The Trials Of Time (ch2)

Thank you all for the interest in this story to start out! I hope it entertains well enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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							Chapter 2. Plan

The following morning, Claudine and her friends greet each other for breakfast as per usual, though they're all harboring the same underlying uncertainty about what tonight might hold for them.

Kaoruko is still a bit queasy, so Futaba takes extra care in looking after her, and the others pitch in whenever they can too.

Mahiru acts as cheerful as ever, but she still has moments where a bit of fear flashes across her gaze, and Hikari seems even quieter than usual, which in turn proves to make Karen a bit less lively.

If Maya is still feeling any aftereffects from last night, she hides it well, but that only makes Claudine worry more.

Junna and Nana are in the same boat, fretting about the others and trying to keep them focused on their lessons and practices, which only results in making them a little more stressed out in the process.

At lunchtime they all eat a bit more than usual, just in case they'll need the extra energy for tonight. But other than that, they do their best to ignore the possibility that they might be forced to fight again.

They try not to mention it or think about it too much, and instead simply go about their day as per usual. They sit through their lectures and work hard in their dance and acting lessons, not wanting thoughts of the Korosu to sway their focus on the upcoming play.

Most of their afternoon is spent rehearsing their lines and scenes for the play, and gradually the girls begin to enjoy themselves as if last night never happened at all.

By the time classes have ended, everyone is laughing and talking normally. They all stay behind in the rehearsal room to continue practicing just a little longer. The nine girls are all having such fun with the play and their roles, they gladly let themselves forget about the inevitable.

But it's barely thirty minutes later when Claudine hears the faint echo of a familiar ringtone in the back of her head-

One moment she's in the middle of a twirl with Maya.

And the next time she blinks, she finds herself on that stage again, dressed in-costume with her sword in her hand.

Everyone around her looks equally as dismayed, having just been in the middle of something fun and lighthearted, only to find themselves thrust unwillingly onto this stage.

"No…" Mahiru whimpers. "Not again… I'm not sure if I can…"

"Don't worry," Hikari says softly. "We were a bit more prepared this time, at least."

"Hikari-chan's right!" Karen declares. "We've all got a bit more energy than we did last night, right? So let's just get this all over with as fast as we can!"

"Kaoruko-chan?" Nana asks. "Do you think you can fight?"

Kaoruko grimaces. "I suppose, if I have to. But I'm still a bit stiff…"

"Just take it easy," Futaba says, stepping in front of her and blocking her with her halberd. "I've got this. You gotta get better before the performance."

"I'll stick close to you guys," Junna decides.

Maya doesn't say anything, but she has a bit of a snarl on her lips; she really doesn't appreciate having her tranquil afternoon with friends interrupted like this.

Claudine sweeps her gaze around the rest of them, already hearing the sounds of the Korosu close by. She tightens her grip on her sword and rounds on the spot where their spectators had been last night. Sure enough, Elle is still there, though the giraffe is nowhere to be seen.

"So?" Claudine says. "You really brought us back again?"

Elle dips her head.

"Yes. If there was some way I could have avoided doing so, I would have. Believe me."

Claudine holds her tongue for a moment. She can tell Elle seems genuinely upset about doing this to them. So Claudine takes in a deep breath and speaks a bit less accusingly.

"I'm sorry. It isn't your fault. It's these damn Korosu…"

"Even so," Elle replies. "I wish there was another way. Once again, I was unable to contact the other schools or transport any of them here. It seems to me this is a matter only for you Seishou girls."

"Very well," Maya projects. "Then let us handle it sooner rather than later."

They all turn to face the stage, and just a few seconds later, the Korosu begin to appear.

Claudine gets into her ready stance and charges right away, wanting to get this over with quickly. Everyone else seems to be in the same mindset, because they all rush in, save for Kaoruko who mostly just picks off stragglers.

They all fight with a bit more ferocity tonight, channeling their frustrations of having to sacrifice their evenings for this. Claudine knows they're all still tired and sore from yesterday, on top of the fresh fatigue brought on from classes and practices today. She grunts and yells as she slashes at the monsters, also making sure to keep an eye on whoever is next to her at the time.

All in all, this evening goes much better than yesterday had. In only half the time and by expending only half the energy, they manage to kill every Korosu that appears before them.

When one of Junna's arrows disintegrates the last one, all nine girls catch their breath and look to their observer. Elle gives a sigh of relief.

"Well done. That seems to be the last of them for tonight."

"Good," Futaba grunts. "But still, that was kind of a lot."

"Yes," Elle agrees. "Their numbers seem to begin culminating at daybreak and increase throughout the day. I can only call you here after your classes are over, and by that point their numbers have grown exponentially. But luckily it seemed a bit tamer tonight."

"They gather all day?" Karen repeats. "Then maybe we can take turns coming here to fight them in between classes or something so there won't be so many left by nighttime!"

Everyone ponders the idea for a moment.

"My, Karen-han," Kaoruko hums. "You may have something there."

"If we could take turns getting out of class somehow," Hikari murmurs. "Maybe that could work."

"B-But- then, wouldn't we have to lie to our teachers?" Mahiru frets. "What could we use as a believable excuse for this…?"

"Mahiru's right," Claudine says. "And even if we were all to take turns and switch out, we'd run out of excuses eventually if this ends up going on for more than just a few days..."

"I agree," Junna says. "Plus, whoever left would be missing material and vital practice time."

"Not to mention it's dangerous," Maya adds on.

"I agree," Nana says firmly. "I don't want any of us coming here by ourselves to fight. Even in pairs, it might be risky with so many Korosu."

Everyone murmurs agreement to that. Once again, it's a matter of safety and looking out for one another.
Elle nods in understanding.

"Very well. Then I will continue to bring you all here together after your school hours have ended, should the threat of the Korosu persist. You have my word that I won't bring anyone here alone."

The nine Stage Girls seem satisfied with that answer.

"Very well," Maya says. "Then so long as everyone is well and able, we shall continue to fight the Korosu."

Elle brings a hand to her chest and bows.

"And both I and the stage thank you all for that."

And so, their deal has been made.

The nine of them are promptly returned to the rehearsal room where they'd been before the battle. They check over each other to ensure everyone is all right, and tentatively decide to accept their newfound plan of action for dealing with the mysterious influx of Korosu.

But for tonight, their fight is over, so the nine of them head back to the dorms together for dinner, and then take their time showering and getting ready for bed as per usual.

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The following day, Thursday, goes very similarly; the girls enjoy a normal day at school and rehearsal, and then are brought to the underground stage for a fairly brief fight with the Korosu. Since the numbers aren't as bad as they'd been the first night, the girls are beginning to hope this will be over soon.

On Friday, being it marks one week before their performance, the nine of them plan to have a game and movie night together.

They stay late after classes in the rehearsal room once more, anticipating that if they need to get brought into fight, it will happen then. But to their relief, they aren't summoned.

So they all head back to the dorms to prepare for their little party.

Nana and Mahiru start making snacks while the rest of them decide on movies and games. They've all just gotten comfortable and settled down with their muffins and popcorn when Nana turns the lights out for their movie.

Only, as soon as the lights go out, they find themselves looking at a stage, not a TV screen.

Claudine is filled with a surging rush of frustration as she glares at the floor.

"Bon sang… you've gotta be kidding me…"

And all around her, her friends cry out in similar exasperation.

"No way! Again?"

"Seriously?"

"But our movie night…"

"For cryin' out loud!"

Elle stands in her usual spot with her head bowed low.

"I'm really very sorry. But if I were to go one night without calling you all here, then there would be twice as many Korosu waiting for you the next night…"

But in spite of everyone's exasperation, Karen calls out to Elle.

"Don't worry, Elle-san! We're mad at the Korosu, not you! We understand you don't want to make us do this."

"Right," Nana agrees. "You don't really have a choice."

"Yes," Elle says. "If I could stand on the stage and assist you, I would. Believe me."

"We do," Junna assures her. "But as things are, just leave it to us."

Already, the Korosu have appeared and started to advance. Claudine snarls softly at them, and beside her Maya gives her rapier a sharp and terrifying flick as she begins marching forward.

And in contrast to the previous, somewhat easier two nights, this fight is much like the first.

It lasts painfully long, to the point where Claudine is beginning to see her friends stagger again. She herself is knocked to her knees more than once and finds it increasingly more difficult to get back up each time.

Kaoruko had been getting better over the past few days, but she must hit her limit again tonight, because she collapses before much longer. Everyone steps back to form a barricade around her, but soon Mahiru is so upset she loses herself to her tears.

Shortly after that, Junna gets struck on the arm, and Nana subsequently exhausts herself trying to defend her roommate. Futaba loses her grip on her halberd, Karen is overwhelmed while trying to protect Mahiru, and Hikari is overwhelmed while trying to protect Karen.

Before Claudine knows it, only Maya and herself remain. But she knows she's already passed her own limits a while ago and is just running off adrenaline now. Maya must be the same way, because Claudine can see her shaking from the corner of her eye.

They fight furiously at the heart of the fray, and their friends are able to recover long enough to take turns letting someone get back up in time to strike down whatever Korosu slip by.

Claudine continues fighting with all her might, pouring her fury into every swing of her sword. Even Maya has resorted to exchanging her typically controlled slashes to more desperate ones.

Another wave of Korosu come toward them, and Claudine staggers, but she doesn't let herself fall. She wipes the sweat out of her eyes and faces them head-on.

/Come on then, you hellspawn!/

She charges at them, not willing to let them get any closer to her friends. She cleaves them in half one after the other, glimpsing Maya doing the same close by.

And then the next time Claudine turns to look for her next opponent, an empty stage stares back at her.

She drops to her knees instantly, sword clattering as she gasps for breath, her arms shaking so badly they can hardly hold her up. A second later, Maya kneels beside her, resting her hand on Claudine's back. Her voice comes thickly but assuredly from above Claudine's head.

"It's over…"

Claudine closes her eyes for a moment as she tries to catch her breath. The relief that floods through her body now is cool, like a trickle of water to douse the raging fire coursing through her veins. Sweat and spit and tears alike drip down from her face, and she eventually sinks down to bury her head into her skirt.

Maya keeps her hand on her back, rubbing softly. She wipes her face off as well and looks back to the others, who are in a similar state, brushing each other's tears and checking for injuries.

Elle steps forward timidly and bows her head once more.

"I'm sorry… As you've all noted, this is getting out-of-hand. But the Korosu's activity tends to lessen on the weekends, on days when no one is standing upon Seishou's stages or practicing as often. No matter what happens, I will not be calling any of you here again tomorrow. Please take that time to rest and prepare for your performance next week. I really am sorry…"

The others look up at her with sympathy, not blame, in their eyes.

"It's all right, Elle-san…" Karen pants. "We're Stage Girls, after all!"

"But-" Junna cuts her off. "We'll do as you said and recover over the weekend."

"Right," Nana sighs. "And hopefully this will all be over now, and there won't be any more Korosu in such numbers by Monday."

"Yes," Elle agrees. "We can only hope. Thank you all again for putting yourselves at risk like this. I, too, hope it's all over now…"

Claudine hears the exchange past the sounds of her own labored breathing, and can only hope their fighting is truly over.

She isn't even aware of when they're returned to the dorms. She just opens her eyes to find herself curled into her lap while sitting on the couch. Maya's hand is still resting on her back soothingly, and now she can hear a movie playing in the background. Claudine heaves one last sigh before slowly sitting up.

Maya is the first person she sees, and though her eyes are tired and concerned, they fill with relief the second Claudine lifts her head.

Nana is inspecting Junna's arm where she'd been struck. Karen and Hikari are offering Mahiru water and tissues, and after she accepts both she gets started checking her roommates over too. Futaba and Kaoruko have experienced a sort of role-reversal, where the latter is now asking the former how she's feeling and if anything hurts.

Claudine puts a hand to her forehead and groans softly. Maya's hand slips down from her back to her waist and pulls her in a little closer.

"Saijou-san? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she sighs. "Are you?"

Maya doesn't respond right away, but instead lowers her gaze to the floor.

"I am. But I would very much prefer if we did not have to go back to that stage for such a reason again…"

"Me too."

In the past, whether they'd been summoned for revues or ReLives, with or without the girls from the other schools, they were often called maybe once or twice a week, if that. And the fighting was usually rather brief, all things considered, if there was any fighting involved at all.

But to be forced there four nights in a row now, to fight nothing but Korosu after a full day of lessons, is something entirely different.

When they fought their fellow Stage Girls, no one ever got hurt - at least not intentionally.

But it's clear that they're all hurting from this in more ways than one.

Not only are Kaoruko's and Junna's physical injuries clear, but Mahiru is very emotionally upset. Hikari hasn't said much of anything, but Claudine knows she must be suffering some sort of flashbacks, perhaps from England. Karen is wrought with worry for them both, as are Nana and Futaba for their own partners.

And even though Maya hides her fatigue well, seeing her collapse even once was one time too many for Claudine's liking, and it's happened three or four times as of late.

If they're all aching as much as she is, she knows they're going to be in trouble for their play next Friday if this continues.

It's a tired and unanimous decision to cancel their movie night tonight, and the girls wearily pack up their games and put away the food they'd prepared for some other time. They wish each other goodnight with hopes of recovery tomorrow and begin heading off to their rooms.

Even Claudine stops at her own door tonight. Maya lingers with her, wearing a frown on her lips.

"Saijou-san? Are you certain you'll be all right on your own tonight?"

Claudine nods.

"I'll be fine. Unless you think you might need me, I'll be sleeping here tonight."

Maya seems a bit dejected, but Claudine won't let herself be swayed. She has some thinking to do on her own tonight.

Maya waits a moment longer, but eventually she concedes.

"Very well. Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to message or call me."

"The same goes for you, Tendo Maya."

Maya wishes her well, and Claudine watches her limp off until she reaches her door and disappears inside.

Claudine heaves a sigh and retreats into her own room now.

It's probably not a good idea - the idea she's playing with in the back of her head as she lies down. But as she thinks it over and over again, it begins to justify itself.

/This can work,/ she tells herself. /It will work./

So she sleeps now, and prepares herself to take action on her plan starting tomorrow.

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A/N: Our selfless Claudine has a plan in mind...

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