Catching Phantom Thief Starlight (ch6)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY $20+ PATRONS!

As an apology for giving you two cliffhangers last update, this one will also be 2 chapters - the final 2! Get ready!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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														Chapter 6. Trust

"Claudine!"

Maya screams as the horrifying reality slams over her as if the entire building has collapsed on her head.

Claudine gasps in agony and is already on her way to the floor. Maya tears herself from her state of frozen terror and swiftly dives in to catch her, struggling to support her sagging weight. At the same time she gives the hardest kick she can muster to the suspect's face. She knocks him clean over into unconsciousness, and the knife clatters to the floor in a small puddle of blood.

Maya drops to her knees with Claudine in her arms, frantically holding her up with one arm as her other hand presses hard over the wound in her side. Claudine moans, wincing as she struggles to open her eyes. Maya whirls around to spot the terrified clerk who witnessed the entire thing.

"Get out of here!" she yells. "And call an ambulance! Now!"

He pulls out his cell phone and begins dialing as he bolts for the door.

Maya returns all of her attention to her partner now. Claudine's breathing has turned clipped and ragged, and the blood is soaking through her clothes onto Maya's fingers. Droplets are spattered on the tiles, dark red against bright white. Claudine shudders in her arms, her hands clutching at Maya's shirt.

"Crap…" she rasps. "He got me good…"

"Claudine…" Maya presses as hard as she can on the wound to staunch the bleeding. The pain has Claudine wincing again, but it's just enough to make her remember how to open her eyes. She can see the guilt already eating away at Maya, see the tears brimming once again.

"It's all my fault-" she whispers. "It's just as I'd feared… because of me, you-"

"Tendo Maya, shut your stupid mouth."

Claudine grabs her collar and pulls her down into a hard kiss, silencing her once and for all. Maya hiccups against her lips, blinking her eyes open wide in surprise. Claudine can only hold her there for a few seconds though, before she becomes breathless. She lets her go, but the annoyance flaring in her eyes doesn't falter.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for my actions, you idiot."

Maya's lips hang open in disbelief at what had just happened - the kiss more so than the stabbing, now.

"I… Claudine-"

"You promised…" She flinches a little, grunting at the pain throbbing in her side. "Well… I suppose you never actually got to finish making that promise… but you'd been about to tell me that you trusted me, isn't that right? I knew you had my back in this scenario, so I made damn sure to have yours, too."

"But you-!"

"Hush." Claudine exhales a little shakily, but her eyes are surprisingly calm. "I'll be fine. You of all people should know better than anyone that it's going to take a hell of a lot more than this to put me out of commission."

Maya sniffles, dipping her head to wipe her face against her shoulder.

"You… You always were quite stubborn…"

"More stubborn than you even," Claudine confirms, chuckling a little.

Maya tries to do the same, sniffling again. She can still feel warm blood seeping out from between her fingers, and Claudine is looking a little pale. Without moving her too much, Maya pulls Claudine up to her chest as much as she can, holding her in a delicate embrace, brushing her cheek with hers.

"I'm sorry… I should have trusted you, Claudine. I should never have doubted that we were the smartest and strongest pair in all of Europe's forces."

"So long as you understand now," Claudine sighs. She closes her eyes for a moment and nestles into Maya's warmth.

A moment later, the sounds of sirens finally reach their ears. As backup officers arrive, they contain the unconscious suspect and bring the medical team through. Maya reluctantly lets them take Claudine as other officers help her up and ask her a million questions about the crime scene. Maya answers everything she can as she watches the first aid squad place Claudine on a gurney and bring her to a waiting ambulance. Maya insists she go with her, and is granted permission.

As they drive with sirens blaring, the nurses begin to do whatever they need to in order to stop the bleeding. Claudine is conscious all the while, able to feel all of the pain before the numbing drugs kick in.

Maya stays close and holds her hand all the while, gently stroking over her knuckles and the backs of her fingers.

But rather than suffering from her injury, Claudine mainly seems irked by the fact that this little incident has gotten in the way of hers and Maya's Phantom Thief investigation.

Once they arrive at the hospital, Claudine is brought inside, while Maya hastily follows on-foot. When she's told to wait out in a lobby, she retreats to the restroom to finally clean Claudine's blood off her hands and clothes.

"She's fine," Maya coaches herself. "She's going to be fine." She cups some cold water into her palms and splashes it onto her face. When she exits the restroom, one of Claudine's nurses is there waiting for her. Maya feels her heart clench with concern, but the woman smiles at her.

"Miss Saijou's wounds have been treated. She's going to make a full recovery after just a few days of bedrest and pain medication."

Maya feels her knees nearly buckle with relief.

"Oh, thank goodness…"

"Indeed," the nurse replies. "She vehemently refused anesthesia and was scolding our staff all the while not to waste too much time on her. Told us to focus on other patients. She powered through the stitches and everything all on her own willpower."

Maya feels a smile coming onto her lips as she listens.

"Yes, that sounds exactly like her."

"You may go see her now if you'd like," the nurse offers.

Maya dips her head.

"Thank you. I will." She brushes past the other woman, but before she goes, the nurse says one last thing.

"From what I'm told, you were very lucky to have her. Had that knife reached you as it was intended to from that angle, it likely would've been fatal. But hitting your partner where it did instead only resulted in a non-life-threatening wound."

Maya is still for a moment, absorbing exactly what that information means. Then, she quickly continues on her way to see Claudine. Someone directs her to the correct room, and Maya knocks once to announce her presence before pushing her way in.

Claudine is sitting up straight in bed, now dressed in lavender hospital robes. She glares at her guest at first, thinking it's another nurse to come pester her about her IVs or medicines. But when she sees it's Maya, her eyes soften just a little. Maya reaches her bedside and sits on the edge, wrapping Claudine in her arms.

"I'm so glad you're all right…"

Claudine chuckles a little, hugging her back as best she can.

"Didn't I tell you I would be?"

"You did indeed."

For a moment the room is quiet, save for the soft beeping of Claudine's heart monitor. Maya savors that sound, that surefire proof that she's truly alive and well in her arms now. She can feel her pulse directly for herself as well, a soft, steady beat against her chest. It makes Maya think back to what the nurse had just told her.

"You saved my life…"

The words slip out in a murmur against Claudine's neck. Claudine eases away from her slightly to look her in the eyes.

"Oh, please. Don't be so dramatic."

"No. I mean it. The nurse told me as much. If not for you, Claudine, I wouldn't be here right now."

Just saying it is so surreal.

Claudine's expression becomes grim, and her pulse begins to thump harder at the thought of it. Maya pulls her back in close and runs both hands up and down her back.

"It's because of you, Claudine. It's because you had my back. It's because you told me I could trust my partner, like I should've been doing all along. Merci."

Maya presses a warm kiss to her cheek, which results in the monitor beeping a bit more quickly. Claudine sighs, then clears her throat in an effort to regain her composure.

"I'm very glad for it, then." She returns a kiss to Maya's cheek swiftly, then pulls away before Maya can savor it. "So does this mean no more lone wolf business?"

Maya nods.

"No more. Especially not when I'm with you."

"Good."

Claudine needs to stay the night at the hospital, and Maya makes the excuse that she has to stay with her because they are working on a case together, and need to discuss and compile their evidence. It's justification enough for the hospital staff, and Maya is permitted to stay with her.

She gets a bit of dinner for herself at the hospital cafe, and helps Claudine eat the meal she is given for supper. Claudine moves a bit rigidly and sometimes gets a little breathless, but otherwise seems to be just fine.

It's after the meal when Claudine realizes she has to call her Chief to tell her about what had happened personally. Nana is frantic and shocked and relieved all at once, commending them both and ordering them to postpone work on the Phantom case until Claudine has fully recovered.

But Maya can tell by the look in her partner's eye that Claudine intends to keep working on it as soon as tomorrow.

When it's time for her to rest, Maya helps her lie down on her back. Claudine flinches slightly at the ache in her bad side. Maya rests a hand softly over the sore spot, rubbing very gently. Claudine sighs under her touch and closes her eyes.

"Tomorrow…" she yawns. "It's back on this Phantom Thief for us… I still have a few theories I want to discuss…" Her eyes have already fallen shut, and her pulse has begun to slow. Maya carefully leans down over her and kisses her forehead, then her lips.

"I shall gladly listen and discuss things with you tomorrow, Ma Claudine."

She doesn't know where the sudden little nickname comes from, but it just sort of slips out. She sees the corner of Claudine's lips twitch into a tiny smile for half a second before she drifts off into a heavy sleep.

Maya pulls the blankets up over her and tucks her in, all except for the arm with the IV drip wire. Maya gets comfortable in the cushioned chair she'd pulled up hours ago, hunching forward and folding her arms onto the side of the bed. She holds Claudine's hand and kisses her wrist, then closes her eyes to the sound of her heart.

After all this time of believing she'd be better off alone, Claudine has shown Maya the light.

Deep down, Maya had never wanted anything more than to be partnered with her on a real case, to work together with her side by side to fight crime and make the world a better place.

And in spite of the day's highly-stressful events, it all worked out in the end.

Maya now understands the importance of trust and companionship in such a harrowing line of work. And there's no one she'd rather have at her side and watching her back than Claudine Saijou.

Today had marked the true beginning of their partnership. And starting tomorrow, they were going to work toward catching the most peculiar criminal in all of Europe.

But until then, Maya is more than happy to fall asleep beside her partner who had risked everything for her today.

Claudine.

The girl whom she'd had a crush on since day one at the Academy, but had always been too nervous to say anything to.

Today, after so many years of assuming they could never be together in that regard, she'd finally kissed her, like a dream come true.

Maya holds her hand all night long, and sleeps with a smile on her face.

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A/N: Worry not! Instead of letting Maya blame herself and feel all guilty and all that icky stuff, Claudine has taught her to see the wonder of trust and love!

Time for the finale! Will they catch The Phantom Thief...?