Disclaimer: I don't own the wonderful storyline and characters of Mai-HiME. No profit is made off my fanworks.

A/N: Ah, yes, I am a complete sucker for fluff. Here's my first attempt at a Takumi/Akira one-shot. Also, I tried to keep them in character, since their personalities blend so well. I'm surprised at the small number of fanworks with this pairing; they're so cute together! (Really, what's up with all the Shizuru/Natsuki? Nothing against shoujo-ai, but does Shizuru scare anyone else?)

I do plan on illustrating this fic as well, so stay tuned!

Curtains

"Ne, Akira-kun?"

Akira looked up from her sketchbook and saw her roommate Takumi standing in the gap between the curtains that separated "her territory" from the rest of the room. She noticed that his normally pale face had a pinkish hue. For a moment she wondered if the boy was having another attack, even though she knew that surgery had cured his illness.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned, as Takumi walked over and stood by her bedside.

"Huh? Oh, um…yeah, I'm fine…" Takumi stammered with an embarrassed smile. He closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head nervously, the redness in his cheeks becoming more apparent.

Confused, the ninja HiME tossed her sketchbook aside. "Do you need me for something, then?" she asked.

"Ah…well…"Takumi started awkwardly. Akira began to grow impatient. She pulled her roommate's arm until he fell onto her bed and then proceeded to trap him in a headlock.

"THEN WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!"

"GAAAK!" was the brown haired boy's only reply. Akira turned away and folded her arms with a loud "hmph," releasing her gasping roommate. He really is helpless…she thought, smiling internally. Takumi's next words, though, sharply brought her back to earth.

"I was wondering if I could…if you would go to the dance with me…"

"WHAT!" Akira shrieked, jumping a foot in the air, her face growing red enough to match his. Her heart racing, she turned and faced the boy sitting next to her, wondering if what he said was really true. Her dark red eyes met his blue for a moment before he looked down.

"If you don't want to, then it's okay. I just thought that…that after…" Although Akira's emotions were in a flurry, his words reached her. She knew he was referring to the times when she had confessed how she felt about him. Or was he referring to when he had discovered her secret after finding her half naked in the bathroom? Or maybe, she thought anxiously, the time when he couldn't swallow his medicine and she had…

Tears welled up in her eyes. The thoughts left as quickly as they had come. Dammit! This isn't happening! Why does he make me so weak? He's the one who's supposed to be…he's so adorable…kind…I'm not…I don't…

"I DON'T EVEN OWN A FUCKING DRESS!" she screamed out loud, the tears streaming down her face. Takumi stared back at her. Once again, their eyes met, but this time it was Akira who looked away first. Her face was a mess and her green hair was sticking to her wet cheeks. She didn't want Takumi to see her like this…That bastard!

She glared at her roommate who was smiling at her in the way she loved so much. "That's okay," he said, "Wait here." He stood and left without another word. Akira could here various thumps and crackles followed by a muffled "OW!"

"Taku-"

"I found it!"

Akira watched dazedly as Takumi, grinning from ear to ear, ripped the curtains open and threw a pile of pink and black fabric onto the bed covers. "I forgot I had this in my closet!" he declared triumphantly.

"Takumi…" Akira said, looking from the rose-colored, frilly thing beside her to her ecstatic roommate.

"…might fit you and I thought that it would look nice on…oh!" He stopped himself when he saw the incredulous look on the ninja's tearstained face.

"Most men don't keep dresses in their closets," she teased.

"It belonged to Onee-chan!" Takumi said quickly, "She gave it to me because she didn't have enough room in her closet!"

"Are you sure you don't have a sister complex?" Akira asked with a small laugh.

"I DO NOT!" he yelled defensively and then added quietly, "I just thought it would look nice on you."

"Takumi…" whispered the HiME. She ran her fingers over the sheer fabric, lowering her head to hide her reddening face. She really was just a schoolgirl with a crush. But her roommate's kindness towards her was so genuine that all she wanted was to be dancing with him.

"Hmph. Fine, let me try it on," she said, snatching the dress and slamming the bathroom door behind her with lightning speed.

"If the top part's too big, I could fix it!" Takumi called through the closed door.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Akira screeched. Just because her chest wasn't as big as precious "Onee-chan's…"

She turned and began the arduous task of putting on the dress. After fighting with the back zipper for a full five minutes, she turned and looked at herself in the mirror. The shirred top was slightly too big (one of the spaghetti straps dangled limply across her upper arm). She sighed and adjusted the strap.

"Akira-kun?" said the voice behind the door. Akira didn't have time to completely hide herself before she heard the doorknob click. Takumi entered and stopped in his tracks upon seeing his roommate peeking timidly from behind the shower curtain.

Akira flared. "I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK FIRST!" she yelled, not budging from her hiding place.

"Ack! I'm sorry! I thought you would have changed by now! It's been almost ten minutes!" Takumi began frantically, shielding his eyes.

"Bakayarou, I'm dressed," the ninja muttered. She dropped the plastic curtain, which rustled as it fell back into place. "This stupid thing took me forever to put on."

Takumi started to laugh, but his breath caught in his chest as he saw the blushing Akira emerge from her cover.

"Akira…kun…"

The HiME felt as exposed as she had the night when Takumi had accidentally seen too much. Her self-consciousness must have shown on her face because her roommate, regaining his ability to speak, said "Just look at yourself."

Taking a step forward, Akira looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. Aside from the top, the dress wasn't too tight or too loose, as she was afraid it would have been, but flowed gracefully until the two layers, the top sheer black and the bottom dusty pink, ended in an uneven hem just above her knees. Her blush deepened as she realized just how feminine she looked in it.

She saw Takumi's reflection appear close behind hers, causing her to jump and her strap to fall. She fumbled with the strap which stubbornly refused to stay on her shoulder. "It's too big," she said shyly.

Takumi gently pushed the strap back into its position, causing Akira to let out a loud "Eep!" at the brief contact. He giggled. "I told you I could fix this."

His laugh made Akira's heart leap. "Takumi…" The ninja turned to her roommate and saw her face reflected in his deep blue eyes. She paused, amazed at her own daring. Takumi gazed back, his face glowing once again. She continued shyly, "Fine…I'll…I want to go to the dance with you."

Time froze while she waited with baited breath for the words to fully register in Takumi's mind. Finally, with that smile he said, "Thank you, Akira-kun."

Akira turned and smiled at him over her shoulder. Her strap fell again, which seemed to bring her back to her senses and at the difficult job ahead of her. She opened her mouth to yell, but found it difficult to do so. "Go away! I need…to…change."

"Oh…Yeah," Takumi replied. He flashed her one more smile before leaving. Akira made sure to lock the door behind him.

She stepped back in front of the mirror and gazed at her appearance again. She twirled once. Watching her skirt fan beneath her, she pictured herself dancing with Takumi. She smiled evilly, imagining him to be as clumsy as ever, even while dancing.

I bet Mai will be delighted that Takumi found a use for her old dress. I'm sure I'll learn all sorts of amusing things about his life history when she finds out…

Chibi-Kagura