Disclaimer- I do not own Mai-HiME/Otome or any of its related characters.
Mai-HiME/Otome belongs to the people of Sunrise.
Rating - T
A/N - I am really sorry! ... For not posting the fanfic last Thursday because I was busy studying for my upcoming exam.
Chapter 4
A Few Hours Later
Narrator's POV
The dorm had gotten much, much quiet once Haruka had fallen asleep in her room that she shared with Yukino. Everyone could do their stuffs freely without worrying whether they could accidently make Haruka angry or not.
Everyone were doing their own respective stuffs. Mai, Nina and Lena were teaching Arika on how to improve on her basic etiquette while Yukino and Mikoto were watching anime on the television quietly. On the other hand, Shiho and Mashiro were playing board games where else Erstin was playing her PSP with great enthusiasm and focus.
It was then that Mikoto suddenly felt her stomach kicking her furiously. Her focus on the anime K-ON! drifted off towards her stomach instead.
"... I thought i just feed you not too long ago?" Mikoto grumbles as she forced herself up from the couch. She walked slowly towards the kitchen, ignoring a few Huh-I-Thought-She-Ate-Just-Now looks from her fellow dorm mates.
Searching the refrigerator, Mikoto briskly took out a few packet of chocolate cookies she found laying deep into the fridge. Greedily, she open the packet of chocolate chip cookies and started munching.
"Hey! MIKOTO! That is MINE! MINEEEE!" Erstin screamed from the couch where she was laying down while playing with her PSP. Frustrated, Erstin bounced off from the couch and rushed towards the glutton, who deliberately ignored her and continue munching onto the chocolate chip cookies she found just few seconds ago.
"Finders Keepers." Mikoto shrugged as she wiggled away from Erstin's grasp.
"Mikoto! I bought it with my own money! Give it back to me! I haven't even eaten one piece!" Erstin pouts angrily as she reached out to snatch the cookies from Mikoto, who now held it away from Erstin, grinning as she popped a few more cookies into her mouth.
"You're so rich, Erstin. What's the difference spending some money on me?"
"WHAT? Who say I'm rich? I'm not rich!"
"You're the richest among us!"
"Nuh Uh..."
"Yah Uh..."
"Do you want prove?"
"I'm not rich! NOW GIMME BACK MY-"
"STOP IT YOU GUYS!" Lena shouted from her spot.
Mikoto and Erstin looked from the kitchen, stopping whatever they had to do and eye the former Miester Otome.
Then, as if they didn't care, both of them got back to their fighting. All the other dorm mates just stared, all but one.
Mai yawned and got up. Sloppily, she sank onto the empty couch beside Nina and said nothing as she eyed the television emptily.
"Mai-san.. Aren't...aren't you going to do anything?" Yukino timidly spoke up when she realized that the leader wasn't reacting to Mikoto or Erstin.
"Don't care." Mai's short answer caught everyone off guard, especially Yukino, Nina, Lena and Arika. How could this possible be? Mai doesn't care? Didn't Mai just spend her free time teaching Arika on basic etiquette? What's with the sudden change of personality?
The peaceful, quiet situation before was now replaced with a chaotic and loud situation. A loud crashing sound made everyone except Mai to look towards the kitchen. Gasping, Lena, Nina and Arika rushed towards the kitchen to pull both the fighting girls away from each other.
"Something is wrong! Why are they acting like this? Mai-san! Do something!" Yukino was almost in tears, looking at the sight of both her friends fighting over some stupid cookies almost broke her heart.
As far as she know, Mikoto would never go further than shouting over food. Although Mikoto was a glutton, Yukino knew that she loved everyone dearly, and would never hurt any of them physically or mentally. Even if the subject was food.
On the other hand, Erstin wouldn't even bother on the cookies she had bought that was now in Mikoto's stomach. She didn't cared less. Like what everyone had said, Erstin was the richest and didn't mind spending money on anyone of the dorm mates.
Yukino had conclude that this situation wasn't realistic and it was too unlogical. What's worse was that, Mai wasn't doing anything like she was supposed to whenever a fight occured. Instead, she just stared emptily at the anime that was now coming to an end on the television screen.
"Mashiro-chan?" Yukino pleads at her, who was firmly on the floor, grimicing.
"What? And get food all over MY hair? No way am I, Mashiro Blan de Windbloom would be doing this!"
"Since when do you care about your hair, Mashiro?" Mai mumbled nonchalantly and Mashiro ignored her remark and instead started peering into her nails. Shiho was suddenly looking at her nails as well and sighed when she compared hers to Mashiro's nails.
"SHUT UP!"
"NO, YOU SHUT UP!"
"CAN BOTH OF YOU JUST KEEP QUIET?"
With all the loud screaming and crashing and banging, it wasn't a surprised when a certain door was slammed open and loud heavy footsteps were heard.
"Oh no..." Yukino gasped when she realized something.
"WHAT. IN. THE. NAME. OF. GOD. ARE. ALL. OF. YOU. DOING?" The loud and annoyed hissing was heard and the person came into view.
Haruka Armitage, the dragon I mean devil had awoken.
And that, is not going to help with the situation they are all in now. Instead, it worsen.
When no one gave any response to the devil, she slammed her fist onto the table near her, making everyone except-once again-Mai- jumped.
"I ASKED A QUESTION! And I DEMAND an explanation for waking me up from my beauty sleep!" Haruka's voice rang like bells as she shouted at all the other people. All of them shivered and gulped nervously. No one likes to provoke the devil. They had already seen what happened in the morning with the flying chips.
"Erm... Haruka-chan... We.. We're Sorry!" Yukino bravely spoke up as she bowed ninety degrees.
"Yukino-san. It isn't your fault. It's HER's!" Erstin barked and pointed at the cat girl that was standing in between Lena, Nina and Arika. Mikoto, calmed and collected, ignored Erstin's remarks and continued to munch on the last cookies.
Then, Yukino almost got a heart attack when Haruka threw the neatly arranged anime figurines from the shelf to the floor.
"I DON'T CARE WHO'S FAULT IS THIS! YOU GUYS WOKE ME UP! NOW WHAT SHOULD I DO, HUH?"
Everyone grew quiet again, the only sound produced was from the ending theme of K-ON!. To avoid making Haruka angrier, Yukini quickly shut the TV off, despite mumbles from Mai.
"Wow, Haruka-senpai. I really envy your loud voice." Out of blue and somewhat randomly, Shiho sighed and frowned.
"Why is it that my voice is never that loud?"
Lena, Yukino, Nina and Arika gawked in surprised. Why on earth was Shiho caring about her voice now?!
Haruka eyed Shiho angrily, before opening her mouth to scream at her again.
"THIS IS-"
BANG!
Yukino gasped out aloud when Haruka drops onto the carpet. Behind her was Lena and she was holding a big fat book. Biting her lips, she quickly drop the book and pat Haruka.
"I am sorry, Haruka... I had to do this or the neighbors will find us. Oh God! I feel so remorse!" Lena said as she gently rubbed Haruka's head.
"Okaa-san! I can't believe you just did that." Arika said, her eyes wide as she and Nina continues to stand in between Erstin and Mikoto.
For a brief ten seconds, all was quiet and peaceful. Mai had already disappeared into her room, probably to get some sleep which seem unlikely of her, since she doesn't sleep in the evening. Shiho was playing around with Mashiro's hair, grumbling here and there and comparing Mashiro's features to her's.
This was odd, in Yukino's opinion. Why would Shiho cared about her appearance all of a sudden? It wasn't as if there were any hidden cameras around. Mashiro, on the other hand, was enjoying all the attention and praises that she got from Shiho. She had this dumb smirk on her lips as she continue to let Shiho compare her features to hers. From Mashiro's petite and slim size, to Mashiro's fair and glowing skin.
Erstin and Mikoto had calmed down. Mikoto was now cooking up some instant noodles, whereas Erstin quickly took away any of her belongings that were scattered around the living room.
"Er.. Erstin, what are you doing?" Nina asked, curious.
"Don't feel like leaving my things around. It isn't safe. You guys might use it and spoil it. Ugh!" Erstin muttered and quickly rushed to keep all her stuff into her room.
"Something is wrong, Arika-chan." Lena whispered to her child, who was glancing at Mikoto's large appetite in amusement.
"Yes, i agree. Its like... something changed all of them in a short period of time!" Nina whispered as she joined in the conversation.
"Hmm..." Yukino frowned, as if trying hard to rethink of something.
"Mikoto-chan would never shout at Erstin-chan like that. No matter how hungry she was."
"While Erstin-chan would never slap Mikoto-chan just because she took her cookies."
"Haruka-san would never throw the neatly arranged figurines onto the floor no matter how angry she was."
"Mai would NEVER EVER not stop a fight. AND, she HATES K-ON!"
"Not to mention, why would she act as if she don't care about any of us anymore?"
"Hmm..." The three of them frowned in unison.
"Only us seem normal. Mashiro is getting way obsessed with her appearance. While Shiho-san... Why is it that she starts to compare about her features with others? This doesn't make any sense."
"Maybe it is just a random mood swing? Maybe its the time of the month?" Lena suggested.
"Lena-sama? Are you saying that all of them came that 'thing' at the same time?" Nina asked timidly, blushing slightly at the thought of her talking about menstrual.
Lena sighed.
"Nonsense. Although, Haruka-senpai might be that case. You know, PMS?" Arika said.
"No... No matter how MAD Haruka-senpai is, She will NEVER throw her Anime Figurines! NEVER! she loves the figurines as much as she loves us!"
"This is some unsolved mystery... maybe this will be better the next day?" Lena asked.
"Hopefully, it will." Nina nodded in agreement.
Yukino sighed. Her brain was telling her that she knew something. But yet, she couldn't think of anything now.
"Ah... Yukino, Nina and Arika-chan... Mind if you help me carry Haruka to her room?" Lena points at the unconscious Haruka Armitage and they nodded. Carefully, they carried Haruka to her room, and drops her onto her bed softly. Just as they wanted to leave the room, a book fell from Haruka's bed, and drops onto the floor.
Yukino gasped out aloud. Her hands clasp her mouth as her eyes widen.
For in front of her very own eyes, were the book that could be the clue to solve the mystery. The book that caused all this misery in the first place.
Slowly, Yukino picked up the book.
"I think I know what is happening." She announced at Lena, Arika and Nina, who glance in a flustered way at Yukino.
"What's happening?" Lena asked and Yukino gulped.
"This." She said as she held the book up high enough for them to see the title.
The Seven Deadly Sins
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A/N- Thanks to my Best friend Ryn Hallard for helping me to write the omake and beta read the fanfic for me xD! Please review and give me some suggestion :D! On to the Omake!
-Omake-
Meanwhile…
"I wished I had lilac-coloured hair like yours." Shiho sighed.
"Mhnm, my father once told me that he liked the colour of my hair, out of all colours!" Mashiro grinned.
"I want my hair to be fluffy and light like yours too…" Shiho bounced the ends of Mashiro's hair on her palms, Mashiro not minding it a single bit.
"Well, you know what they always say; the blood of royalty is always different!" Mashiro smirked, her pride inflating like a balloon, the kind that floated down parades.
"Hah... now where is that pair of scissors?" Shiho wondered aloud.
"What for?" Mashiro asked.
"To snip off that hair of yours for myself." A malicious smirk sliced across the girl's face.
"E-Eh?"
She wants to snip my hair off? She WANTS my hair!? Has she gone mad? Oh man, what should I do? No way NO WAY!
"… I'm kidding…" Shiho patted her friend on the back.
I'll shave it off later when she sleeps.