Reunions and Interviews Saionji Kyouichi had just finished scrubbing the polished wood of his practice hall, a private sanctuary he enjoyed retreating to early in the morning. It was at that time in the crisp air of morning, when the sun had barely begun to shine with warm orange rays over the surface of the horizon, that he felt the most at peace and connected with his inner spirit. It was always quiet, none of his students breaking the atmosphere with their movements or clacking bokkens. Serene...fluid...that was the way mornings should be. Ever since graduation, the green haired man had begun traveling and competing...gaining respect and admiration as a master of the Japanese sword. With age, his famous black temper had cooled and honed into a man's unbreakable will and fortitude. He began to mature both in body, mind, and spirit. And as he grew in skill and knowledge, he began receiving requests for lectures and demonstrations all across his native land. With the money and success of his teachings, Saionji at the age of 23 opened his own dojo and began teaching men and women his art. Now, a year after it opened, it held a prestigious name and rank among the kendo community, despite his youth. Putting up his bucket and cloth, he padded on bare feet to the tea house he had built on his property. An outdoor area that overlooked the landscape of his estate, it was the second most beloved place in his home. The green haired man had just finished whisking the tea when his ears detected the sound of someone approaching. Looking up, he smiled a rare warm grin, and moved over to clasp the oncoming man on the back. "Touga! I see you managed to make it on time today...almost odd seeing you out of bed so early in the morning..." His violet eyes twinkling as he gave a smirk. The red haired man in the tailored Italian suit merely gave an indulging smile, and flipped his hair over his shoulder. "Ah, Saionji...as pleasant as ever...I see you had no trouble with the early hour...but then you always were one to favor such dull past times..." The green haired man gave a dark scowl of annoyance...but within a few moments, his scowl melted as he gave a deep belly chuckle. As Saionji clapped him on the back again and took his place on one side of the low cherry wood table, Touga's eyes softened slightly. His old friend had changed quite a great deal since their time in high school...he remembered a darker and more withdrawn version, than this older and more peaceful Saionji that kneeled before him. It made his inner troubles fade a bit. The two man sat across from each other, each with a steaming tea cup in their hands. Both seemed more aged and powerful compared to their past youthful selves. Saionji had cut his hair to a more manageable shoulder length, and now seemed to favor wearing it constantly tied back behind his ears. It gave him a more rugged look that fit well with the goatee he now sported. Touga's hair had grown even longer, and flowed loose and fine down to his waist like a cape. His pale skin was still perfection, and his slim build made him seem princely compared to the muscular warrior dressed in traditional garb. Quite a pair they were. Sipping their tea silently a moment, enjoying the sun rise, the two friends let things sit calmly and at ease between them. Saionji surprisingly was the first to break the silence. "Tell me Touga...do you think I would make a good...erm...husband?" An elegant eyebrow arched, and Touga's amused voice commented lightly, "Are you proposing to me? I should think you could at least gone and said something a little more romantic..." Saionji gave a light scowl, "Who would want to marry a playboy like you? Be honest now, I'm being serious...do you think I...I'd be alright...for a woman...to marry?" Touga was keenly interested now and leaned forward on his elbows, forgetting for a moment what he needed to speak about with his friend. "Oh ho...so I think it is safe to assume you intend to propose to that Shinohara girl after all?" He was rewarded with a light blush across the green haired man's cheeks, who tried to mask it by sipping from his cup again. Touga sat back and gave a chuckle of triumph, some of his old behavior returning to him. "Ahhh...so you are. Well, as your closest and oldest of friends, I think I can safely say you would make a fine mate for her. You're dependable and steadfast...you can provide for her easily...you have always been the more faithful of us two...and I can tell by that ridiculous expression on your face that you are head over heels for her. Satisfied?" Saionji scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I know you think it silly of me...but I always seem to lose my composure around her. Wakaba is a very sweet and beautiful woman...I'd like to spend my life with her at my side. But...it's so damn hard to say the right things! I always end up fumbling like a rock-headed idiot...degrading in the extreme!" He huffed as he set his tea down. But an odd smile came across his features. "I suppose she is the only one who has ever really thrown me off balance...I can't believe she would waste her time on a fool like me." The talk quieted for a bit, before Saionji looked up with a solemn and more serious expression on his face. "Now tell me...what the hell happened to you. You look like shit." The abrupt language and hard unflinching look in the kendoist's eyes reminded him strongly of his school days, and Touga found it difficult to keep from losing his relaxed posture. He knew for a fact he looked perfect as he always did...he had checked his appearance in the mirror three times before he had left. Saionji was the only one who would have been able to pick up on his discomfort. Somewhat unnerving really. It was Touga's turn to scowl. "I don't know what you mean..." Saionji merely held up a hand and cut him off. "Don't lie to me...I've known you longer than anyone. For the sake of our friendship, please don't feed me bull shit." Touga blinked and then sighed. Leaning close, his gaze catching his friends like a steel snare, he grew deadly serious. All pretense of seduction and joking gone. "What do you recall of Ohtori Academy...?" xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Utena Tenjou, the singer known only as 'Ten', was walking briskly down the halls of the back corridors of studio 54. She had a frown on her face, and black storm clouds seemed to be trailing after her. A thing her band mates had been noticing was beginning to happen more and more. True, she had always been somewhat reserved and sullen at times...introspective a bit. But this? This seemed somewhat alien to them. Utena had always managed to keep a smile and a cheerful disposition, if only a sarcastic one. But Jared and the others were starting to become concerned. She was eating less and always seemed tired. She was gone for hours on end, and the punk rocker swore she came back stoned sometimes. He had kept an eye out to see if she had track marks on her arms or if she started wearing long sleeves, but thankfully it hadn't become an issue yet. And poor Violet...she had had a 'secret' crush on the other woman ever since Utena had saved her from some bullies picking on her behind her school. But now she could barely get two words out of her, let alone a glance or a smile. Jared glowered down at his bright yellow tie and cut up dress shirt held together by outrageous red suspenders. At least Violet could get through to her sometimes...they needed to have a serious talk as a band as soon as they got a free minute. Things were starting to get a little tense. The band waited patiently in a little side area as they watched a small t.v. monitor. The hostess of the show announced their names, and ushered by the bouncers, the group trooped out to wild squeals and cheers from a televised audience. Instantly without a word, smiles went up and everyone clicked into their interview mood. Greeting the hostess, who had enough bright red lipstick to act as a traffic signal, the band all took seats in plush couches that created a cozy semi circle. Cozy...right...along with the jam packed audience and dozens of moving and zooming cameras broadcasting this show out to thousands of viewers. Utena hated talk shows... In fact, it was even more uncomfortable because this was a foreign audience. The group had arrived in Japan to continue their world tour, and had met with a frenzied mob of fans. But Utena was the only one of them fluent in Japanese, so they had to rely on a translator. The woman hosting this particular show would be speaking to them all in English and subtitles would be put out for the audience and viewers. Violet was among many nervous others. "Welcome all of you from Crysanthium Exctasy! We're so pleased to have you here as our guests on Makiko Terebi!"Her Japanese accent was thick, making it somewhat of a struggle for the Americans to keep up with. Lance and Mason flashed winning smiles as Violet ducked her head. Eric spoke up somewhat rudely and lazily from the couch she reclined on. "It's our pleasure. Thanks for havin' us..." The woman turned her attention onto Jared and Utena, who shared one couch and immediately that warm smile became just the slightest bit predatory as she began launching into a introductory speech about their 'incredible accomplishments' and their 'widely growing fan base' all around the world. And then of course came the questions. They never really varied very much...and the producers always had to submit the list of questions to their manager before hand, so there was never a real need to guess on what to say. But of course the band made a good show of it. The questions began to move away from the rest of the band, and focus more on Utena herself. She caught Lance's smile becoming slightly strained out of the corner of her eye, as she answered simply and casually what was asked of her. Eric scowled once, and looked away as questions of the band name and how she came to be such a wonderful influence cropped up. Utena knew she would have to smooth things over later without the two of them, who had seemed angry and jealous recently. She was thinking tiredly of what angle she would use, when a question suddenly snapped her full attention to the energetic black haired Japanese woman. "So tell us, Ten...you're fans have been said to have started giving you the nickname 'Prince'. What are your thoughts on this?" Utena's smile was held on by sheer force of will, as annoyance began to set in from deep in her gut. She managed a laugh and a fluttering hand gesture, as if to dismiss the notion. "I am not a Prince...can't you see that I'm a girl? I think it is somewhat silly." The woman was persistent however, not sensing the territory she had stumbled into, "Oh come now...many young girls and several boys have begun saying you're like a Prince of Music, that you seem to transcend those old fashioned boundaries." The pink haired woman tried counting in her head, a feel of anger beginning to steep into her posture. Lance noticed it and looked at her strangely. She needed to keep cool...she was being watched by everyone after all. Still smiling (if a bit strained ), "I really don't like that name...there are no such things as Princes after all. I'm just a musician hoping to share my thoughts with others in a more mainstream sort of way. Girls can't be Princes. Why don't we try talking about Violet's new solo-" She was cut off by the woman. "But really now, several people-" Utena's eyes narrowed dangerously as she turned a raptor gaze on the woman, all pretense of pleasantry gone. With a flick of a finger, she switched off the hidden microphone at her back, and leaned forward. The woman's breath caught in sudden fear as those ice blue eyes caught her own. A harsh grating snarl of Japanese came from those cupid bow lips. "Look you little fool...you are treading thin ice. Unless you'd like me to embarrass you on national television by punching my fist through your fragile skull, I would suggest you shut off that word vomit spewing from your ignorant mouth and get back to the questions on the list. Otherwise I'm afraid you and I are going to have to get very personal indeed..." The woman's eyes widened in terror, forgetting she was being watched by many. Giving a quick nod, Utena sat back and switched on her microphone, a sly and seductive smile once more painted on her lips. "Now then, about Violet's new solo..." The woman fluttered her hands like a bird and quickly jumped tracks onto this new escape route. The rest of the aired show went as scheduled, with a few more questions, a humorous obstacle course quiz show game starring the male members of the band, and a live mini concert featuring some of the new songs on their debuting album. It wasn't until much later, as Makiko Yakuyaza was alone in her dressing room that she broke down into a fevered fit of shaking and crying. That woman's eyes...those frozen robin's egg blue eyes...they had gone silver while she gazed into them....
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