Tender Moments (ch4)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY HIGHER-PLEDGING PATRONS! THANK YOU!

Time for the punishment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

---------------

															Chapter 4.

Maya wakes groggily the next morning and doesn't open her eyes right away. She can tell she had a wonderful night's sleep with Claudine beside her, but the reason for her less-pleasant awakening now is because she can't seem to find her partner.

In a half-conscious blunder, she reaches out for the spot she knew Claudine to be, and finds it vacant. She rolls a little to one side of the bed until she feels the drop over the edge and then does the same for the other side. In this manner, Maya comes to the conclusion that Claudine is no longer there.

She doesn't understand why. They'd often get up together, or Claudine would be the one to sleep longer, but the rarest option is that Claudine would get up before her. It has Maya worrying even before she's opened her eyes; has something happened? Is she feeling sick?

Maya opens her eyes quickly and searches the bed she already knows is empty. The sheets where Claudine is supposed to be laying are cold. Maya sits herself up promptly, rubbing her eyes as she gazes around the room.

"Claudine...?" She can't help but worry.

But the moment Claudine struts out of the bathroom dressed in her uniform and fully prepared for the day ahead, Maya is relieved she seems to be all right. With her chest puffed out proudly and her hands on her hips, Claudine proclaims a greeting.

"Well, a good morning to you. I take it you slept well?"

Maya is glad to see her acting like her usual self, for the most part.

"I was, until you left."

"How touching." Claudine pulls a hair brush through her curls and doesn't take a step closer to the bed where Maya is still waiting for her. "Then I suppose you'll have to brace yourself for a few restless nights."

Maya's eyes go a bit wide in shock, and she stiffens as she starts piecing things together.

"Are you... perhaps leaving? Going back to France?"

If so Maya will come with her. She'll do whatever she has to-

"Oh, heavens no!" Claudine says. "I'm not going anywhere. But then again, neither are you. Not anywhere near me, that is."

Now Maya is simply puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Claudine flips her hair over her shoulder, holding her chin high.

"After much deliberation, I have decided on an appropriate punishment for you. Since you couldn't seem to keep your hands off of me last night, I hereby declare that Tendo Maya is not allowed to touch me for the next three days and nights. Meaning we will not be dancing together, nor will we be sharing a bed." Claudine grins wickedly. "This is your punishment. Now once you've got it through your head, you may go back to your own room and think it all through." With a twirl of her heel, Claudine marches back into her bathroom to finish up her hair.

Maya blinks and watches her go, more amused by the declaration of a punishment than anything. Of course Claudine would make such a massive deal about something like this and decide on such divine retribution. Maya's just glad nothing's actually amiss.

So she rouses herself from the bed, steps into her slippers, and heads for the door.

"Then I suppose I'll see you in class, Ma Claudine."

Two can play at this game. Even if Maya won't be able to touch her, she'll still do her damnedest to drive her mad.

She'll just have to imagine the blush her words have created on Claudine's face for now, and slips out into the hallway to make for her own dorm.

And so her punishment begins.

It starts out rather easily, as their usual lecture classes are ones they never really make physical contact during anyway, so not much changes there. But Claudine does make a great effort to ignore Maya's comments and stray glances even more so than she normally does.

At lunch time, Maya nearly forgets herself and sits next to Claudine, but a pointed grunt has her remembering, so she moves down the bench to sit beside Kaoruko instead.

And of course their friends are all in shock.

"Um, Tendo-san?" Kaoruko says. "Aren't you sitting in the wrong spot?"

"Not at all," she replies smoothly, without even so much as a glance at Claudine. Kaoruko and Futaba share a look of utter confusion, but don't say a word.

Down at Claudine's end, Karen is asking the same thing.

"Kuro-chan? Aren't you going to sit with Tendo-san like always?"

"Why should I?" she huffs. "It's not like we have to sit together all the time."

Karen yelps and shrinks back between Mahiru and Hikari.

Everyone notices then that the two are acting extremely strangely. They hardly speak to one other in their afternoon lectures, but Maya always has the same calm collected smile on her face, and Claudine has the same indifferent frown.

Oddly enough, they don't seem... upset.

When it's time for dance lessons, they don't stand near each other in the changing room, nor do they go about their usual flirting antics of practicing the movements or brushing each other's hair. They simply walk right by one another without a care in the world.

Everyone is sharing nervous glances by now.

"Oh my," Nana murmurs. "What's going on with those two?"

"Some kind of fight?" Junna guesses. "I really can't tell."

"Sh-Should we ask them?" Mahiru wonders.

"Doing that could make things worse," Hikari warns her.

So the seven of them just keep their distance and worry from afar.

During lessons, Claudine and Maya choose Futaba and Kaoruko respectively as stretching partners. And when the teacher lets them choose dance partners, they don't even glance at one another. Claudine goes to Mahiru who is too petrified to refuse, and Maya asks Hikari who accepts rather warily.

There's none of their usual antics of waiting until no one else is left but each other, no challenging glares or playful words. They barely even look at each other.

Even their teacher seems puzzled, but no one dares say a word.

By the time lessons are over, Claudine and Maya once again stand nowhere near each other as they shower and change. Their friends huddle around together in a panic.

"What's going on?" Karen cries.

"Hold on!" Junna says. "This is the time to really figure things out."

They all gasp softly as they understand her meaning; they've got to see where Maya and Claudine are sleeping tonight.

The two of them have already headed down the hallway toward the dorms, but there's a good distance between them. Claudine is on her phone as an excuse not to look back at Maya, who is reading over a script as she walks. The others trail behind quietly and observe.

In the end, both of them go to their own separate bedroom doors.

Claudine only turns back briefly.

"Goodnight."

Maya nods.

"Goodnight."

And they each go into their own rooms.

Silence follows. Jaws drop. Karen sinks to the floor.

"It's over! They're finished!"

"I can't believe it," Junna says. "What went wrong?"

"It's none of our business," Nana says, though she sounds equally as upset and curious.

"Damn," Futaba grunts. "I wonder what happened..."

"How unfortunate indeed." Even Kaoruko seems disappointed.

The seven of them sigh, dejected and confused at the apparent trouble in paradise between Claudine and Maya.

Yet the two themselves are trying to make the most of this little challenge. Maya goes about her evening routine and keeps to herself for the night, thinking back on her successes today. It had been easy enough not to sit with Claudine or touch her during classes. But having to choose another dance partner, and being unable to tend to Claudine's hair for her had been rather difficult.

Even now, as she's preparing herself for bed, she keeps expecting Claudine's knock on her door. But it doesn't come. And Maya knows if she goes to knock on Claudine's, she'll be sent away.

It's only been a day, and she only has two more like this. She can do this - just to prove to Claudine that she can, if for no other reason.

And Claudine had also been enjoying her personal space this morning, not having to worry about Maya sneaking up behind her or randomly grabbing her hand for one reason or another. And at dance practice it had been nice to work with someone else for a change, but it hadn't been the same without Maya. She's gotten so used to her movements and steps over the weeks, Claudine couldn't help feeling her performance today with Mahiru was a bit rusty.

And she'd almost missed the feeling of Maya's hands in her hair after her shower. Almost.

Even now as she gets herself ready for bed, she talks out loud a few times as if Maya is there with her before she catches herself. Maya doesn't come to her door, and Claudine doesn't go to hers.

"I don't need to," Claudine reminds herself. "Goodness, it feels nice to finally have some time to myself for once!"

And yet, as she lies down for bed tonight, it's awfully cold.

Not even Maya sleeps well without Claudine beside her. Part of her begins to fret that maybe Claudine is enjoying being away from her more than she enjoys being with her.

And Claudine doesn't fall asleep for a long time, simply because she can't remember how to get comfortable without Maya there.

In only one day her little game to punish Maya has turned into a personal punishment as well. But she refuses to give in before time is up.

Maya wants to prove she can persevere as well.

And so they both sleep miserably that night, holding onto nothing more than their pride.

------------

Both girls wake tired and groggy the next morning, but neither will let it show. They get dressed and get ready alone, without each other's lazy hugs or morning kisses.

As a result of the restless nights, they both arrive to their first class a little late, barely lifting their heads to greet their friends and classmates. But the second they make eye contact with one another, the fiery spark of the challenge reignites. Claudine puffs up her chest and takes the first stab.

"Seems you didn't sleep well last night. What's the matter? Couldn't handle being without me?"

Maya squares her shoulders to face her.

"I handled it fine. You're the one who seems extra irritated this morning."

"Why you..."

Maya smirks and Claudine huffs, just like always, before they turn away from each other and take their seats. Their crowd of friends huddles at the back of the classroom in mild terror.

"No!" Karen wails softly. "Don't fight!"

"It must've been a bad breakup," Junna sighs.

"What do you expect?" Kaoruko offers. "They were volatile from the start."

Their teacher walks in and calls to begin class. And all throughout the period both Maya and Claudine don't focus as well as they normally do. Both answer questions incorrectly or are scolded for not paying attention and made to apologize.

It's like this the whole morning, and even at lunchtime they subconsciously find themselves standing next to each other on the lunch line. With an indifferent 'hmph!' Claudine takes a massive step back.

When they take their seats, they sit at opposite ends of the table. And all the while their friends look on.

"This really is bad," Nana murmurs. "Karen-chan, let's do your idea."

"Okay!"

The group splits, Karen Hikari and Mahiru going to Claudine's end of the table while the other four go to Maya.

Claudine had been spacing out, looking at her food but not eating it, when suddenly Karen slams something onto the table in front of her.

"Kuro-chaaaan! We're so sorry!"

"Wh-What is this-?" When she looks over the object in Karen's hands, she find it to be a small box of chocolates. Laying on top of it is a card. Puzzled, Claudine picks up the card with a floral border and reads aloud: "'Sorry about the breakup'...?"

She tilts her head, then looks up at the other three girls. Karen is all but sobbing, Mahiru looks like she might cry too, and Hikari is tense and serious. Claudine blinks.

"What's this all about, girls?"

"You and Tendo-san!" Karen wails. "You guys broke up, right?"

"Eh?!"

"You must've," Mahiru murmurs. "You two haven't been speaking with each other that much, a-and you won't sit or stand or dance together..."

"It was the only logical explanation," Hikari concludes.

Claudine looks to each of them in turn, then down at the condolence gifts. When she turns her head to glance down at the other end of the table, she can see that Nana, Junna, Futaba and Kaoruko have made similar offerings to Maya, who looks equally confused.

At last she understands. Claudine shakes her head and turns back to her friends.

"You seem to have misunderstood, girls. F-First of all, we weren't even dating in the first place-"

"Um, are you sure about-"

"Second of all," Claudine snaps, cutting Hikari off. "We aren't arguing, or in a fight either. This is simply a punishment for her. She isn't allowed to touch me for three days. That's all."

Her words sink in for a moment, and Karen's tears finally stop.

"Huh? Th-That's all this is?"

"Precisely. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"Thank goodness!" Karen plops down into a chair, and Mahiru puts both hands on her shoulders.

"Isn't that great, Karen-chan?"

Hikari is heaving a sigh, still looking at Claudine.

"That's really all this is? We were worried sick."

"I apologize. We should've said something." Claudine offers a warm smile. "It's very nice to know you'd all worry this much about me."

"Of course we would." Hikari smiles back. "Either way, keep the chocolate. Maybe it'll help hold you over for two more days."

And down on Maya's end of the table, it's much the same reaction once Maya has explained things.

"A punishment game?!" Futaba blurts. "You guys are unbelievable."

"Though it does make me wonder," Kaoruko hums. "For her to ban you from touching her for three whole days? What must you have done to deserve that~?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"But that only makes me more curious!"

As Futaba pulls Kaoruko back and has her mind her business, Nana and Junna offer their thoughts.

"I'm glad it wasn't anything serious," Nana says with a kind smile.

"Yeah," Junna agrees. "We were all worried. You guys didn't look too good."

"The concern is much-appreciated, girls." Maya lifts her chin proudly. "All is well. Please don't worry. I apologize for not explaining the situation."

Their friends' gestures of giving condolence gifts and checking up on Claudine and Maya make them both realize that this little game may have been going too far. Far enough that they've been showing how it's affected them without realizing it.

But their pride is still too strong to let them give in.

So it's another awkward afternoon of dancing with other people, though now that their friends are in on the situation they can enjoy themselves a bit more instead of just worrying.

Kaoruko is making snide comments every chance she gets, and Junna and Nana are making amused observations as well. Claudine's partners can't match her flare, and Maya's partners can't match her speed.

Overall the conclusion is that Maya Tendo and Claudine Saijou really can't express their full potential without one another.

The lesson seems to drag on for each of them, who are constantly stealing glances at one another when they think no one's looking. Neither will admit their own misery in the situation.

Class ends and they head to the changing rooms. Out of habit, Maya hands Claudine her change of clothes, and Claudine is about to accept before she freezes, not allowing their hands to brush. She has to snatch the clothes away instead without making contact, and act like she didn't want to touch her.

The same thing happens to her after they've finished showering, and Claudine instinctively strolls over to dry Maya's hair for her. Maya doesn't stop her; she hasn't forgotten their little challenge game, but she hopes Claudine has.

But she seems to remember just before touching her, because she steps back and whirls around to dry her own hair instead. Maya pretends it doesn't affect her. Claudine acts like she meant to do it.

Stubborn pride on the outside, but inside it's killing them. And all their friends know it.

"This is painful to watch..." Mahiru says.

"It's pathetic is what it is," Kaoruko says. "But also amusing."

"I bet they can't last another day," Futaba says.

"You shouldn't make bets on something like that," Junna says. "But I'd take you up on it."

As the seven of them converse together now, Claudine and Maya are left on the other side of the changing room, drying their own hair instead of each other's. With the noise of the hair dryers drowning them out, their friends silently come to an agreement, and begin backing out of the room.

By the time Claudine and Maya finish drying their hair, they find themselves alone together.

Claudine tenses up, but she doesn't let it show. She puts her dryer away and begins brushing her teeth as if nothing's bothering her.

Maya has plenty of other sinks to choose from, but she selects the one only a space away from her. Normally she'd come up behind Claudine and hug her or otherwise mildly annoy her as she's brushing, and it's taking a great deal of self control not to do it now.

Day one had been easy, because they'd both been so caught up in the challenge and ready to prove themselves that they'd been consciously aware of everything they did, and made sure it was never together.

But by now, on only the second day, they're wearing thin.

As Maya brushes, she turns on her faucet, but no water comes out. Instead of stepping one more away, she moves to the one directly beside Claudine and continues. Claudine finishes rinsing her mouth out and straightens up.

"You're awfully close."

Maya clears her mouth as well.

"Close wasn't a rule. Contact was."

"I know that. I'm just warning you."

"Right."

Even their conversations have become rather lifeless, lacking the usual spunk and smugness. It almost feels like they're talking because they have to, because verbal and visual contact are the only kinds they can have.

They put away their tooth brushes and wash their hands, finishing simultaneously. Their eyes meet.

"Well," Claudine says. "I suppose we should walk back together since the others already left."

"That would be nice." Maya twitches to offer her hand, but manages to catch herself. Claudine had been looking to accept it, but pretends like she hadn't been.

So they begin walking normally side by side, without touching, slippers padding softly across the carpet. Claudine clears her throat and tries to keep up the act.

"I'm impressed. You haven't managed to crack yet. I was sure you would've by now."

Maya remains composed, at least on the outside.

"This is nothing."

"Oh? Then perhaps we should extend it?" She only says it as a joke, and she comes to regret it right away. Maya turns to her in a motion just barely short of desperate.

"No-" she says, almost too quickly. "Just three days is punishment enough."

Claudine looks away.

"So long as you understand..."

They walk back through the hallways together, maintaining that devastating distance between them, a distance that could so easily and happily be broken if either were to sacrifice so much as an ounce of pride.

The walk back to the dorms seems far too short - that precious amount of time they could share side by side. Maya doesn't even consciously realize that she's passed by her own room already and is following Claudine to hers.

But what's more surprising is that Claudine doesn't even stop to correct her. She heaves a sigh, comes to a halt, and turns around to face Maya again.

"We need to talk."

Maya pauses with her, taking in Claudine's serious expression.

"Isn't that what we've been doing?"

"Shut up."

"I'm getting mixed messages here, Saijou-san."

"Fine, you just listen! I'll talk." She crosses her arms and sighs again, running a hand back through her bangs. "We made everyone worry about us with this little punishment game. Perhaps..." Her gaze flashes away briefly, trying to give off an air of nonchalance. "Perhaps... we took things a little too far..."

Maya can actually feel her heart lifting hopefully as a smile comes to her lips.

"Does this mean-"

"I haven't finished!" Claudine snaps. "Just so you understand, I am absolutely not cutting your punishment short for your sake-"

"Oh? So then it's for yours?" Maya smirks. "You've been struggling just as much as I have, hm?"

"Why you-!" Claudine's face turns bright red and she takes a threatening step forward, though with how irresistibly cute she is, it really isn't scary at all. Claudine gets right up into her face and growls. "Then again I could just extend it. I'd have no problems with that. A week, perhaps?"

"I think we both know neither of us would survive that long."

"Maybe you wouldn't. I'd be just fine."

"If you say so, Saijou-san."

"You're only giving me more reasons to extend it right now."

"My apologies."

"Oh, you'll be sorry, all right."

"I'm sure I will."

"Would you shut up?!"

Claudine can't take it anymore. She grabs the collar of Maya's nightgown and yanks her down into a furious kiss, greedily drinking in the feeling of what she's been missing for two days now. She can feel Maya smirking into the kiss and it pisses her off, but she's too relieved to finally be touching her again to care.

The kiss only lasts for a few seconds before Claudine is ripping herself away, checking to make sure no one else is around, and then pushing her door open, all the while keeping her grip on Maya's shirt.

"Get in."

"My, my. Someone's impatient."

"I'm going to shut you up until you can't say another word, you infuriating woman."

"I look forward to it."

Claudine drags her inside and slams the door closed behind her, pulling Maya to the bed and pushing her onto her back. Claudine pins her down, face still red and lips pursed into a tight pout in dire contrast to Maya's sly, comfortable smirk. Maya truly is glad the punishment has been cut short, but she can't resist more opportunities to fluster her.

"So then is my punishment officially over?"

"Now hold on just a minute," Claudine huffs. "My condition was that you were not allowed to touch me for three days. I never said I couldn't touch you."

"Oh? Then why haven't you until now?"

"Because you were being punished, you idiot!"

"And yet you were the first one to crack."

She really strikes a nerve with that. The outrage that appears on Claudine's face is adorable but almost a little frightening, too. She leans down slowly over Maya, like a wolf over a sheep, clearly trying to put her in her place.

Little does she know Maya is enjoying it far too much.

Claudine's hair falls over her shoulder and bounces against Maya's cheek. Only when she's nose-to-nose with her does she finally stop, huffing a few snarled breaths against her lips.

"Why you... infuriating... insufferable... unbelievable-" She exhales, and the air is hot against Maya's skin. "I'm going to shut you up for the rest of the night... But first..."

And the angry demeanor she'd been going for flickers and fades for just a second as she glances down at Maya's lips, then uncertainly back to her eyes.

Maya cocks her head.

"But first...?"

Claudine bites her lip and pouts so adorably Maya can hardly take it. But the final straw is what Claudine says next:

"M-May I...?"

Maya's heart swells, and she can't stop the smirk from turning into a purely delighted smile.

She bursts into laughter.

And if the sound of it wasn't so wonderfully beautiful, Claudine might've gotten irked that it ruined the mood she was going for. Still though, it infuriates her, just a little.

"Sh-Shut up! Why are you laughing? Tendo Maya!"

Maya can feel tears coming on as her hands reach up, aimlessly grabbing for Claudine as she officially breaks her punishment conditions.

And Claudine is too baffled and flustered and annoyed to refuse when Maya pulls her down to rest on top of her, so she just buries her face into Maya's shoulder and sighs.

"You are so infuriating. We've been together all this time and I still can't figure you out..."

Maya's laughter continues for another minute or so, as does Claudine's consternation. When she finally gets ahold of herself and catches her breath, Maya just squeezes Claudine tighter and refuses to let go.

Goodness, how she's missed her warmth, her heartbeat-

"You still haven't answered me."

-her hissing breath against her ear.

Maya feels Claudine huff again, and if she'd been able to, Claudine probably would have been tapping her fingers or foot impatiently. Maya sighs, still smiling, and begins stroking through her partner's curls.

"You see," she begins. "It's just that, if you're in the kind of relationship where you tell someone you're going to 'shut them up for the rest of the night' in such a promising manner, you usually don't have to ask their permission first, Ma Claudine."

Claudine feels a surge of heat rush through her body and culminate in her face, burning with embarrassment.

"Wh-Why you! I hate you! I hate you so much!" She struggles and squirms against Maya, but it's no use. Maya only laughs again and squeezes her tighter.

"You really are too cute, Ma Claudine."

"You really are the most infuriating woman to ever live!"

"And also the luckiest."

She lets Claudine move back enough to lift her head, so they can make eye contact. Of course hers are miffed and bashful and swimming with a quiet vengeance, but with the way things turned out she won't be able to express that vengeance tonight. Claudine's cheeks puff up into another pout, but she too, seems far too relieved to be close to her once again to want to spend more time being angry.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

"I thought you'd never ask, mademoiselle."

Maya moves her hands up behind Claudine's head and pulls her down for the kiss. Though Claudine still puts a bit of force into it, it isn't nearly as chiding as the previous one. And despite gravity being against her in this position, Maya puts in a good deal of pressure too.

It's from relief more than anything else, really.

It isn't long before they ease the pressure and relax into something softer, warmer. They break and then resume. Break and resume. Until Maya has become lazy with content and Claudine has become breathless.

Claudine parts from the current kiss, but keeps close to Maya, only moving back enough to meet her eyes.

"I hope you... took your punishment seriously while it lasted. You're lucky I was merciful enough to shorten the sentence."

"Oui," Maya hums. "Because you realized it was feeling more like a punishment for yourself instead of just me, no?"

"How dare you. I only ended it because it was worrying the others, and because you seemed like you were going to spiral into a depression if you couldn't hold my hand soon."

"That's probably true," Maya admits. "It was a rather harsh punishment, actually. I'm not sure I would have lasted."

"Then you should be grateful."

"Indeed I am. Thank you oh so much for relieving me of that torment, Saijou-sama."

"Don't make this weird!"

"My apologies."

"Honestly..." Claudine settles her weight fully on top of her again. "But you are still going to make it up to me."

"Oh?" Maya wraps one arm across Claudine's shoulders and the other across the small of her back. "And how will I do that?"

"I don't know," Claudine shrugs. "This Sunday. Figure it out." That's all she says on the matter. But for now she wants to relish in her lifting of Maya's punishment. A yawn works its way up her chest and she breathes it against Maya's neck. "I didn't sleep at all..."

Maya doesn't need her to clarify. She knows exactly what she means.

"Neither did I."

"Then you'd better get some rest tonight. That's an order. I won't accept your being unprepared on Sunday because you're too tired."

"I wouldn't dream of it, mademoiselle."

"Good..." Claudine nuzzles closer, breathing in Maya's scent that she'd missed for so long.

Likewise, Maya cards through her silvery-blonde curls, focusing on the beat of Claudine's pulse against her chest.

God, she'd missed this so much. So much it's almost pathetic, really. And there's one more thing she'd missed.

"Goodnight, Ma Claudine. Je t'aime."

They hadn't been able to say it last night in front of their friends and in separate rooms.

Claudine feels her heart skip at the words. She clings to Maya a little more tightly.

"Goodnight... Je t'aime, Ma Maya..."

With the rough patch behind them, now they begin looking forward to Sunday.

------------

A/N: In my opinion, this is absolutely the kind of 'punishment' Claudine would give her, and this is exactly how it'd play out; them both being Stubborn as all hell but secretly suffering, and then Claudine is the one who cracks in the end.

So that didn't work, but Maya must still make up for tickling her. Whatever could she do on Sunday instead...?