Well here's the next chapter! Not much to say about it, aside that I've been planning this out for the better part of the year. Hope you like what is in store, and remember to review and subscribe!

- KKid

Chapter 5: The Day of Misaka

Morning came all too soon for Kirche. A breeze from the outside upset the curtains of her window, allowing for sunlight to filter through the frame, and onto her bed. It did not help that the window had been destroyed from the previous night's commotion, and the breeze tickled at the Germanian's feet, combining with the sunlight to finally rouse her from her slumber.

"…Ooohh…" she yawned, stretching her arms into the air. "…Today is the Day of Void…" She looked at the window, wondering for a few seconds why there were scorch marks on the frame and no window inside, before remembering what had taken place last night. "…Right, I tried to ask her about her world, and then I was interrupted, and she snuck out while I took care of the intruders." That was all of the thought she put into the missing window, aside from a mental note to get it replaced later.

It took a half an hour for Kirche to get ready. As a born hunter, the Zerbst noble had to be ready for anything, whether it was a man who wanted to date her, or, and her more current aim, whether it was fining an artifact from another world. Specifically, she was hunting down a certain lightning-shooting female.

"I really wanted to ask her about where she came from, about what it's like, and how she can wield the powers of lightning without using any of the Pentagram," she said to herself, while applying her makeup and her finest uniform. "I have seen a lot of amazing things from what father showed me back in Germania, but nothing of that indicated that their people would be like us, but without wands and spells."

"Kyuuku…" hissed Flame, rubbing up against his master's legs.

"Of course, there's nothing more amazing then you or I, my darling Flame," Kirche said, and chuckled. "Still, I want to learn more about Misaka. I wonder why she was so hesitant to answer my questions, though. It would have been only the basics, after all; nothing too hard or confidential." Not once did she think to blame her mannerisms and choice of apparel.

As she was finishing applying cherry red lipstick, the last part of her daily routine, she heard the whinnying of a horse outside, plus two female voices coming from the same direction. This got Kirche's attention, and she went out to the window to see what was going on. "Is that…Louise and Misaka?"

To say that Misaka's first time on a horse was not going as she expected was an understatement. Either Louise was making the horse go rather fast, or Misaka's subconscious electrical field was causing the horse to be nervous, because the animal was giving a very rough ride, bouncing up and down with every gallop. Every time the horse came down, it would send Misaka's thighs against the horse's ribs, creating a pain that was negligible, if they were not going to be riding for three hours to the capitol of Tristain.

"Can't you get this horse to go a little easier?!" she protested to Louise. "It feels like we're going to fall off at any moment!"

"I'm fairly good at horseback, so don't worry about falling," the pinkette assured her. "Hold onto me tighter if it makes you feel safer."

"Well 'fairly' seems to be closer to 'hardly' than 'really!'" Misaka shouted. "Even Kuroko's Teleport-flights are less gut-churning!" She did tighten her grip around Louise's waist; however, the bouncing motion combined with the tightening of slack made her hands move upward, until they were around the noble's chest.

"H-Hey!" Louise exclaimed, rather annoyed by the hand placement. "I know that you're a girl, but where do you think you're grabbing?!"

"I was grabbing your stomach a moment ago!" Misaka explained, moving her hands back down onto the girl's hips.

"I might just be inclined to kick you off this horse if you keep doing antics like that!" her master warned.

"Then I'll make sure to zap you right off your saddle as soon as you do so!" the Familiar replied. Neither of them noticed Kirche looking out at them, partially because they were too busy fighting amongst themselves.

Tabitha loved Days of Void, even if she did not outwardly show it. The short glasses-wearing blunette considered others to be intruding into her world, giving a melancholic and silent persona to herself. In reality, she did not care what others thought of herself. On Days of Void, when everyone was out and about, Tabitha stayed in her room, and allowed herself to be enveloped into her favorite worlds, the worlds of books. She would pile many within reach upon her bed, and sit for most of the day absorbed in their contents, pausing only to relive herself or to eat in the dining hall.

It was in the middle of one of these books, a particular favorite of hers involving a merchant and a wolf-god that Kirche had given her, that a violent and frantic knocking rocked the room. Without looking up, the short-haired girl determined that the noise was coming from her door, with someone attempting to get her attention. She grabbed a large wooden staff that had been leaning up against her bedside, and waived it around.

"…Ansur Rel An…" she chanted quietly, while waiving her wand, then placed it down, and continued to read. The 'Spell of Tranquility' that she casted effectively created an invisible bubble around her, in which no sound or noise, such as the obnoxious knocking on her door, could enter. With that, plus a locked door, Tabitha was satisfied that she could continue reading, unhindered.

So it was with much disappointment that she saw from the corner of her eye that the door had been forced open by an unlocking spell from Kirche. The red-haired girl was explaining something to Tabitha, but with the silencing spell, none of the words reached the bluenette's ears. Eventually, Kirche realized this, and grabbed the book right out of Tabitha's hands, forcing the girl to look up at her, her face unreadable, but her eyes glazed over in annoyance.

If this had been anyone else, Tabitha would have blown them away with another wind spell. However, Kirche was her friend, so she reluctantly grabbed her staff, and cancelled the spell.

"–tha, get ready! We're going out!" Kirche's loud voice immediately came into the small girl's ears.

"…It's Day of Void…" the bluenette replied. Her voice was quiet and without emotion. Thinking the answer was sufficient, she attempted to reach for the book. Kirche, however, raised the book high over her head. Tabitha looked several years younger than she was, and was even shorter than Louise; standing on her bed would not even allow her to obtain the book now.

"I know how much you value the Days of Void, Tabitha, and I promise I'll make it up to you later," Kirche admitted. "But I'm on the hunt! Now isn't the time to talk, now's the time for action!" Several silent seconds passed, before the Germanian placed a hand on her frustrated head. The two friends were polar opposites; while Kirche was driven by impulse and emotion, Tabitha was calm, collected, and thoughtful in her actions. "Right, you need an explanation before moving…" Kirche got up into Tabitha's face. "I. AM. IN. OBSESSION! That Familiar absolutely enthralls me to no end, but she's going out with that annoying Vallière today for one reason or another! I wanted to ask her questions about her home, so I need to know where they are, and what they are doing! Do you get it now?!" Tabitha shook her head, raising the redhead's temperature even higher. "They just left on horseback! I can't hope to catch up without your Familiar, Tabitha! Please help me at least with that, and I promise I'll beg father for the next book in that series!"

This got Tabitha to stir. She nodded her head, and cleaned up the books around her bed, placing them in neat piles on her nightstand, and put on the cloak of her uniform.

"Thank you so much!" Kirche expressed. "Let's get going; there isn't a moment to lose!" Tabitha nodded. She was still annoyed that her time was being used for another, but friends had to help each other out when they needed help, and she was not about to refuse Kirche. Tabitha opened her fifth-floor window, and sounded a long, loud whistle. She then jumped out of the window, closely followed by Kirche. Around the second floor, both landed on a large dark blue wind dragon. The dragon was easily ten times Kirche's height in length, and had a wingspan much longer than that. Within seconds of landing, the dragon took off high into the sky, easily soaring into the clouds in short order and little effort.

"…Which way…?" asked Tabitha. Kirche began to speak, but stopped herself, thinking for a second.

"I was in a rush….I guess I did not take much notice of which way they went," the tall girl admitted. "They were visible from my window as they left, though." Tabitha nodded, and leaned onto her dragon's neck, so that she could speak with it.

"…Two people on horseback. Both female. Don't eat them." Her dragon grunted in disappointment, but understanding, and reduced altitude until they were just below the clouds, allowing for the wind dragon to scan the area for the horse Louise had borrowed.

Tabitha then looked back at Kirche. The red-haired girl smiled, and procured the book she had snatched from her. Taking it from its owner, Tabitha leaned back into Kirche, and opened back to the page she had been on before being interrupted.

After all, this was a Day of Void, and even Kirche was not going to dampen the day for her.

Three hours later, and after finding a stable to stay the horse, Louise and Misaka were loose on the bustling streets of the capitol, which Louise had explained was also called Tristain. The pinkette briskly walked ahead of Misaka, taking great joy in explaining the sights and sounds of the city. It was not just because she knew the way that Louise was ahead, however.

"O-Ow…" the brunette grunted. "My sides…they haven't felt this way in ages…" The brunette had her hands on her waist, trying in vain to fix her sore back and hips, which felt out of all sorts of orders. "Can you slow down, please?" Reluctantly, Louise complied.

"Jeez, you're completely hopeless on a horse," the pinkette commented. "How do you think you're supposed to get around if you get that bent out of shape from a three-hour journey? And how have you never ridden on a horse before in your life?"

"That's because we've graduated from horses to horsepower in Academy City," Misaka replied. "We have buses, subways, and monorails that get us around when it's too far to walk, in much faster time than three hours." Louise muttered something about a useless Familiar, but not in any seriousness. "Anyway, you said we were on a sort of shopping trip?"

"Well, you do need a change of clothing or two, when your current shirt needs to be washed," reminded Louise. "And you need perfumes and such, otherwise you'll have everyone running away from you with two fingers on their noses."

"Right," the Railgun replied. "Because you Tristainians have no indoor plumbing of sorts."

"It does sound convenient to be able to get rid of all your smells within minutes, but I don't see how that's faster than the occasional bath and covering up in between," the pinkette admitted. "Once all of that is done, then we need to get a sword from you, so you can defend yourself without resorting to that zapping power you have." This last point had been suggested by Colbert as the two had saddled up in the Academy. It made sense, since Osmond had said he wanted to keep Misaka's status a secret from the nobility of the country.

"I still think it will be better if I just zapped everyone that tried to cross me," the brunette suggested. "Anyway, are you sure you want to go through all this trouble? I mean, how much will all this cost?"

"Don't worry about that," assured the noble, and patted the bag that was slung across Misaka's shoulder. As explained by the pinkette, all nobles had their wares cared for by their servants, so while the two were beginning to become friends, their master-familiar relationship came first, therefore why Misaka's shoulder was heavily laden with gold coins. "If you had injured yourself with Guiche, I would have needed to spend a lot on a healing potion, but since I didn't need to do that, we have much more to spend. Just make sure that you watch my money."

"I don't think anyone's going to get far with this," Misaka quipped. "It feels like I'm carrying a small body in here."

"It can still be done in seconds if they use magic," the pinkette stated. Misaka looked around.

"But isn't everyone around here commoners?" she asked. Misaka had quickly been able to pick up on who was a noble and who was a commoner. The nobles always had capes, and had a wide, arrogant walk that Louise had explained to be a noble's walking stance. Commoners, however, had smaller strides, and wore what was easy and cheap, and never looked as nice as nobles.

"Of course," Louise replied. "Nobles are only about 10% of the population, so it'll be strange to see more than one walking around town…ah, I think I get what you're saying. You think that there will be no magic, since everyone's a commoner, right?" Misaka nodded. "Well, all nobles are indeed mages; however, not all mages are nobles. If, for whatever reason, a noble is disowned from their family, left their family name on his or her accord, dropped status by becoming a mercenary or a criminal, or anything of similar note, they are no longer nobles. However, that doesn't mean that they lose their ability to use magic, since that comes from the spirit inside. Therefore, you cannot say for sure if a commoner will levitate away that bag or not if it is loosely held."

"I see…" the brunette stated, intrigued by the explanation. She then turned her attention to the town itself. The cobblestone street was lined on either side by merchants selling their wares. Each vendor had a sign explaining what they sold, usually with a picture. "Say, what does that bottle-shaped sign mean?"

"That one?" Louise asked, pointing at the sign in question. "It means brewery."

"And that sign with the large cross?" Misaka continued.

"It's a recruiting center for guards," the pinkette continued. "Since most commoners are unable to read, the merchants use symbols to advertise their wares."

"That is understandable," the brunette said in agreement. "Ah, then that shirt sign means clothing store, right?"

"You're quick to learn," commended Louise. "Although, that store in particular does not usually cater to nice apparel. I know of a better shop a ways down where we can get you clothing suited for a noble's Familiar; after all, you are a reflection of me, and…" She stopped, and looked behind her. Misaka had stopped, and was looking into the clothing store. "Hey, come on, there are other places to shop than here!" Misaka simply pointed towards the store. Louise followed her gaze, and found what the brunette was looking at. It was hard to miss, since out of a store selling vests and long-sleeved shirts and cloaks, a t-shirt would be unmistakable. It was black, and had a cartoonish picture of a green frog head with large black eyes and a V-shaped mouth.

Louise groaned. "Don't tell me you want THAT!" Misaka nodded. "No! It's too...too…undignified! Besides, the sleeves are too short; we need something with longer sleeves! I will not allow you to buy it!" Misaka looked heartbroken.

"But….but…Gekota…" she wimpered sadly. Louise was taken aback; this was a side of Misaka she had yet to see from the abrasive, independent girl. It almost made her want to slap herself for getting bossed around by her Familiar.

"…Fine, it's a cheap store, so it shouldn't be too expensive," the pinkette sighed, caving in to the pressure. Misaka jerked her head over towards Louise.

"Really?" she asked. "It won't be too much?"

"I said it was a low-end commoner store, so you should be fine getting it…cheaply…" Before Louise could finish, Misaka had already rushed to claim the shirt, leaving the pinkette in the middle of the street by herself. "Honestly, who would wear something as gaudy as that?"

It was much harder for Kirche to find the two than she initially thought. Tristain was a sprawling city, with various side streets and alleyways that one could travel down. Even in such alleyways, there could be shops or inns that one could enter and browse, or have a bite to eat. This only made the noble more and more impatient.

"We should have stayed longer in the sky and tried to find where they were going in the city before landing Sylphid," she muttered. "Even though your dragon gets more awesome each time I see it, it would have been even cooler if Sylphid had found their target destination." While they had managed to track Louise and Misaka to Tristain's capitol, they immediately landed, ending any known knowledge as to where the two were headed.

"…" Tabitha said nothing. The short-haired girl was still engrossed in the book, and was seemingly disconnected from Kirche's search, a fact that the taller girl was quick to point out.

"Hey, I know I'm grateful for you bringing me out this far, but I need you to help pull weight as well," the red-haired girl told Tabitha. "They should be on Bourdonné Street, since that's Tristain's widest and busiest avenue." Tabitha said nothing, but did pull her eyes away from the book, and began scanning the crowd. While Tabitha had not had as close of contact as her friend had been able to have, she still knew what Misaka looked like. The blue-haired girl was a classmate of Louise and Kirche, and she had also been present at the duel with Guiche. In addition, a short-sleeved shirt was rare in these times; finding someone wearing such a shirt narrowed down the list of suspects dramatically.

Quickly, Tabitha found her target. Over by a low-end clothing trader, browsing the maid outfits, was a girl with short shoulder-length brown hair, and a distinctive tan vest and white blouse with short grey skirt and baggy socks. She was carrying a basket in her right hand, which was filled with fruits and vegetables. Oddly enough, Louise was nowhere to be found, but that did not matter; she only needed to find the Familiar, not the master.

"…There…" she stated, and pointed towards the store.

"Where?" asked Kirche, and she quickly followed her friend's finger towards the girl. "Yes, that's her alright! That's saving time, thank you!" Tabitha merely nodded, and returned to reading her book and following Kirche. The redhead, meanwhile, quickly ran up to Misaka and firmly grabbed the girl's shoulders. "There you are, my darling treasure trove! I have been looking everywhere for you!" The brunette was startled, and appeared panicked when she looked at Kirche.

"Y-You have?" she asked. She was about to say something else, but Kirche cut her off.

"Of course, darling!" she stated seductively, making Misaka go red. "You still have yet to satisfy my curiosity after running off last night, so now I must simply force you to answer my questions about your home before I am satisfied!" Kirche grabbed Misaka by the left arm, and began dragging her out of the store.

Despite being forcibly dragged away, the brunette was at least giving little physical resistance, only verbal. "Hey, what-where are we goin-?!"

"I don't see that Louise the Zero around here, so let's take the two of you out for a spin," explained Kirche. "I take you away from her, and we see how long it takes for her to find you! And while we do that, I shall ask you about your world that you come from!" Reluctantly, Misaka complied, and joined both Kirche and Tabitha out of the store.

A few minutes after Kirche and Tabitha had left, both Louise and Misaka, who had been further in the store proper, exited the premise. Misaka proudly carried her newfound Gekota shirt in her arms. "Man, I can't believe that even something from Academy City would make its way down here! Then again, I'm from Academy City, so I guess that isn't much of a surprise, but who cares!"

"You say that like it's a surprise…" Louise stated. She was still eying the frog on the shirt with disdain.

"Well, Academy City is essentially its own city-state because of the Esper Program," explained Misaka. "Since it would be a serious problem if any rogue Espers were loose out in the country, Academy City heavily regulates all comings and goings through the checkpoints at the city's border. It's sometimes a mess for things to get in or out at times." Misaka paused. "Come to think of it, I wonder how my disappearance is being handled by the higher-ups…and I hope Kuroko has thought of a way to trick the Dorm Supervisor…" They soon arrived at a shop selling perfumes, where Louise headed in.

"This place is a noble's shop, set up primarily for the students of the Academy," Louise explained. "It caters well to our kind, and at prices that aren't unreasonable. We can get the perfumes here, and even some clothing as well, so you don't have to wear that stupid shirt all the time."

"Hey, have you ever thought that I might want to wear this shirt?" Misaka wondered, slightly annoyed. As they passed a display case, Misaka was bumped from the side by another shopper. "Oof! Sorry!"

"Do not worry, my fair maiden," the shopper stated. "I should have watched where I was goin…" He paused, as he looked at who he had bumped into. He jumped back in surprise and terror. "Y-Y-You?!" Misaka had to take a double take too, for the person that had bumped into her was Guiche.

"Oh, it's the stuck-up," she replied dryly. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Guiche, don't think you're going to cause trouble with my Familiar again!" Louise stated. Guiche rapidly shook his head.

"Nonononononono!" he stated, waving his hands in front. "After that duel, I've had enough of fighting for one month, maybe two! I'm only here to get perfume, not to pummel or prance!"

"That's all you should be doing," directed Misaka. "Don't let me catch you two-timing again, or you know what's going to be coming for you!" The blonde merely nodded. Satisfied, the two girls ventured further into the store, leaving Guiche to contemplate the perfumes. After a few minutes, however, his thoughts returned to the brunette.

'…It's not like I want to fight her again,' he thought to himself. 'She'll probably just kick me back down to the ground again. There's no denying that that Familiar is more powerful than anyone or anything I've ever seen…or rather, what anyone else on Halkeginia has seen, for that matter.' He looked towards the two girls. They had obtained what they had needed, and were purchasing the wares. 'And yet, here she is, buying wares and interacting with others not even one day after she showed us how feeble we all were.' He watched the two leave the store. 'Truly, that is the Zero's Familiar: somebody that's a complete opposite of Zero, to the point that even we nobles can be considered insignificant.' He returned to the perfumes, but only to look at them. His thoughts were still mired in lamentation and self-searching. 'I failed as a Gramont when I lost to her, no, when I even challenged her. I need to redeem myself, and stand on her level. Only then, once I can stand on the pillar with her, can I consider myself a man worthy to be a Gramont.'

"Oh, hello Guiche!" greeted Kirche from behind his back. Guiche jumped.

"Ah! Kirche, stop greeting people from behind like that!" he stated. "It's startling and unbecoming of a noble!" The Germanian giggled.

"So sorry, but it seemed that you were lost in thought, and needed to be surprised!" she stated. Guiche simply sighed. He looked behind him, and saw Tabitha, as well as Misaka. The latter was a surprise to him, considering that she had walked out with Louise only minutes ago.

"Huh, Louise's Familiar?" he said in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"If you are referring to me," the brunette explained, pointing to herself, "I am being forcibly dragged around town by these weird strangers asking weird questions-"

"Oh, hush now, Misaka!" interrupted Kirche. "We're just having fun with Louise the Zero while satisfying my curiosity about the other world, even though I have yet to get an answer from this girl." Guiche looked at the red-haired girl in disbelief.

"I would say that the Familiar's description of being kidnapped is spot-on," he said dryly. "But I just saw you walking out of here with Louise minutes ago. Did you just run into each other now?" Kirche frowned.

"You must be losing your vision," she stated. "We've been walking around with Misaka here for at least ten, fifteen minutes so far." The girl smirked. "Maybe you need glasses like Professor Colbert." This got Guiche annoyed.

"I do not need any stupid spectacles for my perfect face!" he countered. "I am completely sure that I just saw both Louise and her Familiar walk out of this place just before you arrived." Kirche grabbed onto his arm, and began dragging him out of the store. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"If you're so sure, why not show us where they went?" the girl asked, a hint of mischief in her voice. "Besides, I'm tired of watching Zero run around town finding us, and would much rather toy with her up front, tehee!"

"Let me go, I have shopping to do!" the blonde protested. However, like Misaka before him, Guiche was unable to get away, and reluctantly went along with Kirche's scheme.

A few intersections down from the perfume and clothing store, Louise turned onto a narrower alleyway. As soon as they were fully down the path, a revolting stench hit their noses, coming from piles of trash and other things that had been carelessly discarded to the wayside. Misaka was reminded of District 10 back in Academy City.

Around the fourth intersection, Louise stopped, and looked around. "It should be near Peyman's Potion Shop…I remember it's around here…ah! There it is!" She pointed to a bronze sign above a shop. Below the sign was a smaller, sword-shaped sign.

"Is that the blacksmith's shop?" Misaka asked.

"Yup," Louise stated. "Although they sell more than just swords." The two walked up the stone steps, and walked into the poorly-lit shop. The shop was not well-kept, with swords scattered around on the walls and shelves. The only thing that looked to be kept in good order was a detailed suit of armor in the corner of the room.

A middle-aged man with buck teeth and a worn pair of glasses was smoking a pipe at the counter. He eyed Louise and Misaka suspiciously, until he say the pentagram button Louise was wearing. Instantly, he straightened up and removed his pipe from his mouth.

"My ladies! My fair, noble ladies!" he greeted warmly. "All of my wares here are genuine and reasonably-priced! T-There's nothing criminal here!" Misaka doubted the last statement.

"What's with his attitude?" she whispered to Louise.

"Nobles don't usually come this way, unless they are tax collectors or inspectors," Louise whispered back. The pinkette then spoke to the shop owner. "I'll be your customer today." The owner seemed surprised.

"Oh…that's rather odd," he remarked. "A noble buying a sword is quite strange indeed."

"Why is that?" Misaka replied.

"Well, young miss, priests command sacred staffs, soldiers wield swords, and nobles wave wands," the shopkeeper explained. "Is that not the rule?"

"It is," Louise affirmed. "That's why I am getting a sword for my…servant." While they could not say that Misaka was a Familiar, the brunette still was a little pained being called a servant.

"Ahh…" the shopkeeper said in understanding, "a servant that can use a sword. Now that makes much more sense…although I do not see the lad here." The shopkeeper was expecting a male servant.

"That would be me, I guess," spoke Misaka. The shopkeeper was a little surprised.

"You?" he asked. "Er, not to offend you, but you seem a little…lean…to be handling a blade." Misaka gritted her teeth.

"Don't test me, old man!" she warned, punching a fist into her hand. "I may be a little small, but that doesn't mean I don't pack a punch!" The shopkeeper jumped back.

"Ah! N-No disrespect, I meant!" he explained. "I'm just surprised at a lady being on the front lines of combat. Then again, that newfangled Firearm Squadron has a female captain, so I shouldn't be too surprised." He returned his focus to Louise. "Er, is there anything that you have in mind, miss?"

"I'm not that knowledgeable with swords, so please show me something reasonable," she asked. The shopkeeper nodded, a glint of mischief in his eyes, and walked into the storeroom. A minute later, he returned with a longsword. Its crafter seemed to have taken many liberties with its ornate decorations, and even had a hand guard on the short handle. Louise took the sword, and took a look at it before giving it to Misaka.

"Speaking of swords, it seems that nobles letting their servants bear swords is all the rage lately," the shopkeeper stated. "The last time any of them came to pick one from me, they picked that one." This came as news to Louise.

"A trend?" she replied. "Why?"

"It seems there's an increase of thievery on the streets of Tristain lately that have the nobles in a tizzy," the shopkeeper explained. "Some mage thief called 'Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt' or something along those lines. I heard he's stolen quite a sum of noble treasure."

"See, I told you to watch the money for good reason," Louise said to Misaka. The brunette, however, was not listening, and instead was focused on the sword. Louise thought she saw a spark run down the hand holding the sword.

"Ah, I know I am a noble's servant, but this seems a little too busy and ordinate for me," Misaka admitted. "Do you have anything with more function and less decoration?"

"My lady, please forgive my bluntness," the shopkeeper apologized. "Swords and people have compatibilities, just like man and woman. As I see it, that sword fits a noble lady's servant very well."

"My servant asked to see something else," Louise interjected. "So let's see something else." The shopkeeper grumbled, but went to the back to look for another sword. "What's wrong with this one? It looks beautiful, and it has function."

"Yes," confessed Misaka, "but it doesn't have many metallic properties." Louise was lost on this.

"What do you mean?" the pinkette asked.

"I was sending electricity through the sword to see how much metal it is made of," the Railgun explained. "As you saw with Guiche's bronze Valkyries, I can control and move anything with metallic properties in it using my Electromaster powers."

"I do remember that," Louise stated. "But what does that have to do with this sword?"

"Well, the more metal that is in an object, the better I can control it. I was using small-scale movement to see how much give the sword would have. Here." Making sure the shopkeeper was not back, Misaka lightly tossed the sword up in the air. She then shot out electricity from her hand at the sword. The sword reached the apex of the height, and then fell back down towards the floor, albeit much more slowly than it should normally fall at. When it was halfway to the ground, the sword stopped, and slowly went back into Misaka's hand.

"I'm impressed!" complimented Louise. Misaka frowned.

"A time when I pulled a metal panel from the ground had the panel respond instantly," she explained. "If the same were for this sword, it would have done the same. The fact that it took a second to stop shows that it's not made of much good metal, probably only enough to give the appearance of such." Louise took another look at the sword. Taking a longer glance at it, the sword did look a little flimsy, and could break at the first slice.

At that moment, the shopkeeper returned. "How about this one? It's a little big, but it should suit your tastes." To say that the first sword had been ordinate would be a disservice to the new sword. The object, a two-handed broadsword, was two-thirds the size of the girls, and was covered in a golden finish that glistened the light off of the oil lamp in the room. On the handle were several lavish jewels embedded into the sword. Anyone could tell it was a sharp and broad blade. "Rather than say this is the sword for nobles, this is the sword that nobles dream of having, but cannot use because it is reserved for the strongest of men. For you, miss, even if you can't wield it, wearing it on the back is as much a deterrent."

"Hmmm…" Misaka exchanged the swords, and took some swings at the air. Now that she was paying close attention, Louise could tell that the brunette was using her Electromaster abilities not to test the sword's properties, but to also ease the burden of its weight. She nodded, indicating that it was made of good metal. She then took a few mock swings, to test out the sword. "It's a little big, but I guess it will be good."

"Then it's settled," the pinkette decided. "How much?"

"This sword won't come cheap," the shopkeeper explained, and pointed to some writing on the handle. "See the inscription here? That's Lord Shupei's work, the famous Germanian alchemist. He infused magic into the sword, so that it can cut through metal like butter."

"I'm a noble," Louise stated proudly, holding her head high.

"Then this will go for just three thousand new gold coins," the shopkeeper stated. Hearing the price made Louise gasp in shock.

"W-What?!" she exclaimed. "You can buy a holiday home with that much, and even get a garden!"

"My lady, a famous sword is worth as much as a castle," the shopkeeper stated. "A holiday home is quite cheap compared to this."

"Um, how much would a normal broadsword be?" Misaka asked. While she did not know how much currency was worth, judging from Louise's reaction, it was not like the Japanese Yen.

"A standard broadsword?" the shopkeeper said. "It would be at least 200 new gold coins, at the least. But it wouldn't be as good as that beauty in your hands, miss."

"Ha! That sword, fit for that young kid? You've got to be out of your mind, old man!" All three jumped at the sudden deep, male voice. It had come from a messy pile of swords. However, there was nobody in that direction.

"Um…I'm not that young in experience, sir…" Misaka stated. She was unsure how to address the voice.

"If you get what I'm saying, then go home!" the voice said again. "Yes, you! The noble girl with the flat rack!" Louise blushed heavily.

"H-How impolite of you!" she protested. Misaka walked towards the sound.

"There's nobody here, though…" she stated, looking around.

"Are your eyes just for decoration?" the voice asked. "You're looking right at me!" Misaka caught a glimpse of something moving under a pile of swords. Moving the swords out of the way, she found a rusty, damaged sword. It was the same length as the broadsword, but thinner, making it a longsword. It did not look to be very well made. "That's it, you blind girl!" Part of the guard moved up and down as the voice spoke, confirming that it was indeed the source of the voice.

"Derf!" the shopkeeper angrily yelled. "What did I say about talking to my customers?!" The sword chuckled.

"Customer?" it replied jokingly. "This lass can't even wield a sword! You've gotta be kidding me if you think she's a customer!"

"Am I seeing things, or is this sword actually arguing with him?" groaned Misaka. Louise had a better idea of what she was holding.

"Could it be…a sentient sword?" she asked. The shopkeeper nodded.

"That's right, noble lady," the shopkeeper sighed. "It's a sentient, magical, intelligent sword. I wonder what mage had the brains to make this sword talk with a rotten tongue and argue with my customers."

"One that has more brains than one that would sell a decorative sword off as a weapon," the sword sniggered.

"Hey!" the shopkeeper protested. "Keep that insolence up, and I'll ask this noble to melt you down!"

"Ha!" the sword laughed. "I'd like to see you try it!"

"Hold on, Mr. Derf," interrupted Misaka. "What do you mean about a decorative sword?"

"That's Derflinger to you!" the sword retorted. "Anyway, that sword is powerful, but it is meant for special ceremonies, not combat. A plainer, similar broadsword would do twice as much damage than that old thing!" The shopkeeper had lost patience.

"Fine! I will melt you down, you old whelp!" He left the counter to try and take the sword, but Misaka stopped him.

"It's a shame to melt down a speaking sword," she stated. "Someone put time and effort to make you talk, right?" The sword was silent for a second.

"You seem to be more knowledgeable than most of the people who walk through here," Derflinger stated. "Why don't you give me a go? I may not be as impressive as that faux of a blade, but I can do the job." Misaka nodded. She placed the ornate blade against the shelving, and picked up the weapon. Since the sword could talk, and presumably feel pain, electricity-testing was out of the question; that would tip both Derflinger and the shopkeeper off to her Esper powers. So she did the next-best thing, and swung the blade into the air.

As Misaka took her first swing, however, the runes on her right hand lit up in a brilliant white light. While this had happened before, when she used the Railgun, she had not been able to notice it in its splendor alone. The sheer brilliance of the shine was initially blinding.

"What's going on?!" she stated in confusion. The other two humans were wondering the same thing.

"I-I-What is up with your servant?!" the shopkeeper asked.

"I don't…know!" Louise said, flabbergasted at the sight. The light continued to shine, as Misaka took slices in the air. Immediately, she noticed something odd about what was going on.

'Strange…Derflinger feels lighter than when I picked it up,' she thought. 'And it's as if I know what to do with it too, like it is a part of my body. It's like when I use the iron deposits in sand to create an Iron Sword, except this is with an actual sword, and not my Esper powers.' She looked again at her right hand, and smirked. 'Heh, now he can't be the only one to have an amazing power in a right hand. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I get back and settle the score.' She decided that she had tested the sword enough, and placed Derflinger against the shelf. As soon as she let go, the runes on her hand stopped glowing. There were several silent seconds between the four parties.

"So, you are the next one," Derflinger said, breaking the silence. "You're the next user." The three were confused.

"A user?" Misaka asked. Derflinger simply went "Hmmmm."

"You don't know your true powers, do you?" he stated. "There's time for that, but basically, those runes lit up because you were wielding a genuine weapon. They didn't light up against that big thing because it's for show and tell."

"Really," Louise stated, a little skeptic. "Why should we believe you on that?" Misaka was a little more trusting.

"Even if he was lying, there's no denying that Derflinger has some connection to the runes on my right hand," she stated. "And since nobody knows what exactly they do, I'll put my faith in this sword."

"Miss, what is your name?" Derflinger asked.

"Mikoto Misaka," she replied. "But just call me Misaka."

"Misaka then," the sword agreed. "Call me Derf for short! Buy me!" Misaka looked at Louise.

"Well, I guess we're going to take this sword," the pinkette sighed. "How much for it, shopkeeper?"

"Eh….100 will do," he stated. Louise was surprised.

"Isn't that cheap?" she asked. "You just said that a broadsword would go for 200." The shopkeeper waved his hands dismissively.

"I've been trying to get rid of that sword for the longest time," he stated. "I'll be glad to get it off my hands." He took Derflinger from Misaka, and placed it in its scabbard. "If it gets noisy, just shove it in this thing, and it'll shut up." Misaka counted up 100 gold coins, and placed them on the counter. When the shopkeeper double-checked the coin total, he gave the brunette Derflinger. "Thank you for your business!"

"Thank you!" Misaka stated, and the two walked out of the shop. There were few people around, so Misaka decided to take out Derflinger again.

"Hey, Derf, do you mind if I check something for a second?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" it inquired. Instead of getting an answer, Misaka sent electricity through the sword, testing its metal content. "Hey, hey! That tickles!"

"You seem to have a high concentration of metal," the brunette stated. "For your appearance, you are actually quite sturdy."

"I should say that your appearance is deceiving as well, miss," the sword told her. "You appear as normal as a commoner, yet you just wielded Elven magic there. That's something I didn't expect."

"Well, I can explain it to you as we head back to the Academy, so long as you explain what you meant about being a user," Misaka offered.

"It's a deal, partner!" agreed Derflinger. The two continued to chatter about as they returned to the main street, much to the annoyance of one Louise Vallière.

It was not barely a minute after the two left the shop, before Kirche, Tabitha, Misaka, and Guiche walk out of the nearby Peyman's Potion Shop. Kirche was very frustrated. "This is getting annoying! It's been well over a half an hour already, and we have yet to run into that Louise the Zero!"

"Can I continue my shopping now?" asked a disgruntled Guiche. He was getting impatient with the Germanian.

"Oh, hush!" she replied. "It'll all be worth it as soon as we find her!"

"You mean them," he muttered. He was convinced that the person that Kirche was dragging along was not Misaka; however, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, the person she was dragging was definitely Misaka. The only difference was the handbasket carrying fruits and vegetables (at one point, Kirche had even helped herself to a peach). The group headed into the weapons shop. The merchant was definitely surprised to see the nobles.

"What the hell's going on here?" he stated. "First one noble, now three?"

'So Louise DID come in here,' Kirche thought with a smirk. "Hey there, boss." Kirche let go of Misaka, and played with her hair. Combined with a charming smile on her lips, the shopkeeper could not help but turn red at the sight of the beautiful student. "Do you happen to know what that noble bought here not too long ago?"

"A s-sword," the shopkeeper stammered. "S-She bought a sword." He was having a hard time keeping his eyes away from the young woman's chest.

'So she bought her a sword,' the girl pondered. 'Not that Misaka actively needs it…' "What kind of sword, If I may ask?"

"A d-dirty and rusty one," he replied. Kirche blinked. For all the talk that Louise had given her before the 'Summon Servant' ceremony about having a beautiful and noble Familiar, it was hard to fathom that she bought a dingy old sword for her as her first choice.

"Rusty?" she asked. "Why?" At the question, the shopkeeper went straight-faced and cross.

"Because that sword talked my client out of buying this great sword here!" he explained in frustration, motioning to the broadsword that was still leaning against the shelving. "I told them it was made by the famous Germanian alchemist Lord Shupei, and that it can cut metal like butter, but that infernal sword said that this was a fake! I wanted to melt it down, but the noble's servant took pity on it, and they bought it!"

"A sword…talked them into it?" Kirche repeated, unable to comprehend the seemingly-illogical statement.

"You mean they bought an enchanted, talking sword?" Guiche clarified. The shopkeeper nodded.

"I didn't get much for it, but I don't care, since it's out of my shop now!" he said firmly.

"A talking sword…" Kirche said. She soon broke out into an uncontrollable laughter. "She bought a cheap talking sword! Oh, that fits Louise the Zero perfectly!" She turned around to Misaka. "Wait till she sees your face when you see what she bought you, Misaka!"

Misaka was not behind her. In fact, she was not even in the store.

"Huh?" Kirche was confused. "Misaka? Where did she go?"

"…She left…" Tabitha explained, not looking up from her book. Kirche gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Grrr! Not only have I been outsmarted by Louise the Zero, but now even Misaka has run away!" she shouted. "This day has been a disaster!" While the Germanian angrily left the shop, Guiche inspected the sword that the shopkeeper had said that Louise had looked at. It seemed real as he went to touch it. The moment he made contact with the hilt, a small zap of electricity shocked his hand, forcing him to reel back in pain.

"Ow!" he yelped, grabbing his hand. "There's no mistaking that Misaka was here before." He then looked outside, to where Kirche was shouting at Tabitha to call her Familiar. 'Then, who was that girl that was with us?'

'Misaka' had slipped out of the weapons store while Kirche had been busy seducing the shopkeeper. The brunette then ran until she was well away from the shop, and in the opposite direction that they had come from. Only after she made sure that she was not being followed did she stop, and catch her breath.

"'Phew,' sighs Misaka as she catches her breath," the girl stated. "'It was strange being dragged around town with those strangers who act as if they have met me, even though I have never seen them before in my life,' says Misaka, analyzing the situation." She looked up into the sky. The sun was still high into the air, but the two moons were becoming more visible in the sky. "'I must hurry back to the Inn, else Ma Madamoiselle will worry about me,' Misaka realizes, concerned about the time of day." The girl began to head down the alley and turn onto the main street, at a much more sedated pace than just before.

Aleister Crowley was not happy.

It had been three days since the disappearance of Mikoto Misaka, the Number 3-ranked Level 5 in Academy City.

And despite everything he had built, the comprehensive security system that envelops all of Academy City, he could not figure out how this had happened.

It was enough of a problem that World War III had caused severe deviations to his plans, particularly because of Kamijou Touma. Now he had to deal with the absence of one of the highest-profile Espers in Academy City, without knowing what had happened in the first place. The only thing that security footage showed was of Misaka reaching into the air, and then suddenly disappearing. One minute, she had stepped out of an alleyway after beating up several roughnecks. The next, she is gone, with nobody reacting strangely aside from the one boy that tripped over her bag, which strangely did not make the trip.

Such incidents had happened before. In fact, mysterious disappearances have been going on for decades, even centuries, involving ships, aircraft, even things as simple as small items lying around a house. However, none of these bore explanation or reason to the extent of Academy City's knowledge; and Alester had been too busy focusing in on his plans to even bother investigating these previously-insignificant disappearances. However, if word got out that a Level 5 had vanished from Academy City, there would be grave consequences. Not only would Academy City go on edge for whatever made the girl disappear, the government of Japan, the United States, and other countries would demand answers, answers that Aleister neither had nor would be inclined to give out. Furthermore, it would make the Kamijou Faction act more irregularly then ever; many of their members, which included Misaka, would be on edge knowing that she had disappeared without a trace.

The General Superintendent of Academy City was indeed in a conundrum.

He would need to inform the Board of Directors that Misaka had gone onto a top-secret mission authorized by Aleister himself, and that there would be no mention of Misaka being out of the country. At the same time, Tokiwadai Academy would be informed that Misaka would be out of school for an extended period in order to assist the Board of Directors with a long-term experiment. It appeared that, for the moment, the Academy was unaware about the disappearance; Musujime Awaki had presumed that this was because of the Number 5 ranked Level 5, who was also a Tokiwadai resident. Still, it would be best if a contingency plan would be in place, for safety reasons.

Finally, he would need to place an increased watch onto the Kamijou Faction. Not only was Index investigating the disappearance, but so was Kuroko Shirai of Judgment. It would only be a matter of time before Touma would get involved as well, perhaps with the Church of Necessarius or the Amakusa Church behind him. This created an opportunity for others to solve the problem, without him needing to investigate himself. After all, Aleister had other, more pressing matters to resolve, even if a panic of such a high-level disappearance would cause further deviations in his plans. However, it also meant that they would act first, and he would need to react to their actions, meaning that Aleister would have to set aside some resources to intervene or aid in their decisions.

For now, he would take a wait-and-see approach. Because, like the Kamijou Faction, that was all anyone could do. Without any information, there would be no leads as to what caused the mysterious phenomena, and no leads as to extracting the Third-ranked Level 5.

Clearly, he was not the only one that was frustrated on this issue.

"So your world is powered by this thing called electricity, which is the same as your Railgun electromaster abilities?" Misaka nodded.

"We can have lights on for as long as we want whenever we want, can wash our clothes in short order, and even cook our meals in under a minute to order!" she explained. "We travel with electricity, work with electricity, and live with electricity; it's a basic human right at this point!"

"Sounds like a place much better than this joint!" the sword quipped. "Having that so-called electricity everywhere for people to use and light up places would be much nicer than the candles and gas lighters that this world relies on, let alone its other uses." From her bed, Louise tried to drown out the conversation with her pillows. Misaka and Derflinger had talked endlessly for the three hour horseride back to the Academy, and for the past thirty minutes since they got back to their room. It was driving her insane.

"Why is it that all the really strange stuff has to happen to me?" she sighed. The two chatterboxes did not hear her over their voices.

To Be Continued…