Some people guessed that Claudine was going to try and tackle this alone. I always headcanoned her as a self-sacrificing person, so it's a trend in my stories.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

Chapter 4. Tainted

When she wakes on Sunday morning, Claudine's body feels a bit sore, and there's still a bit of sting leftover from her battle last night.

But she isn't going to let that stop her from seeing her plan through. There are only five days left before the play now, and everyone is bubbling with anticipation to rehearse.

So Claudine happily joins them, and just like yesterday, they all spend most of their day off practicing and singing and dancing together at the studio. Nana and Junna had prepared them all lunches and brought those along, so everyone sits together to eat around noontime before continuing their practice.

By the afternoon, Claudine can tell the thoughts of Korosu and fighting have been completely banished from their minds.

Everyone changes and gets ready to head back to the dorms, but Claudine opts to try and stay behind and practice a bit more. Her hope is that everyone else will go and she'll just be able to stay here to visit the basement, do what she needs to, and then can walk back to the dorms later.

But of course, Maya offers to stay with her, and Claudine can't think of a good enough excuse to have her not to.

So as the others head off for now, Maya and Claudine go through a few of their parts in the play again. Claudine demonstrates one of her scenes, but she's been able to feel that unfamiliar sting in her muscles all day long. And even now, Maya lifts up her hand to stop her part-way.

"Your tone is excellent," she says. "However, I can't help but feel your movements are a little stiff, Saijou-san. Should we perhaps take another break to stretch out a little?"

Claudine snorts.

"There's no need for that. I'll get it this time."

So she does her scene again, moving her body through the little jabs of pain so the movements look better. But she can't stop herself from wincing, and Maya pauses her again.

"Saijou-san, truthfully… have you been feeling all right for the past few days? Don't tell me you, too, were injured by the Korosu?"

Claudine stiffens for a second until she realizes Maya doesn't mean to ask if she'd been hurt last night on her own, but rather the last time they'd all fought together last Friday night. Claudine quickly accepts that excuse for the sake of keeping her secret.

"You know, now that you mention it… that might be it," she sighs. "But it's nothing major. I'm sure I'll be better by this Friday in time for the play."

Maya gives her one of those looks that's just shy of suspicious. Claudine holds her gaze, knowing that if she doesn't, Maya will figure out she's hiding something. She hates lying to her like this, but hopefully she won't have to for much longer.

After a moment, Maya offers her hand to Claudine.

"Then let us go back," she decides. "We've practiced more than enough for today, wouldn't you say? I admire your commitment, Saijou-san, but I do wish you'd said something if you were still hurting from those fights."

"Sorry," Claudine says, and she really means it - for keeping secrets from her.

So she doesn't argue with Maya tonight, and instead goes willingly with her to change and head back to the dorms. They just make it in time to join the others at the tail-end of supper, and then proceed to the showers before parting at their bedrooms.

"Get some rest," Maya says with a smile. "And please do not hesitate to text me if you need anything."

"Thanks for the offer," Claudine says with a bit of spunk. "But that won't be necessary."

She waves Maya off to her own room before stepping back into hers.

But Claudine doesn't intend to sleep like Maya had asked of her. No - she still has a battle to fight.

She waits until lights-out has come and gone for Sunday's hours, then slips her coat on over her nightgown. She pulls on some leggings to brace the cooler night air, ensures her student ID card is in her pocket, and then quietly tiptoes out her door.

She has several excuses lined up in case anyone is out to stop her, but no one does. In the lobby, she sneaks around the little office area and window, keeping in the secretary's blind spot while she reads a book. And by some miracle, Claudine manages to slip past her and out the doors.

She hurries along down the sidewalk beneath the dim orange glow of the street lamps, bound for the school building once again. She hurries in through the doors and makes her way to the basement, her footsteps echoing around the entire building.

And sure enough, the same red light is flashing above the elevator.

Claudine enters, and it takes her down into the maze of darkness.

And once again, she finds the underground auditorium empty of any spectators.

The hissing sounds are louder than they'd been last night, and she grimaces as she begins making her way forward. By the time she reaches the stage, her outfit and sword have appeared.

And so have they.

The Korosu begin fanning out across the stage even before she steps foot on it this time. Claudine hurries out to meet them, shouting out as she swings her sword and jabs at them with every chance she gets. Her body is already aching, and it starts to burn more quickly this time.

But just like before, she uses that fire to fuel her movements, refusing to slow down long enough to be able to focus on that pain.

This is nothing. Compared to what everyone else would have to suffer, I can handle this much.

She leaps back as a cluster of Korosu charges at her, her boots skidding to the edge of the stage. She kicks off and jumps over the monsters, landing behind them now and taking free hits before they can react. Immediately afterward, more are swarming her though, and she whips around to deal with them.

She fights.

For what feels like hours, she fights on that stage all on her own. She even has to resort to holding her sword in her left hand, because her right arm is starting to feel so heavy.

And somehow, she manages to stay on her feet until the last of the Korosu has vanished.

Claudine jams her sword into center-stage again, leaning heavily forward onto the hilt as she catches her breath. Sweat drips down nonstop onto the stage below as her body begins to crash from the adrenaline rush. She slumps down to her knees, letting her sword clatter.

And then, a second spotlight shines to life. It is aimed at the audience, and when Claudine finally manages to look up, she sees the giraffe staring back at her.

"My, my," he says calmly. "What is this? Taking on the burden of fighting the Korosu all on your own? I understand."

Claudine clicks her tongue in mild annoyance as she grabs hold of her sword and staggers back to her feet.

"Got a problem with that?" she spits.

"Not at all," he replies. "On the contrary, I'm rather intrigued. You came here last night as well, did you not?"

"So what if I did?"

"I understand." The giraffe flicks and ear and dips his head ever so slightly. "I must admit, I am eager to see this act you put on all on your own, Saijou Claudine-san. I have seen something like it, once before…"

Claudine growls softly, knowing that he's referring to the time Hikari had decided to act Starlight all on her own for everyone'e sake. She huffs.

"That's fine. Even if it's just you here, I'll entertain you if it means getting rid of these Korosu."

He hums.

"A true Stage Girl through and through. I understand."

The spotlight goes out, and the giraffe disappears from her sight.

Claudine staggers, wiping her sleeve over her mouth as she wearily limps down the steps on the side of the stage. She can already feel the scratches where she'd been struck freshly tonight. They don't leave any visible marks on her skin, but she feels the pain deep inside her veins.

Slowly, she makes her way back to the elevator, and clutches her coat to her chest.

It takes her a long time to hobble back to the dorms tonight, but she still manages to do so undetected.

By the time she makes it back to her room, it's past 2 in the morning. She collapses into bed, and passes out sooner than she falls asleep.

When her alarm starts blaring so early the following morning, Claudine is forced to remember it's Monday and that she has classes.

When she pushes herself up the first time, her arms give out and she falls right back down. She has to try a couple more times before she manages the feat and is able to slip her legs off the edge of the bed.

Standing is another issue entirely.

This ache in her body isn't like anything she's ever felt, even after a particularly rigorous day of exercise and training. It makes her feel weaker, not stronger. She struggles just to get dressed into her uniform and sling her school bag over her shoulder.

When she joins the others for breakfast in the lounge, she's shocked to discover she's the last of their group to arrive. When they finally spot her, everyone cries out in surprise.

"There she is!"

"Finally!"

"Kuro-chan, you were almost late!"

Claudine gives them all a sheepish wave before gathering her plate of food and then joining them at last, taking her usual seat beside Maya.

"Sorry about that. I must've slept in a bit." Claudine gives them all her usual smile as she starts eating.

But she can tell right away Maya is eyeing her again. Although Claudine is doing her best to appear unfazed by the pain in her body, she knows Maya would see through her sooner than anyone else, especially because Claudine had already admitted to her that she was aching from battle.

She meets Maya's gaze calmly and glares a little, as if challenging her to oppose the notion that she was fine.

Maya says nothing. For now.

Claudine counts her silence as a win.

She eats about half of her meal before the pain in her stomach stops her from going any further. At that point, it's time for them to head to school anyway, so she just uses that as an excuse not to finish and packs the leftovers into her bag.

When they all get outside and start chatting together as they walk, Claudine drops to the back of the group. She looks them all over from here, and is satisfied to see they all seem cheerful and energetic.

Nana and Junna are passionately discussing stage preparations for Friday. Karen is making random comments that draw laughter from both Mahiru and Hikari, who both seem to have forgotten the stress of last week's battles. Even Kaoruko isn't complaining about not taking Futaba's motorcycle today, and instead is seeming to enjoy the stroll with her roommate.

And of course, Maya is as nosy as ever. She falls back to walk beside Claudine now, putting a bit of distance between them and the others as she looks her partner over skeptically.

"Saijou-san? If you're still not feeling well, perhaps it's best you take today off from classes. It would be better to stay back and rest for one day rather than push yourself too hard and still be unwell by the time of the performance, yes?"

Claudine doesn't answer right away. In truth, she might've actually taken Maya up on such an offer, if she hadn't already come this far. And besides, with the performance coming in just four days now, Claudine can't afford to miss anything. So she just plays it off.

"Didn't I already tell you I'm fine? You should mind your own business."

"Oh, but as my dance partner, you are by business, Saijou Claudine."

Claudine scoffs.

"Would you just drop it already? I said I'm fine."

"Indeed you did," Maya nods. "But by now, from a fight that happened last week, I would assume you'd be getting better, not worse."

Claudine swallows and looks away.

"You're imagining things."

"Am I?"

"Listen-" Claudine rounds on her with a soft snarl on her lips. "I just didn't get much sleep last night, all right? So just drop it."

It isn't a lie either, so she doesn't feel too guilty about saying it.

To her relief, Maya steps back.

"Very well, then. Just ensure you don't slow me down."

"Don't patronize me. You know I won't."

And she really, really does her best not to.

But after the morning hours of sitting quietly in the lecture classes feeling like she might be nauseous from the awful ache in her veins, Claudine finds herself terribly lacking in her technique when it comes time for dance lessons. She gets scolded by her instructor multiple times, and each time the embarrassment only makes her unseen injuries burn even hotter.

And that only makes her more and more furious at the Korosu for making all of this happen in the first place.

That anger possesses her, making her eager to return to that stage tonight to eradicate the monsters. She refuses to let Elle call the others in this evening.

Claudine hardly speaks a word to anyone through lessons unless she has to sing or read a line. By the time the session is over, she's more humiliated than she's ever felt in all her life. Her instructor pulls her aside to give her a lecture.

"I don't know what's going on with you today, Saijou," she says. "But if it's some kind of medical or health issue, you should go see the nurse. We might have to think about considering an understudy if you're still like this by Friday."

"I won't be, ma'am," Claudine says quickly. "I just didn't get much sleep last night. That's all."

Again, it isn't a lie. Her instructor eyes her for a moment before heaving a sigh.

"All right. Sorry for being so harsh on you today."

"That's all right. I needed it."

"That's my Saijou. Make sure you rest up tonight so I don't have to hound you again tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

With this, the instructor takes her leave.

Not a moment later, Claudine's friends come up to her.

"My, that was a rare sight to behold," Kaoruko says. "To think Kuro-han can also have her off days."

"Course she can," Futaba says. "She's not a robot."

"Kuro-chan, Kuro-chan!" Karen whimpers. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I was a little nervous," Mahiru admits. "I really thought you might fall a couple times…"

"You didn't eat much today either," Nana frowns.

"Is it really just sleep-deprivation?" Junna wonders. "If so, you should go get some rest early today."

Only Hikari and Maya remain quiet - Hikari because she knows exactly what is causing Claudine's fatigue, and Maya because she has a suspicion that there's more to it than simply losing sleep.

Claudine gives herself a shake.

"Don't worry so much. I really am fine. I'll get plenty of rest tonight, so don't worry about a thing."

"But…" Everyone turns to look to Mahiru as she bows her head. "But… what if… we're summoned again… to fight…?"

Everyone falls silent. They hadn't even wanted to acknowledge that possibility. Claudine can tell it shatters everyone's good mood just to consider it. She quickly tries to put them at ease.

"I don't think we will be," she says. "Like Elle said, hopefully the Korosu activity has died down over the weekend. And if it was bad, she would've transported us there the second classes ended today, right?"

"Y-Yeah!" Karen perks up. "So the fact that we're all still here must mean the Korosu aren't that bad, even after a couple days, right?"

"I suppose," Nana murmurs. "Maybe whatever was causing their numbers to increase has finally stopped."

"We can hope, anyway," Junna agrees.

A murmur of relief sweeps through them all.

Claudine smiles. This is all she wants. To continue doing her part from behind the scenes so the rest of them can continue to shine.

She just has to keep it up for a few more nights. Once their big play is over, perhaps then everyone else could come back to help fight if need be.

But until then, Claudine wants to keep doing this on her own.

With everyone feeling better now, they head to the locker room to change out of their leotards and back into their uniforms.

And it's then, when Claudine is adjusting the red bow at her collar, when she's hit by a sudden wave of lightheadedness. Her vision blurs for just a second, and an ache throbs in the back of her head. But after closing her eyes briefly, it all goes away before long.

She glances around cautiously, but no one had seemed to notice her little lapse, not even Maya.

She manages to walk rather unaffectedly on the way back to the dorms, joining in on whatever conversation everyone else is holding, both for the sake of acting normally, and to avoid speaking privately with Maya. Claudine can feel her partner's eyes on her all the while, but she just keeps glaring and shrugging back at her.

The nine of them do their homework together in the lounge, then have dinner. Claudine picks slowly at her salad to make it seem like she's eating more than she really is.

When they head for the showers, it happens again.

Claudine is washing her hair in her own stall, humming one of their songs when she's suddenly hit by another surge of dizziness. She stumbles, her voice cutting off in a gasp as she knocks over several little bottles of shampoo with a clatter. From the stall next to her, Maya's voice calls out.

"Saijou-san? Are you all right?"

"Yes-" She winces, clutching her head in both hands as it pounds. "I just wasn't paying attention, that's all…"

The hissing of the water drowns out her labored breathing, but when she closes her eyes, the sound warps into the hissing of Korosu. She leans heavily back against the corner of the tiled stall for a moment, catching her breath as the hot water drenches her. But the heat of the pain beneath her skin is so intense, it makes the shower water feel almost cold.

She starts hearing the other showers cutting off, so after another moment of getting her bearings, Claudine rinses the remaining conditioner out of her hair and shuts off her water. She can't grab her towel and sit down on her stool quickly enough. Footsteps sound nearby, and she looks up to see Maya wrapped in her own towel, wringing her hair out over one shoulder.

"Saijou-san? Did you perhaps stay in for too long? You're looking rather flushed."

Claudine uses the excuse Maya gives her and nods.

"I guess so… I'll just go straight to bed."

Maya seems satisfied with that answer.

But after wobbling to her feet, changing into her nightgown, drying her hair, and returning to her dorm room, Claudine doesn't go to her bed.

All her friends had been so relaxed and happy tonight for not having to go fight the Korosu. And she knows it's only because she'd managed to keep their numbers low herself. But if she slacks off tonight, their numbers will continue to mount over tomorrow, and calling everyone back in to fight might be unavoidable.

And she knows they'd all agreed their heath came first, that if the situation got out-of-hand, they might just have to let the Korosu destroy a play or two, if need be.

But at this point, she's already come so far, and the desire to eradicate the demons to spare not only the plays, but also her friends, has all but possessed Claudine.

So just as she'd done last night, she pulls on her leggings and coat, and exits her room.

As she staggers down the hallway and down the stairs to the main lobby, she tries to think of an excuse to tell the secretary.

But when Claudine peers in through the glass, no one is there. It feels less like a blessing and more like a warning at this point. But she has her heart set on doing this.

And so she exits the building and begins her walk back to Seishou.

And again, she enters the empty building.

And again, she walks those vacant, dimly-lit hallways.

And again, she spots the red light flashing above the elevator.

She takes it down, clattering into the basement.

She steps out into the shadows, feels the weight of her sword in her fingers, and heads for that stage.

Only tonight, it isn't like the other nights.

The Korosu are already swarming, festering like the disease they are, clogging the entirety of the stage. Claudine's heart catches in her throat. She hears a familiar voice.

"This isn't good. We have to bring the Stage Girls-"

"Hold it!" Claudine's shout echoes across the rows and rows of empty seats to where Elle is standing at the far end of the stage, clearly in a panic. She looks up with a gasp.

"Saijou-san? What are you-?"

"I guess the giraffe hasn't told you, then," she scoffs. "Of course not. He wanted to keep these private shows all to himself." Claudine hurries her way to the stage and rushes up the stairs past Elle. "I can handle this myself. Don't bring the others here."

"Eh? But there are too many! You couldn't possibly-"

"Watch me."

Claudine doesn't even turn to look back at Elle. With a furious shout, she charges headlong into the fray as the Korosu surge forward like a massive black wave.

Claudine takes all that frustration from earlier today, of getting lectured by her instructor and having the entire class see her pitiful routine. It all culminates now in her palms and courses through her limbs as she races in and brings her sword down in a barrage of angry swings.

She spits and hisses and shouts as she slashes over and over again, jabbing at them and cutting them to dust. Each one she slays is one step closer to keeping her friends out of this. That's how it feels in her mind.

So she just has to keep going until there aren't any left.

She fights. Harder than she had last night, and the night before, needing to expend more and more of what precious little energy she has left.

She can already feel the Korosu's blades scoring across her back and knees, but she keeps going.

Just one more.

Just one more…

Claudine races to the open side of the stage to buy herself a bit of time before turning back to face them. They swarm her, and no amount of twirling and leaping and jabbing seems to push them back or dwindle their numbers any longer.

Claudine gasps for breath, shouting in desperation as she brings her sword down again and again. But when she kills one, two more take its place. She has to turn and run again, buying herself as much time as possible to gather her energy for another swing. Her muscles are screaming in protest, and her heart is all but beating out of her ribs.

No… I can't give up… Not yet…

She has to keep fighting. She has to. There's no other option-

Again and again she runs, slashes, jumps.

And again. And again.

Until sweat isn't the only thing she leaves behind.

The tears have started coming now too, and they blur her vision. She shakes her head furiously and wipes her face, but feels another blow to her side in the process. She cries out and staggers away, only to find more and more of them.

By this point, she can barely move anymore. She cuts at the Korosu again, keeping them at bay just for a second.

That's when her legs finally give. She drops to one knee, unable to draw in enough air no matter how hard she's panting. She blinks, and she can see the dark smudge of shadows coming closer. Tears blur her sight again as she tries to push herself back up. But her legs have gone completely numb by this point, and her arms are shaking so hard that it's all she can do just to keep her grip on her sword. She can't even swing it, though.

Claudine gasps for air, her voice wheezing in the back of her throat as her breath hitches, causing her to choke and cough. More tears and sweat drip down.

And then something else. Something red.

It's dripping down from her nose, and when she tries to breathe in, the blood gets sucked down her throat, and she coughs it back up. She blinks and tries to lift her head. The Korosu have closed in on her now.

No…

This can't be real. It has to be a dream. Or a nightmare.

It has to be…

But even if it is a nightmare, at this point, she feels like she might not wake up.

Claudine digs her nails into her own palm as she grips the hilt of her sword. But as she tries to swing at the closest Korosu, her entire arm goes limp, and the weapon clatters onto the stage. The red stains on her skirt are starting to get bigger now.

"I…" She chokes, sputtering another cough as she feels herself falling. "I'm sorry… everyone…"

The blackness creeps into her vision, and the tang of blood dribbles down her throat...

...

...

And then, a shout.

An enraged, feral, furious shout.

"Hyaaaaaah-!"

There's a loud thud of boots skidding in front of her, and the even louder clanging of metal slicing through the black armor of the Korosu.

Claudine crumples down onto her side, but she can still just barely make out a thin line of sight. She can see the silver skirt and white tulle, the black blazer lined with gold-

"M… Maya…"

A sudden pain claws her chest, and Claudine curls in on herself, her eyes squeezing shut.

And it almost feels like she might not be able to open them again.

Maya runs with all her might, propelling herself through the empty aisles of the theatre, the blood roaring in her ears as she follows the sound of that infernal hissing. She almost can't even spot her partner amidst the barrage of black demons.

She knew it. She'd suspected this to be the case all along, but she hadn't wanted to believe it.

She'd been a fool. She should have known better. She should have come sooner…

Maya's boots thud across the carpet as she readies her rapier in her grip, racing through the darkness like a blaze of light toward that corrupted stage. She doesn't stop, even when she comes within range of the 6-foot jump upward. She doesn't have time to run to the side and find the steps.

Maya charges ahead with everything she has, slams her hand onto the top of the stage, and heaves herself over in one massive leap. She lands heavily, crouched low into a ferocious stance with death in her eyes as she pierces no fewer than twenty of them all in one swing. With a wolflike snarl, she spins on her heel, lashing out to jab through more and more of them, slicing through without mercy. She clears the first several waves of them before she finally hears the sounds of more footsteps coming from behind her.

"Tendo-san!"

"We're here!"

"Get Kuro-chan!"

She doesn't waste another second. Her seven other classmates pour onto the stage after her, dressed in their battle gear and equipped with their weapons and mountains of rage. They shout out as they begin tearing through the Korosu with the vigor allowed by so many nights' worth of rest, thanks to the sacrifice of one of their friends.

Maya drops her sword and turns to her now, falling to her knees before her.

"Saijou-san-!"

Maya had only seen her back from afar until this point. But now, terrified tears rise up behind her eyes and start to spill over.

Claudine lies motionless on her side, like a deer struck by so many bullets, unfairly outnumbered by hunters. Every visible inch of her skin is coated with sweat or tears or both.

But the worst of it all is the blood smeared down from her nose to her lips, and down her neck where droplets have stained into her clothes. After she'd fallen, the blood had started to flow sideways across her face, and now has formed a small pool on the stage beneath her cheek.

The sounds of her friends' fighting becomes like static in the back of Maya's head. She knows she can leave this to them. Right now, Claudine is the only thing in the world to her.

She reaches out for her with arms that tremble beneath this horrible guilt of not coming sooner. Maya gathers Claudine into her arms, holding her across her lap as her tears fall and land gently on her cheeks.

"Saijou…san…?"

Maya brushes the backs of her fingers across her partner's forehead, clearing her bangs away from her face. She wipes her sleeve across her skin to get rid of some of the sweat, but even then, Claudine doesn't open her eyes. Maya glides her thumb across her cheek, smearing the dried tears away.

"No… oh, no…" She curls over her, lifting Claudine up to herself and holding her close. Maya bites back her tears as she rests her head against Claudine's chest. She sobs with relief to hear a heartbeat, faint as it may be.

Maya straightens up again to caress her fingers along Claudine's face and through her hair. She then glides them downward to rest over Claudine's collar, feeling the shallow rise and fall of her chest. She sobs again.

"Oh, thank goodness…" She bows her head onto Claudine's stomach and weeps.

And before long, the din of battle fades away behind her. Her classmates finish off the last of the Korosu as they turn back to face Maya and Claudine. Mahiru drops her mace to cover her mouth with both hands, and starts to cry.

"K-Kuro-chan…"

"It's my fault-" Hikari whispers. "I knew… I knew what she was doing here, and yet-"

"D-Don't say that, Hikari-chan!" Karen wails, tears already streaming down her face as well. "I-I'm sure… Kuro-chan did this on her own… because she didn't want you to get hurt like last time-"

"But even so!" Futaba cries. "This is messed up! Since when did we start putting our lives on the line for this crap?! That's not how saving a play is supposed to work!" Tears are dripping down her face now, too.

Beside her, Kaoruko begins to hiccup.

"Kuro-han…" She doesn't even know what more she can say or do at this point. She drops her naginata as Futaba drops her halberd, and the two cling to each other and sob.

By now, Junna and Nana have come to sink to their knees beside Maya. Junna removes her glasses since they're already too fogged-up from crying.

"So… Saijou-san was… coming here on her own to fight?" she murmurs. "For how long…?"

Nana shakes her head.

"My guess is every night since we all last came here…" She blinks, and then begins crying, too. "Oh, Kuro-chan…" Nana reaches out to hold one of Claudine's hands and squeezes it. She lifts her head and turns her gaze back toward the tenth girl present here. "Elle-san… you didn't know about this, right? You… you would have stopped her, right-?"

"Of course-" Even Elle is shaking at the sight before her. "I had no idea… I was about to call you all for help tonight, but Saijou-san got here first…"

By now, Maya has more or less gotten ahold of herself. She lifts her face from Claudine's shoulder and looks to Nana, then Junna, and back around to the others.

"We have to get her home," she says thinly.

"I will send you back immediately," Elle says. "But first… there is something I must warn you about."

"Warn us…?" Nana gently lays Claudine's hand back across her stomach before getting to her feet to face Elle. "What do you mean?"

Everyone else quiets down as much as they can from crying as they look up as well. Elle's expression is solemn and pale.

"I… I don't think Saijou-san could have been stopped by anyone. She couldn't even stop herself. I think…" She pauses, bringing a hand to her chin and thinking carefully before staking such a claim. "I think… the Korosu possessed her, in a way."

"What?!" Karen cries out loudest above all the gasps. "Wh-What do you mean they possessed her?"

Elle shakes her head.

"I'm not sure… I've never known anything quite like this to happen before. As I explained earlier, I have no idea why the Korosus' numbers have suddenly increased to such a degree and so quickly. But it's possible they are beginning to evolve."

"Evolve…?" Junna repeats. "How so…?"

"Normally," Elle says. "All of your radiance and skill when standing on this stage to fight them would be more than enough to defeat them. However, if they were to overwhelm you Stage Girls - or even just one of you - you would pose that much less of a threat to them. So it's possible their increase in numbers has allowed their dark energy to have a direct effect on you.

"They possessed Saijou-san to keep fighting them night after night, blocking all sound judgement from her mind. She probably justified her actions by thinking she was sparing you all the trouble, when in reality you all had discussed and sworn not to come alone. She couldn't fathom how illogical and dangerous what she was doing truly was. The Korosus' energy messed with her thoughts and made her come here to fight until she physically couldn't go on any longer. In this manner, they overwhelmed her, and nearly succeeded in getting rid of one of their enemies-"

"Oy, oy, oy!" Futaba shouts. "What the hell are you sayin'? That if we hadn't shown up in time, they would've killed her?!"

"No-!" Mahiru shrieks. "Oh, please-!"

"Th-That can't be possible," Junna says firmly. "That can't be true… right?"

Elle gives each of them a pained glance before bowing her head.

"While it is true that… the Korosu would normally not be able to accomplish such a terrible feat… they had succeeded in spreading their dark energy enough to possess her… Even if their weapons leave no physical wounds on a Stage Girl's body, and even if they can't kill you directly… they did succeed in making her push herself beyond her limits, until her body gave out on her… That is how the Korosu function."

"So that's it…?" Nana mutters. "They possessed her to fight them until she-"

"Please!" Mahiru cries. "Don't say it!" She falls to her knees again, and Hikari crouches down with her, hugging Mahiru as tightly as she can. Karen wraps them both in her arms and looks desperately up at Elle.

"Elle-san! We can't fight like this! Not on a stage where we're putting our lives at risk!"

"She's right." Nana's tone leaves no room for protest. "We won't fight anymore, Elle-san. Even if it means every last play in the world will disappear. We won't risk each other's lives for that."

"I agree." Elle bows deeply to all of them. "I apologize for even bringing you all here in the first place. But now that I know the extent of the danger, I can assure you this ends tonight. No matter how bad the Korosu become. I won't bring you here."

"Thank you." Nana helps Junna up, and eventually the other five make their way over as well. Hikari keeps one arm around each of her partners as she turns back to Elle.

"So then, until the Korosu no longer pose a threat, we won't be coming back."

"Yes," Elle nods. "I'll be here every night myself to make sure no one comes, and if they do, I'll transport them back."

From there, Nana helps Maya up as she cradles Claudine in her arms.

"Watch over her, okay, Maya-chan?" Nana murmurs. "If anything goes wrong, call the nurse right away."

Maya dips her head.

With this, the lights go out.

When she next opens her eyes, Maya finds herself in her bedroom late at night. But she's alone.

She jumps off her bed instantly and tears off out of her room, sprinting to Claudine's door and pushing inside frantically. And she's there, lying on her side unmoving, as if quietly trapped in a nightmare. The darkness seems to swallow her whole.

Maya rushes to her side and lays a hand on her cheek. She feels feverishly warm, and though her clothes have been switched to her sleepwear, there is still a trickle of blood spilling from her nose onto her pillow.

Maya flicks on the bedside lamp and pulls out a few tissues before sitting beside her, holding Claudine gently in her lap once again as she cleans off her cheek and lips where the blood had smeared.

In just seconds, Maya is crying again. The tears drip down onto her partner's face and help wash the blood away.

Once she's cleaned her up, Maya just cradles her in her lap once more, carding through her hair and holding her hand over Claudine's heartbeat, just to make sure it's still there.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispers to her. "I'll never let anything like that happen to you again. I promise, Claudine…"

She sits there with Claudine in her arms for a while, until Maya can't keep herself awake any longer. She turns off the lamp and lies Claudine down on her side so she won't choke if her nose starts to bleed again.

Maya lies down beside her and wraps Claudine loosely in her arms, combing fingers through her hair over and over again. She listens to the soft, if not a bit stuffy, sounds of her breathing, fearing that it might stop suddenly.

It's all she can do to try and keep the horrible images out of her mind; of the Korosu overpowering Claudine, bringing her to her knees, of her bleeding and crying out in pain until she vanishes completely beneath the weight of the shadows.

Maya shudders and forces it all away.

"I won't let that happen…"

To seal the vow, she kisses her forehead and tucks Claudine against her chest, before finally falling asleep for the night.

A/N: This was a concept I wanted to play with for a long time. The Korosu are somewhat harmless in the games, but in the plays they really pack a punch. I wanted to use them a bit more as the 'real' villains of the series, the monsters that could pose a serious threat to Stage Girls. I think this would be a really interesting concept, if they could 'possess' the girls to fight until they died from exhaustion.

But thankfully, Maya and company arrived in time!

Please review!