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"I think the dog has caught her scentl!"
"Get the chopper and follow overhead! Land down the nearest location when we find something!"
"Roger that"
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"Mai! If you can hear us, make some sound! Mai!"
"Quiet. Can you hear anything?"
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"Look! There, on the ground! Is…is that a cave?"
"Shit, look. Footprints. Call the chopper in."
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"Mai! Can you hear us?"
"Mai!"
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"Mai?"
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"Mai"
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"Taniyama-san!"
Mai gasped awake as a ruler was brought down on the desk directly beside her resting head. Blinking rapidly, Mai looked up and straight into the eyes of her Math teacher.
"Sleeping in class again, Taniyama-san?" the teacher tsked, shaking her head.
"Takata…sensei?" Mai asked unsure, her mind a blur of confusion. Waking up so abruptly had stunned her stupid. Mai prayed she had not been asked a question, her eyes skittering to her right to try and catch Michiru's eye. Michiru stared back in mute dismay.
Mai quickly moved her gaze back to her disapproving teacher, her arms crossed, fingers tapping.
"Uh, sorry sensei. It won't happen again," Mai finally stuttered out, her face flaming red in embarrassment.
Shaking her head, Takata-sensei walked back to the front of the class to continue the lesson. Mai sighed before sinking down in her chair, partly in relief and partly to escape the snickers aimed at her.
"What's up with you?", she heard Michiru hiss at her.
Turning her head back to Michiru, she tilted her head sheepishly, reaching back to scratch her head, "I stayed up late reading that new manga I bought", she whispered back.
Michiru rolled her eyes before turning back to the front. Following Michiru's lead, Mai turned back to the front and promised herself that she would try harder to focus, even though it felt like her head wasn't entirely there.
"Mai"
Stopping in the middle of the footpath, Mai looked around in confusion at the empty street. She could swear someone had called her name.
Shaking her head, she continued on home.
Finally arriving at her destination, Mai stopped and felt for the necklace that held her house key around her neck. Mai paused, realising there was nothing there before shaking her head in confusion. Why would her house key be on a necklace? That was impractical.
Pulling her key out of her pocket, Mai unlocked the door and walked inside.
Toeing off her loafers, Mai left her school bag by the door before walking to the kitchen, jumping when she nearly ran into someone.
Gasping, Mai stared in shock while clutching her heart.
Mai stared at the person before her as the person grabbed her to steady her.
"Oh! Sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to frighten you"
Mai shook her head before smiling, "It's okay, Mum. I wasn't paying attention."
Mai's mother chuckled before running her hand down Mai's hair fondly.
"How was school?" she asked, a pleasant smile tilting her lips, still dressed in her work clothes and looking tired yet happy to see her daughter.
Mai laughed sheepishly while dropping her gaze to the floor, "Good… good…", she muttered as her Mothers knowing gaze burned into her head.
Finally directing her gaze up to meet her mother's sheepishly, her mother shook her head fondly before directing her to the hallway to get changed. Mai trudged to her room, feeling a strange combination of déjà vu and dread fall over her, making her feel a little sick as it settled in her stomach.
Walking outside after dinner into the dark twilight to the bins sitting curb side ready for tomorrows collection, Mai swung the rubbish bags into the tall container before turning to go back inside.
"Mai", flinching to the side while simultaneously spinning to face the voice left Mai pinwheeling her arms before finding her balance again. Flicking her eyes to the cause of her near fall as her arms broke out into goosebumps, Mai ran her eyes over the stranger.
"Can I help you?", she asked cautiously, muscles tense in case she needed to spring away quickly.
"You need to stop this", the tall, dark haired man, older than her 13-year-old self, said while taking a step forward.
Mai's face scrunched up in confusion, fear starting to build in her chest "Stop what?", Mai stuttered.
The man's form was taut with tension, blue eyes becoming frustrated, "You need to wake up, Mai. This isn't real. Soon it will be too late", he continued to baffle Mai as she shook her head as she slowly inched back to the house.
"Mister, what are you talking about? Who are you?", Mai said as she continued to inch backwards, getting ready to sprint the remaining distance to the front door.
"You're dead, Mai", his eyes showing panic, a clear juxtaposition to his calm voice
Eyes widening before blinking in shock, the sick feeling returned to her stomach immediately, Mai shook her head taking bigger steps back to the house.
"No, I'm not you psycho!", Mai shouted, finally having enough. She didn't like this feeling. This fear. She wanted her Mum, to be inside where it was safe.
"Wake up! This isn't real!", the man finally seemed to snap, taking steps towards her.
Mai stumbled back in response her shoes hitting the steps to the house. The last of her bravery crumbled away, "Mum!", Mai cried finally, "Mum!", directing her voice to the front door, too scared to remove her eyes from the crazy man not knowing what might happen if she did and too scared to show her back to head indoors.
Hearing the door open behind her, Mai finally turned away from the man and ran to her Mum, grabbing her shirt and tucking herself into her warm side, "Mum – that man won't leave me alone. He said I'm dead and that this isn't real or something", she exclaimed, directing her gaze back to the man.
"Mai", her mother said, her hand coming down to Mai's face to direct it upwards to gaze at her mother, "my strong girl", she murmured with such love in her eyes.
"Mum?" Mai asked in confusion.
"You've been so brave, baby", her mother continued to gaze lovingly at her, her thumb stroking her cheek, "so strong yet so kind. I'm so incredibly proud of the person you've become, and I love you so, so much." she continued, her bright gaze unwavering, "but you're not done yet, sweetheart,"
Mai shook her head gently in her mother's hand, confusion and fear building, "Mum, you're not making sense, please stop", she whispered tearfully, fear making her voice quiet.
Her mother smiled gently, "Open your eyes, sweetheart".
Mai protested, "They ARE open!", as she reached up to grasp her chest as it started to ache with a phantom pain.
"Wake up, Mai" the man behind Mai said firmly, desperately, her heart jolting in shock as she spun her head to look at him to meet his fierce gaze.
'Wait…my heart?" Mai thought distractedly as she palmed her breastbone again before searching her neck for a heartbeat, 'It's…it's not beating?' Mai thought in shock, her eyes wide.
"Look at me, Mai! Open your eyes!"
Thump-thump
Mai gasped as her eyes opened, her gaze blurry seeing only shapes and lights around her, a loud whirring echoing in the background accompanied by shouts and hands touching her all over, which made her register the absolute agony she was in.
Mai gave a strangled cry as she struggled, feeling something sharp in her chest, looking down blearily through a mask covering her face to her chest where she could see a needle sticking through it as well as two large rectangle stickers on her shirtless front. Mai continued to struggle, reaching for the needle with her one working hand, ignoring the anguish that was throbbing, slicing, echoing through all parts of her body.
"No, Mai!", a hand came forward to gently intercept hers before it reached its target, her ears finally discerning the words being said to her and seeing the various people surrounding her.
"Ay-ak-o?", Mai could barely breathe let alone talk, gazing up at the red haired Miko who was fluttering over Mai with business-like efficient purpose, putting down two defibrillation paddles on the ground next to her.
"Yeah, sweetheart. We've got you. It's gonna be okay", she said reassuringly yet with clear relief, flicking her eyes briefly away from her hands to Mai's tired gaze before moving back to her task.
"Are you cold, Mai?" Ayako eventually asked after a few moments while Mai tried to wrap her head around what was happening.
Mai took a few minutes to think, her thoughts sluggish. Cold? It's not cold. If anything, she felt her pain seeping away from her to leave her with a numbness.
"N-o", Mai finally murmured, missing Ayako's grimace as her hands sped up.
Looking past Ayako, Mai registered the many high vis donned people surrounding her, assisting Ayako. Shouts were being thrown to people around the snow-covered field she was lying in. She was being strapped down into some kind of solid stretcher, her neck was stabilised and was unable to be moved which she faintly assumed was due to some kind of neck brace.
Squinting towards the sound overwhelming her senses, could see a large, bright splash of colour against the snow.
Helicopter her mind supplied, blinking slowly in shock at seeing one so close, its blades spinning still, whipping up whatever debris remained of the ground, the trees sparse foliage being pushed back with the force of the wind.
Looking to her other side through clouded, unfocused eyes, seeing past the faceless people, her eyes drawn to a figure that stood gazing at her as her breathe continued to rattle through her chest.
The figure was donned in high vis winter wear, nearly melting into the background with the rest of the people running around. A pale face was discernible, midnight black hair peeking through a beanie over sharp blue eyes accompanied by dark circles underneath, hinting towards an exhaustion which was not demonstrated anywhere else.
"Na-ru", Mai murmured, watching as his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed and took a step forward near her head yet out of range of those fluttering around her, working on her failing body.
"Mai", he said quietly yet loud enough for her to hear.
"You… foun-d me", her voice crackled through each syllable, "Good-job, idiot scien-tist"
Naru's lips twitched, she thinks to humour her rather than in actual humour, since his eyes remained grave as her watched her being attended to.
"Broke mmiphone", Mai slurred, the exhaustion beginning to build as her eyes starting to droop, her gaze no longer looking at a specific spot before sliding shut without her noticing.
"Mai? Keep your eyes open", she heard Ayako demand as her consciousness began to slip away.
"Tired", she slurred.
"Mai!", was the last she heard before her consciousness slipped through her fingers like sand.