Traces of your Tears

CHAPTER 8:

Numbness spread down her entire body, icy claws tightly locking around her muscles and gouging out a basin of dread in her stomach. She could hardly breathe. The cold seeped into her deflated lungs and froze her thoughts to a stop.

But nothing was colder than the curve of the blade that was pressed against her neck.

Enlarged eyes found her assailant. His pale face contrasted ethereally with the dark, hanging shadows of the branches high above. Red eyes that glinted with malicious intent stared down at her condescendingly, burning alight with the rage of hellish flames.

His weight pressed against her stomach, and his shoes dug into her thighs to forcefully pin her legs down onto the muddy earth and debris. Her arms lay sprawled uselessly on either side. One was painfully clenched within her attacker's fist, the other gripped by disabling fear.

In the silence that followed, the thin lips below those monstrous eyes pulled wide open into a hideous grin. A wild laughter resonated from that gaping mouth, outlined by uneven sets of yellowish-white teeth.

"That look suits you, Railgun," Accelerator chortled. "You really are the Original of those pathetic dolls, aren't ya?!"

The derision in his voice broke the freezing spell that bound her. Mikoto thrashed against his weight with gritted teeth. A sharp sting below her chin broke out, and she stilled once more.

Something wet trickled down her neck.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," the grinning mouth told her. "An accident might happen."

Mikoto tried to say something, but only a strangled choking noise came out. Her dry throat was stuck, and her tongue felt clumsily heavy.

The pale face leaned closer to her, completely blocking out anything else. Patchy black bruises and flecks of dried blood that had still not been washed out accentuated his angled features. Somehow, despite the situation, the sight of his dishevelled state gave Mikoto some pride.

As if he knew what she was thinking, his smirk faded, abruptly washed out by a frosty apathy.

"Like what you see, Railgun?"

She stiffened, hardly daring to breathe.

"You did beat me up pretty bad, I admit. And mocking me like that?"

Although his lips remained neutral, a hard gleam flashed in his crimson eyes.

"Nobody has ever even touched me, but you…"

He suddenly leaned back, and his shoes dug further into her numb thighs. The blade at her throat continued to lightly kiss along her neck. Her head pounded as her arteries desperately pulsed against the gentle but deadly threat. The fiery eyes glared at her in distaste.

"Someone as weak as you hurting God… We can't just let that go unpunished, can we?"

Her breath hitched, eyes widening in fear.

Slender white fingers traced beneath the edge of the knife, as light and graceful as a ballerina across her sweaty skin. Their tips collected her life juices slowly oozing from its shallow bite, painting the pale flesh a stark red. They lifted away towards the sky, then offered the boon towards the monster's hungry lips. His mouth swallowed them, and sucked away every drop of her blood.

Acidic bile rose up to her throat as Mikoto watched the grotesque scene. Her stomach churned and twisted. Her heart thudded frantically in her chest. Unable to bear the sickening sight any longer, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

'Goddammit, he really is a crazy creep…'

"I thought maybe the Original might be better, but you taste exactly like them… Disgusting," she heard him spit out. Her ears thundered at the horrifying implications behind his words. Did he mean…?

Before she could dwell on it any further, she felt him lean in again, his iron-scented breath hot on her cheek.

"Open your eyes, Railgun. You don't want to miss this."

She squeezed her eyes more tightly in response, not wanting to give in to his twisted games.

"I fucking told you to open your eyes!"

Her eyes jerked wide open in pain as the deadly weapon against her neck dug into her skin harder. She felt more blood pulse out of the wound, gradually soaking her shirt with its sticky warmth. Her head began to spin. Desperately, she wondered if the lunatic might actually end up killing her. She needed to buy time somehow, until she could find a way to free herself from this dangerous position. Clenching her jaws, Mikoto forced her voice box to work.

"Where… Where the heck… did you get that knife?!" she managed to choke out.

"While you were busy packing for a picnic, I was busy gathering more… useful things." A victorious glint hardened his mocking gaze, and a free hand slipped into his pack.

"Like this little beauty here…"

His hand pulled out something metallic.

Mikoto's heart almost stopped at the sight, and the icy fear gripped at her body once more.

It was a gun.

Normally, facing against such a weapon wouldn't have worried her too much. As a Level 5 electromaster. Mikoto could sense any incoming bullets with her electroperception and direct them away with her lightning. Right now though, it was a different matter entirely. Without her abilities, she was just a normal human girl who could be killed with a single bullet.

Evidently, Accelerator had realised this as well… much too earlier than she had.

Shoving the dangerous weapon back into its home, Accelerator knocked aside her baseball cap and grabbed a large fistful of her brown locks. Mikoto yelped out as he pulled her head back viciously, further exposing her bleeding neck to the harsh kisses of the unforgiving blade.

"I could kill you right now with that thing, but I don't think that'd be any fun," he snarled. "It was my idea for us to go on this journey together after all, so entertain me lots more, Railgun."

Hot tears welled up in her eyes, although they remained stubbornly unshed. This kind of helplessness was something she had never experienced before, not until she met him.

"You're… sick," she whispered harshly. Her fingers curled into the wet earth, trembling in anger and humiliation.

The only response she received was a guttural snarl mixed with laughter.

Another blade emerged from underneath his dark cloak. The pale hand that had drawn it held the sharp end dangling precariously above her open right eye. Fresh terror seized her and Mikoto stared, transfixed, at the glinting point. She did not even dare to blink. Accelerator wasn't just joking around. One bad move, and she could lose her eye.

The hanging eternity passed, and the knife slowly moved away into the air much to Mikoto's relief. But the feeling was cut short when the blade slowly began to carve a groove into the sensitive skin of her cheek.

"Ghh!"

It burned; the warm blood seeped out like lava along the trail. She tried to turn her head away, but the knife on her cheek dug in deeper as a warning, forcing her to still. Crimson eyes that shone as bright as her flowing blood gleamed with glee at her suffering, and harvested pleasure from her grimaces of pain.

The knife continued its fiery path until it met with the curve of her chin. A shuddering breath released from her lungs as the weapon pulled away.

Mikoto glared up at Accelerator in the haze of pain, jaws clenched and her right cheek on fire. A long tongue protruded from the widely grinning mouth, and licked around the dripping steel to taste her blood once more. This action probably cut him too, but the monster didn't seem to care.

"…Disgusting," he muttered. Joy was alight in his crazed eyes.

"Stop…" Mikoto choked out. "Just stop it!"

Accelerator sucked the last drop dry and stared down at her. His feral grin fast faded away into irritation.

"Shut your mouth and stay still," he growled. "We're only just getting started."

His sinister words urged Mikoto to struggle again. Her arms lifted to push him off at whatever the cost. Before she could even move an inch however, a ruthless force slammed against her left hand, pressing it back roughly onto the ground. Excruciating agony erupted. Her vision blackened momentarily as a sharp scream tore from her throat. Weakly, her eyes squinted downwards and widened at the horrifying sight. The knife had impaled her hand cruelly onto the ground. She tried to move her fingers, but they only twitched weakly in response. A cold numbness grew, even as hot flames rippled up to her shoulder.

Accelerator's free hand slithered down the length of her other arm. The original blade still remained tight against her throat. He dropped forward as his hand reached hers, the pale, bloodied lips eventually lingering against her ear. His warm breath tickled, but she could barely make sense of what was happening anymore.

"You die when I decide, got it?" The husky voice whispered. "You're only living right now because I have decided to let you live."

Something wet explored the insides of her ear. Mikoto shuddered.

"You're mine, Railgun. I'm going to kill you once I get my powers back…" his teeth grazed the edges of her ear before brutally biting into it, "painfully."

Through the fog of intense hurt, his dark words echoed with menace. Mikoto held onto the threads of consciousness, and weaved them together to force herself to stay in reality. The thoughts of what Accelerator might do if she lost consciousness motivated her to keep her eyes open. She was not going to succumb to the feelings of degradation and despair. She kindled the blistering flames of anger deep within, and let it grow and grow into a rage.

'I won't let him win…! I'll get him first-!'

Something huge suddenly barged into the Level 5 above her, releasing his hold on Mikoto and sending him flying away with a yelp. Its large paws almost trampled her, only narrowly missing crushing her body by a hairbreadth. With the oppressive blade at her neck now gone, Mikoto quickly rolled to her left side where the knife that had skewered her hand still held it pinned to the ground. She only allowed herself a brief pause to tightly clench her jaws before she grabbed the handle and yanked it out in one ferocious movement.

"Ghh!"

The pain and anger stained her vision a bright red. Breathing hard, her agonised pupils zoned on the thing that had almost trampled her as she slowly stood up. It was a monstrous beast standing at almost ten feet, shaped like a fearsome wolf with glowing crimson eyes. White and shaggy, it had an almost semi-transparent look that vaguely reminded Mikoto of something she couldn't be bothered to recall. It snarled as it faced her, baring its sharp fangs in a fierce display of supremacy.

Her right hand curled around the handle of the blade, the weapon of her torture now fitting perfectly into her palm. Her entire body shook as she glared back at the beast just as fiercely, her thoughts uncaring about what had happened to the albino.

She just wanted to destroy something so badly.

The giant wolf reared and howled out a screeching note. The terrible, unnatural sound bounced between the trees and stirred up the wind. The girl's shoulder-length hair blew wildly around her enraged face. Her burning eyes solely focused on the monster's actions. As the last note of its screams died away, the beast charged forward in a blur of white.

With a barbaric roar of her own, the electromaster also charged. The knife in her right hand was a deadly gleam as blood trailed behind her from the injured other. Before it could attack her, she leapt, agilely landing atop the wolf's muzzle with the help of the blade brutally piercing into its upper jaw. It screamed out a high-pitched keening sound. It shook its head wildly as Mikoto gripped its white fur with steely fists and held on.

'I'll kill it before it kills me..! I'll rip it apart before it can even touch me..!'

Fuelled by intense thoughts of destruction, she pulled herself upwards until she was facing one of the beast's giant eyes. It swivelled towards her and stared unblinkingly. That black pupil outlined by dark crimson was just like… his.

With a shriek of fury, she swung the blade deep into the soft appendage. The beast howled out a horrible tune but it was drowned by a hysterical laughter ringing in her ears. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably, showered by a fountain of crimson as the sharp weapon found its mark once more. An ear-splitting scream bounced between the trees as the beast fell onto the ground with a heavy crash. Its large paws flailed as it writhed in agony.

"Die!" Mikoto snarled on top of the tortured creature. "Why don't you just die… you fucking monster!"

The last guttural growl was synced with another ruthless strike. This time, the blade sunk deep into the side of its exposed neck. The beast shuddered and grunted, then released a final wince before lying still. The humongous form began to disappear bit by bit, fading away into wisps and vanishing altogether as if it had never existed.

Mikoto landed on the ground and swayed dangerously on her feet. A wide grin was plastered across her bloodied features. Wild joy lit up her brown eyes, almost giving them a lighter hue. A choked laugh bubbled out from her chest. That had felt fucking fantastic. Who could stand against her now? Wasn't this proof that she was the strongest?

'As if anyone could control me! As if he could own me!'

A stick snapped somewhere nearby. A twist of her neck towards the sound found her rival leaning heavily against a tree. He looked bruised and in pain. He stared back at her with a strange expression she could not understand.

'No matter,' she thought idly. 'I'll make him understand…'

She dragged her feet towards him, the knife handle slippery but firmly gripped in an iron hold. She saw him take a step back with wary eyes, and felt herself grow warm at the sight. The world blurred and began to spin around her, making her feel light-headed. She could only focus on Accelerator, the figure who stood at the centre of the centrifuge that was melting her world into darkness.

"You're… mine," she hissed.

Then the world blackened and she knew no more.

XXXXXXX

She stood waiting patiently underneath the maple tree – their favourite place to meet. Longing brown eyes gazed at a group of girls far across the park. They were talking and laughing together. With a nod, she told herself that she would later do the same with her dear friend, and they would have lots of fun together too.

Her heart beat faster in excitement at the prospect of seeing her best friend again. They had not seen each other for the entirety of the winter holidays since her friend had left to visit family outside of Academy City. It had been rather quiet without her usual company and she had dearly missed her. The holidays had been busy though, and she really wanted to surprise her friend with the rewards of her hard work.

She couldn't wait to tell her what had happened.

"Mikoto-chan!"

She turned towards the calling voice, and a joyful smile bloomed when she saw the familiar figure running towards her.

"Akira-chan!"

Mikoto rushed to hug her friend when she noticed something furry in her arms. She slowed to a stop, peering at the white bundle in curiosity.

"Eh? A kitten?!"

"Yep~!" Akira cuddled the small animal tenderly. "My parents bought him for me when I visited home!"

"Ehh? You're going to keep a pet?" Mikoto grew wide-eyed in awe.

"Since we're going to be in middle school soon, they said I was now responsible enough," Akira explained proudly. "I named him Haru and I'm going to take great care of him!"

"Whoah… He's so cute…" Mikoto breathed. Reluctantly tearing her shining eyes away from the softly mewling creature, she glanced at Akira questioningly. "Was this the surprise you were talking about?"

"Yep~!" Akira grinned. The long curls of her black hair bounced as she nodded.

"That's so awesome! Can I… Can I pet him?"

"Of course you can, silly!" Akira held out the small animal in offering. "Here, you can hold him too. He's really friendly."

Trembling with anticipation, Mikoto reached out to take the adorable kitten from her friend. Haku squirmed and then suddenly hissed. His green eyes thinning into angry slits. Mikoto paused, and her hands hung hesitantly in the air.

"Huh? Haru, what's wrong?" Akira questioned the animal as she struggled to hold him still. "This is Mikoto – she's my best friend, you know! Be nice!"

Determination setting into her frown, Mikoto stepped closer. She wanted to prove that she could be responsible and hold the kitten safely in her arms too. Her fingers almost touched the creature's head when Haru yowled and raked his sharp claws against her skin. Mikoto faltered back. She stared in surprise at the angry welts that began to flourish across her hand.

"Oh no! Are you ok?!"

Akira raised the kitten to her eye level, and flashed the cat a disappointed look. "That was very naughty, Haru. You shouldn't hurt a friend like that. Apologise to Miko-chan."

The kitten only innocently flickered its tail and perked up his ears in response.

"Ah, it's okay Akira-chan…" Mikoto gave her friend a small smile. "It's only a little scratch."

"I'm really sorry!"

"Really, it's fine!"

"It's so weird though… I wonder why Haru got all agitated like that?'

Mikoto fell silent, and looked down glumly at her shoes. She knew it was because of her growing esper ability, an unfortunate side effect that repelled sensitive animals. The constant electromagnetic field surrounding her body appeared to be increasing in strength with each passing day. When she had asked, the scientists had told her it really couldn't be helped.

Seeing her friend's unhappy expression, Akira quickly intervened.

"You said you also had a surprise for me, right?"

At this, Mikoto immediately brightened.

"Yeah! While you were away, my powers grew a lot more! I can do heaps more things with my ability now!"

This time, it was Akira's turn to swoon. "Ohhh, that's great, Miko-chan!"

"I'm a Level 4 now," the girl boasted proudly. She flexed up an arm, a hand curling into a symbol of strength. "They said I might even reach Level 5 soon if I continued to work hard!"

"Really?"

"Yep! And I'm definitely going to make it happen!"

"Wow…" Akira sighed. Her yearning blue eyes gazed away into the distance. "I wish I had a cool ability like yours, Mikoto."

Mikoto laughed, patting her friend reassuringly on the shoulder. "Don't worry! I'll reach Level 5 quickly and that will be enough power for both of us! Anything would be possible for us then!"

"…You think so? But…" Akira's voice was laced with uncertainty, "You're going to be famous when you become a Level 5, right?"

Mikoto tilted her head at the curious question. "Well… maybe, but I don't really care about that. It shouldn't change anything, Akira-chan. I'll still be your friend no matter what!" She energetically punched the air to emphasise her vow.

"You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it!"

Akira smiled and Mikoto beamed back. A rush of cold winter wind blew around them, carrying the words of their promise drifting towards the grey sky.

"I know!" Mikoto exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I'll show you something new that I can do now!"

"What is it?"

"Just watch!"

Mikoto adjusted the magnetic field, smirking as it responded to her will alone with immediate and absolute attention. She felt every single particle of iron sand in the ground, sizzling and sparking with electricity. They flew from the earth and whizzed around in the air, denying the natural flow of the wind as each fleck of dust energetically vibrated with her power. The black swarm rose up high like a tornado, and reached towards the sky.

She grinned as her power physically manifested before her very eyes and she proceeded to let everything she had loose. Lightning crackled gleefully in her ears; it was a sound she had grown to love over time as she learned more about its properties. The blue sparks that she summoned from her fingertips were like beautiful fireworks, constantly changing shapes as they streaked towards the ground. But the rush of adrenaline as she released this torrent of power was the best feeling of all. With this, she could do anything. She wanted to show Akira-chan just how strong she was, and that she had enough power for the both of them. Her friend had nothing to worry about, even if she was Level 0.

"-koto-chan!"

She vaguely heard someone call out her name, but the sound was drowned out by the roar of the spinning iron sand and thundering electricity. There was still more that she could give to this, more that she could show her friend. Akira-chan would be so impressed…

"Stop! Mikoto-chan! STOP IT!"

The sheer terror in her friend's voice finally broke through the cacophony of her power, sending an icy dagger of fear through Mikoto's chest. In shock, she reigned in the electrical energy, her heart thrumming in her throat as the blue tendrils of lightning faded away. The black particles stopped spinning, and the lifeless bits of matter twirled and dissolved with the rush of wintry wind.

As the twisting black cocoon she had wrapped herself in disappeared completely, Akira's trembling form became revealed, curled up on the earth before her. Her best friend was sobbing as she hugged herself. She was clearly distressed.

"Akira-chan?! What's wrong?!"

Mikoto rushed towards her, wondering if her friend was feeling sick. Was she coming down with a sudden illness?

Mikoto squatted down beside her and laid a soothing hand on her friend's back. Akira flinched away visibly. Her large eyes were full of fear as she looked up at the electromaster with trembling lips. Mikoto pulled away her hand, feeling a little hurt at the obvious display of rejection. But her concern for her friend outweighed anything else.

"Akira-chan?"

"Just… stop…" Akira mumbled softly. Her harsh breathing was strained and she had tearstains on her cheeks. Mikoto leaned in closer, trying to hear what her friend was saying.

"Just stop, Mikoto… Don't do that…"

Mikoto's eyes grew wide. What did Akira mean?

Her friend suddenly looked up. Her sharp azure eyes glared at Mikoto fiercely.

"It's scary! It's really really scary when you do that, so don't…!"

Mikoto's mouth went dry and words stuck in her throat. She didn't really understand. What had been so scary? She hadn't meant to frighten anyone; she only wanted to show off a little to her best friend. Did Akira not realise she'd had everything under control? A sudden anxiety lurched in her stomach, and she wondered if she had perhaps accidentally miscalculated and caused physical pain in the process.

"Did I… Did you get hurt?!"

Akira sniffed. "No… No, I didn't get hurt but…" She suddenly sat up, looking around frantically.

"Oh no, where is Haru?!"

Mikoto also jerked up and turned her head to scan the area. Further along the street, she saw the flicker of a white tail turning the corner down an alleyway. She quickly jumped to her feet.

"There!" Mikoto pointed. "He went that way!"

She immediately leapt into a sprint with Akira closely following behind. Her previous feelings of anxiety became washed out by a new determination. Her friend hadn't liked her surprise after all, although Mikoto still couldn't quite understand why. It had been a completely harmless show, and it hadn't hurt anyone. She was a little disappointed by her best friend's reaction, but more than that, she hated seeing Akira upset.

'I'll make it up to her. I'll bring Haru back no matter what!'

She wanted to see Akira-chan smile again.

Gritting her teeth, Mikoto drove her legs faster and turned the corner sharply into the alleyway that the kitten had disappeared into. In the distance, she saw the tiny bundle of white fur dash away and swerve right at another junction. Electricity burst around her legs. Her powers quickened her strides with an instantaneous flare of extra speed. She swiftly rounded the next corner when a huge dog suddenly darted out with a snarl from the shadows, and snapped its jaws madly at the yowling baby kitten. It tackled the smaller animal to a wall.

"Oh no, you don't!"

With a snarl of her own, Mikoto unleashed her lightning. The blue whips of crackling electricity struck the canine head-on without mercy. The animal screamed out a keen note and fell onto its side with a shudder, its smoking brown fur crisply singed. Mikoto skidded to a stop next to the burnt body. A victorious smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"Gotcha!"

"Haru!"

Akira also rounded the corner, her breathing strained as she came running up to the scene. She looked at the twitching dog with frightened eyes, then tore her gaze away to find another, smaller bundle lying next to it.

"HARU!" she screamed. She ran up to the dust-covered white animal and crouched beside it. The little kitten was still and silent. Its pristine, snowy white fur was marred by black singe marks, charred where tendrils of lightning had swept it.

With shaking hands, Akira reached out to gently touch the cat.

It didn't move.

"Akira-chan…?" Mikoto spoke out hesitantly. "It… It should be okay… I stopped the dog…"

She trailed off when Akira made no sign of having heard her. She watched quietly as her friend leaned in closer to Haru, and pressed her ear gingerly against his little body.

Neither Akira nor Haru moved.

Mikoto stepped in closer. The increasing uncertainty blocked her airways in the growing silence.

"Akira… chan..?"

"He's not breathing…" Akira suddenly whispered. Her voice grew more frantic. "He's not breathing…!"

Mikoto froze, staring at Akira in disbelief. "What…?"

Akira slowly stood back up, her eyes widening in horror. She stared at the limp body of the kitten lying on the concrete ground, its eyes closed, its sprawled limbs and chest unmoving. Mikoto came up next to her. Her legs felt oddly stiff as her uneven heartbeat resounded loudly in her thrumming ears.

"No… that can't be right…"

Akira turned to face her, her eyes huge. "He's not breathing…"

Words clumped in Mikoto's throat, making her feel nauseous all of a sudden.

"That… That can't be right…" Mikoto protested. Her voice grew louder with conviction. "That can't be right! I aimed for the dog…! It was only meant to knock the dog out- !"

A sharp slap rang out and echoed between the walls of the alleyway.

Mikoto's eyes widened in shock, her cheek burning harshly as she suddenly found herself facing to the left. She reached up with a shaky hand and covered the insulted cheek, feeling it throb and sting painfully beneath her palm. She slowly turned her head back to face Akira; her expression flickered between confusion and hurt.

Mikoto realised had never seen her best friend look so angry before. And the worst thing was, it was all directed at her.

"You freak!" Akira yelled. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. "You… You killed Haru!"

"No…" Mikoto whispered, still clutching her smarting cheek. "No… I didn't kill him!"

"Look at him!" Akira bellowed. "Just look at him and say you didn't kill him!"

Mikoto looked down at the kitten's body, frost filling her chest. There was no denying it anymore, the truth was right there before her eyes. Her jaws clenched. Her teeth ground together as her lips trembled.

"Akira… I… I'm-"

"Get away from me, you freak!"

She forcefully pushed Mikoto on her shoulders, making the electromaster stumble backwards and almost fall over. In a daze, Mikoto focused her vision on the person she had considered her best friend for the last three years. Akira had stuck by her through thick and thin since third grade. On one fateful day, Mikoto had generously helped her with some particularly difficult schoolwork, and had earned the other girl's admiration and support in return. Even though they were enrolling into different middle schools soon, they had promised each other numerous times that they would be best buddies forever.

"Do you know what some of the other girls at school are saying about you these days?" Akira asked harshly. Mikoto's ears rang. The sound of her friend's voice distorted into something foreign.

When Mikoto gave no answer, Akira gritted her teeth in fury, her hands balling into fists. "You act like you don't know or care, but I know you do! Being a Level 4 and all, surely you can't be that stupid!"

Mikoto's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her chest felt strangely empty while her head pulsed erratically. It was as if her palpitating heart had somehow migrated upwards.

"I argued with them for your sake!" Akira pointed at her accusingly. "I told them countless times you weren't like what they thought!"

She glared at Mikoto with piercing blue eyes.

"But maybe they are right! Maybe I was the blind and stupid one for not seeing you the way you really are!"

Angry words tumbled out in a rush, a torrent of negative feelings that had been stored up inside for too long finally being released. They hit Mikoto like a raging tempest.

"Do you know how hard it is for me to hang around with you now?! They think I'm a freak as well! You're so obsessed about levelling up your precious power, that's all you care about these days!"

At this, a spark of indignation flared in Mikoto.

"That's not true!" Mikoto yelled back in defence. "I care about you! I only want to grow stronger so I can help the people I care about… like you!"

Akira stared at her for a long moment, looking slightly taken aback at the raw honesty in Mikoto's voice. They were both breathing hard, their shoulders heaving with the wild turmoil of emotions. Silence hung in the air, thick and almost palpable. So many things remained unspoken, unable to be expressed in words.

"But you hurt Haru..." Akira voice was almost a whisper as Mikoto flinched, "and you nearly hurt me earlier too…"

Akira bent down, scooping up Haru's burnt body into her arms.

"Haru was right from the start about you as well… Misaka-san."

The detached manner in which her friend suddenly addressed her was like the final nail on a coffin being driven in. Mikoto balked, and her hand lifted hesitantly as Akira turned to leave.

"Akira-chan, wait-!"

"I don't want you around me anymore," Akira said without turning around. Her voice was calmer, although her shoulders were still visibly shaking. "Just leave me alone."

She turned and vanished into the distance. A solitary Mikoto was left, with nothing but a throbbing hand and an aching heart.

XXXXXXX

Mikoto stood behind a tree, surreptitiously glancing out at a group of girls. They were talking nearby the flower gardens and enjoying their lunch break. Among them was Kawano Akira, who was laughing as she peered over a book on another girl's lap. Mikoto's heart twisted. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since that incident two weeks ago, but she was determined to set things right again. While she thought it wasn't fair how Akira had accused her, she knew she had made a huge mistake, and she wanted to apologise properly.

With a deep breath, Mikoto squared her shoulders and stepped out of the shadows. She approached the group with purposeful strides. Some of the girls noticed as she drew near, and they whispered something amongst themselves and erupted into audible giggles.

'Just ignore them,' Akira had told Mikoto in the past, and she now held onto that advice with gritted teeth.

One of the girls called Iwasaki Katsumi suddenly stood up and approached her defensively.

"What do you want?" Her tone was irrefutably rude. Mikoto's eyes narrowed. It was no secret that Katsumi had a nasty attitude towards her. Since last year, she had hurtled the electromaster with jibes and dirty looks at every opportunity. Mikoto clenched her fists, and tried to steady her breathing.

'Just ignore them.'

"I want to talk to Akira-chan."

"Well, she doesn't want to talk to you," Katsumi said with a haughty air. "She's finally realised what a freak you are, so leave her alone and go do whatever electrical freaks like you do in their spare time."

Mikoto's jaws grinded together. "Don't call me that."

"But that's what you are," Katsumi ploughed on spitefully. "Causing trouble for Akira and hurting her like that… I mean, did you really even consider her your friend? I always thought there was something crooked about you, like you act all nice and friendly to everyone on the outside, but that's just it, isn't it? It's all an act, right?"

"Shut up!" Mikoto's fists shook, and she stomped a foot in anger. Electricity arced from her body and sizzled in the air like firecrackers. Cracked bits of concrete flew from the ground, and Katsumi took a step back in fright. "Stop saying random stuff like that! What would you know?!"

Katsumi looked at her warily as she continued. "Maybe I don't, but I'm not stupid. The other girls might be too scared of you to say anything, but I'm not going to back down because I can see right through your sham. Showing off and being the teacher's pet in class with your fancy esper powers or whatever… It's just so freakish the way you rushed through levels from 1 to 4 like that. Like, are you even human?"

Something snapped inside her. The world darkened for a moment as lightning rushed out of her with a scream. A pained shriek pierced her eardrums, soon accompanied by shouts and cries of fright. Mikoto opened her eyes, gritted teeth bared behind trembling lips as she took in what was happening.

Katsumi was on the ground, crying loudly in pain as she curled into herself. Small bursts of electricity zapped around her body, preventing anyone else from coming too close. Other girls were surrounding them, and they looked on in horror as Katsumi convulsed.

"Someone get a teacher! The lightning freak attacked Katsumi!" One of them screeched. The others joined in on the clamour, and the words spread along the playground and grew like a chorus.

Mikoto's head pounded. Her shoulders shuddered as her lungs gasped for air. Her vision swam and blurred around the injured girl's limp figure as people proceeded to take her away on a stretcher. She stared at the shattered ground beneath her feet, her mind strangely blank. People hurried by her still form, but nobody dared to come close.

She didn't know how long she stood there, but she sensed someone finally approach. Mikoto looked up blearily, refocusing on a familiar face.

"Mikoto-chan." The voice was not unkind. It was her homeroom teacher, Yoshida-sensei. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and Mikoto flinched, but she did not pull away. "Can you stay back after class today?"

It was an open invitation, but Mikoto knew better than to refuse. She simply nodded, eyes averting from the kind smile.

"Alright, let's talk then."

With that, she was alone again.

Mikoto moved her wooden legs and walked away mindlessly from the scene. The crowd parted for her, avoiding the electromaster as if she were a plague. Mikoto found she didn't care. It was kind of amusing, really. If she had known one small display was all it took for the bullies to leave her alone, she would have done that a long time ago.

The edge of her lips twitched into a lopsided smirk.

"So now you're going around hurting my friends as well?!"

Mikoto turned towards the new voice, and her grin quickly vanished at the sight of Akira. Her classmate glared at her, those blue eyes cold with stony anger. Her feelings of amusement suddenly departed, replaced by the painful clenching of her heart.

"Akira-chan… I'm really sorry."

"That doesn't change anything."

At the frosty response, the turbulent emotions welled once more. "It was an accident! I only meant to stop the dog because it was about to maul Haru! I didn't mean to… to hurt him! I swear!"

Akira's eyes narrowed. "This isn't just about what happened that day. It's about us." She took a deep breath. "Especially after what happened here… we really can't be friends anymore. You've chosen your path; I've chosen mine."

Mikoto's jaws locked together. "What about the promise we made?!" she ground out. "Did that mean nothing to you?!"

Akira's expression softened slightly. "I'm sorry too, Misaka-san… I guess I'm to blame for this as well… You're enrolling in Tokiwadai, right?"

Mikoto only nodded. The words she wanted to yell out became tangled and lost on her tongue.

"Well, I hope you can find someone willing to be friends with you there."

Unable to find an adequate response, Mikoto did not reply. With a slight nod of her head, Akira turned around and left with a final farewell. "Good luck, Misaka-san."

Mikoto stood there for a long time. It was only when the school bell rang to indicate that lunch time was over that she finally pulled herself out of the daze. She moved to class, ignoring the whispers and stares around her. She was glad they were leaving her alone, too afraid to come close lest they suffered the same fate as Katsumi. Her chest hurt and her head felt heavy, but there were hot flames billowing deep inside. They churned her thoughts and strengthened her will.

'I don't care… I don't care what anyone says! Who needs friends anyway?!'

She was Misaka Mikoto; as long as she held onto her own beliefs, it didn't matter what anyone thought of her or her powers. She would continue on as she had, working hard and clearing any and all hurdles that dared to get in her way.

That was the last time she ever spoke on friendly terms to Kawano Akira. Mikoto never saw her again after enrolling into Tokiwadai just a couple of months later.

In the next month that followed, she was titled a Level 5.

A/N: Thanks for following another instalment of ToyT. As always, I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on this chapter.

My thanks to Cun and GreatSnapper for beta! Thank you for any reviews, follows or favourites!