abnormal and simply observed her with sage-like patience until it was over.

Wiping away the tears this frenzy had brought forth, Mikoto smiled. "Sure, why not?"

His hand was warm. Considering he was as white as bones and had brought so much death in his path, this fact stroke her as odd. They shook once. Yet, both lingered for a few beats longer. Her father would have commented how unnecessary or inappropriate this was for solidifying a partnership. But at the end of the day, they were just two overpowered teenagers for which rules and regulations had no application. Manners were a side note.

Accelerator let go first and cleared his throat. "This is fine and all, but we are still stuck here waiting for Qliphah Puzzle to get bored."

"About that…" While Mikoto hadn't understood how or when did the demon pickpocket the laptop out of her coat, she had left all her other belongings untouched—like, for example, the arcade coins she used for her Railgun. Mikoto fished one out and twirled it between her fingers. "The only thing keeping you here is your word. Allow me to be the loophole to that promise."

Expecting a spiel for her blatant disregard for any higher authority and its decrees must have been part of Kuroko's influence in her life.

Accelerator just smirked. "There will be consequences."

"You can add it to my tab," she said and flipped the coin in the air.


A/N: This was...a hard chapter to write. Not only because this is the climax of this fic and I wanted it to be perfect, but also because the conversation itself took a toll on me. Both Mikoto and Accel say some extremely hurtful things to each other like it's some kind of contest which was tough to go through when I had other RL issues bothering me these past two months. For that reason, if you guys would be so kind, I'd really appreciate it if we kept the discussion on canon events in the comments to a minimum. I write fanfiction to explore the what ifs and possibilities, not to rewrite the original story letter by letter. Kamachi-sensei can handle their characters and story however they like, I will still put my own spin to them.

Thank you for reading and I hope you stick around. There is a couple more chapters left~