Follow My Lead (ch8)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

I'm so thankful for all of the reviews, ideas, predictions and reactions people have given me on this story this week! I hope you enjoy the final chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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														Chapter 8.

Claudine finds herself in darkness once again.

She can't make sense of anything other than the jolting beat of her own heart.

She's standing, but if her memory of this darkness serves, that won't last for long.

She doesn't move. One wrong step will send her dropping over some unseen edge, ensnaring her in that perpetual plummet.

Please... not again.

She doesn't budge. Doesn't breathe.

She waits, trapped in her own mind, praying for herself to wake from the nightmare.

But staying still has its dangers as well. Her weight could culminate in one spot and have the support splintering beneath her heels.

Her breathing quickens as the height of her distress approaches. She can feel it in her blood, pumping cold with terror.

Please... Please don't...

And then something happens that's never happened here before.

There's a voice, a voice that mimics her thoughts.

"Please... don't..."

It is her own voice, but she can't recall opening her mouth to use it. Not here, at least. When she does try to speak, she finds nothing comes.

Everything is dark...

Then, a sound.

The sound of someone crying.

She tenses. This has never happened before either.

She has to find her. She has to help.

Forgetting her fears, Claudine begins to run.

The sounds of sadness echo around her head as though she were onstage. She checks, but she isn't the one crying, though she feels like she might.

She's scared. She's so scared. She can't see. She doesn't want to fall again.

The crying becomes a little louder, louder than the frantic beat of her heart.

There's a girl. A girl she doesn't recognize. She's on her knees, head bowed to the darkness, long brown hair falling all around her, the blue bow on top wilted like a flower.

Claudine approaches her with tentative steps. She tries again to speak.

"Qui es-tu? Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?"

She can't make sense of her own voice.

But the other girl hears. She lifts her head slowly, like a wounded animal, and tears drip down from her chin one by one. Her eyes are such a pretty lilac color.

Claudine stops.

She knows her.

She knows that face.

She knows those eyes.

And that voice-

"Claudine..."

It isn't a question but an affirmation.

Claudine can feel her heart slowing. Her knees begin to shake. She reaches out both hands.

"Ma... Maya..."

She begins to fall.

Only this time, she can feel someone holding her hand.

A breath shoots up from her chest, and when her eyes fly open she finds a ceiling. A familiar ceiling.

There's color here in this world. Color. And warmth.

She can still hear the sounds of crying.

Claudine blinks, catching her breath as her eyes travel around her bedroom. Her gaze passes over a bookshelf decorated with half a dozen picture frames. All of them are of Claudine herself and her friends. And some are only of herself and one other girl.

A girl she knows.

More crying.

She shifts her gaze back onto the bed and finds the girl from the photos there, slumped at Claudine's side, clutching her hand.

Claudine has never seen her like this before. She's never seen her cry before. Not like this. She's seen a few tears here or there, but never this many.

She's sobbing, so hard and so intensely she can barely catch her breath for the next one.

She's crying with her entire body. With her entire soul.

She's crying so hard she hasn't even noticed Claudine had woken.

Claudine can feel two hands clutching hers. She can feel a wetness on her forearm and wrist from all the tears. And then a strangled, whimper of a voice.

"Reviens... s'il vous plait..."

'Please... come back...' Claudine can make sense of the words in her mind. Of course she can. It's her native language. That idiot... what is she saying? I'm right here...

Claudine can't speak just yet. She's still calming herself from the shock of the nightmare. Her head is throbbing as much as her heart and she has to close her eyes again for a second.

It's annoying. She wants to help Maya, but she can't do that if she can't even lift her head.

The sounds of sobbing continue.

It hurts. She doesn't want to listen to Maya's pain. She just wants to make it stop.

Damn it...

Claudine tries again, reopening her eyes despite the ache behind them. Thankfully, Maya is still there.

But she's still crying. So hard it must hurt.

It's hurting just to watch her, just to listen.

Claudine desperately tries to find her voice. She drags it up from the back of her throat but it only rasps distastefully on the way out. A voice comes, but it isn't her own.

"S'il vous plait... souviens-toi de moi..."

'Please... remember me...'

Claudine grunts. What is she talking about? Of course I-

She blinks, and suddenly she can't see. Her vision blurs up with the hot sting of tears. She swallows and chokes.

"Ma-"

She'd... She'd forgotten.

"M-Ma-"

She'd forgotten her.

"Maya!"

Claudine pushes herself up with dangerous force, so quickly she dizzies herself in an instant. Pain shoots through her skull and her breath hitches in her chest.

But the hands on hers tighten instinctively, even before Maya has lifted her head, lilac eyes drowning, but wide in shock.

"Claudine-"

She lunges forward to steady her, catching her with unwavering precision. The motion brings them extremely close in proximity, enough so that their breaths dance on one another's lips.

Both of them tremble. Both of them cry.

Maya finally finds what she's been looking for all this time. That spark.

There's recognition in Claudine's eyes. Clarity.

She has to make sure this isn't a dream.

Maya steadies herself as much as she steadies Claudine, gripping her arm and waist with shaking fingers.

"Claudine... do you... remember me...?"

"Idiot."

The response comes right away. With surety. Just as it should. Claudine gives her a look that's both fierce and fragile.

"Of course I remember you. How could I..."

And it all comes back to her.

The accident. The fall. The pain.

"How... could I forget...?"

The accusation fades, and instead it becomes self-loathing.

"How could I...? How could I-?"

She lets go of Maya only to clutch at her own head, shaking herself almost violently.

Maya's heart twists. All she can think to do to stop her is pull her close, hugging her so dearly she can't move to hurt herself.

"Claudine-"

"How could I-?!" she shrieks. "H-How could I have forgotten? How could I-"

"Please-" Maya sobs, cradling the girl's head with one hand and the small of her back with the other. "Claudine, please... It's all right."

"No... No it isn't-" The words are choked by more sobs, lodged in the top of her chest. "It isn't all right- h-how could you say that-? I... I said I would never forget you... and yet-"

Claudine all but breaks in her arms. As though her bones have shattered, she slumps forward against Maya and wails like a lost child. She weeps as Maya had wept earlier – with her entire body, with all her soul.

It is the kind of crying that brings the world to its knees, humbles it into appreciation for its own lesser grief.

Claudine knows she's going to damage her voice like this, but she can't stop. She shakes in Maya's arms, burrowing into the crook of her neck, seeking both comfort and forgiveness.

Maya doesn't let go.

First she eases Claudine's fists away from her head, uncurling the distraught grip she has on her hair one finger at a time. Once her hands have slumped free Claudine immediately locks them around Maya's shoulders and sobs fully into her neck.

Maya can breathe again. There is unspeakable relief in knowing Claudine's memory has returned to her, but the biggest relief of all comes from the knowledge that she is safe in her arms.

Maya doesn't let her go now, and she won't ever again.

She braces her forearm more firmly across Claudine's shoulders, cupping her palm at the back of her head. She spreads her fingers carefully through the silvery-blonde locks, cradling her with a healing touch.

She just breathes and cries. There's not much else she can do.

But before long she can't handle sitting back and indulging in her own comforts any longer. Claudine is still coming undone in her arms. Her whole body shudders with the ferocity of her emotion. The sobs clog her throat, tumbling out in fragments of her voice.

"Je suis- desole-" She can barely speak. The hiccups of voice come between short-lived gasps of air. "I'm... so sorry... How could I forget... Ma Maya...?"

Those two words. Her pet name.

Hearing them sends something warm and soft across Maya's chest, branching out, blossoming like the branches of flourishing trees. This profound poignancy is unlike anything she's ever felt before in all her life, even beyond the emotions elicited by the stage.

But it feels unfair to experience such joy while Claudine is still suffering so much misery. As partners, they should share in everything.

Maya eases her back with extreme care, making great effort not to let her head sway. She keeps a secure hold on her, still cradling her with every ounce of value she deserves.

"Claudine... you came back to me. Ma Claudine... Thank you."

Claudine's vice grip on her tightens, loosens, and then repeats.

"Encore... une fois..." The words tumble out against Maya's shoulder. "Say it again..."

Maya nods, closing her eyes as her brow furrows.

"Ma Claudine."

She kisses Claudine's temple, holds it, lets it linger. Claudine sobs again.

"Ma... Maya..."

Her shoulders shudder again, but Maya keeps her close. When Claudine trembles, and feels as though she'll fall into pieces, Maya holds her together with a gentle warmth.

And this isn't the first time. She's done this before, provided this comfort even at her own expense. Claudine doesn't feel she's offered appropriate reciprocation.

Though her sobs have begun to dwindle, the tears are still falling and her voice is still a whispered rasp.

"I forgot you... I almost lost you..." She repents with all the lamentation of a sinning goddess, and then some.

But Maya can't allow it. She assuages her hands over Claudine's back and through her hair.

"You're wrong."

Maya coaxes her back just a little, just enough so she may glimpse her face. Claudine has her head bowed, from shame or embarrassment or both, she can't be certain. Maya guides a hand along her jawline and supports her chin with her fingers, slowly having her raise her tearstained face.

Their eyes meet, and it's like the first time, but with all the times in between to prove their history. Maya can still hardly believe it's real, that she's seeing that spark amongst all of the other swirling emotions; the spark that remembers.

"You're wrong..." A sigh, and she eases forward, until their noses brush. "Even if you'd never remembered, you never would have lost me. Never. Ma Claudine."

Damn her. Damn Maya Tendo. Just when Claudine had been on the brink of composure, she goes and says that.

Claudine breaks down all over again, burrowing her face into Maya's chest.

"You are... so unfair... insufferable... infuriating..."

"Forgive me." Maya hugs her fully, as though her life depends on it.

Claudine had been prepared to act. But now she's a fine mess again, and Maya is going to have to wait a little longer.

But just because she'd quite literally wait for her forever doesn't mean Claudine should actually make her.

Claudine's efforts to get ahold of herself can only succeed if she has a bit of assistance from her. It's a mutual effort.

"Again..."

It's partially a request and partially a command. Though when her voice is so thick with emotion, it sounds more like a plea than anything.

Maya presses close, holding her up to support as much of her as possible.

"As you wish, Ma Claudine."

There's one fewer hiccup this time. She feels Claudine's breathing slow down, feels the beat of her heart steadying.

"Again."

"Ma Claudine."

Another breath. Another heartbeat.

"One more time."

Maya kisses the side of her head.

"Ma Claudine."

And finally Claudine has regained herself, gathered up every last shred of composure she has left, though with what she's about to do, she doesn't expect to hold onto them for long.

She moves herself back this time, withdraws her hands from Maya's shoulders to instead ball them into fists between her knees. She sits up tall, proud even in her uncertainty, confident even with her misgivings. Her eyes don't waver.

She inhales and lifts her hands again. But not to Maya's shoulders this time. She stops a little sooner.

Cupping the sides of Maya's face, Claudine gives the final blow.

Until now they must have kissed a million times; on cheeks, on noses, on foreheads and temples, on collars and hairlines and jawlines and necks.

But never here.

And even though she's been thinking and dreaming about it for months on end, the kiss takes Maya by surprise.

A breath catches between their lips, one Claudine breathes into her, her silent way of making sure Maya is paying attention.

It takes her a few seconds, but when the reality finally settles in, and the beat of her heart confirms it's all so wonderfully real, Maya kisses back. She pulls her closer, passing the experimental stage of brushing lips and going into something fuller, warmer.

Closer. Closer.

She wants Claudine Saijou forever.

And though she'd never say it, Claudine proves she wants her, too. The kiss says more than words ever could anyway.

And the thought of pulling away is almost painful, but Maya has to remember Claudine's condition. The last thing she needs right now is to get lightheaded again.

Therefore, with tactful little pushes and presses of her lips, Maya eventually coaxes her back until there's air enough to breathe.

She can feel Claudine's breath more than her own, and the same goes for her heart. The excitedly frantic pulse in her chest only adds to the best moment of Maya's life thus far.

When she can finally get a good look at her, that moment only extends.

Silver curls slightly frazzled, clothes wrinkled and ruffled, heart pounding, chest heaving, skin as pink as her eyes...

Claudine bows her head, both to conceal her maddening blush and to convince herself of what had really just happened. She blinks, and more tears fill in behind her eyes.

Enough crying. She won't let them fall...

And then those fingers are brushing beneath her chin once again, having her look up into lilac.

Damn her.

The tears fall freely in spite of Claudine's best efforts. But upon seeing that Maya is crying as well, she decides to let it slide.

She's never seen her so happy before. Not even when she'd received the lead role in their play. Because that had been expected.

If Claudine Saijou has anything she can brag about in this life for the rest of her days, it will be that she caught Maya Tendo off guard, just once.

Just once, but arguably, it was the moment that mattered most.

She tries to smirk, but given the tears it doesn't work out very well.

Maya still finds it adorable though. The most adorable thing she's ever seen.

She leans in again, resting her forehead against hers, wrapping her arms around her once more.

"Again."

It's her turn to make the requests.

Claudine's face flares with heat, but she could never refuse such a request. Not from her.

So she kisses her again, a little quickly this time, a little shyly, as though she still can't believe she'd managed the first one. Maya hums for the instant it lasts, then sighs when it's passed.

"Again."

Claudine turns even redder. How dare she ask her to do it again? How dare she. She'll show her a thing or two.

Claudine throws both arms around Maya's neck again and kisses her without regard for consequence. Maya catches her in spite of the minor collision of teeth, and uses the force of Claudine's movement to initiate her own.

Once she's certain Claudine is securely in her arms, Maya allows herself to lean back, using the weight against her chest to fall softly backward onto the mattress. The landing bounces them, and Claudine nips - probably on purpose - but Maya doesn't mind. Not one bit.

This is the kiss that finally quells the crying, finally subdues the little hiccups that make Claudine's shoulders quiver.

Maya rests comfortably beneath her, with one arm across Claudine's back, lightly crushing their stomachs together. The other hand is still playing with her hair, supporting the back of her head.

She likely would have drowned - willingly - in the ecstasy if Claudine didn't push herself away when the oxygen was depleted. When she does break the kiss, she does so quickly and hides her face immediately afterward in Maya's shoulder.

Maya can feel the heat of Claudine's face against her neck, and considers it a pity she can't see for herself. But she's confident she'll have plenty more chances in the future.

For now, Maya simply closes her eyes and engraves the moment into her heart.

She savors all of it; the precious beat of Claudine's heart against hers, the warmth and pressure of her weight, the way her body moves and breathes with hers.

She wants this forever. Forever, and then some.

Claudine Saijou is the one thing she'll allow herself to be greedy with.

Heaven forgive her.

She lies there with her angel, her princess, her goddess, her Claudine, until time is forgotten, unimportant. This warmth, this bliss, this heartbeat against hers. This is all she needs. For the rest of her life and beyond.

She just wants to ensure she can have it for that long. If Claudine will do her the honors and let her.

Maya holds her until she feels Claudine may have fallen asleep. If that were the case she'll wait for another time. But she checks with a whisper and a nudge of her nose against her ear.

"Claudine?"

"Mn..." There's a small sound, and then a shift in weight. Claudine slowly lifts her face, curls of hair slipping free all around. "What?" She glares at her with reserved irritation, and speaks with a hint of annoyance that's entirely voided by the cute moan that had preceded it.

Maya smiles, combing her hand up through Claudine's bangs, down the back of her neck, all the way to the ends at the center of her back. She braces herself on her elbow, indicating she'd like to sit up. Claudine seems resentful to do so, and Maya is as well, but it's for a good reason. The glare Claudine's giving her demands it had better be; Maya truly believes it is.

So Claudine sits back, sliding off of Maya's legs until they can both kneel together. Claudine's having difficulty making eye contact again.

"What is it...?" she mutters. "After all that, I'd like to get some rest."

"There's only one thing I want more than that," Maya agrees. She waits, a silent request for Claudine to lift her face. The blonde girl does her best to avoid that outcome, as her face is still horribly pink, but eventually Maya's insufferable patience wins.

"What, then?" Claudine lifts her head with a bounce of curls, scrunching her nose up and puffing out her cheeks. "What could possibly be more important than what we were doing?"

"Only one thing." Maya reaches for both of her hands and holds them from underneath, squeezing gently. Claudine returns the gesture, but you wouldn't know it from the look on her face or the huff in her voice.

"Well? Let's hear it."

"Marry me."

No hesitation. No reservations.

Claudine makes a sound that can't properly be described. It's something between a gasp and a shriek and a whimper, but whatever it is gets caught in her throat halfway and only ends up being partially audible. Her breath hitches, her jaw drops, her heart jumps.

"Wh-"

She blinks. Tears fall.

"Wh-What... you-"

Her throat closes around another sob she can't swallow back.

"You... You'd better not be joking-"

Maya puts one hand on her shoulder and one on her cheek. She kisses her softly, deeply, with all her heart.

"Do I seem like I'm joking?"

Just to make sure, she kisses her again.

Claudine trembles beneath her touch, unable to believe the words. She sniffles so deeply it makes her cough, and she wipes her arm across her face.

"H-How-" she rasps. "How can we-?"

"Not right away," Maya murmurs with a kiss to her cheek. "After we've graduated. Until then it'll be something to look forward to. A promise."

She lets one hand reach for Claudine's left and lifts it up between them. Maya bends forward to press a kiss to her ring finger. This will have to suffice. For now.

Claudine is quiet. Her other hand makes white-knuckled purchase at her chest, where her heart is in utter chaos underneath. Between the gasps and the sobs, she mutters something.

"Unfair..."

"Pardon?"

Claudine lifts her face so quickly a few tears fly off and land on Maya's neck.

"You are so unfair! Saying that when my heart wasn't ready..." Her lip trembles and she sniffs again. "How dare you do such a thing... What if I'd had plans for it? Did you ever once stop to consider that possibility?"

"Did you? Have plans for it?"

"I guess now you'll never know."

Maya squeezes the pale hand in hers and sidles a little closer.

"So is that a yes?"

"You're insufferable. Don't make me say it out loud."

"Then show me."

It's both a challenge and a request.

Claudine chokes back another sob and turns it into a grunt.

"Tendo Maya, you are unbelievable."

She kisses her not once, not twice, but three times. One for every day she'd forgotten her.

Each kiss is warmer, softer, and more tender than the one before.

Maya can feel she's still shaking, hear the little gasps of air in the back of her throat.

But more than that she can feel Claudine's warmth, her life itself, her essence dancing in tandem with Maya's own. She hears the song of her heart, her spirit, and her soul.

All for her.

As Claudine finally pulls away, she looks up past her bangs with beautiful watery eyes.

"And in case you're too much of an idiot to figure it out... my answer is yes."

Maya's heart swells and overflows like a fountain. She kisses Claudine again, then hugs her for all she's worth.

"Thank you."

"Thank you," Claudine whispers. "For not giving up on me."

"I would never."

"I know. It's annoying... but it's also quite nice to know that." Claudine loops her arms around Maya's neck and leans back.

They lay down together, with Maya bracing herself carefully on top, resting her weight gently over her. She kisses her forehead, then trails down to the bridge of her nose, and ends up back at her lips.

Claudine's hands busy themselves in the long brown hair, fiddling with the ribbon or gliding over her shoulders. Maya curls both arms at the pillow, framing Claudine's picture-perfect form.

The twilight has settled around the room now, dyeing the walls in blues and greys, but Claudine's eyes still shine like stars.

Maya dips her head to plant a kiss over her heart, travels up along her neck, her jawline, and back to where it matters most.

Claudine holds her in place there, deepening the contact, making it last.

An elated, steady pulse drums between them, creating a rhythm for them alone, a song no one else will ever know.

The kiss ends quietly. Maya eases back a little and gazes down into her eyes.

"Je t'aime, Ma Claudine."

Claudine's heart skips again, and Maya feels it. She chuckles and nuzzles their noses together. Claudine huffs.

"You say that for the first time after you've already proposed? Absolutely unbelievable."

"It wasn't the first time, actually."

Claudine rolls her eyes before straining up to peck her mouth.

"I love you too, Ma Maya."

One more kiss follows.

Future nights will find them sleeping side by side after covert kisses are carved into their skin, and warm emotions engraved into their hearts.

Future days will find them engaging in their secret practices together, singing, acting, and dancing side by side.

Maya will continue to take the lead, and Claudine will continue to follow.

But one day, in a future not as far off as they think, the time will come for them to walk side by side down the aisle.

And just as promised, they'll honeymoon in France.

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A/N: Well? Was it worth it? After I wrote the first chapter intending it to be a oneshot I thought 'what if I brought the honeymoon idea back but for real?' and then some artwork prompted me to consider a stage accident and then well... 7 more chapters of this happened in as many days.

I hope you enjoyed!