I Wish

Chapter 1: The Wondrous Madame Maria

Takes place soon after the Hime Carnival. Mai Tokiha is experiencing difficulties in life that are a direct result of the Carnival. She may be held accountable for the destruction of Takumi's hospital room, which was destroyed when he was attacked by Nao. On top of that, she lost her job at Linden Baum due to missing several days of work. How is she going to pay for Takumi's hospital bill now!? Even being with Tate is frustrating since she now knows that he loves her, but he is still allowing Shiho to get between the two of them. What's a girl to do?!

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Bright lights and music overwhelmed the eyes and ears of everyone around, while the delicious smell of takuyaki filled the night air The Hime Carnival had ended a mere two week ago, and the city of Fuka was in the midst of another festival, though this one was far less sinister. An emergency committee, headed by none other than Haruka Suzushiro, had planned and implemented the largest carnival in Fuka's history in order to raise funds for the much needed repairs to the Academy. Like nearly every other resident of the city, Mai Tokiha was there that night. In fact she was there with the boy she loved and who claimed to love her back. Months of flirtation, denial, and heartache had been blown away by their profession of love during the height of the Hime battle. However their happy ending had yet to appear and they both knew it. This night was supposed change that and solidify their relationship, but as we all know, sometimes our expectations do not live up to reality.

"Ugh, I don't know Tate. I've lost my love of carnivals since the last one I took part in ended the lives of so many people I love," grumbled Mai as her spiky haired companion practically dragged her through the front entry of the festival.

Tate gave her arm a gentle shove and flashed a bright smile at his busty redheaded girlfriend. "Oh get over it, Tokiha! We were all brought back to life and it wasn't a real "carnival". Why in the hell they called it that is beyond me. Anyways, you and I need this. I realize I haven't been as attentive since everything went down, and I want to make it up to you. Shiho is having those tests done at the hospital, so we won't be interrupted by her, and I want to treat you to a fun night out since you lost your job."

"Thanks for reminding me. While you're at it, why don't you bring up how I'm up to my eyeballs in hospital bills, or better yet, why don't you frame and hang the letter from the Fuka hospital legal staff that informs me I may be liable for the damage to Takumi's room? Damn that Nao!" fumed Mai.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up, but your bosses really gave you a raw deal. I mean, you were their #1 employee, and they dropped you after only missing a week of work. They let Akane come back, and she disappeared for way longer than you."

"Yeah, something's not right. Mr. Okano seemed really nervous when he fired me and almost looked like he didn't want to do it..." shaking her head, Mai attempted to clear all the thoughts running rampant through her head. "Ok, no more thinking or speaking about any of this for the rest of the night. It's just you and me, and we're going to have fun!"

For the next hour the two walked arm in arm looking at crafts booths, eating junk food, and playing carnival games. Mai actually started to forget her worries and was completely care free for the first time in what felt like months. In the middle of a ring-toss game she looked over at her opponent only to see him looking at his cell phone with a grimace on his face.

"Hey what's the matter, Tate?"

"Uh, it's Shiho calling."

"So what? Just ignore it," laughed Mai.

"I have been...for the last 20 minutes. She's been calling nonstop, and I'm beginning to worry a little bit. She did go to the hospital for those tests, and maybe they found something bad."

"She went in for a psych consult for her depression and mood swings. The only thing they'll discover is that the girl is bat-shit crazy," growled the red head.

Tate was shocked by Mai's out-of-character outburst. "Hey, now don't talk about Shiho like that! I know you two haven't always gotten along, but she's like my sister and I need to be there for her."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Go call her and see what's going on. I'll go stand over by that fortune teller's tent, the one marked "The Wondrous Madame Maria", while you two talk."

"Thanks Mai, you're the best!" Tate called out as she walked away from him.

Outwardly Mai appeared calm and understanding, but on the inside she was seething and ready to rip her boyfriend's head off. All of the troubles that had been washed away in the last hour were flooding back into her brain. So distracted by her thoughts was Mai, that she failed to see the couple exiting the fortune teller's tent and smacked right into them.

"Ah, Tokiha! What are you doing here?" exclaimed a surprised and slightly bruised dark haired beauty. The equally beautiful chestnut haired brunette on her arm smiled warmly at Mai.

"Shizuru-san, Natsuki! Sorry I didn't see you there. I'm just waiting for my boyfriend to get off the phone with the crazy girl who's in love with him," explained Mai. "You two look sure look pleased. Did that fortune teller concoct a happy future for the two of you?"

"Mai-san sounds so cynical, but yes, she did share something with us that has made us extremely happy," Shizuru beamed with a twinkle in her eye.

"Care to share? I could use some cheerful news right now."

"Oh..uh...well we're supposed to be together and stuff..." stuttered out the embarrassed and evasive rebel, only to be interrupted by her crimson-eyed lover.

"What my Natsuki is so eloquently trying to share is that we are destined to be together. In past lives, the present, the future, and in numerous alternate worlds, our two souls have and will find each other. Our love is everlasting and true."

"Wow, that sounds romantic! So, how much did a fortune like that cost you?"

"4000 yen," Natsuki grimaced.

With a whistle Mai chuckled, "It sounds like you two got fleeced."

Scratching her head and looking away, Natsuki doubtfully agreed, "Uh I don't know, maybe..."

"I don't think so. She seemed genuine to me," said Shizuru with conviction. "You should go in Mai-san and see what sort of future is in store for you and Yuichi-san."

"No thank you! I'm a little afraid of what else is waiting for me."

"Well then, maybe you should ask to have a wish granted instead."

"She grants wishes too?" laughed Mai. "Why didn't you opt for that?"

"Because it costs twice as much..." sighed the biker.

"And because I've already had my dream come true," shared Shizuru, who looked at blushing Natsuki with absolute love and adoration, causing the blush to deepen even more. "Kawaii, I love my puppy!" The older woman proceeded to glom onto her embarrassed yet pleased lover.

Clearing her throat to get their attention again, Mai explained that she didn't have that kind of money on her. "Tate was supposed to pay for this date, but he's so caught up with Shiho he hasn't really had a lot of time to take me around."

"Man, what an ass-hat! You need to find someone better Mai." Then Natsuki yelled to Tate, "Oi! Gel for brains! Get over here and give Mai some money so she can enjoy herself while you stand there being a douche bag!"

Looking embarrassed, Tate started to fumble for his wallet and began to walk over with his cell phone still attached to his ear.

"Wow, thanks Natsuki. You sure know how to crack that whip."

"No, that's my job Mai-san," cooed Shizuru.

Natsuki immediately turned a bright shade of pink and stuttered out, "B..baka! Shizuru - don't say such things! I'm taking you home right now."

"It seems my puppy was excited by all this whip talk and now wants to take me home immediately," purred the chestnut brunette. "She's so insatiable."

"Baka!" yelled Natsuki as she grabbed Shizuru's arm and dashed away as quickly as possible.

Tate walked up and waved to the retreating Shizuru and Natsuki as they pass him. Pulling the phone away from his face he passed Mai 6,000 yen. "Hey, why was Kuga's nose bleeding?"

"Uh...well...so are you done talking to Shiho?" Mai exclaimed trying to change the subject.

"Unfortunately I'm not. She's just in the bathroom. To be honest Mai, we may need to leave soon because she's just flipping out. She thinks we purposefully chose this night to go to the fair just so we could avoid taking her with us."

"Well we did do that," said Mai.

"Erm, yeah we did. Anyways, I gave you everything I had left in my wallet so you should go spend it on whatever you want. I'm sorry this date didn't turn out like we wanted it to. I'll make it up do you, I promise. Do whatever you want for the next few minutes and I'll find you in a bit so we can go home." Giving a quick kiss to Mai's cheek, Tate then put the phone back to his ear and walked away from the tent.

Absolutely furious Mai stood there crushing Tate's money in her fist. "I'm dating a freaking loser! Ever since the stupid Hime Carnival ended two weeks ago, he has been spending more time with Shiho than me. Now he's even ending our rare alone time early just so he can calm that crazy bitch down. Can things get any worse? Oh that's right, they have! I have hospital bills to pay for, potential hospital repair bills to pay for, a ticket to America for Takumi, and an insane grocery bill each week thanks to Mikoto and her bottomless stomach. All that, and no job to speak of right now. Ah the life of an ex-Hime is so glamorous… Aaaargh! I wish there was never such thing as stupid Hime! Nao wouldn't have destroyed that hospital room, Tate wouldn't be guilt-ridden because he allowed Shiho's Child to be defeated, and I would still have a job because I didn't miss a week of work. I wish..."

A seething Mai entered the tent and slammed down all the money Tate gave her, plus whatever she had in her own a wallet. "I want to make a wish!"

"Hmm...would you like to try that entrance again? An entrance befitting of a lady perhaps?" said a dignified late middle-aged woman, with short cropped salt-and-pepper hair and bright blue eyes.

"Oh sorry, I'm just so frustrated with everything," said a blushing Mai. She cleared her throat and took a deep breathe to calm herself down. "Hello, I'm Tokiha Mai, and I would like to make a wish."

"Greetings! I am the Wondrous Madame Maria. I am the all-seeing eye that can peer into all corners of this world and all of the worlds that might have been. I have the ability to grant wishes, though be warned these wishes come with a price...

"Yeah I know, Natsuki told me how much you charge."

" Uh, hem, I was not referring to cost, so if you'll let me continue. Where was I...?"

"Sorry to interrupt again, but can you speed this up? My boyfriend is one more Shiho-fit away from taking me home, and I'd like to make my wish before he drags me away."

The exasperated fortune teller calmly explained the purpose of her speech. "I am trying to warn you that every wish has repercussions, so if you'll be patient while I go through my spiel I'll feel a lot better."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't have the time. I can actually hear Tate calling for me now." And with that, Mai's name was shouted again by her agitated boyfriend.

"Very well, make your wish," said the fortune teller with the flick of her wrist.

"I wish there was never such a thing as Hime"

"H..Hime? Are you sure?" sputtered the shocked fortune teller. "These wishes cannot be taken back by you if you have any regrets. Young lady, I hope that you take this seriously, for I know that you have experienced things in this world that cannot be easily explained. You should think back on what you've come to know about the world before you make such a wish on a whim. "

"You're right, I have experienced what others may consider impossible, and I'm not taking this lightly. I can't stand what's happening to my life right now and I this wish can potentially change it, and to be frank, if it doesn't, I'll feel really good about wasting my boyfriend's money."

With a sigh, Miss Maria instructed Mai on what to do. "Write out your wish on this paper and then burn it over the flames in the bowl. When you awaken, your wish shall come to pass."

Moments after the paper was burned, Tate poked his head into the tent. "Ah, there you are Mai. Shiho is having a royal freak out, so we need get going." Tate then paused and looked around the tent. The interior walls of the tent were a billowy burgandy fabric laced with sparkling silver beads. The only furniture was a single round table with a long silver cloth draped over the top. On the table rested a small bowl with a constantly burning flame which was the only light source in the tent. The lack of an accelerant in the bowl led Tate to assume that the flame was fed by a propane tank below the table, that and the slight smell of propane. Surrounding the table were three comfortable-looking chairs, only one of which was occupied. The fortune teller sat rigid in her seat and blue eyes glared at Tate for interrupting her private session. Mai was standing on the other side of the table and turned towards Tate; her lavender eyes spoke volumes, but mainly shared that she too wasn't pleased with his presence.

"Oh, I'm sorry for barging in. I'll give you another minute to finish up before you meet me outside," he said before backing out.

"You're so considerate, Tate," sarcasm dripped from Mai's tongue. Turning back to the sage looking woman, Mai stuck out her hand and said, "Thank you for your time Madame Maria. Please wish me luck!"

"That costs an extra 1000 yen," said the Madame with smile as she grasped Mai's hand with both of hers. "Seriously though my young friend, I hope everything turns out like you hope. I've already told you that you cannot reverse this wish, but there may be a way to change things back. The effects of your wish are not isolated to you alone, for there were many other Hime. This wish will have repercussions on all of them, and thus may be reversed by one of them if your wish unfairly affected their life. For the reversal to work you will have to convince them that Hime had existed, and they must have a passionate desire for the world to be as you describe. Obtaining this wish reversal may be difficult if not impossible." Releasing the flame-haired girl's hand, Maria prayed that she had actually listened to her.

"Thank you for your concern, but I don't think it'll be an issue," said Mai with a wave of her hand. A look of curiosity suddenly flitted across Mai's face. "Maria, you don't seem confused by my desire to remove Hime from this world. In fact, it's as if you know what I'm talking about…"

A brief flicker of sadness passed over the gray-haired woman's face, "As I said, I am the all-seeing eye…"

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Chapter 2 Preview

The next morning, Mai wakes up to the sound of slow beeping and the smell of cleaning solution. "Where am I? How did I get here?" Groggily she shakes her head and her vision comes into focus. She realizes that she's in a hospital room.

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I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter to my newest story. It's more light-hearted than I had originally intended but will probably get a little darker as it progresses. I also want to point out that I'm not a huge MaixTate fan, but it works for this story. Please review! Your comments really do make an author write faster!

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Omake:

Crick-Crack!

Natsuki: Hey Shizuru, please stop cracking that whip near me.

Shizuru: Ara? I thought my Natsuki got all hot and bothered by such things?

Natsuki: No, I think Kuma Kuma is injecting her own personality into my character.

Kuma Kuma: What?! Hey now, I'm not into BDSM! I just thought it would be funny if you were.

Natsuki: Gimme that thing Shizuru.

Crick-Crack!

Kuma Kuma: Whoa, Natsuki! That got awfully close to my backside. Maybe you shouldn't play with that thing…

Natsuki: Maybe you should run away, little bear-bear.