Warning: Fanfic rated M: for Mikoto Mayhem. Please mind the rating and genres.

Fall into the Depths

CHAPTER 19:

If things could go from bad to worse, a prime example was now.

Just earlier this morning, Kuroko had received a phone call from the frog-faced doctor. Shock was the only emotion she could feel when he told her Uiharu was missing from the hospital without a trace. None of the security cameras caught anything.

It could only mean one thing.

She'd rushed to the hospital at once to help find any clues. All that she saw was a half-finished flower hairband lying abandoned on the empty bed. Something, someone had interrupted the crafting process and had taken Uiharu along.

'Onee-sama. What are you up to?'

On the bench, her head sank onto her palms. She didn't know what to do. Guilt was heavy in her heart. She'd been pushing away Uiharu. If she had kept her close, could she have prevented this from happening? What was she supposed to do now, all by herself?

'Stupid, stupid, Kuroko!' she chastised herself. 'You've been wanting to work alone this entire time! And now that you're actually alone, you want Uiharu's help?!'

"My, my, someone looks to be in a dramatic crisis."

Kuroko looked up blearily. A teenaged girl she'd never seen before stood in front of her. A weirdo who enjoyed chatting up with random strangers, probably. She huffed and jerked her head away.

"Mind your own business please. I'm fine, thanks."

"Maybe you changed your mind about Misaka-san then?"

Kuroko's eyes widened. She turned back to study the girl and suddenly realised how blank her expression looked. Her eyes too, had a strange shine to them that was almost like…

"Shoukuhou-san?!"

"That's me~"

"Tch, controlling whoever you want as usual, I see."

"I simply go by many alibis."

"What do you want?" Kuroko crossed her arms grumpily.

"Hm? What's this? No 'Thank you so very much Shokuhou-sama, for sending me to the beast's den yesterday and allowing me to wake up from an unrealistic dream'?"

"I'm still going to save her!" Kuroko scowled. The two bottles she had tucked into her skirt pocket yesterday suddenly felt heavy as if to challenge her claim.

"Your stubbornness ability is troubling. I thought the visit to Misaka-san's wretched abode would wake you up from your ludicrous fantasies."

"Go away and leave me alone."

There was a pause and a light sigh. Misaki started to turn away. "Oh well. If you don't want to know where your friend is being kept-"

That caught Kuroko's attention. "What? You know something like that?!"

"Sure." Misaki shrugged casually. "I found out through some useful sources."

"Tell me!" Kuroko quickly demanded.

Misaki lifted a finger. "Buuut, every information comes with a price of course."

"I already said I'd help you when you needed it!" Kuroko reminded her impatiently. "So spit it out!"

"What happened to your etiquette ability?"

"Stop with the games and just tell me!" Kuroko spat out through clenched jaws. Desperation and irritation soaked through her voice. This was not a time to joke around; why couldn't Shokuhou-san see that?! "Uiharu is missing as well and I have a feeling she might be with Saten-san! I have to know! You know how important this is!"

The black-haired girl tilted her head.

"I know, I know," she finally sighed. A dry smile curved on her lips. "How about I make it up to you and take you to the place myself?"

XXXXXXX

"Uiharu, Uiharu!"

Someone was shaking her. It sounded like Saten-san, but that couldn't be right because she was still missing. It was strange. The hospital bed she was lying on felt very hard and uncomfortable. Not to mention, icy cold. Maybe she left the window open?

"Uiharu! Ui-ha-ru!"

She frowned. That was definitely Saten-san's voice. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. She'd also had a dream that Misaka-san visited-

Something lightly slapped against her cheek.

"Come on, Uiharu! Snap out of it! I know you're awake!"

Saten-san's voice blared against her eardrums and Kazari jumped fully awake. She sat up and wildly looked around in alarm with wide eyes.

"Eh, eh, eh?!"

"Finally! You just kept mumbling non-stop about how I couldn't be here!"

Kazari blinked. Ruiko's grinning face swam into view.

"Sa-Saten-san! You…"

She couldn't believe it.

"You're actually here!"

Kazari dived forward into a hug. Ruiko caught her, laughing.

"I couldn't believe it either when Misaka-san brought you here."

"Misaka-san did?!"

"Yeah. Although… she left as soon as she dropped you off. She seemed really distracted about something. Haven't seen her since."

So that hadn't been a dream either.

Kazari shivered. She remembered the cold expression on Misaka-san's face as she accused her of not keeping her promise. She hadn't had any chance to defend her actions at all. Did Misaka-san really think that badly of her?

Noticing her downcast look, Ruiko gently prodded her. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Oh… I don't know…" Kazari sniffed. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you that Misaka-san visited me. She seemed really mad about it."

"Misaka-san's definitely not herself right now." There was a hard edge behind Ruiko's words. "She might have been in the city this entire time, but something huge must have happened to make her change so drastically like this."

"But what could…? Ehhh, what happened to your hair, Saten-san?"

Ruiko's hand flew to her bangs self-consciously.

"D-Does it look weird? I think Misaka-san cut it."

"And your clothes…"

"Hey, it's still covering all my wobbly bits!" Her expression turned sly. "Orrrrr is that what you're complaining about-?"

"Saten-san!" Kazari scolded. Her cheeks grew red.

Ruiko laughed. "You're always so cute!"

"And you're always the same, in any kind of situation!"

They shared a long, comfortable silence as Ruiko's chuckles died away.

"Hey Uiharu?" Ruiko's voice was soft when she next spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry about not believing you… You know, about Misaka-san still being in the city."

"It's okay," Kazari replied. "I doubt I'd have believed it myself if I'd been in your position. Sorry I yelled at you." Her voice grew small. "I just got so frustrated at being kept in the dark."

"We're even then?" Ruiko held out a hand with a mischievous grin.

"We're even."

They shook hands. Kazari frowned. Her other hand gripped around Ruiko's arm, and travelled upwards, feeling along the skin there.

"Ehhh? Uiharu? Do you want to see my wobbly bits after all?"

"No!" Kazari immediately retorted.

"You're not romantic at all."

"You're cold, Saten-san!"

"Gee, that's harsh! I like to think I have a warm and a loving heart-"

"No, I mean your body temperature! You're freezing!"

"Oh…" Ruiko scratched her cheek. "I guess I am. I did lose some blood before I came here… I think?"

Kazari's eyes grew round. "You mean the kidnappers? What did they do to you?" She leaned forward worriedly.

"I don't remember much at all. It was a blur and I was asleep most of the time. I remember feeling paralysed and being poked by a lot of needles. I'm pretty sure they took my blood, but my memory is so fuzzy."

"Did Misaka-san rescue you from them?"

"Huh… Maybe. I really don't know. I tried to ask her earlier but she kept dodging my questions."

"Here, lean in close to me."

"Are you changing your mind-?"

"No! I mean, I can…" Kazari took a deep breath. She hadn't ever told anyone about her ability except to Haruue-san a long time ago. "I can actually regulate the temperature of anything I touch. If you stick close to me, I can help keep both of us at my current temperature without getting cold."

"Whoahhhh!" Ruiko's jaw dropped open.

"Wh-What? It- It's nothing impressive!"

"Yes it is! That's amazing Uiharu!" Ruiko looked overjoyed. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Be-Because…" Kazari reddened. "It's nothing to boast about. I'm just a Level 1. Nothing grand like Misaka-san's or anything like that."

"You're so modest." Ruiko grinned widely. "So unlike me, who boasts about being a Level 0 everywhere she goes." She made a proud "O" shape with her thumb and forefinger.

"You're an idiot, Saten-san."

"Ouch."

"That's for keeping big secrets about Misaka-san from me!"

"Heyyy, I thought I was forgiven!"

Uiharu folded her arms crossly. "You haven't apologised yet for keeping those secrets!"

"True…" Ruiko snuggled in closer, placing an arm around her shoulders. Kazari felt her breath tickle against her neck and she squirmed. "I'm sorry, Uiharu," she said softly. "I really am. I just didn't know how to tell you about Misaka-san without hurting you. I know how much you look up to her."

"I understand," Kazari replied back gently. "You were simply looking out for me. I felt so terrible after our argument… It must have been so difficult for you, looking after me all that time while I was asleep."

Ruiko smiled against her shoulder. "It was at times, I'll be honest. But I kept believing you'd wake up again because I knew you're actually a tough girl behind that soft and cute exterior." She flashed Kazari a cheeky grin. "As cheesy as this sounds, it's true. Believing that you might be able to smile again helped me keep going."

"Saten-san…" Kazari's eyes softened. There was a large lump in her throat. She didn't know what to say. How could she thank her enough?

"By the way," Ruiko continued before Kazari could formulate a proper response. "Misaka-san said something about how she gave you something. I think she keeps blaming herself over it. Do you…" She sneaked a quick, apologetic glance at her friend. "Do you remember what it was?"

Kazari frowned wonderingly. "She said she gave me something?"

"Yeah."

"Uhhh…" Kazari tried to think but came up blank. "I really can't remember anything, Saten-san. My sense of time before the accident is completely warped. The doctor said some of my brain's memory centres must have gotten damaged."

"I see." Ruiko's shoulders sagged slightly.

"It's true I never had a traffic accident, I gathered that much. If that's not the reason why I fell into a coma… what happened?"

"Nobody knows, Uiharu," Ruiko's voice was sad. "Except maybe Misaka-san."

"Misaka-san?"

"Yeah… She was the one who brought you to the hospital." Ruiko's heart squeezed tight at the memory. "She wouldn't tell us anything about what had happened. She looked beat up, as if she'd gotten into a fight with someone."

"A fight?" Kazari's frown deepened.

"Mhm. She was acting really weird too back then. She said some… really nasty things, Uiharu. I mean, she'd never cared about levels before, but she said I was just a level 0 and that I couldn't help her-"

"Misaka-san said that?!"

"Yep. She even said we weren't friends anymore, and that she didn't care about us. I got super mad. It's a blur but I might have slapped her quite hard."

Kazari gaped at her.

"What? She did deserve it!" Ruiko huffed. Her eyes fell to her knees. "Well, not that it did any good. Misaka-san pretended to leave the city just a few days later without even saying goodbye to us."

There was a long silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"I wish I could remember…" Kazari suddenly whispered. "It frightens me that I can't remember what happened."

"But does it really matter now, Uiharu?" Ruiko looked at her sadly. "Will it make any difference to know the past? You're awake and I just want you to be happy."

Kazari fell silent. Did it matter? She turned the question over in her head. Probably not, she decided. It would make no difference going forward. She simply wanted to recover to her full strength and get back together with her friends. That included Misaka-san.

"You're right, Saten-san. I just want all of us to be happy." She paused for a moment before adding, "You have to promise me, you won't keep such big secrets from me again?"

"I promise. I'll tell you everything you want to know. I'll ring you up every morning about which coloured panties I'm going to wear-"

"Nooo! Not that-!"

"-And you better return them with what kind of panties you're gonna wear-!"

"Saten-san!"

Ruiko giggled. "Well, may as well spend time doing something productive. I think we'll be stuck in here for a while yet."

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is Misaka-san really the one keeping us locked up here? If so, why?"

"I really don't know, Uiharu. I'm lacking answers as much as you are." Ruiko shook her head. She opened her mouth as if to say something further and then bit her lip.

Kazari's eyes narrowed. "You're not telling me something again."

Ruiko groaned. "Fine, fine. Can you stop reading me like a book? It's just… I don't want to get you mad again."

"About what?"

"Look, I'm not trying to be mean or anything… but Misaka-san… She's really not herself and she was acting all… crazy when she came to see me yesterday-"

"Misaka-san's not crazy!"

"You didn't see what she was like-!"

"She's not!"

"Think about it, Uiharu! She locked us up here! In a prison cell! Is that an action of a sane person?"

"But-!"

"See? This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! You're just going to keep defending her without seeing the problem! That's exactly what Shirai-san did too!"

Kazari fell silent. She recalled the way Misaka-san had looked down at her last night. Her glare had been harsh and cold. Her smile hadn't been kind. It had been cruel, and terrifying. She'd always felt safe with Misaka-san before. What she had sensed last night was something completely opposite to that.

She felt uncertain. She was only sure of one thing.

"If…" Her voice shook. "If Misaka-san's really gone… c-crazy or not herself, then we have to help her! We have to help her get back to how she was before, Saten-san!"

"I know," Ruiko said simply. "But that might not be so simple."

She squeezed her arm around Kazari's quaking shoulder.

"This time for sure, we'll help her, Uiharu. Right now though, we have to focus on figuring out a way to escape from here-"

"What was that?!" Kazari suddenly straightened, eyes turning towards the door.

"Huh?"

"I heard something."

Ruiko listened. At first she didn't hear anything, but then she began to hear the soft taps of footsteps drawing closer and closer. There were whispered voices as well. From the harsh tones, it sounded like they were arguing.

"Shuffle behind me, Uiharu!" Ruiko whispered urgently. When Uiharu didn't move, she shifted forward so that she would be closer to the door.

Ruiko's muscles tensed, getting ready to spring forward if she had to defend them. Uiharu still couldn't walk well and she was the only able-bodied person here. She had to protect Uiharu. No, she wanted to protect her.

The footsteps were much louder now, and hushed voices drew close. If the door broke open, Ruiko could rush at them in four steps and attack before they could-

"Saten-san! We know that voice!"

As soon as Uiharu exclaimed out happily, two figures came into view before their prison. Ruiko's eyes almost bulged out in disbelief.

"Shirai-san?!"

"Finally! If you had actually listened to me, we'd have got here faster!"

"How… was… I… supposed to know… they'd have… a million… stairs… through that… route?"

"You really need to exercise."

"Shut up! You could have… teleported… me… you… heartless…"

Next to Kuroko was a tall blonde girl in Tokiwadai uniform they had never seen before. Her shoulders were heaving and she looked out of breath as if she'd just been running a marathon.

"Uhhh, what's going on?" Ruiko looked between them. Kazari peered out from behind her with a radiant smile.

"We're here to rescue you of course," Kuroko said. "This is Shokuhou-san, also known as Mental Out-"

Kazari's eyes grew wide and shiny. "Y-You mean the Mental Out? The fifth ranked Level 5 and the most elegant Queen of Tokiwadai who featured on the one-time limited gourmet cake ad?!"

Misaki straightened up after a final inhale to calm her breaths and smiled. Kazari practically melted next to Ruiko.

"That's me~" She flicked her golden hair back. "You must be Uiharu-san."

"Y-You know my name?!" Kazarai squealed in excitement.

"Sure. Misaka-san always spoke very highly of you-"

Kuroko pushed Misaki away with a disgusted noise. "Don't act like you were ever close to Onee-sama!" She rounded on Kazari. "And you, don't inflate her ego! It's already about to explode!"

She let out a long exhale through her nose and flashed them both a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you two are safe. Let's get you both out of here."

Kuroko teleported inside. Kazari stood up gingerly with the help of Ruiko. The teleporter took both their arms and prepared to perform the calculations when Ruiko suddenly shook her away.

"Wait a second, we better take Misaka-san's rats with us."

"What?"

"Her rats! Hang on!"

Ruiko dashed off to the side and grabbed a small cage from the floor. When she rejoined them, Kuroko saw the three rats inside and grimaced with a sigh.

"I'm not even going to ask… We can talk later."

"Uaaaahhh, so cute!" Kazari poked a finger inside the cage. "Ouch! It bit me!"

"Come on, we don't have all day!" Misaki called out impatiently.

"We're coming!"

Grabbing Kazari and Ruiko's arms, Kuroko teleported them all out of the cell.

"I… I can't walk very fast yet." Kazari confessed weakly.

"Don't worry Uiharu!" Ruiko crouched down, presenting her back towards her. "I got this!"

"Eh eh? Are you sure?"

"Just hop on!"

"This way," Kuroko spoke up before Misaki could take the lead. "It might actually be faster if we don't go through all those stairs again."

"Wait, what are these?"

Kuroko turned to see Misaki peering over some controls behind a hidden panel.

"What are you-" Her eyes widened. "Don't touch that!" She lunged forward.

But it was too late. Misaki's fingers brushed over a red button. As soon as they touched, the wails of sirens throughout the entire building filled the air.

"Are you dumb?!" Kuroko screamed out over the blaring sirens. "It says 'Security Alarm' right here!"

"Oh oops, I didn't see." Misaki looked a little abashed. "I thought it would open the shortcut route we tried to get through earlier."

"Dammit! We have to move! Those things are supposed to make direct calls to Anti-Skill!"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Ruiko looked confused.

"I'll explain later." Kuroko shook her head. "Let's just keep moving."

As they started to make their way down the corridor, Ruiko hesitated for a moment and looked across at the cell to the right of hers. Through the bars, she spied some kind of strange contraption filled with glowing green liquid. Upon it, bold red writing red: "Failed #470562". She leaned forward, entranced. Deep within, she thought she could see a silhouette of a guy with spiky hair…

"Saten-san? What is that?" Uiharu whispered from her back.

"I'm not sure…"

Was this the person Misaka-san had been talking to earlier?

"Saten-san! Hurry up! We have no time to waste!"

"R-Right! We're coming!"

Shooting the contraption one last glance, Ruiko sped off after the others with Uiharu clinging for dear life on her back.

"S-Slow down, Saten-saaaan! How can you be so energetic?!"

"Super speeeeeeed, triple tuuuuurn Saten powerrrr!"

"Waaaaaah?! I'm going to fall off!"

"Just grab onto my boobs!"

"Saten-san!"

"Remember, you still… totally owe me… for this, Shirai-san," Misaki proclaimed in between huffs of air.

"How can you still be saying that after what you just did?!" Kuroko growled. "I swear if Anti-Skill shows up…"

After a lot of screaming by a frightened Kazari, ridiculous antics by Ruiko, and constant bickering between Kuroko and Misaki, they finally made their way to the ground floor.

"Phew, I'm quite worn out now," Ruiko declared. "You're heavier than you look, Uiharu."

Kazari's face turned heated. "Th-That's only because you kept moving around unnecessarily!"

"Tone it down, you two," Kuroko snapped. She felt on edge. They were almost out, but the sirens were still wailing their dreadful tone. Although this was an abandoned facility, the fact that the security alert systems were still functioning was strangely suspicious.

"Where do you think you're going, Saten-san, Uiharu-san?"

They all froze from their tracks in sync, and slowly turned around.

"Kuroko, why are you taking my friends away?!"

Mikoto stood facing them, and she looked furious. Before any of them could reply, her eyes rounded on Misaki.

"You… You…" Her face contorted into an expression of rage.

Then it blanked.

"Who are you again?"

"Are you serious?" Misaki bristled at the deadpan expression. "You've forgotten about me?! How could you?!"

"Eh?" Mikoto stared at her and scratched her head in confusion. "You must have been someone really insignificant."

Misaki's eyebrows twitched. "W-W-Why do I feel so annoyed?!" She took a big breath. "I'm Shokuhou Misaki, don't you remember? Level 5, Mental Out, the Queen of Tokiwadai!"

"Ohhhhhhh."

Recognition suddenly lit up in Mikoto's eyes. It then died away with an annoyed huff.

"Ahhh man," Mikoto drawled. "Life was so much better when I didn't remember you."

"Whaaaat?!" Misaki's face turned a bright red.

"You guys go ahead, I'll handle this!" Taking out some spikes from her thigh strap, Kuroko glared at Mikoto.

"B-But Shirai-san-!"

"Heh~ Don't you remember what happened last time, Kuroko?" Mikoto sneered. "All you did was run away."

"You know I'm the only one who can fight against you here, Onee-sama!"

"Are you sure about that?" Misaki stepped forward.

Kuroko turned towards her. "What are you-?" She saw the remote control in a gloved hand and a sudden realisation dawned. "No! Don't-"

Piii~

Everything stilled.

Kuroko's outstretched hand relaxed and fell to her side. Kazari slid off Ruiko's back and stood on her own legs as if she had never had any trouble. Ruiko stood blankly, a hand still clutching the small cage. Only the rats within scuttled around frantically, as if sensing something was amiss.

"I'm sorry Misaka-san, but your beastly activities will end today."

"What are you doing, Shokuhou?!" Mikoto's eyes were wild. "Let my friends go!"

"Your friends?" Misaki tilted her head and stepped behind an expressionless Kuroko. She peered out at Mikoto, starry eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Going by your recent words and actions, I didn't think you had any left."

"Shut up! I'm doing all of this for them!"

"Is that really true?" Misaki trailed a hand slowly up Kuroko's front before it landed boldly on her chest. "Or are you using them to simply justify your atrocious actions?"

Mikoto bristled.

"Get your filthy hands off her! She's mine!" Sparks spat viciously from her bangs.

"Hmm, I don't think Shirai-san feels the same way." The hand travelled upwards to the chin before cupping a cheek tenderly. "Poor Shirai-san. She really cared for you. Imagine the horror she felt when she realised what an absolute monster you've become."

Mikoto's teeth ground together. A thin trail of blood leaked from the corner of her lips. She was biting the insides of her cheeks too hard.

"Shut up… Just shut up…!" Lightning poured from the top of her head and down her body like a fountain. "Don't say some bunch of random shit and expect me to-"

"Random shit?" Misaki's words were biting. "I'm the Mental Out, remember? I know what each of these girls are thinking deep inside their heads, more than you ever could. And you call yourself their friend?"

Ruiko and Kazari walked up next to Kuroko, staring out at Mikoto with blank expressions. Misaki peered out between them in turn with a coy smile.

"Saten-san was really angry at you, you know. For leaving them without an explanation, for pushing them away without reason. She had a huge fight with Shirai-san about you and ended up looking after Uiharu-san all alone for more than a year. Isn't that a sad little story?"

Mikoto stood still. Lightning still danced furiously about her form, fists clenched tightly by her sides. She was looking down at the floor, eyes wide, but Misaki knew she was listening.

"And poor, poor Uiharu-san~ Lost almost two precious years of her young life simply because she knew a villain like you. When she woke up, she found out that the person she looked up to the most actually abandoned her and ran away."

"Th-That's not true…!" Mikoto ground out through clenched jaws.

"Did you really think you were doing them a favour?" Misaki chuckled. "Don't you think it'd be better if they never knew you?"

Only the sharp crackles of electricity responded to her questions.

"I could grant that wish. What if I just… wiped away all of their memories?" Gloved fingers danced tantalisingly over Kazari's blank face. "Spare these unfortunate girls the distress of knowing a monstrous savage like you?"

"Get the fuck away from them!" Mikoto lifted her head and snarled. The blue tendrils of power roared and merged into her outstretched hands. With a roar, she flung them at the blonde. The cerulean energy rushed towards the other Level 5, splitting the ground in its destructive path.

Misaki's lips curved up into a devilish smile.

"Defend me."

The three girls shielded their Queen with their bodies. The power almost touched them but then it abruptly dissipated. Misaki looked across at the electromaster knowingly.

Mikoto's eyes were wide, and her entire body shook as if she was being electrocuted herself. She stared at the forms of the three girls in turn as if in disbelief.

"Why are you…. Why are you defending her?!" Her teeth ground together. Her hands clutched her head and she doubled over as if in pain.

"I see," Misaki murmured. "Like I suspected. You do have some conscience left in there after all."

"What am I… What am I doing…"

Misaki's smile vanished as she watched Mikoto continue to mutter senselessly to herself. It was pitiful, really. But this had to be done.

'Try not to think too badly of me, Misaka-san. Maybe you'll even be thankful to me one day.'

She took out a small earpiece from her skirt pocket and turned it on.

"Shokuhou-san?" A man's voice came through. "We've assembled at the vital points as we discussed."

"Good. Everything's going to plan. I'll escort the girls to a safe place after. You know what to do."

"Are you really sure about going through with this?"

Misaki's lips pursed at the question. "I thought you were already committed to the plan. 'The end justifies the means in this situation', didn't you say that yesterday?"

There was a non-committal grunt from the other end. Misaki ignored it.

"I trust you to take care of the matter as swiftly as possible once Misaka-san's actions are entirely exposed to the city."

"Glad to hear you have faith in our abilities." His voice was dry.

"Good luck, Officer Hiroshi."

"Roger that."

Cutting the communicator off, Misaki eyed Mikoto as she lay curled up in a foetal position on the ground. For a brief moment, she felt sorry for her. There were tears leaking from the beast's scrunched eyes.

But there was no time to waste. There was a bigger picture to worry about, and if one tragic highschool girl had to suffer for it, that was fine. She was a lost cause anyway.

Just one final push, Misaki thought determinedly. And then Misaka Mikoto would be open game for Anti-Skill.

Her gloved fingers worked the remote. The girls crowded around the electromaster. They opened their mouths in perfect sync, completely obedient to her will.

A chorus of chanted words filled the air. Hateful, spiteful, jarring. Mikoto shuddered and writhed under their painful lashes, caught in her own world of conscience and guilt.

Holding up the rats' cage, Ruiko finally swung it at her. The rats squealed as their home crashed into their owner's back.

Mikoto's eyes flew open. Bursts of electricity showered from her head.

Misaki smiled as she instructed her puppets to step back, except one.

This was it, the golden moment… when the beast would show her true colours to the world.

'Shirai-san, teleport her. Don't linger too long~'

Heedless of the electricity, Kuroko grabbed hold of Mikoto's arm and disappeared. They reappeared along a main street nearby. Crowds of people who had been passing through stopped to stare at the sudden spectacle.

"How… dare you…"

Enraged eyes swung around to find Kuroko's. But the pig-tailed girl had already let go and vanished to rejoin her mistress.

"Who is that?"

"I recognise her… Isn't that the famous Railgun?"

"The Railgun?! I thought she left the city a long time ago."

People were gathering around her, pointing and muttering. Mikoto felt caged in. Unrelenting stares and meaningless words, they were the bars in this seemingly open space. Wild eyes gleaming with blue power darted this way and that, unsure of where to go.

It was exactly like those times in the dark room. Her friends didn't want her; people mocked her. The Gods of science stared at her, the rat. Even when she tried so hard to make amends, it never led to anywhere but disaster.

The world was a crazy, senseless mess. There were no numbers, no coloured dots, no symmetry to guide her. She was alone in a city full of unspeakable dangers.

Her hair spiked upwards with the static that continued to build with each passing moment. Black clouds began to gather high above, and the first thunder resounded like a cracking gong. Her expression contorted to a twisted fury, befitting the perfect part of a monster. She slowly picked herself up to her full height, lightning sizzling around her like a boiling tornado.

Sensing danger, the crowds of people began to disperse away hurriedly.

It was good that they were frightened of her. They should be.

They deserved nothing but her wrath.

"YOU TRAITORRRSSS!" Mikoto screamed. "After everything I did…! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOUUUU!"

A few milliseconds later, the entire street became bathed in explosive aqua light.