"I WON'T FORGET YOU! I'LL BE BACK, I HAVE A STORY TO FINISH! YOUR STORY, SEIJI ROISIN!"
The scream he heard after the double doors closed behind her still echoed through his mind. The last words Subject 37 screamed were the last he'd usually dream of before being startled awake by the piercing cry that followed them. It had been nearly a year since that incident, and even now he still found her voice invading his dreams.
"Damn it, I can alter the direction of any vector, but why the hell can't I forget about you?" he said to himself as he rose from his bed and stretched his limbs. He walked into the bathroom and splashed water on his face and neck to wash away the night sweats that usually accompanied her voice. He thought back on the days that had followed that terrible moment in time.
Accelerator had grown angry with Kihara for ignoring him when he first asked if Seiji Roisin had been his real name. He persisted in asking him what 37 had been talking about until finally, Kihara blew up at him.
"Why do you give a shit about a name that doesn't even suit you anymore? Do you even realize the meaning behind that name? The kanji for your first name, Roisin, stands for 'One True Road.' Which I suppose works, it's where we got 'One-Way-Road' from after all. The last name is just ridiculous though. Seiji, with kanji meaning 'Pure Intention.' After the shit you've done since we discovered that ability of yours, you can hardly consider anything about you pure. There's darkness within you, vector boy. And the longer you're here, the stronger it'll get. I'll make sure of that."
"If it'll help me become strong enough to crush you and anyone else that gets in my way, then let the darkness flow." Accelerator replied in a mildly angered tone.
"That's the spirit, kid. Don't think that the hatred you feel goes one way though. It's definitely mutual. If you weren't such a useful little guinea pig, I would have slaughtered your ass along with that bitch 37. Although, if you want to hold on to a piece of that old name she saved for you so badly, how about you take that last part of your first name. 'Sin.' I imagine that would spur on your little dream of defeating me. Hell, I'd even welcome a decent fight for once. So how 'bout it, Sin?"
"You may be right, the sins I've committed so far have rendered my old name useless. But killing you and getting free of this 'school' is my primary focus. I don't give a damn what you call me until that time comes." Accelerator said as he walked away from Kihara and back to his dorm.
After that incident, Accelerator moved to another program at the request of Kihara. He was secluded from the other students and was made to undergo one-on-one development and training with Kihara himself. As much as he hated his "mentor," he had started to develop a similar personality. His apathy towards others worsened with every cruel experiment in which Kihara forced him to participate. His Esper ability had reached Level Five during this time. It seemed apparent that once testing was done to assign rankings, he would be ranked first. He planned to challenge Kihara as soon as he learned of his place as the strongest Level 5 Esper. That day couldn't come quickly enough.
But despite all the changes he'd gone through in the last year, one thing had remained the same. That same damn dream, continually reminding him of the catalyst that started him on this "One-Way-Road." Did he remember her because of some guilt for not taking any action to save her? Or perhaps it was the last lingering thread of his humanity calling out from within the darkness. Whatever it was, he couldn't decide whether to curse her memory or be thankful for it. He could argue that it was her fault for the way he was living now, secluded and alone. But thinking of her also helped keep him from succumbing to the darkness entirely as Kihara had. The memory of her was bittersweet at best, and even though he grew tired of always waking up covered in sweat, a part of him welcomed it.
Today began like every other; he dressed in his usual abstract black and white lined shirt, slim gray pants and boots and headed towards the kitchen where he took a can of cold black coffee from the fridge. As he cracked it open and sat down, he noticed a change in the air direction. Curiously alert, he rose up from his seat, looking around for a reason for the disturbance.
"This area never had a draft before. Something is going on here..." A loud crash interrupted his sentence as he saw the furthermost wall explode, sending debris and rubble in his direction. None of it came close to striking him; his reflection bounced everything away from him. He stood unshaken but intrigued at the new exit that had been created for him. Not that he needed one. He knew as well as Kihara and the other scientists that if he wanted to, he could level the building to the ground. His desire to grow strong enough to defeat and surpass Kihara was the only thing standing in his way of doing so.
"I wonder who I should thank for this little remodeling project?" he said as he slowly walked towards the collapsed wall and out into the corridor, his hands casually shoved into his pants pockets. He suddenly stopped, and his eyes grew wide and his breath shallow. Long violet hair against gray clothing, was he really seeing the person standing in front of him?
"Good to see you again, Seiji. Sorry if I startled you, but we should get going before security comes online again."
That voice.
"37... But... It can't be. They..." he stammered through his words, uncharacteristically flustered for the first time in months.