Me: Noo!! Lelouch, why?! sobs Why did you die? looks around to see Naru Naru! continues sobbing Comfort me!
Naru: deadpan look
Mai: There there. pats on my back Naru is just the cold person he is. (thinks: Now I know why she shouldn't get pocky or sweets for that matter...)
Naru: glares
Me: sniffles At least you Naru and Inuyasha are still alive.
Sorry, last episode of Code Geass made me cry. And I'm not the emotional sort, mind you.

Disclaimer: The usual...

Cheers for my fourth chapter! Virtual cookies for those who reviewed and to my beta, Tama-chan! (aka Leenstarz)

The changing rooms of the gym were like any other ordinary changing room. It was plain, decent for a public school such as this. Tamiko brought Mai to the lockers, still hoping that the extra uniform that she had brought would be able to help compensate for her accident. Although Mai had assured her that it was okay while they made their way to the lockers, she couldn't help but still feel bad inside. Tamiko grabbed the neatly folded school uniform and handed it to Mai, embarrassed nonetheless. It was very disrespectful, one could say, accidentally spilling water on a stranger – no, a visitor – to their school.

"Thank you very much for your help, Tamiko-san." Mai had spoken, breaking the still silence between them. Her soft tone of voice told Tamiko that the accident was forgotten and that she was thanked for her help and good intentions.

"No problem." Tamiko smiled at her companions words. She led Mai to the stalls in the corner, providing her an opportunity to change with privacy.

"Arigatou." Mai repeated, hoping that this would assure the girl that she was not angry at the episode at all. With that, she entered the stall to change into the school uniform she had borrowed.

When Mai had finally exited the stall five minutes later, she noticed that Tamiko was still there, waiting for her. Tamiko stood up the moment as she left the stall, and answered her unspoken question. "I thought that you might want to know your way back. Since, you know, you don't really know your way around the school yet."

"Ah, thank so you much." Mai bowed this time. Maybe working for an overly ungrateful boss has made her appreciate the little things people would normally overlook. Maybe.

"Where are you supposed to be?" Tamiko queried, clearly showing that the whole student body did not know where they were staying.

"Etto… The base was in room…" Mai dragged on, trying to search in her brain the room number. "Ah! 3-E!"

"Oh okay. So it's in the second floor."

Mai followed Tamiko, anyone could easily mistake that they are classmates, except for the fact that Mai is a year older and that she doesn't even go to this school at all.

--

Naru looked over his notes over and over again, hoping to catch something he might have missed earlier. But, he is very confident that he didn't; after all, he is very competent on what he does.

Naru glanced at the screens, his arms resting on the table. His eyes flickered to the second screen to the right, the camera at the classrom1-F, showing Mai and a student in this school, was walking past the door. Naru guessed that she was the one who accidentally spilled water on his assistant. Speaking of which, he has to try to get something out of her. He noticed that the two girls came to a halt. 'Probably, a "girl" talk of some sort.' Naru told himself. Annoyed, he looked away from the screens, almost going downstairs to "remind" her that she has work to do.

"Takigawa-san," he suddenly spoke, deciding that Takigawa was more suitable for the task at hand. "Please go and remind Mai that she should not waste her time dilly-dallying."

--

Mai felt the same cold and sharp pang she had felt a few moments ago. She felt it, as the moment she passed through the school's economics room. She couldn't help but shiver at the decreasing temperature. Sure, by now, Naru would have noticed the significant change.

--

"Naru…" Masako spoke hesitantly, instantly gaining Naru's attention.

"What is it, Hara-san?" He curtly replied. 'Again with the formalities.' Masako thought, 'Why is it that only Mai, I mean Taniyama-san, that he would drop the formalities? Wait, focus Masako. Focus.'

"I feel the presence again…" She dragged on. The 'presence' that she had felt was taking its toll on her abilities. The sharp pangs it caused on her body made her weaker by the minute.

"Where is it?" He asked. But he didn't need to wait for her to reply since Lin swiftly informed him that something was happening. "Naru! The area beside the room 1-F is decreasing in temperature."

'1-F? That was where Mai was.' Without any second thought, he ran as quickly as he can to that direction.

Masako was unsure of whether or not Naru was merely curious of the events that were happening or that there was something else behind it. She turned to look at the monitors, hoping that they would give a clue. But the moment she saw the screen Naru was previously looking at, she wish she didn't. Because what she saw on that screen was Mai.

Ayako approached Masako and looked at the very same screen. She saw that Mai was surrounded by many students, but since it was only through a door, it was hard to see. But seeing the panic in Takigawa's face and that of John's, who apparently also made his way to the scene, she immediately concluded that something wrong was happening. She, together with Lin, left the base, Masako now alone. Masako couldn't help but scowl. Who wouldn't scowl, if they were left alone? But she couldn't rush down to help them. It was pretty hard to run for your life with a kimono on, and she wouldn't dare, unless of course if the occasion calls for it.

--

Mai looked at the distraught faces of the students slowly arriving, some merely surrounding her, and some looked as if they were planning to tackle. Well, she couldn't say that they were in the worst possible place yet, considering that she was being backed to a wall by a male student. This would be a pretty reasonable action, taking into account that a sharp silver kitchen knife was nestled on his right hand.

Since her back was to the wall, and that there was no way that she could find a way out. She knew that if she made on wrong move, the knife would no longer be in the boy's grasp but would somehow land on her body. GULP! 'Deep breaths, Mai. Deep breaths.' She calmed herself. There was no use getting panicky in a situation where one false move is definitely out of the question.

The boy's arm raised high and everyone's eyes widened, except Mai. She, out of hysteria closed her eyes, and tightened them when an unsettling pain hit her right arm. Unlike before, the pain this time was that of broken flesh, and she could feel the blood dripping down the fresh wound.

"Now!" someone of obvious authority barked, and the sound a desperate cry reached Mai's ears. This made her open in surprise, only to see three people pining down the young male. It was Lin, and two other students, and the pinned down male did not like this one bit and was struggling. It was a good thing that the three were managing and the student could not break hold. Naru was there too, getting the knife out of the offender's hold.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan." Takigawa then yelled out, the struggling man appears to be no longer possessed and John was making sure of that. Takigawa approached the troubled girl, concern filling his face. "Are you alright now, Mai?"

She could rattle out the numerous thoughts that filled her head and how terrifying the whole experience was. But instead, she settled with an "I'm fine", letting her tone speak for her.

Takigawa, or as his self-acclaimed little sister called him Bou-san, patted her head. He knew that she wasn't feeling okay, and that it was a very stupid question to ask. But, he couldn't help it; he was really worried back there.

Mai knew that Bou-san was just looking out for her; the worry in his face when he saw her a while ago was more than proof for this. It seemed that Ayako was also worried, because when she approached, she was talking more than usual.

Ayako grabbed the red ribbon that hung around Mai's neck. She used it to bandage the injured arm to stop the blood from flowing. The white sleeve of right arm was now drenched with the red, sticky fluid. The green skirt of the sailor fuku was now dressed with droplets of blood. But Mai, being the unselfish natured girl she is, wasn't thinking of her wound, even though it was the pain that made her flinch every now and then. No, she was thinking about the clothes Tamiko had lent her and how she was going to fix it.

"Come on Mai," she said, gently taking hold of the uninjured arm. "Let's get you to the nurse's office." Ayako then directed her to west, to the nurse's office.

The rest of the members knew that there was nothing they could do more than just stand in the sick bay. They made their way to the base, knowing that Ayako would be able to take care of Mai also with the fact that Naru would make them go there anyway. After all, Mai is alright, apart from an incision on her arm.

As they were walking, John felt that someone else was missing. Carefully checking before he would unnecessarily bring up the subject, he found out that someone was indeed missing. 'I knew I saw him a while ago…'

"Ano, where is Shibuya-san?"

Author's Ramblings: So did you guess what anime/manga would crossover?