From author, before the story:

I don't like talking about politics in my stories, but there are things I must say before it will be too late.

I know most of you are from the United States, and that's why I feel I must tell you something.

What happened on the Capitol was outrageous, and it should never happen again. That's all there is to that matter!

Protests are the exercise of freedom of speech, but storming the building where the democratically elected officials carry out their duties is not that. it should not be condoned.

Democracy is not perfect, but there's a point in preserving it. Democracy is fragile, and it can only function when people respect and preserve the institutions of government and the democratic process.

Elections have consequences. Those who support a candidate who lost would be sad, and that's understandable. However, if you choose not to respect the legitimate decision that your fellow citizens have made, you are putting democracy itself at risk.

Recall Benjamin Disraeli's quote in Sybil: (The Two Nations)

"Two nations; between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other's habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets; who are formed by a different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners, and are not governed by the same laws."

He was writing about economic inequity, but I fear that radicalisation can achieve the exact effect. If we become so stuck in separate sets of reality and refuses to accept the actual facts, we will be split into two camps between which no reconciliation will be possible. There is, in fact, a common world in which we reside together.

If you don't want the US to become another China or Russia, please stop trampling on the democratic system that so many have fought and died for. Only when we gather, deliberate and reach agreements will our freedoms continue to exist. Yes, just to continue to exist.

Look at each other in their eyes. Aren't we all humans? Don't we want the same things?

We are not very much different, except for our opinions. And if we respect each other and talk to each other, we can overcome that difference in belief and reach an agreement.

Protect your freedoms, because no one else would.

The story begins below.

'Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways that he himself has sealed.'- Stanisław Lem, Solaris

13 September, Wednesday. Afternoon.

A Certain High School, Student's dormitory

'Now is the weather forecast report. Academy City's Climates Centre predicts that the city is not likely to rain this afternoon, so leave your umbrellas at home...'

Index is intently watching the television whereas Touma lazily lies at the side while listening to the report.

'Neh neh Touma. Is this weather forecast thing accurate?'

Touma tiredly looks up. 'Not now,' he replies. 'It used to have 100% accuracy, but now it is just like a smarter guess.'

'What happened to that?'

'Around two months ago, the city lost its supercomputer, which used to do the weather forecast.'

Tokiwadai dormitory, room 208

It is an afternoon. The sky is clear without any trace of water vapour, and the sun is bright white. For a mid-September day, it's surprisingly hot. With the raging rays that the sun relentlessly pours on Earth, the world is like a furnace that roasts the outside and grills the inside of all living beings. Even the restless birds have paused their songs as if their energy has all been exhausted by the uncompromising climate. Nobody is out on the streets for that would be nearly suicidal. The world is still except for the wavering images the heat causes, and it is quiet except for the dull melodies of the cicadas.

The 208 dorm room is dark as the curtains are drawn over the windows and the lights are switched off. The ceiling fan turns boringly and stirs hot air up and about, not at all serving its supposed purpose of cooling the room. The layout of the room is simple with two desks and two beds, one set on either side. On one of the beds, the quilt is neatly folded into a rectangle and placed on top of a pillow. On the other one, an adolescent girl lies on it with bedclothes kicked all over the place. As the girl's brown eyes gaze blankly at the other bed she's facing, her hands hold onto the giant stuffed bear of hers.

This girl is simultaneously feeling two opposite sensations. On the one hand, the turmoiling heat in the room causes sweat to seep out of every pore on her skin; on the other hand, she shivers intermittently as she feels like someone is pouring icy water down her spine again and again.

A whole lot of incoherent words, phrases and sentences keeps popping up in her mind, causing a searing ache in her head as if it's going to explode. She shuts her eyes hoping that that can drive her messy thoughts away, but it doesn't help as they only come up again. Annoyed, Mikoto flops around, and she feels less and less like she still has effective command over her body and mind. It's like her actions have parted company from her logics, and her impulses seem to be getting the better of her rationality. She hopes she hasn't lost her sanity yet, but that hope diminishes as her body heats up and a troubling irritation grows in her heart.

There're lots of things Mikoto is thinking about, and they revolve exclusively around the Tree Diagram supercomputer.

'Countries are in a rush to obtain the remnants of the Tree Diagram supercomputer, says MISAKA as she reports the information she has just obtained from MISAKA 10777.'

That was the sentence that stands out from all others. Mikoto grits her teeth as she recalls the expressionless face of 10032. She is reminded of all her clones who used to accept their fate as it is without ever raising a single question. Those are the same ones who thought they were created to be killed, and those are the ones who knew no destination other than death. They weighed their own lives based on the material cost - at 180,000 yen - and did not understand that there are things that money cannot measure.

Mikoto saved them - or at least in part. Now that they have learnt to appreciate the value of their lives, Mikoto wonders just how cruel it would be to push them to their deaths... by the same person who did the saving?

'Enough with that!' she shouts, springing up from the bed. She pants as she stands facing the empty wall of the room. 'I will destroy the remnant and derail their plan!' she says in a low, trembling voice, like she's a volcano that is soon to erupt.

Silence is the best tranquilliser for an angry mind, and a dull melancholy creeps back into Mikoto's mind as her rage and fury dissipate. It may be easy or even pretty cool to say 'I gonna do it all with my two hands', but actually doing the thing can be much more challenging. As Mikoto considers it, to destroy the remnant is nothing but a wishful daydream. To begin with, that gigantic supercomputer has left behind so many scattered pieces in the near-Earth orbit, and so many countries are right now attempting to collect them. How can Mikoto know which one is the one crucial piece she must destroy?

Maybe she can seek help from her good friends. Uiharu can help her locate that key remnant with her hacking skill, and Kuroko can instantly transport her from one point to another with her power.

But will that be enough? Will that stop them? Even if Mikoto and her friends joins forces, the challenge this time is simply too great. Besides, Mikoto doesn't know if that would be good...

Her reignited hope put out again, Mikoto lies back onto her bed. 'What should I do...?' she mumbles with her slightly open, shaking lips.

She doesn't know. She has no idea about what she can do. In fact, she is too conflicted to form an opinion.

You can do nothing about it, Mikoto. Just give up already. One deep, resigned voice inside her says.

That's wrong! You cannot be a defeatist, Mikoto! There must be something you can do to prevent things from getting worse! says an upbeat, confident voice as it comes out and rebuts the first one.

What can she possibly do? the first voice asks. It's not like she can interfere with what other countries want to do with their astronauts and rockets!

'There should be something I can do.' That is the third voice. It sounds just like Mikoto, and she takes a while to realise that it's actually her ordinary self trying to reply to her inner voices. 'Look, the last time when Touma, Kuroko and I got together, we stopped the brutal Experiment and saved thousands of Sisters from death! There's no reason why we won't be able to do that once more!'

Hehehe... But what has the cost been? the first voice asks.

'What do you mean?'

You do remember how so many Sisters were killed before the Experiment was eventually put to a stop, right?

'... Yes I do. It was 10031 of them.' Mikoto's heart constricts as she recalls the death of MISAKA 9982, and even now she can feel the same anguish and fury driving her crazy.

It's not just that though. You almost got Kuroko killed, don't you remember? The first voice continues as it sounds more and more bitter and cynical. Kuroko, your most important friend in life, almost died because of you.

'Yes... Kuroko was hurt because of me...' Mikoto will never forget how Kuroko was flung onto the ground right before her eyes.

And Touma was seriously injured, too!

'Yes...'

That voice pauses a moment before continuing. So are you gonna drag them into your issue once more? the voice asks.

'No... I should not pull them into danger anymore.'

And what can you do alone? That's why I say there's nothing you can do about it! Just give up trying already!

'No but... I can do it... I can definitely do something to prevent Tree Diagram from being re-integrated... I will certainly find a way to...'

Give up already, you weakling!

'Shut the f*ck up already!' Mikoto lets out a scream that shakes the room, although that does nothing to muffle that voice she doesn't want to hear any longer.

'Weakling, weakling, weakling...!' It repeats, almost joyfully.

'AHHH!'

Blue-white sparks fire from the Level 5's body, jumping and bouncing as they travel around the room. The troubled girl covers her ears and screams again and again, with every scream intensifying the electric field that surrounds her body. The voice in her head has disappeared like it has taken refuge from the outburst, but Mikoto won't stop feeling the agony that only escalates alongside the physical pain her shouting has incurred. Her voice has grown coarse, but the only thing she knows is to use even the last ounce of power to scream, to protest against the world. Eventually, she loses all her strength. She lies on the bed and stares at the ceilings, her body convulsing from the burning sensation in her throat.

I have no strength... I have no power...

Her broken voicebox no longer capable of producing a sound, her mouth barely moves about to make the shapes for those words. As she gasps for air, the world in front of her slowly turns into a blur and so do all the sounds, all the tastes and all the smells. She swallows hard trying to press down this feeling rumbling inside her, but she can't. A lone tear traced down her cheek, and the floodgates opened just like that. As tears spill down her face and her chin tremble, she feels like the pain is shredding her brain from the inside. From her mouth come cries that echo in the empty room. The world has vanished for her, and she is left alone with the pain of her heart and the anguish of her soul.

Mikoto would prefer to die, if that means all the problems facing her right now will go away. She hopes she's an ostrich and can forget her troubles by burying her head in the sand. But she's not, and her trying to run away from the reality only makes it all the more powerful. She also wishes that her tears could give her the ability to deal with the problem, but she knows they can't. Yet she can't stop crying, the sole means of expression that a helpless teenage girl possesses.

The bottom line is, she must stop the Tree Diagram supercomputer from being re-integrated, for this will allow the Experiment to be restarted.

Otherwise, she will be sending her Sisters down to hell, again.

But how... can she avert that fate?

The room looks darker than ever.

There isn't much work at the 177th branch today, so Kuroko and Uiharu have left the office early. But Kuroko regrets that decision, for the heat is tormenting her right now. Having just left an air-conditioned room, the stark contrast between the two temperatures makes the outside feel even hotter than it actually is. It's been just moments since Kuroko began walking, yet the back of her uniform blouse is already soaked with sweat. She feels like her lips are about to split with the unbearable dryness, and she desperately wants to eat some chilly stuff or take a shelter from the sun or - anything that can help her body cool down, actually.

Kuroko turns to look at her Judgement partner, Uiharu Kazari, and is surprised by her cheerfulness. It also seems that she isn't sweating at all, which disobeys physics as Kuroko knows it - or biology, for that matter. When there's something unusual, Kuroko will investigate instinctively.

'Uiharu, how are you not feeling hot standing under this insanely scorching sun?' Kuroko asks. 'Have you perhaps applied some magic tricks to stay cool?'

'Ehh? I haven't done a trick or anything. In fact, I don't feel hot at all. How are you actually sweating this much, Shirai-san?'

'It's just so hot today, you know? And it's not just me! Look, everybody else is sweating! You seem to be the odd one out here, not showing a single drop of perspiration!'

'Erm... Well, I guess it's because I'm smaller in size than you?'

'Huh? Are you suggesting that I'm fatter than you, Uiharu-sannn?' Kuroko says, glaring at Uiharu suspiciously.

'Eh? No, I don't mean that...'

'Or maybe that I'm less strong huhh?'

'Erm... Ah look Shirai-san, isn't that the well-known cake shop right behind you?'

'Oh?'

Kuroko turns to look, and Uiharu silently sighs with relief. She always says something to shift Kuroko's attention somewhere else when she gets upset at her. It hasn't been fail-proof, so Uiharu is glad that Kuroko hasn't been as insistent this time around.

'I've heard of it before, but I don't want to eat sweet food in such a hot weather,' Kuroko says, turning back to look at Uiharu.

'It's fine. Even if the heat makes the ordinary types of cakes less appealing, the shop still has a type of "ice-cream cake", which people say can make you feel like in heaven!'

'Oh, an "ice-cream" cake? That sounds quite interesting. How have you come to know this much about this shop, Uiharu?'

'People have been discussing it everywhere on the Internet recently. Have you perhaps fallen behind the fashion trends, Shirai-san?'

'I'm not! Do you think I look like someone who doesn't know fashions?!'

'But you really don't, Shirai-san. For one, you are too stubborn to adapt to the constantly evolving fashions of the modern world.'

'That's a very bold statement from you, Uiharu. Besides, you are obviously wrong. For your knowledge, I have those perfect, delicate lingeries that your infantile underwears can never match.'

'Okay okay. Do you want to buy some of those cakes? They usually go out of stock after 6.'

'Ehh? Let's get going then!'

'W- Wait up, Shirai-san!'

...

An hour later.

Kuroko enters the dormitory, and in her right hand she holds a paper bag containing two boxes. She light-heartedly hums a tune as she steps onto the stairs and climbs up. But just as she lands a foot on the second floor, she notices a strangely familiar figure on the other end of the corridor. She stops right where she is and narrows her eyes to take a more careful look. That person has black hair, black suit dress, a pair of black stockings and black shoes, and it's almost a black overall that the woman is dressed in. Being much taller than Kuroko, the woman's slender but towering body makes one recall some vicious predator on a savanna. There's no doubt. This lady is the single person whom Kuroko fears most in this school - the Dorm Supervisor. Just after Kuroko can hide her paper bag behind her, the Mistress hears Kuroko's heavy breathing and turns around.

Incidentally, a beam of sunlight shines her face, causing her spectacles to reflect it in a truly frightening way.

'Good afternoon, Dorm Mistress!' Kuroko nervously greets while planning on escape routes in her head.

'Oh Shirai. Where have you been up to now today?'

'I just returned from work at Judgement.'

'Hm good. Always dedicated to the work of Judgement, huh Shirai?'

'Y- Yea, Dorm Mistress.'

The Mistress steps forward to close their distance, and Kuroko nervously grasps the paper bag tighter in her fists. As the Mistress stops right in front of Kuroko, Kuroko thinks she can hear finger knuckles ominously snapping.

'But you sure look quite suspicious now, don't you? Are you trying to hide something from me?' the Mistress asks rhetorically.

'What can you possibly be talking about, Dorm Mistress? There is nothing Kuroko could be hiding from you... Kuroko is always a very honest girl!'

If only I could calculate the coordinates of my room...! Kuroko silently yells as her hands holding the paper bag start to tremble.

'Huh? I don't quite feel like buying that statement, but... If I find out you were lying to me, you know what will happen, right?' she says, glaring down at Kuroko through her glinting spectacles.

'Hehe. R- Rest assured, Dorm Mistress. Kuroko surely won't misbehave.'

'You'd better watch out.' With that, she turns around and walks away from Kuroko. Kuroko released a long, tired sigh when she is sure the Mistress has gone sufficiently far away, and she then walks to her room, room 208.

'I'm back,' she says as she pushes the handle down and enters the room. But she soon realises that that greeting was redundant as her elder roommate is sound asleep. By coincidence or otherwise, a ray of twilight is cast on her gently heaving body, highlighting her smooth body curves, which to Kuroko are almost alluring.

'Keh-keh! Onee-sama, you look so vulnerable right now...!'

Kuroko places the paper bag onto her bed and kneels at Mikoto's bedside, her arms folded beside her Onee-sama's chest.

'How long has it been, since I last looked at you this closely, Onee-sama?' she inquires, her eyes welling up slightly.

There are a few things Mikoto can see. One is an enveloping black void, another a pool of crimson fluid. The latter has made her interested. Out of curiosity, Mikoto approaches it and touches it with her fingers, and she raises her hand to inspect that thick, sticky liquid. A strong stench enters her nostrils and causes nausea in her throat. Sickened, she wipes her hands on her blouse to get rid of that mysterious, disgusting substance. She suspects it's blood, but she can't be sure of that.

She hears footsteps approaching from behind, and she turns around to see one of the Sisters. Mikoto knows it's her, for the approaching girl looks exactly the same as her and wears the pair of trademark green goggles on her head. Mikoto blankly stares as her clone comes closer and closer and stops right in front of her. As Mikoto inspects more carefully, an uneasy feeling starts to stir in her heart. Shee doesn't know the exact reason, but something about the facial expression of this Sister unsettles her nerve.

Mikoto has faked a smile nevertheless. 'Hello,' she greets.

'Greetings, Onee-sama.'

Strangely, she did not add the customary last part of the sentence, the part of 'says Misaka as she does something'. Instead she has abruptly ended there, and her expressionlessness has returned. The two girls look into each other's eyes, and Mikoto notices something akin to a deep-seated emotion hidden in the Sister's pupils.

She is soon to understand it as a feeling of utter disappointment.

'Ermm... What are you doing here though?' Mikoto asks.

'What are you doing here?' she says, throwing the same question back. 'And what's that colour tainted on your right hand, Onee-sama?'

Mikoto realises that the Sister has shifted her gaze onto her hand, and she swiftly hides it behind herself. 'I don't know what it is, actually,' she replies. 'I found it on the ground.'

'You need not hide it, Onee-sama,' the Sister coldly says, 'for you need not be ashamed of it.'

'What do you mean?'

'It's the same fluid that flows in both my bloodstream and yours.'

Mikoko's eyes shoot open as she looks down at her hands again and quickly rubs them against her shirt, but the red, evil stain just won't go away. She has become anxious, even frantic, as she rubs harder and harder despite the drilling burn that she feels.

'Are you scared, Onee-sama?' the Sister asks, approaching Mikoto.

'Why- why is there blood o- of ours here? Where does it come from? Is someone of you injured?! ...'

'It belongs to MISAKA 19999.'

'19999? What happened to her?'

'Don't panic, Onee-sama. She was killed as planned.'

'"As planned"? Do you mean...'

'Yes. It's the Level 6 Shift Plan.'

'...'

'It has almost approached the end, and I'm the last MISAKA left. My serial number is 20000.'

'So you will... soon...'

'Yeah, it's soon my turn. You caused it, Onee-sama, but you don't have to feel guilty or blame yourself. You are just like us, because we are similarly powerless in front of our inevitable fate.'

'That is not true... I promised I would protect you guys... This whole thing will never happen, I swear...'

'That's our soon-to-come fate, Onee-sama. We will die, our friends will die, and nothing will be left behind us. That is the nature of human life: there's no hope, there's no light, but only the irreversible cycle of birth till death dictates all.'

'...'

The Sister closes her eyes and smiles faintly before turning around.

'Farewell, Onee-sama.'

Those are her last words. She then walks and disappears into the void without ever turning to look at her Original again. As Mikoto loses sight of the departing clone of hers, she collapses onto her knees. What a horrible 'Onee-sama' she is, and what a powerless person she has been! Despite proudly claiming to be a responsible elder sister, despite being one of the only seven Level 5's in Academy City, she cannot even protect those whom she loves most.

Despair envelopes Mikoto, but she can't cry. For she has no more tears left to shed.

Kuroko's sight is all on Mikoto's face. Above the somewhat sweaty forehead, the messy bangs give her a strange sense of beauty - the order in chaos and the perfection in imperfections. The slight wetting around Mikoto's eyes darkens her eyelashes and sketch out the delicately shaped eyes of hers. Kuroko keeps her face close as she appreciates every inch of Mikoto's face, and Mikoto's breath tickles her cheeks, producing a trickle of gentle comfort.

'Onee-sama...' she quietly says, amazed at the older girl's beauty.

Just as Kuroko stretches out her fingers reaching for Mikoto's cheek, Mikoto moves as if she has detected Kuroko's actions. She inhales deeply and her eyes crack open a little, partially showing those exquisite ambers beneath the eyelids. Kuroko isn't sure what Mikoto is feeling right now, but she does know that a mixture of relief, comfort and euphoria is swirling around in her heart as she gazes at her Onee-sama's face like this.

'Ku... roko?' Mikoto weakly asks. 'Is that you, Kuroko...?'

'Yes, it's me, Onee-sama.'

'Am I still... in my dream?'

'No, Onee-sama,' Kuroko says, holding up Mikoto's frail right hand. 'Kuroko is real, and she is sitting here for you.'

Mikoto sits up so that she lowers her head to look at Kuroko, and she slowly shifts towards the younger girl. 'Kuroko... Come onto my bed...' she says.

'Hm?'

'Just come closer to me... please, Kuroko...'

'... Sure.'

There's no way Kuroko can reject her Onee-sama, seeing the elder girl appearing so small and so fragile at this very instant. She climbs onto the bed and sits beside Mikoto, her legs placed by the bedside.

'Is this fine, Onee-sama?'

The two girls are really close now, so close that they can feel each other's body temperature. Kuroko, with flushed cheeks, nervously looks at Mikoto's face as she gently asks. Though Kuroko feels exhilarated to be with her Onee-sama like this, this honestly isn't a position she is used to be in. What used to be the case is that Mikoto's bed, just like her clothes and her underwears, are sacred items Kuroko must never land her hands on. What has never been the case, however, is to have Mikoto invite Kuroko onto her bed. It's not that Kuroko suspects Mikoto or anything; Kuroko knows her Onee-sama never means anything bad to her. Rather, she has been playing the aggressive role in this relationship since the very beginning, and it just doesn't feel comfortable to switch over. She's too accustomed to applying all her perverted antics on Mikoto just to get somewhat closer to her, and she doesn't know how to respond when initiatives actually come from her Onee-sama.

In Kuroko's mind, there's only one plausible explanation for this: Mikoto has changed, drastically. Not only does she now actively seeks physical contact with Kuroko, but she has also been particularly forgiving to her for the past many days. There is no doubt that this Onee-sama is not the same Onee-sama whom Kuroko knew when she first entered the school. There used to be an Onee-sama who always punished Kuroko ruthlessly, and there is now an Onee-sama who welcomes Kuroko with open arms.

Maybe, with all the things that have happened to the two of them, Mikoto has finally opened her heart to Kuroko. That's just a wish, but it makes Kuroko's heart rush nevertheless. Kuroko knows she only needs time to adapt, and one day she and her Onee-sama will surely reach the shore of bliss.

Just as Kuroko's thoughts run wild like that, she is jolted out of them when she suddenly finds herself enveloped in soothing warmth. Mikoto has wrapped her arms around Kuroko's shoulders and pulled her close. This is one of the times when their physical difference becomes more pronounced. Kuroko is shorter, and her body is narrower than Mikoto, so it looks like she is blending into her Onee-sama's overwhelming body.

'O- Onee-sama? Why do you...?'

Kuroko has millions of questions, but her mind is no longer clear enough to construct a sentence. Mikoto embraces Kuroko even more tightly as if she's scared her kouhai will run away if she lets go. And Kuroko, despite her initial reluctance, has completely indulged in the hug now as she wraps her arms around Mikoto's waist. With the instinct of an utter pervert, Kuroko greedily but slowly brushes Mikoto's back lest Mikoto would punish her. She silently admires the softness and tenderness of the skin that she has thought of even in her dreams. But moments later, she has lost even the ability to think of dirty things, and she stays still satisfied with enjoying the present moment.

'Onee-sama... Kuroko loves you a lot, Onee-sama,' she whispers into Mikoto's ear.

Neither of the two knows how long they have been hugging each other when they finally let go. But not completely, for Mikoto still holds on to Kuroko's arms. As the elder girl lifts her eyes to observe the younger's pinkish crystals, she is struck by their appearance. The hug has made Kuroko's eyes hazy, but in those pupils, Mikoto notices something she has not seen very often before: confidence and hope. Those are the two things that have propelled exploration and progress through the thousands of years of human history. With confidence and hope, Colombus dared to set sail for an uncharted New Land. With confidence and hope, Armstrong dared to be among the first humans to enter Space. With confidence and hope, Nelson Mandela dared to fight Apartheid even during his imprisonment. Needless to say, those two qualities are what fill mankind's future with endless opportunities and possibilities.

Is Kuroko trying to convey a message with her soft gaze? No matter how hopeless one may perceive the world to be, the reality is never a done deal. Maybe, just maybe, something can still be done even in the darkest days. With Kuroko, there may still be a lot that Mikoto can do to stop their plan.

Enveloped in warmth and with a strange gush of happiness in her heart, Mikoto finds that her roommate, who sits stationary, looks like a cute, giant doll. So she stretches her hands to hold Kuroko's cheeks and slightly squeezes them into a strange shape.

'Mah! Why are you squeezing my face, Onee-sama!'

'Hehe. That's adorable, is it not?'

Mikoto chuckles at Kuroko's funny-looking face. She releases her hands, and Kuroko's face bounces back to normal which, slightly tinted with pink, looks gorgeous to Mikoto. She lowers her head slightly, and unconsciously her fingers have found their way to Kuroko's half-closed fists. They touch and tickle Kuroko's fingertips to seek entrance, which is instantly granted as Kuroko opens her hands. Mikoto gets hold of them, and the two girls' palms clasped together. The touch, the heat and the stoic pink eyes all feel so real, and Mikoto is thankful. Her nightmares aren't real after all, and Kuroko is here with her no matter what.

'I... I'm happy... to see you here, Kuroko...' Mikoto says, beaming.

'Kuroko understands, Onee-sama...' Kuroko, looking into Mikoto's eyes, softly replies. 'Kuroko also has... felt like this before... Kuroko worries for you day and night... and she leaps with excitement... every time she sees you return home safe and sound, Onee-sama...'

Mikoto's heart is broken. How long has it been since Mikoto actually paid attention to Kuroko's feeling? When she thought about giving her life to Accelerator to save the Sisters, did she realise that that act would make Kuroko feel worse than death...?

'I'm sorry, Kuroko... I... I have been such a horrible person... To think that I've made you worry so much... I'm sorry, Kuroko!' Mikoto shouts the last two words and bursts into sobs.

'You are crying again, Onee-sama...' Kuroko softly says as she pulls Mikoto close. 'And I'm afraid you are wrong on this. How can Onee-sama be a horrible person? In Kuroko's mind, you are the best partner Kuroko can ever dream to have.'

'Is... Is that so?' Mikoto wipes her eyes and asks.

'Yeah! Nobody has a greater significance to Kuroko than you, Onee-sama. Kuroko loves you so much that she is always worried that you would get injured in some incidents. You always get into some sort of trouble and... and Kuroko always wants you well because Kuroko... doesn't know what to do if she loses you...'

'Kuroko...' Mikoto says, looking straight into Kuroko's eyes.

'But Kuroko doesn't blame you at all, Onee-sama. It's just because Kuroko loves you too much that she keeps worrying for you, and it's never, never been your fault. Kuroko wants Onee-sama to stay cheerful, so Onee-sama... don't feel guilty of yourself, alright? Kuroko is really proud to be at your side...'

Mikoto's heart hurts at seeing Kuroko smiling faintly while her eyes glimmer with tears. This little girl, who is encouraging Mikoto and asking her to be happy, was sad when she had no idea what her Onee-sama was doing out there. This is also the same girl whom for the first time Mikoto feels she can rely on. Sure, she may not be anywhere nearly as powerful as Mikoto, but she is the single person in the world who is willing to sit with Mikoto like this when she's most distressed and comfort her with her gentle words. Yes, Kuroko's pervertedness can be annoying at times, but she is the one person who cares for Mikoto most.

Mikoto used to be quite foreign to the concept of love, but she thinks she now understands it. No matter how one looks at it, what Kuroko possesses in her heart is definitely love - unconditional love, for it demands nothing in return. Even though Mikoto has hurt Kuroko's feelings so many times, Kuroko's concern for her and dedication to her have not wavered a single bit. If what Kuroko holds in her heart isn't love, nobody in the world can be called loving. It's when someone disregards his/her own suffering and only cares about the well being of another person, that that person shines the brightest as a human being.

Mikoto almost feels that she doesn't deserve such love from Kuroko. How can she, someone who has misunderstood and mistreated Kuroko's love and passion for so long, continue to be loved by her?

'Hey Kuroko,' Mikoto says, 'Why do you always love me this much?'

'Kuroko's love has no reason, Onee-sama,' she replies. 'When Kuroko feels down she gets happier when she sees your smile, and when Kuroko is annoyed your company soothes her soul. Kuroko always wants to stay with you because staying with you makes her feel great, so Kuroko will love you forever...'

As Mikoto looks at Kuroko's big, honest eyes, a realisation strikes her. She realises that this little girl sitting in front of her right now can't be more honest and trustworthy than she right now is. Her appearance notwithstanding, Kuroko is actually quite a simple-minded person. There are no layers to her thoughts, and it's not like anyone can pretend to love Mikoto unrequitedly for such a long time. Mikoto knows for a fact that Kuroko has never betrayed her in any way, and it's simply unthinkable that somehow, Kuroko would oppose her or betray her in the future. So, is there any point in lying to her?

It's all the more obvious that concealing this Tree Diagram incident will benefit neither of them.

And it's not like Mikoto has not hurt Kuroko enough by keeping her in the dark about everything.

Maybe - just maybe - Kuroko would feel better if Mikoto tells her the truth this time, even if she may not really be able to do much.

Mikoto sits up and holds up one of Kuroko's hands, her eyes looking determinedly at Kuroko's.

'Kuroko... Let me tell you something now...' she says.

'What is it, Onee-sama?' Kuroko asks, her free hand slowly brushing her Onee-sama's back.

'Countries are recently shooting rockets into Space... You know that, right?'

'Yeah?' Kuroko replies as she recalls the Urban Legend that Saten mentioned the day before.

Mikoto takes a gulp before continuing. 'Those countries... are actually trying to collect the remnant of Tree Diagram.'

'Oh? Tree Diagram... You mean the city's downed supercomputer?'

'Yeah...'

'And the mastermind behind that goddamned Level 6 Shift Plan?'

'... Yes. And if they do succeed, the supercomputer may be reintegrated.'

'It's going to be reintegrated?'

'That's right,' Mikoto says, giving a little nod as she nervously looks over at Kuroko, who has begun repeating that question to herself over and over like a broken recorder. With every second, the atmosphere gets tenser and tenser as her roommate's eyes, lit with a glare, grow wider and wider until they look like eggs. A few seconds later, Kuroko abruptly stands up and walks to her desk.

'Eh? What are you doing now, Kuroko?'

'Getting dressed up.'

'Why?'

Kuroko pauses her movements and turns to look at Mikoto, her face written with bewilderment. 'We should go now Onee-sama!' she loudly says. 'We must stop their plan at once!'

'Wait wait, I didn't say it clearly. The key remnant is not yet collected by any country, and we still have time to prepare.'

'Oh... I'm sorry about that. I mean that's good news, but still... I must get moving now so that we can catch them as soon as possible, Onee-sama!'

'Have you perhaps forgotten the promise we made before, Kuroko?'

'What do you mean...?'

'We would face all our challenges together, right? So this one too!'

'Onee-sama...?'

'Let's take down the remnant together, Kuroko!' Mikoto announces, holding out her little finger. 'And I will surely keep you safe, alright? That's my new promise!'

'S- sure, Onee-sama,' Kuroko says, her little fingers crossing her Onee-sama's, in an act that gives the future some certainty.

Whatever the two will face, they swear to always stand together.