Fall From Grace (ch6)

FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

I chose this chapter title because this whole chapter is just them caring about each other and that's the main reason I wrote this story ;v;

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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							Chapter 6. Taking Care


When Claudine and the others return to campus after visiting Maya that first day, there isn't much for them to do, being it's Saturday. The staff have temporarily closed the auditorium where their performances are given in order to ensure everything is under control after the power outage.

The whole school is buzzing with news about the accident and already gossiping about what is going to result from Tendo Maya's absence.

Claudine and the others tell people of Maya's condition in order to help spread the facts and the good news that she's expected to make a full recovery and be back at school in a few days, even if she won't be able to dance or perform for a while afterward.

At the very least, the other students seem to be only concerned for and relieved about Maya, and no one is spreading nasty comments about her having left the top position open for the taking as their instructor had feared. It's reassuring to know that the students at Seishou care more for their classmate's wellbeing than the opportunities her absence might open up for them.

As she'd promised, Maya texts her closest friends throughout that first day, though she of course sends more texts to Claudine in particular. If you can even classify half of them as 'texts', that is, since a lot are just flirty emojis.

Claudine goes about her weekend practice routines in the rehearsal room as usual, and most of her friends join her here or there. It's just so strange to not have Maya in the room as well. Of course there had been times when she'd been unable to practice due to one thing or another, but it had never been because of something as serious as being hospitalized.

Knowing that Maya isn't just going to give a soft knock and appear from around the corner to reveal she'd been watching Claudine all the while has her feeling a little upset. It's rather annoying that the things she typically acted flippant or irritated about actually turn out to be things she genuinely misses now.

She practices without Maya right beside her giving her tips just shy of condescending, she showers without Maya humming in the stall beside hers, she dries her hair without Maya lavishly and extravagantly flipping her own hair over her shoulder like some kind of goddess as she brushes it.

The only thing Claudine gets to do is text "Bonne nuit" to her. She would've much preferred to call her at the very least, but she isn't sure if anyone else is in the hospital room with her at the moment, or if Maya is already supposed to be resting. So Claudine lets the simple text suffice, and receives a similar message with a heart emoji back a moment later.

At the very least, she rests a bit more easily that night in knowing Maya's condition, and that she's all right.

On Sunday it's pretty much the same. Claudine and the others go to visit Maya briefly at the hospital, and this time they bring her books and little puzzles and handheld games to keep her entertained for the next few days until she's discharged. And being that classes were canceled for Monday, the process repeats again then.

By Tuesday, everyone is a little relieved to actually get back into their usual routine. It had been decided that the play they'd had to cancel would be rescheduled for a later date with all of the same people playing the same roles.

Claudine is very happy to know that they'll be able to perform it again all the way through, and that the instructors hadn't decided to recast Maya's role or have an understudy play it. Considering the extreme circumstances, everyone agreed Maya should be able to play the role she'd won the audition for whenever she was safely able to return to the stage. Until then, they continue practicing for another performance, while still reviewing the previous one on the side.

That day, Claudine offers to take any assignments or necessary things to Maya, as she plans to visit her again this evening. Instead of practicing in the rehearsal room alone, she's elected to put her priorities straight and see Maya above all else.

By the time the school day has ended, Claudine has gathered a few papers and books to take to Maya and placed them in her school bag. She then hurries back to the dorms to her room and completes her own homework there as quickly and efficiently as possible. She showers, grabs her bag, and scurries out of her bedroom with her phone in her hand.

/Good afternoon,/ she texts to Maya. /I hope you've used your time wisely these past few days and gotten plenty of rest, because I'm about to bring over your schoolwork./

She receives a text back almost instantly, as if Maya had been waiting to hear from her and had already typed out a response:

/I must admit my sleep has been rather restless without you by my side, Ma Claudine./

Claudine rolls her eyes, but her heart does a little backflip. At least Maya's acting like her normal, annoying self.

As she goes through the hallways, Claudine hears some familiar voices coming from the kitchen.

"Ooooh! Banana, those look super yummy!"

"Non-non! You can't have these, Karen-chan. You have to wait for the next batch."

"Uuuuu, I'll try my best to wait..."

"Seriously, Karen? You just had lunch like two hours ago."

"Plus, you haven't even started on your homework yet."

"Uuu…"

Claudine peeks in as she passes by to find all seven of them lounging around doing their assignments or reading. Nana and Mahiru are at the oven, and the air smells sweet and warm. Futaba looks up to greet her.

"Oy, Kuro! Perfect timing. Heading over to see Tendo, I assume?"

"Hmph." Claudine lifts her chin and saunters in. "Only for the sake of bringing her her homework. Nothing more."

"Uh-huh."

"Kuro-chan?" Nana squeals. "Wonderful! We just finished making these banana muffins! Please bring them to Maya-chan for us!"

"Bien sûr."

Mahiru scoops the muffins out of the oven and puts them in a little portable box before wrapping them up and handing them to her. Claudine nods and turns to head for the door when Karen blurts out again.

"W-Wait, Kuro-chan! I'll write her a letter!"

Hikari sighs.

"Karen, you can just text her."

"Oh yeah…"

They all giggle, though Kaoruko manages to catch Claudine's eye on her way out.

"Do give her our best regards, Kuro-han. And don't get too carried away being all alone with her, yes?"

"Kaoruko!" Futaba snaps. "What the hell are you implying?"

"I am merely insinuating that she shouldn't pass up such a perfect opportunity to initiate things that would be considered inappropriate while on school grounds."

"That's enough outta you." Futaba shoves a pillow in Kaoruko's face and waves dismissively to Claudine. "Don't mind her, as usual."

Claudine flashes her a grateful smile.

"Thank you for sparing me."

With Maya's papers and muffins in tow, Claudine takes her leave from the dorms.

The afternoon is cool and cloudy, and it's the first time she's embarked on this long walk on her own without the others here to chat with. Her mind starts traveling to all kinds of places, wondering about how things will be different when Maya comes back to school in a few days.

And although Claudine herself had told Maya not to worry about her injuries not healing properly, she can't help but shudder whenever the thought arises. It's been festering in the back of her mind for the past few days now, and she refuses to let herself even consider a world where Maya is unable to take her place on the stage anymore.

While lesser people probably would've thought Claudine would love nothing more than to take advantage of the situation in order to steal Maya's spotlight for herself, her classmates and teachers know she would never even dream of trying anything as dishonest and terrible as that.

But even if something does end up going wrong - something that renders Maya unable to continue with her acting career indefinitely - Claudine won't be so petty as to quit as well. Because she knows Maya would never forgive her if she did something so drastic for her sake. Claudine knows Maya would wish for her to continue pursuing her dreams, with or without her.

Claudine shakes her head clear of all the upsetting thoughts and realizes she's nearly at her destination. She walks into the building and checks in at the front desk, where the clerk informs her that she's permitted to visit Maya's room at the moment. Claudine goes as quickly as she can without running and knocks on the wall beside the open doorframe when she arrives.

"Yes, please come in," Maya calls out. Her tone sounds a little suave and playful, and Claudine can't help but smile.

She enters the room to find Maya with the cat plush in her lap, much the same as she'd been the previous few days, though Claudine immediately notes that her posture against the elevated bed isn't quite so stiff anymore. As Claudine nears the bed she gives her an inquisitive look just shy of worrying.

"Did something happen? Are you all right?"

"Do not fret, Saijou-san," Maya purrs. "The nurses merely removed the brace for my ribs. I must admit, this is much more comfortable, though I am a little sore."

"I would think so," Claudine says, though she is glad it's nothing bad. She checks over her shoulder to make sure no one else has entered the room before greeting Maya with a soft kiss to her forehead. Maya hums in delight.

"What's this? A delivery for me?" she asks, glancing down at the little box in Claudine's hands. Claudine nods and hands it to her.

"Nana and Mahiru made them, though the rest of them send their love."

"How sweet of them. And what of you, Saijou-san? Where is your love for me?"

"I literally just kissed you."

"Fair enough."

Claudine pulls over a cushioned chair as Maya opens her muffins and begins to eat one. She places her school bag on her knee and begins to rifle through it.

"Don't think I only come bearing sweets," she says. "I've got your homework as promised."

"Dutiful as ever, I see. Thank you." Maya finishes her muffin and accepts her paperwork from Claudine. "Oh. You might be glad to know this should be the only time you need to do this for me. Evidently I'm being discharged tomorrow."

"Really?" Claudine blinks. "Already? Isn't it a bit too soon? Are you sure you're all right enough for that?"

Maya smiles softly and rests her hand on Claudine's.

"I'm not living here for the rest of my life, Saijou-san. The doctors, nurses, and my parents all believe I'll be fine, and I agree. I've already been fitted for crutches, and my parents have worked with the school nurse to make arrangements for a physical therapist to see me a few times a week after classes."

"What about your ribs?"

"So long as I don't engage in any strenuous activities and keep up with certain precautions and exercises, they should heal up entirely in about the same time my leg will, if not sooner."

Claudine sighs as if she'd been holding her breath in for a long time - and to be honest, it feels like she has.

"Thank goodness…" She turns her hand over in Maya's and squeezes her palm. "And I trust there is no bad news to accompany all the good?"

Maya shakes her head.

"None at all."

"Good." Claudine tries to keep her tone steady, but something in her eyes must betray how worried she'd been, because Maya quietly pulls her in for a hug. Claudine huffs softy and wraps her arms across her shoulders as she's accustomed herself to doing recently. In turn, Maya hugs her around her sides and back, nestling close.

"I've missed you, Ma Claudine…"

Claudine's heart skips, and Maya must feel it because Claudine hears her chuckle. Claudine snorts.

"Idiot. You just saw me yesterday and you've been texting me nonstop in between…" But in spite of her words, she's just as happy as Maya is.

When they ease apart again, Claudine remembers she has her own good news to share.

"The school has decided to postpone our play," she announces. "They're waiting for you to get back on your feet, and then we can depict the story of the Black Lions and the Sun Nation properly together."

Maya seems genuinely surprised by this.

"Really? They aren't using an understudy?"

"Nope. Everyone agrees that you shouldn't lose out on playing the role you worked so hard on because of an accident from circumstances that weren't under your control. We're going to work on something else in the meantime and re-perform that play in a few months."

"My, that is wonderful news indeed. I must admit, I would be quite jealous if anyone else should get to play the role of your counterpart."

"Mechante va…"

They laugh, and then Claudine gets to helping Maya with her homework, briefing her on the materials they'd covered in their classes today. They share the muffins as they work, taking short breaks in between to do crossword puzzles or card games.

In the end, Claudine has only been there for a little over an hour when Maya begins to notice that she's fading. She's been yawning more than is typical for someone like her to be doing at only 4:30 in the afternoon, and her eyes have glazed out of focus more than once.

Maya can only imagine how stressed-out she's been and how much running around she's been doing the past few days for her sake, while Maya herself had only been able to sit in bed or move a little with her nurse's or parents' assistance. And she knows that somewhere deep down in Claudine's heart, she still blames herself for this.

As Maya finishes up her last paper and closes her text book, Claudine yawns again.

"Perfect. That's everything for today."

"And what about you?" Maya inquires.

"I did mine before I came here."

"Of course you did." Maya reaches out and pats her head softly. "You're always working so hard, Ma Claudine, but especially now. Please feel free to rest your eyes for a moment."

Claudine gives her a suspicious look.

"What are you after?"

"Nothing at all. I simply believe you deserve a rest for all your hard work."

And normally, she knows Claudine would absolutely argue with her. But she must just not care today, because she slowly inches her chair as close to the bed as it can get. She blinks up at Maya who merely smiles and pats the bed beside her, clearing away the papers and books.

With a long exhale that's more akin to a huff, Claudine lowers herself forward onto the bed, folding her arms to act as a makeshift pillow. She rests her head on them and turns her face away from Maya before closing her eyes.

Maya places the plush toy beside Claudine's head before reaching out to gently stroke through her hair. She's been doing a lot of singing and humming the last few days to keep her voice sharp, being lucky there were no other patients in the room with her.

Now, she gladly lets her voice out for Claudine's sake - her hardworking partner who has no doubt been tirelessly doing everything she possibly could these past few days to help Maya.

Maya sings for her - a tranquil, smooth little song they'd all learned at some point in time from one play or another. Keeping her voice light, and being mindful of her ribs and breathing, she pets down through Claudine's hair again and again, until at last her prideful partner lets out another long breath.

Maya continues humming a bit even after Claudine has fallen asleep, just to make sure. She leans back fully against her pillows and looks to the flowers that are still sitting on the table across the room. With Claudine at her side now, she falls into a light, dozing nap which ends up being more refreshing than the nights of awkwardly-positioned sleeping.

A little after 5PM, Maya knows daylight hours are dwindling for Claudine to be able to walk back to the dorms, so after a few more moments of admiring her silently, she gently shakes her shoulder to rouse her.

"Claudine, ma belle princesse, it's time to wake up."

As Claudine moans and shifts about, Maya kisses the top of her head before letting her sit up and shake herself off. Claudine blinks at her with a small pout.

"You didn't have to-"

"I know. But I wanted to."

Claudine rolls her eyes as she stands up and starts gathering her things.

"I'll leave your papers with you so you can turn them in yourself tomorrow," she declares. "If you go back on your word of returning to school tomorrow, then you won't get to turn them in and you won't get any credit. So you'd better come."

Maya giggles.

"My, so impressive that you can make yourself seem so cold when in truth you are the warmest person I know."

Claudine blushes and whirls around.

"Quiet, you."

"My apologies." Maya reaches out to take her hand and guide her back to her. She circles her arms around Claudine's waist and nuzzles affectionately into her chest. Claudine huffs and pats her head, then kisses it.

"Go to sleep," she murmurs. "You have a long road ahead of you."

"Mm, but you will be there with me every step of the way, no?"

"Of course I will. Just who do you think I am?" She inches back a little, only for Maya to tug at her sleeve and coax her down for a kiss on the lips. They don't do these sort of things often, even in the privacy of their own bedrooms on-campus. But given the hectic events of the last few days, they both allow themselves to indulge just this once.

But especially now, the first thing on Claudine's mind is considering Maya's safety. She ends the kiss a bit prematurely to ensure Maya won't become even the slightest bit breathless and risk making her ribs hurt. Maya seems a little disappointed, but shrugs.

"I will have to make sure to recover as quickly as possible so that we do not have to cut those short."

"Fine by me," Claudine says. "Just don't push yourself."

With this, she finally takes her leave to begin her walk back to campus.

She isn't really certain about what the next two months will hold. But she'll be damned if she doesn't give them everything she's got - for Maya's sake.

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A/N: Kuro taking care of Maya to the point of falling asleep... gimme.