VIII: You Put the Caps in GUTS!

Your eye twitched as another one of your attempts to get the highest score in an arcade game was crushed because of an unbelievably high score that was currently on almost all of the arcade's machines. You knew you were doing really well in every game—if the crowd that always gathered around you was any indication—but every time, your score would be a few hundred points short from the first rank, the same name over and over again.

It was 'Mikoto'.

You were very certain that it was previous you who got all those high scores.

You almost slammed the gun back into the game's holster. For some reason, it really irritated you. All you had wanted to do was to have fun in the arcade while waiting for your friends to finish whatever it was that they were doing, but instead, Misaka Mikoto's mark had once again appeared in front of you just as it had been doing from the moment you had woken up.

You clenched your fists and glared at the name on the screen. You couldn't explain it but you wanted to beat her—your past self. Maybe it was silly but you didn't want to lose, even if it was just a simple game. You didn't want her to win.

Maybe it was illogical, but you felt like everything about the original Misaka Mikoto was challenging you, taunting you to do better than her. And an irrational part of you wanted to take that challenge, to prove that you were just as good as her, if not better.

You wanted to get off of this shadow of your old self that had been hovering over you since you woke.

You knew it was stupid. Hell, even inside your head you knew you were being irrational. But you just couldn't stand staying under Misaka Mikoto's name even if she was technically you before you lost your memories. You felt like a ferromagnetic material that had been exposed to a magnetic field for too long; your magnetization curve became messed up and though you can still somehow be of use, hysteresis would have taken over your life and you would never get that original magnetization curve back ever again. You ignored the fact that hysteresis was the most basic form of memory though because one, it would make it sound like your situation was actually a good thing rather than how bad you thought it was; and two, you didn't really realize it could be considered a joke until you thought it through. You compared your memory loss to hysteresis when, in its most basic use, it was memory.

Oh, the irony.

You stopped for a moment to pinch the bridge of your nose at your thoughts. You had become convinced that Misaka Mikoto was a little insane, that she had a few screws loose in her brain, and it was one of these moments where your thoughts dragged off into some incomprehensible (to most people) things yet still fully make sense to you. It was a little alarming to say the least because you were aware that you technically have Misaka Mikoto's brain which meant you, in all logical sense, were insane as well.

"Stop. Stop. Stop." You hit your forehead with your palm with every repetition of the word. You were aware that your thoughts were bordering on fucking weird and you wanted to keep your sanity for as long as you could—if you still have it, that is.

You let out a frustrated groan, dragging a palm down your face. You noticed a kid looking at the game and moved away, giving him a chance to play it. You sighed as you rubbed your temples. "This was a mistake. Why did I go here? I knew she used to hang out here a lot so why didn't I avoid this place when I was having some serious identity crisis?"

You shoved your hand into your skirt pocket and felt how many coins you had left. You had bought fifty tokens and you barely used up half of it because of how good you had turned out to be in games. You knew you couldn't exchange the tokens back for money, and you didn't want to play anymore. Mentally, you just decided to keep the tokens for the next time you came back.

"And I'll definitely take someone with me." You mumbled to yourself, still feeling a little irritated at the whole thing.

You made your way out of the arcade, pushing the glass doors as you took a deep breath. Going outside was a relief. The arcade was pretty cramped with people, and the noise was loud and constant. You realized you had less than ten minutes until you had to meet up with your friends at the park so you began to run, but before you could go far, you were stopped when someone suddenly spoke.

"You stealing arcade tokens again, Railgun? I know you need it for your special attack, but it's illegal you know."

Your head snapped back to look at the boy who had spoken. He was wearing a uniform you didn't recognize: grey slacks, white collared shirt and a grey vest. His hair was neat but not overly so, framing his face. He looked really normal and quite forgettable if you were being honest, but he had called you by your Level 5 nickname so you were pretty sure he was anything but normal.

You frowned a little when you couldn't deduce who he could possibly be and instead just asked, "Do I know you?"

He smiled widely. "Yes, as a matter of fact, you do." He walked towards you, stopping when he was just a few feet away and holding out his hand for what you assumed was a handshake. "Sogiita Gunha, or as you would know, Number 7. It's nice to meet you again, Misaka."

You brow rose at this but took his hand anyway. Not only were you surprised that you met another Level 5—(you could swear they were stalking you)—but Sogiita didn't seem as guarded as the ones you've met before. You weren't sure if that was a good thing or not. "Uhm... nice to meet you too, I guess?"

He let out a chuckle before letting go. "So how about those arcade coins. You should return them, you know. I may be off duty right now, but I'm still a Judgment member. I wouldn't want to arrest you when I owe you a lot."

"It wasn't like I was stealing them, I just didn't use them all up, and since this place doesn't offer refunds, I thought I could just go back next time." You explained, and then you blinked, finally realizing what he had first said. "Wait, what do you mean I need arcade coins for my special attack?"

He blinked at you for a second. "Wait, you mean to tell me no one has told you about your signature move?"

"Of course they have." You crossed your arms, recalling how that conversation had gone. It involved Saten-san doing countless sound effects of explosions and you telling yourself to never use it again. "My Level 5 nickname was from that, right? I know how railguns work but how is that even related to tokens?"

He gave you an amused look as if saying 'You really don't know?'.

You stared at him for a moment and then muttered. "Oh. Oh." You thumped your palm against the underside of your fist in realization. "They're the projectiles."

"Yup! Pretty neat idea, might I say, but illegal too. Don't tell me you're stocking up?"

You smiled a little at his jibe. "Maybe I should." Your phone suddenly let out frog noises and you held a finger up. "Just a sec."

You pulled your phone out from your pocket and checked the message you received, seeing that it was from Kuroko, asking where you were.

You quickly typed up a reply before looking back at Sogiita and saying, "Sorry, I have to meet up with my friends right now."

He shrugged. "Sure. Can I walk with you? I have been meaning to talk to you."

"Sure. I don't mind." You sent him a smirk. "But how about those arcade coins I'm 'stealing'. Shouldn't you make me give them back?" You asked as the two of you began to walk.

He let out a laugh. "I'll let you off just this once because you were planning on going back to use those. Plus, I know you used up all your coins the last time so you really do need to stock up. You might need it."

His words made you turn to him. "Last time?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. I can't—"

"You're not allowed to tell me, I know." You grumbled. You really should've known though. "I still don't understand why I can't be told about it. Why is that part of my memory so important that I have to remember it myself? How is it different from the rest of my memories?"

He put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I have no idea either. And personally, I don't get it either, but rules are rules. That Heaven Canceller saved your life, so if he said that it's what's best for you, none of us could really complain."

You groaned, putting your face on your hands. "I'm just getting tired of all the secrecy. This is my life, my past, and I have the right to get it back."

He slapped you quite strongly on your back, almost making you stumble. He didn't seem to care. "Don't worry. It's probably just precaution for the worst case. It'll come back to you in time."

You sent him a weak glare but he ignored it. You decided to do the mature thing and just let it go, so instead, you grumbled, "I'm tired of hearing that sentence."

"You probably are, huh?" he replied, sounding a little somber. You turned your head and saw a wistful look on his face. But after another moment, he shook his head and the look was gone. "By the way, I never got to thank you for that. Even though I'm pretty much immortal with my ability, I don't think I would've survived that incident. You really were amazing back there."

You blushed a little at the compliment, and you turned your gaze to the pavement in front of you. It was suddenly very interesting... oooh, a crack. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. You really showed a lot of GUTS!"

His sudden change of tone snapped your gaze back to him, and you were surprised to see his abrupt costume change. A bandana was suddenly wrapped around his forehead, holding his hair up, his vest was on the ground and his school shirt was hanging from his neck making it look like a cape. His t-shirt had a very distinct red sun print on it, and he grinned at you as you stared.

"I would tell you just how GUTSY you were, but I can't. No words can describe how much GUTS you showed!" he continued babbling while you continued to gape, "But getting hurt to save your friends and losing your memories in the process? Now that's GUTS!"

You rubbed your temples as the scene sank in. You thought you finally found a normal Level 5 but nooooooo because apparently, insanity was a prerequisite to become a Level 5. Maybe that was why your screws were pretty loose too.

"What the hell? Are you bipolar or something?" you asked. Later, you would hit your head repeatedly when you realized how rude and inappropriate it was that you said.

He merely grinned back and said. "Now don't be like that, Misaka. I can't help it if I get hyped when talking about your GUTS!"

"...please stop saying guts. It's starting to sound like you want to slash my belly open and rip my intestines out..."

"And now it sounds like you're starting lose your GUTS!"

"That's it. You and me, duel. Right now!"

He guffawed at your outburst. "Now there's the GUTS I was looking for! You haven't lost yourself after all."

The fist that you had clenched when you shouted at him immediately loosened, and the glare you had faded. He might've not realized it yet but his words meant a lot to you. Just when you were starting to have a serious case of self-doubt, he came and said it so easily that you could actually believe he was telling the truth.

You let out a soft giggle, shaking your head. These Level 5s maybe a little off their rocker but they weren't so bad. And even without your memories to back you up, you felt glad that you were able to stand by them in whatever mess you had found yourself in a few weeks ago.

"Thanks, Sogiita. That's just what I needed to hear." You smiled at him, and he grinned back widely.

He crossed his arms and the two of you stopped. You looked around and was surprised to find yourself at the entrance of the park. "Well, we're here now. It was nice meeting with you again. It'd be great if us Level 5s can go out together. None of the others would actually admit it, but we had an awesome time! Ignoring the fact that we were fighting for our lives, of course."

You laughed at that. "Yeah, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Who knows how much destruction we can cause if all seven Level 5s come together for lunch?"

"A GUTSY amount of destruction, that's what!"

The two of you laughed, only to be interrupted by someone calling out your name. The two of you turned to see your friends waving at you by a bench. You sent a small wave back before turing back to Sogiita.

"Well, that's my cue." He said, the grin never leaving his face. He gave you a mock salute. "I'll see you around, Miss Railgun."

You nodded, offering a smile back. "See you then."

You watched him turn around and walk away for a moment before looking back at your friends. You began to head towards them, but you stopped when Sogiita once again called out.

"Hey, Misaka!" When you faced him, he was grinning as he shouted at you. "I just want to tell you that you're the person I've met with the most GUTS!"


You ran towards the school gates as fast as you could, using your ability to easily jump over it. Without stopping, you scanned the school building with your eyes, remembering which window was Number 7's classroom.

"Hey! What are you doing here?!"

You mildly heard someone shouting at you—probably a teacher—and ignored it. You locked onto your destination and saw the person you were looking for staring back at you. You held his gaze and without hesitation, jumped towards the building wall, using your ability to keep yourself glued to it using magnetism. Louder shouts reached your ears but you didn't pay them any mind, completely focused on your task.

When you reached the window on the third floor, Number 7 had already opened it, standing a little ways away from the open window and letting you crouch on the sill. He had his arms crossed when you halted, an eyebrow raised in question.

He was still in his 'normal mode' (as you'd like to call it) when he said, "This is a surprise. Didn't think I'd see you in these circumstances, missy."

Your brow twitched, narrowing your eyes at him as you remembered the nickname he had used on you when you two had met at the park for the first time. For a moment, you considered the possibility that he may not be as involved as you thought, but you shook that idea away when you remembered what had happened during the last Daihaseisai. "You know me, right?"

He smirked a little. "'Course I do. I don't just forget people who has shown me a lot of guts, Miss Railgun."

There was an almost unanimous murmur when he said that, and only then did you realize that you had interrupted his class. Everyone else had been silent since you barged in, and it was only then that you noticed their presence.

Your eyes darted quickly around before settling back to him. "I need your help."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "Is this about that incident near the windowless building?"

"Yes, but there's much more to it than that." You explained, never wavering your gaze. You knew you had more chance asking Sogiita for help compared to others, so you hoped you wouldn't blow this up. "I just want to tell you that this isn't a recruitment for a vigilante mission to save Academy City, so I don't expect you to risk your life or anything."

He stared back at you, waiting for you to finish as you gathered your words.

Finally, you took a breath and said, "I need your help to save someone."

His head titled a little to the side. "'To save someone', huh? Is this in any way related to Kamijou?"

Your jaw tightened. "What do you expect?"

He let out a laugh at this. "Well, that just means I have to go then. That guy gets into too much trouble on his own."

You smiled a little at his words, feeling relief wash over you. "Thank you."

He waved your words off. "Don't thank me yet. So what's the plan?"

You dug into your pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper, throwing it to him. He caught it easily with his hand. "I'll see you then, Sogiita."

He only had enough time to send you a mock salute before you jumped off the building and ran away from the teachers that had gathered to stop you. Again, you ignored all of them, focusing on your next destination.


Author's Notes:

Mental illnesses are no joke and one should not do what Mikoto has done. One should hit one's self on the head after making a very rude comment about being bipolar, and apologize. One should then make sure never to do it again.

*peeks from the corner* so... hey! uhm... i see the last time i updated was September 24 but... hey at least it didn't take longer than 5 months! :DDD look on the bright side! I graduated! and now comes the more difficult part... finding a job

but anyway! writing Gunha is fun! He's a normal guy in normal mode but when in Hero mode he's just funny XD also i have a headcanon that Mikoto is an arcade master so sorry! but seriously, what else was she doing with all those tokens? aside from shooting them at unsuspecting idiots i mean XD

also, can you imagine how EPIC a lunch with all the Level 5s would be? And how awesome it would be if they're all friends?! UUUGGGHHH it is so great inside my head. THEY CAN RULE THE WORLD

I'll try to update as soon as I finish the chapter D: but weeeew my other fandoms are bringing it up and I have no idea where To Aru light novels are headed. Hopefully, my love for Mikoto and Kamikoto will be enough to see this story through

Next Chapter: Just Like Back Then

Hah! Back to the ambiguous chapter titles! Let's see who gets this chapter this time! XDD

i'll see you guys soon! :D

~~61wisampa