Miiko was right – I *had* seen some of Juri’s work and not known it. And she was right again when she said that Juri was good, very good. It was if she could access the soul of a person right through the makeup and clothes, right through the pose or the background. I spent about an hour looking at some of Juri’s portfolio, while she stayed conspicuously away, claiming to have some work that needed to be finished. Eventually Juri came back into the room and shot Miiko a meaningful look. The younger woman was right on it. She thanked me for indulging her and said that after a good night’s sleep, she’d let me go home. Then, with a quick kiss for Juri, she was gone. We sat facing each other, each lost in our respective thoughts. There was too little time here and we both knew it. Too many things that needed answering and too few answers. "I expect you have already figured out that I am not the one who hit you." Juri began. I nodded, but said nothing. "Do you know who it was?" I didn’t say anything for a while, then, "No. I think I can make an educated guess, but I’m still not entirely sure why." She looked surprised. "You don’t? Surely it’s obvious?" "I’ve learned nothing at all, what could I possibly know? I’m no closer now to Tenjou Utena than I was when I began." I felt tired, and bitter. Juri leaned forward and pinned me with that feline look. "You have all the information you need. Someone else knows that you do, or they wouldn’t have knocked you out. Obviously, they feel that you are getting close to the answer…close to Tenjou." "You know," I diverted the conversation, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "We still haven’t had a chat about her. What can you tell me about her?" Juri was miles away and I had to repeat the question before she heard me. "Tenjou Utena." She said, and then smiled. "I owe her quite a bit. A remarkable young woman." "Saionji said that, too." I commented. "Really?" This seemed to surprise Juri. "If, as you say, he has managed to find happiness, then yes, he probably does." She paused. "Would you mind if I told you a story? It’s not a particularly good one and it might not help you, but, then again, it might." I gestured for her to continue. Juri closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "Once upon a time," her lips quirked slightly at that, "there was a girl. She was beautiful – or so people said - and good at anything she tried to do. She was popular too, but had two special close friends. The three were inseparable until, well, until puberty hit. Terrible thing, puberty. Because, you see, two of the three friends fell in love. Only, not with each other. It became the classic love triangle. And like all love triangles, it got ugly. One day the two friends ran away together and the girl thought she was relieved, since it took away the temptation to do something that wasn’t good, wasn’t right…wasn’t natural. "Some time passed. One day Tenjou Utena showed up and something happened to the girl. She had thought that after all this time she was pretty much over the whole love triangle thing, that she had pulled herself together and had moved on and all that. But when Tenjou showed up, she realized that it was all a lie – that she was obsessed, unhappy, and worse, had grown cold. Of course, this had to stop; no one wants to feel that they have become inhuman. So the girl took it out on Tenjou. But Tenjou was young, and idealistic. She hadn’t grown cold and inhuman. At first it enraged the girl, and it strengthened the girl’s desire to hurt her. Then something happened…" "You fought with Tenjou over the girl Anshi." I interrupted. Her eyes snapped open. "Yes. So you know about them. About the duels." It was like something in my head shifted at that very minute. The Kiryuu’s, Kaoru – who had loved Anshi, Saionji – who thought he had, and now Juri. They had all dueled with Tenjou Utena over my client. Several times. And they had all lost. Whatever it was that had happened to them – it had to do with those duels. "How is it, that you remember them, where the other Council members don’t or can’t?" I wondered out loud. Juri shrugged, as she shifted position. "I’m not sure, but I can hazard a guess. The Kiryuu’s both lost a lot in those duels – their self-assurance, their innocence, their power. Miki, well, poor Miki. I’d say he was too young, but he was the same age as Nanami. I don’t know why he hasn’t managed to remember. At the end he seemed free, but maybe something happened since then to trap him. I wonder if his sister…" Juri’s voice faded out again. In some way I was enthralled. I felt like I knew these people; who they had been, who they were now. Almost as if I had been there, ten years ago, while this drama unfolded. Almost. But I was still missing pieces. I watched Juri as she searched the past for clues, hints. "Who is Himemiya Anshi?" I asked suddenly. Her only reaction was to purse her lips. "I have no idea." Juri admitted. "She was the Chairman’s sister and the crux of the duel, but to be honest, I can’t see her face at all. I see Tenjou as clear as day – pink hair, blue eyes, standing in front of me stretching, while she talked of things she didn’t understand…" Juri’s blue eyes met mine. "but Anshi is a shadow in my mind. I couldn’t tell you what she looked like, even if she stood next to you right now." I felt a chill pass along my spine. Even if she stood next to you right now. I resisted the temptation to look around me, just to make sure she wasn’t. I gestured again. "Please, finish your story." Juri’s eyes closed again. She wrapped her arms around one knee, looking as graceful and beautiful as ever. "In the end, the girl decided that life was too damn short to take so seriously. And at that moment the chain that had enclosed her heart snapped. She was free. It was that easy. Later she left the school, went to university, and became a teacher. But she didn’t fall in love, you know, because that chained one’s heart." Her eyes opened to meet mine. "So…" I prompted. "What about Miiko?" Juri laughed. "She was very subtle. First she asked my assistance with her class work. When she ran out of classes to take, she asked if there was anything she could do to assist me. I was oblivious through all this, of course. I just thought she was a good kid – dedicated, energetic. Students had crushes on me all the time, all through school – it wasn’t anything different, I thought. As soon as she met someone else, someone her own age…" "I don’t think she was thinking of it like that." I laughed. "No," Juri admitted. "She knew what she wanted. It took her a long time to get it. She tells me she nearly lost her patience." "Is it all worth it?" I asked. "Losing the job, I mean?" Juri gave a short bark of laughter. "Worth it? Had I known it would end up this way, I’d have given in a lot faster." And we both chuckled at that. Silence fell again. It was a comfortable silence, the kind that falls between old friends. It felt good and I didn’t want to ruin it. It was Juri who finally broke the silence. "Somewhere, somehow, you must already know where Tenjou Utena is. Find her, please." There was a plea in her voice that surprised me. "If I can help, let me know. Tenjou Utena was a good person and I’d like to see her happy." I sighed and closed my eyes. They hurt and my body was filled with a low-level ache. "What next?" I thought. I must have spoken aloud though, because Juri replied. "Ohtori, obviously. Where else?" I couldn’t even nod. My eyes wouldn’t open and my head felt thick. I could hear Juri moving, and feel myself lowered to the couch beneath me. I was asleep before my head was level. I took my leave of Juri and Miiko early the next day, but not until I promised to let them know when I reached home. Before I left, Miiko threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. Her slim form was rather nice to hold - I envied Juri. Juri and I shook hands, but I lingered, not quite wanting to part from these two. "Look," I said a bit abashed, "if either of you are ever in Kyoto…" "You’ll be the first to know." Miiko assured me. She beamed at me and I grinned back. I left then, but my mind stayed behind with those two women. I hoped I would see them again.
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