HELLO!

This is chapter 4 for you!

The part of Reito speaking in first person is an idea that I got from the Mai HiME specials. If you've seen it you'll understand what I mean…

I'm sure you'll find it a little weird but then again I'm a woman and I don't have a clue how the male brain works… :)

I don't like this chapter… at all! I was kind of depressed when writing this, so please be kind…

I almost forgot this: I decided to leave Reito out of the pairing! He might make Mai's and Mikoto's life a little difficult but he won't get any girl in the end…

I like happy endings and this story will have one too. I promise…

A Second Chance – Chapter 4
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My name is Minagi Reito. I am 27 years old and I am a lawyer. A successful one to be honest.

Many years ago my life was simple, without problems and worries. Until what was sleeping silently inside me had woken up.

At first it was just a light disturbance, the feeling that I wasn't alone inside my body. And then there were whispers, speaking to me, trying to convince me that all my memories, everything that I remembered from my life were lies. Trying to take over my soul…

As the time passed the voice was getting louder, until the words that I was hearing were no longer whispers. My soul was getting weaker and I was giving myself to the beast that was caged for so long inside me. I wasn't Reito Minagi anymore… I had become Lord Kokuyou… My lips were saying his words, my mind thinking his thoughts…

My soul was not lost though. It was overwhelmed by the power of the Lord, pushed aside in a corner of my existence, watching him taking over his vessel, ruling over my body. I can still remember what it felt like… to be just a tool, the key to the Lord's ambitions.

That was the time that I learned that Kansaki wasn't my real name. It was Minagi and Mikoto was my sister. Yes, she was my little sister… and I used her. I took advantage of the fact that she was taught to love me, to worship me, to risk her life for me… Only me. I was giving her orders that she was blindly following… She was mine… My faithful little Mikoto. My fate, his fate was to be with her.

But wasn't all… Mikoto had entered my life bringing another person along with her… A girl like no other girl I had ever met. She was kind, sweet, clever, beautiful, strong… Since the first time I saw her I felt a spark inside me, something drawing me towards her. And suddenly the weak spark became a huge fire that was burning me from the inside. A fire stronger than fate, stronger than destiny. My desire for her… Mai.

I remembered being in love with her before the Lord's waking but after that it wasn't only love. It was an obsession that was guiding my actions, changing my plans. I wanted the whole world to be mine and her by my side. I desired her to be Kokuyou's wife, my wife… I had to have her, more than anything, more than having my original self back…

I had tried to come closer to her… to earn her trust… But this wasn't enough. She loved another man. A man that I used to think of as my friend. I used my power on Mikoto, abusing her, making her do things that Mai wouldn't like. I knew well what was the bond between them and I knew the effect that Mikoto's actions would have on Mai. I wanted Mai to be sad, unsatisfied just like I was. No matter how much power I had it wasn't enough to make me happy.

HiMEs fought one another for me, putting their most important persons behind the line. I wanted her to win this fight, because my plans were different this time than any other HiME Festival… I caused so much pain, so much hate… But I didn't care. I would do anything to have her.

And then she was left alone, the last remaining HiME… rejecting Lord Kokuyou…

The beast within me was screaming in anger, making my body move, attacking her against my will. I was only a viewer of his defeat. Mai was stronger than him. Mikoto wouldn't obey him anymore. He had failed…

So he left his vessel and I was in command once again… He emptied my body and sadly my poor soul couldn't fill it anymore. He had left behind him remained untouched the flame that was still burning for her.

I knew that the HiMEs hated me during the Festival and I noticed the same after its end. They seemed scared at my sight, even though they smiled when they faced me… I was familiar with fear, I could recognise it anywhere… They didn't seem to completely forgive me. Only a few were the exception to this and Mai was on of them.

Mai, Mai, Mai… I could repeat her name forever but she didn't care to hear me say it… I was trapped in her smile, in her eyes that were looking at me as a friend.

I couldn't take it anymore. I went to her and told her that I loved her, that I wanted her… I would go to hell for her; she just had to ask for it.

But she didn't want my love that I was so openly offering her. She didn't love me and my heart was broken. It was the first time that I felt so helpless, so meaningless and the first time that I wished that Lord Kokuyou was still inside me, giving me his strength. I let her go and this was the biggest mistake I ever did.

Mikoto was desperately trying to cheer me up after that. She even moved in my house with me, making it our home…

I used to think that Mikoto's devotion was towards Lord Kokuyou, who had poisoned her mind, but I was proved wrong. It was a pleasant feeling knowing that I had someone that cared so much about me.

And so Mai was out of my life. I had pushed her away from me…

Years passed and I became a lawyer. The only occupation suitable for me. I never found it difficult to persuade people, make them believe what I wanted… I continued with my life but I didn't forget about her. I didn't forget anything…

I started working more than before, not letting myself have the time to think or feel. The only moments that I felt free to do as I wanted were when I was sword fighting with Mikoto. I used to practice a lot, sometimes alone and sometimes with opponents, until I found that Mikoto was the only worthy opponent for me. She was fighting without holding back… She was excellent, and it was expected. Miroku never left her side during all the time she was a HiME.

My life continued, until one day I started looking for her again. I can't define what the reason was, what pushed me to search for her.

It wasn't difficult to learn about her work, her habits, her life. Mai's actions showed that she was living a lonely life and I felt hope again. Maybe I wasn't supposed to live without her.

My feet brought me to her door. I looked at the open windows and figured out that she was inside. This wasn't the first time that I had come here, staring at her house, wondering what she was doing… I asked myself the same question that I had asked so many times myself… 'Reito, why are you torturing yourself?'

I don't know what made me do what I had never found the courage to do before… I pressed the doorbell and waited. Every second that passed made, my heart beat faster and faster… She didn't open the door and instead of running away, instead of freeing myself from this torment, I pushed the button again.

Before I had the time to take another breath, the door opened and I was once again that school boy, who fell in love with her beauty, with her smile… The same smile that decorated her marvellous face when she opened the door. The same smile that was quickly disappearing when she noticed who her visitor was… Tearing me apart…

'Mai… please smile again! Don't greet me like that! Don't show me how unpleasant our meeting is for you…' But suddenly I remembered the reason that I had come. She was alone… I had to love her and make her love me back… for the sake of us both. The thought of Mai loving me warmed me inside and I found myself smiling, more to myself than to her.

Mai, I have found you again…

"Good morning Mai!"

"Good morning Reito."

Her voice was low and her expression was as if she had seen a ghost. But I didn't mind. I'd give her my everything to have her back. Anything…

And then I saw another figure behind Mai and my hopes were destroyed, shattered as I realised what this person's presence meant. My heart lost the ability to feel anymore…

The woman behind Mai, half naked was walking towards her and just before I had the chance to take a better look of her, I heard her speak. The sound of this familiar voice killed my dreams the same time that her voice reached my ears.

"Ani-ue?"

I felt the blood boiling in my veins… Mai was the old friend… Mikoto was with Mai… and Mai was with Mikoto… Anger filled me… And then it was replaced by something stronger than anger. Sadness. I had lost them both…

Mai, the love of my life taking away my sister… My sister that cared only for me…

And my sister, my beloved sister taking away what I loved more than my life, what I wanted in the most desperate way… Mai.

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Mikoto woke up but she didn't open her eyes. 'Damn it! And I was in the middle of the most beautiful dream!' She felt a sweet pain when she tried to remember it. Mai was kissing her, loving her, holding her… Well, this wasn't the first time that she woke up after a dream like that.

She made a slight move in the bed and her eyes opened wide in surprise. The realisation stopped her breath… She was naked. Her eyes travelled around the room. It wasn't her room… and she was naked…

"It wasn't a dream!"

No, it wasn't a dream. She was in Mai's room, in Mai's bed. She placed her face on the mattress, on the sheet smelling Mai's scent. Everything she could remember had really happened…

Mai loves her.

Mikoto didn't know that she could feel these kind of emotions. What she was feeling for Mai was something beyond love, beyond anything that she had ever felt. It was devotion, admiration, gratitude, tenderness, caring…

Her heart was overwhelmed of these so intense emotions and she was afraid that it would split in two…

"Mai and Mikoto… together forever."

She had said it without thinking, but when she heard her own words she noticed the wetness in her eyes.
'I'm happy. Why am I crying? Silly Mikoto.' She smiled to herself and looked carefully in the room. Her gaze fell on Mai's belongings around her. She felt the desire to pick every one of them and kiss them where Mai's hands had touched them. Mai's things…

Her eyes fell on the T-shirt beside her. She picked it up and held it on her chest.

So much love… Where did all that come from? Did she love Mai so much all that time? But why hadn't she noticed it? She often thought about Mai but she didn't remember feeling this way…

Maybe it was because now she knew that Mai loved her, that she wanted to be with her.

'That's it! Too much time without my Mai!' She got out of the bed to go to her. 'And I must think of something to say to Reito.' She knew that he would be worried because she spent the night out of the house. Well, he'd have to understand that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman. A woman in love…

The sound of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts. Mai had visitors.

She put on the T-shirt and she decided not to wear anything else. Besides it was long enough to cover the larger area of her thighs. The doorbell sounded again.

"Where is she?"

She got out of the room and saw Mai standing by the door. 'Mai…' She wanted to ran to her and hug her but obviously it wasn't the time for this. She started walking towards her and her mind noticed something odd in the whole scene as she approached her. Mai wasn't speaking and it seemed that she only stared at her visitor.

She tried to take a good look of him, although Mai's body was blocking her vision. There was something disturbing about him, something too familiar. She came closer and her blood froze in her veins.

Her brother's eyes were fixed on hers and his expression was killing her. Her lips were forming words and she was calling him without realising it.

Her brother had discovered what she wanted to hide from him. His face showed that he understood what was happening, what had already happened between her and Mai. With the corner of her eye she caught Mai's movement as she was slowly spinning to face her but it was impossible to draw her gaze away from his sad eyes.

'Reito… forgive me! I didn't want to hurt you…'

She didn't know how he had found out where she was. Or he had come looking for Mai?

Suddenly she couldn't look at him anymore. Mikoto's eyes moved onto Mai and she saw her desperation. Reito had found about Mai and her… No, not now that she had finally found happiness! Not now…

She would lose everything now. She felt her heart wrung. Her soul was crying and her eyes followed it. Warm tears of sadness were streaming her face. She shot a last glance at Mai before running away from them into the bedroom.

She got dressed in an instance. Leaving on Mai's T-shirt she put on her pants and shoes and got out of the room. Without looking at Mai she ran past her and stopped when she reached the door. Her voice was shaking from the sobs when she spoke.

"Mai… please forgive me."

'I love you.' She wanted to say it but she couldn't. Reito was watching her…

She looked down when she spoke and then she started running again, getting out on the road, still crying.

Mai stared at Mikoto. She was looking at her brother, her lovely Mikoto seemed so sad! And then every colour disappeared from the world when she saw these wet pearls in her eyes. She was crying…

'No! Please don't cry!'

Mai would sell her soul to the devil only to stop these tears. She felt her own tears building behind her eyes… Reito wasn't behind her anymore, nor existed in the world. No one existed in the world. Her own world was crying in front of her and her tears were burning down her happiness that lasted so little!

And then Mikoto ran into her bedroom and she was left there looking at the empty hall… Mikoto appeared again within a few seconds and ran past her, past Reito, out of the house, away from her…

Her last words were a quick poison running through her veins, killing her instantly. It was over.

'Mikoto!'

She tried to call the girl, to stop her, but no matter how hard she tried to shout out what her whole existence was screaming, only a low whisper escaped her mouth.

"Don't leave me…"

And then she remembered. Reito was standing behind her. Her body was made of stone, her legs weighted a tone when she decided to turn around and face him. During this movement her feelings were transformed into something else. Anger. She felt that she was able to kill the man only with the power of her thoughts, for making Mikoto cry, for making her run away…

But when she looked at him, when she stared into his eyes she saw his sadness and she immediately lost all her will to harm him. She couldn't hate him. She couldn't blame him… for anything.

She made two steps towards him, her stare still fixed into his eyes and she felt sorry. Sorry that she never felt love for him, that she loved his sister more than her life.

Reito made his first move after all this time. He turned his back to her and started walking down the road, putting distance between them. Mai was standing in front of the door watching him leaving until she couldn't see him anymore. The sun shined above her but the sunrays didn't reach her or warm her.

She got inside and closed the door behind her. She looked again at her house, at her empty hands that only a few hours were holding her happiness. Mai's lips repeating her name, the same lips that were kissing her yesterday…

She knew that something like that would happen… She knew that Mikoto would prefer to hurt her than hurt her brother… A bitter smile appeared at the realisation that she was proved right again. A smile that could melt the coldest heart…

Her legs weren't able to hold her weight anymore. She fell on her knees, looking ahead but without seeing. The smile was still there, frozen on her face and she didn't bother to remove it. Her vision blurred by the first tears that appeared in her eyes. These tears followed another and another… She was crying. Crying for the years that she lived together with Mikoto, for the years that she lived without her… For these few hours of happiness showing her how her life could be… She sat there crying and the time passed, but she didn't notice… The tears kept coming until she had no more to shed anymore. She was completely empty, even of her tears…

She didn't bother to get up, just sat there sinking into the dry stiff sorrow. She was alone. Again.

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That was chapter 4.

I really really need your reviews for this…

I don't care what you'll say, just show me that you've read it!

Thanks for reading!