A/N: Well, this is the end. I hope you all enjoyed the series. And since I don't want to ruin the ending with an author's note, for those who are curious, the 'chickens will fly' thing refers to Cursed Heir chapter 5.

Misaka Mikoto walked through the hallways of the hospital. Along with dozens of other people, Saten had been unlucky enough to be caught in the massive earthquake that happened a few days ago. Misaka was suspicious about that, since earthquakes didn't make explosion sounds or cause bright lights to shoot into the sky, but she couldn't say anything. No, she didn't want to say anything. Everything seemed to be over, so she had no intentions of getting involved.

It was kind of depressing walking through a hospital, every room filled to the brim. She never liked hospitals, and had always considered them bad places. Nobody could blame her, considering that she was tricked into giving her DNA for the Sisters' experiments by a doctor, but at the same time, she had discovered that hospitals weren't the place people went to prolong their suffering before they died. The clones had extended their lifespans, and Heaven Canceller had saved many lives. Even so, she didn't like entering a hospital alone, no matter how many times she had done it in the past.

Originally, Kuroko and Uiharu wanted the three to meet outside Saten's hospital room together, but at the last minute, Judgement work was extended. They should have expected it, really. After major events Judgement always had extra work, helping people and reorganizing re-organizing everything. So instead of letting the day's visiting hours pass without anybody cheering up their level zero friend, they told Misaka to go ahead, and they would catch up later. If they could.

A familiar face flashed by. Misaka froze before she could turn the corner, ducking back slightly to hide in the shadows. It couldn't be…

Slowly, cautiously, she peered out from behind the corner, only to gasp and duck back behind the wall, eyes wide and heart racing. What was he doing there? It wasn't like he had anybody he cared about enough to visit them in the hospital.

"Misaka-san?" Heaven Canceller queried.

Misaka yelped, nearly jumping out of her skin as she spun around. When she saw the frog-like doctor, a brow raised in confusion, she relaxed. He really scared her, coming up behind her like that. But then again, she was blocking the stairway.

"H-hello," Misaka smiled awkwardly.

Somehow seeing the face that looked so much like gekota calmed her down a little.

She bit her lip and stepped quietly out from her hiding place, eyes trained on Accelerator's retreating back. She really hoped he wouldn't turn around and see her. The level five had developed a healthy fear of the white haired boy since the Level Six Project, and he deflected her strongest move without blinking. His merciless, sadistic way of killing didn't help her like him any better either.

For a moment, she wished Saten's room wasn't in the direction the older boy was heading in, just so she could get as far from him as possible. But alas, wishes didn't come true so easily, and Misaka resorted to padding along behind him, keeping a safe distance as she crossed her fingers, praying he wouldn't look behind him.

And then he stopped.

Misaka's heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she stopped short, and she almost forgot how to breathe. She merely stood in the middle of the brightly lit hallways, a splash of various shades of beige and brown standing out amongst all the white.

But Accelerator never looked her way. He stood staring at the door, and Misaka started to relax, her expression a mixture of curiosity and pity. She never thought she would see Accelerator with that look in his eyes, in his face. He looked almost… desperate. Like he was already grieving someone he cared about, yet still refusing to let go of the possibility that he might not lose them.

It took her a few seconds before she realized who it could be.

Finally he heaved a heavy sigh and opened the door with a soft click of the knob, and walked in. Misaka wondered if he noticed he hadn't closed the door behind him, but decided that he probably didn't. She walked forward, hesitating for a moment, contemplating closing the door to give him privacy.

Misaka took a step into the room—

"Wake up. Please," Accelerator murmured, voice breaking.

She froze, hand on the knob. He wouldn't see her, she knew. She couldn't see him from behind the wall, the tiny hall between the door and the open room existing to provide patients with a semblance of comforting seclusion, as if they were in their own room rather than a hospital. The heavy smell of disinfectant destroyed that illusion, of course, but every little thing that helped patients relaxed was good.

Misaka knew it was wrong, but she stuck her head out quickly, catching a glimpse of the boy she had once thought heartless with a pained expression, his forehead pressed to that of the sleeping girl, allowing himself the moment of weakness he would never have showed anybody.

Immediately Misaka felt guilty for intruding into a moment like this, and she retreated, leaving the door ajar so she would not disturb him with the faint click of the door shutting.

Accelerator never noticed the other level five come and go. He came every day, hoped every day that whatever Aleister had done would work, and she would wake up as herself and not whatever that purple eyed being had been.

"Kusotare, wake up, idiot," Accelerator said as he distanced himself from her, opting to sit at her bedside as he usually did. "I'm going to kill Tsuchimikado and Aleister if you don't."

Silence.

"I'll buy you ten whole cakes if you wake up," Accelerator offered, trying a bribe since the threat didn't work.

"Hmm. Chocolate," a voice not his own said.

Accelerator's eyes widened and he practically leapt out of his seat, chair clattering to the floor. He didn't notice. And he didn't really notice the grin spreading across his face either.

"Of all the things that would wake you up… You're an idiot," he scolded, but his heart wasn't in it.

Her eyes opened—pale green again, he thought with relief—and she blinked twice before her gaze focused on him. Her eyes widened.

"You… came?" Celeste managed to say, shocked.

"Hah? Of course, idiot!"

Accelerator forced himself to tone down his grin. A toothy smirk was the farthest he could go. If he tried to remove his smile completely, his facial muscles would probably tear apart with the conflict between turning his lips up and keeping a stoic expression.

But he didn't have much time to focus on that. He only had time to see the tears well up in her eyes before she threw herself at him as best she could, burying her face in his chest and hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Shiro-chan!"

He felt her body tremble, felt a damp spot grow on his shirt. It hurt. He never knew what to do with crying girls. Hell, she had never cried. Not when he was mean to her, not when he hurt her way back in elementary school, not even when she was so close to dying.

"What are you sorry for, dumbass."

"B-because I w-wouldn't choose between you and onii-chan!"

It took a moment for him to realize she was talking about her choice between waiting for him at home and going out to what she probably knew was suicide for Aleister. He sighed. She had lived all her life for Aleister. He knew that too well by now. The idiot girl would tear herself into pieces trying to make both of them happy. Quite literally too, since she had almost died once because she could no longer heal herself after healing him, and once again when she became Lucifer's core.

"It's done. Forget it," he said gruffly.

"I really care about onii-chan, no matter how much of an ass he is sometimes. I would do anything to further his goals," Celeste sobbed, fingers clenching the material of his shirt. "But I also really really really really love Shiro-chan. If anyone hurt you I would…"

"It's done. Forget it," Accelerator repeated, insistent.

"B-but—"

"Celeste, forget it," Accelerator growled, but his arms snaking around her shoulders softened the harsh tone. "I know. Now stop apologizing before I smack you."

"Forgive me?" She pleaded, separating her face from his shirt to stare up at him with watery eyes.

"Idiot," he sighed. "Stop crying. You're not supposed to cry. You're supposed to smile all the time like a brainless idiot."

She giggled through her tears, and his heart soared at the sound. "So you like my smile?"

"Tch," he said, shoving her face back against him so she wouldn't see the dust of pink on his cheeks. "Yeah, whatever."

She laughed again, voice muffled by his shirt.

Jeez. Stupid girl. Forcing him to say embarrassing things all the time… He was sure chickens were flying out there somewhere.

Still, no matter how much she made him humiliate himself in front of her, he preferred this to her being unconscious, teetering between life and death. His fingers ran through her hair absently.

His Celeste was back. And Accelerator smiled.