Swept Away (ch6)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

All right as promised it will start to pick up little by little!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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												Chapter 6. Three Colors

The next morning, Claudine is relieved that most of the pain in her side has subsided by now, but she still has no desire to put on her fishing gear after work today. It isn't that she's scared of a repeat accident occurring, but rather something else.

It makes her devastatingly sad to know the mysterious girl who had saved her life had had to flee for her own safety. Claudine feels she won't be able to enjoy going out to her usual spot where the rocks meet the sea - not if it means she's only going to end up waiting for something that will never come.

She readies herself, gets dressed, and eats before walking the ten minutes to the cafe today. The sun is actually managing to break through a little this morning, but Claudine hardly gets to enjoy it before she has to go inside the building.

It's another uneventful day serving customers pastries and coffee, and she finds herself sighing an awful lot underneath all the plastered smiles.

She hadn't always been like this. When she'd first moved here, Claudine had adored these jobs and this town in general. Only now that she'd met that girl - and lost her - is she plagued by this melancholy.

"I didn't even get to learn her name…"

The sun fades away by lunchtime, and Claudine mulls through the rest of her shift until 3PM. She believes it would be best if she simply returned home early today and had some time to relax.

And yet, before she knows it, she finds her feet have taken her back to the beach.

She sighs, but starts toward the rocks.

The wind blows the clouds around a bit, until a few rays of sunlight manage to slip through, painting the ocean a little bluer than it normally is here. She makes her way across the rocks as the familiar sounds of water and gulls ring through her head. She keeps glancing to either side of herself, hoping to catch another fleeting glimpse of turquoise to no avail.

At last, Claudine makes it to the last rock and slowly sits herself down. She looks sadly to where she'd left the three flowers yesterday-

-and can't stop herself from gasping outright.

Gone. The flowers are gone. Even though she'd very specifically tucked them away, so that no wave or breeze or creature could take them.

Surely only the dexterous fingers of a person could've managed the feat.

Her heart beats a little more quickly before the logic tries to kick in. Although no other people in this town seem to come to the beach in this season, it wasn't impossible to consider someone might have happened to venture out here last night and find the flowers.

But then, something catches Claudine's eye that lets her heart flutter even faster.

In the rocks where she'd left the flowers, things have been left in their place. She reaches out to pick them up.

First, a shard of sea glass, so clear and shiny it'd put any crystal to shame.

Next, a smooth golden pebble, the color of the warm sunset over the ocean.

And finally, a pale pink shell about the size of her hand.

Claudine can't properly explain the emotions that come over her in that instance, but before she knows it there are tears spilling down her cheeks. She gathers the little treasures close to her chest and sobs, though her lips are curved into a wobbly smile.

"Thank you…"

She can only wish her words might somehow make it across the water to reach the person they're meant for, wherever she may be.

Claudine cries for a few moments as she gazes out over the sea, to where the sun is slowly making its way toward the horizon.

With all three of her gifts cradled lovingly in her lap, Claudine breathes in deeply and begins to sing.

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Mahiru is so overjoyed by the message brought to her by those flowers - the message that the human girl is still alive. And the fact that she remembers Mahiru.

She knows she should be worried about that; about a human having seen her and clearly knowing what she was.

But something tells Mahiru that girl would never reveal that to other humans or wish any harm upon her. No one who would bring secret flowers for someone would ever want to see that person hurt.

Mahiru is giddy all day long, constantly reaching up to touch the soft petals of the flowers in her hair. She swims out to join a pod of dolphins, leaping and racing with them.

Then she floats near the surface and basks in the rays of the sun that manage to slip through the clouds. She dozes, letting the water rock her in a lazy lullaby for a long while, her mind presenting her with images of that human girl, alive and well.

If only Mahiru could see her for herself…

Once again, she believes she can even hear the echoes of her voice singing, carrying out across the water to reach Mahiru, as if she's singing for her…

Mahiru listens to the familiar tune, the one she'd learned the notes and words to by listening to the girl sing.

The song comes to an end, and the voice tapers off with it.

Mahiru sighs and blinks her eyes open to the blurred vision of clouds past the water.

And then the voice comes again, in a different song this time - one Mahiru doesn't know.

Meaning, she can't possibly be imagining it if it's a song she's never heard before.

With a gasp, she swims to the surface and lifts her head out of the water. The voice rings out twice as clearly now, gliding over the waves and wind as if coming straight to her.

It's not a daydream.

Mahiru whirls around to face the shoreline, her eyes following the stretch of rocks.

And there, seated at the edge, is a girl.

She isn't wearing the usual gray and orange fishing gear this time, but rather she is wearing lighter colors.

Three colors, specifically.

A white dress, a pink shawl, and the familiar curl of her silver hair turned yellow by the sun.

Mahiru reaches up to touch the three flowers in her hair in turn. Her heart soars.

A joyous laugh bursts from her lips as she dives back into the water and begins to swim toward her. All at once, the rush of the water around her seems to fade, until all she can hear is the hum of that beautiful voice.

She follows the source of that song, right up to where the rocks meet the sea.

Only then does she stop, hovering below the surface. The singing voice has grown quiet.

Mahiru's heart pounds, and a moment passes. She swallows, knowing full-well that if she reveals herself to this girl again, there really will be no turning back.

Perhaps glimpsing Mahiru once briefly in the darkness after nearly drowning to death could have been justified as a dream.

But to see her again now in daylight, beyond the shimmer of a tail fin, would change everything.

Mahiru doesn't move except to bring her hand up to the flowers swaying in her hair. Perhaps just this is enough. Perhaps-

"It's all right."

She gasps at the sound of a voice coming from above the surface. The words are muffled slightly by the lull of the water, but Mahiru can still make them out. The human girl's silhouette is blurred, but Mahiru can tell she is looking right at her.

"It's all right," she says again softly. "I know... it could be dangerous for you. You don't have to show yourself. I just wanted to be sure you could hear what I wanted to say to you."

Mahiru feels boundless jitters shooting through her whole body, like little sparks from electric eels traveling through her.

This girl is talking to her. But she's still being sure to let Mahiru know she isn't forcing her to do anything she might not want to do. For this girl, it will just be enough to speak to a blue shadow beneath the water.

But for Mahiru, that won't be enough.

So she draws in a deep, deep breath, gives her tail a few swishes, and lifts her head above the surface.

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Claudine hadn't expected her to still be here. She'd assumed after leaving the sea shells behind, the mermaid girl had swam off for good.

But when she sees the slight disturbance in the water, the sparkling ripples heading her way, Claudine's heart beats faster than she'd ever known it to before.

She wants her to know she doesn't have to reveal herself.

"…I just wanted to be sure you could hear what I wanted to say to you."

She pauses, just for a moment, keeping her eyes fixated on that unmoving shadow.

But then, it stirs, and the next thing she knows, she hears the soft splash of water being breached.

Claudine loses all the words in her throat in that instance.

A dazzling girl lifts herself out of the water, holding onto the base of one of the rocks to help lift herself up as far as her navel. Her skin is white like sand, her dark hair is long and flowing like sea grass, her clothes are soft and ruffled like waves.

And her eyes. Her eyes are a silvery-blue, like the ocean on a cool winter morning, deep and endless.

Claudine forgets how to breathe altogether.

And Mahiru experiences the very same enchantment.

The girl whom she'd only glimpsed from a distance, or on the verge of death, weak and sickly and wet and in pain…

Now, her skin is glowing with a faint sheen of sea spray, her hair is dry and curly in the wind.

And of all the colors and hues of the ocean, this girl's eyes are the loveliest pink Mahiru has ever known.

She holds herself up out of the water, suspended just a few feet away, gazing up at this otherworldly creature. Surely, she can't be human. She must be an angel.

Mahiru feels her arms begin to tremble under the weight of holding herself up, so very slowly, she lowers herself back into the water a little, keeping just her shoulders above the surface.

Claudine finds herself moving forward to try and follow her as much as she can. She eases herself off over the edge of the rock, gripping the surrounding boulders and tapping her shoes onto solid footholds.

And a second time, the wetness of the rocks makes her slip.

And a second time, Mahiru leaps forward to save her.

"Ah-!"

Before the girl can lose her grip entirely, Mahiru lifts herself up again and catches her in an embrace, gently pushing her back toward the safety of the rocks. Just like last time, she doesn't even think. Her body just moves on its own.

The human girl sighs a little shakily as she lets her go, once again leaning back against something solid.

Both girls remain speechless for a long moment, unable to take their eyes off each other.

But eventually, Claudine finds herself overwhelmed by the elegance of this girl, and she can't possibly stay quiet any longer.

"You…" She remembers the gifts she'd been left, and quickly turns around to fish them out of the rocks, presenting them now in her lap. "You're the one… who gave me these, aren't you?"

Mahiru tries to talk, but no sound comes. She simply nods. The human girl cups the shells and sea glass with care in her hands. Her eyes are glowing.

"And you're… the one who saved me that night, aren't you?" The girl shakes her head. "What am I saying? Of course it was you. I could never forget…" The smile on her lips curves into something more curious now as she peers down beneath Mahiru into the water.

Mahiru blushes a little bit, but she understands what she's asking.

Yet Claudine can tell the girl is getting nervous, and she quickly lifts her gaze.

"Ah- I'm sorry. You don't have to. This is already… more than enough."

"N…No…"

Both girls seem equally as shocked to hear words coming from Mahiru's lips - Mahiru in particular. She blushes again.

"I-I mean… I don't mind… You've seen before already, after all…"

So she musters up some courage and takes hold of the nearest rock, checking down the beach one last time before slowly heaving herself up out of the water.

Claudine watches, mesmerized as if put under a spell.

Light, frilly blue and green materials fall down from the girl's waistline, providing a long skirt of sorts for the porpoise-like tail underneath. The scales are the colors of the sunlit ocean waves mixed with the piercing blue of a summer sky. Water glistens on every one, catching in the faint sun beams, sparkling as if she's been sprinkled with glitter. The fins of her tail are a very pale blue, almost white in color. One fin has a small nick torn in the membrane, but Claudine is so dazzled by her beauty she hardly even notices it.

For a long moment, Claudine can't remember how to speak again. All she can do is admire the sight before her - a being surely more beautiful than any nymph or faery from the stories she'd always read.

The other girl's face becomes pinker and pinker with each passing second as she waits in silence.

But just as Claudine is about to say something at long last, a blaring car horn blasts out somewhere in town, startling both of them.

Mahiru squeaks and leaps back into the water, while Claudine looks back across the expanse of rocks and sand, fearful someone might have spotted them. But there's no one. She exhales, looking back toward the spot where the water is still rippling. A few seconds later, the girl pokes her head out again timidly. Claudine looks down at her sadly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do that. It isn't safe for you…"

"You didn't ask me to," she replies sweetly. "I did it on my own. As long as no one else saw, it's all right."

Claudine hesitates. "But still… I know you probably shouldn't even be speaking to me. You probably shouldn't even have saved me in the first place…"

She looks away, and Mahiru's heart sinks.

"P-Please, don't say that! I couldn't just stay back and do nothing. A-After all…" She swallows, and the human girl looks back to her. Mahiru steels herself and finally confesses. "After all… it was my fault you got pulled in…"

Claudine blinks, puzzled.

"Your…?" And then she remembers the tiny cut in the girl's tail. She gasps. "Oh! I-It was you? Were you the one caught on my hook?" A look of mild horror crosses her features, and a hand flies to her mouth.

"N-Not exactly," Mahiru explains. "Though I did end up snagging myself, but that wasn't your fault. You see…" She swishes her tail beneath herself in embarrassment. "Do you remember that day… how you kept catching all different kinds of fish?"

"Yes. It was the strangest thing. I'd never seen so many species before." Claudine blinks. "Wait. Did you send them to me…?"

The mermaid nods.

"I-I'm not even sure why I did it. I just… I'd never interacted with a human before, a-and I thought you seemed like you might like those fish… I really liked how gentle you were with them, and you didn't kill them either." She sinks down into the water to her chin. "But then I got carried away…"

Claudine tilts her head.

"What kind of fish did you send me?"

"…A tuna."

And then, something else she never expected happens.

The human girl throws her head back and laughs.

"A… A tuna?" she giggles. "Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine what I would've done with that!"

"B-But… that's what made you fall…"

"The wind knocked me over," she corrects. "And I slipped. That's all." The human girl smiles honestly, but Mahiru knows her little 'gift' of the tuna had also played a part. She still feels responsible.

"E-Even so…" she says softly. "If I could… I'd wanted to tell you I was sorry. That's why I was so happy to see the flowers you'd left me." She touches them where they're still tucked into her hair. "I was so happy you were alive. So I left you those shells, b-but I didn't think you'd come back…" She lowers her gaze into the water. "I'm… I'm really sorry… You almost died that night… because of me…"

Mahiru dips her face into the water and sniffles a little bit. She hears a bit of shifting coming from the rocks and looks back up to see the girl has moved as close to the water as possible. She's still smiling.

"What's your name, if I may ask?"

Mahiru wipes the water off her face.

"Mahiru…"

The human girl smiles a little more.

"Mahiru… Please don't apologize for what happened. I came back because I wanted to see you… and I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

Mahiru sniffles again, and the sting of tears comes up behind her eyes.

"B-But… if not for me you wouldn't have-"

"Like I said," she grunts, lifting her chin. "That wasn't your fault. It was an accident. But you did save me. Even though you absolutely could've turned a blind eye. Even though bringing me onto the shore and getting other peoples' attention was endangering your life… you still saved mine. I really can't thank you enough."

Mahiru is quiet for a long moment. The human girl is smiling back at her with such truth in her eyes, there's no room to believe she might be faking that gratitude for any reason. Mahiru eventually manages to smile back.

"What… What is your name…?"

The human girl tucks a lock of sliver hair behind her ear.

"Claudine."

Mahiru repeats the name like a prayer.

"C-Claudine… C-Can I call you Kuro-chan?"

Claudine blinks in surprise. She's never been given a nickname before. It makes her heart dance.

"I would love that."

Mahiru smiles back. "Kuro-chan, I-"

But then, the roar of an airplane passing distantly overhead spooks her again, and she ducks back beneath the water. When Mahiru finally pops back up again, she notices the sun has just set and Claudine has begun to shiver.

Likewise, Claudine frowns at all the things that are scaring Mahiru. Both come to the same decision.

"Maybe we should-"

"Ah-"

Both of them stop.

"G-Go ahead."

"No, after you…"

They both smile. Claudine goes first.

"Maybe we should… head back for tonight."

"Yes…"

The waves roll up against the rocks a few times. Each girl touches the gifts the other had given her.

"Do you like them?" Claudine wonders.

Mahiru beams at her.

"Yes! They're lovely! I'll never forget how they smelled before I soaked them with salt water." Her eyes wander to the trinkets in Claudine's lap. "And do you like those?"

"I love them," Claudine replies. "These are the most beautiful things I've ever seen."

"I'm glad!"

Another gust of wind blows, and Claudine pulls her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Mahiru's smile fades away.

"Then… I suppose this is goodbye…?"

"I suppose," Claudine sighs. "But… perhaps only for tonight?"

"Eh…?"

Claudine gives her a hopeful look.

"I mean… I would like it very much if I could… see you again… Mahiru."

Mahiru feels her heart jump like a dolphin.

"Y-Yes! I-I would love to see you again too, Kuro-chan!"

Claudine is relieved the feeling isn't just one-sided.

"Then… same time tomorrow? Or do you have somewhere you should be?"

Mahiru shakes her head. "I'm on my own for the time being. And I think…" She gazes up into Claudine's eyes, pink like sun-kissed seashells. "I think… this is the place I should be right now…"

"Funny," Claudine says. "I think this is where I should be right now, too."

Another breeze flows between them as the two girls share an unspoken promise; a promise not to tell, to keep it their little secret.

Mahiru dips her head.

"Then… I'll see you again tomorrow... Kuro-chan."

And Claudine dips her head in return.

"Yes. I'll see you tomorrow, Mahiru."

Slowly, Claudine gathers her treasures and gets to her feet, and Mahiru has to wonder how she can use them so well. She can't imagine having her tail split in two and having to stand her full weight on it.

She lingers there at the edge of the rocks, watching as Claudine makes her way back toward the shore.

And as Claudine goes, she keeps glancing back to find Mahiru hidden there following her with her eyes. She smiles and gives her a tiny wave. Mahiru timidly raises her arm and waves back.

Both girls move apart slowly until they can't see each other any longer.

All for the rest of the evening as they get ready for bed - one in a warm softly-lit bedroom, and one in a cool underwater cave aglow with stalagmites - they keep telling themselves it hadn't just been a dream.

After all, the sheer joy that's blossoming in their hearts is unmistakably real.

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A/N: Finally! Only took half the story, right?

There's no real significance between the three reoccurring colors, honestly. I just chose some at random, and then realized I wanted to keep them reflected in each others' gifts and in Claudine's appearance.

Something tough about AUs for me is that these two aren't really going to be as in-character as I'd like, because in this world they are different people who don't know each other like they do in canon. So if they're not as in-character as possible, that's my excusee.