Mikoto had questions. And she needed answers. How? It had been a while since the portal closed. Why? Her connection with her household seemed to get stronger and not weaker as time went by. Inside, she could feel them. Her entire household, distant but closer than before, whispers in her mind's darkness. She saw their faces, heard their voices and laughter, felt their despair at missing their Mistress. Even Vita and Miriams' presence was stronger.
But it was Anastasia filling her. The pain, anger, and love that came through the portal was overwhelming, drowning out any lingering fear that she had been lost. Anastasia's touch was so real, so vividly physical, her fingers, her mouth, that even now, hours later, the warmth still lingered. Even little misaka, her internal avatar, had been affected, humming softly in her thoughts, her tone gentler, and even her smartass answers were less smartass. Yes, Anastasia consumed her. How could Mikoto not think of her when their connection had been so intense? She was the one whom she longed to return to.
"I told ya she was a wolf?!" little misaka screamed, "didn't I!" thinking of Nya's sister. She had rushed over and embraced Nya. A look of painful regret appeared on her face. And she struggled to escape her sisters' embrace. Her wolf-like tail wagged happily, her wolf ears forward, and her large canines glistened as she smiled. Mikoto could hear the rapid firing of questions and the empty nods of Nya, seemingly overwhelmed by this unexpected situation.
"she doesn't seem too excited to see her sister?" little misaka paused. "hmmm…" Mikoto grinned.
Another question is yet to be answered.
Mikoto stood silently at the edge of the blood pool, her reflection shimmering back at her in the crimson ripples. They were next to her as she watched. Vita and Mariam filled their canteens, as bubbles blooped across the surface. They giggled like schoolgirls, eyes wide, listening and imitating the glug-glug-glug, as the air escaped the narrow opening. Then Miriam closed her eyes, with a serene expression, stood up, bringing the canteen to her mouth, her fangs catching the light, and drank deeply, her cheeks flushed. Mikoto felt a pang of thirst herself. She could sense Miriam's joy at the taste of blood running down her throat. A rush of newness swept over her. but the desire to fed had been satiated by the pool.
"We should be leaving soon," Vita said crisply, taking a drink, relishing the purity. Then tightened the cap on her canteen as she stood up. Mikoto continued staring into the pool, mesmerized by how the blood glinted in the low light. She knew they had to press on. But her desire for answers was holding her back. She listened to the soft sounds of boots crunching soil slipping into her thoughts. From the corner of her eye, she watched Vita and Miriam walk over to some ruins and sit down. Vita looked over, like a predator on prey, and grinned. "Don't be too long, mistress," she said with a sadistic smile. Miriam was sitting next to her, holding the canteen with both hands. Her eyes sparkled. Mikoto furrowed her brow. "too long?" she said with a tilt of her head.
Vita motioned to the blood pool as if in a warning, "You shouldn't spend too much time with the queen of blood." She slowly licks the red sheen from her lips. "She seems quite intoxicating."
Mikoto rolled her eyes in irritation as if she'd heard an obviously lousy joke. "jerk," she whispered. Vita gave a wink at hearing her Mistress's snide remark. And then Mikoto quickly tuned out their voices.
She knelt at its edge, unbuckling her armored boots. She inhaled deeply. The air had become cold and crisp. The smell of blood was thick and delicious. Exhaling, she stood, reaching for her neck. She unstrapped the guard and left it hanging. Then she pulled the zipper down until the cold of the air chilled her breasts. "Much better." She whispered, breaths coming out in wisps of fog. "Always like to let the girls out to breathe." Little misaka chuckled. Her giggle echoed in her mind. Mikoto's inner avatar wore a childlike swimsuit, though her humor was far from innocent. The attractive woman was back, helping little misaka. She was tracing her finger along the seams of the child's swimsuit. Little misaka yelped and jumped back dramatically. "Frisky!" she exclaimed with a feigned shock, covering her butt. The attractive woman blushed modestly, knowing she had done nothing perverted.
"You should just go nude." Little misaka added.
Mikoto pursed her lips. Annoyance mixed with temptation. "Why not?" little misaka needled. "Not like we haven't done it before in the woods around the castle." She grinned, "Or we can just dig a hole, fill it up, and wallow like a pig!" she snorted loudly, making her point." suuuuwwwwwueeeeeeeeeeee."
She stretched her arms as the attractive woman pulled her hair back and tied it into a ponytail. "hey! Do you think we'll surprise her and find out she sits on a throne of human skulls.?" Thinning her eyes and puckering her mouth. She looked rather sinister.
"And what movies have you been watching?" Mikoto rolled her eyes, though a smirk tugged at her mouth. Her inner avatar's playful prodding wore down her stoic façade, running her hands along her thighs and glancing at Vita and Miriam. Both no longer chuckling, just watching their Mistress ready herself. She was tempted. But….
"Ten minutes?" Vita said seriously. "No more, "she shrugged, "maybe less."
Mikoto exhaled, her breath, a mist hanging in the air. She sensed their strong worry. She stepped, her bare foot dangling over the blood's surface. The crimson seemed to reach for her as she plunged in. Little Misaka screamed, "Cannonball!"
"I must apologize, but my throne of skulls is being polished right now, "the queen of blood replied in a voice filled with humor.
Mikoto Misaka heard a voice as she wiped the blood from her eyes, and the rest was quickly absorbed into her skin. The queen of blood came into view.
Mikoto was startled to see not a gory scene of the violence of little misaka thoughts but an elegant seat carved of crystalline red stone. The queen reclined serenely upon it, her posture emanating, wisdom and grace rather than menace. She showed no fangs or claws, nothing but sovereignly confirmation of her position. Little misaka's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Huh…not exactly Game of Thrones here, my bad," she quickly muttered. Mikoto simply smiled with relief and, to tell the truth, a little embarrassed for the way her avatar acted. Not that she wasn't used to it.
She bowed her head slightly apologetically as she gathered her nerve to speak. "First, let me apologize…" Mikoto said, but the queen of blood spoke first. "Let me apologize. I didn't mean to read your blood. It was just….," a wolfish smile crept on her lips, "the moment I heard Cannonball?" furrowing her brow, "and I am unfamiliar with the phrase. Feeling no animosity behind it, I couldn't stop myself." She said. "Usually, this place is nothing more than the bright white space, sphere, pool," she pointed to the simmering ceiling of the blood undulating above them.
Mikoto gathered her thoughts, "Sorry for the confusion. I'm still wrapping my head around how you appear human, yet one of your daughters is a wolf, and the other is human? " She sighed."
The queen gave her an understanding look. "I can see why that would puzzle you, my dear." Stepping off the crystalline red throne on to the white floor. The throne melted quickly and slipped into the crimson pool. "I'm not one being in one body. I'm the life flow we all share, the blood of wolves, humans, and vampires…"
"Oh, my…!" little misaka quickly covered her mouth, feigning shock. The queen of blood grinned, thinning her eyes, "My girls, shall we say rock different styles."
Little misaka snickered, "holler back, girls!" she snapped her fingers. Mikoto groaned. "Please, your majesty… don't encourage her."
"Sorry," the queen of blood blushed. "All this new information is just incredible." Mikoto furrowed her brow. "You don't mean…"
The queen of blood nodded. "Everything." the facade of mischievousness covered her face.
"you can read minds?" Mikoto's eyes opened, mouth hanging, fangs exposed.
"Not quite, only the memories stored in the blood itself." The queen explained.
"but all vampires carry their memories in the blood." "Little Misaka quickly spoke.
Mikoto quickly turned red. the blood queen feigned, not hearing them, "but one's past can be revealing indeed." Shaking her head, "Yes, and I am going to have a very long talk with Nya…" she said, bringing her hand to her chin. "That girl needs to know…"
Knowing Nya's willingness not to spend the nights alone. Mikoto's eyes bloomed, "what! Wait!" Shaking her hands, Mikoto's face turned beet red. "you can't." she whispered. "it's private…and so you should…"
"Should what?" The queen of blood tilted her head, eyes gleaming with mischievousness. She gave out a hardy laugh, covering her mouth with her hands. "Do not worry…I have seen worse…not much worse but close to it…." she breathed, "that one waiting for you…now that one is trouble, and in a good way." Growing serious once more, she continued, " To answer one of your questions, the path you travel currently will get you there, but before you, the next gardens hold some hard decisions."
"Next garden?" Mikoto quickly spoke. "How many?" her tone faded.
"you have two more before the capital." The queen of blood spoke. "it may hold memories and feelings long forgotten, beautiful yet perilous to rediscover. Tread carefully, young queen, and know no matter what the difficulties, your true home awaits you with open arms."
"Huh? Memories...feelings..."Looking confused, "Wha, what about the one after that?' she asked.
"your ten minutes is up," the queen of blood interrupted, looking wolfish. "that one is just about to jump in…. and I don't think she will enjoy it as much as you do?"
"phhttp." Mikoto shrugged. "I will just…."
"you were invited…." she said, "she is not..so I don't know what it will do?"
"it?"
The queen of blood pointed to the undulating crimson. The crimson waves, once small and calm, gradually gained power. Swelling, growing in intensity like the first signs of a coming storm.
Mikoto could see the danger Vita might find herself in. Finally, she saw it as she should have. A living organism. She huffed and groaned, "I guess I should?"
The queen of blood smirked. Knowing her time was drawing to a close thanks to a certain over-anxious vampire. Mikoto reached her hand up, stretching on her toes. A large wave reached down and swept her up into the sea of crimson.
"Try not to lose your way home. Mikoto Misaka." the queen of blood whispered, her form turning to liquid and splashing upward into the swirling sea. Mikoto glimpsed the queen of blood, smirking before disappearing into crimson. Oddly stirred, she glanced back, "what?" the cryptic farewell caught her off guard. And blackness surrounded her.
flitting images appeared,
"what the?" Mikoto thought, "Not me?" little misaka quickly answered.
A flower-covered meadow, sunlight, warmth, entwined hands…and naked forms…but it faded swiftly as mist.
The blood pool churned violently, swirling currents hiding the dangers underneath its surface. Vita eyed it hungrily, ignoring Miriam's worried pleas for her to wait the full Ten minutes.
"Our queen awaits," Vita stated, though dark currents seemed to churn under the blood's soothing surface, hinting at unseen dangers.
She stepped forward, boots at the pool's edge. She raised her boot, holding it above the churning waves.
A moment passed when a hand exploded upward in a spray of red. Gripping Vita's boot, she flung her backward, crashed onto the ground, skidding on her butt for a few painful feet.
Mikoto slowly rose from underneath the hectic surface like Venus, crimson slipping down her body until she stood on the surface of the slowly yielding pool of blood. She held herself like a goddess of divine elegance, the living blood clinging to her like rubies glinting in the sun. But then the goddess slowly faded like the crimson blood being absorbed into her body.
She glared, eyes red and fiery, and glared at Vita as she stepped onto solid earth. "it hasn't been over ten minutes?!" she yelled, crimson droplets disappearing into her fingertips. "you jerk! And yes, I hope that hurt!"
Vita shuddered, letting a smile quickly come to her Mistress's tone. The blood pool was mirror-smooth. Miriam quickly helped her sister rise from the ground. I told you so, coming from her mouth.
"I missed you too, Mistress," Vita said, rubbing her butt. "and what did you learn?" she asked.
Brushing her drying hair from her face, the dark red fading, she answered, "We have two more gardens to go before the capital.
Mikoto sighed, walking by Vita and Miriam, brushing some dirt from Vita's armor. A slight blush on her cheeks. "time to go," she said.