AN: OKAY, OKAY-

I seriously need to explain myself!

One of my very helpful reviewers has brought to my attention a VERY important question-

When does it take place?

SO- It's very important that I mention where I'm up to in the canon verse. I've only watch up to season 2 on Railgun and I've only watched the first series of Index...I KNOW! It's certainly not ideal considering I'm writing my own fucking story about this fandom, when I haven't even caught myself up on the full series. If it helps, I'm watching all of the content in the series in chronological order so I can make sense of it.

Lemme just put the review here so I can answer it, this is from SaberRoy-

Hi! This was great to read! I find it hilarious how much the tables have turned with Mikoto and Kuroko. I also like seeing Saten and Uiharu

The plot seems intresting so far though i certainly am a bit confused. One thing that is bugging me is that i dont have a clear idea where on the canon timeline this story takes place. Kuroko mentioning being in a war doesnt help either. So is this after season two of railgun? Originally i had thought it was fully a new universe but im guessing im wrong.

Still its great, and dont worry about delays, they happen, real life comes before something you do for free

First of all, I'm glad you're liking it! (And yes, the whole situation with Mikoto/Kuroko is very ironic xD, and I love writing Saten/Uiharu content so, uwu. And thank you for the reassurance of delays, your understanding is very appreciative :3) Second of all, I'm so, so sorry for the confusion, I promise, I'm really trying to make this plot make sense. Truth is, I only fully fleshed out a plot and decided where this story was going 2 chapters in, and there's a lot of clashing info and stupid plot points I made early on that would be helpful to change, but I can't go back now so I'll have to make do!

Thirdly, you are correct! I'm technically making this my own timeline/universe, and the information from the canon characters profiles (which will be talked about in the ending AN) would be helpful.

Kuroko is 16 in this, and Misaka is 18, in their senior year of high school, so I've aged them up here and it's very far into the future compared to the canon timeline. And I was originally referring to the whole WW3 arc that happened in index, (Because that plot point had been spoiled to me) but because I haven't gotten to that point in the canon series of my own viewing, I don't fully understand how that arc works. SO ALL THE CONFUSION THAT Y'ALL ARE FEELING, I'VE CAUSED IT, IT IS MY FAULT! It's complete ignorance on my part!

Another thing about the actual school. They are still going to Tokiwadai and Mikoto and Kuroko are still rooming together BUT I'm making a separate Tokiwadai High School branch in my little made up world. So they're just going to a high school version of the middle school that's in a neighbouring area of the middle school.

SO YES! This is my own timeline and take on the concept of this series, some important events from the canonverse will be mentioned, but other than that, it's my own little pocket of creative nonsense in the Railgun fandom xD.

Okay, if there are any questions I left unanswered, please let me know, I'll try my best to provide answers!

Alright, enough of my blabbering, this AN is WAY too long, the ending AN is going to be filled with more of my mumbling and my notes for this anyway, so I'll see you down the bottom!

!Disclaimer! I do not own A Certain Magical Index/A Certain Scientific Railgun and its characters, they are owned by Kazuma Kamachi and any collaborating parties! I just own this fic, the idea for this fic and my various OC's, unless mentioned otherwise.

(Also, not proofread we dying like real men owo)

Enjoy! ^^ xx

Ah...

Little Shirai...I've been waiting for you. My perfect vessel.

You are strong. And you will get stronger.

When I find you, when they bring me upon your distraught world, I will be free of this weak body-

And we will be one.

I will be you, as you will be me.

Until I find you my Jiyūna tamashī.

Kuroko awoke to the dark, practically drowning in her cold sweat.

What the hell was that?

That voice, demented and uneven. It sounded...demonic, breaking to lower intervals at sporadic moments whenever it sounded.

'We will be one'? What the hell does that mean?

Kuroko played it off as just a one off nightmare, one of no meaning. But the feeling of dread and anxiety crawling up her back was just unsettling. Purposeful.

A-am I...being watched..?

"Hey."

Kuroko was a little bit more than embarrassed by the high pitched squeal she let out.

The voice belonged to a man who was sitting in a plastic chair next to Kuroko's hospital bed, although his form was completely submerged into the shadows, due to the lack of light illuminating the room.

Despite the lack of visibility of the man's figure, Kuroko knew fully well who the voice belonged to.

"Sorry Ko-chan, I was going to wake you because you appeared to be having a nightmare, but you woke up yourself so I decided to just give you a moment to recover-!"

"Kiyoshi!" Kuroko exclaimed, leaping into the elder's arms, in which the latter barely caught her from falling to the ground.

"Kuroko! Don't do that! You're not supposed to get out of bed yet." Kiyoshi fussed worriedly, moving the younger girl to her former place on the bed.

Like a mother.

"Speaking of, what happened? Why am I here?" Kuroko asked cocking her head.

"You had a pretty insane panic attack Ko-chan." Kiyoshi answered, patting the girl's curly hair.

"Oh." It was all Kuroko could answer with. Every moment she remembered before waking up here bled into the next, creating a blurry timeline.

Speaking of blood...

"Wait, I remember blood?" Kuroko asked, hoping that Kiyoshi could either confirm or deny that Kuroko had bled of some kind.

"Yes, you threw up blood Ko-chan." He answered gently.

"What?!" Kuroko exclaimed, for once worrying about her health other than the amount of work she had to get back too.

Please don't tell me I'm dying. Not now, any other time but now.

"But it's okay Ko-chan, you went under for surgery and they've done the right amount of treatment for you. Apparently it was due to how much aspirin you've been taking? But you're fine now and you won't throw up anymore blood. The doctor also wanted to talk to you before you get released due to your aspirin usage." Kiyoshi informed her.

Kuroko wanted to point out how 'going under for surgery' was not something to be taken lightly and reassuring her with an 'it's okay' was slightly dismissive and inappropriate towards the situation, but she was more worried about the aspirin.

She had only taken a few tablets in the past month for her intense migraines that had been results of her panic attacks...had she really taken so many to the point where it was too much? She hadn't even noticed.

"By the way, when do I get released?" Kuroko asked Kiyoshi.

"The doctor said whenever you woke up you'd be checked, asked a few questions, and then you were free to leave." Kiyoshi answered. "I was going to take you back to base, but I don't think that's the best considering your state, so I'm just going to take you back home."

"Yeah, okay..." Kuroko said sadly, just because it was the responsible thing to do, didn't mean Kuroko had to agree. "Speaking of the base, found anything new?" Kuroko asked, immediately immersing herself to be prepared for any new information.

"Well, we think we're onto them. Akira thinks that whoever these people are, they're looking for something here in the city." Kiyoshi said in a serious undertone.

"We just don't know what." Kuroko finished for him.

"Exactly." Kiyoshi said, leaning back, folding his arms in exasperation to show his exhaustion.

"How long have I been out?" Kuroko questioned quietly.

Kiyoshi looked up from where his eyes were currently glaring at the ground. "About 6 hours, all of which weren't consecutive. You kept coming in and out of consciousness. It's about 9:30pm at the moment."

Kuroko didn't reply, just grunted in affirmation. Kiyoshi just nodded and the pair began the wait.

Kuroko took the moment of silence to analyse the young man.

The man could easily classify as a tower, at least to Kuroko. He was only an inch taller than his younger brother and to some 5'11 might not be that tall, but for poor Kuroko, she could only dream of reaching that height. He was a lean man, but much bulkier than other men Kuroko had met, but no so bulky that it looked fake or unnatural.

Unlike his younger brother who had completely untameable curls, Kiyoshi had straight, shiny black hair, clean and in an undercut style. He always gelled it up to give it some volume, but it almost always flopped back down to it's natural straight state.

Looking at his dark grey eyes, they looked almost incapable of expressing emotion. But if you knew Kiyoshi, you would know that's far from the truth. They always shone whenever he was expressing genuine emotion, whether it be happiness, anger or despair. They were like misty pools, mysterious yet somewhat comforting.

Kiyoshi, at the moment, was wearing black jeans, a white button up, a red long sleeved jacket along with red and white sneakers. He had always had a professional aura about him and it didn't seem to stop at the way talked, but rather leaked into his clothing choices as well. The only time Kuroko had ever seen him in something remotely unprofessional was in old photos, that she only saw for a moment.

Kuroko eventually let out a sigh and leaned her head back onto the pillow, looking out to the city through the window.

Kuroko had been to the hospital many times, but she had never been admitted and or conscious in a hospital at night. It looked to be rather late out at night, the fluorescent lights of advertisements lit on buildings painting the city in neon hues. The starry sky itself glistened down on the still rather busy city, the stars littering the sky.

The tawny teleporter grew bored with view of the city that she knew like the back of her hand, and turned to looking around the familiar room.

She was almost certain that the hospital had a whole room reserved for her, and she doesn't mean to sound self absorbed or anything. She's just gotten so many injuries up to the point where almost all the doctors here know her on a first name basis, which in itself is embarrassing. A supposedly amazing Judgement officer such as herself shouldn't be getting hurt as often as she was.

The familiarity of the room was unnerving. The bedside table, the small conjoined bathroom, a big window adorned by curtains that were a disgusting shade of white.

In the corner of the room were 3 chairs (the fourth had been taken by Kiyoshi) that were meant for visitors. One of them however was accompanied by a backpack. Kuroko's backpack.

"What's that doing here?" Kuroko voiced her question, pointing to the black bag.

Kiyoshi turned his head and by the look of his tense shoulders, it looked like he was anticipating something dangerous. But when turning to the direction of Kuroko's pointed finger, his shoulders relaxed to only find Kuroko's bag.

"Ah, a friend of yours, the electromaster? She came along with two other girls who were very worried about you, but she especially was freaking out. The doctors didn't allow her to see you, they were afraid that she could cause some damage. So she was escorted home, as well as your other friends."

"She came back two hours later, about 5:00pm? With that backpack, she said it had some things in there for you, clothes and bathroom essentials as such. I believe she was hoping to give you that herself, hoping she'd be able to bring you back home when you woke."

"But...?" Kuroko dragged out the ending syllable, already sensing there was more.

"She saw me in here along with Akira."

Oh god. If Sissy saw them...

"Akira was here?" The teleporter tilted her head in thought. Wasn't expecting that.

"Yes, and your friend freaked. Yelled at us and told us to leave you alone. Thankfully Akira played it off that we were friends of yours through Judgement, and needed to be alone with you when you woke."

"Oh Sissy..." Kuroko groaned, rubbing her eyes into the heels of her palms.

Knowing my Sissy personally, that isn't going to shut her up. If anything, that raises more questions for her. Thanks Akira, you just earned me an interrogation when I get home.

"I was supposed to get the doctor when you woke, I'll got get him now." Kiyoshi said, rising from his seat and brushing down his jacket, heading towards the exit.

"O-okay!" Kuroko said with a small wave as the tall man left her in the room.

Kuroko dramatically flew back, her head hitting the pillow in an aggressive motion.

Goddammit. What am I going to do? Kuroko thought, closing her eyes in frustration.

The longer Kuroko sat there the more Kuroko was beginning to recollect the foggy memories before she woke up in the hospital.

She remembered loud noises, falling, blood and the harrowing sound of Mikoto screaming.

She remembered faintly of what could've caused her attack; the amount of pressure to save the city. It wasn't like she hadn't had that same task before, with Mikoto Misaka as her best friend, saving the city was given more than it should be. It was just that Kuroko had no idea what she was saving the city from.

And it wasn't like Kuroko was scared of unpredictability, Kuroko was infamous for being unpredictable. She just wasn't expecting for this whole situation to get so serious so quickly.

Suddenly, Kuroko's thoughts were interrupted. The small girl's eyes flung open in a panic, her hands coming up to her throat out of instinct.

She couldn't breathe. It felt like there was a literal weight on her chest that was making her incapable of breathing.

What the hell?! What's happening? Why can't I breathe?

The teleporter thrashed about chasing for oxygen. But as soon as the shortage of breath started, Kuroko's windpipe was released from whatever had a hold on it and the teenager was gasping for air.

Sweat beaded on Kuroko's forehead, as she sat up on her knees. She threw the sheets off of her form and hunched over.

What. The. Hell?

Kuroko's head shot up.

Shuffling. She could hear shuffling. And was that...laughter?

It sounded like it was coming from the corner of the room...was that a shadow taking the form of a figure, was it moving? Or was Kuroko just going crazy?

Suddenly Kuroko didn't feel alone.

Kuroko sat patiently on the now made hospital bed. Her legs swung over the side of the bed, her sneakers only just hitting the floor with small squeaks.

A short while after Kuroko had recovered from her little lack of breathing episode, Kiyoshi, a doctor, and a nurse had come in. They had given her time to change out of her hospital gown and she gladly bounded to the bathroom to get out of the scratchy scrap of cloth.

She was wearing a short black skirt with pleats, a white button up and a peachy pink sweatshirt that was tucked into her skirt. She was wearing black stockings (that were supposed to stop at your knees but because of Kuroko's height, they went to her mid-thigh) and the same beat up sneakers from a couple of nights ago that she was beginning to come accustomed to.

Along with the clothes that were in the bag, there was her toothbrush and toothpaste, her hairbrush, deodorant, Kuroko's phone and charger and Kuroko's hair bows. The hair bows, in which she took the liberty of using after cleaning up her appearance, were used to pull her hair into her trademark pigtails.

She let out a sigh as she sat in solitude. After Kuroko's analysis, Kiyoshi had been brought outside to just work out Kuroko's release.

Just before Kuroko was about to let out another exasperated sigh, Kiyoshi had popped his head out from behind the door.

"C'mon Kuroko, let's go." Kiyoshi said with a tired smile.

Kuroko tug on her pack that was loosely hanging on her shoulders, picking up her pace to catch up with Kiyoshi's bigger strides. "I'm sorry you had to deal with me at this time of night Kiyoshi." Kuroko whispered in shame, looking up at the elder boy with a genuinely apologetic look.

When Kiyoshi flickered his eyes to Kuroko's face, he smiled and pet the smaller girl on her head. "It's fine Kuroko, as long as you're okay, that's all that matters."

Kuroko wasn't convinced that she wasn't being a bother to him, but she let it slide as she was too tired to sort through her embarrassment.

Sliding into the passenger seat of Kiyoshi's small car, Kuroko rested her head against the cool surface of the window.

She didn't even register the engine thrumming to life, she just curled up next to the window.

The following moments Kuroko spent in that car were full of her dismissive grunts to Kiyoshi's questions; how's school? How's training? Are you okay? Kuroko was beginning to fall into that heady head-space where time is irrelevant, where she was aware of the world around her and yet it had stopped all the same.

Just when Kuroko was about to be pulled into the dreamless sleep she had been eagerly awaiting, a small jolt of the car was all that was needed to shake the teenager from her stupor.

And just like that, napping seemed to be an unreachable point.

"Sorry about that Ko-chan, wasn't expecting a reaction so severe out of you." Kiyoshi chuckled. "But we're at the dorms, do you want me to come in with you?" Kiyoshi asked, putting a tentative hand on Kuroko's forearm.

Kuroko stole a brief glance at the dormitory building looming above her, the familiar home seeming somewhat unwelcome.

"No, it's okay Kiyoshi. Call me if you find anything-" Kuroko started.

"Actually Kuroko, I need to talk to you about this operation. I don't know how long we're going to be able to go on without this getting...dangerous. I'm giving you the option..." Kiyoshi's expression seemed strained; hesitant.

"I'm giving you the option to back out."

Kuroko snapped her head up to look up at Kiyoshi, her face painted with the expression someone would make after being slapped.

"No, I've come this far, and we may have little to work with, but I'm not backing down now Kiyoshi. Not when the city-world depends on it." Kuroko exclaimed firmly, her eyes burning with determination.

Silence. It was all that was heard.

"Okay."

And that was all to it. Kiyoshi gave her a reassuring smile and she exited the car. She waved as the car pulled out and didn't move until Kiyoshi's car was out of distance.

Turning to the dormitory entrance, Kuroko shoved her hands into her skirt pockets, hunching over as the chilly night nipped at her body.

CLANG!

Kuroko jumped, putting her hand over her mouth.

Just a trash can Shirai, chill out.

The rationalisation from her conscience did not stop her from picking up the pace though.

Walking into the much warmer confinements of the Tokiwadai Girls High School dormitories, the sense of familiarity was enough to keep the spike in Kuroko's anxiety at bay.

"Shirai, I was informed of your predicament, are you alright?" The dorm matron asked.

She was not the same dorm matron from the middle school branch but she also seemed to have a vendetta against Kuroko, although she did have a little bit more compassion than the other lady. But much like the other dorm matron, she had a special relationship with her and no real hat was defined between the two.

"I'm fine Ishido-san, nothing to worry about." Kuroko dismissed with a smile and a wave.

"Alright then, call if you need anything. Your dorm should be open." The dorm matron said with a smile, in which Kuroko returned in thanks.

Walking up the flight of stairs seemed a lot more draining to Kuroko than it usually was. Teleporting up the stairs hadn't even crossed her mind, the calculations that were usually second nature seemed rather daunting.

Reaching her door she took a moment to assess the situation she was going to walk into. A very angry Mikoto Misaka was not one anyone wants to be around, and Kuroko had the displeasure of always having to deal with the brunt of the fiery brunette's anger (mainly because she was the cause of the anger half the time.)

With a deep breath Kuroko pushed open the door, tensing her shoulders to brace for whatever onslaught she was about to face.

A small squeak from the door. That was all it took to alert the person occupying the room to become aware of Kuroko's arrival. For as long the younger girl was outside the door, turning the doorknob, the quicker she was being pulled inside the dorm with such a foreign force that the sheer flash of movement left her surprised.

When Kuroko opened her eyes she looked up to see Mikoto, honestly who else was she to expect?

But she didn't look as angry as Kuroko thought she would've been. If anything the older teen looked relieved, still angry but relief was the overpowering emotion etched on the girl's face.

A long and exaggerated sigh was pulled out of the electromaster and Kuroko herself relaxed.

Okay, maybe she's not as mad as I though she would be.

"You okay Kuroko?" Misaka asked hesitantly. The brunette almost looked like she was resisting.

What are you resisting Sissy?

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little tired but I'm okay." Kuroko smiled, moving around the room to put her things away.

Mikoto took it upon herself to sit on her bed, her eyes following the younger's movements.

"What happened? At the diner? You just..." Mikoto dragged out, looking at Kuroko with unfortunately familiar concern.

"It was nothing Sissy. Apparently it was just stress." Kuroko answered flatly, moving to the bathroom to change into pyjamas, but leaving the bathroom door open just by a sliver. She had a feeling this conversation was going to go on more than she'd like.

"Stress doesn't do that Kuroko! That's what someone looks like when the get hit! When you fell, blood flew out your mouth! I- it was-!"

"Disgusting?" Kuroko finished for her quietly, her face burning with embarrassment as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"...Scary."

For the second time that day silence filled the gap on what was barely a conversation.

Kuroko's heart sunk when she walked back into the bedroom to see Mikoto looking at her accusingly.

"Stress. Doesn't. Do. That." The older girl punctuated every word with a small crackle of electricity.

Kuroko cautiously took a seat on her own bed, staying as far away from the older as she could to get to her desired destination in one piece. Now the two were facing each other.

The relief and the concern were gone now, Mikoto's features clearly taken over by frustration.

"Tell me the truth. What. Happened...?" Mikoto was really restraining herself at this point and Kuroko knew she wouldn't have long to the electromaster got to her melting point.

With a sigh, Kuroko recollected everything the doctor had said.

'"From what you've told us Miss Shirai, it seems you've been stressed by the amount of work from your everyday life, which you seem to have blown out of proportion."

'Blown out of proportion'?! To be fair I left out the whole saving the world thing, but out of proportion? You're supposed to reassure people not make them feel like-

"With all things considered though, Miss Shirai, during the questions our nurse was asking you, your responses show you have many symptoms leading to an anxiety disorder. And taking your answers into consideration, the particular type of anxiety disorder you seem to demonstrate is Panic Disorder."

"It...it was a panic attack Sissy. The doctors diagnosed me with Panic Disorder."

Mikoto looked taken aback by the information, her frustration morphing into something more along the lines of guilt.

"I-I'm sorry Kuroko. I didn't mean-"

"I know your intention wasn't to force such information out of me, but I feel comfortable with you being aware of it. So don't apologise." Kuroko said gently.

Mikoto moved across the room to hug the teleporter, in which the action took the teleporter by surprise.

The two girls just sat there, many unspoken words shared between them through that one, supportive hug. Kuroko understood what the hug was trying to voice what Mikoto just couldn't.

I'm here for you, if you need someone I'm here.

That moment dragged on for a lot longer than Kuroko had expected but she wasn't complaining. It almost seemed intimate, but soon the moment was broken like glass.

"But the blood?" Mikoto looked up again, looking more curious than accusatory.

"I had been getting these headaches lately, and I'd been taking aspirin for them. Turns out I was taking too much." And that was the full truth. She really had been taking too much for her age and weight. Apparently because of how much she weighed, there was a limit to the amount she was allowed to take. "Because of that, throwing up blood was a result. They treated me though, so I should be okay. I just have to go into the hospital if I feel weird, or if I start throwing up."

Mikoto nodded along with what the tawny haired girl was saying.

But the questions hadn't stopped, and the way Mikoto gripped the sheets a little tighter did not go unnoticed by Kuroko.

"Who were the two people in the hospital with you? They didn't say their names." Mikoto said sternly, eyeing Kuroko expectantly.

Kuroko had seen it coming, but she hadn't hid her hesitation, the slight widen of her eyes and Kuroko knew Mikoto had taken notice.

She was just gonna have to play with that hesitation now.

"Uh, they're from Judgement. Different branch. They wanted to ask me some questions on some paperwork me and Uiharu were working on." Kuroko said slowly, praying that the older would buy it.

"Why didn't they go to Uiharu then?" The accusing tone just barely masked a under calm.

"They did, they just wanted to see what my own opinions were."

A few empty moments ticked by and with a sigh, Mikoto her head to her pillow.

Kuroko held back the instinctual reaction to explode in victory.

"Okay. Well, I'm sorry for keeping you up so late. You said you were tired so you should get some sleep." Mikoto said, making a move to turn the lights out.

Kuroko answered her by climbing under the covers.

Mikoto began to speak again, but in a gentle whisper, "And if you ever need to talk about your panic attacks, or if you just need support through them, I'll be here."

"Thank you Sissy, I really appreciate the support."

The quiet night eventually pulled the two teenagers under, deep into a dreamless sleep.

Despite the small moment shared between the two girls, in hindsight Kuroko wished she had rebelled against Kiyoshi's wishes and gone to base.

Scratch that.

If she had gone to base the night, maybe just by the most minuscule chance-

They wouldn't be where they are now.

It's such a shame Shirai. I thought you were smarter.

I thought you would notice.

You could've kept them out, all you had to do was check the garbage can.

But it's too late.

My karuto are in.

I can't wait to meet you

AN: ...

Well, ain't this a pile of hot tra-

I'm sorry, this is more of a filler chapter. And y'all had been waiting for ages :( I blame my time management and me as writer qwq

But anyway, I know it's making zero sense at the moment, but trust me, I do know where this is going. (I also tried to leave some hints here and there but I hope it's not too obvious ;3)

For those who are interested, I have an AO3 now! It's cinnabunny_xo. I went through a name change on all my platforms (So my insta name is cinnabunny_xo too!)

And we met Kiyoshi! (finally...) Speaking of him, remember the character files I put in the ending AN for the last chapter for Yuki and Hibiki? I'm doing a separate copy of what I've got in my notes for this story so far and reposting them in the next update.

So the next update won't be another chapter, but a bunch of character files, so that might come in the next two days at most!

I just want to thank everyone for the support on here, you guys are all amazing!

Check me out on Instagram and AO3!

See you soon

-Kay