[FFML] [Mai Hime, Future] A Dream of Flight

[John Biles]

On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 11:35 AM, David McMillan <skyefire at skyefire.org>wrote:

> John Biles wrote:
>
> >
> >     When I sleep, I dream of flight.  I soar across the landscape,
> looking
> > down on everyone, sometimes slowly, sometimes at incredible speed.  I can
> > fly to the moon if I desire or even to other worlds, where strange
> > civilizations dwell.  Some love me, some fear me, but everyone knows who
> I
> > am, for I am the Dragon-Rider, the Princess of Fire.
>
>         Ah... Mai's POV, finally.


That seems to be the common response :)


>
>
> >     Sometimes I wish my normal life was like that.  But most of the time
> I
> > know better.  Adventure has its vicious, dirty side.  Friends against
> > friends...I never want to have to fight someone I like again.  I couldn't
> > bear to see them die again.  Adventures mean fighting and fighting means
> > killing.  I've seen too much death.  We got off easy.  Too easy,
> probably.
> > Though I think we all became better people for it.
>
>         Well, except maybe Shiho.


Even Shiho.


>
>
> >     I feel guilty, sometimes.  Every time I know Midori and Nao's team
> has
> > gone into danger, every time I know Reito has gone with them even though
> he
> > has no powers at all...I try not to know, or I think I'd go crazy.  I
> > just...I can't.  I shouldn't.  I want a normal life.  And I can't just
> jump
> > back and forth between a normal life and fighting monsters.
>
>         Not enough telephone booths in Japan, for starters.
>        I feel for her, but... at some point, she's going to have to get off
> the fence (and this story seems likely to be heading in that direction).
>  Mai's about the closest thing to a den mother the Fuka Survivors have,
> and letting members of her "family" keep going into harm's way while she
> stays home is going to keep eating at her until something cracks.


She can't keep this up forever.



>
>
> >     "Hi, Shun," I said, smiling, then notice what he's wearing.  "Umm,
> Shun,
> > why are you wearing a Catholic girl's uniform?"
>
>         ...oh, *this* should be interesting.
>        And I suggest "Catholic girls' school uniform" -- Catholic girls in
> general don't have a uniform dress code (that I am aware of).


Doh, fixed!


>
>
> >     "Infiltration," he informs me, grinning.  "I had to sneak into Saint
> > Mary's and find out their plans for the One Act Play competition."
>
>         Shun comes across as sufficiently straightforward that any, ah,
> ulterior motives "on the side" probably didn't occur to him.
>

Shun also enjoys messing with people's heads.



>
> >     "..."
> >
> >     Shun twirls, skirts fluttering.  You'd think he was a woman...some
> days
> > I wonder if he can turn into a woman, really.  He certainly knows how to
> > exploit his skills for his own amusement.
>
>         I wonder if... nah.  Mai probably changed his diapers at some point
> in
> the past, she'd *know*.
>

Yep.



> >
> >     "Oh, I just thought I'd enjoy the campus a while; I wanted to beat
> rush
> > hour traffic."  I steeled myself to try and supress any tics which might
>
>         SP:  suppress
>

Doh!  Fixed.



>
> > give away the truth.  "And shouldn't you be in class?" I asked him.
> >
> >     He smiled that gentle smile he got from my brother, his father.
>  "Don't
> > tell me you never skipped class, Auntie Mai.  Or broke a curfew."
> >
> >     "I only did it when I had to f...," I caught myself just in time.
>  For a
> > moment, his eyes flicker and they are more his mother's in triumph than
> his
> > father's gentle ones.  And I wonder which of them he really got more
> from.
>
>         So much for suppressing any tics....


Heh.  Mai is really not a good liar.


>
>
> >     I let him lead me around campus, trying to see if I could sense
> > anything, if my tattoo would manifest, if I could feel my weapon.  But I
>
>         "Weapon" or "element"?


Element.  I screwed this up a lot in the first draft of this for some
reason.

>
>
> > couldn't.  It all seemed utterly normal.  Which was what I wanted for
> > Crystal, a nice normal school where you don't have to kill your friends
> and
> > no one gets attacked by monsters.
>
>         Except, of course, one of her friends is Nagi's son, which means
> she
> may *have* to kill him...
>

Yes, but because Mai has set a tradition of family members hiding things
from each other, she has no clue Nagisa exists!




> >     The door opened and a dark haired teenage girl with glasses and long
> > black hair, clad in a Rosewood uniform (blue dress with gold trim),
> stepped
> > in, holding a watering can.  "Shun, did you sneak out of class to come
> here
> > and make out with a girlfriend AGAIN?" she demanded, hands on her hips.
>
>         Okay, I guess Shun-kun's not gay.  Or is at least bi.
>

Shun is definitely interested in women.



>
> >     We headed towards her and she looked progressively more nervous; as
> we
> > passed her, Shun kissed her cheek, then ran, dragging me along.  "You're
> > cute when you're flustered," he yelled back to her.
>
>         He may be a Nice Guy, but he's also a flirt.
>

Most definitely.



>
> >     "Shun-san, don't kiss and run!  I mean..."  She then chased us
> angrily
> > in the manner of someone who chases people like this a lot.
>
>         It's official: too many "Ranma" reruns have permanently warped
> Japanese
> society.


Or warped me, anyway.


>
>
>
> >     "Back to class with you, freak," he said, carrying Shun off.
>
>         Well, that wasn't nice.  And actionable in some jurisdictions.
>  Shun
> seems to take it in stride, though.
>

Shun is used to this.


>
> >     The other studied me.  "Who..."
> >
> >     "I'm his aunt," I tell them.  "I came to visit my daughter Crystal
> and
> > he was showing me around."
>
>         "Him," not "them" -- the other coach just carted Shun off, yes?
>        And "Told," not "tell" -- the rest of the narration is in
> past-tense.
>
DOH!




>
> >     I heard Mitsu-san coming and waved her off; she retreated in time to
> > avoid being noticed by the coach.
> >
> >     "Parents are supposed to wait until class is over.  Come with me."
> >
> >     I end up in the faculty lounge a while, feeling like I'm in
> detention.
>
>         Present/past tense confusion again, here.


Writing the Mikoto story made a mess of my head.  ^^;;



>
> >     "We had a good time," Crystal said neutrally.  Clearly hiding
> > something.  But I won't pry.
>
>         Uh HUH.
>
> >     Much.
>
>        Like I said.
>

Inherited traits at work. :)


>
>     And it's hard for those of us in the family to really...people know
when
> you're hiding something.  When you have to keep a secret...though really,
> they're both pretty trustworthy.

        And besides, they were *there* for most of it, even if on the
> fringes.
>  Between that and Chie's nose for secrets, I'd be surprised if they
> didn't have a decent, if vague, idea of what happened.  At least enough
> to understand why the "family" is tight-lipped about it.
>

Yep.  They know something very strange went down but not the details...yet
at this point.


>
>
> >     Chie has published several books; I kind of envy her that, and it
> means
> > she has enough money to do what she wants.  Though the last I knew, she
> was
> > a journalist, not a journalism teacher.
>
>         ...okay, a chill just ran down my spine.  Chie may be here b/c
> she's
> chasing something, or... Something or Someone is drawing people who were
> in or around the last Festival together.
>

Wait 'til you see who else shows up at Rosewood in Road Trip :)



>
> >     "They were trying to find ways to view other dimensions," Chie said.
> > "So far as I can tell, what actually happened was a lot of people ended
> up
> > brain-damaged by electromagnetic fields frying their brains and basically
> > went mad in various ways."  She grimaced.
>
>         ...uh oh.  This could have a completely innocent explanation, but
> really, what are the odds?
>

Pretty high.



>
> >     "It's going to be a very good book," Aoi says, patting Chie's right
> > hand, which is on the gear shift.  "And I switched jobs so we could move
> > closer to Rosewood and save some money on commuting."
>
>         Um... in Japan, wouldn't she be shifting with her left hand?


Doh, yes.


>
> >     Their wedding rings are gold circles with a ruby set into them; I now
> > noticed each of them also wore a silver ring with a gemstone rose set
> into
> > it; Chie's was amber and Aoi's was yellow topaz.
>
>         Roses again.  Okay, I'm getting paranoid.
>

Heh.


> >     "The odds are pretty good they were already doing it by the time they
> > came back from Takumi's surgery, but I can't prove anything until they
> were
> > juniors," Chie said.  "However, once Akira's cover got blown, she had to
> > move into the girls' dorm," Chie continued.
>
>         Wonder how that happened?  Akira was pretty darn good at the whole
> Ninja thing... except when she ran into Takumi's Mihoshi Effect Field.
>

It's a bit trickier when the headmaster knows what you're doing :)

>
> >
> >     We eventually got to the restaurant; Tiger Claw is a pretty good
> Chinese
> > restaurant; I have to say that one thing I appreciate about being an
> adult
> > is being able to afford good-quality food.  Even if I would make their
> > orange sauce differently.
>
>         <Headdesk>  *Chefs,* sheesh.


HEH



>
> > as I topple over, knocking Aoi down," Chie said.  "Aoi smacks into Nina,
> who
> > crashes back into poor Erstin, who gets buried under both of them. And
> then
>
>         Ah, cameos from Mai-Otome!


Yep.  Major Nina Wang will be appearing a little in Road Trip, though sans
girlfriend.


>
>
> >     "Everyone does grow up eventually," Chie said, amused.  "Anyway,
> she's
> > got a big pile of money and coaches, Nina's a major in the Self-Defense
> > Force, and Erstin teaches elementary school and last I heard had finally
> > shacked up with Nina.  And Irina is doing 'secret things' for Haruka."
>
>         Ah.  Nice to see a universe where Erstin got something better than
> her
> canon fate.  And since Nina didn't have Ta-- I mean, *Sergei* in this
> continuity...
>

Heh.  NO DADDY LUST FOR YOU, NINA.



>
>
>         Hey, the guy *does* have one of the biggest Giant Robots in anime
> history.  Except no one knows that.
>        Side note:  I really, *really* want to see Roger pull out Big O and
> lay
> some serious smackdown on some Big Evil before this story is out.  Just
> to see the reactions from the HiME cast: "bbbut he's a GUY!"
>        And a Big O / Kagutsuchi staredown would be SO cool....
>

I'll just say the next story after Road Trip is titled 'Roger's Rules of
Order' and leave it at that :)




>     "He does seem different than her usual," Aoi said thoughtfully,
tapping
> her cheek with her chopsticks; this was a mistake as she now put barbeque
> sauce across her right cheek.

        Sug:  put<>smeared
>

DOH.


>
> >     "Senoh-sensei, you're smearing barbeque sauce on your cheek," Crystal
> > said to her right as I held out a napkin to her.
> >
> >     We both smiled as Aoi took it and embarrassedly cleaned her cheek.
> >
> >     "Are you all planning any more kids?" Aoi asked me.
> >
> >     "Not right now," I told her.  "We're both too busy with work."
>
>         She's 38.  Granted, she may still be just as capable of having kids
> as
> when she was the age she appears, but...


My Mom had her last kid at 42.


>
>
> >     "Well, remember, you'll get too old soon for kids," Aoi said, then
> > looked at me a second time.  "Even if you don't look it."
> >
> >     "We had to adopt," Chie said.  "And I suppose you could, but..."  It
> was
> > clear she wished they'd been able to have one who would be the natural
> child
> > of both of them.
>
>         ...so they *did* have a child?  Wonder if s/he will show up at
> Rosewood?
>
Yes.


>
>
> >     "Well, I'm sure she'll be understanding," I lied.  I have a teenage
> > daughter, I know better.  They're going to be in hell for days.  But they
> > brought it on themselves.  "But if you want to stay overnight at our
> place
> > tonight, that would be fine.  I'm sure Yuuichi-kun and Mikoto-chan would
> be
> > happy to see you."
>
>         Is it just me, or is *everyone* ending up sleeping at Mai's place
> (and
> sometimes *with* Mai, in a totally platonic fashion) at some point in
> this story?  That whole "den mother" thing again.
>

Not everyone yet, but there's plenty of time for them to!


>
>
> >     "Though it seems like you broadened your tastes after that," Chie
> said,
> > grinning.
>
>         First time through, I thought Chie was talking to Aoi.


Chie is referenceing the start of Episode 25.


>
>
> >     I suddenly wonder if she knows...but how would she?  "They're
> remarkably
> > comfortable to ride in," I said, then cursed myself for being a
> > blabbermouth.
>
>         <headdesk>  MAI!!!
>

The wall  of ignorance is starting to collapse because Mai is just not a
good liar.  Or good at hiding things.


>
>
> >     Of course, the day I impulsively invite old friends home is the day
> that
> > Takumi is hiding under the couch while Yuuichi (shirtless for no clear
> > reason), Akira, and Mikoto are sword fighting across the NEW FURNITURE.
>
>         <Gauntlet Voice>  Ninja, Catgirl, and Swordsman are ABOUT TO DIE.
>

EXACTLY.


>
> >     "Hi, sis!" Takumi said.
> >
> >     Aoi said, "Shirtless Yuuichi-san!!"  She wolf-whistled
> appreciatively.
>
>         And here I thought *Chie* was the "evil" one of that pair.
>
Their love is strong enough for them to TAKE TURNS being the evil one.



>
>
> >
> >     I slapped my forehead as Takumi got out from under the couch and came
> > over to shake hands with Aoi and Chie, though they both hugged him
> instead.
>
>         It must be just my nasty imagination that Aoi and Chie would be
> happy
> to 4-way with Akira and Takumi if they could get an invite...
>

Not that kind of story.



>
> >     Yuuichi said, "I'm sorry I'm not wearing a shirt, but..."
> >
> >     "We're not sorry at all," Aoi said, smiling and he turned a little
> red.
>
>         And Chie doesn't mind this?  What am I *saying,* Chie probably
> *encourages* it.


Amen.

>
>
>
> >     By the time I got back out, everyone had settled down into chairs and
> > the couches in the living room; Takumi was sitting next to Akira, who had
> an
> > arm around him, holding him very tightly, which surprised me as Akira's
> > never been great at that kind of display of affection.
>
>         Wonder if she feels C&A are "interested" in Takumi?
>        But did Yuiichi put on a shirt?
>

Left to the reader's imagination.  AS for Akira, they're making her feel
just a wee paranoid, yes :)



>
> >     We settled down for a nice long chat.
> >
> > ***************
> >
> >     Later, I went upstairs to take a bath, while my lovers and my sister
> > were in the backyard trying to beat each other up, while Chie egged them
> on.
>
>         But what about her brother?
>

Doh!  Must fix.


>
> >
> >     So I let her get in close and worked on her hair while she showered.
> > "I'm worried about this story Chie's working on," she said to me finally
> as
> > she scrubbed her stomach.
>
>         Yep, it's a pattern:  people who are worried or stressed in this
> story
> keep ending up in mildly intimate situations with Mai.  Who makes them
> feel better.
>

It's part of her job as Dragon-Princess.



>
> >     "Go on?" I said, slowly working through her long hair; I keep my hair
> > short because washing long hair is a huge pain.
> >
> >     "The Tallin Instititute was engaged in really dangerous experiments,
> but
> > it had really big money behind it," Aoi said.  "I'm just afraid Chie's
> going
> > to get herself in over her head."  She sighed.  "I hate to burden you
> with
> > this, but I just need to talk about it to someone who cares.  Without
> having
> > another fight with Chie about it."  She sighed deeply.
>
>         Research Institute... exotic science... big money... just what
> *did*
> happen to all the pieces of the Searr's Foundation after the end of the
> last Festival?
>

That's a very good question.  Especially given some stuff...which you can't
know as it's in the next story, which should hit the list this week.



>
> >     I know the feeling.  Luckily, I can usually talk to Akira about
> things
> > if I have trouble with Yuuichi or Mikoto.  I patted her shoulder.
>  "You're
> > afraid they may try and...'deal' with her?"
> >
> >     "Yes.  Also, she plans to sneak into the Tallin Institute ruins and
> poke
> > around.  Which is completely crazy.  It's totally dangerous and an
> > invitation to get shot by security," Aoi said.  She sighed.  "But Chie
> won't
> > back down. You know how she is."
>
>         Sounds like a job for a... ninja.
>
Yep!


>
> >
> >     "Happens ALL THE TIME."
>
>         I can *see* Mai's face as she says this... ROFTL!
>

HEH.


>
>
> >     "Crystal, Shun, and a classmate of theirs are here, having gotten it
> > into their heads to sneak around the place and investigate.  Can you
> bring
> > Yuiichi-san or Mikoto-chan and haul them off?"
>
>         <facepalm>  Of course, after Crystal heard about it at dinner....
>

Half the reason Mai sent her daughter to boarding school was to reduce how
much she could accidentally reveal :)



>
>
> >     Mikoto smiled brightly and I caved in.  She wants to help but I
> usually
> > hold her back. And really, this shouldn't be that dangerous, unless it is
> a
> > power zone, in which case they may need me.
>
>         Unless it's a *different type* of power zone.  Who says that the
> HiMEs
> are the only paranatural beings in the world?
>

Exactly.


>
>
> >     "My sister could take out half a dozen security guards if she had to
> > without getting hurt.  And Chie-san is old enough to take care of
> herself."
> > Though I now realized I couldn't see Chie anywhere.
>
>         Arguably, though, Crystal could hold her own in a fight better than
> Chie.
>

As long as it's a melee fight, most definitely.


>
> >
> >     She's far too determined to stick her nose in a light socket, but at
> > least she has a little discretion.  I love my daughter, but sometimes she
> > makes me crazy.
>
>         And this is abnormal *how*?
>        Mai is missing the hint, here; things are getting to a point where
> keeping the secret is going to put Crystal at *more* risk, not less,
> even if there *aren't* any Shadowy Powers moving about behind the
> scenes.  If nothing else, Crystal's going to keep digging until she gets
> hurt.
>

Yes, exactly.


>
>
> >     "You exploited the affections of a schoolmate to get her to help you
> > break school rules and come here to risk your life," I said sharply to
> her
> > and she now looked mortified.  "Unless Mitsu-san is hiding secret combat
> > abilities, you were putting her in danger to satisfy your own curiosity.
> > And there's nothing worse than playing with someone's feelings!
>  NOTHING."
> > I had to force myself to calm down as I was about to start screaming at
> the
> > top of my lungs.  And it had been Shun's idea, I was sure of it.  Dammit.
>
>         Whoops, just grazed one of Mai's Hot Buttons.
>

Just grazed her number one hot button, in fact.



>
> >     I suddenly realized everyone was looking at me expectantly.  When had
> I
> > suddenly gotten in charge of this expedition?
>
>         "Den Mother."  'nuff said.


Yep.  Also, think about what Mai does for a living.  :)


>
> >     Mikoto bounced back and forth excitedly.
>
>         <facepalm>  Of course.
>

Mikoto is very, very happy with this.



> >     Part of me was now extremely nervous.  The other part was extremely
> > excited and almost eager.  And a third part quietly noted there was no
> way
> > any of the Childs except Dhuran could fit into this basement.  Maybe if
> > Diana flattened herself out a lot, but certainly not Kagatsuchi.
>
>         Is Duran still pint-sized?  His motorcycle mode was certainly
> handy,
> but his last appearances in canon (after Natsuki admitted to her
> feelings) were easily on scale with the other Childs.
>

Dhuran is whatever size Natsuki needs now, but yeah, he achieved MEGA-DURAN
mode in episode 25.  Which was an awesome moment.


>
> >     "Even when the equipment was functional, this didn't happen," Chie
> > said.  "Unless it was normally contained somehow."  She got out a
> microcomp
> > and began paging swiftly through notes.
>
>         ...wait.  How would she know, unless she was present when the
> equipment
> was running before?
>

She interviewed survivors to find out what they knew, had observed, etc.
This is also why she's toting a geiger counter, just in case.



>
>
> >     "Doctor Wang and Doctor Homer," Chie whispered.  "They don't
> > normally...that isn't radiation is it???"  She pulled a box and waved it
> > around but it made no noise, which relieved her a little.
>
>         ...Chie carries a Gieger counter around?
>

She does when going to a wrecked experimental facility which played with
dimensions and energy fields.



>
>
> >     Given he was white and Wang looked Chinese, it was hard for me to see
> > them as brothers.
>
>         Look out!  It's the MYSTERONS!!!
>        Well, okay, no, but you know what I mean.
>
Yes.




>
> >     They said something totally incomprehensible with a bunch of growls
> and
> > klicks and car crash noises I can't even reproduce.
>
>         Ah, *Vorlons.*  That explains everything.  :)
>

It DID end in fire, after all.


>
> >     "Dhuran, BURNING ALUMINUM ROUND," Natsuki shouted.  He fired off a
> huge
>
>         That's new.
>

Dhuran has gotten stronger, yep.


>
> > bullet into the generator, which now exploded in a ball of flame.  The
> > shockwave knocked all of us down and I landed on Chie, who now began
> blazing
> > away with her pistol at the tiger-things.  To my surprise, the bullets
> > actually hurt them, though it took several shots to kill any of them.
>
>         FINALLY!  Supernatural monsters that *can* be killed by bullets!


Heh.


>
>
> >     And now something bigger strained at the rifts, as if trying to come
> > through three of them at once.
>
>
>         But Duran blasted the generator, and Mai set the other machinery on
> fire.  Are these rifts self-sustaining, then?
>

As we see later, the things on the other side can rip holes too; however,
now the area in which they can do is shrinking now that the magic is fading.



>
> >     I could see several tiger-things coming towards Natsuki at once; I
> could
> > sort of hear Yukino saying something to Chie, and Chie said, "Yukino says
> > she's got satellite footage of something above you, a giant humanoid of
> > metal, like a military combat mech.  No clear ownership markings,
> though!"
>
>         Giant... humanoid...  YYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!  It's SHOWTIME!!!!
>        And, given where Chie is, I'd expect her to say "above US," not
> "above
> you."


Doh, yes!

>
>
>
>
> >     Something huge and strangely two-dimensional lashed out of the rifts
> > with some kind of tendril at Natsuki, but the robot interposed itself,
> > blocking the attack and shooting into that rift.
>
>         Wait... are these things *concentrating* on Natsuki?
>

She's the one with a deadly Child present, so yes.



>
> >     Akira now took the head off one of the spectral, twisted figures
> which
> > had been controlling the two scientists and began chasing the other.  I
> > blasted the other one with flame and it evaporated, leaving only an
> > after-image.  I could see the bubble shrinking and now the giant robot
> > rippled.
> >
> >     Rippled?
>
>         Hm.
>
Rippled like Ruffles!


>
>
> >     "But we already know all the Childs, don't we?" I asked her.
>
>         Sure, unless (as I keep saying) there are *other* Powers in the
> game.
> But no one listens to me.
>

Shout louder, surely they will hear you then! :)



> >     "Maybe her love for Mr. Smith created a new Child!" Mikoto said,
> > suddenly perking up.
>
>         Um... other way 'round, I suspect.
>

Mikoto is pretty close, though.



>
> >     But why now, I wondered.  And not back then?  Or had we undone some
> > limit on the number of battle princesses when we ended the Festival?
>  Chie
> > had been at the school, so maybe...but it didn't seem quite right to me.
>
>         Ah HAH!  They did a "Buffy Finale" thing (by accident) and
> activated
> all the *potential* battle princess (and princes).  Yeah, sure, *that's*
> it...
>

That would be telling.


>
> >     "So now what?" Aoi asked nervously.
> >
> >     "Yukino's going to investigate some," Natsuki said.  "I think the
> site
> > is useless to them now, but we need to be watchful.  Too many unanswered
> > questions."
>
>         Well, for one thing, there's the question of who the two "doctors"
> were, and if there are more out there.
>        And the fact that someone was able to create a magic zone, or let
> enough magic leak between realities to create a temporary one, via
> *technological* means, is a Big Deal.  Imagine if Haruka's R&D division
> coudl come up with, say, a semi trailer that could generate a temporary
> magic zone within which the HiMEs could call up their Children *on
> demand*....


Yep!  Could be pretty useful.


>
> >     "Mom, you're not off being a spy instead of a consultant when you're
> at
> > work, are you?" Crystal asked, sounding slightly hysterical.
>
>         <ahem>  See, I *told* you, Mai.  Keeping Crys ignorant is just
> going to
> make this *worse.*
>

Yes.


"
>
>     There was a brief silence.  "Wait, does that mean Natasha has the
> mech???  How did Natasha get a mech?  Where is she keeping it????"

        Go ahead, Mai, keep digging this hole deeper.
>

Heh.



>
> >     "I'm sure it's just one of Natasha's stupid plans," Shun said.
>  "Unless
> > that was her mech the people saw at the burning research facility I note
> you
> > carefully haven't mentioned."
>
>         Nice way to potshot the elephant in the room, Shun.
>

He keeps hammering at this too.



>
>
>
> >     "No, of course not," Kasumi said, staring at my feet.  Bingo.  She's
> an
> > even worse liar than Crystal.
>
>         Ah hah.  And she was doing Tai Chi to help stay awake.
>

Yep.  And because of Miyu.


>
> >     "We weren't doing anything wrong, just having a little romantic tryst
> > like you all did in high school!  Don't oppress me with your hypocrisy!,"
> > Natasha said.  "I know all about it!!!!  Put me down, Auntie!"
>
>         Actually, I'm not sure anybody *was* getting any action at Fuka.
>  Well,
> aside from Yukariko, and whatever-the-heck-it-was that Nao was doing.
> Aside from that, I recall a lot of googly-eyeing and blushing and
> sighing, but not much actual nookie.
>

Talking purely what we see on-screen, it's only Yukariko, I think.  Nao was
basically luring men in but then mugging them.

Mind you, Shiho was ready to have sex with Tate at Age 12.  _12_


>
> >     "Kneecap him, honey," Akira said firmly.
>
>         <boggle>  Shun must be more dangerous than he lets on.
>

He's the best unarmed fighter of his generation of the kids.  By a lot.


>
> >     Gin went down in about two seconds.  "C'mon man, bros before hos!"
>
>         <BOGGLE>  Oh, he did NOT just say that...


Worst possible thing to say.

>
>
>
> >     Shun, on the other hand, to my surprise, now had Gin by the throat.
> > "You just called my mom a 'ho'!" he shouted; I could see Gin's hair
> shake.
>
>         <blink>  Whoa, Shun has a dark side?
>

There's a little demon in all of us, unfortunately.
>
>     I studied the writing; it looked like a love poem to me, though a
little
> oddly worded.  Kind of sweet and romantic, really.  Though kids that age
> shouldn't be getting half-naked in the woods.

        Writing love poetry on your girlfriend once you've gotten her
> half-naked, especially on her *back,* does seem a rather odd activity
> for a teenage male.  And a lot more innocent than most of the other
> things they could've been doing.


Gin and Natasha both have a strong romantic streak in addition to both
liking sex.  I got this idea from a Buffy episode.


>
>
> >     "Not the mafia," I said.
>
>         ...you know, Mai, if you're not going to come clean, STOP DROPPING
> HINTS!
>

It's a good thing she's not a ninja or a spy.


>
>
> >     "The kicking ass was just a bonus!  Mai-chan....," Mikoto began
> > excitedly, then paused and walked over and hugged Crystal.  "It's okay,"
> she
> > said softly.  "I will always protect Mai-chan.  Always."  Her voice was
> very
> > firm.
> >
> >     "We're not going to get strip-searched again, are we?" Kasumi
> mumbled.
>
>         ....what?
>

The family custom of checking the kids for HIME SIGN, not that the kids know
what it is.


>
>
> >
> >     I arranged to be sick at work the next day and stayed over at Chie's
>
>         That first part just reads *oddly.*


Yes.  Will rewrite.


>
>
> >
> >     "THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL," Shiho shouted and I nearly lost
> the
> > phone again.
>
>         ROTFLMAO!
>

HEH.



>
>
> >     "We're taking Aoi and Shiho for a test once the others get here," I
> told
> > her.  "We'll call you if we need you."
>
>         "Aoi and Shiho"?
>

DOH@!  Fixed.



>
>
>         Megas Bank?  I'm going to assume that's a loose reference to
> MegaDeus,
> and not a hint to expect a "Megas XLR" crossover event.
>

Utter pure coincidence. I just pulled a name at random out of my head.



>
>
> >
> >     Later, Nao arrived with her gang and we headed out to what passes for
>
>         Somehow, "Nao arrived with her gang" just does *not* natually bring
> up
> a vision of nuns-with-guns.  Or nuns at all, honestly.
>

NUNS WITH GUNS.


>
>
> >     A third car passed me, this time full of men in black suits.  What is
> > going on???
>
>         Shizuru destroyed the First District... maybe it's Will Smith and
> Tommy
> Lee Jones?
>

Heh.
>
>     Then I heard Yukino shout, "BREACH!  BREACH!"
>
>     The sky outside began to shimmer; I knew that glow.  "They somehow
found
> us here!  Yukino, see if you can find a way to close the breaches!
 Natsuki,
> Nao, call your Child and attack!  Sister Yukariko, see how many of them
you
> can trap in a fantasy.  I'll cover Aoi and Chie!"

%%       Wasn't Mai just last night complaining about the others looking to
her
%%       or orders?  Heh.

Yes, she was.  But her instincts are taking over here.  :)



>     The house came apart around us as our Childs erupted from the ground;
I
> winced, hoping it wouldn't cost too much to fix it, though I knew it
would.
> Soon, Aoi, Chie, and I were in the air, riding on Kagatsuchi.
>
>     It was only when Aoi mumbled, "So cold..." that I realized they were
> still in their underwear.

%%       Oops.

HEHEH.

>
>     I wove fire around myself, shielding myself from the winds, then wove
> shields around Chie and Aoi as well to keep them warm.  I could see Mikoto
> and Miyu ripping one of the gateways shut and Dhuran blowing a hole in
> another one at Natsuki's command.  Many of our foes wandered around in
> confusion as Sister Yukariko directed her Child.  It was going well.
 Julia
> was webbing up creatures and devouring them as Nao danced about, slashing
> creatures open.  I blinked, noticing Julia looked a lot larger than I
> remembered from the last time I saw her.

%%       Hmmm...


Hmm, indeed.



>     Please, if there's anything listening, I thought, give me the power to
> save her and protect Aoi.  I'll do anything, anything at all.  PLEASE.
> Please let me protect those I care about.

       Uh oh.


A dangerous request as we'll see next time...



>     I felt a sudden burning over my left breast and instinctively, I held
> out my camera phone and triggered the flash at the creature.  Something
was
> lighting up my face and shining on Mai as well as we drew closer to each
> other and the light seemed to grow even brighter as my flash went off and
> the creature flew into the light.  It howled and the light washed over it
> and now it was blinded and I started laughing even as Mai caught me.

%%       It can't be that simple... can it?

That's a very good question and our heroines don't know the answer either.


>
>     "That is our Child, Erica," I told Aoi.

%%       Echoes of the manga?


I haven't read enough of the manga to be sure.



>     Erica jumped up towards us again; I felt bad for her and wondered how
we
> could best teach her to fly.  Given neither of us could fly, we couldn't

%%       That's just Aoi all over -- gets handed a new adoptee, and just
starts
%%      mothering.


Yep!


>     I'd already applied a bandage to each of them's forehead bruise and
was
> treating Haruka's injuries when I suddenly realized that I was still
> half-naked and somehow had a doctor's bag with me that I hadn't even
brought
> to the farm!

%%       ...wow, is *everybody* getting HiME powers now?

Not everyone but more than before....


>     Also, my chest was glowing and I could see the mark on my left breast,
> exactly where Chie had hers, except my breasts are a lot bigger than hers.

%%        Now *that's* suspicious -- all of the HiMEs had their marks on
%%    different parts of their bodies.  Either there's something different
%%   about the way that Aoi and Chie suddenly got promoted to HiME status,
or
%%  they somehow got upgraded as a pair rather than as individuals.

A very good question.  One might  think about who else has their mark
there...


>     Also, I could now see the injuries fading as quickly as I treated
them,
> and my mouth opened wide.  A shadow fell over me and now I could see Erica
> standing over my patients and I, her giant metal furry body shielding us
as
> she batted a twisted toucan into her mouth and ate it.  She looked even
more
> gigantic than before.
>
>     Haruka opened her eyes wide and stared at me, then for a moment looked
> intensely frustrated.  But then she smiled at me softly.  "You're lucky,"
> she whispered, then sat up, saying, "Thank you."  She propped up Mikoto,
who
> now rubbed her forehead.

%%       Mmm... Haruka's jealous, though not, it would seem, dangerously so.
%%       Still... is it just barely possible that *Haruka* could be behind
some
%% of this?  That she's been looking for a way to become a HiME herself,
%%  out of a feeling that she needs it in order to be a full partner with
%%  Yukino?

Haruka is definitely looking for the power as we see later.



>     Indeed I did.  I was starting to think I could pull just about
anything
> medical out of my bag.  Which was pretty cool.  This could be very helpful
> at work.  It was probably going to have to be the knife, though, as I
don't
> think I could effectively manuever enough to 'sew' the rifts shut.

%%       Aoi generally comes across as one of the less clever characters.
 It's
%%  nice to see her demonstrate her intelligence, especially in such an
%%   out-of-context situation.

She's smarter now than she used to be; had to work harder and think more to
make it through nursing school.


>     We took care of the rest of the rifts with the help of our Childs, but
> now we had to figure out why this had happened.  Had these things learned
a
> way to break through?  Was this a revenge attack?  And could it happen
> again?

%%       That's a nightmare scenario, actually: an enemy that can simply
appear,
%% without warning.  Even if they can only break through at points where
%% magic is ambient enough to let the HiMEs call up their Children, keeping
%% all those points covered is a non-trivial problem.
%%       And, of course, there's the question of those other cars on the
road.
%%  What was up with them, if the rifts were opened from the other side?

Some very good questions.


>     "The Crimson Huntsman, red in tooth and claw, is not very happy with
the
> Hime and has declared vendetta on you."

%%       ...okay, that was opaque.  Mashiro is getting all oracular again, I
see.

Pretty straightforward if you know who that is!





%%       Still, there are prices, and *prices.*  In the long run, most of
the
%%  HiMEs made it out of the Festival in better shape than they entered it,
%%  despite going through some pretty harrowing stuff.


Yep.  But of course, they evaded permanent prices by finding a way to cheat
and break the rules of the game...



>     "Not yet," I said.  "I'm sure we can handle this without dragging them
> into it."

%%       De Nile isn't just a river in Egypt.  It hasn't ocurred to her yet
that
%% someone else might decide to offer the kids (Crystal, for example) The
%%  Awful Truth by bringing them to a hot spot, and then invest them as
%%  HiMEs, maybe using means that allow them to control the newly-minted
%%  HiME afterwards.

Hehe.


>     And the other thing...what was I supposed to do?  Ask 'why aren't you
> dating Yukino?'  'Do you love Yukino?'  'Is something wrong with your
> heart?'  I have no right to pass judgement on their love.  And I...I
hadn't
> understood my own feelings when I made my bargain.  I certainly was
> conflicted, in denial. So that couldn't be it.  Could it?  But what else
> could be holding Haruka back?

%%        Would have been nice if *somebody* had spent the last two decades
%%  *reasearching* the subject.  But then, it probably doesn't lend itself
%%  to scientific analysis.

Someone has spent CENTURIES on it.  Good luck getting the Sears Foundation
to SHARE, though.


>     Haruka pounced on me like a cat and I toppled against the wall as she
> hugged me tightly.  "Thank you," she whispered.

%%       Distressed people come to Mai, and leave feeling better.  It's a
%% pattern, I'm telling you.


Yep!


>     I just wish I knew what the stakes ARE.

%%       Well, we know they're big.  And that they include the safety and
%% freedom of most of the people who are most precious to the main
%% characters.  That's enough to start with.


Yep
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