Disclaimer: I don't own Mai-HiME, nor do I receive any profit from this fanwork.
A/N: Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I uploaded Curtains. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Mwah! I finally got around to writing a sequel! cheers This time, it is going to be a multi-chapter fic, although I plan on ending it in about three or four chapters. We'll see how things turn out, ne? Also, this one is a bit more romance-oriented than Curtains, but it continues with the same general themes. I warn you now; there is much fluff to come. Although it isn't necessary to read Curtains before this, I would recommend it since there are several direct references. I'll shut up now. Enjoy, and please review!
Covers
Akira should have been asleep. She, Mai, and Takumi spent the entire day cooking a western-style Christmas feast and the air in the small student apartment was thick with the sweet smells of their efforts. Takumi, who was still a bit weak from his surgery, was exhausted and went to bed early. His delicate snores filtered through the gaps in the curtains surrounding the ninja's bed. Normally, the soft noise would have lulled her right to sleep, but it was already past midnight and she was still awake.
Giving up on sleep for the time being, Akira slid out of bed taking care not to wake her precious roommate. Silently, she padded through the dark room to her dresser and opened her "secret" drawer, where she kept everything her male roommate was not supposed to see. The drawer was mostly pointless, since Takumi had an older sister who probably taught him at an early age more than he ever needed to know about females, but Akira kept it anyway. It was a comfort knowing that she still kept some secrets from her perceptive roommate. With this in mind, the ninja sifted through various bras and boxes of tampons until her hand brushed against the cardboard corner of her sketchbook. She smiled to herself. Having found what she wanted, she shut the drawer and tiptoed back to her area.
The curtains, fortunately, were tall and thick enough to prevent most of the light from Akira's bedside lamp from spreading through the room as she flipped through the pages in her sketchbook. She had drawn several more of Takumi since the time her curious roommate stumbled upon the book while cleaning and her skill had increased considerably. She even started including herself in the pictures, which was the main reason why she kept the book hidden. If Takumi ever saw what they were doing in some of the drawings… Akira's cheeks colored at the very thought! Even if she had spent the first thirteen years of her life pretending to be a boy, she was still a teenage girl with a teenage girl's fantasies. It didn't help that she spent practically every moment of her life with the object of these fantasies. She knew that Mai, wanting to help, had coaxed the director into allowing the two to stay as roommates, but the arrangement was becoming quite painful for the ninja.
With a sigh, she turned to one page in her sketchbook and paused. Taped to the page was the photo taken at the fall formal. It wasn't the best picture of the couple (her dress strap was sliding off her shoulder and Takumi had his eyes closed), but it was Akira's favorite. Although her gender became public immediately after the HiME incidents, she continued to wear the boys' uniform simply because it was more comfortable. The dance marked the first time anyone outside her close circle of friends saw her looking remotely feminine. A smile teased her lips as the events of the night unfolded in her memory. All night, she was accosted by astonished classmates telling her repeatedly how beautiful she looked. While she was embarrassed, the good-natured Takumi simply beamed and agreed enthusiastically with each admirer.
The dance was their first official date.
A faint click jolted the ninja out of her reverie. With her catlike grace and agility, she grabbed a hairbrush off her nightstand and hid in the shadows behind her curtain, waiting for the source of the noise to reveal itself. The door to the apartment opened, a narrow beam of light piercing through the darkness. Akira prepared to strike.
"You can relax, Akira-chan. It's me," a voice whispered. Akira dropped the hairbrush. She glanced around frantically, hoping the noise hadn't disturbed her roommate and then faced the intruder, who had poked her head through the curtains.
"M-Mai," she said, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Don't worry about it. He sleeps like a rock," she said giggling. Akira glared.
"What are you doing in here? It's not even light yet!"
"It's Christmas! I thought us girls should celebrate on our own a bit! I brought hot chocolate!" Mai beamed. She indicated the steaming thermos and mugs in her hand. "May I sit down?"
"Hmph. I suppose, as long as we don't wake Takumi up," the ninja replied. Mai chuckled.
"You're so cute, Akira-chan," she said, sitting on the bed. It was then Akira remembered her previous activities. A corner of her sketchbook was visible under the comforter. She jumped forward and tried to grab the book, but Mai saw it first. She already had it in her hands and was eyeing the cover with interest.
"What's this, you're sketchbook?" she said.
"N-no!"
"Can I see it?"
"NO!" Akira thought she heard a pause in between Takumi's snores. Akira glared again, cheeks reddening.
"Why not?" Mai asked innocently, opening the cover.
"Because!"
"I think Akira's drawing dirty pictures," she said flipping through the pages.
"No I'm not!"
"Well, as a concerned older sister, I should have the right to know if my little brother's girlfriend is drawing smut," Mai said matter-of-factly, "although I have to admit, he looks pretty hot in this one…"
"Shut up!" Akira whispered harshly. There was a definite falter in her roommate's snores this time. "Don't tell Takumi, whatever you do."
"Relax, I won't. The drawings really aren't that bad, though. With your reaction, I was expecting hardcore porn. I've read manga worse than this," Mai replied, handing Akira a mug of hot chocolate.
The ninja looked at her bedcovers, her face practically on fire. Despite Mai's kind words, she felt dirty. "Sorry," she mumbled, offering a rare honest apology.
"Don't worry about it," Mai said, smiling. "Not having much luck with Takumi, huh?"
Akira twisted the comforter nervously and frowned into her mug.
"He may be sweet and innocent, but don't think the teenage boy hormones haven't hit him," Mai said, winking suggestively. Akira fisted the covers to keep herself from fainting at this information. The other girl took a swig from her mug and returned to the sketchbook. "I think you should give him one of your drawings for a Christmas present. Let me find one…"
Akira was too busy processing the information to care. She supposed the news shouldn't have been so surprising, but he was Takumi! The boy was easily girlier than her. Hell, sometimes she had to wonder if he wasn't just a girl with different plumbing! The mental image nearly killed her. And she had to admit that the news wasn't entirely disappointing. If he was also reacting to their proximity, then…
"I didn't know you kept this picture!" Mai exclaimed excitedly, bringing the ninja back to earth.
"Huh?"
"The one from the dance. Whatever happened to the dress you borrowed?"
"Oh, I gave it back to Takumi 'cause he said he wanted it back. It didn't really fit, anyway. Your boobs are too damn big." Akira said offhandedly. She absentmindedly sipped her chocolate; her brain wasn't quite working yet.
"I see," Mai said mischievously. The ninja caught the tone of her voice.
"What are you up to?" she snapped, dribbling the hot beverage down her front.
"You'll see soon enough. Here's the picture you should give him. Don't worry; it's clean. You really are an amazing artist," the redhead said, handing Akira the drawing. Holding it to the light, Akira saw herself curled up peacefully with Takumi, her head lying on his chest. She really liked this one, but, information notwithstanding, she had no idea what the boy would think.
"Whatever. Now get out before he wakes up!"
Even after the older girl left, Akira's brain was buzzing with all the information she received during their meeting. It was almost three in the morning, though, and she needed sleep. She set her empty mug on her nightstand and turned out the light, the room once again cloaked by shadows. Tomorrow would be an eventful day, especially if Mai had something up her sleeve. And if everything she said about Takumi was true…she paused to listen to the boy's gentle snores…then there would be no telling how things would unfold. She lifted the drawing to her lips. But if anything were to happen, she thought nervously, one of us would have to do something first... She pulled the comforter over her head.
Before drifting off to sleep, she placed the drawing carefully beneath her pillow.