Chapter 1

Mikoto awoke with a start. Her ragged breathing and quickened heartbeat marked the end of the nightmare. It took her a minute to realize she was safe within the confines of her own dorm room.

For a moment, she sat there, collecting her thoughts and trying to calm herself. She had been getting that dream for three days in a row now. The mysterious girl that she could never get a good look at, the experiments and trials that she underwent.

She rubbed her hands against her face. Must be the stress getting to me. She decided. Ever since she entered Tokiwadai, she had been involved in strange and evil happenings in Academy City. Being a level 5 was both a blessing and a curse. As strong as she might be, they were bound to get to her somehow.

Kuroko was still sleeping soundly on the bed beside her. She was hugging a giant pillow that Mikoto suspected was a make-shift figure of herself. That suspicion was not unfounded, as Kuroko had a habit of talking in her sleep.

'Not there, Onee-sama. Oh, onee-sama,' Kuroko said, and drooled in a way that made Mikoto shudder. Everywhere is a nightmare.

She took a look at her watch. 5.30. The sky to the east hadn't threatened morning twilight yet, but there was no way she could get back to sleep.

With a sigh, she got up and got ready for school.

/ / / / / / / / / /

Spring was always the best time of year. The sakura trees were in full bloom, the soft petals sailing where the wind took them, and the air smelled of the fresh scent of flowers.

'Hmhmhm…' The perfect weather was matched only by a joyful Uiharu. She was on her earphones, humming the tune and skipping along the beat.

'U~i~ha~ru!' A voice came from behind her, lifting the hem of her skirt along the way. 'Ooh, pink stripes today? Nice match!'

Uiharu stopped in her tracks, as what had just happened slowly occurred to her. Then she shrieked, 'Eeeeeeek!'

'S-S-S-Saten-san! What are you doing?!' Uiharu frantically protested, blood flushing her face as she held down her skirt.

Ruiko raised her hands in mock surrender and wore a big smile. 'What? That was a compliment! You really know how to match your clothes, Uiharu!'

'That's not what I mean!' Uiharu said, puffing up her blood-filled cheeks. 'You're so cruel, Saten-san!'

'Haha. Sorry about that,' Ruiko said as she joined Uiharu on her way to Sakugawa Middle School. 'By the way, good luck today.'

'Hmm? About what?'

'What else could it be?' Ruiko said, holding up her pointer finger for emphasis. 'The System Scan, of course.'

It occurred to Uiharu immediately. Every half year, middle schools in Academy City had to administer an Exam and a System Scan. The Exam was all about theory, and individual schools were free to set their own dates and administer their own question papers; the System Scan, on the other hand, tested students' esper abilities, and was administered city-wide. That meant every school was to participate on the same day, administered by pre-appointed examiners. And today was that day.

Uiharu nodded. 'Ah. Hopefully I can make it past Level 1. I have been spending the last couple of days practicing. It's not much, but I think I'm improving.'

Ruiko stretched. 'Well, luckily I don't have to worry about that. No matter how hard I try, I'll end up being Level 0 anyway. No abilities.'

'Don't say that, Saten-san! Your abilities are amazing. I can't count how many times me, or Shirai-san, or Misaka-san have had to depend on you. You've helped us a lot.'

Ruiko looked at Uiharu and smiled. 'Thanks.'

Both Ruiko and Uiharu were early risers, both creatures of their habits. As a result there were not many people around for their first half of the trip. But now that the time was approaching school starting time, the roads were starting to be packed.

'Although…' Uiharu said as she held a finger to her lips. 'I wonder how Shirai-san and Misaka-san are doing.'

'We're talking about Tokiwadai's Level 4 and 5 here. I'm sure they're going to be fine. I bet Misaka-san's going to blow the examiners' minds once again. Uh, not literally, of course,' Ruiko added.

Uiharu laughed. 'You're right. Oh, we're here. Good luck to the both of us!'

/ / / / / / / / / /

Meanwhile, Mikoto, who was on her way to Tokiwadai, was about to be greeted in a similar manner.

'Onee-saamaa!' Kuroko purred as she flung her arms around Mikoto in a big hug.

'Oh, good morning, Kuroko,' Mikoto answered without so much as turning, knowing that it was Kuroko's customary form of morning greeting.

Kuroko, obviously not knowing when to stop, nuzzled her face into Mikoto's, her hand slowly reaching what had to be considered a forbidden area by any country's measure. 'If I had known that Onee-sama would be waking up so early in the morning all alone, I would have set the alarm clock even- aaarrahg!'

Trails of electricity left Mikoto's hand as she now stared at an electrified Kuroko.

Kuroko raised a trembling hand in protest. 'My love for Onee-sama will never die… even if I do.'

'Stop with the melodrama, Kuroko,' Mikoto sighed as she turned and entered a nearby park, toward a familiar looking vending machine.

Kuroko followed, and said, 'It's not melodrama when it comes to romance. My heart is crushed.'

Seeing Mikoto had no will to continue the topic, Kuroko said, 'Are you feeling confident about today's test, Onee-sama?'

'Oh, you mean the System Scan? They won't be testing me today.'

'Eh?'

'For some reason, the school has appointed me as one of the examiners this term. Hiyaa!' Mikoto shouted, delivering a roundhouse kick to the vending machine. She inspected her loot and continued, 'So I guess I'm supposed to be testing you guys.'

Kuroko cupped her hands around her face in dismay. 'Onee-sama, you do know that Judgement catches vandalism acts too?'

Mikoto opened the cap and took a sip from the coffee. 'I already told you, it's this stupid vending machine's fault. I'll treat it better if I get my money back.'

Kuroko sighed and decided not to press the issue. 'An examiner, huh? What a privilege. I guess there's no need to test you anymore after you demonstrated your strength the last time.'

'Who knows? I may be the one to be testing you, Kuroko.'

Kuroko gasped and her eyes almost radiated delight. 'Really? I'll be sure to be going 10 times as hard, no 100 times for you, Onee-sama!'

Mikoto laughed. 'Do that and you might not be rated a Level 0. But still,' she added as her voice turned serious. 'There's something bugging me.'

'What's that?'

'Letting a student be an examiner is unheard of. It hasn't even happened to the City's previous Level 5's either. Obviously, they're not going through the trouble just to have me take some ratings or stand guard. I wonder if what's in wait for me, and if there's some other agenda…'

Kuroko glanced sideways spotted the concerned look on Mikoto's face. Her voice turned soft but determined. 'You're reading way too much into this, Onee-sama. Not everything has to be evil. We all know you've been through a lot recently, but you can relax now. If there's any trouble, don't hesitate to count on us. Remember, we're always there for you.' She smiled.

Mikoto returned the smile with one of her own. 'Thanks, Kuroko.'

There was a sudden, devious glint in Kuroko's eyes, as she jumped toward Misaka. 'Since things are going so well, how about another hug-'

Clank!

Mikoto smacked once over Kuroko's head as the latter crouched and nursed her injuries. 'That's mean, Onee-sama…'

'You practically asked for it,' Mikoto retorted, and stopped in her tracks as she left the park. 'By the way, speaking of not everything being evil…'

'Eh? What's that, Onee-sama?'

Mikoto pointed at the far-off distance toward a desolated alleyway. Kuroko followed her gaze and understood at once. There were a handful of wretched-looking bandits surrounding a schoolgirl, their gestures suggesting ill-spirited intents.

'Onee-sama, you go on ahead,' Kuroko said immediately, pulling out her Judgment armband. 'This is Judgment's job.'

Mikoto took a look at her watch. 'You better hurry. We're almost going to be late. You have five minutes-' But Kuroko already teleported out of hearing range. '-tops.' Mikoto shook her head. 'There's really not a dull moment in this city, is there?'

Thanks for reading. R&R!