Sea And Sky

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

Here it is! My final version of my Call My Name Mayakuro Zine! If you haven't gotten a copy you can now read my piece this way!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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							Sea and Sky

Claudine closes her eyes as she's plunged into the depths of the sea.

To her surprise, it isn't at all cold like she'd always imagined it might be. In fact, it's rather warm, its ubiquity forming a comforting force all around her. It's dark but welcoming, yet when she tries to move, her body doesn't obey.

She's drowning and she knows it, but for some reason she's all right with that.

The mounting pressure filling her lungs creates a slight but pleasant ache in her chest. The need for oxygen dwindles by the second as she succumbs to this feeling of becoming one with the mystery that surrounds her and causes her heart to pound - faster and faster.

It's a soft suffocation. Even with her eyes closed she can feel the sunlight, hear the rush of the tide, sense its many unsolved secrets.

She just never expected it to taste like the color pink.

With a gasp, the pressure on her lips releases after holding her captive for so long. Her eyes fly open once more, and she finds herself gazing at a dark blue. Not in the depths of the ocean, but rather in the middle of the rehearsal studio. The blue in her vision is not water, but the fabrics of a familiar leotard.

"Saijou-san…?"

The voice that speaks to her is calm and casual, as though its owner hadn't also just joined her in nearly drowning. Which kind of annoys her.

Claudine straightens up, glaring with as much intensity as she can muster after the breathless ordeal she'd been put through.

"Tendo Maya… Why did you stop? We need to keep practicing."

Her arms are currently looped around Maya's shoulders, while she's all too aware of Maya's around her waist. They are practicing, of course, a romantic scene for their two lead roles in the upcoming performance. Claudine is painfully aware of how heated her own face is, but Maya has barely broken out into a shadow of a blush. To make it all the more infuriating, she smiles.

"My apologies," Maya says. "But you seemed to be a bit out-of-breath."

"I can handle this much. Don't patronize me."

"It was never my intention."

"Then stop wasting time and let's do it again."

"As you wish."

Claudine closes her eyes as the tide pulls her in once more, and the undertow sweeps her along the current toward those soft pink lips.

Tendo Maya truly is like the ocean; all-encompassing, powerful, and full of mystery. She can be fierce and violent at times, able to tear her foes to shreds if need be. But she can also be quite mellow and calm, and surprisingly warm, too. Like now, for instance, as she supports Claudine with an embrace that keeps her steady, but does not force her to stay. Claudine knows she can comfortably pull herself away at any second should she want to.

But she doesn't want to.

She's lost count of their practices by now. Somewhere along the lines, the initial intention for these kisses had strayed from the purpose of conveying emotion to an audience, to something a bit more personal. Claudine has been the one left breathless and with her heart racing far too many times. She wants to give Maya a taste of her own medicine.

Just once, she wants to make Tendo Maya's heart flutter, wants to make her short-of-breath. If she's going to drown, she wants to take Maya down with her.

But of course, she can't drown the ocean itself.

She forces herself to maintain the kiss for a little longer this time, perhaps a bit longer than her limits allow. In the end she has to pull away first, dropping her head onto Maya's shoulder to gasp for air. A little stunned, Maya holds her close, feeling her tremble.

"Saijou-san? Are you all right?"

Claudine sighs into brown locks of hair.

"I'm fine…"

"Are you certain?" Maya runs a hand up and down her back. "Your heart is pounding."

Claudine huffs.

"And yours isn't…?"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing." Claudine composes herself as much as possible before preparing to dive once more. "Again. I still haven't got it right."

"Please." Maya holds her back gently. "As overjoyed as I am that you are so eager to continue, I must admit I'm curious. What has you so passionate about this kissing scene, Saijou-san?"

Claudine bites her lip, finding a sudden interest in the floor.

"It's nothing…"

In one swift but careful motion, Maya pulls her in, sliding a finger beneath her chin to tilt her face upward. Their eyes meet. Claudine knows that Maya feels it when her heart skips.

"Saijou-san," she says. "You never were the best at being honest."

Claudine heaves another sigh, grasping Maya's hand to move it away and free herself.

"It's just… why are you so perfect, even at this sort of thing?"

"Pardon…?"

"This!" Claudine looks down to her lips in exasperation. "Something as embarrassing as kissing each other… and yet you're completely unfazed. Is it because I'm bad at it? Am I not even good enough at this to match you-?"

"Eh? Saijou-san-" To Claudine's surprise, her little outburst is what flusters Maya, rather than all the dozens of kisses they've shared up until this point today. Maya becomes mildly frantic, suddenly uncertain of where to place her hands on Claudine's sides. "Please don't misunderstand. To think you'd considered yourself unskilled with this…"

Claudine tilts her head.

"So what are you saying then?"

Maya flashes her a glance, something very different from her usual air of confidence. Now, her eyes are honest and even a little nervous.

"The only reason I might seem so composed in all of this," she says. "Is because… it simply makes me so very happy, Saijou-san."

"Eh…?" She keeps her arms around Maya's neck, still staying close to her in their pose.

Maya dips her head.

"As I said, it is only because I am so content that I might seem unfazed. You see…" She leans forward, and for a moment Claudine's breath hitches again as she prepares herself. But instead of another kiss, Maya simply brushes their cheeks together and tucks herself into the pulse in Claudine's neck. "Saijou-san… to be able to do this sort of thing with you… be it as an act or anything else… it makes me so unspeakably happy. Or should I say, it puts me at ease."

Claudine feels Maya's embrace tighten just a little, pulling her into her chest warmly. So Claudine reciprocates with an eager cautiousness, hugging her shoulders.

"I'm not sure I'm following," she murmurs.

Maya chuckles against her shoulder.

"I suppose it is a bit confusing. What I mean to say is, had it been anyone else on the planet I'd been paired with for such a scene, I would definitely be unconvincing in my actions. My movements would be stiffer, and my emotions would be staged…"

Maya sighs, and when she exhales Claudine can feel her pulse drumming softly.

"But when it is you I'm with, Saijou-san, everything feels so comfortable, so natural. I deeply enjoy every second of it."

Claudine remains quiet as the words gradually begin to register.

Maya eases herself back, and the smile she gives in that instant is joy itself. She rests their foreheads together, slipping one hand from Claudine's shoulder to the center of her collar, where her heart leaps like a dolphin beneath. Her voice grows quiet, almost wistful.

"Perhaps I do not express myself as you do. My shoulders don't get quite so tense, and my heart doesn't race quite as quickly… But please know that to be kissed by you, Saijou Claudine, makes me feel more than even I could ever hope to properly express."

What Claudine doesn't realize is that, while Maya may be her ocean, to Maya, Claudine is the sky.

For the sky, much like the sea, is vast and endless. The sky, too, can be fierce and dangerous, but also peaceful and comforting, and undoubtedly beautiful.

And naturally, it is the heat of the sun that makes the ocean so wonderfully warm.

Maya does her very best to convey these thoughts to her with another kiss, pouring the depths of her feelings in so the sky might understand.

And she does. Claudine makes sure Maya knows that she does.

When she kisses her back this time, it is with a balance of ferocity, warmth, and softness. All things that both the sea and the sky share. When put together, it creates something profound, something only they can ever understand or experience. Something that could move mountains, level cities, or rebuild worlds.

When they part this time, both are pleasantly breathless and comfortably warm. A moment passes as Claudine lets the rush of the tide in her veins slow down until her pulse matches with Maya's.

"Finally…"

"Saijou-san?" Maya eases back to catch her eye.

Claudine presents her with a small smirk.

"I get it now," she says. "I'm glad you spelled it out for me, Tendo Maya."

Maya's lips curve up into a vibrant smile.

"Not at all. It is I who should be thanking you, Saijou Claudine. Without you, I never would have known this feeling."

"Neither would I."

It's simple, really. There is always a balance that must be met; a balance between pelting rains and heaving waters, between gusting winds and rolling waves.

These emotions they share allow them to drown without danger. They help each other breathe, swim, and soar.

Their eyes meet; the silver of the sea meeting the pink of the evening sky, and their lips come together in a kiss like sunset.

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A/N: When I started writing my zine piece, I had no real idea of where I wanted it to go, so I just let the words take me wherever they went. I'm satisfied with the final result, and really like the weather/water analogy!

I'm have another version of this to share in as next chapter!