A soaking wet Kamijou Touma sat uncomfortably between the two Misakas, squished uneasily between them at the back of an autonomously driving bus. Although he had offered the possibility that both of them could be the original, that answer provided no comfort to anyone. For one, could this mean that Kamijou Touma was actually incapable of distinguishing who Mikoto actually was from her sisters? Had Misaka 10032 been completely erased and replaced? Or, could it still be the nefarious activity of some organization? Even if they were both acting like Misaka Mikoto, shouldn't there be some inherent feeling that one of them is real? What if both of them were not actually the real Misaka Mikoto. For Touma, these questions provided doubt not only on the situation, but on how he perceived himself as Mikoto's friend and his feelings for her. Did he know really know her? Does he have the right to call himself her friend if he couldn't even tell the difference between her and her clones? For Mikoto(s), the same questions brought a great deal of pressure onto her. A sense of identity crisis overcame and fear overwhelmed her. Was she even real? What if the other is actually the real one? Despite the possibility of them both being Mikoto, there really was only be one true Mikoto. Her title as the sole level 5 electromaster and ace of Tokiwadai Middle School were dependent on this fact. Misaka Mikoto was unique. Her pride as an esper relied on her outstanding abilities being far ahead of everyone else's. With the advent of magic entering her life, and the sheer scale of the magic wars being waged, she felt powerless, but without being on top of the esper ladder, Mikoto would have nothing to support her morale.

That being said, tension between her and herself was high, and Touma could still feel the intensity between the two girls he had wedged himself between. He felt like the moment he allowed a window of opportunity, the two girls would go at each other's throats. And yet, as destructive as they are, personality and all, he was bringing them to the one place that could be destroyed the most, his dorm room. It was past curfew, and the issue of having two Misaka Mikoto's running around causing havoc around Academy City did not sit well with him, so he insisted he bring them both to his place, especially because neither of them could agree who should go back to Tokiwadai as the original.

The bus hit a pothole on the road, and the shake resonated to the back of the bus, throwing the two girls and Kamijou around forcing them to squish closer. The physical shake unleahsed the pent up emotions in all three of them and they all spoke out at once.

"Euh… Misaka…"

"Touma…" They both exclaimed.

Touma wasn't sure which side to look to and went red with nervousness. The two girls must have seen his distress and agreed to just let him speak.

"I'm sorry!" Touma eagerly said in a begging tone.

The two Misakas looked curiously at him.

He continued, "I'm sorry I can't tell you who is Mikoto. I should be able to. I promised to you I could. And yet, here I am with the two of you, and I had the god damned audacity to say you were both Mikoto. It's foolish!"

"Touma…"

"No. I'm a hypocrite. I was the one to tell you there is only one Misaka Mikoto! I told her that! What kind of ass does it make me if I can't even say that Misaka Mikoto is unique now. I don't even know which one of you I should apologize to!"

And then it occurred to the two girls that maybe there really was no difference between them. Had they truly been so similar that there really was no difference between their personalities. If Kamijou Touma, the one who saw through Mikoto's personality from the day they met, lost his memories, and still retained his relationship with her could not tell the difference, were their any differences at all? Perhaps what they were experiencing at this moment is real; that they are both Misaka Mikoto in the present regardless of who was who in the past. Being Misaka Mikoto as a duality made no difference in the core of who Misaka Mikoto was. There is no proof of what existed earlier, but only proof of what existed now. If both Misakas believed they were both Misaka Mikoto, then that would make them both Misaka Mikoto. Using this logic of existence, both Misaka Mikotos arrived to the same conclusion that Touma may actually be correct that they are both Mikoto. It was a matter of accepting the fact that the other must also wholly believe the other is also Mikoto. This duality of existence allowed for both Misakas to be both Mikoto, and to not be Mikoto at the same time. Cogito ergo sum.

Without speaking, the two girls knew they had arrived at the same conclusion. After all, if they were the same person, they should be thinking the same thing anyways. The two grabbed Touma's hands on each sides and attempted to provide him with any comfort.

"No. We were wrong."

"We shouldn't had dragged you into this."

"But you're right. We have to accept that we could both be Misaka Mikoto."

"You shouldn't have anything to be ashamed of if you think we're both Mikoto… We can't even tell who the real is, and we both believe we are the real Mikoto in the first place…"

"We don't even know what happened, so we shouldn't even be arguing about this in the first place…"

Touma stared blankly at the flooring of the bus without responding. He felt the two girls tightening their grip. There was something inside of both of them. He knew he could feel it. There was a bond that tied him between himself and them, and it was something he knew he only had with the original. It felt wrong for it to be in two places. Touma gritted his teeth.

"…"

"Touma…."

"…Touma please…"

"…"

The bus pulled over in front of Kamijou's highschool dorm and lowered itself to the curb.

"Let's go," he said.

The three made it into Touma's apartment and relished in the warmth of the building. Touma grabbed some dry pajamas from a drawer and headed straight for his bathroom.

"I'm going to bed… You guys can have the bed and blankets. Good night…"

Without giving the two a chance to respond, he closed the door and clicked the lock on the knob.

The two stared at the bathroom door in disbelief. They've never seen him like this before.

"We've done it this time…" said one.

"…haven't we..." the other finished.

"He didn't even take a pillow."

"He couldn't even look at us in the eye."

"...What were we thinking…?"

"There's no point in saying it because we both already know the answer to that."

"And yet here we are. Lecturing each other."

Without words the two girls were on the same page. In fact, they had been parallel in mind and action since the moment they met. Like mirror images, point and counterpoint were constantly made between the two only to consistently settle on the same conclusion. Which brought them to their next conversation.

"Perhaps… We should entertain the possibility that we are both the original. What we can confirm is that you wholly believe you are Misaka Mikoto. And I wholly believe that I am Misaka Mikoto."

"Clearly, there can only be one original, but there is no proof so far of who that is."

"The only thing that we can confirm is that I exist as Mikoto."

"And I exist as Mikoto."

The two stared at each other for a long time before one of them spoke again.

"Do you wonder why neither of us are suspicious of the other…?"

"I do… It would seem highly probable this entire situation could had been set up by some shady organization. Yet…"

"We somehow trusted the fact that we both genuinely believed we were both Misaka Mikoto."

"I don't know… It was a gut feeling maybe…"

"Gut feelings aren't reliable."

"But isn't that what happened?"

"I guess…."

"This reminds me of that old psychology experiment done years ago in the west."

"Ah, the Three Christs of Ypsilanti?"

"That's right. Some researcher wanted to see if he could cure three men who all claimed to be Jesus Christ of their delusions by locking them in a room together and forced them to create a support group with one another."

"…Except it never worked out and the three started beating each other out of disagreement on who was the real Christ. On top of that, none of them would even consider the possibility of the other two being Christ. In fact, they even reported to the researchers that the other two were delusional or under some kind of conspiracy."

"We did fight quite a bit didn't we…"

"We also hurt the one we care about…."

"…yea, but, the Three Christs of Ypsilanti would never have a calm conversation like us right now."

"True. None of them could accept the possibility of not being the true Jesus Christ, or that they themselves were delusional."

"For one, it's obvious those three men were crazy to begin with, but now comparing it to our story it's starting to make sense."

"I see what you're saying! The reason they clamored with each other is because while each believed they were Jesus Christ, they were all still their own form. Even though they all touted piousness and holiness, each was inherently different inside as a unique individual."

"On the other hand we are not two different people. We have been acting, talking and thinking the same. We are totally in sync whether we had initially accepted it or not. You must had felt it when we first met; that weird sensation inside that felt like we were seeing inside of each other's heads. There was never a doubt between us when the other claimed to believe she was Mikoto."

"I cannot disagree… However… this does still provide some concerns…"

"Where is Imoto?" They both said in unision.

The two girls let out heavy sighs and hung their heads. This rare instance of cooperation had surprisingly drained them of energy and were beginning to feel the length of their day.

"I wonder if us talking to each other like this constitutes to internal thought."

"Maybe. That is if we both are truly Misaka Mikoto."

"Sigh. I guess the best thing we could do is try to get along for now. At least for him." The two glanced at the bathroom door.

"Agreed. Anyways. Who gets the bed?"

"…"

"…"

And thus, the peace between the two girls was short lived despite the truce they made with one another.

Morning finally passed over Touma's dorm and sunlight unforgivingly entered through the windows. Touma stirred uncomfortably from his bathtub, unintentionally cracked his back while getting up, and forced himself out. Still distraught about the situation, he mentally prepared himself for what was to come when he opens the door to his room. How could he have feelings for both of them if one of them was supposedly not real. Would these then make his emotions unreal as well.

Touma heaved internally and forced open his bathroom door to find…

His room looked like a disaster. The blankets and sheets were spread out around the room. The center table had been pushed to the side. Pillows were no where to be seen, but feathers were all over the place. The futon, which should had been supported by the bed frame was now in the center of the room awkwardly arranged diagonally. And finally, on top of the futon, where two identical girls, sleeping ungracefully. One had her foot in the other's face, while another had a hand jammed towards the other's leg with her butt in the air. Both of which looked like they had fallen from the seventh story of a building. The snoring from both was horrendous.

Meanwhile, Kamijou Touma wasn't quite sure how to absorb the scene. At first he was aghast, but an overwhelming sensation filled up his chest like air in a balloon. Next, he found himself laughing uncontrollably. He could not even begin to imagine what happened during the night, but the result was stupendous. Perhaps this was his brain trying to run away from the stress, but the humor had brought a realization to Touma as well. It was this sort of reason he had fallen for the girl named Misaka Mikoto in the first place. Her elegance and prestige all disappeared the moment you truly get to know her, and the true Mikoto comes out regardless if she's aware of it or not. The possibility of both of them being Mikoto rang once more as unsettling as it was to Touma, he chose to accept it. Only Mikoto could make him feel this way, and if both were capable, he shouldn't deny the possibility. For the sake of the two girls, Kamijou Touma decided to hold his frustration inside and reserve it for himself only. His laughter must had awoken them because one Misaka cracked her eye open, while the other forced her head around like a possessed body from an exorcist. They must had been too tired to realize how ridiculous they looked and to scan the situation, and simply muttered, "What's wrong with you…"

Still snorting from laughter, Touma barely managed to say, "You guys really look stupid! Ahhahahahah-"

Before Touma could shut himself up, instant regret was delivered. Four hands rose up like lightning bolts and grabbed him yanking him towards the futon. His body being forced in different directions he lost track of where up and down was. When he finally realized where he was, his face was hard pressed against the futon with one arm painfully forced into the air, and the other being held to his back. He must had been loosing blood circulation to his legs because he could no longer feel his toes, but he knew something was being stretched back there. Although he could not see, he could feel the weight of two butts pushing his body down against the futon preventing him from moving. One Mikoto sat on his upper back pinning his arms, while other sat on his lower back forcing his legs into a pretzel.

"Oi! OW! What's with this Judo all of a sudden—GAAAHAHA WAIT! Why can't you guys just shock me with electricity or somethi-EEEEEGH!"

"You don't understand what kind of hell we went through just to get some sleep"
"This is what you get for leaving us to each other Kamijou Touma."

"Huh!? What kind of absurd logic is that!? HNNNG! OK OK I GIVE! I GIVE! FUKOOOOUDDAAAAAA!"

What's it been, like 2 years or something? lol. Anyone still following these stories. My dearest apologies.