The little restaurant that Anthy stepped into looked like almost every other one she had been in since she had started her travels. There was no extravagance to be seen. Only a small space etched between two other buildings where people came to get food. Of course it wasn't like any restaurant she had been in before. If it were, there would be nothing worth mentioning. The dark princess took a seat at the bar and waited to be served by one of the rather ragged looking waitresses. Sighing to herself she pulled out the only clue she had to finishing her quest. It read as follows: Name: Tenjou, Utena Occupation: Student Last Known Location: Ohtori academy Family: Tenjou Yurika (Aunt) Tenjou Sakura (Cousin) Family's Last Known Location : Tokyo prefecture It wasn't much really. It was all she could get before wiping Ohtori's central computer system, but it was something. So she was here in a restaurant in Tokyo about to have lazily prepared food and wondering if maybe it was a good idea to come here. Let it never be said that the former Rose Bride's luck was anything but stellar. For at that moment, she was snapped out of her private thoughts as she heard the squeal of tires, the screams of people and then a pronounced crash. The next thing she knew, she was standing outside with the rest of the onlookers at one of the worst accidents she had ever seen. Then she heard the woman's screeching and her heart broke in several places. "Where's my baby!?! Where's my little Jun!?!" A panic rose in the crowd that could have very well have escalated into something dangerous if someone else in the crowd didn't intervene soon enough. "Hey, look over there!" A faceless voice rung out clearly over the crowd and all eyes turned at once. Crouching on the other corner was a strange figure covering a small child with her body from the wreckage. She stood and turned to walk across the street and present the child to its mother. Anthy couldn't see much due to the jubilation of the crowd. She managed to make her way to the front of the crowd with much difficulty and effort, but she got there; and nearly fainted as she saw the pink hair and athletic figure of her engaged. "Utena-sama" she squeaked out. Every muscle in Utena's body snapped to attention and bolted upright. During her rescue, she had barely broken a sweat, but a fine sheen appeared on her skin and her breathing started laboring as she heard the voice behind her. As she started turning, it was evident in her quivering that she was terrified of what was happening. However, time has a tendancy of making the inevitable move much too quickly. Then she was left face to face with a face that haunted her nightmares. "Himemiya; just Utena will do." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ They entered Utena's bedroom without so many words as thoughts. Utena sat on her bed and stared at the ceiling while Anthy started unpacking her things into some drawers. That's when she saw the case. She opened it up to find two very beautiful earrings. "You kept them." It was both a question and a statement from the Dark Princess. It was also very forlorn. She knew it was very hard to get over her brother, but she had hoped that Utena was different from all of his other dejected lovers. "Yeah," Utena said, besides her suddenly. She didn't see her move, but Utena was starting to do that a lot lately. "He may be manipulating scum, but he had good taste in jewelry." Suddenly Utena was sitting in the little chair at her desk holding the box. Anthy didn't even know when she had moved. "I couldn't afford these things if I did a thousand summer jobs at the same time. I'm keeping them." Utena said as she cuddled the earrings close to her face. Anthy stared in amused amazement. There were times when she forgot that Utena was still feminine sometimes. She remembered how Utena had looked their first time. Utena had been scared and shy about 'doing it with another girl.' Then she also thought about the closet. Dresses and skirts next to beat up jeans and princely clothes. It was easy to be confused with Utena who even now wore a button down men's shirt with a short skirt and baseball cap. Anthy smile and giggled a little as she sat down in the seat that Utena had occupied only seconds earlier. Utena got up and stood behind her friend. She leaned Anthy's head back and kissed her on the forehead. "Did I tell you today that I love you?" "Not today." "Well I do." It was just that simple +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Akio Ohtori sat in his office staring out the window. He'd always prided himself on being a patient man and always keeping his cool in any situation, but this was stretching his already frayed limits. He watched the rain of rose petals with a twitching eye. Kanae rolled over from her spot on his couch and stared out the window. Her face flattened as she saw her husband's reaction. "Does it have to rain roses every time she does that with; I'm amusing, that Tenjou girl?" "No, but she does it anyway to taunt me. She does not seem to think that her 'revenge' is complete." "Whatever," Kanae sighed as she rolled back onto the couch. "I don't like how you obsess over her." "I'm sorry, but freeing her is the only way of becoming the prince I once was." Kanae just eyed him curiously. "You're a king now, why would you want to go back to being a prince?" "Princes have higher ideals." Kanae hummed a response as she stared out the window, losing herself in the sight of falling rose petals. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As she lay there, thinking about her future, as she was prompted often to do these days, Anthy ran her hand lightly along Utena's spine. The summer months were hot and she didn't wear a top. Her fingers stopped on the usual place, the only place on Utena's body that could ever cause Anthy pain. The scar that remained from when Anthy had stabbed her. She sighed and continued her stroking Why did you forgive me? The person who betrayed you and hurt you the most. Did you know that it hurt me so very much to stab you, despite how much my brother had convinced me that you weren't my savior. It hurt me more than anything else I had ever done. And it hurt me so much because, even if I didn't think you were my savior I was so very much in love with you. She sighed again and moved to kiss the scar. Her lips were less than an inch away when she was scared half to death. "If you keep playing with that you're going to go blind." Anthy fell backwards and stared. "You're awake?!?" "Kinda hard to sleep with you rubbing me like that." Utena said rolling over. She traced her stomach scar, where the sword had come through. "I don't want you touching this scar again." "Why, does it bother you?" "No, it bothers you. Oh don't balk like that. I know that you feel guilty every time you touch it and think of that duel. Well, I don't want you thinking about it anymore. We got what we wanted when we went in there and I want that to be the only memory we have of it." "It can't be forgotten like that." "Yes it can, I don't you spending the rest of our lives looking at it and feeling bad. I knew what I was getting into when I went in there." "Utena." It was one word, but it was enough for Anthy to act finally. She moved again and embraced her engaged. They held each other tight, two lovers fighting back terrible memories. "You know, before the last duel I had told Juri-sempai that I didn't love you the same way that she loved Shiori-san. That was a lie I think." "Why only think?" "I don't think I could have held up as well if she did if you actually hated me." "I want to be married to you." The words were whispered into the darkness of the room, and they didn't even know who said it. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Keisuke was Utena's oldest and dearest friend. He had known Utena longer than anyone else in this town; save her aunt. If there was anyone Utena was going to come out to, he was the one she had better tell first. Keisuki stood behind the counter of the local ice cream shop, waiting for customers when Utena entered. He stared as she shuffled up to the counter, never quite making eye contact. She was nervous, he knew it. He figured that the best way to deal with a nervous Utena was simply to tease her. "Hey Jun, get another gallon of Double fudge out here. Utena just stepped in and we're going to be out in a few minutes." He called to the back as he earned a glare from Utena. "Keisuki you bastard!" she shrieked as she launched herself across the rest of the divide and bit into his shoulder. He screamed and tried to pry her off, while any onlookers stared on worriedly at the duo's odd if not already known behavior. When she finally detached from his body they were both giggling and Utena was in a mood to order. After getting it, they fell into some light conversation. "How ya been?" "S'okay, can't complain at all." "Well, there's a change." "Shut up!" "Make me." Chomp "Ow! Leggo o' my shoulder!" "You did say to make you." "I didn't think you were gonna Bite me!" "Serves you right, Keisuki bastard." "Jesus, where's that Himemiya girl? At least she could get you to calm down." Utena blushed at that, very uncomfortable with that line of thought. Thinking about how Anthy calmed her down led her to think about that night. Although it did lead to a nice segue. "Um, K-Keisuki, a-about Anthy." Utena stammered as her eyes found a particular patch of tile very interesting. "Yes?" "Well, she didn't come with me because I needed to talk to you alone." "I figured." "What? How did you know?" "You never come in here while it's my shift unless you have something to talk about." "Yeah, that is true, but this is kind of big." "How big we talking? New boyfriend big, or becoming a nun big?" "Um, kind of both. Both mean I'm not going to date another guy ever again." Keisuki's eyebrow shot up. He had a good idea where this conversation was going. "Uh huh. And does this have anything to do with what happened at the festival with Anthy?" Utena's head snapped up to Keisuki's face. Her face burned red as she considered how to approach this next part. She looked away at last, and steeled her will to give him this one last part. "Um, yeah. Keisuki, Anthy and me, we're kind of... together." Keisuki's eyebrow shot up again. "Oh?" "Yeah, what I mean by together is that ... Anthy-and-I-are-in-love." She muttered the last part and looked down. She waited for the blow to land. "Twenty four hours." "What?" She looked up worried. "You get twenty four hours of dignity left, then I get to tease you mercilessly. Until then, I'm happy for you and I hope you two are happy." Tears filled Utena's eyes and a great weight was lifted from her shoulder. She threw herself at him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks Kei." "Kei, what happened to Keisuki?" "Oh shut up. I was just nervous." "Why should you be nervous around me?" "I know; I shouldn't be nervous. You're the best Kei." Hearing this, Keisuki's hug turned into a noogie. "Of course I'm the best!" "Kei, leggo o' my head. Ow!" The other patrons of the restaurant sweat dropped watching them. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In Ohtori's drama department, three young ladies were preparing to put on a play for no one in particular. They danced, posed, and prepared to dispense the school's gossip. "Kashira, Kashira, Dozonai Kashira!'' "The chairman is dead! The Chairman is dead! It's a tragedy!" "A travesty." "It's so very sad!" "What are we going to do?" "First we should hold a funeral." The scenery changed as they added fold up chairs and pretended to be people in a funeral parlor. One sat down and mock wept and the other stood behind the podium and delivered the eulogy. "The Chairman was a kind man, a good man, he; uh... What did the chairman do?" The "Widow" of the mock chairman looked up. "I don't know." "Kogai, Kogai, Kogai!" C-ko sidled up from the side and knocked A-ko off the podium to stand behind it. She wore a top hat and a fake mustache. "As the executor of Ohtori-sama's estate I can tell you what he has done." She announced in a deep falsetto. "He created this school and now leaves it in the hands of his beloved son-in-law." "Just how beloved even we wont get into," A-ko cracked. The girls all laughed for a handful of seconds and then stopped abruptly. The scenery changed all of a sudden as the chairs disappeared and the podium moved to the middle of the "stage". The three shadow girls stood at its bottom, wearing hats with press cards in them. "We will not take a press release from the new Chairman." Suddenly Akio's shadow joined the girls and stood behind the podium. He waited on their questions. "Mister Chairman, how do you feel about the death of your father in law? The students of Ohtori are eager to know." It was C-ko who asked. "I am very sad about it." Akio answered with mock sincerity. "He was like a father to me." "Mister Chairman, what do you plan to do with this school now that it is yours? The students of Ohtori are anxious to know." This time it was B-ko who asked. "I plan to follow in my predecessors footsteps and provide the students with the best education possible. I also intend to expand this school." "Mister Chairman, what size boxers do you wear? The students of Ohtori are desperate to know." This time it was A-ko's turn. "If you want we could meet in private and I could answer your question personally." "M-mister Chairman." "Just kidding." The group shared nervous laughter and Akio moved to get off the podium. "Thank you ladies. I must be going though. It's been a pleasure. Hopefully we can share pleasure again sometime." Akio exited as the girls froze. After a solid minute they animated themselves again. "We should go." "Yes we should." "D-do you think he was serious about what he said?" "I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past the Chairman or his wife." "Kashira, Kashira, Dozonai Kashira!" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ She stood in the dark of the room, paranoid. Her ears strained to hear the intruder she knew was there. Her eyed scanned the room quickly, looking for any sign of entrance or change, but there was none. She should have known there wouldn't be. This thief hadn't come for any of her physical property. No, they were there for her sanity, and she would be damned if she let them have it. She flicked the light on and crossed the room, making her way to the window. The apartment needed air, she needed air; or else she was going to go batty. She stood at the window and watched the traffic of students below her. None of them traveled alone; none of them had to. She always traveled alone; she didn't want anyone to see her like she really was. 'She' had once told her that she shouln't hide like this; that she should let everyone see her weakness. 'She' always said things like that though. She always took it as just another attempt to tear away another portion of her soul. Here in her room she rested her forehead against the glass and let her weakness show. She felt the tears come immediately, tears of sadness, of bitterness, of loneliness. A pair of arms encircled her from beind. They were strong arms and she felt secure in them, like her problems would go away if she just stayed like this. The tears halted for a second and she relaxed. Her own arms came up and grasped for the arms holding her, willing them to stay forever; even though she knew they wouldn't. "Don't worry, Juri." The whispered voice carried directly into her ear, like it was whispered right next to her. Her eyes snapped open and her pupils dilated. She spun around to face her intruder. There was no one there, there never had been. "Luka!" Juri was frantic. He had been there, but he was dead. He was gone, and the only person who had really loved her was gone forever. Shadows obscured her eyes and she slid to the ground. The only sound in the room was her sobbing. "Luka." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Utena and Anthy were walking home from the post office. Utena was reading a letter she had just gotten to Anthy. "It says here that my Auntie is coming home from her trip soon. You get to meet her and Sakura then." The prince said as she walked along. "Oh, how lovely! I really want to see the woman who raised you Utena-otto." Anthy smiled happily even as Utena groaned at the new formality. "Anthy, do ya gotta call me that. I don't call you wife, do I?" "But I like calling you that. It tells the other people around us that you are mine and to keep their hands off." Anthy smiled possessively and wrapped her arm around Utena's. The prince sighed her defeat and continued walking. There was a letter sitting at the bottom of the pile in a gold envelope. Utena, curious at what was wrapped in such a fancy envelope. Slitting the top, she felt a chill run up her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She unfolded the paper and then felt her knees give out as a wave of terror passed through her body. The paper that fell from her hands read as follows. You have been cordially invited to attend the coming school year at Ohtori Academy's Shirobara island campus. You have already been registered for classes and uniforms will be delivered shortly. Any attempt to withdraw from registration will not be taken lightly. We look forward to seeing you in the coming school year. Anthy stopped when she noticed that Utena wasn't beside her anymore. She turned to Utena who was quivering where she knelt. She joined Utena in her position on the floor. She plucked the note out of Utena's slack grasp as the prince began to speak. "Hime; what's going on here?" Utena asked as she quivered. "He's not allowed to go beyond the confines of the end of the world and that school." "Then what's he doing building a new school?" "Expanding his horizons." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The little ninja stalked to office with the prowess of a shadow. The paperwork he was looking for was here; it had to be. He moved out of the shadows along the wall and maneuvered his way through the laser web around the telescope. This office had some of the best security equipment on the planet and any normal person would have been caught and locked away by now, or worse. This was too easy. He picked to lock on the desk and pulled out the files that he knew were there. Pulling out his camera, he took a few snapshots of the data inside. Then he made his way out, using the same route he took to get in. He waited until he was a good mile from the campus before he allowed himself to rest. He flopped against the nearest hard surface and pulled his mask off. His ears billowed gratefully in the breeze. He closed his eyes and smiled. It had been a productive night and his mistress would be pleased. At that moment the greatest of all the shape shifters and dark familiars was happy and he felt the need to let the rest of the forest know. "Chu Chu!" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Preview of Next Story: Utena: Well, it seem's that Akio-san has decided to come for us. But what about the other duelists. What happened to them? We get to find out the fates of Juri, Touga, Sayonji, and Miki in the next episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena: Rose of Revolution. The Decision of Damned Souls; Re-Enter the Duelists! Anthy: It's the Absolute Destiny Apocolypse! Disclaimer: I do not own Utena, the duelists, the school or the premise. I do own the new duelists, but I don't have them copyrighted so take them as you please. Just tell me where you put them so I can read it ^__^.
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