Healing Kisses (ch10)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

So this one, someone gave me an idea in a review about Maya being petty/childish and throwing a little tantrum like she did in the OVA (screaming in the staircase). But I also wanted to keep to the titular theme of "healing," so I had to make it something that would also cause a little pain. Hope you understand.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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														Chapter 10.

Every soul at Seishou Academy knew about Maya Tendo's perfectionism, however only her closest friends knew to what extent it often tormented her.

Most of what people saw of her in lessons and onstage was nothing but smooth, graceful, and confident performances without any hints of flaw.

But it was behind the scenes after the curtain fell when Maya would quietly berate herself for the most minor of imperfections, things so minuscule no one else would ever have dreamt of noticing.

Claudine knew better than anyone how arduous it was to try and perfect a certain movement or technique. She would spend hours on end trying to emulate something that Maya would execute flawlessly on her first try. Hours and hours of dogged effort on her part would be displayed with hardly any effort on Maya's. Or so it would seem.

Most of the time, Maya would find something about her own performance to dislike; a step one centimeter too far this way out of the spotlight, a word said just a bit too softly, a note held just a second too long.

What everyone else saw as perfect, Maya would actively seek out ways to improve herself under the belief that perfection could not be obtained so easily. There was always something she could do better, even as the lead role. Just because she was at the top didn't mean she could let herself get lax, for she would never accept an eventual victory that was obtained without constant, diligent improvement.

Presently, Seishou has a small performance coming up, and Maya is deep down a self-dug rabbit hole. The play is a medieval sort of plot, and Maya will be playing the lead prince. They'll be performing it for a children's school, so it certainly won't be their most significant play ever, but that won't stop any of the actresses from giving it their all.

Especially Maya.

She'd gotten all of her lines and movements down weeks ago; all except for one.

For some reason, she's been relentlessly bothered by her prop sword and how to sheath it after her fight scene with Junna. Maya hasn't said anything out loud to anyone else, but Claudine knows her better than the rest of the world. She can see it every time Maya draws and sheaths her weapon that Maya isn't content with something.

As the weeks of practicing had gone on, she'd only appeared to get subtly more and more frustrated. With the performance now only a few days away, Claudine can tell it's taking all of Maya's self-control not to let her emotions show.

After one last run-through, their instructor compliments the girls and tells them all to enjoy the rest of their afternoon before exiting. Claudine, who had landed the part of the maid whom Maya's character falls in love with, rather than Princess Hikari, smoothes out her skirts and makes her way over to center-stage where the others have gathered to compliment their lead.

"I think that's a wrap, you guys!" Karen says. "Tendo-san, you look so cool with that sword!"

"Even I have to admit I might agree," Kaoruko shrugs.

"Gee, don't be too supportive," Futaba jokes.

"Let's go get ready for dinner!" Nana chirps.

Maya smiles at all of them.

"Thank you, everyone. But I think I'm going to practice just a bit more. I'll catch up with you all later." She then turns specifically to Claudine. "You too, Saijou-san. Please don't wait up for me."

Now, Claudine had specifically been planning to stay with her, but the fact that Maya has just singled her out and specifically asked her not to only makes her more suspicious. But for now, Claudine plays along.

"Fine by me. I'm starving."

They all remove their costumes and change back into their uniforms, save for Maya who retreats toward the bathrooms.

Initially, Claudine follows with the main group until they reach the hallway, but then claims she's forgotten something back in the changing rooms and doubles back.

"I've forgotten something, all right," she mumbles. "I've forgotten to give my girlfriend a good smack upside the head!"

She races back to the stage area to find it vacant, and instead hurries along toward the bathrooms. She slows near the entrance to quietly catch her breath, preparing to call out for her when the sound of a familiar voice stops Claudine in her tracks. She presses against the wall and peers slightly around the corner.

Maya is standing there in front of the sinks and mirrors, still fully dressed in her stage costume. She's staring – no – glaring at her reflection, her right hand on the hilt of her sword as she draws it, then sheathes it again and curses.

"No..." she growls. "No... that's not it. It's still not right..." She draws the sword again, and then sheathes it again, and shakes her head. "No- Why can't I get it right? Why can't I-" She stamps her boot against the tile and – to Claudine's surprise – gives a short scream, shaking her head like a wet dog. "I can't get it! I have to get it right!" And she repeats the process, drawing and sheathing and huffing again.

It takes Claudine a good long moment to realize what she's witnessing.

At first, she almost thinks Maya is cracking under some unseen pressure, losing her mind. But after observing for a moment longer, Claudine understands it isn't anything so severe.

Maya Tendo is... having a temper tantrum.

In secret, behind closed doors, but she's having a temper tantrum.

Over the most insignificant thing in the world.

It's honestly sort of adorable.

Claudine has to quickly cover her mouth with her palm so as not to blurt out a laugh, hiding again behind the wall as she tries to get ahold of herself.

She's seen Maya get frustrated before, but she always reacts with a cool head, to Claudine's knowledge. These tantrums must be few and far between, and only manifest when a number of things have piled up on Maya's shoulders to stress her out.

So Claudine knows she should help her address it as soon as possible.

But she needs to stop giggling first.

Hearing Maya's little shrieks and stamping feet, she can't help but envision her as a small child frustrated about something only a child could be so frustrated about; not being tall enough for a ride, having to eat her least favorite vegetable, not getting the toy she wanted most...

After a moment, Claudine composes herself as much as she can and prepares to face her girlfriend who is the farthest thing from 'composed' right now. She straightens up and rounds the corner, clearing her throat loudly.

"Ahem."

And Maya, who had been in the middle of more mumbling and head-shaking, snaps her head up in shock.

"Claudine! What are you-"

"I told the others I'd forgotten something," she explains. "Apparently, I need to give you a reality check."

It's clear on Maya's face that she doesn't know what to do, what expression to show Claudine now that she's been found out. So she just continues looking baffled and nervous, hopeful that maybe Claudine hadn't seen or heard what she'd just been doing.

"How much of that did you-"

"Oh, enough, surely." Claudine makes her way over and stops right beside her expectantly. "Well? Would you like to tell me what it was all about?"

Maya swallows and draws in a deep breath.

"I... can't seem to get the motion of sheathing the sword properly. It takes away from the entire image of the character-"

"All right, good try. But we both know it's more than that. After all those revues, you could perfectly sheathe a sword underwater in the middle of a typhoon." Claudine lifts her hands and rests them both on Maya's shoulders, forcing her to look Claudine in the eyes. "What's on your mind, Tendo Maya? What good am I as your equal and as your girlfriend if you can't confide in me?"

A flash of weakness goes through Maya's eyes before she slowly pulls her hands away from her sword, and instead wraps them around Claudine. She sighs, bowing her head forward to rest against her girlfriend's chest.

"I'm sorry. I should have said something sooner-"

"Yes you should've. But you're saying something now, so it's fine."

"Right..." Maya nuzzles closer into Claudine and closes her eyes. "Every so often, it feels like I need to release some energy, that's all. And this just seems to be the way it happens. It's horribly childish, I know. But it makes me feel better in the end."

"I see." Claudine curls her hands around Maya's back, playing through her hair. "And do you feel better now?"

"Knowing that you are here, Ma Claudine? A million times better."

"I'm being serious here."

"So am I."

They're both quiet for a moment as Maya regains her composure. While the tantrums work to physically expel excess energy, being near Claudine is equally as healing, if not more so, and it doesn't leave her with the residual feeling of exhaustion. She turns her head slightly to listen for Claudine's heartbeat, soothing and slow...

Claudine, on the other hand, is still more than a little concerned. She continues stroking her hands through Maya's hair, resting her chin atop her head.

"So... what exactly brought all of this on? Are you worried about something? School? Family? Some kind of competition? Are you feeling stressed out and agitated?"

Maya hums.

"Not any more than usual," she murmurs. "Nothing else is particularly bothering me. It really is just this godforsaken sword..."

And Claudine has half a mind to be angry that she'd worried so much for nothing, but the ridiculousness of Maya's answer elicits only one response from her.

"Ha!" She laughs almost too loudly for the echo of the bathroom and forces her voice to lower. "That's seriously it? You're just frustrated about sheathing that sword? Are you touched in the head, Tendo Maya?"

"Perhaps," she sighs. "But it truly is getting on my nerves. More so than school or theater or anything else right now."

Claudine almost can't believe her ears. She'd thought for sure there would be other factors playing into this. But then again, this is Maya Tendo they're talking about. Of course something so minor and minuscule would be getting on her nerves to the point of screaming.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Claudine huffs. "But you truly are hopeless, and you're going to give yourself grey hairs, and it won't look as good on you as it does on me!"

"I know." Maya nestles closer for another moment. "I should just sleep on it."

"I have a theory." Claudine eases back and gives Maya a once-over. She reaches out and takes both of her hands, lifting them up to inspect. And sure enough, Maya's left hand is red and scratched across her index finger and thumb where she keeps continuously guiding the sword into the sheathe. She heaves a loud, exasperated sigh.

"Do you think that, oh perhaps, you aren't managing the movement smoothly because you've done it often enough to cause yourself physical injury?"

"Eh? I-" Shocked, Maya looks down at her own hand, perplexed to find it red and irritated. She blinks and looks back up a Claudine. "I hadn't noticed."

"Of course you hadn't. You've got a one-track mind when it comes to these sort of things. Tunnel-vision that's going to end up a serious problem one of these days. Luckily for you, I'm here to keep an eye on you."

Claudine raises both of Maya's hands to her lips and presses a soft, firm kiss over her injury. She peppers them all across Maya's fingers, knuckles, palms, and wrists, tending to each of her sore hands equally. She finishes with one last kiss to the scratches and holds it.

Maya, who had been nothing but flustered with frustration all this evening, is flustered for entirely different reasons now. Her heart flutters, and the last of her gnarled feelings evaporates.

When Claudine has finished, she leads Maya out of the bathrooms and has her change out of her costume, then leads her to the nurse's office to procure some ice. Once the swelling in Maya's hand has gone down, Claudine wraps it with some bandage, then secures it with another kiss.

"Take it easy tomorrow, and it should be fine by the day of the performance," she declares.

Maya thanks her with a kiss.

They join the others for supper, and then retreat to bed together.

And thanks to all of Claudine's love and support, Maya's hand is better in time as promised, and she performs wonderfully for the children, unfettered now by the angle at which she sheathes her sword.

"You'll always be perfect in my eyes," Claudine tells her in secret just before their final onstage kiss.

And that will always be more than enough for Maya.

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A/N: So yeah this was all I could think of to have Maya throw a mini tantrum and require some healing kisses. When I was first practicing sword, my hand would get all red and irritated from sheathing and I sure wish I'd had a cute girl to kiss it better...