Finally, my life is back on track. I know, I deserve a thorough bawling out for the very long delay.

Mai closed her eyes, feeling the sun rise across the curve of the Earth. Its light danced off the undulating seas below in shattered golden shards, and the heat bloomed on her cheeks.

Shizuru was gone, and now she was alone with the stars, with her Child. A queen cast away to drift in the quiet black sea above the heavens.

Eyes still closed, Mai smiled. A word fell from her lips, its sound lost to boundless eternity.

Kagutsuchi

A searing flash of light, a roaring contrail of flame, and suddenly the stars were alone.

xxxx

Two years later

An open-top Jeep roared along a deserted highway, sending up a gusting cloud of dust in its wake. Midori was at the wheel, belting out tunes at the top of her breath in badly mangled English, her hair flapping behind her in the wind.

“Psychic spies from china try to steal your mind’s elation! And if you want these kind of dreams….it’s Californication!”

Shizuru was in the passenger’s seat next to Midori, and she raised her voice to join in the chorus. A striking vision in aviator sunglasses and a light white sundress, her voice rang in the vast arid air.

“First born unicorn hard core soft pornnnn—dream of Californication dream of Californicationnnn…”

The radio boomed and roared, speakers pulsing at full tilt. They could barely hear themselves over the whistling wind but they sang on blithely anyway.

From the backseat, Natsuki groaned and covered her ears. “For the love of all that is holy and sweet, Shizuru….enough!”

Next to her, Youko was oblivious to the world, sound asleep. Shizuru turned around and pouted at Natsuki. “Do you not like my singing?”

Natsuki glared back at her. “Not when it’s about porn!”

“It’s not about porn!” Midori sang out. “It’s about—“

“Californicaaaaation!” She and Shizuru shouted in unison.

“Yeah, yeah, yeeeeah!”

Natsuki rolled her eyes, but smirked despite herself. “I can’t believe you guys talked me into this. I mean, a road trip? Seriously?”

“Why not?” Midori shrugged, glancing back at Natsuki across her shoulder. “We’re responsible adults, we can do whatever we want!”

“Eyes on the road, Midori!” Shizuru yelled. Midori whirled around (“Oh shiiiit!”) A squealing of tires and a roar of the engine, and they barely avoided death for the third time in the previous hour. Youko slept on, blissfully unaware.

Natsuki settled back, surprisingly content. She couldn’t really begrudge Midori. The older woman had quite unexpectedly grown close to Shizuru, and Shizuru had a far freer personality thanks to that. Although sometimes it still took some getting used to. “Well, not all of us are adults…”

She glanced meaningfully towards Mikoto, who was sandwiched in between herself and Youko.

Mikoto scowled at Natsuki, her golden eyes flashing. “I just turned sixteen! I’m not a kid anymore!”

“No one said that,” Natsuki drawled. “Besides, I notice you’re still not wearing any bras—ow! God damn it, I was just joking!”

“Whatever,” Mikoto sighed, settling back in her seat. Natsuki shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware she’d managed to tick off Mikoto once again. Although she and Shizuru had assumed responsibility of taking care of Mikoto, the younger woman had been decidedly less affectionate towards her than she had ever been with Mai.

Natsuki wasn’t an idiot, of course. She knew she could never replace Mai in Mikoto’s eyes, but she wished she had the same talent Mai had in the motherly department. She wasn’t the touchy-feely sort. Shizuru did somewhat better with Mikoto than her, honestly. They got on as well as ever, but ever since

(that night)

something had been noticeably absent from Mikoto’s genial disposition, and Natsuki missed it sorely. Mai’s parting had left behind an invisible hole, a yawing hole that didn’t close up even as the years passed. Although she didn’t say it out loud, she missed Mai’s presence, and she knew Mikoto felt it most acutely of all.

The entire madcap road trip had been Midori’s idea, naturally. To finish what she and Shizuru had almost started two years ago. They had pretty much covered most of Japan now, and were heading back home to Fuuka now.

Midori honked the horn loudly, and Natsuki jumped, startled. “What what what?”

Shizuru smiled at her, and Natsuki blushed slightly, embarrassed. “We’re almost there, Natsuki. See the cliffs over there?”

Natsuki shifted slightly to crane her head. The cliffs were indeed coming up—large bluish-black chunks of stone jutting up above the seas. Her heart gave a slight pang, but she pushed it back down. “Yeah, so?”

“Do you want to stop by there for a bit?” Shizuru asked her quietly. Natsuki blinked, and then smiled warmly. “Yeah, I think I’d like to. It’s been a while since I visited the spot where Mother died.”

“Good, gives me enough time to molest Youko in her sleep,” Midori said, her eyes still on the road. Shizuru chuckled in a tone that Natsuki found somewhat unsettling.

“No molesting the nurse.” Youko said suddenly, startling everyone.

“Aaah! Jesus, Youko, I thought you were still sleeping!”

“I was, until you honked the goddamn horn.”

xxxxx

The sunrise across the sea was a deep bloody red lightening to yellow just above the horizon. Natsuki leaned across the railing, staring out into the water. Shizuru was leaning into her, arms wrapped around the younger girl. The silence between them was a comfortable, full one.

“I don’t think she’s coming back,” Natsuki said quietly. Shizuru shifted, and Natsuki could feel her warm breath next to her ear.

“You shouldn’t say that,” Shizuru whispered. “Think of Mikoto.”

“I don’t know,” Natsuki sighed. “The hope was strong before. But it’s been two years now. The hope’s staring to fade. Look at Mikoto….she’s so bitter now. It really makes me sad.”

“She still has us.”

“She loved Mai. She and Mai were each other’s most important people. Mai leaving her like that…I don’t know. How could she do that? I can’t understand.”

“I can,” Shizuru said. “I was the last person she spoke to. I will never forget the look in her eyes at the end. It was like she was tearing her own heart out. No one loved more ferociously and lost more bitterly than Mai did, Natsuki.”

“I’m glad I still have you, honestly. This place….it just brings back so many memories for me. I—“

“Enough. You talk too much.” Shizuru smiled. Her arms tightened around Natsuki as she leaned down, kissing her gently. Above, a lone falling star shot across the darkening skies.

xxxxxxx

Below the cliffs, Mikoto was sitting on the beach, watching the waves surge up the sands and then dwindle, over and over. The rhythmic, repetitive exhalations of the ocean calmed her, and an unusual peace came across her mind, deep and black and soothing.

She closed her eyes and let her head sink back into the sand. It embraced her like a warm blanket. There were days when she had ceased to think about Mai anymore, and now the hurt wasn’t so bad. It was still there, yes, but far duller now.

The smell of the salt, the warm sand, this was all here. This was now. She was strangely content for the first time in days.

But soon, the warmth of the daylight seeped out of the air, and night’s chill crept in. The others had retreated to the warmth of the car, but Mikoto remained on the beach, alone. She didn’t feel the urge to be in their company for the time being—she needed a break. Needed some time to herself. She was older, more grounded. Her boundless feral energy had re-directed itself inwards throughout the years rather than outward as it had used to, and she needed some time to process her thoughts.

Her eyes drooped closed, and she dozed off, rocked to sleep by the gentle murmur of the waves, drifting into a grey twilight.

A gentle hand stroked her cheek, running fingers through her hair.

Mikoto

She sighed and shifted, rolling over.

Mikoto, hey

Her brow wrinkled.

Wake up, Mikoto

Her eyes opened wide, her heartbeat drumming painfully in her chest.

I love you

“Mai.”