Part 4: Solutions

Chaos was unfolding outside a shopping mall in District 7.

As incredible as it sounds, a hole of sinking asphalt had expanded to cover the entire street in front of one of the entrances to the Seventh Mist. On the edges of the hole people stood, too afraid to move forward, yet too baffled to just leave when faced with such an unbelievable scenario. Two benches, a trash can and a street light was already sinking, and several people were caught in the death trap too. One had managed to drag himself halfway on top of the trash can, but the others were not so lucky. A little girl, caught in the middle with no way out, was crying in fear while her friends stood by the side and called for her to move towards the edge. She was too far from anyone to allow them to help her without getting caught themselves.

What the heck is going on? Mikoto was holding onto the man she had chased down there, trying to keep the last of his upper body from sinking below the surface. It was only so much she could do to hold him back, while her own legs had already been swallowed. She couldn't move, and nobody could reach them. They were, quite simply, in a pinch. This isn't good! She looked around hastily for a way out, with no luck. If she had her ability she could probably have pulled them out by applying magnetism to a heavy object nearby, but naturally, that was not possible right now.

"Shirai-san!" Kazari and Ruiko came running towards the open front doors at this moment, shoving their way through the people that were gathered inside.

"Don't come any closer!" Mikoto yelled at them before they too could run into the trap. They stopped, eyes widening as they realized what they were looking at. Mikoto's eyes widened too as she noticed something else. The structure of the mall was starting to bend near the entrance where the two girls were standing. Possibly, the ground below its foundation was slowly turning to liquid, dragging the whole building downwards. At this rate, all the people inside the mall would be in danger too!

"Uiharu-san, we need to evacuate the mall!"

"Wah – ah-!" Kazari looked around in bewilderment, before noticing the same thing as Mikoto. The wall holding the sliding doors were already sinking slowly, bending the glass doors and preventing them from closing. "Aaah, the building is—!"

People around them noticed too, and started backing off. One boy grabbed Kazari's arm to pull her inside. "Don't stay there; you'll be caught in it too!"

"Ah—but—Shirai-san—" Kazari's perplexed words were interrupted by a loud wail; the little girl who was caught in the sinking hole was already down to her mid, and was crying openly.

"Aaah!" Ruiko exclaimed. "Shirai-san – teleport! Use your ability!"

"I can't!" Mikoto was slightly panicked. Since her own body was sinking, she could only just manage to keep the man's upper body above the liquefied asphalt. It seemed like he was sinking quicker than her, perhaps due to his weight. In any case, there was nothing she could do in this situation to help anyone else.

"W-why not?" They were surprised by the instant denial.

"I don't have that kind of ability! I can't teleport!" Mikoto yelled it out without thinking.

"E – wha-?" Both Ruiko and Kazari stared at her in complete wonder.

"Come on, move away from the entrance!" The boy holding Kazari dragged at her arm, and she was pulled off; "Eh – wai – S-Shirai-san—!"

"You too!" Someone yelled at Ruiko. The longhaired girl kept staring at Mikoto for a moment, before looking over at the crying girl, and immediately made a decision. She suddenly dropped their school bags to the floor before leaping right into the sinking asphalt.

"Saten-san!" Kazari cried out, but couldn't do much to fight the man who was trying to drag her off.

"I can't just stand there and watch!" Ruiko called back, forcing her way over to the small girl. "Anti-Skill will probably show up soon, so you go get those customers to safety!"

"Aaah, hai!" Kazari was dragged off.

While Mikoto fought to hold back the man from sinking completely, Ruiko reached the little girl and grabbed her under her arms. With an effort of a heave, she managed to pull her a few centimeters up, but her own feet were down to the ankles now. This is like syrup! I'll be swallowed too before I can get her anywhere close to safe! Realizing this was probably not the best idea after all, she was just starting to panic when a noise suddenly erupted up ahead. It sounded like a war cry, and efficiently startled the on-lookers nearest its origin. Someone came running through the crowd, pushing aside pedestrians without even apologizing.

Mikoto's eyes widened when she saw the mop of spiky black hair. "What is he…?"

Touma was holding a cell phone to his ear with his left hand and had a determined look on his face.

"I found it!" He declared this before suddenly bending down and smacking his right hand into the expanding hole of sinking asphalt. A strange sound splintered the air; instantly, the asphalt stopped flowing and hardened into normal asphalt once more. Mikoto barely had time to blink, and the on-lookers too, before Touma stood up and hurriedly said into the phone:

"Do we have a trace of him yet?" Then, presumably after hearing the answer: "Damn! Then where's the next one?" And before anyone could stop him, he then ran off through the crowd again without as much as a word to explain the situation, leaving behind a throng of surprised and baffled people.

It was sudden, but somehow, the danger seemed to be over.

Mikoto blinked.

And then…

"H-hey, wait—!" She moved to follow the spiky-haired boy, which was when she realized she couldn't move her legs at all. Looking down, she saw that even though the asphalt had stopped flowing, it had not returned to its original state as it was before the incident. That is, the asphalt was once more normal asphalt, but there was a crater-like dent in the street where the hole had appeared, and her legs were still stuck below the surface. There was no way she could follow that boy in this state.

XXX

Two girls had kissed each other. Not long after, they miraculously switched bodies.

Kuroko had seen it with her own eyes. She had seen it, but was unable to believe it.

It's impossible… that, of course, was the first reaction one normally would have. Even for Kuroko, who had experienced something similar firsthand, it just seemed too incredible to be true. They may have tried to throw me off with a stupid performance… She tried to make sense of it in her head. Or were they suddenly hallucinating? A telepath could have been manipulating them from a distance… The two girls had run off looking terrified. Kuroko hadn't been able to follow them to try and question them. She had been too shocked to move a muscle at that moment. Is the culprit an esper after all? Even though that's hard to believe… She shook her head slowly. It felt like she was trying to force too much information into her head at once. By simplifying the process, it should be easier to find a solution.

Fact 1: Two girls had kissed, and then (apparently) changed bodies.

Fact 2: There was no way anyone could change bodies without some kind of outside interference. This in turn led to fact 3: Someone must be behind this. So basically, the only thing Kuroko needed to find out was who or what was behind it. Even if the how or why was left unanswered, the most important thing was to end it. This is easy! Yes, if only it was. The fact was this was anything but easy. Nevertheless, her instincts as a Judgment member were awakening. This is a serious crime no matter how you look at it. And speaking of looking, will you people stop staringgg!

Even while walking down a street like this (reason long lost in a whirl of confused thoughts), people were looking; everywhere, they stared at her like she was some kind of unique item on display. She glared randomly at a passing student, who flinched and jumped away. Even if they didn't recognize her by looks, and despite the lack of any crackling electricity, it still felt like it was safer to keep distance. Basically, the malice radiating from Kuroko was too strong to ignore. Of course, most of the people just noticed her Tokiwadai uniform and thought nothing more of it, but to Kuroko it seemed like they were analyzing every inch of her borrowed body. One boy who passed by nudged his friend and said: "Wow, check that Tokiwadai babe!"

And while his buddy actually did answer something along the lines of "What are you on about? It's freaking middle school student," Kuroko only grew more and more rigid.

Looking at Onee-sama so unashamedly… It was too much for her to tolerate. This entire day, all the trouble she'd faced, and every single person who had approached her – it was grating on her nerves like a vegetable shredder on bare skin. I'll just avoid them! Determinedly, she turned towards a convenience store to her left, and entered through the automatic doors. As the glass doors closed off behind her and the cool air of the store touched her skin, she let out a deep sigh. I need something to drink. Her eyes found the cooling section of the store, and she went over, looking at the different kinds of drinks displayed. Then it struck her that she might not have the money to pay for it. Does Onee-sama carry an extra credit card for situations like this? She seemed to remember Mikoto saying she didn't. Not that it would help her anyway, as she did not know her pin codes. Maybe she has some change… she checked her pockets, finding only game arcade coins. It was unlikely they'd want to be paid with those, even if she tried smiling her sweetest smile, which would of course be tenfold effective when coming from her Onee-sama. In fact, maybe it would work…

"Hey there, may I help you?"

"Hm?" She turned her head, and was looking right at the store clerk, a guy who looked to be in his early twenties. He smirked at her, leaning on the rack of wares beside him in a posture that was obviously practiced to give an impressive air, yet which failed somewhat due to the white store clerk apron adorning his body.

"You look like you're uncertain for once. Lots on your mind?"

What is up with this guy? Kuroko stared at him dryly. "I am fine, thank you." Not like this was a clothes store where the clerks might actually be of some help. Did he want to assist her in finding the right taste? In that case, he might as well get a job as a waiter at a restaurant.

"So, you often alone?" The guy asked, the smirk still not leaving his lips. Judging by his posture, he was trying to look handsome. Kuroko was in no way a specialist in deeming the attractiveness of the other sex, but he did seem quite plain, from his short ruffled hair to his grey sneakers. Despite her inability to judge his attractiveness though, his words were starting to ring warning bells in her mind.

"That is none of your business." She said, turning around to leave without buying anything. It wasn't like she had nothing better to do.

"How about you join me for dinner?"

She halted, surprised; not that she hadn't expected it, but so quickly? Her surprised expression might have been misunderstood, as he smoothly continued: "Come on, don't tell me you've never been asked out before? I've seen you plenty of times in here, and even though you're young I really like you, you know."

Kuroko gave him a deadpan stare. "How can you like someone without even knowing them?"

"Oh, but I know a lot more about you than you'd think, Misaka-san."

So he knows her name. Big deal. That was on the same level as recognizing the president of the United States on the street. Kuroko, unfazed by his advances, kept looking at him levelly. "So you are a stalker?"

"Haha!" The guy suddenly laughed loudly, earning the attention of several other customers inside the store. "Man, I guess you are bothered by a lot of those." He wiped his eye with a hand, chuckling still. Is this also a practiced act? When his direct advances fail, he resorts to easing up the mood by laughing? Kuroko glanced over at the cashier, where a few people stood waiting to pay for their wares. Obviously, he was the only one at work right now, and yet he was wasting his time trying to hit on a girl way out of his league. "I'm nothing of the sort though; but to be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing you more than I do." He was grinning again. "Don't look too much into it; I just feel like we could be good friends, if we got to know each other."

Oh really? And how much would this sleek guy have in common with Tokiwadai's Railgun? She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "You could you at least try to be a little more original."

"Wha –?"

"Can you imagine how many people ask me every day to have a 'friendly dinner' or a 'harmless chat' over a cup of tea?" She sighed deeply, and he fumbled.

"Ah, I guess there's a lot, but still…"

"What makes you think the ace of Tokiwadai has the time to get acquainted with every single person who asks her out?" Kuroko continued, huffing. "Such a cliché line is never going to lead to anything but laughs at your pitiful state."

"Hey, come on, I'm asking you in a friendly manner here; it's not like I'm asking you to be my girlfriend or anything. What do you want me to do, ask you to go horse riding or something?"

"Well, I suppose expecting anything better from your kind is too optimistic. Though that is for the better."

"What the heck, don't act so cocky!" Suddenly, his fuses seemed to be lit. "I was just thinking you always seem to be alone, so I wanted to offer you a chance of getting out! Don't you ever go on a date or anything? Sooner or later you'll have to start living your life like any other girl, you know!"

Every other person inside the store was staring at them now. This was partly because of the fact that there was no way for any of them to buy their wares and leave while the only store clerk at work was chatting up a girl.

Kuroko gave an annoyed sigh. "Really, this is ridiculous. Making such a scene over getting rejected – what, will this make you lose a bet with your friends or something?"

"Jeez, what's up with you? With the way you've been looking at me every time you're in here, it was obvious you—" He was cut off mid-sentence, as Kuroko finally snapped.

"I DO NOT LOOK AT YOU, I WILL NOT DATE YOU, AND IF YOU EVER WANT TO TALK TO ME AGAIN YOU BETTER BE READY TO TAKE ON MY ONE AND ONLY PARTNER IN A MATCH OF LIFE AND DEATH!"

And with that announcement, she strode out of the store, leaving behind a stunned store clerk, several shocked customers, and feeling like she was trapped in the middle of a candid camera show. What is up with all these people? Do they only try their luck because of Onee-sama's status? If anything, this annoyed her even more than his advances in the first place. Then again, if he'd tried to make a move without knowing who she was at all, she would probably be equally angered.

In short, nobody should make advances on her Onee-sama, for any reason at all.

XXX

In the end, one of the on-looking students stepped forward and punched the asphalt to pieces with his ability, freeing Mikoto and the guy she had been holding, as well as the other people that had been trapped. The little crying girl had almost been swallowed entirely, but thanks to Saten-san her head was still above the surface. As a result, Ruiko's arms were buried. When she was finally freed, the little girl clung to Ruiko and cried her heart out, and Ruiko did her best to soothe her.

When everyone was free and checked for injuries (luckily there were none besides a few scratches), Anti-Skill closed off the area and shooed everyone away, including the Judgment members. It seemed like Kuroko's school bag had been lost deep in the ground, but Mikoto wasn't about to complain. Given the circumstances, it was probably the best way to get rid of it.

She sat down at a bench some distance away from the scene, and sighed deeply. "Man, what a messy day. There's no way this was caused by that woman with the asphalt manipulating ability, right…?" She scratched her head tiredly, remembering a scene in a back alley that took place earlier in the summer. Though she would like to catch up with that moronic hedgehog and demand some answers, there was no way she would be able to find him and catch up with him now.

Ruiko, who stood in front of her after handing the small girl over to her friends to be taken care of, looked troubled. She didn't say anything before Kazari came over to them however; the flowery girl was shaking her head.

"Anti-Skill told me to return to Judgment headquarters for an update later on… I think they're still not sure what's going on…" She had barely had time to start the evacuation before Anti-Skill took over. The adults were thankful for the help, but said they had it all under control.

"No wonder, it's not like this has an obvious explanation up front." Mikoto sighed tiredly, while thankfully accepting the long red ribbon Kazari handed her, and started retying her long unruly hair into two pigtails.

Ruiko stood watching her, seemingly conflicted about something. Kazari shared a look with her friend, then sighed and looked over at Mikoto as well.

"Ah, Shirai-san…"

"Hm?" Mikoto looked up to see their troubled expressions.

Kazari hesitated for a moment, before saying: "Um… you've been acting kind of weird today… a-are you okay…?"

"It's kinda obvious she isn't, isn't it?" Ruiko said, looking from Kazari to Mikoto. "She's acting completely abnormal, and didn't even teleport out of that quicksand thing." She walked forward and put a hand on Mikoto's forehead. "Don't tell me you're sick after all!"

Mikoto was perplexed at first. But she realized their reactions were pretty natural. She had been doing things that made no sense under normal circumstances.

Before she could say anything however, Ruiko suddenly gasped dramatically and pulled back. "Or – don't tell me – you're actually not Shirai-san at all!"

"Saten-san!" Kazari exclaimed in shock. "Just because she's a bit –"

"This ain't just bits, Uiharu! She's completely whacko!"

Mikoto sweat-dropped; Ruiko pointed an accusing finger at her and declared: "You are not Shirai-san at all! You are, in fact, a Clone Bug who has taken her form!"

This left her with two completely puzzled stares.

"Eh?" Mikoto said.

Ruiko clasped her hands together, and suddenly, her eyes were shimmering. "Aaah, I can't believe I got to see a Clone Bug!" Her reaction had just taken a complete 180 in a second's time.

"Wha…" Mikoto was completely flabbergasted, and judging by Kazari's face, she wasn't much wiser.

"S-Saten-san…" the flowery girl stuttered, "what in the world are you…"

Ruiko pulled out her phone, pushed a few buttons and then showed the screen to them. On it was an internet site they were quite familiar with; 'Urban Legends of Academy City'. And the top story, it seemed, was something about 'Chaos unfolding in Academy City – new discoveries of its origin!'. "See here!" Ruiko declared. "This is the hottest topic on the net right now!"

"Is that a world-wide statistic?"

"You know all the whacko things happening around town today?" Ruiko continued in an excited fashion. "At first they thought it was drugs or mass hallucinations, but now someone says there's been an outbreak of experimental bugs from an underground lab!"

Mikoto sweat-dropped. "Um… who exactly said that?"

"The Clone Bug is amongst the escaped bugs. It bites its host and transforms into their twin by copying their cell data. But since they're bugs, the personality doesn't quite match – and that explains why you're acting so strange!" Ruiko excitedly delivered her discovery to the two of them.

Mikoto had no idea what to say.

"But how can a bug get as big as a human?" Kazari asked an elementary question.

"But that's not all!" Ruiko exclaimed. "They say the outbreak was caused by a man in a purple suit who is using them as a distraction while he carries out his misdeeds!"

"A man in a purple suit?" Kazari squealed, eyes wide.

"Of course, the Clone Bugs are just part of his distraction technique. He's been using his ability to cause trouble all over town as well; a lot of people say they've been struck by strange phenomena already – like this one here, has had a constant itch behind her ear ever since meeting him last week. And this guy mysteriously failed an English test the other day…"

Mikoto sighed deeply. "That's one far-out rumor…" While any explanation was better than none, this didn't feel like an explanation as much as a seriously whacked storyline of a B-movie. Sighing, she muttered tiredly: "It would be so much easier if there was an ability out there that could change people's bodies around…"

"Aaaaah!" Ruiko let out a loud squeal and pulled back, staring right at her with wide eyes.

"An ability to change bodies?" Kazari squeaked, and Mikoto instantly stiffened. It seemed like she had just said that out loud.

"Aaaaaah!" Ruiko said again, once more pointing at her accusingly. "You just admitted it! You are a Clone Bug – you have taken Shirai-san's appearance and are trying to trick us so you can clone us as well!"

"What—? No, I'm—"

"I wonder if I'll get a ransom if I capture you in a jar!"

"Wait—"

"Uiharu, you gotta help me out! We'll split the money!"

"Aaah…"

"Listen to me!" Mikoto yelled, standing up from the bench. "I'm not some freaking bug; I'm Mikoto!" And just like that, it came out. Her insides instantly froze up, as if she'd just blown up the entire street.

"Misaka-san?" Kazari squealed, wide-eyed.

"Ah –"Mikoto stared back at her. "I-I mean…" Then again, what did she mean if not that? Was there any use trying to hide it any longer? She might as well tell them everything now, if the alternative meant having them believe she was a strange creature from some shady underground lab.

She opened her mouth hesitatingly. "Um, I – I don't know why or how, but this morning, I woke up in this body…" Her voice faltered. Why do I get the feeling I'm just saying something completely weird-? If someone who knew how to explain this properly was to show up at that moment, she would be extremely grateful.

However the longhaired girl in front of her nodded confidently, one hand on her chin. "Right, right, that explains it all."

It does? Mikoto sweat-dropped again.

"I see now." Ruiko said, as if she was a detective investigating a murder scene. "Then there is only one thing left to do."

"What?" Mikoto found it hard to know whether the other girl actually believed her or not.

Ruiko grinned again. "To make sure you're not a Clone Bug fooling with us, show us some proof that you are indeed Misaka-san!"

"Aah, Saten-san, Shirai-san, please stop fooling around!" Kazari squealed. "It's not funny!"

"Oh, but I am dead serious." Ruiko said dramatically. "We must not let ourselves be fooled. They say that people have been kidnapped after being cloned! After all, if someone saw a lot of identical people it would be hard to make them believe they are all twins!"

I suppose that's true… Mikoto was troubled. Wait, am I actually considering this as an explanation? She quickly shook her head.

"Aah..." Kazari hesitated; she wasn't really sure what to believe anymore.

"So, this is pretty simple!" Ruiko said, pointing at Mikoto again. "If you're really Misaka-san, prove it! Fire a railgun or something!"

"Nuh –" Mikoto was put off at how this had turned out. She hadn't really thought about how people were going to react when she told them, but this was way beyond her imagination. A simple 'Haha, yeah right!' would have been plenty.

"I-I would if I could!" She spluttered. "But this change of body seems to affect our powers as well – I can't use my ability!" It sounded like an awful excuse. But it's true!

"How convenient." Ruiko grinned, putting a hand to her chin once more. "A powerless Level 5 in the body of a Level 4 pervert."

"It's not convenient at all!"

"BUT!" The longhaired girl suddenly declared, abruptly pointing a finger into Mikoto's face, "If you really are Misaka-san, you would be wearing shorts under your skirt, right?" And she pulled up Mikoto's skirt before she could even process what the longhaired girl had just said; revealing the embarrassing rose panties Kuroko had forced her to wear this morning. Mikoto's face exploded with embarrassment.

"Saten-san!" Kazari squealed, blushing as well.

"See, no shorts; you're not Misaka-san." Ruiko said proudly. "So that means, either you're a Clone Bug, or you're still Shirai-san, only with a very strange sense of humor!"

"I told you, I'm not Kuroko!" Mikoto barked, pulling her skirt back down. She was literally burning up by now; it didn't help that several eyes on the street had grown very large at the display. "And don't just pull up people's skirt like that!"

"Then where is the real Shirai-san?" Ruiko asked; judging by her smug smile, it seemed like she was enjoying this.

"She's occupying my body! And she's probably off doing something creepy to it in the bathroom or –" Mikoto's voice cut off and her eyes widened; she might actually be doing something like that!

"I-I'll call Misaka-san," Kazari said, pulling out her phone.

"Yeah, that'll do it!" Ruiko grinned at Mikoto. "Just you wait: Once the Railgun shows up here, she'll blast you off your feet faster than you can say six-legged creep."

"I'm telling you; I'm Mikoto!" She might as well try to convince a trout she was the Queen of England; Saten-san either did not understand her words, or cared very little.

XXX

There was a croaking sound in the air, as if a choir of frogs had decided to have their annual meeting right at that very spot. Kuroko, pulled out of her desperate and tired thoughts that continued to twirl around in an endless loop, recognized the ring tone. Onee-sama's cell phone! Who ever calls her? Immediately digging her hand into the pocket, she pulled out the green, frog-shaped cell phone and opened it to answer.

"Yes?"

"Um… Misaka-san?" The hesitant voice of Uiharu entered her ear.

At that moment, Kuroko froze. How does Onee-sama answer her? Is she friendly? Happy? Serious? Or is she flirtingly naughty, suggesting horrible things… suddenly, the air around her was crackling with dark energy.

"We took Shirai-san out for a shopping trip, but she's acting kind of weird…" Uiharu continued, "…and now she's suddenly saying that she's actually you… eheh…"

"Is Onee-sama there with you?" Kuroko answered in a strained tone of voice; her entire body was trembling.

"Hai?" Uiharu sounded like she'd just heard something incredible.

"Let me talk to Onee-sama!" Kuroko bellowed, and Uiharu gave a small squeal; then there was a lot of sounds as the phone were transferred to someone else.

"Kuroko!" Her own voice rang into her ear all of a sudden; it was an awkward feeling. Yet Kuroko had no thoughts to spare on that, despairing from this tiring day and all the horrible experiences she'd had so far.

"Onee-sama! How could you!"

"What? No, never mind – just get over here and help me explain what's going on!"

"Onee-sama, to go on a shopping date without me – and even hiding the fact that you have suitors all over Academy City – Kuroko is…"

"What the? Listen, Kuroko –"

"AAAAH, Onee-sama~"

"STOP WITH THE ONEE-SAMA ALREADY AND MOVE YOUR ROTTEN CORPSE HERE THIS SECOND!" The bellow tore through her eardrum like a chopstick through a sushi roll; some of the students around her on the street even jumped at the loud sound. Kuroko grimaced.

Of course, there was nothing else to do: "H-hai, I will be there in a minute!"

But Mikoto had already hung up.

XXX

Kazari and Ruiko stared at a heaving Shirai-san; or rather, as they figured, Misaka-san. No matter how incredible it sounded, there was no doubt to them that Shirai-san would never have yelled like that at her beloved Onee-sama. Unless she was insane, which of course may be a possibility judging by everything else that had happened so far today. In any case, Clone Bugs or not; something was definitely wrong.

Mikoto thrust the phone back in the direction of Kazari as if it was a borrowed handkerchief. "Thanks, Uiharu-san."

Kazari gingerly reached out and took the phone. "Um…" She didn't know what to say really, so it ended up being something completely normal: "Does she know where we are?"

Mikoto drew a deep breath and straightened; laughing lightly, she said: "Aah, what a wonderful day!"

Sweat-dropping, Kazari silently opted for sending their GPS location to Misaka-san's number. Ruiko was rubbing her chin thoughtfully, observing Mikoto laughing and giggling and twirling around as if she was a young maiden in a flower field.

Then she pulled out her own cell phone and started surfing the net.

XXX

Kuroko finally reached the spot Uiharu had sent her on the phone; she was breathing heavily, having run all she could for ten whole minutes. She may have broken a few records in that time frame.

Saten-san was still deeply engrossed in her cell phone, and Uiharu stared at Kuroko with an awkward smile.

"Um, Misaka-san… or, Shirai-san… eeh…" She faltered. It was no doubt Misaka-san that stopped and leaned on her knees while breathing for a few seconds; could it really be…?

Kuroko immediately spotted her Onee-sama and slung herself over into her arms, nearly knocking her off balance. "Aaah, Onee-sama, it has been a terrible, horrible day!" She sobbed into her own chest.

It really is her! Kazari was speechless with shock.

Mikoto pushed her roommate away fiercely. "Don't do strange things like that; people are looking!"

"Then let them look!" Kuroko claimed. "Let them see true love as it was meant to be shown! Let them witness our blooming feelings erupt into rays of sparkling bliss!"

"I don't even know what language you're speaking!"

Kazari stood there with an incredible look on her face; she was completely flabbergasted. On one hand, there was Shirai-san trying to push Misaka-san off with all her might, and on the other, Misaka-san trying to throw herself at her roommate. She had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't just imagining things.

"Aaah, Onee-sama, this day has been utterly horrible!"

"You're not making it any better!"

Kuroko finally pulled back, tears springing forth from her eyes. "All the stares, the attention; this horrible situation… Onee-sama's painful suffering… At this rate, how will we be able to marry…?" She stared at her hands in pure terror.

"You're worrying about the wrong thing; and don't just decide for yourself who you're going to marry!" Mikoto yelled at her.

Kuroko wasn't listening, muttering to herself; "Uiharu and Saten-san as bridesmaids… seven-floor wedding cake with a figure of ourselves at the top… aaah, Onee-sama in a wonderful white smoking!"

"Sheesh, I can't follow your craziness…" Mikoto tiredly massaged her temple.

"Ah – Onee-sama, allow me!" Kuroko instantly perked up and moved forward with her hands outstretched –

POW! Her face abruptly collided with a very hard, very pointy elbow, and she fell backwards in a heartbeat.

Mikoto glared at her from above. "Don't come near me! And furthermore, this is your body – don't make me do perverted things to it!"

"I was only going to give you a relaxing massage…" Kuroko claimed from the ground, rubbing her stinging nose.

"I don't need it!"

"Aah, if only you would let me take care of you now and then, Kuroko would make sure you'd always be at ease!"

"I said I don't need it! And stop making that stupid expression with my face; I'll tear it off!" Mikoto pulled out three spikes from one of the leather belts under her skirt and strode forward with an enraged face. It seemed like she had finally snapped.

"Uwah!" Kazari shrieked and jumped in between them with her hands outstretched as if to block the view; "Misaka-san, please remember that's your own body – if you hurt it anymore, it'll be bad when you return to it (assuming that's how things work)!"

"Nghh – you're right." Mikoto conceded, pulling back. Then the pigtails she was sporting suddenly fluttered as she turned to point one of the spikes at her own arm. "I should hurt this body instead!"

"AAAH! ONEE-SAMA!" Kuroko shot past Kazari and threw herself onto Mikoto, almost knocking her over again. "Onee-sama, what has gotten into you! Resorting to self-harming in order to gain my attention is not at all necessary!"

"That's not it, you idiot! I swear, one more word from you and –"

"I've got it!" The sudden outburst that split into their escalating fight originated from Ruiko; she suddenly looked up from her cell phone and stared at them with beaming eyes. "I found it!"

"Eh?" Kazari said, thankful for the interruption; she had no idea what to make of this anymore and would rather not be forced to pull the two apart.

"I found this site where lots of people are discussing the strange things going on," Ruiko said, showing off her phone to them, "and your problem is on here too!"

XXX

Since they felt like discussing things in a more private place than in the middle of the street, they settled in a corner in a fast-food restaurant one street down from where they originally were. Gathered around the table, they all felt kind of incredulous at the events that had transpired so far today.

After everyone had ordered something to drink and sat with their respective choices in front of them, Ruiko started to share her discovery.

"There are others that are experiencing the same thing as you two! Who switched bodies!"

"Wha – really!" Kazari seemed rather perplexed.

"I had to dig quite a bit to find it, but it's definitely here!"

"Does that mean you believe us when we say we're not bugs?" Mikoto asked.

Ruiko put a hand to her chin with a grin. "That's not certain yet, but I'm willing to go along with that explanation for now."

"Great… so is this something that has potentially struck the entire town?" The thought that someone else was having these kinds of problems didn't sit well with Mikoto. Suffice to say, whoever it was that started this would have a hard time coming up with an acceptable reason to avoid being electrified (once she could actually do that again).

"Even if that was true, there seems to be certain circumstances that must be met before it happens, since it hasn't struck everyone." Kuroko said thoughtfully. She remembered seeing several couples in the Great Oak Park kissing – yet they had not been changed around. Thinking back to Hitomi-san and Asanuma-san, and the two other girls… there must be some sort of connection.

"Ah, yeah, it's only two or three users saying it's happened to them; not that many… according to their profile they're all girls though." Ruiko said, scrolling down the forum.

"Being girls alone can't be the trigger though…" Kazari said, sipping her soda.

"Does it say anything about their circumstances?" Kuroko asked. "Are they couples, for instance?"

"Eh? No, it doesn't say… wait, this one says 'me and my girlfriend'! So is that a requirement?"

"How could it?" Mikoto asked. "It's not like we fit that criteria at all."

Ruiko looked over at her in surprise. "Oh… you two aren't…"

"Don't say that like it only just occurred to you!"

Kazari hmm'ed thoughtfully while a waitress walked past their table, throwing them a curious look. "In that case, something else must be the deciding factor as to whether it happens or not."

"Well…" Ruiko started, "could all the girls be roommates?"

"Not likely." Kuroko dismissed the thought at once since the two girls in the park had obviously been from different schools. "Rather, in the cases I know of it happened after sharing a kiss. Perhaps this condition only affects girls who—?" She halted, suddenly realizing what she was saying.

"Kiss?" Kazari asked, an incredulous look on her face.

"So you're saying those girls changed bodies because of a kiss?" Ruiko asked, staring back into her cell phone as if trying to imagine something like that.

Mikoto frowned. "But that still doesn't explain why we…" Her voice died down however, as if she realized something.

"Eh…" Kuroko felt awfully sweaty all of the sudden. In her eager to share her thoughts and come up with a possible solution, she had forgotten one important detail. "O-of course, that is…" She smiled stupidly.

"Kuroko." Even though it was her own voice, hearing her name uttered like that made a shiver run down Kuroko's spine. She turned her head stiffly to look at her roommate. Mikoto's expression was completely unreadable.

"H-hai?" Kuroko smiled stiffly.

"I know this must sound ridiculous. But if the only thing in common between us and those other girls is a kiss, and since I can't remember kissing anyone…" Kuroko felt more and more sweat gather in her neck, "…it couldn't possibly mean you kissed me last night after I fell asleep, could it?"

Kuroko grinned stupidly. "W-why, of course, Onee-sama, to do such a thing I would…" For some reason, a cloud of black smoke seemed to erupt from the girl beside her, and she pulled back abruptly. Did she just develop a new ability—?

Mikoto turned around and looked at her roommate, a frightening small smile plastered onto her face. "Did you, Kuroko?"

"G-g-gh…" Kuroko stuttered; but there was no escape. With her sitting closest to the wall, and without her ability, there was no way she could avoid the eruption in front of her. "H-hai… I – I might have pecked you a little on the cheek… surely not a big deal, Onee-sama…"

"But if only a peck on the cheek was enough, wouldn't that mean a lot more girls would be affected?" Kazari innocently pondered, one finger on her chin in thought. Kuroko stiffened, and Ruiko stared at Kazari with enormous eyes.

"I see… pecked on the cheek, did you… heeh…" Mikoto gave a dark laugh, like a deranged serial killer about to leap at an unfortunate victim.

"O-Onee-sama…" Even though she knew they did not have their abilities right now, her borrowed body was acting on its own, all defensive mechanisms on high alert.

"A-ah, wait!" Ruiko suddenly screeched, catching their attention. "Uh, if it's like that, then how to end this could be very easy!" Everyone stared at her, and she flinched. "Um…" her eyes shifted nervously from Mikoto to Kuroko, "that is… do you want to know…?"

"Yes, please." Mikoto said.

"Um, okay…" She looked pretty nervous, but probably felt like she couldn't withdraw at this point, and so she dove forth; "It's pretty common in these kinds of stories that the same event that triggered the curse will also end it!"

Kuroko felt her death sentence right then and there.

"Oh, you mean like when someone bumps their head and their personality is completely changed, the next time they bump their head they become normal?" Kazari brightened.

"Exactly! So basically, if you guys were to kiss again, maybe you'll change back!"

—And that was the nail in her coffin.

Another pause of silence laid itself over the table. Ruiko and Kazari watched the other two girls eagerly. Kuroko stared, white-faced, into her soda, as if she had just realized it was actually blood.

Mikoto's mind was working on overdrive. Is there nothing else we can do?

But however she thought about it, the fact was they could hardly do anything while being like this. Returning to normal should be their first priority, and even just a small chance of success…

"…Kuroko." Her voice was low and neutral, yet resounded into Kuroko's ears.

The girl who inhabited Mikoto's body suddenly sat up straight in the sofa like a soldier alerted to the presence of his general. "H-hai!"

"When this thing is over..." Mikoto turned to look at her, and even though she smiled, her aura was burning with liquid fire; Kuroko felt a stupid grin force its way onto her face again. "…you are going to die."

"Ghh—!"

"Aah…" Ruiko said nervously; Kazari looked almost as pale as Kuroko. Somehow, seeing Kuroko's face and stature painted in such ice cold rage was even scarier than seeing Mikoto herself.

XXX

They found an empty patch of land on the riverbed, below an iron bridge. The reason for this being that Mikoto refused to do any sort of intimate actions with Kuroko in the proximity of other people, be they complete strangers or not. Standing opposite each other, Mikoto red-faced and Kuroko pale but heart thumping in her chest, the silence of the early evening intruded upon their ears. Kazari and Ruiko were standing off to the side, school bags and shopping bags lying in a heap beside them.

"Why did it have to be this place, of all places…?" Mikoto muttered to herself, gazing at the bridge above them. "This is ridiculous…"

Kuroko let out a relieved breath; at least it seemed like her Onee-sama had calmed down somewhat since they left the café.

Mikoto glared at her underclassman, one accusing finger rising to point fiercely at her: "This charade better end now! I don't want to look at you occupying my body for even one more minute!" Not to mention the stress of having no ability was gnawing at the back of her mind mercilessly, putting her on edge. If this kept up any longer she might just lose it completely.

Kuroko couldn't help the content smirk forming around her mouth despite the situation – or because of it. To think I would get to kiss Onee-sama one more time because of this ordeal…! And this time she would even be awake, and do it of her own free will. Somehow, it was enough to leave her feeling grateful.

"Wipe that creepy smile off my face!" Mikoto bellowed angrily.

Ruiko sweat-dropped. "It's kind of unsettling seeing Misaka-san grin like a pervert and Shirai-san red-faced…"

"It's refreshing in a way." Kazari commented. "I just hope this solution actually works, for Shirai-san's sake…" For some reason, she was smiling.

Mikoto closed her eyes briefly and drew a deep breath. "Okay. I'm ready, I guess." She couldn't fight the rose color in her cheeks though, and stared at Kuroko with a determined glare. "So how do we…?"

"Leave that to me, Onee-sama…" Kuroko stepped forward with an almost voracious expression on her face. Her breathing was rash and ragged, and her heart beating five hundred miles an hour. "I…" …her precious lips… "will…" …that sweet taste… "make sure…" …those long, curly pigtails…

SLOP!

"What the hell are you doing, you moron!" Mikoto barked down at her roommate, who had suddenly collapsed to her hands and knees in front of her feet.

"I can't…" Kuroko muttered, like a soldier giving up in the face of an overwhelming enemy.

"Hah?" Mikoto glared at her, still beet red.

"I can't kiss someone who is not my Onee-sama!" Kuroko wailed, putting her hands on her head in despair. "That hair – that body – aah, this torture!" Facing the reality like this, her battle for staying levelheaded was finally lost. "Onee-sama's body is – no, this is too painful!"

"You idiot!" Mikoto grabbed her collar and shook the other girl like a rag doll. "You're supposed to be the one who wants to do this! Don't back out when it matters the most!"

"To kiss my own lips would be a betrayal of our bondaged feelings!"

"That's not even a word!" Mikoto was growing more and more red-faced. "How are we supposed to find out if this works if we don't even try!"

"Everything… everything would fall apart…" Kuroko muttered.

Mikoto gritted her teeth. I can't count on her… Then what? Just give up? Was the only option to admit defeat? No! If it can make us go back to normal, we have to… I have to… She stared at Kuroko's face (or rather her own), and suddenly realized that she was actually considering kissing her own lips. Wait, how does that work? Maybe if she imagined it to be a Sister… That's just wrong! She was disturbed out of her mind, shaking all over, while Kuroko hung lifelessly in her grasp, muttering incomprehensible things.

Mikoto swallowed a lump in her throat. Then she gritted her teeth again, determination bubbling up inside. There's no other way! I have to do it! Just… close your eyes… She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. It doesn't count at all, it would be just like kissing a mirror… nothing like the real thing… An image of a face floated at the edge of her mental vision. It took a second for her brain to register it. And when it did, a ray of panic tore through her body. NO way! Nowaynowaynowaynoway! And without thinking any further, she smashed her lips against Kuroko's, eyes still tightly shut and every nerve in her body screaming in terror. Kuroko on her side stiffened in shock at the sudden contact.

In short, it was a highly unnatural kiss.

"Whoa, they're really kissing!" Ruiko sounded excited, and Kazari was blushing almost as bad as Mikoto.

Mikoto pulled back and gasped for air. Her entire brain felt like it had just melted, and she was feeling kind of sluggish. It had happened so fast she barely registered it at all. Wha— what did I just...?

"Ah…?" Kuroko breathed, once more sitting on the ground now that Mikoto had let go of her. Her eyes were huge, as if she'd just been shocked out of her mind.

Mikoto breathed deeply a couple of times, and then realized something was not right – the kiss had blown her mind out effectively, so she'd almost forgot for a moment, but…

She looked down at the girl sitting by her feet. That short, brown hair, the brown eyes looking dazedly into the air… there was no doubt about it.

Even after doing something like that… nothing had changed at all.

Something exploded in her chest. Wave after wave of searing hot air pushed itself out of her lungs in shaky breaths, and the air around her suddenly crackled.

"Nothing happened…" Kazari said breathlessly. "What else could there be…?"

"Wait a minute…" Ruiko said, staring down at them as well. "Something is happening…" she lifted a hand and hesitantly pointed.

"Eh?" Kazari looked over, and immediately paled.

Small blue sparks were jumping from Mikoto's bangs and shoulders, although it currently looked like it was Kuroko who suddenly started emitting electric charges.

What was more, it looked like they were growing in strength.

"Guh –" Kuroko noticed the scene in front of her as well, and immediately clambered backwards, away from the immediate danger zone. "O-Onee-sama, your ability…"

"Why… does it feel like you made all this happen just to have some of your perverted wishes come true…?" Mikoto asked, eyes almost completely lifeless as the output of her electricity grew in force. They were jumping into the air and striking into the ground without any meaning. "It seems like I'll have to correct that twisted mind of yours once and for all…" The electric currents continued to grow in numbers, like a tesla coil slowly charging. What was even more worrisome however, was the dark clouds starting to gather in the sky above them, rumbling with thunder. Ruiko and Kazari backed off slightly, gazing in horror at the unnatural shift in weather.

Kuroko's brain was trying to tell the body to run, but the communication between the two seemed to have been lost. The last time she'd witnessed this power unleashed, an entire park had been leveled with the ground from the massive lightning strike called from the sky. Needless to say, if this wasn't stopped the result would most likely be disastrous.

She swallowed dryly. "O-Onee-sama, I'm sure if we just calm down—"

"I'll calm down when you're lying dead on the ground!" Mikoto roared, and a resounding crack split the sky – at that moment, someone jumped from the bridge above Kuroko and landed beside her; she only saw a mop of spiky black hair before the newcomer leapt forward (seemingly ignoring the dangerous electric charges), and smacked a hand directly into Mikoto's face, knocking her backwards; instantly the electricity was cut off, and Mikoto hit the ground, back first, with a thud.

The other girls blinked, needing a couple of seconds to take in what had just happened.

"Ah! It's the street-wise preacher!" Ruiko was the first to recover, and exclaimed in eager: "He stopped the electricity just like that-?"

"Aaaah…" Kazari was just happy they were still alive.

"Haaah, that was close…" Kuroko sighed, feeling rather relieved to having been saved from certain death. She looked over at the scene ahead, and her eyes widened as the reality of the situation sank in.

The man was sitting on Mikoto's stomach, his hand plastered to her face. Shamelessly, he sat like that, on top of her Onee-sama.

If Kuroko had been back in her own body, her pigtails would probably be fluttering all over the place; however she was not, so instead Mikoto's face was reddening in anger.

The real Mikoto was struck speechless from shock, trapped under the body of a moronic idiot, and her face was already searing hot below his hand.

"Are you okay?" Touma asked, staring at her with a worried expression on his face as he removed his hand.

"Wha-wha-wha-whaaa?" Mikoto cried out, wanting to run away and then again not – however her body was numb all over and she couldn't seem to force through any commands to her muscles at all.

"What's wrong – was I too late? Did you already get biribiri'ed before I showed up?" He put a hand to her shoulder, and Mikoto's heart was bursting through her chest.

"Wh-who are you calling Biribiri, you m-moron!" She stammered; another blue charge left her bangs as if in synchrony to her outburst.

"Wah – you're still Misaka? How –?" He stared at his right hand, as if that could give him the answer; Mikoto wanted to shout at him, but her head was already melted. He was sitting at her stomach and his left hand was clutching her shoulder – w-why is his hand so warm?

Suddenly, her own raging face appeared above them. "Get – off – Onee-sama – this instant!" Kuroko was grasping at her thigh, as if wanting to grip a spike and strike him with it, no ability or not; however she did not have her leather belts equipped.

"Ah, that's weird!" Touma exclaimed, paying the teleporter no mind. "I thought you would change back when I touched her… damn!" For some reason, he started fumbling around Mikoto's body, though the girl didn't seem to care (she was hardly breathing, and had possibly fainted). "Maybe there's a flash card stuck on you somewhere?" He pulled up her shirt, and then halted, realizing something was staring down his neck with the fury of a thousand raging grizzly bears.

Kuroko's rage was making Mikoto's face look like it belonged to a monster in a science fiction novel. The very air around her was spitting fire, much like the equivalent of what Mikoto had displayed just moments before. "You dare touch Onee-sama like that –" she seethed, and then gave a horrified gasp, "– or is it my body you're after? How dare you betray Onee-sama!" It seemed like whatever his answer was, it would be the wrong one.

He gave a slightly panicked look. "No, I don't—" Before he could even finish talking, she thrust her hand into her pocket and pulled out a shiny coin; Touma gave a terrified expression. "Don't tell me you can fire that thing!" He jumped off of Mikoto and thrust his hand out; with an enraged face, Kuroko pulled her arm back and then – she tossed the coin with inhuman strength, and it smacked directly into Touma's forehead and sent him spinning to the ground in a heap.

"How dare you, baboon!" She yelled.

"Such misfortune." He muttered.

"I didn't know Shirai-san could pitch like that!" Ruiko exclaimed. Kazari stared at the display with awe and just a healthy amount of disbelief.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko cried and knelt beside Mikoto. "Aaah, why do we have to suffer through this? Why, why! Aaaah!" She stretched her hands out, ready to throw herself at her own body (all moral long since abandoned).

Mikoto twitched and opened her eyes; the first thing she saw was her own crying face aiming for her chest. "Wha-what are you doing, you moron!" She raised her arms and fended the other girl off, feeling like she was battling some strange variant of a Sister. "Stop acting like a crazy otaku already!" She successfully shoved Kuroko off and sat up. Then she noticed the lumped form of Touma; her face instantly reddened again. "W-why are you still here!"

"Eeh?" Touma sat up as well, a red mark still visible on his forehead. He rubbed it, giving a puzzled look. "Ah, I wonder… seems like I got distracted with stopping you from murdering your friend. Aaah, I lost my target…"

"Wha – I wasn't going to –" She started spluttering, and reddened even more. "W-why do you suddenly show up and a-a-assault me like that anyway!"

"That kind of lightning strike would kill off anyone within a radius of a hundred meters, not to mention the whole district would be blacked out and my fridge would go haywire again!"

"Who cares about your fridge!" Mikoto barked, her face growing even redder. "Stay out of business that isn't yours!"

"My fridge is my business, and besides, I couldn't just stand by while you killed someone!"

"Like I said, I wasn't going to kill anyone!"

Kuroko, on the ground after Mikoto shoved her away, muttered; "Onee-sama seemed to lose her mind there for a moment…"

"You shut up!"

Touma sighed deeply. "I guess this isn't the right time to ask whether you've seen a man in a purple suit…"

"What's with the guy in the purple suit anyway?" Mikoto moved her glare from Kuroko to him again.

"What do you know about the man in the purple suit?" Kuroko suddenly asked, looking sharply at Touma, who rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, you see… eh…"

"So the man in the purple suit really exists, then! Where is he?" Ruiko was excited as she and Kazari came over to them, and looked around as if expecting him to show up with a greeting.

Kazari stopped and sighed. "You know Saten-san, there's no way he'd suddenly show up here—" she was cut off when a sudden flash erupted on the bridge above the plot of land they were at; "What was that?"

As they looked, purple smoke drifted into the air, revealing – and their eyes widened – a man in a purple suit. His hair was long and bright red, swaying in the early evening wind and adorned with an equally purple top hat. He stood on the metal railing above them, looking strangely good in that outfit. Golden buttons on the suit jacket, several diamond rings on his white-gloved fingers, a red silky scarf around his neck and as long as a cape down his back, and a confident smirk on his face…

"Someone called?" His glinting teeth invited the world's dentists to come admire them. Kuroko recognized him at once: It was indeed the jewelry store vandal she had confronted the night before. What is this…

"Constantine!" Touma exclaimed, glaring at the man with fiery eyes. "If you won't leave the city peacefully I'll have to force you!"

"Oh my, how frightening."

The girls looked from Touma to the man standing so regally above them, and back again.

"What is going on?" Kuroko asked of no-one in particular.

Mikoto sighed. "Whatever it is it seems like these two are already acquainted."

"Well, if it isn't my favorite little girl," the man's glinting eyes were suddenly looking down at Mikoto. "You gave me quite the surprise last night. I must say it's been a while since I had so much fun. I do hope you've been equally entertained today…" His gaze moved to Kuroko, and his smirk widened. "Or are you perhaps over there right now…?"

"Though there are too many things to be asked here…" Mikoto suddenly pointed accusingly at him: "Are you the one that made all these horrible things happen?"

"Indeed I am!" The man proclaimed, throwing his hands out; red and gold glitters erupted from his fingers like fireworks. "I am Constantine, the Glorious Prince of Sparkles!"

Silence followed this. He still stood with his arms outstretched, as if he was waiting for applause, while red and golden glitters drifted through the air around him. However, the only reaction he got was disturbed expressions; Touma's eyebrows were twitching, Mikoto was gaping, her arm still hanging in the air, and Kazari and Ruiko seemed thunderstruck.

"That is so cliché." Kuroko muttered with a strained face.

"Well, whatever." The man said, and then he pointed at the ground beneath them; "Candeo pyrobolus."

The ground exploded upwards in a sudden rumble. Red and yellow sparks were forcing their way through the earth and up into the air, like a rocket hidden underground.

"Uwah!" Mikoto stumbled backwards.

"Onee-sama!"

"Ayeee, Shirai-san, Misaka-san!" Kazari wailed while being dragged off by Ruiko.

Touma gritted his teeth and leaped forward, slamming his fist into the rising earth; with a sharp sound the rumble stopped, and the earth stopped spewing sparkles.

The girls all blinked.

"Stop playing games, Constantine!" Touma yelled, turning towards the man furiously. "Even if you robbed all the jewelry stores in Academy City, you wouldn't find what you're looking for! What good is it to spread all this chaos? Are you trying to make up for something missing in your life?"

"Oh please, what are you thinking of me?" Constantine put one hand dramatically to his forehead in an obviously exaggerated motion. "I realized long ago that it was already moved out of the city. But after coming all the way here, how can I deny a chance for some entertainment? Please allow me to include you in the fun! Candeo 50!" His other hand flung out; a shower of golden sparkles rained from it like confetti, and exploded when it hit the ground. Kazari and Ruiko ran off to hide under the bridge; Kuroko jumped out of the way of one sparkle, and Mikoto gritted her teeth and avoided another. Touma ran forward, using his hand as a shield at everything nearby, but it was impossible to punch out countless sparkles covering a large area at once.

"Kuroko!" Mikoto stretched out a hand towards her roommate while trying to stay out of the trajectory of any of the sparkles. Kuroko didn't understand what she wanted at first – but then she saw the electric currents snapping from her auburn pigtails. That's right—!

"Onee-sama!" She pulled out a coin from her pocket and tossed it just as another explosion racked the ground between them; golden sparkles shooting into the air. Mikoto reached out for the small metal object, and with the help of a little magnetism, it reached her hand. Then she turned around, just in time to face another sparkle – her eyes widened, and then Touma was there, and like a wall blocking the storm his right hand captured the sparkle and it vanished in a harmless blast.

"Misaka, get him down from there!" He couldn't reach the man while he stood up at the bridge, and he couldn't leave the girls unprotected either.

Mikoto lifted her arm and aimed the coin at the bridge below the man's feet; "What did you think I was gonna do?"

Touma ducked out of the way and smacked his hands over his ears as she fired; her short skirt and long hair fluttering in the forceful blast.

A trail of explosions followed the beam that travelled through countless sparkles at three times the speed of sound; before they could even register that it had been fired, the blast hit the bridge and tore right through it. The sound of thunder followed, a blast of air knocking both Kazari and Ruiko over in the repercussion, and the bridge snapped and creaked dangerously. Constantine's footing swayed, but he elegantly draped his scarf around himself and vanished from his spot just as the entire thing collapsed; he reappeared at another point, on one of the metal beams supporting the bridge along the top. Though one end of the metal beam now pointed down to the ground in a pointless gesture as the bridge it had been connected to a few moments ago had collapsed, it was strong enough to avoid crumbling under his weight.

"My, oh my, that was dangerous." The man flicked an invisible speck of dirt from his sleeve with a bored expression on his face. Then he looked down at Mikoto, his smirk showing off a row of white teeth. "However, you did not fire at me directly; are you afraid of getting your cute little hands dirty?"

"Kh – shut up, you moron!" Mikoto fired a crackling spear of electricity his way, but he simply disappeared from his position again; "Gah – where did he—?"

"Candeo 30!" A glittering spray of sparkling colors rained down from above them.

Mikoto jumped aside as the new sparkles hit the ground all over and exploded. "What is he, some kind of multi-ability esper?"

Touma heroically tried to dispel most of the sparkles; and then Constantine's voice sounded through the air:

"I wonder what sort of curse will strike you this time! Or will you merely be stuck in your current situation? Hahaha!"

"Nh—! Misaka, we need to stop him!" Touma called out.

"Wha – what exactly do you want me to do between dodging freaking balls of exploding light and trying to see two feet ahead!" She couldn't see much besides sparkling light and flames of explosions, and her ears were ringing from the noise.

"Just go biribiri or something!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

Then, the purple dressed man spoke again: "Colloseus Chaos!"

It felt like the entire world stopped at that moment. A strange sensation spread through Mikoto's body, like all the electricity in her body ran backwards. What's… The next moment, the ground beneath her feet tilted –

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko's frightened voice called out from somewhere close by –

Kazari and Ruiko were both blasted by a hot wave of air, and Kazari raised her arm to shield her face. "What was that!"

"CONSTANTINE!" Touma's raging cry sounded through the air.

"Such an interesting ability; I cannot affect you at all." Constantine huffed. "How about we test our strength in a proper gentlemen's match? If you can get past my favorite little chaos spreader this time, that is. Don't disappoint me now! Tut-tut."

"Damn it!" Touma's curse met empty air, as the man in the purple suit disappeared in another puff of smoke. Mikoto was lying face-down on the ground, and Kuroko sat beside her, clutching her arm.

"What the heck was that…?" Mikoto muttered, and then her eyes widened. She turned her head to look at her roommate; her insides were flooded with strange relief. It was Kuroko. In her real body. It was almost as unreal as having realized she was stuck in Kuroko's body this morning.

"We're… back…?" A feeling of unreal strangeness washed over her, she got to her knees. "What just…?" There was a strange sensation floating throughout her body, but she was back in her own body. That, at least…

"Onee-sama…" Kuroko could hardly breathe. "We're back…" What had just happened was so incredible she couldn't even start to understand it.

"He got away again! Do you have him?" Touma was talking on his cell phone again, a determined look on his face. "Fine, I'll be right there!" And with the phone still to his ear, he turned and ran off.

"H-hey!" Mikoto got up to her feet, ignored the wobbly feeling in her head, and shouted: "Don't go running off after all this, damn you!"

Touma just kept running however, yelling back: "Please just stay there until everything is over!"

"What the hell is that about!" Mikoto shouted. "Don't just act all cool and expect people to sit and wait for you to come back and explain!" As if her voice could stop him if she just yelled loudly enough, she bellowed after his retreating back: "The least you could do is tell us what the hell is going on, you idiot! Hey!"

"Ah –" Ruiko suddenly trembled all over, and wrapped her arms around her torso like she was cold.

"Saten-san?" Kazari turned her head to look at her friend.

"What is…" Ruiko sounded scared and shaken, as if she'd just seen something horrible.

"What's wrong, Saten-san?" Kazari asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"The air… my body… it feels so… funny…"

Kazari didn't understand at first, but then something happened which made her eyes widen.

"Misaka-san! Shirai-san!" She cried at the Tokiwadai duo.

"What?" Mikoto looked over at them; and her eyes widened too.

Kazari was pale-faced. "S-something is wrong with Saten-san!"

Note:

And suddenly, there's a new chapter.

Constantine, the Glorious Prince of Sparkles, is one glittering chap. I wonder if he really was inspired by Willy Wonka? ...

Mikoto's heavenly lightning strike is actually canon – *le gasp*! It is shown the very first time she faces off against Touma in the Index light novels and anime, and is used again in the Railgun mini-novel Toaru Jihanki no Fanfare (A Certain Vending Machine's Proof of Existence), in which Mikoto face off against the seventh ranked Level 5. (Read it in English at Baka-Tsuki!)

I wanted to read through the chapter here on FF before posting it, to catch any swallowed words or deleted spaces which this site is so fond of leaving behind. But each time I started doing this, I came about three lines down before getting distracted with something else (like omg, so many previously undiscovered animes to explore!), so after going through random sections and polishing things here and there, I decided to just post this and cross my fingers. Please tell me if something looks wrong or weird, and I'll fix it.

Hope you enjoyed =)

(If you think Kuroko's scene in this chapter was similar to the one in the last chapter, I'll have you know I wrote this one first. Which obviously makes it alright. Now to work on part 5...)

Words and terms:
Candeo (Latin) = Sparkle
Pyrobolus (Latin) = Bomb

Next time: New problems