True Love
"You did it again."
"What did I do, onii-sama? You sound so displeased..."
Akio slid one arm into his shirt sleeve, drawing the crimson fabric over
his well-muscled torso. "You said her name again." He dropped onto the couch
opposite Anthy, flipping his lilac tresses over one shoulder so they
wouldn't catch as he pulled the other sleeve over his bare arm.
"I don't know what you mean..." Anthy shivered slightly as the cool air
touched the film of sweat on her exposed skin.
Akio laughed poisonously. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his
knees. "Tell me, Anthy, why is it that she is the only Champion who is able
to distract your attention from me? What's so special about her that you
call out her name instead of mine?"
Blood warmed Anthy's face. "I... I... Did I really, onii-sama?" Anthy
flinched at Akio's coldly mocking laughter.
"Oh, come now, Anthy..." With his hands folded together and tucked under
his chin, Akio almost looked like an inquisitive child. "Surely you don't
mean to tell me that you didn't notice. Our names are so different, there
couldn't have been a mistake... I must say, I'm both amused and repulsed."
Silence hung heavily in the air for a long moment before Akio leaned back,
stretching his arms across the back of the couch. "I would have thought that
by now you would have stopped harboring illusions of being saved from this
punishment you so deserve. All I try to do here is comfort you, take you
away from your world of pain for as long as I can, and now this... this
girl... she's haunting your mind with thoughts of release. Impossible,
childish fantasies. Stop diluding yourself, Anthy. Your only hope is me."
"But... but what if..." Anthy's voice faded out.
"Anthy... I. Am. Your. Prince. How can this girl mean anything to you when
you have what you suffered for right here?" His cold laughter once again
stung Anthy's ears. "How ridiculous. Do you really think that she means
anything to you? You have your prince already. It's strange... I would never
have imagined that you would be one to have an infatuation of the flesh for
anyone besides your prince, and certainly not a member of your own gender.
Oh, and that reminds me... I have another photo session with President
Kiryuu tomorrow afternoon. I trust you will keep the Champion away from
here, as we agreed." He stood and moved to the couch the Rose Bride sat on,
running his long fingers through her wealth of purple waves. "And then...
Tomorrow night... I will comfort you again." He leaned closer, drawing her
hair away from her ear. "I know how lonely you are," he whispered
sympathetically. "There's no use for you to deceive your mind and fabricate
joy at her company when it's really only me that can soothe your pain."
Anthy stared straight ahead of her, her eyes burning. She longed to draw
her arms across her chest, to move away from Akio's touch. "Onii-sama...
I..." Akio pulled away and returned to the opposite couch, fixing Anthy in a
cold gaze. "But what if she really is... what if..."
"Anthy." Akio grimaced. "How many times must I remind you? She is female.
Females can *not* be princes."
"But... But..." Anthy shifted her eyes to the floor that was so cold and
hard against her bare feet. "But what I feel... My feelings... My f..."
"She. Is. Not. Special. She is just like the others. I am your only true
destiny. You belong to me, and me alone."
"I..." Anthy couldn't bring herself to speak. She could feel tears begging
to surface but fought them back.
Akio stood before Anthy, a looming figure in the darkness. "Anthy, why can
she not be your prince?" he demanded flatly.
"B-because... She..."
"Because she..." Akio promted as his sister's voice faded once more into
silence. Fury boiled beneath his skin.
"Because she is a girl," Anthy whispered.
Akio smiled venomously. "Because she is a girl, she..."
Anthy clenched her hands together. "Because she is a girl, she cannot be
my prince," she finished, loathing the words with all her soul.
"Correct. So why does she distract you? You love only your prince, and
yet..."
"Because, I... I want..." Anthy bowed her head lower still to block her
blush from her tormentor's view. "I want to shine with her."
Akio scowled. "You want to WHAT?????"
Anthy cringed. "I... I want..."
Akio grasped a length of her hair in his fist and wrenched it so that she
had no option but to look him in the eye. Anthy gasped sharply in pain.
"Have you gone *mad*!?" he hissed violently. His free hand lashed out,
cracking hard across Anthy's sweet face, causing another pained gasp from
her. "How can this *be*??? Remember Anthy, just because for once your
Champion doesn't abuse you doesn't mean that she is your destiny. *I* am
your destiny. Me. Your prince. Anthy, tell me, who is your prince?"
"...You are..."
"What am I?"
"My prince." Anthy saw the dangerous look glinting in his eyes. "You are
my prince."
"And what is she?"
"Nothing."
"And why is it not possible for her to be your prince?"
"She is a girl, and therefore she cannot be my prince."
"Never forget that, Anthy. Girls cannot be princes. Repeat it." Anthy
hesitated. Akio jerked her hair again.
"Girls cannot be princes!"
Akio released her. He strode towards the large windows and stared as if he
could see through the blinds covering them. "You know that what you feel for
her isn't real. Don't you?"
"Of course, onii-sama. What I feel for her isn't real. Girls cannot be
princes." After a moment of silence, Anthy reached for her clothes. "I
should go now... They'll worry about me if I'm too late..."
"Why should you care? Your prince is all that matters to you, isn't he?"
"Of course she is..." Anthy's aqua eyes opened widly as she realized what
she had said. "He! He is!" Akio spun around and rushed to her, gripping her
bare shoulders tightly, his eyes fierce.
"How many times, Anthy!?!? How many times must I do this to you!?!?! Now
say it!! SAY IT!!!!"
"She... she is not my prince.."
"Again!!!!!"
"She is not my prince."
"Why not???"
"Because she is a girl, and girls cannot be princes. You are my prince."
Anthy's mind drifted over Utena's warm smile and soft hands, her bright blue
eyes and silken pink hair, her mannerisms and attire, and she knew that she
didn't believe a word of what Akio made her say. She gasped more out of
surprise than pain when Akio slapped her again.
"Don't sound so sarcastic!!! This is for your own good!!! Now say it and
MEAN it!!!!!!!"
Tears welled in her eyes, enhancing the impression that her eyes had come
from shallow sea waters. "I... I can't," she admitted at last.
Akio stared at her steadily, anger pulsating in his eyes. Finally he
pushed her away and turned his back on her, folding his arms neatly over his
chest. "By Lucifer... You actually believe that you love her." A soft,
scorning laugh followed his harsh words. "It's been a while now, hasn't it,
since you allowed yourself to be comforted by me without distraction?" He
turned to face her, his face contorted by anger but still beautiful. "And so
since then... since you began to fancy yourself in love with her... every
time I whispered into your ear, it was her voice that you wanted to hear.
Every time I touched you, it was her touch that you wanted to feel. Every
time I kissed you, it was her lips you wanted to be kissing. Every time I
showed myself to you, it was her body that you wanted to see. And every time
that I told you that I love you... it was she that you wanted to to be loved
by." Akio waited impatiently for her reply before he prodded her. "Well?? Do
you deny it????"
"Onii-sama..." Anthy's voice was pitiful and trembling as badly as her
hands.
"Do you deny it!?!?!?!?!?" he roared. Anthy flinched. He lashed out at her
again, only this time Anthy's face was greeted not with his open palm but
his closed fist. Blood, hot and salty, leaked from her slight wounds and
touched her tongue. Her cheek throbbed dully.
"..."
"Anthy... You have no idea how this hurts me... Do you actually refuse to
accept the fact that you love only me?"
"Onii-sama..." She stared at Akio's handsome face and felt weakened by his
words, suddenly overcome with the desire to kneel before him and apologize.
"How can you hurt me so badly, Anthy? Why do you taunt me like this? You
shouldn't treat your true love this way."
Something burned deep inside Anthy. Visions of Utena's gentle smile melted
her heart. "Onii-sama..." 'He's lying, you know he's lying. Don't listen to
him, don't be fooled by his crocodile tears. Borrow her strength and confess
to your one true love,' Anthy thought desperatly. 'Think of how someday
you'll be allowed to be with her forever. Think of how someday you'll have
the courage to tell her how you feel.' Anthy could practically feel Utena's
hand closed around her own as she announced, "Utena is my true love,
onii-sama. Not you. Utena."
Akio was struck dumb temporarily. "...Nonsense. You love only your
prince."
"If that's true, then Utena must be my prince. Because I love only her."
"You're a liar, Anthy."
"I'm telling the truth."
"Even if you are, you're still a liar. What about all those times you
declared your love for me? If you're telling the truth now, you were lying
then."
"I did love you. But I haven't for a long time. I suppose I've just been
fooling myself into believing that I still did just as I've been fooling
myself into believing that you were still noble and pure. But now that I
have my love for her, I realize how weak those dillusions were. I couldn't
see through them then, but now that I have something real once more, it
takes no effort to see the lie you've made me live."
"So now that you've found this true love, what do you expect to do about
it? Are you going to go running to her now and tell her how you feel?" His
eyes darted quickly over her naked form as she stood before him, her hair
hanging loose and her eyes full of emotions that hadn't been displayed there
since her childhood.
"I... I don't know what I'm going to do... All that I know is that I'm not
coming back here, no matter what. I'm never going to come back, so don't you
dare try to tempt me." Anthy picked her clothes up from the floor.
"Not even to seek refuge from the cruel rejection you're destinied for?"
"That... that can't happen!" Panic crept into her voice.
"And why not?"
"B-because I love her!" Tears of desperation ran down her cheeks, as hot
and salty as her blood. "Even if she rejects me at first, we'll be together
someday, I know it!! It doesn't matter what her initial reaction is, because
I know we belong together. No matter how much time passes, no matter what
happens, someday we'll be as one. This is true love... You wouldn't
understand, a creature like you could never understand. This is destined. It
has to be. No matter what obstacles there are, we'll be together in the end.
True love always finds a way..." Anthy's rapid breathing slowed as her panic
gave way to fear. "Doesn't it?"
Akio's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Does it?"
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