I Wish
Chapter 4: Enter Fujino
When Mai returned to Nagano, Takumi wasn't surprised to see that she was alone. Though he believed her story, he realized that this belief was only made possible due to the close relationship they shared. Anyone else faced with his sister's tale would have to be crazy themselves to believe it: girls with magical powers who can call upon a mechanized monster to fight battles against "orphan" monsters, cyborgs, and a genetically engineered little girl. This was some trippy information to accept, and if had been anyone but Mai, Takumi simply wouldn't have.
Since her return, Mai hadn't been to any of her jobs and had taken to spending long hours at the library. In the evenings she would return to the hospital and sleep in the cot set out next to his bed. After several days of this routine, Mai informed Takumi that she would be going on a trip, and although she wasn't sure when she'd return, it shouldn't be too long.
"I don't understand this, Sis. Why do you have to leave again? I thought Akira rejected your story."
Mai grimaced. Bringing up that failure hurt her. Akira had been her best shot, though not her only chance to change things back.
"Takumi, there are others out there that may be able to help. I've been doing some research on the Internet, attempting to locate those that were Hime in the other world. Like I suspected, Mashiro simply doesn't exist, and her assistant Fumi's whereabouts are unknown. I never was told their full story, and I suspect that I'll be unable to locate the woman."
Looking through her notes, Mai continued, "Five of the others still attend, or work at Fuka Academy. Shizuru, Mikoto, and Midori weren't listed on the school's webpage, so I did some digging to find out where they're located. I found Midori listed as a graduate student at Tokyo University and, according to her profile, is happily married. From what little I can tell, her life seems content, so for the time being I'm not going to try and contact her."
Mai paused before talking about the next person on her list. She had been unable to find anything on Minagi Mikoto, and this frightened her. In all her time with the little wild cat, the redhead hadn't once been able to get any information out of her perpetually hungry friend as to where she came from. The girl simply appeared that day in Fuka Bay, and Mikoto couldn't tell anyone how she had gotten there with any clarity. All Mai knew was that the girl had suffered a tough upbringing and had been raised to be her brother's unquestioning protector. Since Reito was not destined to be the vessel for the Obsidian Lord, did Mikoto even exist?
"Mikoto's whereabouts are unknown..." tears rolled down Mai's face. She missed the energetic girl, and full awareness of her absence hit Mai like a ton of bricks.
"You ok Sis?" Takumi quietly inquired. "Was she a good friend of yours?"
"Yes, she was like a sister to me..." Just a sister? Shaking that thought from her head, she pushed on. "Her brother, Reito, isn't listed as a student at Fuka either. What happened to them is a mystery that I can't afford to investigate right now."
Mai looked at her notes and scanned the information she had gathered on Shizuru Fujino. The girl had never transferred to Fuka Academy, and from what she found, Shizuru was instead an honors student at an all-girl's private school in Kyoto. An article had been recently written about her in the school's paper regarding her achievement of graduating at the top of her class. Starting next term, Fujino-san would be a first-year student at Kyoto University and would be studying business. After a little digging, Mai had found information about a mandatory orientation for all incoming students that was to be held in three days' time. Mai intended to be at that orientation and "convince" Fujino-san to go to Fuka with her.
"The last Hime who isn't currently attending the Academy is Shizuru Fujino, and I believe she is greatest hope we have to reverse my wish. The best opportunity I'll have to talk to her will be at Kyoto Universities freshman orientation. There, my presence won't arouse much suspicion, and I'll be able to approach her easily."
Takumi was confused. "Sis, what do you mean by arouse suspicion? Why would it be suspicious to talk to someone?"
"Brother, I learned from my last experience that convincing someone to go somewhere with a stranger is next to impossible. If I'm ever going to get Fujino-san to want to make that wish, she is going to have to meet one Natsuki Kuga. I've never seen such an intense love towards another person. Frankly, it was bit scary at times. If Madame Maria could make my wish come true, then I suspect she was right about Shizuru and Natsuki's love crossing all boundaries of time, space, and circumstance."
"How do you intend on getting her there if not through persuasion?"
Mai walked up to one of the small supply drawers in the room and pulled out several syringes. "I'm going to drug her." Mai had experienced the power these little things had and how quickly just one could knock a person out.
Eyes opening in shock, Takumi sputtered out, "What are you thinking! Are you thinking? I mean, once you have her drugged, what are you going to do? Drag her onto a bus or train and tell everyone she's drunk?"
"Give me a little more credit! I'm renting a car for the trip and I'll just slip her into the passenger seat. Everyone will think she's sleeping. It's only a 10 hour drive, so I'll only need to use three of these things" said Mai as she selected the syringes she would take with her.
"Mai, this is madness. Please don't do this." Takumi begged his sister to reconsider and listed off every reason why her plan was crazy. He even went so far as to bring up the embarrassing fact that Fujino-san would need to use the toilet but wouldn't be able to take care of such "things" while unconscious.
"Hmm, good point Brother..."
Takumi was stunned. Out of everything he said, this was giving his sister pause?
"I guess we'll have to make a stop during the night in a hotel, and I'll tie her to a toilet or something...I'll have to gag her though so she doesn't scream, which will make feeding her difficult..."
The plan went from crazy to absolutely insane, in Takumi's opinion. He had to stop her. "Don't do this, Sis! I'll alert the police if you leave here with those syringes!"
"Takumi, I promise that no harm will come to Fujino-san. I'm only taking such desperate steps to get her there. Once I show her Natsuki, I suspect all will be forgiven...at least I hope so." Mai frowned down at the syringes.
"Crap Sis, you had better do more than hope. You had better get down on your knees and pray to whatever deity you think will help you out of this one." Frustrated and angry, Takumi rubbed his face and felt like crying. If he wasn't so sick, she wouldn't be compelled to try and change things back. "I'll give you five days to work this out. At the end of those five days, you need to call me and let me talk to Fujino-san so I know that she's ok, otherwise...I, I'm calling the police."
"Thank you Takumi."
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Mai arrived in Kyoto the next morning by bus and immediately started in on her plan. She rented a small room near the University and began to research the school. From what she could figure out, it would be best if she could somehow lure Fujino into the north campus parking garage. This was the oldest parking structure, and security cameras weren't installed. The headquarters for campus security was located in the building, so to compensate for this lack of digital security they had regular patrols through the structure. However, from what Mai had seen so far, it took nearly a half an hour for the guard to make his circuit. It would be possible to drug Shizuru and get her out of the garage well within this time frame.
Mai went to a local car rental agency on the day of the freshman orientation, and she rented the cheapest vehicle they had for 1 week. To be able to afford the expense of this mission, Mai had sold her mother's engagement ring. Doing so had nearly made her break down, but she had to think positively. If she succeeded, then the ring would be back where it belonged once the world was back as it belonged. However, it still pained her to sell the item, and it pained her even more when the damn pawn broker refused to give her more than a 200,000 yen for it. Once the vehicle was paid for, there was barely enough money left over for gas, food, and lodging.
Parking the car in the north parking lot, Mai proceeded to the orientation hall. The crowd was massive, and she was beginning to fear that she'd never spot the brunette in the throng of people. Then she heard it - squeals of joy coming from a cluster of girls, "fan girls" to be precise. Following the high pitched keening; she spotted Fujino-san politely smiling amongst a gaggle of eager young women. "Geez, no wonder Natsuki was always in such a bad mood after walking with Shizuru through campus. She had to deal with girls like this on a daily basis," Mai thought with amusement.
Looking closer at Shizuru, she noticed that while her target was smiling, it didn't ring true. Whenever Mai had seen the brunette with the biker, there was a softness that was now absent. Natsuki had often mentioned a "mask" that Shizuru wore when around other students, so she suspected this to be it. Walking up to the group, Mai had a plan to get Shizuru away from her "fans".
Mai called out as she pushed her way through the obnoxious girls, "Hey Shizuru-san! It's me, Mai Tokiha! It's been forever and a day since we've last seen each other."
At first Shizuru stared at her with confusion, but Mai's infectious smile and subtle wink alerted her to the fact that this stranger was trying to help her get away from these fan girls. The newcomer didn't exude the same neediness and obsession that the other girls did, so Shizuru decided to trust the redhead.
"Ah Mai-san, it's been so long since we've seen each other that I hardly recognized you," said Shizuru, in an attempt to play along.
"Yeah, I feel like the world has completely changed since the last time we hung out," Mai almost laughed after saying this, but managed to hold in the nervous giggle. "How about we go find somewhere to catch up? It's a little loud in this area." said Mai, as she took Shizuru by the arm and led her away from the glaring fan girls.
"Ah, thank you, Tokiha-san was it?" said the grateful brunette after they had stepped out of earshot of her followers.
"Call me Mai, and not a problem. Those girls looked like they were ready to eat you alive. I'm not sure how you can handle such attention."
"Well then Mai-san, thank you yet again." said Shizuru with a polite yet guarded smile. "May I inquire how you knew my name?"
Thinking on her feet Mai quickly came up with a plausible answer. "Oh you can thank my mother for that. Ever since I was accepted to this University, my mom has been researching my competition. You see, I graduated top of my class at Nagano Academy, and Mom wants nothing more than for me to come in first in my class here. Your name, along with several others were tossed in my face. I tried not to pay attention, but she was fairly insistent that I learn my 'enemies'."
"Ara, I hope you don't think of me as the enemy?"
"No, not at all." said Mai with an easy smile. "In fact I hope we can become friends. Whether I'm first or last in our class is of little interest to me. I'm only attending business school to appease my mother, and I plan going to cooking school once I graduate from Kyoto University. Who knows, maybe I'll use my business degree to open up my own restaurant." With more than a little bit of surprise, Mai realized that she was speaking the truth. Opening a restaurant of her own with a degree in business under her belt seemed like a great idea.
Shizuru could sense Mai's sincerity, and the busty redhead exuded a familiarity that intrigued the Kyoto native. It had been a while since she had last met someone who had immediately piqued her interest, and she wanted to find out more about the girl from Nagano. To prolong their conversation, she invited Mai to sit next to her during the orientation greeting. The two girls quietly chatted throughout the presentation and during the following mixer talked almost exclusively with one another, which earned Mai many hate-filled glares from the surrounding fan girls and boys.
On one level, Shizuru was suspicious of her new friend. Mai seemed to know exactly what to say to draw her into the conversation. At one point, they even discussed possible uses of tea in cooking. Mai even had a recipe for a cake infused with green tea that sounded like something created especially for the brunette. What Shizuru didn't know was that Natsuki had begged her friend to experiment with different teas in her cooking so that she could present her lover with a "perfect" meal on Shizuru's birthday. However, Mai's behavior was never overtly suspicious. The girl just seemed like a really friendly person who happened to share several interests with her. Shizuru didn't get the impression that the redhead was trying to seduce her, so she decided to ignore her mild suspicions for the moment and enjoy the company of this new friend.
Hours later, once the event had ended, Mai offered her "new" friend a ride home, but to her disappointment Shizuru had driven herself to the University. Panic nearly flooded her system, but Mai managed to stay mostly calm.
"Oh, where did you park? Maybe we can walk back together?" said Mai with a hopeful grin.
"I parked in the north lot to avoid my 'fan girls'' said Shizuru with a small wince of embarrassment. "Since it's a little further from the orientation hall, I figured on fewer people parking there."
"Oh, I parked there too!"
"Score!" thought Mai, who immediately relaxed. Shizuru noticed the change in body language and wondered if she had poured on a little too much charm. She had been told numerous times that she sometimes gave people the wrong impression, but it was difficult to change her behavior. However, there had been no indication before this moment that Mai was even remotely interested in her in that way. Once again, Shizuru suppressed her suspicions and happily walked with Mai to the parking garage.
"Oh, I'm parked over here," said Mai as she used her remote to unlock the car doors.
"Mmm, and I am parked down a little further," said the older girl as she looked down the row of cars.
"Can I offer you a ride to your vehicle?" said Mai, hoping to prolong their conversation long enough that she could explain her story, and possibly get the brunette into position if she outright refused go with her and Mai had to drug her.
With a small laugh, Shizuru politely declined. "Thank you Mai-san, but I am parked no more than a hundred meters away. It was very nice to meet you, and I look forward to classes starting so we may continue our friendship."
"Uh wait, Shizuru-san, there is one more thing I want to discuss with you. Will you stay for just a few minutes longer?" Sitting on the back bumper of her vehicle, Mai patted the space next to her, indicating she'd like the Kyoto beauty to join her.
Wearily, Shizuru sat down next to her new friend, fearing what may be coming next.
Feeling a little nervous, Mai clasped her hands together and looked down at the ground. "Shizuru-san, do you believe in true love, or love at first sight?"
"Ara? I am sorry Mai-san...if I gave you the wrong impression, please forgive me..."
"Eh? W-what? No, no, no that's not what I meant!" frantically waving her arms, Mai turned beet red. "Geez, I need to work on my opening line," thought Mai with exasperation.
"Ara, if Mai-san is not hitting on me, then why does she want to know my opinion of love?" asked a thoroughly perplexed Shizuru.
"Man, I've mucked this up," Mai ran her hands through her hair and decided to just dive right in and explain what she meant. "You see Shizuru-san, I'm from an alternate universe. One where our lives – yours and mine - intersect in the City of Fuka. You and I were brought there to attend Fuka Academy and it was there that you met your true love...butit'snotme," Mai sputtered the last part in haste.
Shizuru gave Mai an expressionless stare, making her nervous. "She thinks I'm crazy, oh, I gotta explain this better."
"I was brought to Fuka to meet my true love?" asked the brunette, her crimson eyes showing confusion.
"Uh no, that was just the result of your time there. You were brought there because you were a Hime, and you were supposed to battle orphan monsters and other Hime," Mai cringed as she said it, realizing just how insane she sounded. This was not how she was supposed to explain things.
Standing up, Shizuru said, "You had me intrigued with your talk of true love, but this monster speech has shown me that you are not right in the head, Tokiha-san. I'm sorry, but I need to leave now."
Mai noticed the sudden use of her surname, and with dismay she realized she had lost Shizuru's trust. Grabbing the older woman's arm, the redhead blurted out, "But true love is why I've approached you for your help! I changed the world when I wished that Hime had never existed, but if you wish that they had, you will be reunited with your true love."
"Why would Hime reunite me with my "true" love? If our love is true, then we wouldn't need these monsters to bring us together," said Shizuru, as she tugged her arm out of Mai's grasp and began to walk away.
In a complete panic, Mai pulled out one of the syringes from her purse as she ran up to Shizuru. With a quick jab to the Kyoto girl's rear, Mai injected the sedative.
Without warning, a sharp pinching pain erupted in Shizuru's right buttock. Before she lost consciousness, Shizuru thought, "Ara, did she pinch my butt?"
After yanking out the syringe, Mai carefully lowered her charge to the ground. "Gomen Fujino-san. I had hoped to avoid this, but you left me with no choice."
Dragging the brunette to the vehicle proved difficult, and getting her into the passenger seat even harder, but she finally managed to do it. Mai quickly poked around in Shizuru's purse and coat pockets until she found the girl's cell phone. She considered leaving it in the parking garage, but decided that leaving evidence behind would raise alarms. Plus, the device looked expensive, and she didn't want to piss the girl off even more by losing her phone.
"Who am I kidding? I just drugged her, and I'm worried about pissing her off if I lose her mobile. Something tells me this should be the least of my worries," thought Mai as she turned off the phone and buried it in her own purse.
"You'll get this back later Fujino-san, but in the meantime I can't have you calling for help. I hope that you will forgive me once you set eyes on Natsuki. From what I was told, it was love at first sight for you in my world, and if the fortune teller was right it will be the same in this one."
Brushing Shizuru's hair from her eyes, Mai felt a little twinge of regret for her actions. This was no doubt the end to any sort of friendship she may have cultivated with the other girl. She had enjoyed her afternoon talking with the enigmatic Shizuru, and Mai felt like she knew the brunette better now than in the entire time she had attended school with her. Friendship or not, Mai was on a mission to save her brother, and this girl could possibly save his life.
Moving around to the driver's seat, Mai sat down and started the car. "With any luck, by this time tomorrow, you'll be wishing me out of this world and back to where my brother has a chance of survival."
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Author's Note: I realize most hospitals wouldn't leave syringes full of medication in an unlocked drawer. It was just convenient to do so for this story.
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Omake:
Mai: Hey author girl! You're making me into a complete psycho!
Kuma Kuma: You're not a complete psycho...but I guess you're tad unstable...
Mai: I don't want to be crazy, so you better fix this in the next chapter!
Kuma Kuma: Uh well, your behavior is necessary for the story arc. If you don't act with this single-minded determination to save your brother...well, I kinda don't have a story.
Crick-Crack!
Natsuki: Oi! I thought I told you to put Shizuru and me in this chapter!
Kuma Kuma: Ah for the love of...*Snatches the whip out of a stunned Natsuki's hand* I AM THE AUTHOR AND I WILL DICTATE WHO ENTERS THE STORY AND WHEN!
*Starts flailing her arms and cracking the whip in every direction*
Mai: Wow, who's the psycho now?