Even though today is Claudine's birthday... sorry but it's the MaHiKaren chapter ahah.

As soon as I decided to write this story I had a few things I immediately knew I wanted to write for this trio.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

Chapter 2. The Ocean

"The ocean, the ocean!" Karen's excited shriek fills the hotel room as she rushes to her bag and begins tearing through it to find her bathing suit. Once she's found it she stands up straight and tall with a salut. "I'm ready to go!"

"Um, Karen-chan?" Mahiru says gently. "I think we need to put our bathing suits on first."

"Oh… right! On it!" Karen hurries off to the bathroom and closes the door, leaving Mahiru to heave a helpless sigh. Hikari is by her own bag on one of the two beds, unpacking things a little more slowly. Mahiru goes over to her own bag and does the same.

"Hikari-chan?" she asks. "Are you excited to go to the beach, too? If there's something else you'd like to do, you can tell us! We can divide our time fairly."

Hikari looks up and shakes her head.

"No. I want to go to the beach."

To Mahiru's surprise, she can actually see a bit of a spark in the girl's eyes. She has to wonder what about the beach has Hikari looking so fired-up.

"Okay, then that's great!"

"What about you, Mahiru?" Hikari asks. "Do you like the beach too?"

"Yes!" she replies. "I love it! There are so many things we can do!"

Just then, the bathroom door flies open and Karen scampers out in her red and blue two-piece swimsuit.

"Okay!" she says. "Now I'm ready!"

"That's great, Karen-chan," Mahiru replies. "Now please wait for me and Hikari-chan to get ready and don't go running off without us."

"Yeah! Of course!"

"Karen." Hikari reaches up and removes the star clip from her hair. Karen gasps.

"Oh! Good idea, Hikari-chan!" Karen removes her crown clip as well. "We wouldn't want these getting lost on the beach or in the ocean!"

The two of them lay their clips on the dresser side-by-side. Then, Hikari brings her swimsuit to the bathroom.

"I'll be quick," she says, then closes the door.

As Mahiru waits her turn to get changed, she watches Karen buzzing with excitement and allows herself to pick up on some of that energy.

"Karen-chan, you might want to put on some sandals. We'll have to walk across pavement and sidewalks, and the sand can get very hot, too."

"Oh! You're right! Eheehee, what would I do without you, Mahiru-chan?" Karen rummages through her bag for the pair of sandals she'd packed and steps into them. "Oh! And we'll need this, too!" She proudly pulls out a bottle of sunscreen.

"Right," Mahiru agrees. "And also our water."

"Yeah! We wouldn't wanna dehumanize!"

"I think you mean dehydrate…"

By now Hikari has emerged in her bathing suit - the teal top and blue shorts. Karen gets visibly more excited as they become another step closer to leaving for the beach.

"I''ll be quick, too!" Mahiru promises before heading into the bathroom.

"Karen," Hikari says. "We should pack our towels and stuff."

"You're right!"

Both of them begin packing up their smaller handbags which they fill with their towels, water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a few energy bars. They pack Mahiru's bag for her too, and when she emerges in her sea-blue dress swimsuit, they present it to her. Mahiru blushes and thanks them.

"All right," she says at last. "I think we're all ready to go!"

"Oh boy!" Karen jumps a few times in her glee, while Hikari simmers with a quieter excitement, clutching her bag tightly. Once Mahiru has checked that they all have their bags on their shoulders and sandals on their feet, the last things she has them grab are their key cards.

"Gaah!" Karen wails. "I totally forgot those!"

"What would we do without Mahiru?" Hikari says.

The trio take their bags and make their way out of the room and down the hallway. They ride the elevator down to the lobby, shuffle through to the doors, and step out of the air conditioning and into the heat of the day.

"Whoa!" Karen says. "It's toasty!"

"Perfect for swimming!" Mahiru says.

"Let's go." Hikari leads the way along the sidewalk, once again piquing Mahiru's interest about why she's so motivated to get to the beach.

They skirt the gardens and the hotel pool, following the sidewalk to the edge of the grass and then off the property.

The ocean is clearly visible even from this height and distance, and the smell of it is all that fills their lungs. Mahiru is just as excited as the other two are, but even so she hurries to grab either of their hands at the crosswalk and has them walk slowly so no one trips.

The beach is only a two-minute walk from the hotel, and before they know it they find themselves stepping from sidewalk to sand.

"The beach!" Karen squeals. "We're here!"

"It's so big…" Hikari mumbles. "Even so, I wanna find one…"

"Eh?" But before Mahiru can ask Hikari what she's talking about, Karen is already tearing off across the sand. "Ah, w-wait, Karen-chan! Running on the sand is dangerous-!"

But no sooner than her warning had come does Karen's sandal sink into an uneven little mound, sprawling her face-first into the hot sand with an "oof!"

"Geez, Karen-chan!" Mahiru and Hikari hurry over to pick up both Karen and her bag. Karen chuckles as sand crumbles off her face and she spits a few grains to the side.

"Geez, that stuff tastes terrible!"

"Bakaren."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

From there, Mahiru firmly holds both their hands again and leads them across the sand more slowly. There are already plenty of people here with their towels and chairs set up under big blue umbrellas.

"Maybe we should look for an umbrella, too," Hikari says. "So we don't get burned."

"Hopefully there are some left," Mahiru frets.

"I'm on it!" Karen crouches down slightly and squints as she starts looking all around them up and down the shoreline. "Aha! Found one!" She starts tearing off immediately, pulling Mahiru, who then pulls Hikari.

"K-Karen-chan! Don't run again!" But even in spite of Mahiru's warning, all three girls take off jogging across the beach. The warm sand flies up from their sandals, the sea breeze buffets their hair, and the rush of waves and calling of gulls fills their ears as the scent of the ocean fills their lungs. By some miracle, no one trips this time.

They run to the unclaimed umbrella, dropping to their knees beneath its shade, laughing and panting.

"Huwaaah, that was a good run! " Karen sighs. She drops her bag and moves in between her two roommates to take each of their hands. "I'm sweating! Let's jump in, come on you guys!"

"Hold it right there!"

Mahiru holds her ground as Karen tries to pull both her and Hikari up out of the sand. The other two both go flailing backward into Mahiru's lap. She huffs, reaches into her bag, then pulls out the sunscreen. Karen whines softly.

"Awww but Maaahiiiruuu-chaaaan-"

"No 'buts'! If you get sunburned you won't be able to dance well or stand onstage until it's better."

"She's right," Hikari agrees.

"Okaayy…"

So the three of them spend a moment applying their sunscreen, and no one is allowed to leave the shade of the umbrella until Mahiru has checked that they've covered every inch of themselves. She sets up their bags and lays out their towels to show the spot is claimed, and all the while Karen is fidgeting like a puppy waiting to be let off its leash. Hikari is also looking almost distressed about having to stay put. Finally, Mahiru finishes up their spot, then gets to her feet.

"All right," she says. "All done."

"Yay! Let's goooo!" Karen kicks off her sandals and tears off toward the water. Mahiru almost calls after her but knows it's no use, so she just smiles and removes her own shoes before offering her hand to Hikari.

"Come on!"

Hikari's eyes sparkle as she removes her sandals and takes Mahiru's hand.

They follow Karen toward the water, their feet squishing the hot dry sand beneath them. But in only a few seconds they reach the cooler brown sand that's been touched by the water. The waves don't get higher than ten feet before crashing down into white foam that runs far up the shore, and then is pulled back in. Karen reaches the water first, squealing as she splashes in ankle-deep.

"Waaah! It's kinda cold!"

Mahiru and Hikari join in beside her.

"Wow, it is a bit cold," Mahiru says. "But I'm sure we'll get used to it quickly."

"It feels nice," Hikari hums.

"I'm used to it!" Karen blurts. "I'm goin' in, you guys!" And with this she charges headfirst into the next rising wave, opening her arms just as it comes crashing down on top of her. When the water recedes Karen is sitting in the wet sand completely drenched, spitting her hair out of her face.

"K-Karen-chan, are you okay?"

"You look like a wet dog."

Karen pops up back to her feet with a grin and a thumbs-up before running in a little further to meet the next wave.

"Watch this, watch this! I'm gonna surf it!"

"But you don't have a board," Hikari calls.

"Oh, I get it!" Mahiru says. "She's going to body-surf!"

"Body… surf…?"

"Yes!" Mahiru guides Hikari a little further in, but still not within range of the waves or the undertow. They stand back a little as they watch Karen swim in up to her stomach and get into position in front of a forming wave.

As the water heaves up and rises, she moves with it until the wave breaks. Karen gives an enthusiastic shout as the water lifts her up and carries her toward the beach a good ten feet or so before the wave crashes. A few seconds later she stands up with both fists raised in victory.

"Yeah! I conquered the ocean!"

Immediately, another wave pops up and flattens her.

Mahiru and Hikari giggle.

"That was great, Karen-chan!"

"You sure showed the ocean."

Karen stands up again and shakes herself off, pouting at the water.

"That wasn't nice… So I'll just have to conquer you again!" She charges straight back into the water, unfazed.

Mahiru watches her body-surf again and again, but the activity isn't something she could ever see herself or Hikari doing. So instead, she suggests something else.

"Hey, Hikari-chan? Why don't we build a sand castle!"

Hikari blinks up at her and tilts her head.

"Sand castle…?"

"That's right! We use a mix of wet and dry sand to sculpt it into a castle shape, and then we can decorate it with shells and things!"

Hikari blinks again, mulling it over, then smiles.

"Okay."

So the two of them move a bit higher up onto the shore, keeping Karen in their sights. They sit down to begin gathering sand and piling it up. Every few minutes the waves send Karen surfing right toward them before she gets back up and runs in again.

Together, Mahiru and Hikari shape a little castle of sorts, with a main building and a few smaller parts here and there. When they get too hot from sitting in the sun, they stand up and join Karen in the water for a little while.

After Karen surfs a few more waves she follows them back onto the beach, happily exhausted and eager to join in the castle-building process. She makes another smaller structure, trying over and over to carve out little windows without letting it collapse.

"These are the stables where they keep the dragons!"

Mahiru opens her mouth to explain that horses would be kept there if anything, but she just smiles and lets it be.

Hikari manages to create a little sand bridge that arcs between the two castles and connects them.

And at last the three girls finish their craft.

"It looks so good!" Karen says.

"Let's look for some shells to decorate with," Mahiru offers.

"I think I saw some by the water," Hikari says helpfully.

The three of them fan out along the shoreline, crouching down to pick up whatever they can find. Mahiru comes back to their castle with several tiny white and pink shells, which she sprinkles across the roofs of the buildings. Hikari finds a full brown speckled scallop shell, which she places on the front of the castle like an emblem. And Karen comes back with a lump of seaweed that she lays on top of the stable and calls it a flag.

When they're finished, the three of them stand back to admire their work.

"Ta-da!" Karen sings.

"It looks neat," Hikari says. "I wanna live there."

"Hm…. What should we call it?" Mahiru wonders.

The question puts all of them into deep through for a moment.

"Why don't we combine our names?" Hikari suggests.

"Oh, oh! Great idea, Hikari-chan! Hmmm, let's see… we can use the "ka" for "Karen" or Hi"ka"ri… or the "Hi" from "Hi"kari and Ma"hi"ru… then how about… KaMaHika… er, no- HiRenHiru-"

"How about MaHiKaren Tower?" Mahiru suggests.

"Oh! Like Tokyo Tower! But it's made of sand and a whole lot smaller!"

"Sure!" Mahiru giggles. "I think that works fine."

"Okay! Then I nearby declare this beach the estate of MaHiKaren Tower!" Though Karen's statement doesn't make much sense, once again no one protests. Mahiru smiles, but when she turns to Hikari she finds her looking down at her feet. Mahiru tilts her head.

"Hikari-chan? You're not too hot, are you? Maybe we should have a water break."

Karen promptly turns away from the sand castle with a gasp.

"What? Oh no, Hikari-chan, are you okay?"

Hikari looks up sharply, as though being pulled from a trance.

"Yeah. I'm all right."

Mahiru and Karen share a puzzled look. Karen reaches out to take one of Hikari's hands.

"Non-non, Hikari-chan! Don't try to hide it from us, okay? If something's wrong you gotta tell us!"

"Karen-chan's right!" Mahiru grabs Hikari's other hand and squeezes. "We came here so all of us could have fun, so that includes you, Hikari-chan!"

A light flush crosses Hikari's face as she looks back and forth between them. Her shoulders slump just a little.

"Okay… To be honest I… wanted to look for something…"

Karen and Mahiru tilt their heads.

"Look for something on the beach?"

"Like what?"

Hikari is quiet for a moment, then mumbles something. Karen and Mahiru both strain closer to listen.

"Sorry-"

"What was that?"

Hikari looks up at both of them slowly, and now her eyes are sparkling with desperation.

"Jellyfish…"

Mahiru and Karen are stunned into silence for a second before it clicks in their brains. They both laugh, pulling Hikari into a group hug.

"Jellyfish! Of course!"

"You should've told us sooner, Hikari-chan!"

Hikari makes a sound that's embarrassed but grateful and leans into their hug. When they all step back, Mahiru coaxes them back to the umbrella for the moment.

"First everyone needs to drink some water. Then we can go looking for jellyfish."

"Okay!"

"Got it."

So they all have a good long sip of cold water, then head back out toward the water.

"Okay," Mahiru says. "Jellyfish are usually clear so they might be hard to find."

"Let's go in a little more!" Karen says.

They wade in up to their knees, searching each pull of the waves as they wash up more seaweed and shells onto the shore. The three girls scour the surface for a few minutes, looking for anything floating and jello-like.

"Oh!" Karen calls out. Mahiru turns and nearly shrieks when she watches her roommate reach into the water to pick something up.

"K-Karen-chan! Don't touch it-!"

"A hermit crab!" Karen says triumphantly, holding the little creature in her palm. Mahiru breathes a sigh of relief.

"Geez…"

She and Hikari wade over to Karen to look at the little crab. Hikari pokes her finger toward it, and it lifts up a claw to touch her.

"Hi," she says. "Do you know any jellyfish?"

The crab scuttles across Karen's palm without giving an answer.

They put the crab back into the water, then continue their search.

A glance at Karen tells Mahiru she's equally determined to find Hikari a jellyfish before they leave the beach today. She continues searching the water with Hikari, and Karen heads back onto the sand. Not a moment later, there's another cry.

"Hikari-chan! Mahiru-chan! I found one!"

"You did?" Hikari looks back toward her with a twinkle in her eyes.

"A jellyfish?" Mahiru calls. "On the sand…" She trails off as she realizes what that means.

"Yeah!" Karen shouts, waving her arm. "Even though it's dead-"

"Dead asleep!" Mahiru says loudly, going over to put her arm on Hikari's back. "That's right. Sometimes jellyfish will go onto the shore to nap," she says sheepishly. Hikari's mouth hangs open a little.

"Well… I don't want to wake him up…"

Mahiru can already see her spirits falling, so she quickly coaxes Hikari along with her.

"We won't wake him up! It's all right! Let's go see!"

They join Karen in the sand where she's standing over a little blob of white. Only the gelatinous top is visible. Hikari drops into a crouch and breathes out a sigh.

"Wow… Mahiru, can I touch it?"

"Well-"

"It should be fine!" Karen says. "Since it's dead-"

"Asleep!" Mahiru shrieks. "Ah, even if they are asleep they might still shock you, so let's not touch it just to be safe, okay?"

"Okay." Hikari seems fine enough just looking.

Mahiru and Karen crouch on either side of her to get a closer look.

"Wow!" Karen says. "It really is see-through!"

"They're really cute from a distance," Mahiru agrees.

"Oh!" Karen picks up a tiny pink shell. "Why don't we give him a hat?"

"No," Hikari says firmly. "He's napping. That's rude."

"Aww, okay…"

After another moment or so, Mahiru suggests they go back into the water to look for a jellyfish that's awake, and they both agree.

They find some more shells and crabs and seaweed, but the sun is beginning to swelter, even with the ocean all around them. Mahiru hates the thought of telling them they'll have to go soon without having found Hikari her jellyfish.

Come on… there has to be one somewhere…

Karen has even resorted to dunking her head in to look from underwater.

But Hikari is looking a little hot, and Mahiru is beginning to feel it too. When Karen next surfaces, she's looking a little tired as well. So with a heavy heart, Mahiru steels herself to call it a day.

But just before she can say the words, something catches her eye. A white-ish purple blob floating on the water. She gasps.

"Hikari-chan! Karen-chan! Look!"

They both perk up and come running to her in the waist-deep water. They follow the path of her pointing finger and gasp.

"Wow! A jellyfish!" Karen cries.

Sure enough, it's a live jellyfish, bobbing along. Hikari's eyes light up like stars.

As Karen applauds, Mahiru smiles to see Hikari enjoying this in silent wonder.

The three girls move in a little closer to watch the jellyfish drifting by. A small wave crashes over it, but it bobs right back up to the surface. They watch it for a moment until it drifts out of sight.

At that point Hikari lets out a soft, joyful sigh. Karen throws her arms around her.

"Wasn't that great, Hikari-chan?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you got to see one," Mahiru smiles. "We should probably head back to the hotel now for some lunch."

"Oh yeah! I'm starving!"

"I wonder if they have jello…"

Before they leave the ocean, they each find a shell to take back with them. They pass by MaHiKaren Tower, and Karen salutes it.

"May your strength withstand the tide!"

"I'm not too sure about that…"

"Maybe in spirit."

They dry off with their towels, drink some more water, and then put their sandals back on before packing everything up again. Once they're all ready, they make their way back across the beach, bound for their hotel.

A small gift stand a little ways down the sidewalk grabs Karen's attention, and she Mahiru and Hikari decide to browse the selection.

"Hmm, maybe we should get keychains?" Karen says.

"That sounds perfect!" Mahiru claps. "Which ones should we choose?"

Hikari is already gravitating toward a purple jellyfish keychain. She picks it up off the hook and gazes at it as though it's made of diamonds. Her roommates giggle.

"That's perfect for you, Hikari-chan!" Karen says. "Now what about me…"

"How about a dolphin?" Mahiru offers, picking one up. "They're playful and energetic, and they work well with others."

"Just like Karen," Hikari agrees.

"Aww, you guys really think so?" Karen beams as she accepts the dolphin. "Okay! Then how about for Mahiru-chan? Let's see…"

"A whale," Hikari says.

"H-Huh?" Mahiru blushes. "D-Did I put on some weight…?"

"No." Hikari shakes her head. "They look out for all the other creatures, right? And they keep them safe because they're so big."

"Oooh, Hikari-chan's right!" Karen nods. "They'll protect other animals from predators and stuff! Plus they're very peaceful and gentle! I think a whale is perfect for you, Mahiru-chan!"

Karen picks out a little humpback keychain and hands it over to her. Blushing, Mahiru accepts.

"Thanks, you two."

The three of them make their purchases, then clip the keychains onto their bags.

They hold hands once again as they cross the street back toward the hotel, and start discussing what to have for lunch.

A/N: I will always love writing these three. Their dynamic is so fun no matter what kind of setting they're dropped into.

Of course I needed to let Hikari find a jellyfish. That was one thing I knew had to happen in this story. He was just taking a little nap~

Please review!