In hindsight, she should have known.
She should have realized.
After all, Mai was the kind of girl who prided herself in knowing people. How people act, what they want, even who they liked. For example, she knew Mikoto was related to Reito. She could sense their bond. She had even begun to realize that Akira, the seemingly cold and uncaring "boy" had become rather fond of her brother; to the point that while Mai's own most important person may have changed, it didn't mean Takumi was any safer.
But them. They. How could she not know?
In a world rife with war, the Himes were the light; they kept the peace by dealing with wave after wave of orphans. They fought, they destroyed; all for the people and the world they lived in. Each Hime had command of a small army; trained soldiers who were loyal to the cause, as well as their leader. Some Himes even worked together; Mai herself often fought alongside Mikoto, as the advantage of two Hime against a particularly nasty wave of orphans was very crucial. Another advantage of the Hime was her most important person; the love between the two manifested itself as a monstrous sized child, capable of massive destruction. But this was often seen as a curse as well. Therefore, certain rules were implemented. A Hime's most important person must be kept secret; the killing of a Hime's most important person was the death of her child, as well. If the enemy were ever to find out a Hime's most important person, the agony caused would be too much to bear. The other rule was that a Hime could not have her most important person be another Hime; losing one Hime's child was hard enough, but to lose two at once? It was foolish; their numbers would dwindle all too fast if that were allowed.
She should've seen it. She should've known.
She remembered the first time everyone was introduced to each other. She should have known, then.
Because she had seen it.
It was foretold that the power of the 12 princesses would return. The families whose ancestors held the fabled power kept a close eye on their daughters and granddaughters and even their daughters and granddaughters. That time period was labeled the "Golden Age", as it seemed that the fabled Himes were able to bring about that peace, leaving their descendants ignorant of the harshness of war. Dark times were soon to be had, as the peace slowly wavered. It started with whispers of dark shadows and grew into sightings; it was during this time that the Himes finally manifested.
Somewhere a young girl with startling red eyes found her practice weapon had been replaced with a polished purple naginata; some distance away from her, a girl around the same age was startled to find a gun in each of her hands.
It's been awhile. And I'm sure this is my first Mai-Hime fanfic...you know the deal. Let me know what you think, please?