Author's Notes: This story was written as part of LiveJournal's "30 Kisses" challenge. Naturally, everything related to Mai-HiME and its spinoffs are the property of Bandai Entertainment and Sunrise, Inc. I'm just doing this for fun, folks.

Some (but not all) chapters will contain elements of "shoujo-ai"/"yuri", and the overall rating will change based on the content/author's whim/phase of the moon. The two characters paired are Mai Tokiha and Natsuki Kuga. Alternate universe? Definitely. Blasphemy? Probably. Fun to write? Hell, I hope so.

Day 1 - Close Your Eyes
Theme: #2 - News, Letter

Mai Tokiha sat at the table in the center of her dorm room, examining a letter that she had received in her locker earlier in the day. The letter read "For Mai's Eyes Only!" in big, bold, red lettering. There were no other markings on the envelope...not even a signature, meaning that it could have come from anyone in school. However, the simple fact that the letter addressed her by name gave her the feeling that it might have been from someone she knew.

"Come on, Mai! Open it already!" said an uncommonly perky Mikoto Minagi, her hands and head firmly perched on her roommate's shoulder.

"No," Mai said firmly. "I can't do it now...not with you hovering over me like that."

Mikoto lifted her head and sat back in her chair, biting a piece of meat from her chicken teriyaki skewer. "Sorry."

Mai was curious. Could the letter have come from her brother Takumi, to let her know that his rehabilitation process was going along well? Or was it the work of one Yuuichi Tate, finally plucking up the courage to ask her out on a date? Either way, the longer the letter stayed unopened, the greater the risk would be of Mai possibly missing out on something super-important. She opened the envelope with a fingernail and turned her back to Mikoto as she read the letter to herself.

Mai...meet me in the girls' locker room after dinner...and come alone.

It certainly narrowed down her choices. No guy in their right mind would infiltrate the girls' locker room, for fear of getting chewed out by self-styled disciplinarian Haruka Suzushiro. Maybe she was the one who wanted to meet her in the locker room. No, that doesn't make sense, Mai thought. That's not her style. It sounds more like something Shizuru would do. But why? Her suspicion changed when she read the actual signature underneath.

Natsuki Kuga?!

Mai's other roommate hadn't returned to the dorm after classes had ended for the day, mentioning something about going to the gym for a swim. It didn't strike Mai as odd that she wasn't invited to tag along, for Natsuki had her own way of doing things. What could she be planning? I hope it isn't something bad. The last thing I need is a headache before I go to sleep tonight.

"What does it say?" asked Mikoto. "Come on! Tell me what the letter says!"

"It looks like somebody wants to meet me in the girls' locker room," said Mai. The letter may have said "For Mai's Eyes Only", but there wasn't a rule against telling anybody else what was actually written on it. It was the only information she felt the need to divulge to Mikoto, so she folded the letter up and placed it in her pocket.

"Let me go with you! I wanted to go to the weight room today, anyway."

"Sorry, Mikoto, but I'll be fine on my own." She looked at the stack of papers on Mikoto's desk. "Don't you have some homework you need to finish up, anyway?"

Mikoto sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"I won't be gone long," said Mai, ruffling Mikoto's scruffy hair. "If you need any assistance, I'll be here."

Mai washed Mikoto's dish and picked up her bag, prepared to meet Natsuki at the specified location.

When Mai got to the locker room, it was mostly empty, save a few other female swimmers changing back into their clothes on their way out. Mai wasn't prepared to do any kind of swimming; her gym clothes were stored inside the bag, but her two-piece swimsuit was sitting comfortably in the hamper in her dorm, waiting to be washed. She made a mental note to actually wash the clothes once she returned. Until then, she decided to sit down and wait for Natsuki, no longer worried about what fate would befall her. If she needed to make a quick escape, there was another door on the opposite side of the room she could dash through. When she went to put her bag away, she felt something hit her in the left cheek, nearly knocking her head into the locker.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

Mai turned around and saw Natsuki with a wet towel in hand, poised to strike again.

"So, I see you got my letter," said Natsuki.

"Yeah, I did. Isn't there another way you could have gotten my attention that didn't involve hitting me with something?"

"It's not my fault you decided to let your guard down. You should be a bit more careful." Natsuki put her towel down and wrapped it around her black swimsuit. "Anyway, I have a surprise for you."

Mai rubbed her sore cheek, even though the pain from the towel hit faded just seconds ago. "It's not going to be another slap in the face, is it?" she said.

"I promise this one won't hurt a bit. Now, close your eyes and don't move a muscle."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes!" Natsuki said angrily. "Just shut up and do it already. It won't be a surprise if you see what's going to happen."

"Oh, all right."

Mai closed her eyes, but found it impossible to sit still. She stood up and held out her hands, as if she was about to receive the results of a term paper from her teacher. Natsuki opened up her locker, but Mai couldn't see whether she was putting something inside or taking something else out. She wanted to peek, but doing so would spoil the surprise and possibly risk getting hit upside the head a second time, so she held her "gimme" pose a few moments longer. Suddenly, she felt her arms spread out, but not by her own power. She also felt a sensation of warmness on her cheeks, and a little bit of moisture on her lips. A familiar surge of comfort and joy pulsed through Mai's body, yet it was...different from how she previously remembered it. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Natsuki's face pressed firmly against hers. When she got a good enough look at what was happening, she pushed away and tried to stand up straight. "Did you just kiss me?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"What did you expect, Mai?" said Natsuki, releasing her grip on Mai's face. "A box of chocolates or something?"

"That would have been my first guess. I didn't think you'd do something like this! It looks like Shizuru's influence is starting to grow on you."

Natsuki scowled. "Hey! You take that back!"

"I was only joking," said Mai. "Don't worry. I'll think of a way to repay you. But please...no more towel snappings, okay?"

"Deal," said Natsuki. "Now, if you're going to stay here, you really should put something else on."

"No, thanks. I think I'll head back to the room. Are you coming?"

"I'll catch up with you. Let me change back into my good clothes first."