Himemiya Anthy waited out her school agenda and slowly made her way back to her dorm room, a shadow of anguish hovering around her. It had already been nearly a week since the tragic duel that stole her away from her beloved Utena and the loneliness and neglected love was turning the young Bride into a contagious case of depression. The feeling of withdrawal from her only love was tearing her apart, like so many pieces of her life had. "Utena...sama...I wish I could see you again. This whole thing is so hard. I can only wonder if you’re all right." The Bride looked down as she walked, watching her feet move with her step. A lost feeling struck her once more...the one where she thought back to when she and Utena walked home before they had confessed their love for one another. They’d talk, Utena would joke around and playfully tease her, and sometimes, they’d just hold hands after a bad day. "Such simple things make me miss her so much. She really...loved...me." The Observation Tower came into sight and Anthy sighed. Time to return home and be played with like the doll she thought of herself as. Each step she took seemed to make the distance further, so she looked back down. When will she be happy again? When will she be able to be held lovingly in the arms of her prince? When...did she fall to the ground? "Ah...excuse me. I wasn’t..." "Hi...Himemiya...I’m sorry." The Bride closed her mouth quickly and slowly looked at a familiar pair of black and white shoes that covered a pair of red socks. It couldn’t be. "...Utena...sa...n." "I didn’t see you." An ivory hand reached out in front of the girl. As she took it, she was lifted to her feet when her eyes met the Prince’s backside. What was she doing? Without looking back, the Prince’s arm lifted at her side and offered Anthy her bag. "Yes. Again, sorry ‘bout that." Utena said again. "Anyway...I better go. Later, Himemiya." The girl began to walk away, but was stopped when a silken touch pulled at her wrist. "Wa... wait, Utena-san...please?" "What?" "Why are you leaving so...suddenly? It’s been a week. Aren’t you even...going to tell me if you’re okay?" "Oh, sorry...Himemiya. I’m fine. Just some cuts and bruises...and...yeah." "Please. Utena. Look at me." The Prince dropped her head, a sigh escaping her lips. Could she really do that? Desperately searching for a reason to leave, Utena’s slender fingers traced slowly over her scar. Another sigh left her lips as she gave up and spoke. "Fine...but...please know that nothing that’s happened is your fault." With her head still bowed and her eyes closed, she turned and slowly raised her gaze to Anthy’s, eyes opening as she did. "...ah..." There it was. The silence. What more could be said? "Himemiya...it’s...no big deal. It’s...just a scar." "Is it? Is that all it is? You got it because of me!" The Bride raised her voice, something she rarely ever did. "...because of...me." Anthy’s head turned shamefully at the remark and Utena just sighed. "Himemiya...I told you already...none of this is your fault. As the Victor, I had to accept the challenge or I would have lost you anyway. You have to take risks in the 'game' of Revolution...and when you’re in love..." "You told me you’d be all right!" Anthy cut her off. "I am! Look at me! I’m walking, talking, and I’m here, now! I’m just fine." Anthy’s guilt still surpassed her mild relief. This burdened young girl paid no mind to the injuries of her past Victors, but this one...this one was different. This one fought for the protection of their love, not for the power of World Revolution, even though it came with the victory. "Yes, that’s a relief, but because of me, your...your beautiful face is...scarred. I’ll never be able to forgive myself." "I know I’m scarred, but that’s not your fault. I had to take a risk and with risks you sometimes get hurt." The Prince sighed in frustration. "I knew this would happen. I knew you’d just blame yourself no matter what I said. That’s why I’ve...decided I shouldn’t duel anymore. Without you around...you won’t live what’s left of your life blaming yourself for my strife." Anthy released the hand she had taken earlier and shook her head, her eyes gazing wide at the would-be Victor. "You’re...lying. You wouldn’t give up! No! Utena-sama, please!" "Himemiya...you have to understand. If I stay with you...you’ll blame yourself everyday, every hour, every minute, every second you see my face. I know you. I can’t live with that. It would hurt me more than you know seeing that." Himemiya Anthy turned suddenly, her emerald eyes glistening with fresh tears. "You. You’re just like the rest of the Victors...a quitter. Take a loss and you quit." "I’m not quitting! I’m doing this for your sake! Seeing you belittle yourself drives a dagger through me and I hate it! I hate seeing you hate yourself!" Utena’s voice rose with frustration and anger. Why couldn’t her love understand? It seemed so simple to figure out, yet Himemiya Anthy was seeing this differently, and perhaps more effectively, than Tenjou Utena was. "You’re too young to be full of such remorse and pain." Anthy was letting it sink in, but wouldn’t allow it to register. She knew Utena was scared. The Bride could feel the fear emanating from her prince. "I see. Utena-sama...please...just admit you’re afraid of failure. I can sense your fear and it’s a heavy burden." "I’m...not." Utena felt she had no reason to pride herself, but she did pride Anthy. "I’m...not afraid of failure...for myself. I...fear it for you. I fail...and you suffer. Just move on." Himemiya’s face shifted slightly, a realization striking her dramatically. "Tenjou Utena. Listen to yourself. You strive so hard to... ‘free’ me and allow me to live a life for myself. Well, here you are speaking of how your failure affects me. What about you? Why doesn’t it affect you?" The Prince’s eyes widened to their capacity. Her princess was right...but Utena wouldn’t admit it. "Be...because I want to be the prince. My...princess comes first." Anthy turned back to the former Victor and shook her head before embracing her. "Your well-being should come first. Not me." Utena smiled some-what and put her black-clad arms around the Bride, the smile becoming a smirk. "Well, then, Himemiya...why not practice what you preach, hm?" The Hanayome gasped lightly and her cheeks colored. "What? That’s not what I meant at all!" "Himemiya...I’ve been trying to get something like that through your head for so long I can’t even remember how long ago it was." Anthy looked down, away from her prince’s piercing, yet heartfelt glare. "I’m sorry." "Me...too." Once again, the ‘exiled’ prince and her fated princess embraced. They held one another for countless minutes...until Anthy felt a dreaded longing and quickly pulled the prince’s head down, kissing her as if she’d been deprived of precious air. No one was around, so Anthy had made her move, though rather foolishly. "What the hell do you think your doing with my Bride!?" Utena’s face faltered as she pulled her lips away from Anthy’s quickly. "What do you want, you pathetic cheat?" Shintaro Keingo, the new Victor, stepped to the two girls, placing his hands on either girls’ shoulder. A smirk played onto his features, making the pink-headed prince want to gag. "What I want is for you to take your hands of my Bride before I force them off." Utena was not amused to say the least. In fact, as soon as he finished talking, the boy’s hand on Anthy’s shoulder pushed harshly, throwing the girl to the ground. "I didn’t even get a chance to comply." The prince spoke sarcastically. "Why don’t we try again...without you screwing everything up by BEING a screw-up." Tenjou Utena knew her adoption of a sharp tongue was only going to get her into further trouble, but she had to risk it...for Himemiya. A sharp crack of stricken flesh rang in Anthy’s ears as her prince’s carnation-tinted head whipped to the side with a violent jerk of the neck. "You get off on striking girls...or is it just a bad habit?" The boy, enraged, struck her again. With heated-pain in both her cheeks, the prince took her place...next to Anthy. "Hiding behind a puppet, Tenjou-kun? Don’t you have any damn pride!?" "Why? I don’t require the need to become you. ‘Arrogance’ isn’t a word I require any use in." Utena took the Bride by the hand and began to lead her away. Shintaro wasn’t done. Not by a long shot. Quicker than Utena could react, he side-stepped her, raised his hand, balled it into a fist, and swung it. "Himemiya!!" The shocked Prince quickly knelt down by her love, taking the Bride’s chin in her fingertips and examining the now developing bruise that was spreading on her cheekbone, a tiny trickle of blood in the corner of her mouth, probably from biting her lip on impact. "....bastard. You bastard!! How dare you strike her! And with a fist!? You’re lower than anything I can imagine." "Strike a nerve, Tenjou-kun? Well, you gonna avenge her? Show me what you got. Right here...not in some traditional dueling arena." Keingo shook his fist in the air, glaring sadistically at Utena. "You run with the big boys...? You play by our rules." Utena stood, anger the only feature on her face. What the hell was she thinking? "Utena-san! Don’t! That’s just what he wants you to do!" The Bride cried, but Utena silenced her. "Shintaro Keingo....I have no burning desire to fight you. Our fight lies within the arena...whether you like it...or not." She turned away. "Let’s be mature about this...hmm?" ...and she walked away. "You’ll never be a prince!!" Keingo’s forced weight on Utena’s back brought both of them to the ground in a heap, the angered boy throwing punches left and right at the girl below him. "Stop it, Shintaro-sama!! Please!!" The Bara no Hanayome jumped in to intercept, but was once again swatted away like a small pest. Utena, though, took the opportunity to kick her leg up and throw the distracted Victor over her head. Both stood quickly, and fell just as fast, as Shintaro threw himself into her once more. They landed hard in a scuffle and grasped one another tightly in rage as they rolled down a nearby hill. Once more, Keingo was thrown head-over-heels. Utena stood up and ran to him, her rage of seeing Anthy abused taking over her composure. With a leap, she landed on his chest, straddling it and throwing her own punches into his open face. Left, right, left, right...a cry of pain escaping the vulnerable boy, especially when the prince’s ringed hand hit him. Ringed...hand? "I’ll never forgive you!! Striking a young girl, cheating in the game of Revolution, humiliating her and me, taking advantage of your powers!! You will not take us for granted, ever again!!" Utena screamed in bloody outrage and she delivered blow after blow, in an unrecognizable manner of the girl. By this time, Anthy made it down the hill and ran to the two, taking Utena around the waist and desperately pulling with all her being to pry the prince from the bloodied Shintaro. "Utena-san, no, Stop it, please!!" And stop she did. The winded girl allowed herself to be pulled away, her hair a mess, her jacket stretched and torn on her body, her nose and mouth bled. "It’s over, Utena-san...it’s over." A familiar shock spread into the ex-Victor’s cobalt eyes. What had she done!? A councilman...this boy was a councilman. Oh, she was in trouble if this got out. "They’re down there!! I saw them, Seitokaichou!! They were fighting!" A young girl’s voice could be heard from atop the hill speaking to none other than Kiryuu Touga. Utena’s heart sank...she knew she was cold busted. Resting in front of Anthy, who still had her arms around her prince’s waist, Utena watched without purpose as Touga came down the steep hill, his sister, Nanami, trailing behind him, as usual, and the obvious narc behind her. A smirk spread on his face when Keingo sat up, wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve, as Touga approached his opponent. "Tenjou Utena...you’re responsible for this?" The Seitokaichou spoke after a moment. "Assaulting a member of the Student Council? That, Tenjou Utena, is a highly punishable offense in this school. What have you to say on your behalf?" The strawberry-haired Prince stood, looking expressionlessly at the speaker. "What is there to say? Shintaro Keingo picked a fight with me. I’m not exactly going to let him attack me without defense. Though, why am I telling you this? Knowing him, he’ll just make up some easily-believable story to defend himself with and this whole incident will be my fault." Utena said with obvious annoyance. "No one, especially the Seitokai, will listen to my side of this and believe it. So, punish me now and get it over with." The girl spoke with unintentional sarcasm, but with belief of her views. "How bad can it be?" She thought. Funny she should ask... "I see. Shintaro Keingo...what have you to say?" "I shouldn’t have to say anything. I fought for my honor. She insulted me by trying to walk away with my Rose Bride. What should I have done? So, I jumped her to take back what’s mine." "True, but fighting is not tolerable. In reality, you, too, are responsible for this, but in terms of each party’s story, the blame is mostly riding...on Tenjou Utena." With that verdict from the President, Utena stood and prepared to accept her punishment. "All right. I did try to walk off with Himemiya...but..." What? This can’t be! Shintaro Keingo...lied and told the truth at the same time!! "What’s my penalty? A stupid detention?" "Perhaps...if this had been a fight between normal students...but you two are both involved with the game of Revolution. Therefore, Tenjou Utena, you are to be temporarily suspended from Dueling. Surrender your ring for the time being." "What!? You can’t do that!! What about him!? He’s in this as deep as I am!! Why does he still get to duel!?" "I cannot suspend the Kettou no Shioushia...that would be pointless." "Pointless!? What’s pointless about being fair!? He attacked me, too!" "True, but your faults are deeper in depth than his. Now, I’m asking you again, surrender your ring or face permanent expulsion by order of the Rijichou." Utena’s face was blank, yet hints of shock were noticeable. The Dean wouldn't expel her...would he? She wouldn't risk it. From behind Touga, Keingo could be seen snickering, only further angering the prince. From a distance, Himemiya Anthy was as equally shocked. Utena wasn’t surrendering her ring willingly? Was this because she really didn’t mean what she’d said about not dueling anymore? On the other hand, she had no say in anything...as the Rose Bride. "I can’t believe this is happening to me." Utena thought sadly. She lifted her arm, wiping away the blood from her nose and mouth, then raised her other arm and began to uselessly wipe her tears away before she looked up to the President. "The ring, Tenjou-kun! We ain’t got all day. Just go back to being a little girl who gets rescued by her childish dreams." "Silence yourself, Shintaro. This doesn’t concern you." So it was finalized, she really couldn’t duel...even if she wanted to. Utena placed her hand into her pocket and slid the ring around her finger with hesitation, then, defeated by truth, she pulled it back out and held it before Touga. Slowly, he reached out, took Utena’s hand in his, and used his other to remove the Rose Signet and pocket it. "Two weeks, Tenjou Utena...and you will be eligible to duel once more." The words entered one ear and half exited the other. Two weeks!? How much more could she take? In angered sorrow, Utena turned and ran to Anthy, knelt by her and kissed her deeply before she pulled away and said softly... "I’m sorry, Himemiya...I’m sorry. I lied to you. Forgive me." And with that, Tenjou Utena turned on both heels and ran as fast as she could to get away...to get away from everything. In her mind’s eye, she could only hear the humiliating voices of the people she ran from, laughing cruelly at her punishments and torture. Like a weakened prisoner, hanging by the wrists after an intentional public punishment for her sins, all she heard was degrading laughter of her pain. Touga raising the switch once more and striking his prisoner upon her bare back, a pained and shamed cry ringing throughout the heavens, and then the howling and sadistic laughter of the numerous faces of Shintaro Keingo, Kiryuu Nanami, and Himemiya Anthy all pointing to, and verbally mocking her. "Tenjou Utena is a make-believe Prince." "Hot-headed, Tenjou-kun!" "Baka, Utena-chan!!" "She’ll never become a real Prince." "So, Tenjou Utena is human after all..." "Go back to being a little girl, to being rescued by childish dreams." These, and other painful remarks, tore through the ‘make-believe’ Prince’s being. How can one become a noble and heroic prince, if they can’t control their own emotional outbursts? Never looking back, Tenjou Utena just ran. Where? Her quiet, unkempt, and lonely dorm room. Through the door she ran, slamming it shut, and locking herself in. "...a little girl with childish dreams..." She leaned against the door, letting a few tears find their way down her streaked face, as she touched her fingertips to her lips. "...is that what I am?" Then she thought of what she had just done. "Himemiya...I’m a failure. I didn’t listen to you...and I didn’t listen to Dios-sama. That makes me self-centered and foolish. I can’t let you see me like that." She pressed her lips to her fingertips briefly and stood, exhausted though, from the fight, the running, the shouting, the crying, the everything! The ‘little girl’ stepped over her unpacked bags and boxes and threw herself into her bed, where she emotionally broke down in a flood of defeated cries and choked sobs. "...what have I done...? ...oh, Himemiya...I’m so sorry. " "You what!?" Arisugawa Juri bolted from her seat, slamming her hands onto the table in shock. "How could you do that!?" "I did. It seems that Tenjou Utena just...needed to be released for a short while." The Seitokai meeting wasn’t exactly going too well to some extent. Touga had informed them of his decision to suspend Utena from dueling as punishment for her offense. "How the hell do you know she wasn’t telling the truth? What reason would Tenjou-san have to lie?" The Seitokai representative seated herself, though still, visibly outraged. "I never said she had lied in the first place. The Rijichou had informed me of Shintaro-san’s past troubles in school and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he had been responsible. That is why I suspended her." "That makes no damn sense! He lies and Utena gets punished!?" "The Rijichou doesn’t want, under any circumstance, to lose this boy. Why, I don’t know, but I’m not going to argue." "I still think your decision was rather shortly thought out." Juri turned her head toward the infamous Seitokai member and glared. "Shintaro Keingo. If it were left up to me, I’d see you surrender your title as Kettou no Shioushia to Tenjou Utena and beg not to suffer at her hand." "Well, it’s not, so mind your own business, sempai." He responded, mocking Utena’s use of the word ‘sempai’ that she used toward Juri. "It is apparent that you mistreat the Bara no Hanayome, but you also mistreat a Victor? Where in this world is your honor?" The fencing captain turned and walked away into the elevator and disappeared from sight. "My honor? Akio-san is my honor." He muttered to himself. Shinohara Wakaba sat underneath the usual tree she and Utena always met, a bento resting in her lap. Once again, she spent the school day by herself, thinking about her best friend. What happened to her poor Utena? Slowly, she unwrapped the small bento and gazed at the food that she made for herself...the same food she often made for Utena. "...ahhh...Utena-sama, what happened to you? School’s no fun without the old you. Why’d you change?" She picked up a mouthful in her little green chopsticks and proceeded to eat. "Hello, Shinohara-san." "Wha? Ah! Hello, Himemiya-san." Wakaba smiled as she spoke through a mouthful of food. "No offense, but how come you’re sitting here with me?" "I just...wanted to thank you for what you did the other day in the halls. I realize that Shintaro-sama was a little rough with you. Are you all right?" "I’m okay. Don’t think anything of it. I’m not exactly sure what came over me, but I do know that anything Utena-sama sees wrong, I do, too." "Oh. Have...you seen her, Utena-san, recently?" "No, unfortunately I haven’t. She...didn’t come to school today." "She didn’t?" The Bride’s eyes downcast at Wakaba’s answer. "...oh no..." For some time, Anthy said nothing until the smaller girl waved her hand in her face. "You still with me? I think I lost ya..." "Oh, sorry about...I’m just thinking is all." The Hanayome smiled slightly at how much Wakaba’s carefree lifestyle reminded her of Utena’s. An unforgettable personality. "You were thinking of Utena-sama, weren’t you? I know that look. I used to get it all the time when I wanted to be her steady." By now, Anthy was blushing a little. This cheerful little child could even read emotions like Utena. "Himemiya-san? Can...I ask you something...kind of important?" "Oh...sure. What is it?" "Why did you make Utena-sama sad?" "Wha?? I don’t understand what you mean?" Where did that come from? The question shocked Anthy quite undeniably. "The way I see it, you two had...well...a good relationship. How come you just went away from her for that guy who, you know, beat her up?" "Shinohara...san...I didn’t want to. I didn’t. Demo...I hadn’t a choice." "A choice? Of course you did! Everyone has a choice." It was only now that Anthy realized that Wakaba knew nothing of the game of Revolution. Now, was a good a time as any. "Shinohara Wakaba...will you come with me? I think...you need to know something about Utena-san...that she would never tell you directly." "Huh? You have to be kidding...Utena-sama tells me everything!" "Not this...she couldn’t. For telling you...she could have been expelled." "What is she, an ex-con or something? Gimmie a break! It can’t be that bad." The Bride released a sigh and stood up, offering her dark hand to her love’s best friend. "Please...this isn’t a joke. It’s quite serious...and it may answer some of your lingering questions." Defeated, Wakaba stood up and followed Anthy through the campus into the student-forbidden Kettou Hiroba no Mori. "Wa...wait a sec, Himemiya-san! We aren’t...allowed in there." "Trust me." "Ummm...all right, but if I get in trouble..." The two entered the wooded area and walked quietly through it until they came to a huge gate, sculpted to look like a rose: the Bara no Mon. "This...is the door to Utena-san’s greatest secret." Anthy, being the Bara no Hanayome, took the single trigger in her hand and the gate began to part. "Come with me, Shinohara-san." The water began to flow all around them as the Bara no Mon fully opened and the two walked through the thresh-hold. Wakaba’s eyes widened to their capacity as she laid them on the Kettou Hiroba no Rasenkaidan. "Wha...what is this? It’s so high! How come...you can’t see it outside?" "It’s merely an optical illusion from the outside world." The mysterious girl spoke as she and her follower entered the cage-like ‘elevator’ and began climbing the length of the swirling stairway. "This is incredible!" Excited as always, Wakaba watched the ground below them get smaller and further away until it became invisible. With a soft jerk, the cage stopped and they exited into the Kettou Hiroba. It’s wide, spacious architecture was nothing compared to the majestic castle that hovered, up-side-down, over their heads: the Maboroshi no Shirou. Wakaba was simply awe-struck. "It’s so beautiful! How can this be so bad?" The girl turned her head to find Anthy not there. "Ah! Hey! Himemiya-san!" "It’s all right...I’m still here." Wakaba turned once more and her gaze locked on a dark-skinned girl in a long, flowing red dress that stood before her. "...Himemiya-san? Wh...what’s going on here?" "Once, there was a young girl who was being mistreated by the man everyone thought to be her boyfriend. A mere lovers’ quarrel was how most saw it. When this man struck the girl’s face, an innocent bystander became enraged, but did nothing right away. Later, that same day, the bystander’s friend was emotionally hurt by the man. To avenge her friend’s honor, the young, brave bystander approached the man and challenged him. By mistake, he assumed the bystander to be someone she was not and requested to meet her in a traditional duel. She accepted and met as told, surprised to see the mistreated young girl present there as well. The man explained to the challenger that this girl he had slapped earlier was not his girlfriend, but his Bride. The ‘prize’ awarded to the Victor of the Duel. The challenger was angered to see the Bride being treated so badly and then proceeded to duel with the Victor. Miraculously, she defeated him with a split bo-ken and became the Kettou no Shioushia, therefore becoming ‘engaged’ to the Bara no Hanayome." "I don’t understand. How did the challenger get into the fight by mistake?" "The man saw her Bara no Kokuin. Only those who are allowed to participate in the game of Revolution wear this signet. The challenger, though, did not understand what she had gotten into. She believed her signet was an engagement ring given to her by a prince on a white horse." "So...she became...the Kettou no Shioushia...by accident?" "Technically. And with that, she was given Dios no Chikara and that would be used to revolutionize the world." "...and she wasn’t allowed to tell those who didn’t possess the Bara no Kokuin?" "Exactly." "I see. Utena-sama...was fighting with Saionji-sempai...because of how he treated me. He mistook her for a ‘duelist’ and she got into a fight she knew nothing of. She won and she...became the Victor." "Yes. And I became her Bara no Hanayome. As Victor, she could not turn down a challenge from anyone or else she’d have to forfeit." "It’s very complicated, but I get the basics. I take it she got challenged and lost, then." "Yes. That is why things are the way they’ve been." The Bride lowered her head and sighed. Finally, it took awhile, but she explained the secret to Wakaba as briefly as possible. "Utena-san claimed he cheated in that duel, but I couldn’t argue with the Sekai no Hate’s call on the result of the duel." "I’ll bet he did cheat. He cheated at the basketball game that one day, so he may have cheated at the duel, too." "Perhaps, but there is nothing that can be done, now." "How come? Why doesn’t Utena-sama challenge Shintaro and take you back!?" Wakaba’s voice began to rise with anxiety as the realization hit her, hard. "She can’t." "Why not!? She’s a duelist isn’t she?" "She is, but she was suspended from dueling yesterday, by the Seitokaichou, for fighting. Even though I witnessed his harassment to her, I could do nothing because I am his Bride and I have to obey him no matter what." "Suspended!? Oh, no! That’s why she was gone today!" Wakaba turned to run back to the cage-like ‘elevator’. "Himemiya-san...Bara no Hanayome...please, come with me!" "I’m sorry...but I cannot. My Victor has forbidden me to see Utena-san. I have no choice but to comply." A tint of anger glistened in Wakaba’s eye as she turned away and entered the elevator. "Get a backbone, Himemiya-san. Utena-sama needs you. She has nobody right now, so, go to her and be a somebody." Then, she disappeared as the elevator lowered back to the Earth below. ------------------------------------------------------------ Author’s babble: This is....going pretty well for my first fic posted on here. Positive feedback always makes me more confident to write more. It IS kind of a long fic, but what can I say...? There's much to write!
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