Hello, faithful readers! This is oncoming-traffic with a chapter long overdue!

I'm eternally grateful for your reviews and comments on the last installment. I didn't think the end scene would cause such an excitement and I'm sorry I couldn't follow up with an update soon after. You know, life happened.

I know I wrote in some earlier installments that I intended to end this story this October, but then it kept getting bigger and bigger. More characters means more plot-lines and more places where I can screw up, so for the sake of the little consistency this story has, I need to be careful. And because of that the need of slower chapters, like this one, is so great. Also, no more 'three years prior' flashbacks, unless it's proved very necessary.

Admittedly, my writing recently (or ever) hasn't been that well polished or structured, but bear with me for a little while longer. I'll figure something out to make this more exciting!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Mai-HiME/Otome.

"I'm closing off the Portal."

Miyu's impartial voice seemed distant, as if she were still across in that other dimension.

"To hell with the fucking portals!" Natsuki spat out.

She was angry and in pain; dizzy and completely aware of her surroundings at the same time. Visions plagued her weakened mind, but she pushed them aside. They were not important. That other realm wasn't where she needed to be at the moment. She rose up shakily and willed herself to look behind.

As the rage moved to retreat, the pain became stronger; she dragged her feet towards the fallen HiME. Then she froze on her spot. At first she thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but then when a soft disgruntled noise reached her, she was sure.

Should've checked first, huh…

She crouched next to Nao and pulled the mask with the cracked, but not broken visor off her head. There was some blood tricking down the fiery-red haired HiME's face, but her very much full with life lime green eyes squinted back at Natsuki.

"That fucking hurt!" Nao managed to mumble loudly enough to evoke an astonished reaction from nearly everybody.

"Nao-chan!"

Natsuki could hear the tears in Mai's voice as she rushed to them and crouched down. They both helped Nao get up in a sitting position, so that the fretful Youko could take a look at her head. This was the only moment Natsuki was truly glad she had this mask hiding her face. Never would she ever live down the embarrassment that would come, had Nao seen the unshed tears.

But, as always, their happiness was a short-lived one. Almost immediately they were alerted by distant shouts that they were soon going to be joined by more agents. She turned towards Miyu and saw that the android had indeed powered down the Portal. The machine-gun arm was pointed towards the Searrs scientist, making it clear he shouldn't try anything stupid.

"Do you still think Searrs is on the right path after all of this?"

He didn't bother to look at her. "If you had obediently fulfilled your roles, we could've had a shot at controlling them."

It was unknown what had caused the earlier tremor and Natsuki very much hoped that it wasn't due to an Orphan attack. She had had just about enough with such scenarios.

She bent down and picked up her guns. They felt leaden. Her whole body was so heavy, but her mind had started clearing up. Images ran behind her eyelids every time she blinked. But she was sure that the previous connection she had with the Obsidians was broken for the time being. That disgusting feeling she had unconsciously fought against while those creatures had probed her mind was gone for sure. Her thoughts were safe for now.

"Too many ifs. Easier to blow the freaks away. Besides, didn't it occur to you that your superiors don't want what's best for humanity, but just what's best for them? They don't give a damn what's going to happen to any of you."

"Neither do you. You killed every person in this room, who would dare oppose you. You're the same as them."

Natsuki grit her teeth.

"If you intend to make me feel guilty, you're gonna have to try harder."

She turned his back to him and went on to collect guns from the lifeless Searrs agents. It was better to use normal weapons against normal enemies, as her HiME powers needed some time to recharge. She was lucky she knew how to handle guns and didn't rely only on a strictly unique weapon all the time.

While she ravaged the last corpse an uninvited thought flew through her head. Her movements froze for a long moment and that apparently drew Mai's attention.

"Natsuki, are you okay?" The concern in her voice was so sincere it made Natsuki a bit angry. Had she become so fragile in her friends' eyes that they had to confirm her well-being so often?

"I'm… I'm completely fine," she replied in a low tone.

I'm fine. I don't feel panic, I'm not anxious, I'm not choking on guilt or fear.

She hadn't realized it earlier, but given her circumstances, it was logical for her to have fallen into one of her episodes at least once during the last day. Without her medications she thought she was a disaster waiting to happen; a time-bomb of sorts. But she didn't explode, not after being buried under a mountain of corpses, nor being surrounded by all those threats in that other world, or passing twice through the nightmarish portals… not even after killing men just a few minutes ago. Sure, she had been blinded by rage then, but if her recent break-downs were something to go by, right at this moment she ought to have been curled up in a shaking ball of nerves on the floor. Instead, she was calm.

"I advise you take cover. More people are coming."

Out of habit more than anything, she dove behind an overturn desk. The others did the same. Youko crawled quickly next to her.

"Doc, you unharmed?"

"Yes, thanks to you girls." She replied with forced aloofness.

This might be too much for a former school doctor.

"Sorry, bear with this just a little longer. It'll be over soon."

"Natsuki-san, if I were anywhere else, I would probably be dead. As I said, it's safest next to you HiME. And if you're worried that I have moral problems with your way of handling the situation, don't be. I'm a grown woman, not a naïve child."

Natsuki nodded and smirked.

"Good, cuz there's going to be a little bit more 'problem solving' before we can get out of this place."

Infiltrating the base hadn't been as hard as Shizuru thought. They met little resistance as they steadily progressed towards the inner chambers. And after they met up with Okuzaki Akira and Tokiha Takumi, she understood why. The female ninja had done a beautiful job at keeping both herself and Takumi safe after the other HiME had escaped the Dorado, all the while weakening the Serpens's defences.

"The idiots didn't know what hit them." Akira complimented their assault after the group secured another couple of rooms, along with the whole corridor. She clicked her tongue. "There are so many places to hide in this base; I don't know what the person who designed it was thinking."

Obviously they didn't take ninjas into account.

"Anyway, just before you guys decided to crash the party, there was some commotion around the other two Portal sights." Akira went on. "I'm not entirely sure what it was all about, but there's some funny business going on. Searrs are keeping to themselves more than they should."

"Indeed. We'll explain later." Shizuru assured her. Akira silently nodded and threw a distrustful glance behind her back.

"What's Yumemiya doing here?"

Shizuru merely smiled.

"Why, she's helping us, of course."

"Uh, sure… And those guys?" She pointed at Tate and Kazuya in the middle of the group, both holding make-shift weapons.

"They also are aiding us against Searrs. I assure you, their resolve is quite firm."

Akira only snorted in reply. After a few more steps she lifted her hand, signalling them to halt and fall silent.

"See that corner? The chamber with the Portal's around it. It's not guarded by doors or anything, but it would be easy for us to be shot if we just go in there without a plan."

Mai held her breath as she also stood in wait behind a tall piece of machinery, back firmly pressed to the wall. She didn't have a good view on the entrance, but she could clearly see Natsuki, who was sure to open fire as soon as the opposing party dared to show their faces. Miyu was crouching next to the Portal's frame, still keeping under her aim the Searrs scientist's head.

During the silent wait, Mai couldn't stop her thoughts from going to places where, given the current situation, they shouldn't have wandered. But the empty eyes of the Searrs agents they had just disposed of without a second thought kept staring up at her. The accusation and reproach she saw in them was something she couldn't deal with at present.

When she had killed for the first time, it had been indirectly by defeating Artemis. Now, it had been her flames that closely and personally burned away the lives of the anonymous enemies. Her remorse grew as she tried to remember who had stood in front of her fury-driven assault. She couldn't recall a single face. She didn't even know the faces of the people whom she had robbed of their lives. Once again, she had let her anger take the better of her and found herself unable to deal with the aftermath.

That power she had, it was dangerous.

"We do not wish to hurt any more people! If you know what's best for you, lower your weapons and grant us access!"

Mai furrowed her brows. She knew that voice. When Natsuki turned her head her way she confirmed that she wasn't the only one who had recognized it. They both slowly nodded at each other and came out of their hiding places.

"Akira-san, it's us."

It didn't go unnoticed that Natsuki was still holding a hand-gun behind her back, but Mai couldn't blame her for the suspicion. Still, if Akira was there that meant that Takumi was with her!

"Mai!" Mikoto exclaimed and before anybody could stop her, she sprinted into the room, soon followed by the others.

Shizuru's body didn't react like she had expected it to. Instead of rushing in like the rest, she was glued to her spot, unable to move.

What's wrong with me? She thought as she took slow breaths. Natsuki was just around that corner and she was waiting for her.

Or was she?

The argument she had led with Shiho and Akane back at the Dorado intruded on her, provoked by her dread.

Breaking out the news that they had to leave hadn't gone smoothly. Akane and Shiho stared at her blankly, but Shizuru knew that the worst was yet to come. It was going to be a very thorny road ahead and if they failed to cooperate with one another, it was surely to be impossible to walk it.

"Searrs… Well, we knew they were the ones who called the Star last time, but-" Akane paused and lowered her gaze to her feet. Her brows furrowed and in the place of the always present warmth of her eyes swam anger and fear.

Shizuru realized what she was asking of them. Abandon the safety of the Dorado, all of their reinforcements and guards… leave their loved ones behind in the hands of the enemy. They were going to become fugitives, running from their only allies in this uneven struggle against a force none of them truly understood. However, there was one thing both Shizuru and Fumi were sure of.

"Searrs won't hurt our friends. It simply would serve no purpose – they want our cooperation and they know they won't get it if we know a precious person to a HiME is threatened." Fumi pleaded with the two.

Shizuru was anxious. They didn't have much time – she still had to find Midori, Mikoto and Yukariko and tell them as well what was happening. Yukino had been strangely calm about the revelation and had almost immediately agreed that they needed to build up an escape plan as soon as possible.

"We still don't know how we could escape from this place, however-"

"Hold on," Shiho interrupted. "You're serious we need to throw away brother? Are you insane? No, leaving him with Searrs is unacceptable!"

"I agree," Akane firmly stated, quite uncharacteristic for her timid nature. "You expect us to leave Kazu-kun and the others behind just because we just found out some new information? I'm not taking part of this insanity."

"Please, calm down. We need a plan – we don't know what possibilities might be still left. But we're not abandoning our friends, they will be safer here!"

Shiho sneered in Shizuru's face.

"Fujino, aren't you saying this only because this has nothing to do with you?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Shizuru replied, taken back a bit.

"No matter how you look it, even if we leave this place, it's nothing to you."

A lump formed in Shizuru's throat; she knew what was coming and didn't want to hear it.

"Kuga's probably already dead. For you there's nobody left to protect, except for yourself."

It was as if a shadow fell on her eyes and for a moment she forgot why she had come. The urge to make Shiho choke on those words rose so fast that her hand was moving before she had noticed. Yet, she pulled it back as quickly as she had raised it. She had to stay calm.

The recent memory faded in a mist of fear and bitterness.

Yes, Shizuru was afraid. She was terrified of the possibility that Natsuki hadn't survived. If she walked into that room and her beloved wasn't among the HiME she didn't know what she would do. Her throat was dry, her lips – parched. The sounds of the cheerful reunion just a few steps away from her went past her ears.

Please, please…

Then she heard it.

"Where is she?"

It wasn't her imagination, she was sure. That distinctive ability to pronounce any kind of question as an unyielding demand was something few possessed. That voice had the power to make most people obey and she wasn't to be an exception.

In a blink of an eye she found herself half-way through the room already, her eyes scanning every face. Where…?

"Shizuru!"

"Natsuki?" Her heart raced as she recognized a lone masked figure as the source of her turmoil. A couple of steps took her to what was undeniably her Natsuki. She stared at her own reflection while she raised her hands up to remove that last obstruction from her way and finally be able to meet those eyes she had missed to the point that it hurt.

But Natsuki recoiled from her touch, as if she was burned by the trembling hands.

"Um, let's… uh… I'll keep the mask on for now… Please?" She requested clumsily and put her hands up apologetically. "I… I'm…"

It seemed she was sensing Shizuru's growing discomfort and worry, because she took another precautionary step backwards, further away from the confused crimson stare.

Out of all questions that were threatening to push their way out of her mouth, Shizuru blurted out what she deemed the most urgent one.

"Are you hurt?"

Of course she's hurt! She's…

"You're covered in…"

She stopped mid-sentence, just then awakening from her stupor and realizing that she was standing in the centre of what could be accurately described as a 'blood bath'. After she took a brief look around, she concluded that it wasn't only the person if front of her whose once white coat was covered in red. All of the ones who had gone missing in the Triangulum incident had their clothes and faces smeared in dirt, burns, and blood.

But what had she expected? That the HiME, Youko and Miyu would walk away after an Orphan attack unharmed?

"Oh, come on, Kuga, it's not that bad!" Nao broke the uncomfortable silence with an annoyed remark. She regarded Natsuki and Shizuru with unhidden irritation, while pressing her palm against her head and wiping red out of her eyes. "Fujino won't be scared by a couple of alien tattoos."

Natsuki just stood there wordlessly, now her arms limp at her sides. Shizuru didn't wait for her to change her mind and closed the distance between them yet again. The mask was pried off the slightly shorter girl's head with absolutely no effort and thrown aside; shaggy black tresses spilled out from under it. At first, Natsuki kept her gaze lowered, but when she looked up, Shizuru had to make a genuine effort not to let the sudden fear that struck her show in any way. She probably had Nao to thank for unconsciously warning her that there was indeed something wrong with the Ice HiME.

"Okay, maybe they've spread a bit since last time…" It was again Nao's comment that pulled Shizuru out of her stupor.

"How much?" Natsuki scoffed, her initial embarrassment now making way for the emotion she used to deal with all her problems – anger.

"Well, half your face looks like a printed circuit board. But don't worry, that doesn't make you uglier than you already were."

"Thank you, Nao, for your acute observation."

"Why, don't mention it."

While the bickering continued on and on, Shizuru and a couple of the others stood still, their shock yet to subside. Indeed, the geometrical lines that had previously only circled the artefact shard had not only reached further up her arm, but now covered half her face. One was even running along the scar below her eye.

Nevertheless, Shizuru was beyond happy to see that Natsuki, as well as the others, were still in one piece, seemingly unhurt from first glance. What surprised her the most, she admitted to herself guiltily, was that Youko looked completely fine and unharmed, except for a few scratches on her face and hands.

A smile tugged at her lips and she felt tears of joy pricking at her eyes. And despite her worries and fears she joined the light laughter that had now ensued among reunited siblings, rivals, and friends.

Halfway through one of the comebacks aimed at Nao Natsuki turned towards her and fell silent. Then her scowl started to fade and it melted into a hesitant grin, the light spat forgotten. To which Nao didn't complain, as she was approached by the always work-driven doctor to have her light injury checked.

That once more left Shizuru and Natsuki in their little world, just staring at each other. It was Natsuki who spoke first.

"I would hug you, but I don't want to dirty your white gown," she jokingly gestured at the desert garments.

"Well, I would like to do more than hugging and my gown, as Natsuki pointed out, certainly will get in the way." Shizuru returned, not about to let herself get out-teased. She was successful in her counter, judging by the slight tint on Natsuki's cheeks.

And even though Natsuki had been reluctant at first, she silently wrapped her arms around Shizuru's waist and pulled her in.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she lowly spoke in the calming manner Shizuru so much loved. "I was afraid that after that fiasco we just pulled off, Searrs wouldn't think twice before they openly betray you."

"And I was terrified that I would never see you again. Honestly, you never cease to amaze me. How in the world did you get here?"

Shizuru regretted ever asking, since Natsuki pulled back from their tight embrace and looked at her seriously. "Actually, it's a bit long and you all need to hear of it."

The dreadful feeling that their mission had just gotten even more complicated and further down the lines of impossible settled at the pit of Shizuru's stomach. It was hard not to get swayed by the sudden grim expression that had replaced that lovely smile she had earlier been granted.

"Hey, Kuga, check this out!"

And just like that their brief moment of happiness, as Natsuki was ripped out of her hands and pulled in the torrent of the HiMEs unending trials. Shizuru followed her with her eyes mutely.

"What is it?" Natsuki looked between the gaping Mai and Youko, and then Haruka and Alyssa.

"These two," Nao pointed at the latter pair, "have really done it. They switched bodies!"

Natsuki opened and closed her mouth a couple of times until she settled for a frown and scratched the back of her neck. She turned towards the other HiME, obviously searching for a sign that Nao was pulling her leg as usual, but all she received was an uncomfortable silence, nearly everybody pointedly avoiding her gaze. Shizuru managed a smile, which succeeded to anger Haruka for some strange reason.

"Bubuzuke, don't you dare laugh off people's misplacement!" Haruka stomped her foot and crossed her arms. Instead of threatening, that happened to look rather adorable in Alyssa's body, so Shizuru decided to keep her smile.

"It's 'misfortune', Haruka-chan," came the usual correction from the always loyal Yukino.

"Well, this time I think 'misplacement' is a correct way to put it." Akira cleared her throat and got a nudge from Takumi.

"How… how are we going to fix this?" Mai hung her head and sighed. Shizuru couldn't agree more with her reaction.

Miyu, who had quite unexpectedly kept her distance from Alyssa, finally approached the body-switched duo. Then Alyssa, with a rather hurtful expression, crossed her arms. The action itself was quite peculiar, since the girl wasn't used to handling certain assets of the ex-Executive's body.

"Miyu, don't you recognize me?"

The android observed her for a few more seconds until she slowly turned towards the closest HiME, who accidentally was Midori. Miyu's blade was against the archaeologist's neck in a flash, which provoked a startled yelp from the victim.

"How could you let this happen to Lady Alyssa?"

Midori gulped and shakily grinned.

The body exchange was indeed an unperceived turn of events, which only made everything harder than it had to be. They couldn't leave Alyssa and Haruka out of the fighting, since it was necessary for the two to be nearby, should a way to fix the problem present itself. Though there was a more urgent issue that the HiME were discussing with the occasional aid of a shout or a threat of bodily harm.

"Why should we trust you? From what you said about your trip to the Obsidians, you are far too dangerous to be around us!"

Natsuki found herself at the receiving end of looks of distrust and the feeling of animosity towards her was rising by the minute. She couldn't blame the others, but that didn't mean that she was just going to stand there, taking it all. Certainly gaining the trust of the other HiME was going to be difficult, especially since they were experts at jumping at one another's throats.

"Listen here, Munakata. This connection I have with the Obsidians won't manifest unless there's a Hime star around. They said it themselves, for crying out loud!" She turned towards Mai and Nao for support. "You guys heard it, right?"

"Yes, we did!" Mai vigorously defended her friend, while Nao only shrugged.

"The Obsidians spoke also of some sort of legacy, however there is no information in my database that could help us interpret what that means." Miyu provided.

They were all still in the room with the now shut down Portal, some of them seated on the floor or desks, while others choosing to either stand or be on a look-out at the entrance. Miyu was having a difficult time deciding to whom to sit closer, Natsuki noticed. So the android had positioned herself and the two unwilling parts of Alyssa on both of her sides. Haruka, pouting in Alyssa's body, wasn't happy at all for having being torn away from Yukino and forced that close to the creepy Miyu Greer.

"This probably refers to the Kanzaki-Minagi blood line," Midori announced, proud that she could at last use her Carnival-related knowledge. "Earlier when we talked about using Reito – the last Obsidian host – as a means to contact the Obsidians I'm sure you all must have thought about it. How was he controlled then and why isn't he controlled now? This, of course, goes the same for Mikoto-chan."

At the mention of her name, said girl shrunk back a little and (most likely unconsciously) grabbed at Mai's sleeve. Noticing that, Mai tried to take the attention away from her younger friend.

"They were both wearing some crystals. When the crystals broke, so did the Obsidians' influence."

All looks returned again to Natsuki and she gulped. Then she felt the ghostly touch of Shizuru's fingers brushing against her own and she managed to calm down.

"Does this mean that the connection Kuga-san shares with the Obsidians is not as strong as the one Kanzaki-senpai and Mikoto-chan had?" Akane hesitantly asked. Kazuya held her securely around the waist. "That there is no chance for her to be remotely controlled?"

"I think so." Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck. "As long as there's no Star, they can't see inside my head."

"So what should we do when the Star appears?" Akira asked the question they had until now tip-toed around. "We all know that the possibility for that happening is rather high. Should we keep Kuga in the dark from now on?"

An uncomfortable silence followed. Natsuki felt as if she was a criminal, waiting for her verdict. Though her crime was rather heinous and the punishment was going to be harsh, no matter in what form it was to be delivered. It was more than inappropriate for her to make a suggestion for a solution at this point – she had to trust the others with this one.

"This might be a bit harsh and potentially put all of us in danger," Yukino spoke at long last. "Our numbers aren't great and if only one of us doesn't know what we intend to do, whatever plan we make will probably fail."

"Alright, let's go over what we know again and…"

"Wait!"

Natsuki couldn't just sit there, after all. She had to do something, but she didn't intend to influence the decision they made either.

"What is it?" Midori raised a brow.

"I'll go scout the close perimeter while you discuss this. Whatever decision you make, I mustn't hear it, neither your reasons for it."

She didn't wait for anybody to stop her and avoided their looks while she exited. It was time she busied herself with some work before more dark thoughts caught up with her.