Another day, another encounter with the student body. The mob of hopeless romantics flocking around their idol and her mysterious shadow. The tired expression on the prince’s face was plainly visible, but she still managed to greet the crowd of idol-stricken girls. When the two entered the halls, which weren’t as crowded as the outdoors, they looked to one another. The deafening silence of the locker halls was nerve wracking. Boldly enough, the young velvet trussed Bride took her Victor’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Sorry about that, Utena-sama. I shouldn’t have kept you up so late last night." "Don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. I’m not that tired. Besides, I wanted to stay up, anyway." "You did...?" The Hanayome was taken aback. Someone actually wanted to stay with her, unlike the countless Victors of the past who just used and abused her for her title. Himemiya Anthy couldn’t help but smile warmly. "Of course I did! Why wouldn’t I? Hasn’t anybody ever stayed up with you just for the hell of it?" "Well...no. I’m not used to this kind of affection. Except from my brother." "You’re brother? Akio-san?" "Ah...well...I guess so." Anthy’s response was hesitant, but quick to change the subject. "How’s your neck, by the way?" "Oh, much better. Thank you." The Prince rubbed the back of her neck to prove it, a smile on her slender face before she held her Bride’s hand tighter and kissed her cheek, lightly. "Ah...y...you’re...welcome." Anthy blushed unnoticeably and brushed her hand over her cheek as she and Utena walked around the corner. "Morning, Utena-sama!!" "Morning, Wakaba!" The pink-headed girl waved to her best friend who turned the corner down the hall at the same time the Bride and Victor did. "Are you well? How’s your neck, today? Not painful I hope." "Nah, it’s much better, now. Compliments of Himemiya of course. By the way, what happened to you last night? I don’t even remember you taking off." "Oh...well, I went to go and get some ice for your eye. I couldn’t find any at your dorm building, but I knew I had some. When I was coming back, Touga-sempai told me that it was after hours and told me to go back to my dorm. I tried telling him what happened...but he wouldn’t listen. I was so mad at him. Sorry, Utena-sama." "Oh, it’s okay. Himemiya helped me with it. I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble for sneaking out. Thanks for helping me out yesterday, though." The prince kissed the smaller girl on the forehead, making her blush, but her smile was more noticeable. "At least your black eye isn’t very bad, anymore." "Nope...it’s going away pretty fast." "Good. It makes you look awful." "Um...thanks...I guess." "Well, Utena-sama, I’m going ahead to class. I’ll see you both there!" The ocean-eyed prince watched as the chestnut-headed girl disappeared around a corner, a ‘cheerful’ little smile on her small face. "You’re fortunate to have such a friend to watch over you, Utena-sama." "Yes...she’s a good girl." Her rose-pink lips turned slowly upright as she turned and opened her locker. An expression opposite of her previous quickly crossed her features. "What’s all this?" Utena’s eyes looked a little disturbed as she backed away from the open door to reveal a wilted, ivory-white rose lying within. It’s long, thorny stem was torn in half and below it lied a letter with a wax seal bearing the sign of the Cache of the Rose on it. "What is it Utena-sama?" The Prince reached in and picked up the letter, cautiously, knowing in the back of her mind what it was, exactly. Her eyes glanced at the wax seal and looked to her Bride sadly. "It’s a challenge...and it’s been a long time, too." "From whom?" The Bride stepped behind Utena, trying to see who had the nerve to challenge the Victor of the Duel after such a long time without duels. Before Anthy could even finish reading, the Prince’s hand crumpled the letter, fiercely, an angered expression twisting her features. "Shintaro...Keingo. He’s challenged me to a duel." "Oh, when will he stop?" The Bride groaned. "I...don’t know, but I’ve got a really bad feeling about this." A black clad arm dropped lifelessly to Utena’s side, the wadded up paper falling to the floor. "...Utena-sama..." The Bride came to the Prince’s side and wrapped her arm around the now-challenged girl’s waist, resting her purple trussed head on a black coated shoulder. Utena’s hand wrapped around the Princess’ waist and pulled her closer, tilting her head to rest upon Anthy’s. "Don’t worry, Himemiya. It’s going to be all right. I’ll duel him without flaw. I refuse to lose you to such a person." "He’ll cheat, Utena-sama, just like he has been doing." "I won’t fall for his tricks so easily. What he’ll gain from dueling with me, I don’t know, but you’re one ‘prize’ he won’t gain. You won’t be anyone’s prize. Not anymore." "Please, Utena-sama, don’t say such things if you feel they’ll be difficult to do, you’ll just be further distracted." "I understand and I’ll try, but this may be what we need to get him off our backs." "Just...be very careful. I don’t want to lose you." "You won’t. I’ll do whatever it takes so I won’t lose you either." "Utena-sama...if it means you’ll be safe...just throw the fight. I don’t want to see you get hurt worse than you were." "I’ll be fine. I have a bigger goal to fight for to give me motivation." The Hanayome’s face faltered at that statement, not quite catching Utena’s implication. "I hope it isn’t to show him up...please don’t be foolish, Utena-sama." Anthy thought to herself as she took the Prince’s hand in hers and gave it another tight squeeze. "C’mon, Himemiya...we’d better get to class." "Yes, Utena-sama." As the day progressed, a note from the Rijichou was delivered to Shintaro Keingo, seeking an audience with him immediately. "All right, Ohtori-san, what did you need from me?" "I understand you’ve given a challenge to the Victor of the Duel today. What is your soul purpose of this challenge?" "I...just want the title of Kettou no Shioushia." "You do not desire the power of World Revolution?" "Oh...uh, yeah...that too." Akio kept his poker face with the boy who knew priceless little of the prestigious game of Revolution. "Do you know what to do with the power once you’ve obtained it?" A long pause followed the Rijichou’s question. Keingo’s face faltered and he spoke. "All right, all right! I just want to humiliate Tenjou-kun and gain possession of the Bara no Hanayome." "I see. In that case...don’t fail. Once you’ve taken the title from the current Victor, come see me again and I’ll tell you what to do." "All right, I will." Tenjou Utena, Kettou no Shioushia, stood, fully uniformed with Dios no Ken in her clenched hand. She watched with caution as her Bride...her friend...her lover, approached the sickeningly calm Shintaro and placed a grayish colored rose in his lapel. The Bride looked straight ahead, never making eye contact with the opponent. "Don’t worry, Bride, it’ll be all over soon. I won’t hurt her...too much." "Please be fair. This is a duel, not a mere game. Your tricks shall not be tolerated in such a serious occurrence." "But that takes all the fun out of it." "You’ve been told. Do not defy the rules of a duelist of Revolution." They stared at one another at that point, the Bride’s face not flinching for even a moment. "Himemiya...it’s time." Utena’s voice called to the Hanayome. "Yes, Utena-sama." Anthy returned to the reigning Victor and placed an ivory-white rose into her lapel, then, after brushing her fingers over it lightly, she kissed it and reluctantly took her position on the side-lines, expressionlessly frightened of what was about to take place. The fate of her future love-life and lover resting on this one duel. Across from her, the Victor stood stern, arm held outstretched with her blade pointing to her opponent in a sign of readiness. "I won’t lose..." she told herself. At that moment, two figures broke stance and charged for one another, their weapons close at their sides. The challenger brought his long sword over his head to strike. "Offensive duelist...I should have known." The Victor’s sword swiftly crossed her chest to deflect the strike. With an impact that produced sparks, the two blades collided. Keingo’s height gave him an advantage over the smaller, more slender girl. "C’mon, Tenjou-kun...I expected more than this...where’s that hellcat exterior I love so much about you?" The boy’s sarcasm was all for naught though as Utena fought off every slammed emotion thrown at her. His mouth twisted into a mocking grin as he threw the rest of his weight onto the defensive Utena. The added weight forcing the Prince to one knee. "Dammit...I can’t strike or I’ll be impaled..." Utena’s mind raced with options that did nothing for her. "I’m wasting my strength with this...gotta take a hit or lose stamina..." Utena’s sky-blue eyes clenched tightly as she pushed as hard as she could into her sword and threw herself to the side, but taking a blade swipe to her trailing leg. She hissed painfully as she rolled out of the way and jumped to her feet. "Pathetic, Tenjou-kun. I could get a better duel out of that weakling Bride of yours." Careless anger twisted the young prince’s features. How dare he speak of her love that way. Utena held her sword like a bat and ran at Keingo, taking every chance she could to let her blade bite into him. On the sidelines, the Bride of the Rose could feel her Victor’s outrage. The swift blade kept flying, tearing and cutting the ego-stricken boy. The fast moving arms of Utena brought one more powerful blow down upon the boy’s blade, both duelists struggling. "Is this...what you want, Shintaro-kun? I’m fighting you just as you requested." The carnation-headed Oji’s face revealed an angered blush that spread across her cheeks like wildfire. "This isn’t...what I want. Please, Tenjou-kun...spare my dignity!" "There is no mercy in the game of Revolution. Rules...are...rules. You should have thought of that before becoming a duelist." Utena pulled away and quickly brought her gleaming sword to Keingo’s rose in a side-stroke, the blade coming to the vulnerable target of victory...and then...a painful gasp. "Utena-sama!!" Anthy’s cry rang out through the arena as the Victor cried out and fell backwards. The Hanayome rushed into the crossfire to her prince, only to be pushed to the ground by an arm. "Stay back or forfeit, Bride." Keingo said threateningly. Himemiya’s emerald green eyes looked to her prince with deep concern. "Don’t...interfere...Himemiya...or I’ll be forced to...forfeit." The Bara no Hanayome brought a hand to her mouth, desperately fighting the urge to run and take her Prince away from here. The sight of the girl who fought for her, lying on the ground, still gripping her sword in one hand, her other clutching her stomach wound...what could the frightened Bride do? A silent cry of ‘Utena-sama...please be all right...’ was all she could think of without risking an interference. Anthy’s hand gripped the collar of her gown tightly, mentally begging for Utena’s safety. The prince lied on the ground, beads of sweat forming on her brow as her opponent’s sword pointed threateningly at her rose. "C’mon, Tenjou-kun...is that all you got?" "It’s more than you’ll ever have..." Utena’s face was a mask of hidden pain. A person such as Shintaro Keingo did not deserve to have the satisfaction of seeing his opponent in her pain. "Well, Tenjou-kun, I beg to differ..." As quickly as he finished speaking, his arm was a blur in the air, coming back to strike the grounded prince. The sword of Keingo came harshly upon the Prince’s...own sword. "Give it up, you don’t got anything left!" "Oh...don’t I?" A small smirk could be seen as Utena’s leg came up and connected with the amateur duelist’s stomach, pushing him away, but not before his arm flung wildly, sword striking the grounded girl lightly across the left side of her face, then, Keingo hit the ground, gasping for breath. Utena rested upon one knee, a hand over her left eye, slowly tracing the cut that went from above her eyebrow and down to the tip of her cheekbone. Fortunately, though, the blade narrowly missed slicing the Prince’s eye. "Very...good come come-back, Tenjou-kun..." the sarcasm dripped like venom from his voice, nothing new to Utena, though. Keingo lied on the ground, his sword at his side. "I don’t believe in kicking one when they’re down...get up, now...or forfeit." The Prince’s eyes stared with an unfamiliar coldness at the boy, this heartless, selfish boy, his own eyes staring back, not directly into Utena’s eyes, but rather the bloody cut on her face. Crimson seeped slowly out of the paper-thin wound, as if she were crying tears of blood. "You’re very noble, Tenjou..." The challenger rose to one knee, slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a thin cloth, damp with rubbing alcohol and crushed salt crystals. Keingo kept his back to the Oji as he took his sword into his hand, the other gripping the cloth. "All right, Tenjou, bring it on." The two ran toward one another at a flash of break-neck speed, their shimmering blades colliding together once again. "We...can’t keep going like this...try a different attack...this is just too predictable." "Good thinking for once, Tenjou-kun...I’ll just end it, now!" "Eh!?" Keingo’s arm pulled his sword back and, as expected, Utena’s eyes followed. His plan now going perfectly, he brought his other hand out and slapped her across the face with the soaked cloth so quickly she didn’t even figure out what had hit her...except that it really hurt...excruciatingly. The salt and alcohol burned into the Prince’s open cut and stung her. "What the hell is this!? It stings!!" The partially blinded duelist kept one hand over her eye and fought feebly with the other. "Damn you!" From afar, the Bara no Hanayome had been in a position that disabled her from seeing the illegal strike, but she could see that the Victor was struggling...just from her cut perhaps? "Oh, Utena-sama...what’s going on over there?" Tenjou Utena jumped aside, fighting off the stinging pain in her eye and the cut. "I won’t forgive you for taking advantage of the duels of Revolution!" The Prince opened her eyes as best as she could and ran to the boy, a loud cry escaping her lips as she raised her sword and took her strike. A grunt from the boy was heard, followed by a sharp clang, and a trail of falling rose petals. Utena looked to her opponent, then to her weapon, which had been deflected against a hidden dagger. Keingo turned slightly, letting Utena’s good eye catch a glimpse of the unscathed rose in his lapel. The bells sounded...and Dios no Ken vanished from Utena’s hand. "Looks like I’m the Victor of the Duel, now, Tenjou-kun." "No...way...I’ve...been beaten? This isn’t happening! You cheated me!" The carnation-pink haired girl was taken aback. How could...this be? On the sideline of the arena, a heartbroken tear trickled down the slender cheek of Himemiya Anthy. Reluctantly, she walked to the center of the platform. "The Sekai no Hate have declared Shintaro Keingo-sama...the new Kettou no Shioushia." "No! Himemiya, please!! Tell me you saw him do it! Tell me you saw him take an illegal strike! His hand came in contact with my wounds, deliberately! He should have been disqualified!" The crystalline tears began to shimmer in the defeated girl’s eyes as she begged for a recall. "I’m...afraid I cannot prove that. It wasn’t seen by the Sekai no Hate, nor myself. I’m sorry, Tenjou...san." "Himemiya, I won’t let him take you away! A cheater does not deserve such a power as that of Dios!" Keingo approached the outraged girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, his usual, annoying grin plastered on his face. "Hey, hey, Tenjou-kun, be a good sport about this, huh? I won and it’s official. Just admit that you’re the loser." "...loser...? I am not a loser! I was not fairly defeated! Please, Himemiya, I wouldn’t lie about something like this. You know that!" Utena’s eyes looked pleadingly to her friend and lover. "Please, Tenjou-san...I cannot prove it. Shintaro-sama is the Victor, now. Let it go, I’m begging you. You’re hurt, but you’re alive, so please go and heal." Like Utena, the Bride’s eyes shone with unshed tears, only Utena’s were now flowing down her cheeks as she received her anguished lover’s response. With trembling legs, the Prince stood and walked to Anthy, placing a ringed hand upon the red-clad girl’s shoulder. "Himemiya...don’t go...please..." her oceanic eyes looked with longing at the Hanayome’s emerald ones, a look that silently shattered Anthy’s fragile heart like a stone through stained glass. "Tenjou...Utena-sa..." "Back up, Tenjou-kun! I’m the Kettou no Shioushia, now! Your manipulation of the Bara no Hanayome will only further trouble you in the likes of me!" Keingo forcefully grabbed Anthy’s other shoulder and pulled her away, his action followed by a harsh slap in the previous Victor’s face which sent her backpedaling. The Bride’s eyes widened frighteningly. Abusive!? No, not another one. It was true, though. The Bride of the Rose was in possession of another abusive Victor, and he wasn’t abusing her, for once, but Utena, who did not deserve it. "Shintaro-sama, please, don’t strike her! She’s visibly hurt! Leave her be, I’m begging you...please..." Listening to her true Bride speak to this degrading boy in such formality drove a spike through Utena’s already broken heart. Her ringed hand touched her reddened face that possessed yet another burning pain. This was too much! "Give her back! Shintaro Keingo...you’re a selfish liar and a cheater! I won’t allow you to take her from her freedom!" A smirk spread on the new ‘Victor’s’ face as he turned to Utena. "Freedom? She never had any as the Bride. Go home, Tenjou-kun. You really should go get those wounds examined on the way." "I will not surrender! Himemiya is not a prize to be won, anymore!" The Prince’s eyes locked on the Bride. "Be free, Himemiya!! Don’t surrender your life to someone like him! If you ever truly loved me...and forgive me for being so forward...you’ll just forget about him and go about living your life as you choose to!" "I can’t. I do love you...but...I’m fated to be the Bara no Hanayome forever. I do not deserve such royalties as living a life. Please understand. I still love you, Utena-san." The Bride’s eyes shut sadly as she saw her beloved Prince break. Keingo, though, was not pleased with his ‘prize’. "Bara no Hanayome! I order you to ignore her and you are required to obey and serve me! Now, let’s go!" The new Victor took the Bride’s arm and began to take her away. "I’m sorry...Utena-san. Forgive me..." Once reluctant, always reluctant, then the Bride followed the boy out of the arena as Utena’s knees gave and she dropped to the ground, her black clad arms wrapping around her body protectively. "Himemiya...don’t leave me...please, don’t leave me..." Heart-wracking sobs escaped the Prince’s lips as the Bride walked out of her life. Her pink tresses dropped over her shoulders, shielding her face. Tenjou Utena’s body shook violently as she drew in a heavy breath, choked back a sob, and just screamed. "PLEASE, HIMEMIYA!!!" The sorrowful cry echoed throughout the arena for countless seconds before the defeated Prince doubled over and drew her prone form into a tight ball of endless crying. A small figure in a never-ending void of nothingness was the girl, so small...and so alone. By now, her ragged breathing was the only sound heard. How long had this poor child been up here, all alone in her sorrow? "Oh...Maboroshi no Shiro ...a Prince’s illusional castle. Something I’ve failed at. Some prince I am...I’ve lost my Princess. Why, Kamisama...whyyy? Why is she fated to be the Bara no Hanayome? Why can’t she be free? Why must she suffer? Why...? ...why...why ...why, Why, WHY MUST YOU TORTURE HER SO, FATE!?!?" So strong was this young girl to have survived as long as she has with her agonizing stomach wound. Weakly, she stood and held her stomach, crimson blood still poured forth, freshly, from it, her jacket soaking the red life-fluid up. Utena stumbled to the stairway and began to slowly go down, her vision blurring from the loss of precious blood. "I...have to get help...or I’ll never be able to save her...but...it hurts so bad..." Once more, she struggled down the steps and into the Kettou Hiroba no Mori, whereupon she collapsed from exhaustion, lying face down on the ground beneath the shade of the trees, their shade closing around her like the lid to a closing coffin. "I’m so sorry, Himemiya...I tried to...save you...but I’ve...failed..." and then, there was darkness. The Observation Tower of Ohtori Gakuen; the highest point on the premises and the building that houses the Victor and the Bride. "Nice accommodations. It pays to be Victor. We’ll live a good life here, Bride." "Yes, Shintaro-sama, but, there is more to being the Kettou no Shioushia than winning a servant and a place to live..." "Yeah, yeah, but I’ll worry about that later. By the way, you done packing that stuff yet? I want it outta here so I can get settled." "Yes, Shintaro-sama...I’m almost finished." Himemiya Anthy was kneeling in front of an open closet, silently sorting through the various articles of clothing that belonged to her former Victor and packing them away to be hauled off. The Bride’s hand pulled out a jacket identical to Utena’s uniform, only this one was worn and torn from so many duels of the long forgotten past. Anthy cradled the empty jacket in her arms and buried her face in it, taking in the still lingering scent of fresh roses. "What are you doing!? I said pack that junk, not play it! Now, move it!" He quickly snatched the article of clothing from the Bride and threw it at her, harshly. "C’mon, move!" "I’m sorry, Shintaro-sama." "I’m ordering you to forget about that pathetic little tomboy! I’m the Victor and you’ll do as I say! She’s nothing, as you are! Understand!? You belong to me, now!" "Yes, I understand." The Bride went back to rummaging through the closet, taking out the rest of her love’s things and carefully packing them away. "Finish up...I’ll be back in a few. I’m going to speak with, Akio-san." "Yes, Shintaro-sama." With that, the time bomb of a boy left the room and Anthy. The Bride saw an advantage and decided it was time to break a few rules. She stood and ran to the roll-top desk, pulling from it some stationary in which she quickly scribbled a letter onto and folded it into four corners. Anthy’s heart raced at the thought of Keingo coming back before she’d finished, so she put the rest of the paper away and ran back to the closet to finish. "Please, get to Utena-sama without haste, little letter. It’s so very important." The Hanayome brought the note to her lips and kissed it once before placing it safely in Utena’s bag, hidden from immediate sight. At that time, the door opened and Keingo walked in, followed by the sickeningly casual face of Akio. "Anthy, have you finished yet?" "Yes, Onii-sama. I’ve packed everything..." she said aloud. "...and locked the zippers..." she thought to herself. "Only Utena-sama will know how to remove them." A small smile came across her face, but no one would have noticed. "About time..." Keingo muttered. Akio walked over and took the various bags of Utena’s belongings and then exited the room. "Where’s all that going, anyway?" "Onii-sama is relocating Tenjou-san to a new dorm, considering she is no longer entitled to live with me." "I thought so. Well, since we’re alone, now..." Keingo took the Bride’s hand and pulled her to him. Himemiya Anthy followed suit as her Victor ordered, though for the first time, with utter regret. Regret that she was to be taken advantage of again. Regret that she lost her Utena-sama. Regret that she failed to see Keingo’s illegal action, yet knowing she could not argue with the decisions of the Sekai no Hate. Regret that she was forced to leave her injured Prince behind. Regret for not making Utena’s dream of becoming a Prince reality...and of course...regret for not sharing her intimacy with her love that night. So much regret, yet such a young girl. She busied herself with thoughts of those regrets as Keingo deposited the Bride on the S-shaped bed and forced the girl into unwilling seduction. Another person to steal the poor ‘slave’s’ innocence. A tear, like before, found it’s way down her slender face...now, with only one important thought on her mind... "...Utena-sama..." ------------------------------------------------------------ Author’s note: Um...end.
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