Mikoto was bored out of her mind. The hospital was a very dull place. Every time she stayed here, it was the same. Nothing but white, nothing to play with (except for the Gekota plushie which she took with her everywhere), and no one to joke around with. She missed Maika and wondered what her maid was doing for the umpteenth time today.
She glanced to her right where her mother was sitting by the bedside, reading something on her hologram pad with an odd frown etched between her eyebrows. With her summer dress and flawless hair, that particular expression made Misuzu look comically serious, and Mikoto giggled to herself a little.
"Hmm?" Her mother looked up. "What are you chortling about?"
"Nothing." Mikoto poked her tongue out playfully. There was a tiny silence before she spoke up once more. "You're… You're not drinking that stinky stuff today."
"Oh, my little Mi-chan noticed?" Her mother sounded sheepish.
"Yeah, cos you get all weird when you drink it." Mikoto wrinkled her nose. "I don't like it when you do. That stuff smells awful."
"Is that right?" Misuzu's eyes were distant. "I suppose I should be present today for my baby girl since she is sick."
Mikoto pouted. "But I'm not sick. I'm not even coughing."
Misuzu's hand brushed against her forehead.
"Pretty sure you have a fever."
"I do?" Mikoto felt her own forehead with a palm. She couldn't tell. Everything felt fine. She crossed her arms, disgruntled.
"But I'm here every few months! Why do I have be at this boring place so often?!"
Misuzu clicked her tongue at the annoyed child. "In order to stay healthy, you need regular checkups with the doctors."
"Maika doesn't have to," Mikoto grumbled.
"Well, you're a Princess. She's a maid. There is a big difference."
Mikoto's nose scrunched up in distaste. She picked up the Gekota plushie next to her and hugged it against her chest grumpily.
"I don't like that. I don't think that's fair."
Misuzu shrugged. "That's just the way it is, my little Mikoto-chan."
Mikoto stayed silent for a moment, eyes fixated on Gekota's grinning face as she tugged on his arms mindlessly. Despite her mother's words, she still didn't think it was fair. It wasn't as if she asked to become a Princess. If health checkups were so important, why didn't Maika get them too?
Still, health checkups were no fun. She didn't think Maika would like them either. Every time she stayed in the hospital, it was one week full of strange people in white coats with serious expressions visiting her. They would talk amongst themselves about things that sounded extremely tiresome. Then there were all the needles they jabbed into her arms - they made her cry each time despite herself.
"Mama, are there going to be more needles this week?" Mikoto's voice was small. She was frightened of them, even though she tried not to be.
Misuzu was back to reading whatever was on her hologram screen. She did not tear her eyes off it as she answered. "Hmm… I'm not sure. Probably."
Mikoto couldn't help it. The mere thought of more needles brought tears to her eyes. She began to cry.
"I… I don't want anymore needles! Waaaahhhhh!"
At Mikoto's outburst, Misuzu finally tore her eyes off the document she was reading and looked at the child in astonishment. The woman sat still for a moment, listening to the agonised wails of the girl. She then stood up and tentatively approached. She gingerly perched on the edge of the hospital bed. A finger lightly touched her daughter's cheek, where a stray tear had trailed past.
"Mikoto."
"Y-yeah?" Mikoto hiccuped.
"You're a brave girl, aren't you?"
"O-Of course I am," Mikoto nodded quickly.
She knew her father, the King was brave. Many people had told her so. Therefore, it was obvious that she had to be brave like him. Because she was his daughter.
"Of course you are," Misuzu agreed. "But brave girls don't cry. I thought you knew that."
Mikoto sniffled loudly, wiping away some of the tears with the back of her hands in haste.
"I-I know that! I'm not crying!" She gave a last long sniffle, and stared up at her mother with defiant brown eyes.
"That a girl." Misuzu sighed. She patted Mikoto's chestnut brown hair gently.
Her mother whispered something to herself, and Mikoto managed to catch the words.
"… Maybe it's a good thing that you are braver than I am."
XXX
"Mama…"
The word was upon her lips, a lingering whisper from a distant memory as Mikoto blearily opened her eyes. She felt confused and disoriented.
'Where am I…?'
She was lying on something hard and cold. Her body felt sluggish as if she had woken up from a long, weary slumber. Her limbs were slow to respond as she struggled to sit up. She clutched her heavy head with a hand as she finally managed to push herself up to a sitting position. There was a dull throb deep within her brain, clogging up her thoughts like a thick fog.
'What is…?'
She was wearing a flimsy grey gown similar in style to those she had worn in hospitals, and she balked at the idea that somebody had taken her clothes while she was out cold. She was still wearing her royal ring and bangle though, not that anyone could take the latter easily. Looking over herself, she appeared unharmed, although she ached all over.
She was sitting on a metal table that appeared sterile and lacking in any warmth. She swung her legs over to the side and looked around slowly. It was rather dark, and her eyes took their time to adjust. Her senses told her there were eight different machines running in the room. The whirring sounds above were a couple of security cameras, observing her. Electrical wires were systematically organised, running into the numerous power sources in the walls. The one on her far right-
She snapped out of her thoughts, suddenly frightened.
'How the heck do I know all this?'
She couldn't see these things in the dark. She just knew. Somehow.
Mikoto trembled, raising a shaky arm to run a hand through her long hair.
'Think.'
She couldn't. The memories came rushing in. Her disastrous speech, the terrible piercing sound, the weapons pointed at her, the accusations, her mother collapsed at her feet… Everything had gone wrong in a matter of mere minutes.
Her chest tightened, and she tried to slow her breathing against the threatening panic.
The only thing she could be certain of, was that somebody, or something had controlled her during her public announcement and had made her say those horrible things.
Mikoto breathed in deeply through her nose. This entire incident was a mistake, and this was the consequence of a huge misunderstanding. Surely she could explain to someone of higher authority as a Princess and everything would be undone. The culprit would be found and punished, and she would be able to go back to her normal life in Tokiwadai palace.
She was most certainly not an esper.
'Right, I can do this.'
Suddenly feeling encouraged by positive thoughts, Mikoto jumped off the metal table. When her bare feet hit the floor, sudden light flooded through the room, and Mikoto shielded her eyes with both hands in surprise.
"Looks like she is awake."
A couple of people were approaching. Mikoto tried to look through her fingers, but could only make out their dark silhouettes in the bright illumination.
"You stay back. This is an unusual case. If she goes out of control, you know what to do." The commanding tone was of a woman. Mikoto hurriedly blinked, and tried to work out who was nearing her.
A tall woman finally stood before her. Long, dark hair was in a messy ponytail, stray locks framing her oval face with wild carelessness. Her expression was guarded as she regarded Mikoto up and down.
"Well, this is unusual," she commented.
Mikoto's cheeks turned red, half with embarrassment and half with anger.
"Of course it is!" She exploded. "It's absurd that I'm here like this in rags!"
The woman's guarded expression turned grim as she raised a gloved hand in a warning gesture. She wore a well-padded uniform, not dissimilar to those of Anti-Skill. Her belt held numerous kinds weapons. With a jolt, Mikoto noted that the woman's other hand held a gun, although it wasn't really pointed at her.
"I'd pipe down if I were you. My comrade over there is more trigger happy than I am, especially against espers."
Mikoto clenched her jaws. "I am NOT an esper," she snarled.
"Sure," her tone was bored. "I've never had to argue with a newbie about this before. You see, nearly every esper who gets transported here arrive when they are merely babies. All they do is wail and cry."
"That's why this is outrageous." Mikoto swallowed thickly and tried to keep her voice calm. "Surely you can see this makes no sense! I've seen espers get taken away - like you said, they are discovered when they are babies. I've had scans and checks done before, like every other citizen. How could I suddenly be an esper?"
"Who knows," The woman shrugged. "But you're here now, so you better get used to this shithole."
"What the hell kind of response is that?!" Mikoto stomped her foot. "Are you someone of authority around here? If not, I want to speak with them!"
"Ehhh," The woman flicked her ponytail back with a deflated exhale. The action was reminiscent of swatting an irritating fly. "I see we have a real handful. The name's Yomikawa Aiho, and yeah, I'm pretty much one of the district commanders around here."
Anger surged. Without thinking of any possible consequences, Mikoto charged forward and grabbed the woman's collar roughly in a fist.
"Do you even know who I am?!" She hissed as she waved the royal ring on her finger in front of the woman's blank face angrily. "See this? It's proof that I'm the Royal Crown Princess of Tokiwada-"
Her angry rant was cut off by a familiar piercing sound that drilled deep into her skull. Mikoto shrieked and fell into a heap on the floor, letting go of Aiho. She clutched her head, moaning.
Yomikawa Aiho crouched down and peered into Mikoto's agonised face. Mikoto peeled her eyes open with great effort. She saw a sad smile on the woman's lips.
"See, kid? You are an esper after all."
"Gghhh… No…" Mikoto could barely talk. The pain felt worse than what she remembered.
"You just gotta accept the truth. If you work hard enough, you could even do well here. It's a shithole for sure, but it's also that kind of place."
The woman stood back up and turned to speak with her comrade.
"Ryuuta, hand me the collar. Since we don't have set protocols for an unusual case like this, I think it'll be safer if we put the measures in place before-"
THWACK!
A powerful kick snapped Aiho's head to the side from behind. Aiho grunted and fell sideways on the ground. Despite the serious pain, Mikoto hurled herself forward and tried to find a way to escape out of the room.
''I'll find someone else who will listen to reason and help me… If not, I'll just get out of here on my own…'
But she was too weak. A momentary stumble of her shaky legs, and the other officer called Ryuuta took the opportunity to tackle her onto the floor.
Mikoto yelped as the man's weight landed upon her and his hands pinned her arms against the cold ground.
"Let me go!" She shrieked, kicking out. The man dodged her legs by leaning to the side. "This is no way to treat your princess-"
"You really don't get it, do you?" The man's voice was rough and unkind. "You're a fucking esper. Not some character from a fairytale."
"It's not a fairytale!" Mikoto screamed. "I'm the Princess of Tokiwadai-"
"Where the hell is Tokiwadai, anyway?" The man mocked. "Never heard of it."
Energy suddenly sapped out of her limbs as Mikoto stopped fighting him.
"Wh-what?" She croaked. Her throat was dry. "What do you mean? Isn't this… Isn't this Tokiwadai?"
Ryuuta barked out a laugh. "Shit. Yeah, you're unusual alright. Let's get this straight, brat. You've come to the Correctional Complex, also known as the Prison Districts."
Mikoto's eyes widened. This was the rumoured place where espers got taken to. The place nobody had dared to speak about in her country.
"There's just one way in. And no way out." A toothy grin spread across his face. "Welcome to hell, number 350688."
Mikoto felt numb. She was in shock, too stunned to speak.
While she lay frozen, a slim, cold metal collar was clipped around her neck. It seemed to shrink automatically to her size, fitting against her skin snugly, just enough to cause slight discomfort.
Ryuuta also took the chance to try and get the royal ring off her finger.
"You won't need this anymore," he sneered. He almost succeeded in getting the jewellery off, when Mikoto snapped out of her daze and bit him on the arm.
"Owww!" The man howled, immediately letting her hand go. "You shitty rascal!"
"I won't let you take my ring," Mikoto's eyes were feverish as she glared at him. The piercing noise was still ongoing, and it made her feel worse as each minute went by.
They might not be much, but Mikoto felt protective of her jewellery. They were the only remnants she had left of home. She had worn them since she was a child. The bangle especially, couldn't be removed since she had grown into it, unless it was specifically cut. Whenever she was nervous, she had a habit of fiddling with the bangle, and Mikoto doubted she could be soothed without it. She hardly ever took off the ring either. Her parents had told her to keep it close always as it was the sacred artefact of royalty that had been handed down for generations.
"Oh, let her have it," Aiho came up to them, rubbing her cheek. "It's not going to do us any harm if she hangs onto a trinket or two."
She regarded Mikoto with a curious glance. As Mikoto gingerly sat up on the floor, she noted with great satisfaction that the woman's assaulted cheek looked red and puffy already.
"You sure you're a Princess? That was some tough-ass kick. I thought Princesses were supposed to be fancy rich girls and damsels-in-distress."
Before Mikoto could hurl out a snarky response, the piercing noise that had permeated in the air suddenly cut off. She let out a tense breath she didn't know she had been holding. The pain faded soon after, but the dull aching throb in her brain remained like an unwanted souvenir.
Sharp, coordinated clicks of heels gathered their attention. Mikoto looked up as a new figure entered the room, and she dazedly wondered if this person would have more common sense.
"What do we have here?" A drawling woman's voice rang out clearly. Aiho stiffened at the sound, and Ryuuto suddenly looked more wary.
A woman with orange hair leaned over Mikoto's form. She did not wear a uniform, but had a simple skirt and elegant blouse on. Just a regular woman. A smile curved on her lips, blue eyes gleaming behind oval glasses.
"Oh dear. Treating our special guest like this is no good," the woman tsk'ed with a playful wave of a finger. She turned to Aiho and Ryuuto and made a shooing motion. "You've done what you need to do here. You two are dismissed."
For the first time, Aiho actually looked irritated. "What… You can't order us around-"
"I can't?" The woman's smile grew bigger. It was still pleasant, but there was a hidden edge to it like a poisonous thorn.
For a moment, Aiho's mouth opened as if to retort back. Then she snapped it shut with a grimace. She turned to Ryuuto with a frown.
"Let's go Ryuuto. We have other work to attend to."
The two of them left in a hurry. Mikoto stared after them and then turned back to the newcomer with a small smile. Whoever this woman was, Mikoto was rather impressed by how quickly she shut them down.
"I'm sorry about how they treated you." the woman extended a friendly hand and helped Mikoto stand back up. "They just don't have any manners sometimes."
"I…" Mikoto gathered her breath. "I need to get back home. This is a mistake. I've been trying to tell them that, but they weren't listening to me-"
"Whoah, slow down there," the woman soothed. "I already know who you are."
"What? You do?" Mikoto's heart leapt.
The woman's orange curls bounced on her shoulders as she nodded. "Princess Misaka Mikoto, nice to finally meet you, your highness."
"H-How?" Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise. She suddenly felt a surge of hope that this woman may actually be able to help her.
"Hmm, before we get to that, there's something important to check."
"What?" Mikoto blinked.
From her skirt pocket, the orange-haired woman took out a white cylindrical container.
"Put out your hand, Princess."
Feeling uncertain but intrigued, Mikoto did as she was asked.
The woman shook the container slightly. The contents within rattled. "If you get a blue-coated chocolate, I'd say this is a fated encounter!"
She flicked open the container with a thumb and tipped the end. A round, blue-coated lolly rolled out onto Mikoto's awaiting palm.
Mikoto stared at it, perplexed.
"A fated encounter it is." The woman's lips curled upwards once more.
"My name is Therestina. I hope we get along."