Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/Toaru Majutsu no Index
The Trinity of Tokiwadai
Chapter Fifteen: Sisterly Conferences
Beta:
Ruiko had been watching the nondescript apartment building in District 7 that housed Accel's dorm remotely for hours now, waiting for him to show up. It had taken up so much of her attention that she'd earned herself concerned and annoyed looks from her family that she'd been spending the day with. It had taken quite a few creative excuses to deflect their worries.
Finally though her patience paid off and the pseudo albino sauntered up to Room 313. Not letting the opportunity pass, she hastily made another hasty excuse and left the dinner table. She'd make it up to Kaa-san and her siblings later.
Before the most powerful Esper in the world could so much as reach for his front door, Ruiko teleported right next to him.
"Yo, Ruiko." The boy greeted, without even the slightest sign of surprise at her sudden appearance. He even seemed jovial, or as jovial as the murderous Number 1 got. "Nice of you to show up. Coffee?"
"Hello, Accel and sorry but no thanks."
"You sure? There's this great coffeeshop nearby." His tone turned teasing then, a rarity from the usually sombre boy. "We haven't hung out in ages."
"Only because you have been so busy lately with your Level 6 Shift experiment." Ruiko retorted, her eyes narrowed.
Without losing his happy mood, Accelerator smirked. "Took you long enough. You sure took your own sweet time figuring that out, didn't you? I mean, shouldn't you have figured that something was up when our joint trainings suddenly got cancelled?"
"I was preoccupied." Ruiko hedged. She didn't want to admit that she was too busy with Level Upper and then her burgeoning friendships with the Trinity gang to worry about her old friend.
And now look what happened. Ruiko's mind traitorously reminded her.
"So I've heard. You've gotten into a lot of interesting stuff lately, haven't you?"
"I didn't come here to talk about me, Accel."
This seemed to irritate the boy. He scowled and crossed his arms. "So what are you here for then?"
"I need to know something. Accel, are you really okay with killing thousands of clones just to become a Level 6?"
"For Level 6 I'd do almost anything." Accel replied eagerly.
Ruiko wasn't buying it though. He had responded too quickly, too automatically. The Accel she knew had a tendency to react in two ways. Either with homicidal violence or with measured thought. When he shot back a reply without thinking, he was being insincere and was just parroting back what he either heard or what he thought the person he was talking to wanted to hear.
"I don't believe you." Ruiko replied with a shake of her head. "You're not as callous as you pretend. You don't kill without good reason."
"Who said I'm being callous? It's not like those clones are actually human." Accel replied leaning forward to get into Ruiko's personal space. A classic tactic of his when a conversation wasn't going his way. One meant to intimidate his opponent to hide the fact that he was feeling defensive.
That said, the Number 3 didn't think she would get anywhere trying to change his mind about the clones' humanity. Time for a slightly different tack.
"Even so, they are still sapient beings."
Again, Accel showed his own unease over the project as he dodged her point.
"When did you become such a bleeding heart?" He asked, his eyes narrowed. "Whatever! If you've come to be a nag then I have better things to do."
With that, he turned around and stalked off.
Running away from a debate he's lost? Typical Accel. Ruiko noted with a fond shake of her head.
Her levity didn't last though, as she quickly grew serious again in the face of the situation.
From the looks of it at some level Accel knows that what he's doing is wrong but can't accept it. Ruiko concluded. Well, if that's the case then as his friend it's my job to help him be honest with himself and end this mess.
The memory faded back into the depths of her mind as a blurry eyed Ruiko regained consciousness. A second later, an eternity for her powerful mind, her eyes snapped wide open as she scrambled to her feet.
"Now isn't the time to be taking naps and taking trips down memory lane." The girl muttered as she dusted off her skirt.
Doing a quick scan of herself to check for any injuries from her Sempai's attack, she let out a sigh that was a mix of both relief and frustration.
"Good, I'm fine. Though, I cannot believe I let Sempai catch me so off guard." The AIM manipulator whined.
The output on her railgun is nothing to sneeze at. Next time, I should triple my barriers for such a blast.
"No, focus. You have to stop her from doing something foolish."
Shaking her head to clear it of such frivolous thoughts, the brunette got down to business. Stretching out her senses, she quickly pinpointed the Electromaster's AIM field. Alarmingly, there was another familiar one right next to where her Sempai was.
Shit! Please don't let me be too late!
She was just about to teleport to the location when in the distance she saw a streak of plasma fly into the sky.
"No, Sempai!" Ruiko's worry intensified as she hurriedly finished the necessary computations for her teleport at the sight of the railgun. Please let me be wrong. That it was some kind of coincidence and not a sign that Sempai is fighting Accel.
Rematerializing in the railyard, the Number 3 frowned at seeing Misaka-sempai on the ground and struggling to get to her feet with Accel standing a short distance away from her, laughing like a murderous loon.
"That's it? Man, I can't tell the difference between you and a clone! Guess they can't make all the Level 5s like the top ranks, huh?"
The jeer seemed to enrage the Number 5 as electricity danced along her body weakly.
"Maybe killing you will help fix that. Bye, weakling." The pseudo albino said as he moved forward with his finger extended.
Ruiko immediately placed a barrier between the two.
At the sight of it, the Number 1 paused. Turning to Ruiko he offered her a causal wave.
"Yo, Ruiko. You here to nag me again?" Accel asked, radiating annoyance. Though Ruiko could read the underlying sense of hope he had buried deep in it. It was betrayed by the look in his narrowed eyes, that while narrowed into slits also shone with a sense of pleading. Like he desperately hoped she would offer him the excuse he desperately wanted to quit this experiment.
Or maybe I'm just imagining it? As much as Ruiko hated to, she couldn't rule that out. She so desperately wanted Accel to see the light that she might be grasping at straws and making mountains out of molehills.
Unaware of her worries, and probably completely uninterested in them even if she did, her Sempai turned to her with a shocked look. Ruiko tried not to wince.
"Leave Misaka-sempai alone."
"Oh yeah?" He asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "Why should I?"
"Wait a moment," A voice called out from the shadows of the railyard, causing everyone to pause. "Unscheduled confrontations may cause deviations with simulation trajectories, warns Misaka."
All three Level 5s turned towards the voice and spotted dozens of the Sisters.
"Especially since Onee-sama and Saten-sama are Level 5s, deviations caused by battle would be particularly large thus it may not reduce the time required and even instead result in the failure of the project. Furthermore, Misaka have been tuned specifically for the currently scheduled experiments and modifying this schedule would be exceedingly difficult, persuades Misaka."
The clones spoke in turn, one picking up whenever another left off until their long monologue was complete. The whole thing was deeply unnerving.
"Tch," Accel clicked his tongue, "Whatever. Not like she was worth my time anyway."
He turned around and walked away.
After he had left, the clones immediately began cleaning up the scene of the grisly murder of one of their own.
"9995 to 10007 clean up the rails." The lead clone ordered. "Numbers 10008 to-
"What's wrong with all of you?" Misaka-sempai asked, horrified by what she'd gone through and what she was seeing. "This is wrong. Why are you in this experiment? You're going to get killed. I just don't get it."
The clones just looked at each other in confusion, not that Sempai noticed. She had collapsed to her knees and was clutching at the gravel of the trainyard in a desperate bid to recentre herself as her reality became completely unrecognizable.
"You're alive!" She shouted at the clones, her emotions getting the better of her. "You've got your entire life ahead of you! This is… Why… would you…"
"Misaka are copies created for the purposes of this project. We are artificial bodies with artificial hearts. At the cost of 180,000 yen each, we are nothing more than laboratory animals." The lead clone informed dispassionately, her words visibly affecting the original who flinched at every sentence. "Now, if you'll excuse-"
Walking over to her Sempai, Ruiko didn't let the clone finish, "Leave. Now."
The clones exchanged looks, before they heeded her warning. As one, all the clones left, with only a handful breaking off to collect what little remained of their deceased counterpart before following suit.
Throughout, her Sempai stayed where she was, trembling.
Once they were all gone, she raised her fist in the air and screamed, punching the ground as hard as she could.
"Why? Why didn't you tell me!" Misaka-sempai demanded from Ruiko, glaring heatedly at her.
The Number 3 looked down, "Telling you wouldn't have done any good. All it would do was get you killed if you tried something."
Before the older girl could continue to spit fire, Ruiko continued.
"The General Superintendent is backing this project. Do you think either of us has the means to stop him? The only one who could possibly talk to him would be Naru-san. And that's because she is on good terms with him."
"...But you still knew, you could have stopped him from-!" Her breath hitched, looking at the scene where the clone had been crushed into a smear. "You didn't though, did you? Why? Because he's your friend? That makes this okay? Why couldn't you fight him?"
The [Railgun] was growing hysterical, she was shouting and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Ruiko couldn't make a retort to that, she shifted uncomfortably as the sobs of her sempai filled the air.
Pushing herself to her feet, staggering as she stood, Misaka-sempai stormed off in a hobble.
The younger girl was tempted to help, but held herself back. It was clear that her Sempai was very angry at her, as such doing so now would most likely cause the growing rift to widen even further between them.
"If you won't do anything about it then fine, be a coward. Just stay in the background and look at your gossip instead of doing the right thing."
The words cut deep, making the brunette's heart twist.
The right thing, huh?
Standing there alone in the railyard, Ruiko could not help but think back to somewhat simpler times. The time when Accel did the right thing for her and won her friendship.
~ Flashback ~
It was yet another of Ruiko's seemingly unending training sessions. This time with the Number 1, Accelerator. She had one of these at least once a month, though usually that was increased to once a week if their schedules allowed for it. Apparently the scientists in charge of their Power Curriculum Programs thought it was very useful for the both of them.
How that was the case was beyond Ruiko. Especially since all it amounted to was her rotating through her powers and blasting away at the boy while he used his trademark redirection to deflect her attacks.
Supposedly this helped to stretch Ruiko's repertoire while also testing the limits of the Number 1's redirection, especially in regards to the more esoteric abilities that she had in her archive.
"Can't you try harder?" The boy taunted, as Ruiko's latest attack - a matter disruption wave - was deflected away from him by his automatic defense.
The ten year old girl didn't reply, she was too exhausted to do so.
She'd been tossing attacks at Accelerator for the better part of an hour already. Each of which required her to reshape sections of her AIM field to tap into one of the powers she'd recorded in her mind. A process that was tiring enough for her at the best of times, but which grew increasingly more so as she was tasked to do so in succession for an extended period of time without rest.
"Hey, are you even listen-"
Ruiko didn't catch what the higher ranked Level 5 was trying to say. The fatigue had finally caught up with her and her vision was blacking out. Even as she felt her knees buckle and her consciousness slipping away, she uttered not a sound.
I won't give them the satisfa-
Ruiko woke up to the familiar environs of the medical bay of one of the labs she'd been assigned to. She'd been to them often enough for tests and injuries to recognize them all just from the view offered from lying on the beds as she awoke from unconsciousness.
As she instinctively scanned her surroundings, she noticed that there was one major difference in this instance compared to all the others. There was a person who wasn't a member of the medical staff waiting for her to wake up.
"You're awake." Accelerator stated the obvious, even as he sounded relieved.
"Affirmative." Ruiko acknowledged even as she pushed herself into a sitting position.
The boy frowned at her robotic response, but didn't mention it as he explained why he was there. "Just wanted to make sure my training partner hadn't died on me."
The brunette just nodded. The explanation was unasked for, but it helped answer some questions and more importantly… Ruiko couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth at his concern, despite his gruffness about it. It was the first sign of kindness she had gotten after awakening her powers.
"Thank you." The girl said in a voice so soft that she doubted the boy heard her.
~ Flashback End ~
From then on, a friendship was forged. At least, she would describe it as such. It was her first in a long time.
Can I risk that? Ruiko wondered, her fists tightening, Can I betray someone as important to me as Accel? Even if it's for his own good?
The blonde member of the Trinity was currently in the School Garden getting ready for a job. Naru was sitting in a chair, dressed in her school uniform as her makeup was done for her.
"And just a bit more powder." The aide told her as she dabbed the aforementioned powder on the girl's nose.
The photo shoot was part of a promotion campaign that the School Garden Chamber of Commerce was planning for the next year. As one of the main corporate partners to Tokiwadai and the other four schools that were at the heart of the gated community, each of the five major elite all-girl schools had graciously sent representatives for the shoot. The plan was to use the shots for an upcoming campaign to promote both the Garden and key partner brands as well.
At least I can finally do something normal for a change, Naru relaxed as the tissue was removed from her collar and she was told she was ready. Getting up, the blonde headed towards the photographer and crew.
After that last mission with Shutaura, I really need a break from the Dark Side for a while. She thought as she curled one of her pigtails with her fingers. I can only go through so much soul-searching once a month without going insane.
You mean you aren't already? Her demonic tenant teased.
Shut up you! Naru shot back but without heat. She knew that he'd only needled her as a way to pull her away from the dark direction her thoughts were taking and she was thankful for his thoughtfulness. Not that she would ever tell him that.
Still, the young blonde couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger over being the only girl booked for the day. She had been secretly looking forward to meeting the girls from the other schools.
It was already the second day and they were nowhere to be seen.
Another privilege of a Level 5? Do they really think I want to be alone or something?
Seeing the director pointing out instructions to the crew, Naru decided to speak up about it.
"Excuse me, Director."
As she approached the man, he turned to address her, "Yes, Namikaze-san?"
Smiling, Naru asked, "I was wondering where the other girls were? I thought it would be a group shoot."
"Let's see," The Director said as he referred to some notes. "We were planning to focus today's shoot entirely on you, since you're be the big face for the promotion. The group shots won't be until next week and only for a day, so don't worry. We won't eat into your schedule too much."
"Oh." Naru said, disappointed. She didn't let it show though. She was a professional after all.
What was she going to say? She had a pretty free and flexible schedule unless called for her other job. I might as well just be an idol or something.
You'd corner the loli market.
Naru looked down at her petite frame, Can you stop bringing that up. You sound like an old perv.
I blame your browser history.
Naru refused to fluster at the reminder.
"Namikaze-san, we're ready for you." One of the photography crew announced.
Regaining her composure, Naru followed the young woman to their chosen location. It was a particularly picturesque street of the Garden that had been specially cordoned off and strung up with special lighting and other devices required in a professional photo shoot.
Following the instructions provided her, Naru casually walked down the street pretending to window shop while doing her best to show off the set of bracelets she'd been asked to promote. They were part of a new line of jewelry that one of the Chamber's most important members were launching soon apparently.
All around her, the many cameras kept snapping shots of her. The Director had informed her that the plan was to not have her model particular poses but rather carry out simple activities and then snap a ton of shots. He would select the best ones later. According to him this would make the photos more candid.
Walking down the street and doing as she was asked, Naru couldn't help but think about her situation. It sucks! I'm so different from normal girls. I really want to be more like them.
Despite her sad line of thinking, she nevertheless projected a bright smile for the cameras.
You're damn good at pretending though.
Well, I wish I didn't have to! Naru whined even as she crossed her arms behind her back and leaned forward to look through a window curiously.
It doesn't help that I never went to a regular school either. I don't know how girls my age think.
Pulling away from the window, Naru continued the leisurely stroll down the street that the shoot required. Occasionally, she would stop to look into one random window or another and adjust or just play with her hair to show off the bracelets. All the while, she stewed internally at her situation.
"That's it for the street shots, Namikaze-san." The Director said suddenly, pulling Naru from her thoughts. "We got plenty of nice ones. Good job."
"Thank you," Naru replied with a smile, easily hiding her inner upset.
"Just speaking the truth." The Director said, before glancing at his watch. "Ah. The team in the library should have finished setting up by now. Let's not waste any time and head over now."
"Sure." Naru nodded, a little confused. Didn't they need to touch up her makeup and do a wardrobe check.
"We can do the touch up when we get there." The Director explained as he came over to escort the blonde. "It'll be more convenient for you that way. I want to avoid wasting your time if I can help it."
"That's thoughtful of you." Naru replied with a wooden smile. More special treatment? Damn it!
Half an hour later, the blonde could be found roaming the aisles of the Garden's public library. Though how public it was considering the exclusive nature of the community it served was a subject of debate. Her finger dragged across the spines of the books. Despite it being the digital age, physical books were still a thing in Academy City since some just preferred a book in their hands. That and many rare tomes had never been digitalized, though that was a problem that was quickly being remedied.
Awatsuki-chan, Wannai-chan and Kongou-chan can all talk about things that just fly over my head when they hang out in our room. Naru thought as she pulled out a book on business management. Mustering up a curious gaze, she began to flip through it.
Nodding to herself as if the book was exactly what she was looking for, she strolled over to a nearby seat. Elegantly she sat down and began to skim the pages.
What do I know about the latest Boy Bands? I rarely listen to music. Geez I can be such a loser. A sigh escaped her lips as the cameras stopped flashing.
Your friends know even less though, so what does that make them? I mean, I doubt that Uiharu girl keeps up with any of the latest trends outside of developments in computing or that the Teleporter knows much besides the City's latest crime news or-
Okay! I get it. I'm not a loser. But just because my friends are just as clueless about being normal doesn't mean I should be too!
"I guess the library isn't really exciting, Namikaze-chan." The director said as he walked over. He reached for the book, which Naru offered him, and he handed it off to one of the aides, "The ice cream shop is all set, any flavor you want to use as we shoot?"
Naru smiled a bit, "A sundae alright?"
The director stroked his chin, "I don't see why not, but can we make it a banana split?"
"Deal."
"Ah." Naru said as she took a spoonful of the ice cream, her face glowing from the wonderful flavor.
If only hanging out with normal girls was as easy as just eating ice cream.
Inside her mind, Kurama radiated incredulity. You do know that's probably one of the weirdest analogies I've ever heard, right?
Doesn't make it less true. I mean, I feel like all I do is sit around and look pretty. I barely hold up conversations with them at times.
And yes, she knew full well how ironic that statement was considering her current situation.
"Perfect, get some more close ups. Come on, come on!" The director ordered and a squad of his subordinates rushed over to snap as many photos as they could.
"Just pretend we're not here, Namikaze-san." One of the photographers advised Naru as he and his cohorts hovered at the edge of her personal space and took their photos.
Taking his words to heart, not that she needed the reminder, Naru ignored them. Finished with her ice cream, she rested her elbows on the small metal table with her chin resting in her left palm. This put the bracelets on full display, while she adopted a distant look in her eyes as she focused on a passing cloud.
Heck, even Kongou-chan is better at being normal. And we're pretty much the same at not getting anything that Awatsuki-chan and Wannai-chan talk about!
"Alright, that was a perfect final shot. I hope you guys got it." The Director asked of his photographers, who all nodded. Turning to Naru, he said. "Namikaze-san, we're set for the next shoot. Head to wardrobe please. The next one is one of the sports themed ones."
Naru nodded as she stood up and left to change her clothes.
Dressed in the standard Tokiwadai gym uniform that consisted of a set of white shorts with blue trim and a similarly coloured sleeveless vest with the school's crest emblazoned over the right breast, Naru was at one of the Garden's basketball courts. While the area was mainly known for its shopping, it did function as the main recreational area for the five schools that were its main partners, as such it did also include an admittedly relatively small zone for sports.
"Basketball?" Naru asked the Director as she dribbled the ball in her hands.
"Sporty vibe to show off the new athletic footwear." He said, pointing at the very comfortable shoes the young girl was wearing.
"Alright, so I should just make some baskets and that's it?" She asked, holding the ball.
"Some jumping shots too. Just don't go too high." He chuckled.
Naru just giggled politely at his poor joke.
"So should I start?"
"Go right ahead."
Nodding, Naru began dribbling the ball around the court.
This shoot is really turning out to be a bust.
Unaware of her distraction, the Director prompted her. "Take a shot Namikaze-san and jump a bit if you could."
Ignoring the man, her vulpine tagalong replied to her earlier thought. I wouldn't say that. It's been easy and it's gonna do your school a big service, isn't it? I'm sure you can leverage that in the future.
I don't care about any of that. I only agreed to this because there was a chance to meet some normal girls. Naru rebutted as she lined up for a shot at the hoop. I wanted to talk to them. To get the chance to maybe understand them better.
If you say so.
She made a shot, jumping just a little like the Director wanted. Her aim was true and the net swooshed as the ball fell through it before proceeding to bounce around the court. She was going to grab it, but another ball was tossed her way. An aide quickly got the first ball off the court.
Oh come on, I don't need this much pampering.
"Just another round of that, Namikaze-san, and then I think we're done."
At least I have the Trinity and the rest I guess. Naru hummed as she ran up for a layup shot. We're all weirdos in our own ways. Even Konori-sempai with her biker gang past and obsession with milk. But I guess I wouldn't have it any other way.
Naru dunked the ball into the hoop and landed lightly on the ground.
You fit right in with that crowd, don't you? So why complain? Admit it, you've got it good.
Fine. Fine. Naru grudgingly admitting that she'd probably been worrying about nothing. Thanks by the way for being such a bro today.
Not a problem. Besides it's just self-preservation, the more stable you are the better it is for me. The fox told her with a shrug. So it's in my best interest to play counselor once in awhile.
...Yeah. Naru said, unsure what to say to that.
Or how to feel.
"Perfect!" The Director exclaimed from the side of the court, catching Naru's attention. Looking over, she saw him examining the photos.
"Is that all for today?" Naru asked as she took the water bottle and towel that one of the aides handed to her.
Looking up, the Director nodded. "It is. Thank you so much for today, Namikaze-san. Why don't you get freshened up and head off. I'm sure you have other things to do."
Nodding, the blonde proceeded to do just that. Along the way, she offered her thanks to those on the site and went to change again.
Before the Number 2 could even shed her clothes, her phone rang.
Didn't I put it on silent? If it's ringing, then-
Looks like your boss is calling. Kurama said in a growl. He never liked Aleister, calling him a man of lies. Which of course he was, one didn't reach his position by being lily white. That fact didn't mollify the fox at all and he insisted that Crowley's lies would one day destroy him and her with him. Naru didn't think the Superintendent would let that happen, but knew she couldn't convince her tenant of it so they agreed to disagree on the matter.
"I know." Naru sighed as she answered it, "Hello, Superintendent. How can I help you?"
"Hello, [Maniforce]. I just wanted to let you know about something rather interesting I've heard recently about your little friend, Misaka Mikoto."
Stilling, Naru's gaze widened in shock and worry. She knew that catching Aleister's eye was never a good thing. She could only wonder what her Baka-Sempai had done to deserve such treatment.
"What's going on." She said with a tight tone.
"Nuh-uh, little one." The man perpetually floating in a test tube said, addressing her in a deliberately childish way. He had always done that whenever they had met up when she was younger, and still did when she stepped a toe out of line. Or, like now when he wanted her to play his little games for his own amusement. It reminded her that she would always be a child in his eyes, nay, an infant and he could make her do whatever he wanted whether she liked it or not.
"You'll have to figure this out on your own."
With that, the most powerful man in the City hung up.
Cursing the man's penchant for sadistic games under her breath, the [Elemental Empress] quickly called the one other person she knew would know what was going on.
"Come on, pick up, pick up." Naru muttered as the link clicked.
"Yes, Naru-san?" Saten-chan answered, sounding exhausted.
"Where's Misaka-Sempai?"
"Why do you ask?" Saten replied, sounding oddly cautious.
"So something did happen to her! The Superintendent just called me about it."
"And he didn't say what exactly? Typical." The scorn in the other Level 5's tone was clear. It was no secret that the [AIM Sovereign] despised the City's leader. She blamed him, rightfully in Naru's opinion, for a lot of the shit she had been put through since she awoke her powers.
"Duh. Now what's going on? Don't you dare leave me in the dark."
"You're being allowed to help?" Saten asked surprised. "This is one of his pet projects. Why would he let you help shut it down?"
"He didn't say I couldn't, so yeah I guess?" Naru replied, just as confused. "But we can worry about his reasons later, right now we need to help Sempai. So tell me what's going on."
"I will. In fact, I was just about to call you to talk about Sempai." The other girl reassured her. "Meet me in the Cafe down the block from your photoshoot. I'll explain everything there."
"Right, just let me freshen up."
"That's fine. I need another cup of coffee, or three, anyways." The info broker confessed with a audible yawn. "See you in fifteen minutes?"
"Yup." Naru agreed as she rushed off to get a quick shower and change, a sense of urgency fueling her every move.
The cafe where the two Level 5s met up was an inviting place from which flowed relaxing jazz music and warmth. Its patio, where the two girls had taken their seats, was an unremarkable affair with its grey stone floor and cafe tables, each with a green sun umbrella.
Saten-chan looked exhausted, like she hadn't slept in days. Her usually well taken care of hair was a mess, like she hadn't bothered to brush it in days; her uniform was crumpled; and there was the beginnings of bags under her eyes. Naru knew better though, her friend could withstand missing a few nights' sleep easily enough. She'd had more than enough practice with it while working on the Dark Side. No, what had her looking like this was a lot more serious than simple physical exhaustion.
The blonde listened intently as the [AIM Sovereign] outlined the details, between big gulps of her large cup of coffee, behind the Level 6 Shift experiment. How it essentially boiled down to the psychotic Number 1 brutally murdering thousands of Misaka-sempai's clones and worse yet how their hot headed but naive Sempai had blundered her way into the sick Dark Side experiment.
Naru was getting a good idea why Saten-chan was looking so ragged. The emotional turmoil her classmate must be going through as she was faced with two of her closest friends on opposing sides was eating into her. It wasn't helped in the slightest that all the while she was also trying to do the impossible and stop an experiment that had been authorized by the City's supreme ruler, Aleister Crowley, himself.
"You know, for all that processing power you have, you're an idiot right? You should have told me sooner!" Naru scolded the brunette with a frown.
Saten-chan just looked down at her coffee.
"You know how Sempai is. Do you think she's going to let this go? Geez! We're going to have to literally tie her down until it blows over."
The blonde took an angry sip from her smoothie. She looked at Saten-chan with accusing eyes. The other girl should have done far more to stop Misaka-sempai, it was only the logical thing to do when the opponent was Accelerator. However, it seems like logic went out the door for her friend whenever the Number 1 was concerned.
She was always ready to defend her old training partner's actions, no matter how heinous, whenever he came up when they talked. Which was surprisingly often, now that Naru thought about it.
It was like she was crushing on the albino or something.
Naru's blue eyes widened in realization.
"No… You-? Him! ...Dear lord, Saten-chan do you actually like him, like him?"
Saten-chan choked on her coffee, pounding her chest to help it go down.
"What?!"
The Number 2 glowered at her fellow Level 5.
"Oh my god, you do. That explains so much and it hurts my brain." The petite girl stroked her temples, trying to sooth the bomb that was just dropped on it. "The one time we need logical you most and you're smitten like, like a schoolgirl!"
"We are schoolgirls." Saten-chan pointed out, tilting her head in confusion. How she did so without awkwardness while blushing up a storm was something that baffled Naru.
"Not the point! Do note, that if we live through this, I will be teasing you thoroughly and ruthlessly for falling for that psycho."
"A-Alright."
Placing her hands on the table, Naru looked at the other girl sternly, "Now stop your fantasies and think. How are we going to fix this clusterfuck? Because Aleister isn't going to stop this. He starts projects for a reason."
Most of the time with a multitude of reasons, many of which were undisclosed, but Naru didn't understand what use the Superintendent wanted with pursuing a project that sounded like total horseshit.
How in the world did getting Accelerator to kill a bunch of low levelled clones push him into becoming a Level 6? It wasn't as if live combat improved one's level by a whole lot. If that was the case, both Saten-chan and herself, with their extensive combat records, would have been better candidates. It was not like either of them were that far behind the Number 1 in terms of their potential. Or mostly the Number 3 since Naru was a Gemstone and they were generally not helped by the City's Power Curriculum Programme.
Great, now I have to look into what he's planning. There goes a month of my life.
"It doesn't make sense." Naru said, giving voice to her doubts.
Saten-chan nodded. So she noticed the holes in the experiment's logic too.
Even if the basic logic had been sound, their Sempai's interference with the experiment so far should have tossed all of the Tree Diagram's calculations off and invalidated the project already. Plus with the massive calculator gone thanks to Imagine Breaker's antics, the figures could not be redone.
Aleister's motives are unknown and the scientists on the project are too blinded by the allure of Level 6 to even see their project is already a failure. And they think they're so smart. Idiots. All of them.
"Maybe we should just kill Accelerator. You can dampen him and I can just end it."
"No!" Saten-chan shouted as she pushed to her feet with a look of horror on her face.
Naru held her hands up to calm the brunette, "Relax, I'm joking, I'm joking! We won't kill your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend." Saten-chan shot back as she mechanically retook her seat. Her cheeks were burning again and she refused to meet the blonde's eyes though, so the blonde knew she'd struck close to home.
"Besides, I don't think we could even pull it off." Naru continued without missing a beat. Propping up her chin with her palm, she added, "Alone neither of us stand a chance."
"Even cooperating, our chances are slim. Our best strategy would be for you to focus on attacking while I disrupted his AIM field, but even then-"
"50/50?"
"Thereabouts. His vector manipulation is extremely difficult to interfere with and he can even use it to directly counter any attempts I make to disrupt his AIM."
Naru thought about what she could do and pursed her lips.
"If it comes to it, I do have an ace in the hole. I just need permission to use it."
Letting Kurama loose on Academy City was a big no-no. At least in his true form.
"If it's chakra-based, then it's pointless. Accel knows how to manipulate it so anything based on it will just be deflected just like any other attack."
"Yeah, yeah I know. Heh, maybe we can send Kakine at him."
"I tried. He refuses to get involved." Saten-chan confessed. "He says he's not ready yet."
Naru snorted, "Baby, you'd think he'd jump at the chance to prove he's better than all three of us by taking Accelerator down."
The taller girl just shrugged. "I can't say I understand the Number 4's reasons."
"By the way, I'm really surprised that you're seriously considering fighting him." Naru pointed out.
"All other options have been discarded. Unless drastic measures are taken, Accel will continue taking part in this farce of an experiment. And Misaka-sempai will attempt to stop him, getting herself killed in the process."
Leaning back in her chair, Naru looked up at the sky, "What a troublesome Sempai we have. Still, you're really resolved to fight him?"
Naru returned her gaze to Saten-chan, who in turn looked away. The rest of her body froze up like a statue.
In a mechanical whisper, she replied, "Answer inconclusive."
The Number 2 frowned. "You interfered knowing you had no options? That's not like you."
The other girl nodded robotically. "Inaction unacceptable."
And yet you can't bring yourself to do anything useful either. Naru noted, her frown deepening. And it's messing you up so badly that you're regressing back into [The Robot]. Just what the hell is your relationship with Accelerator? You obviously want him to be your boyfriend, yet you're willing to side with Sempai in this? Does that mean friendship is more important to you than romance? But you can't even think of fighting him! Argh! This-You're a total mess.
Why did love make things so complicated?
Because it's worth it? Kurama suggested solemnly. If you love someone, no matter what you have to do for them, it will be worth it.
And how in the world do you know this? Naru thought back, shocked that the fox would say something like that.
Love is not exclusive to you humans. The demon said with finality as he withdrew into the depths of Naru's mind, his presence radiating grief.
"Let's try something else." Naru said after taking a centring breath. The conversation, both with Saten-chan and her tenant, had thrown her for a loop and she needed a moment to recompose herself. "Outside of fighting him, I'm sure that with the two of us working together we can find an alternative."
In a nondescript conference room where the lights had been dimmed to the bare minimum, a quartet of men and a lone woman were holding a meeting. These five people were the project leaders of the Level 6 Shift experiment and they were holding a rare emergency meeting to deal with a unwelcome development.
"So it's finally happened, has it?" The woman opened the meeting. "The [Railgun] has found out about the experiment and has decided to try to shut it down."
"It was only a matter of time. The clones aren't exactly stealthy. With all the rumors about their existence spreading like wildfire as soon as we began the outdoor phase." A rake thin man that vaguely looked like a scarecrow said with a shake of his head.
A wizened old man scoffed. "It wasn't her learning of the clones or even of the experiment's details that is the problem. What I would like to know is how she discovered which labs are involved and all the other intelligence on our operations that she seems to have acquired."
"Are you getting senile in your old age, old man?" A teenaged boy asked with a derisive sneer. "Did you honestly expect to keep someone who can directly control the electrons our computers rely on to operate from prying the secrets from our databases? She just needed to know where and what to look for."
A cigar smoking man nodded, before adding his two cents. "That traitor Nunotaba didn't help matters either."
"She's betrayed us?" The woman asked with a frown.
"Yup," The teen replied, a cocky grin on his face. "Your little protege went rogue and blabbed everything she knew to Number 5. She couldn't even seem to wait. She showed up to tell her everything almost the moment the idiot middle schooler thought it was a good idea to butt her head into our business."
"Must you talk like that?" The old man asked, with a frown.
The teen just smirked, "You got a problem with how I talk, geezer?"
The old man's eyes narrowed dangerously, but before he could do anything, the smoker put a restraining hand on his shoulder and shook his head. At the same time, the living scarecrow decided to push the conversation along.
"Has she been dealt with?"
The smoker just nodded.
"That's one less worry at least." The woman said, though her subdued voice indicated she was not entirely happy with the result.
"Indeed," The oldest of the conference's participants said, having regained his cool. "Though Misaka Mikoto's actions remain a cause for concern and not only just because of what she alone can do to hamper our operations."
"You think the rest of the Trinity might step in to assist her?" The teen asked, his cocky attitude from earlier strangely muted.
The old man nodded. "I do. You have some history with them, do you not, young man? As part of your former partnership with Gensei's granddaughter?"
"Yes, and they'll come. We need to nip this problem in the bud before they do."
"You sound terrified of them." The tall thin man observed.
"The Number 2 is a wildcard most of the time, but she's Aleister's pet. We just need to get the man to tell her not to act." The smoker said after taking a long drag of his cigar. "The more worrying issue is with Number 3. She's already been hanging around the sites of the experiments trying to dissuade Accelerator from participating. Futilely, thankfully. If she chooses to be more proactive-"
"Then things could become untenable." The woman said with a frown. "Restraining Number 5 is doable. Costly, but still manageable. But a determined Number 3? Without the leverage her comatose siblings used to offer us?"
"We just need to scare Number 5 away. She's just a normal teenage girl compared to all the other unhinged Level 5s." The youngest of the project heads opined. "A little violence, and she'll run away with her tail between her legs."
"And you would know how to deal with teenagers best, wouldn't you?" The woman said with venom.
"What about ITEM?"
There were a few disgruntled sounds of disagreement.
"Sending a Level 5's team is expensive. And [Meltdowner] is prone to escalate things. She may attempt to take Misaka Mikoto's life."
The teenager paled at that. "If that happens, then the Number 2 and 3 won't rest till we're all dead."
"Then that will be a last resort. Let's hire a freelancer instead."
"Any recommendations?"
'There's this sniper, Ylva. She'll do the job." The teenager suggested.
"Didn't the [Laughing Joker] maim her?"
"She got prosthetics and if her last few jobs are any indication, is twice as deadly as before."
The older members of the conference looked at the teenager knowingly. It was the scarecrow that voiced their thoughts, "You seem awfully familiar with her."
To his credit the teenager didn't raise to the bait. "She has the experience and the skill we need. So what do you say?"
The others exchanged contemplative looks.
"Her experience with fighting Level 5s should help greatly." The old man mused.
The rest of them nodded in turn.
"Then it's decided. I'll make the arrangements immediately." The smoker said at last. "If there's nothing else?"
Negative voices and gestures came in reply.
"Then we're adjourned."
Done and done, thanks to the team of Nameless as always.
Now this was mostly a filler chapter, but I think we got a lot out of it.
We touch on Saten and Accel's relationship and Naru picking up on it. Le gasp! Like, OMG Saten, you like that dude? Valley Girl voice~! With that brief moment of femininity out of me, I think the conflict with fighting your crush to stop him from being a psycho is a pretty big conflict for someone who latches onto whatever connections she had made in the past.
Nameless: Yup, it is, Which is why Saten is just lost as hell at the moment. She honestly doesn't know what to do. She knows what she wants i.e. stop Accel from killing innocent people. Unfortunately, she doesn't know how to do that since her only option is something she can't bring herself to use. Then add in a suicidally reckless Sempai that as a friend she feels obliged to protect? When all this is tallied up, Ruiko is on the verge of a breakdown.
And of course shady meetings in a shady office. With shady faces! Man, those director bastards are so full of themselves, freaking tools.
Naru has some soul searching as she does her shoot, just imagine her in the Idol spin-off XD Still, this won't be the last of her pondering of such a thing. At least Kurama has some words to share, if only for his own preservation.
Nameless: Is he just acting in the interests of his self-preservation here? Or is he helping out his mistress out a genuine feeling of camaraderie/loyalty? Or is it a little of both? Well, what do you guys think?
Well you know what to do, smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!