Stepping off the bus together, Accelerator grit his teeth as Last Order immediately began to explore the immediate vicinity as soon as their feet met Musutafu ground. "I'm sure you're excited about the new environment, but that's not what we're here for, so try to rein it in a bit," Accelerator strained to say before taking in a deep breath of air. It felt oddly thinner than it was back in Academy City, there was less despair here.
Not that it mattered, since all he could think about was the images Last Order had shown him of Sumire's visit, complete with her crying as he lay there unconscious from a gunshot wound. As soon as he was shown that vision through the Network, Accelerator knew he needed to see Sumire again. And that's what brought them back to Academy City.
Though he didn't expect to bear witness to that Shigaraki bastard taking a shot at her before they could even manage to walk over to the hero school. Fighting his first instinct to use his ability to rush over, Accelerator had at least managed to shield Last Order from the scene, telling her to focus on locating UA as he watched Sumire fall into Todoroki's arms from a distance.
Unsure how that was even possible given Sumire's ability, Accelerator was distracted by Last Order, who gave him directions to the school in far less time than he'd expected of her. Ordering her to stay put as he lightly patted Last Order's head, Accelerator walked across the street, cringing as the crutch he now relied on clicked against the asphalt, until he was standing beside Todoroki.
"What the fuck happened here?" Accelerator said, his voice wavering.
"I failed," Todoroki answered as he nuzzled his tear-stained cheek against Sumire's own. "I was supposed to protect her, and I failed to do that. But… She seemed happy," he said wistfully as he took the chance to sift his fingers between Sumire's before closing them together gently.
"That crusty bastard shot her! I had to see it just as we were stepping off the fucking bus to this damn city. How could you even begin to interpret her getting shot as something she'd be happy about?!" Accelerator's patience was ebbing as he watched Todoroki, waiting for an answer.
"She told me she was free," Todoroki finally managed to say, tears streaming down his face. "It's possible the weapon Shigaraki used is linked to a quirk-erasing bullet. One of our other classmates was attacked the same way, though we aren't sure of all the details just yet. But look," Todoroki said as he nodded his head, showing Accelerator how he was able to hold Sumire directly, with no obvious effect to her or his own quirk as he flicked up a gentle flame at the tip of his pointer finger.
Accelerator took in a deep breath as he saw what Todoroki was pointing out. With as much of their skin exposed after the attack from the villains, Sumire's quirk would have definitely affected Todoroki. "So, nothing is happening to either of you as close as you are?"
His mind went back several years, remembering how jumpy Sumire had been with him at any possible moment of contact. The fear of pain just from a single touch seemed to have been engraved into her being at that point. But now, as Accelerator looked down at her, her expression wasn't of fear but of peace. She may have found freedom from her past after all.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't keep her safe," Todoroki said with a choking sob from his throat. "Before she passed out, she just… She looked relieved, in a way I hadn't seen from her before. I just wanted to hold her and reassure her that she was okay."
The medical responders soon arrived, carefully moving Sumire onto a gurney set to take her to the hospital. Todoroki noticed only after the ambulance left the scene that Accelerator's attention was on a small girl wearing a dress littered with polka dots. He saw them talking as he took a seat in the ambulance beside Sumire and braced himself as the vehicle started to move.
"They've treated her wounds, the bullet didn't cause any major physical damage, thankfully," Todoroki relayed to Accelerator as soon as he appeared in the hospital's waiting room, the little girl he'd seen earlier orbiting around him. "But they were able to confirm that the contents of the bullet did nullify her quirk factor. She doesn't have her ability any more."
Accelerator took a moment, relief washing over him for the first time since he'd shown up in this damn city again. "Can I see her?"
"She's asleep, but there's no visiting restrictions for anyone she knows, so yeah, it's okay." Todoroki almost wanted to ask who the girl in the polka dot dress was, but felt that'd be pushing it with someone as temperamental as Accelerator. "I'm sure she'd be happy to see a familiar face."
"Yeah," Accelerator answered, daring to hope that would be true. "Last Order, you can come in as long as you can keep your little yap shut, alright? I don't need you bouncing off the walls and stressing her out."
The little girl stood still and looked up to him. "Misaka Misaka was just thinking that she'd like to take a nap after such a long trip, she says while stifling a yawn with a cute hand rub against the corner of her eye."
"There's a spare bed in the room if you want to let your, uhh, companion rest," Todoroki remarked, still not sure of the relation between the two. "I'm going to check in on Midoriya and Lemillion, they're being treated here as well," Todoroki said as he led the two to Sumire's door before bowing and leaving them on their own.
Taking a full breath, Accelerator pulled the door open, relieved to see that Sumire was resting peacefully in bed. The steady rhythm of the heart rate monitor's beep kept the room from being uncomfortably quiet. That and his nuisance of a travel partner. "Misaka Misaka isn't happy with the thinness of the blanket on this bed, but she supposes she'll make do, she says as she wiggles beneath it and briefly sighs exhaustively."
"Just keep it down over there," Accelerator said as he stood between the two beds. He considered pulling the privacy curtain for Last Order's, then thought better of it. The girl could easily give him the slip and find herself in trouble again if he didn't have her in sight. So instead, he turned and walked over to Sumire's side of the room, taking a moment to take in her calm, relaxed expression before he eased himself down onto the chair beside her.
"I heard that you came to visit me after I ended up on the wrong end of a bullet," Accelerator started to say, resting his elbows against his knees as he leaned closer to Sumire. "I didn't expect you to turn copycat and get yourself shot, too. Now it's like I'm seeing Last Order's memory reversed. I'm sitting here while you're injured, and she's napping," he said with a huff of disbelief.
Sumire began to stir and Accelerator froze, all he intended to scold her for was forgotten as he fixated on her slowly rousing herself awake. Familiar violet eyes blinked open, carefully looking about before her gaze fell on him. "Seiji?" she spoke hoarsely, her throat dry. Accelerator retrieved the water pitcher nearby and poured her a glass as she sat up. Finishing the glass quickly, she returned her attention to him.
"Is it really you? Am I dreaming or did you come back? Whether it's a dream or not, I'm still happy to see you!"
"I'm sure you're capable of having better dreams that don't involve me, but yeah, I'm really here, no dream. I was coming to see you after I heard you went back to Academy City to check on me while I was in the hospital. Imagine my surprise when I arrive just in time to see you jump in front of a gun."
Sumire bit her bottom lip at the mention of her situation, her expression saddened. "I had no idea you were there when it happened. I'm very sorry you had to witness that, it must have scared you so much!" Her eyes watered up as her voice was choked with emotion.
"Hey, hey, no crying here. Yeah it scared me, but I know how strong you are, too. After all you've had to endure between Academy City and random shitheads here, it'd have to take a lot to keep you down, Sumire." Accelerator waited as she wiped the wetness from her eyes with her sleeves, his eyes following her uncovered hands until she noticed where his attention was.
"You're wondering if the bullet took away my quirk, right?" Sumire asked, catching his gaze as he nodded his head. "They tested it and yeah, it was a quirk-erasure bullet. I don't have the ability to take other powers anymore," she said with a notable tone of joy in her voice now.
To prove this, she slowly reached over and slipped her hand into Accelerator's, negating his own ability to allow them to touch. The warmth of her hand seeped into his, and before he knew it, he had a slight smile on his face. "But, will you be alright without it? You were training to be a hero like the rest, weren't you?"
"I found that I didn't want to be a hero, so losing my quirk isn't a loss for me. I want family and friends, everything that I would've had if I didn't have that quirk or people that wanted to exploit it. Now that it's gone, I can feel safe and free to pursue what really makes me happy. I'm capable of helping people on my own, no extra powers needed."
Sumire held Accelerator's hand for balance as she pulled herself to the edge of the bed in front of Accelerator. With no warning, she wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug that held no fear of a painful reaction. "I have the chance to reach out now, to make direct contact. It's more than I could ever hope for!"
Accelerator returned her embrace, rubbing one of his hands in gentle circles against her back.
Your happiness is all I could ever hope for. And now I know you've found it here.
Author's Note: Hello and apologies again for the lengthy break between chapters! But we're reaching the end of the story, with the next chapter being the last.
Thank you to all who have kept up with this fic for the last *checks paper* 9 years! It has evolved from a simple "what if?" look at Accelerator's origin to a full crossover. Every time I thought it was the end of 37/Sumire and Accelerator's story, I found inspiration in the least expected places and continued their adventure. But it feels like it's time for an ending, and I'm so glad for all the support I've had over the years for this fic. Thank you again, and I'll see you at the end!