Fall From Grace (ch2)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

The performance approaches...

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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								Chapter 2. Storm


The days leading up to the performance are like any others - full of hectic excitement.

The girls rehearse with every spare second they get ahold of, collaborating with the crew of Class B to get everything ready. Claudine and Maya perfect their fight scene, and even get to practice in-costume a few times to get accustomed to the weight and movement of the outfits.

It's the typical controlled chaos they're all used to before any performance, and even that familiar nervousness is comforting in a way.

In the days leading up to the performance they do a few full run-throughs, and the same is true for the night before. When the curtain falls, their instructor has nothing but praise for all of them.

"Well done, everyone. We're going to blow our audience away tomorrow. There'll be a full house, rain or shine."

They clean up and reset everything in preparation for tomorrow's actual performance before the girls retreat to the changing rooms to get back into their uniforms. There's a pleasant chatter all about as everyone discusses their favorite parts or lines of the play.

Naturally, Maya and Claudine stick close to one another, even after they've changed out of their knight costumes. Maya waits until no one else is watching before she bumps lightly into her partner's side.

"Well?" she murmurs. "How are you feeling about our dueling scenes? I recall you were a bit hesitant about them."

Claudine rounds on her with a snort, narrowing her eyes.

"Please. As you could clearly tell tonight, I'm perfectly fine with them now. We're going to blow this out of the water, you and I."

Maya smiles warmly.

"But of course."

Just then, there's a clap for attention, and all the girls gathered turn to look at Nana.

"Great job, as always, everyone!" she says. "Just a reminder that it's supposed to start raining early tomorrow afternoon, so make sure you get here as quickly and dryly as possible. If you do get wet, make sure you arrive with enough time for the makeup crew to fix you up."

Everyone replies in the affirmative, and then they're dismissed. Maya and Claudine find themselves surrounded by their usual friends in no time as they exit the school building.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Karen swoons. "Who doesn't love knights and mid… mean… menial stuff?"

"I think you mean 'medieval', Karen-chan," Mahiru corrects her.

"Right! That! It's sooooo cool!"

"And the general audience doesn't know it," Hikari mumbles. "But we're all pretty good with weapons."

"It'll definitely be a unique premise to entice the crowd," Junna says. "And the costume department did an amazing job."

"Just don't forget," Nana speaks up. "Our showing tomorrow is at 4PM, so try to get to the building by 2 to start prepping. I'm hearing the harder rain will begin around noon, so stay dry!"

"Uuuuu…" Kaoruko whines. "Futaba-han, can we take the bike tomorrow?"

"Well, if we leave at 10, we can walk and beat the rain, right?"

"What?! Leave at 10 for a performance that's at 4? You're a maniac!"

"I'm kiddin', I'm kiddinn'! Yeah, fine, let's bike tomorrow."

"Thank you."

By the time they get back to the dorms, there's already a bit of a chill on the air. Claudine feels a jolting kind of shiver travel up her spine, and her teeth chatter for a second. Of course, only Maya notices and hangs back with her once more while the others head inside.

"Saijou-san?" She tilts her head in inquiry. "This is the second time in the past few nights. Are you perhaps suffering a cold?"

Claudine shakes herself off with a growl.

"Of course not. It's just chilly out here." Her reaction seems genuine enough, and Maya is put at ease. She smiles, and now that she's reassured Claudine is fine, she gets to teasing her right away.

"Are you certain? Shall I check your temperature?" Maya pulls her in by the waist as if it's a dance and dips Claudine back, leaning down over her with only inches between their faces. Claudine turns red in a heartbeat, clinging onto Maya out of reflex in an effort not to lose her balance, though Maya has her very securely in her arms. Claudine glowers up at her.

"Why, you insufferable-"

Maya cuts her off by leaning down more, pressing her forehead lightly to hers. Claudine clams up with a cute little yelp and desperately tries to paw her off. Maya hums.

"Saijou-san, I fear your temperature is a bit high."

"The only thing that's high is going to be the distance I mark down on my restraining order against you."

"Now that would be a travesty," Maya utters. "We could never dance again. It would be the end of both of us."

"No, just you," Claudine smirks. "And then the position of Top Star would be mine."

"Perhaps in your dreams, Ma Claudine." Maya ambushes her with the pet name and pulls Claudine fully back onto her feet, catching her softly. Claudine grumbles something against her shoulder, but lets herself stay there for a moment until her blush has receded.

Yet another gust of wind has both of them shuddering this time.

So they both head inside together, just barely remembering to let go of each other's hands before anyone else can see them.

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As anticipated, it begins to rain just around noon on the day of their performance. Luckily, it begins as more of a drizzle, though, so all of the students participating in the play have plenty of time to dry off and get ready by the time they make it to the school building around 2.

It's around 3 when they can hear it really beginning to pour, even from inside the prep room above all the usual din and chatter.

Everyone remains in their casual clothes doing last-minute rehearsals and run-throughs, mostly of their fighting scenes, as just about every character in this play is a warrior of some sort.

Claudine and Maya are practicing their final battle, the one where both their characters eventually realize it would be in everyone's best interest for their two kingdoms to unite rather than continue warring. Both of them feign exhaustion as they face one another and come to weakening blows with their swords.

"You have always been my equal…" Maya pants heavily. "But today, I shall take that one fateful step ahead of you, Commander."

Claudine gasps in a few deep breaths before giving another swing that is ultimately blocked.

"You are a fool. It is I who shall emerge from this fight, even if it means bringing an end to you myself. Though, you are such an excellent warrior. It would be a shame to kill you."

"The feeling is mutual," Maya recites. "But we both know this will never end until one or both of us are dead."

It's then when a massive and sudden blast of thunder bellows around the whole building, so deafening that it actually breaks even Maya and Claudine's focus. Several of the girls around them yelp and shriek.

"Geez!"

"That scared the crap outta me!"

But there's, of course, one person who is all but jumping for joy.

"Oh man!" Karen claps. "Maybe you guys really will get to do your big fight scenes with the thunder crashing behind you!"

"Bakaren," Hikari says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "With the sound effects from the crew and their voices being projected, you probably won't be able to hear the thunder at all."

"Aww, but we can imagine, right?"

"Either way," Futaba calls out. "It's sort of a good thing this happened now. Guys, we gotta be prepared for it to get that loud when we're onstage, and we can't let it distract us."

"Well said, Isurugi-san." Junna commends her with a nod. "It seems like the storm is heading for us, but you know what they say-"

All the girls around her speak up in unison.

"The show must go on!"

"Right!" Nana clears her throat next. "Now then, it's just over half an hour until curtain, so everyone get into your costumes and makeup and get ready! Let's give this audience a performance they'll never forget!"

"Right!"

The thunder rumbles again just as a few girls from Class B hurry in.

"Tendo-san! Saijou-san! Your costumes are ready!"

And so the fuss begins, particularly over the two main leads. Claudine and Maya are helped into their costumes - Claudine's being made of blacks, purples, and silvers, while Maya's is whites, reds, and golds. They're seated side-by-side as their makeup and hair are done with nearly-professional speed and skill.

Before they know it, everyone else is dressed and ready, standing in the ceremonial circle backstage and putting their hands together to chant their words of good luck.

The opening announcements are spoken to the audience, which is a full house, as expected.

Claudine and Maya get into position on the darkened stage on opposite sides. In the silence that falls right before the play commences, Claudine can hear the heavy hissing of the rain outside. And though she isn't cold at all, a shiver still passes over her.

But all else is tossed aside as she becomes the Commander of the Black Lion army, facing off against her one and only rival, the General of the Sun Nation.

Their opening scene is one of what would be many battles between them, and as they fight, Claudine has to admit it is made even more intense with the low crashing of the thunder in the background. She and Maya clash with everything they've got, spouting their prideful challenges at one another.

"Ha!" Claudine laughs at her. "Have you been lounging, General? You used to be swifter than this!"

"And your blows used to have a bit more force to them, Commander," Maya quips back. "I'm sorry to say you've gotten weaker since our last encounter."

"Surely not as weak as your army has become," Claudine yells back as they parry their blades. "If I do recall, our last match ended with more casualties on your side than mine."

"Never again," Maya projects. "Our duel ends today, on this battlefield."

Once their spoken lines are finished, the rest of the scene is choreographed fighting, which they execute with dazzling grace. It looks more like a dance than a battle, but the sound effects and setting make it all the more believable.

Their first battle ends with both of them collapsing at the same instant. They'd rehearsed how to do this multiple times, and Claudine recognizes the exact cue of when to drop to her knees. Maya gives a weak little cough, and in the next instant they both drop their swords and collapse. Pairs of their soldiers - Futaba and Karen for Maya, and Hikari and Kaoruko for Claudine - rush in to pick up their fallen leaders and drag them offstage.

The next scene doesn't include them, and is instead a tamer setting to lay out the politics and religious beliefs set in the story and give the audience a firmer understanding of the plot.

As Claudine and Maya are given a brief break, their friends and classmates congratulate them on their first scene.

"That was amazing!" Nana grins. "As expected of you two."

"The audience was captivated right from the start," Junna says. "Nicely done."

Mahiru scurries over with two bottles of water. Claudine thanks her and takes both, handing one to Maya. Maya dips her head in gratitude.

"That outfit really suits you, Saijou-san."

Claudine sputters on her drink.

"What on earth are you saying? I've worn this for days and you're trying to flirt now? On the night of the play?"

"I am simply speaking the truth," she muses.

Claudine rolls her eyes.

"Would you please focus?"

The storm continues outside, but being the actresses were prepared ahead of time for the boisterous sounds, they carry on through the play as if they don't even notice the thunder and rain. Claudine has a scene with her soldiers discussing battle strategies, and then Maya has a scene training with her army.

It all leads up to the next fight that marks the halfway point of the play.

As the scene begins, the lighting is hinted with a bit of red to signify both leaders' burning and bloodthirsty passion for victory. The crashing of thunder causes ripples and murmurs through the audience multiple times, but the girls onstage persist like professionals.

Claudine follows Maya's steps through the battle, letting her body move on muscle memory as she twirls and lashes out her sword. The sound effects project all the sounds of clanging metal and slicing air. Claudine lives in the moment, but anticipates the next several moves ahead of time. The thunder roars again, but Claudine roars even louder, surging forward at her opponent with a fierce battle cry.

"Hyyaah!" She brings down her sword, and Maya blocks it, suspending them just inches apart from one another. Claudine smirks.

"Only one of us can emerge from this victorious, General."

"Indeed, Commander," Maya says smugly. "That is why it's a fight to the death."

Their classmates are engaged in their own smaller skirmishes off to the sides, keeping the focus centered on the two leads. Claudine pushes back, then lunges forward again. Just as their swords meet, the thunder rumbles so deeply she can feel it in her core.

"The Sun Nation Army cannot win this fight," Claudine snarls. "Withdraw your forces and limp on home like the curs you are."

"Nonsense," Maya snaps. "Today, victory is ours. It is you who should retreat, lest your side suffer even more casualties. Make a wise decision, Commander. Surrender to me."

"Never!"

They share an intense, almost hateful glare before leaping back. As the sequence continues, Claudine tries to let the sounds of rain and thunder fade into the background. But the storm must be directly on top of them now, because it's all gotten very loud. Her heart feels tight and nervous in her chest, but she ignores it and continues her lines.

"I admit, you've always been smart," she yells. "But you've never been as quick as I am!" She swings and lands a false blow on Maya's left arm. There's a collective gasp from the audience as Maya staggers. But when Claudine runs in to follow up her attack, Maya evades and lands a mirroring blow on Claudine's shoulder as well.

With both characters now equally wounded, Claudine fakes her own defeat. She drops to her knees with a whimper. The hissing of the rain and the pounding of blood fill her ears, but she forces herself to focus on Maya's voice past it all.

"Surrender now," Maya commands. "And I will show mercy."

The thunder crashes again.

"Ha!" Claudine grunts. "Surrender? Never! That's for the losing side - that's for you to do, General!"

And then it happens.

Just as Claudine is surging up at Maya, every light in the auditorium goes dark.

All of the spotlights go black, along with the sound effects cutting out. The storm overpowers the electrical system in a complete power outage.

At the same time, the audience cries out in alarm, as do a few of the students both onstage and backstage. There's an overall bustling sound as people jump up from their seats or start shifting around in the darkness. Someone shouts out for everyone to remain still.

But Claudine had already been in the middle of her charge. In just a split second, her vision is stolen from her. She can't react in time to stop herself, and ends up plowing head-on into Maya.

And Maya, having been just as shocked by the sudden outage, hadn't been fully prepared for the impact. With a soft gasp, she is knocked sideways by her partner, losing grip of her prop sword which ends up tripping her further. She can't make sense of anything but the weight of panic suffocating the air around her.

The stage slips away from beneath her, and she feels herself falling. That sickening, terrifying sensation of having no support, no control, and no safe place to land.

The thunder cracks again, but it doesn't drown out the cry of pain and the sound of someone crashing to the floor.

Claudine's heart jumps into her throat, all but choking her as she falls back to her knees on the stage.

"Maya-?"

She tries to feel around for her, but only finds the fallen sword.

By now, all the girls who had been onstage are trying to guide one another to the center to hold onto one another for safety, and to be certain everyone is accounted for. Claudine hears both hers and Maya's names being called nervously.

But she doesn't respond. Her hands keep searching until they meet the edge of the stage. People in the audience are beginning to turn on their phones for light, and in the fleeting flashes of brightness, Claudine catches sight of a nightmare.

Her heart slams up against her chest in horror at the sight of Maya laying crumpled on the tiled floor after suffering the 6-foot fall from the stage.

No one else has noticed yet.

Claudine suddenly finds herself shaking so badly she can hardly move. The dread grips her like piercing claws and sinks in deep. She grips the edge of the stage, swinging her legs over to jump down. Her arms and her fingers are trembling, and her breath is clipped. She pushes herself off and lands in a crouch that she almost can't get back up from due to how severely her legs are shaking, but her need to get to Maya is far greater than her fear. She stumbles to her side in the darkness, dropping again to her knees once she is finally beside her.

"Tendo Maya-?"

Claudine reaches for her as more people start shouting now that they've realized someone has been injured. It's chaos between more thunder, people trying to move or stay put, making phone calls and shouting out.

But Claudine puts herself between them and Maya, trying to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping on her. She reaches out to touch her, fingertips brushing against her shoulder. Another flash of someone's phone light reveals Maya's expression for half a second. Her eyes are shut tightly, and her teeth are grit to bite back a cry of agony. Claudine's heart sinks like a rock, and pounds as if being crushed by one.

"Maya-?"

Something is wrong. Something is horribly wrong.

Maya's only response to her is a fragmented gasp and a failed attempt to swallow.

Claudine tries to gather her into her lap, slipping both arms beneath her head and torso in an effort to sit her up. But as soon as she's touched and moved, Maya cries out.

"Ah-!"

Claudine jolts as if she'd been struck. Tears flood her eyes and spill over, burning her skin and blurring her vision.

"M-Maya… I'm-"

She'd hurt her. She knows she shouldn't have touched her in this situation, and yet she'd tried to anyway, and now she'd hurt her.

But even with that devastating guilt weighing on her in addition to the petrifying panic, she can't leave her. With both of her shaking hands, she lies Maya back down as carefully as possible. She finds one of Maya's hands and closes hers around it.

"I'm sorry-" she sobs. "I'm sorry, Maya-"

She feels like she's going to be sick. Like all of her insides have been sliced and tangled and twisted the wrong ways.

Claudine hunches over herself, bowing her face into her knees. She can't stop shaking. Not even when someone bumps against her, and she jolts back up to make sure no one gets near Maya.

But when she next glimpses her partner's face, Maya's eyes flutter open just a tiny bit. There is still a great amount of pain swimming in them, and when she draws in a breath, small tears drip down her cheeks.

"Claudine-" She gasps, as if just speaking is too much for her.

Claudine shakes her head, flinging more of her own tears all around them.

"I'm sorry-" she whispers. "I'm sorry, Maya-"

And by then, the others have caught wind of it all. There's a clambering from up onstage as their classmates cry out their names. Flashlights and phones fill the room as staff and security begin to evacuate the audience and help the students out of the auditorium.

Several teachers make their way to Maya and Claudine, but Claudine doesn't hear any of their words.

The only things she can remember are them getting her to her feet and moving her away as they block Maya from her vision.

After that, it's just the distant sounds of sirens, the crashing of thunder, and an awful, awful chill.

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A/N: As I said, I already hurt Claudine in Follow My Lead... but we've got to be equal with our distribution of pain on the OTP. I know that in Starira, Fumi allegedly fell from the stage as well, which was part of what caused her to leave. But obviously this situation is very different.