Wow, so I wrote this story about 2 years ago, long enough that by the time I was ready to post it, FFnet had deleted the documents because they were untouched for so long, so I had to hunt it down on my computer for about an hour. I'd already edited the whole thing, too, so then I had to redo it all haha

But finally it's time for what the anime never gave us - the beach episodes! Apologies in advance that this will be an "American-esque" beach experience, it's all I know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

Starlight Beach

Chapter 1. Departure

On this holiday morning outside of Seishou Music Academy, there is a thrilled air of excitement that is different from any other.

Rather than the atmosphere that would precede a play or performance, or even the Starlight Festival itself, this air is one that lacks any kind of nervousness. There's no anxiety about going onstage or being seen by hundreds of people, no pressure to remember their lines and movements exactly.

Rather, this kind of excitement is one that is purely that; excitement. No eyes upon them, no pressure, no work to be done.

For, on this little holiday, the Academy will be sending its students out on a day trip for enjoyment and relaxation. And their destination is one that would have anyone bursting with excitement.

"The beach!"

Karen's high-pitched squeal rises above the din of girls' chatter as Class A stands on the sidewalk outside the school, waiting for the okay from their teacher to board the bus. Karen is all but bouncing in place between a sleepy Hikari and and chuckling Mahiru. She grabs one of each of their arms in her enthusiasm.

"This is gonna be soooo fun! We've never gone to the beach all together before!"

Hikari lifts her nodding head off of Karen's shoulder, still drowsy at the early sunrise hour.

"Maybe I should bring Mr. White after all…"

"Hikari-chan," Mahiru says gently. "Remember, we're only staying one day and one night. We'll be coming back to school this time tomorrow. You can sleep one night without Mr. White, can't you? And besides, you wouldn't want him getting lost or dirty, right?"

Hikari lifts her head a little more, her eyes widening in dismay at the thought.

"No."

"So then he's safest staying here."

"Don't worry!" Karen juts in. "He'll welcome us back tomorrow!"

Hikari manages a tired smile.

"Okay. Thanks, Mahiru, Karen."

Only a few paces away from the trio, Kaoruko is desperately trying to have Futaba hold her bag for her.

"Futaba-han, please! My shoulders are killing me!"

"You've been holdin' that thing for maybe five minutes, Kaoruko."

"Yes, and that's five minutes too long."

"What did you pack in there, anyway? All we need is a change of clothes, a towel, and a toothbrush."

"That's all I have."

"Then you can carry it fine."

"Huuu… Then I wish they'd let us on the bus already…"

"They're still takin' roll and stuff. Plus, we can't leave too early or else our hotel won't let us in." But Futaba knows it's better not to let Kaoruko dwell on things that are making her distressed, so she changes the topic. "So, what are you gonna do when we get there? Beach? Boardwalk?"

"Hmm…" Kaoruko ponders the options. "I think I'd like to stay at the hotel."

"The whole time?!"

"Perhaps."

"No way! You gotta go out! There's no point in going on this trip if all you're gonna do is stay inside! Look at this weather!"

"It looks hot," Kaoruko huffs with a distasteful glance at the brightening yellow sky. "I'd rather not burn, thank you."

As Futaba begins trying to convince her to change her mind, Junna and Nana pass them by.

"Isurugi-san and Hanayagi-san are present."

"And they've got their bags with them," Nana adds. "Check!"

"Good." Junna mulls over her clipboard for a moment before moving onto the next few girls to mark them down. Nana trails behind her with a smile.

"Say, Junna-chan? What's the first thing you're gonna do when you get to the hotel?"

"Hmm… probably unpack and organize the room a little."

"That's such a 'you' answer," Nana giggles. "All right then, while you're doing that, I'll make everyone some snacks!"

"What? Did you seriously pack food and stuff like that? The hotel is providing us meals, you know."

"Only lunch, dinner, and tomorrow's breakfast!" Nana corrects her. "But not snacks!"

"I guess you have a point. But make sure you don't spend the entire day making food. You've gotta enjoy yourself, too."

"The same goes for you, Junna-chan. Try not to work so hard on our special day off!"

"Deal."

As they continue their rounds through the crowd, they pass the final pair of their group.

Claudine can do little to hide her anticipation for this day trip. Maya does her best to keep from chuckling outright as she stands beside her with a much calmer air.

Of course she's excited for this trip as well, but Claudine definitely outmatches her. Her grip on the strap of her French flag-striped bag is tight, and Maya can see she's practically breathless just from thinking about all the things she wants to do. Maya decides to tease her, just a little.

"My, someone is looking forward to this, isn't she?"

"Oh, please," Claudine snaps, though it's much more eager than it is annoyed. "As if you aren't."

"You have a point. Taking a break every now and then is crucial to any successful career path, after all."

"Right. Exactly."

Maya lets the chuckle out now, turning toward Ms. Sakuragi to listen for the instruction to board.

"And?" Claudine asks from beside her. "What about you, Tendo Maya?"

Maya brings a hand to her collar and dips her head.

"Of course I am more than happy to embark on this journey together with everyone."

"And yet somehow, you still sound annoying," Claudine sighs.

Just then, Ms. Sakuragi finally claps for attention.

"All right, ladies! Time to board!"

There's a swell of excited chatter as the girls closest to the bus begin to step on and find their seats.

Karen, Hikari, and Mahiru get a 3-seated spot near the middle while Junna and Nana sit in front of them. Across the aisle, Futaba and Kaoruko take a 2-person seat, as do Maya and Claudine.

Everyone puts their bags down on the floor or next to them on the seats depending on how much room they have and are advised to double-check that they have everything they need. Ms. Sakuragi gives roll call one more time, then nods in satisfaction.

"Good. I'm glad to see everyone woke up and made it on time today."

"Waaah," Karen wails. "Sensei, why did you look at me just nooow?"

The whole bus chuckles. Sakuragi continues.

"The ride will be about half an hour or so. Once we get to the hotel we'll distribute room keys, and then you girls are free to enjoy yourselves for the day. Just make sure you're back in your rooms by 9PM for curfew attendance."

There's a unanimous chorus of "Yes, ma'am!" before she sits down. The driver turns the key in the ignition, and the entire bus rumbles to life.

A fresh trill of excitement travels through the girls as they start moving and leave Seishou behind for now.

Mahiru had strategically positioned herself in the center of the seat, giving Karen the window side so she can look out and admire the scenery and every passing car to her heart's content. Hikari is already slumping tiredly against Mahiru's shoulder from the aisle side, mumbling to wake her up once they get there.

Nana has the window seat, but both she and Junna are peering out, sharing earbuds and listening to music from Junna's phone.

Futaba has the window for herself while Kaoruko is already curling up on her shoulder to sleep some more as well.

And Maya had initially gotten the window seat without really thinking, simply because she'd boarded before Claudine had. But now that she can sense her partner's fluttering excitement, Maya wordlessly gets up and motions to switch with her. Claudine is grateful enough for the gesture that she lets Maya hold her hand without protest.

The bus brings them away from Seishou and out of town into less-familiar territories.

The girls who are awake try their best to keep their voices down so as not to wake up those asleep. Karen proposes a game of looking for certain-colored cars, and whoever can spot one of the designated color first has to raise a fist in the air and say that color. After ten minutes of that, she switches to singing "99 bottles of milk on the wall," and a few join in with her before tapering out.

Futaba and Mahiru have their hands full not letting Kaoruko and Hikari respectively fall over into the aisle whenever the bus hits a pothole.

With one of her hands happily occupied by Claudine's, Maya can't read a book as she'd intended to do on the ride, so she opts to rest her head on her partner's shoulder.

As they drive, the sun rises, casting bright golden rays between the buildings. As they gradually head away from the bigger city, the cloudless sky turns foom pale yellow to a fierce, bright blue.

Little by little, the buildings become smaller and more spaced apart.

By this point most of the girls have opened their windows to let in the warm breeze. Their excitement mounts by the second as they take in the new scenery of the town.

And finally, Karen gives a big excited inhale and barks out.

"I smell it!"

Her squeal wakes up most of the girls who'd been sleeping, and everyone lifts their heads and takes in a deep breath.

"She's right!"

"I smell it, too!"

"Salt!"

"The ocean!"

Everyone looks to the windows on the lefthand side of the bus now. And sure enough, past a few rows of small buildings and shops, a vast expanse of dark blue water meets the sky.

A brand new chatter travels through the bus. Mahiru has to grab Karen and pull her down so she doesn't stick her head out the window.

As the bus rumbles on, the ocean never disappears from the girls' sight.

By now everyone is wide awake, already gathering their bags in preparation to get up and off the bus as soon as it stops moving. Karen is still bouncing in her seat like a little kid, and Mahiru has to remind herself it isn't one of her younger siblings next to her. Hikari's eyes have opened wide in excitement.

"The beach… I haven't been to one in Japan since I was little…"

"Did you ever go when you were overseas?" Mahiru wonders.

"Just once. My dad had a weekend off so he brought us."

"What was it like?" Karen blurts.

"It was… like a beach."

"Oh yeah! Guess that makes sense!"

Mahiru draws in a deep steadying breath and lets it out in a hopeless sigh.

In front of them, Junna is putting away her headphones into her bag.

"We're right on time," she says. "We'll be able to check in and get to our rooms as soon as we park."

"Great!" Nana beams. "Junna-chan, have you ever been to the beach before?"

"Hm, a few times I think. Mostly with my parents. What about you?"

"I came once back in middle school with the Choir Club, but that's all. So I'm really looking forward to this!"

"Me, too." They shift a little bit closer to one another and continue looking out the window for the moment.

Across from them, Kaoruko is stretching her arms out above her head.

"I hope our bed is thick and fluffy."

"Seriously?" Futaba sighs. "You've been sleepin' all morning and that's still all you wanna do when we get there? On our one vacation day paid for by the school?"

"Not the whole day!" Kaoruko defends. "Maybe just half?"

"Geez…"

"I'm only kidding." Kaoruko clings onto her arm and pouts. "Of course I'll swim with you and look around the place, Futaba-han."

"I hope so," Futaba mumbles. "It'd be no fun by myself…"

"Oh? So then you'd miss me~?"

"As if!"

Behind them, the final pair still have their hands together. Claudine's glee is palpable and puts Maya in a brighter mood by the second.

"My, Saijou-san, I never knew you favored the beach so much. Is there any particular reason?" She can feel Claudine's pulse in her wrist, fast and elated. Claudine's eyes keep seeking out the ocean whenever the bus turns down another street.

"My parents used to take me a lot when we lived in France for a little while," Claudine replies. "But this is the first time I'll be going with classmates."

Maya gives her fingers a squeeze.

"I see. It is the same for me. I'm sure it will be worth our wile."

After just a few more minutes, their hotel is in sight. It's a large white building with small balconies on every room on every level. On the side opposite the parking lot sits a large enclosed pool surrounded by white lounge chairs and a garden area with picnics tables. The ocean is still clearly visible from here, which everyone is happy about.

When the bus finally stops, Ms. Sakuragi stands up to call for silence.

"All right, ladies. First order of business is to get you your rooms. We'll check you in in your assigned groups, then once you have your key cards you can get situated. You can spend your day however you'd like, so long as you're back in your rooms by curfew."

Everyone replies in the affirmative again, only this time it's much louder and more eager.

Ms. Sakuragi and the other teachers file off first, then direct the first several girls off the bus. Class A's selected group of nine step off together, marveling at the luxurious hotel before them. The breeze is warm and full of sunlight, and seabirds drift lazily overhead wherever they glance.

But with some self-restraint - and in some cases, their friends restraining them - they refrain from charging off right away, and head into the hotel lobby first.

A blast of cool air conditioning meets them as they shuffle up to the front desk to check in and receive their cards. Their four rooms, as well as the other Seishou girls' rooms, are located on the eight floor out of ten.

They ride the elevator up together, and once they reach their floor Karen starts off in the wrong direction before Mahiru calls her back to a sign that displays the room numbers.

Their rooms are all in a row next to each other on the ocean-facing side of the hotel. Each room has the essentials; a small kitchen area, a TV, a couch, two beds, a dresser, a closet, and a bathroom. And the large sliding glass doors all open up onto a small balcony that overlooks the pool, the garden, and has a clear view of the beach.

All nine of them seem to be in the same mindset initially; they put down their belongings onto the beds and then hurry out to their balconies, all standing in a row outside their rooms to take in the beautiful scene.

The air is warm and lively and tinged with salt. There are already dozens of people out on the beach with towels and large colorful umbrellas set up. A few ships drift by lazily in the far distance, and a whale-shaped blimp scuds across the sky.

For several moments, they're all snapping pictures on their cell phones or simply closing their eyes to enjoy the breeze. At last, Junna speaks up from one of the middle balconies.

"So then?" she calls to the others. "What are everyone's plans?"

"The beach!" Karen cries. "Hikari-chan, Mahiru-chan, can we go to the beach?!"

"Of course!" Mahiru smiles. "Hikari-chan, is that all right with you?"

"Yeah. I wanna."

"Well then," Mahiru smiles. "I guess it's settled!"

Next to them, Futaba and Kaoruko have come to an agreement.

"We're gonna chill at the pool for a bit," Futaba announces.

"Indeed. I need to get a tan."

"What about you guys?" Futaba asks them.

"Well," Nana says. "I was gonna make some snacks for everyone first! This kitchen we have looks so cute! But after that… I think Junna-chan and I are going to the boardwalk."

"Yeah," Junna agrees. "They have a lot of stuff there, and even an aquarium."

"Kuro-chan, Maya-chan, what about you two?"

Before Claudine can get a word in, Maya has already answered.

"I believe we will be heading to the beach as well. Saijou-san has been very eager all morning."

"Hey! So have you!"

"Of course."

With everyone's plans known, they all simultaneously come to realize that they won't all be staying together as a group, which makes shoulders slump a little bit.

"Well…" Karen says. "Then why don't we all do something together in the afternoon? Banana is making us snacks after all. We should eat them together!"

"I agree!" Mahiru says. "I want to be with everyone else, too."

"How about this?" Junna offers. "It's 10 o' clock now, so we'll all do our own things until 3. Then we'll meet back here at our rooms and we can do some things together until curfew. Sound good?"

"Yeah!"

"Perfect!"

With this agreed upon, the girls shed their school uniforms for bathing suits and lighter, beach-appropriate clothes. Each group takes one bag of towels or water bottles or whatever else they might need between them, then close their balcony doors behind them.

And so their holiday begins.

A/N: Nice, chill summertime fic with all my main ships. Sit back these next few weeks and relax~

Please review!