"Ah? Hello?" The words sounded thick and far away. There wasn't an echo or reverberation. It just rippled like waves across the still surface of a pond. She felt it brush over her like syrup.

She was alone in a deep blackness that rippled outward with each movement of her body. She twisted, turning, feeling the ice-cold blackness. So cold it burned her skin and ached her bones. She raised her hand and tapped an imaginary spot, which spread outward and faded. "This isn't good." Waves spread out along the blackness. "This is a dream and… hey… you there…?" calling for little misaka. No answer. "What is this?" she looked around, lifted her foot, and poked the blackness with her big toe. Small waves drifted. She thought of taking a step and walking forward, but something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. But she needed to do something. She needed to get out. Something about staying longer felt wrong to her. She was growing numb, her fingers aching with the cold, slow to move. Her thoughts getting slower and harder. Panic slowly turned into a cold pit in her belly.

She shut her eyes, sending out magnetic waves that would bounce off objects and come back so she could build a map in her mind. And nothing returned.

"Hey!" she yelled, "this is you, right? Answer me!" The muffled words were like speaking underwater. She raised her foot, took a step forward, and dropped. She plunged into the blackness. It dragged her down like heavy oil in winter. Becoming heavier and colder. Her skin burning and blistering in the bitterness of it. The pain rifled along her fingers and arms, becoming numb the deeper she felt herself fall. Biting her lower lip, her stomach was in knots now. The cold burrowed deeper into her body. She had to stop herself. She knew it. Knew if she kept falling, she'd disappear. Or something worse. To continue falling and feel nothing but the cold in the blackness.

"Whatttt!"

"Gotcha." Mikoto felt her wrist being grabbed.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing little misaka in her black form swimming against the blackness. A long tentacle wrapped tight around her arm. "You must leave this place… this is not where you want to be." And pulled.

Little misaka's black form is a living embodiment of Mikoto Misaka and Anastasia von Alucard's s blood and venom, like a child's crude drawing, a hooded snake form with crude white spaces for eyes and her mouth.

"Why aren't you?" Mikoto knew little misaka did not like this form. She preferred the adolescent form of the young girl. Why? She thought it was kinda cute and a little bit creepy.

"I can't," little misaka said nervously. "I have to be this way to get inside this. We must leave now… and don't you ever come here."

"It's not like I tried!" Mikoto could feel the strength flowing from Little misaka. And also the fear and panic.

"Doesn't matter." Little misaka pulled her along. "If you fall into that, I may never get you out… so don't…."

"Pull me out of what?" She tugged her arm. Ignoring the bitter cold, she made a tight fist and pulled. She wanted to stop and be told what was going on.

"Not until!" little misaka's form flickered, hard blackness turning shades of gray and soft colors. Little misaka's formless void form swirled and changed to the little girl form she was familiar with. Mikoto growled and snatched her arm away. "That's it, tell me what is that!" rubbing her wrist.

Little misaka rolled her eyes, arms across her chest, glaring defiantly. "You must stay away from that and never return to it."

Mikoto clenched her fist and thinned her eyes. "I told you I didn't go there. I just ended up.

Little misaka's eyes widened, fretting her brow. "hmmm," bringing her hand to her chin, pulled her lower lip, "Then you need to wake up, girlfriend." Little misaka tilted her head.

"Huh!"

"Wake up!"

She quickly opened her eyes. Her heart pounding, a throbbing heat across her face as she gasped. The sound of warm water splashed, striking her face. Eyes wide and focused now. The roar of the winds above and the smell of water, steam, and mist filled her lungs. She rolled over, coughing, her arms propping her up along the dark stone edge of the pool. A chill of the air over her exposed back and shoulders. She shivered and sank lower until the warm water lapped under her chin.

"That's right," she said, feeling calmer. "I came here to get cleaned up," Blowing across the water. "What was that?"

"It's called a fucking daymare!" little misaka spoke, low and annoyed.

It was easy to tell she was pissed. Mikoto could hear her growl and sigh at the same time. "What's the problem?" she asked. "What was that place? And how?"

Little misaka pulled her lower lip in, taking a few moments to think. Mikoto knew this and knew the longer the silence, to more truth of the matter she'd reveal. She exhaled." look," she said, "I am not just another pretty face with a bubbly personality."

Mikoto frowned. "I'm sorry. What did you just…?"

"I know, I know, hard to believe." She said with a wave of her hand. Mikoto was not about to interrupt. Afraid she'd lose her place in her self-explanation of how great she is.

"But even I have my dark places. Or should I say… we have our dark places. Places so dark we might never find our way back. Light grays and dull blacks. We can easily find our way back. Just look over your shoulders and see the light. Go into the light!" She said, "no, wait, not that way! Not that light? Why the hell are you going that way?" Dumbass!" sighed, "you get it?"

"Yeah, I get it…."

"But go too deep, and you may never find your way back." She sighed. "It weighs you down like a mass of crushing blackness that you can't even move in it…." she nodded," kinda like a very scary version of those weighted blankets we've ordered from the all-night shopping network." She blushed slightly with another reassuring nod. "I really like those. Makes a good gift too…" she rubbed her chin, looking up as if a ceiling or sky was above. "But unlike the weighted blankets, you can't go peekaboo and flip them over and yell surprise. Finding you could be rather difficult without any hints."

"You mean the ripples. When I,"

"Yea, if you hadn't, I don't know if I could've found you."

"What? But I am you, and you are me?"

A hesitation, a sigh, followed by her worried tone of warning. "You can get lost inside yourself. And never make it back. You become rogue."

She gasped, feeling a tightness in her chest around her heart. "That can't be right…. I mean…." Fear showed in her eyes and around the curve of her mouth.

She thought back to her past. A series of attacks on girls at night in academy city. The only clues are red eyes, a long dark cloak, and white fangs. (Railgun into the dark)

It was the first time she'd met Anastasia Von Alucard. She'd come to Academy City pursuing one of her royal doctors who'd stolen the material to create a hybrid human vampire, giving it the speed and strength of a vampire, but it had a nasty side effect. The subject slowly devolved into a crazed beast.

She covered her mouth, breathing in the mist of the hot spring, her eyes trembling. It was during this time it had attacked her. The beast bit her, and she was in danger of turning. But Anastasia used her own bite to keep her from becoming. And because of a happy accident, according to Anastasia Von Alacurd, she became a queen vampire. "Sweet!" Anastasia exclaimed. "my sweet and tasty one!" she said with a wild, manic look. Doing her best lousy villain.

And of another rogue, An old queen who'd lost her coven and never gotten over it. Refused to bring in new members and eventually went mad from loneliness. Running wild and causing chaos in a small district of Europe. (not yet written but possible)

"You're saying?" Mikoto forced the word out of her throat. "You're saying that?"

"I'm telling you, you need to have an anchor. Someone you can trust. Someone you can protect and protect you. I have said it all along…."

"But…"

"You are the human side of us, Mikoto. I am the beast." She spoke. "I didn't think you were that close. One little misstep, and you would've dropped into the abyss."

"But…" taking a slow deep breath, remembering her conversations with Anastasia." what can I do if?"

"If you can't stay awake and wait, do not take Kea or accept the little one. Then the only other option is to…."

"Sleep," Mikoto whispered. she knew. Without thinking, she whispered the word. And dread filled her chest like a heavyweight.

She'd done it before. Taking on the Baron. When he invaded Academy City with his army. He was a royal vampire, a traitor to Anastasia's mother, Tatiana. Mikoto Misaka, with the help of others, was able to defeat the Baron. But at a cost. Her power was nearly exhausted, and she collapsed into a deep sleep. Taken to another realm by Katrina. Anastasia's half-sister.

A hundred years…, she slept. (Railgun and the Baron)

She slowly shook her head, "but these dreams… will they follow me into sleep? Will I be trapped inside? Even with you, we still have these dreams. And we can't return to where we teleported to this world and use the cave because of this damn wind." She growled. "I could try to crawl back, but… that's not a guarantee… I could… I could."

"We could just make a small cave next to a certain hot spring, go inside, and take a rather long nap, depending on how long they take to find us. Or… we could let Aya and the others know… and they could…."

She shuddered, knowing that the king would be dead soon and the son of the king would become ruler. And didn't like what might happen.

"I am not having a sleeping beauty scenario happening. Do you have any idea of the actual story?"

Little misaka chuckled. "Yep, talk about a rather pervy story." She shrugged. (sun, moon, and Talia)

"I don't know…" she closed her eyes, leaning her head back on the black stone.

"Huh?" She opened wide in surprise, staring into the golden eyes, round face framed by an unruly, untamed mane of hair. A long bright smile appeared as she sniffed, put her forehead to Mikoto's, and nuzzled.

"I didn't even sense her!" Little misaka stated as a matter of fact. "This girl is terrifying and persistent." She laughed.

She slipped into the water and disappeared, and appeared. A strange vocal sound came from her throat, her tiny mouth moving slowly as if imitating someone else. Mikoto didn't move as she watched and waited.

"Is she trying to speak?" Little misaka said curiously.

She had her big screen up and running. She stood, watched, took her fingers, tapped the screen, and spread the image larger. She nodded, watching with an examiner's eye. "I think she is." She answered herself. "Talk to her!" Little misaka raised her voice. "Say something?"

"What?"

"I don't know. Anything?" Little misaka said quickly, "you have five others and can't think of anything!" little misaka growled." Do you want me to read you a story?" the words dripping with sarcasm. "if that's what it takes?!"

Mikoto ignored her. Little misaka sighed and bit her tongue. She wanted her to bond with the little one. Thinking It would help with the dreams and the fears of losing another. She knew why she had come close to the edge. She had nothing to keep her from it.

"I just…"

The little one smiled and reached over onto the black rocks. Mikoto's eyes followed her movement.

"Hey! Isn't that our expensive shampoos and conditioners!" eyes getting wider, " tiny thief! Watch her quick hands this time…. oh you…" she thinned her eyes, "using that pretty smile and golden eyes to lull us into…. you will not win this time!" shaking her fist at the big screen.

"Yea," Mikoto spoke, not really worried about them. The little one picked one and unscrewed the cap.

"Ok… hand-eye coordination is good."

And poured it into her palm.

"Toooo muucccchhhh!" little misaka screamed, "show the girl the right amount. Does she know how much that costs?"

"Nothing…" Mikoto said, taking the little ones' hands and gently rubbing them together.

"She chirps oddly, almost like laughter." Little misaka rubbed her chin.

"She mimics," Mikoto whispered.

"She's been watching everyone in the longhouse." Little misaka nodded.

And then she guided the little ones' hands to her wet hair. "This is how you wash your own hair."

The little face bloomed like the morning light. Her radiant eyes shined bright. Scooting closer as Mikoto helped her wash her hair.