Hey! How's it going? Just here to clear some things up. Since this is a flash-back arc, told through Mai's PoV, it will mostly revolve around her and her intake of the affairs around her new acquaintance and how they formed T.N.T. I'm trying to portrait Natsuki's life and actions through the eyes of other people and her (future) friends before I step to a steady Natsuki PoV narration. You've probably noticed the main four PoVs in this story - Natsuki's, Nao's, Shizuru's and Mai's. I assure you, the story does revolve around our favorite blunette, with Nao as the follow-up, though she was more like a character, who is there to introduce the other ones. Not that I plan to toss her away, no sir. All of the characters have their roles planned out and I'll try not to neglect them.

To answer SpringWaltz101's review: Yes, the story IS ShizNat, but I didn't know that this necessarily make them the mains. I'm sorry if I've confused anybody with my choice of two mains. I do not plan to neglect Shizuru and Natsuki's relationship, it's just not the only thing I'll put inside here. I also like Nao and I've listed her as the other main, because the story is also about her entering the gang and her adapting to the others. It's important to write her intake on the situations, since she is currently looking almost in an unbiased way things unfold. Of course, as time goes by, she does develop her own way of thinking, connected in a way to that of the others, but this is yet to come as a major event.

I present to you a chapter with a more chamber ensemble! Enjoy! ^^

Disclaimer: MAI-HiME is not mine...


"It's gotten too late to return to the dorms now," Kuga scoffed. "I guess I'll take you to my place."

She and Mai were walking hurriedly down an empty street, their senses on high alert in case they were followed by any suspicious characters.

"Who are you anyways?" Mai asked her savior. She was indeed impressed by the other girl's abilities and found herself wanting to know more about her.

"Kuga Natsuki," came the short introduction and nothing followed after it. They took a turn inside a narrow alley and proceeded further into the damp and dark.

"What I meant is why can you do all of this? The first day of school you noticed details I wasn't even aware of and now this ridiculous card game," she paused a bit, before continuing. "What were you doing there in the first place?"

"First question: I just can, that's how I live. Second question: I ran out of money."

"Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds?"

"I do."

"What if the school staff finds out?"

"Find out what?"

"That you gambled for money with the Hazard, in this hood, none the less."

"I did no such thing."

"What do you mean, Kuga-san?" the curious transfer student received no answer; they had come to a stop and Mai looked over the other girl's shoulder.

"You're not going to steal it, are you?" she warily asked, pointing at a midnight-blue motorbike. Natsuki angrily turned around and glared at her.

"Of course not! This Ducati's mine! If you want to walk all the way to downtown, I won't offer you a ride," she pulled out a chain with keys from her uniform's pocket and unlocked the bike's compartment, pulling out two helmets and tossing one of them at Mai. "Put this on."

She complied silently, deciding that further questions were unnecessary if she wanted to go back home safely. But she was not going home, was she?

"Where do you live, Kuga-san?" she inquired her schoolmate, who had already mounted the bike with her helmet on and was only waiting for her.

"Downtown. Get on already! Gosh, woman, do you need to talk all the time?" the biker asked her in an agitated manner.

Mai climbed behind Kuga and wrapped her arms around the other's waist. Tightly.

"Do you want me to die of asphyxiation?" a muffled and choked question came from the driver of the motorbike. Releasing her clutch, she blushed a bit at her display of cowardice, but regretted her action soon after, when the Ducati's engine roared and they sped off into the dead streets of Fuuka's districts.


The bike stopped, Mai released the driver and Natsuki could breathe once again. They had parked in the underground parking of a big apartment building in the more rich part of the city. Mai was surprised that there was a student, who could afford to reside in such a place, since she had found out by Chie that 'Kuga-san' lived on her own, which meant that she had no parents to take care of her, at least not here in Fuuka.

Both of them were silently traveling up by the elevator to the seventh floor of the twelve storey building. Mai was nervously staring down at her feet, while Natsuki played with her keys absentmindedly, spinning them around her index finger and tossing them once or twice every once in a while.

Mai was somewhat embarrassed to go to a near-stranger's apartment in the middle of the night, while her brother and Mikoto were probably worried for her. She decided to call them as soon as she could, regretting that she had lost her cell phone in all the commotion from a few hours ago.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the elevator announced their arrival and the doors slid open, revealing a spacious hall. The apartments' entrances were at least five before the corridor took a turn, but she didn't have the chance to explore the other part of the hall, since they headed for the closest door and Natsuki unlocked it, letting them inside.

Bowing at the entrance, Mai took off her shoes before taking a look around. If she had seen the state of the flat first, she wouldn't have bothered to be considerate not to bring any dirt inside.

Her nose cringed when her lilac orbs held the sight of the other girl's abode. The huge residence looked like a war-zone, or more like the front-lines of one. She was surprised that there weren't dead bodies on the floor, but reasoned those were absent, because there wouldn't be any place for them, or were already hidden by clothes, pizza boxes, magazines, books, papers with what looked blueprints and playing cards. Only the space around the big plasma television and desktop computer, which was next to it, was somewhat free of random objects lying in its premises.

"Don't you clean up at all?" Mai had given up on trying being polite around this girl. It was pointless, as all she received in return were rude replies.

"I don't have the time. Maybe I should hire somebody," mused Natsuki, while shuffling through the papers on the floor, picking them up and trying to stuff them away in the drawers of the desk, where her computer was. She gave it a rest, since it seemed that she wouldn't succeed and decided on heading for the bedroom, instead. "But then again, I'd have to decapitate them if they decided to end their contract."

"Haha, don't joke around with such matters, Kuga-san," Mai laughed nervously, while trying not to notice the various kinds of lingerie, scattered across the floor of the gloomy bedroom. After throwing the bag with money on the unmade bed, the other girl leaned on the doorframe of said room, surveying her busty schoolmate from head to toe.

"Call me just Natsuki. After all, I'm letting you have the couch for tonight, no need for formalities. Have a pleasant sleep," before she could object, the door was slammed shut and after a few shuffling noises, all fell quiet. Especially silent was Mai, who stood dumb-struck in the midst of the battlefield, which was under the alias of Kuga Natsuki's living room. Not wanting to challenge her ill fate once again, the girl sighed and went for what she assumed was the couch. Surely that was supposed to be an undercover couch, right?

The refrigerator was empty, except for a bottle of mayonnaise and a bottle of something Mai wasn't sure she wanted to know what exactly. The only food in the house turned out to be a card box of instant ramen and one with potato chips. Even though she prided herself with exceptional cooking skills, she doubted she could do much with this, but she had to try.

Natsuki's kitchen looked like it was there just for the sake of filling up the room, since it would be indeed outrageous for such a big of an apartment to have no cooking space. The utensils had dust all over them, the stove was brand new, only the microwave had stains of sauce inside-out.

Deciding on preparing the instant ramen her way, the gifted cooker started making the Wednesday breakfast. While waiting for the water to heat, she cleaned the kitchen a bit, making it bearable for inhabitance and eliminating the fear that when you sit, some legendary creature would jump you from behind.

Last night before going to bed, she had quickly phoned Takumi and Mikoto, assuring them of her safety. They both had been worried about her and had immediately demanded to know what had kept her unable to contact them earlier, but she evaded having to explain her miss-adventures, not completely ready with her cover-up story. For the time being they had been content with her rushed answer and using the fact that it indeed it was really late, she had hung up.

With her back turned on the door, she hadn't noticed Natsuki entering the room and taking a seat at the now presentable table. The other girl watched Mai busy herself with the rather excessively nourishing morning meal and decided to finally speak up, causing her to jump.

"You didn't have to go through the trouble to tidy up the living room and cook breakfast, you know," Natsuki calmly stated, crossing her legs and tilting her head sideways. She was dressed with a black leather biker's suit, slightly unzipped at the front, since it was somewhat stuffy in the premises, even though it was a fairly large dwelling.

"Don't scare people like that!" scolded her Mai, putting her hands on her apron-clad waist in a cross manner. "And how do you expect me not to clean up? Do you know what I found this morning?"

"Do you?" Natsuki obviously had come to the revelation that a more interesting or disturbing question was the best answer in certain circumstances.

Mai froze and after a few emotions passed over her face, she finally decided that she really didn't want to possess the true knowledge, for all the good that it would do her. After turning around to the breakfast, she poured the two portions of ramen into two bowls and handed rudely one to Natsuki, who seemed to observe it cautiously.

"Don't worry, I didn't poison it," she propped in the opposite seat, pointedly took a piece of vegetable and put it in her mouth and started chewing. Her schoolmate did the same and her green orbs immediately lit with delight, which caused Mai to swell on the inside with pleasure.

"This is good," Natsuki said between bites. "Did you do this with the instant ramen I had stocked up?"

"Yes," Mai continued to eat her share. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, until she had started preparing the food. This caused her usual politeness and love for chit-chatting to be pushed on the back for now, while she satisfied her newly found appetite.

"So living alone with your brother has caused you to become quite the housekeeper, huh?" inquired the sly green-eyed teenager. Mai just knew that this question was going to lead to something else, since she had come to the conclusion that the other girl wasn't much of a conversationalist. She nodded, suspicious of the hidden motive of the inquiry.

"And I suppose you won't be going back to your job at that department store. After what happened last night and all," she continued.

"I think that a murderer threat is enough of a reason for me to quit," replied Mai, surprised at the quick change of topic. She lifted her bowl to drink up the remains of the ramen, but Natsuki's next words caused her to choke and after she had calmed down a bit, she asked for her schoolmate to repeat herself, which she did with a slight bit of annoyance.

"I said that you're hired and you can start from tomorrow."

"And what exactly am I hired to do?" rasped Mai, while pouring herself a glass of water and drowning it afterwards down her sour throat.

"Be my maid, of sorts, of course," said Natsuki, as if it was something plain and obvious. She decided to elaborate, seeing the incredulous expression Mai was giving her. "Since I don't have the time to take care of my apartment, I'm going to hire you to do it. I will pay you weekly the equal amount of money that department store offered you. Besides, you owe me."

"No amount of money can compensate for what I saw in the bathroom earlier today," stated Mai after resuming her seat and leaning forward. The other one did the same.

"You've piqued my interest," smirked the one sitting across from her. "What was it?"

"A mirror," she whispered. "I have terrible morning hair."

A shadow of a smile passed across the ice beauty's face, who was at least in good spirits today, it seemed.

"You are aware that it'll be most regretful if I find out that you were doing something here without my permission," Natsuki stood up and motioned for the other girl to follow. "I'll drop you at school, come on."


During the following month Mai went to Natsuki's apartment every day after school and cleaned up the mess the other girl had been able to create overnight. She was forbidden to enter only one room and that was the bedroom. Not knowing why, and not really wanting to find out, she didn't question the prohibition and continued with her duties.

In that period of time she had discovered a lot about the enigmatic Kuga Natsuki, however refused to feed the information to Chie out of pure sense of camaraderie. She had grown accustomed to not seeing her at school, but instead finding her in her apartment working on something on her computer, or locked in her bedroom, only the rustling of paper heard. So when she had unlocked the door and heard a joyous laugh, she was ready to spin on her heels and get the hell out of there, screaming for help. Quietly dropping the bags with groceries on the floor, she crouching headed for the source of the uncharacteristic in this place voice.

"Ara, Natsuki should give me a more legitimate reason to let her go!"

Another giggle followed, followed by a frustrated inaudible reply. The newly appointed maid gripped an umbrella and held it like a two-handed saber.

"No, I don't think I want to," rang again the melodious female voice, amusement apparent in it.

Peering around the corner of the corridor, leading to the living room, Mai was finally able to see who was causing the commotion. She almost suffocated from the effort not to breathe or make any excessive noises and disrupt the image she was beholding. Was that president Fujino attached to that person's back? And more importantly, why was Natsuki's left arm in a sling?

"What are…?" she just couldn't get anything more out, awestruck at the sight of the most popular person in the school and the notorious Ice Princess in a display of such affection in the middle of the room. The renowned president held the first-year around the waist and had rested her chin on the right shoulder of her victim.

Sharp emerald eyes darted to lilac ones in alarm, their owner, clutched in a deadly grip, struggling to free herself. Unfortunately that forced her to jerk a bit violently, that leading to a growl in pain, caused by her hitting her injured arm incidentally against the back of the couch.

President Fujino quickly let the shorter girl go, concern and guilt etched onto her beautiful features; it seemed she still had not noticed the third person in the abode. Before she could say anything, Natsuki regained her composure by drawing a sharp breath and greeting the newcomer with a "Hey, Mai."

"H-hi," staggered back Mai, still holding up protectively the umbrella, its tip pointed at the other two teenagers.

"Well, if it isn't that Tokiha Mai-han!" exclaimed the eldest, who now had in place her usual smile; warm, welcoming and soothing.

'That was a fast recovery,' thought Mai, observing the quick change that president Fujino had went through in only the matter of seconds. From worried and anxious, she had turned into the usual person everybody saw at school. The transfer student could've pondered over that fact a bit more, but was interrupted by Natsuki, who stepped towards her and pushed the tip of the umbrella down. Ah, she hadn't even realized that it wasn't needed anymore!

"Could you stop pointing this at my face? I don't need to fuss over a lost eye," she was scolded and she complied, blushing a bit at her own somewhat foolish actions.

"Ignoring what I saw, what happened to you, Natsuki?" inquired the newly appointed maid, still a tad bit weary of the other two girls.

"You didn't see anything! Nothing happened, okay?" snarled at her Natsuki, but it had almost no effect, as Mai put her hands on her hips irately and pushed her lips in a tight line.

"Fine!" she retorted almost shouting. "Well, I suppose that your arm was injured by nothing, then?"

She could've sworn that the always intimidating ice beauty had cringed at the tone of her voice, however as fast at the unusual display had come, it had disappeared, leaving only an angry glare. Natsuki had opened her mouth to shoot back a retort at her employee, but found herself late as the one who spoke was the person, who had now moved to lean gracefully on the back of the couch.

"Natsuki got herself in gang trouble again and her pretty head wasn't able to get her out of the mess this time," she cheerfully replied, provoking a heated "Shizuru!" from her friend.

"So it wasn't just that one time?" asked Mai in bewilderment, not believing what she had heard. She held strongly to the optimistic delusion that her new… friend (The word was used for a lack of a more appropriate term. Acquaintance was too distant, while employer was too demanding and professional. Surely she could call her schoolmate, who she worked for and who had saved her from a hopeless predicament, a friend) was not involved in the dark depths of the criminal world of the gangs.

Said friend put on an impartial expression and didn't even bother to get mad at Shizuru for giving up such information. She looked away and stalked for the kitchen, the sink in particular, reaching for a glass with her good hand and poured herself cold water. Mai threw a questioning look at the crimson-eyed second-year, who motioned for her to follow her in the kitchen.

Sitting herself at the table, the student council president softly spoke. "Natsuki should be more careful and tell her friends where she's going in case she finds herself in trouble. Like today, for example. If Yamada-han hadn't contacted me and told me to look for you at that building…"

"Shut up!" fiercely growled Natsuki, staring a hole on the counter. "I'm going to have a long talk with that bastard about his mingling in my personal affairs! And drawing you in on the top of that! And you," she turned around hastily, and drew out between gritted teeth, "Why did you come? You could've gotten hurt!"

"And let Natsuki continue with her self-destructive activities? I think not," retorted calmly, but nevertheless exasperatedly, Shizuru.

Mai felt that was her cue to leave the small room. She had already stocked up the fridge with the ingredients that she deemed necessary to buy with the money she had been given. Now that her only job in there had been finished, she slipped out of the kitchen, but before closing the door behind her, she was stopped by a single word.

"Wait," she slowly turned around and regarded the one, who had called out, with a bit of puzzlement.

"What is it?" Mai asked, not sure what was coming her way. She hoped she hadn't offended Natsuki with something she had done.

"I need to tell both of you something," she seriously stated, throwing a glance at the third girl, who was looking almost ready to frown.

"Does Natsuki plan on telling us she cannot decide which one of us she likes more?" Natsuki paid no heed to Shizuru's tease, but her cheeks did turn a bit redder. Mai couldn't react on time and even before she could get embarrassed or flustered, Natsuki started speaking.

"Shizuru knows full well that I don't wish to make close acquaintances and I wish to inform you of that, as well. I strongly advise you that you keep your distance from me. We're going to keep going strictly only as an employer and employee and maybe schoolmates, but nothing more. I cannot take the responsibility of taking care of somebody if they are somehow retraced back to me by my enemies," at the deaf silence she was granted with, she continued.

"Unfortunately, Shizuru never listens to me and constantly persists on being my friend. I cannot accept that. I just wanted to let you to know that it would only be a bother if we got any closer than this."

Mai didn't know what to say. Surely, she had been getting to know the other girl better day by day and had grown to even enjoy her silent company, when she was graced with it. She would talk to Natsuki, while dusting the furniture, but almost never had received more than two words in a response.

The only time they had been able to form a conversation of sorts, was when she had accidentally pushed a book out of one of the three packed bookcases and the title had caught her attention. She didn't know that Natsuki enjoyed reading philosophy books from famous authors. The explanation she got was that this book was a memento given from her father, with whom she had had no face-to-face encounters for the past seven years. But when she had tried to pursue a further enlightenment on the subject, she had been given the cold shoulder. Despite that, Natsuki now knew most of her past and worries, except some of the more personal issues she had and hadn't shared with anybody. What broke her out of her stupor was the screeching of the president's chair scraping against the tiles.

"Tokiha-han, I think we should leave this bitter person to her own devices," the owner of the voice was resting her palms on the table, her crimson eyes downcast. No-one made the effort to move, so Shizuru once again took the initiative.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school, right, Natsuki?" she headed slowly for the front door, planning to leave the apartment. Her wavy chestnut tresses bounced behind her, emitting a golden shine because of the sunlight, falling on them, which was oozing from between the slits of the curtains, covering the windows.

"What makes you so sure I'll be coming?" stiffly questioned Natsuki, who was leaning against the kitchen counter.

"I'm the student council president, I am sure Natsuki hasn't forgotten this fact," the subtle threat didn't go unnoticed, but met no response. "Tokiha-han?"

"Yes, president?" Mai was currently an internal struggle whether to conduct her duties, or follow the second-year out of the apartment.

"Go already, quit stalking," urged them the agitated owner of the flat, glaring at the retreating form of her self-appointed friend. Mai collected her belongings and went after Shizuru, who was already waiting for her at the elevator. The only reason she felt she really wanted to leave, was that she could get the opportunity to talk to the president. And before she had returned home, she had gotten the answers of some of the questions she had. It had given her a topic on which to dwell. So even when Mikoto had jumped at her joyfully, requesting rather eagerly to receive something to eat, she was not immediately pleased with a meal.

While watching the middle-schooler eat her very own specialty, Mai thought over what the president had shared with her. She most certainly hadn't expected to be entrusted with the hard task to subtly get closer to Natsuki.

"Natsuki trusts nobody, except herself and very occasionally me," the concerned second-year had shared, while both of them were walking towards the dorms of the school. "When she was little some pretty unpleasant things happened to her, of which I found out by accident. I don't think Natsuki has forgiven me yet about that time, either. But I request of you, Tokiha-han, please be one of her anchors to reality, or else she will be consumed by the dangerous games she is playing."

"Why has she turned out like this?" inquired Mai, tilting her head a bit to the side, as to see the taller girl better.

She was indeed striking, she noted to herself. It was understandable why most of the students were in love with her and had chosen her as the first second-year to make to the post of student council president. The young woman carried herself with poise and dignity, which she hadn't witnessed in another person her age before. Oh, certainly Natsuki had also an air of a high-bred individual about her, but it was more wild and untamed, chasing admirers away, while the Kyoto beauty invited people with her friendly and calm disposition.

Seeing her troubled over something was a rare sight, Mai decided, and was sure that she should take up the request, since, after all, she did owe Natsuki her life. She wasn't somebody, who didn't pay her debts and was ready to sacrifice a part of her dignity and time to help her new friend.

"Let's just say that Natsuki's mother left her daughter at a fragile age in a very crucial moment and her father hasn't sought her out personally since then. Oh, but they do have quite the interactions, if you happen to hear them. He is supposed to contact her in a week from now. Tokiha-han probably wouldn't be able to witness it for herself, though, since Natsuki's sense of privacy is on par with that of a hermit."

They had entered the campus's premises and had stopped in front of the dorms, where Mai resided.

"Here we must part ways for today," smilingly stated Shizuru, politely bidding goodbye to the younger girl. "I wish you a pleasant evening, Tokiha-han."

"Yes, thank you. To you too, president Fujino," replied Mai before entering and leaving the other student deal with the forming group of fans, which was molding itself steadily around her.

Now, Mikoto was dozing off on the table, the empty cup of ramen deserted and forgotten next to the smaller girl's plopped elbows. Ah, the middle-schooler was much easier to understand, why couldn't all people be as spontaneous, straightforward and innocent as she was?