Swept Away (ch10)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $10+ PATRONS!

Their time together is limited now, so the only thing to do is make the most of it...

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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														Chapter 10. Wish

Both girls seem to have come to a mutual agreement; that if they must eventually part ways for an unforeseeable amount of time, they might as well fill the few remaining days they have together with as many memories as possible.

Claudine takes off from her jobs and spends her mornings searching for as many flowers and stones she can find to let Mahiru remember her by.

Mahiru does the same, scouring the nearby waters for all of her old hidden treasures and seeking out as many new ones as she can.

They spend the afternoons and evenings alone together.

They lean shoulder-to-shoulder and talk until they're certain the other will be able to remember their voice, even long after they're gone.

They sing together, engraving the lyrics of their love deep into their hearts.

They kiss, more times than they should, and yet it still never seems to be enough.

They curl up together in the sand, savoring each other's scent and warmth and presence.

They let themselves get closer and closer for all the time they'll be forced to spend so far apart.

They do all they can possibly think to do together like this.

Claudine runs her fingers through Mahiru's thick black hair, traces them across her pale bare shoulders, and then up to cup her puffy tearful cheeks.

She gazes into her eyes long enough to still see them even when she closes her own.

She admires the layered ruffles of her top and skirt, the glossy smoothness of her scales, the soft sway of her fins.

She commits every part of her to memory, counting her many blessings that she'd ever been lucky enough to come across the most beautiful girl in the world.

And Mahiru thinks the same things as she engraves Claudine into her heart as well.

She lets her fingers trace through the wavy curls of her hair and all down her back, hoping she'll be able to remember the sensations of her clothes.

She breathes in her scent like sunlight as she gets lost in her eyes, pink like coral.

And when Claudine drifts off to sleep sometimes from the long days of being with her, Mahiru lays her head on her chest and listens to the soft beat of her pulse.

The days pass one by one. Claudine comes to her, rain or shine, and Mahiru is always there waiting. They try to keep laughing and singing and sharing things with one another.

But as the final days pass them by, their hearts are only filled with the deepest and most hollow sadness.

They've just spent another entire day together in their secret place, laughing and talking and trying to say as many things to one another as possible so that they'll have enough memories to choose from. The day had been cloudy and overcast, and likewise, the twilight is cold and gray.

And even though Claudine has worn plenty of layers of clothes, she still begins to shudder before very long.

Mahiru feels no such chill, but it pains her to see Claudine pushing herself to stay here just so she can be with her another moment longer.

Somehow, they'd both managed to avoid crying all day.

But now, as the weight of another passing night's presence looms over them, Claudine begins to hiccup softly. Mahiru can do nothing more than pull her close and bury her face in her shoulder. Claudine clings onto her, knowing it will be one of the last times.

"I'm sorry…" she gasps. "I should be trying to enjoy these last few days I have with you, and yet…"

Mahiru shakes her head, and only seconds later she finds herself crying too.

"It's okay… The way I see it… the fact that you're so upset by us having to leave one another… just speaks to how much you love me…" She can barely get the words out with how choked-up her throat has become. She can feel Claudine shaking, and she knows it isn't just from the cold.

"I love you, Mahiru," she whimpers. "And I know I shouldn't… or at least if I did, I shouldn't have told you… because now… now it's only going to hurt us both so much more-"

"Don't say that," Mahiru begs her. She eases back to cup Claudine's face in her hands, smiling a wobbly smile through the tears. "I'm the one who told you I loved you first, so if anything, it's my fault… But you know…" She wipes her eyes, and then brushes her thumb across Claudine's cheek to catch a few of her tears. "Even if it hurts… I'm glad we fell in love, Kuro-chan. These were the best days of my whole life!"

"Mahiru…" Claudine's heart beats heavily, and it feels like it might just shatter altogether. She leans her face into Mahiru's palm and softly kisses her wrist. "Me, too… Before I met you I'd… I'd never had so much fun. I'd never felt like my life had a purpose… Even if I can't stay with you, at least I can live knowing that you'll come back to see me some day. And that will be enough."

"I will-!" Mahiru cries. "I'll come back every year, no matter what-! I'll do anything just to see you again…"

"And I'll be waiting," Claudine murmurs. "I'll always be waiting for you, Mahiru…"

The words fade into the sea as both girls bury themselves in each other's arms again. Neither dares to speak the more frightening thoughts shrouding their hearts.

There's always the chance that something horrible could happen within the course of that year before they could see one another again - something that could prevent them from seeing each other forever. An accident, an illness - anything could take one of them away from the other, and they would never even know about it until they came back to this fated spot only to find it vacant. The excruciating pain of not knowing would surely be enough to destroy whichever one was left waiting endlessly at that shoreline.

Their worlds were simply too far apart, too different.

But even if Claudine's parents came for her, or she was forced to move elsewhere and had no way of letting Mahiru know she no longer resided in that hilly seaside town, she would find her way back to the sea at any cost.

Because she knows Mahiru would be scouring the earth's beaches in search of her forever if she had to.

And she would. Mahiru knows her own friends and family would never be able to stop her from searching for Claudine again.

After all, the love she harbors for her is very different than the love she harbors for them. This is the kind of love she never thought she could find or have. And yet, to find it in a human girl of all creatures…

"I wish…" Mahiru's voice cracks as it spills into Claudine's hair. "I wish I could stay here… with you… forever…"

Claudine holds her tightly.

"I know… But... I couldn't do that to you, Mahiru. You have an entire world to explore in that vast ocean. It wouldn't be fair for you to have to live only in this area just for my sake. You have a family. You have so many adventures you still have to go on." She eases back from her now, and can only pray her smile is more genuine than devastated. "It makes me so happy that you would even consider something like that. But I'd never be able to bear the guilt of knowing I'd more or less confined you here." She leans in closer to her, leaving a small kiss on Mahiru's forehead. "I want you to be free and live your life. Without me."

"No-" Mahiru sobs, grabbing fistfuls of Claudine's clothes. "You'll… You'll always be with me, Kuro-chan… no matter what… I won't forget you… I promise…"

Claudine kisses her lips and sighs, letting go of as much of the pain as she can.

"Thank you, Mahiru… Thank you for saving me that day. Thank you for coming to see me. Thank you for loving me. I'll never forget you, either. I'm sure next summer will arrive before we know it and I'll see you again…"

Mahiru tries to smile, but she just can't. With a heartbroken sob, she throws herself at Claudine and falls with her into the sand, wailing into her chest.

"I-It's not fair-! I wish… I wish…"

And it's then, with Claudine's quivering arms around her and the moon casting a silver glow over the night, when Mahiru discovers their answer.

With a sharp gasp, she suddenly pushes herself up, and lines of tears drip down onto Claudine's clothes. Startled, Claudine hesitantly reaches back up to her.

"Mahiru…?"

Mahiru's heart starts to pound, and her eyes glaze over for a split second before she snaps back into the present. Claudine still has tears in her eyes and all down her face, and she looks so terribly beautiful there in the sand, reaching up for her. Mahiru scoops her into her arms and helps her up as best she can, using her tail for balance in the sand.

"That's it-" she mumbles. "K-Kuro-chan, that's it-"

"What?" Claudine gently thumbs a lock of hair from Mahiru's face, tilting her face so she may look into her eyes. "What do you mean, Mahiru?"

Mahiru has stopped crying. Her eyes have taken on a sort of flickering, like the beginning sparks of a fire.

"Do you remember… I've told you about how I've searched the oceans for treasures, right? For stones and shells and anything else I can find…?"

"Yes…" Claudine searches her gaze, and that spark has started to ignite a tiny flame in Claudine's heart, too.

Mahiru squeezes her shoulders.

"And… do you remember I'd told you… there were stories about magical stones that could grant wishes…?"

Claudine isn't sure what feelings come to her now. It's so much all at once it almost feels like nothing at all. But it isn't long before she can tell her stomach is churning, and it suddenly feels a little harder to breathe.

"Mahiru…" She shakes her head slowly, but doesn't tear her gaze from hers. "You can't. It's too dangerous. You'd be traveling the ocean all by yourself. A-And you don't even know where those stones are or if they're even real-"

"But I have to try!" Mahiru cries. "I-If there could be a way that we could be together, then I have to try, Kuro-chan!"

"Mahiru, please-" Claudine gives her a gentle, firm little shake. "Please… You don't have to do that. Even if the stones did exist, it could take you years to even find one. All that would be time wasted from living your life-"

"It wouldn't be wasted," Mahiru protests. "Not if it means I could actually be with you in the end somehow, Kuro-chan."

"And I can't tell you how much I appreciate that thought," Claudine says. "Really, Mahiru. I want nothing more than to be with you, too… But who knows what searching for such a stone could entail? At least if we just keep to our original plan, we can still see each other in the summers. But if you go out looking for that stone… what if you never come back to me…?" The tears start falling again, heavy and burning. "I... I don't want that, Mahiru… I'd rather be able to see you a few weeks a year than never again for the rest of my life…"

"Kuro-chan…" Mahiru admits her resolve wavers upon seeing Claudine break down all over again. Maybe she's right.

But…

But if it meant they could be together-

"Mahiru." Claudine sniffles and gives her a stern look now, even through the tears. "You have to promise me you won't do something as dangerous as looking for that stone on your own. Maybe after you've met back up with your family you can look for it together as you travel. But please…" Claudine pulls her into a deep, shuddering hug. "I can live with being apart from you, Mahiru. How I can't live is without you entirely."

Mahiru locks both arms around her and swallows thickly.

"Kuro-chan…"

Her words make sense. But what Mahiru hadn't told her about the rumors of the stones was that they were very, very dangerous. She could never risk bringing her family along on such an expedition. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it alone-

"Ah-"

A sudden whimper from Claudine has Mahiru snapping out of her thoughts. The wind batters them particularly harshly, and Claudine starts to shiver violently. A steady rain begins to fall.

"K-Kuro-chan!" Mahiru gasps. "You need to go home!"

And she knows Claudine must really be freezing, because she doesn't even protest. As Claudine pushes herself shakily to her feet, Mahiru begins dragging herself back toward the water.

But in spite of the frigid temperature, Claudine still helps her get there, wading in up to her knees. Her teeth chatter as she hugs herself tightly, a numbing chill seeping into just about every inch of her.

Mahiru longs to give her one last hug, but she doesn't want to spread even more water onto her.

"Kuro-chan!" she begs. "Please. Go home and get some rest-"

"Mahiru." Again, Claudine says her name firmly, and even though she's trembling uncontrollably, her eyes are serious. "Promise me."

Mahiru swallows, swimming slowly as close to her as she can. Claudine stops hugging herself for a moment just to cup her face. Likewise, Mahiru cradles hers and pulls her down for one last kiss.

"Kuro-chan…"

Mahiru lets her go and slowly eases back. Her heart breaks as she watches the dreadful realization creep into Claudine's eyes. She shakes her head in dismay.

"Mahiru-"

"I'm sorry, Kuro-chan-!" Mahiru turns and dives into the water, just before Claudine can reach out to try and stop her.

"Mahiru-!" Claudine tries to follow her as far as she can, but in only a few steps the bottom falls away from under her, and a freezing surge of water rushes up to knock her back. Her body's already gone numb, and it takes all her strength just to stagger backward toward the shore. She can just barely see the ripple of the water to mark Mahiru's trail. The surface breaks, and a glimmer of blue appears for a heartbeat in the darkness.

"Wait for me, Kuro-chan! I'll be back! I promise!"

"Mahiru-!"

"I love you!"

And those are the last words Claudine hears from her before she disappears.

And she's so overwhelmed by the fear and the cold and the tears that she doesn't even get to say it back.

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A/N: Does such magic truly exist...?