I knew I was dreaming. I couldn't explain how I knew, but something in my gut told me I was dreaming. Well… intuition and the fact that I was standing in the middle of the palace in Celes. It would be pretty hard to be back in a world that doesn't exist. I was standing in a hallway outside the throne room, but I didn't feel scared. I felt as though I had just knocked on the door of my best friend's house and was waiting for them to answer.
"Hello?" I called out after a moment.
"No need to be polite! We've been waiting for you!" I heard a voice yell through the door. Before I could move forward to open the door, it popped open and a familiar face appeared. I gasped in surprise as I was staring at my own self.
"Ahh… Hi… Me?" I stuttered.
"Hi me!" my other self smiled and waved. My other self was dressed in a long formal navy gown, a white cape attached at her shoulders, with a golden crown atop her head. "Come on in, we've been waiting for you!" She took my arm and pulled me through the door into the throne room. I stumbled through, still in shock.
"What's going on?" I asked, catching my footing and standing upright. I looked at myself for a moment before realizing there was another person behind her.
"Hi, Mai." My brain felt like it was about to explode as I stared at Fai, also dressed in formal wear from Celes with a crown as well.
"Oh, God. Someone, please explain what's happening… It's been a long few days and I don't think I can handle any more surprises." I sighed, rubbing my forehead where a headache was forming.
"I brought you here in your dreams." The other me smiled. "We wanted to thank you. You and Fai and the others! We're in a separate world where Fei Wong's wish threatened reality, but it was because of you that we were alright. This is a world where Ashura never obsessed about the journey Yuui would be forced to take. Where he and I were able to grow up together. And things here have been nothing but peaceful."
"So… a multiverse type of thing?" I asked and she nodded. "But then, why bring me here? It seems like you have more you want to say than just thank you."
"Ah, well. About that…" She scratched at the back of her head.
"She also wanted to apologize for interfering and taking control of you a few times." Yuui chuckled as the other me struggled to get the words out.
"What!?" I exclaimed.
"Ok wait! Now, don't get mad! But there were a few times you needed a little push! If it weren't for me you would have never asked Fai to help you develop your magic!" The other me protested, waving her hands in front of her face.
"IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU I WOULDN'T HAVE ALMOST SLIT MY OWN WRIST IN OUTO!" I yelled at her, the realization of her manipulation sinking in.
"I told her that might be going a little far…" Yuui sighed.
"You also told me that would be the only way that the other you would respond with his kind of history!" she snapped at him. "Besides, I wasn't ever going to actually make you hurt yourself! What good would that have done? But you have to admit, you were taking forever."
"Because I grew up in a world where magic was just in fairytales!" I whined, feeling exhausted. "But wait, you said with his kind of history. Is that different in this world, too?"
"Mhm. This world has both Yuui and Fai." Mai said, causing a gasp to escape my lips. "What we've figured is that several of our worlds were set up to be chosen by Fei Wong to draw us into his wish. But he ended up choosing the worlds where you two were from because they were either the easier or the most convenient or something else.
"So anyway, our world was set up in the same way as yours. But once that man decided to choose your Fai and Yuui, the twins in this world were put on a different path. They were still locked away in that horrible place as children, but our Ashura found them on his own and managed to save them both."
"It was thanks to Mai that we were able to smile again. She had heard about us when we first arrived and she snuck into the castle to get a glimpse of the twin wizards taken in by the king." Yuui explained.
"I really just wanted to see if they were cute." She teased, pushing her shoulder against his. He smiled down at her lovingly. It was like watching some kind of warped home movie of the two of us standing together in this alternate reality.
"The three of us were inseparable as children, always studying and practicing magic together." Yuui continued to reminisce about their childhood.
"And then one day it was like something clicked in my mind that Yuui and I were destined to be something more than just friends. We've been married for about seven years now." The other Mair grinned up at her husband. "Ashura retired as king a few years back and we've been ruling the land since then."
"So this is the life we could have had." I said, my eyes dropping as the sad realization sank in.
"This is the life you allowed us to have. That is why we needed to thank you." The other me said, taking my hands in hers. "You let us live a life full of joy, love, and peace. We thank you. Our country thanks you. And even our children thank you."
"Children?" I asked, looking up at her.
"Three of them!" Yuui said proudly.
"Our youngest are a set of twins, a boy and a girl named Syaoran and Sakura." The other me smiled brightly.
"And your oldest?" I asked. The other Mai and Yuui looked at each other and smiled at one another.
"A very headstrong young boy who is overprotective of his siblings. We named him Kurogane." Mai told me.
"Kurogane, huh?" I giggled. "Kurogane, Syaoran, and Sakura. I'm sure the three of them are an absolute handful!"
"We couldn't think of any better way to show our appreciation for the people who gave us this life." The other me smiles before pulling me into a tight hug.
"Thank you, Mai. Please tell the other me, too. We're so grateful and I'm so glad he's been able to find happiness with the woman he's meant to be with in every universe." Yuui bowed to me.
"You're going to wake up soon. Please pass along our thanks and know that I did everything I could to help you. Though, I think you would have been just fine without me." The other Mai said, holding my hands in hers once more. "You'll have one more choice to make soon. I know you'll make the right one and I wish you a safe and happy journey."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Thank you for everything." Mai said again, pulling me into one last hug.