My goodness, this one has been waiting a long time for its turn, but it's finally time! It's a small AU, but one I wanted to try out for a multitude of reasons! I hope you'll enjoy it!
I'll say it now that this is an AU; no Seishou, just an entirely different setup and backstory. Also, Maya's parents are going to be characterized differently from how I typically and how the fandom generally assumes them to be. Basically, I'm writing them as nicer people haha.
Chapter 1 is basically just a setup for the AU and the expectations of the 'culture' they are living in. The future chapters will be 3 or 4 times the length!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.
Meant To Be Yours
Chapter 1. The Newly-Betrothed
Ever since a very young age, Saijou Claudine knew what her entire life was going to be like.
Each day was planned out and ran according to schedule, accommodating her to a sense of routine that she could take great comfort and pride in.
Her father was Japanese and her mother was French, meaning Claudine was of a highly prestigious and mixed heritage - or so they'd always told her. She'd lived in France when she was very young but hardly remembered any of it. All she can recall is the mansion she'd grown up in here in Japan.
Her parents were quite wealthy - lucky her - which meant she didn't have to attend public schools or anything of the sort. All of her education was brought to her and taught by Japan's finest proctors and tutors.
And while her parents made sure she was knowledgeable about all the maths and sciences and arts and humanities, they put an even greater focus on her etiquette.
Claudine knew right from the start that she liked those lessons more. She loved the art of manners and table etiquette, the polite and formal language, calligraphy and ikebana. And most of all, she loved the dancing, the singing, and the theatre. They were her favorite lessons by far, and knowing that the day's schedule included them always sent her into a giddy excitement.
She adored the music, choreography, and appeal of theatre more than anything else, and not a day went by when she wasn't singing to herself in her bedroom while getting ready in the mornings. Her parents were so delighted about her love for acting and dancing that they struck up a deal and a contract with her proctors in order to allow Claudine to be filmed for commercials or put in minor movie roles, so long as all the recording be done on the premises.
And Claudine was absolutely overjoyed, not only to feel like a real star by being filmed, but especially by seeing herself on television for a band-aid commercial. She didn't stop smiling all week, and as such neither did anyone else in the household.
Part of the reason her parents had been so overprotective and wanted to keep her home-schooled was because Claudine had been born with a rather weak constitution. But as she'd grown, her body had only gotten stronger and her health had improved exponentially, to the point where her energy oftentimes became a bit too much for the servants to handle.
Not in a bad sense; they all adored the young lady, but they all quickly found out they could do nothing to relate to her 7-year-old woes when she told them about her hardships.
As such, her parents had decided to 'hire' a girl whom they could train to be their daughter's personal maid, someone her own age whom she could relate to and converse with comfortably. Of course while she was still so young, it would be more like visitations and play dates at this point, but should the girl still enjoy the idea upon growing older, they hoped she might like to come work for them full-time to care for their daughter when no one else could.
The first time Claudine's parents introduced her to Futaba, Claudine had to do her very best not to clap in her merriment. Instead, she'd remained composed and polite, and had only shaken Futaba's hand when in actuality she'd been so overjoyed she'd wanted to hug her all day long.
Futaba was a small girl with short-cut hair and a very different manner of speaking, and Claudine loved every bit of her right from the start.
And although Futaba hadn't been entirely thrilled about the idea of being made to potentially work for the rich Saijous', the second she met Claudine she'd decided it wouldn't be all that bad.
Now, Claudine had a dance partner, and a singing partner, and someone to watch and attend her favorite plays with. She had someone to read stories with and eat her meals with, to laugh and to cry with.
Futaba never saw it as a chore or as work; she genuinely liked Claudine and enjoyed being with her. She would often be taken home by her parents after suppertime, but on the nights she was permitted to stay and have a sleepover with Claudine, the two girls would stay up all night long talking and playing.
And so, Claudine's life had settled into a new sort of routine for several years.
It was when she was about ten years old when her parents began talking about a betrothal.
It was customary, after all, for such wealthy and prestigious families to arrange their children's marriages to keep their status and income respectable.
Claudine got a little quieter at that point in time. Futaba worried about her and offered to hear her out, but Claudine politely declined for several days as she gathered her thoughts.
And finally, the next time her parents discussed a betrothal with her, Claudine mustered up her courage and made her request.
"A girl!" she proclaimed. "Maman, Papa, I want to marry a girl!"
As you may be able to imagine, her parents were rather baffled by this passionate and surefire request. Claudine's eyes had not even a hint of wavering in them, and her conviction on the matter was very clearly indisputable.
Why a girl, they'd wondered? Because, in Claudine's very astute and knowledgeable ten years of life, she had learned one thing for certain: boys were mean and boring.
Now, mind you, this is the opinion of a very specific young girl who was raised in a very peculiar manner, and as such the statement is not necessarily entirely accurate or fair. But it was very much understandable from her perspective.
In every play she'd ever watched, in every story she'd ever read, in every movie she'd ever seen, the cause of the issues or tragedies was almost always the boys. (Of course, she did not understand this was due to the fact that a sexist, patriarchal society smothered and often erased the inclusion of girls and women in most media and literature at the time, but such is a digression). The world Saijou Claudine knew was one where men couldn't be trusted.
And in all honestly, when the Saijous held their monthly banquet and invited their friends and cohorts, Claudine never once accepted the hand of a boy who offered to dance with her. Not just because of her biased beliefs that stemmed from what she'd seen in media.
But also too because she just… didn't want to.
She had never felt all that inclined to touch or talk to boys. There was nothing wrong or malicious about the esteemed young men who visited her parties, after all. They were all chivalrous and well-behaved and cultured.
But even so, Claudine had no interest in them. She always found herself staying by Futaba's side and mingling with the other girls, giggling and dancing with them.
Even when they'd grown a bit older and the other girls had started talking about boys, Claudine refrained and never engaged in those topics.
All of these things added up to her parents as they watched their only daughter make her request with a spark in her eyes. She was completely serious about wanting to marry a girl.
And while most parents might have denied such an outlandish request, as it would spell certain doom for the continuation of their bloodline, Claudine's parents weren't so petty. So long as Claudine's spouse was esteemed and could make her happy, that was enough for them.
And so they had agreed to look for a girl Claudine might one day marry.
And Claudine was ecstatic to the point where she nearly talked Futaba's ears off all night long.
Futaba had been happy to see her so like this. After all, she knew everything about Claudine - from her worst fears to her most sought-after dreams. And her biggest dream had always been to wear a wedding dress and get married to the love of her life.
It was from that moment on that Futaba vowed she would do anything within her power to help Claudine achieve that dream.
It wasn't very long after that when Claudine's parents began spreading the news that they were searching for a spouse for their only daughter. And naturally, all of the initial suitors were young boys. It was a bit awkward for her parents to politely turn them down and explain they were looking for a girl.
That news spread all the more quickly, and a few puzzled or disapproving murmurs began to spread.
But Claudine's parents didn't waver, and continued in their search for an entire month until they found a promising family…
Maya had been born to two professional and prestigious actors, and as such it was no surprise she was expected and encouraged to take up an interest in theatre as soon as she could walk.
The Tendos were a fairly wealthy family due to the couples' renown successes, but - short of a very nice house and property - they did not splurge their money on a lavish lifestyle. They put a great deal of money into their only daughter's education and training.
After her daily hours of schooling, Maya would attend dance, song, and theatre lessons for hours each night and on weekends. And never once for a second did she ever imagine doing anything else.
She never felt like this career path was forced upon her due to her lineage. What she did feel was how effortlessly her body could move, how perfectly her voice could reach pitch, how flawlessly and beautifully she could leap and twirl and spin.
The flare and poise came naturally to her, where she knew most other people had to work exceptionally hard to achieve what would amount to be just half of her efforts, even when she was still so young. She considered herself lucky in the regard that she was a 'prodigy' and could achieve so much more than most others.
But the life of a young prodigy was often weighted by a heavy burden to strive to ever greater heights.
Maya was always in good health, always strong and passionate and determined to follow in her parents' footsteps and make them proud. They pushed her, both to her limits and sometimes beyond them, always telling her to try harder, that she was still so far from perfection.
Maya never saw it as failure, though. She only interpreted it as motivation. She knew her parents weren't monsters. They loved her, but it was tough love. And Maya was fine with that.
Making them proud was nice to think about, but it wasn't a necessity to her. She had her own hopes and aspirations. It just so happened they mostly seemed to coincide with those her parents had for her.
Most would have deemed Maya's life a difficult and tragic one, free of most liberties. But Maya never viewed it that way. She welcomed the challenges her parents presented her with, always striving to improve herself. Her sense of pride had established itself very early on, and had only grown stronger with time.
She didn't know many children her own age - she didn't have the time. But there was one close family friend whom she was well-acquainted, by the name of Kaoruko.
The Hanayagis had their own prestigious school that taught and trained its students in all forms of traditional Japanese dance, and Maya took classes there weekly. She became close with Kaoruko.
At first it was sheerly competitive; Japanese dance was Kaoruko's entire life, and she gloated that not even Maya could best her at it. And in truth, Maya didn't think she surpassed Kaoruko - not yet anyway. Somewhere along the lines though, they had become good friends.
On rare occasions, Maya convinced her parents to let Kaoruko come to the house so they could practice and study dance together. They would watch performances on TV and take notes before trying to mimic things.
This was where Maya had first seen the commercials.
She'd heard the name "Saijou" in-passing here or there before, but never enough to take much note of it until then.
The lovely girl on the commercials struck Maya instantly with her charm and her impeccable acting skills. She became so curious about such a young actress she even convinced her parents to purchase some of the films she appeared in.
Maya soon learned her name was Claudine.
She was absolutely dazzled by such a young and talented girl. Maya had seen many others in all her practices and classes, of course.
But there was something even more special about Saijou Claudine somehow. She couldn't quite place it, but she just seemed different from all the others, more genuine, perhaps.
It soon became that every time Kaoruko came to visit, Maya was studiously watching and re-watching Claudine's videos in an effort to copy her movements. It both irked and amused young Kaoruko, who at one point made the comment merely as a jib.
"If you like this girl so much, why don't you just marry her?"
And even though it was but a jest, and even in spite of her young age, Maya decided that was a very wonderful aspiration.
So you can only imagine her devastation just a few months later when her parents began talking of a betrothal.
Maya always assumed they would have her marry a boy, and she'd been dreading the fateful day that reality would be thrust upon her. She reported to them stiffly when they summoned her for the discussion; she was only ten at the time, but she knew she must have been the most miserable person on the planet in that moment.
That is, until her parents began awkwardly explaining that it wasn't a boy they had in mind for her.
Maya could only assume she was expected to be upset or disappointed to not be assigned a husband. But on the contrary, Maya was relieved, and she reassured them both she was very happy about that notion. She believed she would much prefer a girl, anyway. Though, it was rather peculiar that there might be another prestigious young girl out there who also fancied having a wife one day.
Regardless, Maya let her parents know she was more than happy with that.
They'd been relieved she wasn't put-off by such an arrangement, and had proceeded to tell her the name of her potential future wife.
Hearing the words "Saijou Claudine" from their lips had nearly caused Maya to sway on the spot.
And it really did take every ounce of self-control she'd ever been taught not to jump up and hug the both of them in a tearful glee. But she did, very happily and passionately, accept the arrangement instantly.
Her parents were delighted and made calls to the Saijous that very evening.
The news seemed to be favorable on all accounts, and to each future bride-to-be.
And so it was decided that Tendo Maya and Saijou Claudine would one day be wed when they came of-age, so long as both were willing.
Their parents wanted both girls to meet and begin getting to know one another so that they might begin to kindle a friendship that would later blossom into something more.
However, Maya had adamantly stood firm against meeting her just yet. She made it known that she did not want to meet Saijou Claudine in-person until Maya herself was absolutely certain she was worthy of her. She didn't think she would be able to woo her or make a good first impression when they were both still only children, and Maya so inexperienced.
And so, for the next seven years, Maya worked harder than ever before in her schooling and in her training of all departments - particularly theatre and the arts. She studied all of Claudine's videos and commercials, and was always granted access to view the new ones before anyone else.
She worked more diligently than she ever had for her parents' or for her own sake alone, for now she was fueled by the constant motivation of trying to win Saijou Claudine's heart.
And it wasn't just for the prestige or the status, but because she truly did believe she could happily fall deeply and madly in love with her, and make a perfect life-long partner to her. She could only hope Claudine would feel the same way.
And at long last, in the spring of Maya's 17th year, she decided she was finally ready. She had kept her lady waiting long enough.
Her parents contacted the Saijou family, who eagerly set up a date for a banquet that would be held specifically to celebrate Maya's and Claudine's first meeting...
. . .
And now at the present moment, Maya is just smoothing out her blazer and straightening her tie. Kaoruko is with her in her quarters, fumbling to try and get Maya's ribbon neatly into her hair.
"Good gracious, Tendo-han!" she chides her. "You can't be walking into the place looking like such a slob! Your betrothed will turn you down in an instant!"
Maya chuckles and steps away from her.
"Your concern is greatly appreciated, Hanayagi-san. However, I do believe preparing seven years for this very day would qualify me as being more than prepared."
"Don't get cocky," Kaoruko warns. "What do you really even know about this Saijou girl anyway? The only time you've ever seen or heard her is on-film. She could very well be a demoness, for all you know."
Maya laughs again.
"I beg your pardon, Hanayagi-san, but you are very sorely mistaken."
"Oh? And how can you be so certain?"
Maya gives her a charming, dreamy smile.
"I may not have met her yet, but I have known Saijou Claudine all my life. And I know for a fact that she is the kindest, sweetest, and most beautiful-"
"Ugh, all right, stop it! You're making me nauseous." Kaoruko spins her around and gives a shove to her back. "Come now, our limo is leaving soon." She just pauses to grab a bottle of perfume from the vanity and gives Maya one last spritz.
Maya goes willingly with her, descending the stair case and making her way out to the driveway. Her parents nod their approval at her appearance, and together they all take their seats in the car. Kaoruko sits with Maya in the back, constantly fussing with her hair. Maya quirks an eyebrow.
"With how much you're fretting, most would assume you were the one meeting their betrothed today, Hanayagi-san."
"Quiet! At least one of us has to look somewhat presentable!"
Maya chuckles again, grateful to have her company today.
The Saijou residence is only about a ten-minute drive from Maya's own home. It's strange that they've lived so close all their lives and have been intended for nearly a decade now, and yet they've never properly met one another.
It was all because of Maya's ideology that she could only have herself become worthy of taking Claudine's hand if she were to train herself endlessly for so many years. She didn't want so much as a hair out of place when it finally came time to meet her. She wanted everything to go perfectly and smoothly, and she'd poured all of her efforts into practicing for every and any scenario that might arise today.
Yes, today is going to be perfect. Saijou Claudine will fall for her instantly, just as Maya has already fallen for her.
Maya might end up proposing on the spot - though she has no ring to present just yet - and they may decide their wedding might be as soon as next month.
She plays through all the dreamlike scenarios in her head as the limo begins rumbling down the street.
And before Maya knows it, she is gazing upon the Saijou Estate, where her betrothed has been waiting for her for so many years.
A/N: There were sooo many routes an Arranged Marriage AU could go down; one rich and one poor, both rich but dislike one another, both like each other but parents disapprove, and so on. I may have decided on a less interesting choice, because this story was always rather short and to-the-point since I whipped it up over a year ago... Regardless I hope I'll see you for chapter 2!
Please review!