Maze Of Fragments (ch1)

EALRY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!!

Back with yet another intricate and awesome idea from 0mniessence! They gave me the gist of it and I really loved the idea. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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						Maze Of Fragments

							Chapter 1.


Claudine wakes to the familiar chime of her phone's alarm. Stretching her arms above her head and across her pillow, she begins to rouse herself and get ready for the day ahead.

She dresses into her uniform and prepares her school bag for the day, humming all the while.

When she finally steps out into the hallway, several other girls are already bustling about. Claudine meets up with Futaba and Kaoruko first.

"Bonjour~"

"Mornin', Kuro."

"Good morning, Kuro-han."

The three of them head to the dorm cafeteria for breakfast, where they join Nana and Junna. Their band of five are just finishing up when Mahiru comes to the door dragging a half-awake Karen by one arm and a half-asleep Hikari by the other.

"Ah! Good morning, everyone! Please don't wait up for us!"

"Nonsense, Mahiru," Claudine smiles. "We've got time."

So the group lingers a little longer, until Karen, Mahiru and Hikari have all finished eating. They don't always manage to all meet up and make the walk to school together, but whenever it does happen it's always a treat. Though of course, they are missing one particular person.

"I bet she's already gone on ahead," Claudine says. "That Tendo Maya." It wasn't unlike her to wake up obnoxiously earlier than the rest of them just to claim mild bragging rights about being the first one present at their morning dance class.

The eight of them decide to make the walk to Seishou together with the expectation of meeting Maya there.

But when they arrive at the studio and finish changing into their leotards, Claudine walks in to find an empty room. She calls out her trademark greeting of her name and seat number, as well as a call of good morning, but hears no response.

"Odd… I wonder where she could be…"

Knowing Tendo Maya like she did, Maya would probably show up at some strange time and reveal she had been summoned by the staff for some reason, either to assist with a demonstration or to give advice to incoming students.

Without her usual dance partner present this morning, Claudine stretches out on her own, until Mahiru notices and breaks away from her trio with Karen and Hikari to join her instead.

Little by little, the rest of their classmates enter the studio - all but one. When Miss Sakuragi enters and begins taking roll call, Claudine can't help but shift her gaze around the room in search of Maya, unable to believe she isn't here, or that she'd missed her if she is. But when Miss Sakuragi calls out for her, there's no response.

"Huh. No Tendo today?"

"No, ma'am," Junna answers.

"All right. As for the rest of you, we'll continue going over what we were working on last time."

Claudine finds it strange that even their instructor doesn't seem to know of Maya's whereabouts. Claudine has only ever known Maya to miss classes a handful of times, and even then, it was never without having informed the staff beforehand. Either she would be assisting another teacher for the homeroom period, or had been called upon to do a brief demonstration at a nearby school or event, and someone at Seishou would have already known about it in advance.

But this morning seems different. Claudine has to push down a small surge of concern that tries to rise in her stomach.

There's no need to overreact…

Catching the eyes of her friends throughout their lesson, she manages to murmur a few words to them.

"What's going on? Has anyone heard from her?"

"Negative," Junna replies, and everyone else shakes their heads, too.

"Do you think she's sick?" Karen frowns.

"But she seemed just fine yesterday," Mahiru reasons.

"Do you think she had to go back home?" Nana wonders.

"Geez," Futaba grimaces. "I sure hope not."

"I would have to agree," Kaoruko says distastefully. "Anything but that."

"Maybe she took the day off…?" Though Hikari's comment is the most logical, it's the one everyone is most disbelieving of when it comes to Tendo Maya. Claudine shakes her head outright.

"That can't be. She would never just… take a day off…"

"Unless she had a good reason," Nana finishes.

They all begin to look uneasy. What if Maya really had fallen ill, or if something had happened with her family over a phone call last night and now she was upset?

As the possibilities begin flooding through her mind, Claudine tenses up to the point where she nearly makes a blunder in the dance routine. She snaps at herself to focus, but the concern in the back of her mind about Maya doesn't stop spreading until it's reached her heart.

Dance class finishes, and at that point, Claudine fishes out her cell phone from her bag to send Maya a text. But by the time she reaches her next class, she's received no response.

Maya isn't present in their next lecture, either, or the one after that. Everyone's worry mounts by the hour, as none of their professors seem to know of her whereabouts, either.

By the time lunch has arrived with still no sign of Maya and no response to her text message, Claudine is far too anxious to take a single bite.

"I'm going back to check on her," she announces, getting up from the table.

"We'll come, too," Futaba says, standing with Kaoruko right at her side. Claudine nods. If she did happen to stumble upon Maya ailing and in distress, she would be too panicked to handle it alone.

"Call us right away if you need anything," Nana says. "Let us know if you find her."

Claudine nods, then leads her trio out of the cafeteria and out the doors.

The walk back to Starlight Hall is brisk and quiet, with just a few muttered comments between Futaba and Kaoruko about theories of where Maya could be. Claudine hardly says a word, simply because of how focused she is on getting to Maya's room to check on her.

When they finally arrive and check in at the dorms, Claudine takes off running. Futaba and Kaoruko hurry along behind her. When she reaches Maya's room, Claudine skids to a halt and knocks firmly.

"Hey, Tendo Maya!" Futaba and Kaoruko catch up and now wait anxiously on either side of her. Claudine knocks and calls out again. "Have you really slept in this late? Are you sick? If you don't answer, we're coming in."

She pauses and waits, but there's no response at all, not even a shifting of movement. Claudine looks back at the others, who both nod to confirm her thoughts.

So Claudine turns the handle and pushes into Maya's room, bracing herself to find her so sick she can't even move from her bed, or passed out on the floor entirely.

But what she finds might be even worse.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

The room is empty, without any sign at all that Maya had been in it recently at all. The bed has been made, the desk and all the books and papers are in order, everything is as clean and neat as it always was.

It's at this point when a sickening feeling starts to coil around inside Claudine's stomach, to the point where she begins to feel almost nauseous. She's felt this exact feeling before, a few months back.

This has happened before. Maya had disappeared, and everyone had forgotten about her…

"Maya…" Claudine blurts out her name softly on reflex, as if to force herself to remember. She whirls around to Futaba and Kaoruko. "You two… you remember her, don't you?"

"Hah?" Kaoruko says. "What are you saying, Kuro-han? Of course we- oh." She seems to realize instantly what Claudine is referring to, as does Futaba who steps forward to place a hand on Claudine's shoulder.

"Easy, Kuro. We all still remember Tendo. I don't think that's happening again."

Claudine does let out a small breath, but she still remains stiff with concern.

"Then what? Where is she? Why doesn't anyone know…?"

"Let's look around," Futaba suggests. "Maybe there's a note or something."

But in spite of a thorough search of Maya's room, they find nothing. No notes, nothing in disarray, nothing that would suggest anything out of the ordinary had occurred here at any point in time.

Claudine isn't sure if she's more relieved or concerned about finding nothing that would point to an answer. While there were no clear indications that anything had gone wrong… there was certainly no proof that Maya was all right, either.

Claudine makes her way to Maya's desk, casting her gaze over the few photographs there; one of the eight of them from last year's Starlight Festival, one of the nine of them with Hikari, and several of only Maya and Claudine together. Claudine's heart stings with worry.

"What's going on, Tendo Maya…?"

After a moment, Futaba digs out her phone to text the others of their findings while Kaoruko's frown deepens.

"Well… what do you propose we do now?"

"I guess just head back to school," Futaba suggests. "If Tendo still doesn't show up by the end of the day, then we can all talk about what's next." She looks up at Claudine to give her a still-worried, but pacifying smile. "We'll find her, Kuro."

Claudine glances back at Maya's desk, and her heart throbs again with something unpleasant. But a moment later both Futaba and Kaoruko have put hands to her back to begin guiding her out of the room.

They exit Maya's dorm, but Claudine only walks with them a short distance after that.

"You two go back," she says. "I want to check a few more places."

"Kuro-"

But before Futaba can try to stop her, Claudine breaks away and hurries off in the opposite direction.

She first heads to the lounge room where she and her friends typically gather during their down time. But of course, when she stumbles to a stop at the threshold and scours the area, she finds it completely empty.

She whirls around and tears off toward her next destination, a couple of cushioned chairs situated at the end of a hallway beside a large window. Maya would often sit and read here if she wanted some quiet time to herself and it was still before curfew. But that area is vacant, as well.

Once Claudine has searched every spot she's known Maya to hang out at when indoors, she hurries outside to check the patio, the picnic tables, the courtyard, the gardens…

Nothing. Nothing at all.

By the time she's checked every spot she can possibly think of, her heart has started to pound.

"Where is she…? Damn it-"

She refuses to consider that Maya's parents might have come by and taken her home by force without informing the school. Just thinking about it makes her feel she might be physically ill, considering she knows just how stifling Maya's home life was for her. No. Claudine would rather it be just about anything else.

Defeated, she can think of nowhere else to search for her. Rather, there is one more place, but she doesn't want to acknowledge it just yet, not until she's completely expended all other feasible options.

She anxiously makes the walk back to Seishou alone, sorely missing Futaba and Kaoruko's presence to help keep her grounded. Without them, Claudine's thoughts wander to all sorts of places, and it makes her so sick, she can't even look at her food by the time she arrives back at the cafeteria with everyone.

The eight of them quietly discuss what they should do until lunch comes to an end. The unanimous decision is to wait until the end of the day to see if Maya shows up somewhere, and if she doesn't, then they will take things into their own hands.

Claudine hardly focuses at all in the rest of her afternoon classes. Every time someone enters a classroom or passes by in the hallway, she perks up hopefully until it's obvious every time that it's never Maya. All of her friends are quite antsy, as well, but Claudine is worse off than anyone, considering she had been the one to remember Maya's previous disappearance. She's lived through this horrible feeling once before, and it feels like it's slowly suffocating her to potentially have to do it again.

By the time their final class is dismissed, Claudine feels both as though she is going to faint, and as though she needs to start running as fast as she can to find her. Even after their professor and their other classmates have left, Claudine and her seven friends remain, gathering around to discuss things quietly.

"So," Nana begins. "What should we do?"

"It seems the staff really don't know anything," Junna says.

"If she wasn't in her room," Karen says. "Then where could she be?"

"I think we all know," Hikari mumbles. Everyone tenses up without a sound, not wanting to hear it, but admitting it's inevitable. Hikari finally says it. "The giraffe."

A weighted silence pushes down on all of them for a moment. Futaba mumbles to break it.

"Guess that's really it, huh?"

"It would seem so," Kaoruko agrees, not at all happy about it.

Claudine crosses her arms over her stomach, which hurts terribly, though she hasn't eaten anything since breakfast.

"Not this again…" she growls. "She better be there, and she better be alright."

"I-If anything-" Mahiru tries to reason. "I'm sure she's in a ReLive. She'll be fine once we go and get her."

"Then let's go," Nana declares.

Everyone is in agreement. Without another word, the eight girls exit the classroom and take off down the hallway.

They hurry down the staircase together to the lowest level of the building, which is vacant of any other sound or movement at this time. It's then when Claudine breaks ahead of the others and starts to run. The rest aren't far behind her.

With the adrenaline pumping through her and charged with powerful concern, Claudine skids to a halt in front of the elevator. The red light on top is dim, but on.

"Giraffe!" she shouts as the others come sliding to a stop behind her. "Let us in!"

Though her voice had been hard and demanding, her body was trembling. Claudine feels Nana take one of her hands gently, and Mahiru takes the other, and all the rest of them shuffle forward to place their hands on her shoulders or back to steady her.

For a moment, no one speaks or breathes, but Claudine is certain everyone can hear the reverberating beat of her heart.

Then, the loud scraping of metal stings their ears as the elevator doors slide apart. Claudine is already on board before she even realizes she'd stepped forward, and her friends are right on her heels.

The doors close, and the descent makes their stomachs drop. The lighting flashes as they're brought lower, and in between some flick of shadow or another, they find themselves dressed for the stage.

By the time the elevator halts, their weapons are in-hand. The doors push apart.

And instantly, a screeching mass of armored black bodies comes charging toward them.

The girls let out a collective cry of shock as the Korosu flood the aisles. They raise their weapons and strike down as quickly as they can to cleave through the first wave.

"What the hell-?!"

"Where did all these come from-?"

"What's going on-?!"

The eight of them can barely step off the elevator due to the push of the enemy's numbers. It's all they can do to clear enough space for them all to stand.

It's so jarring that Claudine doesn't even fully take in her surroundings right away. She's forced to focus on the Korosu and strike down as many as she can, at least until they are at bay enough for her to catch her breath for a split second.

It's then, with the hissing of the Korosu and the grunting of her comrades ringing through her head, when she manages to lift her face to the stage beyond.

White spotlights shine down upon every inch of it, leaking their light into the audience seats. But the stage is no ordinary sight.

A pair of massive, towering staircases have risen up from the stage, twisting and spiraling around an elevated platform in an image of dizzying symmetry. Korosu have already begun swarming them and started to march, their blackness slowly rising up the levels of the stairs like a shadowy ocean. Behind it all is the image of a large white swan.

Claudine's heart pounds harder as she follows the path of the stairs with her eyes, until she finally reaches the top.

At the pinnacle of the platform, between the tops of both stairways, sits a lavish throne fit for royalty, rimmed with gold and adorned with velvet cushions. And on it sits the queen herself.

Tendo Maya is slumped there, unconscious, her head lolling awkwardly to one side beneath the weight of the heavy golden tiara that has been placed atop her head. Its ruby gems bleed an unsettling crimson glow that catches in the white glow of the spotlight. Her rapier stands beside her with its tip in the ground, and her right hand resting limply at the handle.

It's an image of tragic beauty.

Claudine isn't sure if she feels more relief or dread come crashing through her bloodstream at the sight.

"Maya…"

She doesn't appear to be wounded, but the fact that she's clearly unconscious is warrant enough for concern. She doesn't seem at all like a ruler of this stage, but a prisoner, a display, a trophy.

By the time Claudine's friends have pushed back the Korosu a bit, they all follow her gaze and cry out.

"Tendo-san!"

"Maya-chan!"

"So it was the giraffe-"

"What is it this time-?"

The Korosu hiss and surge forward again, and this time Claudine lunges at them with a renewed vigor, fueled by a mix of desperate desire to reach her partner, and a crushing concern at the state she seems to be in. She isn't sure how long Maya has been here for, but she knows it's already been far too long.

The Korosu have already conquered more than half of the height of the staircases, and Claudine isn't about to let them reach the defenseless girl at the top. The thought of it allows the panic to be pushed down just a little, and instead a much more heated rage takes its place.

With a furious battle cry, Claudine hacks another slew of Korosu into dust. All around her, her friends continue the slaughter without hesitation, almost as if they're grateful for the chance to channel their worries and take it all out on the monsters. Now that they have a surefire answer, at least as to where Maya is, they can unleash their frustrations in the form of battle.

And so they attack with everything they've got, expressing their worry and fear and relief through their blades. Even cramped altogether in the aisle as they are, they manage to slowly advance forward, bound for the stage.

Claudine is at the front of it all, making the first blow at the next wave of Korosu while the other girls then handle whatever ones slip past her or come in from the sides or the back.

It's only when they've gotten halfway to the stage when she glimpses a familiar onlooker, high up in the upper level of the audience, looking over the chaos and carnage as calmly as ever.

"Giraffe!"

Her furious cry has the others pausing just for a second to grimace and mutter.

"Should've known."

"He clearly isn't going to help, is he?"

"He's just been watching like always."

Claudine cuts through another Korosu, then rounds on the overseer, shouting above the din.

"What is the meaning of all this? What's happened to Tendo Maya?"

He looks at her from afar, but when he replies it is in his usual tone, so frustratingly calm that it's almost inaudible over the sounds of screeching and clashing metal far below.

"So you have arrived. I understand." He pauses for a moment, his stillness seeming to combat the obvious writhing movement of the battle below him in an almost goading manner. "As you all can likely surmise, Tendo Maya-san was called upon to reenact a certain ReLive late last night."

As the girls continue to fight and slowly make their way toward the stage, no one is all that surprised.

"Of course it was a ReLive…"

"But no one else knew about it?"

"She was all by herself-?"

"That's too dangerous!"

The giraffe dips his head, and continues speaking as though it were a simple discussion of the weather.

"Indeed, I thought so as well. As such, I made the offer to have her call upon a companion in order to see the ReLive through. However, Tendo Maya-san expressed regret in calling upon any of you last night, given the extremely inconvenient hour. And as such, she elected to tackle the entire performance on her own. And, well, as you can see, things did not exactly turn out as she might have hoped."

"Obviously!" Claudine barks, cutting down two more Korosu. "Why did you let her do it alone?! You should've brought one of us here to help her anyway!"

"And pass up the opportunity to behold the highest-ranking Stage Girl attempt an entire ReLive on her own?" he says. "As someone who longs to bear witness to an unpredictable and thrilling stage, it was simply not in my best interest to do so."

Claudine snarls, and all around her, her friends voice similar outraged thoughts perfectly.

"Giraffe-!"

"Because of you, now Tendo-san is like that…"

"Is this really what you call a performance?!"

"This is what entertains you? Unfair battles that result in someone getting hurt?"

"That's a big non-non!"

All the while, they are forced to continue fighting the Korosu as they demand answers from him, advancing another step closer toward the stage. Claudine lunges at another Korosu and shatters it, then jabs at another, blood burning.

"What happened to her-?!" she cries. "Why is she-?" She glances back up to the top of that towering platform, to where Maya is still and pale and helpless. The Korosu trying to climb the sides have gotten a bit higher up.

Claudine and her friends push on even harder on their way to reach the stage. Above them, the giraffe hums as he contemplates a response to Claudine's question.

"You see, it was quite a sight to behold," he reminisces. "For many hours of the night, Tendo Maya-san acted out the ReLive as planned and fought the Korosu in the meantime. But gradually, it proved to be too much, even for her admirable skills. The Korosu's numbers increased, and eventually she could no longer withstand them. As such, she chose to strategically flee the stage and come back to fight another day. However…"

He looks back past them, toward the elevator where they had come from. Claudine can only envision what he had seen. Maya, ragged and tired, running for safety and refuge, wanting to return to the world above-

"However," he continues. "The Korosu outnumbered and overpowered her. Before she could reach the elevator, they swarmed her and dragged her back to the stage by force. Overwhelmed, she eventually succumbed." Now, he looks back to the stage, to the throne. "As such, they have been feeding off of her radiance ever since, hence their impressive numbers. Should it continue on for very much longer, there will soon be nothing left of the renowned Tendo Maya-san…"

Claudine nearly stumbles as the meaning of his words registers.

"What…?"

And all around her, her friends cry out again.

"What do you mean-?"

"You let her do something so dangerous!"

"That's horrible!"

"They're feeding off of her?!"

"Tendo-san…"

As their shouts echo around the theatre, even louder than the Korosu and the sounds of battle, Claudine's emotions are a whirlwind inside her. The relief at having found Maya doesn't last for very long now that she's heard the whole story. There's also the frustration that Maya hadn't wanted to call upon anyone for help simply so she wouldn't wake them at an inconvenient hour of the night.

How idiotic can she possibly be?! She could have at least called for me! Me, of all people…

Claudine is certain Maya knows full-well that she would have come to her aid in a heartbeat. But in an effort to be considerate, and to prove her own capabilities, Maya had chosen to go alone.

And now she's paying for it…

There's rage, too. Rage at the Korosu, at the giraffe, at the entire situation. There's the desperation to reach her before any of the monsters do, concern that they might not be able to help her in time…

With another shout, Claudine strikes through several more Korosu.

By now, the girls have reached the stage. She leads the way forward up the small staircase on the side, cutting down the Korosu that stands in her way while her friends continue slicing at the ones behind. The moment they can all finally stand on the stage and fan out to fight more freely, Claudine rounds on the giraffe once more.

"How do we save her?" she hollers. "Tell us!"

The giraffe flicks an ear as he considers.

"If the Korosu can still be defeated as they currently are being, then I would assume it means they have yet to drain Tendo Maya-san of her radiance completely. They do not yet have the full power from her. I understand."

"Answer the question!" Claudine snaps. "How do we get her back safely?"

The giraffe hums again.

"Safety may no longer be a feasible concept at this point in time. However, in order to answer your query…" He inclines his head toward Maya, whose throne is so high up it's even higher than the giraffe's own perch. "When Tendo Maya-san was unable to retreat from this stage, she instead retreated into the recesses of her own mind. Her own consciousness. As such, that is why she is in such a state right now. The only place where she could escape to was within herself. Within the Maze of Fragments. But it would appear she has become trapped. The only way to bring her back would be to save her from herself."

"Huh?!" Futaba cries. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Always cryptic!" Kaoruko grunts.

"Enough riddles!" Junna shouts. "Just tell us how!"

The giraffe replies, "That is all I can ascertain from the situation. If you wish to free Tendo Maya-san of this fate, then you must find 'her.' The essence that makes her a Stage Girl. You must find it and remind her of it so she may remember herself. If not, the Korosu will drain her of her radiance until there is nothing left."

"No!" Nana shouts.

"We won't let that happen," Hikari agrees.

"We'll fight them!" Karen says. "If there are no Korosu left to steal from her, then Tendo-san will be okay!"

"No," Claudine mutters. "Killing the Korosu won't be enough…" She's come to understand the giraffe's explanation, at least to the best of her abilities. Claudine casts her gaze upward, along the twisting staircases that rise up as high as the curtains of the stage, to the top of the platform that seems to have forced the ceiling of the entire theater to stretch higher, as high as Tokyo Tower.

Maya looks so small.

Baring her teeth, Claudine cleaves through yet another wave of Korosu.

"We've got to reach her before they do."

The Korosu have gained a few more steps, and are now cluttering ever closer to Maya. Claudine makes a desperate leap forward to try and reach the bottommost step, but more Korosu lash at her and force her back. She spits and cuts down a few of them, but more keep coming.

But before one of the shadowy blades can touch her, Futaba's halberd plunges into the monster, and one of Junna's arrows shoots through another. All around Claudine, her friends come to her side, paving the path for her.

"We will," Nana says, flashing her a smile. "We'll make it to Maya-chan in time."

"Or rather, you will, Kuro-han," Kaoruko says.

"Eh?" Claudine doesn't even have time to ask the full question before she feels Karen and Hikari giving a firm nudge to her back.

"Go, Kuro-chan!"

"We can take care of the Korosu."

In that moment, Mahiru cuts down the last of the Korosu that had been guarding the first step.

"We'll clear a path!" she says. "And we'll keep them at bay. So do what you have to, Kuro-chan!"

Futaba and Junna go to join Mahiru at the staircase, while Karen, Hikari, Nana and Kaoruko form a circle around Claudine to protect the group's sides and back.

The Korosu come at them from all sides, but gradually they begin making their way up the staircase. Claudine turns around constantly to watch everyone as they fight. She lunges forward and lashes out whenever she can to cover any of them from a Korosu that manages to slip by and kills the stragglers before they can hurt any of her friends.

As they slowly make their way up the spiraling staircase, Claudine knows what they are proposing. They'll get her to the top, to Maya, and they will continue to hold off and fight the Korosu until she figures out a way to get Maya back.

"Everyone…"

Until now, Claudine's whole body had been riddled with so many warring emotions, things so intense it's made it hard for her to breathe.

But now, in the center of the chaos, with her friends surrounding her to keep her safe and guiding her to the top, Claudine is flooded through with a cooling wave of clarity. The others have resolved themselves to their task, so she must do the same.

The battle continues as the eight of them advance higher up the stairs. More than once, Claudine has to reach out and steady someone so they won't fall off when one of the Korosu tosses them off balance. While her friends keep her at the center, she watches their backs.

And it's agonizing, both the ascension and the fact that her friends are doing most of the fighting for her. Claudine keeps her eyes trained on the throne high above, on Maya, on how far they still have to go.

The only solace is that the Korosu that had been marching toward Maya's defenseless body had turned in favor of pursuing the new, more radiant Stage Girls. It gave them more to fight, but it also ensured Maya was safe from those on this staircase at least. But the opposite staircase is still flooded with black shadows.

Everyone fights their hardest in the arduous battle to the top. Whenever a Korosu gets too close to the peak for comfort, Junna fires an arrow to take it out.

All the while, the giraffe looks on, eventually needing to crane his head back in order to watch the battle unfold as its participants rise higher.

Soon, they've almost reached the last of the Korosu at the top. Nana swipes her twin swords furiously while Kaoruko and Futaba support her on either side, Junna begins shooting down the Korosu that get too far on the other staircase, and Mahiru, Karen and Hikari defend from the ones coming from below.

Claudine's head is spinning, her heart is pounding…

And then, all at once, there's a collective cry of her name.

"Kuro-chan!"

"Kuroko!"

"Kuro-han!"

The three at the top cry out in triumph as they finally defeat the last of the Korosu blocking their path. They step apart, and Claudine doesn't waste a second before dashing through them.

"Merci-"

She barely manages the breathless word as she tears off, skipping the remaining steps until she finally reaches the level platform at the top. Karen, Hikari, and Mahiru stay behind at the top of their staircase behind her, while the other four tear off across the platform, past Maya's throne, and to the top of the opposite staircase to begin slaying the Korosu breaching it.

At the very least, now the Stage Girls are on level footing, and their opponents are only beneath them. They need only to block the tops of the staircases, cut down or unbalance the monsters, and gravity does the rest. The fight is much more advantageous to them now.

Claudine spares only a second to look across and back at her friends to ensure they're all right.

"Everyone, are you-?"

"We're fine!" Mahiru says. "Kuro-chan, go get Tendo-san!"

"We can handle these pests!" Futaba grins. "No problem!"

"Bring her back safely," Nana implores. "We'll take care of you both."

Claudine looks back and forth between the groups, then dips her head. Drawing in a deep breath, she finally turns around to face the throne.

Maya hasn't moved at all since Claudine had first laid eyes on her here today. Though she is sitting upright in the throne, her head remains leaning limply to one side, and her grip on her rapier is loose and might as well not be there at all. Her face is pale, her brow creased with distress, and if not for the very faint rise of her collar, Claudine might have feared for her life more than she already is.

Though the tiara is on her head, she is certainly no queen in this ordeal. She is a prisoner and a target.

Claudine feels guilty for allowing her friends to continue the fight without her, but she has to focus on her own task now or their efforts will be for nothing.

Claudine draws in a breath slowly, sticking her sword into the ground opposite Maya's rapier to reflect it. She steps forward, until her knees brush with Maya's. But even at her touch, Maya doesn't budge. Claudine's heart falters with worry.

"Tendo Maya… look what you've gotten yourself into…"

She lifts her hands, reaching up to gently hold Maya's face, brushing the pads of her fingers across her cheeks. There are dark circles under Maya's eyes, evidence enough to show she hadn't slept at all and had been fighting all last night on her own. Claudine bites her lip to keep it from trembling.

"Why didn't you call for me? Mechante va…"

If what the giraffe had said was true, then Maya is trapped within herself right now, within her own mind. Claudine isn't sure how she might reach her, but she has to try.

Slowly, she eases herself forward, resting her knees on the throne on either side of Maya's hips, settling herself down in her lap. Keeping one hand cradling Maya's face, Claudine wraps her other arm around her shoulders, leaning in close. She can feel the faint flutter of her pulse, and the weak push of her breath against her neck. Claudine eases herself forward and closes her eyes, resting her forehead against hers.

"Tendo Maya… let me in. Let me come find you…"

Suddenly, the gems on Maya's tiara shimmer bright red.

In seconds, Claudine's consciousness is taken from her, and her body slumps limply onto Maya's on the throne.

Their friends continue to fight the Korosu to keep them safe.

And slowly, the darkness that had been surrounding Maya opens up and coaxes Claudine in as well.

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A/N: 0mn had said this idea was based off the line Claudine had said to Maya in the manga, how Maya's existence was like a maze to Claudine. That's why I mentioned perhaps Maya liked that idea and so she deliberately constructed her mentality into that shape.