Mai Tokiha came awake slowly, the orange haired sprawled out on her bed. She was warm and comfy laying there, so much so that at first she didn't completely register the body pushed up against her... "Good morning, Mai," Mikoto Minagi looked up from where the black haired girl had been snuggling against Mai's breasts. "Mikoto!" Mai yelped, pushing the girl back as she noticed Mikoto had pushed her nightie up over her bare breasts, "Geeze! "Aww," Mikoto blinked sleepily as Mai got up, straightening out her clothes as she hurried around their small apartment. Still blushing furiously Mai dressed, pulling on fresh panties, bra and her usual school uniform. 'I can never tell if Mikoto's doing that intentionally,' she mused as she started breakfast, then took a quick detour to the closet to check on their Hime gear. The twin suits hung in their charging racks, concealed by a clever hidden panel in the back wall. Mai's birdlike suit gleamed silver as the charging lights glowed, while Mikoto's slim but powerful black armor waited sullenly to be unleashed. With a soft sigh Mikoto curled back up on the bed, looking almost like a cat as she tried to get a bit more sleep. Chuckling to herself Mai finished up the food, packing up their bento boxes and readying a fast breakfast. Then she quietly walked over to the bed, took a deep breath and yelled, "GET UP!" "Yaaa!" Mikoto yelped, leaping out of bed and thumping into the carpet. "Sorry," Mai said, fighting back a laugh, "time for breakfast." Not long afterward the two girls were off to class, Mai in her brown and gold uniform while Mikoto wore the junior's blue and white one. The students moved in clumps as they hurried to classes or before school activities, meeting friends and chatting cheerfully. Natsuki Kuga walked with the students yet slightly apart, her long blue-black hair flowing like a cape down her shoulders. She seemed largely unaware of her own beauty, the regally beautiful girl drawing the gazes of many of the men and women around her. "Good morning Natsuki," Mai said cheerfully as she and Mikoto caught up with her. "Oh, Mai," Natsuki seemed started out of her thoughts, managing to give a weak smile to the other girl. "You look tired," Mikoto said curiously as she asked perkily, "did Shizuru keep you up all night again?" "Shut up," Natsuki growled, blushing brightly. Mai looked amused, "I bet the president tells you you're cute when you blush." Natsuki blushed harder, if that was possible, as she growled out to them both, "Would you just drop it?" Mikoto took mercy on her, at least a little, as she changed the subject. "So are you all right with her being a Hime?" she asked. "It's going to take some getting used to," Natsuki conceded as they walked beneath the trees. 'Especially all the flirting out on the job,' Natsuki blushed again, remembering Shizuru's wandering hands. "At least now she understands a bit more about what our job is really like," Mai mused then brightened as she added, "maybe we'll get more student council funding." "Yay, bigger lunches!" Mikoto beamed. Natsuki chuckled softly as she pointed out, "You know we're the best funded 'club' in the whole school." "Maybe," Mai conceded reluctantly, "but most of the money goes right into our equipment or Mashiro-sama's lab." She pouted, "We never even got a club jacket." "It could be worse," Natsuki noted, "our teacher-advisor Midori wanted us to wear some kind of team uniforms." "Like those Sentai shows?" Mikoto asked innocently. "Or magical girl series," Natsuki grimaced, trying not to imagine herself in the short skirts and ruffles associated with that kind of thing. "I bet Shizuru would like that," Mai mused, seeing Natsuki blush once more as she added, "lots of easy access." "Mai!" Natsuki groaned. Meanwhile, at the school Yukino Kikukawa helped organize the paperwork for the head of the executive committee, Haruka Suzushiro. Haruka was scowling as the blonde said, "You mean to tell me Shizuru lied to the council?" "Not so much lied as omitted some facts," Yukino admitted as the reddish brown haired girl finished, "we never directly asked if she was the mystery Hime." "Well, yes," Haruka scowled, "but..." Yukino gave her a small smile, "You just hate being outwitted by her." Haruka sighed as she said, "Of course I do. Wouldn't you?" "Always," Yukino agreed. Reito Kansaki smiled smoothly as the black haired young man entered the student council rooms. "Good morning ladies," he said charmingly. "What's so good about it?" Haruka growled. Reito nodded calmly, "PMS?" AS Haruka growled out a answer Yukino shook her head, watching Reito skillfully getting Haruka to vent harmlessly. He was nearly as good a manipulator as Shizuru, but in a more subtle way. He was the velvet glove while Shizuru was the thinly veiled iron fist, the two of them running the school efficiently and well. A much calmer Haruka sat down at her seat at the meeting table she said, "Is Shizuru going to be attending this meeting, or...?" "I believe so," Reito answered smoothly. Just then Tate Yuiichi hurried in, the boy's brown hair in it's usual messy spikes. "Sorry, I meant to be earlier," he half bowed, "but Kendo preperations ran overtime." "Understandable," Yukino nodded to their secretary and all around gofer. YUkino herself was listed on the council as lieutenant to the executive committee, but in reality her role was as liason with the Hime team. "Good morning everyone," Shizuru drawled as the beautiful dark brown haired woman arrived, taking her seat with stately grace. Yukino kept track of the meeting absent mindedly as she readied her Hime report. Tate presented first, Reito covered financial reports, then Haruka took her tirn. As Haruka stood Yukino once again felt that familiar stirring in her heart, seeing her beloved's face looking so stern and capable, but also knowing the love, warmth and amusement she could also show. "We may need to take steps involving Masashi Takeda," Haruka reported grimly. "Oh?" Shizuru clearly recognized the name, frowning as she sat forward in her chair. "We put him in charge of the volunteer police force because we wanted them to seem independant from interference," Haruka said wryly, "but it seems to have backfired." "He's investigating the Hime," Reito nodded wisely, "a few of my... friends have mentioned it, too." 'Does he have a network of spies,' Yukino wondered wryly, 'or was it just a few of his many girlfriends?' "I thought he was a bit...," Tate trailed off, trying to find a good word. "He's not the sharpest spoon in the drawer," Haruka agreed. "Knife," Yukino murmured. "Sorry," Haruka shrugged. "He certainly isn't smart enough to figure out Kuga will never be interested in him." Shizuru frowned at that, then quickly returned to her usual mild expression. "So, do we remove him?" Shizuru asked. "If we do, questions will be asked," Reito pointed out resonably. "Should we allow him to know about the Hime, possibly assist us?" "Would he keep his mouth shut?" Tate wondered. "He hasn't been exactly subtle so far." "There is his assistant, Chie," Yukino mused after a moment. "Oh?" Haruka looked at her curiously. "She seems smart and is known to be quite canny," Yukino said, "we could bring her into our confidence, and possibly have her direct Takeda to less useful areas to explore." She smiled, "She's also a lesbian, and is good at keeping certain secrets." Shizuru nodded, "And we could always use that as leverage, too." 'That's our president, always looking at the angles,' Yukino mused. "So, who should approach her?" Reito wondered. "I'd suggest Tate," Yukino said after a moment, "the rest of us are all well known as Council members, and going to her would look suspicious." "Do I have to?" Tate winced as they all glared at him, "Okay, okay." Yukino soon gave her report on the Hime activities, pointedly leaving out Shizuru's groping Natsuki on their armor. 'Besides," Yukino mused, 'I'd be too embarassed to talk about it...'
Back to Bubblegum Hime Index - Back to Mai HiME Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction