AN: Hey folks! Another chapter down! Been writing in my free time while watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand and freaking loving it so far. Also I just finished volume 22 of Index and have finally started New Testament. World War III arc is pretty much the best arc in Index IMO. As always, thank you for the support and lovely reviews, you know I always appreciate it. I hope you enjoy and please R&R.

August 16th

10:11pm

Don't screw this up, Kuroko!

Kuroko chanted that sentence in her head over and over again as she gazed at herself in the mirror intensely. She barely remembered showering or getting dressed, her mind consumed with the knowledge that in just a few minutes she would be sharing a bed with her Onee-sama.

Now this wasn't exactly a new experience for her since she had often snuck into Mikoto's bed many a time in her younger days but the fact of the matter was that it was different. This was the first time Mikoto was willingly sharing her bed with her and at the older girl's suggestion too!

To say she was nervous was an understatement; she was terrified of messing this up. Mikoto was a relatively private person when it came to certain things and didn't often extend her trust in a manner such as this so she didn't want to ruin it by being too eager.

She frowned as she picked up her brush and began slowly running it through her auburn locks. That brought her to another matter; who exactly was Kamijou Touma talking about when he claimed that Onee-sama was in love with someone else? Was there another man in the picture that she didn't know about, someone who had earned Mikoto's trust?

It was certainly possible considering the amount of time Mikoto spent out late at night. Kuroko had no idea what her Onee-sama got up to during those evenings so it wasn't impossible to believe that maybe she was meeting up with a guy.

Sighing, Kuroko set her brush down and placed a hand to her chest. She closed her eyes as she bit her lip in an attempt to calm her aching heart. Even after all these years, the thought of Mikoto being with someone else still hurt though now she was use to the pain. It was more like a dull ache than the sharp stab it once was.

Though she behaved otherwise, Kuroko always knew that one day Mikoto would end up leaving her. In the older girl's eyes, she was nothing more than a kouhai, roommate and close friend. She would never win Mikoto's heart in that way and she had accepted that years ago.

She was still as in love with the older girl as she was when she was thirteen but now she knew better. She may occasionally tease Mikoto but she no longer acted like the crazed, jealous lovesick little girl that she once was. She knew better.

That's why whenever she briefly entertained the idea of them being together she immediately pushed those thoughts away. That's why when Touma had told her Mikoto was in love with someone else, she never once factored herself into the equation.

Kuroko released a light chuckle as she shook her head and closed her eyes, besides, Onee-sama liking me back?...no way.

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In the other room, Mikoto was facing her own dilemma though it was by no means as serious as the one Kuroko was having. She sighed as she paced back and forth.

What's taking her so long? Mikoto scowled as she walked to the wall and then back towards her bed before repeating the process, did she change her mind? Maybe she noticed how weird I was acting.

Mikoto paused in her stride, her foot tapping against the floor as she crossed her arms, No, no if she noticed something she definitely would have commented on it. Gah! Why am I so nervous? She held her head in her hands once more as she sat on the bed.

Oh God, she had a sudden realization, I can barely keep my hands to myself when she's in the same room! What if I c-can't stop myself, her eyes widened at that horrifying thought as her jaw tensed, w-what if she tries to k-kiss me?

Mikoto covered her eyes as a blush rose to her cheeks, I don't think I can handle this! I'm freaking out! I'm totally freaking out, this was a bad idea!

"Onee-sama?"

She spun her head towards the door as her hands fell away from her face, her heart skipping a beat when she met Kuroko's confused gaze.

"K-k-kuroko!" she quickly jumped up from the bed and moved so that she was standing on the other side of her room before rubbing her sweaty palms together, "you're back! Did you have a nice shower?" she asked suddenly, hoping to distract Kuroko so that the younger girl wouldn't ask what the Hell she was doing a few seconds ago.

"Ah, yes, it was refreshing," Kuroko reluctantly answered before smiling and tilting her head curiously, "Not that I mind, but what happened to your pajama top?"

Mikoto blinked before glancing down at her plain white t-shirt and pulling at it nervously. The truth was that she had worked herself up so much that after a while her top had felt restricting and uncomfortable so she had taken it off until she was left in a simple t and her favorite pair of Gekota bottoms. Now she slightly regretted that decision.

"Um…I got hot," she scratched her cheek before taking a deep breath and returning her eyes to Kuroko only to blush when she finally noticed what the younger girl was wearing, "when did you get those?"

She was referring to Kuroko's pajama's which consisted of a pair of silky indigo and a matching camisole that she had never seen before.

Her eyes softened, She looks so pretty—mou, get it together, Mikoto! She rearranged her features so that her expression was fixed into her typical scowl.

Kuroko watched her in a mix of puzzlement and amusement before holding the edges of her camisole as if to show it off, "On my way home the other day I stopped by my favorite lingerie shop," she gave Mikoto a teasing smirk, "do you like it? It shows off my womanly figure quite wonderfully don't you think?"

"…it's alright, I guess," Mikoto mumbled noncommittally as she blushed, closed her eyes and walked over to her bed, "anyways, let's go to sleep."

"Mou, Onee-sama," Kuroko pouted cutely, "You're so mean."

"Yeah, yeah," Mikoto sighed as she sat on her bed before looking over at Kuroko, "are you coming?"

"My, isn't that a loaded question…"

"Gah—what are you even talking about! Get your perverted mind out of the gutter and just come to bed!"

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"Honestly...you're always messing with me." Mikoto grumbled with a light blush as she looked off to the side, "you should really stop that you know."

Kuroko giggled as she slid into the bed next to Mikoto and wrapped her arms around one of hers. Eyes softening, she smiled at Mikoto gently, "I am always serious when it comes to you, Onee-sama."

Mikoto sighed but didn't bother arguing with Kuroko as she raised a finger to scratch her temple, "whatever you say..." Mikoto dropped her hand after a moment and leveled Kuroko with a serious look, "are you okay?"

Kuroko frowned a little at the unexpected question, "Of course I am, especially so now that I'm with you."

Mikoto's breath caught as a slow blush burned its way onto her face. Though Kuroko was always saying embarrassingly sweet things like that, lately it never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

She inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm her racing heart before releasing the air through her nose.

"I meant, are you feeling alright," Mikoto lifted her eyes from the comforter and back towards Kuroko, "Touma told me he ran into you and how tired you looked," her brows drew together, "Why didn't you call me to come get you?"

Puzzlement entered Kuroko's eyes at that, "Didn't Kamijou-san tell you he drove me home as well?"

"No..." Mikoto trailed off for a moment as she attempted to remember her conversation with Touma. All he had told her was that Kuroko didn't look so good but that she would be home soon so not to worry and run off looking for her. He never mentioned that he was taking her home.

She scowled a little as she thought about the fact that Touma had been alone with her kouhai. Though she knew there was no way that Kuroko would ever fall for him or any guy for that matter,it still irked her that he had been able to spend time with her when she could not.

There was a long moment of silence before Mikoto exhaled and maneuvered so that she was directly in front of Kuroko.

"Anyways, show me where it hurts."

Kuroko appeared taken aback at that request her eyes widening as a blush spread out over her cheeks before she grinned, "Ara, Onee-sama, I did not realize that you—"

"I'll stop you right there, Kuroko," Mikoto pinched the skin above her nose irritably before releasing a tired sigh and moving closer to the younger girl, "Show me."

The way Mikoto phrased the words the second time sounded more like a demand than a request and Kuroko found herself complying without hesitation. She gingerly lifted her camisole just over her navel, "It is not as bad as it appears…"

There were dark bruises of varying color spanning over the usually unblemished skin and Mikoto felt her chest constrict at the marks. She frowned before glancing up so that she could catch Kuroko's eye, "I'm not going to tell you to take it easy because I know you won't listen but…could you please...be more careful?"

"Onee-sama…"

Mikoto paused as she looked up towards the ceiling before swallowing thickly and mumbling, "I don't like seeing you hurt, Kuroko," she started before returning her eyes to Kuroko's, "I know you're the type who continues to rush in despite being injured and that worries me a lot. As your senpai…" her voice softened a little before she continued, "as someone who cares about you I just wish you'd take better care of yourself. Though you always seem to recover quickly, those visits to the hospital are not something I particularly enjoy."

Another moment of silence passed between them before Mikoto fell back onto the bed with an 'oomph' when Kuroko suddenly launched herself into her arms.

"Wah—be careful now! Aren't you really hurt? Calm down, you're going to strain yourself unnecessarily!"

"Onee-sama, Onee-sama," Kuroko closed her eyes tightly as she buried her face in Mikoto's neck, "Onee-sama."

"Yeah, I'm here, Kuroko," a tender smile played on Mikoto's lips as she wrapped her arms around Kuroko and held her close, "I'm here."

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August 17th

7:32am

Surprisingly, Mikoto barely had any wandering thoughts during the night which probably had a lot to do with the fact that she was too worried to actively think about how good Kuroko felt against her or how soft the younger girl's skin was.

Her eyes fluttered open as a few rays of sunlight hit her face, awaking her. Releasing a small groan, Mikoto rubbed at her eye tiredly before attempting to sit up only to falter when she noticed that Kuroko was still on top of her.

Smiling a little, she looked down at the younger girl and felt her heart swell at the content expression on Kuroko's face. She sighed before closing her eyes only to open them again when she heard a familiar ringtone.

She searched around blindly on her bed before picking up a tiny, compact phone and answering the call, "You've reached Kuroko's phone, Misaka speaking."

"Ah, Misaka-san! Why are you answering Shirai-san's phone? You didn't kill her did you!?"

Mikoto scowled at the accusation before huffing, "Kuroko is still sleeping and I just happened to walk past her room when her phone was ringing. I don't want to wake her so could you tell me what's up and I'll let her know?"

"Oh, I see. Ahh, it's nothing much we just have to write a few reports today at the office. I could really use her help so even though you don't want to, could you wake her up and tell her to come in?"

Mikoto considered Kazari's words for a moment. The idea of having to wake Kuroko up just when she was finally getting some rest unnerved her. What if some delinquents started trouble when Kuroko was too bruised and tired to fight back correctly? Though her kouhai was quite capable she knew that not even Kuroko could effectively stand up to multiple opponents when injured. And as much as she wanted to, Mikoto couldn't be around all the time to protect her.

At those thoughts, Mikoto made up her mind, "About that, Uiharu-san…Kuroko's not feeling too well so maybe we can make a compromise. How about you come over sometime during the day and you two work on the reports here? It's been a while since you've been over and I could make you guys some lunch while you were working."

She knew that if she simply told Kazari that Kuroko couldn't work that would upset her kouhai. Kuroko was stubbornly dedicated to Judgment and Mikoto knew that Kuroko would be angry with her if Mikoto let slip that she made the decision on her behalf without her consent. This way everyone would be happy.

Plus she knew that Kazari wouldn't resist the lure of free food.

"That actually sounds wonderful, Misaka-san! I'll invite Ruiko-chan along as well so you won't be bored!"

Mikoto smiled, "Great. I'll see you around noon then, Uiharu-san."

"Bye, Misaka-san!"

Hanging up the phone, Mikoto sighed as she set it down on the bed before running a hand through her hair and over her face. She was glad that worked out okay.

"Onee-sama."

"Hm?" Mikoto blinked as she gazed down at her kouhai curiously only to smile when she noticed that Kuroko was still sleeping. She gently squeezed the younger girl's waist to let her know that she was still there before closing her eyes, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep before she had to entertain their guest.

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August 17th

12:19pm

"For goodness sakes, Uiharu, please moderate yourself," Kuroko grumbled as she lifted her chopsticks to her mouth and elegantly took a bite of her fish. Spread out before them were a various assortment of dishes all made by her Onee-sama and she had planned to savor every bite which she could have done if she didn't have to worry about Kazari eating all the food.

She had been a bit surprised when she woke up and learned from Mikoto that Kazari would be bringing their cases by instead of her having to go to the office and though she appreciated the fact that she didn't have to get dressed and go out, she was curious as to what prompted the decision.

When she had asked Onee-sama about it, Mikoto had simply given her a vague answer before leaving to prepare their meal but not before Kuroko was able to spot the light blush that shaded her Onee-sama's cheeks. She realized then that it was probably Mikoto's idea and the older girl had once again been looking out for her. The knowledge of this made her feel warm and tingly inside.

"Wahh, but Shirai-san," Kazari whined with a small pout, "I haven't even had breakfast today!"

Coming back from her thoughts, Kuroko glowered a little as she set her dish down and leveled Kazari with a distasteful look, "Even so, a lady shouldn't behave in such a manner."

"I don't want to hear that from a panty snatcher, Shirai-san…"

"What was that!?" Kuroko hissed as she rose from the table only to stop when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, now," Mikoto's smiling face appeared in view as the older girl set another dish on the table, "there's plenty of food to go around so don't fight, okay?" she directed the last part of the sentence to Kuroko as she turned so that she could stare her in the eye.

They shared a meaningful gaze before Kuroko sighed and looked away.

In that moment, Ruiko slung her arm around Kazari's shoulders and grinned, "Misaka-san's right, Kazari! No need to get so worked up."

"Did you just take food right off my plate!?" Kazari practically screeched in horror, "You're the reason I go hungry, Ruiko-chan!"

"You know how poor I am, I have to get the protein when I can!"

Mikoto chuckled at her friends antics and sat down next to Kuroko. She felt a little nervous after last night and was slightly unsure how to act around the younger girl.

I said so many embarrassing things…

Still, Mikoto couldn't bring herself to regret the words that had left her mouth. She meant every one of them and if it meant keeping Kuroko safe, she would repeat them again, hundreds of times even. She sighed as she picked up a bowl of rice and prepared to eat only to pause when Kuroko moved closer to her.

Blushing a little, she did her best to ignore her kouhai's presence and focus on her food before sputtering when she felt soft lips press against her cheek.

"K-kuroko!" she held a palm to the burning flesh and reared back a little, "What are you—" she cut herself off when she noticed the expression on Kuroko's face.

Kuroko eyes sparkled with untamed warmth as the younger girl beamed up at her, "Thank you, Onee-sama."

Those words held so much weight and meaning that Mikoto couldn't bring herself to brush off Kuroko's words like she usually did. She licked her lips before returning the smile.

"You're welcome…"

Across the table, Ruiko watched the two with a curious gaze before interrupting Kazari mid rant and moving to whisper in the other girl's ear.

"Hey, aren't Misaka-san and Shirai-san acting a bit strange?"

Kazari frowned as she turned to look at the two before tilting her head, "They aren't acting any differently to me."

"Are you kidding!?" Ruiko whispered back excitedly, "There are practically hearts shining in both of their eyes! Do you think Misaka-san likes Shirai-san back?"

Kazari giggled a little, "if she did, wouldn't she have told Shirai-san already?"

"What makes you think she hasn't?" Ruiko asked curiously as she eyed her best friend skeptically, "For all we know they could be dating right now!"

"No way! If they were dating, do you think we'd be over here right now having lunch? Knowing Shirai-san, she probably wouldn't let Misaka-san out of her room, much less the house for days."

Ruiko grinned a little, "You've always had a dirty mind, Kazari."

"You're the one assuming I meant something perverted, Ruiko-chan."

The two girls giggled before Ruiko smiled at their friends, who were still lost in their own little world, "Maybe, I don't know! I still think it could be true."

"Mmm, who knows, Ruiko-chan," Kazari brought another mouthful of rice to her lips as she followed Ruiko's gaze and grinned around her chopsticks, "I suppose anything is possible…especially when it comes to those two."

AN2: So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Writing Saten and Uiharu was a lot more fun than I first imagined when I was thinking about how the chapter would go. They're such cuties I swear. Also can we momentarily talk about last Friday's episode of Railgun S. "She's a bit special." Honestly J.C. Staff just lives to ruin me with MikoKuro goodness. Anyways, until next time!