The Trials Of Time (ch12)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

After last chapter's events, everyone was returned to the original day and timeline where Claudine would have died. But they can't just stay at the giraffe's stage, so from here it's the same time and day, just back at the dorms.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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					Chapter 12. The Present

Maya wakes to a room misted in twilight. It's her own room, and the alarm clock on her nightstand tells it's just past 6PM.

She hadn't remembered lying down so early, but as her thoughts begin to configure themselves, she starts to remember.

She's retained every single memory of the past few weeks, as well as the time she'd traveled back in time. All of it.

Her body still feels the ache of all the fighting, and her heart still feels the agony of losing Claudine.

But soon, it begins to lift, as the most-recent memory in her mind surfaces.

Maya pushes herself up in a fluster, squinting in the greyness of the room to her calendar with a gasp. The days have all been crossed off until after their school performance. She has been returned to the day she'd departed from; the day she hadn't progressed past yet. The true 'present.'

Her heart starts to thud.

Maya is already getting out of bed, glancing back over her shoulder just to be certain, but her mattress is empty, save from the ruffled blankets where she herself had lain. She doesn't look back again.

She rushes for the door, her legs already trembling to the point where her knees feel like they'll buckle. It's only through sheer force of will and a great deal of leaning against the wall and door that she manages to stay up and race out into the hallway.

The dorms are quiet in spite of the hour, and it serves to unnerve her to the point where her breath gets stuck in her chest. She barely makes it to Claudine's door without collapsing, so afraid of what she might find on the other side that she doesn't bother to knock before pushing her way in.

It could be empty, and Claudine could still be at the hospital withering away, or alone on that underground stage. Or she could be in her bed, unconscious and bleeding like last time.

Maya stands panting in the doorway, tears already filling in behind her eyes. Her heart skips as she looks to the bed.

It isn't empty. There is a figure lying there beneath the blankets, curled on her side with her back facing Maya. Maya has to grip the door frame and dig her nails in to prevent herself from falling to her knees.

"Cl-"

The name gets lodged in her throat, and she brings her free hand to her mouth to cover the sob. The tears begin falling, but even as she starts to whimper, Claudine doesn't stir. She is so very still…

Maya can hardly find the strength to take another step. But she's fought so hard, and she's missed her so terribly that her will just to be with her again now takes precedence above all else.

It doesn't matter what happened in the past or the future or whatever other time they'd jumped into. Claudine is here now.

Maya staggers to the bed, blinking away more and more tears with every step before sinking down onto the edge. With quivering fingers, she reaches for her partner, but stops.

She's scared. Scared to find her cold and lifeless. Scared to turn her over and see blood staining her face and clothes. Scared that she'd failed.

Maya's hand falls limply onto the pillow, missing her by centimeters. She balls her fingers into a fist and heaves out a forceful sob.

"Claudine… Ma Claudine… oh, please…"

She won't be given another chance. None of them will. If they'd failed her - if Maya had failed her - then Claudine won't have survived past this evening…

With every beat of her heart, Maya is consumed more and more by that fear, that dread, like fangs sinking in down to the bone and tearing her apart slowly, to make sure she feels every ounce of that agony.

"Claudine…"

Maya can't keep her eyes open beneath the weight of her tears anymore. She hunches forward and sobs, and once again hears that awful harsh ringing in her head. The tone of a flatline...

But then, a softer sound. One that doesn't come from her.

At the same time, she feels a shifting on the bed, but she knows she herself hasn't budged.

Gasping, she lifts her face, eyes flying open just to see it happen.

A miracle.

With a sleepy, tired moan, Claudine turns over onto her back. Her eyelashes flutter open, and her eyes like pink diamonds sparkle up at her. There is no blood, no pain. Only something much, much warmer and more tender than Maya could ever hope to comprehend.

Claudine smiles as a tear falls from the corner of her eye. A breath rises softly in her chest, and the voice of an angel follows.

"You… infuriating woman… did you even knock…?"

And Maya breaks.

"Oh- oh, Claudine-"

She bursts into tears, gathering Claudine into her shaking arms and moving her across her lap. Maya leans down over her and pulls her up into a fierce yet gentle embrace, sobbing into her shoulder loud enough to wake the whole building.

And though weak and shivering, she feels a pair of arms return the embrace, looping up around her shoulders and bringing her as close as can be.

"Tendo Maya…"

It's over. It's finally - finally - over.

They cry in each other's arms until neither can bear being unable to look into her partner's eyes a second longer. They ease apart, only enough for that - to look tearfully into the other's gaze. Maya sniffles again and again, biting her wobbling lip and tasting salt as she attempts to use her broken voice.

"Is… Is this… is it truly real…?" she whispers. "It isn't… just a dream…?"

Claudine's emotions surge up, conveying themselves in a fresh rush of tears. She keeps her arms around Maya and uses all her strength to pull herself close again, back into that tender embrace.

"It isn't a dream…" she murmurs. "It's all real. I promise… Ma Maya…"

Her words both shatter and heal Maya at the same time. She feels she can't hold Claudine close enough. Her sobs become so powerful she makes almost no sound at all. But Claudine's warmth never fades. And though her arms quiver, they never let Maya go.

Maya buries her face into those soft blonde curls and weeps. And she can feel the quick, heavy flutter of Claudine's heartbeat against her chest, so much fuller and livelier than it had been anytime she'd felt or heard it within the past few weeks.

She's alive. She's alive-

"Thank the heavens…" Maya sniffles again, trying to calm her breathing. She hears the tiniest little scoff from Claudine.

"Please… The heavens had nothing to do with it. This was all your doing, Tendo Maya." Gently, she pushes Maya back enough to gaze up into her eyes once more. "You, and everyone else…"

"B-But I-" Maya stumbles on her words, turning her face to cough another sob into her shoulder. "I am the one who… with my own two hands, I-"

"That wasn't you," Claudine says softly. "I know it wasn't you, Maya. They did that - those nasty wretched things…" She doesn't even want to say the word, and Maya is glad she doesn't. She doesn't want to think of them right now. She only wants to think of her.

Claudine also calms herself before she can become upset. She shakes her head, and when she looks back up to Maya, only the fondest affection remains.

"You saved me, Maya…"

Maya tries to reflect her smile, but it just keeps wobbling and fading.

"No… You are the one… who saved me, Claudine… You sacrificed yourself… or else I would have been the one who-"

"And even if you had-" Claudine stops her. "Even if you had been the one to… get hurt… I would have done the same thing. I would have gone back no matter how many times it took. We all would have. You know that."

Maya blinks more tears away and gives a single nod.

"Yes… I do…"

She can't say anymore, so Claudine simply brings her back down, cradling Maya against her chest, giving her a good, snug squeeze. She peppers several tiny kisses along her hairline and the crown of her head. She can only imagine how much crying Maya must have done over these past few weeks.

Claudine holds her for a long time, until Maya finally grows quiet.

But even after the tears have stopped, Maya doesn't pull away. She lays her head against Claudine's collar, needing to listen, to be certain she's truly alive and not going anywhere where Maya cannot follow.

And Claudine lets her stay as long as she needs to, welcomes her with open arms and a warm, loving heart.

When Maya does eventually lift herself up again, the tears are finally over, but that doesn't stop Claudine from gingerly brushing her fingers across her cheeks anyway. Maya returns the same favor, gliding her thumb along the apple of her cheek before cupping her face. Claudine leans into her palm and breathes out a long, long sigh.

"It's over, huh…"

"Yes," Maya affirms. "It is."

A beat of silence follows. Claudine tries to pull herself up close to Maya for another hug, but her shaking arms finally give out on her and she loses her grip on her, only managing to find purchase on Maya's sleeve. Maya frowns, and a beat of worry passes over her heart.

"Claudine? Are you still in pain?"

She can only imagine. Maya herself still aches, even though all the fighting had happened at a different time to her now.

But Claudine had not only fought alongside them those first few nights, but had also suffered the fatal blow to her chest. And even after that had been undone, she'd spent weeks in a coma, losing strength and weight all the while. Even if all of that had been voided somehow now in the present time, it had still happened somewhere, to some degree.

Claudine huffs, taking a moment to catch her breath again before lowering her gaze almost guiltily. She gives a slight nod.

"Just a bit… but it isn't anything I can't handle…"

"But even so-" Maya urges her. "You need not handle it alone."

Claudine flashes her gaze back up at her and gives a little smirk.

"I won't be, now will I? Even if I asked you to, you won't leave me alone for a second, Tendo Maya."

And Maya finally cracks a smile.

"Indeed, there is nothing you could possibly say or do that would keep me away from you, Saijou Claudine."

"Truly infuriating…"

And for the first time in weeks, they share a laugh, and suddenly it almost feels like none of this had ever happened at all. After the laughter fades though, Claudine watches as Maya's eyes cloud over again. Slowly, she raises one hand to touch her cheek, hoping to bring her back to the present, to keep her mind from wandering.

"I know," she murmurs. "Even though I wasn't conscious… I still know you were coming to see me every day, Tendo Maya. And on the days when you couldn't come, I know you were fighting for my sake."

Due to her lack of strength, her hand starts slipping. But Maya reaches up to cover it with her own.

"Yes…" she whispers. "I… I never wanted to leave your side, Claudine…"

"And you didn't," Claudine assures her. "Even when you weren't beside me, you were still with me, Tendo Maya."

Maya whimpers again, gently taking Claudine's hand in hers and lowering it back down onto her stomach. Maya then rests her palm over Claudine's chest, on the exact spot where she'd run her through with her own rapier.

And even though she can still feel her breathing, still feel the steady beat of her heart, her mind plays tricks and makes her think of the blood…

Until soft fingers begin to caress her skin, stroking over the backs of her knuckles like feathers. Maya opens her eyes again and finds herself lost in rose quartz.

"Don't," Claudine says softly. When Maya gives her a puzzled look, she goes on. "Don't bother thinking about any of that now," she says. "It's in the past. It's over. It never happened. Though I hate to think you'll be haunted by it for years to come…"

She sighs, and her heart trembles beneath Maya's palm. "I'm sorry… I was trying to prevent you from getting hurt… and yet I only ended up hurting you anyway… Even when I wasn't awake… even when I wasn't with you, I was causing you pain…"

"You're mistaken." Maya shakes her head, bringing Claudine up closer to her again, back into a warm, full hug. "None of this… none of us are at fault for any of it, isn't that right? But even so, I would do it all over again - no matter how many times it took - if it meant I could have you back with me like this again, Claudine.

"I would suffer any torment, fight any battle, if it would let me stand by your side again. These nightmares are a small price to pay. In fact, they are so trivial, I'm certain they will fade away before very much longer, since there is such a wonderful new reality before me now. We shall make new memories together to overwrite them."

She tightens her hold on Claudine, just a little, not enough to risk hurting her, but enough to let her know just how deeply she treasures her. "Now that I have you back with me, Ma Claudine, I won't ever let go again. I promise. Unless you ask to be rid of me-"

"Stop." Claudine huffs into her neck. "You were doing so well with that speech. Don't ruin it with something like that." She inches herself back a little to give a chiding glare into Maya's eyes. "I won't ever ask you to leave or to stop, so don't even think about it."

And this time, Maya beams back at her, smiling brighter than any spotlight.

"Thank you, Ma Claudine."

"Idiot… that should be my line… Ma Maya…"

They share a long, mutual sigh as they nestle themselves close to one another. For a long moment, they simply breathe, relishing the quiet warmth of this reality.

When they part again, Maya continues cradling Claudine in her lap, carding fingers through her bangs. Claudine clears her throat a little.

"So…?"

The comment has Maya blinking in surprise. She tilts her head.

"Pardon?"

Claudine huffs and rolls her eyes.

"Seriously? You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"I am afraid I don't follow."

"Of course you don't…" Claudine mumbles some things in French to herself under her breath before heaving a massive, exasperated sigh. "Well, after all that… don't think I forgot what you did… before the spotlight went out…"

"Before the…?" Maya purses her lips as she recalls exactly what Claudine is referring to. She feels heat begin to fan out across her cheeks. "Oh… that was…" She trails off, hoping Claudine might stop her again.

But on the contrary, now Claudine is gazing up at her expectantly. Maya swallows, but continues.

"You see… as all of this was happening… I know I would have reacted just as strongly, had such a fate befallen any of our friends… But… but since it was you, Claudine... I believe I reacted in a way I only could have reacted… because it was you… That is… what I mean to say is-"

"All right, that's enough. Don't hurt yourself." Claudine huffs again, then reaches up to loop her arms back around Maya's shoulders. "Just tell me: are you going to kiss me or not, Tendo Maya?"

Maya's heart backflips. She blinks.

"I… M-May I…?"

"Funny. You didn't ask me before."

"My apologies-"

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me before I change my mind."

There's no more hesitation after that.

Claudine pulls her down just as Maya lifts her up closer and covers Claudine's lips with her own. She breathes her in, and breathes into her.

Claudine kisses her back with everything she has, with even more gusto than Maya would have expected from someone who had just gone through so much and who had so little energy left. But it just goes to show how Claudine has reflected her deepest feelings all the while - with the same surefire passion.

Their hearts beat together as one, creating a soft, comfortable rhythm between them.

At last they ease apart with love in their eyes.

Maya lies her down, and Claudine coaxes her to lie beside her. Just as strongly as Maya does not wish to leave Claudine, Claudine does not wish her to go.

They wrap their arms around one another and cuddle close, expressing this tender affection in the warmest way. Maya kisses the top of her head, and Claudine kisses the side of her neck.

"Ma Claudine…"

"Ma Maya…"

And at last, time has settled to where it's meant to be - as have they.

After so many endless weeks and nights of fighting, and crying, and loneliness, the two of them finally rest.

And there are no more nightmares, no more pain, no more fear.

What lies before them now is a path lined with healing and warmth and love, a path that leads to a brighter, warmer future they will share.

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A/N: You'll take the cliche happy ending and you'll like it.

Small epilogue after!