Mai

„Mama, I want play outside!" My little boy whined. He was sitting on the floor amidst his three plush toys, a set of little racing cars and what looked like the ruins of his Lego fire station and none of them was keeping his attention. I sighed, put down the basket of dirty laundry I was going to wash and squatted down next to Yuto. Trying to stroke his head, something normally calming him was met by avoidance. "I know you like it outside, but it's rainy seasons, you can't go outside today."

For all that he was a very obedient child, today he was just a stubborn four-year old. "I want outside! I want to build a sandcastle!" For emphasis he drummed with his feet on the floor.
"Come here," taking him into my arms I carried him over to the windowsill and sat him down. "Look how much rain is coming down Yuto, you would get sick if you played outside."
But being sick was not of concern to my son, not now. Why should it when he knew his mother would be around to nurse him back to health.
"Your castle would crumble in the rain, it wouldn't even stick." This he seemed to understand, still he was looking at me with big, pleading eyes, lips trembling. "Maybe the weather will be better tomorrow, than we'll go outside. Okay?"

"Okay," he nodded.

With a relieved smile I set him down on the floor again. "Why don't you help me with the laundry?" I suggested. Yuto happily waddled after me as I picked up the basket again.

While I put the dirty clothes into the machine, allowing Yuto to put in the detergent but making sure he didn't spill it all over the floor, I was already thinking of what to prepare for dinner. Sushi we only had yesterday, Vegetables and rice would be nice again, but Yuuichi and Yuto both weren't fond of this. I decided to cook ramen, that seemed suitable for a slight fresh, rainy summer day. In high school I nearly made ramen every day, so many times I was almost sick of it, but now we only ate it every now and then.

I was thinking back on what I had asked Natsuki, whether she got lonely sometimes only a week ago. The question had been out before I could stop it, half expecting her to bite my head off. Instead Natsuki had remained completely calm, so calm it had almost frightened me a little, but she had just patted Yuto and smiled at me, although it was such a sad smile, saying she was in a good place.

That night I had laying awake, unable to fall asleep even though I was tired. Yuuichi had fallen fast asleep after we had sex straight away, but I had not. He had had one beer to many to last long enough for me, and for some reason Natuski's face was haunting me. She had never shared more than necessary with me, or anybody for that matter, about her family and her childhood. Maybe, she had talked about it with Shizuru, I didn't know, she had been as tight lipped about her relationship with Shizuru as she had been about everything else. Still, I hoped she had been able to talk with her about it. I simply had to believe Natsuki when she assured me, that she was living a better life than before.

Yuuichi had softly snored beside me. I had shoved him little to get him to stop. He had made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a cough, turning over and throwing his arm over my stomach. Instinctively I had snuggled closer to him, into the warmth and security of his body next to mine. No matter what she had said, I couldn't imagine Natsuki not longing for an intimate connection with somebody and it had been over five, no over six years since they had broken up or however else Shizuru disappearing should be called. That night it worried me, that Natsuki still seemed unable to let go. It must be unhealthy to be hung up on your lover after being more years apart than they actually knew each other. I really wished she would find somebody she could be with. Natsuki may not want children, she often said she was quite happy to babysit Yuto for us sometimes but only because she knew she could give him back at the end of the day. But living completely alone, the thought coming home every day to an empty house, it had scared me and I had tangled my fingers with Yuuichi, to remind myself, that I was not alone, would never be. It must have given me some peace of mind for I finally fell asleep that night.

Right now as I was slicing leek and roasting slices of pork I found myself thinking of Mikoto. Cooking ramen would probably never not remind me of her. How she had praised my ramen and demanded them was both exhausting and a huge compliment. Not for the first time I wondered where Mikoto was now. After a few initial emails I had never heard from her, when she had moved away with her brother. In those mails she had mainly described their new apartment, how she planned to do her room and complained about the prep classes she had to take for her new school. Then the mails had mostly stopped, at first I assumed it was just a phase of her being busy and settling into her new class, then I had too many things on my mind and when I remembered, I felt ashamed to contact her after so long. But the nagging thoughts in the back of my head remained. Was she still living with Reito, had she gone to college, was she working a job now, had she found a partner?
Was she happy now?
That was what I wondered the most. But I had lost my right to find out, two years after our last contact I finally got up the courage to write Mikoto again, wanting to hear about her and tell her about my upcoming wedding. Selfish as I was, I had wished for her to be there, but no reply ever came and I had no number to call her under.

"Mama!" Yuto's voice pierced through the kitchen and only now I realized that the water was boiling already, the pot bubbled and little splashes of hot water were erupting. Without thinking I grabbed the pot on both handles, pulling it from the stove so fast even more water sloshed over the rim and right onto my hands. Immediately I set it down on the counter top and ran cold water over my hands in the sink.
"Are you okay mama?" Yuto had walked over from were he'd been sitting, pulling at my leg and looking up with the most worried eyes I had ever seen on his young face. "The cooking water is hot and hot water is ouch. You have to be careful." He lectured me. I smiled at my boy. "I'm fine honey, don't worry, it doesn't hurt at all." And it was actually true I found, my hand didn't hurt at all, I put it under the cold water out of reflex rather than pain. Now, after several minutes of holding my skin under the torrent, the cold started stinging. I drew my hand back, looking at the red skin, thinking it strange that it didn't smart at all. But then the pork started to go black and I was distracted from wondering about it any further.
"It smells wonderful in here!" Yuuichi's voice rang through the house when he returned home and immediately there was feet patter, meaning Yuto had ran to greet his father. Sure enough he came into the kitchen a moment later, holding our son in his arm and greeting me with a kiss. He leaned over my shoulder, inhaling the smells from the pot. "I love your ramen!" he told me and I laughed. "Then set the table and we can eat right away."
"Sure thing. Come on Yuto, let's set the table," he said, handing him three pairs of chopsticks before he sat him down again.
Soon enough we were all sitting around the table, enjoying dinner, when the phone rang. Yuuichi and I both looked at each other. He shrugged, not expecting any calls at this time just like I. When it didn't stop ringing I got up to get it. The number on the display was an unfamiliar one. Curiously I picked up.
"Tate-household, Mai speaking,"
"Hello Mai-chan, it's Midori! How are you?" Why on earth Midori was calling me on a weekday night at dinnertime I didn't know, neither where she got our number from, but her voice was as loud and cheerful as ever. I removed the phone little from my ear, in fear of my hearing.

"Hello Midori-san, we are fine. It's good to hear from you, but what has you calling all of a sudden?"

"Something has come up." She sounded serious now, more subdued. "Are you alone Mai, can you talk freely?"
"Yuuichi and Yuto are next door, we were just having dinner." I replied. Glancing over my shoulder I saw them both sitting at the table. Yuuichi was wiping something of Yuto's face with a napkin, he caught me looking over his head and smiled at me. Automatically I smiled back.

"Go outside for a bit, I have to ask you something private."
I laughed at this. "I'm married Midori-san, I can tell my husband anything."
"This maybe not. Just go somewhere, it will be quick." she urged me so I gave in. Motioning to Tate, that I would take a while I left into the hallway and closed the door to the living room.
"I'm alone now. What is so secretive I that I shouldn't tell it to Yuuichi?" Midori hummed.

"Let me first ask you something. Have you been feeling weird in any way lately?"
"No..." I was puzzled by such a strange question. "What do you mean by weird?"
"Never mind, you would know what I mean if you had experienced it." she brushed my question aside. "I'll get straight to the point, Mai-chan. Try summoning your Element."

"What!?" It came out as a yelp so surprised was I by Midori's request. "Shh" she hissed immediately. "Just try it, if it doesn't work everything is fine."
"Fine" I nodded and concentrated. The first time I had summoned my Element it had happened in the heat of a battle with me being in dire need to defend myself. I had to focus harder now, in my mind I pictured the rings, flames springing forth from them, as the danced around my wrists and ankles. At first nothing happened. I could hear Midori's strained breathing through the line as she waited for what would happen. I was about to stop when I felt a buzz travelling through my whole body, then warmth spread through me from my head down to my feet and there they were. All fours rings lightened up the hallway in a blaze before I could get it under control and dim them down.

"It appeared, didn't they?" Midori asked quietly. She must have heard the crackle of the flames. "Yes they did," I confirmed, getting a heavy sigh in return.

"I had hoped as much as you, that you wouldn't be able to summon your weapon, but not that you're power has been reawakened it means your in this with me, and probably some of the rest as well." She added.
"But in what Midori, the HiME-star was destroyed. How or why should our powers resurface?" I asked. "At this point I have no idea, I'm sorry. All I can say is, that I have seen an Orphan on campus two days ago and that I too can summon my Element again, but not my child. Something is happening and we will have to fight it again."

I feared her next words, rightly so. "You have to come to Fuuka until the start of next week."

"No Midori, I can't do that. I have a little son, a husband and a job." I didn't want this power again, not after all the pain it caused last time. We had fought our battle to leave it all behind.
Midori sighed. "Believe me, I don't like it either but we have to. Take some time of and have your husband take care of your son."

"But -" I wanted to refuse, to object, there were so many reasons not to go. "The sooner we deal with it the sooner it will be over. Tell you family were having a meeting for old times sake and come to Fuuka."
Before I had the chance to say anything else, the line went dead. Blankly I stared at the phone, my rings still hanging limply from my arms. Light fell into the hallway as the door to the living room suddenly opened. In a blink I hid my Element away. "Are you going to be on the phone longer, do you want me to heat up your food again?" Yuuichi asked.
I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm finished." "What did she want?" he asked.

I bit my lip. "She invited me to a reunion next week," I said.