There will be violence and death (not of the main characters) so please don't read if that will make you uncomfortable.
Argh, dialogue is the bane of my existence. Anyway, I hope I made things clear enough.
This short story takes place years after the series. It was written partly to appease Alyssa because I left her out of both Twisted HiME and Search and Destroy. It's weird, very weird and quite fast, but I thought I might as well post it.
Family Ties
by Mara S. S.
Shizuru and Natsuki had been visiting Fuuka when they somehow got involved in a mysterious incident.
It had been years since the couple last returned to Fuuka. Mai and Tate still lived in the area though, and they'd invited the two over to meet their newborn baby.
It was a baby boy and Shizuru got along with him very well. He peed on Natsuki though when she was holding him. Natsuki swore it scarred her for life, prompting a round of laughs from Shizuru, Mai, Tate, and even Nao.
Nao had visited Mai and Tate as well, to bring some gifts her mother had sent for the baby. Natsuki was miffed to see that the baby just gurgled and cooed when Nao picked him up.
"Ara, Natsuki mustn't worry. She'll learn how to care for babies when we have our own family." Shizuru reassured.
Natsuki instantly blushed a bright red. "Shizuru!"
Shizuru just laughed and smiled fondly at her lover. The years had been kind to them.
They also visited Fuuka Academy and they were like kids again, remembering old times and marveling at the new buildings that had been put up during time they'd been away.
They made it a special point to see the garden, the garden where they had met.
"I remember…" Natsuki said, reaching out a hand to caress the flowers growing on the hedge. Shizuru's arm was around Natsuki's waist and she tucked a stray strand of her lover's hair into place.
What Natsuki remembered would never be said though, because at that moment a child crashed through the hedges and ran to them.
"Help me!" the grade school boy screamed, running frantically towards Natsuki and Shizuru.
Bang!
Then right before their eyes, a pool of red blossomed on the boys chest. He gasped and fell into Natsuki's arms. When she and Shizuru turned him over, he was already dead.
-o-
They had to give their statements at a busy police station.
They were sitting on a bench in the station when they spotted a familiar face among all the uniformed police.
"Chie-san!" Natsuki waved.
Chie caught sight of them and wove her way over through the crowd.
"Natsuki-san! Shizuru-sama! What are you two doing here?" Chie asked, taking a seat on the bench beside the two. The reporter put away her notepad and pencil in her pockets.
Natsuki and Shizuru shared a look with one another before explaining what had happened.
When they were finished, Chie looked at the two intently. "What's the boy's name?" she asked.
"Jonathan. Jonathan Searrs." Shizuru replied. "Why?"
Chie leaned back against the wall and looked soberly at the other two. "Well you see, a number of the Searrs family have been murdered lately in separate incidents."
"What?!" Natsuki exclaimed in surprise. Shizuru looked shocked as well.
"Now it seems even the children are being targeted." Chie sighed.
"Do they have any suspects?" Shizuru asked.
"Nope, not a clue." Chie replied.
Shizuru and Natsuki digested this. A serial killer on the loose made Fuuka a very dangerous place to be. Shizuru squeezed Natsuki's hand.
-o-
They attended the boy's funeral. They somehow felt compelled to go, having witnessed the boy's last moments.
The funeral was already finished and the sea of people in black was beginning to disperse.
Then, the roar of an engine filled the air, overpowering the screams of hysterical women.
A blue haired someone carrying a man in black emerged from the chaos and dashed to the noisy car.
Natsuki and Shizuru glanced at each other, came to an unspoken agreement, and immediately gave chase. They jumped onto Natsuki's bike and zoomed off after the escaping car.
It wove in and out of traffic but Natsuki's bike was able to keep up. They followed it to an empty building already marked for demolition.
It was perhaps not the best of judgments but the image of the dead boy was still fresh in the two HiME's minds so they entered the building to pursue the murderer.
It was empty and many of the walls were already knocked down. They heard footsteps coming from above and they rushed up the stairs. Finding one floor empty after another, they continued climbing until the stairs led to the roof of the abandoned building. Shizuru and Natsuki stopped at the head of the stair well, taking in the scene before them.
Miyu was there, her face perfectly blank. In place of her right arm, she had a long blade that glinted in the sunlight.
The man from the funeral was on the floor in his black suit. He was bound and gagged and his face was grotesquely contorted in terror.
In front of Miyu stood a figure dressed all in black, with her back turned towards Shizuru and Natsuki.
"Ah, we have guests Miyu." The girl turned towards the couple. She was older now, her body beginning to gain its curves, but her hair was still in its signature style.
Natsuki walked closer to them, Shizuru right behind her.
The bound man was struggling, attempting to escape or perhaps beg for mercy. Miyu silenced him effectively by placing a foot on top of his head.
Natsuki stared at the treatment the man was receiving.
"Why are you doing this Alyssa?!" Natsuki demanded.
There was no answer. Alyssa merely smiled regally at the two former HiMEs, Miyu a threatening presence at her back.
Natsuki was becoming furious now and her fingers itched for her guns.
"Why are members of the Searrs family dying one by one?" Shizuru asked, from beside Natsuki.
Alyssa relented and explained to them.
"It's simple. They deserved to die." She said, her expression that of a genius explaining simple facts to lesser mortals.
Shizuru and Natsuki looked at each other. Shizuru took a step nearer to Natsuki, putting a hand on the other's arm to prevent her from doing anything rash.
"I'm afraid we do not understand. Could you please explain, Alyssa-san?" Shizuru said, her voice calm despite the dangerous situation she and her lover had found themselves in.
"They used me. I was a tool to them. Nothing more." Alyssa's voice was cold, harsh.
"I hate them. They deserve to die."
"But they're your family!" Natsuki protested.
Alyssa's eyes narrowed and her hands clenched into fists. "They're NOT my family!"
"They created me! But I'm a freak. Unnatural! I shouldn't have existed."
"Ojou-sama…" Miyu put a hand on Alyssa's shoulders, her face now showing concern.
"I shouldn't… have existed…" Alyssa's voice faded into a whisper.
She took a deep breath.
"Miyu is my only family now." Alyssa said, looking up at the blue haired cyborg beside her.
"She's a part of me. She is me…" She placed her hand on top of the one Miyu had on her shoulder.
Natsuki could only stare at the two.
Alyssa looked directly into Shizuru's eyes. "You know what's it like, to be consumed by hate, by fear… by love. You should understand."
Shizuru's face betrayed her surprise and Natsuki turned to look from her lover to the blonde girl in confusion.
Then, there was a thump as the bound man renewed his struggle to escape.
"Mhrmmrhmm!" he rolled on the floor and faster than you could blink, Miyu was next to him with her blade at his throat.
Natsuki looked at him. It was impossible to get to him before Miyu could react, much less free him in time.
"Alyssa, stop this!" Natsuki pleaded with the robot's mistress.
Alyssa simply smiled, ignoring Natsuki's plea. She seemed very pleased.
"Kill him." She commanded Miyu in her confident voice.
"Yes, ojou-sama." Miyu replied.
There was an incoherent scream. Then, silence.
"Goodbye father." Alyssa spat out.
Miyu returned and stood beside Alyssa. Alyssa was almost of a height with Miyu now.
Alyssa smiled at her audience and mockingly curtsied.
Alyssa took Miyu's hand. "Let's go Miyu."
Wind swept the roof of the building with Alyssa and Miyu glowing at its center. It was like a tornado, swirling clouds of dust that obscured Shizuru's and Natsuki's vision.
Shizuru and Natsuki both covered their eyes, Shizuru laying a protective hand around Natsuki's shoulders.
When they looked up, the room was empty except for them, even the body had disappeared.
Natsuki ran to the edge of the building trying to find where Alyssa had gone.
"Shizuru! We have to go after them!" Natsuki said.
Shizuru was still where she'd been standing, looking at the spot where Alyssa and Miyu had been.
"Shizuru!" Natsuki said, running back to the other woman and shaking her shoulders.
"Let them be Natsuki. They won't hurt anyone else."
"Shizuru, how can you be so calm?!"
Shizuru looked down for a moment. When she looked at Natsuki, her face carried an infinite amount of sadness and regret.
"Natsuki and I were not her targets. She wouldn't have harmed us unless we got in her way." Shizuru's lips curled in a self deprecating smile but the effect was ruined by the way her eyes began to shine with unshed tears. "I… I should know."
"Shizuru…" Natsuki stepped forward, wrapping her arms against her beloved. She accepted Shizuru's assessment that the threat was gone so now her full attention was on her lover.
"It is a painful thing to find that you are not loved by someone you love, to not be accepted into their hearts…" Shizuru whispered.
Natsuki pulled back to look at Shizuru's face and wipe away her tears.
"Silly, I'm here." Natsuki reassured, gently kissing Shizuru. She tasted salty from the fallen tears. "Always here."
Shizuru nodded, smiling now through the tears. "Thank you…"
Natsuki held Shizuru tighter. "Come on, let's go home…"
The two of them left the abandoned building. They did return home and lived happily ever after. The Searrs incident was eventually pushed to the back of their minds in favor of more important events like their wedding, anniversaries, their birthdays and their kids' birthdays.
If ever they remembered the incident, it was merely to wonder what happened to Alyssa and Miyu. If they'd asked, Chie could have reported to them that no one related to the Searrs family survived the slaughter. The Searrs murderer was never caught. It was a baffling mystery for the police.
After a few years, the incident was classified as an unsolved case, gathered dust and was eventually forgotten. And neither Alyssa nor Miyu were ever heard from again.
END
Disclaimer: Mai HiME belongs to Sunrise