A.N: Hello beautiful people! I just wanted to say thanks again for all the love and support. Really, it's because you all are so awesome that I was able to crank out this chapter super fast. And it's a decent length too unlike the last chapter heh. Honestly, your reviews are what keep me going. They're so nice and insightful and I absolutely adore the fact that you folks like the fic so much. I hope I continue inspiring such amazing words! That being said, I hope you all enjoy.
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August 16th
1:03pm
Mikoto sighed as she mindlessly flipped through the latest edition to her favorite on-going manga series. She thought that reading about Shoji's and Hikari's epic love story would make her feel better but it only served as a minor distraction before she was quickly overcome by her earlier thoughts.
She growled a little as she threw the manga back onto the rack before pressing her palm against her eye. She gazed unseeingly at the different magazines before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes and straightening up.
Releasing the breath she just inhaled, Mikoto blew a few strands of hair away from her face as she placed a hand on her hip and scratched her temple. She felt antsy, the lack of sleep making her irritable; she sighed again before reopening her eyes and tugging at her tie.
It was still early and she had barely been out for more than an hour but she already wanted to head back home. Kuroko was busy with another Judgment case—which she promised not to interfere with this time—and probably wouldn't be home until late which meant that Mikoto could go home and sleep without having to think about the fact that her kouhai was only a door away and if she really wanted to—and, yes, she really wanted to—she could see her.
Mikoto crossed her arms as she scanned the magazines and manga in front of her with a critical eye. Maybe she could find another distraction that would help ease the slight ache forming in her heart. She was saved from having to read through the summaries for the fifty books listed on the rack by a call coming in to her cell phone.
She reached a hand into her pocket and pulled out her signature Gekota phone—limited 2.0 edition—and held the device to her ear.
"Hello?" she answered without bothering to check the caller ID as she thrummed her fingers against a manga spine.
"Yahoo, Misaka-san! Are you busy right now?"
"Ah, Saten-san," Mikoto chose a book from the rack and pulled it out, opening it up to a random page. She flipped through it uninterestedly, "No, I'm free. Why?"
"Well, I was bored and Kazari is busy with Judgment work. So I figured you'd have to be pretty bored since Shirai-san is with her. Do you want to go to Joseph's and get some lunch?"
"Mm…" was Mikoto's noncommittal response as she continued searching through the manga before blushing when she stopped on a particularly graphic scene.
Oh, Motoko, don't stop!
You feel so good, Yuri…
She practically slammed the book closed when she realized what she was reading, her phone falling to the floor in the process. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest and she could dimly hear the calls of her name from Ruiko.
Mikoto gave herself a few minutes to calm her racing heart before gingerly—as if she were afraid it would attack her— setting the manga back down and bending so that she could pick up her phone.
"I'll meet you at Joseph's in fifteen, Saten-san," Mikoto stuttered out before closing her phone and standing back up. She held the device loosely in her palms as she gazed at the manga she had just put down anxiously.
Though she had a vague notion of what BL was she had never seen any literature with two girls together other than the small glimpses that she caught every now and then from the magazines Kuroko kept in her room. She swallowed thickly before shaking her head.
Now's not that time for this, she gripped her phone tightly in her hand as she nodded determinedly, I won't be defeated!
Casting the manga one last curious glance, Mikoto slipped her cell phone into her pocket before turning and jogging out of the convenience store.
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"Misaka-san! Over he—eh, are you okay?"
Mikoto sighed as she dropped down into their usual booth and sprawled out onto the table. She glowered as she glanced up at Ruiko, "I just saw something that I'd rather not have."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, nothing," she sighed as she sat up and placed her palm on her cheek before looking out the window. Not a full minute passed before a cup of tea was set down in front of her. She turned and was met with a familiar smiling face.
"Ah, thank you, Akemi-san."
The waitress, Akemi-san, smiled as she dipped her head respectfully, "It's my pleasure, Misaka-sama. You've been coming here for so long—of course I'd know your order by heart."
Mikoto returned the smile as genuinely as she could manage before laughing and rubbing the back of her head, "well I always appreciate it," she lifted her cup and made of show of sipping before sighing in relief when Akemi-san the waitress finally left.
From across the table, Ruiko smirked at her mischievously, "As popular as always, huh, Misaka-sama?"
Mikoto grimaced before taking another drink, "I can never catch a break..." she grumbled irritably. Akemi-san the waitress was also Akemi-san the first year at Kirigaoka Girls Academy. That stupid Misaka Mikoto fan club had even followed her into high school and she had seen Akemi-san hanging out with a few of other girls in the club.
She sighed at her unsettling thoughts before returning her attention out the window, "I hope it doesn't rain," she glanced up at the sky in boredom, "it's a dreary enough day without."
"Wow," Ruiko watched her with a simple smile as she munched on her stick of pocky, "Talking about the
weather, huh? Has it really been that long since we hung out, Misaka-san?"
"Hm?" Mikoto tilted her head in confusion as she looked at Ruiko, "what—it hasn't been that long."
"Only a few weeks!" Ruiko sighed dramatically, "Kazari and Shirai-san have been so busy with Judgment—I thought I'd at least have you, Misaka-san but you've been spending all your time with your boyfriend lately—well," Ruiko grinned, "not that I blame you."
Mikoto glowered as she lifted her cup of tea, "How many times do I have to tell you that Touma and I are just friends?"
"C'mon, Misaka-san, it's just me," Ruiko waved her hand with a flourish, "Unlike Shirai-san, I totally support your relationship. Not that I'm speaking badly of Shirai-san, but as someone who's not in love with you I can say I support you 100%."
Pausing a moment, Mikoto lowered her cup before steadily meeting Ruiko's gaze, "Kuroko doesn't have anything to worry about because Touma and I are not together. Geez," she looked away with a huff, "is this what you three talk about when I'm not around? Kuroko doesn't need to be jealous so stop putting those ideas in her head and worrying her needlessly..." she trailed off at the Cheshire smile directed her way. She felt a bead of sweat slide down the side of her face and suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Oh~?" Ruiko held her palm up to her mouth as she grinned at Mikoto," You certainly are concerned with Shirai-san's feelings on this matter."
"O-of course I am," Mikoto stuttered as a blush dusted her cheeks before she lifted her cup in a slightly shaky hand, "She's my best friend s-so I'm just saying that—mou!" she slammed the cup back down on the table, "Why are we even talking about this! I'm not dating him so it's fine."
Ruiko chuckled, "okay, Misaka-san...anyways, are you ready for the new school term?"
Grateful as she was for the sudden change in topic, Mikoto wished that Ruiko had chosen a different subject. She sighed as she thought about starting her second year, her blush receding in the process.
"Yeah, I guess. It should be okay since I've already completed my first year. I was worried about Kuroko at first but she's taking summer classes so—"
"Eh, is that why she's always wearing her school uniform?" Ruiko blinked in surprise, "And here I thought you two just kept choosing these schools where you have to wear your uniform all the time because you don't own any other clothes."
Mikoto gritted her teeth, "Now, look here—" she paused before what was sure to be the beginnings of a long rant about how she had plenty of clothes but no real opportunities to wear them before sighing and taking a long sip of her tea. She knew Ruiko was just messing with her but still—it hurt a girl's pride a little.
"How about you, Saten-san?" she asked as she set her nearly empty cup down, "You're going to the same school Touma went to right? They have a pretty decent curriculum from what I remember..."
She had briefly considered going to his school when she graduated middle school after all and once again she had to ponder on what the hell was she thinking when she was in love with Kamijou Touma. Giving up an enriching education in an attempt to get closer to a boy who would never return her affections? Geez. Talk about stupid.
Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, she smiled as she caught the last of Ruiko's sentence.
"-actually am really excited. The uniforms are similar to Sakugawa's so it's kind of like nothing's really changed," Ruiko's lips drew up into a gentle smile, "Kazari really likes the campus and my other friends got accepted as well. I hope we have a lot of fun together."
Mikoto grinned along with her, "That sounds great, Saten-san. I'm sure you all will enjoy it."
They enjoyed a comfortable silence for a moment before dissolving into small talk for the rest of the hour.
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August 16th
8:26pm
By the time she exited Judgment Headquarters, Kuroko was exhausted. HQ had conducted a random mock battle between the members and while she had utterly dominated her opponent—a level 3 ice user—she still received a few cuts and bruises in the process.
Add that to the lack of sleep and fact that she had only eaten a bagel in the morning, she felt tired, sore and hungry. She sighed as she rubbed at her head, feeling the makings of an oncoming headache.
"Shirai-san! There you are."
Kuroko grimaced as she turned towards her partner. Kazari had her hands on her knees and was breathing heavily from running after her, looking a little worse for wear but overall appearing okay. Enthusiastic, really. Which was a surprise considering Kazari had to face a level 2 speedster and had been promptly defeated in a manner of seconds.
She really is more cut out for background work...
Kuroko let that thought occupy her mind for a moment as she placed her hand on her hip and gazed down at her partner disinterestedly.
"What is it, Uiharu?"
"Well," Kazari took a deep, steadying breath before straightening up, "I was wondering if you wanted to go get something to eat to congratulate you on your win!"
Kuroko's stomach rumbled at the mention of food, however, she shook her head before smiling softly at Kazari.
"While I appreciate the offer, sadly I must decline," she yawned a little, "I just want to go home and sleep."
"Oh..." Kazari appeared disheartened for a moment at that before she perked up and beamed at Kuroko, "Well, okay! Maybe we can do something fun this weekend? All of us since it's been a while since the four of us spent time together. We're both off, right?"
Kuroko's smile widened at the idea, "That sounds wonderful, Uiharu. I shall talk to Onee-sama about it when I get home."
Kazari was all smiles as they briefly discussed their plans before walking away, waving as she did so.
She watched her go with a small smile before sighing and turning around. Kuroko was too tired to teleport but the idea of having to walk was extremely unappealing. She was just about to suck it up and force herself to form the proper calculations needed in order to teleport when she spotted someone familiar walking down the street. She frowned when the person looked up and noticed her.
"Hey, Shirai! Is that you?"
Kuroko felt the urge to sigh once more when Kamijou Touma waved at her with a wide smile before making his way over to her. Though she no longer hated the man, she still couldn't help but feel a little bitter towards the person who took her Onee-sama away from her.
Whenever she thought that though she had to force herself to remember that Onee-sama was never hers to begin with therefore she had no reason to be upset. That didn't change the fact that she was though.
She smiled at her best friend's supposed boyfriend politely, "Good day, Kamijou-san. It has been ages since we last saw each other. Are you well?"
Touma stopped in front of her and gave her his signature grin, "I'm pretty good, Shirai. I was just doing some shopping," his clear eyes widened in concern as they scanned her features, "whoa, are you okay?" He placed his palm on her forehead, "you don't look so good, Shirai."
Kuroko glowered as she resisted the urge to swat his hand away. She hated how casual he was in addressing her and she especially hated how he thought it was okay to interact with her in such a friendly manner.
She gazed up at him unimpressively, "My, what will Onee-sama say if she catches you giving another girl this kind of attention?"
Touma blinked at her in surprise before dropping his hand, "I don't think she'd care very much," he answered in a confused voice.
Kuroko gritted her teeth as she glared at the man, cursing his insensitivity. Onee-sama would definitely care! Was he not the one she loved? She would be upset to see him giving another girl such careful attention.
Not for the first time, Kuroko wondered what Onee-sama saw in this normal, unordinary person. He may have saved her life a few times but she would never see him as anything other than unworthy.
"Ahh...do you think Mikoto and I are dating?"
Kuroko was pulled from her thoughts at that question, her brows knitting together in confusion as she returned her eyes to him.
Touma leveled her with a pitying look as he raised his hands in defeat, "I don't know what stories you've heard but Mikoto and I are not together."
Her frown deepened. So for nearly two and a half years he's been dismissing her Onee-sama's feelings? What kind of insensitive—
She took a deep breath before gazing up at him in disapproval, "You are aware of how she feels for you are you not?"
"How she feels for me?" He asked with a slight tilt of his head.
"Yes," annoyance was bubbling up in her at his ignorance. Did she really have to spell it out? "Onee-sama has romantic feelings for you."
His response was not the one she expected.
Touma burst out laughing at her words, even holding his stomach from how amusing he apparently thought her Onee-sama's feelings were. Her dislike of him continued to grow.
She closed her eyes as she waited for him to finish.
Touma took a deep breath as he released one final chuckle before shaking his head, "Wow, I needed that. Trust me, Shirai. I'm not the one Mikoto loves."
Kuroko's brow rose at that statement, not believing it for a second, "If not you then who?"
He shrugged before reaching over to pat her head, "You'd have to ask her yourself. It's not my place to tell. In the meantime, allow Kamijou-san to drive you home. My car is just parked over there and you look too exhausted to walk."
Kuroko batted his hand away with a scowl, "I can manage on my own thank you very much—hey! Unhand me this instance!"
Touma had grabbed her arm loosely with his right hand so that she couldn't teleport and began walking her towards his car.
"Believe me, Shirai normally I would take your word for it but if something were to happen to you that I could have prevented, Mikoto would kill me and I've had just enough electric shocks to last me a life time."
She glared at him darkly before sighing and allowing him to pull her.
She especially disliked his 'chivalrous' side.
Ignoring her annoyance for a moment, Kuroko frowned as she thought about Touma's words.
If what he said is true…then who is the one causing Onee-sama such grief?
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August 16th
8: 58pm
After reluctantly thanking Touma for the ride home, Kuroko entered her apartment with a tired sigh. She changed into her slippers as she loosened her tie and walked through the entry way. She had noticed that Mikoto's slippers were missing which meant that her Onee-sama was actually home at a decent hour.
"Onee-sama?" she called out to the older girl curiously as she headed into the living room frowning when there was no sight of the girl there or in the kitchen across the way.
She must be in her room…
Kuroko sighed, feeling a bit disheartened. She had looked forward to spending time with Onee-sama before bed too. She blinked in surprise before smiling softly when she noticed that dinner had been left out for her. Onee-sama had been cooking a lot lately something she really appreciated since she never really had the time anymore…though she did wish Onee-sama was awake so that they could share their meal together.
"Oh well," she sat down and unwrapped her food, "Itadakimasu."
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Contrary to Kuroko's belief, Mikoto was wide awake. She had her arms crossed behind her head and was staring intently at the ceiling as she thought about her day. Mikoto sighed as she closed her eyes and turned on her side.
This sucks…She reopened her eyes as she picked at a loose strand on her covers sadly, Kuroko…
She didn't mind the lack of sleep if it meant she could actually see her kouhai. Mikoto thought that maybe they could at least have dinner together but when six and then seven o'clock passed she realized that that wish wasn't going to come true.
Mikoto turned onto her back once more and covered her eyes with an arm. She was pretty bummed to be honest. She wasn't kidding earlier when she said she missed her friend.
So lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the sound of her door opening or the gentle call of her name. What she did notice however was the sudden weight on her bed. She lowered her arm quickly and looked over at the spot next to her leg.
"Ku—Kuroko!" she sat up a little at the sight of the object of her thoughts, "you're back!"
Kuroko beamed at her widely, "I came home a little while ago actually. I was simply coming in here to thank you for the dinner though I figured you would be asleep."
"Ahh…" Mikoto rubbed the back of her neck as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, "D-don't worry about it, it's no big deal. I just figured you'd be hungry and stuff…"
The younger girl held her hand up to her mouth as she released a small giggle, "Regardless, thank you, Onee-sama," she leaned forward teasingly until their lips were a few inches away, much to the distress of Mikoto who reared back.
"Geh—Not so close!" Mikoto shouted, blush deepening as she covered Kuroko's mouth with her palm. Kuroko pouted up at her cutely as she grabbed Mikoto's hand and pulled it away.
"Mou, Onee-sama, I only wanted to properly thank you," she mumbled as she held Mikoto's palm in hers.
"And you didn't think your words were enough?" Mikoto grumbled as she looked to the side. Kuroko giggled again, quite use to this behavior by now as she moved away from Mikoto and stood up.
She wiped her hands on her skirt before smiling down at Mikoto, "Anyways, Onee-sama, I only wished to say hi. I shall leave you be now. Have a nice night," she bowed her head respectfully before turning to go only to stop when she felt a hand on her wrist.
Mikoto was gazing up at her with an unreadable look in her eye before the older girl loosened the hold on her wrist and released her. A soft sigh escaped Mikoto as she scratched her cheek lightly, "You can stay if you want."
Kuroko's heart skipped a beat at Mikoto's bashful expression and she had to resist the urge to squeal and launch herself at the older girl since she didn't want to ruin this chance.
Be that as it may however, she couldn't help the mischievous words that exited her mouth.
"Ara, Onee-sama, does this mean we can sleep together tonight?" she smirked at her Onee-sama teasingly, "Kuroko has been wishing for the day Onee-sama willingly shared her bed for years!"
Holding her palms together, Kuroko beamed down at the older girl sweetly as she waited for Mikoto's reaction. She knew that what she said would ignite anger and embarrassment in the older girl but she always loved seeing Mikoto's shy nature taking a hold of her.
What surprised her was the fact that Mikoto only released a small sigh before briefly glancing down at her bed then back at her. Kuroko felt her breath catch at the expression on the older girl's face.
"That's fine. We can…for tonight," Mikoto rubbed the back of her neck tiredly as her eyes slipped close, "Touma called and told me how exhausted you were, "she opened one eye and gazed at her intently, "At least this way I'll know that you're actually getting rest instead of forcing yourself to work more. I can look out for you better if you're here with me."
Kuroko's chest tightened at the words that were spoken so nonchalantly but said volumes about Mikoto's concern for her. She licked her lips before nodding a little, "O-okay…ah, allow me to shower first."
"Sounds good," Mikoto sighed as she lifted her covers and turned around in her bed, "Just wake me up when you get back," she paused before looking over at Kuroko sternly, "And don't wear anything flimsy to bed please."
"Heh," Kuroko blinked back a few tears as she laughed softly and held her hand to her chest, "okay. I shall be back momentarily."
She exited the room before Mikoto had the chance to change her mind.
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Though Mikoto appeared unworried in Kuroko's mind, inside she was freaking out. She gripped her covers tightly as she stared at the wall in panic. Her cheeks were bright red and she was shivering slightly at what she had just done. Why did she tell Kuroko she could sleep with her? Jesus! It's like she was just asking for something bad to happen.
A brief image of those two girls in that manga flashed through her mind before she shook her head quickly and squeezed her eyes shut. They—they weren't going to do that. They hadn't even kissed yet. Not that Mikoto wanted to kiss Kuroko—okay she did but she wasn't ready for that yet.
Mikoto held her hands to her head as she rolled around her bed, Gah! Why did I tell her she could stay!
Yeah.
There was no way she was getting any sleep tonight.
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A.N: Ah, Touma and Kuroko are my #1 favorite male and female characters in the series so it is so fun writing them together though I'm 100000000% sure Kuroko will never like him. Heh, that's okay though. Anyways I was really struggling with which high school Mikoto and Kuroko go to which is why I simply referred to it as the Academy until I chose one. From where I am in the novels there are currently three named prestigious schools in Academy City. Those are Tokiwadai Middel School, Kirigaoka Girls Academy and Nagatenjouki Academy. While I could have just made up a school for the sakes of this story I decided just to go with Kirigaoka. Now while Kirigaoka focuses on rare abilities I'd figure that they'd accept Mikoto considering the fact that she is Academy City's #3 level 5. So even though her abilities are common, the level of her ability is not. As for Kuroko, I'm under the impression that abilities like hers and Musujime Awaki's are not as common as others and therefore she would be admitted as well. PLUS the uniforms are just my style. Oh also Junior=second year, Sophomore=first year ahahahah. Anyways, until next time!