Disclaimer: I own To Aru as much as Mikoto is not a tsundere.

It's Not Over

'I should go…'

Touma thought as he listened to the announcement that his and his father's flight back to Japan has begun boarding. Beside him, Kamijou Touya stood up from his seat, grabbing his suitcase and heading towards the gate.

"Are you coming?" Touya asked him, stopping after a couple of steps when he didn't stand up.

It was 4 am. She should still be asleep. But the desperate part of him was hoping that she'd suddenly show up the same way he did three years ago.

No, she wouldn't. She'd made it clear to him two nights ago. It was over. They were over. There was no point delaying their flight because of some wishful thinking. He has to go back to Japan now—without her.

Touma looked at his clenched fists, still feeling conflicted.

'But… I don't want to go without her…'

After a moment, he responded, "Yeah, sorry."

They both lined up, readying their passports and tickets, but his mind was elsewhere, being dragged back to two nights ago.

He had found out from his father that Shiina had contacted Misuzu for this meeting. It was funny because for a moment, he had thought that Fate had been kind and had given him another chance, but as it turned out, it was all the two mothers' plan. His parents had known about Mikoto, of course, and how bad he was after she had left. After realizing how he felt for her, he thought that she needed space, so he resisted the urge to contact her. But a week later, when he finally did, her phone number was no longer available and Misuzu-san had forbidden him from contacting her daughter.

"You had your chance, Touma-kun," Misuzu had told him sadly, "So I'm sorry, but I won't let my daughter get hurt by you again."

He wondered what made her change her mind. Why had she helped set this meeting up after all this time?

"It wasn't supposed to be another chance," his father had said the morning after the party while he was still hung-over from getting himself drunk, "You were supposed break things off on a better note, not try to get her back."

He didn't pretend to not be hurt by his father's statement. Touya knew he still loved her. Why would he say that after setting this horribly wonderful meeting?

But then, his father smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, asking almost tauntingly if that was the extent of his feelings for her. Was he really giving up after a single rejection?

Sometimes, he didn't know what Kamijou Touya thinks.

'Mikoto has mentioned you only once,' Alice had told him when she asked to meet him the day before, 'but that one time that she did, she told me that it's your stubborn attitude, that never give up mindset of yours that she had always admired the most,' she had stated, looking at him critically, 'Now tell me, Mr. Kamijou, are you still the man she used to admire?'

"Touma?"

His head snapped up at his father's call, seeing him on the other side of the gate. An employee had a hand out asking for his ticket and passport, looking very impatient.

He met Touya's eyes once again and said, "I'm not going." His father's eyes widened and a grin crept up into his face. "I'm not giving up that easily."

Touya stared at him for a moment before smiling, "I knew you won't," with a flick of his hand, he tossed something into the air which Touma caught in surprise. When the younger Kamijou inspected the object, he realized it was their hotel key. "I booked an extra week for you, and your ticket should last for another ten days."

He had never felt so grateful of his father, "Thank you," he breathed, unable to say anything more.

And when he got Touya's encouraging nod, he wasted no time and ran.

It was 4:15 am now. She would still be asleep. But he has just enough time to throw his luggage back to his hotel room and go to her dorm.

Mikoto stared at the blanket covered figure on the bed on the other side of the room. Alice was still asleep. Unlike Mikoto, Alice didn't have class until 10 so her roommate had the right to sleep in.

It was during these rare times when she woke up before her alarm with Alice still sleeping on the other bed that she misses her best friend in Academy City the most. She half expects Kuroko to teleport out of bed and jump at her, and then she'll respond by shocking her to senses.

Her phone alarm rang saying it was six o'clock. She should start getting ready if she wanted to have breakfast before going to her 7 am class.

She sighed before swinging her legs out of her bed and standing. She did some stretches, getting rid of the final recesses of sleepiness, before heading towards the sink and doing her morning rituals.

She had just finished brushing her teeth when there was a loud knock on their door. She heard Alice groan a little and it made her frown. Who could be visiting so early in the morning? She hurried to the door, hoping that whoever it was would be patient enough to not knock again so Alice wouldn't wake up.

When she reached the knob, she swiftly opened the door.

...and froze.

"Mikoto..."

"...Touma..."

She must be dreaming.

He was supposed to leave. He was on a plane back to Japan right now.

They were never supposed to see each other again.

It took her a moment to realize that he was panting lightly, as if he had been running. There were also bags under his eyes but his gaze on her never wavered, and there was a solid determination in those blue orbs that she had not seen since she left Academy City.

For a moment, it seemed like she was transported back in time, to when they were still friends.

...back when she was still so hopelessly in love with him.

After all, it was that unwavering resolve that she had admired about him so much.

There was a long moment of silence between them until he broke it, "Mikoto, I—"

"How did you get in here?" she cut him off, unwilling to listen to him for now. Besides, he was in her college dormitory building. The rules weren't as strict as Tokiwadai and Nagatenjouki's but she was certain she had never told him where here was.

His eyes darted to the side of her face, looking over her shoulder, before promptly going back to her. It took her less than a second to realize why.

"Alice." They both said at the same time; him in a tentative tone, as if he was unsure if he should really tell her, and her in a tone that clearly meant that she was mentally cursing her roommate.

"What do you want?" she asked impatiently, still holding the door in a semi-opened state so she could easily close it if need be. The sooner this conversation is over, the sooner he could leave.

"I need to talk to you." He answered.

"What are you doing here?"

He seemed to have gotten the message and said, "I'm here to ask you for another chance."

She stared at him deadpanned, not quite believing that he actually had the audacity to say those things. When she was sure that he was serious, she responded with a flat, "No." before slamming the door in his face.

But he quickly jammed his foot in the door's way, stopping it from fully closing, "Wait, wait! Listen to me!" he frantically said, using a hand to keep the door open when she pushed harder.

Through the thirty centimeter gap that he managed to maintain, she glared at him, "Just leave, Touma. We already had this conversation. So just" she gave the door another hard push, hoping it would hurt him enough to make him retract his foot, "go back to Japan and we'll never see each other again. End of story."

He seemed to be a little conflicted, his gaze falling for a moment as he thought. But then, he met her eyes again, "You said you gave up on me," he stated. She froze. "But I'm not giving up on you."

She wasn't sure of how to react at his declaration, so she ended up staring at him in masked surprise.

"Let's start over," he continued in a half-pleading, half-persuading voice, "I'll try to do it right this time around."

"..."

"I won't make the same mistake of letting you go." He almost promised, "Not this time."

She found it difficult to match his gaze so she averted hers, her arms losing the strength to push him away.

Even after all this time... he hasn't really changed, has he?

She finally let go of the door, moving in front of it so she could fully face him without it as a shield. Calmly, she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, asking him in a challenging tone, "And what makes you think that you actually have a chance?"

She noticed him lick his lips before pursing them, a nervous habit he never seemed to have grown out of, "I don't."

His admission made your eyebrow rise, "And you're wasting your time here because...?"

"It's a very small chance, I know." he admitted, "But I'm not giving up because of something as measly as a chance. You're too important."

She snorted disbelievingly at his words, "That's rich coming from you. Or have you forgotten what happened between us three years ago."

He visibly flinched, but she couldn't bring herself to care anymore, "I didn't realize it back then."

"So what? Even as a friend, I wasn't important enough for you?"

"Mikoto—"

"Two words, Touma." She gritted out. The memory of them at the airport brought back the pain that came with it. And with the pain, so did the bitterness and anger. She clenched her fists, trying with all her might to prevent herself from hitting him. "All you had to say were two words, and none of this drama would've happened. I would've stayed even if it meant pinning after you everyday for several more years without you noticing me."

"..."

"Don't go." She spoke the two words that he hadn't. "That was all you had to say, and I would never have left." She confessed, and even though she knew how pathetic her words were, she needed to tell him. She wanted to know if he really cared at all. "Did you even realize that?"

He was silent for a moment, looking guilty and regretful, "...a little too late."

She stared at him sadly, disliking those expressions on his face. But after all he had put her through, she couldn't find it in her to offer any comfort. "Just leave, Touma." she told him again, this time in an almost whisper, "I have a life here now. And I'm not leaving everything again just for that overdue chance of yours."

She was already behind the door again, ready to close it, when he spoke up, "Don't you want to go back? Everyone misses you."

Her anger spiked, and she instinctively slammed the door close only to be stopped by him again. She growled, "Don't you even dare bring them into this."

"But it's true." he said, struggling against her force, "I'm not asking you to leave your life... I'm asking you to come back to it, back to us..." his voice lowered to a begging tone, back to me."

His words only angered her more and she rammed her shoulder against the door, making him yelp as his foot finally felt the pressure, "Damn it, Touma, just go! This is my life now. I have friends. I go to a decent university. I have a future here." Again and again, she forced the door close in a futile effort. "So just get your ass on a plane back to Japan and don't bother me again."

"I'm not leaving until you give me a chance!" he told her firmly.

"You've had your chance!" she retorted, relentlessly pushing at the door, at him. She was not making the same mistake again. "Three years ago, and everyday after that, but you never did anything! Why should I give you something you never took?"

"Because I'm taking it this time!"The tone of his voice made her stop, and they stared at each other silently. His pleading eyes were locked onto hers when he asked one more time, "Please, Mikoto... just this once."

"..."

"Give me one week. Just one week to convince you to come back."

She matched his gaze with a glare, "And then what?" she asked, her voice mocking, challenging, "By the end of this week, you just expect me to leave everything I have here and go back to you?"

"You've done it before," she flinched when he pointed out, but there was no trace of the bitter tone she had expected, "But this time you're doing it for the opposite reason."

She suddenly felt tired. Why was he doing this? Why won't he just leave her alone so she could finally move on? Didn't he know how hard it is to be mad at him? To push him away when all her heart seemed to scream was—"…why are you being so adamant about this?" she quietly murmured..

"I told you," he repeated softly but firmly, "I'm not giving up on you."

She stared at him for a long moment before saying, "One week." He seemed to have been so surprised that he let his guard down, enabling her to push him away and finally slam the door on his face.

From the other side of the door, she could hear him speak in a slightly dazed state, "Hey, was—was that a yes? It's a yes, right?" She offered no reply. "So uh… I can walk you to class, right?" Silence. "Uh… sure, okay. I'll just… I'll wait out here…"

Listening through the wood that separated them, she smiled softly. He really hasn't changed. But as the conclusion of their conversation finally sank in, her lips curved into an almost scornful expression. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to agree but she cursed the stupid emotion in her chest anyway. She could only pray to whatever god is out there that she wouldn't regret this decision.

Author's Notes:

Song was suggested by SigmundrRumare. Thanks a lot!

And so the seven days of Touma trying to make Mikoto fall in love with him begins... I already have two more songs on the list but they're gonna happen AFTER the whole week so if you want some cute fluff or something you can suggest a song like that XDD

Sorry for the wait, by the way. I was preoccupied by things like Kill la Kill and K-On! to actually make much progress hahaha

I'm not sure how to feel about this chapter. On one hand, it was the line "You told me you gave up on me, but I'm not giving up on you." was the very first thing I though of for this chapter but I'm not sure if it's any good... thanks to everyone who read the last chapter and said it was okay! I really had my doubts there hehe

Hope you liked this chapter! And to those who read What Causes a Spark, I did a fanart for it ;) link is in my profile

see you again soon!

~61wisampa