Good golly gosh... my notes say I wrote this two-shot story back in 2021... It's been waiting SO LONG to see the light of day! This is back from when the Shadow versions of the girls became a thing in the lives (versions of the girls who would wear all black and face masks). There was SO MUCH fun potential to that concept that I whipped this up at the time. And though it's years later now, I think it'd be fun to revisit!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.
Starlight Shadows
Chapter 1.
From the moment Claudine had heard the familiar, foreboding chime of that ringtone, she'd known it was going to be a long night.
Rather, she isn't even certain if her phone had really gone off, or if her mind had simply recalled the tone out of habit the moment she was transported to the underground stage.
Either way, it rings through her head in a muffled echo as she recovers from that nearly nauseating sense of vertigo she often suffers upon being brought here against her will.
Until now, she had been in her room preparing for bed. But the play she and her friends had been practicing for had recently started to feel a bit strange, and it's something they'd all recognized. It was only a matter of time before someone was brought here in order to slay the Korosu who were tampering with the world of theatre. It just so happens that it's Claudine's turn to handle things tonight.
As the dark room finally stops whirling around her, she's aware of the change in her environment, as well as her clothes. The comfortable warmth of her cozy dorm room has been exchanged for the cool open air of a much wider room, where the audience stretches out as far as a sports field. The soft plush of her carpet beneath her once-bare feet has been replaced with the hardness of boots and a wooden stage, and in place of the the softness of her nightgown is a familiar costume meant for battle here. She can already feel the weight of her sword in her right hand, and grips it readily, conditioned to know exactly what all of this means.
As the hum of the ventilated air drones out across the space of the room, Claudine keeps her eyes closed and draws in a breath. When she lets it out there's a hissing sound that whispers from behind her, and it sends a chill down her spine.
But not quite a chill of dread or fear - rather, one of anticipation.
In the next second, bright spotlights blaze to life and illuminate the entire stage and most of its surrounding rows of seats. As Claudine whirls around to face the thick red velvet curtains, she can already spot the Korosu clambering toward her.
In spite of her faint fatigue brought on by the day of classes and practices, she smirks at the sight of them. She'd never pass up the opportunity to take out some pent-up frustrations on these pesky little playthings.
"Fine then," she utters, dropping down into a crouch. "Let's do this."
But before she can charge, another voice sounds from beside her.
"My, my. Someone is rather eager tonight, hm?"
"Wha-?!"
Claudine whirls away from the Korosu to face the second Stage Girl who had been summoned tonight, someone she hadn't even realized was there because she'd been so focused on her task. None other than Tendo Maya stands at the ready beside her, also dressed in costume with her rapier in-hand.
Claudine sputters for a second, then straightens herself up with a toss of her hair.
"Since when were you here?"
"For as long as you have been here yourself," Maya replies. "It is just like you to be so intent on your goal that you don't take note of anything else, Saijou-san."
"Hmph. Don't startle me like that. I could've swung at you by accident."
"And I would have parried you, I assure."
"Such arrogance…" Claudine huffs, giving a twirl of her sword. "Well then if there's two of us, this should be over with a lot more quickly. We've got to rest properly."
"My thoughts exactly. After all, improper sleep is the enemy of good skin."
"You are so annoying."
With it now understood that they'll be assisting one another in this battle tonight, Claudine and Maya take up their stances once again and face the approaching wave of blackness. There can't be more than fifty of them.
"Ten minutes, tops," Claudine says.
"I would wager eight," Maya replies.
Claudine rolls her eyes.
"Sa, commance!"
She gives the first shout and charges forward. Maya is right behind her, giving a battle cry of her own.
They meet and engage with the first two monsters, parrying the Korosu's clunky, heavy swords with ease and precision. It's been a little while since the two of them have been paired together to fight the common enemy, but they fall into step with one another as if it's something they've done every single day of their lives.
As the battle commences, Maya and Claudine naturally take up positions to cover each other's blind sides as they fend off the Korosu. If a monster gets disarmed of its weapon, it will charge in with its sharp claws and armor alone. But none ever manage to touch either one of the girls, as they cover one another so flawlessly it's as though all of it were scripted and already practiced a million times over.
Claudine plunges her sword through the first of them in a matter of seconds, savoring the satisfaction of the blow, the feeling of the Korosu's weight vanishing into thin air at the end of her blade. For every one she kills, it means a safer day for her friends, and there is no greater reward than that.
Behind her, Maya leaps high to avoid several Korosu that charge at once. She lands behind them, and with a series of quick, precise jabs of her rapier, runs each of them through in a matter of seconds. When she straightens up to meet Claudine's eyes, she smirks and tosses her hair over her shoulder in a playfully mocking manner.
"That's five for me already."
A flash of competitive heat bursts through Claudine's chest.
"Oh, so we're doing that, are we? Then be prepared to lose."
With this declaration, Claudine drops down and swoops low, arching herself in a circle while thrusting out her sword. It scores across four more Korosu, which let out a collective screech before ultimately dissipating. Just like that, she ties Maya's number. Maya nods in approval.
"I would expect nothing less."
"Shut up."
The next wave of monsters is upon them by now, so they jump in together, backs pressing close to face the next attack. Even as the fight naturally brings them away from one another, they keep each other in their sights, constantly prepared to rush over to provide support if it's needed.
But it's never needed. Both Claudine and Maya handle themselves perfectly fine on their own. With this minor level of threat against the immense skill they each possess, there's really no need to be concerned over each other.
They fight independently while still keeping track of their scores, and the few times they come together are often only to steal a kill out from under the other's nose.
Maya is the first to snatch one from her, and it was very clearly intentional, because it couldn't have been more obvious that Claudine had been about to bring her sword down onto the Korosu to slice it through. But Maya is so swift she's able to cut through it first, before Claudine can even begin the downward blow. Claudine gives an indignant shriek.
"Hey! Why, you-!"
But of course Maya pays her no mind, and simply continues on with her fight with the most infuriating nonchalance.
Naturally, since she had been wronged first, Claudine retaliates with a vengeance, stealing not one, but two of Maya's kills consecutively. And she doesn't miss the glare and the pursing of Maya's lips, which only makes Claudine grin all the wider.
Such antagonistically friendly methods keep things interesting for what would have otherwise been just another battle of Korosu. With the added challenge of trying to get the most kills while defending her targets from the other, they create an even more investing challenge for themselves.
Though, of course, neither ever does anything too obstinate that might put themselves or the other at risk. Even the stolen kills are calculated, only executed when one of them knows she can swipe it swiftly and safely, and without endangering herself beneath the other's blade.
Conversely, they both fight without holding anything back, while being fully able to trust the other not to put herself in harm's way unnecessarily. Their little challenges are for entertainment's sake, but they never get so competitive that they end up risking each other's wellbeing.
Only a dynamic such as theirs could allow for such an unconventional style of fighting, one where they can pour their all into the battle without needing to worry about her partner. It's the most profound and deep-rooted form of trust and mutual respect - even if they are spouting goading insults at one another all the while.
As Claudine finishes yet another sweep that slaughters three in a row, she lands with a smirk facing her partner.
"Is that really all you've got tonight, Tendo Maya? You're falling behind!"
Maya clearly hears her taunts, but she remains cold and calm as she ruthlessly stabs another Korosu through the face of its armor.
And then she turns sharply, charging straight for Claudine without a sound.
Claudine instantly freezes, knowing it's best not to move and risk getting in her way or throwing off her aim. Maya thrusts out her rapier right past Claudine's side just as Korosu leaps at her. Maya pierces it through before it can touch Claudine, and the monster vanishes into a puff of black smoke. Maya straightens up and leans in close to her, until Claudine can feel the heat of her breath.
"I believe you owe me one, Saijou-san."
Claudine isn't intimidated by the debt she now owes her. She steps closer to Maya, until they are so close their bodies brush together.
"Like hell."
Maya smirks, then reaches out to grab her hand. Claudine feels the force of Maya's pull and gives back the same amount of power, pushing her boots hard against the stage and hauling her weight sideways. They propel each other forward, breaking apart from the momentum of it with mutual shouts.
The clashing and clanging of weapons drown out the hisses of the Korosu. But perhaps there are more of the beasts than they'd initially counted.
Because even after both their estimated guesses of eight and ten minutes have elapsed, they continue to do battle.
Had they fought normally, neither would have really worked up a sweat. But with the added challenge of scoring the highest kill count, both of them put in a bit more effort than usual.
With the battle extending a bit longer than anticipated, they begin casting glances at one another to ensure all is well.
Claudine knows that Tendo Maya is the last person on the planet she'd need to worry about while up on the stage. But with the minutes and the battle dragging on, it's only natural they would both start to get a bit exhausted and put on-edge.
She does happen to notice that Maya has begun to struggle a bit when the Korosu leap at her from behind. Maya always ducks or whirls around in time to deflect them, but her eyes narrow with anger from how flustered it makes her.
Claudine knows that Maya has never particularly liked sneak attacks, or being ambushed from behind. It was her belief that fighters should face one another honestly and head-on.
So when Claudine notices Maya's plight, she runs in to cover her back, constantly positioning herself behind Maya no matter which way she turns. She catches Maya's eye amidst the fray, and there's gratefulness there hinted with a spark of relief.
Now that Maya can rest assured that her back is protected, she lets loose on the monsters with her full power. She is thankful for Claudine's coverage, which is now allowing Maya to move all the more freely by putting her trust into her partner.
Even though Claudine now knows she will lose their challenge, because she is focusing on watching out for Maya instead of fighting the Korosu herself, she accepts. At this point in the night, she just wants to finish this and go back to bed. Maya understands her sentiment through a glance alone and honors Claudine's wishes.
"Then let's finish this quickly."
Maya focuses on her task of slaughtering the enemy, while Claudine centers her attention on defending Maya to let her move the most efficiently. Wherever Maya goes, Claudine follows, taking up her more supportive role in their deadly duet.
Maya is liberated, weightless as she puts her trust into her. She fells one Korosu after another without stopping, working toward the inevitable finish which will allow them both to return to their rooms and get some much-deserved rest.
But where Maya acknowledges she is a bit lacking with protecting her own back, she knows Claudine isn't the best at watching out for her sides.
Even if Claudine is excellent at sensing an attack approaching from behind, the angle at which the sights and sounds come at her from either side come with a slight delay to her. It's something Maya had noticed long ago, and something that, like her own shortcoming, only happens when Claudine is becoming increasingly exhausted.
Normally, neither of them ever get to the point of a battle where their vulnerabilities begin to show.
But tonight is proving to be a bit more difficult than initially anticipated.
At the very least, they know each other's weaknesses, and they know exactly how to cover for them.
So presently, when Maya notices the pair of Korosu charging in unison at Claudine from either side, she acts quickly. Knowing she can only deflect one at best with the timing she's been given, Maya's only option is not to counter, but to dodge.
She throws herself at Claudine, knocking her backward just as the Korosu collide with one another instead of at the space where Claudine had just been standing. Maya crashes down onto the stage with her, crushing Claudine beneath her out of necessity, though she does just barely manage to throw out her left hand behind her partner's head to soften the impact for her.
Claudine lets out a breathless "oof!" as she hits the floor, her eyes temporarily flashing with a dazed confusion as she registers what had just happened. Maya quickly pushes herself up off of her, keeping her right hand's grip on her sword tight, but her left's at the back of Claudine's head gentle.
"Saijou-san? Are you all right?"
The time for haughty challenges has passed. Now that the battle has extended beyond the point of games and become a bit more serious - enough to be potentially hazardous - safety is the priority.
Claudine gives herself a small shake to regain her bearings, but before she can answer a gasp jolts in her chest instead. Maya doesn't have the time to ask questions before Claudine is grabbing her and knocking her sideways with all the strength in her body. At the same moment she raises up her sword, impaling the Korosu that had flung itself in an effort to attack Maya's exposed back.
Maya pushes herself up beside Claudine, then helps her sit up as well, checking her over. Claudine is panting, but she still manages a smirk.
"Now we're even."
Maya offers a small smile, reaching out to gently glide her fingers through Claudine's ruffled bangs, tucking a loose lock of hair back behind her ear. Claudine dares to close her eyes and lean in against her touch, just for a single heartbeat. Then she's pushing herself up to her feet again, with Maya close behind her.
"It's almost over," Claudine huffs. "Come on."
She and Maya dash forward to the remaining wave of twenty or so Korosu. They cleave the ones at the front of the surge in half, then circle around a group of several to trap them and take turns jabbing at them. Claudine watches Maya's back, and Maya watches Claudine's sides. The want to be done with this now fuels them to move faster and strike harder.
Within just a few more minutes, they destroy the remaining Korosu, until only one is left. This one, they take aim at and lunge at together, piercing it through with terrifyingly beautiful symmetry.
As the final hiss dies away and the black ashes dissipate into the air, Claudine and Maya turn to one another. They're both frazzled and sweating, but otherwise unharmed.
"Well," Claudine begins. "That was annoying. Even more annoying than you."
"They can be quite stubborn," Maya says. "Even more stubborn than you, Saijou-san."
Claudine huffs, tosses her hair again, then turns to begin heading off stage.
"Whatever. Let's just go back now." Claudine struts forward, and she hears Maya's footsteps beginning to follow behind her.
And then the lights go out.
Without warning, the entire theater is swallowed by an all-consuming pitch darkness. The swiftness of the loss of visibility is so jarring that Claudine actually lets out a yelp and stumbles back, just barely managing to maintain her footing thanks to her sword.
"What in the-? Hey! At least wait until we've climbed down! This is a safety hazard!"
She shouts to the stage itself, or to the giraffe if he's present, but gets no response. Grumbling, Claudine looks out into the sheer blackness toward the only source of light - the glowing red letters of the EXIT sign far at the back of the room. It barely reaches her, but does so just enough to provide the slightest bit of guidance. Claudine turns around cautiously and calls out.
"Tendo Maya? Where are you?"
"Saijou-san...?" Maya's response comes from not far away.
Claudine isn't sure if the lights will come back on or not, but with how strange this stage and the ones who run it can be, she isn't about to hold her breath expecting the electricity to return.
"Hold on," Claudine says. "I'll come to you, so stay put. Once we're together we can navigate our way out of here."
Claudine steps forward cautiously, using her sword as a crutch. She knows where she'd been in relation to the edge of the stage when the lights had gone dark, but even so she's still bristling with unease about where she steps.
"Maya?"
"Right here."
Maya's voice hasn't changed position, so Claudine continues toward her, using the distant red glow to see by. She moves her sword very lightly until she feels it bump against something soft.
Claudine is puzzled by the position she finds Maya in. She isn't standing right in front of her, for when Claudine reaches out her other hand, she feels nothing. Maya must have stumbled when the lights had gone out, because now she's kneeling on the floor. Claudine can see her, outlined faintly in red. She reaches down for her, trying to make contact.
"Here," she says. "Take my hand."
But before she can touch her, all at once, a new spotlight shutters to life. It's a color Claudine has never seen on this stage before.
Normally, if it isn't just the bright main spotlights, it would be colors of red or purple or green to match each of her friends.
But this one…
This one is eerily dark, in spite of the light it gives. It's almost gray, with unsettling tints of dark blue. The kind of color one might expect to see in the dead of night with no moon; still visible, but only just.
It rains down on Claudine, and on Maya crouched before her.
Only…
Only…
Claudine's heart seizes in her chest at the sight of the girl in front of her now.
"Y… You're not-"
It is Maya. But… it isn't.
She looks just like her, with the same body, the same face, the same clothes. Except her costume is almost entirely black, and appears even darker because of the strange lighting. A black mask covers the bottom half of her face, and her silver eyes are mixed with that same eerie mist of haunting blue.
A shadow. She looks like a shadow.
Claudine remains unmoving, rooted to the spot out of shock and fear with her hand still outstretched. She can't even fathom what to make of this. She's never seen anything like it before; this strange light, this imposter of a girl…
By the time she realizes she's in danger, it's already too late.
The Shadow thrusts out her rapier, scoring Claudine across her left side. Pain shoots through her like an arrow, sharp and raw, so intense it jars her from the state of confusion.
Instantly, Claudine is aware of a hot wetness spilling down her side, dripping red. She staggers back, gasping, dropping her sword out of sheer shock as her hands fly to the open wound, her vision hazy and unable to tear away from the Shadow of a Stage Girl…
"Claudine!"
Maya had witnessed the entire thing from only a few yards away. The moment that sickening spotlight had shown down, she'd been too stunned by what she had seen to move. The image of Maya, or what seemed to be her, huddled in a crouch, prepared to ambush Claudine once it had successfully lured her in close enough…
It all happened so quickly that Maya hadn't even gotten the chance to call out a warning. What she couldn't fathom as reality in time has quickly and irrevocably made the threat of its presence known.
Even if it might have just been an illusion, the damage it can cause is all too real. Maya can see the crimson stain already spreading across Claudine's side, seeping into her skirt and dripping down her leg. Claudine falls to her knees, clutching the gash, as Maya rushes forward. She throws herself in between Claudine and the darker version of herself. Maya snarls.
"What are you?!"
But the girl who resembles her gives no response. She merely reaches her arm out behind herself. Maya tenses, holding up her rapier in preparation to parry.
But rather than drawing a second weapon, the Shadow Girl reveals something else. A hand appears and accept hers, and Maya's dark reflection draws a second girl into view. One that bears an eerily identical resemblance to Claudine.
Similarly to Maya's counterpart, Claudine's is also dressed entirely in black, with the same dark mask concealing her expression.
The two of them stand there hand-in-hand, wordlessly, like nightmares. They don't speak, don't give any indication of what they might do next. They simply stare - calculating - as if communicating their shared will with one another mentally.
Maya takes a step back.
"What is this…?"
There had been no warning of this. All they have ever found down here in the past had been Korosu. Never anything like this.
It's so outlandish, so unexpected and uncalled for that Maya doesn't even know what to do.
Behind her, she hears Claudine's quivering voice.
"What's going on…?"
Maya shakes her head, unable to look back at her partner for fear of taking her eyes off of their opponents. She can smell the tang of blood, though, and her eyes travel to her other selves' rapier, streaked with red.
Now that she's had a moment to register the shock and confusion of these new arrivals, Maya feels the heat of fury boiling inside her stomach. It didn't matter who or what these two were. They'd hurt Claudine, so that meant they were enemies.
To cancel the step back she'd taken seconds ago, Maya now takes two defiant steps forward, raising her chin and narrowing her eyes.
"Whatever you are… you're as good as dead."
But before she can act, a deep familiar voice interferes.
"I would have to advise against that, Tendo Maya-san."
Maya halts, still refusing to take her eyes off the other two as a spotlight appears far up on the higher audience balconies. The giraffe hovers overhead, still as a statue.
Maya growls.
"So then you've been here all along…"
"Giraffe…" Claudine mutters. "What's going on?"
The giraffe replies with the same infuriating calmness as ever - with the kind of nonchalance privileged only to an onlooker, and not a direct participant who might fear injury or loss.
"Can't you see?" he says. "This is an entirely new development. With entirely new actresses. I understand."
Maya keeps her eyes on the other two sternly, but they seem to be unwilling to move at the moment as the giraffe is speaking. Behind her, she can hear Claudine pushing herself to her feet.
"'New actresses'?" Claudine spits. "What kind of nonsense is that?" She grabs onto Maya's sleeve to help keep herself up until she can support herself on her sword. "Those two are nothing but imposters. Where did they come from?"
The giraffe flicks an ear.
"Perhaps their appearance may prove insulting. But I assure you it would not be in your best interest to cause them any harm."
"And why not?" Claudine barks, still holding onto her bleeding side. "They get to hurt us, but we can't do the same?"
"Their existence is complicated," the giraffe replies. "I have yet to understand it myself. But it would seem that, out of the four of you, only the true Saijou Claudine-san and Tendo Maya-san can sustain injury."
Claudine snarls.
"How is that any fair-?"
But she works herself up so much that it causes a jab of pain in her side. She staggers, slouching into Maya, who puts out her free arm to catch her.
"Saijou-san-" Maya is torn between concern for her and outrage at everyone else here. "She is right. Are we to understand that if we injure those two, we will also cause harm to ourselves? But if they are to draw blood from us, they will be unfazed?"
The giraffe remains unfettered.
"Those girls are a welcome anomaly to the stage. But as far as I can discern, they are related and linked directly to your true selves. Does their appearance alone not speak to that? If the false version is borne of the true one, then would harming the fake not directly injure the original? I understand."
"But how?" Claudine asks. "How did they come to be? And why?"
The giraffe swishes his tail, taking his time to consider an answer.
"Perhaps they were born from your very spirits. The manifestations of your own anger, guilt, and despair. Feelings that are natural to those who stand upon the stage - and sometimes, who fail to. The anger of not achieving the role you most longed for, be it anger directed at yourself or at someone else. The guilt of not performing to the best of your abilities, or of snatching a chance away from someone more deserving. The despair of losing to another… As Stage Girls, can you truthfully say you have never felt such things?"
"Don't be stupid," Claudine spits. "Of course we have. It comes with the territory. We all knew what we were getting into when we chose this path. Those things are only natural."
"Precisely," he replies. "And as such, the Shadows born from such feelings are also quite natural, wouldn't you agree?"
"Perhaps," Maya says tautly. "But even so, how are we meant to fight them like this, if injuring them is only equivalent to injuring ourselves or each other?"
"And after we just fought all those Korosu!" Claudine adds.
But the giraffe simply bends his legs to lower himself to lie down comfortably.
"It is that very unpredictability of the stage that allows for the utmost enjoyment."
With this unhelpful and unsympathetic response given from him, it's as though the Shadow Stage Girls are released from their state of stillness. Without a sound they charge forward, silent as actual shadows, without even footsteps.
Maya and Claudine leap apart, parrying their own weapons against their other selves.
But right away, both Maya and Claudine discover that even though their darker selves might share their faces, they do not share their morals.
Where Maya and Claudine would only fight fairly against other opponents, these girls clearly aren't above resorting to dirty tricks.
Only seconds after Claudine has parried her counterpart, the Shadow whirls around at full speed and swings her sword, scoring it directly against Claudine's wound. The impact is so painful, so forceful and charged with such power and malice that it causes an eruption of agony. Claudine screams outright and can't do anything more than drop to her knees.
Maya is horrified to catch sight of it from the corner of her eye. And she's even more horrified to see that Claudine's opponent isn't wasting a second and is already going in for a second blow. The sword is aimed directly at Claudine's throat, without mercy.
"Stop-!" Maya lets out a shrill, terrified shriek, giving a mighty shove to her own opponent to delay her for a second. She rushes over to intercept the other Shadow, thrusting her rapier in just in time to knock the sword off-course and away from Claudine. Maya skids to a halt in front of her to defend, her whole body shaking.
"Claudine!"
She steals a brief glance down at her, noting how much more blood has suddenly started to spill from her side.
It's truly terrifying. Harrowingly so.
They've faced other girls here, including each other, be it in revues or ReLives. But never with the intent to draw blood. Let alone kill.
Maya has never experienced such panic before.
In her frazzled state, she neglects to keep an eye on her opponents properly. They come charging at the same time, swift and silent as death itself. If not for Claudine giving a shove to the backs of her legs to knock her over, both weapons would've run Maya through.
The only benefit is that, when Maya falls, she bowls into the other two, and they crash down onto the stage, losing hold of their weapons. In the split second where their enemies are down, Maya grabs her rapier, but before she can use it she recalls that injuring them will only injure Claudine and herself. Heart pounding, she dares to turn to her partner instead.
"Claudine!" Maya grabs her shoulder, trying to get Claudine to look at her. The blood at her side is beginning to pool beneath her. Claudine gasps, her face contorting from the pain, but she meets Maya's gaze.
"I'm fine- I just need a minute-"
"Claudine-"
"Sorry, but can you hold them off until then?" Claudine gives her a compelling look, and with it comes a promise - the promise that she will help her in a moment.
Maya is frantic, but when Claudine reaches out to touch her hand, it calms her just enough. Maya draws in a few breaths, forcing her eyes away from the sight of the blood.
"Claudine…"
"We can do this," Claudine murmurs, pulling Maya close to press their foreheads together. "We've come out of much worse situations, haven't we?"
Maya spares another second to breathe in her scent, then pulls back to leave a kiss on Claudine's forehead. Now, that heated, unshakable resolve has sparked to life within her.
"You are absolutely right. Please leave it to me for the time being."
Maya gets up, rounding on the Shadows just as they stagger to their feet as well, weapons reacquired.
Maya would like nothing more than to unleash her full, unbridled feral fury onto them. But she knows she must refrain from causing physical injury. Just like any other fight upon this stage, it must be their jackets.
For as silently as the other two advance on her, Maya counters with a guttural cry of rage.
She clashes with her darker self first, but can already tell the other Shadow is intent on getting to Claudine in the meantime.
Maya won't allow it.
Wrenching her shoulder into her other selves' throat, she tosses her backward before lashing out to grab the false Claudine's arm, effectively shattering her sprint toward the original. Maya hauls her backward and gives a savage kick to her stomach, sending her spiraling.
But Maya doesn't even get a second to breathe, because as soon as she's finished dealing with the Claudine's Shadow, her own counterpart has recovered and started charging once more. Maya parries her rapier, and for the first time she can feel just how much strength these girls possess. She must be just as strong as Maya herself would be in perfect condition.
But considering the fact that Maya is already weary from fighting the Korosu, and that she has to consider Claudine to defend, she is far from being at peak performance right now.
She pours whatever strength she can muster into her hit, but her adversary overpowers her with little effort. Maya staggers back, dazed, but she doesn't even have the time to spare on the frustration, because Claudine's opponent has already recovered and started on her next attempt.
Maya evades her other self and charges Claudine's. But she doesn't even hear the attack coming from behind until the rapier has already jabbed the air right beside her face, scoring her cheek. She skids and rounds, throwing her arm out to knock the opposing weapon away before turning back.
Claudine hasn't been able to get herself up yet. All she can do is hold up her sword to block the blow that comes down on her with brute force. She nearly loses her grip on her sword, but manages to hold on enough to ward off the hit. In the second it takes her Shadow to recoil, Claudine swings at her knees, causing her to leap back.
In that instant, Maya dashes in to get between them once again and faces the Shadow head-on.
But she's too strong, too quick. Maya's boot slips on Claudine's blood, and she crashes onto one knee. As the false Stage Girl raises her sword, Maya doesn't have the time to defend.
But again, Claudine throws herself forward, ramming her shoulders into her other selves' stomach so the sword just barely misses hitting her own back. Her Shadow staggers, but Maya's is already upon them.
Claudine grabs Maya's rapier from her hand, able to react faster, using both of their weapons to block against the Shadow's. By the time Maya pushes herself up, she can already see Claudine shaking with the effort of fending off her opponent, and with her hands occupied elsewhere, her wound has started to bleed faster.
Maya quickly grabs Claudine's arms to support her in holding up the weapons, and together they give a shove, knocking Maya's Shadow back. Instantly, Claudine's arms drain of strength, and if not for Maya to steady her and direct her sword away, it would've fallen on her. Maya pulls Claudine close for a brief moment, pressing her palm over the wound in her side.
"Cowards," she growls. "If this were a fair fight, we would have finished it already."
"I can still fight," Claudine rasps. "Just not very well."
"You mustn't," Maya urges. "Please be still, Claudine."
"You can't handle them both on your own."
"But you're-"
Maya doesn't get to finish. Claudine's Shadow has come up from behind them. Claudine pushes her leg beneath Maya's and grabs her shoulder, giving a kick to push her lower body aside while pulling her torso at the same time. They just barely avoid the tip of the sword.
Maya can't spare any more time like this. Furiously, she jumps to her feet and grabs her rapier, pushing Claudine's Shadow back with a hard swing. Behind her, Claudine is biting back moans of pain, but she's pushing herself up as well.
Maya fakes, suddenly pulling her weight back so her opponent falls forward. Maya grabs her by the back of her neck and flings her to the side, then instantly turns to round on her darker self.
"You… monsters!"
She jumps forward to meet her, and the fact that her mirrored self never makes a sound, never a gasp or a grunt or even a huff of effort only serves to infuriate Maya further, blinding her with rage-
"Maya-!"
But Maya can't heed Claudine's warning in time. The blonde Shadow scores a cut across Maya's back, from her left shoulder to her right hip. Maya hisses, gnashing her teeth as she shoves her other self back far enough so that she may round on the other. When she readies her rapier, the muscles in her back ache with protest, but Maya plunges forward.
Claudine's Shadow dodges, but Maya follows up with a heavy kick to her back as she passes her. The Shadow stumbles, but before Maya can do any more she is faced with her own again. She can feel a trickle of blood oozing down her back as she engages in the next parry, but judging by the sting of it, it isn't very deep.
"Using such disgraceful fighting methods... how shameful! Face me head-on!"
She narrows her eyes in the gray light, and her vision is still rimmed with red. But not all of that color is simply coming from her projected anger.
Smears and droplets of blood stain the stage all around her, marking the trail of Claudine's fight with her other self. Maya can't risk looking for them at the moment. But it doesn't take long to pinpoint their location.
From behind her, she hears the clashing of two swords, and then a gasp from Claudine. Maya uses the surge of red-hot fury pulsing through her veins to give her other self a kick to the abdomen so hard it topples her. Maya could've seized the opportunity to cut her button, but Claudine is already being forced back to a dangerous degree, so it isn't even an option of where Maya needs to be right now.
She darts forward, coming up to Claudine from behind. She puts an arm around her waist and moves her aside to take the next coming blow with her own weapon. Maya glares hatred into the dull grey eyes in front of her.
"Get away from her!"
Maya shoves her back, then spins and kicks the Shadow's legs from under her. She's about to finish it and cut at her jacket when Claudine sags against her, breathing hard. Maya hugs her to her side.
"Claudine-"
She swallows. The blood is flowing steadily down her side, coating both her legs. It's splattered across more of the stage than Maya had initially thought, creating hazardous footing. Maya can already feel it seeping into her clothes as she holds her up. Maya's anger has now been exchanged for more panic.
"This isn't a fair fight-" she mutters. "Claudine, please, you must-"
"No-" Claudine winces as she gets the word out, but now her eyes are hardened with fury. But in spite of the look in her eyes, when she reaches out to touch the cut on Maya's back, her fingers are so gentle. Claudine huffs. "Now they've done it. Now it's personal."
"It isn't deep," Maya assures her.
"I don't care," Claudine seethes. "How dare she... with my own weapon? With my own hands-?"
"I feel exactly the same," Maya mutters, though her touch on Claudine's wound is also very soft. Claudine leans forward just for a second to rest her head against Maya's shoulder.
"We can do this. We can beat them, Maya."
"But how-?"
As if to answer, Maya feels a rush of movement as Claudine suddenly thrusts her sword forward past her. She fends off her other self, who had been coming in to attack Maya from behind again. Claudine lifts her gaze to meet Maya's once more.
"You always were terrible at watching your back, you know."
Maya opens her mouth, but then it hits her. Her whole body floods through with a cooling sensation as she understands Claudine's meaning.
"I see… You may be right."
Maya turns to face Claudine's darker self.
And in turn, Claudine faces Maya's.
"I'll take this one," she growls. Then, even though she's bleeding quite baldy, Claudine charges forward with impressive speed to meet her adversary.
Maya has to trust she'll be all right. She turns to face her own opponent - the demon that shares Claudine's lovely face.
From there, they engaging in separate battles for a moment, dealing as many blows as they take. But just as their opponents have an uncanny way of communicating without speech, so too do Maya and Claudine themselves.
It's now - in the heat of battle, in the heart of the fray, at the very point where they have become so desperate for an end to this - that their souls seem to resonate.
Maya draws her opponent into the center of the gray spotlights, setting her up for the perfect attack. At the same time, Claudine lures Maya's Shadow as well.
Then, all at once, they swap targets.
As Claudine's counterpart makes a swing at Maya, who dodges away, Claudine herself rushes in from the side. And just like Claudine herself, the copy isn't exactly the best with attacks coming in from the side.
Claudine rams her with all her might, so hard it knocks the sword from her Shadow's hand, though it also splits Claudine's wound deeper. They both crash to the floor with a heavy thud.
Maya doesn't have time to see what happens, for her own opponent has also fallen into the trap she and Claudine had lain for her. Maya has never been the best at guarding her back.
So she jumps away out of the spotlight, into the darkness. Her adversary charges after her, stepping directly into a pool of Claudine's blood - blood she'd drawn from her. She slips, and at the same moment Maya leaps from the darkness behind her, slamming the hilt of her sword in between the Shadow's shoulder blades. She falls with a thud, rapier clattering.
Maya doesn't hesitate this time. She cuts the jacket along with the string and button from the shoulder of the girl who had hurt Claudine.
At the same instant, Claudine rolls onto her back to take aim and cut her own Shadow's jacket, exacting her revenge on the one who had hurt Maya.
Immediately, the dark gray spotlights are overpowered by bright white and orange. The Shadows and their fallen jackets and weapons fade away with their eerie light, until only the two true Stage Girls remain.
For a brief moment, there is only the sound of heavy breathing, and their pulses racing in their heads.
Then, the reality of their victory washes over them both.
Claudine tries to get up, but the ache in her side is too great, and more blood keeps spilling. Maya rushes to her side, dropping down next to her.
"Claudine-"
But the moment Maya comes down off the high, the pain assaulting her back starts to burn. With her adrenaline draining, the horrible stinging starts to sear. It throbs through her whole body, making everything ache. As soon as she's down beside her, Claudine gasps at the sight of her anguish.
"Maya-"
"I'm all right. But you-"
Claudine isn't listening. She takes her hands away from her own injury in order to turn Maya around and inspect hers again. It's bleeding a little more than before, and the size of it is still startling.
"Why, that little-"
But before Claudine can manage the entire insult, she cuts off with another gasp. Maya turns back around to steady her, pressing her hand over her partner's wound.
"Claudine, please be still. We must-"
"Bravo, indeed."
The giraffe speaks again as the spotlight comes back to him. Both girls look up wearily, only hopeful to see him if he has something to give in return for the entrainment they have provided. The giraffe continues.
"A very fine battle. I understand."
"And what of our reward?" Maya snaps. "We actresses do not work for free."
"Of course. I understand." He dips his head. "Tendo Maya-san, Saijou Claudine-san. For your impressive performance tonight, and for being the first ever Stage Girls to face such… unique opponents, I shall grant you each one small favor."
For once, his voice is a relief to them.
Both Maya and Claudine look straight up at him. Neither has to think a second about her request, and they speak in unison.
"Heal her."
The giraffe blinks and dips his head.
"I understand."
The stage goes dark.
When they next open their eyes, Maya and Claudine find themselves returned for the night. They sit up in their sleepwear in the middle of Maya's bed, eyes wide and breath hitching with a mutual gasp.
Instantly, they turn to one another.
Maya rests her hands against Claudine's side where the wound had been. But there's no blood seeping through her clothes anymore, not a drop of it anywhere.
Likewise, Claudine hugs Maya's back, but she can find no tears in her clothing, no throbs of pain coming from her.
They both release a long sigh of relief.
"Are you all right...?"
"What about you...?"
"I believe I asked you first."
"Mechante… I'm fine."
"As am I."
There's a pause, another sigh, and then they throw their arms around each other in a shaking embrace.
"Thank goodness.."
"That's my line…"
Slowly, gently, they lie down together, continuously running their hands over the places where the injuries had been, just to be sure. Claudine wraps her arms around Maya's back, and in turn Maya embraces her around her sides.
"A nightmare," Maya murmurs. "Nothing more."
"I sure hope so."
Claudine tucks herself into Maya's neck and lets her do the same. She strokes down through Maya's hair, already feeling the weight of her exhaustion spreading through every inch of her body.
Maya closes her eyes, pulling Claudine closer and pressing near, feeling the way Claudine's heartbeat eventually slows down to match her own. Their breathing begins to overlap as well, steady and calm.
"Rest now," Maya murmurs.
"You too," Claudine returns. "I'll always have your back, Tendo Maya."
"And I shall always remain right by your side, Saijou Claudine."
Though the night is all around them, the shadows don't scare them any longer.
A/N: I reeeeaally wanted to write their Shadow versions as soon as they became a thing. Sorry it had to wait until now to see the light of day! I always love writing action/fight scenes with these two, so doubling it and considering 4 participants was a good challenge!
There is one more chapter!
Please review!