A/N: HWWWAAAH!! Okay, now that I've got your attention (because a lot of people skip authors notes)...Thanks for the rewiews! And thanks for reading. This chapter is basically the calm before the storm, so it's only light humor. It's like ch.6.5. (Filler Chapter)

crazyhorse: Thanks for going back to review! Don't worry about Kashiwagi. He'll be back...Oh, and I'm glad I didn't offend you! I'm Buddhist too.

guubear: Um...You gave me this weird idea actually...It involves Sei, Kei, and Youko in one of the future chapters...and it involves a multicolored cube and the name 'Continuum Transfunctioner'...sorry. I know it's probably not what you meant by "sei/kei/youko solves problems, you know"...but...they'll be solving...for their lives. Thanks for reviewing every chapter thus far!


Maria-sama Is Glaring: Sixth Seventh Half

Mizuno Youko rose from bed early and sore. Everywhere hurt; Her eyes, from lack of a good night's rest, her limbs from the constant pacing and sketching of S.O.S. Brigade operations, and more immediately, her throat, from the hours and hours on end without a single drop of liquid to quench her thirst. Suffice to say, Youko was in a sour mood. Restless, she climbed down the stairs of Sachiko's house, her back aching all throughout the process. With one hand massaging her tender throat, Youko made her way to the kitchen, hoping to find something to ease the feeling of wry throbbing.

"Mn. Youko." Sei was seated at the kitchen table, wearing a relaxed face. A slightly steaming teapot rested before her, and two elegantly simple teacups stood abreast their sibling ceramic piece. Youko felt a rise of humidity in the air at the presence of the tea's pungent aroma. "Here," Sei said, handing a cup of her brew to her companion, "it'll help you wake up."

Youko took the cup and murmured something thankful to Sei while unconsciously bringing the substance to her lips.

She retracted it in an instant, wincing at the bitter taste.

"White tea…? Were you waiting for someone…?" (White tea can sit longer than green or black tea before becoming bitter)

"Mm," Sei agreed, "She's usually punctual too. I wonder what kept her, that meddler." Youko smiled a tiny smile and downed the rest of her drink. Without anything but tealeaves saturating the liquid, it tasted horrible, but it soothed her throat, and it did wake up the rest of her lagging body. She pulled the chair next to Sei's and took a seat, placing the cup on the table.

"I drank from that one, you know." Sei said with a grin.

"Aah." Youko didn't look particularly interested. Outwardly, she seemed bored. Inwardly, only God knows.

"Ne, perhaps you would have preferred a direct kiss then?" Sei reached out her arm and touched a stray lock of Youko's short, midnight-black hair. She used two fingers to twist the hairs idley, an amused expression becoming apparent on her face. Her gray eyes never once strayed from Youko's.

"Why can't you be serious for once?" despite the cold tone of her words, Youko felt herself fluster unwillingly at Sei's actions. Her pink and red complexion only deepened at the blonde's next words.

"I am." A hand touched the bottom of Youko's chin and brought her face to level with Sei's. Languidly, Sei leaned forward…

"EYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Both girls jumped out of their seats and ran upstairs to the source of the deafening cry. Arctic chills crawled through their bodies and shot unpleasantly down their spines.

--

"What's wrong!?" Sei and Youko tackled the door and entered the room dramatically, diving in and rolling through. Inside, they found Nijou Noriko lying in a pool of blood with her body sprawled over the carpet.

"Oh my God! Noriko!!" Youko ran to the girl's unmoving form and inspected it, searching for the wound. However, Sei gave the scene a second glance. She burst into laughter shortly after.

Youko glared at Sei with disbelief. "Sei! How can you be so…!?"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! R-relax Youko! Ha, ha! Oh, God, ha, ha!!" Sei took Youko by the shoulder and turned her towards a towel-clad Shimako, looking as if she'd just gotten out of the shower. The still-wet towel was wrapped form-fittingly around her, and beads of steaming water rolled down her face, arms, and thighs. She stood at the front of the shower-room door, trembling with a shocked look on her face.

"Ha, ha, ha!! The girl won't die of a nosebleed!" Sei motioned towards Noriko, slapping her hand against her lap in the fit of laughter.

"…wh-wha…? Nose…bleed…?" Youko grimly twisted her head in the fallen girl's direction. Staring back and forth between the two Buddhists, it didn't take long for her to put two and two together. The expression Noriko wore was a rather giddy and stupid one.

Putting a hand to her forehead, Youko let out a sigh. "Shimako," she shook her head, "please use larger towels…" Figuring out the ordeal, Youko took Sei's arm, and got up to leave, almost literally dragging her companion along. A step away from the door, Sei's laughter caught in her throat completely.

Both girls pretended to be statues when they came face to face with a demon waken from her slumber; grumpy, low-blood-pressure-in-the-morning Sachiko.

--

Fukuzawa Yumi rubbed her eyes gingerly, meekly suppressing a yawn. She could have sworn she heard two screams from within the house. She shivered, hugging her knees together. The temperature doesn't usually drop a full twenty degrees for no good reason. Yumi looked to the other side of her bed to find it empty.

"Sachiko-sama?" Hearing another series of screams, understanding quickly flashed through Yumi's eyes.

Only God can help them now…she thought, and rose from her array of bed sheets and blankets to stretch. Well, I better go calm down Sa-chan. She giggled at the way she'd addressed her former Onee-sama and smoothened out the wrinkles on her Lilian uniform before leaving the room to enter the upstairs hallway.

As she passed through the hall's wooden floor planks, Yumi was halted by strange sounds coming from the door three rooms from hers.

"Aaah! Yoshino, not so fast!"

"Rei-chan! Nnng! That stuff's not gonna come out of you if we don't do it quickly!"

"But it hurts, you know…!"

"Oh, suck it up! We both know you like it when it hurts! That's why you never stop me from sticking things in you!"

"Wh-what!? Aah! H-hey! Yoshino! Ah! Aaahhhh!!"

"There! Press onto it like that! I'll go get the rubbing lotion!"

Yumi heard footsteps, and the door opened in front of her. She didn't see Rei back in the room, pressing a piece of cloth against her foot next to the several bloody tacks on the floor. Yoshino stood in before Yumi, wondering at all the weird faces Yumi was making. Yumi still had the wrong idea.

"…Yumi-chan." Yoshino thought she'd be blunt.

"E-Eh?"

Yoshino gave her a quick smile that meant mischief. "Wanna join us?"

"EHH!??"

--

Kei and Touko sat at the kitchen table, calmly sipping the rest of Sei's bitter tea. There was no chance of them sleeping any longer with all the noises they kept hearing upstairs.

"Feel left out, Touko-san?"

"Not really. You?"

"Mmm…nope"

"Okay."

There was a long silence…Touko was bored and needed to do something.

"Hey, Kei-san, look behind you" Touko pointed. Kei turned her head, unamused when she saw nothing. When she turned her head back towards Touko, however…

"T-Touko-san…l-look behind y-you…" Kei gulped.

"What? No way I'd fall for that…like you…did…?"

BOO.

"EYAAAAA!!!"

Well, let's just say Buddha had his laugh for the day.


A/N: Reducing crack reduces my reviews...I know...but I needed Sei to show a little side of seriousness before I let her jump in front of bullets and such. Otherwise, it'd be too sudden...waah...woe is me...