Disclaimer: I don't own the To Aru or the Prototype series. All characters aside from my own original characters belong to their respective owners.

My Room – Heaven's Canceller's Hospital

I woke up with my usual yawn, even more pronounced today due to the spar I had with my dad in my head. As I got out of bed I remembered that I unlocked my ability to use my dad's armor ability when he was beating me to a pulp. I wonder if I could still use it out here in the real world.

"It couldn't hurt to try could it?" I thought aloud. I then willed my armor to appear. I felt the surface of my skin ripple a little as black liquid began to quickly coat my entire body starting from my torso. It spread to my arms and legs before moving up to my neck. Finally it formed a compact dome around my head, tinting my vision slightly.

That's good, it sill works. I'll probably need to work on getting it to deploy more swiftly but otherwise its perfect. As I double checked my armor once more to make sure there weren't any potentially vulnerable areas Jii-chan walked in. He looked somewhat spooked by my appearance for a moment.

"Sorry, I'll get rid of this in a second." I said as my voice echoed within my helmet. I don't think he recognized me with my armor on, so I dismissed it as quickly as possible.

"Good morning, Jii-chan. I was just testing out an ability I worked out last night."

"I see, I was just about to come in and wake you up. Your friend regained consciousness about an hour ago, so if you want to talk to her you can."

"Thanks Jii-chan, I will!"

I scampered off to the room where Ina was resting. As I poked my head in I saw her resting her head on the pillow, but her eyes were clearly open.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I walked to her bed.

"It's somewhat painful to move, but otherwise fine. Says Misaka as she tries to downplay her injuries." She winced as she sat up straight to talk to me.

"You don't need to act tough around me, my dad already does that."

"What happened? Asks Misaka as she wonders what took place when she was unconscious."

"Well, an hour after you left I came home from Judgment duty. When Jii-chan told me you left I bolted after you, I gave chase. After I managed to beat Accelerator I brought you here to get you treated by Jii-chan."

I suddenly felt sheepish again as I divulged a more sensitive fact, "But I had to give you CPR, so we uh, kissed."

She cocked her head to the left as she processed the information. "I see. I thank you for saving my life. But why did you save me? Asks Misaka."

"I couldn't just let you die. You might not think of yourself as a person but I do."

"But I'm a bother aren't I?" she said somberly and without her usual verbal tic. How could she just call herself a bother, as if she was some kind of burden?

"You aren't a bother!" I exclaimed, clearly startling her. I lowered my voice as I realized this.

"I mean, have I ever called you a bother? We're a lot alike, being chased and hunted for most of your life and being made in test tubes. To be honest, I kind of see you as a little sister of sorts."

"You can stay here for as long as you want. Heck, I wouldn't mind if you began calling this home. I don't get to talk to many people my age around here, so it'd be great to have you here. So please, don't ever call yourself a bother ever again."

Her eyes widened at my words. To my surprise and worry she began tearing up, her normally stoic face showing signs of distress.

"Uh oh, did I say something wrong?" I asked hoping to find out why she was about to cry.

"I don't understand why my eyes are releasing an excess amount of tears, but I must thank you for your heartfelt words. Says Misaka sincerely from the bottom of her heart." She then cracked a warm smile looking identical to the one used by her older sister. So they were tears of joy and not sadness, that's a relief.

"Don't worry about it. If our positions were switched I'm sure you would've done the same thing."

Jii-chan then walked in on our little heart to heart. "Building quite a harem aren't you Sieg?" That was a moment killer.

"W-where the heck did that come from Jii-chan!" I said as I felt my face heat up like a kettle. Don't tell me that he thinks I'm a pervert too!

"It's just that I only see you hanging out with the girls from your school and Tokiwadai. In addition you were all alone here with your friend, and by the looks of things it appears you were confessing your feelings or something along those lines."

"That isn't it! I was just telling Ina that she could stay and that she wasn't a bother to anyone! Where did you get the idea that I was building a harem?"

"I'm only teasing, your face is all red Sieg. If it weren't for your powers you would be quite an easy target for bullies if that's all it takes to get you flustered."

"Still you don't just throw that out of left field!" I didn't know Jii-chan had this side to him.

"Sieg where are you!" I heard from outside.

"It looks like your friends are getting rather impatient. I'd go greet them if I were you."

I sighed, "Alright, I'm going." I opened the window and jumped out onto the sidewalk. It's faster than going down the stairs at least. The shock of the landing failed to jolt me from my sleepiness. All the energy I had this morning was pretty much exhausted from my conversations with Ina and Jii-chan.

I walked over to the entrance to see Saten, Uiharu, and Kuroko all waiting for me.

"Good morning, everyone." I said with another yawn. Come to think of it I haven't had breakfast yet. Blood packets are my morning coffee, without them I'm pretty sluggish unless I have a reason to get going.

"Where did you come from Sieg-san? Aren't you supposed to greet us from the entrance?"

"Well I thought it would be faster if I just jumped out the window of the room I was in and walked over, so I did just that."

"Wait, jumped out the window? Where is this room?"

"On the fifth floor."

They stared at me blankly for a few seconds. "What's wrong? You've seen me fall from higher than that before. Don't you remember the day I got that Hitotsui Hajime album for you Saten?"

"Still, normal people don't jump off five-story buildings casually!"

"I guess not. Sorry guys, I just got up and I haven't had breakfast yet so I'm still pretty sleepy."

"That's alright. Do you want to come with us for tea Sieg?" I don't see why not. I could use the caffeine.

"Sure, just let me just go back inside, get changed, and eat breakfast. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Oh, okay then." I went back inside still trying to hold down the yawns I had building up in my throat. Walking over to the fridge I pulled out four blood packets, two for breakfast and two for lunch. After draining the first two I blended the other two with a some raspberries that were in the pantry.

Feeling re-energized, I then changed out of the outfit I had yesterday into a black t-shirt with a yellow collar. I then added an open red vest with a polo-like collar along with black shorts with yellow stripes down the sides.

I ran back up to my room to grab my watch and the Booster before I poked back into Ina's room.

"I'm going out for a while Ina, is there anything you want? I'll get it for you as long as long as it isn't too pricey."

She shook her head, "What you've given me is more than enough. Says Misaka content with her situation."

"Okay then. Wait, I almost forgot." I ran back to my room to get her toothbrush before running back, "Jii-chan had to take this from you before surgery. Here you go."

She faintly smiled as I handed it back to her. "See you later Jii-chan! Get well soon Ina!" I said as I teleported back to the entrance.

"Alright, I'm ready."

"Um, Sieg-san your hair."

I then remembered that I didn't bother to comb my hair and thus it looked like a bird's nest. I began raking my fingers through it to try and make it into something sensible looking. I checked my reflection in the window to make sure I didn't make it look even stupider than before. Seeing that I managed to comb it into my usual style I left it at that.

"That took too long, I can't believe a boy like you would keep us ladies waiting." scolded Kuroko with disdain evident in her voice. I think she's just spiteful at the fact that I can teleport like her.

"Sorry sorry, but your visit was rather sudden you know. I'm not used to having visitors who aren't Jii-chan's patients."

"That doesn't matter now. We're going to be late if we don't hurry because of you." Ever the go-getter I see.

"Hey Sieg, how did you teleport? I remember you said in class that an esper can only have one power."

"Well it's not that I have more than one power. It turns out that the other part of my esper ability lets me copy other esper abilities as long as I know how the ability works and I hang out with the people who use them. Since I've been around Kuroko a lot these past few days I've managed to copy her teleportation ability." A bit of a stretch in that my Blacklight and esper powers are completely different and separate but otherwise true.

"That's an amazing power Sieg-san!" said Uiharu starry-eyed once more.

"Yeah, I've also managed to copy Misaka-san's power-" I then realized that it was a very bad idea to say that around Kuroko.

She jumped on me and then started biting my head and hitting me with her fists, "How dare you copy Onee-sama's power! You better stop copying Onee-sama, or I'll start sticking my iron darts into you!"

"Ow, relax Kuroko! I have limits to my power at the moment!" Regardless she continued her assault with the same fury as before. I sighed before using her own teleportation power to drop her on the floor next to me.

"Listen for one second! My ability only let's me copy abilities up to Level 4, so I only have a Level 4 version of Misaka-san's powers. In addition, I can only really control them when I have this glove on called the Booster. Finally I can only use one power at a time."

Kuroko once again returned to her haughty persona, "Then you haven't surpassed Onee-sama, fitting for a tardy boy like you."

"You do remember that I have your powers too right?" She began growling again.

"I think I still have bite marks." I said as I rubbed my head to ease the pain. The girl has some sharp teeth.

"You never told us you had this ability though Sieg, when did you find out?"

"Actually, just yesterday. I while I was on patrol I beat up some thugs who were attacking a woman wearing rabbit ears."

"Rabbit ears?"

"Yeah, her name was Usamimi. Apparently she was stalking me for a while now and thus knew what my power was. After she showed me how to use it she then tried to take control of my mind. I when I managed to shrug it off I made her agree to help me learn about my powers without being her slave."

"Do you honestly want us to believe a story like that?" said the Level 4 teleporter.

"It's the truth! Do you really think I would make up something like this?"

"I suppose not, but I'll never understand men like you." she said while shrugging her shoulders.

"What the heck did I do to make you angry?"

"Alright, break it up you two! Geez, it's almost always a fight when you two are near each other." said Saten as she tried to resolve our conflict.

"He/She started it!" Kuroko and I angrily exclaimed at the same time while pointing at each other.

"The two of you are like a bickering couple. It's adorable." said Uiharu at our feud.

Both of us went silent at that comment. We then started making our way towards the cafe, with Kuroko and I glaring at each other all along the way.

Crosswalk – Streets of Academy City

We were walking across a crosswalk when Kuroko suddenly pulled out her cell phone. Another flip cell, I thought those went out of style a while ago.

"Who are you calling Shirai-san?" asked Uiharu.

"I was so flustered from my argument with the copycat here I completely forgot to invite my dear Onee-sama."

"How is it my fault?"

She ignored me and simply started talking when Misaka picked up, "Onee-sama, where are you right now? I was about to go have tea with Uiharu, Saten... and that boy. Would you care to come along?"

"That boy?" I heard Misaka say.

I let out a little electrical spark to patch into the conversation, "She means me, Misaka-san. She's just angry at me for a bunch of little reasons." Electromaster powers are surprisingly versatile.

"Don't intrude on other people's conversations! Didn't your grandfather teach you manners?"

"He did, I just have trouble respecting those who don't return the favor."

We both continued to growl at each others' comments about the other.

"Well, the thing is, I'm with this weird lady." I heard Misaka say.

"Weird, you say?" replied Kuroko.

"Yeah she suddenly got undressed."

"Suddenly got undressed?"

Saten and Uiharu jumped up in excitement, "Then it must be the Stripping Woman! Are you alright Misaka-san?"

Uiharu, Saten, and Kuroko began wrestling for the phone. "L-let go of me!" cried Kuroko as she tried to shake the two off.

"Please, stop doing that, you two!" I couldn't help but begin laughing at Kuroko's predicament. I know it's rude, but you've got to admit that it's funny watching her squirm a bit.

"Text me! Text me her picture later! Her picture!" yelled Saten.

"Now listen, don't get carried away and link her to some urban legend." I heard Misaka say in a somewhat annoyed voice as the three of them continue to clamor and struggle over the phone.

"She may be a bit odd, but she's just a regular-"

"-When you say odd are you talking about me?" said a calm, feminine voice just before Misaka hung up after a rather cute "Kya!".

Saten and Uiharu were still trying to listen in as Kuroko tried to redial, only to hear the standard voice mail recording. "-The number you dialed is currently unavailable."

"Voice mail?" questioned Kuroko.

"It seems kind of dodgy, doesn't it?" insinuated Saten. If Uiharu gets starry-eyed over celebrities then Saten's poison is the endless list of urban legends in Academy City.

"We should go looking for her, shouldn't we?" added Uiharu.

"You two are fools to take urban legends seriously." replied Kuroko in a surprisingly cool tone.

"Why can't they be real?" I asked at Kuroko's skepticism.

"We live in a city of science, surely you can't seriously believe in all of these."

"You never know. I'm one for the scientific method too, but all myths have to start from some kind of truth right? Like The Iliad for instance, it's a mythological epic focused on a real war that happened in history." Plus I have the added knowledge that I know two urban legends from New York. Hell, I'm technically one myself, but mentioning it would probably just get me in some kind of trouble I don't want to deal with.

"You have a point, but it's still pretty farfetched. A woman who strips in public for no reason. Is there anyone like that out there?"

"The world is a big place. Misaka-san did say that she met a woman who stripped suddenly. Maybe she was the one who became the basis for the rumor, and hearsay twisted it into an urban legend."

I beat her in this argument. She muttered something under her breath before saying, "Well we couldn't invite Onee-sama, I guess it will be just the four of us. Let's go."

Cafe – Streets of Academy City

We ended up going to a maid cafe on a quiet corner to get out of the blazing summer sun. Kuroko and Uiharu were enjoying some hot tea of a teapot while Saten and I ordered some iced tea. We basically spent the time relaxing in silence. While Saten and I took sips of tea while Uiharu typed away at her laptop.

At the same time, Kuroko was still trying to reach Misaka, constantly making calls on her slim cell phone.

"I still can't get through to Onee-sama." complained Kuroko.

"She's being attacked by the Stripping Woman!" exclaimed Saten as she leaned on the table, almost knocking over my tea.

"Be careful!" I scolded as I brought my cup upright.

"Sorry."

"I will have none of that nonsense." replied Kuroko, still disbelieving in urban legends.

"Saten-san, I found a site with a lot of info on the Stripping Woman!" said Uiharu.

"Let me see." replied our long haired friend as she took the laptop from Uiharu's hands. She then let out a cry before slumping slightly with a saddened look on her face, as if something terrible happened.

"Shirai-san, it's says that those who run into the Stripping Woman, give out a final cry and become unreachable."

"Not more of that. After all, Onee-sama is the unstoppable, invincible, Electric Princess and the pride of Tokiwadai Middle School. There is no way she'll be done in by the Stripping Woman who does nothing but undress." As skeptical as always, but I have to agree with her this time.

Saten's eyes narrowed, "No... something even more terrifying may be going on." Uiharu was watching as giddily as well, a schoolgirl.

"What do you mean?" said Kuroko with complete seriousness. It looks like she is finally getting dragged in.

"The Stripping Woman is contagious!"

"Contagious?"

"Those who meet the Stripping Woman are cursed, and become Stripping Women themselves!"

Uiharu gasped in shock with her hands on her cheeks. "Then, Misaka-san will go around, taking her clothes off?!"

Kuroko's face said that she was all but convinced and terrified at the prospect, "Oh no... not Onee-sama...!"

"Come on guys, contagious stripping habits? I like to keep an open mind but seriously, who has ever heard of something like that." I said trying to lower the tensions and keep things peaceful.

But my efforts fell on deaf ears as Kuroko starting slamming her head into the table screaming, "No! Onee-sama! Don't do that!" all the while. I think this could become an urban legend all its own.

"Sh-Shirai-san?" asked Uiharu as she began to worry about her friend.

Kuroko grabbed Uiharu's shoulders with a crazed look in her eyes, bloodshot and absolutely desperate looking. "Uiharu, find a way to lift this curse right now!" Kuroko then began shaking Uiharu back and forth in a mad trance, continuing to screech.

"P-please don't get too worked up." feebly cried Uiharu.

"Yeah right, it's just an urban legend." Wow, what a complete reversal.

"Kuroko, calm down already! You're going to get us kicked out!" I said sternly, her screeching getting on my nerves. How does Misaka stand being around her all the time?

Unfortunately for us, the damage was already done. A waitress walked over to us, "Excuse me, but you're disturbing the other customers, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Kuroko finally quieted down long enough to listen.

I sighed, "Kuroko got us kicked out so I'm putting the tab on her." I then got up and prepared to leave after finishing the rest of my tea. "Thanks for the tea."

"Hey, don't just walk out of here!" cried Kuroko.

"Why not? You should easily be able to afford this."

"You don't just walk out when you're suppose to pay for something!"

"Whatever you say Kuroko, I don't feel like arguing with you." I withdrew two hundred and fifty yen and left it on the table.

"I need some air." I muttered as I left the cafe. Outside it was still as hot as ever, and if I wasn't already used to temperatures like these I'd probably be sweating buckets. At the very least there was a refreshingly cool breeze blowing through which made things bearable.

"Sieg-san, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just need some time to clear my head. Kuroko is driving me nuts."

"I could say the same for you." said the pig-tailed (and headed) teleporter.

"Hey, I didn't even do anything that time. You overreacted over a stupid urban legend that you yourself said was hard to believe."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to just walk out on us!"

"You've been incredibly obnoxious and hotheaded all day. What's wrong with you?"

"What about you? You've been lazy, distant, and a show-off the whole time!"

"A show-off? All I did was use and explain my power, I didn't flaunt it!"

"Really? Remember yesterday? You showed it off just to humiliate me!"

"You did it first! I wanted to keep the fact that I disguised as a girl a secret and you betrayed my trust!"

We then continued our seemingly perpetual glaring contest that had been going on all day. I was itching for a fight and it was taking a lot of self-control to not try and take it out on her. But my patience was wearing thin fast.

"Um, so what are we going to do now?" asked Uiharu, clearly trying to change the subject.

"I'm not sure, I didn't make any plans today so anywhere I suppose." I felt like trying to take it easy and going with the flow of things. Hopefully it will let the situation between Kuroko and I cool off.

"How about we go shopping!" said Kuroko deviously while glancing in my direction. I know what you're doing Kuroko, don't take me for an idiot!

"Oh no, nuh uh, no way. I'm not going to be your pack mule! Couldn't we go to the bookstore and read manga or something?"

"Come on, Sieg. We won't buy that much stuff." My dad always told me that when girls say they aren't going to buy a lot of stuff, that's exactly when they're going to buy a lot of stuff. He apparently learned that the hard way from Aunt Dana.

"I really wanted to see some of the new stores in the mall, pleaseeeee!" said Uiharu with puppy dog eyes.

I finally relented, "Fine, but please don't buy too much." The three of them cheered in response. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too nice.

I could practically hear my dad growling in the back of my mind, "You're actually submitting to these humans? Pathetic."

If I could talk to him right now I'd probably reply, "You try resisting puppy dog eyes like hers!" or something along those lines. Though he probably would considering his personality.

"Let's go already! Time's a wasting!" said Saten as she dragged me towards the shopping mall.

Shopping Mall – Academy City District 7

It took no more than ten minutes for me to regret my words. The girls were running from store to store looking for things they liked. Meanwhile I was stuck carrying all of the stuff they bought as I expected. They were more annoying than they were heavy, since I felt like a shopping cart being able to do nothing but hold these random things the whole time.

At this point I was holding four bags of clothes, three bags of toys, five shoeboxes, and several paperback copies of Kuroko's... interesting light novels she uses to entertain her imagination. I'm sure that she is having a ball since things seem to be going completely her way.

However, as we passed the toy section again I noticed a sale on stuffed animals. Among them was an actually cute looking Gekota plushie going for about five hundred yen. I wonder if Ina would enjoy this.

"Hey Kuroko."

"What is it? Don't tell me you're complaining already." she said smugly. I could, but I don't want to be a public disturbance like you.

"No it's not that. You're Misaka-san's roommate right?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" She then her expression changed into one of realization before asking, "Are you trying to make a move on Onee-sama?!" she exclaimed with the same crazed look in her eyes from before.

"Could we put it aside for one second?" She then stopped glaring for a moment.

"If Misaka-san had a little sister, do you think she would enjoy this?" I held up the plushie to her.

"Are you telling me that Onee-sama has a little sister and I don't know about it?" I think she's indulging in her fantasies a bit too much. Then again, that isn't too far from the truth.

"Again, no. But it's just a thought, I'm planning on buying this for a girl at the hospital. She's a lot like Misaka-san, so I wanted to know if maybe she'd enjoy like this."

Another half-lie, but this time for the better since I don't know what Kuroko would do if she found out about the existence of the Misaka clones. Come to think of it, maybe I should track down the rest of the clones. Then maybe Ina will get to live with a family of sorts.

"Well, considering Onee-sama's childish obsessions I would have to say yes. I still need to get her to focus on the future and help her get into more ojou-sama like activities."

"Alright then, I'm buying it. Thanks for your input Kuroko." I walked over to the cash register and paid for the plushie. After placing it in a bag I walked back to see Saten and Uiharu holding another two bags each. I let out a sigh as I took the bags off their hands. What is it with girls and shopping?

"I think that's about it for today." said Saten.

You mean it's over? If there is a God out there, thank you! Thank you so much!

I was looking forward to a relaxing end of the day without any trouble to deal with. Of course, God then threw a curveball at me as it seemed to be simply impossible for me to go through the day without getting into some kind of trouble.

I then heard a loud bang coming from the jewelry store.

"Nobody move!" yelled a man whose voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"Yeah, dis is a holdup!" added another familiar voice.

This is the second one this week... Well I'm part of law enforcement now. I can't ignore this.

Kuroko was the first to speak, "Uiharu, contact Anti-Skill."

"Saten, I'll need you to help evacuate anyone near the scene, Kuroko and I will take out the robbers." I said while tying on my Judgment armband and leaving our things in a corner.

My two classmates nodded and went to work, Uiharu taking cover behind a building support and Saten starting to quietly lead away anyone coming towards the jewelry store.

Turning on thermal vision, I counted the number of robbers. One in the back room, two in front, and one as a lookout. That makes four robbers, and four targets to eliminate.

Slipping on the Booster, I whispered to Kuroko, "There are four robbers, one of them is in the back room. Could you take him out while I distract the ones in front? Once he's out we'll take out the remaining two together. You're going to have to do it quietly though."

"How do you know this?"

"Call it a hunch, I think I've dealt with this group before."

"We're basing our strategy on a hunch?"

"Just trust me, arguing isn't going to get us anywhere right now."

"I can't believe I'm going along with this... fine we'll do it your way. How do you plan on distracting them?"

"Like this."

I got up from behind the corner we were hiding behind and strolled over to the front of the jewelry store. The lookout looked startled and attempted to draw a bead on me with his assault rifle, only for me to knock him out with a single backhand to the side of the head. I then kicked open the locked door, grabbing everyone's attention. My offensive powers are anything but subtle, so this was much easier than trying to sneak in.

The other two heard this and turned to me, the skinny one taking a store clerk hostage.

"It's you! That shitty brat who stopped us last time!" So it is them.

"Mr. Yamada, I thought you learned your lesson already. How did you break out of prison?"

"Shut up!" Is that supposed to be his catchphrase? "I'm not a goddamn esper like you!" That didn't answer my question but alright.

"What's wrong with being an esper? Just because you're an esper doesn't mean you're guaranteed fame and fortune. I'm certainly not in the spotlight."

"You're just making excuses! It's all the same, espers are the root of all problems in this goddamned city!"

"If you hate living here so much, why not leave? Nothing's stopping you." I then chuckled in a mocking manner, "Aside from your criminal record that is."

"You little shit! How the hell should you know how tough my life is!" He said with gritted teeth. I think I mentioned this earlier, but statements like that piss me off beyond your imagination.

"I don't need to know what kind of life you've had. Want a reason why? Your life is nothing compared to what I've been through."

He started to try and argue but I cut him off, "Try being hunted your entire life by a legion of psychopaths who want to do nothing but test and experiment with your body in order to turn you into a weapon. To be afraid of someone lurking around the corner ready to kidnap you and take to who knows where just because they were ordered to. To be afraid of who and what you are. That was my life before I came here. So shut your fucking trap because you don't know the meaning of hardship!"

My words seemed to have gotten to him, and everyone else in the room for that matter, as they all looked paralyzed at my words. I think he would've retorted with a line like, "You're lying!" if it weren't for the deadly serious glare I gave him, especially since I turned the irises of my eyes red for emphasis.

A quiet thud was then heard from the back room, probably Kuroko finally subduing the crook in the back. He turned his head in the direction of the noise, meaning that his attention was split. Exactly what I needed. I teleported into the air next to Yamada and threw a swift kick to the side of his head, knocking him across the room and rendering him unconscious. I would've kicked him in the face, but since he seemed human enough to actually react to my life story I let him keep his teeth and nose intact.

The pudgy robber with language issues then turned to me with his pistol and started firing. I quickly covered my arms with smaller versions of my shields and deflected the rounds as they came at me one by one. It was actually a bit risky in hindsight, but better than just taking the bullets or risking any collateral damage to the people behind me. Desperate, he looked ready to throw it at me.

"Oh yeah, like that's going to work."

I then ripped the gun from his hands and dropped it on the floor before a quick jab to the gut knocked the wind out of him. I then let the poor sap crumple and hit the floor as he clutched his stomach. Kuroko appeared out of thin air next to me and surveyed the situation.

"I must admit, that was pretty well done. Reckless, but well executed."

"Thanks, you did a good job yourself."

"Still, I must admit I was shocked by how you approached the situation. Your plan as a whole was just walking in and drawing all of the attention to yourself while I did away with the robber in the back."

"Yeah, sorry about that, and earlier. I guess I was being a show off and somewhat standoffish wasn't I."

"That's alright, I'm at fault as well for my outlandish actions. Still, I have to ask you about that story you said about yourself, is it true?"

Well, crap. I just shot myself in the foot again (figuratively), but I'd rather do it literally than deal with this right now.

Normally I would have brushed it off and said, "Ha ha, of course it wasn't. I just needed to distract the robbers." But for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to lie. Maybe it was because I was starting to really consider the girls as friends rather than just acquaintances.

In the past I basically just sat in the corner and did my work dutifully, I didn't really talk to anyone unless I had to out of fear of what my true nature would lead them to do. Jii-chan encouraged me to make a change this year and start fresh, and now it's led to these conflicting feelings about what I feel is right emotionally instead of just weighing the pros and cons.

After a brief pause I finally admitted, "Yes. It was. I was chased by a military organization when I was younger since they saw the potential in my abilities. It wasn't until some fortunate events led me to being adopted by Jii-chan and meeting my blood relatives did they finally stop. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they're still watching me to this day." Another half-lie, since I kept things vague and all and implied that they were hunting me for my esper powers, but most of it was true.

"I had no idea. Even if you were a show-off you always seemed so nice and cheerful."

"It's not a problem, but I don't really want to go spreading this around. I don't want my past to change anyone's opinion of me. Can I trust you to keep this on the down low this time?"

She then smiled, "Yes, you can trust me to keep my lips sealed."

"Thanks Kuroko. I mean it."

"Well, I guess we should get things ready for Anti-Skill to clean up."

"Let's do it then."

We then took the time to round up the robbers and handcuffed them. It wasn't that hard with our teleportation abilities. After we made sure that none of the bystanders were injured we began writing down the info we needed for our damage report. Oh the paperwork we'll have to do later. Well, as they say, there ain't no rest for the wicked.

"Saten-san, Sieg-san, are you alright?" asked Uiharu as she came around the corner.

"We're fine. Did you really think the two of us would get injured by some common thugs?" said Kuroko to assure her worrywart of a friend.

"Well, it's just that they all had guns and Sieg-san just walked straight into them, I was worried they might turn around and shoot you two."

"We had it under control, you don't need to worry so much Uiharu." Besides with the caliber they were using they wouldn't leave any last markings on me.

"O-okay, so what are we going to do now?"

"Well after Anti-Skill arrives I guess we can call it day, since it's technically our day off."

"Yeah, Sieg-san can help us carry the things we bought home." Thanks for the reminder Uiharu.

I slumped over as I thought about how long it will take to deliver all of the things they bought. I'm going to be coming home late tonight. My friends then broke out in laughter after realizing what I was thinking about. This was going to be a long day.

Tokiwadai Exterior Dormitories – Tokiwadai Middle School

Dropping off Uiharu and Saten at their houses along with the things they bought was a bit time consuming but otherwise relatively peaceful and easy. Getting Kuroko's things into her dorm. Not so much.

We were sneaking into the Tokiwadai dorms as best we can in order avoid being spotted. I'd definitely stick out as a boy at an all-girl school, but even disguising as a girl wouldn't help since they'd just ask for my ID.

"Do I really have to carry everything in Kuroko? We're going to get in trouble."

"Relax. If all goes well we'll be done before anything bad can happen. Besides, do you really expect a lady to carry all of that in?"

"Well, if it would keep us from getting a mark on our records I would."

She sighed, "And here I thought you were the adventurous type."

"Not really, I just get caught in the middle of trouble a lot of the time."

We teleported upstairs to the second floor with everything to avoid the elevator cameras, luckily no one was around to see us. Kuroko led me down the hallway to room 208.

"This is your room right? So can I leave everything here and go?"

"Just carry it in, it'll only take a few minutes."

I had a bad feeling about this, but I reluctantly complied and opened the door... and saw Misaka in the middle of changing wearing nothing but her panties.

"Kya!" she cried at her loss of privacy.

I dropped everything in shock and turned away, "Sorry Misaka-san. I didn't mean to, I swear!"

"Why did you even come here! Boys aren't allowed in the dorms!"

"Kuroko had me carry in all this stuff after she, Saten, and Uiharu went shopping. I didn't mean to walk in on you changing!"

"How dare you violate Onee-sama's chastity!" Kuroko began glaring at me once more.

"You're the one who brought me up here in the first place!"

"What is going on here!" I heard a commanding female voice boom as she came down the hallway. At first I thought it was General Armstrong (which means I'd probably be good as dead), but instead I saw a tall and slender woman with shoulder length brown hair and glasses wearing a very professional looking black skirt and blouse on top of a white dress shirt. If her hardened and no nonsense expression wasn't enough to frighten you, the fact that the ranked 3rd Level 5 was shuddering in fear would.

"You brought a boy here Shirai? Explain yourself!"

"Well I..."

"I apologize dorm supervisor. Kuroko went shopping and I offered to help her carry her things upstairs as a favor. Please do not penalize her for my actions. I will leave as soon as possible. I once again apologize for my actions." I said politely with a bow.

"How polite of you..." the supervisor began, "but I still can't let this pass!" She then promptly walked over to me and dislocated my neck. I assume it was in an attempt to knock me out, as she turned to Kuroko and Misaka immediately after.

After resetting my neck and shaking off the dull ache that remained I quietly walked up behind the dorm supervisor.

"You're going to have to answer for this Shirai! There is going to be a major demerit on your-"

I then struck both of her temples at the exact same time with my fingers, knocking her out as she fell backwards into my arms.

"What... just happened?" asked Misaka at the sight. She was wearing a towel to cover herself now so I could bear to look at her without feeling like a voyeur.

"You two are lucky that I read manga often. That was a technique called the Shockwave of Forgetfulness. With any luck she'll forget this ever happened. Where's her office? I want to make her think she just woke up from a nap."

"Um, down the hall, then take a left. It's the third door on the right."

"That helps a lot." I carried the dorm supervisor over to the door indicated, opening it, and laying her on the office chair gently before quietly closing the door.

"Phew, that was close." I remarked as I walked back to Kuroko and Misaka's room.

"Um, sorry for walking in on you." I apologized again to Misaka now that things were quiet.

"That's alright. I think we're even since you saved us from the dorm supervisor. Though we wouldn't have gotten in trouble in the first place if Kuroko carried everything up herself!" Misaka glared at Kuroko, who laughed nervously.

She continued after a sigh of frustration, I was just about to leave again anyway. I have a fight to get to."

"A fight?"

"There's this guy I need to get even with." This time I have no business to interfere, so I'm just going to let this one run its course.

"Alright then, I think I'll take my leave. Good night you two!" I then teleported off the grounds of Tokiwadai before teleporting out of the Garden of Learning.

Judgment 177th Branch Office

After I finished that fiasco I left for the Judgment office. I walked in while sipping the smoothie I made for lunch to stave off potential cravings. Konori-senpai was still working away at the massive piles of paperwork she had on her desk. If they were stacked on top of each other they'd reach from the floor to the ceiling easily with more to spare. I guess being the chief of a Judgment branch is a lot harder than it sounds.

"Eh, Sieg-san, why are you here? Isn't today your day off?"

"Yeah, but we foiled a robbery at the mall so I have to start filling out the paperwork now."

"I see, but don't stay too late. It'll be past curfew soon."

At the very least I have experience filling out paperwork due to helping out Jii-chan with medical files, but there was still a lot to go through. Damage reports, witness testimonies, evidence filing, it went on and on. I think I finished about an hour later.

"That took a while." I remarked as I got up from my seat and stretched. As I looked over at Konori-senpai she wasn't even halfway finished, as if someone added even more paperwork to her pile.

"Konori-senpai, would you like a hand with that?"

"Eh? Oh no, I couldn't possibly ask you to do help me. This is my responsibility after all."

"Don't worry about it, my grandfather will understand. I get into crazy situations all the time so he understands that I'm out late often."

"If you say so, thank you very much! Let's see, sighted crime reports, evidence analysis requests, equipment repair requests..."

Another half hour later we could finally cheer, "Yes, all the paperwork is done!" After a high-five we could get ready to go home and relax.

"Thanks a lot Sieg-kun, you're a life saver."

"I'm just doing what I can." I said humbly as I left the office.

Streets of Academy City – Night Hours

As I began my walk back home I decided to take out the Gekota plushie again. I observed it from all sides, even squeezing it a couple of times. Would Ina really like this? It's pretty cute, but she seemed to not like childish things like the name I gave her. Just because she has the same DNA as Misaka doesn't mean she has the same interests. I already bought it, so I might as well show to her I guess. I put it away and continued my walk home.

I then heard a cacophony of familiar zapping sounds along with a flash of light on my left. The skies were clear, so it wouldn't make sense that there was lightning today. I ended up walking towards the direction the sound was coming from to investigate.

There I found Misaka standing there, facing a teenage boy older than her with spiky black hair and wearing a rather generic looking outfit of a white dress shirt and jeans. Come to think of it, isn't that Touma, the guy I helped from the other day? I wonder what he did for Misaka to hold a grudge against him.

"Shocks don't work against you, all right. Well then...!" Misaka aimed her electricity at the ground, drawing up black coils of what appeared to be sand into her hand.

"Huh? What's that?" asked Touma as he watched the display.

The sand slowly coalesced into a shape somewhere between a short sword and a big trench knife.

"Whoa, isn't it against the rules to use weapons?!" he asked in a panic as the weapon was completed. This has to be one of Misaka's famous iron sand attacks.

"I made it using my ability." she calmly replied, swinging the makeshift blade to the side. As she did a falling leaf just touched the edge before being torn in half for no reason apparent to the naked eye.

"Eh?" was the only response Touma could come up with as he was startled by the display.

"When iron sand vibrates it acts like a chainsaw, so you might bleed a bit if this touches you!"

"I-I don't think I can allow that in any case!" he managed to say before ducking under the high-frequency sand blade.

He dodged every strike in an almost clumsy manner, barely avoiding the blade's edge.

"You can scamper away all you want, but I can still do this with it!" Misaka exclaimed as the sword suddenly changed into the shape of a whip, extending in length before winding and twisting its way towards Touma.

Touma looked just about caught, and Misaka looked ready to give a victory smile. However, Touma then put his right hand in the way of the blade almost as if to sacrifice it. To my surprise (and probably Misaka's) the blade was blown apart and sent back towards her rather than piercing Touma's hand the way it should have.

Touma then looked at his right hand in an almost thankful manner, "Phew! That was a close one!"

"L-looks like that's the match right?" He said nervously while glancing at Misaka.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure..." She let out another arc of electricity. As she did, a cloud of iron sand appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"You can even control the iron sand in the wind?" questioned a shocked Touma, in the unfortunate position of being right under the cloud of potentially deadly iron sand.

"But no matter how many times you try this, the result will always be the same!" he loudly declared as he grabbed the cloud with his right hand as before, dispersing the cloud into its component particles and making it disappear. Misaka then took the opportunity to sneak behind her opponent, grabbing his right hand.

"I've got you, you may be able to stop shocks in mid air but..." Her face turned into one of shock as Touma appeared unfazed.

He then looked up at Misaka. I couldn't tell what his expression was at the moment due to the fact that his back was turned to me.

"Um..." he began as Misaka could only look on as she realized she was trapped and a sitting duck waiting for the final blow. Touma raised his left fist, to which Misaka cowered rather cutely.

He then suddenly seemed to cry out in pain, grabbing his left hand, "Yahhhhhhhhh" he cried while falling to the floor in an overdramatic fashion.

Misaka looked ready to cry, anticipating a fist to enter her field of vision any second now. This is the most vulnerable I've ever seen her. I guess that even Level 5s have their moments where they're at the mercy of someone else. Then again, I put the strongest one at my mercy once, so this really shouldn't be a surprise to me.

As she opened her eyes, she saw Touma on the floor, seemingly defeated.

"I-I give up!" Touma said in a rather plain manner before feigning unconsciousness.

Misaka blushed as she struggled to make at the words, "D... D..."

Realizing that he angered Misaka, Touma scrambled to his feet and started running for his life.

"Don't screw with me!" she screamed while unleashing a massive bolt of electricity towards the poor high schooler.

"Take this seriously!"

"But you're seriously scared!"

"No I'm not!"

"Liar!" Wow, if Kuroko and I sounded like a married couple I wonder what you'd call these two.

"You got all teary-eyed like this, and then you flinched..." said Touma, raising his arms the way a child would when they were about to be punished in a mocking manner. He stopped as he noticed the incredible quantity of electricity Misaka was producing.

"Die!" she ordered in embarrassment as he once again began fleeing for his life. A bolt of electricity the size and length of two school buses put back to back struck the location Touma was in moments earlier.

"Don't run away!" Touma didn't seem keen on listening to instructions as he started to run away away even more quickly than before.

"Hey, you! If that had hit me directly I would've died!"

"It wouldn't have worked anyway!" Misaka yelled in outrage as she gave chase.

"Whether or not it would've worked, what do you think you're doing using that kind of power against someone!"

Misaka continued to blush, "I've never had to use this much power against someone before!" she replied angrily.

"Why me?!" cried the unfortunate teenager as he ran from the Railgun. Well, he's lucky he has that anti-lightning power otherwise he'd be toast already.

"Stand still and face me!"

It then occurred to me that I could ask Misaka if Ina would like the plushie, since she is her closest living relative aside from the other clones if there are any left. I began running after her, but keeping well a ways behind to ensure that I didn't get hit by a stray lightning bolt.

After Misaka ran out of steam and gave up the chase, I approached her.

"Misaka-san-"

She jumped and shot out an arc of lightning that very barely missed my head. If that hit it probably would've burnt my face and probably the rest of me.

"Don't scare me like that!" Note to self, learn how to approach people like Misaka without scaring them lest I have a death wish.

"Sorry, it's just that I wanted to ask you about something. You see, I told you earlier that Kuroko dragged me out to go shopping with everyone right? Well there's a girl at the hospital who is a lot like you and needed cheering up, so I bought her this." I pulled the plushie out of my bag. "Since you seem to be the expert on Gekota I was wondering if you think she'd like this." Another stretch of a statement, since the girl in question is genetically identical, but the meaning of the statement is still the same.

"W-what are you talking about, expert on Gekota, who do you take me for a child-" As she laid her eyes on the plushie she went starry-eyed and started gazing at the toy the way a beggar would a full course meal (minus the drool and urge to eat it).

"C-can I hold it?"

"Uh, sure."

She held it, observing the toy from every possible direction like a jeweler would a diamond. She then ran her hand over it and squeezed it, as if to make sure it was soft and squishy enough.

"It's perfect! Where did you get it!" she asked mystified and entranced by the doll. I think she likes it.

"Um, a shopping mall not too far from here. I don't quite remember the store but they had it on sale for five hundred yen."

"Yes!" she took a picture of it with her, you guessed it, Gekota cell phone. I guess she wants one exactly like it.

"You're welcome, I guess." If Misaka's reaction is anything to go by then I think Ina will enjoy this gift.

"May I have the doll back now?" Misaka froze and remembered that the doll wasn't hers. She slowly and gingerly handed it back to me, looking depressed all the while.

"The sale should still be going until closing time on Monday, so you can get your own if you want." She seemed to perk up at that.

"Thank you so much for telling me!" She then sort of pranced off back in the direction of Tokiwadai.

I shook my head with a smile at Misaka's antics. She is simultaneously childish and mature. It just takes a little frog mascot for her to show her childish side. If she were any more child like she'd be calling me onii-chan. With nothing left to do I started calculating my path before beginning to teleport home.

Heaven Canceller's Hospital

"I'm home!" I called as I walked in through the doors.

Jii-chan didn't bother asking why I was late this time. I guess he's gotten used to it since I've been coming home late practically every day.

Instead, he eyed the bag I was holding. "What do you have in there?"

"Oh, I thought I'd get a gift for Ina, especially since it was on sale for only five hundred yen." I showed him the plushie, "Misaka-san fawned over this. I thought that since Ina is Misaka-san's genetic twin I thought I'd get something like this for her."

"I understand your sentiments but remember Sieg, just because two people have the same DNA doesn't mean they have the same interests. That's why identical twins aren't always similar in personality. It's also why you aren't like your father." Actually my dad has been getting better recently, but I don't really want to tell anyone that I've been having conversations regularly with my dead father.

"I understand. I'm just going to check on her. Good night, Jii-chan." I didn't feel like teleporting so I ended up just walking up the stairs like a normal person.

When I reached the top I poked my head into Ina's room once more. She was gazing at the stars outside of her window. Her eyes held the same dull, almost lifeless expression as normal. With a face like that you wouldn't believe that she broke into tears of emotion earlier today.

"Hi Ina, the stars are bright today aren't they?"

"Agreed, they appear 13.5% brighter than normal due to favorable weather conditions. Says Misaka as she admires the night sky." Well that was awfully specific.

"Hey, I brought you something. I hope you like it." I showed her the plushie the same way I showed everyone else today, the only difference was that I handed it to her instead of just holding it.

"It's soft... and cute. Says Misaka as she analyzes the object and its purpose." I guess she was never given a stuffed animal before.

"It's from a line of products called Gekota. Your Onee-sama enjoyed it very much, so I thought that you might like it."

"My Onee-sama... my original enjoyed this? Asks Misaka as she wonders at the reasons for the object's purchase."

"Yeah, she basically drops her ojou-sama facade whenever she's around something like this. She loves these types of things so much that she waited on line for a crepe just to get one. I thought that this would be a nice thing to help keep you company during your stay here, since I'm busy most of the week with either school or the random things I get caught in."

"I see... will I ever be able to meet my Onee-sama? Asks Misaka as she attempts to get a definitive answer from you." Another big question I have to answer, lovely.

"I'm not sure. But hopefully I'll be able to introduce you when you get better. Let's focus on that first alright?" It's not a great response, but hopefully I can get her to focus on herself for once before worrying about the future.

"Acknowledged. I will devote my efforts to be restoring my bodily functions to the optimal level. Says Misaka as she agrees to your wishes." For some reason I was getting the feeling that she was acting as if I was giving orders.

"Listen Ina, I want you to start making your own decisions soon. I am not giving orders to you. You're no one's puppet anymore. You don't have to follow what I say to a T but... please, think for yourself. Do what you think is right, not just because someone tells you to."

She closed her eyes and had a look of deep thought on her face before she opened them again. "Yes, I believe I understand. It is late, please prepare for REM sleep in order to maintain your circadian rhythm. Says Misaka as she tries to get you to go to sleep." I guess that means that she's ready to go to sleep as well.

"Alright, good night Ina. Sweet dreams." She silently nodded in response before resting her head on the pillow and closing her eyes. Closing the door as quietly and softly as I could I walked back downstairs to get the blood packets I needed for dinner.

As I started drinking from them with a straw, Jii-chan turned to me and spoke.

"Sieg, there's something I need to talk to you about." The tone in his voice was grave.

"Eh? What is it?"

"It's about your friend, you told me she was a clone of Misaka Mikoto correct?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"

"In your classes have you ever gone over the cloning process?"

"I remember this from biology class in fifth grade. Let's see... they take the cytoplasm from one animal and they take the nucleus from another animal of the same genus. They're forced together in a test tube and the finished product is later inserted into a natural or artificial incubator to allow it to develop."

"Precisely. The problem with this process is that clones often have shortened lifespans due to the nature of their birth which leaves them prone to many health problems."

I felt my brow furrow at this, "You're saying that Ina will have a very short lifespan?"

"Unfortunately, yes. However, when I analyzed a blood sample from her, there was evidence of accelerated growth through the use of hormones. This would lower the number of times that cells would be able to divide, shortening her lifespan further."

"So her already short lifespan will be cut even shorter. How long do you think she has to live?"

"I'd say no more than six months."

"S-Six months!" I heard myself stammer, "That's horrible!"

He motioned for me to settle down. "It is possible to extend her lifespan close to that of a normal human, but it will require extensive treatment to counterbalance the hormones used to rapidly age her."

"Do we have the supplies required for the treatment here?"

"It will take a few months to order them, but yes we should have the facilities required to treat her."

I another sigh of relief left my mouth at the news, I've been getting quite stressed lately.

"There is still something to worry about. Are the experiments still being conducted?"

That never occurred to me before, "I thought they would stop since I defeated Accelerator, but now that you bring it up, that's a real possibility."

"I was afraid that would be the case. I don't want you charging into anything dangerous, if you find out anything about the experiment report it to Anti-Skill. They'll shut down the experiment for sure."

"Got it. But what happens if Anti-Skill is unable to handle Accelerator?"

"You are to under no circumstances engage him."

I raised an eyebrow at this, "Why not? I've beaten him before haven't I?"

"That may be the case, but he is not someone to be trifled with. People like him hold grudges when blows are dealt to their pride, he'll think of a way to defeat you and he won't be blinded by his arrogance the next time you see him."

"Okay then. I can't make any promises but I'll do my best to stay out of trouble." It was really pointless to make promises to stay out of trouble now. I end up breaking them whether I like it or not.

"That's all I needed to hear. Now go to bed, it's late."

"Yes, Jii-chan." I didn't feel like arguing so I just went upstairs and got changed.

After going through my usual hygienic habits I plopped down on my bed. I've never described my room to you have I?

It's pretty plain, being a modified hospital room. The walls and ceilings are mostly white, with a stripe of sea foam green close to the floor. I have a desk made of oak which I carried up myself. It's covered in the folder bins and baskets which I use to keep organized. I have a laptop which I use mostly for schoolwork but I also use it to browse through manga and anime in my free time.

My bed is the standard hospital bed. I don't really find it uncomfortable since I've grown up and slept in this hospital for years. I also have a wall shelf near the window which I use to hold books and any knickknacks I happen to get now and then. Speaking of the window it's surprisingly big (which let's me slip out rather easily at night) and offers me a nice few of the city's skyline as well as the stars.

I didn't feel like sleeping until after I gazed out my window for a while. Like Ina said, the stars were particularly bright today, being able to shine and sparkle above the blinding lights of the city. I've gone to sleep doing this practically every night since I officially came to call this place home. It makes me wonder how long peaceful nights like this will last, and whether or not I'll be able to keep up this routine for the rest of my life. It wasn't long after that my eyelids began to feel heavy, before finally closing and drifting into sleep.

Another chapter done. A bit shorter than last time, but still over ten thousand words. Since this was an overall uneventful episode in the anime I decided to make it a bit more dramatic. I noticed a comment or two about how trolltastic Sieg's exit was, and I decided to reflect that in Kuroko's behavior this time. There really isn't much to say about this chapter, as it and the next few chapters will mainly be serving as a transition into the meat of the Level Upper arc.

Please review and critique constructively. I've gotten one or two comments that said Sieg's a pushover... he's too nice for the Blacklight virus e.t.c. I understand you guys have your opinions, but if it's not going to help me write please keep it to yourself. If you decide to say so anyway, do it in a helpful way. For example, instead of saying "Sieg sounds like a pushover." say, "Sieg is strong, but he seems to be too nice. Maybe you should introduce some tougher enemies or antagonistic people to force him to get serious." These are the kinds of reviews I want to see.

I've decided to start updating my other fiction Fairy's Kaiser again, a Maplestory/Fairy Tail crossover. If you're interested you can read that too. Anyway, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next chapter.