Mai-HiME Fan Fiction ❯ The Dancing Princess ❯ Sliced Potatoes ( Chapter 1 )

It was my goal to finish the series before I wrote any fanfiction (because most of the fanfiction I was thinking of was Mai attempted suicide fiction.) This is set after the series end, at the beginning of Natsuki and Mai's sophomore year. (I've got no idea what year Mai is actually in, but I assumed she was in the same year as Natsuki, and at the end of the series they mentioned she might have to take her freshman year over again.)

The title comes from the beginning kanji in the title of the show. I'm told it is the character for “dance/dancing.”

 

The Dancing Princess

Chapter One: Sliced Potatoes

 

Mai wiped her brow as she held the knife above the fruits in front of her, letting out a relieved breath. Soup was boiling in the pot on the stove, chicken being flavored in the oven, and now all she had left was the salad. It was a lot of work, but she was determined to make this perfect.

 

Mikoto yawned and slinked out of her chair, crawling across the floor to Mai's legs. Mai jumped as she wrapped around them, closing her eyes sleepily.

 

“Mikoto,” she scolded, “If you're tired, then take a nap. Just not on my leg.”

 

“Mai is working hard,” she muttered, peering into the pot. Mai waved the handle of the knife at her, closing the lid. “It smells good.”

 

“I hope it is,” she muttered. “Tate and I are going on an actual date. I've gotta make sure it's all finished. Nothing can go wrong.”

 

Mikoto stared at her for a minute before hopping back to the books she'd been staring at. A week into school, and they were already handing out homework, perhaps to make up for the chaos last year. Beside the books in a messy pile were the letters from Takumi and Akira (written between them as they argued on the paper. Mai had often commented on the fact that they were a cute couple, and Mikoto agreed heartily.) Mikoto ignored the mess of equations she'd been avoiding to pick up the most recent note. She had not known Mai's brother or his friend (girlfriend, Mai wrote back once, even if you don't admit it), but she'd managed to figure most of it out, including what wasn't completely written on the pages. Halfway into Takumi's speech about fighting evil monsters without him, Akira had grabbed it, jotting down notes about why he'd never been much help in the first place. By the end she could see them scrambling over the pen, scribbling on half of the paper. In the end, they'd signed their names and sent it out, probably too lazy to rewrite, or maybe they'd learned the consequences of writing together in the same room. (Even when they weren't, Akira had to get the letters out, and added her notes on the back of the paper, and some reassuring things to keep them calm about their situation. Recovery is fine, he'll be healthy and ready to return in a few months, I'm by his side, enjoy yourself, hope the whole boyfriend thing works out. Mai had been reading it aloud to her friends, and her whole face had gone red, along with Tate's, and Shiho's mostly likely in anger rather than embarrassment. Everyone else had laughed, until Shizuru started saying things that made Natsuki sink into the ground to hide her face.)

 

Mikoto found herself too hyperactive to sit down and nap, deciding to jump back over to Mai to sample her cooking. Last year, she'd shown real skill in heating up ramen for her roommate to snake on, or throwing things in a pot to simmer for five minutes. During the summer break, she'd gotten to show off her real talent, which included extravagant meals and picnic lunches. Certainly it had proven to make Mikoto's love for her grow, but if anything, she was trying to prove the way to a man's heart is through his stomach (or through his spinal cord, neck, hell, just rip it out of his chest, said Natsuki, who had an odd man-hating streak no one had really seen coming), feeding every little thing to Tate. (Like a pedophile leading children with candy, a certain bespectacled person had said, narrowly avoiding a beating from a certain red headed person.)

 

“Does Shiho know?” Mikoto asked without a trace of accusation that might've come from anyone else.

 

Mai sighed, spreading out foil and placing red potatoes in a mound. She washed the knife before she began to slice them in half both ways. “No. She's… gone for the weekend.”

 

Of course Mai felt like she was betraying someone she'd grown close to, but dammit she'd already had to torture him, push him away, and watch him die, and she still hadn't gotten her kiss! Shiho had already had that much; now it was her turn.

 

Shiho was going away (regrettably, and she'd asked some people about surveillance on you-know-who and “that one girl” who keeps trying to steal him away) for a family venture. The squid-haired girl had turned considerably meaner since the end of the past year, or maybe her true character had tumbled up along her with her protectiveness on Tate. Nao had bets going on how soon a catfight might break out, which was quickly silenced when they realized what had happened last time they'd fought.

 

(No one mentioned the events of the past year besides in a passing remark. Even with the loss of their HiME powers they'd kept their “most important person” at a close range, and they shared a small bit of paranoia and restlessness.)

 

(Mai had a feeling Natsuki's restlessness was missing her ability to conjure guns with a single thought. She'd probably always been paranoid, or at least never allowed near firearms.)

 

Mikoto tried to taste the soup as Mai added seasonings and vegetable oil to the potatoes. “She won't be happy when she finds out.”

 

No, she wouldn't. Mai felt her guilt grow when she realized she didn't care that much.

 

I don't. Tate's never liked her like that, but he'd admitted to loving me.

 

Her face turned pink at the memory. Of course the entire day was sort of dream-like, and trudging back home had been kind of syrupy, like looking at the world through shimmery cloth, or through a haze of smoke. Once they'd returned, they'd watched the school rebuild, then went about their business. Through all of the insanity, they'd been able to slip back into a life that was completely normal. It was like none of it happened, if you didn't account for the bonds they'd manage to tie.

 

And Mai still hadn't gotten her kiss.

 

She closed up the foil and stuffed the potatoes in the oven.

 

Notes:

No, not a particularly long chapter, but it was really just an intro. There will be more pairings (mostly canon)), and I will make sure to include Akira/Takumi, which no one seems to do.

((Okay, I honestly haven't read that many. Even the ones Nao gave me. I did start reading Resolutions! Then it was three in the morning, so I went to sleep.))

Oh, yeah. This is dedicated to Hoppy-chan, who is awesome and got me into My-HiME, and you should all go read her story she's working on. There are pirates, and Shizuru is a conniving Navy captain… I think she's a captain. She's something. It's hot.

I'll get more chapters done soon. Coincidentally, I started writing this while making potatoes in foil. I guess I'll have to do more baking to get the next chapter up.

Yeah, it took me forever to get the first chapter up. Not sure how soon the second will be, but as long as Nao's online, I'm sure she'll hand me some plotbunnies.

((::Must write that fanfic::))

`Til next time!

((Thank Hoppy again, since she helped me fix my grammar.))