A/N: Again, thank you to all of my faithful readers. As I continue editing the earlier contents of this story, I hope it becomes even more enjoyable for you.

A Perfect Circle

Awaken

"You were waiting and living for no one,

With the way you tried

To completely refuse all your life."

"Mai…" A young voice whispered.

The girl groaned.

"…Mai…" She prodded.

The girl continued to sleep.

"…MAI!" A scream was heard when Mikoto lodged herself at the sleeping Mai, sending her flying out of bed with the blankets tangled around her. Both her and Mikoto lay in a bundled mess on the floor. After a few seconds of silence, Mai groaned loudly and slowly sat up, eyes still shut due to the lack of energy to open them, trying to rid herself of the sudden nausea in her head. Mikoto's head popped up with a blanket covering her. "Mai?"

The blanket was torn off her face, and revealed her blinking in a dumb expression whilst looking at an irritated Mai with her eyes just barely open, trying to fixate her vision on the wild girl. "Mikoto…"

In a response to her name being said, she grinned foolishly and wrapped her arms around Mai's waist, who grunted, then sighed and sat there. "You're usually the one to wake me up, Mai!" She stated too energetically for headache-induced girl, who rubbed her throbbing forehead.

"Y'know…" She began tiredly. "I'm pretty sure you're old enough to where you don't have to glomp me out of bed. And I have a headache, Mikoto. So, I'd appreciate it if you toned it down a bit this morning." She slowly stumbled upward onto her feet, kicking off the annoying sheets, ruffling her loose, white t-shirt.

Again, Mikoto blinked. Then she smiled a bit softer than before. "Sorry Mai. Do you want aspirin for the headache?" She asked more calmly.

Mai nodded slowly, making her way across the floor to the dining room. "Please…" She trailed off as she went through the opening and sat in the wooden chair. She heard Mikoto scatter off behind her, into the bathrooom, then she dropped her head heavily against the table, and winced, forgetting about her headache and regretting it shortly after. Of course, over the course of the year, she watched as Mikoto matured into more of a woman, or at least, as much of a regular human woman that she could become. To her surprise, she noticed the wild girl's appetite was a lot healthier than when they first met. Mai's food would still be instantaneously devoured the second it reached the table, but still. Not to mention Mikoto's rapid shyness to when it came to bathing together. After a few months passed, she could notice - and feel - the curves in her body, and her muscles dramatically increase in size and regulate in tone with her body. Mai decided it was time Mikoto take baths on her own, because, let's face it, even she knew Mikoto had the drop dead body of an athlete and the face of a kitten, and seeing such a body whilst rubbing strawberry-scented bath lotion over it wasn't exactly "tempting", but…

Yeah, Mai fucking knew she was lying to herself.

She felt prodding at her arm and turned her head sideways. "Hmm?"

"Aspirin." Mikoto smiled and set two white tablets on the counter, next to a glass of orange juice. Mai sighed softly and sat up, quickly downing the pills and taking gulps of orange juice afterward. She set down the glass and gave a tired smile to the feline girl beside her. "Thanks." She said sluggishly.
Mikoto nodded her head in her original hyperactive fashion. "Anything for Mai-san. Should I make breakfast this morning?" She asked enthusiastically. Mai just nodded, looking at the table, or through it, seeing as how her eyes looked hollow, too tired and too strained to focus on any particular thing. Her throbbing headache was caused by the malevolent dream she had been having until Mikoto ever-so-forcefully woke her. Soundlessly, she supported her head whilst bending her elbow against the table, continuing to stare off with those softly flaring, dull eyes.

In her dream, there was fire.

"Dehumanization to arms, production…" She whispered idly to herself. "For the benefit of the nation, or it's destruction…Power is power, the law of the land…those living for death, will die by their own hand-"
She clenched her fists at the image that appeared when she whispered those words back to herself. Takumi, bleeding from his eyes, and she desperately called to him. But her voice was silent. She could almost feel her throat bleeding and burning, but all she heard in the dream, was the chime, as she watched her brother die in her arms. Her headache was surging in a fiery wave through her head, but her sorrow was ignoring it.

"Life's no ordeal…if you come to terms…Reject the system…dictating the-"

"Mai!" Mikoto had said more sharply after the third time.

Mai's eyes flashed open, and in that second she felt the reality of her condescending headache and her breath hitched as she clutched her head.

"Ow, damnit…" She sighed, massaging her temples and opening her still tired eyes. "Sorry Mikoto… I was thinking."

"You shouldn't think so hard with a headache." She smiled softly, then placed a small plate of eggs and toast with a muffin in front of the woman. Mai smiled weakly. "I guess teaching you how to cook was a good idea. Thank you."

Mikoto pouted childishly. "You're welcome, Mai. Uhm… I already ate while making your breakfast…heh…" She flustered and scratched the side of her head. "And Aoi and Chie are coming to pick me up."

Mai nodded slowly, swirling the eggs around lazily before taking a small bite. "Right. You want money, I'm guessing?"

Mikoto made a face. She hated asking Mai for things other than food. "Mhm…"

Mai stood up slowly and walked to the counter where she left her small purse, and rummaged through, pulling out about 200 yen and closing up her purse. "You're going to go from my roommate to the hobo that sleeps up in my attic if you don't get money coming in soon." She stated playfully, ruffling the other girl's hair, that had grown a bit, and handing her the money.

Mikoto smiled just as sheepishly back. "You'd never do that to your best friend."

"Care to test me?" Mai smirked. She saw Mikoto gulp slightly and laughed. Then there was a loud knock on the door, followed by bickering behind the door, and both girls turned around. Mai took her hand slid it back to her side. "I'll get it."

She slowly opened the door, and behind it was Aoi and Chie, not surprising to Mai, kissing. She rolled her eyes, and when Aoi saw the door open in the corner of her eye, she shoved Chie, who of course, acted as if nothing had happened and played an aloof smile. "Morning, Mai!"

"Yeah, yeah…morning lovebirds." Mai smirked at both their blushes and moved herself to the side. "Come in."

"Hmm…eggs?" Chie asked after taking a whiff of the house's scent.

Mai yawned loudly and stretched her back. "Yeah-ahh!" She shrieked and immediately ended her stretch to cover herself when she felt her sides being tickled. She blushed, glaring behind at Chie with her hands reaching for her sides. "Chie!"

"Ah, my apologies Mai-chan. I was just remembering old times." She smiled innocently, then Aoi shoved her.

"Anyway…are you ready to go, Mikoto?" Aoi asked, looking over Mai's shoudker, watching as the wild girl fell whilst slipping on a shoe. She smiled nervously and scrambled upwards. "Uh, of course!" She then smiled a bit more enthusiastically.

Chie grinned her trademark grin, of which made Mai rolled her eyes in a friendly fashion. "That's good. Alright, so we're off!" She exclaimed, gliding her arm over Aoi's waist. Mikoto happily walked up to them against the door. Mai had been looking down in an impenetrable thought. She then sighed softly to herself and looked up. "Guys?"

Both Aoi and Chie looked up and blinked inquisitively. "Yeah?"

"Do you know…anyone we know who might not be busy today?" She smiled awkwardly, fidgetting with the rim of her white t-shirt. "I just need to get out of this house."

And I need to get my mind the hell off that dream. She thought.

Chie was thinking about it, and just as she smirked with a suggestion and opened her mouth to speak, Aoi interfered. "Well, there's always Natsuki-san."

Natsuki? She thought. "Natsuki isn't working today?"

Aoi shook her head. "She has Fridays off. She told us that when she invited us over for a… LAN party, or something." She trailed off with a distant gaze.

"LAN?" Mai raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't really get the joist of what exactly it is… all I know is she beat the over-loving shit out of us on Xbox." Chie added, shaking her head and putting her arms up defensively. Aoi chuckled and nodded in agreement.

Mai laughed softly. "I wouldn't expect less of her in that aspect. Well, maybe I'll call her. I haven't had much interaction with her over the past year, anyway. Checking up on her would probably be a good thing, ne?"

Both Chie and Aoi nodded, but Mikoto emitted a soft growl and was tapping her foot rather impatiently. "Can we go?" She groaned, swirling in a circle on her heel in droning boredom.

Chie rolled her eyes and smiled, putting a hand on the girl's head. "Yeah, yeah. C'mon Aoi."

Aoi smiled and bowed respectively to Mai. "Have a good day Mai-san. I hope the trip to Natsuki's house goes well." She giggled and stood back up, looking back and waving as Chie held open the door, Mikoto frantically jumping out into the world.

Mai smiled and indolently waved back. "Same here. Bye guys." She took the knob and shut the door as they left, and her smile formed into a tired sigh as she leaned her back against the door, eyes closed. The tick of the clock echoed through the audible silence of the house, then Mai opened her eyes slowly. "It's been a while…"

About an hour passed, and Mai had showered and changed, as well as cleaned up the rather ravaged kitchen where Mikoto was cooking. She was now looking down at her chrome red cell phone on the wooden table, and for some reason, it seemed so far away. As if, if she were to reach for it, though it was at arm's length, she would miss, or she would have to reach further. It had been one year. One year since the Carnival. Since the last picnic, the last time Mai had ever seen or heard from Natsuki. Why hadn't she made an effort to contact her, at least visit for the slightest second to confirm her existence? She had thought it didn't matter. That her and Natsuki's encounter had initiated by undeniable circumstances. They were both HiME, bound to fight, bound to kill, bound to meet. Hell, Natsuki should be dead, after the battle against the HiME where only one would be standing. But then, she shook that thought from her mind. That would mean Midori would be dead, and Nao. And Yokino, Akira, even Mikoto.

Why haven't I bothered? She looked dully into the empty front screen on the phone, watching the morning sun perfect it's glare on the side. She sighed, and her arm lifted itself, hesitantly, reaching for the cellphone. It then began ringing.

Mai jumped slightly and looked down shakily at the phone. "What the…" Slowly, she picked the phone up, squinting to read the brightened front screen. Her eyes went wide, and a foreign feeling in her stomach struck her.

"…Natsuki?"