Mikoto slumped on the wagon's wooden bench, her elbows pressed into her knees. Her expression made it clear that she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders. Gazing downward, she clung to them as though they were precious memories. She cradled a pair of glass vials in her hands, watching them roll back and forth. With each movement, a soft click of glass echoed. Her eyes were transfixed on the intricate runes etched into their surface.
These were a gift from the esteemed sorcerer supreme, Ruiko Saten, who had crafted and affixed magical arrays to extend and safeguard their precious contents. Within the vials was human blood, but not just any blood. It belonged to someone extraordinary, a person she could no longer meet, ever. The contents of these small vials were kept at extremely cold temperatures. Or between 1 degree Celsius and 6 degrees delicious, according to little misaka.
The sight of the crimson liquid swaying to and fro was soothing. The vial's size and form conjured a mischievous smirk that played at the corner of her mouth while she observed its intriguing contours. Did it resemble a certain part of the male anatomy, or was it just her depraved mind?
"both." little misaka said.
One memory grows into another, and the echoes of laughter and past conversations swell. Her gaze shifts from a predatory focus to a distant stare spanning a thousand miles. A subtle smile blossoms on her lips as she gently tilts her hand back and forth, observing the vial roll and clink—again and again.
"oh, that is a good one." Little misaka whispered. "good times back then…."
"ugh…nasty!" she said with her tongue out. The coppery tang and thick texture made her gag, nearly upchucking her first time drinking straight human blood.
"You'll get used to it," Anastasia said, using a napkin. She dipped the corner of her mouth. "Can't I just mix it with a chocolate shake?" she asked, lifting her chin up. "Or something."
Anastasia took the napkin away, licked the tip, and rubbed the edge of her mouth.
Mikoto blushed, "I am not a baby!"
"no…but you are messy." Anastasia laughed, took the napkin away, and licked Mikoto's cheek.
The wagon jolted, snapping Mikoto out of her pleasant daydream. She clasped the vials in her hand protectively, quickly refocusing.
"Just a rock," Vita announced, tugging at the reins. The smelly beasts huffed and stamped, showing their annoyance. "Eaaassssy... girls," she cooed. The beasts shook their massive heads, flinging dirt, dust, and their foul odor backward. "No sasss from you two!"
"She really does adore her beasts," Little Misaka chimed in. Mikoto raised an eyebrow and remarked, "Are you certain you don't want me to zap some sense into them?"
Vita laughed, "If these sassy ladies won't listen to me, they sure the heck ain't gonna listen to my mistress." With another gentle tug, she brought them back under control with a tongue click. The smelly beast plodded forward.
Vita coughed and cleared her throat. Mikoto leaned back, resting her arm on the wagon's edge, tiny blue sparks jumping from her fingers. "Tell me again about these sassy ladies, Vita," she said. The tip of her fingernail tapped Vita's side, causing her eyes to widen and cheeks to blush. She stammered, perhaps enjoying the moment a bit too much. "Mistress... you wouldn't?" Vita gasped, "It might hurt... or cause them to bolt, and we could lose..." Her gaze shifted to the smelly beast. "Perhaps you could pull the wagon?" Vita slowly set the reins aside, her face turning beet red. "Could I at least get off the wagon first?" she pleaded, now drooling slightly. She stood from the wooden bench, only for a quick hand to snatch her wrist. "You're going nowhere," Nya declared, her head emerging from beneath.
She had slipped underneath the blankets for a quick nap despite the two suns blazing in the sky above. The blankets' shade cut a few degrees off the temperature. But the subtle movement next to Nya caught Mikoto's eye. Someone else was next to her. "She needs to be punished." Nya yanked Vita's arm. It was the first time Mikoto had heard Nya sound so desperate.
The tension in the stifling air began to change. Mikoto lifted her head, surveying her surroundings. Her companions, weary and drenched in sweat from the march, gave her pleading looks. A blush tinged her cheeks. She detested the fact that the impending event, once dreaded, was now anticipated as a reward. Nya shook her head, her smile widening.
"Welp," Little Misaka remarked, "a girl wants what a girl wants."
Mikoto understood, and it wasn't about punishment. The sky was barren, with two suns shining fiercely, the air thick and scorching, the earth cracked and dry, and for added effect, the path they trod was a smooth, molten rock. Breathing was a struggle, let alone moving forward.
It was nearly time to settle and make camp. "sacrifices must be made." Little misaka said as she waved her hand. The surroundings changed.
She found herself in her most cherished corner of Mikoto's mind, a vivid memory of the royal bedroom. She stood on the balcony, one of many etched into the cliffside, gazing out over the miles of green trees and rugged terrain that encircled the kingdom. In it, soft breezes played with the sheer curtains. Within this intricate remembrance, Mikoto caught the sound of Anastasia's voice as she rushed into the bedroom, exclaiming, "It's the weekend! I'm peeling down to my underwear, and that's where I'm staying until... whenever!"
Mikoto chuckled before she did it, a malicious expression lighting up her eyes like a timer. "and why not? " little misaka said. "Panty changer!"
It started with her. She exploded, sending bluish-white sparks over the wagon, Vita, Nya, and the others. The electric bloom hit the ground, pushing forward in a slowly controlled burst.
The area's desolation erupted with bright blue electricity. It swelled and opened like a flower in bloom, spreading out, crackling, and jumping. The moment spread until it could spread no more and slowly dissipated into nothing. The air was once hot and too heavy to breathe. The smell of the beasts faded enough.
Clean, fresh, positively charged ions and ozone rushed around them.
She closed her eyes and took a very deep breath, the smell of the royal bedroom, the trees, grasses, and earth, and suddenly held her breath. "that's…. not me," little misaka said, waving her hand and changing the scene. Large screens were all around her, and she tapped each one. Sending magnetic waves across. Searching for, hoped for… "this isn't possible…" searching frantically.
"It's him…." Mikoto said, jumping from the wagon. "I know it's him..!"