Disclaimer : I don't have Mai HiME, but I have God provide me dreams where I do have Mai HiME in it.
She cant believe the girl standing before Reito was Natsuki, the girl behind it all. The girl who manipulated everyone's heart including the obsidian lord's and even her heart. Standing behind her was Mikoto. Shizuru glances at Kiyohime that's fighting Kagutsuki. Mikoto surrendered under Mai. Before Mikoto fought Mai, Mikoto successfully lead Miyu to the maze of cave and leaved her wandering to find a way out there. Shizuru didn't know why Natsuki greeted Mikoto a well-done for distracting Miyu, but she felt that Natsuki hid something about Miyu. She didn't know what, but maybe it's something big. Like ruining the carnival. She didn't know, but she hoped it's right. She planed to give Miyu some time and wait her to find a way out from that cave. She wish she didn't beat Yukino child so now she can ask Yukino's help. But Haruka's already vanished. Thanks to Natsuki's role. She deserved an award for the role that she played. Her heart aching. She had no choice. She had to fight Mai just like what Natsuki's asked to avoid Natsuki fighting Mai. If Natsuki lose, then she herself will vanish as her most important person is herself. Even Nao has someone else being her most important person, but that girl that is her most important person only has herself as her most important person. It chilled to her bone thinking how cold her beloved is. Then she will gladly lose and makes Natsuki the winner of the carnival as Natsuki is the person Reito chose to be her wife coz Mai rejected his offer.
She's turning her head to see Kiyohime fights Kagutsuki equally. If she moves forward to chase Mai, maybe she'll win, coz Mai'd prefer to defense while she'd prefer to offense aggressively. But she doesn't want to hurt Mai coz Mai's the one who opened Natsuki's heart even if Natsuki might be acting. But maybe it's opened eventually but the things Natsuki's wanted definitely something she couldn't help wanted. Maybe Natsuki wanted to destroy the first district using her, and wanted to destroy all behind first district by herself : the carnival. But maybe she guessed too much, that Natsuki only wanted to be the winner to pose the powerful power. For what ? The question still on her mind when suddenly she heard Natsuki screamed.
" Shizuru, fight seriously."
Both Mai and Shizuru looked at Natsuki. Shizuru looked at the the pool of emerald far in front of her. Her mind flashed back.
After she defeated Nao, she's waiting for Natsuki in the classroom. The classroom where her destined fight with Natsuki supposed to happen. But until she sipped her last sip of her tea, Natsuki didn't come there. So, she walked around, wandering. She found herself on the stage of Mikoto and Miyu's fighting, hid herself behind the tree, and made it to the library while Mikoto and Miyu nowhere in her sight. Nagi was there.
" Shizuru – san, finally you're here. I've been expecting you."
She walked down through the stairs after while and found Natsuki's fighting Mai. She summoned her Kiyohime and made both of them stayed a side. She found Mikoto standing next to Reito, then, but she's not holding her huge sword.
She held the girl next to her tightly, hoping she'd close the distant between them.
" Shizuru, I cant breath." Her lazy eyes cracked open to meet the red eyed in front of her.
" Natsuki's so warm. I'm cold."
" You're not."
" I am."
Natsuki smiled lazily. A week after the carnival, her apartment still like a mess. Thanks to Nao. She moved into Shizuru's dorm while fixing this and that. Soon, Shizuru will be kicked out from this dorm after graduated. She hope her apartment can be used before it happen.
Couple minutes later Natsuki's on the slumberland, leaving Shizuru enjoying her beloved's face.
A week before, Natsuki stood against her. When Shizuru didn't move to fight Mai, Natsuki decided to take a step by attacked Mai's child while it fighting Kiyohime. Mai and Shizuru gasped, unbelieving what they saw. Kagutsuchi vanished rapidly.
" If you're waiting for Miyu, she wont come," Natsuki spoke. Shizuru gasped, how does she know ?
" Inside the cave, she's sleeping peacefully."
" Mikoto have done something we need to make Miyu sleep. Reit have John Smith's access."
Shizuru froze at her position.
" Now, surrender, Shizuru."
Shizuru looked at Natsuki's eyes for awhile. Then dropped her Naginata.
" Now the carnival has one winner," Natsuki spoke as Shizuru standing still. The ancient agreement's broken completely. The final carnival was now.
Suddenly Duran's aiming to the stones of most important people. The blast was surprising all of them. Mashiro hime flied up high and divided. All the hime's awake. Their children.
" It's futile. As long as the hime boshi exist, Miroku and me cant be defeated," the obsidian lord screamed through Reito's mouth.
Yuichii then fought Reito and Mikoto trying hard to stop her brother. Once Reito was knocked down, the real obsidian lord came out. Natsuki blast him an attack but being blocked by Miroku.
" Shizuru, lead them all to blast the hime boshi."
After all the hime gathered and blasted the boshi, Duran blast once again and the obsidian lord vanished.
Shizuru stopped from her train of thoughts when Natsuki moves swiftly. The blanket leaves Natsuki's naked body revealed. Only part of her nakedness. Shizuru gives a couple of kiss there and there, leaves some red marks like claiming hers.
Author's words
- No, Natsuki's most important person isn't herself. Shizuru only assume it.
- I've been thinking : I will make Natsuki the villain, then Shizuru will destroy the hime boshi and make Natsuki right. Or make Shizuru as the villain and run Natsuki for herself but I cant stand Natsuki being evil. Though I'm Shizuru's fan, I respect Natsuki's character more than Shizuru's.
- I cant write the detail. My grammar's suck. You do it yourself.
- Natsuki knew why Midori woke Miyu up. But I didn't know what will Natsuki feel if Midori / Mashiro's theory is failed. Maybe she'll blame herself for her lifetime on the dead of Mai's and the other's most important person.
epilogue
Natsuki's POV ( what's POV, anyway ? )
She's successfully ruined the carnival. Maybe it's something she's wanted for her lifetime, finally in her grasp. To destroy the first district and all behind it. Finally, she can sleep well, in the arm of the arm of the Kyoto woman she loves the most. Well, actually she's still wondering what kind of feeling that she has for that Kyoto woman. But her body moves faster, like the way she used to run, than her brain. Or Shizuru moves faster than them all, she doesn't really know. She's not bothering it. She doesn't mind. She loves being loved.
After explaining all to her friends, especially Mai, with some couple sorry and the author herself doesn't know how Natsuki survived the glares, survived the slaps, survived the arrows, survived the negi ( ??? ), survived the screams, scolds, etc, Natsuki finally rest assured that now is the time for herself. From now onward it's her new life of study, love and the memory of her mother will keep a live within her irreplaceable.
