The Movement of Pawns To say she was upset and outraged was an understatement. She was livid, but she had far too much pride and cool control to show how badly she wanted to throttle him. Not because of his request or the fact that it was short notice. Not because he had gone behind her back and arranged such a thing, oh no...those she might have forgiven for the sake of a favor. It was that damn arrogant self-assured smirk he still had plastered across his lips. Juri Arisugawa slammed a manicured fist on the polished cherry wood desk, her glowing orange curls bouncing violently. "How dare you Touga! How dare you go behind my back and include my company in your plan! My business is not subject to your arrogant whims!" The woman gave a panther's snarl of anger and annoyance. Saionji hid a smile of glee behind his hand as he watched Arisugawa unbraid Touga in front of them. He remembered her well from the time they had served on the council together back at Ohtori. But seeing her there, still gorgeous and still with the biggest balls he had ever seen on a woman...filled him with a quiet reassurance. Arisugawa hadn't changed....she had grown and expanded in several aspects, but she was still Juri... Juri who had openly debunked him at council meetings and didn't give a damn about the duels...Juri who had been captain of the fencing team but had never let her prestige stop her from lending a hand to a student now and then...Juri who was known as the Beautiful Panther on campus, and always stuck to her responsibilities... ...Juri who had once lent a sword to Tenjou the day she re-dueled Touga for the Rose Bride, and won... Which of course was why they were trying to enlist her help. Saionji himself had never really spoken to the pink haired underclassmen except to hurl insults or threats. And Juri herself hadn't interacted all that much with her either...and least not until the end. But she was a part of it all, and if what Anthy had told them was true, they were going to need all the help they could get. Juri for her part wasn't really angry so much that Touga had wanted her help...she might have even considered going along with his plan to getting Tenjou over here to see if they could jog her memory. She didn't exactly agree that she might be memorable enough to the girl to refresh her memory of her past. But she was willing to try...she certainly owed Tenjou that much. No, what drove her up the wall was the arrogance Touga had shown in thinking he could just snap his fingers and everyone would be more than happy to blindly go along with his plans. Who needed to be polite? Who needed to consult with the damn owner of the company? He was Touga Kiryuu, master playboy and egomaniac! She ground her teeth as he tried to placate her with empty flattery and false statements and intentions. All the while Himemiya was sitting there looking prim and graceful in her office chair. But Juri was still somewhat floored to see her, even now. She was beautiful, yes...still as youthful and exotic as ever. But that wasn't what made Juri want to cock her head in question. It was her eyes... For as long as she could remember...or at least now that her memory had been returned to her, Anthy had always had the deadest eyes she had ever seen. Like a doll's eyes, with a doll's perfect beatific expression. But now that was all changed. Her eyes had life in them...filled with a drive and a passion that reminded her sharply of Utena. But she wasn't the same as that kind hearted busy-body...who felt it her business to coach an older student on a relationship she was naive of. No...unlike the Prince, the Witch had a cunning and a hardness to her eyes that said she had seen it all, and it didn't impress her. But if what they were telling her was true, maybe that was no longer the case. According to Kiryuu and Kyouichi's narrations, that rose-tinted girl she remembered smiling and laughing as she stretched in front of the window...she was gone. And they were looking to get her back. Juri sighed and sat back in her chair. Himemiya had restored her memories...memories she hadn't even known she had forgotten, with no effort at all it seemed. Just a hand on her temple and suddenly she remembered. No pain, no sleepiness, no ill effects. Ha, too bad the boys hadn't gotten such a good deal. But now that she remembered, she couldn't just forget how much she owed that girl...and how badly she wanted to see her, if only one more time. "Alright.." she said, holding up a hand to halt the red maned pretty boy. Touga leaned back in his chair, waiting patiently and gracefully. "If I understand what you want to do...you want me to hold a photo shoot for this punk rock band...in my elegant women's magazine...a bunch of teeny boppers...and do what, talk to Tenjou? See if I can get her to remember? Anthy stepped in and shook her head, "No...I think that tactic has already been tried too many times with...ill effects." Touga sat up straighter slightly, his brow furrowed as he gave a nod of agreement. "I think it would be best if you can just observe her...see if you can get her to let slip some sort of clue on how to reverse this condition. We three will be watching from elsewhere...I don't think it would be a good idea if she were to see us so soon...after our last, ah, encounter." Juri leaned slightly forward, "Just observe? And you think she'll drop a clue do you? Sounds like a rather vague plan. Losing our touch, are we?" Her lip curled slightly in a smirk. Touga returned the smirk and casually replied, "Well I didn't think it my place to tell the owner of C.E. publications how to go about her business." Juri gave an amused chuckled and settled once more in her chair, reaching for the phone as she did so. The tension that had been in the room earlier had melted into companionship. Even Anthy was smiling and looking a bit relieved. "So you will help us then?" Juri knew she wasn't just asking about this little photo shoot. All or nothing as they say. "Yes...you have my word...I will do all in my power to help you. For now, let me make a few phone calls...you didn't exactly leave me with much time...and I suppose I'm right in guessing you want me to get this arranged as soon as possible if she's...getting worse?" Anthy's head bowed, her curtain of rich violet hair sweeping in around face. "...Please..." Juri gave a nod and then began speaking to several people on the phone, her voice clipped and professional, but never losing it's politeness. While she was busy, Touga turned his body in his chair to face both of his companions and spoke in a low voice. Wouldn't do to upset Arisugawa again. "I know of another person who may have more of an affect on Tenjou, Saionji...someone who was the closest to her out of all of us...besides you of course, Himemiya." Anthy waved the assurance away, "You mean that girl who would always hang around her....Wakaba?" Saionji paled and whipped his head around forcefully. His voice came out as little more than a squeezed harsh whisper, "No....no...No Touga! I don't want her to get involved! Do you understand me?" Anthy turned to look at Saionji quizzically, but Touga was more than pleased to answer her unspoken question, "Oh...Saionji is soon to ask the lovely Shinohara-san to marry him! Isn't that simply lovely?" The exotic woman looked surprised and pleased, "Oh my! Congratulations, Saionji...I wasn't aware you two were together." The green haired man gave a scowl, a blush on his cheeks. This made Touga grin all the wider, but Saionji's dark look wiped it clean. "I don't want her involved in this...I don't want to get her caught up in all of what is happening here...she remembers mostly good things about school and our lives here now. What if she hates me? What if she leaves and never comes back? I couldn't deal with that. And I couldn't deal with her getting hurt, if Utena is leaking power everywhere like Himemiya-san is thinking." He turned away, his face cold and harsh. Even after all these years, Touga observed, his friend still had a hard time now and then keeping his heart off his sleeve. He placed a consoling hand on his old friend's shoulder. "I understand..." he glanced at the orange curled Juri, who was still busy on the phone. "...I do. But think about it this way: Utena and Wakaba were friends long before we met either of them...what must it be like to suddenly forget your closest friend and protector ever existed? It must bother her on some level to not be able to recall her face...and it would be worse for her than for us." Touga didn't understand at that point in time just how right he was. Saionji gave a heavy sigh, but a nod of acceptance. Himemiya who had been quiet all this time leaned forward a bit and brushed back a strand of hair past her smooth cheek. "If you...do decide to talk to her about what is going on...you have my word that I will not allow harm to come to her if I can stop it. And if she would want to forget again...well...I can do that too." Saionji gave a small sad smile, and nodded his thanks. He would think on it. The red haired man who sat beside him however noted how carefully Anthy had worded that particular promise. My my...still quite the cunning little enchantress...they never really had understood how well she had pulled the strings that puppeted them. Now he got another glimpse of that powerful mind behind those lovely green eyes. Juri finished her calls and stood from her desk. "All right, everything is in place. Two days from now we'll have the group come in for an interview in Cultivated Elegance's story on Modern Youth and the Influences of Music. I have personally undertaken the job of photographer for the photos that will be used in the article my staff is quickly writing up. That will give me ample time to see just how bad this situation has gotten. I'll go from there. Is there anything else then?" Anthy stood along with her two 'bodyguards' and gave a bow and smile full of gratitude. "No, that's all. Thank you Arisugawa-san...I really appreciate what you're doing for us." Juri gave a wave of dismissal and a smile of her own. "It's my pleasure. Well if we're all done here, I've got to be getting home. I promised I'd be back early for dinner." It was then that Touga caught the glint of gold on her ring finger. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Himemiya was thinking much the same thing but wrote it off as being used to seeing a ring of a different sort on that slender, noble, finger. Saionji unbeknownst to his companions had picked up on it from the moment he had come into the room. Ah, but then one tended to be more observant of those who were once your rivals. The trio left the office, and Arisugawa left soon after them, her step not quite as light as it usually was, and no tune hummed under her breath. But then...fresh memories of broken idols and swords torn from one's chest tended to dampen the mood just a bit... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx All the while, trouble was brewing elsewhere. "Dude! What's the deal with these new songs lately? I mean...yeah, they're good and all-" "Do you have a problem playing them?" "No...but I mean, they're not our style...ya know? I mean when we first started this band, we played a couple oddballs but we mainly stuck to our guns and played punk and rock sets...that's what got us here in the first place after all." "Sure, if you say so." "The hell is that supposed to mean?!" "Why don't you tell me, Eric?" Utena's voice became a dangerous purr. The rest of the bandmates stood around the room uncomfortably, except Jared who was standing just a little behind Ten somewhat like a bodyguard. His face was one of blank adoration, like a man who had seen divinity and still carried a piece of it with him. But hearing his two closest companions at each other's throats seemed to bring him back to the present. Placing a calming hand on both women's shoulders, he tried to soothe the tension. "Now now...I think the direction we're moving isn't a bad one, in fact--" Eric heatedly jerked his hand off and rounded on him, Mason moving up behind her, and Lance going over to comfort Violet who looked worried and withdrawn. "What are you, her little bitch?! Ever since you went to go check on her, you two have been all buddy-buddy... did she fu--" "Hey come on now, Eric...that's enough." Mason pleaded. But Utena merely smirked and crossed her arms, "Why ask that...are you jealous Eric?" Mason had to hold his girlfriend back to keep her from taking a step forward. She looked mad enough to start spitting. "YOU!!WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK IN HERE AND RUN THINGS, HUH?!" Utena walked away in the middle of her tirade, the heated words rolling off her back indifferently. She moved over to Violet, as if the others weren't there. "Hey Violet, didn't you get an offer today to play with that famous pianist?" Nervous and unsure at the sudden change in topic, Violet answered in that quiet stammer of hers. "A-ah..yes....y-yes they said that Mr. Miki Kaoru wanted to play a duet together...for a radio presentation in a couple days." Utena gave her a warm smile, and Violet relaxed at the kindness and good humor in those robin's egg eyes. "Oh yeah? He's pretty famous I hear...when are you scheduled to do that? I 'd love to hear you two play together." Violet found herself blushing slightly under that gaze, narrowed on her. Smiling a little, she related what the managers had told her. Utena gave a nod as she thought it over, and asked, "Will you be able to make it to the photo shoot and interview? You know that C.E. thing is scheduled that same day...I would hate for you to miss it." Violet shook her head, brushing a strand of short straight hair out of her eyes. She was smiling fully now, "Oh no...it's alright. Mr. Kaoru said he would have his car drive me and Mr. Yoshuhaku over to the C.E. building after we were done. We'll be there on time." The pink haired older woman smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'm glad." In the background, Eric scoffed and angrily stomped out, "Hitting on defenseless little girls now, are we? Stupid slut..." Eric suddenly found herself looking up at the ceiling, dazed. The room was full of a stunned silence, and when she found the ringing in her ears had stopped, Eric looked up to see Jared standing over her, with a black scowl on his face. "Going a bit too far there...I won't have you talking about Ten that way..." Mason moved over, fist raised and a look of anger plastered on his own face, but Lance was magically there, keeping the two apart. "HEY! Okay guys, cool it! Jared, that was sooo not cool, bro...you don't hit a girl man, and you DON'T hit your friends. I don't care WHAT the reason. And Mason, you're not helping here. Now I think everyone here needs to cool off and take a walk." "Excellent idea...bastards...I am so out of here..." Eric was tearfully helped up by Mason and the two stormed out, but as she was leaving she turned back to glare at her once friend and now enemy. "Don't think that this is over...I'll deal with you later." Violet grew worried again at the small sly smile she saw creep on her idol's lips.
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