The Girl Who Played God (ch2)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

A bit of a slow start, I know. It will pick up soon!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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							Chapter 2. Shatter


"Ahhhh! I'm so hungrrryyy!"

"Geez, Karen-chan…"

"Lunch was only two hours ago, Bakaren."

"But stiiiiiill!"

Everyone laughs as the group of nine starts making the walk back to the dorms from school. Maya and Claudine lead the pack, with Futaba and Kaoruko close behind, while Karen is slouched and trudging at the middle of the group with Hikari and Mahiru on either side and Junna poking at her back to push her forward. Nana saunters comfortably at the back, both hands folded behind her as she hums, observing everyone together.

"Actually," Futaba says. "I think I agree with Karen for once. Practice was kinda brutal today."

"I'll say!" Kaoruko whines, throwing her arms across her roommate's shoulders. "My feet are killing me! Futaba-han, I need a massage."

"Yeah, yeah."

"She won't admit it," Claudine says from the front. "But I can assure you Tendo Maya can't wait to sink her teeth into the first food she sees in the kitchen."

Maya blinks in surprise, then looks sideways.

"Perhaps I am feeling… a bit peckish…"

"A bit, she says. I can hear your stomach growling from here."

"I'm actually pretty hungry too," Junna admits. "I only got to eat half my lunch because of my meetings."

"Now everyone talking about eating is making me kinda hungry," Mahiru says.

"Me too," Hikari agrees.

Nana has stayed quiet until now, but she recognizes exactly when to take her cue.

"Don't worry, everyone!" she calls out. "Once we get back I'll whip up some of my homemade specialties: Banana's Banana-Nut Muffins!"

A chorus of delighted cheers rises up from the sidewalk.

"Yaaay!"

"I can't wait!"

"Banana, you're the best!"

So they all quicken their pace back Starlight Hall for their after-school snack time.

Nana heads straight for the kitchen and gets her ingredients ready. Mahiru joins her to help while the others get started on the evening's assignments. Junna assists Karen with some of their math work, while Futaba quizzes Hikari and Kaoruko for their upcoming history test, and Claudine and Maya try out some sketching prompts for art class.

Nana thanks Mahiru for her help preparing the nuts and bananas for the mixture, then slides two trays of muffins into the oven to bake before joining the others.

Once the timer goes off, Karen jumps up like a puppy in her eagerness, and everyone laughs as Junna pulls her back down into her seat.

Nana retrieves the muffins and brings them over, setting the tray down on he table to let her friends choose. Karen sniffles with relief as she picks up her muffin.

"Banana… you're a life-saver…"

"It's my pleasure! Eat up, Karen-chan!"

"I will!"

But before she can start eating, Karen throws her arms around Nana in a big hug.

And something about the gesture must inspire everyone else as well, because as Mahiru takes her muffin she hugs Nana as well.

"Thank you, Banana! They smell delicious!"

"I'm glad!"

Hikari only manages to dip her head in appreciation, clutching her muffin with both hands with a mumble.

"Thank you."

But it's still more than enough for Nana, who smiles and pats her head.

"You're welcome, Hikari-chan!"

Both Futaba and Kaoruko come up together to hug Nana at the same time.

"Nana! You're the best!"

"Thank you once again for sustaining us in our time of need, Banana-han!"

Nana wraps an arm around each of them and squeezes them close.

"It's my pleasure, you two!"

As Maya selects her muffin from the tray, she presents Nana with a genuine smile, one that had become much brighter since they'd entered their third year.

"Thank you very much, Daiba-san. I always look forward to your cooking."

"As do I," Claudine agrees. "If you ever find the time between acting and directing, I say you should open up a bakery on the side."

"Geez, you two are making me blush!"

At last Nana sits down beside her girlfriend. Junna has just finished laying a napkin out across her lap so she can take the first bite of her muffin.

"Mm… Nana, this might be your best batch yet. And that's saying something."

"You think so?" Nana reaches for one of the remaining muffins. "I put a pinch of cinnamon into the batter this time."

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I think I can taste that."

"Then I'm glad it was a success!"

Nana watches them all bite into their muffins and start enjoying themselves, the schoolwork and scripts and books temporarily put aside for the time being as they chat casually.

Only once she's satisfied that everyone else has relaxed does Nana take her first bite. The fluffiness of the muffin coupled with the squishiness of the banana bits mixes perfectly with the crunch of tiny nut pieces, and underneath it all is a subtle, sweet tang of cinnamon. She hums happily and leans in against Junna's side, resting her head on her shoulder for a moment.

Nana closes her eyes and lets it all sink in. She's certain she'll always associate the taste and scent of banana-nut muffins with her friends for the rest of her life.

She feels Junna slip a hand around her back to support her in case she dozes off from the feelings of bliss. And she feels she just might, just because of how peaceful it all is, listening to the sounds of everyone's laughter here together…

But then, there's another voice.

"Kagura."

Everyone quiets down and stops talking. Nana opens her eyes and sits up.

They all look to the threshold where Ms. Sakuragi has appeared. She dips her head briefly.

"Sorry to interrupt. But I need Kagura for a moment. Don't worry. It's nothing troubling."

Mahiru and Karen visibly relax at that news, though Hikari is just confused. She puts down her half-eaten muffin and gets up from the couch to follow Ms. Sakuragi out into the hallway. Once they've disappeared, everyone else passes puzzled glances around the room.

"Wonder what that's about."

"Dunno."

"Ohhh… I hope Hikari-chan didn't fail another of her history quizzes…"

"That does seem rather likely…"

"Hopefully not!"

"Sensei said it wasn't anything bad, so let's just wait."

Everyone nods agreement and continues eating their snack. Nana takes another nibble as well, though she can't keep her eyes off the doorway until she feels a nudge in her side.

"Nana?" She blinks and refocuses her attention on Junna, who is giving her a concerned look now. "I'm sure it's nothing. Kagura-san will tell us all about it if she wants to."

Nana smiles, leaning forward to bump her nose with Junna's.

"Yeah. You're right."

"If she's failed another quiz, I'll tutor her myself."

"Right! And I'll help, too!"

The eight of them eat and chat amongst themselves for a few moments, though Nana is more focused on stealing glances at the hallway than she is on finishing her food or talking.

When she finally spots movement, Nana straightens up and watches Hikari re-enter the room. The others look to her curiously as well. Karen and Mahiru quickly make space between them on the couch so Hikari can sit back down again.

"Well?" Karen asks. "Hikari-chan, what did Sensei want?"

"Is everything all right?" Mahiru frets.

Hikari nods, but she doesn't speak right away. Her silence has everyone else getting a bit anxious, but eventually she finds the words.

"Everything's fine," she says. "Actually… apparently, I'm being scouted."

Something cracks.

Nana can't discern right away what it is, or where it comes from, but she hears the small, faint noise of something beginning to shatter.

Just like that.

"Scouted...?" Mahiru says. "What do you mean?"

"By a troupe?" Junna blurts out.

Hikari nods.

"A group from England. They looked into my records from the Royal Academy of Theatrical Arts, and my parents sent them all kinds of information. They want to scout me and have me join their group."

A stunned silence weighs down on the room.

But Nana hears it again - the sound of the crack extending.

"You're being scouted…" Maya says at last. "My, Kagura-san, that is quite the honor."

"Tres bien!" Claudine agrees. "And by a foreign group, no less."

"That's amazing, Hikari-chan!" Karen throws her arms around her friend, and from there just about everyone else begins offering words of congratulations as well.

"Not surprised," Futaba says. "Hikari's always been incredible."

"Not just anyone can get into the Royal Academy, after all," Junna says.

"But will you accept?" Kaoruko wonders. "You haven't said yet, Kagura-han."

Everyone quiets down as they wait for her reply.

Hikari nods once.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to."

Crack.

Once more, the room fills with excited voices.

"Wow! That's amazing, Hikari-chan!"

"Congratulations!"

"That's insane!"

"Hikari-chaaan! I'm so proud!" Karen throws herself at Hikari again and wails. "But doesn't this mean…?"

Hikari pats Karen on the back and eases her off.

"Yeah. It won't be until after I graduate here, but I'll be going back to England."

"Ah-"

"Of course you will…"

The response now is becoming a little tighter, and the smiles are a bit more forced. How are they supposed to react? Most of them can't tell if they're seriously happy for Hikari, or if it's just fake.

Because deep down, wouldn't it make them a little jealous…? After all, she's being scouted before anyone else. What makes her so special…?

With a gasp, Nana gives herself a shake. When she refocuses herself, nothing has changed. The same stifling situation is still pushing down on her from all sides. She can't tell if the others are feeling these things, or if it's just herself.

No. It can't be her. Because right now she can't feel anything at all…

Hikari-chan… is leaving…?

She realizes now what that sound was.

It was the sound of her perfect world beginning to break.

She'd been a fool to think it wouldn't.

Just because her third year had been fun until now didn't mean it would continue forever. She didn't have her repeat performances anymore.

Of course after a certain point she would actually have to face reality; the reality that graduation was inevitable, and now fast-approaching.

She can't fathom how she'd never anticipated this before. She'd been so used to years and years of repeating the terms that she'd subconsciously believed the school days would continue endlessly in this year as well, at least for several dozen cycles.

But this…

This was too quick.

This was only her first time as a third-year student, and it was her only time as one. She didn't get to do it again this time. From the moment it had started, it was already ending.

"Ah."

The sound of Claudine's voice now snaps Nana back into this terrible, stagnant moment. Everyone else turns to her as well. Claudine clears her throat.

"Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you all. But I plan to return to France after graduation to study theatre there. So I'll be leaving as well."

There's another surge of cheers and congratulatory words, but most of them are wobbly and choked. Maya reaches out to rest a hand over Claudine's in her lap.

"And I was thinking of accompanying her. So I will most likely be taking my leave from Japan as well."

As the others smile and wish them both well, Nana hears a second crack cut across her mind.

And then Futaba speaks up.

"Actually… Kaoruko's folks bought a new property recently."

"Indeed," Kaoruko agrees. "Futaba-han and I were planning to move to that district down in Hokkaido, come graduation. So we'll be leaving too."

Again, the cheers.

And again, something else breaks.

Mahiru has something to say as well.

"I… I think I'll be returning to my hometown. There's a lot of work to be done at home… I'm not even sure if I'll be able to continue with theatre as a career, but I'm going to do my best."

Nana doesn't want to hear anymore. She can't bear it. She can't say a word.

It's happening. Her worst nightmare is coming true. All at once, she's reminded of why she'd made her wish in the first place. This reality is just too painful, too sad, too lonely…

But perhaps the worst of it all is when Junna lets out a long sigh beside her.

Nana's heart seizes. An inaudible whisper tumbles from her lips.

"No…"

Not my Junna-chan...

But her plea goes unheard.

"As for me," Junna says. "I'm not going back home after graduation. I've actually already made plans to go abroad. I'm looking to go to America-"

Finally, Nana's world begins to collapse. The cracks branch out and start to chip away at it, taking the picture-perfect image of her dream and skewing it. Pieces crumble and begin to fall away, until the result is a hideous wreckage.

Nana gets to her feet all at once, tearing herself from Junna's embrace and letting her muffin crumple to the floor. Everyone gasps and looks up to her, and Junna reaches for her hand.

"Nana-?"

But Nana yanks herself out of range before she can touch her.

"I… I have somewhere I need to be-"

"Nana, I was going to tell you-"

But she doesn't listen to any more. She can't. She won't.

Nana makes a dash for the hallway and runs out, ignoring Junna's cry of her name.

She refuses. She rejects this kind of future. If they're all going to be torn apart anyway, then she'd been right from the start.

She needs to turn back time. She needs to repeat this year forever.

Even if it means being the twisted director keeping all of her actresses trapped. So long as they're together, nothing else should matter.

And there's only one place she can go to, and one creature she can talk to, in order to make that happen.

As she runs, she can taste an arid, prickling sensation on the back of her throat as the sweetness of cinnamon goes sour.

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A/N: This was one of the reasons I wanted this story out sooner rather than later. At this point, the content of the new movie is speculated to involve Hikari being scouted and potentially taken away from Seishou. I wanted to use that in this story to be the catalyst for the girls' separation, and Nana's subsequent despair.