DISCLAIMER: Mai HiME belongs to Sunrise.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: My love, my beta, my co-author, as always my thanks and love for your help and support. Read, enjoy, and review.
Final Apocalypse
Kappa
An extremely despondent Chie Harada left her now deceased beloved where she passed and walked into their living room. She stared up at the wall display she saw many times, but never looked at. Her tear ducts were now bone dry, but her body still convulsed in grief.
"I'm so sorry I left you."
As if in a trance, she reached up and removed the tanto from the rack. Chie lethargically returned to the bedroom and sat down on the bed next to Aoi.
Chie looked at Aoi and said, "I love you. I shall soon return to you."
She stared at the tanto blade in her hands and slowly slid the blade from the lacquer sheath. The highly polished blade menacingly glinted. Chie shifted onto her knees and positioned herself for the ritual. She brought the blade up, forward, and down, but didn't feel any pain. She repeated this motion several more times, but still didn't feel any pain.
"I can't! I can't! I'm a damn coward! I'm SO sorry Aoi!" Chie broke down and sobbed on Aoi's body.
Three days later, the scent of decomposition woke Chie. She lifted herself off Aoi and looked at her deceased partner. Strangely, Aoi's body was decaying at an unusually rapid rate. Chie remembered what Yukino told her about the effects of the virus on the human body.
"So far, what we do know…and we don't know much…is the virus mutates in each victim, so it's nearly impossible to track. It hits each individual differently."
Chie stared at the tanto blade still clutched in her hand and softly apologized to Aoi again. She remembered the gathering at Fuka and got out of bed with a renewed purpose. Looking around the bedroom, a thought dawned on Chie. She opened Aoi's closet and pulled out the Senoh family chest. Chie pulled out Aoi's father's yukata embroidered with their family kumon.
Aoi's family was descended from the samurai. The tanto Chie held in her hands was from the set passed down through Aoi's family. Much to Mr. Senoh's disappointment, a daughter was his only heir, so right before his death, he reluctantly handed down the family heirlooms, in hopes of Aoi bearing a male heir.
Chie knew the full yukata would be impractical for the rough travel ahead, so she used the tanto to remove the lower half. She stripped off her soiled clothing. From the dresser inside Aoi's closet, Chie grabbed undergarments and put them on. She pulled down one of Aoi's dress shirts hanging in the closet and slipped it on. Aoi's scent still lingered on it and a tear rolled down Chie's cheek. She pulled a pair of slacks from her own dresser and put it on. Chie slipped on Mr. Senoh's yukata and tied it up. She returned to the living room and pulled down the remaining two blades. She slipped them into her waistband and began preparing for her journey to Fuka.
Chie covered Aoi's remains and went from room to room, destroying all the sprinkler heads. In the master control room for the building, she turned off all emergency fire functions and returned to the apartment.
From the kitchen, Chie pulled out several bottles of alcohol and poured their contents all over the apartment. Back in their bedroom, Chie threw a few days worth of her own clothing into a backpack and grabbed the emergency suitcase from the closet. At the onset of the virus, Aoi insisted they put an emergency suitcase together, just in case they had to evacuate the apartment for several days.
Chie knelt down at Aoi's bedside and took her hand, "Aoi, I love you. I promise we'll be together again."
She kissed Aoi's hand and realized their song was still playing in the background, its melody once so welcoming, now haunted Chie, yet she could not bring herself to turn off the stereo.
Chie piled every photo album and other shared memorabilia on the bed next to Aoi's body. She slipped one photo into her pocket, spread newspaper over Aoi's body, and struck a match. Chie stood in the doorway of their bedroom, watching the flames engulf the room. She threw a kiss to Aoi and headed into the living room. Chie struck several more matches before heading out the front door. On her way out, she grabbed Aoi's car keys from the key rack next to the front door.
As Chie rode the elevator down to the lobby, she thought of Fuka and her friends gathered there.
On the road to Sendai,
"Yukino, I understand why you wanted to travel like this, but why the tea loving former Kaichou and her pup chose to live in Sendai is beyond me," Haruka grumbled tersely from the passenger seat.
"Haruka, please, let's not start that again, especially while I'm driving," Yukino replied a bit exasperated, as she drove the second car they procured around a pile up heading into Sendai.
Yukino had to drive this newly acquired vehicle, because it had a manual transmission and Haruka nearly stripped every single gear trying to drive it. Between working for Mashiro Kazahana and serving as Haruka's second on the Fuka Executive Committee, Yukino was very adept at working in secret for many years and well prepared for what lay ahead for all the former HiME.
Inside the Searrs Compound in Nevada,
Reito Kanzaki almost screamed upon opening his eyes, as the harsh lighting in the small room burned his now sensitive retinas. His thoughts drifted to his sister. He hadn't had contact with her for nearly a year. For most of that time, he was strapped to a bed in one cell or another. Searrs snatched Reito not long after his last visit with Mikoto and Mai.
He remembered waking up in his first cell somewhere in Japan and he was certain about the location, because he still had his clothes and expensive wristwatch. A quick check of the time confirmed only a few hours had passed.
Unbeknownst to Reito at the time, this first laboratory was where his hellish nightmare was to begin…
On Yukino's instructions, Reito, along with several of the other former HiME, made sure to maintain a high profile in the public eye. Yukino arranged for the 'Shinjitsu;' the newspaper owned by Chie and Aoi; to make sure his public appearances at high society functions were always well covered. Unfortunately, Reito was prone to bouts of anonymity for months at a time and unable to track. Little did anyone know, including his little sister Mikoto, Reito was having an affair with a woman who was married to an extremely powerful man within Searrs.
Reito looked at his once pristine body and cursed his existence. Through the manipulations of the Searrs' researchers, very little remained of the once handsome young bachelor. They were grafting skin, muscle tissue, and organ samples from him at least once a month, along with weekly blood draws. Recently, due to uncontrollable infections, Reito lost his entire left forearm and both legs last month. He wondered how this was possible in such a sterile environment.
He had tubes and monitors attached all over his body. The IV tube kept him hydrated and another tube administered pain medication. Every so often, one of the researchers would inject stimulants into one of the tubes. Sometimes, when Smith was in an especially sadistic mood, the researchers would inject various other fluids to see what would happen.
One evening, after a couple of new young lab technicians mistakenly administered a stimulant instead of Reito's nightly sedative, he overhead them discussing some recent errors made in the laboratory. The researchers discovered when they added Reito's DNA to a project they were currently working on, something went terribly wrong. Apparently, his DNA turned out to be the catalyst in the creation of an uncontrollable super virus. Once again, Searrs created something they could not control. Recent screw-ups by young, careless laboratory technicians set off numerous alarms around the clock. Even those half-wits knew the situation was slipping beyond control.
At Fuka Gakuen,
As Fumi arranged the collection of Yukariko and the other deceased, she felt Youko's unwavering eyes follow her every move. Youko focused her attention on the growing wet spots on Fumi's suit. With Fumi's permission, Youko pulled the bodies of Yukariko and her daughter, Wakaba, so she could study their remains and the rate of decomposition. Naname Ishigami, Yukariko's only surviving daughter, did what she thought her mother would want and allowed Youko to perform the tests on her mother's and sister's remains. Naname had the sniffles, but knew it was her allergies, which Youko confirmed; however, she didn't guarantee anything, since this young woman was the last living member of her family.
Fumi felt it prudent to cremate the dead as soon as possible, in order to stem the spread of infection. She was busily organizing the living to prepare for the mass cremation out on the athletic field when Youko asked to study the deceased before cremation. Youko gathered a wealth of information during her study. With Fumi's permission, she performed examinations on the living, so she could compare the similarities and differences. The school's limited medical and science facilities frustrated Youko as she catalogued her findings about the plague.
Midori and the others knew Youko's frustration reached critical level, because each person sent into her makeshift laboratory came running out soon afterwards. Midori knew how temperamental her partner got when frustrated, so she decided it was time to diffuse the matter.
One night, after Mai; the only person left on the Fuka Gakuen grounds who Youko didn't throw out of her makeshift laboratory; left the laboratory, Midori quietly slipped in to relax her stressed out partner.
"Youko, dear?" Midori whispered, as she wrapped her arms around Youko from behind.
"MIDORI!" Youko exclaimed and lightly pushed Midori's arms away, "I do NOT have time for this!"
"Make time," Midori kissed the special spot on the back of Youko's neck, instantly disarming her.
"Mi…do…ri," Youko moaned and leaned against Midori.
The next day, after Mai returned from delivering Youko's breakfast tray, she commented how cheerful Youko was this morning.
Alyssa Searrs and Miyu arrived soon after Yukariko's death and the clearing of the school grounds. As soon as Mai saw Alyssa's infant daughter, Alicia, she was gushing all over the baby.
"Alyssa…she looks just like…umm…Miyu?" Mai said surprised, "It must be my imagination."
Alyssa laughed and went to look in on Shiho and her children, since Shiho was the only other living parent among the former HiME. Shiho didn't say much, because she was worried about her son Jin, and his illness. Alyssa sat down next to Shiho and took her hand in silent support. They sat quietly watching the young boy's labored sleep.
After an hour, Alyssa left the room and returned to her daughter. Feelings of sadness and helplessness overwhelmed Alyssa.
Sakomizu entered Fumi's office in a huff after Youko threw a textbook at him for disturbing her.
"I tried to offer my help. I may not be a scientist or a doctor but…I figured any help…," the hefty man complained between coughs.
Fumi acknowledged his presence, but looked through him and said nothing. Sakomizu nodded and left.
Sakomizu leaned against Fumi's office door. He looked into the handkerchief he was using to cover his mouth. His eyes widened when he saw specks of blood now mixed with saliva and his heart sank. He knew it would not be long before he would be joining his friends on the athletic field.
Fumi collapsed into her desk chair. She gave Youko free reign, because she knew if anyone could help end this madness, Youko could. Midori would eventually have to assume the leadership once again. Fumi felt comforted by the knowledge she would be leaving Fuka in very capable hands.
In her lap, Fumi held a picture of Mashiro taken in the school garden during the early days of their relationship. Fumi cared for Mashiro on many levels and missed her guidance, especially now. While Fumi was quite intelligent and very capable, something inside her began slowly diminishing; the longer Mashiro was gone from her side. She hated the way life recently turned and was truly comforted by the fact she would soon see Mashiro again. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair.
Later in the evening,
Midori entered Fumi's office, looking for the headmistress.
"Fumi?" Midori asked when she saw the woman sleeping in her desk chair.
Fumi didn't wake, so Midori repeated herself a bit louder. Fumi still didn't stir. Midori gently shook the sleeping woman and realization set in. She roughly wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Be at peace now. Say hello to Mashiro," Midori stroked the top of Fumi's head and left to find Youko.
Nearly a week later,
Alyssa volunteered her assistance to Youko, as did Miyu, but Youko declined Alyssa's offer. She told Alyssa it would be better for the young mother to care for her infant daughter. Miyu, on the other hand, proved to be an invaluable asset to Youko and she put the android to work immediately. Miyu accompanied Midori on a quick flight to Fuka University and its hospital to bring back equipment and supplies.
Since Shiho's son Jin passed away two nights ago, Alyssa spent more time helping Shiho with her remaining youngest daughter, Rin. The young girl had yet to show any signs of illness.
Treating Jin Tate took a lot out of Youko. As the sickness progressed, he grew deeply congested and his glands swelled to enormous proportions. It looked very painful and everyone who saw him pleaded with Youko to help. She was constantly reminding everyone there were only so many antibiotics she could try on the poor boy, without killing him.
In the privacy of her laboratory, Youko seethed with frustration and anger at her inability to lessen Jin's pain.
"None of these antibiotics are working…so far nothing is working," Youko screamed and threw the test printout across the room.
To alleviate her feelings of helplessness, Nao patrolled the school grounds with Midori and Mikoto. Sakomizu and the remaining teachers decided to do their best to bring back some normalcy and resumed their individual class sessions with the remaining students.
One night on the athletics field,
Midori and Nao were on cremation duty together.
"Midori…," Nao started as they took a moment to rest on the Gazebo stairs, far from the bonfire pyre created on the school athletics field.
"Yes Nao, what's on your mind?" Midori asked, as she silently prayed for the wind to shift soon.
"We should look for survivors…in the city," Nao said, running a hand through her hair and silently praying for a shift in the wind as well, because the smell of the burning bodies carried everywhere they went and seemed to permeate their clothing.
"I agree, but I doubt there are going to be too many. We should get food and other supplies as well. We can't take my bird until we can secure a place to refuel, so we'll have to take a couple of vans from the school's motor pool," Midori said, thinking of one too many things she didn't yet want to voice.
"Excuse me Miss Sugiura," Miyu stated in her usual monotone voice, shocking the two women by appearing seemingly from nowhere, "Miss Sagisawa has ordered your return to her laboratory immediately."
"Did she say why?" Midori asked.
Miyu's only answer came in the form of her sword attachment, to which Midori just seemed puzzled and Nao stifled a laugh.
"So I guess that means no questions?" Nao said, looking at Miyu and realizing that behind her robotic exterior there seemed to be an old familiar smile.