Upon Our Fated Stage (ch2)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

A bit of a brief chapter now, retelling things from Maya's perspective!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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													Chapter 2. A Fated Rival

Maya had always had a passion for the stage, ever since she was young.

As a child, she'd been captivated by the skills of actors and actresses in films, and after seeing her first play live, she'd more or less decided her future career then and there.

She'd always loved the idea of being in the spotlight, at the center of attention, the starring role. She wanted to inspire others as she had been inspired. She wanted to ignite that spark in other people's souls, motivate them to strive for their full potential.

She still does.

All this time she's never lost sight of that goal, hence her unflagging dedication to the work. She'd gone through all the motions, been to the best theatrical and arts schools for her age, and in some cases she had been so advanced she'd skipped ahead.

She was lucky. She'd been born to healthy parents, and thus had a natural advantage much of her competition didn't. She wasn't prone to getting sick, nor was she prone to breaking bones or hereditary illnesses.

She had no limitations and an innate talent. She didn't have to work as hard as the others. The skills just came naturally to her.

She was a wonder, a gift, a prodigy.

She did well for herself and never once took her sights off her goals. She'd seen many classmates come and go, quitting due to health reasons, moving requirements, financial struggles, or other limitations that didn't affect her.

Maya never stopped striving. Just because she didn't have to work hard due to her innate talent didn't mean she didn't work hard anyway. She was always practicing, always studying, always improving.

Due to all of these factors, it was no wonder she made it to the top of her class back in her elementary school, carried the title over through middle school, and maintained it as far as Seisho Academy.

Even now she hasn't lost sight of her goals.

Even now she hasn't let the flame of her passion flicker or sway.

She is going to inspire the next generation, even if it means disheartening a few of her own.

The way she sees it, those who get disheartened were never meant for this career in the first place.

Even as she walks through the halls this morning, her first morning of classes at Seisho, she can already tell which of these girls will drop out within the first month. She's seen them all before, the girls who only chose the arts because the curriculum involved a bit less math and science than some other fields. They thought it was an easy way to breeze through school, when in reality that manner of thinking couldn't be more flawed.

Seisho is known for its rigorous classes and serious stage play performances. Half-hearted students aren't going to suffice, and if they haven't figured that out by now, they're going to learn it the hard way.

Maya doesn't care for them either way. She hardly cares for any of her classmates, and they've made it very clear they don't care of her either.

Being the head of one's class and a renown child prodigy does not come without its setbacks, after all.

Friends would only grow envious of her before disappearing, dropping out and leaving her all alone.

Enemies were abundant, constantly trying to sabotage her, bring her down, be it physically or mentally. She'd heard it all before, all her life. The mumbles and complaints of her jealous peers had become an ever-present drone in the back of her mind.

Of course she had her fans and supporters as well, and then just the classmates that were indifferent towards her altogether.

But no matter who she was up against, no matter who tried to beat her down, she'd beat them first. No one is going to stop her from achieving her dream and standing center-stage as the top star.

She'd set her sights on the spotlight of Seisho Academy years before enrolling. Now that she's here, it's time to claim her rightful place on that stage, bathed in that brilliant light, displaying her radiance for all to see.

For now, dressed in the uniform like everyone else, Maya blends in with the crowds of her homeroom as she takes her assigned seat. Their teacher greets them and begins the class, starting with the inevitable roll call.

Maya listens to each of her classmates respond as their names are called. When it's her name that's spoken, she can already hear the scoffs and snorts of contempt, but it's nothing she isn't already used to.

"Present," she says calmly.

"Very good," their teacher says. "We'll get to proper introductions next block at the studio. For now I'll hand out the course syllabus and school-year calendar."

As the papers are handed back, Maya reaches for hers. But the girl sitting in front of her drops them unceremoniously onto her desk before Maya can make contact. It doesn't faze her. She's used to their hostility.

She looks the schedule over, ignoring the other girls who are complaining that they don't have a day off for months. Unlike them, Maya approves of the unforgiving calendar, and already begins to mentally prepare her schedule for the next several weeks.

After a bit more paperwork and another speech from their instructor, they are dismissed to the changing rooms. Maya always chooses the cubby on the furthest end; this way she only has to worry about people being on one side of her.

Luckily, it's one of her kinder classmates – Nana – who takes the spot beside her, and Junna next to her. Maya hasn't spoken to them much over the years, but they're probably the closest things she has to acquaintances.

Them and Kaoruko, and perhaps by association that means Futaba, too. Mahiru and Karen often pop in here and there as well. But other than them, Maya cares little for anyone else, and they don't care for her.

She had somehow unintentionally gathered a fan club of sorts over the years, and most of them are genuine, but she can't help feeling that a great deal of them secretly detest her as well.

In her experience, she's found it's better to have fewer friends, if any at all.

She changes into her leotard quickly and is the first one out in the studio to begin stretching a bit. Before long, everyone has gathered, and they get to introductions.

Maya listens only half-attentively; she just wants to get up and start moving. She can't bear to sit here in this studio meant for dancing, and it certainly doesn't help that her classmates keep muttering behind her back.

They get through just about everyone, but right before Maya's name can be called, their teacher steps outside for a moment. Chatter naturally breaks out, but Maya doesn't join in. She simply sighs and curls her toes in her shoes, rotating her wrists slowly.

When their instructor re-enters, she is motioning behind herself, inviting someone else into the room.

"Ah, ladies? Allow me to introduce you to your new classmate. She's only just arrived from France a few days ago, and thus she's missed our homeroom this morning, but we're very glad she's here now. Please come to the front."

Maya looks up at the mention of a new student, especially one not from around here. If she'd come all the way from France, perhaps she's got a bit more skill than the girls Maya's been working with all her life.

The girl that enters the dance studio is stunning to say the very least.

Though she's wearing the same leotard as the rest of them, she walks with a very different poise than most others. There's pride in her gait, light in her eyes, and no doubt fire in her soul. Her hair is long waves of silvery-blonde, and it bounces in thick curls down to the small of her back, held up by a distinctive black hair band.

Maya can already hear the murmurs and gasps of surprise fluttering up around the room. She can't quite place it, but she feels this girl is familiar somehow...

Maya focuses her full attention on this new girl now. She bows low, and though she's ailing from France, she speaks with perfect Japanese.

"Good morning. My name is Saijou Claudine. Though I was born in Japan and did some acting here for awhile when I was younger, my family moved to France several years ago. However, I have elected to return on my own in order to continue studying dance at this prestigious academy. I'll be in your care. Let's have a successful year together, shall we?"

Her words, along with the mutterings of their classmates, jog Maya's memory.

Everyone, even she, knew of the successful child actress Claudine Saijou. There was a certain famous commercial she'd appeared in, one about band-aids or something of the sort. Maya knows she only remembers the content of that advertisement now because of the girl who was in it.

This girl...

She isn't like the rest. Maya can tell right away.

It's in the way she holds and presents herself, the way her eyes shine with the thrill of this new environment, this new challenge.

Something stirs in Maya's heart, which hasn't stirred in years. She claps for this girl.

Once the new student has taken a seat, their instructor gets everyone's attention again.

"All right, quiet down, ladies. We still have one more classmate to introduce."

And then the groaning starts. Maya pays them no heed. She'd learned how to drown them out long ago.

Maya rises to her feet and strides forward, not needing to dodge around people, because they clear a path for her. She stands before them all, but seeks out one girl in particular.

"Greetings. Unopposed top student of both Crimson and Iroha Academies before this, I plan to maintain my status as head of this class as well." She bows once again. "This is Tendo Maya."

Her introduction might sound conceited to some, but it's not her intention. She's simply stating facts.

The response is as she'd expected, mixed squeals and mutters underneath the obligatory applause. She brushes her gaze casually over her newest interest – Claudine Saijou – but doesn't let it linger long enough to draw attention.

As Maya returns to her spot on the floor, they're instructed to find partners to begin stretching with. Maya rises once again and doesn't even turn around. She knows by now no one will approach her. No one would dare.

Her fans are too intimidated, and her enemies are too frightened. Not even her kinder classmates ever offer, as they always have each other in their pairs.

But she's fine with it. She's been alone for so long, she's even forgotten what it feels like to be lonely around other people.

Maya extends one arm across her collar and locks it through her opposite elbow, tugging gently to work the kinks out of her shoulder. At the same time she rotates one ankle, then the other.

It's when she's about to switch arms when she hears a grunt that is very clearly directed at her.

"Ahem."

Maya turns around slowly, pleasantly surprised to find herself looking into intense rose-colored eyes. Hands on her hips and lips pursed in disapproval, Claudine Saijou graces her with her presence.

"I believe we were told to find partners for stretching. You didn't happen to miss that instruction, did you?"

Maya blinks, as if expecting the girl to disappear into thin air. But she doesn't. Instead, she extends her hand to Maya.

"Well? Care to accompany me?"

Those are words Maya has never heard before in all her life.

She does not accompany anyone. Other people accompany her. That's just how it is when you're the head of the school.

She likes this girl. A lot.

"Saijou... Claudine, was it?" She feigns uncertainty, though she'd committed the girl's name to memory the second she'd spoken it. She watches Claudine's chest tighten with a contained breath.

"Why, I'm honored you remembered my name. I'll make sure you don't soon forget it. Tendo Maya."

Maya can't help but smile. There's something about the way this girl says her name. It's different from how anyone else has ever said it, and probably ever will.

Maya's convinced her own name has never sounded as wonderful as when it's coming from this girl's lips.

She wants to hear it again. Many, many times.

"I look forward to it, Saijou-san."

As they begin, Maya realizes she can't recall the last time she's had a stretching partner. It probably hadn't been for a decade or so. Everyone was too nervous, too disdainful.

Now that she has a partner again, it's Maya who is more nervous about it. As she pushes Claudine's back down for her, she is tentative about using too much force or too little. Not wanting things to become awkward, she forces herself to talk as much as possible, sometimes more or less blabbering.

But Claudine doesn't seem to be put-off, or if she is, it isn't enough to make her leave. Maya's grateful for that. She's undoubtedly taken an interest and a liking to her.

When they get to their back-to-back stretch, another small verbal battle surfaces.

"You've got some nerve," Claudine huffs as she pulls Maya forward. "Showing me up like that during introductions. It seems to me you won't be satisfied unless you're one-upping someone else."

Maya smirks, not only at the girl's spunk, but at the fact that she isn't scared to start a conversation with her - and a feisty one at that. When it's her turn to reciprocate the stretch, Maya retaliates.

"I could say the same for you, Saijou-san. Coming over to ask me to stretch after hearing who I was. I'd call that nerve as well." She balances Claudine on her back for a moment longer than Claudine had balanced her, both to prove a point and to tease a little.

And she only does it because she knows Claudine can handle it.

When she does finally let her back down, Claudine tries to appear unruffled.

"That wasn't nerve," she says, turning her nose up. "I simply wanted everyone to know I'm not afraid of you. Even if you are the top student, you won't be for long. Not now that I'm here."

And though her words are challenging, Maya's heart feels warm. She can't remember the last time someone had even tried to compete with her. Everyone had given up years ago, or never started trying at all, simply because she was a prodigy, simply because they didn't want to go through the trouble of trying.

The notion of finally having someone straining to stand beside her brings a smile to her lips.

"Then I look forward to your efforts at dethroning me, Saijou-san. Oh, and on that note, it wasn't my intention to one-up you. It was simply my turn for introductions."

Claudine Saijou deserves her honesty above anyone else. Especially if it makes her blush.

Their instructor calls for order and begins lining everyone up for demonstrations. Maya is forced to stand apart from her new competitor for the time being, and looks on at the other girls as they perform.

And it's not that she's disinterested, but she certainly isn't impressed.

Though there are definitely several diamonds in the rough, most of them are mediocre at best, which is disappointing to Maya. After all, Seisho is supposed to be a school for the best of the best.

Of course she gives her full attention when Claudine is called. Maya had been anticipating her turn, and now that she's taken her position she can't take her eyes off her.

The way she moves is so expressive, so unique, so refreshing. Her body speaks as loudly as her words, and she's an expert at showing a wide range of emotions.

Maya had expected great things from her, and she certainly doesn't disappoint. She applauds for Claudine when she's finished, and then takes her own turn.

And again the mutterings rise up from the back of the room, the groans and the sighs. She lets them fuel her, lets them push her forward to something better.

Even though it's just a brief personal performance, she doesn't hold back. She never does.

She gives them her all, her very best, as she does with any audience. The way she sees it, anyone who has put in the time to come observe her deserves her full effort in return.

Some of them wish she'd hold back sometimes, just so she wouldn't outshine and eclipse them at every single instance.

But sadly, that isn't how she functions. It's all or nothing.

By the time she's finished, the room is in a daze for a moment before a steady applause forms. With a flip of her hair over her shoulder, Maya exits the makeshift stage and returns to her spot, making sure to catch Claudine's eye along the way. She can tell, though the girl tries her best to conceal it, that Claudine is stunned by the performance.

And this is what makes Maya nervous. She doesn't want Claudine to end up like the others, to feel so intimidated by Maya's expertise that she eventually loses her spirit. She doesn't believe Claudine is so fickle, but it's a shame to consider the possibility that she could lose faith in herself.

Maya doesn't want to see that happen. Not to her.

Thankfully, as far as she can tell with that simple glance, Claudine doesn't seem to be swayed. If anything, she seems to be more eager to strive and reach Maya's level.

It makes Maya's heart twinge.

Because that's all she's ever wanted. To stand center-stage and inspire others to seek their full potential.

And in this moment she comes to a decision.

She wants to kindle that fire in Claudine Saijou's heart, if no one else's.

Their studio portion of the day comes to an end, and everyone prepares for their next lecture class. Maya is always quick to change and leave the changing rooms, simply because she knows that is a breeding ground for arguments and confrontations. She wants no part of it.

She's in and out, arriving among the first to her next class to take her seat and open a book. She wants to read as many plays as possible to get a feel for how playwriting and acting has evolved over time.

She's read plenty of Shakespeare before, but something always draws her back to the infamous Romeo and Juliet. She likes to entertain the idea that she might be a romantic at heart, but she's never really gotten the opportunity to explore that possibility.

She's just getting to Mercutio's death when she hears a familiar voice.

"Oh, what a surprise. I suppose these names of ours are going to warrant our being near each other quite often."

Perhaps she is a bit of a romantic, because to Maya, this feels an awful lot like fate.

"It would appear so. I hope that won't be a problem."

"Not in the slightest."

She shares her textbook with Claudine that period, and admittedly steals a few more glances at the girl herself than at the words.

She's never met anyone like her before; someone who had been born and raised in Japan only to live the middle portion of her life thus far in another country.

After their secret in-class banter, one during which Maya takes a great interest in the fact that Claudine is fluent in French, she only becomes more drawn to her. That exoticness in and of itself puts Claudine on a sort of pedestal in her mind.

But of course what lines that pedestal with silver is her unwavering passion for the arts.

And what lines it with gold is the fact that she would go so far as to thank Maya for lending her textbook when the period has concluded.

Maya can't remember the last time she'd shared anything with anyone, let alone heard gratitude from them for it. Her interest in Claudine only grows stronger by the moment.

It happens again at lunch. Maya is baffled when she looks up from her food to see Claudine standing there with a haughty confidence. Maya feels the smile creeping across her lips as her heart flutters back to life.

"Saijou-san, again? To what do I owe the honor?"

"There were no other seats," Claudine snaps. "Besides, I think it's pathetic how everyone avoids you like the plague. You're good, that much is for certain, but you aren't unbeatable. I'll prove that myself."

Maya's pulse catches in her throat.

"Is that a promise?"

Claudine meets her eyes and doesn't blink.

"It's more than a promise. It's fate."

And those words capture Maya's soul.

For what could possibly ever be more romantic than the promise of fate?

She chuckles.

"Now who's the one sounding full of themselves?"

"Why you..." She watches Claudine rigidly shovel some potatoes into her mouth. "Do your worst. You won't scare me off. You won't even annoy me off, though I have a feeling you might get close..."

Maya chuckles again, and it's twice as many times as she'd done so in years

"Believe me," she says. "I truly do look forward to it, Saijou-san. More than anything else."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Is that what you'd like it to be?"

"What kind of insufferable answer is that?"

They eat together that day, and find themselves in classes together for the rest of the afternoon. When it comes time to shower at the end of the day, Maya doesn't choose the last cubby anymore, but instead claims the one beside Claudine. She also picks the shower next to her, and enjoys the faint melody of her hum, drowned out beneath the sounds of the water for anyone else but Maya.

She catches one last glimpse of her as they're returning to their rooms for bed that evening, adorned in a pastel pink nightgown with her silver hair all bouncing with curls.

And, as if by fate, Maya watches her enter the room right next to her own.

Maya smiles again. She's smiled more today than she has in years combined.

Claudine Saijou.

The girl who isn't afraid to step up and challenge her.

The girl who puts on a brave face one moment and is a blushing, stuttering mess the next.

The girl who can follow her, accompany her, and compete with her.

Maya has been searching for such a person for a very, very long time.

It can only be fate that she's finally found her.

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A/N: I didn't want to rewrite the first chapter entirely from Maya's POV, so I just narrowed down on the most important parts so it wouldn't seem too redundant. But the next chapter is all new content, and lots of it. Brace yourselves.