maikoto pose

The soldiers yield. Mikoto keeps her battle position until she's sure of it, eyes darting between the guns. In the end, it's the soft tones of her enemy's voice which turns her away from them. Alyssa -- and Miyu, the warrior stronger than all of them.

Mikoto approaches from the land, just as Mai approaches from the sea. She's just in time to hear her speak, and the shock shows plainly on her tired, worn face. Even after everything they've done...

The rest of her words register, but only distantly. Her Lord Brother is still in danger. Evacuated? Maybe. Not far enough away. And everyone else, too --

Alyssa's hair glows gold as she releases it from her ribbon, and the sky glows in that exact same hue. The colours reflect in Mikoto's eyes, gold on gold; what a terrible colour.

What a terrible colour, crashing down from on high.

And then, there is a word.

'KAGUTSUCHI!'

Mikoto stiffens, staring agape in horror as her roommate, the girl who feeds her, who cares for her, who does things with her, flies up into the sky. She knows, immediately, what Mai is going to do; she knows, and her heart is gripped in ice, tears springing to the corner of her eyes.

no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO--

"MAI!" Mikoto shrieks, the sound tearing itself from her throat.

It only takes a second. Kagutsuchi rushes up to meet the light.

she can't she can't she can't do this she's going to sacrifice herself, she's going to save everyone, she's going to DIE and Mikoto will be alone--

Fire meets energy and the two erupt, the sheer power hanging in the sky, glittering.

-- and it's all her fault because she should have found her Lord Brother, she should have she knows, but Mai was always there for her after she came in from long days of searching --

Both HiME and child are enveloped in the blast, a terrible explosion which wipes the sky clean, leaving only fire and feathers.

-- Mai listened to her, Mai believed in her, Mai fought alongside her, Mai was her harbour, her lighthouse, and Mai -- /Mai/ --

Mikoto stares, clutching Miroku in a white-knuckled grip as she witnesses Mai's death. The warm fire Mai offered in her heart dies down to embers with no one left to fuel it, and Mikoto feels gripped by the cold, even as the heat of the children washes over her. It's -- it's empty, and terrible, and she /hates/ it, hates this feeling that nothing will ever be right again, a feeling which clutches at her chest and makes her sick to her stomach.

She'd do anything to bring Mai back, anything, and yet she just can't stop shaking...