Disclaimer: If I had a million dollars, I'd buy the rights to Mai HiME.

(A/N: I'd like to give a big shoutout to ManiazAzn for doing a great job beta reading this fanfiction.)

The maidens who assemble in Fuka Academy
have such angelic smiles that
ignorance passes through and goes away.
Their pure bodies and minds are wrapped in dark-colored school uniforms.
The pleats on their skirts shouldn't be noticeable.
Their white sailor collars should always be tidy.
Walking slowly is preferred here.
Fuka Academy
Is a garden for maidens.

Wait, isn't that from another series? Who switched the script?

"Forgive me, Kami-sama," a nun whispered. "But I love this series so much!"

Metal Gear Mai Hime

Had Mai known she would be spending her entire evening in bushes, she would've worn something more comfortable. Sadly, being unprepared, Mai and Mikoto hid among various things in order to keep track of Natsuki and Shizuru. Luckily, Chie's driving somehow got them there in one piece.

Mai and Mikoto, once again hiding in foliage, watched the two girls rest at a coffee shop frequented by university students. Mai couldn't believe the president would dress so formally for a night out. Natsuki seemed to be distracted as Chie suggested.

As they sat there, Mikoto and Mai pulled out their walkie-talkies.

"Chie-san, are you there?" Mai asked.

"Of course, Mai-chan," Chie responded. Mai looked around and saw a thumbs-up coming from a trash can.

"Hi, Chie!" Mikoto nearly gave away the position as they hid in the bushes. Mai managed to restrain the cat girl long enough to prevent the tactical error.

"Aoi, are you in position?"

Aoi gave as much as a signal as she could as she hid in the confines of a cardboard box. Slowly, Mai and Mikoto watched over the president's and Natsuki's meeting. As it appeared, both were waiting to be served their drinks. However, when Shizuru began to rub Natsuki's hand, Chie gave the signal.

"Snake? Snake, can you hear me?" Chie whispered through the mike.

"I hear you loud and clear, Otacon." Aoi, for some reason, played along with the charade.

"Go in there and see what's happening!" Slowly, Aoi crawled in her cardboard box. Every time someone passed by, she put the box down and sat still. In that way, she carefully approached the table where the two sat at inconspicuously. Just as Aoi neared the patio, a witch's voice sneered.

"Hey, Solid Skank," Nao barked with her usual cynicism.

"!" Aoi's chime rang through the street as she ran back to the bushes with only Nao noticing.

"Snake, what are you doing? The mission's going to fail!" Chie cried out through the mike.

"I'm sorry, but I can't-oh no!" Aoi found the box removed from her body to see Nao staring down at her.

"What are you doing?" the scarlet haired harlot gazed down on her. As Aoi covered herself with her arms, hoping no one would notice her, a trash can appeared out of nowhere and crashed down on both of them, sending them flying into a nearby bush.

"What the hell? First I meet Snake, and then Oscar the Grouch attacks me? What's going on here?" Everybody in the bush feared Nao's temper. In an attempt to sway the conversation, Mai spoke first.

"Well, what are you doing here, Nao? Going to terrorize more boys?" Mai never realized it, but she could be quite the bitch if she wanted to.

"How's are your crabs, Nao-chan?" Chie added with a smirk.

"Just fine, thank you! Anyway, I came here to get a key from you, roomie."

"Wait...I thought you graduated your second year, Nao?" Mai asked with suspicion.

"Well, when you're busy punishing men for being pigs, you don't exactly...attend class as often as you need to graduate."

Chie shook her head cheerfully. "You're a great role model for little girls everywhere, you know that, Nao?"

Aoi looked at her, unable to make a joke. "What happened to yours?"

"I lost it." Nao's curt response suggested something more.

"In some guy's pants?" Chie suggested.

"What makes you think I have it?" Aoi said innocently.

"Oh, come on!" The scarlet haired witch whined loudly.

Pointing to Chie, Nao angrily replied, "Those stains on your bed mean you're either screwing her, screwing yourself while you think of screwing her or dreaming of screwing her. Either way, it's your apartment so you better have a key."

"Nao-chan!" Aoi cried out with a blushed face. "That's not-I mean, that's-"

"Oh?" Chie replied with a smirk. "Does Aoi think about me often?"

"Well, I...," The two looked at each other until Nao broke the conversation once more.

"What are you doing anyway? Wait…is that...Kuga?" Nao's perception gave way to a very dangerous situation. The group wanted to prevent Nao's involvement with the plan.

"Natsuki doesn't accept President as mate, so they have a wager," Mikoto blurted out without thinking.

Suddenly, a grin came over Nao. Other times when she grinned at other's expense, this curve of the mouth showed no mercy or content. It showed pure evil, pure malice waiting to be unleashed. Mai could feel the tension rising from the area as the bush felt dark and cold. More and more, she could hear the invisible sounds of a church chorus and sharp violin playing louder and louder. In fact, there was music playing!

"Where is that sound coming from?" Mai whispered looking around her.

"I think it's coming from Nao!" Chie responded with surprise.

"Nao-chan, does this happen a lot?" Aoi blinked with confusion. Nao shrugged.

"You get used to it."

"Well, it's giving away our position, so turn it off!" Mai cried out, as the violins began to deafen her ears.

"Only if you let me join your party."

"Okay, okay! Fine! But turn off that racket; it reminds me of that crappy 'Omen' remake." Mai sighed in relief when the music finally stopped, only to see the text rear its head once more.

"SINGLE WHITE WHORE has joined your party!"

"Hey!" Nao cried.

"YUUKI NAO has joined your party!"

"Much better."

Being this close to Natsuki, Shizuru found an inner calm. She wondered if they would ever talk on common ground again. Still, even if this was their last day and Natsuki didn't want to see her again, Shizuru felt good waiting at a table with her. The sun's orange glow nearly set and shined through the coffee shop windows. The azure-haired girl in her adorable green dress looked distant, slightly glancing back at Shizuru. As they sat there, Shizuru kept her hand in check, restraining it from caressing Natsuki softly.

"So, you come here often?" Natsuki's deep assertive voice brought joy to Shizuru.

"I do. This place makes some good tea and sometimes I buy some of it here," Shizuru lied with great ease. In truth, this was her first visit to the tea shop as she rarely liked the common taste of corporate brands. Still, it wouldn't have been appropriate to invite Natsuki inside so...suddenly. Shizuru thanked the waiter as she and Natsuki received both of their drinks. Shizuru eyed how Natsuki ordered a blend of coffee in a Styrofoam cup while Shizuru blew on her tea.

"That coffee is quite hot, Natsuki. Would you like me to blow it for you?" she smiled, while holding her own cup. Natsuki's presence calmed her more than any chamomile tea in the world.

"No thanks, I like hot coffee." Natsuki looked so cute when she tried to be independent.

"Oh? Natsuki likes hot coffee?" Shizuru put her hand in front of her mouth for a slight giggle.

"Yes! In fact, if we were at my place, we'd be having hot coffee right now. Well, and maybe some tea."

Shizuru felt surprised at this exchange of dialogue. At first, she simply teased Natsuki. Now, she felt as if the girl across from her finally recognized her. Her scarlet eyes did not shift for a moment. At once, her heart began to race; quite odd considering how she had ordered the least caffeinated tea they sold and hadn't even taken a sip from it. No, she realized the rush of blood to her cheeks; her unmoving eyes and her drumming heart were all due to Natsuki's simple compliment. She smiled as she reached her hand for Natsuki.

If anything, she just wanted to touch those calloused hands, always gripped in a fist.

Of course, Natsuki caught sight of this. "Hey! What are you doing?"

Natsuki instinctively pulled her hand back, as well as the hand holding the coffee.

This, of course, led to no good.

"Ahh! You little brat! You poured coffee all over me!" a man in a business suit cried out. Natsuki whipped around to find the scream coming from the customer sitting right behind her.

Shizuru beat Natsuki to the delivery. "I'm sorry. But I did say it was hot."

The man wiped his face, revealing a receding hairline and thick bifocals. "I should sue you for spilling this hot coffee on me. In fact, I'm going to sue this entire restaurant for making the coffee so hot in the first place. Then, they'll have to put little disclaimers explaining how hot the coffee is and I'll be rich!"

Shizuru would not hear any more of this man's backtalk. As she stepped forward gallantly, she felt a pull on her wrist. She looked back and slowed down, seeing Natsuki's face.

Then Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's tea cup and spilled it to the man's face.

"Ahh!" The man cried out as he was being blinded by tea.

"Run, Shizuru! He can't sue us if he can't catch us!"

Shizuru, even through all the frantic motion of outrunning the waiters and the waitresses, she felt time slow down. Even as several cries called out, Shizuru's attention was looking at Natsuki. Natsuki, who not only protected her, but pulled her along, She couldn't comprehend happiness until she found Natsuki. Then, as all the men and women from the restaurant chased after her, she wished the moment would never end.

"Ara, ara."