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Mei steps closer to the large window of the Hyperion, the familiar white spherical figure becomes increasingly larger as more time pass, shining like a star in the dark immensity of space; As the years have gone by, this has become a hopeful vision for Mei, looking forward to each annual vacation or end of an academic module, since only then would she have the opportunity to see it this close.
Her lips curve softly into a gentle smile, feeling that warm, bubbly feeling of anticipation bloom in the pit of her stomach and spread over every inch of her body like a tingling current. Bronya couldn't join her on this occasion, but she will be sure to call her once she arrives at the moon base, maybe she can even video call her along with Kiana.
Contrary to other times, Mei decided not to warn about her trip to the lunar base, hoping to surprise Kiana and also didn’t want Kiana to interrupt her sleep schedule because of her, since she knows how being constantly on the moon can ruin the perception of time. The thought makes her chuckle, expecting to see a shocked expression on her lover's face; But being honest with herself, Mei would be happy just to see her after so many months.
The few remaining minutes until reaching the lunar base seem eternal for her, constantly forcing herself to maintain a neutral expression despite the growing restlessness that begins to flood her. Once the large ship manages to land in the safety of the base, Mei waits for some of the fleet members to get off before she does so, the path inside the station is known to Mei at this point, as is the faces she meets along the way.
As expected, Kiana was not waiting for her like on other occasions where she announced her trip, but this does not discourage her, quite the opposite, as she prepares to play a small search game in the places that Kiana usually frequents in the moon base. However, as she tours the base, she comes across such places with no results in finding her, which begins to blooms a slight unease in her mind.
As a last option, she decides to go to Kiana's room, thinking she is probably resting or lazing in it. On her way, she runs into a familiar face, who raises her bored gaze towards her, Mei could notice a slight trace of curiosity in her eyes, but it soon fades away.
“Klein, it's good to see you.” The sudden encounter serves to make Mei forget some of her worries, feeling happy to see the little elf after so long.
“Oh, it's you…” the quiet voice makes her smile, as does the disinterested greeting, characteristic of the little Elf “What are you doing here?”
“Well, about that, I came to visit Kiana… but I can't find her around the moon base, so I choose to search for her in her room.”
“Oh, that girl… yeah, I think I remember her saying she was going to take a nap a while ago” Klein murmurs, putting one fist over her chin as she frowns briefly.
“A nap, huh?” Mei chuckles, feeling sudden relief wash over her at knowing Kiana's whereabouts. “I see, thank you, Klein. Well, see you then.”
Klein nods at her words, then looks down at her tablet and continues on her way, leaving Mei behind without even glancing back at her. Mei sighs softly and shakes her head with a fond smile on her lips, turning to resume her walk to Kiana's room.
When she reaches the door, she touches the mechanism to open it and finds the characteristic disorder of an environment that belongs to Kiana. It's not like Mei can blame her, Kiana tends to have a bit of a mess here and there, but as soon as she knows her or Bronya are coming to visit, she makes an effort to put things in their place. Mei doesn't bother to turn on the light in the room once she enters it, the dim light coming from the window is quite enough illumination to discern Kiana's figure lying on the single bed at one end of the modest room.
Her lips curve into a wide smile as she approaches and carefully takes a seat on the edge of the bed. Kiana is lying on her right side, with her back turned to her, but from her position, Mei can see the silhouette of her face. She allows herself to watch her sleep peacefully for a few seconds, before trying to wake her up, placing a hand on her shoulder to begin to shake her gently.
“Kiana~, wake up, come on, sleepyhead” her voice is barely a whisper, trying not to cause any big surprise to the sleeping woman.
However, her action doesn't seem to be enough, so she repeats it again this time with a little more insistence, but again Kiana doesn't respond. Mei's brow furrows slightly, this time shaking Kiana's shoulder a bit rougher, even going so far as to turn her on the bed so she can see her face more clearly. Kiana remains limp, and this finally makes Mei get up to turn on the light in the room, the sudden change in lighting blinds her for a split second, but Mei puts this aside as she returns to bed.
Not even the sudden change with the room lighting caused any change in Kiana's state, which makes Mei’s concern burst into growing anxiety.
“Kiana, wake up, stop playing” her tone turns more severe, seeking to show Kiana her discontent with this 'joke' she is playing, but not even this causes any reaction.
What worries Mei the most is not the fact that Kiana doesn't want to wake up, but rather the alarming lack of reaction from her. Even while she sleeps, Kiana tends to lets out short whimpers or in some cases weak murmurs followed by grimaces, an adorable reaction to whatever situation is happening in her dreams.
But now she doesn't even complain about the light, nor the incessant shaking Mei is putting her through, she simply stays limp, completely motionless. All this only makes Mei's hair stand on end, just as a cold current run down her back.
“Kiana!” In growing panic, Mei grabs Kiana by her shoulders to forcefully make her sit, but to her horror, Kiana's head ends up falling back as if she had no muscle to support it upright, as well as the rest of her limbs.
Mei is quick to hold her head with one of her hands while she hugs Kiana close to her, immediately noticing the way her body goes boneless against hers, lacking any response. It's like a corpse.
Mei's breath hitches, feeling her blood run cold just as her stomach drop, feeling her heartbeat echo in her ears, she lowers her frightened gaze towards Kiana and proceeds to carefully change her position on her in her arms to examine her in detail. There is no trace of pain or discomfort on her features, she looks like she is asleep, frighteningly calm in her reverie.
She brings a trembling hand to Kiana's cheek and quickly feels the warmth of her skin in her palm, unconsciously, she lets out the breath she was holding, but it does nothing to ease the strong fear inside her. Mei swallows hard, feeling a painful lump form in her throat and her mouth go dry, she tries to call Kiana again, unable to control the trembling of her voice.
“K-Kiana…please, t-that's enough, you tricked me…y-your prank worked, you can cut it off now…yes?” Mei lets out a couple of nervous giggles, smiling weakly as she waits for any kind of reaction from Kiana, even if it were a subtle twitch of her brow or her closed eyelids.
But nothing happens.
“Kiana, cut it out…” she begs, seeing her vision blur “You're scaring me.”
If this is really some kind of prank on Kiana's part, Mei can't help but feel is a relatively cruel one. But what if it's not one?
Once again, she feels an impulse of fear run through her, clouding her mind slightly as to what she should do, however, she manages to put her messy thoughts in order, at least enough to finally react and lift Kiana's limp body in her arms, hurrying to get help.
****
"This makes no sense"
Mei blinks as she hears the frustrated muttering behind her, which makes her snap out of her trance and turn her head slightly to see the brief discussion between Tesla and Einstein a few meters away.
“Her heart rate is at an alarmingly low level, as is her breathing before being assisted, but outside of being in danger, her body does not seem to react to these changes… it’s almost as if she is in a state of lethargy similar to hibernation”
"Hibernation…? In a human?” Tesla looks skeptical, looking at Einstein as if she had grown two heads.
“I know how that sounds, but I don't see a better explanation with what's happening to Kiana right now. This whole situation is too strange and sudden…there is nothing that gives a clue of what could have triggered it.”
“What did those who interacted with her a few hours ago said? I understand she was carrying out her duties normally, did anyone report unusual behavior in her?
“Nothing, charismatic as she usually is, and one of the East Wing scientists claims to have seen her eating instant noodles with eagerness, so there was no lack of appetite either…”
Mei sighs, her lips curling subtly at the mention of Kiana's favorite food, however, this half smile fades as soon as her eyes land on the inert figure of her partner, lying on one of the stretchers in the hospitalization area, having assisted breathing and a huge number of devices connected to her, monitoring her vital signs every second.
It's a depressing sight.
It almost physically hurts her to see her this way, just as a heavy helplessness suffocates her chest as the hours pass and no one seems to know what caused all this, much less how to fix it. The news spread quickly, both at the lunar base and at Schicksal headquarters in Earth, where chaos may have broken out in the same way it did on the station. It’s normal, Mei supposes, the much proclaimed 'goddess of the earth' has suddenly fell into a deep sleep, it will undoubtedly generate panic in more than one, fearing losing the protection against the Honkai.
However, the Honkai’s state doesn’t seem to be altered, as Mei could hear some murmurs in the midst of all the commotion, somehow, Kiana is still protecting the planet, despite her current condition.
Mei sighs heavily, stepping closer to the stretcher so she can carefully place her hand on Kiana's hair, gently combing out some rebellious strands that cover her face. The slow, high-pitched sound of the monitor monitoring Kiana's heart rate has become a background sound by this point, as has Tesla and Einstein's continued discussion behind.
Everything blurs into a miscellany of meaningless noise, making her feel like a stranger in an unwanted space, her eyes focus on Kiana's sleeping expression, feeling subtle comfort in not seeing any type of pain in it, but she only wishes she could have that blue gaze on her, as well as the cheerful voice telling her everything is fine.
Memories of the lovely way Kiana's eyes always seem to light up when she notices her presence and how her face fills with joy with a wide, friendly grin, only bring a painful tightness to her chest, unconsciously making her grimace and the corner of her eyes burn slightly. Fortunately, Mei is able to close her eyes and take a deep breath in time to control herself.
This is not the time to let herself be consumed by helplessness, if there is any way to help Kiana, she will do everything in her power to achieve it, whatever the cost. With the new resolve in her, Mei keeps her gaze locked on Kiana before finally turning to Tesla and Einstein, willing to join their search for answers.
****
Soon the hours turned into days, and these without realizing it turned into weeks, as time passes, all the paths taken lead to a labyrinth with no exit. Hypotheses take longer to be created than to be rule out, and no one seems to have any idea what is generating this state of deep sleep in Kiana.
Much of Schicksal's research team is involved in this problem, working hard to find a way to solve this, but no one seems to know where to start. There is nothing wrong with Kiana, except for her state of lethargy, many have already chosen to blame it on some imbalance of Honkai energy or Kiana's compatibility with her authority over Finality.
Mei and Bronya tried to find a way to connect with the Cocoon of Finality, but this is impossible without the direct intervention of Kiana, as the current Herrscher of Finality. As one of their last resorts, they requested the assistance of the Herrscher of Sentience, hoping her powers would allow them to communicate with Kiana from her consciousness, but this was also in vain.
“That place is a mess…” was the Herrscher's comment after she came in the room attached to the room where Kiana was hospitalized, she lets out a sigh while she reaches out to scratch her head and an expression of uncertainty appears on her face.
"What do you mean by that…?" Mei is the first to break the tense silence, unable to control the anxiety settling in her.
“Just that, her head is a mess” the Herrscher repeats again, directing her gaze to Mei as she crosses her arms.
“Normally I don't have problems seeing people's memories and displaying them in an orderly way to appreciate them better, but on this occasion, I had a hard time with hers, it’s like there’s a strong hurricane stirring everything up in there, it’s impossible to follow a rhythm between memories” she explains in a disinterested tone, shrugging her shoulders briefly as she shakes her head.
“What about Kiana's Sentience? Did you manage to contact it?” Bronya joins the conversation, sounding worried as she keeps her gaze locked on the Herrscher.
“Unfortunately, no, I'm not sure if it's related to the mess of her memories, but her consciousness seems to be 'blocked', but I don't know why or for what.”
“So…this was all in vain?” Mei mutters more to herself, lowering her gaze with a defeated expression.
“Hey, I never said that” the Herrscher's annoyed comment makes her look up, harboring a slight glimmer of hope.
“Actually, I found something curious among her memories…” the Herrscher holds her chin while returning her gaze to Kiana, remaining thoughtful for a couple of seconds. “There was a strange place repeating in some memories, it seemed like a desolate place full of red rocks…it kind of looked like a different planet”
After listening to the Herrscher of Sentience's explanations, many remained silent, immersed in their thoughts for long minutes while they search for a clue as to what path they should take next. After much deliberation, Einstein is one of the first to suggest an idea, before rushing over to one of the computers in the observation room.
Mei follows the figure of the short woman and like the others present, she approaches to observe what she is looking for in the station's database. Soon, images of a desolate landscape appear on the big screen, some showing ruin-like structures and others showing vast fields of red rock.
“Ah, that place! Yes, it's that one” as if she knew what Einstein was trying to prove, the Herrscher of Sentience quickly exclaims in a confident tone, pointing out some similarities between the images and memories she saw in Kiana's mind.
Given this, a collective hope arises among everyone, although some only have suspicions about where the matter is going.
“What is that place, Professor Einstein?” Bronya asks the question on most people's minds, earning a brief hum from Einstein.
“They are images taken from the surface of the red planet, Mars. Together with my team we have been investigating vestiges of a possible ancient civilization there, but many details of this are still hypothetical.”
Mars? Mei raises an eyebrow, looking at the images skeptically; What does Mars have to do with all this? Did something there make Kiana fall asleep?
“So, what do you propose, Einstein?” Tesla's question brings Mei out of her thoughts. When she turns around, she can see a serious expression on the woman's face, waiting for confirmation from her coworker.
“Like I said it's not certain, but maybe this can give us some clues about what's happening to Kiana. I never mentioned much to Kiana about my research on Mars, much less showed her the images of the expeditions; If what the Herrscher of Sentience is true, then Kiana has knowledge of this place in some other way, maybe it was too sudden she couldn’t even tell anyone about it before falling asleep…”
“That's a hypothesis with little foundation…” Tesla comments, placing a hand on her waist as her brow furrows.
“I am aware of that, but once the most obvious possibilities have been ruled out, I fear that we must risk for those that sound illogical in the hope of finding an answer…” Einstein turns to look at her, letting her shoulders fall slightly.
“We should try, carry out an expedition to investigate the ruins that are observed on the surface of the planet” Bronya intercedes in the brief discussion, examining the images on the screen. “If there is really something there, we will find it, we cannot leave Kiana like this, we must rule out all options before giving up.”
The room falls silent, as a tense atmosphere settles among them, Mei feels a sudden conviction blossom in her upon hearing Bronya's words, which prompts her to take a step forward to take her side.
“I agree with Bronya, if necessary, I am willing to go on the expeditions myself, my Herrscher battle suit can make it easier for me to adapt to the conditions of the planet” Mei can feel Bronya's gaze on her, which makes her flick her glance at her briefly and give her a slight smile.
“An expedition to Mars…” Tesla murmurs, deep in thought like Einstein. After a few minutes in silence, the woman sighs heavily. “In that case we must prepare to leave as soon as possible, the medical team at the lunar base will be able to take care of Kiana while we are away, in addition to updating us on her condition."
In less than the blink of an eye, both researchers begin to murmur to each other about the various aspects to prepare for the emergency expedition, at some point Bronya joins their discussions, while Mei and the Herrscher of Sentience choose to just be spectators.
Some minutes pass while the trio little by little begins to structure an expedition plan, to the point that some of the terms used by them become difficult for Mei to understand. The Herrscher of Sentience soon excuses herself from the room silently, leaving the initial group; Before Mei could notice it, Einstein and Tesla leave the room as well, but before Bronya could follow them, she stops to turn her head and glance at her.
Mei unconsciously tenses at this, suddenly feeling vulnerable under the analyzing gray eyes, Bronya's gaze softens before she turns the rest of her body towards her and chooses to short the distance between them.
“How are you doing so far?” Mei blinks dazedly at the sudden question, taking a few seconds to fully understand it.
"What are you saying…? I'm fine” she assures in a soft voice, even smiling at her.
Bronya lowers her gaze and nods faintly before raising her eyes back to her, remaining silent as she stares into Mei’s eyes.
“I don’t feel you’re 'fine'… but that's okay, you know?”
Mei tightens her lips and swallows hard, avoiding Bronya's gaze for a moment before gathering the courage to look at her again.
“I'm …fine, don't worry, Bronya” she says in a soft whisper, although in the end her voice breaks against her will.
Bronya's gaze turns empathetic, even a little melancholic before she nods and turns in her place. Mei lets out a heavy sigh, feeling her eyes burn painfully, yet she forces herself to hold back the tears that begin to gather in her eyes. Before Bronya completely leaves the room, she turns to ask in a low voice.
“Aren't you coming, Sister Mei?” Mei chuckles weakly, raising her tearful gaze to her as she struggles to swallow the lump clogging her throat.
“…I…I would like to stay for a moment, I will make sure to go with you soon, okay?”
Bronya doesn't speaks, she just keeps her gaze on her for a few seconds and then nods in a reassuring gesture to finally leave the room.
Mei takes a sudden breath that catches in her throat, but soon after she manages to let out a long sigh as she brings a hand to her nose while she sniffs, feeling the retained tears find another way out of her system. In the quietness that flood the place, she can hear the faint beeping of the monitors in the adjoining room, prompting her to turn around.
Before she can register it, she is already walking slowly towards the hospitalization room, her gaze fixed on the body resting on the stretcher and her calm expression, completely unaware of the surroundings, lost in her own bubble of slumber.
Mei exhales a brittle breath as a small smile form on her lips. Once she is close enough to the stretcher, she places a hand cautiously on Kiana's hair, feeling the soft silver strands caress her fingertips, just like the comforting warmth that emanates from Kiana.
She remains silently admiring every detail of her sleeping face, as if she were seeking to engrave it in her memory. After a while her gaze drifts to one of Kiana's hands resting on the mattress, almost immediately she reaches out to hold her hand, cautiously at first, but soon after her grip becomes firm, seeking to cling to the warm hand as it were a lifesaver in the middle of the tide.
It does feels like that, Mei feels like she’s being engulfed by a strong tide of uncertainty, nothing is clear about whether Kiana will ever wake up, or how they can even help or if there is any way to do it in the first place.
All they have left is flip the coin and hope it's right.
“Kiana, you can hear me, right?” she whispers as she strengthens her grip on Kiana's hand, feeling her heart clench at not having the familiar squeeze in return. “If you can do it… I would like you to listen to me carefully, please.”
Mei directs her gaze to Kiana's face, keeping it there for a few minutes eager to see, even if it were the most subtle reaction, but as part of her expected, it never happens.
“Everyone is looking for a way to help you, all of us… We’re going to bring you back, I assure you” again, the blurring in her vision returns, but this time, she allows to let a few tears fall, which roll down her cheeks in a matter of seconds.
Mei remains silent, her gaze lowered as she strokes Kiana's knuckles with her thumb, a gesture that, rather than having a purpose, is merely a nervous act that brings slight comfort to her. A soft sob chokes in her throat, but she quickly puts a stop to it, not allowing herself to fully vent the frustration that has been building up over the days.
The reminder that she must return to the others to prepare for the expedition dances through her troubled mind, but she wants to spend a little more time here, just a little.
Not knowing for sure how much time passes, Mei looks up, feeling how the trail of her tears is now dry on her skin, the white noise of the monitors had become a tenuous anchor to the reality, keeping her company in the desolated room. Before leaving for good, she takes one last look at Kiana's face and takes her hand in hers.
“I promise you that” she seals her words by leaning down to place a kiss on Kiana's temple, lingering in place for a few seconds before pulling away with slight regret.
“I just wait a little more, Kiana”