Toaru Heiwa no Yugata

A Certain Evening of Peace

The school day ended and the final bell rang. Misaka had no more problems, at least none that she wasn't used to. She left class as usual and as usual Kuroko was waiting for her, nose still in her books though as soon as she saw Misaka she put it away and smiled at her. After that they walked out of the school together, exchanging pleasantries and talking about their respective days.

After they drew away from the school building, however, Kuroko gave her a wry grin. "I don't have any Judgment work today or tomorrow. So how about tomorrow we meet up with Saten and Uiharu and all have some fun together?"

"Sounds good," Misaka replied.

"Today, however, I can finally spend a little time alone with Onee-sama. If you don't have any other plans how about we go on a date?"

Misaka stopped in her tracks, "Kuroko," she practically hissed, blushing and looking around to make sure no one had heard, "we're supposed to keep this secret for now. Remember?"

"Sorry, my mistake. Well then, how about we go out together to a movie and do some shopping?" She amended.

"That would be fine," Misaka said, glad that Kuroko didn't argue or pout about her refusal. She just wasn't ready for such a public display yet.

"That would be fine and yet it's the same thing we would have done anyway," Kuroko informed her casually, "date is just a word; you don't need to be so frightened by it."

"I'm not scared," Misaka roared, "It's just that not everyone has such an easy time labeling things as you." She stormed off.

Kuroko sighed gently. I don't know why you're wasting so much time on this.

"It's because I know what she's like," she replied quietly, "all her life she has had her power and intelligence to protect her. She could solve any problem with a sufficient amount of perseverance, hard work, brains or application of enough volts to cause a small blackout. But this is a matter of the heart. It is a matter that no amount of hard work, logic or electricity can solve. And that scares her, but her persistence and stubbornness prevents her from just giving up on this, no matter how much it scares her."

You are annoyed by this.

"I'm not annoyed at all that she is like this, it's part of who she is and I love her unconditionally. But yes, this pace annoys me to no end. After months of pining and hard work to get her to look at me as more than a friend it's taking all my self-control to keep myself from just making out with her right now in the middle of the street. It feels like paradise is a step away but I'm being held back. If I try to take the next step alone the whole staircase would just shatter beneath me but the person I need to take with me is just starting to climb and is treating every step like it's rigged with a landmine."

I am unable to see any rational reason for this behavior of yours.

"That's because there isn't a rational reason. It's because I love her. I've been waiting for so long for her to even try to climb the staircase with me, so I'm willing to wait a little while longer. I'm willing to walk away from paradise and lead her up step by step, no matter how slow it is."

I will never understand that kind of reasoning or your infatuation with that pereskia. But I do understand that it makes you… happy, content, pleased. Whatever you call it, your mind is at peace. So whether I understand it or not I'll always be here for you Shiro.

"Good. Now for our date."

I thought she stormed off.

"Come now Kuro, you and I both know where she is." Kuroko said before heading off to the place that the fuming Misaka would be sure to go.

There were few things that Misaka could ever truly rely on other than herself. Even though she had plenty of friends there were some things she couldn't rely on them for. She was a level five after all, there were few things a level five could not accomplish, and of those few things there were a miniscule amount that could be accomplished by someone else. But this was one thing she could not do herself. She had entrusted the task to various people throughout her life but this remained the single most reliable. It would not wander around the city, it would accept the task without any complaint, and it had been there for her throughout the years.

It was her ever faithful punching bag, vending machine #7116. "CHASER!" she announced in a battle cry as she spun around and kicked the machine downward at a forty five degree angle. A dull thud echoed through it as a pomegranate cola dropped down into the receptacle. She snatched it up and chugged it down, hardly appearing the high class Ouja-sama that some people thought.

Ever since last year this machine had regularly been receiving her abuse, and yet each time she kicked it it would just dispense another drink, as if rewarding her for her violence and abuse. It would always be in this one place, unlike her spiky haired punching bag, and she would never feel bad for hurting it, unlike her punching bag turned…

'Damn.' She thought, crushing the empty can in her fist, 'I am afraid, I'm afraid of a god damn word.' She was afraid because, to her, it was more than a word. It was a meaning. A date was different than hanging out with your friend. A friend was different than a girlfriend. And once a name, a meaning, was assigned, it could not be taken back easily.

She spun around again and kicked the machine, another can dropped down. She sighed as she picked it up.

"Really Onee-sama… you're still wearing those horrible shorts?"

She turned to Kuroko and shot her a glare, "as I recall they saved our lives." She attempted to sound bitter as she said it, but she realized what she was saying halfway through the sentence and the rest sounded as if she was trying to stifle a laugh.

Kuroko chuckled, "That was a pretty odd situation though. I don't care to pin my every day survival on the hope that your shorts will come to the rescue."

"They still function as a shield from the eyes of perverts like you."

"So is not kicking vending machines."

It was an age old argument, one they had had several times before. But it didn't make Misaka angry this time. Now it was something familiar, something that hadn't changed even if their relationship had. She looked at Kuroko for a second then tossed her the soda she had in her hand, a silent 'I'm sorry'.

Kuroko caught it deftly, opening it and taking a sip. She smiled, "thank you Onee-sama, though next time I'd prefer something you bought honestly," She teased her.

"Shut up and drink," Misaka said, more affectionately than angry, as she sat down on the nearby bench. Kuroko sat next to her. The two were silent as Kuroko finished up the can of soda, then she stood up.

"Now what do you say we head to that movie?" she said hand outstretched to Misaka as she teleported the can into the recycling bin.

Misaka looked up at her not accepting the hand quite yet, "as friends?" she asked.

Kuroko looked deep into her eyes, "where there is understanding one does not need words," she said.

Misaka raised an eyebrow at her, "Smartass," she said, but she took her hand nonetheless.

Kuroko helped Misaka up and, still holding her hand, began dragging her off to the movie theatre. When Misaka began following and keeping up she instead clung to her arm, a, somewhat ironically, less unusual arrangement for the two of them to be in. "it's our privilege as girls," she remarked, "to be so close to another girl without any strange looks."

"Totally. We get absolutely no strange looks when you suddenly hop on my lap in a crowded restaurant." Misaka responded sarcastically.

"No, but perhaps if I had done it more subtly nobody would have noticed or cared."

"Now if only the word subtle was in your dictionary," Misaka snarked, covering up her embarrassment with these somewhat gentle jabs and barbs.

Pereskia calling the rose thorny.

"Subtlety is for things you want to keep secret. I proudly declare my love for you and I always will. If it makes you uncomfortable then I'll work on the timing of it, but I'll still do it." Kuroko informed her matter-of-factly.

Misaka blushed. She still wasn't sure if she should be flattered or annoyed by such bold declarations. "What movie are we watching," she asked, trying to change the subject as they drew close to the cinema.

"Perhaps a romance? To get us in the mood? "Kuroko said half-serious, half-teasing as they arrived, "Or whatever you'd like to watch. Pick something you'd enjoy, I'm happy just being here with you."

Misaka turned to the movie listings, suddenly finding them very interesting as she hid her blush. There were a couple different action movies but she ruled them out. 'Too much like real life for my tastes.' There was a drama but she dismissed that as well. 'I'd prefer something a little more lighthearted.' Then there was a child's film but she had already seen that twice, besides Kuroko would likely ridicule her if she chose that.

So she settled on a romantic comedy. Kuroko went off to buy the tickets, though Misaka had offered to buy her own Kuroko had insisted that she was the one to pay, "I was the one to invite you out after all," she reasoned.

After that they went to their theatre and got seats somewhere near the middle. The movie began soon after that and the two watched. To Misaka's surprise Kuroko did nothing more than hold her hand throughout the movie. It felt a bit… weird not having her perverted attentions on her in full force but she was more relieved than disappointed.

After the movie was over they left the theatre. It was getting late but they still had more than an hour before they would need to be getting back home. So they began walking to the shopping mall nearby. On the way Misaka asked, "how did you like the movie?"

Kuroko looked thoughtful for a second before responding, "I feel a bit envious."

"Huh?"

"They had a relationship hindered only by misunderstandings and their own idiocy. Things like that can be seen pas easily. Misunderstandings can be cleared up and even the most blind can be made to see. I wish things were that easy in real life. I wish a happy ending was just a series of silly events away." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Misaka stopped and looked at her. She looked for the words she could use to console her, but she struggled to find them. She reached up and patted Kuroko on the head with her free hand and said the only thing she could think of, the thing that consoled her when she was having trouble. "We have longer than an hour and a half to figure this out though."

Kuroko looked at her, her eyes still sad but she put up a fake smile anyway, "yeah, I guess. Thanks."

After that, things went back to normal as they window shopped for an hour or so, appearing for all the world as two friends and nothing more. Kuroko was careful to be on her best behavior, though still stick close to Misaka. After all, if she could prove they could be out and close without her going too far then she was more likely to agree to this in the future. It was a simple matter to control herself and Misaka seemed to appreciate the effort.

When the sky started to darken they made their way back to the dorms, making it back half an hour before curfew. As they walked into their room and closed the door Kuroko tugged on her arm.

"Thanks Onee-sama," she said, "I had fun today, thanks for coming with me."

Misaka smiled back, "it was my pleasure, it's been too long since we've been able to do this kind of thing."

"You know what they say. 'Every peaceful day is a miracle to be treasured'. Even more so for us. Then again it does keep things from getting boring I suppose."

"With you things don't get boring that easily," Misaka murmured

Kuroko leaned up and kissed her passionately, "what was that?" she said in a seductive purr as she pulled away, "you say I excite you?" She took a step forward, effectively pinning the deeply blushing and frozen Misaka to the wall.

Misaka's breath caught in her throat as Kuroko once again utterly dominated her with her aggressiveness. She felt herself clench up as her heart raced in her chest and her stomach filled with butterflies Then Kuroko leaned her head against Misaka, as she transitioned from aggressive to a pensive restraint in an instant. She pressed her body against Misaka's, though she clung as if for comfort rather than perverted lust.

"I'm sorry Onee-sama… I forgot myself…" she said apologetically, holding on for a few more seconds before letting go and walking over to her desk to begin on her homework.

Misaka stood there for a minute as her heartbeat went back to a normal rate and she stopped shaking. Her head felt heavy and foggy. She felt like…

She tried to calm down and begin her own homework but the feeling lingered . Her progress was slow and she wasn't done until much later than she usually was. Kuroko had finished a while ago and was now reading her books. When Misaka finally finished she was tired and ready to go to bed, as was Kuroko. So the two got changed.

Kuroko began walking to her own bed but Misaka reached out and put a hand on her arm, causing her to stop and turn. She was blushing and averting her eyes. Her mouth opened but no words formed.

They didn't need to… Kuroko understood. "You're concerned about my nightmares?" she said acting oblivious and providing Misaka with a convenient excuse, "would it bother you if I slept with you again?" she said in a pleading voice with big eyes and a pout to match.

"Uhh… not really… I mean if it helps you…" she stammered, feeling more than a little relieved.

"Thank you Onee-sama," Kuroko beamed. She waited as Misaka climbed into her bed then joined her.

She wouldn't tell her but it put Misaka at ease to have the other girl beside her. She had rarely slept more soundly than she had the past couple days with Kuroko clinging to her…

'No,' she thought to herself, 'it's just a word, just a title. I will not be scared.'

"Good night Onee-sama," Kuroko said happily

"Good night," Misaka said to her girlfriend.

Author's note: Just a light, frivolous, happy chapter. It's been a while since I've focused on the romance of these two and usually it's been full of angst and drama. So I just wanted a casual little bit of light romance. I even managed to sneak some development in there so… bonus points!

The next chapters a bit… different from this one, so be sure to enjoy the light spirited reading while you can.