IT'S ONLY BEEN 2 MONTHS AND TWO BETA READERS BUT IT FEELS LIKE FOREVER. I'M SO SORRY MY POOR CHILDREN. / cries tears into her keyboard for the 7000th time
Unfortunately this chapter is a little shorter than the others due to running out of steam. Between work, online classes, applications and house work, I'm running low on energy and inspiration. At least there's something here tho! Including the return of a certain blonde~
Thanks to Kamilia07329 and my waifu Digeridoodler for beta-reading~ Enjoy!
Something finally happened.
Mikoto had barely opened her eyes when the events of the previous day rushed back to her. Each one flashed in her mind with an accompanying emotion. Confusion, worry, fear, and all with the same name at the center.
Kuroko!
She flipped over and nearly fell out of bed as she scrambled to escape the covers. Everything went unnoticed except for the empty bed next to her. Her breathing slowed down and her expression faltered.
"Kuroko?" she called out tentatively. There was no response. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was almost time for classes at Tokiwadai to start. Finally adjusting to the darkness of the room, she realized that light spilled out from under the door to the bathroom. There were small sounds of movement and running water from within. Mikoto sighed in relief. "False alarm," she mumbled as she sat back on her bed, rubbing an eye with her fist. Geez, I thought she might have run away or something…
But her worry still lingered. Kuroko had felt downright angry last night. Faint trails of animosity still floated about the room and from the bathroom door. Was she still feeling that way? Geez, whatever was going on with her was—
Mikoto paused. "Wait a minute. What the hell am I doing?"
Things had been going so well. This Kuroko seemed a little guarded around her, but who wouldn't be with someone they didn't know? But over the first few days, she had warmed up considerably. Hell, she confessed to the girl and she was still okay! Everything was going so well. She had thought, even if the old Kuroko didn't come back, at least they were rebuilding their relationship.
But that's when she brought her in to help.
Of had been so preoccupied with what was wrong with Kuroko and all the feelings that came rushing forward from that to even realize where this all started and who's fault this really was.
She growled. That was it. No more sitting around. No more waiting for Kuroko. She was Mikoto Misaka, the Level 5 Railgun. When the hell had she ever just sat on the sidelines waiting for something to happen?!
"Screw this!"
A few minutes later, Kuroko exited the bathroom, fully clothed but still towel drying her hair. She paused when she saw her senior putting her shoes on. "Going somewhere?" she mumbled.
"Yes," Mikoto responded firmly as she stood up. "I have business to take care of."
The ex-Teleporter thought for a moment before realization spread across her face. "I can assure you that's not necessary, so-"
"Sorry Kuroko, I'm tired of sitting around." She strode towards the door, but paused when she grabbed the doorknob. Leaving Kuroko alone…it still bothered her. She looked back to her and managed a small smile. "I won't be long, okay? I mean it this time."
Kuroko's look turned from somewhat peeved to plain and she nodded. Mikoto sighed and nodded her farewell before turning back to the door.
"M-Misaka-san."
This time she froze. Being addressed like that felt so alien, but it was the first time the ex-Teleporter had addressed her in days. Her body moved on its own and turned back to the girl. Now she looked apprehensive, gripping the towel around her shoulders tightly. She noticed the tension in the air dissipate just a bit.
"When you come back," she said quietly, "I want to talk with you."
Whoa. Had she heard that right? The Level 5 could barely think over the fluttering in her heart. All she could manage was a slow nod and an equally slow "Sure". That earned her an ever so small smile. It was nothing compared to what she had seen on the girl, but it was enough to send her rushing out the door before she lost all self-control.
As she made her way down the halls and out of the dorms, she felt a new determination boil up within her. For once, her mind was free of distractions and her objectives were clear. She'd find out what exactly happened at the hospital and go from there. Then she'd actually get to talk with Kuroko. A grin spread across her face. She actually wants to talk with me! Maybe that meant whatever was wrong had been resolved, but that didn't make her any less determined to confront her current target.
Alright, let's get down to business, she thought as she stopped at the bus stop, so that I can get back to Kuroko.
That smile didn't leave her face until she reached campus and approached the front gate. Unfortunately, this time, she hadn't thought this through very carefully. It was still morning and a quick check of the time indicated that classes had already started. She huffed. I told Kuroko I wouldn't be long. I can't wait until lunch to catch her. Potential alternatives crossed her mind as she looked around. Something caught her eye – a wisp of purple around a corner. Wait a minute… She hurriedly followed after it.
Sure enough, when she rounded the corner, she was met with the retreating back of the ringlet curl girl. She seemed too focused on looking around for something to notice Mikoto immediately, so she jumped back around the corner and watched her. Weird. What's she doing outside of class? She was headed towards the tables where the Level 5s had met last time. A secret meeting, maybe? Now suspicious, she waited until she rounded another corner before following. As she approached, she heard the girl speaking to someone. Their voices cleared up as she approached.
"…shouldn't be skipping class like this! What about your school record?"
"O~h, no one will know! Not when it's me we're talking about."
"Still, I don't think-"
Mikoto barely heard the next line before she burst onto the scene. She looked downright pissed, but upon seeing the scene in front of her, her expression changed to one of confusion. In front of her, the blonde sat at her usual table with a couple of girls from her clique standing behind her, obviously frozen in mind control. She paused with a forkful of cake hovering near her mouth.
"What the-?"
"Misaka-san! You're back!" chirped the blonde as she rested the fork on her plate and clapped her hands together. "I was wondering when you'd come to see me again~"
The Electromaster stared at her for a moment before she frowned and shook her head. "I'm not here to see you."
"Aw, really? And I have cake and tea to share, too." The Queen gave a little pout as she lifted the fork and ate daintily.
"Pardon my intrusion," came the ringlet curl girl, "but Shokuhou-sama, I simply can't stand by in this situation. You may be able to clear your record, but you figure will surely suffer if you eat sweets so early in the day."
"…You skipped class to eat sweets?" Mikoto asked. "Seriously?"
A sour frown took over the blonde's expression. "I'm the Queen. I will do as I please." The lavender-haired girl suddenly stood at attention, earning a devious smirk from her leader. "And you won't interfere with it. Go back to class, and make sure to make a fool of yourself as you enter. Okay~?"
"Yes, Shokuhou-sama." The girl gave a small bow before leaving the way she came. Mikoto watched her leave in disbelief before turning back to the blonde with a new scowl.
"Now then!" The Queen motioned to the seat in front of her. "Come. Tell me how your little ex-Teleporter is doing~"
An angry spark flashed on her temple as she approached the table and sat down. The Queen motioned to one of the girls and she served her a cup of tea. Mikoto didn't object. "So you know why I'm here."
She took another bite of her cake. "It's obvious, isn't it? Your feelings for her are written all over your face."
The Electromaster wasn't amused. "Then it should be obvious that I'm feeling very angry about you messing with her."
"O~h?" She sat back in her chair and tapped the fork against her plate. "I told you that day that I couldn't do anything. Are you accusing me of lying?"
"Kuroko hasn't been the same since then. I haven't done anything to her, and since you were the last one to interact with her" – her eyes narrowed – "yes, I am."
"O~o, so scary!" She feigned being intimidated by the girl's glare, only to laugh and take another bite of cake. "Tell you what. Why don't you tell me what's wrong with her and then I'll tell you if it was my fault~?"
"I already know it's your fault."
"But seeing as how I admit to nothing, you really have no proof, do you?"
Mikoto resisted growling again as she gritted her teeth. Unfortunately she was right; there was no real proof that the blonde had done anything. Then again, the blonde didn't always leave proof behind, thanks to that awful ability of hers. The circumstances certainly pointed to her having done something, but without her admitting she did, they were at an impasse. She huffed. Guess I can tell her a bit, if it'll get her to talk.
"She's become distant. Something's bothering her and she won't tell me what."
"O~h?" She rested her hand on her fist. "Go on."
The Electromaster resisted the urge to spark and sighed. "After you tried to "help", she told me she needed to think. I left her alone but she just kept putting more and more distance between us. Yesterday she was practically fuming, and I'm getting tired of it." Her look was turning more sour by the second.
"Aw, poor thing," the blonde cooed, though the lack of any real concern was devoid from her voice. "And your emotion ability was growing so nicely before that. What a shame."
Mikoto stiffened. "What are you talking about?"
"I went through her mind, remember? Whether or not I did anything, I did see her memories of the days before that." She smirked. "Things like your bonding experience at the hospital, and that cute little confession you came up with~"
Now Mikoto was sparking. The little blue shocks bounced around her head and shoulders. The Queen only laughed and waved her hand. "It's so cute how riled up you get over her."
"That only pisses me off more, coming from you."
A smirk spread across the blonde's face. "You know what I think?"
"Does anyone?" she grumbled back bitterly.
"I think…" her voice trailed off as she leaned forward, her starry eyes sparkling with a different kind of mischief.
"You L-O-V-E her~"
That was it. Mikoto screamed in frustration as she pulled at her hair and wild sparks flew around her. "Why the hell does everyone keep saying that?!" She stood up abruptly and slammed her hands on the table, sending those sparks skittering across its surface. "I am not in love with her! Get that through your thick heads!"
Suddenly a sharp pain pierced her temple. Her sparks dissipated and she fell back into her chair. It dulled soon after and she glared at the Queen. She looked completely calm as she waved her remote in front of her, but her eyes now held a warning.
"Misaka-san, we are at school, and I can't allow you to use your ability in such an uncontrolled manner." Her smile was disgustingly sweet. "Please refrain from doing that again."
Mikoto should have reacted – the burning rage inside her was convinced Shokuhou could use a good roast – but the idea of running rampant put her off. It was because she was so reckless with her ability that this whole thing started. The memory of Kuroko's disappointed look caused her to recoil and settle into her chair.
The blonde smirked. "I'm glad we have an understanding." Returning the remote to her bag, she clapped her hands together. "Anyway, it seems I was correct about your feeling ability. Since you're so concerned about Miss Shirai, I guess I'll help you out."
The Electromaster was obviously concerned as she glared at the girl. "What do you mean?"
"You have some questions, right? Maybe about what happened to her in the first place?"
"And what you did to her."
"We~ll, I still haven't said if I did anything or not, did I?"
Mikoto groaned. "You're the worst."
"I try."
It seemed she wasn't getting anywhere with this. Since the blonde had suggested it, she might as well start at the beginning. "So what's going on with Kuroko's memories? What did that guy really do to her?"
The blonde shrugged. "Who knows? Not all mental abilities are alike. Some are like a tower of cards: take one out and the rest topple down." Her grin was laced with venom. "I wasn't concerned about that. I just wanted to see what would happen if Shirai-san only remembered a little~"
"So you did do something to her!"
"Did I? I don't know~"
Mikoto huffed. She was obviously lying, what with that grin making her uneasy. She decided to not pursue it farther for now. "What about the doctor? What'd you do to him?"
"Oh, I just made him a little passive, that's all~" She waved her hand as if it was no big deal.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Come now, those machines they have are very reliable. Don't you think he would've noticed what I was doing if he had really been paying attention?"
A warning spark jumped from the Electromaster's temple. The Queen frowned.
"Please mind where we are, Misaka-san."
"I couldn't care less. You messed with Kuroko and I'm not going to stand for it."
It seemed the blonde was growing tired of her guest as she sighed. "Really, how unbecoming of a Tokiwadai student, and the Ace at that." She leaned back in her chair. "Your patience ability seems exhausted so I guess I'll fess up. I didn't alter her memories. I didn't cause her pain in any way. Actually I did exactly what you asked of me: I made her remember something." She was smirking again. "What reason do you have to be angry with me, really?"
Mikoto settled down just a bit. Now they were getting somewhere. "What did you make her remember?"
"Oh, I don't know, some cutesy little date you two had or something." A smile played on her lips when she noticed the other Level 5 tense at the word 'date'. "When I passed over it her mental activity spiked; she reacted to it rather…passionately, let's say. So, I unlocked it to see what would happen~"
"And you didn't tell me…why?"
At this she pouted. "Using my ability does take energy, you know. If I told you I only unlocked one, not only would my plan be foiled, but I would have to unlock everything else too. Since I wanted to see what would happen and didn't want to waste energy, I just lied."
The Electromaster didn't respond at first. She was no longer sparking, but her eyes held no less contempt for the girl sitting across from her. "I can't believe you!" she growled a moment later. "Is this just some game to you? How dare you use Kuroko as a toy."
"Now now, that's quite harsh. Shirai-san isn't my toy." She smirked. "Isn't she yours?"
"What?!" She shot up from the table, sparks flying around her. "She is not a toy at all!"
A moment later, the familiar bell signaling the end of homeroom chimed around them. The Queen sighed and turned to the girls behind her. "Clean this up, will you? Then you can head back to class." The girls nodded robotically and set to collecting the tea set and leftover cake. Mikoto quickly finished her tea before the two Level 5s stood.
"One more question," demanded the Ace.
"Make it quick, please. I don't want to have to overwrite minds to make it to my next class."
She huffed at that but retained her serious look. "What now?"
Shokuhou thought carefully for a moment before simply shrugging. "I couldn't tell you. Unlocking one of Shirai's memories might have allowed the rest to follow, but only time will tell – unless you bring her to me again." At that, Mikoto stiffened and her eyes lit up with anger. The blonde only giggled. "So I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens!"
With that, she swept past the Electromaster, but not without a quick pause and one last quiet whisper: "Oh, and don't worry about payment. Seeing you writhe over your little ex-Teleporter is more than enough."
She danced away from the angry spark that leaped at her with a shrill laugh, twirling and waving at the girl with a chipper "Bye-bye!" before disappearing around the corner. Despite wanting to run after her and try her luck with another bolt, she just huffed and slowly made for the entrance. So many discharges in a short amount of time had drained plenty of her energy, and dealing with that witch alone was enough to drive her nuts. By the time she reached the gate, the grounds were swarmed with students in transition. It seemed word of her absence due to Kuroko's accident had spread, based on the whispers that floated around her. "I thought it was serious?" one mentioned. "What's she doing back already?"
Trying to fix this problem, she grumbled inwardly. With no business left and no desire to stay around and be stared at more than usual, she headed to the bus stop to return home. At least back at the dorms, Kuroko was waiting for her.
- とある科学のレールガン –
Now that classes had started for the day, buses to and from Tokiwadai had decreased in frequency. It was at least half an hour before Mikoto finally stepped onto the grounds of the dorms again. The short rest on the bus and the sudden rush of excitement had replenished her energy, and she found herself running back to her dorm room. To her surprised, just as she entered the hall, the door to her room opened and Kuroko stepped out. Maybe it was the excitement, but she was sure the ex-Teleporter's expression lightened when she noticed her approaching. Hers definitely did.
"Hey!" she chirped as she stopped next to the door. "Going somewhere without me?"
"N-Not intentionally." The stuttering made Mikoto a bit curious, as did the way she shifted nervously on her feet. "I simply got hungry and wasn't sure when you'd be back."
She decided to ignore her nervousness and chuckled. "That's alright. I'm hungry too, so I'm glad I got back just in time. Wanna go together?"
"I would!" Kuroko blurted, but immediately began to blush when the other girl raised an eyebrow. She cleared her throat and calmly answered, "I would. It would give us a chance to talk."
Confusion melted away back into excitement and Mikoto nodded. "Good idea! I'd be happy to talk." She took the girl's wrist and started dragging her towards the dining hall, noticing that the girl didn't protest. When she casually looked back at her, the brunette was looking shyly to the side. Was that a hint of a smile on her face?
And to think, we were worried she wouldn't come around, mumbled the little voice.
Mikoto finally let go when they reached the hall. They briefly split up to get food before choosing a table. They had pick of almost any one they wanted, since everyone was in class, and chose a popular spot next to the window. It allowed its occupants to see a brilliant view of the city's skyline, a view that Mikoto vaguely remembered the old Kuroko calling "romantic". Kuroko's occasional glances out the window made the Level 5 think she might still think that.
"So," she spoke after they had each made a dent in their food, "what did you want to talk about?"
Kuroko fidgeted for a second before sighing. "Alright, I'll explain." She reached over to the seat next to her and brought her schoolbag onto the table. Mikoto hadn't noticed her carrying it. Had she hid it behind her? Or maybe she was so blinded by excitement that she just didn't notice? That's probably it, she chuckled to herself. The brunette opened it and pulled out a notebook, holding it up in front of her.
Mikoto yelped "Aha!" and dramatically pointed to it. "That's the one you were secretly reading last night!"
"Yes, it is." The cover was black, but there was a white block on it with a title. "Do you recognize it?"
Mikoto leaned it to see that it read 'Teleportation Notes'. "Huh." She examined it for a moment longer before returning to her seat and crossing her arms. "Nope. Don't know it."
"I never shared it with you?"
She paused to think for a second. "N-No. You never shared details about your teleportation." In the back of her mind, however, she felt she had just never been interested. She probably tried to tell me and I never listened.
The smaller girl nodded and set it down. "Well, it's not difficult to guess what it is. As the name suggests, this notebook is filled with notes on the Teleport ability – my Teleport ability. Everything from the equations needed to move objects from 3-dimensional space through 11-dimensional space, to detailed practice routines that would both improve and maintain the ability." Her hand aimlessly caressed the cover. "I don't remember writing them, and yet I feel like I could remember." She looked to her companion. "That's why I'd like to ask you a favor."
Mikoto had been listening intently and now had to shake her head to dispel her thoughts. "Of course. Anything."
It was quiet for a moment. Then the girl took a deep breath and managed a small smile. "Will you help me train?"
The Electromaster was calm for a moment. Train? she asked herself. She wants to train…with me? The old Kuroko never came to her for training. This Kuroko had barely come to her for anything, and now she wanted them to train together? She found herself smiling as she nodded. "Of course I will!"
The way the ex-Teleporter's look lit up made her heart soar. I didn't think I'd see that look on her face again for a long time! She was about to ask about the regiment before she remembered something. Her smile faded away and she sighed as she slumped in her chair. "Only one problem, though."
"Hm?" The brunette cocked her head to the side. "What would that be?"
The frog-faced doctor appeared in the Level 5's memory. "I was told not to let you return to your normal life just yet. I'm pretty sure that includes training."
Kuroko's look turned sour. "The doctor told you that? Why would he say that?"
She couldn't really say she knew, so she shrugged. "I think he's worried about your memories. Maybe he thought that it'd strain your mind or something?" The event from a few days ago flashed into her mind. Just mentioning their relationship had allowed Kuroko to remember something, but then…she frowned. "That happened last time, after all…"
The smaller girl flinched, most likely at the memory of the shock she received from the incident, before shaking her head. "I'm not worried about that. Things are different now."
"How?" The worry she felt came out as harshness in her voice. "You still haven't remembered who I am."
Immediately, the weight of her words hit her and her tongue tripped over itself trying to blurt out an apology. However, what should have been an expression equivalent to a puppy that had just been kicked was instead a shy blush and a pout. She paused just long enough for the other girl to speak.
"I never said that."
"…Huh?"
"I-I never said anything about not remembering you. I just hadn't gotten there yet." A hard gulp. "That's why things are different now."
Mikoto's mouth wouldn't form words, but she had an idea. Maybe, just maybe, that wicked blonde hadn't been lying. Maybe her venomous words were actually a sweet truth.
Her partner shifted awkwardly before speaking again.
"Does the nickname 'Onee-sama' mean anything to you?"
Aww, look at my cutie finally remembering things~ Things are looking up, and with the potential for adorable MikoKuro practice time!
I'd like to thank my magnificent circle of Raildex writers for helping with ideas for this fic, including GreatSnapper, the great deity Cun, and of course the waifu, for without them this chapter would have taken a lot longer. I love you all very much~
Unfortunately the next chapter may be awhile due to the priorities listed at the beginning, as well as my participation in NaNoWriMo once again this year! However, those of you who read KLK can look forward to a *ahem* particular SatsuNon to be published within the next week or so. Until then, hang in there everyone!
