Disclaimer: The characters and canonical storyline of Mai-HiME are the intellectual property of Sunrise, Inc. However, this story is mine.

Reflected

It was the difference between walking and striding; between gym shoes and high heels.

It was the difference between T-shirts and tank tops; between slacks and skirts.

It was the difference between chest bindings and a well-tailored bra; between workout shorts and lacy underwear.

It was the difference between slouching with your shoulders hunched up defensively around your neck, and standing tall with your chest out and head held high.

When Akira looked in the mirror, all she could see were those differences. What she was verses what she needed – wanted – to be. This mask of femininity didn't fit her particularly well, and she almost cursed the amount of effort it took to create that illusion. Even small steps were like canyons to her untrained eyes.

But she kept trying to reach past those gaps, until the day came when she could find herself equally comfortable with both worlds. Until she was certain that dressing like woman, being a woman, wasn't an act but a natural part of her identity.

Until she was finally able to slip into the dress she bought so many months ago, confident that what she saw in the mirror was what she wanted him to see.

Takumi silently came up behind her, dressed sharply in a suit to celebrate her seventeenth birthday, and rested his hands on her shoulders. His eyes drank in the sight of her; lithe frame carefully wrapped in long black silk, lips painted a subtle scarlet, hair pinned up to accentuate feminine features.

He touched a single kiss against her exposed neck, and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "You look… just beautiful tonight," Takumi said with more than a hint of awe in his voice. She smiled at the image; at the reflected picture they made together.

Yes, she definitely liked what she saw.