Disclaimer
I, Shirogami, would like to state here, that I don't own any character of Mai-HiME Animation I used in this latest fan-fiction of mine. However, I do own this storyline and some original characters.
Please enjoy this story and R&R. NO FLAME IS WELCOMED HERE. In the mean time, I am not a good English writer, so please be tolerate if there are (?) many grammar mistakes. Thank you very much.
P.R.I.N.C.E
By Shirogami
If time never dies, I will protect you with the rest of mine.
Saturday
Keiji's irises shrink and his thinking stuns when his savior that is smiling at him right now.
"Keiji… are… you alright?" Mai's limp body falls into Keiji's arm and her eyes are looking at him gently.
"Mai, just what the heck do you think you are doing? I thought you ran away with Natsuki."
Holding her limp body in his chest, Keiji checks the injury and finds out it is a lethal strike.
Natsuki has reached them along with DURAN in the same time.
"Just hang on, Mai! Stay with me." Keiji keeps calling Mai back into conscious.
Keiji touches Mai's wound with his bleeding arm and tries to heal her by channeling the rest of his energy, his blood streams and mixes with Mai's slowly.
"Keiji… your arm…" Mai whispers after she noticed Keiji's injuries.
"Just forget it and don't talk. Save your strength."
"It's fine… Keiji … it is noth…" Suddenly Mai vomits blood suddenly before she finishes.
"Mai!" Keiji can feel it, her weakening pulse, her lifeless sight, and none of the less; her limp body is getting cooler.
"Natsuki, get Mai to the hospital, don't ever come back for me." Keiji begs Natsuki on his knees.
"Don't talk something foolish! You are too weak!"
"Better than leaving Mai die before me!" Keiji puts Mai over Duran gently. Natsuki can see his tears and his worries for Mai's life.
"But…" Natsuki does not feel angry on him anymore after she saw his reaction upon Mai' incident.
She understands now that he really does not want any HiME get injured in front of him.
"I have no time for anymore lecture, just go! Please, I beg you, Natsuki!" Keiji's dire expression even makes Natsuki falls into dilemma.
When they are making decision, Kurohime takes her chance to web Duran and the HiME with new power.
"What the?" Keiji uses all of his remaining strength and tends to tear the web apart with his bare hands.
"This strength, this ability, is it?" Keiji another worry had turned into fact.
"Forget it, Keiji-kun. JULIA's web is too strong for you to even slash it with your sword." Kurohime slowly walks out from the trees, "Now, DURAN. Come and join me, will you?" She starts pulling the silver wolf towards her, along with the HiMEs.
"Let us go, you monster!" Natsuki materializes her pistol and starts shooting at Kurohime, but they are all fail to pierce through her barrier.
"Useless." Kurohime laughs as Natsuki's attack does not damage her at all. In the mean time, Keiji tries to hold Duran by grabbing the web, but he only slows the speed, not able to stop it. The soil that was dragged under his feet even scares him more.
"Mai, can't you just summon your fire to burn this thing out?" Natsuki is out of idea and asks the HiME besides her, but she responds nothing.
"Mai?" Natsuki shocked when she holds Mai's body.
"Natsuki! What happened?" Keiji's heart hammers faster when he noticed the gunner's reaction.
"JUST ANSWER ME! GOD DAMN IT!"
"Mai... Mai is…" Without waiting for Natsuki's answer, Keiji quickly grabs Mai's hand.
His act causes him holds his breathe when he found out the results.
No temperature… no breathe… no heartbeat…
"MAAAIII!" Keiji cries out loud, and without anyone notice, the orb on his chest is getting brighter and words appears within it. The changes of the integer synchronize with Keiji's heartbeats and his flashbacks of Mai all these days.
'System Reboot 96 percent completed'
"Akitoh-san, right? I am Tokiha Mai, please to meet you..."
'System Reboot 97 percent completed'
"I live over there. Since my part-time's done, mind if I join the morning jog along…"
'System Reboot 98 percent completed'
"Just how can I believe you when you don't explain anything at all…"
'System Reboot 99 percent completed'
"Keiji… are… you alright…"
'System Reboot 100 percent completed.
Voice Analysis: Affirmative
Fingerprint scan: Matched
HiME: Tokiha Mai
CHILD: Kagutsuchi
Permission: Granted'
'Permissible ReInforcement aNd Combat Enforcer - P.R.I.N.C.E system activated.'
The symbol of HiME tints up in the middle of the orb when the countdown is completed, so as Keiji's anger is reaching his limit and ready to explode at any time.
"KUROHIME…" Keiji slowly raises his head, his ebony irises of his crying eyes slowly turns to green.
"HOW… DARE… YOU…" Keiji's tone even frightens Natsuki. It sounds like a beast which wants to devour its prey desperately. The pressure is proven he is tearing the web apart.
"HOW DARE YOU DID THIS! KUROHIMEEE!" Keiji roars at his enemy and his aura bursts out like gusty typhoon onto Kurohime.
At the same time, right in the Mashiro's mansion.
Mashiro is looking at the forest through the large windows and worrying. She had been there since the night when Mai released her CHILD.
All of the sudden, she sensed an aura with the mixture of anger, sadness and regret. She cannot stop herself from shivering and sweating, especially when she recognizes that feeling belongs to someone she knows.
"This energy… isn't it…" Mashiro watches the rising red aura tower from the forest and guesses.
Meanwhile, not far from Keiji and the others, Nagi is also sensing the same thing like Mashiro did.
"This feeling… just like what I get from it last night." Nagi tries to get closer and observes the happening.
Just when everything is calming down, Kurohime is surprised to see what happens before her.
The grass around Keiji had been cleared and the ground is formed a circle under his feet; the web that caught Natsuki and the others was disappeared; Natsuki and the others are safe right by Keiji's side.
But what amazes everyone is the rebuild armor Keiji is wearing now.
The cog wheel device now placed right at his heart position and planted onto the milky white upper body armor with its green tech-wire-like trails changed to light orange color; a pair of black bowl-shaped device with red stripes circling them are floating by his shoulder; the azure spandex suit that protects his body from neck to toe had changed into black color; the lower body that covers his waist part has the same pattern like the upper part. The obvious changes are his arms and legs are not wearing gloves and guards like the previous armor anymore, but now they are covered with silver chains, with floating urban language glowing in red color twirling slowly around them.
There is also a extra device on his back, it is a octagonal device with the dimension of eight inches in height and width, four inches in thickness; there are holes on the side of the box, except the top and the bottom platform.
His helmet is changed to a crown-like guard that the bar rings around his forehead level and reveals his spiky yellow hair, two antennas, shaped like elf-ears, are attached to left and right side; his long ponytail is fully bound with black strings like a whip until only the hair can be seen at the edge. Natsuki looks carefully at the new armor and finds out Keiji's injuries are totally recovered. It is because once the P.R.I.N.C.E system was activated, it will heal the wielder automatically and recuperate his capability with the infused CHILD's power.
"Natsuki, please… bring Mai to the hospital… now." Keiji touches Mai's forehead and cheek gently.
"But… she is…" Natsuki knows it is useless to send a dead to hospital, she rather stays here and fights along with Keiji.
"She still lives, I know it." Keiji tells a fact that only he knows the reason.
"Keiji…" Natsuki still insists of staying until Keiji's starts channeling his energy.
"GO!" Natsuki is speechless and looks at the fighter before her now.
His anger is proven through the aura generated around his body and forms out an image she saw not long ago. Her inner sense is telling her that Keiji is not the one she knows anymore.
Now, he is Kagutsuchi, the angered CHILD and want to kill his enemy so eargerly.
"Don't lose, Keiji." After leaving this message, Natsuki lands on Duran's back quickly and holds Mai close to her.
"DURAN, go!" Like a servant it is, Duran runs away and leaves the dueling duo.
"Well, well, seems like the other you had awaken, isn't it, Keiji?" Kurohime says steadily, "But how much time do you still have? 30 minutes? 1 minute?" Keiji holds his knuckle harder, he don't give a damn for what she is talking now. In his mind, there is only one thing for him to do.
"Kurohime… I will kill you…" Keiji bursts out the energy he held for so long and forms a reddish orange tornado around him, while Kurohime prepares her magnum and get herself ready.
Keiji's green eyes give her a deadly stare that even freezes the thin air among them before he shouts loudly.
"I'M GONNA FUCKIN' KILL YOU!" Keiji gathers all the energy back and keep it dense within every part of his body. His act silences the environment immediately, not even a single flying leaf around him starts to fall until he dashes towards Kurohime. The impact of his start-up causes the plants behind him flow wildly.
"What the…" Kurohime is shocked and starts firing at the fighter. The upgrades of Keiji's armor are proven again because Keiji now even can avoid the bullets while he is running towards them and circling Kurohime, all of her aims just hit the false figure that were left by his quick dodges.
When Kurohime finally finishes both of her magnums' magazines, Keiji grabs the chance to rush at her and impales a right uppercut at her stomach, his invoked power even makes Kurohime arches herself and vomits blood on instant. With all the anger and strength he compiles within his knuckles, Keiji rains countless of arm attacks upon any place he can hit on Kurohime's body: elbow strike, punch jab, palm thrust, knife hand chop and so on. His merciless and perilous strikes make Kurohime keeps screaming for the pain and injuries.
Keiji roars again before he gives her a finishing punch on her face, but Kurohime quickly strides backward and flies to the sky with her wings generated by her aura within a slight chance. "That monster… doesn't he know how to treat a girl?"
When Kurohime thinks she is safe enough in the sky and thinking for a plan, Keiji stares at her from the ground angrily. The box device corresponds to his desire by blazing out bright yellow and orange flames through the rectangle holes on its side and forms a shape of flame wings like Kagutsuchi's,
"RUN AWAY?" Keiji jumps high in the air, spins once he reached the same height level with Kurohime's and stops to face Kurohime with his limbs spreads out along with fire sparks flows like scattering flower petals, then he flies towards with full speed. Kurohime, with her surprised emotion, punches on him on impulse. Keiji avoids it to the left, with his left knuckle punches at her face at the same time. Just when Kurohime is staggering, the red urban language on his limbs starts to shine brightly.
"ELEMENT changed…" When Keiji commands and strengthen his arm muscles, flames generates and circling around his wrists and ankles.
"GAUNTLET AND GUARD!" then the flame shatters, morphs into the urban language on his arm. The languages starts getting brighter and collide themselves into the chains to breaks them apart. It results in a pair of red colored steel punching gloves, attached with black gauntlets decorated with embossed red spells. After he dashes forward and punches her left rib, the flame rings on his leg also do the same thing to the urban language on his legs and morph a pair of black leg guards. Their forms are like his gauntlets.
Keiji holds Kurohime's head, pulls her down and knees her chest. As she bounces back from him, Keiji continues with a roundhouse with the same leg on her side waist. Keiji keeps turning himself and kicking at the same target with a back swing kick, and then follows with a roundhouse again like helicopter's spinning rotor blades. Kurohime cannot do anything else but blocks them as hard as she can. When Keiji gives her a strong final kick and send her away, it grants her a chance to use Julia's web attack and spins them to cover Keiji's body, along with her dark aura strengthen them.
"Damn!" Keiji struggles to free himself, but Kurohime pulls him back into the forest quickly and flings him to the ground. Keiji vomits blood and coughs for the impact. Kurohime lands on the ground and uses all her strength to swing and smashes Keiji towards the trees around. The attack not only destroys the part of the jungle, but also damages Keiji more.
Kurohime let goes the web after a few swings, then spread out the wings on her back and flies to the sky again. She morphs out her two magnum and starts charming spells, slowly her dark aura covers the gun, then it becomes bigger and longer, then finally it shatters and the magnum become a pair of long rifles.
"This is it, Keiji! Take this and be gone!"
Kurohime takes her chances and starts to gather her remaining power into one shot with these powered firearms. The rifles are charged with her energy on the edge of the barrel that its coverage can cover Kurohime herself.
On the ground, Keiji looks at the blast with full of anger.
"You think I'm gonna let you do this?" The will that keeps Keiji's mind strong enough to make him breaks the web apart by using his armor's ability to blast himself out. Standing on ground and facing the incoming blow, Keiji slowly waves his arm in circular way in front of him, with charging his energy into his palm, finally he compiled the energy at the his abdomen. But, through the battle, he knew that Kurohime has the power of two CHILD within her – Yuuki Nao's JULIA and Higurashi Akane's HARRY, therefore he has to use all the energy he has within him now, including the power he lent from Mai and her CHILD.
"Not enough, I need more." Keiji tries to compare energy level through the pressure he feels from Kurohime.
He closes his eyes and whispers, "Please, give me strength, Mom!"
"EAT THIS!"
Kurohime finally launches the shot that she prepared so long. The impact even repels herself backward to the higher sky level. The blast may look small at first from Keiji's point of view, but the size is increasing and almost reaching Keiji.
"NOW!"
Keiji finally opens his eyes and stares at the coming blast with confidence, a lightning flash on his green irises like a signal he hoped most within his body. He moves a step backward to crouch himself down, then charges the energy ball he gathered with more power. The half-bowl devices by his shoulders detach and fly behind him, both of their flat surfaces channeling fire to each other and turning like a flame wheel to keep the fighter's power in dense. He roars and pushes the fireball towards the coming blast. Keiji even reactivates the flame wings on his back to create the force t stand against Kurohime's attack.
As for the fireball, it may be smaller than Kurohime's shot, but it unbelievably able to stop the shot from approaching anymore.
"What? It can't be! That's the power of two CHILD! How can he able to stand against it?"
Just when Kurohime wonders for Keiji's surpassing energy, she sees a phenomenon that indirectly answers her doubt.
Right behind Keiji's roaring and charging pose, she sees a figure of Kagutsuchi. It is spreading its fire wings and roaring fiercely, its six glowing green eyes shines in anger just like Keiji's.
"Only you, Kurohime! I cannot let you live to endanger the HiMEs anymore! HUAH!"
Keiji shouts again and charges the rest of his energy on his attacking hands. Along with the final burst of the larger fire wings, Keiji charges them into the energy blast and empowers it. As a result, the fireball pierces through its opponent's and shooting straight to dark lady.
Kurohime finally releases her useless weapon and summons the absorbed CHILD – JULIA and HARRY – to protect her as a shield. What surprises her is the CHILD do not respond to her command anymore, she becomes panic and asks, "What are you doing? Protect me, you worthless idiot!"
At the same time Kurohime is complaining, Keiji's attack had blasted through her barrier and reaching her.
"Why? How can I lose to him? It can't be!!!" Kurohime yells her final words before been blown into ashes.
Keiji slowly lowers his posing hands, stands on the ground and watch Kurohime's end. He hears her final words and answer to the sky, "They won't listen to you because they know who they are facing, Kurohime. And most of all, you are not their respective HiME, who puts their life on the line to protect them, not sacrifices them blindly."
When Keiji's fire wings are cooling down, he notices both JULIA and HARRY had stood before him. Keiji smiles when he finds out their mind are free from Kurohime's bind. Keiji raises up his palm and welcomes them to him. Both CHILD comes to Keiji after they sensed his kind aura, Keiji sweeps their body gently and says, "Okay, I must send you both back to Nao and Akane. They need you more than anyone else." Just when Keiji starts to walk, his head is feeling dizzy and causes him kneels on the ground.
"What happened?" The answer reveals slowly, as he sees his hands start turning into green particles.
He forces himself a crying smile and raises his head upon the sky. "Mom, I am sorry…" then he closes his eyes and whispers, "but don't worry, I will meet you soon enough."
Finally, Akitoh Keiji's body shines in bright light and blinds the environment around him.
End of Saturday
Author's word:
Hello, everyone, especially the fans of Mai-HiME, I hope you all enjoy the Anime like I did.
Hope you guys enjoy this fiction this far, I really appreciate it if you do, after all, that's what an author hopes most.
This chapter is mainly focusing onto fighting scene, different from the previous chapters of story telling. The description may be confusing, I hope it won't troublesome and I am sorry if it did.
Next chapter will be the end of this fiction, hope I can still receive your reviews and comments by that chapter.
Until then, see you tomorrow.