Twinkle Twinkle, Little Stars (ch5)

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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							Chapter 5. Stage Fight Practice

Kaoruko moans softly as she comes to, trying to make sense of things.

/Goodness… What is it this time? That meddlesome giraffe…/

She doesn't open her eyes just yet, but she can tell she isn't onstage anymore, nor is she wearing her revue clothes, but rather just a casual everyday outfit. Though it doesn't take her long to realize she's lying in grass, which is already making her skin itch. But even more irritating is the fact that she can feel something poking at her cheek.

/Ugh, this isn't a dream after all is it?/
"Ooooy!" comes a voice from nearby. "Onee-chan, you okay?"

"'Onee-chan'…?" Kaoruko finally manages to open her eyes, blinking up at a blue sky dotted with clouds. She's confused about everything already, but when she turns her face to find the source of the finger poking her cheek, she nearly chokes.

"Wh-What in the world-?!" She bolts upright in a split second, startling the little girl who'd been crouched next to her.

"Whoa!" The girl with short-cut hair and a boyish manner of speech and dress falls backward into the grass. Kaoruko opens her mouth in a silent shriek as she recognizes that face.

"F-Futaba-ha- aah, no wait, is it really you? It can't be-!"

But there's no mistake about it. The younger girl is definitely none other than Isurugi Futaba. She sits up straight again and blinks in shock.

"Oy, you know my name!" she says. "I'm glad you're alive. I was just comin' by and I saw you lying in the grass like that. I was about to call the cops! What happened to you, Onee-chan?"

Kaoruko's stomach flips over and her brain hardly seems to process anything that's just been said.

"'O-Onee-chan'…?" she parrots. "What are you talking about? You're Futaba-ha… rather, you're Isurugi Futaba-han, aren't you? Don't you know who I am?"

"You?" little Futaba hums. "I mean, you talk just like my friend Kaoruko, and I guess you kinda look like her too… Ah! No way! Are you a doppelgänger? Or does Kaoruko have an older twin sister?"

"Excuse me?" Kaoruko quips. "A dopple-what? Of course not-!"

"Oh, duh, right!" Futaba laughs. "Kaoruko is the same age as me, so if she had a twin she'd be the same age too! So then you're just her older, non-twin sister, huh?"

"I-!" Kaoruko is about to blurt things out, but then she thinks better of it. T/his is probably just a dream, but just in case it isn't… I should probably be careful…/

So after drawing in a deep, deep breath, she exhales a bit more calmly.

"Actually yes. That's it exactly. I'm her older sister."

"Hah! I knew it!" Futaba claps. "Then I'll call you Onee-chan!"

"H-Hold on just a-"

"Say, Onee-chan," Futaba says, getting to her feet. "Do you want me to call for someone? It looks like you got dizzy and must've passed out in the yard here."

"Th-That won't be necessary," Kaoruko grunts. /The last thing I need right now is to have my parents showing up here somehow…/

Futaba looks her over, but seems satisfied that she's all right.

" 'Kay. Do you have to go somewhere? Maybe I could help."

"Ah, no…" Kaoruko shakes her head. "Evidently, this is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now."

"Really?" A bit of a hopeful twinkle appears in Futaba's eyes. "Then… do you think you could play with me a little? Kaoruko's not here today and I'm kinda lonely…"

Kaoruko flinches as she suddenly remembers the last words she'd heard from the giraffe, to 'have fun'…

"No, that can't be it…"

"Huh?"

"N-Never mind! Just talking to myself." Kaoruko finally gets to her feet, brushing off her skirt and blouse. "I suppose I've got nothing else to do at the moment. What do you want to play?"

"You mean it?!" Futaba jumps up excitedly. "Then let's act out a sword fight as warriors!"

"S-Sword fight…?" Kaoruko coughs. "And what exactly would you suggest we do about swords?"

"Hmm…" Futaba starts strutting around the yard, scouring the grass until she finds what she's looking for. "Aha!" She bends down to pick up two big sticks. "Found 'em! Here, this one's yours!"

"E-Eh?" Kaoruko scrambles to catch the stick the young girl tosses to her. Futaba grabs her stick with both hands and turns to face her readily.

"My sworn enemy!" she shouts. "It's time for us to do battle!"

"Eh? Right now? H-Hold on just a-"

But Futaba doesn't wait for her. She just charges head-on with her stick raised for a strike. Kaoruko's body moves on reflex, something she'd gotten used to from fighting in revues on the stage. She lashes out her own weapon and smacks Futaba's stick right out of her hands, bowling the girl clean over.

"Whoa-!" Futaba lands with an 'oomf!' as she hits the ground.

And it takes Kaoruko a moment to register it all before she shrieks.

"A-Aaaah-! Wh-What have I done?" She drops the stick and crouches down to help the little girl up. "Futaba-han? Are you all right? I didn't mean to-"

"Whoa!"

"…Eh?"

Kaoruko had been expecting her to be crying, but instead, Futaba's eyes are wide with wonder and amazement, and there's a big smile on her face.

"Onee-chan, you're so cool! You're super good at fighting!"

"A-Am I? I mean I suppose…" She lets the praise stroke her ego for a moment before she remembers she'd just essentially hit a small child. "N-Now, Futaba-han, are you certain you're all right?"

"Yeah! I'm great!"

Kaoruko puts a hand to her chest and breathes a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness…"

Futaba bends down and picks up her stick again with a grin.

"Let's go again! Onee-chan, teach me how to fight!"

"Eh? Th-That wasn't-" Kaoruko bites her lip. She doesn't want to crush little Futaba's dreams, but she can't exactly teach her combat practice either. But there is perhaps a middle ground.

"How about this?" she suggests. "Not real fighting, but I'll teach you a bit of stage-fighting. How does that sound?"

"Stage fighting?" Futaba says. "Like a mock battle?"

"Precisely," Kaoruko nods. "No actual contact or injury, but you put on a good enough act that it lets everyone believe it's real. Does that sound interesting?"

"Yeah!' Futaba cries. "Let's do that! I wanna mock battle!"

"Very well." Kaoruko gets back to her feet and takes up her weapon again before getting into a stance. "I'm not exactly dressed for it at the moment, but you want to spread your feet apart a bit for balance, and bend your knees a little."

"Like this?"

"Very good. Now, as for your grip…" She's the most well-versed with how to hold her own naginata, but luckily she'd held enough prop swords onstage and taken all of the necessary prop weapons training lessons for others as well. "If it's a sword, then you'll grip at where the top of the hilt would be with your right hand, and at the base with your left," she instructs. "You're right-handed, aren't you?" she asks, pretending not to already know.

"Yeah."

"Then your right hand will guide and control your weapon, while the left will bring the speed and force." Kaoruko moves to stand beside Futaba now and show her what she means, lifting her stick above her head before bringing it down in a straight cut in front of her. Futaba is baffled.

"Whoa! That was so cool! Lemme try!"

She copies Kaoruko, but her swing ends up being a little wobbly.

"Don't grip too tightly," Kaoruko explains. "Of course you don't want to accidentally drop it, but you need to have a bit of leeway to move with fluidity."

"Fluidity…" Futaba mumbles. "Kaoruko always uses that word to talk about her dancing, so I know what it means! Got it!" Futaba tries another swing, and this time it's much sharper and steadier. "Whoa! I did it!"

"Well done," Kaoruko praises her. "Now then, what do you say about a bit of parrying practice?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

So Kaoruko teaches her slowly and lightly about how to twist her weapon to defend against certain enemy strikes, and then how to counter-attack. Kaoruko gently taps Futaba's stick with hers and tells her how to move to avoid getting struck.

Futaba listens seriously and does her best to follow the instructions.

Their mock battle continues for a little while, until their hands start to get sore. After sustaining one more sturdy strike from Futaba's 'sword,' Kaoruko finally drops her own in defeat.

"All right, you're victorious, Futaba-han." She raises her hands in surrender and finds them scraped and dirty. She grimaces and begins searching her skirt pocket for her handkerchief. Meanwhile, Futaba drops her stick and starts jumping up and down triumphantly.

"Yeah! I did it! I beat my sword training master!"

"Yes, yes." Kaoruko is relieved to find she has her handkerchief, and pulls it out to begin cleaning off her hands. "Now come here so I can wipe your hands off too. It's not classy or hygienic for even the winner to be covered in dirt."

Futaba bounds over to her, and Kaoruko crouches to take each of her hands in-turn to clean them thoroughly. When she's satisfied, she folds up her handkerchief and puts it away with a sigh.

"Well, I hope my training was sufficient for you," she sighs. "As I've said, I'm not the most well-versed with swords. I'm better at dance, if I do say so myself."

But Futaba shakes her head.

"No way! You're great at swords, Onee-chan! I learned so much!"

"R-Really now?" Kaoruko blushes a bit, even to be praised by such a young child. "Well then, I hope these lessons come in handy for you some day."

"Definitely! Cuz me and Kaoruko are gonna be actors, and actors have to know how to do mock battles and stuff!"

"You're absolutely right," Kaoruko agrees. "Just mind yourself and be careful. Safety is number one."

"Got it." Futaba gives her a big grin, and Kaoruko has to admit her heart flutters a little bit.

"N-Now then-"

"Oy, Onee-chan."

"Yes?"

Futaba kicks her shoe in the dirt a little.

"Do you think you could show me some of your dancing?"

Kaoruko tries not to get too excited.

"Oh? Well since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could…" She's already getting into her starting position, raising one arm up above her head. "It's best done in a kimono, but for now this will have to do."

Futaba scampers over to a tree stump and takes a seat to watch.

Kaoruko chooses a traditional dance she knows by heart, one she's always been praised for ever since she was a child. Even without music or a beat, she can play it in her mind perfectly. She can hear Futaba trying to keep down her little sounds of awe as she watches.

Kaoruko moves slowly and gracefully through the entire dance before finishing with a bow. Her audience of one bursts into applause.

"Wow! That was so cool! Super cool!"

"Fu fu~ I suppose I can accept 'cool.'" Kaoruko smoothes out her hair a little and catches her breath as she makes her way over to the clapping Futaba. Futaba scooches over to make room for her on the stump, and Kaoruko sits beside her.

"Phew!" Futaba sighs. "All the sword fighting and stuff is makin' me hungry."

"Oh? Just a moment…" Kaoruko hopes she has something in her other pocket. She reaches in and smiles to find her fingers brushing against a hard candy wrapper. She pulls out the treat and hands it to her companion. Futaba grins.

"Wow! Thanks! You've got everything, Onee-chan!"

"I tend to carry them around because you- I-I mean… a good friend of mine is always giving them to me."

"Oh." Futaba frowns. "Your friend gave you this? Then you should eat it." Little Futaba offers her the candy back. Kaoruko's heart does something that makes her chest hurt for half a second.

"Not at all!" she sniffles, taking out her handkerchief again and pressing the clean side to her face. "Please enjoy it!"

/She's too pure! Too selfless!/

Futaba still seems a little uncertain about accepting the candy, so Kaoruko wraps an arm around her shoulders to reassure her.

"Please. It would make me happiest if you were to enjoy it."

Futaba's smile returns.

"Okay. Thanks, Onee-chan." With that, she unwraps her treat and pops the sugary candy into her mouth. "Mmm, it's so good!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear."

Kaoruko sits with her there on the tree stump for a few moments as Futaba sucks on her candy. Kaoruko sighs, overcome by a wave of nostalgia to be looking at her old property again like this. She has no idea if this is real somehow or just a dream, but either way the feelings it's stirring up in her heart are surely genuine. She keeps her arm around Futaba at her side as the younger girl kicks her feet happily and talks to herself.

"I learned so much cool stuff today!"

"Just remember," Kaoruko says. "Safety first. And if you ever want to get a motorcycle or something like that when you grow up, make sure you wear a helmet."

"A motorcycle? That sounds so cool!"

"Oh, heavens… did I just put that idea in your head…?"

Kaoruko grimaces a bit, but Futaba keeps smiling so much she can't help but do the same. Only a few moments later, Kaoruko hears a big yawn from beside her. Futaba has closed her eyes now and leaned up against her side, hugging Kaoruko's waist loosely. Kaoruko pets her head gently.

"Oh? Is Little Miss Sword-Fighter tired now?"

"Yeah… a little…"

Kaoruko pulls her a bit closer.

"That's normal. So much activity can really take it out of you. Trust me, I know. But luckily, I always have my friends to give me foot massages and the like~"

Futaba just mumbles something unintelligible and snuggles up a little closer. Kaoruko gives her a gentle side hug.

"Did you have fun today, my little Futaba-han?"

"Yeah…" the girl mumbles. "A whole lotta fun…"

"Then I'm glad."

"Thanks… Onee-chan…"

Kaoruko pulls her close.

"That should be my line, Futaba-han."

Once Futaba has fallen asleep, Kaoruko closes her eyes too and rests her head on top of hers.

She hasn't the slightest clue as to where she'll be when she next wakes up, but for now she's content to just be here.

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A/N: I like the idea of Kaoruko putting the idea of getting a bike into Futaba's head haha, but also teaching her a bit of fighting thanks to her experience in the revues! I used a bit of my own sword-wielding knowledge for Kaoruko's advice, so that was fun~